Patrick Jones
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TBBC Top Ten: Week of 11/9/15
Patrick Jones via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Welcome to the new and improved tBBC top ten. Each week I will give you my, the most accurate by the way, opinion of the top ten teams in the country. You as the reader can then comment back and tell me how smart and right I am! Let’s get started.
I know I could write this earlier than I do but I really don’t want Jeff Long and the playoff committee to cheat and steal in order to get the top four playoff teams right, so with that introduction, here it is……
1. Ohio State (9-0)
To be the man, you have to beat the man. Many say the eye test matters a ton to the committee and although at times, OSU hasn’t “passed the eye test” they are still undefeated and are the defending champs. After a sub par offensive showing against Minnesota look for the offense to back to rolling up yards and points with JT back at the helm. Ezekiel Elliott continued his pursuit of the school’s 8th Heisman with another 100 yard game. The defense won this game for the Buckeyes and continues to be a very very strong unit. The Buckeyes travel on the road to defend the IlliBuck at Illinois this week. Look for the Buckeyes to chalk up another W as they get ready for Sparty in two weeks.
2. Clemson (9-0)
The Tigers let the ‘noles hang around for a bit before finally sealing the deal. The Tigers have a signature win against Notre Dame this season and are a close number two heading into their road match up with Syracuse this week. DeShaun Watson has the Clemson offense rolling and he himself is creeping into the Heisman talk.
3. Alabama (8-1)
This will probably come in very controversial but I don’t care. Bama has the best defense in the country and played an awful awful let down game against Ole Miss. Ohio State had one of those last season and for some reason when it was all over, everyone gave them a free pass. So Bama gets my free pass now and comes in at 3. TheTide shut down Heisman favorite Leonard Fournette and actually established a new Heisman favorite in Derrick Henry. The Tide’s defense absolutely embarrassed the Tigers offense to the point it drubbed up memories of the 2011 title game when Alabama kept LSU from crossing mid field. Bama travels to Stark Vegas to battle Mississippi State this week in what should be a great game.
4. Notre Dame (8-1)
The Irish enter the top 4 with their only blemish coming against the number 2 team in my poll. The Irish also own a few impressive victories over Navy, Temple, Georgia Tech, and USC. The Irish beat an underrated Pitt team on this road this week and look to be possibly getting qb Malik Zaire back very soon. The Irish welcome in ACC “foe” Wake Forest this week and are looking down the road two weeks when they travel out west to take on Stanford.
5. Stanford (8-1)
The Cardinal enter my poll at number 5 with one of those “awful losses” on their resume from a week 1 loss to Northwestern. Stanford has wins over USC and UCLA on the season and should have a smooth road to their week 12 battle with Notre Dame. If Stanford runs the table and gets a win in the PAC 12 championship game, it will be hard to keep them out of the playoffs.
6. Oklahoma State (9-0)
Ahhh, we have entered the Big 12 portion of the top ten. Let me say this from the start, I think the Big 12 is the weakest conference in the power 5. Aside from Oklahoma, no one in this conference plays a lick of defense and the ONLY reason OSU and Baylor are in my top ten is because of their record. This conference plays each other over the course of the next 3 weeks and that will sort itself all out. The Cowboys absolutely destroyed TCU on Saturday all the while giving up 29 points doing it. Short of UTSA (14) and Kansas (10) the Cowboys have given up 27 or more points to every opponent this season. OSU travels to Ames, Iowa to battle the Cyclones this week and then we’ll see how strong the Cowboys defense is when they host Baylor and Oklahoma in the final two weeks.
7. Baylor (8-0)
Essentially see above…..The Bears have given up 21 points or more to each of their opponents short of Rice (17) and Kansas (7, you see a trend with the Jayhawks?) AND have lost their starting quarterback to a season ending injury. The Bears struggled but beat Kansas State by 7 this past weekend now have a 3 week stretch of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU. We’ll see how real Baylor is after the next 3 weeks. I predict at least 2 losses in that group of 3 games.
8. Oklahoma (8-1)
Big Game Bob laid an egg at the Texas State Fair and it may cost him a chance at a playoff spot. Oklahoma beat Tennessee in week 2 and the Sooners looked to be on the road to the playoffs. Oklahoma hasn’t had a close game short of the Tennessee win AND….the loss to Texas. Oklahoma is right there with Bama and Stanford with a “bad loss” but their “bad loss” is the worst of the 3 in my opinion. Oklahoma has a 3 game stretch to end the season that includes traveling to Baylor this week, hosting TCU next week, and then traveling to Stillwater for Bedlam against Oklahoma State. If, IF, Bob Stoops can run that gauntlet, it will be a very very interesting debate as to where they’ll fall in with the 1 loss teams.
9. LSU (7-1)
When it’s all said and done, I think LSU may have been a little bit overrated based solely on what Leonard Fournette had been doing. The Tigers squeaked by Mississippi State in week 2, survived by 10 at Syracuse in week 4, and found a way to hold off the Gators by a touchdown two weeks ago. I personally had wondered how this team would fare once a team shut down Fournette and we have now seen how that would be. The Tigers host Arkansas this weekend and then have Ole Miss and Texas A&M to end out the season. It’s conceivable the Tigers could find a way back into the top 4 depending on what happens in front of them.
