College Football Awards, Week 11 (2025) November 10, 2025
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Auburn, Boise State, Boston College, BYU, Cal, California, Clark Lea, Clemson, Colorado, Cougars, Curt Cignetti, Deion Sanders, Florida, football, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hoosiers, Indiana, Iowa, Jedd Fisch, Joey McGuire, Justin Wilcox, Kalani Sitake, Kentucky, Louisville, Marcus Freeman, Memphis, Michigan, Navy, NCAA, New Mexico State, Nittany Lions, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, Pat Narduzzi, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Red Raiders, San Diego State, SMU, South Florida, Steve Spurrier, Tennessee, Terry Smith, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tulane, Tulsa, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
Glad I’m not him: Kalani Sitake, BYU
Lucky guy: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Poor guy: Terry Smith, Penn State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Justin Wilcox, Cal
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jedd Fisch, Washington
Desperately seeking … anything: Deion Sanders, Colorado
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Ole Miss (defeated The Citadel 49-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Indiana (defeated Penn State 27-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Boston College (lost to SMU 45-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Penn State (lost to Indiana 27-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Kentucky (defeated Florida 38-7)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Northern Illinois
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Virginia
Did the season start? Washington
Can the season end? Florida
Can the season never end? Texas A&M
GAMES
Play this again: No. 2 Indiana 27, Penn State 24
Play this again, too: No. 9 Oregon 18, Iowa 16
Never play this again: No. 6 Ole Miss 49, The Citadel 0
What? Tulane 38, No. 22 Memphis 32
Huh? No. 8 Texas Tech 29, No. 7 BYU 7
Double-Huh? Wisconsin 13, No. 23 Washington 10
Are you kidding me??: Cal 29, No. 15 Louisville 26, OT
Oh – my – God: Wake Forest 16, No. 14 Virginia 9
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 10 Texas @ No. 5 Georgia
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: none
Best non-Power Four matchup: Boise State @ San Diego State
Upset alert: Iowa @ No. 17 USC
Must win: No. 11 Oklahoma @ No. 4 Alabama
Offensive explosion: South Florida @ Navy
Defensive struggle: No. 18 Michigan @ Northwestern
Great game no one is talking about: Clemson @ No. 19 Louisville
Also: Arizona @ Cincinnati
Intriguing coaching matchup: Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame vs Pat Narduzzi of Pittsburgh
Who’s bringing the body bags, B1G edition? Wisconsin @ No. 2 Indiana
Who’s bringing the body bags, ACC edition? No. 14 Georgia Tech @ Boston College
Why are they playing? New Mexico State @ No. 21 Tennessee
Plenty of good seats remaining: Oregon State @ Tulsa
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Tennessee Tech @ Kentucky
Week 12 [Random] Thoughts:
Indiana averted one of the biggest upsets of the season when they came back in the last minute of the game to score on Penn State, in Happy Valley. For the first time all year, the Hoosiers had to play from behind, initially having to punt with only four minutes and change left in the game, and somehow forcing Penn State to punt at the two-minute warning. Moreover, the game-winning drive only became such with a series of amazing catches, including two improbable ones, one of which was the touchdown itself, what with Omar Cooper, jr., barely keeping his feet in bounds at the back of the end zone. Still, Penn State theoretically had time to kick a field goal with the ball back, with the drive stalled at the 50, forcing a Hail Mary play that went nowhere.
Once again, Penn State played up to their initially high-rank potential, as if they too were still a top-ten team. In so doing, instead of getting their doors blown off, as my speculated they would, the Nittany Lions forced the Hoosiers into situations they had not faced all year. Upon further review, perhaps Curt Cignetti should send a case of wine over to the Penn State coaching staff, as they forced IU into situations the Hoosiers will certainly have to deal with some playoff time.
In other news, Texas Tech boat raced BYU during the Noon ET timeslot in Lubbock. Remember when that was supposed to be the game of the week (admittedly as part of a relatively weak slate of games for this weekend)? As things manifested, however, it soon became clear that the Red Raiders had too many ponies for the Cougars to corral. Just as war is a laboratory to find out what should have been known between countries’ powers before the first battle, lining up teams and having them play is the ultimate showing of who is actually better than whom, and the outcome of this game is “Exhibit A”.
