College Football

[on3m@n@rmy]

Re: Re:

UW can't beat Bama? BS. Go Dawgs!

It is extrememly unlikely Petersen would leave UW for the UO job. Petersen says he left Boise because after his final season at Boise (8-5) he felt he needed to get out of his comfort zone (revitalize focus). He was interviewed for the USC job, but he said it was not a good fit. IMO, the SC AD's philosophy is win at almost all cost, which clashes with Petersen's philosophy, which sets a high standard for player's character. I just don't see Petersen jumping from the Husky program he built to go to the UO.

I haven't heard that Peterson was being considered for the UO job, of course there's no reason why he wouldn't. If he left for any team it would be a bummer but if he went to UO, that would be treasonous...

He's in a great situation at UW, one that can't really get any better at UO IMO, unless they throw insane amounts of money at him at which UW would surely match and/or beat....

There's nothing official, but some speculation he might be someone UO would consider. I don't think dollar signs would lure him away, and as you say, UW could match. But I believe there would be more to it than $$$. The ADs, the freedom to do it his way, which he has at the UW. That was very evident after he replaced Sark, remember, when Peterson sacked serveral of Sarks former players for character issues. I'm not sure the UO would be quite as supportive of the HC, depending on the player. The program might ask the HC to compromise his personnel preferences. I get the feeling UO would not be a good fit for Peterson, at least not now. I wonder what UO fans think of their current AD. That could shed some light on it. But I love Peterson as HC at UW, and I think the school's staff and fans do also. I can't see anyone prying him away from that which he has been allowed to create. Crap, just listen to the UW player interviews. Those interviews are a reflection of the HC. Class, class, class. And I'm a WSU fan.

 

[Irondan]

Re: Re:

UW can't beat Bama? BS. Go Dawgs!

It is extrememly unlikely Petersen would leave UW for the UO job. Petersen says he left Boise because after his final season at Boise (8-5) he felt he needed to get out of his comfort zone (revitalize focus). He was interviewed for the USC job, but he said it was not a good fit. IMO, the SC AD's philosophy is win at almost all cost, which clashes with Petersen's philosophy, which sets a high standard for player's character. I just don't see Petersen jumping from the Husky program he built to go to the UO.

I haven't heard that Peterson was being considered for the UO job, of course there's no reason why he wouldn't. If he left for any team it would be a bummer but if he went to UO, that would be treasonous...

He's in a great situation at UW, one that can't really get any better at UO IMO, unless they throw insane amounts of money at him at which UW would surely match and/or beat....

There's nothing official, but some speculation he might be someone UO would consider. I don't think dollar signs would lure him away, and as you say, UW could match. But I believe there would be more to it than $$$. The ADs, the freedom to do it his way, which he has at the UW. That was very evident after he replaced Sark, remember, when Peterson sacked serveral of Sarks former players for character issues. I'm not sure the UO would be quite as supportive of the HC, depending on the player. The program might ask the HC to compromise his personnel preferences. I get the feeling UO would not be a good fit for Peterson, at least not now. I wonder what UO fans think of their current AD. That could shed some light on it. But I love Peterson as HC at UW, and I think the school's staff and fans do also. I can't see anyone prying him away from that which he has been allowed to create. Crap, just listen to the UW player interviews. Those interviews are a reflection of the HC. Class, class, class. And I'm a WSU fan.

I remember that, most famously Marcus Peters who's been a leader in the NFL in interceptions for the past two years. That kid was highly skilled and talented but Peterson booted him all the same where as most other programs in the country would have played him.

I agree with your assessment, it would be a bad fit at OU. He's still on the rise here at the UW with lots of potential to have continued success and credit is deserved for turning around sad sack Sarks mediocre program back into a Don James like juggernaut. A couple more seasons like the one that the Huskies are having and Peterson would be ordained as a Saint by the Husky faithful...

 

[Nomad]

For a bit there it looked as if last night's game was going to be close and potentially a spoiler for UW, but they turned up the heat and it was a surprise to see them beating CU the way they did. It's been a while since either team was ranked this high, particularly CU, so even with this loss, they've had a good season and they'll get another shot in a quality bowl, I am certain of that.

If UW doesn't get into the playoffs now and a team like UM does, well that would just be another joke by the NCAAF and the playoff/BCS committee.

