College Football Awards, Week 12 (2025) November 17, 2025
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arch Manning, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, Bobby Petrino, Boston College, Buckeyes, Bulldogs, BYU, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, college football, David Braun, Florida, football, Gators, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Jake Dickert, Jeff Brohm, Kirby Smart, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Mike Elko, Minnesota, NCAA, Nevada, New Mexico State, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, San Jose State, Shane Beamer, Sherrone Moore, Sooners, South Caroina, Southern Miss, Steve Sarkesian, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, UNLV, UTEP, Wake Forest, Western Kentucky
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Lucky guy: Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Also: Sherrone Moore, Michigan
Poor guy: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Also: David Braun, Northwestern
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: N/A
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jake Dickert, Wake Forest
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jeff Brohm, Louisville
Desperately seeking … anything: Bobby Petrino, Arkansas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Tennessee (defeated New Mexico State 42-9)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Georgia Tech (defeated Boston College 36-34)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Minnesota (lost to No. 8 Oregon 42-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: South Carolina (lost to No. 3 Texas A&M 31-30)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Nevada (defeated San Jose State 55-10)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: San Jose State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Alabama
Did the season start? Louisville
Can the season end? Arkansas
Can the season never end? Oklahoma
GAMES
Play this again: No. 11 Oklahoma 23, No. 4 Alabama 21
Play this again, too: No. 3 Texas A&M 31, South Carolina 30
Never play this again: Nevada 55, SJSU 10
What? Texas State 41, Southern Miss 14
Huh? Arizona 30, No. 25 Cincinnati 24
Are you kidding me??: Clemson 20, No. 20 Louisville 19
Oh – my – God: No. 11 Oklahoma 23, No. 4 Alabama 21
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 13)
Ticket to die for: USC @ Oregon
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Western Kentucky @ LSU
Hon. mention: Coastal Carolina @ South Carolina
Best non-Power Four matchup: Missouri State @ Kennesaw State
Upset alert: Arkansas @ Texas
Must win: BYU @ Cincinnati
Offensive explosion: Hawaii @ UNLV
Defensive struggle: Minnesota @ Northwestern
Great game no one is talking about: Tennessee @ Florida
Also: Arizona @ Cincinnati
Intriguing coaching matchup: Rhett Lashlee of SMU vs Jeff Brohm of Louisville
Who’s bringing the body bags? Charlotte @ Georgia
Why are they playing? Samford @ Texas A&M
Plenty of good seats remaining: New Mexico State @ UTEP
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Mercer @ Auburn
Week 12 [Random] Thoughts:
After seeing the way Ohio State easily dispatched with UCLA and how Georgia dominated an improved Texas, it has become quite clear that, barring a massive development along the lines of a huge asteroid hitting the Earth causing another mass extinction, the Buckeyes and the Bulldogs are destined to duke it out for the national championship. Glad we got that cleared up and out of the way.
That being said, barring a similar development as described above, it seems increasingly likely that Ole Miss shall punch through a major barrier hitherto holding them back and make finally make the playoffs. They passed yet another test by beating the Gators. Granted, the casual observer might sniff “big deal, Florida’s not that good this year.” To which I may respond, granted in turn, but they’re also not that bad, and they took down Texas right before the Longhorns took down a then-hitherto juggernaut Sooner squad. But even then, let that not obfuscate a more salient point which is: since 2003, the two have played each other seven times. Despite the relatively massive successes of the Eli Manning years, the Hugh Freeze and now the Lane Kiffin eras, the Rebels were only 3-for-7 against the Gators. In that light, beating Florida is no small thing, and is further proof that Ole Miss not only controls their own destiny, but is in the unique position to do so ably, what with a bye next week before closing out the regular season with the Egg Bowl.
Back to the Texas-Georgia game. Even if the Longhorns win out (tall order, what with Texas A&M being the last game on their schedule), their playoff hopes are likely dashed after the beating they took Between the Hedges. Kirby Smart demonstrated he was a level above Steve Sarkesian in terms of coaching when, after scoring on the Longhorns, they then sucker-punched Texas with an on-side kick that they recovered. The message was clear: “forget about momentum and forget about your comeback. We won’t even let you have the ball again”.
