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The ABG Poll - 2019-20 Finale

1/14/2020

We arrive at the end of the season and present our season finale of the ABG Poll. Our voters have unanimously chosen LSU as National Champions. We also received a consensus at #2 with Clemson reaching that position on all ballots. The voters appear to have been impressed with the bowl performances of Georgia and Oregon. Oklahoma? Not so much.

One item of note, we’d like to welcome Appalachian State to the Top 10 for the final poll. Congratulations on a great season, Mountaineers.

In closing, thanks to all the poll voters who keep this evil, vindictive, crazy, wild and wonderful poll going each week.

1) LSU 50 (5)
2) Clemson 45
3) Georgia 36
4) Oregon 30
5) Ohio State 29
6) Alabama 17
7) Penn State 16
8) Florida 14
9) Appalachian State 10
10) Oklahoma 9

also receiving votes: Minnesota 6, Notre Dame 6, Cincinnati 3, Oklahoma State 1, UCF 1

Curator & Coach - The National Championship

1/12/2020

Curator Sam Burnham

And just like that...we’re at the end of the season. After a ridiculous layoff we’re finally at the National Championship Game.

And what a game this one promises to be. Clemson is back to defend their title from last year. LSU is here to try to knock them off. Look at what they have in common: both mascots are tigers, both teams affectionately refer to their stadium as “Death Valley,” both have quarterbacks that can hurt you with their arms or their legs, both have fantastic running backs.

LSU has absolutely plowed through their schedule. They haven’t even hit a speed bump. Alabama fans think they came close. I saw the game. They didn’t. LSU has also been through Georgia, Florida, Auburn, A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, you name it. They completely shut down Jalen Hurts and the Sooners’ high powered offense. They’ve won with offense, they’ve won with defense. Nothing anyone has tried has worked.

Joe Burrow is that once in a lifetime experience. He’s not only the best player in the country, his effort and leadership bring out the best in everyone around him.

I don't want to sell Clemson short. Trevor Lawrence does amazing things on the football field. Just the Fiesta Bowl gave many examples. Buckeye fans are still wringing their hands about an incomplete pass but completely ignore giving up a 67 yard TD run by Lawrence. They followed that up by unsuccessfully chasing Travis Etienne for 53 yards. Clemson spotted the Buckeyes 4 scores: 16 points in the first 23 minutes of play. They only gave up one score the rest of the night. They used big plays to shift momentum and then used big defense to keep it.

My assessment is this: if anyone was going to beat LSU, it would be Clemson. If any coach was going to formulate a plan to stop that juggernaut, it would be Dabo Swinney. If any field general was going to get past that defense, it would be Trevor Lawrence.

I just dont think its going to happen. LSU is just too good, they have too many weapons, too much momentum, they play too well together, they’re too well coached. They’re not going to lose. LSU Tigers pull this one out.

Coach Drew Burnham

Months of training camp and games. Off season programs. Early morning weights. Conditioning. Sacrifice of family, personal and social time. Countless nights of wives making dinner for the kids, putting them to bed and going to sleep herself before coach dad makes it home. All of it HOPEFULLY one day leads to this night. This is the pinnacle of a lifetime of work and sacrifice.

For Clemson, it’s a quest for a 3rd title in 4 years. Back to back. Claims of all-time greatness on the line. And yet, with all of that on the line, they find themselves the under dogs. Undefeated defending National Champions don’t typically find themselves in this role but it’s one that the Orange Tigers relish. There is so much on the line for Dabo and his boys from a standpoint of historical greatness. Finding a way to get this done would firmly cement them in the history books and yet they can charge into this game knowing that ALL the pressure lies on the shoulders of the yellow tigers. They’re #1, they’ve dominated every proposed “test” for them this year, and they have drawn a National Title birth 30 minutes from campus. It’s a story book setting on the bayou.

