Prompt response to Week 10 developments on the sector …
1. Huge Ten (partial) readability
Ohio State and Oregon dealt with their enterprise on Saturday afternoon in State School and Ann Arbor, respectively, and did the Huge Ten an enormous favor within the course of.
As November dawned, there was an intriguing state of affairs looming for the convention.
The Geese have been atop the standings with a 5-0 mark, together with Penn State and Indiana.
Three groups, all undefeated — and with no head-to-head matchups between them on the schedule.
You didn’t must squint to see the large mess that will have materialized if an undefeated workforce had been boxed out of the convention championship sport in Indianapolis.
Then the Geese and Buckeyes walked into Week 10 with the ability washer and cleaned the whole lot up.
Certain, Oregon’s 38-17 victory over Michigan was spectacular, however let’s not overstate the importance. In spite of everything, the Wolverines have 4 losses — all of them by double digits and two of them at residence.
However the efficiency pushed the Geese one step nearer to locking up a berth within the convention title sport with out want for a tiebreaker. They are going to be closely favored towards Maryland, Wisconsin and Washington and will run the desk.
In the meantime, the Buckeyes have been in desperation mode for his or her newest victory over Penn State, which each cleared their path to Indianapolis and knocked the Nittany Lions out of the three-way tie for first place.
It’s straightforward to examine Ohio State stomping Purdue and Northwestern, out-classing Indiana, which isn’t used to highlight video games, after which rolling Michigan within the finale.
In the event that they sweep their closing 4, the Buckeyes would have the tiebreaker benefit over Indiana and Penn State — because of head-to-head wins over each — and face Oregon within the title sport matchup everybody anticipated all alongside.
The Huge Ten may have been on yellow alert, staring deep into its seven-step tiebreaker.
As an alternative, the most definitely final result is a course of that gained’t get previous the head-to-head outcomes.
2. Northwest mediocrity
We carved a couple of minutes out of Saturday night to look at a low-profile matchup of .500 groups that, strive as they may, are struggling to achieve traction in a convention full of powerhouse packages.
Washington’s 26-21 victory over USC didn’t disappoint — at the least for impartial observers looking for riveting theatre.
The Huskies led 20-7, fell behind, regained the lead, then tried to offer the sport away with a colossally dangerous mistake.
The Trojans trailed by 13, scored back-to-back touchdowns within the third quarter, relinquished the lead, then didn’t capitalize on UW’s reward.
Following a timeout with 1:42 remaining, the Huskies took the sector with 12 gamers, which turned third-and-one into third-and-six. The penalty stopped the clock, led to a punt and, in the end, gave the Trojans one closing probability with loads of time remaining.
They virtually took benefit, however the ensuing drive stalled at UW’s 14 yardline.
And that’s precisely what you would possibly count on from two mediocre groups.
The top consequence was USC’s fifth loss in seven convention video games. More and more-embattled coach Lincoln Riley should win two of his closing three video games to develop into bowl-eligible. That gained’t be straightforward with resurgent UCLA and Notre Dame on the upcoming schedule, along with Nebraska.
The Huskies are in higher form, needing one victory of their closing three video games to qualify for the postseason. They go to Penn State, host UCLA and head to Oregon.
A type of video games isn’t just like the others.
3. Huge 12 (whole) mayhem
Week 10 introduced a heaping pile of chaos to a convention the place upsets rule and upstarts thrive.
Let’s start on the prime of the convention standings, the place undefeated Iowa State misplaced at residence to Texas Tech, which was coming off back-to-back losses to Baylor and TCU.
However that wasn’t all, as second-place Kansas State misplaced at Houston and dropped off the highest tier of contenders.
The season is 10 weeks previous. We’re into November. And Brigham Younger is alone on the prime of the convention — the one unbeaten workforce within the Huge 12 and one in all 4 undefeated groups within the Energy 4 (with Miami, Indiana and Oregon).
Two groups are one sport behind the Cougars: Iowa State and Colorado.
That’s proper, people. The Buffaloes have a reasonably vast path into the Huge 12 title sport. And in the event that they attain the title sport, the Buffs could be one win from the School Soccer Playoff (and making ESPN’s vacation goals come true).
Subsequent up for Deion Sanders and Co. is a visit to Texas Tech, which needs to be difficult.
After that, CU faces Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State, which have a mixed file of 2-14 in league play.
4. The Tempe turnaround
One of many prime turnaround tales in main faculty soccer continued Saturday as Arizona State secured a bowl berth with its 42-21 victory at Oklahoma State.
Sure, the identical workforce that was 3-9 final yr and picked final within the Huge 12 and enjoying with an inexperienced switch quarterback and a 30-something second-year coach — that workforce is bowl eligible whereas USC and Washington will not be.
The Solar Devils (6-2) endured a multi-hour climate delay in Stillwater, then outscored the Cowboys 21-7 following the break.
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A lot of the injury got here courtesy of tailback Cam Skattebo, who totaled 274 yards working and receiving, together with three touchdowns.
Kenny Dillingham needs to be on the quick listing of candidates for Huge 12 Coach of the Yr, however the competitors is stiff with BYU’s Kalani Sitake and Colorado’s Sanders.
Not on that listing: Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy.
The Cowboys have been picked third within the preseason ballot however are at present winless — that’s proper, winless — in convention play.
5. In the meantime, in Tucson …
Additionally not on the Huge 12 Coach of the Yr listing: Arizona’s Brent Brennan, whose workforce flew throughout the nation to face UCF when the Wildcats ought to have simply stayed residence and saved everybody the trouble.
Their 56-12 loss was even worse than the ultimate rating suggests.
The Wildcats trailed 14-0 late within the first quarter, 28-0 late within the second and 42-6 early within the third.
Put one other approach: The Wildcats misplaced by 44 factors and solely dedicated one turnover.
They merely weren’t aggressive on the line of scrimmage — or wherever else on the sector, frankly.
The Hotline hardly ever accuses a workforce of quitting, however the q-word crossed our thoughts watching Arizona’s fifth-consecutive loss unfold in ghastly vogue.
Brennan’s issues have gone from formidable to Defcon 1 ranges. It stands to cause that somebody on his teaching workers will get fired — or reassigned — throughout the upcoming bye week.
The Wildcats are dreadful on protection, terrible on offense and look to have cashed out their emotional funding.
That stated, basketball season begins Monday.
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