College Football Awards, Week 6 (2019) October 7, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Arizona, Auburn, B1G, Big Ten, Boise State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buckeyes, Cincinnati, Craig James, Dan Mullen, Florida, football, Golden Hurricane, Hawaii, Hawkeyes, Houston, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Jim Harbaugh, Kent State, Kirk Ferentz, Louisville, LSU, Matt Campbell, Michigan, Michigan State, Mustangs, NCAA, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue, Rhode Island, Scott Frost, Scott Satterfield, SMU, Spartans, Stanford, Steve Addazio, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, UCLA, UConn, UNLV, Utah, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, Wisconsin, Wolverines
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Dan Mullen, Florida
Glad I’m not him: Guz Malzahn, Auburn
Lucky guy: Scott Satterfield, Louisville
Poor guy: Steve Addazio, Boston College
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Notre Dame (defeated Bowling Green 52-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Nebraska (defeated Northwestern 13-10)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Utah State (lost to No. 5 LSU 42-6)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Tulsa (lost to SMU 43-37)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Iowa State (defeated TCU 49-24)
Dang, they’re good: LSU
Dang, they’re bad: Bowling Green
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Auburn
Did the season start? TCU
Can the season end? UCLA
Can the season never end? SMU
GAMES
Play this again: No. 10 Florida 24, No. 7 Auburn 13
Never play this again: No. 9 Notre Dame 52, Bowling Green 0
What? No. 19 Michigan 10, No. 14 Iowa 3
Huh? Texas Tech 45, No. 21 Oklahoma State 35
Double-Huh? Cincinnati 27, No. 18 UCF 24
Are you kidding me?? Stanford 23, No. 15 Washington 13
Oh – my – God: No. 10 Florida 24, No. 7 Auburn 13
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 6, pre-week 7)
Ticket to die for: No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Texas in the Red River Shootout
(Possible second choice): No. 10 Florida @ No. 5 LSU
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: UNLV @ Vanderbilt
Best non-Power Five matchup: Cincinnati @ Houston (also: Hawaii @ No. 16 Boise State)
Upset alert: No. 25 Michigan State @ No. 8 Wisconsin (also: Florida @ LSU)
Must win: No. 15 Washington @ Arizona
Offensive explosion: (inconclusive)
Defensive struggle: No. 10 Florida @ No. 5 LSU
Great game no one is talking about: Louisville @ No. 22 Wake Forest (also: Penn State @ Iowa)
Intriguing coaching matchup: P.J. Fleck of Minnesota vs Scott Frost of Nebraska
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 17 Utah @ Oregon State
Why are they playing? Rhode Island @ Virginia Tech
Plenty of good seats remaining: Kent State @ Akron
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? UConn @ Tulane
Week 6 Thoughts:
Michigan vs. Iowa
Iowa came into the Big House ranked No. 14 to home team Michigan’s No. 19 ranking. The game was a close one from start to finish, and in the end, Michigan triumphed in a defensive struggle, 10-3. Under normal circumstances, when a team, ranked or otherwise, defeats a higher-ranked team, that is a good day, that is a good day for the lower-ranked team.
So why do I get the feeling that this win will not slake the bloodthirst of Jim Harbaugh’s critics? I can think of two reasons. The most obvious is that Michigan scored only 10 lousy points. At home. Granted, it was against Iowa, which is always a deceptively tough out, but in the end, scoring only 10 points borders on disturbing.
Keep in mind that Wisconsin is, theoretically, an even stronger defense, yet the Wolverines scored two touchdowns on them in a losing effort on the road. Should such an abysmal offensive performance persist later in the season, how does one think that Michigan is to fare against, say, Penn State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, or even [shudder] archrival Ohio State?
The reason this win does not assuage concerns about Michigan’s direction was Iowa’s performance. That the Hawkeyes’ offense kept sputtering when it reached the Wolverines’ 40 yard line is what saved the latter’s bacon. To be sure, that is also a tribute to the Wolverines’ tough D. Still, can one count on such defensive shut-downs against even more formidable opponents? Most likely, not.
Bottom line: Harbaugh needs to re-shuffle the proverbial deck for his offense, and do so right now.
