A close Georgia win and I think Bama is assured also of getting in. A close Bama win and Georgia may still get in. OU and OSU need a decisive Bama win.... by 13 or more points and they have a shot. Maybe if Ohio State were to blast NW by say 35 or more points then they could possibly leap over a 2 loss Georgia even if Bama-Ga is close.
Thought some of you might find this interesting. For ease of research, these stats refer to final AP rankings before bowl games but after conference championships. Since 1988, 61 teams have gone undefeated in the regular season. 16 coaches have had multiple undefeated regular seasons: Osborne:4 seasons Saban: 3 B. Kelly: 3 Johnson:2 Bowden: 2 Stoops: 2 Carroll:2 Coker: 2 Fischer:2 Swinney:2 Meyer: 2 Brown: 2 Petersen:2 Patterson:2 Tressel:2 Nehlen: 2 (WVU coach in the late 80s/90s) Of those sixteen, only Kelly, Nehlen, Patterson, and Petersen have not won a National Championship. Here is the breakdown of teams by year: 1988 2 ND WVU 1989 1 Colorado 1990 1 Georgia Tech 1991 2 Miami, Washington 1992 3 Miami, Bama, A&M 1993 3 Nebraska, WVU, Auburn 1994 2 Nebraska, PSU 1995 2 Nebraska, Florida 1996 2 FSU, ASU 1997 2 Nebraska, UM 1998 2 Tennessee, Tulane 1999 3 FSU, VT, Marshall 2000 1 OU 2001 1 Miami 2002 2 Miami, OSU 2003 0 2004 5 USC, OU, Auburn, Utah, Boise 2005 2 USC, Texas 2006 2 OSU, Boise 2007 1 Hawaii 2008 2 Utah, Boise 2009 5 Bama, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati, Boise 2010 3 Auburn, Oregon, TCU 2011 1 LSU 2012 2 Notre Dame, OSU 2013 1 FSU 2014 1 FSU 2015 1 Clemson 2016 1 Bama 2017 1 UCF 2018 4 Bama, Clemson, Notre Dame, UCF (assuming things hold)
Dave wishful thinking but my primary worry is after playing such a great game with Michigan, trying to duplicate that effort is going to be tough. The loss to Purdue by such a sizeable margin is going to haunt us even with a solid win over Northwestern. Texas can of help to us by beating Oklahoma, but that is a long shot.
Texas beating OU combined with a decisive Bama win over Georgia and a decisive OSU win over NW will keep those pissed off Wolverines away from my Gators cause UM would be in the Rose if OSU makes the playoffs. So I'm all for the Buckeyes making the playoffs!! I'm really happy that UF made themselves relevant again.... and are the highest ranked 3 loss team and will play in a New Year's Six Bowl. That's all good..... terrific! But..... I do not think UF is ready to play with the Bamas and such just yet.... they proved as much vs. Georgia. And I really really enjoy bowl wins and hate bowl losses. They both leave a taste all winter, spring and summer long....
Sam Ehlinger still has lingering shoulder issues so that will likely be a factor in the OU/Texas game along with it's tough to beat a team twice in one season. Plus certainly OU is going to be motivated to the max for revenge and to have a big win to impress the playoff committee.
So much disrespect for Northwestern all year long. They play very good run defense. They are vulnerable in the secondary, but do have a shut down corner. Oddly enough, their biggest weakness (IMHO) is that their QB is really hit or miss. Normally, they'e had very solid QB play over the years. When their QB gets hot though, he can run ya. The bottom line is that they are fighters. They don't quit and just keep coming after you. Ohio State is obviously far more talented as a team, but I won't be shocked if this game is close.
