Tag Archives: Mark Schlabach

BCS Shakedown: Upsets Bring Big Changes to the Championship Race

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Upset City: Just when Kansas State and Oregon thought it was safe to drive on their roads to the  National Championship game, Baylor and Stanford threw up road blocks and hard.

By now we all know The Wildcats (upset by Baylor 52-24) and the Ducks (upset by Stanford 17-14) have been taken on a detour to their new BCS destinations…one of the four other BCS Bowls. So, with that said, here’s a look at the new top four in the BCS Standings:

BCS Top 4: As of November 18th: 1. Notre Dame 2. Alabama 3. Georgia 4.Florida

Both Kansas State and Oregon fell out of the top four and are now sitting and sulking in their new BCS spots. Oregon is now ranked fifth with K-State ranked sixth. As mentioned in my last BCS article, this is exactly what Alabama and Notre Dame wanted to and needed to happen, in order for a shot at the title game.

With the upsets to K-state and Oregon, Notre Dame simply has to beat USC and their a lock for the title game. Bama meanwhile, just needs to beat Auburn and defeat either Georgia/Florida in the SEC championship game at seasons end. If Notre Dame and Bama win out, they will finish as the number one and number two ranked teams in the country and will play for all the marbles in Miami.

BCS Bowl Breakdown: With such a seismic shift in the BCS Standings, here’s a look at the new BCS Bowl Series Projections as predicted by ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Brad Edwards:

1. Discover BCS National Championship: Georgia vs Notre Dame (Schlabach’ pick) Alabama vs Notre Dame (Edwards’ pick)

2. The Rose Bowl: Nebraska vs Stanford (picked by both)

3.  Allstate Sugar Bowl:LSU vs Clemson (Schlabach’ pick) Florida vs Oklahoma (Edwards’ pick)

4. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs Oregon (Schlabach’ pick)  Kansas State vs Oregon (Edwards’ pick)

5. Discover Orange Bowl: Florida State vs Rutgers (picked by both)

Here’s a link to the other bowl projections: http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections?season=2012

Final Thoughts: Seeing as I’m now 0-2 in calling the BCS National Championship outcome, I’m just going to leave it up to the fans on this one. What do you think will happen? Who do you have winning it all? Leave a comment below.

BCS Shakedown: Ducks and Wildcats and Leprechauns Oh My

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ImageComputer Crash: By now we all know 9th ranked Texas A&M (15th ranked during the upset) and “Johnny Football” Manziel, sent shock waves down the spine of the BCS computer ranking system, as the Aggies knocked off Alabama last Saturday 29-24 in Tuscaloosa.

With that said, here’s a check up on the new top 4 BCS Standings and Projected Bowl Predictions according to ESPN.com:

BCS Standings: Top 4 as of November 11th: 1. Kansas State 2. Oregon 3. Notre Dame 4. Alabama

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With the Crimson Tide rolling to 4th in the BCS polls it is likely that they will be on the outside looking in for this year’s national championship contest. Alabama would have to win out (including the SEC championship game) and hope Kansas State, Oregon, or Notre Dame loses, to even have a chance at the title.

This means Kansas State and Oregon will likely be on a crash course to meet up in Miami for the title game. The Wildcats remaining opponents include Baylor and newly ranked number 15 Texas, while the Ducks will face number 13 Stanford and number 11 Oregon State.

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Both programs could see upsets coming their way, ( K-State falling to Baylor or Texas, Oregon dropping either Stanford or Oregon State) but both are projected to play in the championship game for now. While we can’t count out Notre Dame, with games left against Wake Forest and USC, they simply would not outrank the Wildcats or Ducks if all were to win out. Dame, much like Bama, would need K-State or Oregon to lose.

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Predicted Bowl Projections: While there are 35 bowl games in all, I will only focus on the BCS Bowl games. Here’s the projections as picked by ESPN’ Mark Schlabach and Brad Edwards:

1. Discover BCS National Championship: Kansas State vs Oregon (both projected the same pick)

2.  Rose Bowl:  Nebraska vs Notre Dame (both projected the same pick)

3. Allstate Sugar Bowl:  Georgia vs Clemson (both projected the same pick)

4. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs LSU (Schlabach’ pick) or Oklahoma vs Texas A&M (Edwards’ pick)

5. Discover Orange Bowl:  Florida State vs Rutgers (both projected the same pick)

Here’s a link to the other 30 bowl projections: http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections?season=2012

Final Thoughts: Seeing as how my last BCS article prediction (Oregon beating Bama in the title game) is shot out of the water now, I’d like to re-do my prediction. I whole-heatedly believe Oregon will win this year’s BCS National Championship against Kansas State, with the Ducks beating the Wildcats 30-24 in Miami.