Winnipeg vs. Vegas — The Western Conference Finals Match-Up We Never Knew We Wanted

Why the unlikeliest Western Conference Finals in NHL history also has the potential to be one of its best.

By: Jimbo X

JimboXAmerican@gmail.com

@JimboX

Imagine you're a hardcore hockey fan in the year 2008.

Then all of a sudden, a time traveler from 2018 shows up.

Because you're a hardcore hockey fan, you don't ask him any stupid questions about who the president is or whether or not World War III has broken out. Instead, you ask him what *any* level-headed person would: "hey bud, which teams make the Western Conference Finals in the '18 Stanley Cup playoffs?"

I can almost smell the 2008 dude's head exploding when the time traveler speaks.

"A first-year expansion team out of Las Vegas and the Atlanta Thrashers ... who, by the way, are now the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets."

There's no doubting it: the Golden Knights/Jets 2.0 WCF match-up HAS to be the most unlikely in NHL history. For that matter, it might just be the unlikeliest conference finals in anything EVER.

Yup, weirder than the Minnesota Wild/Mighty Ducks of Anaheim WCF back in '03. More bizarre than the 2012 WCF coming down to Los Angeles and Phoenix. And certainly more randomly-generated sounding than the time the Eastern Conference Finals came down to Carolina and Toronto ... or Carolina and Buffalo ... or hell, pretty much ANY time it boiled down to the Hurricanes against anybody else.

How do you describe just how weird this is to non-hockey fans? Imagine if next season, Roger Goodell announced the Lions were relocating to London and not only did they have a stellar season, they made it all the way to the NFC Championship ... where they took on a suddenly annexed Toronto Argonauts team from the Canadian Football League.

Or if the National League Championship Series boiled down to the Milwaukee Brewers and the Montreal Expos, who just kind of showed up without explanation halfway through the season.

Or next year's NBA Finals somehow involving both the Washington Bullets AND the Vancouver Grizzlies.

THAT is how weird the actual reality before us is in this NHL season.

The runaway success of the Vegas Golden Knights has to be unparalleled in the world of pro sports. Expansion teams are supposed to be historically terrible, the kinds of squads that finish with single-digit win columns and get blown out 6-1 by teams that don't even qualify for the playoffs.

But here we are, with a FIRST YEAR EXPANSION TEAM just four wins away from participating in the Stanley Cup Finals.

A team like the Knights isn't supposed to be in playoff contention. But they very well could win their league's championship their VERY FIRST season. A team that literally had to cobble itself together with the leftovers none of the other 30 teams in the League wanted has already steamrolled two playoff-caliber teams that have had DECADES to build themselves offensively and defensively.

Sure, you could credit their success to Marc-Andre Fleury's outstanding goaltending, or the impressive depth of their defensive lines. You could even credit their success to all of the other teams getting distracted by all of the gambling, boozing and whoring going on before road games (which, if nothing else, gets me REAL excited to be a Raiders fan a couple years down the road.)

But seemingly no logical explanation suffices. Which, naturally, would put them on a crash course with the only other team in the League's whose sudden success is even half as inexplicable — the Winnipeg Jets.

As in, "these guys USED to be the Atlanta Thrashers seven seasons ago" Winnipeg Jets. The "our province's SECOND largest city only has 46,000 people in it" Winnipeg Jets. The "I seriously forget sometimes they're NOT a team that went defunct in 1996" Winnipeg Jets.

Over in the NBA conference finals, it's Star Wars — James Harden vs. Steph Curry in the West and Lebron vs., uh, whoever's on the Celtics, in the East. You're definitely getting big-name value in pro basketball, but in pro hockey? We're getting a duel between Mark Scheifele and Jonathan Marchessault. Forget "brand names," they're not even attempting to give us names we can PRONOUNCE this go at-it.

And I, for one, am ecstatic.

I hope this thing goes a full seven games and at least half of them go to overtime, with maybe one or two double or triple O.T. affairs just for the hell of it. You've got the Golden Knights, rocking their jerseys that look suspiciously similar to the flag of Germany and/or the 1993 Vancouver Canucks uniform, representing the hedonistic, hyper-capitalist, economic-development-uber-alles excess of Degenerate Disneyland going skate-to-skate and knuckle-to-knuckle with a team that's literally cosplaying as a WHA squad from the 1970s, which — through some great cosmological fluke that defies any an all forms of empirical reason — now represents the greatest hope for Canada to take home Lord Stanley in a quarter-century.

