Odds and Ends 11/21/18

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Welcome Back!

Here at Odds and Ends, I plan to look at some stats, trends, storylines, etc. as they play out.  I will also give my opinion on some issues, but you can take that for what it's worth.

All Wins and No Wins

This is where I will list all the teams that are still undefeated, and all the teams that are winless.  These lists will get smaller as the season goes on, of course.

Undefeated
Alabama
Clemson
Notre Dame
UCF

Winless
NONE

Some interesting tidbits:

There are now no winless teams.  Undefeated teams remain at 4.

There are no games between undefeated teams in week 13.  In fact, there are no games between the 4 remaining undefeated teams.  This means the only chance we have for such would be in a bowl game (or playoff).

Here are the conference standings in relation to undefeated and winless teams.  The 1st number is the number of undefeated teams, the 2nd is the number of winless teams.  I trust you to know how many teams are in each conference.

AAC 1-0
ACC 1-0
SEC 1-0 
Independents 1-0
Big 10 0-0
Big 12 0-0
PAC 12 0-0
MAC 0-0
SBC 0-0
MWC 0-0
CUSA 0-0

There are now only 3 teams that have yet to win against an FBS foe.  They are listed below with their remaining games in parentheses.

Central Michigan (@Toledo Nov 23)
Rice (ODU Nov 24)
UConn  (Temple Nov 24)

Conference Standings

I will also be keeping up with how the conferences are faring in non-conference games.  I have dropped the records against FCS teams and are just presenting the non conference records against FBS foes.   Lately, there haven't been too many non-conference games, but there are a few. In addition, there are still some OOC games left, especially in the SEC and the ACC.  The Big 12, Big 10, MWC, CUSA,  and SBC have finished their non-conference slates, unless some games get added to make up for those lost due to weather.  Here is where we stand:

1) SEC 29-5 .853winning percentage
2) Big 12 15-6 .714
3) Big 10 25-14 .641
4) Pac 12 15-11 .577
5) ACC 20-15 .571
6) Independents 27-22 .551
7) MWC 15-21 .417
8) AAC 14-20 .412
9) SBC 11-17 .393
10) CUSA 11-30 .268
11) MAC 8-29 .216

Here are the rankings against P5 conference teams:

1) SEC 6-2 .750 winning percentage
2) Big 10 7-5 .583
3) Ind 11-9 .550
4) PAC 12 3-4 .429
5) AAC 7-10 .412
6) Big 12 4-6 .400
7) ACC 3-6 .333
8) MWC 4-13 .235
9) MAC 3-19 .136
T10) CUSA 2-20 .091
T10) SBC 1-10 .091

Here are the rankings against G5 conference teams:

1) Big 12 11-0 1.000 winning percentage
2) SEC 23-3 .885
3) Big 10 18-9 .667
4) ACC 17-9 .653
5) PAC 12 12-7 .632
6) SBC 10-7 .588
7) MWC 11-8 .578
8) Ind 16-13 .552
9) CUSA 9-10 .473
10) AAC 7-10 .412
11) MAC 5-10 .333

Which Conference Division is the best?

In order to figure this out, I simply took the winning percentage of each team in the divisions and ranked them.  Yes, I included intra-division games.  Here is how it looks now, after 13 weeks:

1) SEC East 49-26 .653
2) SEC West 48-29 .623
3) Pac 12 North 39-25 .609
4) SBC East 32-22 .593
5) Big 10 East 45-32 .584
6) ACC Atlantic 44-32 .579
7) AAC East 37-27 .578
8) Independents 37-29 .561
9) Big 12 61-48 .560
10) ACC Coastal 40-35 .533
T11) MWC West 34-33 .507
T11) MWC Mountain 34-33 .507
13) Big 10 West 39-38 .506
14) CUSA East 37-39 .487
15) Pac 12 South 32-34 .485
16) AAC West 31-36 .463
17) MAC West 30-36 .455
18) MAC East 29-35 .453
19) CUSA West 34-43 .442
20) SBC West 24-31 .429

The SEC East stayed on top.  The SEC is the only conference with both divisions in the top 9.  Obviously, as most of the games being played now are conference games, the percentages should be collapsing toward .500, being affected only by the non-conference and cross-division games.

The divisions that did the best last week was the SEC East at 6-1, the SEC West at 5-2, and the PAC 12 North at 3-1.  The worst divisions were the PAC 12 South at 2-4 and CUSA West at 2-5 (2nd wek in a row!).  All of the other divisions were at .500 or a game away.

Which Division in each Conference is best?

Here are the standings for each conference in cross divisional games.

SEC East is 8-5 vs. the West
Big 10 East is 13-7 vs. the West
PAC 12 North is 12-9 vs. the South
ACC Atlantic is 6-5 vs. the Coastal
AAC East is 10-8 vs. the West
MWC West is 9-9 vs. the Mountain
MAC West is 8-8 vs. the East
CUSA West is 4-7 vs. the East
SBC East is 13-6 vs. the West!

Update on Paul's Playoff Picks:

My picks are pretty much a disaster at this point.  Washington and Wisconsin each have 3+ losses, so they won't sniff the playoff.  Georgia has one loss, which means its only chance would be to beat Ga Tech this weekend, and then the SECCG over Alabama.  Clemson is the only one still on pace to make it. The top 2 spots seem set, with Alabama and Clemson appearing to be head and shoulders above anyone else.  The fight for the last 2 spots should be interesting!

