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Post by doc on Dec 15, 2020 13:48:07 GMT
I really think this might be game 2 of 3 If Clemson wins, how far will Notre Dame drop? I think they will drop down to #3 and stay ahead of Ohio State If Clemson wins, I think playoff will be: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Ohio State #2 Clemson vs. #3 Notre Dame I would be very surprised if this happens - why make the same game we've already seen twice? Imagine if OSU loses and Clemson/ND is a close game, it could be 2 rematches in the semi-finals; Bama/A+M, Clemson/ND. I think I'd find something else to do on New Year's Day.
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Post by doc on Dec 14, 2020 20:19:18 GMT
At this point, it's not rocket science....
1. Alabama is in, win or lose. 2. Notre Dame is in with a win with a good shot at being in with a loss, depending on how close the game is. 3. Clemson is in with a win, may be in trouble with a loss. 4. Ohio State is in with a win, a dominating win would solidify the cause, they're out with a loss. 5. A+M is in with an Ohio State loss. Unfortunately this set's up two rematches for the semi-finals unless ND is dropped to 4 and A+M rises to 3.
I guess Cincinnati could have a chance if Ohio State and Clemson both lose. That would set up a semi-final game similar to what we saw with LSU/Oklahoma last year as Alabama would completely destroy the outmanned Bearcats.
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Post by doc on Dec 14, 2020 15:53:54 GMT
Northwestern loses to Illinois but beats Ohio State UNC beats Miami Bama beats Florida Iowa State beats Oklahoma Tulsa beats Cincinnati Tennessee beats Texas A&M Indiana loses their last game (opponent TBD) The remaining undefeated Pac-12 teams, USC and Colorado, lose Clemson beats Notre Dame by 30+ Coastal wins out The Playoff: 1 Alabama vs. 4 Coastal 2 Clemson vs. 3 Iowa State According to ESPN FPI, there’s a 0.00062% chance! This scenario is already blown up with the first line - Northwestern didn't lose to Illinois.
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Post by doc on Dec 14, 2020 15:52:47 GMT
I've heard rumblings that the Rose Bowl could be moved to Texas - California is in lockdown and the 49ers can't even play in-state. I agree that it really doesn't matter where the game is played given there won't be many fans in attendance.
The Rose Bowl is a beautiful venue - I attended the '97 game, OSU vs ASU. There isn't a bad seat in the place. But it didn't suck watching the OSU/TCU game in the comfort of AT&T Stadium a couple years ago, either.
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Post by doc on Dec 14, 2020 15:18:53 GMT
With the state playoffs for football here in Ohio, if a team had an outbreak it was considered a forfeit. Not sure if they'd do that with a college playoff but based on occasions I've seen in the B1G and elsewhere, it generally takes a team a couple weeks to rebound from a COVID outbreak. The season could drag into February. Maybe they could give all the qualifying playoff teams the vaccine - that would go over like a lead balloon!
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Post by doc on Dec 13, 2020 21:44:49 GMT
And they hired Bruce Pearl who I think already has caused NCAA violations there - aren’t they banned from the tourney this season?
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Post by doc on Dec 13, 2020 19:38:53 GMT
I’ve been recapping games of past years on my Facebook page. Here is my recap from the 2018 game...
This is the final game I'll highlight in the Ohio State/TTUN series; 2018 - the revenge tour finale that turned into a 'Star is Born' moment for Chris Olave.
All season long the Wolverines boasted about their 'Revenge Tour' which is pretty funny given they started the season losing to Notre Dame - if you're going to have a revenge tour shouldn't you start it on a winning note? But after the ND loss they rattled off 10 straight wins and entered the annual showdown as a 4.5 point favorite. What happened that chilly day in Columbus was far from revenge, it was more like humiliation as Ohio State blew up *ichigan, their revenge tour and any hopes Jim Harbaugh had of ending the Buckeyes' dominance over the maize and blue. OSU scored 63 points - more than *ichigan had allowed in their previous 5 games combined and the most ever in the history of THE game. And from the Buckeye sideline a star emerged; Freshman Chris Olave who scored 2 TD's and blocked a punt which led to another OSU score.
