You’ve got questions. We’ve got stuff written below your questions. It’s time for a Monday evening mailbag. Where should we begin?
@DanMurphyESPN @ESPN_BigTen Delaney going to do anything about officials? It's embarrassing!
— Jeff Minemier (@jeffjmin) October 27, 2014.
Dan Murphy: In Saturday night’s unexpected nail-biter between Ohio State and Penn State referees appeared to blow two calls that potentially could have changed the outcome of the game. In one instance replay equipment broke down preventing the officials from properly reviewing an interception call that should have been overturned. In another, Ohio State kicked a field goal three seconds after the play clock expired. The Big Ten admitted Monday that its crew made mistakes.
I'm usually a staunch supporters of referees having one of the toughest jobs in sports and doing a remarkable job of making the right call almost all of the time. These two misses were inexcusable though, and could have cost Penn State its biggest win of the season. There’s no reason why in 2014, when anybody inside Beaver Stadium with a smartphone had access to replays, those mistakes should go uncorrected on the field. If the rules prohibited the referees from finding a way to change their initial ruling, then those rules should be changed.
DJ from Minneapolis writes: Saturday was another "here we go again" moment for Minnesota and their fans. Why can't this program ever get over the hump? Is .500 the best MN can ever aspire to and isn't it likely the Gophers will lose out with the rest of the schedule?
Dan Murphy: The Gophers will probably be underdogs for all four games they play in November, but it wouldn’t be a shock if they steal at least one victory. A bad loss to Illinois doesn’t make them a bad team all of a sudden.
The margin for error is always going to be thinner at a program like Minnesota that doesn’t have the resources, tradition, or location to bring in steady waves of talent. That doesn’t mean the Gophers aren’t capable of making it to a Big Ten title game or even winning it in an isolated year when a few bounces roll their way. It doesn't look like that will happen this season, but it shouldn’t take away from the terrific job coach Jerry Kill has done finding a formula for success. Speaking of Kill ...
Adam from Los Angeles writes: With Brady Hoke being on the hot seat would Michigan ever consider a bold in-conference play and target Jerry Kill as a head coaching candidate? I know Kill has health challenges, and is probably loyal to Minnesota but could you imagine what he and his staff could do with Michigan's resources? A solid program builder at every level, does a lot with very little.
Dan Murphy: Building programs with limited resources doesn’t necessarily translate to winning at a place like Michigan, where the ingredients for success are more plentiful. A coach who is well-versed in doing more with less doesn’t always become a coach who knows how to do more with more. The past two coaches at Michigan -- Hoke and Rich Rodriguez -- have failed more because of their inability to control the off-the-field issues in a high-pressure job than their lack of coaching acumen.
Running a big-time program like Michigan requires a coach that can be as much of a politician as he is a tactician. That’s not to say Kill isn’t capable of handling those responsibilities, but there are others who have more experience in that field that are probably higher on the wish list if Michigan does decide to make a coaching change.
@DanMurphyESPN What causes more chaos tomorrow: a playoff committee ranking that's way off from polls, or a pick that's aligned to polls?
— wmstrom (@wmstrom) October 27, 2014.
Dan Murphy: I guess that all depends on what part of the country you are from and where you went to school. There is bound to be a faction of fans somewhere that is upset. I wouldn’t expect the selection committee’s rankings to look the same as the AP poll. There will undoubtedly be some differences with so many one-loss teams with different strengths and weaknesses. The important thing to remember is none of it matters now. Everything changes on a weekly basis in college football. The one guarantee I can make is that this week’s rankings will certainly be different than the final group that is decided in December.
Buckeye fan from Boston writes: In comparing the 2013 Week 9 BCS rankings and the Week 16 BCS rankings, six teams ranked in Week 9 ended up unranked in the Week 16 rankings ... six unranked teams ended up ranked, including Michigan State, which went from unranked to No. 4 during that time period. If this holds true, which top 10 team do you think is most likely to end up unranked, and which unranked team do you think has a shot of being in the top ten?
Dan Murphy: Michigan State’s biggest jump a year ago didn’t come until after winning the Big Ten championship. It’s hard to imagine any team currently outside the polls finishing in the top 10 without winning a league title. With that in mind, two programs who have a path to get there -- albeit a difficult one -- are Wisconsin and Louisville.
The Badgers(5-2) still control their own fate in the West Division. The biggest game left on the schedule is Nebraska at home. If they can win out and somehow upset the East Division winner in Indianapolis, Wisconsin would be a top 10 team. That, of course, would probably require them to find a passing game. Louisville (6-2) has games against Florida State and Notre Dame remaining on the schedule. Two quality wins and a trip to the ACC title game would be enough to catapult them high in the rankings.
The big droppers are harder to predict. I’d imagine that at least someone in the SEC has to fall victim to the week-to-week difficult competition. No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 9 Georgia are candidates there.
Thanks for the questions, everyone. Looking forward to hearing from you again soon.