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LGHL You’re Nuts: Which former Buckeye do you want to see on Carmen’s Crew in the future?
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You’re Nuts: Which former Buckeye do you want to see on Carmen’s Crew in the future?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
On Sunday, Carmen’s Crew won The Basketball Tournament for a second time, netting $1 million for the team composed of a number of Ohio State alums. Not only did the team include recent Buckeyes Andre and Kaleb Wesson, Keyshawn Woods, and Kyle Young, also on the team was Jared Sullinger, who hit the winning shot of the tournament which gave Carmen’s Crew a 69-65 win over Forever Coogs in Louisville.
The Basketball Tournament first took place in 2014 and Carmen’s Crew has competed in TBT in seven of the last eight years, with 2022 being the only year they didn’t field a team. The 2019 team also was able to win the whole tournament with former Buckeyes William Buford, Aaron Craft, Jon Diebler, and David Lighty. Throughout the years, many memorable Ohio State alums have competed in the tournament. Greg Oden, Deshaun Thomas, and LaQuinton Ross are just a few of the 20 former Buckeyes who have suited up for Carmen’s Crew.
What makes Carmen’s Crew so fun to watch annually is seeing former Buckeyes come together to make another run at a title. The 2019 team was so fun to watch because it brought back together Buckeyes who made Final Four runs while in college. Even former NBA first round picks have played for Carmen’s Crew over the years. Now we want to know who should be the next Ohio State alums to suit up for Carmen’s Crew when they go for their third TBT title?
Tate might not have been the biggest or most talented Buckeye, but he certainly was one of the most beloved because of how hard he worked while at Ohio State. It became clear early on in his career that Tate bled scarlet and gray and would go on to play four seasons for the Buckeyes, being named second-team All-Big Ten in his final season as Buckeye in 2018.
Despite not being selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, Tate still worked tirelessly to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA. The forward would play in Belgium and Australia before signing with the Houston Rockets in 2020. Tate would go on to make the NBA’s All-Rookie Team, becoming just the second undrafted player to earn those honors. The 2021-22 season saw Tate start 77 of Houston’s 81 games, and after four seasons in the NBA Tate is averaging 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
For as hard as he has had to work for everything throughout his career, Tate deserves a chance at as many titles and accomplishments as possible. Plus, you know Tate would be an amazing leader of Carmen’s Crew since he always went above and beyond when Thad Matta and Chris Holtmann challenged him at Ohio State.
Then again, it doesn’t have to be too soon for Tate to play for Carmen’s Crew because we want him to play in the NBA for as long as he can before moving on to other ventures. Knowing how hard Tate works at his craft, he’ll be able to stick around the league for quite some time.
I’m not gonna lie, Jae’Sean Tate would have been my answer too had Brett not claimed him first. Not only was he arguably my favorite Buckeye of recent vintage, but we also graduated from the same high school, so there is an extra level of connection that I have with him that makes me root for his success all the time.
However, watching TBT games over the years — and especially this season — one thing I have learned is that big guys can dominate this tournament. And while Jae’Sean played a very undersized 4 for the Buckeyes, it’s legitimate big guys who can help win the million bucks in this event. Therefore, I am going with former Ivy League Player of the Year Seth Towns.
Now, before you start yelling at me, hear me out. I know that his time as a Buckeye was not exactly memorable, aside from the fact that he was memorably injured. However, he is a Columbus native and chose to transfer to OSU over Duke; the dude bleeds scarlet and gray. And, after he left Columbus, he did play college basketball last season, and again, he was a force.
As a member of the Howard basketball team, Towns was honored as an All-MEAC third-team selection after putting up 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In fact, in this three full, non-injured seasons of college basketball, Towns only averaged double-figures in points and his rebounding totals increased in every campaign.
How great would it be to see a 6-foot-9 former Buckeye clogging up the paint for Carmen’s Crew? Who knows how long Jared Sullinger will continue to come back for TBT? Kaleb Wesson could be around for a while, but as we saw this season, it helps to have a second big, and Seth can help stretch the defense, shooting 38% from beyond the arc.
