For many, it’s all over
Georgia’s Richt among those to receive pink slips
1 Big programs make big changes on Black Sunday. It’s a familiar occurrence this time of year as coaches get the pink slip following regularseason finales, and this year was no different. A cavalcade of jobs opened up. Rutgers, Virginia, Tulane and, most surprisingly, Georgia are looking for new coaches, and others could follow their lead.
2 LSU made the right decision in keeping Les Miles. From the very start, the situation surrounding the Tigers coach contained all the elements of a Shakespearean play. Luckily this one turned out to be more of a comedy than a tragedy after AD Joe Alleva announced Miles would continue to coach at LSU.
3 Is it too early to declare a Heisman Trophy winner? Alabama’s Derrick Henry has been unstoppable this month. He has averaged 188 yards per game, including three games of at least 200 yards during victories over LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn. He’s on pace to become the SEC’s singleseason rushing leader.
4 November push propels Oklahoma into playoff. If the Sooners were going to win the Big 12, they were going to have to earn it. They did with victories over Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State in a three-week span. Now, Bob Stoops’ team hopes to win the battle of perception and earn a spot in the playoff top four.
5 Notre Dame left wondering “what if ” after close loss. A plethora of injuries up and down the roster coupled with several crucial mistakes at inopportune times pushed Notre Dame out of the playoff picture. The Irish’s last-second loss to Stanford sealed their fate late Saturday.
6 Perhaps Ezekiel Elliott was right after all. The Ohio State running back called out his coaches for not making him a bigger factor in the offense during the Buckeyes’ loss to Michigan State. Well, Urban Meyer listened and Elliott had a season-high 30 carries for 217 yards and two scores during a rout of rival Michigan Saturday.
7 The Big Ten is counting on Iowa or Michigan State to win the national title. One of these two teams will more than likely wind up playing in the playoff semifinals, giving the Big Ten a shot at another championship. Not too bad when you consider how the league has recently been criticized and compared unfavorably to conferences such as the SEC and Pac-12.
8 Is anyone else looking forward to the ACC Championship? Top-ranked Clemson faces one of the hottest teams in the country in North Carolina, with the Tigers opening up as a mere five-point favorites versus the Tar Heels with a spot in the playoff semifinals hanging the balance for Dabo Swinney’s bunch.
9 Jim McElwain is some kind of magician. The Florida coach has done a pretty good job of misdirection this season, keeping people distracted from an inept offense and an absent kicking game by showcasing a stellar defense. The Gators were considered a playoff contender, but that quickly disappeared after a loss to rival FSU exposed Florida’s many weaknesses.
10 There are way too many bowl games. There are a record 40 bowl games this season and after this weekend, only 75 bowl-eligible teams — meaning there will be a handful of 5-7 teams that will get a reprieve and be allowed to play this postseason. So being a sub-.500 team is now a good thing?