College Football Odds and Sods: Both Florida State and Notre Dame in The Playoff?
By Ty Duffy
Big matchups are endowed extra juice. The playoff picture alters every week. Change has not ruined the college football regular season.
Florida State vs. Notre Dame was quite the game and quite the contentious ending. An EPL announcer would have termed it an advertisement for the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Seminoles won 31-27 with a blistering Jameis Winston second half. Notre Dame looked more formidable than expected through four quarters and may have helped their public perception. Both looked playoff ready, as much as one can do so outside the SEC. Will both get there?
The Seminoles have a secure place undefeated. If FSU escapes from Thursday Night at Louisville, it would require a horrible letdown for them to lose. Virginia, Miami, Boston College and Florida follow. Only Miami is on the road. Notre Dame will be more interesting. Florida State helps them, but it was a loss. The Irish still have road trips to Arizona State and to USC, as well as a home date with Louisville. They will be a candidate, if they win out. But, their best win could be against a 9-3 or 8-4 team. The Irish may be arguing against two conference champions and a very impressive SEC team.
Big 12 cannibalism continued. TCU trounced Oklahoma State 42-9. The Horned Frogs defense held OSU to 4.0 yards/play and 3/15 third down conversions. Trevone Boykin completed 26/39 for 410 yards and three touchdowns. The loss eliminates the Cowboys. The win leaves Gary Patterson’s team in an excellent position. The Horned Frogs already played Oklahoma and Baylor. They get Kansas State at home. They do have a decent non-conference win, by three touchdowns against Minnesota.
Kansas State edged Oklahoma 31-30. The Sooners should have won, but mistakes will cost you against Bill Snyder. Trevor Knight threw an out route on the goal line, somehow an option, that went for a pick six. Michael Hunnicutt did not brush up on his playbook, shanking a 19-yard field goal and having an extra point blocked. “Big Game” Bob or “Bowl Hype” Bob, take your pick. Oklahoma is out. Kansas State should be a lock if they win out (with one narrow loss to Auburn), but the Wildcats still travel to TCU, West Virginia and Baylor.
The Bears finally succumbed to their road trend straight up, losing 41-27 at West Virginia. The only hot seats in Morgantown right now are those being burned by students. The Mountaineers remain a factor in the Big 12 race, though the playoff is beyond them. Baylor needs Oklahoma and Kansas State to finish strong to add a quality win. The Bears do not play themselves, did not play anyone non-conference and could be an odd team out at 11-1.
Michigan State and Ohio State dominated Indiana and Rutgers respectively on the road. The question for the winner of that game will be “who did you beat?” MSU challenged itself at Oregon and lost by three touchdowns. Ohio State, albeit early in the season, was beaten soundly by a very average Virginia Tech team. Playing underwhelming B1G teams helps little. The B1G East champ will need at least a 10-win B1G West opponent to have a chance. An 11-1 Nebraska may be the best case scenario. Michigan may not beat either rival. But the Wolverines collapse could keep both out of the playoff.
Picking the playoff right now….
SEC West Champ
Florida State
Oregon
SEC West No. 2/B1G Champ/B12 Champ/Notre Dame
Which of those three teams deserves to be in ahead of Alabama/Auburn PAWL? Mark Dantonio may need to get Christian Bale Batman on campus.
The Good…
That Lane Kiffin Offense… The Tide rediscovered their flow offensively, scoring 52 points in the first 35 minutes and amassing more than 600 balanced total yards in a 59-0 beatdown of Texas A&M. We still worry about them against a team that can lock down Amari Cooper. But, for now, bring back the shades.
That Urban Meyer Offense… The Buckeyes scored 49 offensive points through three quarters, averaging 8-plus yards per pass and rush. J.T. Barrett has morphed from Hokie punching bag to possible Heisman candidate in a few weeks. He had 368 total yards and five touchdowns before Ohio State called him off. Penn State’s defense is decent, though the true test will come at Michigan State.
Tyrone Swoopes… Texas’ defense crapped out against Iowa State. They won because of quarterback play. Swoopes completed 24/36 for 321 yards and a touchdown. He ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. He made some huge throws on the final drive to set up a game-winning field goal.
The Not So Good…
Will Muschamp… Florida lost 42-13 to Missouri at home. It was a classic Muschamp performance. The Gator defense held Missouri to 2.4 yards/play. The rest of the team was embarrassing and incompetent. Florida’s offense turned the ball over six times. Gator special teams allowed two return touchdowns. Muschamp needs to win out. There appears to be zero prospect of that happening. Dan Mullen is familiar. Though Florida may wonder what a Briles/Holgorsen/Rodriguez type could do with the amount of speed and talent Florida can recruit.
Kevin Sumlin… The Aggies, softened by heavy defeats to the Mississippi teams, were dismantled by Alabama 59-0. His offense averaged 3.1 yards/play and converted 2/13 third downs. Their defense was, characteristically, terrible. Kevin Sumlin has won one of his last seven SEC games in regulation. Their next conference game is Auburn, on the road. This was destined to be a down year with a young team – expectations were unfairly raised by the South Carolina win – and jumping on Sumlin would be premature. But his trajectory is bearing a strong resemblance to Brady Hoke in year three. What? What?
That Scott Loeffler Offense… Virginia Tech surrendered to Pitt 21-16 on Thursday Night. While the half-full NFL stadium surely intimidated them, the Hokies offense was brutal, again. They ran for 26 yards on 22 carries. They did not convert a 1st down until late in the first half. The Hokies’ first two field goal drives started inside the Pitt 40. The third came after moving eight yards back from 1st and Goal on the Pitt 5. The Hokies did win the turnover battle, but only because they recovered two of their three fumbles.
GIF of the Week..
We must give the nod to West Virginia plaid bro. Though the Diamont family and this Tennessee fan gave him a good run.
[USA Today Sports]