The Rest of College Football

[lineygoblue]

If by stench, you mean the best conference in all of football, we are in agreement.

Just win baby ..

[Mike]

Yes. I don't know why people insist on making it so difficult.

[WM Wolverine]

What Mullen is doing in the SEC West is very impressive. Love his offense.

[Hannibal]

Mullen took a while to get that Mississippi State program where it is. It's his sixth year. Good Plan 'B' guy for us but we all know who Plan 'A' is. I actually like Hugh Freeze just as much because of his quicker results at Ole Miss and his elite level of recruiting.

[hack]

[entropy]

http://thebuckeyebattlecry.com/college-football/ohio-state-football/wednesday-night-rumble-stay-focused.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wednesday-night-rumble-stay-focused&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

last part of the article is about Fowler's SEC rant

[iam416]

FWIW, the Worldwide Leader has recently begun to champion Ohio State as a "deserving" team. I mean, when I heard David F'n Pollack say there's very little difference between 4 and 7 and also note he's not holding the VT loss against OSU as much, I almost fell out of my chair.

This wouldn't be inconsistent with anything already said about ESPN. They definitely have a financial interest in a DEEP SEC as illustrated by the link Entropy provided. The better the SEC Network does the better ESPN does, and the SEC Network only does well if viewers care more about middle-tier SEC games than middle tier games from other conferences.

However, ESPN also ate a giant shit sandwich with the LSU-Alabama rematch in a game that actually managed to live down to the general lack of enthusiasm nationally. I'm sure it did gangbusters in the SEC, but overall it was a total dog. An Alabama-Mississippi State rematch would be even worse. At least with the first LSU-Alabama game it was a real battle with some great plays on both sides and the game went to OT. Bama-MSU was just dull. It was over at 19-squat. No one wants to see that rematch outside of Mississippi.

I tell ya what would sort of be the opposite of that -- UFM vs The Nick. B10 vs SEC. Ohio State vs. Alabama. That's a game the basically every important market East of the Mississippi would be all over. And so, IMO, I think you're seeing a narrative shift toward OSU.

All that said, I never assume and OSU win over M, and OSU will absolutely have a world of problems with Wisky. And if OSU should be fortunate enough to get into the CFP, The Nick will absolutely destroy them.

Actually, I suspect The Nick may be orchestrating this whole thing. Last time he opted to let a battered UFM survive as a warning to all subsequent challenges to The Nick's hegemony. This time, however, Ohio State is on the verge of being a legitimate challenge to The Nick so I think he must kill UFM. I look for Magua to cut out UFM's still-beating heart on the 50-yard line of the Superdome on January 1. It's his master plan.

[hack]

LOL. All that sounds reasonable to me.

[iam416]

Most of it was tongue-in-cheek, except the stuff about The Nick. Never joke about The Nick lest you want to get up close and personal with your own mortality right quick.

[Hannibal]

I would be shocked if Mississippi State doesn't make it in as a one loss team. If they win out then IMHO you have three locks ('Bama, FSU, Mississhitty St) and then one additional team that I think is trending to be Oregon.

OSU's loss to Va Tech is devastating. Or at least it should be.

[whodean]

The Rest of CF

Frankaintmaking it

[iam416]

Hanni:

The quality of Mississippi State's wins are trending down. Rapidly. Auburn will be 8-4. aTm is poop. Winning at LSU was a good win, especially the way they dominated.

They better hope Ole Miss wins this weekend in Fayettenam.

And the CFP guy said that 4 through 7 are really close. If it remains really close, and I think it will, MSU won't have a conference title to give them at extra push.

The VT loss also isn't "devastating." Well, it's not devastating enough to keep OSU behind Baylor. And, TBH, I don't think the Committee cares as much about losses as quality wins. If Sparty manages to win out, then OSU is going to have the single best win of any 1-loss team. If Wisky wins its last 2, they have a chance to add another good win -- and neither at home.

Right now, I'd bet that someone other than MSU will be at #4 if there's 2 to 4 1-loss teams vying for the #4 spot. I'd bet a lot.

Also, Oregon, contrary to our opinion, is a lock if they win out.

Anyway, it'll be interesting.

[Hannibal]

MSU's wins aren't down nearly enough to put them behind OSU. At least not in my opinion. Their opponents are mostly just losing to each other.

The B1G is an abysmal conference. You should have to run the table to even be considered this year. The fact that we are projected to end up 4-4 in this shitheap is proof. Michigan State only looks like the best win because of their cream puff competition. If Michigan State met Auburn on a neutral field, I guarantee you Auburn would be favored. I don't have a desire to partake in the SEC circle jerk, but it's impossible to argue that a team that goes 11-1 in that conference, with the sole loss being a road game to Alabama, isn't the most deserving 1 loss team in the country. That's a lot of wins against legit Top 20 competition. Oregon lost at home to Arizona.

[iam416]

I don't really disagree with any of that -- certainly not too strongly. However, I think the Committee is of a different mind. And that's the only mind that matters.

Also, I'm not sure Auburn would be favored against MSU. Last week Ohio State was favored by Vegas against everyone in the top 8 except Alabama (5') and Oregon (3). That includes being favored over Mississippi State.

[whodean]

The Rest of CF

So beating Wisconsin who lost too the 6th best team in the SEC west is going to pump up oLIEo strength of schedule?