College Football Awards Week 13 (2021) December 3, 2021
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.Tags: AAC, ACC, Alabama, Army, Auburn, B1G, Baylor, Bedlam, Big XII, Bryan Harsin, California, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Crimson Tide, Dana Holgorsen, Egg Bowl, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Jeff Monken, Jeff Traylor, Jim Harbaugh, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Luke Fickell, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Nevada, Nick Saban, North Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Paul Chryst, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, rivalry, Ryan Day, SEC, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tigers, Tom Allen, UConn, USC, Utah, UTSA, Wake Forest, week, Wisconsin
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Glad I’m not him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Lucky guy: Nick Saban, Alabama
Poor guy: Bryan Harsin, Auburn
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jeff Traylor, UTSA
Desperately seeking … anything: Tom Allen, Indiana
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Houston (defeated UConn 45-17)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Baylor (defeated Texas Tech 27-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Georgia Tech (lost to Georgia 45-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Auburn (lost to Alabama 24-22, 4OT)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Kentucky (defeated Louisville 52-21)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Colorado State
Another one bites the dust: UTSA
Did the season start? Wisconsin
Can the season end? Indiana
Can the season never end? Michigan
GAMES
Play this again: No. 5 Michigan 42, No. 2 Ohio State 27
Play this again, too: No. 3 Alabama 24, Auburn 22 (4OT)
Never play this again: Nevada 52, Colorado State 10
What? North Texas 45, No. 22 UTSA 23
Huh? LSU 27, No. 15 Texas A&M 24
Are you kidding me?? Minnesota 23, No. 14 Wisconsin 13
Oh – my – God: No. 5 Michigan 42, No. 2 Ohio State 27
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 3 Alabama
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: (none)
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 24 Houston vs. No. 4 Cincinnati
Upset alert: No. 19 Utah vs. No. 11 Oregon
Must win: No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 16 Iowa
They have the same record? USC @ California
Offensive explosion: No. 8 Baylor vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State also: Kent State vs Northern Illinois
Defensive struggle: (none)
Great game no one is talking about: No. 17 Pitt vs. No. 18 Wake Forest
Intriguing coaching matchup: Luke Fickell of Cincinnati vs. Dana Holgorsen of Houston
Week 13 Thoughts:
Rivalry week did not disappoint. Sure, there was the occasional lop-sided outcome (looking your way, IU-Purdue and Kentucky-Louisville, and others, too.), but so many matchups produced so many great games. The Ole Miss-Mississippi State game (the “Egg Bowl”, named after the golden football trophy that has long been dubbed “the golden egg”) on Thanksgiving started things off with a bang. Then on Friday, unranked Nebraska had a chance to knock No. 16 Iowa out of B1G West contention, and came up shy by only a touchdown. Coastal Carolina had to hold off lowly South Alabama: the Chanticleers defeated the Jaguars by only seven points.
On Saturday, even greater action took place. Neither Florida nor Florida State has had much of a season, but they certainly gave fans a good fight in The Swamp, with the Gators winning, 24-21.
But The Game itself delivered. Michigan finally got a major monkey off its back in beating Ohio State for the first time since 2011. With such a rivalry and a game of such high stakes (a conference championship berth and also a potential playoff bid on the line), there was plenty of drama to go around, and all the while, Michigan Stadium was rocking, both during, and very much after the game. The crowd of fans gathered around the FOX crew outside of the stadium post-game rivaled that of crowds at ESPN’s College Gameday, pre-game.
Speaking of the B1G and conference championship berths on the line, Wisconsin had the chance to win Paul Bunyan’s Ax and also to lock up the B1G West by beating Minnesota. PJ Fleck and the boys had other plans. The Golden Gophers won the day, 23-13, and the Ax along with it. That upset made Iowa’s win the previous day all the more significant, as now they’ll represent the B1G West in Indianapolis next weekend.
In a quasi-rivalry game, Michigan State and Penn State duked it out in the snow in a high-scoring slugfest, with the Spartans winning closely, 30-27.
