College Football Awards Week 6 (2023) October 11, 2023
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Arizona, Auburn, Ball State, Brent Key, Brent Venables, Craig Bohl, Florida State, Fresno State, Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Jeff Tedford, Kentucky, Lincoln Riley, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisville, LSU, Mack Brown, Mario Cristobal, Marshall, Miami (FL), Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, San Jose State, Sonny Dykes, Steve Sarkesian, TCU, Texas, Toledo, UCLA, UMass, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Brent Venables, Oklahoma
Glad I’m not him: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Lucky guy: Brent Key, Georgia Tech
Poor guy: Jeff Tedford, Fresno State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lincoln Riley, USC
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Craig Bohl, Wyoming
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mario Cristobal, Miami
Desperately seeking … anything: Sonny Dykes, TCU
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated Minnesota 52-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: USC (defeated Arizona 43-41)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Virginia Tech (lost to No.5 Florida State 39-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Arizona (lost to USC 43-41)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Georgia (defeated No. 20 Kentucky 51-13)
Dang, they’re good: Michigan
Dang, they’re bad: Louisiana-Monroe
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Texas
Did the season start? Notre Dame
Can the season end? TCU
Can the season never end? Oklahoma
GAMES
Play this again: No. 12 Oklahoma 34, No. 3 Texas 30
Never play this again: No. 2 Michigan 52, Minnesota 10
What? Georgia Tech 23, No. 17 Miami 20
Huh? UCLA 25, No. 13 Washington State 17
Are you kidding me?? No. 12 Oklahoma 34, No. 3 Texas 30
Oh – my – God: No. 25 Louisville 33, No. 10 Notre Dame 20
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 7)
Ticket to die for: No. 8 Oregon @ No. 9 Washington
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: Wyoming @ Air Force
Upset alert: Auburn @ No. 23 LSU
Must win: No. 9 USC @ No. 10 Notre Dame
Offensive explosion: No. 17 Miami (FL) @ No. 14 North Carolina
Defensive struggle: Iowa @ Wisconsin
Great game no one is talking about: Marshall @ Georgia State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mario Cristobal of Miami vs Mack Brown of North Carolina
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 1 Georgia @ Vanderbilt
Why are they playing? UMass @ No. 6 Penn State
Plenty of good seats remaining: San Jose State @ New Mexico State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Toledo @ Ball State
Week 6 Thoughts:
Texas vs. Oklahoma
The question on the mind of many football fans lately has been, “is Texas back?”. Well, we sure thought Texas was. They were certainly playing like it. Maybe they still are, but there are clearly some issues that remain to be resolved. Yes, Oklahoma was also ranked, and also undefeated. But the Longhorns were still favored, and given the intensity of this rivalry, losing leaved a feeling of disgust for the defeated team. Did Texas make too many mistakes early in the game? Perhaps. But those mistakes were, by that token, made early in the game, with plenty of game left to overcome them.
A bigger issue? Execution in the red zone. The Sooners made a goal line stand that will go down as part of the lore of this storied rivalry, denying the Longhorns entry into the endzone on four straight plays. Give credit to the Sooners for pulling off the upset. Also give credit to Steve Sarkesian for realizing what still needs work.
Kentucky vs Georgia
Where was this Georgia team the whole year? Apparently sleepwalking through the first five weeks of the season. Kentucky proved to be a more-than-decent team thus far. Yet, when they ventured down to Athens, the sleeping giant awoke. Long story short, Georgia finally decided to start playing football for the first time this year, and demolished a good Kentucky team in the process, 51-13.
Arizona vs USC
Do we get the feeling that USC is playing up, or down, to their competition?
Louisville vs Notre Dame
Notre Dame has proven that they are a good game, and can handle themselves well in big games. Maybe three big games in a row was too much. Either that, or Louisville is that good. Sneaky good, but certainly more than respectable. Every time the Cardinals have been put to the test, they have passed the test. Now, the test they just passed led to one of the program’s top-five all-time greatest wins (along with winning the 1991 Fiesta Bowl; beating No. 5 Florida State in a monsoon in 2002; defeating Florida in the 2013 Sugar Bowl, and beating No. 5 West Virginia in 2006).
Looking ahead to Week 7:
Oregon vs Washington
Next week will be a tough act to follow after this wild weekend. Nevertheless, this game will help determine the eventual champion for the Pac-12, which, safe to say, will be going out on the highest note conceivable. Seriously, has anyone witnessed this conference being this deep? Even Arizona, usually a perennial bottom-feeder in the conference, is competitive.
Which leads us to this game in Seattle. Both teams could make life very hard for most other teams in the top 10 right now. Either team could make a compelling case to be a playoff contender right now. Thus it is a safe bet that we’ll be in a for a ‘dandy’ of a game in Husky Stadium this weekend!
Miami vs North Carolina
This game has huge implications for the eventual ACC championship. The bonus is that coaches Mario Cristobal and Mack Brown will be going head-to-head.
Missouri vs Kentucky
Here is an interesting situation where two good teams are coming off losses and have no time at all to lick their wounds, as both teams see this as an opportunity to ‘get well’ on their respective opponent. Intriguing, no?
Notre Dame vs USC
Fans of the Gold and Blue are now exhorting the Irish to hang in there for one more week, the last game in a brutal schedule stretch, this time against USC. Will the Trojans discover this new thing called a defense? Because playing in South Bend these days is a less-than-ideal place to make that discovery while on the job. Nevertheless, in the meantime, the Trojans’ offense will keep ND’s defense’s collective hands full, so maybe that’s a wash, and thus a good game, after all.
Texas A&M vs Tennessee
Wait, Tennessee is still ranked? Apparently. Now is a good opportunity for them to prove they deserve it, as the Aggies, who narrowly lost to Bama this past weekend, come calling. What will Bobby Petrino have in store for his offense against the Volunteers?
