COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEKLY RANT
Just when you think you know…
For the first three weeks of the football season I have put
myself out on quite a few limbs, willing to stand by my opinions from what I
have seen. This past Saturday those
limbs broke, ALL OF THEM.
I had been skeptical of Alabama, especially offensively and
they go out a throttle a good Vanderbilt team scoring a season high 59 points
on a Vandy team that led the nation is scoring defense.
I anoint Oklahoma State as the best team in the nation, with
the best offense and they get stonewalled at home against TCU.
I claim that Clemson is back and they lay an egg at home
against Boston College. Yes, they won,
but the game was tied at 7 heading into the final 12 minutes of play before the
Tigers scored 27 straight to close the game.
I was disappointed in what I had seen from Penn State in
their first three games, then they come through in the clutch winning a tough
game in a tough environment.
Oklahoma looked like world beaters and Baylor looked like
the worst team in any Power 5 conference. Go figure Baylor throws for 463 and
nearly pulls off the upset.
Before we throw the first few weeks out the window
completely, remember conference play really started in full force last week and
conference foes know you better than anyone.
Winning in conference is never easy.
I do standby my thought that the SEC is incredibly down this
year. It looks like Alabama and Georgia
are the only two teams worth a grain of salt.
LSU struggled at home with a not very good Syracuse team. Texas A&M and Arkansas played a
competitive game that went into OT, but both teams looked sloppy and very
average, if that. Mississippi State
looked like they could rival Alabama in the SEC West in their win over LSU in
Week 3, then were equally dominated by Georgia this past Saturday, mustering
only 280 yards and 3 points.
Then we have Florida.
The surgeon that implanted the horseshoe up Jim McElwain’s
butt, deserves some credit from Gator fans.
Florida is the worst good team in history. Check out these numbers since Jim McElwain
arrived in Gainesville in 2015. Florida
has won 21 of 30 and has appeared in back-to-back SEC Championship Games. Florida has also gone just 3-8 vs ranked
teams in that span. Under a coach that
made his money with offense, the McElwain-led Gators have scored more than 30
points in just 6 of the 30 games he has coached. In comparison, his final year at Colorado
State the Rams scored 30+ points 8 of their 12 games. Maybe even a scarier stat is that in the 24
games that they haven’t scored more than 30, that are averaging just 19 points
per game. YET THEY STILL WIN. It really
is amazing!
WHAT ELSE I LEARNED
IN WEEK FOUR
*The BIG XII Is
Screwed. The BIG XII has felt that
not having a conference championship game is a disadvantage for them trying to
get a team into the playoff. Welcome 2017
and the return of the BIG XII Championship Game. Now the conference is going to force their
best team to beat their 2nd best team TWICE in the same season. No other conference has that set-up. And in a year which already seems like it
could get crazy, good luck getting the committee to select a team that just
lost their conference championship game.
TCU beating Oklahoma State on Saturday makes the Big XII race even more
interesting, now that a third team has emerged.
*Washington Is Back. Actually, I don’t know if they ever
really went anywhere. Struggling against
Rutgers is never a good thing. Nobody
should ever struggle with Rutgers. Maybe
that opening game stuck with me a little too much. The fact that the Huskies followed it up with
wins over FCS Montana and lowly Fresno State, gave me lots of doubts heading
into their PAC-12 rematch game in Boulder.
They passed the test with flying colors.
Colorado had been dominant it their opening 3 games, especially on
defense, but Washington ran the ball right down their throats, gaining 254 on
the ground and scoring 3 times. With
question marks coming from USC, Stanford, UCLA and Oregon, the Huskies have
proven they are still the team to beat in the conference.
*Notre Dame Is
Good??? Okay, maybe I still haven’t
learned much about Notre Dame, but I am intrigued. Each passing week the 20-19 loss to Georgia
looks better and better. I know that
losing is never good and unacceptable at Notre Dame, but that’s the best I can
do right now. Wins over Temple, BC and
Michigan State are wins, but not much more as none of those teams look like
bowl teams looking at them one month into the season. Notre Dame won’t really be challenged again
until USC visits South Bend in Week 8.
