Pick the Losses

Assumption 1: LSU wins the rest of its games.

In order for LSU to have a shot at the NC, all but one of the teams below must lose in order for LSU to get into the #2 spot.

If you had to pick the possible losses for each of these teams, what would they be?

USC
Sep 25 at Stanford
Oct 9 vs California
Oct 16 vs Arizona State
Oct 23 vs Washington
Oct 30 at Washington State
Nov 6 at Oregon State
Nov 13 vs Arizona
Nov 27 vs Notre Dame
Dec 4 at UCLA

Face it, USC is likely not going to lose. However, California may give them a challenge. Don't count out Notre Dame either.

Oklahoma
Oct 2 vs Texas Tech
Oct 9 vs Texas
Oct 16 at Kansas State
Oct 23 vs Kansas
Oct 30 at Oklahoma State
Nov 6 at Texas A&M
Nov 13 vs Nebraska
Nov 20 at Baylor

Kansas State would have been the pre-season favorite, but they have not played too well. Kansas State could very well do it again though.

Georgia
Oct 2 vs LSU
Oct 9 vs Tennessee
Oct 16 vs Vanderbilt
Oct 23 at Arkansas
Oct 30 vs Florida
Nov 6 at Kentucky
Nov 13 at Auburn
Nov 27 vs Georgia Tech

This Georgia thing will work itself out.

Miami
Sep 23 at Houston
Oct 2 at Georgia Tech
Oct 14 vs Louisville
Oct 23 at N.C. State
Oct 30 at North Carolina
Nov 6 vs Clemson
Nov 13 at Virginia
Nov 20 vs Wake Forest
Dec 4 vs Virginia Tech

Is Florida State in the opposite division of Miami and do they play a conference championship game this year? If so, then Florida State can beat them. I don't see any other team on Miami's schedule beating them (and we thought USC had a tough schedule).

Texas
Sep 25 vs Rice
Oct 2 vs Baylor
Oct 9 at Oklahoma
Oct 16 vs Missouri
Oct 23 at Texas Tech
Oct 30 at Colorado
Nov 6 vs Oklahoma State
Nov 13 at Kansas
Nov 26 vs Texas A&M

Texas is forever Oklahoma's biyatch. Sorry Mack.

Ohio State
Oct 2 at Northwestern
Oct 9 vs Wisconsin
Oct 16 at Iowa
Oct 23 vs Indiana
Oct 30 vs Penn State
Nov 6 at Michigan State
Nov 13 at Purdue
Nov 20 vs Michigan

Ohio State is barely winning football games right now. ANYBODY on their schedule can beat them.

West Virginia
Sep 25 vs James Madison
Oct 2 at Virginia Tech
Oct 13 at Connecticut
Oct 21 vs Syracuse
Oct 30 at Rutgers
Nov 6 vs Temple
Nov 13 vs Boston College
Nov 25 at Pittsburgh

Will probably go undefeated..... or NOT. They struggled to beat Maryland and will likely struggle in more games. I look for Virginia Tech to upset them.

Tennesee
Sep 25 vs Louisiana Tech
Oct 2 vs Auburn
Oct 9 at Georgia
Oct 16 at Mississippi
Oct 23 vs Alabama
Oct 30 at South Carolina
Nov 6 vs Notre Dame
Nov 20 at Vanderbilt
Nov 27 vs Kentucky

Just win Tennesee. Win Win Win. Play LSU in the SEC championship. Lose to LSU there like you know you have demonstrated you are capable of. Tennesee wins and they play for NC. LSU knocks them out of the title game, again.

California
Oct 2 at Oregon State
Oct 9 at USC
Oct 16 vs UCLA
Oct 23 at Arizona
Oct 30 vs Arizona State
Nov 6 vs Oregon
Nov 13 at Washington
Nov 20 vs Stanford
Dec 4 at Southern Miss

This is a team that is playing VERY well right now, perhaps the most impressive team so far this year. C'mon though, this IS Cal. Look for them to compete hard at USC though. Southern Miss, Washington, and Oregon are all very capable of beating them.

Auburn
Sep 25 vs The Citadel
Oct 2 at Tennessee
Oct 9 vs Louisiana Tech
Oct 16 vs Arkansas
Oct 23 vs Kentucky
Oct 30 at Mississippi
Nov 13 vs Georgia
Nov 20 at Alabama

Tubby is a wreckless coach and his coaching WILL cost Auburn a couple of conference losses. No way Auburn wins at Tennesee and Georgia loves to beat them on Jordan-Hare.

