College Football Playoff Potential - Nov. 22

Read last week's update here.

After another crazy week of college football, we once again had some crazy shakeups in the polls and shakeups in what could be the greatest postseason in all of sports if they let it be done right. Again, every conference champ gets an automatic bid with 5 at large bids determined by BCS standings which makes a 16 team playoff. Here are the teams that would make the playoff if the season ended today.

1. LSU (SEC leader)

After another solid SEC win at Ole Miss, LSU once again faces another big time opponent next week with Arkansas coming into Baton Rouge. They need to dodge yet another bullet to just get to the SEC Championship game and have a shot at this automatic bid.

2. Alabama (At Large #1)

Bama backed their way back into the runner-up spot and could back into the SEC Championship or even the #1 spot in the polls if LSU slips up this week. Just don't lose like you tried to do against Georgia Southern.

3. Arkansas (At Large #2)

The LSU-Arkansas game would be an example of a game that would lose some weight under this system because both teams have pretty much wrapped up a spot in the bracket where this week they will be fighting for a chance to play in the National Championship. However, Arkansas loses this game in a playoff system and they have a tough matchup in the first round instead of a lower level conference champ like the top 3 would have.

4. Oklahoma St. (Big 12 leader)

After an embarrassing loss to Iowa St. they should have dropped further. However, due to some other big losses they not only drop just 2 spots but hold onto the lead in the Big 12. They have to bounce back in a hurry for Bedlum against Oklahoma or else they will be facing a potential road game in the first round only a couple weeks after being #2 in all the land.

5. Virginia Tech (ACC leader)

As long as they keep winning, they will be a force in the playoff. However, they have a rivalry game next against a surging Virginia and then a conference championship against Clemson, who gave them their one loss. So "just keep winning" will be a challenge.

6. Stanford (At Large #3)

This happens twice right now in the polls: a team gets an at large spot that has a higher overall rank than their conference leader. Stanford could end up in the top 4 once it's all said and done. Watch out for Notre Dame though. Luck against the Irish.

7. Boise St. (At Large #4)

Boise found their way back into the bracket after some losses last week. As long as they keep winning, they will end up bringing a tough opponent to the Smurf Turf in the opening round and become a dark horse to take it all.

8. Houston (C-USA leader)

They just keep winning. Last week they were on the road playing a winnable game, and now they would be hosting a home game. Before it's all said and done, they could (and should) end up even higher. The ultimate wild card is a team that has won every game they have played and everyone overlooks.

9. Oklahoma (At Large #5)

The last at large goes to Oklahoma, but with a loss in the Bedlum game knocks them out of the playoff picture after a costly loss to Baylor. A win against OK St. not only moves them up, but would clinch them the conference.

10. Oregon (Pac-12 leader)

The biggest challenge Oregon has left is the Civil War against Oregon St. which is never an easy game. However, even with the loss to USC they can win out and take the conference with more losses overall than Stanford.

11. Michigan St. (Big 10 leader)

The brutal war for control in the Big 10 currently has Michigan St. coming out on top, but it could easily be Penn St. or Wisconsin if they win the championship game, or even Michigan if Sparty slips up against Northwestern. Just ask Husker fans, it can happen.

12. TCU (MWC leader)

One more win and they wrap up this spot thanks to the Boise St. win. With that game being against UNLV, it looks likely they will be a fighting for some upsets in the bracket.

13. Northern Illinois (MAC leader)

This team just keeps winning and looking good doing it. However, a slip up in the MAC Championship against Ohio knocks them out. These conference championships in the smaller conferences can become like Championship Week in March Madness. Win and you're in. Lose and you're out. No matter who you are.

14. Louisiana Tech (WAC leader)

Tech played their way into this spot by beating Nevada last week. With a win against New Mexico St. they clinch it.

15. Arkansas St. (Sun Belt leader)

Undefeated in conference puts them in the field with only two overall losses to two strong big conference teams. They won't be a complete cake walk. The Sun Belt champ is always a scary team to face in the bowls.