As literally the ONLY Atlanta Thrashers fan in history, this thing is triply, if not quadruply, mind-blowing. Not only is it like seeing your ex-girlfriend get gender reassignment surgery, it's like watching her become a legit contender in the UFC's male heavyweight division after getting her cooch snipped and reshaped into a monster-sized wing-wong.

It just ... man, I can't even wrap my head around it, and that's after staring at a computer screen for the lost two hours cogitating on it.

Forget Leicester City winning the Premier League or Virginia getting beat by a 16th seed in the NCAA tourney or even that time Evander Holyfield hit Hasim Rahman so hard he literally turned into the Elephant Man on live television. This upcoming WCF is far and away the STRANGEST thing I've ever seen in my 32 years of watching, imbibing and ingesting sports products.

And you'd have to be a damned fool to miss even a MICROSECOND of the series.

Enjoy it while it lasts, folks. Surely, our old friend sanity has to take the wheel again at some point, doesn't he?

Read More

2016 NCAA Football Top 25 Rankings (Week 13!)

Tell the Associated Press to take a hike ... these are the only college pigskin rankings you ought to pay any attention to.

By: Jimbo X

JimboXAmerican@gmail.com
@Jimbo___X

This Week's Episode:

"That championship-kind-of feeling..."

The A.P.? The USA Today's Coaches Poll? Whatever jibber-jabber is being puked out over at ESPN and Bleacher Report? Puh-leeze, we all know those alleged "Top 25" countdowns are pathetic jokes penned by homers, Power Five loyalists and Notre Dame nuthuggers. That's why I decided to release my own weekly rundown of the best FBS college football squads in the States, completely devoid of all the usual fanboyism and corporate malarkey that makes lists of the like elsewhere so unbelievably annoying.

Throughout the regular season, a new installment will go up every Wednesday morning, so you may want to bookmark this sucker for future reference ... and to show to all of your fellow NCAA football lovin' chums, so they can know that - at least somewhere out in the tangled, endlessly frustrating World Wide Web - there's someone on the Internet with some goddamn horse sense when it comes to ranking college 'ball teams.

01

Alabama (12-0)

Next Opponent: vs. Florida (Dec. 03)

Well, as expected, Bama put a hurtin' on Auburn in the Iron Bowl. At this point, even a fluke loss to Florida in the SEC title game is unlikely to keep Alabama out of the playoffs - just as long as they don't get beat 56-0 by the Gators (a scenario about as likely as Rob Schneider winning next year's Best Actor Oscar), the Tide is essentially a lock for at least one playoff appearance. 

02

Western Michigan (12-0)

Next Opponent: vs. Ohio (Dec. 02)

The only thing standing between the Broncos and an undefeated (regular) season is Ohio (no, not that one, the one nobody cares about.) Pending WMU wins this weekend's tilt, one has to wonder which "big six" bowl game they will be slotted into ... and of course, which Power Five regular they will eventually end up battling. 

03

Ohio State (11-1)

Next Opponent: T.B.A.

The Buckeyes find themselves in a very weird predicament. Following their double O.T. thriller of a victory over arch rivals Michigan, they actually wound up losing their spot in the Big Ten Championship on account of Penn State winning later that evening ... this, despite the fact the Buckeyes have a better overall record than the Nittany Lions. Anyway, not that any of that shit matters; regardless, the Buckeyes will be competing in the National Championship playoffs later this year, no matter who fucking wins the Big 10. 

04

Clemson (11-1)

Next Opponent: vs. Virginia Tech  (Dec. 03)

After besting South Carolina, all the Tigers have to do is get past Virginia Tech and they have to be considered playoffs locks. Then again, if they lose, that opens the floodgates for about five or six different two-loss teams to enter the fray - stay tuned, folks ... the Hokies might just fuck things up real good for us this Saturday.

05

Washington (11-1)

Next Opponent: vs. Colorado (Dec. 02)

The Huskies are in pretty much the same spot as Clemson. Win, and they're in, but if they lose to Colorado this Friday? Then it's time to say a lot of prayers. I mean a lot. 

