College Football Week 16 – Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, Ohio State
Playoffs set, bowls filled, but
the title games sure were boring

Remember the little old lady in the Wendy’s commercials – “Where’s the beef?” Watching the conference championship games over the weekend, I found myself saying, “Where’s the excitement?”

What else can you say about conference championship games with scores like 59-0, 51-13, 51-17 and 42-13? What else can you say but, “Where’s the excitement?” It sure was missing in most of the games. 

If it wasn’t for the ACC and C-USA, the title games would have been a complete bust. But fortunately, the ACC and C-USA gave the championship games a raison d’etre with scores like 37-35 and 26-23.

Thursday night, when UCF beat East Carolina, 32-30, on a 51-yard, Hail-Mary pass as time expired, I thought, if all the games can be similar to this, we’re in for a hell of a weekend. But it went downhill from there.

First, in the MAC championship game Friday night, Northern Illinois smashed Bowling Green, 51-17. The Huskies were doing all they could to impress the Playoff Committee, shooting for the Golden Ticket berth – a New Years 6 bowl spot awaiting the highest ranked team from the Group of Five.

Next, and not to be outdone, Oregon put up 51 points too. The Ducks plastered Arizona, 51-13, in the Pac-12 championship game. Oregon didn’t need to impress anyone. All the Ducks had to do was win and they were assured a spot in the playoffs.

The descent continued on Saturday. In the SEC championship game, Alabama rolled over Missouri, 42-13. Like Oregon, Alabama didn’t need to impress anyone either. All the Tide had to do was beat Missouri, regardless of the score, and they were in the playoffs. But I don’t think these teams wanted to leave anything to doubt.

Saturday night, Ohio State added to the championship game romps. The Buckeyes pulverized Wisconsin, 59-0 in the Big Ten championship game. Unlike Oregon and Alabama, Ohio State needed to make a big impression on the Playoff Committee. The Buckeyes were definitely on the bubble. They didn’t leave any points on the field.

Boise State closed out the championship game snoozers late Saturday night with a 28-14 win over Fresno State. Yeah, the score doesn’t look so bad, but it wasn’t as close as it looks. Boise State led the Bulldogs, 28-0 in the third quarter. Fresno State’s second and last touchdown came with just 5 minutes left in the game. The win gave Boise State the MWC championship.

The C-USA and ACC title games were the only relief on Saturday. They were actually close. They were actually exciting. Trailing 23-19, Marshall scored a touchdown with 1:50 remaining in the game to beat Louisiana Tech, 26-23, for the C-USA championship.

Then in the ACC championship affair, Florida State got by Georgia Tech, 37-35, in a game that had its share of excitement. Tied on four occasions in each of the first three quarters – 7-7, 14-14, 21-21, and 28-28 – the Seminoles pulled ahead to stay in the fourth quarter. But the Yellow Jackets kept it exciting with a late score and an onside kick attempt in the final two minutes.

In the other two games Saturday that had an impact on the playoffs, TCU blasted Iowa State, 55-3, and Baylor got by Kansas State, 38-27. The victories gave TCU and Baylor a share of the Big 12 crown. Both were on the bubble prior to Playoff Selection Sunday.

There was no doubt in my mind Sunday morning that Alabama and Oregon would be the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the final Playoff Rankings. Then I figured Florida State would be No. 3. Looking at the remaining contenders – Baylor, Ohio State and TCU – my assessment was that the Committee would make Ohio State the No. 4 team, purely on the impact of the score against Wisconsin – 59-0. I posted this prediction on Facebook Sunday morning four hours before it was announced on TV.

In the first semifinal game on January 1, No. 2 Oregon will play No. 3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl. That will be this year’s Heisman Trophy winner going up against last year’s Heisman Trophy winner. In the second semifinal game on January 1, No. 1 Alabama will play No. 4 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. The winners of the two bowls will meet for the national championship on January 12 in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Stay tuned.

In the other four New Years 6 bowls, assigned by the Playoff Selection Committee, No. 6 TCU plays No. 9 Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl; No. 10 Arizona plays No. 20 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, and No. 7 Mississippi State plays No. 12 Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl – all three games on December 31. Boise State got the Golden Ticket berth as the highest ranked team from the Group of Five conferences.

Then on January 1, No. 8 Michigan State plays No. 5 Baylor in the Cotton Bowl.

Two coaches were hired last week – one not so much a surprise, the other one a big surprise. Following a couple days of difficult negotiations, Florida announced that Colorado State coach Jim McElwain was the new coach of the Gators. The drawn-out negotiations dealt with McElwain’s buyout clause at Colorado State. Florida agreed to pay $5 million of the $7 million buyout and McElwain agreed to pay the other $2 million. The payments are to be made over a six-year period.

