Nobody Knows Anything: Up is down, Mississippi State is No. 1
This week's games that made no sense to anyone.
Mississippi State 38, Auburn 23
So long as Mississippi State keeps winning, the Bulldogs are the most surprising team in the country. They are No. 1 for the first time ever, and they are more than deserving of it.
However, it is hard not to question just how good the teams they’ve beaten are. LSU will struggle to make a bowl game. Texas A&M got whipped by the other SEC Mississippi school, Ole Miss. Auburn’s best win at this point is an ugly victory in Manhattan against Kansas State.
Mississippi State appears to be the best team in the best division in the country. But it seems that there is no perfect team – no 2013 Florida State – in the SEC West. That may be enough of an opening for Dak Prescott and company to get to Atlanta.
Miami 55, Cincinnati 34
Cincinnati was expected to be at the top of the American this year, competing for the Group of 5 spot in a big bowl. This was the third consecutive game in which the Bearcats got stomped. The Ohio State loss was expected. The Memphis game led to praise for the job Justin Fuente has done turning the Tigers around. But Miami, a mediocre team with a coach who is quickly losing the fan base, was a chance for the Bearcats to get back on track. They failed miserably.
The schedule probably allows for a bowl game for the Bearcats. However, just getting to a bowl in a watered-down American is not what Cincy had in mind when Tommy Tuberville was hired.
Oklahoma State 27, Kansas 20
For the third straight game, Oklahoma State was in a one score game in the second half against a conference bottom-feeder. The offense failed to find its groove against the Jayhawks, with Tyreek Hill’s kickoff return being the deciding score in the game.
At 5-1, the Cowboys remain poised to exceed any expectations that I had for them this year. The next six games are against the top teams in the Big 12, though. We will soon find out how good this team really is.