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National Overview

This is it. The conference championships are still a week away, but there are several key rivalry games around Thanksgiving that might decide things a bit early. Or not. The fun started on Thursday in Week 13, when Kansas State added to the intrigue of this wild season by holding off West Virginia and North Carolina annihilated Duke, clinching the ACC Coastal for Georgia Tech.

Minnesota introduced a small measure of uncertainty to the Big Ten West by coming back to beat Nebraska, setting up a winner-takes-all match with Wisconsin next week in Madison for the right to take on Ohio State. The Buckeyes briefly looked as if they might lose to woeful Indiana, but survived and advanced yet again. Florida State did much the same, squeaking by Boston College on a late field goal.

Arizona moved a step closer toward real respectability by crushing Utah on the road, while Ole Miss dropped all pretense of any in a 30-0 loss at Arkansas. The only other ranked team to lose was USC, which came out curiously flat in the second half and got embarrassed by UCLA. More on this in the Pac-12 section.

Unfortunately, most of the top 10 was on some kind of break, so we were denied any real drama. That will change this week. Even the non-ranked matchups hold intrigue. Thanksgiving Day has LSU – Texas A&M and TCU – Texas (a massive upset alert for the Horned Frogs). Central Florida – South Florida is Friday, along with Stanford – UCLA, the Duel in the Desert (Arizona State – Arizona), Colorado State – Air Force and the Commonwealth Cup (Virginia – Virginia Tech).

Saturday? The Battle for the Palmetto State (South Carolina – Clemson). Clean, Old Fashioned Hate (Georgia Tech – Georgia). Kentucky – Louisville. Michigan – Ohio State. Purdue – Indiana. NC State – UNC. The Rumble in the Rockies (Utah – Colorado). Notre Dame – USC. The Egg Bowl (Mississippi State – Ole Miss). Florida – Florida State. The Battle for the Land Grant Trophy (Michigan State – Penn State). The Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe (Minnesota – Wisconsin). The Sunflower Showdown (Kansas – Kansas State). Tennessee – Vanderbilt. The Iron Bowl (Auburn – Alabama). The Civil War (Oregon – Oregon State). The Apple Cup (Washington – Washington State). The Battle for Nevada (Nevada – UNLV). This is the reason college football is better than the NFL.

Playoff Poll

Nothing happened to change the rankings from last week. If anything, Florida State’s newest near-loss provided even more proof the Seminoles are right where they should be.

College Football Playoff

1) Oregon vs. 4) Baylor

2) Alabama vs. 3) Florida State

Baylor doesn’t play Kansas State until next week, but I’m still giving the Bears the benefit of the doubt as a one-loss team. The top three are unchanged. Once again, Oregon has wins over No. 8, 10 and 25, with a loss to No. 11; Alabama has a win over No. 4 with a loss to No. 19, FSU has wins over No. 21 and 22. How exactly is Oregon’s resume not the strongest? Going by the committee’s own rankings, the Ducks should be first.

Second Tier

TCU

Mississippi State

Ohio State

I swapped the Bulldogs and Buckeyes based on the latter’s struggles with a terrible Indiana team. Really, OSU? TCU’s fourth-quarter defense against Baylor might cost the Horned Frogs a title shot, although that game with Texas this week might do them in anyway.

Third Tier

UCLA

Georgia

This is where things get iffy. Even if both schools win out it would take a lot of chaos ahead of them to justify a top-four spot. We’ll see what happens.

Pac-12 Report

The first full conference slate in three weeks didn’t disappoint. In the early game, Washington State raced out to a 21-7 second-quarter lead before Arizona State brought the full fury of the Fork down on the Cougars, outscoring WSU 31-0 in the second half until a touchdown with just 24 seconds left. The Sun Devils can still repeat as South champions, but will need UCLA to lose this week.

In contrast, Arizona wasted no time putting Utah’s faint South aspirations to bed, blasting the Utes 42-10 in Salt Lake City. The Wildcats also still have a shot at the Pac-12 Championship, but like their rivals will need UCLA to lose to get the opportunity. Poor Utah has improved by leaps and bounds since entering the league in 2011, but still looks doomed to suffer another 5-4 conference record.

Stanford showed some offensive ability against Cal, clinching a bowl bid as Pac-12 higher-ups exhaled in relief. It would not have been a good look had the defending conference champs failed to qualify for the postseason. The Bears dropped to 5-6 but can still make a bowl with a win this week. They deserve one, hopefully they’ll get it.

Oregon predictably routed Colorado in the Ducks’ home finale in a game that was probably more notable for being quarterback Marcus Mariota’s last appearance at Autzen. The Buffaloes have lost some of the promising fight they showed in the first half of the season, but that’s somewhat to be expected after a year full of woulda-shoulda-coulda games. CU is better than a two-win team, but couldn’t close against several conference foes.

Both of the night matchups proved to be slight duds. USC and UCLA battled to a draw midway through the second quarter and the contest appeared headed for a classic finish. Instead, the Bruins stepped up, the Trojans wilted and UCLA ran away with a three-score victory. If the Bruins can hold serve against Stanford, they’ll win their third division title in four years.

Oregon State was within striking distance for three quarters at Washington, but once again sputtered offensively with the game on the line. Credit the Huskies for taking control and reaching bowl eligibility before the Apple Cup, but the Beavers have been disappointing all season. OSU’s win over Arizona State now means nothing, unless the Civil War turns out a massive upset.

The Black Friday games are delightful and will decide the South winner. Arizona State and Arizona will meet in Tucson with identical 9-2 records with the division title on the line, pending the result of UCLA – Stanford. This is going to be a good one. ASU has been the better team much of the season, but the stumble in Corvallis gives me a lot more reason to pause. Arizona certainly didn’t look great against USC or UCLA, but the Wildcats have been a more consistent bet of late. The Sun Devils’ losses are actually worse – the blowout to UCLA was terrible, while their showing at OSU was awful – which makes me want to lean toward UA at home. However, the health of QB Anu Solomon is a problem. The freshman left the Utah game in the second quarter and didn’t return. With him, I think ‘Zona wins. Without, I’ll take ASU.

Stanford – UCLA should be a simple coronation for the Bruins as they move toward a rematch with Oregon. I can’t shake the memory of just how dominant Stanford was last year, though. This isn’t the same Cardinal team, but is UCLA really that good? The Bruins seem to have turned things around since the whipping at the hands of the Ducks, but it’s also possible the schedule just got a lot easier. In the end, Stanford’s utter ineptitude offensively makes this a no-brainer, but the fact that I even questioned the outcome is a bad sign for UCLA. I need to see something this game from the Bruins.