WHAT I’M LOOKING
FORWARD TO IN WEEK FOUR
*Weeknight
Football. I know that there are
always college games on Thursday’s and Friday’s, but this week they are
actually watchable games. Out with the
usual Group of 5 suspects like South Florida and Boise State. This week we have Big XII, PAC-12, Big Ten
and ACC games all before the weekend starts.
Thursday gave us Iowa State hosting Texas. It was a sloppy game that was more the two
offenses shooting themselves in the foot opposed to battling in a shootout that
many may have expected. Texas gets the
17-7 win as both teams are now 2-2 on the season. Friday, we have a full slate of games. Miami
@ Duke kicks things off at 7pm.
Raise your hand if you had Duke 4-0 at this point in the season (my hand
is down). The Canes shook off the
cobwebs last week vs Toledo after being off for 2 weeks due to Hurricane
Irma. Friday will be the 1st
big ACC test for either team this season.
At 8pm we go to the Big Ten for Nebraska
@ Illinois. Nebraska is desperate
for a win and lucky for the Illinois is awful.
The showcase game however doesn’t kickoff until 10:30 with USC @ Washington State. Pulman is always a tough place to play
and the Cougars seem to always give the Trojans a game. This will be the toughest test to date for
either team. I am married with 2 kids
under the age of 3, so I don’t go out on Friday Night anyway, but you can be
certain I will be in front of my TV this Friday Night!
*Better Schedule. Last
week’s schedule was so bad that College Game Day didn’t go to a game, they went
to Time Square. Last week did have some
close finishes, it really didn’t have any match-ups that moved the dial. Although not great, this week will be better.
NOON:
We actually get off to a slow start with the noon games, but you will need that after Friday’s trifecta of games. The best game in the noon kickoff slot is Northwestern @ Wisconsin in a game I think most thought could be the Big Ten West pseudo championship game, but Northwestern hasn’t looked great early on. Wisconsin looks to clearly be the class of the division.
We actually get off to a slow start with the noon games, but you will need that after Friday’s trifecta of games. The best game in the noon kickoff slot is Northwestern @ Wisconsin in a game I think most thought could be the Big Ten West pseudo championship game, but Northwestern hasn’t looked great early on. Wisconsin looks to clearly be the class of the division.
LATE AFTERNOON (3:30):
Indiana @ Penn State and Georgia @ Tennessee are the two late afternoon games that catch my attention most. Indiana nearly knocked Penn State off the rails last year, leading the Nittany Lions in the 4th quarter, before Penn State ran off 17 points in the final 4 minutes to stay atop the Big Ten East standings. This year it could be a trap game for the Nittany Lions. Penn State is coming off an emotional win at Iowa and now has Indiana, a team that challenge Ohio State and can put points on the board. If the Nittany Lions look ahead to the upcoming 3 game stretch (@Northwestern, vs Michigan, @ Ohio St) they could be in trouble Saturday. Georgia should roll Tennessee, but the SEC has been very unpredictable this season. Butch Jones could really use a Top 10 win to ease the tension in Knoxville.
Indiana @ Penn State and Georgia @ Tennessee are the two late afternoon games that catch my attention most. Indiana nearly knocked Penn State off the rails last year, leading the Nittany Lions in the 4th quarter, before Penn State ran off 17 points in the final 4 minutes to stay atop the Big Ten East standings. This year it could be a trap game for the Nittany Lions. Penn State is coming off an emotional win at Iowa and now has Indiana, a team that challenge Ohio State and can put points on the board. If the Nittany Lions look ahead to the upcoming 3 game stretch (@Northwestern, vs Michigan, @ Ohio St) they could be in trouble Saturday. Georgia should roll Tennessee, but the SEC has been very unpredictable this season. Butch Jones could really use a Top 10 win to ease the tension in Knoxville.
PRIMETIME:
Clemson @ Virginia Tech is clearly the Game of the Week this week. Clemson having already knocked off Auburn, and Louisville now gets the Hokies, who look to be the class of the ACC Coastal. That game starts at 8pm and should have your attention most of the night, however there are a bunch of other decent-to-good games beginning at 7, with Mississippi State @ Auburn. Another 7pm kickoff that if you like points you’ll love, is Memphis @ UCF. Both Group of 5 teams already have wins over P5 teams this year and have two of the top upcoming coaches in the business. At 7:30 you get South Carolina @ Texas A&M which is another opportunity for Kevin Sumlin to get himself fired. Opposite the Clemson/VT game is Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech in a game that should be fast, fun and full of offense. And at 9pm, Mississippi @ Alabama should keep your attention until about 9:30 or so when the 2nd half of the Clemson/VT game should be getting underway.
