College Football Week 14 in Review
Hey, everyone.
RIVALRY WEEK is always one of the most interesting and enjoyable weeks on the sports calendar. There was some good action and more clarity brought to the overall college football landscape.
Notable games
Auburn 48 Alabama 45
That was AWESOME! A truly entertaining game with lots of scoring and crazy moments that had to be seen to be believed. ROLL TIDE was in this game to the very end playing with their back-up QB but were done in by a pair of PICK 6s and shabby special teams play (shocker). Alabama’s playoff hopes were officially crushed and it remains to be seen how motivated they will be for their bowl game down the road. Auburn has to feel good about the QB situation moving into 2020 as freshman Bo Nix led them to a big win and appears to be getting more comfortable at the position. Nix doesn’t have the “stats” but he appears to be a keeper.
Ohio St 56 Michigan 27
It was an improvement of sorts.
Last year the Buckeyes rattled off 62 points vs the Wolverines but this year Michigan settled in nicely and gave up a mere 56 points. Michigan started off fast with an early TD and played really well on offense in the first half (9 yards per play) but made some costly mistakes that prevented the game from being much closer heading into halftime. Nothing much to see here as it is obvious that Ohio St is much better from a recruiting (talent), player development and coaching standpoint. Ohio St moves on to the Big Ten Championship Game. Will Michigan mail it in (again) in their bowl game? It’s disappointing from a fan perspective to see how dominant the Buckeyes have become in the Big Ten, much like Clemson in the ACC. Unless of course, you are a fan of either of those teams!
Wisconsin 38 Minnesota 17
The magical possibilities for the 2019 Golden Gophers football team ended in abrupt fashion on Saturday when they were spanked by the Badgers. Minnesota has a lot to be proud of and are now a legit contender in the Big Ten West under HC PJ Fleck. It’ll be interesting to see how they perform in their bowl game (we are optimistic) and if they can continue their transformation next season. The Badgers looked really good and left no doubt in terms of who the better team is right now. It’s off to the Big Ten Championship Game and a rematch with Ohio St.
Memphis 34 Cincinnati 24
The Bearcats gave the Tigers all they could handle playing with a back-up QB and fell to Memphis in a competitive 34-24 game. That sets up ROUND TWO this Saturday when Cincinnati plays the Tigers for all the AAC marbles on the same field. The Bearcats already had their side of the conference sewn up and get full marks for playing so well. The AAC has a bunch of really good teams and need to be respected during bowl season.
MEGALOCKS TOP 10 after WEEK 14
This is how we rate teams based on who would win a theoretical match-up on a neutral site. It’s NOT meant to be a “playoff” ranking.
- Ohio St – Rolled in Ann Arbor. Rematch with Wisconsin on Saturday.
- LSU – Destroyed a decent Texas A&M squad. Essentially even with Ohio St in our numbers.
- Clemson – Schedule has been soft but it’s not their fault they are dominant in the ACC.
- Georgia – Absolutely nasty defense. Offense needs to step up this week.
- Oklahoma – Played well this week vs Cowboys. Rematch with Baylor on deck.
Next in line (in alphabetical order)
Alabama – Offense is still legit. Defense and special teams have let them down.
Auburn – Found a way to pull the upset in the Iron Bowl.
Florida – Many folks have forgotten about these guys. We have not.
Utah – Still in beast mode. Legit shot to make the playoff.
Wisconsin – Will be interesting to see if they can make their date with Ohio St a competitive tilt.
BIG GAMES THIS WEEK
Utah vs Oregon
The Utes have been crushing and killing almost everything in their path lately. The Ducks aren’t playing as well as they were earlier in the year BUT they still have a solid defense and a future NFL starter (star?) at QB in Justin Herbert. If Utah can bag a win they have a great shot to make the college football playoff and a REALLY good chance if they can do it in style. Oregon’s season has to be considered a big success with a win even if they blew a shot to make the playoff after losing to Arizona St. Some sweet Friday night action!
Baylor vs Oklahoma
When these two teams hooked up earlier in the year we witnessed an amazing Oklahoma comeback (down 28-3) and another clutch performance from QB Jalen Hurts. Baylor is legit and we expect a competitive game on Saturday.
Georgia vs LSU
Yes, guy. We can’t wait for this one. One of the best offenses in college football vs one of the best defenses in the country. “They” say that defense wins championships but what if your offense struggles to score points? LSU is clearly a team on a mission this year and the Bulldogs will need a big performance out of QB Jake Fromm and the rushing attack. Appointment television!
Wisconsin vs Ohio St
The Buckeyes have been phenomenal all year and have been great on both sides of the football. They looked human at times vs Penn St and Michigan but still managed to come out comfortably on top. The Badgers will almost certainly need to win the turnover battle and hit some big plays in the THROW GAME to have a shot.
Cincinnati at Memphis
The Tigers are one of our favorite teams to watch and we’d love to see these guys get to a major bowl game and take on a Power 5 team. It’s a rematch of last week’s game and the Bearcats are more than capable of pulling the upset as they are well coached and have a fine defense.
Virginia vs Clemson
Oh boy. Stranger things have happened, but this should be another walk in the park for Clemson.
Enjoy Championship Weekend!