College Football Week 15 Recap

This was the last week of the regular season, and it was a fun one. Most of the games were conference championships, but they were fun. We'll get into the playoff forecast and all that, but we will also focus on the Heisman and other things. Since it was a small week, we're shortening the notable games and notable performances sections. Let's get started.

Notable Games:

The biggest game of the week was the SEC Championship, featuring #1 Alabama and #16 Missouri. As I said last week, I believe 'Bama is the best team in the country, and they proved it against Mizzou. The Tide won 42-13 to win the SEC title and secure a spot in the playoffs.

#4 Florida State faced one of their toughest games of the season when they took on #11 Georgia Tech with the ACC Championship on the line. Though the Yellow Jackets put up a great fight, the 'Noles hung on to secure a spot in the playoffs.

#5 Ohio State won the Big Ten Championship after destroying #13 Wisconsin in the title game. Remember, the Buckeyes were being led by their third-string QB, who had thrown only 19 passes in his collegiate career up to this point.

#22 Boise State handed unranked Fresno State their seventh loss of the season when they beat them 28-14 Saturday in the Mountain West championship game. The Broncos are now in the top 20 and have a shot at playing in one of the New Year's Day bowl games.

#2 Oregon and #7 Arizona met for the Pac-12 Championship on Friday night. The Ducks avenged their regular season loss to 'Zona by whooping the Wildcats 51-13 and earning a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoffs.

Notable Performances:

#20 Oklahoma and Oklahoma State met on Saturday in a Big 12 conference game. The Sooners were favored, but the Cowboys pulled out the upset to become bowl eligible. The deciding factor for OSU: a 92 yard punt return touchdown by Tyreek Hill, who had more than 200 yards in the game, which came from receiving, rushing, and returning.

#6 Baylor defeated #9 Kansas State to earn a share of the Big 12 championship. Helping lead the Bears to victory was senior receiver Antwan Goodley, who had nine catches for 116 yards and one score, a kick return for 19 yards, and one rush for 33 yards.

Baylor is co-champions with #3 TCU, who defeated Iowa State to earn a share of the Big 12 title. A big reason the Horned Frogs: Derrick Kindred who had three tackles and one interception, which he returned for 44 yards and a TD.

Heisman Watch:

Marcus Mariota is going to win the Heisman. It's as simple as that. No one has been more outstanding than him this season. It's very possible he could be the first ever unanimous Heisman winner. That's right, no one has ever won the Heisman unanimously, though Reggie Bush and Troy Smith did come close (both got more than 90%). Who else but Mariota deserves a first-place vote? J.T. Barrett suffered a season-ending injury last week, Jameis Winston had a terrible off-the-field season, Melvin Gordon was abysmal against OSU, Trevone Boykin isn't playing in the playoffs, and Cody Kessler lost too many games. Of course, it's no guarantee it will be unanimous. There is always some voter who will vote for someone else, either because they're trying to make a name for themselves or don't believe anyone should win the Heisman unanimously. Be that as it might, let's look at our final Heisman watch. The list is down to four competitors, and the top three are all going to New York. The players who dropped out: Dak Prescott, Cody Kessler, Gerod Holliman (none of them played this week), Jay Ajayi (he had an unspectacular game against Fresno State, and Bryce Petty (who will not be playing in the playoffs).

4. Trevone Boykin, TCU (Last Week: 4)- Boykin had an excellent game against Iowa State. Not only did he throw for 460 yards and four scores, he also had the first receiving touchdown of his career. If he was playing in the playoffs, he would at least be #3 on this list.

3. Amari Cooper, Alabama (Last Week: 3)- Cooper didn't score against Mizzou, but he did have 12 catches (an SEC title game record) for 83 yards. In doing so, he set the SEC single-season reception record with 115.

2. Melvin Gordon, Wisconin (Last Week: 2)- Gordon could do absolutely nothing against the Buckeye defense, but he stays at #2. Remember, this guy had a fantastic season up to the Big 12 title game.

1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon (Last Week- 1)- As I said before, Mariota is going to win the Heisman. He sealed the deal by accounting for five scores and 313 passing yards against Arizona in the Pac-12 title game.

Playoff Picture:

The playoffs are finally set. In the semi-finals, #1 Alabama takes on #4 Ohio State and #2 Oregon takes on #3 Florida State. The winners of those two games will meet in the championship. Ohio State moved into the four spot after TCU fell out of the three spot. What hurt TCU? Some speculate that it was the fact that it was co-champion, instead of winning the Big 12 outright. Baylor, the co-champion, should have won the championship outright. Had they won it, they could have made it into the top four.

