College Football Awards Week 13 (2021) December 3, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: AAC, ACC, Alabama, Army, Auburn, B1G, Baylor, Bedlam, Big XII, Bryan Harsin, California, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Crimson Tide, Dana Holgorsen, Egg Bowl, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Jeff Monken, Jeff Traylor, Jim Harbaugh, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Luke Fickell, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Nevada, Nick Saban, North Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Paul Chryst, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, rivalry, Ryan Day, SEC, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tigers, Tom Allen, UConn, USC, Utah, UTSA, Wake Forest, week, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Glad I’m not him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Lucky guy: Nick Saban, Alabama
Poor guy: Bryan Harsin, Auburn
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jeff Traylor, UTSA
Desperately seeking … anything: Tom Allen, Indiana
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Houston (defeated UConn 45-17)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Baylor (defeated Texas Tech 27-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Georgia Tech (lost to Georgia 45-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Auburn (lost to Alabama 24-22, 4OT)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Kentucky (defeated Louisville 52-21)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Colorado State
Another one bites the dust: UTSA
Did the season start? Wisconsin
Can the season end? Indiana
Can the season never end? Michigan
GAMES
Play this again: No. 5 Michigan 42, No. 2 Ohio State 27
Play this again, too: No. 3 Alabama 24, Auburn 22 (4OT)
Never play this again: Nevada 52, Colorado State 10
What? North Texas 45, No. 22 UTSA 23
Huh? LSU 27, No. 15 Texas A&M 24
Are you kidding me?? Minnesota 23, No. 14 Wisconsin 13
Oh – my – God: No. 5 Michigan 42, No. 2 Ohio State 27
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 3 Alabama
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 24 Houston vs. No. 4 Cincinnati
Upset alert: No. 19 Utah vs. No. 11 Oregon
Must win: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 16 Iowa
They have the same record? USC @ California
Offensive explosion: No. 8 Baylor vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State also: Kent State vs Northern Illinois
Defensive struggle: (none)
Great game no one is talking about: No. 17 Pitt vs. No. 18 Wake Forest
Intriguing coaching matchup: Luke Fickell of Cincinnati vs. Dana Holgorsen of Houston
Week 13 Thoughts:
Rivalry week did not disappoint. Sure, there was the occasional lop-sided outcome (looking your way, IU-Purdue and Kentucky-Louisville, and others, too.), but so many matchups produced so many great games. The Ole Miss-Mississippi State game (the “Egg Bowl”, named after the golden football trophy that has long been dubbed “the golden egg”) on Thanksgiving started things off with a bang. Then on Friday, unranked Nebraska had a chance to knock No. 16 Iowa out of B1G West contention, and came up shy by only a touchdown. Coastal Carolina had to hold off lowly South Alabama: the Chanticleers defeated the Jaguars by only seven points.
On Saturday, even greater action took place. Neither Florida nor Florida State has had much of a season, but they certainly gave fans a good fight in The Swamp, with the Gators winning, 24-21.
But The Game itself delivered. Michigan finally got a major monkey off its back in beating Ohio State for the first time since 2011. With such a rivalry and a game of such high stakes (a conference championship berth and also a potential playoff bid on the line), there was plenty of drama to go around, and all the while, Michigan Stadium was rocking, both during, and very much after the game. The crowd of fans gathered around the FOX crew outside of the stadium post-game rivaled that of crowds at ESPN’s College Gameday, pre-game.
Speaking of the B1G and conference championship berths on the line, Wisconsin had the chance to win Paul Bunyan’s Ax and also to lock up the B1G West by beating Minnesota. PJ Fleck and the boys had other plans. The Golden Gophers won the day, 23-13, and the Ax along with it. That upset made Iowa’s win the previous day all the more significant, as now they’ll represent the B1G West in Indianapolis next weekend.
In a quasi-rivalry game, Michigan State and Penn State duked it out in the snow in a high-scoring slugfest, with the Spartans winning closely, 30-27.
If we are to be reminded of anything, it’s that the Iron Bowl is always a great game, no matter how much one team may struggle and no matter how high the other may be currently flying. Case in point: this year’s Iron Bowl looked like it might have been a lop-sided affair, what with Alabama’s top-five ranking and Auburn not even ranked. But crazy things have happened against the Crimson Tide in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Last night’s game was one of them. Auburn led most of the game in a defensive struggle. Going into the 4th quarter, it was 10-0 in favor of the Tigers. The Tide managed to score 10 points that quarter to tie things up at the end of regulation. It took four overtimes to finally decide the game, with Alabama triumphing in the end. Ironically, it took a hobbled back QB’s understandably limited performance for Alabama to have even a shot at winning this game.
Speaking of getting monkeys off one’s back, Oklahoma State certainly came through against Oklahoma in last night’s edition of the Bedlam Series. In what was a back-and-forth shootout for much of the game, the Cowboys held the Sooners scoreless in the 4th quarter (a considerable stepping up of OK State’s defense), while they themselves scored 14 points to triumph, 37-33.
Other great games took place elsewhere, and it all amounted to a wonderful Rivalry Week that shall no about long be remembered. But now, it is time to look ahead.
Looking ahead to Week 14:
Michigan vs. Iowa in the B1G Championship game (Indianapolis)
This will be a different Big Ten championship game from what we are used to. Reason being, Wisconsin is not in it. Kidding aside, neither is Ohio State or Michigan State. Nope, Michigan crashes the party for the first time, ever, too. I wonder how Iowa’s and Michigan’s bands will sound like when they play the Star Spangled Banner together. It will be a beautiful sound to hear and a sight to behold in any case.
Oh, and all Michigan needs to do is close the deal, and they could make it to the playoffs. No pressure.
Georgia vs. Alabama in the SEC Championship game (Atlanta)
This is Georgia’s opportunity to remind everyone that they are the legit No. 1 team. Conversely, if Alabama has any hopes of crashing the playoffs, they need to get through the Bulldogs in order to attain that prize. Needless to say, that’s a huge ask.
Questions also abound: was the Crimson Tide looking ahead to Georgia, and thus were caught off-guard by sputtering Auburn? Or did Alabama arrive in The Plains with the War Eagle fully on their minds, only to come out flat anyhow, and lucky to escape back to Tuscaloosa with a win? If their underperformance yesterday is any indication, they could wind up as cannon fodder for the Bulldogs.
Conversely, Georgia would be wise to prepare as if they shall be in the fight of their lives, because, well, because Alabama, that’s why.
