As the college football season draws closer to an end, every game becomes more and more imperative. One single play can derail an entire season. In light of this, The Sports Examiner will now have a playoff section where we will look at the playoff picture in detail. Also, the rankings that we use will be the CFP rankings instead of the AP Poll. Since we don't want to make the post too long, the notable games section will be shortened a little bit. Let's get started.
Notable Games:
The biggest game of the week was #1 and undefeated Mississippi State taking on #5 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Tide D really stepped their game up here, as they forced three turnovers and got a safety. As a result of this game, Alabama jumped four spots back up to #1 (their first time at the top of any poll this season) while the Bulldogs tumbled three spots.
TCU entered the week at #4, but slipped after their meeting with Kansas. The Horned Frogs did pick up the victory, but the 3-7 Jayhawks kept it very close, prompting the voters to drop Texas Christian a spot.
After their huge win over Notre Dame last week, many people believed Arizona State was going to make the playoffs. Instead, the #6 Sun Devils lost to Sean Mannion and Oregon State 35-27. With that loss, ASU dropped to #13 and lost their perch atop the Pac-12 South.
Speaking of Notre Dame, the #18 Fighting Irish lost in OT to the Wildcats of Northwestern. This was ND's third loss of the season and it knocked them out of the rankings completely. Just a month ago, ND was one of only six undefeated teams left. Now, they're not even ranked.
Duke also fell off the rankings this week. Their tumble came as a result of a loss to Virginia Tech, which came into the game 4-5. The Blue Devils were once seen by many as the last possible team that could beat FSU before the playoffs, but now it looks like they will not get that shot.
Another team to fall off the polls: #24 Texas A&M. Kevin Sumlin and the Aggies were coming off a huge win over Auburn last week, but could not parlay that momentum into a win against Missouri. The Tigers won 34-27 and picked up their eighth win of the season. They are now ranked at 20 and are in position to repeat as SEC East champions.
Arkansas entered the week at 4-5 and with a streak of 17 straight conference losses. After some close calls this season, they finally broke that streak by upsetting #17 LSU 17-0. That was the Tigers' fourth loss of the season and sent them spiraling off the rankings.
Notable Performances:
Florida State kept their perfect season alive by beating Miami (Fl) 30-26. It was very close, but the Seminoles eeked out the win. A big reason was freshman Dalvin Cook, who rushed for 92 yards and two scores.
USC started the week unranked, but now find themselves at #19 after their 38-30 win over California. The gameball went to (or at least should have went to, I'm not really sure who it actually went to) QB Cody Kessler, who threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns.
Western Michigan won their seventh game of the season by laying the smackdown on Eastern Michigan. Leading the way was sophomore QB Zach Terrell, who went 17 for 19 through the air, threw for 357 yards (leading to a great 18.8 average), threw four scores and zero picks, ran six times for 41 yards (a 6.8 average), and ran for a TD. In fact, his performance was so good, The Sports Examiner gives him their official seal of approval.
Like USC, Oklahoma started the season unranked but are now ranked (they're now 21). The reason they're ranked: a 42-30 win over Texas Tech. The main reason they won: Samaje Perine. His 213 yards on the ground made up for a shaky Sooners passing game.
Finally, let's give some love to Brandon Doughty of Western Kentucky. His three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown led WKU to a 52-24 win over Army. That gave WKU their fifth win of the season.
Heisman Watch:
Even though the season is drawing to a close, we still have ten players on our Heisman Watch, though this will no doubt change as the end of the season approaches. Like last week, Gerod Holliman of Louisville sits on the bubble. He'll need to pick off Everett Golson at least once on Saturday to get on this list. We also have one guy dropping off the list: Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska. His 69 rushing yards against Wisconsin simply didn't cut it.
10. Cody Kessler, USC (Last Week: NR)- This may seem like a weird pick, but Kessler (a dark-horse Heisman candidate at the beginning of the year) has had a great year. Only eight players have more TD's than him and he has only thrown three picks.
9. Bryce Petty, Baylor (Last Week: 8)- If both Petty and Hundley had the week off, how did they switch places? Simple, UCLA moved up to second in the Pac-12 South, meaning that if they beat USC on Saturday, they'll most likely play Oregon for the Pac-12 championship. But if Petty puts up big numbers against Oklahoma State on Saturday, he could move right back up.
8. Brett Hundley, UCLA (Last Week: 9)- As I just stated, the opportunities for Hundley to shine are right there, If he can take advantage of them, he'll move up nicely in the Heisman Watch. First off: a game for control of the Pac-12 South with USC.
