College Football Week 15 – Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Washington
Winning the Big Ten is meaningless

But I suppose it’s better than winning the Big 12. The four college football playoff teams were announced yesterday and for the second time in three years the Big 12 champion did not make the playoffs.

Saturday, Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State, 38-20, for the Big 12 title, but the 10-2 Sooners were not in the Top 4 when the final Playoff Poll was released yesterday. OU finished 7th.

No one really expected Oklahoma to be a playoff team. Nor did anyone think that OU should be one of the four playoff teams. The Sooners lost two games early in the season – an embarrassing loss to Houston and a bad loss at home to Ohio State. But to their credit, the Sooners did finish the season with an impressive 9-straight wins.

You would have thought, however, that the Big Ten champion would be a playoff team. After all, the Big Ten champ has made the playoffs each of the previous two years – Ohio State in 2014 and Michigan State in 2015.

This year, Penn State (11-2) won the Big Ten championship. The Nittany Lions captured the title Saturday night with their amazing come-from-behind win over Wisconsin, 38-31. Penn State was down in the game 28-7, before rallying to outscore the Badgers 31-3 in the final two quarters and 58 seconds of the game.

Penn State won its division – the East – in the Big Ten and the Nittany Lions went on to win the conference title game. During the season, Penn State beat Ohio State, 24-21. And like Oklahoma, the Nittany Lions finished their season with an impressive 9-straight wins.

Apparently, it was bad luck to finish your season with a 9-game winning streak.

But, when the Playoff Poll was released yesterday, Penn State was not one of the playoff teams. Instead, Ohio State, who was 3rd in the Poll, is the Big Ten’s representative in the playoffs. Penn State was 5th in the Poll. So this year, at least, winning the Big Ten was meaningless.

Penn State does get a pretty good consolation prize. The Nittany Lions are going to the Rose Bowl where they will play USC.

Yeah, when the weekend’s championship games were over Saturday night, the College Football Playoff Committee went to work. By mid-day Sunday, the committee released its final product:

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Ohio State
4. Washington

The runner-ups were 5) Penn State, 6) Michigan, 7) Oklahoma, and 8) Wisconsin. Sounds like a beauty pageant, doesn’t it?

In the first semifinal game, Alabama (13-0) will play Washington (12-1) in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The Tide returns to the same location – the Georgia Dome – where they beat Florida, 54-16, for the SEC championship.

In the other semifinal game, Clemson (12-1) will meet Ohio State (11-1) in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Both games will be played on December 31. The winners of the two games will meet January 9 in Tampa for the national championship.

Personally, my final product would have been 1) Alabama, 2) Clemson, 3) Penn State, 4) Washington, 5) Ohio State, 6) Oklahoma, 7) Michigan, and 8) Wisconsin. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a say-so in the matter.

In the three years of the college football playoffs, this is Alabama’s third appearance. It’s the second appearance for Clemson and Ohio State. Washington is making its first appearance. Oregon (2014), Florida State (2014) and Oklahoma (2015) have each made one appearance. Ohio State won the national title in the first playoffs and Alabama won last year.

The Big 12 failed to make the playoffs in 2014 and again this year. Last year, the Pac-12 champ did not make the playoffs. The ACC, Big Ten and SEC have made the playoffs all three years. But this is the first year that one of the participants – Ohio State – is not a conference champion.

In the conference championship games Friday night and Saturday, they saved the best for last – the Big Ten and ACC title games. Both games were the last two played Saturday night. Both were the two most exciting of all the conference title games. And interestingly, in both games, it looked like at first one team was going to run away from the other.

As mentioned above, Penn State trailed Wisconsin badly in the Big Ten game, but the Nittany Lions battled back to tie the Badgers late in the third quarter. Then Wisconsin retook the lead, only to have Penn State go back up and hold on to win.

Likewise, Clemson had big early leads over Virginia Tech in the ACC game. But after trailing the Tigers by 21 points, the Hokies fought back to pull within 7 points twice in the fourth quarter – the second time with about 6 minutes left on the clock. Clemson hung on to win, 42-35.

The Pac-12 and SEC title games were laughers. Friday night, Washington dominated Colorado, 41-10. Saturday afternoon, Alabama made mince meat out of Florida, 54-16. Even the Big 12 game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State lacked excitement – in the second half. After an interesting first half – 17-17 – the Sooners ran away from the Cowboys in the second half. OU beat Okie State, 38-20.

