College Football Takedown: Week 9 College Playoff Addition!!

Dude…

The first College Football Playoff rankings are finally here and as they always turn out to be somewhat different from the AP rankings it seems like they got a lot right this year. Wins are nice until you look through teams' season resumes up to this point and that’s truthfully what the playoff committee does a good job on (for the most part). In this article PC and How6rd will give an in-depth look on three teams from their most recent game and the path they’ve had to give our thoughts on the rankings. Maybe we agree with where the team is ranked or maybe we disagree, but overall we aren’t the committee and the rankings are what they are. There’s still a lot of season left with multiple giant games putting playoff hopes on the line so enjoy the ride while it lasts.

How6rd’s Takeaways

Ohio State is the top dog as they should be: Before the season started I assumed that the Ohio State Buckeyes were gonna be just a solid team with what they had at every position besides quarterback and well…I kind of wasn’t wrong. Meanwhile, the truth is that everywhere else they have incredible talent and the QB play hasn’t mattered much similar to many years of Ohio State football and this past weekend they once again had two men come up huge in another messy game for their gunslinger Kyle McCord. Marvin Harrison Jr. has proven himself after a slow start to the year that he’s still the best receiver in the country where if you put the ball in his hands, which isn’t difficult after seeing some of his best catches, all you gotta do is watch him work his magic and get down field. Another player who came up huge and just came back this past weekend is running back Treveyon Henderson who had some solid runs and even iced the game in his return with a 33-yard run to the house in the fourth quarter. The Buckeyes are very deep on both sides of the ball and Ohio State has beaten top teams such as Notre Dame and Penn State along with having no trouble with the rest of their schedule so their #1 ranking is no surprise to me.

Tulane gets the top Group of 5 spot over Air Force: As well as Air Force has looked this year still being undefeated, the playoff committee is all about resumes and I have to agree with them still having Tulane at the top of schools outside the Power 5 here. Now yes the Green Wave have looked shaky these past two weeks coming away with two close victories against North Texas and Rice, but their defense came up huge at the end of those two games similar to last season and their lone loss this year came against Ole Miss who are no slouch offensively and they played them with their backup QB. The Rice game this past weekend may bring more question marks than praise, but Air Force has had just one win this season against a team with a winning record in Wyoming. The games against UNLV and (assuming no collapse in the end) the Mountain West title game will be huge in deciding the true fate of their resume so don’t think it’s over for the Air Force just yet.

LSU vs Alabama has HUGE stakes on the line: As LSU is placed a spot lower than the AP had them at 14 while the home team Crimson Tide gets ranked 8th, there is nothing but pressure for both of these teams once again this year. LSU had a rough start to their season getting dismantled by Florida State who is still amongst the best in the country and losing to Ole Miss after putting up 49 points in the game. If it wasn’t for the disappearance of the defense in both of those games, and even some of their wins that shouldn’t have been as close, this team could be in a way better spot right now with how talented their offense is. This leads us to a screeching halt for now to the Tigers’ offensive train as they reach Tuscaloosa, Alabama this weekend where outside of a Texas loss at home has come together and looks as physical as they ever have. The offense has made plays time and time again to do enough and get the win, but the defense is a powerhouse when they need to be as they have shut teams down almost every fourth quarter since Texas and even locked up a hot Ole Miss and shutout Tennessee for a whole second half allowing a huge comeback. Both of these teams control their own destiny from Saturday and going forward and have a very foreseeable spot at the playoffs if they win the rest of the way. If Alabama’s defense brings their best all four quarters, and they’ll need to against the Tigers, then the playoff hopes are very much alive for Saban’s squad just as much as it is for the firing squad LSU Tigers.

