SWC75
Bored Historian
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Again this year I’ll be keeping track of those teams in contention for the very real four team College Football Playoff as well as those for my fictional creations, the Pesci Bowl, (named after short but feisty actor Joe Pesci), and the dreaded Ty-D Bowl, named after the toilet bowl cleaning product.
The playoff is four the best four power conference-level teams in the country, (Notre Dame counts as aa power conference team). The Pesci Bowl is for the two best non-power conference teams. The Ty-D Bowl is for the two worst FBS teams in the country. The idea is to track the contenders through their coming schedules, which will tell us what games to look out for. I’ll start with the teams with perfect records: undefeated power conference and non-power conference teams and winless FBS teams. When there are fewer than 3 undefeated power teams or 2 non-power teams or 2 winless teams, then I’ll include the 1 loss and 1 win teams. But for now, we are looking at perfect records.
THE PLAYOFF
Alabama 11-0 (455-112) ranked #1 by the writers, coaches and by the committee
11/25 at Auburn 9-2 (414-183) ranked #6 in both polls and by the committee
Comment: Auburn is always feisty. They could still make the SEC title game if they beat ‘Bama. If not, would a Georgia-Alabama loser, make the playoff?
U of Miami 10-0 (337-177) ranked #2 by both polls and the committee
11/24 at Pittsburgh 4-7 (263-305)
12/2 ACC title game vs. Clemson 10-1 (388-153) ranked #4/#3 by the polls but #3 by the committee
Comment: The Canes had been barely scraping by. Then they waxed the Hokies and the Irish. Are the old days back? Both Miami and Clemson have clinched their spots in the ACC title game. Would an 11-1 Miami team make the playoffs? Probably not, unless the game was really close.
Wisconsin 11-0 (387-144) ranked #5/ #4 in the polls and #5 by the committee
11/25 at Minnesota 5-6 (265-243)
Comment: They sure passed the tests at Iowa and against Michigan. Minnesota is a rivalry game but they have been playing poorly. They will play Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game, (Penn State lost to both them and Michigan State and Ohio State beat Michigan State). They don’t have a good history vs. the Buckeyes, having lost 7 of 8, the last one 0-59 in the 2014 Big Ten title game. Maybe it’s time for revenge. Could an unbeaten power conference champion be left out of a 4 team playoff? If they were, it might trigger a move to an 8 team playoff.
The Playoff will now include at least one loss team:
Clemson 10-1 (388-153) ranked #4/#3 by the polls but #3 by the committee
11/25 at South Carolina 8-3 (279-216)
12/2 ACC title game vs. U of Miami 10-0 (337-177) ranked #2 by both polls but 7th by the committee
Comments: That South Carolina game could be interesting. But it’s likely that the ACC title game will essentially be a quarterfinal, with the winner going to the playoff and the loser to another bowl.
Georgia 10-1 (388-158) ranked #7 in both polls and by the committee
11/25 at Georgia Tech 5-5 (302-254)
Comment: Georgia has clinched a spot in the SEC title game and Alabama hasn’t. A one loss Alabama team could make the playoff but the Bulldogs have to win out.
Oklahoma 10-1 (484-277) ranked #3/#5 by the polls and #4 by the committee
11/25 vs. West Virginia 7-4 (404-320)
Comments: Mountaineers won’t be a walk-over. Whoever the Sooners playing the newly minted conference title game won’t be either but will be a team they’ve already beaten.
Here’s how I see the playoff shaping up:
Firstly, I don’t see any scenario that includes the Pac 120 champ, which is what I think will doom the 4 team playoff, (but not immediately). The power conferences have power and they will not like having their champions left out so we eventually go to an 8 team playoff with the 5 power conference champions and 3 at large teams, which is easily my preference as well. But that’s an aside. Here are the current rankings: 2017 NCAA College Football Polls and Rankings for Week 13 - ESPN
The ACC title game between Miami and Clemson will essentially be a quarterfinal game because I think the loser will be left out of it unless we have an unusual number of big upsets this weekend. The SEC will be interesting because Alabama has not wrapped up a spot in the title game. Auburn has 2 losses but one it to Clemson, (the other to LSU). If they beat Alabama, they will have a rematch with Georgia and that would essentially be a quarterfinal as well as I think the loser would be out. If Auburn is the winner they might not be in but wins of Alabama and Georgia could vault them over Wisconsin or Oklahoma or both. Alabama will be in even with a loss, (“It’s good to be the King”). Oklahoma will play a team they’ve already beat in the Big 12 title game, probably TCU. They also have a win over Ohio State in the bank. . Wisconsin will face Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, (the Buckeyes beat both Penn State and Michigan State). If the Badgers win, they still might not get in because the Big Ten, especially their division, was down this year. But the fact that they are an undefeated power conference champion and they would now also have a win over Ohio State, (which would now have 3 losses and also diminish Oklahoma’s accomplishment), would make it very hard to leave them out. I think they’d move ahead of the Sooners. Both of them should root for Alabama to run the table, which would make the SEC a one bid conference. If Ohio State were to beat Wisconsin, I can’t see them being picked over Oklahoma, who beat them. So, if Alabama wins out, it should be them, the ACC winner, Oklahoma and the Big Ten winner.