Three of the four Group of 5 championship games were exciting. Only the AAC game was a rout. Temple (10-3) surprised Navy, 34-10. Friday night, Western Michigan (13-0) hung on to its undefeated season and Cotton Bowl berth, edging Ohio, 29-23. The win gave the Broncos the Mid-American Conference title.

In the wildest of all the title games, Western Kentucky (10-3) won the C-USA championship, beating Louisiana Tech, 58-44. Early in the fourth quarter, the Hilltoppers only led by 4 points.

Like the Power 5 title games, the Group of 5 saved its most exciting game for last. Saturday night, San Diego State (10-3) won the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs slipped by Wyoming, 27-24, in a thriller. The 11-team Sun Belt Conference does not have a championship game. Appalachian State and Arkansas State finished as co-champions of the Sun Belt.

In two regular season-ending Big 12 games, West Virginia beat Baylor, 24-21 and Kansas State downed TCU, 30-10. West Virginia finished third in the Big 12, while Kansas State finished in fourth place.

So the playoffs are set and the bowl games have been filled. Now we just have to wait until December 17 for the start of bowl season. Stay tuned!

All three service academies – Air Force (9-3), Army (6-5) and Navy (9-3) – are going bowling this year. But Army and Navy still have one more very important game to play, before they go bowling. The Cadets and the Midshipmen meet this Saturday in Baltimore. Air Force won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy this year, beating both Army and Navy.

More coaches were dumped last week. After a 4-8 season, Oregon fired Mark Helfrich. In four years in Eugene, Helfrich was 37-16 with the Ducks. Interestingly, some reports have Oregon interested in Florida coach Jim McElwain as Helfrich’s replacement. Stay tuned!

For the record, two coaches stepped down, but in effect they were fired. One was Indiana coach Kevin Wilson. After six seasons in Bloomington, Wilson was 26-47 with the Hoosiers. The other coach was Cincinnati’s Tommy Tuberville. In four seasons with the Bearcats, Tuberville was 29-22.

Indiana quickly named its defensive coordinator Tom Allen as the new coach of the Hoosiers. No candidates for the Cincinnati job have been mentioned as yet. However, apparently the two finalists for the Houston job, replacing Tom Herman, are Les Miles and Lane Kiffin. Kiffin had his interview with Houston yesterday. Before the interview, Kiffin said if he gets the job at Houston or becomes the offensive coordinator at LSU, he will remain on the Alabama staff through the playoffs.

Former Baylor coach Art Briles is very interested in the Houston opening, but Cougars athletic director Hunter Yurachek was very adamant about the fact that Houston had no interest in Briles. Stay tuned!

The candidates for the Baylor job are reported to be SMU’s Chad Morris, California’s Sonny Dykes and North Carolina’s Larry Fedora.

So far, 14 schools will have new coaches next season. Twelve schools have fired their coaches, one coach – Tom Herman – left to fill an opening, and one school – Baylor – will be making a change from its interim coach, Jim Grobe. Of the 14 schools, only 4 – Florida International, LSU, Texas and Indiana – have hired their new coaches already.

Alabama’s Reuben Foster won the Butkus Award as college football’s top linebacker. And, by the way, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey rushed for 1,603 yards this year and led the country with 211 all-purpose yards per game.

Friday, I will post my annual bowl game preview and next week in CFW Week 16, I’ll provide my annual bowl game predictions.

Yes, winning the Big Ten was meaningless this year.

Enjoy your week!

Go Navy!

Touchdown Tom
December 5, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Playoffs here we come – Washington 41, Colorado 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 26, Colorado 21). The Huskies made it clear that they will be in the playoffs, especially in the second half. The score was just 14-7 at halftime. Then Washington outscored Colorado 27-3 in the second half. The Huskies defense held the Buffaloes to less than 100 yards rushing (82) and less than 100 yards passing (81). Washington wasn’t much better passing (118 yards), but the Huskies were big on the ground. Two Washington backs ran for more than 100 yards each – Myles Gaskin 159 yards and Lavon Coleman 101 yards. Attendance in Santa Clara: 47,118

RUNNER UP: Brutal – Alabama 54, Florida 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Florida 12). For a little more than four minutes, Florida had something to cheer about. The Gators scored first and led Alabama for about five minutes in the first quarter. But that is the one and only positive thing you can say about the Gators in the game. When Alabama went ahead with 5:06 to go in the first quarter, the Tide never looked aback. Florida had 261 total yards and all 261 of it was passing. Yes, the Gators had zero yards rushing. Bama was kind of a joke passing (138 yards), but the Tide had 234 yards rushing. Florida was scoreless in the second half. Attendance in Atlanta: 74,632