Thus we are led to a rather painful conclusion: Sark is not the coach to lead the Horns to the promised land. He is a great offensive architect, but that has been both a blessing and a curse. The curse is that he has yet to decide if he is an offensive coordinator or a head coach first. This self-imposed quandary has led to him tying himself up at knots at times, seemingly straightjacketing Arch Manning in the process, while ignoring other details of overall team organization. Hence, Sark has earned the reputation of his team not being entirely “buttoned up”, and an obvious manifestation of that are the unnecessary penalties that plagued his team last night and in many games before then.
So, if Sark is not the coach to take Texas all the way, who is? That is the question we shall have to explore further in subsequent articles.
In the meantime, next week shall sadly be a let-down, in that the rest of the SEC has its body-bag fest before Rivalry Week. Alabama assumes the role of pitiless executioner to Eastern Illinois; Auburn to Mercer; Texas A&M to Samford; Charlotte to Georgia. Rather convenient, it is, that the SEC teams can have such a breather while the rest of the teams in FBS put in the work. At least LSU makes it somewhat interesting playing Western Kentucky (8-2 compared to the Tigers’ 6-4 record). That game could be all the more intriguing given LSU’s recent struggles and coaching avulsions.
Fortunately, this farcical aspect of SEC schedules ends soon. Starting next year, SEC teams shall play a 9-game conference schedule like everyone else, and thank heavens for that.
Meanwhile, some SEC teams got their requisite November body-bag games out of the way earlier, and shall thus have decent, if not great, matchups for us to enjoy after all, what with battered Texas playing reeling Arkansas, or, better yet, Florida playing Tennessee. Can the Volunteers avenge last years upset loss against the Gators? We’ll find out next week.
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
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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 9 (2024) October 27, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Air Force, Akron, Alabama, Army, Boise State, Boston College, Bret Bielema, Brian Kelly, Broncos, Buckeyes, Central Michigan, Chris Klieman, Cincinnati, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Cornhuskers, Dabo Swinney, Derek Mason, Ducks, Duke, Eastern Michigan, Florida State, football, Garrett Nussmeier, Happy Valley, Houston, Illinois, Jake Dickert, Jamey Chadwell, Jeff Brohm, Kansas, Kansas State, Kennesaw State, Kentucky, Lance Leipold, liberty, Louisville, LSU, Maine, Matt Rhule, Miami (Fla.), Middle Tennessee, Mike Elko, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, NCAA football, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, P.J. Fleck, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Ryan Day, San Diego State, SEC, SMU, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, UMass, UNLV, USC, Utah, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Washington, Washington State
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Glad I’m not him: Brian Kelly, LSU
Lucky guy: Chris Klieman, Kansas State
Poor guy: Lance Leipold, Kansas
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jake Dickert, Washington State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jamey Chadwell, Liberty
Desperately seeking … anything: Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Miami (defeated Florida State 36-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Ohio State (defeated Nebraska 21-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Missouri (lost to No. 15 Alabama 34-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Vanderbilt (lost to No. 5 Texas 27-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Pittsburgh (defeated Syracuse 41-13)
Most improved from previous week: Nebraska
Dang, they’re good: Oregon
Dang, they’re bad: Central Michigan
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Liberty
Did the season start? LSU
Can the season end? Mississippi State
Can the season never end? Texas A&M
GAMES
Play this again: No. 14 Texas A&M 38, No. 8 LSU 23
Play this again, too: No. 17 Boise State 29, UNLV 24
Never play this again: No. 15 Notre Dame 51, No. 25 Navy 14
What? Houston 17, Utah 14
Huh? Akron 25, Eastern Michigan 21
Are you kidding me?? No. 14 Texas A&M 38, No. 8 LSU 23
Oh – my – God: Kennesaw State 27, Liberty 24
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 10)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Ohio State @ No. 3 Penn State
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: (they are all bad)
Best non-Power Four matchup: Jacksonville State @ Liberty
Upset alert: No. 10 Texas A&M @ South Carolina
Must win: No. 18 Pittsburgh @ No. 20 SMU
Offensive explosion: TCU @ Baylor
Defensive struggle: Kentucky @ No. 7 Tennessee
Great game no one is talking about: USC @ Washington
Intriguing coaching matchup: PJ Fleck of Minnesota vs Bret Bielema of Illinois
Honorable mention: Jeff Brohm of Louisville vs Dabo Swinney of Clemson
Who’s bringing the body bags? Air Force @ No. 21 Army
Why are they playing? Maine @ Oklahoma
Plenty of good seats remaining: Middle Tennessee @ UTEP
Plenty of good seats remaining, B1G edition: Northwestern @ Purdue
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? UMass @ Mississippi State
Week 9 Thoughts:
Thursday gave us a surprising upset in Kennesaw State, winless up to that point upsetting Liberty. Indeed, the Flames picked up their first loss of the season. Given how lopsided the matchup was on paper, that clearly merits this game as the biggest upset of the week.
