Biggest Story of the Week: It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world
It is hard
to remember a single weekend that produced as much carnage as this weekend did,
and in its wake, we are left with a wide open race, heading towards a playoff
that we have no precedent for. I think it is honest to say that there is
literally no telling what will happen next.
I have said
all along that I didn’t think any team would run the table in the SEC West, and
I believed that Alabama’s loss would be at Ole Miss. After watching yesterday’s
game, I believe Alabama will lose at least one more game. For a team with as
many athletes as Alabama has, they look very pedestrian on offense, and they
got beat continuously on the same type of play defensively.
Ole Miss
will lose twice as well. Yesterday, they lived off of the crowd, and played
spectacular defense, while the offense sputtered for the majority of the game.
In truth, Ole Miss should have won by about three touchdowns yesterday, but
their offense was just inconsistent. You can’t expect Bo Wallace to play
consistently, and there are just too many good teams on the schedule.
At this
point, you would have to favor Auburn to win the west, unless. Unless
Mississippi State can beat the Tigers this Saturday in the weekend’s marquee
game. I believe that the winner of the Mississippi State/Auburn game will win
the West, and the SEC, and take a place in the playoff.
Notre Dame
got a big win on Saturday, and they look to be on a collision course with FSU
in a couple of weeks. The winner of that game, which will be FSU, will claim a
spot in the playoff.
The other
two spots could go any number of ways. A one-loss SEC West team would have a
great case for giving the SEC a second team in the playoff. The Big 10 is not
getting a team in the playoff unless Michigan State runs the table and looks
dominant doing it. Baylor and Oklahoma were the only hopes for the Big 12, and
I’m not sure that Oklahoma can get back in the picture. The Pac 12 will
continue to cannibalize itself, because it is full of good teams that aren’t
great.
The bigger
issue facing college football is how you rank these teams moving towards the
playoff. The thirteen member committee that will decide the playoff have an
impossible debate facing them, and in the first year of the new system, there
is no way of knowing what direction they will take the sport.
Will they
value teams that have no losses, but no big tests? Will they value a team that
has a loss on the road to a quality opponent more than a team that loses on the
road to an unranked team? Will they look at the SEC and say that the league is
so good that a one loss SEC school is better than an undefeated team from
another conference? There will be no way to prove them right or wrong until the
teams play on the field.
As a SEC
fan, I will always favor teams that play tough schedules whether they have a
loss or not. After watching all of the games in a season, I want the best teams
in the playoff. I have a hard time with FSU because they play in a conference
that is considerably weaker than the SEC or the Pac 12.
At the end of the
season, the Noles will hang their hats on beating Clemson at home with their
back-up quarterback, a win over an overrated Notre Dame team, and a win over
the third or fourth best team in the SEC’s weaker division. Yes they won the
title last year, and if they run the table they should be in the playoff, but
they wouldn’t have earned that spot in 2014, they would be living off of last
year’s success.
The good
news is that more often than not, these things tend to work themselves out, but
this season feels a lot like 2007, where there were no great teams. I think it
is entirely possible that there will be 2 teams in the playoff with 2 losses,
and that those two teams could end up playing for the title.
We will continue
to get answers in the weeks ahead, but a loss by FSU, Notre Dame, and Baylor
would leave no chance for undefeated teams, and more controversy than we have
ever seen before.
With only a
couple of weeks until the playoff committee releases their first rankings,
winning will become more important than style.
Biggest Win of the Week: Mississippi State over Texas A&M
The Bulldogs
are for real. They dominated from start to finish against a good A&M team,
and look to be the real deal in the SEC West. They host Auburn this Saturday
with a chance to make a case to be in the discussion for the playoff. With so
many good teams in the SEC West, a win over Auburn would mean that Mississippi
State would have won 3 of the 6 divisional games on their schedule without a
loss. They have been impressive so far, but a win against Auburn would move
them from the underdog role, to the favorite in America’s best conference.
Biggest Loss of the Week: South Carolina falls in Lexington
For the
third time in six weeks, the “honor” of the worst loss lives with the Ole Ball
Coach. The Gamecocks were dismantled at home against A&M. Gave a game away
at home against Missouri, and now, they have managed to go on the road and lose
a game against Kentucky that they had no business losing.
With games
against Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, and Clemson still ahead, South Carolina is
the leader in the club house for most disappointing team of the year.
The Heisman Race:
1. Todd Gurley
2. Dak Prescott
3. Jameis Winston
The College Football Playoff if the
season ended Today:
1. Auburn v. 4. Mississippi State
2. FSU v. Baylor
Thought
Process:
If you look
at the wins of the undefeated teams, Auburn should be number one hands down.
FSU is the defending champion and would deserve a chance to defend unless they
lose a game. Baylor is now the front runner in the Big 12 with Oklahoma’s loss,
and maybe the only hope for the Big 12 to get a team in the playoff.
Mississippi State is in a great position, already having wins over A&M and
LSU in the daunting SEC West.
Three Things to Watch for Next Week:
1. Auburn @ Mississippi State
2. Pac 12 Eliminator: UCLA hosts Oregon
3. SEC East Title Game: UGA @ Missouri
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