College Football Awards, Week 14 (2024) December 3, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: ACC, Aggies, Alabama, Arch Manning, Arizona State, Army, B1G, Big XII, Boise State, Buckeyes, Buffalo, CHip Kelly, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Dan Lanning, Florida State, football, Fran Brown, Gamecocks, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Jacksonville State, James Franklin, Kent State, Kirk Ferentz, Longhorns, Louisville, Mario Cristobal, Matt Rhule, Memphis, Miami (FL), Miami (OH), Michigan, Mike Elko, Mustangs, NCAA, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Quinn Ewers, Ryan Day, Ryan Walters, Sherrone Moore, SMU, South Carolina, Steve Sarkesian, Syracuse, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, Tulane, UNLV, USC, Western Kentucky
add a comment
COACHES
Wish I were him: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Honorable mention: Sherrone Moore, Michigan
Glad I’m not him: Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Lucky guy: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Poor guy: Matt Rhule, Nebraska
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Mario Cristobal, Miami (FL)
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Fran Brown, Syracuse
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Desperately seeking … anything: Ryan Walters, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Indiana (defeated Purdue 66-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Georgia (defeated Georgia Tech 44-42)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Kent State (lost to Buffalo 43-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: USC (lost to No. 5 Notre Dame 49-35)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Colorado (defeated Oklahoma State 59-0)
Dang, they’re good: Oregon
Dang, they’re bad: Purdue
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Ohio State
Did the season start? Miami (FL)
Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Indiana
GAMES
Play this again: Michigan 13, No. 2 Ohio State 10
Play this again, too (told you so): Iowa 13, Nebraska 10
Never play this again: Indiana 66, Purdue 0
What? Memphis 34, No. 17 Tulane 24
Huh? No. 15 South Carolina 17, No. 12 Clemson 14
Are you kidding me?? Syracuse 42, No. 6 Miami 35
Oh – my – God: Michigan 13, No. 2 Ohio State 10
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (week 15)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Texas @ No. 5 Georgia in the SEC championship game
Honorable mention: No. 1 Oregon vs No. 4 Penn State in the B1G championship game
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Four matchup: No. 17 Tulane @ Army
Upset alert: No. 12 Clemson vs No. 9 SMU in the ACC Championship game
Must win: All championship games, but especially the No. 16 Arizona State vs No. 18 Iowa State in the Big XII championship game
Offensive explosion: No. 22 UNLV vs. No. 11 Boise State
Defensive struggle: Ohio vs Miami (OH)
Great game no one is talking about: Western Kentucky @ Jacksonville State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Dan Lanning of Oregon vs James Franklin of Penn State
Who’s bringing the body bags? N/A
Why are they playing? N/A
Plenty of good seats remaining: N/A
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? N/A
Week 14 Thoughts:
Let us confront the 800-lb. gorilla in the room. It was all set for Ohio State. All they had to do was win the game. But the game turned out to be “The Game”, and in “The Game”, the Buckeyes choked massively. QB Will Howard failed to seek out his marquee weapons. The receivers dropped key passes.
While we can lay this massive failure at the feet of the offense, perhaps we should be more specific and lay the failure at the feet of Ryan Day and the offensive tactics he chose by wanting to prove how tough his team was by winning “tough”, that is, winning by battling out in the trenches running the ball between the tackles. That’s all well and good, but when your strengths are at the perimeters, not on the line (remember, Ohio State was working with a patchwork line-up on the o-line due to injuries), then the smart play is to play to those strengths.
This tactical failure on the part of Day is all the more stark when one considers that while Ohio State has an unbeatable receiving corps, Michigan was “patchwork” in the secondary. Such is the magnitude of the missed opportunity. My lingering question is, to what extent did Chip Kelly influence the offensive tactics for this game?
No more B1G championship berth for Ohio State: that now goes to Penn State instead. At least they have retained a No. 7 ranking in the polls, which should, in all likelihood, help them clinch a spot in the playoffs anyhow. But this loss will smart, especially since Ryan Day is now 1-4 against their hated rival, “that school up north”. One takeaway is that Day’s tenure in Columbus just became much more tenuous. He can consult John Cooper on the “why”.
Elsewhere, Miami (FL) had a golden opportunity to make it to the ACC championship and clinch a spot in the playoffs. All they had to do was beat Syracuse, but then they blew a three-TD lead to Syracuse in the second half. Now, not only are the Hurricanes out of the ACC championship, their potential bid for the playoffs is very much in doubt. Funny how one game can do that, but this reminds us that November is for everything.
One team that did rise to the occasion, barely, was Texas. The Longhorns and the Aggies renewed their rivalry on Saturday, playing for the first time since 2011. The Horns were ranked No. 3, but the Aggies were also ranked and No. 20. Sounds like advantage, Longhorns…except that the game was at nighttime in Kyle Field, a bona fide hostile place to play. Nevertheless, despite some hiccups on offense (Ewers threw a pick-six, for example), Texas still prevailed, 17-7. Were it not for the pick-six, the game could have ended 24-0 or better in Texas’ favor. Give the game ball to the Longhorns’ D for shutting down A&M’s offense. Meanwhile, Sark has work to do on offense when they take on Georgia in Atlanta for all the marbles in the conference. To that end, is Ewers dealing with a more serious injury than we are led on to believe? If so, Sark would be well-served to deploy Manning at the drop of a hat in Atlanta next week.
One interesting development is that South Carolina defeated in-state rival Clemson in Death Valley (no small feat), but since the Tigers’ loss was not in-conference, they still get to play SMU for the ACC championship. Looks like that loss to Louisville earlier in the season did not mortally wound their chances for the playoffs after all. But how might they fare against the Mustangs? The potentially lone ACC representative hangs in the balance of that game’s outcome.
