2016 e-Systems College Football Pool – Week 8 Results

Question: how can you possibly win a game win your defense gives up 854 yards of total offense?
Answer: when your offense gains 854 yards of their own.

That was the scenario played out in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday night.  Oklahoma beat Texas Tech 66-59 in a game that featured a FBS record combined total offense of 1,708 yards (854 by each team; just less than a literal mile).  It featured a running back who ran for 263 yards and caught passes for another 114 (Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon), a quarterback who tied an NCAA FBS record for passing yards with 734 (Texas Tech’s Pat Mahomes), and a different quarterback who threw for seven touchdowns (Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield).  Mahomes had 819 yards of total offense, yet another NCAA FBS record.  Oklahoma scored on their first five possessions of the second half – and didn’t score on their sixth because they ran out the clock. Texas Tech’s Jonathan Giles had ten receptions for 167 yards – and was only the third-leading receiver in the game, behind Oklahoma’s Dede Westbrook (202 yards) and Texas Tech’s Keke Coutee (172 yards).  Oklahoma became the first team in FBS history to have a 500-yard passer, 200-yard rusher, and 200-yard receiver in the same game.  Mixon scored five touchdowns (2 rushing, 3 receiving). The teams combined for just four punts. Texas Tech went a combined 22-for-27 on third and fourth down conversions – and lost. I could go on and on.

This type of game is atypical to say the least, but not that far out of the norm for the Big 12, leading some to ask, “doesn’t anyone play defense in this conference?” When they do, point a finger in the direction of Morgantown, West Virginia.  The Mountaineers are only 57^th in the nation in total defense, and third in the Big 12 behind Baylor and Kansas State.  However, with their 34-10 victory over TCU, West Virginia held their third straight Big 12 opponent to 17 points or less, including that aforementioned record-setting Texas Tech offense. (Kansas State gave up 38 to the Red Raiders, for comparative purposes; Baylor hasn’t played them yet). Dana Holgorson’s squad finds themselves at 6-0 and in prime position to contend for their first Big 12 title. A big matchup with Oklahoma State, who averages just under 41 points per game, looms next.

Who would have thought that the upcoming Washington-Utah matchup would be a possible Pac-12 Championship preview? That’s where we currently stand, as the fourth-ranked Huskies venture into Rice-Eccles Stadium to take on the 17^th-ranked Utes.  Utah has lost only once this year, in a nail-biter against California. Actually, most of Utah’s games have been nail-biters: they’ve only played one Pac-12 game in which the outcome was decided by more than seven points.  Meanwhile, Chris Petersen’s Dawgs continue to lay waste to everything in their path. After their 41-17 win over Oregon State, the Huskies have only played in one Pac-12 game that has been decided by less than 24 points. They’re fourth in the country in points per game and sixth in points against, but don’t count Utah out, especially at home.  The Utes have only lost once in their last eleven home games dating back to last season.

In small-school news, Harvard beat Princeton 23-20 in overtime in a matchup of teams that were unbeaten in Ivy League play coming into the day. The Tigers came this close to giving the Crimson just their sixth loss in Ivy League play since 2011. Instead, Harvard is still on track for their fourth straight Ivy League championship (either shared or outright). Small bit of football tradition trivia: everyone recognizes Michigan’s iconic “winged” helmet design, right? Princeton had them first. The then-coach of the Tigers, Fritz Crisler, ordered stock helmets with leather “wings” in 1935 for Princeton.  He took the idea with him to Michigan when he became the coach there in 1938, and the Wolverines have become synonymous with the “winged helmet” ever since – but it all started in Princeton, New Jersey.  Incidentally, the Tigers stopped using the design when Crisler left until 1998, at which point they began wearing a version in the school colors of black and orange – and still do to this day.

Congratulations to In Accord, who wins week 8 (their second weekly win!) with 133 points!  There was a five-way tie for second between CrimsonWhite, BEVO, thatkidjosh, TheColombian, and Jeff4Bama; each scored 128 points.

Standings after eight weeks:

Several interesting games dot the pick sheet this week. We have big midseason rivalry games (Michigan-Michigan State; Florida-Georgia) and top-20 matchups (Washington-Utah; Nebraska-Wisconsin; Clemson-Florida State).  It’s going to be an exciting week!  The first game is Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh, Thursday, October 27 at 7 PM ET, so make sure to get your picks in by then!