First and 20: Buckeyes, Bama get statement wins

Many dismissed Ohio State when it lost quarterback Braxton Miller to a shoulder injury before the season. And when the Buckeyes lost at home to Virginia Tech in the second week, it only seemed right to completely write off their year.

And then something funny happened while almost everyone lost track of Urban Meyer’s team.

After the loss to the Hokies, Ohio State played six consecutive unranked teams, often putting up an ungodly amount of points, but who really cared, given the competition? Nobody really knew how good the Buckeyes were until Saturday — 49 points and 568 yards against a Michigan State team built on defense and gunning for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Now, the Big Ten’s hopes fall on the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big Ten, a virtual lock to advance to the league championship game from the East Division. The Buckeyes’ toughest remaining regular-season game left is at Minnesota on Saturday.

Miller’s replacement, J.T Barrett, delivered 386 yards total yards in the 48-37 win over the Spartans — 300 passing, including four touchdowns — and will show up on various Heisman watch lists this week. With a versatile quarterback, big-play receivers, a soon-to-be 1,000-yard rusher in Ezekiel Elliott, and a good defense fueled by pass-rushing beast Joey Bosa, Ohio State has the pieces to be a worthy participant in the four-team playoff.

But will it actually have the resume?

Ohio State needs help. That much is clear. A one-loss Buckeyes team that likely would end with only two or three quality wins — and weighed down by that loss to Virginia Tech — would have to get in line.

Florida State, Mississippi State, Alabama, Oregon/Arizona State and TCU/Baylor all have better cases. But at least Ohio State is in the mix if it runs the table while waiting for something for the annual late-season shockers that could further open the playoff door. Let the lobbying begin.

“If I have to go fight for this team, what they’ve done is very impressive,” Meyer said. “That loss the second game hurts us. I’ll take the hit for that, because that was a young team that’s playing at an extremely high level right now.”

Five things we think we learned in week 11

1. Arizona State’s Jaelen Strong is the best receiver in the country. Sorry, Alabama’s Amari Cooper. If we had one throw into the end zone in a key moment, we’re making that pass to Strong. His one-handed touchdown catch against Notre Dame might have been an eye-opening moment for fans across the country, but it’s the stuff Pac-12 fans see from Strong every week.

2. The ball is precious. OK, so this is a lesson that Utah’s Kaelin Clay learned in the most painful of ways. College football players basically train year-round, endure numbing days of practice, dream their whole lives of making the big play in the biggest of games … so what’s the rush in dropping the ball? Clay, who has been a fabulous addition to Utah this season as a big-play weapon, was a yard away from a 78-yard touchdown reception and a 14-0 Utah lead against Oregon before he simply released the ball at the 1 in a premature celebration. The Ducks took it back 100 yards for a score.

3. Things have a way of evening out. As Auburn was rallying late against Texas A&M, the thought was, “What new way can the Tigers invent to win this game?” Instead, they found a fresh way to lose. The Tigers lost two late fumbles, including one on a premature snap. Earlier in the game, they had a field goal blocked and returned for a score. Auburn fell 41-38 and suffered its second loss, but don’t count it out of the playoff picture just yet. Road games at Georgia and Alabama offer major rehabilitation opportunities.

4. Still a two-man Heisman race. Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott lead the way. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin padded his resume with a win over Kansas State and a flip into the end zone. From the non-QB division, Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon and Alabama receiver Amari Coopers deserve invites, too.

5. Ohio State has a dilemma in 2015. Let’s already talk about 2015, as the Buckeyes project to have quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett on their roster. Will each return? Who plays, who sits? Herein lays one of the most fascinating offseason issues.

Five things we didn’t expect to see

1. Kansas fans celebrating. The Jayhawks beat a 2-7 Iowa State team 34-14 and the celebration was such that fans stormed the fall and destroyed the goalposts. It was completely an excessive celebration … and we’re totally cool with it, considering KU had won just one of its previous 32 Big 12 games. Now, give interim coach Clint Bowen the job.

2. North Dakota State losing. The Bison are the three-time defending FCS champions and had a 33-game winning streak before falling to four-loss Northern Iowa team on Saturday. Three AP voters actually had NDSU on their Top 25 ballots last week.

3. Baylor continuing to punk Oklahoma. The Bears have scored at least 34 points against the Sooners in four consecutive seasons, something no other team has ever done.

4. Notre Dame QB Everett Golson being a turnover machine. Kidding! Golson has done some amazing thing for the Irish, but being careful with the ball is not one of them. He had five turnovers in the loss at Arizona State that eliminated ND from playoff contention, and he has committed 17 turnovers in the past six games.

