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Halloween weekend was an exciting one in college football and we certainly had our share of treats, as well as a few tricks in there as well.  Third ranked Auburn defeated fourth ranked Ole Miss on a fumble on the goaline, TCU topped West Virginia in a Big 12 showdown while Arkansas nearly knocked off number one ranked Mississippi State, Florida State barely maintained their perfect season on Thursday night and Florida upset Georgia in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.  As we enter week eleven, it promises to be another big week which will shape the playoff picture in a major way.  Big matchups are in the queue and the winners hope to catch the eye of the playoff committee.

Playoff Appeal

One of the biggest matchups of the weekend is one that has been circled on the calendar all season.  It’s not often that the games we thought would be major battles at the onset still carry the same weight eleven weeks in.  Eighth ranked Michigan State hosting sixteenth ranked Ohio State for control of the Big Ten East, a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and the most likely candidate from the Big Ten to make the playoff, however, makes the cut.  The Spartans have had a week to prepare for the Buckeyes and both teams boast solid defenses to compliment their top five ranked scoring offenses.

Another matchup of ranked opponents pairs tenth ranked Notre Dame against fourteenth ranked Arizona State.  The Irish looked a little rusty in their week ten win over Navy after suffering their first loss to Florida State and then having a bye week.  They need to be ready to go against Arizona State, however, who hosts the Irish and beat out red hot Utah in overtime in week ten.

The Pac-12 has several big games this week as Washington hosts UCLA and Oregon travels to Utah.  UCLA looked more like the team we thought they were at the start of the season in Week Ten against Arizona, but must overcome the talented strategic mind of Head Coach Chris Petersen on the road in Washington.  Oregon, meanwhile, will hit the road as well against a Utah team that is playing better and better.  While the Utes fell to Arizona State in Week Ten, they are a dangerous team, and might be the biggest challenge the Ducks have faced since Michigan State in Week Two.

Outside of the Pac-12, the Big 12 has a major contest as Baylor faces off against Oklahoma.  While both of these teams are a long shot to make the playoff, whichever loses this week is most certainly eliminated.  The Sooners could make a case with two losses due to their strength of schedule and slim margin of losses, but the Bears will fall significantly should they come up short again.  Both teams also have a chance at the Big 12 Championship with TCU and Kansas State facing off this week as well, but again, they must win this week to stay in the race.

While most power conferences have solid games in Week Eleven, the SEC is taking something of a breather.  Third ranked Auburn should have a much easier time against a struggling Texas A&M team with a suspended quarterback than they had against Ole Miss in week ten.  After beating South Carolina in Week One, the Aggies only conference win has come against Arkansas.   If Auburn finds a way to lose this game at home, look for them to tumble out of the playoff rankings.

In an even more absurd Week Eleven matchup, number one ranked Mississippi State will host lower division FCS opponent Tennessee-Martin.  Tennessee-Martin completes Mississippi State’s ridiculously weak non-conference schedule consisting of South Alabama, UAB and Southern Miss, four teams who combine for eleven wins against FBS teams and zero against power five teams.  With Mississippi State’s struggles against Arkansas in Week Ten and the cake walk schedule, it would be encouraging to see the playoff committee punish the Bulldogs for even playing this game, but more likely this will serve as just another bye on the number one ranked team’s schedule.

The only other undefeated team in college football has a much stiffer test, though it would be rather difficult not to.  Florida State hosts 4-5 Virginia, who had some solid wins early, particularly over Louisville in Week Three, but who have struggled recently.  While the Seminoles should be able to keep their perfect record intact, they can’t have a let down after the big road win against Louisville. 

Local Flavor

While most of the SEC rests in Week Eleven, there is one major contest.  While Alabama and LSU are separated by the state of Mississippi, these two teams know each other well, and it is a rivalry that has been intense throughout the BCS era.  One of these two teams has represented the SEC West 13 out of 22 seasons in the SEC Championship Game and over that same time, the series is split with eleven wins apiece.  With big name coaches like Nick Saban and Les “the hat” Miles at the helm and so much on the line every year, this rivalry has a definite familiarity to it.  While LSU is outside the playoff picture looking in with two losses already, they took out Ole Miss in Week Nine and would love to give Alabama their second loss of the season as well, forcing the playoff committee to drop the tide down the rankings as well.

Game of the Week

While the local flavor provides a big time matchup this week, the Game of the Week is without question the clash in the Big 12 as seventh ranked TCU hosts ninth ranked Kansas State for the top spot in the Big 12 and possible inclusion in the playoff field.  The Horned Frogs were able to outlast 22^nd ranked West Virginia in Morgantown in Week Ten and the Wildcats decimated Oklahoma State at home, so both teams have good momentum entering this showdown.  While Kansas State still needs to face the Mountaineers as well as Baylor to close out their season, a win by TCU would give them a high probability of finishing the season with a single loss.  A one loss Big 12 Champion would be hard to keep out of playoff contention with the strength of the conference schedule, but these two teams must first find a way to win in Week Eleven.

Pillow Fight of the Week

Week Eleven not only has big games between power teams, but it also holds one of the best Pillow Fights in recent weeks.  SMU, the only winless team remaining in college football has one of their best chances to pick up a victory this week as they face 1-7 Tulsa, whose only win came in double overtime against Tulane in Week One.  Since then, the Golden Hurricane has been dismal, ranking near last in both points for and points against.  The only thing worse would be ranking dead last in both these categories, a distinction held by their opponent SMU.

Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks can’t seem to catch a break. After a devastating loss to Tennessee, the coach who had a quip about everything if you put a microphone in his face had nothing to say. After 41 seconds at the podium, Spurrier was dejected and looked like a man who was beaten.

In all of the years of covering football, I have never seen the former Gator great in this condition.

For most coaches, losing is part of the equation. For this coach, it is the exception. What it means for him and the future of the South Carolina football program remains to be seen.

Just because a team has a losing record, it does not necessarily mean the coach is as bad as the team’s record.

As we all know, college football is in many ways cyclic. Every season there are teams that fall below expectations only rise above in a season or two. Here are six teams that have great coaches but the program’s record does not reflect it.

Butch Jones – Tennessee

Sooner or later, the Volunteers are going to bring Rocky Top to a fever pitch again. Jones was the hot coach before the season who was going to bring the Tennessee program back to prominence. Jones is the hottest thing to be on campus since Phil Fulmer was winning national titles back in the early 2000s. The Volunteers are a team on the rise for sue and should be an SEC Championship contender soon.

Charlie Strong – Texas

Do you think Charlie Strong knew things might be a little tough when he left the confines of the Louisville Cardinals confines for Austin to replace a legend in Mack Brown?

It all started with the loss of quarterback David Ash and has been a roller coaster he been on since. Strong is an innovator on defense and as he settles in at Texas, things will be better. There are kinder days ahead.

Steve Spurrier – South Carolina

Spurrier? Yes, the Ol’ Ball Coach. At the beginning of the season, the Gamecocks were one of the favorites to win the SEC East and possibly an SEC title. Now, Spurrier will be happy is he earns a post season bowl game. It’s a good thing those rumors about Spurrier returning to Florida have been put to rest.

Frank Beamer – Virginia Tech

It used to be that if you put together a list of great coaches in college football, Frank Beamer’s name would be amongst the best. These days, his Hokies have fallen on hard times. Logan Thomas is gone behind center and the defensive secondary is not what it used to be.

Larry Fedora – North Carolina

At the beginning of the year, Fedora was thought to be a coach in waiting. I thought he might be the next head coach at Florida. The Tar Heels program has been solid over the years, but after the game against Miami, where the Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson tore up the defense, it looks as though this team is mediocre at best.

Bret Bielema – Arkansas

There is something about the Razorbacks that makes up feel the light will go on pretty soon in Bielema’s program. The team is much improved from last season and have played the best (Mississippi State and Alabama) close and looks to be a team opponents will certainly fear in 2015.

COMMENTARY - Are these the Florida State Seminoles or college football’s version of the Showtime Lakers – the team that can flip the switch and turn on the offense and score in droves to make their opponent submit?