College Football Week 11 Awards (2021) November 14, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: ACC, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, B1G, Baylor, Big XII, Bryan Harsin, Buckeyes, C-USA, Cincinnati, Clemson, Dana Holgorsen, Florida, Georgia, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, Jayhawks, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas, Kentucky, liberty, Longhorns, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, Luke Fickell, Matt Campbell, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pac-12, Penn State, Pittsburgh, SEC, Shane Beamer, SMU, Sonny Cumbie, Sonny Dykes, South Alabama, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Steve Sarkesian, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UConn, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: Sonny Cumbie, Texas Tech
Poor guy: Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Dana Holgorsen, Houston
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bryan Harsin, Auburn
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Alabama (defeated New Mexico State 59-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Florida (defeated Samford 70-52)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: UConn (lost to Clemson 44-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (defeated Texas 57-56)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Louisville (defeated Syracuse 41-3)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: South Alabama
Another one bites the dust: Oklahoma
Did the season start? Florida
Can the season end? Indiana (also: Texas)
Can the season never end? Baylor
GAMES
Play this again: No. 6 Michigan 21, Penn State 17
Play this again, too: No. 15 Ole Miss 29, No. 11 Texas A&M 19
Never play this again: No. 2 Alabama 59, New Mexico State 3
What? Mississippi State 43, No. 17 Auburn 34
Huh? No. 15 Ole Miss 29, No. 11 Texas A&M 19
Are you kidding me?? No. 13 Baylor 27, No. 8 Oklahoma 14
Oh – my – God: Kansas 57, Texas 56 (OT)
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Michigan State @ No. 4 Ohio State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: SMU @ No. 5 Cincinnati; also: Louisiana @ Liberty
Upset alert: Nebraska @ No. 18 Wisconsin; also: No. 3 Oregon @ No. 24 Utah
Must win: No. 7 Michigan State @ No. 4 Ohio State; also: Texas @ West Virginia
They have the same record? Florida @ Missouri
Offensive explosion: No. 10 Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech
Defensive struggle: Illinois @ No. 20 Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: Virginia @ No. 21 Pittsburgh
Intriguing coaching matchup: Luke Fickell of Cincinnati vs Sonny Dykes of SMU
Who’s bringing the body bags? Charleston Southern @ No. 1 Georgia
Why are they playing? Prairie View A&M @ No. 11 Texas A&M
Plenty of good seats remaining: Southern Miss @ Louisiana Tech
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? New Mexico State @ Kentucky; also: Wofford @ North Carolina
Week 11 Thoughts:
Lots of great games and lots of head-scratchers for week 11. On one hand, we were treated to great games such as Michigan @ Penn State, then Texas A&M @ Ole Miss in the evening. But we also saw a number of games that left us scratching our heads. Not the least of the latter was Texas’ shocking loss to Kansas, at home. Apparently, the defense decided to take the night off, allowing the Jayhawks to score a total of 57 points in the game, and to snap Kansas road losing streak in the conference that began back in 2008. No, really. Even Steve Sarkesian acknowledged that the Longhorns played a bad first half of football, spotting KU three touchdowns before they decided to start playing in earnest. It is quite clear where he needs to make adjustments both now and in the offseason.
That aside, Michigan is playing incredibly well right now: this is easily their best team since 2016. Ohio State is also playing up to their potential. No “Spoilermakers” for Purdue yesterday, but in all fairness, it was too much to ask them to pull off two massive upsets in back-to-back weeks. Moreover, the talent gap was too much to overcome for Purdue, as the Buckeyes were firing on all eight cylinders and demonstrated that they belong in the playoff discussion.
As for the No. 1 team, Georgia demonstrated their continued worthiness of their current top ranking by beating – in methodical yet convincing fashion – an increasingly formidable Tennessee squad.
Looking ahead to Week 12:
It’s the time of year again. This time around, week 13 will be Rivalry Week. That means that the week before then, week 12, will have lots of games that, frankly, should not even be on the schedule. The SEC is the worst offender at this, scheduling body bag games that are ludicrous on the very surface of things. To be sure, some already had their easy-gimmies this week, and they have seized the opportunity to play more worthy opponents. Case in point, Alabama plays No. 25 Arkansas, in what could amount to a decent game. Also, and oddly, Missouri and Florida, who unbelievably have identical records at 5-5, play each other this weekend in what could be a competitive game, even though, on paper, it shouldn’t be. South Carolina might be a relatively weak team in the conference, but at least they are playing Auburn.
But then there are the clear mismatches. The wrinkle this year is that some look even on paper because of similar records, but the reality is, the talents gaps are a mile wide. This includes by Louisiana-Monroe playing LSU, and South Alabama playing Tennessee, and Prairie View A&M plays Texas A&M. Tennessee State plays Mississippi State as well. In each of these cases, the question “why are they playing” practically screams in our minds. If that is not enough, New Mexico State, at 1-9, plays Kentucky, in what is perhaps the most lop-sided matchup of all that week, save for Charleston Southern – of all teams – playing No. 1 Georgia. If they Bulldogs are serious about remaining at the top of the heap, perhaps they could do better than schedule a cupcake team so late in the year. Indeed, much of the SEC could do better in that regard, and should.
Meanwhile, the B1G gets a pass. No body bag game for those teams, they keep playing other teams within their conference. Purdue plays Northwestern; Rutgers plays Penn State; Illinois plays Iowa; Michigan plays Maryland; Minnesota plays Indiana; Nebraska plays Wisconsin. Best of all, Michigan State plays at Ohio State in what is clearly the game of the week.
Similar credit is due to the Big XII teams that are playing each other this upcoming week, as well as to the Pac-12, American Conference, C-USA, Mountain West, and Sunbelt teams who do the same, respectively. The ACC teams also deserve credit for keeping up the conference schedule, save for one or two (looking your way North Carolina: you can do better than play Wofford).
College Football Week 9 Awards (2021) November 1, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arizona State, Arkansas, Buckeyes, Bulldogs, BYU, Coastal Carolina, Dana Holgorsen, Demon Deacons, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Hawkeyes, Herm Edwards, Houston, Hugh Freeze, Idaho State, Iowa, Iowa State, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kirk Ferentz, liberty, Longhorns, Maryland, Mel Tucker, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Nittany Lions, North Carolina, North Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, San Diego State, SMU, Sonny Dykes, Southern Miss, Spartans, Steve Sarkesian, Tarheels, Tennessee, Texas, UMass, UTEP, UTSA, Vanderbilt, Volunteers, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Wildcats, Wisconsin, Wolverines
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Mel Tucker, Michigan State
Glad I’m not him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Lucky guy: Dana Holgorsen, Houston
Poor guy: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Herm Edwards, Arizona State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Hugh Freeze, Liberty
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferentz
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Liberty (defeated UMass 62-17)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Iowa State (lost to West Virginia 38-31)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Kansas (lost to Oklahoma State 55-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Penn State (lost to No. 5 Ohio State 33-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Georgia (defeated Florida 34-7)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Kansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: San Diego State
Did the season start? Iowa
Can the season end? Vanderbilt
Can the season never end? Michigan State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 8 Michigan State 37, No. 6 Michigan 33
Play this again, too: No. 5 Ohio State 33, No. 20 Penn State 24
Never play this again: Liberty 62, UMass 17
What? Mississippi State 31, No. 12 Kentucky 17
Huh? No. 18 Auburn 31, No. 10 Ole Miss 20
Are you kidding me?? Wisconsin 27, No 9 Iowa 7
Oh – my – God: No. 8 Michigan State 37, No. 6 Michigan 33
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 10)
Ticket to die for: None compared to last week. Within this week’s lineup, No. 18 Auburn @ No. 12 Texas A&M
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Liberty @ No. 15 Ole Miss
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 23 UTSA @ UTEP
Upset alert: North Carolina @ No. 10 Wake Forest; also, Tennessee @ No. 18 Kentucky
Must win: Texas @ Iowa State
Offensive explosion: No. 11 Oklahoma State @ West Virginia
Defensive struggle: Kansas State @ Kansas
Great game no one is talking about: Mississippi State @ Arkansas
They have the same record?? Penn State @ Maryland
Intriguing coaching matchup: Paul Chryst of Wisconsin vs Greg Schiano of Rutgers
Who’s bringing the body bags? Missouri @ No. 1 Georgia
Why are they playing? Idaho State @ No. 17 BYU
Plenty of good seats remaining: North Texas @ Southern Miss
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? No. 21 Coastal Carolina @ Georgia Southern
Week 9 Thoughts:
Georgia vs Florida
Remember what I noted last year regarding Florida historically giving Georgia fits in this came? That obviously did not happen this time. The Bulldogs have proven that they are the legit No. 1 team for now. If they keep up this next-level intensity, it’s going to be one epic showdown for the conference title in Atlanta.
