Even Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer was not talking playoffs after his first regular-season loss to a Big Ten team in his four years at Ohio State.
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However, almost as important to the playoff picture were a couple of close wins.
The undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes moved up three spots to No. 3 in the Associated Press college football poll after losses by Ohio State and Oklahoma State. Even if the Hawkeyes don’t move into the top four (loss aside, MI State might have the better resume), it doesn’t really matter. As expected, coach Kirk Ferentz’s team handled business this past weekend versus Purdue and have locked up a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game on December 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Iowa has yet to schedule a high level talent school on their schedule (Wisconsin at the highest – 33rd in recruiting rankings), and therefore, I give no credit to them. The coaches have Notre Dame in that slot for the moment, checking in nine poll points ahead of No. 5 Oklahoma.
Thankfully, we are not living in a BCS world anymore. But that won’t clear up which four teams truly deserve to be there.
The Buckeyes were heavy favorites playing in front of their home crowd and they had the better record of the two teams. However, the Big 12 could make this interesting if the Baylor beats TCU and Texas and Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State to finish 11-1 – and if Notre Dame loses to Stanford. As of right now, it would be 10-0 Clemson, 10-0 Ohio State, 9-1 Alabama and 9-1 Notre Dame, not necessarily in that order.
North Carolina is No. 11, followed by MI, Stanford, Florida State, TCU, Navy, Northwestern, Oregon, Ole Miss, Washington State, Houston, UCLA, Mississippi State, Toledo and Temple. Had the Irish punched the ball in the end zone two more times instead of turning the ball over five times – three of which came within the Boston College 10-yard line – the margin of victory at Fenway Park would’ve been 16 or 17 points, right in line with Clemson’s against the Eagles earlier this season.
Here is where things get messy, as there are four teams that can make a strong case for the final two spots: Notre Dame, Iowa, MI State, and Oklahoma. North Carolina will get Clemson.
Of course, the highlighted Big Ten game this weekend came from Columbus, where No. 9 MI State stunned the third-ranked and defending champion Ohio State. Baylor must play TCU. Next: at No. 14 MI, Saturday.
While other power conferences were duking things out and eliminating each other Saturday, the SEC enjoyed basically a week off before rivalry week – at least that was the plan.
There is plenty of bad news to go along with a thrilling playoff race, as injuries continue to play an unfortunately large role in the 2015 season – particularly at quarterback. Iowa State (3-8) has already quit on their season. However, when the night ended, the two teams morals would be reversed.
If the playoff started today, who would be in?
Of all the head coaches who might be able to take it, Elliott’s head coach would rank way up there. That means the Buckeyes can only be in if you are also going to put MI State in and few believe the Big Ten deserves two teams.
Mayfield played the rest of the first half after the hit from Summers.
On the next play, Stave was sacked for a loss of 10, which led to a ton of confusion. I really do. I can’t speak for the play-caller. With Stave shaken up, on fourth down Bart Houston entered the game and threw a pass to former quarterback Tanner McEvoy, but it fell incomplete.
The Southeastern Conference could have that, too, though SEC East champion Florida doesn’t look like a team capable of beating Alabama, if that’s the matchup in Atlanta two weeks from now.
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Meanwhile, Alabama took the Southeastern Conference’s annual mid-season cupcake break to beat up on Charleston Southern, 56-0. Others, however, weren’t so lucky.
