Will SEC get team to BCS title game? (answer below) (video added)
Nick Saban and/or Mark Richt need some help for BCS title berth. (Jason Getz/AJC)
(Video added below)
Is it time for a rare dirge at SEC headquarters?
Not quite.
Three non-SEC teams — Kansas State, Oregon, Notre Dame — top the BCS rankings. This is the equivalent of a Big Foot sighting – or maybe three of them. But there’s still a possibility that the winner of the SEC championship game in the Georgia Dome between Georgia and Alabama will wind up in the BCS championship game.
Loading ...SEC schools have won six straight BCS titles. In short, two of the three undefeated teams ahead of Georgia and Alabama have to lose for a chance to make it seven. And that could happen.
Here’s how I see it breaking down:
No. 1 Kansas State (10-0).
Schedule: at Baylor (4-5), vs. BCS No. 15 Texas (8-2)
Recap: The Wildcats will beat Baylor. The Bears can score a ton of points but their defense can’t hold up against a Sun Belt team. Texas has lost to its two strongest opponents this season, West Virginia (48-45) and Oklahoma (63-21), and both were home games. But the Longhorns are 4-0 on the road this season and they won at Texas Tech 31-22 a week ago. The biggest obstacle to a Texas upset: Its defense hasn’t been able to stop the run all season, allowing 200 yards per game. Rushing is the strength of the Kansas State offense (213.6). Kansas State also is helped by the fact that there is no Big 12 championship game this season because the defections of Nebraska and Colorado dropped the conference under the mandated minimum of 12 teams for a conference title game.
Bottom line: Barring an unexpected meltdown, Kansas State will be in the BCS title game.
Chip Kelly's "Quack Attack" will have a hard time staying unbeaten in the next three weeks. (AP photo)
No. 2 Oregon (10-0).
Schedule: vs. BCS No. 13 Stanford, at BCS No. 16 Oregon State, Pacific 12 Conference title (if necessary).
Recap: The Ducks are averaging nearly 55 points a game. That can cover up a lot of deficiencies. But USC is the highest ranked team Oregon has played this season, and the Ducks barely escaped 62-51. Stanford took Notre Dame to overtime earlier this season in South Bend before losing. Last week the Cardinal upset Oregon State. Stanford can run the ball and, therefore, control the clock and keep Oregon’s offense off the field. So this game has upset potential. Similarly, the Ducks’ game against rival Oregon State in Corvallis won’t be easy. The Beavers have the second-lowest scoring defense in the conference (19.1) and are accustomed to seeing Oregon’s offense. The Ducks have won the last two meetings in Corvallis but prior to that Oregon State had won five straight. Even if Oregon gets through both of those games, the team still has to win the conference championship game (against USC or UCLA).
Bottom line: With potentially three difficult games, it says here Oregon will lose one of them.
Brian Kelly's team has won 10 straight but still must find a way to win at USC. (AP photo)
No. 3 Notre Dame (10-0)
Schedule: vs. Wake Forest, at BCS No. 18 USC.
Recap: This is the wild card. The Irish will walk all over Wake Forest, which has lost five of its last eight and just got drilled by North Carolina State 37-6. The question is what happens in the USC game in two weeks, and Georgia or Alabama fans could be in the uncomfortable position of rooting for Lane Kiffin in that game. The Trojans’ defense has slipped significantly but Notre Dame is not an overpowering offensive team. Also, while the Irish won in Los Angeles two years ago, this series has been dominated by the Trojans since 2002, with nine wins in the last 10 meetings. Expect this game to tip on a turnover.
Bottom line: Maybe this is just the part of me that has a difficult time visualizing no SEC team in the BCS title game. But USC will upset Notre Dame.
Agree or disagree? The digital venting lines are open and we’ve put up a poll.