Mississippi State vs Kentucky
Either Kentucky decided not to show up at the level they have been playing the previous several weeks, or the Wildcats simply did not match up well with the Bulldogs. On one hand, the running game was almost non-existent, the fumbles were more frequent than usual for Kentucky. Apparently their defense showed up in name only, too. No time to lick their wounds after an ugly loss, as Tennessee comes calling next week, hungry for revenge after losses to the Cats in recent years.
Iowa @ Wisconsin
Wisconsin defeated Iowa, 27-7. This game proved two things. One, it proved FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd that Iowa is “the fake ID of college football”, as it sadly seems that every time the Hawkeyes receive a high ranking, they never can demonstrate they are for real when put to actual test in the regular season, they never sufficiently prove themselves. Indeed, they only reason they defeated Penn State earlier in the year was due to knocking PSU’s starting quarterback out of the game. The other thing this game proved is that Wisconsin is playing back to the level we expected them to be at earlier in the year. Whatever slump they were in recently seems to have vanished, making things all the more interesting in the West division of the Big Ten.
Michigan State vs Michigan
The clash of top-ten titans lived up to its billing in East Lansing, giving fans both in the stands and in living rooms across this great nation a thrilling game. The Wolverines proved to be a legitimately strong team, possibly the best of the Harbaugh era, but made one too many mistakes in the end to triumph over an inexplicably resurgent Spartans squad. The fact that A) Michigan lost by only a few points to B) a team that continues to prove they belong in the top ten has not been lost on the voters, as C) the Wolverines, even after this tough loss, fittingly remain in the top ten at no. nine.
Penn State @ Ohio State.
Penn State clearly played back to form, as they gave Ohio State a strong challenge, wire-to-wire. The Nittany Lions are clearly good once again. Had they played the same way the entire game in Iowa, they would not have lost that game. This time, the Buckeyes’ superior talent won out, and sadly Penn State has sustained its third loss of the season, knocking them out of the rankings for now. A team this good shall not likely be out of them for long.
To broaden the scope, the East division of the Big Ten is as loaded this year as it has been in recent memory, possibly even living memory. Already, we have experienced two outstanding games from great teams in one day. Better yet, this is only the beginning: For example, Michigan has yet to play Penn State or Ohio State, and these two teams continue to loom large on Michigan State’s schedule, too. Furthermore, as we get into November, the stakes only get higher from here on. It’s going to be a thrilling ride. To quote Southpark’s satirical portrayal of Caitlyn Jenner, “Buckle up, buckaroos!”
Looking ahead: Texas @ Iowa State
After three tough losses, can the Longhorns bounce back, on the road, and take down the giant killers known as Iowa State?
Tennessee @ Kentucky
It used to be that Tennessee owned this border rivalry. How else can one describe it, when, from 1985 through 2010, The Volunteers won every matchup between these two teams? That streak ended in 2011, and Kentucky managed to win two more within this series, one in 2017, as well as last year. If Kentucky wins, it would be the first two-in-a-row for them in this series since 1976 and 1977 (during the Fran Curci era, of course). What makes this upcoming matchup all the more intriguing is that the Wildcats have an exceptionally strong team this year compared with most teams they typically field, while at the same time, Tennessee is resurgent, clearly clawing its way out of the doldrums that have plagued them for more than a decade. All this adds up to the most interesting context surrounding an SEC game in a very long time.
Maryland vs Penn State
If someone told you that, going into the first weekend in November, Maryland and Penn State would have identical records, you would likely say that this someone was crazy. Yet, here we are. To be sure, Penn State played back to their earlier, strong form in Columbus, Ohio, last night. If they keep it up, they should bag another ‘W’ without too much trouble.
Texas A&M vs Auburn
The Aggies have already taken given Alabama a loss. Can they also fend off a dangerous Auburn team? The Tigers proved how dangerous they were in their convincing handling of Ole Miss last night. Can they keep up that same intensity against a foe that, one could argue, is just as dangerous?
Wake Forest vs North Carolina
In one of the surprises of the year, Wake Forest is currently 8-0, and ranked No. 10. Conversely, North Carolina may only be 4-4, but they seemed to finally live up to their potential last night, losing to No. 8 Notre Dame by only ten points. If that sort of Tarheels squad shows up in Winston-Salem, then maybe the Demon Deacons shall experience their first loss of the season.
Postseason College Football Awards 2019-2020 January 20, 2020
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alamo, Auburn, B1G, Baylor, Bayou Bengals, Big Ten, Big XII, Bobby Petrino, Bowl, Cardinals, Clemson, Dabo Swinney, Ed Orgeron, Fiesta Bowl, Gator Bowl, Georgia, Hoosiers, Hurricanes, Indiana, Iowa, Jeremy Pruitt, Jim Harbaugh, Kyle Whittingham, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Mario Cristobal, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Music City, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Outback, Pac-12, Peach Bowl, Ryan Day, Scott Satterfield, SEC, SMU, Sonny Dykes, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Tigers, Tom Herman, Trevor Lawrence, Utah, Utes, Volunteers, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ed Orgeron, LSU
Glad I’m not him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Lucky guy: Dabo Swinney, Clemson (Fiesta Bowl) (hon. mention: Mario Cristobal, Oregon)
Poor guy: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Scott Satterfield, Louisville
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Notre Dame (defeated Iowa State 33-9)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Auburn (lost to No. 18 Minnesota 31-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Temple (lost to North Carolina 55-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Baylor (lost to No. 5 Georgia 26-14)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Texas (defeated No. 11 Utah 38-10)
Dang, they’re good: LSU
Dang, they’re bad: Miami, FL
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Wisconsin
Did the season start? Utah
Can the season end? Miami, FL
Can the season never end? LSU
GAMES
Play this again: No. 3 Clemson 29, No. 2 Ohio State 23 (Fiesta)
Play this again, too: No. 6 Oregon 28, No. 8 Wisconsin 27 (Rose)
Never play this again: No. 1 LSU 63, No. 4 Oklahoma 28 (Peach)
What? No. 3 Clemson, No. 2 Ohio State 23 (Fiesta)
Huh? Louisiana Tech 14, Miami (FL) 0 (Independence)
Are you kidding me?? Texas 38, No. 11 Utah 10 (Alamo)
Oh – my – God: No. 18 Minnesota 31, No. 12 Auburn 24 (Outback)
Random Bowl Game Thoughts:
Fiesta Bowl:
What a game. Too bad one of the teams had to lose. Having said that, two thoughts come to mind. One, if Ohio State and Clemson played each other 10 times, the series would likely by evenly split, 5-5. Second, Ohio State should blame themselves. They left lots of “money on the table”, so to speak, by not capitalizing on deep red zone advances in the first half. Second, they gave up on what helped get them ahead initially, which was a fast-paced hurry up offense.
