DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum College Football Matchups Saturday

The Buckeyes regular season is done, so now we poisonous nuts sit and watch the drama unfold this Saturday. All around the land, conversations have been held as to how the Buckeyes can still get into the BCS title game if this happens, and then this happens, and after that this happens.

Odds are that it won't happen, but until tomorrow night we can still anticipate it happening....and with the wacky way Saturdays have gone this entire year, who knows???

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Courtesy of ESPN:

No. 1 LSU (10-1) vs Arkansas (7-4)

Baton Rouge, LA
2:30 PM ET CBS
The "Battle for the Boot" will take place in Baton Rouge when LSU plays host Arkansas. The battle in the trenches will be key; Arkansas ranks fourth in the country in rushing behind Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, and LSU ranks fourth in rushing defense.



No. 3 West Virginia (9-1) vs No. 20 Connecticut (9-2)

Morgantown, WV
3:30 PM ET ABC ESPN360
The Big East title will be decided in Morgantown when UConn visits West Virginia. The winner will secure a BCS bowl bid, while West Virginia still has a shot at the BCS title game. Last year, the Mountaineers hammered the Huskies 37-11.



No. 2 Kansas (11-0) vs No. 4 Missouri (10-1)

Kansas City, MO
8:00 PM ET ABC ESPN360
The biggest game of the weekend takes place in Kansas City when Kansas and Missouri meet to decide the Big 12 North division winner. It's also likely that if the winner of this game can take the Big 12 title game, it will appear in the BCS Championship Game.


BCS Standings
1. LSU 10-1
2. Kansas 11-0
3. West Virginia 9-1
4. Missouri 10-1
5. Ohio State 11-1
6. Arizona State 9-1
7. Georgia 9-2
8. Virginia Tech 9-2
9. Oregon 8-2
10. Oklahoma 9-2

I'm a huge fan of the "Hogs" and "Dogs" this weekend.




Go Bucks!

In order for Arkansas to win there WRs have to have big day. Marcus Monk must make big plays. Mcfadden and Jones will keep them in this game but they cant do it alone. GO ARKANSAS!!!!!! Oh yeah in all honesty I think we should give up on West Virgina losing. The reason why they lost in the first place was because Pat White was hurt. We need Arkansas to win this week and Oklahoma to win the big 12.

Noticed that no one mentioned the fact that a possible Arizona State loss would help the Buckeyes,...

Thank You USC,....

I hope McFadden runs like a mad man in the 2nd half.

I'm heading to the biggest game in school history in 30 minutes: Let's Go Bows!!!



No. 15 Hawaii (10-0) vs No. 19 Boise State (10-1)

Honolulu, HI
ESPN 9:00 PM ET
The WAC title is on the line in Hawaii on Friday when the Warriors host Boise State. But perhaps bigger than that, the winner has a chance to sneak into the top 12 of the BCS standings and secure a BCS bowl bid.

McFADDDDDDEEEENNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!GO RAZORBACKS!!!!!

LSU is now down 14-6 in the 3rd quarter to Arkansas after a huge run by McFadden

21-14 Razorbacks!!!

Been trying to catch glimpses of this game all day - just got home from work and need a shower - all tied up - LET'S GO HOGS

Dammit they scored to quick! Just kidding, Mcfadden's locking down the heisman today.

Arkansas QB almost cost them the game.

He came through that time, but you're right, he's terrible.

LSU goes down in 3 OTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Way to go Razorbacks!!!!!!!

YEAH!

Wow, crazy game.

It always seems like the 2nd team going for the 2-pointer misses it. Oh well.

ANOTHER top 5 team goes down. I guess OSU and WVU still have shots.

Lets go UCONN!!!!!!!!

Quote:

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USC looked scary last night. They're an entirely different team when healthy. If Booty doesn't miss the Oregon game I don't see how USC wouldn't be #2 or #3 right now.

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I see it. They lost to Standford. No way anyone puts them that high unless the live in So Cal.

Well for all the doubters out there, ( I was one of the biggest) here is where OSU might stand...

After tomorrow, either Kansas or Missouri will drop below the Bucks. That will leave us third behind WVU (assuming they win) and the winner of that game. If Oklahoma wins the Big Twelve Championship game, we should be in.

If WVU loses tomorrow, then we should be in no matter what happens in the Big Twelve game. What will be really interesting to me is who moves up if WVU loses and Oklahoma wins the Big Twelve.

Georgia might have a shot if Tennesse loses and Georgia wins the SEC. LSU has a chance still if they win the SEC and doesn't drop to far. What will really be intersting to see if USC moves up alot. If they jump over Georgia and USC they might have a chance, even after losing to Standford. The thing is can we have a team play for the National Title who couldn't even win their own conference?

