Welcome back to my weekly column, A Look Around the Country. I’m highlighting notable games from the previous week, the week ahead and of course, the Heisman and Playoff race. Special features include an in-depth look at the Ohio State and a Michigan update, mainly for folks to bask in their misfortunes. Feel free to comment with your opinions, I hope you enjoy!
Notable Games Last Week
Florida 27, Georgia 3
The Gators will be on their way to the SEC Championship game soon due to the sorry East Division. Mark Richt will likely get booted out of Athens by the end of the season adding to the already growing list of schools looking for a new coach. If Florida is able to win out including at the Georgia Dome, they will be in the playoffs.
Big Games This Week
Florida State at Clemson
Fresh off their brand new Number 1 playoff ranking, Clemson will look to avoid the upset as the Seminoles come to town. The Tigers control their own destiny at this point and with their remaining schedule, they have arguably the easiest remaining road to the playoff. But with Florida State, you never know what will happen so expect a good one.
Saturday, November 7 at 3:30pm on ABC
TCU at Oklahoma State
The Battle of the Unbeatens will take place in Stillwater and if you like points, then you will like this game. Both teams have the talent to put up 70+ points per game and with the defenses that will be featured; I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens. Either way, one of these team’s playoff bubble will burst on Saturday.
Saturday, November 7 at 3:30pm on FOX
LSU at Alabama
We can hate on the SEC all we want, but I have been looking forward to this game all season. Alabama will have the upper hand since it is being played at Bryant-Denny but with LSU wielding the man-child, Leonard Fournette, I just cannot see the Bayou Bengals losing this one. In any case, the winner of this game sets themselves up for a clear playoff berth as long as they win out. The winner likely plays Florida in the SEC Title game and I don’t see either team losing to the Gators. Buckle up for a great one.
Saturday, November 7 at 8pm on CBS
Minnesota at Ohio State
The big storyline for this game will be the absence of J.T. Barrett because of his suspension for OVI. Cardale Jones will get to start but many speculate that Braxton Miller will see reps at QB. That will remain to be seen but the offense will still be focused around feeding Zeke and getting the ball to our playmakers out in space. I expect the Buckeyes to do that and they will pull away early in the second quarter. The defense is still playing great behind the play of Raekwon McMillan and Joey Bosa, among others. After this bout with the Golden Gophers, all that remains for the regular season is the Illibuck and 2 Michigans.
Saturday, November 7 at 8pm on ABC
Michigan Update
The Wolverines were able to bounce back with a win over Minnesota even though they probably should have lost if it were not for the horrible coaching decisions down the stretch by the Gophers. The only games that separate Michigan from their game with Ohio State are Rutgers, Indiana, and Penn State. It is starting to get real.
Heisman Watch
1. Leonard Fournette, LSU
2. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
3. Trevone Boykin, TCU
4. Deshaun Watson, Clemson
5. Derrick Henry, Alabama
My Playoff if the Season Ended Today
*Editor’s Note: This will be a volatile poll every week based on performance in the past week and resume to date, very similar to the Playoff Committee.
1. Ohio State
2. Baylor
3. Clemson
4. LSU
Just Missed the Cut
5. Michigan State
6. Alabama
7. TCU
8. Notre Dame
9. Iowa
10. Stanford
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