COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Finally, it’s here! The 2^nd College Football Playoff begins today and I can’t wait to see the outcome! It’s kind of bittersweet as the start of the playoff, signals the season coming to an end. But besides that, we have 2 great games, featuring 4 really good teams to give us a great New Year’ Eve. Now, are these the 4 best teams in the country? I don’t think so, but they are the 4 most deserving. They feature high profile coaches, and high profile players sure to put on a show. With that said…

GAME 1

Oklahoma V.S. Clemson

Now, I’m not sure if it’s just what I’ve been hearing/reading, but it seems like EVERYONE is picking Oklahoma. I may have seen 3 of 20 people actually go with the ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM IN THE COUNTRY! It clearly makes no sense to me. To break this down, Oklahoma is a very good team, with talent on both sides of the ball. But how impressive have they actually been? They lost to a TERRIBLE Texas team and barely escaped Tennessee. I guess people were impressed with them beating up on backup quarterbacks towards the end of the year. Anyways, Clemson has wins over 2 really good teams in Notre Dame, and Florida State and a quarterback who has NEVER LOST a game he’s started and finished. Though I do have respect for Baker Mayfield and Sterling Shepard is BIGTIME, I simply don’t think OU is a better team than Clemson. Clemson has the playmakers on both sides of the ball to get it done and will have the best player on the field in Heisman finalist, Deshawn Watson.

Clemson 33 Oklahoma 20

GAME 2

Michigan State V.S. Alabama

Now this is another game where one team is getting no respect! I understand it somewhat…You have the best coach in America, maybe ever, in Nick Saban and the best college football program in the country in Alabama, who seems to always be in this position every year. You have the Heisman trophy winner in Derrick Henry, and you have the best defense in the country. This seems like it’s an easy call. Bama by what? 50?? That’s what you would believe if you listened to all these so called analysts around here who love their SEC. Michigan State is EXTREMLY capable of winning this game. They have the best quarterback by far on this field and I think he can make plays against a solid, but not great Bama secondary. Michigan State also plays a running type of offense, with tough defense. Now it’s been said that you can’t beat Bama by playing Bama’s style but I think the ONLY thing that separates that is Connor Cook’s ability to make plays. However, it is TOUGH to bet against Nick Saban in this situation.

Alabama 27 Michigan State 23

So that’s my picks! Can’t wait to get off work and actually watch these games and see how it all plays out. Will the doubts and no belief in Clemson and Michigan State fuel them to upset OU and Bama, or will OU be out for revenge from the 40-6  BEATING Clemson gave them last year. It will be interesting to see if Bama takes an L and SEC fans lose their minds though! With that said, everyone enjoy the games and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PART 2

And just like that it’s over…the college football regular season ended yesterday and is it just me or did this season fly by? Feels like just yesterday I was excited for the opening night matchup with North Carolina vs South Carolina and now it’s time to start preparing for the college football playoff. The rankings were finally released today and unlike last year, there was very little controversy with the 4 teams selected. The committee ranked the top 4 as follows:

                                                      

                                                      1.  Clemson

                                                      2.  Alabama 

                                                      3.  Michigan State 

                                                      4.  Oklahoma

I can’t knock these rankings. I mean, some people mentioned the notion of the committee purposely seeding it this way so that a potential Alabama – Oklahoma match-up could possibly happen in the title game, but that’s as close to controversy you had. Based off of the resume, Michigan State should have moved to 3. Now chairman of the committee Jeff Long mentioned that these 4 teams were CLEARLY the ones who would make the playoff and no other teams were seriously considered. Now, that I can’t be definite about from my perspective. Basically I think these 4 teams are the most deserving, however you could make arguments for a few others. Ohio State and Iowa had 1 loss all season long, both to the BIG 10 champs and each loss by 3 points. Oklahoma’s loss was to a 5 win Texas team so I can see why some would think they wouldn’t deserve to be there. Stanford, who won the PAC 12 by destroying USC was another team whose name came up a lot but with 2 losses, I can’t make an argument for them. All in all, I think the committee did a solid job with the selection and it should provide us with 3 GREAT games, and great match-ups. We’ll take a couple weeks to review before we make our final picks but I could see it going a number of ways.