Then Friday gave us two very engaging games, one wherein Louisville managed to gradually gnaw away at BC’s lead to where they eventually triumphed, 31-27, on the road, no less.
Later that night, the grandest Non-Power Five clash of the week occurred with UNLV taking on Boise State, wherein the Broncos had to fight hard to fend off the Runnin’ Rebels, 29-24.
Nebraska @ Ohio State
What to make of this game? A couple of weeks ago, Ohio State was considered a major favorite to win the national title. Then they lost to Oregon, on the road, in Autzen Stadium, which is a tough place to play and even tougher if it is a team’s first time there. But they still looked like playoff contenders.
Then, the Buckeyes had a bye week to lick their wounds before taking on Nebraska at home. While the Cornhuskers are no chump team, they are no Oregon or Georgia. Ohio State only scored 21 points against them, and the Huskers even led for 4:39 in the 4th quarter.
So what to make of all this? One can boil it down to two potential explanations. The first: the Cornhuskers have drastically improved under Matt Rhule as the season has progressed, especially within the past couple of weeks. At the same time, Ohio State is showing regression at running the ball and on the offensive line, and they had to extend themselves to beat a decent team.
The second potential explanation: Nebraska may have considerably improved, but they are not world-beaters. Ohio State got caught in a trap game while too many on the team were looking past the Huskers in anticipation of taking on Penn State in Happy Valley next week.
Occam’s razor, to which I generally subscribe, would suggest the latter. But seriously, if the Buckeyes are serious about giving the Nittany Lions their first “L” of the season, they need to work on their running game and their line play.
Illinois @ Oregon
The outcome of the Ducks defeating the Illini at home was hardly in doubt. Oregon got that job done and then some, 38-9. Nevertheless, Illinois put up a valiant effort in the process. Yet one cannot help but wonder as to why such a considerable loss only knocked Illinois down five positions, at the most, in the latest rankings. Yes, the Illini are still a good team, but after losing that badly yet to stay ranked (from about No. 19 to No. 24) is quite likely more of a commentary on the high esteem the voters have towards Oregon and less of the regard they may have for Illinois, which clearly has not diminished much, and rightly so.
LSU & Texas A&M
The SEC evening game on ABC certainly did not disappoint. But one of the biggest upsets of the week did occur, where the Aggies triumphed over the Tigers, 38-23. LSU was the higher-ranked team going in, and could have won. So what happened? Simply put, LSU’s QB play went South. Yes, Garrett Nussmeier did throw for 405 yards and two touchdowns. But he also threw three interceptions, all of which were at very inopportune times. It leads us to the biggest takeaway of the game, that Brian Kelly needs a better QB if he wants to take LSU to the promised land.
Elsewhere:
One more interesting aspect to Week 9 was that a cluster of close, competitive games happened late at night. Colorado continues to surge under Coach Prime after a sluggish start to the season, defeating Cincinnati 34-23. Kansas and Kansas State slugged it out in a classic rivalry clash. Though the latter’s record is vastly superior to that of the former, you could barely tell that last night, as the Wildcats had to fight hard to come back against the Jayhawks, 29-27. Duke took SMU not only down to the wire, but into OT, and even then, the Mustangs only won by a point, 28-27. Out on the west coast, Washington State, who quietly grows stronger by the week, had to stage a 4th-quarter comeback over visiting San Diego State. It was a good week, and a unique one at that.