Both teams have spoken in depth about their confidence and the high quality of their preparation. Neither is taking this opportunity for granted and there are 2 true juggernauts here. I don’t remember being this excited for a title game in a very long time. As much as I want to say LSU will find a way to get it done in front of 80,000 Cajuns, I suddenly become mildly nauseous at the thought of picking against Clemson in any scenario. It’s a blindfolded dart throw, but I’m going to go with the home team. LSU jumps out early, Clemson makes it a game and the Bayou Bengals find a way down the stretch. Slugfest. Instant classic. Geaux Tigas!

When it Comes to the Playoff, Less is More

12/29/2019

Curator Sam Burnham

It’s time to have a serious discussion about the CFB Playoff. Through all the uproar and the protestations, and complaints about if the correct four teams were chosen or if the playoff needs expanding there’s one overarching absolutely true fact that everyone needs to come to grips with. That truth is this simple: the awful, rotten, flawed process we have right now is as good as it will ever be.

Sure we’ve had Chris Fowler, among others, wondering aloud, on air, what would have gone differently had Oregon been in instead of Oklahoma. The truth is that nothing would have been different. If you can’t beat Arizona State, you have no business playing LSU in the Playoff.

I kicked over a hornet’s nest full of butthurt Bama homers who were whining about “Bama fatigue” keeping them out of the Playoff. The truth is, Alabama had 0 quality wins this year and had no business is the playoff. The were eliminated. Period.

Had Georgia beaten South Carolina they could possibly have made the playoff but the truth is they didn’t beat South Carolina. While they’re probably the 4th best team in the nation they’re not a playoff team. Period.

We have the playoff in place because the old bowl system could always manage to narrow the competitive field to three teams, but rarely just two. LSU having to share a national championship with an inferior Southern Cal team was a low point. An undefeated 2003 Auburn team who didn’t even get a shot at Oklahoma or Southern Cal would have beaten either easily. Southern Cal wound up vacating that championship for cheating. What was needed was a “plus 1” game that would help weed out two of those final three. The regular season and conference championship games have already eliminated the rest of the teams at that point.

The biggest truth opposing expansion is that no one should have to sit through a blowout just because more teams might theoretically have a chance to win. Oklahoma didn’t belong there this year (or any of the other years they’ve made the playoff) but the rules say four teams have to go. So we got a miserable bloodbath game that no one honestly enjoyed. It’s silly and unnecessary. Adding more teams to the playoff will water it down, create more blowouts and meaningless games. Expansion might create more pomp, more spectacle, more fireworks, but it will add no substance, no practicality, no real competition.

Football is not basketball and it is foolish to think we can recreate March Madness in December. It’s an apples and automobiles comparison. We don’t even need to try. Let’s make the most of the system that is in place, realize that the regular season eliminates teams every week, and be realistic about our fandoms. Yes, you love your team but if they aren’t LSU or Clemson, they’ve been duly eliminated. Period. Better luck next year.

Curator & Coach - Bowl Week

12/27/2019

For Bowl Week we pick one great bowl game to watch and also break down the semifinals.

Curator Sam Burnham

Cotton Bowl - Memphis vs Penn State
This may be the most under appreciated game if the bowl season. Penn State comes in as the favorite and perhaps a bit disappointed at how the season played out after an 8-0 start. You gotta still respect this team as those two losses came to Ohio State and Minnesota, not too shabby. Penn State is a good football team but how could anyone outside the Keystone State not pull for Memphis? A 12-1 season, their first outright conference title in 50 years, and a big boy bowl bid. They’ve been in a bowl for the last six seasons but this is their first foray into the big time. They’ve accomplished a lot this season and they’re still being dismissed.

But there’s more. Their head coach has left for Tallahassee, a move few could blame him for. But his team now looks to a former assistant. This is one of the best bowl season story formulas out there. You can make blockbuster movies with this formula. The team rallies around the interim, they play an unsuspecting giant who’d rather be in the playoff, or at least Pasadena, and everything falls into place. The underdog plays their best game of the year while the favorite plays flat and sloppy. The underdog shocks the world. Don’t shoot me, I’m just the messenger. Tigers over Lions.

Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State vs Clemson

This is the game everyone expects to be good...but it won’t be. Clemson has been the stepkid in the polls this year. We’re talking about the team that completely dismantled Alabama in last year’s championship game and still haven’t lost a game. This is a very good football team that gets no respect. They’ve taken a good ribbing for their schedule but they’ve also won every game this season. In fact, Clemson hasn’t lost a football game since the Obama administration.

Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne are going to put on a clinic for the Buckeye defense. This is a pair made in heaven. If you fall back to stop Lawrence, Etienne is going to have a full head of steam before you get to him. If you bunch up to stop Etienne, Lawrence will go deep and pick you apart.

Across the ball from the Tigers, Ohio State has gotten a lot of press, respect, and attention. They had two Heisman finalists, high rankings in the polls...but have they really played anyone? Georgia fans are up in arms about Justin Fields and the season he has had in Columbus. But it’s easy for a decent quarterback to get big numbers against Maryland and Rutgers. So now we have a day of reckoning. The Buckeyes aren’t playing Miami (OH) this time. How many times have we seen the Buckeyes waltz through their schedule before getting blasted by a Southern team in bowl season? However many it was, go ahead and add another one. Dabo is taking the kids to the Big Easy.

Peach Bowl - Oklahoma vs LSU

I’m not sure what else can be said about this one. LSU’s defense has been suspect at times this year but they still might be the toughest D the Sooners have seen. And I can’t imagine anything Oklahoma could do to stop Joe Burrow. His performance in the SEC Championship Game was exemplary. Georgia has one of the best defenses in school history and Joe did what he wanted. He comes into this game with plenty of weapons at his disposal. The running game is solid, receivers are plenty, the offensive line is mighty. Burrow is that quarterback that makes everyone around him better. He leads by example and the guys want to play harder.

I dont want to take anything away from Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts. He’s a magnificent ball player but I’ve been far more impressed by how he has handled himself throughout his transfer and experience with his new team. That’s indicative of character and a leader with character is a winner. He won in Tuscaloosa and now in Norman. His team counts on him because they know they can. He has a knack for making things happen on the football field. I think he’ll keep the Sooners in the game for a while but LSU is just too much.

Coach Drew Burnham

GEORGIA VS BAYLOR
At face value, this one seems like a gimmie. The Dawgs should roll with little to no issue if you simply look at the rosters. However, college football is great because there’s a lot more there than talented rosters when it comes to winning games. Baylor might just be the most under-rated team in the country. They lost twice this season, both to Oklahoma by a combined total of 10 points. That’s not too shabby. They allowed 30 points only twice this season playing in the high flying Big 12 where anybody can hang 40 on you and still lose any given week. Last but anything but least, they have one of the most outstanding team cultures in the country. “Culture” has become such a buzzword in college football in the last few years. EVERYONE claims to prioritize it because they do know for a fact that it is of upmost importance. However, in many circumstances, it’s just good board talk and x’s and o’s and winning at all costs often creep ahead of culture development on coaching staff’s to do list. In the volatile and insecure world of college football coaching, the pressure to win now often scares coaches away from playing the long game. The successful game. They feel like they don’t have time because they will surely be fired before a true, deep rooted, well built culture can take hold. They aren’t built over night. However, look at the teams that love each other. Look at the teams who are well-known for having a blast, playing for each other and working hard. PJ Fleck has now built a winner at…Minnesota? Yea, that’s right. Will Healy came in and took UNC-Charlotte to its first bowl game in school history and produced a winning season at a place who had never even had the thought in his first season. Matt Rhule came from Temple into one of the biggest dumpster fires in the history of the game. How did he fix it and get the Bears to the Sugar Bowl? He took his time. He didn’t cut corners. He didn’t mix up his priorities in fear of being fired before his process worked. Look at them now. I believe more than anything else in this world that culture wins. UGA doesn’t have culture. They have star power. They’re athletic. They’re highly touted recruits. They have all that going for them and they are certainly an elite program. But culture wins. Look for the Bears to find a way to get this one done. Don’t look for it to be pretty but look for it to get done.