Hey, moving pictures! (And why Georgia can beat Alabama)
By Jeff Schultz
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387 comments Add your comment
Thomas Brown
November 12th, 2012
12:36 pm
SEC plays in Title Game no matter what
Buzz Belle
November 12th, 2012
12:36 pm
SEC opponents this weekend – Where is the “S” in the SOS?
Arkansas @ Mississippi State Tickets »
12:21 PM Western Carolina @ #4 Alabama Tickets »
1:00 PM Wofford @ #9 South Carolina Tickets »
1:00 PM Jacksonville State @ #6 Florida Tickets »
1:30 PM Georgia Southern @ #5 Georgia Tickets »
2:00 PM Alabama A&M @ Auburn Tickets »
3:30 PM Sam Houston State @ #8 Texas A&M Tickets »
3:30 PM Ole Miss @ #7 LSU Tickets »
7:00 PM Syracuse @ Missouri Tickets »
7:00 PM Tennessee @ Vanderbilt Tickets »
7:30 PM Samford @ Kentucky
I'm a Georgia fan. It's a license to be stupid.
November 12th, 2012
12:36 pm
Georgia, favored by 37 1/2 points, led only 24-16 at halftime against Buffalo. Sagarin/USA Today have Buffalo ranked as the 148th best team in America this week, trailing such powers as Murray State and Bethune-Cookman. Sagarin has UGA opponents GA Southern at #92, FAU at # 108, Kentucky at #105,and Auburn at #94. Can’t help the records of the conference teams, but the OOC schedule is pathetic. GO DAWGS!
Kyle
November 12th, 2012
12:37 pm
Hey BUCKEYE…….this from cheaters????? HA! when you cheat it doesnt matter what you do in NOV. LMAO…..THE ohio state university…..Tatoo Parlor of the Big 10
Thomas Brown
November 12th, 2012
12:38 pm
UGA beat # 6 BCS Ranked today Florida who beat # 7 LSU # 8 South Carolina # 9 Texas A & M
Ed
November 12th, 2012
12:39 pm
That’s a plausible scenario, but Georgia has to win out the regular season and beat Alabama for the SEC championship for this to even be an issue. Win the SEC and take a 12-1 record into the bowl season and I won’t worry too much about what the 3 undefeated teams do. Anything beyond an SEC title is just gravy.
7576DAWG
November 12th, 2012
12:39 pm
If Kansas State and Oregon get into the Championship game I can live with that because both are very good teams . I think both would give Alabama all they could handle because most teams in the SEC are all about strength and speed . Georgia , Alabama , South Carolina and Florida would all have a problem with a spread type option offense like Oregon or Kansas State or even Texas A&M has. Notre Dame would get killed by L.S.U. or Alabama and Georgia or South Carolina would win by only 10 because Notre Dame would line up and play smash mouth football and that is the SEC specialty. L.S.U. actually has the best match up against Kansas State or Oregon .
As great as Alabama was last year Oklahoma State would have had the best chance at beating them because Oklahoma State had a good enough Defense but that spread , option, Quarterback would have given Alabama fits just like Texas A&M did this past weekend.
GTBob
November 12th, 2012
12:39 pm
I agree that Kansas St will probably go undefeated and that Notre Dame has a decent chance of losing. Oregon is not losing to Stanford or Oregon St though. That is wishful thinking. Even last year with a much better team Stanford couldn’t come close to stopping Oregon. It is probably going to be a Kansas St/Oregon National Championship.
JoeFan
November 12th, 2012
12:42 pm
Only way for the SEC to get a team in the title game is for two of the three undefeated team to loose. Just that simple. After last year’s title game snoozer between AL and LSU a game between two wide open offenses certainly would be more enteratining to view.