SMU vs Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane played the Mustangs tough for the entire game, but a last-minute touchdown put SMU ahead of Tulsa for good. The Mustangs are now undefeated at 6-0 for the first time since 1982 (back when Craig James was still playing for them). Let that sink in for a moment.
Ohio State vs Michigan State
Speaking of stronger defenses than that of Iowa, Michigan State gave a maximum effort against Ohio State. Even then, the Buckeyes still won, 34-10. The Spartans’ aforementioned max effort from their own strong D was all that kept the game from becoming a blowout.
Can anyone in the conference take Ohio State? It certainly does not seem so at this rate. All that said, Oct. 26 could give us a preview of coming Big Ten Championship attractions when the Buckeyes play Wisconsin at home. Once again, the Buckeyes are playing like a solid national championship contender.
Florida vs Auburn
Either Auburn is not quite as good as we thought they were (at No. 7), or Florida is better than we thought they were (at No. 10). Whatever the case may be, if the Gators keep up these strong performances, it shall shape up to be a memorable matchup against Georgia in Jacksonville later this month.
College Football Awards, Week 5 (2019) September 29, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buckeyes, BYU, Cal, California, Central Florida, Clemson, Cornhuskers, Dabo Swinney, Florida, Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech, Golden Bears, Huskers, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Justin Wilcox, Kansas State, Kent State, Louisville, LSU, Mack Brown, Mario Cristobal, Mark Stoops, Maryland, Michigan, Middle Tennessee State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Ryan Day, Scott Frost, SMU, Sonny Dykes, South Florida, Stanford, Tarheels, TCU, Temple, Texas A&M, Toledo, Tom Osborne, Tulane, UCF, UCLA, USF, Utah State, Washington, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: Scott Frost, Nebraska
Lucky guy: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Poor guy: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Justin Wilcox, Cal
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated Rutgers 52-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Clemson (defeated North Carolina 21-20)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Middle Tennessee (lost to No. 14 Iowa 48-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: North Carolina (lost to No. 1 Clemson 21-20)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: SMU (defeated USF 48-21)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Rutgers
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Cal
Did the season start? Purdue
Can the season end? Georgia Tech
Can the season never end? Oklahoma
GAMES
Play this again: No. 1 Clemson 21, North Carolina 20
Play this again, too: No. 23 Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 27
Never play this again: No. 12 Penn State 59, Maryland 0
What? Temple 24, Georgia Tech 2
Huh? Oklahoma State 26, No. 24 Kansas State 13
Are you kidding me?? Toledo 28, BYU 21
Oh – my – God: Arizona State 24, No. 15 Cal 17
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 5, pre-week 6)
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Auburn @ No. 10 Florida
(Possible second choice): No. 14 Iowa @ No. 19 Michigan
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Utah State @ No. 5 LSU
Best non-Power Five matchup: Tulane @ Army
Upset alert: Michigan @ Iowa (also: No. 15 Washington @ Stanford)
Must win: Boston College @ Louisville
Offensive explosion: Cal @ No. 13 Oregon
Defensive struggle: Northwestern @ Nebraska
Great game no one is talking about: TCU @ Iowa State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Justin Wilcox of Cal vs Mario Cristobal of Oregon
Who’s bringing the body bags? Purdue @ No. 12 Penn State
Why are they playing? Bowling Green @ No. 10 Notre Dame
Plenty of good seats remaining: Oregon State @ UCLA
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Kent State @ No. 8 Wisconsin
Week 5 Thoughts:
North Carolina vs Clemson
Mack Brown remains full of surprises. Not the least of which was the stunning near-upset over previously-No. 1 Clemson, in which the Tigers escaped the Tarheels by only a point. A botched [surprise] two-point attempt on the part of UNC allowed the escape. Had such an attempt been successful, it would have set the college football rankings on fire. As it is, nobody in their right mind should protest Brown’s surprise move at the end. If they went for the tie with an extra point, then the game would have gone into overtime, where Clemson would quite likely have outlasted North Carolina. The two-point attempt thus, after further analysis, remained the Tarheels’ best bet.
Time will tell if this valiant performance on North Carolina’s part is a harbinger of better football to come from this team.
