The Color & Pageantry Top 25

The Color & Pageantry

College Football

2015 Final Top 25

1.       Alabama, 14-1, 2
2.       Clemson, 14-1, 1
3.       Stanford, 12-2, 5
4.       Ohio State, 12-1, 7
5.       Oklahoma, 11-2, 3
6.       Texas Christian, 11-2, 11
7.       Michigan State, 12-2, 4
8.       Houston, 13-1, 16
9.       Baylor, 10-3, 17
10.     Ole Miss, 10-3, 14
11.     Notre Dame, 10-3, 8

12.     Michigan, 10-3, 19

13.     Florida State, 10-3, 9
14.     North Carolina, 11-3, 10
15.     Louisiana State, 9-3, 20
16.     Iowa, 12-2, 6
17.     Wisconsin, 10-3, 21
18.     Utah, 10-3, 23
19.     Oklahoma State, 10-3, 12
20.     Oregon, 9-4, 13
21.     Navy, 11-2, 25
22.     Florida, 10-4, 17
23.     Tennessee, 9-4, NR
24.     Georgia, 10-3 NR
25.     Northwestern, 10-3, 15

OUT: Southern Cal (22) and Texas A&M (24)

VOTES: Mississippi State, Southern Cal, Washington State, Temple, Arkansas, Western Kentucky, Louisville, Texas A&M, San Diego State, Boise State, West Virginia, Duke, Brigham Young, Auburn, Memphis and Georgia Southern.

Bob Davie deserves credit for bringing New Mexico bowling, and the Lobos battled Rich Rod's Arizona Wildcats to the end, falling 45-37 in the Gildan New Mexico Bow to kick off the expanded bowl season....Many on the east coast may not know, but Utah and Brigham Young are heated rivals, but the stadium was rendered speechless after Utah, with the help of a host of turnovers, ran out to a 35-0 first quarter lead; however, BYU never gave up and made it respectable by games end, losing 35-28 in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl....Appalachian State came back to top Frank Solich and his Ohio Bobcats, kicking a field goal as time expired to win 31-29 in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.... In the AutoNation Cure Bowl, a new game in beautiful downtown Orlando, San Jose State defeated Georgia State 27-16....At the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Louisiana Tech defeated Arkansas State 47-28...The Miami Beach Bowl was very entertaining a year ago, and was once again as Western Kentucky, behind the strong arm of Brandon Doughty, beat South Florida 45-35....Terry Bowden got Akron their first bowl win in defeating Utah State 23-21 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl...Toledo, perhaps feeling something to prove, dismantled what most felt was a stout Temple defense in defeating the Owls 32-17 in the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl....In the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, Boise State bombed Northern Illinois 55-7, and it could have been worse...Georgia Southern, who almost beat both Florida and Georgia, losing to the Dawgs in OT, destroyed a decent Bowling Green squad 58-27 to get school's first bowl win in the GoDaddy Bowl. GSU quarterback Favian Upshaw made many thing of Tommie Frazier as the backup quarterback ran for 199 yards and four touchdowns in a mind boggling performance...Western Michigan upended Middle Tennessee 45-31 in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl....San Diego State pounded Tommy Tuberville's Cincinnati Bearcats 42-7 in surprising fashion in the Hawaii Bowl...Marshall got the best of defensive minded Connecticut in the St. Petersburg Bowl 16-10...In a snowstorm, Washington State capped a decent season in defeating the Miami Hurricanes 20-14 in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on CBS....Out in Dallas at the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl, Washington defeated Southern Miss 44-31....In a thriller in the Bronx at the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, Duke defeated Indiana 44-41 in OT...Virginia Tech sent Frank Beamer out a winner in stopping Tulsa, who was operating on all cylinders offensively, 55-52...Nebraska finally went to the ground game and won the lines of scrimmage in dumping UCLA 37-29 at the Foster Farms Bowl...At the Military Bowl presented by Northrup Grumman, Navy outscored Pittsburgh behind quarterback Keenan Reynolds.....In the Quick Land Bowl in Detroit, Minnesota got by Central Michigan 21-14...In the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, Air Force was unable to corral Jared Goff and the Cal Golden Bears, falling 55-36...Baylor, using a third team quarterback in wideout John Jefferson, and without All America wideout Casey Coleman and running back Shock Linwood, Baylor ran wild from the get go on North Carolina, roughing up the Heels 49-28 in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando.  Baylor broke the record for most total yards and most team rushing yards in a bowl game, previously held by Nebraska in rather stunning fashion....Nevada dumped Colorado State in teh NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl...After the debacle in almost firing coach Les Miles, LSU got after Texas Tech in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl and beat Texas Tech 56-27 behind top flite running back Leonard Fournette....Auburn found a defense and throttled Paxton Lynch and the Memphis Tiger 31-10 in the Birmingham Bowl....Behind QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State jumped all over NC State 51-38 in the Belk Bowl...Freshman QB Lamar Jackson, who was emerging throughout the year, came up big as Louisville upended Texas A&M in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl....Wisconsin held the talented USC Trojans in check en route to a rather surprising 23-21 in the National Funding Holiday Bowl.....Florida State was outplayed and outcoached by a Houston team that came to win in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on New Years Eve at the Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta.....Tennessee set the expectations high for 2016 in thumping Northwestern 45-6 in the Outback Bowl....Essentially playing a road game in front of a partisan Gator crowd, Michigan pummeled Florida 41-7 in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in beautiful downtown Orlando....Ohio State got clicking and defeated Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl 44-28, with it appearing the Irish, who lost All America linebacker Jaylon Smith in the first quarter, finally had their back broken on the injury front.  Even if healthy, Ohio State showcased what may have been and appear poised to lose a truckload of players to the NFL......Stanford, behind a brilliant performance by Christian McCaffrey, destroyed Iowa 45-16 in the picturesque Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual.....Ole Miss demonstrated their strengths in overwhelming Okie State 48-20 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.....Georgia raced out front and then held on to dump Penn State 24-17 in the TaxSlayer Bowl on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove his #88 TaxSlayer Chevrolet out to midfield to participate in the coin toss....Arkansas, behind RB Alex Collins, ran by Kansas State 45-23 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl....In a top notch bowl game, down 31-0 to Oregon behind the stellar quarterbacking play of Vernon Adams, Texas Christian mounted a comeback for the ages and got to overtime, then defeated Oregon 47-41 in 3OT's.  Great game....In another wild contest few on the east coast saw, West Virginia outlasted Arizona State 43-42, making just one more big play the Sun Devils.

