The End Times Begin

National Overview

Texas A&M was never going to stay ahead of Washington in the long run, but the Aggies did everyone a favor by losing to Mississippi State and simplifying both the SEC West and the Playoff chase. With A&M out, the division will come down to whoever wins the Iron Bowl (which, if Saturday's close win over Vanderbilt was any indication, won't be Auburn). Given the hilarious race to the bottom going on in the East, it's hard to imagine Alabama wouldn't be favored by an historic margin in the conference championship game.

The Big Ten, meanwhile, will still come down to Michigan - Ohio State, no matter what delusions of grandeur Penn State might currently be harboring. Louisville has been all but eliminated from the ACC (Clemson would have to lose to both Pittsburgh and Wake Forest), and Washington continues to rumble through the deflated Pac-12 with nary more than a smile and a wave from its peers.

But what of the Big 12, you say? After complaints that I failed to properly address the goings-on of the nation's most precariously positioned league, I'll try to atone this week. Oklahoma has done more or less exactly what was expected of it, dashing out to an infuriating 6-0 start after losing twice in non-conference play. It's as if Stanford has a double in the Big 12. Meanwhile, Baylor and West Virginia both started 6-0 overall against cupcake schedules, then took their comeuppance in powerfully satisfying fashion. Oklahoma State has been under the radar after that weird Central Michigan loss, but the Cowboys continue to represent the best threat to the Sooners' irritating domination of the conference.

Texas, TCU and Kansas State have been the predictably mercurial middle class of the league, while - surprise, surprise - Texas Tech, Iowa State and Kansas bring up the rear (the Battle for the Bottom takes place this week when the Cyclones and Jayhawks face off in Lawrence!). The last month of the Big 12 race is going to be fun to watch, even though there's virtually no chance the league sends a team to the Playoff. The most notable thing about the conference at this point is how, for at least the fourth straight year, the preseason favorite magically got all of its toughest foes at the back end of the schedule, ensuring high rankings and media attention late into the season. The other Power Five leagues have to call the Big 12 out on this at some point.

Speaking of the Big 12, the conference will get the weekend started right for us, with a 9:00 a.m. kick between Baylor and Oklahoma in Norman that should solidify the Sooners' control of their own Big 12 fate - or plunge the conference into chaos. Fresh off an upset of then-fourth-ranked Texas A&M, Mississippi State gets rewarded with a date with Alabama, while Kentucky and Tennessee meet in a who-saw-this-coming showdown that could help decide the SEC East. Tulsa and Navy also face off in a massive AAC contest between the co-leaders of the conference's West division.

At 12:30 there's a delightful old SEC rivalry in the form of Auburn - Georgia, along with Clemson's last ACC test versus Pittsburgh. Appalachian State and Troy, both undefeated in the Sun Belt, square off in the midday slate as well. That's followed by the LSU - Arkansas rivalry at 4:00 p.m., as well as important American matchup in South Florida at Memphis.

In primetime, it's a huge one in the Pac-12, as USC takes on Washington in Seattle (more on this in the Pac-12 section). Michigan is at slumping Iowa around the same time. The evening slate is thin, with legitimately good teams (Colorado, San Diego State, Washington State) taking the field against mediocre opponents (Arizona, Nevada and Cal, rexpectively).

Playoff Poll

We've disposed of the Texas A&M charade, which is nice, but doesn't change my current Playoff rankings.

First Tier

Alabama
Michigan
Clemson
Washington

The Crimson Tide continue to widen the gap. I'm still not completely sold on Michigan - the Wolverines haven't played a team with a pulse in a month - but Clemson's up-and-down performances and Washington's weaker schedule make the hierarchy clear.

Second Tier

Ohio State
Auburn

The Buckeyes got a massive boost with that drubbing of Nebraska, but no, they shouldn't move into the top four because Nebraska isn't an elite team. Auburn was fortunate to escape Vanderbilt but remains the last best threat in the SEC to Alabama.

