College Football Awards, Week 7 (2025) October 13, 2025
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Alabama, Alex Golesh, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Bobby Petrino, Boise State, Bruins, BYU, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Cougars, Curt Cignetti, Dan Lanning, DeShaun Foster, Drew Allar, Eliah Drinkwitz, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, John Mateer, Kalen DeBoer, Lane Kiffin, Longhorns, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Mike Elko, Mike Norvell, Missouri, NCAA football, Nittany Lions, North Texas, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Red River rivalry, Rice, Sooners, South Florida, Steve Sarkesian, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, UAB, UCLA, UNLV, USC, USF, Utah, UTSA, Virginia, Washington State, Yellowjackets
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Honorable mention: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Glad I’m not him: Dan Lanning, Oregon
Lucky guy: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Poor guy: Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Alex Golesh, South Florida
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mike Norvell, Florida State
Desperately seeking … anything: James Franklin, Penn State
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Clemson (defeated Boston College 41-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Ole Miss (defeated Washington State 24-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: N/A
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Northwestern (defeated Penn State 22-21)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: South Florida (defeated North Texas 63-36)
Honorable mention: Utah (defeated No. 21 Arizona State 42-10)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Akron
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Oregon
Did the season start? Penn State
Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Indiana
GAMES
Play this again: No. 7 Indiana 30, No. 3 Oregon 20
Play this again, too: No. 8 Alabama 27, No. 14 Missouri 24
Never play this again: UTSA 61, Rice 13
What? Colorado 22, No. 22 Iowa State 17
Huh? USC 31, No. 15 Michigan 13
Double-huh? No. 7 Indiana 30, No. 3 Oregon 20
Are you kidding me?? Texas 23, No. 6 Oklahoma 6
Oh – my – God: Northwestern 22, Penn State 21
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 8)
Ticket to die for: No. 12 Tennessee @ No. 8 Alabama
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Washington State @ No. 19 Virginia
Best non-Power Four matchup: UNLV @ Boise State
Upset alert: Utah @ No. 18 BYU
Also: No. 20 USC @ No. 13 Notre Dame
Must win: No. 4 Ole Miss @ No. 9 Georgia
Offensive explosion: Air Force @ UNLV
Defensive struggle: Penn State @ Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: Arizona @ Houston
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mike Elko of Texas A&M vs Bobby Petrino of Arkansas
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 22 Memphis @ UAB
Why are they playing? Washington State @ No. 19 Virginia
Plenty of good seats remaining: Georgia State @ Georgia Southern
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Lafayette @ Oregon State
Week 7 Thoughts:
Another monster week for college football, with great games abounding from noon Eastern through night, and upsets abounding in turn. Indiana proved that they are a considerable force to be reckoned with in defeating Oregon, on the road, no less. USC continues to quietly gain strength after losing to Illinois earlier in the year, this time by defeating ranked Michigan in rather convincing fashion. Colorado proved to have some fight within them by upsetting Iowa State on the road. Then we had the Red River Showdown, and the incredibly electric environment it always produces. Many in the sports commentary space had given Texas up for dead after their loss to Florida in the Swamp last week. The calculus was that since the Longhorns’ offense sputtered against the Gators’ defense, given that Oklahoma’s defense is even better, Texas would likely be demolished in Dallas. But as the great Lee Corso would say, “[N]ot so fast, my friend!” The Longhorns’ defense stepped up in a major way, cramping the performance of the Sooner’s star QB John Mateer as he returned to the line-up, going so far as to shut out OU in the second half and to deny them reaching the endzone the entire game. In so doing, Texas defense gave their offense time to get their sea-legs under them. Thus, Texas’ triumph was unexpected, and all the more savored.
Elsewhere, Pitt upset Florida State, in Tallahassee, no less, but perhaps the biggest upset of all came when Northwestern stunned Penn State in Happy Valley, 22-21. That loss came on the heels of the Nittany Lions already losing that heartbreaker to Oregon, then laying an egg on the road to UCLA. Now they have suffered this defeat, which is no ignominious and ill-timed that Penn State fired James Franklin today. Penn State’s current state was made all the worse with QB Drew Allar suffering a season-ending injury late in the game. What started out as a potential championship season for the Nittany Lions now lies in ruin.
Some near-upsets also occurred wherein Mizzou was on the verge of defeating favored Alabama before the Tiger’s QB threw a sudden pick that ended the drive and their hopes of victory. In a similar situation was Washington State, who ventured into Ole Miss and nearly defeated the home team before the Rebels somehow managed to escape with their skin intact. Arkansas presented a serious challenge to Tennessee, signaling that the Bobby Petrino Era 2.0 is on the rise in Fayetteville. Late into the night, Arizona took BYU in a second overtime before the Cougars managed to pull out the win.
What a week.
Random Thoughts:
UCLA was once the whipping boy of the B1G. Not anymore. Perhaps all it took was the firing of the inept DeShaun Foster, inter alia. But now the Bruins are a rising force in the conference. First, they massively upset Penn State at home last week. This week, they went on the road to dismantle Michigan State. Not a moment too soon, either, since all the remaining opponents – including Indiana and Ohio State – or nearly-ranked (e.g., Maryland and Washington). At this rate, their traditional rivalry game against USC should be one the best in Gen-Z’s living memory.
