(01-03-2014 12:58 AM)He1nousOne Wrote: (01-03-2014 12:55 AM)stever20 Wrote: (01-03-2014 12:51 AM)He1nousOne Wrote: (01-03-2014 12:49 AM)stever20 Wrote: I think Michigan St finishes 2nd if FSU wins. If Auburn wins, I think FSU finishes 2nd and MSU 3rd.
If Ohio St loses tomorrow I think Oklahoma finishes 5th.
Oklahoma doesn't need Ohio State to lose. They are only two spots behind South Carolina. Oklahoma's win is a much bigger win than South Carolina's. They will jump SC. If Missouri loses to Oklahoma State then Oklahoma jumps them too. If Auburn loses then I think Oklahoma jumps them too and obviously they jump Alabama. That has them in the top 5 right there.
I think they do... for one, remember it's the AP and Coaches polls. NOT the BCS ratings...
AP-
South Carolina was 3 spots and 221 votes ahead
coaches-
South Carolina was 3 spots and 275 votes ahead
Auburn won't fall behind Oklahoma. Just won't happen. Voters give the championship game loser a lot of respect.
FSU, Auburn, Mich St will be the top 3 in some order. 4 likely is South Carolina, and 5/6 is two of Ohio St, Oklahoma, or Clemson.
With Auburn, it really depends upon how they lose IF they lose. If they show up strong then yeah they likely stay in the top 5. If they get pummeled then who knows. Voters can be swayed by that, especially after the emotional win of Oklahoma over Alabama. Oklahoma looked much stronger against Alabama than Auburn did.
I just don't agree with you on South Carolina considering a win versus Wisconsin in comparison to a win over Alabama and what that does for the two winning teams. We will see.
First Congratulations to the Sooners. Having their top quarterback return was a huge difference maker. The kid put more balls in small windows tonight than I've seen in a while.
Second He1nous, the difference in the game was Oklahoma's pass rush and the fact that Alabama turned the ball over 4 times resulting in 28 points. Auburn might have beaten them by 14 as well if A.J. had thrown us what was practically a pick 6 (inside the 10 on the return) and fumbled 6 more away. And Yeldon's fumble (which was an excellent punch out) was a 14 point swing. So the comparisons you make are a bit strained. And I might add we took some starch out of their swagger which does factor into the condition of their psyches.
As to where Oklahoma finishes the season we all have to wait and see. It not only depends on who wins, and by the circumstances of the games, but also on the total perception of the games in total. Michigan State played great, but if Ohio State lays a big egg it could affect them. Because of Alabama's loss if Missouri loses and then Auburn loses it could drop them more spots than if it had been otherwise. I don't think the computers will be affected much by these things but the human polls could be. If Missouri wins and Vanderbilt wins it could help the perception of the SEC too. That's why they play the games.
It was funny that Nick was pissed so very much. The squib kick that hit the Alabama up man resulting in an Oklahoma recovery just about gave him a stroke. In truth Oklahoma's game plan took elements from Auburn's success. They made the Alabama defensive backs commit instead of react. That led to indecision which led to big plays. This loss is squarely on Saban's shoulders and he knows it. Alabama didn't fix any of their problems against Auburn. The moved in the line at inopportune times, they missed a field goal, they gave up deep passes (regularly), and they got away from what was working for them the best (power running) to showcase A.J. who had a horrendous night because he was under pressure. They didn't even cover kicks well. What this tells me is that Saban didn't think Oklahoma would change anything they had done all year long and that certainly they either wouldn't, or couldn't, adopt any of the things Auburn had done to the Tide so they prepared for the Sooners the way they did for everyone except Auburn and A&M. The loss is on Saban, period. Stoops out-prepared him and out-coached him. I think you will notice how the hurry up affects the Alabama defensive play calls.
No what Bob Stoops and Gus Malzahn before him have done is to give everyone a blue print on how to stop Saban's schemes and exploit what looks like Alabama's strengths. They were bigger than Oklahoma, but slower. They were bigger than Auburn, but didn't make decisions quickly enough. But one thing I took away from the game tonight is that the Alabama running back Henry scares the hell out of me! He's huge and fast, and has an unusually long stride. He'll be a game changer for them when they aren't trying to showcase their pretty boy quarterbacks.
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That is Oklahoma Football