Who could spoil the party? I don’t see Pittsburgh beating Miami or Minnesota beating Wisconsin. South Carolina, a sneaky good team, has a better chance against Clemson. Georgia- Georgia Tech is a rivalry game and the Jackets are “hard to prepare for”. But this is one of those series where one team always seems to win if they are even or better and that one team here is Georgia. West Virginia is a feisty team. Michigan would love to eliminate Ohio State. They’ve done it before in Ann Arbor. Fun fact: The Sooners are the only contender that will be at home. The rest all have to win on the road. Hmmmm…
PESCI BOWL
Central Florida 10-0 (482-205) ranked #13/#12 by the polls but #15 by the committee
11/24 vs. South Florida 9-1 (379-199) ranked #2/#19 by the coaches but unranked by the committee
Comment: Here we got with a battle of the Florida mid-majors who aren’t really so “mid”. Did you know that Central and South Florida are both bigger schools that Florida and Florida State and that they are in much bigger cities and thus better recruiting areas? Too bad Houston spoiled the goose-egg party but it still could spark the beginning of a great rivalry.
Memphis 9-1 (447-326) ranked #17/#16 in the polls but #20 by the committee
11/25 vs. East Carolina 3-8 (286-470)
Comment: Memphis will meet the winner of the UCF-USF game in the C-USA finals and the winner of that will go to the Pesci Bowl unless SMU messes things up some more. Could the Pesci Bowl be a rematch of two of these three teams?
South Florida 9-1 (379-199) ranked #22/#19 but unranked by the committee
11/24 at Central Florida 10-0 (482-205) ranked #13/#12 by the polls but #15 by the committee
Comment: Will Gameday be there for the confrontation between the Bulls and the Knights?
We might have to go to the two loss teams: Boise State 9-2, San Diego State 9-2, Toledo 9-2 or Troy 8-2
TY-D BOWL
Texas- El Paso 0-11 (134-413)
11/25 at Alabama-Birmingham 7-4 (327-285)
Comment: UTEP, (formerly Texas Western), has had 21 seasons since 1972 in which they won 2 or fewer games. So this is familiar territory for them.
The one-win teams are now in play because previously 0-9 Georgia Southern beat previously 4-6 South Alabama 52-0. How would you like to lose 0-52 to an 0-9 team?
Baylor 1-10 (270-386)
11/24 at Texas Christian 9-2 (369-166) ranked #10/#13 in the polls and #12 by the committee.
Comment: The one-proud bears seem a lock for 1-11. I may split the Ty-D Bowl into two levels: one for power conference teams and one for mid-majors.
Charlotte 1-10 (158-362)
11/25 vs. Florida Atlantic 8-3 (446-286)
Most of the Ty-D bowl contenders are playing teams they seem unlikely to beat so some tough decisions will have to be made.
Georgia Southern 1-9 (199-334)
11/25 at Louisiana (formerly Louisiana-Lafayette, formerly SW Louisiana) 5-5 (300-383)
12/2 at Coastal Carolina 2-9 (256-391)
Comment: A long time FCS power with many national championships that will never win another because they went for the big bucks in FBS, the Eagles find themselves at 1-9. Maybe they can beat Coastal Carolina, another refugee from FCS.
Kansas 1-10 (207-463)
11/25 at Oklahoma State 8-3 (497-344) tanked #18/21 and #19 by the committee.
Comment: Still another 1-10 team on their way to 1-11. Kansas is so bad you wonder who they beat. The answer is Southeast Missouri, 38-16 in their opener.
Oregon State 1-10 (238-447)
11/25 at Oregon 6-5 (371-329)
Comment: Oregon isn’t what they sued to be but they are better than State, who isn’t what they used to be, either.
Rice 1-10 (181-399)
11/25 vs. North Texas 8-3 (420-385)
Comment: Rice’s season opened with a 7-62 loss to Stanford in Australia while their home city, Houston, was being flooded like a hurricane, so I guess you could say their season got better as it moved along.
