Perhaps the Rolling Stones said it best:
You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you just might find … you get what you need.
That’s one way to sum up this year’s four selections for the College Football Playoff: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Washington:
(1) Alabama vs. (4) Washington
(2) Clemson vs. (3) Ohio State
There it is. Your @CFBPlayoff is set. Let the debate begin! pic.twitter.com/5RNkNlTkt6
— ESPN (@espn) December 4, 2016
While Big Ten champion Penn State, as well as a very formidable Michigan team, are on the outside looking in, it’s hard to argue that the College Football Playoff committee didn’t put the four best teams into the playoffs.
It is understandable to lobby on behalf of Penn State — why even have major conference championship games if they don’t lead to a shot at the national title? — but there’s no denying the fact that, despite their loss to the Nittany Lions earlier in the season, the Buckeyes are more deserving of the playoff spot.
In fact, when all was said and done, it was Washington — and not Ohio State — that was given the No. 4 seed, but CFP committee chairman Kirby Hocutt, the athletic director at Texas Tech, told ESPN the Huskies were picked over the Nittany Lions because “the selection committee believes they’re a better football team.”
No. 1 Alabama will take on Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, while No. 2 Clemson will take on No. 3 Ohio State in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (both matchups will be played Dec. 31).
Then, the two semifinal winners will match up on Jan. 9 in the national championship game in Tampa, Fla.
Penn State, meanwhile, will play in the Rose Bowl Game Jan. 2 against No. 9 USC; Michigan accepted an invitation to play No. 11 Florida State in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.
So while the Nittany Lion and Wolverine fans can’t always get what they want, college football fans found that the four selections for this year’s College Football Playoffs are what they needed.
In other bowl action…
Here are some of the other notable bowl games coming your way in the next few weeks:
Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 14 Auburn vs. No. 7 Oklahoma (Jan. 2)
Goodyear Cotton Bowl: No. 15 Western Michigan v. No. 8 Wisconsin (Jan. 2)
Valero Alamo Bowl: No. 10 Colorado vs. No. 12 Oklahoma State (Dec. 29)
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl: No. 20 LSU vs. No. 13 Louisville (Dec. 31)
Russell Athletic Bowl: Miami vs. No. 16 West Virginia (Dec. 28)
Outback Bowl: No. 17 Florida vs. Iowa (Jan. 2)
Hyundai Sun Bowl: No. 18 Stanford vs. North Carolina (Dec. 30)
Foster Farms Bowl: No. 19 Utah vs. Indiana (Dec. 28)
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Nebraska vs. No. 21 Tennessee (Dec. 30)
Belk Bowl: No. 22 Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas (Dec. 29)
New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Northwestern vs. No. 23 Pittsburgh (Dec. 28)
Military Bowl: No. 24 Temple vs. Wake Forest (Dec. 27)
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. No. 25 Navy (Dec. 23)
#BowlBound: Congratulations to @LATechFB, who is headed to the @ArmedForcesBowl! pic.twitter.com/slMtjuk8PS
— Conference USA (@Conference_USA) December 4, 2016
For all the latest bowl game matchups and schedules, click here.
Alabama rolls
It was a game that probably would’ve had little to no effect on the College Football Playoff rankings, but, boy, did Alabama come to play in the SEC Championship Game against Florida.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide did just about everything right, scoring in a multitude of ways and dominating the 15th-ranked Gators, 54-16, to add what Alabama hopes is just one of multiple future trophies to its 2016 display.
In the first half, Alabama (13-0) showed its dominance on defense and special teams, scoring on an interception return and a blocked punt. The second half was a display of the Crimson Tide’s running attack, as Florida (8-4) simply couldn’t stop Alabama, even as it appeared to be just milking the clock to leave Atlanta with yet another conference title.
Florida head coach Jim McElwain was certainly left impressed by Alabama’s pure talent across the board.
"I don't see a lot of weaknesses," McElwain said, via ESPN.com. "They've really accumulated a lot of speed at some spots where they were always big."
