Last night, #7 Baylor fell to #5 Georgia 26-14 in the Sugar Bowl. The Bears now fall to 11-3 on the season. Baylor’s loss in the Sugar Bowl was deflating as Georgia held a 2+ score lead for most of the game, and Baylor lost for the second time in row.
As a Baylor fan myself, it was a tough pill to swallow watching my quarterback leave the game with a scary injury, and favorite team get beat on the field in a New Year’s Six Bowl. Scrolling through Twitter, it was not hard to find frustration from fans regarding the game. Leaving my seat at the end of the game, I felt dejected with a sour taste of losing. It was not until as I was leaving the stadium, that I found myself smiling seeing the insane amount of Baylor fans that made the trip to New Orleans that caused me to reflect on the season as a whole.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
While the season certainly did not end the way Baylor fans wanted it to, this is still a season to be THANKFUL for. It is easy to only focus on the most recent event, but lets not forget all what Baylor Football accomplished this season.
“I know it’s ‑‑ I know it’s painful for our guys, but they can’t let that deter what they’ve done this season.”- Coach Matt Rhule.
First only two years after a 1-11 season, Matt Rhule lead Baylor to an astounding 11-3 not only tying the record for the highest amount of Baylor wins in a season, but making it the 6th time in history that Baylor football has achieved a double-digit win season. The football games themselves were also highly entertaining featuring 3 games that were overtime thrillers. 7 of the 11 games were one-score games with 3 of those with game winning or tying drives by Baylor’s offense in the final minutes.
Baylor Football also brought national attention back to the university as they finished the season ranked #7 in the nation, was amidst the College Football Playoff conversation for majority of the season, and brought ESPN’s College Gameday back to Waco for the first time since 2015. Most college football analysts predicted Baylor to finish anywhere from 4th-8th in the Big-12. Baylor surpassed those expectations and finished 2nd in the Big-12 earning them a spot in the Big-12 championship game, their first appearance in the championship game era. Some analysts did not even expect Baylor to make a bowl game. Matt Rhule and the Bears just responded by going to the Sugar Bowl for the first time since 1957.
In addition, the Bears also brought excitement, and energy back to Baylor Football. This team put on a show each and every game bringing fans back to games. After averaging the lowest attendance per home game ever in McLane Stadium in 2018, this year’s Baylor Football broke the record for the largest attendance in McLane Stadium history with 50,223 in their game against Oklahoma. They also recorded the 3rd largest attendance ever in McLane in their win over Texas, and 8th largest in their win in the overtime thriller against Texas Tech for homecoming.
I think Matt Rhule said it best in the press conference after the Sugar Bowl:
“As I told them, we were picked to not even been here. We got to the championship game. We got to the Sugar Bowl……I’m very, very, very proud of what we did this year, very grateful for these guys to my left and for our seniors for what they’ve done.”
With most of their starters projected to return, Baylor is predicted to have another impressive season, and be in the running for a Big-12 championship. The Bears will start the 2020 season off on September 5th against the Ole Miss Rebels in Houston.
As 2019 wraps up in the coming days, so does the second decade of the 21st century. Cole West recently broke down the Top 10 CFB moments of 2019. Here, we’re going to rewind a little further and look at the most dramatic, impactful, and wild moments in college football for the 2010’s. These rankings are far from perfectly objective as different moments and stories stick with all of us differently. Let us know what moments we missed or which ones we over/under-ranked.
#10 UCF’s National Title*
This moment doesn’t make this list for the moment itself, but more because of the implications it will have on college football going forward. In 2015, the Knights were absolutely awful going 0-12 and not putting up much fight in any of their conference games. Things would turn around quite quickly though as Scott Frost and QB McKenzie Milton led UCF to an 11-0 regular season (one game got cancelled due to Hurricane Irma) and a win over Memphis in the American Athletic championship game.
The Knights were left on the outside looking in to the College Football Playoff and had to settle for a Peach Bowl match-up with #7 Auburn. After defeating the Tigers 34-27, UCF would crown themselves 2017 National Champions which would be somewhat backed up by the NCAA and the Colley Matrix (a former BCS ranking algorithm).
2018 was a similar story, as UCF would again go 11-0 with a hurricane-cancelled game and a win over Memphis in the conference championship. And yet again the selection committee refused to take them seriously, leaving them in the Fiesta Bowl against LSU.
The UCF story probably makes your average blue-blood fan pretty uncomfortable because it throws some stones at the system that they have dominated for years. Why call it an FBS championship or playoff system when there are 5 conferences that will never be allowed to compete for the title? As long as group-of-five schools continue to put together impressive undefeated seasons, the current 4-team playoff system will be challenged.
Probably one of the wildest plays of the decade, trailing by three with just seconds left on the clock, Miami lateraled the ball eight times on a kick return that eventually broke loose for a game winning touchdown.
The real story on this play was the officiating, or lack thereof. Initially, there was a flag down for a block in the back on the return team which would have negated the score (correctly so, as you can count at least three and maybe more such blocks on replays). There was also a review to see if a Miami player’s knee was down at one point. After the review, the officials incorrectly concluded not only that the knee was not down but also that the illegal block in question had come from the side and not from behind. Reminder: very few penalties are reviewable and blocks in the back are not one of them.
The touchdown stood and Miami “won.” The ACC ended up temporarily suspending the entire officiating crew and issuing a statement admitting the mistakes. This play has really begun to embody the terrible reputation that ACC refs have come to earn this decade.
#8 Jadaveon Clowney Hit
My unofficial pick for Most Satisfying to Watch Sports play of the decade, words just don’t do justice for this hit from South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney against Michigan in the 2013 Outback Bowl. Clowney was already starting to turn some heads, but this play really put the country on watch and was instrumental in earning himself the first overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft.