Outback Bowl:
On paper, Auburn should have crushed Minnesota. Not to detract anything from the Gophers, for they are a good team in any case. But Minnesota’s win over a superiorly-athletic team in Auburn is huge. What’s one sign of a well-coached team? That the team shows gradual improvement as the season progresses. That the Gophers have done, in spades. To offer further perspective, bowl games are funny like that. In many cases, it is impossible to determine who will win and lose if there is a motivation mismatch (a team that really wants to be there versus a better team that is not that thrilled about being there). Such a situation gives the underdog a golden opportunity for a huge upset, and we witnessed a sterling example of this in Tampa.
Peach Bowl:
In case the reader missed it, LSU gave Oklahoma an old-fashioned butt whipping (seriously, how else to describe it?), 63-28. Throughout the regular season, the Sooners looked like they are a legit playoff contender. Why the lopsided result against them? The frank answer is that it’s a systemic problem with the Big XII, a conference built on speed, not power, and the former, not the latter, wins games in that conference. The problem comes when they have to face stronger athletes over all against half the SEC, against Ohio State, or Clemson. Then, this glaring weakness gets exposed.
Music City Bowl:
Louisville’s win over Mississippi State is nothing at which to sneeze, for a number of reasons. The most basic reason is that an ACC team triumphed over an SEC team, the latter usually having stronger athletes. For another, this was something of a revenge game for the Cardinals, since they lost the Gator Bowl to the Bulldogs just two years earlier. Indeed, they are probably a stronger team even then under then-head coach Bobby Petrino. Third, speaking of Petrino, one of his historic drawbacks is that his teams disintegrate after he leaves them (see: Louisville starting in 2007, or Arkansas starting in 2012). Something about his coaching style combined with the caliber of player he usually recruited required him to be present to keep a tight lid on Pandora’s Box. Once he would leave, Pandora’s Box would open, and chaos would ensue. Not so this time. Scott Satterfield has done the Yeoman’s work in keeping the team together, to say nothing of turning around the team’s performance. From going 1-11 the previous season, the Cardinals capped off the year with a bowl win to finish 8-5 for the year. While more improvement remains necessary, this has been quite the turnaround indeed.
Alamo Bowl:
Texas, under head coach Tom Herman, has become something of an enigma. Their 38-10 over formidable No. 11 Utah was impressive, even if it were a glorified home game (the Alamodome in San Antonio is only an hour-and-15-minute drive from the UT campus up I-35 in Austin). After all, Utah was a Pac-12 championship win away for qualifying for the playoffs. As it turned out prior to kickoff, the Utes we still respectfully ranked, whereas the Horns were unranked. Moreover, Texas performance was all over the proverbial map. They played like a legitimate top-10 team against eventual playoff teams LSU and Oklahoma, but then had to struggle to beat Kansas and even coughed it up on the road to under-performing TCU. Yes, injuries took a huge toll for the Longhorns this year, especially and runningback and worse yet, on defense. Perhaps the time off leading up to the Alamo Bowl allowed for Texas to heal up, regroup, and regain focus so as to get dialed in for [again] what amounted to an extended home game, and thus live up their true potential against a reasonably formidable opponent.
Gator Bowl:
Tennessee defeated Indiana 23-22. So why would Jeremy Pruitt be “desperately seeking anything”? Because their play was as erratic as it was inconsistent throughout the game. Pruitt [thought he] had to suddenly switch quarterbacks in the middle game, for goodness sake. Probably with good reason, for the initial starter kept missing the mark. In the first three quarters, the Volunteers could only muster three field goals. Only with the Tennessee defense stepping up in the 4th quarter with some key sacks, with their offense starting to complete some key passes, to say nothing of a decent running attack were the Volunteers able to finally score and thus come back.
The problem with Tennessee was not a lack of focus. Both teams seemed equally glad/motivated to be there. Rather, the problem was lousy coaching. On paper, Tennessee should have shellacked IU. Their talent supremacy over Indiana is greater in ratio than that of Auburn over Minnesota. But in football, talent is only part of the equation when it comes to winning games. The other part of said equation is coaching. The coach has to know what to do with that talent, and Jeremy Pruitt seems to be at a loss. The Volunteers were thus very lucky to walk away with a “W” in Jacksonville.
The Championship Game:
LSU knocked off undefeated and defending national title holder Clemson 42-25. It was a convincing victory over a strong team. The Bayou Bengals have now earned their fourth national championship in football, and college football fans can breathe a sigh of relief at the champion is somebody not named Clemson or Alabama. Not so fast, however: Clemson is not likely to go away anytime soon. The Tigers return a ton of starters for next year, including QB Trevor Lawrence, who, as talented as he clearly is, has even further growth to demonstrate. Still, what a great night for the LSU team and faithful. The fact that it was in the Superdome was the proverbial icing on the proverbial cake.
College Football Awards, Week 13 (2019) November 25, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Army, Auburn, B1G, Baylor, Buckeyes, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, college, Colorado, football, Gary Patterson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Herm Edwards, Iowa State, James Franklin, Kansas State, Kevin Sumlin, Lincoln Riley, Mario Cristobal, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Navy, NCAA, Nebraska, Nick Rolovich, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Oregon, Penn State, Rice, Rutgers, Ryan Day, Samford, San Diego State, SMU, Sonny Dykes, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Tom Herman, Troy, UCLA, UMass, USC, UTEP, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Poor guy: Gary Patterson, TCU
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Nick Rolovich, Hawaii
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mario Cristobal, Oregon
Desperately seeking … anything: Tom Herman, Texas
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Auburn (defeated Samford 52-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Georgia (defeated Texas A&M 19-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Maryland (lost to Nebraska 54-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: TCU (lost to No. 9 Oklahoma 28-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: USC (defeated UCLA 52-35)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Troy
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Oregon
Did the season start? Texas
Can the season end? UMass
Can the season never end? Ohio State
GAMES
Play this again: Arizona State 31, No. 6 Oregon 28
Never play this again: No. 5 Alabama 66, Western Carolina 3
What? Colorado 20, Washington 14
Huh? Hawaii 14, San Diego State 11
Are you kidding me?? Navy 35, No. 25 SMU 28
Oh – my – God: Arizona State 31, No. 6 Oregon 28
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 14, pre-week 14)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Ohio State @ No. 13 Michigan
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 19 Cincinnati @ No. 18 Memphis (Friday, Nov. 29)
Upset alert: Kansas State @ No. 22 Iowa State (hon. mention: No. 5 Alabama @ No. 15 Auburn)
Must win: No. 12 Wisconsin @ No. 10 Minnesota
Offensive explosion: No. 9 Oklahoma @ No. 21 Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: inconclusive
Great game no one is talking about: Wyoming @ Air Force
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kevin Sumlin of Arizona vs Herm Edwards of Arizona State
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 4 Georgia @ Georgia Tech
Why are they playing? Rutgers @ No. 8 Penn State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Texas State @ Coastal Carolina (dishon. mention: Rice @ UTEP)
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Charlotte @ Old Dominion
Week 13 Thoughts:
Baylor vs Texas
Once again the Longhorns disgraced themselves with tepid outputs on both offense and defense. The Longhorns had such high expectations going into the season. Now, they sit at 6-5. What happened? For starters, they graduated lots of experienced players after their Suger Bowl win. This year, they have a young team, made younger with lots of injuries on defense and at running back. For that, they need time for the injuries to heal. Much more systemic are the questions of Texas’ identity on offense. For that, they cannot excuse injuries. Nor can they excuse their lack of player development despite good recruiting classes during Tom Herman’s tenure. So how can they do better? Three things: develop an offensive identity; do better at developing your players; also, learn to get out of your own way. Oklahoma and A&M have figured out how to do so: what is Texas’ excuse?
