Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bob Chesney, UCLA
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Billy Napier, James Madison
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Sarkisian, Texas
TEAMS Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Texas A&M (defeated The Citadel 41-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Northwestern (defeated Michigan State 24-21) Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Kent State (lost to South Florida 29-2)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Michigan State (lost to No. 25 Northwestern 24-21)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Army (defeated Florida Atlantic 56-24)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State Dang, they’re bad: Kent State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Georgia
Did the season start? Texas Can the season end? Washington State
Can the season never end? BYU
GAMES Play this again: No. 8 BYU 28, No. 2 Notre Dame 24
Play this again, too: No. 4 Ohio State 19, No. 5 Indiana 15
Never play this again: Texas A&M 41, The Citadel 0
What? No. 14 Tennessee 26, No. 6 Alabama 10
Huh? Florida 27, No. 7 Texas 24
Are you kidding me?? No. 8 BYU 28, No. 2 Notre Dame 24
Oh – my – God: Auburn 27, No. 1 Georgia 24
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 8) Ticket to die for: No. 7 Ole Miss @ No. 19 Texas*
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: none
Best non-Power Four matchup: Western Michigan @ Toledo
Defensive struggle: New Mexico State @ Sam Houston
Great game no one is talking about: Virginia Tech @ Clemson
Intriguing coaching matchup: Dan Lanning of Oregon vs Bret Bielema of Illinois
Who’s bringing the body bags? Liberty @ Kennesaw State
Why are they playing? N/A
Plenty of good seats remaining: Hawaii @ Northern Illinois
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Missouri State @ Delaware
Week 7 Thoughts:
Today was an historic day for top-ten losses. For the first time in more than 5,000 days, both the number-one and number-two teams lost their respective games. If that is not enough, other top-ten teams lost as well, not only Georgia, but also Texas and Alabama. The last time that all three of those teams lost on the same day was Oct. 26, 1996, almost 30 years to the day.
In the process were some thrilling games, and others with improbable outcomes. An example of the latter was the Florida game at Texas, where the Longhorns led for most of the game, only to have zero offensive output for most of the second half, save for a quick drive late in the fourth with a touchdown made possible by a beautiful, long pass from Arch Manning, who then fumbled on the last drive to essentially seal the deal for the Gators. For the second week in a row, the Longhorns improbably gave the game away, in part due to anemic second half offensive performances.
To break it down further: Texas currently depends too much on Arch Manning while neglecting their running game. Worse yet, Manning is clearly over-coached, to the point of him appearing to be caught in an invisible straightjacket. Add late-game turnovers on top of that, and you have the Horns’ current death spiral. Needless to say, Steve Sarkisian has coach his way onto a burned orange hot seat.
Speaking of improbable losses, what to make of Georgia’s head-scratching loss to Auburn at home? While Kirby Smart owned up to his team getting out-played during the post-game presser, in hindsight, this was a trap game for the Bulldogs, who just came off a massive win on the road over Alabama, only to be caught in the Oldest Rivalry of the Deep South the following week. Welcome to the stupefying vicissitudes of college football.
Meanwhile, Ohio State was able to settle a major score with Indiana, in Bloomington no less, but it came at the cost of QB Julian Sayin being knocked out of competition for several weeks, making the Buckeye’s victory a Pyrrhic one.
As things developed, ABC Sports was wise to schedule the Notre Dame @ BYU game in the evening. Speaking of which, even though I had listed the Ohio State-Indiana game as the “Ticket to die for”, this game also qualified as such. The matchup was a classic one of heart vs talent, with the outcome being one of the relatively rare instances when heart won the day/night. This massive win for the Cougars amounted to the biggest regular season victory in the history of the program. Only the 1984 Holliday Bowl triumph, securing BYU’s only national title to date, could be considered greater. Such a victory has surely put the rest of the college football world on notice, proving that the Cougars can hang with the heavyweights, at least for this year.
After such a monster week for some big games, let us now brace for the let-down. Next week’s slate of games will not be as good. But then again, they can’t all be winners.