06

Penn State (10-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 03)

By virtue of defeating OSU earlier in the season, the Big 10 math allowed Penn State to leap over the Buckeyes and represent the East in the championship shindig - even though Ohio State's 11-1 record is, you know, better than the Nittany Lions' 10-2 record. Even if Penn State does manage to knock off Wisconsin this weekend, it seems like their chances of making the four-team playoffs is slim to none - while Ohio State, who isn't even playing in its own conference's championship game, is practically a lock. Yeah, it don't make no damn sense to me, neither.  

07

Wisconsin (10-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Penn State (Dec. 03)

Even if the Badgers bump off Penn State Saturday, they probably aren't going to make it into the four-team playoffs. Will, that is, unless Clemson and Washington both lose in their respective championship games. At that point? Yeah, I'd consider it more or less a jump ball. 

08

Oklahoma (9-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 03)

Pretty much whoever wins the Oklahoma/Oklahoma State donnybrook this weekend will become the de facto champion of the Big 12. Alas, it seems unlikely that whoever comes out on top will get invited to the big dance ... unless of course, we see a slate of monumental upsets on Championship Saturday (and Friday.)

09

Oklahoma State (9-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Oklahoma (Dec. 03)

Even if the Cowboys do manage to triumph over Oklahoma this Saturday, there's no telling, really, where they will wind up in the big bowl stampede. A playoffs berth is extraordinarily unlikely, but I guess there is an outside shot they get into one of the other New Year's Eve or New Year's Day biggies.

10

Michigan (10-2)

Next Opponent: vs.  T.B.A.

Although participating in one of the most exciting college games of the season isn't much of a consolation prize, the Wolverines can at least take pride in giving Ohio State everything they could handle in the double O.T. thriller last Saturday. As for Michigan's next step, it seems like a major New Year's bowl is pretty much a given - although, at this point, there's no telling who their ideal opponent would be. 

11

Colorado (10-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Washington (Dec. 02)

If Colorado beats Washington, it would be a monumental upset. But would it be enough to get the Buffaloes into the National Championship playoffs mix? Eh, you really don't need a Magic Eight-Ball to tell you "don't count on it."

12

Navy (9-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Temple (Dec. 03)

The Midshipmen have an opportunity to claim the ACC crown this weekend, in what should be a no-defense-allowed, entertaining as hell score-fest against Temple. The bigger question, however, is where, who and when will they be playing next ... and will it be against a legitimate Power-Five challenger?

13

West Virginia (9-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Baylor (Dec. 03)

Since the Big 12 don't technically have a championship game, the Mountaineers couldn't win it no how. That said, I'm pretty sure there's some sort of fluky arithmetic that would give WVU the best overall record in the conference this Sunday - like, they beat Baylor, Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State, or some other nonsense. TL;DR - these guys ain't going anywhere near the playoffs. 

14

South Florida (10-2)

Next Opponent: T.B.A.

The Bulls put in a pretty solid showing in the 2016 season. Really, the entire AAC has been balling - six teams in the conference wrapped up their regular season campaigns with at least eight victories.

15

Boise State (10-2)

Next Opponent: T.B.A.

And a shock upset to Air Force pretty much wipes out any big time bowl bids for the blue turfers. Furthermore, it bumps them out of the MWC Championship Game, which has to add extra salty insult to injury. 

16

Troy (9-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Georgia Southern (Dec. 03)

Yep, the Trojans are heavy favorites heading into their Sun Belt Championship clash with Georgia Southern. For bonus points, can you name a.) the nickname of Georgia Southern and b.) which city the university is in? If you replied "don't nobody give a shit and never will," congratulations!

17

USC (9-3)

Next Opponent: T.B.A.

The Trojans are the best three loss team in the country and anybody who argues to the contrary is a damned fool. Which, naturally, begs the question - how comes these kids couldn't have played as excellently as they did down the stretch at the very beginning of the season?

18

Stanford (9-3)

Next Opponent: T.B.A.

With Christian McCaffrey pretty much a lock for the NFL draft next spring, the always singular Cardinal are going to have to do a lot of retooling to their offense in the offseason. While they probably won't get a back as talented as their outgoing rusher, they at least have a pretty solid aerial attack in tact as a starting point for '17. 

19

Temple (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. Navy (Dec. 03)

The AAC title decider against Navy this weekend is going to be a ton of fun. Of course, if Temple can pull off the upset, it seems unlikely they will get a shot at a big name Power Five opponent during bowl season ... but there are a few other non-Fivers out there that could make for some interesting opponents.