Ohio State vs Penn State
The game was a good game, and it should not have been as good as it was. Some key mistakes, namely turnovers in the 3rd quarter, allowed for Penn State to come within less than a touchdown of the Buckeyes. Ohio State will have to button things up better if they expect to defeat their bitter rival up north come rivalry weekend. Such urgency for discipline is even greater for the B1G championship game in Indianapolis, be it Wisconsin or Minnesota. This is a reminder that the road to the playoffs still has a critical amount of potholes that only vigilance shall help avoid.
All that said, on to Rivalry Weekend!
College Football Awards, Week 10 (2019) November 4, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Appalachian State, Arkansas, Auburn, Ball State, Boise State, Brian Kelly, Bryan Harsin, Clemson, college, Dan Mullen, FIghting Irish, Florida, football, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Hokies, Huskies, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, Justin Fuente, Kansas State, Kirby Smart, liberty, Liberty Bowl, LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Minnesota, Mustangs, NCAA, Nebraska, New Mexico, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, P.J. Fleck, Pac-12, Pat Fitzgerald, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, SMU, Sonny Dykes, South Alabama, South Carolina, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Tigers, Tom Allen, UMass, Utah, Utes, UTSA, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Washington, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, Wofford, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Dan Mullen, Florida
Lucky guy: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Poor guy: Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bryan Harsin, Boise State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Tom Allen, Indiana
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Desperately seeking … anything: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Clemson (defeated Wofford 59-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Auburn (defeated Ole Miss 20-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: UTSA (lost to Texas A&M 45-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Georgia Tech (lost to Pittsburgh 20-10)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Liberty (defeated UMass 63-21)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Arkansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: SMU
Did the season start? TCU
Can the season end? Rutgers
Can the season never end? Oregon
GAMES
Play this again: No. 8 Georgia 24, No. 6 Florida 17
Never play this again: No. 4 Clemson 59, Wofford 14
What? Georgia Southern 24, No. 20 Appalachian State 21
Huh? Purdue 31, Nebraska 27
Are you kidding me?? No. 8 Georgia 24, No. 6 Florida 17
Oh – my – God: No. 24 Memphis 54, No. 15 SMU 48
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 10, pre-week 11)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 LSU @ No. 2 Alabama
Next-best game of the week: No. 5 Penn State @ No. 13 Minnesota
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Appalachian State @ South Carolina
Best non-Power Five matchup: Wyoming @ No. 21 Boise State
Upset alert: Iowa State @ No. 9 Oklahoma (hon. mention: Virginia Tech @ No. 22 Wake Forest)
Must win: No. 20 Kansas State @ Texas
Offensive explosion: Kansas State @ Texas
Defensive struggle: No. 18 Iowa @ No. 16 Wisconsin
Great game no one is talking about: Ball State @ Western Michigan
Intriguing coaching matchup: James Franklin of Penn State vs P.J. Fleck of Minnesota
Who’s bringing the body bags? Maryland @ No. 3 Ohio State
Why are they playing? New Mexico State @ Ole Miss
Plenty of good seats remaining: South Alabama @ Texas State (dishonorable mention: Purdue @ Northwestern)
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Vanderbilt @ No. 6 Florida
Week 10 Thoughts:
Again, am I the only one who has noticed that waaaaay too many teams have bye-weeks for upcoming week 10?
Notre Dame vs Virginia Tech
Earlier in the awards list, I listed Justin Fuente as the “Poor Guy” of the week. Really, though, I should have created a special, one-off category for him this week called “Stupid Guy” instead. His Virginia Tech team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the last few minutes of the game by persistently playing a “prevent” defense (specifically, rushing only three and dropping back the remaining eight) that allowed for Notre Dame to pick the Hokies’ secondary apart in the final minutes, play by play. Not once did Virginia Tech mount anything resembling a pass rush, and the Irish made them pay dearly for not doing so. All it would have taken would be to rush a couple of extra men, as one or two sacks in the process would have ruined Notre Dame’s day. But no. Once again, we are reminded that the only thing the prevent defense prevents is the implementer of said defense from winning the game. Period.
Georgia vs Florida
Can anybody recall, within recent memory, a Georgia-Florida game with as much drama, excitement, and close play as this week’s matchup? Neither can I.
SMU vs Memphis
Another undefeated bites the dust. May your undefeated season rest in peace, SMU. Still, what a game, and what a moment. ESPN’s College Gameday crew visited Memphis for the first time, and the fans came out in droves to celebrate the arrival and to show their support for their Memphis Tigers. The latter point is especially worth noting. U-Memphis has historically been known as a basketball school. Yet an ESPN-televised game at night, in front of a sellout crowd in the Liberty Bowl stadium, with ranked Memphis taking on then-undefeated SMU shows that UM’s football prowess is on the rise, and that is always a wonderful thing, notwithstanding the unfortunate side-effect of SMU’s undefeated season going by the boards.
Utah vs Washington
Utah needed to bring their A-game to Seattle, since the Huskies can be unpredictable at times. Eventually, the Utes did just that. Combine their win at Washington with USC’s crushing loss at home to No. 7 Oregon, and Utah controls their own destiny regarding clinching a Pac-12 South berth for the conference championship game.
