College Football Awards, Week 1 (2025) September 2, 2025
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arch Manning, Army, Bill Belichick, Boise State, Brent Key, BYU, Chris Klieman, Clemson, college football, College Gameday, Colorado, Deion Sanders, ESPN, Florida International, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, James Madison, Jeff Monken, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Lee Corso, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Marshall, Matt Patricia, Miami (FL), Miami (OH), Michigan, Mike Norvell, Missouri, NCAA, North Carolina, North Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, Ryan Day, San Jose State, South Carolina, Steve Sarkesian, Syracuse, TCU, Temple, Texas, Toledo, UConn, UMass, Virginia Tech, Western Michigan
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Lucky guy: Brent Key, Georgia Tech
Poor guy: Deion Sanders, Colorado
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Chris Klieman, Kansas State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Mike Norvell, Florida State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking … anything: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Illinois (defeated Western Illinois 52-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Kansas State (defeated North Dakota 38-35)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Marshall (lost to No. 5 Georgia 45-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Toledo (lost to Kentucky 24-16)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Temple (defeated UMass 42-10)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: UMass
Can’t Stand Prosperity: N/A
Did the season start? Kansas State
Can the season end? Army
Can the season never end? Florida State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 3 Ohio State 14, No. 1 Texas 7
Play this again, too: No. 9 LSU 17, No. 4 Clemson 10
Never play this again: BYU 69, Portland State 0
What? No. 3 Ohio State 14, No. 1 Texas 7
Huh? No. 9 LSU 17, No. 4 Clemson 10
Are you kidding me?? Florida State 31, No. 8 Alabama 17
Oh – my – God: Tarleton State 30, Army 27 (2OT)
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 2)
Ticket to die for: Michigan @ Oklahoma
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: James Madison @ Louisville
Best non-Power Four matchup: North Texas @ Western Michigan
Upset alert: UConn @ Syracuse
Must win: UCLA @ UNLV
Offensive explosion: Kansas @ Missouri
Defensive struggle: Miami (OH) @ Rutgers
Great game no one is talking about: Iowa @ No. 22 Iowa State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Frank Reich of Stanford vs Kalane Sitake of BYU
Who’s bringing the body bags? San Jose State @ Texas
Why are they playing? Florida International @ Penn State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Bryant @ UMass
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Eastern Washington @ Boise State
Week 1 Thoughts:
The 2025-’26 college football season has launched for real, and a few good games have helped the season launch more than respectfully. Indeed, in one of the greatest opening games in living memory, No. 1 Texas came to Columbus to play No. 3 (and defending national champ) Ohio State. Adding even more drama and poignancy to this already-historic matchup was the fact that this was legendary ESPN football commentator Lee Corso’s last appearance on the network’s College Gameday show. In a very classy farewell gesture, Corso, 90, wore a tuxedo for his farewell appearance. The Ohio State band formed the letters “CORSO” on the field right before kickoff, and he was joined by the Gameday crew a the 50 yard line of Ohio Stadium to deliver his final “headgear” stunt. Appropriately, he donned the Brutus Buckeye head. How could he not? Twenty-nine years ago, his first ever big-game outcome prognostication vis-à-vis donning the team’s mascot head was born at Ohio State, where he likewise put on Brutus’ head. It was more than fitting that he bookended his legendary body of work at ESPN by doing the same thing, in fitting tribute to the place where the cherished tradition began.
The game itself was incredible, with huge defensive plays abounding throughout the game. Ryan Day’s overall strategy of bringing in Matt Patricia from the NFL paid off handsomely. Patricia used his vast NFL experience to call up defensive schemes to make inexperienced Texas QB Arch Manning uncomfortable, and it showed in the Longhorns’ lack of offensive output throughout all but the last drive of the game. Still, Manning managed to exploit the occasional crack in the Buckeyes’ defense, and Texas was thus one pass completion away from taking the game into overtime.
In a larger sense, this loss on the part of the Longhorns shall not tank their season. Should Texas effectively regroup and make the playoffs come season’s end, surely their path shall cross that of Ohio State yet again. Should they do so, it is almost always impossible to beat the same formidable opponent again in the same season, as the Buckeyes demonstrated with devasting effectiveness against Oregon in the most recent Rose Bowl.
The Broader Line-up of Games
In what might become an annual tradition for the first week of college football awards each season, it is worth noting the many poor matchups among a few really great games. Once again, most of the matchups scream “[W]hy are they playing?” To wit (final scores indicated in parentheses):
Louisville vs EKU (51-17); Arizona State vs Northern Arizona (38-19); SMU vs East Texas A&M (42-13); BYU vs Portland State (69-0); Tulsa vs Abilene Christian (35-7); North Texas vs Lamar (51-0); Ole Miss vs Georgia State (63-7); Texas Tech vs Arkansas Pine Bluff (67-7); USC vs Missouri State (73-13); Florida vs Long Island University (55-0); Arkansas St. vs SE Missouri State (42-24); W. Kentucky vs North Alabama (55-6); Oklahoma vs Illinois State (35-3); Iowa vs Albany (34-7); James Madison vs Weber State (45-10); Memphis vs Chattanooga (45-10); Arkansas vs Alabama A&M (52-7); Oregon vs Montana State (59-13); Penn State vs. Nevada (46-11); Georgia vs Marshall (45-7); Iowa State vs South Dakota (55-7); Air Force vs Buckness (49-13); Boston College vs Fordham (66-10); West Virgina vs Robert Morris (45-3); UConn vs Central Conn. St. (59-13); Pittsburgh vs Duquense (61-9); Navy vs VMI (52-7); Illinois vs Western Illinois (52-3); Kansas vs Wagner (46-7); Florida International vs Bethune-Cookman (42-9); SDSU vs Stony Brook (42-0); Houston vs Stephen F. Austin (27-0); Missouri vs Central Arkansas (61-6); Oklahoma State vs Tennessee-Martin (27-7); Duke vs Elon (45-17)
I would add other games as well to the above litany, except that the intended punching bags managed to make the games somewhat respectable, such as Indiana vs Old Dominion (27-14); Wisconsin vs Miami (OH) (17-0); Minnesota vs Buffalo (23-10); Wyoming vs Akron (10-0); UNLV vs Idaho State (38-31); Kentucky vs Toledo (24-16) and Michigan vs New Mexico (34-17). The joke was truly on Army, who lost to lowly Tarleton State in the second overtime, 30-27.