College Football Awards, Week 7 (2024) October 14, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona State, Army, Ball State, Billy Napier, Boilermakers, Boilers, Brent Venables, Bret Bielema, Brian Kelly, Buckeyes, Buffaloes, California, college football, Colorado, Crimson Tide, Dan Lanning, Deion Sanders, Ducks, Florida, football, Gamecocks, Georgia, Hawkeyes, Illini, Illinois, Iowa, Jedd Fisch, Jeff Brohm, Josh Heupel, Justin Wilcox, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas State, Kenny Dillingham, Kyle Whittingham, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Mario Cristobal, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi State, Missouri, NCAA, New Mexico, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Red River, Ryan Day, Ryan Walters, San Jose State, SEC, Sooners, South Carolina, Sports, Stanford, Steve Sarkesian, Sun Devils, Tennessee, Texas, Tigers, Trent Dilfer, UAB, UConn, UMass, USC, Utah, Utah State, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Honorable mention: Dan Lanning, Oregon
Glad I’m not him: Brent Venables
Ditto: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Lucky guy: Bret Bielema, Illinois
Poor guy: Ryan Walters, Purdue
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jedd Fisch, Washington
Desperately seeking … anything: Trent Dilfer, UAB
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Army (defeated UAB 44-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Georgia (defeated Mississippi State 41-31)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: UMass (lost to No. 25 Missouri 45-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Purdue (lost to No. 23 Illinois 50-49)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Iowa (defeated Washington 40-16)
Dang, they’re good: Texas
Dang, they’re bad: UMass
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Utah
Did the season start? Washington
Can the season end? UTEP
Can the season never end? Oregon
GAMES
Play this again: No. 3 Oregon 32, No. 2 Ohio State 31
Play these again, too: No. 8 Tennessee 23, Florida 17
No. 4 Penn State 33, USC 30
No. 7 Alabama 27, South Carolina 25
No. 13 LSU 29, No. 9 Ole Miss 26
Never play this again: No. 11 Notre Dame 49, Stanford 7
What? Arizona State 27, No. 16 Utah 19
Huh? Iowa 40, Washington 16
Are you kidding me?? No. 13 LSU 29, No. 9 Ole Miss 26
Oh – my – God: No. 3 Oregon 32, No. 2 Ohio State 31
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 8)
Ticket to die for: No. 5 Georgia @ No. 1 Texas
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Wake Forest @ UConn
Best non-Power Four matchup: UNLV @ Oregon State
Upset alert: No. 11 Notre Dame @ Georgia Tech
Must win: No. 7 Alabama @ No. 11 Tennessee
Offensive explosion: New Mexico @ Utah State
Defensive struggle: UCLA @ Rutgers
Great game no one is talking about: Nebraska @ No. 16 Indiana
Intriguing coaching matchup: Josh Heupel of Tennessee vs Kalen DeBoer of Alabama
Honorable mention: Jeff Brohm of Louisville vs Mario Cristobal of Miami
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 2 Oregon @ Purdue
Why are they playing? Ball State @ Vanderbilt
Plenty of good seats remaining: Kennesaw State @ Middle Tennessee
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Wyoming @ San Jose State
Week 7 Thoughts:
We said, on this blog, that this week was going to be grand. Not to be self-congratulatory in the least, but we were more right than we realized.
This week was one of the most epic for college football in ages. To wit:
Friday evening started the weekend off interestingly, delivering an upset of No. 16 Utah at the hands of unranked Arizona State. Lesson learned: take the Sun Devils lightly at one’s own peril.
South Carolina, battered by Ole Miss the week prior, came off the mat to threaten Alabama within an inch of its life, taking the Crimson Tide down to the wire and losing only 27-25. Had the Gamecocks not botched a two-point conversion attempt, it is unlikely that Bama could have escaped intact.
Texas avenged its unexpected loss from last year, trouncing Oklahoma gradually over the course of 60 minutes of play, triumphing most convincingly 34-3. The Sooners’ only three points came early in the first quarter before the Longhorns’ defense and offense settled into their respective rhythms. In the process of this most ripping victory, Texas has, for now, vindicated its current standing as the No. 1 team in the nation.
Even the lesser-regarded teams got in on the act and delivered incredible games in their own right. Cal ventured across the country to Pittsburgh, and gave a valiant effort, only losing 17-15 to the No. 22 Panthers. Despite the loss, I am left convinced that Justin Wilcox is the best coach nobody has heard of.
Iowa decided to find this new thing called an offense, and blew out an unsuspecting Washington squad at home, 40-16. This blew more than a few minds, given that the Hawkeyes have been in more than a few defensive struggles as of late.