Same goes for Iowa State playing Arizona State for the Big XII title, unless the playoff committee chooses Colorado to be within the bubble for a playoff bid. Speaking of the Buffaloes, they certainly make a strong case to be considered by crushing Oklahoma State 52-0.
Two teams that quietly get things done: Notre Dame and Boise State. We can debate about strength of schedule for these two teams, especially that of the latter, but in the beauty contest that is college football, the pollsters and the playoff committee alike seem to like what the Broncos are selling. Perhaps we will all need a dose of truth serum should Boise State make the playoffs and get embarrassed in the first round. Tuesday’s latest round of revised rankings will give us a better idea of where these teams stand regardless.
Both Alabama and South Carolina are on the bubble for a playoff berth. Should the Gamecocks be favored over the Tide? It’s a fair question when one considers that Alabama laid an egg to a sub-par Oklahoma team, while South Carolina beat their ranked, hated rival on said rival’s home turf, no less. Clearly the better momentum is with the ‘Cocks. Will the playoff committee consider these as they release their updated rankings come Dec. 3?
College Football Awards, Week 11 (2024) November 11, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: ACC, Alabama, Arizona State, Big XII, Brian Kelly, Bruins, Buffaloes, BYU, Central Florida, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Cougars, Cyclones, Deion Sanders, Duke, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Garrett Nussmeier, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kalani Sitake, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kansas State, Kennesaw State, Kent State, Kentucky, Kyle Whittingham, Lane Kiffin, LSU, Manny Diaz, Mario Cristobal, Matt Campbell, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Missouri, Navy, NCAA, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Sam Houston State, Sooners, South Carolina, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tigers, Tulane, UCLA, Utah, Utes, Virginia, Washington State
add a comment
COACHES
Wish I were him: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Honorable mention: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Glad I’m not him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Lucky guy: Kalani Sitake, BYU
Poor guy: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Mario Cristobal, Miami
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Manny Diaz, Duke
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Desperately seeking … anything: Brian Kelly, LSU
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Notre Dame (defeated Florida State 52-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Indiana (defeated Michigan 20-15)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Purdue (lost to Ohio State 45-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (defeated No. 17 Iowa State 45-36)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Texas (defeated Florida 49-17)
Dang, they’re good: Texas
Dang, they’re bad: Kent State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Miami (Fla.)
Did the season start? Georgia
Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Oregon
GAMES
Play this again: No. 24 Missouri 30, Oklahoma 23
Play this again, too: No. 9 BYU 22, Utah 21
Never play this again: Tulane 52, Temple 6
What? UCLA 20, Iowa 17
Huh? Virginia 24, No. 18 Pitt 19
Double-Huh? Kansas 45, No. 17 Iowa State 36
Are you kidding me?? Georgia Tech 28, No. 4 Miami 23
Oh – my – God: No. 16 Ole Miss 28, No. 3 Georgia 10
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 6 Tennessee @ No. 11 Georgia
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: (N/A)
Best non-Power Four matchup: Tulane @ Navy
Upset alert: Arizona State @ No. 20 Kansas State
Must win: No. 17 Clemson @ Pittsburgh
(See also: “ticket to die for”)
Offensive explosion: No. 21 Washington State @ New Mexico
Defensive struggle: Sam Houston @ Kennesaw State
Great game no one is talking about: No. 24 Missouri @ No. 23 South Carolina
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kyle Whittingham of Utah vs Deion Sanders of Colorado
Who’s bringing the body bags? New Mexico State @ No. 14 Texas A&M
Why are they playing? Mercer @ No. 9 Alabama
Plenty of good seats remaining: Florida Atlantic @ Temple
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Murray State @ Kentucky
Week 11 Thoughts:
Some contending teams were eliminated from playoff consideration at the same time that the list of contenders for ACC and Big XII respective championships is starting to get quite crowded.
Iowa State @ Kansas
As stated a number of times previously, the “offensive explosion” is typically the most difficult matchup to predict on this award list template. Thus, who had the Cyclones vs the Jayhawks as this week’s offensive explosion on their bingo card? Hands? Well, it was certainly not on mine. Meanwhile, is Iowa State in freefall? They lost back-to-back nailbiters to Texas Tech and Central Florida, and now they lost to a reeling Kansas team. What black hole has opened up in Ames that has sucked the lifeforce out of the Cyclones?
Iowa @ UCLA
While the Cyclones are in freefall, the Bruins seem to have gotten a second wind. First, they upset a heavily favored Nebraska squad, then they follow up by upsetting Iowa. Better yet, they did so wearing those sweet mid-1960s (think: Gary Beban era) uniforms. How I miss those uniquely stylish jersey numbers!
Colorado @ Texas Tech
After surviving a challenge in Lubbock, the Buffaloes are now in position to play for the Big XII championship. That said, they have yet to play Utah (who took BYU down to the wire), and Kansas (who upset Iowa State), before closing out against Oklahoma State as they experience a down year. So by no means is it a given that the Buffs play the Cougars in the Big XII championship, but it would be a grand game if they did.
Miami @ Georgia Tech
We all feared the day would come. Now we can exhale that Miami was upset. To Mario Cristobal’s credit, be owned up to what went wrong during the postgame presser, which merits much respect.
Alabama @ LSU
We all knew this was a big-time elimination game, and Alabama showed up ready to fight to stay in contention for the playoffs. LSU’s offensive woes continue to persist under QB Garrett Nussmeier, while, conversely, Alabama’s QB Jalen Milroe put on a clinic for how to, er, negotiate a top-flight SEC defense. It’s quite rare to run up 42 points in Death Valley, and with LSU eliminated from playoff contention, to say that Brian Kelly and his program are at a crossroads would be quite the understatement.