Curious how our Pac 12 fans here feel about this article. https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2018/11/pac-12-larry-scott-leftout-part1.html
The chorus from P12 fans has been fire Larry Scott for a long time. When the P12 Network proceeds didn't pan out as promised in the first couple years, the membership was told that it takes time to build a network, and once it gets rolling, it would be proved to have been the right decision. Another four years later, and everyone is still waiting. The biggest problem has been the lack of transparency. There is nothing to dispel any of the rumors because Larry Scott and his executive team view themselves as above the league and don't owe anyone explanations. Even with the continued officiating fiasco there is nothing but "trust us, we're taking care of it". But, every time they've said that, there's been more to find when somebody digs. Every time, Larry Scott digs his heels in deeper. And there are many Coug fans that would support the idea that Larry Scott will go to great lengths to 'get back' at anyone that questions him or embarrasses him...many wondered aloud if the dozen or so strange calls/no calls in the Cal game were payback for Leach daring to call his executives out. And Leach has really been the only one that dared to do so. Fans continue to beg the conference leadership to explain and provide transparency into their decisions. This includes the network, negotiated tv contract start times (which have been disastrous), game turnaround dates (long road games on a short week after a late PAC12afterdark game), etc. No response, which only fuels the lack of confidence. In case you thought I was on the fence, let me be clear, I am not a fan of Larry Scott.
I think there's some merit to it. At the same time, Washington is on the rise under Peterson. UCLA will be very good under Chip Kelly. I think USC is a very good, but young team. Wazzu has the pirate. I think Oregon has a good HC and is headed in the right direction. I think Herm Edwards is a fantastic hire who is has the Devils moving in a positive trend. Utah is a very good team. Colorado SHOULD be a very good team, but I don't know what they are doing now. Sumlin at Arizona remains to be seen. Cal is headed in the right direction and Stanford is Stanford. It was a rebuilding year across the board in the P12 this year and I think most honest fans would have told you that coming into this. I think we'll have to see in the next year or two before giving this guy the axe. One area in which I think the guy is a failure is in image building. Look at the SEC and we see 3 loss teams that are still highly ranked despite a shocking lack of evidence of merit. When a P12 team loses 3 games they are seen as a 'bust' or a mediocre team. So in that regard, I could see firing the guy.
Here's another one for ya T: https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2018/11/larry_scott_pac-12_officiating.html A fine timeline of Larry Scott moments: Larry Scott says it was THE mistake was to leave doubt about who makes replay decisions. And that pesky Yahoo Sports report that noted a 'third party' disagreed about a targeting call. And that Larry Scott immediately released a statement denying there was a 'third party' involved. A few days later he abandoned that position, appearing foolish and arrogant. Then days later, Larry Scott wasn't sure if an instant replay manual existed. Days later, Larry Scott announced he looked into it and was certain there was not an instant replay manual. "There's an NCAA rule in writing," he said, "but there is no manual." Hours later, The Oregonian obtained an 11-page publication titled, "The Pac-12 Conference Instant Replay Manual." In a statement, Larry Scott then said the document is an "operations guide" not a manual. Yes, fire Larry Scott.
:idea: :arrow: I agree with everything that Kes and Corey said. The 12Pac operates similar to the state of California. It's Czarist Russia with the royalty all living near each other in Frisco. We serfs just mutter to ourselves and pretend that our lives have meaning...
JOCO and Kes have nailed it. So basically to answer your question T, the dude is a bag of flaming dung. He needs to go but we can't seem to get rid of him. Side note: If the P12 was smart and the NFL builds that fabulous new stadium in Las Vegas, I'd love the title game there. It beats the wine country tour that is currently offered by the present host.
Here's a great article from the viewpoint of a non-blueblood school's fan: https://www.cougcenter.com/wsu-cougars-football/2018/11/28/18116843/college-football-playoff-committee-ranking-method-revealed
Kes, Not shockingly, I agree with that article. Also, Stewart Mandel's tweet at the end of it was hilarious.
And here is part 3 on the Larry Scott inspection, this one about his failed game of chicken with DirecTV: https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2018/11/larry_scott_plays_a_game_of_ch.html