7. Rakeem Cato, Marshall (Last Week: 7)- It seems like no one is paying attention to Cato or Marhsall anymore, but Marshall is still undefeated and Cato is still playing quite well. Against Rice, he threw for four touchdowns and accounted for more than 300 yards.
6. Amari Cooper, Alabama (Last Week: 6)- Cooper had a nice game against the Bulldogs (eight catches for 88 yards and a score), but he stays put at #6. If he puts up big numbers against Western Carolina (which he should), he should crack the top five.
5. Trevone Boykin, TCU (Last Week: 5)- TCU struggled against Kansas, but they still won. Boykin's passing game was good (330 yards, one touchdowns, and one INT) but he struggled on the ground (11 rushes for two yards).
4. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (Last Week: 2)- Prescott falls two spots after being picked off thrice by the Crimson Tide. If he wants to reclaim his top spot, he'll need a big showing against Vandy on Saturday.
3. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (Last Week:4)- If you look at the season this guy has had, it's really hard to argue that he should not make the trip to New York. And remember, this guy has only been the starting QB for about 85 days.
2. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin (Last Week: 3)- Gordon moves into the two spot after a simply phenomenal showing against Nebraska. He rushed for four scores and an FBS-record 408 yards, leading his Badgers to an impressive 59-24 win.
1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon (Last Week: 1)- As good as Gordon's week was, Mariota still stays in the top spot. He'll have a chance to bolster his stats next week against Colorado as he waits to see who he will face in the Pac-12 title game.
Playoff Picture:
After their win against Mississippi State, Alabama moved up to #1. In order to keep their top spot, they'll need to win the Iron Bowl and the SEC Championship. If they do lose one of those games, they could miss the playoffs entirely, seeing as they already have one loss.
Right after Alabama are Oregon and Florida State, respectively. Out of the two, FSU has an easier path to the playoffs. Georgia Tech is sneaky good, but not on the level of UCLA and USC. It's the fourth spot that is tricky. Right now, it's occupied by Mississippi State, which makes sense. They've only lost once, and that was to the current top team. If they don't win the SEC Championship however, expect the voters to give the last spot to either TCU or Ohio State (depending of course, whether or not they win their conferences).
But what if neither Alabama now Mississippi State win the SEC title? What if Missouri or Georgia wins. Missouri is currently ranked 20, but it is unfathomable to think of the playoffs without an SEC team in there. If 'Bama were to beat Auburn, Ole Miss were to beat Mississippi State, and Missouri beat 'Bama in the SEC title game, we could even see both the Tigers and Tide in the playoffs.
Games to Watch Next Week:
#24 Louisville goes up to South Bend to take on the Irish. The Irish are still smarting after two straight losses, and a win over Louisville would most likely put them back in the rankings. This could be one of the best games of the weekend.
A lot of FBS teams trip up against Division II and Division III teams, such as Florida last year. Alabama however, has absolutely no problem against these teams. In fact, they completely dominate them. That's what makes it fun to watch. Expect a brutal beat-down when they take on Western Carolina on Saturday.
Duke and North Carolina will be meeting on Thursday in what should be an interesting match. Neither of these teams are ranked, but they're both talented teams and should have an interesting encounter.
There is only one top ten team going against another ranked team this week, and that would be #9 UCLA taking on #9 USC. This is going to be the biggest game of the week, as Pac-12 South supremacy is on the line. If the Bruins win, their playoff dreams become a little bit more real and clearer.
Quick, who leads the FBS in passing yards? Not Boykin, not Petty, and not even Barrett. It's Connor Halliday of Washingston State. You'll get a chance to see his arm at work against #13 ASU on Saturday. The Sun Devils are ranked 26th in passing offense, so this could be a fun offensive-minded showdown.
Thanks for reading. Be sure to check out other articles on this page and look for next week's recap.
Even though the season is drawing to a close, we still have ten players on our Heisman Watch, though this will no doubt change as the end of the season approaches. Like last week, Gerod Holliman of Louisville sits on the bubble. He'll need to pick off Everett Golson at least once on Saturday to get on this list. We also have one guy dropping off the list: Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska. His 69 rushing yards against Wisconsin simply didn't cut it.
10. Cody Kessler, USC (Last Week: NR)- This may seem like a weird pick, but Kessler (a dark-horse Heisman candidate at the beginning of the year) has had a great year. Only eight players have more TD's than him and he has only thrown three picks.