#7 Oh he has trouble with the snap!
In college football, there are some coaches who can coach and motivate their teams in big games. Take Ed Orgeron, for example. Since taking over in Baton Rouge in 2016, Coach O has led LSU to a 15-7 record against ranked teams while picking up 11 of those wins over top 10 teams. Then there are coaches who can’t seem to get it done in big games. Jim Harbaugh comes to mind. At Michigan, Harbaugh has a 10-13 record against ranked opponents, beating just two top 10 teams in the process.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking of those losses came in 2015 at the hands of Michigan State. Punting from around midfield with a two point lead and only 10 seconds left on the clock, the Wolverines were all but guaranteed to knock off the 7th ranked Spartans. But we wouldn’t be talking about this game if that were the case. Blake O’Neill fumbled the snap and was swallowed up by Michigan State defenders before he could get any sort of punt off, and Jalen Watts-Jackson took the ball into the endzone as time expired to steal the win and providing the world with one of the more famous surrender cobras of all time:
#6 Texas is Back?
In a wild game against the 10th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Tyrone Swoopes stretched across the goal-line to win the game for the Longhorns in double overtime. Texas football had been scuffling for the prior 5 years and was slipping from national prominence just six years removed from a trip to the national championship game. A win over a top 10 team to open the year would be huge for getting the program back on track. Thus, thanks to Joe Tessitore, the three-word phrase that has probably been used more than other in college football this decade was born. Texas is back.
The Longhorns catapulted up to #11 in the AP Poll before the country quickly realized that Texas was not, in fact, back. Texas finished the season 5-7, losing to Big 12 doormat Kansas along the way and firing head coach Charlie Strong when all was said and done. It turned out Notre Dame was pretty awful that year as well, as the Fighting Irish finished 4-8.
That one moment has lived on thanks mostly to the large contingent of college football fans across the nation who despise the Longhorns. The phrase does owe some credit for its survival to current Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger and his postgame interview after Texas beat the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2019 Sugar Bowl.
Texas would follow that up by going 7-5 in the 2019 season. Horns down.
#5 Cardale Jones and the 2014 CFP Controversy
The 4-team College Football Playoff system was introduced to produce a more systematic approach to determining a college football national champion with less controversy. So it’s only natural that the first year under the system was steeped in controversy. The controversy was multiplied thanks to the performance of an unlikely hero, Cardale Jones.
Partly famous now for the above tweet, Jones was the third string QB for the Buckeyes at the start of the season behind Braxton Miller and JT Barrett. Thrust into the starting role after Barrett went down with a leg injury in the regular season finale, Cardale Jones led Ohio State in an absolute drubbing of Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big 10 Championship. This gave the selection committee quite the difficult task. It was already pretty well decided that the first three spots in the playoff would go to Alabama, Oregon, and Florida State respectively. The last spot was expected to be given to either Baylor or TCU, whom the Big 12 had somehow declared conference co-champions despite Baylor having beaten TCU head to head. Then the Buckeyes gave the committee an out. Rather than try to disentangle the Baylor-TCU debate, the committee selected Ohio State who went on to win the title, beating Alabama and Oregon along the way.
#4 Iowa State Upsets Oklahoma State with help from Missed FG in 2011
There are very few single plays that have had the same direct impact on the landscape of College Football as a certain field goal in this game did. Ranked #2 in the nation and just two wins from the BCS National Championship game, the 10-0 Oklahoma State Cowboys were having to play just a day after receiving news that a plane crash had taken the lives of the Oklahoma State women’s basketball coach and an assistant.
After giving up a 10 point halftime lead on the road to Iowa State, Mike Gundy, Brandon Weeden, and co. had a chance to take the lead on a 37 yard field goal with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Quinn Sharp only missed 4 kicks (one of which was an extra point) all season, but unfortunately this was one of them. The ball sailed directly over the right upright and the game went to overtime where the Cyclones pulled off the upset. Watch the field goal attempt here.
After throttling Oklahoma 44-10 the following week, Oklahoma St. still lost out on the #2 ranking and a BCS championship berth by the slimmest of margins to Alabama. The controversy surrounding this decision is what sparked the conversation and reformation that brought us the current College Football Playoff system. Not to mention that without this one missed kick, we would have missed out on the rematch of the Game of the Century™, one of the most exciting* national championships in recent memory in which LSU racked up 92 whole yards of offense! (*heavy dose of sarcasm)
#3 Tua Tagovailoa Leads the Comeback over Georgia
While seeing a rematch of an SEC championship game that was just played a few weeks prior was not the most appealing national championship match up, the game itself did not disappoint. Down to Georgia 13-0 at halftime, Nick Saban benched Jalen Hurts in favor of true freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa who led the Tide back in the second half and forced overtime. After the Alabama defense held the Bulldogs to a field goal, Tagovailoa hit DeVonta Smith up the sideline for a dramatic walk-off touch down to claim Alabama’s fifth title in ten years.
#2 Deshaun Watson Sinks Alabama to Win the 2016 National Championship
There is one primary reason that the top 2 moments in these rankings are the top 2. (Spoiler) They were to beat Alabama. You can’t talk about college football in the 2010’s and not mention the absolute dominance that the Alabama Crimson Tide had on the sport. Nick Saban led the program to 4 titles in the decade while appearing in 7 of the 10 championship games. This moment, when Deshaun Watson hit Hunter Renfrow to give the Clemson Tigers the lead with two seconds to go, not only showed a crack in Alabama’s dynasty, but also cemented Clemson as a national staying power. This was also one of the more thrilling National Championship games of the decade.