REST OF THE BEST: What a comeback! – Penn State 38, Wisconsin 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 24, Wisconsin 21). With a minute to go in the second quarter, Wisconsin led Penn State 28-7. The Nittany Lions scored a touchdown 58 seconds before the half and went on to outscore the Badgers 31-3. The teams were pretty even in the stats – 435 total yards to 415 in favor of Penn State; 22 first downs to 21 in favor of Wisconsin. Penn State was the passing team. Wisconsin was the rushing team. Oddly enough, the Badgers controlled the clock – 37 minutes to 23. And Penn State only had 51 yards rushing. Lions quarterback Trace McSorley passed for 384 yards. Badgers running back Corey Clement rushed for 164 yards. Attendance in Indianapolis: 65,018

Tigger was happy – Clemson 42, Virginia Tech 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 33, Virginia Tech 27). Late in the third quarter, it looked like Clemson put this game away when the Tigers went up 35-14. But Virginia Tech battled back to trail by only seven points – 35-28 – early in the fourth quarter. Midway through the fourth, the Hokies were trailing by only seven again – 42-35. In spite of the closeness of the score, Clemson dominated the stats – 472 total yards to 386 for Tech and 30 first downs to 19 for Tech. Deshaun Watson passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Orlando: 50,628

How about another field goal – Western Michigan 29, Ohio 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Michigan 29, Ohio 19). At the break, it looked like WMU was going to run away with the game. The Broncos led 23-7. But Ohio made a game of it in the second half, outscoring WMU 16-6. There were six field goals kicked in the game – five by WMU. The Broncos held the Bobcats to only 37 yards rushing. Attendance in Detroit: 45,615

Big 12 champs – Oklahoma 38, Oklahoma State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 39, Oklahoma State 30). This was a tight ballgame at the break. The teams were tied 17-17 at the half. Then Oklahoma outscored Okie State 21-3 in the second half. The teams combined for 1,032 total yards, but the Sooners had 629 of them. OU’s Baker Mayfield passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns. The Sooners Samaje Perine rushed for 239 yards and Joe Mixon had a respectable 99 yards rushing. OU’s defense all but shut down the Cowboys quarterback Mason Rudolph. Attendance in Norman: 87,527

AAC champs – Temple 34, Navy 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 29, Temple 27). Navy not only didn’t show up for the game, but its fans didn’t either. That was embarrassing for a home team that was coming into the game with a 9-2 record. Temple jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead. Navy did come within 14 points – 24-10 – late in the third quarter. But Temple added 10 more points in the fourth quarter. It’s rare for the Middies to be outrushed, but the Owls outrushed Navy, 189 yards to 168. Temple quarterback P.J. Walker passed for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Annapolis: 22,815

MWC champs – San Diego State 27, Wyoming 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Wyoming 32, San Diego State 28). The score was tied 10-10 at the half, but at the end of three, San Diego State led 24-10. Wyoming rallied in the fourth quarter to pull within three points at 27-24 with 6:12 to go in the game. The teams were even on the stats. The Aztecs were the rushing team (242 yards). The Cowboys were the passing team (248 yards). Both teams suffered three turnovers each. The Aztecs Rashaad Penny rushed for 117 yards and Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 110 yards. San Diego State got revenge. The Aztecs lost to Wyoming on the same field two weeks earlier, 34-33. Attendance in Laramie: 24,001

Almost a basketball game – Western Kentucky 58, Louisiana Tech 44 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Kentucky 37, Louisiana Tech 25). The teams combined for 65 points in the first half. WKU led 38-27. But they calmed down in the second half, only scoring 37 points. And the two teams combined for 1,163 total yards. But La Tech only had 5 yards rushing. That was the difference as the Hilltoppers Anthony Wales rushed for 209 yards and Mike White passed for 421 yards. The Bulldogs Ryan Higgins passed for 502 yards. Attendance in Bowling Green: 13,213

If it wasn’t for those two teams from Oklahoma – West Virginia 24, Baylor 21 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 40, Baylor 24). In what was supposed to be an easy game for WVU turned out to be a struggle. Early in the second quarter, the Mounties trailed 14-3. Early in the fourth quarter, WVU led 24-14. But Baylor made it close again, scoring a touchdown with 2:40 left in the game. The Mountaineers rushed for 311 yards and controlled the clock – 34 minutes to 26. WVU’s Justin Crawford rushed for 209 yards. Baylor had four turnovers. Attendance in Morgantown: 49,229


