College Football Awards Week 6 October 13, 2015
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Ball State, Baylor, Bill Snyder, Bob Stoops, Bulldogs, Butch Jones, Cotton Bowl, Crimson Tide, David Shaw, Florida, Gary Patterson, Georgia, Georgia State, Horned Frogs, Hurricanes, Iowa, Iowa State, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Mora, Kansas, Kansas State, Kyle Whittingham, Longhorns, Mark Richt, Matt Campbell, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Razorbacks, Red River rivalry, Red River Shootout, Red River Showdown, Sooners, South Carolina, Stanford, Steve Sarkesian, Steve Spurrier, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo, Trojans, Troy, UCLA, USC, Utah, Vanderbilt, Vols, Wildcats, Wolverines
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Texas head coach Charlie Strong celebrates with his team after their incredible upset over rival Oklahoma. Judging by the photo, it seems as though he might have won back the locker room. Photo from the Dallas Morning News.
(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 6] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES Wish I were him: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Glad I’m not him: Steve Sarkesian, USC
Lucky guy: Butch Jones, Tennessee
Poor guy: Mark Richt, Georgia
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Gary Patterson, TCU
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Matt Campbell of Toledo
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
TEAMS Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Baylor (defeated Kansas 66-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oklahoma (see below)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Troy (lost to Mississippi State 45-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Texas (see below)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Michigan (see below)
Dang, they’re good: Baylor
Dang, they’re bad: Miami, Ohio
Can’t Stand Prosperity: USC
Did the season start? Miami, Fla.
Can the season end? South Carolina
Can the season never end? Utah
GAMES
Play this again: Texas 24, No. 10 Oklahoma 17
Play this again, too: Tennessee 38, No. 19 Georgia 31
Never play this again: No. 3 Baylor 66, Kansas 7
What? No. 18 Michigan 38, No. 13 Northwestern 0
Huh? Washington 17, No. 17 USC 12
Are you kidding me? Tennessee 38, No. 19 Georgia 31
Oh – my – God: Texas 24, No. 10 Oklahoma 17
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 6, pre-week 7)
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Michigan State @ No. 12 Michigan
Also: No. 10 Alabama @ No. 9 Texas A&M
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: No. 13 Ole Miss @ Memphis
Best non-Power Five matchup: Akron @ Bowling Green
Upset alert: Louisville @ No. 11 Florida State
Must win: USC @ No. 14 Notre Dame
Offensive explosion: West Virginia @ No. 2 Baylor
Defensive struggle: Vanderbilt @ South Carolina
Great game no one is talking about: No. 17 Iowa @ No. 20 Northwestern
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jim Mora of UCLA vs David Shaw of Stanford
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 3 TCU @ Iowa State
Why are they playing? Louisiana Tech @ Mississippi State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Georgia State @ Ball State
They shoot horses, don’t they? Troy @ Mississippi State
Week 5 Take-aways:
What a weekend of upsets and near-upsets. One obvious near-miss: Gary Patterson’s TCU almost got upset on the road to Bill Snyder’s Kansas State. You just know that the old man was not going to roll over for the vaunted Horned Frogs. In the end, the near-miss cost the Frogs one spot in the rankings, as they are down to No. 3 from the No. 2 spot.
Similarly, Alabama took a while to get going at home against Arkansas. Eventually the Tide decided to start playing football, but they were down to the under-performing Hogs for too long of a time in regulation to be taken seriously as a contending team.
Now the upsets: we all knew that Northwestern was a legitimate team. Most of us thought that the Wildcats playing the Michigan Wolverines would be the game of the week. That turned out, in the end, not to be the case. Jim Harbaugh seems to be building the Wolverrines to become stronger by the week.
Then there was the upset of the USC Trojans, at home, against Chris Petersen’s scrappy Washington Huskies. We were all hoping for a good game, but certainly did not foresee the the embarrassment at home for the Men of Troy – though the subsequent news of Steve Sarkesian’s major alcohol problem certainly explains USC’s volatile performance this season. Let us all wish a complete, sober recover for Sark as he embarks on a rehab program.
Or what about Tennessee? The poor Vols were unable to “close the deal,” blowing leads to both Oklahoma and to Florida, leading to heartbreaking losses in so doing. This time around, however, they had to play from behind, and upset the heavily-favored Georgia Bulldogs in so doing. So much for Georgia’s national championship hopes this year.
But let us not fool ourselves. The biggest upset of the week came in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. All of us, even the team’s fans, had given the Texas Longhorns up for dead, especially after the devastating loss to TCU the previous week. Coach Charlie Strong seemed to have lost the locker room, and he was strategically flailing in terms of not having an offensive or defensive identity.
Perhaps the rival Oklahoma Sooners were just naïve enough to take the bait. The Horns looked like an entirely different team this past Saturday than they did for the entire season leading up to this fateful day. Texas drew first blood late in the first quarter, and, mirabile dictu, did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game. Moreover, Strong somehow regained his identity, effectively playing a run-oriented, ball-control offense that left OU’s defense sucking wind by late in the 4th quarter. It was just enough to hold on and to upset their heavily-favored rival. It also likely saved Coach Strong’s bacon for the rest of the year. Hook ‘em!