#1 The Kick Six and 2013 Auburn
There really can’t be any debate here. Chris Davis’ 109 yard kick return to knock the previously undefeated Crimson Tide out of the SEC- (and consequently the National) -title race ranks in the top 10 of the most dramatic moments across all sports. Not much more needs to be said about a top 5 matchup in one of the most heated rivalries in CFB ending in one of the most ridiculous ways possible and having drastic National Championship implications. And the cherry on top is the famous radio call by the late Rod Bramblett:
The Kick Six overshadows an insane game winning TD for Auburn earlier in the year against Georgia when the Bulldogs secondary batted a deep Nick Marshall pass up for Ricardo Louis who scampered into the endzone to take a 5 point lead with 25 seconds left:
The Kick Six and Immaculate Reception were good enough to propel the Tigers to the National Championship where their luck ran out against Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles.
JUST ENOUGH. This was the motto for the Texas A&M Aggies last night as they came back from a 14-0 lead and then held onto for a close win, 24-21, over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It looked ugly early on for the Aggies as Kellen Mond fumbled twice in the first quarter and fell behind 14-0 quickly. However, after a bad punt by Oklahoma State that got downed at their own 22 yard line, A&M capitalized on the field position and managed to be only down by a score, 14-7, going into halftime. After the A&M defense forced another 3 and out, they again capitalized on the situation and took a 60 yard drive, capped off by a 10 yard slant route touchdown pass from Mond to Jhamon Ausbon. After both offenses traded off multiple punts back and forth, Kellen Mond ripped off a 67 yard run through the heart of the Cowboys defense, giving A&M the lead for the first time all night. After forcing another punt, the A&M offense took a 9 play drive and kicked a 24 yard field goal with 2:52 left in the game to make it a 2 possession game. That FG would be the difference in the game as the A&M defense, for all the improvements they made in the 2nd half, gave up an Oklahoma State touchdown drive with a 1:04 left in the game. However, the onside kick attempt fell short and after A&M recovered and took a couple of knee downs, A&M completed the comeback and held onto to win the game and finish the season with an 8-5 record.
Player Notes:
Kellen Mond- failed to throw for a 100 yards but made up for it by leading the team in rushing with a 117 yards on the ground on 12 attempts, including a rushing touchdown.
Ainias Smith- it could be argued that once the freshman receiver found his way onto the field was the time that A&M found its spark on offense. While only pulling in 2 receptions, his explosive presence seemed to help kick start the previously anemic offense by being the other back, providing the explosive threat needed by A&M.
Chubba Hubbard- had another good night as he averaged 7.5 yards per run, with a total of 158 yards on 19 attempts. To A&M’s credit, the defense stopped him when they needed to and kept him out of the endzone. Oklahoma State fans eagerly wait on the redshirt sophomore’s decision to declare for the NFL Draft or not.
Braydon Johnson- had a very good night, averaging almost 25 yards a catch with 2 TDs and 124 reception yards, scorching the A&M secondary.
What’s Next?
Oklahoma State- While not getting the result they wanted from last night, Coach Mike Gundy remains optimistic for the Cowboys’ future, with the return of sophomore receiver Braydon Johnson and the hopeful return of Hubbard.
Texas A&M- Finally got a win over a good team, ranked in the Top 25, and got to 8 wins. Texas A&M will look to build off this win in the offseason for a 2020 season that is much more forgiving, swapping out SEC East opponent Georgia for Vanderbilt and nonconference Clemson, for UNT. With another top 10 recruiting class, Jimbo Fisher looks to continue to rebuild and retool Texas A&M into an SEC & CFP contending team.
Howdy Folks! Aggie gameday is upon us as our beloved Fightin’ Texas Aggies will partake in the 2019 Texas Bowl against the Oklahoma State Cowboys tomorrow afternoon. The Aggies come in with a 7-5 record on the year, but have lost their last 2 games. In the words of OK State coach Mike Gundy, the Aggies are the “best 7-5 team in the history of the NCAA.” I, personally, have never heard a more truthful statement in my life. The Ags have played arguably the hardest schedule of all time with all 5 losses against teams currently ranked in the top 12 in the playoff rankings. However, they have received criticism from many around the country for not having a win against a team with a winning record. The Aggies have their chance now against a Cowboys team who is 8-4 on the year and currently ranked 25th in the nation. The Aggies are currently favored by 5.5 points, a line that has went down by 1.5 points since Monday.
The Cowboys offense features one of the best RB’s in the country in Chuba Hubbard who led college football in rushing yards and also had 21 touchdowns. Hubbard has been an absolute workhorse this year and will cause some fits for an Aggie defense that has been liable to give up the occasional big play. QB Spencer Sanders had a solid year for the Pokes but missed the final 2 games after undergoing thumb surgery. Therefore, both he and backup Dru Brown will be receiving playing time. Further, the Cowboys will be without their top receiver, Tylan Wallace, who has been out with a torn ACL since November. This is good news for a much improved Aggie pass defense. However, the major key for the Aggie defense is whether or not they can contain Chuba Hubbard. If the Ags can prove they can stop the run early in the game and force the Cowboy’s offense to rely on their passing game, they will have a solid shot to walk out of Houston with a win.