Now that the college football season has turned into weekends of knockout football, the Florida State Seminoles are in line to not only crash the SEC strong hold on the top five teams in the country (which they continue to poke at in the rankings) but a firmly entrenched to make a run at another 14-0 season and a national title.

Last Thursday’s come from behind win after trailing 21-0 to a pretty good Louisville defense is the latest chapter in how good this program is and how bad at times the offense struggles to produce early on.

For everything that is said about coach Jimbo Fisher, the one thing he is not is the leader of this sometimes vicious attack they call an offense.

That responsibility is Jameis Winston’s and he cherishes it – believe it or not.

With all that winning – 24-0 if you are counting at home – it has led this team to change its stance form hunting for a national title to becoming the hunted team and maybe the most hated team in college football.

The swagger. The arrogance of the team at times. The constant battle of being a head coach or a defense attorney for the players who are under legal investigation. It is all part of the new culture on campus – the one the media scrutinizes and criticizes, but in reality prays to the heavens each night because the reality is without it, college football would be dull. Nick Saban is the Bill Belichick of the sport and sound bites from the Crimson Tide coach are usually as exciting as watching paint dry.

These aren’t Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles, but you can make an argument the program that won a national title in 1993 and the one now have similarities and are polar opposites. One thing that defines both of them as a program and university is the media (and the actions of players on and off the field) has made the Seminoles out to be the bad guys of college football.

It’s a role undefined and untold but understood in some respects. Finally, college football has a team to replace the University of Miami and Oklahoma Sooners of the late 1980s and the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Florida Gators of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Football is a sport of strength, power, sometimes blood and intimidation. The players are bigger, stronger and faster and in their own minds, entitled. What college football was missing that this program brings to the table maybe more than any other team since the Spurrier Era Florida Gators and Jimmy Johnson’s Miami is characters and personalities in the sport or in this case – business.

The days of Michael Irvin and Vinny Testaverde in fatigues walking off a plane in Norman are lost on this generation. Brian Bosworth running all over the defensive side of the field with a Mohawk daring players to run at him would “rock” in today’s sports media.  The fans of today who are young have no idea what the 1990s were like when Lawrence Philips spent as much time in the Nebraska newspapers relating to his off-field incidents of domestic violence charges as he did on the field helping Nebraska and Tom Osborne win national titles.

When you win, you open yourself up to many other issues and scrutiny than the fact the team did not convert on third-and-1 from the five yard line. And for a team that resides in the capital of Florida where other than the legislature being in session and the college year until the summer, the place is pretty quiet and unassuming – almost dull at times.

So with that said, do the Seminoles relish the chance to be college football’s darlings and most wanted in the same breath – sure they do.

Fisher is fiery and aggressive at times, unlike a soft spoken Bobby Bowden. Winston is more outspoken and craves the spotlight, unlike Charlie Ward who would rather slip into obscurity than break down the offense for the local news. These ‘Noles take their “jobs” seriously and want the attention.

Its one thing to be the bully, but it is another thing to be the bully, tell your opponents what you are going to do, and then do it. FSU had better success at it last season, jumping out to huge leads that could not be reeled in. This season, it looks like child’s play, letting the opponent build a lead, gaining a great false sense of security and then playing the role of Lucy Van Pelt of the Peanuts comic strip.

Oh, and by the way, there is no laughing when the football is taken away from the opponent. That’s what these Seminoles do. It’s their job. Scoring in droves? They wait until the second half. That’s their job. And another thing, their job is winning – which they do on a continual basis. Time and time again. That’s what teams like those 1980s Hurricanes and Sooners teams did. That is exactly what the Spurrier-led Gators did in the 1990s and Tom Osborne’s Tommy Frazier-led teams did every week. Florida State is just following the leaders like most programs, excuse me, great programs do.

These Seminoles win games, and deal with all the other incidents and allegations later because winning comes first. Earning the moniker of the hunted or college football’s new bad boys just comes with the territory.

And this team relishes it.

Halloween weekend was an exciting one in college football and we certainly had our share of treats, as well as a few tricks in there as well.  Third ranked Auburn defeated fourth ranked Ole Miss on a fumble on the goaline, TCU topped West Virginia in a Big 12 showdown while Arkansas nearly knocked off number one ranked Mississippi State, Florida State barely maintained their perfect season on Thursday night and Florida upset Georgia in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.  As we enter week eleven, it promises to be another big week which will shape the playoff picture in a major way.  Big matchups are in the queue and the winners hope to catch the eye of the playoff committee.

Playoff Appeal

One of the biggest matchups of the weekend is one that has been circled on the calendar all season.  It’s not often that the games we thought would be major battles at the onset still carry the same weight eleven weeks in.  Eighth ranked Michigan State hosting sixteenth ranked Ohio State for control of the Big Ten East, a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and the most likely candidate from the Big Ten to make the playoff, however, makes the cut.  The Spartans have had a week to prepare for the Buckeyes and both teams boast solid defenses to compliment their top five ranked scoring offenses.

Another matchup of ranked opponents pairs tenth ranked Notre Dame against fourteenth ranked Arizona State.  The Irish looked a little rusty in their week ten win over Navy after suffering their first loss to Florida State and then having a bye week.  They need to be ready to go against Arizona State, however, who hosts the Irish and beat out red hot Utah in overtime in week ten.

The Pac-12 has several big games this week as Washington hosts UCLA and Oregon travels to Utah.  UCLA looked more like the team we thought they were at the start of the season in Week Ten against Arizona, but must overcome the talented strategic mind of Head Coach Chris Petersen on the road in Washington.  Oregon, meanwhile, will hit the road as well against a Utah team that is playing better and better.  While the Utes fell to Arizona State in Week Ten, they are a dangerous team, and might be the biggest challenge the Ducks have faced since Michigan State in Week Two.

Outside of the Pac-12, the Big 12 has a major contest as Baylor faces off against Oklahoma.  While both of these teams are a long shot to make the playoff, whichever loses this week is most certainly eliminated.  The Sooners could make a case with two losses due to their strength of schedule and slim margin of losses, but the Bears will fall significantly should they come up short again.  Both teams also have a chance at the Big 12 Championship with TCU and Kansas State facing off this week as well, but again, they must win this week to stay in the race.

While most power conferences have solid games in Week Eleven, the SEC is taking something of a breather.  Third ranked Auburn should have a much easier time against a struggling Texas A&M team with a suspended quarterback than they had against Ole Miss in week ten.  After beating South Carolina in Week One, the Aggies only conference win has come against Arkansas.   If Auburn finds a way to lose this game at home, look for them to tumble out of the playoff rankings.

In an even more absurd Week Eleven matchup, number one ranked Mississippi State will host lower division FCS opponent Tennessee-Martin.  Tennessee-Martin completes Mississippi State’s ridiculously weak non-conference schedule consisting of South Alabama, UAB and Southern Miss, four teams who combine for eleven wins against FBS teams and zero against power five teams.  With Mississippi State’s struggles against Arkansas in Week Ten and the cake walk schedule, it would be encouraging to see the playoff committee punish the Bulldogs for even playing this game, but more likely this will serve as just another bye on the number one ranked team’s schedule.

The only other undefeated team in college football has a much stiffer test, though it would be rather difficult not to.  Florida State hosts 4-5 Virginia, who had some solid wins early, particularly over Louisville in Week Three, but who have struggled recently.  While the Seminoles should be able to keep their perfect record intact, they can’t have a let down after the big road win against Louisville. 

Local Flavor

While most of the SEC rests in Week Eleven, there is one major contest.  While Alabama and LSU are separated by the state of Mississippi, these two teams know each other well, and it is a rivalry that has been intense throughout the BCS era.  One of these two teams has represented the SEC West 13 out of 22 seasons in the SEC Championship Game and over that same time, the series is split with eleven wins apiece.  With big name coaches like Nick Saban and Les “the hat” Miles at the helm and so much on the line every year, this rivalry has a definite familiarity to it.  While LSU is outside the playoff picture looking in with two losses already, they took out Ole Miss in Week Nine and would love to give Alabama their second loss of the season as well, forcing the playoff committee to drop the tide down the rankings as well.

