Brain Droppings

We're headed into the final month of the season and there is still so much to be decided. The number of one loss teams is starting to mount and the initial "playoff poll" comes out on Tuesday. The question is, how do you differentiate between losses. I see Oregon in a lot of people's playoff. Do you count that they lost at home to another one loss team while missing 4 offensive tackles? What about Auburn? They lost on the road to the current #1 team in the country. Michigan State lost the first week of their season to another playoff contender and likely top 10 team. Is that enough to differentiate them from Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, TCU, or Kansas State? I'll be intrigued by the initial standings. Folks who still take their cues from the meaningless AP or Coaches' Poll may be surprised. But before all that...on to the week that was.

Thuds - Bo Wallace - There he is. The guy that makes poor decisions and costs the Rebels ball games has returned in emphatic fashion. Nevermind that you need merely a FG to limp into OT against a difficult opponent on the road. Just wing it into the endzone. Oops. Auburn at home next could end the dream for Ole'. 12:00 Games - I ended up with very little time to actually watch football on Saturday. The time I did have was right after the 12:00 kicks. They were all awful. Texas/K-State, Nebraska/Rutgers, and Arkansas/UAB were all stinkers. I found myself looking forward to the Marshall/FAU game. Hell, I even spent some time watching Yale play. That's how bad the noon games were. Atlanta Falcons -  I know we concentrate on CFB most of the time but the Falcons are so horrendous, it must be mentioned. How do you blow a 21 point halftime lead in the NFL? More so, you have a first down just before the 2 minute warning and your opponent has 1 time out left. How do they get the ball with 1:50 left? Then, how do you allow a 35 yard pass play so easily on their first play. To cap it all off, the Lions missed a FG only to get a second chance when they were penalized for Delay of Game. As a long time Falcons fan, this was the most Falcons game ever.

Studs - Amari Cooper - I have no desire to laude Lane Kiffin in his return to Neyland. However, I will say this, even the dumbest offensive coordinator in America would make sure Cooper toughed the ball. He touched it often and by the end of the 1st Quarter had 185 yards of receiving.Wow. Death Valley - The real one. In Baton Rouge. Les Miles described this place as 'where dreams go to die.' Winning at night is a near impossibility here. This is one place I've never been but I know the outside of the stadium is just as crazy as the inside. Did y'all see that whole pig they had roasted on Gameday. Alabama is a better football team, but they haven't been amazing on the road. They have to visit in a couple of weeks. I think Bama will get the W but I wouldn't want to play LSU in the next few years. Patrick Towles - We don't put losers on the studs category very often, but Patrick Towles outplayed Dak Prescott on Saturday. State got the win but the Kentucky QB gave the rest of their opponents something to think about going forward. I know as a UGA fan I'll be sweating that visit to Lexington in a few weeks.

Playoffs - (1) Mississippi State (2) FSU (3) Alabama (4) Oregon - Honestly, other than State and the Noles I don't know who to go with. State and Bama play each other in a few weeks. Let's say State loses and is shut out of the SEC Championship game by a 1 loss Alabama, will they get left out? I kind of doubt it. However, I see polls with 3 SEC teams in it and I'm still having a hard time fathoming the committee letting two in. I'm also not sure Oregon is best of the rest. TCU looks pretty legit. So does K-State. Just a tough call.

Next Week - Ole Miss and Auburn will be playing an elimination game on Saturday night in Oxford. It's not the first for Auburn and it won't be the last if they win. It's the first for Ole Miss. Perhaps the last remaining land mine on FSU's schedule is Thursday night against Louisville. Stanford and Oregon are going at it on the West Coast and TCU at West Virginia may have 150 scored in it. Throw in the Cocktail Party and it's a solid slate of games.

SEC Rankings:
14) Commodadores - Showed some fight against Mizzou. Hey, they got Old Dominion coming up!
13) Tennessee - Showed signs of life after falling behind by 4 scores to Alabama. It's the little things.
12) Florida - Didn't lose on their bye week Congrats!
11) South Carolina - Their defense is bad. Great effort against Auburn but another L in a miserable season
10) Arkansas - This team would be ok in the East. Not saying they'd win it but they wouldn't be at the bottom.
9) Texas A&M - Can they get some magic back from the beginning of the season?
8) Mizzou - Their offense is a travesty. They only have one SEC loss but a big game with Kentucky on the horizon.
7) Kentucky - What will they have left in the tank after a valiant effort against State?
6) LSU - Their offense is still a ? but their defense looked solid on Saturday night. This young team is starting to come into form.
5) Georgia - Will Todd Gurley return? UGA wants an answer today if possible.
4) Ole Miss - Their D is still nasty. Bo Wallace drives the team though. Big game against Auburn this week.
3) Auburn - Would they have beaten Carolina in Columbia? Doesn't matter now but something to ask. Schedule doesn't lighten.
2) Alabama - I think we are getting ready to learn an awful lot about the Tide. Their best win so far is probably against WVU.
1) Mississippi State - They keep living the dream in Starksville.