There was, in fact, a period (forget how long, but about a year, I think) when the Big 12 had 10 members and the Big 10 had 12 members. They resisted suggestions to swap names.
I was watching The Apple Cup, and checked to see when the next game I wanted to watch started. I saw Alabama was about to end and switched over…
Alabama was behind, time short, and was in punt formation… I decided to watch a few minutes and glory in an Alabama loss…
Jesus Fuckin’ Christ!
We almost had 2 massive upsets in the last hour. Didn’t get either one, dammit.
Layman question: I read that Alabama “kept its College Playoff hopes alive with this win,” but given that they are ranked #8, how? Unless they expect to beat Georgia AND also see four higher-ranked teams above it lose in upsets so they can move up to 4#?
If they beat Georgia they’ll get in. They will pass Ohio State this week, and the loser of the Pac 12 championship game and Georgia next week if they win.
From there they’ll pass Texas likely as well.
There’s zero chance the SEC doesn’t get a team in.
Yes, they need four teams ahead of them to lose. One of those has already happened today (#2 Ohio State), and most (if not all) of the teams ahead of them still have another game to play next week, in conference championship games.
It’s not a great hope, mind you, but it’s not impossible.
The ending of the Auburn/Alabama game was astounding.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around what Auburn’s defense was thinking on that 4th-and-goal. What was the point of assigning a spy instead of rushing three? If the QB took off, he had to cover 31 yards while every defender would come out of the endzone to get him.
Update on this. With several 5-6 teams winning and qualifying at 6-6, we’re down to at most two 5-7 teams qualifying, depending on result of the Cal/UCLA and Colorado St/Hawaii games.
Win and they’re in for Cal and Colorado State. By APR, if one of those lose, Minnesota is in, and if both lose, Miss St is also in
It was fine. Lots of Hail Mary plays end up looking that that.
That game was properly decided in the end zone, though you’d think the DBs would do a slightly better job there
Yeah, I agree 2-3 pass rushers would have sufficed. But 8 Auburn defenders in the end zone should have gotten the job done regardless.
Yup, it was sickening to watch.
Cal is up big on FUCLA. I should turn it off now, lest I witness another travesty like the Auburn Debacle. My delicate sensibilities can’t take that twice in one night.
My local team, Old Dominion, came back from down 21 in their final game to win their sixth game and become bowl-eligible for the second time in three seasons.
GO BIG BLUE!
I’ve seen the highlight; am I the only one who thinks the receiver pushed off the defender a little bit? Maybe not enough to draw a penalty, but enough to be worthy of comment.
I don’t know if anybody happened to watch the Kansas State/Iowa State game on FOX last night. Stat-wise, it was one of the more amazing games you will ever see. It was played in Manhattan, where heavy snow had fallen all day and continued throughout the game.
Kansas State was a 10 1/2 point favorite. KSU held the ball for 42 minutes to 18 for ISU. K-State had 48 passes and 54 rushes for a total of 102 plays; ISU ran a total of 35 plays. KSU had 32 first downs while ISU had 10. K-State had 497 yards of offense.
Yet, Iowa State won the game 42-35. ISU scored on runs of 71, 77, and 60 yards, and had TD passes of 79, 33, and 82 yards. Iowa State had 488 yards of offense, and that includes minus-9 yards on two kneel-downs at the end of the game. Before those last two plays, ISU averaged over 15 yards per play.
Even with the white-out conditions, there were just 3 turnovers, 2 by ISU and 1 by KSU. Both teams finished 6-3 in the conference, tied for 4th.
I tried, but as a skier, it depressed me too much.
Mississippi State has hired Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby as its new head coach.
“I am confident that Jeff is the perfect leader for the next exciting chapter of Mississippi State football,” athletic director Zac Selmon said in a statement. “He will bring an exciting brand of football, elite student-athlete development, and a winning culture to Starkville, all while doing so with high integrity.”
“And if we’re still losing after two years, we’ll fire his ass and pay him the millions left over on his five-year deal, while praising his dedication and integrity and wishing him the best.”
OK, I made up the second paragraph. Wouldn’t bet against it, though.
Heh. This is precisely what they mean when they say that “we need to go in a different direction.”
Being reported that Texas A&M is set to hire Mike Elko away from Duke, after allegedly being on the verge of hiring Mark Stoops this weekend before an alumni social media revolt led the Board of Regents to get cold feet.
The big argument of the day now seems to be, since Minnesota is the only 5-7 team that is currently “bowl eligible,” if Navy beats Army and finishes 6-6, does it have to be accepted into a bowl game, and, as a result, Minnesota cannot be in one as there are 82 bowl eligible teams and 82 bowl spots?
Everything I have seen from the NCAA says that the spot would have to go to Navy, but a number of reports are claiming that either (a) “they go by what your record is when the bowls are announced on December 3” (which itself is not true - only the six CFP bowls have to be announced that day), so Navy would not be bowl eligible as it is currently 5-6 and Minnesota has a higher APR, or (b) “while Navy would become bowl eligible, all of the bowl bids will have been assigned”.
I think the team that needs to have an ear to the ground on this is Mississippi State. If Navy wins, I would not be surprised if the NCAA authorizes an additional game, similar to what it did with the 2021 “Frisco Football Classic”, and let Wisconsin keep its Big Ten-contracted bowl bid (my guess: the Quick Lane Bowl) while Navy would play the next 5-7 team on the APR list, which, IIRC, is Mississippi State.
Note that if Army wins, although it would be 6-6, two of its wins were against FCS teams, and, for bowl eligibility, only one can count, so it is considered 5-6, and while 5-6 is technically a better record than 5-7, the NCAA treats 5-6 and 5-7 teams equally, and Minnesota’s APR is higher than Army’s, so Minnesota gets the bowl bid.