Ed
November 12th, 2012
12:43 pm
Here’s another intriguing scenario: Oregon, K State, and ND all finish with perfect records. My money says that there’s no way ND gets left out of a national title game in favor of two schools with comparitively little football tradition. If they do, the eastern media establishment will gripe for the next 12 months about the injustice of it all. I bet ND finds a way to get bumped up to #2 in the BCS if it wins out.
gbal
November 12th, 2012
12:45 pm
If we get two losses from the top 3 & the Bama UGA winner gets in the NC game…. My bet is that UGA would get skipped on the Sugar invite for A&M…. Bama would get the sugar as the SECCG looser if that happened.
Ed
November 12th, 2012
12:49 pm
“The same is not true for UGA, because they have played a weak schedule, were embarassed by USC, and didn’t look good in beating UF.”
I like the sound of that – not looking good, but still beating UF. Two years in a row. I hope we can say the same thing next year, and the year after that. There’s no such thing as a bad win against those SOBs.
7576DAWG
November 12th, 2012
12:52 pm
The SEC will get screwed again because if you have 6 of the top 10 teams in the BCS you would think the SEC would dominate the BCS Bowl selections but if I understand the rule correctly not counting the BCS Championship game I think only two SEC teams can go to the BCS . No more than two teams per Conference. That means the SEC Champion will go to the Sugar and probably Texas A&M will end up in the Fiesta because of their proximity to Arizona. That leaves a lot of great SEC teams playing in the Capital One and Outback and other minor bowls against teams that may not even make it in the top 20 like Michigan and Michigan State. Really stinks but we can always beat them by 5 touchdowns to prove a point .
Can’t wait until the BCS does the right thing and go’s to an 8 team playoff but only if the top 8 teams go’s every year with no restrictions as to how many teams can go from any one Conference.
After further review
November 12th, 2012
12:55 pm
Thomas:
1) Just because you beat Florida (courtesy of six turnovers on their part) does not mean you get to take credit for beating everyone else on Florda’s schedule. Please stop doing so.
2) You have played, to date, two ranked teams and beaten one of them, The other one thrashed you pretty solidly.
3) Number 5 beats number 4 is not a formula for jumping over any unbeatens ahead of you. This is certainly true when most of yor schedule currently has a losing record.
4) Kansas State beat Oklahoma, giving them as many wins agains ranked teams as UGA currently has, They still have at least one ranked team, Texas, to play. If they beat them, they will have beaten as many To 25 teams as you have, assuming you beat Alabama.
5) Oregon has beaten Southern California, giving them as many wins against ranked teams as you have, and still has Stanford and Oregon State to play in the regular season (both currently ranked in the top 25, as well), then a Pac-12 Championship game against, probably, USC or UCLA, which would give them four ranked opponents beaten, assuming they win out. Since USC and UCLA are both currently ranked, one has to assume that whichever of those two teams gets to the Pac-12 championship game wil be ranked when they get there.
6) Notre Dame has beaten Stanford, Oklahoma, and Michigan, all of whom are currently in the top 25, and still has Southern California, also in the Top 25 currently, left to play. Granted, there is the possibilty that one or more of those teams will ultimately fall out of the rankings. But, they aren’t all going to fall out of the rankings. Michigan will likely be either 8-4 or 9-3, depending on how the do against unbeaten (but not eligible for the BCS rankings) Ohio State.
Sorry, but UGA’s strength of schedule doesn’t compare as favorably as you seem to be lieve with any of those teams currently ahead of you, and there’s still the matter of getting past Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Keep in mind that only two teams max from each conference can get a BCS Bowl bid. The conference champion will likely go to the Sugar, which leaves only one other slot for the other SEC teams in the top 10.
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
November 12th, 2012
12:58 pm
About to be 32 years without a national title. Oh well, half the SEC has won a title, or two, since then.
Ted M
November 12th, 2012
12:58 pm
I think Texas has a better chance at beating K State then you think, Jeff.
However UGA is pretty unlucky. I think there is a reasonable chance that even if all 3 lose and GA beats ‘bama for the SEC title they still get passed over for the BCS title.
‘Bama would not get passed over in that scenario, though.