College Football Awards, Week 9 (2019) October 27, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Arizona State, Arkansas State, Auburn, B1G, Badgers, Big Ten, Big XII, Boston College, Bowling Green, Brian Kelly, Buckeyes, Central Florida, Clemson, college football, Dana Holgorsen, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Georgia, Gus Malzahn, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Jim Harbaugh, Josh Heupel, Kansas, Kansas State, Lincoln Riley, LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, NCAA, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Purdue, SMU, Sonny Dykes, Sooners, South Alabama, Steve Campbell, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tom Herman, UAB, UCF, UCLA, USC, UTSA, Wildcats, Wofford
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (hon. mention: Ed Orgeron of LSU)
Glad I’m not him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Lucky guy: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Poor guy: Dana Holgorsen, Houston
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lincoln Riley
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Josh Heupel, UCF
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Tom Herman, Texas
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Campbell, South Alabama
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Minnesota (defeated Maryland 52-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Texas A&M (defeated Mississippi State 49-30)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Boston College (lost to Clemson 59-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Illinois (defeated Purdue 24-6)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated Notre Dame 45-14)
Dang, they’re good: LSU
Dang, they’re bad: Purdue
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Iowa State (hon. mention: Oklahoma)
Did the season start? Texas
Can the season end? South Alabama
Can the season never end? Ohio State
GAMES
Play this again: No. 2 LSU 23, No 9 Auburn 20
Never play this again: No. 4 Clemson 59, Boston College 7
What? UCLA 42, No. 24 Arizona State 32
Huh? Oklahoma State 34, No. 23 Iowa State 27
Double-Huh? TCU 37, No. 15 Texas 27
Are you kidding me?? No. 19 Michigan 45, No. 7 Notre Dame 14
Oh – my – God: Kansas State 48, No. 5 Oklahoma 41
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 9, pre-week 10)
Ticket to die for: No. 8 Georgia vs No. 6 Florida in Jacksonville
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: UAB @ Tennessee
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 16 SMU @ Memphis
Upset alert: No. 7 Oregon @ USC
Must win: Georgia vs. Florida (in Jacksonville)
Offensive explosion: SMU @ Memphis
Defensive struggle: Mississippi State @ Arkansas
Great game no one is talking about: Kansas State @ Kansas
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mack Brown of North Carolina vs Bronco Mendenhall of Virginia
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 14 Michigan @ Maryland
Why are they playing? UTSA @ Texas A&M
Plenty of good seats remaining: Akron @ Bowling Green
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Wofford @ No. 4 Clemson
Week 9 Thoughts:
Am I the only one who has noticed that waaaaay too many teams have bye-weeks for upcoming week 10?
Kansas State vs Oklahoma
Oh, Kansas State. What are we to do with you? You play under your potential all season long, then, when folks least expect it, you unleash your top potential against the toughest opponent all year, and produce one of the biggest upsets of the year in the process. Does this mean than the Wildcats are the new world-beaters of the Big XII? Hardly. One might expect a regression to the mean starting next week. It is not inconceivable that KSU could lose three of their remaining five games. Then again, it is not inconceivable that they could win out.
Kansas State has started to intrigue us to see if their sudden improvement is an anomaly, or if it’s here to stay. Next week they play in-state rival Kansas, who also shows continued improvement. The game’s outcome will be of little consequence in the grand scheme of things, but it shall be a “discovery game” all the same for both teams. Who says one cannot continue to learn new things as the college football season progresses?
Texas vs. TCU
Texas losing to LSU is more than understandable. Indeed, they acquitted themselves well. Losing to OU was also excusable, given that the Sooners are on fire and one of the favored teams to make the playoffs at the time. But losing to unranked TCU? That was at least raise a few questions, right? Actually, it raises fewer questions than one would think. The Longhorns’ problem is that they were always a little more vulnerable to the pass than they were to the run. It was LSU’s key to defeating them, after all. But as the season wore on, Texas’ injuries on their defense kept piling up, especially in their secondary, making them even more vulnerable to the pass.
The bottom line for the Longhorns is that it is going to take an offseason for the injuries to heal up and for Tom Herman to bring in another solid recruiting class (especially some top-rated defensive backs).
LSU vs Auburn
Here we witnessed a hard-fought “discovery game” in which LSU passed another key test and Auburn proved they deserve to be a top-ten team, even with a close loss. Note to Auburn fans and administration: Gus Malzahn has proven he is a good coach. Keep him and pay him.
Meanwhile, all the LSU faithful who doubted where Ed Orgeron was the right man for the job are now eating some serious crow.
Michigan vs Notre Dame
What to make of this outcome? Many had left Jim Harbaugh for dead by now. Then again, if Michigan had played all four quarters against No. 6 Penn State last week the way they played against them in the second half, they would have won that game, too. Sure, the Wolverines started out ranked No. 5 only for their offense to sputter and for them to take a nose dive in the polls and in the esteem of fans. Not anymore. After thrashing the Fighting Irish at home in prime time, they appear to finally play like a team that belongs in the top ten. What gives? The most likely explanation is that it took this long for the team to finally gel. These things sometimes happen it football it’s part of the game, and always yields new discoveries in the process. We continue to learn new things as this college football season progresses.
Ohio State vs Wisconsin.
Personally, I predicted that the Buckeyes would beat the Badgers, maybe by two touchdowns, if that. Instead, we witnessed a 38-7 thrashing of Wisconsin at the hands of Ohio State. Is anybody going to contend that OSU should not be ranked No. 1 in the nation by now?
Two body bag games are up next for the Buckeyes (after a bye-week at that. Maybe their QB’s lower back and can heal some during that time). Then, Ohio State closes out the season with two solid challenges, first against Penn State, then against Michigan (now that the Wolverines are finally playing up to par). We’ll see if their current roll continues strongly enough to steamroll over their last two worthy opponents.
College Football Awards, Week 5 (2019) September 29, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buckeyes, BYU, Cal, California, Central Florida, Clemson, Cornhuskers, Dabo Swinney, Florida, Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech, Golden Bears, Huskers, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Justin Wilcox, Kansas State, Kent State, Louisville, LSU, Mack Brown, Mario Cristobal, Mark Stoops, Maryland, Michigan, Middle Tennessee State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Ryan Day, Scott Frost, SMU, Sonny Dykes, South Florida, Stanford, Tarheels, TCU, Temple, Texas A&M, Toledo, Tom Osborne, Tulane, UCF, UCLA, USF, Utah State, Washington, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: Scott Frost, Nebraska
Lucky guy: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Poor guy: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Justin Wilcox, Cal
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Sonny Dykes, SMU
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated Rutgers 52-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Clemson (defeated North Carolina 21-20)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Middle Tennessee (lost to No. 14 Iowa 48-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: North Carolina (lost to No. 1 Clemson 21-20)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: SMU (defeated USF 48-21)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Rutgers
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Cal
Did the season start? Purdue
Can the season end? Georgia Tech
Can the season never end? Oklahoma
GAMES
Play this again: No. 1 Clemson 21, North Carolina 20
Play this again, too: No. 23 Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 27
Never play this again: No. 12 Penn State 59, Maryland 0
What? Temple 24, Georgia Tech 2
Huh? Oklahoma State 26, No. 24 Kansas State 13
Are you kidding me?? Toledo 28, BYU 21
Oh – my – God: Arizona State 24, No. 15 Cal 17
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 5, pre-week 6)
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Auburn @ No. 10 Florida
(Possible second choice): No. 14 Iowa @ No. 19 Michigan
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Utah State @ No. 5 LSU
Best non-Power Five matchup: Tulane @ Army
Upset alert: Michigan @ Iowa (also: No. 15 Washington @ Stanford)
Must win: Boston College @ Louisville
Offensive explosion: Cal @ No. 13 Oregon
Defensive struggle: Northwestern @ Nebraska
Great game no one is talking about: TCU @ Iowa State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Justin Wilcox of Cal vs Mario Cristobal of Oregon
Who’s bringing the body bags? Purdue @ No. 12 Penn State
Why are they playing? Bowling Green @ No. 10 Notre Dame
Plenty of good seats remaining: Oregon State @ UCLA
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Kent State @ No. 8 Wisconsin
Week 5 Thoughts:
North Carolina vs Clemson
Mack Brown remains full of surprises. Not the least of which was the stunning near-upset over previously-No. 1 Clemson, in which the Tigers escaped the Tarheels by only a point. A botched [surprise] two-point attempt on the part of UNC allowed the escape. Had such an attempt been successful, it would have set the college football rankings on fire. As it is, nobody in their right mind should protest Brown’s surprise move at the end. If they went for the tie with an extra point, then the game would have gone into overtime, where Clemson would quite likely have outlasted North Carolina. The two-point attempt thus, after further analysis, remained the Tarheels’ best bet.
