Games I saw (some of):
(2) Ohio State 27-42 (5) Michigan
I was skeptical of the Wolverines, thought they'd been kinda overrated all year long and with the Buckeyes really stepping into their offensive dominance lately, felt like this was gonna be just another crushing Michigan loss. But Michigan was the better team on offense, defense and special teams on this day, they made plays all over and kept the Buckeye attack from taking shape. The Buckeyes probably still should've pulled this out but they just couldn't keep drives alive. Michigan made a number of critical 3rd down stops and just all-round came to play on this Saturday. Michigan is now set to face Iowa in the B-10 championship and then on to bigger and better playoff-related things for the first time in the Harbaugh era. As for the Buckeyes, I wouldn't want to face them in a high profile bowl game because that offense is still pretty damn good (hmmm....a rematch with Oregon?).
(3) Alabama 24-22 (4OT) Auburn
Weird game. Alabama's offense just couldn't get going, I like that QB, seems like a nice guy, but he's a manager not a playmaker, so when Alabama struggles it feels like they've got nowhere to go (and, good god, how many holding penalties can one O-line have?). That said, even though Auburn was up 10-0 late in the 4th, somehow it never felt to me like they were going to win the game. Even though usually dominant Alabama has been vulnerable all season and even though they never could get their offense going, I still felt like they were going to pull it out in the end. And they did. Basically tying the game on the final play, after a long march in the 2-minute offense, Alabama was able to match Auburn for 3 OT's then steal it in the 4th. Oh, Auburn, just never had it this year. And even though my gut says Alabama is still Alabama, this team is not as dynamic as years past (how many amazing RB's have they had in the last decade and yet now they seem incapable of running at all), and they've got an uphill climb to take out UGA.
(10) Oklahoma 33-37 (7) Oklahoma State
State felt like the better team throughout, but OU made plays, moved the ball and were on the doorstep right at the end--probably the best game they've played all season! If the Sooners had displayed half this much offense throughout the season, this game would not have been so important--or so close! I like Oklahoma State, a sturdy squad that has done (pretty much) everything they need to be in the mix this late in the season, but they really white-knuckled it down the stretch of this game. Also, on Sunday Lincoln Riley announced he'll be taking over at Southern Cal (the big rock candy mountain for college football coaches), but I suspect OU will be back in the playoff before USC gets there. I do believe the Cowboys are gonna get to the playoff this year (nice to get a new face).
Top 25
Handled their business
(1) Georgia, (4) Cincinnati, (5) Michigan, (6) Notre Dame, (7) Oklahoma State, (8) Baylor, (9) Ole Miss, (11) Oregon, (12) Michigan State, (13) Brigham Young, (16) Iowa, (17) Pittsburgh, (18) Wake Forest, (19) Utah, (20) North Carolina State, (21) San Diego State, (23) Clemson, (24) Houston, (25) Arkansas
Won but did not impress
(3) Alabama. I dunno, man, I like the QB but I don't love the QB. Are we sure a 2-loss Bama side gets an invite to the playoff?
Bad beat
(10) Oklahoma. Well, they probably should've been the better team but they weren't. The Cowboys had a better season, making this a bad beat rather than a disappointment.
Not so good
(2) Ohio State. Had to win this game but could not keep drives alive, could not keep up the scoring. First loss Ohio State has had to Michigan in a while.
(14) Wisconsin. Ah, man, could've finished the season with a W over very-beatable Minnesota but came up short.
(15) Texas A&M. Well, they beat Alabama, so....successful season. But, man, losing to a crappy LSU side to finish off the season does kinda suck, right?
(22) UT-San Antonio. Undefeated no more! That team that's been hanging around the top-20 all year long finally succumbed to the rigors of a tough college football season. UTSA, we hardly knew ye.
Championship Week!
Conference USA -- Western Kentucky v UT-San Antonio (UTSA losing its undefeated season is a bummer but rallying to seal the conference championship will be a tasty finish to a good season)
Pac-12 -- (10) Oregon v (17) Utah (Utah stomped Oregon two weeks ago, I bet they do it again)
Big-12 -- (9) Baylor v (5) Oklahoma State (Baylor is nice but I think OSU is nicer; this could be a major high scoring shootout of a game)
Mountain West -- Utah State v (19) San Diego State (I mean, SDS, right?)
SEC -- (1) Georgia v (3) Alabama (I'll take UGA, they're not unbeatable but I think they're a more complete team than Alabama)
American Athletic Conference -- (21) Houston v (4) Cincinnati (should be a fun one, Houston's got nothing better to do than steal Cincy's soul; I'll take Cincinnati but that's an 11-game win streak against a 10-game win streak, so expect fireworks)
Big-10 -- (2) Michigan v (13) Iowa (Iowa has been too big for their britches all season, I thought the same of Michigan til last Saturday and now I'm all in on the Wolverines here)
ACC -- (15) Pittsburgh v (16) Wake Forest (two surprisingly good squads, this is gonna be a fun offensive contest and they seem very evenly matched to me, I have no idea who wins this)
My rankings
(1) Georgia, (2) Cincinnati, (3) Michigan, (4) Alabama, (5) Oklahoma State, (6) Notre Dame
Actually, I (mostly) agree with the powers-that-be at the moment.
I think Georgia is still in the top 4 with an L to Alabama.
But Cincinnati gets banished to the netherworld if they can't beat Houston. Cincy has been good all year but they haven't had a pressure cooker like this yet, are they up for it?
Surely Iowa won't beat Michigan (right?). But if Michigan loses, Oklahoma State is ready to pounce on that playoff spot.
I'd be inclined to slide Oklahoma State and Notre Dame ahead of Alabama if they lose to Georgia. (And do #5 and #6 automatically play each other? I kinda think Notre Dame can handle Alabama this year)
Baylor could replace Oklahoma State in the top 6 with a win in the Big-12 Championship, but I don't see them jumping ahead of Notre Dame.
And Notre Dame is done, so they can slide up (Michigan, Cincinnati, Alabama and Oklahoma State all have to keep winning), but I don't see them sliding down.
I don't see how Ohio State finishes higher than #7 or Baylor higher than #6....unless there's a slew of major upsets this week.
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