As far as college football has evolved (e.g., the new playoff format), further evolution is clearly in order. To be sure, these absolutely atrocious lineups are likely a holdover of the recent time when one loss could potentially tank a team’s entire season. That is no longer the case, however, so going forward, it is not unreasonable for us fans to expect more marquee matchups such as the aforementioned Texas vs Ohio State, or Virginia Tech vs South Carolina, or Alabama @ Florida State, or Miami (FL) vs Notre Dame, and especially LSU @ Clemson, a memorable game in its own right. Likewise with Notre Dame @ Miami (Fla.), which turned out to be another fantastic game. More of these top-ten matchups, please! Moreover, Monday night matchup of TCU @ North Carolina, which happens to also be Bill Belichick’s college coaching debut, holds much promise as well.
Just do not expect to see such needed evolution take place next week, which shall deliver too many “why are they playing?” matchups as well.
College Football Awards, Week 12 (2024) November 18, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona State, Brian Kelly, Buffaloes, BYU, Cardinals, Carson Beck, college football, Colorado, Cougars, Dan Lanning, East Carolina, Florida State, football, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Josh Heupel, Kalani Sitake, Kansas, Kansas State, Kirby Smart, Louisville, LSU, Luke Fickell, Missouri, Navy, NCAA football, Nico Iamaleava, North Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pat Narduzzi, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford, Tennessee, Tennnessee, Texas State, Tulane, UMass, Utah, UTEP, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Lucky guy: Dan Lanning, Oregon
Poor guy: Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Kalani Sitake
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jay Norvell, Colorado State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jeff Brohm, Louisville
Desperately seeking … anything: Brian Kelly, LSU
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Alabama (defeated Mercer 52-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oregon (defeated Wisconsin 16-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Purdue (lost to Penn State 49-10)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Wisconsin (lost to No. 1 Oregon 16-13)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Tulane (defeated Navy 35-0)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Oregon State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: BYU
Did the season start? Kansas State
Can the season end? LSU
Can the season never end? Colorado
GAMES
Play this again: No. 1 Oregon 16, Wisconsin 13
Play this again, too: No. 21 South Carolina 34, No. 23 Missouri 30
Never play this again: Texas State 58, Southern Miss 3
What? Florida 27, No. 22 LSU 16
Huh? Stanford 38, No. 19 Louisville 35
Double-Huh? Arizona State 24, No. 16 Kansas State 14
Are you kidding me?? No. 12 Georgia 31, No. 7 Tennessee 17
Oh – my – God: Kansas 17, No. 6 BYU 13
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 5 Indiana @ No. 2 Ohio State
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: No. 18 Army @ No. 6 Notre Dame
Best non-Power Four matchup: UNLV @ San Jose State
Upset alert: Kansas @ No. 16 Colorado
Must win: No. 14 BYU @ No. 21 Arizona State
(See also: “ticket to die for”)
Offensive explosion: East Carolina @ North Texas
Defensive struggle: Iowa State @ Utah
Great game no one is talking about: Illinois @ Rutgers
Intriguing coaching matchup: Pat Narduzzi of Pittsburgh vs Jeff Brohm of Louisville
Who’s bringing the body bags? UMass @ No. 8 Georgia
Why are they playing? UTEP @ No. 10 Tennessee
Plenty of good seats remaining: Charleston Southern @ Florida State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Wofford @ No. 16 South Carolina
Week 12 Thoughts:
Let us start out on the west coast with Louisville visiting Stanford. The Cardinals had two things going against them for this game. One is that they were coming off a bye week, and that typically throws college teams off, especially their offense. Second, this was a team in the Eastern Timezone that ventured out to the west coast. That time difference also throws off college teams, thus it affects their performance negatively. Still, Louisville was leading Stanford by two touchdowns going into the fourth quarter. Then the Cards blew that lead big time, and in the end, the Cardinal defeated the Cardinals on a last-second field goal. Head coach Jeff Brohm himself admitted that the team “gave in at the end”, and the barrage of penalties throughout the game likewise contributed to the upset loss.
Meanwhile, Oregon, the current No. 1 team, ventured into Madison, Wis., to take on the Badgers. Apparently Dan Lanning & Co. were unaware of just how tough a place Camp Randall Stadium is to play, especially at nighttime, hence the Ducks’ narrow margin of victory in a surprise defensive struggle, 16-13.
Turning one’s attention to the game of the week, wherein Tennessee played Georgia “between the hedges”, a key takeaway for me emerged as the Bulldogs proceeded to a convincing win. The Volunteers did not have a deep threat the entire game, and the Bulldogs exploited that by putting constant pressure on up front on their QB. Nico Iamaleava is young, and will likely grow further into his key role. What is now clear is that this year is not the year – yet – for the Vols, but with further seasoning and growth, they could likely vie more effectively for the playoffs next season.
Conversely, Georgia QB Carson Beck seems to have found his way out of his multi-week slump, and performed brilliantly against a potentially lethal foe, throwing for 347 yards and two touchdowns.
Finally, BYU did control its own destiny regarding the road to the Big XII championship and a possible playoff bid. That road now has more obstacles than before after the Cougars coughed up the game at home to Kansas, 17-13. Discerning observers of the game have noticed that the Jayhawks had improved considerably over the past couple of weeks, but to that extent? Perhaps BYU was looking past Kansas in anticipation of taking on newly-ranked Arizona State. In so doing, they added to the urgency of next week’s game in Tempe, Ariz.
All the while, Colorado continues to roll through Big XII competition, and it is still not inconceivable that the Buffaloes and the Cougs could be headed for a showdown for a playoff berth come early December.