Due to the inability to fill all the bowl games with teams with winning records, three teams with losing records (5-7) were issued bowl invitations based upon academic success.  The three teams were Nebraska, Minnesota and San Jose State.  Each team, as you may imagine, won their bowl game.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

In the Capital One Orange Bowl, the Clemson Tigers outscored Oklahoma 21-0 in the second half to dominate the Sooners and place the Tigers in position to win their first National Championship since defeating Nebraska in the 1981 Orange Bowl. Deshaun Watson was stellar, both with his arm and legs in dazzling the Sooners, who were favored.  Clemson also turned in a top notch defensive effort against QB Baker Mayfield and the high flying Sooner offense.  Clemson is IN.

Later, in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Alabama trounced Michigan State, dominating the Spartans 38-0. Although Alabama looked in control, the game was still in question with Bama leading 17-0 when Cyrus Jones returned a punt to give the Tide a 24-0 lead.  Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry took over from there, for which the Spartans had no answer.  Alabama owned the line of scrimmage, and got a great performance from QB Jake Coker. It was a bloodbath, and Alabama is IN.

North Dakota State pummeled top seeded Jacksonville State to win their fifth straight FCS National Championship, which is remarkable and worth the admiration it deserves.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the 2015 College Football National Champions! Alabama scored 24 fourth quarter points, and needed them all, to outlast Clemson 45-40 to win the National Title.

Most everyone is well aware of the storied football history of Alabama, but this is their fourth title in the last seven seasons.  This feat is unmatched in the modern era, and has eclipsed Nebraska, who went 60-4 in winning three titles in four seasons in the mid 1990's.

Nick Saban has squarely placed himself among the very best in the annuals of college football coaching, as he now has five national championships, having won one at LSU before coming to Alabama after two mediocre seasons with the Miami Dolphins.  Saban perhaps coached his best game on this evening, with an uncharacteristic trick play in an onside kick that appeared to turn the fortunes toward the Crimson Tide.  OC Lane Kiffin should also be recognized, for he is well on the way of atoning for failures as the head man at top jobs in both the NFL and college and will find himself with another opportunity sooner than later.