San Jose State 1-11 (186-525)
11/25 vs. Wyoming 7-4 (251-194)
Comment: But the Spartans may be the worst team of all. At least, they have the worst defense.
The playoff is four the best four power conference-level teams in the country, (Notre Dame counts as aa power conference team). The Pesci Bowl is for the two best non-power conference teams. The Ty-D Bowl is for the two worst FBS teams in the country. The idea is to track the contenders through their coming schedules, which will tell us what games to look out for. I’ll start with the teams with perfect records: undefeated power conference and non-power conference teams and winless FBS teams. When there are fewer than 3 undefeated power teams or 2 non-power teams or 2 winless teams, then I’ll include the 1 loss and 1 win teams. But for now, we are looking at perfect records.
THE PLAYOFF
Alabama 11-0 (455-112) ranked #1 by the writers, coaches and by the committee
11/25 at Auburn 9-2 (414-183) ranked #6 in both polls and by the committee
Comment: Auburn is always feisty. They could still make the SEC title game if they beat ‘Bama. If not, would a Georgia-Alabama loser, make the playoff?
U of Miami 10-0 (337-177) ranked #2 by both polls and the committee
11/24 at Pittsburgh 4-7 (263-305)
12/2 ACC title game vs. Clemson 10-1 (388-153) ranked #4/#3 by the polls but #3 by the committee
Comment: The Canes had been barely scraping by. Then they waxed the Hokies and the Irish. Are the old days back? Both Miami and Clemson have clinched their spots in the ACC title game. Would an 11-1 Miami team make the playoffs? Probably not, unless the game was really close.
Wisconsin 11-0 (387-144) ranked #5/ #4 in the polls and #5 by the committee
11/25 at Minnesota 5-6 (265-243)
Comment: They sure passed the tests at Iowa and against Michigan. Minnesota is a rivalry game but they have been playing poorly. They will play Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game, (Penn State lost to both them and Michigan State and Ohio State beat Michigan State). They don’t have a good history vs. the Buckeyes, having lost 7 of 8, the last one 0-59 in the 2014 Big Ten title game. Maybe it’s time for revenge. Could an unbeaten power conference champion be left out of a 4 team playoff? If they were, it might trigger a move to an 8 team playoff.
The Playoff will now include at least one loss team:
Clemson 10-1 (388-153) ranked #4/#3 by the polls but #3 by the committee
11/25 at South Carolina 8-3 (279-216)
12/2 ACC title game vs. U of Miami 10-0 (337-177) ranked #2 by both polls but 7th by the committee
Comments: That South Carolina game could be interesting. But it’s likely that the ACC title game will essentially be a quarterfinal, with the winner going to the playoff and the loser to another bowl.
Georgia 10-1 (388-158) ranked #7 in both polls and by the committee
11/25 at Georgia Tech 5-5 (302-254)
Comment: Georgia has clinched a spot in the SEC title game and Alabama hasn’t. A one loss Alabama team could make the playoff but the Bulldogs have to win out.
Oklahoma 10-1 (484-277) ranked #3/#5 by the polls and #4 by the committee
11/25 vs. West Virginia 7-4 (404-320)
Comments: Mountaineers won’t be a walk-over. Whoever the Sooners playing the newly minted conference title game won’t be either but will be a team they’ve already beaten.
Here’s how I see the playoff shaping up:
Firstly, I don’t see any scenario that includes the Pac 120 champ, which is what I think will doom the 4 team playoff, (but not immediately). The power conferences have power and they will not like having their champions left out so we eventually go to an 8 team playoff with the 5 power conference champions and 3 at large teams, which is easily my preference as well. But that’s an aside. Here are the current rankings: 2017 NCAA College Football Polls and Rankings for Week 13 - ESPN
The ACC title game between Miami and Clemson will essentially be a quarterfinal game because I think the loser will be left out of it unless we have an unusual number of big upsets this weekend. The SEC will be interesting because Alabama has not wrapped up a spot in the title game. Auburn has 2 losses but one it to Clemson, (the other to LSU). If they beat Alabama, they will have a rematch with Georgia and that would essentially be a quarterfinal as well as I think the loser would be out. If Auburn is the winner they might not be in but wins of Alabama and Georgia could vault them over Wisconsin or Oklahoma or both. Alabama will be in even with a loss, (“It’s good to be the King”). Oklahoma will play a team they’ve already beat in the Big 12 title game, probably TCU. They also have a win over Ohio State in the bank. . Wisconsin will face Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, (the Buckeyes beat both Penn State and Michigan State). If the Badgers win, they still might not get in because the Big Ten, especially their division, was down this year. But the fact that they are an undefeated power conference champion and they would now also have a win over Ohio State, (which would now have 3 losses and also diminish Oklahoma’s accomplishment), would make it very hard to leave them out. I think they’d move ahead of the Sooners. Both of them should root for Alabama to run the table, which would make the SEC a one bid conference. If Ohio State were to beat Wisconsin, I can’t see them being picked over Oklahoma, who beat them. So, if Alabama wins out, it should be them, the ACC winner, Oklahoma and the Big Ten winner.
