Tag: 2021 college football season

Three more LSU Tigers bid farewell after the 2021 season

Three seniors tweet their goodbyes.

It occurs every offseason but it doesn’t make it any easier for these student athletes. A trio of LSU Tigers big farewell on social media after the conclusion of the 2021 season.

They played on a team that won a national championship in 2019 and sent their head coach Ed Orgeron out as a winner in the final regular-season game against the Texas A&M Aggies in dramatic fashion. Almost a storybook ending, the only better way would be in a championship season, but Orgeron took his childhood team to the ultimate peak in 2019.

These three players played plenty of meaningful snaps for the Tigers. The first was Cam Lewis, who played five seasons at LSU. In 2019 and 2021 he played in 11 games each season. This past season was his most productive in those five seasons. He tallied 54 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble.

Punter Avery Atkins was the second player we are highlighting. He served as the holder for junior kicker Cade York. In 2021 he was named the starting punter where he was called upon for 62 punts. Atkins averaged 42.6 yards per punt. During his four-year career, Atkins totaled seven tackles and one fumble recovery.

Finally, we have a starter at offensive guard Ed Ingram. He will work on building up his draft stock before making the jump to the professional league. Ingram played in 45 games over his Tigers career. He was part of the offensive line that protected Joe Burrow in that magical season.

Each player tweeted their own message on Friday.

Cam Lewis, Defensive Back

Avery Atkins, Punter

Ed Ingram, Offensive Guard

Final Big 12 Power Rankings from the 2021 College Football Season

After completing their bowl games, how do the Big 12 teams stack up in the final power rankings of the 2021 season?

It was a wild 2021 college football season. The two teams that most expected to play for the Big 12 title, Oklahoma and Iowa State, both missed out on the title game. Baylor, who had won just two games the year before completed an incredible turnaround.

There were fantastic performances and finishes throughout the season that reminded everyone of the quality of play in the Big 12 conference. If the conference season wasn’t enough evidence, its 5-2 record and a 3-0 record against the SEC, should stand at evidence that the conference is very strong.

Let’s take a look at how these teams stack up heading into the offseason in the final Big 12 power rankings of the 2021 college football season.

The 2021 Season: Ranking LSU’s wins from worst to first

How would you rank each of the LSU Tigers wins in 2021?

The LSU Tigers had a somewhat forgettable season in 2021. They finished 6-7 as they secured their first losing season since 1999. Each win was under then-head coach Ed Orgeron as he concluded a two-year run as head coach at 11-11. He won 15 games as the head coach in 2019 as they secured the CFP national championship.

Despite the disappointing year for the Bayou Bengals, there were some memorable moments. The wheels came off the tracks at times but they were still able to find a way to finish out 2021 in the same manner as the 2020 campaign, needing two wins to reach the .500 mark on the season.

The defense got better as the year progressed but the offense seemed to lose momentum after losing star wide receiver Kayshon Boutte to an injury. Looking back at the year that was in 2021, we rank the wins from worst to first.

Bowl Season Think, Know, Believe: College Football Daily Cavalcade

After a strange bowl season, what I think, know, and believe about the fun – and strange – 2021-2022 college football post-season.

College Football Daily Cavalcade: What I think, what I know, and what I believe after the bowl season and before the College Football Playoff.

College Football Daily Cavalcade

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

The best blurbs opted out or transferred to columns that paid more NIL money.

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Expert Picks: CFP National Championship
Predicting The Final Polls AP | Coaches

You’ll have to be patient. It’s written in Brian Kelly’s Boston accent.

I think … it was a joke.

I know … Brian Kelly tries really hard to be funny, but he’s too dead-pan for a large portion of the social media world that’s dead inside.

I believe … those who didn’t understand that Kelly is trying to poke fun at himself would also fall for the “hey, where are the left-handed footballs?” gag.

I think … there were a whole slew of problems with the bowl season, but …

I know … it was a lot better than last year’s version. However …

I believe … this might have been the bowl season that could cause a tweak to the whole thing.

I think … Texas A&M and UCLA and Hawaii – and others – showed that it’s way too easy to not play in these things.

I know … there’s no dogging a team for not being able to go because of COVID issues.