Nebraska vs Ohio State
Ohio State drubbed Nebraska 48-7 in Lincoln. It could have been even worse. All but 10 of those 48 points were scored in the first half (meaning, the Buckeyes put in lots of backups in the second half). This game and its outcome are a tale of two teams in two different directions.
For Ohio State, this is another key test the Buckeyes have passed in their assertion that they belong in the national conversation. Indeed, this performance helped them supplant LSU as the No. 4 team in the nation, currently. That has typically been good enough to make the playoffs, should such shadows remain unchanged.Will such shadows change? After all, nothing is a given in the Big Ten. Such was the case in its late-1990s glory days, and such is the case since roughly 2014 as well. Next week the Buckeyes face an arguably tougher test when Michigan State comes to Columbus. But the ultimate showdown in the conference is still likely when Wisconsin take on the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium on Oct. 26 in what could be one of the games of the year. Why this fixation on OSU’s fortunes? Because the more teams from more regions outside of the Southeast contend for the national title, the better it is for college football.
On the other side of the coin is Nebraska. Head coach Scott Frost, one might recall, left a Central Florida program that he had built into arguably the strongest non-Power Five team in the land so he could coach his alma mater. Last year’s campaign only resulted in a 4-8 finish. Currently the Huskers stand at 3-2, and even some of those wins were struggles over South Alabama and Illinois. What gives?
No, it would stand to reason that Frost has not forgotten how to coach. Rather, the systemic problem of geography has come into play. Frost had the advantage of being right in the middle of [embarrassingly] talent-rich Florida when he built up the UCF program. Nebraska does not produce any top-caliber players, save for the possible offensive lineman or two. Much of Nebraska’s unstoppable linemen during theTom Osborne (especially the latter era) came from much more lax standards and screening mechanisms for steroid use. Those days are now gone.
Also gone are the days of Prop-48 players, which gave Nebraska an easy pipeline to high-caliber talent without the normal barrier of NCAA eligibility standards found elsewhere. Perhaps even more devastating, though, is that Nebraska prospered in the days when only a relative handful of teams were consistently on national television. This made the program in Lincoln an attractive destination for top recruits despite its cold weather and geographic isolation. That advantage, too, was nullified when cable channels greatly expanded college football coverage in the 2000s, giving prized recruits many more options than in earlier times. Given this current environment, how is one to attract top recruits to this cold, isolated place? Scott Frost has his work cut out for him.
On Gulf Coast Toads and the Changing of the Geni September 23, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Science.Tags: American, Anaxyrus, Bufo, Bufonidae, Fowler's, Gulf Coast, Incilius, nebulifer, Texas, toad, valliceps
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A Gulf Coast Toad hangs out on a rock in Fort Worth (photo by author). Commonly found in a large part of Texas, it is emblematic of major taxonomical changes in the iconic toad family of Bufonidae.
On my bookshelf is a copy of the venerable Aububon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians (11th Printing, 1992). I have had this copy since I was in junior high. That was slightly more than a quarter-century ago. Upon recently thumbing through the toad section, I found the photo entry for the Gulf Coast Toad.
My interest in this species was piqued because several weeks ago, I found the first one along my home here in the DFW Metroplex. Last summer was the first time I had found (and photographed) one in the [sort-of] wild, having found one at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. Naturally, I consider these “firsts” all kinds of cool, since this is a totally different species from the toads I grew up finding in southern Indiana. There, the options were Fowler’s Toads and American Toads, mostly the former. It’s a sign of finding different fauna in a different part of the country, which is something I find rather exhilarating.
Back to the Gulf Coast Toad entry in the Audubon Society Field Guide (entry 246): on the explanatory pages (397-398), the species is listed as Bufo valliceps. At this same time, the Fowler’s Toad was listed as B. fowleri, and the American Toad was B. americanus. Indeed, the very genus of Bufo has been synonymous with toads themselves.
Not anymore. The Bufo genus over the years had become a very cosmopolitan genus for toads. Apparently, to a critical mass of taxonomists, the genus had become a little too cosmopolitan, and some species formerly within said genus have been spun off into their own geni. For example, the Fowler’s and American Toads are now Anaxyrus fowleri and Anaxyrus americanus, respectively. The Gulf Coast Toad now belongs to genus Incilius instead of Anaxyrus. Since the species listed in the old Audubon field guide was B. valliceps, it would now logically be Incilius valliceps.
