This weekend is going to be interesting. And fun. There are so many scenarios.

Should Michigan be in regardless of how things play out? If Washington loses I think they are in.

Does the Pac 12 deserve a team?

Will the Big Ten get two teams in? AND if so, do they leave out whoever wins the Big Ten?

I don't see much love for Wisconsin but if they win do you put them in over Michigan & Ohio State? I wouldn't.

Like I said, it should be fun!

As a Buckeye fan, I'm not so sure I want to see them face 'bama this year.

As a Buckeye fan, I'm not so sure I want to see them face 'bama this year.

I would agree with that. Your QB can't pass. Can't run your way out of everything.... 😉

Yeah, that is the problem with large conferences, arbitrary divisions and a league title game...it doesn't crown a true champion despite promises to the contrary. It is about money the game generates. Just like everything else.

Hey we need some Big Blue love in here don't we! I think I got that whole blue thing right now. Where are our Kentucky fans! Upset as 28.5 pt underdogs!

We did what we needed to do, kept Louisville off the field in the 3rd Qtr. UK had the ball 13:07 and UofL ran 6 offensive plays.

It was so sweet watching the look of disappointment on the face of their fans when I was leaving the stadium.

Don't know how I missed this post but yes, Cardinal tears bring me more joy than you can imagine. Especially here in Lexington. Myself and several friends could not pass up the 28 point spread, can you say free money? ALL season all I have heard is "yeah man, we gonna smash yall in football, Kentucky is garbage, blah, blah, blah, Lamar Jackson this, Lamar Jackson that, blah, blah, blah".
Well....... what happened? And the funny thing is we may beat them by 40 when it comes time to take the bball court. I would consider the UK football season more successful than UL football season, so much potential and they couldn't execute. Go CATS!

Well today will tell a lot about the Final Four which of course, we will know tomorrow.

I say Washington's blowout of Colorado last night puts them in. I still think Michigan is better but unless something weird happens today, I'm afraid my Wolverines are going to get left out. 🙁

And the pundits are saying that either Western Michigan or Temple gets the Cotton Bowl bid. Even if Navy wins today, I think an undefeated WMU team deserves it.

I think it's either Colorado or USC as the other team. USC is better but Colorado had to play one more game. One more day to find out!

Based on conference w/l records Michigan is 3rd in their own division. They can go to a nice bowl, game. No national title shot for them.

Based on conference w/l records Michigan is 3rd in their own division. They can go to a nice bowl, game. No national title shot for them.

Nice? Mittens are nice. 😉 Actually tied for second. And they beat Wisconsin and kicked the living crap out of Penn St. I didn't think the Iowa loss would hurt that much but it did.

Something to think about.

How are they tied for 2nd?

tEast
1. Penn St 8-1
2. Ohio St 8-1
3. Michigan 7-2
4. Indiana 4-5
5. Maryland 3-6
6. Michigan St 1-8
7. Rutgers 0-9
http://www.bigten.org/library/stats/fb-confsked.html

Looks like 3rd to me.

I was looking at their overall records. Oops. The NCAA in my opinion has made conferences less important than they once were anyway. I guess this might seem like an odd question, but who decided which teams were put into each side of the two? What was the rationale? Kind of rhetorical but I don't get it.

Remember at first they had "Leaders" and "Legends" and everyone hated that. So they changed it to east and west.

It was Leaders
Indiana
Illinois
Ohio St
Penn St
Purdue
Wisconsin

And Legends
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan St
Minnesota
Nebraska
Northwestern

Then they added two more teams Rutgers and Maryland and redid the divisions. Big Ten conference commissioners I would imagine is who aligned the teams. I do know there was alot of backlash against the Leaders and Legends alignment.

I think the Leaders & Legends names were the main backlash about that. East & West is fine. My point is making the split to begin with. And don't get me going on Rutgers & Maryland in the Big Ten. Really? How much money do they need for crying out loud? Media markets. Oh well.

I have a hard time knowing what conference teams are in anymore. 😉

I think the Leaders & Legends names were the main backlash about that. East & West is fine. My point is making the split to begin with. And don't get me going on Rutgers & Maryland in the Big Ten. Really? How much money do they need for crying out loud? Media markets. Oh well.