Meanwhile, has there been a team to more quietly advance up the rankings than Georgia Tech, at least recently? The Yellowjackets are currently undefeated (6-0), and have now reached the rank of No. 12.
College Football Awards, Week 3 (2025) September 16, 2025
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Arch Manning, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Army, Auburn, Bill Belichick, Bret Bielema, Central Michigan, Clark Lea, Clemson, college football, Commodores, Curt Cignetti, DeShaun Foster, Florida State, Fresno State, Gamecocks, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Jacksonville State, Josh Heupel, Kent State, Kirby Smart, Longhorns, Marcus Freeman, Marshall, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee, Mike Elko, Missouri, NCAA, NCAA football, North Carolina, North Texas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Scott Frost, Shane Beamer, South Carolina, Steve Sarkesian, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCF, UCLA, USC, Utah, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Washington State, Wisconsin, Yellow Jackets
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Glad I’m not him: Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Lucky guy: Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Poor guy: Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Desperately seeking … anything: DeShaun Foster, UCLA
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Indiana (defeated Indiana State 73-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Texas (defeated UTEP 27-10)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Central Michigan (lost to No. 23 Michigan 63-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Arkansas State (lost to No. 14 Iowa State 24-16)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: North Texas (defeated Washington State 59-10)
Dang, they’re good: Georgia
Dang, they’re bad: Washington State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: South Carolina
Did the season start? Clemson
Can the season end? UCLA
Can the season never end? Texas A&M
GAMES
Play this again: No. 6 Georgia 44, No. 15 Tennessee 41, OT
Play this again, too: No. 16 Texas A&M 41, No. 8 Notre Dame 40
Never play this again: No. 22 Indiana 73, Indiana State 0
Huh? No. 16 Texas A&M 41, No. 8 Notre Dame 40
Are you kidding me?? Georgia Tech 24, No. 12 Clemson 21
Oh – my – God: Vanderbilt 31, No. 11 South Carolina 7
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 4)
Ticket to die for: No. 9 Illinois @ No. 19 Indiana
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Arkansas @ Memphis
Best non-Power Four matchup: Fresno State @ Hawaii
Upset alert: South Carolina @ No. 23 Missouri
Must win: No. 22 Auburn @ No. 11 Oklahoma
Offensive explosion: No. 17 Texas Tech @ No. 16 Utah
Defensive struggle: Maryland @ Wisconsin
Great game no one is talking about: Michigan State @ No. 25 USC
Intriguing coaching matchup: Curt Cignetti of Indiana vs Brett Bielema of Illinois
Honorable mention: Scott Frost of UCF vs Bill Belichick of North Carolina
Who’s bringing the body bags? North Texas @ Army
Why are they playing? Kent State @ No. 7 Florida State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Marshall @ Middle Tennessee
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Murray State @ Jacksonville State
Week 3 Thoughts:
We the fans enjoyed two incredible games this week, one was during the 3:30 EDT timeslot in Knoxville, between Georgia and Tennessee. The other was in the evening, in South Bend, as a rematch between Texas A&M and Notre Dame. Both we close games that went down to the wire.
For the former, Tennessee had the chance to bring home the win, but made too many mistakes, and in the end, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
For the latter, fewer mistakes on both sides of the ball were made, and was arguably an even more epic game. The ‘so-what’ outcome is that Mike Elko & Co. finally have a signature win, establishing the Aggies as a force to be reckoned with in their division of the SEC.
Random Thoughts:
Either Vanderbilt is that good or South Carolina decided to take a night off in their own home stadium. Making sense of such a drubbing on one’s own home turf shall take time in the form of seeing more games from the Commodores to find out if embarrassing the Gamecocks was some fluke or if they are the real deal.
Should the Longhorn faithful become increasingly concerned? Probably. For the second week in a row in what should have been a cakewalk for Texas, the home team scored only 27 points against lowly, lowly UTEP. QB Arch Manning remains off-rhythm, still missing easy passes. What on Earth is going on in Austin? They have one last game to get it together (against Sam Houston State) before things start to get real with conference play.
Was Clemson overrated all this time, or has Georgia Tech been underrated for the same duration? Regardless, the Yellow Jackets winning on a last-second field goal provided yet another thrilling finish to contribute to a great day for the game of college football. The completed FG made me want to jump up like Homer Simpson (in Season 1 of the long-enduring sitcom), exclaiming “It’s good! It’s good!”