They say that by November, you pretty much are who you are as a team. For example, by November of 2014 (Steve Spurrier’s last full season coaching South Carolina), the Gamecocks were a team that blew 4th quarter leads. Today, and in a similar vein, Louisville is a team that blows it in overtime at home.
Who had the Auburn @ Vanderbilt game as the offensive explosion of the week on their bingo card? Not this guy: where had that offense for Auburn been all year?
College Football Awards, Week 7 (2025) October 13, 2025
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Alabama, Alex Golesh, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Bobby Petrino, Boise State, Bruins, BYU, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Cougars, Curt Cignetti, Dan Lanning, DeShaun Foster, Drew Allar, Eliah Drinkwitz, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, John Mateer, Kalen DeBoer, Lane Kiffin, Longhorns, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Mike Elko, Mike Norvell, Missouri, NCAA football, Nittany Lions, North Texas, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Red River rivalry, Rice, Sooners, South Florida, Steve Sarkesian, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, UAB, UCLA, UNLV, USC, USF, Utah, UTSA, Virginia, Washington State, Yellowjackets
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Honorable mention: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Glad I’m not him: Dan Lanning, Oregon
Lucky guy: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Poor guy: Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Alex Golesh, South Florida
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mike Norvell, Florida State
Desperately seeking … anything: James Franklin, Penn State
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Clemson (defeated Boston College 41-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Ole Miss (defeated Washington State 24-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: N/A
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Northwestern (defeated Penn State 22-21)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: South Florida (defeated North Texas 63-36)
Honorable mention: Utah (defeated No. 21 Arizona State 42-10)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Akron
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Oregon
Did the season start? Penn State
Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Indiana
GAMES
Play this again: No. 7 Indiana 30, No. 3 Oregon 20
Play this again, too: No. 8 Alabama 27, No. 14 Missouri 24
Never play this again: UTSA 61, Rice 13
What? Colorado 22, No. 22 Iowa State 17
Huh? USC 31, No. 15 Michigan 13
Double-huh? No. 7 Indiana 30, No. 3 Oregon 20
Are you kidding me?? Texas 23, No. 6 Oklahoma 6
Oh – my – God: Northwestern 22, Penn State 21
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 8)
Ticket to die for: No. 12 Tennessee @ No. 8 Alabama
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Washington State @ No. 19 Virginia
Best non-Power Four matchup: UNLV @ Boise State
Upset alert: Utah @ No. 18 BYU
Also: No. 20 USC @ No. 13 Notre Dame
Must win: No. 4 Ole Miss @ No. 9 Georgia
Offensive explosion: Air Force @ UNLV
Defensive struggle: Penn State @ Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: Arizona @ Houston
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mike Elko of Texas A&M vs Bobby Petrino of Arkansas
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 22 Memphis @ UAB
Why are they playing? Washington State @ No. 19 Virginia
Plenty of good seats remaining: Georgia State @ Georgia Southern
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Lafayette @ Oregon State
Week 7 Thoughts:
Another monster week for college football, with great games abounding from noon Eastern through night, and upsets abounding in turn. Indiana proved that they are a considerable force to be reckoned with in defeating Oregon, on the road, no less. USC continues to quietly gain strength after losing to Illinois earlier in the year, this time by defeating ranked Michigan in rather convincing fashion. Colorado proved to have some fight within them by upsetting Iowa State on the road. Then we had the Red River Showdown, and the incredibly electric environment it always produces. Many in the sports commentary space had given Texas up for dead after their loss to Florida in the Swamp last week. The calculus was that since the Longhorns’ offense sputtered against the Gators’ defense, given that Oklahoma’s defense is even better, Texas would likely be demolished in Dallas. But as the great Lee Corso would say, “[N]ot so fast, my friend!” The Longhorns’ defense stepped up in a major way, cramping the performance of the Sooner’s star QB John Mateer as he returned to the line-up, going so far as to shut out OU in the second half and to deny them reaching the endzone the entire game. In so doing, Texas defense gave their offense time to get their sea-legs under them. Thus, Texas’ triumph was unexpected, and all the more savored.
