And let the arguments and posturing commence in earnest.
Even before No. 6 Auburn put the finishing touches on its Iron Bowl upset of No. 1 Alabama, the questions began: could a one-loss non-SEC champion Crimson Tide team earn a spot in the College Football Playoff? The short answer is, well, yeah — last season, one-loss Ohio State made it over two-loss Penn State, and the Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes head-to-head.
The biggest difference there, however, is résumé.
While Alabama beat a Florida State team that was ranked No. 3 in the 2017 opener, the Seminoles’ season imploded into a 5-6 record heading into the regular-season finale. That means the only quality wins UA has for its argument is No. 14 Mississippi State (they’ll drop after the Egg Bowl loss) and No. 18 LSU. Ohio State, meanwhile, had wins over three teams that finished the 2016 regular season ranked in the CFP Top 10: No. 5 Michigan, No. 6 Wisconsin No. 9 Oklahoma. The losses — No. 7 Penn State for OSU, No. 6 (for now) Auburn for UA — are essentially a wash.
The arguments in both directions are expected to be hot and heavy ahead of next weekend’s Selection Sunday, especially if two-loss OSU knocks off unbeaten Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game a week from today. With that in mind, Nick Saban has already begun stumping for his one-loss squad.
Alabama’s best hope to become the second SEC team to make the playoffs this season — let’s face it, the SEC champion, even if it’s two-loss Auburn, isn’t being left out — is for Ohio State to lose to Wisconsin, two-loss TCU to beat one-loss Oklahoma and possibly a three-loss (or four, pending tonight’s Notre Dame game) Stanford to win the Pac-12. That would seem to be the easiest path, relatively speaking, for the Crimson Tide to qualify for a fourth straight playoff, assuming it doesn’t matter who wins the ACC championship game.
Even then, though, you have to wonder if the playoff committee can justify in its own mind putting two teams from the same conference into the tourney while leaving out TWO Power Five conference champions — especially when it’s a team like the Crimson Tide which, despite having just the one loss, carrying such a lackluster and underwhelming résumé into the argument.
And if Ohio State is the Big Ten champion? Wins over No. 10 Penn State, No. 16 Michigan State and what will likely be a No. 2 or No. 3 Wisconsin should make Alabama fans very nervous over their team’s postseason fate — even given OSU’s inexplicable loss to Iowa.
Those who are no fans of the bloated bowl system (raises hand proudly) can take solace in this development.
This season there are 39 bowl games, including the playoff semifinals, meaning 78 teams need to reach the six-win threshold in order to keep APR scores amongst five-win teams from filling out the postseason field. Fortunately, the latter won’t be necessary.
From the Associated Press:
Temple’s 43-22 win over Tulsa guaranteed that there will be [at least] 78 teams at six wins. The week started with 70 teams already bowl eligible with four games matching 5-6 teams. UCLA, Purdue and Middle Tennessee won what were essentially bowl play-in games. …
Duke, Texas Tech and Buffalo also won their games to reach six wins and qualify.
There are actually four teams that could reach six wins when all of the dust is settled: Louisiana Tech (UTSA) and the winner of the Colorado (5-6) vs. Utah (5-6) matchup tonight, Florida State (Louisiana-Monroe) and New Mexico State (South Alabama) next Saturday.
This will mark the first time since 2014 that a five-win team/teams haven’t been needed to complete the bowl field.
No. 1 and No. 2 have already lost road games this week. It doesn’t appear No. 3 will be in the same danger.
Third-ranked Clemson leads No. 24 South Carolina 20-0 at the break in Columbia.
After downing a punt at the 1-yard line, Clemson’s Ryan Carter capitalized on a miscommunication by South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley as he grabbed an uncontested pass at the South Carolina 12 and waltzed into the end zone for the game’s first score.
That was the only score of the first quarter, but Clemson’s offense got in on the action in the second quarter with a 9-play, 80-yard drive that was keyed by two big Kelly Bryant passes and completed with a 1-yard Tavien Feaster run with 8:12 left in the first half.
Clemson put together a similar drive to close the half, moving 79 yards in 10 snaps, 40 of which came on a deep ball to Tee Higgins. Hunter Renfrow notched his second touchdown grab of the season, a 4-yarder, with 1:59 left in the half. Alex Spence‘s PAT was wide left after Dabo Swinney was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing with officials.
Bentley closed the half hitting 8-of-15 passes for 42 yards with the interception. Tyson Williams led the club with six carries for 35 yards and two grabs for 13 yards.