Trailing 7-3 in the first quarter, Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick picked off a Florida pass and took it 44 yards to the end zone. Just more than three minutes later, Joshua Jacobs scored from 27 yards out on a blocked Gators punt:
Alabama blocks the punt and returns it for a touchdown, giving them a 16-9 lead! #SECChampionship pic.twitter.com/dhBgCd0cg4
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) December 3, 2016
At the end of the first quarter, the Crimson Tide had jumped out to a 16-9 lead. By halftime, the lead ballooned to 33-16.
The second half was also all Alabama, which racked up 174 rushing yards in the final two quarters. In all, the Crimson Tide had 38 carries for 234 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and four touchdowns, led by Bo Scarbrough, who had 11 carries for 91 yards and two scores.
Reuben Foster led the defensive charge with 11 total tackles (2.5 for a loss), including two sacks, for Alabama.
Florida quarterback Austin Appleby completed 26 of 39 passes for 261 yards with two touchdowns, though he was picked off three times. As a team, the Gators were held to zero yards rushing, as their leading rusher, Jordan Scarlett, had just 11 carries for 17 yards.
Alabama, which earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, now takes on No. 4 Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 31. Should Alabama advance and then win the national championship game, it would be head coach Nick Saban’s sixth national title — and fifth with the Crimson Tide — tying the great Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most-ever by a coach.
Two-horse race?
With the Heisman Trophy presentation on Saturday, there is now a little bit of uncertainty as to which standout player will be handed the trophy at the end of the night.
All season long, it looked as though the award was Lamar Jackson’s to lose, as the Louisville quarterback put together amazing performance after amazing performance. But as Jackson’s Cardinals fell apart in their last two games — and he had his first multi-interception performance of the year in their regular season finale against rival Kentucky — it is now definitely fair to say that fellow quarterback Deshaun Watson should be considered just as serious a Heisman candidate as Jackson:
Don't discount Deshaun Watson for the Heisman. #ALLIN pic.twitter.com/q6eoqDXK37
— Campus Insiders (@CampusInsiders) November 29, 2016
Unlike Jackson, Watson got one final chance to prove his worth, as his Clemson Tigers took on Virginia Tech on Saturday in the ACC Championship Game. And Watson didn’t disappoint, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns through the air, and leading the Tigers with 85 rushing yards and another two scores on the ground in Clemson’s 42-35 victory over the Hokies, propelling them into the College Football Playoff.
When it comes to throwing the ball, both Jackson and Watson have put up similar numbers this season. Jackson has thrown for 3,390 yards with 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 57.6 completion percentage, for a quarterback rating of 86.6. Watson, meanwhile, has been much more efficient, completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,914 yards and 37 touchdowns to 15 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 82.1.
But what might woo the Heisman voters in the end is Jackson’s dominance on the ground, especially compared to Watson, as the Louisville quarterback ran for 1,538 yards and another 21 rushing touchdowns, while Watson had 529 yards rushing and six scores on the ground.
Other notable candidates include Oklahoma wide receiver Dede Westbrook (74 receptions, 1,466 yards, 16 touchdowns), his quarterback, Baker Mayfield (3,669 yards, 38 touchdowns, eight interceptions) and Texas running back D’Onta Freeman (2,028 yards, 15 touchdowns):
Dede Westbrook is NO.1 in the ESPN Top 50 so #WhyNotWestbrook for HEISMAN? pic.twitter.com/Twpf9sQ5Dq
— Sooners (Jalen Ross) (@OklahomaFBS) November 30, 2016
Regardless, it’s always nice to have a little mystery heading into the Heisman Trophy presentation, which is at 8 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN.
‘It hurts’
The Citadel had been piecing together quite an impressive season in 2016, winning 10 games — as well as its second straight Southern Conference championship — and coasting into the FCS playoffs with a No. 6 seed and a first-round bye.
On Saturday, little of that mattered — especially to its playoff opponent, Wofford.