Utah should have little trouble beating Colorado to finish 8-4, which would be a nice accomplishment in the loaded South this season. It’s hard not to feel like it could have been even more, which has to sting a little, but a chance at a nine-win campaign shouldn’t be sneered at in Salt Lake City. As I said before, CU has improved so much, but the long year of near-upsets that just never materialized has to have had a demoralizing effect.

Notre Dame is at USC for a matchup I would have said the Trojans should win… until this week. The no-show in the second half at UCLA was troubling. Both teams are 7-4 and dealing with the disappointment of lowered expectations after starting the season strong. Will one side sleepwalk through this game? It wouldn’t shock me. For the Pac-12’s sake it’d be nice to see SC be SC again, but we’ll have to wait and find out. I’m worried about the mental makeup of this squad.

Cal can get back to the postseason with a win over BYU. At the beginning of the year that would have been outlandish, but the Cougars haven’t been the same team since losing QB Taysom Hill. Overall BYU is still quite talented and absolutely has the ability to come into Berkeley and win. I’m going to go with sentiment, though, and predict the Bears will come through to get their embattled program into a bowl again.

As with UCLA – Stanford, the Civil War should be little more than a walkthrough for the Ducks. However, that should have been the case last year, when the Beavers really had UO dead to rights in Autzen before giving up a last-second TD. The Ducks aren’t any better as a team this season and OSU always plays better in Corvallis. However, the Beavs are clearly a worse team in 2014 and have been wildly inconsistent week-to-week. It’s tough enough to trust them to make this a game, let alone pick the upset.

The same is true for Washington State, but at least the Cougars have the excuse of injuries. Crazy things have been known to happen on the Palouse and it wouldn’t be a total shock to see the Air Raid drop 500-plus through the air on the Huskies. Unfortunately, it’s also all too easy to imagine UW controlling the clock and forcing multiple turnovers in an ugly blowout. Washington seemed to get right with the OSU win last week and I expect they’ll continue that kind of play in the Apple Cup.

Heisman Watch

There’s no sense in messing around.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

Mariota is the national leader in several passing categories this season and currently holds the highest TD-to-interception ratio of any player in NCAA history. He’s the best QB in the country and helms the offense of a team that appears headed for the inaugural playoff. Sounds like a Heisman winner to me.

Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin

In many seasons Gordon’s 2,000-plus rushing yards would be enough to make him the leader. In this Big Ten, with this competition, he might have to settle for second place. It’s also possible the preponderance of Wisconsin running backs putting up huge yards could cause voter fatigue.

Random Thoughts and Observations

Poor Melvin Gordon. After sitting out the fourth quarter last week with the new FBS rushing record in hand, the Wisconsin back had to watch as Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine broke the mark just six days later. The true freshman bowling ball (Perine is listed at a generous 5-11 and 243 pounds) went for 427 on his second play of the fourth, leaving Gordon with “only” a potential FBS season rushing record to strive for. Oh, well.

The two-man Heisman race has a very interesting subplot going on as we enter the final weeks of the season. Melvin Gordon has a real chance to break Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record if he plays in the Big Ten Championship. That mark has always been viewed as untouchable, so it seems Gordon should be a shoo-in for the Heisman if he gets there. But Marcus Mariota of Oregon has been so impressive, as well as the national leader most of the season. Should Gordon pass him on the strength of his 408-yard performance against Nebraska?

The knock on Mariota is that Oregon’s system makes all QB’s look good. That is unquestionably true. From Dennis Dixon to Jeremiah Masoli to Darron Thomas, the up-tempo spread has worked wonders for the Ducks’ signal callers. Yet Mariota is unquestionably the most talented player Oregon has had at the position; and more importantly, what is Wisconsin’s offense, if not a RB-friendly system?

As this Rolling Stone article points out, Badgers backs have been putting up huge numbers for a long time, thanks to a tradition of developing massive, homegrown offensive linemen that pave the way for easy yards. Just as few UO passers have made much of an impact at the next level, few Wisconsin runners have accomplished much in the NFL. Look at the list of Badgers RB’s in the past 15 years. Ron Dayne. Michael Bennett. Anthony Davis. P.J. Hill. John Clay. Montee Ball. James White. I watched every one of those guys. They all put up great college numbers and did little in the pros.

The fairest way to look at it seems to be to acknowledge that both teams run offenses that maximize their players’ abilities; they simply choose to emphasize different positions. With that in mind, Mariota’s efficiency and Gordon’s productivity come from a similar place. Both players have had excellent seasons and will likely be in New York for the ceremony, but only one can win. Because QB is an inherently more valuable position than RB, the edge still goes to Mariota.

Stanzi Watch

I’m not really certain how it’s possible, but Old Dominion gave us two Stanzi winners this week in a three-point win over Louisiana Tech. Taylor Heinicke threw two picks along with his two TD’s, while apparent backup Jordan Glover contributed two picks in two attempts. Unfortunately there’s no detailed box score for the game, but as it stands Heinicke and Glover each earn a Stanzi. There was also a delightful Double Stanzi in the FIU – North Texas game, where the Panthers Alex McGough tossed three picks to the two of the Mean Green’s Andrew McNulty. UNT won 17-14. And look who’s back! Toledo’s Logan Woodside, who moved into a tie for the lead with his fourth Stanzi of the year. Here are this week’s winners and the finalists.

Logan Woodside, Toledo

Opponent: Bowling Green

Performance: Two INT, won by seven

J.T. Barrett, Ohio State

Opponent: Indiana

Performance: Two INT, won by 15

Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion

Opponent: Louisiana Tech

Performance: Two INT, won by three

Jordan Glover, Old Dominion

Opponent: Louisiana Tech

Performance: Two INT, won by three

Zach Terrell, Western Michigan

Opponent: Central Michigan

Performance: Two INT, won by 12

Andrew McNulty, North Texas

Opponent: Florida International

Performance: Two INT, won by three

Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech

Opponent: Iowa State

Performance: One INT, one FUM, won by three

Jameis Winston, Florida State: 4

Logan Woodside, Toledo: 4

Everett Golson, Notre Dame: 3

Justin Holman, UCF: 2

Dak Prescott, Mississippi State: 2

James Knapke, Bowling Green: 2

Fredi Knighten, Arkansas State: 2

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State: 2

Anu Solomon, Arizona: 2

Brett Hundley, UCLA: 2

Grant Hedrick, Boise State: 2

Davis Webb, Texas Tech: 2

Nick Mullens, Southern Miss: 2

Cooper Rush, CMU: 2

C.J. Brown, Maryland: 2

J.T. Barrett, Ohio State: 2

I never would have imagined we’d have 16 finalists. What a season it’s been! From the mountains, to the valleys, this game was made for you and me.

