Tag: LSU Football

Ohio State may never re-gain the No. 1 CFP ranking without an LSU loss

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been dominant in recent weeks, but even undefeated, they won’t have the resume of an undefeated LSU Tigers.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have dominated their opponent in every game this season, but even undefeated, they won’t have the resume of an undefeated LSU Tigers.

Right before they traveled to Columbus, both Penn State and Wisconsin lost. While we don’t know the end result of PSU-OSU, we do know that Ohio State absolutely annihilated the No. 13-ranked Badgers team about three weeks ago to a tune of 38-7.

Now, with Penn State losing this past week, Ohio State will not play a top-five team until potentially the B1G Ten Championship Game. It’s a long shot for an undefeated Minnesota to jump into the top five.

Had Wisconsin and Penn State been undefeated when entering Columbus, they both would’ve been ranked within the top seven. Two top-seven blowout victories would give Ohio State a claim to the top seed, especially had they outscored both by 31 points each.

However, LSU has those victories.

The Tigers took down a then-undefeated Texas and Alabama, one-loss Florida and two-loss Auburn. When they took on LSU, whether in Death Valley or not, those teams were among the top ten in the nation. They were ranked 9th, 3rd, 7th, and 9th in respective order.

Assuming they end the season undefeated, they’ll have another victory over Georgia, currently a top-four team.

Bad losses are more important than quality victories, but quality victories over top teams are more important than dominant ones over average opponents.

These victories all add up to a quality resume. And, while they don’t have the dominance of Ohio State, who has a +42.4 victory of margin, they’ve played more top-tier competition, something the committee has shown value in.

Ohio State has undisputed the best defense in the nation, and behind two Heisman candidates in J.K. Dobbins and Justin Fields on offense, this team is looking as potent as ever before.

This could be one of the best Buckeyes roster of all time. Sadly, they just don’t have, and likely won’t have, the resume of the LSU Tigers unless there’s a blemish from here until the last CFP Rankings. That’s ok though. The No. 2 seed may be the best historic seed to have entering the CFP playoffs.

Just keep winning …

Paul Finebaum thinks Ohio State would “probably” beat LSU

Even though Paul Finebaum has LSU over Ohio State in his weekly rankings, he believes the Buckeyes would win if the two matched up.

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Not that you take your identity in what others outside the program think, but it’s always interesting to check in on what SEC flag-bearer and SEC Network radio/television host Paul Finebaum things of a team not in the sun and moonshine belt.

To that end, Finebaum appeared on First Take and was asked if he thought Ohio State or LSU would win if the two met at the end of the regular season. It is notable because the SEC talking head had been ranking Ohio State No. 1 in his opinion based rankings each week.

Until this past week that is.

After the Tigers beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Finebaum — like most media and even CFP Committee members have — felt LSU had done enough to take over the top spot.

However, when pressed on the issue, Finebaum’s answer didn’t match his opinion of which team was No. 1 in the country. He said that the Buckeyes would “probably” beat LSU. He cited LSU’s close games in comparison to how Ohio State had been totally dominant in blowing everyone out.

You can listen to the exchange yourself by clicking on the below video shared to the official Twitter feed of First Take.

This is further proof that many believe Ohio State is the best and most complete team in the country, but that LSU has better wins, and is “more deserving.” Now, as a public service announcement, we must remind you that many pro-SEC folks have been banging the drum for years that it’s about the “best” teams, not the most deserving.

Funny how that same notion doesn’t apply when discussing an SEC team though.

BAMA BEAT: Alabama-LSU recap + analyzing Playoff landscape (Ep. 266)

In this episode, Lamb sits down with Brett Hudson break down Alabama’s first loss of the 2019 season to LSU.

Cecil Hurt and Clint Lamb, through TideSports.com and The Tuscaloosa News, produce a podcast called “The ‘Bama Beat”, which features all the latest news and analysis surrounding the Alabama Crimson Tide.

