Championship Week Clashes and Playoff Pressure

Mark Reynolds

Welcome to The Dynasty Report. It's Conference Championship Week, and all three of our coaches have something on the line. I'm Mark Reynolds, with David Mitchell, Emily Carter, and James Wilson. Emily, I'll start with you, because back in Week Nine you were furious that eight and one Washington State was sitting at number twenty four.

Emily Carter

And I'd like that entered into the record. Number twenty four then, number eight now. Eleven and one, a perfect eight and oh in the Pac 12, and a playoff spot already locked up. Jack Fletcher's Cougars didn't just survive the schedule people questioned, they climbed over everybody.

Mark Reynolds

Fine, you were right about the ranking. But I'm still not ready to call them a national title team, and my reason is Dylan Edwards. Fifteen hundred fifty eight rushing yards, sixteen touchdowns, eight point six a carry. Sixteen runs of twenty yards or more. What happens when a defense finally loads the box and holds him under a hundred?

Emily Carter

Then Owen Eshelman beats you, and that's the point. He's completing sixty seven percent of his passes and has seventeen passing touchdowns plus seven rushing. Twenty four touchdowns from the quarterback. Add C. Kenney with five hundred forty two yards and six scores, and Micah Mays Junior at nearly seventeen yards a catch. You can't just stack the box on this team.

Mark Reynolds

Eight interceptions, Emily. Against Alabama or Tennessee, every one of those is a possession you don't get back.

Emily Carter

Eight interceptions against a pile of touchdowns. And the defense creates takeaways too. Kyle Peterson, J. Thomas, and J. Davis have two picks each, Luke Webb has eleven tackles for loss. This team has more than one way to win.

James Wilson

Can I bring the Apple Cup into this? Because the bracket is wonderful. Number eight Washington State against number nine Washington, a nine and three side, in the first round of the playoff. Win that, and the prize is number one Alabama. As an outsider, I can't think of a better way to introduce a rivalry to the world.

David Mitchell

That's the beauty of it. But Mark has a fair point about Alabama. A rivalry game gives you emotion, and a quarterfinal against the top seed gives you size and speed. Those are two very different tests.

Mark Reynolds

First things first, though. Boise State is number twenty in the Pac 12 title game. I'm taking the Cougars, thirty one to twenty seven. Boise keeps it close.

Emily Carter

Thirty four to twenty one, and Edwards goes over a hundred fifty. I'll even add to your bold prediction, Mark. He finishes past seventeen hundred yards, and then we talk about this team as a real contender.

James Wilson

Elsewhere, I'm with Tennessee over Alabama in the SEC, thirty five to thirty one. Twelve wins and no losses means they know how to finish. Mark?

Mark Reynolds

Alabama, thirty four to thirty. Championship pedigree matters. And I like Nebraska over USC, twenty eight to twenty four.

James Wilson

I'll take USC in the upset, thirty one to twenty seven. Miami handles Syracuse, and Memphis beats South Florida.

David Mitchell

Let me go east, because Delaware is the story I keep coming back to. Seven and five overall, six and two in Conference USA, first place, and a spot in the title game. Back in Week Nine I said defensive tackle pressure and G. Spiller in the red zone could carry this team even with Riley Trujillo's eight interceptions at that point.

Emily Carter

And he finished with seventeen. Seventeen interceptions, eight touchdown passes, seventeen hundred eighty four yards. David, that's your blueprint working in spite of its quarterback, not because of him.

David Mitchell

Fair, but it still worked. Dylan Mann has fourteen tackles for loss and six and a half sacks from defensive tackle. A. Ramsey has four sacks, Nasir Eatmon has three picks and fifty one tackles. Jackson Harrison has built a defense that keeps a bad quarterback year from becoming a bad season.

Emily Carter

So why not open the competition? E. Archield Junior has six touchdowns to three interceptions in limited work, plus one hundred seventy seven rushing yards and two scores. That's a spark, and I'd rather find out now than in January.

David Mitchell

It's a small sample, Emily. I wouldn't hand the keys over on that. But I agree the competition should be a storyline, and for the title game the simplest key is protecting the football. Don't give a championship opponent short fields.

Mark Reynolds

Which brings us to Marshall, where short fields were the whole story. Three and nine, three and five in the Sun Belt, fifth in the East.

Emily Carter

And I pushed for Dorian Patterson over A.J. Fox, so I'll own this. Patterson threw twelve interceptions in six games. Fox threw fifteen in seven. Together it's fourteen touchdowns and twenty seven picks. The move backfired, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

David Mitchell

What stings is the talent around them. Marquis Boston ran for nine hundred eight yards and nine touchdowns. Chris Culliver caught sixty two passes. A. Glenn had seventy six tackles, Donte Beard four sacks.

James Wilson

So what does Ron Cherry do? Trust a returning passer, recruit a freshman, or go to the transfer portal?

Emily Carter

Portal. Neither returning quarterback has earned another benefit of the doubt. The numbers say one more year of this is too risky.

Mark Reynolds

I'd resist that a little. The portal is a gamble too. But I agree that standing still isn't an option for Cherry.

Mark Reynolds

Last question, the pressure gauge. Who has the hottest seat next season? I say Cherry, no contest. A three and nine team, a quarterback room that needs answers, and a fan base waiting for a reason to believe.

Emily Carter

I'll go the other way. Fletcher. Once you're eleven and one and in the playoff, anything short of a deep run looks like a letdown. That's a different kind of heat.

David Mitchell

I'm saying Harrison. Finish first with seventeen interceptions from your starter and nobody lets you go backward next year. Expectations change the moment you win.

James Wilson

And for Coach of the Year, I'm with the Cougars. Fletcher's résumé is the strongest, with Harrison a clear second for managing that quarterback season.

Mark Reynolds

We'll be back after championship weekend. For David, Emily, and James, I'm Mark Reynolds. This has been The Dynasty Report.