ummmm........
Extremely normal.
Florida has to beat South Carolina or FSU to avoid a losing season . . .
2013 NCAA Football Thread
- Thread starter Wrymouth3
- Start date
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
And the eyes of a hopeful nation turn to the Loveliest Village on the Plains . . .
Okay, here we go . . :
We lost three teams this week with Houston, Miami and Oklahoma all dropping their second game.
1. Alabama -- Yippee us. The LSU game went pretty much as I expected -- close early with us pulling away late. I didn't expect us to pull away quite that far, but the last TD was against an LSU team that had already given up . . .
2. FSU -- dominated Wake, which is what they are supposed to do. No letdown after the Miami win, which which was probably the last test they'll face until the BCS Title game . . .
3. Stanford -- Ah, if not for the damnable Utes. Still, they have the best win of the year
4. Oregon -- What a letdown. The only solace is that the Stanford game proved that Alabama/Oregon wouldn't have been very interesting after all. And since they lost on Thursday we were treated to a lot of 'We Want Bama' jokes all day Saturday. So at least they gave us that . . .
5. Ohio State -- Off week. Nothing to see here. Move along. Michigan dropped another, so Michigan State is likely the only ranked team OSU will face the rest of the way . . .
6. Baylor -- I still don't know what to think about the Big XII. But I think I saw enough from Baylor to believe they'll be favored versus all of their remaining schedule: TT, Okie State, TCU and Texas . . .
7. Missouri -- Didn't lose focus against a pitiful Kentucky team. Things get a little tougher with Ole Miss and A&M. If they can win out or manage the three way tie with Georgia and South Carolina, DGB could provide some matchup problems for Alabama in the SEC title game, assuming Alabama beats Auburn. Which I am
8. Michigan State -- Off week. The Nebraska game this Saturday will *probably* decide the Legends division, but I guess Minnesota is still in the running as well . . ?
9. Auburn -- 444 yards rushing, 35 yards passing. But if you're winning 55-23, why quibble? Georgia and Alabama are next, but right now Auburn is on the cusp of a miracle season after going winless in conference play last year . . .
10. Clemson -- Off week. It's amazing how they seem to have fallen completely out of the public consciousness after losing that blowout to FSU. Or maybe not so amazing. Still, they could make some noise again by beating South Carolina at the end of the year . . .
11. Oklahoma State -- crushed Kansas, but they still have the worst loss of any one-loss team with WVU losing again today, this time to Texas . . .
12. UCF -- Didn't dominate Houston like I expected them to, but did a good job keeping their offense in check. Stock down a little . . .
13. Louisville -- An uninteresting win over UConn, Houston should provide a bit more excitement this Saturday . . .
14. NIU -- Off week. Ball State on Wednesday should decide the MAC West . . .
15. Fresno State -- A slow start, but ultimately another big win over not much. SJSU could be a test on Black Friday. Still a lot of moving parts in the MWC Mountain, but they may have to face the Boise team that they only beat by one point again in the MWC title game. I'm not sure when/if they're rescheduling the Colorado game . . .
16. Ball State -- Beat up on Central Michigan earlier in the week, showdown with undefeated NIU this Wednesday . . .
Games of the week for week 12 . . :
Ball State/NIU on Wednesday: While Toledo is still in the race -- and faces NIU next Wednesday -- this is probably the game that will decide the MAC West . . .
GT/Clemson on Thursday: GT is one of four(4) two-loss teams tied atop the Coastal. This is their last conference game, but teams seem to handle the option a bit better when they have an extra week to prepare, as Clemson has . . .
Georgia/Auburn: Georgia's got Gurley and Bennett back, so this should be a really great game. Expect lots of running . . .
Michigan State/Nebraska: Will probably decide the Legends division, which will probably affect Ohio State as much as anyone else . . .
Okie State/Texas: I'm kind of just waiting for Okie State to get knocked off. This could be it
Houston/Louisville: This is a good chance for Louisville to reassert itself. Their defense should keep this one from being too close . . .
Baylor/TT: Probably shouldn't even include this one with TT on the skid they're on, but at least they are capable of getting into a shootout with Baylor . . .
Stanford/USC: USC winning this would be the most Orgeron thing ever. A man can dream, can't he . . ?
Miami/Duke: This game will go a long way towards determining who will represent the Coastal vs. FSU in the ACC title game. FSU locked up the Atlantic when they beat Wake this week. If Duke wins, they need Clemson to beat GT and to win out vs. Wake and UNC. If Miami wins, VT just has to beat Maryland and Virginia to lock up their spot. I'm not sure what happens if VT, Duke and GT all win out, because I don't know the ACC tiebreakers . . .
So lots of good stuff to watch this week. Next week features a lot of byes and powder puffs before rivalry week, so enjoy this one if you have the opportunity . . .
Resumes:
Unbeaten
Alabama -- beat A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC), VT (7-3, 4-2 ACC), LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC) and Ole Miss (6-3, 3-3 SEC)
Ohio State -- beat Buffalo (7-2, 5-0 MAC), Wisconsin (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten), Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) and Penn State (5-4, 2-3 Big Ten)
FSU -- beat Clemson (8-1, 6-1 ACC), Miami (7-2, 3-2 ACC), Maryland (5-4, 1-4 ACC)
Baylor -- beat Buffalo (7-2, 5-0 MAC) and Oklahoma (7-2, 4-2 Big XII)
Fresno State -- beat Boise (6-3, 4-1 MWC) and Rutgers (5-3, 2-2 AAC)
Northern Illinois -- beat Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
One-loss
Clemson -- lost to FSU (9-0, 7-0 ACC), beat Georgia (6-3, 4-2 SEC) and Maryland (5-4, 1-4 ACC)
Oregon -- lost to Stanford (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12), beat UCLA (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12) and Washington (6-3, 3-3 Pac-12)
Louisville -- lost to UCF (7-1, 4-0 AAC), beat Ohio (6-3, 3-2 MAC) and Rutgers (5-3, 2-2 AAC)
UCF -- lost to SCAR (7-2, 5-2 SEC), beat Louisville (8-1, 4-1 AAC), Houston (7-2, 4-1 AAC) and Penn State (5-4, 2-3 Big Ten)
Missouri -- lost to SCAR (7-2, 5-2 SEC), beat Toledo (6-2, 4-1 MAC) and Georgia (5-3, 4-2 SEC)
Ball State -- lost to North Texas (7-3, 5-1 CUSA), beat Toledo (6-3, 4-1 MAC)
Auburn -- lost to LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC), beat A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC) and Ole Miss (6-3, 3-3 SEC)
Michigan State -- lost to Notre Dame (7-3), beat Michigan (6-3, 2-3 Big Ten) and Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
Stanford -- lost to Utah (4-5, 1-5 Pac-12), beat Oregon (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12), ASU (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12), UCLA (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12), Oregon State (6-3, 4-2 Pac-12), Washington (6-3, 3-3 Pac-12) and SJSU (5-4, 4-2 MWC)
Oklahoma State -- lost to WVU (4-6, 2-5 Big XII), beat TT (7-3, 4-3 Big XII)
Okay, here we go . . :
We lost three teams this week with Houston, Miami and Oklahoma all dropping their second game.