Except that it is not. As it turns out, there are two types of Gulf Coast Toad: to be more precise, two species that represent two different geographical populations. I. valliceps, the ostensible representative of the Texas and Louisiana population (the northern population), is actually the species for the Mesoamerican population (that is, the southern population). The Gulf Coast Toads found here in Texas are actually I. nebulifer.
All of this is a fairly recent development. The northern population of Gulf Coast Toads went from Bufo valliceps to Incilius nebulifer in just 15 years. Yes, many other toads found in North and Central America have also been reclassified into either Anaxyrus or Incilius.
Not to fret, though, Bufo fans: the genus is still alive and well, and still represents 150 species within family Bufonidae. The geni Anaxyrus and Incilius still belong to family Bufonidae as well. Bufo also remains the genus for the largest known species of toad, the Marine Toad, a.k.a., the Cane Toad (B. marinus), which has become an invasive species in Florida (also found in extreme south Texas: think McAllen and Brownsville).
In any case, it remains amazing to see how a species commonly found in much of Texas has had such a journey through taxonomical placement. But the implications of these recent developments are potentially profound, for they serve as a reminder to all of us how nothing is static, and how little of science is actually “settled” science.
College Football Awards, Week 4 (2019) September 23, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Appalachian State, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Bobby Petrino, Bowling Green, Camp Randall Stadium, Charlotte, Cowboys, Dana Holgorsen, Delaware, Florida, Florida State, Gary Patterson, Georgia, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeremy Pruitt, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas, Kansas State, Kent State, Kirby Smart, Les Miles, Longhorns, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisville, Mack Brown, Maryland, Memphis, Miami (OH), Michigan, Middle Tennessee, Navy, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, San Jose State, Sanford Stadium, Scott Satterfield, SJSU, SMU, Stanford, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, UCLA, UMass, USC, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Washington State, Willie Fritz, Willie Taggart
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee
Lucky guy: Willie Taggert, Florida State
Poor guy: Scott Satterfield, Louisville
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Mack Brown, North Carolina
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Willie Fritz, Tulane
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Desperately seeking … anything: Dana Holgorsen, Houston
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Ohio State (defeated Miami, Ohio 76-5)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Georgia (defeated Notre Dame 23-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Charlotte (lost to Clemson 52-10)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: SMU (defeated TCU 41-38)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Kent State (defeated Bowling Green 62-20)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Arkansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: TCU
Did the season start? Stanford
Can the season end? Tennessee
Can the season never end? Iowa State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 3 Georgia 23, No. 7 Notre Dame 17
Play this again, too: No. 12 Texas 36, Oklahoma State 30
Never play this again: No. 6 Ohio State 76, Miami, Ohio 5
That will leave a mark: Iowa State 72, Louisiana-Monroe 20
What? Appalachian State 34, North Carolina 31
Huh? San Jose State 31, Arkansas 24
Double Huh? USC 30, No. 10 Utah 23
Are you kidding me?? SMU 41, No. 25 TCU 38
Oh – my – God: No. 13 Wisconsin 35, No. 11 Michigan 14
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 4, pre-week 5)
Possible best game of the week: No. 18 Virginia @ No. 10 Notre Dame
(Possible second choice): Nebraska @ No. 6 Ohio State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Northern Illinois @ Vanderbilt
Best non-Power Five matchup: Navy @ Memphis
Upset alert: Maryland @ No. 13 Penn State
Must win: UCLA @ Arizona
Offensive explosion: Washington State @ No. 19 Utah
Defensive struggle: (inconclusive)
Great game no one is talking about: Kansas State @ Oklahoma State (also: Iowa State @ Baylor)
Intriguing coaching matchup: Les Miles of Kansas vs. Gary Patterson of TCU
Who’s bringing the body bags? Towson @ No. 9 Florida
Why are they playing? Delaware @ Pitt
Plenty of good seats remaining: Akron @ UMass
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Middle Tennessee @ No. 18 Iowa
Week 4 Thoughts:
Week 4 has been arguably the best week for college football thus far in the 2019 season. Friday started off the weekend with a bang with an engaging matchup between USC and Utah. The following first time slot of Saturday (noon EDT) was great, at least on paper. Michigan faced Wisconsin in Camp Randall Stadium, and left the game exposed for having severe weaknesses on offense that must be addressed or Jim Harbaugh’s future with his alma mater may be in doubt.