And the Heisman trophy goes to…

The Heisman trophy will be awarded on Saturday and several names have been mentioned as possible favorites for the award. Crazy how a few weeks ago, people thought this award should have already been mailed to Baton Rouge with Leonard Fournett’s name on it but after a few subpar games and back to back to back losses, that’s definitely changed. To win the Heisman, you must show excellence throughout the season, not just the first 6 weeks. With that said, my Heisman breakdown goes like this…

1.     Deshaun Watson – If you go back and look at the first blog of the year, Watson was my pick and throughout the year, he validated that selection. There’s been times I’ve watched him play where I just felt like he would not let his team lose. Without him, Clemson would have 3 or 4 losses. He is bigtime and can do it all, from throwing to running. And I hate when people think of him as a runner. He is as good a thrower as there is in the country, running is just a bonus. This is why he will be holding that trophy on Saturday. And probably a year from now as well!

2.     Christian McCaffrey  - Talk about doing it all. Christian closed his Heisman campaign yesterday   by running, receiving, and passing for a touchdown in leading Stanford to a rout of USC. USC really isn’t that good but still, to do what he has done all year is tremendous. To break a record that has been around since Barry Sanders is an incredible feat. Though I don’t think he’ll win it, he still had a great year!

3.       Derrick Henry – As great a player as I think he is, and as much as I think he means to that Alabama program, it’s hard for me to give an award to a running back who’s not the best running  back in the country. If not for a couple of losses, Dalvin Cook would be in New York because he is the best RB in the nation. Henry is bigtime and has carried Alabama for moments this year but I think any back could do well in that system as we have seen over the years. Great player, but he shouldn’t be any higher than 3^rd on this list.

--D-Will

Well it turns out that the very thing that I didn’t think would happen, happened…. Oklahoma is in the College Football Playoff. Now why I can admit that they do look like one of the 4 best teams in the country right now, I just don’t think their resume reflects that. I don’t think a Week 5 loss to Texas, struggling with Baylor and their back up QB, and beating TCU with their backup QB by 1 exactly screams that they’re a dominant team. You put asterisks by those wins and what’s their most impressive victory? Oklahoma State? The same Oklahoma State that lost to Baylor’s backup QB the week before. So who deserves to be in, you ask? I honestly would rather see 2 Big 10 teams make it. I think that Ohio State passes the eye test, maybe even more so than Oklahoma, and their only loss is a 3pt loss to possibly the hottest team in the country. Not to mention they’re the defending champs. I actually think that Ohio State’s resume looks better this year than it did last year. Last year they lost to Virginia Tech and still made the playoff, this year they beat that same Virginia Tech team by 20 and lose to a MUCH better team in Michigan State but miss the cut. And not to mention, the Michigan victory is more impressive than any win on Oklahoma’s schedule. But hey, what do I know? I’m a basketball guy……

Heisman Race

1. Derrick Henry- I actually think that before Conference Championship week, this race wasn’t close. I think Henry had run away with it, pun intended. Here’s why. After their loss to Ole Miss, in which he had 23 carries, I think Nick Saban put his foot down and had Lane Kiffin put the team on Henry’s back and they reeled off 10 straight wins in typical Alabama fashion. Henry averaged 33 carries per game (in conference) after that Alabama loss. The success of their team and the fate of their season LITERALLY depended on his legs and he delivered in a major way. Mark Ingram was the last Running Back to win the Heisman and Derrick Henry has out rushed him by 328 yards and scored 6 more TD’s. I think he’ll be hoisting the trophy in NYC this weekend.

2. Deshaun Watson- Best player on the best team and as D-Will alluded to, he has intangibles that has helped his team have an undefeated regular season. But, has he really been THAT impressive? Clemson’s schedule is mediocre at BEST. I can really only look at 3 games to get an accurate read on what he can do against decent to good competition. And as much as D Will doesn’t like it, he’s a running QB that has a decent arm. Not an elite passer that has the ability to run. There’s a difference. In big games this year, he depended more on his legs than his arm. But let’s look at the 3 games worth noting on their schedule. Notre Dame, he went 10-21 for 84 yards 2 TD’s and 1 INT and rushed for 16 rushes for 93 yards and a TD. Nothing really jumps off the page there, besides the fact that he can run. Florida State, 28-42 297 yards and 1 TD, 16 rushes for 107 yards, again..he can run. North Carolina, which is when I think he gained a little ground on Henry. Big game, a spot in the Playoff on the line. He goes 26-42 289 yards, 3 TD’s, 1 INT AND 24 rushes for 131 yards, 2 TD’s. Now that’s a Heisman performance. But one game vs 10 games for Henry where he had that type of production. I think Deshaun Watson will have to wait until next year to join the Heisman fraternity.