McElwain, although not a big-name coach, was not a surprise. From the get-go, he was on most of the potential candidate lists. McElwain was Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama for four years from 2008 to 2011, when he left to take the head coaching job at Colorado State. Alabama won the national championship three of those seasons.

At his introductory press conference in Gainesville on Saturday, McElwain was asked if there was a quarterback at Florida that he could win with immediately. McElwain responded that he thought he could win with his dog “Claire-a-bell” playing quarterback. Sounds like the glass is always half full with McElwain. Or am I being optimistic? Maybe he was saying that his dog “Claire-a-bell” is better than any of the quarterbacks at Florida.

The surprise was Nebraska hiring Oregon State coach Mike Riley. Riley not only wasn’t on anyone’s potential candidate list, he wasn’t on anyone’s radar period – nada. Riley, 61, coached Oregon State (two stints) for 14 years. He was also the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL (4 years) and the San Diego Chargers in the NFL (3 years).

Riley has a low-key approach and has always been well-liked in the coaching ranks. Reaction to his hiring from Husker fans has been mixed. Of course, many Nebraska fans never thought Bo Pelini should have been let go. They aren’t happy about that and they wanted a coach with a stronger, more powerful background than Riley’s.

Others like Riley’s demeanor. They see similarities in his character to that of former Husker coach Tom Osborne. Of course, Riley is going to have to rely on more than his character. He’s going to have to win. If Riley is a good CEO and hires some talented and sharp coordinators, it could be a good and long relationship in Lincoln. Stay tuned.

There is an Alabama connection to both McElwain and Riley. McElwain’s, of course, is the former offensive coordinator position at Alabama. Riley played college football for Alabama under Bear Bryant. He also was once offered the head coaching position in Tuscaloosa. (At USC also, twice.) McElwain and Riley are both from the Northwest. McElwain was born and raised in Missoula, Montana. Riley was born in Idaho and grew up there and in Oregon.

Meanwhile, Miami (Florida) and Iowa State gave a commitment of support to their coaches – Al Golden and Paul Rhoads, respectively – saying they would be back to coach in 2015. Both Golden and Rhoads were on the hot seat.

Houston, on the other hand, is expected to announce the firing of its coach, Tony Levine, today. Levine has coached the Cougars for three seasons, going 21-17. The Cougars were 7-5 this season and accepted a bid yesterday to the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth against Pitt.

Earlier in the week, last week, Michigan, as expected, fired Brady Hoke. Hoke was 31-20 in four seasons at Michigan – 18-14 in Big Ten play. It was kind of ironic – on the day Brady Hoke was fired, Rich Rodriguez was named the coach of the year in the Pac-12.

As far as I’m concerned, the race for the Heisman Trophy is over. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota secured it Friday night in the Ducks 51-13 snoozer over Arizona. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon can forget the Heisman, after his poor performance against Ohio State Saturday night. Alabama receiver Amari Cooper’s stock is rising. He will definitely be a finalist for the trophy. And I think TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin should be one of the finalists now. The presentation is December 13.

I’m happy to report that there are no winless teams in FBS college football this season. SMU, the final holdout, won its first game of the season Saturday. The Mustangs beat Connecticut, on the road, 27-20. SMU has been playing under an interim coach almost the entire season. June Jones was fired in September after three games. Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris takes over the Mustangs next season.

In some of the other interesting bowl pairings, Jim McElwain’s former team, Colorado State, plays Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. It will be the Devils vs. the Devils in the Sun Bowl between Arizona State and Duke. That’s guaranteed to be a hot bowl. And Florida plays East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl or what is being labeled this year the Where UAB Used to Play Bowl.

Yeah, sadly, UAB announced the suspension of its football program last week. The Blazers, members of Conference USA, finished the season at 6-6. The decision to drop football has been controversial. UAB is the first FBS school to drop its football program since 1995 when the University of Pacific suspended the sport.

In what WAS a thrilling game Saturday, Oklahoma State rallied to beat Oklahoma 38-35 in overtime. Is Bob Stoops becoming like Steve Spurrier?

In the it’s worse to think about it than see it category, Friday night in the Arizona-Oregon game, Arizona center Carter Wood vomited on the football just seconds before he snapped it to his quarterback Anu Solomon.

So, Florida and Florida State have something in common now. Both coaches – Jim McElwain and Jimbo Fisher – are former offensive coordinators under Nick Saban – Fisher at LSU and McElwain at Alabama. Does that mean my friend Tim Muth and I have something in common now?