College Football Awards Week 5 October 4, 2015
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Al Golden, Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Bobby Petrino, Boilermakers, Boise State, Brian Kelly, Cal, California, Cardinals, Charlie Strong, Cincinnati, Clemson, college, Colorado State, Cotton Bowl, Dabo Swinney, FIghting Irish, Florida, Florida State, football, Gators, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Horned Frogs, Hugh Freeze, Hurricanes, Illinois, Iowa, Jim Harbaugh, Jim McElwain, Jim Mora, Kansas, Longhorns, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisville, Mark Richt, Matt Rhule, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, N.C. State, NC State, NCAA, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Pat Fitzgerland, Purdue, South Carolina, South Florida, Steve Spurrier, Syracuse, TCU, Temple, Texas, Tigers, Troy, UCLA, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
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Clemson triumphed over Notre Dame in what was perhaps the most thrilling game of the season thus far. Mandatory photo credit: Joshua S. Kelly of USA TODAY Sports
(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 5] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Glad I’m not him: Al Golden, Miami
Lucky guy: Bret Bielema, Arkansas
Poor guy: Mark Richt, Georgia
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jim Mora, UCLA
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Matt Rhule, Temple
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: TCU (defeated Texas 50-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Michigan State (defeated Purdue 24-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Texas (lost to No. 4 TCU 50-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Purdue (lost to No. 2 Michigan State 24-21) T
hought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Iowa (defeated North Texas 62-16)
Dang, they’re good: TCU
Dang, they’re bad: Louisiana-Lafayette
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Ole Miss
Did the season start? Georgia Tech
Can the season end? Wyoming
Can the season never end? Clemson
GAMES
Play this again: No. 12 Clemson 24, No. 6 Notre Dame 22
Play this again, too: Arkansas 24, Tennessee 20
Never play this again: No. 4 TCU 50, Texas 7
What? Tulane 45, UCF 31
Huh? Iowa 10, #19 Wisconsin 6
Are you kidding me? No. 12 Clemson 24, No. 6 Notre Dame 22
Oh – my – God: Arizona State 38, No. 7 UCLA 23
Told you so: Louisville 20, N.C. State 13
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 5, pre-week 6)
Ticket to die for: No. 10 Oklahoma vs. Texas in the Cotton Bowl
Also: No. 13 Northwestern @ No. 18 Michigan
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Syracuse @ South Florida
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 25 Boise State @ Colorado State
Upset alert: Miami (Fla.) @ No. 12 Florida State
Must win: Wisconsin @ Nebraska
Offensive explosion: No. 23 Cal @ No. 5 Utah
Defensive struggle: Illinois @ No. 22 Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: No. 21 Oklahoma State @ West Virginia
Intriguing coaching matchup: Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern vs. Jim Harbaugh of Michigan
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 3 Baylor @ Kansas
Why are they playing? New Mexico State @ No. 14 Ole Miss
Plenty of good seats remaining: Portland State @ North Texas
They shoot horses, don’t they? Troy @ Mississippi State
Week 5 Take-aways:
What a weekend for college football! The grand irony is that this week left more questions than answers.
What a game it was in Clemson, S.C. Notre Dame came to town ranked No. 6 in the nation. The Tigers were ranked twelfth. ESPN’s Gameday crew was there. A massive rainstorm persisted throughout the day and night. Fans watching on national TV witnessed the team descend the hill in “Death Valley” to take on the highly-ranked Fighting Irish. Mistakes were made on both sides: typical ups-and-downs of a thrilling contest between highly-ranked teams. In the end, the Tigers triumphed.
But all of this ought not to obfuscate that Brian Kelly has built a strong program in South Bend. Were they overrated at No. 6? Definitely. Are they still a tough team? Definitely.
Tennessee lost yet another heartbreaker, this time to Arkansas. It was a close contest throughout the game, but the same problem continues to plague the Vols: they have yet to learn how to close a game, which is to say, they need to learn to stop blowing leads late in games.
Steve Spurrier dropped yet another game to a low-standing team in the SEC. Is it too early to say that the wheels might be coming off the program? Will Spurrier eventually have the fortitude to fall on his sword and thus clear the path for the program to be lead in a new direction?
Worse yet is the condition of the Texas Longhorns, who just got drubbed by TCU in Fort Worth, 50-7. Yes, Coach Gary Patterson has gradually built up a super-strong program over the years, but is the lack of quarterback play on the part of the Longhorns the only thing that explains such a debacle, or is it something more systemic than who is the head coach?
Oh, and this slump could not come at a worse time, as Texas takes on Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl next week.
The Cincinnati Bearcats have given us two good Thursday night games in a row, and in the process, have walked away with two wins. The most recent one was home over the Miami Hurricanes. There has already been grumbling around Coral Gables that Al Golden has not brought the Canes back to the level of prominence that the faithful would like to see. Is losing to UC a fireable offense, in culmination of this lack of expected progress?
How does one explain Michigan State’s lackluster performance at home against weak Purdue? The Boilermakers were just a field goal away late in the 4th quarter from tying the game in regulation. Have the Boilers improved that much in just one week since losing a near-gimme game the previous contest? Regardless, it will be very interesting to see if Purdue can sustain any sort of improvement as the season progresses.
Ole Miss was rolling after defeating then-No. 3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Rebels thus proved that they were both a tough team to reckon with and a team that could win on the road in a hostile environment. And yet, when they ventured into The Swamp to play Florida, they laid an egg. Yes, the Gators are improving week-by-week under the able leadership of Jim McElwain, but this alone cannot explain such an embarrassing defeat. Perhaps Coach Freeze did not have his men fully prepared, or, a critical mass of the team decided to take the game off, thinking it would not be as challenging as playing Bama. Such are the vicissitudes of college football, where 19 and 20-year olds are susceptible to such emotional roller coasters week to week that can negatively affect their level of play. It is a problem that coaches do not have to deal with in the pros, thankfully.
On a bright note, Bobby Petrino has his Louisville Cardinals slowly improving. Yes, they got their first win in a body bag game at home against Samford, but then they won, on the road, against a decent NC State team, in the rain. If that is not improvement, can somebody tell me what is?