While the OK State offense and the Aggie defense are both statistically solid, it is the total opposite for their respective defenses and offenses. Neither are very good. The Aggie offense is once again led by QB Kellen Mond who has been fairly good from a numbers standpoint, but has been subpar in the eyes of the average Aggie fan. While Mond has shown some growth this season, his play in the last two games of the season against Georgia and LSU have many calling for the QB to head to the sidelines. While Mond was unimpressive in both games, it is the offensive line play as a whole this season that has left me yelling at my flatscreen. The Aggies offensive line is abysmal to say the least and ranks near the bottom of the NCAA in almost every measurable statistic. Thankfully, they will be going up against an OK State defense that is unimpressive to say the least. Therefore, the Aggies should be able to establish the run with RB Isaiah Spiller which should open up the passing game for Mond. Look for receiver Jhamon Ausbon to have a big day against a brutal Cowboy’s secondary.
Sounds cliché, but for the Aggies to have a chance today they have to be able to stop Chuba Hubbard. The Cowboy defense is lackluster and will give Mond and Co. plenty of chances to score against them. In typical Big 12 fashion, I expect to see a shootout in NRG tomorrow and I like the Aggies to prevail. Good teams win. Great teams cover. Aggies 36 Cowboys 29.
Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanzaa! Whichever holiday you celebrate, we can all come together and rejoice in College Football Playoff season. The playoffs are finally upon us and let us rejoice and be glad. Grad School’s Cole West did a preview of the 1st semifinal game which can be found here: http://gradschoolsports.net/2019/12/24/college-football-playoffs-1-lsu-vs-4-ou-preview/
I will be previewing the primetime matchup between the Clemson Tigers and The Ohio State Buckeyes. Neither team is short of playoff appearances with the Buckeyes making their 3rd playoff appearance, winning it all 2014. Meanwhile, the Tigers will be playing in their record-tying 5th CFB playoff and will hoping to win back to back championships and their 3rd title in the last 4 years. Let’s dive into the matchups in this highly anticipated affair which has Clemson narrowly favored by 2.5 points
Clemson Offense:
This Clemson offense is very similar to last year’s team and is once again led by QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne. After some early season troubles, Lawrence has really rebounded in the 2nd half of the season and enters the game with the 7th best QBR in the nation. Lawrence has homerun targets in receivers Tee Higgins, who comes into the game with over 1,000 receiving yards, and Justyn Ross, the 13th best receiver in the ACC. Etienne has been magnificent on the ground for the Tigers as they have the 9th best rushing attack in all of college football. The Tigers offensive line has been stellar all season as well as they are 5th in the country in sacks allowed. Overall, this offense has been absolutely phenomenal and is clicking on all cylinders heading into the semifinal.
Ohio State Defense:
Two words: Chase Young. Lining up to defend against Lawrence and Co. will be arguably the best player in all of college football and a prospective number one pick in next year’s draft. Young is 1st in the country in both tackles for loss and sacks, and 2nd in forced fumbles. While Young has been a force to be reckoned with, this OSU defense is incredibly well-rounded. Statistically, they have the 2nd best passing defense and 7th best rushing defense in the nation. LB Malik Harrison has also enjoyed a great season and will team with Young to put pressure on the Tigers offense.
Ohio State Offense:
Offensively, the Buckeyes have a 3-headed monster in QB Justin Fields, RB J.K. Dobbins, and WR Chris Olave that Columbus has not seen since the 06 season. They have arguably the best offensive line in college football and the unit was a semi-finalist for the Joe Moore award. Playing in the very competitive Big 10, this offense has been battle-tested against some of the better defensive units in the nation. However, they have not faced a defense like the Tigers and could face some challenges moving the ball on Saturday.
Clemson Defense:
Statistically, the Tigers have the best defense in all of college football. They are at the top in both total defense and passing defense, 5th in turnover margin, and have the 9th best rushing defense. Brent Venables is a defensive mastermind and has one of the best defensive players in all of football in LB Isiah Simmons. The All-American Simmons has been remarkable this year and is an absolute unit at 6’4, 230 lbs. The Tigers also have one of the best scoring defenses in the country. Therefore, pressuring OSU QB Justin Fields and forcing him to make miscues could give Clemson the advantage it needs on Saturday.
Now the last time these 2 teams met in the 2016 semifinal, Clemson manhandled the Buckeyes 31-0 en route to their title win over Alabama. I, along with the rest of the country, expect a much closer game this year.
Who wins this game? I honestly think this is a coin flip game. Clemson has steamrolled their competition this year. However, there is an argument to be made that the teams they played don’t deserve to be properly identified as “competition.” Throughout the season, analysts have been underestimating this Tigers group however, everyone knows head coach Dabo Swinney will use that as fuel to have his team properly prepared and motivated for Saturday.
On the other hand, Ohio State has also dominated their competition and have played one of the more challenging schedules in the country. Ryan Day has done a great job in his 1st year as head coach and there were many around the country who believed OSU deserved the number one overall seed in the playoff.
I will have an official prediction on Friday when I release my Picks from God, however as of publishing I like the Buckeyes to prevail.
It is almost that time of year: The College Football Playoffs. The playoffs start this Saturday at 3:00 CT. The undefeated LSU Tigers take on the 12-1 Oklahoma Sooners in the Chick- Fil- A Peach bowl. This will be the 4th appearance in the playoffs for the Sooners, while this is the first postseason appearance for the Tigers. Regardless, both teams are looking for their first playoff win as the Sooners are 0-3.
The Sooners may be 0-3 in the playoffs, so far but their transfer QB, Jalen Hurts, has nothing but wins and experience. Before transferring to OU in the 2019 season, Hurts played QB at Alabama where he led the Rolling Tide to the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 (he was the backup in the 2018 season). Hurts is 3-1 as a starter in the College Football Playoffs. Hurts also has experience beating the LSU Tigers, beating them two years in a row as a starter. That type of experience can go a long way for the Sooners.
On the other side is the LSU Tigers who have stormed through the regular season. Posting wins against Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Auburn, it is no question that LSU has looked like the best team in the country. Now the Tigers are looking for their first win in the College Football Playoffs to send them to the national championship.
