College Football: Week 11

The sports gods continue to curse me: Alabama has secured a spot in the SEC Championship Game and controls its own fate to play in the national title game as well. The Tide may very well have the #1 contender for the Heisman trophy, as well, in running back Mark Ingram.

Let’s recap:

-Steelers win the Superbowl

-Yankees win the series, Phillies win the NL

-Bama wins the SEC West

-My fantasy football team just above the cellar

-Ravens are just about out of the playoff picture

…..yep, that’s about the worst year I could have hoped for when it comes to sports. I think I am going to sacrifice a lamb or have some other ritual this weekend to ensure that the evil Tide doesn’t win the national championship (bama fans: don’t hate- this is actually very, very good that I’m rooting against your team).

But it’s not about me. It is about the sport- what’s good for the sport. Maybe that is why the SEC has its officials blow calls on a weekly basis in favor of the conference’s undefeated teams. But I digress….

If I were voting for the Heisman, Case Keenum would be my guy. His 71% completion percentage, and 3,815 yards, 28 TDs to 5 interceptions are eye popping. He has overachieved by leading a mediocre Houston team to 8-1, including a road win at then #5 Oklahoma State and against SEC foe Mississippi State. If the Cougars win out, he deserves the award more than anyone. But the system just isn’t fair and objective, so this won’t happen. If he had the exact same stats and record at a big name school, it’d be in the bag already.

I’ve been talking about it this all season, and it has almost reached full circle: Rich Rodriguez and Charlie Weis better have those resumes updated. I predict that one of them will be fired before national signing day in February, if not both. Rich Rod managed to weasel in a huge buyout clause into his contract, even after Michigan paid over $2 million to buy out his old contract at West Virginia. Red Flags anyone?

Auburn and Georgia both have a lot at stake this weekend. The Tigers and the Dawgs have been mediocre in league play, and both teams will have a very tough time defeating their rivals in Alabama and Georgia Tech, respectively. A win this weekend would put Auburn at 8-3, surpassing most people’s expectations during what is supposed to be a rebuilding year. It would be disastrous for UGA to drop to 5-6. Mark Richt is in for a long offseason as it is; a loss this weekend will inevitably bring out thousands of Chicken Littles in Athens.

Here's what I'm thinking this week (winners in bold):

West Virginia @ Cincinnati

Michigan @ Wisconsin

South Dakota @ Minnesota

VA Tech @ Maryland

Stanford @ USC

Iowa @ Ohio State

Miami @ UNC

Utah @ TCU

Notre Dame @ Pittsburgh

Arizona @ California

Florida @ South Carolina

Kentucky @ Vandy

Tennessee @ Ole Miss

Alabama @ Miss State

Louisiana Tech @ LSU

Auburn @ Georgia

Troy @ Arkansas