College Football Week 8 Awards (2026) October 26, 2026
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arizona, Army, Badgers, Bill Belichick, Boise State, BYU, Camp Randall Stadium, Cincinnati, college football, Colorado, Colorado State, Curt Cignetti, Dan Lanning, East Carolina, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Floyd of Rosedale, football, Gamecocks, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Josh Heupel, Kennesaw State, Kyle Whittingham, liberty, Longhorns, Luke Fickell, Mario Cristobal, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri State, Navy, NCAA football, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota State, North Texas, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, P.J. Fleck, Rice, Rich Rodriguez, Rutgers, Sam Houston State, San Diego State, Shane Beamer, Sonny Dykes, South Carolina, Spencer Danielson, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Trinidad Chambliss, UCF, UCLA, USC, Utah, UTEP, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Glad I’m not him: Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Lucky guy: Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia
Poor guy: Sonny Dykes, TCU
Desperately seeking a wake-up call clue: Kyle Whittingham, Michigan
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Spencer Danielson, Boise State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kalani Sitake, BYU
Desperately seeking … anything: Dan Lanning, Oregon
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Northwestern (defeated Rutgers 42-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Florida Atlantic (defeated Rice 51-49)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Kennesaw State (lost to Liberty 34-6)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Michigan (lost to Indiana 13-6 (OT))
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Hawaii (defeated Northern Illinois 56-21)
Dang, they’re good: Miami
Dang, they’re bad: Sacramento State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: BYU
Did the season start? Tennessee
Can the season end? Vanderbilt
Can the season never end? UCLA
GAMES
Play this again: No. 19 Texas 34, No. 7 Ole Miss 27
Play this again, too: Virginia Tech 20, Clemson 16
Never play this again: Delaware 61, Missouri State 38
What? Minnesota 13, No. 15 Iowa 10
Come again? Wisconsin 24, No. 16 USC 7
Huh? South Carolina 27, No. 11 Tennessee 24
Double-Huh?? No. 19 Texas 34, No. 7 Ole Miss 27
Are you kidding me?? Cincinnati 31, No. 8 Texas Tech 24
Oh – my – God: UCF 39, No. 2 BYU 31 (2OT)
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 9)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Ohio State @ USC
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: No. 5 Notre Dame @ Navy*
Best non-Power Four matchup: Army @ Memphis
Upset alert: No. 22 Arizona @ No. 13 Texas Tech
Must win: No. 17 Florida vs No. 3 Georgia
Offensive explosion: Florida Atlantic @ North Texas
Defensive struggle: No. 25 Wisconsin @ Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: South Carolina @ Oklahoma
Intriguing coaching matchup: P.J. Fleck of Minnesota vs Curt Cignetti of Indiana
Also: Mario Cristobal of Miami vs Bill Belichick of North Carolina
Who’s bringing the body bags? UTEP @ North Dakota State
Why are they playing? Nevada @ No. 7 UCLA
Plenty of good seats remaining: Sam Houston State @ Missouri State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Missouri State @ Delaware
Week 8 Thoughts:
Just as last week’s game involved many upsets, this week was certainly not devoid of them, either. For example, after celebrating its biggest regular-season win in program history, BYU suffered a let-down on the road at UCF. It’s college football: this phenomenon is not unheard of. Ole Miss suffered a loss at Texas, despite a now-predictable stagnant offense on the part of the Longhorns in the second half, and also despite 4th-quarter heroics from Trinidad Chambliss. One thing that negated a typical Chambliss-engineered comeback was that, unlike the previous two weeks, this time Texas discovered this new thing called a running game late in the second half.
Elsewhere, USC discovered the hazards and tribulations of playing a night game at Camp Randall Stadium. No doubt the shock of the hostile environment and the colder-than-normal weather did not set well with the Trojans. How else to account for losing 24-7? On the other hand, Luke Fickell now as a signature win for 2026, with a Badgers sitting at 5-2, and at a much better spot than they were during the previous season.
