By Woodrow Carroll
The top echelon of collegiate football, the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision), has 131 teams, yet, the likely national champion will come from a select, well-established, group of teams.
It comes as no real surprise that the 131 FBS football programs are down to six, familiar, undefeated teams.
Defending national champion Georgia leads the list of the Unblemished Six, followed by Michigan, Ohio State, Clemson, Tennessee, and Texas Christian (TCU). Every one of those teams has a history of gridiron success going back 100 years or more.
Cincinnati was an interloper last season by making it to the Final Four of the NCAA playoffs. The Bearcats were a feel-good story going into the four-team playoffs. Then, Alabama handed Cincy a 27-6 defeat in a semifinal playoff game that was not as close as the final score.
We could have four undefeated teams in the Final Four if everything shakes out just right. We know that likely something will come along to end that possible scenario.
Michigan will play at Ohio State November 26 for what has become the classic season-ending game for both schools in the Big Ten Conference showdown. The game could remove one team from the unbeaten ranks. Before Ohio State can think about Michigan, the Buckeyes will play at 11 a.m. Saturday at Penn State, a team 6-1 overall and spoiling to bring down the Buckeyes.
Similar to Michigan and Ohio State, Southeastern Conference (SEC) members Georgia and Tennessee are in the same division, which means a regular-season confrontation when Georgia plays host to Tennessee November 5.
Similar to the Big Ten Conference and many other conferences, the SEC has two divisions. Last season Alabama captured the West Division championship and took on East Division champion Georgia in the SEC championship game, in which Alabama won! Both Alabama and Georgia earned a spot in the FBS Final Four. The two schools won their semifinal games and played for the national championship with Georgia emerging victorious, 33-18.
• The University of Illinois had a bye Saturday Oct. 22 prior to playing at Nebraska 2;30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.
• Northern Illinois was on the road last weekend seeking to to make inroads on a postseason bowl game berth. The Huskies failed miserably!
Playing at Ohio University following a big victory at Eastern Michigan the prior week, Northern Illinois fell to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the Mid-American Conference West in a 24-17 defeat. Surprising as it may seem, the Huskies still have a lifeline to a postseason berth.
As a conference, the MAC has plumbed to the depths of disappointment. Various publications have jumped off the MAC bandwagon and run for their lives. Northern Illinois needs to win its four remaining games to have an opportunity at a bowl game. Most 2-6 teans such as Northern Illinois might be a lost cause, yet, the quality of the Huskies’ upcoming opposition is not strong..
Three of the Huskies final four games are at home in DeKalb. Tho final four teams are 9-23 combined. The MAC has displayed a paper mache toughness this season and it shows in the overall records of its conference teams.
The MAC is in midweek mode. Northern Illinois will play three consecutive Wednesday games starting November 2 at home at 6 p.m. against Central Michigan. Following will be November 9 at Western Michigan followed by a home game against Miami, Ohio, November. 16. To close the regular season, the Huskies will play visiting Akron, November 26 in DeKalb.
• Northwestern, 1-6, overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten, will be at Iowa at 2:30 p.m. Saturday seeking to bring an end to a six-game losing streak. Iowa, 3-4 and 1-3, has its own problems. The teams may be in a quirky, interesting, game.