Two power programs who have felt disrespected lately cruised to statements wins, and neither can be counted out in their conference races, nor in the national title race.
Alabama crushed Texas A&M 59-0 after racing to an insane 52-0 halftime lead. Ohio State built a 56-7 lead over 5-1 Rutgers and sailed to a 56-17 win.
The Crimson Tide (6-1) lost to Mississippi a few weeks ago and struggled to beat Arkansas 14-13 last week, leading many to say their days of dominance were over. But a week after averaging just 2.1 yards per carry they had 298 yards on 45 carries (6.6 ave). Blake Sims passed for three touchdowns to help silence criticisms of his play that had cropped up.
The Buckeyes (6-1) lost to Virginia Tech at home early in the season and without Braxton Miller were expected by many to fade from view. But strong play by new quarterback JT Barrett has Ohio State playing as well as anyone lately. He threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more in the win.
Alabama's performance was so dominant that they will come close to jumping to #1 in the Strength power rating; they were 8th after last weekend. And just one week after their rating showed them losing 3, and maybe even 4 games on the season, they might be favored the rest of the way. An 11-1 finish might put them in the SEC title game and then into the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State's win wasn't quite as amazing, as Rutgers was the weakest 5-1 team in the nation. But it underscores how well the Buckeyes have been playing lately, and it should come down to the contest vs. Michigan State to determine the East representative. That game is played in East Lansing but it should be close to 50/50 in terms of who is favored. The way things are going around the country—in particular recent upsets in the Pac-12 and Big Twelve—a 12-1 Big Ten winner is looking pretty good for a spot in the top four.
So the lesson is clear—never count out the traditional power programs. Until they've actually lost twice—or really, three times—they have a chance. Good coaches can rally teams to recover from adversity. It also helps to be loaded with talent from years and years of top recruiting.
Both Ohio State & Alabama were on top of the world in November of 2013, then each lost their last game of the year and got exposed in a bowl game. Each started this year with high hopes but were unimpressive early, so perhaps this is a return to form.
Posted by: Corwyn | October 19, 2014 at 10:13 PM