Clemson @ Virginia Tech is clearly the Game of the Week this week. Clemson having already knocked off Auburn, and Louisville now gets the Hokies, who look to be the class of the ACC Coastal. That game starts at 8pm and should have your attention most of the night, however there are a bunch of other decent-to-good games beginning at 7, with Mississippi State @ Auburn. Another 7pm kickoff that if you like points you’ll love, is Memphis @ UCF. Both Group of 5 teams already have wins over P5 teams this year and have two of the top upcoming coaches in the business. At 7:30 you get South Carolina @ Texas A&M which is another opportunity for Kevin Sumlin to get himself fired. Opposite the Clemson/VT game is Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech in a game that should be fast, fun and full of offense. And at 9pm, Mississippi @ Alabama should keep your attention until about 9:30 or so when the 2nd half of the Clemson/VT game should be getting underway.
LATE NIGHT:
I love #Pac12AfterDark. This week we get Colorado @ UCLA, both coming off beatdown losses and Cal @ Oregon both coming off tough, close losses.
I love #Pac12AfterDark. This week we get Colorado @ UCLA, both coming off beatdown losses and Cal @ Oregon both coming off tough, close losses.
HOT SEAT
It is that time of year that the rumor mills get going and coaches start to get fired (by the fans). So which coaches didn’t even make it through September this season without finding themselves on the Hot Seat? SCALE 1 (John Calipari) to 10 (Rick Pitino)
It is that time of year that the rumor mills get going and coaches start to get fired (by the fans). So which coaches didn’t even make it through September this season without finding themselves on the Hot Seat? SCALE 1 (John Calipari) to 10 (Rick Pitino)
Rich Rodriguez (Arizona)
– The Wildcats have one PAC-12 win in the past 22 months, that coming in
last years’ season finale over rival ASU.
Now in his 6th year in the desert, Rodriguez has just one
winning season in conference play at Arizona.
The pricey buyout on Rodriguez’s contract might be the only thing that
is keeping him in Tucson at this point. (8)
Todd Graham (Arizona
State) – Like his coaching rival Rodriguez, the desert has not been kind to
Todd Graham. The Sun Devils snapped a
6-game conference losing streak last week beating Oregon, a win Graham very
much needed. Still just 2-2 on the year,
one would think it is bowl game or bust for Graham in Tempe. (7)
Bret Bielema (Arkansas)
– Now in year 5 at Arkansas after leading Wisconsin to three straight Rose
Bowls, Bielema has won a total of 10 SEC games.
A roughly $15.5M buyout, due to an extension given to him after his only
winning season in SEC play, 2015, might be the only thing keeping Arkansas from
making a change. Although some fans are
willing to chip in to help pay that off.
There is actually a GoFundMe page to payoff this massive buyout. (7)
Mark Stoops (Kentucky)
– It’s a good thing that Kentucky is a basketball school, otherwise there
is no chance he would still be coaching football there. 9-25 in the SEC with only 1 bowl game in five
seasons just doesn’t cut it at most places, especially in the SEC. Those wins have come against Mississippi
State, Vanderbilt (2), Missouri (2) (see Barry Odom below) and South Carolina
(4). Not exactly world beaters. Eastern Michigan and Missouri are next up for
Kentucky. It would be a very good idea
for his Wildcats to pick up two wins in the next two weeks. (6)
Mark Dantonio (Michigan
State) – Dantonio has done a ton good for the Michigan State football
program and put it back on the map after a 40-year dry spell. Unfortunately, he went 3-9 last year and his
team doesn’t look much better this season.
He could typically weather a few bad years, but they also happen to
coincide with recent player discipline issues and rape charges on a few of his
former players. (4)
Barry Odom (Missouri)
– It has been tough times for Odom in this first 2 seasons at Missouri. The key there was that he is still in his
first two seasons. Missouri is only 3
years removed from back-to-back SEC Championship Game appearances, but since
then they have gone 3-15 in conference play.
