I don’t think any of them lose. Clemson is notorious for choking or coming up small in big games. I don’t see them beating Tech.
The closest call is Oklahoma State. But they have much to play for (really, the only team that has a chance to crash the SEC BCS party). I think they take out Oklahoma.
I would pick OU if they were playing in Norman. Tech just keeps winning, and Clemson hasn’t looked good for a while now. LSU will be given a game for about 3 quarters, but pull away and calm a rowdy Georgia Dome crowd at the end. Boise…I can’t imagine a better lock of the year. If Houston were going to lose, it would have been last week in Tulsa. I’m not sure where the CUSA-CG is played, but Houston will win and get a BCS spot.
Other picks: Wisconsin and Oregon to each win easily to set up an offensive showcase in the Rose Bowl.
Good point! How do you feel about a separate poll/thread dealing with all the conference championships? I’ll refrain from starting it, but I can see the value/fun in such a thing.
I agree with you on Clemson/VTech, although Clemson already won in Blacksburg by a 23-3 score to give VTech its only loss. So it’s not impossible.
As for OK State, their only loss of the year came on the road, in overtime, on the day that they awoke to news about the women’s BB coach and ass’t coach dying in a plane crash. Alabama lost at home, in a game that they “knew” was a make-or-break game.
If OK State does win, I hope voters take all of that into consideration when determining the Nat’l Championship game.
It’s not just my Auburn homerism that makes me agree with this opinion. Bama lost fair and square and so did Oregon. LSU needs another potential “best team” to meet for all the marbles and the shiny football.
Alabama lost at home, yes, but by 3 points, to the #1 team in the nation, in overtime. OK State lost to a no-name, unranked Iowa State team. OK State stays home. Bama goes to the Big Game.
Does anyone (Oakminster?) set up a pick 'em just for the bowls? I always liked the type where you weight each game based on how strongly you feel about each pick. I think that’s what he already does for the regular season, but I always get behind on that stuff over the course of a season, which is why I refrain from gambling, fantasy football, etc.
I do agree that Alabama will get the nod*, fair or unfair. If OSU beats Oklahoma this week, I think its “body of work” will be at least as good as Alabama’s.
*The reason, of course, being that Alabama lost on November 5th, while OSU lost on November 18th. Reverse the dates and I think OSU would be #2 right now.
I say this as a person who hopes OSU indeed crashes the BCS championship party, because we really don’t need an SEC West rematch in the championship game. That said … while the tragedy surely was a blow to the entire Oklahoma State community, athletic or otherwise, using that as even a partial, minor excuse for their loss to Iowa State just doesn’t cut it. I mean, the Cowboys were ahead 24-7 in the fourth quarter. Did they just remember then about the previous night’s plane crash?
Heck, just say Okie State’s double-OT loss on the road was an aberration that shouldn’t hurt them as much as Alabama losing in their own stadium. I’d be down with that. Now if only the human pollsters can be convinced … since they’re generally putting Okie State behind Stanford (well, okay, I could see that) and Virginia Tech (whaaa? in what universe?). Meanwhile the computer polls have OSU as a solid 2, ahead of Alabama, even.
Clemson plays very well–as long as it is a game out of the spotlight or not a “make or break” game. Whatever bowl they go to–they will lose. As they will this Saturday.
As a die-hard LSU fan and general SEC homer (except for Florida), I would much rather LSU have the opportunity to strut their stuff against Oklahoma State or Stanford. That would be a showcase game. Could Heisman candidate Luck solve the LSU defense? Would OSU put up 4 TDs? It looks like we’ll never know.
I mean, Vest Virginia had like 450 yards on LSU, almost all of it passing, but still could hardly score. (Part of it was our punter kept it such that WVA could put up 70 yards on a drive and still not be near the end zone.)
Having said that, I firmly believe that LSU and Alabama are the two best teams in the country and the BCS is geared to pair 1 and 2. So barring extreme weirdness, that’ll be the matchup.
I know a lot of folks don’t want to see that again, for the very good reason already mentioned in these threads (Bama had their chance at home and blew it–give someone else a try). However, a lot of people seem to not want to see it becasue “the game was boring.”
I hope LSU gets to put that one to rest. They actually do have a pretty good offense and I don’t believe the Bama game was a representative sample of what they are capable of. We actually do have a downfield passing game (not that you’d know it from that game).
Ah, I ramble. Hopefully LSU is more focused on Georgia than I seem to be. Would be a shame for them to lose this weekend for lack of concentration.
I couldn’t even come up with that much. I will probably come to regret not feeling confident about anybody but LSU and Boise, but I believe this week is where the rubber meets the road. In fact, it may be that my confidence is even greater in those games not involving the undefeateds and one-loss teams.
Does anybody else have this nostalgia for college football already building up? I mean the season is almost over and it seems that this year has just flown by.
The “objectively better team” gets creamed by the lucky team, the one that makes the next-to-last bad play, the referees, the wind, the field, and so many other factors that in a perfect ranking system “objectively better” would sink to a minor consideration. This is not entirely sarcasm. It applies a little less to the pros than to college teams, but even there it’s why we watch the games.
If it matters, I will be pulling for OSU for one simple reason: I don’t care for Stoops. Ain’t that a hell of a thing?
ETA: Of course, I picked OU to win, but I’ll be pulling for OSU. Schizo, I know.
Straight Dope Message Board > Main > The Game Room >
Week 14 FBS: Who stays at one loss or undefeated?
View Poll Results: FBS Week 14: Which team(s) won't lose this week?
This poll will close on 12-03-2011 at 02:24 AM
Bartman 3 LSU Boise St. Oklahoma St.
basset hound 4 Houston LSU Boise St. Virginia Tech
Darth Sensitive 5 Houston LSU Boise St. Virginia Tech Oklahoma St.
divemaster 5 Houston LSU Boise St. Virginia Tech Oklahoma St.
Fred Garvin 1 Oklahoma St.
Jackknifed Juggernaut 5 Houston LSU Boise St. Virginia Tech Oklahoma St.
mkecane 5 Houston LSU Boise St. Virginia Tech Oklahoma St.
notfrommensa 5 Houston LSU Boise St. Virginia Tech Oklahoma St.
Oakminster 5 Houston LSU Boise St. Virginia Tech Oklahoma St.
PacifistPorcupine 3 LSU Boise St. Virginia Tech
Shadez 2 LSU Boise St.
Wolverine 3 Houston LSU Boise St.
Zeldar 2 LSU Boise St.
48 8 12 12 8 8 /48
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 13.
Straight Dope Message Board > Main > The Game Room >
Week 14 FBS: Who stays at one loss or undefeated?
View Poll Results: FBS Week 14: Which team(s) won't lose this week?
This poll will close on 12-03-2011 at 02:24 AM
Bartman 3/3 LSU Boise St. Oklahoma St.
Darth Sensitive 3/5 LSU Boise St. Oklahoma St.
divemaster 3/5 LSU Boise St. Oklahoma St.
Jackknifed Juggernaut 3/5 LSU Boise St. Oklahoma St.
mkecane 3/5 LSU Boise St. Oklahoma St.
notfrommensa 3/5 LSU Boise St. Oklahoma St.
Oakminster 3/5 LSU Boise St. Oklahoma St.
Shadez 2/2 LSU Boise St.
Zeldar 2/2 LSU Boise St.
PacifistPorcupine 2/3 LSU Boise St.
Wolverine 2/3 LSU Boise St.
basset hound 2/4 LSU Boise St.
Fred Garvin 1/1 Oklahoma St.
32/48 12 12 8 32/48
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 13.