All about the U: Miami and Oklahoma make big Top 10 statements
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FINAL THOUGHTS FROM WEEK 11
Misissippi was one mental lapse away from beating Alabama. The Bulldogs had a chance to go up on Alabama with under a minute left, but had to punt. The Tide took the ensuing drive to the house for the winning score. A terrible pooch kick gave them one more chance, and a pass interference penalty gave them an untimed down, but Nick Fitzgerald's second Hail Mary pass went out the back of the endzone.
The playoff is going to be a mess. I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't an undefeated team in the playoff. There's a first time for everything, and this will be the first time that happens. That being said, the committee's basically picking which resume isn't worse than the others. Although, I'm not sure if Alabama is going to lose. Chaos reigns yet again, and that's why we love college football.
All of my other thoughts will be in the recaps below.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Malcom Perry, QB, Navy----The running back turned quarterback turned running back turned quarterback (I'm so confused) took over when Zach Abey was unable to go, and rushed 33 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns in Navy's 43-40 win over SMU.
Alexander Mattison, RB, Boise State----We should just put the whole Broncos team here. Down 35-17 at halftime, Mattison and the Broncos stormed back to beat Colorado State 59-52 in overtime. The sophomore had 286 total yards and three touchdowns.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Iowa scored 55 points against Ohio State. Their offense produced 487 yards. This is why picking games has to be strictly business. Emotion, can get the best of you sometimes, and that's why you need to be calm. I would love to see an offense that produced 66 yards and zero points win a game. Iowa's defense looked good early, but the offense never got going, and Wisconsin dominated. The Badgers even allowed the Hawkeyes to stick around with four turnovers, but just five Iowa first downs hurt them too much.
I guess this is what happens when your receivers drop passes. This wasn't Jake Fromm's fault. Sure, he missed some throws and looked like a freshman at times, but there were plenty of big plays that his receivers missed. A couple of key drops early doomed the Bulldogs, and Auburn ran away with this one in the end. Georgia's defense couldn't do enough to keep the Tigers at bay, and it was a blowout before Georgia could stop the bleeding. Georgia won't drop out of the Top 10, and they still have a great chance at making the playoff. They just have to win the SEC, and they'll face either Alabama or this Tigers team again. Let's see how they respond.
Does anyone know if Notre Dame showed up for this game? Yes? Oh, ouch. Notre Dame continues to deceive the nation by making everyone believe they are for real, only to fail their biggest test of the year in epic fashion. The Irish never had a chance in this one, and it was ugly. Even benching Brandon Wimbush didn't help. By the time he was put back in, the game was over. Maybe joining a conference would help Notre Dame. This isn't the first time we've seen them bomb a test when they were supposed to be good. The good news? Miami is back, and a serious force to reckon with. The turnover chain continues to be the dopest new trend in college football and it outscored the "touchdown chain" 4-1. Mark Richt has this team playing at a high level and, in my opinion, are the best team in the ACC. Lastly, how about that atmosphere?! Hard Rock Stadium was LOOOOOOOUUUUUDDDDDDDDD, an the crowd definitely had an effect on Notre Dame's offense. More importantly, their team is a contender and should jump into the Top 4 this week.
Look, Baker Mayfield is good. But many didn't think he could handle a test against an actual defense. Guess they vastly underestimated him. Mayfield continues to play with a chip on his shoulder, and is making a strong case for winning the Heisman Trophy (though I won't argue he's the best player in college football). The kid can ball, whether you like him or not, and his team is way better than last year's team. Rodney Anderson has helped fans forget about Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, and Mayfield's receivers might be the deepest group he's had in his college career. This is a dangerous team, and they appear to be headed for a playoff berth.