BYU @ Utah
If you managed to stay up late for this one, you were in for a treat. First of all, it was a visual feast for the eyes for both teams to wear their home jersey colors. Such was easy to get away with, when the opposing teams offer such a color contrast in their Utah Crimson and BYU Blue. As an aside, the metallic red in Utah’s helmets is the best red helmet color around, and BYU’s metallic royal blue shells are not too shabby, either. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this game, aside from the close competition throughout it, was the context going into it. The Utes have had a less-than-stellar year compared to recent achievements, while the Cougars were undefeated and ranked in the top 10. But it’s “The Holy War”, and in such an intense rivalry game, strange things can happen. Fortunately for us fans, the strange thing this time manifested in a great contest, with BYU emerging still controlling their destiny.
Oklahoma @ Missouri
The Tigers are likely still overrated, but apparently, the Sooners remain unranked at the moment for a reason. Nevertheless, both teams gave fans a great game to watch, so good on both sides.
2023-2024 Bowl Games Preview December 18, 2023
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: ACC, Alabama, Alamo, Arizona, B1G, Big XII, Brent Musburger, Brian Kelly, Clemson, college, Crimson Tide, Fiesta, football, Georgia, Huskies, Iowa, James Franklin, Jeff Brohm, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas, Kentucky, Lane Kiffin, liberty, Lincoln Riley, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Luke Fickell, Michael Penix Jr., Michigan, Missouri, NCAA, Nick Saban, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Orange, Oregon, Oregon State, Pac-12, Penn State, Rose, SEC, Sugar, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Toledo, UNLV, USC, Utah, Washingon, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wolverines, Wyoming
add a comment
Bowl game season is now upon us again. While the bulk of the first day of games are not exactly eyeball-grabbing, there are a couple of potential interest, and many more that will keep us glued to the screen over the next couple of weeks. So, without further ado, let us sort out the good, the really good, the so-so, and the downright ugly. Note that the times of games are given in Eastern Standard Time. Note also that not all bowl game are listed below: some are so boring or pointless, it’s a waste to mention them.
Tickets to Die For:
No. 1 Michigan (13-0) vs No. 4 Alabama (12-1) in the Rose Bowl, Jan 1, 5:00 PM ESPN
Let us address the elephant in the room (see what I did there)? This game is going to be epic. Jim Harbaugh leads a Michigan team that is even stronger than the last Wolverine squad that won the national championship (1997). In the opposing corner is Nick Saban’s Alabama team, which has grown stronger and more formidable with each passing week. This game obviously doubles as an intriguing coaching matchup. No, it is not the first time that these coaching legends have faced off, either. The 2020 Citrus Bowl pitted the two together, with the Crimson Tide pounding the Wolverines 35-16. But that was then, this is now. Bama is not quite the juggernaut it was then, but could potentially return to that level. Conversely, the Wolverines are considerably stronger since then, leading to an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. Grab your snack food of choice and leave your belts behind, folks. This one could be a ‘dandy’ to remember in the Granddaddy of Them All! Also, can we please bring Brent Musburger out of retirement for this one?
No. 2 Washington (13-0) vs No. 3 Texas (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl, 8:45 PM ESPN
Let us not overlook this other matchup for the playoffs. In contrast to the above listed playoff game, this one is likely to be high-octane on both sides of the ball. Michael Penix Jr. leads an incredibly potent offense (they took down an incredibly strong Oregon squad not once, but twice with it). Meanwhile, Texas is no offensive slouch, either, with playmakers in their receiving corps that an also light up the scoreboard. Is there a potential mismatch? Sadly, yes, what with the Longhorns’ secondary being a potential gap in their otherwise strong defensive armor. Yet the Horns are bigger up front, on both sides of the ball. That potential for their front seven to make sufficient pass rushes to contain Penix might explain why Texas is favored by four points. Regardless, this matchup has the third-highest over-under of any bowl game this season at 63, and is an obvious double for an offensive explosion.
No. 5 Georgia (12-1) vs No. 6 Florida State (13-0) in the Orange Bowl, Dec. 30, 4:00 ESPN
Perhaps we are to call this the Consolation Bowl? How about the Spurned Contestants Bowl? Both teams had reasonable claims to be in the playoffs, if not the best claims compared to other teams. At any rate, on paper this matchup is very juicy. In reality, things are more complicated (aren’t they always)? The reason why the Seminoles got left out of the playoffs was not due to their record, but rather due to their recent performances. Yes, the reason behind that is a tragic one: their star QB, Jordan Travis, had a season-ending injury, in another illustration of the potential cruelty of November in the college game. Since then, their offensive output has plummeted. This leads me to predict, with a giant asterisk, that the Bulldogs could crush the Seminoles. The asterisk comes in the form of a mitigating factor: how motivated is Georgia to play up to their potential? This is more than a valid concern for college football postseason games in recent years, what with sit-outs (departing seniors not wanting to risk injury and thus risk NFL draft capital), players entering the transfer portal, etc. Perhaps those mitigating factors might even the odds after all.
Best Power Five vs. Non-Power Five Matchup
No. 8 Oregon (11-2) vs No. 23 Liberty (13-0) in the Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 1, 1:00 ESPN
This designation/categorization could not be more obvious. Too bad that the Ducks’ level of competition is orders of magnitude greater than that of the Flames. So, on paper, Oregon might crush Liberty, but it nevertheless could provide a nice laboratory experiment of what happens when a playoff-potential team pits itself against a stronger-than-normal mid-major team. Oh, and with an over-under of 65.5, this clearly doubles as an offensive explosion, too.
Best non-Power Five Matchup:
Toledo (11-2) vs Wyoming (8-4) in the Arizona Bowl, Dec. 30, 4:30 PM ESPN
The MAC champ butts heads with the Mountain West champ. Speaking of lab experiments, this one is interesting, too.