OHIO ST VS CLEMSON
This section could be written in readers digest version by simply saying “see above section for details” but I don’t get paid all this money by ABG to cut corners. Dabo Swinney is a wizard. How in the world he manages to be the undefeated reigning National Champion and still talk his way into the entire country considering the Tigers an underdog is Oscar worthy. How does that happen? “Ah we’re just little ole Clemson. On the ROY bus. Alabama is the king. Stop looking at those trophies and rings! Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” It’s simply incredible. They must be the worst undefeated team in the history of college football. I get it. The ACC is down this year. That’s fine. The ACC wasn’t exactly a juggernaut last year and they won the national title like they were playing the class AA South Carolina High school State Runner-up. They lost a lot off that team but what do we think Dabo replaced them with? Some low end walk on’s who got turned down by Wake Forest? Come on. This Clemson team is loaded. Ohio State is good. They’re really good. I think they also have a great culture to match. BUT. This is Dabo – the inventor of culture. There are none better, despite plenty of high-quality impersonators. This has all the makings of a great game, I’m just amazed at how easily Dabo has been able to crush any hype from forming around this team all year. It’s been a masterful performance and I look forward to watching them limp and crawl their way to a win in this game.

LSU VS OKLAHOMA
Bad news boys and girls: no one is going to beat LSU this year. This section has nothing to do with Oklahoma. Nothing. There may have never been another coach to walk the face of the earth who was a better fit to lead LSU than Coach O. Les was certainly close. His personality fit but he was a yank. Ed is one of their own. It’s a fairytale. He is absolutely perfect. He has rebuilt and retooled this program into an eye-popping force. Their underdog, chip on the shoulder QB has found a perfect home to allow him to reveal his true potential to the world. I love Lincoln Riley. I love him as a coach and a man. I love his tiny call sheet. I love his coaching style in being unapologetically who he is and doing what he believes in. I love his unmistakable ability to develop and showcase QB’s that he didn’t recruit. There is an extremely short list of teams that I would not pick them to beat, but Coach O is playing a different game than everyone else right now. Geaux Tigers!

Curator’s Picks
MEMPHIS over PENN ST
FLORIDA over VIRGINIA
CLEMSON over OHIO ST
LSU over OKLAHOMA
GEORGIA over BAYLOR
WISCONSIN over OREGON
MICHIGAN over ALABAMA
AUBURN over MINNESOTA

Coach’s Picks
PENN ST over MEMPHIS
FLORIDA over VIRGINIA
CLEMSON over OHIO ST
LSU over OKLAHOMA
BAYLOR over GEORGIA
WISCONSIN over OREGON
ALABAMA over MICHIGAN
MINNESOTA over AUBURN

ABG Poll - 12/8/19

12/8/2019

This will be the last poll taken until bowl season is complete and we crown our national champion. This week we have a lot of teams receiving votes but no Lagniappe Group due to low vote totals in that group.

We have our four playoff teams selected. We expect this to be the same four selected by the CFB Playoff Committee. We are less certain that they will have this same, which is to say correct, seeding.

We also have some some bold statements on behalf of the American Athletic and Sunbelt Conferences. The Mountain West and Conference USA get mentioned as well. Memphis, Appalachian State, Boise State, and even Florida Atlantic have been impressive this season. It’s easy to snark at their schedules but are they really much weaker than some of the others in the poll? Give these guys a chance on a larger stage this bowl season.

Here’s to a fun and exciting bowl season!

The ABG Poll

1) LSU 48 (3)
2) Clemson 45 (1)
3) Oklahoma 36
4 Ohio State 35 (1)
5) Oregon 25
6) Memphis 18
7) Georgia 17
8) Baylor 16
9) Appalachian State 13
10) Auburn 7

also receiving votes: Boise State 6, Utah 4, Florida 2, Florida Atlantic 2, Wisconsin 2, Miami-Ohio 1

Curator & Coach - Conference Championship Weekend

12/5/2019

Curator Sam Burnham

Three Games to Watch
Ohio State vs Wisconsin
This is going to be a big game for the Buckeyes. Their schedule has been suspect. Earlier this year they beat Wisconsin 38-7. That must still sting up at Camp Randall. The tricky thing will be beating the Badgers again. Beating a team twice in the same season is so hard. This game has added pressure for the Buckeyes. The Badgers already want revenge. But they also have nothing to lose. One the other hand, Ohio State could potentially lose a shot at a national championship. A loss in Indianapolis would nullify those big wins over a Rutgers, Maryland, and Miami (OH). Look for this one to be closer than the first. But also expect the Buckeyes to handle their business.