The biggest story this past week regarding these teams is the news that Oklahoma will be playing without three of their players. Oklahoma’s DE- Ronnie Perkins, RB- Rhamondre Stevenson, and WR- Trejan Bridges are suspended for the Peach Bowl. While it is still unclear what provoked the suspension, The Athletic’s, Jason Kersey, reported it as a “rules violation.” The biggest loss is DE, Ronnie Perkins. Perkins is considered the Sooners best pass rusher with six sacks, and 38 total tackles. This is now a major disadvantage for the Sooners as they try to stop Heisman winner, Joe Burrow, and his high-powered offense
The LSU Tigers have some bad news as well as running back Clyde Edwards- Helaire suffered a hamstring injury during practice last week. Edwards- Helaire is LSU’s leading rusher with 1,290 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. LSU coach, Ed Orgeron, said Edwards- Helaire is questionable for the Peach Bowl. However if anyone knows hamstring injuries, they know how hard they are to recover from in football. If Edwards- Helaire does not play, running backs, Tyrion Davis-Price, John Emery Jr., and Chris Curry would assume the workload. Those three running backs have a combine 118 attempts and nine rushing touchdowns on the season. The replacements have some experience; however, it would still be a major blow if the Tigers were without their starting running back.
Keys to the Game
Oklahoma
1.Run the Football
This is arguably the most important factor for the Sooners on Saturday: the ability to run the football. OU comes into this football game 11th in the nation in rushing yards per game with over 240 yards a game. This would be huge for OU as it wears down the LSU defense, open up the passing game, and keep LSU’s high-powered offense off the field.
2. Win the Turnover Battle
Oklahoma comes into the game as 13.5 point underdogs. Something underdogs cannot do in a football game if they want to win is have turnovers; therefore, OU needs to win the turnover battle. Jalen Hurts has shown this season that he struggles to hold on to the football. That cannot be the case Saturday, or else LSU will take advantage and make OU pay for it. If OU’s defense can force turnovers, that will give the OU defense a lot of confidence, momentum, and maybe some points on the board for OU.
LSU
1.Convert on 3rd Downs
One of the keys to the game for LSU is to convert on 3rd downs. LSU currently converts on 3rd downs 49.67% of the time which ranks 7th in the nation. Converting on 3rd downs will allow LSU’s offense to stay on the field and wear and tear the OU defense. This will allow receivers such as JaMarr Chase and Justin Jefferson to get involved early as well as boost the confidence for the LSU offense. OU’s defense currently is 48th in the country on opponents points per game with allowing 25.4 points per game. For LSU’s offense who averages 46.3 points per game (ranked 3rd), they should be more than capable converting on 3rd downs to put up points on the scoreboard.
2. Stop/Limit the Run
I mentioned this earlier, but LSU must be able to stop or limit the run for the Sooners. The Sooners average over 240 rushing yards a game. They run a power-style run offense that can wear down defenses. OU can run it with Jalen Hurts who has 1,255 rushing yards or RB, Kennedy Brooks, who has 976 yards on the season. This is worst case scenario for LSU: that Oklahoma is able to run all over the LSU defense to extend drives, and more importantly keep Joe Burrow and LSU off the field.
This will be a big opportunity for OU and the Big-12 to make a statement if they were to pull off the upset because the College Football Playoff committee has traditionally not shown as much respect to Big-12 teams over the years compared to teams in the SEC or Big-10.
The SEC and Big-12 champions will meet in Atlanta on December, 28th at 3:00 CT on ESPN. Both teams will be competing for a chance to play in the national championship.
Greetings, as we settle into the holidays and the new year, it is important that we all take time to reflect on the past year. Therefore, we should especially take some time to reflect on the College Football season. This college football season brought a lot of moments and plays to be grateful for. Here is an accumulated list of plays and moments that ranked among the top of the entire 2019 college football season.
10. Illinois Upsets #6 Wisconsin
Coming in at #10, is the upset for the Illinois Fighting Illini over undefeated Wisconsin, 24-23. Down 13 points near the end of the 3rd, the Fighting Illini stormed back and won the game with a game winning field goal. Illinois were 31 point underdogs, but shocked the nation by giving #6 Wisconsin their first loss of the season.
Along with that particular game and game-winning kick, what Love Smith has done to this program has been impressive. He has this program on the right track, and bowl bound for the first time in 4 seasons. A traditional basketball is starting to make some headway in the College Football realm.
9. Virginia Tech Over UNC in 6 OT
If the LSU- A&M 7 OT game was the flavor blasted Goldfish, than this game is the off-brand Goldfish you find in the back of a Walmart. While this game did not carry the hype of the shoot out in Kyle Field last year (mainly due to being a measly ACC matchup), it did provide a lot of entertainment, and suspense as the game went into 6 overtimes.
A person sees 6 overtimes, and thinks a lot of scoring, but the final score was only 43-41 Virginia Tech featuring only 22 combined points scored in the 6 overtime periods. This game would be higher up on the top moments of College Football the game carried more stakes.
8. Miss State Beats Ole Miss in Egg Bowl Fluke
I look back on this game, and thank this game for giving me entertainment on Thanksgiving day since the NFL game was a blowout. Mississippi State, and Ole Miss were in a classic turkey bowl battle for the state of Mississippi, where Ole Miss was down 7 in the 4th quarter. With 3 turnovers, Ole Miss has struggled offensively the entire game, but managed to mount a 82-yard drive that resulted in a 2-yard Ole Miss touchdown with 4 seconds left to give the PAT the chance to tie the game.