College Football Awards, Week 8 (2024) October 21, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Ball State, Bill O'Brien, Boise State, Boston College, Bret Bielema, Bulldogs, BYU, California, Cardinals, Charlotte, college football, Colorado State, Dan Lanning, Florida State, football, Georgia, Hurricanes, Illinois, Indiana, James Madison, Jeff Brohm, Josh Heupel, Kalani Sitake, Kalen DeBoer, Kennesaw State, Kenny Dillingham, Kentucky, Kirby Smart, liberty, Lincoln Riley, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Mike Gundy, Mike Norvell, Navy, NCAA, NCAA football, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nico Iamaleava, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Red Grange, Rice, Riddell, Rutgers, Shane Beamer, South Caroina, Southern Miss, Steve Sarkesian, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, UCLA, UNLV, USC, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Honorable mention: Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Glad I’m not him: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Ditto: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Lucky guy: Kalani Sitake, BYU
Poor guy: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Lincoln Riley, USC
Desperately seeking … anything: Mike Norvell, Florida State
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Oregon (defeated Purdue 35-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Vanderbilt (defeated Ball State 24-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Charlotte (lost to No. 25 Navy 51-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Rice (lost to Tulane 24-10)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Indiana (defeated Nebraska 56-7)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Kennesaw State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Texas
Did the season start? Nebraska
Can the season end? Auburn
Can the season never end? Indiana
GAMES
Play this again: No. 5 Georgia 30, No. 1 Texas 15
Play these again, too: No. 11 Tennessee 24, No. 7 Alabama 17
Never play this again: No. 16 Indiana 56, Nebraska 7
What? UCLA 35, Rutgers 32
Huh? No. 11 Tennessee 24, No. 7 Alabama 17
Are you kidding me?? Maryland 29, USC 28
Oh – my – God: No. 5 Georgia 30, No. 1 Texas 15
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 9)
Ticket to die for: No. 8 LSU @ No. 14 Texas A&M
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Oregon State @ California
Best non-Power Four matchup: No. 17 Boise State @ UNLV
Upset alert: No. 24 Navy @ No. 12 Notre Dame
Must win: No. 5 Texas @ No. 25 Vanderbilt
Offensive explosion: New Mexico @ Colorado State
Defensive struggle: Auburn @ Kentucky
Great game no one is talking about: Syracuse @ No. 19 Pittsburgh
Intriguing coaching matchup: Dan Lanning of Oregon vs Bret Bielema of Illinois
Honorable mention: Jeff Brohm of Louisville vs Bill O’Brien of Boston College
Who’s bringing the body bags? Florida State @ No. 6 Miami (Fla.)
Why are they playing? Liberty @ Kennesaw State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Utah State @ Wyoming
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Southern Miss @ James Madison
Week 8 Thoughts:
Last week was a tough act to follow. This week nevertheless delivered some good ones.
Let us address the 900-pound gorilla in the room by taking a look at the Georgia-Texas game. The Longhorns are still good, but the Bulldogs bested them last night anyhow. One takeaway is that neither team was able to handle its opponents’ front seven in the second half. The problem was, Texas was also unable to handle Georgia’s in the first half. Both teams have work to do to improve, with Georgia still probably having the bigger problem to deal with in terms of limitations of their own quarterback. Nevertheless, it was a good game.
Perhaps more of a thriller was Tennessee defeating Alabama at home. Nico Iamaleava seems to have marginally improved from the previous couple of games (he completed a monster pass with 1:33 left in the first half, for example, and made a clutch TD pass with 5:52 left in the game), but the real salvation for Tennessee came in their running game. The tradition of the fans of the winning team lighting cigars materialized in such a way to see a smokey haze ascend out of Neyland Stadium upon the conclusion of the game. As an aside, Alabama is 0-2 against teams from Tennessee this year. That cannot sit well among the Crimson-clad faithful in the Yellowhammer State.
Don’t look now, but Indiana University is now 7-0 after dusting Nebraska 56-7. At this rate, a projected record of 11-1 is not an unreasonable prognostication for the Hoosiers.
In other news, seeing Illinois don their 1920s-era throwback uniforms in honor of the 100th anniversary of Red Grange’s senior season there was a sheer delight to see. Yes, before the Galloping Ghost become the first superstar in the NFL, he was tearing it up on the gridiron for Illinois. Further props to Illinois for being able to recreate the vintage leather helmet graphic pattern on their modern-day Riddells.
Forget the last week’s prognostications: the actual offensive explosion this week turned out to be Miami at Louisville. The No. 6 Hurricanes triumphed in the end, 52-45. Imagine if the Cardinals had a slightly better defense. Not only would the outcome of the game likely been different, but their current record of 4-3 would likely be better as well.
College Football Awards, Week 5 (2024) September 30, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Akron, Alabama, Army, Auburn, Ball State, Boise State, Bowling Green, Brent Pry, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Clemson, college football, Crimson Tide, Florida State, football, Georgia, Greg Schiano, Jalen Milroe, James Madison, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kirby Smart, Lance Leipold, Lane Kiffin, Louisville, LSU, Mario Cristobal, Matt Rhule, Miami (Fla.), Navy, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Ryan Williams, SEC, Sooners, Temple, Texas, Texas Tech, Tigers, UConn, Utah State, Virginia Tech, War Eagle
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Glad I’m not him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Lucky guy: Mario Cristobal, Miami (Fla.)