Oklahoma vs Baylor
Because of the craziness that comes with conference championship weekend, the winner oof this game has a great chance to make the playoff. In fact, I think only an LSU loss keeps this winner out.

It has not been that long ago that sportswriters were penning obituaries for Baylor Football. The controversies that befell the program would have shattered many programs. But the Bears are back.

As I mentioned before, it is incredibly hard to beat the same team twice in the same season. The Sooners eked our a squeaker a few weeks ago and Baylor has not forgotten it. Oklahoma has to play their best game on Saturday if they want any chance at the playoff. Baylor won’t need much motivation for this one.

Georgia vs LSU
This is the best matchup of the weekend. Joe Burrow and that amazing offense against the #1 defense in the SEC. A friend said it best last week: “Georgia’s defense is a cheat code.” The Dawgs have built this season on their defense and their kicker. I don’t think Georgia has seen an offense like LSU’s but I also don’t think LSU has seen a defense like Georgia’s.

This game is in Georgia which sounds like a home game for the Dawgs. But everyone knows the Tigers travel well and will be well supported in Atlanta.

The big big question is what will happen when Georgia has the ball. Their offense has been sluggish and is not hampered by injuries. But LSU’s defense can be pretty sketchy. If the Dawgs get their running game going, LSU will have their hands full.

Upset Alert: SEC Championship
All the talking heads are talking down about the Dawgs. You can’t blame them. All the signals point to the Dawgs needing to hold LSU under 17 points in order to win. That just sounds like a bridge too far. Burrow & Co. are going to let it all hang out.

Like I mentioned before, if Georgia can get their running game going, control the game tempo, keep LSU on defense and play their usual defense, this could definitely be a win.

This scenario depands on the big uglies. Georgia’s offensive line is a brute squad. They really need to live up to the hype. If they take over the game, control the line of scrimmage that is how Georgia get that running game going. They’re due. I think this might be their game. For that reason, I’m putting the Tigers on Upset Alert.

Coach Drew Burnham

Three Games to Watch
CINCINNATTI @ MEMPHIS
The Tigers handled act 1 of this dual-part series. Now they have to accomplish one of the toughest tasks in all of sports: beating a good team twice. You see it all over the NFL. 2 victories in the same year against a good team is extremely tough, no matter how good you are. Now, try to do it in not only the same year, but in back to back weeks, and you have a real booger bear on your hands. If there is anyone who can get it done, I believe it’s Norvell and his staff. Memphis will get them at Home again, which will certainly help but this is a tall task. It should make for an entertaining matchup.

UTAH VS OREGON
The Pac-12 has a big shot here to receive their 1st CFP invite. Oregon is the one that no one is talking about. They are sliding under the radar regardless of the fat that they are in a “win and you’re in” spot. There is a guaranteed loss in front of them so they should be all set. There is one little wrinkle that I will mention later that could throw a wrench in that, but this is the biggest Pac-12 game of the playoff era. The Utes defense has been stellar all year having allowed 15 points or less 8 times this season. Their ability to stifle some of the high-flying offenses on the west coast, I believe, make them a legitimate playoff contender. These guys are a major sleeper and people need to wake up!

GEORGIA VS LSU
Here it is, the 1st round of the College football playoff. Kind of. Obviously, if LSU wins, UGA is out, LSU will take the 1 or 2 (most likely 1) spot, and everything is nice and clean for the committee. BUT. Lets suppose for just a second that UGA can find a way to actually win this game. Does anyone out there honestly believe that the committee would send home a 1 top 5 loss LSU home with wins over Auburn, Bama and Florida? Should that happen, and should Ohio St. and Clemson both win, then those 4 stay in and Utah watches the playoff from the house. Everything rides on this one matchup. All the dominoes are lined up, which way they fall will be decided in Atlanta.

