10 Biggest Questions Facing Top 25 Teams Heading into Week 14
Here we are. For many teams, Week 14 marks the end of the regular season. Next week, the ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC will hold their conference championships.
The latest College Football Playoff rankings showed no movement among the Top Seven spots. Those are considered to be the teams with the most realistic shot of getting into the playoff. But with rivalry week upon us, there are several opportunities for chaos to ensue.
Which storylines are worth following this Thanksgiving weekend? The answers are in the following slides.
The only criterion is that teams mentioned have to be in the latest CFP Top 25.
10. Can Boise State Get One Step Closer to a Group of Five Bowl Slot?
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Getting blown out by Ole Miss in Week 1 signaled that Boise State's time as a college football Cinderella was over. That may hold true in the long run, but the Broncos could still play in a major bowl this year.
Boise State recently entered the CFP Top 25 at No. 23. That makes the Broncos the highest-rated mid-major at the moment, one spot above undefeated Marshall.
A win over Utah State would give Boise State the Mountain Division crown and a spot in the Mountain West conference championship.
Of course, beating the Aggies, who have the top defense in the Mountain West, is no easy task. Utah State isn't ranked, but this has been a good team even without injured quarterback Chuckie Keeton.
It'll be interesting to see which Group of Five team the selection committee gives a major bowl spot. As it has shown so far, being undefeated means little.
9. Is Florida State Going to Get "Zook'd" by Florida Coach Will Muschamp?
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It's no secret by now that Florida State has been scraping by in several close games. The Seminoles are still a good playoff-bound team if they win. The question is if there's a team that can finally make FSU pay for those close calls.
Florida is an unlikely team to do it. Gators coach Will Muschamp will, ahem, "step down" at season's end after another disappointing season in Gainesville. However, as ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson asks, can Florida pull a Zooker against Florida State? Adelson, of course, is referring to when Florida beat Florida State 20-13 in 2004 in former head coach Ron Zook's final game:
"Florida has a history of doing that under Muschamp. It was two years ago Florida went into Doak Campbell Stadium and forced five turnovers in a 37-26 win. Florida was a much better team then -- ranked higher than Florida State, in fact. But it also happens to be the last time the Seminoles lost.
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Florida does one thing well on offense: run the ball. Boston College pushed around Florida State last week. The Eagles averaged 4.7 yards per carry against the Seminoles on 51 attempts.
Florida is lucky it's bowl eligible, but this is a rivalry game, and the Gators probably feel they have nothing to lose. The same can't be said for Florida State. Does it make a difference come Saturday?
8. Can Mississippi State Impress the Selection Committee vs. Ole Miss?
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Of all the teams in a position for a playoff spot, Mississippi State's season potentially ends the soonest. The Bulldogs do not control their destiny in the SEC West, so if Alabama beats Auburn, the Tide are going to Atlanta for the conference championship.
Does that leave Mississippi State, hanging on at No. 4 in the latest playoff standings, out of sight, out of mind? A convincing and impressive win over Ole Miss could help Mississippi State if there's no trip to Atlanta in December.
Like in other games this season, quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Josh Robinson are the pair who make Mississippi State's offense work. And the offense works best when it's balanced with the power run and the pass (247 versus 265 yards per game, respectively).
Mississippi State is just a 2.5-point favorite, according to OddsShark.com, so a convincing win could help if things get chaotic in the playoff picture outside of the SEC over the next two weeks.
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7. How Much Will Arizona QB Anu Solomon's Injury Affect Him vs. Arizona State?
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Arizona had no problem rolling over Utah 42-10 last weekend, but freshman quarterback Anu Solomon sustained an injured ankle in the game.
Solomon is questionable for this weekend's game against Arizona State.
"Anu has been banged up for several weeks now and he's trying to fight through it," head coach Rich Rodriguez said via Steve Rivera of Fox Sports Arizona. "If he can't go we will go with Jesse (Scroggins), Jerrard (Randall) or Conner (Brewer) and try to get a couple of first downs."
Will Solomon play? If so, how does he look and how effective will he be?
There's a lot on the line regardless. In addition to bragging rights, the winner of the Territorial Cup can win the Pac-12 South with a UCLA loss to Stanford.
6. Will Missouri Keep Arkansas from Running over the Defense?
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Arkansas is "just" 6-5, but there probably aren't too many teams that want to play the Razorbacks at the moment. In its last two games, Arkansas outscored opponents LSU and Ole Miss 47-0.
Good luck, Missouri.
A win over Arkansas gives the Tigers the SEC East title for the second straight year; a loss would send Georgia to Atlanta for the SEC title. The matchup comes down to whether Missouri can stop what Arkansas does best: run it down the throats of its opponents.
Missouri has been good against the run, allowing 2.82 yards per rush through the month of November. However, the Tigers haven't faced a run offense this good since Georgia in mid-October. (It should be noted that Missouri actually did all right against Georgia's run offense, allowing 3.6 yards per carry, but turned the ball over five times.)
The Tigers' strength on defense lies in pass-rushing with Shane Ray and Markus Golden, who rank No. 1 and No. 5, respectively, in the SEC in sacks. If Missouri can get Arkansas into obvious passing situations on third down, it has a chance. Here's the problem: Arkansas is capable of getting a first down on just two running plays.
