collegefootballplayoffs

Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Time for your nuggets.   Time for a diet too.   There were too many boudain balls consumed this weekend by the staff covering the LSU-Auburn game live.  Grilled below are the tasty, but healthy treats with a side of some AP Top 25 NCAA football teams and their performance or lack thereof.

  1.  There is a new #1.  LSU beat it’s third top 10 opponent this season on Saturday.  Auburn fought hard, but came up short on a soaked field Saturday in BR.  For the first time this year the D carried LSU’s O.  The next “Game of the Century,” a term used far too often obviously, takes place in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 9.  LSU travels to Bama for a #1 v. #2. throwdown.  And throw they will.  It’s also a Tua v. Burrow throwdown.   It has a Heisman making moment opportunity written all over it.
  2. THE and Clemson remain entrenched at #3 and #4.  One or both will benefit from the Game of the Century loser’s drop.  Though, the first playoff poll comes out a week from today.  Maybe the committee will see the on field performances differently that the AP writers?  THE still has Penn St. and Michigan on their dance card.  Clemson has a bunch wallflowers.
  3. Poof!  There went Oklahoma.  Undefeated and #5 last week is old news now as Kansas St. put 48 on the Okie D winning 48-41 in a game that wasn’t actually 7 points close.  Penn St. rose one to #5.  You aren’t elite if you cannot play D.
  4. Florida is #6 and can take control of the SEC East this week as it’s one loss team travels to Jacksonville to meet one loss # 8 Georgia.  The World’s Largest Outdoor Party, formerly known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party,  will eliminate one team from playoff possibilities and elevate the other.  Speaking of eliminate, did eliminating the word “cocktail” from the moniker reduce the alcohol consumption?  We think not.  But it is PC.
  5.  Here comes the PAC 12.  A week ago Oregon and Utah were #11 and #12.  A week later they have risen to #7 and #9.  Both one loss teams keep stacking up solid victories.  And this coming weekend they’ll have a chance to continue that.  Oregon beat Washington St, always a pesky opponent for them.  Utah shut the door on the California Bears 35-0.  Their objective is to keep winning and meet in the PAC 12 Championship, take a look at the carnage around them, and argue that they deserve a Power Five Conference Champion shot at the final 4.  It’s possible with the collisions that will take place between teams currently ranked higher.
  6.  Oklahoma dropped 5 spots to #10, and Auburn dropped but two to #11 with the above mentioned losses.  Notre Dame dropped from #8 to #16 after Khaki Boy and the Wolverines pounded them in Ann Arbor.  The next time that we need to listen to ND inclusion in the playoff conversation will be 2020 at best.
  7. Two weeks ago undefeated Wisconsin was sitting pretty at #5.  Two weeks and two ugly losses later, the most recent a 38-7 trouncing by THE, Whisky checks in at #18.
  8.  Their losses have opened the door for someone to walk through from the west side of the BIG 10 to be a double digit dog to either THE or Penn St. in that conference championship tussle.  Golden Gophers any one?  Yep.  The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 8-0 and stand at unlucky #13.  Minnie has played exactly zero ranked opponents to date.  But, they’ve beaten everyone that they have played.  With Penn St., Iowa, and Wisconsin dead ahead for Minnie, beating everyone that they have yet to play will be a tall task.
  9.  Baylor and SMU have also beaten everyone that they have played.  They are both 8-0 and sit at #12 and #18 respectively.  Baylor has a path as Texas and Oklahoma loom.  Beat them both and shout your name loudly.  Maybe the playoff committee will hear you.  SMU really doesn’t.  Speaking of Texas, they fell all of the way out of the top 25 with a 37-27 loss to TCU.  Like Oklahoma, Texas is soft on D.
  10. Some early lines are out.  Oregon travels to USC and is a 4 1/2 point pick.  Utah travels to Washington and is a 2 point fav.  The PAC 12 gets picture gets much clearer come midnight Saturday EST.  Also, after a few cocktails in Jacksonville, Georgia will be a four point favorite over Florida.

It looks like a salad week to me.

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Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s Monday and it’s time to take a look at the NCAA football  and it’s AP Top 25.  Week eight is in the books, and we cook up ten nuggets to review it.

