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 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.
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 3 (2019) September 19, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Auburn, Boston College, Bulldogs, BYU, Chattanooga, Chis Klieman, Citadel, Clay Helton, Clemson, college, Dabo Swinney, Dan Mullen, FIghting Irish, Florida, Florida State, football, Furman, Geoff Collins, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hurricanes, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Jim Harbaugh, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisiana, Louisville, LSU, Mark Stoops, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, NCAA, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Rutgers, San Jose State, South Alabama, Southern Illinois, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Virginia Tech, Washington, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Glad I’m not him: Clay Helton, USC
Lucky guy: Dan Mullen, Florida
Poor guy: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Chris Klieman, Kansas State
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: Notre Dame (defeated New Mexico 66-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Virginia Tech (defeated Furman 24-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Arkansas State (lost to Georgia 55-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Temple (defeated No. 21 Maryland 20-17)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Tennessee (defeated Chattanooga 45-0)
Dang, they’re good: Oklahoma
Dang, they’re bad: South Alabama (honorable mention: Indiana)
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Maryland
Did the season start? Purdue
Can the season end? Georgia Tech
Can the season never end? LSU
GAMES
Play this again: No. 9 Florida 29, Kentucky 21
Play this again, too: No. 18 Iowa 18, Iowa State 17
Never play this again: Louisiana 77, Texas Southern 6
That will leave a mark: Miami 63, Bethune-Cookman 0
What? Kansas State 31, Mississippi State 24
Huh? Temple 20, No. 17 Maryland 17
Double Huh? Citadel 27, Georgia Tech 24
Are you kidding me?? BYU 30, No. 24 USC 27
Oh – my – God: Arizona State 10, No. 18 Michigan State 7
NEXT WEEK (rankings are current AP (post-week 3, pre-week 4)
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Notre Dame @ No. 3 Georgia
Best game of the week (second choice): No. 8 Auburn @ No. 16 Texas A&M
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: No. 23 Washington @ BYU
Best non-Power Five matchup: Air Force @ No. 22 Boise State
Upset alert: No. 23 Washington @ BYU
Must win: No. 10 Michigan @ No. 14 Wisconsin
Offensive explosion: Oklahoma State @ No. 12 Texas
Defensive struggle: Boston College @ Rutgers
Great game no one is talking about: Louisville @ Florida State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mario Cristobal of Oregon vs. David Shaw of Stanford
Who’s bringing the body bags? Charlotte @ No. 1 Clemson
Why are they playing? San Jose State @ Arkansas
Plenty of good seats remaining: New Mexico State @ New Mexico
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Southern Illinois @ Arkansas State
Week 3 Thoughts:
Too many body-bag games to in the first three weeks for college football in 2019. At least next week starts with a bang with Michigan vs. Wisconsin in the noon time slot, and we are treated to an early Big XII quasi-rivalry with Texas vs. Oklahoma State in the evening, which will be an intriguing distraction from the game of the week, in which the Notre Dame Fighting Irish venture down to Athens, Ga., to take on the Bulldogs “between the hedges”. Oh, and Auburn plays Texas A&M in the 3:30 EDT time slot, so prepare for an engaging Saturday come the 21st!
Also, belated shout-out to an incredible game the previous week with LSU at Texas. Had the Horns done a slightly better job of stopping the Tiger’s passing game, they might have triumphed. As it is, LSU seems to be a top-flight QB this season, and, based on their stellar performance in Austin, could end up vying for the SEC West divisional title. Mark you calendars for November 9 now.
