As season evolves, views change
— -- It's time to re-evaluate.
As the season progresses and teams change, so does the perception of wins and losses.
Wins that once looked impressive now do nothing for a team's playoff résumé, and losses that were once acceptable are now a dagger in playoff hopes. Here's an updated look at how certain games have changed some résumés:
Wins That Look Better
• UCLA 62, Arizona State 27: A Thursday night road win against what is now a top-10 team stands out as one of the season-defining games in the Pac-12 South race. The Sun Devils' recent victory over Notre Dame made it look even better for the Bruins.
• Baylor 61, TCU 58: The Bears beat what could be a top-four team, a critical win in what will be a down-to-the-wire Big 12 race and the most controversial debate in the inaugural playoff. The win kept Baylor in the CFP race and ultimately gave it control of its destiny in the Big 12.
• Marshall 63, Southern Miss 17: This is the closest way to gauge how undefeated Marshall stacks up against the big boys, because both Mississippi State and Alabama also played the Golden Eagles and got similar results. Marshall had to win with style, and in spite of a slow start, it did.
• TCU 30, Minnesota 7: This is the one nonconference game that separates TCU from Baylor. Minnesota is currently in a tie with Nebraska for first place in the Big Ten's West Division, a far better team than many thought on Sept. 13.
• Baylor 28, Texas 7: The Oct. 4 road win against Texas was merely another task crossed off the list, but after Texas just upended West Virginia and has won three of its past four, the Longhorns have gained respect. TCU still has to play at Texas on a Thursday night. Can the Frogs duplicate Baylor's success?
Wins That Look Worse
• Texas A&M 52, South Carolina 28: Boy, were we wrong -- about both teams. After this win, the Aggies jumped to No. 9 in The Associated Press and Kenny "Trill" Hill was, well, the starting quarterback. Since then, the Aggies lost three straight to ranked opponents, Hill has been replaced, the Gamecocks are 4-5, and neither team is ranked.
• Notre Dame 17, Stanford 14: It was the only bright spot on Notre Dame's playoff résumé -- until the Cardinal became a four-loss team and dropped out of the ranking. Stanford, ranked No. 11 in the AP preseason poll, had been defined by its defense, but gave up 45 points at Oregon.
• Alabama 33, West Virginia 23: Until it won at LSU, the win in the Georgia Dome was the Tide's highlight. The Mountaineers have since tumbled to four losses, but it was their loss to Texas that decreased the value of this win for the Tide.
• Penn State 26, UCF 24: In James Franklin's debut, Penn State got what appeared to be an impressive win against a team just outside the AP Top 25 and favored to win the American. The win in Dublin, Ireland, has since faded with the Knights, who have dropped to 5-3 with a loss to 2-7 UConn.
• Florida State 37, Oklahoma State 31: By Week 4, the Cowboys were ranked and the season-opening win by the defending national champs was getting lots of credit. By Week 9, Oklahoma State had dropped out of the AP Top 25, and has since lost three straight to ranked opponents.
Losses That Look Better
• Utah 30, UCLA 28: As it turns out, Utah is pretty darn good. The Utes were unranked at the time of this game, but the selection committee had them at No. 17 heading into this past Saturday. The Utes gave Oregon a fight, and their past two losses have come to the league leaders in both divisions.
• Arizona 31, Oregon 24: The Wildcats were unranked. It was in Eugene, Oregon, on a Thursday night. It was the kind of loss that could keep a team out of the playoff. The committee, though, has considered the injuries to Oregon's offensive line and Arizona is now a top-20 team.
• Mississippi State 34, LSU 29: Remember when the No. 1 Bulldogs were unranked? Neither do they. LSU was No. 8, playing at home, and at the time this was shocking. Now? Just another part of the new order in the SEC West. The Bulldogs went from unranked to No. 14 overnight. Now look at 'em.
• Nebraska 41, Miami 31: The Huskers were ranked No. 24, and now they're No. 13 and the team to beat in the Big Ten's West Division, with their lone loss coming at Michigan State. It was Miami's toughest and only nonconference loss of the season.
• TCU 42, Oklahoma State 9: TCU was ranked No. 12 and had just lost a heartbreaker to Baylor. This game was the start of a four-game winning streak for the Horned Frogs, and one of the wins that catapulted TCU into the playoff discussion.
Losses That Look Worse
• West Virginia 41, Baylor 27: In addition to their nonconference schedule, this one will continue to haunt the Bears. WVU is now a four-loss team, and it's a common opponent with TCU, which went on the road and beat the Mountaineers. With so little separation in the league, this could be big.
• Virginia Tech 35, Ohio State 21: The selection committee will consider that this was only J.T. Barrett's second career game as a starter, but the Hokies' downward spiral is impossible to ignore. Virginia Tech went on to lose five of its next seven games and is in last place in the Coastal Division.
• South Carolina 38, Georgia 35: Georgia has since lost to Florida, and South Carolina has played so poorly Steve Spurrier couldn't even face the media. Once a season-defining matchup in the SEC East race, this win now amounts to a Bitcoin. There's no true value.
• Ole Miss 23, Alabama 17: It's one thing to lose to the No. 3 team in the country, but that's not the case anymore. After back-to-back losses to LSU and Auburn, the Rebels' moment in the spotlight has vanished, and they've since faded out of the SEC West conversation.
• Georgia 34, Missouri 0: Missouri is allegedly the best team in the SEC East, and it laid a goose egg against a Georgia team that lost to Florida and South Carolina? Even the Tigers found a way to win in Gainesville, Florida, and this one was at home.