Random Thoughts:
Last week’s supposed/predicted offensive explosion turned out to be quite the one-side affair, 31-3 in favor of Ole Miss, with Missouri’s offense deciding to take a bye week without telling the rest of the team. Aside from the anomalous Texas State over Colorado State 66-27, a closer offensive explosion in reality turned out to be West Virginia over Cincinnati, 45-42, no overtime involved. An honorable mention would be Army over Florida Atlantic 56-24. Evidently, the Fighting Schellenbergers did not bring much fight with them to this week’s game.
Along the lines of trap games (see: Auburn’s massive upset over Georgia), keep an eye on BYU venturing to Central Florida next week. The Golden Knights’ record is nothing to right home about, but always beware of teams going on the road after an historically emotional win.
*The rationale for this game’s designation is twofold. A) it’s a down week. Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Penn State, Louisville, Wake Forest, Florida and many others have byes for Week 8. B) like a trainwreck, you cannot not look away.
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Matt Campbell, Penn State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: David Braun, Northwestern
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jon Sumrall, Florida
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeff Brohm, Louisville
TEAMS Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Memphis (defeated Charlotte 59-8)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Texas Tech (defeated Colorado 29-7) Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Stanford (lost to Wake Forest 57-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Rice (lost to UTSA 16-14)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Mizzou (defeated No. 8 Florida 45-17)
rankings are current AP (week 6) Ticket to die for: No. 2 Georgia @ No. 6 Alabama
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: none
Best non-Power Four matchup: South Florida @ UTSA
Upset alert: Oklahoma vs No. 1 Texas in the Red River Shootout
Must win: Florida State @ Louisville (Friday)
Offensive explosion: No. 21 UCLA @ No. 13 Oregon
Defensive struggle: No. 20 Iowa @ Washington (Friday)
Great game no one is talking about: No. 22 Houston @ Kansas State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Pat Narduzzi of Pitt vs Bill Belichick of North Carolina
Who’s bringing the body bags? Stanford @ No. 3 Notre Dame
Why are they playing? Ball State @ Northwestern
Plenty of good seats remaining: Sacramento State @ Bowling Green
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Maryland @ No. 5 Ohio State
Week 5 Thoughts:
Let us be honest: this was not the greatest week for college football. Even the so-called “ticket to die for” turned out to be something of a dud. Mississippi State is good, but apparently, Alabama found another gear of performance and shifted into it in Starkville when folks were least expecting it.
That said, there were good games. Auburn, which has quietly gained strength, put up a real fight against the Volunteers in Knoxville. Minnesota demonstrated that they are not a team to be taken lightly as they retained the Little Brown Jug against Michigan. North Carolina put up an impressive fight against Notre Dame at home, and Kentucky won in a shootout at South Carolina.
If that is not enough, Iowa gave Ohio State a good fight for a half, and on-again, off-again rain in Fort Worth made the BYU-TCU game a close, defensive struggle wherein the Cougars eventually triumphed. Moreover, Iowa State squeaked by West Virginia in a massive shootout of a game. If that is not enough, Purdue snapped a 19-game B1G losing streak, at Illinois, no less.
So there were plenty of interesting games, just no “monster games” as in previous weeks. Games between Texas and Ohio State, and also Texas at Tennessee, not to mention Oregon at USC, have spoiled us.
But next week Georgia faces their first true test, on that road in Tuscaloosa, and it’s also Red River time in Dallas.
Random Thoughts:
What to make of Florida? Just when they appear to be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC, they lay an egg on the road at Mizzou. The Tigers cannot be that good, can they?
Keep an eye on how the Gators bounce back from this embarrassing loss as they venture up to South Carolina next week. Same could be said for the Gamecocks: they lost a heartbreaker at home to Kentucky, and now recently-embarrassed Florida is about to come calling.
Clemson put up a decent fight against Miami at home. If I were Marcus Freeman, I would be studying film of this game very intently as I prepare my team to face the Hurricanes later this year.
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jedd Fisch, Washington
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Dan Lanning, Oregon
Desperately seeking … anything: Barry Odom, Purdue
TEAMS Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Georgia (defeated Western Kentucky 70-20)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Washington (defeated Utah State 16-14) Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Rice (lost to No. 3 Notre Dame 52-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Oregon State (lost to Texas Tech 35-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Mississippi State (defeated Minnesota 38-13)
The Ohio State-Texas game lived up to its hype, with a miraculous comeback win for the Longhorns over the Buckeyes, a result that has left Buckeye Nation in apoplexy if thesearticles are of any indication. Allowing Texas to score three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter is the worst second-half collapse for the Buckeyes in the Ryan Day Era.