College Football Awards, Week 6 (2018) October 7, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Bayou Bengals, Bobby Petrino, Boston College, Cardinal, Charlotte, CHip Kelly, Clemson, Cowboys, Dave Doeren, Duke, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Florida State, Gators, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hurricanes, Iowa State, Jimbo Fisher, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Kyle Field, Kyle Whittingham, Lincoln Riley, Longhorns, Louisville, LSU, Mark Dontonio, Mark Stoops, Memphis, Miami, Michigan State, Mississippi State, NC State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Red River Shootout, Rice, rivalry, Seminoles, Showdown, Sooners, South Alabama, Spartans, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, Tom Herman, UCF, UCLA, Utah, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Wildcats
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 6] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Tom Herman, Texas
Glad I’m not him: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Lucky guy: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
Poor guy: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Dave Doeren, NC State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking … anything: Chip Kelly, UCLA
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Clemson (defeated Wake Forest 63-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: West Virginia (defeated Kansas 38-22)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Wake Forest (lost to Clemson 63-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (lost to West Virginia 38-22)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Georgia Tech (defeated Louisville 66-31)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Louisville
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Michigan State
Did the season start? Boston College
Can the season end? Rice
Can the season never end? Texas
GAMES
Play this again: No. 19 Texas 48, No. 7 Oklahoma 45
Never play this again: No. 4 Clemson 63, Wake Forest 3
What? Utah 40, No. 14 Stanford 21
Huh? Texas A&M 20, No. 13 Kentucky 14 (OT)
Double Huh? Mississippi State 23, No. 8 Auburn 9
Are you kidding me?? No. 19 Texas 48, No. 7 Oklahoma 45
Oh – my – God: No. 22 Florida 27, No. 5 LSU 19
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 6)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Georgia @ No. 5 LSU
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: None
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 12 UCF @ Memphis
Upset alert: No. 9 West Virginia @ Iowa State
Must win: No. 20 Michigan State @ No. 11 Penn State
Offensive explosion: No. 10 Washington @ No. 18 Oregon
Defensive struggle: No. 8 Auburn @ Tennessee
Great game no one is talking about: Duke @ Georgia Tech
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kyle Whittingham of Utah vs. Kevin Sumlin of Arizona
Who’s bringing the body bags? (inconclusive)
Why are they playing? (inconclusive)
Plenty of good seats remaining: Western Kentucky @ Charlotte
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Alabama State @ South Alabama
Week 6 Thoughts:
Upsets have abounded this week, with each surprise seeming to supersede the other. Texas made its presence known by toppling yet another ranked opponent, this time hated rival Oklahoma. Whereas the Longhorns were ranked a respectable No. 19, the Sooners were top ten at No. 7. It was almost the upset the never was, as the Sooners’ superior talent almost allowed for a complete comeback during the second half. Only a last-minute field goal by Texas’ true freshman kicker won the day.
LSU’s occasional woes against Florida continued yesterday. In 2003, the Gators upset the Tigers badly, almost spoiling their national title campaign. This time around, the Bayou Bengals came in to the game at No. 5 in the nation, only to be upset by the (No. 22) Gators yet again, this time 27-19. Time to see if Ed Orgeron’s team can bounce back from this loss and remain strong in the brutally competitive SEC West division.
Mississippi State has been in and out of the rankings, but this time, they played like a legitimately ranked team, toppling top-ten Auburn 23-9. Perhaps the “clanga-clanga” atmosphere of Scott Field at night had something to do with it?
Speaking of atmospheres and night games, don’t look now, but Kentucky is a legitimately good team. That said, apparently a night game in the hostile confines of Kyle Field (“Home of the 12th Man”) was too much to maintain their strong winning streak, for the Wildcats lost to the unranked Aggies in overtime, in what was a close, hard-fought game from start to end.
In an interesting night cap game, unranked Utah’s superior quickness gave No. 14 Stanford fits the entire evening. The Cardinal has a bye-week to lick their wounds, while such a win for the Utes might merit a ranking in the next edition of the polls.
There were other upsets, too, such as Iowa State toppling No. 25 Oklahoma State. It won’t get any easier for the Cowboys, as their next six games include ranked opponents (Texas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia), as well as Kansas State and potentially-ranked TCU.
Let us also not overlook another close, hard-fought game between Florida State and Miami. The Seminoles tenaciously hung tough the entire game and eventually triumphed over the No. 17 Hurricanes 28-27.
In the Big Ten, unranked Northwestern (they actually start off the year ranked No. 15) upset No. 20 Michigan State, on the road, 29-19. This is a genuine quality win for the Wildcats, as Mark Dantonio has, over the past several years, made his Spartans a tough out even for top-ten teams. On paper, one would think MSU would have been a tougher out for Northwestern, but just goes to show that nothing is a given in the B1G.