Poor guy: Brent Pry, Virginia Tech
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: (inconclusive)
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking … anything: Lance Leipold, Kansas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: James Madison (defeated Ball State 63-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oklahoma (defeated Auburn 27-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Temple (lost to Army 42-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Virginia Tech (lost to No. 7 Miami, Fla. 38-34)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Kansas State (defeated No. 20 Oklahoma State 42-20)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Buffalo
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Auburn
Did the season start? Ole Miss
Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Alabama
GAMES
Play this again: No. 4 Alabama 41, No. 2 Georgia 34
Play this again, too: Texas Tech 44, Cincinnati 41
Never play this again: James Madison 63, Ball State 0
What? N/A
Huh? Arizona 23, No. 10 Utah 10
Are you kidding me?? No. 4 Alabama 41, No. 2 Georgia 34
Oh – my – God: Kentucky 20, No. 6 Ole Miss 17
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 6)
Best game of the week: No. 9 Missouri @ Texas A&M
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Syracuse @ No. 25 UNLV
Best non-Power Four matchup: Colorado State @ Oregon State
Upset alert: SMU @ No. 22 Louisville
Must win: No. 12 Ole Miss @ South Carolina
Offensive explosion: Utah State @ Boise State
Defensive struggle: Navy @ Air Force
Great game no one is talking about: Rutgers @ Nebraska
Intriguing coaching matchup: Greg Schiano of Rutgers vs Matt Rhule of Nebraska
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 15 Clemson @ Florida State
Why are they playing? N/A
Plenty of good seats remaining: Bowling Green @ Akron
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Temple @ UConn
Week 5 Thoughts:
Oklahoma @ Auburn
There are two types of teams that “can’t stand prosperity”. The typical type is one that is on a win streak but then inexplicably loses a winnable game. The atypical type is where a team that has been having a lousy season but then, in one game, is leading as an underdog for most of the 60 minutes, only to blow the lead in the last minutes of regulation.
Clearly Auburn fell into the latter category. Going into the game against Oklahoma at 2-2, they already lost some games that many perceived to be winnable, namely Cal and Arkansas. That losing prompted some in the press to speculate that Auburn football had lost its way.
Yet things seemed to turn around against Oklahoma. The Tigers led most of the game until the Sooners scored at 8:34 in the 4th quarter, made the two point conversion, then broadened their lead to 27-21 when they kicked a field goal with 58 seconds left in the game. Though Auburn got the ball back, that amount of time was not enough for them to go the length of the field.
So, has the War Eagle still “lost its way”? Perhaps, but then again, this is the SEC, which is brutal top to bottom. A potentially more plausible explanation is that Auburn is down in talent during a season when its surrounding competition is especially “up”, from LSU to Georgia, from Alabama to Tennessee. Ole Miss was considered a top ten team prior to their upset loss at home to Kentucky, who in turn got spanked by South Carolina earlier this month.
Can they still turn things around and salvage the season? Anything is possible. The current problem for Auburn is, they have no time to lick their wounds, as the go on the road to Georgia next week. Speaking of…
Georgia @ Alabama
Despite being down 28-0 early in the 2nd quarter to Alabama, Georgia gradually roared back and even briefly led with 2:42 left in the game. Then Jalen Milroe’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Williams, along with a two-pointer, put the Crimson Tide back on top for good at 41-34.
Does this mean that Georgia’s playoff hopes are dashed on the rocks? Hardly, but they also have one of the toughest schedules of any team in the FBS this year (they still have yet to play Ole Miss, Texas, and Tennessee), and losing to Bama put them in the hole from the outset.
Nevertheless, should they make the playoffs, perhaps next time they’ll know better than to spot a top-ranked team four touchdowns before they decide to start playing football.
College Football Awards Week 12 (2021) November 24, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Bedlam, Boise State, Bryan Harsin, Buckeyes, BYU, Cardinals, Cincinnati, Clemson, Cornhuskers, Crimson Tide, Dan Mullen, Duke, Egg Bowl, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hawkeyes, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Jeff Traylor, Kansas, Kentucky, Lane Kiffin, liberty, Louisville, Mario Cristobal, Maryland, Mel Tucker, Michigan, Michigan State, Mike Leach, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico State, North Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Oaken Bucket, Ole Miss, Oregon, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Rutgers, Ryan Day, San Diego State, Scott Frost, Shane Beamer, Sooners, South Carolina, Steve Sarkesian, TCU, Temple, Texas, UAB, UConn, UMass, UNLV, USC, Utah, UTEP, UTSA, Wake Forest, Wildcats, Wolverines
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Lucky guy: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin; also: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Poor guy: Scott Frost, Nebraska; also: Bryan Harsin, Auburn
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Dan Mullen, Florida
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Traylor, UTSA
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mario Cristobal, Oregon
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Notre Dame (defeated Georgia Tech 55-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: San Diego State (defeated UNLV 28-20)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Duke (lost to Louisville 62-22)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Arkansas (lost to Alabama 42-35)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Ohio State (defeated Michigan State 56-7)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Temple
Another one bites the dust: Wake Forest
Did the season start? Florida
Can the season end? Texas
Can the season never end? Houston
GAMES
Play this again: No. 15 Wisconsin 35, Nebraska 28
Play this again, too: TCU 31, Kansas 28
Never play this again: No. 1 Georgia 56, Charleston Southern 7
What? Missouri 24, Florida 23 (OT)
Huh? South Carolina 21, Auburn 17
Are you kidding me?? Clemson 48, No. 10 Wake Forest 27
Oh – my – God: No. 23 Utah 38, No. 3 Oregon 7
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Ohio State @ No. 6 Michigan
also: No. 13 Oklahoma @ No. 9 Oklahoma State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: Boise State @ No. 19 San Diego State
also: Army @ Liberty
Upset alert: Nebraska @ No. 17 Iowa; also: South Carolina @ Clemson
Must win: No. 15 Wisconsin @ Minnesota
They have the same record? Florida @ Florida State
Offensive explosion: No. 13 Oklahoma @ No. 9 Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: Maryland @ Rutgers
Great game no one is talking about: UTEP @ UAB
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mike Leach of Missisippi State vs Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 1 Georgia @ Georgia Tech
Why are they playing? No. 24 Houston @ UConn
Plenty of good seats remaining: UMass @ New Mexico State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? No. 22 UTSA @ North Texas
Week 12 Thoughts:
So here we thought that No. 7 Michigan State lining up against No. 4 Ohio State in The Horseshoe was going to be the barn-burner of the week. Let us all briefly pause while we laugh at ourselves for such an erroneous prognostication. It is not as if the Spartans are a bad team. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, the Buckeyes are simply that much better.