Time will tell if this valiant performance on North Carolina’s part is a harbinger of better football to come from this team.
Nebraska vs Ohio State
Ohio State drubbed Nebraska 48-7 in Lincoln. It could have been even worse. All but 10 of those 48 points were scored in the first half (meaning, the Buckeyes put in lots of backups in the second half). This game and its outcome are a tale of two teams in two different directions.
For Ohio State, this is another key test the Buckeyes have passed in their assertion that they belong in the national conversation. Indeed, this performance helped them supplant LSU as the No. 4 team in the nation, currently. That has typically been good enough to make the playoffs, should such shadows remain unchanged.Will such shadows change? After all, nothing is a given in the Big Ten. Such was the case in its late-1990s glory days, and such is the case since roughly 2014 as well. Next week the Buckeyes face an arguably tougher test when Michigan State comes to Columbus. But the ultimate showdown in the conference is still likely when Wisconsin take on the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium on Oct. 26 in what could be one of the games of the year. Why this fixation on OSU’s fortunes? Because the more teams from more regions outside of the Southeast contend for the national title, the better it is for college football.
On the other side of the coin is Nebraska. Head coach Scott Frost, one might recall, left a Central Florida program that he had built into arguably the strongest non-Power Five team in the land so he could coach his alma mater. Last year’s campaign only resulted in a 4-8 finish. Currently the Huskers stand at 3-2, and even some of those wins were struggles over South Alabama and Illinois. What gives?
No, it would stand to reason that Frost has not forgotten how to coach. Rather, the systemic problem of geography has come into play. Frost had the advantage of being right in the middle of [embarrassingly] talent-rich Florida when he built up the UCF program. Nebraska does not produce any top-caliber players, save for the possible offensive lineman or two. Much of Nebraska’s unstoppable linemen during theTom Osborne (especially the latter era) came from much more lax standards and screening mechanisms for steroid use. Those days are now gone.
Also gone are the days of Prop-48 players, which gave Nebraska an easy pipeline to high-caliber talent without the normal barrier of NCAA eligibility standards found elsewhere. Perhaps even more devastating, though, is that Nebraska prospered in the days when only a relative handful of teams were consistently on national television. This made the program in Lincoln an attractive destination for top recruits despite its cold weather and geographic isolation. That advantage, too, was nullified when cable channels greatly expanded college football coverage in the 2000s, giving prized recruits many more options than in earlier times. Given this current environment, how is one to attract top recruits to this cold, isolated place? Scott Frost has his work cut out for him.
College Football Week 4 Awards September 29, 2015
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Art Briles, Auburn, Baylor, Brent Musburger, Bret Bielema, Brian Kelly, Butch Jones, BYU, Cal, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Clemson, college, Dabo Swinney, Darrell Hazell, East Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, EKU, FIU, Florida, football, Gators, Georgia, Horned Frogs, Hurricanes, Jim Mora, Kentucky, Kliff Kingsbury, Louisville, LSU, Mark Helfrich, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, N.C. State, NCAA, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, Rice, San Jose State, SEC, Sonny Dykes, South Carolina, Southeastern Conference, Steve Spurrier, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, Tigers, UCLA, UMass, Utah, Virginia Tech
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Tennessee lost a heartbreaker to Florida this past Saturday. They shall continue to lost more close games until they learn how to close, so to speak. Photo by John Raoux of the AP.
(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 4] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Mora, UCLA
Glad I’m not him: Bret Bielema, Arkansas
Lucky guy: Jim McElwain, Florida
Poor guy: Butch Jones, Tennessee
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Gary Patterson, TCU
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Sonny Dykes, Cal
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mark Helfrich, Oregon
Desperately seeking … anything: Darrell Hazell, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Baylor (defeated Rice 70-17)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oklahoma State (defeated Texas 30-27)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: UMass (lost to No. 6 Notre Dame 62-27(
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Texas (lost to No. 24 Oklahoma State 30-27)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Iowa (defeated North Texas 62-16)
Dang, they’re good: UCLA
Dang, they’re bad: Purdue
Can’t Stand Prosperity: BYU
Did the season start? Auburn
Can the season end? Arkansas State
Can the season never end? Utah
GAMES
Play this again: No. 3 TCU 55, Texas Tech 52
Play this again, too: Florida 28, Tennessee 27
Never play this again: No. 4 Baylor 70, Rice 17
What? East Carolina 35, Virginia Tech 28
Huh? Kentucky 21, No. 25 Missouri 13
Are you kidding me? Michigan 31, No. 22 BYU 0
Oh – my – God: No. 18 Utah 62, No. 13 Oregon 20
Told you so: Memphis 53, Cincinnati 46
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 4, pre-week 5)
Ticket to die for: No. 6 Notre Dame @ No. 12 Clemson
Also: No. 13 Alabama @ No. 8 Georgia
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Miami (Fla.) @ Cincinnati
Best non-Power Five matchup: Air Force @ Navy
Upset alert: No. 24 Oklahoma State @ Texas
Must win: Arkansas @ Tennessee
Offensive explosion: Texas Tech @ No. 5 Baylor
Defensive struggle: South Carolina @ Missouri
Great game no one is talking about: Louisville @ N.C. State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kliff Kingsbury of Texas Tech vs. Art Briles of Baylor
Also: Dabo Swinney of Clemson vs. Brian Kelly of Notre Dame
Who’s bringing the body bags? Purdue @ No. 2 Michigan State
Why are they playing? Eastern Michigan @ No. 9 LSU
Plenty of good seats remaining: FIU @ UMass
They shoot horses, don’t they? San Jose State @ Auburn
Week 4 Take-aways:
Tennessee lost a heartbreaker on the road to Florida, thus continuing a losing streak to the Gators that started in 2005. Earlier in the season, they lost another heartbreaker at home to Oklahoma. What is so heartbreaking about both of these losses is that the Volunteers were in the lead for most of the game, until blowing the lead late in both games. Butch Jones is continuing to improve the program, gradually bringing it back to its blueblood status in the conference. But they’re clearly not there yet, and shall not be “there” until they learn to “close the deal,” which is to say, they must learn to finish the games strongly. It is still early in the season, so still time to salvage things.
