1) We start with positive vibes this week. Not so much for Missouri, but this post is always about what happened outside of Missouri. Just two weeks after Tiger fans were terrified they were going to be the first fanbase to have to deal with a loss to Vanderbilt in three years, Kentucky fans stepped up to the plate. The Commodores went into Lexington and beat UK 24-21. Vandy had two 100-yard rushers, Michael Wright outplayed Will Levis and the Dores became the last Power Five team in the country to grab a conference win. Kentucky, meanwhile, fell to 6-4, 3-4 and has No. 1 Georgia next week. Particularly painful loss for Mark Stoops.
2) On the topic of schools that are good at academics, but rarely worth talking about in football, Duke beat Virginia Tech 24-7 on Saturday. The Blue Devils are quietly 7-3 and Mike Elko has to be headed for ACC coach of the year honors. The Hokies meanwhile, they're a mess. VT is 2-8 in Brent Pry's first year and has clinched its third consecutive losing season. From 1993 to 2017 (25 seasons), Virginia Tech never had a losing record and won ten games or more 13 times. Since 2017, the Hokies are 27-33 and have had four losing seasons in five years. It's a whole lot easier to fall from the top than it is to climb up there.
3) Yes, it's another post about Kamryn Babb. If you've seen it and don't want to see it again, skip to No. 3. But after four torn ACLs, the Ohio State receiver caught the first pass of his career on Saturday against Indiana and sometimes sports just hits you right in the feels.
4) The SEC Championship Game is set. LSU is playing in the title game in Brian Kelly's first season. The Tigers got there with a 13-10 win over Arkansas that was far from pretty, but was certainly effective. They'll face Georgia, which locked up its spot with a 45-19 thumping on Mississippi State in Starkville. If UGA can beat Kentucky and Georgia Tech, it will go into the title game already knowing it is in the College Football Playoff. LSU has to win at Texas A&M to keep its playoff chances alive. If the Tigers do that, a win over Georgia very well could mean that they're the first two-loss team to make the playoff. Personally, I'm not sure how you put two-loss LSU, with one of the losses coming 40-13 to Tennessee in Baton Rouge, in over the one-loss Vols. But it seems that would be the case because most people believe conference championships still matter to the committee.
5) Speaking of Texas A&M, the Aggies lost to Auburn 13-10 on Saturday. They have gone from preseason No. 6 to 3-7 and out of a bowl game (and still have to play LSU. Half the team isn't playing, they haven't scored more than 28 points against an FBS team in more than a year and have lost six in a row.
One of their top receivers is tweeting he got benched for wearing arm sleeves (seems weird, but who knows?)
It's been a tough year for Jimbo Fisher. But at least the Aggie fans...I mean media...are taking it well (and there are people on this board who think I'm unfairly harsh to Eli Drinkwitz)
6) Elsewhere in Texas, things are both better and worse. TCU beat the Longhorns 17-10 on Saturday. It means the Horns are 6-4 and will not win more than nine games (and will only hit nine if they win out including a bowl game). That's not surprising. Texas has one ten-win season since 2012 when Deloss Dodds claimed that their bad years were better than Missouri's good years. The Longhorns are now 11-11 under Steve Sarkisian, which I assumed is exactly what they signed up for when they fired Tom Herman for going 32-18 and winning four consecutive bowl games. But on the happy side of the ledger, Sonny Dykes is now 10-0 in his first year in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs have locked up a spot in the Big 12 title game. Their opposition isn't set yet, but is likely to be Kansas State, whom they've already beaten this year. TCU is three wins from the College Football Playoff. Not bad for a team picked 7th in the Big 12 in the preseason.
Also worth mentioning here that Oklahoma lost to West Virginia and is now 5-5 in year one under Brent Venables. I ran out of room to give it its own thought, but needed to shoehorn it in somewhere.
