Last week marked the first time in AP Poll history that five of the top seven teams lost in the same weekend, and 1996 was the last season Texas, Alabama, and Georgia all lost on the same Saturday.
Conference by conference, here’s where things stand.
SEC
In the SEC, Georgia played like they were sleepwalking and let Auburn steal a win. Alabama, Missouri, and Mississippi State got taken behind the woodshed and just got whooped. This weekend pretty much extinguished their playoff dreams, unless they go undefeated the rest of the season, but I’m 100% sure that isn’t happening.
Florida ground out a tough win and showed how much of a fraud Texas is. Kentucky keeps finding ways to win, and they are tied with Georgia and Tennessee in wins and losses.
Who would have thought that, halfway through the season, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee would be the top three teams in the SEC? Georgia, yes, but Kentucky and Tennessee, too?
Big 12
From Alabama Crimson Tide Facebook
The Big 12 is the only conference with three undefeated teams: Utah, BYU, and Texas Tech. Utah, BYU, and Texas Tech.
BYU has had the biggest win of the season so far, beating Notre Dame. It was a nail-biter until the final whistle. I’m not going to lie; I was happy watching Notre Dame lose.
The Oklahoma State-Houston game was a good battle, with Houston holding off the Pokes.
Arizona is quietly flying under the radar and winning games. Both Houston and Arizona only have one loss in their column.
If you compare the four conferences, the Big 12 stands out as the best conference so far. BYU is sitting pretty at #2.
B1G
The Big 10 is playing out as expected this season with one surprise. Did anyone expect UCLA to lead the Big 10 at the halfway point as the conference’s only undefeated team? And they are winning without their starting quarterback under center.
Ohio State and Indiana played a good back-and-forth game, with Indiana coming within six inches of beating the Buckeyes.
Ohio State pulled out the victory, but it was a costly W, losing their starting quarterback for who knows how long. Possibly the season. The playoffs are still there for them, but after what we saw this weekend, those hopes can disappear quickly. And did Michigan finally find their quarterback for the rest of the season? The game against Indiana could be very interesting.
Could we see an Iowa-UCLA Big 10 championship game?
ACC
BFSU-Miami (photo courtesy of Yahoo! Sports)
In the ACC, Miami sitting on top isn’t surprising. Wake Forest and SMU are right there, and we’ll see who plays the Hurricanes in the championship game.
Florida State gave Miami quite a scare, but the referees played a role in the end of the tough double-overtime game.
The rest of the teams had a nice day; thanks for participating, and we’ll see you next season.
Sizing Up The Power 4 at Mid-Season
So, if the season ended at the halfway point, these teams would play in this year’s playoffs. Miami, BYU, Ohio State, and Notre Dame would be the top four seeds and receive the bye. Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, and Texas Tech would host the first week of the playoffs. The last four teams in would be UCLA. Utah, Tennessee, and Boise State. Boise State would knock out Kentucky because the CFP must include a Group of 5/6 team in postseason play.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of the season.