Baylor vs. Oklahoma State in the Big XII Championship game (Arlington, Texas)
Credit the Big XII with two things: one, they get it right by selecting the contestants for their conference championship game. Forget these silly divisions: simply select the top two best teams, and let them slug it out. Okay, “slug” might be too strong a word since this is the Big XII, which defensively is almost a pillow-fight of a conference (Oklahoma notwithstanding). Nevertheless, the Bears vs. the Cowboys should be a marvelous matchup.
The other thing that the Big XII gets right is selecting the best possible location within their geographic footprint in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. To be sure, the B1G and SEC have gotten it right, respectively, for a long time in that same regard, with the former playing in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy (which is perfect for the B1G), and now Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the SEC in Atlanta (before then, they played in the Georgia Dome: perfect in either case).
Houston vs. Cincinnati in the AAC championship game
When was the last time we all looked forward to the AAC championship game? Perhaps starting now. If you’re not, you should. Cincinnati is undefeated and could earn a coveted playoff berth if they win out. Meanwhile, Houston has but one loss, has played very strongly as of late, and could be a likely spoiler.
No neutral site here: the two teams shall be duking it out in the Bearcats’ home field of Nippert Stadium. As an undefeated team, UC has earned this advantage.
Pittsburgh vs. Wake Forest in the ACC championship game (Charlotte)
What, no Clemson? Correct, no Tigers in this ACC championship. Nevertheless, we ought not to overlook this game, as it too could be a great one, pitting (if you’ll pardon the pun) two teams that are focused and tenacious. Yes, bring out the popcorn for this one, too!
College Football Awards Week 12 (2021) November 24, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Bedlam, Boise State, Bryan Harsin, Buckeyes, BYU, Cardinals, Cincinnati, Clemson, Cornhuskers, Crimson Tide, Dan Mullen, Duke, Egg Bowl, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hawkeyes, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Jeff Traylor, Kansas, Kentucky, Lane Kiffin, liberty, Louisville, Mario Cristobal, Maryland, Mel Tucker, Michigan, Michigan State, Mike Leach, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico State, North Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Oaken Bucket, Ole Miss, Oregon, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Rutgers, Ryan Day, San Diego State, Scott Frost, Shane Beamer, Sooners, South Carolina, Steve Sarkesian, TCU, Temple, Texas, UAB, UConn, UMass, UNLV, USC, Utah, UTEP, UTSA, Wake Forest, Wildcats, Wolverines
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Lucky guy: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin; also: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Poor guy: Scott Frost, Nebraska; also: Bryan Harsin, Auburn
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Dan Mullen, Florida
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Traylor, UTSA
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mario Cristobal, Oregon
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Notre Dame (defeated Georgia Tech 55-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: San Diego State (defeated UNLV 28-20)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Duke (lost to Louisville 62-22)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Arkansas (lost to Alabama 42-35)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Ohio State (defeated Michigan State 56-7)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Temple
Another one bites the dust: Wake Forest
Did the season start? Florida
Can the season end? Texas
Can the season never end? Houston
GAMES
Play this again: No. 15 Wisconsin 35, Nebraska 28
Play this again, too: TCU 31, Kansas 28
Never play this again: No. 1 Georgia 56, Charleston Southern 7
What? Missouri 24, Florida 23 (OT)
Huh? South Carolina 21, Auburn 17
Are you kidding me?? Clemson 48, No. 10 Wake Forest 27
Oh – my – God: No. 23 Utah 38, No. 3 Oregon 7
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Ohio State @ No. 6 Michigan
also: No. 13 Oklahoma @ No. 9 Oklahoma State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: Boise State @ No. 19 San Diego State
also: Army @ Liberty
Upset alert: Nebraska @ No. 17 Iowa; also: South Carolina @ Clemson
Must win: No. 15 Wisconsin @ Minnesota
They have the same record? Florida @ Florida State
Offensive explosion: No. 13 Oklahoma @ No. 9 Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: Maryland @ Rutgers
Great game no one is talking about: UTEP @ UAB
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mike Leach of Missisippi State vs Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 1 Georgia @ Georgia Tech
Why are they playing? No. 24 Houston @ UConn
Plenty of good seats remaining: UMass @ New Mexico State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? No. 22 UTSA @ North Texas
Week 12 Thoughts:
So here we thought that No. 7 Michigan State lining up against No. 4 Ohio State in The Horseshoe was going to be the barn-burner of the week. Let us all briefly pause while we laugh at ourselves for such an erroneous prognostication. It is not as if the Spartans are a bad team. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, the Buckeyes are simply that much better.
Let us put it in greater perspective. Two top-four teams but their opponents senseless, 56-7. One was the aforementioned Buckeyes. The other team was No. 1 Georgia. The latter’s flattened opponent was Charleston Southern (yes, an FCS team), while the former was, again, top-ten Michigan State.
Let us now thus ask ourselves: which of those two wins is [considerably] more impressive? The obvious answer is that for Ohio State, and is thus proof-positive that the Buckeyes are a legit playoff team. All they have to do is close the deal against Michigan in the Big House next week. To be sure, that is not the easiest of tasks, but if they do so, their case should be all the stronger.
Notice that Kansas almost got their second consecutive conference win. Looks like the Jayhawks are no longer the instant win on the schedule that everyone usually hopes to have.
A quick side note: we now have all those pointless body bag games played by SEC teams are behind us now. Thank heavens.
Finally, with Oregon, for all intents and purposes, knocked out of playoff contention, can we* all get over ourselves and acknowledge that Cincinnati belongs in the Top Four for the playoffs?
*By “we”, I really mean the Playoff Committee. Seriously, in light of recent events, Cincinnati belongs in the playoffs. Make it happen, guys.
Looking ahead to Week 13:
Rivalry Week is now upon us. Let us drink it in with full enjoyment.
Indiana @ Purdue
If Purdue wins, at home, to their traditional rival, they shall accomplish two things. For one, they reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket trophy (fun fact: that bucket was found on a farm in the same county where I graduated from high school) But more importantly, they shall finish the regular season with eight wins for the first time since 2006. Not a bad consolation prize to shoot for, given that Purdue is out of contention for the BIG West division.
Penn State @ Michigan State
Not a traditional, bitter rival, you observe? Okay, not in the strictest sense. Bu-ut, anytime two tough Big Ten teams get together, it becomes a rivalry in the moment. This should be a great game in any case, so let us enjoy it accordingly.
Alabama @ Auburn
This was going to be a great game. Probably not now, though, in light of Auburn coming up short at South Carolina. If the Tigers have the same offensive miscues against the Crimson Tide, Alabama will crush them without remorse. More the pity, too, for a good Iron Bowl is always a hallmark of a memorable Rivalry Week.
Houston @ UConn
Not so much a rivalry game, this is a weird juxtaposition for the head coach – in this case, Dana Holgorsen – of a non-Power Five team having to play the role of pitiless executioner during Rivalry Week, as it’s almost a given that Houston shall demolish the Huskies.