Elsewhere, Pitt upset Florida State, in Tallahassee, no less, but perhaps the biggest upset of all came when Northwestern stunned Penn State in Happy Valley, 22-21. That loss came on the heels of the Nittany Lions already losing that heartbreaker to Oregon, then laying an egg on the road to UCLA. Now they have suffered this defeat, which is no ignominious and ill-timed that Penn State fired James Franklin today. Penn State’s current state was made all the worse with QB Drew Allar suffering a season-ending injury late in the game. What started out as a potential championship season for the Nittany Lions now lies in ruin.
Some near-upsets also occurred wherein Mizzou was on the verge of defeating favored Alabama before the Tiger’s QB threw a sudden pick that ended the drive and their hopes of victory. In a similar situation was Washington State, who ventured into Ole Miss and nearly defeated the home team before the Rebels somehow managed to escape with their skin intact. Arkansas presented a serious challenge to Tennessee, signaling that the Bobby Petrino Era 2.0 is on the rise in Fayetteville. Late into the night, Arizona took BYU in a second overtime before the Cougars managed to pull out the win.
What a week.
Random Thoughts:
UCLA was once the whipping boy of the B1G. Not anymore. Perhaps all it took was the firing of the inept DeShaun Foster, inter alia. But now the Bruins are a rising force in the conference. First, they massively upset Penn State at home last week. This week, they went on the road to dismantle Michigan State. Not a moment too soon, either, since all the remaining opponents – including Indiana and Ohio State – or nearly-ranked (e.g., Maryland and Washington). At this rate, their traditional rivalry game against USC should be one the best in Gen-Z’s living memory.
Meanwhile, has there been a team to more quietly advance up the rankings than Georgia Tech, at least recently? The Yellowjackets are currently undefeated (6-0), and have now reached the rank of No. 12.
College Football Awards, Week 4 (2025) September 22, 2025
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Bret Bielema, Clemson, college football, Curt Cignetti, Dabo Swinney, Florida State, Georgia, Hugh Freeze, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kent State, Kentucky, Kyle Whittingham, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Miami (OH), Michigan, Mike Locksley, Navy, NCAA, Nebraska, North Texas, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Red Raiders, Rice, Ryan Silverfield, Sam Pittman, South Carolina, Steve Angeli, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Tulsa, UCLA, USC, Utah, Utes, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Glad I’m not him: Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Lucky guy: Ryan Silverfield, Memphis
Poor guy: Sam Pittman, Arkansas
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Mike Locksley, Maryland
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bret Bielema, Illinois
Desperately seeking … anything: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Florida State (defeated Kent State 66-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: North Texas (defeated Army 45-38)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Oregon State (lost to No. 6 Oregon 41-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Army (lost to North Texas 45-38)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Indiana (defeated No. 9 Illinois 63-10)
Dang, they’re good: Oklahoma
Dang, they’re bad: Oklahoma State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Illinois
Did the season start? Utah
Can the season end? Clemson
Can the season never end? Indiana
GAMES
Play this again: No. 11 Oklahoma 24, No. 22 Auburn 17
Play this again, too: No. 21 Michigan 30, Nebraska 27
Never play this again: No. 7 Florida State 63, Kent State 10
What? Maryland 27, Wisconsin 10
Huh? Memphis 32, Arkansas 31
Are you kidding me?? Tulsa 19, Oklahoma State 12
Oh – my – God: No. 19 Indiana 63, No. 9 Illinois 10
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 5)
Ticket to die for: No. 6 Oregon @ No. 2 Penn State
Hon. mention: No. 4 LSU @ No. 13 Ole Miss
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: N/A
Best non-Power Four matchup: Rice @ Navy
Upset alert: Arizona @ No. 12 Iowa State
Must win: Auburn @ No. 9 Texas A&M
Offensive explosion: (inconclusive)
Defensive struggle: Kentucky @ South Carolina
Great game no one is talking about: Louisville @ Pittsburgh
Intriguing coaching matchup: Bret Bielema of Illinois vs Lincoln Riley of USC
Who’s bringing the body bags? South Alabama @ North Texas
Why are they playing? UMass @ No. 23 Missouri
Plenty of good seats remaining: UCLA @ Northwestern
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Lindenwood @ Miami (OH)
Week 4 Thoughts:
The Texas Tech-Utah game reminded us fans that one can have a defensive struggle for a game, and still enjoy an exciting contest. That being said, the aforementioned defensive struggle lasted for three of the four quarters of the game. Then in the 4th quarter, things finally clicked offensively for the Red Raiders, they opened up the game, and the Utes had no answer, hence the lopsided score in the end.
