After a Bye week for the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Boys are back…but do they even like football at this point? So Much disappointment has taken place and they discuss it. PJ rants on Michigan, TM loses his SH*T on the Fins…New Soundaaa…NFL Picks…More Anger
Remember to call us with your questions/comments/suggestions for the show #708-316-8822…
Remember to call us with your questions/comments/suggestions for the show #708-316-8822
The first 2 rounds (well 3 I guess) of the NCAA Tournament are in the books! We go thru all the games while drinking booze. We discuss the upsets, and who we like moving forward. There are new sounders for your earholes as well!
The BSV machine provides Us with a good topic to discuss, so we discuss it. and agree, to disagree.
Welcome back to Binge Sports and our coverage of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. What a first week we had. Thursday was one of the greatest days of basketball I’ve ever watched in my life. Upsets. One-point games. High drama. A coach falling out of his chair after his son hits the game-winner. Awesome.
After the first week, 52 teams have gone home and we’re left with one of my favorite fields in sports. The Sweet 16. I’ll give you a preview of each of the games on Thursday and Friday, and then give you the chance to vote on who you think will survive not just the Sweet 16 on Thursday and Friday, but the Elite Eight on Saturday and Sunday as well. The road to Indianapolis starts on Thursday. Let’s take a drive.
MIDWEST REGION (CLEVELAND)
(7)WICHITA STATE v. (3)NOTRE DAME
Thursday, March 26, 2015
7:15 p.m. Eastern/6:15 p.m. Central
CBS
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Wichita State (30-4)-def. (10)Indiana 81-76, def. (2)Kansas 78-65
I still think Wichita State has a chip on their shoulder. After a questionable draw last year as an undefeated number one seed, and a perhaps lower than they what they expected seed this year, the Shockers dismantled two good teams on their way to Cleveland. After beating the Indiana Hoosiers by five, they took it to their in-state (or who they’ve been trying to make) rival, the Kansas Jayhawks. With a rematch against a Kentucky team that killed their dreams last year a very real possibility, they’re in for a fight against Notre Dame, a team that has been pushed to the brink in their first two games. Winning by a combined seven points, the luck of the Irish has shown through thus far. But the great teams always find a way to win in this tournament, and Notre Dame will be relying on their excellent perimeter play to move them through to the Elite Eight. I look for another close game for the Irish on Thursday night.
(5)WEST VIRGINIA v. (1)KENTUCKY
Thursday, March 26, 2015
9:45 p.m. Eastern/8:45 p.m. Central
CBS
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
West Virginia (29-6)-def. (12)Buffalo 68-62, def. (4)Maryland 69-59
Nobody has ever started a season 36-0 except these Kentucky Wildcats. The march towards becoming the first men’s team to finish at 40-0 continues on Thursday night against the West Virginia Mountaineers. Can Bob Huggins be the man to take down John Calipari’s juggernaut? Actually, maybe. He took down Kentucky in the Elite 8 five years ago, and that was a team that had John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. And this West Virginia team has size. They’ve got athleticism. That press is aggressive. They can really put pressure on the Kentucky guards. They have depth. They may actually be able to wear Kentucky out. Or Kentucky could just win by 25. They’re 36-0, you know.
[yop_poll id=”199″]
WEST REGION (LOS ANGELES)
(4)NORTH CAROLINA v. (1)WISCONSIN
Thursday, March 26, 2015
7:47 p.m. Eastern/6:47 p.m Central
TBS
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
North Carolina (26-11)-def. (13)Harvard 67-65, def. (5)Arkansas 87-78
As good as the Wisconsin Badgers are, I don’t think they’ve played up to their potential just yet. Granted, their first game was against a number sixteen seed in Coastal Carolina, so you don’t necessarily need your best, but then they got a battle against Oregon, ultimately winning by seven. As I said earlier, the great teams find a way to win, and I think the Badgers’ best basketball is still ahead of them. I do look for them to beat North Carolina on Thursday, but it might not be as easy as they want it to be. This isn’t the best squad that Roy Williams has ever brought to this tournament, but they’re still North Carolina. There’s a certain swagger that comes with wearing that jersey, and the current crop can get physical. As I said, I do expect Wisconsin to win, but it certainly wouldn’t shock me to see North Carolina playing on Saturday.