In Columbia, S.C., the Gamecocks were able to get their act together, and upset Tennessee with a last-second field goal. No doubt the South Carolina faithful was happy to eat the half-million-dollar fine when the fans stormed the field in celebration.
In another interesting upset, with a rivalry trophy on the line, Minnesota held off Iowa in arguably the grandest defensive struggle of the week, 13-10, and thus winning the famed Floyd of Rosedale trophy for a year.
Despite the week’s matchus appearing to be a minor let down after last week’s legendary slate of games, many turned out to be thrilling after all. Not bad for a week that was not supposed to be a “winner”.
Offensive Explosion Review:
Remember when I predicted that the Utah vs Texas Tech game was supposed to be an offensive explosion? It turned out to be quite the opposite, with Utah triumphing in the end 21-13. Some games that could have qualified as offensive explosions, though, include Oklahoma State over Colorado, 57-24 (a bit lop-sided, to be sure). Another possible example along those same lines was Delaware over Missouri State, 61-38. A less lopsided example would be Memphis over East Carolina, 41-34. One would not need to look far for two textbook examples, though, such as Florida Atlantic over Rice, 51-49, and, perhaps the grandest of the week, Colorado State over San Diego State, 56-49.
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 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 5 (2024) September 30, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Akron, Alabama, Army, Auburn, Ball State, Boise State, Bowling Green, Brent Pry, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Clemson, college football, Crimson Tide, Florida State, football, Georgia, Greg Schiano, Jalen Milroe, James Madison, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kirby Smart, Lance Leipold, Lane Kiffin, Louisville, LSU, Mario Cristobal, Matt Rhule, Miami (Fla.), Navy, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Ryan Williams, SEC, Sooners, Temple, Texas, Texas Tech, Tigers, UConn, Utah State, Virginia Tech, War Eagle
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Glad I’m not him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Lucky guy: Mario Cristobal, Miami (Fla.)
Poor guy: Brent Pry, Virginia Tech
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: (inconclusive)
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking … anything: Lance Leipold, Kansas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: James Madison (defeated Ball State 63-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oklahoma (defeated Auburn 27-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Temple (lost to Army 42-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Virginia Tech (lost to No. 7 Miami, Fla. 38-34)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Kansas State (defeated No. 20 Oklahoma State 42-20)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Buffalo
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Auburn
Did the season start? Ole Miss
Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Alabama
GAMES
Play this again: No. 4 Alabama 41, No. 2 Georgia 34
Play this again, too: Texas Tech 44, Cincinnati 41
Never play this again: James Madison 63, Ball State 0
What? N/A
Huh? Arizona 23, No. 10 Utah 10
Are you kidding me?? No. 4 Alabama 41, No. 2 Georgia 34
Oh – my – God: Kentucky 20, No. 6 Ole Miss 17
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 6)
Best game of the week: No. 9 Missouri @ Texas A&M
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Syracuse @ No. 25 UNLV
Best non-Power Four matchup: Colorado State @ Oregon State
Upset alert: SMU @ No. 22 Louisville
Must win: No. 12 Ole Miss @ South Carolina
Offensive explosion: Utah State @ Boise State
Defensive struggle: Navy @ Air Force
Great game no one is talking about: Rutgers @ Nebraska
Intriguing coaching matchup: Greg Schiano of Rutgers vs Matt Rhule of Nebraska
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 15 Clemson @ Florida State
Why are they playing? N/A
Plenty of good seats remaining: Bowling Green @ Akron
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Temple @ UConn
Week 5 Thoughts:
Oklahoma @ Auburn
There are two types of teams that “can’t stand prosperity”. The typical type is one that is on a win streak but then inexplicably loses a winnable game. The atypical type is where a team that has been having a lousy season but then, in one game, is leading as an underdog for most of the 60 minutes, only to blow the lead in the last minutes of regulation.
Clearly Auburn fell into the latter category. Going into the game against Oklahoma at 2-2, they already lost some games that many perceived to be winnable, namely Cal and Arkansas. That losing prompted some in the press to speculate that Auburn football had lost its way.