Darkness Approaches

National Overview

Could this season be any more 2007? The last year of true chaos saw a top-five team lose to an unranked opponent 13 times and the No. 2 team in the nation lose seven times as the BCS crowned its first (and only) multiple-loss champion in 11-2 LSU. It was an insane, wonderful ride (as long as you weren’t an Oregon or Ohio State fan). 2014 is shaping up to be the closest imitation of that wacky season we’ve had since, and I’m excited to see what things will look like when the dust settles.

The biggest reason for the 2007 parallels is parity. There was no truly great team in 2007; even LSU fans would probably say they revere the 2003 BCC championship team or the 2011 squad that lost to Alabama in the Rematch of Death more than the flawed ’07 group. We’re at the point now where we can safely say the same about 2014 – although I’ve been saying it for months – that there simply isn’t a truly elite, dominant team. The standings in the SEC West and Pac-12 South reflect that.

Alabama took down Mississippi State in Tuscaloosa, because MSU was clearly not that good and the Crimson Tide are much better. The Ole Miss loss still looks bad, but ‘Bama is slowly rounding into top form once again. That’s bad news for the rest of the country. The good news is that this Tide squad, even at its best, can’t compare to the juggernaut teams of 2009, 2011 and 2012. There’s still a possibility ‘Bama could get knocked off by another good team.

The shocker of the week was Arizona State losing in wintry conditions in Corvallis. Strangely, even though I predicted ASU would win handily, I had a last-second change of heart about the game that I dismissed as foolish. Ah, to have the benefit of hindsight! It makes sense that the Sun Devils, a warm-weather squad that had played above its ability for a month, would have a comedown game in a contest played on the road, at night, in the cold and swirling wind. Oh well. Oregon is now the Obi-Wan Kenobi of the Pac-12.

Ohio State survived in even worse conditions, winning in a minor snowstorm at Minnesota in a game that really shouldn’t have been as close as it was. The Buckeyes will move up thanks to ASU’s stumble, but are probably still on the outside looking in to the playoff until one more contender falls. OSU has certainly improved since that awful Virginia Tech game, though.

TCU very nearly provided a more terrible collapse than ASU, squeaking by Kansas thanks to a punt return touchdown. Even the close win over the Jayhawks, one of the worst teams in the nation, will probably be enough to hurt the Horned Frogs’ playoff chances. Fortunately for TCU, Baylor was idle, but if the Bears can beat Kansas State it’s only a matter of time before they’ll pass the Horned Frogs.

Wisconsin quite literally trampled Nebraska, as running back Melvin Gordon set a new NCAA Division I record with 408 yards on the ground. Gordon is now impossible to ignore as a Heisman candidate and Wisconsin looks to be the favorite in the Big Ten West. At the very least the Badgers could prove a decent opponent for Ohio State in the championship game. Lord knows the conference needs one.

Georgia also officially eliminated Auburn with a 34-7 trouncing that really wasn’t even as bad as it could have been. The Bulldogs finally got Todd Gurley back, only to see the star running back tear an ACL in the second half. UGA would need a significant amount of help to get into the playoff and losing Gurley is the wrong way to start. Auburn, on the other hand, can only hope to ruin Alabama’s season.

It’s rivalry week! Or at least, rivalry week part one. Since the college football season has been extended so far into November, the original year-ending “rivalry week” has been split across the final two weeks of the season, and in a few cases, the final three. It’s not the worst thing to happen, as it allows for more of these wonderful ancient hatreds to be televised in all their glory. This week, we get North Carolina at Duke (Thursday), Stanford – Cal, USC – UCLA and Syracuse at Pittsburgh. Let us not speak of the SEC, where five teams will host FCS schools in a disgusting and brazen attempt to game the system.

Playoff Poll

This is the toughest decision yet. Alabama, Oregon and Florida State are the top three. But in what order? Does FSU’s unblemished record hold the most weight? The Crimson Tide’s superior conference? Oregon’s superior wins? Here’s how I see this:

If Florida State was third last week behind Oregon, did the Seminoles do enough against Miami (FL) while UO was idle to jump the Ducks? The answer is an emphatic “no.” If anything, FSU’s umpteenth great escape showed why voters (and the committee) have soured on the Seminoles. But should Oregon be rewarded for not playing? That’s the kind of faulty logic that tainted the polls for decades. Alabama notched a great win against a very good, if clearly inferior, Mississippi State team. Is that one good win enough to boost the Tide three spots?

College Football Playoff

1) Oregon vs. 4) Baylor

2) Alabama vs. 3) Florida State

Using this week’s committee rankings to compare schedules is the most logical way to break things down. The ranking a team has when it loses has no relevance; many, many teams are vastly overrated and get exposed. This is how the resumes of the top three compare:

Oregon has wins over No. 11 Michigan State (home), No. 9 UCLA (away) and No. 17 Utah (away), none by fewer than 12 points, with a loss to No. 15 Arizona (home)

Alabama has a single win over a top 25 team: No. 4 Mississippi State (home), with a loss to No. 8 Ole Miss (away)

Florida State has wins over No. 22 Clemson (home) and No. 24 Louisville (away) and no losses (though it’s worth noting neither the Tigers or Cardinals are ranked in either traditional poll)

Which overall body of work is the strongest? It’s rather easy to tell. Baylor slips into my top four because of TCU’s struggles with Kansas (ugh) and the expectation that the Bears will win the Big 12.

Second Tier

TCU

Ohio State

Mississippi State

TCU is in trouble if it can’t impress people more in the next two games. Ohio State shouldn’t really have a shot because the Big Ten is terrible, but there’s definitely some building sentiment for the Buckeyes. Mississippi State certainly isn’t out of it, but the Cinderella magic seemed to dry up against a much better Alabama squad.

Third Tier

Nobody.