How did OSU get into the top 4? Well for one, they destroyed Wisconsin. Had it been close, they might not have gotten the edge over a Big 12 team. The committee is supposed to take injuries into account, and the season-ending injury to J.T. Barrett could have been a crutch for the Buckeyes (no pun intended).

Games to Watch:

There are no games until December 20th, so I have just highlighted five bowl games which should be good.

Texas A&M and West Virginia take each other on in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Both of these teams were ranked earlier on in the season so they are both talented teams.On top of that, they both have talented offenses that could make this game really fun.

Notre Dame and LSU go one-on-one in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. The last time these two met, it was in the Sugar Bowl about eight years ago. LSU doesn't have a great offense, but good enough to make it interesting.

Washington and Oklahoma State are not exactly heralded teams, but they could have a fun encounter when they meet in the TicketCity Cactus Ball. The Cowboys are riding a hot streak since beating Oklahoma, and they could translate that to a win here.

Two top-notch teams clash when Kansas State takes on UCLA in the Valero Alamo Bowl on January 2nd. Both of these teams were considered playoff contenders at one point or another, so expect them to put up a good fight.

Georgia takes on Louisville in the Belk Bowl on December 30th, and this could be a great game. These are two talented teams which could be very good next year. This has the potential to be one of the best bowl games on the schedule.

Thanks for reading. Check back soon for more posts. 

College Football Week 14 Recap

This was the penultimate week of the college football regular season. Next week, most teams are not in action as the bulk of games being played are conference championships. As a result, this was a big week for a lot of teams. This week is also known as rivalry week, as a lot of rivalry games are played this week. Let's get started.

Notable Games:

The biggest game of the week was the Iron Bowl, which featured #15 Auburn travelling cross-state to take on #1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. These two had a great game last year and they had another fun game this year. Auburn kept it close, but 'Bama pulled away in the fourth quarter to seal the deal and avenge last year's loss.

Alabama will be playing in the SEC championship game next year against Missouri, the winners of the SEC East division. Missouri booked their spot in the title game by beating Arkansas 21-14. The Tigers are now ranked 16th.

Stanford has had a disappointing season this year, but they got a great win over #8 UCLA on Saturday. This caused the Bruins to drop seven spots in the CFP and knocked them out of the playoff hunt.

#13 Arizona State and #11 Arizona fought for the Territorial Cup and a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. The Sun Devils put up a great fight, but the Wildcats got a 42-35 win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

For the first time this season, Marshall is ranked. They entered the week at #24 and undefeated but are now unranked and have one loss. That loss came in overtime to Western Kentucky, ending the Thundering Herd's playoff chances.

The Georgia Tech/Georgia rivalry has not been very prevalent in recent years, but it was in full force this year. The #9 Bulldogs gave the #16 Yellow Jackets all they could handle, but Tech managed to pull off the upset and move up four spots in the rankings.

#18 Minnesota traveled to #14 Wisconsin to battle for the Paul Bunyan Axe and a spot in the Big Ten championship game. The Golden Gophers put up a good fight, but ended up losing 34-24. The Badgers will now play $6 Ohio State next week for the Big Ten title.

Notable Performances:

#9 Kansas State is still in the playoff hunt after their crushing 51-13 win over Kansas. Leading the way was QB Jake Waters, who went 21 for 27, accounted for more than 300 total yards, and had five scores. A performance like this next week could lead the Wildcats to a win, the Big 12 championship, and a spot in the playoffs.

Deshaun Watson hasn't been there all season for the Clemson Tigers, but he did account for four total touchdowns and go for 14/19 to end Clemson's streak of five straight losses to South Carolina, their in-state rivals.

#19 Ole Miss beat #4 Mississippi State to win the Egg Bowl and end the playoff dreams of the Bulldogs. A big reason Ole Miss won: receiver Evan Egram, who had five catches for 176 yards, giving him an incredible 35.2 average. Ole Miss is now #14 while Miss. State dropped six spots to number 10.

#25 Utah was challenged by Colorado, but the Utes hung on to make sure the Buffaloes ended their season without a conference victory. Sealing the deal for Utah was sophomore Dominique Hatfield, who had a pick-six in the fourth quarter.