I have a hard time knowing what conference teams are in anymore. 😉

We agree.

Nobody could remember who was in the leader or legend. I still have trouble knowing Coastal and Atlantic in the ACC. East, West, North, South is better.

But really the best way is to abandon oversized conferences and divisions and have everyone play eachother in the league and let those results tell the story.

I'm going to do some rankings and see what I come up with.

>Teams in bold is who I would have in the 4 team playoff - as previously stated, I only believe conference champions should be eligible.
>Number in parenthesis is wins vs teams with winning record
>Quality win is any win vs a IA/FBS team with a winning record
>Quality loss is any loss vs a IA/FBS team with a winning record (regardless of margin of victory – debatable, some could call some of those bad losses even though the team had a winning record)
>Questionable Performance is an uninspiring win or a game that was nearly a loss vs a :500 or worse team.
>Bad loss is any loss vs a IA/FBS team with a :500 or losing record
>Wins or losses vs IAA / FCS teams are not factored for or against teams (shown in overall w / l record, but not in the wins vs teams with winning record parenthesis number or questionable / bad loss category if applicable).
>I only use head-to-head for ranking order when records are the same, head-to-head will trump all else when the w/l record is the same.

1. Alabama 13-0 – (9)
Best wins: 9-3 vs USC 52-6, vs 10-3 WKU 38-10, at 8-4 Tenn 49-10, vs 8-4 aTm 33-14, at 7-4 LSU 10-0, vs 8-4 Auburn 30-12, vs 8-4 FL 54-16
Questionable Performance: at 5-7 Ole Miss 48-43

2. Ohio State 11-1 – (5)
Best wins: vs 9-3 Tulsa 48-3, at 10-2 Oklahoma 45-24, at 10-3 Wisconsin 30-23, vs 9-3 Nebraska 62-3, vs 10-2 Michigan 30-27
Quality loss: at 11-2 Penn St 21-24
Questionable Performance: at 3-9 Michigan St 17-16, vs 6-6 Northwestern 24-20

3. Clemson 12-1 – (6)
Best wins: at 8-4 Auburn 19-13, vs 9-3 Troy 30-24 (or is this questionable?), at 8-4 Georgia Tech 26-7, vs 9-3 Louisville 42-36, at 9-3 FSU 37-34, vs Virginia Tech 42-35
Quality loss: vs 8-4 Pitt 42-43
Questionable Performance: vs 6-6 NC St 24-17

4. Washington 12-1 – (5)
Best wins: vs 8-4 Idaho 59-14, vs 9-3 Stanford 44-6, at 8-4 Utah 31-24, at 8-4 Wash St 45-17, vs 10-3 Colorado 41-10
Quality loss: vs 9-3 USC 13-26
Questionable Performance: at 3-9 Arizona 35-28

5. Penn State 11-2 (5)
Best wins: vs 10-3 Temple 34-27, vs 8-4 Minnesota 29-26, vs 11-1 Ohio St 24-21, vs 8-4 Iowa 41-14, vs 10-3 Wisconsin 38-31
Quality loss: at 10-2 Michigan 10-49, at 8-4 Pitt 39-42

6. Michigan 10-2 – (3)
Best wins: vs 10-3 Colorado 45-28, vs 10-3 Wisconsin 14-7, vs 11-2 Penn St 49-10
Quality losses: at 8-4 Iowa 13-14, at 11-1 Ohio St 27-30
Questionable Performance: vs 6-6 Indiana 20-10

7. Oklahoma 10-2 (3)
Best wins: vs 8-4 Kansas St 38-17, at 10-2 West Virginia 56-28, vs 9-3 Oklahoma St 38-20
Quality losses: vs 9-3 Houston 23-33, vs 11-1 Ohio St 24-45
Questionable Performance: at 3-9 Iowa St 34-24

8. Wisconsin 10-3 (4)
Best wins: vs 7-4 LSU 16-14, at 8-4 Iowa 17-9, vs 9-3 Nebraska 23-17, vs 8-4 Minnesota 31-17
Quality loss: at 10-2 Michigan 7-14, vs 11-1 Ohio St 23-30, vs 11-2 Penn St 31-38

