College Football 24-25: Week 12 Review

Conference Title Game Outlook
ACC- SMU is in the driver's seat for Charlotte after holding off Boston College. The Mustangs are the lone undefeated ACC team in conference play, leaving them a win over Virginia away from punching their ticket. Miami is most likely to take the second spot in the game, with only Wake Forest and Syracuse left to play. Clemson, who also has one conference loss, has completed their conference slate at 7-1, meaning they would need a Miami loss in one of their last two games, or an SMU loss to Virginia and a lot more help. It's looking like it'll be SMU vs. Miami, but Clemson isn't dead yet.

Big Ten- The Oregon Ducks clinched their spot in the Big Ten title game by the skin of their teeth, coming from behind to beat Wisconsin on the road, 16-13. This moves the Ducks to 8-0 in conference play with one game remaining. Their opponent is up in the air, but the picture will get clearer once Ohio State and Indiana play next week. One team will be guaranteed their first conference loss, putting the winner in prime position to meet the Ducks. The Buckeyes have to win both games to get in after losing to Oregon earlier in the season. Indiana needs to win out, including a win in Columbus next weekend, and get some help, as does Penn State. 

Big 12- Kansas' upset victory over BYU muddied the waters for the Big 12 title game. BYU and Colorado are now tied atop the conference, with Arizona State, who surprised Kansas State, and Iowa State one game back. It's simply "win and you're in" for BYU and Colorado, but there is a scenario where all four teams are tied at the end of the day. For college football's sake, Colorado needs to be in the title game. Having two of its most electric players competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff would be huge. The Buffs have to face upset-minded Kansas in Lawrence next weekend before ending the season with Oklahoma State at home. 

SEC- Right now, Texas and Texas A&M sit with one conference loss each. However, the two will meet in College State to conclude the regular season, meaning one will end the season with two losses. Assuming both win next week (Texas A&M at Auburn, and Texas is at home against Kentucky), the winner of their meeting will make the title game. The loser will be in a tie with four others (Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Ole Miss) with two losses. Georgia has locked in their 6-2 SEC record, so they can't improve or worsen their spot. Tennessee only has Vanderbilt left in conference play in two weeks. Alabama is in Norman next week and hosting Auburn to finish the season. Ole Miss, who is likely out of it right now, is in Florida and home against Mississippi State on Black Friday. 

AAC- This is the only conference title game locked in after Week 12. With Tulane's 35-0 victory over Navy, the Green Wave clinched a spot in the title game for themselves and Army, who was off this week. It'll mark Army's first conference title game, though they'll still have their meeting with Navy on the other side of it. 

C-USA- Four teams remain in the hunt in Conference USA, led by Jacksonville State at 6-0. All four teams will play two of the other three remaining schools over the final two weeks. The Gamecocks, who have won seven in a row overall, hold a one-game lead over Sam Houston and Western Kentucky, who are their scheduled opponents for the final two weeks of the regular season. Jacksonville State and Western Kentucky just need one win to get in. If they both win next week, their meeting in the finale will determine who hosts the title game. Sam Houston and Liberty would need to win out. 

MWC- Boise State remains in control of its destiny after overcoming a slow start against San Jose State. Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty has the Broncos a win away from clinching their spot in the title game, with a berth in the College Football Playoff in play. Their most likely opponent will be Colorado State, who is also undefeated in conference play with two games left. Should Colorado State falter, UNLV is right behind them with one loss.

MAC- The MAC-tion is still intense as six teams sit within a game of each other. Miami (OH), Ohio, and Bowling Green all sit with one loss, though Bowling Green and Miami (OH) still have a meeting to close the season. Western Michigan, Buffalo, and Toledo are all a game behind, so it's still anyone's race.

Sun Belt- Marshall and Louisiana sit atop their respective divisions, though both have several teams within striking distance. Neither team has much room for error. Marshall's lone loss came to Georgia Southern, who is one of the teams right behind them. The Thundering Herd will have nothing to worry about if they win out, but one loss and Georgia Southern winning out would dethrone them. Louisiana's one loss is also right behind them, but Louisiana has a little more room given who South Alabama has lost to. I don't think the current matchup changes, but a shake-up could lead to complete chaos.