3. Christian McCaffrey

4. Leonard Fournette

5. Keenan Reynolds

-Jalynn

So there you have it. 2 similar, yet VERY different thoughts and takes on the Heisman race and CFB selections. One thing I hate about this time, is that we have to wait 3 weeks to see these games happen! I want it NOW! But in reality, if we want the best product, I guess we need to let these teams rest and heal up. I can't say enough about how this seaosn FLEW by, but I can't wait for the bowl season to kick off. I'm sure we'll pick some of the most intriguing games and discuss them later, right after Watson wins his Heisman this weekend.

RIVALRY WEEK REVIEW AND CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Rivalry Week Review

Rivalry week is something we look forward to every year in college football. Records typically don’t matter in these games. We saw some of this yesterday where teams with far less talent were able to hang in there with a team of higher rank! Teams that seem to be walking to the college football playoff got a scare, some saw those playoff dreams die, while others made statements.

Statement Victories

Oklahoma

Is there a hotter team in the country right now? I don’t think ANYONE wants to play Oklahoma in the playoff, and yes with Notre Dame’s loss Saturday night it all but confirms that the Sooners will be in the final 4.  This Bedlam Rivalry game was over in the first half after Oklahoma put up 44 points. Baker Mayfield is playing like someone who wants to be in New York for the Heisman ceremony but the teams as a whole is playing very well on both sides of the ball.

Michigan State

This was a definitely a statement for Michigan State. After knocking off Ohio State last week without their starting quarterback, Conner Cook, returned yesterday in time to ball out on Penn State. This blowout placed Michigan State in a “Win and You’re in” game with Iowa in the BIG 10 championship next week. Anybody who thought Michigan State was out after the loss to Nebraska now knows that they are a PROBLEM! I’ve said all year long, Connor Cook is the best quarterback in the nation and he will have a couple more chances to show that this year!

Ohio State

There they are! That, what we saw in Ohio State’s blowout win over rival Michigan, is the Ohio State team we expected to see all year. It was never a question of talent, just a question of “want to”. They definitely showed that yesterday. They wanted this game. After a week of questions about players questioning the coaching staff, Ohio State bounced back to show they truly might be the best team in the country when they want to be. A week after voicing his displeasure with the amount of touches he got against Michigan State, Ezekiel Elliott came back strong gaining over 200 yards against a GOOD Michigan run defense. They need a TON of help but NOONE wants Ohio State to end up in that 4!

North Carolina

We have heard about the 1 loss teams with a shot to get the playoff all year, but one team whose name doesn’t come up is North Carolina. Look, I know they played a softer schedule, but they’re 11-1. They opened up yesterday against NC State by going up 35-7 at the end of the first quarter! That’s impressive. A loss on opening night to South Carolina is the only blemish on that schedule. The committee does not want to see them beat Clemson. Could you justify leaving out a 12-1 ACC champion with a win over the number 1 team in the country?

Les Miles Revisited

After a win against Texas A&M last night, it was announced by LSU’s AD that Les Miles would return as the coach next year. My first thought was “good decision”. Mainly because they do have the number 1 class in the country coming in next year, he’s won 76% of his games as a coach, and Les Miles is LSU. My 2^nd thought was more so catered to last week’s blog. BAD IDEA, This decision was OBVIOUSLY made due to public pressure. Les is loved in Louisiana and it would have been a bad look if they let go a guy who wins 76% of his games. The thing is, nothing else changed. Les has had number 1 classes come in before, and his team won last night yes, but they scored all of 19 points! Basically I’m saying that if Les doesn’t win 10 games next year, including a win over Alabama, we will be having this same conversation next November. Les needs to fire his offensive coordinator, and get a quality quarterback. That’s his ONLY move.

Championship Picks

Championship week is upon us and I for one can’t wait! You never know what could happen in these games, but there’s sure to be some excitement!

AAC - Temple (10-2) Houston (11-1)

As much as I was impressed by Temple’s showing against Notre Dame, I also thought Notre Dame played terrible and I just didn’t see many playmakers on the field. Houston on the other hand, has a team full of them! Should be close…for a while.

Houston 34 Temple 17

ACC  - Clemson (12-0) North Carolina (11-1)

As much as North Carolina has improved throughout the season, I just think the balance on both sides of the ball that Clemson presents will be too much. Not to mention Heisman hopeful Deshaun Watson making big plays and trying to cement his invite to New York.

Clemson 38 North Caorlina 21

BIG 10  - Michigan State (11-1) Iowa (12-0)

Part of me wants to pick Iowa just because they get zero respect from ESPN and fans outside of Iowa. But as previously stated, I think Connor Cook is the best quarterback in America and he’ll make one or two more plays to land the Spartans in the playoffs.