20

Florida State (9-3)

Next Opponent: T.B.A.

Jimbo Fisher will probably hang on as the head coach at FSU next year. With DeShaun Watson headed to the draft, that bodes pretty well for the Seminoles. Unfortunately, Lamar Jackson isn't pro-bound quite yet, either. 

21

Virginia Tech (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. Clemson (Dec. 03)

If the Hokies can knock off the Tigers this Saturday, it would send shockwaves throughout the college football landscape. While it may keep Clemson out of the playoffs, there's no chance in hell a "W" would propel Virginia Tech into the the four-team single-eliminator, however. And to think: some people say playing "spoiler" is a reward in its own right.

22

Air Force (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. T.B.A.

While the Falcons upset win against Boise State isn't enough to get them into a championship contest, it does elevate the stature of the program quite a bit. Who knows - give the staff three or four years' time, and we might just have ourselves another Western Michigan on our hands here.

23

Florida (8-3)

Next Opponent: vs. Alabama (Dec. 03)

After getting their asses kicked by Florida State 31-13, the offense-averse Gators nonetheless find themselves challenging Alabama for the SEC crown. Yeah ... trying to figure out who's going to win this one is kinda' like guessing who's going to win a Harlem Globetrotters game.

24

Western Kentucky (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. Louisiana Tech (Dec. 03)

And the Hilltoppers re-enter the Top 25 for the first time in what seems like a bajillion jillion years. And these motherfuckers are on a roll, too - they head into Saturday's Conference USA title game riding a six game winning streak.

25

Old Dominion (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. T.B.A.

And making their first appearance in the rankings all year round, let's here it for the Old Dominion ... uh, what's their nickname again? Well, whatever it is, they're closing their 2016 season on a five game win streak, and they're reward for playing so good down the stretch? Oh, that's right, the greatest prize in all of Division I college football ... a slot in the Popeye's Bahamas Bowl. God, I can almost smell the glory from here. 

Read More

2015-16 NCAA Football Top 25 Rankings (Week 14)

We're going bowling!

By: Jimbo X

JimboXAmerican@gmail.com

@Jimbo__X

The Associated Press? The USA Today's Coaches Poll? Whatever jibber-jabber is being puked out over at ESPN and Bleacher Report? Puh-leeze, we all know those alleged "Top 25" countdowns are pathetic jokes penned by homers, Power Five loyalists and Notre Dame nuthuggers. That's why I decided to release my own weekly rundown of the best FBS college football squads in the States, completely devoid of all the usual fanboyism and corporate malarkey that makes lists of the like elsewhere so unbelievably annoying. 

Throughout the regular season, a new installment will go up every Wednesday morning, so you may want to bookmark this sucker for future reference ... and to show to all of your fellow NCAA football lovin' chums, so they can know that -- at least somewhere out in the tangled, endlessly frustrating World Wide Web -- there's someone on the Internet with some goddamn horse sense when it comes to ranking college 'ball teams. 

01

Clemson (13-0)

Next Opponent: vs. Oklahoma (Dec. 31)

It was a close one, but the Tigers walked out of the regular season with Division I's only unblemished record and the ACC Championship following their 45-37 win over North Carolina. Deshaun Watson - who finished the championship game with three aerial touchdowns for 289 yards and two rushing touchdowns and 131 ground yards overall - will certainly face tougher defensive restraints when his Clemson squad matches up against Bob Stoops' venerable Sooners on New Year's Eve. 

02

Alabama (12-1)

Next Opponent: vs. Michigan State (Dec. 31)

It wasn't the most dramatic of SEC finales, but the Crimson Tide definitely proved their worth in Saturday's 29-15 win oeuvre Florida. Jake Coker and Derrick Henry - who tag-teamed for about two hundred yards throwing and two hundred yards runnin' in their win over the Gators - next turn their attention towards Michigan State for what should be an interesting little skirmish on 12/31.

03

Oklahoma (11-1)

Next Opponent: vs. Clemson (Dec. 31)

With no pesky championship games to fret about, the Sooners had the easiest path of any team in the NCAA (football) Final Four. Baker Mayfield has played tremendously all season, but there is no denying the dynamic Clemson Tigers' defense will prove quite the challenge ... or mayhap, it will be the other way around on New Year's Eve?

