A pessimist sees one other November weekend with just one upset within the high 15 and finds it boring. An optimist sees an exciting December across the nook.
For all of the consternation and misguided broadcasts concerning the Faculty Soccer Playoff choice committee’s selections, issues are literally quite easy: The highest-10 groups within the nation are nicely established and, for essentially the most half, superb in several methods.
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That’s the recipe wanted for a dramatic and entertaining Faculty Soccer Playoff. That must be the headline as of late, the factor for school soccer followers to be most grateful for.
CFB Week 14 overreactions to keep away from
Don’t overreact to Texas beating Texas A&M. The Longhorns do not make the Playoff, regardless of what number of SEC biases insist Texas ought to sneak in.
Texas claims it will be within the Faculty Soccer Playoff if it hadn’t opened the season at Ohio State and misplaced there.
Nice, make a declare that nobody can show, Longhorns.
Right here, anybody can do it: If Texas had not realized from a season-opening loss at Ohio State, the Longhorns would have fallen quick at Kentucky or at Mississippi State, two one-possession wins in opposition to a number of the worst groups within the SEC.
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It already took Texas two highway losses to determine methods to survive on the market, together with one at Florida at what appeared to be the Gators’ nadir. Even after that, a 3rd highway loss got here for the Longhorns after they fell by 25 factors at Georgia.
That is the luxurious of the 12-team Faculty Soccer Playoff: The groups not noted have little legitimate criticism; they’re unquestionably flawed. Worrying concerning the No. 5 crew within the nation typically meant worrying {that a} title contender was on the surface of the bracket.
Worrying concerning the No. 11 crew within the nation doesn’t carry that very same weight, and Texas’s problematic offensive line underscores that actuality.
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Douglas’s recommendation: Ignore the SEC’s shrieks. Texas just isn’t making the Playoff. FanDuel doesn’t even record the Longhorns on the “Make the Playoff” odds board.
Don’t overreact to Mississippi denying Lane Kiffin the prospect to educate the Rebels within the postseason, regardless of how a lot bellyaching you hear from his representatives and their proxies.
Lane, nobody in historical past has ever efficiently saved a cake intact and lined in frosting whereas additionally consuming slices of it. Duplicity all the time backfires.
Present some respect to each your former crew and your welcoming one. If you wish to transfer on from Mississippi, then transfer on.
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Douglas’s recommendation: When an ESPN speaking head insists the Mississippi administration ought to “let Lane end what he began along with his crew,” notice that’s coming from much less a speaking head and extra a puppet.
Don’t overreact to Miami beating Pittsburgh, 38-7. The Hurricanes do not make the Playoff, regardless of what number of loud noises you hear arguing in any other case.
Sure, Miami beat Notre Dame in August. And sure, that ought to matter.
However have you learnt what else ought to matter? Shedding to 8-4 Louisville and 8-4 SMU.
Everybody arguing for together with the Hurricanes within the Playoff appears to miss these defeats. Did they not occur?
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The Irish misplaced to 10-2 Miami and 11-1 Texas A&M, each by one rating, each to start out the season. A ten-game profitable streak — to not point out a 6-3-1 in opposition to the unfold report in that stretch, with precisely none of these wins being inside a rating and solely considered one of them inside two possessions — must be factored in as a lot as Miami’s two losses to middling groups.
Douglas’s recommendation: Anybody who claims “ND is out” as a result of Alabama beat Auburn is in some way forgetting Miami’s losses to Louisville and SMU. Encourage them to chill out. FanDuel lists Notre Dame at -400 to make the Playoff whereas Miami is at +820. The actual Irish concern — +300 to overlook the Playoff — comes from BYU beating Texas Tech.
The Cougars are +385 underdogs within the Massive 12 title sport. That’s clearly the crux of Notre Dame’s odds.
CFB Week 14 reactions to make
Do overreact to Texas Tech’s walloping of West Virginia, 49-0. If ever there was a second for the Pink Raiders to ease off the fuel, this was it. And but, Texas Tech turned eight high quality possessions into seven touchdowns.
The one failure the place it mattered most was an interception thrown by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Yes, you learn that accurately. Linebacker.
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Texas Tech is actively and aggressively making an attempt to get Rodriguez invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in two weeks.
In any other case, the Pink Raiders merely ship.
Whilst expectations rise, Texas Tech delivers. The Pink Raiders are 8-1 in opposition to the unfold in opposition to Energy 4 competitors, exceeding bookmakers’ expectations by a mean of 13.3 factors in these 9 video games, even together with the ATS loss. Solely three of these eight ATS wins had been inside one rating of the unfold.
Oddsmakers haven’t caught as much as Texas Tech.
For that matter, take a look at the Pink Raiders as real nationwide title contenders. Their protection is simply too thorough to be dismissed.
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Douglas’s recommendation: Fast, seize Texas Tech at -12.5 within the Massive 12 title sport. Catching it inside two touchdowns will probably be pleasant, however given BYU’s dismal offense and the way far forward of spreads the Pink Raiders have often been, something as much as -16.5 must be inside cause.
Do overreact to Oklahoma’s offensive struggles. It isn’t that Missouri’s and LSU’s defenses are usually not stellar — No. 15 and 11, respectively, in anticipated factors added (EPA) per snap in opposition to this season coming into the weekend, per CFB-graphs.com. It’s that the Sooners present no efficiency.
As dazzling as Oklahoma’s protection is, this offense has collapsed of late.
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Truly, scratch that. This offense has collapsed increasingly more all season lengthy.
The Sooners’ offense has been an asset precisely twice in opposition to Energy 4 competitors, in Week 2 in opposition to Michigan and in Week 8 in opposition to South Carolina. Towards Texas and Alabama, Oklahoma’s offense put up backside twentieth percentile performances. This weekend in opposition to LSU was even worse.
Douglas’s recommendation: The Sooners ought to nonetheless make the Playoff; take the Underneath within the first-round sport, regardless of the quantity. And if the unfold is greater than 7.5 factors, take the underdog to cowl.
Fast hearth: Extra Week 15 bets to focus on
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Again Missouri State and Delaware of their bowl video games. This can imply extra to these applications than some other applications within the nation.
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Fade Kansas State in its bowl sport. File this underneath the “Don’t overreact” class. Don’t overreact to what gamers say as their seasons wrap up. These are 18- to 23-year-olds pondering many variables in life.
When your season begins along with your father and brother in a fistfight with one another in Dublin, and it ends with a low-level bowl sport, it won’t shock anybody should you decide to enter the switch portal and check out your luck elsewhere.
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Again East Carolina in its bowl sport. If you happen to respect that opponent, not less than seize the Over. The Pirates’ offense has proven up in opposition to everybody this season, in need of NC State, BYU, and Tulane. The bowl-game opponent’s protection won’t be on par with these.
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Prepared for worrying offseasons coming for Kentucky, Baylor, Maryland, and North Carolina. The ultimate week of the season shouldn’t set up a whole offseason’s narrative, however the first three of these already contemplated their coaches’ futures, and the fourth actually ought to. Moreover, Kentucky, Baylor, and North Carolina had hopes for bowl video games. As a substitute, they hardly confirmed up.
Maryland could as nicely have no-showed at Michigan State, and that’s simply concerning the harshest factor you may say a couple of program. The Terrapins don’t need to become involved on this yr’s teaching carousel, however by the tip of September, they doubtless will want that they had.
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