16. Louisville (Big East leader)

With a loss by Cincinnati, the top of the forever depleted Big East barely has a .500 record. They have to beat South Florida still which will not be easy. This spot will most likely end up going to a team like Rutgers if (or when) Louisville slips up again.

Teams on the outside looking in

Kansas St. - Loss from Oklahoma against OK St. puts them in.

Georgia - Major upset in the SEC Championship mixes everything up and thrusts the Bulldogs into the automatic bid in the SEC and takes an at large bid away from someone like Boise St. Thinking about this scenario in the reality that is the BCS, what if Georgia beats LSU/Bama/Arkansas in the SEC Championship game? Georgia goes to the Sugar Bowl automatically and due to the rule that only one at large bid can come from each conference you will most likely not be allowed to have a 1/2 National Championship. For instance, let's say Arkansas beats LSU this week. That would most likely put Bama at 1, Arkansas at 2, and LSU at 3. Now let's say Bama loses to Georgia in the SEC Championship. That puts Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Arkansas becomes #1, LSU goes to #2, and Bama drops to #3 or lower. Arkansas would be in the National Championship, but LSU as the #2 team in the nation would not be allowed to because there would already be 2 SEC teams in the BCS. If Bama doesn't fall any further than #3 after losing to Georgia, you would be forced to have Arkansas play the #4 team in the country in Oklahoma St./Virginia Tech/Stanford. Talk about chaos! Even if LSU beats Arkansas, as long as Georgia wins the SEC Championship game it is impossible in the current system for two SEC teams to play in the National Championship. I don't know about you, but I'll be rooting for the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game so the BCS would have to be questioned by everyone.

Michigan - A big rivalry win against Ohio St. might put them in position to take a spot if someone slips up.

Wisconsin - The likely champ in the Leaders division of the Big 10 can hop into the dance with a payback win in the rematch against Sparty in the first Big 10 Championship game.

Clemson - They have looked terrible the last month, but a win against Virginia Tech (who they already beat once this year) in the ACC Championship puts them back in no matter what they do this week against South Carolina.

Teams Dropping Out of the Dance

Clemson

Cincinnati - A bad loss to Rutgers dropped them down in the standings of one of the weakest conferences in all college football. They probably won't recover, especially after losing their QB.

Nevada - After losing to Louisiana Tech, they have to pray for an upset to get back into consideration.

First Round Matchups

Here is what the first round would look like if it were to start this weekend.

#16 Louisville at #1 LSU

LSU would show everyone once again how good they are and how bad the Big East is.

#9 Oklahoma at #8 Houston

Houston has worked its way up to a home game, but playing Oklahoma could be a tough matchup. They had a better chance of winning last week as a 10 seed. Winner gets LSU in the next round which would eliminate either team.

#13 Northern Illinois at #4 Oklahoma St.

You have to think the Iowa St. game will not happen again for the Cowboys. However, Northern Illinois can sneak up on you in a similar way to what the Cyclones did. Nothing is a guaranteed win for Oklahoma St. right now.

#12 TCU at #5 Virginia Tech

The Hokies look strong, but they haven't really played anybody either. On paper Virginia Tech should win this game, but Boise St. was supposed to beat TCU too. The Horned Frogs are a good enough team to repeat the upset too. Just like March Madness, watch out for the 5/12 matchup.

#14 Louisiana Tech at #3 Arkansas

The Razorbacks should roll in this game as they continue to improve week after week, but never underestimate a team with nothing to lose and everything to win like Louisiana Tech who is always a tough win.

#11 Michigan St. at #6 Stanford

What an interesting matchup! These are two teams that are very physical and don't necessarily play a flashy style of football. I could see this game being a 17-16 or 13-12 final score with the defenses out there with either team coming out on top. Either one of these teams would give Arkansas problems in the next round too.

#15 Arkansas St. at #2 Alabama

Bama should roll fairly easily over Arkansas St., however like I said the Sun Belt is always a tough win.

