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1) Nothing changed with the top five teams. They all did what they've done all year. Alabama didn't cover, but was never in jeopardy. Tua Tagovailoa is going to miss a couple weeks with a sprained ankle, but if he's back for LSU, it won't matter. Trevor Lawrence is still having a bit of a sophomore slump, but Clemson isn't playing anyone good enough to beat them. Oklahoma just keeps destroying everyone and the biggest concern honestly has to be whether the Cowboys are going to try to hire Lincoln Riley. LSU and Ohio State just keep crushing everyone. Those five teams are on a different level than anyone else.
2) The story of the weekend was really how Power Five's worst teams suddenly weren't the worst teams. You guys might have heard Vanderbilt won a game (I'll have plenty to say about that one in tomorrow's ten thoughts). The shocking thing is it wasn't the most shocking result of the day. Kansas had a lead on Texas with 1:11 to play before giving up a game winning drive for a field goal. Illinois won a game that I had just assumed was over. I was monitoring that one, but quit when Wisconsin had the ball in Illinois territory leading by nine points with seven minutes left. I was stunned to find out 45 minutes later the Badgers had lost. Missouri fans should actually be thankful for that one because Mizzou losing to Vandy isn't the biggest upset of the weekend and it isn't the one anyone will be talking about nationally. Honestly, the way the rest of the day went, I'm somewhat surprised Rutgers didn't win a game yesterday. For the record, the Knights lost 42-7 to Minnesota.
3) Speaking of the Gophers, they're now 7-0 and in sole possession of first place in their division of the Big Ten. They ought to beat Maryland to get to 8-0. They'll likely fall back to earth having to face Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin in the last four weeks of the season, but it's still impressive. And PJ Fleck's team also gave us the feel good moment of the weekend in college football
4) Let's stay in the Big Ten to talk about the best game of the weekend. First off, there's absolutely no cooler visual in college sports (and maybe all of sports) than the white out in Happy Valley
The Nittany Lions jumped out 21-7 on Michigan at halftime and then hung on to win 28-21 by stopping the Wolverines on fourth and goal from the three-yard line. I don't think PSU is on the level of the five teams I mentioned in the first point here, but they kept their national title hopes alive. And while Michigan didn't do anything to be ashamed of last night the program continued to simply be one that beats the teams it should beat and loses every game that could take the program to the next level. That's good enough to get you to 9-3 or so every year, but Michigan is one of the places that gets tired of 9-3 with losses to Ohio State and Penn State very quickly.
5) Florida is the best team in the SEC East. I don't know if they'll win it, but they're the best team. The Gators simply do enough to win every week. They rarely blow you away in impressive fashion, but they win. There was a stat in the game yesterday that the Gators have the third most yards in the country in the fourth quarter and the second best fourth quarter scoring margin in the country. That's not an accident. And they're a better team with Kyle Trask playing quarterback than they were with Feleipe Franks. I wasn't sure that was true until yesterday but I am now.
Part of the reason Florida is the best team in the East is because Georgia is not. A week after sleepwalking through an overtime loss to South Carolina, the Bulldogs were scoreless with Kentucky midway through the third quarter. They won 21-0 largely because Kentucky started turning the ball over and has the most one-dimensional offense in America. How one dimensional? Jake Fromm was 9-12 for 35 yards...and was the leading passer in the game by 18 yards. I know the weather was awful, but still you'd think you could complete a couple screen passes or something. Not going to go too deep on Kentucky because I'll do that tomorrow, but Missouri should have nine guys in the box on every snap next Saturday
6) At least you guys still have Arkansas to kick around. The Razorbacks lost 51-10 to Auburn and are now 0-12 in SEC play in the last two seasons. But at least they are the best at running the worst fake punt you've ever seen.
7) We got our first look at college football's new overtime rules last night. In the wake of last year's LSU/Texas A&M game, a rule was put in place that after four overtimes, teams just go back and forth attempting two-point conversions. Virginia Tech and North Carolina were tied at 31 at the end of regulation. Both teams kicked field goals in the first OT, then both scored touchdowns in the second. In the third and fourth OT, both teams missed field goals. Enter the two-point conversion contest. Both teams failed in OT 5. In the sixth OT, North Carolina failed to score on a run by Sam Howell. The Hokies converted on a Quincy Patterson run to win the game 43-41. It's not football. I don't know how I feel about the rule. But it does make for some excitement and probably a quicker end to games that have already gone on for 60 minutes of regulation and four overtimes.
