College Football Awards, Week 12 (2018) November 18, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Boise State, Boston College, Brian Kelly, BYU, Chad Morris, Chris Petersen, Eastern Michigan, Florida State, Frank Solich, Fresno State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jeff Brohm, Jeremy Pruitt, Kansas, Kansas State, Kent State, Kentucky, Louisville, Lovie Smith, Maryland, Miami (OH), Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee, Mike Leach, Mississippi State, Nebraska, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ohio U, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Rutgers, San Jose State, Songbook, South Florida, Southern Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, UAB, UCF, Urban Meyer, Utah, Utah State, UTEP, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 12] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Glad I’m not him: Chad Morris, Arkansas
Lucky guy: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Poor guy: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Frank Solich, Ohio U
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee
Desperately seeking … anything: Lovie Smith, Illinois
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Mississippi State (defeated Arkansas 52-6)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Ohio State (defeated Maryland 52-51 in OT)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: New Mexico (lost to No. 25 Boise State 45-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Middle Tennessee (lost to No. 17 Kentucky 34-23)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Ohio U (defeated Buffalo 52-17)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Arkansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: West Virginia
Did the season start? Michigan State
Can the season end? Tennessee
Can the season never end? Notre Dame
GAMES
Play this again: Oklahoma State 45, No. 9 West Virginia 41
Play this again, too: Wisconsin 47, Purdue 44, 3 OT
Never play this again: Iowa 63, Illinois 0
What? Miami (Ohio) 13, Northern Illinois 7
Huh? Kansas State 21, Texas Tech 6
Double Huh? Nebraska 9, Michigan State 6
Are you kidding me?? Florida State 22, No. 20 Boston College 21
Oh – my – God: Oklahoma State 45, No. 9 West Virginia 41
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Michigan @ No. 10 Ohio State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: BYU @ No. 19 Utah
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 11 UCF @ South Florida
Honorable mention for above: UAB @ Middle Tennessee
Upset alert: Auburn @ No. 1 Alabama also: Georgia Tech @ No. 5 Georgia
Must win: Purdue @ Indiana
Offensive explosion: No. 6 Oklahoma @ No. 9 West Virginia
Defensive struggle: Eastern Michigan @ Kent State
Great game no one is talking about: No. 23 Utah State @ No. 25 Boise State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Chris Petersen of Washington vs Mike Leach of Washington State
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 17 Kentucky @ Louisville Also: San Jose State @ Fresno State
Why are they playing? No. 15 Texas @ Kansas
Plenty of good seats remaining: Southern Miss @ UTEP
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Rutgers @ Michigan State
College Football Awards, Week 11 (2018) November 11, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas State, Army, Auburn, BC, Boise State, Boston College, Brian Kelly, CHip Kelly, Cincinnati, Citadel, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Fresno State, Georgia, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Jeff Monken, Kentucky, liberty, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Mark Stoops, Michigan, Mike Gundy, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Rice, Rutgers, San Jose State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UAB, UCF, UCLA, UMass, Utah State, UTSA, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Willie Taggart, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 11] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Glad I’m not him: Willie Taggart, Florida State
Lucky guy: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Poor guy: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Desperately seeking … anything: Chip Kelly, UCLA
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated Rutgers 42-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: NC State (lost to Wake Forest 27-23)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Louisville (lost to Syracuse 54-23)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Boston College (lost to Clemson)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Arkansas State (defeated Coastal Carolina 44-16)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: UTSA
Can’t Stand Prosperity: NC State
Did the season start? Wisconsin
Can the season end? North Carolina
Can the season never end? Notre Dame
GAMES
Play this again: No. 6 Oklahoma 48, Oklahoma State 47
Play this again, too: No. 19 Texas 41, Texas Tech 34
Never play this again: Utah State 62, San Jose State 24
What? Minnesota 41, Purdue 10
Huh? Boise State 24, No. 23 Fresno State 17
Double Huh? Northwestern 14, No. 21 Iowa 10
Are you kidding me?? Wake Forest 27, NC State 23 (Thurs.)