Game of the Week

While the local flavor provides a big time matchup this week, the Game of the Week is without question the clash in the Big 12 as seventh ranked TCU hosts ninth ranked Kansas State for the top spot in the Big 12 and possible inclusion in the playoff field.  The Horned Frogs were able to outlast 22^nd ranked West Virginia in Morgantown in Week Ten and the Wildcats decimated Oklahoma State at home, so both teams have good momentum entering this showdown.  While Kansas State still needs to face the Mountaineers as well as Baylor to close out their season, a win by TCU would give them a high probability of finishing the season with a single loss.  A one loss Big 12 Champion would be hard to keep out of playoff contention with the strength of the conference schedule, but these two teams must first find a way to win in Week Eleven.

Pillow Fight of the Week

Week Eleven not only has big games between power teams, but it also holds one of the best Pillow Fights in recent weeks.  SMU, the only winless team remaining in college football has one of their best chances to pick up a victory this week as they face 1-7 Tulsa, whose only win came in double overtime against Tulane in Week One.  Since then, the Golden Hurricane has been dismal, ranking near last in both points for and points against.  The only thing worse would be ranking dead last in both these categories, a distinction held by their opponent SMU.

Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks can’t seem to catch a break. After a devastating loss to Tennessee, the coach who had a quip about everything if you put a microphone in his face had nothing to say. After 41 seconds at the podium, Spurrier was dejected and looked like a man who was beaten.

In all of the years of covering football, I have never seen the former Gator great in this condition.

For most coaches, losing is part of the equation. For this coach, it is the exception. What it means for him and the future of the South Carolina football program remains to be seen.

Just because a team has a losing record, it does not necessarily mean the coach is as bad as the team’s record.

As we all know, college football is in many ways cyclic. Every season there are teams that fall below expectations only rise above in a season or two. Here are six teams that have great coaches but the program’s record does not reflect it.

Butch Jones – Tennessee

Sooner or later, the Volunteers are going to bring Rocky Top to a fever pitch again. Jones was the hot coach before the season who was going to bring the Tennessee program back to prominence. Jones is the hottest thing to be on campus since Phil Fulmer was winning national titles back in the early 2000s. The Volunteers are a team on the rise for sue and should be an SEC Championship contender soon.

Charlie Strong – Texas

Do you think Charlie Strong knew things might be a little tough when he left the confines of the Louisville Cardinals confines for Austin to replace a legend in Mack Brown?

It all started with the loss of quarterback David Ash and has been a roller coaster he been on since. Strong is an innovator on defense and as he settles in at Texas, things will be better. There are kinder days ahead.

Steve Spurrier – South Carolina

Spurrier? Yes, the Ol’ Ball Coach. At the beginning of the season, the Gamecocks were one of the favorites to win the SEC East and possibly an SEC title. Now, Spurrier will be happy is he earns a post season bowl game. It’s a good thing those rumors about Spurrier returning to Florida have been put to rest.

Frank Beamer – Virginia Tech

It used to be that if you put together a list of great coaches in college football, Frank Beamer’s name would be amongst the best. These days, his Hokies have fallen on hard times. Logan Thomas is gone behind center and the defensive secondary is not what it used to be.

Larry Fedora – North Carolina

At the beginning of the year, Fedora was thought to be a coach in waiting. I thought he might be the next head coach at Florida. The Tar Heels program has been solid over the years, but after the game against Miami, where the Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson tore up the defense, it looks as though this team is mediocre at best.

Bret Bielema – Arkansas

There is something about the Razorbacks that makes up feel the light will go on pretty soon in Bielema’s program. The team is much improved from last season and have played the best (Mississippi State and Alabama) close and looks to be a team opponents will certainly fear in 2015.

COMMENTARY - Are these the Florida State Seminoles or college football’s version of the Showtime Lakers – the team that can flip the switch and turn on the offense and score in droves to make their opponent submit?

Now that the college football season has turned into weekends of knockout football, the Florida State Seminoles are in line to not only crash the SEC strong hold on the top five teams in the country (which they continue to poke at in the rankings) but a firmly entrenched to make a run at another 14-0 season and a national title.

Last Thursday’s come from behind win after trailing 21-0 to a pretty good Louisville defense is the latest chapter in how good this program is and how bad at times the offense struggles to produce early on.

For everything that is said about coach Jimbo Fisher, the one thing he is not is the leader of this sometimes vicious attack they call an offense.

That responsibility is Jameis Winston’s and he cherishes it – believe it or not.

With all that winning – 24-0 if you are counting at home – it has led this team to change its stance form hunting for a national title to becoming the hunted team and maybe the most hated team in college football.

The swagger. The arrogance of the team at times. The constant battle of being a head coach or a defense attorney for the players who are under legal investigation. It is all part of the new culture on campus – the one the media scrutinizes and criticizes, but in reality prays to the heavens each night because the reality is without it, college football would be dull. Nick Saban is the Bill Belichick of the sport and sound bites from the Crimson Tide coach are usually as exciting as watching paint dry.

These aren’t Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles, but you can make an argument the program that won a national title in 1993 and the one now have similarities and are polar opposites. One thing that defines both of them as a program and university is the media (and the actions of players on and off the field) has made the Seminoles out to be the bad guys of college football.

It’s a role undefined and untold but understood in some respects. Finally, college football has a team to replace the University of Miami and Oklahoma Sooners of the late 1980s and the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Florida Gators of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Football is a sport of strength, power, sometimes blood and intimidation. The players are bigger, stronger and faster and in their own minds, entitled. What college football was missing that this program brings to the table maybe more than any other team since the Spurrier Era Florida Gators and Jimmy Johnson’s Miami is characters and personalities in the sport or in this case – business.

The days of Michael Irvin and Vinny Testaverde in fatigues walking off a plane in Norman are lost on this generation. Brian Bosworth running all over the defensive side of the field with a Mohawk daring players to run at him would “rock” in today’s sports media.  The fans of today who are young have no idea what the 1990s were like when Lawrence Philips spent as much time in the Nebraska newspapers relating to his off-field incidents of domestic violence charges as he did on the field helping Nebraska and Tom Osborne win national titles.

When you win, you open yourself up to many other issues and scrutiny than the fact the team did not convert on third-and-1 from the five yard line. And for a team that resides in the capital of Florida where other than the legislature being in session and the college year until the summer, the place is pretty quiet and unassuming – almost dull at times.

So with that said, do the Seminoles relish the chance to be college football’s darlings and most wanted in the same breath – sure they do.

Fisher is fiery and aggressive at times, unlike a soft spoken Bobby Bowden. Winston is more outspoken and craves the spotlight, unlike Charlie Ward who would rather slip into obscurity than break down the offense for the local news. These ‘Noles take their “jobs” seriously and want the attention.

Its one thing to be the bully, but it is another thing to be the bully, tell your opponents what you are going to do, and then do it. FSU had better success at it last season, jumping out to huge leads that could not be reeled in. This season, it looks like child’s play, letting the opponent build a lead, gaining a great false sense of security and then playing the role of Lucy Van Pelt of the Peanuts comic strip.

Oh, and by the way, there is no laughing when the football is taken away from the opponent. That’s what these Seminoles do. It’s their job. Scoring in droves? They wait until the second half. That’s their job. And another thing, their job is winning – which they do on a continual basis. Time and time again. That’s what teams like those 1980s Hurricanes and Sooners teams did. That is exactly what the Spurrier-led Gators did in the 1990s and Tom Osborne’s Tommy Frazier-led teams did every week. Florida State is just following the leaders like most programs, excuse me, great programs do.

These Seminoles win games, and deal with all the other incidents and allegations later because winning comes first. Earning the moniker of the hunted or college football’s new bad boys just comes with the territory.

And this team relishes it.

Hello and welcome to the week ten edition of the college football awards, where we can't promise that we'll be a good use of that extra hour everyone got on Saturday night, but we can promise to award the best and worst of college football for another week.

This week...the Seminoles survive in Louisville, TCU walks off a winner in West Virginia, and Ole Miss has about as bad a finish to a game as you can imagine.

Also this week...Mississippi's other team escapes a hog rush in Starkville and Oregon finally gets their revenge on Stanford.