A random observation: since the Utes elected to wear white helmets at home, how come Texas Tech could not wear their signature black helmets to further, and properly, differentiate themselves on the field? Furthermore, do not get me started on the irony of how I predicted this game to be an offensive explosion, only for it to materialize as a defensive struggle instead…for three quarters, at least.
That said, the best game of the week was definitely the showdown in Norman, Okla., between the Sooners and visiting Auburn. Both teams had good talent; both fought hard throughout the game. Underdog Auburn was certainly, and commendably, game for the fight, but in the end, did not quite have enough offense to overcome the favored home team. But what a game. This win should put the rest of the western half of the SEC on notice that the Sooners are not to be taken lightly.
Meanwhile, what was the “ticket to die for” on paper was at…Indiana University? That’s right. No. 9 Illinois came calling to play at No. 19 Indiana, on an NBC night game, no less. In what was perhaps the most electric atmosphere ever in Bloomington, Ind., the Hoosiers threw down the gauntlet early when drawing first blood at 9:35 in the 1st quarter, off a blocked punt, no less. While Illinois seemed to answer the challenge with their own score only 1:01 later, that answer proved anemic, as the Hoosiers then ripped off eight unanswered scores in what amounted to one of the biggest blowouts of the week. All the Illini could muster within IU’s eight-score stretch was a sad field goal right before halftime. Not exactly the expected performance of a No. 9-ranked team: concurrently, can we acknowledge the possibility that this year’s IU squad is even better than last year’s surprise playoff team?
Random Thoughts:
Syracuse triumphed over Clemson, in [the other] Death Valley, 34-21. A couple of weeks ago, this would be considered a massive upset. But going into this game, the Orange was 2-1, while the Tigers were unranked at 1-2. Given that context, is the Orange’s win even an upset? Not to put a bad spin on Syracuse’s big win, but it came at the cost of an injury (the crutches-and-protective-boot kind) to their starting QB, Steve Angeli, meaning that this victory could prove to be Pyrrhic.
Where was Arkansas’ defense in the second half? Their defense allowed for 18 answered points scored, in turn allowing for Memphis to pull off a stunning upset.
So, next week should be a monster one for the sport that we love. In addition to Auburn and Texas A&M; LSU and Ole Miss; Alabama and Georgia; plus Oregon and Penn State knocking heads, plenty other interesting matchups abound. TCU plays Arizona State; Notre Dame plays Arkansas; USC plays Illinois; Cincinnati plays Kansas; Louisville plays Pittsburgh; Indiana plays Iowa; Tennessee plays undefeated Mississippi State; Arizona plays Iowa State; Ohio State plays Washington; and BYU takes on Colorado. To express things another way, for once, there is a dearth of body bag games this week (potentially two, and that is it). Let us give thanks to the Lord our God, and buckle up, buckaroos.
