Brian’s College Football Top 5: Week 12
Photo by Alex Slitz from Getty Images
We now have two weeks left in the regular season of college football, and the back end of the playoff picture is no clearer.
And we love that.
Well, when I say we, I mean the general college football fanbase.
ESPN does not love it because they think it should actually go to Texas or Missouri because they hate the sport.
But I digress.
Here is the top 5 from week 12.
5. Clemson Tigers
It has been, frankly, a miserable season for Clemson.
And when that happens, all you can hope for is to play spoiler to others.
And Clemson was able to do so on Friday night, taking down Louisville and effectively ending their chances to make the ACC title game and, because of that, the college football playoff as well.
Hey, there ain’t nothing wrong with dragging others down with ya!
4. Navy Midshipmen
Navy desperately needed a win in this game if they wanted a chance to make the American Conference Title game after losing to North Texas and having to face Memphis on Thanksgiving night.
It’s a tall order, and a game against USF was going to make it even harder.
But the Midshipmen got a huge win thanks to not only the play of QB Blake Horvath, but an excellent job from backup QB Braxton Woodson who added 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground after Horvath had to miss time with an injury.
Next man up in a big way to keep their season alive.
3. Oklahoma Sooners
Look, as much as ESPN loves to talk about how the playoff needs more SEC teams, we have to be realistic of how this works.
A three loss Oklahoma team with a head to head loss to Texas and about 8th in the SEC just simply isn’t going to make the playoffs.
So they needed to get big wins over Tennessee and Alabama on the road.
They got it over Tennessee, and on Saturday, they got it over Alabama, shutting down the run game and forcing Ty Simpson into throwing two interceptions to grind out a 23-21 win.
Now, if they handle their business against Missouri and LSU, the Sooners might be playoff bound.
2. Texas A&M Aggies
You know what I love most about college football?
I love laughing.
I love the 3rd and 93 from Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech from years ago.
I love the disastrous goal line plays we saw from UMass and Akron a week ago.
More recently, I love Pat Narduzzi, hosting not only College Gameday, but also a top 10 team, saying “This game actually doesn’t matter” and then having his team go out there and prove it with a terrible performance.
So, even though I have nothing against Texas A&M, it was very funny to see them complaining about being ranked 3rd all week, give Mike Elko a massive extension Saturday morning, and then go out there and play one of the worst halves of football I have seen and be down 30-3 at home to a bad South Carolina team.
But A&M didn’t find it so funny, and they didn’t lay down and die.
The defense went nuclear, and Marcel Reed played himself back into the Heisman conversation with an insane third quarter before getting the leading touchdown early in the 4th quarter to avoid disaster and keep their undefeated season alive.
Maybe this isn’t regular ole A&M…
1. East Carolina Pirates
It was pretty clear early on this year that the G5 representative for the college football playoff was going to be either James Madison if they won the Sun Belt, or whoever wins the American Conference.
The conversation surrounding the American was reserved for Tulane, Memphis, USF, and Navy. Then, after a hot season so far, North Texas got involved in the convo.
But go look at the conference standings.
Tied for second, very much so apart of the conversation, are the 7-3 ECU Pirates, thanks to their last minute win over Memphis.
Now, I’m not sure how the tiebreakers work in the American, and I’m not even going to try to figure it out because it seems far too complicated.
But ECU is very, very much in this fight, with two very winnable games remaining.
ECU might just pillage a playoff spot.
Get it?
Cause they’re pirates.