Conversely, OSU collapse or none, this is massive win for the Longhorns, one that gets a major monkey off the program’s – and Sark’s – back. For how long have discussions swirled that Texas cannot win the big game? Now they have the huge win.
Win or lose, both teams will be able to lick their wounds for a week, what with body bag games coming up for both of them. Then, it’s on to the season, where Ohio State can no doubt take the Big Ten by storm, and where Texas has the opportunity to prove that this huge win was not a fluke as they face a positively brutal SEC schedule.
Random Thoughts:
As I look back on the random thoughts I offered for Week 2 from last year, I am struck by the interesting parallels and related differences.
For instance, take this week’s Cy-Hawk trophy game between Iowa and Iowa State. I wrote:
“The only reason the game for the Cy-Hawk trophy ended as closely as it did was because of avoidable mistakes committed by the victors. Sooner or later, a team that make fewer mistakes shall come along to play Iowa, and when they do, expect a humiliating defeat for the Hawkeyes and a possible end to the Kirk Ferentz era.”
Given how last night’s game was such a low-scoring affair, one could say the exact same thing for this go-around.
Regardless, there’s something about Iowa and their massive trophies. The Cy-Hawk trophy is so heavy, at 90 pounds, it required two o-linemen to carry it. If that’s not enough, the Floyd of Rosedale trophy, played for annually between the Hawkeyes and Minnesota, is even heavier at 98 pounds.
But in continuation of the initial observation, in another parallel to last year’s week 2 observations, Illinois played their home half of the home-and-home series with Duke. But in contrast to last year’s 45-19 ripping victory on the road, this time Duke pulled off an upset on the road, 31-27. While I observed last year:
“Keep an eye out for Illinois. They are currently ranked No. 9, and defeated a well-coached Duke team, 45-19.”, the Illini are currently unranked. I can’t imagine why.
Returning to the Texas-Ohio State game, one thing that allowed for an improved offensive output for the Longhorns in the second half was Sark getting out of Arch Manning’s way. Let us hope for the sake of that team that their head coach continues to heed this lesson as the season progresses.
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bret Bielema, Illinois
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Sean Lewis, San Diego State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Brent Key, Georgia Tech
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeff Brohm, Louisville
TEAMS Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Auburn (defeated Mercer 62-17)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Illinois (lost to Wisconsin 27-10) Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Syracuse (lost to No. 9 Notre Dame 70-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Stanford (defeated Cal 31-10)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Texas (defeated Arkansas 52-37)
Dang, they’re good: Notre Dame Dang, they’re bad: Sam Houston
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Georgia Tech
Did the season start? Louisville Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Oregon
GAMES Play this again: No. 11 Oklahoma 23, No. 4 Alabama 21
Play this again, too: No. 12 Utah 51, Kansas State 47
Never play this again: No. 9 Notre Dame 70, Syracuse 7
What? Penn State 37, Nebraska 10
Huh? Stanford 31, Cal 10
Double-Huh? TCU 17, No. 23 Houston 14
Are you kidding me??Wisconsin 27, No. 21 Illinois 10
Great game no one is talking about: Arizona @ No. 25 Arizona State
Also: Cincinnati @ TCU
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mario Cristobal of Miami vs Pat Narduzzi of Pittsburgh
I.C.M., B1G Edition: P.J. Fleck of Minnesota vs Luke Fickell of Wisconsin
I.C.M., SEC Edition: Clark Lea of Vanderbilt vs Josh Heupel of Tennessee
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 2 Indiana @ Purdue
Why are they playing? Charlotte @ No. 24 Tulane
Plenty of good seats remaining: Bowling Green @ UMass
Plenty of good seats remaining, ACC Edition: Boston College @ Syracuse
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? UTEP @ Delaware
Week 13 [Random] Thoughts:
In an offensive explosion to end all offensive explosions, Utah triumphed over Kansas State 51-47: there’s the Big XII we all know and love, where defenses treat their job as if it’s a pillow fight!
The potential outcomes for the ACC champion right now are so convoluted, one would need one of those diagram boards detectives use to figure out “whodonit”. But Pittsburgh just beat hitherto contender Georgia Tech in convincing fashion, and are now about to face tough-but-inconsistent Miami (Fla.) this week. If Pat Narduzzi’s squad can pull an upset win, ought there not to be a path for the Panthers to walk away with the conference crown?
