It must be Tuesday and that means another edition of Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Summaries
Pac 12 Championship Game
Oregon 51- Arizona 13: The Ducks punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff by punching out the Wildcats at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. While the UO defense shutdown UofA from the start, it took a while for the Duck offense to get rolling. Once they did get rolling, the game was over by halftime. UO QB Marcus Mariota took firm possession of the Heisman trophy by completing 25 of 38 passes for 313 yards and two TDs to go with 33 yards rushing and 3 more scores. The Ducks would finish with 627 yards of offense, 31 first downs and a T.O.P of 38:55. The Wildcats were stuffed by the Duck defense all night long. The Ducks forced more 3-and-outs, (7), than completions allowed by UofA QB Anu Solomon, (6). In fact, 96 of the Arizona's 224 total yards gained came early in the fourth quarter after Oregon had built up a 44-7 lead.
Telling Stat: Not even that close; Arizona only broke double digits scoring in this game when backup QB Jerrard Randle rushed 25 yards for a TD on the game's final play. That run by Randle was the Wildcats longest run from scrimmage on the entire game.
Big Ten Championship Game
Ohio State 59- Wisconsin 0: With their third string QB making his first start ever, the Buckeyes entered the Big Ten title game as underdogs. The supposedly outmanned Buckeyes hit the field and eviscerated the Badgers. That 3rd string QB Cardale Jones completed 12 of 17 for 257 yards and three TDs. As for the OSU rushing attack, RB Ezekiel Elliot gashed the Badger defense for 220 yards rushing and a pair of TDs on just 20 carries. While all that offense was going on, the Buckeye defense made sure Wisconsin's offense did go anywhere. They effectively ended the Heisman Campaign of Badger RB Melvin Gordon, holding him to just 76 yards on 26 carries.
Telling Stat: Anatomy of a shutout; On Wisconsin's 15 drives, the Buckeye defense forced eight punts, four turnovers, held for downs once and had the clock run out in each half in this total wipeout of the Badgers
ACC Championship Game
Florida State 37- Georgia Tech 35: This was a great back and forth title game with Seminoles starting slow yet again, then playing just well enough to escape with a win. The Yellow Jackets started the game with their option game hitting on all cylinders. Their first three drives all went for TDs and covered 71, 75 and 75 yards. The Seminoles seemed to be just a step behind most of the game, trailing 28-23 as the fourth quarter got underway. Then the FSU defense kept the Jackets off the scoreboard for three straight series. That stretch allowed their offense to take control of the game. In the end, Georgia Tech did score to again to come within two points of the Noles, but FSU recovered the ensuing onside kick and the ACC title was theirs again. FSU QB Jameis Winston completed 21 of 30 passes for 309 yards and three TDs, while Georgia Tech RB Synjin Davis rushed for 67 yards and three TDs in the losing effort.
Telling Stat: 1 punt, 1 downs, and 1 pick; The Florida State defense forced a Georgia Tech punt, held for downs and picked off a pass on three drives that spanned the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. During that span the FSU offense three field goal to take control of the game.
SEC Championship Game
Alabama 42- Missouri 13: The Crimson Tide reserved their place in the College Football Playoff by taming the Tigers of Mizzou. The Tigers couldn't stop the Bama rushing attack. RBs Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon combined for 34 carries, 188 yards and four TDs on the afternoon. Throw in 262 yards passing and another two scores from QB Blake Sims and the rout was on. The Bama defense held Mizzou to just 41 yards rushing, but QB Maty Mauk did throw for 272 yards and a TD in the loss.
Telling Stat: Sealing the deal; Bama outscored Missouri, 21-0 in the fourth quarter to bring home another SEC title to Tuscaloosa.
Self-inflicted wounds; or how the Big XII became their own worst enemy
1. They didn't play a conference championship game: I'm a traditionalist as much as anybody, but not having a championship game, no matter how weird that would look after a full round-robin league schedule, hurt the league. Even though the league has less than 12 teams, they could have applied for a waiver to play a title game.
2. Declaring Co-Champions of Baylor and TCU: Why should the CFP Committee pick one of your teams if you can't? Not declaring an outright league champion hurt the league.
3. The commissioner and member schools saw these potential problems and did nothing to help themselves.
Observations
...128th; That's what Baylor's non-confernce strength of schedule was this season. 128th of 128 teams in the FBS. That's dead last. To put that in perspective, Baylor's non-conference schedule was worse than anybody's non-conference slate in the SEC. That weak slate cost Baylor the CFP.
...False hope; If the CFP Committee was going to knock TCU down for losing to Baylor, why did they rank them higher all season and vault TCU into the #3 slot last week?
...Quietly leaving the stage; Alabama-Birmingham is dropping football and they won't get a chance at a farewell game. They were not offered a bowl bid despite being bowl eligible. So long, Blazers.
