Tuesday, October 20, 2015

What we've learned at the halfway point of the college football season

Incredible catches. Thrilling runs. Bone-crunching hits. Upsets. Blowouts. Shocking losses. Shocking wins.

Jubilation. Melancholy.

Ah, college football. This much we know. But now that the season has reached its halfway point, what have we learned that we didn't know back in August?

ACC
What we thought we knew: Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech would give the ACC three legitimate Playoff contenders.
What we learned: Georgia Tech, losers of five straight and in danger of not even being bowl eligible, was a big fat fraud. Clemson and FSU remain the class of the league, while everyone else plays catch-up. One-loss Duke, UNC and Pitt are vying for the Coastal crown and could help improve the ACC's image.

Big Ten
Michigan State escaped the Big House with a play for the ages.
(Photo courtesy Getty Images)
What we thought we knew: Ohio State didn't just have "The Best Damn Band in the Land," but also the "Best Damn Team in the Land." The Buckeyes had Nov. 21 circled as their premier game of the season against Michigan State.
What we learned: OSU has yet to put together a complete game and is no longer the unanimous No. 1 team. In fact, some have them on the outside looking in for the College Football Playoff. Michigan is lightyears ahead of schedule under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. Now, the Bucks have Nov. 21 and Nov. 28 circled. Sparty needed a blunder in the Big House to stay unbeaten, but miracles sometimes have to happen along the way to a miraculous season.

Big 12
What we thought we knew: TCU and Baylor might be two of the best teams in the country. Someone from the Big 12 will step up, though, and give them a run for their money. However, it won't be until November until we find out anything about the upper-echelon of the Big 12.
What we learned: TCU and Baylor still might be two of the best teams in the country. Only one other undefeated team remains: Oklahoma State. Do the Pokes have what it takes? November is still half a month away, so stay tuned...

Pac-12
What we thought we knew: Oregon would take a step back after losing Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota to the NFL. USC and UCLA could step up and lead the South back to prominence.
What we learned: Oregon didn't just take a step back, it fell off a cliff. There is a team from the South Division that starts with "U" that looks the part of a national title contender, but it's neither USC nor UCLA. Welcome to the show, Utah.

SEC
What we thought we knew: Alabama, Auburn and Georgia would be unstoppable - except of course against each other. Arkansas and Tennessee were darkhorses in their respective divisions.
What we learned: Alabama lost. Auburn and Georgia lost twice. Only one unbeaten stands tall in the all-the-sudden normal SEC: that's Leonard Fournette-led LSU. The Fightin' Jim McElwain's (Gators) are ahead of schedule, but the conference is lacking that pop its TV-rights owner likes to tell you it has. Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi State have one quality win between them (Tennessee over Georgia), and all three are once again "a year away."

Independents
What we thought we knew: Notre Dame and BYU could be X-factors in the Playoff race.
What we learned: Notre Dame, aside from a wild loss in a hurricane in Death Valley, still could run the table and have a shot at one of the Top 4 spots. BYU's magic ran out after a couple Hail Mary's (er, Joseph Smith's?).

Group of 5
What we thought we knew: Houston and Boise State were the best chances for this group to crash the party.
What we learned: Houston still has a good shot, but the Broncos chances ended with a horrible loss to Utah State. Joining the Cougars now are fellow undefeated AAC members Temple and Memphis. The Tigers turned the college football world upside down by manhandling Ole Miss, which weeks prior solved the Crimson Tide in the house the Bear built.

Closing thoughts
There are still 14 undefeated teams remaining in college football. Many of those still play each other, so the number will slowly decrease in the coming weeks. The best weekend of games appears to be Nov. 7, coincidentally the Saturday following the first poll released by the Playoff Committee. That weekend we'll see LSU at Alabama, FSU at Clemson, Duke at UNC, Notre Dame at Pitt, and TCU at Oklahoma State, among a few other intriguing games. At the very least, we'll know a lot more about a few conference races and who will still be alive for the coveted College Football Playoff.

-BtW

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