Tag: NCAAF

Ohio State has a strong argument for 3 2019 Heisman Trophy finalists

Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins and Chase Young could all end up as Heisman finalists.

Most college football teams are lucky if they have one Heisman Trophy candidate on their roster. Ohio State has three, which is undoubtedly one of the many reasons the Buckeyes have been No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings in three of the last five weeks.

Quarterback Justin Fields, running back J.K. Dobbins and defensive end Chase Young are all outstanding players. The Heisman field is a bit crowded this season — despite LSU quarterback Joe Burrow being the clear favorite in the second half of the season — but these three players have strong arguments to be finalists.

So when Monday’s voting deadline comes around, maybe we’ll see five or even six finalists invited to the December 14 ceremony in New York.

Regardless, Ohio State is understandably vocal about its three players in the running and released its “Heismen” campaign Tuesday on Twitter. And their cases are pretty compelling.

Although he’s not up there with Burrow’s nation-leading 78.3 completion percentage — although, no one is — Fields is still having an incredible season worthy of Heisman consideration. With a 68.2 completion percentage, the sophomore quarterback has thrown for 2,654 yards and the third-most touchdowns so far with 37. He also has just one interception and had added 10 rushing touchdowns to his resume.

However, the double-edged sword for Fields is that he’s not carrying the Buckeyes’ top-5 offense alone with Dobbins out there too. The junior running back is ranked fourth nationally with 1,657 rushing yards and is tied for fifth with 19 touchdowns. Most recently, he had a stellar performance against Michigan in Week 14, finishing with four touchdowns for the first time in his career while breaking the 200-yard mark.

And then there’s Young, who is unquestionably the most dominant defensive player in the country and should terrify every opposing quarterback. The junior defensive end is disruptive, athletic and fast, and he’s a huge reason why Ohio State is ranked No. 2 in passing defense and No. 4 in rushing defense. Young leads the nation with 16.5 sacks this season, despite missing two games because of an NCAA suspension, and has 38 total tackles.

But the Heisman winner is almost always on offense, so that’s his disadvantage. Former Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson remains the only player to win the Heisman, which he did in 1997.

In addition to LSU’s Burrow, Fields, Dobbins and Young are up against Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who could still be a finalist despite suffering a season-ending injury in Week 12 against Mississippi State.

The best the Buckeyes’ trio and fans can hope for is that there is a small enough margin in the voting that all three are finalists and invited to the ceremony in New York. And this year, that’s not really much of a reach.

[opinary poll=”will-ohio-state-win-the-national-champio” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

Oklahoma’s College Football Playoff hopes benefited the most from Alabama’s loss

Can Oklahoma earn a third straight College Football Playoff appearance?

It is incredibly likely that Alabama will not make the College Football Playoff for the first time since the four-team format was implemented in 2014 after the Crimson Tide suffered their second loss of the season Saturday, falling to Auburn, 48-45.

A two-loss team has never been invited to the playoff, and for it to happen for the first time, that team would likely need to be a conference champion — at a minimum.

Statistically, Oklahoma benefited the most from Alabama’s loss because the Sooners’ chance to make the playoff jumped to 37 percent, up from just 12 percent last week, according to ESPN’s Playoff Predictor. While most other playoff contenders’ chances got a bump this week, Oklahoma’s 25-point surge was, by far, the largest.

The Sooners play Baylor on Saturday in the Big 12 championship game, and, assuming Ohio State, LSU and Clemson win their respective conference titles, the Big 12 champ will face off against Utah — should it win the Pac-12 title game Friday against two-loss Oregon — for the fourth playoff spot.

(AP Photo/Ray Carlin)

Baylor currently has an eight percent chance to make the playoff, so the algorithm behind the Playoff Predictor clearly favors the Sooners in this one. Should they beat the Bears for the second time this season, they’ll have a shot at a third straight playoff appearance. And for transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts, it could be his fourth straight trip to the playoff after making it with Alabama the last three seasons.

Utah’s playoff chance remains the same as last week at nine percent, while the Ducks have virtually no chance and are down to less than one percent. If Utah wins the Pac-12, it needs to hope the selection committee views its resume more favorably than that of Oklahoma or Baylor.

After losing a second game, Alabama’s playoff and title chances are down to less than one percent, the lowest they’ve been in the Playoff Predictor’s first two seasons.

The top-3 teams all saw their chances to make the playoff and to win the national championship increase following Week 14’s games, and, at this point, Ohio State or LSU could lose its conference championship game and still make it. Ohio State’s and Clemson’s chances to win a national title are each up two points from last week, while LSU’s championship chance is up by four.