Let’s go bowling, football fans.

Touchdown Tom
December 8, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Just enough – Florida State 37, Georgia Tech 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Georgia Tech 21). Just when you thought FSU had put this game away with a field goal late in the fourth quarter that put the Noles up 37-28, Georgia Tech comes back and makes the game exciting again. The Jackets scored with 1:47 left to pull within 2 at 37-35. But on the ensuing kickoff, Tech’s onside kick was recovered by Florida State. As expected, FSU was the passing team (309 yards) and Tech was the rushing team (331 yards). But the Noles’ Dalvin Cook surprised with 177 yards rushing. Cook made the difference. The win gives Florida State the ACC championship. Attendance in Atlanta: 64,808

RUNNER UP: What a Duck! – Oregon 51, Arizona 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 37, Arizona 29). Arizona was never in this game. The score was 30-0 before the Wildcats even scored. The Ducks had 31 first downs to 10 for Arizona, and 627 total yards to 224 for Arizona. No wonder Carter Wood vomited on the football. Marcus Mariota passed for 313 yards. Mariota rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two more. The win gives Oregon the Pac-12 championship. Attendance in Santa Clara: 45,618

REST OF THE BEST: What a statement! – Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 26, Ohio State 22). This game was over before it began. Ohio State had 558 total yards to 258 for Wisconsin. The Buckeyes totally shut down the Badger running game. Wisconsin only had 71 yards rushing. Four turnovers didn’t help the Badgers any. The win gives Ohio State the Big Ten championship. Attendance in Indianapolis: 60,229

Bama Hot-in-lanta – Alabama 42, Missouri 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 32, Missouri 22). This game got interesting in the third quarter when Missouri, down 21-3, scored 10 unanswered points to pull within 8 at 21-13. But Bama responded with 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. The Tide had 28 first downs to 10 for Missouri. Bama held the Tigers to only 41 yards rushing. Tide quarterback Blake Sims completed 85 percents of his passes, and Derrick Henry rushed for 141 yards. The win gives Alabama the SEC championship. Attendance in Atlanta: 73,526

So Petty – Baylor 38, Kansas State 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 35, Baylor 27). This was an exciting game until early in the third quarter when Baylor scored to take a 31-17 lead. It never got closer than 11 points after that. Both quarterbacks were hot. Baylor’s Bryce Petty (412 yards) completed 85 percent of his passes. K-State’s Jake Waters (300 yards) completed 82 percent of his throws. The win gives Baylor a share of the Big 12 title. Attendance in Waco: 47,934

Cutting it close – Marshall 26, Louisiana Tech 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Marshall 39, Louisiana Tech 25). Seven minutes into the game, Louisiana Tech took the lead. The Bulldogs never trailed until 1:50 left in the fourth quarter when Marshall scored to go ahead 26-23. Twice, Tech had 10-point leads – 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and 17-7 midway through the second quarter. The Bulldogs hung in the game on the rushing of Kenneth Dixon (156 yards) and turnovers by Marshall (4). The Herd’s Rakeem Cato passed for 308 yards. The Bulldogs only had 72 yards passing. The win gives Marshall the C-USA championship. Attendance in Huntington: 23,711

Bowling was looking green – Northern Illinois 51, Bowling Green 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Northern Illinois 31, Bowling Green 20). Bowling Green made a game out of it for two quarters. The Falcons only trailed by 13-7 midway through the second quarter and only trailed 20-10 at the half. But in the second half, NIU came out and scored 24 unanswered points. The Huskies had 29 first downs to 13 for BG. They had 552 total yards to 287 for BG. NIU’s Cameron Stingily rushed for 116 yards. The win gives Northern Illinois the MAC championship. Attendance in Detroit: 15,110

Full of Grace – UCF 32, East Carolina 30 (Touchdown Tom said: East Carolina 30, UCF 26). After trailing by 17 points – 23-6 – late in the second quarter and again by 17 points – 26-9 – at the end of the third quarter, East Carolina fought back in the fourth quarter to take the lead at 30-26 with 2:17 left in the game. But on the last play of the game on a 51-yard Hail-Mary pass from Justin Holman to Breshad Perriman, UCF pulled it out. ECU’s Shane Carden passed for 397 yards, but the Pirates only had 14 yards rushing. The win gave UCF a share of the AAC title. Attendance in Greenville: 41,259

Lookin’ Horsey – Boise State 28, Fresno State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 35, Fresno State 17). In the final conference championship game of the day, Boise State built up a 28-0 early third quarter lead and coasted the rest of the game. The Broncos held the Bulldogs to 70 yards rushing. Fresno State’s Brian Burrell had 332 yards passing. But he also threw three picks. The win gives Boise State the MWC championship. Attendance in Boise: 26,101

