Another crazy week of College Basketball has come to an end, and we expect an even crazier week ahead. For now, here's how our latest bracket looks in our second edition of Bracketology.
East Regional
#1 Villanova vs. #16 Texas Southern/Weber State
#8 Southern California vs. #9 Miami (FL)
#5 Arizona vs. #12 Arkansas/Kansas State
#4 Notre Dame vs. #13 New Mexico State
#6 Purdue vs. #11 Marquette/Wichita State
#3 Florida State vs. #14 Akron
#7 St. Mary's vs. #10 Northwestern
#2 West Virginia vs. #15 Princeton
West Regional
#1 UCLA vs. #16 UC-Irvine
#8 Seton Hall vs. #9 Dayton
#5 Duke vs. #12 Middle Tennessee
#4 Butler vs. #13 Nevada
#6 Maryland vs. #11 Texas Christian
#3 Louisville vs. #14 North Carolina-Asheville
#7 Southern Methodist vs. #10 Texas Tech
#2 Baylor vs. #15 Bucknell
Mid-West Regional
#1 Kansas vs. #16 North Carolina Central/Sam Houston State
#8 Indiana vs. #9 Virginia Commonwealth
#5 Cincinnati vs. #12 Texas-Arlington
#4 Virginia vs. #13 Florida Gulf Coast
#6 Xavier vs. #11 Pittsburgh
#3 Oregon vs. #14 Vermont
#7 Minnesota vs. #10 Clemson
#2 Kentucky vs. #15 Fort Wayne
South Regional
#1 Gonzaga vs. #16 LIU Brooklyn
#8 North Carolina-Wilmington vs. #9 Virginia Tech
#5 Florida vs. #12 Oakland
#4 Wisconsin vs. #13 Monmouth
#6 South Carolina vs. #11 Illinois
#3 Creighton vs. #14 North Carolina-Greensboro
#7 Iowa State vs. #10 Illinois State
#2 North Carolina vs. #15 Belmont
Last Four In: Marquette, Wichita State, Arkansas, Kansas State
First Four Out: Michigan, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, California
Next Four Out: Georgia, Nebraska, Houston, Rhode Island
Monday, January 16, 2017
New AP Top 25 Poll for NCAAB
NEW Associated Press Top-25 NCAA Men's Basketball Poll released Monday.
1 Villanova
2 Kansas
3 UCLA
4 Gonzaga
5 Kentucky
6 Baylor
7 West Virginia
7 Creighton
9 North Carolina
10 Florida State
11 Oregon
12 Louisville
13 Butler
14 Arizona
15 Notre Dame
16 Virginia
17 Wisconsin
18 Duke
19 Florida
20 Cincinnati
21 Purdue
22 Xavier
23 Saint Mary's (Cal.)
24 South Carolina
25 Maryland
Friday, January 13, 2017
Way Too Early College Football Top 25; Plus Five
Way Too Early College Football Top 25; Plus Five
Well, I guess that was quite the way to end the College Football Season. After one of, if not the, greatest National Championship Game in College Football’s history, it’s never too early to begin looking forward to next season and handicapping where the top teams fall. Here is our Way Too Early Top 25 Rankings.
- Alabama
Final Record: 14-1
Final AP Ranking: #2
Bowl Result: Won Peach Bowl Semifinal; Lost National Championship Game
Next Season: Nick Saban is still the head coach. That should be enough to convince you. But if it’s not, listen to this: Alabama came within one second, literally one second, from winning a National Championship with a freshman at Quarterback in Jalen Hurts. Sure he’s not the best passer, or even an above average passer, but he is dynamic in the run game and doesn’t make bad decisions. Other offensive playmakers coming back include Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris, ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley. And, oh, yes, it’s a defense that always is at or near the top of the rankings every year.