But one of the biggest upsets of the day was also the biggest game of the day, as the Longhorns have won bragging rights over the Sooners for a year until they meet again next year in the Cotton Bowl amidst the annual Texas State Fair.
College Football Awards, Week 5 (2018) September 30, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Army, Bobby Petrino, Bowling Green, Cal, California, Chris Ash, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado State, Duke, FIU, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hurricanes, Illinois, Jeff Monken, Jim Harbaugh, Justin Wilcox, Kansas State, Kevin Sumlin, Larry Fedora, liberty, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Navy, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nittany Lions, North Carolina, North Texas, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Pat Fitzgerald, Penn State, Red River Shootout, Rice, Rutgers, San Jose State, Scott Frost, South Alabama, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Tulane, Urban Meyer, UTEP, Virginia Tech
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 5] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: Larry Fedora, North Carolina
Lucky guy: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Poor guy: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bobby Petrino, Louisville (held over for second week!)
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Scott Frost, Nebraska
Desperately seeking … anything: Chris Ash, Rutgers
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Alabama (defeated Louisiana 56-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Georgia (defeated Tennessee 38-12)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Bowling Green (lost to Georgia Tech 63-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Syracuse (lost to Clemson 27-23)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Miami (North Carolina 47-10)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: South Alabama
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Duke
Did the season start? Louisville
Can the season end? Rice
Can the season never end? Notre Dame
GAMES
Play this again: No. 4 Ohio State 27, No. 10 Penn State 26
Never play this again: FIU 55, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 9
What? Liberty 52, New Mexico 43
Huh? Florida 13, No. 23 Mississippi State 6
Are you kidding me?? Virginia Tech 31, No. 22 Duke 14
Oh – my – God: No. 8 Notre Dame 38, No. 7 Stanford 17
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 5)
Ticket to die for: No. 18 Texas vs. No. 6 Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout (Dallas)
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Louisiana-Monroe @ Ole Miss
Best non-Power Five matchup: SMU @ UCF
Upset alert: No. 8 Notre Dame @ Virginia Tech
Must win: Georgia Tech @ Louisville
Offensive explosion: (inconclusive)
Defensive struggle: Navy @ Air Force
Great game no one is talking about: Tulane @ Cincinnati
Intriguing coaching matchup: Justin Wilcox of Cal vs. Kevin Sumlin of Arizona
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 1 Alabama @ Arkansas
Why are they playing? North Texas @ UTEP
Plenty of good seats remaining: Colorado State @ San Jose State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Illinois @ Rutgers
Week 5 Thoughts:
This week was one of the most important of the year for this college football season. Although there were few upsets, and ever fewer of consequence (despite some close calls – looking your way, Michigan and Ohio State), there were still two games of enormous importance.
Let us start with the biggest game of the week, which was Ohio State playing Penn State in Happy Valley. With a “white-out” at night filling the 107,000-seat stadium, the Nittany Lions played above their No. 10 ranking, almost defeating No. 4 Ohio State. Almost. In the end, both teams played up to their high potential, and the slightly-better team on paper turned out to be the slightly better team on the field of play. The obvious national championship implications of the matchup and outcome is only part of the importance of this game, which shall be explained in further depth in a subsequent article.
The other game of enormous consequence was Stanford at Notre Dame. This was another top ten matchup with both teams outside of the South, with the victor having further potential to advance in the rankings. As wonderful as the southern teams are, having a healthy amount of top-ten (or even top-15) teams outside of the Southeast region is good for football because it makes the sport more national and less regional. This importance shall also be explained further in an article that shall be forthcoming soon.
Oh, and don’t look now, but Texas is on a four-game win streak, and survived a trap game at Kansas State headed into the Red River Shootout, er, Showdown come Oct. 6.