Am I the only person out there who thinks that Georgia should be ranked No. 2 in the playoffs instead of No. 4? They can demolish almost any team not named Alabama, or, possibly, Ohio State.
Rivalry Week is now upon us, where any number of crazy things can happen. Case in point: the theme music from The Twilight Zone is required to play in the background when discussing the fact that Vanderbilt is favored over Tennessee, rankings-wise…yet Tennessee still has a good team this year. There’s a twist, no?
This week is special for a number of reasons, one of which this time around is that there are so many intriguing coaching matchups. One that should perhaps also be mentioned in the list above is Dan Lanning of Oregon vs Jedd Fisch of Washington. While we’re at it, how about Eliah Drinkwitz of Missouri vs Bobby Petrino of Arkansas, or Jeff Brohm of Louisville vs Mark Stoops of Kentucky, or Dabo Swinney of Clemson vs Shane Beamer of South Carolina? I would be somewhat tempted to include Barry Odom of Purdue vs Curt Cignetti of Indiana, but the former will be so outgunned that the game will surely end in tragedy for the host team. Nevertheless, the list goes on, but the reader understands one more fascinating aspect of why this week could yield so many great games.
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Willie Fritz, Houston
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: N/A
Desperately seeking … anything: Brian Kelly, LSU
TEAMS Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Indiana (defeated UCLA 56-6)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oregon (defeated Wisconsin 21-7) Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Oklahoma State (lost to Texas Tech 42-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: North Carolina (lost to Virginia 17-16)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Iowa (defeated Minnesota 41-3)
Dang, they’re good: Texas A&M Dang, they’re bad: Oklahoma State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: South Florida
Did the season start? Illinois Can the season end? Nevada
Can the season never end? Georgia Tech
GAMES Play this again: No. 10 Vanderbilt 17, No. 15 Missouri 10
Play this again, too: No. 4 Alabama 29, South Carolina 22
Never play this again: No. 2 Indiana 56, UCLA 6
What? Virginia Tech 42, Cal 34, 2OT
Huh? Memphis 34, No. 18 South Florida 31
Are you kidding me?? Houston 24, No. 24 Arizona State 16
Oh – my – God: Washington 42, No. 23 Illinois 25
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 10) Ticket to die for: No. 18 Oklahoma @ No. 14 Tennessee
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: none
Best non-Power Four matchup: Navy @ North Texas
Upset alert: No. 17 Cincinnati @ No. 24 Utah
Must win: No. 9 Vanderbilt @ No. 20 Texas
Offensive explosion: Baylor @ No. 24 Cincinnati
Defensive struggle: Kentucky @ Auburn
Great game no one is talking about: No. 15 Virginia @ Cal
Intriguing coaching matchup: Lincoln Riley of USC vs Matt Rhule of Nebraska
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 12 Notre Dame @ Boston College
Why are they playing? N/A
Plenty of good seats remaining: Louisiana @ South Alabama
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Sam Houston @ Louisiana Tech
Week 9 [Random] Thoughts:
Vanderbilt, the perennial punching bag of the SEC, is now ranked in the top ten for the first time since 1947. Let that sink in for a moment. How did this come about? The likely answer is, a number of factors. Clark Lea certainly had a vision, greatly aided to fruition by talented QB Diego Pavia. But surely other talented players have been key factors in this fascinating development. That is where the combination of the transfer portal and the NIL come into play. Vanderbilt has enjoyed the well-earned reputation of being the most prestigious school in the SEC, and with that surely comes some reasonably deep pockets to fund a strong NIL collective, to say nothing of its location in growing corporate hotbed Nashville. As fans of college football, let us embrace the opportunity to witness this further develop, for if nothing else, it gives us all the more great SEC matchups to enjoy every Saturday.
Texas pulled off an improbable comeback in the 4th quarter at Mississippi State. Arch Manning went 29-35 for 346 yards and 4 touchdowns, with one interception, and that came from a deflection off the hands of a receiver. In the 4th quarter, Manning went 12-20, passing for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Yet the biggest irony of all was when he went out, concussed, in overtime. Backup Matthew Caldwell went into the game, and executed in a massive way, throwing the game-winning touchdown. Could it be that the biggest untapped strength of this young, unstable Texas team is its backup QBs?