2017 Opener: vs. Florida State (in Atlanta)
- Florida State
Final Record: 10-3
Final AP Ranking: #8
Bowl Result: Won Orange Bowl
Next Season: With all the talk about the Playoff and other teams such as USC and Penn State, it’s easy to forget how hot Florida State was to end the season. Following the loss at the buzzer at home to North Carolina, they won seven of their last eight with the lone loss coming to eventual National Champs Clemson by three points. And they ended the year with confidence building wins over rivals Florida (again) and Michigan in the Orange Bowl. And they did all of this without star Safety Derwin James who missed the entire season due to injury who will be back next year. On the negative side, they will lose superstars Dalvin Cook and DeMarcus Walker.
2017 Opener: vs. Alabama (in Atlanta)
- Southern California
Final Record: 10-3
Final AP Ranking: #3
Bowl Result: Won Rose Bowl
Next Season: Following their stunning win in the Rose Bowl over Penn State where they trailed by fourteen points in the fourth quarter, Southern Cal heads into next season with one of the co-favorites to win the Heisman Trophy at Quarterback with Sam Darnold. The Trojans look as if they’ll have basically everyone back on defense outside of Adoree Jackson, but on the offensive side they do lose some key pieces. Darnold’s top two receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Darreus Rogers are now gone as are two starting offensive linemen Chad Wheeler and Zack Banner.
2017 Opener: vs. Western Michigan
- Penn State
Final Record: 11-3
Final AP Ranking: #7
Bowl Result: Lost Rose Bowl
Next Season: Penn State was one of the best stories to follow down the stretch with their attack to win the Big Ten East, win the Big Ten Championship over Wisconsin and still fall just short of the Playoff. They followed that up by leading USC by fourteen points in the fourth quarter only to lose in the Rose Bowl 52-49. Now, Penn State comes back with just about everyone back on offense except star Wide Receiver Chris Godwin. Quarterback Trace McSorley could be a Heisman candidate and he’ll have the services of Running Back Saquon Barkley as well. Watch for Penn State to be in the middle of another great fight in the Big Ten East.
2017 Opener: vs. Akron
- Ohio State
Final Record: 11-2
Final AP Ranking: #6
Bowl Result: Lost Fiesta Bowl Semifinal
Next Season: Despite the Buckeyes suffering possibly the worst loss the program has had in a long time, Urban Meyer’s team once again looks loaded with skill players on both sides of the ball. Quarterback and team leader J.T. Barrett is back, but he’ll have to better than he was in the second half of last season for the Buckeyes to be as good as they can be and hope to be on offense. Key losses for Ohio State include Running Back Curtis Samuel, Safety Malik Hooker and Linebacker Raekwon McMillan. We know Ohio State will be really good once again this year, but their schedule includes Nebraska, Iowa and Michigan all on the road.
2017 Opener: @ Indiana
- Oklahoma
Final Record: 11-2
Final AP Ranking: #5
Bowl Result: Won Sugar Bowl
Next Season: Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine and Dede Westbrook are going to be very difficult to replace for Oklahoma on offense, but with Quarterback Baker Mayfield back, Oklahoma is still in good hands with their Heisman finalist signal caller. The Big 12 Title could once again come down to the Bedlam Game which will be in Stillwater this season.
2017 Opener: vs. Texas-El Paso
- Washington
Final Record: 12-2
Final AP Ranking: #4
Bowl Result: Lost Peach Bowl Semifinal
Next Season: For you folks that thought Washington would be a one hit wonder, I hate to inform you that you were wrong, but you were. Quarterback Jake Browning will be back which will be a huge reason why Washington will once again compete for the Pac 12 and a Playoff spot along with returning Running Back Myles Gaskin. Superstar Wide Receiver John Ross is departing and Browning will surely miss him. It’s the defensive side of the football where the Huskies lose the most. Psalm Wooching, Kevin King, Elijah Qualls and Budda Baker will no longer be with the team and that will likely take some time to adjust to for Washington.
