Whole Agg’ of tricks
A&M’s upset win over Alabama opens door to all possibilities
FIVE Big Ten teams remain in play. The Pac-12, Big 12 and AAC all have teams that have a case to make. The SEC’s annual hope of two entrants is still possible.
Halfway through the regular season, the College Football Playoff picture is muddy. We can all thank Texas A&M and gutsy backup quarterback Zach Calzada for the potential chaos — is there a word college football fans enjoy more? — that looms.
Alabama’s stunning loss — its first defeat since Nov. 30, 2019, the first time it fell to an unranked opponent dating to Nov. 17, 2007 against UL Monroe, a span of 101 games, Nick Saban’s first defeat to a former assistant coach in 25 contests — was one of the most unpredictable results in a very long time.
Under Saban, the former No. 1 doesn’t lose games like this. Not to a backup quarterback. Not to a team that was on its heels like Texas A&M, which was a 19-point underdog, blew a 31-17 lead and seemed ready to accept the hardfought loss. Instead, Calzada, who entered the year the backup quarterback and has taken a lot of heat for his play after starter Haynes King went down, responded by leading the Aggies to 10 points in the final three minutes. He shook off what looked like a bad leg injury on the game-tying touchdown pass to lead A&M to the gamewinning field-goal drive at the buzzer.
Now Alabama likely needs to win out to reach the SEC title game. The Crimson Tide are not unbeatable. They nearly fell to two-loss Florida and couldn’t finish off the Aggies. Really, the only team that hasn’t shown vulnerability this year is the new No. 1, undefeated Georgia, which slaughtered Arkansas and Auburn in backto-back weeks, 71-10, despite the absence due to injury of starting quarterback JT Daniels.
The Big Ten is set for a fantastic finish, with five teams ranked in the top 10 of the latest Associated Press poll for the first time ever. Big Ten East powers Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Ohio State play each other six times the rest of the way. The survivor should meet undefeated Iowa in the title game.
Oregon, despite its ugly loss to pedestrian Stanford, can still make a case if it avoids another defeat thanks to its road win at improving Ohio State. Cincinnati is undefeated, has a road win over one-loss Notre Dame and is firmly in the conversation as the potential first Group of Five school to reach the playoff. Then there is Oklahoma, an unimpressive 6-0, but 6-0 nevertheless. It’s hard to envision an undefeated Big 12 school not making it.
Alabama’s loss opened so many possibilities without closing any doors. A two-loss qualifier isn’t impossible. Would anyone be surprised to see Alabama make it if it played Georgia tight in the title game? Two Big Ten teams could happen. What if currently undefeated Iowa drops a close Big Ten title game to the Big Ten East winner?
Chaos now seems realistic, adding significant intrigue to the regular season. Take a bow, Texas A&M. This doesn’t happen without you.
A big pile of Bull’
Just peruse the numbers. Look at the results. Ignore history. If this was Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State, everyone would be installing Georgia as a heavy national championship favorite. Instead, despite the Bulldogs’ consistent dominance, they aren’t being given the credit their performance warrants.
Georgia has played six games, has scored 239 points and allowed 33. It has walloped two quality opponents, Auburn and Arkansas, without Daniels. Its defense doesn’t give up points. The offense is productive. There is talent everywhere.
If you’re going to say Kirby Smart’s team hasn’t truly been tested, that Auburn and Arkansas now each have two losses, go look at what everyone else is doing, how close to losing so many traditional top teams are coming on an almost weekly basis. Georgia’s one close victory, a 10-3 win over Clemson to start the season, wasn’t nearly as competitive as the score indicated. It never felt in danger.
Georgia is the odds-on favorite. Forget how it disappointed in big spots in past seasons.
LSU flashback
LSU’s perfect 2019 season seems harder to believe the further away it gets. Since, Ed Orgeron’s Tigers are 8-8. Discounting that 15-0 year, LSU is 33-17 under Orgeron and 21-14 in the SEC. He’s now changed coordinators multiple times and has yet to find the right fits. LSU still has five ranked opponents on its schedule after it was overwhelmed by No. 11 Kentucky on Saturday. The school’s first losing season in 22 years is likely. That 3-8 year led to Saban’s arrival on the Bayou. A coaching change may be coming after this year as well.