So let's get to it.

Halloween weekend was an exciting one in college football and we certainly had our share of treats, as well as a few tricks in there as well.  Third ranked Auburn defeated fourth ranked Ole Miss on a fumble on the goaline, TCU topped West Virginia in a Big 12 showdown while Arkansas nearly knocked off number one ranked Mississippi State, Florida State barely maintained their perfect season on Thursday night and Florida upset Georgia in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.  As we enter week eleven, it promises to be another big week which will shape the playoff picture in a major way.  Big matchups are in the queue and the winners hope to catch the eye of the playoff committee.

Playoff Appeal

One of the biggest matchups of the weekend is one that has been circled on the calendar all season.  It’s not often that the games we thought would be major battles at the onset still carry the same weight eleven weeks in.  Eighth ranked Michigan State hosting sixteenth ranked Ohio State for control of the Big Ten East, a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and the most likely candidate from the Big Ten to make the playoff, however, makes the cut.  The Spartans have had a week to prepare for the Buckeyes and both teams boast solid defenses to compliment their top five ranked scoring offenses.

Another matchup of ranked opponents pairs tenth ranked Notre Dame against fourteenth ranked Arizona State.  The Irish looked a little rusty in their week ten win over Navy after suffering their first loss to Florida State and then having a bye week.  They need to be ready to go against Arizona State, however, who hosts the Irish and beat out red hot Utah in overtime in week ten.

The Pac-12 has several big games this week as Washington hosts UCLA and Oregon travels to Utah.  UCLA looked more like the team we thought they were at the start of the season in Week Ten against Arizona, but must overcome the talented strategic mind of Head Coach Chris Petersen on the road in Washington.  Oregon, meanwhile, will hit the road as well against a Utah team that is playing better and better.  While the Utes fell to Arizona State in Week Ten, they are a dangerous team, and might be the biggest challenge the Ducks have faced since Michigan State in Week Two.

Outside of the Pac-12, the Big 12 has a major contest as Baylor faces off against Oklahoma.  While both of these teams are a long shot to make the playoff, whichever loses this week is most certainly eliminated.  The Sooners could make a case with two losses due to their strength of schedule and slim margin of losses, but the Bears will fall significantly should they come up short again.  Both teams also have a chance at the Big 12 Championship with TCU and Kansas State facing off this week as well, but again, they must win this week to stay in the race.

While most power conferences have solid games in Week Eleven, the SEC is taking something of a breather.  Third ranked Auburn should have a much easier time against a struggling Texas A&M team with a suspended quarterback than they had against Ole Miss in week ten.  After beating South Carolina in Week One, the Aggies only conference win has come against Arkansas.   If Auburn finds a way to lose this game at home, look for them to tumble out of the playoff rankings.

In an even more absurd Week Eleven matchup, number one ranked Mississippi State will host lower division FCS opponent Tennessee-Martin.  Tennessee-Martin completes Mississippi State’s ridiculously weak non-conference schedule consisting of South Alabama, UAB and Southern Miss, four teams who combine for eleven wins against FBS teams and zero against power five teams.  With Mississippi State’s struggles against Arkansas in Week Ten and the cake walk schedule, it would be encouraging to see the playoff committee punish the Bulldogs for even playing this game, but more likely this will serve as just another bye on the number one ranked team’s schedule.

The only other undefeated team in college football has a much stiffer test, though it would be rather difficult not to.  Florida State hosts 4-5 Virginia, who had some solid wins early, particularly over Louisville in Week Three, but who have struggled recently.  While the Seminoles should be able to keep their perfect record intact, they can’t have a let down after the big road win against Louisville. 

Local Flavor

While most of the SEC rests in Week Eleven, there is one major contest.  While Alabama and LSU are separated by the state of Mississippi, these two teams know each other well, and it is a rivalry that has been intense throughout the BCS era.  One of these two teams has represented the SEC West 13 out of 22 seasons in the SEC Championship Game and over that same time, the series is split with eleven wins apiece.  With big name coaches like Nick Saban and Les “the hat” Miles at the helm and so much on the line every year, this rivalry has a definite familiarity to it.  While LSU is outside the playoff picture looking in with two losses already, they took out Ole Miss in Week Nine and would love to give Alabama their second loss of the season as well, forcing the playoff committee to drop the tide down the rankings as well.

Game of the Week

While the local flavor provides a big time matchup this week, the Game of the Week is without question the clash in the Big 12 as seventh ranked TCU hosts ninth ranked Kansas State for the top spot in the Big 12 and possible inclusion in the playoff field.  The Horned Frogs were able to outlast 22^nd ranked West Virginia in Morgantown in Week Ten and the Wildcats decimated Oklahoma State at home, so both teams have good momentum entering this showdown.  While Kansas State still needs to face the Mountaineers as well as Baylor to close out their season, a win by TCU would give them a high probability of finishing the season with a single loss.  A one loss Big 12 Champion would be hard to keep out of playoff contention with the strength of the conference schedule, but these two teams must first find a way to win in Week Eleven.

Pillow Fight of the Week

Week Eleven not only has big games between power teams, but it also holds one of the best Pillow Fights in recent weeks.  SMU, the only winless team remaining in college football has one of their best chances to pick up a victory this week as they face 1-7 Tulsa, whose only win came in double overtime against Tulane in Week One.  Since then, the Golden Hurricane has been dismal, ranking near last in both points for and points against.  The only thing worse would be ranking dead last in both these categories, a distinction held by their opponent SMU.

Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks can’t seem to catch a break. After a devastating loss to Tennessee, the coach who had a quip about everything if you put a microphone in his face had nothing to say. After 41 seconds at the podium, Spurrier was dejected and looked like a man who was beaten.

In all of the years of covering football, I have never seen the former Gator great in this condition.

For most coaches, losing is part of the equation. For this coach, it is the exception. What it means for him and the future of the South Carolina football program remains to be seen.

Just because a team has a losing record, it does not necessarily mean the coach is as bad as the team’s record.

As we all know, college football is in many ways cyclic. Every season there are teams that fall below expectations only rise above in a season or two. Here are six teams that have great coaches but the program’s record does not reflect it.

Butch Jones – Tennessee

Sooner or later, the Volunteers are going to bring Rocky Top to a fever pitch again. Jones was the hot coach before the season who was going to bring the Tennessee program back to prominence. Jones is the hottest thing to be on campus since Phil Fulmer was winning national titles back in the early 2000s. The Volunteers are a team on the rise for sue and should be an SEC Championship contender soon.

Charlie Strong – Texas

Do you think Charlie Strong knew things might be a little tough when he left the confines of the Louisville Cardinals confines for Austin to replace a legend in Mack Brown?

It all started with the loss of quarterback David Ash and has been a roller coaster he been on since. Strong is an innovator on defense and as he settles in at Texas, things will be better. There are kinder days ahead.

Steve Spurrier – South Carolina

Spurrier? Yes, the Ol’ Ball Coach. At the beginning of the season, the Gamecocks were one of the favorites to win the SEC East and possibly an SEC title. Now, Spurrier will be happy is he earns a post season bowl game. It’s a good thing those rumors about Spurrier returning to Florida have been put to rest.

Frank Beamer – Virginia Tech

It used to be that if you put together a list of great coaches in college football, Frank Beamer’s name would be amongst the best. These days, his Hokies have fallen on hard times. Logan Thomas is gone behind center and the defensive secondary is not what it used to be.

Larry Fedora – North Carolina

At the beginning of the year, Fedora was thought to be a coach in waiting. I thought he might be the next head coach at Florida. The Tar Heels program has been solid over the years, but after the game against Miami, where the Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson tore up the defense, it looks as though this team is mediocre at best.

Bret Bielema – Arkansas

There is something about the Razorbacks that makes up feel the light will go on pretty soon in Bielema’s program. The team is much improved from last season and have played the best (Mississippi State and Alabama) close and looks to be a team opponents will certainly fear in 2015.

COMMENTARY - Are these the Florida State Seminoles or college football’s version of the Showtime Lakers – the team that can flip the switch and turn on the offense and score in droves to make their opponent submit?