Michigan State 27  Iowa 21

PAC 12 – Stanford (10-2) USC (8-4)

To me, this is a FAKE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. Oregon beat both of these teams and if not for an early injury to starting quarterback Vernon Adams, Oregon would be playing for a spot in the playoff. Healthy Oregon is 9-1, with a 3 point loss to Michigan State. But I’ll put aside my Oregon love for a moment to make a pick. I think the world of Kevin Hogan and the Stanford program and Christian McCaffrey is a big time player looking to have a “Heisman moment” so I know Stanford will put up a great fight. They beat USC earlier in the year which is why I’m picking USC.  I just think it’s REALLY hard to beat a team twice in one year.

USC 24 Stanford 23

SEC  - Alabama (11-1) Florida (10-2)

Byfar the easiest pick for me! Florida isn’t good at all. Their defense is respectable but their offense is one of the worst in the country. Bama should roll.

Alabama 30 Florida 9

College Football Playoff Top 6

.            1. Clemson – Most balanced team in the country, led by a Heisman contender.

             2. Alabama – Nick Saban, solid offense and a great defense.

             3. Oklahoma – Hottest team in the country     

             4. Michigan State – Back to back HUGE wins, and the best quarterback in the country

             5. Iowa – Undefeated, and fighting for respect

             6. Ohio State – Most talent team, NOONE wants to play them

So there it is! Spoke my points as best as I could and as weird as it sounds with only a week left to play before bowl season, there’s still a TON that could change. The committee is probably hoping chalk wins out and they don’t have to make any major decisions, but one loss could change EVERYTHING! Let’s see what Jalynn has to say!

-D-Will

This might be the first time in history that I don’t disagree with any of the major points made by D-Will. I don’t know what happened over this Thanksgiving break, but he’s actually being pretty rational. But I’d still like to add my brief 2 cents about a few things regarding the next few weeks and what the committee could be faced with.

To answer D Will’s question, there’s absolutely not a hotter team in the country right now than Oklahoma (thanks to a missed/tipped field goal by my Hogs). But, as of late, Oklahoma has certainly passed the eye test and looks like the best team in the country right now. Which is a shame because I honestly believe that if the committee does its job correctly, they’ll be on the outside looking in when it’s all said and done. Now of course, a few things need to hold true. Michigan St. needs to take out Iowa, Alabama needs to beat Florida, and Clemson needs to take care of North Carolina. This would leave Oklahoma, Ohio State and Iowa with 1 loss and THAT’S when things get interesting. The committee will have to decide what precedent they’re going to set moving forward. Is the eye test the most important factor? Or will they look at each team’s resume? If they’re going to look at resumes, it’ll be hard to make a case for Oklahoma. Ohio State and Iowa’s loss would be to a Big Ten Champion that has looked VERY impressive.  Personally, if I was Jeff Long, I would NOT want to be the one to have to explain how a team that lost to Texas is in the Playoffs when there are other teams out there with 1 loss to a MUCH better team. If you’re going to make the case for Oklahoma, then it’s not too far of a stretch to make an argument for Houston. The Cougs have a bad loss vs UCONN but if they beat Temple, that’ll be 3 ranked teams in 4 weeks that they’ve taken down. Not saying I would vote them over OU, just saying they could be in the conversation if we’re going to overlook the Texas loss. Anyway, I’ve rambled long enough. I’m excited for Conference Championship week and see how things play out. Of course, we’ll be coming right back at you to give our takes. And who knows, maybe D-Will will come down off of that turkey high and get back to giving his outrageous opinions. But until then, job well done bro!

-Jalynn

COLLEGE FOOTBALL REVIEW

Another exciting day in college football just happened! As usual, we learned A LOT! Ohio State is exactly who we thought they were. I also got to gain more evidence on how the SEC was a WEAK conference. I’ve been saying this for a while but maybe the SEC homers will now finally come around. There’s one week left in the regular season before championship Saturday and some teams are still making those final playoff pushes. That’s why I don’t have an issue with it only being 4 teams. In college football, every week is a playoff!

Ezekiel Elliott

So, I’ve seen/heard some people having an issue with the comments from Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott after the loss to Michigan State. I have zero problems with it, because what he said was true. Essentially, he said the coaches didn’t put the team in the right situations to win the game and that there’s no chance he’s coming back next year. Now he did issue an apology today, somewhat, that basically said he apologizes to anyone who was offended but he doesn’t regret what he said. And why should he? Look, I never played college athletics so maybe Jalynn can give a better perspective on this than i. I’m speaking typically from a analysts/fan perspective. Urban Meyer, and the Ohio State coaching staff coached like they did not want to win this game. They coached like they just wanted to survive. And when you’re playing one of your rivals without their starting quarterback, you should be a lot more aggressive than that. You have a Heisman caliber running back, who consistently gets over 100 yards a game, and will likely be the first running back picked in the draft and he gets 12 carries?? There is NO excuse for that. Its disrespectful, that in his last home game he hardly sees the ball. OSU thought they were going to win this game by continuing to run JT Barrett on plays that weren’t working, and included an inept passing game. Look, they have PRO’S at receiver and the fact that Urban Meyer didn’t put an emphasis on getting the ball to their playmakers proves that what Elliott said is true. But let’s be real. Ohio State hasn’t been impressive all year, so it was only a matter of time before they took an L.

