This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/2Pollaski2Furious on 2024-10-14 14:36:17+00:00.
The Tank Job of the Week is an award for the FBS team that did the best job of humiliating itself over the weekend. Whether they blew a large lead, choked away a spot in the limelight, lost a game they had absolutely no right losing, or completely screwed everything on a last second blunder, the TJOTW winner sets the gold standard in college football misery.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Week 0: New Mexico Lobos (Montana State 35-31)
Week 1: Florida State Seminoles (Boston College 28-13)
Week 2: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Northern Illinois 16-14)
Week 3: Mississippi State Bulldogs (Toledo 41-17)
Week 4: North Carolina Tar Heels (James Madison 70-50)
Week 5: Auburn Tigers (Oklahoma 27-21) [TIE]
Week 5: Ole Miss Rebels (Kentucky 20-17) [TIE]
Week 6: Alabama Crimson Tide (Vanderbilt 40-35)
LAST WEEK: First, I owe Temple an apology. I wasn’t really familiar with your game… ending tush push turned 98 yard scoop n’ score. That absolutely should have been a nominee, even if I’m not entirely sure how the ball ended up on the ground three yards from the pile in the first place. That said, obviously the winner was Alabama and its number-one ranking getting frogmarched three miles through the Nashville streets and dumped in the Cumberland River. Although Cal’s 25-point meltdown to Miami got more attention than I had anticipated, and probably would have been a surefire winner every other week.
As for this week, was that fun or what? So many great games coming down to the wire, but so many upset hopes were snuffed out at the last minute, which means this week’s Tank Job crop is a bit more sparse than the past few weeks, with most of our nominees coming in various degrees of stupid endings to either deny upsets or big games. I do however think there is a true diamond in the rough in this weeks crop, and while I would never lower myself to openly campaign for one nominee over the others, I hope while we are voting some of you marshal up the courage to make your voices thundering so that they will be heard.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- I don’t think anyone was giving Oklahoma much of a chance but 34-3 is definitely in the yikes territory
- As Schadenfreudy as I try to make TJOTW, it was tragic watching what a shell of his former self Cam Rising and Utah’s offense has become.
- Iowa has the nicest Interstate rest stops in the country and Washington would have been better checking those out than whatever that second half was
- Tennessee nearly got bit by the Florida bug AGAIN, but salvaged it
- Both James Madison and Coastal Carolina have been two of the Sun Belts better teams over the past three years so it makes no sense that the former has beaten the latter all three times by an average of 38 points.
- Illinois nearly sealed this up when they blew a 24 point lead to Purdue, but managed to get a field goal to force overtime and then SPECTACULARLY nuked a Purdue two-point conversion to salvage things.
- Air Force just got boat raced by New Mexico in the pillow fight of the week and that is objectively insane if you recall where they were at this point last year.
- I’ve seen a lot of stupid penalties in my lifetime, but getting ejected on national television in possibly the biggest regular season game of the year for spitting in a dude’s face is WAY up there.
NOTE: For ease of counting, please use carats to make your vote, like this: . And thank you for participating!
And now the nominees for Week 7 are:
KENTUCKY WILDCATS (lost to Vanderbilt 20-13)
Sure Vandy is the national darling after last week, but the Wildcats were still favored at home by 12 and managed to completely screw themselves out of this game. First- 12 penalties for 106 yards, including a false start on the Vandy 1 yard line that sent that drive into a tailspin. Two botched snaps on field goals- one that led to a forced pass and pick, the other robbing an extra point that would have put Kentucky in a position to win at the end instead of tie. When Brock Vandagriff’s fourth down attempt fell incomplete, it was almost a mercy.
MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD (lost to Georgia Southern 24-23)
With 7 minutes to go, Marshall led 23-3 and seemed well on their way to taking this one. Then, an intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety, followed by GaSo converting a 4th and 10 en route to a touchdown. Two minutes later, Marshall fumbled setting up another Eagle touchdown to close the gap to just 5. Marshall fumbled again just three plays later, setting up one more touchdown to take the lead, making it 21 points in just six and a half minutes. The Herd did have one last chance to respond, but were picked off for a third consecutive drive-killed by a turnover and sealing the miraculous comeback win for Georgia Southern.
MARYLAND TERRAPINS (lost to Northwestern 37-10)
Terps were 11 point favorites at home against a heavily struggling NW squad, but came out slower than their namesake, going down 17-0 early. They did claw back to within one score late in the third quarter, but the fourth was a complete carnival of errors, allowing Northwestern to turn things into a rout and their first conference victory.
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (lost to Oregon 32-31)
Obviously there’s no shame in losing to Oregon (actually there’s a ton of shame in losing to those unwashed hippies but apparently we’re supposed to pretend there isn’t), however its really tough to overlook just how disastrous Ohio State’s final drive was. The Buckeyes started with 1:47 left from their own thirty needing a field goal to win, they got into field goal range in just over a minute, then promptly took themselves back out of range with a pass interference penalty, followed by burning way too much time due to not realizing the clock had started after the penalty. Finally, Will Howard took a snap and, seeing no one open, elected to run for it, sliding down well after time had expired and costing the Buckeyes a chance at victory.
RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (lost to Wisconsin 42-7)
Wait, what?
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (lost to Alabama 27-25)
Alabama threw the Gamecocks a lifeline when, instead of simply converting a third down that would have iced the game, the Tide went onto score, increasing their lead to eight but giving the ball back to Carolina with a chance. In hindsight, Gamecock fans probably wish Germie Bernard had just slid down. South Carolina did drive down and score to cut the lead to two, but on the two point conversion LaNorris Sellers simply threw the ball away. They were given ANOTHER lifeline when the Tide botched the onside kick. But then it was Carolina who imploded, first burning way too much time off after a lineman caught a batted pass, and then fatally with an unneeded desperation arm-punt that had only a very lonely Alabama safety in its entire zip code.
TOLEDO ROCKETS (lost to Buffalo 30-15)
Despite being 11-point dogs at home, the Bulls absolutely suffocate the Rockets in the first half, keeping them off the board until the middle of the third when it was already 21-0 thanks in no small part to a fumble deep in Toledo territory. Games like this are the ones that you should point to if someone asks why the MAC never has nice things anymore.
USC TROJANS (lost to Penn State 33-30)
Playing at home against an eastern team in a conference that’s been notoriously struggling with the jet lag this season, USC raced out to a 20-6 halftime lead, only to watch it all evaporate in about ten minutes in the second half. Then, as time was running down and USC was driving for the win, the Trojans ineplicably let like 20 seconds burn off the clock before getting into the field goal range- a decision that only made sense if you were planning on giving the ball back to Penn State on the next play and wanted to make sure they had no time. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what the Trojans did thanks to an interception. And then in overtime they missed the field goal, while Penn State didn’t. Also, you blew up the Pac-12 for this.