That said, two key games in the following time slot (Louisville at Florida State and Auburn at Texas A&M) lived up to their billing. Louisville is clearly headed in the right direction as a program, but much improvement remains. Perhaps it is unreasonable for Scott Satterfield to turn things around so quickly, given the mess that Bobby Petrino left in his wake. Meanwhile, the Aggies fought the good fight at home, but came up short against a gradually but steadily ascendant Auburn. Both were good game, regardless.
The evening time slot proved that the best was yet to come that day. Oklahoma State came calling at Texas, for one. The Longhorns had failed to beat the Cowboys the previous five seasons, so the urgency was clearly there to get that proverbial monkey off the Horns’ collective back.
Then, a half-hour later, the “ticket to die for” lived up to its billing as Notre Dame put up a strong fight against Georgia in Sanford Stadium. The game was a close defensive struggle for three and a half quarters before the Bulldogs finally asserted themselves in accordance with their full potential. In other words, in the latter half of the fourth quarter, the cream finally rose to the top.
With so much great football having been played on Sept. 21 from noon through 11 PM Eastern, such will be a very tough act for Week 5 to follow. Case in point: no game for Week 5 offers a “ticket to die for”, which is more the pity.
Bad Start for College Football in 2019 (And What to do About It) September 19, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Auburn, college, football, Georgia, LSU, MLS, NCAA, NFL, Nick Saban, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas
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While there have been several great matchups these past few weeks (e.g., Auburn vs. Oregon, LSU @ Texas, and this upcoming weekend, Notre Dame @ Georgia), there have been lots of dud contests. Simply put, it is difficult to recall in recent memory where so many pointless “body bag” games have been scheduled.
The first week began with such dreck games as UCF playing Florida A&M; Arizona State played Kent State; Maryland played Howard; Nebraska played South Alabama; Temple played Bucknell; Penn State played Idaho; Tennessee played Georgia State…and lost…at home! Moreover, Texas Tech played Montana State; Kansas State played Nicholls; Washington State played New Mexico State, and TCU played Arkansas Pine Bluff.
The only really good matchup for week 1 was Auburn playing Oregon.
Week 2 was better, but not by much. Horrid matchups still prevailed with Arizona State playing Sacramento State; Kansas State played Bowling Green; South Carolina played Charleston Southern; Indiana played Eastern Illinois; Georgia played Murray State, while Alabama played New Mexico State; Oklahoma played South Dakota; Auburn played Tulane; you get the picture.
Ironically, what was a bad matchup on paper turned out to be a nail-biter, as Michigan had to struggle to beat Army. That said, Texas A&M put up a strong, valiant fight against No. 1 Clemson, and LSU @ Texas proved to be the best game of the year thus far. Though the Longhorns lost, they acquitted themselves in that they demonstrated that they’re still a legit top-10 team. LSU, on the other hand, has a real quarterback and probably the most potent office since at least the 2007 team, if not since the 2003 team under Nick Saban. Watch out, SEC; the Bayou Bengals are deadly this year.
Even in week 3, it did college football no service to put on body bag games like Miami (Fla.) playing Bethune-Cookman, Tennessee playing Chattanooga, or Texas A&M playing Lamar. The majority of the games thus far have demonstrated the need for a college football commissioner like no other season beginning in memory. Such a commissioner’s main job would be to ensure that good and decent teams played each other in the regular season to keep college football both interesting and engaging. As Alabama has learned the hard way, even a team with devoted as fans as those of The Tide will be loathe to attend such boring games when they know that their team will walk away winning by at least four touchdowns. If head coaches and their respective athletics directors are too timid to risk a loss by playing good teams, thus making for good, interesting games, then a college football commissioner shall have to force the issue for them.