Yet things seemed to turn around against Oklahoma. The Tigers led most of the game until the Sooners scored at 8:34 in the 4th quarter, made the two point conversion, then broadened their lead to 27-21 when they kicked a field goal with 58 seconds left in the game. Though Auburn got the ball back, that amount of time was not enough for them to go the length of the field.
So, has the War Eagle still “lost its way”? Perhaps, but then again, this is the SEC, which is brutal top to bottom. A potentially more plausible explanation is that Auburn is down in talent during a season when its surrounding competition is especially “up”, from LSU to Georgia, from Alabama to Tennessee. Ole Miss was considered a top ten team prior to their upset loss at home to Kentucky, who in turn got spanked by South Carolina earlier this month.
Can they still turn things around and salvage the season? Anything is possible. The current problem for Auburn is, they have no time to lick their wounds, as the go on the road to Georgia next week. Speaking of…
Georgia @ Alabama
Despite being down 28-0 early in the 2nd quarter to Alabama, Georgia gradually roared back and even briefly led with 2:42 left in the game. Then Jalen Milroe’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Williams, along with a two-pointer, put the Crimson Tide back on top for good at 41-34.
Does this mean that Georgia’s playoff hopes are dashed on the rocks? Hardly, but they also have one of the toughest schedules of any team in the FBS this year (they still have yet to play Ole Miss, Texas, and Tennessee), and losing to Bama put them in the hole from the outset.
Nevertheless, should they make the playoffs, perhaps next time they’ll know better than to spot a top-ranked team four touchdowns before they decide to start playing football.
College Football Awards, Week 4 (2024) September 23, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Akron, Alabama, Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, BYU, Chris Klieman, Cincinnati, Clark Lea, college football, Eliah Drinkwitz, Georgia, Houston, Illinois, James Madison, Josh Heupel, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kansas State, Kent State, Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Mack Brown, Major Applewhite, Matt Rhule, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Mizzou, NC State, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, South Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Glad I’m not him: Lincoln Riley, USC
Lucky guy: Eliah Drinkwitz, Mizzou
Poor guy: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Chris Klieman, Kansas State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Major Applewhite, South Alabama
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Matt Rhule, Nebraska
Desperately seeking … anything: Mack Brown, North Carolina
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Penn State (defeated Kent State 56-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Texas A&M (defeated Bowling Green 26-20)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Akron (lost to South Carolina 50-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: UCLA (lost to LSU 34-17)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Cincinnati (defeated Houston 34-0)
Dang, they’re good: Miami (Fla.)
Dang, they’re bad: Appalachian State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Kansas State
Did the season start? Kansas
Can the season end? North Carolina
Can the season never end? Tennessee
GAMES
Play this again: No. 18 Michigan 27, No. 11 USC 24
Play this again, too: Utah 22, Oklahoma State 19
Never play this again: No. 9 Penn State 56, Kent State 0
What? No. 24 Illinois 31, No. 22 Nebraska 24
Huh? Buffalo 23, No. 23 Northern Illinois 20
Double-Huh? No. 18 Michigan 27, No. 11 USC 24
Are you kidding me?? James Madison 70, North Carolina 50
Oh – my – God: BYU 38, Kansas State 9
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 5)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Georgia @ No. 4 Alabama
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Northern Illinois @ NC State
Best non-Power Four matchup: Fresno State @ UNLV
Upset alert: No. 19 Illinois @ No. 9 Penn State
Must win: No. 15 Louisville @ No. 16 Notre Dame
Offensive explosion: South Alabama @ No. 14 LSU
Defensive struggle: Air Force @ Wyoming
Great game no one is talking about: No. 20 Oklahoma State @ No. 23 Kansas State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kalen DeBoer of Alabama vs Kirby Smart of Georgia
Who’s bringing the body bags? Mississippi State @ No. 1 Texas
Why are they playing? Holy Cross @ Syracuse
Plenty of good seats remaining: New Mexico @ New Mexico State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Wagner @ Florida Atlantic
Week 4 Thoughts:
Offensive explosions are usually the hardest game to predict. No matter how one formulates the prediction, it has the least likelihood of coming true. The reason I bring this up is because this past week did not give us only one, or two, but several. Perhaps the most prominent – and inexplicable — was where James Madison beat North Carolina, 70-50, an outcome so embarrassing on the latter’s part that Mack Brown even suggested resigning after sustaining such a loss. But the day had offensive explosions elsewhere, too, if not quite as egregious. Clemson beat NC State, 59-35; Navy defeated Memphis 56-44; Monmouth upset Florida International, 45-42. Finally, out on the west coast, Washington State held on in two overtimes to defeat San Jose State, 54-52. Has there ever been such a horrible day to be a defensive coordinator?