1. Alabama -- Yippee us. The LSU game went pretty much as I expected -- close early with us pulling away late. I didn't expect us to pull away quite that far, but the last TD was against an LSU team that had already given up . . .
2. FSU -- dominated Wake, which is what they are supposed to do. No letdown after the Miami win, which which was probably the last test they'll face until the BCS Title game . . .
3. Stanford -- Ah, if not for the damnable Utes. Still, they have the best win of the year
4. Oregon -- What a letdown. The only solace is that the Stanford game proved that Alabama/Oregon wouldn't have been very interesting after all. And since they lost on Thursday we were treated to a lot of 'We Want Bama' jokes all day Saturday. So at least they gave us that . . .
5. Ohio State -- Off week. Nothing to see here. Move along. Michigan dropped another, so Michigan State is likely the only ranked team OSU will face the rest of the way . . .
6. Baylor -- I still don't know what to think about the Big XII. But I think I saw enough from Baylor to believe they'll be favored versus all of their remaining schedule: TT, Okie State, TCU and Texas . . .
7. Missouri -- Didn't lose focus against a pitiful Kentucky team. Things get a little tougher with Ole Miss and A&M. If they can win out or manage the three way tie with Georgia and South Carolina, DGB could provide some matchup problems for Alabama in the SEC title game, assuming Alabama beats Auburn. Which I am
8. Michigan State -- Off week. The Nebraska game this Saturday will *probably* decide the Legends division, but I guess Minnesota is still in the running as well . . ?
9. Auburn -- 444 yards rushing, 35 yards passing. But if you're winning 55-23, why quibble? Georgia and Alabama are next, but right now Auburn is on the cusp of a miracle season after going winless in conference play last year . . .
10. Clemson -- Off week. It's amazing how they seem to have fallen completely out of the public consciousness after losing that blowout to FSU. Or maybe not so amazing. Still, they could make some noise again by beating South Carolina at the end of the year . . .
11. Oklahoma State -- crushed Kansas, but they still have the worst loss of any one-loss team with WVU losing again today, this time to Texas . . .
12. UCF -- Didn't dominate Houston like I expected them to, but did a good job keeping their offense in check. Stock down a little . . .
13. Louisville -- An uninteresting win over UConn, Houston should provide a bit more excitement this Saturday . . .
14. NIU -- Off week. Ball State on Wednesday should decide the MAC West . . .
15. Fresno State -- A slow start, but ultimately another big win over not much. SJSU could be a test on Black Friday. Still a lot of moving parts in the MWC Mountain, but they may have to face the Boise team that they only beat by one point again in the MWC title game. I'm not sure when/if they're rescheduling the Colorado game . . .
16. Ball State -- Beat up on Central Michigan earlier in the week, showdown with undefeated NIU this Wednesday . . .
Games of the week for week 12 . . :
Ball State/NIU on Wednesday: While Toledo is still in the race -- and faces NIU next Wednesday -- this is probably the game that will decide the MAC West . . .
GT/Clemson on Thursday: GT is one of four(4) two-loss teams tied atop the Coastal. This is their last conference game, but teams seem to handle the option a bit better when they have an extra week to prepare, as Clemson has . . .
Georgia/Auburn: Georgia's got Gurley and Bennett back, so this should be a really great game. Expect lots of running . . .
Michigan State/Nebraska: Will probably decide the Legends division, which will probably affect Ohio State as much as anyone else . . .
Okie State/Texas: I'm kind of just waiting for Okie State to get knocked off. This could be it
Houston/Louisville: This is a good chance for Louisville to reassert itself. Their defense should keep this one from being too close . . .
Baylor/TT: Probably shouldn't even include this one with TT on the skid they're on, but at least they are capable of getting into a shootout with Baylor . . .
Stanford/USC: USC winning this would be the most Orgeron thing ever. A man can dream, can't he . . ?
Miami/Duke: This game will go a long way towards determining who will represent the Coastal vs. FSU in the ACC title game. FSU locked up the Atlantic when they beat Wake this week. If Duke wins, they need Clemson to beat GT and to win out vs. Wake and UNC. If Miami wins, VT just has to beat Maryland and Virginia to lock up their spot. I'm not sure what happens if VT, Duke and GT all win out, because I don't know the ACC tiebreakers . . .
So lots of good stuff to watch this week. Next week features a lot of byes and powder puffs before rivalry week, so enjoy this one if you have the opportunity . . .
Resumes:
Unbeaten
Alabama -- beat A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC), VT (7-3, 4-2 ACC), LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC) and Ole Miss (6-3, 3-3 SEC)
Ohio State -- beat Buffalo (7-2, 5-0 MAC), Wisconsin (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten), Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) and Penn State (5-4, 2-3 Big Ten)
FSU -- beat Clemson (8-1, 6-1 ACC), Miami (7-2, 3-2 ACC), Maryland (5-4, 1-4 ACC)
Baylor -- beat Buffalo (7-2, 5-0 MAC) and Oklahoma (7-2, 4-2 Big XII)
Fresno State -- beat Boise (6-3, 4-1 MWC) and Rutgers (5-3, 2-2 AAC)
Northern Illinois -- beat Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
One-loss
Clemson -- lost to FSU (9-0, 7-0 ACC), beat Georgia (6-3, 4-2 SEC) and Maryland (5-4, 1-4 ACC)
Oregon -- lost to Stanford (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12), beat UCLA (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12) and Washington (6-3, 3-3 Pac-12)
Louisville -- lost to UCF (7-1, 4-0 AAC), beat Ohio (6-3, 3-2 MAC) and Rutgers (5-3, 2-2 AAC)
UCF -- lost to SCAR (7-2, 5-2 SEC), beat Louisville (8-1, 4-1 AAC), Houston (7-2, 4-1 AAC) and Penn State (5-4, 2-3 Big Ten)
Missouri -- lost to SCAR (7-2, 5-2 SEC), beat Toledo (6-2, 4-1 MAC) and Georgia (5-3, 4-2 SEC)
Ball State -- lost to North Texas (7-3, 5-1 CUSA), beat Toledo (6-3, 4-1 MAC)
Auburn -- lost to LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC), beat A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC) and Ole Miss (6-3, 3-3 SEC)
Michigan State -- lost to Notre Dame (7-3), beat Michigan (6-3, 2-3 Big Ten) and Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
Stanford -- lost to Utah (4-5, 1-5 Pac-12), beat Oregon (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12), ASU (7-2, 5-1 Pac-12), UCLA (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12), Oregon State (6-3, 4-2 Pac-12), Washington (6-3, 3-3 Pac-12) and SJSU (5-4, 4-2 MWC)
Oklahoma State -- lost to WVU (4-6, 2-5 Big XII), beat TT (7-3, 4-3 Big XII)
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
Yeah, I know. I felt particularly bad about it once I put the resumes together and saw Utah lost again. But by then it was done. And I do think Stanford is a very good football team that would probably beat Ohio State, and ditto Oregon. But OSU was off this week so they didn't get a chance to make an impression . . .