Nebraska @ Iowa.
Do not let the lop-sided matchup of records fool you. Yes, Nebraska is unranked at 3-8, whereas Iowa is no. 17 with a 9-2 record. But the Cornhuskers lost to Wisconsin on the road by only a touchdown in yet another heartbreaker for them. Anyone who has witnessed Nebraska’s performance these past several weeks would notice a team that has become increasingly strong, and could possibly flip the script at home this Friday.
Georgia @ Georgia Tech
This used to be a decent rivalry game. Not right now, though. If Notre Dame managed to crush Georgia Tech 55-0, what is an even tougher team in Georgia going to do to them?
Louisville @ Kentucky
Louisville lost a heartbreaker to a down Clemson team earlier this month. Immediately afterwards, they bounced back and played “on fire”. Meanwhile, Mark Stoops is coaching one of the strongest Kentucky teams in recent memory. The Cardinals seem to have peaked just in time to give the Wildcats a tough game in Lexington. We shall see.
BYU @ USC
Wait, doesn’t that matchup sound like a bowl game? That’s how good it sounds on paper. Too bad that, in reality, USC sports an anemic 4-6 record. The game could still be interesting regardless.
Ole Miss @ Mississippi State
With so many rivalry games already, it might be easy to overlook this one. If so, one would deny oneself a great game. So many memorable “Egg Bowl” games capped off my family’s Thanksgiving Day evenings in style, and this one could be a ‘dandy’ among the others in this longstanding rivalry. Lane Kiffin’s Rebels are currently ranked no. 8 in the AP poll, while Mike Leach’s Bulldogs can take down a stronger team at a moment’s notice should the latter ever let down its guard. Be sure to make this game part of your Thanksgiving tradition!
Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State
Notwithstanding the Sooner’s loss to Baylor on the road two weeks ago, the Sooners are still a tough team. The catch is, this time, Oklahoma State could be better still. On top of that, the game takes place in Stillwater this time. So sit back and enjoy another memorable game in the Bedlam Series!
Ohio State @ Michigan
There’s a reason this storied rivalry is simply called “The Game”. And this time, The Game should live up to its storied hype. Michigan is officially out of its head-scratching slump from the previous couple of seasons, playing back up to the potential a Jim Harbaugh-coached team should possess. Out of the opposing corner, Ohio State is currently playing like yet another Playoff-contending team, and carries all the legitimate prowess that comes with that well-earned status. A worthy challenger on its home field ties to knock off the playoff-ranked team: let The Game begin.
College Football Week 10 Awards (2021) November 9, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: Aggies, Alabama, Army, Auburn, Baylor, Big XII, Boilermakers, Bucknell, Cincinnati, Clemson, Dabo Swinney, Dan Mullen, Dave Clawson, Florida, Gators, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Jimbo Fisher, Josh Heupel, Kent State, Kentucky, Kyle Whittingham, Lane Kiffin, Louisville, Mark Stoops, Matt Campbell, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico State, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rebels, Rutgers, San Diego State, Scott Satterfield, South Carolina, Spartans, Stanford, Steve Sarkesian, TCU, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, Tulsa, UConn, Utah, Wake Forest, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Glad I’m not him: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Lucky guy: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Poor guy: Scott Satterfield, Louisville
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Dan Mullen, Florida
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Georgia (defeated Missouri 43-6)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Cincinnati (defeated Tulsa 28-20)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Rutgers (lost to Wisconsin 52-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Tulsa (lost to No. 6 Cincinnati 28-20)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: South Carolina (defeated Florida 40-17)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Temple
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Michigan State
Did the season start? Florida
Can the season end? Texas
Can the season never end? Michigan State
GAMES
Play this again: Tennessee 45, No. 18 Kentucky 42
Play this again, too: Kent State 52, Northern Illinois 47
Never play this again: Utah 52, Stanford 7
What? Illinois 14, No. 20 Minnesota 6
Huh? TCU 30, No. 12 Baylor 28
Are you kidding me?? North Carolina 58, No. 10 Wake Forest 55
Oh – my – God: Purdue 40, No. 3 Michigan State 29
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 11)
Ticket to die for: No. 14 Texas A&M @ No. 16 Ole Miss also: No. 8 Oklahoma @ No. 12 Baylor
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: Nevada @ No. 24 San Diego State
Upset alert: No. 19 NC State @ No. 9 Wake Forest
Must win: No. 7 Michigan @ Penn State
Offensive explosion: Oklahoma @ Baylor
Defensive struggle: Minnesota @ No. 22 Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: North Carolina @ No. 25 Pittsburgh
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jimbo Fisher of Texas A&M vs Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss
Who’s bringing the body bags? New Mexico State @ No. 2 Alabama
Why are they playing? UConn @ Clemson
Plenty of good seats remaining: Tulsa @ Tulane
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Bucknell @ Army
Week 10 Thoughts:
Just when Michigan State looks red-hot, they go and lay an egg at Purdue. In their defense, though, strange things have been known to happen to the Spartans in Ross-Ade Stadium over the years (witness the 1997 and 1999 games, for example).
Conversely, just when one is apt to give Purdue up for dead after a lackluster performance against Illinois and losing a winnable game on the road to Minnesota, they turn around and beat then-No. 2 Iowa and just defeated then-No. 3 Michigan State. With still more to ponder, the Boilermakers are now 6-3. Hard to give up a team for dead when they currently have a record like that.
Moreover, this is the second time in one year that Purdue has taken down a top-five team (Iowa was the previous team to fall in such a manner), giving further credibility the Boilermakers’ nickname-within-a-nickname of “Spoiler-makers”.
Similarly, just when one is about to give South Carolina up for dead, they trounce Florida, 40-17. To be sure, the Gators started off the season very strongly, but mysteriously seem to have gradually declined in performance over the past few weeks. On the other side of the ball, is this a sign that Frank Beamer’s son is building the Gamecocks into an increasingly strong team? They close out the season with home games against Auburn and Clemson that shall answer that question.
Looking into Non-Power Five upstarts, if Cincinnati truly wants to be taken seriously as a legitimate playoff contender, then the last thing they want to do is to squeak by a team like Tulsa by only one touchdown when the ESPN College Gameday crew comes to their campus that very day/week. Oh wait…
In the Big XII (what shall soon be left of it), is it safe to start calling Iowa State’s Jack Trice Stadium the Death Valley of that conference? Because quite a few teams with far greater pedigrees have gone there to die during head coach Matt Campbell’s tenure with the Cyclones.