If we are to be reminded of anything, it’s that the Iron Bowl is always a great game, no matter how much one team may struggle and no matter how high the other may be currently flying. Case in point: this year’s Iron Bowl looked like it might have been a lop-sided affair, what with Alabama’s top-five ranking and Auburn not even ranked. But crazy things have happened against the Crimson Tide in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Last night’s game was one of them. Auburn led most of the game in a defensive struggle. Going into the 4th quarter, it was 10-0 in favor of the Tigers. The Tide managed to score 10 points that quarter to tie things up at the end of regulation. It took four overtimes to finally decide the game, with Alabama triumphing in the end. Ironically, it took a hobbled back QB’s understandably limited performance for Alabama to have even a shot at winning this game.
Speaking of getting monkeys off one’s back, Oklahoma State certainly came through against Oklahoma in last night’s edition of the Bedlam Series. In what was a back-and-forth shootout for much of the game, the Cowboys held the Sooners scoreless in the 4th quarter (a considerable stepping up of OK State’s defense), while they themselves scored 14 points to triumph, 37-33.
Other great games took place elsewhere, and it all amounted to a wonderful Rivalry Week that shall no about long be remembered. But now, it is time to look ahead.
Looking ahead to Week 14:
Michigan vs. Iowa in the B1G Championship game (Indianapolis)
This will be a different Big Ten championship game from what we are used to. Reason being, Wisconsin is not in it. Kidding aside, neither is Ohio State or Michigan State. Nope, Michigan crashes the party for the first time, ever, too. I wonder how Iowa’s and Michigan’s bands will sound like when they play the Star Spangled Banner together. It will be a beautiful sound to hear and a sight to behold in any case.
Oh, and all Michigan needs to do is close the deal, and they could make it to the playoffs. No pressure.
Georgia vs. Alabama in the SEC Championship game (Atlanta)
This is Georgia’s opportunity to remind everyone that they are the legit No. 1 team. Conversely, if Alabama has any hopes of crashing the playoffs, they need to get through the Bulldogs in order to attain that prize. Needless to say, that’s a huge ask.
Questions also abound: was the Crimson Tide looking ahead to Georgia, and thus were caught off-guard by sputtering Auburn? Or did Alabama arrive in The Plains with the War Eagle fully on their minds, only to come out flat anyhow, and lucky to escape back to Tuscaloosa with a win? If their underperformance yesterday is any indication, they could wind up as cannon fodder for the Bulldogs.
Conversely, Georgia would be wise to prepare as if they shall be in the fight of their lives, because, well, because Alabama, that’s why.
Baylor vs. Oklahoma State in the Big XII Championship game (Arlington, Texas)
Credit the Big XII with two things: one, they get it right by selecting the contestants for their conference championship game. Forget these silly divisions: simply select the top two best teams, and let them slug it out. Okay, “slug” might be too strong a word since this is the Big XII, which defensively is almost a pillow-fight of a conference (Oklahoma notwithstanding). Nevertheless, the Bears vs. the Cowboys should be a marvelous matchup.
The other thing that the Big XII gets right is selecting the best possible location within their geographic footprint in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. To be sure, the B1G and SEC have gotten it right, respectively, for a long time in that same regard, with the former playing in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy (which is perfect for the B1G), and now Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the SEC in Atlanta (before then, they played in the Georgia Dome: perfect in either case).
Houston vs. Cincinnati in the AAC championship game
When was the last time we all looked forward to the AAC championship game? Perhaps starting now. If you’re not, you should. Cincinnati is undefeated and could earn a coveted playoff berth if they win out. Meanwhile, Houston has but one loss, has played very strongly as of late, and could be a likely spoiler.
No neutral site here: the two teams shall be duking it out in the Bearcats’ home field of Nippert Stadium. As an undefeated team, UC has earned this advantage.