College Football Awards, Week 3 (2025) September 16, 2025
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Arch Manning, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Army, Auburn, Bill Belichick, Bret Bielema, Central Michigan, Clark Lea, Clemson, college football, Commodores, Curt Cignetti, DeShaun Foster, Florida State, Fresno State, Gamecocks, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Jacksonville State, Josh Heupel, Kent State, Kirby Smart, Longhorns, Marcus Freeman, Marshall, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee, Mike Elko, Missouri, NCAA, NCAA football, North Carolina, North Texas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Scott Frost, Shane Beamer, South Carolina, Steve Sarkesian, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCF, UCLA, USC, Utah, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Washington State, Wisconsin, Yellow Jackets
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Lucky guy: Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Poor guy: Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Desperately seeking … anything: DeShaun Foster, UCLA
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Indiana (defeated Indiana State 73-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Texas (defeated UTEP 27-10)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Central Michigan (lost to No. 23 Michigan 63-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Arkansas State (lost to No. 14 Iowa State 24-16)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: North Texas (defeated Washington State 59-10)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Washington State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: South Carolina
Did the season start? Clemson
Can the season end? UCLA
Can the season never end? Texas A&M
GAMES
Play this again: No. 6 Georgia 44, No. 15 Tennessee 41, OT
Play this again, too: No. 16 Texas A&M 41, No. 8 Notre Dame 40
Never play this again: No. 22 Indiana 73, Indiana State 0
Huh? No. 16 Texas A&M 41, No. 8 Notre Dame 40
Are you kidding me?? Georgia Tech 24, No. 12 Clemson 21
Oh – my – God: Vanderbilt 31, No. 11 South Carolina 7
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 4)
Ticket to die for: No. 9 Illinois @ No. 19 Indiana
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Arkansas @ Memphis
Best non-Power Four matchup: Fresno State @ Hawaii
Upset alert: South Carolina @ No. 23 Missouri
Must win: No. 22 Auburn @ No. 11 Oklahoma
Offensive explosion: No. 17 Texas Tech @ No. 16 Utah
Defensive struggle: Maryland @ Wisconsin
Great game no one is talking about: Michigan State @ No. 25 USC
Intriguing coaching matchup: Curt Cignetti of Indiana vs Brett Bielema of Illinois
Honorable mention: Scott Frost of UCF vs Bill Belichick of North Carolina
Who’s bringing the body bags? North Texas @ Army
Why are they playing? Kent State @ No. 7 Florida State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Marshall @ Middle Tennessee
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Murray State @ Jacksonville State
Week 3 Thoughts:
We the fans enjoyed two incredible games this week, one was during the 3:30 EDT timeslot in Knoxville, between Georgia and Tennessee. The other was in the evening, in South Bend, as a rematch between Texas A&M and Notre Dame. Both we close games that went down to the wire.
For the former, Tennessee had the chance to bring home the win, but made too many mistakes, and in the end, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
For the latter, fewer mistakes on both sides of the ball were made, and was arguably an even more epic game. The ‘so-what’ outcome is that Mike Elko & Co. finally have a signature win, establishing the Aggies as a force to be reckoned with in their division of the SEC.
Random Thoughts:
Either Vanderbilt is that good or South Carolina decided to take a night off in their own home stadium. Making sense of such a drubbing on one’s own home turf shall take time in the form of seeing more games from the Commodores to find out if embarrassing the Gamecocks was some fluke or if they are the real deal.
Should the Longhorn faithful become increasingly concerned? Probably. For the second week in a row in what should have been a cakewalk for Texas, the home team scored only 27 points against lowly, lowly UTEP. QB Arch Manning remains off-rhythm, still missing easy passes. What on Earth is going on in Austin? They have one last game to get it together (against Sam Houston State) before things start to get real with conference play.
Was Clemson overrated all this time, or has Georgia Tech been underrated for the same duration? Regardless, the Yellow Jackets winning on a last-second field goal provided yet another thrilling finish to contribute to a great day for the game of college football. The completed FG made me want to jump up like Homer Simpson (in Season 1 of the long-enduring sitcom), exclaiming “It’s good! It’s good!”