College Football Awards Week 12 (2017) November 19, 2017
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Arkansas, Badgers, Baylor, Boston College, Bruins, BYU, Central Florida, Charlie Strong, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Clemson, Dave Clawson, Egg Bowl, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Frank Solich, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Mora, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Kilane Sitake, Kirk Ferentz, Longhorns, Louisville, Matt Luke, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Navy, NC State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ohio U, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Scott Frost, South Alabama, South Carolina, South Florida, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCF, UCLA, UConn, USC, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin, Wolfpack
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 12] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Glad I’m not him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Lucky guy: Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
Poor guy: Matt Luke, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Frank Solich, Ohio U
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferenz, Iowa
Desperately seeking … anything: Kilane Sitake, BYU
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Louisville (defeated Syracuse 56-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Mississippi State (defeated Arkansas 28-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Illinois (lost to Ohio State 52-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Navy (lost to No. 8 Notre Dame 24-17)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Northwestern (defeated Minnesota 39-0)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: South Alabama
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Iowa
Did the season start? Oklahoma State
Can the season end? Tennessee
Can the season never end? Oklahoma
GAMES
Play this again: Texas A&M 31, Ole Miss 24
Play this again, too: Kansas State 45, No. 13 Oklahoma State 40
Never play this again: Florida State 77, Delaware State 6
What? Akron 37, Ohio U 34
Huh? Wake Forest 30, No. 19 NC State 24
Are you kidding me?? Kansas State 45, No. 13 Oklahoma State 40
Oh – my – God: Purdue 24, Iowa 15
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 12, pre-week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 9 Ohio State @ Michigan also: No. 1 Alabama @ No. 6 Auburn
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: South Florida @ No. 15 UCF
Upset alert: No. 2 Clemson @ South Carolina also: No. 8 Notre Dame @ No. 22 Stanford
Must win: Indiana @ Purdue also: No. 9 Ohio State @ Michigan
Offensive explosion: No. 14 Washington State @ No. 18 Washington
Defensive struggle: Florida State @ Florida
Great game no one is talking about: Louisville @ Kentucky
Intriguing coaching matchup: Scott Frost of Central Florida vs Charlie Strong of South Florida
Who’s bringing the body bags? Baylor @ No. 12 TCU
Why are they playing? Florida Atlantic @ Charlotte
Plenty of good seats remaining: UConn @ Cincinnati
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Vanderbilt @ Tennessee
Week 12 Random Thoughts:
Today yielded no earth-shattering upsets. How could it, with so many highly-ranked teams inexplicably engaged in body bag games so late in the year? Nevertheless, some interesting upsets did ensue. Pathetic Akron took down perennial MAC contender Ohio U, for example. Kansas State defeated Oklahoma State on the road. Unranked Wake Forest (now 7-4, surprisingly) upset No. 19 NC State, putting a blemish on an otherwise impressive year for the Wolfpack. Even more amazingly, Purdue went on the road to play Iowa, a game where nobody, least of all yours truly, gave them a chance to win, and yet they did anyhow. Don’t ask how the same team that embarrassed Ohio State by the worst margin in more than two decades could lose two weeks later at home to a lesser team. There is no rational explanation.
Texas earned a great win, on the road, over West Virginia. Two weeks ago, the Longhorns gave a pitiful offensive performance against TCU, and offered only a middling performance in their win over Kansas last week. Naturally, this turn of events gave the Longhorn faithful cause for concern. Whether these concerns are no longer valid remains to be seen. But adjustments were clearly made, to the point where Texas was able to win, convincingly, in a tough environment, against a favored team. Looks like progress, and the Horns are now bowl-eligible to boot. Next week they close the regular season at home against Texas Tech, which will be a decent test to see if they can maintain their current level of performance.
Remember my earlier speculation about Purdue’s bowl chances having evaporated? Wad that thought up and toss it out the window. Purdue’s surprising upset over Iowa – on the road, no less – has given their season a new life. Don’t ask how this came to pass. Be all that as it may, this upcoming week, both Purdue and in-state rival Indiana shall play each other for two things, not just one. Not only will they play for the Old Oaken Bucket trophy, but also for bowl eligibility. No telling the last time the stakes were that high for the two teams.
