Texts From Iowa State Game Day
November 28, 2016 by Mike Casazza
A quick note about what’s next. No. 14 West Virginia is just a few days away from a game it’s had circled for a long time.
“It’s nothing about the other team,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. “It’s 100 percent about us. It was to see where we were going to be on Dec. 3, 2016, to see where we’re at as a program.”
After that? Win or lose, the Mountaineers are off to a bowl, and a win or loss might not matter. Here are the likely scenarios:
- Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma makes the College Football Playoff, Oklahoma State goes to the Sugar Bowl, WVU goes to the Alamo and plays a Pac-12 team, like USC. I don’t know how Oklahoma gets in, though. Get ready for this comedy: The Big 12 missed the inaugural CFP in 2014 because it didn’t have a championship game — or something like that. Now the Big 12 has decided to restore the title game, and it’s quite possible the SEC and Big Ten championship games won’t mean a thing Saturday. You think about that. I understand Alabama is in the final four regardless of the outcome. No qualms with that. But it seems Ohio State is in as well, and it’s not in the Big Ten title game. Penn State, which handed the Buckeyes their only loss but lost to Pitt (more on them in a minute) and Michigan, needs to win against Wisconsin and needs some help to get into the final four. Wisconsin, which lost to Michigan and Ohio State, needs to beat Penn State and get a little more help. I’m not saying it’s the wrong outcome, but it’s going to be topical and it ought to call into question the value and/or necessity of the championship game format. I’ll also repeat for the zillionth time that the CFP screwed up majorly by having two years of runway and never establishing any uniformity with regard to non-conference play requirements, the number of conference games and a league championship game.
- Russell Athletic Bowl: Oklahoma or Oklahoma State goes to the Sugar as the Big 12 champ because the league won’t have a CFP team. The other goes to the Alamo. The Russell Athletic scoops up WVU. Opponents? Well, if Clemson loses to Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, the Hokies go to the Orange and, man, wouldn’t Orlando like Clemson and wouldn’t the Tigers like a chance to tidy up 70-33? That’s a long shot, though. Say Clemson wins and makes the CFP. The Orange could pick anyone and would likely choose between Louisville and Florida State. The other could be in the Russell Athletic, and the bowl wouldn’t complain about getting Lamar Jackson or a Florida team. I don’t think it’ll happen, but I wouldn’t discount horse trading and a chance to get the Backyard Brawl revived ahead of schedule. Pitt’s a hot name right now. I suspect Virginia Tech and/or WVU might push back against any possibility those two play in the Russell Athletic because they open the season against one another next fall, and though the bowl doesn’t care about that, it would be hard for the organizers to look past the other possible matchups.
- I think that’s it. I don’t see a WVU loss and a Kansas State win changing any of the above, and a Kansas State v. Texas A&M matchup in the Texas Bowl will be popular.
I just closed my eyes and swung. Left me crouching in a blaze and fall. All you ever did was text me. Yeah, you text me. My edits are in [brackets].
1:38:
Bad feeling about a blow out in Ames
1:08:
Sitting here watching Michigan/oh st and oh st has a linebacker named jerome baker…bet he gets drug treated all the time haha
3:31:
Why did I just learn there is a player for Michigan named Taco?
3:49:
Technical difficulties. Just got here. I see we’re already [shoddy]
3:52:
So White & Wonderful!!
3:53:
That pass to white was a bullet.
4:02:
Finally, a useful review! [bravo]!
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