JT Thomson
JT Thomson (aka CaneGrad05). Follow on Twitter
The Week That Was
Rather crazy that, for the most part, the college football regular season is complete. Notre Dame punched its ticket to the national title game this weekend, beating Corch Kiffin’s USC squad. We will wait to see their opponent, the winner of Alabama-Georgia. You never know what can happen in rivalry games, but both Alabama and Georgia quickly and mercilessly disposed of their in-state nemeses. Florida went on the road to Tallahassee, dominating the Seminoles in the 4th quarter, turning the Gator nation into the biggest USC fans in the country for an outside shot at a national title appearance. Oregon won the Civil War, but because of Stanford’s win over UCLA, the Ducks season is done. Ohio State wrapped up an undefeated season, but ‘Canes (and Wolverines, and Gators, and countless others no doubt) rejoice at avoiding an Ohio State-Notre Dame national title game.
Best Week by a Conference: The SEC. Surprise. But by keeping Alabama and Georgia on a collision course this Saturday, the SEC sits in the driver’s seat. Throw in Florida’s win over Florida State and South Carolina’s win over Clemson, and a last game Heisman push for “Johnny Football” and the SEC reigns supreme.
Worst Week by a Conference: The ACC. Nobody is going to argue about the depth of the ACC- we all know it sucks. But quietly, heading into this weekend, the ACC had to feel pretty good about its two best teams, Florida State and Clemson, getting the opportunity to beat two well-thought of teams from the SEC. Both games were at home, both ACC teams were favored, and both teams lost. Same old, same old from the ACC. Elsewhere, the Coastal Division’s best team, Miami, declared itself ineligible for postseason play, depriving the conference of a Florida State-Miami rematch. Instead, FSU plays Georgia Tech, which lost by 32 to Georgia.
Soapbox Moment of the Week: No soapbox, just wish there was more Canes football this season.
Week 14 Games To Watch
1. Louisville @ Rutgers- Thursday 730pm on ESPN: Yeah, it’s ugly on paper, but it will also decide the Big East champion. Both teams knew going into last week this game would be for the Big East, and it showed with how flat both teams played losing to UConn and Pittsburgh. Still, both teams are 9-2, relatively young, and play contrasting styles. It won’t necessarily be enjoyable, but any college football is better than no college football. Rutgers favored by 2.5
2. Northern Illinois vs Kent State- Friday 7pm on ESPN2: These two teams are better than any team in the Big East. In fact, Kent State beat Rutgers earlier this year. Both teams must be second guessing themselves over their early season lone loss: NIU to Iowa by a point, and Kent State’s drubbing by Kentucky. Still, both responded to run the table and find themselves playing for the MAC title in Detroit. Jordan Lynch is one of the best college quarterbacks in the country for NIU, while Kent State is lead by do everything all purpose back Dri Archer. NIU favored by 6.5
3. UCLA @ Stanford- Friday 8pm on FOX: Just in case you didn’t bother watching this game on Saturday, you get a chance to watch again this Friday, but this time in Palo Alto. Had Stanford not inexplicably lost at Washington, they could have made a rather strong argument for being in the national title game. Instead, I’m fairly confident any Stanford fan at the beginning of the season would be ecstatic with winning their division in the first year without Andrew Luck. Likewise for UCLA, as a second consecutive division title, this time legitimately won, is a successful season. Still, I’d rather watch the MAC game than a repeat of this one. Stanford favored by 10
4. Alabama vs Georgia- Saturday 4pm on CBS: The rest of college football gave Alabama a second chance, and now they stand one game away from a possible repeat as national champions. Despite the lofty ranking, though, this Alabama team has not exactly exhibited the dominance we are used to expecting from Nick Saban’s team, especially not the last month. And no, beating a lame duck Auburn like a drum does not change this. On the other end, Georgia has been relatively ignored ever since that loss to South Carolina. But coming into this game, Georgia has looked like a much more complete football team the last 5 weeks. Can they shock the Tide? Can they make it to Miami for the national title? Vegas does not think so. Alabama favored by 8
5. Texas @ Kansas State – Saturday 8pm on ABC: Had only Kansas State not lost to Baylor, this game would have been must-see television. Depending on the outcome of the earlier Oklahoma-TCU game, Kansas State will need to win this game in order to win the Big 12. While it would be a disappointment compared to the expectations two weeks ago, a Big 12 title would be a tremendous success. On the other hand, Texas must be scratching their heads a little bit. While overall, the season was an improvement from a year ago, in retrospect, the loss to WVU was a bad loss, as was last week’s to TCU where Texas looked to lack any motivation at all. Still, a win this weekend, even if it means gifting Oklahoma the conference, would give some hope for the Longhorns going into bowl season and 2013. Kansas State favored by 11
6. Florida State vs. Georgia Tech- Saturday 8pm on ESPN: I mean, it is a conference champion game… okay just kidding. Florida State favored by 13.5
7. Wisconsin vs. Nebraska- Saturday 817 on FOX: I mean, it is a conference champion game… okay just kidding. Nebraska favored by 3
Top 25 – Gets Nearly Impossible after 14
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