You wish to torment your favourite school soccer fan on the subsequent tailgate? Begin up a little bit sport of What-if. Over the course of hundreds of performs in a whole bunch of video games in a school soccer season, a couple of actually pivotal ones outline the 12 months and form a group’s trajectory. Spot these, spotlight these, and debate what may need been had these performs gone the opposite method.
Listed below are a dozen performs that formed the 2024 Faculty Playoff area, performs that might effectively have resulted in a really totally different area than now we have proper now. Think about what may need been…
Sept. 14, LSU at South Carolina
The play: Two, truly, however the extra egregious and painful one got here within the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks had two separate pick-sixes wiped off the board due to penalties, and the fourth-quarter one may have put South Carolina up 40-29 with six minutes remaining within the sport. South Carolina would go on to lose 36-33, the primary of its three losses on the season.
The impact: South Carolina caught hearth proper as Alabama was flickering out; had the Gamecocks hit December with solely two losses (and a win over the eventual ACC champion) they might have made the sector.
Oct. 5, Kansas at Arizona State
The play: Down 31-28, and with simply 16 seconds left on the clock, Arizona State’s Sam Levitt finds Jordyn Tyson ultimately zone for a miraculous go-ahead landing. Closing rating: Solar Devils 35, Jayhawks 31.
The impact: With out that win, Arizona State doesn’t get wherever close to the Huge 12 title sport, a lot much less a first-round CFP bye.
Oct. 12, Ole Miss at LSU
The play: Down 23-16 with simply over two minutes remaining within the sport, LSU is dealing with a do-or-die fourth-and-6 by itself 29. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier finds Mason Taylor for a 16-yard completion, and some performs later, LSU scores a tying landing. The Tigers will go on to win in time beyond regulation.
The impact: The loss was Ole Miss’ second of three on the season, and successfully buried the Rebels in an SEC gap from which they couldn’t escape. Even a two-loss Ole Miss group would have certainly made this 12 months’s playoff area over SMU or Indiana.
Oct. 19, Alabama at Tennessee
The play: With 5:52 remaining within the sport, down 17-14, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava hits Chris Brazzell for a 16-yard landing to take the lead for good. Alabama would reply by totaling negative-1 yard on its last three drives.
The impact: If Alabama had flipped any of its three losses, it could have made the CFP area. Surprisingly, the Tide put up their hardest battle in opposition to their strongest opponent; Alabama had held Tennessee in test virtually your entire sport.
Oct. 26, SMU at Duke
The play: Duke had rallied again from a 21-7 deficit to power time beyond regulation. SMU took the ball first, and scored a landing. Duke adopted with a one-play, 25-yard landing strike of its personal. Hoping to capitalize on the momentum and the home-field benefit, Duke went for 2 and the win … however Maalik Murphy’s cross try and Eli Pancol was incomplete, and SMU received, 28-27.
Hardest Beat I’ve ever seen.
• SMU had 6 turnovers, Duke had 0• Duke has Sport-Profitable Area Purpose Blocked• Lose on failed 2-Pt conversion in OT (Cross Interference not known as)
pic.twitter.com/6xPMEKaqcS
— Faculty Soccer Report (@CFBRep) October 27, 2024
The impact: A loss earlier within the season wouldn’t have saved SMU out of the ACC championship, however it could have saved a three-loss Mustang group out of the CFP.
Nov. 23, Penn State at Minnesota
The play: Main by only a single level, with three minutes remaining within the sport and dealing with fourth-and-1 by itself 34, Penn State ran a faux punt and gained 32 yards. The Nittany Lions held onto the ball for the remainder of the sport to say a slender victory.
The impact: A two-loss Penn State would have fallen out of the Huge Ten championship and, later, probably out of the CFP fully.
Nov. 23, Ole Miss at Florida
The play: Choose one: the interception Jaxson Dart threw with 1:43 remaining, or the one he threw with 17 seconds remaining. Sport over.
The impact: Down 24-17, Dart had the chance to guide Ole Miss again into the playoff hunt; as a substitute, the loss to Florida successfully eradicated the three-loss Rebels from consideration.
Nov. 23, BYU at Arizona State
The play: With one second on the clock and Arizona State main 28-23 — and after clearing the sector of storming college students — BYU tried a Hail Mary that fell quick when the receiver hit the bottom on the 2-yard line.
The impact: Had BYU received, it could have superior to the Huge 12 championship sport as a substitute of Arizona State. That near glory.
Nov. 30, Miami at Syracuse
The play: Down 41-35, Miami drove the ball to the Syracuse 8 with underneath 5 minutes within the sport. However an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty compelled Miami again to the 23, and it may solely clamber again to the 10-yard line. With 3:42 remaining, Mario Cristobal opted to go for the sector purpose, and he would by no means see the ball once more.
The impact: Closing rating, 41-38. Miami was moved behind Alabama within the CFP standings, and so by no means had the possibility to maneuver into the ultimate CFP slot after SMU misplaced to Clemson.
Nov. 30, Georgia Tech at Georgia
The play: With simply over two minutes remaining and main 27-20, Georgia Tech’s Haynes King drove ahead into the Georgia line however fumbled away the ball. That gave the Bulldogs possession on the Tech 32; they quickly tied to power the instant-classic, eight-overtime run that led to a Georgia victory. However King was clearly focused; had officers known as that correctly, Georgia Tech would have had the ball and first down at midfield. Not a assure of a Tech win, however the odds can be way more of their favor.
The impact: Georgia had already clinched a spot within the SEC championship, however at three losses can be dealing with a do-or-die prospect, somewhat than a seeding one. And would a three-loss SEC champion Georgia group have been seeded second?
Dec. 7, Clemson at SMU, half 1
The play: With simply 16 seconds remaining, down 31-24, SMU’s Kevin Jennings discovered Roderick Daniels ultimately zone to cap a frenetic 17-point fourth quarter for the Mustangs.
The impact: SMU would lose the sport 16 seconds later, however that late surge was sufficient to persuade the CFP choice committee that the Mustangs belonged within the playoff. Would they’ve gotten the nod had they not scored on that final drive?
Dec. 7, Clemson at SMU, half 2
The play: With no time on the clock, Clemson’s Nolan Hauser, a real freshman, boots a 56-yard area purpose to present Clemson a 34-31 win and one other ACC title.
The impact: A victory was the one method three-loss Clemson was stepping into the CFP. The kick wasn’t do-or-die, however after holding a lead proper up till the ultimate seconds of the sport, and dealing with a motivated SMU squad, Clemson’s possibilities in a possible time beyond regulation had been doubtful at finest.
Eleven video games stay to find out a nationwide champion. Which performs will we glance again on as pivotal six weeks from now?
