Post-Week 3 Playoff Picture

Story posted September 21, 2015 in CommRadio, Sports by Jeff Capanelli

The First Four:

1.) Ohio State — A win is a win, right? It wasn’t pretty, but the Buckeyes escaped an embar-rassing upset loss, beating Northern Illinois 20-13. Maybe a near-loss is what the Bucks needed to avoid complacency.

2.) TCU — SMU put up 37 points, which is alarming and out of character for a Gary Patterson defense. Lucky for the Horned Frogs, their offense scored 56, and can likely put up big numbers against any team in the nation.

3.) Michigan State — The Spartans secured a solid victory and another spot in the top four Sat-urday, beating Air Force 35-21. It’s important that Mark Dantonio keeps his squad focused and not looking ahead to their late-season matchup against Ohio State.

4.) Ole Miss — Hotty Toddy! Ole Miss skyrockets into the playoff picture after defeating Ala-bama 43-37, their first win in Tuscaloosa since 1988. But enough about the Tide, let’s give credit to the Rebels. They forced key turnovers and capitalized on them to secure the huge upset win.

The Next Four:

5.) Georgia — The Bulldogs exorcised their South Carolina demons on Saturday, crushing the Gamecocks in a 52-20 blowout. Quarterback Greyson Lambert was sensational. The junior quarterback set an NCAA record for completion percentage, going 24/25 for 330 yards and three touchdowns.

6.) Baylor — The Bears faced fatigue this week and came out with the win (they had a bye week). They host Rice next week.

7.) LSU — Leonard Fournette is trucking his way over SEC defenders and securing his spot as a Heisman frontrunner in the process. Fournette, who ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns, and the Tigers of LSU beat the Tigers of Auburn in Death Valley 45-21.

8.) UCLA — Last week, I sang true-freshman quarterback Josh Rosen’s praises. So naturally, he had his worst game to date on Saturday, throwing three picks and only 106 yards. Still, UCLA was able to overcome Rosen’s lackluster play and squeak out a 24-23 win over BYU.

Jeff Capanelli is a junior, broadcast journalism major. He can be contacted at jeffcapanelli@gmail.com.

Photo Credit: USA Today