NCAA Week 9

Pac-12 After Dark provides another thriller. Wazzu scored with 1 minute left and PAT gives it a one-point lead. Oregon came back for a last-play field goal and a 37-35 victory. Excitable ESPN crew claimed the Ducks are "very much alive" for a top 4 spot because Oklahoma lost.

 

They'd be a solid fourth in the SEC West.

 

I don't think UO will beat Utah in the Pac-12 title game. But if it wins out, Oregon will be 12-1 with wins over Washington, WSU, USC, Stanford and Utah, and a last-second loss to Auburn in what was essentially a road game. That's a better resume than Oklahoma's, whose signature win over Texas loses more luster every week, and a loss at mediocre KSU. The second SEC team will be a bigger hurdle to overcome.

 

Oddly enough, Oregon could get a lot of help from Auburn in that regard.

 

At least one of the Pac 12 contenders will choke at some point in the remaining regular season.
The thing that Trumpist SEC fanboys are missing is that the Ohio State-Penn State loser will have a better resume than Alabama's if the Tide loses to LSU and a nearly identical resume to LSU's if the Tigers lose to the Tide.

 

Rooting for Baylor and Minnesota to run the table. Let's make this crazy.

 

Well, if the Gophers run the table, they are in, no questions asked. Undefeated Big Ten champions.

 

New AP poll has LSU at No. 1. They edged Alabama by two points, despite getting four fewer first-place votes.
Oklahoma dropped to 10, Auburn only to 11, and Notre Dame to 16.
Oregon and Michigan were the big movers, up to 7 and 14, respectively. Somehow, Wisconsin is still No. 18 even after the two-week running debacle they've put on the field.
Baylor, Minnesota and SMU hanging in at 12, 13 and 15, respectively. So it looks like SMU is the new UCF.

 

I would challenge any of the AP voters if they'd be willing to put money on LSU in two weeks at Alabama even with the points. I imagine a truthful answer would show maybe three voters tops.

 

Oklahoma's loss opened up everything:

-- Increased the Big XII chances of being shut out, with an undefeated Baylor still not likely according to the math folks.
-- Increased the Pac-12's chances of getting in as long as Oregon and Utah can meet in the P12CG as 11-1 teams
-- Increased the chances of the Big Ten or SEC getting two in.

It was potentially a huge day for Utah, Oregon, the Ohio State/Penn State loser, the Alabama-LSU loser, possibly the loser of the SEC championship game (if undefeated Alabama or LSU faces one-loss Georgia or Florida). Possibly the loser of the Big Ten championship game (if both Minnesota and Ohio State/Penn State are undefeated).

Of course Oklahoma just needs to win out and the Pac-12 winner to finish with two losses to be back in the projections again. It seems like the only team that could potential back door their way in is LSU, because they've already got three good-to-great wins on their resume. They could lose a very close game to Alabama on the road and win out and probably have an argument against Oklahoma.

 

the Big 10 media bias in the polls is embarrassing. Iowa is an average at best program and it’s in the top 20.

 

I do admire voting on resume rather than eyeballs though. Bama's best win is....Texas AM (which doesn't have a win against a team with a winning record, their "best wins" are losses to Bama, Auburn and Clemson).

As for the rest of the poll - you have to put somebody up and after the sixth or seventh spot it really doesn't matter.