Wrymouth3
Emperor
If the game against West Virginia is any indication. Texas is certainly not beating Oklahoma State.
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
Okie State lost to West Virginia . . .
EDIT: Okay. With FSU clinching their division this week and only a few weeks left in the season, I was bored enough to start trying to work out the various conference and division races. But it was too hard. So I just did the favorites and strongest contenders . . :
AAC
The favorite: UCF is the only team that controls its own destiny in the conference. Win out and they're in. Lose once and they're pretty much still in.
The contender: In the extremely unlikely event that UCF loses to Temple, Rutgers, USF or SMU, Cincinnati would be the biggest threat to UCF. Those two don't play this year, and Cincinnati could also finish with just one conference loss. In order to do that, Cincinnati would have to beat both Houston and Louisville. If Cincinnati does win out -- beating those two plus Rutgers -- and UCF actually did lose to one of the crap teams remaining on their schedule, Cincinnati could climb ahead of UCF in the BCS standings. Absent a head-to-head matchup, the AAC resolves ties based on the higher ranked BCS team, so Cincinnati would advance in that scenario. There is not a scenario where either of the other two teams with only one conference loss could find themselves in a tie with UCF that they wouldn't lose based on head-to-head. If UCF loses twice, then all kinds of possibilities would open up, but that's just silly . . .
ACC Atlantic
The representative: FSU has won the ACC Atlantic. Yay for simplicity. Yay.
ACC Coastal
The favorite: While no one truly controls their own destiny in the Coastal, Virginia Tech owns the tiebreakers vs. everyone except Duke, and VT is just far more likely to finish with only two losses than Duke is. VT would also win the Coastal even if both they and Duke win out, provided GT also beats Clemson to force the three-way tie. In that scenario head-to-head would not resolve the tie and both GT and Duke would be eliminated by their worse divisional record . . .
The contenders: Georgia Tech needs to beat Clemson -- good luck with that -- and also needs VT and Miami to lose one more each. Duke needs to win out -- vs. Miami, Wake and UNC -- and needs GT to lose to Clemson. Miami must win out and hope for VT to lose . . .
Big XII
The favorite: The top three teams in the Big XII have yet to play each other, so this is straight prediction. I'm going out on a limb and giving it to Baylor. They can even afford to slip up vs. TT or TCU, as long as they beat the other contenders . . .
The contenders: The other two are Texas and Okie State. If either of them wins out, they're in. So it just comes down to who you think is going to win out. Okie State already has a loss so they can't afford to slip up vs. Oklahoma even if they've already beaten Baylor and Texas by then. Texas can lose to TT as long as they win the other two . . .
Big Ten Legends
The favorite: Michigan State is the only Legends team undefeated in conference play. With Nebraska, Northwestern and Minnesota to go, they can afford to drop either of the other two if they can beat Nebraska this weekend . . .
The contenders: If Nebraska wins out versus Michigan State, Penn State and Iowa, they're in, but they must win all three or they lose control of their destiny. Minnesota is still alive since they've beaten Nebraska and still have Michigan State to play, but even if they win out Minnesota must rely on the Michigan State/Nebraska winner to lose somewhere else . . .
Big Ten Leaders
The favorite: Ohio State would have to suffer a total collapse to avoid winning the division . . .
The contender: Wisconsin must win out and hope OSU loses to two of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan . . .
CUSA East
The favorite: Marshall?
The contender: ECU? Both Marshall and ECU have one conference loss and aren't likely to lose again until they play each other the last week of the season. So whichever one wins that game is in. I'm going with Marshall . . .
CUSA West
The favorite: If North Texas wins out -- versus UTSA and Tulsa -- they're in . . .
The contender: Rice lost to North Texas head-to-head, so they must win out -- LaTech, UAB, Tulane -- and hope for a North Texas loss . . .
MAC East
The favorite: Buffalo is the only team undefeated in conference play, with Toledo, Miami and Bowling Green remaining . . .
The contender: If Bowling Green can get past Ohio and Eastern Michigan, then their season finale with Buffalo would decide the division . . .
MAC West
The favorite: If NIU beats Ball State and Toledo the next two Wednesdays, they're in. The Western Michigan result would be irrelevant . . .
The contenders: If Ball State beats NIU this Wednesday, they would clinch the division and their game against Miami wouldn't matter. If Ball State loses to NIU and Toledo wins out -- with wins over NIU and Buffalo -- forcing a three way tie, Toledo would represent the West by virtue of the strength of their cross-division schedule. Crazy, huh . . ?
MWC West
The favorite: Fresno has to win one of their two remaining games, versus New Mexico and SJSU . . .
The contenders: If Fresno somehow manages to lose both of those games, SDSU could advance by beating Hawai'i, Boise and UNLV. If SDSU lost one of those, and SJSU won out, I have no idea what would happen because I can't find the MWC's tiebreaker procedure. If SDSU's loss was to Boise, everyone would have one division loss and one cross division loss. I'm guessing BCS ranking would probably determine the representative. Happily, Fresno can rid us of all this by beating New Mexico on the 23rd . . .
MWC East
The favorite: If Boise wins its remaing three games vs. Wyoming, SDSU and New Mexico, it's in . . .
The contenders: Boise owns the tiebreaker over Utah State, so if Boise does slip up Utah State must beat both Colorado State and Wyoming to advance . . .
Pac-12 North
The favorite: Stanford is the prohibitive favorite, requiring only wins over USC and Cal to advance. OTOH, USC is a good bit better than Utah, who holds Stanford as its only conference win . . .