Moving to the SEC, the A&M-Auburn game surely lived up to its billing as a slugfest. Now that the Aggies survived that war in the trenches, can they turnaround and survive a different sort of slugfest in Oxford against the Rebels?
Finally, nice to see Tennessee win a thriller over Kentucky in Lexington. Head coach Josh Heupel is clearly building the Vols back to the strong program they used to be. Such a development is very good for college football. Just how far they have yet to go to be “back” shall be ascertained when they face the legitimate no. 1 team in the land, Georgia, this upcoming weekend.
College Football Week 8 Awards (2021) October 25, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Alabama, Appalachian State, Arizona, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Badgers, Baylor, Brett Bielema, Bronco Mendenhall, Buckeyes, BYU, Clark Lea, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Crimson Tide, Dave Doeren, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Hawkeyes, Hoosiers, Hurricanes, Huskies, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, Jedd Fisch, Jeff Traylor, Jim Harbaugh, Jimmy Lake, Kansas, Kentucky, Lane Kiffin, Lincoln Riley, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, LSU, Mark Stoops, Mel Tucker, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, Mike Leach, Mississippi State, NC State, Nebraska, Nittany Lions, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Sean Clifford, SMU, Spartans, Tennessee, Texas, Texas State, UCLA, UMass, UTSA, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Volunteers, Wake Forest, Washington, Wisconsin, Wolverines
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Glad I’m not him: Ed Orgeron, LSU
Lucky guy: Jimmy Lake, Washington (hon. mention: Brett Bielema, Illinois)
Poor guy: Jedd Fisch, Arizona (hon. mention: James Franklin, Penn State)
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Traylor, UTSA
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Dave Doeren, NC State
Desperately seeking … anything: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Arkansas (defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 45-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oklahoma (defeated Kansas 35-23)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: UMass (lost to Florida State 59-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (lost to No. 3 Oklahoma 35-23)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Ohio State (defeated Indiana 54-7)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Vanderbilt
Can’t Stand Prosperity: NC State
Did the season start? Penn State
Can the season end? Akron
Can the season never end? SMU
GAMES
Play this again: Illinois 20, No. 7 Penn State 18 (9OT)
Play this again, too: No. 10 Oregon 34, UCLA 31
Never play this again: Florida State 59, UMass 3
What? Miami (FL) 31, No. 18 NC State 30
Huh? Appalachian State 30, No. 17 Coastal Carolina 27
Are you kidding me?? Iowa State 24, No. 8 Oklahoma State 20
Oh – my – God: Illinois 20, No. 7 Penn State 18 (9OT)
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 9)
Ticket to die for: No. 6 Michigan @ No. 8 Michigan State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Virginia @ No. 25 BYU
Best non-Power Five matchup: Fresno State @ No. 21 San Diego State also: No. 19 SMU @ Houston
Upset alert: No. 9 Iowa @ Wisconsin
Must win: No. 20 Penn State @ No. 5 Ohio State
Offensive explosion: Texas @ No. 16 Baylor
Defensive struggle: No. 1 Georgia vs. Florida
Great game no one is talking about: Purdue @ Nebraska
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mark Stoops of Kentucky vs. Mike Leach of Miss. State
Also: Bronco Mendenhall of Virginia vs Kalane Sitake of BYU
Who’s bringing the body bags? Kansas @ No. 4 Oklahoma
Why are they playing? (no game worth mentioning this week)
Plenty of good seats remaining: La. Tech @ Old Dominion
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Texas State @ Louisiana
Week 8 Thoughts:
Penn State vs Illinois
Two weeks ago, Penn State QB Sean Clifford’s injury at Iowa was literally a game-changer. After out-classing the Hawkeyes for almost three quarters, the Nittany Lion’s loss of their starting quarterback began a negative trend that allowed Iowa to stop their own bleeding and turn things around in a positive direction, resulting in a huge upset, of sorts.
Fast-forward two weeks to the present day. Clifford was back in the proverbial saddle, but no where near his former self. It showed with Penn State’s offensive struggles. They could muster only one touchdown in regulation, with the score tied at 13-13 with 0:00 left on the clock, and this against a mediocre – at best – Illinois team.
The game would go into a record nine overtimes, with five consecutive of them being scoreless. In the end, the Illini triumphed by managing just one more two-point conversion than the Nittany Lions.
My takeaway: unless Sean Clifford returns to full health, Penn State’s season is essentially lost.
Army vs Wake Forest
In what sane universe does the matchup between these two teams add up to an offensive explosion? The Demon Deacons – on a considerable roll, this year – triumphed over the Black Knights, 70-56.
Purdue vs. Wisconsin
My suspicions that Purdue’s ranking of No. 25 was suspect at best was confirmed, as the Boilers experienced a semi-drubbing at home by Wisconsin, 30-13. Conversely, the Badgers played as though their previous week’s woes are behind them. What we saw of that team yesterday suggests that they are playing back up to how we would expect a Wisconsin team to perform. This resurgence shall be put to the test next week when Iowa comes calling.
Pittsburgh vs Clemson
Speaking of sane universes (see: Army vs Wake Forest, above), in what sane universe is Pittsburgh ranked and Clemson unranked? This quandary is brought on by Clemson’s fearsome reputation which they have rightfully earned since 2015. This is why, despite this Twlight Zone-esque ranking of the two pitted teams, it still feels like an upset when the Panthers triumphed over the Tigers, 27-17.
Indiana vs Ohio State
The fact that Ohio State steamrolled over Indiana 54-7 does not mean that this was supposed to be a body bag game. Far from it. The Hoosiers, in truth, have a solid team this year. Indeed, the game could have been a “trap” one for the Buckeyes, as they face Penn State next week. What the results of this game thus shows is that Ohio State’s coaching staff has quietly and gradually made fine-tuning adjustments to their team as the season has progressed. If this game’s score is any indications, the Buckeyes’ ranking of No. 5 is legitimate, and this rate, they could make the playoffs yet.
Alabama vs. Tennessee
The Volunteers played with heart, and there is some talent there. But the Crimson Tide is still considerably better, talent-wise, and the score (52-24) demonstrated that. It shall take another good recruiting class or two from Josh Heupel to bring this bitter rivalry back up to the level of drama and stakes that it deserves.
Looking ahead: Michigan @ Michigan State
Two top-ten titans clash in East Lansing as a resurgent Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines take on a quietly-rebuilt Spartans squad led by up-and-comer Mel Tucker. How these teams perform against each other – as bitter rivals, no less – shall say much as to how far each respective team has come.
Penn State @ Ohio State
On paper, with one team ranked No. 5 and the other ranked No. 20, this sounds like it could be almost as good a game as Michigan State vs. Michigan, right? Wrong. While Ohio State is currently proven legit at their current ranking, Penn State has been struggling offensively since Sean Clifford’s injury at Iowa. If the Nittany Lions continue to struggle to put points on the board, this could be a rout in Ohio State’s favor.
Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville
Not to call too much attention, but there’s this World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party about to commence this upcoming weekend in Jacksonville. Georgia is currently ranked No. 1 (and rightfully so), but historically, Florida has given the Bulldogs fits in this game. Hence, it behooves us all to keep an eye on this game in case things get potentially interesting.
Ole Miss @ Auburn
Coming off a huge win over hated LSU, the Rebels now go into Auburn to take on ranked Auburn. This could be another great slugfest worth watching.
Texas @ Baylor
The Bears have proven to be a potent team. Texas’ offensive output has proven to be strong – for three quarters, at least. Regardless, get ready for a potential shootout in Waco.
Louisville @ NC State
Here is an interesting ACC matchup for fans. The Cardinals won over a cagey BC team in the rain. Now they venture into Raleigh to take on the Wolfpack, fresh from an upset loss at the hands of Miami (Fla.). Louisville passed a test (winning a game in adverse weather conditions) this weekend. Now can they pass an even greater one?
College Football Week 7 Awards (2021) October 17, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Alabama, Appalachian State, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, BYU, Cal, Cincinnati, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Colorado, Cyclones, Dabo Swinney, Dino Babers, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Greg Schiano, Herm Edwards, Iowa, Iowa State, Josh Heupel, Kansas, Kirby Smart, Kirk Ferentz, Lane Kiffin, LSU, Matt Campbell, Mike Gundy, Mississippi State, Nick Saban, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pat Narduzzi, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rice, Rutgers, San Diego State, Southern Miss, Steve Sarkesian, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, UMass, Utah, UTSA, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Lucky guy: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Poor guy: Dino Babers, Syracuse
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Herm Edwards, Arizona State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Desperately seeking … anything: Greg Schiano, Rutgers
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Alabama (defeated Mississippi State 49-9)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oregon (defeated Cal 24-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Rice (lost to UTSA 45-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Purdue (defeated No. 2 Iowa 24-7)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Colorado (Arizona 34-0)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Rutgers
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Iowa
Did the season start? Arizona State
Can the season end? Southern Miss
Can the season never end? Cincinnati
GAMES
Play this again: No. 13 Ole Miss 31, Tennessee 26
Play this again, too: No. 12 Oklahoma State 32, No. 25 Texas 24
Never play this again: Virginia 48, Duke 0
What? LSU 49, No. 20 Florida 42
Huh? Utah 35, No. 18 Arizona State 21
Are you kidding me?? Aurburn 38, No. 17 Arkansas 23
Oh – my – God: Purdue 24, No. 2 Iowa 7
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 8)
Ticket to die for: LSU @ No. 13 Ole Miss
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: BYU @ Washington State; also, No. 16 Wake Forest @ Army
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 15 Coastal Carolina vs. Appalachian State; also, No. 22 San Diego State @ Air Force
Upset alert: UCLA @ No. 10 Oregon
Must win: Wisconsin @ Purdue
Offensive explosion: (inconclusive)
Defensive struggle: Syracuse @ Virginia Tech
Great game no one is talking about: Clemson @ Pittsburgh
Intriguing coaching matchup: Nick Saban of Alabama vs Josh Heupel of Tennessee
Who’s bringing the body bags? Kansas @ No. 4 Oklahoma
Why are they playing? UMass @ Florida State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Washington @ Arizona
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Arkansas
Week 7 Thoughts:
Oklahoma State vs Texas
For the second week in row, Texas has blown a 4th-quarter lead to a ranked opponent. Here’s a fairly disturbing stat to back up this observation. In the 4th quarters of games against Oklahoma and then Oklahoma State, the Longhorns have been outscored 41-7. Head coach Steve Sarkesian clearly has his work cut out for him on that side of the ball. On the other side, it wouldn’t hurt to work on his offense’s performance, either, as scoring only 7 points in those two quarters combined is clearly unacceptable.
Purdue vs Iowa
File this under “Boy, did we get that one wrong/Boy, we didn’t see that one coming”. In what could have potentially been a “body bag” game for Iowa, given Purdue lackluster performance against Minnesota two weeks earlier, the Boilermakers actually showed up to play, and both thrilled their faithful fans and stunned the college football world in the process.
There are many layers one can slice-and-dice this game and the surrounding conditions that came with it. Start with the premise of Iowa’s No. 2 ranking prior to said game. Yes, they were undefeated, but that alone came about under questionable circumstances. In the prior game against Penn State, the Hawkeyes were being outclassed by the Nittany Lions for more than half the game, before the latter’s quarterback was out of the game’s remainder due to injury.
Even had that injury to Penn State’s QB not occurred, and somehow Iowa would have righted the ship anyhow, I nevertheless must propose a thought experiment. If an undefeated Iowa team (that of this season) were to go head-to-head against a one-loss Alabama team (likewise the current team of this season), which squad do think would emerge victorious? Answering ‘Alabama’ would be a no-brainer. Would it not thus be logical that the Crimson Tide be ranked ahead of the Hawkeyes, not withstanding the teams’ respective records, going into this week?
All that aside, the sad fact of the matter is that the Hawkeyes failed to live up to the prestigious ranking that had attained. To close out the broadcast coverage, one of the commentators for ABC observed that “Purdue out-Iowa’d Iowa”. Say what you will about head coach Jeff Brohm, but he put the extra week that he had with last week’s bye to very good use in preparing to take on this strong foe.
Going forward, it shall be very interesting to see how each of the two teams react to this big upset. This time, the Hawkeyes have the bye, with their next game after that being a surprisingly winnable one against Wisconsin. Indeed, the remainder of their schedule is all winnable. Can they bounce back to seize such a opportunity, and to make a great season out of things regardless? Last I checked, 11-1 for a program like Iowa is a great achievement.
For Purdue, can they stop celebrating long enough to re-focus and properly prepare for what lies ahead? Many treacherous teams await the Boilers, starting with Wisconsin next week.
Kentucky vs Georgia
Kentucky is a great team, but face it: Georgia is that much greater. This was plainly discernable going into the game, and the outcome therefore surprised no reasonable party. That said, the Wildcats acquitted themselves well by covering the spread in the last minutes of the game.
Ole Miss vs Tennessee
For the first time in a long time, it felt as though Tennessee was returning to its glory days of the 1990s and early 2000s. Neyland Stadium was positively electric last night when Ole Miss came calling. They put up a valiant effort against a loaded Rebels team headed by their own former head coach, Lane Kiffin. Despite being outmanned, in the end, they were only several yards shy of the opportunity to tie the game at the end of regulation. It’s never a disgrace to lose to a better team, and, moreover, if the players continue to buy in to Josh Heupel’s vision, and the latter can bring in another good recruiting class or two, the Volunteers could continue to be on the upswing and legitimately bring back their glory days.
