It took ten weeks for a team to challenge the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, but week eleven brought us one of the biggest upsets of the 2012 college football season and the likely end of the SEC's string of BCS National Championships. We also saw the likely end of two head coaches while an eighth conference team became bowl-eligible. Let's start the rundown.
1. The End of the Streak?
Texas A&M's 29-24 victory over Alabama in Tuscaloosa Saturday was a huge win for the Aggies, coming as it did in the team's inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference, on the road, against the number one team and premier program in the league. However, the victory likely will bring an end to the SEC's streak of six BCS national championships (Florida in 2006 and 2008, LSU in 2007, Alabama in 2009 and 2011, and Auburn in 2010). Alabama and Georgia are both ranked in the top five win one loss, but the top three teams are all undefeated, and it will take a loss of at least one, but probably two, of those those teams for either of them to make it to Miami. Kansas State will likely be the top-ranked team in the BCS at the end of the day today, with Baylor and (17) Texas remaining on their schedule. Oregon has the toughest path remaining, with (14) Stanford and (11) Oregon State as well as the Pac-12 championship against either (19) USC or (17) UCLA if they win out. Notre Dame faces Wake Forest and (19) USC. Georgia is already a lock for the SEC Championship Game, having finished 7-1 in the SEC. Alabama will have to beat Auburn in two weeks to meet the Bulldogs in Atlanta.
2. Swan Songs
It's debatable whether Gene Chizik could have saved his job after the loss to Ole Miss, but there was some speculation that the Auburn coach might earn some reprieve if he could pull off miracle upsets of top rivals Georgia and Alabama. Saturday's 38-0 loss to the Bulldogs has almost certainly put an end to all further hope of Chizik salvaging his post. The Tigers are 0-7 in the conference and will be the first team to finish seventh in the SEC West regardless of what happens the rest of the way. The scuttlebutt on Tennessee coach Derek Dooley seemed less certain leading up to the game with Missouri this weekend. Dooley was still in a position to win out, making it to a bowl. With a victory, Dooley could attain eight wins and keep Tennessee out of the unenviable position of paying off three unemployed coaches (Dooley would join former football coach Phil Fulmer and basketball head Bruce Pearl) while trying to lure a new one. Missouri had other plans though, defeating the Volunteers 51-48 in four overtimes. Tennessee is still winless in the conference, and although they still have opportunities ahead against Vanderbilt and Kentucky, it is doubtful that Dooley can save his job with wins against these perennial bottom-dwellers. If they are released, Dooley and Chizik will join Arkansas coach John L. Smith and Kentucky's Joker Phillips, both of whom are already lame ducks, on the unemployment line.
3. Anchor Down!
Vanderbilt was once a powerful football program, believe it or not, winning thirteen conference championships in the days before the Southeastern Conference was formed from the western half of the old Southern Conference. The Commodores have never won the SEC title though, and as the glory days of the SEC's only private university predate all but the granddaddy of them all, Vandy's bowl record is slim. Vanderbilt has only been to five bowl games in its history, ten fewer than the next two conference teams on the all-time list (in contrast, five SEC teams have been to more than 40 bowls, and Alabama has played in an NCAA-record 58). So, it is no small achievement for the Commodores to make it to a bowl game, and Saturday's 27-26 come-from-behind win over Ole Miss gives Vandy six wins, meeting the threshold for bowl eligibility. In fact, this will be the second bowl season in a row under head coach James Franklin, and the Commodores will finish fourth in the SEC East, behind three top 12 teams. Congratulations to Vanderbilt on what has already been a remarkable season in 2012.
4. The Good
(5) Georgia 38, Auburn 0
The Bulldogs led by four touchdowns by halftime, kept Auburn off the scoreboard, didn't turn the ball over, and only had three penalties for 15 yards in the ballgame. Aaron Murray threw for three touchdowns, and the two-headed rushing monster "Gurley" ran for over 100 yards each. This was probably Georgia's most complete game all year. Looks like Auburn coach Gene Chizik made the right call burning Jonathan Wallace's redshirt.
(7) LSU 37, (21) Mississippi State 17
LSU turned in a workmanlike performance to deliver Mississippi State's third loss in as many weeks. The Tigers, who spent most of the early part of the year running the ball to victory, let quarterback Zach Mettenberger throw the ball 30 times for the second week in a row, and Jarvis Landry had a career day, with nine catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
(8) South Carolina 38, Arkansas 20
The Gamecocks, playing without Marcus Lattimore for the first game since his leg injury, threw the ball more than 40 times, and Connor Shaw had 272 yards and two touchdowns passing and another score on the ground as South Carolina won its first game over Arkansas since 2008. The Gamecocks won their sixth SEC game for the second straight year, and with their eighth overall win, South Carolina has won at least eight games three years in a row, a first in the program's 110-year history.