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Where was Kermit? – Kansas State 30, TCU 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 27, TCU 26). Tied 10-10 at the break, K-State outscored TCU 20-0 in the second half. The Wildcats had 495 total yards to 280 for TCU, and 21 first downs to 15 for the Frogs. K-State’s strength was on the ground – 336 rushing yards. The Wildcats Jesse Ertz had 170 yards rushing and Justin Silmon had 133 yards. Attendance in Fort Worth: 42,746

Week 14 Results: 9 correct picks, 2 fumbles (81.8 percent)
For the Season: 155 correct picks, 85 fumbles (64.6 percent)


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Louisiana Tech’s Ryan Higgins – 35-57-1 for 502 yards; Western Kentucky’s Mike White – 21-31-1-421, and Penn State’s Trace McSorley – 22-31-0-384.


Impressive Rushers:

Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine – 239 yards; West Virginia’s Justin Crawford – 209 yards, and Western Kentucky’s Anthony Wales – 209 yards.

Kansas State’s Jesse Ertz – 170 yards; New Mexico State’s Larry Rose – 170 yards; Wisconsin’s Corey Clement – 164 yards, and Washington’s Myles Gaskin – 159 yards.


TT’s Annual Picks

My choice for “Coach of the Year” from each of the FBS Conferences

AAC: Matt Rhule – Temple; Runner-up: Scott Frost – UCF
ACC: Justin Fuente – Virginia Tech; Runner-up: Pat Narduzzi – Pitt
Big 12: Dana Holgorsen – West Virginia; Runner-up: Bill Snyder – Kansas State
Big 10: James Franklin – Penn State; Runner-up: Paul Chryst – Wisconsin
C-USA: Bobby Wilder – Old Dominion; Runner-up: Frank Wilson – UTSA
MAC: P.J. Fleck – Western Michigan; Runner-up: Chuck Martin – Miami (Ohio)
MWC: Craig Bohl – Wyoming; Runner-up: Bob Davie – New Mexico
Pac-12: Mike MacIntyre – Colorado; Runner-up: Clay Helton – USC
SEC: Jim McElwain – Florida; Runner-up: Derek Mason – Vanderbilt
Sun Belt: Neal Brown – Troy; Runner-up: Paul Petrino – Idaho


My choice for national “Coach of the Year”:

1. James Franklin – Penn State
2. Mike MacIntyre – Colorado
3. P.J. Fleck – Western Michigan


If I had a vote for the Heisman Trophy, my ballot would be cast as follows:

1. Deshaun Watson – Clemson
2. Lamar Jackson – Louisville
3. Dede Westbrook – Oklahoma


The most surprising team from each FBS conference:

AAC: UCF (6-6)
ACC: Virginia Tech (9-4)
Big 12: West Virginia (10-2)
Big Ten: Penn State (11-2)
C-USA: (tie) Old Dominion (9-3) and UTSA (6-6)
MAC: (tie) Miami (Ohio) (6-6) and Eastern Michigan (7-5)
MWC: (tie) Wyoming (8-4), New Mexico (8-4) and Hawaii (6-7)
Pac-12: (tie) Colorado (10-3) and Washington State (8-4)
SEC: Auburn (8-4)
Sun Belt: Idaho (8-4)


The most disappointing team from each FBS conference:

AAC: Cincinnati (4-8)
ACC: Florida State (9-3)
Big 12: (tie) Baylor (6-6) and Texas (5-7)
Big Ten: Michigan State (3-9)
C-USA: Marshall (3-9)
MAC: Bowling Green (4-8)
MWC: Utah State (3-9)
Pac-12: (tie) UCLA (4-8) and Oregon (4-8)
SEC: (tie) Ole Miss (5-7) and Tennessee (8-4)
Sun Belt: Georgia Southern (5-7)


Quotes of the Week

“I’m not going to Baylor. I love it at Colorado. And my family loves Colorado,” Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre, when asked about the Baylor opening.

“It’s a historic day in Western Michigan history, and we deserve to be in the gosh darn Cotton bowl, period. Write it down,” Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck, after the Broncos beat Ohio for the Mid-American Conference championship.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be careful what you wish for. I didn’t hold that sign up,” Washington coach Chris Petersen, when asked about a Washington fan holding a sign that said, “We Want Bama.”