College Football Awards, Week 13 (2024) November 25, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Buffalo, BYU, Cardinal, Cardinals, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Crimson Tide, Curt Cignetti, Deion Sanders, East Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Hugh Freeze, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, Kalani Sitake, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kent State, Lane Kiffin, Louisiana, Louisville, Michael Desormeaux, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Navy, NCAA, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, P.J. Fleck, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Ryan Day, San Jose State, Sooners, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tigers, Tulane, UMass, UTEP, War Eagle, Washington State, West Virginia, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Lucky guy: James Franklin, Penn State
Poor guy: P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Deion Sanders, Colorado
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Michael Desormeaux, Louisiana
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking … anything: Kalani Sitake, BYU
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Tennessee (defeated UTEP 56-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Penn State (defeated Minnesota 26-25)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: UMass (lost to Georgia 59-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Minnesota (lost to No. 4 Penn State 26-25)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Louisville (defeated Pitt 37-9)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: UTEP
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Alabama
Did the season start? Ole Miss
Can the season end? Mississippi State
Can the season never end? Kansas
GAMES
Play this again: Auburn 43, No. 15 Texas A&M 41 (4OT)
Play this again, too: No. 4 Penn State 26, Minnesota 25
Never play this again: No. 11 Tennessee 56, UTEP 0
What? No. 21 Arizona State 28, No. 14 BYU 23
Huh? Florida 24, No. 9 Ole Miss 17
Double-Huh? Auburn 43, No. 15 Texas A&M 41 (4OT)
Are you kidding me?? Kansas 37, No. 16 Colorado 21
Oh – my – God: Oklahoma 24, No. 7 Alabama 3
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 14)
Ticket to die for: No. 3 Texas @ No. 20 Texas A&M
Honorable mention No. 1: No. 16 South Carolina @ No. 12 Clemson
Honorable mention No. 2: Michigan @ No. 2 Ohio State
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Stanford @ San Jose State
Best non-Power Four matchup: Memphis @ No. 18 Tulane
Upset alert: Kansas State @ No. 17 Iowa State
Must win: All Big XII games involving Iowa State, BYU, Arizona State, and Colorado
Offensive explosion: West Virginia @ Texas Tech
Defensive struggle: Nebraska @ Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: Navy @ East Carolina
Intriguing coaching matchup: Hugh Freeze of Auburn vs Kalen DeBoer of Alabama
Who’s bringing the body bags? Purdue @ Indiana
Dishonorable mention: Kent State @ Buffalo
Why are they playing? Wyoming @ Washington State
Plenty of good seats remaining: UTEP @ New Mexico State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Kennesaw State @ Louisiana Tech
Week 13 Thoughts:
In perusing through some of the interesting games from this week, just as we began with a game involving Louisville last week, it seems fitting that we do so again. The Cardinals have given major Jekyll-and-Hyde vibes lately. They hang tough with Miami, only losing by a touchdown. Only two weeks later, they embarrass Clemson in Death Valley, thus mortally wounding the Tigers’ bid for the ACC crown. Then a week later, they lay an egg in the 4th quarter to Stanford, giving the Cardinal (notice the lack of the plural) a rare win for their dismal year. Apparently that embarrassment woke something up inside of them, for they turned things around the following week and ripped a potentially dangerous Pittsburgh team, 37-9. If that team shows up in Lexington this upcoming week, the Governor’s Cup could likely come back to Louisville.
What most of us thought to be the main event of the day – at noon EST, no less – was the Indiana @ Ohio State game. Finally, a chance to prove themselves against a top five team. After getting licked by the Buckeyes 38-15, clearly Curt Cignetti & Co. have further developing and growth to undertake in order to be a legit top-five team themselves in the future. But if the most recent, updated AP rankings are of any indication, it is still likely that IU could make the playoffs.
Speaking of potential playoff teams from the Big Ten, can we legitimately call Penn State the No. 4 team in the land after narrowly escaping a loss to unranked Minnesota? Yes, P.J. Fleck’s teams are never to be underestimated, and they can make a team pay if said team lets down its guard. But after such an impressive win on the part of the Nittany Lions, it raises the question of maybe the current rankings are some degree of wishful thinking than that of objective reasoning. To broaden the scope of the matter at hand, are we truly going to say with a straight face that the three of the top five teams are all in in the B1G? Are we trying to convince ourselves that No. 4 Penn State is somehow better than No. 6 Georgia? Same question applies to Notre Dame, at No. 5, to be sure. I offer this as food for thought as one last week in the regular season remains.
Meanwhile, with Kansas upsetting Colorado and with Arizona State escaping their matchup with BYU with a win, the race for the Big XII crown has been officially knocked on its ear. As many as four teams could vie for the title – Colorado and BYU still, along with Iowa State and Arizona State, the latter of whom seems to have the strongest momentum of the pack. Should all four teams win this upcoming week, how to sort out who plays for the conference title? My personal choice would be to select the explosive combination of pizzazz and momentum, thus Colorado and Arizona State. But let’s see how these teams fare in their regular season finales in the meantime.
All that said, despite the deserved hype of the Indiana-Ohio State game earlier in the day, the best game of the day turned out to be Texas A&M at Auburn at night. The Aggies might have been looking past the Tigers, understandably as that program seems to have lost its way this year. Nevertheless, Hugh Freeze managed to get the War Eagles prepared and focused, and it showed as they took they led the Aggies most of the the game, tied it up at the end of the regulation, then outlasted them in overtime in a wild thriller of a matchup in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
But if one upset in the SEC with title race implications is great, why not double our pleasure with another such upset? Raise your hand if you had not given up Oklahoma for dead? Then Alabama comes calling, only to come out flat the entire game. The Sooners inexplicably held the Crimson Tide to three points the entire game, while Oklahoma scored far more than that. Don’t look now, but Bama has three losses for this season. And yet, is anybody going to deny, with a straight face, that they could not beat half the teams currently in the AP Top Ten?