What do you all think? Bama, Clemson, OSU, UW?

I wasn't so surprised after Liufau went down very early in the 1st quarter with the ankle injury. He was never the same and arguably maybe shouldn't have played since he wasn't effective with his dual-threat capibility. It looked good down only 14-7 at halftime, but you can't give a team like UW a short field with consecutive turnovers including that dreaded pick-6 in the 3rd quarter. The momentum shifted dramatically early in the 3rd quarter with the turnovers by Liufau, as the defense seemed to give up.

With this loss, I am less optimistic for a Rose Bowl berth. The committee might end up dropping #8 CU a few spots down while moving up #11 USC in the final BCS polls...thereby USC would be Rose Bowl bound against the Big-10 champion. In that scenario, CU is probably going to the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma St. or West Virginia (still impressive, IMO).

I still think this is one of the greatest improvements in D-1 college football history. Going from 1-8 in conference play last year to 8-1 and South Division Champions speaks volumes of the job MacIntyre has done this year. Heck, this is a program that won only TWO conference games the preceding three years! If you follow Pac-12 football, CU was the "laughing stock" of the conference. Attendance at games was dismal, and not many in the Denver-Boulder area cared about Buff football.

Futhermore, MacIntyre is doing it with 2 & 3 star recruits, unlike the Bama's, Ohio St.'s, Clemson's, etc, that drown with the 4 & 5 stars. I credit AD Rick George for staying with MacIntyre for another year when fans were screaming for him to be fired after last year. If this was the University of Texas, he would have been gone after last year...glad it's not.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Ach, the Badgers... I was really rooting for them...

 

[Nomad]

Re:

Ach, the Badgers... I was really rooting for them...

Great game nonetheless...Penn St. coming back from a 21 point deficit.

Will the committee shock the football world and rank Penn St. ahead of Washington? Does it really matter? The fourth seed has to play numeral uno Bama.

And Bama - are you kidding me? 54-16 rout over #15 Florida! Granted this isn't the Gators of old, but c'mon...shut-out in the 2nd half and *0* total yards rushing. I think the 2016 National Champion has already been declared. This year it seems like all Bama has to do is just show up. And I can't fiqure why Saban always appears disgruntled & incredulous...your team could probably beat the Cleveland Browns. Lol.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I would so much rather just play in the Rose Bowl and have a chance of winning at least some kind of a "bowl" than play Bama in the playoffs and come away with nothing...

Oi, Huskies, we're gonna get spanked!

 

[Irondan]

Re: Re:

Ach, the Badgers... I was really rooting for them...

Great game nonetheless...Penn St. coming back from a 21 point deficit.

Will the committee shock the football world and rank Penn St. ahead of Washington? Does it really matter? The fourth seed has to play numeral uno Bama.

And Bama - are you kidding me? 54-16 rout over #15 Florida! Granted this isn't the Gators of old, but c'mon...shut-out in the 2nd half and *0* total yards rushing. I think the 2016 National Champion has already been declared. This year it seems like all Bama has to do is just show up. And I can't fiqure why Saban always appears disgruntled & incredulous...your team could probably beat the Cleveland Browns. Lol.

People like to think that a great college team could compete with a bad pro team, but that's just not possible. The pro game is so much faster and more physical than the college game. Those kids on Bama would get creamed....
That doesn't take away the fact that Bama is one of the best college football teams ever! I'm rooting for UW, but I don't think they'll give UA much trouble unfortunately.

 

[Irondan]

Re:

I would so much rather just play in the Rose Bowl and have a chance of winning at least some kind of a "bowl" than play Bama in the playoffs and come away with nothing...

Oi, Huskies, we're gonna get spanked!

I think the Rose Bowl would be a much better option than whatever Bowl they're playing in. The Rose Bowl has the history, crowd, media and attention of all the west coast. The Pac12 champion should always play in the Rose Bowl, preferably against the Big10 champs...

 

[Nomad]

Re: Re:

Ach, the Badgers... I was really rooting for them...

Great game nonetheless...Penn St. coming back from a 21 point deficit.

Will the committee shock the football world and rank Penn St. ahead of Washington? Does it really matter? The fourth seed has to play numeral uno Bama.

