Connect with us

Published

on

There are two types of anger in any given walk of life. The first is instant outrage, like when you get a look at the first College Football Playoff rankings and realize the committee applied one line of logic to Ohio State and another to Michigan and seemed entirely unfazed by that seeming paradox.

The second type is the long simmering furor that builds over time, becoming all the more irrational and indignant the longer it’s left untended — like your partner failing to hang the toilet paper roll the right way (loose end in front) or the committee leaving the top eight teams unchanged from week to week in spite of the aforementioned paradoxical justifications even when we’ve calmly explained its mistake and given it ample time to adjust particularly when, say, Ohio State struggled against Rutgers or when Washington notched another solid win and — sorry, we blacked out for a moment there due to sheer outrage.

Anyway, the second College Football Playoff rankings are upon us, and rather than rehash similar frustrations from a week earlier amidst a relatively unchanged top 25, let’s dig deeper, truly connect with our super ego, and unleash our hostilities upon the committee anew.

Let’s compare resumes for a moment.

Team A: 9-0, No. 2 strength of record, No. 3 average win probability, No. 3 overall offense in SP+ with wins over Nos. 4, 17 and 27 in SP+ by a total of 20 points.

Team B: 9-0, No. 1 strength of record, No. 11 average win probability, No. 3 overall defense in SP+ with wins over Nos. 5, 10 and 28 in SP+ by a total of 25 points.

Pretty similar resumes, right?

You probably know Team A is Washington, fresh off a double-digit win over USC that may have raised a red flag or two about the Huskies’ defense.

Team B, of course, is Ohio State, fresh off a double-digit win over Rutgers that may have raised a red flag or two about the Buckeyes’ offense.

Do you lean Ohio State between the two? We can see that. But would you say there’s a four-spot difference between the two?

Washington’s win over the Trojans actually helped the Huskies leapfrog Florida State in ESPN’s Strength of Record metric, but it didn’t sway the committee (the same committee that, inexplicably, thought USC was the No. 20 team in the country just a week ago).

Now here’s a fun what-if: Ohio State loses to Michigan in the regular-season finale in a close game, then sits back and watches as Washington loses to Oregon by 10 in the Pac-12 title game.

Who’s getting into the playoff? Two Pac-12 teams or two Big Ten teams?

I think we know the answer to that. (And not just because all of them will be in the Big Ten soon enough.)


In any other years, we’d be applauding the committee for sticking to its guns and keeping big, bad Alabama below seven other teams, in spite of the fact that Alabama is, well, Alabama. Typically the committee’s chief responsibility is to reverse engineer Alabama’s narrative, then rank accordingly. This year, it has afforded grace to each undefeated team, rewarded Oregon for playing Washington tough and beating Utah, and credited Texas for its head-to-head win over the Crimson Tide way back in Week 2.

So, kudos, right?

This time, we actually think maybe Alabama is being overlooked a bit. (Hey, you, stop throwing things at us! We’ll explain!)

Yes, head-to-head should matter, and the fact is Texas beat Alabama. But that’s only part of the story.

That game came at a very precarious time for the Crimson Tide as they were still trying to figure out their QB situation. Well, if you watched Jalen Milroe in last week’s 42-28 win over LSU, I think we can officially say, problem solved.

Or how about this comparison?

Team A: 5 wins vs. Quad 1 (i.e. top 35) teams in FPI, with its lone loss coming to a top-10 team

Team B: 5 wins vs. Quad 1 (i.e. top 35) teams in FPI, with its lone loss coming to a top-10 team.

Clearly a good comparison … except Team A is Alabama, and Team B is Oregon and Texas combined.

Indeed, it’s almost been accepted as fact that Oregon is the best one-loss team in the country, despite the fact the Ducks’ only impressive win came against Utah, a team playing a safety at tailback and a former walk-on at QB. The next-best item on their resume is a loss.

Now look at Alabama: 14-point wins vs. No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 13 Tennessee and No. 19 LSU.

Moreover, just consider the trend line. This, of course, will be the fun of the 12-team playoff, when the hottest teams will have a true advantage in the postseason, but it’s worth appreciating now, too.

If the playoff started tomorrow, and your favorite team was in, who’s the team you’d least want to play in the semifinal?

We’ll wait, but the answer is Alabama.


It’s pretty clear everyone believes Louisville has been lucky to face a weak schedule, showed its true colors in a horrible loss to Pitt, and is without question the worst of the one-loss teams.

Well, the Cardinals did lose to Pitt, and that’s a genuine blemish considering how bad the Panthers have been. Never mind that Louisville actually out-gained Pitt by nearly 150 yards or that its best offensive weapon, running back Jawhar Jordan, got hurt early on and had just two carries or that three turnovers were the real difference in the game. It was still a bad loss.