The contender: If Stanford loses, Oregon would have to beat Utah, Arizona and Oregon State. Since Stanford owns the head-to-head over both Oregon and Oregon State, Stanford would have to lose to both USC and Cal to allow anyone other than a one-loss Oregon to advance . . .
Pac-12 South
The favorite: Arizona State can advance by beating Oregon State, UCLA and Arizona. If they beat UCLA, they can lose one of the other two and still advance . . .
The contenders: If UCLA wins out -- beating Washington, ASU and USC -- they would advance. If USC wins out -- over Stanford, Colorado and UCLA -- they would still need ASU to drop two of their three remaining games, since ASU would hold the tiebreaker . . .
SEC East
The favorite: If Missouri wins out, they're in. That barely makes them the favorite since their last two games are versus Ole Miss and A&M . . .
The contenders: Missouri can afford to lose one of those two games as long as Georgia beats Auburn and Kentucky. Then, if SCAR beats Florida, Mizzou would win the three way tie by virtue of its superior divisional record, and if SCAR loses to Florida Mizzou would win the tiebreaker over Georgia by virtue of its head-to-head win. BUT, if Mizzou drops one of its last two and Georgia drops one or both of its last two, SCAR could advance by beating Florida, since it owns the head-to-head over Mizzou. If Mizzou loses both of its last two, Georgia would advance if they won out, since they own the head-to-head over SCAR. If Georgia dropped one, SCAR would advance by beating Florida, or Mizzou would advance by virtue of the divisional record tiebreaker if SCAR lost to Florida. If Mizzou and Georgia both lost both of their remaining games, SCAR would advance regardless of whether it beats Florida. That was fun . . .
SEC West
The favorite: Alabama is always my favorite . . .
The contender: If Auburn wins out, they're in. If they lose to Georgia, they must hope Miss State can upset Alabama, otherwise Alabama would clinch regardless of whether they beat Auburn . . .
Sun Belt
The favorite: La-Lafayette is the only Sunbelt team that controls its own destiny . . .
The contenders: La-Lafayette must drop two of its remaining three for another team to have a chance. Their remaining three games are versus South Alabama, La-Monroe and Georgia State, so that's a tall order. But if they do, Arkansas State would advance by winning out over Texas State, Georgia State and WKU.
EDIT: Okay. With FSU clinching their division this week and only a few weeks left in the season, I was bored enough to start trying to work out the various conference and division races. But it was too hard. So I just did the favorites and strongest contenders . . :
AAC
The favorite: UCF is the only team that controls its own destiny in the conference. Win out and they're in. Lose once and they're pretty much still in.
The contender: In the extremely unlikely event that UCF loses to Temple, Rutgers, USF or SMU, Cincinnati would be the biggest threat to UCF. Those two don't play this year, and Cincinnati could also finish with just one conference loss. In order to do that, Cincinnati would have to beat both Houston and Louisville. If Cincinnati does win out -- beating those two plus Rutgers -- and UCF actually did lose to one of the crap teams remaining on their schedule, Cincinnati could climb ahead of UCF in the BCS standings. Absent a head-to-head matchup, the AAC resolves ties based on the higher ranked BCS team, so Cincinnati would advance in that scenario. There is not a scenario where either of the other two teams with only one conference loss could find themselves in a tie with UCF that they wouldn't lose based on head-to-head. If UCF loses twice, then all kinds of possibilities would open up, but that's just silly . . .
ACC Atlantic
The representative: FSU has won the ACC Atlantic. Yay for simplicity. Yay.
ACC Coastal
The favorite: While no one truly controls their own destiny in the Coastal, Virginia Tech owns the tiebreakers vs. everyone except Duke, and VT is just far more likely to finish with only two losses than Duke is. VT would also win the Coastal even if both they and Duke win out, provided GT also beats Clemson to force the three-way tie. In that scenario head-to-head would not resolve the tie and both GT and Duke would be eliminated by their worse divisional record . . .
The contenders: Georgia Tech needs to beat Clemson -- good luck with that -- and also needs VT and Miami to lose one more each. Duke needs to win out -- vs. Miami, Wake and UNC -- and needs GT to lose to Clemson. Miami must win out and hope for VT to lose . . .
Big XII
The favorite: The top three teams in the Big XII have yet to play each other, so this is straight prediction. I'm going out on a limb and giving it to Baylor. They can even afford to slip up vs. TT or TCU, as long as they beat the other contenders . . .
The contenders: The other two are Texas and Okie State. If either of them wins out, they're in. So it just comes down to who you think is going to win out. Okie State already has a loss so they can't afford to slip up vs. Oklahoma even if they've already beaten Baylor and Texas by then. Texas can lose to TT as long as they win the other two . . .
Big Ten Legends
The favorite: Michigan State is the only Legends team undefeated in conference play. With Nebraska, Northwestern and Minnesota to go, they can afford to drop either of the other two if they can beat Nebraska this weekend . . .
The contenders: If Nebraska wins out versus Michigan State, Penn State and Iowa, they're in, but they must win all three or they lose control of their destiny. Minnesota is still alive since they've beaten Nebraska and still have Michigan State to play, but even if they win out Minnesota must rely on the Michigan State/Nebraska winner to lose somewhere else . . .
Big Ten Leaders
The favorite: Ohio State would have to suffer a total collapse to avoid winning the division . . .
The contender: Wisconsin must win out and hope OSU loses to two of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan . . .
CUSA East
The favorite: Marshall?
The contender: ECU? Both Marshall and ECU have one conference loss and aren't likely to lose again until they play each other the last week of the season. So whichever one wins that game is in. I'm going with Marshall . . .
CUSA West
The favorite: If North Texas wins out -- versus UTSA and Tulsa -- they're in . . .
The contender: Rice lost to North Texas head-to-head, so they must win out -- LaTech, UAB, Tulane -- and hope for a North Texas loss . . .
MAC East
The favorite: Buffalo is the only team undefeated in conference play, with Toledo, Miami and Bowling Green remaining . . .
The contender: If Bowling Green can get past Ohio and Eastern Michigan, then their season finale with Buffalo would decide the division . . .
MAC West
The favorite: If NIU beats Ball State and Toledo the next two Wednesdays, they're in. The Western Michigan result would be irrelevant . . .
The contenders: If Ball State beats NIU this Wednesday, they would clinch the division and their game against Miami wouldn't matter. If Ball State loses to NIU and Toledo wins out -- with wins over NIU and Buffalo -- forcing a three way tie, Toledo would represent the West by virtue of the strength of their cross-division schedule. Crazy, huh . . ?
MWC West
The favorite: Fresno has to win one of their two remaining games, versus New Mexico and SJSU . . .