Let us put it in greater perspective. Two top-four teams but their opponents senseless, 56-7. One was the aforementioned Buckeyes. The other team was No. 1 Georgia. The latter’s flattened opponent was Charleston Southern (yes, an FCS team), while the former was, again, top-ten Michigan State.
Let us now thus ask ourselves: which of those two wins is [considerably] more impressive? The obvious answer is that for Ohio State, and is thus proof-positive that the Buckeyes are a legit playoff team. All they have to do is close the deal against Michigan in the Big House next week. To be sure, that is not the easiest of tasks, but if they do so, their case should be all the stronger.
Notice that Kansas almost got their second consecutive conference win. Looks like the Jayhawks are no longer the instant win on the schedule that everyone usually hopes to have.
A quick side note: we now have all those pointless body bag games played by SEC teams are behind us now. Thank heavens.
Finally, with Oregon, for all intents and purposes, knocked out of playoff contention, can we* all get over ourselves and acknowledge that Cincinnati belongs in the Top Four for the playoffs?
*By “we”, I really mean the Playoff Committee. Seriously, in light of recent events, Cincinnati belongs in the playoffs. Make it happen, guys.
Looking ahead to Week 13:
Rivalry Week is now upon us. Let us drink it in with full enjoyment.
Indiana @ Purdue
If Purdue wins, at home, to their traditional rival, they shall accomplish two things. For one, they reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket trophy (fun fact: that bucket was found on a farm in the same county where I graduated from high school) But more importantly, they shall finish the regular season with eight wins for the first time since 2006. Not a bad consolation prize to shoot for, given that Purdue is out of contention for the BIG West division.
Penn State @ Michigan State
Not a traditional, bitter rival, you observe? Okay, not in the strictest sense. Bu-ut, anytime two tough Big Ten teams get together, it becomes a rivalry in the moment. This should be a great game in any case, so let us enjoy it accordingly.
Alabama @ Auburn
This was going to be a great game. Probably not now, though, in light of Auburn coming up short at South Carolina. If the Tigers have the same offensive miscues against the Crimson Tide, Alabama will crush them without remorse. More the pity, too, for a good Iron Bowl is always a hallmark of a memorable Rivalry Week.
Houston @ UConn
Not so much a rivalry game, this is a weird juxtaposition for the head coach – in this case, Dana Holgorsen – of a non-Power Five team having to play the role of pitiless executioner during Rivalry Week, as it’s almost a given that Houston shall demolish the Huskies.
Nebraska @ Iowa.
Do not let the lop-sided matchup of records fool you. Yes, Nebraska is unranked at 3-8, whereas Iowa is no. 17 with a 9-2 record. But the Cornhuskers lost to Wisconsin on the road by only a touchdown in yet another heartbreaker for them. Anyone who has witnessed Nebraska’s performance these past several weeks would notice a team that has become increasingly strong, and could possibly flip the script at home this Friday.
Georgia @ Georgia Tech
This used to be a decent rivalry game. Not right now, though. If Notre Dame managed to crush Georgia Tech 55-0, what is an even tougher team in Georgia going to do to them?
Louisville @ Kentucky
Louisville lost a heartbreaker to a down Clemson team earlier this month. Immediately afterwards, they bounced back and played “on fire”. Meanwhile, Mark Stoops is coaching one of the strongest Kentucky teams in recent memory. The Cardinals seem to have peaked just in time to give the Wildcats a tough game in Lexington. We shall see.
BYU @ USC
Wait, doesn’t that matchup sound like a bowl game? That’s how good it sounds on paper. Too bad that, in reality, USC sports an anemic 4-6 record. The game could still be interesting regardless.
Ole Miss @ Mississippi State
With so many rivalry games already, it might be easy to overlook this one. If so, one would deny oneself a great game. So many memorable “Egg Bowl” games capped off my family’s Thanksgiving Day evenings in style, and this one could be a ‘dandy’ among the others in this longstanding rivalry. Lane Kiffin’s Rebels are currently ranked no. 8 in the AP poll, while Mike Leach’s Bulldogs can take down a stronger team at a moment’s notice should the latter ever let down its guard. Be sure to make this game part of your Thanksgiving tradition!
Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State
Notwithstanding the Sooner’s loss to Baylor on the road two weeks ago, the Sooners are still a tough team. The catch is, this time, Oklahoma State could be better still. On top of that, the game takes place in Stillwater this time. So sit back and enjoy another memorable game in the Bedlam Series!
Ohio State @ Michigan
There’s a reason this storied rivalry is simply called “The Game”. And this time, The Game should live up to its storied hype. Michigan is officially out of its head-scratching slump from the previous couple of seasons, playing back up to the potential a Jim Harbaugh-coached team should possess. Out of the opposing corner, Ohio State is currently playing like yet another Playoff-contending team, and carries all the legitimate prowess that comes with that well-earned status. A worthy challenger on its home field ties to knock off the playoff-ranked team: let The Game begin.