So, sign me up for a little bit of the Seth Towns Redemption Tour on Carmen’s Crew in 2025!
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
On Sunday, Carmen’s Crew won The Basketball Tournament for a second time, netting $1 million for the team composed of a number of Ohio State alums. Not only did the team include recent Buckeyes Andre and Kaleb Wesson, Keyshawn Woods, and Kyle Young, also on the team was Jared Sullinger, who hit the winning shot of the tournament which gave Carmen’s Crew a 69-65 win over Forever Coogs in Louisville.
The Basketball Tournament first took place in 2014 and Carmen’s Crew has competed in TBT in seven of the last eight years, with 2022 being the only year they didn’t field a team. The 2019 team also was able to win the whole tournament with former Buckeyes William Buford, Aaron Craft, Jon Diebler, and David Lighty. Throughout the years, many memorable Ohio State alums have competed in the tournament. Greg Oden, Deshaun Thomas, and LaQuinton Ross are just a few of the 20 former Buckeyes who have suited up for Carmen’s Crew.
What makes Carmen’s Crew so fun to watch annually is seeing former Buckeyes come together to make another run at a title. The 2019 team was so fun to watch because it brought back together Buckeyes who made Final Four runs while in college. Even former NBA first round picks have played for Carmen’s Crew over the years. Now we want to know who should be the next Ohio State alums to suit up for Carmen’s Crew when they go for their third TBT title?
Today’s question: Which former Buckeye do you want to see play for Carmen’s Crew in the future?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Jae’Sean Tate
Tate might not have been the biggest or most talented Buckeye, but he certainly was one of the most beloved because of how hard he worked while at Ohio State. It became clear early on in his career that Tate bled scarlet and gray and would go on to play four seasons for the Buckeyes, being named second-team All-Big Ten in his final season as Buckeye in 2018.
Despite not being selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, Tate still worked tirelessly to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA. The forward would play in Belgium and Australia before signing with the Houston Rockets in 2020. Tate would go on to make the NBA’s All-Rookie Team, becoming just the second undrafted player to earn those honors. The 2021-22 season saw Tate start 77 of Houston’s 81 games, and after four seasons in the NBA Tate is averaging 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
For as hard as he has had to work for everything throughout his career, Tate deserves a chance at as many titles and accomplishments as possible. Plus, you know Tate would be an amazing leader of Carmen’s Crew since he always went above and beyond when Thad Matta and Chris Holtmann challenged him at Ohio State.
Then again, it doesn’t have to be too soon for Tate to play for Carmen’s Crew because we want him to play in the NBA for as long as he can before moving on to other ventures. Knowing how hard Tate works at his craft, he’ll be able to stick around the league for quite some time.
Matt’s answer:
I’m not gonna lie, Jae’Sean Tate would have been my answer too had Brett not claimed him first. Not only was he arguably my favorite Buckeye of recent vintage, but we also graduated from the same high school, so there is an extra level of connection that I have with him that makes me root for his success all the time.
However, watching TBT games over the years — and especially this season — one thing I have learned is that big guys can dominate this tournament. And while Jae’Sean played a very undersized 4 for the Buckeyes, it’s legitimate big guys who can help win the million bucks in this event. Therefore, I am going with former Ivy League Player of the Year Seth Towns.
Now, before you start yelling at me, hear me out. I know that his time as a Buckeye was not exactly memorable, aside from the fact that he was memorably injured. However, he is a Columbus native and chose to transfer to OSU over Duke; the dude bleeds scarlet and gray. And, after he left Columbus, he did play college basketball last season, and again, he was a force.
As a member of the Howard basketball team, Towns was honored as an All-MEAC third-team selection after putting up 14.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In fact, in this three full, non-injured seasons of college basketball, Towns only averaged double-figures in points and his rebounding totals increased in every campaign.
How great would it be to see a 6-foot-9 former Buckeye clogging up the paint for Carmen’s Crew? Who knows how long Jared Sullinger will continue to come back for TBT? Kaleb Wesson could be around for a while, but as we saw this season, it helps to have a second big, and Seth can help stretch the defense, shooting 38% from beyond the arc.