#10 Oregon at #7 Boise St.

These two teams always seem to be drawn toward each other. The Broncos have the physical presence on defense to give the Ducks trouble, and they would be back on the Smurf Turf after not even being in the bracket last week. This is becoming a classic rivalry.

So there is the latest update. Stay tuned for what next week brings us as the majority of regular seasons end in college football.

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What if . . . College Football Playoff - Nov. 13

What an amazing week of college football! Two of the undefeateds went down, and now it looks even more realistic that we might just have a rematch in the National Championship of LSU and Alabama when there are so many other one-loss teams quite deserving. The fact of the matter is every year brings more parody to college football with more teams looking deserving to get a fair shot at the National Championship. People say there needs to be a 4 team playoff or an "and-1" scenario where three teams have a shot, but I have always thought that the major flaw in the system is you have 3/4 of the teams in college football that have no shot at winning the National Championship. A team like Houston who blows out every team they have played will never get a fair chance. Either split Division 1 football into 3 categories or give everyone a chance. It's simple. Have a 16 team playoff with an automatic qualifier to every conference champ (yes, every conference). There are 11 conferences. That leaves 5 at large spots for the highest schools in the BCS that are not conference champs. It would be like March Madness in December. Here is how it would break down as of this weekend.

1. LSU (SEC leader)

2. Oklahoma St. (Big 12 leader)

3. Alabama (At Large)

4. Oregon (Pac-12 leader)

5. Oklahoma (At Large)

6. Arkansas (At Large)

7. Clemson (ACC leader)

8. Virginia Tech (At Large)

9. Stanford (At Large)

10. Houston (C-USA leader)

11. Michigan St. (Big 10 leader)

12. TCU (MWC leader)

13. Cincinnati (Big East leader)

14. Nevada (WAC leader)

15. Northern Illinois (MAC leader)

16. Arkansas St. (Sun Belt leader)

Looking at a playoff with these 16 teams means that everyone can get their shot. Also, looking at how the rankings changed this week, Boise St.'s loss to TCU removes them (maybe just for now) from playoff contention. It also shows a team like Stanford, with one loss to a top 5 team, would have to go on the road in the first round of the playoffs. So those that say that the regular season would be worth less don't know what they are talking about. They are probably the same ones that said the Wild Card would ruin the integrity of the MLB playoffs when all it did was make everything that much more important to that many more teams. It's not like we're going to 64 teams (or 65 . . . or 68 . . . or 96 . . . or 128 . . . whatever college basketball has now). It is just 16 teams and brings about some great competition. Boise St., who is currently 10th in the BCS is left out. You have to be in the top 9 to get a spot, or win your conference.

So here would be your 1st round matchups.

#16 Arkansas St. at #1 LSU

Snoozer, which the #1 team in the nation deserves after going undefeated.

#9 Stanford at #8 Virginia Tech

Rematch of last year's Orange Bowl. Same result?

#13 Cincinnati at #4 Oregon

Why does the Big East still have an automatic qualifier into the BCS? Still deserve a shot though, however slim it may be.

#12 TCU at #5 Oklahoma

Future conference rivals in the forever-at-risk Big 12. TCU played their way into the dance with the big win on the Smurf Turf.

#14 Nevada at #3 Alabama

Nevada pulled off a shocker last year. You never know, right?

#11 Michigan St. at #6 Arkansas

A third SEC team makes it, but that's because there isn't much depth after these three. A low rank for the top Big 10 team. Are they that bad, or have they just been beating up on each other?

#15 Northern Illinois at #2 Oklahoma St.

This could almost be considered a bye. Almost . . .

#10 Houston at #7 Clemson

Houston has worked its way up to a game where they can show what they are all about and have a chance to win, even though they would still be on the road. After Clemson lost to Georgia Tech and barely squeaked by Wake Forest, are they actually a contender?

So this is what it would look like if the season ended today. Just like the BCS gets shaken up every week, this will do the same. We will look at it again next weekend. What do you think about the matchups? The system? Let us know.