(6)XAVIER v. (2)ARIZONA
Thursday, March 26, 2015
9:17 p.m. Eastern/8:17 p.m. Central
TBS
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Xavier (23-13)-def. (11)Ole Miss 76-57, def. (14)Georgia State 75-67
Arizona (33-3)-def. (15)Texas Southern, def. (10)Ohio State 73-58
PREVIEW:
The fun story in this game actually has to do with the coaches. Allow me to give you a quick rundown of the situation. Sean Miller is the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats. This past Sunday, they defeated Ohio State, whose head coach is Thad Matta. For three years, Miller worked under Matta at….Xavier. When Matta moved on in 2004, Miller became the new head coach at Xavier, taking the Musketeers to four NCAA tournaments. When he decided to leave for the desert, he was replaced by…current Xavier head coach, Chris Mack, who had come to Xavier as an assistant the same year Miller started his tenure there. So now we get one of those wacky NCAA Tournament stories that the committee loves so much. It’s Sean Miller against his old assistant and program, which translates to the fact that there’s a basketball game between Arizona and Xavier late Thursday night. Since that took up so much time, I’ll just tell you that Arizona is better, and should win handily. It’s not that Xavier isn’t good, but they haven’t been tested yet. I’ve been saying the entire tournament that I think Arizona is one of maybe two teams that can beat Kentucky, so I’ve got to stick with them here.
Gonzaga (34-2)-def. (15)North Dakota St. 86-76, def. (7)Iowa 87-68
PREVIEW:
So even when UCLA isn’t supposed to be here, one of the biggest programs in NCAA history finds its way into the Sweet Sixteen. Go ahead and start your rant about the SMU game and the goaltending call. I’ll wait……………are you done? The fact remains that the Bruins are here, and one of the reasons for that is Bryce Alford, son of head coach and legendary Hoosier, Steve Alford. Admittedly not having watched much UCLA basketball this year, this kid is really impressive. Unfortunately for him and his teammates, I think the clock is about to strike midnight on their Cinderella story. Who would have ever thought we’d talk about UCLA that way. But the fact remains that they are an eleven seed, and this is the best team that Mark Few has ever had at Gonzaga. It’s almost funny to see the role reversal here. For years, Gonzaga played the role of spoiler. In 2015, they’re matching up against UCLA as the favorite.
(5)UTAH v. (1)DUKE
Friday, March 27, 2015
9:45 p.m. Eastern/8:45 p.m. Central
CBS
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Utah (26-8)-def. (12)Stephen F. Austin 57-50, def. (4)Georgetown 75-64
Duke (31-4)-def. (16)Robert Morris 85-56, def. (8)San Diego St. 68-49
PREVIEW:
No matter what happens on Friday night, Duke fans can take joy in the fact that they didn’t suffer an embarrassing loss in the first week of the tournament. Remember earlier when I talked about Arizona being one of two teams that I thought could beat Kentucky. Duke is the other. Jahlil Okafor will more than likely be the number one overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, and I just don’t think Utah has anyone that can stop him. The best they can do is try to move him outside, but that’s been no easy task this season. I’ve liked Utah from the start of this tournament, but I think they’ve just run into a team that’s simply better than they are. I picked Duke to go to the title game in every single bracket that I filled out, so I won’t give up on them now.
[yop_poll id=”201″]
EAST REGION
(8)NC STATE v. (4)LOUISVILLE
Friday, March 27, 2015
7:37 p.m. Eastern/6:37 p.m. Central
TBS
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
NC State (22-13)-def. (9)LSU 66-65, def. (1)Villanova 71-68
Well, this has become anybody’s bracket. NC State took down the number one seed in Villanova, and have certainly had some tough games. They’ve won two games by a total of four points, including a very good 8-9 game in the first round (yes, I’m still calling it the first round) against LSU, pulling out a 66-65 victory. Not to be outdone, Louisville survived UC Irvine in the first round, winning 57-55. While NC State may have more overall talent, the obvious edge for Louisville here is Rick Pitino. He’s been in this spot over and over again and knows how to win in this tournament. But hey, the East region has been anything but conventional thus far. Maybe a triple overtime game between two good teams is in order.
