Rivalry Weekend brought all of the lurches, lunges and losses that we love—and love to hate—about late November. From flipping the scores to flipping the bird (way to keep it classy, Marcus Hall), this week brought enough highlights to merit yet another turkey-cranberry-mashed-potato panini. Go ahead and heat up the griddle. We’re not judging.
First up was the Showdown in the Swamp. The #2-ranked Florida State Seminoles appeared to bobble and bumble against rival Florida in the first half, as the Gator defense more than made up for what their offense couldn’t do. Ultimately, the momentum shifted and the Seminoles beat the Gators 37-7, moving on to their first 12-0 record since they clinched the BCS title in 1999. Ranking=secured.
Then the Mizzou Tigers hosted Johnny Football, newly re-contracted coach Kevin Sumlin, and the rest of the Texas A&M Aggie army. Although each team alternated leading—with Missouri trying to catch up until the third quarter—Mizzou eventually defeated the visiting Aggies 28-21 and secured a spot to contend for their first conference title ever. Hashtag, #winning.
But no one tunes in during rivalry weekend for sweet, predictable victories which seal a fate that we all knew was coming. Face it: the reason we shop all day on Friday is to burn extra calories for those we’ll consume on Saturday during the twelve-hour football slugfest of cutdowns, throwdowns and letdowns. 2013 did not disappoint.
It appears that for the first time since 2005, an SEC team will not have a spot on the BCS Championship’s dancecard. And the BCS may soon find itself twisted around in a conundrum worthy of the end of its era.
#4, one-loss Auburn could be poised to jump #3, no-loss Ohio State—and perhaps they should.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have victories against two ranked teams on their schedule: a 31-24 win over #23-ranked Wisconsin, and a 40-30 victory over #16 Northwestern. Aside from those two, Urban and the boys have racked up wins against Buffalo, San Diego State, Cal, FAMU, Iowa, Penn State, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. They’ll be handed a booster seat if they beat #11 Michigan State during next week’s Big Ten Championship game. Ohio State’s soapbox? They’ve won 24 games in a row. Yes, that stat makes us think that Nick Saban probably wears “Urban Meyer” pajamas, too. Enviable, to be sure.
Auburn? They’ve beaten #24 Ole Miss (30-22), #7 Texas A&M (45-41), and #25 Georgia (43-38)—oh, and #1 Alabama, in the 33-28 stunner which undoubtedly upended sofas, cushions and coffee tables in living rooms across the southeast. Their only loss came in a 35-21 mishap against #6-ranked LSU. Now Auburn will meet the new kid on the block, Mizzou, who is currently holding steady at #5, in Atlanta for the SEC Championship game. The Auburn Tigers have begun to flourish under first-year head coach Gus Malzahn, and have the distinct flavor of a team which intends to keep voters on their toes through the end of the season.
As for the fate of the deeply revered, seemingly untouchable Crimson Tide, perhaps the post-game quote from coach Nick Saban summed up what the rest of college football was thinking: “[It was the] first time I’ve ever lost a game that way; first time I’ve ever seen a game lost that way.” Referencing the Tide’s missed field goal, which was returned 109-yards by Auburn’s return-man Chris Davis, Saban stated that his kicker, “Makes them from 60 in practice. There was a shot.”
Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron now has as many losses on his resume as he’s seen national championships while wearing a crimson jersey. Alabama has lost their shot at playing the SEC Championship, Heisman votes, and a BCS three-peat.
But for all the cutdowns, throwdowns and letdowns, there’s just as many toasts, celebrations and second chances. Thank god there’s enough pumpkin pie to nurse us through the highs, lows and ranking-insanity of it all.
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