5. Memphis leading the American Athletic Conference. The Tigers were one of the worst programs in the country when Justin Fuente took over in 2012. Now, he has Memphis, after a 16-13 win at Temple, sitting at 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the AAC in one of the great under-the-radar coaching jobs this season.

Five players to watch

1. Gerod Holliman, S, Louisville — Sometimes, a high interception total can be dismissed as luck or excessive opportunity, but Holliman can’t be ignored. He picked off Boston College’s Tyler Murphy three times Saturday, increasing his season total to a staggering 13.

2. Myles Jack, LB/RB, UCLA — He’s still dabbling on offense, and his 28-yard touchdown run — complete with stiff-arm, spin move and sideline tightrope act — was a thing of beauty against Washington. The surging Bruins have won four in a row and have rival USC after a bye.

3. Blake Sims, QB, Alabama — He directed a late drive at LSU to tie the game at 13 and then delivered a sweet back-shoulder throw for a touchdown in overtime. He’ll need to summon all that moxie, and more, as he becomes a central figure in the playoff chase with upcoming home games against Mississippi State and Auburn.

4. Cedric Reed, DE, Texas — The Longhorns pulled off a mild upset Saturday, beating West Virginia 33-16 in an impressive defensive game in which Reed had four tackles for loss, including three sacks, and a forced fumble. Remember him when Texas ends the regular season at home vs. TCU.

5. Kyle Allen, QB, Texas A&M — The freshman won his first SEC start, on the road at Auburn, going 19 of 29 for 277 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception. Impressive poise.

Five best week 12 games

1. Mississippi State at Alabama, Saturday (Time/TV TBA). The top-ranked Bulldogs can essentially clinch the wild SEC West with a victory. They will come in fresh after a tune-up vs. Tennessee-Martin while the Tide was absorbing sledgehammer blows in its comeback overtime win at LSU.

2. Nebraska at Wisconsin, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC). This game likely decides the Big Ten West, and we can only hope Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah is healthy enough to complete the epic running back duel against the Badgers’ Melvin Gordon.

3. Auburn at Georgia, Saturday (Time/TV TBA). Running back Todd Gurley is eligible to return to the Bulldogs, who are chasing Missouri for the SEC East title. What will be Auburn’s mindset after the upset loss to Texas A&M?

4. Florida State at Miami, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ABC). An interesting test for the Seminoles against a hot Hurricanes team that has posted three consecutive blowout wins vs. Cincinnati, at Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Running back Duke Johnson gives Miami a chance.

5. Ohio State at Minnesota, Saturday, noon ET (ABC). The Gophers are 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten, coming off a rout of Iowa. Does the good story end here? Minnesota finishes the season with Ohio State and then road games at Nebraska and Wisconsin.

NFLDraftScout.com: Film Room Review

Analyst Rob Rang’s five prospect takeaways for this week. Players listed including position, school, year (Height, weight and current NFLDraftScout.com overall rating and by position).

1. OT Tyrus Thompson, Oklahoma, Sr. (6-5, 335, #149/#13): In a marquee battle against Baylor’s Shawn Oakman, Thompson has surprising initial quickness for his massive frame and show an impressive ability to re-set on a play in which Oakman initially broke free, sliding his feet and squaring his shoulders to recover.

2. DE Danielle Hunter, LSU, Jr. (6-4, 240, #10 DE in 2016 class): Hunter did not have a sack against Alabama and has only 1.5 on the season, but he recorded multiple tackles and broke up three passes. He is far more dangerous off the edge than his numbers would indicate, however, as Hunter displays an exciting combination of length, balance, awareness and agility that could see him land in the top 50 if he declares for the 2015 draft.

3. CB Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest, Sr. (6-0, 175, #78/#8): Johnson continued his penchant for making the big play, forcing two turnovers against Clemson to bring his career total to 12. Johnson shows an explosive burst to cut ahead of targets, with the acceleration and ability to locate the football that could make him the first senior cornerback off the board.

4. DE Shawn Oakman, Baylor, rJr. (6-8, 275, #6/#2): Ripped and quick, Oakman has an explosive first step off the ball. His matchup against Thompson was one of the few he has had against NFL-caliber offensive tackles. Oakman only got one hit on Sooners QB Trevor Knight, but it was the one that contributed to the injury that led to him being carted off the field.

5. WR D’haquille “Duke” Williams, Auburn, rJr. (6-2, 216, #11 WR in 2016 class): The JUCO transfer caught 11 passes before suffering a knee injury. The Tigers’ “other” receiver behind Sammy Coates entering the season, Williams leads the team with 38 receptions, 609 receiving yards and five touchdowns while displaying reliable route-running and good hands.