Third Tier

Louisville
Wisconsin
Western Michigan

I've covered the slimness of Louisville's hopes ad nauseum; Wisconsin probably should be eliminated but could sneak into a backdoor spot by running the table the rest of the way and avenging one of those losses to Ohio State/Michigan, while Western Michigan remains the people's champ.

Pac-12 Report

In happy news, Colorado survived a bizarre game Thursday night against UCLA in which seemingly everything went wrong but the Buffaloes prevailed. CU is now 5-1 and in sole possession of the South. Washington State throttled Arizona, while Washington did the same to Cal and USC essentially did the same to Oregon. The only truly competitive contest was in Palo Alto, where Stanford held off a game Oregon State squad for a 26-15 win.

This week we're finally back to a full slate, with all 12 conference teams playing conference foes. The Pac-12 schedule starts Thursday, when Utah takes on Arizona State in Tempe for a game that at first glance appears to be a cakewalk but which might actually pose some problems for the Utes. ASU desperately needed the bye week, even more so than Utah, and both teams are banged up. Had the Utes' offense not suddenly sprung back to life in recent weeks with the re-insertion of running back Joe Williams, I might even pick the Sun Devils for the upset. As it is, though, ASU's defense is too awful to stand behind.

Saturday's games begin in Eugene, with an oh-how-the-mighty-have-fallen matchup between Stanford and Oregon that has to have the rest of the league positively smirking. Oregon has flopped more spectacularly in 2016, but make no mistake: Stanford is not a good football team. The two squads are actually remarkably close to exact opposites; the Cardinal rank 22nd in the nation in defense and 123rd in offense, while Oregon is 22nd in offense and 127th in defense. In other words, this should be the precise opponent both schools need! I have no idea who will win this game. I've watched these teams several teams this year and hold zero confidence in both.

USC is at Washington for the marquee matchup of the week, with the Trojans needing to win out for a shot at the division crown and redemption in the Pac-12 title game. The problem is, SC is the team Washington least wants to see in that game, and the Huskies can knock the Trojans out of the South race once and for all with a home win here. I expect them to do it without too much trouble; the Trojans' recent win streak is nice but largely came against the dregs of the conference, and Sam Darnold is not good enough to carry SC to victory past the nasty UW defense.

Oregon State is at UCLA for the first of three evening games in the league, with both squads desperately needing a win after 1-5 starts to Pac-12 play. It's hard to imagine Jim Mora keeping his job with the Bruins regardless of how this season ends, but it's certainly not a stretch to think a home loss to OSU would put the nail in that coffin. The thing is, the Beavers might simply be a better team than UCLA, if recent weeks are anything to go by. OSU has definitely been more competitive during its four-game losing streak than the Bruins have been in theirs. The Bruins are more talented, but I like the Beavs' chances to get a win in Pasadena.

We continue in the late-night slate with Colorado at Arizona, where the Buffaloes get one final tune-up against the winless Wildcats before hitting the nasty end of their schedule. There shouldn't be too much trouble in Tucson, even after CU played its worst game of the season against UCLA last week. Zona will (hopefully) put up more of a fight after its 69-7 shellacking at the hands of Wazzu, but UA has been a mess this year. Colorado should win without issue.

The finale should provide some fireworks, as Air Raid disciples Sonny Dykes and Mike Leach have Cal and Washington State air it out in Pullman. Cal has showed a lot more fight in 2016 than I expected, but the Bears' D is truly atrocious. Wazzu seemed to fix some nagging problems in the massive blowout over Arizona last week and should be able to pull away by a couple of scores. The Cougars might get caught looking ahead to Colorado, but it doesn't seem likely to cost them the game.

Heisman Watch

Jake Browning, QB, Washington

Need more evidence? Browning responded from a "down" performance against Utah (where he completed "only" 60 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and one pick) with a career day against Cal in which he racked up 378 yards, six TD's and no interceptions. For the year, his TD:INT ratio stands at 34:3 (and he's chipped in four rushing scores as well).

Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

Jackson racked up another massive stat day against Boston College, finishing with seven TD's. He'll assuredly be in New York for his outsize numbers, although it's interesting to see Jackson celebrated for stats gleaned in an offense that five years ago would have had voters turning up their noses and sniffing "system QB." The ghosts of Texas Tech QB's past must be shaking their fists in indignation.