04

Michigan State (12-1)

Next Opponent: vs. Alabama (Dec. 31)

The Spartans took a low-scoring championship win over Iowa over the weekend, winning the Big 10 crown 16-13. Alas, with the Hawkeyes' relatively weak defense giving them so many problems, will Connor Cook and LJ Scott collapse under the enormous pressure of the Crimson Tide defense? We will find out when 12/31 rolls ... pun, most definitely intended ... around. 

05

Ohio State (11-1)

Next Opponent: vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 1)

The first team out of the final four gets an opportunity to show the playoff committee they erred on New Year's Day, as the Buckeyes go toe-to-toe with a two-loss Fighting Irish squad in Tempe. Expect Ezekiel Elliot to rack up a lot of yards ... you gotta' do something to increase that draft stock, you now. 

06

Iowa (12-1)

Next Opponent: vs. Stanford (Jan. 1)

Following a narrow 16-13 loss to the Spartans, Iowa travels to SoCal for  a match-up against the (singular) Cardinal on New Year's Day. Now this one is really interesting; can Iowa's stingy defense work their magic on Christian McCaffrey, or will running the ball be a bed of, ahem, roses, for Stanford's Heisman-caliber rusher? 

07

Houston (12-1)

Next Opponent: vs. Florida State (Dec. 31)

The Cougars didn't really need a passing attack to top the Temple Owls, 24-13, for the AAC Championship. Despite posting no aerial scores and just 106 passing yards, Houston outran Temple by a considerable margin - 233 yards to 98, to be precise. Needless to say, things are going to be interesting when Houston's potent offense encounters a Seminoles squad last scene holding the SEC East Champ Gators to only two points. 

08

North Carolina (11-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Baylor (Dec. 29)

Give the Tar Heels some credit, they made Clemson sweat buckets before ceding the ACC Championship Game to them over the weekend. In the 45-37 loss, Marquise Williams still looked solid, lobbing three touchdown passes for 224 yards and rushing another 81 for a ground TD. Expect plenty of deep throws when NC takes on Baylor later this December, in what should be a high-scoring, offensive showcase. 

09

Stanford (11-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Iowa (Jan. 1)

In a 41-22 drubbing, the Cardinal steamrolled USC  to take home the Pac-12 Championship. Heisman contender Christian McCaffrey finished the game with 207 yards on 32 carries, with his longest run covering half the surface area of the field. Needless to say, the Hawkeyes will have to put a lot of elbow grease into stopping him in the Rose Bowl. 

10

Florida State (11-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Houston (Dec. 31)

If it wasn't for a fluky last second loss to Georgia Tech, there is a strong possibility the Seminoles could have wound up in the hunt for a playoff berth. Alas, that upset loss - in tandem with a lackluster performance against eventual ACC Champs Clemson - has relegated FSU to a New Year's Eve contest against AAC Champs Houston. Sure, FSU ought to have no trouble handling Division I's top non-power five team not named Notre Dame, but crazier things have happened, y'know...

11

Notre Dame (10-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Ohio State (Jan. 1)

The Irish have themselves a Fiesta on the first day of 2016, as Notre Dame travels to Arizona for a tough battle against Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes. It certainly presents an interesting quarterback dual - DeShone Kizer vs. J.T. Barrett ought to be a whole hell of a lot of fun to watch. 

12

TCU (10-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Oregon (Jan. 2)

A late season injury to Trevone Boykin really sunk the Horned Frogs' playoffs aspirations, but they get an opportunity to set a nice tempo for their 2016 campaign with a Jan. 2 bowl battle against the surging Oregon Ducks. If you like high-scoring, pass-happy football, you will DEFINITELY want to have the Tivo set for this one. Uh, people still use Tivos, right? 

13

Oklahoma State (10-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Ole Miss (Jan. 1)

The Cowboys went 10-0 to begin the season, before spinning out and dropping their last two contests of the year. While watching Oklahoma contend for the National Championship is going to be painful, no doubt, OK State can gain some measure of pride with a 01/01/16 win over a disappointing 9-3 Ole Miss Rebels squad. 

14

Northwestern (10-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Tennessee (Jan. 1)

The winners of five in a row, the Wildcats have been playing some of the best defensive football in Division I. Alas, their underwhelming O has kept them from being a serious contender throughout the regular season; fittingly enough, they wrap up their 2015-16 campaign with a New Year's Day contest against a team with the exact opposite problem - an underwhelming Tennessee Vols squad that's all O and no D. 