PC’S Takeaways

Rock Chalk Baby!!!!: This is the biggest win for the Jayhawks since I’ve been born. The Hawks haven’t beaten a top 10 school in Lawrence since 1984. All of that changed when they beat #6 Oklahoma. I still can’t fathom the upset that I witnessed. With a backup quarterback in Jason Bean, it looked like all hope was lost at the beginning of the game. Then, early in the 1st, Kansas’s defense comes up with a pick 6. The next Oklahoma series ended in a 3 and out. Bean and the offense moved down the field and scored. With a 14-0 lead, a rain delay costs the Jayhawks momentum. When they were allowed to resume action, Kansas let Oklahoma come back and take a 21-14 lead at half. In the second half, the game went back and forth. With 5 minutes left, Oklahoma put together a 14 play drive. They took the lead by 1, failing at the 2-point conversion. Bean came back out on offense looking to make a final drive. It did not go as planned. Bean threw 3 straight horrible passes and the last one found its way into the defense’s arms. With all hope of a victory draining fast, the Oklahoma offense took the field. However, the Jayhawks defense stood tall and managed to force the Sooners to punt. JASON BEAN PUT ON A SHOW!! He drove the Hawks offense down the field. Bean came up HUGE with 2 4th down conversions. After the Jayhawks got their second conversion, Devin Neal galloped in from 9 yards out. With 55 seconds left, Dillon Gabriel threw up a long pass downfield. It turned into a pass interference call, setting up the Sooners. The Jayhawks defense came up with the eventual stop to help the Hawks beat the Sooner. The fans rushed the field and took the goal post down so fast. So, no undefeated teams remain in the Big 12. Who shows the most promise for the College Football Playoff? Oklahoma was proven to be a fraud and they don’t seem like they’ll be able to make it in. Texas lost to the Sooners so they're out as well. No teams in the Big 12 seem to deserve the opportunity to join the College Football Playoff. Thanks to those Kansas Jayhawks.

Washington, still outside looking in- Washington has been one of my favorite teams this year. Michael Penix Jr. is my current pick for the prestigious award known as the Heisman Trophy. Washington continues to demonstrate why they are a top 5 team in the nation. Penix was wheelin’ and dealin’ all over the Stanford defense. Penix Jr. threw for 4 touchdowns in the brilliant performance. However, it wasn’t a complete blowout. The Stanford team put up 33 points on a Huskies defense. With only 4 teams allowed in the NCAA College Football Playoff, this Heisman hopeful may not get a chance to even play for the title. At 5, the Huskies find themselves one spot short. Here’s the problem… Who do you take out to put Washington in? You can’t take out Ohio State that has wins over Notre Dame and Penn State. Georgia hasn’t lost since 2 seasons ago. Michigan is in a MASSIVE scandal, but are still undefeated. Finally, Florida State has enormous wins over LSU, Clemson, and Duke. They have BLOWN EVERYONE ELSE OUT!! Jordan Travis is a sure fire Heisman hopeful as well. Best case scenario for the Huskies, either the Seminoles lose or you hope the committee takes a Pac 12 champ over a one loss BIG 10 school. I mean, if Ohio State loses to Michigan in the BIG 10 championship, what then? Do you kick out Ohio State after a loss to a top tier Michigan team? Lots to debate but unless someone loses badly, I don’t see a crack into the top 4 quite yet.

The Ville has been Balling-So, the only sport anyone wants to talk about in Louisville is football. Their legendary program is in absolute shambles after a loss to a Division 2 school. After one of the worst seasons in Cardinal history. We’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to talk about this GOD DAMN GOOD FOOTBALL TEAM!!! The Ville finds themselves 7-1 after an absolute blowout win over #20 Duke. This defense is stifling. They stopped a very good Blue Devils offense. Jack Plummer has looked more than capable as the captain of this ship of an offense. Jawhar Jordan has been running over defenses. He may be one of the most exciting backs to watch. Although The Ville isn’t in playoff contention, they are in a good spot to play in a high bowl game. The loss to Pitt was a massive blow, but a great bounce back win will always point you in the right direction.