And Bama - are you kidding me? 54-16 rout over #15 Florida! Granted this isn't the Gators of old, but c'mon...shut-out in the 2nd half and *0* total yards rushing. I think the 2016 National Champion has already been declared. This year it seems like all Bama has to do is just show up. And I can't fiqure why Saban always appears disgruntled & incredulous...your team could probably beat the Cleveland Browns. Lol.

People like to think that a great college team could compete with a bad pro team, but that's just not possible. The pro game is so much faster and more physical than the college game. Those kids on Bama would get creamed....
That doesn't take away the fact that Bama is one of the best college football teams ever! I'm rooting for UW, but I don't think they'll give UA much trouble unfortunately.

I know that...it was a sarcastic joke to emphasize the utter dominance that Alabama has this year. No question, the best ever teams in the history of the NCAA would get hammered by the worst teams in the NFL. Interestingly though, the entire Bama starting defense is projected to be drafted at one point or another, and three of their LBs/DEs are projected to be high first-round draft picks.

I do think Saban needs to lighten-up a little bit. His halftime interviews crack me up. For example, his team could be ahead by 25-30 pts, and he'll say things like "we're just not playing that well...we're making too many mistakes" and "we need to concentrate better, this is a good team we're are playing"....and so on and so forth.

However, to his credit he's created another dynasty at Bama. When all is said and done, he'll supplant the legendary Bear Bryant as the most successful coach in Alabama history.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Re: Re:

I would so much rather just play in the Rose Bowl and have a chance of winning at least some kind of a "bowl" than play Bama in the playoffs and come away with nothing...

Oi, Huskies, we're gonna get spanked!

I think the Rose Bowl would be a much better option than whatever Bowl they're playing in. The Rose Bowl has the history, crowd, media and attention of all the west coast. The Pac12 champion should always play in the Rose Bowl, preferably against the Big10 champs...

I don't think we're playing for any kind of Bowl right now, what we do get is the chance to lose to Bama!

Would agree I love the Rose Bowl, still have the sweatshirt from it the last time we had won it. (Might have been sometime back in 90s, or something like that.)

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Apologies, apparently we get to play Bama for something called the Peach Bowl. (The *** is that??)

Either way we'll lose, so there's that. (And we apologize for our lack of size, and speed, and defense ahead of time.)

 

[Irondan]

Re:

Apologies, apparently we get to play Bama for something called the Peach Bowl. (The **** is that??)

Either way we'll lose, so there's that. (And we apologize for our lack of size, and speed, and defense ahead of time.)

Up until the BCS and FBS, the "Peach" bowl was considered a non new years day bowl. It was always a step down from the major bowls and now the huskies are going to play in a playoff game against arguably the greatest college football team ever. Alabama has at least (15) five star and many more four star recruits on their squad and like a post above mentions, the entire defense will most likely be drafted into the NFL... That's insane!! :surprised:

I'm not complaining about being in the playoff, I just think that they made a mess of the bowls with the playoff system.

Go Huskies!

 

[Nomad]

Re: Re:

Apologies, apparently we get to play Bama for something called the Peach Bowl. (The **** is that??)

Either way we'll lose, so there's that. (And we apologize for our lack of size, and speed, and defense ahead of time.)

Up until the BCS and FBS, the "Peach" bowl was considered a non new years day bowl. It was always a step down from the major bowls and now the huskies are going to play in a playoff game against arguably the greatest college football team ever. Alabama has at least (15) five star and many more four star recruits on their squad and like a post above mentions, the entire defense will most likely be drafted into the NFL... That's insane!! :surprised:

I'm not complaining about being in the playoff, I just think that they made a mess of the bowls with the playoff system.

Go Huskies!

Great insight...and weren't the original four New Year's Bowl games the Rose, Orange, Sugar & Fiesta that were always tied into the various conference champions? Then with the CFP format, they added the Peach (Atlanta) & the Cotton (Dallas) to round out the "New Year's Six," with a yearly rotation for the two semi-final playoff games. For example, next year the Rose & Sugar will host the semi-final games.

But what's screwed-up is the final CFP rankings and selections to the New Year's Six bowl games. CU with a final #10 ranking is snubbed out of a New Year's Six while #15 "Western" Michigan goes to the Cotton vs Wisconsin. Plain ridiculous. And not to make any excuses for CU, as they got creamed against a very well prepared & coached team in UW, but taking W.Michigan from the weak MAC conference over the Buffs? Really? And when you factor in W.Michigan's strength of schedule at a pathetic #85 vs CU's #9, it's even more ridiculous. IMO, the Buffs should be playing Wisconsin in the Cotton and let W.Michigan go to the Alamo Bowl.

