RSSSEC Shocker: Auburn Upsets Alabama
Dec 02
Sports Alabama, Auburn, BCS No Comments
With just a second remaining on Saturday and the game tied at 28, Alabama lined up for a game winning 57 yard field goal. Make the kick and they are in the SEC title game, just one step away from the National Championship game. Miss the kick and they just go to overtime, right? Well, Auburn’s Chris Davis grabbed the missed field goal in the end zone and raced 100+ yards for a touchdown to give Auburn the win. Alabama’s quest for a third straight national title is almost certainly over.
Ohio State won a squeaker over Michigan, 42-41. Michigan ran a failed 2 point conversion on the final play, going for the immediate win instead of playing for overtime. While I understand the emotion of going for it, I rarely think that going to two in this situation is the right move. Overtime is essentially a coin-flip, with the home team having a slightly better than 50% chance of winning. Unless your success rate on two point conversions is greater than 50%, kick the PAT and take your chances in overtime.
So, where does this leave us? Florida State and Ohio State have direct paths to the title game. If they win on Saturday, they are virtually guaranteed to play for the championship. If one of them falters and Auburn beats Missouri in the SEC title game, Auburn would earn a berth. Missouri is #5 in the BCS standings (behing Florida State, Ohio State, Auburn, and Alabama) but would likely vault to #2 if they beat Auburn and one of the top two loses (Alabama is idle, but I believe Mizzou would leapfrog them with a win). If Ohio State and Florida State both lose, Alabama could slide into the title game through the back door, facing either Auburn or Missouri for the National Championship.
My Iowa State Cyclones had a disappointing year, finishing the season at 3-9. For one Saturday in November, though, they made the fans proud. The team stuttered out of the gates and were down 31-7 to West Virginia as the national anthem was finishing up. Iowa State forced four turnovers in the second half and a 24 point fourth quarter flurry tied the game and pushed the game to overtime. Iowa State prevailed 52-44 in triple overtime.
The Broncos beat the Chiefs on Sunday, pushing KC’s losing skid to three games following a 9-0 start. Not to worry, Chiefs fans, KC is still is very good shape to make the playoffs and plays a couple of weak teams down the stretch. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning’s exit from Indianapolis is working out well for both teams. Andrew Luck has played well for the Colts (especially for a 24 year old QB) and the ageless Manning has been at the top of his game, no doubt aided by the thin air. After all, the ball travels 10% further and the receivers have less resistance when running. It’s surprising that Manning doesn’t throw an 80 yard TD on every play, given these advantages. I expect opposing coaches to start calling for a humidor.
In baseball news, the A-Rod appeal saga continues. New York Magazine has a lengthy article about the background of the case, including information on all the money paid to informants. Millions has been spent trying to obtain or hide information.
