College Football Week 12 Recap

Can we just pretend week 12 didn't happen? No?  Well, here's how I did on my bold predictions, then:

1. Oklahoma State implodes against Baylor in multiple-TD loss

I'm giving myself half credit for this one, as I think you could certainly call their performance against the Bears an implosion.  It was only a last-minute TD by the cowboys that kept this one from being 100% true, as they lost 45 - 35 (which was also pretty close to my 48 - 34 prediction).  Oklahoma State is technically still alive in the playoff hunt after the loss, but both teams would likely need outside help to have a realistic shot at the top 4.  Funny enough, Oklahoma State will be rooting against Baylor in their next two games (to eliminate the Bears' head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cowboys) while Baylor will be rooting for Oklahoma State in their finale against Oklahoma (to eliminate the Sooners' tiebreaker over the Bears).

2. Virginia Tech spoils North Carolina's special season in Beamer's final home game

They fought valiantly, but in the end it wasn't enough for the Hokies, who lost in overtime to the talented Tar Heels.  I would like to point out that I did nail the score prediction of 30 - 27, but had the winner and loser reversed (obviously).  With the win, North Carolina stays in the hunt for an ACC title (and possibly more?), while Virginia Tech keeps searching for bowl eligibility.

3. Ohio State drops 40+ on Sparty

So, obviously this didn't happen.  In fact, it was quite the opposite, as the Buckeyes had their worst offensive outing since Meyer arrived in Columbus.  A lot of people have blamed bad play-calling for the loss (and certainly that was a big part of it), but in reality there were a lot of factors that contributed.  Everything from poor execution to questionable decision-making to the nasty weather played a part in this perfect storm that ended a perfect season.  Now, regardless of exactly where the problem lies, it's clear that there are issues on the offensive side of the ball for Ohio State.  And it's obvious that there is no lack of talent, so it boils down to a coaching issue one way or another.  Now, I'm not in the camp that the Buckeyes need to fire or demote anyone, necessarily, but some change is definitely imminent if OSU wants to stay competitive.  I see a lot of similarities to the 2013 season, actually.  The Buckeyes went 12-0 in the regular season despite some glaring problems on defense.  After finishing the season with losses to Michigan State and Clemson, a lot of people were calling for co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell's job.  But, instead of firing a key member from the Tressel era coaching staff (remember some of the defenses the Buckeyes had under the Senator?), Meyer brought in Chris Ash to revamp the Silver Bullets.  2014 saw changes to the defensive schemes and overall tackling techniques and positive results were seen almost immediately.  The rest is history, so they say.  I expect that some change will come out of the offensive struggles that we've seen all year.  Whether that means letting some one go, bringing someone new in, changing the playbook, or all of the above is yet to be seen.  But I don't think anyone really knows where the issues lie other than Meyer and a select few on his coaching staff.  For now, the Buckeyes turn their focus to The Game, as they try to move past the 17 - 14 loss to the Spartans.  Nothing will help more than a win over their arch-rivals.

4. Penn State ends Michigan's B1G hopes

The Nittany Lions still lack a signature win after coming up short against another ranked opponent, losing 28 - 16 to Michigan.  The Wolverines will join Ohio State fans in rooting for Penn State to get that elusive statement win next week against the Spartans, who holds the tiebreaker over both Michigan and Ohio State in the B1G East race.  Of course, it only matters for the winner of The Game, as the loser will be out of Big Ten title contention either way.

5. An SEC team falls in non-league play

Ironically, the one bold prediction I didn't think I had a realistic shot at was the only one I got 100% right.  South Carolina gifted me this one with their 23 - 22 loss to The Citadel.  It's also worth mentioning that Florida and Georgia both needed overtime to beat their opponents, Florida Atlantic and Georgia Southern, respectively.  The only possible explanation for this is... SEC! SEC! SEC!

Week 12 record: 1.5 - 3.5
Overall record: 16.5 - 43.5

Check out my week 13 rankings

Other headlines from week 12:

And then there were two

Just like all the experts predicted back in September, the lone unbeatens remaining as we approach the end of the regular season are the Iowa Hawkeyes and Clemson Tigers.  Really, though, who saw that coming?  Clemson was at least a popular preseason pick to win the ACC but Iowa wasn't on anyone's radar.  Now both these teams are just a couple wins away from a shot to play for a national championship.  If that happens, there will be quite the competition between one-loss teams for the last two playoff spots.

Lane Kiffin doesn't like it when you touch him there

A tap on the behind might be the universal football gesture for "Outstanding job!  That was a mighty fine play."  But Alabama's offensive coordinator doesn't care and will not stand for this inappropriate touching.