By: Tre Bailey
SKSergioKosco Blogger
This past weekend was the last official weekend for
college football and boy was it a great one, with bowl season upon us there will be
many great match ups, as well as a few blow outs.
Weekly
Recap
The SEC champion was crowned in a rather boring
matchup. Florida tried to keep the game close while Alabama eventually walked
away with the victory behind Heisman Hopeful Derrick Henry. This solidified
Bama’s number 2 spot in the top 10 and punched a ticket to the Cotton Bowl.
While the SEC is only represented in one other New Year 6 bowl game the
conference will appear in a total of 10 bowl games, tied for most along with 2
other conferences
Michigan State Clinches the Big 10 title in the
closing seconds of the game against Iowa knocking them out of the Playoff
picture and punching their ticket to Arlington to face Alabama in the Cotton
Bowl. While many will say that Michigan State should have gotten the 4th
spot versus the number three spot. Playing a conference title game plays a
large role late in the season versus a conference that doesn’t have a title
game. The Big 10 will be represented by 3 teams in major bowl games, Ohio State
in the Fiesta Bowl, Iowa in the Rose, and Michigan State in the Cotton.
As predicted Clemson Remained unbeaten to Claim the
number one ranking in the nation going into bowl season. With a close victory
over UNC the tigers look to claim their first national title since 1981. The
tigers look to be the favorite going into the Orange bowl. Florida State will
represent the ACC in a major bowl game alongside Clemson.
While the Pac-12 doesn’t have a representative in the college
football playoff, the conference does face off in 10 bowl games tied for most
with the Big 10 and SEC for most bowl games by a conference. Stanford will
ultimately play in the rose bowl, a game that they are all too familiar with.
Lastly Oklahoma claimed the 4th and final
spot in the college football playoff rankings. In my opinion they were shorted
by not having a conference title game. Also by Baker Mayfield not being
selected as a Heisman Finalist. The conference will be represented in 7 bowl
games with 2 teams playing in a major bowl game this year.
As far as non power conferences go, both Houston, and Notre Dame found themselves in major bowl games. Houston will face off with FSU in the peach bowl, and Notre Dame will play Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
With the final rankings released and the bowl schedule
announced, everything played out almost as expected for everyone in the world.
The Final CFP top 10 look a little something like
this:
| RK | TEAM | REC | TREND |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Clemson | 13-0 | — |
| 2 |  Alabama | 12-1 | — |
| 3 |  Michigan State | 12-1 | 2 |
| 4 |  Oklahoma | 11-1 | 1 |
| 5 |  Iowa | 12-1 | 1 |
| 6 |  Stanford | 11-2 | 1 |
| 7 |  Ohio State | 11-1 | 1 |
| 8 |  Notre Dame | 10-2 | — |
| 9 |  Florida State | 10-2 | — |
| 10 |  North Carolina | 11-2 | — |
| 11 |  TCU | 10-2 | — |
| 12 |  Ole Miss | 9-3 | 1 |
| 13 |  Northwestern | 10-2 | 1 |
| 14 |  Michigan | 9-3 | 1 |
| 15 |  Oregon | 9-3 | 1 |
| 16 |  Oklahoma State | 10-2 | 1 |
| 17 |  Baylor | 9-3 | 5 |
| 18 |  Houston | 12-1 | 1 |
| 19 |  Florida | 10-3 | 1 |
| 20 |  LSU | 8-3 | 1 |
| 21 |  Navy | 9-2 | 2 |
| 22 |  Utah | 9-3 | 2 |
| 23 |  Tennessee | 8-4 | 2 |
| 24 |  Temple | 10-3 | 2 |
| 25 |  USC | 8-5 | 5 |
Memphis
in Review
Memphis finds themselves in the Birmingham bowl
against Alabama native Auburn. While this isn’t the picture perfect ending for
what could have been a fantastic tiger season, they at least have another bowl
game to look forward to. They have another opportunity to prove that the SEC is
no longer as the powerhouse that they once used to be. In coaching news the
replacement for Justin Fuente was named to be Mike Norvell. Former offensive
coordinator at Arizona State, Norvell has some pretty hefty shoes to fill as
Fuente set a standard pretty high for anyone to compete with.
Heisman
Watch
Heisman Finalist have been announced and boy is it a
surprise that one individual was left out
1) Derrick
Henry- The dynamic playmaker for the crimson tide. Always reliable, and the
reason Alabama still has a chance.
2) Deshaun
Watson- Leading his team to an undefeated season, and the only undefeated team
in the nation Watson is a young leader and a dynamic playmaker
3) Christian
McCaffery- The most athletic player in the nation, this kid can make plays out
of nothing.