Is the Brian Kelly experiment in Baton Rouge about to come to a sudden, ignominious end? Texas A&M embarrassed LSU in Death Valley, 49-25. Early in the 4th quarter, fans started to empty the stands in droves. Such is hardly the look the powers that be in LSU’s athletics department like to project during a primetime game on ABC. But in Kelly’s defense, the Tigers’ three losses all come to current, top-ten teams, those being Ole Miss (currently No. 8), Vanderbilt (currently No. 9), and now Texas A&M (currently No. 3). Can some blame be nevertheless placed at Kelly’s feet for not having an optimal season? Surely, yes. He certainly has failed at designing an offense to play to QB Garrett Nussmeier’s strengths, but that also assumes that he has any strengths worth noting in the first place. But while many are now calling for Kelly’s head, some context in this situation might be a benefit to everyone.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss seemed to pass a key test by defeating Oklahoma on the road, 34-26. With a reasonably clear path to win out in the regular season, it is quite reasonable to conclude that the Rebels control their own destiny to make the playoffs this year, surely legitimizing Lane Kiffin’s tenure in Oxford in the process.
Did the season start? LSU Can the season end? Sam Houston
Can the season never end? Vanderbilt
GAMES Play this again: No. 9 Georgia 43, No. 5 Ole Miss 35
Play this again, too: Arizona State 26, No. 7 Texas Tech 22
Never play this again: James Madison 63, Old Dominion 27
What? UAB 31, No. 22 Memphis 24
Huh? Minnesota 24, No. 25 Nebraska 6
Double-huh? No. 17 Vanderbilt 31, No. 10 LSU 24
Are you kidding me?? Arizona State 26, No. 7 Texas Tech 22
Oh – my – God: Louisville 24, No. 2 Miami, FL 21
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 9) Ticket to die for: No. 3 Texas A&M @ No. 20 LSU
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: none
Best non-Power Four matchup: No. 18 South Florida @ Memphis
Upset alert: No. 11 BYU @ Iowa State
Must win: No. 8 Ole Miss @ No. 13 Oklahoma
Offensive explosion: Baylor @ No. 24 Cincinnati
Defensive struggle: Rutgers @ Purdue
Great game no one is talking about: No. 23 Illinois @ Washington
Also: Northwestern @ Nebraska
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jedd Fisch of Washington vs Bret Bielema of Illinois
Who’s bringing the body bags? Oklahoma State @ No. 14 Texas Tech
Why are they playing? N/A
Plenty of good seats remaining: South Alabama @ Georgia State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? North Texas @ Charlotte
Week 8 Thoughts:
Another week has passed where upsets abounded. The weekend launched with a bang in the form of unranked Louisville delivering a massive upset in Miami, thus exposing the Hurricanes for perhaps not being the juggernaut team some thought they were. Jeff Brohm has been known to gear his team up for huge games, and golly, did he deliver this time. On the other side of the ball, the Hurricanes can still regroup, finish the season strongly, and a playoff berth would surely be in the cards – an ironic expression, given the team to which they just lost – nonetheless.
Also on Friday evening, Minnesota delivered a blow to Nebraska’s brief ranking.
The next day at noon Eastern Time, the upset trend picked up where it left off with Vanderbilt exposing LSU for having an inconsistent office. Here it is, mid-season, and Brian Kelly, a supposedly offensive coach, has yet to craft an offense to take advantage of Garrett Nussmeier’s strengths.
Then Memphis inexplicably laid an egg against UAB in Birmingham, Ala., thus jeopardizing its ranking. At that same time, Arizona State came out of hiding and delivered the first loss of the season to then-No. 7 Texas Tech.
One would think that then-No. 9 Georgia defeating then-No. 5 Ole Miss would also qualify as a massive upset, but deep down, we all knew that the Bulldogs were the stronger team in any case, regardless of preliminary ranking.
Some near-upsets likewise occurred, such as Texas, who barely escaped Lexington with their skin on, while Washington State actually led Virginia, in Charlottesville, for a good chunk of the game before eventually losing by only two points.