Purdue, earning its reputation as a punching bag, what with its hitherto dismal performances, suddenly found an offense as well. The timing was perfect, since the Boilermakers have become Illinois’ nemesis or sort in recent years. The Boilers took the 23rd-ranked Illini into overtime before coming up short in an expected thriller, 50-49.
Louisville, having had something of a “Virginia problem” as of late, likewise rebounded after a tough loss to SMU and picked up the win on the road, in comeback fashion, no less.
Penn State ventured out to Los Angeles to take on USC in the Coliseum. The legendary venue showed up beautifully on TV, what with a packed house creating a “sea of cardinal”; the east stands decked out in full Trojans banner-regalia; the 4th quarter tradition of the lighting of the Olympic torch; it all blended together as a symphonic feast for the eyes. Better yet, the game surpassed the outward aesthetics. The Trojans came through on big plays to maintain a lead most of the game. But the Nittany Lions are nothing if not tenacious, gnawing away at the opposition throughout regulation, waiting to capitalize on the inevitable mistake. Penn State’s comeback was enough to take the game into OT, where they won by a field goal. On a grander scale, such a thriller of a game personified the amazing potential of new conference matchups made possible by the recent west coast additions to the B1G. Yes, it still feels like we’re in the Twilight Zone with the Big Ten having expanded this way, but such games make question whether being in such a “Zone” is so bad after all.
All these games listed, and we still have yet to note the night game thrillers!
To start off that segment, Tennessee finally got a major money off its back by defeating Florida in a close one, 23-17. Pundits have speculated on the inconsistent offensive output on the Volunteers’ part since they beat Oklahoma earlier this season. While those concerns are not unfounded, what made this game more of a nailbiter than considered ‘on paper’ is that Florida continues to improve as a team under the much-maligned Billy Napier. Perhaps giving Napier the ax so soon would be unnecessarily hasty. Regardless, the Volunteers have little time to celebrate, as the Crimson Tide comes calling next week. That matchup between Tennessee and Alabama shall be easily the most epic clash of those two teams in easily 30 years, if not more.
In another massive game, LSU took on Ole Miss in Death Valley. The level of play and intensity of rivalry directly harkened back to the high-stakes matchups between the two teams of the late 1950s when legendary coaches Paul Dietzel and Johnny Vaught helmed the respective squads. The Tigers’ huge, come-from-behind win is no doubt a monkey off Brian Kelly’s back, who still has yet to prove himself to everyone’s satisfaction in the most brutal of conferences.
Finally, the perhaps the biggest thriller of them all took place in Eugene, where No. 2 Ohio State ventured out to the west coast to take on conference newcomer, No. 3 Oregon. Not only was this matchup massive on paper, but teams’ performances lived up to the hype. In the end, the Ducks overcame the Buckeyes thanks to the latter’s clock mismanagement in the final seconds. But to zoom out the proverbial lens, this game’s outcome is not the end, only the beginning. Between the new 12-team playoff format, and the reformatted conference championship, if the two teams continue to live up to their potential, it is very likely their paths may cross again. Should that come to pass, perhaps that should favor the Buckeyes, who now have luxury to examine what went wrong and to take corrective action in anticipation of the next time. But in the meantime, they had better prepare to meet still-undefeated Penn State come Nov. 2.
Finally, Deion Sanders & CO (see what I did there?) delivered a highly competitive night cap. Seriously, the game kicked off at 8:15 local [Mountain] time: who in their right mind starts a game that late? Say what you want about Coach Prime, but after the first few games which were a comedy of errors, the team has suddenly gotten serious, having steadily improved during the last few games. This improvement has developed to the point where they almost triumphed, on the road, over consistently tough No. 18 Kansas State. Let us not give the Buffaloes up for dead yet, as they have a slate of challenging but winnable games throughout the remainder of their schedule.