Alabama made the big plays, repeatedly, to win the ball game, on a night full of big plays.

Bama got out early, with Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry bolting 50 yards for the first score. However, Henry would not be story for Alabama on this night.  It would others, most notably tight end O. J. Howard.  Gridiron watchers in south, along with the NFL scouts, have known about Howard for years, but he has never been asked to play a significant role and never accumulated statistics that would place him contention for honors.  Hell, he had not caught a touchdown pass since 2013.  Howard hauled in five catches for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns, finding himself wide open time after time.  QB Jake Coker, who played a very smart game, found Howard and that connection seemed too much for Clemson.  Coker also, while avoiding a sack, found ArDarius Stewart for a big sideline grab.

But the big play that finally did Clemson in was a fourth quarter 95 yard kickoff return by Kenyon Drake.

Alabama's Kenyon Drake find paydirt with 95 YRD KO RET TD
Photo/USAToday

Alabama played well on defense, not withstanding the score, but had trouble matching up with Clemson quarterback DeShaun Watson and his big play making ability.

Top ranked Clemson, 6.5 point underdogs, came to win and has can hold their head high. The Tigers came very close to winning, making a bunch of big plays themselves. Quarterback Deshaun Watson, The Color & Pageantry 2015 All American quarterback, played a brilliant game and served notice on the nation he is among the nations best.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson
Photo/SI.com

Watson was 30/47 for 405 yards with four touchdowns, and ran 20 times for 73 yards as well.  Watson did throw an interception, where Watson fired an attempt to hit a receiver on a wheel route but Bama safety Eddie Jackson fell back to pick it off.  Had Jackson  not made the play, Clemson would likely have been up 21-7.

Watson and Clemson got performances by Wayne Gallman and a host of receivers to keep the pressure on Alabama.  In addition, defensively, most of the evening, Clemson played very well.

Defensively, the Tiger held up strong in the trenches, with DE Kevin Dodd and DE Shaq Lawson, making several sacks and tackles for loss.  CB Marquise Alexander made some plays early, but was lost to injury by the end of the first periord, and his loss withour question hurt the Tigers.

Clemson got screwed by poor officiating at the end of the first half, losing the opportunity for a play and a time out.  After the officials failed to get it right, Clemson had a field goal partially blocked and lost momentum going to the break.

It was a very enjoyable game, exploding with drama in the fourth quarter. Instead of this Monday Night tilt, the game should have been played the preceding Friday Night, as it was an early morning on the east coast for those of us fortunate enough to be employed.

Bama made the most big plays, and Clemson had failures on two special team plays, the onside kick and kick return touchdown, that told the tale of this game.

Congratulations to Dabo Swinney  and Clemson on a big year and congratulations,once again, to the 2015 National Champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide!  RTR!

Controlled Destiny

Florida State Seminoles 2013 BCS Champions

Oddsmakers had established the number one ranked undefeated Florida State Seminoles as a ten point favorite in the final Bowl Championship Series National Championship against the SEC Champion Auburn Tigers at the Rose Bowl on Monday night.

The smart money was placed on FSU, and with good reason, as the Seminoles ran roughshod over each of their opponents, scoring a minimum of 37 points in each game and winning by an average of over 40 points per contest, which included an eye popping 51-14 win in a clash of unbeatens at Clemson, who ended the season as Orange Bowl Champions.

However, the public embraced a perceived team of destiny in the SEC Champion Auburn Tigers, who had dethroned defending champion Alabama along the way. Auburn started out slowly, but really became a force after the offense of new head coach Gus Malzan took hold and confidence built.  Then, there was the fact that the SEC, the nations premier conference, by far, had won seven consecutive BCS titles, with Alabama or Auburn winning the previous three.

After FSU took the opening drive, with alarming difficulty, down for a field goal, Auburn took charge, announcing they had come to seal their fate of destiny. Although the Tigers failed to own the line of scrimmage, they did a wonderful job of mixing the run and pass to puzzle the Seminoles, particularly with mid range passes in the middle of the field to post three scores.

Additionally, Auburn confused FSU's Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston, with the FSU starting slow for the third consecutive game. While it does not jump out at you on the stat sheet, the Tigers punting game pinned Florida State deep on a number of occasions, forcing the Seminoles to start drives deep in their own territory, which exponentially increases the difficulty in scoring.

