Playoff picture starts to come into focus
Alabama is on top of its game.
Coach Nick Saban may have been home in quarantine due to his second positive COVID-19 test of the season, but Alabama, No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, didn’t need him as the Crimson Tide turned in another impressive performance against rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Mac Jones threw five touchdowns passes — two to DeVonta Smith — and the defense limited the Tigers to 13 points in the win.
Notre Dame is hungry for a playoff opportunity.
Three days removed from earning the No. 2 spot in the first CFP rankings, Notre Dame avoided a letdown by leaning on its defense to shut down North Carolina and move one step closer to the ACC championship game. A win over Syracuse next week would help seal the Irish’s likely rematch with Clemson in the title game.
Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence hasn’t lost a beat despite a layoff.
For someone who hadn’t played competitive football since Oct. 24, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence showed little signs of rust against Pittsburgh on Saturday, passing for 403 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Tigers on seven scoring drives in a blowout win over the Panthers.
Ohio State’s biggest test remains off the field.
A cluster of positive COVID-19 test results at Ohio State forced the cancellation of Saturday’s game against Illinois and the pause of all athletic activities at the school. It was the second game the Buckeyes lost to the coronavirus. Ohio State now might not be able to play enough games to qualify for the Big Ten championship game.
Florida tight end Kyle Pitts should get Heisman consideration.
Pitts has been an integral part of Florida’s success this season, with
the Gators’ tight end second on the team with 513 yards and 11 touchdowns. While it’s difficult for anyone other than a quarterback or running back to win the Heisman Trophy, Pitts’ contributions shouldn’t go unnoticed as Florida pushes for an SEC title and playoff semifinal bid.
Cincinnati’s playoff hopes got a little brighter.
Cincinnati did not play Temple on Saturday due to COVID-19 exposure within the Owls’ program, but the Bearcats may have come out as big winners with Ohio State canceling a game and Northwestern’s losing to Michigan State. Add a ho-hum performance by Texas A&M, and Cincinnati’s door to a semifinals bid opened a bit wider.
The Pac-12 came late to the playoff party and left early with Oregon’s loss.
With a limited schedule of just seven games, the margin of error for the Pac-12 was already razor thin. When No. 15 Oregon unexpectedly lost to rival Oregon State on Friday night, the league’s best team effectively was knocked out playoff semifinal consideration.
Tom Herman has a Texas-sized problem. Texas suffered a disap
pointing loss to Iowa State on Friday, knocking the Longhorns out of contention for the Big 12 championship with two games remaining. It’s the latest setback for a program that hasn’t won a conference title since 2009 and immediately turned up the heat on Herman, who hasn’t been able to return the Texas program to former glory.
Sarah Fuller makes history at Vanderbilt. In a season that has featured far too few bright spots, one of the feel-good stories has to be Sarah Fuller, who became the first female to participate in a Power Five conference football game when the Vanderbilt soccer player stepped on the field for the Commodores and executed a squib kick against Missouri.
Eight is great for Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson.
During another historic moment Saturday, Buffalo running back Jaret Patterson tied an NCAA single-game record with eight rushing touchdowns and 409 yards rushing in the Bulls’ 70-41 victory over Kent State. Patterson tied a record held by former Illinois running back Howard Griffith, who set the mark on Sept. 22, 1990, against Southern Illinois.