By Mike Luce
1. Arkansas.
The ‘Hogs played spoiler to Ole Miss, torpedoing any shot the Rebels had of backing into a playoff berth. Despite two losses (to #24 LSU and #3 Auburn), Ole Miss had a hypothetical shot at the SEC Championship and, with a win, a playoff spot. But after losing 30-0 on the road, that all went poof.
2. Indiana.
#20 Missouri squeaked out a W over Tennessee, 29-21, leaving the Tigers one more win from an SEC East division title and conference playoff berth. So, what’s with Indiana? The Hoosiers upset Mizzou (waaaay) back in September on a touchdown in the final seconds, 31-27 – in Columbia. Reverse that decision, and the Tigers’ only other loss is to Georgia (an ugly one, 34-0) meaning we would be looking (probably) at yet one more SEC team in the Top 10.
3. The AP Poll.
The Playoff Committee has yet to give Marshall or Colorado State the nod. Both teams have been ranked for the past two weeks in the Associated Press Top 25 including the numbers released Sunday night. How does an undefeated team get passed over? Marshall is 11-0 and, although the Herd hasn’t beaten anyone noteworthy, the same “they’ve beaten everyone on the schedule” argument (see Florida State) should apply to teams outside the Power 5. We’ll see how the Committee views both squads in the rankings on Tuesday.
4. The PAC-12.
The West Coast is stacked. If Arizona State (#13), UCLA (#9), Arizona (#15) and Oregon (#2) would stop beating up on each other, the conference could easily have more than one Top 10 team. As it stands, UCLA looks legit after thumping USC 38-20 on Saturday in a game that wasn’t even as close as the 18-point margin suggests. The Bruins helped the Trojans to two field goals in the fourth quarter after posting a 14-0 third quarter. How about a UCLA-Ohio State Rose Bowl? Wait, does that happen any more? Or is the Rose Bowl part of the Playoff? What are we talking about, someone will talk themselves into putting the Buckeyes into the Group of Four, or the Quartet, or the Foursome, or the Fab Four, or whatever we’re calling the football equivalent of the Final Four, so we can all watch OSU lose on the big stage in traditional OSU fashion. So, moot point.
5. Marcus Mariota.
The leading candidate for Heisman departed the game on the first snap in the fourth, having put up more than 400 combined yards and four touchdowns against Colorado. Just another ho-hum outing for the junior, who has piled up 3,103 yards passing, 32 touchdowns and just two picks. No wonder fans in Eugene are obsessed with the question of Mariota’s future.
6. Exuberant Vols.
Tennessee pulled off a perfect fake field goal for a touchdown on Saturday, which was just too much for one celebratory fan. Bonus: he pulled it off in loafers. (h/t Sporting News).
7. Burt Reynolds.
We didn’t know Burt was a Florida State alum! The Mustachioed One planted the spear for the Seminoles on Saturday looking very, ah, well preserved. In a pickle-like way.
8. Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine.
Just a week after Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon broke the single-game rushing record with 408, Perine posted 427 yards in a 44-7 win over the hapless Kansas Jayhawks. So much for that idea, Melvin.
9. The Statue of Liberty.
You’d think Boise State could never run the Statue of Liberty Play again after the game-winning gadget play won the 2007 Fiesta Bowl for the Broncos. Nope. Boise pulled it off again on Saturday against Wyoming.
10. Hawaii.
While the nation slept late on Saturday night, the Warriors pulled off a breathless comeback, beating UNLV with a last second (literally, the clock read 0:01 at the snap) touchdown pass to win 37-35. Related: We miss the days when Hawaii was the Rainbow Warriors. So much more fitting for The Aloha State.
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Mike Luce is our man on campus – every Friday and Monday. He welcomes your comments.
Posted on November 24, 2014