In this episode, Lamb sits down with TideSports.com beat writer Brett Hudson break down Alabama’s first loss of the 2019 season, which came against conference rival LSU.

Prior to getting into that, the two break down where things stand with the College Football Playoff rankings and where they believe the Crimson Tide currently sits.

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Oklahoma falls one spot in this week’s College Football Playoff Rankings

After a big win by Minnesota and a close call against Iowa State, Oklahoma actually fell in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

After a big win by P.J. Fleck’s Golden Gophers and a close call against Iowa State, Oklahoma actually fell in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

The CFP committee released its second rankings of the 2019 season Tuesday night, and the Sooners fell one spot to No. 10 as Minnesota entered the top-10 and Penn State didn’t fall below them.

No. 10 Oklahoma was up 42-21 on Iowa State halfway through the third quarter. The Cyclones put together a productive drive right before the third-quarter ended, then punched in a touchdown early in the fourth-quarter on the way to scoring 20-straight. A failed two-point conversion attempt cost Iowa State a chance to upset the Sooners on the road.

Here is how the rest of the top-10 of the College Football Playoff Rankings rounded out:

  1. LSU
  2. Ohio State
  3. Clemson
  4. Georgia
  5. Alabama
  6. Oregon
  7. Utah
  8. Minnesota
  9. Penn State
  10. Oklahoma

Kansas State stayed in the top-25 after a loss to Texas at No. 24 and Oklahoma State stayed in at No. 22. The Longhorns entered the rankings at No. 19.

Oklahoma will take on No. 13 Baylor, who fell one spot in this week’s rankings, Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

The Sooners have two games left against current top-25 opponents with this week against the Bears and on Nov. 30 against Oklahoma State.

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College Football Playoff rankings revealed – where is Georgia football?

Where’s UGA football in the newest College Football Playoff rankings?

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The College Football Playoff rankings were revealed on Tuesday night and Georgia checked in at No. 4

The full top-ten looks like:

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Georgia

5. Alabama

6. Oregon

7. Utah

8. Minnesota

9. Penn State

10. Oklahoma

This Saturday when Georgia takes on Auburn, it will be No. 4 vs No. 12 on the Plains.

To date, Georgia has two signature wins over Florida and Notre Dame and will look to add a third this weekend, which would also clinch the SEC East for the third consecutive season for the Dawgs.

Florida ranked No. 11 while Notre Dame is sitting at No. 16

With Alabama losing to LSU, the big question was whether or not the committee valued Bama’s combo of no signature wins and a forgivable loss over Georgia’s big wins and a bad loss.

That question was answered tonight.

Better Job: Florida State or USC?

On this week’s episode of the College Football News Podcast with myself and Pete Fiutak we recap the LSU/Alabama slug-fest from Saturday while getting into what the playoff rankings will look like tonight when the new top-25 is released. Listen to …

On this week’s episode of the College Football News Podcast with myself and Pete Fiutak we recap the LSU/Alabama slug-fest from Saturday while getting into what the playoff rankings will look like tonight when the new top-25 is released.

Listen to the episode RIGHT HERE!

Is Alabama now out of the CFP and if so, who will be the team with the best case to replace them?  Pac-12 champion, perhaps?  Or maybe Georgia or even Oklahoma, assuming Baylor doesn’t go unbeaten?

Finally the guys look ahead to the weekend of games while also finding time to remember Charles Rogers.

The conversation also discusses current and potential head coach openings at Florida State and USC as the guys discuss where each of those jobs currently rank.  Check it out and subscribe and rate if you’re a college football fan and haven’t already.

As always thanks for listening and go Irish!

ESPN’s Marcus Spears goes on spectacular rant about LSU beating Alabama

This has to be one of the best TV rants ever.

LSU’s 46-41 win over Alabama didn’t just hand the Crimson Tide their first loss of the season or keep the Tigers’ perfect record alive and playoff chances incredibly high.