What if Hawaii goes undefeated. I know its a long shot but why do they not have a chance?

p, college football is the greatest sport on earth...the browns the greatest team, I just mean NFL is for teams, college football is fandome allaround

Today was a perfect example of why there needs to be a playoff. How do you determine a true national champion in ONE final game when this season any team can beat any other?

What's interesting is that LSU isn't completely out of it. If WVU and the winner of Kansas vs. Missou go down, they could sneak back in. I would guess that LSU will drop to 5. I don't think the loss will drop them below Georgia and even if it does, they can move back ahead of them with a win in the SEC championship game.

Being a Buckeye fan, I really hope Michigan hires Les Miles.

I posted this for all you OSU fans...

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- LSU's national title hopes were crushed by a Heisman-worthy performance.

Darren McFadden rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another to lift Arkansas to a 50-48, three-overtime victory over the top-ranked Tigers on Friday.

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Peyton Hillis also scored three TDs, the last in the third overtime. Felix Jones ran for the critical 2-point conversion to make it 50-42 for the Razorbacks (8-4, 4-4 Southeastern Conference).

LSU (10-2, 6-2) responded when Matt Flynn found Brandon LaFell for a 9-yard TD, but Matterral Richardson intercepted the 2-point conversion attempt, and Arkansas' bench emptied onto the field in triumph, having ending the nation's longest home winning streak at 19 games.

"Hey, we were the best team in the country today," boasted Houston Nutt, who is rumored to be on his way out as the Razorbacks' head coach. "To come down here in Baton Rouge and win is huge."

McFadden, last year's Heisman Trophy runner-up, rushed for 206 yards 32 carries and now has 1,725 yards rushing this season, breaking the single-season record of 1,647 he set last year.

No doubt there are West Virginia and Ohio State fans who'd vote for McFadden for Heisman if they could.

By knocking off LSU, which was in first place in the BCS standings, Arkansas boosted the national championship hopes of the Mountaineers and Buckeyes.

"Certainly, he had a Heisman performance today," LSU coach Les Miles said. "Right now, there's a goal of our football team taken off the board and it's sad. ... Tonight, we'll be sick."

McFadden often took direct snaps in "Wild Hog" formation. He was a triple threat to run, hand off or throw, and looked quite comfortable in the quarterback role. He executed a flawless play-action fake on his 24-yard touchdown pass to Hillis in the fourth quarter.

He was most dangerous running the ball, as usual. His second TD, again coming after he took the direct snap, went for 73 yards.

Miles said he thought he had a good plan for the "Wild Hog" formation, with two defenders shadowing McFadden. LSU linebacker Ali Highsmith did his best, making 15 tackles.

"There's a point where I thought we were going to defend that thing pretty well," Miles said. "There were two pretty good LSU tacklers ready to tackle that guy and he didn't go down. It definitely affected us."

McFadden wasn't the only running back LSU had trouble wrapping up.

Hillis and Jones each ran for 89 yards as Arkansas finished with a 385 yards on the ground against one of the best run defenses in the country.

It's the second time this season the Tigers have fallen while at No. 1 and it's probably too late in the season now for them to get another chance.

The winner of tomorrow night's game between No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Missouri will likely take over the top spot in the rankings and the BCS standings. No. 4 West Virginia, which was third in the BCS standings, has a chance to sneak up to at least No. 2 in each with a win over Connecticut.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are done and waiting it out. They were fifth in the last BCS standings.

Whichever team reaches No. 1, it'll be the fourth top-ranked team in this season of instability. The last season that had four No. 1s was 1997.

Flynn finished 209 yards passing and three touchdowns. He also ran for another score in the first overtime, when LSU could have emerged victorious with a stop on fourth-and-10.

But Casey Dick found Hillis open for a 12-yard gain to keep the Razorbacks alive, then later found Hillis again for a 9-yard tying TD.

Jacob Hester rushed for 126 yards and two TDs for LSU, which had to rally from a seven-point deficits three times in the second half, and convert two fourth-down plays on its last drive in regulation, just to force overtime.

LSU had made a habit of pulling off dramatic second-half comebacks in victories over Florida, Auburn and at Alabama. Their only other loss also came in triple OT at Kentucky.

But this time, Arkansas and the embattled Nutt walked away holding the "Golden Boot," a trophy shaped like the states of Arkansas and Louisiana.

"This league's the toughest league in America and that's why it's hard for a lot of people to understand that every Saturday, anybody can beat anybody in this league," Nutt said.

Or on Fridays.

Nutt, who will have his team in a bowl game, may not be back with the Hogs next season after growing unrest in Fayetteville, Ark., after and a slow start to the season. Arkansas officials have yet to confirm that, however, and firing Nutt may be a less popular move now.