2017 Opener: @ Rutgers
- Oklahoma State
Final Record: 10-3
Final AP Ranking: #11
Bowl Result: Won Alamo Bowl
Next Season: Quarterback Mason Rudolph will be back for another season which means that the Cowboys will once again be one of the country’s highest scoring offenses, especially being that Rudolph will still have James Washington to throw to. Mike Gundy is one of the most underrated coaches in all of football, and Gundy is expected to have yet another ten win season and contend for a Big 12 Championship.
2017 Opener: vs. Tulsa
- Clemson
Final Record: 14-1
Final AP Ranking: #1
Bowl Result: Won Fiesta Bowl Semifinal; Won National Championship Game
Next Season: Okay, there’s no doubt about it, the defending National Champs are losing a LOT on offense. DeShaun Watson, Wayne Gallman, Mike Williams, Artavis Scott and Jordan Leggett are all gone now. The strength of this Clemson team now becomes their defense with key players such as Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence returning. Now we’ll get to see just how well Dabo Swinney has been recruiting over the past two years. Clemson haters, don’t expect a huge dropoff.
2017 Opener: vs. Kent State
- LSU
Final Record: 8-4
Final AP Ranking: #13
Bowl Result: Won Citrus Bowl
Next Season: I’m sure everyone involved at LSU will be more than happy that there won’t be distractions surrounding Les Miles and Leonard Fournette. Instead, the storylines will be about Ed Orgeron starting his first full season as the head coach and Derrius Guice kicking off his assault for the Heisman. The Tigers are likely still to have some hiccups through the passing game and Quarterback Danny Etling, and that’s exactly why they hired Matt Canada to work as the offensive coordinator. LSU will probably be a trendy pick to upend Alabama in the SEC and take a spot in the Playoff.
2017 Opener: vs. BYU (in Houston)
- Michigan
Final Record: 10-3
Final AP Ranking: #10
Bowl Result: Lost Orange Bowl
Next Season: The good news for Michigan fans is this: both Michigan State and Ohio State come to Ann Arbor this season. The bad news: the Wolverines are losing a TON, possibly the most of any team in the nation. Jabrill Peppers, Jourdan Lewis, Channing Stribling, Taco Charlton, Chris Wormley and Delano Hill are all going to have to be replaced on the defense. On the offense, they’ll have to replace receivers Amara Darboh, Jake Butt, Jehu Chesson and Running Back De’Veon Smith. That’s a lot. Quarterback Wilton Speight will be back with a lot more pressure on his shoulders this season than last. Jim Harbaugh will have some work to do, but as we know he’s been recruiting out of his mind, now we’ll get to see the results.
2017 Opener: vs. Florida (in Arlington)
- Wisconsin
Final Record: 11-3
Final AP Ranking: #9
Bowl Result: Won Cotton Bowl
Next Season: Wisconsin bulldozed through a hellacious schedule en route to a Cotton Bowl win over Western Michigan. The Badgers keep doing it the same way year after year. Run the ball behind one of the best offensive lines in the nation. That’s how it’ll be this year as well. Alex Hornibrook takes over now at Quarterback and with Corey Clement gone, it’ll be Bradrick Shaw who will likely get the bulk of the carries with help from Chris James.
2017 Opener: vs. Utah State
- Georgia
Final Record: 8-5
Final AP Ranking: N/A
Bowl Result: Won Liberty Bowl
Next Season: The Georgia Bulldogs promise to have one of the best offenses in the SEC with explosive playmakers everywhere, and it starts with Nick Chubb in the backfield who has chose to return for his senior season. Chubb will be joined in the backfield with Sony Michel and also Jacob Eason their sophomore Quarterback will be back and better. Georgia seems to be the favorite in the East division, and it may come down to Jacksonville to decide it.
2017 Opener: vs. Appalachian State
- Stanford
Final Record: 10-3
Final AP Ranking: #12
Bowl Result: Won Sun Bowl
Next Season: In what a “down” year for Stanford, David Shaw led the Cardinal to another ten win season after a rocky start that included blowout losses to Washington & Washington State. Stanford fans had to like what they seen this season from Bryce Love and the chances he has at replacing Christian McCaffrey. Though Solomon Thomas won't be returning on the defensive side, most other starters will be back to make this another talented Stanford team.