The Playoff Predictor numbers are based on a variety of factors considered by the selection committee, including wins and losses, strength of schedule, conference championships, the Football Power Index and the committee’s past behavior.

Here’s a look at the top-10 teams’ chances ahead of the conference title games.

1. Ohio State (12-0)

Playoff: 98 percent
Win championship: 39 percent

2. Clemson (12-0)

Playoff: 94 percent
Win championship: 29 percent

3. LSU (12-0)

Playoff: 92 percent
Win championship: 19 percent

4. Georgia (11-1)

Playoff: 53 percent
Win championship: 8 percent

5. Oklahoma (11-1)

Playoff: 37 percent
Win championship: 3 percent

6. Utah (10-1)

Playoff: 9 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

7. Baylor (11-1)

Playoff: 8 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

8. Wisconsin (10-2)

Playoff: 5 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

9. Florida (10-2)

Playoff: 3 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

10. Alabama (10-2)

Playoff: Less than 1 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

See the full Playoff Predictor list here.

[vertical-gallery id=874153]

[opinary poll=”will-ohio-state-win-the-national-champio” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

Paul Finebaum on the future of Nick Saban, Alabama: ‘This dynasty’s window is closing’

Paul Finebaum’s outlook for Nick Saban isn’t great.

For the first time since the College Football Playoff was implemented in 2014, Alabama will (most likely) not be one of the four teams competing for a national championship.

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, whose most recent title was in the 2017-18 season, lost Saturday to Auburn for their second defeat of the season, effectively knocking them out of the playoff picture with so many undefeated and one-loss teams still in the hunt. They also lost earlier this season to LSU, which will play Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday.

ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum says Alabama’s issues are about more than this season, which is why he argues the Saban’s dominance in college football is coming to an end.

“We’re not saying he’s done,” Finebaum said Tuesday on Get Up about the 68-year-old coach. “We’re saying this dynasty’s window is closing very tightly.”

Alabama lost starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a season-ending hip injury earlier this month in the team’s win against Mississippi State, and that was after he missed the Arkansas game in October while recovering from ankle surgery. Sophomore Mac Jones is finishing out the season as the starter, but as we saw against Auburn, even with so many explosive players on offense, he has some catching up to do.

Finebaum explained what he sees as the bigger picture for Saban’s and Alabama’s future.

He said to Get Up host Mike Greenberg:

“It’s been happening very slowly over the past couple years, but I think over the last couple of months, we’ve seen it. It started with the 28-point blowout to Clemson [in the 2018-19 national championship game]. Saban said, ‘We have to get the Alabama factor back.’ It didn’t happen. It has been a really disappointing season. People are saying, ‘Are you kidding? Alabama went 10-2, and they’re still ranked in the top 10.’ But that’s the difference at Alabama. Couple of reasons why, Greeny. Staff turnover has been a constant churn, especially on the defensive side. Recruiting is an issue. They’re still No. 2 or 3 in recruiting, but they’re being pressed hard by Clemson and Georgia.

“And I’ll say this: I know that everyone will be surprised to know that I covered the end of Bear Bryant’s tenure about 38 years ago as a young reporter — yes, young — and I saw some of the very same signs. He’s considered the greatest coach of all time. Saban surpassed him. It looks very similar.”

Not everyone agrees with Finebaum’s assessment, including Dan Orlovsky, who was sitting across from Finebaum and Greenberg. Orlovsky pointed out how Alabama’s most recent title was only two years ago and said the team has plenty to look forward to as its younger players gain experience.

Stephen A. Smith was also not a fan of Finebaum’s argument, calling it “Absolute Blasphemy”.

Finebaum expanded on his initial reaction to Alabama’s loss while on SportsCenter on Sunday. He described the Crimson Tide as lacking discipline and the defensive prowess it’s typically known for, and put the blame squarely on Saban.

He said:

“He promised after the 28-point loss to Clemson that the Alabama factor would be re-established. Has anyone seen it? I haven’t. Penalties and galore. Thirteen penalties, five false starts. There’s no discipline, not enough discipline on this team, and when you start really breaking it down, defense is where the problem is. This team against the last three top-20 opponents has given up 44, 46 and 48 points! That’s not the Nick Saban team I’m accustomed to.”

[vertical-gallery id=874153]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

WATCH: Washington’s Chris Petersen announces he’s stepping down

University of Washington’s head coach Chris Petersen is stepping down, effective following the Huskies bowl game.

University of Washington’s head coach Chris Petersen is stepping down, effective following the Huskies bowl game.