  1.  Alabama remains entrenched at #1.  They won the home game against Tennessee 35-13, and lost a QB in the process.  Tua Tagovailoa underwent surgery for a high ankle sprain yesterday and is expected to be back for the early November showdown with LSU, who remains at #2 after a 36-13 win at Mississippi St.
  2.  Clemson’s won 45-10 over Louisville on the field.  But, off of the field they lost one place in the polls.  They are now #4 after Dabo Swinney told reporters that his sophomore QB Trevor Lawrence had four really bad plays in the game.  Their loss was THE Ohio St University’s gain as THE climbed to three.  THE beat Northwestern all sixty minutes long in a 52-3 Friday night blowout.
  3. Oklahoma #5 and Penn St #6 round out the top six teams all with 7-0 records.  Oklahoma stayed at #5 while Penn St jumped into the spot formerly occupied by fellow Big 10 school Wisconsin.  Whisky looked hungover all Saturday afternoon losing to lowly Illinois 24-23.  James McCourt kicked a 39-yard field as time expired and Illinois pulled off the biggest upset of the college football season bar none.  The Badgers dropped a steep seven spots to #13.  Their playoff dreams are now a headache and need two aspirin.  Penn St jumped to a 21-0 lead at home over Michigan then held on to win 28-21.  Jim Harbaugh’s team suffered another loss to a big time team in a Big Ten game in a big time moment.  He decided to question the officiating. “It’ll be interesting to compare some of the different scenarios in the game, in terms of calls,” Harbaugh said.  Perhaps a look in the mirror would be interesting as well.
  4. Florida and Notre Dame begin the parade of 6-1 clubs at #7 and # 8 respectively.  Florida hoped over ND moving from 9 to 7 a week after their first loss as they fought off a game South Carolina Gamecocks team in the rain in SC.  Will Muschamp had a few choice words for a few refs after a few bad calls and non calls post game.  He said he had nothing more to say about it.  Then, almost under his breath he uttered “gutless” describing the refs decision to flag him for unsportsmanlike conduct.    His wallet might be a few “dollars less” after the NCAA takes a look.  ND was idle before they travel to Michigan this week.
  5. Auburn jumped two spots back into the top ten at #9 after running over Arkansas 51-10.  Arkansas is a bad football team.  Their fake punt, which you can see here, could be the worst designed special teams play, well, ever.  The Auburn Tigers travel to Baton Rouge for a top ten showdown/throwdown with the LSU Tigers Saturday.
  6.  Georgia wore down Kentucky 21-0 in the mud and rain in Athens a week after they were upset by SC.  Georgia threw for a measly 35 yards all game on just 12 attempts.  Kentucky one upped that, or one downed that, throwing for a measly 17 yards on 18 attempts.  If you missed the game you don’t have to brag about it.
  7. Oregon and Utah rep the PAC 12 and are ranked #11 and #12.  Oregon’s season opening, last seven seconds loss to Auburn is deep in the rear view mirror now.  The Ducks went to Washington and escaped with a fine 35-31 win.  They’ll need help to climb back into any playoff discussion.  But with only two road games left of the five remaining, at USC and at #24 Arizona St., they do have an outside shot as others ahead of them square off.
  8.  Baylor says hello, remaining undefeated after an impressive road win at Oklahoma St. 45-21.  The Bears are 7-0 and have Texas and Oklahoma visiting Waco in mid November.  Baylor moved up four spots from 18 to 14.
  9. SMU 7-0, Minnesota 7-0, and Appalachian St. 6-0 round out the undefeated teams at #16, #17, and #21 respectively.  Much like Rodney Dangerfield it seems they get no respect.  Boise St. was undefeated but got bounced at BYU by the Cougars.  Boise St fell from 14 all the way down to 22.
  10. A few early lines are out.  THE Ohio St. U is a home 14 point favorite over Wisconsin.  LSU is a home 12 1/2 point favorite over Auburn.  Michigan is a surprising home 2 1/2 point favorite over the Fighting Irish.

Don’t leave your plate in the sink.  Put it in the dish washer please.

