The MICHIGAN Week: CFB Week 14 Advanced Stats Recap + Champ Week Look Ahead
Time to play for some trophies!
The 2024 college football regular season was come to an end. Really stinks having to type those words but we have made it to December which means conference championships, bowl games, and of course HOLIDAY SEASON! For the final time this season, lets recap some games.
During the season if you would like to see an advanced box score of a certain game, simply email (CFBNumbers@gmail.com) or DM on Twitter (@CFBNumbers) and I will happily provide you any number related thing you desire.
Most Exciting Games Of Week 14
As you can see by the winners post game win expectancies, there were a ton of teams that stole victories in the final week of the year.
Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State will actually be playing for the second week in a row, but this time for the conference championship. In this regular season installment, Lucas Carneiro kicked 4 field goals to propel Western Kentucky ahead of Jacksonville State with 3 seconds to go. Hence the massive drop in win probability for Jacksonville State. We will see if the next installment of this game is just as exciting, but this time for a trophy!
Expectations vs. Reality
We are hooting for the final expectations vs. reality of the year! FAU was a one point underdog to Tulsa heading into this final week, but ended up blowing them out of the water by a score of 63-16. Both teams will now head into the offseason in search of their next head coach. Other winner of the week includes Indiana, who polished off a magical season with a 66-0 win against Purdue.
QB Play: Power 5
Our final Power 5 QBs of the week looks similar to what it has been all season. Cam Ward and Kyle McCord shined under the lights of the dome, while Dillon Gabriel helped polish off a perfect regular season for the Ducks. In terms of newcomers to the top right group, hello Grayson James!
QB Play: Group of 5
Here are the Group of 5 QBs of the week. Parker Navarro and Quinn Henicle lead the way, with Bryson Daily and EJ Warner not too far behind. Ben Finley and Walker Eget had great games, but just didn’t get as much help from their teammates as maybe some of the other top right QBs.
Stat of the Week: Michigans MASSIVE Upset
Some say that this game didn’t have as much luster as previous years due to Ohio State already locking up a spot in the playoff regardless of the outcome. I think if you ask Ohio State fans whether the game had any less meaning or the loss was any less hurtful, they might respond how the players did after the Michigan flag was planted at midfield. The Game may not have featured many points, but it certainly delivered on the drama. Ohio State’s loss as a 20.5 favorite was the 2nd biggest upset of the year in Power 4 contests, etched out only by Vandy’s historic upset of Alabama earlier this season.
Conference Championship Implied Points
Here are the implied points for championship weekend. Texas has opened up as 2.5 point favorites against Georgia in the SEC Championship game. This weekend features games expected to be more low scoring affairs (44.5 point total for Miami OH and Ohio, 45.5 for Army-Tulane) and some high powered offensive shootouts (58.5 for Boise State - UNLV). Currently, the largest spread is only 5 points! (AAC Champ).
Conference Championship QB Matchups
In terms of QB matchups, Dillon Gabriel vs. Drew Allar for the Big Ten Championship is about as good as it gets this season. Personally? Round 2 of Maddux Madsen and Hajj-Malik Williams for the chance to go to the playoff sounds like an excellent way to spend a Saturday.
Conference Championship Mismatches
Its kind of tough to do the mismatches graph this week because of the fewer matchups and most of the teams have solid EPA metrics, but we will do it anyways! Miami (OH) might struggle to establish a run game against the Ohio defense, while the Ragin Cajuns might be able to run all over the Marshall defense.
Lily Donation Fund
Earlier this season our lives upside down for a moment as our little cat was sick. After some extensive care and a really rough surgery, she has been recovering well and back to being our tubby little girl.
I hate that I have to do this but this whole ordeal was rough financially for us. If you enjoy the articles and wish to help (which you 10000% do not have to if you do not want to) I left the link to the GoFundMe up above.
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