Oh – my – God: Tennessee 24, No. 11 Kentucky 7
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 11)
Best game of the week: No. 13 Syracuse @ No. 3 Notre Dame
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: UAB @ Texas A&M
Best non-Power Five matchup: Cincinnati @ No. 12 UCF
Upset alert: No. 22 Iowa State @ No. 19 Texas
Must win: Wisconsin @ Purdue
Offensive explosion: No. 9 West Virginia @ Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: Missouri @ Tennessee
Great game no one is talking about: Cincinnati @ No. 12 UCF
Intriguing coaching matchup: Paul Chryst of Wisconsin vs Jeff Brohm of Purdue
Who’s bringing the body bags? Rice @ No. 7 LSU Also: Citadel @ No. 1 Alabama
Why are they playing? UMass @ No. 5 Georgia
Plenty of good seats remaining: Western Carolina @ North Carolina
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Liberty @ No. 24 Auburn
College Football Awards, Week 10 (2018) November 4, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Bobby Petrino, Boise State, Brett Brennan, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado, Dana Holgorsen, East Carolina, Florida, Fresno State, Georgia, Georgia State, Hurricanes, Iowa, James Franklin, Kansas, Kansas State, Kliff Kingsbury, Louisiana, Louisville, Matt Wells, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Navy, Nebraska, Nick Saban, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, San Jose State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, Tom Herman, Tulane, UCF, Urban Meyer, USF, Utah, Utah State, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 10] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Nick Saban, Alabama
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia
Poor guy: Tom Herman, Texas
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Matt Wells, Utah State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking … anything: Brett Brennan, San Jose State
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Clemson (defeated Louisville 77-16)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Ohio State (defeated Nebraska 36-31)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Louisville (lost to Clemson 77-16)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Charlotte (to Tennessee 14-3)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated No. 14 Penn State 42-7)
Dang, they’re good: Clemson
Dang, they’re bad: San Jose State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Florida
Did the season start? Miami
Can the season end? Louisville
Can the season never end? Michigan
GAMES
Play this again: No. 13 West Virginia 42, No. 17 Texas 41
Play this again, too: Purdue 38, No. 16 Iowa 36
Never play this again: No. 2 Clemson 77, Louisville 16
What? Baylor 35, Oklahoma State 31
Huh? Pitt 23, No. 25 Virginia 13
Double Huh? Purdue 38, No. 16 Iowa 36
Are you kidding me?? Arizona State 38, No. 15 Utah 20
Oh – my – God: Missouri 38, No. 11 Florida 17
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 10)
Best game of the week: (lots of decent games, but nothing spectacular)
One good game to see: Auburn @ No. 6 Georgia
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: USF @ Cincinnati also: Fresno State @ Boise State
Upset alert: Michigan State @ No. 10 Ohio State
Must win: South Carolina @ No. 11 Florida
Offensive explosion: Texas @ Texas Tech
Defensive struggle: Kansas @ Kansas State
Great game no one is talking about: No. 8 Washington State @ Colorado
Also: Wisconsin @ Penn State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Tom Herman of Texas vs. Kliff Kingsbury of Texas Tech
Who’s bringing the body bags? Utah State @ San Jose State
Why are they playing? Navy @ No. 12 UCF
Plenty of good seats remaining: East Carolina @ Tulane
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Georgia State @ Louisiana
College Football Awards, Week 9 (2018) October 28, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Alcorn State, Arizona, Bethune-Cookman, Bill Clark, Bobby Petrino, Cal, California, Charlotte, Clay Helton, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, James Franklin, Jim Harbaugh, Jimbo Fisher, Kansas, Kentucky, Kirby Smart, Louisville, LSU, Mark Stoops, Mississippi State, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rice, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tom Herman, UAB, USC, Utah State, UTEP, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Willie Taggert
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 9] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Willie Taggert, Florida State
Lucky guy: Mike Stoops, Kentucky
Poor guy: Mike Helton, USC
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Tom Herman, Texas
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Bill Clark, UAB
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
Desperately seeking … anything: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Nebraska (defeated Bethune-Cookman 45-9)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: TCU (lost to Kansas 27-26)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Florida State (lost to Clemson 59-10)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (defeated TCU 27-26)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Wake Forest (defeated Louisville 56-35)
Dang, they’re good: Clemson
Dang, they’re bad: Louisville
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Texas
Did the season start? Washington
Can the season end? UTEP
Can the season never end? Notre Dame
GAMES
Play this again: No. 17 Penn State 30, No. 18 Iowa 24
Play this again, too: Oklahoma State 38, No. 6 Texas 35
Never play this again: No. 2 Clemson 59, Florida State 10
What? Arizona 44, No. 19 Oregon 15
Huh? Missisippi State 28, No. 16 Texas A&M 13
Double Huh? Cal 12, No. 15 Washington 10
Are you kidding me?? Oklahoma State 38, No. 6 Texas 35
Oh – my – God: Kansas 27, TCU 26
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 9)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Alabama @ No. 4 LSU
Another key game to see: No. 7 Georgia @ No. 12 Kentucky
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Louisiana Tech @ Mississippi State
Best non-Power Five matchup: Utah State @ Hawaii
Upset alert: No. 13 West Virginia @ No. 6 Texas
Must win: Purdue @ No. 18 Iowa
Offensive explosion: No. 8 Oklahoma @ Texas Tech
Defensive struggle: inconclusive
Great game no one is talking about: No. 3 Notre Dame @ Northwestern
Also: Purdue @ No. 18 Iowa
Intriguing coaching matchup: James Franklin of Penn State vs. Jim Harbaugh of Michigan
Who’s bringing the body bags? Louisville @ No. 2 Clemson
Why are they playing? Charlotte @ Tennessee
Plenty of good seats remaining: UTEP @ Rice
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Alcorn State @ New Mexico State
A Tale of Two Teams (for the middle of the 2018 season) October 21, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: B1G, Big Ten, Boilermakers, Boilers, Buckeyes, Indiana, Iowa, Mark Dantonio, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Ross-Ade Stadium
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Upsets may have abounded last week (week 7), but this [eighth] week gave us one of the biggest upsets of the year thus far in Purdue not only defeating No. 2 Ohio State, but dominating them throughout the game. At no time did the Buckeyes take the lead throughout the 60 minutes of regulation. Given the nature of the college game, the win was of the highly emotional nature, and a celebratory crowd gathered on the field of Ross-Ade Stadium immediately afterward not seen in size and magnitude since the Boilers defeated Indiana to earn its Rose Bowl berth almost 18 years ago.
