For my part - because I really can no longer stand the sadness - I want to talk about Florida. The Gators lost to FCS Georgia Southern 26-20, their first ever loss to an FCS team, and this season will be the first time Florida does not qualify for a bowl game since 1990 and their first losing season since 1979. Next week, Florida plays Florida State. The Seminoles biggest win in this rivalry was 52-17, in 1988. That FSU team went 11-1, finished the season ranked 3rd, and beat Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. I bet they break that record this year.
Basically, this is the remainder of Florida State's schedule:
2) Alabama (11-0, 7-0, +17) - Oh, God. It's gotten to the point where I will be rooting for a team whose mascot is a racist caricature and whose quarterback and best player is under investigation for rape just because I hate Alabama just that much. If the National Championship does come down to that, just know that I'll be watching at home, trying to make good things happen with my mind:
3) Stanford (9-2, 7-2, +16) - Oregon's major d'oh at Arizona handed the Pac-12 North title to Stanford for the second straight win. The Cardinal beat Cal 63-13 in The Big Game, their biggest win in the 121 years of the rivalry. The win also erases Stanford's loss at USC last week. They're kind of backing their way into the championship. Also, auf Deutsch:
4) Ohio State (11-0, 7-0, +14) - Patience is a virtue. Be patient, and you will see Oregon go down. And then Baylor. And then you will get a Big Ten championship game against a very good Michigan State team. And you will only need a little slip-up (Who knows how the Iron Bowl will go down? South Carolina's gonna be a tough out in that Championship game.) and suddenly, the same Ohio State Buckeyes that everyone has been counting out could be left standing in the championship game. Patience is a virtue.
Or, whatever. Rose Bowl is good, too.
5) Northern Illinois (11-0, 7-0, +13)
6) Clemson (10-1, 7-1, +12)
7) Oregon (9-2, 6-2, +10) - I have done much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments over the Ducks 42-16 road loss to unranked Arizona, their worst loss since the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl, which I watched from an opium-induced haze from a hospital bed in Portland. Sure, this loss knocked the Ducks out of the Rose Bowl, and probably out of the BCS Bowls all together. But it also might be a good wake up call for the program. I still support coach Mark Helfrich, although I wish that he would run the offense faster than he does. At the beginning of the season, there were questions about Oregon's defense, and now, at the end of the season, those look legitimate. (Sure, the offense struggled, but they didn't give up 42 points to a .500 team.) The Ducks still have the Civil War and a bowl game ahead of them (maybe against Oklahoma?) They also have two of the most talented players in all of football in Mariota and De'Anthony Thomas. Hopefully, they should be back and better next year.
Also:
I'll always love you, Eugene.
8) Auburn (10-1, 6-1, +10) - Could this be the biggest Iron Bowl ever? The game that has produced the last four national champions could do it again, and this game is essentially a national quarterfinal. The Tide should be pretty heavily favored, but Auburn should provide them with a unique challenge. Against Georgia, the Tigers ran 57 times for 5.7 yards per carry. In a loss at LSU, they ran 52 time for 4.1 yards per carry. Against Mississippi, they ran 48 times for 5.9 yards per carry. They should present Alabama with their toughest offensive challenge of the season since the Aggies.
9) Fresno State (10-0, 7-0, +10)
10) Missouri (10-1, 6-1, +9)
11) UCF (9-1, 6-0, +9) - Central Florida has two games left on their schedule: versus South Florida (2-8) and at Southern Methodist (5-5). They just need to win one of those games to win the American Conference and secure a bid to a BCS game, most likely the Sugar Bowl against an SEC team. (Missouri?)
12) Oklahoma State (10-1, 7-1, +9) - Oklahoma State handed Baylor their first loss of the season and, with a win in two weeks at Oklahoma, put themselves in position for a conference championship and a Fiesta Bowl berth. The Big 12, however, may have a bit of a problem. It will have 6 bowl eligible teams this season, and has 7 bowl tie-ins (Fiesta, Cotton, Holiday, Alamo, Buffalo Wild Wings, Pinstripe, Texas) Odds are that the Pinstripe will replace a Big 12 team with Notre Dame, although I would like to see maybe the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl take a risk on Oregon State, if they could.
13) Baylor (9-1, 6-1, +8)
14) Arizona State (9-2, 7-1, +8) - The Sun Devils took all of the excitement out of the last weekend of Pac-12 football by beating UCLA, 38-33, and securing their first ever spot in the Pac-12 Championship game, against Stanford (who handed Arizona State their only Pac-12 loss, 42-28, in September.) Arizona State has exactly one Rose Bowl win ever, a 22-15 win over Michigan in 1987. The quarterback for that Michigan Wolverine team was former Stanford and current San Francisco 49er coach, Jim Harbaugh. So, I bet he's rooting against ASU.