I believe … several of the canceled bowls could’ve figured out a way to make the games go a few days later if the teams that tapped out really wanted to make it happen.

I think … not having enough top players able to go is no excuse.

I know … LSU’s remaining coaches and players deserve all the credit in the world for giving it the old college try with a totally depleted lineup. However …

I believe … in just about every way possible, the Texas Bowl is Exhibit A for the “too many bowls” prosecution I’m fighting with as we speak.

I think … the SEC is still the SEC, but …

I know … the brand took a hit with so many losses, but …

I believe … if every SEC team this bowl season had its full complement of players – or, just a few key parts who took off because they’re too good for bowl games – the final numbers would be different.

I think … coaches leaving their teams before the bowls is way, way, 100x worse than players opting out.

I know … Matt Corral is a grown man who made a grown man decision to play.

I believe … everyone needs to quit saying Corral – and others who played – did things “the right way,” because that would mean Kenny Pickett, Kenneth Walker, Chris Olave, etc. did things the “wrong” way.

I think … it takes a giant pair to fault a kid for preserving his investment and dreams by opting out, all while the coaches, the networks, the universities, the non-revenue athletes, the local business, the bowl people in the cool jackets, the t-shirt salesmen, the concession booths, the gambling world, the school fund-raising effort, etc. all generate hundreds of millions of dollars off the players.

I know … the opt-out answer is simple: money.

I believe … top players will eventually have NIL deals with clauses that pay more if they showcase their talents in a top bowl game.

Expert Picks: CFP National Championship
Predicting The Final Polls AP | Coaches

I think … Jim Harbaugh will be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears.

I know … he has taken Michigan as far as it can go considering the Ohio State problem will never go away.

I believe … Michigan hiring Urban Meyer would be the greatest thing in the history of things, followed closely by Lane Kiffin somehow being the next Wolverine head man. Neither of which will happen, of course, if Harbaugh really does leave.

I think … the College Football Playoff desperately needs to expand.

I know … 13 of the 16 CFP semifinals have been double-digit blowouts.

I believe … more games would make things harder for the top teams. More chances to suffer a key injury, have a bad day, not be 100%, because …

I think … when you give the teams with all of the talent a month to get healthy and ready, bad things happen.

I know … I’m awful at picking College Football Playoff semifinal games, but I got these two dead-cold, because …

I believe … Alabama and Georgia have lots and lots and lots and lots of talent. Michigan brought lots of talent, and Cincinnati brought talent.

I think … I made the smart move leaving the Orange Bowl relatively early before the fourth to make the drive across Florida.

I know … that thing was over after Georgia’s first drive.

I believe … no one started out with a worse 2022 than the soul-crushed- super-fan-who-spent-thousands-on-that-game dad in the Hard Rock Stadium parking lot 1) all decked out in Michigan gear and 2) totally clueless where the car was, all while 3) getting asked over and over again by the wife “where’s the car?” because 4) the exhausted kids were crying that they wanted to go to the car.

I think … going forward, every bowl should have a contingency plan.

I know … there should be at least ten other teams at the ready to go play if needed.

I believe … if nothing else, the backup teams would get in some extra practices, which is pretty much what truly matters about the bowl season.

I think … ESPN couldn’t trip over itself fast enough to push the “bowls matter” agenda with almost every broadcast.

I know … these are businesses. Bowl games are money for everyone involved – EVERYONE involved – from the promotion for the theme parks, to the business deals done by the people who run them, to the restaurants, to the hotels, to the sponsors, and on and on and on, but …

I believe … they’re all sold to the world as these magnanimous fun things the bowls do for the love of the game and the joy of the players, when they’re all just promotional events for the cities.

I think … other than the College Football Playoff and the Rose Bowl, bowls really don’t matter, but …

I know … it really doesn’t matter that bowls don’t really matter, with college football playing its exhibition season at the end, because …

I believe … bowls are awesome, and anyone who thinks otherwise totally watched them anyway. Yes, the system should be revamped, and yes, they are about money, but they’re fun. What are you going to do in December, other stuff?

I think … I refuse to acknowledge the trying-to-be-cool crowd that likes to dismiss bowl games, just because.

I know … many of those people actually believe the NBA matters before late May.