The SEC

So, I’m BIG on podcasts and listen to them every single day. Yesterday I was listening to “Russillo and Kanell” and they brought up a point I agreed with wholeheartedly. As they said on the show, “there is no conference that is deeper than the PAC-12”. Now this might make some of you who believe the SEC reigns supremacy over ever other conference upset but it’s simply NOT a good conference. Yes, I realize they won 7 out of the last 10 championships or whatever but we have to stop living in the past. You can’t mention the SEC to me as a good conference when you have an ENTIRE division that’s TERRIBLE! The SEC East may be the worst division in all of college football. I mean, Florida is the best team there and they just beat Vandy 9-7, and almost lost to Florida Atlantic. The team picked to win in the preseason, Georgia is terrible and just almost lost to Georgia Southern. Let’s flip it over to the SEC West. Now obviously this division is more talented but how many good teams are here? Alabama continues to carry the league but outside of that, I can’t name another really good team there. Ole Miss is talented, but very inconsistent. Mississippi State is alright, but got destroyed by Alabama. This conference is the definition of mediocre and I do not want to hear anything more about the SEC being the best conference. I know some fans act like just because they were the best conference 3 years ago, that they will always be that but STOP! It’s not true. Face the facts. Auburn is terrible but ANYTHING can happen in a rivalry game and if they happen to beat Alabama on Saturday then the SEC won’t be represented in the playoffs. I can’t wait to see how the SEC homers defend them then.

Les Miles

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Les Miles. One of the best coaches in college football. He recruits well, and constantly puts players in the NFL. So why are the rumors of him being fired beginning to heat up? It’s quite simple actually, when you lose to your rival (Alabama) 5 times in a row, people are not going to be happy. Fans, boosters, players, students will all start to question your ability to win big games. As it stands, the road to the Playoff goes through Alabama almost every year and when you can’t win those games, it’s going to be a problem. LSU has done a good job recruiting, and has fielded several high quality teams but haven’t been able to show those results on the field in recent years. Maybe a change of scenery is needed for Les and LSU could probably use a new voice as well. LSU is one of the best jobs in the country and I could see someone like Chip Kelly leaving the NFL to come take over.  It’ll be interesting watching this play out and see what the next phase is of Les Miles’s career and as much as I like him, his time in Baton Rouge should end soon.

TOP 6

1.               Clemson

2.              Alabama

3.            Michigan State

4.               Iowa

5.        Notre Dame

6.         Oklahoma

-          D-Will

Ezekiel Elliott

Although I don’t disagree with anything that Ezekiel Elliott had to say, or D Will’s defense of what he said, I do have a problem with him actually saying this to the press and here’s why. First of all, he’s a college athlete, not a pro, an amateur. You are not being paid millions and you are not obligated by contract to speak with the press. It is a privilege as a college athlete to get a chance to speak with the press and you take NUMEROUS classes on how to answer questions that reflect the university in a positive light. You HAVE to respect your coach, the university and your team. Because now, instead of talking about how Ohio State could possibly work themselves back into the National Playoff picture, we’re talking about how he answered a few questions. Secondly, when you’re a part of a team there are certain things that should be discussed behind closed doors and should never leave the locker room or coach’s office. How you feel about play calling absolutely falls under that category. As an upperclassman, star player, Heisman candidate, and one of the face’s of that team, if he wasn’t happy about his involvement in the offense there should have been a private meeting between him, the Offensive Coordinator and Urban Meyer to discuss his displeasure PRIVATELY. Now with all of this being said, I understand that he is a kid in the heat of the moment, after a loss, extremely frustrated and being asked these questions may have caught him off guard. I understand that, but I can’t believe that any part of him thought that his answers were a good idea.

The SEC

Guys, the SEC East is really, really, really bad. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that if the SEC West was a conference of its own, it would still be one of the premier conferences in the country. But I’m not quite sure how you can say that the Pac-12 is the best conference in the country when any time a team from their conference stepped outside of conference play to play a quality opponent, it resulted in a loss. (Arizona St./Texas A&M and Oregon/Michigan St.) If there’s a conference that can even be in the same debate with the SEC, it’s the Big 10. The Pac 12 would be a distant 3rd with the Big 12 being on its heels.