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-CFB

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If you have a good start on better health resolutions for the new year of 2019, good for you.  If not, it’s always a good day to get started.  Below are ten healthy nuggets CFB style to invigorate your resolve even further.  Digest them as you please.

  1. Despite all of the November angst when the college football playoff selection committee divulges its weekly rankings, the cream inevitably rises to the top.   Playing the “what if” team X loses and team y beats team z sells beer commercial time on sports shows.  It does little else.  Alabama and Clemson’s body of work to this point have separated them, yet again, as college football’s finest.
  2. This will be the fourth consecutive meeting between the two schools in the playoffs.  It will be the third time in the final as Bama took out Clemson last year in the semis.   The two teams have lost seven games combined in the last four years.  Three of those losses come when facing each other.  Throw those out and the two are a combined 107-4 versus all other teams.  That’s a 96% win percentage.  Everyone else has been playing for third place. How long might this continue?
  3. Third place doesn’t matter too much unless you are a fan of one of a handful of teams who might want consolation bragging rights for the next few months.  Notre Dame and Oklahoma entered the playoffs ranked third and fourth respectively.  BBR thinks that it’s more that the music stopped and they had a chair to sit on than it was that they had separated themselves that much from teams ranked 5-8.
  4. Criticize ND all you want if you feel like they really weren’t a top four team.  But don’t shoot the Irish for their schedule.  Schedules are made years in advance.  I doubt anyone thought three or four years ago that Stanford, USC, Virginia Tech, and Florida St. would be collectively as down as they were in 2018.  Add wins over Pittsburgh, Michigan, Northwestern, and Syracuse and you have had the makings of a solid strength of schedule.  Their season opening win over Michigan looked better and better as Michigan piled up wins.  It quelled ND naysayers and got them on to the doorstep of the final four before the Wolverines imploded.
  5. Criticize Oklahoma all you want if you feel like they really weren’t a top four team.  But don’t shoot the Sooners for their offensive firepower.  Criticize them for their defense or lack thereof.  Oklahoma gave up 40 points or more in six games this year.  Six.  Serious contenders for championships are minimally above average in all three phases of the game and really good at two or more of them.  Oklahoma’s D doesn’t pass that test even though their offense passes all over everyone.
  6. Of the teams bunched in the 3-8 spots all were good, none were great.  THE Ohio St. looked listless three times, but lost only once.  It was, however, a shellacking by an average Purdue squad that got worked by Auburn during bowl week.  The aforementioned Michigan was worked by THE in the Big 10 showdown.   As Peach Bowl participants they enjoyed the festivities leading up to the game v. Florida.  Apparently they pulled the rip cord and decided not to participate in the game itself.  Florida finished strong, but hiccupped early.  UCF has a fun team that has no beef in the trenches to compete in real big boy football.  Georgia was on the short list for a while, but Bama set them back and Texas beat them soundly.  Texas closed strong.  But 4 L’s are 4 L’s.
  7. The power five conferences were bunched together in their collective bowl performances with no clear standouts or failures.
    1. 4-3 Big 12
    2. 5-4 Big Ten
    3. 6-5 SEC
    4. 5-5 ACC
    5. 3-4 PAC 12
  8.  BBR thinks that Wisconsin, Washington, and Miami were pretty big 2018 disappointments relative to their talent, their competition, their schedule, and therefore their final body of work.  We were quite surprised by Kentucky, Washington St, Cincinnati, and Utah St.
  9. It’s just about 230 days till the 2019 season kicks off.   Watch out for Texas, Florida, and Texas A&M next year.  If Herman, Mullen, and Fischer were a law firm they would be tough in a courtroom.
  10. Before the 2019 season kicks off, the 2018 season has just that one game left this coming Monday night.  Is another Bama v Clemson matchup good or bad for college football?  BBR thinks it is neither.  It just is what it is.  Enjoy the amazing talent and depth of same on display.  The NFL scouts do.
  11. (one leftover)  We say again that the targeting rule, interpretation, in-game review, penalty, and player suspension resulting from it is in need of serious review itself.  The NCAA can move like an overweight sloth at times.  We hope that this is not one of those times.

Enjoy the FBS Championship.  The turf in NoCal this time of the year is bad terrible.  Abby wagged her tail and barked Clemson 33-31 just so you know.