9. Colorado 10-3 (4)
Best wins: vs 7-5 Colorado St 44-7, at 9-3 Stanford 10-5, vs 8-4 Washington St 38-24, vs 8-4 Utah 27-22
Quality losses: at 10-2 Michigan 28-45, at 9-3 USC 17-21
Questionable Performance: vs 4-8 UCLA 20-10

10. Stanford 9-3 (2)
Best wins: vs 8-4 Kansas St 26-13, vs 9-3 USC 27-10
Quality losses: at 11-1 Washington 6-44, vs 8-4 Washington St 16-42, vs 10-3 Colorado 5-10
Questionable Performance: vs 4-8 Oregon St 26-15 (could’ve won by more), at 4-8 Notre Dame 17-10

11. USC 9-3 (2)
Best wins: vs 10-3 Colorado 21-17, at 11-1 Washington 26-13
Quality losses: vs 13-0 USC 52-6, at 9-3 Stanford 10-27, at 8-4 Utah 27-31
Questionable Performance: none other than the losses

12. Western Michigan 13-0 (3)
Best wins: 7-5 Eastern Michigan 45-31, vs 9-3 Toledo 55-35, vs 8-5 Ohio 8-5
Questionable Performance: at 3-9 Kent State 37-21

13. Houston 9-3 (3)
Best wins: vs 10-2 Oklahoma 33-23, vs 9-3 Tulsa 38-31, vs 9-3 Louisville 36-10
Quality loss: at 9-3 Navy 40-46, at 8-4 Memphis 44-48
Bad loss: at 5-7 SMU 16-38

14. Oklahoma State 9-3 (3)
Best wins: vs 8-4 Pitt 45-38, vs 10-2 West Virginia 37-20, at 8-4 Kansas St 43-37
Quality loss: at 10-2 Oklahoma 20-38
Questionable loss: vs 6-6 Central Michigan 27-30
Bad loss: at 6-6 Baylor 24-35

15. Louisville 9-3 (1)
Best wins: vs 9-3 Florida St 63-20
Quality loss: at 12-1 Clemson 36-42, at 9-3 Houston 10-36, vs 7-5 Kentucky 38-41
Questionable Performances: vs 4-8 Duke 24-14, at 2-10 Virginia 32-25

16. Florida State 9-3 (3)
Best wins: at 10-2 USF 55-35, at 8-4 Miami 20-19, vs 8-4 Florida 31-13
Quality loss: at 9-3 Louisville 20-63, vs 8-4 UNC 35-37, vs 12-1 Clemson 34-37
Questionable Performance: at 6-6 NC St 24-20, vs 6-6 Wake Forest 17-6

[Edited on 12/4/2016 by nebish]

Neb, I agree with your four teams. Penn State won their division, won the conference title and beat Ohio State head-to-head. Seems pretty simple to me.

Alabama - Ohio State would be a great game. Alabama will steamroll Penn State if they meet. I could see Clemson edging Washington.

So,at least to me, looks like a rematch of last year in the title game.

I think the committee is going to pick, Alabama, Clemson, Ohio St, Washington. I'll find out later, I don't watch their show.

Yes, Alabama, when you look at their team in all 3 phases they are so damn great. Now, there are times when their offense doesn't function quite as good as you would like. I think the last 2 games have quieted any run that Hurts may have been getting for the Heisman. But the beauty in this team is their D and their special teams are just terrific. Sometimes I wonder if their D hasn't been challenged by quality QBs. They will in the playoff vs OSU, Clem and even UW. But what OL can block Bama? I'm not sure any OL in the country can handle them.