Les Miles

I’m in 100% agreement with D Will on this one. Even though we can all agree that Les Miles is one of the best in the business at recruiting (everything except a QB), he just hasn’t gotten it done the at the level that LSU is accustomed to. In the past 3 seasons, his conference record is 13-10. Think about that, LSU, big, bad LSU is barely over .500 against conference opponents the last 3 years. Like D Will said, I think it’s just time for a new voice in Baton Rouge. Someone who’s willing to change with the times. Les has all of the athletes that would make an uptempo, spread type offense virtually unstoppable. But his stubbornness won’t allow him to go against his patented smash mouth offensive philosophy. Which is fine, but now he’ll get to go somewhere else and try it out. As far as potential replacements, I’m sure they’ll get USC’s leftovers. I still think that’s the premier job to have this offseason.

I have 2 different top 6 rankings. An “eye test” top 6 and a “resume” top 6.

Eye-Test

1.    Clemson

2.    Alabama

3.    Michigan St.

4.    Oklahoma (you don’t know how bad this hurts me)

5.    Notre Dame

6.    Iowa

Resume top 6

1.    Clemson

2.    Iowa (For now, they’re undefeated in a Power 5 conference)

3.    Notre Dame

4.    Michigan State

5.    Alabama

6.    Baylor (That Oklahoma loss is looking better and better)

-          Jalynn

So basically it’s been another great week of college football. While I can understand certain points Jalynn raised, there’s as usual, a few that I can’t. From now on, I will no longer participate in the “SEC is the best conference” debate. If you still think that, I have to assume you don’t watch any of the other conferences. It’s just not true! Les Miles to USC? Miami? With the amount of jobs open after the year, I’m sure his name and others will pop up. It will definitely be an interesting offseason! It was refreshing to hear a player speak his mind like Elliott. We have had some players that have. Dez, A.I., and some others and I think players should feel free to express themselves honestly. Who else is tired of the automated responses to questions that athletes consistently give? I get sick of hearing fake responses. Anyways, HUGE games this weekend for several teams at the top. It will definitely be a “Survival Saturday”.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHECK-IN

OVERREACTION TIME!!! It’s the time of the year when fans nationwide will overreact as the first College Football Playoff Rankings were released. The committee broke it down like this:

                                                                        

                                                                  1.    Clemson  

                                                                  2.    LSU

                                                                  3.    Ohio State

                                                                  4.    Alabama

                                                                  5.    Notre Dame

                                                                  6.    Baylor

                                                                  7.    Michigan State

                                                                  8.    TCU

                                                                  9.    Iowa

                                                                10.    Florida

Now obviously, coming off of last year’s debacle where TCU was truly screwed over in their bid for the playoff, their fans are probably already going crazy. Seeing themselves undefeated and sitting at number 8, definitely won’t sit well in Fort Worth. Iowa is another team that’s undefeated yet find themselves barely in the top 10. But I won’t overreact. It’s the first playoff ranking, with several more to go. Now I disagree wholeheartedly with Notre Dame being at number 5. That was definitely the shocker for me. Besides they have a loss already, granted it came to their number 1 team on their ranking but still. I would rank almost every team ahead of them in that top 10. I was also surprised at Alabama being at 4. Not sure why though, as we all know the committee LOVES that overrated SEC. I guess losing to an Ole Miss team with 2 losses that was destroyed by the number 10 team Florida gets you in the top 4. I don’t know even know what Alabama’s best win is this year. The good thing about these rankings is that everything will basically play itself out. For a lot of these teams, its simply win out and you’re in.

                                                                My Rankings

          

                                                                  1.   Clemson

                                                                  2.   TCU

                                                                  3.   Ohio State

                                                                  4.   LSU

                                                                  5.   Stanford

                                                                  6.   Alabama

                                                                  7.   Michigan State

                                                                  8.   Baylor

                                                                  9.   Florida

                                                                10.   Iowa

Upcoming Week

As I said before, a lot of this will play itself out and it starts this Saturday. At least 3 bigtime matchups are taking place, allowing some teams to finally make a real statement as to what they’re all about. Finally Oklahoma State will get to show if they’re truly legit or not. The Bama/LSU rivalry is renewed, and Florida State gets a chance against number 1.

