Roundtable: Who benefitted the most from Ohio State and Penn State's losses?
If the Big Ten is down on its luck after Ohio State was thrashed by Iowa and Penn State lost on a last-gasp field goal by Michigan State, who is poised to take advantage?
That’s the question Pete Thamel, Nick Bromberg and Sam Cooper answered this weekend.
PETE
I think the Big Ten’s receding chances help Oklahoma the most. The Big 12’s sagging national rep in the Playoff era can always use a boost. And the virtual elimination of the Big Ten’s two biggest heavyweights means a better shot for the Sooners. (Even if Ohio State is their biggest victory.)
NICK
Washington is suddenly back in the mix. The Pac-12’s CFP hopes rest on the Huskies, who still need a lot of help to make the final four. But a week after it seemed like Washington was out of it already, the Huskies have some slim hopes.
Consider this: Miami could end up with two losses if it loses to Notre Dame and Clemson. And if Oklahoma and TCU meet twice and split the series, they each have two losses. If Wisconsin loses in the Big Ten title game and Stanford beats Notre Dame in the final week of the regular season and Washington wins the Pac-12 …
… OK, you can see it’s still a longshot. But that’s a plausible scenario, even if it’s not likely to happen.
SAM
I feel like TCU is still kind of just lurking there and nobody is talking about it. The Horned Frogs moved up to No. 6 with a nice bounce-back win vs. Texas over the weekend and now have an immense opportunity ahead of them with a trip to No. 5 Oklahoma. You know if Penn State or Ohio State managed to win, they would be sandwiched in front of at least one, if not both, Big 12 teams.
The Sooners put up absurd offensive numbers in the win over Oklahoma State; TCU’s defense, ranked No. 6 nationally, presents a far bigger challenge. If Kenny Hill and the TCU offense can play turnover-free football like they did against Texas, an upset could certainly be in the cards. A win over OU would go a long way in the committee’s eyes.
READER QUESTION
Who’s taking Sumlin’s job?
— Nolan Riley (@NolanRiley8) November 8, 2017
The obvious answer here should be “no one.” With a lot of possible vacancies after the 2017 season and not a lot of candidates to fill them, we still contend A&M is better off keeping Sumlin for another season.
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