(7)MICHIGAN STATE v. (3)OKLAHOMA
Friday, March 27, 2015
10:07 p.m Eastern/9:07 p.m. Central
TBS
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Michigan State (25-11)-def. (10)Georgia 70-63, def. (2)Virginia 60-54
Speaking of guys who have been here before, Tom Izzo has the Michigan State Spartans in yet another Sweet 16. Time and time again, this guy finds a way to win in this tournament, and they got here by beating a very good Virginia team. He knew Virginia’s weakness and exploited it. He got the ball out in transition and barely ever gave the Cavaliers a chance to set up that stifling half-court defense. On the other side of the ball, we really haven’t seen Oklahoma get tested yet. While the stories were fun, the Sooners beat a fourteen seed in Albany and Dayton, an eleven seed that had played two games already, albeit one at home. The fact is that this has the chance to be a very good basketball game between two teams that we thought might be here. We’ll find out what happens on Friday night.
[yop_poll id=”202″]
I’m sure we’re in for another great four days of basketball. The road to Indianapolis runs out on Sunday night. Who’d you pick for the Final Four? Justify your vote below or as always, follow me and tweet @BingeSportsand/or @THElukenorris. I’ll continue my NCAA Tournament coverage next week, but stay tuned for more Binge Sports coming at you later this week. See you soon.
Welcome back to Binge Sports and our continuing coverage of the NFL Playoffs. Outside of the Dallas/Detroit game, Wild Card Weekend wasn’t quite as exciting as I expected it to be, but hey, what are you gonna do? But look at the match-ups we’ve got this weekend. Iconic franchises and future Hall-of-Famers are everywhere on Saturday and Sunday. As I did last weekend, I’ll give you the teams, how they got here, when the game is, the betting line (at least as it is when I write this), and a quick breakdown. I’ll also show you how you did in the voting last week and of course, I’ll give you another chance to vote on this week’s winners. So let’s not waste any more time. Let’s make Jack happy and lead off with the first game on Saturday….
(6)BALTIMORE RAVENS (10-6, 3rd in AFC North)
@
(1)NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (12-4, won AFC East)
When: Saturday, January 10th, 2015-4:35E/3:35C-NBC
WC Weekend: New England-bye, Baltimore-def. Pittsburgh 30-17 (9% voted correctly)
Current Line: New England favored by 7
Why You ShouldWatch: Because the Ravens can actually win this game. They went on the road and beat a Steelers team that had been a role and did it fairly easily. That gave the franchise ten road victories in the playoffs, tying them with Green Bay for the most in NFL history. What makes that even more impressive is that they’ve only been in existence since 1996. One of those wins happened in Foxboro only two years ago in the AFC Championship game. But the Patriots are well rested and one of the hottest teams in the league. They won ten of their last twelve, but that includes resting their starters in the season finale against Buffalo. Both teams know what it takes to win these big games and this is a nice start to the weekend.
[yop_poll id=”163″]
(4)CAROLINA PANTHERS (7-8-1, won NFC South)
@
(1)SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (12-4, won NFC West)
When: Saturday, January 10th, 2015-8:15E/7:15C-FOX
Why You Should Watch: Because both of these teams have exciting, mobile quarterbacks, good defense, and both are on a hot streak. Carolina comes in having won five in a row and are only allowing about twelve points per game during that stretch. Not to be outdone, the Seahawks enter this game having won six in a row and have only allowed 6.5 points per game during their stretch. Seattle also has the advantage of playing at home. “The 12th Man” should be rocking on Saturday night. The defending champions have only lost two games at home over the past two years and come in as a pretty heavy favorite in this game.
[yop_poll id=”164″]
(3)DALLAS COWBOYS (12-4, won NFC East)
@
(2)GREEN BAY PACKERS (12-4, won NFC North)
When: Sunday, January 11th, 2015-1:05E/12:05C-FOX
WC Weekend: Green Bay-bye, Dallas-def. Detroit 24-20 (78% voted correctly)
Current Line: Green Bay favored by 6.5
Why You ShouldWatch: Because it’s the Cowboys and the Packers. Two of the most iconic franchises in sports renew their rivalry in the opening game on Sunday afternoon. It won’t exactly be “The Ice Bowl”, but it’s going to be cold in Green Bay at game time, topping out in the high teens. But this is one hot match-up. The Packers had last week off and that should benefit Aaron Rodgers, who had some time to recover from the nagging calf injury. The Cowboys come in after a hell of a game against the Lions and will have to adjust to the weather. And in a situation we don’t see very often, the Packers are 8-0 at Lambeau this year, but Dallas was 8-0 on the road. Expect another classic.