The win in Tuscaloosa snapped an eight-game losing streak in this SEC West rivalry series, giving LSU its first W over Alabama since 2011. It proved Ed Orgeron’s team is a serious national championship contender and is arguably one of two top teams have have separated themselves from the rest.

But is was also a win for the entire state of Louisiana, as ESPN analyst and former LSU player Marcus Spears said Tuesday on Get Up during one of the best TV rants ever. He also showed up to the set wearing an LSU sweatshirt over what looks like a dress shirt and tie.

Spears, who played for Nick Saban when he was still at LSU, said in part, talking to Mike Greenberg with Desmond Howard and Paul Finebaum listening:

“Here’s the thing: This was the state of Louisiana versus the University of Alabama. This was not just about football. This was eight years of pain and agony of watching the LSU Tigers with the coach that was initially at LSU, at Alabama, having success. Saturday was a moment in time that we won’t forget for a long time.

“With the underdog coach! They said they didn’t want [Coach] O. Des, remember? Remember everybody said, ‘That’s not the right hire. Look what he did at Ole Miss!’ And I was standing on the table — G, if this table wouldn’t break down when I got on top of it, I would stand on the table right now — and I said this is the right guy for the job because the players respond.

“And then something crazy happened! Something crazy happened! This guy from Ohio State that couldn’t win a job ended up saying, ‘You know what? I think I’ma go to LSU.’ And then something else crazy happened! They got this guy named Joe Brady from [the] New Orleans Saints!”

Just spectacular. Spears is a great analyst, and his obvious bias can be excused because of the context his rant and emotions add to the reaction to the game several days later.

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College Football Playoff projection: Alabama’s chances still high after LSU loss

The Crimson Tide still have a ridiculously high chance to make the playoff.

If you thought Alabama’s Week 11 loss to LSU on Saturday would severely damage the Crimson Tide’s chance of making the College Football Playoff this year, we have some bad news.

Although it did take a sizable hit, Alabama still has a 40 percent chance to make the playoff but only a nine percent chance to win it all, according to ESPN’s Playoff Predictor. Those numbers plunged from last week, when the team had a 72 and 22 percent chance, respectively, but the Crimson Tide are still No. 4 on this list.

Unlike the weekly College Football Playoff rankings, ESPN’s Playoff Predictor is an algorithm that considers factors like strength of schedule, losses, eventual conference championships, the Football Power Index and the selection committee’s past behavior to determine the top teams’ playoff chances. That last one seems like it’s having a notably impact on these numbers because Alabama has been invited to the playoff previously without winning the SEC championship game, which it won’t play in this year thanks to LSU.

These numbers are assuming the Crimson Tide win out just like they’re expected to. The FPI gives them a 56.4 percent chance to win out as they close the regular season with games against Mississippi State, Western Carolina and Auburn. Alabama does not have a win against a currently ranked team, but with a 64.8 percent chance to beat Auburn at the end of the month, the Playoff Predictor anticipates a win there being enough for a strong playoff push.

With that key win over Alabama, LSU’s chances have obviously skyrocketed. The Tigers’ chance to make the playoff is up to 87 percent from 56 percent last week, while their title chance increased to 17 percent from 10 percent. Still seems a little low, right? That’s probably because the Playoff Predictor is hugely favoring Ohio State.

The Buckeyes still have the best chance to do everything. Their shot to make the playoff keeps getting closer and closer to 100 percent and is up to 89 percent from 85 last week. Their chance to win the national championship is also up four points to 40 percent this week. With Penn State’s loss to Minnesota this week, the Nittany Lions are clearly beatable, so Ohio State is favored to beat them in a couple weeks (and win the Big Ten) even more now.

And don’t forget about Clemson. The defending national champs are No. 3 with an 82 percent chance to make the playoff and a 23 percent chance to win it all again — a number second to only Ohio State. They had a 74 percent chance to make the playoff and a 19 percent chance to have back-to-back titles following Week 10. The Tigers have a significantly lower strength of schedule than the other teams in the top six, but they’re also massively favored to win out and finish another season undefeated.