Miles job is not in jeopardy, but there's been talk he could be moving after this season, too. Miles, who played at Michigan and was an assistant coach there, is widely considered a top candidate to replace Lloyd Carr as the Wolverines' head man.

Before Miles decides that, LSU still has a couple games to play.

The Tigers had already clinched the SEC West Division and will move on to the conference title game in Atlanta on Dec. 1, but will do so feeling a little hollow after letting a chance at a national title slip away. Winning the SEC title will put LSU in New Orleans in January, but for the Sugar Bowl, not the BCS Championship game they wanted to be in a week later.

"It's disappointing, especially after we came back like that to tie the game up," Hester said. "Two losses, both of them being in triple overtime, is something we don't want to happen. But we have to bounce back."

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/recap?gid=200711230076

Well it means we are now ranked 4th. The loser of Mizzou/Kansas will have to drop below OSU I think. That means we need WV or the winner of the Mizzou/Kansas game to lose once more if we want a shot at the championship.

Edit: It would work in our favor if Mizzou lost to Kansas due to the fact they would become a 2 loss team virtually eliminating themselves from the championship game.

Every year at this time, we hear this, and every year they continue with this foolish set up, we will continue to ask - why no playoff?

Now, with the SEC about to shed major tears over getting closed out of the championship game, perhaps we can get an in-depth article on why the NCAA D1 Presidents continually vote a playoff scenario down.

Earlier this year, I read that we are very close to getting the "plus 1" format approved, but again, I still do not think that that scenario would solve the situation every year.

I cannot for the life of me see how an 8 or 12 team playoff would not bring in more money (...and you know damn well that is what this comes down to) than the current set-up, and solve many of the current problems.

They could still keep their little mathmatical formula on ranking the top 8-12 teams. If you have 12 teams, you reward the top four seeds with bye weeks, to ensure that the top 4 teams heading into their historical big games (ex. OSU-UM) don't sandbag their best players knowing that they'll be in the playoff regardless.

(Look at OSU last year - they would have still been a top 8-12 team even if they'd have lost to UM, but it would've been a shame if we sat Ginn, Smith, Gonzo, etc. as NFL teams do their final week vs. Michigan)

Call every game in the tourney a "bowl" - your first round could be your Outback, Citrus, etc and your "Final 4" - 3 games could rotate between Sugar, Rose, Fiesta, and Orange - although 1 will have to get the boot. (another way to make money - have companies bid on the final 4...)

Kinda.

Bucks fans are now big Oklahoma fans. The loser of the Kansas/Mizzu game will drop below the Bucks, moving us up to 3, and the winner of that game will have to face OU in the Big 12 championship. If OU wins, the Bucks will almost surely move up to 2.

If Kansas wins tomorrow and wins over OK, they are in. If they win tomorrow and lose to OU, I can't fathom the polls having them very high. Everyone has suspected KU to have played nobody.

If Mizzu wins tomorrow and wins over OU, they are in. If they win tomorrow and lose to OU, that'll give them 2 loses and they'll fall to about 6-7.

So the bottom line is that WE NEED OU to win!!!

Let's not forget that WVU still has 2 games to play and neither are easy.

Gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Boo Hoo to all those SEC fans. No shot at being in the National Title game this year. LSU was nothing more than pedestrian. That offense is average at best.

The real shame in all of this is that Oregon won't have a chance. They consistently looked like the best team until Dixon got hurt.

McFadden shoud win the Heisman.

LMAO...When was the last time the #1 team in the nation lost the #1 ranking not only ONCE...But TWICE in the same season?...NEVER...

INSANE!!!!!!!!

Now take a look at this...

When was the last time a team ranked #5 in the nation after it's LAST game of the season ends up playing in the National Championship Game???...NOW!!!!!!!!

INSANE!!!!!!!!

Here's your rankings TODAY...

BCS Standings

1- Kansas 11-0
2- West Virginia 9-1
3- Missouri 10-1
4- Ohio State 11-1

Kansas beats Mizz...OHIO STATE goes to #3...and loses to Oklahoma...OHIO STATE goes to #2...

There's our National Championship Game folks...

West Virginia vs Ohio State

INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote:

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Kansas beats Mizz...OHIO STATE goes to #3...and loses to Oklahoma...OHIO STATE goes to #2...

There's our National Championship Game folks...

West Virginia vs Ohio State

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That is interesting....and could very well occur.

The funny thing is I bet a guy at work over a month ago (Big WVU fan; huge Buckeye hater) a hundred Bucks if we faced each other in a bowl game, and I already gave him 14 points.

WILD WILD WILD...

We have a great shot at a NC Game...

BTW...Thanks REFS...Didn't even look for any college ball threads...