Vanderbilt 27, Ole Miss 26
The Commodores trailed 23-6 early in the third quarter, but Jordan Rodgers threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to start the Vanderbilt rally, and ended with 26-yard touchdown pass in the last minute to seal the victory. In the meantime, Ole Miss's Bo Wallace threw for a measly 403 yards on 31 completions (out of 49 attempts) in the loss. The win marked Vanderbilt's third straight over the Rebels.
5. The Bad
(15) Texas A&M 29, (1) Alabama 24
While the Aggies' win was certainly cheered around the country, and perhaps around the league, the defeat of the Tide all but eliminated the conference's chance to play in, and win, a seventh consecutive national championship. Texas jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter and held on as Alabama fought their way back into the game, ultimately falling short on a fourth-and-goal with 1:36 remaining as Deshazor Everett intercepted AJ McCarron's pass. After leading the country in turnover margin through the Mississippi State game, the Tide is -5 in turnovers the last two weeks, including three against the Aggies, all of which came at critical moments in the game.
Missouri 51, Tennessee 48, 4OT
If you only watched the first half of this game, you would've expected the Volunteers to destroy Missouri. Tennessee outgained the Tigers 383-64 in the first stanza, and had a 21-7 halftime lead. The only points for Missouri came on a kickoff return, and the Tigers struggled to move the football at all. The teams didn't swap uniforms in the locker room, but the second half turnaround for Missouri was almost that profound. Quarterback James Franklin threw four touchdowns, all of which came in the last minute of the half or in overtime. The tying score, a 25-yard pass to Dorial Green-Beckham with 47 seconds left in regulation, was apparently drawn up on Franklin's hand in the huddle, like in a backyard game. Tennessee fans booed the team and coach at the end of regulation, as the Vols let the clock run out with the score tied 28-28 after failing to gain any yardage on their first two plays after the Missouri touchdown. The teams traded touchdowns in the first three overtimes, then Tennessee elected to forego a 35-yard field goal and instead turned the ball over on downs on a failed fourth down pass. Missouri's Andrew Baggett then kicked the 35-yard game winner.
6. The Ugly
(6) Florida 27, Louisiana-Lafayette 20
The Gators struggled to put away the Ragin' Cajuns early, and after starting quarterback Jeff Driskel left in the third quarter with an ankle injury, ULL jumped out to a lead following a touchdown on a blocked Florida punt. A fourth-quarter field goal gave Louisiana-Lafayette a 20-13 lead, while backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett was sacked twice and nearly threw an interception in his first four pass attempts. Brissett eventually got it together and threw a game-tying touchdown with 1:42 left in the game, and the contest appeared to be heading to overtime, but Florida's special teams redeemed themselves, blocking a Cajun punt and returning the ball for a touchdown with two seconds left to seal the ugly win.
7. Games to Watch in Week Eleven
Ole Miss (5-5) at LSU (8-2)
It's the week before rivalry week, and that typically means the worst slate of SEC games since week two. The Tigers have apparently gottten their offense on track while Ole Miss is coming off a devastating last-second loss and still needs another win to be bowl eligible. Look for LSU to control this one from start to finish.
Arkansas (4-6) at Mississippi State (7-3)
The Bulldogs are in need of a victory of any kind after three straight losses, and Arkansas is a much-less daunting opponent than the last three that Mississippi State has faced. The Razorbacks need wins over both MSU and LSU to get to a bowl, while State needs to win out to keep itself in a decent bowl with six conference teams already ahead of them. I expect this game to be close, but I'm leaning toward the Bulldogs.
Syracuse (5-5) at Missouri (5-5)
Syracuse and Missouri have only played each other twice, back in the mid-eighties, and while the Orange are not a great team, they are fresh off an upset of previously unbeaten Louisville. Missouri needs a win to become bowl eligible, and are also coming off a big victory over Tennessee. This will be a close one, but I am giving the nod to the Tigers, mainly because I prefer to believe that an SEC team will usually beat one from the Big East.
Tennessee (4-6) at Vanderbilt (6-4)
I really, really want to pick Vanderbilt to win this game, but I'm not sure that the Commodores match up well against the Volunteers. Tennessee is terrible on defense, but can run up points and yards on just about anyone. Can Vandy control Tennessee's offense enough to stay in the game until the end? On the other hand, Vandy has won four straight games, while the Vols have dropped five of their last six. I'm going with my heart over my head and picking the Commodores to win at home.
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