So, sign me up for a little bit of the Seth Towns Redemption Tour on Carmen’s Crew in 2025!
Continue reading...
LGHL B1G Thoughts: Can Schiano and the Scarlet Knights win nine games in 2024?
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B1G Thoughts: Can Schiano and the Scarlet Knights win nine games in 2024?
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
While the middle class may be disappearing off the field, these groups of teams are hoping to find their way into the Middle Class of the Big Ten.
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow. Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season.
Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? This article tracks all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships. Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
Greg Schiano is objectively the best coach in the history of Rutgers University’s Football Program, a program that participated in the first-ever collegiate football game in 1869. Despite being the first to play the sport they have been lapped on and off the field and are hoping that Schiano can get Rutgers back to where they were in his first stint. The problem is, that was over a decade ago and the sport has changed considerably.
Despite the struggles to survive in the new landscape of college football, Rutgers may have made a great decision in bringing Schiano back as Rutgers is primed to take advantage of some continuity on their roster and a light conference schedule without Michigan, Ohio State, or Penn State on the roster after the Big Ten got rid of divisions. Rutgers is in a position to have its best season since the 2014 season when they went 8-5 in their first year in the Big Ten.
USC and Washington are entering the Big Ten from different places and with different expectations but may see similar results. Washington was just at the mountaintop, they were one win away from winning a national championship behind one of the best offenses in college football. Instead, they lost to Michigan and between losing their head coach to Alabama, Offensive coordinator to the Seattle Seahawks, and 21 of their 22 starters to the NFL Draft or the transfer portal, Washington is starting over from scratch with new coach Jedd Fisch.
USC is in year three of the Lincoln Riley tenure but it has not gone as well as they hoped. Lincoln Riley came to Southern California with arguably the most talented quarterback in college football the past two seasons but went 19-8 without winning the PAC-12 or making the four-team playoff. Now he must enter a much tougher conference without the best quarterback he’s ever coached, sky-high expectations, and a brutal schedule that includes LSU, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State.
Wisconsin fired long-term coach Paul Chryst and went outside the Wisconsin family to hire Luke Fickell in hopes that he could make them contenders in the new Big Ten and lead them to a college football playoff berth. The first year was not encouraging as Fickell made major changes to their offensive and defensive philosophy and the coaches and players struggled to put a good product on the field. There’s hope that year two will go better but there are still questions namely, did Fickell make a mistake by hiring Phil Longo as offensive coordinator? The 2024 season rest on the hopes that Longo and Miami transfer Tyle Van Dyke can lead Wisconsin’s offense that is turning its back on the three yards and a cloud of dust style that made it successful in the Big Ten’s West Division. Time will tell if Wisconsin will be stuck in the middle class or if Luke Fickell can turn them into a winning machine akin to his former Cincinnati program albeit at a lower level.
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330.
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
While the middle class may be disappearing off the field, these groups of teams are hoping to find their way into the Middle Class of the Big Ten.
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow. Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season.
Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? This article tracks all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships. Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
Greg Schiano is objectively the best coach in the history of Rutgers University’s Football Program, a program that participated in the first-ever collegiate football game in 1869. Despite being the first to play the sport they have been lapped on and off the field and are hoping that Schiano can get Rutgers back to where they were in his first stint. The problem is, that was over a decade ago and the sport has changed considerably.
Despite the struggles to survive in the new landscape of college football, Rutgers may have made a great decision in bringing Schiano back as Rutgers is primed to take advantage of some continuity on their roster and a light conference schedule without Michigan, Ohio State, or Penn State on the roster after the Big Ten got rid of divisions. Rutgers is in a position to have its best season since the 2014 season when they went 8-5 in their first year in the Big Ten.
USC and Washington are entering the Big Ten from different places and with different expectations but may see similar results. Washington was just at the mountaintop, they were one win away from winning a national championship behind one of the best offenses in college football. Instead, they lost to Michigan and between losing their head coach to Alabama, Offensive coordinator to the Seattle Seahawks, and 21 of their 22 starters to the NFL Draft or the transfer portal, Washington is starting over from scratch with new coach Jedd Fisch.
