Welcome to the ninth edition for the junior season of The Hangover, where I recap the previous weekend in college football. This week, The Hangover comes to you from Jacksonville, Florida, where I saw Georgia finally start looking like the team I thought would make the college football playoff. There is a ton to parse through from this past weekend and lots to preview before next week’s massive games, so let’s dive in!
On Saturday night, I sat in the hotel bar at the Omni with various co-workers having some food and a few drinks. It’d been a long day in Jacksonville–the weather had been nice but couldn’t seem to decide whether it wanted to be hot or cold, and the game itself had been a bit of a slog with a somewhat-entertaining ending–and there was a sense of relief surrounding us all as everybody was laughing and carrying on for a bit. Also in the air was the feeling that this would be the last non-stressful moment before November 9th, when we’d all reconvene for the biggest college football game of the season so far.
Yes, by now you’ve heard that Alabama and LSU will once again play in the “Game of the Century.” It’s 1 vs. 1 (Alabama is first in the Coaches Poll, LSU in the AP Poll), although where these teams stack up in the first CFP rankings coming on Tuesday are TBD. Still, the magnitude of this contest can’t be overstated, and we know all eyes in the country will gravitate to CBS at 2:30 CT, despite the lack of movement to make this a night game.
How has this rivalry game stacked up over the years ratings-wise? Let’s take a look:
2018: Alabama’s 29-0 win drew 11.54 million viewers with a 6.6 rating. It was third-highest non-bowl game rating of the season.
2017: Alabama’s 24-10 win only drew 6.73 million viewers with a 3.9 rating, enough to win Week Ten but not enough to crack the top ten non-bowl games list.
2016: Alabama’s 10-0 victory in Baton Rouge drew 10.39 million viewers and a 5.8 rating. A quick check shows that this was again the third-highest non-bowl game rating, behind Michigan-Ohio State and the SEC Championship.
2015: #4 Alabama’s 30-16 win over #2 LSU 11.6 million viewers and a 6.4 rating. That drew more total viewers than Michigan-Ohio State and again was up in the top five non-bowls for the year.
2014: Alabama’s 20-13 victory in overtime collected 9.11 million viewers and a 5.3 rating.
2013: Alabama’s 38-17 win in Tuscaloosa drew 11.9 million viewers and a very nice 6.9 rating. That was fifth for non-bowl games, behind the Iron Bowl, Alabama-Texas A&M, the SEC Championship, and the Big Ten Championship.
2012: Alabama’s classic 21-17 win in the final seconds collected 11.3 million viewers and a 6.8 rating, only beaten out in the regular season by USC-Notre Dame.
Some interesting trends can be seen here. First, games in Tuscaloosa draw an average of 10.08 million viewers and a 5.7 rating while games in Baton Rouge draw an average of 10.59 million viewers and a 6.13 rating. Also, the lowest ranking either team was in the polls during the game was LSU at 18 in 2017. Finally, all of these games were at night, which begs the question: will CBS draw as many eyes with the game at 2:30? Not including Florida-Georgia yet, CBS has done a good job in the time slot this season, coming in the top three every single week despite multiple blowouts. In the last three years with two teams ranked in the top ten for 2:30 games, CBS has pulled in 7.18 million and a 4.3 rating (Auburn-LSU this year), 6.35 million and a 3.9 rating (Georgia-Florida last year), 13.66 million and a 7.6 rating (Alabama-Auburn in 2017) and 7.41 million and a 4.4 rating (Georgia-Auburn 2017). One can only assume that Saturday’s contest between the Tide and the Tigers will skew closer to the 2017 Iron Bowl numbers than 2018 Georgia-Florida.
Still, no matter how you slice it and dice it, Alabama and LSU will be a juggernaut. College Gameday and SEC Nation are coming to Tuscaloosa, and CBS is also bringing in the studio show with Adam Zucker, Rick Neuheisel, and company to broadcast live from Bryant-Denny Stadium. No matter what the CFP Rankings look like on Tuesday, it’s a lock that both of these squads will be inside the first top four.
