That was it: the final day of the regular college football season. Fortunately, the Alabama Crimson Tide's win (or Mississippi State's loss) ensured the Tide at least one more game in Atlanta for the SEC title.
If the holiday weekend showed us anything, it's that there simply are no gimmes when going against your arch-rivals. Ohio State struggled for 50 minutes versus the woeful Wolverines (then lost phenom J.T. Barrett for the year with an ACL tear.) Nebraska and Iowa decided to have a shootout. Notre Dame was pasted by Southern Cal. Mississippi State was stuck in mud versus a turnt up Rebels team. Alabama was in a font of existential despair, getting mauled in the first half of an Iron Bowl that was not as close as a five-point deficit would appear. Missouri and Arkansas smacked one other with tree limbs in an exceptionally physical game. And, the SEC East. Man...we need to talk. The SEC-East stunk up the place, losing to all four of its in-state ACC rivals: Clemson easily dispatched South Carolina, Florida State struggled (again) against lowly Florida, Georgia lost a helluva game to the Yellow Jackets, and Louisville dispatched Kentucky in a very chippy affair. Even Tennessee had the yips versus a Vanderbilt team that has been lifeless most of the season.
The coming weekend of conference championships will finalize your playoff slate. For three teams, the picture is clear: Oregon, Alabama, and Florida State simply need to win. For a battered Ohio State team with a MASH unit in the backfield (and that awful home loss), it needs to not only beat a physical Wisconsin team, but must do so impressively to hold serve with Baylor and TCU for the final spot. I am doubtful the Buckeyes win this one, much less do so stylishly. This is easily the hardest draw for a 4-6 playoff hopeful. TCU's front-loaded schedule gives the Horned Frogs only the desultory Iowa State Cyclones to contend with. But Baylor, already on the outside looking in, both struggled to put away the Texas Tech Ref Raiders and gets a tough out: the pesky, physical K State Wildcats. However, an impressive win versus EMAW gives the Bears both the head to head win over TCU and the Big Twelve title. The committee will find it difficult to justify leap-frogging TCU or enabling Ohio State.
One more week, then. For now, here's your WNaBP.
Rank |
Team |
Last Week |
1 |
Alabama Crimson Tide |
1 |
2 |
Oregon Ducks |
2 |
3 |
TCU Horned Frogs |
7 |
4 |
Baylor Bears |
4 |
5 |
Florida State Seminoles |
6 |
6 |
Mississippi State Bulldogs/Ohio State Buckeyes |
3/4 |
7 |
Wisconsin Badgers |
10 |
8 |
Michigan State Spartans |
8 |
9 |
Arizona Wildcats |
11 |
10 |
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets |
14 |
11 |
Ole Miss Rebels |
17 |
12 |
Kansas State Wildcats |
16 |
13 |
Oklahoma Sooners |
18 |
14 |
Georgia Bulldogs |
13 |
15 |
Missouri Tigers |
23 |
16 |
LSU Tigers |
18 |
17 |
Colorado State Rams |
12 |
18 |
UCLA Bruins |
9 |
19 |
Clemson Tigers |
22 |
20 |
Memphis Tigers |
21 |
21 |
Nebraska Cornhuskers |
24 |
22 |
Arizona State Sun Devils |
15 |
23 |
USC Trojans |
- |
24 |
Boise State Broncos |
|
25 |
Auburn Tigers |
- |