Florida State continued to fight, grabbing a touchdown just before the half to close the deficit to 21-10.   However, after receiving the second half kick, FSU gained nothing and had to punt. But the Seminole defense stuffed the Tigers in the third period.

Leading 21-13 to begin the fourth period, Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, who had played brilliantly, forced a pass which was picked off by FSU cornerback PJ Williams, giving FSU a badly needed break.  The Seminoles responded, cutting the lead to 21-20. A potential opportunity to go for two was nullified by a mind boggling unsportsmanlike penalty on FSU running back Devonta Freeman.

The Tigers responded by scoring a field goal to take a 24-20 lead.  However, freshman Lavonte Whitfield, a world class printer from Orlando Jones HS, sprinted 100 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff to give FSU its first lead in moons, 27-24.

Auburn came to win, and trailing after the kick return, the Tigers mounted a very impressive drive, capped off by a thundering 37 touchdown run by tailback Tre Mason, a Heisman finalist who ran for 195 yards on the evening.  The Tigers were ahead 31-27, with 1:19 to play.

Jamies Winston went to work, hitting a few short passes, before connecting with Rashad Greene, who split two defenders a raced 49 yards downfield to give the Seminoles the file position to get the win.  As the degree of difficulty rose, Auburn was hit with a legitimate pass interference penalty giving FSU a first down and goal. Winston then hit Kelvin Benjamin over the middle for a touchdown, giving the Seminoles a 34-31 lead.

Kelvin Benjamin catches winning score from Jamies Winston
PHOTO/USA TODAY

Would Auburn, the team of destiny, be able to pull off yet another incredible win with 0:13 seconds remaining?

The Tigers would not.

Florida State took control of destiny on the beautiful evening at the Rose Bowl, winning the 2013 BCS National Championship. 

It seemed fitting, with FSU having lost to an SEC team in Tennessee in the first BCS Championship, to win the last BCS Championship against an SEC team in Auburn.

This game was emotionally tasking for the Seminole faithful.  FSU played tight much of the game, Winston was erratic and the receivers dropped a number of passes. FSU was the victim of many penalties and non penalties and decisively lost the field position battle. A poor punt with even worse coverage set up one Tiger score, while a Winston fumble set up another.  Auburn effectively victimized the FSU defense with mid range passes, and took it to the Seminoles in the line of scrimmage.

Auburn was completely as advertised, a very strong team clicking on all cylinders.  However, in the end, Florida State made the plays that were needed to win the game, including driving the field in less just over a minute for the winning score.  Winston hit nine of last ten passes to close the game.

FSU Coach Jimbo Fisher
PHOTO/CBS Sports

Congratulations to Coach Jimbo Fisher, the coaching staff and players for daring to be elite, keeping composure and delivering under fire when everything was on the line.  It was a great season, and the Seminoles finished the year unbeaten at 14-0 and are the 2013 National Champions, the third title for the Seminoles.

Job well done!

Clemson Crystal Ball

It was certain to be on of the colossal collisions of top flight teams, complete with The Color & Pageantry which makes the game of college football so special.

The Clemson Tigers, were set up to have perhaps their greatest season, coming of an impressive 2012 bowl victory over SEC powerhouse LSU.  An early season home encounter with the highly ranked neighboring Georgia Bulldogs, another SEC powerhouse, gave Clemson an opportunity to start strong in 2013, and the Tigers did not disappoint winning a spirited contest.

Up next, was fellow ACC Conference foe Florida State who in recent seasons had experienced flirtation with mediocrity after decades of dominance.  The Seminoles were looking for a big road victory as a statement of the return of the Seminoles a level of elite on the national stage.

With a national television audience on hand, the game on October 19 was set as a clash of titans among national title contenders for 2013.  Clemson, at home where FSU had not won in a decade, with an explosive and experienced offensive unit, was favored, but the Seminoles, with a freshman quarterback making national noise, were somewhat unknown.

Five days prior to the matchup, on October 14, Jeff Cameron, of ESPN 97.9 in Tallahassee, previewed the game to his radio audience.  The comments put forth by Cameron were spot on, and in stunning fashion, #5 Florida State dominated #3 Clemson 52-14 at Death Valley.

Thanks to an outstanding editing job of an unknown individual, game highlights where placed in relation to the comments of Cameron, and the final product is just tremendous, unless of course you are a Clemson supporter.