Pittsburgh vs. Wake Forest in the ACC championship game (Charlotte)
What, no Clemson? Correct, no Tigers in this ACC championship. Nevertheless, we ought not to overlook this game, as it too could be a great one, pitting (if you’ll pardon the pun) two teams that are focused and tenacious. Yes, bring out the popcorn for this one, too!
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 Awards, Week 6 (2019) October 7, 2019
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Arizona, Auburn, B1G, Big Ten, Boise State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buckeyes, Cincinnati, Craig James, Dan Mullen, Florida, football, Golden Hurricane, Hawaii, Hawkeyes, Houston, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Jim Harbaugh, Kent State, Kirk Ferentz, Louisville, LSU, Matt Campbell, Michigan, Michigan State, Mustangs, NCAA, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Purdue, Rhode Island, Scott Frost, Scott Satterfield, SMU, Spartans, Stanford, Steve Addazio, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, UCLA, UConn, UNLV, Utah, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, Wisconsin, Wolverines
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Dan Mullen, Florida
Glad I’m not him: Guz Malzahn, Auburn
Lucky guy: Scott Satterfield, Louisville
Poor guy: Steve Addazio, Boston College
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Desperately seeking … anything: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Notre Dame (defeated Bowling Green 52-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Nebraska (defeated Northwestern 13-10)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Utah State (lost to No. 5 LSU 42-6)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Tulsa (lost to SMU 43-37)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Iowa State (defeated TCU 49-24)
Dang, they’re good: LSU
Dang, they’re bad: Bowling Green
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Auburn
Did the season start? TCU
Can the season end? UCLA
Can the season never end? SMU
GAMES
Play this again: No. 10 Florida 24, No. 7 Auburn 13
Never play this again: No. 9 Notre Dame 52, Bowling Green 0
What? No. 19 Michigan 10, No. 14 Iowa 3
Huh? Texas Tech 45, No. 21 Oklahoma State 35
Double-Huh? Cincinnati 27, No. 18 UCF 24
Are you kidding me?? Stanford 23, No. 15 Washington 13
Oh – my – God: No. 10 Florida 24, No. 7 Auburn 13
NEXT WEEK
(rankings are current AP (post-week 6, pre-week 7)
Ticket to die for: No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Texas in the Red River Shootout
(Possible second choice): No. 10 Florida @ No. 5 LSU
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: UNLV @ Vanderbilt
Best non-Power Five matchup: Cincinnati @ Houston (also: Hawaii @ No. 16 Boise State)
Upset alert: No. 25 Michigan State @ No. 8 Wisconsin (also: Florida @ LSU)
Must win: No. 15 Washington @ Arizona
Offensive explosion: (inconclusive)
Defensive struggle: No. 10 Florida @ No. 5 LSU
Great game no one is talking about: Louisville @ No. 22 Wake Forest (also: Penn State @ Iowa)
Intriguing coaching matchup: P.J. Fleck of Minnesota vs Scott Frost of Nebraska
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 17 Utah @ Oregon State
Why are they playing? Rhode Island @ Virginia Tech
Plenty of good seats remaining: Kent State @ Akron
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? UConn @ Tulane
Week 6 Thoughts:
Michigan vs. Iowa
Iowa came into the Big House ranked No. 14 to home team Michigan’s No. 19 ranking. The game was a close one from start to finish, and in the end, Michigan triumphed in a defensive struggle, 10-3. Under normal circumstances, when a team, ranked or otherwise, defeats a higher-ranked team, that is a good day, that is a good day for the lower-ranked team.
So why do I get the feeling that this win will not slake the bloodthirst of Jim Harbaugh’s critics? I can think of two reasons. The most obvious is that Michigan scored only 10 lousy points. At home. Granted, it was against Iowa, which is always a deceptively tough out, but in the end, scoring only 10 points borders on disturbing.
Keep in mind that Wisconsin is, theoretically, an even stronger defense, yet the Wolverines scored two touchdowns on them in a losing effort on the road. Should such an abysmal offensive performance persist later in the season, how does one think that Michigan is to fare against, say, Penn State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, or even [shudder] archrival Ohio State?
