That One Game

I imagine as each team winds down its regular season they all think of "that one game" they wish they could re-do or take back. Especially your 1-loss teams like Georgia, Miami, Bama and Oklahoma. But I'd bet even the multiple loss teams reflect on the "one that got away" that may not have changed the season or gotten them to a bowl game but it would have made the losing season a little more bearable.

If Alabama had beat Auburn: Yet another perfect regular season.
If Georgia had beat Auburn: Perfect regular season for the first time since 1982.
If Miami had beat Pitt: Perfect regular season for the first time since 2002.
If Oklahoma had beat Iowa State: Perfect regular season for the first time since 2004.
If BYU had held on to beat Utah: The worst season since 1955 would not feel so bad (plus their rival would feel really bad losing to the worst Cougars since 1955).

And I'm sure each player carries in his pocket a memory of "If I had just ________" then we would have scored and won. As does as every coach, trainer, and athletic director. Even the fans think if they had just worn their lucky undies like last time then the team might have won.

One game. A lifetime memory. Just part of the greatest game around and the way the ball bounces sometimes. Don't let it ruin your day or season or life. Learn from it, let it go, move on. There's always next year.

Humble Pie

We all have to eat it at times and it's good for the soul. It's not always tasty, in fact it doesn't taste good at all. But it does improve our "health".

Auburn was prepared for Georgia. They watched more tape, had a better game plan, had a backup plan, and maintained the momentum. Georgia went into that game a little too high on their laurels and were humbled by a team that wanted it more. Kudos to War Eagle and hopefully the humble pie the Dawgs had to eat made them a healthier team going forward.

Ohio State ate it losing to Iowa. Oklahoma has nibbled at it in various close games. Syracuse fed a slice to Clemson. And there have been others and many more will be served up some humble pie. And BYU? Well, they've been eating it all season. Even game 1, which they won, was humbling because they almost lost to an FCS school. And every time we think they've hit bottom, they find a new bottom. A loss to Hawaii next week would ice the cake for the worst season since the 40's. Yikes!

Couple of other rants:
1. Again, why do voters and commentators want to give Ohio State a shot at the playoff? Do they deserve it after two losses, one of which was to an un-ranked team? They are unpredictable in a so-so conference. Remember the playoff loss a year ago, 33 to 0?
2. Baker Mayfield - hold your fire for Pet's sake. You are really, really, good but that temper and emotion will cost you at some point. Apologizing is the right thing to do but that gets old when you have to apologize multiple times for your flare ups. You may have just cost yourself the Heisman trophy and continued unchecked it could cost your team a shot at the championship. 

Relying on Your Opponent

First off, let me just say, again, that Ohio State is more pretender than contender. No doubt they have talented players and coaches, but I've always felt they were more lucky than good. Their inconsistency validates that (even though they have way more W than L). But somehow, voters just love to keep ranking them high, like a favorite blanket they just cant let go of.

Along those lines, each team in the college football ranking system relies somewhat on their opponents. If they beat up on all their opponents but their opposition has a bad season, suddenly you don't look so good. Case in point - Ohio State losing to un-ranked Iowa (now 6 - 3) looks bad, but now last weeks win over Penn State, who lost again, makes it worse. And now Oklahoma's win over Ohio State doesn't look as good, either. Voters see that and react accordingly.

You know you're doing something right
when the opposing coach makes this face.

Georgia has a similar problem. They are the only ranked team in the SEC-East. They have dominated their biggest division rivals, Florida and Tennessee, only to see those two teams continue to lose to lesser opponents (now 3 - 5 and 4 - 5, respectively). Of course, as a Dawg fan, I'll take the undefeated season and high rankings as long as they will last!

Is Georgia overrated? Probably not. They look and play like a complete team with talent, depth, and a smart coaching staff. But we'll have a much better idea after they face Auburn next week in the South's Oldest Rival. Auburn's two losses were by a touchdown to Clemson and LSU and this will give the Bulldogs a chance to make a statement if they can hang with the SEC-West team.