College Football Awards, Week 13 (2024) November 25, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Buffalo, BYU, Cardinal, Cardinals, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Crimson Tide, Curt Cignetti, Deion Sanders, East Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Hugh Freeze, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, Kalani Sitake, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kent State, Lane Kiffin, Louisiana, Louisville, Michael Desormeaux, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Navy, NCAA, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, P.J. Fleck, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Ryan Day, San Jose State, Sooners, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tigers, Tulane, UMass, UTEP, War Eagle, Washington State, West Virginia, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Lucky guy: James Franklin, Penn State
Poor guy: P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Deion Sanders, Colorado
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Michael Desormeaux, Louisiana
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking … anything: Kalani Sitake, BYU
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Tennessee (defeated UTEP 56-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Penn State (defeated Minnesota 26-25)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: UMass (lost to Georgia 59-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Minnesota (lost to No. 4 Penn State 26-25)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Louisville (defeated Pitt 37-9)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: UTEP
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Alabama
Did the season start? Ole Miss
Can the season end? Mississippi State
Can the season never end? Kansas
GAMES
Play this again: Auburn 43, No. 15 Texas A&M 41 (4OT)
Play this again, too: No. 4 Penn State 26, Minnesota 25
Never play this again: No. 11 Tennessee 56, UTEP 0
What? No. 21 Arizona State 28, No. 14 BYU 23
Huh? Florida 24, No. 9 Ole Miss 17
Double-Huh? Auburn 43, No. 15 Texas A&M 41 (4OT)
Are you kidding me?? Kansas 37, No. 16 Colorado 21
Oh – my – God: Oklahoma 24, No. 7 Alabama 3
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 14)
Ticket to die for: No. 3 Texas @ No. 20 Texas A&M
Honorable mention No. 1: No. 16 South Carolina @ No. 12 Clemson
Honorable mention No. 2: Michigan @ No. 2 Ohio State
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Stanford @ San Jose State
Best non-Power Four matchup: Memphis @ No. 18 Tulane
Upset alert: Kansas State @ No. 17 Iowa State
Must win: All Big XII games involving Iowa State, BYU, Arizona State, and Colorado
Offensive explosion: West Virginia @ Texas Tech
Defensive struggle: Nebraska @ Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: Navy @ East Carolina
Intriguing coaching matchup: Hugh Freeze of Auburn vs Kalen DeBoer of Alabama
Who’s bringing the body bags? Purdue @ Indiana
Dishonorable mention: Kent State @ Buffalo
Why are they playing? Wyoming @ Washington State
Plenty of good seats remaining: UTEP @ New Mexico State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Kennesaw State @ Louisiana Tech
Week 13 Thoughts:
In perusing through some of the interesting games from this week, just as we began with a game involving Louisville last week, it seems fitting that we do so again. The Cardinals have given major Jekyll-and-Hyde vibes lately. They hang tough with Miami, only losing by a touchdown. Only two weeks later, they embarrass Clemson in Death Valley, thus mortally wounding the Tigers’ bid for the ACC crown. Then a week later, they lay an egg in the 4th quarter to Stanford, giving the Cardinal (notice the lack of the plural) a rare win for their dismal year. Apparently that embarrassment woke something up inside of them, for they turned things around the following week and ripped a potentially dangerous Pittsburgh team, 37-9. If that team shows up in Lexington this upcoming week, the Governor’s Cup could likely come back to Louisville.
What most of us thought to be the main event of the day – at noon EST, no less – was the Indiana @ Ohio State game. Finally, a chance to prove themselves against a top five team. After getting licked by the Buckeyes 38-15, clearly Curt Cignetti & Co. have further developing and growth to undertake in order to be a legit top-five team themselves in the future. But if the most recent, updated AP rankings are of any indication, it is still likely that IU could make the playoffs.
Speaking of potential playoff teams from the Big Ten, can we legitimately call Penn State the No. 4 team in the land after narrowly escaping a loss to unranked Minnesota? Yes, P.J. Fleck’s teams are never to be underestimated, and they can make a team pay if said team lets down its guard. But after such an impressive win on the part of the Nittany Lions, it raises the question of maybe the current rankings are some degree of wishful thinking than that of objective reasoning. To broaden the scope of the matter at hand, are we truly going to say with a straight face that the three of the top five teams are all in in the B1G? Are we trying to convince ourselves that No. 4 Penn State is somehow better than No. 6 Georgia? Same question applies to Notre Dame, at No. 5, to be sure. I offer this as food for thought as one last week in the regular season remains.