College Football Week 3 Awards September 24, 2015
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Boise State, Bret Bielema, Bronco Mendenhall, BYU, California, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Colorado, Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Hugh Freeze, Idaho State, Illinois, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Mora, Kentucky, LA Monroe, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Mike Riley, Missouri, Nebraska, Nick Saban, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pat Fitzgerald, Rutgers, South Carolina, Southern, Stanford, Steve Sarkesia, Steve Spurrier, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, UCF, UCLA, UConn, USC, Utah
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 3] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES Wish I were him: Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss
Glad I’m not him: Nick Saban, Alabama
Lucky guy: Jim Mora, UCLA
Poor guy: Mike Riley, Nebraska
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bret Bielema, Arkansas
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Steve Sarkesian, USC
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: No. 12 Oregon (defeated Georgia State 61-28)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: No. 4 Michigan State (defeated Air Force 35-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Idaho State (lost to Boise State 52-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: UConn (lost to Missouri 9-6)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: North Carolina (defeated Illinois 48-14)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Rutgers
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Georgia Tech
Did the season start? Arkansas
Can the season end? Idaho State
Can the season never end? LSU
GAMES Play this again: No. 10 UCLA 24, No. 19 BYU 23
Play this again, too: Cal 45, Texas 44
Never play this again: Arkansas State 70, Missouri State 7
What? Colorado 27, Colorado State 24 (OT)
Huh? Texas Tech 35, Arkansas 24
Are you kidding me? No. 15 Ole Miss 43, No. 2 Alabama 37
Oh – my – God: Stanford 41, No. 6 USC 32
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 3, pre-week 4)
Ticket to die for: No. 9 UCLA @ No. 16 Arizona
Also: Tennessee @ Florida
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Boise State @ Virginia (Fri.)
Best non-Power Five matchup: Cincinnati @ Memphis
Upset alert: No. 24 Oklahoma State @ Texas
Must win: UCF @ South Carolina
Offensive explosion: No. 3 TCU @ Texas Tech
Defensive struggle: No. 25 Missouri @ Kentucky
Great game no one is talking about: No. 18 Utah @ No. 13 Oregon
Intriguing coaching matchup: Bronco Mendenhall of BYU vs. Jim Harbaugh of Michigan
Who’s bringing the body bags? Southern @ No. 7 Georgia
Why are they playing? La. Monroe @ No. 12 Alabama
Plenty of good seats remaining: Florida Atlantic @ Charlotte
They shoot horses, don’t they? Kansas @ Rutgers
Week 3 Take-aways:
I thought that Notre Dame was supposed to lose to Georgia Tech after the Irish lost their starting QB last week.
Louisville is, without a doubt, the best 0-3 team in college football by far.
Last week, I noted about Steve Spurrier is on thin ice. After losing so horribly to Georgia (as good as the Bulldogs are), it has become clear that he and the Gamecocks have no quarterback play, and recruiting seems down overall. If he is wise, he shall start planning his exit strategy. Now. Moreover, the South Carolina administration needs to start finding a good replacement coach after season’s end. Now.
Who would have thought that Florida vs. Kentucky would be a defensive struggle? This guy did, but this this guy is still in disbelief that it was. That said, the true surprise defensive struggle was Mizzou vs. UConn. The Tigers must have decided to take a week off.
The game of college football has changed so quickly that it is starting to marginalize defensive-minded coaches. This is the biggest reason that the Alabama Dynasty has some to an end. It is not anybody’s fault per se, it is simply that the current rules and the trends have combined in a way to render defensive-minded coaches at a disadvantage. That being said, Nick Saban does himself zero favors by not attracting a good enough quarterback on account of his refusal to modernize his offense. The Tide’s other skill personnel are exemplary, to be sure. They are just pedestrian – at best – at the most important position on the field.
College Football Week 2 Awards September 15, 2015
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Akron, Alabama, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Bobby Petrino, Boise State, Bowling Green, Bret Bielema, Brian Kelly, Bronco Mendenhall, Buffalo, BYU, Clint Bowen, Colorado, Colorado State, Duke, FIU, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Gamecocks, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Houston, Idaho, Iowa, Jim McElwain, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Malik Zaire, Mark Dantonio, Memphis, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, NC Central, Nevada, Nick Saban, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Pyrrhic, South Carolina, Steve Spurrier, TCU, Tennessee, Toledo, UCLA, UConn, Urban Meyer, USC, Western Michigan
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The color coordination in the stands at Neyland Stadium, with 102,000+ fans on hand, was amazing to behold. Photo by Jackson Lalzure of Getty Images.
(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 2] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Glad I’m not him: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
Lucky guy: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Poor guy: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Bronco Mendenhall, BYU
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bret Bielema, Arkansas
Desperately seeking … anything: Clint Bowen, Kansas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: No. 2 TCU (defeated Stephen F. Austin 70-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: No. 6 Auburn (defeated Jacksonville State 27-20 in OT)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Idaho (lost to No. 8 USC 59-9)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Akron (see: Oh – my – God)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Memphis (defeated Kansas 55-23)
Dang, they’re good: Michigan State
Dang, they’re bad: Kansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: South Carolina
Did the season start? Louisville
Can the season end? Army
Can the season never end? Michigan State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 19 Oklahoma 31, No. 24 Tennessee 24, 2 OT
Play this again, too: No. 5 Michigan State 31, No. 7 Oregon 28
Never play this again: No. 2 TCU 70, SFA 7
What? Georgia Southern 43, Western Michigan 17
Huh? BYU 35, No. 20 Boise State 24
Are you kidding me? Houston 34, Louisville 31
Oh – my – God: Toledo 16, #18 Arkansas 12
Told you so: Minnesota 23, Colorado State 20 (OT)
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 2, pre-week 3)
Ticket to die for: No. 14 Georgia Tech @ No. 8 Notre Dame (no, really!)