Now that the college football season has turned into weekends of knockout football, the Florida State Seminoles are in line to not only crash the SEC strong hold on the top five teams in the country (which they continue to poke at in the rankings) but a firmly entrenched to make a run at another 14-0 season and a national title.

Last Thursday’s come from behind win after trailing 21-0 to a pretty good Louisville defense is the latest chapter in how good this program is and how bad at times the offense struggles to produce early on.

For everything that is said about coach Jimbo Fisher, the one thing he is not is the leader of this sometimes vicious attack they call an offense.

That responsibility is Jameis Winston’s and he cherishes it – believe it or not.

With all that winning – 24-0 if you are counting at home – it has led this team to change its stance form hunting for a national title to becoming the hunted team and maybe the most hated team in college football.

The swagger. The arrogance of the team at times. The constant battle of being a head coach or a defense attorney for the players who are under legal investigation. It is all part of the new culture on campus – the one the media scrutinizes and criticizes, but in reality prays to the heavens each night because the reality is without it, college football would be dull. Nick Saban is the Bill Belichick of the sport and sound bites from the Crimson Tide coach are usually as exciting as watching paint dry.

These aren’t Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles, but you can make an argument the program that won a national title in 1993 and the one now have similarities and are polar opposites. One thing that defines both of them as a program and university is the media (and the actions of players on and off the field) has made the Seminoles out to be the bad guys of college football.

It’s a role undefined and untold but understood in some respects. Finally, college football has a team to replace the University of Miami and Oklahoma Sooners of the late 1980s and the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Florida Gators of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Football is a sport of strength, power, sometimes blood and intimidation. The players are bigger, stronger and faster and in their own minds, entitled. What college football was missing that this program brings to the table maybe more than any other team since the Spurrier Era Florida Gators and Jimmy Johnson’s Miami is characters and personalities in the sport or in this case – business.

The days of Michael Irvin and Vinny Testaverde in fatigues walking off a plane in Norman are lost on this generation. Brian Bosworth running all over the defensive side of the field with a Mohawk daring players to run at him would “rock” in today’s sports media.  The fans of today who are young have no idea what the 1990s were like when Lawrence Philips spent as much time in the Nebraska newspapers relating to his off-field incidents of domestic violence charges as he did on the field helping Nebraska and Tom Osborne win national titles.

When you win, you open yourself up to many other issues and scrutiny than the fact the team did not convert on third-and-1 from the five yard line. And for a team that resides in the capital of Florida where other than the legislature being in session and the college year until the summer, the place is pretty quiet and unassuming – almost dull at times.

So with that said, do the Seminoles relish the chance to be college football’s darlings and most wanted in the same breath – sure they do.

Fisher is fiery and aggressive at times, unlike a soft spoken Bobby Bowden. Winston is more outspoken and craves the spotlight, unlike Charlie Ward who would rather slip into obscurity than break down the offense for the local news. These ‘Noles take their “jobs” seriously and want the attention.

Its one thing to be the bully, but it is another thing to be the bully, tell your opponents what you are going to do, and then do it. FSU had better success at it last season, jumping out to huge leads that could not be reeled in. This season, it looks like child’s play, letting the opponent build a lead, gaining a great false sense of security and then playing the role of Lucy Van Pelt of the Peanuts comic strip.

Oh, and by the way, there is no laughing when the football is taken away from the opponent. That’s what these Seminoles do. It’s their job. Scoring in droves? They wait until the second half. That’s their job. And another thing, their job is winning – which they do on a continual basis. Time and time again. That’s what teams like those 1980s Hurricanes and Sooners teams did. That is exactly what the Spurrier-led Gators did in the 1990s and Tom Osborne’s Tommy Frazier-led teams did every week. Florida State is just following the leaders like most programs, excuse me, great programs do.

These Seminoles win games, and deal with all the other incidents and allegations later because winning comes first. Earning the moniker of the hunted or college football’s new bad boys just comes with the territory.

And this team relishes it.

Hello and welcome to the week ten edition of the college football awards, where we can't promise that we'll be a good use of that extra hour everyone got on Saturday night, but we can promise to award the best and worst of college football for another week.

This week...the Seminoles survive in Louisville, TCU walks off a winner in West Virginia, and Ole Miss has about as bad a finish to a game as you can imagine.

Also this week...Mississippi's other team escapes a hog rush in Starkville and Oregon finally gets their revenge on Stanford.

So let's get to it.

Halloween weekend was an exciting one in college football and we certainly had our share of treats, as well as a few tricks in there as well.  Third ranked Auburn defeated fourth ranked Ole Miss on a fumble on the goaline, TCU topped West Virginia in a Big 12 showdown while Arkansas nearly knocked off number one ranked Mississippi State, Florida State barely maintained their perfect season on Thursday night and Florida upset Georgia in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.  As we enter week eleven, it promises to be another big week which will shape the playoff picture in a major way.  Big matchups are in the queue and the winners hope to catch the eye of the playoff committee.

Playoff Appeal

One of the biggest matchups of the weekend is one that has been circled on the calendar all season.  It’s not often that the games we thought would be major battles at the onset still carry the same weight eleven weeks in.  Eighth ranked Michigan State hosting sixteenth ranked Ohio State for control of the Big Ten East, a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and the most likely candidate from the Big Ten to make the playoff, however, makes the cut.  The Spartans have had a week to prepare for the Buckeyes and both teams boast solid defenses to compliment their top five ranked scoring offenses.

Another matchup of ranked opponents pairs tenth ranked Notre Dame against fourteenth ranked Arizona State.  The Irish looked a little rusty in their week ten win over Navy after suffering their first loss to Florida State and then having a bye week.  They need to be ready to go against Arizona State, however, who hosts the Irish and beat out red hot Utah in overtime in week ten.

The Pac-12 has several big games this week as Washington hosts UCLA and Oregon travels to Utah.  UCLA looked more like the team we thought they were at the start of the season in Week Ten against Arizona, but must overcome the talented strategic mind of Head Coach Chris Petersen on the road in Washington.  Oregon, meanwhile, will hit the road as well against a Utah team that is playing better and better.  While the Utes fell to Arizona State in Week Ten, they are a dangerous team, and might be the biggest challenge the Ducks have faced since Michigan State in Week Two.

Outside of the Pac-12, the Big 12 has a major contest as Baylor faces off against Oklahoma.  While both of these teams are a long shot to make the playoff, whichever loses this week is most certainly eliminated.  The Sooners could make a case with two losses due to their strength of schedule and slim margin of losses, but the Bears will fall significantly should they come up short again.  Both teams also have a chance at the Big 12 Championship with TCU and Kansas State facing off this week as well, but again, they must win this week to stay in the race.

While most power conferences have solid games in Week Eleven, the SEC is taking something of a breather.  Third ranked Auburn should have a much easier time against a struggling Texas A&M team with a suspended quarterback than they had against Ole Miss in week ten.  After beating South Carolina in Week One, the Aggies only conference win has come against Arkansas.   If Auburn finds a way to lose this game at home, look for them to tumble out of the playoff rankings.

In an even more absurd Week Eleven matchup, number one ranked Mississippi State will host lower division FCS opponent Tennessee-Martin.  Tennessee-Martin completes Mississippi State’s ridiculously weak non-conference schedule consisting of South Alabama, UAB and Southern Miss, four teams who combine for eleven wins against FBS teams and zero against power five teams.  With Mississippi State’s struggles against Arkansas in Week Ten and the cake walk schedule, it would be encouraging to see the playoff committee punish the Bulldogs for even playing this game, but more likely this will serve as just another bye on the number one ranked team’s schedule.

The only other undefeated team in college football has a much stiffer test, though it would be rather difficult not to.  Florida State hosts 4-5 Virginia, who had some solid wins early, particularly over Louisville in Week Three, but who have struggled recently.  While the Seminoles should be able to keep their perfect record intact, they can’t have a let down after the big road win against Louisville. 