As the regular season winds down, there’s almost no room for error for these top-4 teams (or room for another one for Alabama) because Oregon and Georgia are just waiting to make a move if they keep winning. Here’s a look at ESPN’s Playoff Predictor list going into Week 12.

1. Ohio State (9-0)

Playoff: 89 percent
Win championship: 40 percent

2. LSU (9-0)

Playoff: 87 percent
Win championship: 17 percent

3. Clemson (10-0)

Playoff: 82 percent
Win championship: 23 percent

4. Alabama (8-1)

Playoff: 40 percent
Win championship: 9 percent

5. Oregon (8-1)

Playoff: 32 percent
Win championship: 3 percent

6. Georgia (8-1)

Playoff: 25 percent
Win championship: 3 percent

7. Oklahoma (8-1)

Playoff: 11 percent
Win championship: 1 percent

8. Penn State (8-1)

Playoff: 11 percent
Win championship: 2 percent

9. Utah (8-1)

Playoff: 7 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

10. Auburn (7-2)

Playoff: 5 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

11. Baylor (9-0)

Playoff: 5 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

12. Minnesota (9-0)

Playoff: 4 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

13. Florida (7-2)

Playoff: 2 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

The remaining teams on the Playoff Predictor list, including Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Cincinnati and Michigan, all have a less than one percent chance to make the playoff. See the full list here.

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Should Ohio State still be ranked at the top of the CFP Rankings this week?

Both Ohio State and LSU will have a case to make when it comes to being ranked No. 1 in the next College Football Playoff Rankings.

After totally dismantling Maryland this past week in a 73-14 win, does it still warrant Ohio State being ranked No. 1 this week in the College Football Playoff rankings? On Saturday Ohio State put up the most points against any Big Ten team since 1950. That — in itself — is quite impressive.

But the Buckeyes weren’t the only team that put on an impressive showing.

With the huge win against Alabama and four top 25 wins, LSU has a good argument to be number one when the rankings come out Tuesday night. The Tigers’ resume that includes high caliber wins  is tough to argue, but it poses the question of what the committee values the most? Pure dominance or wins against ranked opponents? In other words, is it best resume, or most dominant and impressive team via the eye test and metrics?

We digress and discuss …

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Next … LSU’s case

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Kirk Herbstreit now puts LSU over Ohio State in his weekly rankings

Kirk Herbstreit puts out a weekly opinion of the top teams in college football. This week, he’s elevated LSU over Ohio State as No. 1.

It’s amazing what a win over Alabama will do. Heck, even a close loss against the Tide seems to get you credit these days (right 2018 Georgia).

Count Kirk Herbstreit among the believers now in LSU football. After the Tigers went to Bryant Denny Stadium and knocked off undefeated Alabama, he’s now leap-frogged LSU over his Alma-Mater for the top team in college football.

He still has Ohio State No. 2 after it put 73 points on the board without Chase Young, but its clear he and the rest of the college football media universe is now elevating the Bayou Tigers to the top spot based on the number of resume boosting wins it has in pocket now.

That’s despite all the metrics still believing the Buckeyes are far and away the best team in the country this year to date.

Here’s a look at Herbstreit’s top six. After LSU and Ohio State, he has Clemson at No. 3, and Georgia back in the mix at No. 4. Just outside of the coveted (albeit unofficial opinion based) top four spots are Alabama and undefeated Minnesota.

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It might be disappointing for some Buckeye fans to see one of their own drop Ohio State after it looked absolutely dominant against Maryland. But it’s hard to argue with the wins LSU has strung together this year.

Never fret, it’ll all sort itself out in the upcoming weeks, and clearly if Ohio State keeps winning, it’ll be a part of all the fun in the end and still has a great shot at the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

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