Bowl Matchups
| BOWL | DATE | TIME | SITE | MATCHUP/RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | Dec. 19 | 2 p.m. | Albuquerque, N.M. | Arizona vs. New Mexico |
| Las Vegas (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Las Vegas, Nev. | BYU vs. Utah |
| Camellia | Dec. 19 | 5:30 p.m. | Montgomery, Ala. | Ohio vs. Appalachian State |
| Cure | Dec. 19 | 7 p.m. | Orlando, Fla. | San Jose State vs. Georgia State |
| New Orleans | Dec. 19 | 9 p.m. | New Orleans, La. | Arkansas State vs. Louisiana Tech |
| Miami Beach | Dec. 21 | 2:30 p.m. | Miami, Fla. | South Florida vs. Western Kentucky |
| Potato | Dec. 22 | 3:30 p.m. | Boise, Idaho | Akron vs. Utah State |
| Boca Raton | Dec. 22 | 7 p.m. | Boca Raton, Fla. | Toledo vs. Temple |
| Poinsettia (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 23 | 4:30 p.m. | San Diego, Calif. | Boise State vs. Northern Illinois |
| GoDaddy | Dec. 23 | 8 p.m. | Mobile, Ala. | Bowling Green vs. Georgia Southern |
| Bahamas | Dec. 24 | Noon | Nassau, Bahamas | MTSU vs. Western Michigan |
| Hawaii | Dec. 24 | 8 p.m. | Honolulu, Hawaii | Cincinnati vs. San Diego State |
| St. Petersburg | Dec. 26 | 11 a.m. | St. Petersburg, Fla. | Connecticut vs. Marshall |
| Sun (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 26 | 2 p.m. | El Paso, Texas | Miami (Fla.) vs. Washington State |
| Heart of Dallas | Dec. 26 | 2:20 p.m. | Dallas, Texas | Washington vs. Southern Miss |
| Pinstripe (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Bronx, N.Y. | Indiana vs. Duke |
| Independence (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 26 | 5:45 p.m. | Shreveport, La. | Virginia Tech vs. Tulsa |
| Foster Farms (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 26 | 9:15 p.m. | Santa Clara, Calif. | UCLA vs. Nebraska |
| Military | Dec. 28 | 2:30 p.m. | Annapolis, Md. | Pittsburgh vs. Navy |
| Quick Lane (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 28 | 5 p.m. | Detroit, Mich. | Central Michigan vs. Minnesota |
| Armed Forces | Dec. 29 | 2 p.m. | Ft. Worth, Texas | Air Force vs. California |
| Russell Athletic (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 29 | 5:30 p.m. | Orlando, Fla. | North Carolina vs. Baylor |
| Arizona | Dec. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | Tucson, Ariz. | Nevada vs. Colorado State |
| Texas (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 29 | 9 p.m. | Houston, Texas | Texas Tech vs. LSU |
| Birmingham | Dec. 30 | Noon | Birmingham, Ala. | Memphis vs. Auburn |
| Belk (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Charlotte, N.C. | Mississippi State vs. NC State |
| Music City (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 30 | 7 p.m. | Nashville, Tenn. | Louisville vs. Texas A&M |
| Holiday (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 30 | 10:30 pm | San Diego, Calif. | Wisconsin vs. Southern California |
| Peach (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 31 | Noon | Atlanta, Ga. | Houston vs. Florida State |
| Orange (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 31 | 4 p.m. | Miami Gardens, Fla. | Clemson vs. Oklahoma |
| Cotton (PrimeSport tickets) | Dec. 31 | 8 p.m. | Arlington, Texas | Alabama vs. Michigan State |
| Outback (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 1 | Noon | Tampa, Fla. | Northwestern vs. Tennessee |
| Fiesta (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 1 | 1 p.m. | Glendale, Ariz. | Notre Dame vs. Ohio State |
| Citrus (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 1 | 1 p.m. | Orlando, Fla. | Michigan vs. Florida |
| Rose (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 1 | 5 p.m. | Pasadena, Calif. | Stanford vs. Iowa |
| Sugar (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 1 | 8:30 p.m. | New Orleans, La. | Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss |
| TaxSlayer (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 2 | Noon | Jacksonville, Fla. | Penn State vs. Georgia |
| Liberty (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 2 | 3:20 p.m. | Memphis, Tenn. | Kansas State vs. Arkansas |
| Alamo (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 2 | 6:45 p.m. | San Antonio, Texas | Oregon vs. TCU |
| Cactus (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 2 | 10:15 pm | Phoenix, Ariz. | West Virginia vs. Arizona State |
| CFP National Championship (PrimeSport tickets) | Jan. 11 | 8:30 p.m. | Glendale, Ariz. | Orange Bowl winner vs. Cotton Bowl winner |
Recruiting
Spotlight
Kareem Walker (RB) DePaul Catholic HS, Wayne N.J.
This kid is the number one rated RB in the nation for
a reason. He is explosive, a great downhill runner, fantastic open field speed,
and can break tackles, and or put defenders on skates. This kid has huge upside
and a very high ceiling for improvement.
News
Updates
Former Florida head coach and current Auburn defensive
coordinator has been named the new Head coach for South Carolina, just one year
removed from being fired as the Head Coach at the University of Florida. Kirby
Smart long time DC at Alabama is now named to be the Head coach at the
University of Georgia, Smart looks to resurrect his alma mater back into the
national spotlight.
Checkout the weekly highlights