DwayneL
November 12th, 2012
12:59 pm
There is absolutely ZERO chance of UGA beating Bama in the SEC championship game! ZERO Don’t get yourselves all excited over nothing.
Pitbull
November 12th, 2012
1:01 pm
KSU folds at Baylor.
Oregon folds to Oregon State and USC in Pac 12 CG.
Notre Dame folds to USC.
Georgia beats Alabama in SEC CG.
Georgia beats Oregon or K State in BCS CG.
Chris
November 12th, 2012
1:04 pm
Teams that get beat by 35 don’t deserve a shot at a National Title
Pitbull
November 12th, 2012
1:04 pm
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA:
It was 32 years since the 1948 UGA NC to the 1980 UGA NC.
It will be 32 years from the 1980 UGA NC to the 2012 UGA NC.
It is meant to be and it will happen.
maddog
November 12th, 2012
1:05 pm
WHAT IF ….. THE 4 TEAM PLAYOFF WAS HERE THIS YEAR.
Bama and UGA would be playing for the 4th ……
Could there be 2 SEC teams that made the playoff if a top 3 or two should loose??
It would be hard to avoid since SEC teams are holding rankings 4 thru 9….
I wish it were here… would be some serious excitement going on this year and LOTS of questions.
Matt
November 12th, 2012
1:06 pm
The answer is obvious and doesn’t need all the worhtless drivel you gave. If two of the 3 undefeated lose, then yes. If only one loses, possibly if it’s alabama who wins out. Uga has no chance unless 2 undefeated lose and they beat bama which won’t happen. The worst thing for uga happened. Bama lost. They won’t lose again. Especially to uga.
Ted M
November 12th, 2012
1:07 pm
UGA has more then just a chance at beating the Tide. I’ll say as high as 35%.
Aaron Murray is due for a great game in a big game…even though he has sucked in all of them so far.
Doug K
November 12th, 2012
1:10 pm
Oregon won’t lose. They destroy everyone out there.
Kansas state has the best chance to lose. I think oregon notre dame will be the game.
Ted M
November 12th, 2012
1:12 pm
Notre Dame is gonna get blown out in whatever bowl game they play.
quit talking and win when it counts
November 12th, 2012
1:13 pm
UGA needs to learn how to beat ranked teams, before talking about National Champ games. GA beat 1 this year. Got clobbered by the other one. If my math is correct, UGA has 8 wins total over ranked teams since 2008. Gene Chizik has more wins against ranked teams his 1st 4 years (actually 3, I doubt he will get one this year) than CMR has in the last 10 years. GC is getting canned, CMR gets and extension. Funny how that works.
Red Stick
November 12th, 2012
1:15 pm
I don’t see Oregon or K St losing.
In that scenario, the Bama/UGA winner will go to the Sugar. Florida, LSU, A&M and SC would be in the mix for a 2nd BCS slot.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
7576DAWG
November 12th, 2012
1:18 pm
Notre Dame will lose big to Kansas State , Oregon, L.S.U. or Alabama . They will lose to Georgia but not knowing which Offense will show up for Georgia you don’t know if it would be a blow out or just a win.
I'm a Georgia fan. It's a license to be stupid.
November 12th, 2012
1:19 pm
That leaves a lot of great SEC teams playing in the Capital One and Outback and other minor bowls against teams that may not even make it in the top 20 like Michigan and Michigan State. Really stinks but we can always beat them by 5 touchdowns to prove a point .
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
January 2nd, 2012
Michigan State 33 UGA 30
Michigan State was ranked #17 going into that game and beat the Bulldogs. That was ths calender year. Georgia is not what the Disney dawg fans think it is. Today, right now, Georgia is probably the 5th or 6th best team in th SEC. We have to stop riding the coat tails of the Bama’s and LSU’s of the conference and become one of them on the big stage. SC east and the ESPN talking heads exposed to the dawg faithful what the country already knew: Georgia isn’t big stage ready, and won’t be with the current staff in place. Just being honest. GO DAWGS!
maddog
November 12th, 2012
1:19 pm
7576 — I agree with you on the 8 team playoff, but it aint happening that way I’m sure.