Immediately after catching the touchdown, Ole Miss WR, Elijah Moore, ran to the back of the end zone in Starkville, MS and celebrated the touchdown by imitating to be a dog, and take a leak/ go to the bathroom on the Miss. State field. While the celebration was hilarious especially in a rival game, it immediately drew a flag from the official for excessive celebration. Now all the pressure was on the Ole Miss kicker as a “gimme” PAT to tie it up just got moved back a daunting 15 yards. Like a scene of the movie, the Ole Miss kicker missed the game tying PAT, and Mississippi State came away a win in the Egg Bowl all because an Ole Miss WR wanted to pee like a dog in the end zone.
If you remember… after last year’s Sugar Bowl win and missing the College Football Playoffs, UT Quarterback, Sam Ehlinger, screamed into the microphone “Longhorn Nation, we’re backkkkkk’ during the postgame. For months, the nation has been baffled by this quote. What is the University of Texas back to? Mediocrity? Bowl eligibility? Well we found out this season as in the Longhorns went 7-5 after being ranked #10 to start the season. After every UT loss this year, people all over twitter spammed the video of Ehlinger saying “we’re back” to not let any UT or their fans forget it.
7. UT Being Back
When you reflect on this College Football season, the season would be incomplete if we forgot about the University of Texas “being back” phenomenon, as well as the “horns down” takeover.
Additionally, there seemed to be a lot of drama surrounding the “horns down” gesture this year. Last season, the Big-12 started to penalize teams for making the “horns down” hand sign. After this statement by the Big-12, this seemed to only inspire fans more to show the “horns down” out of mockery. It seemed like regardless of whether UT was playing in the stadium or not, a “horns down” sign was being thrown somewhere to make fun of the Austin school. It got to be such a big deal that College Gameday did a segment over it prior to Texas’s loss to LSU.
6. Baylor’s Incredible Turnaround
On the other hand, arguably the biggest surprise in College Football has been the Baylor Bears. After going 1-11 two seasons ago, Matt Rhule took the Bears to an impressive 11-2 record including a Big-12 championship appearance. Ranked at #7, Baylor has displayed one of the best turnarounds in College Football.
This was a team that lost to Liberty and UTSA at home in 2017, and then went on to beat every Big-12 team except Oklahoma in two years later. Matt Rhule has taken the Bears where no one thought they would be.
With a double-digit win season, Baylor is back in the Sugar Bowl for the first time since 1957.
5. UCLA Beats Washington 67-63 in Shootout
This game deserves to be in Top 10 moments of 2019 because it is a game that we all love to watch: offensive shootout. This game was the game college football fans dream to see on their TV when they are debating on whether to go to sleep or somehow watch Pac-12 football on a late Saturday night. A game that featured 14 passing TD’s and over 1300 yards of total offense, this is the game that we all took apart of in our NCAA 06 video game on the Play Station 2.
Down 49-17 at one point, UCLA stormed back to put up 50 points in the 2nd half including a game-winning touchdown from 15 yards out for UCLA. This game is in the top 10 for the combination of amount of offense displayed, and an incredible comeback.
4. BYU Hail Marry Against Tennessee
If Americans love anything in sports, its a good underdog team. Americans were the underdog in the revolutionary war, and ever since they find themselves rooting for the underdog. The up and coming BYU Cougars went up to face the historically acclaimed Tennessee Volunteers from the SEC. Down 3 with 18 seconds left in the 4th quarter, BYU faced a 3rd & 6 on their own 20 yard line. Tennessee is playing a prevent defense just to keep BYU from a field goal. Next play, BYU QB, Zach Wilson, connects with WR, Micah Simon, on a blown coverage for a 64-yard bomb putting them inside the red zone. This then leads to a clutch field goal from kicker, Jake Oldroyd from 33 yards out to send the game into overtime.
BYU then goes on to win the game in the 2nd overtime by scoring a touchdown. This was such a huge moment this season because it seemed like all was lost for the Cougars, but then they made a miracle play for 64 yards in the last seconds to give them another shot in overtime against a favored SEC team sending Tennessee to 0-2.
3. Clemson Making the Playoffs Again
While Clemson’s season was generally overlooked mostly due to how flashy Ohio State and LSU looked, and the drama of the College Football Playoffs, Clemson still managed to have a very impressive season going undefeated for the 3rd time in 5 seasons. With their undefeated season, Clemson makes the College Football Playoffs yet again making this the 5th time in a row tied for most with Alabama.
This is an incredible achievement for Dabo Swinney and his team as they have made the playoffs for half the decade. This makes them one of the top College Football Dynasties of the decade (probably only behind Alabama). This achievement should be noted regardless of the Tigers’ questionable strength of schedule.
2. Bama Missing the Playoffs
What is better than a team making the playoffs for 5 years straight… a team that finally misses the playoffs after 5 years. Alabama will miss the playoffs for the first time since the College Football Playoffs were formed in 2014. Nearly the whole nation cheered when Alabama lost to Auburn in the iron bowl eliminating their playoff chances. A giant complaint in College Football was the lack of differentiation since Alabama has won the national championship 5 out of the last 10 years, and have been in the playoffs for the last 5 years.
Now nearly the whole country seems rejuvenated watching an NCAAF postseason without Nick Saban and crew.
1.Burreaux Mania & Company
Sitting at #1 College Football moment of 2019 had to be the Ed Orgeron and his Bayou Bengals of Louisiana. The LSU Tigers were the #1 story in college football this year between their new revamped offense, winning the SEC, and Joe Burrow’s Heisman run.
The nation seemed to fall in love with the university after they upset Alabama at home, and of course America’s sweetheart, Ed Orgeron. Beating two top-10 teams, and four top-15 teams made them the #1 seed in the College Football Playoffs, their first appearance since the playoffs origin in 2014.