Upset Alerts:
No. 7 Ohio State (11-1) vs No. 9 Missouri (10-2) in the Cotton Bowl, Dec. 29, 8:00 PM ESPN
On paper, the respective rankings alone should make for a good game. But the sit-outs and transfers on Ohio State’s part leaves the game in Mizzou’s favor, but only by 2.5 points. On the other hand, many fans remain skeptical about the Tigers’ actual strength, since many their 10 wins came against under-performers in the SEC East. Can the remaining personnel for the Buckeyes overcome that narrow margin?
No. 22 Clemson (8-4) vs Kentucky (7-5) in the Gator Bowl, Dec. 29, 12:00 PM ESPN
Sure, Clemson has a decent record, but the ACC proved weak this year. Yes, Kentucky took its fair share of lumps, but they did so in the SEC. Do not be surprised if the Wildcats overcome the Tiger’s 5.5 point favoring margin.
No. 16 Notre Dame (9-3) vs No. 19 Oregon State (8-4) in the Sun Bowl, Dec. 29, 2:00 PM CBS
In a rematch of the 2000-’01 Fiesta Bowl (another intriguing coaching matchup that pitted Bob Davie against Dennis Erickson), this time a blowout in Oregon State’s favor is not likely, as Notre Dame is favored by 6.5 points. But this game also pits Marcus Freeman, who has led the Irish to a respectable 9-3 year, against Trent Bray, whose team has performed brilliantly by Oregon State standards. Not only does this double as an intriguing coaching matchup, but one where the strength of the Pac-12 could be a bigger factor than the oddsmakers have initially considered.
Offensive Explosions:
No. 12 Oklahoma (10-2) vs No. 14 Arizona (9-3) in the Alamo Bowl, Dec. 28, 9:15 ESPN
When was the last time we saw a boring Alamo Bowl? Surely this one is likely to be anything but that. Oddsmakers give the over-under for this game at 62.5. On one side of the ball, this is Arizona squad is the strongest it has been since they beat Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl 25 years ago. On the other side is the only team that [barely] took down a tough Texas team. Then again, the Sooners also lost twice to weaker competition. Regardless, their ceiling is/was sky-high. But perhaps not anymore, since their QB, Dillon Gabriel, is now transferring to Oregon. Perhaps that accounts for the Wildcats being favored by three points. After, they have more than held their own in the Pac-12, which in turn has been at its strongest in recent memory.
Kansas (8-4) vs UNLV (9-4) in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Dec. 26, 9:00 PM ESPN
Yes, UNLV has played light years better this season than their typical annual performance. But Kansas has likewise played far more strongly then their respective typical performance, and against stiffer competition. Thus, the Jayhawks are favored by 12.5 points. One of two things could happen; either Kansas barely covers the spread, or, their superior line play truly takes over in the second half, leading to a gradual blowout. The over-under is 64.5, one of the highest of the bowl season, so expect some fireworks.
Georgia Tech (6-6) vs UCF (6-6) in the Gasparilla Bowl, Dec. 22, 6:30 PM ESPN
This game has the highest over-under of them all at 66.5, with UCF favored by 4.5 points. This is another example of two mediocre teams, when pitted against each other, giving fans a good game.
Defensive Struggles:
No. 17 Iowa (10-3) vs No. 21 Tennessee (21) in the Citrus Bowl, Jan. 1, 1:00 ABC
Once again Tennessee plays in their winter home (according to Steve Spurrier), this time against Iowa. The latter has made a name for itself with a stringy defense with hardly any offense. Perhaps this accounts for one of the lowest over-unders of this bowl season at only 36.5. The intriguing question becomes, can a mediocre SEC offense overcome what is considered a strong defense by B1G standards? Conversely, how much of mismatch occurs between a mediocre SEC defense and a pitiful B1G offense? That latter point likely accounts for why the Vols are favored by 8.5 points. That said, a nice bonus is the intriguing coaching matchup between Josh Heupel and Kirk Ferentz.
Great Games no one is Talking About:
California (6-6) vs Texas Tech (6-6) in the Independence Bowl, Dec. 16, 9:15 ESPN
The Independence Bowl is one of those reliable bowls that almost always delivers with a good bowl game. While traditionally a late December bowl game, this time they moved it up to nine days before Christmas. Regardless, when two mediocre teams get together, sometimes a great game happens. The Red Raiders are favored by only 3.5 points, so on paper, this game might deliver, too.
Georgia State (6-6) vs Utah State (6-6) in the Idaho Potato Bowl, Dec. 23, 3:30 PM ESPN
Speaking of close games going either way, the Panthers will certainly be out of their element playing in Boise, Idaho in late December, but Aggies should feel right at home in those Nordic climes. The latter factor might account for Utah State’s slight favoring by 1.5, but with an over-under at 62.5, hello potential offensive explosion despite the cold!
Miami (FL) (7-5) vs Rutgers (6-6) in the Pinstripe Bowl, Dec. 28, 2:15 PM ESPN
Perhaps the only reason that the Hurricanes are favored by only 1.5 points is because they are not used to playing in chilly NYC winter weather.
Utah (8-4) vs Northwestern (7-5) in the Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 23, 7:30 PM ABC
In what looks like a bargain-basement Rose Bowl (Pac-12 vs B1G), this game could deliver good value nonetheless, if only for the wrong reasons. Utah started off strongly but weakened with injuries, while all of us gave up Northwestern for dead earlier this year, only to see the Wildcats surge down the stretch. That Utah is favored by slightly less than a touchdown is a testament to how much Northwestern has improved throughout the season.
No. 18 NC State (9-3) vs No. 25 Kansas State (8-4) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Dec. 28, 5:45 PM ESPN
Yes, like the 68 Ventures Bowl, the Pop-Tarts Bowl is actually a thing (played in Orlando, Fla., FYI). The oddsmakers favor Kansas State by three points, implying a close game throughout. The tenacity of both squads assures the reader that it will be hard-fought throughout as well.