2017 Opener: vs. Rice (in Sydney, Australia)
- South Florida
Final Record: 11-2
Final AP Ranking: #19
Bowl Result: Won Birmingham Bowl
Next Season: There’s a lot to like about this South Florida team heading into the new season. Superstar Quarterback Quinton Flowers returns to lead the Bulls after a very successful eleven win season. And oh by the way, if you haven’t yet heard, South Florida has a new head coach in Charlie Strong who comes by way of Austin to lead a team who looks to be the favorites in the American.
2017 Opener: @ San Jose State
- Auburn
Final Record: 8-5
Final AP Ranking: #24
Bowl Result: Lost Sugar Bowl
Next Season: Talk about a team hard to gauge, Auburn is that team every year. It seems like every time Auburn is expected to win 10+ games and contend for the SEC they only win six. Every time Auburn is expected to stumble along and barely make the postseason, they go to the Sugar Bowl, like they did this year. Auburn heads into the 2017-18 season with Quarterback Jarrett Stidham transferring in from Baylor and is likely to take over the starting job. The ground attack will once again be led by Kamryn Pettway & Kerryon Johnson who was amazing this past season. Auburn will have to be better on offense this season because the defense is taking some big losses in Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams. So because of what I stated earlier, I'm going to hold back on predicting if Auburn is going to win zero, three, six, nine or twelve games this upcoming season.
2017 Opener: vs. Georgia Southern
- Kansas State
Final Record: 9-4
Final AP Ranking: Receiving Votes
Bowl Result: Won Texas Bowl
Next Season: Right when you think Bill Snyder’s career is right on the edge of being over, he pulls out another nine win season with a team that some thought would be lucky to get to six. Kansas State will head into the new season with a legitimate shot at the Big 12 Title with returning Quarterback Jesse Ertz. Oklahoma at Kansas State has the potential to be a huge game in deciding the Big 12.
2017 Opener: vs. Central Arkansas
- Florida
Final Record: 9-4
Final AP Ranking: #14
Bowl Result: Won Outback Bowl
Next Season: Florida’s hard nosed defense is definitely going to have to be rebuilt with the losses the Gators are suffering heading into this season. Jarrad Davis, Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson are among the key defensive players that are departing from Gainesville. How the offense will be is still a bit up in the air as Austin Appleby is now gone from the team but Luke Del Rio is back along with a couple of freshmen who will hope to beat Del Rio out for the job.
2017 Opener: vs. Michigan (in Arlington)
- Louisville
Final Record: 9-4
Final AP Ranking: #21
Bowl Result: Lost Citrus Bowl
Next Season: Heisman winner Lamar Jackson made us fall in love with him and his team after dominating every team he played early. But the Cardinals’ weaknesses were exploited late in the season as they finished the season losing their last three games. Now as Louisville heads into next season, Jackson is back, but he's lost a lot of his offensive weapons such as leading rusher Brandon Radcliff and receivers Cole Hikutini, James Quick and Jamari Staples. This season is when Lamar Jackson will really prove to us if he's a one hit wonder or an all-time great.
2017 Opener: vs. Purdue (in Indianapolis)
- Colorado
Final Record: 10-4
Final AP Ranking: #17
Bowl Result: Lost Alamo Bowl
Next Season: Don’t think for one moment that Mike MacIntyre and the Colorado Buffaloes are going to be a one and done type team. As fantastic as Sefo Liufau was this past season and in his entire Colorado career, he did have to suffer through a lot of injuries which gave backup Quarterback Steven Montez quite a bit of experience against teams such as Michigan, Washington and Oklahoma State this season. The Buffaloes will be another team making up a loaded Pac 12.