You're right on...the Huskies are going to play arguably the greatest college football team ever, at the very least one of the greatest defenses ever. They're #1 in total defense and held Florida to "0" net rushing yards in the SEC Championship game (insane). Wow, does Petersen have his work cut out in developing some kind of effective game plan to keep it close. If he goes with a predominant passing attack he's going to have to figure a way to keep the pressure off of his young QB; Jake Browning. I think Petersen is one of the best coaches out there. He wins and like CU's MacIntyre, he doesn’t get the 4 & 5 star recruits that some of the top programs are getting. And as you pointed out to the number of 5 star recruits that Saban gets each year...it's beyond crazy. The NCAA should implement some kind of 5 star "recruiting cap" for each school. Enough is enough:

http://www.rollbamaroll.com/2016/7/16/12205368/alabama-s-nothing-but-five-stars-defense

 

[blutto]

Re: Re:

Apologies, apparently we get to play Bama for something called the Peach Bowl. (The **** is that??)

Either way we'll lose, so there's that. (And we apologize for our lack of size, and speed, and defense ahead of time.)

Up until the BCS and FBS, the "Peach" bowl was considered a non new years day bowl. It was always a step down from the major bowls and now the huskies are going to play in a playoff game against arguably the greatest college football team ever. Alabama has at least (15) five star and many more four star recruits on their squad and like a post above mentions, the entire defense will most likely be drafted into the NFL... That's insane!! :surprised:

I'm not complaining about being in the playoff, I just think that they made a mess of the bowls with the playoff system.

Go Huskies!

Great insight...and weren't the original four New Year's Bowl games the Rose, Orange, Sugar & Fiesta that were always tied into the various conference champions? Then with the CFP format, they added the Peach (Atlanta) & the Cotton (Dallas) to round out the "New Year's Six," with a yearly rotation for the two semi-final playoff games. For example, next year the Rose & Sugar will host the semi-final games.

But what's screwed-up is the final CFP rankings and selections to the New Year's Six bowl games. CU with a final #10 ranking is snubbed out of a New Year's Six while #15 "Western" Michigan goes to the Cotton vs Wisconsin. Plain ridiculous. And not to make any excuses for CU, as they got creamed against a very well prepared & coached team in UW, but taking W.Michigan from the weak MAC conference over the Buffs? Really? And when you factor in W.Michigan's strength of schedule at a pathetic #85 vs CU's #9, it's even more ridiculous. IMO, the Buffs should be playing Wisconsin in the Cotton and let W.Michigan go to the Alamo Bowl.

You're right on...the Huskies are going to play arguably the greatest college football team ever, at the very least one of the greatest defenses ever. They're #1 in total defense and held Florida to "0" net rushing yards in the SEC Championship game (insane). Wow, does Petersen have his work cut out in developing some kind of effective game plan to keep it close. If he goes with a predominant passing attack he's going to have to figure a way to keep the pressure off of his young QB; Jake Browning. I think Petersen is one of the best coaches out there. He wins and like CU's MacIntyre, he doesn’t get the 4 & 5 star recruits that some of the top programs are getting. And as you pointed out to the number of 5 star recruits that Saban gets each year...it's beyond crazy. The NCAA should implement some kind of 5 star "recruiting cap" for each school. Enough is enough:

http://www.rollbamaroll.com/2016/7/16/12205368/alabama-s-nothing-but-five-stars-defense

....I believe the original four included the Cotton Bowl and not the Fiesta Bowl ( at least as far back as I remember ).....

Cheers

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Wow! What a wild Orange Bowl finish. Best in a long time.

Wolverines Peppers should feel like a heel he chose not to play to guarantee he would not get injured before the draft. If his act becomes the norm what will that turn bowl games into? Now if players were paid and payments were made after the bowl games then payment could be withheld by schools if players dodged bowl games. Just a thought.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

As for today, go Dawgs!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Well, here goes nothing... especially my understanding of the point spread. (It's been explained to me numerous times, think I sort of get it this time.)

According to the paper Alabama is favored by 13.5 points (only 13.5??), so I put my money (a whole 50 cents in a betting game I'm playing with one of my clients) on them as I think they will easily be able to humiliate my alma mater.