The athletic department announced the news Monday, naming current defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake the Huskies next head coach. Petersen will transition into a leadership advisory role within the athletic department, according to the news release.

“It has been a privilege and a professional dream fulfilled to be part of this world-class institution,” Petersen said. “I will forever be grateful, honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to coach our fine young men on Montlake for these past six seasons. I thank each of them, as well as our coaches and administrative staff for the incredible commitment they’ve made to Husky football during my tenure. The football program and Husky Athletics across the board will continue to prosper – and do it the right way – with Jen Cohen’s leadership and the University administration’s commitment to excellence. I’ll be a Husky for life, but now is the right time for me to step away from my head coaching duties, and recharge.”

Petersen helped Washington win two PAC-12 Championships (2016 and 2018), a College Football Playoff appearance (2016) and three New Years’ Six Bowl games in a row.

The Huskies finished the regular season with a 31-13 win over rival Washington State for a 7-5, 4-5 Pac-12 regular-season record.

Petersen shocks college football, Washington announces DC Lake will lead Huskies after six-year coac

University of Washington’s head coach Chris Petersen is stepping down, effective following the Huskies bowl game.

University of Washington’s head coach Chris Petersen is stepping down, effective following the Huskies bowl game.

Alabama loses to Auburn after late FG attempt dings the uprights

DING.

No. 5 Alabama’s road game against No. 15 Auburn (and College Football Playoff hopes) came down to a 30-yard field goal attempt with 2:04 left in the fourth quarter of the Iron Bowl on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide trailed the Tigers, 48-45, and drained about six minutes off the clock with what could have been the go-ahead drive. But on 4th-and-goal on Auburn’s 11-yard line, they best choice was to try to tie the game with a field goal, despite Alabama’s tortured history with kickers.

And Joseph Bulovas didn’t just miss what would have been a game-tying field goal. The ball looked like it was headed straight down the middle of the uprights, but it shifted left and dinged the goal post. The Crimson Tide turned the ball over on downs, and Auburn ultimately won, 48-45.

And that was after a controversial ending to the first half, which allowed Auburn to kick a last-second field goal.

Even when Auburn was looking at a fourth down with a little more than a minute left, Alabama was flagged for too many men on the field, which gave the Tigers a first down and officially ended the game.

It was the Crimson Tide’s second loss of the season, and without the opportunity to play for the SEC championship, they’re most likely out of the College Football Playoff picture. No two-loss team has ever been invited to the playoff, and for it to happen, that team would probably have to be a conference champion.

Alabama also made the playoff for the first five years of its existence, so it’s absence will be a first. The Crimson Tide are now 10-2 while Auburn advances to 9-3.

Here’s how college football Twitter reacted to the missed field goal and Alabama’s loss.

[jwplayer Vfcpg2IG-q2aasYxh]

[opinary poll=”does-the-college-football-playoff-need-t” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

Dabo Swinney rants about perceived bias against Clemson: ‘It’s the dadgumest thing’

Dabo says Clemson has to be undefeated to make the College Football Playoff, which is probably true.

Dabo Swinney wants his Clemson team to get the respect it deserves for finishing the 2019 regular season with a 12-0 record, extending the Tigers’ win streak to 27 games across two seasons. But he says his team is held to a different standard than other College Football Playoff contenders.

After No. 3 Clemson downed South Carolina, 38-3, on Saturday in its final game before playing for a fifth straight ACC championship, Swinney ranted against what he sees as a bias against his team when it comes to its playoff resume.

He specifically pointed to No. 4 Georgia, which lost earlier this year to South Carolina, and said if his team lost to the Gamecocks, it would be out of the top four in the playoff rankings, which is probably true. And he argued that the perceived bias is why the Tigers have to be perfect.

Swinney said to the media after beating South Carolina:

“How important is this game? It’s huge from a national standpoint because obviously if we lose this game, they gon’ kick us out. They don’t want us in there anyway. We would drop to [No.] 20, you know? Georgia loses to this very same team, and the very next day it’s, ‘How do we keep Georgia in it?’ We win to the team that beat South Carolina, and it’s, ‘How we get Clemson out?’ It’s the dadgumest thing.

“So it’s big because they can’t vote us out. We gotta go [undefeated], we gotta go 30-0. We ain’t got not choice because we don’t play nobody. So it’s big from a national standpoint, but it’s huge for this state and it’s huge for our program.”

Finishing a regular season undefeated is undeniably a challenging accomplishment, and, as Swinney pointed out, only Clemson, LSU and Ohio State entered Week 14 with perfect records. And last season, the Tigers won their second national title in three years with a 15-0 record.