D'Onta Foreman, RB, Texas

Foreman was merely having a nice season on a mediocre team until the past two weeks, when he rumbled for an outrageous 591 yards and five TD's against Baylor and Texas Tech. Neither of those opponents is known for its defense, but as the nation's leading rusher in yards per game Foreman is going to get an invite to New York if he keeps this up. Just imagine where Texas would be without him.

Jalen Hurts, QB, Alabama

Hurts was shaky early against LSU but clutch when it mattered, and his best throw of the night (a 52-yarder down to the eight just after halftime that should have knocked out the Tigers) didn't get rewarded thanks to some poor play-calling from Lane Kiffin. He's still played beyond his years in leading (yes, leading) Bama to its 9-0 record and deserves recognition.

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

Watson's struggles in 2016 are well-documented, as his completion percentage, TD passes and rushing stats are all down while his interceptions are up. It's not been the victory lap the media expected for the Tigers' signal-caller. Yet he played brilliantly in the first half Saturday against Syracuse, putting up a season-best performance before leaving with an injury. If he can put things together in the next few weeks, he might actually become a viable candidate again.

Zach Terrell, QB, Western Michigan

Terrell bounced back from his first interception of the season with a 367-yard, three-TD effort in a 52-20 romp over Ball State. As I said last week, he won't win the award, but the Broncos' excellent year and Terrell's efficiency ought to earn the WMU passer a spot at the ceremony.

Random Thoughts and Observations

After Baylor's tumultuous offseason, in which the school's efforts to cover up a wide-ranging culture of systemic sexual assault by football players over a period of several years was exposed (and which culminated in the firing of beloved coach Art Briles), the last thing the conference needed was for the Bears - who have yet to be punished by the NCAA, somehow - to go out and win the league. The undefeated start to this season had to put a scare into Big 12 officials, but fortunately Baylor was stopped by Texas last week in a close game before getting hammered 62-22 this weekend against TCU. The sweet part of the second loss was that it came at home on a day when the team wore black uniforms it indicated were in solidarity with the departed Briles (yes, Briles, not the victims he covered up to protect his football team) AND fans bought shirts supporting the disgraced coach outside the stadium. Sic 'Em, indeed.

2016 Stanzi Awards

It was a quiet week for the Stanzis, but once again we got a previous winner leaping into the finalists with a second weekly award! Nick Fitzgerald of Mississippi State is the lucky addition this week, joining the eight other multiple-time winners in possibly the finest group of finalists the award has ever seen.

Week 10 Awards

Sefo Liufao, Colorado
Opponent: UCLA
Performance: Two INT, one FUM, won by 10

Jalen Hurts, Alabama
Opponent: LSU
Performance: One INT, one FUM, won by 10

Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
Opponent: Kansas State
Performance: Two INT (one for TD), won by six

Richard Lagow, Indiana
Opponent: Rutgers
Performance: Two INT, won by six

DOUBLE STANZI ALERT

Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State
Opponent: Texas A&M
Performance: Two INT, won by seven

Jake Hubenak, Texas A&M
Opponent: Mississippi State
Performance: One INT, one FUM, lost by seven

DOUBLE STANZI ALERT

Lamar Jordan, New Mexico
Opponent: Nevada
Performance: One INT, one FUM, won by nine

Ty Gangi, Nevada
Opponent: New Mexico
Performance: Two INT, lost by nine

2016 Finalists

Deshaun Watson, Clemson: 3
Brett Rypien, Boise State: 2
Troy Williams, Utah: 2
Trevor Knight, Texas A&M: 2
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma: 2
Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State: 2
Riley Neal, Ball State: 2
Ben Hicks, SMU: 2
Alex McGough, Florida International: 2

45 additional players: 1


We've been blessed with a tremendous bounty this year in poor quarterback play. 54 total players have combined for 64 total Stanzis, a remarkable effort that will probably wind up producing the greatest season in award history. Happy Week 11.