College Football Corner--Playoff possibilities...

Ohio State and Boston College both won key conference contests last weekend, while LSU stands strong at #3. The race for 1st or 2nd in the BCS continues—with one-loss Oregon and Oklahoma hoping for upsets while unbeatens Arizona State and Kansas looking for respect. There’s nothing quite like a two-team playoff with each school getting a month off…but enough about what’s wrong with college football’s postseason-- what’s the solution?

Glad you asked. An eight team tournament with BCS conference winners (six automatics) plus two wildcards advancing—and the at-large teams can include Mountain West, WAC, MAC, Conference USA and Sun Belt schools. This would
teams that win their league or near-misses (Michigan last year) as well as small schools having excellent years (Boise State in ’06). The first round would be played on a mid-December Saturday Mid-December (with noon, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm kickoffs) with winners advancing to New Year’s Day semifinal games…the title game would be played on the second Saturday of the new year. So obvious it won’t happen anytime soon—in fact, I’d settle for a four-team playoff.

MARYLAND against a talented Clemson squad (ranked as high as #12 this year) had a window of opportunity in the first quarter—up 3-0 and in Tiger Territory after a Cullen Harper fumble. But Chris Turner had problems hanging onto the football—fumbling at the Clemson 27—and the Tigers responded with four straight scoring drives to end the first half…ballgame.

UPSIDE—the Terps tallied a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to make this one respectable; Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball combined for 104 yards on 26 carries behind a patchwork offensive line… Chris Turner took his first major lumps as a starter (a lost fumble plus an interception) but finished strong (9-10, 127 yards in the fourth quarter)—and the sophomore is only going to get better.

DOWNSIDE—dropped passes on offense, missed tackles on defense. After gaining 72 yards in the first quarter, Maryland was held to 77 combined yards in the second and third periods. After converting three third downs on its first possession, the attack didn’t move the chains on third down again until the fourth quarter. The Terrapin defense had problems wrapping up James Davis and CJ Spiller—allowing each to reach the century mark (4th time for that tandem)—and surrendering 249 yards rushing. The offensive line remains a band-aid with duct tape and superglue.


VIRGINIA’s run as ACC Cinderella came to an end Saturday with a 29-24 loss to North Carolina State—this time it was the Cavaliers giving up a 4th quarter touchdown. So much for having the Coastal Division Title within their sights after Virginia Tech’s loss to Boston College (UVa doesn’t play the #2 Eagles this year)…must send myself a memo to cancel production of “Cardiac Cavalier” T-shirts.

UPSIDE—there’s no chance the Cavs will overlook their final three opponents: #24 Wake Forest, Miami (legacy factor) and 11th rated Virginia Tech. Mikkail Simpson wasn’t as explosive as he was against Maryland but still tallied 116 total yards and two touchdowns—he’ll be a nice fit within this offense for some time.

DOWNSIDE—offensively, Jameel Sewell threw two interceptions and had to leave the game with leg cramps in the 4th quarter, cramping the Cavaliers’ hopes for a rally. The defense allowed a season-high 347 yards and three touchdowns passing to Wolfpack quarterback Daniel Evans and a season-high 112 yards rushing for Jamelle Eugene. The most frustrating aspect of Saturday’s loss was here was a streaking Cavalier team on the cusp of the national spotlight with a chance to move into the top ten—and they lost to an opponent that had yet to win in ACC play. Talk about a major window of opportunity missed.