Please take a look at this outstanding piece of work:



Cameron was on to something as the Seminoles have the look of the type of team that directly challenges for the national title, and the pieces are falling into place for the season to be quite special.

Spear Opportunity

First of all, may I say up front I am strongly opposed to all the conference alignment we have witnessed in college football over the last decade or so. The last time I thought major movement made sense was when Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Texas started this new wave by refusing to share revenue in the previous Big XII and forming with ESPN The Longhorn Network. Nebraska, with fan loyalty and football tradition rivaling anyone and everybody, was not going to be second fiddle to Texas and bolted for the Big Ten, with Colorado also heading to the PAC 12. Given the situation, I thought the decision to move for UNL was necessary and principled, ensuring stability for Nebraska moving forward.

Many moves among second rate conferences took place in the aftermath, but the most significant was Missouri and Texas A&M leaving the Big XII for the Southeastern Conference. Then, Pittsburgh and Syracuse joined the ACC, a move that was no doubt centered on the hardwood rather than the gridiron, which left the ACC brass giddy.  As thoughts of the ACC basketball tournament being held at Madison Square Garden were bubbling, it seems focus on where the money was made, football, was temporarily suspended.  In a report on 60 Minutes last night, this focus was in full comprehension by the current Athletic Director at Michigan.

With Rutgers on deck to move on Tuesday, ACC charter member Maryland announced today that the Terrapins will be leaving the ACC for The Big Ten. Maryland and Rutgers are certainly not leaders or legends in anything, so one has to wonder on the merits of this move by Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney. While it appears they will bring television eyeballs from the New York, DC and Baltimore population centers, I have doubts. That area has a greater appreciation for professional sports. Last Saturday, against highly ranked Florida State, Maryland could not fill their football stadium even with thousands of Seminoles visiting.

Make no mistake, conference realignment is shifting at a fast and furious pace, and we are far from the conclusion.

Brent Beaird of CollegeSportsNotebook.com concurs, with his crystal ball showing the SEC, after going west, looking east to perhaps North Carolina and/or Virginia.

These events are an alarm bell for Florida State University, which simply must, if not having previously done so, adopt a proactive mindset.

Previously, rumors had Florida State and Clemson heading to what remains of The Big XII, which no longer has a league title game and needs one.  But it seems the Seminoles hold a high rate of allegiance to the ACC, who welcomed in the Seminoles in 1992.

However, the landscape is changing; like struggling for footing in an earthquake, and billions of dollars and the future of the university is at stake.  FSU has spent a fortune in blood and money building a football tradition, not withstanding currently sitting as ACC basketball champions.

Previous actions have recently showed the ACC was continuing to build from a basketball mindset, and that is not the FSU pedigree.  The Seminoles seemed content to remain loyal to the ACC, but with Maryland now gone, and with potential replacements far below FSU in most every academic and athletic level, FSU must now look to depart.  Now.

Teams in the SEC, Big Ten and Big XII are guaranteed millions more annual dollars than FSU is in the ACC, and over time, with another four years of economic underachievement at best looming, FSU cannot afford to fail to seek to maximize future opportunities academically, athletically, and of course, financially.  Hopefully, the FSU Board of Trustees has been war gaming these potential issues and has planned avenues of approach.

The horrendous economy has stadiums across the country, even programs which typically are sold flat out like Florida, Michigan and South Carolina, with thousands of empty seats.  FSU, whose massive stadium upgrade is far from paid for, is no exception.

A huge factor in a move would be these leagues forming equivalents to the Big Ten Network.  The SEC is close, and The Big XII could get with ESPN and have The Longhorn network evolve into a Big XII network.

Although Florida State is considered a national program, the SEC is without question the better fit geographically and when considering football tradition, but the Big XII is an intriguing option as well. Annual games against Texas and Oklahoma are attractive. The Big XII would welcome a footprint in Florida, which may in a backward way turn out to be a reason the University of Florida relaxes their opposition to FSU joining the SEC.

Florida State is taking an ACC hit as we speak, unable to climb in the BCS poll to reach a higher payout bowl game, due to the weakness of the conference, leaving money and exposure on the table. Maryland leaving further discredits the ACC, and leaves the future of the conference shaky and down trending. 

Given that, much like Nebraska a few years back, Florida State needs to be proactive and make the best deal available to move in very short order to secure stability and the capitalize on future economic opportunities.  It appears, particularly from a football perspective, the Atlantic Coast Conference will not represent that opportunity.