I believe … December would suck without the bowls.

I think … the powers-that-be are batspit insane to not do the 12-team expanded College Football Playoff format, because …

I know … the overall system would still be fine – people have to bet on something – but December viewership and interest would go up 50 levels if some of these bowls were playoff games.

I believe … there has to be a mechanism to play your way in. You win your Power Five championship, you’re in.

I think … the bowls want to get rid of your opt-out problem.

I know … an expanded College Football Playoff would do just that for the biggest stars.

I believe … it’s going to happen. For now, everyone is posturing and everyone is being weird about it.

I think … I’ll do another one of these things hitting each and every bowl game from this post-season.

I know … it’ll be more fun than this version was.

I believe … it won’t be so preachy. That’s a lie, but I’ll give it a shot.

I think … I know it’s all going to be okay.

I know … I believe it’s all going to be okay.

I believe … I think it’s all going to be okay.

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Expert Picks: CFP National Championship
Predicting The Final Polls AP | Coaches

Looking back at 2021 with 10 memorable moments

A list of 10 of top moments of the 2021 season across college football.

The final day of 2021 will see both College Football Playoff semifinals kickoff as we march towards the national championship game.

As a whole, the year was a wild one as watched teams try to find a way into the four-team playoff. Teams that were expected to contend for the CFP faltered right out of the gate. Heisman front runners fell off the map and we saw one of the wildest coaching carousels in recent memory.

From sissy blue shirts to wild upsets, there are plenty of moments to reflect back on from the football season in 2021. Here is our list of 10 very memorable moments of the year.

Ed Orgeron’s firing among the craziest moments of 2021

One of the wildest moments of 2021 belongs to Ed Orgeron.

The 2021 season was filled with wild and wacky moments each and every week. The Tigers saw plenty of them including Ed Orgeron’s comments about the shirts that UCLA fans wore ahead of the season opener.

No. 13 LSU loses at UCLA to begin the countdown to coach Ed Orgeron’s eventual dismissal. – Myerberg on week one.

According to Paul Myerberg, the craziest moment in week seven belongs to the LSU Tigers and the announcement of Orgeron’s separation.

AP Photo/Matthew Hinton

What Myerberg Says…

Now up to No. 2 in the Coaches Poll, Iowa falls 24-7 to Purdue. Wide receiver David Bell makes 11 grabs for 240 yards, giving him 37 catches for 558 yards and five scores in three career games against the Hawkeyes. No. 1 Georgia’s latest test against a ranked opponent goes as expected, as the Bulldogs beat No. 11 Kentucky 30-13. Baylor tops No. 20 Brigham Young 38-24 to start a second-half surge that culminates in a Big 12 championship. LSU upsets No. 17 Florida 49-42, but that’s not enough to save Ed Orgeron’s job. LSU and the coach behind the juggernaut that claimed the 2019 national championship agree to part ways at the end of the regular season.

Neither coach (Orgeron nor Mullen) would finish the 2021 season as the head coach of their team. The loss by Florida began the countdown for Mullen, Orgeron’s clock had already hit 0:00 by the time the game ended.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB

What can be done to mitigate players opting-out of Bowl Games?

Bowl season has taken a hit with the rash of opt-outs hitting New Years Six Bowls, but what can be done to incentivize the postseason for players?

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College football will never be the same. The BCS changed its landscape, and then the College Football Playoff and the transfer portal have shifted it even further. With name, image, and likeness involved, the game that many of us grew up falling in love with looks vastly different from the structure that placed a heavy emphasis on the conferences and elite bowl games.

Thirty years ago, the bowl games meant something, at least to the top-ranked teams. Those teams wouldn’t always play one another, so the bowl game was their last opportunity to make a statement significant enough to get the voters to vote for them in the AP or Coaches polls.

Injury risk and a lack of competitive incentive have led to a rash of opt-outs across the country. Games that once looked intriguing from a national perspective have taken a hit because star players have decided to sit out. Pittsburgh and Michigan State are slated to lock horns in the Peach Bowl, but without Panthers’ quarterback Kenny Pickett and Spartans’ running back Kenneth Walker, the games don’t have the star power they once did, taking some of the shine off of an intriguing matchup.