All that said, shame on the Tennessee fans who threw everything from water bottles to golf balls onto the field near the end of the game. That is very classless; it reflects poorly on the fan base, and on many southern fans at large; the perpetrators of such a classless act need to see the error of their ways, and if some degree of ostracization to help guide them to the light is what is necessary to do so, then so be it. Tennessee fans, do better and be better, so as to be worthy of such aforementioned glory days, should they return.
Looking ahead: Oklahoma State @ Iowa State
Can the Cowboys now handle their own prosperity? They are currently undefeated, ranked No. 8, and now head up to Ames, Iowa, where lately many ranked teams have gone to die. The Cyclones are never to be taken lightly under head coach Matt Campbell. Can he prepare his already-strong team to take down an undefeated foe? Can Oklahoma State’s head coach Mike Gundy prepare his squad to be ready to face proven giant-killers? We’ll find out shortly.
Clemson @ Pittsburgh
Queue the theme music from “The Twilight Zone”. In this upcoming matchup, the Pitt Panthers are ranked (No. 23), whereas the Clemson Tigers are not. It should thus be a very interesting matchup at Heinz Field.
Tennessee @ Alabama
No time for the Volunteers to lick their wounds after a close, emotional loss to Ole Miss. Now they must travel to Tuscaloosa to take on their traditionally most-hated rival. Such is life in the SEC.
LSU @ Ole Miss
Speaking of hated rvials, there is never any love lost between these two. While recently this rivalry has been a bit one-sided in LSU’s favor, the Rebels are now the favored team, and could make this season full of questions for LSU and their head coach Ed Orgeron (who was previously the head coach at Ole Miss) all the more painful. Then again, the Tigers pulled off a mild upset win over Florida, which leads many discerning fans to believe that this game could be a reasonably even, tough matchup on paper after all.
Final thought: can we bring back the “Twlight Zone” theme music for a second? Because Cincinnati is now the No. 2-ranked team in the country. Ponder that for what it is worth.
College Football Awards Week 6 (2021) October 11, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Baylor, Bijan Robinson, Boise State, Boston College, Bronco Mendenhall, Bulldogs, BYU, Caleb Williams, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Colorado, Dave Aranda, Ed Orgeron, FIU, Florida International, Florida State, Georgia, Hawkeyes, Indiana, Iowa, James Franklin, Jimbo Fisher, Josh Heupel, Kentucky, Lane Kiffin, Lincoln Riley, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Mack Brown, Mark Stoops, Maryland, Michigan State, Mike Leach, Minnesota, Mississippi State, NC State, Nebraska, Nick Saban, Nittany Lions, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Penn State, Purdue, Red River, Scott Satterfield, Showdown, Sooners, Spencer Rattler, Steve Sarkesian, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, UCF, UConn, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, Wildcats, Wisconsin, Xavier Worthy, Yale
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia
Poor guy: Scott Satterfield, Louisivlle
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Mack Brown, North Carolina
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Dave Aranda, Baylor
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kalani Sitake, BYU
Desperately seeking … anything: Ed Orgeron, LSU
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Cincinnati (defeated Temple 52-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Wake Forest (defeated Syracuse 40-37 in OT)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Maryland (lost to No. 7 Ohio State 66-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: FIU (lost to Charlotte 45-33)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Kentucky (defeated LSU 42-21)
Dang, they’re good: Cincinnati
Dang, they’re bad: Vanderbilt
Can’t Stand Prosperity: BYU
Did the season start? North Carolina
Can the season end? UConn
Can the season never end? Iowa
GAMES
Play this again: Texas A&M 41, No. 1 Alabama 38
Play this again, too: No. 6 Oklahoma 55, No. 21 Texas 48
Never play this again: No. 7 Ohio State 66, Maryland 17
What? Florida State 35, North Carolina 25
Huh? No. 17 Ole Miss 52, No. 13 Arkansas 51
Are you kidding me?? Boise State 26, No. 10 BYU 17
Oh – my – God: Texas A&M 41, No. 1 Alabama 38
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 7)
Ticket to die for: No. 11 Kentucky @ No. 1 Georgia
Next-best game of the week: No. 18 Auburn @ No. 13 Arkansas
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: No. 19 BYU @ Baylor
Best non-Power Five matchup: UCF @ No. 3 Cincinnati
Upset alert: No. 10 Michigan State @ Indiana; also, No. 13 Ole Miss @ Tennessee
Must win: No. 12 Oklahoma State @ No. 25 Texas
Offensive explosion: Oklahoma State @ Texas
Defensive struggle: Nebraska @ Minnesota
Great game no one is talking about: No. 22 NC State @ Boston College
Intriguing coaching matchup: Nick Saban of Alabama vs Mike Leach of Mississippi State
Who’s bringing the body bags? Purdue @ No. 2 Iowa
Why are they playing? Army @ Wisconsin
Plenty of good seats remaining: Arizona @ Colorado
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Yale @ UConn
Week 6 Thoughts:
Iowa vs. Penn State
This week provided some incredible games, one of which was an unusual clash of titans (No’s. 3 and 4, respectively) during the second time slot of the day, in Iowa City. For the first 25 minutes of the game, Iowa was being outclassed by Penn State, and the score showed it at 17-3. Then the Nittany Lion’s starting quarterback, Sean Clifford, went down with an injury, either to back or the ribs. Penn State was not the same with their backup QB in place. The offense only managed a field goal after that, while the Hawkeyes gradually clawed their way back, eventually winning, 23-20. Let us hope that Clifford’s injury does not derail the rest of the Nittany Lions’ season. Still, it was a thrilling comeback for the Hawkeye faithful to witness.
Oklahoma vs Texas
In yet another exciting edition of the Red River Showdown, Oklahoma bested Texas yet again. This time it was full of twists and turns. The Longhorns scored quickly on the Sooners, tallying 38 points in their favor by halftime. A new, major wrinkle occurred when Lincoln Riley benched QB Spencer Rattler after two turnovers and replaced him with Caleb Williams. In hindsight, Texas coach Steve Sarkesian had no gameplan for this wrinkle, and it showed with his lack of answers for this more-capable replacement. The Longhorns also failed to established a running game, despite having Heisman candidate Bijan Robinson in their backfield. On the other side of the ball, they hardly mounted any decent pass rush against Williams, giving him time to complete one inexplicable pass after another. In the end, the Sooners triumphed in an admittedly thrilling game, 55-48. The main takeaway for Oklahoma is that they could best either Iowa or Penn State, both of whom, on that day, were ranked ahead of the Sooners.