The contenders: If Fresno somehow manages to lose both of those games, SDSU could advance by beating Hawai'i, Boise and UNLV. If SDSU lost one of those, and SJSU won out, I have no idea what would happen because I can't find the MWC's tiebreaker procedure. If SDSU's loss was to Boise, everyone would have one division loss and one cross division loss. I'm guessing BCS ranking would probably determine the representative. Happily, Fresno can rid us of all this by beating New Mexico on the 23rd . . .
MWC East
The favorite: If Boise wins its remaing three games vs. Wyoming, SDSU and New Mexico, it's in . . .
The contenders: Boise owns the tiebreaker over Utah State, so if Boise does slip up Utah State must beat both Colorado State and Wyoming to advance . . .
Pac-12 North
The favorite: Stanford is the prohibitive favorite, requiring only wins over USC and Cal to advance. OTOH, USC is a good bit better than Utah, who holds Stanford as its only conference win . . .
The contender: If Stanford loses, Oregon would have to beat Utah, Arizona and Oregon State. Since Stanford owns the head-to-head over both Oregon and Oregon State, Stanford would have to lose to both USC and Cal to allow anyone other than a one-loss Oregon to advance . . .
Pac-12 South
The favorite: Arizona State can advance by beating Oregon State, UCLA and Arizona. If they beat UCLA, they can lose one of the other two and still advance . . .
The contenders: If UCLA wins out -- beating Washington, ASU and USC -- they would advance. If USC wins out -- over Stanford, Colorado and UCLA -- they would still need ASU to drop two of their three remaining games, since ASU would hold the tiebreaker . . .
SEC East
The favorite: If Missouri wins out, they're in. That barely makes them the favorite since their last two games are versus Ole Miss and A&M . . .
The contenders: Missouri can afford to lose one of those two games as long as Georgia beats Auburn and Kentucky. Then, if SCAR beats Florida, Mizzou would win the three way tie by virtue of its superior divisional record, and if SCAR loses to Florida Mizzou would win the tiebreaker over Georgia by virtue of its head-to-head win. BUT, if Mizzou drops one of its last two and Georgia drops one or both of its last two, SCAR could advance by beating Florida, since it owns the head-to-head over Mizzou. If Mizzou loses both of its last two, Georgia would advance if they won out, since they own the head-to-head over SCAR. If Georgia dropped one, SCAR would advance by beating Florida, or Mizzou would advance by virtue of the divisional record tiebreaker if SCAR lost to Florida. If Mizzou and Georgia both lost both of their remaining games, SCAR would advance regardless of whether it beats Florida. That was fun . . .
SEC West
The favorite: Alabama is always my favorite . . .
The contender: If Auburn wins out, they're in. If they lose to Georgia, they must hope Miss State can upset Alabama, otherwise Alabama would clinch regardless of whether they beat Auburn . . .
Sun Belt
The favorite: La-Lafayette is the only Sunbelt team that controls its own destiny . . .
The contenders: La-Lafayette must drop two of its remaining three for another team to have a chance. Their remaining three games are versus South Alabama, La-Monroe and Georgia State, so that's a tall order. But if they do, Arkansas State would advance by winning out over Texas State, Georgia State and WKU.
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
These MAC games aren't really providing any suspense for the Tuesday evening CFB crowd . . .
At least Toledo's doing its part to gum up the West . . .
At least Toledo's doing its part to gum up the West . . .
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
CBS coach of the year candidates. The most interesting thing is that two of them -- Pinkel and Malzahn -- coach teams that were not among the fifty-three that received votes in the preseason coaches' poll, but have now climbed into the top ten . . .
EDIT: Okay, I'm starting to buy in to this Jordan Lynch thing . . .
EDIT: Okay, I'm starting to buy in to this Jordan Lynch thing . . .
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
Da'Shawn Hand to Alabama. I've got to say I didn't see that one coming. I thought he was a Michigan guy for sure . . .
That leaves us with just two spots left in this year's class. Marlon Humphrey and Lorenzo Carter I guess? I'll take 'em I suppose
EDIT: Alabama fun fact! This is the first time we've ever landed -- assuming he signs, etc. -- Rivals #1 overall recruit. And it's not for lack of trying. We missed on Clowney, DGB and Nkemdiche the last three years running . . .
That leaves us with just two spots left in this year's class. Marlon Humphrey and Lorenzo Carter I guess? I'll take 'em I suppose
EDIT: Alabama fun fact! This is the first time we've ever landed -- assuming he signs, etc. -- Rivals #1 overall recruit. And it's not for lack of trying. We missed on Clowney, DGB and Nkemdiche the last three years running . . .
Wrymouth3
Emperor
.
Wrymouth3
Emperor
Also didn't realize this, but who do you guys have winning uh.... this matchup: http://espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=333270052
I think Idaho scoring will be a moral victory here.
I think Idaho scoring will be a moral victory here.
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
Auburn is a 
TEAM OF DESTINY
And on with the show . . :
We lost Ball State and Stanford this week, but we're really close to adding the two loss teams back in anyway
1. FSU -- played like a champion today . . .
2. Alabama -- I'd rather give up seven and win by thirteen than give up thirty-eight and win by infinity. OTOH, Auburn is a TEAM OF DESTINY That aside, we played like crap -- which is good from a motivational perspective -- but we may have lost Vogler for an indeterminate amount of time to a high ankle sprain, which isn't good . . .
3. Oregon -- Thumped Utah pretty decently. Still gave up more points than I'd like . . .
4. Ohio State -- Can't give up 35 to Illinois and be taken seriously in the national title conversation. On the plus side, Michigan State is looking impressive enough that beating them impressively might actually be impressive . . .
5. Michigan State -- I like these guys more and more now that I'm getting to see them some. The Big Ten title game may be better than expected, which is good news for Ohio State . . .
6. Baylor -- Started slow -- relatively -- but pulled away. Still, struggling early versus TT fails to inspire awe . . .
7. Auburn -- TDs just fall from the sky when you're a TEAM OF DESTINY
8. Missouri -- Off week. With Georgia dropping its third conference game and South Carolina completing its conference schedule with a win over Florida, Ole Miss and A&M are now both must-wins if Missouri wants a trip to Atlanta . . .
9. Oklahoma State -- Pretty solid win over Texas. Gives me some hope that their last couple of games versus Baylor and Oklahoma could be some football worth watching . . .
10. Clemson -- A lot of folks locally were impressed by the GT win, but isn't that what Clemson was supposed to do to GT . . ?
11. Louisville -- Beat Houston pretty handily. They certainly weren't as good as advertised, but they're probably better than we thought they were after the UCF loss . . .