Local Flavor

While most of the SEC rests in Week Eleven, there is one major contest.  While Alabama and LSU are separated by the state of Mississippi, these two teams know each other well, and it is a rivalry that has been intense throughout the BCS era.  One of these two teams has represented the SEC West 13 out of 22 seasons in the SEC Championship Game and over that same time, the series is split with eleven wins apiece.  With big name coaches like Nick Saban and Les “the hat” Miles at the helm and so much on the line every year, this rivalry has a definite familiarity to it.  While LSU is outside the playoff picture looking in with two losses already, they took out Ole Miss in Week Nine and would love to give Alabama their second loss of the season as well, forcing the playoff committee to drop the tide down the rankings as well.

Game of the Week

While the local flavor provides a big time matchup this week, the Game of the Week is without question the clash in the Big 12 as seventh ranked TCU hosts ninth ranked Kansas State for the top spot in the Big 12 and possible inclusion in the playoff field.  The Horned Frogs were able to outlast 22^nd ranked West Virginia in Morgantown in Week Ten and the Wildcats decimated Oklahoma State at home, so both teams have good momentum entering this showdown.  While Kansas State still needs to face the Mountaineers as well as Baylor to close out their season, a win by TCU would give them a high probability of finishing the season with a single loss.  A one loss Big 12 Champion would be hard to keep out of playoff contention with the strength of the conference schedule, but these two teams must first find a way to win in Week Eleven.

Pillow Fight of the Week

Week Eleven not only has big games between power teams, but it also holds one of the best Pillow Fights in recent weeks.  SMU, the only winless team remaining in college football has one of their best chances to pick up a victory this week as they face 1-7 Tulsa, whose only win came in double overtime against Tulane in Week One.  Since then, the Golden Hurricane has been dismal, ranking near last in both points for and points against.  The only thing worse would be ranking dead last in both these categories, a distinction held by their opponent SMU.

Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks can’t seem to catch a break. After a devastating loss to Tennessee, the coach who had a quip about everything if you put a microphone in his face had nothing to say. After 41 seconds at the podium, Spurrier was dejected and looked like a man who was beaten.

In all of the years of covering football, I have never seen the former Gator great in this condition.

For most coaches, losing is part of the equation. For this coach, it is the exception. What it means for him and the future of the South Carolina football program remains to be seen.

Just because a team has a losing record, it does not necessarily mean the coach is as bad as the team’s record.

As we all know, college football is in many ways cyclic. Every season there are teams that fall below expectations only rise above in a season or two. Here are six teams that have great coaches but the program’s record does not reflect it.

Butch Jones – Tennessee

Sooner or later, the Volunteers are going to bring Rocky Top to a fever pitch again. Jones was the hot coach before the season who was going to bring the Tennessee program back to prominence. Jones is the hottest thing to be on campus since Phil Fulmer was winning national titles back in the early 2000s. The Volunteers are a team on the rise for sue and should be an SEC Championship contender soon.

Charlie Strong – Texas

Do you think Charlie Strong knew things might be a little tough when he left the confines of the Louisville Cardinals confines for Austin to replace a legend in Mack Brown?

It all started with the loss of quarterback David Ash and has been a roller coaster he been on since. Strong is an innovator on defense and as he settles in at Texas, things will be better. There are kinder days ahead.

Steve Spurrier – South Carolina

Spurrier? Yes, the Ol’ Ball Coach. At the beginning of the season, the Gamecocks were one of the favorites to win the SEC East and possibly an SEC title. Now, Spurrier will be happy is he earns a post season bowl game. It’s a good thing those rumors about Spurrier returning to Florida have been put to rest.

Frank Beamer – Virginia Tech

It used to be that if you put together a list of great coaches in college football, Frank Beamer’s name would be amongst the best. These days, his Hokies have fallen on hard times. Logan Thomas is gone behind center and the defensive secondary is not what it used to be.

Larry Fedora – North Carolina

At the beginning of the year, Fedora was thought to be a coach in waiting. I thought he might be the next head coach at Florida. The Tar Heels program has been solid over the years, but after the game against Miami, where the Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson tore up the defense, it looks as though this team is mediocre at best.

Bret Bielema – Arkansas

There is something about the Razorbacks that makes up feel the light will go on pretty soon in Bielema’s program. The team is much improved from last season and have played the best (Mississippi State and Alabama) close and looks to be a team opponents will certainly fear in 2015.

COMMENTARY - Are these the Florida State Seminoles or college football’s version of the Showtime Lakers – the team that can flip the switch and turn on the offense and score in droves to make their opponent submit?

Now that the college football season has turned into weekends of knockout football, the Florida State Seminoles are in line to not only crash the SEC strong hold on the top five teams in the country (which they continue to poke at in the rankings) but a firmly entrenched to make a run at another 14-0 season and a national title.

Last Thursday’s come from behind win after trailing 21-0 to a pretty good Louisville defense is the latest chapter in how good this program is and how bad at times the offense struggles to produce early on.

For everything that is said about coach Jimbo Fisher, the one thing he is not is the leader of this sometimes vicious attack they call an offense.

That responsibility is Jameis Winston’s and he cherishes it – believe it or not.

With all that winning – 24-0 if you are counting at home – it has led this team to change its stance form hunting for a national title to becoming the hunted team and maybe the most hated team in college football.

The swagger. The arrogance of the team at times. The constant battle of being a head coach or a defense attorney for the players who are under legal investigation. It is all part of the new culture on campus – the one the media scrutinizes and criticizes, but in reality prays to the heavens each night because the reality is without it, college football would be dull. Nick Saban is the Bill Belichick of the sport and sound bites from the Crimson Tide coach are usually as exciting as watching paint dry.

These aren’t Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles, but you can make an argument the program that won a national title in 1993 and the one now have similarities and are polar opposites. One thing that defines both of them as a program and university is the media (and the actions of players on and off the field) has made the Seminoles out to be the bad guys of college football.

It’s a role undefined and untold but understood in some respects. Finally, college football has a team to replace the University of Miami and Oklahoma Sooners of the late 1980s and the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Florida Gators of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Football is a sport of strength, power, sometimes blood and intimidation. The players are bigger, stronger and faster and in their own minds, entitled. What college football was missing that this program brings to the table maybe more than any other team since the Spurrier Era Florida Gators and Jimmy Johnson’s Miami is characters and personalities in the sport or in this case – business.

The days of Michael Irvin and Vinny Testaverde in fatigues walking off a plane in Norman are lost on this generation. Brian Bosworth running all over the defensive side of the field with a Mohawk daring players to run at him would “rock” in today’s sports media.  The fans of today who are young have no idea what the 1990s were like when Lawrence Philips spent as much time in the Nebraska newspapers relating to his off-field incidents of domestic violence charges as he did on the field helping Nebraska and Tom Osborne win national titles.

When you win, you open yourself up to many other issues and scrutiny than the fact the team did not convert on third-and-1 from the five yard line. And for a team that resides in the capital of Florida where other than the legislature being in session and the college year until the summer, the place is pretty quiet and unassuming – almost dull at times.

So with that said, do the Seminoles relish the chance to be college football’s darlings and most wanted in the same breath – sure they do.

Fisher is fiery and aggressive at times, unlike a soft spoken Bobby Bowden. Winston is more outspoken and craves the spotlight, unlike Charlie Ward who would rather slip into obscurity than break down the offense for the local news. These ‘Noles take their “jobs” seriously and want the attention.

Its one thing to be the bully, but it is another thing to be the bully, tell your opponents what you are going to do, and then do it. FSU had better success at it last season, jumping out to huge leads that could not be reeled in. This season, it looks like child’s play, letting the opponent build a lead, gaining a great false sense of security and then playing the role of Lucy Van Pelt of the Peanuts comic strip.

Oh, and by the way, there is no laughing when the football is taken away from the opponent. That’s what these Seminoles do. It’s their job. Scoring in droves? They wait until the second half. That’s their job. And another thing, their job is winning – which they do on a continual basis. Time and time again. That’s what teams like those 1980s Hurricanes and Sooners teams did. That is exactly what the Spurrier-led Gators did in the 1990s and Tom Osborne’s Tommy Frazier-led teams did every week. Florida State is just following the leaders like most programs, excuse me, great programs do.

These Seminoles win games, and deal with all the other incidents and allegations later because winning comes first. Earning the moniker of the hunted or college football’s new bad boys just comes with the territory.