Speaking of salvaging, Steve Spurrier seemed to have salvaged things reasonably well when his team beat a deceptively good Central Florida squad. Next week, though, they travel to a Columbia, Mo., to take on a similarly-ailing Missouri Tigers team, in what one can easily surmise is a must-win game for both.
Why are both aforementioned teams ailing? They both lost to Kentucky, for goodness sake!
Speaking of UK, given that the Wildcats have W’s over both the Gamecocks and the (Mizzou) Tigers, and they face a relative cupcake in the EKU Colonels this Saturday at home (a quasi-body bag game), the possibility that they could become bowl-eligible in the brutal SEC is not a remote one. Granted, they face a brutal stretch after the EKU game, facing, in order, Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee, then Georgia, but then have a two-week respite with Vanderbilt and then a gimme with Charlotte before concluding the season against improving Louisville. It could be a 6-6 year, which, for UK, is an improvement.
Utah and Michigan started the season playing each other. Though the former beat the latter convincingly, both teams are rolling right now. Funny how that works out.
TCU beat Texas Tech in a high-scoring game that went down to the wire. The Horned Frogs are supposed to be a top-five team, so how does one account for this narrow victory in a shootout? Let us not forget that this TCU team also squeaked by Minnesota at the beginning of the season. Are the Frogs overrated? The upcoming home game against a gradually-improving Texas team could be a referendum.
The only regretful thing about this delightfully intriguing matchup between Notre Dame and Clemson is that Brent Musburger will not be calling the game!
College Football Week 12 Awards November 17, 2013
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Al Golden, Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Bowling Green, BYU, Cal, California, Central Florida, Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, college, David Bailiff, Duke, Ed Orgeron, FBS, Florida State, football, Frank Solich, Gators, Georgia, Gus Malzahn, Houston, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, J.J. Worton, Kansas, Kansas State, Kevin Sumlin, Les Miles, LSU, Mack Brown, Mark Richt, Maryland, Miami (Florida), Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Mizzou, NCAA, Notre Dame, Ohio U, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Purdue, Ricardo Louis, Rice, Rutgers, Sonny Dykes, South Carolina, Southern Cal, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Temple, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech, UCF, UConn, USC, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Will Muschamp
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 12] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Ed Orgeron, USC
Glad I’m not him: Mack Brown, Texas
Lucky guy: Gus Malzahn, Auburn
Poor guy: Mark Richt, Georgia
Desperately seeking a clue: Frank Solich, Ohio U
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: David Bailiff, Rice
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Al Golden, Miami (Fla.)
Desperately seeking … anything: Sonny Dykes, Cal
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Oklahoma (defeated Iowa State 48-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Central Florida (defeated Temple 39-36)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Syracuse (lost to Florida State 59-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Temple (lost to UCF 39-36)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Bowling Green (defeated Ohio U 49-0)
Dang, they’re good: Baylor
Dang, they’re bad: Ohio U
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Stanford
Did the season start? Rutgers
Can the season end? Cal
Can the season never end? USC
GAMES
Play this again: No. 7 Auburn 43, No. 25 Georgia 38
Play this again, too: Kansas State 33, TCU 31
Never play this again: No. 2 Florida State 59, Syracuse 3
What? Maryland 27, Virginia Tech 24, OT
Huh? Kansas 31, West Virginia 19
Are you kidding me? Duke 48, No. 23 Miami 30
Oh – my – God: USC 20, No. 4 Stanford 17
Told you so: No. 4 Baylor 63, Texas Tech 34
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 12, pre-week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Baylor @ No. 14 Oklahoma State
Ticket to die for, SEC edition: No. 15 Texas A&M @ No. 12 LSU
Best non-Big Six vs. Big Six matchup: BYU @ Notre Dame
Best non-Big Six matchup: Texas State @ Western Kentucky
Upset alert: No. 18 Oklahoma @ Kansas State
Must win: No. 8 Missouri @ Ole Miss
Offensive explosion: Baylor @ Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: Michigan @ Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: Cincinnati @ Houston
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M vs. Les Miles of LSU
Who’s bringing the body bags? Idaho @ No. 2 Florida State
Why are they playing? Chattanooga @ No. 1 Alabama
Plenty of good seats remaining: UConn @ Temple
Plenty of good seats remaining, Big Ten edition: Illinois @ Purdue
They shoot horses, don’t they? Coastal Carolina @ No. 11 South Carolina
Week 12 Random Thoughts
Okay, so this week was not big on upsets; some of the lower-tiered ones listed here were borderline reaches. But there were some eye-popping, jaw-to-the-floor-dropping catches. For instance, there was one flying, one-handed touchdown catch by a UCF receiver that put the Golden Knights even with Temple, and thus put them on the path to preserve their undefeated season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9z_-zoD63U
A different sort of catch, but one that solidified victory was a tipped pass on 4-and-forever that just so happened to fall within reach of an Auburn receiver going deep. Ricardo Louis managed to reach for the ball in stride and cruise to the end zone for a touchdown that caused Jordan-Hare Stadium to erupt in ecstasy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf5jnajTKJI
USC, meanwhile, seems to have been rejuvenated under the leadership of Ed Orgeron. Few experts were predicting a win over No. 4-ranked Stanford, what with the Cardinal’s hard-charging power running game. But the Trojans’ defense help firm enough to nullify the Cardinal’s advantage, and in the end, helped produce the biggest win for USC yet this season. In case someone might think that last statement is an exaggeration, when, might I ask in return, was the last time you saw the students rush the field at LA Coliseum this year?
Meanwhile, we all knew this week would come. This time around, it just so happens to be Week 13 where most SEC teams have the unenviable task of being pitiless executioner to FCS fare, glorified or otherwise. The irony is that this time around, these teams are not chump D-1AA teams. Alabama is playing Chattanooga, who is currently 8-3. South Carolina is to play Coastal Carolina, who is currently 10-1 (at least they’re not playing Wofford this time!). Florida will play Georgia Southern, who might only be 6-4 in FCS play, but they’re still a traditional power at that level. But that aside, why schedule these glorified body bag games so late in year? Did we not get enough of these sub-par matchups in September?
Speaking of Georgia Southern, though, maybe Florida will finally be able to win a game again. No, that is not a type-o. The Florida Gators (yes, THE Florida Gators) are on a five-game losing streak. Why, you might ask? Perhaps these stats might explain a few things: they rank 101st in the FBS in passing yardage, 82nd in rushing yards, and 112th in “points for,” meaning the total number of points their offense has scored. Yet they rank 14th in points against. The latter is a more-than-respectable stat; the rest of positively abysmal, especially by Florida standards. Clearly, they have a good defense; they are just atrocious on offense. Who is to blame? One possibility is Will Muschamp, who is a defensive coordinator by trade before becoming the head coach in Gainesville. Could he invest some capital in a better offensive coordinator? That might help. But at this point, it leaves fans and observers alike to wonder if he is the man for this sort of job.
At this point, it’s a fairly safe bet that that Florida could snap their five-game losing streak on Nov. 23; but the following week they face No. 2 Florida State. What is the “over-under” for the Gators going 5-7 this year, Vegas?
intellectualgridiron 