Think There is Enough Red and Black?
Arkansas State (6-6) vs Northern Illinois (6-6) in the Camellia Bowl, Dec. 23, 12:00 PM ESPN
The Red Wolves are favored by only 1, with an over-under of 53.5. This is a game that could go either way, and stay close throughout regulation.
Intriguing Coaching Matchups:
James Franklin of No. 10 Penn State (10-2) vs Lane Kiffin of No. 11 Ole Miss (10-2) in the Peach Bowl
Dec. 30, 12:00 PM ESPN
The contrasting styles of these respective coaches notwithstanding, what adds to the intrigue is that Franklin himself used to coach in the SEC, leading Vanderbilt to successes undreamed of in the modern era of college football. On the other side of the ball, Kiffin has led Ole Miss to a solid season, albeit one with an inexplicable loss to Texas Tech early in the season. Perhaps it is Penn State’s consistency that has led the oddsmakers to favor the Nittany Lions in this matchup by 3.5 points.
Jeff Brohm of No. 15 Louisville (10-3) vs Lincoln Riley of USC (7-5) in the Holiday Bowl
Dec. 27, 8:00 PM FOX
Jeff Brohm has certainly made a smash debut in his first year at his alma mater, leading the Cardinals to their first ACC championship game. He faces off against Lincoln Riley, an offensive mastermind who nevertheless has not properly addressed his issues on defense. Oddly enough, even with an underperforming offense, Louisville is still favored by 7.5 points, which leads us to another question: is USC’s defense truly that bad?
Jerry Kill of New Mexico State (10-4) vs Jeff Tedford of Fresno State (8-4) in the New Mexico Bowl
Dec. 16, 6:00 PM ESPN
Jerry Kill has led the Aggies to some amazing, memorable wins this season, and to a rare (for the program) bowl game, one where they are practically on home turf. Meanwhile, Jeff Tedford has brought his unique offensive philosophy into Fresno to help revitalize the Bulldogs. This could likewise be a great game no one is talking about.
Luke Fickell of Wisconsin (7-5) vs Brian Kelly of No. 13 LSU (9-3) in the ReliaQuest Bowl
Jan. 1, 12:00 PM ESPN
It’s a good thing this is an intriguing coaching matchup, because, despite both teams underperforming this year (within the context of their respective capacities, that is), on paper, this game is mismatch. Yes, the last time these two met up was on Sept. 3 of 2016, and the Badgers won that one, 16-14. But these teams are different now. Whereas the Badgers are not as strong as there were then, the Tigers, under Kelly, could be, in time, poised for another championship run. These current trajectories add up to the logic behind LSU being favored by 8.5 points. That aside, what is even more intriguing than the coaching matchup is the pitting of the fan bases. Both sets of fans are the most obnoxious in their respective conferences, so it’s always fun to see them bounce off each other in a game like this!
What Could Have Been
Texas A&M (7-5) vs No. 20 Oklahoma State (9-4) in the Texas Bowl, Dec. 27, 5:30 PM ESPN
If the powers that be at Texas A&M did ax Jimbo Fisher so soon, we could have had one of the most intriguing, entertaining coaching matchups of the season, what with Mike Gundy on the other side of the ball. As things now stand, the Aggies are still favored by two points, which also makes it a great game no one is talking about.
North Carolina (8-4) vs West Virginia (8-4) in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Dec. 27, 5:30 PM ESPN
Speaking of what could have been, remember when North Carolina started out as a top-ten team? Seems like the might have sadly fallen. Now they have to settle to play in their own backyard, and yet, West Virginia is still favored by 6.5 points.
Why Are They Playing?
South Alabama (6-6) vs Eastern Michigan (6-6) in the 68 Ventures Bowl (no, really)
Dec. 23, 7:00 PM ESPN
Looks like a rather even matchup on the surface…until you find out that South Alabama is favored by 15.5.
UTSA (8-4) vs Marshall (6-6) in the Frisco Bowl, Dec. 19 9:00 PM ESPN
The Roadrunners are favored by 12 in this matchup. It might take a monumental effort on Marshall’s part, should UTSA show up in this game staged in the fourth-largest city within the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country.
Ohio (10-2) vs Georgia Southern (6-6) in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, Dec. 16, 11:00 AM ESPN
This game simply has mismatch (in the Bobcats’ favor) written all over it.
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Tulane (11-2) vs Virginia Tech (6-6) in the Military Bowl, Dec. 27, 2:00 PM ESPN
So let us get this straight: Tulane has an 11-2 season, and has a team almost as strong as the one that went undefeated in 1998, and yet: Virginia Tech, who was lucky to even qualify for a bowl game this year, is still favored by 7.5 points? To add insult to injury, let us not forget that the ACC is particularly weak with year. Is the American Athletic Conference that much weaker still?
No. 24 SMU (11-2) vs Boston College (6-6) in the Fenway Bowl, Dec. 28, 11:00 AM ESPN
In another head-scratcher, SMU (also in the AAC), who is ranked, plays BC (also in the AAC), in what is the latter’s home turf, in chilly New England winter weather, and yet the Mustangs are still favored by 11 points.
Bowling Green (7-5) vs Minnesota (5-7) in the Quick Lane Bowl, Dec. 26, 2:00 PM ESPN
To quote the great Yogi Berra, “It’s déjà vu all over again”. These same two teams, with the same respective records, played each other in this very same bowl game eight years ago. I can hear FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd mock this matchup and laugh at the irony of it all at the same time.