USC @ Michigan
Typically when these two teams have played each other, it is in the Rose Bowl, and not just the stadium, but the actual “Granddaddy of Them All”. This time, the Trojans ventured into Ann Arbor, Mich, to take on the Wolverines. Such amazing new matchups in hitherto atypical settings are now a hallmarks of the newly expanded Big Ten. USC caused everyone to take notice during their win over LSU at the beginning of the season. The game lived up to its hype in every way, with Michigan pulling off the upset win.
Three takeaways from this game: Michigan, despite rebuilding, still has a strong defense. Granted, Texas made mincemeat of them a couple of weeks earlier, but now they are starting to play to form.
Second, Michigan might be rebuilding to an extent. Jim Harbaugh is no longer there. But they have been wise to emulate Harbaugh’s winning business model of a run-oriented offense and gritty, disciplined defense. Thus, they are in a position to continue to be a force in the conference foreseeably. Also, USC’s season is far from over. They can still climb their way back into playoff contention, with a partly favorable schedule paired with enough very good teams at home (Penn State and Notre Dame) to appear credible in the eyes of the football pollsters.
Georgia Tech @ Louisville
The Yellowjackets proved they are a dangerous team with some of their previous wins this season. That is why Louisville demonstrated – for now – that they deserve their current ranking of No. 15, despite a few unforced errors throughout the game. But while their win over Georgia Tech was a nice one, they must work extra-hard to prevent such unforced errors this week, as they play Notre Dame in what could be one of the best games of Week 5.
Tennessee @ Oklahoma
The Volunteers proved that they are the real deal. Not only did they win on the road in a hostile environment, but their winning score of 25-15 understates the way they gradually dominated as the game progressed. The most decisive factor of the game was Tennessee’s dominant front seven, which shut down the Sooners’ running game (OU managed only 33 total yards on the ground). While Tennessee’s rushing attack only added up to 59 yards, that is still better for one. But for another, that left both teams to rely more on the pass, wherein the Vols proved to be more adept.
Key takeaways: the fact that OU held Tennessee to only 25 points speaks well to their defensive talent and valiant efforts, and other teams in the conference should take notice, including Texas three weeks hence.
Also, the Volunteers passed a key test, but arguably tougher tests remain, as they are scheduled to play both Alabama and Georgia later in the year, giving us more memorable games to which to look forward. But the potential is nevertheless there to be one of the greatest Volunteer teams ever, should they live up to it.
Looking ahead:
No. 20 Oklahoma State @ No. 23 Kansas State
Two good teams coming off losses now go head-to-head. Nothing like two good teams butting heads who are hungry to avenge the previous week’s losses: this could be a good one.
No. 15 Louisville @ No. 16 Notre Dame
Ironically, this could be Notre Dame’s biggest test yet, as Texas A&M proved to be a bit overrated as the season began.
No. 2 Georgia @ No. 4 Alabama
Let’s be honest: we live for matchups like these. Adding additional intrigue is Georgia likely keen to avenge their loss to the Tide in the playoffs last year.
