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First and 20: Crazy the new normal in CFB Playoff era

The Sports Xchange

October 05, 2014 at 2:27 pm.

 

Dak Prescott was awesome in the Bulldogs win over Texas A&M. (Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports)

College football didn’t just hit the reset button Saturday. It went with the nuclear option.

It was a day that began with Katy Perry predicting games on ESPN’s “GameDay” in a fuzzy pink jersey, hitting on Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight, tossing corndogs at the camera and ripping the mascot head off Lee Corso. Then things got weird.

When one of the most surprising, exciting, wildest weekends in the history of the sport was finally done — with a did-not-see-this-coming plot twist in Pullman, Wash. — five of the top eight teams in the AP poll had lost for the first time in the 78-year history of the media rankings.

In all, 11 ranked teams found themselves amid the rubble in a ground-shaking Saturday that took its cue from Arizona’s upset at No. 2 Oregon on Thursday night.

What it does it mean? It means that everyone should be careful about thinking about what it means because another narrative-shifting weekend awaits.

Yeah, but what does it really mean? It means the College Football Playoff selection committee might have a tougher job than anyone thought.

The new expanded path to the national title — with four teams in the inaugural playoff — perfectly suits the sensibilities of this season. In the apparent absence of a truly dominant team, college football is looking at a mad scramble in what already has been a dog-eat-dog conference season. The question isn’t how many one-loss teams will make the playoff, it’s this: Which two-loss team is going to be included?

Shoot, the question might be: Can both teams from Mississippi make it?

Mississippi State and Ole Miss each beat a Top 10 team on the same day for the first time ever. The Bulldogs kicked off Saturday by handling No. 6 Texas A&M 48-31 and making quarterback Dak Prescott the hot Heisman candidate of the week. The Rebels then took down No. 3 Alabama 23-17, getting two touchdowns, a fumble recovery on a kickoff and a game-clinching interception in the end zone in the final 5:29.

State of Mississippi. Best. Day. Ever.

Elsewhere, third-year Big 12 member TCU produced its biggest conference victory with a 38-33 upset of No. 4 Oklahoma. Then, things got wacky on the West Coast.

Arizona State was down nine points with 3:02 left, out of timeouts, then struck for a 73-yard pass and a last play 46-yard pass from Mike Bercovici to Jaelen Strong to stun No. 16 USC 38-34. The Sun Devils aren’t calling it a Hail Mary. It’s the “Jael Mary.”

Across town in Pasadena, Utah shocked No. 8 UCLA when Bruins kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed twice on the final play. He got a second chance after a 55-yard miss because of a questionable running-into-the-kicker penalty, then missed again from 50. Utah won 30-28.

To cap it all off, Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday set an FBS passing record with 734 yards, but he really needed two more yards. The Cougars, settling for a 19-yard field goal attempt with 19 seconds left, missed wide right, losing 60-59 to Cal to bring down the curtain on a 15-hour college football fest that rocked the rankings.

Somehow, when Sunday dawned, the new polls had Florida State and Auburn in the top two slots. Just like 2013 ended. Weird, right?

Good luck, selection committee.

Five Heisman candidates

1. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State. In back-to-back wins over LSU and Texas A&M, he is 34-of-49 passing for 537 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He had added 182 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Prescott is the “it” player in college football right now.

2. Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia. He ran 25 times for 163 yards in an easy win over Vanderbilt, sometimes playing quarterback in the “Wild Dawg” formation. His first college pass wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done in a 50-yard down-field completion that is UGa’s longest pass play of the season.

3. Nick Marshall, QB, Auburn. He’s still doing it all for the Tigers, and his passing is clearly improved over last season. As for his legs, LSU coach Les Miles noted after losing to Auburn on Saturday: “He seems faster to me. He could get seven to 10 yards in a pretty comfortable fashion. I went up to our defense and said, ‘Hey guys, that guy is pretty fast.'”

4. Everett Golson, QB, Notre Dame. Tight end Ben Koyack was all alone in the back corner of the end zone for a long time, but then a scrambling Golson needed to fire hard and accurately for the game-winning throw on fourth-and-11 from the 23. Golson’s strike beat the recovering coverage, and ND pulled out a 17-14 home win over Stanford.

5. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State. He’s been merely OK this season, more in the news for off-field stuff, but the 2013 Heisman winner is the quarterback for the No. 1 team in the country. That counts for something.

Five possibly under-the-radar stories

1. Kentucky is 4-1. If you were immersed in plenty of other action Saturday, you might have done a double-take when eventually noticing the Wildcats’ 45-38 result against South Carolina. Second-year coach Mark Stoops has infused the program with energy — and very good recruiting — and Kentucky, at 2-1 in the league, is a factor in a wide-open SEC East.

2. Northwestern leads the Big Ten West. Pat Fitzgerald’s team got off to a troubling 0-2 start but is playing some serious defense. The Wildcats won their first two conference games by holding Penn State and Wisconsin to a combined 20 points.