One takeaway for Texas is the Sark must shore up his defense. Another is that he must work on better establishing the running game. A third is that freshman receiver Xavier Worthy holds much promise as a playmaker, but the Horns cannot win games on long bombs to him alone. Texas might not be “back” yet, but they could be soon with a couple of key adjustments and another good recruiting class from Sark. In the meantime, he did not see this game’s outcome as a devastating loss, but rather, something to make the team hungrier for potentially bigger things to come. “Ultimately, you know my mindset is I’d love to get another crack at these guys hopefully in December, so that’s that,” he said.
Texas A&M vs Alabama
Think about this for a second: the last regular season game that Alabama lost was on Nov. 30, 2019, to Auburn (hey, it’s the Iron Bowl, where crazy things happen. Anyone remember the “Kick Six”?). Since then, the Crimson Tide has remained undefeated, with another national title under their collective belt, until last night. Last night, Texas A&M ended that streak in front of the second-largest crowd at Kyle Field (106,815). Moreover, this marks Alabama’s first loss to an unranked team since 2007 (!). The Aggies maintained a lead for most of the game, until the Tide tied the score in the 4th quarter. A key stop late in the game gave Texas A&M the ball back, allowing them to kick a winning field goal at a comfortable distance for one incredible night to remember in College Station for a long time to come. All that said, if the familiar pattern of Nick Saban’s dynasty in Tuscaloosa holds, Alabama shall refocus and redouble its efforts, and continue to perform at the highest of levels in the college game. Nevertheless, this is the first time a former assistant (Jimbo Fisher) has bested him. We shall now see if Fisher can maintain his team’s focus. Immediately, that might not be too difficult a task, as they face Missouri next week, followed by South Carolina thereafter. But come the first week of November, they face a dangerous Auburn team, wherein another key test awaits.
Kentucky vs. LSU
Last week, I noted that Mark Stoops needed to refocus his team after a huge win over Florida. Well, he succeeded in spades, this time triumphing over LSU, in convincing fashion, 42-21. Granted, the Bayou Bengals are not quite what they were when they caught lighting in a bottle with QB Joe Burrow and a coaching lineup of young, talented coordinators, which generated a wave that they rode all the way to another national championship. Since then, those assistants have left for other things, and Orgeron has been struggling to keep LSU a contender in the admittedly brutal SEC West. On the other side of the proverbial coin, everything seems to have come into place for Mark Stoops and Kentucky. The Wildcats are 6-0 for only the first time since 1950, when Bear Bryant was their head coach (they went on to defeat national champion Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl that season). Put as many asterisks on this win as some critics may, but for two consecutive weeks, Stoops and the Big Blue Nation have turned Commonwealth Stadium into a top-tier SEC environment. That might not last forever, but it’s quite the achievement to behold regardless. But now is the time to refocus the team’s efforts yet again, this time for the Wildcats’ toughest opponent to date.
Looking ahead: Kentucky @ Georgia
That aforementioned toughest opponent to date for Kentucky is now-No. 1 Georgia. Furthermore, unlike facing Florida and LSU in the friendly home environs, this time they travel to face the Bulldogs “between the hedges”. Even though both teams come into this game at 6-0, Kentucky’s magical run thus far might come to a temporary halt, for Georgia, along with Alabama, is clearly well above the rest of the competition for now. The reasonable hope is that the Wildcats keep the game respectable. That will be something to build upon as they could then continue their incredibly strong run of a season. That season will continue to get more interesting, as afterwards, they face Mike Leach’s cagey Mississippi State team (one Bulldog team after another!), followed by Josh Heupel’s quietly, gradually resurgent Tennessee squad. So it goes in the SEC, where there’s never any rest for the wicked.
Ole Miss @ Tennessee
Speaking of the Volunteers, they face Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels, along with their high-powered offense that he has put together. This game shall be a key test for both teams. For Ole Miss, can they maintain their level of intensity after winning a shootout at home over a suddenly resurgent Arkansas? Speaking of resurgent teams, Tennessee has regained in strength under lots of peoples’ radars (easy to do, given that the Volunteers have struggled since the waning days of Phil Fulmer’s coaching regime). Now that the players seem to be buying into Josh Heupel’s potentially winning vision, they have a chance to show how far along they have come in a short time if they can pull off the upset at home over the Rebels. This test could be a good one to watch.
Texas vs Oklahoma State
The Longhorns just lost another close one to their hated rival Oklahoma. Now, without time to lick their wounds (mostly to their pride), they have to turn around to face the Cowboys at home. Oklahoma State has quietly risen up the ranks to No. 12. As the rankings (barely) held in Dallas this past Saturday, now we shall see if they continue to hold in Austin. If Steve Sarkesian can make a defensive adjustment or two and work to establish the run more effectively, this time, it might not.
College Football Awards, Week 13 (2019) November 25, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Army, Auburn, B1G, Baylor, Buckeyes, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, college, Colorado, football, Gary Patterson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Herm Edwards, Iowa State, James Franklin, Kansas State, Kevin Sumlin, Lincoln Riley, Mario Cristobal, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Navy, NCAA, Nebraska, Nick Rolovich, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Oregon, Penn State, Rice, Rutgers, Ryan Day, Samford, San Diego State, SMU, Sonny Dykes, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Tom Herman, Troy, UCLA, UMass, USC, UTEP, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Poor guy: Gary Patterson, TCU
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Nick Rolovich, Hawaii
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mario Cristobal, Oregon
Desperately seeking … anything: Tom Herman, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Auburn (defeated Samford 52-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Georgia (defeated Texas A&M 19-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Maryland (lost to Nebraska 54-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: TCU (lost to No. 9 Oklahoma 28-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: USC (defeated UCLA 52-35)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Troy
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Oregon
Did the season start? Texas
Can the season end? UMass
Can the season never end? Ohio State
GAMES
Play this again: Arizona State 31, No. 6 Oregon 28
Never play this again: No. 5 Alabama 66, Western Carolina 3
What? Colorado 20, Washington 14
Huh? Hawaii 14, San Diego State 11
Are you kidding me?? Navy 35, No. 25 SMU 28
Oh – my – God: Arizona State 31, No. 6 Oregon 28
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 14, pre-week 14)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Ohio State @ No. 13 Michigan
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 19 Cincinnati @ No. 18 Memphis (Friday, Nov. 29)
Upset alert: Kansas State @ No. 22 Iowa State (hon. mention: No. 5 Alabama @ No. 15 Auburn)
Must win: No. 12 Wisconsin @ No. 10 Minnesota
Offensive explosion: No. 9 Oklahoma @ No. 21 Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: inconclusive
Great game no one is talking about: Wyoming @ Air Force
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kevin Sumlin of Arizona vs Herm Edwards of Arizona State
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 4 Georgia @ Georgia Tech
Why are they playing? Rutgers @ No. 8 Penn State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Texas State @ Coastal Carolina (dishon. mention: Rice @ UTEP)
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Charlotte @ Old Dominion
Week 13 Thoughts:
Baylor vs Texas
Once again the Longhorns disgraced themselves with tepid outputs on both offense and defense. The Longhorns had such high expectations going into the season. Now, they sit at 6-5. What happened? For starters, they graduated lots of experienced players after their Suger Bowl win. This year, they have a young team, made younger with lots of injuries on defense and at running back. For that, they need time for the injuries to heal. Much more systemic are the questions of Texas’ identity on offense. For that, they cannot excuse injuries. Nor can they excuse their lack of player development despite good recruiting classes during Tom Herman’s tenure. So how can they do better? Three things: develop an offensive identity; do better at developing your players; also, learn to get out of your own way. Oklahoma and A&M have figured out how to do so: what is Texas’ excuse?