No sport can flourish with hard-core fans along, (see: Soccer, Major League). Conversely, one of the biggest reasons why the NFL is the most popular sport league in America by far is because, in addition to its legions of hard-core fans, it’s practically everyone else’s second-favorite sport.
Over the past 25 years, we college football fans have witnessed dramatic growth in the game we love. That prosperity is now potentially in peril when so many teams schedule boring, pointless, body bag games. Want to slowly wither away into relative obscurity? Start by turning off the casual fans with insufficiently engaging games. The three stellar games I have already mentioned in this article are not enough to maintain that.
Yes, week 4 shall be an improvement, but much work needs to be done to prevent such a spate of pointless games from showing up on major teams’ schedules. A commissioner of college football would be the quickest, most efficient, and most decisive instrument to ensure a critical mass of engaging matchups throughout the season.
To keep the game we love from dwindling into irrelevancy, more people in the sport need to be willing to take these necessary risks. Lest we have to hold our collective breath before enough coaches and AD’s wise up to this, a college football commissioner could wise up for them and compel enough, er, compelling games to take place. The question thus becomes, do the powers that be in the NCAA HQ recognize such urgency, and if not, why not?
College Football Awards, Week 3 (2019) September 19, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Auburn, Boston College, Bulldogs, BYU, Chattanooga, Chis Klieman, Citadel, Clay Helton, Clemson, college, Dabo Swinney, Dan Mullen, FIghting Irish, Florida, Florida State, football, Furman, Geoff Collins, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hurricanes, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisiana, Louisville, LSU, Mark Stoops, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, NCAA, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Rutgers, San Jose State, South Alabama, Southern Illinois, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Virginia Tech, Washington, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Glad I’m not him: Clay Helton, USC
Lucky guy: Dan Mullen, Florida
Poor guy: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Chris Klieman, Kansas State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Notre Dame (defeated New Mexico 66-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Virginia Tech (defeated Furman 24-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Arkansas State (lost to Georgia 55-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Temple (defeated No. 21 Maryland 20-17)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Tennessee (defeated Chattanooga 45-0)
Dang, they’re good: Oklahoma
Dang, they’re bad: South Alabama (honorable mention: Indiana)
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Maryland
Did the season start? Purdue
Can the season end? Georgia Tech
Can the season never end? LSU
GAMES
Play this again: No. 9 Florida 29, Kentucky 21
Play this again, too: No. 18 Iowa 18, Iowa State 17
Never play this again: Louisiana 77, Texas Southern 6
That will leave a mark: Miami 63, Bethune-Cookman 0
What? Kansas State 31, Mississippi State 24
Huh? Temple 20, No. 17 Maryland 17
Double Huh? Citadel 27, Georgia Tech 24
Are you kidding me?? BYU 30, No. 24 USC 27
Oh – my – God: Arizona State 10, No. 18 Michigan State 7
NEXT WEEK (rankings are current AP (post-week 3, pre-week 4)
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Notre Dame @ No. 3 Georgia
Best game of the week (second choice): No. 8 Auburn @ No. 16 Texas A&M
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: No. 23 Washington @ BYU
Best non-Power Five matchup: Air Force @ No. 22 Boise State
Upset alert: No. 23 Washington @ BYU
Must win: No. 10 Michigan @ No. 14 Wisconsin
Offensive explosion: Oklahoma State @ No. 12 Texas
Defensive struggle: Boston College @ Rutgers
Great game no one is talking about: Louisville @ Florida State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mario Cristobal of Oregon vs. David Shaw of Stanford
Who’s bringing the body bags? Charlotte @ No. 1 Clemson
Why are they playing? San Jose State @ Arkansas
Plenty of good seats remaining: New Mexico State @ New Mexico
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Southern Illinois @ Arkansas State
Week 3 Thoughts:
Too many body-bag games to in the first three weeks for college football in 2019. At least next week starts with a bang with Michigan vs. Wisconsin in the noon time slot, and we are treated to an early Big XII quasi-rivalry with Texas vs. Oklahoma State in the evening, which will be an intriguing distraction from the game of the week, in which the Notre Dame Fighting Irish venture down to Athens, Ga., to take on the Bulldogs “between the hedges”. Oh, and Auburn plays Texas A&M in the 3:30 EDT time slot, so prepare for an engaging Saturday come the 21st!