There isn’t anyone else remotely deserving of being included in the playoff conversation right now. A couple teams could make a case with a strong closing kick, but I doubt anyone other than the teams listed about will be taking part.

Pac-12 Report

Thank goodness for Arizona and Utah. The Pac-12 took a giant hit when Arizona State flopped at Oregon State. It would have been catastrophic had three ranked teams gone down. Instead, thanks to clutch late-game play from the Wildcats and Utes, five conference members sit in the AP top 25 this week. I already covered the ASU – OSU game earlier, but suffice it to say that was the other shoe dropping for the Sun Devils. ASU had miraculously covered all its deficiencies for three-quarters of the season and finally had that killer misstep. The win could save the Beavers’ season, provided they can get one more at Washington this week to become bowl-eligible.

Cal at USC Thursday night was an odd one. The Trojans dominated the first half, but never really seemed to be knocking out the Bears. Sure, there were a whole lot of passing yards, but everyone throws it on Cal. SC never got the ground game going, and it showed in the final margin. Cal isn’t terrible enough anymore to be beaten by three-quarters of a good game. It was an expected loss, but the signs still seem to point to the Bears getting that all-important sixth win in one of the last two games. More on this in a moment.

Washington, Washington. So close. The Huskies are 6-5 with the two games left and are possibly the most average team I’ve ever seen. The offense has been below-average, the defense above-average, and the team overall has no players anywhere that scare anybody. Another seven-win season, anyone? Yeesh. At least Sark is gone. Arizona, on the other hand, continues to improve under RichRod and is now 8-2 (albeit with two tough games left). The South is still up for grabs, people.

Utah – Stanford was a matchup to tell your grandchildren about – if you want them to have nightmares. The game featured no scoring for the final 36 minutes and less than 550 yards of combined offense despite going into double-overtime and having a single turnover. Dear lord. Thankfully for the Pac-12, Utah survived, setting up a nice elimination showdown with Arizona this week. As for the Cardinal, well, it’s not looking too good.

Speaking of Stanford… I’ve been wondering if/when Cal could get that sixth win. Could it come against Stanford? I would have dismissed the notion as absurd as recently as two weeks ago, but now I’m less sure. The Cardinal have been awful offensively and the once-stout defense now looks more like above-average. It’s not as if Cal can’t move the ball on pretty much anybody. What’s more, both teams sit at 5-5, the game will determine which finishes higher in the North AND it’s in Berkeley. There’s a lot pointing toward a Bears win. I would think (hope?) Stanford’s D would ultimately save the day, but I’m certainly not sure about it.

Another thing I’m not sure about: the quality (or lack thereof) of Oregon State and Washington. The Beavers are in Seattle this week for a titanic struggle between teams with identical 2-5 conference records. It’s another late game and the weather in the Pacific Northwest promises to be appropriately cold and wet. Do the Beavs have another win in them? They’ll probably need it heading into the Civil War. The Huskies can also claim a bowl spot with a win in either of their last two games, but UW’s finale is the considerably easier Apple Cup. As bad as OSU has been at times this season, I think they get the win this week thanks to a much-needed confidence boost at the expense of ASU.

The Sun Devils host Washington State in a contest that should be no big deal, but then again, that’s what everyone thought last week. The circumstances are different here, though. ASU is much better at home and won’t have to battle the elements and a late start like in Corvallis. I fully expect the Sun Devils to run the Cougars’ defense ragged and get more than enough stops for a comfortable win.

Colorado – Oregon is the biggest mismatch of the day, pitting possibly the conference’s worst team against its standard-bearer. We know the drill here. UO runs up a ridiculous score, pulls its starters in the third quarter and coasts from there. At least, that’s what should happen. The Pac-12 has gotten a little crazy this year. Anything less than total dominance would be a surprise, though.

A pair of big South matchups headline the weekend. First up is Arizona at Utah, a game both teams must have to stay alive in the division race. The Wildcats have the better offense, the Utes the superior D. I like what Utah has done this year a lot and Rice-Eccles is a tough place to play… but I think ‘Zona is just the better team. It could go either way. I’ll take UA in a relatively close one because of the ‘Cats’ ability to consistently generate offense.

The delightful primetime matchup is USC at UCLA in a rivalry that’s finally started to heat up again after a decade-plus of mediocrity. As with the Arizona – Utah tilt, the loser is out of the South race. I’ve been down on the Bruins all year, but they seem to be rounding into form late in the season. SC has looked fantastic at times and awful at others. What to make of this game? UCLA is at home, but neither the Rose Bowl nor the Coliseum really provide that much of an advantage. I’m taking the team with the better quarterback… USC’s Cody Kessler.

Heisman Watch

Let’s be real. Dak Prescott is out. Ameer Abdullah, out. This is a two-man race.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

Mariota is still the front-runner, leading the nation in several passing categories. The award is his to lose.

Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin

Gordon made this interesting by setting a new FBS record for single-game rushing yards, but he still needs to make up ground after going under the radar most of the season.

Stanzi Watch

Two more players joined the finalists, but it was an otherwise uneventful week. There are only a few games remaining. Can anyone catch Jameis Winston? Here are this week’s winners and the short list.

Blake Frohnapfel, Massachussetts

Opponent: Ball State

Performance: Two INT, won by 14

Cooper Rush, Central Michigan

Opponent: Miami (OH)

Performance: One INT, one FUM, won by seven

Trevor Simian, Northwestern

Opponent: Notre Dame

Performance: Two INT, won in OT

Cody Thomas, Oklahoma

Opponent: Texas Tech

Performance: Three INT, won by 12

Anu Solomon, Arizona

Opponent: Washington

Performance: Two INT, won by one

Grant Hedrick, Boise State

Opponent: San Diego State

Performance: Two INT, won by nine

Sean Mannion, Oregon State

Opponent: Arizona State

Performance: One INT, one FUM, won by eight

Jameis Winston, Florida State: 4

Everett Golson, Notre Dame: 3

Logan Woodside, Toledo: 3

Justin Holman, UCF: 2

Dak Prescott, Mississippi State: 2

James Knapke, Bowling Green: 2

Fredi Knighten, Arkansas State: 2

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State: 2

Anu Solomon, Arizona: 2

Brett Hundley, UCLA: 2

Grant Hedrick, Boise State: 2

Davis Webb, Texas Tech: 2

Nick Mullens, Southern Miss: 2

Cooper Rush, CMU: 2

C.J. Brown, Maryland: 2

The rivalries are upon us! Let the games begin!