USC is in year three of the Lincoln Riley tenure but it has not gone as well as they hoped. Lincoln Riley came to Southern California with arguably the most talented quarterback in college football the past two seasons but went 19-8 without winning the PAC-12 or making the four-team playoff. Now he must enter a much tougher conference without the best quarterback he’s ever coached, sky-high expectations, and a brutal schedule that includes LSU, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State.
Wisconsin fired long-term coach Paul Chryst and went outside the Wisconsin family to hire Luke Fickell in hopes that he could make them contenders in the new Big Ten and lead them to a college football playoff berth. The first year was not encouraging as Fickell made major changes to their offensive and defensive philosophy and the coaches and players struggled to put a good product on the field. There’s hope that year two will go better but there are still questions namely, did Fickell make a mistake by hiring Phil Longo as offensive coordinator? The 2024 season rest on the hopes that Longo and Miami transfer Tyle Van Dyke can lead Wisconsin’s offense that is turning its back on the three yards and a cloud of dust style that made it successful in the Big Ten’s West Division. Time will tell if Wisconsin will be stuck in the middle class or if Luke Fickell can turn them into a winning machine akin to his former Cincinnati program albeit at a lower level.
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330.
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Continue reading...
LGHL Three burning questions from the preseason Coaches’ Poll: What’s the margin between UGA and OSU?
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Three burning questions from the preseason Coaches’ Poll: What’s the margin between UGA and OSU?
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Who’s overrated? Who’s underrated? Who’s making the 12-team playoff?
With football season officially kicking off in just a few weeks, the annual preseason Coaches’ Poll was released yesterday. The poll results are merely indicative of the opinions of the people voting, so it’s important to keep in mind that they can’t predict the outcomes of the season. Top teams will fall, underdogs will rise, upsets will happen. But since we won’t have any real answers until the season plays itself out, they are a good conversation starter for early predictions, conversation and questions.
This year, the football landscape is changing drastically. The Pac-12 is no more, and the Big Ten and SEC have absorbed a number of powerhouse teams, leading to what essentially amounts to two superconferences, and then everyone else.
We see this reflected in the preseason rankings, with the SEC and the Big Ten each landing four teams in the preseason top 10.
The expanded 12-team playoff will also kick in this season, with at least three other conferences guaranteed a playoff spot in addition to the Big Ten and SEC. So just how dominant will these two conferences be? Will their powerhouse teams cancel each other out when the playoffs roll around? And which teams will fly under the radar to surprise us in the end?
The preseason poll clarified the opinions of some, but in many ways, it generated more questions for me than answers about how this season will shake out. Here are the burning questions on my mind after looking at the preseason Coaches’ Poll Top 25.
I don’t think we can say a No. 2 team is underrated, but I do think these teams are all but interchangeable in terms of talent and potential this season, so it surprised me a bit that the Buckeyes only received seven first-place votes to Georgia’s 46. I certainly expected this margin to be a little closer.
It’s hard to argue with Georgia’s dominance in recent years—despite their absolutely brutal schedule this season (they open against No. 14 Clemson, and they also have Kentucky, No. 5 Alabama, No. 4 Texas, and No. 6 Ole Miss on the road, plus they play host to Florida and No. 15 Tennessee), many people, myself included, are expecting their dominance to continue, especially with Heisman favorite Carson Beck under center for the Bulldogs.
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Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
But at the risk of sounding like a homer, the Buckeyes’ roster has the potential to be lightning in a bottle. Their particular cocktail of returning veterans and star transfers—including safety Caleb Downs, running back Quinshon Judkins, and perhaps most critically, quarterback Will Howard—could create the kind of magic that championship seasons are made of. They’ll face plenty of tests of their own this season, including No. 3 Oregon and No. 9 Penn State on the road, with No. 8 Michigan coming to Columbus to close out the regular season, but if the Buckeyes can take care of business, they could very well go all the way.
I suppose in some ways, rather than evaluating razor-thin margins between these two teams, we can cross our fingers and hope we get to see this showdown in the playoffs.