The Terriers scored 17 unanswered points to eliminate the Bulldogs, 17-3, at Charleston’s Johnson Hagood Stadium and advance to face Youngstown State in next week’s quarterfinals.
“I truly believe that we have a team that for whatever reason believes so strongly in themselves,” Wofford head coach Mike Ayers said. “We have had several opportunities where players have been injured and things could have been catastrophic. By the grace of God, they are good. I love this group of kids. Some of them are real goofy, but they are young. The one thing they are not goofy about is when they go on that field and play. I can't say enough about our coaches and our preparation.”
Look how emotional Ayers was as he said these words:
No other way to say it- @WoffordTerriers HC Mike Ayers is one special dude, really really special- this sums him up pretty darn well. pic.twitter.com/VxsIvTyzet
— Scott Eisberg (@SEisbergWCIV) December 4, 2016
Hard not to feel good for a guy who obviously puts his all into his craft.
It was obviously a different story on the other sideline, where The Citadel, which had national title hopes, had to come to grips with a solid season ending prematurely.
As The Post and Courier’s Jeff Hartsell described, senior fullback Tyler Renew could only sum up the loss in a couple words after listening to the school’s alma mater for the final time in his playing career.
“It hurts,” Renew said.
We’ve all been there, Tyler.
U.S. National Team alumni spotlight
Each week at Hash Marks and Hashtags, we’ll put the spotlight on an alumni of the U.S. National Team.
This week’s spotlight is on Alabama freshman wide receiver/defensive back/returner Trevon Diggs, a member of the U.S. team in 2016.
Diggs, the brother of Minnesota Vikings star Stefon Diggs, had two tackles and a forced fumble in the Crimson Tide’s 54-16 blowout victory over Florida on Saturday to claim the SEC championship. Diggs also returned three punts for 90 yards, including a 47-yard return in the second quarter.
For the season, Diggs has done a little bit of everything for top-ranked Alabama. He has 11 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown on offense; five tackles and a forced fumble on defense; 12 punt returns for 127 yards (an average of 10.58 yards per return) and seven kickoff returns for 166 yards (an average of 23.71 yards per return).
Best of luck to Diggs and all of the U.S. National Team alumni this season and in the future.
Notable quotables
“We deserve to be in the gosh darn Cotton Bowl. Period. Write it down.” — Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck, on his 17th-ranked Broncos defeating Ohio, 29-23, to claim the Mid-American Conference championship and move to 13-0 on the season. Western Michigan will, indeed, be playing in the Cotton Bowl, as they will take on No. 8 Wisconsin on Jan. 2.
“We think we have a heck of a team and we think we belong in there. I think they'll do what they should do, which is the right thing. ... These guys have done everything they're supposed to do.” — Washington head coach Chris Petersen, on his Huskies’ chances of making the College Football Playoffs after defeating Colorado 41-10 in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Washington, indeed, made the College Football Playoffs, and will take on Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 31.
“They just played better. It wasn't a magic wand. They just hit us in the mouth and we hadn't been hit in the mouth for a long time. Normally, we hit other people in the mouth. To Temple's credit, they hit us in the mouth. We were dazed the whole game. It's like they hit us with an overhand right.” — Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, whose 19th-ranked Midshipmen fell to Temple, 34-10, in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. Navy will take on Louisiana Tech in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23.
“He was just fantastic, he was just exactly what he needed to be. He gave our guys chances to make plays, he handled the ball great himself, had a few key runs for us, threw the ball. The guy's really, really talented. To be able to do what he did, there's not many guys who could do what he did today.” — Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, discussing the play of his quarterback, Baker Mayfield, who three for 288 yards and three touchdowns to defeat No. 10 Oklahoma State, 38-20, in the Big 12 Championship Game.
“What a blessing to be a part of this journey. This guy is the best player in the country, and it isn't close." — Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, with his quarterback, Deshaun Watson right next to him, as the Tigers used five Watson touchdowns to top Virginia Tech, 42-35, to win the ACC championship and advance to play Ohio State in the College Football Playoffs.
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Monday, December 5, 2016 - 11:15