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 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
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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 9 Awards (2021) November 1, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arizona State, Arkansas, Buckeyes, Bulldogs, BYU, Coastal Carolina, Dana Holgorsen, Demon Deacons, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Hawkeyes, Herm Edwards, Houston, Hugh Freeze, Idaho State, Iowa, Iowa State, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kirk Ferentz, liberty, Longhorns, Maryland, Mel Tucker, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Nittany Lions, North Carolina, North Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, San Diego State, SMU, Sonny Dykes, Southern Miss, Spartans, Steve Sarkesian, Tarheels, Tennessee, Texas, UMass, UTEP, UTSA, Vanderbilt, Volunteers, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Wildcats, Wisconsin, Wolverines
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Glad I’m not him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Lucky guy: Dana Holgorsen, Houston
Poor guy: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Herm Edwards, Arizona State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Hugh Freeze, Liberty
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferentz
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Liberty (defeated UMass 62-17)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Iowa State (lost to West Virginia 38-31)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Kansas (lost to Oklahoma State 55-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Penn State (lost to No. 5 Ohio State 33-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Georgia (defeated Florida 34-7)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Kansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: San Diego State
Did the season start? Iowa
Can the season end? Vanderbilt
Can the season never end? Michigan State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 8 Michigan State 37, No. 6 Michigan 33
Play this again, too: No. 5 Ohio State 33, No. 20 Penn State 24
Never play this again: Liberty 62, UMass 17
What? Mississippi State 31, No. 12 Kentucky 17
Huh? No. 18 Auburn 31, No. 10 Ole Miss 20
Are you kidding me?? Wisconsin 27, No 9 Iowa 7
Oh – my – God: No. 8 Michigan State 37, No. 6 Michigan 33
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 10)
Ticket to die for: None compared to last week. Within this week’s lineup, No. 18 Auburn @ No. 12 Texas A&M
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Liberty @ No. 15 Ole Miss
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 23 UTSA @ UTEP
Upset alert: North Carolina @ No. 10 Wake Forest; also, Tennessee @ No. 18 Kentucky
Must win: Texas @ Iowa State
Offensive explosion: No. 11 Oklahoma State @ West Virginia
Defensive struggle: Kansas State @ Kansas
Great game no one is talking about: Mississippi State @ Arkansas
They have the same record?? Penn State @ Maryland
Intriguing coaching matchup: Paul Chryst of Wisconsin vs Greg Schiano of Rutgers
Who’s bringing the body bags? Missouri @ No. 1 Georgia
Why are they playing? Idaho State @ No. 17 BYU
Plenty of good seats remaining: North Texas @ Southern Miss
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? No. 21 Coastal Carolina @ Georgia Southern
Week 9 Thoughts:
Georgia vs Florida
Remember what I noted last year regarding Florida historically giving Georgia fits in this came? That obviously did not happen this time. The Bulldogs have proven that they are the legit No. 1 team for now. If they keep up this next-level intensity, it’s going to be one epic showdown for the conference title in Atlanta.
Mississippi State vs Kentucky
Either Kentucky decided not to show up at the level they have been playing the previous several weeks, or the Wildcats simply did not match up well with the Bulldogs. On one hand, the running game was almost non-existent, the fumbles were more frequent than usual for Kentucky. Apparently their defense showed up in name only, too. No time to lick their wounds after an ugly loss, as Tennessee comes calling next week, hungry for revenge after losses to the Cats in recent years.
Iowa @ Wisconsin
Wisconsin defeated Iowa, 27-7. This game proved two things. One, it proved FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd that Iowa is “the fake ID of college football”, as it sadly seems that every time the Hawkeyes receive a high ranking, they never can demonstrate they are for real when put to actual test in the regular season, they never sufficiently prove themselves. Indeed, they only reason they defeated Penn State earlier in the year was due to knocking PSU’s starting quarterback out of the game. The other thing this game proved is that Wisconsin is playing back to the level we expected them to be at earlier in the year. Whatever slump they were in recently seems to have vanished, making things all the more interesting in the West division of the Big Ten.
Michigan State vs Michigan
The clash of top-ten titans lived up to its billing in East Lansing, giving fans both in the stands and in living rooms across this great nation a thrilling game. The Wolverines proved to be a legitimately strong team, possibly the best of the Harbaugh era, but made one too many mistakes in the end to triumph over an inexplicably resurgent Spartans squad. The fact that A) Michigan lost by only a few points to B) a team that continues to prove they belong in the top ten has not been lost on the voters, as C) the Wolverines, even after this tough loss, fittingly remain in the top ten at no. nine.
Penn State @ Ohio State.
