NCAA Football Report (Week 10)
When the College Football Playoff was announced it was met with plenty of excitement and some concern over how it could affect the league.
Some wondered if more teams was going to reduce the fight as the BCS only had two teams and more often than not it was a fight between three teams to get there.
They wondered if deserving teams were going to make it in or if a team that might not have the best schedule or record was going to make it into the playoff.
They wondered if it was going to be good enough competition when the playoff began and if four teams was just too much.
The answers easily came in the first year of the playoff when the #4 team went all the way to the National Championship and took home the title.
The battle from the start of the season was better than any before and the playoff was a big success.
The only thing that might be able to trump last year’s race is the one going on right now.
Last week the first rankings for the 2015 College Football Playoff and it was a shocking result for most.
First of all the Clemson Tigers took over the top spot from the Ohio State Buckeyes despite the Buckeyes being ranked on top of every other poll all year.
Then the TCU Horned Frogs and Baylor Bears were left out of the top four despite being among the top four teams every week.
Meanwhile Alabama and LSU were ranked in the top four despite Alabama’s one-loss on the season.
Not to mention the rise of Notre Dame to #5 and the fall of Michigan State to #7 that had many fans wondering how they could come up with the rankings.
It had plenty of people scratching their heads with another snub of Big 12 teams and everyone’s favourite Cinderella, the Memphis Tigers, were left without much of a hope at busting the playoff.
It was a frustrating ranking for those who hoped that the CFP was going to eliminate the dominance of the Power Five conferences, especially the SEC, and give more teams a chance to play.
Then Week 10 came and it seemed like the CFP Committee knew something that everyone else didn’t.
Week 10 was an important one in the NCAA with most of the top teams coming off of a bye and into some major games.
That included the teams that many though had been snubbed from the initial playoff rankings.
TCU was a team many thought deserved to be in the final four after a great start to the season.
They took on Oklahoma State in a game that was to be a proving ground for them after they were left out of the top four.
The CFP Committee was prove right in keeping them out though as the Cowboys easily beat the Horned Frogs 49-29 showing that TCU might not belong in the playoff.
The Cinderella story that everyone was waiting for was nowhere near the top four as undefeated Memphis opened the CFP rankings at 13th and seemed too far to bust the playoffs.
This week they looked to keep their undefeated season going and try to prove that 13 was far too low for them.
They took on Navy and were not up to the task of beating the triple option. The Midshipmen won 45-20 proving once again that they didn’t belong near the playoff.
The CFP Committee has made some sound decisions after the first week under the new rankings proving that they are working well, at least right now.
The first rankings are out and the second are just around the corner as everyone continues the fight for the top four spots.
In reality though these rankings mean little as it only took one week for Ohio State to move into the #4 spot and have a chance at the national title.
The only rankings that mean anything will come at the end of the season but as that day approaches every team fights for the chance to get one of those spots.
That fight continues with the playoff now in full focus for every team and only three weeks for most of the top teams to prove they are worthy.
Key Scores:
#1 Clemson Tigers 23 – 13 Florida State Seminoles #16
– The Tigers were unexpectedly ranked first in the initial CFP rankings and just in time for the biggest game of their regular season which they handled well beating the Seminoles for the first time in four years and showing why they are #1
#4 Alabama Crimson Tide 30 – 16 LSU Tigers #2
– The Tide and the Tigers were both ranked in the top four in the initial CFP rankings but only one could likely stay there and that came down to this game as the Tide shut down Heisman hopeful Leonard Fournette and took the all-important win
Nebraska Cornhuskers 39 – 38 Michigan State Spartans #7
– The Spartans were a team that many thought deserved to be in or at least near the top four of the first CFP rankings but like many more games during the week the CFP Committee was proven right as the Spartans took a loss to Nebraska on a controversial last second touchdown
#14 Oklahoma State Cowboys 49 – 29 TCU Horned Frogs #8
– The Horned Frogs were one of the teams that many though should be close to the top four but they proved that they didn’t belong there when they lost to the Cowboys in pretty convincing fashion
Next Week:
Florida Gators vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (Saturday November 14th; 12:00 pm ET)
– The Gators are moving up and after a scary game in Week 10 they still remain the favourites to win the SEC East which is a great way to get that much closer to the playoff as they need to keep winning to get into the SEC Championship
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (Saturday November 14th; 3:30 pm ET)
– The Tide are finally back on track as they convinced everyone that their top four ranking was worth it by beating the Tigers and now they continue their pursuit of the SEC West title and another spot in the playoff
Memphis Tigers vs. Houston Cougars (Saturday November 14th; 7:00 pm ET)
– The Tigers were trying to be the unexpected team this year but after a loss they are trying to get back on the winning track and remain in the Top 25 with hopes of a conference title and a bigger bowl still within reach
Oklahoma Sooners vs. Baylor Bears (Saturday November 14th; 8:00 pm ET)
– The Bears are still within striking distance of the playoff and this game could mean the difference between them getting in and missing out as they face one of the toughest tests of their season so far
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