Bottom line: the Playoff Committee has their work cut out for them in sorting out this week as Rivalry Week is about to unfold.
College Football Awards, Week 11 (2024) November 11, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: ACC, Alabama, Arizona State, Big XII, Brian Kelly, Bruins, Buffaloes, BYU, Central Florida, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Cougars, Cyclones, Deion Sanders, Duke, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Garrett Nussmeier, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kalani Sitake, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kansas State, Kennesaw State, Kent State, Kentucky, Kyle Whittingham, Lane Kiffin, LSU, Manny Diaz, Mario Cristobal, Matt Campbell, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Missouri, Navy, NCAA, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Sam Houston State, Sooners, South Carolina, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tigers, Tulane, UCLA, Utah, Utes, Virginia, Washington State
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Honorable mention: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Glad I’m not him: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Lucky guy: Kalani Sitake, BYU
Poor guy: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Mario Cristobal, Miami
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Manny Diaz, Duke
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Matt Campbell, Iowa State
Desperately seeking … anything: Brian Kelly, LSU
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Notre Dame (defeated Florida State 52-3)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Indiana (defeated Michigan 20-15)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Purdue (lost to Ohio State 45-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Kansas (defeated No. 17 Iowa State 45-36)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Texas (defeated Florida 49-17)
Dang, they’re good: Texas
Dang, they’re bad: Kent State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Miami (Fla.)
Did the season start? Georgia
Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Oregon
GAMES
Play this again: No. 24 Missouri 30, Oklahoma 23
Play this again, too: No. 9 BYU 22, Utah 21
Never play this again: Tulane 52, Temple 6
What? UCLA 20, Iowa 17
Huh? Virginia 24, No. 18 Pitt 19
Double-Huh? Kansas 45, No. 17 Iowa State 36
Are you kidding me?? Georgia Tech 28, No. 4 Miami 23
Oh – my – God: No. 16 Ole Miss 28, No. 3 Georgia 10
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 6 Tennessee @ No. 11 Georgia
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: (N/A)
Best non-Power Four matchup: Tulane @ Navy
Upset alert: Arizona State @ No. 20 Kansas State
Must win: No. 17 Clemson @ Pittsburgh
(See also: “ticket to die for”)
Offensive explosion: No. 21 Washington State @ New Mexico
Defensive struggle: Sam Houston @ Kennesaw State
Great game no one is talking about: No. 24 Missouri @ No. 23 South Carolina
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kyle Whittingham of Utah vs Deion Sanders of Colorado
Who’s bringing the body bags? New Mexico State @ No. 14 Texas A&M
Why are they playing? Mercer @ No. 9 Alabama
Plenty of good seats remaining: Florida Atlantic @ Temple
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Murray State @ Kentucky
Week 11 Thoughts:
Some contending teams were eliminated from playoff consideration at the same time that the list of contenders for ACC and Big XII respective championships is starting to get quite crowded.
Iowa State @ Kansas
As stated a number of times previously, the “offensive explosion” is typically the most difficult matchup to predict on this award list template. Thus, who had the Cyclones vs the Jayhawks as this week’s offensive explosion on their bingo card? Hands? Well, it was certainly not on mine. Meanwhile, is Iowa State in freefall? They lost back-to-back nailbiters to Texas Tech and Central Florida, and now they lost to a reeling Kansas team. What black hole has opened up in Ames that has sucked the lifeforce out of the Cyclones?
Iowa @ UCLA
While the Cyclones are in freefall, the Bruins seem to have gotten a second wind. First, they upset a heavily favored Nebraska squad, then they follow up by upsetting Iowa. Better yet, they did so wearing those sweet mid-1960s (think: Gary Beban era) uniforms. How I miss those uniquely stylish jersey numbers!
Colorado @ Texas Tech
After surviving a challenge in Lubbock, the Buffaloes are now in position to play for the Big XII championship. That said, they have yet to play Utah (who took BYU down to the wire), and Kansas (who upset Iowa State), before closing out against Oklahoma State as they experience a down year. So by no means is it a given that the Buffs play the Cougars in the Big XII championship, but it would be a grand game if they did.
Miami @ Georgia Tech
We all feared the day would come. Now we can exhale that Miami was upset. To Mario Cristobal’s credit, be owned up to what went wrong during the postgame presser, which merits much respect.
Alabama @ LSU
We all knew this was a big-time elimination game, and Alabama showed up ready to fight to stay in contention for the playoffs. LSU’s offensive woes continue to persist under QB Garrett Nussmeier, while, conversely, Alabama’s QB Jalen Milroe put on a clinic for how to, er, negotiate a top-flight SEC defense. It’s quite rare to run up 42 points in Death Valley, and with LSU eliminated from playoff contention, to say that Brian Kelly and his program are at a crossroads would be quite the understatement.
BYU @ Utah
If you managed to stay up late for this one, you were in for a treat. First of all, it was a visual feast for the eyes for both teams to wear their home jersey colors. Such was easy to get away with, when the opposing teams offer such a color contrast in their Utah Crimson and BYU Blue. As an aside, the metallic red in Utah’s helmets is the best red helmet color around, and BYU’s metallic royal blue shells are not too shabby, either. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this game, aside from the close competition throughout it, was the context going into it. The Utes have had a less-than-stellar year compared to recent achievements, while the Cougars were undefeated and ranked in the top 10. But it’s “The Holy War”, and in such an intense rivalry game, strange things can happen. Fortunately for us fans, the strange thing this time manifested in a great contest, with BYU emerging still controlling their destiny.