The reason this win does not assuage concerns about Michigan’s direction was Iowa’s performance. That the Hawkeyes’ offense kept sputtering when it reached the Wolverines’ 40 yard line is what saved the latter’s bacon. To be sure, that is also a tribute to the Wolverines’ tough D. Still, can one count on such defensive shut-downs against even more formidable opponents? Most likely, not.
Bottom line: Harbaugh needs to re-shuffle the proverbial deck for his offense, and do so right now.
SMU vs Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane played the Mustangs tough for the entire game, but a last-minute touchdown put SMU ahead of Tulsa for good. The Mustangs are now undefeated at 6-0 for the first time since 1982 (back when Craig James was still playing for them). Let that sink in for a moment.
Ohio State vs Michigan State
Speaking of stronger defenses than that of Iowa, Michigan State gave a maximum effort against Ohio State. Even then, the Buckeyes still won, 34-10. The Spartans’ aforementioned max effort from their own strong D was all that kept the game from becoming a blowout.
Can anyone in the conference take Ohio State? It certainly does not seem so at this rate. All that said, Oct. 26 could give us a preview of coming Big Ten Championship attractions when the Buckeyes play Wisconsin at home. Once again, the Buckeyes are playing like a solid national championship contender.
Florida vs Auburn
Either Auburn is not quite as good as we thought they were (at No. 7), or Florida is better than we thought they were (at No. 10). Whatever the case may be, if the Gators keep up these strong performances, it shall shape up to be a memorable matchup against Georgia in Jacksonville later this month.
College Football Awards, Week 12 (2018) November 18, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Boise State, Boston College, Brian Kelly, BYU, Chad Morris, Chris Petersen, Eastern Michigan, Florida State, Frank Solich, Fresno State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jeff Brohm, Jeremy Pruitt, Kansas, Kansas State, Kent State, Kentucky, Louisville, Lovie Smith, Maryland, Miami (OH), Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee, Mike Leach, Mississippi State, Nebraska, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ohio U, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Rutgers, San Jose State, Songbook, South Florida, Southern Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, UAB, UCF, Urban Meyer, Utah, Utah State, UTEP, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 12] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Glad I’m not him: Chad Morris, Arkansas
Lucky guy: Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
Poor guy: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Frank Solich, Ohio U
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee
Desperately seeking … anything: Lovie Smith, Illinois
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Mississippi State (defeated Arkansas 52-6)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Ohio State (defeated Maryland 52-51 in OT)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: New Mexico (lost to No. 25 Boise State 45-14)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Middle Tennessee (lost to No. 17 Kentucky 34-23)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Ohio U (defeated Buffalo 52-17)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: Arkansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: West Virginia
Did the season start? Michigan State
Can the season end? Tennessee
Can the season never end? Notre Dame
GAMES
Play this again: Oklahoma State 45, No. 9 West Virginia 41
Play this again, too: Wisconsin 47, Purdue 44, 3 OT
Never play this again: Iowa 63, Illinois 0
What? Miami (Ohio) 13, Northern Illinois 7
Huh? Kansas State 21, Texas Tech 6
Double Huh? Nebraska 9, Michigan State 6
Are you kidding me?? Florida State 22, No. 20 Boston College 21
Oh – my – God: Oklahoma State 45, No. 9 West Virginia 41
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Michigan @ No. 10 Ohio State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: BYU @ No. 19 Utah
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 11 UCF @ South Florida
Honorable mention for above: UAB @ Middle Tennessee
Upset alert: Auburn @ No. 1 Alabama also: Georgia Tech @ No. 5 Georgia
Must win: Purdue @ Indiana
Offensive explosion: No. 6 Oklahoma @ No. 9 West Virginia
Defensive struggle: Eastern Michigan @ Kent State
Great game no one is talking about: No. 23 Utah State @ No. 25 Boise State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Chris Petersen of Washington vs Mike Leach of Washington State
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 17 Kentucky @ Louisville Also: San Jose State @ Fresno State
Why are they playing? No. 15 Texas @ Kansas
Plenty of good seats remaining: Southern Miss @ UTEP
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Rutgers @ Michigan State
The Longhorns-Red Raiders Rivalry in Microcosm November 11, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Boston College, college football, Longhorns, Miami, NCAA, Notre Dame, November, Red Raiders, SB Nation, Texas, Texas Tech, TTU
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One of the many things to look forward to at the beginning of each November is Bill Connelly’s annually-updated article from SB Nation entitled “November is here. Now college football season has really begun.” One key mantra he hammers home: November is for everything. Read the article, you’ll understand for yourself.
