Let’s dive into the week that was in college football and hit all the highlights on the SoBros Network’s College Football Roundup.
*Can y’all believe there’s only two weeks left in the regular season??? Holy shit – where does the time go? It feels like only yesterday we were watching Northwestern send Nebraska into a meltdown and asking, “wait – is Northwestern actually going to be good this year?” Okay, let’s revisit the eliminator. This weekend was insane for several reasons, but namely because of all the “contenders,” or teams that were at least “mathematically” still alive for the College Football Playoff, that started dropping like flies. Going into this week’s action, I thought that number was sitting at 12 teams. Now, I’d say that it’s at nine, and that’s including the three miracle scenarios. What I think is most likely right now is:
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- Michigan/TCU
I think the real wild card right now is LSU. We know two losses is a death knell for a program, but what’s going to happen if LSU wins the SEC? Could the committee legitimately keep the SEC Champion out if it has wins over Alabama and Georgia?
Realistically speaking, I think those are the six teams that the conversation is legitimately down to barring complete chaos. These last three need some serious help if they’re going to even sniff the conversation. For anyone else to make the playoffs, I think Georgia and Ohio State would need to win out, and two of TCU, Michigan, or Tennessee would need to somehow lose twice. They’d also need LSU to lose the SEC Championship. Like I said, a lot would need to happen, and I still think there’s a chance they’d vote in a two-loss team over any of these long shots. But, we’re talking miracle scenarios here. Let’s start with USC. They’re still sitting there with a chance to finish the season at 12-1 with a Pac-12 Championship if they can run the table. If that happens, they’ll have a solid resumé, especially if you compare it to TCU, who happens to be where they are because they simply haven’t suffered a loss yet.
Then, there’s the two one-loss ACC teams sitting there in Clemson and North Carolina, who will play each other in the ACC Championship on December 3rd. Neither can suffer another loss until that game. Maybe if complete chaos breaks out, a one-loss ACC Champion can sneak back into the conversation. As for the teams gone, that’ll officially do it for Alabama and Ole Miss squads that now have two losses each, and neither has a way to play their way back into contention with LSU heading to the SEC Championship. Oregon and UCLA both joined the ranks of the eliminated after enduring their second losses of the season. Of course, all of this is probably for nothing because Georgia is probably going to manhandle everyone en route to a repeat National Championship.
*Man, nothing but respect for the TCU Horned Frogs. My goodness, what a gut check. Everyone was ready to write this team off (but they ain’t write back) because of a tough contest on the road against a perhaps underrated Texas team. The hourglass was supposed to run out on Cinderella, but Cinderella said “fuck that.” They have that special sort of “team of destiny” vibe going for them. Personally, I haven’t thought it was sustainable for quite awhile. It still feels like they’re going to get caught at some point, but damn, every time their backs are against the wall, they come out on top. This is a special football team.
— nick (@nick_pants) November 13, 2022
*As weird as it sounds to talk about Alabama (who is pretty damn close to being undefeated) as if the walls are crumbling down around Nick Saban, this season has been a massive disappointment based on the expectations that the Tide usually faces. That program desperately needed that win…to just go on the road, and gut out a street fight with a team that wanted badly to punch them in the mouth and hand them their third loss of the season. Don’t get me wrong – I still think Saban is going to make some changes to his staff at the end of the season. But, for now, it stopped the bleeding. Alabama should still earn a spot in the New Year’s Six.
*All of this excitement in the Group of Five, and it’s still going to end up being two-loss Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl, isn’t it? For the time being, Tulane has been knocked off the mountaintop, and UCF has risen from the ashes to claim the spot. The operating qualifier there being “for the time being.” Now, all of the major contenders for that spot have two losses (remember, Liberty lost to UConn on Saturday too). So, the dark horse to watch here is 9-1 Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers have road trips to Virginia and James Madison left, and the Sun Belt Championship won’t be a cake walk either whether it’s Troy or South Alabama. But, if they can finish 12-1, they deserve that Cotton Bowl spot.
*How ’bout this dude getting hit right in the balls and then getting powerbombed on Saturday night?
I think Rick and Scott Steiner did this move once or twice. pic.twitter.com/OMfo11s0ZB
— Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) November 13, 2022
My Current Bowl Projections
- Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Tennessee
- Peach Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan
- National Championship: Tennessee vs. Georgia
- Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. USC
- Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. Alabama
- Sugar Bowl: LSU vs. TCU
- Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss vs. UCF
If you haven’t already, be sure to go subscribe to the College Football Roundup Podcast, on which Steven McCash and myself break down all the action from the college football world and look ahead to the week to come.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
Subscribe to the SoBros Network Patreon here – $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers!