...Stay classy San Diego; The city down south pulled off a dream matchup for the Poinsettia Bowl. The pairing of San Diego State and Navy is the best combination of city and teams in a bowl this year.
...And then there were none; There are no winless teams this year in the FBS! The SMU Mustangs went on the road to Connecticut and beat the Huskies, 27-20. RB Prescott Line scampered in from 12 yards out for the winning score with just 9:22 to play.
...A requiem for the SWC; Arkansas v. Texas in the Texas bowl is just a great matchup. Visions of Frank Broyles and Darrell Royal are dancing in my head.
...Haven't mentioned them in awhile; They were once a staple of this column, so it is good to see that the UTEP Miners have gotten to a bowl game.
...One game left; There's one game left in the FBS regular season, and the tradition that comes with it is second to none. Yes folks, it is Army-Navy week. If all the tradition that from this game doesn't get you into watching it, maybe this will. It is interesting to watch at a game with a live cannon battery in each end zone.
...Follow the Sun; Once again, the Sun Bowl is the only bowl game not on ESPN or ABC. This game is on CBS.
...That's Enough, SEC honks; While he was at USC, Lane Kiffin was vilified by folks in SEC-land on a daily basis, now to that he's Nick Saban's lap dog, he has been washed in magic waters and is incredible. The hypocrisy is just unbearable. It reached a new low, when CBS's Verne Lundquist tried to write revisionist history about Kiffin while kissing his butt throughout the game.
Ugly Uniform of the Week: Bowling Green wins for this all-orange ensemble. All-orange doesn't look good on anyone from CalTrans workers to prisoners to Clemson.
Gut reactions to the Pac 12 Bowl slate (or as I call it, the way to laugh at the Commissioner's poor prognostications)
Las Vegas Bowl: Utah v. Colorado State- CSU HC Jim McElwain promptly let the Rama to a 10-2 regular season then took the Florida job. That leaves interim HC Dave Baldwin at the helm. Will CSU be up for this game? As for Utah, they are thrilled to be back in a bowl for the first time in three seasons. This game is Utah's to lose.
Sun Bowl: ASU v. Duke- The SunDevils had the inside track to a Pac 12 title shot, then that was lost on a chilly night in Corvallis. ASU hasn't really recovered from that loss, but still has a potent offense. Duke has risen to be an ACC contender, but do they have enough offense to keep up with the Sun Devil attack? I think ASU wins this one, but it'll be a little closer than everyone thinks.
Holiday Bowl: Nebraska v. USC- Who else can I pick but the Trojans? Seriously though, The Trojans come in on a high after crushing Notre Dame. The Huskers come in angry with an interim HC after seeing Bo Pellini got fired after a 9-win season. Oh, and their new HC Mike Riley only has a ton of experience with USC. I think he may give the Huskers all his knowledge on this one. This should be a very good game.
Foster Farms Bowl: Maryland v. Stanford- Maryland has tried to adopt a tough guy attitude in their inaugural season in the Big Ten. I think Stanford shows them what tough is with their power running game. I'll take the Cardinal.
Fiesta Bowl: Boise State v. Arizona- The Wildcats didn't really get a big reward for getting their butts kicked in the Pac 12 title game. Yes, they got a big bowl, but they are now the big bad power conference team that underdog Boise State is trying to take down. Everyone who doesn't live in Tucson will be rooting for the Broncos. I like Boise in an upset.
Alamo Bowl: Kansas State v. UCLA- The bRuins don't travel well and will no crowd support in a game that is basically a Big XII home game help a UCLA squad that doesn't have a great bowl history anyway? I think not. K-State gets the win.
Ticket City: Washington v. Oklahoma State- Neither of these squads has been great this year, but Okie State seems to have a little better grasp on how to win, while Washington still has to learn under Chris Petersen. I'll take the Cowboys in this one.
Rose Bowl: Florida State v. Oregon- Everybody will talk about this being a Mariota v. Winston matchup. Don't believe it. This game is trench warfare. Can Oregon's O-line handle FSU's D-line? Can FSU's O-line handle an underrated but very good Oregon defensive front? Being a Pac12 guy who can't stand FSU, I'll take the Ducks.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing
The IlluminOcean light display in Dana Point Harbor is well worth the drive.
Sense memory; Cigar smoke smells makes me feel like I'm sitting in an old ballpark.
I've spent more time at Trader Joe's this year than the baseball card shop.
A Final Note
The end of another football regular season is at hand and so is this column for 2014. No matter how many amazing things happen during the season, it's who you experience the games with that make the season great. I now thank my extended football family, that now stretches from Italy to New Zealand, for making another season great. Without you all, the sharing of my love for this game with the funny bouncing ball would not occur. So, until next season remember that teams come and go, it's our love of the game that lasts.
-The Commissioner
