College Football, Week 5: Playoff Contenders Emerge

As we move into conference play portion of the 2015 college football portion, the playoff contenders and pretenders begin to separate themselves. And while last week unofficially eliminated Oregon from the title picture, you can be sure that there will be more pretenders revealed this Saturday afternoon.

Chief among those games that will decide the playoff contenders and pretenders is the tilt between Clemson and Notre Dame. While it may be argued that neither team can lose this game, this contest may be more important to the Irish. Because the lack of a conference championship certainly means Notre Dame more than likely has to run the table to get invited to Miami or Dallas.

(As a side note while most teams play conference games this week Notre Dame versus Clemson is a no conference game due to the Irish's status as an independent. Atlthough technically they are a member of the ACC. But I don't have time for that debate today.)

Of course, that is not to say the Tigers won't be prepared for this contest. Deshaun Watson hopes to live up to the hype he garnered from high school with a victory in this marquee matchup. And they don't want to let down the Clemson faithful at home.

So the Irish hope their luck will continue for another week behind backup quarterback Deshone Kiser. But this just might be the week their luck runs out My prediction is Clemson 27, Notre Dame 17



Other teams in action:





1 Ohio State at Indiana: Buckeyes finally begin to put it together on offense. Ohio State 52, Indiana 25

3 Ole Miss at 25 Florida: In 2006 the Rebels handed would-be national champion Florida their only loss of the season. Gators hope to repay the favor but fall short. Ole Miss 20, Florida 19

13 Alabama at 8 Georgia: Nick Chubb's heisman effort isn't enough to in this battle of SEC West vs
SEC East.  Alabama 28, Georgia 21

Arizona State at 7 UCLA: Bruins continue their march toward one of the four playoff spots.  UCLA  42, Arizona State 14

Bonus pick:

Navy over Air Force: Mids get payback after losing commander in chief trophy last year, and in doing so put themselves in position to bring the trophy to Annapolis.

BCS Mess: Wisconsin's Luck, Georgia's Heartbreak

In a few hours the BCS selection committee will announce its matchups for the 2012-2013 bowl season. It is expected that Notre Dame and Alabama will meet in the BCS National Championship game in Miami, while the other known game is the Rose Bowl, where Wisconsin will meet Stanford in Pasadena, California.

Unfortunately the loser of last night's SEC championship, Georgia, won't be playing in the BCS. That spot will more than likely go to Florida, who, like Alabama last year, didn't even make it to the conference championship game.

And never mind that Wisconsin, the Big Ten's participant in the Rose Bowl the last two years, didn't even finish first in their own division. Actually at 4-4 in the Big Ten, they barely finished third in the Leaders division, a game a head of Purdue (3-5), two games behind Penn State (6-2), and three games behind Leaders division champs Ohio State (8-0).

But wait a minute, how is this possible? A team that struggled to finish with a .500 record in its own conference, has an 8-5 overall record, and has had three different starting quarterbacks during the season is going to the Rose Bowl? While undefeated Ohio State (12-0) will be watching at home?

The short answer is simple: Ohio State and Penn State were ineligible for postseason play, thus making Wisconsin the Leaders Division's representative in last night's Big Ten title game in Indianapolis. And Wisconsin went on to win the championship game by defeating a Nebraska team that believes the word defense is not in their vocabulary.

The longer answer, however, is a bit more complex. You see, Ohio State was banned from postseason play this year because its former head coach, Jim Tressel, lied to the NCAA. And the NCAA, not wanting to be embarrassed itself, decided to make an example out of Ohio State. Never mind the fact that the suit-wearing individual who levied the bowl ban more than likely doesn't watch football. Nor does he realize that the revenue of a potential OSU-ND national championship game would dwarf that of a Stanford-Wisconsin Rose Bowl. Ohio State broke the rules, so they must pay the consequences.

But it makes me absolutely sick that Wisconsin is going back to the Rose Bowl for a third straight season. And it doesn't even matter that Ohio State will be watching from home this January. Look I get it, the last two seasons, like it or not, the Badgers deserved to be there. In 2010, they tied Ohio State for the Big Ten Title, but, because they had already beaten them head to head, they went to the Rose Bowl. Then, last season, not only were they clearly Big Ten Champions at 11-1 but they were one Kirk Cousins hail mary away from playing LSU in the BCS National Championship.