Bryant connected on 14-of-21 throws for 159 yards and the Tigers rushed for 67 yards on 18 carries in the half.
Clemson will receive to open the second half.
There are rivalry games… and then there’s the Iron Bowl.
The biggest game in the SEC nearly every regular season lived up to the billing once again with a thrilling, back-and-forth battle between No. 1 Alabama and No. 6 Auburn for three and a half quarters that resulted in a 26-14 upset win for the Tigers at home to seize control of the SEC West title, the conference as a whole and likely the race for a spot in the Sugar Bowl for the College Football Playoff.
The difference on the Plains for the home team was undoubtedly quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The transfer by way of Baylor and a junior college that many expected to lead Gus Malzahn’s offense to a storybook season was terrific on the biggest stage in the sport once again in leading Auburn to their second win over a No. 1 team in three weeks. The dual-threat threw for 237 yards with pinpoint accuracy against that feisty Tide secondary and really made a difference with his legs, scrambling out of several sacks and rushing for 51 yards and a score. Stidham formed a tough one-two punch in the backfield with Kerryon Johnson (106 yards, one touchdown rushing), who churned out tough carries and recorded the first points of the game by way of a perfectly executed jump pass.
However there’s also some concern for Auburn over the status of their star tailback as Johnson pulled up lame on a play late in the fourth quarter and could miss the SEC title game and possibly more. He injured his shoulder earlier in the game on a diving run toward the pylon and appeared to be favoring it as he made his way to the injury tent.
While the effort was one of the best of the year for the Tigers, the same could not be said for their opponents from Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban’s side was uncharacteristically undisciplined between penalties, bad snaps and some awful numbers on third down (3-of-11). Quarterback Jalen Hurts lost a fumble but was otherwise the only source of offense for Alabama, throwing for 112 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 82.
However there wasn’t any magic left in the team as the Tide lost for the first time in the regular season since September of 2015.
The result also shakes up the College Football Playoff standings and presumably puts a number of different scenarios in play for the SEC possibly placing two teams in the final four. At the very least the conference itself will secure one bid as Georgia and Auburn meet again, this time in Atlanta, for the conference championship next Saturday and a likely trip to the Sugar Bowl semifinal.
Folks on the Plains will turn their attention toward the rematch tomorrow however, as the rest of Saturday night will be left to celebrate another win over a No. 1 team and their hated rivals to the West.
In hindsight, Oklahoma could have suspended Baker Mayfield for its entire game against West Virginia and still won. Instead, Mayfield sat the first two plays and No. 4 Oklahoma scored touchdowns on its first eight possessions to blow past the overmatched Mountaineers for a 59-31 win.
Coupled with losses by No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Miami, the win increases the Sooners’ standing in the College Football Playoff derby, concludes OU’s regular season at 11-1 and hands Lincoln Riley‘s club its fourth straight regular season Big 12 championship, sending the Sooners into the Zombie Big 12 Championship against No. 12 TCU next Saturday.
Kyler Murray started the game at quarterback and played himself out of a job in two snaps. He opened the game with a 66-yard rush, setting up Rodney Anderson to punch in a 4-yard score to put the Sooners on top for good.
West Virginia’s first touch consumed nearly half the first quarter, moving 64 yards in 13 plays before settling for a 28-yard Evan Staley field goal.
Mayfield entered the game after that and Oklahoma was off to the races. He led five touchdown drives in five chances over the remainder of the first half, then another touchdown march on his only drive of the second half. He concluded his swan song by connecting on his first eight throws and firing as many touchdowns as incompletions, nailing 14-of-17 throws for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
Anderson led the Sooners with 13 carries for 118 yards and four touchdowns, all of them in the first half.
Oklahoma’s first eight drives — which, again, all ended in touchdowns — covered 579 yards on 42 snaps. That’s 13.79 yards a play. Murray played the majority of the second half, hitting 2-of-2 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown while rushing three times for 80 yards. As a team, Oklahoma gained 646 yards of total offense (333 passing, 313 rushing) with 26 first downs on 54 plays.
For West Virginia, Chris Chugunov played at quarterback for the injured Will Grier and hit 10-of-20 passes for 137 yards. Justin Crawford led all runners with 25 carries for 137 yards and three touchdowns, all of them in the second half. West Virginia trailed 45-10 at halftime.
The Mountaineers closed their regular season at 7-5 (5-4 Big 12) and will wait for their bowl destination next Sunday.
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