Do not be fooled by the result of the Arkansas-Texas A&M game. The Razorbacks’ loss by only three points was due to a last-minute touchdown. That said, Bobby Petrino’s signature upset shall surely come in due time.
Another near-upset took place in Columbia, Mo., with unranked Auburn taking Missouri into OT, only to lose by a touchdown in the second overtime. Over in Utah, while the Utes gave BYU a tough game in Provo, it was not meant to be, as the Cougars triumphed 24-21.
Random Thoughts:
The Miami Hurricanes’ quest for the playoffs is by no means dead, but look out for Georgia Tech, who remains undefeated and has now quietly risen to the No. 7 ranking, ahead of the ‘Canes sent down to that of No. 9 (a fall that could have been worse).
The Longhorns were lucky to escape Lexington with their skin on. Now they venture to Starkville, Miss., to take on a scrappy Mississippi State squad. High-profile QB Arch Manning was outclassed by Kentucky’s Cutter Boley last night. Can he get it together in time to redeem himself on the road this week?
Also this week, Minnesota plays Iowa for one of the most unique trophies in all of college football, the Floyd of Rosedale, considered by many to be the top rivalry trophy in all of college football. Be ready for what should be a hard-fought matchup, as both teams are now 5-2 and are fairly evenly matched.
Look for another possibly even matchup with No. 15 Mizzou taking on No. 10 Vandy in Nashville (both teams are 6-1). Elsewhere, 5-2 Northwestern ventures over to Lincoln to face 5-2 Nebraska, while 5-2 Illinois goes all the way out to Seattle to take on 5-2 Washington. Perhaps the best battle of teams with matching records shall be 6-1 [No. 8] Ole Miss playing 6-1 [No. 13] Oklahoma in Norman.
It might not be the monster week we all enjoyed in week 7, but plenty of hidden gems await us all the same.
Did the season start? Penn State Can the season end? Oklahoma State
Can the season never end? Alabama
GAMES Play this again: No. 3 Miami (FL) 28, No. 18 Florida State 22
Play this again, too: Navy 34, Air Force 31
Never play this again: NC State 56, Campbell 10
What? Wake Forest 30, Virginia Tech 23
Huh? Cincinnati 38, No. 14 Iowa State 30
Are you kidding me?? Florida 29, No. 9 Texas 21
Oh – my – God: UCLA 42, No. 7 Penn State 35
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 7) Ticket to die for: No. 7 Indiana @ No. 3 Oregon
Best Only non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Washington State @ No. 4 Ole Miss
Best non-Power Four matchup: No. 24 South Florida @ North Texas
Upset alert: No. 8 Alabama @ No. 14 Missouri
Also: No. 15 Michigan @ USC
Must win: No. 6 Oklahoma vs Texas in the Red River Showdown in Dallas
Offensive explosion: Air Force @ UNLV
Defensive struggle: Iowa @ Wisconsin
Great game no one is talking about: Nebraska @ Maryland
Intriguing coaching matchup: Barry Odom of Purdue vs PJ Fleck of Minnesota
Who’s bringing the body bags? Houston @ Oklahoma State
Why are they playing? Washington State @ No. 4 Ole Miss
Plenty of good seats remaining: UMass @ Kent State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Wake Forest @ Oregon State
Week 6 Thoughts:
What are we to make of what happened some of this week’s games? Let us take Penn State as an example: last week, they could have earned top-rank status in the Big Ten Conference, arguably the strongest conference this season. A sudden, freak interception thrown by Penn State QB Drew Allar instead vaulted Oregon to near-supremacy in the B1G instead, though further tests await the Ducks (namely, IU coming to Eugene this upcoming weekend).
Then, in the most inexplicable of turns, Penn State ventures out west to play UCLA. The Bruins have been notorious for reeling this year, so it stood to reason that the Nittany Lions could get well on a this hapless bunch, almost having to play the role of pitiless executioner, even on the road. Funny thing how the Bruins failed to get that memo, as they pounced on the ‘Lions, first scoring 10 unanswered points and never relinquishing the lead throughout the game, despite giving up a safety with 0:25 left in the 4th quarter.
The questions that many observers quietly raised about the limitations of James Franklin’s coaching have now become a roaring clamor heard throughout the core geographical footprint of the B1G. Could this be a sudden unraveling of Franklin’s tenure in not-so-Happy Valley?
