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SEC ROOTING GUIDE
In which we tell you which teams you should root against in the upcoming week.
There are fewer and fewer national games of note to the SEC, as the pool of legitimate College Football Playoff contenders shrinks. But if the Seminoles lose this weekend, SEC fans everywhere will celebrate.
Florida State at Miami: The Seminoles are favored by less than a field goal in Vegas. The Hurricanes (6-3) have a decent team, a perfect record at home and the nation’s hottest player in Duke Johnson. The running back broke his ankle last year against FSU and may have an axe to grind. The Seminoles have a pattern of starting slow, and if that continues, Miami won’t have to abandon the run to catch up and may have a chance to nab a lead and keep Jameis Winston off the field. Florida State, No. 3 in the College Football Playoff poll despite an unbeaten record as the defending national champion, wouldn’t make the four-team field with a loss.
Ohio State at Minnesota: TCU wiped the field with Golden Gophers jerseys on Sept. 13. Minnesota also lost to Illinois in a shocker. But Minnesota is 7-2 and in the Top 25. J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes are coming off an emotional victory at Michigan State, so it may be a let-down spot for them. Minnesota’s defense is solid, but not great, so you have to think Ohio State will put up points — anything lower than 27 or 28 seems unrealistic. Can David Cobb and the physical Minnesota ground game beat this improving Buckeyes defense? In a weird twist, the SEC may want Ohio State to win here, as Minnesota would continue to bolster TCU’s playoff case as a great non-conference win as long as the Golden Gophers are ranked. Ohio State doesn’t appear to be a true playoff threat even with one loss.
Arizona State at Oregon State: Nothing about this game suggests that the Beavers are ripe to pull off an upset. But coach Mike Riley seems like a likable guy, even though he did turn down the Alabama head coaching job. He doesn’t appear in immediate danger of getting fired, but Oregon State would fall to 1-6 in Pac-12 play with a loss here and there are sure to be offseason grumblings. The Beavers are capable of putting up points at times, and if something fluky happens, the Pac-12 South — and the current CFP poll No. 6 Sun Devils — are out of the playoff picture.
Nebraska at Wisconsin: This game likely won’t have an affect on the College Football Playoff. It’s difficult to envision a scenario that would allow either a one-loss Ohio State or a one-loss Nebraska to make the playoff even as a Big Ten champion. This could be the best running back vs. running back game in the country this year as Melvin Gordon and Ameer Abdullah are two of the best. If Wisconsin holds court as a home favorite, it drives one more nail into the Big Ten coffin.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