Air raid – Cincinnati 38, Houston 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Cincinnati 30, Houston 22). A wild game – Cincinnati never trailed, but the Bearcats couldn’t shake the Cougars. Houston was always hanging on. The teams combined for 1,094 yards – 708 of the yards on passing. The win gives Cincinnati a share of the AAC crown. Attendance in Cincinnati: 24,606

Sooners get Booted – Oklahoma State 38, Oklahoma 35 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, Oklahoma State 19). From the get-go, Oklahoma seemed to be in control in this game, although the Sooners never could quite shake the Cowboys. OU led 28-14 at the half and 35-21 midway through the fourth quarter. But Okie State rallied with two scores in the final five minutes to tie the game at 35-35. The Pokes went on to win in the first overtime. OU’s Samaje Perine rushed for 151 yards. Attendance in Norman: 85,312


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

How’s that for style points? – TCU 55, Iowa State 3 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 39, Iowa State 23). It was the Horned Frogs game plan to make a statement to the Playoff Committee. TCU had 33 first downs to 13 for Iowa State. The Horned Frogs had 722 total yards to 236 for the Cyclones. Trevone Boykin was responsible for 504 of the 722 yards – 460 passing and 44 rushing. The Frogs Josh Doctson had 9 receptions for 151 yards. The win gives TCU a share of the Big 12 title. Attendance in Fort Worth: 45,242

Week 14 Pick Results: 8 correct, 4 wrong (66.7 percent)
On the Season: 193 correct, 79 wrong (71 percent)


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 30-41-1 for 460 yards; Baylor’s Bryce Petty – 34-40-1-412; Houston’s Greg Ward – 27-45-1-360, and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – 25-38-0-313.

Also, Florida State’s Jameis Winston – 21-30-0 for 309 yards; Marshall’s Rakeem Cato – 25-46-1-308, and Kansas State’s Jake Waters – 22-27-1-300.


Impressive Rushers:

Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott – 220 yards; SMU’s Matt Davis – 191 yards, and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook – 177 yards.

Also, Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon – 156 yards, and Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine – 151 yards.


TT’s Annual Picks

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

AAC: Justin Fuente – Memphis; Runner-up: George O’Leary – UCF
ACC: Paul Johnson – Georgia Tech; Runner –up: Jim Addazio – Boston College
Big 12: Gary Patterson – TCU; Runner-up: Bill Snyder – Kansas State
Big 10: Jerry Kill – Minnesota; Runner-up: Tim Beckman – Illinois
C-USA: Skip Holtz – Louisiana Tech; Runner-up: Sean Kugler – UTEP
MAC: P.J. Fleck – Western Michigan; Runner-up: Matt Campbell – Toledo
MWC: Troy Calhoun – Air Force; Runner-up: Jim McElwain – Colorado State
Pac-12: Rich Rodriguez – Arizona; Runner-up: Kyle Whittingham – Utah
SEC: Dan Mullen – Mississippi State; Runner-up: Gary Pinkel – Missouri
Sun Belt: Willie Fritz – Georgia Southern; Runner-up: Scott Satterfield – Appalachian State
Ind: Bronco Mendenhall – BYU; Runner-up: Ken Niumatalolo – Navy


My choice for national “Coach of the Year”:

1. Gary Patterson – TCU
2. Dan Mullen – Mississippi State
3. Rich Rodriguez – Arizona


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

1. Marcus Mariota – Oregon
2. Amari Cooper – Alabama
3. Trevone Boykin – TCU


My choice for the most disappointing teams of the season from each of the FBS conferences and the Independents:

AAC: SMU
ACC: (tie) Miami and Virginia Tech
Big 12: (tie) Oklahoma State and Texas Tech
Big Ten: Michigan
C-USA: (tie) UTSA and North Texas
MAC: (tie) Akron and Ball State
MWC: UNLV
Pac-12: Oregon State
SEC: (3-way tie) Auburn, LSU and South Carolina
Sun Belt: (tie) Arkansas State and Troy
Ind: Notre Dame


Quotes of the Week

“I believe Brady had enough time to produce results and they’re just not there,” Michigan interim athletic director Jim Hackett, on the termination of Brady Hoke.

“Outside of Athens, Georgia, I can’t imagine any school that would be excited about having Kirby Smart as a head coach,” Paul Finebaum.

“We are in this together to build young men and win championships, and they don’t have to be exclusive of each other. We’re going to do it right. We’re going to work hard,” new Nebraska coach Mike Riley.

