Iowa State Pulls off Stunner; Who Gets the Nod Between Bama and Oregon?

Oklahoma State led 24-7 in the third quarter. Both teams had missed chances, and even with the crowd on their backs, Iowa State wasn't able to get much going.

Zach Guyer missed a 34-yard field goal, Jared Barnett threw an interception, and the rest of their possessions were marked by three-and-outs.

So, when Oklahoma State was caught napping about Oklahoma, the Cyclones marked a comeback.

And they shocked the football world.

Jeff Woody's 4-yard touchdown run gave Iowa State a 37-31, double-overtime win on Friday night, giving Iowa State a crucial victory, and bowl eligibility.

The Cowboys that just plowed through Texas Tech looked very different on Friday. Brandon Weeden threw three interceptions, though the last wasn't his fault.

After a long touchdown run by James White, a great touchdown catch by Albert Gary, an interception by Leonard Johnson, a touchdown pass from Barnett to White, and an interception by Ter'Ran Benton, Iowa State was in position. And Jeff Woody bulled through the defensive line and gave the Cyclones a win.

All this was watched by both Oregon and Alabama happily, as the Ducks and Crimson Tide know if they impress the committee with impressive wins, they can secure the final spot (definitely for Alabama).

The Crimson Tide and Ducks both lost to LSU, but while Oregon lost at a neutral location early in the year, the Tide lost a sloppy game late in the year.

Who deserves the final BCS spot?

Normally, the SEC takes the nod over the Pac-12, and Oregon's impressive win over Stanford won't mean anything if Alabama finds their way to the BCS Title game.

Both teams have impressive wins. Oregon beat then eighteenth-ranked Arizona State, then fourth-ranked Stanford, Washington, California, and Nevada.

On the flip side, the Tide beat Arkansas (who should crack the Top 5 this week), then twelfth-ranked Florida, and current #21 Penn State. Alabama has looked great in these wins (although Florida is 5-5 now, and most teams they beat aren't contenders at all.

Both teams have impressive resumes. If LSU wins out (beating Ole Miss, Arkansas, and SEC Championship), then the debate continues.

Pac-12 vs SEC. Oregon vs Alabama. The debate is officially on.

Now, college football has begun for real.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Script - That Is, the Revised Script - Had This Super Bowl Matchup All Along

Image
Screenwriter Goodell has done it again! It's admittedly not the script I saw written in the stars - or rather in the combination of the NFL's Super Bowl logo and a Memphis radio station's (now) false advertising. The best explanation is that not even Goodell could have foreseen the Taylor Swift effect - and called in the cast midseason to push the Chiefs' Super Bowl hangover back one more year at Baltimore's expense. When the Harbaugh family threatened to sue, he called in a favor to the NCAA - and Jalen Milroe - to have Jim pocket the family's due 2023 ring. And then, to give big bro the upper hand, inflicted Jim with the worst curse in all of sports - that of the LA Chargers. Equilibrium is restored. It looked like the revised script was about to bring the 49ers down too in favor of the bookended schedule Super Bowl that Jake Marsh wanted to see so badly - the same kickoff game and championship game matchup. The thought crossed my mind as a minor consolation i
Read more

A's Fall To White Sox On Walk-Off Home Run

Image
In late innings, the Oakland Athletics are almost unstoppable. However, Jordan Danks found a way to stop the A's. Danks hit a home run to right with two outs in the ninth to propel the White Sox to a 4-3 win over the A's. Both teams are competing in the AL Wild Card race, so the loss is crucial for the A's, who received a solid outing from Brandon McCarthy in his return from the DL. McCarthy allowed three earned runs in six-plus innings pitched, and the two teams were tied after seven innings. Both teams received solid efforts from the bullpen, but the White Sox triumphed at the end. Dayan Viciedo, A.J Pierzynski and Alexi Ramirez also homered, all taking advantage of mistakes by McCarthy. McCarthy gave Ramirez a meatball in the fourth, and he hit it deep to left field. Viciedo and Pierzynski both hit outside pitches into the seats for the White Sox. With the game tied at three, submariner Pat Neshek delivered a pitch. Catcher George Kottaras wanted it away, but Nes
Read more

Taking My Talents Back to Baily's Sports and Stuff...And My Thoughts on Al Davis vs the NFL

I've recently gotten captivated by the practice of journaling - generally on my own thoughts that I notice and how I feel at various moments. This has been a transformative practice in my personal life in enabling me to be more honest with myself (which is really hard!) - whether that be about discomfort I feel, what conditions provide a state of flow, or anything in between. The ability to document my life on paper - and go back and read what resonated with me at a particular point in time - has been a similarly great practice for me. Recently, the excitement of playoff football and midseason basketball has led to me pursuing a similar practice in my personal journal - airing out thoughts on sports ranging from stats I've tried to memorize to my (often unwanted) psychological analysis on a given athlete / situation. I love the process of putting pen to paper, and plan to continue this in my personal life.  But when it comes to sports, I had the thought that maybe there's n
Read more