Also: No. 18 Auburn @ No. 13 LSU
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Colorado @ Colorado State
Best non-Power Five matchup: Memphis @ Bowling Green
Upset alert: No. 19 BYU @ No. 10 UCLA
Must win: No. 15 Ole Miss @ No. 2 Alabama
Offensive explosion: Nevada @ No. 17 Texas A&M
Defensive struggle: Florida @ Kentucky
Great game no one is talking about: Pittsburgh @ Iowa
Also: No. 23 Northwestern @ Duke
Who’s bringing the body bags? Air Force @ No. 4 Michigan State
Why are they playing? UConn @ No. 22 Missouri
Plenty of good seats remaining: Buffalo @ Florida Atlantic
They shoot horses, don’t they? NC Central @ FIU
Week 2 Take-aways:
The best example of a Pyrrhic victory took place when Notre Dame barely pulled it out over Virginia. In the process of the game, Coach Brian Kelly likely lost his QB Malik Zaire to a broken ankle and shall likely be out for the rest of the year (he went down late in the 3rd quarter). ESPN is currently replaying the incident online. It is not for the faint of heart.
Honestly, even though Ohio State shut out Hawaii 38-0, I thought that they Rainbow Warriors would have lost by at least two more touchdowns. Perhaps Urban Meyer called off the dogs early in the 3rd quarter in order to save his players from unnecessary wear, tear, and risk. If so, smart move. Perhaps Hawaii beat the spread?
Steve Spurrier lost to Kentucky for two consecutive seasons for the first time ever, this time at home. Last year, we established by November that the Gamecocks were a team that blew 4th Quarter leads. The Wildcats were one of the teams to whom South Carolina blew one of those leads. But what about this year? Perhaps Spurrier is not getting the players anymore. If so, perhaps at age 70, the Ol’ Ball Coach might want to start planning is exit strategy. After all, Hatin’-Ass Spurrier only works if he is winning games. If he loses games, then the trash talking becomes a worthless, annoying schtick.
On the other hand, can Kentucky be THAT good? They shall have a solid test to show how good they are against a rebuilding Florida under new HC Jim McElwain, a former assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama who got things rolling at Colorado State.
The Volunteers gave a valiant effort at home but in the end could not overcome the defensive halftime adjustments the Sooners made. But it was a good, exciting, competitive game. The new uniform designs thanks to Nike was a nice, fitting touch. But was even more visually stunning was the color-coordinated alternating orange and white checker pattern among the fans throughout the stands – very impressive, despite the loss.
The Oregon @ Michigan State game is certainly a game that lived up to its hype. The Spartans are stronger than at any year I have watched them in my lifetime (for reference, I am 35). Not even Nick Saban’s strong MSU squad from the 1999 season seems to be as rough and tough as this bunch. What Mark Dantonio has built in East Lansing in an era that has favored the warm-weather programs is nothing short of amazing. Better yet, it is not a fluke, but rather the product of steady building and improvement. Last season, the Spartans upset Baylor in the Cotton Bowl, and the season before that, they upset a heavily-favored Stanford Cardinal in the Rose Bowl. Again, given the incredibly competitive nature of the game, where most marquee recruits hail from the Sun Belt and prefer to stay in warm-weather environs, the success that Mark Dantonio has reaped at Michigan State is astounding.
College Football 2015 Quick Preview September 3, 2015
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas State, Auburn, Baylor, Bethune-Cookman, Bobby Petrino, Boise State, BYU, Central Michigan, Clemson, Colorado State, Eastern Michigan, Elon, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Gus Malzahn, Houston, Idaho, Kevin Sumlin, LA Monroe, Louisville, Marshall, Miami (Fla.), Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Nick Saban, Norfolk State, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ohio U, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Paul Chryst, Presbyterian, Purdue, Rutgers, SavannahState, SMU, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford, state, TCU, Tennessee Tech, Texas, Texas State, Todd Graham, UConn, UNLV, USC, Utah, UTSA, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, Wofford
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Atlanta bolsters its stature as one of the epicenters of college football by being the host city for arguably the best game of Week 1. Photo by Paul Abell, USA Today Sports.
Another glorious season of college football is about to commence. Come the evening of Thurs., Sept. 3, teams will have kicked off the most exciting three months in all of sports (four if you count the bowl game postseason), and come late Monday evening, the fans, analysts and pundits alike shall have had a look at whether or not the preseason rankings are worth any count.
What is particularly attractive about this particular opening weekend is that, unlike in some years past, there is a critical mass of high-stakes games from the beginning. Sure, the body-bag games abound as they usually do during Week One. However, there are many high-ranked teams that are about to butt heads with other ranked teams, or teams that are near-ranked and hungry for respect from the voters.
From the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic in Atlanta, to an incredibly delectable home opener for Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., to a Carolina border war Thursday evening, to a revenge game for Urban Meyer & Co. in Blacksburg, Va., on Labor Day evening, this weekend has it all. Below is thus faithfully submitted a list highlight and lowlight games on which to keep a fan’s eye. Enjoy, and God Bless America!
Ticket to die for: Auburn vs. Louisville in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta; possible Texas @ Notre Dame, too.
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Western Kentucky @ Vanderbilt; BYU @ Nebraska
Best non-Power Five matchup: UNL @ Northern Illinois; Ohio U @ Idaho
Upset alert: Texas @ Notre Dame; TCU @ Minnesota (don’t laugh);
Must win: Ohio State @ Virginia Tech; Purdue @ Marshall
Offensive explosion: Arizona State @ Texas A&M
Defensive struggle: BYU @ Nebraska
Great game no one is talking about: South Carolina vs. North Carolina in Charlotte; Michigan @ Utah; Washington @ Boise State; Stanford @ Northwestern
Intriguing coaching matchup: Gus Malzahn of Auburn vs. Bobby Petrino of Louisville and Paul Chryst of Wisconsin vs. Nick Saban of Alabama; Todd Graham of Arizona State vs. Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M
Who’s bringing the body bags? Baylor @ SMU; Akron @ Oklahoma; Mississippi State @ Southern Miss; UTSA @ Arizona; Michigan State @ Western Michigan; Texas State @ Florida State; Wofford @ Clemson; LA Monroe @ Georgia – and that’s the short list!