If the season ended today with the top 8 per the current BCS, there would be 5 SEC teams in the top 8 and therefore in the playoff. Id like to see it that way but it ain happening….
Best we could hope for if this season with an 8 team playoff would be 5 confrence winners, ND, and 2 at large invites….. Probably no more than 2 teams from the same confrence, so the SEC would get 2…….
#1-5 would be in including O, K, and ND….. then two SEC teams from those ranked 4-9, and then we would dip down into the teens to pick up 3 more confrence champs….
Snap Judgments: Texas A&M follows the Beat Bama Formula, sets up Oregon … – SB Nation | football.sportreports.tk
November 12th, 2012
1:23 pm
[...] State #1, Oklahoma and Texas Also Look Strong for the Stretch RunWest Virginia MetroNewsAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -Sports Chat Place -Business Insiderall 1,553 news articles » [...]
Joey
November 12th, 2012
1:28 pm
“I like the sound of that – not looking good, but still beating UF. Two years in a row. I hope we can say the same thing next year, and the year after that. There’s no such thing as a bad win against those SOBs.”
*************************************************
Exactly, Ed. It’s a hell of a note that UGA now needs style points in victories over #2 ranked teams.
The dickheads who blabber that crap need to go over those vaunted, 18-of-21 or whatever it was vs UF. There were a bunch of games that WE gave away with penalties and turnovers – I was there and saw them.
Now, a mere W is all of a sudden is not so good?
F – you, Tampa Gator and associates.
(excluding Beast of the East)
kingdaddy
November 12th, 2012
1:28 pm
I KNOW THESE 4 THINGS FOR SURE…(don’t ask me how, I just do…)
#1. UGA will beat Ga. Southern, but not until the 3rd quarter…
#2. The Dawgs will humble the Nerds yet again, but they will continue to act like they know which end of a football is forward and which end is reverse, lol…plus we have to listen to them brag about SC beating us for a whole year…
#3. Once again, we will not be prepared for a “big-game” and find ways to lose to a Bama team that could be beaten if we played 60 minutes football. We will give them at least 15-30 minutes head start…(I know this because I hate history and it has a tendency to repeat itself. It’s not that we can’t win, its that we will be tight and seemingly unprepared…)
#4. After #3,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,#4 just won’t matter…
Wish I was wrong about #3…
I'm a Georgia fan. It's a license to be stupid.
November 12th, 2012
1:36 pm
It’s not that we can’t win, its that we will be tight and seemingly unprepared
+++++++++++++
seemingly unprepared? Usually and more than likely unprepared. Been that way since the 2006 season. GO DAWGS!
Piney Wood Pete
November 12th, 2012
1:37 pm
Dwagturds just don’t seem to get it. UGA is never going to be the BCS champion while Mark Richt is in Athens. Only the very top coaches ever win at that level, not 3rd rate wannabes like Richt, whose biggest concern is the fat paycheck he collects every month.
Delbert D.
November 12th, 2012
1:38 pm
Both Alabama and Georgia will get a bump by playing each other in the SEC championship game, but as it stands now, here are the toughest schedule rankings for SEC teams by NCAA.org
NCAA Toughest Schedule – Cumulative (past and future games) Nov. 11
SEC Teams
#1 Florida
#3 Texas A&M
#4 Missouri
#5 Kentucky
#10 Arkansas
#11 Auburn
#15 South Carolina
#17 LSU
#23 Ole Miss
#25 Tennessee
#41 Alabama
#69 Vanderbilt
#73 Mississippi State
#83 Georgia
Reality Check
November 12th, 2012
1:43 pm
disagree, you are a UGA homer D-bag.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
November 12th, 2012
1:45 pm
@Flo-rah-da…got your 1980 trophy with you as well sport?