College Football Awards, Week 13 (2023) November 30, 2023
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: ACC, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, B1G, Big XII, BYU, C-USA, Cal, CHip Kelly, Coastal Carolina, Colorado, David Braun, Deion Sanders, Drake Maye, Georgia, Hugh Freeze, Iowa, James Madison, Jim Harbaugh, Kirby Smart, Louisville, MAC, Mack Brown, Miami (OH), Michigan, Mike Gundy, Nevada, Nick Saban, North Carolina, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Pac-12, Ryan Day, SEC, Steve Sarkesian, Texas, Toledo, UCLA, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wolverines, Wyoming, Zak Zinter
add a comment
COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Glad I’m not him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Lucky guy: Nick Saban, Alabama
Poor guy: Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Mack Brown, North Carolina
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: David Braun, Northwestern
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Chip Kelly, UCLA
Desperately seeking … anything: Deion Sanders, Colorado
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Arizona (defeated Arizona State 59-23)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Alabama (defeated Auburn 27-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Nevada (lost to Wyoming 42-6)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: BYU (lost to Oklahoma State 40-34)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: James Madison (defeated Coastal Carolina 56-14)
Dang, they’re good: Michigan
Dang, they’re bad: Nevada
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Louisville
Did the season start? North Carolina
Can the season end? Colorado
Can the season never end? Texas
GAMES
Play this again: No. 3 Michigan 30, No. 2 Ohio State 24
Play this again, too: No. 8 Alabama 27, Auburn 24
Never play this again: Virginia Tech 55, Virginia 17
Huh? Cal 24, No. 24 UCLA 7
Are you kidding me?? Kentucky 38, No. 10 Louisville 31
Oh – my – God: No. 3 Michigan 30, No. 2 Ohio State 24
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current (week 14)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama in the SEC championship game
Best non-Power Five matchup: New Mexico State vs No. 24 Liberty in the C-USA champ. game
Upset alert: No. 14 Louisville vs. No. 4 Florida State in the ACC championship game
Must win: No. 18 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas in the Big XII championship game
Offensive explosion: No. 5 Oregon vs No. 3 Washington in the Pac-12 championship game
Defensive struggle: No. 2 Michigan vs No. 16 Iowa in the B1G championship game
Great game no one is talking about: Miami (OH) vs Toledo in the MAC championship game
Intriguing coaching matchup: Steve Sarkesian of Texas vs Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State
Also: Kirby Smart of Georgia vs Nick Saban of Alabama
Week 13 Thoughts:
This rivalry week yielded so many great, close, nail-biting games. So many near-upsets that did not quite materialize, that no doubt tantalized many fanbases who were hoping that a key loss here and there would have bolstered the case for their team making it to the playoffs. Some random thoughts:
Michigan vindicated themselves against Ohio State. The Game itself was one that lived up the hype, as both worthy teams fought hard. At many moments, the game could have gone in different directions, but in the end, Michigan had to rally past a devastating injury of one of their own, Zak Zinter. Such a disaster clearly demoralized every Wolverine faithful in the Big House. What was amazing was that the team itself dragged itself up off the canvas, and once play resumed, on the very next play, they scored a touchdown. Rarely does even a talented team such as Michigan show such resilience. Should they win the upcoming B1G championship game in Indianapolis (now with Jim Harbaugh back on the sidelines), few teams shall have demonstrated that they belong in the playoffs as this Wolverine squad has.
North Carolina ended on a very low note. A team that started off so strongly and with such promise ended up sputtering at the end, losing to an in-state (practically cross-town) rival in NC State. Surely Mack Brown, let alone senior QB Drake Maye, did not envision losing the last four of six games this regular season.
Auburn had a golden opportunity to upset hated Alabama, at home. They had nothing to lose, and played like it for most of the game. They only lost the game in the end on a 4th-and-goal at the 31 yard line (no, really). Clearly Auburn squandered this incredible opportunity to shut down the Tide when they rushed only two defenders, and kept a third as a “spy”. In end, we saw example no. 236 of how the only thing that the “prevent defense” prevents is the implementer from winning the game. Translation: Auburn should have rushed at least a couple more men, obviously. Looks like Hugh Freeze’s defensive coordinator might be desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard along with UCLA’s Chip Kelly this week.
On to the Championship Week, and afterwards, let the endless playoff debates continue to a greater degree than they have already.
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
add a comment
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 Week 11 Awards (2021) November 14, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: ACC, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, B1G, Baylor, Big XII, Bryan Harsin, Buckeyes, C-USA, Cincinnati, Clemson, Dana Holgorsen, Florida, Georgia, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, Jayhawks, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas, Kentucky, liberty, Longhorns, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, Luke Fickell, Matt Campbell, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pac-12, Penn State, Pittsburgh, SEC, Shane Beamer, SMU, Sonny Cumbie, Sonny Dykes, South Alabama, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Steve Sarkesian, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UConn, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
add a comment
COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: Sonny Cumbie, Texas Tech
Poor guy: Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Dana Holgorsen, Houston
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bryan Harsin, Auburn
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Alabama (defeated New Mexico State 59-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Florida (defeated Samford 70-52)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: UConn (lost to Clemson 44-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (defeated Texas 57-56)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Louisville (defeated Syracuse 41-3)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: South Alabama
Another one bites the dust: Oklahoma
Did the season start? Florida
Can the season end? Indiana (also: Texas)
Can the season never end? Baylor
GAMES
Play this again: No. 6 Michigan 21, Penn State 17
Play this again, too: No. 15 Ole Miss 29, No. 11 Texas A&M 19
Never play this again: No. 2 Alabama 59, New Mexico State 3
What? Mississippi State 43, No. 17 Auburn 34
Huh? No. 15 Ole Miss 29, No. 11 Texas A&M 19
Are you kidding me?? No. 13 Baylor 27, No. 8 Oklahoma 14
Oh – my – God: Kansas 57, Texas 56 (OT)
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Michigan State @ No. 4 Ohio State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: SMU @ No. 5 Cincinnati; also: Louisiana @ Liberty
Upset alert: Nebraska @ No. 18 Wisconsin; also: No. 3 Oregon @ No. 24 Utah
Must win: No. 7 Michigan State @ No. 4 Ohio State; also: Texas @ West Virginia
They have the same record? Florida @ Missouri
Offensive explosion: No. 10 Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech
Defensive struggle: Illinois @ No. 20 Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: Virginia @ No. 21 Pittsburgh
Intriguing coaching matchup: Luke Fickell of Cincinnati vs Sonny Dykes of SMU
Who’s bringing the body bags? Charleston Southern @ No. 1 Georgia
Why are they playing? Prairie View A&M @ No. 11 Texas A&M
Plenty of good seats remaining: Southern Miss @ Louisiana Tech
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? New Mexico State @ Kentucky; also: Wofford @ North Carolina
Week 11 Thoughts:
Lots of great games and lots of head-scratchers for week 11. On one hand, we were treated to great games such as Michigan @ Penn State, then Texas A&M @ Ole Miss in the evening. But we also saw a number of games that left us scratching our heads. Not the least of the latter was Texas’ shocking loss to Kansas, at home. Apparently, the defense decided to take the night off, allowing the Jayhawks to score a total of 57 points in the game, and to snap Kansas road losing streak in the conference that began back in 2008. No, really. Even Steve Sarkesian acknowledged that the Longhorns played a bad first half of football, spotting KU three touchdowns before they decided to start playing in earnest. It is quite clear where he needs to make adjustments both now and in the offseason.