Why are they playing? Savannah State @ Colorado State; Oklahoma State @ Central Michigan; Norfolk State @ Rutgers; Arkansas State @ USC
Plenty of good seats remaining: Villanova @ UConn; also, Presbyterian @ Miami (Ohio); also Old Dominion @ Eastern Michigan;
They shoot horses, don’t they? Bethune-Cookman @ Miami (Fla.); Georgia Southern @ West Virginia; Tennessee Tech @ Houston; Elon @ Wake Forest
College Football Week 12 Awards November 18, 2014
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Al Golden, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Bo Pelini, Bobby Petrino, Bret Bielema, Brian Kelly, BYU, Cardinals, Central Michigan, Charleston Southern, college, Curtis Johnson, Eastern Michigan, FIU, Florida, Florida International, Florida State, football, Gary Pinkel, Georgia, Iowa, Jerry Kill, Jimbo Fisher, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, NCAA, Nebraksa, North Carolina, North Texas, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Pat Fitzgerald, Purdue, Savanna State, South Alabama, South Carolina, TCU, Tennessee, Tulane, UCLA, USC, Western Carolina, Western Michigan, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 12] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Bret Bielema, LSU
Glad I’m not him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Lucky guy: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State
Poor guy: Al Golden, Miami
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Todd Graham, Arizona State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Gary Pinkel, Missouri
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bo Pelini, Nebraska
Desperately seeking … anything: Curtis Johnson, Tulane
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Tennessee (beat Kentucky 50-16)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: TCU (defeated Kansas 34-30)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Kentucky (lost to Tennessee 50-16)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (lost to No. 4 TCU 34-20)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Wisconsin (defeated No. 16 Nebraska 59-24)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Tulane
You know, they’re not so bad: Iowa
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Arizona State
Did the season start? Notre Dame
Can the season end? Eastern Michigan
Can the season never end? Wisconsin
GAMES
Play this again: Northwestern 43, No. 18 Notre Dame 40
Play this again, too: South Carolina 23, Florida 20
Never play this again: Western Michigan 51, Eastern Michigan 7
What? No. 5 Alabama 25, No. 1 Mississippi State 20
Huh? No. 15 Georgia 34, No. 9 Auburn 7
Are you kidding me? No. 20 Wisconsin 59, No. 16 Nebraska 24
Oh – my – God: Northwestern 43, No. 18 Notre Dame 40
Told you so: Arkansas 17, No. 17 LSU 0
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 12, pre-week 13)
Ticket to die for: USC @ No. 11 UCLA
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: South Alabama @ South Carolina
Best non-Power Five matchup: Western Michigan @ Central Michigan
Upset alert: Louisville @ No. 18 Notre Dame
Must win: South Carolina @ Florida
Offensive explosion: North Carolina @ No. 21 Duke
Defensive struggle: No. 10 Ole Miss @ Arkansas
Great game no one is talking about: Northwestern @ Purdue
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jerry Kill of Minnesota vs. Bo Pelini of Nebraska (also: Bobby Petrino of Louisville vs Brian Kelly of Notre Dame)
Who’s bringing the body bags? Charleston Southern @ No. 15 Georgia
Why are they playing? Western Carolina @ Alabama
Plenty of good seats remaining: Florida International @ North Texas
They shoot horses, don’t they? Savanna State @ BYU
Week 12 Random Thoughts:
- Forget Notre Dame being overrated. They are frauds. Allowing Purdue to be competitive against them early in the season was one thing. Struggling against mediocre North Carolina and Navy teams raised an eyebrow or two. Getting embarrassed in the desert completely exposed the flaws in the façade. But losing at home to one of the worst Northwestern teams in Pat Fitzgerald’s tenure? Inexcusable, whether you are an Irish fan or foe. Look for Bobby Petrino and his Louisville Cardinals to come into South Bend and make like hard for ND.
College Football Awards Week 11 November 11, 2014
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports, Uncategorized.Tags: Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, BC, Bill Snyder, Boston College, Brian Kelly, Buffalo, Butch Jones, Cards, Cincinnati, Clemson, college, Crimson Tide, Doc Holliday, Duke, East Carolina, Florida, football, Gary Patterson, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Gus Malzahn, Horned Frogs, Houston, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Irish, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Kirk Ferentz, KSU, Louisville, LSU, Mark Dantonio, Mark Stoops, Marshall, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Navy, NCAA, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Pat Fitzgerald, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Presbyterian, SEC, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Sun Devils, TCU, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, Todd Graham, Tony Levine, Troy, Urban Meyer, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Wildcats
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 11] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Todd Graham, Arizona State
Glad I’m not him: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State (hon. mention: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame)
Lucky guy: Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
Poor guy: Gus Malzahn, Auburn
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Tony Levine, Houston
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Doc Holliday, Marshall
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Desperately seeking … anything: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: No. 11 Ole Miss (defeated Presbyterian 48-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Penn State (defeated Indiana 13-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Kentucky (lost to No. 20 Georgia 63-31)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Wake Forest (lost to No. 21 Clemson 34-20)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Marshall (defeated Southern Miss 63-17)
Dang, they’re good: TCU
Dang, they’re bad: Iowa State
You know, they’re not so bad: Louisville
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Michigan State
Did the season start? West Virginia
Can the season end? Buffalo
Can the season never end? Ohio State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 3 Auburn 35, No. 3 Ole Miss 31
Play this again, too: No. 24 Duke 51, Pittsburgh 48
Never play this again: Marshall 63, Southern Miss 17
What? Texas 33, No. 23 West Virginia 16
Huh? No. 9 Arizona State 55, No. 10 Notre Dame 31
Are you kidding me? No. 14 Ohio State 49, No. 8 Michigan State 37
Oh – my – God: Texas A&M 41, No. 3 Auburn 38
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 11, pre-week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Mississippi State @ No. 5 Alabama
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Temple @ Penn State
Best non-Power Five matchup: East Carolina @ Cincinnati
Upset alert: No. 16 LSU @ Arkansas
Must win: South Carolina @ Florida
Offensive explosion: Missouri @ Texas A&M
Defensive struggle: Virginia Tech @ No. 22 Duke
Great game no one is talking about: No. 14 Ohio State @ Minnesota
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mark Stoops of Kentucky vs. Butch Jones of Tennessee
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 6 TCU @ Kansas
Why are they playing? Georgia Southern @ Navy
Plenty of good seats remaining: Troy @ Idaho
They shoot horses, don’t they? No. 12 Michigan State @ Maryland
Week 11 Random Thoughts:
- So many good games took place from 19:00 or later on the 8th of November. Start with Louisville at Boston College, which should not have been interesting on paper, but was, unfortunately, due to the Cardinals’ inability to get it together for the first half (they did in the second). Then again, the Cards have always had their troubles with BC! But then came TCU vs. Kansas State. Bill Snyder has put together an excellent team for this year, and the Wildcats being well-coached shows on the field (especially against Auburn early on in the season). But even a good time like KSU was no match for Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs, who are making every statement they can in order to vie for the playoffs.