Of the many cool things to pour over in this article, one is that he gives each calendar date of November its due by pointing to them as college football dates in history. For example, Nov. 23 is the anniversary of Doug Flutie’s legendary Hail Mary TD pass that beat Miami. Nov. 20 is when Boston College beat No. 1 Notre Dame on a last-second field goal in 1993. All these dates are listed chronologically, of course.
And Nov. 1? No doubt a date that shall live in Longhorn Nation infamy. For one that day in 2008, Michael Crabtree slipped into the end zone for a touchdown that would defeat undefeated Texas, thus ultimately derailing its national title hopes that year. Such a win for Texas Tech still sticks in the collective craw of Texas fans to this day, ten years later.
At any rate, ten years and nine days later, Texas exacted a small amount of revenge in Lubbock by scoring a touchdown within the last minute of the game that would seal the deal for the Longhorns. Lil’Jordan Humphrey (yes, that is his name) even extended himself over the goal line in a similar fashion to what TTU’s Crabtree did a decade earlier.
What is it about Texas Tech that gives a much stronger, much more resource-laden program such fits in the first place? Perhaps it is a David vs. Goliath complex on the part of the Red Raiders that gets them emotionally pumped to take on the flagship program of the Lone Star State. Or, maybe Tech’s well-established, high-octane spread offense is one that gives the Horns’ defense fits for whatever reason. In other words, on paper, Texas should crush Tech most years. But over the past 10-15 years, this is one of those crazy matchups that gives fans plenty of drama, ergo excitement (not to mention heart palpitations that come with it), as these two games a decade apart attest. Whatever the reason, we the college football fans are all the more engaged, entertained, and possibly satisfied as a result.
College Football Awards, Week 11 (2018) November 11, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arkansas State, Army, Auburn, BC, Boise State, Boston College, Brian Kelly, CHip Kelly, Cincinnati, Citadel, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Fresno State, Georgia, Iowa, Iowa State, Jeff Brohm, Jeff Monken, Kentucky, liberty, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Mark Stoops, Michigan, Mike Gundy, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Rice, Rutgers, San Jose State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UAB, UCF, UCLA, UMass, Utah State, UTSA, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Willie Taggart, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 11] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Glad I’m not him: Willie Taggart, Florida State
Lucky guy: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Poor guy: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mark Stoops, Kentucky
Desperately seeking … anything: Chip Kelly, UCLA
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated Rutgers 42-7)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: NC State (lost to Wake Forest 27-23)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Louisville (lost to Syracuse 54-23)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Boston College (lost to Clemson)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Arkansas State (defeated Coastal Carolina 44-16)
Dang, they’re good: Alabama
Dang, they’re bad: UTSA
Can’t Stand Prosperity: NC State
Did the season start? Wisconsin
Can the season end? North Carolina
Can the season never end? Notre Dame
GAMES
Play this again: No. 6 Oklahoma 48, Oklahoma State 47
Play this again, too: No. 19 Texas 41, Texas Tech 34
Never play this again: Utah State 62, San Jose State 24
What? Minnesota 41, Purdue 10
Huh? Boise State 24, No. 23 Fresno State 17
Double Huh? Northwestern 14, No. 21 Iowa 10
Are you kidding me?? Wake Forest 27, NC State 23 (Thurs.)