Oklahoma @ Missouri
The Tigers are likely still overrated, but apparently, the Sooners remain unranked at the moment for a reason. Nevertheless, both teams gave fans a great game to watch, so good on both sides.
College Football Awards, Week 10 (2024) November 4, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Army, Cardinals, Chris Creighton, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Cyclones, Dabo Swinney, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Gamecocks, Georgia, Georgia State, Houston, Indiana, Iowa State, James Franklin, James Madison, Jason Candle, Jedd Fisch, Kansas State, Kennesaw State, Kirby Smart, Louisville, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, NC State, NCAA football, New Mexico, New Mexico State, North Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Purdue, Red Raiders, Ryan Day, Ryan Walters, San Diego State, Shane Beamer, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Tigers, Toledo, UCF, UCLA, UMass, Utah State, UTEP, Washington, Washington State
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Glad I’m not him: James Franklin, Penn State
Lucky guy: Jason Candle, Toledo
Poor guy: Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Shane Beamer, South Carolina
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Desperately seeking … anything: Ryan Walters, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Oklahoma (defeated Maine 59-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Army (defeated Air Force 20-3)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: UMass (lost to Mississippi State 45-20)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Louisville (defeated No. 11 Clemson 33-21)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: NC State (defeated Stanford 59-28)
Most improved from previous week: UCLA
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: New Mexico State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Texas A&M
Did the season start? Iowa State
Can the season end? Arizona
Can the season never end? Indiana
GAMES
Play this again: No. 4 Ohio State 20, No. 3 Penn State 13
Never play this again: UCF 56, Arizona 12
What? Minnesota 25, No. 24 Illinois 17
Huh? Houston 24, No. 19 Kansas State 19
Double-Huh? Texas Tech 23, No. 11 Iowa State 22
Are you kidding me?? UCLA 27, Nebraska 20
Oh – my – God: Louisville 33, No. 11 Clemson 21
OMG/Told you so: South Carolina 44, No. 10 Texas A&M 20
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 11)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Georgia @ No. 16 Ole Miss
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: (N/A)
Best non-Power Four matchup: No. 18 Army @ North Texas
Upset alert: Florida @ No. 5 Texas
Must win: No. 11 Alabama @ No. 14 LSU
Offensive explosion: New Mexico @ San Diego State
Defensive struggle: Oklahoma @ Missouri
Great game no one is talking about: No. 21 Colorado @ Texas Tech
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jedd Fisch of Washington vs James Franklin of Penn State
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 3 Ohio State @ Purdue
Why are they playing? Utah State @ Washington State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Kennesaw State @ UTEP
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Georgia State @ James Madison
Week 10 Thoughts:
Another great day for college football is in the books. The Ohio State – Penn State game lived up to the hype, and told us what we need to know about the respective strengths and weaknesses of the two teams. Then, as the rest of the day unfolded, some very intriguing upsets occurred, especially in the evening, making things most entertaining, which is the point, in case we forgot.
Ohio State @ Penn State
Last week, Ohio State was trying to fix its running game problem on the fly against Nebraska, hence the puzzlingly low score against the Cornhuskers in that game. Suffice it to say, the Buckeyes solved that problem, having rushed for 179 yards against the vaunted defense of Penn State. That was perhaps the biggest deciding factor in what amounted to be something of a defensive struggle throughout the contest. Media talking heads speculated that the bulk of the must-win pressure was on Ryan Day. If so, he and his team rose to the occasion. Conversely, James Franklin’s Ohio State problem persists, as his record is now 1-10 against the Bucks. Nevertheless, the Nittany Lions gave a valiant effort, which was rewarded in that they went down only few spots in the rankings from No. 3 to No. 6.
Georgia vs Florida
On paper, this game should have been a blowout. Florida had other plans. The Gators took the early lead, and kept it through halftime, 13-6. In the second half, the Bulldogs chipped away early on, then built the lead to ultimately triumph, 34-20. The Bulldog’s biggest weakness is their QB play. Even though Carson Beck threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns, he also threw three interceptions. One cannot make those sorts of mistakes against a Texas, an Oregon, or an Ohio State and expect to win.
On the other side of the ball, Florida is not quite the basketcase they were at the beginning of the year. By now, they can hang with the best in the conference, even if they cannot triumph over them. One hallmark of a well-coached team is whether or not your team is showing improvement as the season progresses. The Gators have showed that in spades. Texas best be on the lookout next week.
Upsets abound:
Texas Tech @ Iowa State
The Cyclone’s road to the playoffs just hit a major pothole when the unranked Red Raiders upset them at home.
Minnesota @ Illinois
Even though the Illini were ranked and the Golden Gophers were not, P.J. Fleck’s squad was still favored by the wiseguys in Vegas. Hard to see why in hindsight.
