Mike Kern’s Fraud Five – Week Eight Edition

1. Ohio State, Ohio State, Ohio State — So you were expecting maybe the Milwaukee Brewers? Of course the Urban Meyer haters, and you know who you are, were loving every moment of Purdue’s 49-20 win at home. When you’re ranked second and everyone is starting to assume you’re going to the playoffs, you really shouldn’t be losing at Purdue. And especially not by that much. But it happens, which is why there’s a fraud five, as I have to keep reminding folks. The way this stuff works, I guess the Buckeyes could somehow get back in the conversation if they don’t lose again. But if I’m on the committee I’d have a tough time overlooking this one. Just saying. Still, stranger scenarios have played themselves out.

2. North Carolina State — This was a tough call, since the Wolfpack has a bad history against Clemson. So I didn’t expect them to win in Death Valley. But when you’re unbeaten, maybe you should be able to do better than 41-7. Or maybe not. And Clemson was one of the biggest beneficiaries of Ohio State’s meltdown. Of course three is still half a season left to go.

3. TCU — It’s OK to lose to Oklahoma for the third time in 11 months, even at home and even if the Sooners were coming off their first loss. But 52-27 seems a tad excessive. Especially when the Horned Frogs came in with the top-rated defense in the Big 12, for whatever that’s worth. Of course it was OU’s 18th straight true road win, so there is that. But TCU did get outscored 24-3 in the second half.

4. Minnesota — Somebody had to be the first to lose to Nebraska. But nobody said it had to be by 53-28, even if it was in Lincoln. Good thing the Golden Gophers were only losing 28-22 at the half.

5. Oregon — I know Washington State can be a tough place to play. And the Ducks were only a slight favorite. But when you’re trying to make a case for being playoff worthy, you shouldn’t be losing by 14 the week after you beat Washington at home in overtime. Or maybe that helps explain it. All I know is the PAC-12 probably isn’t going to get anybody into the Final Four, again, and the powers that be on the left coast won’t be happy about it. But that’s the way this thing works.

Dishonorable Mention:

Memphis — It’s OK to lose at Missouri, even if Missou isn’t all that. But 65-33 hardly seems acceptable. And Missou had 48 after 30 minutes. Good thing the Tigers scored their last touchdown with three minutes to go in the third quarter.

Michigan State — It’s OK to lose to Michigan, even at home, the week after you won at Penn State. But maybe you should score more than seven points And while I know it’s still way early, do you think there’s any way the SEC could just get three teams in the playoffs?