The Week of Truth

National Overview

That… was delightful. 2014 took another turn for the bizarre when Auburn, Team of Destiny^TM, got a taste of its own medicine against Texas A&M, going down in a heap of fumbles and ineptitude. LSU very nearly ensured the SEC would only have one playoff entrant, only to leave the door open enough for Alabama to escape. Oregon presumably cleared its final regular-season hurdle, while Arizona State took a major step toward the playoff by ethering Notre Dame.

But the big noise came on Tuesday, when the playoff committee’s new rankings had… Oregon at No. 2, ahead of defending champion Florida State. TCU was also in for the time being, ahead of No. 5 Alabama. Gasp! While this makes for exciting TV, it’s also the right call to make at this point in the season for many reasons. More on this later.

Baylor is currently out of the playoff much to the chagrin of Bears fans. However, Baylor was probably the biggest winner of the weekend other than ASU. By blasting Oklahoma, the Bears eliminated potentially the biggest threat left on their schedule, with a home finale against Kansas State left to boost the resume. Baylor fans shouldn’t fret about being ranked behind the TCU squad their team beat; if the Bears win out, they’ll leap the Horned Frogs based on the head-to-head result. Count on it.

Speaking of TCU, it’s obvious why the Horned Frogs have the edge on the Bears right now. First, TCU’s loss was earlier, thus affording the team more time to make up ground. Second and more importantly, TCU has unquestionably played the more difficult schedule to this point. The Horned Frogs and Baylor both beat Oklahoma, while TCU beat West Virginia and the Bears lost to the Mountaineers. However, the clincher in TCU’s favor – for the moment – is the remainder of the schedule. TCU just dominated Kansas State AND crushed a decent Minnesota team out of conference, while Baylor had three mid-major cupcakes and has yet to play the Wildcats. Like I said, if both teams win out, the Bears will get the nod. But they have to actually do it first.

Ohio State’s victory over Michigan State should end any chance the Big Ten has of getting a team into the playoff. I say “should” because there’s already a minority group touting the Buckeyes as potential 12-1 conference champs deserving of an invite. However, there’s a lot of ball left to be played, and I still lean toward the Big Ten getting the cold shoulder when everything is said and done. While the win over the Spartans was impressive, MSU’s earlier (and worse) loss to Oregon hurts the Buckeyes significantly, as does the fact that OSU’s loss is to 4-5 Virginia Tech. It’s hard to see the committee taking a team who A) plays in a league as weak as the 2014 Big Ten and B) lost to a team with a losing record.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s still loads more football to be played in the regular season, and I have a feeling things will sort themselves out. This week, there’s a whole lot of mid-major garbage during the week, then the good stuff. Ohio State is at Minnesota (who entered the standings at 25^th this week), but don’t get your hopes up. Clemson and Georgia Tech, which are surprisingly both ranked, will battle in Atlanta.

Nebraska is at Wisconsin in a game the Big Ten desperately needs the Cornhuskers to win: with one loss, Nebraska could set up as the perfect foil for an Ohio State team on the playoff bubble. There’s also Auburn – Georgia, which has some potential, and FSU at Miami (FL), which has slightly less. Of course, the big one is in Tuscaloosa, where No. 5 Alabama welcomes top-ranked Mississippi State. We’re about to find out just how legit the Bulldogs are.

Playoff Poll

College Football Playoff

1) Mississippi State vs. 2) Oregon

3) Florida State vs. 4) TCU

I agree with the committee. I had the Seminoles first last week, but after another mediocre performance moved FSU back down, this time below an Oregon team that owns three better wins (Michigan State, UCLA, Utah) better than any the ‘Noles can boast. TCU, as I explained earlier, might be on borrowed time, but the win over K-State has to be rewarded.

Second Tier

Baylor

Alabama

Arizona State

Baylor rockets to the top of the “looking-in” list with a thrashing of Oklahoma. Alabama beat LSU, but I don’t think LSU is very good, so the Crimson Tide will have to wait until they beat Mississippi State this week to move up. ASU was off my radar for a while but leapt right back into the fray with a scary-good win over Notre Dame (a result that also factored into FSU’s drop).

Third Tier

Ohio State

Auburn

Does anyone really even belong in this conversation? OSU is the nominal third-tier favorite, but a lot has to go right for the Buckeyes to have a chance. Auburn is likely out after the A&M loss, but a 10-2 SEC West team could possibly have a case if, again, things break just right. We’ll see.

Pac-12 Report

Let’s start with the most important one. Arizona State, in one of the biggest games in school history, absolutely demolished a highly-regarded Notre Dame team hoping for an outside shot at the national championship. The turnovers helped, certainly, and ASU can’t expect that kind of luck every week. Just as in the similar game against UCLA the Sun Devils lost, though, at some point teams make their own luck. Credit ASU for forcing the Fighting Irish into mistakes, capitalizing with big plays and putting Notre Dame away when it came down to crunch time. Just a very, very big win for the program and the league.

Oregon’s 24-point win at Utah doesn’t tell the whole story, as any Utes fan will surely lament. Utah had the Ducks on the ropes early, forced two turnovers on downs and should have been up 14-0 in the second quarter… until Kaelin Clay happened. The play has been replayed over and over to the point it hardly seems worthwhile to recap it, but rest assured it will live in infamy. Dropping the ball before crossing the goal line has hurt teams before – it happened to Oregon this season against South Dakota, which could be why the Ducks were alert – but never quite in this fashion. The massive momentum shift propelled UO to a 24-7 lead, and when the Utes finally crept back into contention, Marcus Mariota buried them. It was in some ways a fortunate win, but as with ASU, credit has to go to the team that makes fewer mistakes. Oregon is now assured of a spot in the Pac-12 title game.

UCLA at Washington was a game I looked forward to before the season, but the teams’ play so far predicted a somewhat less-than-competitive matchup on Saturday. UW did a nice job hanging in there, but it’s clear this Huskies squad has some issues beyond just a bad offense. The Bruins, once left for dead, are still alive for the South title. It remains to be seen how realistic that goal is, but after the ugly way this campaign started 10-2 would be a nice accomplishment.