Also, belated shout-out to an incredible game the previous week with LSU at Texas. Had the Horns done a slightly better job of stopping the Tiger’s passing game, they might have triumphed. As it is, LSU seems to be a top-flight QB this season, and, based on their stellar performance in Austin, could end up vying for the SEC West divisional title. Mark you calendars for November 9 now.
CFB Recruiting Class Random Observations for 2019 February 8, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: B1G, Big Ten, Big XII, Ducks, Georgia, Huskies, Indiana, Iowa, Jeff Brohm, Kentucky, Kirk Ferentz, Longhorns, Mark Stoops, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, P.J. Fleck, Pac-12, Pat Fitzgerald, Paul Chryst, Peach Bowl, Purdue, Ryan Day, Sam Ehlinger, SEC, Sugar Bowl, Texas, Urban Meyer, Washington, Wisconsin
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In the previous article, I made observations on the potentially changing competitive landscape in the SEC based on the recruiting class rankings this year. But those observations in no way cover the entire intrigue that these recruiting class rankings offer to college football fans.
For example, it’s quite clear that the SEC teams have dominated these rankings. But other teams merit attention, too. Take Michigan, for example. They are the lone Big Ten representative in the top ten of said rankings, at No. 8 this year, interestingly one ranking position ahead of Florida (No. 9), who, er, chomped the Wolverines 41-15 in the recent Peach Bowl. Meanwhile, Ohio State, who have been the most dominant force in the conference during Urban Meyer’s six-season tenure, only made it to No. 14 in the rankings this year (down from No. 2 last year). Certain programs have proven they can do more with less (Kentucky under Mark Stoops is a wonderful example of this). New Buckeye head coach Ryan Day will be put to the test to see if he can do the same thing and continue to contend for the national title.
That said, defending national champion Clemson’s recruiting class is at No. 10 (their 2018 class was No. 8). Yet they have a young quarterback with a transcendent talent that is sure to lead the Tigers to the Promised Land this year as well, so their king-of-the-hill status remains unthreatened, for now.
One of the most-improved recruiting classes is Purdue. Ranked only No. 49 in 2018, they have jumped to the No. 25 class for 2019. Perhaps this could portend further improvement in their performance, allowing Coach Jeff Brohm to do more than just employ smoke-and-mirrors, as he had no choice but to do with such a bare cupboard his first two years in West Lafayette.
An intriguing stat to share: Purdue’s recruiting class for 2019, at No. 25, ranks ahead of Wisconsin (No. 27), Michigan State (No. 30), Indiana (No. 38), Iowa (No. 40), Minnesota (No. 42), and Northwestern (No. 50). That said, do not underestimate Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald (especially Fitzgerald!) or even Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck in their abilities to develop players.
Another interesting improvement in recruiting rankings is that of Oregon. At a respectable No. 13 last year, this year’s recruiting class has merited a No. 7 ranking. Meanwhile, Washington at No. 17 is clearly not going anywhere. A reasonable prediction from these figures is that an interesting border rivalry between the Huskies and Ducks could quickly emerge. Add a steadily-performing Stanford to the mix, and on can easily foresee an increasingly competitive Pac-12 North division.
Rounding out the top ten in recruiting rankings are two Big XII teams; Oklahoma at No. 6, and Texas at No. 3. The latter is coming off huge momentum with their dominating upset over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Their quarterback, Sam Ehlinger, combines talent and grit for a winning synergy that could potentially help the Longhorns contend for the playoffs this upcoming season. This No. 3 recruiting class certainly cannot hurt the Horns in this endeavor, and surely enforces the mantra that “Texas is back.”
Again, player development can sometimes compensate for lack of ranking in player recruitment. Just ask Northwestern. But also ask Alabama for Georgia (No’s 1 and 2, respectively) how their perennial top recruiting rankings work out for them to see the potential significance of said recruiting class rankings. Such is the biggest reason why it’s so easy for college football fans to geek out about this subject! It should add up to a more interesting college football season for 2019 compared to the one just concluded.