Florida State
Sep 25 vs Clemson
Oct 2 vs North Carolina
Oct 9 at Syracuse
Oct 16 vs Virginia
Oct 23 at Wake Forest
Oct 30 at Maryland
Nov 6 vs Duke
Nov 11 at N.C. State
Nov 20 vs Florida

Florida State - meet your demise with Florida. You got over on them last year (damn refs) and they owe you some serious payback.

Virginia
Sep 25 vs Syracuse
Oct 7 vs Clemson
Oct 16 at Florida State
Oct 23 at Duke
Nov 6 vs Maryland
Nov 13 vs Miami
Nov 20 at Georgia Tech
Nov 27 at Virginia Tech

For starters, Florida State and Miami will beat Virginia.


Realistically, I see Miami facing off against USC in the Orange Bowl.

Thinking optimistically though, LSU will play Miami in the Orange Bowl. As long as I can remain optimistic about such things, my avatar shall live onward! :tigerhead

Any thoughts form everyone else?

 

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USC and OU will play in the Orange Bowl...Miami is going to have all kinds of trouble at Virginia...West Virginia should get by Va Tech and if they do they will be undefeated but will not be ahead of USC or OU in the Polls

 

There is no conference championship game in the ACC this year. The NCAA rule is that a conference has to have at least 12 teams in order to play a CG. They will probably have one next year when Boston College joins the ACC.

At this point in the season who knows but its possible that there could be a lot of undefeated and one loss teams this year. USC, Miami and Oklahoma could all be unbeaten. LSU, Georgia, Texas, Ohio State (undefeated or 1 loss) Florida, Tennessee, Florida State plus non BCS schools Utah State and Boise State.

What a mess it would be. Can anybody say PLAYOFFS?

 

things will sort out just like last year.. everyone is love with UGA..LSU on the road can win this game. Then the table will be set. ASU will Beat USC.. texas will lose. OU is the one out there that may not get beat at all....

 

I think that honestly OU or Texas has to lose twice. optimally speaking, USC will not lose unless something on the par with the Red Sea parting happens. The only chance Texas or OU has to lose is to each other, otherwise they'll both win out, and one of them will go to the Big 12 Title game and win that. My bet is OU will do it. Tubby is not as wreckless as you guys would like to think,but I think Tennessee will get it done against them in Knoxville, but Auburn will win the West and rematch with Tennessee for the SEC. Cal will lose, as will WV and Virginia, probably both to unranked teams so they'll drop down. LSU is probably staring down at least one more loss to either Georgia or Florida, so that will drop them down more if they climb up after other losses. Overall, the chances of LSU making the Orange are about as probable as a tornado ripping through a junkyard and assembling a fully functional 747. I predict USC and Oklahoma/Texas winner in the Orange, with the Big 12 rep winning it.

 

keep an eye on Arizona State to pull the upset at USC. I know I am crazy. if walter can put some numbers up in the air they have a great chance of beating them....

 

You left Miami out of the equation. The rest of their schedule is almost as pathetic as USC's.

 

As a non-LSU fan, I am sure you were thinking the very same thing about LSU last year after the Florida loss.

As a LSU fan, I would say LSU's chances of making the Orange Bowl are nowhere near as good as Oklahoma's chances of beating Texas. Then again, the latter is a sure thing so that's not really a very good comparison.

 

I had not given much thought to Arizona State but actually they are playing really really well and are an early season suprise. Good call.

 

Bah...... I knew they had decided on a championship game site and all but I did not realize BC did not join this year. When I think about it, I think perhaps they joined in basketball only for the first year. Darn.... It will be tough for Miami to get upset this season. Then again, if they do get upset it will be to a poorly rated team so they should drop far.

Just thinking back to the nineties and LSU teams during that time period. As a fan, I hope and expect for my team to win every game, until a loss occurs. Even during the nineties, that first loss was always tough to take because ya just knew most hope of a NC was lost. Back then such thoughts were only wishful thinking anyways. Now though, seeing that first lost has much greater meaning because LSU is a contender each year. Playoffs would be so great for college football. *sigh*