It would appear we have our first repeat winner in the yahoo pick'em league...me!

kirbyskids and myself show tied in overall pick'em league points, but they have me #1. I looked up the season tie break and it seems as if the final week points is the first tie break where I had 10 and Danny had 8. https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN6617.html;_ylt=A0LEVvHHMkRYRn8A4QYnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTEyc2ZjZWozBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDQjI2MThfMQRzZWMDc3I-

1. nebish - 205-177-(10 dropped pts)
2. kirbyskids - 205-177-(8 dropped pts) Dannyspell
3. fast43 - 202-180-(7 dropped pts)
4. sang - 201-181-(7 dropped pts)
5. put up or shut up - 200-182-(6 dropped pts) Alanwoods
6. legalizehemp - 197-185 (7 dropped pts)
7. dabo's weenie - 195-187-(5 dropped pts) DanB
8. village dawg - 188-181-(9 dropped pts) hoffcl
9. alloak - 188-181-(0 dropped pts)
10. fightingirish - 182-187-(0 dropped pts) wharfrat
11. yer all a duck bunch - 165-217-(0 dropped pts) leafsfan

2016 - nebish / kirbyskids (Dannyspell) (yahoo tie break goes to nebish)
2015 - Village Dawg (hoffcl)
2014 - nebish
2013 - DanB
2012 - alloak41
2011 - Wharfrat
2010 - non ABB member (leafsfan friend)
2009 - Bird

[Edited on 12/8/2016 by nebish]

Committee picks Alabama, Washington, Ohio State and Clemson for College Football Playoff

Alabama will play Washington and Ohio State is set to face Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The selection committee stayed with the same top four as it had going into championship weekend, leaving out Penn State even though the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten championship and beat Ohio State earlier in the season.

The unbeaten Crimson Tide is in the playoff for the third straight season and is the top seed for the second time. They will play the fourth-ranked Huskies in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 31.

No. 2 Ohio State is making its second playoff appearance and No. 3 Clemson is in for the second consecutive season. The Buckeyes and Tigers will meet at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, on Dec. 31.

It would appear we have our first repeat winner in the yahoo pick'em league...me!

kirbyskids and myself show tied in overall pick'em league points, but they have me #1. I looked up the season tie break and it seems as if the final week points is the first tie break where I had 10 and Danny had 8. https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN6617.html;_ylt=A0LEVvHHMkRYRn8A4QYnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTEyc2ZjZWozBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMzBHZ0aWQDQjI2MThfMQRzZWMDc3I-

1. nebish - 205-177-(10 dropped pts)
2. kirbyskids - 205-177-(8 dropped pts) Dannyspell
3. fast43 - 202-180-(7 dropped pts)
4. sang - 201-181-(7 dropped pts)
5. put up or shut up - 200-182-(6 dropped pts) Alanwoods
6. legalizehemp - 197-185 (7 dropped pts)
7. dabo's weenie - 195-187-(5 dropped pts) DanB
8. village dawg - 188-181-(9 dropped pts) hoffcl
9. alloak - 188-181-(0 dropped pts)
10. fightingirish - 182-187-(0 dropped pts) wharfrat
11. yer all a duck bunch - 165-217-(0 dropped pts) leafsfan

2016 - nebish (tie break over kirbyskids, Dannyspell)
2015 - Village Dawg (hoffcl)
2014 - nebish
2013 - DanB
2012 - alloak41
2011 - Wharfrat
2010 - non ABB member (leafsfan friend)
2009 - Bird

The main reason I play - to beat Woods and DanB ......... so this year was a success.... 😛

Committee picks Alabama, Washington, Ohio State and Clemson for College Football Playoff

Alabama will play Washington and Ohio State is set to face Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The selection committee stayed with the same top four as it had going into championship weekend, leaving out Penn State even though the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten championship and beat Ohio State earlier in the season.

The unbeaten Crimson Tide is in the playoff for the third straight season and is the top seed for the second time. They will play the fourth-ranked Huskies in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 31.

No. 2 Ohio State is making its second playoff appearance and No. 3 Clemson is in for the second consecutive season. The Buckeyes and Tigers will meet at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, on Dec. 31.