- West Virginia
Final Record: 10-3
Final AP Ranking: #18
Bowl Result: Lost Russell Athletic Bowl
Next Season: Quarterback Skyler Howard will now be replaced by former Florida Gator Will Grier. Yes, you remember Grier? It’s entirely possible with his skill set that he could absolutely shred up every Big 12 defense en route to a Big 12 Championship Game appearance. But can the Mountaineer defense replicate their numbers from a year ago? That may be the key to if West Virginia can repeat a ten win season.
2017 Opener: vs. Virginia Tech (in Landover)
- Miami
Final Record: 9-4
Final AP Ranking: #20
Bowl Result: Won Russell Athletic Bowl
Next Season: Unfortunately for Miami, the preseason hype around the Hurricanes sounded and looked a lot better when we thought Quarterback Brad Kaaya was going to stay for his senior season. Instead, both Kaaya and Running Back Joseph Yearby has left the program to go pro. Those two pieces will be difficult to replace along with Corn Elder and Jamal Carter Sr. on the defensive end. Malik Rosier is expected to replace Kaaya at the Quarterback position as Mark Richt looks to improve on what was a great first season at Miami.
2017 Opener: @ Arkansas State
- Texas
Final Record: 5-7
Final AP Ranking: N/A
Bowl Result: N/A
Next Season: “Texas is back folks!” That call from Joe Tessitore after the game winning touchdown against Notre Dame may not have totally been accurate, but the Longhorns do head into this new season with hope of at least getting back to the postseason. Tom Herman comes over from Houston to become the new man in charge in Austin and with young and talented Quarterback Shane Buechele, Texas could be a threat in the Big 12. And I wonder how many people will be paying close attention to an early season out of conference game between these Longhorns and USC in Los Angeles in September?
2017 Opener: vs. Maryland
- Tennessee
Final Record: 9-4
Final AP Ranking: #22
Bowl Result: Won Music City Bowl
Next Season: It certainly was not the season Tennessee fans thought they’d have as they started the season with New Year’s Six aspirations that were only intensified after a comeback win over Florida and a miracle win over Georgia. But then Tennessee started to fall apart, but even so, they finished with nine wins. The Volunteers now lose a lot on both ends, but the SEC East still looks to be very weak and unpredictable, and Tennessee representing the East division in the SEC Title Game wouldn’t be a huge shock.
2017 Opener: vs. Georgia Tech (in Atlanta)
- Washington State
Final Record: 8-5
Final AP Ranking: Receiving Votes
Bowl Result: Lost Holiday Bowl
Next Season: Sure, it was a disappointing way to end the season for Washington State. They lost to their arch rivals Washington (again) and then losing in stunning fashion to Minnesota in the Holiday Bowl. The Cougars have a lot of firepower coming back on offense, and most importantly, Quarterback Luke Falk. As long as they have Falk, this is a team that can contend for the North. Let’s just hope that Mike Leach can somehow get this team over the “Losing to an FCS Team to open the season” hump.
2017 Opener: vs. Montana State
- Virginia Tech
Final Record: 10-4
Final AP Ranking: #16
Bowl Result: Won Belk Bowl
Next Season: Justin Fuente proved to everyone in Blacksburg and the ACC last season why he was the correct choice to replace Frank Beamer getting the Hokies to ten wins and the ACC Championship Game in his first year. This defense is possibly going to be the best in the conference, but the offense took some blows when Quarterback Jerrod Evans and receivers Bucky Hodges and Isaiah Ford decided to leave following their Junior season.
2017 Opener: vs. West Virginia (in Landover)
- Pittsburgh
Final Record: 8-5
Final AP Ranking: Receiving Votes
Bowl Result: Lost Pinstripe Bowl
Next Season: This is a Pittsburgh team who at times showed a lot of potential in beating Penn State and Clemson. Even in the losses they suffered, Pitt played hard and took teams such as Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina down to the wire. Of their thirteen games, seven of them were decided by seven points or less. Losing Nathan Peterman and James Connor will be an obstacle to overcome, but Pittsburgh has a lot of talent around them to potentially battle for the ACC.
