COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEKLY RANT
Congratulations to the Big XII, you are the only conference
that showed up and showed out in Week 3 of the season. Sure, the Kansas State loss on the road to
Vandy probably caught some by surprise (me!!!), but if losing a road game to an
SEC opponent is the worst thing your conference did this week, you are looking
good. Of course, that was not the only
loss by the Big XII last week, but the wins certainly outshined the losses.
The best loss, might have been the best loss of anyone in
the country so far this season. Texas
went into The Coliseum to face #4 USC as more than two touchdown underdogs, and
scored a go-ahead touchdown with :45 remaining.
USC kicked a tying FG as time expired then won in double overtime. Even with the loss Texas showed they will be
a factor in the Big XII race this year.
Now which Texas team is the real Texas team, the one that was dominated
at home by Maryland in the season opener, or the one that shutdown the
high-powered USC offense and almost pulled off an upset of a Top 4 team?
The Top 4 of the Big XII all continued to roll. West Virginia finished their non-conference
at 2-1 with a win over Delaware State, surprising nobody, but they remained
healthy and are now set for the grueling travel schedule they have in the Big
XII. TCU fell behind 19-7 midway through
the 2nd quarter to SMU on Saturday before rattling off 49 of the
next 59 points scored to get the comfortable 20-point win. TCU starts Big XII play next week with a huge
challenge on the road in Stillwater. The
Cowboys were dominant in every facet of the game Saturday on the road against
Pitt, jumping out to a 49-7 2nd quarter lead before putting it in
cruise control in route to a 59-21 win.
Oklahoma State scored touchdowns on every 1st half possession
except their final possession, when they took a knee before the half. The Cowboy defense, which often gets
overlooked, found the end zone for the 3rd straight game this season
with a pick-6 in the 3rd quarter.
As I have said before and I will continue to say, in my eyes, Oklahoma
State has the best offense and in the country and they remain my pick to win
the Big XII this season. Oh yeah,
Oklahoma also won big Saturday. The
Sooners trailed Tulane 14-7 with 4 minutes remaining in the 1st
quarter. They won the game 56-14. Oklahoma opens the Big XII season against
woeful Baylor next week. Baylor might be
the worst P5 team in the country this year.
Credit Texas Tech for also waving the Big XII flag proudly
on Saturday, getting a win over P5 Arizona State. The Red Raiders are not at the level of the
four mentioned earlier, but are now 2-0 with a chance for a perfect non-conference
record if they can knock off in-state rival Houston next week. Iowa State also impressive in their win over
Akron. Matt Campbell has the Cyclones
offense clicking, don’t be surprised if they knock off a Big XII contender this
season. Ames is always a tough place to
play and the Cyclones host Oklahoma, West Virginia and Kansas State this
season.
WHAT ELSE I LEARNED
IN WEEK TWO
*Clemson is Legit. I liked the Tigers chances to win on
Saturday, but I never expected them to be as dominant as they were in the
process. QB Kelly Bryant looks
impressive as he is filling the huge fills left behind by DeShaun Watson
admirably. The defense is just
ridiculous. I mentioned Oklahoma State
having the best offense in the country.
I think Clemson has the best defense.
They are so fast and so aggressive, they get after you every play.
*The ACC Is Going To
Be Okay. Last year the ACC planted
their flag in the ground and claimed the “Best Conference in the Country”
title. This year is a “prove it” year
for the conference, and so far, they have.
The Pitt loss to Oklahoma State was an obvious setback last week and BC
losing the Notre Dame the way they did may have surprised a few people, but a
7-2 record for the week in the non-conference, with those as your only losses
isn’t all that bad. Plus, as mentioned,
they proved to have a National Championship contender once again.
*The Big Ten Still
Has Lots of Unanswered Questions. Not
a great start to the week for the B1G after Illinois got boat raced by South
Florida on Friday and Nebraska loses at home to Northern Illinois. (NIU lost at home to Boston College to open
the year, just to give you an idea of where they stand this year.) Throw in another shaky offensive performance
by Michigan and you still have lots of unanswered questions about the B1G as
they start conference play this week.
Props to Purdue and the job Jeff Brohm has done in Year 1 with the
Boilermakers. They aren’t ready to
challenge for the West title yet, but they certainly won’t be the walkover that
they have been in recent years.
*What Happened To the
SEC? For years it was just widely
accepted that the SEC was the best conference in college football. What happened??? Sure, they still have Alabama, but that is
about it. Did Nick Saban scare away
other elite coaches (Les Miles, Mark Richt), while raising the expectations at
other programs that they can’t be met (Texas A&M)? Seriously though, look at this past week in
the SEC. The premier game was Tennessee
@ Florida, which had a great 4th quarter with an unbelievable
ending, but the 1st 3 quarters were utterly unwatchable. Auburn struggled with Mercer. Missouri got embarrassed at home by
Purdue. Ole Miss lost by double digits
to Cal. Texas A&M trailed at
halftime to UL-Lafayette, before getting their act together to save Kevin
Sumlin’s job. Mississippi State rolled
LSU as the Tigers continue to struggle on offense, even with a new coaching
staff and coordinator. South Carolina,
the early bright spot, and maybe surprise contender in the East lost to
Kentucky, while their most dynamic playmaker broke his leg, ending his
season. The 4 best teams in the SEC
might actually be Alabama, Mississippi State, Georgia and Vanderbilt right
now. What happened???
