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As the media tries to keep you focused on the initial 12-team playoff scramble, some former contenders are ready for this season to end.
Let’s take a look at several college football teams which have blown a tire coming down the home stretch.
Did we really (really) think LSU was a likely playoff contender?
For the past three weeks, LSU has been exposed as a College Football Playoff fraud. The formerly 6-1 Tigers led Texas A&M 17-7 at halftime just three weeks ago at College Station.
After trotting back onto Kyle Field to play the second half of that game, the Bayou Bengals have been outscored by a whopping 100-35 (all on national TV) over the next 2 ½ games. After losing to the Aggies, LSU was embarrassed at home 42-13 by Alabama and quarterback Jalen Milroe. Last Saturday, the struggling Florida Gators (now 5-5) beat the Tigers in Gainesville 27-16 to drop LSU to 6-4.
Good-bye, playoffs. Hello, Citrus Bowl!
It’s not only LSU which has blown a tire in the past few weeks.
I see you hiding, Nebraska!
After a rousing 5-1 start, the Cornhuskers were on the verge of their first non-losing season since 2016. With Big Red fans juiced about ending this eight-year slump, Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule’s team has now lost four straight games to sink to 5-5.
With two games left in the season, Nebraska must defeat either 5-5 Wisconsin this Saturday afternoon or win on the road at 6-4 Iowa to break their frustrating streak and become bowl eligible.
Let’s badger Wisconsin, too!
After dropping its third straight game in a difficult 16-13 home loss to unbeaten Oregon Saturday afternoon, Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Sunday. The 5-5 Badgers are 34th out of 134 FBS teams on defense but rank a woeful 97th with their ineffective and sluggish offense.
With tough remaining games at 5-5 Nebraska this week and at home against rival 6-4 Minnesota, Badgers coach Luke Fickell might want to polish-up his own resume – just in case!
Boom! The Sooner Schooner is now dragging to the finish line
After racing to a 3-0 start, the Oklahoma Sooners’ initial season in the SEC has become increasingly more difficult by the week.
After grabbing a 27-21 win at 4-6 Auburn, OU has lost its last four SEC games to Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Missouri. It won’t get any easier. The 5-5 Sooners will host 8-2 Alabama on Saturday and then travel to Tiger Stadium to finish the season at 6-4 LSU.
UL-Monroe’s losing streak has reached four straight games
After racing out to the school’s best FBS start at 5-1, the ULM Warhawks dropped their fourth straight game on Saturday. Losing 48-14 to SEC member Auburn wasn’t exactly unexpected. The 5-5 Warhawks are still trying to reach six wins in order to play in just their second bowl game in the past 30 years.
UL-Monroe travels to play 6-4 Arkansas State on Saturday in Jonesboro and finishes at home with 8-2 Sunbelt rival UL-Lafayette. Oof!
Other early-season contenders have lost momentum
Just a few weeks ago, the Navy Midshipmen were 6-0 and ranked in both the AP and SwampSwamiSports.com Top 25. A month later, the anchor has dropped with Navy losing three of its past four games. A chance to ruin rival Army’s 9-0 season still awaits in early December.
Remember the 7-0 Pitt Panthers? In the past three weeks, Pitt has lost three conference games in a row and has been virtually eliminated from the ACC title race.
The Mean Green of North Texas ran out to a 5-1 start this fall. With four straight losses in the past month, the bowl visions of now 5-5 North Texas are now wavering with two games to go.
Out west, the Oregon State Beavers started the season 4-1. Alas, Bucky has dropped five in a row to drop to 4-6 with games remaining against 8-2 Washington State and at 9-1 Boise State. Timber!!!
The MAC has one of the nation’s best conference races
Let’s flip the script and give some credit to the extremely tight race for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) title. Three teams are tied for first place with 5-1 conference records.
The 6-4 Miami (Ohio) Redhawks have caught fire and are on a five game winning streak.
Bowling Green (also 6-4) is rolling on a four game winning streak, and the Ohio U. Bobcats (7-3) have won three in a row.
Three more teams (Western Michigan, Buffalo, and Toledo) are just one game back in the MAC standings at 4-2. With just two weeks to go, this conference is setting-up for a photo finish!
Let’s check the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings for the week ending Saturday, November 16, 2024!
