Remember when we all speculated that Mike Riley gets wins over Top 10 teams? Well last Saturday was good proof. It was an ugly win, and truthfully 9 times out of 10 Michigan State is winning that game, but once again, we take those. Down 13 going into the 4th quarter I had a good vibe claiming that "You know, given how each team has played, Nebraska might actually pull off the comeback". Then Michigan State killed 12 minutes of the 4th quarter and my hopes were quickly dashed, I'll admit it. And now here we are circling Black Friday as Nebraska is planning on stopping Iowa's parade as well.
But there are still questions and unfortunately with only two games left in the season we can't get answers to those questions. Like why was Nebraska losing those games they shouldn't be losing? Is it Armstrong's fault, or is it Riley's fault? The Purdue game told us that we actually might need Armstrong under center, but there are still some very interesting play calls going on. For example, Mike Riley and Pete Carroll are the only two coaches that will throw the ball within 5 yards of the goal line (The Seahawks are my second favorite NFL team so yes I'm still slightly bitter). More importantly, Mike Riley has the balls to throw the ball with a QB who's accuracy is really bad with receivers that haven't been sure-fire with catching the ball versus just plowing it in with multiple running options (Either give to Cross or Jano, the two tanks, or let Armstrong either roll out or do a QB draw because his leg speed is more respectable than his passing game) So who's fault was it in that instance? Armstrong's for throwing the INT? Or Riley's for calling such a bad play?
The Big Red Throwdown:
But I digress. This Saturday Nebraska goes out to Jersey to take on Rutgers, one of the worst teams in both the Big Ten and the nation. Then again that is what we said about Purdue and look what happened. Rutgers has played alright, but it seems they can't close out, remind you of anyone? But with a healthy Nebraska squad, I like our odds. However, should Nebraska lose, I don't care if they beat Iowa over Thanksgiving, Nebraska is AT WORST a 7-win team this season based on talent and schedule, the best case scenario now is 6-win (ignoring the potential bowl game). Riley should be gone if Nebraska loses to two of the worst teams in the conference/nation and miss a bowl game. You can easily look around the nation and see what other first-year coaches have done with their inheritance, and have done BETTER than what their talent has, and see what is going on here in Nebraska and just be utterly appalled that a 8-9 win talent team might not even finish at .500. Again, I digress...
Nebraska O vs Rutgers D: Advantage Nebraska. Barring Armstrong just completely messes it up.
Nebraska D vs Rutgers O: Edge Nebraska. Rutgers can get feisty, but let's take a look at this:
Oh Rutgers. But that also shows that they can be competitive if they were one silly mistake away from tying Michigan State.
Nebraska 31, Rutgers 20
The Rest of the Week in College Football:
One of the main reasons as to why I started doing this all together is the fact that they got rid of the BCS in favor of these committee rankings. Either way, some teams are getting screwed, so is it really better off? While my own data is still outdated (it's now only two weeks outdated, so I'm slowly catching up after my school work) But here is the top 25 as reflected by the committee rankings now instead of the Top 25
Top 25:
1) Clemson
2) Alabama (Up 2)
3) Ohio State
4) Notre Dame (Up 1)
5) Iowa (Up 4)
6) Baylor
7) Stanford (Up 4)
8) Oklahoma State (Up 6)
9) LSU (Down 7)
10) Utah (Up 2)
11) Florida (Down 1)
12) Oklahoma (Up 3)
13) Michigan State (Down 6)
14) Michigan (Up 3)
15) TCU (Down 7)
16) Florida State
17) Mississippi State (Up 3)
18) Northwestern (Up 3)
19) UCLA (Up 4)
20) Navy
21) Memphis (Down 8)
22) Temple
23) North Carolina
24) Houston (Up 1)
25) Wisconsin
Dropped: Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Toledo
Trending: USC, BYU, Washington State, Western Kentucky
Predictions:
Last Week: 4-2, Overall: 34-23
Alabama @ Mississippi State - Alabama 34, Mississippi State 24
A closer game than some may initially think, Mississippi State still has the pieces and potential (and home field) to get the upset, but Alabama showed up against LSU, and if they can maintain that level of play, I might reconsider them as a potential national champion
Memphis @ Houston - Houston 34, Memphis 30
The battle for the American. Memphis looked good when they upset Ole Miss, but Houston looks equally good. However this is the biggest challenge Houston has faced, with home field advantage they have the slight edge. I actually went back and forth on this one three times before settling on this score line, this would be the highlight of the night if it wasn't for....
Oklahoma @ Baylor - Oklahoma 49, Baylor 38
...This game. This game has major implications, Oklahoma sadly has that unfortunate loss to Texas, but Baylor has unfortunately lost its starting QB and hasn't been 100% the same since. They stalled in the second half against Iowa State after losing their QB, and they didn't blow out Kansas State. Coupled with the fact that Oklahoma will be the first tough team Baylor will face without their starting QB, and the way Oklahoma has played since losing to Texas (Again, albeit to the bottom of the Big 12, but still 55-0, 63-27, 62-7, 52-16, ouch.) Oklahoma is looking to play its way into the playoffs and it just might make it as the Big 12 will begin cannibalizing themselves with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Baylor all facing off with each other in these last few weeks. (I still got my money on Oklahoma State however.)
Meanwhile...in the NFL:
Apparently I jinxed myself when I said Robbie Gould would hit the game-winning FG in the Chargers game because he's straight money, he missed both of his attempts *insert steam face emoji* but it's ok, both my fantasy and the Bears got the W; thanks to this local Nebraska hero:
Sunday Night: Cardinals @ Seahawks - Seahawks 24, Cardinals 20
The Cardinals are still playing phenomenally while the Seahawks are reeling a bit, but another rule of the NFL, never go against the Seahawks at home, but this one will be close.
Monday Night: Texans @ Bengals - Bengals 38, Texans 20
One of the undefeated teams will remain undefeated as there are some questions that surround the supposed great defense of the Texans, let alone the rest of the team
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