12. Northern Illinois -- Okay, okay, I was wrong. That Lynch kid is a freaking beast and a half. Still, not much of an actual football team around him. Happily, he rarely needs one . . .
13. UCF -- Oh, UCF, how you have misled me
14. Fresno State -- Off week. No report . . .
Games of the week for week 13 . . :
Northern Illinois/Toledo on Wednesday: It's all falling into place. NIU beat Ball State this week, now if Toledo can knock of NIU the MAC's freaky divisional tiebreaker will come into play . . .
Rutgers/UCF on Thursday: With the way UCF has played the past two weeks, this game is more interesting than it should be . . .
ASU/UCLA: for sole control of the Pac-12 South . . .
Duke/Wake: Duke gained control of its destiny by beating Miami today, but they've still got to beat Wake and UNC if they want the chance to get slaughtered by FSU in the title game. And it is Duke, so every game counts . . .
Cincinnati/Houston: With the way UCF has been playing, Cincinnati's got some hope. But they need to keep winning . . .
BYU/Notre Dame: Shouldn't this be the Holy War . . ?
UTSA/North Texas: North Texas' last real chance to lose control of the West . . .
Missouri/Ole Miss: They're all 'must wins' for Mizzou now . . .
Baylor/Okie State: Have y'all noticed how some national media pronounce it "BAY-ler" while others say "ball-or"? I've heard it both ways locally as well, and trust me, Baptist universities come up a fair bit in daily conversations in Alabama . . .
Boise/SDSU: A key game for both teams' divisional aspirations. Moreso for Boise . . .
There are other games this week that promise 'better' football, but we've kind of reached the point in the season where if you're not playing for something you're not really worth watching. Kind of sad, really . . .
Resumes:
Unbeaten
Ohio State -- beat Wisconsin (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten), Buffalo (7-3, 5-1 MAC), Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) and Penn State (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
Alabama -- beat A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC), LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC), VT (7-4, 4-3 ACC) and Ole Miss (7-3, 3-3 SEC)
FSU -- beat Clemson (9-1, 7-1 ACC), Miami (7-3, 3-3 ACC) and Maryland (6-4, 2-4 ACC)
Baylor -- beat Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2 Big XII), Buffalo (7-3, 5-1 MAC) and Texas Tech (7-4, 4-4 Big XII)
Fresno State -- beat Boise (7-3, 5-1 MWC), SDSU (6-4, 5-1 MWC) and Rutgers (5-4, 2-3 AAC)
Northern Illinois -- beat Ball State (9-2, 6-1 MAC) and Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
One-loss
Clemson -- lost to FSU (10-0, 8-0 ACC), beat Georgia Tech (6-4, 5-3 ACC), Georgia (6-4, 4-3 SEC) and Maryland (6-4, 2-4 ACC)
Louisville -- lost to UCF (8-1, 5-0 AAC), beat Houston (7-3, 4-2 AAC), Ohio (6-4, 3-3 MAC) and Rutgers (5-4, 2-3 AAC)
UCF -- lost to SCAR (8-2, 6-2 SEC), beat Louisville (9-1, 5-1 AAC), Houston (7-3, 4-2 AAC) and Penn State (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
Missouri -- lost to SCAR (8-2, 6-2 SEC), beat Toledo (7-3, 5-1 MAC) and Georgia (6-4, 4-3 SEC)
Oregon -- lost to Stanford (8-2, 6-2 Pac-12), beat UCLA (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) and Washington (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12)
Auburn -- lost to LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC), beat A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC), Ole Miss (7-3, 3-3 SEC) and Georgia (6-4, 4-3 SEC)
Michigan State -- lost to Notre Dame (7-3), beat Nebraska (7-3, 4-2), Michigan (7-3, 3-3 Big Ten) and Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
Oklahoma State -- lost to WVU (4-7, 2-6 Big XII), beat Texas (7-3, 6-1 Big XII) and TT (7-4, 4-4 Big XII)
TEAM OF DESTINY And on with the show . . :
We lost Ball State and Stanford this week, but we're really close to adding the two loss teams back in anyway
1. FSU -- played like a champion today . . .
2. Alabama -- I'd rather give up seven and win by thirteen than give up thirty-eight and win by infinity. OTOH, Auburn is a
TEAM OF DESTINY That aside, we played like crap -- which is good from a motivational perspective -- but we may have lost Vogler for an indeterminate amount of time to a high ankle sprain, which isn't good . . .3. Oregon -- Thumped Utah pretty decently. Still gave up more points than I'd like . . .
4. Ohio State -- Can't give up 35 to Illinois and be taken seriously in the national title conversation. On the plus side, Michigan State is looking impressive enough that beating them impressively might actually be impressive . . .
5. Michigan State -- I like these guys more and more now that I'm getting to see them some. The Big Ten title game may be better than expected, which is good news for Ohio State . . .
6. Baylor -- Started slow -- relatively -- but pulled away. Still, struggling early versus TT fails to inspire awe . . .
7. Auburn -- TDs just fall from the sky when you're a
TEAM OF DESTINY 8. Missouri -- Off week. With Georgia dropping its third conference game and South Carolina completing its conference schedule with a win over Florida, Ole Miss and A&M are now both must-wins if Missouri wants a trip to Atlanta . . .
9. Oklahoma State -- Pretty solid win over Texas. Gives me some hope that their last couple of games versus Baylor and Oklahoma could be some football worth watching . . .
10. Clemson -- A lot of folks locally were impressed by the GT win, but isn't that what Clemson was supposed to do to GT . . ?
11. Louisville -- Beat Houston pretty handily. They certainly weren't as good as advertised, but they're probably better than we thought they were after the UCF loss . . .
12. Northern Illinois -- Okay, okay, I was wrong. That Lynch kid is a freaking beast and a half. Still, not much of an actual football team around him. Happily, he rarely needs one . . .
13. UCF -- Oh, UCF, how you have misled me
14. Fresno State -- Off week. No report . . .
Games of the week for week 13 . . :
Northern Illinois/Toledo on Wednesday: It's all falling into place. NIU beat Ball State this week, now if Toledo can knock of NIU the MAC's freaky divisional tiebreaker will come into play . . .
Rutgers/UCF on Thursday: With the way UCF has played the past two weeks, this game is more interesting than it should be . . .
ASU/UCLA: for sole control of the Pac-12 South . . .
Duke/Wake: Duke gained control of its destiny by beating Miami today, but they've still got to beat Wake and UNC if they want the chance to get slaughtered by FSU in the title game. And it is Duke, so every game counts . . .