For me this is the only Bowl that matters - we get to play the best team in the country, hopefully we'll come out of it not overly maimed.

So yeah,

Go Huskies, and Happy New Year, ya'll!

 

[Nomad]

No surprises in Bama's dominating win over UW, though it looked interesting with the Huskies' first strike on their first offensive series. The name of the game for Bama this year has been DEFENSE; one of the best in the history of the college game. They held the Huskies to just 44 yds rushing and forced 3 turnovers; one a pick-six by Anderson. Browning was pressured & rattled in practically every passing situation by Bama's monstrous front seven...can't imagine why. Lol. On the offensive side, Bama also dominated with 269 rushing yds. Even though their passing game was off as true freshman Jalen Hurts appeared uncomfortable in most passing situations preferring to scramble and run, they don't need to throw the ball much with their running attack and that stellar defense.

In the other game...did Ohio St. neglect to prepare for Clemson or what? Urban Meyer shut-out! Unbelievable. Was this the same team that beat Michigan in that great Big-10 showdown a month ago? I don’t know if Clemson is that good or Ohio St. was that bad. Boring game either way.

So, here we have it: a rematch of last year's championship game, and #1 vs #2...again (who needs a playoff when you can just match-up the final BCS #1 vs #2 and get the same result). One thing is certain; Sweeney better figure out pretty quickly how to establish some kind of run game, and find a way to get pass protection for Watson against that crushing Bama defense...or it's going to be a very, very long night in Tampa next week.

Roll Tide...as they say.
.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

In the other game...did Ohio St. neglect to prepare for Clemson or what? Urban Meyer shut-out! Unbelievable. Was this the same team that beat Michigan in that great Big-10 showdown a month ago? I don’t know if Clemson is that good or Ohio St. was that bad. Boring game either way.

I didn't really watch the game, but judging by the score (and this is something I expected to happen in the Bama-Washington game) - yo Buckeyes, WTF?!

Don't have a horse in the race as far as the final is concerned, but, just because Bama has been so dominant this year I'll be rooting for Clemson.

(As far as the Rose Bowl today, I'm rooting for USC.)

 

[Nomad]

In the other game...did Ohio St. neglect to prepare for Clemson or what? Urban Meyer shut-out! Unbelievable. Was this the same team that beat Michigan in that great Big-10 showdown a month ago? I don’t know if Clemson is that good or Ohio St. was that bad. Boring game either way.

I didn't really watch the game, but judging by the score (and this is something I expected to happen in the Bama-Washington game) - yo Buckeyes, WTF?!

Don't have a horse in the race as far as the final is concerned, but, just because Bama has been so dominant this year I'll be rooting for Clemson.

(As far as the Rose Bowl today, I'm rooting for USC.)

I think most of the nation outside the State of Alabama will be rooting for Clemson. And who knows...Clemson might have a shot at this; their defense is pretty good as they shut out Ohio St., and they have a big, talented front four that could give Bama's OL some trouble. As I mentioned previously, if Swinney can figure a way to keep pressure of DeShaun Watson (a projected late 1st/early 2nd rd draft pick), he's very dangerous with his pass/run option ability.

Also, Bama's OC Lane Kiffin was let go by Saban and won't coach in the championship game (must have rubbed Saban the wrong way when he took the HC job at Florida Atlantic. Lol). That can only help Clemson, and maybe Clemson can be inspired by Western Michigan. Who would have thought that the little guys from the MAC conference would play powerhouse Big-10 Wisconsin so tough in the Cotton Bowl. They were in it and gave themselves a chance to win...impressive from a school that can't recruit on the same level as the power conference schools.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

In the other game...did Ohio St. neglect to prepare for Clemson or what? Urban Meyer shut-out! Unbelievable. Was this the same team that beat Michigan in that great Big-10 showdown a month ago? I don’t know if Clemson is that good or Ohio St. was that bad. Boring game either way.

I didn't really watch the game, but judging by the score (and this is something I expected to happen in the Bama-Washington game) - yo Buckeyes, WTF?!

Don't have a horse in the race as far as the final is concerned, but, just because Bama has been so dominant this year I'll be rooting for Clemson.

(As far as the Rose Bowl today, I'm rooting for USC.)