15) Michigan State (10-1, 7-0, +7) - I would love to see Michigan State play Texas A&M in, like, the Outback Bowl. In their last five games, the Spartans have given up more than 6 points exactly once. Also, I like to think that Mark D'Antonio will literally scoff at Johnny Manziel because he is not Johnny Unitas:
Now, Johnny Unitas - there’s a haircut you could set your watch to.
16) South Carolina (9-2, 6-2, +6)
Also:
I'll always love you, Eugene.
8) Auburn (10-1, 6-1, +10) - Could this be the biggest Iron Bowl ever? The game that has produced the last four national champions could do it again, and this game is essentially a national quarterfinal. The Tide should be pretty heavily favored, but Auburn should provide them with a unique challenge. Against Georgia, the Tigers ran 57 times for 5.7 yards per carry. In a loss at LSU, they ran 52 time for 4.1 yards per carry. Against Mississippi, they ran 48 times for 5.9 yards per carry. They should present Alabama with their toughest offensive challenge of the season since the Aggies.
9) Fresno State (10-0, 7-0, +10)
10) Missouri (10-1, 6-1, +9)
11) UCF (9-1, 6-0, +9) - Central Florida has two games left on their schedule: versus South Florida (2-8) and at Southern Methodist (5-5). They just need to win one of those games to win the American Conference and secure a bid to a BCS game, most likely the Sugar Bowl against an SEC team. (Missouri?)
12) Oklahoma State (10-1, 7-1, +9) - Oklahoma State handed Baylor their first loss of the season and, with a win in two weeks at Oklahoma, put themselves in position for a conference championship and a Fiesta Bowl berth. The Big 12, however, may have a bit of a problem. It will have 6 bowl eligible teams this season, and has 7 bowl tie-ins (Fiesta, Cotton, Holiday, Alamo, Buffalo Wild Wings, Pinstripe, Texas) Odds are that the Pinstripe will replace a Big 12 team with Notre Dame, although I would like to see maybe the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl take a risk on Oregon State, if they could.
13) Baylor (9-1, 6-1, +8)
14) Arizona State (9-2, 7-1, +8) - The Sun Devils took all of the excitement out of the last weekend of Pac-12 football by beating UCLA, 38-33, and securing their first ever spot in the Pac-12 Championship game, against Stanford (who handed Arizona State their only Pac-12 loss, 42-28, in September.) Arizona State has exactly one Rose Bowl win ever, a 22-15 win over Michigan in 1987. The quarterback for that Michigan Wolverine team was former Stanford and current San Francisco 49er coach, Jim Harbaugh. So, I bet he's rooting against ASU.
15) Michigan State (10-1, 7-0, +7) - I would love to see Michigan State play Texas A&M in, like, the Outback Bowl. In their last five games, the Spartans have given up more than 6 points exactly once. Also, I like to think that Mark D'Antonio will literally scoff at Johnny Manziel because he is not Johnny Unitas:
16) South Carolina (9-2, 6-2, +6)
17) UCLA (8-3, 5-3, +5)
18) Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2, +5) - The Sooners are one of four Big 12 teams who could still conceivably win the Big 12 and a Fiesta Bowl bid. However, I've got them pegged for the Holiday Bowl, against the Ducks. And while I would love to see Oregon kick their butts, Oklahoma has the same formula that has handed Oregon their last two losses: An athletic and disciplined defense that can keep Oregon's skill players in front of them, and a tough, physical running game that can gain yards, not make mistakes, and keep Oregon's offense off the field. Until the Ducks figure out how to deal with those types of teams, they could start seeing the losses start piling up.
19) Louisville (10-1, 6-1, +5) - On the one hand, it's too bad that one bad game has ruined Louisville's BCS chances. On the other hand, I've got them in the Belk Bowl against Duke. I love basketball-football games.
20) Duke (9-2, 5-2, +3)
21) Wisconsin (9-2, 6-1, +3)
22) Ball State (9-2, 6-1, +1)
23) Washington (7-4, 4-4, +1)
24) LSU (8-3, 4-3, +1) - Yes, I was very sad about the Ducks loss on Saturday. But there were bright spots, too, like Georgia Southern's win over Florida. I also thoroughly enjoyed LSU's 34-10 dismantling of Texas A&M. It's now Week 13, and TA&M's best win is still against ... Rice.
25) Georgia (7-4, 5-3, 0)
22) Ball State (9-2, 6-1, +1)
23) Washington (7-4, 4-4, +1)
24) LSU (8-3, 4-3, +1) - Yes, I was very sad about the Ducks loss on Saturday. But there were bright spots, too, like Georgia Southern's win over Florida. I also thoroughly enjoyed LSU's 34-10 dismantling of Texas A&M. It's now Week 13, and TA&M's best win is still against ... Rice.
25) Georgia (7-4, 5-3, 0)
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