A Little Gamesmanship as Oregon Reigns Supreme? Penn State Wins a Big Road Game, USC Doesn't; Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin Put Up Over 40 each; B1G Ten Top 5

 Oregon Hangs on to Reign Supreme

It came down to the last play.  A little gamesmanship, perhaps, but Oregon wins out in the end.  A classic game that went back and forth, big play after big play ended with a broken play, or a gaffe.  Or did it end with some legal, questionable gamesmanship?  

Oregon had taken the lead 32-31 with 1:47 left to play.  A 19 yard field goal.  Ohio State still had time, and had an experienced big game quarterback in Will Howard.  They marched down the field momentarily, but got stymied.  Whether what happened next was on purpose or not, it made a difference in the ending.  There were 11 seconds left, Ohio State with the ball near midfield, the play was run but the Ducks were called for an illegal substitution on the play, or 12 men on the field.  The college rule does not call it a dead ball foul, meaning that they do not put time back on the clock.  this was a rule that was exploited and used many time sin the NFL before they changed it to put time back on the clock.  This left Ohio State with less time on the clock, and as it turned out, with Howard not realizing how much time he had left, it turned out to work in Oregon's favor.  Whether head coach Dan Lemming didi it on purpose, we will never know.  But it was indeed effective.

Please don't confuse this with the only reason Ohio State lost.  Ryan Day will never be accused of being an expert with clock management.  And there are holes in their defense.  And Howard should have known better.  But these are two great teams.  Two teams that will definitely be in the CFB Playoff.  No doubt.  Are they the best team in the land?  Not sure.  But both teams sure are talented.   I hope these teams play gain this year.  It will be another classic, I'd bet on it.

Penn State Wins Another Big Game on the Road at USC

Penn State went on the road this week, cross country to The LA Coliseum to take on The Trojans, and for a large part, the naysayers.  Head Coach James Franklin has had to hear how he cannot win a big game, especially on the road.  First they went to Morgantown, and came back victorious.  This time they went to LA.  It wasn't easy, but they won.  Overtime.  Ebbs and flows.  Now I am not saying USC is a Top 5 team in the country.  Not even close.  But this was indeed a measuring stick game.  An important game to keep playoff hopes alive.  They are more than alive.  Now a top 4 team in the country.  They still will have measuring stick games left, but this is a good win.  

If you are USC, you can try to spin it positively.  You can say you are three plays away from being undefeated.  You can say that the referees screwed you this weekend, and against Michigan.  But the truth is, you are not a great team.  Great teams and teams that go to the playoff win games like this.  Lincoln Riley may bet getting the baton passed to him from James Franklin.  A coach that can recruit, but cannot live up to the incessant hype that comes with coaching a so called blue-blood team.  

B1G points put up by Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.  

Iowa and Wisconsin needed to make a statement.  Now we know they are not going to the CFB Playoff, but they need to make a statement.  Rutgers needed to make a statement, as well.  Well, Wisconsin made a statement in a big way.  42-7 over Rutgers.  Maybe the coronation of Rutgers making a run to the B1G Ten Championship game was premature.  Washington went on the road after beating Michigan in a natty rematch, and got boat raced in Iowa, 40-16.  Where did all of those points come from?  Now Illinois put up 50.  But they needed all of those points to beat Purdue, and in overtime, 50-49.  Crazy game there, but Illinois prevailed.  See Above what I said USC Fans?  Good if not great teams wins games like this.  And Illinois did just that.   And by the way, A win for Minnesota in the Rose Bowl.  No it's not January 1, but a win there nonetheless.  Yes, I know, everyone is winning in Pasadena except UCLA, but it's still a win for PJ and his boat rowers.  

B1G Ten Top 5

1. Oregon---A great win against a great team.   This will go down as a classic.  Their defense is flawed, but a great win nonetheless.  Can they keep from suffering a letdown?  The good news is they have an easy game against Purdue.  No letdown here. 

2.  Penn State--A Very good win over USC.  This was a confidence booster, no doubt.   At least for now they can keep the naysayers off their backs, and they get a week off to celebrate.  

3.  Ohio State--Yes they looked very good in their loss to Oregon.  It came down to one play, perhaps, but they couldn't stay undefeated.  They will recover from this and will stay in the top two or three all year.  They also get a week off to burn about the loss, but they will rebound easy.

4. Indiana--Up to 6-0, 3-0 in the B1G Ten.  On top.  Have thought about putting them into the top 4 here.  But they haven't beaten that key opponent.  It starts this week.  they get a big game at home versus Nebraska.  Not exactly Oregon, but will go a long way in their miracle run.  Who Knows?  

5. Illinois--Still ranked and maybe number 5 by default.  They take on #24 Michigan this week.  How Michigan is still ranked, I have no idea.  But Illinois is, too, so we will keep them here.   

HM--Nebraska

Join me this again this week at a special time, Thursday at 7pmET as  I will have another addition of The Captain Lou Extravaganza live on https://12ozsports.com/!  I went 5-0-1 on The Captain Lou Six Pack Challenge this week...I am Back!!