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Movie Milestones: 50 Years of West Side Story

I have a confession to make. I'm a Gleek. I have been a huge fan of the show since the first episode. The comedy is witty and smart, the storylines are intelligent and moving, and the music is absolutely amazing. Over the last few weeks, McKinley High's Glee club has been preparing for the school production of West Side Story. This all culminated in this week's episode when the preparation paid off in a wonderful performance. It was great to see this classic show brought back into contemporary consciousness for the first time in awhile. It has been 50 years since this Broadway musical was brought to the big screen by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. In seeing the story and music appear on Glee, it made me remember how some themes will always be relevant and therefore some stories like West Side Story will always be relevant.

When the film was first released, this was actually a very contemporary movie. Being set in the 1950's and only being on Broadway for less than 5 years, West Side Story the movie was very much a part of contemporary culture even if it was an age old story. This story was originally told by William Shakespeare in a little play called Romeo and Juliet. So you could say West Side Story was the original in what has become a trend in today's Hollywood: modernizing a classic story to appeal to today's culture. This retelling sets up a rivalry between two gangs: the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets are a group of local New York kids, while the Sharks are Puerto Rican immigrants. In the midst of their rivalry, a forbidden love affair blossoms between Tony of the Jets and Maria, the sister of the leader of the Sharks. Through song and ballet, this love story plays itself out amid the fierce rivalry that tries to separate them.

Best Scene: The dance scene. The first extended interaction between the two gangs we see in the film is a dance that both groups attend. The supervisor of the dance tries to get the two groups to get along and "play nice" just so everyone can have a good time. He tries to mix up the group to do this, but what follows is a carefully choreographed dance sequence as you see the Jets and Sharks appear to intermingle but also take a stance against the other group at the same time. In a film that is filled with somewhat corny dance sequences, this scene shows it work to perfection. The scene then ends with the first meeting of Tony and Maria which sets the stage for the rest of the film. You can hear the song now . . . "I just met a girl named Maria."

Best Song: Since we are dealing with a musical, I am replacing the "Best Line" segment with a more appropriate "Best Song" category. Say what you want about some of the choreography in West Side Story, the music is as timeless as you get. Of all the classics in this movie, my favorite would have to be "Somewhere." Tony and Maria are watching their worlds fall apart around them, and all they can believe in is each other. They think about the circumstances that are forcing them apart, and this song comes out as they try to imagine a time where they could be allowed to be together. "There's a place for us, somewhere a place for us." "Some day, somewhere, we'll find a new way of living. We'll find a way of forgiving." It's a song full of so much emotion. It comes across almost as a prayer that hopefully someday this will happen for them. This is just one of the many beautiful songs.

Most Iconic Moment: The last shot of the film. Knowing that this is based on Romeo and Juliet, the ending is inevitable. As soon as Tony sees Maria, he is gunned down by a rival gang member. Maria tries to remind him of their prayer as he slips away. We are then left with Maria holding Tony under the one and only street light with the Jets and Sharks both looking on realizing what their rivalry had brought about. It is such a beautiful picture. They don't make them quite like that anymore.

The Time Tester: As I mentioned before, this is a timeless story that continues to remain relevant today. There are hints of it in films like Brokeback Mountain: two people in a relationship they are told they should not be in. It helps when you start with a story that had already lasted several hundred years before they adapted it. The music has also stood the test of time. There are many people who have never seen West Side Story but know the music. Everyone has heard some form of "Somewhere" or "Maria" or "I Feel Pretty." Personally, I can't hear "I Feel Pretty" without seeing Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson singing it to each other in Anger Management.

The Lasting Impact: Looking back on West Side Story after 50 years, there is no doubt that this is one of the most loved of the classic musicals. It won 10 Oscars including Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Looking back on it now, it is a bit corny as most musicals of that era are. However, the story and music behind the film make this a timeless classic that can still be watched and appreciated by all, even all us Gleeks that have enjoyed experiencing the magic of West Side Story during the episodes the last few weeks.

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