By Nunnie Robinson, Westside Gazette Sports Editor
The convolution in the NFL after week 9 and the CFP in college football has created the perfect Segway into the second half of the season. There were so many close games in the ninth week of the season which can be described as cliffhangers or better yet – comebacks or rallies. The thrilling 26-23 comeback victory by the Detroit Lions against the Houston Texans was a prime example. The Lions, after trailing most of the contest, fought valiantly to tie the game, then clinched the victory on a 53 yard field goal that narrowly stayed inside the upright. A series earlier the Texans had a chance to win but missed a 58 FG attempt caused by a missed pass interference call.
The Kansas City Chiefs, the only unbeaten NFL team heading into week 10, faced a challenge by the vastly improved Denver Broncos, who saw their chances to win in the final seconds, thwarted by a blocked field goal.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and a rejuvenated Russell Wilson won a nail biter on the road with a hard fought 28-27 victory over the Washington Commanders, led by rookie sensation QB Jalen Daniels. The battle for playoff positions by contending teams will bear watching. The Ravens, Chiefs, Bills, and Bengals in the AFC and the Lions, Vikings, Steelers and Commanders in the NFC portend for some exciting competition as the half season threshold has passed.
In the CFP the Miami Hurricanes’ road loss to Georgia Tech places them in compelling position of having to win the ACC championship outright. The present competition is SMU, with an unblemished conference record and Clemson, who like the Canes, has one conference defeat. Miami’s Heisman Trophy candidate, QB Cam Ward, has bailed out the Hurricanes all year, but in the final play of the Tech game he simply held ball too long, trusting that a teammate would come open, but it wasn’t meant to be. A desperate, aggressive Tech defense saw to that. However, there are so many 1 and 2 loss contenders vying for the 12 playoff spots so it’s really anybody’s calculation as to which teams will make the Final Cut. Oregon of the Big Ten Conference is currently # 1 after holding off #2 Ohio State in Eugene, Oregon. The highly competitive SEC just keeps beating up on each, chaos ruling the day. 2 loss teams include Alabama, Georgia, Ole miss, Missouri, and Texas A&M while SEC teams Texas and Tennessee have only 1 loss with huge, impactful, impending contests against Texas A&M and Georgia respectively. Speculate if you must, more importantly, watch who wins and loses. At this point in season, losers are basically eliminated from the CFP tournament.
My Top Five: Oregon, Ohio State, Texas, Indiana and Alabama. My next 5, no particular ranking, include Notre Dame, Penn State, Boise State, Georgia and Tennessee. SMU and Ole Miss complete my Top 12 to make the CFP. There will be more clarity after this week’s games and official rankings which come out today. I can’t wait…….