My Top 25
1. Oregon (11-0)
2. Ohio State (9-1)
3. Texas (9-1)
4. Indiana (10-0)
5. Penn State (9-1)
6. Notre Dame (9-1)
7. Georgia (8-2)
8. Alabama (8-2)
9. Ole Miss (8-2)
10. Tennessee (8-2)
11. Miami (9-1)
12. Boise State (9-1)
13. SMU (9-1)
14. Army (9-0)
15. Clemson (8-2)
16. BYU (9-1)
17. Colorado (8-2)
18. Tulane (9-2)
19. South Carolina (7-3)
20. Arizona State (8-2)
21. Texas A&M (8-2)
22. Memphis (9-2)
23. Iowa State (8-2)
24. UNLV (8-2)
25. Washington State (8-2)

My 12-Team Playoff
1. Oregon (Big Ten) 
2. Texas (SEC)
3. Miami (ACC)
4. BYU (Big 12)

5. Ohio State (Big Ten) vs. 12. Boise State (MWC)
6. Indiana (Big Ten) vs. 11. Ole Miss (SEC)
7. Penn State (Big Ten) vs. 10. Alabama (SEC)
8. Notre Dame (IND) vs. 9. Georgia (SEC)

13. Tennessee
14. SMU
15. Army

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2023-24 Regular Season, Game 29: Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings (Postgame)

After picking up their first win on the road trip on Tuesday night in Ottawa, the Hurricanes looked to finish the road journey with a win in Detroit to build some momentum before heading home. With the Red Wings dealing with injuries and suspensions, the Canes tried to build on their excellent game against the Senators. Meanwhile, Detroit hoped to stay afloat with key contributors out of the lineup.  Scoring Summary 1st Period CAR (4:48)- Jack Drury (4) (assisted by Stefan Noesen (9) & Martin Necas (14)) 2nd Period DET (5:20)- Michael Rasmussen (7) (assisted by Andrew Copp (9) & Jonathan Berggren (2)) CAR (11:49)- Jordan Staal (4) (assisted by Jesper Fast (5) & Brett Pesce (3)) 3rd Period None My Thoughts It's almost unfathomable to look at the Canes' 2-4-0 record on this trip and acknowledge that it's the same mark they had on their first long trip of the season after Opening Night. If you'd told me the Canes had identical records on those two trips without...
Read more

"Old Habits Die Hard:" 2024-25 Regular Season, Game 37: Hurricanes at Columbus Blue Jackets

For the final time in 2024, the Hurricanes hit the ice. For their New Year's Eve battle, they traveled to Columbus for their third meeting of the campaign against the Blue Jackets. With a split through two meetings, the goal was to keep Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski in check to earn two big points before the end of the year. Using Saturday's win over the Devils as a launching point, Sebastian Aho and the top line might have something special in store to ring in the New Year. Scoring Summary 1st Period CBJ (4:48)- Kirill Marchenko (15) (Sean Monahan (21) & Denton Mateychuk (1)) CAR (9:59)- Ty Smith (1) PP (Sebastian Aho (27) & Martin Necas (31)) CBJ (15:43)- Kirill Marchenko (16) (Dmitri Voronkov (11) & Sean Monahan (22)) 2nd Period CAR (5:47)- Jack Roslovic (17) (Seth Jarvis (16) & Sebastian Aho (28)) CAR (8:18)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (6) (Eric Robinson (11)) 3rd Period CBJ (4:58)- Dmitri Voronkov (13) PP (Sean Monahan (23) & Zach Werenski (29)) Overtime N...
Read more

2024-25 Regular Season, Game 3 Preview: Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Penguins

The Hurricanes found their way into the win column on Tuesday night, beating the Devils 4-2 for their first victory of the season. After allowing a goal to Jack Hughes early in the second period, the Hurricanes scored three unanswered. Seth Jarvis and Shayne Gostisbehere put the Canes ahead through 40 minutes before Jackson Blake redirected a shot midway through the third period for his first NHL goal. Nico Hischier scored during a 5-on-3, but Sebastian Aho iced the game late into the empty net to secure the victory. Pyotr Kochetkov earned the win, outdueling Jacob Markstrom by making 24 stops. The Hurricanes now embark on a six-game journey as the State Fair rolls into town. The first stop on the trip will be their lone meeting with a conference opponent. The Opponent: Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-0, 6 Points This Season) Not much about the Pittsburgh Penguins changed during the offseason. Reilly Smith is the most notable addition to the team, but they are largely the same team they have ...
Read more