Every season, there is always a surprise or two. One such this year is Central Florida, who currently undefeated and ranked first in the All-American Conference East Division. At a current rank of no. 15, head coach Scott Frost seems to know what he is doing. This is the same Scott Frost who was the capable, tough, dependable quarterback who led Nebraska to a share of the national title with Michigan in the 1997 season. After several years as a back-up QB in the NFL, he gradually worked his way up the ranks in coaching. With a relatively easy schedule remaining, the Golden Knights could remain undefeated going into the ultimate conference showdown at season’s end. Then, they face 9-1 South Florida, led by Coach Charlie Strong. Surely that is to be one of the most intriguing of coaching matchups of the year!
Shout-out to Notre Dame for wearing very cool-looking, throwback-inspired uniforms during their game against Navy. I sincerely hope that more teams with gold in their school colors have the good sense to copy those nice-looking gold pants that the Irish wore this week.
Just several weeks earlier, Louisville could not beat Wake Forest or Boston College. Now, they seem to have turned things around. Their 56-10 walloping of Syracuse is a sure sign the Cardinals are playing back to form, and are doing so just at the right time, as they take on in-state rival Kentucky this upcoming week.
UCLA just fired Jim Mora, Jr. Ironically, the Bruins lost last night to cross-town rival USC by a respectable margin, 28-23. But the powers that be in Westwood clearly did not like the direction the program was headed. Mora helped create high expectations for the Bruin faithful, but sadly failed to deliver (UCLA is now 5-6). Then again, the school is only partially committed compared to USC, or to any other program that is determined to compete for a national title. Firing the current head coach shall thus not solve this systemic problem.
With Wisconsin’s win over Michigan, the Badgers continue their undefeated streak and are on a certain course to represent the Western Division in the Big Ten championship. All Ohio State has to do is beat Michigan this upcoming week for the rights to butt heads with the Badgers. My scenario for the best possible playoff scenario thus continues, but more pratfalls remain.
The best game on Thanksgiving is not played in Detroit or Dallas. No, rather it is usually the “Egg Bowl,” the annual Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State grudge-match that shall once again kickoff on the evening of the fourth Thursday in November. Let us enjoy it, and God Bless America!
College Football Awards, Week 13 (2016) November 27, 2016
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, B1G, Bedlam, Big Ten, Bobby Petrino, Boise State, Brian Kelly, Butch Jones, Cardinals, Charlie Strong, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Cotton Bowl, Cougars, Eastern Michigan, Ed Orgeron, Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa State, Jim McElwain, Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, LSU, MAC, Memphis, Michigan, Mississippi State, Navy, NCAA, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Nick Saban, North Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ohio U, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, P.J. Fleck, Pac-12, Paul Johnson, Penn State, Purdue, Rebels, SMU, South Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Tom Herman, Tommy Tuberville, Urban Meyer, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Western Michigan, Wildcats, Wisconsin
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The Game lived up to The Hype.
(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 13] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: Charlie Strong, Texas
Lucky guy: Kevin Wilson, Indiana
Poor guy: Tommy Tuberville, Cincinnati
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking … anything: Butch Jones, Tennessee also: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Virginia Tech (defeated Virginia 52-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Louisville (lost to Kentucky 41-38)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Iowa State (lost to No. 19 West Virginia 49-19)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kentucky (see above)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: UTEP (defeated North Texas 52-24)
Dang, they’re good: Clemson
Dang, they’re bad: New Mexico State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Nebraska
Did the season start? Louisville
Can the season end? Texas also: Ole Miss, Notre Dame
Can the season never end? Western Michigan
GAMES
Play this again: No. 2 Ohio State 30, No. 3 Michigan 24
Play this again, too: Georgia Tech 28, Georgia 27
Never play this again: No. 4 Clemson 56, South Carolina 7
Close call: Indiana 26, Purdue 24
What? Vanderbilt 45, No. 24 Tennessee 34
Huh? Air Force 27, No. 21 Boise State 20
Double-Huh? Memphis 48, No. 18 Houston 44
Are you kidding me? Iowa 40, No. 17 Nebraska 10
Oh – my – God: Kentucky 41, No. 11 Louisville 38
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 13, pre-week 14))
Ticket to die for: No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 8 Penn State in the B1G Championship
also: No. 11 Oklahoma State @ No. 8 Oklahoma
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: Western Michigan vs. Ohio U in the MAC Championship, Friday
Must win: too many to list!