UPSET ALERT
BAYLOR VS OKLAHOMA
Here is potentially the most under-rated coaching job of the season. What Matt Rhule inherited at Baylor was a dumpster fire. I don’t even mean from a football standpoint. All the air surrounding that program was toxic and Rhule marched right into the center of it and commanded it with overwhelming presence. Until their first matchup with Oklahoma he had the Bears on the cusp of perfection. Now he has a chance to avenge their only loss from a phenomenal season. (Please see the Memphis vs Cincinnati section if you aren’t sure where I’m going with this.) Baylor has no issues functioning in close games. They’ve found themselves in several barn burners this year and have managed to squeak out of all but one. Tough to keep a good team down. I think Baylor finds a way to sneak out of this one on top and drop some jaws across the country along the way.

Curator’s Picks

OKLAHOMA over BAYLOR
MEMPHIS over CINCINNATI
GEORGIA over LSU
CLEMSON over VIRGINIA
OHIO ST over WISCONSIN
UL-LAFAYETTE over APPALACHIAN ST
C. MICH over MIAMI OH
UAB over FAU
BOISE STATE over HAWAII
UTAH over OREGON

Coach’s Picks

OKLAHOMA over BAYLOR
MEMPHIS over CINCINNATI
LSU over GEORGIA
CLEMSON over VIRGINIA
WISCONSIN over OHIO STATE
UL-LAFAYETTE over APPALACHIAN ST
C. MICH over MIAMI OH
UAB over FAU
BOISE STATE over HAWAII
UTAH over OREGON

Intangibles

12/3/2019

The Dawgs and Tigers will compete for the SEC Championship in Atlanta

Sam Burnham, Curator

Conference Championship Weekend has quite the history of upsets and crazy happenings. We go into this weekend every season with expectations of what will happen and who the four playoff teams will be. But it seems like every year that something happens.

What happens is due to one of my favorite factors of the sport. This is the thing that makes college football the greatest sport on Earth.

The Intangibles.

Go back to October 20th of last season. The undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes roll into West Lafayette, Indiana for what should have been a routine drubbing of the Purdue Boilermakers. What happened instead was an entire campus, inspired by a terminally ill student and Purdue super fan, Tyler Trent, encircled the Buckeyes and best then in every aspect of the game. On paper, Purdue wouldn’t have beaten the Buckeyes one time out of ten. On that night though, there was nothing the Buckeyes could have done differently. No matter what, they were going to lose that game.

Wisconsin and Ohio State meet Saturday in Indianapolis

Intangibles are the building blocks of upsets. You never know when a favorite is going to show up flat, when an underdog is going to play like a champion, when a particular defensive scheme is going to foil a particular offense. This game has a depth that goes beyond talent, size, strength, and speed. It’s a magical thing when we look back at Flutie’s “Hail Mary” or Joe Pa’s Nittany Lions shutting down Miami to win the national championship. There’s that Statue of Liberty that Boise State used to stun the Sooners and Cal’s unlikely kick return with some help from the Stanford marching band.

Do not dismiss the underdogs this week. Expect the unexpected. Something crazy will happen. It will impact the playoff. When it happens homers will cheer or cry and the rest of us will smile, Shake our heads, and thank the Lord above for giving us this greatest of all games. These are the moments we long for. This is why we love this game.

The ABG Poll - 12/3/19

12/3/2019

Headed into Conference Championship Weekend LSU still holds the top spot. They’ll face third-ranked Georgia in Atlanta on Saturday. Fourth-ranked Ohio State will be facing #7 Wisconsin in Indianapolis. And #6 Baylor will meet #8 Oklahoma in Dallas. The ACC Championship will feature #2 Clemson vs unranked Virginia. On Friday night #5 Utah will play #13 Oregon

That means a lot of crazy things can and probably will happen this weekend. This particular weekend always dishes out more than it’s share of drama as teams pull out all the stops to snag one of those four playoff spots. Upsets, funny bounces, close calls, we’ll see it all. We’ll be discussing that later this week in Curator & Coach. Stay tuned for that.