Meanwhile, with Kansas upsetting Colorado and with Arizona State escaping their matchup with BYU with a win, the race for the Big XII crown has been officially knocked on its ear. As many as four teams could vie for the title – Colorado and BYU still, along with Iowa State and Arizona State, the latter of whom seems to have the strongest momentum of the pack. Should all four teams win this upcoming week, how to sort out who plays for the conference title? My personal choice would be to select the explosive combination of pizzazz and momentum, thus Colorado and Arizona State. But let’s see how these teams fare in their regular season finales in the meantime.
All that said, despite the deserved hype of the Indiana-Ohio State game earlier in the day, the best game of the day turned out to be Texas A&M at Auburn at night. The Aggies might have been looking past the Tigers, understandably as that program seems to have lost its way this year. Nevertheless, Hugh Freeze managed to get the War Eagles prepared and focused, and it showed as they took they led the Aggies most of the the game, tied it up at the end of the regulation, then outlasted them in overtime in a wild thriller of a matchup in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
But if one upset in the SEC with title race implications is great, why not double our pleasure with another such upset? Raise your hand if you had not given up Oklahoma for dead? Then Alabama comes calling, only to come out flat the entire game. The Sooners inexplicably held the Crimson Tide to three points the entire game, while Oklahoma scored far more than that. Don’t look now, but Bama has three losses for this season. And yet, is anybody going to deny, with a straight face, that they could not beat half the teams currently in the AP Top Ten?
Bottom line: the Playoff Committee has their work cut out for them in sorting out this week as Rivalry Week is about to unfold.
College Football Awards, Week 11 (2023) November 13, 2023
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Bulldogs, Cardinals, Cavaliers, Curt Cignetti, Duke, Georgia, Georgia State, Illinois, Iowa, James Franklin, James Madison, Jeff Brohm, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Lance Leipold, Louisville, LSU, Mack Brown, Mario Cristobal, Maryland, Memphis, Miami (FL), Michigan, Mike Elko, Mike Gundy, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, P.J. Fleck, Penn State, Purdue, SMU, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF, UCLA, UConn, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Volunteers, Wisconsin, Wolverines
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Harbaugh*, Michigan
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: Mack Brown, North Carolina
Poor guy: Mike Elko, Duke
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lance Leipold, Kansas
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Curt Cignetti, James Madison
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Desperately seeking … anything: P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Kansas State (defeated Baylor 59-25)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Wisconsin (lost to Northwestern 24-10)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Stanford (lost to No. 12 Oregon State 62-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Virginia (lost to No. 11 Louisville 31-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: UCF (defeated No. 15 Oklahoma State 45-3)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Akron
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Oklahoma State
Did the season start? UCLA
Can the season end? UConn
Can the season never end? Alabama
GAMES
Play this again: No. 5 Washington 35, No. 18 Utah 28
Play this again, too: North Carolina 47, Duke 45 (2 OT)
Never play this again: No. 12 Oregon State 62, Stanford 17
What? No. 14 Missouri 36, No. 13 Tennessee 7
Huh? Arizona State 17, UCLA 7
Are you kidding me?? Texas Tech 16, No. 16 Kansas 13
Oh – my – God: UCF 45, No. 15 Oklahoma State 3
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current (week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 5 Washington @ No. 12 Oregon State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: SMU @ Memphis
Upset alert: Virginia @ Duke
Must win: Nebraska @ Wisconsin
Offensive explosion: UCLA @ USC
Defensive struggle: Illinois @ No. 22 Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: No. 18 Utah vs No. 21 Arizona
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jeff Brohm of Louisville vs Mario Cristobal of Miami (FL)
Who’s bringing the body bags? North Alabama @ No. 4 Florida State
Why are they playing? Georgia State @ No. 19 LSU
Plenty of good seats remaining: Sacred Heart @ UConn
Plenty of good seats remaining, SEC Edition: Vanderbilt @ South Carolina
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Abilene Christian @ Texas A&M
Week 11 Thoughts:
*Penn State vs Michigan
The Wolverines won in convincing fashion against a most worthy opponent, in one of the toughest places to play in the B1G. Moreover, they did it without Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines. Nevertheless, Harbaugh clearly did his part as a head coach throughout the week, as his players were well-prepared. Now, can Michigan appeal the B1G’s hasty ruling in time for Harbaugh to be present at the game for “The Game”?