That aside, Michigan is playing incredibly well right now: this is easily their best team since 2016. Ohio State is also playing up to their potential. No “Spoilermakers” for Purdue yesterday, but in all fairness, it was too much to ask them to pull off two massive upsets in back-to-back weeks. Moreover, the talent gap was too much to overcome for Purdue, as the Buckeyes were firing on all eight cylinders and demonstrated that they belong in the playoff discussion.
As for the No. 1 team, Georgia demonstrated their continued worthiness of their current top ranking by beating – in methodical yet convincing fashion – an increasingly formidable Tennessee squad.
Looking ahead to Week 12:
It’s the time of year again. This time around, week 13 will be Rivalry Week. That means that the week before then, week 12, will have lots of games that, frankly, should not even be on the schedule. The SEC is the worst offender at this, scheduling body bag games that are ludicrous on the very surface of things. To be sure, some already had their easy-gimmies this week, and they have seized the opportunity to play more worthy opponents. Case in point, Alabama plays No. 25 Arkansas, in what could amount to a decent game. Also, and oddly, Missouri and Florida, who unbelievably have identical records at 5-5, play each other this weekend in what could be a competitive game, even though, on paper, it shouldn’t be. South Carolina might be a relatively weak team in the conference, but at least they are playing Auburn.
But then there are the clear mismatches. The wrinkle this year is that some look even on paper because of similar records, but the reality is, the talents gaps are a mile wide. This includes by Louisiana-Monroe playing LSU, and South Alabama playing Tennessee, and Prairie View A&M plays Texas A&M. Tennessee State plays Mississippi State as well. In each of these cases, the question “why are they playing” practically screams in our minds. If that is not enough, New Mexico State, at 1-9, plays Kentucky, in what is perhaps the most lop-sided matchup of all that week, save for Charleston Southern – of all teams – playing No. 1 Georgia. If they Bulldogs are serious about remaining at the top of the heap, perhaps they could do better than schedule a cupcake team so late in the year. Indeed, much of the SEC could do better in that regard, and should.
Meanwhile, the B1G gets a pass. No body bag game for those teams, they keep playing other teams within their conference. Purdue plays Northwestern; Rutgers plays Penn State; Illinois plays Iowa; Michigan plays Maryland; Minnesota plays Indiana; Nebraska plays Wisconsin. Best of all, Michigan State plays at Ohio State in what is clearly the game of the week.
Similar credit is due to the Big XII teams that are playing each other this upcoming week, as well as to the Pac-12, American Conference, C-USA, Mountain West, and Sunbelt teams who do the same, respectively. The ACC teams also deserve credit for keeping up the conference schedule, save for one or two (looking your way North Carolina: you can do better than play Wofford).
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
add a comment
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.
Postseason College Football Awards 2019-2020 January 20, 2020
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alamo, Auburn, B1G, Baylor, Bayou Bengals, Big Ten, Big XII, Bobby Petrino, Bowl, Cardinals, Clemson, Dabo Swinney, Ed Orgeron, Fiesta Bowl, Gator Bowl, Georgia, Hoosiers, Hurricanes, Indiana, Iowa, Jeremy Pruitt, Jim Harbaugh, Kyle Whittingham, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Mario Cristobal, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Music City, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Outback, Pac-12, Peach Bowl, Ryan Day, Scott Satterfield, SEC, SMU, Sonny Dykes, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Tigers, Tom Herman, Trevor Lawrence, Utah, Utes, Volunteers, Wisconsin
add a comment
COACHES
Wish I were him: Ed Orgeron, LSU
Glad I’m not him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Lucky guy: Dabo Swinney, Clemson (Fiesta Bowl) (hon. mention: Mario Cristobal, Oregon)
Poor guy: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Scott Satterfield, Louisville
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Notre Dame (defeated Iowa State 33-9)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Auburn (lost to No. 18 Minnesota 31-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Temple (lost to North Carolina 55-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Baylor (lost to No. 5 Georgia 26-14)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Texas (defeated No. 11 Utah 38-10)
Dang, they’re good: LSU
Dang, they’re bad: Miami, FL
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Wisconsin
Did the season start? Utah
Can the season end? Miami, FL
Can the season never end? LSU
GAMES
Play this again: No. 3 Clemson 29, No. 2 Ohio State 23 (Fiesta)
Play this again, too: No. 6 Oregon 28, No. 8 Wisconsin 27 (Rose)
Never play this again: No. 1 LSU 63, No. 4 Oklahoma 28 (Peach)
What? No. 3 Clemson, No. 2 Ohio State 23 (Fiesta)
Huh? Louisiana Tech 14, Miami (FL) 0 (Independence)
Are you kidding me?? Texas 38, No. 11 Utah 10 (Alamo)
Oh – my – God: No. 18 Minnesota 31, No. 12 Auburn 24 (Outback)
Random Bowl Game Thoughts:
Fiesta Bowl:
What a game. Too bad one of the teams had to lose. Having said that, two thoughts come to mind. One, if Ohio State and Clemson played each other 10 times, the series would likely by evenly split, 5-5. Second, Ohio State should blame themselves. They left lots of “money on the table”, so to speak, by not capitalizing on deep red zone advances in the first half. Second, they gave up on what helped get them ahead initially, which was a fast-paced hurry up offense.