You won't hear a lot about Buffalo's Joe Licata, but he had a great Friday night. Not only did he lead the Bulls to a 41-21 win over Massachusetts, but he went 20 for 27 and threw four touchdowns while doing it.

Heisman Watch:

I expected to make this list shorter, but it didn't happen, even though three players dropped off the rankings. Those three are Rakeem Cato (Marshall lost to Western Kentucky), J.T. Barrett (he suffered a season-ending injury on Saturday), and Brett Hundley (UCLA lost to Stanford). Barrett will probably still get some votes, but the fact that he won't be playing in the Big Ten title game or possibly a New Year's Day bowl game really hurts him. Let's see who made the list this week.

9. Cody Kessler, USC (Last Week: NR)- Kessler has been on and off this list more than anyone else, but he earned this spot. However, since his regular season is over, he could drop off again next week, depending on how everyone else does. He could get some wins, however.

8. Gerod Holliman, Louisville (Last Week: NR)- Holliman was on the watch list a couple weeks ago, but he finally gets onto this list after picking up his 14th interception of the season, tying an FBS record. Oh, and that interception came with 35 seconds left in the game to seal the deal for his team.

7. Jay Ajayi, Boise State (Last Week: NR)- It may seem like a stretch to put Ajayi on this list, but he's earned it. He had five touchdowns for Boise State to help them win their division. He is also ranked fifth nationally in rushing yards, second in carries, and tied for second in rushing touchdowns. If he turns in a great performance in the Mountain West championship game, he could get invited to New York.

6. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (Last Week: 4)- Prescott didn't have a great showing against Ole Miss and his team lost, but Prescott has had a great season overall. He still has a shot at making it to New York, depending on how many finalists there are.

5. Bryce Petty, Baylor (Last Week: 9)- Petty jumps four spots after accounting for 215 total yards and two touchdowns against Texas Tech. The Bears are now ranked fifth and face #9 Kansas State next week in the unofficial Big 12 title game. A strong performance there could take Petty to New York and Baylor to the playoffs.

4. Trevone Boykin, TCU (Last Week: 5)- Boykin moves up one spot after leading TCU to a big win over Texas. The Horned Frogs are now ranked #3 and are in position to make the playoffs. Boykin's regular season ends next week against Iowa State, and a great performance then will only help his case.

3. Amari Cooper, Alabama (Last Week: 8)- Cooper makes a huge jump up the rankings after breaking the Iron Bowl receiving record. The Crimson Tide receiver is fourth in the nation in receiving yards, tenth in receptions per game, and eighth in receptions. Those stats may not seem enough to make him a Heisman finalist, but they don't account for how integral Cooper is to the Alabama offense.

2. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin (Last Week: 2)- Gordon has had an absolutely amazing season so far, and he still has to play in the Big Ten title game next week. He leads the nation in rushing yards, yards per game, and rushing touchdowns, and is eighth in rushing yards per carry. Oh, and he also leads the nation in all-purpose yards. Gordon's a Heisman finalist if I ever saw one.

1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon (Last Week: 1)- As impressive as Gordon's season is, Mariota is still the Heisman front-runner. Against Oregon State on Saturday, Mariota went 19 for 25, accounted for more than 400 yards, and scored six touchdowns to help Oregon win the Civil War. The Sports Examiner's player of the week is all but guaranteed to win the Heisman this year. However, it's not completely guaranteed. Remember, Mariota had a dud game earlier this season against Arizona, the team he faces on Saturday in the Pac-12 title game. And, Gordon plays Ohio State for the Big Ten title, and the Buckeyes are without QB J.T. Barrett. If Mariota lays an egg against Arizona and Gordon has another Gordon-like performance against ASU, Gordon just might walk away with the Heisman.

Playoff Watch:

Let me start with this: Alabama is the best damn team in the nation. Excuse my language, but it's true. Sure, Oregon may have a more explosive offense and Florida State may have a better special teams unit, but none of them are as complete as the Crimson Tide. So, even if Alabama loses the SEC title game to Mizzou, they will probably drop to #4 and still make the playoffs. Come on, what voter is going to pass up a two-loss 'Bama team over a one-loss Big 12 team?