10. Utah (8-1)
I still think the Utes could be one dangerous team and I have them in the top ten just off of who they’ve beaten. Impressive wins against Michigan, Oregon, and Cal could’ve had this team in the top 4. Oh if it hadn’t been for that trip to LA. The Utes were embarrassed by USC and essentially cost them a chance at a playoff spot. Utah’s remaining schedule is less than impressive with a trip to Arizona this weekend and then hosting UCLA and Colorado. The Utes will have the benefit of a Pac 12 championship matchup with Stanford and if the Utes pull the upset AND get some help, Utah’s playoff dreams could come true.
There is my top ten folks.
Of the teams just on the outside looking in, I have Iowa, Florida, Michigan State, TCU, and Navy just on the outside. I’m not sold on Iowa yet, just based on who they’ve played. Iowa’s lone impressive win is a 30 point win at Northwestern. Short of a win over an undefeated Ohio State in the B1G Championship game, I don’t see the Hawkeyes getting a sniff of the playoffs. Florida has struggled with teams this season even before they lost their starting quarterback. A 2 point win at home against Vanderbilt this past weekend is my reason for keeping them out of the top ten. Sparty, oh Sparty. You’ve lived on the edge all year long and Saturday you finally fell off. MSU needed a miracle to beat Michigan and Rutgers and have to travel to Columbus in two weeks to battle Ohio State. We all remember what happened in ’99 at The Shoe but I don’t think we’ll see a repeat in two weeks. TCU, what can I say, much like Sparty, you’ve lived on the edge all season, and, much like MSU, you’ve fallen off. TCU struggled at Minnesota in week 1 and needed come from behind efforts to beat Texas Tech and Kansas State. The back end of their schedule is loaded with Oklahoma and Baylor and even though I think they’ll split those games, the Frogs won’t be playing in the playoffs this season. Then there is Navy, yes Navy. Navy played Notre Dame much closer than the final score indicated. This game was 24-21 Irish at halftime and Notre Dame used 3 Navy turnovers to win this game. It’s a shame that Navy won’t get more love because Keenan Reynolds should be a legit Heisman contender. The schedule doesn’t bode well for the Midshipmen with the exception of traveling to undefeated Houston in two weeks. After upsetting then undefeated Memphis this past weekend it will take a miracle for Navy to get into the playoffs but a New Year’s Day bowl is with in their grasp.
Stop back next week and check out another version of my top ten and see who’s moved up and down.
The post TBBC Top Ten: Week of 11/9/15 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Patrick Jones via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Welcome to the new and improved tBBC top ten. Each week I will give you my, the most accurate by the way, opinion of the top ten teams in the country. You as the reader can then comment back and tell me how smart and right I am! Let’s get started.
I know I could write this earlier than I do but I really don’t want Jeff Long and the playoff committee to cheat and steal in order to get the top four playoff teams right, so with that introduction, here it is……
1. Ohio State (9-0)
To be the man, you have to beat the man. Many say the eye test matters a ton to the committee and although at times, OSU hasn’t “passed the eye test” they are still undefeated and are the defending champs. After a sub par offensive showing against Minnesota look for the offense to back to rolling up yards and points with JT back at the helm. Ezekiel Elliott continued his pursuit of the school’s 8th Heisman with another 100 yard game. The defense won this game for the Buckeyes and continues to be a very very strong unit. The Buckeyes travel on the road to defend the IlliBuck at Illinois this week. Look for the Buckeyes to chalk up another W as they get ready for Sparty in two weeks.
2. Clemson (9-0)
The Tigers let the ‘noles hang around for a bit before finally sealing the deal. The Tigers have a signature win against Notre Dame this season and are a close number two heading into their road match up with Syracuse this week. DeShaun Watson has the Clemson offense rolling and he himself is creeping into the Heisman talk.
3. Alabama (8-1)
This will probably come in very controversial but I don’t care. Bama has the best defense in the country and played an awful awful let down game against Ole Miss. Ohio State had one of those last season and for some reason when it was all over, everyone gave them a free pass. So Bama gets my free pass now and comes in at 3. TheTide shut down Heisman favorite Leonard Fournette and actually established a new Heisman favorite in Derrick Henry. The Tide’s defense absolutely embarrassed the Tigers offense to the point it drubbed up memories of the 2011 title game when Alabama kept LSU from crossing mid field. Bama travels to Stark Vegas to battle Mississippi State this week in what should be a great game.
4. Notre Dame (8-1)
The Irish enter the top 4 with their only blemish coming against the number 2 team in my poll. The Irish also own a few impressive victories over Navy, Temple, Georgia Tech, and USC. The Irish beat an underrated Pitt team on this road this week and look to be possibly getting qb Malik Zaire back very soon. The Irish welcome in ACC “foe” Wake Forest this week and are looking down the road two weeks when they travel out west to take on Stanford.