College Football Week 10 Awards (2021) November 9, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: Aggies, Alabama, Army, Auburn, Baylor, Big XII, Boilermakers, Bucknell, Cincinnati, Clemson, Dabo Swinney, Dan Mullen, Dave Clawson, Florida, Gators, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Jimbo Fisher, Josh Heupel, Kent State, Kentucky, Kyle Whittingham, Lane Kiffin, Louisville, Mark Stoops, Matt Campbell, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico State, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rebels, Rutgers, San Diego State, Scott Satterfield, South Carolina, Spartans, Stanford, Steve Sarkesian, TCU, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, Tulsa, UConn, Utah, Wake Forest, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Glad I’m not him: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Lucky guy: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Poor guy: Scott Satterfield, Louisville
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Dan Mullen, Florida
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Georgia (defeated Missouri 43-6)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Cincinnati (defeated Tulsa 28-20)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Rutgers (lost to Wisconsin 52-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Tulsa (lost to No. 6 Cincinnati 28-20)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: South Carolina (defeated Florida 40-17)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Temple
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Michigan State
Did the season start? Florida
Can the season end? Texas
Can the season never end? Michigan State
GAMES
Play this again: Tennessee 45, No. 18 Kentucky 42
Play this again, too: Kent State 52, Northern Illinois 47
Never play this again: Utah 52, Stanford 7
What? Illinois 14, No. 20 Minnesota 6
Huh? TCU 30, No. 12 Baylor 28
Are you kidding me?? North Carolina 58, No. 10 Wake Forest 55
Oh – my – God: Purdue 40, No. 3 Michigan State 29
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 11)
Ticket to die for: No. 14 Texas A&M @ No. 16 Ole Miss also: No. 8 Oklahoma @ No. 12 Baylor
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: Nevada @ No. 24 San Diego State
Upset alert: No. 19 NC State @ No. 9 Wake Forest
Must win: No. 7 Michigan @ Penn State
Offensive explosion: Oklahoma @ Baylor
Defensive struggle: Minnesota @ No. 22 Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: North Carolina @ No. 25 Pittsburgh
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jimbo Fisher of Texas A&M vs Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss
Who’s bringing the body bags? New Mexico State @ No. 2 Alabama
Why are they playing? UConn @ Clemson
Plenty of good seats remaining: Tulsa @ Tulane
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Bucknell @ Army
Week 10 Thoughts:
Just when Michigan State looks red-hot, they go and lay an egg at Purdue. In their defense, though, strange things have been known to happen to the Spartans in Ross-Ade Stadium over the years (witness the 1997 and 1999 games, for example).
Conversely, just when one is apt to give Purdue up for dead after a lackluster performance against Illinois and losing a winnable game on the road to Minnesota, they turn around and beat then-No. 2 Iowa and just defeated then-No. 3 Michigan State. With still more to ponder, the Boilermakers are now 6-3. Hard to give up a team for dead when they currently have a record like that.
Moreover, this is the second time in one year that Purdue has taken down a top-five team (Iowa was the previous team to fall in such a manner), giving further credibility the Boilermakers’ nickname-within-a-nickname of “Spoiler-makers”.
Similarly, just when one is about to give South Carolina up for dead, they trounce Florida, 40-17. To be sure, the Gators started off the season very strongly, but mysteriously seem to have gradually declined in performance over the past few weeks. On the other side of the ball, is this a sign that Frank Beamer’s son is building the Gamecocks into an increasingly strong team? They close out the season with home games against Auburn and Clemson that shall answer that question.
Looking into Non-Power Five upstarts, if Cincinnati truly wants to be taken seriously as a legitimate playoff contender, then the last thing they want to do is to squeak by a team like Tulsa by only one touchdown when the ESPN College Gameday crew comes to their campus that very day/week. Oh wait…
In the Big XII (what shall soon be left of it), is it safe to start calling Iowa State’s Jack Trice Stadium the Death Valley of that conference? Because quite a few teams with far greater pedigrees have gone there to die during head coach Matt Campbell’s tenure with the Cyclones.
Moving to the SEC, the A&M-Auburn game surely lived up to its billing as a slugfest. Now that the Aggies survived that war in the trenches, can they turnaround and survive a different sort of slugfest in Oxford against the Rebels?
Finally, nice to see Tennessee win a thriller over Kentucky in Lexington. Head coach Josh Heupel is clearly building the Vols back to the strong program they used to be. Such a development is very good for college football. Just how far they have yet to go to be “back” shall be ascertained when they face the legitimate no. 1 team in the land, Georgia, this upcoming weekend.
College Football Week 7 Awards (2021) October 17, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Alabama, Appalachian State, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, BYU, Cal, Cincinnati, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Colorado, Cyclones, Dabo Swinney, Dino Babers, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Greg Schiano, Herm Edwards, Iowa, Iowa State, Josh Heupel, Kansas, Kirby Smart, Kirk Ferentz, Lane Kiffin, LSU, Matt Campbell, Mike Gundy, Mississippi State, Nick Saban, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pat Narduzzi, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rice, Rutgers, San Diego State, Southern Miss, Steve Sarkesian, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, UMass, Utah, UTSA, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Lucky guy: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Poor guy: Dino Babers, Syracuse
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Herm Edwards, Arizona State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Desperately seeking … anything: Greg Schiano, Rutgers
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Alabama (defeated Mississippi State 49-9)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oregon (defeated Cal 24-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Rice (lost to UTSA 45-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Purdue (defeated No. 2 Iowa 24-7)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Colorado (Arizona 34-0)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Rutgers
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Iowa
Did the season start? Arizona State
Can the season end? Southern Miss
Can the season never end? Cincinnati
GAMES
Play this again: No. 13 Ole Miss 31, Tennessee 26
Play this again, too: No. 12 Oklahoma State 32, No. 25 Texas 24
Never play this again: Virginia 48, Duke 0
What? LSU 49, No. 20 Florida 42
Huh? Utah 35, No. 18 Arizona State 21
Are you kidding me?? Aurburn 38, No. 17 Arkansas 23
Oh – my – God: Purdue 24, No. 2 Iowa 7
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 8)
Ticket to die for: LSU @ No. 13 Ole Miss
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: BYU @ Washington State; also, No. 16 Wake Forest @ Army
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 15 Coastal Carolina vs. Appalachian State; also, No. 22 San Diego State @ Air Force
Upset alert: UCLA @ No. 10 Oregon
Must win: Wisconsin @ Purdue
Offensive explosion: (inconclusive)
Defensive struggle: Syracuse @ Virginia Tech
Great game no one is talking about: Clemson @ Pittsburgh
Intriguing coaching matchup: Nick Saban of Alabama vs Josh Heupel of Tennessee
Who’s bringing the body bags? Kansas @ No. 4 Oklahoma
Why are they playing? UMass @ Florida State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Washington @ Arizona
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Arkansas
Week 7 Thoughts:
Oklahoma State vs Texas
For the second week in row, Texas has blown a 4th-quarter lead to a ranked opponent. Here’s a fairly disturbing stat to back up this observation. In the 4th quarters of games against Oklahoma and then Oklahoma State, the Longhorns have been outscored 41-7. Head coach Steve Sarkesian clearly has his work cut out for him on that side of the ball. On the other side, it wouldn’t hurt to work on his offense’s performance, either, as scoring only 7 points in those two quarters combined is clearly unacceptable.