Offensive explosion: No. 6 Washington vs. No. 9 Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship
Defensive struggle: No. 13 Florida @ No. 15 Florida State
Great game no one is talking about: Louisiana Tech @ Western Kentucky
Intriguing coaching matchup: Nick Saban of Alabama vs. Jim McElwain of Florida
Think there’s enough purple? Kansas State @ TCU
Who’s bringing the body bags? Baylor @ No. 14 West Virginia
Why are they playing? Wisconsin vs. Penn State in the B1G Championship (ever heard of Ohio State?)
Plenty of good seats remaining: New Mexico State @ South Alabama
They shoot horses, don’t they? Georgia State @ Idaho
Week 13 Take-aways:
Rivalry week has yielded some decent drama, and upsets, as one would expect. Purdue, hapless all year, acquitted themselves well against a far-superior offense in IU. Highly-ranked Louisville gave up the game via four turnovers to in-state rival Kentucky, at home. The collapse of Louisville within the past couple of weeks is the most unsettling thing witnessed in major college football this year.
The annual coaching carousel hath begun its merry ride. Charlie Strong is out at Texas (after much unnecessary vacillation and drama on the part of the Texas Athletics Department), and Tom Herman is in. Such drama sadly bled over to Herman’s Houston team, who clearly was not focused when losing to formidable Memphis on Friday, despite being favored on the road. Meanwhile, Ed Orgeron earned a well-deserved promotion from interim head coach to full-time head coach at LSU. Orgeron is perfect for the role, what with his love for the school, his extensive experience in many big-name programs, his long-time conference presence (he was once the head coach at border rival Ole Miss), to say nothing of his deep Cajun drawl. His performance in the interim job itself was a strong case, as the Tigers went 5-2 under this leadership (one of those losses was to Alabama, where LSU held the Tide to only 10 points). Justice has been met in this special case.
Despite Mississippi State’s disappointing year, Dan Mullen has ended the year well by convincingly beating their main rival, Ole Miss. The Rebels started the year with high rankings and hopes, but injury and other bad luck put the team into a freefall. Losing their starting QB Chad Kelly to season-ending injury obviously contributed to this, to be sure.
In the world of weird football news, Navy beat SMU 75-31 (yes, this was a football game, not a basketball one). What do these two teams have in common? They’re the only two teams that beat Houston this year. That aside, who says the triple option cannot be a high-scoring offense?
More regarding the world of weird football news: Eastern Michigan is, after this week, 7-5, and obviously bowl eligible. Let us all pause as our collective jaw drops to the floor.
Now we await the conference championship games next week, and immediately afterwards, we shall finally ascertain the teams that shall be in the playoffs. One intriguing game is the MAC Championship. Should Western Michigan win and continue their undefeated season, they could qualify for a major bowl game. Might P.J. Fleck be able to lead his team in rowing the proverbial boat all the way, say, the Cotton Bowl? We shall all find out in due time. Let the games begin…and continue!
College Football 2015 Week 1 Awards September 9, 2015
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, B1G, Big 10, Big Ten, Boise State, Bret Bielema, Bronco Mendenhall, BYU, Central Florida, Charlie Strong, college, David Shaw, Duke, FIU, Florida State, football, Gene Chizik, Georgia, Hawaii, Jeff Monken, Jerry Kill, Jim Harbaugh, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Larry Fedora, LSU, Marhsall, Michigan, Michigan State, Mike Riley, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Carolian, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ohio U, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Alabama, South Carolina, Stanford, Steve Spurrier, TCU, Temple, Tennessee, Tennessee-Martin, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Tulane, UCF, UCon, Urban Meyer, UTSA
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The battle for Carolina in Charlotte started the 2015 college football season well. It was very aesthically pleasing to see North Carolina and South Carolina both wear their home colors, too!(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 1] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES Wish I were him: Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
Glad I’m not him: David Shaw, Stanford
Lucky guy: Bronco Mendenhall, BYU
Poor guy: Mike Riley, Nebraska
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jerry Kill, Minnesota
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Charlie Strong, Texas
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeff Monken, Army
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: No. 9 Georgia (defeated LA-Monroe 51-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: No. 22 Arizona (defeated UTSA 42-32)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Texas State (lost to No. 10 Florida State 59-16)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Central Michigan (lost to Oklahoma State 24-13).