Oh – my – God: Tennessee 24, No. 11 Kentucky 7
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 11)
Best game of the week: No. 13 Syracuse @ No. 3 Notre Dame
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: UAB @ Texas A&M
Best non-Power Five matchup: Cincinnati @ No. 12 UCF
Upset alert: No. 22 Iowa State @ No. 19 Texas
Must win: Wisconsin @ Purdue
Offensive explosion: No. 9 West Virginia @ Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: Missouri @ Tennessee
Great game no one is talking about: Cincinnati @ No. 12 UCF
Intriguing coaching matchup: Paul Chryst of Wisconsin vs Jeff Brohm of Purdue
Who’s bringing the body bags? Rice @ No. 7 LSU Also: Citadel @ No. 1 Alabama
Why are they playing? UMass @ No. 5 Georgia
Plenty of good seats remaining: Western Carolina @ North Carolina
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Liberty @ No. 24 Auburn
College Football Awards, Week 10 (2018) November 4, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Bobby Petrino, Boise State, Brett Brennan, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado, Dana Holgorsen, East Carolina, Florida, Fresno State, Georgia, Georgia State, Hurricanes, Iowa, James Franklin, Kansas, Kansas State, Kliff Kingsbury, Louisiana, Louisville, Matt Wells, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Navy, Nebraska, Nick Saban, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, San Jose State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, Tom Herman, Tulane, UCF, Urban Meyer, USF, Utah, Utah State, Virginia, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 10] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Nick Saban, Alabama
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia
Poor guy: Tom Herman, Texas
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Matt Wells, Utah State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking … anything: Brett Brennan, San Jose State
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Clemson (defeated Louisville 77-16)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Ohio State (defeated Nebraska 36-31)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Louisville (lost to Clemson 77-16)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Charlotte (to Tennessee 14-3)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated No. 14 Penn State 42-7)
Dang, they’re good: Clemson
Dang, they’re bad: San Jose State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Florida
Did the season start? Miami
Can the season end? Louisville
Can the season never end? Michigan
GAMES
Play this again: No. 13 West Virginia 42, No. 17 Texas 41
Play this again, too: Purdue 38, No. 16 Iowa 36
Never play this again: No. 2 Clemson 77, Louisville 16
What? Baylor 35, Oklahoma State 31
Huh? Pitt 23, No. 25 Virginia 13
Double Huh? Purdue 38, No. 16 Iowa 36
Are you kidding me?? Arizona State 38, No. 15 Utah 20
Oh – my – God: Missouri 38, No. 11 Florida 17
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 10)
Best game of the week: (lots of decent games, but nothing spectacular)
One good game to see: Auburn @ No. 6 Georgia
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: USF @ Cincinnati also: Fresno State @ Boise State
Upset alert: Michigan State @ No. 10 Ohio State
Must win: South Carolina @ No. 11 Florida
Offensive explosion: Texas @ Texas Tech
Defensive struggle: Kansas @ Kansas State
Great game no one is talking about: No. 8 Washington State @ Colorado
Also: Wisconsin @ Penn State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Tom Herman of Texas vs. Kliff Kingsbury of Texas Tech
Who’s bringing the body bags? Utah State @ San Jose State
Why are they playing? Navy @ No. 12 UCF
Plenty of good seats remaining: East Carolina @ Tulane
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Georgia State @ Louisiana
College Football Awards, Week 9 (2018) October 28, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Alcorn State, Arizona, Bethune-Cookman, Bill Clark, Bobby Petrino, Cal, California, Charlotte, Clay Helton, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, James Franklin, Jim Harbaugh, Jimbo Fisher, Kansas, Kentucky, Kirby Smart, Louisville, LSU, Mark Stoops, Mississippi State, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rice, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tom Herman, UAB, USC, Utah State, UTEP, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Willie Taggert
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 9] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Willie Taggert, Florida State
Lucky guy: Mike Stoops, Kentucky
Poor guy: Mike Helton, USC
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Tom Herman, Texas
