Last Weekend's Football Games

Looking back on this past weekend in college and pro football, I have a generally positive outlook on the future with the teams I want to succeed (and some of those I don't).  Ohio State lost their Big Ten championship game to Michigan State, so the winner of the SEC championship game, Auburn, has a clear shot at the national championship game against Florida State, who easily handled Duke in their ACC championship game.  I don't think I could have dreamed up a better title matchup...unless of course it had been Florida winning the Southeastern Conference instead of Auburn. But alas, the Gators had all sorts of issues with their team this year and suffered a miserable 4-8 record.  I am happiest of all, regarding the national championship picture, with the exclusion of Nick Saban's Alabama from being in it after their momentous final-play loss to Auburn a couple of weeks ago.  Although I am a Floridian by heart, I'm going to pull for Auburn against FSU simply out of gratitude for the Tigers beating the Saban Tide. 

In the NFL, Miami managed to play well enough in Pittsburgh to win 34-28, in a game marked by a desperate , multi-lateral final play by the Steelers that very nearly saw them scoring the winning touchdown. But but their runner had stepped out of bounds (just barely) and the Dolphins kept up with their wild-card race rival Baltimore at 7-6.  I don't know whether or not Miami will manage to make the playoffs this year, but from where I stand a winning 9-7 record would mark a successful season for them.  Tampa Bay and Jacksonville have also recently done well, each team now at 4-9 and in next-to-last place in their respective divisions after 0-8 starts.  I don't know exactly what this means for them...are they getting better or simply playing more loosely without concerns of "choking up" in important games (of which there are no more for them this year)?  I don't know, but it's still pleasing to see them playing stronger.