Why You Should Watch: The storyline is pretty easy here. It’s Peyton Manning playing his old team and their new golden boy, Andrew Luck. And Luck looked very good once again in their defeat of the Bengals last weekend. There’s been a lot of football played in between this match-up and the Week 1 encounter between these two teams, which Denver won 31-24 after a late surge by Indianapolis. Is this Peyton Manning’s last ride? Is this the day that the torch is truly passed? We’ll find out in the last game of the weekend.
[yop_poll id=”166″]
There you have it. Eight teams are left on the road to the Super Bowl, with seven of them being division winners. Who’d you pick? Comment below (we already know Jack will) or follow and tweet @BingeSports and/or @THElukenorris. And don’t forget that this isn’t the only playoff going on right now. Check back soon for my preview of the upcoming national title game between Ohio State and Oregon.
Okay, the wait is over and the final four is set for the inaugural College Football Playoff. Welcome to Binge Sports and the results of the fan poll. The blank bracket you see above is what we started with when the voting began a few weeks ago and after years of waiting, we finally have a bracket to decide a champion in the world of college football.
Sorry, I came across it and had to do it. I know a ton of Irish fans and just wanted to throw that in there. And before all the hate comes, no, I do not have any room to talk shit as my beloved Michigan Wolverines aren’t even going to a bowl game after finishing 5-7. But here’s the real bracket.
The controversy has already begun with both Big 12 teams (TCU and Baylor) being left out, but nobody said the system was going to be perfect. Honestly, I’ve got no problem with the four teams that are here, I mean, besides the fact that I despise Ohio State, but they do deserve to be here. So how did you do in your picks? Let’s find out.
ALABAMA-100% of people that voted chose Alabama
OREGON-75% of people that voted chose Oregon
FLORIDA STATE-100% of people that voted chose Florida State
OHIO STATE-75% of people that voted chose Ohio State
Overall, I’d say that the Binge Sports fans did quite well in the voting. Other teams that received votes over the past few weeks included Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Baylor. I was a little shocked that TCU did not receive one vote, but that turned out to be correct anyway.
I’ll be back in a few weeks with a breakdown of these games and of course, another chance for you to vote for the winners. Keep checking back with Binge Sports for all the big game info and remember, you can always hit me up @BingeSports or @THElukenorris. And don’t forget, Binge Sports has all the balls.
Welcome back to Binge Sports and the continuing coverage of the College Football Playoff rankings. Not much has changed this week as only one team from last week’s top ten is gone after Ole Miss was humiliated over the weekend. The top seven remained the same. UCLA and Georgia each moved up a spot and Michigan State entered at number ten. So let’s check out this week’s action and see who has the inside track.
(1) ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
CURRENT RECORD: 10-1, lost to Ole Miss
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Auburn, SEC Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: If the Tide can win the Iron Bowl this weekend, I think they get in no matter what happens in the SEC title game. But I’ve been wrong before. Not often, but I have.
HOW THEY GET IN: As I said last week, the Ducks have already won the Pac-12 North and solidified their spot in the Pac-12 title game. Their opponent still hasn’t been decided, but will be this weekend. I don’t think anybody will beat them coming in, so I’m calling them a lock for the final four.
(3) FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES
CURRENT RECORD: 11-0
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Florida, ACC Championship
HOW THEY GET IN: The Seminoles have kept on winning, but they haven’t been winning in a big way. But as the defending national champions and an undefeated record, they deserve to be here right now. I don’t think they’re as strong as they were last year, but if they win the next two, they’ll definitely be in.
(4) MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
CURRENT RECORD: 10-1, lost to Alabama
REMAINING SCHEDULE: @Ole Miss, SEC Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: It’s still tricky right around spot number four. They can’t control what Alabama does, but they’re certainly hoping for an Auburn win this weekend. They’ve got their rivalry game with Ole Miss this weekend and it’s on the road, but they should still win. They’ll be relying on their strength of schedule to earn a spot over teams such as………
(5) TCU HORNED FROGS
CURRENT RECORD: 9-1, lost to Baylor
REMAINING SCHEDULE: @Texas, v. Iowa State
HOW THEY GET IN: TCU actually gets things going tonight with a game against in-state rival Texas. I don’t know why, but this feels like a trap game to me. The Longhorns aren’t what they once were, but they could give the Horned Frogs a game tonight. And don’t forget, TCU’s lone loss came to a Baylor team that’s fighting for a spot as well.