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Bill Clark, UAB
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M
Desperately seeking … anything: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Nebraska (defeated Bethune-Cookman 45-9)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: TCU (lost to Kansas 27-26)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Florida State (lost to Clemson 59-10)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (defeated TCU 27-26)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Wake Forest (defeated Louisville 56-35)
Dang, they’re good: Clemson
Dang, they’re bad: Louisville
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Texas
Did the season start? Washington
Can the season end? UTEP
Can the season never end? Notre Dame
GAMES
Play this again: No. 17 Penn State 30, No. 18 Iowa 24
Play this again, too: Oklahoma State 38, No. 6 Texas 35
Never play this again: No. 2 Clemson 59, Florida State 10
What? Arizona 44, No. 19 Oregon 15
Huh? Missisippi State 28, No. 16 Texas A&M 13
Double Huh? Cal 12, No. 15 Washington 10
Are you kidding me?? Oklahoma State 38, No. 6 Texas 35
Oh – my – God: Kansas 27, TCU 26
NEXT WEEK
Rankings are current AP (week 9)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Alabama @ No. 4 LSU
Another key game to see: No. 7 Georgia @ No. 12 Kentucky
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Louisiana Tech @ Mississippi State
Best non-Power Five matchup: Utah State @ Hawaii
Upset alert: No. 13 West Virginia @ No. 6 Texas
Must win: Purdue @ No. 18 Iowa
Offensive explosion: No. 8 Oklahoma @ Texas Tech
Defensive struggle: inconclusive
Great game no one is talking about: No. 3 Notre Dame @ Northwestern
Also: Purdue @ No. 18 Iowa
Intriguing coaching matchup: James Franklin of Penn State vs. Jim Harbaugh of Michigan
Who’s bringing the body bags? Louisville @ No. 2 Clemson
Why are they playing? Charlotte @ Tennessee
Plenty of good seats remaining: UTEP @ Rice
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Alcorn State @ New Mexico State
College Football Awards, Week 4 (2018) September 23, 2018
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Alabama, Appalachian State, Arkansas, Army, Bill Snyder, Bobby Petrino, Boilermakers, Boilers, Boston College, Cardinals, Cavaliers, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado State, Crimson Tide, David Shaw, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Fresno State, Gardner-Webb, Georgia, Hurricanes, Illinois, Illinois State, Jeff Brohm, Justin Fuente, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Luke Fickell, Mario Cristobal, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Mike Gundy, Mississippi State, Navy, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Oregon, Pac-12, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Sam Darnold, Scott Frost, SMU, Southern Cal, Stanford, Tennessee State, Texas, Texas Tech, Toledo, Tom Herman, Trojans, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington State, West Virginia
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 4] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES
Wish I were him: Tom Herman, Texas
Glad I’m not him: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Lucky guy: David Shaw, Stanford
Poor guy: Mario Cristobal, Oregon
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech
Desperately seeking … anything: Scott Frost, Nebraska
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Penn State (defeated Illinois 63-24)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oklahoma (defeated Army 28-21 in OT)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Tulane (lost to No. 9 Ohio State 49-6)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Army (lost to Oklahoma 28-21 in OT)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Texas Tech (defeated No. 15 Oklahoma State 17)
Dang, they’re good: Clemson
Dang, they’re bad: Arkansas
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Virginia Tech
Did the season start? Nebraska
Can the season end? Rutgers
Can the season never end? Alabama
GAMES
Play this again: No. 7 Stanford 38, No. 20 Oregon 31
Play this again, too: SMU 31, Navy 30
Never play this again: Appalachian State 72, Gardner-Webb 7
What? Purdue 30, No. 23 Boston College 13
Huh? Texas Tech 41, No. 15 Oklahoma State 17
Double Huh? Illinois State 35, Colorado State 19
Are you kidding me?? Kentucky 28, No. 14 Mississippi State 7
Oh – my – God: Old Dominion 49, No. 13 Virginia Tech 35
NEXT WEEK (Rankings are current AP, week 5)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Ohio State @ No. 9 Penn State
Also: No. 7 Stanford @ No. 8 Notre Dame
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Pitt @ UCF