One takeaway from this is that is appears to be a recurring pattern for Ohio State to give us one embarrassing loss per year. Last year it was Iowa trouncing them in Iowa City, and yesterday it was Purdue trouncing them in West Lafayette. Such a huge loss last year turned out to be the deciding factor that kept the Buckeyes out of the playoffs, much to the detriment of the playoffs in terms of engagement with a national audience. Does such a loss portend the same thing for Ohio State this season?
Maybe, maybe not. Last year, Ohio State already had one loss (to Penn State, at home) headed into Iowa before sustaining such a stinging defeat. This time around, the Bucks were undefeated and ranked No. 2 nationally in the AP Poll. With Maryland and Nebraska remaining on their schedules, those are two easy wins with which to climb back up the polls. Michigan State shall be a challenge, however, on Nov. 10, and of course, they cap off the regular season in “The Game” against sworn enemy Michigan, who is also in the top ten. So, with help and a redoubled effort, there is still hope for Ohio State’s playoff aspirations. After all, it’s not November yet, when such a wound is non-recoverable.
For Purdue, such a win could be a huge shot in the arm for a season that was already gaining in momentum after an inexplicable 0-3 start. Since then, the team has shown increased improvement with each passing week. It is crucial for Purdue that this pattern remains to keep up this newfound momentum. Normally after highly emotional wins such as this, the victorious team likely comes out flat the following week. We’re talking about 19 and 20 year-old college kids, after all, not seasoned pros who, through hard work and experience, have inoculated themselves from the emotional roller coaster. No, college kids are still prone to it, sadly, which means the following week remains a head scratcher as to which team might show up, with some exceptions.
The primary cause for Purdue’s concern right now just so happens to be such an exception in Michigan State. Mark Dantonio’s squad can be counted on to give a tough, consistent effort against its foes every week, no matter how outmatched the Spartans may be talent-wise. Factor in further the fact that MSU just came off a tough loss to hated Michigan, and it is quite likely that the Spartans shall show up angry and anxious to take out their disappointment on visiting Purdue next week.
The bottom line for Purdue is that, as great a win as this was, it is still the middle of the season. They now have to get back to work to ready themselves to take on another dangerous opponent. If they successfully maintain the momentum they have methodically built up thus far, they could vie for the B1G championship game in early December. The bottom line for Ohio State is that hope remains for them if they too get back to work and learn to put forth an effort where they more consistently play up to their potential, unlike this past Saturday night. Should these optimal paths be taken by these respective teams, we could see a [high-stakes] rematch between them six weeks hence in Indianapolis.
College Football Awards Week 12 (2017) November 19, 2017
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Arkansas, Badgers, Baylor, Boston College, Bruins, BYU, Central Florida, Charlie Strong, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Clemson, Dave Clawson, Egg Bowl, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Frank Solich, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Mora, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Kilane Sitake, Kirk Ferentz, Longhorns, Louisville, Matt Luke, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Navy, NC State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ohio U, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Scott Frost, South Alabama, South Carolina, South Florida, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCF, UCLA, UConn, USC, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin, Wolfpack
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 12] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Glad I’m not him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Lucky guy: Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
Poor guy: Matt Luke, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Frank Solich, Ohio U
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferenz, Iowa
Desperately seeking … anything: Kilane Sitake, BYU
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Louisville (defeated Syracuse 56-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Mississippi State (defeated Arkansas 28-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Illinois (lost to Ohio State 52-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Navy (lost to No. 8 Notre Dame 24-17)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Northwestern (defeated Minnesota 39-0)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: South Alabama
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Iowa
Did the season start? Oklahoma State
Can the season end? Tennessee
Can the season never end? Oklahoma
GAMES
Play this again: Texas A&M 31, Ole Miss 24
Play this again, too: Kansas State 45, No. 13 Oklahoma State 40
Never play this again: Florida State 77, Delaware State 6
What? Akron 37, Ohio U 34
Huh? Wake Forest 30, No. 19 NC State 24
Are you kidding me?? Kansas State 45, No. 13 Oklahoma State 40
Oh – my – God: Purdue 24, Iowa 15
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 12, pre-week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 9 Ohio State @ Michigan also: No. 1 Alabama @ No. 6 Auburn
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: South Florida @ No. 15 UCF
Upset alert: No. 2 Clemson @ South Carolina also: No. 8 Notre Dame @ No. 22 Stanford
Must win: Indiana @ Purdue also: No. 9 Ohio State @ Michigan
Offensive explosion: No. 14 Washington State @ No. 18 Washington
Defensive struggle: Florida State @ Florida
Great game no one is talking about: Louisville @ Kentucky
Intriguing coaching matchup: Scott Frost of Central Florida vs Charlie Strong of South Florida
Who’s bringing the body bags? Baylor @ No. 12 TCU
Why are they playing? Florida Atlantic @ Charlotte
Plenty of good seats remaining: UConn @ Cincinnati
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Vanderbilt @ Tennessee
Week 12 Random Thoughts:
Today yielded no earth-shattering upsets. How could it, with so many highly-ranked teams inexplicably engaged in body bag games so late in the year? Nevertheless, some interesting upsets did ensue. Pathetic Akron took down perennial MAC contender Ohio U, for example. Kansas State defeated Oklahoma State on the road. Unranked Wake Forest (now 7-4, surprisingly) upset No. 19 NC State, putting a blemish on an otherwise impressive year for the Wolfpack. Even more amazingly, Purdue went on the road to play Iowa, a game where nobody, least of all yours truly, gave them a chance to win, and yet they did anyhow. Don’t ask how the same team that embarrassed Ohio State by the worst margin in more than two decades could lose two weeks later at home to a lesser team. There is no rational explanation.
