2017 e-Systems College Football Pool – Week 9 Results

Tonight, the first College Football Playoff rankings come out, and it will be interesting to see on what the committee puts emphasis.  There seem to be two obvious candidates for the coveted #1 spot. Alabama has looked dominant against every opponent they have faced, but some would argue that they haven’t faced enough quality opponents yet to make a convincing argument for #1, and the season-opening win over then #3 Florida State doesn’t hold nearly the cache most thought it would. Georgia has mostly matched the Crimson Tide in terms of dominance, and has a road win over Notre Dame as a trump card; is that enough to push the Bulldogs into the top spot? That’s not the only question to be answered this evening. How many 1-loss teams are in the top four, and who are they? Is Oklahoma, who whipped Ohio State in Columbus early in the year but has had struggles since, ranked above the Buckeyes, who have been mostly impressive and are coming off a big win against then #2 Penn State? Where does Notre Dame fit in? Some would put them as high as #3 overall. And so on, and so on…

When you’re not one of the college football blue-bloods, you learn to really enjoy the seasons where your team plays well over its historic pace. Iowa State fans find themselves in just such a situation this year. The Cyclones, owners of an all-time .451 winning percentage and one season of over seven wins since 1980, pulled off their second win over a top-5 team in the month of October by shocking TCU 14-7. ISU currently sits at 6-2, 4-1 in the Big Twelve. They’re bowl-eligible for the first time since 2012. But who’s to say that their dreams have to end there? That 4-1 mark has them tied for the lead in the Big Twelve, with tie-breakers already over TCU and Oklahoma. After the events of October, I’m not sure any Big Twelve championship contender wants to see Matt Campbell’s bunch in December…

John Wolford and Greg Dortch had themselves a day against Louisville. Wolford, the Wake Forest starting quarterback, became the first Demon Deacon to throw for 400 yards in a game since 1998, as he finished with 461 and five touchdowns.  Four of those went to Dortch, setting a new Wake Forest record for receiving scores in a game, in a 42-32 win over the Cardinals. Dortch could have even had a fifth score, but fumbled the ball out of the end zone when stretching for the goal line. With the win, Wake Forest is one win away from bowl-eligibility for the second straight season.

How can you go 8-0 quietly? Ask Wisconsin, about whom no one seems to be discussing with regard to the Big Ten or national championships. The Badgers don’t do anything flashy, they just run the ball and keep the ball (they’re second in the nation in time of possession and first in 3rd down conversions) and stop you from scoring (fifth in the nation in that department). They beat Illinois 24-10 on Saturday to keep their status as only one of four Power 5 undefeated teams left. Admittedly, the Big Ten Western Division is not a powerhouse lineup, but Wisconsin will get a chance to show its quality in the upcoming weeks, as matchups with Iowa, Michigan, and the Eastern Division champ loom.

In small-school news, you always hear that you throw out the records in a big rivalry game; Pittsburg State just demonstrated why that’s the case. In its annual game with Northwest Missouri State, the Gorillas entered with a 4-4 record, while the Bearcats were on a 38-game winning streak, just two shy of the Division II all-time record, and had won 34 straight conference games.  And yet, Pittsburg State forced six turnovers in a 20-10 win. Northwest Missouri State is 84-9 since the start of the 2011 season, having won three national championships. Four of those nine losses are to Pittsburg State. Now that’s a rivalry where the records truly don’t matter.

Congratulations to Crimson Gator, who wins week 9 with 176 points! Jeff4Bama was second with 175, and WarTiger91 was third with 174 points.

Standings after nine weeks:

With that, we enter November, where the stakes get bigger and the tension gets higher! Twenty games comprise our slate this week, including several matchups between top-25 teams; it’s shaping up to be a big weekend! The first game this week is Memphis at Tulsa, Friday, November 3 @ 8 PM ET, so make sure to get your picks in by then!