College Football Week 14 Recap: Pick Results, Bowl Projections, Final Thoughts

No words can describe what happened this past weekend. In front of a national audience, No. 4 Auburn pulled off one of the most improbable wins in college football history in the 78th Iron Bowl to knock No. 1 Alabama off its pedestal. 

Just two weeks after Auburn pulled off “A Miracle in Jordan-Hare” with a 73-yard Hail Mary pass from Nick Marshall to Ricardo Louis to defeat Georgia 43-38 in the final minute of regulation, it happened again. Alabama placekicker Adam Griffith kicked a potential game-winning 57-yard field goal as time expired but came up just short, and that’s when the Auburn magic happened again. 

Cornerback Chris Davis was waiting in the back in the end zone and caught the missed kick. Davis then outran the entire Alabama special teams unit and scored a 100-yard touchdown.

It will be remembered as the greatest Iron Bowl in history, for Auburn fans that is. 

While Auburn took the SEC West Division title, No. 5 Missouri continued its quest to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta this upcoming Saturday by knocking off No. 21 Texas A&M 28-21 to clinch the SEC East Division.

In the Big Ten, No. 3 Ohio State should be grateful that it stopped Michigan on a two-point conversion that likely would have given the Wolverines a huge upset victory over the Buckeyes. Urban Meyer’s squad will get its chance to play for a BCS National Championship if it can take down a physical Michigan State team this Saturday in Indianapolis. 

Other rivalry games that ended in dramatic fashion were the Civil War between Oregon State and No. 13 Oregon, as well as the Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate game with Georgia and Georgia Tech. 

The Ducks avoided the upset by getting a clutch 12-yard touchdown reception from wide receiver Josh Huff with 29 seconds remaining to secure a 36-35 win and its sixth-straight victory over the Beavers. The Dawgs and Yellow Jackets went into double overtime, with running back Toddy Gurley scoring on a 25-yard touchdown run to give Georgia a 41-34 win. 

Lastly, San Jose State upset No. 16 Fresno State 62-52, meaning the Bulldogs are no longer a BCS bowl buster. This leaves Northern Illinois just one win away from being BCS bound for a second consecutive year. 

Pick Results

Overall Record: 97-43

Week 14 Record: 7-3

Note: Team in bold indicates author’s pick

Prediction: Ohio State 31, Michigan 17

Result: Ohio State 42, Michigan 41

Prediction: Alabama 31, Auburn 24

Result: Auburn 34, Alabama 28

Prediction: South Carolina 30, Clemson 21

Result: South Carolina 31, Clemson 17

Prediction: Texas A&M 35, Missouri 21

Result: Missouri 28, Texas A&M 21

Prediction: USC 28, UCLA 24

Result: UCLA 35, USC 14

Prediction: Michigan State 35, Minnesota 14

Result: Michigan State 14, Minnesota 3

Prediction: Duke 34, North Carolina 26

Result: Duke 27, North Carolina 25

Prediction: Baylor 38, TCU 17

Result: Baylor 41, TCU 38

Prediction: Stanford 28, Notre Dame 17

Result: Stanford 27, Notre Dame 20

Prediction: Arizona State 45, Arizona 37

Result: Arizona State 58, Arizona 21

BCS Standings

The seventh BCS Standings were released Sunday night. Here are the current Top 10:

                                     AVG.

1. Florida State           .9948

2. Ohio State              .9503

3. Auburn                  .9233

4. Alabama                 .8539

5. Missouri                 .8428

6. Oklahoma State     .7629

7. Stanford                 .7069

8. South Carolina        .7037

9. Baylor                      .6623

10. Michigan State       .6529

Current BCS Bowl Projections

BCS National Championship (Pasadena, Calif.)

Florida State vs. Ohio State 

Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)

Michigan State vs. Arizona State 

Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.)

Oklahoma State vs. Northern Illinois 

Sugar Bowl (New Orleans)

Auburn vs. UCF

Orange Bowl (Miami)

Clemson vs. Alabama 

Final Thought

Instead of discussing the whole Ohio State or Auburn as the No. 2 team in the country debate, it would be interesting to reflect on the greatest finishes since 2000. It’s easy to go back to “The Play” between Cal and Stanford in 1982 or Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass that beat Miami back in 1984 and say those are two of the top 10 finishes ever. 

For Generation Y fans, they would have not been born or have any recollection of those two plays. It would be interesting to see what many fans of Generation Y think when they think about the greatest college football game finishes they have remembered and cherished. 

My top 10 list since 2000 consists of:

10. (2005) Touchdown Manningham!

9. (2005) “The Catch”

8. (2002) "Holy Buckeye"

Tied-8. (2003) The "Pass Interference" call and final play of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl

7. (2008) Crabtree's Touchdown

6. (2007) Appalachian State shocks Michigan

5. (2002) "The Bluegrass Miracle"

4. (2007) Boise State’s statue of liberty play

3. (2006) Vince Young scores game-winning touchdown 

2. (2005) Push by Bush

1. (2013) Chris Davis returns field-goal attempt 100 yards back for a winning touchdown