Closer to home, Oklahoma’s Nik Bonitto, Isaiah Thomas, Perrion Winfrey, and Brian Asamoah have decided to opt out. In addition to the transfer of Spencer Rattler, Austin Stogner, and Jadon Haselwood, those opt-outs have left Oklahoma without several significant players as they prepare to play the Oregon Ducks in the Alamo Bowl.

From the individual player’s perspective, it’s understandable. Though injuries can happen at any moment, taking one in a game akin to a preseason NFL game may not make as much sense. See, a guy like Jaylon Smith, who played in the Fiesta Bowl for Notre Dame, blew out his knee and watched his draft stock drop by a full round, and his career hasn’t been the same since the devastating injury.

For better or worse, that’s something these players take into consideration as they prepare for the next leg of their journey. Were the Sooners next game part of the college football playoff, they would be in practice with their team preparing to make a run at a national championship. Instead, they’re getting ready for the Senior Bowl or the NFL Draft Combine.

From a fan perspective, it’s unfortunate that we won’t get to watch our favorite team at full strength heading into the final game of the year. The networks and the schools lose out because the star players they’d use to advertise the game can’t be used for promotion because they won’t be playing in the game. Because the bowl games lose a bit of juice, they won’t be worth as much to advertisers in the future, ultimately hurting the universities in the potential payouts for the bowls.

But what can be done? It seems that this is a door that will be difficult to close.

First of all, expanding the College Football Playoff to 12 or 16 teams will create a greater incentive for more players to stay engaged in meaningful football games. Instead of players from four teams with something to play for in late December and January, you’d have three to four times as many players engaged in the postseason.

Having more teams allows more players to be involved in promotional advertising of the playoff and the bowls associated with it. Playoff expansion is coming down the pipeline.

The next thing that schools, bowls, and advertisers can do is incentivize playing in a bowl game that may or may not have national implications. NIL has created options for businesses to engage with student-athletes to allow them to profit off of their name, image, and likeness. Advertisers and bowl sponsors could develop a bonus package to encourage players to play in the bowl game.

Through NIL deals, players could be compensated for playing bowl games by the bowl sponsor and the network carrying the game. Though there’s a resistance to outright paying players to play college football, individual deals that engage student-athletes could be a way to keep the players around long enough to play in the bowl games.

There’s no easy answer to this, but if this is a problem for bowl game committees, advertisers, and networks, they need to figure out a joint solution to keeping the players engaged in the bowl season.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

College Football Playoff Rankings: Think, Know, Believe On The Penultimate CFP Top 25

College Football Playoff rankings: Quick analysis with what I think, what I know, and what I believe on the penultimate CFP Top 25

College Football Daily Cavalcade: What I think, what I know, and what I believe after the penultimate round of College Football Playoff Rankings.

College Football Playoff Rankings: Daily Cavalcade on the Top 25

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

Before finishing this piece – and not knowing how it would turn out – I left for LSU.

Never, EVER, let a chance to be pretentious go unused.

I think … I refuse to refer to these as the penultimate College Football rankings until the committee goes all in and calls last week’s version the antepenultimate rankings.

I know … I took four years of Latin. I averaged a rock-solid C+.

I believe … penultimate is Latin for “these don’t really matter until we know who wins the Power Five conference championships.”

I think … Notre Dame is more alive in this College Football Playoff thing than many are letting on.

I know … Brian Kelly just had to bolt for LSU a few days before knowing whether or not the team he was coaching was actually out of the College Football Playoff.

I believe … this would be an all-timer if Notre Dame had a shot to get in, but the committee left it out because its former head coach chose to go live his best life …

I think … Notre Dame might be in if gets two losses this weekend between Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma State, and Cincinnati.

I know … College Football Playoff committee chairman Gary Barta pointed out that all factors are considered – like if a star quarterback gets hurt, or if a team doesn’t have its head coach.

I believe … there aren’t enough candles at the Grotto to save Brian Kelly with the fan base if his early departure costs the Irish a College Football Playoff spot.

I think … Brian Kelly left for LSU to try to win a national championship.

I know … it was for gobs and gobs of money, too.

I believe … YOU DON’T LEAVE FOR ANOTHER JOB when the team you just led through the season has a shot at being two wins away from winning a national championship.