7) Cinderella, we're gonna need those slippers back. Kansas lost to Texas Tech, 43-28. The Jayhawks are now 6-4 with four losses in five weeks and games against Texas and K-State remaining. Illinois fell 31-24 to Purdue. The Illini have back-to-back losses and now have to beat Michigan next week to keep hopes alive to play in the Big Ten title game which seems...unlikely. Don't get me wrong, good seasons for both programs, but they're slipping back down the mountain a little bit.
8) (Another) ROUGH day for the PAC-12. Oregon got beat in Eugene by Washington, which is one of the more Jekyll and Hyde teams in the country this year. Final score was 37-34 and just like his protege Brady Cook, Bo Nix came up short on Saturday. Late night, UCLA lost at Arizona 34-28. It was the second loss for both teams which means any slim PAC-12 title hopes now rely on Lincoln Riley and USC. The Trojans face UCLA and then host Notre Dame. If they beat the Bruins, they'll make the PAC-12 title game and probably face the Oregon/Utah winner.
9) The playoff if it started today:
1) Georgia vs 4) TCU
2) Ohio State vs 3) Michigan
My prediction for what it will actually be:
1) Georgia vs 4) Michigan
2) Ohio State vs 3) Tennessee
Lot of things can happen here. I don't think TCU is going to win out. I don't thik the committee's going to love the idea of a Tennessee/Georgia rematch if it can be avoided. I think the biggest beneficiary of the loss by Oregon was the Ohio State/Michigan loser which probably still gets in at this point. I think UGA will beat LSU, which knocks the Tigers out. I'm forecasting USC to lose somewhere. If it doesn't, it's got the best shot to get in outside of the five teams that were included above. The darkhorse is the Clemson/North Carolina winner if that team doesn't lose the rest of the way. They've both got one loss. I don't think it's going to be good enough to get them in over a one-loss Tennessee team, but it's worth monitoring.
10) Five games I'll watch besides (instead of?) Mizzou/New Mexico State next week:
SMU at Tulane, Thursday: Actually, I'll probably watch Packers/Titans, but might monitor this
TCU at Baylor, TBD: Bears could end Frogs' title chase
USC at UCLA, TBD: Major playoff implications. Should be a fun game with a lot of points
Ole Miss at Arkansas: A lot of blood donor games in the SEC next week, but this one's at least a league game
Utah at Oregon: PAC 12 title bid probably on the line
2) On the topic of schools that are good at academics, but rarely worth talking about in football, Duke beat Virginia Tech 24-7 on Saturday. The Blue Devils are quietly 7-3 and Mike Elko has to be headed for ACC coach of the year honors. The Hokies meanwhile, they're a mess. VT is 2-8 in Brent Pry's first year and has clinched its third consecutive losing season. From 1993 to 2017 (25 seasons), Virginia Tech never had a losing record and won ten games or more 13 times. Since 2017, the Hokies are 27-33 and have had four losing seasons in five years. It's a whole lot easier to fall from the top than it is to climb up there.
3) Yes, it's another post about Kamryn Babb. If you've seen it and don't want to see it again, skip to No. 3. But after four torn ACLs, the Ohio State receiver caught the first pass of his career on Saturday against Indiana and sometimes sports just hits you right in the feels.
4) The SEC Championship Game is set. LSU is playing in the title game in Brian Kelly's first season. The Tigers got there with a 13-10 win over Arkansas that was far from pretty, but was certainly effective. They'll face Georgia, which locked up its spot with a 45-19 thumping on Mississippi State in Starkville. If UGA can beat Kentucky and Georgia Tech, it will go into the title game already knowing it is in the College Football Playoff. LSU has to win at Texas A&M to keep its playoff chances alive. If the Tigers do that, a win over Georgia very well could mean that they're the first two-loss team to make the playoff. Personally, I'm not sure how you put two-loss LSU, with one of the losses coming 40-13 to Tennessee in Baton Rouge, in over the one-loss Vols. But it seems that would be the case because most people believe conference championships still matter to the committee.