Alabama vs LSU

Alabama can’t afford a loss. LSU possibly could but if they lose, that would instantly place them 3^rd in the SEC West. Luckily, they do get a chance to play Ole Miss down the line as well. This should be a GREAT game. I just pray it’s nothing like that BORING 9-6 game we saw a few years ago. I honestly don’t see Leonard Fournette running through this Alabama defense. They may have the best front 7 in the country led by Reggie Ragland. My main question is Alabama’s quarterback, Jacob Coker. He plays so up and down, that I don’t trust him at all. He has shown he can make plays when the time comes but he has also made some crucial mistakes. While Brandon Harris can also be a wild card, he made some throws against a great defense in Florida that makes me believe more than before. Basically this is a tough call but it’s in Tuscaloosa. With that said, my prediction:

Alabama 27 LSU 23

Clemson vs Florida State

With only one loss, Florida State is not completely out of this race. A win against the number 1 team in the country would be saying something. Clemson has shown me that they are REAL this year. They have a Heisman candidate at quarterback in Deshawn Watson and talent on both sides of the ball. Dalvin Cook for Florida State may be the best running back in the country. Florida State should compete but I just think Clemson will make a few more plays. This game will come down to turnovers and I trust Clemson to not make those mistakes... My prediction:

Clemson 34 Florida State 21

TCU vs Oklahoma State

A matchup of 2 undefeated teams. I expect nothing less from a BIG 12 game, than a high scoring affair and this should be no different. TCU has the leading Heisman candidate (at least to me), in Trevone Boykin who I’m sure is giving OSU defensive coordinators nightmares as they prepare for this matchup. OSU is coming off of a week where they scored 70 points in a comeback win against Texas Tech. TCU is getting a little more healthy on defense and I think that’ll be the difference. As much I respect OSU’s coaches, and athletes, I respect TCU’s more. My prediction:

TCU 41 Oklahoma State 27

Miami’s WIN

As I stated before. I’m a Miami fan so there was nothing I loved more than seeing Miami get a MUCH NEEDED win in a stressful and emotional week where the coach was fired and a player had a tragic loss. I have seen so many of these crazy plays attempted and finally I saw one that actually worked! Definitely glad it came from the U! Now look, I’m not naïve. I KNOW there was some questionable calls on this play and NEVER have I ever seen a referee come on the field after a review, and then say they need more time to review. I swear it felt like 20 minutes of reviews and checking with the guys upstairs. Obviously the refs missed a knee down, as well as a block in the back, and another one that was questionable. That, I don’t deny. BUT on Duke’s previous touchdown, did the quarterback really get the ball across the goal line? I don’t think he did. The refs missed that call. So basically Miami wins this game anyway. And for the idiots that even brought overturning the result into question, that’s probably the dumbest thing I have ever heard! As Jalynn mentioned, if you do that then let’s just look at missed calls in every game that happen and overturn the result afterwards. You CANNOT set a precedent like that! At the end of the day, this goes down as an epic play and an epic win! Miami!

JT Barrett

I don’t have a ton to say on the JT Barrett situation. He made a dumb decision to get behind of the wheel of a car while impaired. That could potentially cost him and Ohio State going forward. He battled for the starting job all offseason, and basically competed all season long to be handed to keys to the offense and this is what he does when he gets it? NOT SMART! So this could go one of 2 ways. Cardale Jones could play great against Minnesota, earn his spot back and send JT back to the bench. Or Ohio State could actually lose to Minnesota which is VERY possible and end their postseason hopes! Either way, Barrett’s decision could affect more than just himself, especially from the financial side as well.

-D-WILL

Now, let’s see what Jalynn has to say!

JT Barrett

So am I the only person, outside of Ohio State, that doesn’t think this is a big deal? The headlines make this look MUCH worse than it actually is, “JT Barrett Loses Scholarship over DUI”. First of all, he didn’t lose his scholarship. He forfeited his summer financial aid, BIG DIFFERENCE. Summer financial aid checks are huge to athletes, heck any financial aid checks are huge to athletes. But this is essentially like a fine, you want him to think twice before making a decision, legally hit him in his pockets. He’ll have quite a bit less spending money next summer. Secondly, he didn’t have a DUI. He was driving while impaired, which is a misdemeanor. There are a lot of people thinking he really should lose his scholarship or be kicked out of the University, which is preposterous. He blew .08……. .08!!!! Do you know what it takes to blow a .08? On average, it takes about 3 beers to blow a .08. I don’t know about you guys, but it takes more than 3 beers to get me to the point where my judgment is affected. After 3 beers I can’t even tell that I’ve had a drink. And if you’re reading this and acting like you’ve never driven a car after drinking at least 3 beers…..just stop. We’ve all been in college before. And JT is 6’1” 225lbs, I’m pretty sure he can handle 3 beers. BUT, wrong is wrong and he should have been smarter, he’s underage, he’s the captain of the team, he has to be a better leader for his teammates and all that jazz. <—- that’s my disclaimer. Moving on…