But how about the wins?

That easy schedule actually hasn’t been such a cakewalk. Louisville has five wins over Power 5 opponents with a winning record. Ohio State is the only other team with as many. Louisville has four wins over Power 5 foes 6-3 or better. Only Oklahoma State Cowboys has as many. Those four wins over 6-3 (or better) P5 foes came by an average of 17 points.

And Louisville ranks 18th in offensive efficiency and 11th in defensive efficiency so far this year. The only teams to rank higher in both? Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State.

Put some respect on the Cardinals’ name.


4. The Group of 5

Blame Air Force for this one. Last week, the committee afforded the Falcons the No. 25 spot and they promptly coughed up six turnovers in a brutal loss to Army . So, this week, the lone school from outside the Power 5 is Tulane at No. 23.

Fresno State at 8-1 and winners of 17 of its past 18? Unranked.

Liberty at 9-0 with one of the nation’s most underrated QB performances of the season? Unranked.

Toledo at 8-1 with its lone loss coming on the road to Illinois in Week 1 by two points? Unranked.

James Madison? Not even allowed to be ranked!

And yet, here’s Iowa, whose game film is used to quell prison riots, checks in at No. 22.


The Scarlet Knights have two quality losses against top-three teams. If they were in the SEC, they’d be ranked 12th right now.

Continue Reading

Sports

Texas Tech captures Big 12 title, likely CFP bye

Published

on

By

Texas Tech captures Big 12 title, likely CFP bye

ARLINGTON, Texas — Cameron Dickey scored right after the first of linebacker Ben Roberts‘ two interceptions in the second half as No. 4 Texas Tech won the Big 12 championship game, and almost certainly locked up a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff, with a 34-7 victory over No. 11th BYU on Saturday.

After investing millions of dollars in the transfer portal, the Red Raiders (12-1) have their first Big 12 title — they are one of only six schools that have been part of all 30 Big 12 seasons. They also are going to the CFP for the first time, though their win prevented the Big 12 from getting a second team in the playoff.

Behren Morton, who didn’t play in Tech’s only loss at Arizona State, threw two touchdown passes to Coy Eakin, and Stone Harrington kicked four field goals for the Red Raiders.

The only losses by BYU (11-2) are to the Red Raiders, including 29-7 in Lubbock four weeks ago before four turnovers in the second half this time. The Cougars will fall out of the top 12 instead of moving up when the new CFP rankings come out Sunday. They likely needed to be in the top 10 for a playoff spot.

Roberts, one of the holdovers on the Tech defense along with fellow linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (13 tackles), got his first interception with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter when he reached up and deflected the pass by true freshman Bear Bachmeier. On the next play, Dickey took a direct snap and ran untouched 11 yards for a touchdown and 21-7 lead after making the 2-point conversion.

Harrington, who kicked a school-record five field goals against BYU last month, missed a 49-yard field goal attempt after Roberts jumped a route to make a one-handed interception in the fourth quarter.

But in between Roberts becoming the first player with multiple interceptions in one of the 24 Big 12 championship games, transfer Romello Height recovered when Bachmeier fumbled when being sacked. Harrington made a 44-yarder that time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Former NASCAR driver Michael Annett dies at 39

Published

on

By

Former NASCAR driver Michael Annett dies at 39

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Michael Annett, a former race car driver who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39.

JR Motorsports, one of Annett’s former teams, posted the news on social media Friday. No cause of death was announced.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” the team wrote. “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”

According to NASCAR, Annett made 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, 158 of which came with JRM.

In 2019, Annett won the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet for his only win at the national level.

Annett, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series. He won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and took the series opener at Daytona in 2008.

“NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett,” the racing body said in a statement. “Michael was a respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage. Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer. NASCAR extends its condolences to Michael’s family and many friends.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Baker staying put as LSU defensive coordinator

Published

on

By

Baker staying put as LSU defensive coordinator

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker is remaining with the program, coach Lane Kiffin said Friday on X.

Baker, who has led LSU’s defense the past two seasons, interviewed for head coaching vacancies at Tulane and Memphis this week and was a strong candidate, sources said. But he instead will remain with Kiffin, who prioritized retaining Baker, one of the nation’s highest-paid assistants at $2.5 million.

Baker is expected to receive a revised contract and a raise.

Under Baker, the Tigers ranked 15th in scoring defense and 25th nationally in total defense this fall. His retention capped a strong day for LSU, which signed defensive tackle Lamar Brown, ESPN’s No. 1 overall recruit, and defensive tackle Deuce Geralds (No. 37).

Baker, 43, is in his second stint at LSU after coaching the team’s linebackers in 2021. A former Tulane linebacker, he also has held coordinator roles at Louisiana Tech, Miami and Missouri.

Continue Reading

Trending