Alabama is the only near-lock to make the playoffs (they might not make it if Mizzou blows them out of the water). If Oregon and FSU lose, they could be out. But does that mean Arizona and Georgia Tech are in? Not necessarily, as there are other teams to consider, such as TCU and the Big 10 champ. If either one of those teams lose, and #6 Ohio State beats #11 Wisconsin, the Buckeyes should make the playoffs.

So what will happen? Alabama will almost certainly make the playoffs. I think Oregon avenges their loss from earlier in the season and FSU stays undefeated. I think the last spot will go to either Baylor (if they beat K-State) or OSU (if they beat Wisconsin). TCU won't win the Big 12 title, and that hurts them. There's really no room for another SEC team.

Games to Watch Next Week:

Obviously, you have to watch the conference championship games. The biggest one could be the ACC title game between #4 FSU and #11 GA Tech. The 'Noles have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot and the Yellow Jackets are sneaky good, so an expect could be brewing.

On Friday night, #7 Arizona and #2 Oregon clash for the Pac-12 title. The 'Cats beat the Ducks earlier this year, so an upset would not all be surprising. But if the Ducks win, they're in the playoffs for sure.

#9 Kansas State travels to #6 Baylor for one of the biggest Big 12 games of the year. Both of these two teams are 7-1 in conference play and the eighth win would put them at the top. This could be the best game of the week.

#16 Missouri is making their second-straight trip to the SEC championship game. Last year, they gave Auburn all they could handle. This year, they take on #1 Alabama. The Crimson Tide may be the best time in the country, but the Tigers are pretty darn good themselves.

#22 Boise State (10-2) is still hoping to play in one of the six New Year's Day bowl games. In order to be considered for that, they'll need to beat Fresno State for the Mountain West championship. Don't write off Fresno State however, they could make things difficult for the Broncos.

Thanks for reading. Be sure to check back next week for the final Heisman watch and CFP predictions. 

College Football Week 13 Recap

Let's be honest right from the start: this wasn't a great college football week. There were only two match-ups where both teams were ranked and there were very few games that were really close. Still, it's my job to recap the week in college football, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Let's get started.

Notable Games:

We start with #19 USC going cross-town to take on #9 UCLA. If the Trojans won, they would remain atop the Pac-12 South, if the Bruins won, they would move up to the top spot. Unfortunately for the Trojans, the Bruins were in control for most of the game and ended up winning 38-20 and are second in the Pac-12 South.

The biggest upset of the week was by far Arkansas, who has won only one out of their last 18 SEC games, beating #8 Ole Miss. The Bulldogs were at one point considered favorites to make the playoffs, now they're 8-3 and ranked 19.

In the recap for last week, I said to watch the Notre Dame/Louisville game. Not to brag, but that was arguably the best game of the week. The #24 Cardinals jumped out to an early lead, but the Irish came back and made it goal. Unfortunately for ND, they missed a late field goal and lost 31-28. Louisville is now ranked 22. 

Besides UCLA/USC, the only game between ranked Pac-12 teams was between #15 Arizona and #17 Utah. Though Wildcats freshman QB Anu Solomon, went down with an injury, Arizona still picked up a 42-10 win. The Wildcats are now ranked 11 while the Utes fell to 25. They are the only team on the CFP with 4 losses. 

#23 Minnesota edged #25 Nebraska in one of the most exciting games of the week. The Golden Gophers are now 8-3 overall, 5-2 in conference play, and are second in the Big Ten West, behind only Wisconsin. Could we see Minnesota play for the Big Ten title? It's certainly a possibility.

Coming off their upset over Texas A&M, #20 Missouri traveled to Knoxville to keep their dreams of two straight SEC East titles in a row. The Vols did put up a fight, but Maty Mauk and the Tigers held on for a 29-21 fight. Mizzou is now 6-1 in conference play, while Georgia (second in the division) is 6-2. 

While Missouri is trying to secure a spot in the SEC Championship, Wisconsin is trying to secure their spot in the Big 10 Championship. The #16 Badgers narrowly beat unranked Iowa 26-24 and kept their lead atop the Big Ten West. Second behind them is Minnesota, which is 5-2 in conference play.

Notable Performances:

In my recap last week, I told you to watch the Alabama/Western Carolina game, as it looked like it would be a total blowout. It wasn't as big of a blowout as expected, but the Crimson Tide still won pretty handily. Leading the way was sophomore Derrick Henry, who rushed for two touchdowns and had one reception.

