There really isn’t much to talk about this week as the favorites in the polls were mostly doing mop-up games or using a bye week. This was especially prevalent in the ACC and the SEC. Actually, it has become quite normal now for the big schools to schedule their cupcake opponent just before the year end rivalry game. Excuses like homecoming and senior day don’t cut it with me anymore. It’s a practice run for the following week and I wish it would stop.
Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, Clemson and South Carolina got big wins over nobody. As for the polls you could flip a coin of the bottom seven and no one would argue. Too many cupcake games today to get a good read on what will happen next week. Ole Miss looked horrible on the weekend and has faltered badly. Kudos to Minnesota for a tough gritty win. Yeah it’s the Big Ten, but still nice to see the effort. Oregon played lowly Colorado while Georgia Tech, LSU, Texas A&M, Kentucky and TCU all had bye weeks before their big game and Mississippi State played Vandy in another real toughy. Next week will be more fun I am sure.
What continues to amaze and insult the game is the fact that Florida State has been so awful but is still winning. To add insult to injury is the fact that Alabama has one loss and is the top rated team in the Amway Coaches Poll as well as the selection committee rankings. Now we could say that FSU is not that good or we could take the high road and comment on their resilience as they continue to win. Either way, what really bothers me now is that conference championships have fallen by the wayside for the much bigger prize.
The all important playoff pays no homage to the Sugar, Rose, Fiesta or Orange Bowls which traditionally have gone to the conference winner. That certainly is true unless you are in the top four in which case it’s obvious you will be traveling elsewhere and only a second or third fiddle team will represent the conference in your biggest affiliation. I actually wish they had a system where the conference champions automatically go to a playoff against the other Conference champs.However, that isn’t going to work because there are only four slots and five major conferences. So there lies the dilemma. Is Ohio State better or worse than TCU, Baylor, Alabama or Oregon because of their loss to lowly Virginia Tech? Unbeaten and one loss teams will be in for a huge fight to resolve that issue.
Also, there is a major problem because one conference, the Big 12, has no Championship game and that 13th game, believe me, is going to make a difference come selection day. Again we would have to ask if a one loss Oregon or Ohio State at 12-1 is better than Baylor or TCU at 11-1? As for the weekend that just passed there was some intrigue. Georgia Tech punched its ticket to Charlotte for the ACC Championship with Duke’s Thursday night loss. So Florida State and Tech play for the ACC Championship. Ohio State clinched the Big Ten East division and will await either Wisconsin or Minnesota. The other power conferences are not quite so clear yet.
Pac-12
Yes, the game with UCLA and USC meant everything to the Pac-12 South. The Bruins dominated this one and the score probably doesn’t show it that much. Brett Hundley easily bested Cody Kessler and the six sacks recorded by the Bruins defense was impressive. Oregon easily subdued a game Colorado Buffalo squad and both Arizona schools kept their foot in the door with solid wins. So heading into rivalry week what can we expect. What we know for sure is that no matter what games have been played and what a team’s record might be, beating you’re in-state rival counts for everything. The weekend will pivot on the non-rivalry game though as UCLA visits Stanford. A UCLA loss opens the door for the winner of the Arizona State versus Arizona game in the Pac-12 South. Oregon must win over Oregon State or watch their playoff chances disappear in 2014. Washington has turned things around but must still beware of the Cougars. Washington State can score points anytime and is fun to watch, but not if you are a Huskie defender.
Big 12
What can you say about a player who breaks a record seven days after Melvin Gordon beat out LaDainian Tomlinson? Running back Samaje Perine was fifth on the depth chart at the beginning of the year and burst onto the scene with 427 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Oklahoma isn’t going to the show, but it was a great individual effort. Baylor took care of business at home against Oklahoma State and Kansas State stayed on the edge beating West Virginia. I am sure that K-State wishes they had that game with Auburn back. TCU’s game against a ranked Baylor is still holding better than Baylor’s loss to West Virginia although Baylor would win the Big 12 if they win their final two games at Texas Tech and then at home to Kansas State. Either loss hands the prize to TCU who travel to Texas and then finish at home to Iowa State.
Big Ten
The game of the week was Minnesota and their gritty goal line stand with 1:09 on the clock which gave the Golden Gophers a signature win in Lincoln over the Cornhuskers. Trailing by 14 at the half, quarterback Mitch Leidner led a couple of significant long drives to stymie the Nebraska faithful. It was their first victory since 1960 in Lincoln. Wisconsin at Iowa also was an important game and Melvin Gordon did not run roughshod (tongue in cheek) over the Hawkeyes. Gordon’s 200 yards were a far cry from the previous week’s 407, but it kept Iowa on their toes just trying to stop him. This sets up the showdown with Minnesota to see who will be facing Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. Meanwhile, Ohio State had more trouble with Indiana then they anticipated. The score was actually closer than most think. The Buckeyes scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to salt this one away. The big game with Michigan next week may have lost a bit of its luster with the Wolverines loss to the Terrapins and the subsequent death watch on Brady Hoke’s job as coach.
SEC
The Conference appeared to take the better part of the weekend off with meaningless games. However, the thrashing that Ole Miss took at Arkansas opened many an eye to what Bret Bielema is creating in Razorback land. Bo Wallace and company were shut out 30-0 and Arkansas now has two solid SEC wins under their belt. Mississippi State’s dismantling of Vanderbilt was a great bounce back game for the Bulldogs and kept a tiny door open for the SEC West. The Egg Bowl will now take on added meaning to Mississippi State if Auburn were to defeat Alabama. That seems like a tall order, but the Iron bowl has always been one of the most hotly contested rivalry games of all time. Last but not least was the Missouri at Tennessee game with the Tigers prevailing and keeping their hopes alive for another SEC East title. A win next week at Arkansas gives them the division, while Georgia will capture the crown if the Razorbacks keep up their winning ways and down another Tigers squad.
ACC
This was another conference that seemed to take the week off but North Carolina’s destruction of Duke on Thursday night cleared the path for Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels have finally shown some of the promise, albeit too late, of how good a program they could have been in 2014. UNC put up 28 points in the first half and cruised over the Blue Devils, ending a great run for David Cutliffe and his quarterback Anthony Boone. Depending on the outcome of the ACC Championship, it would appear that Georgia Tech will probably be Orange Bowl bound if they lose to Florida State. A Seminole loss eliminates the ACC from the final four and probably still sends Georgia Tech as the ACC Champ to Miami. FSU continued its poor play, with the end result being another hard fought victory to remain unbeaten. The Seminoles continue to confound the experts with their overall effort compared to their overall results.
So now we head to rivalry week with still so many positions in doubt and what many perhaps will look upon as the game changer from the old BCS days. The need to win for so many programs has never been bigger and the stakes are extremely high.
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