*PAC-12… WTF?!?! The PAC-12 isn’t as confusing as either
the B1G or the SEC, but having 2 ranked teams lose to 2 Group of 5 teams is not
a good look. The PAC-12 still has 4
legit playoff contenders with USC (which, as we mentioned struggled against an
inferior opponent for the 2nd time in 3 weeks), Washington,
Washington State (don’t sleep on Mike Leach) and maybe even Oregon, who looks
very good early on. But losses by
Stanford and UCLA hurt. Not to mention
Arizona State losing to Texas Tech as well on Saturday. Stanford, very uncharacteristically, was run
on at will for the second straight week as they drop to 1-2 losing to San Diego
State. And Golden Boy Josh Rosen and
Company go across the country to take on Memphis and fall 48-45. You can’t really blame Rosen (463yds, 4 TD)
but he did throw a go-ahead Pick 6 midway through the 3rd quarter
that allowed Memphis to continue to hang around. One of those teams will drop another game
this week as UCLA goes to Stanford.
WHAT I’M LOOKING
FORWARD TO IN WEEK FOUR
*Conference Play. Last week was an appetizer, this week is
the main course. Conference play is in
full swing in Week 4, with some important September games in each conference.
Some of the top games in each conference:
ACC :
NC State @ Florida State – The Seminoles have not played since their opening week loss to Alabama due to Hurricane Irma. They will be breaking in a freshman QB to take on a tough and physical defense from NC State. The Wolfpack always seem to play the Seminoles tough.
ACC :
NC State @ Florida State – The Seminoles have not played since their opening week loss to Alabama due to Hurricane Irma. They will be breaking in a freshman QB to take on a tough and physical defense from NC State. The Wolfpack always seem to play the Seminoles tough.
BIG TEN:
Penn State @ Iowa – Penn State has not really been tested this season to this point and Saturday will be their 1st road game of the season. Iowa City is not an easy place to play, especially under the lights (just ask Michigan!)
Michigan @ Purdue – Speaking of Michigan, they face an unexpected road test this week, facing the vastly improved Boilermakers. Michigan can’t seem to score and Purdue is scoring in bunches this season. This will be the 1st real test for the tough Wolverines defense this season.
Penn State @ Iowa – Penn State has not really been tested this season to this point and Saturday will be their 1st road game of the season. Iowa City is not an easy place to play, especially under the lights (just ask Michigan!)
Michigan @ Purdue – Speaking of Michigan, they face an unexpected road test this week, facing the vastly improved Boilermakers. Michigan can’t seem to score and Purdue is scoring in bunches this season. This will be the 1st real test for the tough Wolverines defense this season.
BIG XII:
TCU @ Oklahoma State – The Cowboys looked good last week, dominating Power 5 foe Pitt in Pittsburgh. TCU will pose a different challenge for Oklahoma State. The Horned Frogs will test the defense of OK State, in a game that could also test the scoreboard lights.
TCU @ Oklahoma State – The Cowboys looked good last week, dominating Power 5 foe Pitt in Pittsburgh. TCU will pose a different challenge for Oklahoma State. The Horned Frogs will test the defense of OK State, in a game that could also test the scoreboard lights.
PAC 12:
Washington @ Colorado – A rematch of last season’s PAC-12 Championship Game, where Washington drubbed a banged-up Buffalo team 41-10. Colorado gets revenge this year at home, with a healthy defense, which will try to stop the high-powered Huskies offense.
UCAL @ Stanford – In the preseason this game had a ton of potential to be a big one in the PAC12, but neither team has really lived up to the hype, both coming off losses last week out of conference.
Washington @ Colorado – A rematch of last season’s PAC-12 Championship Game, where Washington drubbed a banged-up Buffalo team 41-10. Colorado gets revenge this year at home, with a healthy defense, which will try to stop the high-powered Huskies offense.
UCAL @ Stanford – In the preseason this game had a ton of potential to be a big one in the PAC12, but neither team has really lived up to the hype, both coming off losses last week out of conference.
SEC:
Alabama @ Vanderbilt – No, I’m serious… Vandy will enter this game ranked #1 national in Total Defense, Scoring Defense, Passing Defense & Red-Zone Defense. Can the Commodores shock the world in front of their home crowd?
Mississippi State @ Georgia – MSU stunned LSU last week, dominating them in every aspect of the game on their way to an easy 37-7 win last week. Now they must do it again. MSU hasn’t won in Athens since 1956. QB Nick Fitzgerald will be challenged by a fast and fierce Georgia front 7 that held Notre Dame to just 55 yards on 37 carries two weeks ago.
