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The Good:
Ole Miss
For the second straight week a team from the SEC West made serious moves in the rankings after a victory. Last week it was Auburn, dropping. This week it was Ole Miss, soaring. The Rebels won week two's premiere matchup against Alabama 43-37. The victory was only the second time Ole Miss had beaten Bama in Tuscaloosa and the first back-to-back victory over the Tide, EVER. Rebel junior QB Chad Kelly threw for 341 yards and 3 TD's. Junior WR Laquon Treadwell, returning from an excruciating injury last season, caught his first touchdown of the year but the highlight of the night goes to WR Quincy Adeboyejo for not giving up on this broken play.
Leonard Fournette
The LSU RB went over, around and through the Auburn defense for 228 yards and 3 Td's. The sophomore from New Orleans is building upon his 2014 campaign when he rushed for 1,034 yards and 10 TD's. He's already gained 387 and 6 TD's in TWO games. The good news for both Fournette and the Tigers is that LSU faces no serious competition until Alabama the first week of November with Syracuse, Eastern Michigan, South Carolina, Florida and Western Kentucky in between. With many experts predicting this to be the "year of the running back" in the eyes of Heisman voters, many may need to look no further than Fournette.
Stanford
The Cardinal were considered by many (myself included) to be the underachieving goats of week one with their dismal showing against Northwestern. Since, they've drubbed UCF and just upset #6 USC 41-31 in the Coliseum. Senior QB Kevin Hogan, who suffered a sprained ankle during the game, went 18/23 for 279 yards and 2 TD's while senior RB Remound Wright only managed 41 yards on the ground but slammed in 3 TD's. Stanford is currently #21 and travels to Oregon State before hosting both #16 Arizona and #9 UCLA back to back. If Hogan is healthy and the Cardinal manage to win those ball games they will be in serious contention when Oregon comes to town in mid-November.
The Bad:
FSU vs. Boston College
In a contest that has to be in the running for "Most Boring Game of 2015" the Seminoles and Eagles engaged in a WWI style battle of attrition for three hours last Friday night. FSU scored on the opening drive and while dominating B.C. for the entire game, never looked offensively formidable or even in control until the defense forced and recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the 4th quarter to ice the game 14-0. This was the first non-FCS opponent for Boston College and even though the Eagles had been impressive on the scoreboard in their two previous games, they failed to capitalize on a sluggish night for the Seminoles. FSU will take the victory but will need to sharpen their skills next week at Wake Forest before hosting a tough Miami squad on October 10th.
Missouri
After needing a second half comeback against Arkansas State the week before, the Tigers edged Uconn 9-6 in the honorable mention "Most Boring Game of 2015" and became another team to be demoted after a victory in the "impress the committee" era of college football. Missouri trailed 6-2 until five minutes left in the 3rd quarter when senior QB Maty Mauk scored on a 2-yard run. Uconn opted to fake a would-be game-tying 42-yard field goal with under a minute to play and the Tigers intercepted the pass to seal the game. Despite being undefeated the Tigers dropped to #23 in the Coaches Poll and out of the top 25 in the AP. The two-time defending SEC East champions will need better production from the offense with six straight conference games on the horizon.
Texas
The Longhorns have been through a lot since their last BCS title appearance in 2009. They cut ties with their championship winning coach Mack Brown. They gained a TV network which some believe led to the dissolution of the Big 12 as we know it while producing no real standout prospects. And most recently it has struggled through the growing pains under new coach Charlie Strong. None of which have been as heart wrenching as the game against Cal last Saturday. After matching the high powered Golden Bear offense for a half the Longhorns fell behind by 21 points in the third before mounting a furious comeback culminating in a 45-yard touchdown run by freshmen QB Jerrod Heard with 1:11 left in the game. Then senior kicker Nick Rose shanked the extra point and the dream comeback was over. Texas lost 45-44. The Longhorns (1-2) host #24 Oklahoma State, travel to #3 TCU and face #15 Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout the week after.
The Ugly:
Texas-San Antonio
The Roadrunners are one of eleven teams in the FBS that have yet to win a game but no other team has been outscored by as many points. (92) TSA has played a relatively tough non-conference schedule to begin the season but the score differential is getting worse. After losing to Arizona (no easy feat: see above) by 10 points, the Runners lost to KSU by 27 and Oklahoma State by 55. TSA hosts Colorado State, by far their easiest competition, this weekend before beginning Conference USA play with UTEP the first week of October. So things may be looking up, fingers crossed.
Chuckie Keeton
The Utah State Aggies senior QB from Houston is one of my personal favorite players in recent years. With over 8,000 yards and 70 career TD's he is a dynamic football player. As a sophomore in 2012 he led the Aggies to an 11-2 record. Unfortunately there is something in the water in Utah that negatively affects college QB's who wear blue because like BYU contemporary Taysom Hill, Keeton has played only one injury free season. (2012) Also, like Hill, Keeton was injured last weekend against Washington and will be out 4-6 weeks.
Kingsbury vs. Bielema
After thumping Arkansas a week after their embarrassing loss to Toledo. Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury let the media know his true feelings towards Razorback coach Bret Bielema who has criticized up-tempo, spread offenses like the one Kingsbury runs at TTU.
"He's a prideful guy, and he says what's on his mind, but it just hasn't worked out for him.'' -- Kingsbury
Doesn't seem like much but since entering the SEC from Wisconsin, Bielema has been a bit of a pin cushion for barbs. To be fair, he has brought a lot on himself and is not one to stay silent on any issue and was quick to respond to Kingsbury.
"As a coach who has been in it for 10 years, I know better than to worry about somebody that's been around for a couple and they're .500. So we'll just go forward." -- Bielema
I know there's a time and place for firing up the fan bases and taking focus away from your team so they can concentrate but neither of these coaches seem to be in those positions. In Kingsbury's first year he started 7-0 before losing the last 5 games of the season. In 2014 his squad went 4-8. Bielema is currently 11-17 in Fayetteville and it took 12 games before he won his first conference game.
Another important part of smack talk is making sure it doesn't end up biting you in the ass. Texas Tech, although undefeated, hosts #3 TCU and #5 Baylor back to back starting next week. Arkansas (1-2) hosts #14 Texas A&M and another four ranked opponents before the end of the year.
Heisman Candidates
Luke Faulk (So. QB) Washington State - 1,070 passing yds. 8 TD's Int.
Baker Mayfield (Jr. QB) Oklahoma - 1,062 passing yds. 10 TD's 2 Int's.
Leonard Fournette (So. RB) LSU - 387 rushing yds. 6 TD's.
Nick Chubb (So. RB) Georgia - 468 rushing yds. 4 TD's.
(My) Playoff Picture
1. Ohio State - Unless the offense picks up for the Buckeyes, this spot may not be safe much longer.
2. Michigan State - Sparty is coming for that number one spot.
3. Ole Miss - The Rebels are fast paced, exciting and right now, playing REALLY well.
4. LSU - Who needs an "opening game?" The Tigers jumped into conference play and have been dominant.