Purdue vs Iowa
File this under “Boy, did we get that one wrong/Boy, we didn’t see that one coming”. In what could have potentially been a “body bag” game for Iowa, given Purdue lackluster performance against Minnesota two weeks earlier, the Boilermakers actually showed up to play, and both thrilled their faithful fans and stunned the college football world in the process.
There are many layers one can slice-and-dice this game and the surrounding conditions that came with it. Start with the premise of Iowa’s No. 2 ranking prior to said game. Yes, they were undefeated, but that alone came about under questionable circumstances. In the prior game against Penn State, the Hawkeyes were being outclassed by the Nittany Lions for more than half the game, before the latter’s quarterback was out of the game’s remainder due to injury.
Even had that injury to Penn State’s QB not occurred, and somehow Iowa would have righted the ship anyhow, I nevertheless must propose a thought experiment. If an undefeated Iowa team (that of this season) were to go head-to-head against a one-loss Alabama team (likewise the current team of this season), which squad do think would emerge victorious? Answering ‘Alabama’ would be a no-brainer. Would it not thus be logical that the Crimson Tide be ranked ahead of the Hawkeyes, not withstanding the teams’ respective records, going into this week?
All that aside, the sad fact of the matter is that the Hawkeyes failed to live up to the prestigious ranking that had attained. To close out the broadcast coverage, one of the commentators for ABC observed that “Purdue out-Iowa’d Iowa”. Say what you will about head coach Jeff Brohm, but he put the extra week that he had with last week’s bye to very good use in preparing to take on this strong foe.
Going forward, it shall be very interesting to see how each of the two teams react to this big upset. This time, the Hawkeyes have the bye, with their next game after that being a surprisingly winnable one against Wisconsin. Indeed, the remainder of their schedule is all winnable. Can they bounce back to seize such a opportunity, and to make a great season out of things regardless? Last I checked, 11-1 for a program like Iowa is a great achievement.
For Purdue, can they stop celebrating long enough to re-focus and properly prepare for what lies ahead? Many treacherous teams await the Boilers, starting with Wisconsin next week.
Kentucky vs Georgia
Kentucky is a great team, but face it: Georgia is that much greater. This was plainly discernable going into the game, and the outcome therefore surprised no reasonable party. That said, the Wildcats acquitted themselves well by covering the spread in the last minutes of the game.
Ole Miss vs Tennessee
For the first time in a long time, it felt as though Tennessee was returning to its glory days of the 1990s and early 2000s. Neyland Stadium was positively electric last night when Ole Miss came calling. They put up a valiant effort against a loaded Rebels team headed by their own former head coach, Lane Kiffin. Despite being outmanned, in the end, they were only several yards shy of the opportunity to tie the game at the end of regulation. It’s never a disgrace to lose to a better team, and, moreover, if the players continue to buy in to Josh Heupel’s vision, and the latter can bring in another good recruiting class or two, the Volunteers could continue to be on the upswing and legitimately bring back their glory days.
All that said, shame on the Tennessee fans who threw everything from water bottles to golf balls onto the field near the end of the game. That is very classless; it reflects poorly on the fan base, and on many southern fans at large; the perpetrators of such a classless act need to see the error of their ways, and if some degree of ostracization to help guide them to the light is what is necessary to do so, then so be it. Tennessee fans, do better and be better, so as to be worthy of such aforementioned glory days, should they return.
Looking ahead: Oklahoma State @ Iowa State
Can the Cowboys now handle their own prosperity? They are currently undefeated, ranked No. 8, and now head up to Ames, Iowa, where lately many ranked teams have gone to die. The Cyclones are never to be taken lightly under head coach Matt Campbell. Can he prepare his already-strong team to take down an undefeated foe? Can Oklahoma State’s head coach Mike Gundy prepare his squad to be ready to face proven giant-killers? We’ll find out shortly.
Clemson @ Pittsburgh
Queue the theme music from “The Twilight Zone”. In this upcoming matchup, the Pitt Panthers are ranked (No. 23), whereas the Clemson Tigers are not. It should thus be a very interesting matchup at Heinz Field.
Tennessee @ Alabama
No time for the Volunteers to lick their wounds after a close, emotional loss to Ole Miss. Now they must travel to Tuscaloosa to take on their traditionally most-hated rival. Such is life in the SEC.
LSU @ Ole Miss
Speaking of hated rvials, there is never any love lost between these two. While recently this rivalry has been a bit one-sided in LSU’s favor, the Rebels are now the favored team, and could make this season full of questions for LSU and their head coach Ed Orgeron (who was previously the head coach at Ole Miss) all the more painful. Then again, the Tigers pulled off a mild upset win over Florida, which leads many discerning fans to believe that this game could be a reasonably even, tough matchup on paper after all.
Final thought: can we bring back the “Twlight Zone” theme music for a second? Because Cincinnati is now the No. 2-ranked team in the country. Ponder that for what it is worth.
College Football Week 5 Awards (2021) October 9, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, B1G, Bayou Bengals, Big Ten, Boise State, Boston College, Brian Kelly, BYU, CHip Kelly, Cincinnati, Clemson, Dave Clawson, David Shaw, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Houston, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, Jimbo Fisher, Kansas, Kentucky, Kirk Ferentz, Lance Leipold, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Luke Fickell, Mario Cristobal, Mark Stoops, Memphis, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, North Texas, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Red River rivalry, Red River Showdown, Rutgers, South Alabama, Stanford, Steve Sarkesian, Temple, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Tigers, Tulsa, UCLA, UConn, UMass, Virginia, Wake Forest, Western Kentucky, Wildcats
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Better late than never.