REALLY? Wow, thanks for the information. Nobody here has a TV or the internet. 😮

Bowl Date Location Matchup
New Mexico Bowl Dec. 17 (2 p.m.) Albuquerque, N.M. UTSA vs. New Mexico
Las Vegas Bowl Dec. 17 (3:30 p.m.) Las Vegas, Nev. Houston vs. San Diego State
Cure Bowl Dec. 17 (5:30 p.m.) Orlando, Fla. Arkansas State vs. UCF
Camellia Bowl Dec. 17 (5:30 p.m.) Montgomery, Ala. Toledo vs. Appalachian State
New Orleans Bowl Dec. 17 (9 p.m.) New Orleans Southern Miss vs. UL Lafayette

Miami Beach Bowl Dec. 19 (2:30 p.m.) Miami, Fla. Tulsa vs. Central Michigan

Boca Raton Bowl Dec. 20 (7 p.m.) Boca Raton, Fla. Memphis vs. Western Kentucky

Poinsettia Bowl Dec. 21 (9 p.m.) San Diego, Calif. BYU vs. Wyoming

Potato Bowl Dec. 22 (7 p.m.) Boise, Idaho Colorado State vs. Idaho

Bahamas Bowl Dec. 23 (1 p.m.) Nassau, Bahamas Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan
Armed Forces Bowl Dec. 23 (4:30 p.m.) Fort Worth, Tex. Louisiana Tech vs. Navy
Dollar General Bowl Dec. 23 (8 p.m.) Mobile, Ala. Ohio vs. Troy

Hawai'i Bowl Dec. 24 (8 p.m.) Honolulu, Hawaii Middle Tennessee vs. Hawaii

St. Pete Bowl Dec. 26 (11 a.m.) St. Petersburg, Fla. Miami (OH) vs. Mississippi State
Quick Lane Bowl Dec. 26 (2:30 p.m.) Detroit, Mich. Boston College vs. Maryland
Independence Bowl Dec. 26 (5 p.m.) Shreveport, La. NC State vs. Vanderbilt

Heart of Dallas Bowl Dec. 27 (12 p.m.) Dallas, Tex. Army vs. North Texas
Military Bowl Dec. 27 (3:30 p.m.) Annapolis, Md. Temple vs. Wake Forest
Holiday Bowl Dec. 27 (7 p.m.) San Diego, Calif. Washington State vs. Minnesota
Cactus Bowl Dec. 27 (10:15 p.m.) Phoenix, Ariz. Baylor vs. Boise State

Pinstripe Bowl Dec. 28 (2 p.m.) Bronx, N.Y. Northwestern vs. Pittsburgh
Russell Athletic Bowl Dec. 28 (5:30 p.m.) Orlando, Fla. Miami (FL) vs. West Virginia
Foster Farms Bowl Dec. 28 (8:30 p.m.) Santa Clara, Calif. Indiana vs. Utah
Texas Bowl Dec. 28 (9 p.m.) Houston, Tex. Kansas State vs. Texas A&M

Birmingham Bowl Dec. 29 (2 p.m.) Birmingham, Ala. USF vs. South Carolina
Belk Bowl Dec. 29 (5;30 p.m.) Charlotte, N.C. Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas
Alamo Bowl Dec. 29 (9 p.m.) San Antonio, Tex. Oklahoma State vs. Colorado

Liberty Bowl Dec. 30 (12 p.m.) Memphis, Tenn. TCU vs. Georgia
Sun Bowl Dec. 30 (2 p.m.) El Paso, Tex. North Carolina vs. Stanford
Music City Bowl Dec. 30 (3:30 p.m.) Nashville, Tenn. Nebraska vs. Tennessee
Arizona Bowl Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m.) Tucson, Ariz. Air Force vs. South Alabama
Orange Bowl Dec. 30 (8 p.m.) Miami, Fla. Florida State (ACC) vs. Michigan (SEC/Big Ten/ND)

Citrus Bowl Dec. 31 (11 a.m.) Orlando, Fla. LSU vs. Louisville
TaxSlayer Bowl Dec. 31 (11 a.m.) Jacksonville, Fla. Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky
Peach Bowl Dec. 31 (3 p.m.) Atlanta, Ga. (1) Alabama vs. (4) Washington
Fiesta Bowl Dec. 31 (8:30 p.m.) Glendale, Ariz. (2) Clemson vs. (3) Ohio State

Cotton Bowl Jan. 2 (1 p.m.) Arlington, Tex. Western Michigan (At-large) vs. Wisconsin (At-large)
Outback Bowl Jan. 2 (1 p.m.) Tampa, Fla. Florida vs. Iowa
Rose Bowl Jan. 2 (5 p.m.) Pasadena, Calif. Penn State (Big Ten) vs. USC (Pac-12)
Sugar Bowl Jan. 2 (8:30 p.m.) New Orleans, La. Oklahoma (Big 12) vs. Auburn (SEC)

I love these bowl games. Only Mia, Oh vs Miss St and Air Force vs S Bama am I not excited about. Edit and Army vs North Texas that is a rematch from this year, NT beat them in West Point.