2017 Opener: vs. Youngstown State
- North Carolina State
Final Record: 7-6
Final AP Ranking: N/A
Bowl Result: Won Independence Bowl
Next Season: I was constantly impressed with what I seen from North Carolina State, especially late in the season. It’s a Wolfpack team that had multiple chances (including one at the buzzer) to beat Clemson in Clemson if they could just make a kick. In my mind, the heartbreaking overtime loss to Clemson was in the heads of their players for the next couple of weeks as they lost to Boston College and then got drubbed by Louisville. But they ended the season high with a road win over a rival in Chapel Hill to get to six wins and make the postseason, and then dominated Vanderbilt in the Independence Bowl. Ryan Finley at Quarterback is very solid, and he’ll be back next season. Watch out for the Pack.
2017 Opener: vs. South Carolina (in Charlotte)
- Oregon
Final Record: 4-8
Final AP Ranking: N/A
Bowl Result: N/A
Next Season: Fresh off success at South Florida in the American, Willie Taggart now comes to the Pacific Northwest and the Pac 12 to take control of an Oregon program who suffered their worst season in a long time last year as they failed to make the postseason. There’s talent throughout the roster including Running Back Royce Freeman who could spearhead an Oregon attack that could score a lot of points and make them a team to keep our eyes on in the Pac 12.
2017 Opener: vs. Southern Utah
- UCLA
Final Record: 4-8
Final AP Ranking: N/A
Bowl Result: N/A
Next Season: I told myself at the start of this “Don’t trust UCLA again! Don’t fall for the trap again!” Well, as you can tell, I’ve fallen for the trap yet again. Listen, it’s really hard for me to trust this UCLA program after doing so the past two years and being nothing but disappointed. But as we head into a new season, UCLA seems to once again be trending positively. Quarterback Josh Rosen will be healthy to start the season (hopefully he’ll stay healthy) and when he’s on, he’s really good. If there’s no other reason to put some stock into UCLA, how about this? Jim Mora better have a solid season, because if they fail to make the postseason again, he’s out of LA.
2017 Opener: vs. Texas A&M
Honorable Mention: South Carolina, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, North Carolina, BYU, Nebraska, Air Force, Memphis, Navy, Duke
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Watson and Clemson dethrone top-ranked Tide, 35-31
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Deshaun Watson took the snap, rolled right and with one of the easiest throws he had to make all night, completed Clemson's journey to the top of college football.
A frantic fourth quarter and a championship rematch between Clemson and Alabama was decided with 1 second left on a 2-yard touchdown toss to Hunter Renfrow.
"I couldn't hear the crowd," Watson said. "I just felt at peace."
Watson and the Tigers dethroned the defending champs and became the first team to beat Nick Saban's Alabama dynasty in a national title game, taking down the top-ranked Crimson Tide 35-31 Monday night in the College Football Playoff.
A 35-year title drought for Clemson is over. The Tigers are national champions for the first time since 1981.
A year after Alabama won its fourth title under Saban with a classic 45-40 win in Arizona, Clemson (14-1) denied the Tide (14-1) an unprecedented fifth championship in eight seasons.
"That has to be one of the greatest games of all time," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
Hard to argue.
The new champions have a process of their own that includes a loquacious coach who can turn a postgame interview into a fiery sermon, a spectacular quarterback who did not need a Heisman Trophy to show he was the best player in the country and a fun-loving team that plays with a chip on its shoulder.
"There was no upset tonight," Swinney said. "That's the last thing I told them when we left the locker room. I said, 'When we win the game tonight I don't want to hear one word about this being an upset. The only upset is going to be if we don't win the dadgum game.'"
The lead changed hands three times in the fourth quarter, but Watson got the ball last. Playing in his final college game, the junior quarterback threw for 420 yards and three touchdowns. In two games against Alabama and the most ferocious defense in college football, Watson has thrown for 825 yards and accounted for eight touchdowns. He was sacked four times Monday night and took some cringe-inducing shots from All-Americans Jonathan Allen and Reuben Foster.