I think most of the nation outside the State of Alabama will be rooting for Clemson. And who knows...Clemson might have a shot at this; their defense is pretty good as they shut out Ohio St., and they have a big, talented front four that could give Bama's OL some trouble. As I mentioned previously, if Sweeney can figure a way to keep pressure of DeShaun Watson (a projected early 2nd rd draft pick), he's very dangerous with his pass/run option ability.

Also, Bama's OC Lane Kiffin was let go by Saban and won't coach in the championship game (must have rubbed Saban the wrong way when he took the HC job at Florida Atlantic. Lol). That can only help Clemson, and maybe Clemson can be inspired by Western Michigan. Who would have thought that the little guys from the MAC conference would play powerhouse Big-10 Wisconsin so tough in the Cotton Bowl. They were in it and gave themselves a chance to win...impressive from a school that can't recruit on the same level as the power conference schools.

LOL for sure. Either it miffed Saban, or Saban did him the favor of letting him get an early start on the new job. More likely Saban was upset showing his colors.

What a wild Rose Bowl finish.

 

[Nomad]

In the other game...did Ohio St. neglect to prepare for Clemson or what? Urban Meyer shut-out! Unbelievable. Was this the same team that beat Michigan in that great Big-10 showdown a month ago? I don’t know if Clemson is that good or Ohio St. was that bad. Boring game either way.

I didn't really watch the game, but judging by the score (and this is something I expected to happen in the Bama-Washington game) - yo Buckeyes, WTF?!

Don't have a horse in the race as far as the final is concerned, but, just because Bama has been so dominant this year I'll be rooting for Clemson.

(As far as the Rose Bowl today, I'm rooting for USC.)

I think most of the nation outside the State of Alabama will be rooting for Clemson. And who knows...Clemson might have a shot at this; their defense is pretty good as they shut out Ohio St., and they have a big, talented front four that could give Bama's OL some trouble. As I mentioned previously, if Sweeney can figure a way to keep pressure of DeShaun Watson (a projected early 2nd rd draft pick), he's very dangerous with his pass/run option ability.

Also, Bama's OC Lane Kiffin was let go by Saban and won't coach in the championship game (must have rubbed Saban the wrong way when he took the HC job at Florida Atlantic. Lol). That can only help Clemson, and maybe Clemson can be inspired by Western Michigan. Who would have thought that the little guys from the MAC conference would play powerhouse Big-10 Wisconsin so tough in the Cotton Bowl. They were in it and gave themselves a chance to win...impressive from a school that can't recruit on the same level as the power conference schools.

LOL for sure. Either it miffed Saban, or Saban did him the favor of letting him get an early start on the new job. More likely Saban was upset showing his colors.

What a wild Rose Bowl finish.

This is too funny...no wonder Kiffin took the Florida Atlantic job. Saban at his finest:

https://youtu.be/KJiccHB4cZo

Agree on that Rose Bowl game, college football at it's best! What can you say about USC; down two TDs late in the fourth, find a way to tie the game, and off a Penn St. turnover kick the winning FG as time expires. And just think the QB for USC, who broke Rose Bowl records for total offense and passing TDs, is only a Freshman.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

My Monopoly money is on the Tide, but I'm hoping Clemson will somehow be able to pull it off.

Come on, Clemson, do something spectacular tonight!

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Clemson for me. NDO

 

[Nomad]

Re:

My Monopoly money is on the Tide, but I'm hoping Clemson will somehow be able to pull it off.

Come on, Clemson, do something spectacular tonight!

They sure did something SPECTACULAR by shocking the college football world and dismantling one of the best defenses in the history of the college game! This will be talked about for years...kudos to Swinney for orchestrating an offense that was able to move the ball on Bama.

What an exciting fourth quarter and the last two mins were unbelievable: Hurts scores the go ahead TD, and their kickoff team blows the coverage giving Clemson great field position at the 35 or so. Then Watson shows great poise chewing-up big yardage with nice passes. With just a minute or so used, Watson already has them in FG range. Then Watson's gutsy roll-out option play call and nice TD pass at the goal line as time runs out. The Bama DBs looked terrible on that drive (and for the most part...the whole game).

Bottom line: Bama's "great" defense choked big time. I imagine the State of Alabama must be crying in their beer right now And Saban runs the table this season only to lose in the one that counts.