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By Jonathan Lowe
November 17, 2016
GAMEDAY GOLD
We’re getting down to the home stretch. Some teams are trying to scramble to get that extra game (and those extra practices) accompanying a bowl bid. Others have bigger goals in mind.
Split Ends
San Diego State at Wyoming: This is a game that could take a couple of different turns. If the Cowboys are able to win, this could be a preview of the Mountain West title game. Yes, Craig Bohl’s team would still have to find a season-finale victory in Albuquerque, but the division crown would still be theirs for the taking.
If the Aztecs can stay unbeaten in-conference, then Boise State would have the inside track to Mountain Division representation. SDSU has already guaranteed their place in the MWC Championship Game, three clear of the rest of the West Division with two to play. Now, it’s about preparing for a conference title shot. That preparation begins, and probably ends, with star running back Donnel Pumphrey. He’s closing in on 2,000 rushing yards for the season and could get a few votes for the Heisman Trophy. A big night in Laramie would help that effort.
Virginia Tech at Notre Dame: Despite losing to Georgia Tech last weekend, the Hokies still have the Coastal Division title on their racket. That will be decided next week. Saturday, though, it’s all about denial.
Will a bowl game make an offer to a 5-7 Fighting Irish team? The generous allotment of games allowed three such squads to go last year. But, to get there, they may very well need this game. A trip to the Coliseum to face red-hot USC doesn’t bode well for Brian Kelly’s kids, and 4-8 wouldn’t bode well for their postseason chances.
Guards
Louisville at Houston (Thursday): The Cardinals continue to get “disrespected” by the CFP Committee. Even with Clemson’s loss to Pitt, Louisville couldn’t crack into the projected national semifinals. They would need the Tigers to slip up once more to to gain some favor. A Clemson loss to Wake Forest (Saturday) would give Bobby Petrino’s team the Atlantic Division crown. A Clemson loss to a bad South Carolina team (next Saturday) would be a killer when it comes to strength of schedule. One sure thing…Louisville has to get by this game and Kentucky to have any shot.
The Cougars are hoping to gain back a sliver of the national spotlight that they earned at the beginning of the season. They are a prime example of how hard it can be for Group of Five programs to hold the sport’s attention. Tom Hermann has managed to steady the course after his team took on one good loss (Navy) and one bad one (SMU). However, despite their 8-2 record, this team has become an afterthought. Quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. hasn’t been the revelation that this week’s counterpart (Lamar Jackson) has been over the last two-plus months. But it should be fun to see what Ward can show off in person.
Florida at LSU: For Florida, this game means everything. A win in Baton Rouge means a second straight SEC East title. A loss on the Bayou means that Tennessee can swipe the crown away with a sweep of Missouri and Vanderbilt (think of the Vols as Penn State South). For LSU, a win might help them garner one of the Primetime Bowl selections as the second-best team out of the conference. And with the two defenses that will be on display, I wouldn’t be surprised if the first team to 13 points wins.
Tackles
Arkansas State at Troy (Thursday): The Sun Belt champion will still have work to do if they want to claim that distinction, but the Trojans would be an arms-length ahead if they hold serve again. On Saturday, Troy answered a late go-ahead touchdown by Appalachian State with one of their own (App State scored with 3:29 to play, while Troy went back in front with 1:09 remaining). The 28-24 Trojan victory set the stage for another showdown in southeastern Alabama. If they can get past the Red Wolves (5-0 in the Sun Belt, 5-4 overall), then the Trojans are in the driver’s seat for the conference championship. Yes, there are two more games that Troy would have to maneuver, but you gotta have a dream.
Oklahoma at West Virginia: The Sooners are the the Big XII’s best chance to reach either the Peach or Fiesta Bowl. They continue to put themselves in position to make a stunning comeback into national contention. It may be too late, though. With four Big Ten and two ACC Atlantic Division teams ahead of OU in the committee’s standings, Bob Stoops’ squad will need help from a lot of outside forces to make the improbable possible.
They’re in better position than the Mountaineers, however. Personally, I don’t believe West Virginia has ANY shot at making the CFP’s national semifinals. About four weeks ago, a season-ending epic was looming between WVU and Baylor. The Bears haven’t kept up their end of the bargain, losing their last three in a row. The Mountaineers, while better, couldn’t stay unblemished themselves. A win over the Sooners would help ease the sting of an earlier loss to Oklahoma State. Then, they would turn to root for OU when Bedlam strikes in two weeks’ time.
Center
Washington State at Colorado: I started out by discussing one potential conference preview, so why not end with another? If you told me that a Week 12 meeting between the Cougars and Buffaloes could be replayed on Championship Weekend, I wouldn’t have believed you. But, after Washington’s loss to USC, here we are. Let’s get this straight. Unless Utah or the Huskies can’t hold their own at home, the conference championship contest will be decided next Friday in Pullman and next Saturday in Boulder.
It will be fun, though, to see what wins out. Mike Leach’s “air raid” attack is finally established for the Cougars, with Luke Falk (3,610 yds, 33 TDs, 6 INTs) at the helm. On the other side, Mike MacIntyre has turned the Buffs defense into the conference’s most stout bunch. They are the Pac-12’s best in passing yards allowed (176.3 per game) and total yards allowed (308.4 per game), while sharing the honors for best scoring defense (with Washington at 17.9 points per game). This should be intriguing.
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