The ABG Poll
1) LSU 49 (4)
2) Clemson 42
3) Georgia 37
4) Ohio State 35 (1)
5) Utah 26
6) Baylor 18
7) Wisconsin 16
8) Oklahoma 15
9) Memphis 14
10) Florida 7

Lagniappe Group
11) Auburn 6
12) Alabama 4
13) Oregon 3
14) Penn State 2
15) [tie]
Boise State 1
Louisiana 1

Curator & Coach - Rivalry Week

11/28/2019

Curator Sam Burnham
3 Games to Watch
Ohio State @ Michigan
This is a big one every year. It’s one of those nasty rivalries that the fans mark on the calendar years in advance. The animosity runs so high that former Buckeye coach Woody Hayes wouldn’t even say “Michigan” opting to refer to them as “that school up north.” I suppose it’s counterproductive to point out that their both up north.

Anyway.

This will be the biggest challenge firvtge Buckeyes so far. Even last week’s ranked opponent was a suspect Penn State team. The Wolverines staggered at the start of the season but they are rolling now. Something lit a fire under that team. In their last four games they’ve out scored their opponents 166-45, including wins over Notre Dame, Sparty, and Indiana. Throw in the rivalry component, The Big House, and the chance to spoil The Buckeyes’ season and Michigan has a lot to play for. This one promises to be a fight that could derail Ohio State’s playoff hopes.

Alabama @ Auburn
Another huge rivalry that divides towns, neighborhoods, families. The Iron Bowl is something you cannot appreciate until you’ve lived in Alabama.

Bama was a big favorite a few weeks ago. That was before a hip injury ended Tua Tagovailoa’s season. With no quality wins, an offense built on Tua, and without their perennial trademark defense, it’s likely that Bama’s playoff run dies on the plains this Saturday.

Bo Nix and the Tigers have been a juggernaut at home this season. Their friendly confines have been exactly that. Bama has their hands full in Auburn this weekend.

Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State
There's more than a rivalry at stake in Stillwater. The Sooners have a chance to sneak in the back door of the playoff. A win this weekend and a little help could get them in that four team group. Nothing would please the Pokes more than playing spoiler and slamming that back door on their in-state rivals.

The Cowboys have won 4 in a row and Rivalry Week is made for spoilers. Expect a lot of points, some big plays, and perhaps an upset. Mike Gundy will have his team ready. But the Sooners will be too.

Upset Alert
Alabama @ Auburn
I’m not trying to sound like a broken record here but this is going to be n experience, not just a game. Auburn is a 3.5 point dog coming into this one. I’ve never been one to tie the fate of a team to just one player but this time I just can’t help it. Bama has built their offense on Tua Tagovailoa. The quick turnarounds and high points have shifted the Tide’s defensive scheme and it’s not designed to stand on its own as it has historically. It needs that offense that isn’t quite as potent as it was a few weeks ago.

On the plains this year Auburn has been almost perfect. Freshman Bo Nix has been stellar at Jordan-Hare. A stingy defense and a powerful running attack will be a lot for a handicapped Tide to handle. I don’t see how Bama can win the Iron Bowl.

Coach Drew Burnham
3 GAMES TO WATCH
CINCINNATTI @ MEMPHIS
For the first time since 2016, The Golden Knights will not appear in the American Conference Championship game. Cincy has already secured their place in the game, but there are many questions left unanswered regarding the champion of the “Power 6” league this year. Memphis must beat Cincinnati Saturday to earn the right to move into the championship game and play…. well, Cincinnati again. If the Tigers can win, not only will they be in, but they will host the game in the Liberty Bowl. Should the Bearcats get the best of them, they will host the game against the Naval Academy. The Tigers would be in the game for the 3rdyear in a row having lost the pervious 2 in instant classics. Winning it this year will require them to successfully performprobably the tallest ask in all of sports: beat a good team twice in 2 weeks. Memphis must pull out all the stops while Cincy can afford to sit back a little and use separate games to set up game-changing plays for themselves. It’s a 2-week chess match. Everyone knows what a fan I am of Mike Norvel and his staff, but that’s quite a predicament. I believe the Tigers win this one. We’ll talk later about that championship game.