College Football Awards Week 13 (2021) December 3, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: AAC, ACC, Alabama, Army, Auburn, B1G, Baylor, Bedlam, Big XII, Bryan Harsin, California, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Crimson Tide, Dana Holgorsen, Egg Bowl, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Jeff Monken, Jeff Traylor, Jim Harbaugh, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Luke Fickell, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Nevada, Nick Saban, North Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Paul Chryst, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, rivalry, Ryan Day, SEC, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tigers, Tom Allen, UConn, USC, Utah, UTSA, Wake Forest, week, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Glad I’m not him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Lucky guy: Nick Saban, Alabama
Poor guy: Bryan Harsin, Auburn
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jeff Traylor, UTSA
Desperately seeking … anything: Tom Allen, Indiana
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Houston (defeated UConn 45-17)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Baylor (defeated Texas Tech 27-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Georgia Tech (lost to Georgia 45-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Auburn (lost to Alabama 24-22, 4OT)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Kentucky (defeated Louisville 52-21)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Colorado State
Another one bites the dust: UTSA
Did the season start? Wisconsin
Can the season end? Indiana
Can the season never end? Michigan
GAMES
Play this again: No. 5 Michigan 42, No. 2 Ohio State 27
Play this again, too: No. 3 Alabama 24, Auburn 22 (4OT)
Never play this again: Nevada 52, Colorado State 10
What? North Texas 45, No. 22 UTSA 23
Huh? LSU 27, No. 15 Texas A&M 24
Are you kidding me?? Minnesota 23, No. 14 Wisconsin 13
Oh – my – God: No. 5 Michigan 42, No. 2 Ohio State 27
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 3 Alabama
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 24 Houston vs. No. 4 Cincinnati
Upset alert: No. 19 Utah vs. No. 11 Oregon
Must win: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 16 Iowa
They have the same record? USC @ California
Offensive explosion: No. 8 Baylor vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State also: Kent State vs Northern Illinois
Defensive struggle: (none)
Great game no one is talking about: No. 17 Pitt vs. No. 18 Wake Forest
Intriguing coaching matchup: Luke Fickell of Cincinnati vs. Dana Holgorsen of Houston
Week 13 Thoughts:
Rivalry week did not disappoint. Sure, there was the occasional lop-sided outcome (looking your way, IU-Purdue and Kentucky-Louisville, and others, too.), but so many matchups produced so many great games. The Ole Miss-Mississippi State game (the “Egg Bowl”, named after the golden football trophy that has long been dubbed “the golden egg”) on Thanksgiving started things off with a bang. Then on Friday, unranked Nebraska had a chance to knock No. 16 Iowa out of B1G West contention, and came up shy by only a touchdown. Coastal Carolina had to hold off lowly South Alabama: the Chanticleers defeated the Jaguars by only seven points.
On Saturday, even greater action took place. Neither Florida nor Florida State has had much of a season, but they certainly gave fans a good fight in The Swamp, with the Gators winning, 24-21.
But The Game itself delivered. Michigan finally got a major monkey off its back in beating Ohio State for the first time since 2011. With such a rivalry and a game of such high stakes (a conference championship berth and also a potential playoff bid on the line), there was plenty of drama to go around, and all the while, Michigan Stadium was rocking, both during, and very much after the game. The crowd of fans gathered around the FOX crew outside of the stadium post-game rivaled that of crowds at ESPN’s College Gameday, pre-game.
Speaking of the B1G and conference championship berths on the line, Wisconsin had the chance to win Paul Bunyan’s Ax and also to lock up the B1G West by beating Minnesota. PJ Fleck and the boys had other plans. The Golden Gophers won the day, 23-13, and the Ax along with it. That upset made Iowa’s win the previous day all the more significant, as now they’ll represent the B1G West in Indianapolis next weekend.
In a quasi-rivalry game, Michigan State and Penn State duked it out in the snow in a high-scoring slugfest, with the Spartans winning closely, 30-27.