8) My Heisman ballot as of today:
Joe Burrow, LSU
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
Justin Fields, Ohio State
9) The playoff if it started today (the way I'd seed it)
1) LSU vs 4) Alabama
2) Ohio State vs 3) Oklahoma
Obviously it will not go this way. Here are the other teams that still have a reasonable shot to get there by winning out and maybe getting a little help: Clemson, Penn State, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon.
That's really it. We're at ten teams. Baylor, Auburn, Utah and SMU might have a shot if they win the rest of their games, but I don't see that happening for those teams. Everyone else is just playing for the nicest bowl game they can get to at this point.
10) Five games I'll watch next week:
SMU at Houston, 6:30 Thursday, ESPN: The Mustangs are still unbeaten. Houston isn't all that good, but this is a game SMU could lose on the road. Plus, it's Thursday, what the hell else am I gonna watch?
Wisconsin at Ohio State, 11 am Saturday, Fox: This one lost some luster last week. Can the Badgers recapture what they had going before an inexplicable loss to Illinois? Probably not.
Oklahoma at Kansas State, 11 am Saturday, ABC: I actually barely care about this game and almost certainly won't watch it other than checking a score here and there. But it is a road game and a contrast of styles and the Wildcats aren't bad, so what the hell?
Auburn at LSU, 2:30 Saturday, CBS: Gigantic game that LSU has to have. If Auburn can win it, they'll suddenly put themselves back in the discussion of teams that have national title hopes.
Notre Dame at Michigan, 6:30 Saturday, ABC: This is Jim Harbaugh's next chance at a win that will actually make people care. I hope they both lose.
TigerSpirit was founded in 1988 and is owned and operated by graduates of Mizzou so we take great pride in the merchandise we sell and the Mizzou fans we meet. We’re excited to be able to offer our products to Mizzou fans and alumni nationwide on our website! We’re located on 9th Street alongside your favorite shops, bars and restaurants and there isn’t a hotter spot to be on game day than TigerSpirit! Come see us in our store or shop with us online. MIZ-ZOU!
1) Nothing changed with the top five teams. They all did what they've done all year. Alabama didn't cover, but was never in jeopardy. Tua Tagovailoa is going to miss a couple weeks with a sprained ankle, but if he's back for LSU, it won't matter. Trevor Lawrence is still having a bit of a sophomore slump, but Clemson isn't playing anyone good enough to beat them. Oklahoma just keeps destroying everyone and the biggest concern honestly has to be whether the Cowboys are going to try to hire Lincoln Riley. LSU and Ohio State just keep crushing everyone. Those five teams are on a different level than anyone else.
2) The story of the weekend was really how Power Five's worst teams suddenly weren't the worst teams. You guys might have heard Vanderbilt won a game (I'll have plenty to say about that one in tomorrow's ten thoughts). The shocking thing is it wasn't the most shocking result of the day. Kansas had a lead on Texas with 1:11 to play before giving up a game winning drive for a field goal. Illinois won a game that I had just assumed was over. I was monitoring that one, but quit when Wisconsin had the ball in Illinois territory leading by nine points with seven minutes left. I was stunned to find out 45 minutes later the Badgers had lost. Missouri fans should actually be thankful for that one because Mizzou losing to Vandy isn't the biggest upset of the weekend and it isn't the one anyone will be talking about nationally. Honestly, the way the rest of the day went, I'm somewhat surprised Rutgers didn't win a game yesterday. For the record, the Knights lost 42-7 to Minnesota.