Meanwhile, let us recall that many folks, Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd included, projected Penn State to play Texas for the national title. The latter’s scenario seems almost unlikely as the former’s, as Arch Manning & Co. got swallowed up in The Swamp this week. Manning continues to wait too long in the pocket to release his passes, but remains quite adept at scrambling for yardage. Perhaps Steve Sarkesian and staff can coach the former out of him and lean more into the latter. If so, then further room for growth and development remains. It had better come quickly, as they play hated, resurgent rival Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl amid the Texas State Fair next week.
The respective problems with Franklin and Sark are polar-opposites to each other. Sark thinks he can overwhelm his opponents with a “wow” factor, and that clearly has not worked. Moreover, Sark’s big weakness is that he is never organizationally buttoned-up as one might expect for an elite coach. The latter is not Franklin’s problem at all, but he is totally lacking in the “wow” factor. That actually makes him a good fit at Penn State, which historically takes a very blue-collar attitude towards the game.
Combine the two respective strengths of these respective coaches, and one has the next Nick Saban. But alone, they are not quite as elite coaches as we thought that they were. In their defense, so few coaches are in an overall league (the FBS) with 136 teams.
Random Thoughts:
Not a week of many potential offensive explosions, so it seems, but my prediction record on those is spotty at best. That said, we have a bumper crop this upcoming week for potential upsets. In addition to the aforementioned Alabama @ Missouri and Michigan @ USC, potential upsets abound elsewhere. To wit: South Carolina @ No. 11 LSU; Arizona @ No. 18 BYU; Arkansas @ No. 12 Tennessee; dare we also include Arizona State (ranked) @ Utah (currently unranked), and Illinois @ Ohio State? The last one, probably not, although it will be interesting to see how well the Illini rise to that ultimate test.
Did the season start? Florida State Can the season end? UCLA
Can the season never end? Ole Miss
GAMES Play this again: No. 6 Oregon 30, No. 3 Penn State 24, 2OT
Play this again, too: No. 13 Ole Miss 24, No. 4 LSU 19
Never play this again: No. 22 Notre Dame 56, Arkansas 13
What? No. 23 Illinois 34, No. 21 USC 32
Huh? No. 17 Alabama 24, No. 5 Georgia 21
Double-Huh?: No. 13 Ole Miss 24, No. 4 LSU 19
Are you kidding me?? No. 6 Oregon 30, No. 3 Penn State 24, 2OT
Oh – my – God: Virginia 46, No. 8 Florida State 38, 2OT
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 6) Ticket to die for: No. 3 Miami (FL) @ No. 18 Florida State
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Boise State @ No. 21 Notre Dame
Best non-Power Four matchup: FIU @ UConn
Upset alert: No. 16 Vanderbilt @ No. 10 Alabama
Must win: Mississippi State @ No. 6 Texas A&M
Offensive explosion: No. 11 Texas Tech @ Houston
Defensive struggle: No. 7 Texas @ Florida
Great game no one is talking about: No. 24 Virginia @ Louisville
Intriguing coaching matchup: Bret Bielema of Illinois vs Barry Odom of Purdue
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 7 Penn State @ UCLA
Why are they playing? Kent State @ No. 5 Oklahoma
Plenty of good seats remaining: Miami (OH) @ Northern Illinois
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Campbell @ NC State
Week 5 Thoughts:
What a week for the game. We experienced a week in college football where the monster Saturday lived up to its hype. We witnessed an epic nighttime clash in Happy Valley; an interesting test for the No. 1 team in Seattle; a stunning upset Between the Hedges; defensive struggles in College Station and Iowa City alike; a near-upset in Starkville; and a statement game near The Grove. Did we also mention a Friday-night upset in Charlottesville, echoing one involving the same opponents almost 30 years ago to the day?
So, where to begin?
If we were to start with perhaps the biggest of all the games this day, why not start with the purported “ticket to die for”? What was a 3-3 tie at halftime became a 17-17 tie in regulation. Penn State struggled to get their running game established for the majority of the 60 minutes, but managed to put together some impressive runs late in the 4th quarter, enough to come back from a deficit to Oregon. Both teams scored in the first OT, Oregon answered with another TD in the 2OT, but botched their two-point attempt. The window for the Nittany Lions was open…only for it to close in an instant when Drew Allar threw an inexplicable pick to the right side of the field. What ended in huge triumph for Dan Lanning and the Ducks ended in turn as continued frustration for James Franklin & Co., who continue to search for a top-ten win.
