College football

[O Really]

Another fine day for college football - Heels, 'Canes, and Huskies win, Buckeyes lose, Gators get embarrassed.

[Vrede too]

Huskies dominated, 5-turnover Notre Dame barely won vs. unranked BC, Iowa is still undefeated and will play Michigan State (probably) for the Big 10 crown, Florida needed OT to beat unranked FAU and will still play AL (probably) for the SEC championship, undefeated OK St. got beat, Stanford will play next week's UCLA--USC winner for the Pac 12 crown (hopefully UCLA), OK barely won after a failed 2-point TCU try for the win, Dook lost and is beneath UVA - UVA! - for ACC Coastal misery, and the late blooming Ducks crushed USC.

I agree, another fine day for college football. Also:

South Carolina loses at home to FCS The Citadel

... The Gamecocks dropped to a miserable 3-8 on the season and lost to an FCS opponent for the first time in 25 years. For the Bulldogs, the win was the first over an FBS team since they beat Army 15-14 in 1992....

On top of that, South Carolina’s continuing struggles affect the College Football Playoff hopes of North Carolina. The Tar Heels improved to 10-1 and clinched the ACC Coastal with a win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, but their only loss – a Week 1 defeat to the Gamecocks – keeps looking worse.

My (our?) Terps suck.

I'll be rooting for cheating UNC to beat Clemson for the ACC title (all SC teams suck worse).

Undefeated Iowa should move into a playoff spot with OH St’s loss. Does Notre Dame keep its slot after a shaky win and, if not, which of the 1 loss teams gets it -

Not OK St after losing.
OK after barely beating TCU?
FL after needing OT to beat unranked FAU?
Mich St after beating OH St, I hope.
Baylor after beating Oklahoma St? Could very well be.
Probably not UNC or Navy.

What a mess, we’ll see if the final 2 weeks sorts it out. We need an 8-team playoff.

[Vrede too]

The Playoff Selection Committee Poll just came out:

1 Clemson (11-0)
2 Alabama (10-1)
3 Oklahoma (10-1) - after barely escaping TCU!
4 Iowa (11-0) - Nice.
5 Michigan State (10-1) - Nice.
6 Notre Dame (10-1) - Oops.
7 Baylor (9-1)
8 Ohio State (10-1)
9 Stanford (9-2) - Nice.
10 Michigan (9-2) - Nice.
11 Oklahoma State (10-1)
12 Florida (10-1)
13 Florida State (9-2)
14 North Carolina (10-1)
15 Navy (9-1)

My barely possible current ideal playoff teams are:
Iowa (or Michigan or Michigan State, in that order, depending on the Big 10 Championship), Stanford (hopefully) or Notre Dame (depending on the winner of their 11/28 game), Florida after beating Alabama in the SEC Championship, and some sacrificial ACC or Big 12 team.

[Boatrocker]

Notre Dame is, as ALWAYS, grossly over-rated. They do not belong in any playoff conversation.

[Vrede too]

The PSC agrees with you. It's not like I'm a big #6 Notre Dame fan but 10-1, beating 2 top 25 teams and losing to #1 Clemson by only 2 points (11-1, beating 3 top 25 teams if it wins over Stanford) is nothing to sneeze at. The Stanford - Notre Dame winner has a decent case for the playoffs depending on the other games and the Pac 12 championship, we'll see what the PSC does.

[O Really]

Heels, Canes, and Huskies win! (and Panthers) A fine weekend for the O Reallys.
Noles-Gators next, Seahawks tomorrow. Life is good.

[Vrede too]

... Seahawks tomorrow....

That was nuts.

[Vrede too]

My current ideal playoff teams are:
Iowa (Michigan State is okay with me if it wins the Big 10 Championship), UNC (only because Clemson sucks more), Oklahoma is already in (not my ideal), Stanford, but it would take the unlikely scenario of 2-loss Stanford winning the Pac 10 Championship AND FL beating AL badly AND Iowa losing, thus leading the PSC to not want to choose between 1-loss Iowa and 1-loss OH St to join MSU. Even then, the PSC could put 1-loss AL or Clemson in.

Odds are I'll be rooting for the Big 10 Champion and no one else.

[O Really]

40 bowls, stupid sponsored names ("Taxslayer Bowl - seriously?), mediocre team records - down to 5-6, yada. It's hard to get very excited.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/ ... &ocid=iehp

[Vrede too]

Otoh,

UNC in position to shake up playoff bracket – but maybe not for itself

Question for the committee: Does Clemson deserve to make playoff even if it loses?

College Football Playoff: What happens if Clemson or Alabama lose?

Probably won't matter. Odds are that AL (favored by 17) & Clemson (favored by 5) will win and it will be them, OK and either Iowa or MSU (favored by 3.5).

[O Really]

Sure they ultimately won, but Clemson looked pretty beatable last weekend against a hopped-up but weak South Carolina.

[billy.pilgrim]

dabo is a bammer

[Vrede too]

Sure they ultimately won, but Clemson looked pretty beatable last weekend against a hopped-up but weak South Carolina.

Good, thanks, I was with family and didn't watch. I'm taking UNC plus the 5 points.

[Vrede too]

Wow, exciting last 2 games, one good finish, one crappy one. Mich St drives 9 minutes!, 22 plays! for a winning TD. Bravo for not screwing up, bravo to Iowa for making them work so hard. UNC got within 1 score with 1:24 left, recovered the onside kick, got called for a BS!!! offsides, almost got the re-kick, lost and missed the spread by 3.

All that AL or Clemson losing speculation was for naught, damn, Go Spartans!

[Boatrocker]

Well, I don't think it would've mattered, but that last offsides call against UNC, in the closing minute, was so egregiously bad that Clemson should complain bitterly about the stain that it attached to an otherwise pretty-clean win. I see no grand conspiracy in play, but that was easily the worst call I've seen in weeks, and it cost UNC a recovered CU fumble, with pretty good field position.
Every review of that game, every highlight reel, every commentary, for weeks, is going to include video of that godawful call. It was so bad it looks dirty, even if reason tell you it likely isn't.

[Vrede too]

Well, I don't think it would've mattered ...

Probably not, time was short, UNC would have needed a TD and 2-point conversion and still could have lost in OT. But, we've seen lots of such drives.

[Boatrocker]

Well, I don't think it would've mattered ...

Probably not, time was short, UNC would have needed a TD and 2-point conversion and still could have lost in OT. But, we've seen lots of such drives.

Indeed. Aubbies still cling to that Kick-6 video like it's the Holy Mother's image on a piece of toast. I think Clemson won pretty cleanly, but now that one horrendously bad call- in their favor- will hang over them for weeks. Officiating has some really bad days this season.

[Vrede too]

Yeah, watching the game and reviewing the stats it was a shocker that UNC even had a theoretical shot that the refs took away.

[Boatrocker]

I thought UNC brought CU a game like they haven't had this season. Dabo better get em ready for the playoffs.

[Vrede too]

MSU squeaked by, AL wasn't that strong against floundering FL and OK has a loss and some scares. I'm guessing the winner of the likely (?) OK-AL game (with AL favored) will be the favorite in the final, but anything can happen.