Louisville vs Virginia
On paper, this game should have been a blowout. But the Cardinals triumphed by only a touchdown. All night long, Louisville’s defense had trouble containing Virigina’s QB. Where did he come from? Was he always the starter, or did he earn the starting job later in the season? Regardless, the Cavaliers must be the best 2-8 team in the country by far…either that, or the Cards took a night off and barely survived to tell about it.
Central Florida vs Oklahoma State
This game shall go down as the worst hangover outcome in living memory. It is also a reminder that the Cowboys have a disturbingly low performance floor.
Georgia vs Ole Miss
Everybody, yours truly including, has been saying that yes, Georgia is clearly a good team, but whom have they played? Well, the Rebels are a legitimately good team; they came into Sanford Stadium….and, the Bulldogs demolished them. It’s nice to see our hunches confirmed that Georgia belongs in the top two.
North Carolina vs Duke
The fabled UNC-Duke rivalry is starting to become more exciting on the gridiron than it is on the hardwood. This one ended with the Tarheels triumphing in 2OT, 47-45.
Looking ahead to Week 12:
SEC:
It’s that unenviable time of year again: the time when SEC teams think that because their regular season schedule is somehow “tougher” than the rest of college football, that they are allowed to play an extra Roast Beef Tech-cream puff each year. That nadir of the season typically occurs in mid-November, and this time is sadly no exception. To wit: Chattanooga plays Alabama; Louisiana-Monroe plays Ole Miss; Georgia State plays LSU; New Mexico State plays Auburn. Snore.
Even Florida State seems to be following the SEC’s irresponsible example and playing, of all teams, North Alabama (Never heard of them before? Join the club.). The over-under for this game should be how many points the Seminoles score on their hapless victims.
Thankfully, and to half the conference’s credit, some SEC teams are actually going to [gasp!] play each other this upcoming week. Tennessee plays Georgia after being unexpectedly battered by Mizzou this week. Speaking of the Tigers, it’s Florida’s turn to get unexpectedly mauled by them. Kentucky also plays South Carolina, in what could be the best SEC matchup of the week, unless the Volunteers find a higher gear they have not yet discovered.
Northwestern vs Purdue
On paper, this game is insignificant, and yet: Northwestern just upset Wisconsin. Purdue just upset Minnesota, and in convincing fashion at that. So, what we have are two teams in a tough conference that have suddenly shown signs of life. This could be one of those “sleeper” matchups that could turn out to be good.
Kansas vs Kansas State
Despite Kansas getting unexpectedly stung by Texas Tech, assuming they pick themselves up after such a stunning upset, this could be the best battle for the Sunflower State in a long, long time.
Maryland vs Michigan
The Wolverines proved that they could more than just survive a game, against a tough opponent, with Harbaugh’s presence on the sideline. Can they survive yet again? If they do, will cracks start to appear in this currently impressive façade?
Georgia vs Tennessee
The Vols picked a bad time to have to lick their wounds after taking a shellacking…against Mizzou.
South Carolina vs Kentucky
The Gamecocks are coming off a blowout win over Vanderbilt. The Wildcats are coming off a beat-down from Alabama. Can Kentucky over their bad momentum and pull out a win, or can South Carolina build further on theirs?
Washington vs Oregon
With so many mismatches on TV this upcoming week, it is nice to see some Pac-12 teams stepping into the breach to fill a void. Get ready for another offensive explosion, in addition to the USC-UCLA rivalry game.
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