“Our guys would have obviously loved to have been in the playoff, but they’re also excited about the opportunity to play in a big bowl game. We’ve had a great year. I’m really proud of our guys. Yeah, they would have loved to have been in the playoffs, but we’re still very, very appreciative and honored for the opportunities that we have,” Penn State coach James Franklin.

“Being on this side of the country, we don’t get to stay up late enough to watch their games. My wife doesn’t let me,” North Carolina coach Larry Fedora, on his upcoming Sun Bowl opponent Stanford.


Quote from the Past

“He doesn’t know the meaning of the word fear. In fact, I saw his grades and he doesn’t know the meaning of a lot of words,” Urban Meyer.


Signs of the Day

Just Give Bama The National Championship

Harbaugh Invited Meyer Over For A Sleepover Tonight

Wisconsin Is The Antichryst

Badgers Are Angry Skunks


Touchdown Tom’s Prediction for
This Week’s One Biggest and Most Intriguing Game…and then none

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Army (6-5) vs. Navy (9-3) – (Ind. vs. AAC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Both teams are going bowling. Navy could have been going to the Cotton Bowl, but the Middies lost their AAC championship game to Temple last week. Even though Army has had a good season, Navy is the superior team. Middy quarterback Will Worth does just about everything for Navy. He even does the kitchen sink. But he was injured in the Temple game. Worth has rushed for 1,179 yards and passed for 1,363 yards. Navy is averaging 42 points a game on offense. Navy has won 14-straight games in this series and 17 of the last 19 games. Army last won in 2001. Make it 15-straight – Navy 34, Army 20.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

West Virginia (10-2) and Florida (8-4) have completed their seasons.


Your 2016 Conference Champions

AAC: Temple
ACC: Clemson
Big 12: Oklahoma
Big Ten: Penn State
C-USA: Western Kentucky
MAC: Western Michigan
MWC: San Diego State
Pac-12: Washington
SEC: Alabama
Sun Belt: (tie) Appalachian State and Arkansas State

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but with the gray skies of early December upon us, the college football season was fading fast. As the fans were talking about new coaches, bowl games and the Heisman Trophy, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1941 was “Chattanooga Choo Choo” by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra

…70 years ago this week in 1946 was “Ole Buttermilk Sky” by Kaye Kyser

…65 years ago this week in 1951 was “(It’s No) Sin” by Eddy Howard and His Orchestra

…60 years ago this week in 1956 was “Singing the Blues” by Guy Mitchell

…55 years ago this week in 1961 was “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes

…50 years ago this week in 1966 was “Winchester Cathedral” by The New Vaudeville Band

…45 years ago this week in 1971 was “Family Affair” by Sly and the Family Stone

…40 years ago this week in 1976 was “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod Stewart

…35 years ago this week in 1981 was “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John

…30 years ago this week in 1986 was “The Next Time I Fall” by Peter Cetera and Amy Grant

…25 years ago this week in 1991 was “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” by P.M. Dawn


Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Harry Flournoy and Grant Tinker.

Harry Flournoy, a captain on the Texas Western (now UTEP) basketball team that won the 1966 NCAA basketball tournament, died last week in Atlanta. He was 72. Flournoy was a member of the first team with an all-black starting five to win the NCAA basketball tournament. The Miners beat Kentucky, an all-white team, in the championship game. He helped guide Texas Western to a 28-1 record in the 1965-66 season. Harry Flournoy was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, on December 10, 1943. As a child, his family moved to Gary, Indiana. After college, Flournoy taught and coached basketball in El Paso before becoming a sales representative and moving to California in 1972.

Grant Tinker, who produced “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and other television hits in the 1970s, died last week in Los Angeles. He was 90. As president of MTM Enterprises, a company he founded with his second wife, Mary Tyler Moore, in 1970, Tinker produced the show named for her and the spinoff “Rhoda” and the newsroom drama “Lou Grant.” He was chairman and chief executive of NBC from 1981 to 1986, where he filled prime time television with such successful shows as “The Cosby Show,” “Cheers,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Family Ties,” “St. Elsewhere” and “Miami Vice.” Under Tinker, NBC enjoyed runaway ratings and record profits. Grant Almerin Tinker was born was born on January 11, 1926, in Stamford, Connecticut. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1949 and joined NBC. He left NBC in 1954, but rejoined the company in 1961. He developed “I Spy,” Dr. Kildare” and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” In the late 1960s, he developed “It Takes a Thief” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.” for Universal. Tinker and Mary Tyler Moore married in 1963 and divorced in 1981.