Ohio State journeyed out to Seattle to take on undefeated, underrated Washington. The Huskies were prepared well to take on Ohio State, but the Buckeyes managed to slowly, gradually, subdue their hosts over the course of the game, winning 24-6.
Alabama came into a raucous Sanford Stadium at night to take on Georgia, and led for the majority of the game in an incredibly physical contest, walking out from Between the Hedges with a huge win that vindicates Kalen DeBoer’s tenure – for now – in Tuscaloosa, and continues Kirby Smart’s head-scratching Alabama woes.
The purported “defensive struggle” for this week, Kentucky @ South Carolina, turned out not to be for this pathetic prognosticator, as the Gamecocks surprisingly revived their offense to drub the Wildcats 35-13. Meanwhile, the true defensive struggle took place in College Station, where the home team Aggies beat Auburn 16-10. The Tigers have demonstrated to have a good defense, but to describe their offense as anemic would still be an understatement.
The other defensive struggle of note took place in Iowa City. Apparently, Indiana was still on Cloud Nine after ripping Illinois the previous week, for their offense seemed to take the week off. Meanwhile, Iowa, who seemed to discover their offense against UMass (does that even count?) only to lose it again when it counted two weeks later. That aside, an early 4th-quarter field goal put the Hawkeyes up 13-10 over the Hoosiers, who nevertheless answered in delayed fashion with a touchdown with 1:36 left in the game. It proved to be the decisive score, ending at 20-15 in IU’s favor.
Tennessee came calling at Mississippi State, amid more than 60,000 fans with clanging cow bells. The Bulldogs, undefeated prior to this game, put up an incredible fight against the Volunteers, staying close to the orange-clad team throughout regulation, where the teams ended in a tie. But Tennessee’s talent shined through in OT, allowing them to leave with a win, 41-34. Nevertheless, if Mississippi State’s performance is any indication, they can make life difficult for many subsequent teams on their conference schedule.
Meanwhile, a true ‘statement game’ unfolded in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Despite No. 4 LSU drawing first blood in this huge game, home team (and No. 13-ranked) Ole Miss quickly took the lead, and never looked back for the remainder therein. Backup QB Trinidad Chambliss contributed 385 of total offense, including a 20-yard completion for a 4th-down conversion that sealed the game. This decisive win was a ‘statement’ in that it proved the Rebels belong in the conversation as part of the highest tier in the brutal SEC. Conversely, this loss to a major rival raises lots of questions for LSU. Fans were already grumbling over what they perceived to be an unconvincing win over dubious Florida earlier this month. Imagine the grumbling in Bayou Country right now. Perhaps instead of complaining about whether the scrutiny over his coaching is justified, perhaps Kelly should work to develop an offense that takes advantage of QB Garrett Nussmeier.
Finally, Friday night yielded perhaps the greatest upset of the week, when No. 8 Florida State came into town to play unranked Virginia. The Cavaliers played the undefeated Seminoles closely throughout the game, even taking the heavily-favored visitors into overtime. Throngs of students gathered on the grassy slopes behind Scott Stadium’s northwest endzone in anticipation of their Virginia team coming through, which they did when Florida State failed to convert in the second overtime. Instantly, the fans filled the field in wild celebration. This 46-38 win echoes a similar upset 30 years earlier, when, on a Thursday night game on Nov. 2, 1995, then-No. 2 Florida State came to town, only to leave Charlottesville with their first loss of the season (and Virginia’s first-ever win over the vaunted Seminoles). Time to party like it’s 1995!
Random Thoughts:
Here we thought that Syracuse was a good team, I guess, because they beat Clemson. Then they go on to lose a home game in embarrassing fashion to Duke. What gives?
Remember how we thought that Arkansas’ defense taking leave of the entire second half against Memphis was a fluke? Perhaps it was not after all, given the drubbing the Razorbacks just took at home to Notre Dame. Sam Pittman just nudged Billy Napier out of the No. 1-coach-on-the-hotseat-in-the-SEC spot after sustaining the Razorbacks’ eighth-worst loss at home.
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
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.
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
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!”
