(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 7] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES Wish I were him: Ed Orgeron, LSU
Glad I’m not him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Lucky guy: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Poor guy: James Franklin, Penn State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Gus Malzahn, Auburn
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Seth Littrell, North Texas
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia
Desperately seeking … anything: Scott Frost, Nebraska
TEAMS Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Army (defeated San Jose State 52-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Florida (defeated Vanderbilt 37-27)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: San Jose State (lost to Army 52-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Minnesota (lost to Ohio State 30-14)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Purdue (defeated Illinois 46-7)
Dang, they’re good: LSU
Dang, they’re bad: Western Kentucky
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Georgia
Did the season start? TCU
Can the season end? Rice
Can the season never end? Michigan
GAMES Play this again: No. 17 Oregon 30, No. 7 Washington 27, OT
Never play this again: Army 52, SJSU 3
What? Virginia 16, No. 16 Miami 13
Huh? No. 17 Oregon 30, No. 7 Washington 27, OT
Double Huh? Michigan State 21, No. 8 Penn State 17
Are you kidding me?? Iowa State 30, No. 6 West Virginia 14
Oh – my – God: No. 13 LSU 36, No. 2 Georgia 16
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 8) Game of the week: No. 22 Mississippi State @ No. 5 LSU
Also: No. 16 NC State @ No. 3 Clemson
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Memphis @ Missouri
Best non-Power Five matchup: North Texas @ UAB
Upset alert: No. 16 NC State @ No. 3 Clemson
Must win: No. 6 Michigan @ No. 24 Michigan State
Offensive explosion: No. 12 Oregon @ No. 25 Washington State
Defensive struggle: (inconclusive)
Great game no one is talking about: Virginia @ Duke
Intriguing coaching matchup: Dave Doeren of NC State vs Dabo Swinney of Clemson
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 10 UCF @ East Carolina
Why are they playing? UTEP @ Louisiana Tech
Plenty of good seats remaining: Tulsa @ Arkansas
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? San Jose State @ San Diego State
Due to the intriguing complexity of the current situation, no additional thoughts are offered at this time, but shall be forthcoming in a subsequent article later this week.
Great game no one is talking about: Miami @ Notre Dame
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mark Richt of Miami vs. Brian Kelly of Notre Dame
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 2 Michigan @ Michigan State
Why are they playing? Samford @ Mississippi State
Plenty of good seats remaining: UNLV @ San Jose State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Kansas @ No. 16 Oklahoma
Week 8 Take-aways:
November maybe for everything, but we do not have to wait for November to know that one is already clear: it’s Alabama and everyone else. The Crimson Tide dominated the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies yesterday, proving yet again why they deserve to be the No. 1 team in the nation.
That’s right folks, this upcoming Saturday, Miami plays Notre Dame: the ol’ “Convicts vs. the Catholics.” This became a very marquee matchup in the 1980s, for that was a time when the Hurricanes were an up-and-coming, championship-contending program, first under Howard Schnellenberger, then continued and expanded under Jimmy Johnson. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish were as strong as ever, continuing to vie for the national title every year, and in fact did so in 1988. The “Convicts vs. Catholics” slugfests of the 1980s would be akin to, say, Urban Meyer’s Ohio State team playing Nick Saban’s Alabama squad. Even though both the Canes and the Irish are diminished in talent this year, the matchup is a nice nod to the more storied contests of 25 to 30 years ago.
The loss that Ohio State sustained on the road to Penn State is all the more amazing when one considers that if the Buckeyes had triumphed, it would have been their 20th consecutive road win. Depending on how long Urban Meyer stays at the helm in Columbus, the Buckeyes will no doubt be in a good position to break this record yet again. Nevertheless, the Bucks’ loss is the first signature win for Penn State in the James Franklin era.
Louisville defeating NC State by such an obscene margin (the final score was 54-13) shows how dangerous the Cardinals are when they play up to their potential. Unlike last weekend against Duke, they did not have a bye week to hobble them. Make no mistake about it: the Wolfpack is a good team. The scare they put into Clemson in Death Valley, followed by an upset win over Notre Dame, demonstrates this. The conclusion to which one comes is that, at full-strength, the Cardinals can take almost any team in the nation, save Alabama. Don’t believe me? Here is a thought experiment: would Louisville have offensively stagnated for such stretches as Ohio State did in Happy Valley last night? Food for thought.
Meanwhile, Texas embarrassed themselves yet again on the road. No, the margin of defeat was not great, but the fact of the matter is that this was a winnable [road] game against Kansas State. Yet the Longhorns have squandered numerous opportunities and their defense continues to struggle just as much as they did during week 1. Such a lack of improvement points to deficient coaching.
Lest this be dismissed as a rush to judgment, consider this. If a traditional power (such as Texas) has the right coach in place, the turnaround, manifest by winning games, shall be readily apparent by the second year of the coach’s tenure. Consider Michigan in year two under Jim Harbaugh. Already, the Wolverines are in playoff contention. Consider that Urban Meyer in year two at Ohio State won the national championship. Consider that Nick Saban had Alabama playing back up to specs by year two of his time in Tuscaloosa, and led the Tide to a national championship by year three.
Yet it is now the third year of the Charlie Strong era at Texas, and the program continues to stagnate, if not regress. The best-case scenario is 6-6 for the year, but more realistically, expect a 4-8 record. Such a lack of improvement by now has exhausted everyone’s patience, and it is the consensus conclusion that Coach Strong must go. Sorry, Charlie.