And this team relishes it.

Do you think the game in Oxford, Mississippi is going to mean a little more this season?

It is possible the Egg Bowl between Mississippi and Mississippi State will be for more than a trophy and an SEC Championship berth. This season, the Egg Bowl could be a stepping stone to a national title.

With the changes in the college football playoff season, essentially, college teams in the five major conferences are playing knockout games against each other, hoping to finish the season with the least amount of carnage on their schedules and just enough chutzpah to impress the selection committee so you favorite team can play for a national title.

Right now, the list remains at two in the ranks of the unbeaten, but that could all change in the blink of an eye.

Just like the Egg Bowl, rivalries mean everything in this sport. Some rivalries are underrated and go not get the proper attention. Here are four of the best rivalries we do not talk much about.

THE EGG BOWL (MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. MISSISSIPPI)

The Aggies (Bulldogs) dominated the early days of the series including a 13 game A&M winning streak from 1911–25 during which time the Aggies outscored the Red and Blue by a combined 327–33.[6] Through 1925 Ole Miss had won only five times out of twenty-three total contests. In 1926 When the Red and Blue ended their 13 game losing streak by defeating A&M 7–6 in Starkville the Ole Miss fans rushed the field with some trying to tear the goalposts down. A&M fans did not take well to the Ole Miss fans destroying their property and fights broke out. Some A&M fans defended the goal posts with wooden chairs, and several injuries were reported.

The game is a typical example of the intrastate rivalries between several public universities in the U.S. These games are usually between one bearing the state's name alone, and the land-grant university, often styled as "State University." Like most such rivalries, it is contested at the end of the regular season, in this case during the Thanksgiving weekend and has been played on Thanksgiving 21 times, including from 1998–2003 and in 2013.[5] At one point the level of rivalry was such that a victory by one of the schools in this game could salvage what had otherwise been a poor season. This was however proven not to always be the case when in 2004 Ole Miss won the game but fired its coach, David Cutcliffe, the next week, following a disappointing season.

THE LITTLE BROWN JUG (MICHIGAN-MINNESOTA)

The Michigan–Minnesota football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Michigan Wolverines football team of the University of Michigan and Minnesota Golden Gophers football team of the University of Minnesota.

The Little Brown Jug is an earthenware jug that serves as a trophy awarded to the winner of the game. It is one of the oldest rivalries in American college football, dating to 1892; while some historians and the NCAA state that the oldest rivalry with a trophy is between what is now Arizona and Arizona State, the Territorial Cup did not start changing hands until 2001, as it was a one-time award after their first series in 1899.

Both universities are founding members of the Big Ten Conference. As a result of the Big Ten not playing a complete round-robin schedule, Michigan and Minnesota occasionally did not play. In 2011, however, with the University of Nebraska joining the Big Ten as its twelfth member and the conference's initiation of divisional play, Michigan and Minnesota were both placed in the Big Ten's Legends division under the new two-division alignment.

However, the Golden Gophers and Wolverines have been split into opposite divisions (Minnesota in the West, Michigan in the East) starting in 2014 when Maryland and Rutgers join the Big Ten. The conference stated there will be only one protected crossover matchup under the new alignment, Indiana vs. Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket, meaning the rivalry will not be contested every year.

Minnesota is the current holder of the jug with a 30–14 victory on September 27, 2014. Through the end of the 2014 season, Michigan leads the series, 73–25–3.

ARMY-NAVY

The American college football rivalry game between the teams of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York and the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapolis, Maryland. The USMA team, the "Army Black Knights", and the USNA team, the "Navy Midshipmen", each represent their services' oldest officer commissioning sources. As such, the game has come to embody the spirit of the interservice rivalry of the United States Armed Forces. Though not intentional, for several years the game has marked the end of the college football regular season.

The Army-Navy game is one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football. The game is nationally televised by CBS, which has aired the game every year since 1984 except for a five-year stint on ABC from 1991–1995. Instant replay made its American debut in the 1963 Army-Navy game. The winner of the game is awarded the Thompson Cup, named after its donor, Robert M. Thompson.

The most recent game (the 114th) in the series was held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, on December 14, 2013. Navy won the game by a score of 34-7. Navy leads the all-time series with a record of 58 wins, 49 losses, and seven ties

STANFORD-CAL 

The Big Game… First played 122 years ago in 1892, it is the ninth most played college football rivalry game in the United States. Stanford leads the series record at 59–46–11 (wins–losses–ties). The game is typically played in late November or early December, and its location alternates between the two universities every year. In even-numbered years, the game is played at Berkeley, while in odd-numbered years it is played at Stanford. Stanford won the most recent Big Game at Stanford Stadium by a score of 63–13. The 50-point margin was the largest for either side in the history of the series.

The conclusion of the 85th Big Game on November 20, 1982 would go down as perhaps the most remarkable play in college football history. Cal held a lead late in the game, but Stanford, led by John Elway, drove down the field to retake the lead, and seemingly elevate Elway to the first bowl game of his college career, since a Stanford victory would have resulted in an invitation to the Hall of Fame Bowl.

More importantly, Elway, with a victory, might well have won the Heisman Trophy.

In what is now known simply as "The Play," four Cal players lateraled the ball five times on a kickoff return with four seconds left on the clock. Kevin Moen, who was also the initial ball carrier, ran for a touchdown while knocking down the final Stanford "defender," trombone player Gary Tyrrell, who had run onto the field with the rest of the band to celebrate prematurely.

.

Do you think the game in Oxford, Mississippi is going to mean a little more this season?

It is possible the Egg Bowl between Mississippi and Mississippi State will be for more than a trophy and an SEC Championship berth. This season, the Egg Bowl could be a stepping stone to a national title.

With the changes in the college football playoff season, essentially, college teams in the five major conferences are playing knockout games against each other, hoping to finish the season with the least amount of carnage on their schedules and just enough chutzpah to impress the selection committee so you favorite team can play for a national title.

Right now, the list remains at two in the ranks of the unbeaten, but that could all change in the blink of an eye.

Just like the Egg Bowl, rivalries mean everything in this sport. Some rivalries are underrated and go not get the proper attention. Here are four of the best rivalries we do not talk much about.

THE EGG BOWL (MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. MISSISSIPPI)

The Aggies (Bulldogs) dominated the early days of the series including a 13 game A&M winning streak from 1911–25 during which time the Aggies outscored the Red and Blue by a combined 327–33.[6] Through 1925 Ole Miss had won only five times out of twenty-three total contests. In 1926 When the Red and Blue ended their 13 game losing streak by defeating A&M 7–6 in Starkville the Ole Miss fans rushed the field with some trying to tear the goalposts down. A&M fans did not take well to the Ole Miss fans destroying their property and fights broke out. Some A&M fans defended the goal posts with wooden chairs, and several injuries were reported.

The game is a typical example of the intrastate rivalries between several public universities in the U.S. These games are usually between one bearing the state's name alone, and the land-grant university, often styled as "State University." Like most such rivalries, it is contested at the end of the regular season, in this case during the Thanksgiving weekend and has been played on Thanksgiving 21 times, including from 1998–2003 and in 2013.[5] At one point the level of rivalry was such that a victory by one of the schools in this game could salvage what had otherwise been a poor season. This was however proven not to always be the case when in 2004 Ole Miss won the game but fired its coach, David Cutcliffe, the next week, following a disappointing season.

THE LITTLE BROWN JUG (MICHIGAN-MINNESOTA)

The Michigan–Minnesota football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Michigan Wolverines football team of the University of Michigan and Minnesota Golden Gophers football team of the University of Minnesota.

The Little Brown Jug is an earthenware jug that serves as a trophy awarded to the winner of the game. It is one of the oldest rivalries in American college football, dating to 1892; while some historians and the NCAA state that the oldest rivalry with a trophy is between what is now Arizona and Arizona State, the Territorial Cup did not start changing hands until 2001, as it was a one-time award after their first series in 1899.