Or, look at Ohio State vs. Michigan State. After the Buckeyes laid an egg at home to a mediocre Virginia Tech squad, everybody was skeptical as to how good a team they truly were. Leave it to Urban Meyer to coach his talented bunch up to be more than a match for Mark Dantonio’s Spartans.
But it turned out the most important game, and the one with the biggest national title implications was the Alabama-LSU game. In typical fashion, it was a defensive struggle, and just to make things even more exciting / to heighten the already high degree of urgency even further, the game went into overtime. The Crimson Tide still have a brutal slate of games ahead, but their win is certain a step in the right direction for them
- As I have noted before, Notre Dame is overrated. To be sure, I also noted (in other article) that they are enigmatic. But the overrated question mark remained; lurking, hidden, just waiting for the right opportunity to emerge. Thanks be to Todd Graham and the Arizona State Sun Devils to confirm that which us skeptics felt all along. After all, to have the Irish be among the final four, thus displacing a far-more deserving second SEC team in the process, would have been a travesty beyond words: a travesty, thankfully, that will be pre-empted before it even began.
College Football Week 10 Awards November 3, 2014
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Bulldogs, Butch Jones, Central Florida, Colorado, Duke, Dylan Thompson, East Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Florida State, Gators, Georgia, Gus Malzahn, Hugh Freeze, Iowa, Iowa State, Jimbo Fisher, Kansas, Kansas State, Kyle Whittingham, Longhorns, Louisiana-Monroe, LSU, Mack Brown, Mark Helfrich, Mark Richt, Matt Rhule, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Navy, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Paul Rhodes, Pittsburgh, Presbyterian, Ruffin McNeil, South Carolina, South Florida, Steve Spurrier, TCU, Temple, Tennessee, Tennessee-Martin, Texas A&M, UCLA, UConn, Utah, Will Muschamp
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Note: All rankings are current AP [week 10] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State
Glad I’m not him: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
Lucky guy: Gus Malzahn, Auburn
Poor guy: Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Ruffin McNeil, East Carolina
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Matt Rhule, Temple
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mark Richt, Georgia
Desperately seeking … anything: Paul Rhoads, Iowa State
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: No. 13 Baylor (defeated Kansas 60-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Texas A&M (defeated Louisiana-Monroe 21-16)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Iowa State (lost to No. 18 Oklahoma 59-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: LA-Monroe (lost to Texas A&M 21-16)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Iowa (defeated Northwestern 48-7)
Dang, they’re good: Florida State
Dang, they’re bad: South Florida
You know, they’re not so bad: Arkansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Georgia
Did the season start? South Carolina
Can the season end? Eastern Michigan
Can the season never end? Kansas State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 3 Auburn 35, No. 3 Ole Miss 31
Play this again, too: No. 24 Duke 51, Pittsburgh 48
Never play this again: No. 18 Oklahoma 59, Iowa State 14
What? Temple 20, No. 23 East Carolina 10
Huh? UConn 37, Central Florida 29
Are you kidding me? No. 22 UCLA 17, No. 12 Arizona 7
Oh – my – God: Florida 38, No. 11 Georgia 20
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 10, pre-week 11)
Ticket to die for: No. 9 Kansas State @ No. 7 TCU
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: Memphis @ Temple
Upset alert: No. 10 Notre Dame @ No. 14 Arizona State
Must win: No. 16 Ohio State @ No. 8 Michigan State
Offensive explosion: No. 13 Baylor @ No. 18 Oklahoma
Defensive struggle: No. 6 Alabama @ No. 19 LSU
Great game no one is talking about: Michigan @ Northwestern
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mark Helfrich of Oregon vs. Kyle Whittingham of Utah
Who’s bringing the body bags? Presbyterian @ No. 4 Ole Miss
Why are they playing? Tennessee-Martin @ Mississippi State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Iowa State @ Kansas
They shoot horses, don’t they? Colorado @ No. 12 Arizona
Week 10 Random Thoughts:
- The special, throwback helmets that Texas A&M wore looked positively awesome. Indeed, these are some of the coolest-looking, most college football-appropriate special helmets I have ever seen. Period.
In case the significance is lost on people, this design of helmet was meant to be a throwback to the kind of helmets the Aggies wore when they won their only national championship – in 1939. Do the math, and this year marks the diamond anniversary of that occasion, hence the throwback-looking helmets. Way cool, in any case. Let’s hope they break them out again before the season ends!
- The South Carolina-Tennessee game seemed to leave more questions asked than answered. Just what accounts for South Carolina’s gross inconsistency? Is it their weak defense, or is it something more systemic than that? Will another good recruiting class help the Ol’ Ball Coach rectify this problem? Will Dylan Thompson’s QB play improve next year, with the experience he is gaining this year?
