The Other Guys - Week 11

[Phalanx]

Cougs win again. I wonder if they could get into the playoffs at 11-1.

[GrandpaDuck]

Cougs win again. I wonder if they could get into the playoffs at 11-1.

It would take 1 probably 2 Boise State losses. BSU's only loss is to #1 and they have a convincing victory over WSU head to head.

[squintsdd]

Cougs win again. I wonder if they could get into the playoffs at 11-1.

It would take 1 probably 2 Boise State losses. BSU's only loss is to #1 and they have a convincing victory over WSU head to head.

Considering WSU's only loss was a blowout to Boise State, I don't think BSU losing will help them. Their only chance really is to get a lot of help.

[Phalanx]

Penn State is going to climb a few spots in the rankings today and add to their playoff pedigree by virtue of their win over Washington. Washington is also one of the best teams Indiana has beaten this year.

Similarly, Colorado is being discussed as a possible playoff team after they beat Texas Tech this weekend to get to second in their conference.

The best teams Texas has beaten this year are Colorado State and Vanderbilt.

Washington State has wins over Washington and Texas Tech, and their only loss was to a playoff-bound team with a Heisman candidate. I'm just saying, 11-1 might deserve some consideration over some 3-loss SEC teams, if they don't Coug it.

[GrandpaDuck]

Penn State is going to climb a few spots in the rankings today and add to their playoff pedigree by virtue of their win over Washington. Washington is also one of the best teams Indiana has beaten this year.

Similarly, Colorado is being discussed as a possible playoff team after they beat Texas Tech this weekend to get to second in their conference.

The best teams Texas has beaten this year are Colorado State and Vanderbilt.

Washington State has wins over Washington and Texas Tech, and their only loss was to a playoff-bound team with a Heisman candidate. I'm just saying, 11-1 might deserve some consideration over some 3-loss SEC teams, if they don't Coug it.

So you're thinking both WSU and Boise State in the 12. Gotcha. As a PAC-12 fan I hope they do make it over a 3 loss SEC. Best hope for WSU would be for Clemson or Miami to tank so only one ACC makes it in and only 1 Big-12.

[Phalanx]

I think the best hope is further chaos in the SEC and a playoff committee that wants a little better regional representation. How ridiculous is it that Georgia loses and instead of LESS teams in the playoff field, the SEC now gets MORE. Also, I imagine a playoff berth couldn't hurt for the new PAC's future.

[StevensTechU]

Wazzu isn't playing for a conference championship and isn't a G5 team, so they'd have to get in as an at-large. A Boise State loss would hurt them, not help, as WSU can't get the G5 spot. They likely need to end the season ranked #8-9. That's basically impossible.

[duckpoint]

What I've not heard anyone talk about;

#1 team in the Big 10 - last year was PAC 12.

#1 team in the SEC - last year was Big 12.

#1 team in the Big 12 - (BYU) is only in its second year in the conference & the #2 team was in the PAC 12 last year.

#1 team in the ACC - SMU (tie w/Miami) last year was AAC.

While the BIG 12 has been poached by the Big 10 & SEC over recent years & the ACC has just been on the decline, the perceived dominance of the Big 10 & SEC & the 4 remaining majors overall, touted by the talking heads of recent years is getting a dose of reality.

[Phalanx]

I don't know why they would have to finish 8-9, unless all four conference champs finished outside of the top 12, which isn't going to happen. The big 10 champ will be in the top 5, and you know the SEC will have a representative there as well, just because. BYU was already 9th last week before they beat Utah, all they would have to do is keep winning and beat Colorado. The ACC is a bit more complicated now that Miami lost, but if they beat Wake and Syracuse and SMU beats some similarly middling teams to close out the season, that champion will likely be in the top 10 as well with only one loss. So then, the only team pushing down the rankings is Boise State, and they were already ranked 12 in the last playoff poll. If they climb into the top 10 as well, Wazzu could actually climb to 12th and make it in. This all seems really doable; what am I missing? The question will come down to just how many 2-loss SEC teams they let in.

The Cougs were 21st in the last poll. 3 teams ahead of them lost this week, so they might get to 18th. From there, off the top of my head,If SMU loses to Miami in the conference championship, and A&M loses to Texas, and Colorado loses to BYU that's three more spots they might climb without anything unexpected happening. They would need to pass Kansas State, and then two more teams. They probably can't pass those two teams (most likely Notre Dame and the SEC 5th place team), but it would make for some very interesting conversations, especially since the Cougs would have a better record than the teams they were trying to pass.

[squintsdd]

I'm going to say that Miami, Georgia, and army all lose before the end of the regular season. If that were to happen would any of them be dropped below WSU? Also, I'm gonna go on limb and say Alabama struggles against mercer, pulling it out in the 4th.

[Phalanx]

On another note, it seems that the Utah AD took exception to a defensive holding call at the end of the BYU game that bailed BYU out of a 4th and 10 in the shadow of their own end zone. Beyond the normal 'the Refs are Terrible' diatribe (the guy who made the call looks suspiciously like a Pac 12 ref), there seems to be an implied threat regarding Utah's membership in the conference.

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It made me wonder if perhaps the Pac 12, who needs one more team to remain a conference, is making some kind of offer to them to come back. If it was the coach, I would probably just ignore it, but the AD is in front of a microphone saying this for some reason. If a team is halfway good, the Pac could be a really nice way to get into the playoffs every year. I'm not saying that's what the AD meant, but the motive to at least use the Pac as leverage when talking to the Big 12 commissioner is obvious.

[OregonFan4Life]

Can’t blame the Utah AD, granted Utah still had other chances and they lost those other chances, but that defensive hold on the 4th and 10 stop was a terrible call and the flag came in late, it looked really shady. Just add this to the list of examples as to why we need an independent organization to oversee officiating with officials having to answer to the press after games.

[UOducksTK1]

Can’t blame the Utah AD, granted Utah still had other chances and they lost those other chances, but that defensive hold on the 4th and 10 stop was a terrible call and the flag came in late, it looked really shady. Just add this to the list of examples as to why we need an independent organization to oversee officiating with officials having to answer to the press after games.

It was a bad call, but he should be more worried at not having a coaching staff that can get a decent QB behind Rising. Rising has been struggling with staying healthy for years…

[Phalanx]

Ha! I was right, that was a Pac 12 ref.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_IHj8u7rKM

"That's why we fired you in the Pac 12" - Mark Harlan

To me, there is a difference between a bad call and a call made at a bad time. This call is a lot like the OPI call vs Ohio State. They aren't terrible calls under normal circumstances, but they really had a large affect on the outcome of the game and should also be evaluated on that basis as well. Refs should probably keep their laundry in their pocket more often than not at the end of games.

Anyway, Jomboy does a good job explaining why Utah fans (including Harlan) got bent out of shape over the sequence of several events in a row. I still suspect Harlan has a Pac offer in his pocket that is making him feel okay about bellying up to a microphone and talking like a drunk fan. Not a very good look for the school, in any case.

[Duck07]

I still suspect Harlan has a Pac offer in his pocket that is making him feel okay about bellying up to a microphone and talking like a drunk fan. Not a very good look for the school, in any case.

So if this is the case, it would make you wonder how many schools Utah might also bring to the Pac 12 from the Mountain West hold-outs since I think they still need to add another school as well.

I've also thought that Cal and Stanford are likely to end up in the Pac 12 again once the ACC figures itself out and everybody agrees its a terrible fit.