WITS: Kicking It

What I Think, Sports edition

I was going to call this the "kicking chaos" week, but so many of the top teams lost in college football that the chaos was minimal.

Dabo Sweeney had to be kicking himself after calling for two failed runs to try and put the game away when his team had thrown for over 580 yards (vs 50 rushing) during the game.  A short Pitt drive and 43 yard field goal later, and Clemson's latest tightrope walk of a game (see also Auburn, Troy, Louisville, Florida State, and NC State) ended in a loss for the Tigers.

Michigan also lost on a last minute field goal by Iowa this weekend. And Washington's decisive home loss to So Cal at home concluded the trifecta of CFP top four teams losing.  Al-a-bama rolled (Tide) on.

Despite all that, Clemson and Michigan still control their own destinies. Win out, you're probably in the playoff.  The Huskies, maybe not so much.  They can still finish the season with with one loss and a conference championship, but the committee proved in their first poll they don't think much of Washington's schedule.

The PAC-12 is far from clear. Utah, Colorado, Washington State, and Washington are all in position to win out and claim the conference crown.

Ohio State is in the unenviable position of potentially having a one loss season, beating rival Michigan and another top 10 team (Oklahoma), and not even making their conference championship game.  They could be sitting home watching Wisconsin and Penn state battle for the Big 10 title.

Which raises the question: If 3 conference champions (Big 10, Big XII, and PAC-12) all have 2 loses, and Ohio State and Louisville finish with one loss, who joins Alabama in the playoff?  (Potentially 4 conference champs if Virginia Tech beats Clemson for the ACC title.)

And the kicker for this post, the Carolina Panthers lost their 4th game of the season due to a last minute field goal, three made by their opponents and one missed by them.

Cherish your kickers, coaches; cherish your kickers.

P.S. Shout out to the John Carroll Blue Streaks for ending the 112 game win streak of Division III football powerhouse Mount Union.  The loss also ended the Purple Raiders 21 year stranglehold on the Ohio Athletic Conference title.

WITS focus: The College Football Playoff

What I Think: Sports edition

Road to the Fin...Last Four?

Here we are at the midpoint of the college football season.  Depending on their bye week every team has played 6 or 7 games.  So where do we stand on the road to the playoff?

11 undefeated teams:  Two of these are "Group of Five" teams with weak schedules.  Even if they stay unbeaten they have virtually no chance of making the playoff.  Of the nine Power Five conference teams, 4 will lose to a fellow unbeaten in the regular season.  Theoretically five teams can go undefeated and claim Power Five conference championships.  This would be playoff nightmare scenario number 1.

9 one loss teams:  Five of these are Group of Five teams, of which only Houston has any cachet as a national level team.  At least 4 of the current unbeatens will fall into this category.  But there are spoilers out there, teams that can really muddy the waters.

Oklahoma and TCU - Every team in the Big 12 plays every other team.  And these two loss powers can inflict losses on Baylor and West Virginia, leaving the Big 12 with no undefeated team, or even no team with fewer than 2 losses.  Oklahoma State could also enter into this equation.

Florida State - Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney said Clemson has beaten everyone but Clemson.  Not for lack of trying.  Five turnovers against Louisville and four against NC State were offset only by clutch plays, stout defense, and the home field advantage.  But the Seminoles are not coming to Death Valley, and they could easily derail the tigers' unbeaten season if given a chance.

Wisconsin - The Badgers had close losses to Michigan and Ohio State.  But if Ohio State puts a loss on fellow unbeaten Nebraska, Wisconsin could seize the division with a victory of their own against the Cornhuskers, setting up a grudge match with the Wolverines-Buckeyes winner in the Big Ten title game.

Utah and Washington State - The Washington Huskies have the straight line to an undefeated season and PAC 12 championship.  But that line leads through the home field of the Utah Utes, the Apple Cup with the rival Cougars, and a potential rematch with Utah in the championship game.

A few of these occurrences could lead to a fairly straight forward mix of four zero or one loss conference champs for the playoff.  But too many, or too few, could lead to five undefeated conference champions,  a bunch of one loss teams, or even some two loss conference champ.

The College Football Playoff Committee may have some interesting choices ahead.

Quick WITS

What I Think, Sports edition

Oh, Furman.  You hurt me so. It would help if you'd get the offense rolling before the 4th quarter.

I don't know what Notre Done and Oklahonot are going to do with the rest of their season.

Speaking of being eliminated, if Clemson were to be Louisville, Florida state would be able to single-handedly deny their own conference a playoff berth by winning out.

If Clemson doesn't win the ACC, at least their season so far has given coaches a lot of film to teach players. The score so far - dropped passes, letting an inferior opponent hang around, dropping the ball before reaching the endzone, and (by SC State) tossing a kickoff to a ref in the endzone without downing it.

So if North Dakota St wins a 6th consecutive FCS championship to go with its 6 wins in a row over FBS schools, can we just slot them into the FBS playoff?

Because unless Baylor wins out or the PAC 12 doesn't cannibalize itself, there's going to be an open slot.  more than one if Houston stumbles.

At this point the Big 12 might want Houston joining...now.

The ACC contenders are going to be making noise in the first half of the season, the Big 10 the second half.  Be interesting to see how the national championship committee scores that as time goes on.

I feel like I'm forgetting something.  Oh yeah...