Penn State clearly played back to form, as they gave Ohio State a strong challenge, wire-to-wire. The Nittany Lions are clearly good once again. Had they played the same way the entire game in Iowa, they would not have lost that game. This time, the Buckeyes’ superior talent won out, and sadly Penn State has sustained its third loss of the season, knocking them out of the rankings for now. A team this good shall not likely be out of them for long.
To broaden the scope, the East division of the Big Ten is as loaded this year as it has been in recent memory, possibly even living memory. Already, we have experienced two outstanding games from great teams in one day. Better yet, this is only the beginning: For example, Michigan has yet to play Penn State or Ohio State, and these two teams continue to loom large on Michigan State’s schedule, too. Furthermore, as we get into November, the stakes only get higher from here on. It’s going to be a thrilling ride. To quote Southpark’s satirical portrayal of Caitlyn Jenner, “Buckle up, buckaroos!”
Looking ahead: Texas @ Iowa State
After three tough losses, can the Longhorns bounce back, on the road, and take down the giant killers known as Iowa State?
Tennessee @ Kentucky
It used to be that Tennessee owned this border rivalry. How else can one describe it, when, from 1985 through 2010, The Volunteers won every matchup between these two teams? That streak ended in 2011, and Kentucky managed to win two more within this series, one in 2017, as well as last year. If Kentucky wins, it would be the first two-in-a-row for them in this series since 1976 and 1977 (during the Fran Curci era, of course). What makes this upcoming matchup all the more intriguing is that the Wildcats have an exceptionally strong team this year compared with most teams they typically field, while at the same time, Tennessee is resurgent, clearly clawing its way out of the doldrums that have plagued them for more than a decade. All this adds up to the most interesting context surrounding an SEC game in a very long time.
Maryland vs Penn State
If someone told you that, going into the first weekend in November, Maryland and Penn State would have identical records, you would likely say that this someone was crazy. Yet, here we are. To be sure, Penn State played back to their earlier, strong form in Columbus, Ohio, last night. If they keep it up, they should bag another ‘W’ without too much trouble.
Texas A&M vs Auburn
The Aggies have already taken given Alabama a loss. Can they also fend off a dangerous Auburn team? The Tigers proved how dangerous they were in their convincing handling of Ole Miss last night. Can they keep up that same intensity against a foe that, one could argue, is just as dangerous?
Wake Forest vs North Carolina
In one of the surprises of the year, Wake Forest is currently 8-0, and ranked No. 10. Conversely, North Carolina may only be 4-4, but they seemed to finally live up to their potential last night, losing to No. 8 Notre Dame by only ten points. If that sort of Tarheels squad shows up in Winston-Salem, then maybe the Demon Deacons shall experience their first loss of the season.
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 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 9 (2019) October 27, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Arizona State, Arkansas State, Auburn, B1G, Badgers, Big Ten, Big XII, Boston College, Bowling Green, Brian Kelly, Buckeyes, Central Florida, Clemson, college football, Dana Holgorsen, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Georgia, Gus Malzahn, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Jim Harbaugh, Josh Heupel, Kansas, Kansas State, Lincoln Riley, LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, NCAA, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Purdue, SMU, Sonny Dykes, Sooners, South Alabama, Steve Campbell, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tom Herman, UAB, UCF, UCLA, USC, UTSA, Wildcats, Wofford
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (hon. mention: Ed Orgeron of LSU)
Glad I’m not him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Lucky guy: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Poor guy: Dana Holgorsen, Houston
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lincoln Riley
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Josh Heupel, UCF
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Tom Herman, Texas
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Campbell, South Alabama
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Minnesota (defeated Maryland 52-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Texas A&M (defeated Mississippi State 49-30)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Boston College (lost to Clemson 59-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Illinois (defeated Purdue 24-6)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated Notre Dame 45-14)
Dang, they’re good: LSU
Dang, they’re bad: Purdue
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Iowa State (hon. mention: Oklahoma)
Did the season start? Texas
Can the season end? South Alabama
Can the season never end? Ohio State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 2 LSU 23, No 9 Auburn 20
Never play this again: No. 4 Clemson 59, Boston College 7
What? UCLA 42, No. 24 Arizona State 32
Huh? Oklahoma State 34, No. 23 Iowa State 27
Double-Huh? TCU 37, No. 15 Texas 27
Are you kidding me?? No. 19 Michigan 45, No. 7 Notre Dame 14
Oh – my – God: Kansas State 48, No. 5 Oklahoma 41
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 9, pre-week 10)
Ticket to die for: No. 8 Georgia vs No. 6 Florida in Jacksonville
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: UAB @ Tennessee
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 16 SMU @ Memphis
Upset alert: No. 7 Oregon @ USC
Must win: Georgia vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)
Offensive explosion: SMU @ Memphis
Defensive struggle: Mississippi State @ Arkansas
Great game no one is talking about: Kansas State @ Kansas
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mack Brown of North Carolina vs Bronco Mendenhall of Virginia
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 14 Michigan @ Maryland
Why are they playing? UTSA @ Texas A&M
Plenty of good seats remaining: Akron @ Bowling Green
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Wofford @ No. 4 Clemson
Week 9 Thoughts:
Am I the only one who has noticed that waaaaay too many teams have bye-weeks for upcoming week 10?