Washington State at Oregon State was the bad one. The Beavers seemingly had everything in their favor: home field, reason to play angry after a string of losses, a freshman quarterback making his first start. None of it mattered, as WSU took control in the second half and nabbed just its third victory all year. OSU looks done; needing two wins against the combination of Arizona State, Washington and Oregon is a tall order, and nothing the Beavers have shown recently evokes any optimism. The “Fire Mike Riley” brigade is back and getting louder. That’s not the best option for this team, but there are obviously some major problems at OSU.

Colorado – Arizona was the last game on the list. As they have all season, the Buffaloes battled bravely… yet as they have all season, they lost again. The parallels to WSU a few years ago are strong – CU has to go from “laughingstock” to “mediocre” before becoming “good” – but it’s tough to see a team work so hard and achieve so little in the win column. Arizona survived and advanced with reasonable comfort and still has a shot to win the South, like almost everyone.

There are a surprising four teams off this week, so the slate is a little lighter. Cal is at USC for a Thursday matchup that could prove interesting if the Trojans don’t take it seriously. You’d expect SC to be able to bludgeon the Bears with a powerful run-pass combo and overwhelm the visitors with superior athletes, but Cal has shown it can score with anyone. The last thing the Trojans need is to get into a four-quarter shootout with a team seeking a crucial sixth win. I like USC, but beware.

The weekend pairings begin with Washington – Arizona, a matchup that, like many the Huskies have played, looked better at the start of the year. ‘Zona could get caught looking ahead to Utah but is the better team overall; barring an offensive meltdown against a talented but beleaguered D, the Wildcats should win. There is a scenario in which UW squeezes just enough out of Shaq Thompson on offense to take a slugfest, but you’d hope for the conference’s sake the ‘Cats don’t let that happen. At home, this is UA’s to lose.

Utah at Stanford is an intriguing game for the similar styles the teams play and the fact that the Utes upset the Cardinal last year. Utah has clearly been the better side this season, but things like that can get lost in the struggle of a 6-3 field goal battle. Both teams feature excellent defenses and offenses that dream of one day being pedestrian, so it wouldn’t shock me to see Stanford pull this out. Games like this are what the Cardinal are built for, games they’ve usually won over the past several years. Utah had better not look ahead to Arizona.

Finally, unfortunately, we have Arizona State – Oregon State. Frankly, I don’t see things improving for the Beavers. ASU is on a roll right now and knows the stakes here, while OSU has been inept offensively much of the season and has little hope of matching the Sun Devils in a shootout. The defense that buoyed OSU to a 4-0 start has also broken down (not unlike Washington’s), which makes this one pretty easy to pick. ASU should win comfortably.

Heisman Watch

There’s very, very little to say on the matter.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

Mariota has been the best player in the country by a wide margin. Barring a meltdown in the final two games or an injury (gods forbid), the award is his.

Dak Prescott, QB, Missisippi State

This is Dak’s moment. Run and pass all over Alabama, and the Bulldogs’ signal-caller has a shot. But it’s going to take quite a performance.

Random Thoughts and Observations

It’s hard to argue the advent of the College Football Playoff hasn’t increased interest in the sport – in a good way. While the BCS erroneously and inexplicably touted its controversial nature as a positive, the playoff debate has done nothing but improve the national conversation about what matters and what doesn’t for a team’s resume.

Take the committee’s new rankings, featuring one-loss Oregon at No. 2 and undefeated Florida State No. 3, with TCU ahead of Alabama at No. 4. In the poll/BCS era, this would have been unthinkable. No power conference team ever got jumped without a loss, barring highly unusual circumstances. The old, flawed line of reasoning was that since a team had accomplished something in its previous games, poor performances in victory had to be excused. That doesn’t make sense for multiple reasons.

College football teams play highly uneven schedules. Unlike in the NFL, where every team plays eight home and away games, including its entire division twice, college teams generally host seven to eight games per year. Powerhouse programs routinely schedule all of their non-conference games at home against mid-majors and FCS schools, a practice the playoff is designed to stamp out. Because of this, teams can go long stretches (in some cases, entire seasons) without facing an equal or near-equal opponent.

Additionally, teams change over the course of a season. Injuries, slumps, emerging players and the unpredictable schedules can make squads look invincible one week, then awful the next. The only way to properly rate teams is to evaluate them, from scratch, every week. That’s what the committee claims it has been doing, which is reflected in the current standings. Oregon is ahead of Florida State because:

Oregon has played a significantly tougher schedule than FSU

            The Seminoles’ best win (Notre Dame) just took a massive credibility hit

            FSU has played average in recent weeks, while UO has notably improved

All this means is the committee has been watching the same football as everyone else. FSU hasn’t looked good lately. Why should they deserve to retain a ranking that doesn’t reflect their current level of play? This is good for the sport. If Florida State wins out, it will be in the playoff. But the Seminoles are going to be forced to prove it in their upcoming games, which is how things should work when only four playoff spots are available.

Stanzi Watch

It was another small group of winners this week, but what these players lacked in quantity they made up for in name value. Yes, let us welcome back 2013 Stanzi winner Devin Gardner of Michigan! Gardner has sadly been absent on the Stanzi Watch list until now because the Wolverines are so bad this year, but at least he deigned us with his presence once this fair season. Hats off to you, Devin. We missed you.

The more relevant name this week? Jameis Winston. The Seminoles QB picked up his astounding fourth Stanzi of the year, all but assuring himself of a season victory. It would take a truly remarkable comeback to stop him now. However, I do worry about the validity of the award when performances like the one Notre Dame’s Everett Golson turned in don’t make the cut. Golson had a true Stanzi-esque outing against Arizona State with four picks and a fumble, but he Stanzied so hard he actually Stanzied himself out of Stanzi range, as the Sun Devils won by 24. Hmmm. Perhaps a special recognition is in store for Mr. Golson. Here are this week’s winners and the finalists.

Drew Hare, Northern Illinois

Opponent: Ball State

Performance: Two FUM, won by 14

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State

Opponent: Indiana

Performance: Two INT, won by six

Devin Gardner, Michigan

Opponent: Northwestern

Performance: Two INT, won by one

Jameis Winston, Florida State

Opponent: Virginia

Performance: Two INT, won by 14

Jameis Winston, Florida State: 4

Everett Golson, Notre Dame: 3

Logan Woodside, Toledo: 3

Justin Holman, UCF: 2

Dak Prescott, Mississippi State: 2

James Knapke, Bowling Green: 2

Fredi Knighten, Arkansas State: 2

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State: 2

Brett Hundley, UCLA: 2

Davis Webb, Texas Tech: 2

Nick Mullens, Southern Miss: 2

C.J. Brown, Maryland: 2

This is the end. Rivalry Week, part one, is next Saturday. We've come down to crunch time and there's no going back. Au revoir, Michigan State, Kansas State and Ole Miss. Your exclusion from the playoff doesn't mean you won't be in our hearts.