On Changes in SEC Competition February 8, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Alabama, Citrus Bowl, Crimson Tide, Dak Prescott, Dan Mullen, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Fran Curci, Gator Bowl, Gators, Georgia, Jim Harbaugh, Jimbo Fisher, Johnny Manziel, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Kirby Smart, LSU, Mark Stoops, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, NCAA, Nick Saban, Penn State, recruiting, SEC, Texas A&M, Wildcats
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They say that a college football team’s potential for high rankings and even playoff contention is predicated on the ranking of its recruiting classes. Alabama’s persistently top-ranked recruiting classes seem to demonstrate this. Yet while some things remain the same, others seem to be changing.
For several years, the SEC appeared to consist of Alabama and everybody else. The Crimson Tide had Nick Saban, who has proven to be the best college head coach in the business, while almost all other programs in the conference – with some exceptions – having been led by glorified gym teachers.
That now seems to be changing. Kirby Smart at Georgia, for example, has proven to be a most capable Saban protégé. He learned Saban’s modus operandi while defensive coordinator at Alabama, and the Bulldogs’ performance for the past two seasons shows that he has successfully transplanted a critical percentage of this erstwhile master’s methodologies into Athens. Indeed, the 2017-2018 season culminated with Georgia playing Alabama for the national title. At the send of the 2018 season, the Bulldogs once again played the Tide down to the wire during the SEC championship game.
While Georgia has emerged as Alabama’s toughest competition for conference supremacy, other intra-conference competition now gradually emerges, too. Take Florida, for example. Dan Mullen is such a skillful coach that his previous program, Mississippi State, was briefly the number one team in the country back in 2014 (Dak Prescott sure helped with that, to be sure). Now, with far more resources at his disposal, he has brought the Gators back to strength. Their 41-15 trouncing of a solid, Jim Harbaugh-led Michigan team in the Peach Bowl has demonstrated this. Both Georgia and Alabama ought to be on notice that there is a new up-and-comer on the block.
As things currently stand, Alabama has the top-ranked freshman recruiting class for 2019, and Georgia is right behind them at No. 2. But Florida is now at No. 9 (up from No. 17 the previous year), and their on-the-field improvement was clearly noticeable in the aforementioned Peach Bowl. With such a bump in the recruiting rankings, one can only imagine how highly their team rankings could improve come the Fall.
While Georgia needs to start looking over its shoulder at SEC East and border rival Florida, in the west, the competitive pressure is intensifies for Saban and Bama. Texas A&M caught lightning in a bottle with Johnny Manziel under the leadership of Kevin Sumlin (who went 51-26, not bad for an overall average program). While it remains my contention that Aggie Nation was a collective fool in jettisoning Coach Sumlin just a few years post-Manziel, they nevertheless seem to have upgraded with Jimbo Fisher, who previously had revived Florida State. Fisher did not disappoint in his first year (2018), going 9-4, winning the Gator Bowl (52-13 over NC State…ouch!), and finishing the year at No. 16.
Further improvement for the Aggies seems imminent. Last year, they finished at No. 16 in the recruiting rankings, but this year have risen to No. 4. Nick Saban’s dominance of the SEC West is about to become considerably more difficult.
It gets no easier from there. Just behind A&M (who, again, is No. 4) in the recruiting rankings at No. 5 is SEC West rival LSU. All head coach Ed Orgeron needs is a more creative offense, and they could very well contend with the Tide for divisional supremacy. Until he does, Orgeron might still merit the “gym teacher” category placement.
One other proven coach of note is Mark Stoops at Kentucky. A program at considerable disadvantages compared to other SEC programs not named Missouri, Stoops has built the Wildcats up to their strongest level since the Fran Curci era. Barring some major scandal, he shall have done so through considerably more ethical means at that! His 2018 recruiting class was only at No. 30, and this year at No. 34. Yet the Wildcats finished the 2018 season at 10-3, including a win over Penn State in the Citrus Bowl, and with a ranking at No. 11. Mark Stoops thus deserves a serious award for the SEC coach to have done the most with the least.
Yes, the SEC still has its fair share of “gym teachers”, but there are others who are clearly talented and have what it takes to seriously threaten Saban’s legendary dynasty.
Look out for Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, and possibly LSU as they look to start campaigns that should make for a very interesting 2019 season in SEC football.