5. Stanford (8-1)
The Cardinal enter my poll at number 5 with one of those “awful losses” on their resume from a week 1 loss to Northwestern. Stanford has wins over USC and UCLA on the season and should have a smooth road to their week 12 battle with Notre Dame. If Stanford runs the table and gets a win in the PAC 12 championship game, it will be hard to keep them out of the playoffs.
6. Oklahoma State (9-0)
Ahhh, we have entered the Big 12 portion of the top ten. Let me say this from the start, I think the Big 12 is the weakest conference in the power 5. Aside from Oklahoma, no one in this conference plays a lick of defense and the ONLY reason OSU and Baylor are in my top ten is because of their record. This conference plays each other over the course of the next 3 weeks and that will sort itself all out. The Cowboys absolutely destroyed TCU on Saturday all the while giving up 29 points doing it. Short of UTSA (14) and Kansas (10) the Cowboys have given up 27 or more points to every opponent this season. OSU travels to Ames, Iowa to battle the Cyclones this week and then we’ll see how strong the Cowboys defense is when they host Baylor and Oklahoma in the final two weeks.
7. Baylor (8-0)
Essentially see above…..The Bears have given up 21 points or more to each of their opponents short of Rice (17) and Kansas (7, you see a trend with the Jayhawks?) AND have lost their starting quarterback to a season ending injury. The Bears struggled but beat Kansas State by 7 this past weekend now have a 3 week stretch of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU. We’ll see how real Baylor is after the next 3 weeks. I predict at least 2 losses in that group of 3 games.
8. Oklahoma (8-1)
Big Game Bob laid an egg at the Texas State Fair and it may cost him a chance at a playoff spot. Oklahoma beat Tennessee in week 2 and the Sooners looked to be on the road to the playoffs. Oklahoma hasn’t had a close game short of the Tennessee win AND….the loss to Texas. Oklahoma is right there with Bama and Stanford with a “bad loss” but their “bad loss” is the worst of the 3 in my opinion. Oklahoma has a 3 game stretch to end the season that includes traveling to Baylor this week, hosting TCU next week, and then traveling to Stillwater for Bedlam against Oklahoma State. If, IF, Bob Stoops can run that gauntlet, it will be a very very interesting debate as to where they’ll fall in with the 1 loss teams.
9. LSU (7-1)
When it’s all said and done, I think LSU may have been a little bit overrated based solely on what Leonard Fournette had been doing. The Tigers squeaked by Mississippi State in week 2, survived by 10 at Syracuse in week 4, and found a way to hold off the Gators by a touchdown two weeks ago. I personally had wondered how this team would fare once a team shut down Fournette and we have now seen how that would be. The Tigers host Arkansas this weekend and then have Ole Miss and Texas A&M to end out the season. It’s conceivable the Tigers could find a way back into the top 4 depending on what happens in front of them.
10. Utah (8-1)
I still think the Utes could be one dangerous team and I have them in the top ten just off of who they’ve beaten. Impressive wins against Michigan, Oregon, and Cal could’ve had this team in the top 4. Oh if it hadn’t been for that trip to LA. The Utes were embarrassed by USC and essentially cost them a chance at a playoff spot. Utah’s remaining schedule is less than impressive with a trip to Arizona this weekend and then hosting UCLA and Colorado. The Utes will have the benefit of a Pac 12 championship matchup with Stanford and if the Utes pull the upset AND get some help, Utah’s playoff dreams could come true.
There is my top ten folks.
Of the teams just on the outside looking in, I have Iowa, Florida, Michigan State, TCU, and Navy just on the outside. I’m not sold on Iowa yet, just based on who they’ve played. Iowa’s lone impressive win is a 30 point win at Northwestern. Short of a win over an undefeated Ohio State in the B1G Championship game, I don’t see the Hawkeyes getting a sniff of the playoffs. Florida has struggled with teams this season even before they lost their starting quarterback. A 2 point win at home against Vanderbilt this past weekend is my reason for keeping them out of the top ten. Sparty, oh Sparty. You’ve lived on the edge all year long and Saturday you finally fell off. MSU needed a miracle to beat Michigan and Rutgers and have to travel to Columbus in two weeks to battle Ohio State. We all remember what happened in ’99 at The Shoe but I don’t think we’ll see a repeat in two weeks. TCU, what can I say, much like Sparty, you’ve lived on the edge all season, and, much like MSU, you’ve fallen off. TCU struggled at Minnesota in week 1 and needed come from behind efforts to beat Texas Tech and Kansas State. The back end of their schedule is loaded with Oklahoma and Baylor and even though I think they’ll split those games, the Frogs won’t be playing in the playoffs this season. Then there is Navy, yes Navy. Navy played Notre Dame much closer than the final score indicated. This game was 24-21 Irish at halftime and Notre Dame used 3 Navy turnovers to win this game. It’s a shame that Navy won’t get more love because Keenan Reynolds should be a legit Heisman contender. The schedule doesn’t bode well for the Midshipmen with the exception of traveling to undefeated Houston in two weeks. After upsetting then undefeated Memphis this past weekend it will take a miracle for Navy to get into the playoffs but a New Year’s Day bowl is with in their grasp.
Stop back next week and check out another version of my top ten and see who’s moved up and down.
The post TBBC Top Ten: Week of 11/9/15 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...