Texas earned a great win, on the road, over West Virginia. Two weeks ago, the Longhorns gave a pitiful offensive performance against TCU, and offered only a middling performance in their win over Kansas last week. Naturally, this turn of events gave the Longhorn faithful cause for concern. Whether these concerns are no longer valid remains to be seen. But adjustments were clearly made, to the point where Texas was able to win, convincingly, in a tough environment, against a favored team. Looks like progress, and the Horns are now bowl-eligible to boot. Next week they close the regular season at home against Texas Tech, which will be a decent test to see if they can maintain their current level of performance.
Remember my earlier speculation about Purdue’s bowl chances having evaporated? Wad that thought up and toss it out the window. Purdue’s surprising upset over Iowa – on the road, no less – has given their season a new life. Don’t ask how this came to pass. Be all that as it may, this upcoming week, both Purdue and in-state rival Indiana shall play each other for two things, not just one. Not only will they play for the Old Oaken Bucket trophy, but also for bowl eligibility. No telling the last time the stakes were that high for the two teams.
Every season, there is always a surprise or two. One such this year is Central Florida, who currently undefeated and ranked first in the All-American Conference East Division. At a current rank of no. 15, head coach Scott Frost seems to know what he is doing. This is the same Scott Frost who was the capable, tough, dependable quarterback who led Nebraska to a share of the national title with Michigan in the 1997 season. After several years as a back-up QB in the NFL, he gradually worked his way up the ranks in coaching. With a relatively easy schedule remaining, the Golden Knights could remain undefeated going into the ultimate conference showdown at season’s end. Then, they face 9-1 South Florida, led by Coach Charlie Strong. Surely that is to be one of the most intriguing of coaching matchups of the year!
Shout-out to Notre Dame for wearing very cool-looking, throwback-inspired uniforms during their game against Navy. I sincerely hope that more teams with gold in their school colors have the good sense to copy those nice-looking gold pants that the Irish wore this week.
Just several weeks earlier, Louisville could not beat Wake Forest or Boston College. Now, they seem to have turned things around. Their 56-10 walloping of Syracuse is a sure sign the Cardinals are playing back to form, and are doing so just at the right time, as they take on in-state rival Kentucky this upcoming week.
UCLA just fired Jim Mora, Jr. Ironically, the Bruins lost last night to cross-town rival USC by a respectable margin, 28-23. But the powers that be in Westwood clearly did not like the direction the program was headed. Mora helped create high expectations for the Bruin faithful, but sadly failed to deliver (UCLA is now 5-6). Then again, the school is only partially committed compared to USC, or to any other program that is determined to compete for a national title. Firing the current head coach shall thus not solve this systemic problem.
With Wisconsin’s win over Michigan, the Badgers continue their undefeated streak and are on a certain course to represent the Western Division in the Big Ten championship. All Ohio State has to do is beat Michigan this upcoming week for the rights to butt heads with the Badgers. My scenario for the best possible playoff scenario thus continues, but more pratfalls remain.
The best game on Thanksgiving is not played in Detroit or Dallas. No, rather it is usually the “Egg Bowl,” the annual Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State grudge-match that shall once again kickoff on the evening of the fourth Thursday in November. Let us enjoy it, and God Bless America!
College Football Awards Week 11 (2017) November 13, 2017
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona, Army, Auburn, Ball State, Butch Jones, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Dan Mullen, Florida, Fresno State, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Hurricanes, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Monken, Kansas State, Louisville, LSU, Mark Richt, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, New Mexico, Nick Saban, North Carolina, North Texas, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Purdue, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Utah, Virginia Tech, Washington, Wyoming
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 11] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Mark Richt, Miami
Glad I’m not him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Lucky guy: Nick Saban, Alabama
Poor guy: Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: (none)
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Desperately seeking … anything: Butch Jones, Tennessee
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Texas A&M (defeated New Mexico 55-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Alabama (defeated No. 16 Mississippi State 31-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Tennessee (lost to Missouri 50-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Mississippi State (lost to No. 2 Alabama 31-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Ohio State (defeated No. 12 Michigan State 48-3)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Georgia Southern
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Georgia
Did the season start? Virginia Tech
Can the season end? Florida
Can the season never end? Miami
GAMES
Play this again: No. 2 Alabama 31, No. 16 Mississippi State 24
Play this again, too: No. 15 Oklahoma State 49, No. 21 Iowa State 42
Never play this again: Northern Illinois 63, Ball State 17
What? Georgia Tech 28, No. 17 Virginia Tech 22
Huh? Stanford 30, No. 9 Washington 22
Are you kidding me?? No. 7 Miami 41, No. 3 Notre Dame 8
Oh – my – God: No. 10 Auburn 40, No. 1 Georgia 17
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 11, pre-week 12)
Ticket to die for: None, except maybe Michigan @ No. 8 Wisconsin
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Western Carolina @ North Carolina
Best non-Power Five matchup: Fresno State @ Wyoming also: Army @ North Texas
Upset alert: Utah @ No. 9 Washington
Must win: Texas @ West Virginia also: No. 8 TCU @ No. 5 Oklahoma
Offensive explosion: SMU @ No. 18 Memphis
Defensive struggle: No. 21 LSU @ Tennessee
Great game no one is talking about: Arizona @ Oregon
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jim Harbaugh of Michigan vs. Paul Chryst of Wisconsin
Who’s bringing the body bags? Citadel @ No. 4 Clemson
Why are they playing? Wofford @ South Carolina also: Mercer @ No. 1 Alabama
Plenty of good seats remaining: Coastal Carolina @ Idaho
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Louisiana-Monroe @ No. 10 Auburn
Week 11 Random Thoughts:
Is it safe to say that Miami (Fla.) is back as a top-tier program? Already ranked No. 7 going into this weekend’s game, they crushed No. 3 Notre Dame at home, 41-8. They remain undefeated in one of the toughest conferences in football, now at the No. 2 spot in the AP Poll (Clemson is now at No. 3). If these shadows remain unchanged, they could face Clemson in the ACC Championship game early next month (ticket-to-die-for in the making?). If they win that, it would be close to certain that the Hurricanes would be in the playoffs, and rightly so. So yeah, sure looks that way.
It’s a good thing I listed Butch Jones as “Desperately seeking…anything” because as of today (Nov. 12), he got the ax at Tennessee. This became an increasingly urgent necessity as the season progressed. Despite the solid recruiting classes Jones brought in at Tennessee, he was unable to translate the talent into wins on the field. Barely winning over lousy UMass was cause for concern. Losing a squeaker to a mediocre Florida was bad enough. Losing to Georgia in a blowout – one of the worst in recent program history – was a major embarrassment. Losing to Kentucky – something the Volunteers very rarely do – was obviously unacceptable. Getting crushed by hated Alabama became inevitable – which didn’t make it any less unpalatable to the Tennessee faithful. The final nail in Jones’ coffin was a blowout loss to Missouri, of all teams. So, Jones is now out at Tennessee. Time for the replacement coaching search games to begin!
While this was a great weekend for college football (despite some unexpectedly one-sided outcomes – looking your way, Georgia and Notre Dame), next week shall be something of a let-down. The only game resembling a marquee matchup is No. 19 Michigan vs No. 5 Wisconsin. Half of the SEC is wasting the upcoming weekend with body bag games. To wit: Mercer plays at Alabama; Wofford plays South Carolina in an annual late-season affair (why??); Auburn dialed up a “w” with Louisiana-Monroe. Florida would also be included, except for the fact that UAB has a much better record (7-3) than the Gators (3-6). Not to be outdone, Clemson had to get in on the act by playing the Citadel.
At least the other half of the conference was exercising some degree of sense by scheduling real games. Kentucky plays at Georgia. LSU plays at Tennessee, which will no doubt further contribute to the Volunteers’ collective misery. Texas A&M plays at Ole Miss in what should be a good game. Missouri, surprisingly offensively spry, plays at Vanderbilt.
Purdue’s bowl eligibility hopes for the year are quickly dwindling. They currently stand at 4-6, and have to win out over both Iowa and Indiana. Whereas the latter seems winnable, the former, not so much. The Boilers did themselves no favors by losing on the road to conference cellar-dweller Rutgers, then blowing a 4th-quarter lead at home to Nebraska. The good news is that if Purdue ends up at 5-7, they’ll still have won more games than the entire Hazell era combined.
All that said, there are some decent games that might not be of huge consequence. Syracuse plays Louisville, for example, and Kansas State plays Oklahoma State. Arizona at Oregon is also a good match-up, and Utah has the potential to upset Washington. So there are enjoyable games this weekend, we’ll just have to search more diligently than usual for them.
College Football Awards Week 10 (2017) November 6, 2017
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, B1G, Big Ten, Bill Connelly, Bret Bielema, Brian Kelly, Buckeyes, Bulldogs, Coastal Carolina, David Beaty, Florida, Gators, Georgia, Hawkeyes, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, Joel Klatt, Kansas, Kansas State, Kirk Ferentz, Longhorns, Louisiana, Maine, Mark Richt, Miami, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Neal Brown, Nevada, New Mexico, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ohio U, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Purdue, San Diego State, San Jose State, South Carolina, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Toledo, Troy, UCLA, UMass, Urban Meyer, Utah, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 10] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Glad I’m not him: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Lucky guy: Bret Bielema, Arkansas
Poor guy: James Franklin, Penn State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: (none)
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Neal Brown, Troy
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Desperately seeking … anything: David Beaty, Kansas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: San Diego State (defeated San Jose State 52-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Arkansas (defeated Coastal Carolina 39-38)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: San Jose State (lost to San Diego State 52-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: UMass (lost to No. 16 Mississippi State 34-23)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Missouri (defeated Florida 45-16)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Kansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Ohio State
Did the season start? Stanford
Can the season end? Florida
Can the season never end? Michigan State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 24 Michigan State 27, No. 7 Penn State 24
Play this again, too: Kansas State 42, Texas Tech 35
Never play this again: San Diego State 52, San Jose State 7
What? No. 25 Washington State 25, No. 21 Stanford 21
Huh? West Virginia 20, No. 15 Iowa State 16
Are you kidding me?? No. 24 Michigan State 27, No. 7 Penn State 24
Oh – my – God: Iowa 55, No. 6 Ohio State 24
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 10, pre-week 11)
Ticket to die for: No. 3 Notre Dame @ No. 10 Miami also: No. 8 TCU @ No. 5 Oklahoma
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Louisiana @ Ole Miss
Best non-Power Five matchup: Toledo @ Ohio U
Upset alert: No. 25 Washington State @ Utah
Must win: No. 24 Michigan State @ No. 6 Ohio State also: No. 8 TCU @ No. 5 Oklahoma
Offensive explosion: West Virginia @ Kansas State
Defensive struggle: Florida @ South Carolina
Great game no one is talking about: No. 20 Oklahoma State @ Iowa State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Brian Kelly of Notre Dame vs. Mark Richt of Miami (FL)
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 22 Arizona @ Oregon State
Why are they playing? New Mexico @ Texas A&M
Plenty of good seats remaining: San Jose State @ Nevada
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Maine @ UMass
Week 10 Random Thoughts:
As Bill Connelly reminds this time of the year, November is for everything. Teams are what they are at this point of the season. A loss now can sink a team’s season. With that in mind, let us examine the following:
Just when we thought Ohio State had a shot at the playoffs after a big win over Penn State, this week, the Buckeyes turned right around and spoiled it for all of us. It’s not that they lost, it’s how they lost that’s the true disgrace.
Anyone with any discernment knew that Iowa would be a tough out for any team. They took Penn State to the very wire, after all. Perhaps too many on Ohio State’s team thought they were on Easy Street after taking down the Nittany Lions last week. Guess again, guys. The Buckeyes failed to score in the whole second half until 4:37 remained in regulation. By then, it was too little, too late. The Hawkeyes triumphed in dramatic fashion, 55-24, giving the Buckeyes their worst loss since 1994. Ouch. Not exactly a playoff-caliber performance, guys. Speaking of which, kiss those hopes goodbye for the year, and let that be a lesson to all of us to always bring one’s “A” game.
Remember when Texas seemed to have found an offense last week against Baylor? Yeah, that was a false alarm: fool’s gold. The Longhorns only mustered a single touchdown (2nd quarter) the entire game, losing it 24-7. The Horns’ defense was impressive, all things considered, but their offense is frankly non-existent. Why? Much of it revolved around a young offensive line that is still trying to gel. Even if QB Shane Buechele had time in the pocket, his receivers failed to get separation (some blame the offensive coordinator for failing to scheme properly). Their own self-inflicted mistakes that translated to penalties obviously did them no favors, either. It all added up to an incoherent mess on the offensive side of the ball, and the score at game’s end showed it.
This weekend has rightly been dubbed “elimination weekend,” but that could surely apply to other weekends to come this month. Notre Dame has yet to play resurgent Miami, and after that they must face Stanford: both are on the road.
Penn State did themselves no favors by losing to Michigan State on the road. With that loss, their playoff aspirations for the year are over, but in the Nittany Lions’ defense, the game was much closer (21-14) than Ohio State’s disastrous outing at Iowa. The long rain delay in the middle of the game likely interfered with their rhythms, too.
Speaking again of Ohio State, they have no time to lick their wounds, as the Spartans come calling this upcoming weekend.
South Carolina has quietly become bowl-eligible with six wins, despite their most recent loss, on the road, to border rival Georgia. To be sure, the Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 2 in the playoffs, so the loss, on paper, was expected. Now the Gamecocks face a depleted Florida Gators squad, at home, where the odds are likely they can amass win No. 7 for the year.
Georgia, meanwhile, faces a potential pitfall when they venture into No. 14 Auburn to engage in “the oldest rivalry in the South”.
Washington State squeaked by Stanford. Now they must face Utah, who crushed UCLA, 48-17. Here is yet another potential upset in the making. Joel Klatt, are you paying attention yet?
In another window into the current state of Big Ten football, resurgent Purdue is, currently, a slight underdog to Northwestern. Another potential conference “Toilet Bowl” awaits with Illinois facing Indiana (the latter’s record is deceptive, though). Also, Iowa now has to face undefeated Wisconsin; not a good time to be on Cloud Nine after taking down the mighty Buckeyes.
College Football Awards Week 9 (2017) October 30, 2017
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, B1G, Ball State, Baylor, Big Ten, Boilers, Boston College, Bulldogs, Butch Jones, Central Florida, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, David Shaw, Florida, Florida State, Gamecocks, Gary Patterson, Gator Bowl, Gators, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Iowa, Iowa State, Irish, James Franklin, Jeff Brohm, Jim McElwain, Jimbo Fisher, Justin Fuente, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Mark Dantonio, Mark Richt, Miami, Miami (Florida), Miami Hurricanes, Michigan State, Mike Riley, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Oregon State, Penn State, Purdue, SMU, South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Miss, Stanford, Steve Addazio, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo, UCF, UMass, Urban Meyer, Virginia Tech, Washington State, West Virginia, Will Muschamp
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 9] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: David Shaw, Stanford also: Mike Riley, Nebraska
Poor guy: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Gary Patterson, TCU
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Steve Addazio, Boston College
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jim McElwain, Florida
Desperately seeking … anything: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: UCF (defeated Austin Peay 73-33)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Stanford (defeated Oregon State 15-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Baylor (lost to Texas 38-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: North Carolina (lost to No. 8 Miami 24-19)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Boston College (defeated Florida State 35-3)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Baylor
Can’t Stand Prosperity: TCU
Did the season start? Louisville
Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Ohio State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 6 Ohio State 39, No. 2 Penn State 38
Play this again, too: Northwestern 39, No. 18 Michigan State 31, 3OT
Never play this again: Toledo 58, Ball State 17
What? Houston 28, No. 17 South Florida 24
Huh? Northwestern 39, No. 18 Michigan State 31, 3OT
Are you kidding me?? No. 6 Ohio State 39, No. 2 Penn State 38
Oh – my – God: No. 25 Iowa State 14, No. 4 TCU 7
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 9, pre-week 10)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Alabama @ No. 19 LSU
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Western Kentucky @ Vanderbilt
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 15 UCF @ SMU
Upset alert: Texas @ TCU also: No. 18 Stanford @ No. 25 Washington State
Must win: No. 13 Virginia Tech @ No. 9 Miami
Offensive explosion: No. 8 Oklahoma State @ No. 11 Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: Florida @ Missouri
Great game no one is talking about: No. 25 Iowa State @ No. 22 West Virginia
Intriguing coaching matchup: James Franklin of Penn State vs Mark Dantonio of Michigan State
Also: Justin Fuente of Virginia Tech vs. Mark Richt of Miami
Who’s bringing the body bags? UMass @ Mississippi State
Why are they playing? Southern Miss @ Tennessee
Plenty of good seats remaining: Charlotte @ Old Dominion
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Coastal Carolina @ Arkansas
Week 9 Random Thoughts:
The Ohio State-Penn State game was one that certainly lived up to its hype. Its implicit billing as the game of the year certainly was that, with stakes no less high than a possible playoff berth on the line. Buckeyes are now ranked No. 3 and have the opportunity to control their own destiny. Three out of the four remaining games are going to be challenges, however. Iowa is up next (remember, they took Penn State down to the wire), followed by Michigan State (a deceptively deadly team as of late), a potential break with Illinois, with Michigan (self-explanatory) to cap off the season. Urban Meyer needs to keep the team focused these next four weeks for a trip to Indianapolis for the B1G championship.
In the meantime OSU, ditch those grungy-looking all-gray uniforms. They looked horrible.
Few things are as distasteful as seeing your team blow a 4th-quarter lead. Purdue did just that at home against Nebraska. First they embarrassed themselves in a defensive struggle on the road against lowly Rutgers, now this. This upcoming week’s game against Illinois is surely a winnable one, but then again, that’s what we all thought about Rutgers and Nebraska a couple of weeks ago. Worse yet, Northwestern has been resurgent as of late, and Iowa is as competitive as ever. Indiana might still be a winnable game, and thus it is not reasonable for the Boilers to emerge at season’s end 5-7, which is a still a step in the right direction from the disaster that was the Darrell Hazell era.
As predicted, Texas got well on Baylor. The respite will not last, as next game they face TCU, arguably their toughest opponent of the year, in Fort Worth, no less. Moreover, the Horned Frogs will be quite angry after just losing – unexpectedly – their first game of the year to newly-ranked Iowa State.
Let us hold our horses about Notre Dame. Yes, they have only one loss, to current No. 2 Georgia, no less, and their strength of schedule is formidable. But they’re also enjoying a senior-laden offensive line with a limited offense. Furthermore, the Irish have yet to face two of their toughest opponents not named Georgia. In two weeks they face a resurgent Miami Hurricanes, and they close out the season on the road at Stanford. Eastern Timezone teams tend not to fare very well on the road against West Coast teams. Just sayin’. In the meantime, cool the hype on Notre Dame until their season concludes.
Speaking of Georgia, they rose to the occasion yet again this year by handily defeating Florida. In recent years, the Bulldogs have struggled in their annual rivalry games against the Gators. This time, the Dawgs kept that unpleasant past in the rearview mirror. Seemingly treating it like any other game, they went into the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville and took care of business, so much so (42-7) that Jim McElwain might be in danger of losing his job. Now ranked No. 2, they potentially control their own destiny. But next game up is South Carolina, a potential trap game, as Will Muschamp has coached the Gamecocks to a surprising 6-2 start. Moreover, the remaining three games after that – in order, Auburn, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech – each offer their own unique challenges. If the Bulldogs remain in playoff contention, they shall have to earn it.
Oh, and Tennessee lost…again…this time to another rival of sorts, Kentucky. As of this writing, officials at the University of Tennessee are contemplating Butch Jones’ tenure. Many of us are wondering what has taken them this long to get to this point, let alone giving Jones the ax.
