WKU Football: Championship Saturday Rooting Guide
WKU football sits home on Championship Saturday needing some help to secure a spot in a bowl game for the fourth straight season.
WKU football sits home on Championship Saturday needing some help to secure a spot in a bowl game for the fourth straight season.
On Wednesday, we examined all of the potential bowl scenarios and on Thursday we gave you the updated bowl projections. Today, we’re going to give you a guide of Saturday’s games that will help WKU’s bowl prospects. Reminder there are currently 79 eligible teams for 78 spots. Let’s break down the direct and indirect games that will impact WKU’s before the pairings are announced on Sunday.
Direct Impact Games
These games all have 5–6 teams in them. If they win, they’ll provide a ripple effect that will add more bubble teams that WKU will have to out maneuver.
This game would normally be a lay-up for Florida State to join the bowl eligible masses. However, this rescheduled game from Hurricane Irma now is part of Jimbo Fisher’s abrupt departure to Texas A&M yesterday. Louisiana-Monroe hasn’t been as bad as their record would lend you to think: They trailed #2 Auburn 14–7 at the half just two weeks ago. They also have a history of knocking off Power 5 teams, including Alabama in 2007, Arkansas in 2012 and Wake Forest in 2013 & 2014. FSU should still win this one handily but you never know with an interim coach, especially after the drama in Tallahassee this week.
This is probably the direct impact game with the best chance to help WKU moving forward. Louisiana-Lafayette hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record this season and just lost to a one-win Georgia Southern last week with bowl eligibility on the line. Going to Boone against a quality Appalachian State team will be a tall order for the Ragin Cajuns and hopefully the Mountaineers do as expected on today.
This game probably will have a huge impact on WKU’s bowl prospects. New Mexico State hasn’t been bowling since 1960, and the Arizona Bowl has already said they’d love to host the Aggies if they can pick up that elusive sixth win. That would take away a spot for a bubble team like WKU.
The Aggies have been up and down this season, beating teams with losing records but also playing Sun Belt contenders competitively in losses. South Alabama fired head coach Joey Jones two weeks ago after their embarrassing loss to then winless Georgia Southern. He had last week to prepare for his last game as coach. USA has been an enigma this season; they are talented enough to beat Sun Belt leaders Troy and Arkansas State but also got embarrassed by Georgia Southern and lost to three-win Idaho. Let’s hope they show their potential and extend the Aggies bowl-less streak to 57 years.
Indirect Impact Games
These next three games have a direct impact on the College Football Playoff. Simply put, if a conference leader losses it could open the door for two SEC teams in the College Football Playoff (SEC Championship winner and Alabama). Todd Stewart himself said this week if the SEC gets two in it could directly impact WKU by opening up more of their slots that are in the southeast. This would give WKU and C-USA a boost because they are closer than than the MAC teams and Utah State to southern bowl games.
Alabama would certainly leap TCU for the fourth playoff spot but TCU must avenge a 38–20 loss against one of the top offenses in the country.
Ohio State is favored and this is Wisconsin’s first big challenge against a Top 10 team. Should the Buckeye’s prevail, it will be interesting to see if the committee takes them over the Crimson Tide; the blowout loss to Iowa might be too much for them to overcome.
Should Miami prevail over the defending champs, they’ll probably be in. But their resume is very comparable to Alabama and they certainly have been less dominant throughout the season. I find it hard to believe the Hurricanes would get passed over but you never know.
Other Interesting Games of Note
The winner of this game will be the G5 representative in the New Year’s Six bowl game. If UCF beats Memphis again it will be interesting to see if the committee continues to enforce a glass ceiling for G5 teams in their rankings despite their impressive undefeated season.
The game that we all got accustomed to the past two seasons goes on without the Tops in the game. Both of these teams have been entertaining in a better than expected league. FAU blew out North Texas the first time they played. I really don’t care who wins this one unless a win could somehow get Lane Kiffin out of Boca Raton and make his career in C-USA a one and done scenario.
The team that gave WKU its worst loss of the season makes up another game that was postponed by Hurricane Irma. A win would help FIU add to an impressive season and be another feather in the C-USA cap. However, they already may be keeping the Tops out of a bowl and who really wants them to be a program on the rise in WKU’s division?
This game has zero connection to WKU but should just be fun to watch as a college football fan. (ed. note — The Towel Rack editor, Fletcher Keel, is a huge Auburn fan, as he was a Tiger before going to WKU. While he’s still Toppers first, he pulls for Auburn at every opportunity. War Eagle.)
Let’s hope the games break WKU’s way and hope that the Tops have to beat out one or two other bubble teams instead of four. Enjoy your last weekend of the regular season.