It's strength versus strength in the trenches. If Missouri can win up front, it has a good chance to win the game, provided quarterback Maty Mauk doesn't have a mistake-riddled game.
5. Will UCLA's Offense Have Another Big Game?
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UCLA's defensive performance against USC might have been the most impressive part of the Bruins' 38-20 victory over the Trojans in Week 13. UCLA gave up just 13 points (the other touchdown came on a pick-six) and kept wide receiver Nelson Agholor in check with just three receptions.
With a defensive front seven that's full of athleticism, and with Stanford's offensive struggles, there isn't much doubt the Bruins will keep the Cardinal from racking up points. Additionally, Cardinal receiver Ty Montgomery, Stanford's best offensive weapon, is out with a shoulder injury.
Really, this comes down to whether or not UCLA's offense can end the game before it ever begins. Stanford still has the best defense in the Pac-12 and has only allowed more than 20 points twice (to Oregon and Arizona State, both of which were losses).
Stanford is not as good as it has been closing out close games, however, so if it does come down to the wire, that's not necessarily a built-in advantage for the Cardinal. If UCLA jumps out to a comfortable lead by halftime, like the Sun Devils and Ducks did, then it should be home free and on to the Pac-12 title.
4. Does Ole Miss Have the Offense to Stop Its Late-Season Slide?
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Ole Miss is all kinds of banged up at the moment. The Rebels are already without star receiver Laquon Treadwell for the remainder of the season (leg) and were without quarterback Bo Wallace (sprained ankle) for part of last week's shutout loss to Arkansas.
Wallace should be back this week for the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State, according to head coach Hugh Freeze, but how he looks remains to be seen.
"He's been limited some, but you'd have to chain him down to keep him from going in this game," Freeze said in his weekly teleconference (h/t Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee).
Ole Miss' defense hasn't been as stingy over the past two SEC games, but statistically speaking, it's still good enough to win. When the offense is held to seven points or less in two of the last three conference games, however, that puts an unfair amount of pressure on the defense.
Mississippi State's defense gives up 400 yards a game, so the opportunity is there for Ole Miss to move the ball, but the Bulldogs rank atop the SEC in opponent red-zone conversions. Field goals probably aren't going to win this for Ole Miss.
3. Whose Defense, Georgia or Georgia Tech, Rises to the Occasion?
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Will there be more than 100 passing yards between Georgia and Georgia Tech? This has the makings of a game with more rushing yards than either side would care to count.
At 328 rushing yards per game, the Yellow Jackets' triple-option has been difficult, if not near impossible, to stop. Thought quarterback Justin Thomas is a better passer than he's given credit for, the bread-and-butter of the Yellow Jackets offense has been unstoppable.
Similarly, defending Georgia's ground game, led by freshman Nick Chubb, has been like trying to stop a moving tank. There's simply too much power in the Bulldogs backfield.
Georgia's run defense has been statistically more vulnerable. The remains of Florida's 418 yards on the ground against the Bulldogs can still be felt in the 5.2 yards per rush this defense has given up in the month of November.
Expect both sides to load the box and stop the run. Whichever defense does it better has the inside track to win.
2. Which Big Ten Running Back Has the Better Day: Melvin Gordon or David Cobb?
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Like ground-and-pound offenses? You'll probably love Minnesota vs. Wisconsin on Saturday.
The game features Doak Walker (and likely Heisman Trophy) finalist Melvin Gordon at running back for Wisconsin. But this isn't a one-sided affair; Minnesota's David Cobb has been outstanding this year as well with 1,430 yards and 12 touchdowns.
All three of the Doak Walker finalists—Gordon, Indiana's Tevin Coleman and Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah—came from the Big Ten. That means someone had to miss the cut, and that someone is Cobb.
Perhaps Cobb can show voters that he was deserving of more attention by outplaying Gordon. For what it's worth, Cobb is "very questionable" with a hamstring injury.
Either way, the Big Ten West title is on the line. It wouldn't be surprising if Cobb tries to give it a go.
1. Can Alabama's Defense Be the Difference (again) Against Auburn?
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The knock on Nick Saban's Alabama team is that it struggles against hurry-up, no-huddle teams and that Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is Saban's kryptonite. The numbers of the past four Iron Bowls tell a different story.
For one, Saban is 2-2 against Auburn with Malzahn as either the offensive coordinator or head coach. A Malzahn-led Auburn offense hasn't scored more than 28 points on Alabama in those four meetings. In fact, Saban has held a Malzahn-led Auburn offense to fewer points in the Iron Bowl than the Tigers have averaged in those respective seasons (2009-11, '13).
Can Alabama's defense do it again this time? The Tide have the offensive firepower to get into a shootout if need be, but the athletic front seven has to limit Tigers quarterback Nick Marshall. Auburn ranks No. 9 in the country with 266 rushing yards per game, but Alabama allows just 2.76 yards per rush and has given up just two rushing touchdowns.
If Auburn has to get away from its base offense, that's good news for the Tide.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.
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