(6) OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
CURRENT RECORD: 10-1, lost to Virginia Tech
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Michigan, Big 10 Championship
HOW THEY GET IN: Rivalry games continue with arguably the biggest one in college football history as the Michigan Wolverines come to Columbus on Saturday to try and derail the Buckeyes chances of getting into the playoffs. However, Michigan is just terrible and the Buckeyes should win this in a walk. They’ve already earned a spot in the Big 10 title game, probably against Wisconsin. Win that game and the committee will have to take notice.
(7) BAYLOR BEARS
CURRENT RECORD: 9-1, lost to West Virginia
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Texas Tech, v. Kansas State
HOW THEY GETIN: As I said last week, Baylor controls their own destiny. If they win the next two games, they’ll be the Big 12 champion thanks to that head-to-head win against TCU, who they’re actually chasing in these standings. Will the committee take that into account? The Bears certainly hope so.
(8) UCLA BRUINS
CURRENT RECORD: 9-2, losses to Utah and Oregon
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Stanford, Pac-12 Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: It’s pretty simple for UCLA. Beat Stanford tomorrow and they’re into the Pac-12 championship game against Oregon. It’s a longshot, but a win against Oregon could vault them into the top four. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.
(9) GEORGIA BULLDOGS
CURRENT RECORD: 9-2, losses to South Carolina and Florida
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Georgia Tech, SEC Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: First of all, the Bulldogs have to beat Georgia Tech this weekend. But they’ll also be rooting heavily for Arkansas to knock off Missouri, as that is what they need to earn a spot in the SEC title game. Get there and beat Alabama or Mississippi State and the committee would take a long look at Georgia.
(10) MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
CURRENT RECORD: 9-2
REMAINING SCHEDULE: @Penn State
HOW THEY GET IN: They don’t. But I wanted to give you the top 10. They’ll likely be in a big bowl game, but not part of the playoff. Sorry Spartan fans. It’s the truth.
[yop_poll id=”156″]
Who did you vote for and why? Comment below or follow @BingeSports on Twitter or tweet me directly @THElukenorris. I’ll be back next week with conference title game previews and the top ten heading into the final weekend before selections are made.
The fan vote is back! Welcome to Binge Sports coverage of the inaugural College Football Playoff. After years of dealing with the dreaded BCS, the human element has been brought to the world of college football. The conversation we’ve been dealing with for years has been “Well, what about that third team that’s left on the outside looking in?” And now, it will probably be the same. Just substitute “fifth” for “third” and we’ll go from there. Instead of relying on computers to give us the top two teams to play for a title, a committee has been formed to vote in the top four teams, who will battle in January in the first-ever playoff in big time college football. Over the next few weeks, I’ll give you the top ten teams as ranked by the committee, their current record, their remaining schedule, and how they get in. At the end, you’ll have the chance to vote for the four teams that you think will get in. I’ll reveal the results when the teams are officially announced in a few weeks. Let’s start at the top with a familiar face.
(1) ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
CURRENT RECORD: 9-1, lost to Ole Miss
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Western Carolina, v. Auburn, SEC Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: I know everybody is upset that Alabama is back at number one and thinks there may be some bias here, but no matter how you look at it, Alabama deserves to be here, as much as we all may hate it. But they’re not a shoe-in just yet. Yes, they’ve got a cupcake this week, but as we’ve seen before, the Iron Bowl against Auburn could derail their title hopes once again. If they do survive that game, just getting to the SEC Championship against Georgia or Missouri may get them in.
(2) OREGON DUCKS
CURRENT RECORD: 9-1, lost to Arizona
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Colorado, @Oregon State, Pac-12 Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: The Ducks have already won the Pac-12 North, so we know they’re into the conference championship game. Logic says they should win their final two regular season games. But their opponent for the Pac-12 title game has yet to be determined as the teams in the South division are battling for the right to face Oregon. If I had to put money on it, I’d say that Oregon wins out and gets in.