“Now the Gators have decided to go from one Nick Saban disciple to another. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Maybe Foley’s thought process was this, ‘OK, I hired Muschamp, a former Saban defensive coordinator, and he was a bust. So maybe the trick is to hire McElwain, a former Saban offensive coordinator,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Let’s be part of something special. I’m proud to be a Gator,” new Florida coach Jim McElwain at his introductory press conference in Gainesville.

“Oklahoma State would have won the Big Ten West,” ESPN’s Jesse Palmer, on how bad Wisconsin was and why Ohio State shouldn’t be in the playoffs.

“Wisconsin lost to LSU, the 5th-place team in the SEC West, and lost to Northwestern,” ESPN’s Jesse Palmer, on why Ohio State shouldn’t be in the playoffs.


Touchdown Tom’s Prediction for
This Week’s 1 Biggest and Most Intriguing Game…and then none

Army vs. Navy – (Ind. vs. Ind.) (3 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – This will be the 115th meeting between the Cadets and the Midshipman. Navy leads the series, 58-49-7. It really hasn’t been much of a rivalry for years now as Navy has won 12 straight and 15 of the last 17 games. The Mules get torpedoed again – Navy 29, Army 18.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Samford coach Terry Sullivan announced his resignation. Sullivan, a former Auburn quarterback and 1971 Heisman Trophy winner, coached Samford for eight seasons ….. Marvin “Whitey” Helling, the football coach who helped build North Dakota into a Division II power, died last week. He was 91. Helling, a native of Luverne, Minnesota, coached North Dakota for 11 years from 1957 to 1967. His record was 60-35-3.

Jim Swink, a star TCU running back of the 1950s and College Football Hall of Fame inductee, died last week in Rusk, Texas. He was 78. Known as the “Rusk Rambler,” Swink was the nation’s leading scorer and second-leading rusher in his junior year with the Horned Frogs in 1955. That season, he finished second to Ohio State’s Howard “Hopalong” Cassady in the Heisman Trophy voting.


2014 Conference Champions

AAC: (3-way tie) Cincinnati, Memphis, UCF
ACC: Florida State
Big 12: Baylor, TCU
Big Ten: Ohio State
C-USA: Marshall
MAC: Northern Illinois
MWC: Boise State
Pac-12: Oregon
SEC: Alabama
Sun Belt: Georgia Southern


Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly there were three passings of note last week – Bobby Keys, Jean Beliveau and Ian McLagan,

Bobby Keys, a Texas-born musician whose saxophone solos wove a prominent thread through more than 40 years of rock ’n’ roll, notably with the Rolling Stones, died last week in Franklin, Tennessee. He was 70. Mostly playing tenor and sometimes baritone saxophone, he recorded a Who’s Who of rock with the likes of Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, John Lennon, George Harrison, Carly Simon, Country Joe and the Fish, Harry Nilsson, Joe Cocker, Cheryl Crow and of course the Rolling Stones, among others. He toured with Delaney and Bonnie. He began his association with the Stones in 1969 and the relationship continued for more than 30 years. His most famous contribution is his saxophone solo on “Brown Sugar.” Keys and Keith Richards became close friends. Remarkably, Keys and Richards were born on the same day – December 8, 1943 – Richards in Dartford, England, and Keys in Hurlwood, Texas, a now-extinct town located near Lubbock. He grew up in the shadow of Buddy Holly. In the early 1960s, Keys toured with Bobby Vee’s band.

Jean Beliveau, a powerful skater and goal scorer and leader of hockey’s greatest dynasty, the Montreal Canadiens, died last week. He was 83. Beliveau was one of the greatest to play in the National Hockey League. He began his career in the NHL when there were just six teams and finished it when there were 12 teams in the league. Beliveau played in the NHL for 18 seasons in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. He retired from the game at age 39 in 1971. He was cherished in Canada for both his character and his prowess on ice. Jean Arthur Beliveau was born on August 31, 1931, in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, about halfway between Quebec City and Montreal, and grew up mostly in Victoriaville. He also played baseball and aroused mild interest from professional scouts. Beliveau was the first hockey player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated – 1956.

Ian McLagan, a keyboardist with the British rock band Small Faces, later Faces, and a sideman who traveled widely in top-tier rock circles (touring and recording) with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen, among others, died last week in Austin, Texas. He was 69. Ian Patrick McLagan was born in London on May 12, 1945. He joined Small Faces as the keyboardist in the mid 1960s. Small Faces morphed into Faces when lead singer Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie and the guitarist Ronnie Wood and singer Rod Stewart joined the group.