Best non-Power Five matchup: Toledo @ Fresno State
Upset alert: Texas Tech @ No. 12 West Virginia
Must win: Purdue @ Nebraska
Offensive explosion: Toledo @ Fresno State
Defensive struggle: Florida @ No. 23 Mississippi State
Great game no one is talking about: No.18 Texas @ Kansas State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Bill Snyder of Kansas State vs. Tom Herman of Texas
Who’s bringing the body bags? Louisiana @ No. 1 Alabama
Why are they playing? Southern Miss @ No. 10 Auburn
Plenty of good seats remaining: UTEP @ UTSA
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Tennessee State @ Vanderbilt
Week 4 Thoughts:
Purdue has started the season as a major head-scratcher. Coming off a surprising winning season after the Hazell-era doldrums, including a bowl win, the Boilermaker faithful had high hopes for the team in 2018. Thus far, after an understandable, opening-season loss to then-ranked Northwestern, Purdue proceeded to lose squeakers at home to beatable teams, including [shudder], Eastern Michigan – a directional school. Chalk it up to an undisciplined defense and a lack of a running game. Regardless, the Boilers have their first win of the year, and, all things considered, it’s a rather big one, handily defeating No. 23 Boston College 30-13. To be sure, Purdue did step it up on defense, and if they can maintain this newfound intensity on that side of the ball, there’s hope for the season yet. All that said, sometimes it takes a few weeks for a good team to find its footing and thus to play up to its potential.
The team now becoming an even bigger head-scratcher is Louisville. Sure, they lost badly to Alabama, but the Crimson Tide is such a juggernaut this year that most winning-season teams will look pathetic against them. What really raised concerns was having to struggle, at home, to beat Western Kentucky – another directional school! Let us thus give the Cardinals an ex-post-facto “Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t”. But now they got embarrassed, on the road to a beatable team in Virginia. At 27-3, are the Cavaliers that much better than the Cards? Is their offense that poor that they failed to punch it into the endzone, with only a sad field goal to open the 3rd quarter? A comparison of recent seasonal performances of both teams would say no, but today’s score would suggest so. Here is one possible diagnosis of Louisville’s under-performance. In the last few years (basically since Lamar Jackson was QB), Petrino has been fixated on “skills” players while acting as if he can get any lumbering lummox to block on the line. So, while he might have NFL-caliber talent on the wings, he has no way of executing plays. Has the time come to where Petrino would be better off as an offensive coordinator instead of a head coach? Further observation and analysis of the team’s performance shall tell us yes or no.
What about USC? Before losing badly on the road to Texas last week, they were ranked and poised to compete for the Pac-12 title again. But on Friday night, they had to play hard at home to beat unranked Washington State. One possible explanation: Sam Darnold’s talent at QB papered over the mediocrity of talent on the coaching staff. While I’m not a Trojans fan personally, I nevertheless recognize that when a traditional power like USC does well, it’s good for college football (same goes for other traditional powers like Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, or even Miami (Fla.)). Conversely, a mediocre Southern Cal team is thus not great for college football. Let us hope that they can eventually rise back to national title contention to help keep the west coast markets engaged in the game. After all, it’s never good for a sport to become regional (looking your way, Major League Baseball).
Speaking of Texas, are they “back”? And why were they ever, well, not back? This article by Pete Thamel explains the nature of why a national brand and a massively-valued program ever needed turning around in the first place (hint: turning around an aircraft carrier takes much, much longer than turning around, say, a personal sailboat). Forget, for a moment, that the program sure did not help anybody, least of all themselves, by laying an egg on the road to Maryland, and then under-performing at home the next week against Tulsa. The Longhorns’ big win over USC last week might not indicate that the team is “back” as strongly as one would think due to USC’s apparent mediocrity at the moment. But then again, Texas did follow up with another big win, this time over No. 16 TCU, 31-16. So the current conclusion is, if they’re not “back” yet, they’re certainly headed in the right direction. Onward and upward.