If we are to be reminded of anything, it’s that the Iron Bowl is always a great game, no matter how much one team may struggle and no matter how high the other may be currently flying. Case in point: this year’s Iron Bowl looked like it might have been a lop-sided affair, what with Alabama’s top-five ranking and Auburn not even ranked. But crazy things have happened against the Crimson Tide in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Last night’s game was one of them. Auburn led most of the game in a defensive struggle. Going into the 4th quarter, it was 10-0 in favor of the Tigers. The Tide managed to score 10 points that quarter to tie things up at the end of regulation. It took four overtimes to finally decide the game, with Alabama triumphing in the end. Ironically, it took a hobbled back QB’s understandably limited performance for Alabama to have even a shot at winning this game.
Speaking of getting monkeys off one’s back, Oklahoma State certainly came through against Oklahoma in last night’s edition of the Bedlam Series. In what was a back-and-forth shootout for much of the game, the Cowboys held the Sooners scoreless in the 4th quarter (a considerable stepping up of OK State’s defense), while they themselves scored 14 points to triumph, 37-33.
Other great games took place elsewhere, and it all amounted to a wonderful Rivalry Week that shall no about long be remembered. But now, it is time to look ahead.
Looking ahead to Week 14:
Michigan vs. Iowa in the B1G Championship game (Indianapolis)
This will be a different Big Ten championship game from what we are used to. Reason being, Wisconsin is not in it. Kidding aside, neither is Ohio State or Michigan State. Nope, Michigan crashes the party for the first time, ever, too. I wonder how Iowa’s and Michigan’s bands will sound like when they play the Star Spangled Banner together. It will be a beautiful sound to hear and a sight to behold in any case.
Oh, and all Michigan needs to do is close the deal, and they could make it to the playoffs. No pressure.
Georgia vs. Alabama in the SEC Championship game (Atlanta)
This is Georgia’s opportunity to remind everyone that they are the legit No. 1 team. Conversely, if Alabama has any hopes of crashing the playoffs, they need to get through the Bulldogs in order to attain that prize. Needless to say, that’s a huge ask.
Questions also abound: was the Crimson Tide looking ahead to Georgia, and thus were caught off-guard by sputtering Auburn? Or did Alabama arrive in The Plains with the War Eagle fully on their minds, only to come out flat anyhow, and lucky to escape back to Tuscaloosa with a win? If their underperformance yesterday is any indication, they could wind up as cannon fodder for the Bulldogs.
Conversely, Georgia would be wise to prepare as if they shall be in the fight of their lives, because, well, because Alabama, that’s why.
Baylor vs. Oklahoma State in the Big XII Championship game (Arlington, Texas)
Credit the Big XII with two things: one, they get it right by selecting the contestants for their conference championship game. Forget these silly divisions: simply select the top two best teams, and let them slug it out. Okay, “slug” might be too strong a word since this is the Big XII, which defensively is almost a pillow-fight of a conference (Oklahoma notwithstanding). Nevertheless, the Bears vs. the Cowboys should be a marvelous matchup.
The other thing that the Big XII gets right is selecting the best possible location within their geographic footprint in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. To be sure, the B1G and SEC have gotten it right, respectively, for a long time in that same regard, with the former playing in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy (which is perfect for the B1G), and now Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the SEC in Atlanta (before then, they played in the Georgia Dome: perfect in either case).
Houston vs. Cincinnati in the AAC championship game
When was the last time we all looked forward to the AAC championship game? Perhaps starting now. If you’re not, you should. Cincinnati is undefeated and could earn a coveted playoff berth if they win out. Meanwhile, Houston has but one loss, has played very strongly as of late, and could be a likely spoiler.
No neutral site here: the two teams shall be duking it out in the Bearcats’ home field of Nippert Stadium. As an undefeated team, UC has earned this advantage.
Pittsburgh vs. Wake Forest in the ACC championship game (Charlotte)
What, no Clemson? Correct, no Tigers in this ACC championship. Nevertheless, we ought not to overlook this game, as it too could be a great one, pitting (if you’ll pardon the pun) two teams that are focused and tenacious. Yes, bring out the popcorn for this one, too!
