The Season 23 MacGuffin

By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)

The CFSL’s favorite unofficial award is back, and we are here to track its movement throughout Season 23 and name a MacGuffin champion.

For those who are newer to the league, you might be asking what the MacGuffin is. The MacGuffin is an idea that started in college football and was first applied to the league by Jathan. The idea is simple: Whoever wins the first ever game wins the MacGuffin. The only way to lose the MacGuffin is to lose. The only way to win the MacGuffin is to beat the team that has it.

Jathan tracked the MacGuffin from the beginning of the league up until Season 18, when I took it over. Early on, Jathan made the wise choice that the MacGuffin would never extend into postseason play. This is because the MacGuffin would be won by the National Champion more often than not, which would make it boring to track.

Without further ado, let’s see where all the MacGuffin went in Season 23 and crown a MacGuffin Champion!

Week One

Ohio State was the Season 22 MacGuffin Champions, so they started the season with the trophy.

The Buckeyes opened Season 23 with a narrow victory over Auburn (59-54), which means the Buckeyes kept the MacGuffin to start the season.

Week Two

Ohio State’s luck didn’t run far into the season, however. In Week Two, the Buckeyes hosted Colorado, who came into the Shoe and beat Ohio State 45-38. This gave the Buffaloes the trophy.

Week Three

Auburn already had a chance to win the MacGuffin, but fell short in Week One. This week, they seized their opportunity. They traveled to Colorado empty-handed, but came back with the trophy in tow. This was thanks to a 37-24 win over the Buffaloes.

Week Four

The Tiger’s first title defense proved challenging. The Florida Gators gave Auburn all they could handle, but AD Justin Duke led his guys to a win. The final score was 37-34, and Auburn kept the MacGuffin.

Week Five

Auburn would handle business in Week Five, beating Tennessee 56-7. The MacGuffin would be in War Eagle territory for at least one more week.

Week Six

Another big week for the Tigers! They bested Georgia, beating them 55-10, thus keeping the MacGuffin for an impressive third straight week.

Week Seven

LSU outplayed everyone’s expectations last season and nearly stole the MacGuffin away from Auburn. It was a close game in Death Valley (28-24), but Auburn would hold onto the trophy.

Week Eight

All Auburn had to do was beat their hated rivals, and they would be the Season 23 MacGuffin Champs. And that is exactly what they did. Auburn handled Alabama 69-35, largely thanks to some opportunistic defense.

Auburn finished the season as the MacGuffin Champions for the second time in school history! Congrats to the Tigers!

I also decided to include a complete list of MacGuffin Champions, which is what you will find below.