On the other side of the coin, Tennessee seems to be one year away from having a really good team. All Butch Jones appears to need is to bring in one more recruiting class of players with the right kind of talent, but also who buy into his system, his approach, his way of doing things. Starting next year, they should be the team in the best position to win the SEC East, barring needed improvements on South Carolina’s end.
- Speaking of more questions asked than answered, the results of the Florida-Georgia game have certainly muddied the waters regarding Will Muschamp’s future. Everybody was prepared to write his epitaph and obituary notice before he pulled off a massive upset over the Bulldogs in Jacksonville, Fla. Does this win save his bacon for one more year, or is the die already cast? After all, Texas defeating arch-rival Oklahoma in 2013 did nothing to preserve Mack Brown’s tenure as head coach of the Longhorns (the connection being, Muschamp was once Brown’s defensive coordinator). Food for thought.
College Football Week 8 Awards October 19, 2014
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Appalachian State, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Art Briles, B1G, Baylor, Big Ten, Bobby Petrino, Boilermakers, Boilers, Boise State, Brian Kelly, Bruins, Buffaloes, BYU, Cal, Central Florida, college, Colorado, Darrell Hazell, Doc Holliday, FIghting Irish, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida State, football, Furman, Georgia State, Golden Bears, Golden Gophers, Indiana, James Franklin, Jerry Kill, Jimbo Fisher, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Marshall, Miami, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, NCAA, Nevada, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Seminoles, SMU, South Carolina, TCU, Temple, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Troy, UAB, UCLA, Urban Meyer, USC, Utah, UTEP, UTSA, Virginia Tech, Washington State, West Virginia, Will Muschamp
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 8] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Jimbo Fisher, Florida State
Glad I’m not him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Lucky guy: Jerry Kill, Minnesota
Poor guy: Darrell Hazell, Purdue
Desperately seeking a wake-up clue: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Doc Holliday, Marshall
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Art Briles, Baylor
Desperately seeking … anything: Will Muschamp, Florida
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: No. 8 Michigan State (defeated Indiana 56-17)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Louisville (defeated North Carolina State 30-18)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Colorado (lost to No. 22 USC 56-28)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (lost to Texas Tech 34-21)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: No. 7 Alabama (defeated No. 21 Texas A&M 59-0)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: SMU
You know, they’re not so bad: Minnesota
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Baylor
Did the season start? Texas A&M
Can the season end? Georgia State
Can the season never end? Florida State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 2 Florida State 31, No. 5 Notre Dame, 27
Play this again, too: No. 20 Utah 29, Oregon State 23
Never play this again: South Carolina 41, Furman 10
What? Nevada 42, BYU 35
Huh? No. 14 Kansas State 31, No. 11 Oklahoma 30
Are you kidding me? No. 7 Alabama 59, No. 21 Texas A&M 0 (the shear blowout)
Oh – my – God: West Virginia 41, No. 4 Baylor 27
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 8, pre-week 9)
Ticket to die for: No. 3 Ole Miss @ No. 24 LSU
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none, notwithstanding the “Why Are They Playing” entry)
Best non-Power Five matchup: Temple @ Central Florida
Upset alert: Texas @ No. 11 Kansas State
Must win: No. 22 West Virginia @ Oklahoma State
Offensive explosion: No. 15 Arizona @ Washington State
Defensive struggle: Miami @ Virginia Tech
Great game no one is talking about: BYU @ Boise State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Urban Meyer of Ohio State vs. James Franklin of Penn State
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 1 Mississippi State @ Kentucky (also: UConn @ No. 18 East Carolina)
Why are they playing? UAB @ Arkansas
Plenty of good seats remaining: UTEP @ UTSA
They shoot horses, don’t they? Florida Atlantic @ No. 23 Marshall
Week 8 Random Thoughts:
- While Michigan State is a solid choice for the “Thought you’d kick butt, you did” weekly award, the truth is, a number of teams ended up kicking butt, that in hindsight made sense that they would. Start with South Carolina (see: last week’s “Why are they playing?” nod), who beat relatively hapless Furman 41-10. In hindsight, a resurgent Ohio State team against a Rutgers team still learning to navigate the terrain of the Big Ten was also a clear would-be drubbing (result: 56-17). Even more obvious was the Colorado @ USC match-up. The Buffaloes still cannot get things together, while Steve Sarkesian is slowly building the Trojans back to national prominence. The 56-28 result, therefore, came as not surprise.
- While Alabama could not be a more obvious choice for the weekly “Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did” award (59-0 over Texas A&M, their biggest lopsided shutout in 35 years), other games would have been decent choices as well. Start with Marshall’s butt-kicking of Florida International, 45-13. Even more of a surprise, though, was TCU’s drubbing of Oklahoma State, 42-9. On paper, these were closely-matched teams (No. 12 vs. No. 15, respectively). Turns out that in reality, they were not that close in terms of competitive prowess after all. Further down the food chain, Appalachian State – a newcomer to the FCS – beat up on Troy unexpectedly, 53-14. Sounds like the latter is a “Can the season end?” candidate. Stay tuned.
- Last night’s Notre Dame @ Florida State slugfest is already an instant classic. Clearly one of the biggest, best games of the season thus far, it wins the “Play this again” award hands down. That said, despite some lop-sided victories in football this past weekend, plenty other games merit a second look nevertheless. Start with the late Thursday night game on the West Coast, Utah @ Oregon State. The Utes went into Reser Stadium, took the Beavers into overtime, and walked out victorious. Speaking of the West Coast, take a look at the final score between UCLA @ Cal (spoiler alert: 36-34). Consider that you have the Bruins vs. Golden Bears, and two different shades of blue and gold going head-to-head, in the same conference, no less. With such similarities, such a score result is only fitting. In the Big Ten, one was able to enjoy an interesting matchup between Minnesota and Purdue. On one hand, the Golden Gophers have quietly risen to the top of their division in the conference, while Purdue has quietly improved from their doldrums. Indeed, the Boilers almost won on the road.