Since the Tigers’ one-point win over North Carolina in September — which no one can seem to forget — they’ve absolutely destroyed their opponents, beating them by an average of more than 35 points. They also entered the weekend with the No. 2 defense and No. 3 offense nationally.

Swinney said his team dominated 11-of-12 games this season, but “we just had one close game where we stunk.”

However, the major flaw in Clemson’s playoff resume is its schedule, which is likely why there is less room for error compared with other teams. Its strength of schedule is currently ranked 69th, and that’s significantly lower than several other playoff contenders, like Georgia (7th), LSU (36th), Oklahoma (45th), Ohio State (46th), Utah (49th) and Alabama (54th).

Also, none of its opponents are currently ranked — though Virginia, the ACC Coastal champ, might slid into the top 25 after beating No. 24 Virginia Tech this week ahead of the conference title game.

Swinney seems to acknowledge the weak schedule when explaining why he feels his team has to be undefeated “because we don’t play nobody.” But then he went on to praise Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

When asked if the perceived double standard against Clemson fuels his team, Swinney continued his rant:

“There’s nobody [that has] been more consistent than us. We’ve been unbelievably consistent, but again, our league doesn’t get the credit. Maybe we need some of them ACC guys on some of them big network shows. …

“But all I can tell you is we [are] 10-1 versus the SEC in our last 11, and we’ve won 115 games this decade. So has Ohio State and so has Alabama, and we’ve played both of them. And our program is what people don’t focus on. And let me tell you: Virginia, they’d be in 9-3 in any league. V-Tech, they’d be whatever they are, 8-4 in any league. Wake Forest, they’d be 8-3. …

“There’s a lot of good football teams in this league, but people just don’t pay attention. But at the end of the day, it’s not my job to build a good league. It’s my job to build good program, and I think we’ve done a nice of that for a long time.”

Clemson entered Week 14 ranked No. 3 by the College Football Playoff committee, and it’s likely to remain there next week after Ohio State’s win over Michigan and if LSU beats Texas A&M. It’s next game is against Virginia on Saturday, December 7 for the ACC championship, which it has a 94.3 percent chance of winning.

[jwplayer Vfcpg2IG-q2aasYxh]

[opinary poll=”does-the-college-football-playoff-need-t” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins shredded Michigan’s defense with a career-best game

Please enjoy J.K. Dobbins’ most explosive plays, including his four TDs.

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins did just about whatever he wanted against Michigan on Saturday in the Buckeyes’ 56-27 road win.

The Wolverines couldn’t figure out how to consistently contain him — despite even taking off one of his shoes mid-game — and once he broke away from defenders, he was gone. With his standout performance in the regular-season finale, he reminded the college football world why he’s a Heisman Trophy candidate (albeit an outside one in a very crowd field that includes two of his teammates).

He finished Saturday’s rivalry game with 31 carries for a career-high 211 yards and four touchdowns, while adding two catches for 49 yards.

With an incredible 33-yard touchdown run in the middle of the fourth quarter, he notched his first career four-touchdown game. Three of them were in the first half, and Michigan hasn’t given up that many rushing touchdowns since Texas’ Vince Young in the 2005 Rose Bowl, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

“I think it’s the greatest rivalry of them all, like Coach Meyer says,” Dobbins told FOX Sports ahead of the Week 14 game. “The team up north — great program, lot of tradition over there. But we have their number and we want to keep beating them. We want to keep that tradition going, so it means a lot to even play in the game because a lot of legends have played in it.”

Prior to playing Michigan, Dobbins’ season high for rushing yards in a single game was 193 against Indiana back in September, but he also now has seven games this year with at least 120 yards. He entered Saturday’s Big Ten East matchup ranked fifth nationally with 1,446 rushing yards.

So in honor of Dobbins’ dominant performance against Michigan’s defense — which gave up 577 total yards, 264 on the ground — please enjoy all four of his scores against the Wolverines, plus a couple extra explosive plays.

J.K. Dobbins’ first touchdown vs. Michigan

On 1st-and-goal at Michigan’s five-yard line, Dobbins muscled his way into the end zone with this short run, which, with the extra point, gave the Buckeyes the lead as the game approached the midway point in the first quarter. After initially going down, 6-0, Ohio State never trailed again.

Dobbins’ second touchdown vs. Michigan

Early in the second quarter, Dobbins found the end zone again with a six-yard run on 3rd-and-4 to help Ohio State jump out to a 21-13 lead.