UCLA @ Nebraska
Let’s be honest, we all gave up the Bruins for dead earlier this year. Then, they venture to Lincoln, Neb., and upset the Huskers on their home turf. Matt Rhule should likewise be desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard along with Dabo Swinney. Speaking of…
Louisville @ Clemson
The Cardinals have been a team with much potential but not quite there, as they have been inconsistent on both sides of the ball, though especially on defense. That all changed with defensive coordinator Ron English (one of the better ones in the business IMO) simplified his defensive assignments, and his players responded most positively.
So much so, that they shut down an explosively resurgent Tigers, on their home turf of all places. Offensively, things came together for Louisville as well: they amassed 210 yards on the ground, as well as all three of their touchdowns. When other drives stalled, the Cards still managed to put additional points on the board thanks to the sure and accurate foot of kicker Brock Travelstead, who went 4 for 5.
This marks the first time Louisville has beaten Clemson, and it came when was least suspected, given the former’s previously inconsistent performances compared to the latter’s surge, which the Cardinals suddenly stalled.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see if the Cardinals can sustain this newfound defensive cohesiveness and improved offense. Likewise, it will still intrigue the fans of the college football as to whether or not the Tigers can still make a run for the playoffs and which other contenders they can wreck along the way.
Texas A&M @ South Carolina.
The Aggies were the new darling of the SEC after knocking off LSU. But in the words of the late LSU head coach Charley McClendon, “In football, and in life, you’ve got to keep proving yourself.” That opportunity to keep proving themselves came for No. 10 Texas A&M when they ventured into Columbia to take on giant-menacing South Carolina.
To set the stage, the Gamecocks only narrowly lost to LSU and Alabama by three points each, and they demolished Oklahoma, 35-9. One could discern a potential upset a mile away. Such discerners were proven correct. Not only did the Gamecocks upset the Aggies, they did so in grandiose fashion, 44-20, a more-than 2-1 margin. Shane Beamer has proven that his team is one to be reckoned with, and the remainder of their schedule is a winnable one, with regular season finale with Clemson shaping up to be a possible monster of a game.
As Bill Connelly reminded us, November is for everything. These games, and others yesterday, have gotten this month off to a red-hot start, and we have an awesome remainder yet to enjoy. Buckle up.
College Football Awards, Week 9 (2024) October 27, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Aggies, Air Force, Akron, Alabama, Army, Boise State, Boston College, Bret Bielema, Brian Kelly, Broncos, Buckeyes, Central Michigan, Chris Klieman, Cincinnati, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Cornhuskers, Dabo Swinney, Derek Mason, Ducks, Duke, Eastern Michigan, Florida State, football, Garrett Nussmeier, Happy Valley, Houston, Illinois, Jake Dickert, Jamey Chadwell, Jeff Brohm, Kansas, Kansas State, Kennesaw State, Kentucky, Lance Leipold, liberty, Louisville, LSU, Maine, Matt Rhule, Miami (Fla.), Middle Tennessee, Mike Elko, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, NCAA football, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, P.J. Fleck, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Ryan Day, San Diego State, SEC, SMU, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, UMass, UNLV, USC, Utah, UTEP, Vanderbilt, Washington, Washington State
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Mike Elko, Texas A&M
Glad I’m not him: Brian Kelly, LSU
Lucky guy: Chris Klieman, Kansas State
Poor guy: Lance Leipold, Kansas
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Ryan Day, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jake Dickert, Washington State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Jamey Chadwell, Liberty
Desperately seeking … anything: Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Miami (defeated Florida State 36-14)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Ohio State (defeated Nebraska 21-17)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Missouri (lost to No. 15 Alabama 34-0)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Vanderbilt (lost to No. 5 Texas 27-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Pittsburgh (defeated Syracuse 41-13)
Most improved from previous week: Nebraska
Dang, they’re good: Oregon
Dang, they’re bad: Central Michigan
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Liberty
Did the season start? LSU
Can the season end? Mississippi State
Can the season never end? Texas A&M
GAMES
Play this again: No. 14 Texas A&M 38, No. 8 LSU 23
Play this again, too: No. 17 Boise State 29, UNLV 24
Never play this again: No. 15 Notre Dame 51, No. 25 Navy 14
What? Houston 17, Utah 14
Huh? Akron 25, Eastern Michigan 21
Are you kidding me?? No. 14 Texas A&M 38, No. 8 LSU 23
Oh – my – God: Kennesaw State 27, Liberty 24
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 10)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Ohio State @ No. 3 Penn State
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: (they are all bad)
Best non-Power Four matchup: Jacksonville State @ Liberty
Upset alert: No. 10 Texas A&M @ South Carolina
Must win: No. 18 Pittsburgh @ No. 20 SMU
Offensive explosion: TCU @ Baylor
Defensive struggle: Kentucky @ No. 7 Tennessee
Great game no one is talking about: USC @ Washington
Intriguing coaching matchup: PJ Fleck of Minnesota vs Bret Bielema of Illinois
Honorable mention: Jeff Brohm of Louisville vs Dabo Swinney of Clemson
Who’s bringing the body bags? Air Force @ No. 21 Army
Why are they playing? Maine @ Oklahoma
Plenty of good seats remaining: Middle Tennessee @ UTEP
Plenty of good seats remaining, B1G edition: Northwestern @ Purdue
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? UMass @ Mississippi State
Week 9 Thoughts:
Thursday gave us a surprising upset in Kennesaw State, winless up to that point upsetting Liberty. Indeed, the Flames picked up their first loss of the season. Given how lopsided the matchup was on paper, that clearly merits this game as the biggest upset of the week.
