Another weekend, another upset. Just your typical weekend in the world of college football. Lets see who’s in and who’s out in this week’s edition of The Final Four.
Who’s In?
- Mississippi State
The Bulldogs remain on top of the college football world as they enjoyed a bye week as they prepare for Kentucky. A showdown with the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa looms big and MSU should roll into Bryant-Denny Stadium undefeated for a match that could be one of the best games of the year.
- Florida State
The Noles are coming off a huge win over Notre Dame in a game that came down to the wire. This team continues to find ways to win close games and has had its share of adversity throughout the season. With their toughest opponent in the rear view, there is no reason why the Noles can’t finish the regular season without a loss on the resume.
- Ole Miss
After getting off to a slow start the Rebels rolled to another convincing victory over Tennessee. Ole Miss’ defense was stingy once again as they almost pitched a shutout against the Volunteers. Here’s a stat for you, Ole Miss have only surrendered three points ALL YEAR in the first quarter of games… THREE. Good luck getting off to a fast start against this group who is only allowing 10.6 points per game.
- Alabama
While I think some folks are over hyping the Tide’s victory over Texas A&M, shutting out one of the more potent offense in all of college football is very impressive. It’s tough to get a grasp on this team at times, last week they squeak out a victory against Arkansas and this week is a blowout victory over Texas A&M. Texas A&M is exactly the team I thought they were from the jump so don’t expect the Tide to continue this type of output offensively. This was a confidence booster the Tide needed with Mississippi State and Auburn still remaining on the schedule.
Who’s Out?
- Auburn
The Tigers have had a week to lick their wounds following a loss to Mississippi State. This week they host South Carolina before heading to Oxford to take on Ole Miss. With Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama still on the schedule (all on the road), I’m thinking the Tigers take another L before it is all said and done.
- Notre Dame
I didn’t expect the Irish to fall far after a hard fought battle in Tallahassee that almost went their way. If they win out, they will have a legit shot at being the playoff since the SEC teams ahead of them will cannibalize each other.
- Oregon
Don’t look now, but the Ducks are barely on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. Just like Notre Dame, if they win out, they may very well find themselves in the playoffs since at least two SEC teams will tumble by the end of the year. Toughest games remaining at this point are a struggling Stanford, Utah and California who just lost to a UCLA team who Oregon handled. Going to be interesting.
This college football season has been very eventful and it is shaping up for an absolutely epic finish. I said early on that I think two SEC teams will make the playoff and my prediction still looks pretty good at this point in the year. I also said that I didn’t think any SEC team would finish the regular season undefeated and that is still very much in play. I think the national title is up for grabs more then has been any other year, so many contenders and things can go so many different ways. Time to sit back, relax and see how things unfold.