Who could spoil the party? I don’t see Pittsburgh beating Miami or Minnesota beating Wisconsin. South Carolina, a sneaky good team, has a better chance against Clemson. Georgia- Georgia Tech is a rivalry game and the Jackets are “hard to prepare for”. But this is one of those series where one team always seems to win if they are even or better and that one team here is Georgia. West Virginia is a feisty team. Michigan would love to eliminate Ohio State. They’ve done it before in Ann Arbor. Fun fact: The Sooners are the only contender that will be at home. The rest all have to win on the road. Hmmmm…
PESCI BOWL
Central Florida 10-0 (482-205) ranked #13/#12 by the polls but #15 by the committee
11/24 vs. South Florida 9-1 (379-199) ranked #2/#19 by the coaches but unranked by the committee
Comment: Here we got with a battle of the Florida mid-majors who aren’t really so “mid”. Did you know that Central and South Florida are both bigger schools that Florida and Florida State and that they are in much bigger cities and thus better recruiting areas? Too bad Houston spoiled the goose-egg party but it still could spark the beginning of a great rivalry.
Memphis 9-1 (447-326) ranked #17/#16 in the polls but #20 by the committee
11/25 vs. East Carolina 3-8 (286-470)
Comment: Memphis will meet the winner of the UCF-USF game in the C-USA finals and the winner of that will go to the Pesci Bowl unless SMU messes things up some more. Could the Pesci Bowl be a rematch of two of these three teams?
South Florida 9-1 (379-199) ranked #22/#19 but unranked by the committee
11/24 at Central Florida 10-0 (482-205) ranked #13/#12 by the polls but #15 by the committee
Comment: Will Gameday be there for the confrontation between the Bulls and the Knights?
We might have to go to the two loss teams: Boise State 9-2, San Diego State 9-2, Toledo 9-2 or Troy 8-2
TY-D BOWL
Texas- El Paso 0-11 (134-413)
11/25 at Alabama-Birmingham 7-4 (327-285)
Comment: UTEP, (formerly Texas Western), has had 21 seasons since 1972 in which they won 2 or fewer games. So this is familiar territory for them.
The one-win teams are now in play because previously 0-9 Georgia Southern beat previously 4-6 South Alabama 52-0. How would you like to lose 0-52 to an 0-9 team?
Baylor 1-10 (270-386)
11/24 at Texas Christian 9-2 (369-166) ranked #10/#13 in the polls and #12 by the committee.
Comment: The one-proud bears seem a lock for 1-11. I may split the Ty-D Bowl into two levels: one for power conference teams and one for mid-majors.
Charlotte 1-10 (158-362)
11/25 vs. Florida Atlantic 8-3 (446-286)
Most of the Ty-D bowl contenders are playing teams they seem unlikely to beat so some tough decisions will have to be made.
Georgia Southern 1-9 (199-334)
11/25 at Louisiana (formerly Louisiana-Lafayette, formerly SW Louisiana) 5-5 (300-383)
12/2 at Coastal Carolina 2-9 (256-391)
Comment: A long time FCS power with many national championships that will never win another because they went for the big bucks in FBS, the Eagles find themselves at 1-9. Maybe they can beat Coastal Carolina, another refugee from FCS.
Kansas 1-10 (207-463)
11/25 at Oklahoma State 8-3 (497-344) tanked #18/21 and #19 by the committee.
Comment: Still another 1-10 team on their way to 1-11. Kansas is so bad you wonder who they beat. The answer is Southeast Missouri, 38-16 in their opener.
Oregon State 1-10 (238-447)
11/25 at Oregon 6-5 (371-329)
Comment: Oregon isn’t what they sued to be but they are better than State, who isn’t what they used to be, either.
Rice 1-10 (181-399)
11/25 vs. North Texas 8-3 (420-385)
Comment: Rice’s season opened with a 7-62 loss to Stanford in Australia while their home city, Houston, was being flooded like a hurricane, so I guess you could say their season got better as it moved along.
San Jose State 1-11 (186-525)
11/25 vs. Wyoming 7-4 (251-194)
Comment: But the Spartans may be the worst team of all. At least, they have the worst defense.