Cincinnati/Houston: With the way UCF has been playing, Cincinnati's got some hope. But they need to keep winning . . .
BYU/Notre Dame: Shouldn't this be the Holy War . . ?
UTSA/North Texas: North Texas' last real chance to lose control of the West . . .
Missouri/Ole Miss: They're all 'must wins' for Mizzou now . . .
Baylor/Okie State: Have y'all noticed how some national media pronounce it "BAY-ler" while others say "ball-or"? I've heard it both ways locally as well, and trust me, Baptist universities come up a fair bit in daily conversations in Alabama . . .
Boise/SDSU: A key game for both teams' divisional aspirations. Moreso for Boise . . .
There are other games this week that promise 'better' football, but we've kind of reached the point in the season where if you're not playing for something you're not really worth watching. Kind of sad, really . . .
Resumes:
Unbeaten
Ohio State -- beat Wisconsin (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten), Buffalo (7-3, 5-1 MAC), Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) and Penn State (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
Alabama -- beat A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC), LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC), VT (7-4, 4-3 ACC) and Ole Miss (7-3, 3-3 SEC)
FSU -- beat Clemson (9-1, 7-1 ACC), Miami (7-3, 3-3 ACC) and Maryland (6-4, 2-4 ACC)
Baylor -- beat Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2 Big XII), Buffalo (7-3, 5-1 MAC) and Texas Tech (7-4, 4-4 Big XII)
Fresno State -- beat Boise (7-3, 5-1 MWC), SDSU (6-4, 5-1 MWC) and Rutgers (5-4, 2-3 AAC)
Northern Illinois -- beat Ball State (9-2, 6-1 MAC) and Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
One-loss
Clemson -- lost to FSU (10-0, 8-0 ACC), beat Georgia Tech (6-4, 5-3 ACC), Georgia (6-4, 4-3 SEC) and Maryland (6-4, 2-4 ACC)
Louisville -- lost to UCF (8-1, 5-0 AAC), beat Houston (7-3, 4-2 AAC), Ohio (6-4, 3-3 MAC) and Rutgers (5-4, 2-3 AAC)
UCF -- lost to SCAR (8-2, 6-2 SEC), beat Louisville (9-1, 5-1 AAC), Houston (7-3, 4-2 AAC) and Penn State (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
Missouri -- lost to SCAR (8-2, 6-2 SEC), beat Toledo (7-3, 5-1 MAC) and Georgia (6-4, 4-3 SEC)
Oregon -- lost to Stanford (8-2, 6-2 Pac-12), beat UCLA (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) and Washington (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12)
Auburn -- lost to LSU (7-3, 3-3 SEC), beat A&M (8-2, 4-2 SEC), Ole Miss (7-3, 3-3 SEC) and Georgia (6-4, 4-3 SEC)
Michigan State -- lost to Notre Dame (7-3), beat Nebraska (7-3, 4-2), Michigan (7-3, 3-3 Big Ten) and Iowa (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten)
Oklahoma State -- lost to WVU (4-7, 2-6 Big XII), beat Texas (7-3, 6-1 Big XII) and TT (7-4, 4-4 Big XII)
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
This was fun last week while I tried to figure out all the possibilities, but this week I'm just waiting on the results from next week. So excuse my lack of thoroughness . . .
Conference Races . . :
AAC
UCF -- Win out -- Rutgers, USF and SMU -- and they're in . . .
Cincinnati -- Win out -- Houston and Louisville -- and UCF lose one and finish lower in the BCS . . .
Louisville -- Win out -- Memphis and Cincinnati -- and UCF lose two of three . . .
Houston -- Win out -- Cincinnati and SMU -- and UCF and Louisville lose out . . .
SMU -- Win out -- USF, Houston and UCF -- and UCF drop one more, Cincinnati lose out, Louisville drop one and finish lower in the BCS . . .
Rutgers and USF may also still be alive, but I'm not doing the math . . .
ACC Atlantic
FSU
ACC Coastal
Duke -- Win out -- Wake and UNC -- and they're in . . .
If Duke loses -- which will be pretty hard -- GT, VT, UNC, Miami and Pitt may or may not all still be alive . . .
Big XII
Baylor -- Win out -- Okie State, TCU, Texas -- and they're in . . .
Okie State -- Win out -- Baylor and Oklahoma -- and they're in . . .
Texas -- Win out -- TT and Baylor -- and hope Okie State drops one . . .
Oklahoma -- Win out -- KState and Okie State -- hope Baylor and Texas lose out . . .
Big Ten Legends
Michigan State – Win at least one of two vs. Minnesota and Northwestern . . .
Minnesota – Win out, hope Michigan State loses to Northwestern . . .
Big Ten Leaders
Ohio State – Win vs. Indiana or Michigan . . .
Wisconsin – Win out and hope Ohio State loses out . . .
CUSA East
ECU – Beat Marshall, or lose to Marshall if Marshall loses to FIU and MTSU wins out vs Southern Miss and UTEP . . .
Marshall – Win out vs FIU and ECU . . .
CUSA West
North Texas – Win out vs. UTSA and Tulsa . . .
Rice – Win out – UAB and Tulane – and hope NT drops one . . .
UTSA and Tulane are still alive in unlikely scenarios . . .
If NT, Rice, UTSA, Tulane and LaTech could all finish with three losses, UTSA is the representative . . .
MAC East
Buffalo/Bowling Green winner, regardless of whether either team loses this week . . .
MAC West
NIU – Beat Toledo, Western Michigan game is irrelevant . . .
Ball State – Beat Miami, NIU loses out, Toledo loses to Akron . . .
Toledo – Win out, NIU must beat Western Michigan to force three way tie . . .
MWC West
Fresno State – Win one of New Mexico or SJSU . . .
SDSU – Win out, hope Fresno loses out . . .
MWC Mountain
Boise – Win out . . .
Utah State – Win out, hope Boise drops one . . .
CSU – Win out, hope Boise drops both . . .
Pac-12 North
Oregon – beat Arizona OR Oregon State . . .
Stanford – beat Cal, hope Oregon collapses . . .
Pac-12 South
ASU – beat UCLA . . .
UCLA – win out versus ASU and USC . . .
USC – win out, hope ASU loses out . . .
SEC East
Mizzou – Win out . . .
SCAR – Hope Mizzou drops one . . .
SEC West
Alabama – Beat Auburn
Auburn – Beat Alabama
Has the world ever been a greater place . . ?
Sunbelt
La-Lafayette – Beat La-Monroe or USA . . .
Arkansas State – Win out, hope La-Lafayette loses out . . .
La-Monroe – Force three way tie, hope for tiebreaker . . .