COACHES
Wish I were him: Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
Glad I’m not him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Lucky guy: David Shaw, Stanford
Poor guy: Mario Cristobal, Oregon
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Chip Kelly, UCLA
Desperately seeking … anything: Lance Leipold, Kansas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Iowa State (defeated Kansas 59-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Clemson (defeated Boston College 19-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Rutgers (lost to No. 11 Ohio State 52-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Western Kentucky (lost to No. 17 Michigan State 48-31)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Nebraska (defeated Northwestern 56-7)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Kansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Oregon
Did the season start? UCLA
Can the season end? Tulsa
Can the season never end? Iowa
GAMES
Play this again: No. 7 Cincinnati 24, No. 9 Notre Dame 13
Never play this again: Tennessee 62, Missouri 24
Play this again, too: Kentucky 20, No. 10 Florida 13
What? Mississippi State 26, No. 15 Texas A&M 22
Huh? Arizona State 42, No. 20 UCLA 23
Are you kidding me?? Kentucky 20, No. 10 Florida 13
Oh – my – God: Stanford 31, No. 3 Oregon 24
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 6)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Penn State @ No. 3 Iowa
Next-best game of the week: No. 21 Texas vs No. 6 Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: North Texas @ Missouri
Best non-Power Five matchup: Boise State @ No. 10 BYU
Upset alert: No. 21 Texas vs No. 6 Oklahoma; also, LSU @ No. 16 Kentucky
Must win: No. 13 Arkansas @ No. 17 Ole Miss
Offensive explosion: No. 18 Memphis @ Houston
Defensive struggle: LSU @ No. 16 Kentucky
Great game no one is talking about: Virginia @ Louisville
Intriguing coaching matchup: Steve Sarkesian of Texas vs. Lincoln Riley of Oklahoma
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 11 Michigan State @ Rutgers
Why are they playing? Temple @ No. 5 Cincinnati
Plenty of good seats remaining: South Alabama @ Texas State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? UConn @ UMass
Week 5 Thoughts:
Notre Dame vs Cincinnati
Sure, the Bearcats have had some big wins before, but this one felt differently. For the first time in living memory, if ever, Cincinnati was A) a top-ten team that B) defeated another top ten team, and C), accomplished this on the road, in a hostile place to play. As corny and hackneyed as it may sound, this win had to be the greatest in the history of the UC program. Good job, Luke Fickell.
Georgia vs. Arkansas
Arkansas may be a legitimately strong team this year, but Georgia is considerably stronger. The 37-0 score in favor of the Bulldogs demonstrated how much stronger. So far this year, the top two of Alabama and Georgia appear to have separated from the rest of the pack. If these shadows remain unchanged, it will be one memorable game in Atlanta come early December. That matchup may seem routine by now, but the evenness of it will make the [potential] game exciting nonetheless.
Kentucky vs Florida
The last time Kentucky beat Florida at home (or any time, perhaps?) was in 1986, when the late Jerry Claiborne (part of Bear Bryant’s “coaching tree”) was the head coach. Thirty-five years later, the Wildcats have suddenly, almost stealthily come onto the scene as a force to be reckoned with in the SEC East.
Looking ahead: LSU @ Kentucky
Now that the Wildcats have demonstrated they are not to be taken lightly this year, can they maintain, even build upon their success? An ideal test comes up at home this week. LSU is strong, but inconsistent, with recent close losses starting to raise questions about Ed Orgeron’s coaching abilities – as well as his tenure – in Baton Rouge. Can they overcome their tough loss to Auburn from last week by redoubling their efforts and leave Lexington with a win? Conversely, can Kentucky maintain their focus and intensity after such a huge win on their home turf? Mark Stoops’ challenge is to get his team to stop celebrating and to re-focus on preparing for yet another challenging foe, in what is, oddly, a winnable game. Fun facts: the last time the Wildcats beat the Bayou Bengals was 2007, in Lexington, when LSU was undefeated, and it happened in triple-overtime. If that is not enough, LSU nevertheless eventually went on to win the national title anyhow in what amounted to the craziest of roads to the BCS that year.
Iowa vs Penn State
We are currently in the Big Ten “Twilight Zone”. Don’t believe me? Well, imagine, if you will:
There are two teams currently ranked ahead of Ohio State (who is nevertheless back in the AP Top Ten). Moreover, they are both ranked in the top five. The kicker? Neither of them are Michigan, Michigan State, or Wisconsin. Penn State earned its prowess by defeating a tough Auburn team. Iowa has earned its high ranking and according respect with wins over tough opponents and consistent play thus far. Indeed, if the latter wins, they could control their own destiny to Indianapolis come early December. Moreover, the two teams are led by two of the best coaches in the business. Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz could arguably win anywhere, what with his no-nonsense style and consistency of product in a talent-barren landscape for this immediate environs. Meanwhile, Penn State’s James Franklin has an almost Presidential quality to him, has been mentioned as a legitimate candidate for the vacant USC job, and has the big personality to fit it. It all shapes up to be a massive showdown in Iowa City, fittingly following the one in Dallas during the previous time slot.
Texas vs Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown
For more than 20 years, regardless of discrepancy of rank (if even notable at times), or how lop-sided the game may sometimes be at the end. As the game begins, there are few atmospheres more electric in the entire sport than Texas vs Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl during the second Saturday of October. This one has new intrigue, what with Steve Sarkesian bringing new energy and new offensive ideas into the Longhorn program against a good Sooners team led by Lincoln Riley that nobody seems to know exactly how good. After this game, questions shall likely be answered, namely: just how good is Oklahoma? Do they belong in the top ten, or even the top five? For Texas, was the loss at Arkansas a temporary stumble against a surprisingly good team, or does it show that Sark has a longer way to go in re-stabilizing the program than previously thought? These shall likely be answered, with perhaps new questions raised at that time, after the final second ticks off the clock in Dallas. The key for Texas shall be to do what West Virginia did to Oklahoma earlier this year, before the Mountaineers collapsed late in the fourth quarter. A stronger, more consistent replication of WVU’s 3 ½ quarter performance from that game could ensure that the Horns take home the Golden Cowboy Hat.
intellectualgridiron 