College Football Awards Week 7 (2023) October 19, 2023

Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.
Tags: Alabama, Arizona, Army, Ball State, Chuck Martin, Clemson, Colorado, Dan Lanning, Dana Holgorsen, Deion Sanders, Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia State, Houston, Illinois, Jake Dickert, Kalen DeBoer, Kentucky, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Marshall, Maryland, Miami (FL), Miami (OH), Neal Brown, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee, Toledo, UMass, USC, Virginia, Washigton State, Washington, West Virginia
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COACHES
Wish I were him:  Kalen DeBoer, Washington

Glad I’m not him: Dan Lanning, Oregon

Lucky guy: Dana Holgorsen, Houston

Poor guy: Neal Brown, West Virginia

Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lincoln Riley, USC

Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Chuck Martin, Miami (OH)

Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Deion Sanders, Colorado

Desperately seeking … anything:  Jake Dickert, Washington State

TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Penn State (defeated UMass 63-0)

Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Colorado (lost to Stanford 46-43)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Purdue (lost to No.3 Ohio State 41-7)

Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t:  Illinois (defeated Maryland 27-24)

Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did:  Georgia (defeated No. 20 Kentucky 51-13)  

Dang, they’re good: Penn State
Dang, they’re bad:  Ball State

Can’t Stand Prosperity:  Louisville

Did the season start?  Colorado
Can the season end?  Kent State

Can the season never end?  Washington

GAMES
Play this again:  No. 7 Washington 36, No. 8 Oregon 33

Never play this again: No. 6 Penn State 63, UMass 0

What?  Arizona 44, No. 19 Washington State 6

Huh?  Pitt 38, No. 14 Louisville 21

Are you kidding me??  No. 21 Notre Dame 48, No. 10 USC 20

Oh – my – God:  Stanford 46, Colorado 43 (2 OT)

NEXT WEEK

rankings are current AP (week 8)
Ticket to die for:  No. 7 Penn State @ No. 3 Ohio State

Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five  matchup: (none)

Best non-Power Five matchup: Toledo @ Miami (OH)

Upset alert: South Carolina @ No. 20 Missouri

Must win: No. 16 Duke @ No. 4 Florida State

Offensive explosion: Miami (FL) @ Clemson

Defensive struggle: No. 17 Tennessee @ No. 11 Alabama

Great game no one is talking about: Marshall @ Georgia State

Intriguing coaching matchup:  Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss vs Hugh Freeze of Auburn

Who’s bringing the body bags?  Virginia @ No. 10 North Carolina

Why are they playing? Army @ No. 19 LSU

Plenty of good seats remaining: Charlotte @ East Carolina

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?  Toledo @ Miami (OH)

Week 7 Thoughts:

Washington vs Oregon

When was the last time we got excited about a regular season Pac-12 game?  It has been close to two decades.  This game pitted two potential playoff contenders against each other.  With that much on the line, and talent to spare on both sides of the ball, that typically adds up to a good game. 

It did not disappoint.  Big plays and high drama abounded, and the game remained close throughout the 60 minutes.  One takeaway?  Michael Penix Jr. of Washington emerged as the better QB over Oregon’s Bo Nix, who is still very good.

Now that UW has clawed its way up to the No. 5 ranking, can it stay there?  Its last four games are against USC, Utah, Oregon State, and Washington State, all presenting their own unique challenges.  Let the real games begin.

Notre Dame vs USC

The big takeaway from this game is, USC is not as good as we thought they were, and ND is not as overrated as we thought they were. The Trojans still have not figured out this new thing called a defense, and their offensive business model revolves around exhorting Caleb Williams to go out and create plays out of thin air. Obviously, such a weak business model does not a national championship-caliber team make, and shame on Lincoln Riley for not making these key improvements.

Looking ahead to Week 8: 

Ohio State vs. Penn State

Last week, there was hardly a competitive game on at noon.  Not this time.

Another epic Big Ten showdown, in Ohio Stadium (the Holy Grail of football for the Midwest, bar none), no less.  Better yet, it’s at noon EDT on FOX (meaning, Gus and Joel are on the call).  Buckle up.

Alabama vs Tennessee

The Volunteers have been in slow recovery mode since their embarrassing (and frankly, head-scratching) loss at Florida.  But now an even bigger, tougher test emerges. 

Florida State vs Duke

Duke lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame just a couple of weeks ago.  Now they have an even tougher challenge to face, on the road, no less.  We know that they are good.  This game will tell us exactly how good (or limited) they are.

USC vs Utah

The classic matchup of an explosive offense meeting a tough defense.  Which will win out?

Rivalry games that are anything but this year:

This might include Iowa vs Minnesota.  Inexplicably, the Hawkeyes are 6-1 despite having zero offense, while the Gophers are only 3-3.  The latter’s mediocre record appears just that, but in reality, the team looks like they are hanging by a thread.  Sure, the teams are playing for the Floyd of Rosedale, but can this rivalry dynamic overcome Minnesota’s woes against a stubborn Iowa defense?

Conversely, there is Michigan vs. Michigan State.  Historically a big brother vs little brother affair with little brother sometimes besting his seemingly larger sibling,  This time, however, it seems as though the former is a giant about to crush a Lilliputian in the latter, who is in a self-inflicted state of disarray.