15

Western Kentucky (11-2)

Next Opponent: vs. USF (Dec. 21)

The Hilltoppers biggest claim to fame is having a mascot that looks like a blood soaked cousin of the McDonalds mascot Grimace. Seeing as how they've won five in a row - with their only losses of the season coming to very good LSU and Indiana squads - Western K. has all the makings of a Cinderella squad for the 2016-17 season. Pending you have some free time on the 21st, you can catch yourself a glimmer of things to (possibly) come when W.K. takes on USF in Miami. 

16

Appalachian State (10-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Ohio (Dec. 19)

I have no earthly clue what the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl is, but it should provide a stellar opportunity for the Mountaineers - riding a three game win streak with sole 2015 losses coming against Clemson and, uh, Arkansas State - as they lock horns with THE Ohio Bobcats at the Cramton Bowl. And yes, your guess is as good as mine as to which city that one will take place in. 

17

Navy (9-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Army (Dec. 12)

The Midshipmen were one of the biggest surprise success stories of the college football year. Alas, while they won't be making an appearance at any of the "big six" bowls, they do get an opportunity to pad their win-loss record with a facile contest against the Army Black Knights this weekend. 

18

Toledo (9-2)

Next Opponent: vs. Temple (Dec. 22)

Are you ready for THE greatest Marmot Boca Raton Bowl game EVER? Well, you better be, as the two-loss Toledo Rockets have an opportunity to prove their worth against the three-loss Temple Owls in what should most certainly be A game that takes place on Dec. 22. But seriously though, these two teams are a lot better than you think, so it might be worth watching ... or at least YouTubing the highlights the next day. 

19

Oregon (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. TCU (Jan. 2)

Don't look now, but the Horned Frogs have won six games in a row, concluding the regular season with only two conference losses. While they weren't good enough for Pasadena, they do get a nice opportunity to prove their worthiness against the Horned Frogs on Jan. 2, in a game with an over/under that will probably be in the triple digits.  

20

San Diego State (10-3)

Next Opponent: vs. Cincinnati (Dec. 24)

After winning their first conference title since 1986, the Aztecs - currently riding a nine-game win streak - turn their attention towards Honolulu, where they will go head-to-head against the Bearcats in the Hawai'i Bowl ... which, yeah, I'd say is a much sweeter plum than landing a spot in the GoDaddy Bowl or, Christ help you, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

21

Michigan (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. Florida (Jan. 1)

After getting blown out by Ohio State in the last week of regular season play, the Wolverines now set their eyes on a showdown against Florida on New Year's Day '16. The Orlando contest should be quite interesting, seeing as how both teams finished their campaigns with disastrous losses to their arch rivals.

22

Baylor (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. North Carolina (Dec. 29)

Texas has sucked all year long, but they didn't suck nearly as much as the Bears did over the weekend. In an embarrassing 23-17 loss, Baylor outran the Longhorns 395 yards to 156, but with Lynx Hawthorne behind center, they couldn't do diddly with the passing attack. Granted, Baylor had nothing to play for, but if they put in an effort THAT lethargic against North Carolina, they are going to be ran - and passed - out of the stadium on Dec. 29. 

23

Florida (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. Michigan (Jan. 1)

Following a disappointing outing against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game (and before that, an even more disastrous showing against Florida State a week earlier), the Gators face off against fellow 9-3 finisher Michigan on New Year's Day. If nothing else, it ought to be a decent defensive contest. 

24

Memphis (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. Auburn (Dec. 30)

After starting the season 80, the Tigers wound up dropping three out of their last four, including three consecutive AAC in-conference tilts. Alas, Memphis gets one last shot at redemption on Dec. 30, as they take on the Auburn Tigers in Birmingham. And to think ... there were actually some people dense enough to pick THOSE Tigers to win the National Championship back in August! 

25

Georgia (9-3)

Next Opponent: vs. Penn State (Jan. 2)

When the Bulldogs begin their 2016-17 campaign, they will have a new head coach - current Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kirby Smart - calling the shots. Before then, however, UGA will have one final Richt-era contest - a meaningless Jan. 2 skirmish against the Nittany Lions in the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville - which, if nothing else, is a considerable step up from playing in the Belk Bowl, or heaven forbid, the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl.

Read More