Watching last night's conference championship between the Badgers and Huskers, however, made my stomach turn. Not only did Bret Bielema's team finish third in their division, but they backed their way into the title game, losing two of their last three games. Not to mention if you asked over 70% of college football fans in the nation to name Wisconsin's starting quarterback they probably wouldn't get it right. That's because during the course of the season they had started three different guys at the position, and the guy who played last night, Curt Phillips (a fifth-year senior), was starting in only the fourth game of his college career.

All of this happened only a few hours after Georgia, who would probably knock the tar out of both Nebraska and Wisconsin (and will more than likely face Nebraska on New Year's Day), lost their only chance to play in the BCS when they fell 32-28 to Alabama in the SEC championship. And though it should be known I don't particularly care for teams from the SEC, I do have respect for teams that play well.

So while fans argue if Alabama and Notre Dame should be in the BCS Championship, if an undefeated Ohio State squad deserves consideration for the AP National Title, or if Ohio State could beat either Alabama or Notre Dame, I have another question for my readers. Does a Wisconsin squad that didn't even finish above .500 in its conference deserve a BCS bid over an 11 win Georgia team that quite possibly gave No. 2 ranked Alabama its toughest game all season?

It's going to be very hard for me to watch any of the Big Ten bowl games this season, but not because Ohio State won't be there. There is a definite possibility that the Big Ten only wins one or two bowl games this season and even that is in doubt. And there might be a few things worse than sending the conference's fifth best squad to the Rose Bowl, but you won't hear me mention them here.

Why Ohio State Fans Should Root For Notre Dame

So it is with a heavy hand that I write this. Okay, so not really, but I had debated about writing on the Duke men's basketball team or the NFL's resident blowhard, Rex Ryan, before settling on this topic.

However, seeing as the Ohio State football team's season is coming to a close, in it's annual renewal of 'The Game' versus their hated rivals from That School Up North, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to comment on what has been on everyone's mind the last few days.

Make no bones about it, I don't like that team up north. Of course, I wouldn't go as far as ex-Buckeye Roy Hall, whom, if you listened to local Columbus radio 97.1  The Fan this afternoon, took his hatred for everything Maize and Blue to a whole other level. It was kind of comical. In case you missed it, you might want to go to youtube and type in 'Roy Hall T-Bone Michigan Week interview."

But I digress. The point being is that despite my dislike for Ohio State's opponent this week, I have to respect the ability they possess on the field, both offensively and defensively. It will be a challenge for this defense to stop a better than average passing quarterback in Devin Gardner, and Denard Robinson, if healthy, may be more of a threat in the Wolverines backfield than Fitzgerald Toussaint would have ever been. Needless to say, it won't be easy for the Bucks when they try to become only the sixth team in school history to finish a season undefeated.

What is interesting is that I actually admitted to one of my closest friends that if Ohio State had lost to Wisconsin last week I would have no reason to watch OSU vs. Michigan this weekend. To which he looked at me like I had gone mad. Of course I was going to watch the game, and root for the Buckeyes nonetheless, but the point was that without the potential to go to a bowl game or go undefeated, a victory over the Wolverines would seem somewhat hollow. I guess I have reached the point where beating U of M just isn't good enough; only perfection will do.

Which brings me to the ultimate point of this article. Many fans have wondered what Ohio State's fate would be had they self-imposed a bowl ban last season. Would the NCAA allow them to compete in postseason play this year? Well, hindsight is 20/20, and we can only deal with current realities. So OSU's bowl game is this Saturday, and I while I expect the first season of the Urban Meyer to end just as it began, with a victory, I am taking nothing for granted. Nor should any other OSU fan.

In that vein, OSU fans should stop wondering 'what if' Ohio State were to play Notre Dame in the BCS championship, and, instead, start rooting for the Blue and Gold to actually win it all. For starters, there is the distinct possibility that OSU could lose such a matchup, and the end result might not be pretty. Notre Dame has played an ostensibly better schedule than Ohio State, and held its two toughest opponents, Stanford and Oklahoma, to a combined total of 26 points. On the flip side, Ohio State has given up a combined total of 77 points to Inidana and Cal, two teams whose combined record is 7-16.

