You wait 365 days for this day. A lost season can turn into a triumphant one in one game. An opportunity to ruin the season for your hated rival is the opportunity of a lifetime. We’re out here tossing vinyls out the windows because when it’s rivalry week, we throw out the records.
Good
Mississippi
Ole Miss has a cloudy future ahead of them, to put it politely. The Egg Bowl may be the most hateful rivalry in college football. Ole Miss came into this game as slight underdogs. The Rebels came out and played like it was the Super Bowl. For about 47 minutes, Mississippi shut down the Bulldogs defensively and paced themselves on offense. A 31-28 final score made this game look a lot more competitive than it actually was. This could have been a much different game had Nick Fitzgerald not been sidelined by a horrendous injury. Matt Luke earned himself a full-time gig as the head coach of Ole Miss. NCAA sanctions pending, Ole Miss needed this win desperately.
Pittsburgh
Pitt flat out dominated Miami. The Panthers’ defense showed flashes of Narduzzi’s 2013 defense at Michigan State. The Hurricanes had no answer for a Pitt team who, after beating WVU in 2007, Clemson last year and Miami this year, has gained a reputation as giant killers. Pat Narduzzi has earned himself another year in the Steel City.
Ohio State
Jim Harbaugh had his team in position to ‘Buck’ the trend against Ohio State. The Buckeyes were on the ropes, down 14-0. Michigan was dominating both sides of the ball. Ohio State got the ground game going and J.T. Barrett was looking efficient on the ground. The Buckeyes were rolling and this game looked like it was going to come down to the wire. Down 20-14, J.T. Barrett went down with a knee injury and Ohio State was done. Dwayne Haskins, the freshman from Potomac, Maryland came in cold off the bench. The QB change forced Ohio State to do what they should have done all year: feed one of the most talented backfields in America. Also, Haskins made all the throws he needed to. Ohio State shut the Wolverines down. John O’Korn had a miserable game (per usual). After falling behind two touchdowns, Ohio State outscored Michigan 31-6. That’s dominance over three quarters.
Michigan State Time of Possession
No one brags about a win over Rutgers. However, a 48-12 advantage in time of possession is certainly something to hang your hat on. Michigan State thoroughly controlled this game. A year after going 3-9, the Spartans are 9-3 with two wins over two preseason top-10 teams. Mark Dantonio has proven his worth as a top-5 coach nationally. The 2017 edition of the Spartans was Dantionio’s youngest team and he has them far ahead of schedule. 2018 is going to be an exciting year in East Lansing.
Michigan State controlled this game from start to finish, despite multiple miscues in the first half. Look for the Spartans to match up with an upper-tier school from the PAC 12 or SEC in bowl season.
Stanford
Stanford beat the mess out of Notre Dame in the fourth quarter. The Cardinal defense shut down anything that Notre Dame thought they could do in the fourth. There was a smidge of hope for the Irish to find their way in the playoff. A fourth quarter demolition at the hands of the Cardinal wiped those dreams. A 21-0 fourth quarter went the way of Stanford and ND could only watch as whatever playoff hopes they had slipped away. Turnovers are bad, y’all.
Honorable Mentions
Penn State, LSU, Georgia, Wisconsin, an eight team playoff, day drinking, not rooting for Notre Dame.
THE BAD
If your team is here, I’m sorry. I watched MSU go 3-9 last year and would never wish it on anyone. If you were that bad for at least this week, I’m sorry.
Kansas
Relegate them. Kansas is retaining David Beaty. They’re awful and they will be for a while. I don’t see any timeline where Kansas football is relevant in any way for another twenty years.
East Carolina
Firing Ruffin McNeill was one of the dumbest firings I have ever seen. Whoever made that decision at ECU is out of their mind. ECU should get used to these 3-9 seasons. There’s no reason for optimism moving forward. A program that once could have contended for New Years Six bowls has now slipped back into mediocrity. #NoQuarter
Illinois
The Power 5 version of ECU minus the dumb firing. Illinois is a mediocre job and will probably never be a destination job. A 42-7 loss to an impressive Northwestern team is the latest in a season of disappointments. Lovie Smith was never a ‘home run’ hire. Given the roster turnover, he should get another year. The Illini play a lot of young players. There’s reason for optimism toward four or five wins next year. That should be extremely concerning for a Big Ten team.
Winners
Basketball SZN
If you go to a hoops school and the football team had a bad year, you can now declare basketball season. Your school’s football season now does not count. It’s basketball season and you are definitely going to the Final Four!
Auburn
Auburn emerged victorious from what was the biggest Iron Bowl of all time. From start to finish, Auburn had the Tide guessing. Alabama even had themselves guessing in spots. The Village on the Plains was absolutely rocking all night. All week it felt like something special was going to happen. The emotion and passion of college football were on full display in Auburn, Alabama. Jordan-Hare Stadium would have been my place to be of the weekend were it not for Toomer’s Corner. Gus Malzahn changed his entire legacy with one game. Toomer’s Corner is still the best tradition in collegiate athletics.
Kennesaw State
The Fighting Owls are the team to beat in FCS football and the second best team in the state of Georgia, aside from the guys in Athens. After a 28-17 win over Samford, the Owls are rolling and are now 11-1. Their only loss? Samford. Kennesaw State takes on Jacksonville State in the quarterfinal of the playoffs on 2 December.
Losers
Virginia
Scored zero points against hated rival Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers have now lost fourteen in a row to the Hokies. That’s bad. Virginia Tech looked great on defense. Both offenses should be ashamed of themselves.
Kentucky
Don’t try to fight Lamar Jackson then get blown out; It’s a bad look. Jackson had a better statistical year than he did last year and will not go to New York. Louisville are also losers here.
Nebraska
Fans of Nebraska desperately wish it was still the 90’s. After a drubbing at the hands of Iowa and a coaching search that may lead to a hire on par with the previous one, Nebraska may have to reassess expectations. A mid-tier Big Ten West program may be their future for a while.