Dobbins’ third touchdown vs. Michigan

He practically waltzed into the end zone on this play on 1st-and-goal from Michigan’s five with only a few minutes left in the first half.

Dobbins’ fourth touchdown vs. Michigan

Perhaps he saved the best for last. On 1st-and-10 in the middle of the fourth quarter on Michigan’s 33-yard line, Dobbins took off toward the right sideline before leaping into the end zone, officially putting the game out of reach for the Wolverines.

And another angle just because this is ridiculous.

Dobbins bounced the ball and picked it right back up

It was early in the game, so it might be easy to forget. But this play was ridiculous. Dobbins fumbled but got lucky with a perfect bounce, and the ball went right back up into his arms. He picked up 34 yards on this first-quarter play.

One of Dobbins’ two receptions

This really isn’t fair. He picked up 28 yards on this play before scoring his first touchdown on the next one.

[jwplayer Vfcpg2IG-q2aasYxh]

[opinary poll=”will-ohio-state-win-the-national-champio” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

Jim Harbaugh’s first-half FG decision vs. Ohio State confounded Twitter

It kind of makes sense, but it also really doesn’t.

When you’re football team is playing catchup, sometimes the correct answer is to just take whatever points you can get and settle for a field goal, rather than no points. But sometimes, depending on where in the game you’re at and what the score is, deciding not to go for it can be a little puzzling.

That’s what happened Saturday in the Ohio State-Michigan game, and college football Twitter had some questions. And a few jokes.

After some incredibly costly mistakes — including Michigan being offsides as Ohio State was about to punt late in the second quarter — the Wolverines were trailing, 28-13, and at 4th-and-goal on the Buckeyes’ five-yard line with only 19 seconds left in the half. Their offense was looking pretty good against the nation’s best defense, putting up 285 first-half yards, 250 of them through the air thanks to quarterback Shea Patterson.

But instead of going for it, Jim Harbaugh sent kicker Quinn Nordin for a fairly meaningless field goal, and Michigan went into halftime down, 28-16.

Again, it’s important to take what you can get against a team like Ohio State, which entered Saturday’s game leading the nation in points against, yards allowed and yards per play. But all that 23-yard field goal did was cut the Wolverines’ deficit from 15 points to 12, which is obviously still a two-possession game.

Regardless of what Michigan and Harbaugh’s reasoning for the field goal was, college football Twitter didn’t really understand the decision. And Michigan fans were far from thrilled.

[jwplayer Vfcpg2IG-q2aasYxh]

[opinary poll=”will-ohio-state-win-the-national-champio” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]

Michigan legend Charles Woodson on if Chase Young can win the Heisman

“He absolutely has a shot,” Charles Woodson said about Chase Young’s Heisman campaign.

Former Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson is the only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, but on the morning of the Ohio State-Michigan game Saturday, he explained why he thinks Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young could become the second.

Young is undeniably one of the best players in college football this season. He’s powerful, dominant and fast, all of which should make quarterbacks terrified, and he’s been in the Heisman conversation for weeks.

He leads the nation with 16.5 sacks, three of which came last weekend in Ohio State’s win over Penn State, and could finish the season with 20, which ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said would be “unheard of.” He also has 38 total tackles, 27 solo, and seven forced fumbles.

“I think he absolutely has a shot [to win the Heisman], and I think this thing was set up for him weeks ago when people started claiming he was the best player in the country, hands down,” Woodson, a FOX Sports analyst who won the trophy as a Michigan junior in 1997, said.

But the NCAA suspended Young for two games this season, the Buckeyes’ wins over Maryland and Rutgers, for accepting a small loan, which he repaid, reportedly so his girlfriend could travel to Pasadena to see Ohio State play in the Rose Bowl last year.

Woodson explained he isn’t entirely sure how the suspension could impact his Heisman campaign. He continued:

“When he got suspended though, I think that kind of derailed it a little bit. I think in the eyes of some voters, that will take away from him a little bit. But you think about those two games that he missed: Maryland, Rutgers.

“Look, he had three sacks last week against Penn State. We can almost safely assume that he would have had another three or four sacks a game against those particular teams, and then he would have had Penn State left and Michigan again at the end of the season.”

Suspension aside, Young’s Heisman competition is steep with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the mix, but he’s also up against two players on his own team in quarterback Justin Fields and running back J.K. Dobbins.

But whether or not he wins, it’s hard to deny that Young is very worthy of being a Heisman finalist this year.

[jwplayer Vfcpg2IG-q2aasYxh]

[opinary poll=”will-ohio-state-win-the-national-champio” customer=”forthewin”]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393249]