5) Speaking of Texas A&M, the Aggies lost to Auburn 13-10 on Saturday. They have gone from preseason No. 6 to 3-7 and out of a bowl game (and still have to play LSU. Half the team isn't playing, they haven't scored more than 28 points against an FBS team in more than a year and have lost six in a row.
One of their top receivers is tweeting he got benched for wearing arm sleeves (seems weird, but who knows?)
It's been a tough year for Jimbo Fisher. But at least the Aggie fans...I mean media...are taking it well (and there are people on this board who think I'm unfairly harsh to Eli Drinkwitz)
6) Elsewhere in Texas, things are both better and worse. TCU beat the Longhorns 17-10 on Saturday. It means the Horns are 6-4 and will not win more than nine games (and will only hit nine if they win out including a bowl game). That's not surprising. Texas has one ten-win season since 2012 when Deloss Dodds claimed that their bad years were better than Missouri's good years. The Longhorns are now 11-11 under Steve Sarkisian, which I assumed is exactly what they signed up for when they fired Tom Herman for going 32-18 and winning four consecutive bowl games. But on the happy side of the ledger, Sonny Dykes is now 10-0 in his first year in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs have locked up a spot in the Big 12 title game. Their opposition isn't set yet, but is likely to be Kansas State, whom they've already beaten this year. TCU is three wins from the College Football Playoff. Not bad for a team picked 7th in the Big 12 in the preseason.
Also worth mentioning here that Oklahoma lost to West Virginia and is now 5-5 in year one under Brent Venables. I ran out of room to give it its own thought, but needed to shoehorn it in somewhere.
7) Cinderella, we're gonna need those slippers back. Kansas lost to Texas Tech, 43-28. The Jayhawks are now 6-4 with four losses in five weeks and games against Texas and K-State remaining. Illinois fell 31-24 to Purdue. The Illini have back-to-back losses and now have to beat Michigan next week to keep hopes alive to play in the Big Ten title game which seems...unlikely. Don't get me wrong, good seasons for both programs, but they're slipping back down the mountain a little bit.
8) (Another) ROUGH day for the PAC-12. Oregon got beat in Eugene by Washington, which is one of the more Jekyll and Hyde teams in the country this year. Final score was 37-34 and just like his protege Brady Cook, Bo Nix came up short on Saturday. Late night, UCLA lost at Arizona 34-28. It was the second loss for both teams which means any slim PAC-12 title hopes now rely on Lincoln Riley and USC. The Trojans face UCLA and then host Notre Dame. If they beat the Bruins, they'll make the PAC-12 title game and probably face the Oregon/Utah winner.
9) The playoff if it started today:
1) Georgia vs 4) TCU
2) Ohio State vs 3) Michigan
My prediction for what it will actually be:
1) Georgia vs 4) Michigan
2) Ohio State vs 3) Tennessee
Lot of things can happen here. I don't think TCU is going to win out. I don't thik the committee's going to love the idea of a Tennessee/Georgia rematch if it can be avoided. I think the biggest beneficiary of the loss by Oregon was the Ohio State/Michigan loser which probably still gets in at this point. I think UGA will beat LSU, which knocks the Tigers out. I'm forecasting USC to lose somewhere. If it doesn't, it's got the best shot to get in outside of the five teams that were included above. The darkhorse is the Clemson/North Carolina winner if that team doesn't lose the rest of the way. They've both got one loss. I don't think it's going to be good enough to get them in over a one-loss Tennessee team, but it's worth monitoring.
10) Five games I'll watch besides (instead of?) Mizzou/New Mexico State next week:
SMU at Tulane, Thursday: Actually, I'll probably watch Packers/Titans, but might monitor this
TCU at Baylor, TBD: Bears could end Frogs' title chase
USC at UCLA, TBD: Major playoff implications. Should be a fun game with a lot of points
Ole Miss at Arkansas: A lot of blood donor games in the SEC next week, but this one's at least a league game
Utah at Oregon: PAC 12 title bid probably on the line