Duke/Miami

Hands down the craziest finish to a game that I’ve ever seen in my life!! Unreal! The officials completely blew it but let’s take a minute and thank them for allowing us to witness one of these plays that actually worked. *slow claps* Now, there’s a lot of talk that this game should be overturned and I couldn’t disagree more. And here’s why. You can NOT punish Miami because of the officials’ mistake…mistakes…several, critical mistakes. I’ll turn to the go-to line for coaches when they have a player that costs them the game, “One play doesn’t decide a game. Everyone could have made an extra play earlier in the game to keep us from being in that position.” Of course, that never makes anyone feel better because no one thinks about plays leading up to that point, they only remember that one critical play that decides who wins and who loses regardless of what did or didn’t happen during the game. But in this situation, Duke has to realize that when you’re a 7pt favorite to win AT HOME against a struggling Miami program that just fired their coach, you have to make sure the game isn’t this close in the first place. The officials have been suspended, rightfully so, and that’s about as far as this one needs to go. I don’t think the NCAA wants to set a precedent of overturning games over 1 play with this insignificant game. Because what happens when an official makes a mistake in the 3 minutes into the 2nd quarter and the team on the wrong end of that bad call loses? Will the NCAA look into overturning the game then? Yeaaaa….. Let’s let it go.

College Football Playoff Rankings

So the first Playoff Rankings are out and I couldn’t be more excited!!!!!!! :) ………could you sense the sarcasm reading that? If not, I’ll tell you, it was sarcastic. This might be the most insignificant thing that gets talked about all week long. We’ll see those upset that they got snubbed, the SEC has too many teams ranked, bowl projections, and then half the teams in the Top 25 will lose by the end of the year and all of this talk won’t matter because they were too busy worrying about where they’re ranked mid-way through the season instead of focusing on taking care of business ON THE FIELD. Let me put this into perspective, last year in the first Playoff Rankings there were 3 teams in the Top 4 that were from the SEC WEST. That’s one division in a conference if you didn’t realize. For those of you that don’t realize, the SEC West can only send 1 team to the conference championship game. So how in the HELL can you have 3 teams in the projected playoffs? By the end of the year, only one of those teams remained and do you know what eventual champion Ohio State was ranked in the first Playoff Rankings? 16th. So, yea I’m not reading too much into this and I honestly haven’t even looked at the entire list. I just so happen to see the top 4 as I scrolled through Twitter. I did notice that 2 SEC West teams were right there in the Top 4 again. Since it’s one less than last year, maybe next year they’ll get it right and only choose 1. Who knows we’ll see. But this weekend will take care of that issue. Hey D Will, you like that segway?

Big Games This Weekend

There are 2 games this weekend that are absolutely can NOT miss TV. Bama/LSU and Clemson/Florida State. Alabama/LSU has the makings of the 2011 game written all over it, that’s the game that everyone in the country was tuned in to watch #1 LSU and #2 Alabama clash in the battle of the top 2 teams in the country. The winner might as well had been handed the BCS National Championship trophy right then and there. And then 9-6 happened and everyone was disappointed. I honestly believe that game is what triggered the tide to turn, no pun intended, with everyone’s perception of the SEC. How can the 2 top teams in the country not score a single touchdown? But then you have the SEC fans saying that it was a product of great defense, even though other teams didn’t have trouble finding the end zone against either of these defenses. But that’s a different topic for a different blog. This is a new year! And you’ll have Leonard Fournette, the future Heisman, against the 4th ranked defense in the country! We’ll get a glimpse into if he’s the real deal or does he just bully lesser opponents?

And then you Clemson/Florida State. Clemson, boasting a Heisman hopeful of their own in Deshaun Watson as well as the nation’s 5th ranked defense, hopes to keep that undefeated record against Florida State and Dalvin Cook. Some people believe Dalvin Cook to be a better pro prospect than Fournette. They say he’s more elusive, better at avoiding contact instead of trying to be a bruiser. Which is true, but let me remind you of the last “super elusive” running back that came out with high expectations. Does Reggie Bush ring any bells? All of Fournette’s critics seem to think that his “run through you” mentality won’t work at the pro level, well it seemed to work for one guy that is SCARILY similar to Fournette, and that’s Adrian Peterson. It also seems to be working just fine for Todd Gurley. But as I mentioned before, this weekend will tell us a lot about these Heisman candidates, but their teams as well. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

-Jalynn