Something has started today

National Overview

Ah, another full platter of drama and intrigue. What a season this is becoming. From Florida State’s narrow escape Thursday night to Arizona State’s late Saturday, Week 10 provided all the thrills, heartbreak and general insanity we’ve come to expect from 2014. Six ranked teams lost, including presumed Group of 5 leader East Carolina. Ole Miss and Georgia saw their conference title and playoff dreams go on life support, while UCLA revived its season with a huge win over Arizona.

West Virginia very nearly doomed the Big 12 with an upset of TCU, but the Mountaineers fell apart in the second half in a flurry of turnovers and timid play calls. The Horned Frogs probably shouldn’t have survived, but lived to fight another week – this week, as a matter of fact. Kansas State, the last undefeated team in league play, visits Fort Worth this Saturday with first place in the Big 12 on the line. Baylor could still take the conference by winning out, but this game has the feeling of a heavyweight bout.

Oregon moved within one game of clinching the Pac-12 North by exorcising a few Stanford demons, thanks to tiebreakers over the Cardinal and Washington. The South got a lot more interesting when co-leader Arizona went down and ASU held off Utah in overtime. More on that later, but it seems possible the last few weeks in that division could be absolutely wild. Of course, nothing matches the sheer silliness of the SEC East.

The SEC West has too many good teams. This is not up for debate. When LSU is the third-best team in the division, you know things are rough. That’s good for the SEC, because the East doesn’t have a single good team. Toss aside Georgia’s No. 17 ranking. The Bulldogs aren’t good – they have zero wins over anyone of quality and proved to be frauds by getting slammed by a terrible Florida team. Now UGA, Florida and Missouri will duke it out (no Blue Devils) in a terribly depressing battle for the right to get annihilated by the West champion. Why can’t the two best teams from entire league play?

Mississippi State and Auburn could lay claim to those designations, though we won’t know for sure until the next few weeks play out. Auburn got yet another obscenely lucky break to beat Ole Miss and is still very much alive for the playoff, while MSU snuck by another bad team (Arkansas) and managed to stay No. 1. The fall is clearly coming for the Bulldogs, who needed an onside kick touchdown last week to escape lowly Kentucky. In two weeks MSU travels to Tuscaloosa, where it’s likely the charmed ride will end.

This week: we’ve got some good ones. Two huge Big 12 showdowns loom, with Baylor at Oklahoma and Kansas State – TCU. There are also two big games involving Pac-12 teams – Oregon at Utah and Notre Dame at ASU – along with the Alabama – LSU rivalry and Ohio State travelling to Michigan State. You know it’s not football season until the MAC starts playing on Tuesday… and we’ve reached that delightful point.

Playoff Poll

For at least one week, we have absolute clarity. The Kansas State – TCU game could serve as an elimination game, while Oregon faces its last real challenge of the regular season at Utah. The intrigue actually comes from the forgotten Big Ten, where Ohio State is at Michigan State in a game that will determine a division champion and potentially serve up a backup playoff contender if chaos unfolds in the SEC.

College Football Playoff

1) Florida State vs. 4) TCU

2) Mississippi State vs. 3) Oregon

I jumped FSU up because the Bulldogs have performed so poorly the past two weeks. I can’t shake the feeling that MSU is going to lose to Alabama. Oregon and TCU are next up, but Auburn is lurking right behind the Horned Frogs.

Second Tier

Auburn

Michigan State

Alabama

Auburn shouldn’t have beaten Ole Miss, but what else is new for the most fortunate team in the country? The Tigers get slumping Texas A&M this week, but must travel to Georgia and Alabama in the final three games. Michigan State could move up with a big win against Ohio State, while Alabama needs to make a statement at LSU.

Third Tier

Kansas State

Baylor

Notre Dame

Kansas State has been under the radar but could take a huge step forward by knocking off TCU this week. Baylor has been counted out since the West Virginia game but still has just one loss, while Notre Dame slides a little based on a weak performance versus Navy.

Pac-12 Report

Midway through the second quarter, with Washington trailing Colorado by double digits, things looked grim for the Huskies. For all the talk about tempered expectations in the first year of a new regime, there’s no denying UW has talent. Falling to the winless (in conference) Buffaloes would have been devastating. Fortunately, Washington got a TD before the break, then benefitted from an avalanche of CU turnovers in the second half to move to 6-3. As the Huskies play 13 regular-season games this year, they need seven wins for bowl eligibility. Sitting at 5-4 with UCLA and Arizona next on the schedule would have been dicey. For Colorado, it’s yet another heartbreaker in a season full of near-misses.

USC beat up Washington State and knocked out QB Connor Halliday with a broken ankle. It’s a sad ending to the career of one of the Cougars’ all-time prolific passers (and they’ve had a few), but in the long run the result will probably help the Pac-12. As I’ve written previously, having a couple of patsies for the rest of the league to pick up an automatic win is vital – it’s what’s sustained the SEC’s dominant run. With the win, SC stayed alive for the South title, creating a five-team logjam in the division that will take another month to sort out. WSU has to look to the future, which may not be a bad thing given how poorly this campaign has played out.

Oregon thrashed Stanford just like the old days, effectively ending any doubt about who will win the North. Only Washington and Stanford are still alive and the Ducks have wins over both. Now the focus for UO is Utah, which should be the last competitive game this team has in the regular season (Colorado and Oregon State remain). Should Oregon win, it would further the notion that great defenses aren’t kryptonite to this offense, making the Ducks more attractive to the playoff committee. Lose, and any shot at a national championship is gone.

Oregon State fell at home to Cal, a result I grimly predicted. The Beavers are now 4-4, in fifth place in the North and in very real danger of missing out on the postseason. Arizona State and Oregon are almost certainly losses, which makes the games against the Washington schools must-wins. WSU this week is doable – the Cougars will be breaking in a new QB – but on the road at Washington is tough. UW is a better team than OSU. Cal, on the other hand, got a huge break by playing BYU at the end of the season rather than the start, as the Cougars haven’t been the same since losing quarterback Taysom Hill. With USC and Stanford left on the docket, the Bears will likely need that game to hit the magic win total of six.