I think … defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman could step in and do the job if needed.

I know … no one would sell Notre Dame better over that lobbying period after the conference championships and before the final rankings are announced on Sunday morning.

I believe … Notre Dame would all of a sudden become America’s team to root for if it’s in without its head coach.

I think … Oklahoma State is fine at 5.

I know … if it beats No. 9 Baylor, that would make it two top ten wins – Oklahoma was 10 last week – to close out the season.

I believe … 12-1 Big 12 Champion Oklahoma State is in over Cincinnati if Alabama beats Georgia.

I think … this is easy peasy if Georgia beats Alabama in the SEC Championship.

I know … Georgia would get the 1, Michigan would be the 2 if that goes to plan.

I believe … Alabama is out. Maybe.

[lawrence-related id=540095]

I think … the committee and the College Football Playoff types would love nothing more than for Oklahoma State to play in AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

I know … the committee doesn’t think about location when it does its rankings … really.

I believe … Oklahoma State jumps Cincinnati to the 3 if wins the Big 12 Championship, and it’s a no-brainer if it beats Baylor in a blowout.

I think … we’re WAY overdue for something wacky to happen.

I know … we have yet to have a monster upset in one of the significant conference championships in the College Football Playoff era.

I believe … the College Football Playoff won’t somehow be Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ohio State when I see it.

Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings
Bowl Projections | Bowl Eligible Teams

I think … Ohio State at the 7 is a big deal.

I know … Iowa is in the Rose Bowl if it beats Michigan.

I believe … unless Alabama beats Georgia, Michigan still has a decent shot of getting in if loses to Iowa tastefully.

I think … it’ll be fascinating how this all plays out, because …

I know … Oklahoma State is up first on Saturday. Everyone else will know what they need to do after the early Big 12 Championship.

I believe … Oklahoma State is going to secure a spot by about 3:30 ET on Saturday, and then the pressure is on.

I think … Cincinnati will know it needs to be impressive against Houston.

I know … Houston is good enough to win the American Athletic Conference Championship.

I believe … Cincinnati will win, but beating the No. 21 team won’t be enough to overcome Oklahoma State beating the No. 9 team.

I think … I’m totally torn on Georgia-Alabama.

I know … Auburn had the chance to kill the zombie, and it didn’t do it.

I believe … Alabama is deadly when it can do the Nobody Believes In Us thing.

I think … Iowa can’t come close to beating Michigan unless Iowa forces at least three turnovers.

I know … Michigan will turn the ball over three times.

I believe … Iowa doesn’t have enough of an offense to take advantage of the three turnovers.

I think … about 12 people are going to watch the ACC Championship because …

I know … it’s on at the same time as the Big Ten Championship.

I believe … Pitt vs Wake Forest might be the most entertaining game of the weekend.

I think … on Sunday it’s going to be 1. Georgia, 2. Michigan, 3. Oklahoma State, 4. Cincinnati.

I know … it’s not going to be quite that easy.

I believe … Alabama will somehow be a part of this, just because.

I think … I know it’s all going to be okay.

I know … I believe it’s all going to be okay.

I believe … I think it’s all going to be okay.

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Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings
Bowl Projections | Bowl Bubble

5 Bold Predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys

5 Bold Predictions as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Bedlam.

In a highly anticipated matchup of top 10 teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners travel to Stillwater to take on the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Oklahoma faces their rival on the heels of back-to-back subpar performances for an offense that was rolling through Texas, TCU, and Texas Tech. The Cowboys look to be playing the best football they’ve played all season. Oklahoma State boasts one of the best defenses in the country, which will pose a significant challenge to Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams.

As the Sooners get set to take on the Cowboys, here are 5 Bold Predictions for this week’s matchup.

College Football Playoff Rankings: Think, Know, Believe On The CFP Top 25

After the latest round of the College Football Playoff rankings, here’s what I think, what I know, and what I believe about the CFP Top 25 after the fourth round of the exercise.

College Football Daily Cavalcade: What I think, what I know, and what I believe after the latest round of College Football Playoff Rankings.

College Football Playoff Rankings: Daily Cavalcade on the Top 25

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

It had to go on the road to play Utah and Ohio State last week. It’s not like it had to play SMU – aka the second-coming of 1995 Nebraska.

