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: Playoff Chaos

What I Think, Sports edition: The College Football Playoff hits and near misses

Things got a little easier for the playoff committee's first rankings.  Three Big Five conference undefeateds, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Baylor fell at the hands of conference foes.  And the race for the Group of Five representative in the New Years Six bowls has a leader on the track: the mighty Western Michigan Broncos are last remaining undefeated team outside the Big Five after Boise State's narrow loss to Wyoming. 

The final and deciding points on that one were from a safety on a fumble.  You just never know in college football.

But things could have gone much differently.  Alabama had a bye week and Michigan took control of their rivalry game with the Spartans of Michigan state in the first half, so were never in danger.  Undefeated Clemson of the ACC and Washington of the PAC-12 had tough, close, road victories over ranked, conference opponents.  The top one loss teams, Louisville and Ohio State, also had to make plays late in their respective games to pull out wins.  A little more sprinkling of chaos and there would have been a big two and multitude of everybody elses.

Of course, that could still happen.

Alabama has road contest with a ranked LSU team this weekend.  And a date with a surging Auburn at season's end.

Michigan has its own rivalry challenge with Ohio State, which is still alive in the race for the Big Ten championship, pending an elimination game this Saturday with Nebraska.  A victory over the Buckeyes would propel the Wolverines into a championship game showdown with either Nebraska or Wisconsin.

The Badgers have virtually spent this season as the agents of chaos.  In addition to knocking off Nebraska, they have given Michigan and Ohio State all they could handle.  And a Buckeye victory over the Cornhuskers would give Wisconsin another shot against the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan tilt at season's end.  And they started the year pinning a nonconfersnce loss on LSU, something no SEC school can afford to suffer.

There are other agents of chaos lurking.  Two loss Oklahoma can win the Big XII, burying any hope of that conference to place a team in the playoff.  Washington State, Colorado, or Utah could put a blemish on Washington's record and deny them the Pac-12 title.  Clemson has played close games all season, making virtually every opponent a stumbling block, including potential ACC Coastal champ Virginia Tech and ever improving rival South Carolina.

And there's rarely just one Chaos Weekend.