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: No. 11 Notre Dame (defeated Texas 38-3)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Tulane
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Stanford
Did the season start? Texas (Honorable Mention: Penn State)
Can the season end? Tulane
Can the season never end? Notre Dame
GAMES
Play this again: No. 6 Auburn 31, Louisville 24
Play this again, too: No. 2 TCU 23, Minnesota 17
Honorable Mention to play again: South Carolina 17, North Carolina 13
Never play this again: No. 17 Ole Miss 76, Tennessee-Martin 3
Say what? BYU 33, Nebraska 28
WHAT? FIU 15, UCF 14
Huh? Northwestern 16, No. 21 Stanford 6
Are you kidding me? Texas A&M 38, No. 15 Arizona State 17
Oh – my – God: Temple 27, Penn State 10
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 1, pre-week 2)
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Oregon @ No. 5 Michigan State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Houston @ Louisville; also: Minnesota @ Colorado State
Best non-Power Five matchup: Marshall @ Ohio U
Upset alert: No. 19 Oklahoma @ No. 25 Tennessee
Must win: Kentucky @ South Carolina
Offensive explosion: No. 22 Arizona @ Nevada
Defensive struggle: No. 14 LSU @ No. 25 Mississippi State
Great game no one is talking about: Minnesota @ Colorado State; also: No. 20 Boise State @ BYU
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mark Stoops of Kentucky vs. Steve Spurrier of South Carolina
Who’s bringing the body bags? Hawaii @ No. 1 Ohio State
Why are they playing? South Alabama @ Nebraska
Plenty of good seats remaining: Army @ UConn
They shoot horses, don’t they? NC Central @ Duke
Week 1 Take-aways:
- Ohio State seems to have not skipped a beat during the offseason. After the occasional hiccup in the second quarter, they made every halftime adjustment one could think of and demonstrated why they deserve to retain the top ranking.
- Had Louisville not made mistake after mistake, the results of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game would surely have been considerably different. That said, Auburn is not a team with which to be trifled.
- Evidence of the Big Ten gaining strength compared to, say, seasons 2005-2013, could not be further on display, and not just with the top dog Ohio State. Mighty Stanford travelled eastward to take on Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. They did not return to the West Coast victorious. Few pigskin prognosticators saw THAT coming.
- Arizona State has potential to be a tough team. Dropping the ball – figuratively — to Texas A&M did not help their case. Either the Sun Devils were highly overrated going into the game, or they picked a horrible time to take the night off.
- Either South Carolina is starting to struggle a bit as a program, or North Carolina has greatly improved. At this point, I suspect the latter. Larry Fedora has proven to be a capable coach, and Gene Chizik’s influence on the Tarheel’s defense quickly showed itself.
- Jim Harbaugh shall no doubt make Michigan into a respected power again. Their loss to Utah in Salt Lake City seemed to be a speedbump towards that goal. The immediate discernment is that the Utes are becomingly an increasingly respected program in the post-Urban Meyer era. In the meantime, signs that Harbaugh is shaking things up in Ann Arbor is already readily apparent. For one, their legendary helmet design now has metal flake in the both the yellow and blue parts of the distinct pattern – a first for the program. Moreover, they were wearing [gasp!] white pants with traditional stripes, which is a far cry from the plain yellow pants they have worn for decades. That last item alone is proof that Hades has officially frozen over!
Such is the ‘rousing start to the 2015 college football season. One more week of an excess of body bag games to go, and things ought to be even more interesting!