Along with their team achievements, LSU’s players & staff won a myriad of personal awards including the Heisman, Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, Jim Thorpe, Biletnikoff, and coach of the year. The combination of these made LSU’s overarching success the #1 moment in College Football in 2019.
On any given Saturday between late August and early December, you can find me on a couch watching college football. I would like to think my knowledge of the sport is quite comprehensive but unfortunately it has not translated over to my picks during bowl season. In almost 10 years, I cannot recall a year in which I haven’t given up by the Hawaii bowl. This season I will be comparing my own bowl picks to a coin flip and see which one has greater success. If the coin wins I will be implementing it in my 2020 strategy.
From what I remember from 7th grade and the scientific method, I need a hypothesis. My hypothesis is that the coin will win in a landslide. My materials are a standard US Quarter and a poorly formatted excel spreadsheet. After flipping the coin 40 times and annoying my brother trying to watch TV in the living room here are the results
BOWL
Match up
MY Pick
Coin Pick
Bahamas
Buffalo vs Charlotte
Buffalo
Buffalo
Frisco
Utah St vs Kent State
Utah State
Utah State
Celebration
Alcorn St vs NC A&T
NC A&T
Alcorn St
New Mexico
SDSU vs Cent Mich
CMU
SDSU
Cure Bowl
Georgia Southern vs Liberty
GSU
Liberty
Boca Raton
SMU vs FAU
SMU
SMU
Camellia
Ark St. vs FIU
AKST
FIU
Las Vegas
Washington vs. Boise St
BSU
BSU
New Orleans
App St. vs UAB
App St
UAB
Gasparilla
UCF vs Marshall
UCF
Marshall
Hawaii
BYU vs Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii
Independence
Miami vs LA Tech
LA Tech
LA Tech
Quick Lane
PITT vs EMU
PITT
PITT
Military
UNC vs Temple
UNC
Temple
Pinstripe
Mich St vs Wake
MSU
Wake
Texas
TAMU vs OK ST
OSU
OSU
Holiday
Iowa vs USC
Iowa
Iowa
Cheez-IT
AFA vs Wash St
AFA
WSU
Camping World
Notre Dame vs Iowa St
ISU
ISU
Cotton
Penn St vs Memphis
PSU
PSU
Peach
LSU vs OU
LSU
LSU
Fiesta
Clemson vs Ohio St
Clem
Clem
First Responder
Western Kent vs Western Mich
WKU
WMU
Music City
Miss St vs Louisville
MSU
L’ville
Redbox
Cal vs Illinois
Cal
Illini
Orange
Florida vs Virginia
UF
UVA
Belk
Virginia Tech vs Kentucky
VT
VT
Sun
ASU vs FSU
ASU
FSU
Liberty
K-State vs Navy
Navy
Navy
Arizona
Wyoming vs Georgia State
WYO
WYO
Alamo
Utah vs Texas
Utah
Texas
Citrus
Bama vs Michigan
Bama
Bama
Outback
Auburn vs Minnesota
Minn
Minn
Rose
Wisconsin vs. Oregon
Wisc
Ore
Sugar
Georgia vs Baylor
UGA
Bay
Birmingham
Cincinnati vs Boston College
Cinci
BC
Gator
Tennesee vs Indiana
Indiana
Indiana
Idaho Potato
Ohio vs Nevada
Ohio
Ohio
Armed Forces
Tulane vs Southern Miss
Tulane
Tulane
Lending Tree
ULL vs Miami (OH)
ULL
MIOH
Out of the 40 bowls that have been picked, the coin and my selection differ a total of 20 times. With 1 out of 2 bowls differing I (hypothetically speaking) could lose in an absolute landslide. If that is the case I may just need to retire from anything related to college football and stick to the NFL.
Air Force (10-2) vs. Washington St (6-6) Cheez-It Bowl (Dec 27th) Phoenix, AZ
The name value of this bowl alone piques my interest along with the infamous 2018 version of the Cheez-It Bowl, a barnburner that featured TCU defeating Cal 10-7 where there were nine combined interceptions. I would like to guess that this year’s game will be a lot different with both teams bringing two of the most explosive offenses in the country, but each doing so in drastically different ways.
Air Force Falcons
The Cadets from Colorado Springs will roll into Phoenix off a 10-2 campaign with their only losses coming to Mountain West champion Boise State and possible Commander-In-Chief Trophy winner Navy. Since head coach Troy Calhoun took the helm in 2007, this is his third 10-win season and the first time he has won seven conference games.
What makes this matchup so intriguing is the fact Air Force runs the triple option and Washington State runs the Air Raid. Air Force ranks 3rd in the country in rushing yards per game only behind Army and Navy. Led by Junior QB Donald Hammond III and the three headed monster of Kadin Remsberg, Timothy Jackson and Taven Birdow, the Falcons have no shortage of weapons out of the backfield. What makes this offense so hard to defend is that all the backs are utilized with regularity as all of them have over 100 carries this season. They will match up against a porous Cougar defense that ranks 113th in the country in total defense. Air Force is also the least penalized team in the country averaging under 4 per game.
Washington State Cougars
Mike Leach’s squad has disappointed this year falling to 6-6 after a very successful 11-2 season last year, capped with a victory in the Alamo Bowl. This will be a fifth straight bowl appearance for the Cougars and they’re looking to win back-to-back bowl games for the first time in program history. This is also the first time the cougars have won fewer than 8 games since 2014.