UCLA may have beaten USC, but Arizona State is still first in the Pac-12 South. This week, they handed Washington State their eighth loss of the season in a 52-31 showing. The reason they won: QB Taylor Kelly, who threw for 232 yards and four touchdowns to lead the #13 Sun Devils to victory.

I spotlighted Brandon Doughty of Western Kentucky last week for his great performance against Army. His performance this week though, may have been even better. Against UTSA, he threw for 346 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

Florida has been struggling this season, there's no doubt about it. They did however, become bow eligible this week by whooping Eastern Kentucky 52-3. The Gators were led by Jeff Driskel, who was 9 for 11 and threw three touchdowns and zero picks. He also rushed for eight yards and one score. 

Boise State jumped on to the rankings this week after destroying Wyoming 63-14. Junior Jay Ajayi, who has been producing well all season, had three touchdowns and 202 total yards for the #23 Broncos.

Heisman Watch:

I finally did it: I got rid of one spot on the Heisman watch. If I did put someone there (probably Cody Kessler), it would have felt forced. He doesn't have any chance of winning the Heisman or making it to New York. By the way, Kessler was #10 last week, but he falls off after the loss to UCLA. Let's get started. 

9. Bryce Petty, Baylor (Last Week: 9)- Petty didn't have a great week, but he did account for three scores against Oklahoma State. If he wants to get invited to New York, Baylor will have to make the playoffs. 

8. Amari Cooper, Alabama (Last Week: 6)- Cooper slips two spots after his performance against Western Carolina. He only had three catches for 46 yards before leaving with a bruised knee, The injury is not serious however, and he is good to go. 

7. Rakeem Cato, Marshall (Last Week: 9)- Well, it finally happened. Marshall is now ranked. The Thundering Herd is now ranked #24. Cato however, did not have a huge game against UAB. He only threw two touchdown passes and had one pick. 

6. Brett Hundley, UCLA (Last Week: 8)- Hundley moves up two spots after leading UCLA to a win over USC. He threw for four touchdowns and the Bruins are now ranked #8 and still have a shot at making the Pac-12 Championship game. 

5. Trevone Boykin, TCU (Last Week: 5)- Boykin and his Texas Christian University Horned Frogs were off this weekend, so Boykin stays put at #5. If he wants to move up, TCU will have to make the playoffs. 

4. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (Last Week: 4)- After last week's slip, Prescott rights the ship after Mississippi State cruised to a 51-0 win over Vanderbilt. Prescott had four scores with 220 total yards for the Bulldogs. 

3. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (Last Week: 3)- Barrett went 25 for 35, threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 78 yards in OSU's win over Indiana. At this rate, Barrett is going to be invited to New York. 

2. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin (Last Week: 2)- Gordon passed the 2,000 yard mark in Wisconsin's win over Iowa. Gordon is now the 17th person in FBS history to pass the 2,000 yard mark. He also had four catches for 64 yards. 

1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon (Last Week: 1)- At this point, Mariota is guaranteed to make it to New York. His performance this year has been nothing short of spectacular and his team is ranked second in the country.

Playoff Picture:

Alabama takes on Auburn in Week 14 in the Iron Bowl. This should be a great game with huge playoff implications on the line. If 'Bama wins, they are going to make the CFP for sure. If they lose, they're out, and Mississippi State could be in. However, if Missouri wins the SEC championship they could make the CFP. The SEC presence in the CFP is up for grabs.

Games to Watch Next Week:

Of course, we have to start with the Iron Bowl. Auburn and Alabama have one of the best rivalries in college football and their game last year was amazing. They should have another great game this year. And of course, there are playoff implications on the line.

The first game of the week for a ranked team  this week is #5 TCU visiting Texas. This could be a potential upset. Remember, Charlie Strong's squad gave UCLA all they could handle earlier this year.

Speaking of UCLA, they take on David Shaw, Kevin Hogan, Ty Montgomery, and the rest of the Stanford Cardinals. Stanford hasn't had a great year, but they still have a talented squad. Look for them to give the Bruins all they can handle.

One of the best games of the week could potentially be #16 Georgia Tech taking on their in-state rivals #9 Georgia. These two teams are still in the hunt for the playoffs, so the loser will be eliminated from the hunt.

The Pac-12 South is still up for grabs, and two of the teams still in the hunt are #13 Arizona State and #11 Arizona. If they still want to go to the playoffs, these teams HAVE to win this game and then beat Oregon for the Pac-12 title.

Thanks for reading.