There was a lot of griping this past week among those that actually follow college football for a living that in the wake of the expansion to a 12-team playoff what was once being lauded as Championship Saturday had become largely irrelevant. Because of the arbitrary nature of the selection committee and compromised assurances that the so-called Group of Five would at least have one competitor in the mix the idea that the twelve de facto best teams were indeed going to be making up the field. And the fact that plenty of teams who were definitely going to be in said field didn’t qualify for these top-of-the-table titles and therefore would not have the chance to be upset only made that debate more heated and ultimately unanswerable.
But as so many of those naysaying nellies would otherwise say in more open-minded moments, “that’s why they play the games”. And in at least three of those played yesterday the results were surprising, if not shocking, and will indeed matter for said playoffs.
No less exemplary was what transpired in Indianapolis, mere minutes from Bloomington, which saw a seismic shift in collegiate power not seen since the days of leather helmets. Per SB NATION’s L.C. Nelson:
No. 2 Indiana football beat No. 1 Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten Football Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
As the score indicates, it was a defensive affair. The Hoosiers slightly outgained the Buckeyes overall 340-322 but dominated the matchup on the ground 118-58, picking up 3.5 yards per carry while holding Ohio State to just 2.2. Additionally, Indiana picked up nine tackles for loss on the game with Isaiah Jones leading the way with two.
As for passing, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza went 15/23 through the air for 222 yards, one touchdown and a single interception. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin went 21-29 for 258 yards, one touchdown and a single interception himself. Mendoza had the pass of the game on a deep shot late in the fourth quarter to pick up the first down and get into Ohio State territory.
This marks Indiana’s first win in the Big Ten Football Championship game and first conference championship since 1967.
Ah, L.C., you neglected to mention that the ’67 title was via a tiebreaker; the last time Hoosiers were the conference’s Daddies was 1945. Kinda appropriate for the anniversary of the start of WW2, nope?
Meanwhile, the fate of another Power 4 conference was shaken to its core as a result of what went transpired at roughly the same time in frigid Charlotte, as CBS SPORTS’ David Cobb reported:
Duke squandered a 10-point lead in the final five minutes of the ACC Championship Game on Saturday night before emerging with a 27-20 overtime win over No. 17 Virginia in an instant classic.
Darian Mensah hit Jeremiah Hasley for a 1-yard touchdown strike on fourth-and-goal to begin the overtime period. The Blue Devils’ quarterback was rolling out and running for his life when he found Hasley standing wide open in the end zone. Luke Mergott intercepted Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris on the first play of Virginia’s overtime possession to end a wild game.
That upset, which gave the conference title to a five-loss team from the regular season, momentarily had the world as we know it up in arms as it seriously put the ACC at risk of being completely shut out of the field. But thanks to the seemingly overwhelming spectre of TV ratings potential, and perhaps as an overreaction to the revenge that was garnered yesterday afternoon in Atlanta, assured that wasn’t to be. Because what turned out to the be the top-seeded SEC team merely brought the season series with a long-time foe to a push, as the ASSOCIATED PRESS’ quintet of MAURA CAREY, ERIC OLSON, EDDIE PELLS, LUENA RODRIGUEZ-FEO VILEIRA and KIANA DOYLE blathered:
No. 3 Georgia beat No. 10 Alabama 28-7 in the Southeastern Conference Championship, earning the Bulldogs their 16th overall conference title. Georgia turned two game-changing plays into first-half touchdowns, with quarterback Gunner Stockdon throwing three TD passes.
And under the spectre of a “quality loss”–not to mention the temptation of a first-round all-SEC showdown that will no doubt get the plum ABC prime time window on the Saturday night after next–the Crimson Tide indeed moved up a notch to #9 and will visit Norman for a date with the Sooners. And sliding in at #10 are indeed the ACC tie-break losing Miami Hurricanes, who narrowly earned a slot over Notre Dame mostly due to the inexorable fact that they happened to score a three-point win over them on their home field during the regular season.
Because we aim to be truly breaking news, we’ve led this musing off with the filled-in bracket mere minutes after its release to an enthralled ESPN audience. Miami visiting Lubbock in what is in effect a loser-goes-home for their respective conferences is pretty appealing, while Tulane-Ole Miss and James Madison-Oregon will no doubt be funneled off to what’s left of TNT. If nothing else, it will give JMU’s coach Bob Chesney a look at a future conference foe, as he’s en route to UCLA but because of timing and honesty for the moment he’s gonna be given the chance to visit Eugene on his current school’s dime.
As for the Fighting Irish faithful–I’m sure there’s a bowl that might take you if you want. But bitch no more, Subway alumni. You’re clear proof this is why playing the games do matter.
Courage…