WASHINGTON ST @ WASHINGTON
For an extended period of time this rivalry didn’t carry much weight because both of these programs were struggling. That time is over. Washington is down a little compared to where they have been in recent years, but 4 of their 5 losses came by 6 points or less. 3 of them were against ranked teams. Chris Petersen has done a phenomenal job rejuvenating this program and I know he will have his boys ready to play. Now, let us move on to the best interviewee in the history of sports. The Cougar offense is averaging 533+ yards per game and just over 41 points. Explosiveness is the name of the game. Defense is NOT the name of the game as they give up just over 430 yards per game and 31 points. In the grand scheme of things, this game doesn’t mean much. No one is putting themselves in position to win the conference and both are already bowl eligible. What excites me about this game is the fireworks! It’s going to be a track meet. The last team with the ball might just win. Get after it Leech.

OKLAHOMA @ OKLAHOMA ST.
Bedlam! Minus one little slip, Oklahoma has looked powerful and dominant. I love Jalen Hurts and his story. He has fallen right into Oklahoma Quarterback place accounting for nearly 4500 yards of offense and 47 touchdowns through 11 games. I believe they are a playoff quality team and with the mayhem that this year is turning into, they might just be the first 2 loss team in playoff history. Keep an eye on that. You may be asking “coach, why pick this game?”. Oklahoma has a spot in the title game locked up and State can’t improve their position with a win. However, Mike Gundy has this amazing knack for beating teams he isn’t supposed to. With that knack comes another, one where he loses to a lot of teams he shouldn’t… but we’ll leave that part for another day. Bedlam. Night game. Jalen Hurts. Chubba Hubbard. No defense allowed. This one is going to be fun. For the poll committee’s sanity’s sake, I hope State can pull the upset.

UPSET ALERT
NOTRE DAME @ STANFORD
Consider this as my official surrender of my Homer Card. Enjoy it while it lasts because this won’t happen often. This one may seem like a reach to many but let’s look at the history of this matchup. Notre Dame makes a trip to California every year, whether it is to play USC or Stanford. It serves to get in front of West Coast recruits and to appease their West Coast fan base. Here’s the stat that may lead you to go back and check my work. Notre Dame has lost the last 5 matchups in a row at Stanford. That streak dates back to 2007. Notre Dame’s Freshmen were 6 years old the last time the Irish won in Palo Alto. I don’t know what it is or what causes it, they just do not play well in that underwhelming environment. For my personal mental state, I hope I am wrong. However, looking at history makes me feel uneasy about this one. Look for the curse of David Shaw to continue here.

Curator’s Picks
MISS STATE over OLE MISS
VIRGINIA TECH over VIRGINIA
TEXAS over TEXAS TECH
WASHINGTON over WASHINGTON STATE
OHIO ST over MICHIGAN
AIR FORCE over WYOMING
AUBURN over ALABAMA
MINNESOTA over WISCONSIN
OKLAHOMA over OKLAHOMA STATE
ARIZONA STATE over ARIZONA

Coach’s Picks
OLE MISS over MISS ST
VIRGINIA TECH over VIRGINIA
TEXAS over TEXAS TECH
WASHINGTON ST over WASHINGTON
OHIO ST over MICHIGAN
AIR FORCE over WYOMING
BAMA over AUBURN
MINNESOTA over WISCONSIN
OKLAHOMA ST over OKLAHOMA
ARIZONA STATE over ARIZONA

ABG Poll - 11/26/19

11/27/2019

Due to the large number of teams receiving votes this week, we are including our Lagniappe Group again.

Top Ten
1) LSU 49 (1)
2) Clemson 41
3) Georgia 37
4) Ohio State 35 (1)
5) Utah 28
6) Alabama 21
7) Minnesota 16
8) Oklahoma 13
9) Florida 7
10) [tie]
Baylor 6
Memphis 6
Oklahoma State 6

Lagniappe Group
13) Cincinnati 4
14) Michigan 3
15) [tie]
Appalachian State 1
Oregon 1