Alabama @ Vanderbilt – No, I’m serious… Vandy will enter this game ranked #1 national in Total Defense, Scoring Defense, Passing Defense & Red-Zone Defense. Can the Commodores shock the world in front of their home crowd?
Mississippi State @ Georgia – MSU stunned LSU last week, dominating them in every aspect of the game on their way to an easy 37-7 win last week. Now they must do it again. MSU hasn’t won in Athens since 1956. QB Nick Fitzgerald will be challenged by a fast and fierce Georgia front 7 that held Notre Dame to just 55 yards on 37 carries two weeks ago.
A GAMBLING EYE
*West Virginia
(-21.5) @ Kansas – Kansas has played 2 FBS teams (Central Michigan, Ohio)
this season, and lost to both, giving up an average of 43.5 in those losses and
neither of those teams are near the level of West Virginia. Since joining the Big XII, WVU is 4-1 against
Kansas, winning those 4 games by an average of 36. 21.5 points seems too low for this game.
*Army (+3) @ Tulane –
Army started the season with 2 impressive wins, running the ball at
will. Last week they lost to Ohio State,
which is nothing to be ashamed of.
Suddenly they are getting points against a 1-2 Tulane team that lost to
the only 2 FBS teams they’ve played, including Army’s rival Navy. Army is better than Navy this year. I don’t see why/how Army is the underdog in
this game.
*Central Florida (+4)
@ Maryland – Are people maybe overreacting to Maryland’s opening weekend
win over Texas? The Terps have definitely
improved over years past, but Central Florida is a very good team that can put
up a ton of points. UCF hasn’t played
since their opener due to Hurricane Irma.
In that game, the Knights jumped out to a 40-10 halftime lead, before
cruising to a 61-17 win over FIU. When a team can score points like UCF can,
and you can get even more points, it’s tough to say no.
*Alabama (-19.5) @
Vanderbilt – Nick Saban normally does everything he can to not embarrass
teams and coaches that he respects.
Combine that tidbit, plus the fact that Vandy has a VERY stingy defense
and Alabama still is lacking that explosive spark on offense and I don’t think
Bama covers. I think they win the
game. But just like it is dangerous to
give a team that scores in bunch like UCF points, it is also tough to blow out
a team with a defense that doesn’t give up easy points or big plays.
*CU (+14) @ Oklahoma
State – As I have said over and over on this site, Oklahoma State is the
best offense in the country. They are going to score a ton of points,
regardless of the opponent. TCU just
doesn’t have man power on defense to slow them down, or the firepower on
offense to stay with them.
*Oklahoma (-28.5) @
Baylor – This is one of those name your score games for OU. I don’t think Lincoln Riley will try to run
up the score, but the simple fact is that Baylor is awful. The Sooners 2nd and 3rd
teamers will continue to put up points, even after Riley calls off the dogs.
*Mississippi State (+4.5)
@ Georgia – Maybe I am guilty of overreacting to the Mississippi State win
over LSU last week, but I’m buying stock in Dan Mullen’s group. Someone in the SEC West has to step up to
challenge Alabama, why can’t it be MSU?
Georgia is a very good defense, but I worry that their freshman QB won’t
be able to put up the points to keep pace with Nick Fitzgerald and Mississippi
State.
*Florida/Kentucky
(O/U 45) – Both offenses are terrible.
Both defenses are good. Pretty
simple UNDER in my mind.
PLAYOFF PICKS
It is never too early to start projecting the playoff.
1. Oklahoma State – I was a believer already before last
week, but now I’m All-In on the Cowboys.
Bedlam can’t get here fast enough.
2. Clemson – The way Kelly Bryant went into Louisville and
shined, reminded me a lot of Jameis Winston going to Clemson on primetime and
making a statement that FSU was for real.
3. Alabama – And I ask again… Who in the SEC is going to
beat Alabama?
4. Oklahoma – Do I think that the Big XII gets 2 teams into
the playoff, no, but do I think Oklahoma is one of the 4 best teams in the
country, YES!
NEXT UP:
USC – As impressive as they were against Stanford, the
Trojans have laid eggs in their other two games this season. And now seeing Stanford struggle against
SDST, maybe we need to take a step back and look at USC. The offense has still yet to get going, which
should be a concern for Trojan fans.
ANYONE FROM THE B1G THAT WANTS TO SHOW UP – Ohio State, Michigan,
Penn State, Wisconsin – This happens with the Big Ten every year. The power teams don’t really build any type
of resume in the non-conference but remain highly regarded due to name
recognition alone. Then they just beat
up on the overrated conference that they are in, and everyone suddenly thinks
that the conference is great because they have 4 teams in the Top 10. (see last year… Also see last year bowl
results). I legit think that all 4 of
the teams I mentioned are good, but I just haven’t seen it on the field yet
from any of them.
That is all this week.
Make sure the refrigerator is stocked, the spare remote-control
batteries are nearby and enjoy the games!