Then Friday gave us two very engaging games, one wherein Louisville managed to gradually gnaw away at BC’s lead to where they eventually triumphed, 31-27, on the road, no less.
Later that night, the grandest Non-Power Five clash of the week occurred with UNLV taking on Boise State, wherein the Broncos had to fight hard to fend off the Runnin’ Rebels, 29-24.
Nebraska @ Ohio State
What to make of this game? A couple of weeks ago, Ohio State was considered a major favorite to win the national title. Then they lost to Oregon, on the road, in Autzen Stadium, which is a tough place to play and even tougher if it is a team’s first time there. But they still looked like playoff contenders.
Then, the Buckeyes had a bye week to lick their wounds before taking on Nebraska at home. While the Cornhuskers are no chump team, they are no Oregon or Georgia. Ohio State only scored 21 points against them, and the Huskers even led for 4:39 in the 4th quarter.
So what to make of all this? One can boil it down to two potential explanations. The first: the Cornhuskers have drastically improved under Matt Rhule as the season has progressed, especially within the past couple of weeks. At the same time, Ohio State is showing regression at running the ball and on the offensive line, and they had to extend themselves to beat a decent team.
The second potential explanation: Nebraska may have considerably improved, but they are not world-beaters. Ohio State got caught in a trap game while too many on the team were looking past the Huskers in anticipation of taking on Penn State in Happy Valley next week.
Occam’s razor, to which I generally subscribe, would suggest the latter. But seriously, if the Buckeyes are serious about giving the Nittany Lions their first “L” of the season, they need to work on their running game and their line play.
Illinois @ Oregon
The outcome of the Ducks defeating the Illini at home was hardly in doubt. Oregon got that job done and then some, 38-9. Nevertheless, Illinois put up a valiant effort in the process. Yet one cannot help but wonder as to why such a considerable loss only knocked Illinois down five positions, at the most, in the latest rankings. Yes, the Illini are still a good team, but after losing that badly yet to stay ranked (from about No. 19 to No. 24) is quite likely more of a commentary on the high esteem the voters have towards Oregon and less of the regard they may have for Illinois, which clearly has not diminished much, and rightly so.
LSU & Texas A&M
The SEC evening game on ABC certainly did not disappoint. But one of the biggest upsets of the week did occur, where the Aggies triumphed over the Tigers, 38-23. LSU was the higher-ranked team going in, and could have won. So what happened? Simply put, LSU’s QB play went South. Yes, Garrett Nussmeier did throw for 405 yards and two touchdowns. But he also threw three interceptions, all of which were at very inopportune times. It leads us to the biggest takeaway of the game, that Brian Kelly needs a better QB if he wants to take LSU to the promised land.
Elsewhere:
One more interesting aspect to Week 9 was that a cluster of close, competitive games happened late at night. Colorado continues to surge under Coach Prime after a sluggish start to the season, defeating Cincinnati 34-23. Kansas and Kansas State slugged it out in a classic rivalry clash. Though the latter’s record is vastly superior to that of the former, you could barely tell that last night, as the Wildcats had to fight hard to come back against the Jayhawks, 29-27. Duke took SMU not only down to the wire, but into OT, and even then, the Mustangs only won by a point, 28-27. Out on the west coast, Washington State, who quietly grows stronger by the week, had to stage a 4th-quarter comeback over visiting San Diego State. It was a good week, and a unique one at that.