So, unlike some overzealous fans on Facebook, I do not think the Buckeyes would roll over the Irish. And I will admit I have been somewhat harder on the Irish than the pollsters. A part of me thinks that, despite playing the toughest schedule in the nation, they just don't measure up when it comes to the 'eye test.' And the other part of my assessment of Notre Dame lies on my preconceived notion that the media builds this program up year after year, only to see them let everyone down in the end. But could they actually be legit?

Well, seeing as how I have been burned horribly the last two weeks, I will not predict the outcome of this Saturday's clash between the Irish and the Trojans. I will, however, urge all Buckeye fans, after they have cheered the home team to victory, to root for Notre Dame to win out. Forget about your hatred of Notre Dame and Lou Holtz. The Irish may have the best chance to stop the SEC's BCS run at six. Which I believe is more important anyway.

What has been almost a nonissue this season is the mediocre play of the SEC. Alabama isn't the juggernaut it has been in the past. Not only did they lose to the Aggies, but they should have lost to LSU as well. An LSU team whose offense is boring as a Jim Tressel coached team. Seriously. Watch more than two minutes of LSU play, and I dare you to tell me that Les Miles isn't Jim Tressel Lite. No imagination on offense, and the only reason he is able to compete with the big boys is that, unlike Tressel, he is able to recruit speed on defense.

Even Florida has had issues moving the ball this season. Just ask Louisiana-Lafayette(whom I'm not even sure is a NCAA Division IA school), who almost upset the Gators. In Gainesville.

So, while it goes against almost every instinct that I have, I will be rooting for the football team from South Bend, Indiana, to win their next two games. Because, in the end, in order for the myth of SEC superiority to die, someone has to beat them in a meaningful contest.

College Football Week 11 Preview: Will Aggies Upset No.1 'Bama ?

Without the drama of rivalries such as Florida vs. Georgia, LSU vs. Alabama, Notre Dame vs. Stanford or even Texas Oklahoma, week 11 of the college football season is more about survival for the BCS undefeateds.

Foremost among minds of many fans is whether the Alabama Crimson Tide can finish the regular season undefeated in pursuit of its second mythical national championship in as many years. While those in or near Tuscaloosa hope the Tide roll, it is safe to say the rest of the nation would love to see Alabama trip up somewhere along the way.

This week Nick Saban's gang host the Aggies of Texas AM that feature a high-octane offense led by freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel. The Aggies' offense is ranked third in the nation in scoring (44.7 ppg), and they have scored more than 48 points in five of their first nine games. Manziel also leads the team in rushing with 922 yards, leading one to wonder why his name isn't mentioned more often in the Heisman Trophy discussion.

So what are the prospects for an Aggie upset this Saturday afternoon? Not necessarily good. They have struggled against Florida and LSU, two teams that play a defense similar to 'Bama. Points will be at a premium, and it will be imperative that the Aggies don't turn the ball over. My prediction is the Tide remains perfect, 34- 17.

Elsewhere, in top 25 action:

Arkansas vs. No. 8 South Carolina: The Razorback athletic department stands behind its decision to fire Bobby Petrino. The Razorback players not so much. Gamecocks don't miss Marcus Lattimore at all today, winning 41-7.

No 9 Louisville at Syracuse: When will the magic run out for Teddy Bridgewater and the Cardinals. Not today. Louisville 30-17.

No. 24 Northwestern at Michigan: Wildcats give Wolverines all they can handle on the road but fall short. Michigan 28, Northwestern 25

No. 11 Oregon State vs. No. 14 Stanford: Oregon State wins a nail biter here, setting up a showdown with the Ducks in two weeks for the Pac-12 North title.

No. 4 Notre Dame at Boston College: Irish eyes are smiling once again on Notre Dame, as they pull out a closer than expected victory.

No. 3 Oregon vs California: Ducks get upse...ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, I couldn't even finish that one without rolling on the floor laughing.  Oregon 48, California 20

Well, there you have it folks. If I get any of these wrong, well...then I am just like every other football pundit out there trying to make a prediction.