9. Bryce Petty, Baylor (Last Week: 8)- If both Petty and Hundley had the week off, how did they switch places? Simple, UCLA moved up to second in the Pac-12 South, meaning that if they beat USC on Saturday, they'll most likely play Oregon for the Pac-12 championship. But if Petty puts up big numbers against Oklahoma State on Saturday, he could move right back up.
8. Brett Hundley, UCLA (Last Week: 9)- As I just stated, the opportunities for Hundley to shine are right there, If he can take advantage of them, he'll move up nicely in the Heisman Watch. First off: a game for control of the Pac-12 South with USC.
7. Rakeem Cato, Marshall (Last Week: 7)- It seems like no one is paying attention to Cato or Marhsall anymore, but Marshall is still undefeated and Cato is still playing quite well. Against Rice, he threw for four touchdowns and accounted for more than 300 yards.
6. Amari Cooper, Alabama (Last Week: 6)- Cooper had a nice game against the Bulldogs (eight catches for 88 yards and a score), but he stays put at #6. If he puts up big numbers against Western Carolina (which he should), he should crack the top five.
5. Trevone Boykin, TCU (Last Week: 5)- TCU struggled against Kansas, but they still won. Boykin's passing game was good (330 yards, one touchdowns, and one INT) but he struggled on the ground (11 rushes for two yards).
4. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (Last Week: 2)- Prescott falls two spots after being picked off thrice by the Crimson Tide. If he wants to reclaim his top spot, he'll need a big showing against Vandy on Saturday.
3. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (Last Week:4)- If you look at the season this guy has had, it's really hard to argue that he should not make the trip to New York. And remember, this guy has only been the starting QB for about 85 days.
2. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin (Last Week: 3)- Gordon moves into the two spot after a simply phenomenal showing against Nebraska. He rushed for four scores and an FBS-record 408 yards, leading his Badgers to an impressive 59-24 win.
1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon (Last Week: 1)- As good as Gordon's week was, Mariota still stays in the top spot. He'll have a chance to bolster his stats next week against Colorado as he waits to see who he will face in the Pac-12 title game.
Playoff Picture:
After their win against Mississippi State, Alabama moved up to #1. In order to keep their top spot, they'll need to win the Iron Bowl and the SEC Championship. If they do lose one of those games, they could miss the playoffs entirely, seeing as they already have one loss.
Right after Alabama are Oregon and Florida State, respectively. Out of the two, FSU has an easier path to the playoffs. Georgia Tech is sneaky good, but not on the level of UCLA and USC. It's the fourth spot that is tricky. Right now, it's occupied by Mississippi State, which makes sense. They've only lost once, and that was to the current top team. If they don't win the SEC Championship however, expect the voters to give the last spot to either TCU or Ohio State (depending of course, whether or not they win their conferences).
But what if neither Alabama now Mississippi State win the SEC title? What if Missouri or Georgia wins. Missouri is currently ranked 20, but it is unfathomable to think of the playoffs without an SEC team in there. If 'Bama were to beat Auburn, Ole Miss were to beat Mississippi State, and Missouri beat 'Bama in the SEC title game, we could even see both the Tigers and Tide in the playoffs.
Games to Watch Next Week:
#24 Louisville goes up to South Bend to take on the Irish. The Irish are still smarting after two straight losses, and a win over Louisville would most likely put them back in the rankings. This could be one of the best games of the weekend.
A lot of FBS teams trip up against Division II and Division III teams, such as Florida last year. Alabama however, has absolutely no problem against these teams. In fact, they completely dominate them. That's what makes it fun to watch. Expect a brutal beat-down when they take on Western Carolina on Saturday.
Duke and North Carolina will be meeting on Thursday in what should be an interesting match. Neither of these teams are ranked, but they're both talented teams and should have an interesting encounter.
There is only one top ten team going against another ranked team this week, and that would be #9 UCLA taking on #9 USC. This is going to be the biggest game of the week, as Pac-12 South supremacy is on the line. If the Bruins win, their playoff dreams become a little bit more real and clearer.
Quick, who leads the FBS in passing yards? Not Boykin, not Petty, and not even Barrett. It's Connor Halliday of Washingston State. You'll get a chance to see his arm at work against #13 ASU on Saturday. The Sun Devils are ranked 26th in passing offense, so this could be a fun offensive-minded showdown.
Thanks for reading. Be sure to check out other articles on this page and look for next week's recap.
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