Conference Races . . :
AAC
UCF -- Win out -- Rutgers, USF and SMU -- and they're in . . .
Cincinnati -- Win out -- Houston and Louisville -- and UCF lose one and finish lower in the BCS . . .
Louisville -- Win out -- Memphis and Cincinnati -- and UCF lose two of three . . .
Houston -- Win out -- Cincinnati and SMU -- and UCF and Louisville lose out . . .
SMU -- Win out -- USF, Houston and UCF -- and UCF drop one more, Cincinnati lose out, Louisville drop one and finish lower in the BCS . . .
Rutgers and USF may also still be alive, but I'm not doing the math . . .
ACC Atlantic
FSU
ACC Coastal
Duke -- Win out -- Wake and UNC -- and they're in . . .
If Duke loses -- which will be pretty hard -- GT, VT, UNC, Miami and Pitt may or may not all still be alive . . .
Big XII
Baylor -- Win out -- Okie State, TCU, Texas -- and they're in . . .
Okie State -- Win out -- Baylor and Oklahoma -- and they're in . . .
Texas -- Win out -- TT and Baylor -- and hope Okie State drops one . . .
Oklahoma -- Win out -- KState and Okie State -- hope Baylor and Texas lose out . . .
Big Ten Legends
Michigan State – Win at least one of two vs. Minnesota and Northwestern . . .
Minnesota – Win out, hope Michigan State loses to Northwestern . . .
Big Ten Leaders
Ohio State – Win vs. Indiana or Michigan . . .
Wisconsin – Win out and hope Ohio State loses out . . .
CUSA East
ECU – Beat Marshall, or lose to Marshall if Marshall loses to FIU and MTSU wins out vs Southern Miss and UTEP . . .
Marshall – Win out vs FIU and ECU . . .
CUSA West
North Texas – Win out vs. UTSA and Tulsa . . .
Rice – Win out – UAB and Tulane – and hope NT drops one . . .
UTSA and Tulane are still alive in unlikely scenarios . . .
If NT, Rice, UTSA, Tulane and LaTech could all finish with three losses, UTSA is the representative . . .
MAC East
Buffalo/Bowling Green winner, regardless of whether either team loses this week . . .
MAC West
NIU – Beat Toledo, Western Michigan game is irrelevant . . .
Ball State – Beat Miami, NIU loses out, Toledo loses to Akron . . .
Toledo – Win out, NIU must beat Western Michigan to force three way tie . . .
MWC West
Fresno State – Win one of New Mexico or SJSU . . .
SDSU – Win out, hope Fresno loses out . . .
MWC Mountain
Boise – Win out . . .
Utah State – Win out, hope Boise drops one . . .
CSU – Win out, hope Boise drops both . . .
Pac-12 North
Oregon – beat Arizona OR Oregon State . . .
Stanford – beat Cal, hope Oregon collapses . . .
Pac-12 South
ASU – beat UCLA . . .
UCLA – win out versus ASU and USC . . .
USC – win out, hope ASU loses out . . .
SEC East
Mizzou – Win out . . .
SCAR – Hope Mizzou drops one . . .
SEC West
Alabama – Beat Auburn
Auburn – Beat Alabama
Has the world ever been a greater place . . ?
Sunbelt
La-Lafayette – Beat La-Monroe or USA . . .
Arkansas State – Win out, hope La-Lafayette loses out . . .
La-Monroe – Force three way tie, hope for tiebreaker . . .
I don't get this narrative. It's okay to beat Mississippi State by only two scores, but you can't beat Illinois by 25? Ohio State was missing two of their starting linebackers and two starters in their secondary, and Illinois had a top 25 passing attack. But scoring 60 points wasn't enough? I've heard a lot of ESPN bros say the same thing..SMH.
Oregon's game was at least as competitive btw, if not more so, since it was a 3 point game in the 3rd quarter. Illinois trailed 28-0 and never got closer than 12.
Louisville won by 7, and Houston sucks.
ummmm........
Extremely normal.
I myself am surprised that so many national folks have agreed with me. To me it's just a personal perspective nurtured through years of passive viewing that keeping your opponent from scoring leads to a lot more success than scoring lots of points yourself
Also, look at your argument. You point out that you were missing defensive players and that your opponent was good on offense, but then you ask why we weren't satisfied by your offensive performance. The two don't have anything to do with each other. I have no questions about how Ohio State's offensive attack will stack up against the defenses they face. I want to see their defense perform at least as well. Again, I admit a personal bias towards defense here. It's just my opinion, I don't actually vote for anything . . .
If you look back, you'll see I was very down on Alabama after we couldn't stop A&M. But we've gotten better . . .
Utah's weird. Their only conference win is Stanford, but they haven't really been annihilated by anyone either. Anyway, I watch Oregon play and I watch Ohio State play and I don't see a close game between the two. Maybe I'm wrong. If I am, it won't hurt my feelings. While I would have rather seen Ohio State/Stanford, Ohio State/Oregon is looking like a good bet so I guess we'll find out. Ohio State will have a great chance to elevate voters opinions for 2014 . . .
I actually watched a fair bit of this one, and it was a pretty sound trouncing. The point of my poll commentary was that maybe I overreacted to their loss to UCF . . .
I point out Illinois ability to throw the football well and OSU down several players because given that context, it should not be surprising that Illinois was able to move the ball in the second half. I think that particular data point should be considered with the rest of the performance, which Ohio State dominated.
This is frustrating to me because people who DO vote on this stuff have fallen into this same trap. It's aggravating to see your team continuously penalized because #NARRATIVE, especially by a team that has played an even worse schedule than Ohio State (Baylor).
The Buckeyes beat a pretty similar team in the Rose Bowl a few years ago, for what it's worth. I have a hard time seeing how the game would be a blowout. Ohio State's speed with their skill players is roughly the same, and Oregon's interior offensive line isn't great right now, while Ohio State's defensive line is very much a strength.
As for 2014, it's the same problem. Ohio State can start the season in the top 4 (and they probably will, assuming Braxton Miller stays), but their marquee OOC game, Virginia Tech, is probably not going to be very good, they won't play Nebraska or Wisconsin, and Michigan State is going to be substantially worse. Lazy voters and coaches will vote them down throughout the year again, because #TheBigTenBlows and some other team will score more points against some little sisters of the poor squad.
sophie
Break My Heart
I myself am surprised that so many national folks have agreed with me. To me it's just a personal perspective nurtured through years of passive viewing that keeping your opponent from scoring leads to a lot more success than scoring lots of points yourself
No, see: Denver.
Ohio State could move to the SEC or Big 12 if they want to change the narrative.
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