Ohio State vs Penn State
The game was a good game, and it should not have been as good as it was. Some key mistakes, namely turnovers in the 3rd quarter, allowed for Penn State to come within less than a touchdown of the Buckeyes. Ohio State will have to button things up better if they expect to defeat their bitter rival up north come rivalry weekend. Such urgency for discipline is even greater for the B1G championship game in Indianapolis, be it Wisconsin or Minnesota. This is a reminder that the road to the playoffs still has a critical amount of potholes that only vigilance shall help avoid.
All that said, on to Rivalry Weekend!
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.
College Football Awards, Week 11 (2018) November 11, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas State, Army, Auburn, BC, Boise State, Boston College, Brian Kelly, CHip Kelly, Cincinnati, Citadel, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Fresno State, Georgia, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Jeff Monken, Kentucky, liberty, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Mark Stoops, Michigan, Mike Gundy, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Rice, Rutgers, San Jose State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UAB, UCF, UCLA, UMass, Utah State, UTSA, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Willie Taggart, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 11] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Glad I’m not him: Willie Taggart, Florida State
Lucky guy: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Poor guy: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Desperately seeking … anything: Chip Kelly, UCLA
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated Rutgers 42-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: NC State (lost to Wake Forest 27-23)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Louisville (lost to Syracuse 54-23)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Boston College (lost to Clemson)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Arkansas State (defeated Coastal Carolina 44-16)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: UTSA
Can’t Stand Prosperity: NC State
Did the season start? Wisconsin
Can the season end? North Carolina
Can the season never end? Notre Dame
GAMES
Play this again: No. 6 Oklahoma 48, Oklahoma State 47
Play this again, too: No. 19 Texas 41, Texas Tech 34
Never play this again: Utah State 62, San Jose State 24
What? Minnesota 41, Purdue 10
Huh? Boise State 24, No. 23 Fresno State 17
Double Huh? Northwestern 14, No. 21 Iowa 10
Are you kidding me?? Wake Forest 27, NC State 23 (Thurs.)
Oh – my – God: Tennessee 24, No. 11 Kentucky 7
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 11)
Best game of the week: No. 13 Syracuse @ No. 3 Notre Dame
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: UAB @ Texas A&M
Best non-Power Five matchup: Cincinnati @ No. 12 UCF
Upset alert: No. 22 Iowa State @ No. 19 Texas
Must win: Wisconsin @ Purdue
Offensive explosion: No. 9 West Virginia @ Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: Missouri @ Tennessee
Great game no one is talking about: Cincinnati @ No. 12 UCF
Intriguing coaching matchup: Paul Chryst of Wisconsin vs Jeff Brohm of Purdue
Who’s bringing the body bags? Rice @ No. 7 LSU Also: Citadel @ No. 1 Alabama
Why are they playing? UMass @ No. 5 Georgia
Plenty of good seats remaining: Western Carolina @ North Carolina
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Liberty @ No. 24 Auburn
College Football Awards, Week 7 (2018) October 15, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arkansas, Army, Clemson, Dabo Swinney, Dana Holgorsen, Dave Doeren, Duke, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa State, James Franklin, Kirby Smart, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Mark Dantonio, Miami Hurricanes, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, NC State, Nebraska, North Texas, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rice, San Diego State, San Jose State, Scott Frost, Seth Littrell, SJSU, TCU, Tulsa, UAB, UCF, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Western Kentucky
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 7] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Ed Orgeron, LSU
Glad I’m not him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Lucky guy: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Poor guy: James Franklin, Penn State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Gus Malzahn, Auburn
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Seth Littrell, North Texas
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia
Desperately seeking … anything: Scott Frost, Nebraska
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Army (defeated San Jose State 52-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Florida (defeated Vanderbilt 37-27)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: San Jose State (lost to Army 52-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Minnesota (lost to Ohio State 30-14)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Purdue (defeated Illinois 46-7)
Dang, they’re good: LSU
Dang, they’re bad: Western Kentucky
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Georgia
Did the season start? TCU
Can the season end? Rice
Can the season never end? Michigan
GAMES
Play this again: No. 17 Oregon 30, No. 7 Washington 27, OT
Never play this again: Army 52, SJSU 3
What? Virginia 16, No. 16 Miami 13
Huh? No. 17 Oregon 30, No. 7 Washington 27, OT
Double Huh? Michigan State 21, No. 8 Penn State 17
Are you kidding me?? Iowa State 30, No. 6 West Virginia 14
Oh – my – God: No. 13 LSU 36, No. 2 Georgia 16
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 8)
Game of the week: No. 22 Mississippi State @ No. 5 LSU
Also: No. 16 NC State @ No. 3 Clemson
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Memphis @ Missouri
Best non-Power Five matchup: North Texas @ UAB
Upset alert: No. 16 NC State @ No. 3 Clemson
Must win: No. 6 Michigan @ No. 24 Michigan State
Offensive explosion: No. 12 Oregon @ No. 25 Washington State
Defensive struggle: (inconclusive)
Great game no one is talking about: Virginia @ Duke
Intriguing coaching matchup: Dave Doeren of NC State vs Dabo Swinney of Clemson
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 10 UCF @ East Carolina
Why are they playing? UTEP @ Louisiana Tech
Plenty of good seats remaining: Tulsa @ Arkansas
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? San Jose State @ San Diego State
Due to the intriguing complexity of the current situation, no additional thoughts are offered at this time, but shall be forthcoming in a subsequent article later this week.
intellectualgridiron 