It seemed as if Arizona probably got too much credit for what’s looking more and more like a fluke upset of Oregon, but Saturday’s 17-7 defeat at the hands of UCLA was a puzzler. ‘Zona played unquestionably its worst game of the season against the most mercurial team in the conference, ceding control of the South in the process. Give credit to the Bruins for (maybe) turning their season around, sure. I just don’t know if the Wildcats are that good. They’ll beat Colorado and Washington, but the last two games (Utah and ASU) are doozies. At 7-2, UCLA has actually weathered the “overrated” storm pretty well. Although none of the final three (Washington, USC and Stanford) are gimmes, a 10-win finish isn’t as preposterous as it seemed a couple weeks back.

And of course, there was Utah – ASU. In a near-perfect matchup of good offense vs. good defense and average offense vs. average defense, the Utes’ style prevailed. It was a low-scoring, contained affair, exactly as Utah would have wanted. Unfortunately, the Sun Devils won the game. Oh, how much might that loss to WSU hurt the Utes? We’re about to find out, as Oregon rolls into town this week. ASU, on the other hand, has to feel pretty good about things. With wins over the two most talented defenses in the conference in hand, the Sun Devils have just one game remaining against a good Pac-12 team. Now, Notre Dame comes to town this week, which is a different story. We’ll see just how good this squad is against the Irish.

Two huge contests loom this weekend, as the division leaders take the field for games that could decide their postseason fates. Oregon is at Utah in the Ducks last legitimate regular-season hurdle, while ASU hosts Notre Dame in an attempt to give the Pac-12 some clout AND knock the Irish out of playoff contention. UO should win. The Utes’ anemic offense shouldn’t be able to move the ball consistently enough to keep up, even against a D as spotty as Oregon’s. If Utah can make it a slugfest, though, anything is possible. ASU faces a stiffer challenge, but has the weapons to beat ND as long as the defense continues to hold up. Should be a pair of great games.

The pickings in the rest of the conference are somewhat slimmer. North cellar-dwellers WSU and OSU meet to determine which will be crowned king of the bottom of the division. Lose this one, and the Beavers will really be in trouble. The Cougars still have some nice receivers, but this OSU defense isn’t exactly bad, despite what a similar Cal offense was able to do last week. More importantly, Luke Falk will be starting his first game for Wazzu. Though he played admirably in defeat versus USC, road games are never easy for young QB’s. OSU should win.

UCLA is at Washington in a game that matches two teams a lot more similar than the rankings would have a person believe. Both sides have been disappointing offensively this year and average defensively, though the Bruins do have a much more settled player at the crucial signal-caller spot. The matchup is in Seattle, which is a fairly tough place to pull off a win, and the Huskies are definitely due for a breakthrough, “epiphany”-type performance. UCLA’s might have come last week against Arizona, though. I’ll go with the Bruins, because as bad as UCLA’s offense has looked, it isn’t nearly as devoid of playmakers as UW’s.

Colorado – Arizona, for some reason the last-night showcase for the conference, isn’t very promising. The Buffaloes have had their chances to get that first Pac-12 win and simply haven’t taken advantage of them; they’re on the road, at night, against an angry Wildcats squad determined to prove itself. This might be a massacre. There’s very little to give me reason to pause on this prediction.

Heisman Watch

Right now there’s essentially no argument, but I’ll list the top players in consideration.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon

Mariota is the best passer in the nation in several categories. He’s unquestionably the best player in the country right now.

Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State

The MSU QB has been a little banged up lately and turned in a couple of “meh” performances, but as long as the Bulldogs keep winning he’s in good shape.

Everett Golson, QB, Notre Dame

Golson rebounded with six TD’s against Navy (three rushing, three passing), but he’ll be judged primarily on his performances in ASU this week and USC later this month.

Random Thoughts and Observations

It’s time to stop considering Jameis Winston a Heisman candidate. I haven’t from the start, because the obvious truth is that after all the drama surrounding the Florida State QB, voters will never let him near the thing again. The same was true for Johnny Manziel last season, and Manziel didn’t have nearly as large a cloud over him. The off-field issues – yes, FSU fans, there are plenty, and they go beyond Winston’s lawyer “leaking” the star player’s alleged victim’s name to the public in an attempt to smear her (months after Seminoles fans discovered her identity and did the same) – will certainly take care of that.

But Winston’s play on the field eliminates him as well. For some reason this isn’t getting any attention, but Winston’s performance has slipped markedly this year. His completion percentage, yards per attempt and QB rating are down from 2013. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is far worse, dropping from a stellar 4:1 (40-10) to a mediocre 4:3 (16:9). There are a whole lot of QB’s around the country that could throw 16 TD’s and nine picks with the talent of FSU around them. This should make the voters’ jobs a whole lot easier.

Stanzi Watch

I thought Everett Golson was going to run away with this. What can I say? Even the best of us get things wrong sometimes. The crop was small this week, but one big performance threw the race into disarray again. Here are this week’s winners and the multiple-winner finalists. It’s a quality list.

Jameis Winston, Florida State

Opponent: Louisville

Performance: Three INT, won by 11

Kyle Allen, Texas A&M

Opponent: Louisiana-Monroe

Performance: One INT, one FUM, won by five

Cyler Miles, Washington

Opponent: Colorado

Performance: Two FUM, won by 15

Dak Prescott, Mississippi State

Opponent: Arkansas

Performance: Two INT, won by seven

Jameis Winston, Florida State: 3

Everett Golson, Notre Dame: 3

Logan Woodside, Toledo: 3

Justin Holman, UCF: 2

Dak Prescott, Mississippi State: 2

James Knapke, Bowling Green: 2

Fredi Knighten, Arkansas State: 2

Brett Hundley, UCLA: 2

Davis Webb, Texas Tech: 2

Nick Mullens, Southern Miss: 2

C.J. Brown, Maryland: 2

We're rapidly approaching the first playoff in major college football! Where did the season go? It seems just yesterday we were asking whether the Big Ten was really all that bad (answer: yes), or if Ohio State would be fine without Braxton Miller (answer: no), or if the SEC West was really that great (answer: probably). It's been a delightful repeat of the madness of 2007, but this time we get a playoff to determine the champion on the field. How wonderfully decadent.