This year the Tigers have been blown out in all 3 games that they have
faced FBS opponents. (4)
Mike Riley (Nebraska)
– Being mediocre does not sit well with Nebraska football fans and that is
exactly what the Cornhuskers have been since hiring Mike Riley (17-13,
10-8). With the AD that hired him fired
last week, it may only be a matter of time before Riley follows. A home loss to Northern Illinois, followed by
needing to score the game’s final 13 points to knock off Rutgers at home
Nebraska and Riley have a MUST WIN road game against Illinois this Friday
night. That game is followed by
Wisconsin and Ohio State. (9)
Butch Jones (Tennessee)
– Jones is in a tough spot for 3 reasons.
1) Expectations in Knoxville are borderline ridiculous. Think about the
fact that the Vols hadn’t won more than 7 games since the 2007 season before
Jones did it in each of the last two years, winning 9 both seasons. Yet they still want him gone. 2) A new AD
always wants his own guy and Tennessee has a new AD. 3) The SEC East has been awful and the Vols
still can’t win it. lOsing to Florida in heartbreaking fashion two weeks ago
doesn’t help Jones’ job security. Losing
to Georgia this week won’t either. (8.5)
Kevin Sumlin (Texas
A&M) – When a Board of Regents member calls for your firing after the 1st
game of the season, it is not a good thing.
When you follow that up with 2 more duds (wins, but ugly wins to
inferior competition) in non-conference, it doesn’t make things better. After winning 11 games with Heisman Trophy
winner Johnny Manziel at QB in 2012, the Aggies have won 9, 8, 8, 8 each year
since and the offensive minded coach has not developed another QB since. Sumlin is on a week-to-week basis at this
point in College Station. A&M hosts
South Carolina this week, then plays 4 stragiht against ranked teams. (9.9999)
Jim Mora, Jr. (UCLA)
– After a successful start at UCLA, which saw the Bruins finish in the top
2 of the PAC-12 South in each of his first three seasons, while winning 9 or 10
games in each of those seasons, it has gone downhill. The Bruins won 8 in 2015 and just 4 last
year. Mora, a defensive coach by trait
is seeing his Bruin defense this year allow over 43 points per game. (7.5)
PLAYOFF PICKS
It is never too early to start projecting the playoff.
1. Alabama – I still don’t see anyone in the SEC that can
beat them. Maybe Georgia, maybe!
2. Clemson – Clemson has another tough road test this week
in Blacksburg. A win and they would be in control on the ACC Atlantic.
3. Penn State – At this moment Penn State is the best team
in the Big Ten. Michigan and Ohio State
will be there with them at the end, but right now Penn State is playing better
and more consistent than those other 2.
4. Washington – As with Penn State in the Big Ten, Washington
is playing the most consistent football of anyone in the PAC-12. A favorable schedule that has Oregon and
Washington State both travelling to Seattle and skips USC in the PAC12 South
makes it even more likely that Washington could be going to their 2nd
straight PAC-12 Championship Game.
NEXT UP:
Oklahoma State – 1 loss doesn’t derail the Cowboys chances,
but the way they lost to TCU is concerning.
Any more performances like that and they are done.
Oklahoma – If we see the Baylor Oklahoma team then forget
about it, but if the Ohio State Oklahoma team gets back on the field, there is
no reason they can’t win the Big XII.
TCU – No we didn’t forget about the Horned Frogs after their
impressive victory. They do have to go
back into the Sooner state to play Oklahoma in November however. The Horned Frogs will go as far as Kenny Hill
takes them. Last Saturday we saw Good
Kenny Hill. Too many times in the past
we have seen Bad Kenny Hill.
Michigan – They haven’t lost, but they just haven’t been
impressive in any games they have played this year. I think this team is still a year away, but
it’s tough to brush them off when they roll out that defense every week.
USC – I just need USC to blow someone out. I don’t care who it is, but just show me that
killer instinct and that unstoppable offense, just once. I really do want to believe, but I just
can’t. Not yet...
That is all this week.
Make sure the refrigerator is stocked, the spare remote-control
batteries are nearby and enjoy the games!