- Notre Dame remains an enigma. After so many close calls against inferior teams, surely they would not have played No. 2 Florida State as closely as they did on the road. Not when having to result to strokes of luck to win against Stanford. Not when allowing Purdue to play them as closely as they did in Indianapolis. Yet on Saturday night, they played in Tallahassee like they deserved to be the 5th-ranked team in the nation. Further monitoring of the team will be in order to make sense of this inconsistent behavior. Fortunately, the schedule is such that it will allow for further clarity to be reached as it plays out. The Fighting Irish journey to Tempe, Ariz., to play Arizona State in three weeks, followed by Northwestern and then Louisville at home. Then, they cap off the season in Los Angeles against USC. One takes any one of those teams lightly at his own peril (translation: if the Irish fail to bring their A-game to any one of these matchups, they’re doomed).
- As an aside, part of Ole Miss now being taken seriously in the national rankings (No. 3, currently), is that their defense is given plenty of respect with an up-and-coming brand: the “land shark” defense. One must admit, that has a nice ring to it!
Week 6 College Football Awards October 6, 2014
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona, Art Briles, Auburn, Autzen Stadium, Baylor, Boilermakers, Brady Hoke, Buffalo, Bulldogs, Butch Jones, BYU, Cal, California, Cardinal, Central Florida, Charleston Southern, Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado State, Dan Mullen, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Gary Patterson, Hugh Freeze, Illini, Illinois, Irish, Jim McElwain, John F. Kennedy, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Les Miles, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, NC State, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, Rebels, Rose Bowl, Sooners, South Carolina, Stanford, Steve Spurrier, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Utah, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Washington, Will Muschamp, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 6] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
Wish I were him, too: Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss
Glad I’m not him: Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
Lucky guy: Will Muschamp, Florida
Poor guy: Butch Jones, Tennessee
Desperately seeking a wake-up clue: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jim McElwain, Colorado State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Les Miles, LSU
Desperately seeking … anything: Brady Hoke, Michigan
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: No. 1 Florida State (beat Wake Forest 43-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: No. 1 Florida State (defeated NC State 56-41)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Maryland (lost to No. 20 Ohio State 52-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Northwestern (defeated No. 17 Wisconsin 20-14)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: No. 5 Auburn (defeated No. 18 LSU 41-7)
Dang, they’re good: Auburn
Dang, they’re bad: Florida Atlantic
You know, they’re not so bad: Utah
Can’t Stand Prosperity: UCLA
Did the season start? Tennessee
Can the season end? Michigan
Can the season never end? Ole Miss and Mississippi State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 11 Ole Miss 23, No. 1 Alabama 17
Play this again, too: Utah 30, No. 8 UCLA 28
Never play this again: Clemson 41, NC State 0
What? No. 12 Mississippi State 48, No. 6 Texas A&M 31
Huh? No. 25 TCU 37, No. 4 Oklahoma 33
Are you kidding me? Arizona 31, No. 2 Oregon 24
Oh – my – God: No. 11 Ole Miss 23, No. 3 Alabama 17
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 6, pre-week 7)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Auburn @ No. 3 Mississippi State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Cincinnati @ Miami
Best non-Power Five matchup: BYU @ Central Florida
Upset alert: No. 3 Ole Miss @ No. 12 Texas A&M
Must win: Texas vs. No. 11 Oklahoma in Dallas
Offensive explosion: Washington @ California
Defensive struggle: LSU @ Florida
Great game no one is talking about: Louisville @ Clemson
Intriguing coaching matchup: Gary Patterson of TCU vs. Art Briles of Baylor
Who’s bringing the body bags? Chattanooga @ Tennessee (also, No. 9 Michigan State @ Purdue)
Why are they playing? Charleston Southern @ Vanderbilt
Plenty of good seats remaining: Buffalo @ Eastern Michigan
They shoot horses, don’t they? Louisiana-Monroe @ Kentucky
Week 6 Random Thoughts:
- In all the years I have followed college football closely (two decades and counting), I honestly cannot recall a weekend where the top-ten rankings were turned upside-down with upsets. Indeed, upsets abounded all over the place. To wit, Thursday night, Arizona went into noisy Autzen Stadium and upset the No. 2 Oregon Ducks. Friday night, Utah State beat deceptively-tough No. 18 BYU. Then on Saturday during the noon timeslot, Mississippi State finally earned a big win over a top-ten opponent in Texas A&M. Following that, Ole Miss beat No. 3 Alabama. The last time the Rebels went 5-0, John F. Kennedy was in the White House. If that is not enough, TCU went into Norman, Okla., and upset the Sooners. Let us not forget that out on the West Coast, unranked Utah upset No. 8 UCLA out in the Rose Bowl. So, just so everybody is up to speed, the No. 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8-ranked teams all went down.
- Regarding Purdue’s win on the road at Illinois, it remains inconclusive as to whether or not the Boilermakers have improved that much since stinking out the joint against Iowa on homecoming weekend, or if the Illini are even more inept than Purdue.
- So with all the top-ten teams going down to defeat this past Saturday, how come No. 1 Florida State escaped unscathed? That would not have anything to do with the fact that they played Wake Forest, would it?
- With all the top-ten teams upset, it might have escaped the notice of many fans that unranked Northwestern also pulled off an upset over the No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers. Given the Wildcats’ mediocre performances thus far, none of us saw that one coming.
- I cannot help but surmise that the only thing the saved Notre Dame’s bacon at home against Stanford was the positively nasty weather that no doubt threw the Cardinal a bit off their game. Otherwise, the Irish might have (indeed should have) been exposed.
- For those of us who are waiting for the opportunity for Notre Dame to be exposed as the truly overrated team they are, mark your calendars for Nov. 8, when they play Florida State, followed by Nov. 22. On that date, they play the Louisville Cardinals. Just sayin’.
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