The SEC landed 9 teams in the top 25, followed by the Big Ten at six. We know the ACC and Big 12 conference champions will get an automatic bye week (I expect those to be No. 10 Florida State for the ACC and No. 13 Utah for the Big 12), but the SEC has six teams in the top 12, and the Big Ten has four. The only teams from outside of these conferences are the aforementioned FSU and No. 7 Notre Dame.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25561253/usa_today_23887188.jpg "Syndication: The Greenville News")
Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
Could No. 14 Clemson, or even a team like No. 21 Arizona, Kansas State or even an SMU sneak in? It’s certainly possible, but this is one of the questions only the selection committee can answer for us. Does a two- or even a three-loss SEC or Big Ten team get in over an ACC/Big 12 team with fewer losses but a weaker schedule? As someone who wants to see a little balance amongst the conferences, I hope I’m proven wrong, but my gut tells me the ACC and Big 12 get the short end of the stick here.
Because there is such a wealth of riches between the Big Ten and the SEC this season, there are without a doubt teams that are currently flying under the radar while their flashier counterparts dominate headlines.
Assuming Utah gets the Big 12’s automatic playoff bid and the committee does want to prove me wrong in regards to question No. 2, the other team I’ve got my eye on is Arizona. While I’m going with Utah to win the Big 12, Arizona is certainly a contender. With most of their team returning, they feel underrated at No. 21 (I would put them a little higher, at around No. 17 or 18). Look to them to surprise some folks at home.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25561256/1895742037.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 28 Valero Alamo Bowl - Arizona vs Oklahoma")
Photo by John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Sitting just outside the top 10, No. 11 Mizzou is more than capable of wreaking a little havoc this season. Ranked fifth-highest among SEC teams, they could very well eke their way into the Top 10 before the season is up, especially with quarterback Brady Cook and receiver Luther Burden III returning this year. Mizzou finished at No. 8 last season after defeating the Buckeyes, 14-3, in the Cotton Bowl, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they had some more big wins in them this year.
While I’m not quite ready to include Texas A&M in my playoff predictions, I’m also not counting them out. The No. 20 Aggies retained a lot of talent from last season, and while head coach Mike Elko has his work cut out for him, there is a world in which the Aggies shock the SEC by climbing up the rankings. Their only game against a top-10 team is against Texas at home, and we know rivalry week means anything goes. They play Notre Dame in the first week of the season—also at home—and while this Notre Dame team should have no problem making the playoffs this year, they’ll also still have some kinks to work out that first week, particularly on the offensive line.
This cracks the door for the Aggies. A&M does have to play at the Swamp which is always tough, but their three toughest conference games (Missouri, LSU, and Texas) are all home games for the Aggies, and they don’t need to win all of them to be part of the playoff conversation in a year where everyone in the SEC is playing a brutal schedule.
Continue reading...
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Who’s overrated? Who’s underrated? Who’s making the 12-team playoff?
With football season officially kicking off in just a few weeks, the annual preseason Coaches’ Poll was released yesterday. The poll results are merely indicative of the opinions of the people voting, so it’s important to keep in mind that they can’t predict the outcomes of the season. Top teams will fall, underdogs will rise, upsets will happen. But since we won’t have any real answers until the season plays itself out, they are a good conversation starter for early predictions, conversation and questions.
This year, the football landscape is changing drastically. The Pac-12 is no more, and the Big Ten and SEC have absorbed a number of powerhouse teams, leading to what essentially amounts to two superconferences, and then everyone else.
We see this reflected in the preseason rankings, with the SEC and the Big Ten each landing four teams in the preseason top 10.
The expanded 12-team playoff will also kick in this season, with at least three other conferences guaranteed a playoff spot in addition to the Big Ten and SEC. So just how dominant will these two conferences be? Will their powerhouse teams cancel each other out when the playoffs roll around? And which teams will fly under the radar to surprise us in the end?
The preseason poll clarified the opinions of some, but in many ways, it generated more questions for me than answers about how this season will shake out. Here are the burning questions on my mind after looking at the preseason Coaches’ Poll Top 25.
