Welcome to Doughty's Dump, your daily dump of college football and college basketball links, videos and other goodness. And if your time isn't valuable, follow me on Twitter and check out my podcast, High Motor.
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Sham Playoff
"Alabama being where they are with very little accomplishments and lots of reputation is just more continuation of the sham that the College Football Playoff has been since its inception."
That was Mike DeCourcy (The Sporting News) on this week's High Motor podcast. While I don't agree with his preference for the eight-team playoff with auto-bid Power Five champions and highest-ranked Group of Five, let's be honest: If Alabama and Minnesota switched names, Alabama would be No. 8 in the Week 12 playoff rankings and Minnesota would be, at worst, No. 5.
Here's the full podcast episode:
With four weeks remaining until the playoff field is announced on Sunday, Dec. 8, ESPN's Heather Dinich ran through each conference with a best-case scenario, worst-case scenario, and most realistic scenario. Most realistic for the SEC:
"LSU wins the SEC and finishes in the top four, and Alabama creates a great debate for the fourth spot. According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, LSU has an 86.4% chance of reaching the playoff, second only to Ohio State (88.5%). Alabama clearly needs help to get back into the conversation, but it's not impossible — especially if a one-loss Baylor wins the Big 12 and the Pac-12 produces a two-loss conference champion. Alabama has to win convincingly against Auburn, though, to make a case."
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Keep on Truckin
Eddie Kendricks released "Keep on Truckin" in August 1973. Three months later, it was the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single for consecutive weeks: Nov. 10-23. Two days before it was knocked from its No. 1 perch by Ringo Starr's "Photograph," Notre Dame beat Air Force at Notre Dame Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, 48-15.
That was the last (and only) non-sellout at Notre Dame Stadium. The following year, on Sept. 28, 1974, against Purdue, the Irish had the first of 273 consecutive sellouts. That streak is expected to end on Saturday vs. Navy.
“Based on ticket sales through Wednesday, we do not anticipate sellouts for our games against Navy and Boston College,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. “That this comes during a time of sustained success for our football program reflects both challenges impacting the ticket market nationwide and the unique dynamics of this year’s schedule.”
Nebraska has the nation's longest active sellout streak: 373 games.
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Gophers Aren't 9-0…
…if Chris Autman-Bell didn't haul in a 20-yard game-tying touchdown on 4th-and-13 in the final minute vs. Fresno State in Week 2:
"Those six seconds aren't supposed to go Minnesota's way. Often they do, though too often they didn't as the Gophers sputtered through the last five decades. Those six seconds didn't go their way in the final minute of a seven-point loss to New Mexico State in 2011, nor did they in overtime vs. Bowling Green in 2007 or against Ohio in 2000.
"The Penn State win launched the Gophers into the College Football Playoff race and ensured a two-game lead in the Big Ten West with three games remaining. And while that win — and cathartic field-rushing — would've meant a lot even with a Fresno State loss, it meant a hell of a lot more and felt a hell of a lot better for a starved program thanks to Chris Autman-Bell's story-altering touchdown catch two months earlier."
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The Big Dump
Week 12 college football picks against the spread . . . Scathing report on lack of oversight leading to JUCO player's death in Kansas . . . Excellent story explaining why the James Wiseman news wasn't completely accurate . . . Michigan State basketball jerseys get an update . . . Oregon football unveiled uniforms for Arizona game . . . Want a hype video for Auburn-Georgia? . . . Updated 2020 football recruiting rankings . . . Watch: Catch or no catch?
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Remember When…
North Texas launched a controversy with a trick punt return in their demolition of Arkansas last season.
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High Motor
If you're interested in recent episodes of the High Motor podcast:
