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 6 (2018) October 7, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Bayou Bengals, Bobby Petrino, Boston College, Cardinal, Charlotte, CHip Kelly, Clemson, Cowboys, Dave Doeren, Duke, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Florida State, Gators, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hurricanes, Iowa State, Jimbo Fisher, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Kyle Field, Kyle Whittingham, Lincoln Riley, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Mark Dontonio, Mark Stoops, Memphis, Miami, Michigan State, Mississippi State, NC State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Red River Shootout, Rice, rivalry, Seminoles, Showdown, Sooners, South Alabama, Spartans, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, Tom Herman, UCF, UCLA, Utah, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Wildcats
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 6] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Tom Herman, Texas
Glad I’m not him: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Lucky guy: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
Poor guy: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Dave Doeren, NC State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking … anything: Chip Kelly, UCLA
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Clemson (defeated Wake Forest 63-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: West Virginia (defeated Kansas 38-22)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Wake Forest (lost to Clemson 63-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (lost to West Virginia 38-22)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Georgia Tech (defeated Louisville 66-31)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Louisville
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Michigan State
Did the season start? Boston College
Can the season end? Rice
Can the season never end? Texas
GAMES
Play this again: No. 19 Texas 48, No. 7 Oklahoma 45
Never play this again: No. 4 Clemson 63, Wake Forest 3
What? Utah 40, No. 14 Stanford 21
Huh? Texas A&M 20, No. 13 Kentucky 14 (OT)
Double Huh? Mississippi State 23, No. 8 Auburn 9
Are you kidding me?? No. 19 Texas 48, No. 7 Oklahoma 45
Oh – my – God: No. 22 Florida 27, No. 5 LSU 19
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 6)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Georgia @ No. 5 LSU
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: None
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 12 UCF @ Memphis
Upset alert: No. 9 West Virginia @ Iowa State
Must win: No. 20 Michigan State @ No. 11 Penn State
Offensive explosion: No. 10 Washington @ No. 18 Oregon
Defensive struggle: No. 8 Auburn @ Tennessee
Great game no one is talking about: Duke @ Georgia Tech
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kyle Whittingham of Utah vs. Kevin Sumlin of Arizona
Who’s bringing the body bags? (inconclusive)
Why are they playing? (inconclusive)
Plenty of good seats remaining: Western Kentucky @ Charlotte
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Alabama State @ South Alabama
Week 6 Thoughts:
Upsets have abounded this week, with each surprise seeming to supersede the other. Texas made its presence known by toppling yet another ranked opponent, this time hated rival Oklahoma. Whereas the Longhorns were ranked a respectable No. 19, the Sooners were top ten at No. 7. It was almost the upset the never was, as the Sooners’ superior talent almost allowed for a complete comeback during the second half. Only a last-minute field goal by Texas’ true freshman kicker won the day.
LSU’s occasional woes against Florida continued yesterday. In 2003, the Gators upset the Tigers badly, almost spoiling their national title campaign. This time around, the Bayou Bengals came in to the game at No. 5 in the nation, only to be upset by the (No. 22) Gators yet again, this time 27-19. Time to see if Ed Orgeron’s team can bounce back from this loss and remain strong in the brutally competitive SEC West division.
Mississippi State has been in and out of the rankings, but this time, they played like a legitimately ranked team, toppling top-ten Auburn 23-9. Perhaps the “clanga-clanga” atmosphere of Scott Field at night had something to do with it?
Speaking of atmospheres and night games, don’t look now, but Kentucky is a legitimately good team. That said, apparently a night game in the hostile confines of Kyle Field (“Home of the 12th Man”) was too much to maintain their strong winning streak, for the Wildcats lost to the unranked Aggies in overtime, in what was a close, hard-fought game from start to end.
In an interesting night cap game, unranked Utah’s superior quickness gave No. 14 Stanford fits the entire evening. The Cardinal has a bye-week to lick their wounds, while such a win for the Utes might merit a ranking in the next edition of the polls.
There were other upsets, too, such as Iowa State toppling No. 25 Oklahoma State. It won’t get any easier for the Cowboys, as their next six games include ranked opponents (Texas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia), as well as Kansas State and potentially-ranked TCU.
Let us also not overlook another close, hard-fought game between Florida State and Miami. The Seminoles tenaciously hung tough the entire game and eventually triumphed over the No. 17 Hurricanes 28-27.
In the Big Ten, unranked Northwestern (they actually start off the year ranked No. 15) upset No. 20 Michigan State, on the road, 29-19. This is a genuine quality win for the Wildcats, as Mark Dantonio has, over the past several years, made his Spartans a tough out even for top-ten teams. On paper, one would think MSU would have been a tougher out for Northwestern, but just goes to show that nothing is a given in the B1G.
But one of the biggest upsets of the day was also the biggest game of the day, as the Longhorns have won bragging rights over the Sooners for a year until they meet again next year in the Cotton Bowl amidst the annual Texas State Fair.
College Football Awards Week 6 (2017) October 9, 2017
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Auburn, Big XII, Bobby Petrino, BYU, Cardinals, Charlotte, Clemson, David Bailiff, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Gamecocks, Gary Anderson, Gators, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hurricanes, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Jim Harbaugh, Jimbo Fisher, Kansas, Kansas State, Kent State, Lincoln Riley, LSU, Mark Dantonio, Marshall, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, Miami (OH), Michigan State, Mike Norvell, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Navy, NC State, Nittany Lions, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Old Dominion, Oregon, Oregon State, P.J. Fleck, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Red River Shootout, Showdown, South Carolina, Spartans, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, Tulane, Tulsa, USC, Utah, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Wolfpack
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 6] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Glad I’m not him: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State
Lucky guy: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Poor guy: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Mike Norvell, Memphis
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Desperately seeking … anything: Gary Anderson, Oregon State
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Ohio State (defeated Maryland 62-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Clemson (defeated Wake Forest 28-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Kansas (lost to Texas Tech 65-19)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Wake Forest (lost to No. 2 Clemson 28-14)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Tulane (defeated Tulsa 62-28)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Rice
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Oklahoma
Did the season start? Florida State
Can the season end? East Carolina
Can the season never end? Penn State
GAMES
Play this again: Michigan State 14, No. 7 Michigan 10
Play this again, too: Texas 40, Kansas State 34 (2OT)
This merits a second look, too: No. 8 TCU 31, No. 23 West Virginia 24
Never play this again: No. 10 Ohio State 62, Maryland 14
What? LSU 17, No. 21 Florida 16
Huh? No. 24 NC State 39, No. 17 Louisville 25
Are you kidding me?? Michigan State 14, No. 7 Michigan 10
Oh – my – God: Iowa State 38, No. 3 Oklahoma 31
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 6, pre-week 7)
Ticket to die for: No. 12 Oklahoma vs. Texas in the Red River Shootout
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: BYU @ Mississippi State
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 25 Navy @ Memphis
Upset alert: Georgia Tech @ No. 11 Miami also: Utah @ No. 13 USC
Must win: Oregon @ No. 23 Stanford
Offensive explosion: Texas Tech @ No. 23 West Virginia
Defensive struggle: No. 10 Auburn @ LSU
Great game no one is talking about: Florida State @ Duke
Intriguing coaching matchup: P.J. Fleck of Minnesota vs. Mark Dantonio of Michigan State
Who’s bringing the body bags? Missouri @ No. 4 Georgia
Why are they playing? Charlotte @ Western Kentucky
Plenty of good seats remaining: Miami (OH) @ Kent State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Old Dominion @ Marshall
Week 6 Random Thoughts:
These past couple of weeks, there were not that many upsets. This week made up for that in quality if not for quantity. Favored Louisville choked on the road at NC State. Unranked LSU beat the Gators, in the Swamp, and in a defensive struggle, by a single point. ACC cellar-dweller Syracuse beat respectable Pitt. To cap things off, unranked Michigan State defeated Michigan, in a dramatic 14-10 finish (wait, that’s still a thing in 2017?), in the Big House, no less. What a week.
South Carolina defeated Arkansas in a game that could have gone either way. The Gamecocks should enjoy the win while it lasts, because the remainder of their schedule is brutal. In order, they shall play: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Florida, Wofford (huh?), and close out the season at home versus Clemson. Aside from Wofford, the Gamecocks could lose every one of those games. Yes, that is to say that even Vandy is iffy since they beat Kansas State earlier this year.
Given how hyped Florida State was coming into the season, and the potential regard in which they are still held in the eyes of most fans, is it valid to consider No. 13 Miami’s win in Tallahassee an upset, or simply a comeuppance to an overrated team?
Texas might have turned a corner with a win in double-OT over Kansas State, a team never to be taken lightly and capable of running the tables on the northern schools – what few remain — in the Big XII. With this key win for the Horns coupled with Oklahoma’s embarrassing upset at home to Iowa State this week, it will make next week’s Red River Shootout Showdown all the more unpredictable.
Maryland has proven that they’re a decent team. Not great, but decent. Nevertheless, they came into Columbus, Ohio, and Ohio State demolished them, 62-14. Nothing like a body-bag game (in hindsight) for homecoming. All kidding aside, could it be that the Buckeyes have solved their identity crisis on offense? We’ll know for sure by the end of the month when they butt heads with Penn State.
Speaking of whom, Michigan will have ample opportunity for redemption for this week’s upset loss at home when they take on the Nittany Lions on Oct. 21. It only takes one loss on Penn State’s part for the Big Ten race to become very, very interesting.
College Football Awards, Week 2 (2017) September 11, 2017
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arkansas, Art Briles, Auburn, Baylor, Big 12, Big XII, Bobby Petrino, Brian Kelly, Bronco Mendenhall, Buckeyes, BYU, Cal, Charlotte, Clemson, Dabo Swinney, Dino Babers, Duke, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Gus Malzahn, Horned Frogs, Idaho, Jeff Brohm, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Matt Rhule, Miami Hurricanes, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Morgan State, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nicholls, North Carolina A&T, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Randy Edsall, Razorbacks, Rutgers, San Jose State, Sooners, Syracuse, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Toledo, Tulsa, UConn, Urban Meyer, USC, Utah, Utah State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 2] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Glad I’m not him: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Lucky guy: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Poor guy: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Dino Babers, Syracuse
Desperately seeking … anything: Matt Rhule, Baylor
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: No. 19 Kansas State (defeated Charlotte 55-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Kentucky (defeated Eastern Kentucky 27-16)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: San Jose State (lost to Texas 56-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Nicholls (lost to Texas A&M 24-14)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Duke (defeated Northwestern 41-17)
Dang, they’re good: USC
Dang, they’re bad: Baylor
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Ohio State
Did the season start? Texas A&M
Can the season end? New Mexico
Can the season never end? Oklahoma
GAMES
Play this again: No. 15 Georgia 20, No. 24 Notre Dame 19
Play this again, too: Utah 19, BYU 13
Never play this again: Utah State 51, Idaho State 13
Close call: No. 3 Clemson 14, No. 13 Auburn 6
What? Middle Tennessee 30, Syracuse 23
Huh? New Hampshire 22, Georgia Southern 12
Are you kidding me?? Eastern Michigan 16, Rutgers 13
Oh – my – God: No. 5 Oklahoma 31, No. 2 Ohio State 16
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 2, pre-week 3)
Ticket to die for: No. 3 Clemson @ No. 14 Louisville
Also: Texas @ No. 4 USC
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Oregon @ Wyoming
Best non-Power Five matchup: Utah State @ Wake Forest
Upset alert: No. 10 Wisconsin @ BYU
Must win: No. 23 Tennessee @ No. 24 Florida
Offensive explosion: Tulsa @ Toledo
Defensive struggle: No. 12 LSU @ Mississippi State
Great game no one is talking about: Purdue @ Missouri
Intriguing coaching matchup: Bobby Petrino of Louisville vs. Dabo Swinney of Clemson
Also: Randy Edsall of UConn vs. Bronco Mendenhall of Virginia
Who’s bringing the body bags? Georgia State @ No. 4 Penn State
Why are they playing? Mercer @ No. 15 Auburn
Plenty of good seats remaining: North Carolina A&T @ Charlotte
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Morgan State @ Rutgers
Week 1 Take-aways:
This week leaves us with more questions than answers. For one, Louisville had fewer penalties against North Carolina than they did against Purdue. All well and good, but is that enough improvement at this rate to be ready for Clemson at home next week? Regarding the TCU-Arkansas game, are the No. 23 Horned Frogs that good, or are the Razorbacks that mediocre? The Auburn-Clemson game was a surprising defensive struggle. What was the bigger surprise: that Auburn’s defense held the Tigers to only two touchdowns, or that Auburn’s offense – supposedly a specialty under head coach Gus Malzahn – could only muster a measly six points? Moreover, what does this portend for Auburn’s offense during the rest of the season?
The shocker of the week was Oklahoma’s upset over Ohio State in Columbus. The question becomes, are the Sooners that good, or are the Buckeyes overrated? Ohio State has plenty of NFL-potential bodies on both sides of the ball. What accounts for their lackluster offense this game, and their defensive collapse in the 4th quarter? Actually, there is an answer. The Buckeyes are currently experiencing an identity crisis on offense. Until they get that cleared up, they’ll continue to fail to play up to their potential this season, and that will be a genuine shame.
Questions aside, let us take a glance at the Big XII Conference. Simply put, they’re looking good right now. The Sooners are rolling after their huge win over the Buckeyes. Oklahoma State has two wins with impressive margins. TCU embarrassed Arkansas on the road today. Kansas State won convincingly, even though it was a body bag game. West Virginia is playing quite strongly right now, though a body bag game against Delaware State next week will obviously be meaningless. It all adds up to a conference that is playing well and giving the rest of college football cause for notice. The ironic weak links are Baylor and Texas. Concerning the Bears, it would only stand to reason that Matt Rhule has not forgotten how to coach. The turmoil surrounding the player sexual assault scandals, the sudden firing of Art Briles, and the havoc wrought by Hurricane Harvey have all combined to take a serious toll on the program. Baylor looks shell-shocked right now, and it will be interesting to see if Rhule, who brought Temple to respectability, can keep things afloat at a program with greater potential but higher expectations, too.
Speaking of Hurricane Harvey, that might also account for Texas A&M has not been playing up to their potential, as well as for Texas’ gigantic miscue against Maryland last week. After all, many players for these two programs, as well as for Baylor, have come out of the Houston area, which is still reeling in the wake of the hurricane damage and the residual flooding damage. The latter of which alone has for longer-lasting implications than the former. Let us all pray for those who have been afflicted by that terrible storm, as well as for those who are being afflicted by Hurricane Irma in Florida. As the floodwaters recede and the area rebuilds and moves forward in general, perhaps the morale of the aforementioned Texas teams shall improve, along with their performances.
Speaking of Hurricane Irma, that storm shall leave implications long into the season, given all the games that have already been postponed. One notable example is No. 16 Miami vs. No. 10 Florida State. That game would have been one of the best of the upcoming week. Little doubt lingers that they’ll find a time to reschedule such a matchup that is A) a heated, in-state rivalry, and B) a game with conference standing implications. If both teams keep playing to their potential, perhaps both will be ranked even MORE highly by the time they finally butt heads. Let us stay tuned the rescheduling on Oct. 7!
One final note about an overlooked game for the upcoming week: Ole Miss at Cal, which kicks off at 10:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time. While both teams are currently unranked, it does not matter, for it’s always a treat to watch SEC vs. Pac-12 matchups!