Both universities are founding members of the Big Ten Conference. As a result of the Big Ten not playing a complete round-robin schedule, Michigan and Minnesota occasionally did not play. In 2011, however, with the University of Nebraska joining the Big Ten as its twelfth member and the conference's initiation of divisional play, Michigan and Minnesota were both placed in the Big Ten's Legends division under the new two-division alignment.

However, the Golden Gophers and Wolverines have been split into opposite divisions (Minnesota in the West, Michigan in the East) starting in 2014 when Maryland and Rutgers join the Big Ten. The conference stated there will be only one protected crossover matchup under the new alignment, Indiana vs. Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket, meaning the rivalry will not be contested every year.

Minnesota is the current holder of the jug with a 30–14 victory on September 27, 2014. Through the end of the 2014 season, Michigan leads the series, 73–25–3.

ARMY-NAVY

The American college football rivalry game between the teams of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York and the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapolis, Maryland. The USMA team, the "Army Black Knights", and the USNA team, the "Navy Midshipmen", each represent their services' oldest officer commissioning sources. As such, the game has come to embody the spirit of the interservice rivalry of the United States Armed Forces. Though not intentional, for several years the game has marked the end of the college football regular season.

The Army-Navy game is one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football. The game is nationally televised by CBS, which has aired the game every year since 1984 except for a five-year stint on ABC from 1991–1995. Instant replay made its American debut in the 1963 Army-Navy game. The winner of the game is awarded the Thompson Cup, named after its donor, Robert M. Thompson.

The most recent game (the 114th) in the series was held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, on December 14, 2013. Navy won the game by a score of 34-7. Navy leads the all-time series with a record of 58 wins, 49 losses, and seven ties

STANFORD-CAL 

The Big Game… First played 122 years ago in 1892, it is the ninth most played college football rivalry game in the United States. Stanford leads the series record at 59–46–11 (wins–losses–ties). The game is typically played in late November or early December, and its location alternates between the two universities every year. In even-numbered years, the game is played at Berkeley, while in odd-numbered years it is played at Stanford. Stanford won the most recent Big Game at Stanford Stadium by a score of 63–13. The 50-point margin was the largest for either side in the history of the series.

The conclusion of the 85th Big Game on November 20, 1982 would go down as perhaps the most remarkable play in college football history. Cal held a lead late in the game, but Stanford, led by John Elway, drove down the field to retake the lead, and seemingly elevate Elway to the first bowl game of his college career, since a Stanford victory would have resulted in an invitation to the Hall of Fame Bowl.

More importantly, Elway, with a victory, might well have won the Heisman Trophy.

In what is now known simply as "The Play," four Cal players lateraled the ball five times on a kickoff return with four seconds left on the clock. Kevin Moen, who was also the initial ball carrier, ran for a touchdown while knocking down the final Stanford "defender," trombone player Gary Tyrrell, who had run onto the field with the rest of the band to celebrate prematurely.

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Do you think the game in Oxford, Mississippi is going to mean a little more this season?

It is possible the Egg Bowl between Mississippi and Mississippi State will be for more than a trophy and an SEC Championship berth. This season, the Egg Bowl could be a stepping stone to a national title.

With the changes in the college football playoff season, essentially, college teams in the five major conferences are playing knockout games against each other, hoping to finish the season with the least amount of carnage on their schedules and just enough chutzpah to impress the selection committee so you favorite team can play for a national title.

Right now, the list remains at two in the ranks of the unbeaten, but that could all change in the blink of an eye.

Just like the Egg Bowl, rivalries mean everything in this sport. Some rivalries are underrated and go not get the proper attention. Here are four of the best rivalries we do not talk much about.

THE EGG BOWL (MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. MISSISSIPPI)

The Aggies (Bulldogs) dominated the early days of the series including a 13 game A&M winning streak from 1911–25 during which time the Aggies outscored the Red and Blue by a combined 327–33.[6] Through 1925 Ole Miss had won only five times out of twenty-three total contests. In 1926 When the Red and Blue ended their 13 game losing streak by defeating A&M 7–6 in Starkville the Ole Miss fans rushed the field with some trying to tear the goalposts down. A&M fans did not take well to the Ole Miss fans destroying their property and fights broke out. Some A&M fans defended the goal posts with wooden chairs, and several injuries were reported.

The game is a typical example of the intrastate rivalries between several public universities in the U.S. These games are usually between one bearing the state's name alone, and the land-grant university, often styled as "State University." Like most such rivalries, it is contested at the end of the regular season, in this case during the Thanksgiving weekend and has been played on Thanksgiving 21 times, including from 1998–2003 and in 2013.[5] At one point the level of rivalry was such that a victory by one of the schools in this game could salvage what had otherwise been a poor season. This was however proven not to always be the case when in 2004 Ole Miss won the game but fired its coach, David Cutcliffe, the next week, following a disappointing season.

THE LITTLE BROWN JUG (MICHIGAN-MINNESOTA)

The Michigan–Minnesota football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Michigan Wolverines football team of the University of Michigan and Minnesota Golden Gophers football team of the University of Minnesota.

The Little Brown Jug is an earthenware jug that serves as a trophy awarded to the winner of the game. It is one of the oldest rivalries in American college football, dating to 1892; while some historians and the NCAA state that the oldest rivalry with a trophy is between what is now Arizona and Arizona State, the Territorial Cup did not start changing hands until 2001, as it was a one-time award after their first series in 1899.

Both universities are founding members of the Big Ten Conference. As a result of the Big Ten not playing a complete round-robin schedule, Michigan and Minnesota occasionally did not play. In 2011, however, with the University of Nebraska joining the Big Ten as its twelfth member and the conference's initiation of divisional play, Michigan and Minnesota were both placed in the Big Ten's Legends division under the new two-division alignment.

However, the Golden Gophers and Wolverines have been split into opposite divisions (Minnesota in the West, Michigan in the East) starting in 2014 when Maryland and Rutgers join the Big Ten. The conference stated there will be only one protected crossover matchup under the new alignment, Indiana vs. Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket, meaning the rivalry will not be contested every year.

Minnesota is the current holder of the jug with a 30–14 victory on September 27, 2014. Through the end of the 2014 season, Michigan leads the series, 73–25–3.

ARMY-NAVY

The American college football rivalry game between the teams of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York and the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapolis, Maryland. The USMA team, the "Army Black Knights", and the USNA team, the "Navy Midshipmen", each represent their services' oldest officer commissioning sources. As such, the game has come to embody the spirit of the interservice rivalry of the United States Armed Forces. Though not intentional, for several years the game has marked the end of the college football regular season.

The Army-Navy game is one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football. The game is nationally televised by CBS, which has aired the game every year since 1984 except for a five-year stint on ABC from 1991–1995. Instant replay made its American debut in the 1963 Army-Navy game. The winner of the game is awarded the Thompson Cup, named after its donor, Robert M. Thompson.

The most recent game (the 114th) in the series was held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, on December 14, 2013. Navy won the game by a score of 34-7. Navy leads the all-time series with a record of 58 wins, 49 losses, and seven ties

STANFORD-CAL 

The Big Game… First played 122 years ago in 1892, it is the ninth most played college football rivalry game in the United States. Stanford leads the series record at 59–46–11 (wins–losses–ties). The game is typically played in late November or early December, and its location alternates between the two universities every year. In even-numbered years, the game is played at Berkeley, while in odd-numbered years it is played at Stanford. Stanford won the most recent Big Game at Stanford Stadium by a score of 63–13. The 50-point margin was the largest for either side in the history of the series.

The conclusion of the 85th Big Game on November 20, 1982 would go down as perhaps the most remarkable play in college football history. Cal held a lead late in the game, but Stanford, led by John Elway, drove down the field to retake the lead, and seemingly elevate Elway to the first bowl game of his college career, since a Stanford victory would have resulted in an invitation to the Hall of Fame Bowl.

More importantly, Elway, with a victory, might well have won the Heisman Trophy.

In what is now known simply as "The Play," four Cal players lateraled the ball five times on a kickoff return with four seconds left on the clock. Kevin Moen, who was also the initial ball carrier, ran for a touchdown while knocking down the final Stanford "defender," trombone player Gary Tyrrell, who had run onto the field with the rest of the band to celebrate prematurely.

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