How thin is the margin between Georgia and Ohio State?
I don’t think we can say a No. 2 team is underrated, but I do think these teams are all but interchangeable in terms of talent and potential this season, so it surprised me a bit that the Buckeyes only received seven first-place votes to Georgia’s 46. I certainly expected this margin to be a little closer.
It’s hard to argue with Georgia’s dominance in recent years—despite their absolutely brutal schedule this season (they open against No. 14 Clemson, and they also have Kentucky, No. 5 Alabama, No. 4 Texas, and No. 6 Ole Miss on the road, plus they play host to Florida and No. 15 Tennessee), many people, myself included, are expecting their dominance to continue, especially with Heisman favorite Carson Beck under center for the Bulldogs.
But at the risk of sounding like a homer, the Buckeyes’ roster has the potential to be lightning in a bottle. Their particular cocktail of returning veterans and star transfers—including safety Caleb Downs, running back Quinshon Judkins, and perhaps most critically, quarterback Will Howard—could create the kind of magic that championship seasons are made of. They’ll face plenty of tests of their own this season, including No. 3 Oregon and No. 9 Penn State on the road, with No. 8 Michigan coming to Columbus to close out the regular season, but if the Buckeyes can take care of business, they could very well go all the way.
I suppose in some ways, rather than evaluating razor-thin margins between these two teams, we can cross our fingers and hope we get to see this showdown in the playoffs.
Can the ACC or Big 12 land a second playoff team?
The SEC landed 9 teams in the top 25, followed by the Big Ten at six. We know the ACC and Big 12 conference champions will get an automatic bye week (I expect those to be No. 10 Florida State for the ACC and No. 13 Utah for the Big 12), but the SEC has six teams in the top 12, and the Big Ten has four. The only teams from outside of these conferences are the aforementioned FSU and No. 7 Notre Dame.
Could No. 14 Clemson, or even a team like No. 21 Arizona, Kansas State or even an SMU sneak in? It’s certainly possible, but this is one of the questions only the selection committee can answer for us. Does a two- or even a three-loss SEC or Big Ten team get in over an ACC/Big 12 team with fewer losses but a weaker schedule? As someone who wants to see a little balance amongst the conferences, I hope I’m proven wrong, but my gut tells me the ACC and Big 12 get the short end of the stick here.
Which sleeper teams should we keep an eye on?
Because there is such a wealth of riches between the Big Ten and the SEC this season, there are without a doubt teams that are currently flying under the radar while their flashier counterparts dominate headlines.
Assuming Utah gets the Big 12’s automatic playoff bid and the committee does want to prove me wrong in regards to question No. 2, the other team I’ve got my eye on is Arizona. While I’m going with Utah to win the Big 12, Arizona is certainly a contender. With most of their team returning, they feel underrated at No. 21 (I would put them a little higher, at around No. 17 or 18). Look to them to surprise some folks at home.
Sitting just outside the top 10, No. 11 Mizzou is more than capable of wreaking a little havoc this season. Ranked fifth-highest among SEC teams, they could very well eke their way into the Top 10 before the season is up, especially with quarterback Brady Cook and receiver Luther Burden III returning this year. Mizzou finished at No. 8 last season after defeating the Buckeyes, 14-3, in the Cotton Bowl, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they had some more big wins in them this year.
While I’m not quite ready to include Texas A&M in my playoff predictions, I’m also not counting them out. The No. 20 Aggies retained a lot of talent from last season, and while head coach Mike Elko has his work cut out for him, there is a world in which the Aggies shock the SEC by climbing up the rankings. Their only game against a top-10 team is against Texas at home, and we know rivalry week means anything goes. They play Notre Dame in the first week of the season—also at home—and while this Notre Dame team should have no problem making the playoffs this year, they’ll also still have some kinks to work out that first week, particularly on the offensive line.
This cracks the door for the Aggies. A&M does have to play at the Swamp which is always tough, but their three toughest conference games (Missouri, LSU, and Texas) are all home games for the Aggies, and they don’t need to win all of them to be part of the playoff conversation in a year where everyone in the SEC is playing a brutal schedule.
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