"You know, I never got the sense that he was rattled," Allen said about Watson.
Swinney, the native Alabaman and former Crimson Tide walk-on receiver, has built an elite program at Clemson that was missing only one thing. Now the Tigers can check that box, too.
"Eight years ago we set out to put Clemson back on top," Swinney said. "We came up a little short last year, but today on top of the mountain, the Clemson flag is flying."
After three quarters of body slams and tight defense, Tigers-Tide II ended up looking a lot like the first meeting when the teams combined for 40 points in the fourth quarter.
Watson found Mike Williams for a 4-yard touchdown a minute into the fourth quarter to make it 24-21 Alabama.
The Tigers took their first lead, 28-24, with 4:38 left in the fourth quarter when Wayne Gallman surged in from a yard out.
The Tide's offense, which had gone dormant for most of the second half, came to life with the help of a sweet call from newly promoted offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Receiver ArDarius Stewart took a backward pass from Jalen Hurts and fired a strike to O.J. Howard for 24 yards.
On the next play, Hurts broke free from a collapsing pocket and weaved through defenders for a 30-yard touchdown run to make it 31-28 with 2:07 left.
More than enough time for Watson.
"I was calm," Watson said. He said he thought about Vince Young's last-second touchdown for Texas that derailed the Southern California's championship run in the 2005 championship game at the Rose Bowl. He told his team: "Let's go be great."
Watson hooked up with Williams and Jordan Leggett, who made great catches for big gains to get to first-and-goal with 14 seconds left.
A pass interference on Alabama made it first-and-goal at the 2 with six seconds left. Time for one more play to avoid a game-tying kick and overtime. Renfrow slipped away from the defense at the goal line with the help of some traffic created by Artavis Scott — or maybe it was an illegal pick? — and was alone for an easy toss.
"If you watch the ending, the slot receiver actually cut Minkah," Alabama linebacker Tim Williams said. "Usually, on a pick route, you're not supposed to chop somebody. You're supposed to pick them. The guy there just chopped Minkah down, but it's football."
For the former walk-on Renfrow, it was his second TD catch of the game. He had two last season against Alabama.
Alabama was 4-0 in national championship games under Saban. It was 106-6 in games it led at half and 96-0 when entering the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead as the Tide did Monday night. Clemson overcame all those odds.
The Tide jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind two long touchdown runs by Bo Scarbrough in the first half. The 230-pound sophomore back was pretty much Alabama's whole offense for a while, running for 93 yards on 16 carries while Hurts and the passing game struggle. Scarbrough left in the third quarter with a leg injury, but the Tide finally found some other help. Hurts hooked up with O.J. Howard, one of last year's heroes for 'Bama, for a 68-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-14 late in the third quarter.
"Look, there's not one play in the game that makes a difference in a game," Saban said. "We could have done a lot of things a lot better."
When it ended, Clemson's 315-pound defensive lineman Christian Wilkins did a split and a cartwheel and Ben Boulware, one of the toughest linebackers in the country, was in tears.
The Tigers had snapped Alabama's 26-game winning streak and beaten a No. 1 team for the first time ever.
"It's been 35 long years!" Boulware screamed. "It's coming home baby! It's coming home!"
Last season Alabama met its match in Clemson, but prevailed. This time, Clemson made sure the sequel had a different ending.
Monday, January 9, 2017
New AP College Basketball Top-25
Released Jan. 9, 2017
1 Baylor
2 Kansas
3 Villanova
4 UCLA
5 Gonzaga
6 Kentucky
7 Duke
8 Creighton
9 Florida State
10 West Virginia
11 North Carolina
12 Butler
13 Oregon
14 Louisville
15 Xavier
16 Arizona
17 Purdue
18 Wisconsin
19 Virginia
20 Notre Dame
21 Saint Mary's (Cal.)
22 Cincinnati
23 Florida
24 Minnesota
25 Southern California
Sark lends X-factor to Bama-Clemson
Alabama-Clemson is a national championship rematch with one unique twist.