(3) FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES
CURRENT RECORD: 10-0
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Boston College, v. Florida, ACC Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: It’s going to be very difficult for the committee to keep Florida State out, barring some crazy scenario that sees them lose these games to sub-par opponents like BC and Florida. I don’t think they’re as strong as they were last year, but they’ve kept on winning, coming from behind many times, including the Miami game last weekend. It looks like they’ll play Duke or Georgia Tech in the ACC title game, which shouldn’t be too much of a struggle, but stranger things have happened.
(4) MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS
CURRENT RECORD: 9-1, lost to Alabama
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Vanderbilt, @Ole Miss, SEC Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: Here’s where things get tricky. First of all, the best thing for Mississippi State would be for Auburn to beat Alabama. As far as what they can control themselves, they shouldn’t have a problem with Vanderbilt, but a big rivalry game looms with #8 Ole Miss in the last week of the regular season. If they win out and Alabama wins out, they’ll have to hope that the committee can see past them not being in the SEC Championship game and put them in ahead of another conference winner, such as……….
(5) TCU HORNED FROGS
CURRENT RECORD: 9-1, lost to Baylor
REMAINING SCHEDULE: @Texas, v. Iowa State
HOW THEY GET IN: There’s certainly no guarantee that TCU even wins the Big 12. Remember the head-to-head loss against Baylor in the 61-58 game of the year candidate? While ranked ahead of Baylor at the moment, they’ll have to hope that the committee just sees them as a stronger team at the end of the year. And with no conference championship game, they don’t have a chance to exact revenge on the Bears.
(6) OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
CURRENT RECORD: 9-1, lost to Virginia Tech
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Indiana, v. Michigan, Big 10 Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: A few weeks ago, nobody was really considering Ohio State as a contender. But they went up to East Lansing and put a beating on Michigan State, followed by another impressive win against a surprisingly good Minnesota team. They should handle Indiana this week and “The Game” against Michigan shouldn’t be too much trouble either (damn, it pains me to my core to write that). It looks as if a showdown with Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship is coming. Will the committee reward Urban Meyer for being….well, Urban Meyer, or is the Big 10 just not good enough this year? A few upsets up top wouldn’t hurt the Buckeyes either.
(7) BAYLOR BEARS
CURRENT RECORD: 8-1, lost to West Virginia
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Oklahoma State, v. Texas Tech, v. Kansas State
HOW THEY GETIN: As I said above in the TCU portion, if Baylor can win out, they’re the automatic champion of the Big 12. That head-to-head win against TCU looks damn good right now, but that loss to West Virginia doesn’t. Their finisher against Kansas State won’t be any picnic either. The good news is that they’re at home for their final three games, which may play a big part in deciding the Big 12.
(8) OLE MISS REBELS
CURRENT RECORD: 8-2, losses to LSU and Auburn
REMAINING SCHEDULE: @Arkansas, v. Mississippi State
HOW THEY GET IN: It’s hard to see Ole Miss getting in now after recent back-to-back losses against LSU and Auburn. But they do have that big game with Mississippi State coming up and they are the team that pinned that loss on the Crimson Tide. But they would also need a ton of help at the top and a loss in either of the next two games would easily eliminate them.
(9) UCLA BRUINS
CURRENT RECORD: 8-2, losses to Utah and Oregon
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. USC, v. Stanford
HOW THEY GET IN: This is another long shot, but their two losses are to good teams. If they can somehow make their way into the Pac-12 title game and knock off Oregon, the Bruins will at least give themselves a chance.
(10) GEORGIA BULLDOGS
CURRENT RECORD: 8-2, losses to South Carolina and Florida
REMAINING SCHEDULE: v. Charleston Southern, v. Georgia Tech, SEC Championship?
HOW THEY GET IN: They have to get to the SEC Championship and win and hope for other help. It’s as easy as that and highly unlikely. They may not even get that far if Missouri can win out.
Okay, there you have it for this week. And now I leave it to you. Which four teams are you picking to go the inaugural College Football Playoff. Pick your four below and back up your votes with comments below or tweeting @BingeSports and/or @THElukenorris. I’ll be back next week with an update. And remember, Binge Sports has all the balls.