Alabama has made it to the Championship game for the fourth time in eight years, where they will face top-ranked Clemson. So what sets this time apart?
For starters, the Tigers are arguably the most talented opponent the Crimson Tide has faced in a title game to date. Secondly, despite their strong showing this season, the last time Clemson was in a National Championship game was in 1981. Lastly, this is the first time since 2008 the Tide and the Tigers will battle it out on the football field.
At their last meeting, Alabama handed Clemson a humbling 34-10 loss, but that was a different time and Clemson was under a different coach. It wasn’t until midway through the 2008 season that current Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney took... Read More
BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl: #8 Notre Dame at#7 Ohio State
The #8 Fighting Irish were just six points short of a perfect season, suffering two-point losses to both #1 Clemson and #6 Stanford only to finish the season 10-2 – that’s what happens when you play the 8th-toughest schedule in the land. The #7 Ohio State Buckeyes came even closer to perfection, losing only in November to #3 Michigan State 17-14.
The biggest mistake #9 Florida State could make is to underestimate their opponent, #14 Houston, in this year’s Chik-Fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. This marks the Seminoles 4th time to appear in the Peach Bowl, where they hold a record of 2-3. Houston has never played in this Bowl, in fact, they’ve never made a bowl game of this magnitude. Perhaps this means the Cougars will get stage fright and choke or, on the flip side, they are ready to prove they belong in post-season chatter.
The Seminoles and the Cougars have played each other 16 times in the past with Houston leading the overall series 12-2-2. The Cougars are led this season by first-year head coach Tom Herman, who served as... Read More
As the regular college football season winds down and the playoffs gear up, #7 Stanford at #24 USC will battle it out for the second time this season to claim the Pac-12 title.
In their first meeting this season, the then-ranked #6 Trojans fell to the then-unranked Cardinal in an upsetting 41-31 loss. Stanford carried the momentum of that upset forward, as they went on to beat every team they played until a surprising 38-36 loss to the Oregon Ducks – their second surprise this season after losing their opener to Northwestern 16-6.
The Trojans, on the other hand, went the other way after Stanford handed them their first loss of the season, losing to Washington (17-12), Notre Dame (31-41), and... Read More
We’ll be the first to admit Michigan State at Nebraska is an unconventional Game of The Week, with one team ranked 6th in the nation with a perfect 8-0 record and the other sunk to the bottom of the Big Ten division at a pitiful 3-6.
But Nebraska is grasping tightly to a 16-game winning streak at home against Michigan State. Though Nebraska may not seem like much of a threat, it’s safe to say the Cornhuskers have been looking forward to this game all season.
Last year, Michigan State beat Nebraska 27-22 at home in a game that came down to the final possession, though Nebraska finished last season 9-4 (5-3), which is leaps and bounds better than where they are currently sitting. They were also off a 5... Read More
This week is a week of seemingly uneven matchups, especially our Game of the Week, the SEC pairing of #19 Ole Miss at Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. While only one of the teams is ranked, the latest chapter in this storied rivalry has big implications.
Ole Miss is coming off of a big 23-3 win against Texas A&M last week; the Rebels are currently sitting at 6-2 and are 3rd in the West division behind LSU and Alabama. They have yet to play the former, and they beat the latter earlier this season 43-37.
While Ole Miss appears to be the better team, they are going on the road to face a team in a desperate do-or-die situation: Auburn needs a win in order to even be... Read More
Most of the time it’s safe to assume when two ranked teams go head-to-head, the higher ranked team is going to win, but not this week: With #15 Texas A&M coming off their first loss of the season (to Alabama, 41-23) and Ole Miss coming off their second loss of the season (they lost to Florida in week 5) to unranked Memphis, there was no way we couldn’t choose #15 Texas A&M at #24 Ole Miss as our College Game of The Week. Plus, this is the only matchup in all of college football this week that includes two ranked teams, so… it was a no-brainer.
Texas A&M and Ole Miss have played seven times, and history is decidedly in A&M’s favor: the Rebels beat the Aggies in College... Read More
To say #8 Florida at #6 LSU is an interesting matchup is like saying “Bear” Bryant was a decent football coach: it’s a bit of an understatement.
This game is likely to set the tone for the rest of Florida’s season, which isn’t looking as bright as it was just last week. The Gators' starting quarterback, Will Grier, has been suspended for a calendar year – yeah, not just the rest of the season – for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. The Gators are currently riding an undefeated wave, as are the Tigers.
With Grier out, the Gators will look to sophomore Treon Harris to lead them to victory. Harris, who was suspended earlier this year for an unspecified violation of team rules, started the last 6 games... Read More
In a season riddled with upsets, it’s only logical to focus on #23 Cal at #5 Utah as our game of the week.
We’re so used to hearing about elite teams like Alabama, who’ve won three of the last five BCS Championships, but it seems it’s finally time for another team to shine, and these two teams are as likely contenders as any.
Last season, the Utah Utes broke into the Top 25 AP poll and ended the season 9-4, considerably better than the previous two years' 5-7 records. But they lost another offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator, and a recruiter, which left most people bracing for another 5-7 finish, or worse. However, the Utes have bulldozed through every opponent they’ve faced in 2015 and landed in the... Read More
As we make our way into the third week of conference matchups, we’re starting to get a better look at the playoff picture. Some teams have faltered and others have risen to the occasion. This week, we are looking at two of the latter: #3 Ole Miss Rebels vs. #25 Florida Gators.
The Rebels and the Gators are both undefeated and are coming off of big wins against rival teams last week. The Rebels dominated Vanderbilt 27-16, while the Gators barely topped Tennessee 28-27 for the 11th consecutive time. The Gators have crept into the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 2013, and Ole Miss has been sitting in the top five since their huge win over Alabama – by far their toughest opponent –... Read More
In the South, three things happen in the months between September and January: Eat, Sleep, Football. Football is how weeks are marked; everything that happens between Saturdays (or the occasional off-putting Thursday) is just filler, especially when you’re preparing to play a rival. Such is the case for this week’s College Game Of The Week: LSU Tigers at Mississippi State Bulldogs.
What makes this matchup special is the win-loss record. LSU beat Mississippi State every meeting they had – until last year. LSU (8) lost at home 34-29, which means they are looking to return the favor this year.
Another factor in this match to consider is LSU’s lack of play this season. The Tigers' season opener against McNeese State was cancelled last... Read More