The guy calling plays for the top-ranked Crimson Tide will be doing so for the first time with Alabama.
When head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin parted ways last week — ostensibly because Kiffin had become distracted by his duties as new head coach at Florida Atlantic — it created the ultimate X-factor for the third College Football Playoff title game, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET in Tampa, Fla., on Monday night.
Hello, Steve Sarkisian.
Sarkisian has been with the program almost all season as an offensive analyst, able to help with the game plan and such, but he was prohibited from offering coaching or instruction to the players until this week’s promotion.
“Sark has done this for a long time, and he’s called plays for a long time,” Saban said Saturday morning.
“He’s got a lot of experience; he’s got a lot of knowledge. I think he’s very well organized in his approach, and I’d tell him what I tell any coach; we’ve prepared to do certain things in certain situations, let’s stick with the plan.”
Sarkisian, the former head coach at Washington and USC, was fired from his job with the Trojans in October 2015 amid an alleged substance abuse problem.
Asked about that Saturday, he said, “I’m doing great. I appreciate you asking, yeah.”
Sarkisian visited Alabama in fall camp for a week, figuring he would try to do some TV work this season. But Saban found him a behind-the-scenes role that has morphed into being at the center of a white-hot spotlight.
“I’m excited,” Sarkisian said. “This is what I love to do. I’ve been doing this a long time.”
Can he find a play-calling rhythm against an attacking and stout Clemson defense? Will he know exactly the right thing to say on the sideline to true freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts?
How will he blend Alabama’s multiple threats — Hurts’ legs, running backs Bo Scarbrough and Damien Harris, receivers Calvin Ridley and ArDarius Stewart, tight end O.J. Howard?
“I’m not naive to think we’re not going to have a couple glitches,” Sarkisian said. “But how we respond to those glitches is going to be key.”
Sarkisian has been on the offensive headsets during games. He’s not a novice to the Tide or to the job. But there has never been a situation like this, with a team replacing its offensive coordinator a week before a national title game, so everyone will be on the lookout for new wrinkles, good or bad.
“It’s not like they’re going to run a different offense,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “You know, maybe he calls a couple more screens than the other guy would have called. I have no idea.”
–Dabo Swinney tried Saturday to defuse some of the controversy around the incident from the Fiesta Bowl in which defensive tackle Christian Wilkins groped at the groin of Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel, who was on the ground after being tackled.
Earlier this week, linebacker Ben Boulware gassed the fire when he said of the groping: “We’ve done it all year to mess with players. No one has done it as aggressive as Christian did. We try to be more discreet about it. He grabbed a handful.”
Swinney didn’t much care for that answer.
“Ben is a bull in a china shop, and he answered it like a bull in a china shop,” Swinney said. “It’s unacceptable, and he apologized to his teammates and to me. He knows who we are. That’s not what we’re about. We don’t teach that kind of stuff. We play the game with great passion and will to win, but it was inappropriate. It’s just not what we do.”
–Clemson QB Deshaun Watson, as a junior who has graduated, is eligible to play in this year’s Senior Bowl, although he said Saturday he is not sure if he will accept the invitation.
“My focus is on the national championship and we’ll figure all that out afterwards,” he said.
–Alabama sophomore running back Bo Scarbrough is eligible for the NFL Draft because he is three years removed from his high school graduation, but he said Saturday he will be back with the Crimson Tide next season. He ran for 180 yards against Washington.
“What’s crazy, is a lot of those plays we didn’t necessarily block them well,” left tackle Cam Robinson said. “He just made that happen. That’s just the God-given ability that he has.”
Scarbrough has 361 yards on 47 carries in the last three games, against top-flight defenses (Auburn, Florida, Washington).
–Alabama has been ranked No. 1 all season and has been No. 1 at some point for a record nine consecutive seasons. The previous record was seven, set by Miami from 1986 to 1992.
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