I don't think there was any secret to OSU's offensive game plan - just look to see who #14 (Josh Mettilus) was covering and throw the ball to that receiver. How else can you explain all the pictures showing #14 chasing a Buckeye receiver into the endzone? If he was a hockey goalie he'd have a sunburned neck. This one tore the heart out of the Wolverines. They were beaten in every way possible and it spilled over into 2019 as Ohio State won by 29, scoring 56 points. 2020? They didn't even show up. I understand the seriousness of COVID but other teams found a way to play despite being down players - hell, Ohio State did it the week before down 23 players. LSU went to Florida down close to 30 players and won. Minnesota went to Nebraska and won. Michigan? No thanks, we'll see you next year. Instead of Gold Pants medals I guess Ohio State should issue white flags with the game date on them to the Buckeye players; 12-12-20, the day *ichigan surrendered.
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Post by doc on Dec 10, 2020 17:44:06 GMT
Well said. We think a lot alike which is a compliment to myself. Great minds think in the same gutters? I just consider myself lucky that my mind thinks at all!!
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Post by doc on Dec 10, 2020 15:34:24 GMT
The only conference playing as many games as possible is the SEC. No one talks about the SEC going above and beyond because that does not fit the ALWAYS BAD ALL THE TIME SEC NARRATIVE. Nah, I think the SEC, ACC and Big 12 deserve a ton of credit for the way they approached the season. I think Warren thought everyone would follow his lead when he initially cancelled the B1G season and it backfired on him. So, to save face he reversed that decision but blew it by not working in a week for cancelled games. They could have easily started the season a week or 2 before they did as they didn't start for 6 weeks following the announcement. So, the 3 conferences that stayed the course deserve all the credit they can get for making the season work as best as possible. And I'll add that 'the always bad all the time SEC narrative' is a sign of respect - the SEC does it better than any other conference and everyone else rationalizes to compensate for their inner jealousy.
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Post by doc on Dec 10, 2020 15:29:24 GMT
Are they even qualified for a bowl game? Maybe they should self ban the first time they're eligible.
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Post by doc on Dec 9, 2020 22:18:04 GMT
Well, the B1G amended the rules and Ohio State will play for a 4th straight conference championship. Based on the current playoff ratings I see 2 scenarios where they don't make it (not including COVID related situations) 1. They lose or just squeak by Northwestern. 2. Both Clemson and Florida win their conference championship games. - A+M was rated behind OSU this week. they both have one game left - OSU plays #14 Northwestern while A+M plays 2-4 Tennessee. Should these games play out as expected you there no way A+M can leap frog OSU based on current rankings. But if OSU loses or barely beats Northwestern then the door is opened for A+M. - Should Florida and Clemson win their conference championship games they would be in but chances are probably that Alabama would remain in the playoff and depending on the score for ND/Clemson - the Irish could also remain in the hunt based on their win earlier over the Tigers. - Should ND win again, I think Clemson is out of the playoff picture with 2 losses plus why should they get a potential 3rd shot at the Irish? I don't think Iowa State or Oklahoma have legitimate chances bases on current rankings and their 2 losses. So if you don't want Ohio State in, root for Clemson, Florida and Northwestern. It's an f%^&Ked up season, for sure. - They can break any rule they want. So break the OOC rule and go play Coastal in MYB Saturday. BYU got setup in 48-72 hours. Would essentially be a quarterfinal game. Amend not break. And why play a quarterfinal game this week when you already have one next week?