3) Speaking of the Gophers, they're now 7-0 and in sole possession of first place in their division of the Big Ten. They ought to beat Maryland to get to 8-0. They'll likely fall back to earth having to face Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin in the last four weeks of the season, but it's still impressive. And PJ Fleck's team also gave us the feel good moment of the weekend in college football
4) Let's stay in the Big Ten to talk about the best game of the weekend. First off, there's absolutely no cooler visual in college sports (and maybe all of sports) than the white out in Happy Valley
The Nittany Lions jumped out 21-7 on Michigan at halftime and then hung on to win 28-21 by stopping the Wolverines on fourth and goal from the three-yard line. I don't think PSU is on the level of the five teams I mentioned in the first point here, but they kept their national title hopes alive. And while Michigan didn't do anything to be ashamed of last night the program continued to simply be one that beats the teams it should beat and loses every game that could take the program to the next level. That's good enough to get you to 9-3 or so every year, but Michigan is one of the places that gets tired of 9-3 with losses to Ohio State and Penn State very quickly.
5) Florida is the best team in the SEC East. I don't know if they'll win it, but they're the best team. The Gators simply do enough to win every week. They rarely blow you away in impressive fashion, but they win. There was a stat in the game yesterday that the Gators have the third most yards in the country in the fourth quarter and the second best fourth quarter scoring margin in the country. That's not an accident. And they're a better team with Kyle Trask playing quarterback than they were with Feleipe Franks. I wasn't sure that was true until yesterday but I am now.
Part of the reason Florida is the best team in the East is because Georgia is not. A week after sleepwalking through an overtime loss to South Carolina, the Bulldogs were scoreless with Kentucky midway through the third quarter. They won 21-0 largely because Kentucky started turning the ball over and has the most one-dimensional offense in America. How one dimensional? Jake Fromm was 9-12 for 35 yards...and was the leading passer in the game by 18 yards. I know the weather was awful, but still you'd think you could complete a couple screen passes or something. Not going to go too deep on Kentucky because I'll do that tomorrow, but Missouri should have nine guys in the box on every snap next Saturday
6) At least you guys still have Arkansas to kick around. The Razorbacks lost 51-10 to Auburn and are now 0-12 in SEC play in the last two seasons. But at least they are the best at running the worst fake punt you've ever seen.
7) We got our first look at college football's new overtime rules last night. In the wake of last year's LSU/Texas A&M game, a rule was put in place that after four overtimes, teams just go back and forth attempting two-point conversions. Virginia Tech and North Carolina were tied at 31 at the end of regulation. Both teams kicked field goals in the first OT, then both scored touchdowns in the second. In the third and fourth OT, both teams missed field goals. Enter the two-point conversion contest. Both teams failed in OT 5. In the sixth OT, North Carolina failed to score on a run by Sam Howell. The Hokies converted on a Quincy Patterson run to win the game 43-41. It's not football. I don't know how I feel about the rule. But it does make for some excitement and probably a quicker end to games that have already gone on for 60 minutes of regulation and four overtimes.
8) My Heisman ballot as of today:
Joe Burrow, LSU
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
Justin Fields, Ohio State
9) The playoff if it started today (the way I'd seed it)
1) LSU vs 4) Alabama
2) Ohio State vs 3) Oklahoma
Obviously it will not go this way. Here are the other teams that still have a reasonable shot to get there by winning out and maybe getting a little help: Clemson, Penn State, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon.
That's really it. We're at ten teams. Baylor, Auburn, Utah and SMU might have a shot if they win the rest of their games, but I don't see that happening for those teams. Everyone else is just playing for the nicest bowl game they can get to at this point.
10) Five games I'll watch next week:
SMU at Houston, 6:30 Thursday, ESPN: The Mustangs are still unbeaten. Houston isn't all that good, but this is a game SMU could lose on the road. Plus, it's Thursday, what the hell else am I gonna watch?
Wisconsin at Ohio State, 11 am Saturday, Fox: This one lost some luster last week. Can the Badgers recapture what they had going before an inexplicable loss to Illinois? Probably not.
Oklahoma at Kansas State, 11 am Saturday, ABC: I actually barely care about this game and almost certainly won't watch it other than checking a score here and there. But it is a road game and a contrast of styles and the Wildcats aren't bad, so what the hell?
Auburn at LSU, 2:30 Saturday, CBS: Gigantic game that LSU has to have. If Auburn can win it, they'll suddenly put themselves back in the discussion of teams that have national title hopes.
Notre Dame at Michigan, 6:30 Saturday, ABC: This is Jim Harbaugh's next chance at a win that will actually make people care. I hope they both lose.