As long as Mike Leach is the head coach you know the team will throw the ball, and throw the ball a lot. The Washington State passing game is as potent as ever with Senior QB Anthony Gordon shattering the PAC 12 passing record set in 2018 by his predecessor Gardner Minshew. Gordon’s ability to throw the ball was on display all season but never more than the September 21st meltdown loss to UCLA. Gordon threw for 570 yards and record 9 touchdown. The Cougars also feature a multi-purpose back in Max Borghi who has over 1,300 total yards and 15 touchdowns. They will be matched up against an Air Force Pass defense that ranks 40th nationally.
Key to the Game
This game will come down to the Air Force offense and their ability to chew clock and punch it into the end zone. Both teams will run up the score and if Air Force is able to limit the amount of possessions Anthony Gordon has they will be in good shape to take this game.
#15 Notre Dame (10-2) vs Iowa State (7-5) Camping World Bowl (Dec 28th) Orlando, FL
The Camping World Bowl will feature two teams falling short of 2019 expectations. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came into the season with CFP expectations or worst case a NY6 appearance. Having their third 10-win season in a row, I would still call it a very successful season in South Bend. Iowa State came off 2018 with an Alamo Bowl appearance and tied for third in the Big 12. Many expected them to make the jump and play Oklahoma in Arlington, TX for the conference title and end up in the Sugar Bowl. Losing 5 games by one or two points makes it very difficult to move up that ladder and instead Baylor is in New Orleans.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Even though Notre Dame plays on NBC every weekend it seems like they have flown under the radar this season as far as the national spotlight. They fell in their two biggest games of the year and after they were embarrassed in Ann Arbor on October 26th, everyone put them on the back burner. Don’t be fooled though, this is still a very good team. The Irish come into this game having won five in a row and are 6-2 against bowl-bound teams in 2019.
The Fighting Irish boast one of the better dual threat QB’s in the country in Ian Book. His 33 passing touchdowns are tied for sixth in the country and adds four more on the ground. His favorite target is senior WR Chase Claypool who has 891 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. Overall the Irish offense is above average and they rely on their 21st ranked defense to step up and generate turnovers. They are tied for 3rd nationally with a +15 turnover margin and their ability to protect the football has propelled them to their 10-2 record.
Iowa State Cyclones
Matt Campbell has done one of the most impressive jobs as far as building a competitive program. He has taken a perennial big 12 doormat to three straight winning seasons and as many bowl games. Since the Big 12 moved to 10 teams in 2012, Iowa State had never had a recruiting class finish higher than 8th in the conference according to 247sports class rankings. Counting 2017 as his first full year of recruiting, he as finished 7th, 7th , 6th and currently is ranked 4th for the recruiting cycle of 2020. He is building a winning culture in Ames and it is starting to show.
The MVP of this Iowa State team has to be Brock Purdy. As only a sophomore, he is closing in on 4,000 passing yards this season with 27 touchdowns. He was described as a pocket passer out of Gilbert, AZ but he has 8 rushing touchdowns this year as well. With a team that ranks 9th in the country in passing offense the Cyclones will need Purdy to drive this offense if they are to compete with a fundamentally sound Notre Dame squad.
Key to the Game
The winner of the game will be the winner of Brock Purdy and the Cyclones pass offense vs. The Notre Dame pass defense. Checking in as the 3rd best in the country, Purdy will have his hands full against Kyle Hamilton and the ball-hawking Notre Dame secondary. If Purdy is able to play like he has this season it would not shock me to see Iowa State pull off the upset.
Yesterday, Sunday, December 8th, the College Football Playoff selection show released the top-4 playoff teams to compete for a national championship. The rankings were:
LSU
Ohio State
Clemson
Oklahoma
The selection show did not hold as much drama this year, as the top-4 were generally agreed upon since Utah lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship. However, the one spot that surprised some people was that LSU jumped Ohio State for the #1 spot. LSU beat Georgia 37-10 in the SEC championship to surpass Ohio State who beat Wisconsin 34-21 in the Big 10 Championship. Some college football fans did not agree with the committees decision, but here is why LSU undoubtedly deserved to be ranked #1.
1.Ranked Wins
LSU’s wins against final ranked opponents (opponents currently ranked in the top-25) were more impressive than Ohio State.
LSU’s wins vs final ranked opponents:
#5 Georgia
#9 Florida
#12 Auburn
#13 Alabama
Ohio State’s wins vs final ranked opponents
#8 Wisconsin (twice)
#10 Penn State
#14 Michigan
#21 Cincinati
While both teams had incredible wins over final ranked wins, it is apparent that LSU has the edge. The win over #5 Georgia gave LSU the boost over Ohio State since the Buckeyes have no top-5 wins, and not as many top-15 wins as LSU.
2.The Final Statement
In the past, it is obvious the College Football Playoff Committee takes in account teams’ “final statement” on their last game of the regular season
In 2014, Ohio State jumped a spot to get in the College Football playoffs over TCU because they made a statement by beating #11 Wisconsin 59-0 in their final Big-10 game. Ohio State made a statement to the committee on why they should be in the playoffs.
LSU put a beatdown on Georgia this past weekend 37-10. From the the start of the game, LSU got the lead and only added to their lead posting almost 200 more total yards than Georgia, and winning the turnover battle. It was 34-3 in the fourth quarter, and all the fans knew this game was just about over.
Meanwhile, Ohio State beat Wisconsin this week, but did not put on as impressive of a performance. Ohio State was down two scores at halftime, and had to climb their way back to beat Wisconsin. While Ohio State’s win over Wisconsin was very impressive, it was not dominant like LSU’s win.
LSU winning in a dominant fashion showed the committee their final statement, on why they should be the #1 need.
LSU will go on to face Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, while Ohio State will go one to face Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.
Grad School Sports™ 