Nick Saban has 3 NC and the swimming pool guy has how many…how many whistle blows? I will hangup and listen.
Joey
November 12th, 2012
1:45 pm
Who’s your team Piney Woods Pete.
Heck, we’d like to discuss them a little . . .
kingdaddy
November 12th, 2012
1:46 pm
I see the nerds are already practicing crying for their annual bludgeoning by another “unprepared”UGA team that forgot how to lose to the bugs…Oh BTW, we’re 9-1 and you’re what…3-7 or something embarrassing. Not sure what it is, but it ain’t good…
Joey
November 12th, 2012
1:48 pm
Hey Delbert (really, Delbert is your name?),
You know how much that all that research is gonna help you and PJ on November 24?
Not JACK!
Still gonna lose by 40+.
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 12th, 2012
1:48 pm
kingdaddy
Did we forget to have our morning cup of kool-aid; I thought you wouldnt be saying we will be unprepared for bama
Wow
kingdaddy
November 12th, 2012
1:48 pm
Delburt
That’s just because 8 of those teams had to play us, lol…
kingdaddy
November 12th, 2012
1:52 pm
Patch
Glad you finally got that thing to hold a little air. I never bloviate…
LawDawg
November 12th, 2012
1:54 pm
“Notre Dame is not an overpowering offensive team”
Well that is the understatement of the year.
Also, didn’t we used to punish teams for not playing a conference championship? Now the most likely scenario is that the BCS title will be played by K State and ND (who are MAYBE the 3rd and 9th best teams in the league) while the conference that has won the last 6 — convincingly — is shut out completely despite having a 1-loss champion (assuming neither Bama or UGA loses a game before the SECCG)?
Ridiculous.
Joey
November 12th, 2012
1:55 pm
Hey, Wet Pants, lets talk about Saban’s NCs at Bama.
First one, Colt McCoy goes down in first series and Texas plays with a freshman QB the rest of the way. I’ll still give Bama its due though lucky, because of 14-0.
Second one, bout as dubious as UF’s ‘97 title – what with a “rematch” vs a unbeaten team who beat you a few weeks before.
Total BS that Bama got the crystal, going 1-1 with LSU.
But congrats on your first title in a looooooooooooong time without being on, or getting on, immediately after, NCAA Probation . . .
Madmax
November 12th, 2012
1:58 pm
It’s possible for Alabama to jump undefeated teams – see USC in 2003? ranked #1 in both polls and got out politicked in last poll despite winning. If Oregon loses to any of these ranked teams they drop to 8-9, if ND loses to #18 USC, they drop to 9-10, if KSU loses to Texas, they drop to 9-10. Alabama loses to a # 18 A&M and they only drop to 4. There is a reason they only went to 4 which is to allow them to jump back in on a “weak” performance by a non SEC team. The top 3 have to blow everyone away or Ala will be in the game (and I’m not a Tide fan).
Patched Tire On I-95 in Jacksonville
November 12th, 2012
1:58 pm
kingdaddy
Bloviate lol when have I done that; Im just a fan that lives in reality and the reality is this coaching staff has been a joke for over 6 years
I didnt get anything to patch the tire; Richt finally showed up and earned his over paid salary and beat FL 2 years in a row
ugadawg01
November 12th, 2012
2:01 pm
ok…UGA’s only loss was to a then 6th ranked USC team. Then went on to win in Jacksonville against the #2 team in the BCS. They have also dominated the last three teams they have facd. And looking ahead if they win the SEC they will have beaten the #4 team in the country. So….who else would have beatn the #2,6 and 5 teams in the country???????
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
November 12th, 2012
2:01 pm
1961,64,65,73,78,79,92,09,11 us
1980 you
These are the facts and they are documented..I rest my case.