Week 12 Recap

At the end of Cupcake Saturday we can point to some really bad games. Kudos to The Citadel and Maryland for their hard work to make this weekend a bit more interesting.

3 Games That Mattered
Notre Dame 36 Syracuse 3
Obviously Notre Dame needed to win. But to dominate a ranked opponent in such a fashion made a statement leading up to playoff selection. The Irish has one game remaining - on the road against a Southern Cal team that is just plain bad. That game should be nothing more than the punctuation on a perfect season and then a spot in the playoff. With wins against Michigan, Stanford, Syracuse, and at Virginia Tech, barring an unforeseen embarrassment next week, Notre Dame is in.

Oklahoma State 45 West Virginia 41
The Mountaineers’ playoff run came up just a few yards short. A winning touchdown pass wasn’t meant to be and fell incomplete as time expired. But this game goes deeper than that. With the Sooners coming to Morgantown next weekend a Mountaineer win in that game not only eliminates Oklahoma, it excludes the entire Big XII. Following this loss, The Sooners are now the only hope for a conference member making the playoff.

Washington State 69 Arizona 28
Is there anyone who doesn’t want Mike Leach in the playoff? His Washington State team made the most of their own opportunities and also made Arizona pay for their mistakes the Air Raid offense produced mind boggling statistics while the Cougar defense kept the Wildcats in check. With a win like this one the Cougars will have the attention of the playoff committee heading into next week’s Apple Cup.