Outback Bowl:
On paper, Auburn should have crushed Minnesota. Not to detract anything from the Gophers, for they are a good team in any case. But Minnesota’s win over a superiorly-athletic team in Auburn is huge. What’s one sign of a well-coached team? That the team shows gradual improvement as the season progresses. That the Gophers have done, in spades. To offer further perspective, bowl games are funny like that. In many cases, it is impossible to determine who will win and lose if there is a motivation mismatch (a team that really wants to be there versus a better team that is not that thrilled about being there). Such a situation gives the underdog a golden opportunity for a huge upset, and we witnessed a sterling example of this in Tampa.
Peach Bowl:
In case the reader missed it, LSU gave Oklahoma an old-fashioned butt whipping (seriously, how else to describe it?), 63-28. Throughout the regular season, the Sooners looked like they are a legit playoff contender. Why the lopsided result against them? The frank answer is that it’s a systemic problem with the Big XII, a conference built on speed, not power, and the former, not the latter, wins games in that conference. The problem comes when they have to face stronger athletes over all against half the SEC, against Ohio State, or Clemson. Then, this glaring weakness gets exposed.
Music City Bowl:
Louisville’s win over Mississippi State is nothing at which to sneeze, for a number of reasons. The most basic reason is that an ACC team triumphed over an SEC team, the latter usually having stronger athletes. For another, this was something of a revenge game for the Cardinals, since they lost the Gator Bowl to the Bulldogs just two years earlier. Indeed, they are probably a stronger team even then under then-head coach Bobby Petrino. Third, speaking of Petrino, one of his historic drawbacks is that his teams disintegrate after he leaves them (see: Louisville starting in 2007, or Arkansas starting in 2012). Something about his coaching style combined with the caliber of player he usually recruited required him to be present to keep a tight lid on Pandora’s Box. Once he would leave, Pandora’s Box would open, and chaos would ensue. Not so this time. Scott Satterfield has done the Yeoman’s work in keeping the team together, to say nothing of turning around the team’s performance. From going 1-11 the previous season, the Cardinals capped off the year with a bowl win to finish 8-5 for the year. While more improvement remains necessary, this has been quite the turnaround indeed.
Alamo Bowl:
Texas, under head coach Tom Herman, has become something of an enigma. Their 38-10 over formidable No. 11 Utah was impressive, even if it were a glorified home game (the Alamodome in San Antonio is only an hour-and-15-minute drive from the UT campus up I-35 in Austin). After all, Utah was a Pac-12 championship win away for qualifying for the playoffs. As it turned out prior to kickoff, the Utes we still respectfully ranked, whereas the Horns were unranked. Moreover, Texas performance was all over the proverbial map. They played like a legitimate top-10 team against eventual playoff teams LSU and Oklahoma, but then had to struggle to beat Kansas and even coughed it up on the road to under-performing TCU. Yes, injuries took a huge toll for the Longhorns this year, especially and runningback and worse yet, on defense. Perhaps the time off leading up to the Alamo Bowl allowed for Texas to heal up, regroup, and regain focus so as to get dialed in for [again] what amounted to an extended home game, and thus live up their true potential against a reasonably formidable opponent.
Gator Bowl:
Tennessee defeated Indiana 23-22. So why would Jeremy Pruitt be “desperately seeking anything”? Because their play was as erratic as it was inconsistent throughout the game. Pruitt [thought he] had to suddenly switch quarterbacks in the middle game, for goodness sake. Probably with good reason, for the initial starter kept missing the mark. In the first three quarters, the Volunteers could only muster three field goals. Only with the Tennessee defense stepping up in the 4th quarter with some key sacks, with their offense starting to complete some key passes, to say nothing of a decent running attack were the Volunteers able to finally score and thus come back.
The problem with Tennessee was not a lack of focus. Both teams seemed equally glad/motivated to be there. Rather, the problem was lousy coaching. On paper, Tennessee should have shellacked IU. Their talent supremacy over Indiana is greater in ratio than that of Auburn over Minnesota. But in football, talent is only part of the equation when it comes to winning games. The other part of said equation is coaching. The coach has to know what to do with that talent, and Jeremy Pruitt seems to be at a loss. The Volunteers were thus very lucky to walk away with a “W” in Jacksonville.
The Championship Game:
LSU knocked off undefeated and defending national title holder Clemson 42-25. It was a convincing victory over a strong team. The Bayou Bengals have now earned their fourth national championship in football, and college football fans can breathe a sigh of relief at the champion is somebody not named Clemson or Alabama. Not so fast, however: Clemson is not likely to go away anytime soon. The Tigers return a ton of starters for next year, including QB Trevor Lawrence, who, as talented as he clearly is, has even further growth to demonstrate. Still, what a great night for the LSU team and faithful. The fact that it was in the Superdome was the proverbial icing on the proverbial cake.
intellectualgridiron 