College Football Awards, Week 8 (2017) October 22, 2017
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Baylor, Boston College, Bulldogs, Butch Jones, BYU, California, Clay Helton, Coastal Carolina, Colorado, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Houston, Hurricanes, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, Jeff Brohm, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kirk Ferentz, Kliff Kingsbury, Larry Fedora, Matt Campbell, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mike Gundy, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, P.J. Fleck, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Sam Ehlinger, San Jose State, South Carolina, South Florida, Spartans, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tigers, Tom Herman, Tulsa, UCF, UConn, Urban Meyer, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Vols, Volunteers, West Virginia, Western Michigan
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 8] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: James Franklin, Penn State
Glad I’m not him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Lucky guy: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Poor guy: Tom Herman, Texas
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Clay Helton, USC
Desperately seeking … anything: Larry Fedora, North Carolina
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Virginia Tech (defeated North Carolina 59-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Miami (defeated Syracuse 27-19)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Tennessee (lost to No. 1 Alabama 45-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Baylor (lost to No. 23 West Virginia 38-36)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Missouri (defeated Idaho 68-21)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Georgia Southern
Can’t Stand Prosperity: USC
Did the season start? Michigan
Can the season end? Tennessee
Can the season never end? Penn State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 9 Oklahoma 42, Kansas State 35
Play this again, too: No. 10 Oklahoma State 13, Texas 10
Never play this again: Missouri 68, Idaho 21
What? Rutgers 14, Purdue 12
Huh? Iowa State 31, Texas Tech 13
Are you kidding me?? Boston College 41, Virginia 10
Oh – my – God: No. 13 Notre Dame 49, No. 11 USC 14
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 8, pre-week 9)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Penn State @ No. 6 Ohio State (B1G game of the year?)
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: Houston @ No. 16 South Florida
Upset alert: No. 14 NC State @ No. 9 Notre Dame
Also: Florida State @ Boston College
Must win: No. 3 Georgia @ Florida
Offensive explosion: No. 10 Oklahoma State @ No. 23 West Virginia
Defensive struggle: Vanderbilt @ South Carolina
Great game no one is talking about: California @ Colorado
Also: Mississippi State @ Texas A&M
Intriguing coaching matchup: James Franklin of Penn State vs Urban Meyer of Ohio State
Also: Kirk Ferentz of Iowa vs. P.J. Fleck of Minnesota
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 8 Miami (FL) @ North Carolina
Why are they playing? Austin Peay @ No. 18 UCF
Plenty of good seats remaining: San Jose State @ BYU
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Texas State @ Coastal Carolina
Week 8 Random Thoughts:
Poor Texas. Try as they might with their strong defense, offensively they cannot score enough points to get over the proverbial hump. Yesterday in Austin, they held No. 10-ranked Oklahoma State, with the most productive offense in the county, to only 13 points. However, the Longhorns in turn could only score 10 points. Texas seems to have a capable quarterback in Sam Ehlinger, but he is only a true freshman, and the offense seems to rely too much on his guts and determination alone. Part of the problem is that many of the offensive players are still young, and shall have to grow in experience, and presumably in capability as well. The tentative verdict is that it will simply take time for the Horns to return to Top-10 status. They are close, but not there yet.
Speaking of taking time, Purdue practically controlled their own destiny. Current trajectories indicated they had a clear path to start a decent winning streak after getting beat up by a couple of conference heavyweights. Then they lost by two points on the road to Rutgers. Yes, Rutgers. What happened? Most likely, defensive coordinators around the league have taken notice of the tricks that Jeff Brohm has been left no choice but to use on account of the dearth of talent that his predecessor has left him. Thus, for Purdue to show marked, consistent improvement, things shall take more time. Basically, Brohm will need to bring in better recruiting classes so as to beat his opponents on the field with talent instead of trickery. This of course is not to blame the man for what he is doing right now. If we were in his proverbial shoes, we would likely find ourselves left to resort to the same things.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is officially a dumpster fire. Sure, we all knew at this rate that Alabama would blast them into defeat, but what none of us anticipated was the lack of dignity on the Vols’ part. The obscene gesture to Bama’s fans by one of Tennessee’s defensive backs after a pick-six is a black eye to the program, and could only hasten Butch Jones’ eventual departure as head coach. But that aside, the Volunteers do have talent on their team. Jones has sadly failed to harness it properly, to say nothing of orchestrating that talent into a cohesive effort at the top level that the SEC demands.
To put it another way with regard to the Vols and their current dumpster-fire status, they are to play Kentucky next week. Tennessee is currently 3-4, while the Wildcats, who usually only barely belong in the SEC, are 5-2. Yes, that means the world is officially upside-down.
Meanwhile, it’s always mildly intriguing when two conference foes who are about to butt heads share the same thing in common. Think: Mississippi State vs. Georgia, as both are the Bulldogs. Think also: LSU vs. Auburn, or Missouri vs. LSU, or Auburn vs. Missouri. All three are the Tigers. In the case of Mississippi State and Texas A&M, though, both have the same school colors of maroon and white, and both play each other next week. What makes things even more intriguing is that both have quietly amassed a respectable 5-2 record in the course of the season. After that game, those records shall inevitably diverge.
This week was a statistical anomaly, specifically with a cluster of defensive struggles. Who would have thought that Indiana at Michigan State would have been such a defensive struggle, with a 17-9 outcome in the Spartans’ favor? Even more to the point was the aforementioned 13-10 outcome at Texas. That the Horns held the Cowboys’ high-powered offense to just 13 points (including one overtime) must surely cause Mike Gundy to reach for the Rolaids while watching film today. If that’s not enough, the Purdue-Rutgers affair ended at 14-12 in favor of the Scarlet Knights. Northwestern and Iowa kept the score low at 17-10. UConn triumphing over Tulsa 20-14 does not count in past eras, but might as well in a time where the hurry-up, no-huddle offense is de rigueur. Same thing goes for Western Michigan over Eastern Michigan, 20-17…in overtime, no less.
