College Football Week 10: Sandy knew not to mess with Nick and Les

I believe the ACC has eight bowl tie-ins. Right now, the league has only three teams that are bowl eligible: Florida State, Clemson and (!!) Duke.

There's a serious chance that the ACC may only have five bowl-eligible teams, which would be unimaginably embarrassing for a league that doesn't need that sort of embarrassment right now.

Wake and N.C. State are 5-4 and play each other, so one of them is guaranteed to get to six wins. Wake's other games are at Notre Dame and against Vandy at home, so it seems like the game at State will be the Deacons' best shot.

State still has BC at home, so they should be in regardless of what happens against the Grobes.

Virginia Tech has FSU at home (loss) and then must win out at BC and vs. UVa just to get to six. BC is terrible, but it's still a road game, and Tech has lost seven straight away from Enter Sandman land.

Miami is 5-4 and most certainly will get to six wins (at UVa, at Duke, vs. USF), but the admin may put the kibosh on that and self-impose another year of a bowl ban. So there's that.

Maryland is 4-5, has no quarterback and finishes at Clemson, vs. FSU, at UNC. Chances of getting to six? Nil.

Georgia Tech is 4-5 and finishes at UNC, vs. Duke, at Georgia. Not sure I see two wins there.

UVa has to win out against Miami, UNC and at VT. Unlikely.

The MAC may have more bowl teams than the ACC this year. Wow.

 

And the Sun Belt has as many bowl eligible teams as the Big 10.

 

The ACC isn't the only league with a looming lack of bowl-eligible teams.

The Big 10 has four eligible teams right now — Nebraska, Michigan, Northwestern and Wisconsin. They'll get a fifth in the final game of the season, when Michigan State (5-5) plays Minnesota (5-4).

The rest? Ohio State and Penn State have the wins but are ineligible for the postseason. Illinois already has seven losses. Iowa (4-5) hurt itself big time by losing at Indiana yesterday (as an Iowa alum, OUCH!). The Hawkeyes host Purdue next week (which is 3-6 and out with one more loss), but then get Michigan and Nebraska. The Hoosiers need to win two of three against Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue.

I'll say this about the SEC: while all of us focused on the Alabama-LSU showdown, its teams toward the bottom of the league got it done in the "bowl eligiblity" department (even Tennessee, despite the Vols' horrible defense against Troy).

When all is said and done, home losses to teams like Central Michigan and Navy will be what costs the Big 10 a couple of bowl teams. And believe me, they need the extra practice!

 

Here's a fun little fact. Because both Ohio State and Penn State are ineligible this year, Indiana's win over Iowa yesterday means that this week's IU/Wisconsin game is for first place control of the Big 10 Leaders Division.

 

Could be the same situation in the ACC Coastal. If Miami chooses to declare itself ineligible (decision could come this week), then either 4-5 Georgia Tech, 4-5 Virginia Tech 6-3 Duke or 3-6 Virginia will be in the ACC Championship game. Oy.

 

Believe me, I've been scouring the planet for any information.

It doesn't SEEM very serious. He had his wrist jacked around in the pile at one point and it clearly hurt, but he played after that. He also got his helmet smashed into the turf on that QB sneak TD, and he didn't play after that.

As for the wrist, he was clapping and pointing and high fiving and jacking with his pads. And they didn't wrap it, ice it, look at it or brace it. He didn't go to the locker room. If there was anything serious there — a broken hand or wrist — I can't imagine they'd have let it go a minute without ice.

As for a concussion, he apparently didn't have his helmet on the sideline, which seems like an indication. He also didn't look like a zombie or anything. OSU's QB got knocked out of the game, and that dude had a concussion. They took him into the locker room and he didn't look like he knew what day it was. But people are pointing to that goal line dive, and to a play a few before than when he took a shoulder to the helmet.

So? Mild concussion? Wrist injury? Something else entirely? I have no idea. Just the fact that he wasn't being attended to by trainers makes me think it wasn't that serious, but I don't know for sure.

 

Big 12 has five bowl-eligible teams right now (K-State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, TCU) and will likely get eight.

Three more teams (Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Iowa State) need just one more win.

Baylor might still get there, but would need two wins with three top-25 teams left in the schedule. Looks like the Big 12, save for Baylor and KU, will make the cut.

 

Care to revist this?

 

How many fumbles? He's got a few of those.

 

The fake field goal on 4th and 13 and the wildcat on 4th and 1 (where everyone knows EXACTLY who's carrying the ball) were both worse play calls than trying to take a 6-point lead late in the game.

The game last night was essentially a mirror-image of the one in Tuscaloosa last year. Last November, Alabama essentially out-played LSU, but killed itself with its own mistakes (the missed field goals) and bad decisions (the halfback pass that Eric Reid picked off at the 1 in the fourth quarter).

LSU fans should feel every bit as sick about letting this one get away as Bama fans did last year. The difference is there's NO CHANCE they'll get another shot at the Tide til next November.

 

If anything, last night showed me I'm right. Again, LSU beat A&M two weeks ago. I don't think it comes down to the last drive next week.

 

N.C. State embarrassed itself plenty on Saturday ... doesn't need an ACC label for further assistance.

Back to your points, Cosmo ... BC is already ineligible (and Frank Spaziani can't survive this). UVa is at six losses ... not likely to run the table with Miami and Va. Tech still to go. Miami's at five wins, so if the Hurricanes beat the Cavs, that's up to four and three ineligible (Chapel Hill, probation, etc.).

Maryland needs two more wins and, at the rate the Terps' QBs are dropping, that's no shoo-in. As much as Va. Tech is struggling, it's still a reach to think it won't get to six wins.

But eight? Not likely happening, which makes Duke safe. I had contended that Duke needed one more to be certain of being selected for a bowl. Because of the lack of following/lack of fan base, I can see bowl committees not terribly eager to take Duke if they have alternatives. If they have less than eight, then Duke has to go somewhere.