There you go, everyone. Cincinnati is in the top four …

I think … SMU is just whatever.

I know … Cincinnati is getting a TON of love for that win over a meh team.

I believe … too many people care about records and not the teams themselves.

I think … Cincinnati will end up in the College Football Playoff.

I know … it’s not going to be because of anything funky, if it gets in.

I believe … the College Football Playoff committee won’t put in a two-loss Alabama over Cincinnati. At least …

I think … the College Football Playoff committee won’t put in a two-loss Alabama over Cincinnati.

I know … the committee LOVES itself some Alabama.

I believe … this will be an interesting debate if it comes down to two-loss Alabama vs unbeaten Cincinnati for the last spot.

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I think … Cincinnati loses to either East Carolina or Houston.

I know … those are the two most dangerous games Cincinnati will play other than the win over Notre Dame.

I believe … if Cincinnati wallops ECU and Houston, it’s in without much of a debate. However …

I think … schedule is going to factor into the final College Football Playoff rankings.

I know … the committee is ALL about the Power Five conference championships.

I believe … this isn’t as easy as you might think.

I think … too many analysts are treating the latest round of rankings like they are set in stone.

I know … EVERYTHING the committee does up until the final rankings don’t matter.

I believe … they’re simply a snapshot of the moment. The final rankings take into account the most important games of the year – the Power Five conference championships. Which is why …

I think … a 12-1 Big 12 Champion gets in. (More on this in a moment.)

I know … a 12-1 Big 12 Champion Oklahoma State will get in.

I believe … a 12-1 Big 12 Champion Oklahoma will get in … maybe.

I think … Houston could become a factor.

I know … the College Football Playoff committee – when it comes to the final rankings – takes the entire season into account, and Texas Tech’s win over Houston to start the season could become more prominent, because …

I believe … it’s a problem for Cincinnati if it struggles with the Cougars in the American Athletic Conference Championship, because …

I think … Oklahoma State just pitched a perfect game against the Red Raiders.

I know … it’s not the same Texas Tech team in a whole lot of ways than the one that showed up to start the season.

I believe … the committee is more torn overall on Cincinnati than you think.

Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings
Bowl Projections | Bowl Bubble

I think … Notre Dame is in a weird spot – and no, not South Bend.

I know … it can’t get past the hard ceiling of unbeaten Cincinnati.

I believe … Notre Dame needs Cincinnati to lose one of these last two games, and then it’s right there in the mix for the top four.

I think … the College Football Playoff committee isn’t taking an 11-1 Notre Dame over a 12-1 Big 12 Champion.

I know … Notre Dame has a real shot to get in if Georgia blows out Alabama.

I believe … Notre Dame should be ranked ahead of Michigan and will be after this weekend, but it needs to draw an inside straight to get in. (BTW, I think I don’t know that I believe what that poker term actually means.)

I think … y’all are missing one key self-fulfilling aspect of the College Football Playoff rankings.

I know … Oklahoma State is 7, Baylor is 8, and Oklahoma is 10. SO …

I believe … if there’s a 12-1 Big 12 champion Oklahoma or Oklahoma State, it’ll technically have two wins currently left unaccounted for against current top ten teams. SO, technically, no one has a tougher final two game schedule right now than a 12-1 Big 12 Champion.

I think … the Rose Bowl race becomes interesting if Ohio State wins out.

I know … if Michigan keeps this reasonably close against the Buckeyes, it’ll get the nod to Pasadena unless …

I believe … Michigan State will go to the Rose Bowl if it annihilates Penn State, because the committee would put Spartans up over the Wolverines in the final rankings.

I think … San Diego State isn’t all that great.

I know … San Diego State beat Utah.

I believe … 10-1 San Diego State should – technically – be above the Utes.

I think … it’s going Alabama isn’t in this as much as everyone thinks it is – if it loses to Georgia.

I know … Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and Michigan are the only four teams that truly control their own destiny.

I believe … it’s going to be Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati.

I think … I know it’s all going to be okay.

I know … I believe it’s all going to be okay.

I believe … I think it’s all going to be okay.

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Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings
Bowl Projections | Bowl Bubble