3. Good times in Memphis. Kudos to Tigers head coach Justin Fuente and defensive coordinator Barry Odom. Memphis nearly won at UCLA, held Ole Miss to 24 points in a loss, and then routed Cincinnati 41-14 on Saturday. The 38-year-old Fuente, in his third season at Memphis, will be an in-demand coach after the season.

4. Oklahoma State is dangerous. The Cowboys, continuing to adjust nicely to injury-replacement quarterback Daxx Garman, will go to 5-1 if they win at Kansas this Saturday. The young team is getting better every week, building toward a big game at TCU on Oct. 18.

5. Georgia Tech is 5-0. The Jackets beat Virginia Tech (on the road) and Miami in back-to-back weeks, and Paul Johnson’s team is capable of being relevant all the way to its Clemson-Georgia finish.

Five somewhat random thoughts from week 6

1. If the state of Mississippi had the best week of college football, the Grand Canyon State wasn’t far behind. Arizona won at No. 2 Oregon on Thursday, and Arizona State shocked No. 16 USC with a Hail Mary for a 38-34 win.

2. Have Greg Byrne hire your next football coach. Byrne brought in then-hot Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen at Mississippi State after the 2008 season, and hired bounce-back coach Rich Rodriguez at Arizona for the 2012 season. Mullen and Rodriguez are 10-0 this season; each has won his past two games against Top 10 teams (dating to last season for RichRod).

3. The four playoff teams if the season ended today: 1. Auburn. 2. Mississippi State. 3. Ole Miss. 4. Florida State.

4. Every Pac-12 team will spend extra practice time defending the Hail Mary this week. That’s three Hail Mary touchdowns in three weeks — Arizona to beat Cal, USC at the end of the first half vs. Oregon State, ASU to stun USC.

5. Nick Saban has lost three consecutive games to ranked teams. Calm down, Alabama fans. The Tide is going to be just fine.

Five best week 7 games

All games Saturday:

1. Auburn at Mississippi State. The College GameDay crew stays in the state of Mississippi, driving from Oxford to Starkville for the weeks’ best matchup of teams and Heisman candidates. More cowbell, please.

2. TCU at Baylor. Baylor has all that offense. TCU’s attack has been rejuvenated with new co-coordinators and improved quarterback Trevone Boykin. Don’t be surprised, though, if the game spins on two of the best big-play defenses in the country.

3. Ole Miss at Texas A&M. The Rebels’ defense can make a case for the best in the country, but following up the win over Alabama requires stopping a more demanding Aggies’ offense.

4. Georgia at Missouri. Winner slides into SEC East driver’s seat. Mizzou defensive ends Shane Ray and Markus Golden are going to make life difficult for Dawgs QB Hutson Mason.

5. Oregon at UCLA. The stakes have shifted from “Pac-12 supremacy” to “desperation” after each team lost last week for the first time this season. Between the two teams, they make be able to come up with one functional offensive line.

High honorable mention: Texas vs. Oklahoma (Dallas), USC at Arizona.

NFLDraftScout.com: Film Room Review

Senior Analyst Rob Rang’s five takeaways on how prospects performed in Week 5. Players listed including position, school, year (Height, weight and current NFLDraftScout.com overall rating and by position).

1. QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State, Jr. (6-2, 235, #12 QB in 2016 class): In leading the upset of Texas A&M, Prescott impressed not only with his mobility and arm but also with his poise. He’s shorter than ideal at 6-feet-1, but has a compact, powerful build at 235 pounds.

Prescott’s improvement as a pocket passer this season is what will most impress NFL scouts. He showed impressive accuracy, leading his receivers away from contact vs. tight man coverage, and was particularly effective on back-shoulder throws.

2. WR Ty Montgomery, Stanford, Sr. (6-2, 215, #24/#4): The Cardinal’s big-play man extraordinaire did contribute a 40-yard return, but he also dropped at least three passes while struggling in the rainy and windy conditions during Stanford’s loss at Notre Dame. A poorly-run route also contributed to a fourth-quarter interception.

3. QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon, rJr. (6-2, 235, #1/#1): Mariota showed off several of the traits that have him in contention for the No. 1 overall pick – quick reads, poise in the pocket despite consistent pressure, a quick release and plenty of arm strength. He showed too much confidence in that arm, at times, throwing into double- and even triple-coverage. He also seemed hesitant to use his straight-line speed even when Arizona dropped eight into coverage.

4. CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon, Sr. (5-9, 195, #10/#1): After being beaten for two touchdowns by Washington State on Sept. 20, Ekpre-Olomu struggled in the second half Thursday night. The Wildcats slipped a quick screen past him on their opening drive after the break, he was called for a critical pass interference in the end zone and later was trucked over by RB Nick Wilson in the open field on a 34-yard touchdown.

5. LB Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi St., Jr. (6-4, 245, #55/#4): McKinney looked every bit the part of a future top 64 pick in helping the Bulldogs hold down the Aggies’ high-octane offense, with many of Texas A&M’s 31 points coming well after the game was decided.

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