[Edited on 12/4/2016 by nebish]

Yeah, this is a fun time of the year. My buddies and I have a pool we do where we pick all of the bowl games against the spreads. It has gotten somewhat ridiculous given how many there are now but it is still a lot of fun!

Some of the lines are out for big games, you see some of these?

Michigan -7 vs Florida St
Alabama -15 vs Washington
Ohio St-3 vs Clemson
Wisconsin -7.5 vs Western Michigan
USC -7 vs Penn St
Oklahoma -5 vs Auburn

Man, I know how good Alabama is, but over 2 TDs to UW....I really like Washington with those points. I think the Michigan St game last year may have had a large influence on where they opened this number at. Bama is a beast, but that price is too high I think.

On a lesser level I like FSU and Oklahoma. Oklahoma D is a concern vs just about everybody. Malzahn with a month to work on the O vs that D....maybe I don't like the Sooners after all. Really interested to see Michigan's D vs FSU. I like this FSU team, their OL is their biggest weakness however. I tend to think Nole D matches up ok vs Michigan O...FSU D has been a liability at times this year. Wonder if Darwin James can return for the bowl or if he is still out for the year?

The only underdog of those that I MIGHT consider picking is Washington. I hope I am wrong on Western Michigan.

The funny thing about some of these bowls is sometimes teams can have a letdown if they think they have been slighted on where they went.

The only underdog of those that I MIGHT consider picking is Washington. I hope I am wrong on Western Michigan.

The funny thing about some of these bowls is sometimes teams can have a letdown if they think they have been slighted on where they went.

That is true. When Alabama lost to Utah and Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl they appeared disinterested. Other teams have failed to show up for bowl season.

Bowls are really their own season in and of themselves.

I will say however, that two teams recently that got snubbed by playoff committee showed up in their bowl games with a purpose...Stanford last year and TCU two years ago.

Really hard to guess, who will want to play and who will be looking towards the NFL or whatever else is ahead of them.

Wisconsin would appear to be a classic example of a team that could let down in the bowl given the opponent they are facing. Western Michigan on the other hand could not be happier. Cotton bowl was their goal in the summer, they campaigned for it and got it. Will have to think they show up 100%.

I can't believe Jabrill Peppers is going to be in NY among the Heisman finalists. The award is really just a dog and pony show, but man, the most overhyped player I can remember. The on the field results do not equal the hype. Was he even on the field vs Ohio St?

If this award was for the best player in college football (PLAYER), then I can see him getting an invite. How many players have more different talents? Offense, defense, returning kicks, kick blocking, etc.

But as you said, it is a dog & pony show so unless he wants a free trip to The Big Apple, I would stay home if I were him.

He is versatile in the things they ask him to do, but he has absolutely no meaningful impact on offense and his kick/punt return skills are on average with many other college players. He is a good hybrid LB-S type with good coverage and blitzing ability, but this again is on average with many defensive players in the nation.

I think if he had some key plays vs Ohio St that they may have still invited him, but he was almost invisible in that game so I thought his ship had sailed.

For Michigan it is the result of a good PR campaign. And ESPN probably wants Harbaugh there as much as anything else.

In terms of who should be there if we wanted the best defensive players from the Big Ten let's say, I'd be more pleased with any of the Wisconsin LBs, or Malik Hooker from Ohio St just to name something off the top of my head.

The award really means less and less to me...and it didn't mean much to start with. I just feel that people are going to get the wrong impression that Jabrill Peppers is really something special this season...his hype is something special...his play is good, just like about 3 or 4 dozen other players who play the game. If the criteria for the award is "the player who plays the most positions" then Peppers has a leg up on that. If the criteria is "the most outstanding player" then I don't know how he qualifies.

His ship has sailed? Seriously? He's what, 20 years old? Sailed? 😮