Plus, we’ll most likely get more points than ever before. When #1 LSU and #2 Alabama met in Tuscaloosa in 2011, the total was 15. Since then, the totals have been 21, 38, 55, 33, 46, 10, 34, and 29. The over/under lies at 65 after opening at 63, and that number is sure to rise heading into the weekend. It might not even be enough points, considering these teams are 4th (LSU) and 9th (Alabama) in total offense and 2nd (Alabama) and 4th (LSU) in scoring offense. The touchdown rate in Tuscaloosa could be through the roof.
Needless to say, this game is big. It’s big for CBS. It’s big for both Alabama, LSU, and the SEC as a whole. It’s huge for the CFP (next week, we’ll dissect scenarios once we know who wins and loses). Finally, it’s big for college football fans. This season, we’ve gotten six top ten matchups, but the average margin of victory in those games is eight points and none have really come down to the wire. That should change this weekend in Tuscaloosa, or so we hope. After all, there are a lot of people counting on the Tide and the Tigers to deliver a classic.
More Week Nine Thoughts
-Willie Taggart is out at Florida State after a season and two-thirds. The Seminoles’ 27-10 loss to Miami seemed to be the final nail in the coffin, as president John Thrasher said, “I think very highly of Coach Taggart and wish him well, but in the interest of the university we had no choice but to make a change.” Trasher isn’t wrong, as 4-4 Florida State has seen home attendance dwindle to an average of just a little over 54,000 in a stadium that holds 79,560. So, who’s next in Tallahassee? We’ll throw out these names: Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Penn State’s James Franklin, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, and Minnesota’s PJ Fleck.
-Georgia’s victory 24-17 over Florida showcased exactly what we thought the Bulldogs would be coming into the season. Getting receiver Lawrence Cager back was huge (seven receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown), and the offense was stupendous on 3rd Down (12/18). If the Georgia defense can continue to play that solidly and Jake Fromm can be as poised as we on Saturday down the stretch, it’s not insane to think Kirby Smart’s squad can win out and make the College Football Playoff.
-The Pac-12 is now officially in the thick of things. In road games we’ve seen contenders from out west typically lose, Utah defeated Washington 33-28 and Oregon crushed USC 56-24. The best hope for either squad is that the other keeps winning so that the Pac-12 title game is a face-off between one-loss teams. Right now, we’d say Oregon has a leg up on Utah since the Ducks’ only loss is to Auburn in the opener, but there’s still plenty of room for movement.
-Major props to Memphis and the AAC for putting on an incredible show all day Saturday. Gameday and Beale Street looked like a blast, and the atmosphere for the Tigers’ 54-48 win over SMU was stupendous. When the Group of Five shows out on the big stage, people notice.
-Let’s give you the updated list of teams with still-viable CFP chances. This week, the goes from 14 to 11, with SMU, Appalachian State, and Florida saying goodbye to playoff dreams. Here’s who’s still alive: 9-0 Clemson, 7-1 Oklahoma, 8-0 Ohio State, 8-0 Alabama, 8-0 LSU, 7-1 Georgia, 8-0 Baylor, 8-0 Minnesota, 8-1 Utah, 8-1 Oregon and 8-0 Penn State. Two games this weekend pit teams on the list against each other, so more clarity will come by this time next column.
Gray’s Top Ten
- LSU
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Clemson
- Penn State
- Oregon
- Georgia
- Utah
- Oklahoma
- Baylor
The top four remains the same ahead of Alabama-LSU this weekend. Clemson made quick work of Wofford, but I still have a few reservations about the Tigers. Penn State can prove a lot on the road at Minnesota this weekend in what will be an insane atmosphere. Oregon’s win over USC showed the defense’s dominance, and Justin Herbert had one of his better performances of the year, keeping the Ducks slightly ahead of Georgia. Utah is right behind, then come Oklahoma and Baylor. Remember, the Sooners and Bears will play November 16th in Waco.
Coach of the Week
A major shout-out to Kansas State’s Chris Klieman for breaking the trend of recently-ranked teams losing on the road against unranked foes. The Wildcats beat Les Miles and Kansas 38-10 on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd in Lawrence (yes, really), and did so decisively, out-gaining the Jayhawks 471-241 and never really letting the home team hang around. The Wildcats have figured things out in year one after Klieman and, to follow an emotional home upset over Oklahoma with a win like this, it’s clear that Kansas State has found a gem of a head coach. A 10-3 overall record looks likely in Manhattan (a loss could come this weekend at Texas or in a bowl), and that’s incredible for a program that went 5-7 last year. Something is brewing out there, and don’t be shocked if this team is in the discussion to finish high in the Big 12 next season.