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Post by doc on Dec 9, 2020 22:16:18 GMT
Well, the B1G amended the rules and Ohio State will play for a 4th straight conference championship. Based on the current playoff ratings I see 2 scenarios where they don't make it (not including COVID related situations) 1. They lose or just squeak by Northwestern. 2. Both Clemson and Florida win their conference championship games. - A+M was rated behind OSU this week. they both have one game left - OSU plays #14 Northwestern while A+M plays 2-4 Tennessee. Should these games play out as expected you there no way A+M can leap frog OSU based on current rankings. But if OSU loses or barely beats Northwestern then the door is opened for A+M. - Should Florida and Clemson win their conference championship games they would be in but chances are probably that Alabama would remain in the playoff and depending on the score for ND/Clemson - the Irish could also remain in the hunt based on their win earlier over the Tigers. - Should ND win again, I think Clemson is out of the playoff picture with 2 losses plus why should they get a potential 3rd shot at the Irish? I don't think Iowa State or Oklahoma have legitimate chances bases on current rankings and their 2 losses. So if you don't want Ohio State in, root for Clemson, Florida and Northwestern. It's an f%^&Ked up season, for sure. - They can break any rule they want. So break the OOC rule and go play Coastal in MYB Saturday. BYU got setup in 48-72 hours. Would essentially be a quarterfinal game. Didn’t the ACC cancel games for ND and Clemson to make sure they made their championship? I doubt either team would have lost but it could have led to a COVID outbreak and a forfeit the following week. I’d love to see OSU play anyone this weekend but it obviously isn’t going to happen. Had OSU been able to play Illinois, Maryland and Michigan they would be 8-0. Not gonna happen. Maybe they don’t want another COVID outbreak for their championship game, it already looks like most of the B1G games are going to be cancelled this week. Why not cancel Northwesterns game so Illinois doesn’t infect them? They’ve already qualified, anyway.
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Post by doc on Dec 9, 2020 20:17:24 GMT
Well, the B1G amended the rules and Ohio State will play for a 4th straight conference championship. Based on the current playoff ratings I see 2 scenarios where they don't make it (not including COVID related situations)
1. They lose or just squeak by Northwestern.
2. Both Clemson and Florida win their conference championship games.
- A+M was rated behind OSU this week. they both have one game left - OSU plays #14 Northwestern while A+M plays 2-4 Tennessee. Should these games play out as expected you there no way A+M can leap frog OSU based on current rankings. But if OSU loses or barely beats Northwestern then the door is opened for A+M.
- Should Florida and Clemson win their conference championship games they would be in but chances are probably that Alabama would remain in the playoff and depending on the score for ND/Clemson - the Irish could also remain in the hunt based on their win earlier over the Tigers.
- Should ND win again, I think Clemson is out of the playoff picture with 2 losses plus why should they get a potential 3rd shot at the Irish? I don't think Iowa State or Oklahoma have legitimate chances bases on current rankings and their 2 losses.
So if you don't want Ohio State in, root for Clemson, Florida and Northwestern.
It's an f%^&Ked up season, for sure.
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Post by doc on Dec 9, 2020 15:01:45 GMT
Texas A&M has an open date. Does OSU have the guts for a sure playoff matchup? One thing you can say for TAM is they will play anyone. Ohio State has nothing to do with setting up a potential game with A+M - I think they'd play the Chiefs if it they were allowed and it would get them a 6th game played. The Big Ten set guidelines and OSU has to abide by them. It's all in the Big Ten's court. It comes down to maintaining the 'integrity' of the rules they set back in September or doing the right thing and amending rules that they actually already amended when they decided to play after saying the were cancelling the season. Either way there's going to be backlash. Ohio State is clearly the best team in the Big Ten but due to the conferences poor management of they find themselves with an undefeated team possibly missing the championship game despite having a win over the second place team. I don't have much faith in the Big Ten making things right but they should do whatever they can to get OSU a game for this weekend - whoever it might be.
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Post by doc on Dec 8, 2020 19:36:14 GMT
It's going to get interesting. Northwestern is already in the championship game - they really have no reason to play this week. I'm hearing Purdue is on the verge of cancelling their game with Indiana. If I'm Ryan Day, I'm driving the bus to Indiana to play the Hoosiers again. If I'm the Hoosiers, I'd want another shot at the Buckeyes - or would I? If OSU doesn't get a 6th game, they're supposedly out of the running and IU is in. There's also a chance that Minnesota could have to sit out again this week. At any rate, it appears there will be other games cancelled in the BIG which should give Ohio State a 6th opponent - I'm sure they'd play in Siberia if the had to to get that 6th game.
In other news - when they play next year (if *ichigan doesn't cancel again, it will bre 10 years since they last beat the Buckeyes, 3680 days.
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