College Football Awards, Week 12 (2023) November 22, 2023
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: ACC, Alabama, Appalachian State, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, B1G, Billy Napier, BYU, Clemson, Colorado, Cyclones, Deion Sanders, Duke, East Carolina, Eliah Drinkwitz, Florida, Georgia, Hawai'i, Hugh Freeze, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Madison, Jeff Brohm, Jeff Traylor, Jerry Kill, Jonathon Brooks, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kansas State, Kyle Whittingham, Lance Leipold, liberty, Longhorns, Louisville, Mark Stoops, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, NC State, Nebraska, New Mexico State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Purdue, Qwinn Ewers, Ryan Walters, South Carolina, Tarheels, Tennessee, Texas, Tulane, Tulsa, Utah, UTEP, UTSA, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Washington, Washington State, Wolfpack, Wyoming
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COACHES
Wish I were him: Kalen DeBoer, Washington
Glad I’m not him: Lance Leipold, Kansas
Lucky guy: Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri
Poor guy: Billy Napier, Florida
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Deion Sanders, Colorado
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Traylor, UTSA
Also: Jerry Kill, New Mexico State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Desperately seeking … anything: Ryan Walters, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Alabama (defeated Chattanooga 66-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oklahoma (defeated BYU 31-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Hawai’i (lost to Wyoming 42-9)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Maryland (lost to No. 3 Michigan 31-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Arizona (defeated No. 22 Utah 42-18)
Dang, they’re good: Oregon
Dang, they’re bad: Purdue
Can’t Stand Prosperity: James Madison
Did the season start? North Carolina
Can the season end? Auburn
Can the season never end? Georgia
GAMES
Play this again: No. 5 Washington 22, No. 11 Oregon 20
Play this again, too: No. 21 Kansas State 31, No. 25 Kansas 27
Never play this again: No. 8 Alabama 66, Chattanooga 10
What? Appalachian State 26, James Madison 23, OT
Huh? Virginia 30, Duke 27
Are you kidding me?? Clemson 31, No. 20 North Carolina 20
Oh – my – God: New Mexico State 31, Auburn 10
Told you so: No. 16 Iowa 15, Illinois 13
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current (week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Ohio State @ No. 3 Michigan
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: UTSA vs No. 24 Tulane Also: Jacksonville State @ NM State
Upset alert: South Carolina @ Clemson
Must win: Washington State @ No. 5 Washington
Offensive explosion: No. 11 Oregon State @ No. 6 Oregon
Defensive struggle: No. 16 Iowa @ Nebraska
Great game no one is talking about: North Carolina @ NC State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jeff Brohm of Louisville vs Mark Stoops of Kentucky
Honorable Mention: Deion Sanders of Colorado vs Kyle Whittingham of Utah
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 17 Arizona @ Arizona State
Why are they playing? Liberty @ UTEP
Plenty of good seats remaining: Tulsa @ East Carolina
Plenty of good seats remaining, B1G Edition: Indiana @ Purdue
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Vanderbilt @ Tennessee
Week 12 Thoughts:
Maryland vs Michigan
The Terrapins played the Wolverines reasonably close, losing by only a touchdown, 31-24. Is this close score on account of the matchup being a trap game for Michigan? They just came off a big win in Happy Valley, and must now prepare for “The Game”. If the matchup against Maryland does not scream “trap game”, what does? Moreover, did Jim Harbaugh’s absence hurt Michigan’s performance that much? Or, were the Wolverines simply playing their cards close to the vest, without giving away any major secret plays, while executing a very conservative game plan? I personally suspect the latter.
Miami (FL) vs Louisville
The Cardinals, by the hardest, pulled off a win in Miami. Mirabile dictu, in his first year at the helm at Louisville, Jeff Brohm has clinched a spot in the ACC championship game against Florida State.
Auburn vs New Mexico State
In the O-M-G upset of the year, the Aggies (the ones in Las Cruces, not College Station) have defeated the Tigers 31-10. Surely this is the greatest win in the history of the program for New Mexico State, and surely this is Auburn’s most ignominious loss in at least, say, 45 years.
Iowa State vs Texas
In the upset alert that was not, the Longhorns proved many a doubter wrong and triumphed, fairly convincingly, in Ames. Texas’ recent loss of running back Jonathon Brooks to an ACL tear last week seemed to doom their running game. The two most recent games indicated inconsistencies in their offense overall. The Cyclones’ defense was known to be stingy, especially at home. On top of all that, the weather for this game was colder than what the Longhorns are used to back in Austin. And yet, the Horns still proved the doubters wrong. This time, there was no close call. QB Qwinn Ewers executed more consistently than in the past couple of games, the running game was still there, and the defense made some big plays when needed. Make no mistake: winning by 10 points in Ames in the latter part of November is a rather impressive feat.
Northwestern vs Purdue
Leave it to Purdue to find new ways to disappoint its fans. This team could not even beat a mediocre Northwestern team. Is it too early to speculate that Ryan Walters is Darrell Hazell 2.0? Conversely, the Wildcats, whom everyone gave up for dead earlier in the season, is now bowl-eligible.
Looking ahead to Week 13:
(Yay, it’s Rivalry Week!)
Michigan vs Ohio State
A.K.A., “The Game”. It all comes down to this. Or does it? The winner is in the driver’s seat for the playoffs. Too bad the B1G has not yet wised up and allowed the two teams with the best records in the conference to play each other for a matchup.
Purdue vs Indiana
Meanwhile, it’s a race to the bottom in the B1G as the two play for the Old Oaken Bucket.
Louisville vs Kentucky
The Wildcats have had the recent upper hand in the Governor’s Cup rivalry, winning the last four. Having just clinched a berth in the ACC championship, the Cardinals’ Jeff Brohm is surely out to make a statement and halt that trend.
Oregon vs Oregon State
This could be one of the hardest-fought, high-scoring “Civil Wars” of recent memory. Buckle up, and enjoy!
Illinois vs Northwestern
The Wildcats, now with six wins, are technically bowl-eligible. The Illini are now fighting for bowl-eligibility, and this is their last chance. Such is a great example of two mediocre teams pitted together can make for a potentially great game.
South Carolina vs Clemson
Speaking of fighting for bowl eligibility, the Gamecocks, sitting at 5-6, are in the same position as Illinois, though they are have a tougher task to make it to the six-win mark, since they face the Tigers.
That said, having passed something of a test against Kentucky, perhaps South Carolina might now pass a slightly harder one.
NC State vs North Carolina
No doubt that the Tarheels did not predict they would be sitting at only 8-3 at this point. Oddly, the Wolfpack has the same current record. Moreover, how ironic is it that, going into this game, NC State is the ranked team?
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