Teams that have achieved 6 Wins, i.e. Bowl Eligibility
There are 39 bowl games this year, which means there are 78 slots for 130 teams.  The minimum standard is 6 wins.  These are the teams that are already eligible for a bowl:

Alabama
Appalachian State
Arizona State
Arkansas State
Army
Auburn
Boise State
Boston College
Buffalo
BYU
California
Cincinnati
Clemson
Duke
Eastern Michigan
FIU
Florida
Fresno State
Georgia
Georgia Southern
Georgia Tech
Hawai'i
Houston
Iowa
Iowa State
Kentucky
La Tech
Louisiana
LSU
Marshall
Memphis
Miami, Florida
Michigan
Michigan State
Middle Tennessee
Mississippi State
Missouri
Nevada
North Carolina State
North Texas
Northern Illinois
Northwestern
Notre Dame
Ohio
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Oregon
Penn State
Pittsburgh
San Diego State
South Carolina
Stanford
Syracuse
Temple
Texas
Texas A&M
Toledo
Troy
UAB
UCF
ULM
USF
Utah
Utah State
Virginia
Washington
Washington State
West Virginia
Western Michigan
Wisconsin

With 6 new teams added, that brings the total to 71, meaning that there are only 7 more slots to fill.  23 teams are still vying for those 7 slots.

Chances for bowl eligibility

Teams needing 1 win

Team- Maryland
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule-  @Penn St
Outlook- The Terrapins must beat the Nittany Lions on the road.

Team- Colorado
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- @Cal
Outlook- The Buffaloes have lost 6 straight after starting the season 5-0.

Team- Texas Tech
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- Baylor (Arlington)
Outlook- The Red Raiders should be able to beat Baylor to earn a bowl trip.  Whether they will or not...

Team- Coastal Carolina
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- @South Alabama
Outlook- The Chanticleers have a good chance in their last game, but it's on the road..

Team- Purdue
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- @Indiana
Outlook- The Boilermakers must win the Old Oaken Bucket to make it.

Team- USC
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- Notre Dame
Outlook- I don't think the Trojans are going to make it...

Team- Arizona
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- Ariz St
Outlook- The Wildcats have one last chance, but it's a rivalry game, so anything can happen.

Team- Baylor 
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- Texas Tech (Arlington)
Outlook- Both teams are fighting for a bowl.

Team- Indiana
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- Purdue
Outlook- Both teams are fighting for a bowl berth.

Team- Minnesota
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- @Wisconsin
Outlook- I don't think they get there...

Team- Wake Forest
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- @Duke
Outlook- The Demon Deacons probably won't get there, especially on the road.

Team- Tennessee
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- @Vandy
Outlook- The Volunteers must defeat their biggest rival (historically).  

Team- Tulane 
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- Navy
Outlook- The Green Wave should be able to beat Navy at home.

Team- SMU
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule-  @Tulsa
Outlook- The Mustangs should get there, but it's on the road.  Then again, it's Tulsa...

Team- FAU
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- Charlotte
Outlook- Charlotte should be a win, so I think they get to 6.

Team- Vandy
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule-  Tennessee
Outlook- Both teams are fighting for a bowl.

Team- FSU
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- Florida
Outlook- One upset down, one more to go.

Team- Virginia Tech
Record- 4-6
Remaining Schedule- Virginia
Outlook- The only way the Hokies get there is if they are able to schedule another game (and also beat UVA).

Team- Akron
Record- 4-6
Remaining Schedule- @Ohio, @S Carolina
Outlook- Good luck winning 2 with that schedule... 

Team- TCU
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- Okla St
Outlook- The Horned Frogs have been a mess this year, but so has OSU, so they could win that one at home.  

Team- Wyoming
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- @New Mexico
Outlook- New Mexico is a terrible team, but it's on the road.  The Cowboys SHOULD win...

Team- Southern Miss
Record- 5-5
Remaining Schedule-  @UTEP
Outlook- The Eagles only need to beat a UTEP team that has only 1 win.

Team- Kansas State
Record- 5-6
Remaining Schedule- @Iowa State
Outlook- They took care of 2 wins, now they need 1 more.  Good luck with that!

Teams eliminated from a bowl 
(7+ losses- can only be considered if all the slots aren't filled)

Air Force
Arkansas
Ball State
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Charlotte
Colorado State
East Carolina
Georgia State
Illinois
Kansas
Kent State
Liberty (transitional team)
Louisville
Miami, Ohio
Navy
Nebrasks
New Mexico
New Mexico State
North Carolina
ODU
Ole Miss (ineligible)
Oregon State
Rice
Rutgers
San Jose State
South Alabama
Texas State
Tulsa
UCLA
UConn
UMass
UNLV
UTEP
UTSA
WKU

Games I'm excited about this weekend:

Mississippi State @Ole Miss- The Egg Bowl is always can't miss for any CFB fan!
Houston @ Memphis- The winner wins the AAC West.
UCF @ USF- Can the Knights finish the regular season undefeated?
Oklahoma @ West Virginia- The winner is in the Big 12 CG, the loser is probably out.
Washington @ Washington State- The Apple Cup will decide the PAC 12 North.
Georgia Tech @ Georgia- Clean Old Fashioned Hate is another one of those can't-miss rivalries.
Michigan @ Ohio State- The winner claims the Big 10 East at 11-1.
Florida @ FSU- Can the Seminoles pull the upset and be eligible for a bowl for the 37th straight year?
Troy @ Appalachian State- Winner claims the SBC East berth in the championship game.
Auburn @ Alabama- The Iron Bowl almost always has a surprise or 2.
South Carolina @ Clemson- Can the Gamecocks ruin Clemson's perfect season?
Notre Dame @ USC- Can the Fighting Irish finish the season undefeated?  Can the Trojans save Clay Helton's job?

That's all for now.  Tomorrow, I will have my picks for Week 13.  Feel free to leave a comment.  Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!

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