Kansas State vs Oklahoma
Oh, Kansas State. What are we to do with you? You play under your potential all season long, then, when folks least expect it, you unleash your top potential against the toughest opponent all year, and produce one of the biggest upsets of the year in the process. Does this mean than the Wildcats are the new world-beaters of the Big XII? Hardly. One might expect a regression to the mean starting next week. It is not inconceivable that KSU could lose three of their remaining five games. Then again, it is not inconceivable that they could win out.
Kansas State has started to intrigue us to see if their sudden improvement is an anomaly, or if it’s here to stay. Next week they play in-state rival Kansas, who also shows continued improvement. The game’s outcome will be of little consequence in the grand scheme of things, but it shall be a “discovery game” all the same for both teams. Who says one cannot continue to learn new things as the college football season progresses?
Texas vs. TCU
Texas losing to LSU is more than understandable. Indeed, they acquitted themselves well. Losing to OU was also excusable, given that the Sooners are on fire and one of the favored teams to make the playoffs at the time. But losing to unranked TCU? That was at least raise a few questions, right? Actually, it raises fewer questions than one would think. The Longhorns’ problem is that they were always a little more vulnerable to the pass than they were to the run. It was LSU’s key to defeating them, after all. But as the season wore on, Texas’ injuries on their defense kept piling up, especially in their secondary, making them even more vulnerable to the pass.
The bottom line for the Longhorns is that it is going to take an offseason for the injuries to heal up and for Tom Herman to bring in another solid recruiting class (especially some top-rated defensive backs).
LSU vs Auburn
Here we witnessed a hard-fought “discovery game” in which LSU passed another key test and Auburn proved they deserve to be a top-ten team, even with a close loss. Note to Auburn fans and administration: Gus Malzahn has proven he is a good coach. Keep him and pay him.
Meanwhile, all the LSU faithful who doubted where Ed Orgeron was the right man for the job are now eating some serious crow.
Michigan vs Notre Dame
What to make of this outcome? Many had left Jim Harbaugh for dead by now. Then again, if Michigan had played all four quarters against No. 6 Penn State last week the way they played against them in the second half, they would have won that game, too. Sure, the Wolverines started out ranked No. 5 only for their offense to sputter and for them to take a nose dive in the polls and in the esteem of fans. Not anymore. After thrashing the Fighting Irish at home in prime time, they appear to finally play like a team that belongs in the top ten. What gives? The most likely explanation is that it took this long for the team to finally gel. These things sometimes happen it football it’s part of the game, and always yields new discoveries in the process. We continue to learn new things as this college football season progresses.
Ohio State vs Wisconsin.
Personally, I predicted that the Buckeyes would beat the Badgers, maybe by two touchdowns, if that. Instead, we witnessed a 38-7 thrashing of Wisconsin at the hands of Ohio State. Is anybody going to contend that OSU should not be ranked No. 1 in the nation by now?
Two body bag games are up next for the Buckeyes (after a bye-week at that. Maybe their QB’s lower back and can heal some during that time). Then, Ohio State closes out the season with two solid challenges, first against Penn State, then against Michigan (now that the Wolverines are finally playing up to par). We’ll see if their current roll continues strongly enough to steamroll over their last two worthy opponents.
intellectualgridiron 