When did a four-team charade run a by washed up former coaches and a disgruntled former Secretary of State become a legitimate playoff? When did a committee filled with people who undoubtedly withhold biases toward particular collegiate institutions become the solution in regard to who will play for it all at the end of the season?
If you want to make a real playoff, you make it a real playoff. 8 to 16 teams. You do it right. Baseball does it right. Basketball does it right. The NFL does it right. FCS football does it right. What you don’t do – you don’t let a committee of people who are either too close to football or people who evidently don’t know enough about football.
But let us get our own biases out of the way and focus our minds upon the pigskin. It is clear there are two teams that are above the rest this season in college football. Alabama and Oregon. This isn’t really disputable. With Florida State puking out another win like a toddler choking on a snail and TCU or Baylor coasting to another unimpressive win over another unimpressive team, impressions are everything. Oregon beating teams they are supposed to beat by thirty may not be “impressive,” but the blowouts don’t leave room for much doubt. Florida State squeaking by another mediocre team, getting lucky to boot, raises a ton of doubt.
These impressions will influence the committee, and while Florida State shouldn’t have to worry about making the Top 4 if they do indeed win out, being undefeated (barely) against mostly lesser talented squads should be taken into consideration.
Alabama and Oregon – The Two Above the Rest
The Oregon Ducks will face a team on Friday in the PAC-12 championship (being played in Santa Clara) that has man-handled them in their last two contests: The Arizona Wildcats. Some may call this fluky. Others may simply call it a bad matchup. Either way, the Wildcats are in the Oregon Ducks’ heads.
It seems like fantasy or a nightmare – the thought that Oregon could lose three straight to an overrated Wildcats teams, but no one expected Arizona to win earlier this season in Autzen either. The Ducks are healthier now then they were when they faced Arizona earlier in the year.
Still, Oregon only goes as far as Heisman front-runner Marcus Mariota. Without him producing, the Ducks are an average squad. Slowing Mariota down has been the key to Arizona’s success against Oregon. Arizona has caused 6 turnovers from Mariota alone, which is significant for a quarterback that doesn’t turn the ball over… like ever.
Since the Ducks are virtually a one man-show run by Phil Knight, we mean, Mariota, it seems prudent to talk about the soft-spoken leader of the puke green smurfs. Mariota has thrown for at least one touchdown in each of the first 38 games he’s played at Oregon, which is an FBS record. Mariota has only lost four of those games. Two came against the Wildcats.
Mariota also set a Pac-12 record this season, tallying 48 total touchdowns. He has scored fur or more touchdowns in nine games this season, which leads the nation and his 36 touchdown passes is Quacker football record. Granted, football only began being played in Eugene in 1994.
Overall, Mariota is a machine. A taller version of Russell Wilson, Mariota has completed 229 of 334 passes for 3,470 yards and thrown just two interceptions this season. He’s also rushed for over 600 yards, good for second on the team.
The Ducks are favored by a little more than a touchdown in this one. If Arizona can slow the Ducks down once again, they’ll have a chance. Logic seems to dictate a higher scoring affair with the Ducks pulling away in the second half.
Alabama will take on the 10-2 Missouri Tigers on Saturday. Missouri has five division titles since 2007 in the Big 12 and SEC, but the Tigers under Coach Gary Pinkel, haven’t won a single league championship, including falling to the Tide last year, 59-42, in the SEC championship.
Alabama has become somewhat of a juggernaut on offense under first year coordinator Lane Kiffen. The Tide scored over 50 last week against the 15th ranked Auburn Tigers in a rousing shootout. Blake Sims is approaching 3,000 yards passing and has been throwing to the top receiver in the land, Amari Cooper, who has easily broken school records with 103 catches for 1,573 and 14 touchdowns this season.
Alabama is 21st nationally in passing offense, averaging 282.6 yards per contest. Conversely, Alabama’s three national titles under Nick Saban finished 92nd, 69th, and 75th in total offense.
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