Idiot of the Week
With around ten minutes left on Saturday, Florida trailed Georgia 24-10. The Gators needed two scores, and they needed to get that first one fairly quickly. So, what does Dan Mullen do? Send the offense on a 75-yard odyssey that took 6:50 off the clock. Yes, the Gators scored, but it took too much dang time. Consider this: on this 17 play drive, Florida called six designed runs. In the entire rest of the game, Florida called nine. I understand the need to run it a few plays to achieve some balance and keep the defense guessing, but this wasn’t the time for so much clock-wasting. There was little sense of urgency, so much so that I asked someone next to me if Florida had forgotten they needed to score twice. On its own, the drive was impressive. In the context of the game, though, it was confusing, perplexing, and nearly downright dumb.
150 Corner
As we talked about above, Alabama and LSU have played some classics over the years. Pretty much since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, this game has carried huge amounts of weight, whether the stakes are just in the SEC or on a national championship-level scale. Here are some of the best games the rivalry has produced over recent years. Fingers crossed we get similar drama on Saturday.
Random Rankings
We’ve had the pleasure of interviewing some great people here at RR HQ, whether on our old show “Gray’s Sports Update” or on the new one on 90.7 FM in Tuscaloosa called “The Student Section.” Here are some of our favorite media personalities with whom we’ve discussed football on various programs. No real order here, but we have numbers because that’s how we do this list. All five are phenomenal interviews, and there are so many other good ones who deserve to be shouted out. Oh, and we have SEC on CBS sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl stopping by this Wednesday at 7:15 CT (the show is from 7-8 every week).
1. Greg McElroy, SEC Network and ESPN
2. Tim Brando, FOX Sports
3. Marcus Spears, SEC Network
4. Rachel Baribeau, XM/Sirius ESPNU Radio
5. Verne Lundquist, CBS Sports
Honorable Mentions, because I couldn’t just put five when we’ve had so many great interviews with people over the years: Jacquie Franciulli (Rivals), Rick Neuheisel (CBS Sports), John Parker Wilson (CTSN), Jim Dunaway (JOX 94.5), Doug Bell (PGA Tour Radio), and many more.
SEC Power Rankings
The top three are now set, and the “mushy middle” is still just that, mushy and confusing. Here’s how The Hangover sees things stacking up in the conference where it just means more.
- LSU (LW: 1)
- Alabama (2)
- Georgia (4)
- Florida (3)
- Auburn (5)
- Texas A&M (6)
- Tennessee (8)
- Kentucky (7)
- Missouri (9)
- South Carolina (10)
- Ole Miss (11)
- Mississippi State (13)
- Vanderbilt (12)
- Arkansas (14)
So Who’s Ready for Next Week?
It’s the biggest weekend of the year thus far. Here are the games you should keep a close eye on for Week Eleven:
#5 Penn State at #13 Minnesota, 11 am CT on ABC
Vanderbilt at #10 Florida, 11 am CT on ESPN
#11 Baylor at TCU, 11 am CT on FS1
Florida State at Boston College, 11 am CT on ACC Network
#1 LSU at #2 Alabama, 2:30 CT on CBS
#20 Kansas State at Texas, 2:30 CT on ESPN
#22 Wake Forest at Virginia Tech, 2:30 CT on ACC Networj
USC at Arizona State, 2:30 CT on ABC
#18 Iowa at #16 Wisconsin, 3:00 CT on FOX
Missouri at #6 Georgia, 6:00 CT on ESPN
Appalachian State at South Carolina, 6:00 CT on ESPN2
#4 Clemson at NC State, 6:30 CT on ABC
#15 Notre Dame at Duke, 6:30 CT on ACC Network
Iowa State at #9 Oklahoma, 7:00 CT on FOX
That’s it for this edition of The Hangover! We’ll be in Tuscaloosa on Saturday for Alabama and LSU, because where else would we go? Until next week, football fans!