Pontifications on College Football: Week 3

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If week two of the college football season was a wake-up call weekend, then week three was a throw-your-expectations-in-a-bag, shake it up and scatter it on the floor weekend. The Big Ten has the top two teams in the country according to the AP. The Pac-12 and SEC have half the poll to themselves with a combined twelve teams ranked. (the SEC has three in the top ten) Two teams took double digit dives in the polls (Alabama and USC) putting an early dent in their playoff hopes but neither was seriously injured enough to have their post season dreams dashed. Yet. The first month of the season comes to a close on Saturday, if October and November are going to continue to be the most exciting months of the college football calendar, they have their work cut out for them.

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.

Pontifications on College Football: Week 2

(Adam Lau/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)

The second week of the college football season has come and gone. For some, it was yet another hurdle cleared on the quest for postseason glory. (OSU, TCU, Baylor) For others, week two was a bubble-busting wake up call. (I'm looking at you, Arkansas. See below) Just when it seemed safe to maybe, possibly, almost, perhaps get your hopes up, (POP) everything went haywire and the team from week one looks like a shadow of itself. For a sorrowful few, week two was another trip down the rabbit hole of despair. The season now appears a train wreck in slow motion. (See Kansas)

The question for everyone: What happens now? The answer: Week three.

The Good:

Oklahoma

In the game of the week (sorry MSU/Oregon) the Sooners battled back from a 17-point deficit to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers in Neyland Stadium in front of 105,000 fans in double overtime. Led by junior QB Baker Mayfield with three passing TD's and one rushing (despite two INT's) Oklahoma sealed the game when junior CB Zack Sanchez intercepted Vol's QB Josh Dobbs. If Bob Stoops wishes to return to the top of the conference his teams practically dominated since the turn of the 21st century, the Sooners are going to have to start stronger and hope Mayfield continues to perform. Oklahoma gets Tulsa and West Virginia at home before heading to Dallas for the Red River Shootout against a Texas team in-flux to say the least. The good news is Oklahoma doesn't have another ranked team on the schedule until late November. The bad news is that it then faces current #5 Baylor away, #3 TCU at home and #25 Oklahoma St. away to end the season.

Michigan State

The Spartans won the heavyweight fight of September with a convincing win over a very talented Oregon Ducks team. After surrendering an early touchdown, Sparty scored 14 unanswered points and held off the Ducks permanently from midway through the third quarter. Despite giving up more yards and first downs, MSU won the turnover and time of possession battles. The defense, which has become the hallmark of head coach Mark Dantonio's tenure in East Lansing played tough in all the right situations while giving up over 380 yards and 24 plus points in consecutive weeks. Michigan State gets Air Force and Central Michigan at home before their Big 10 conference schedule begins in October versus Purdue.

Tanner Mangum

A week after the BYU freshmen QB became a national sensation by replacing injured Cougar QB Taysom Hill and hurling a 42-yard Hail Mary to beat Nebraska in Lincoln, Mangum threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns in a win over then #25 Boise State ending the Broncos hopes of busting the CFB Playoff bracket. In his first collegiate start, Mangum's first TD pass was an 84-yard bomb on the third offensive play from scrimmage. His second was a 35-yard strike on 4th down with 45 seconds left in the game. BYU picked off the ensuing offensive play and returned it for a touchdown to ice the game. Mangum is playing well/exceeding expectations and riding a wave of good vibes but the Provo faithfull will have to hope it's one hell of a wave to carry the Cougars into Pasadena to play #10 UCLA and their own freshmen star QB the "Rosen One" Josh Rosen and to Ann Arbor the following week to play Michigan in the Big House.

DeShone Kizer

The week two edition of Tanner Mangum, the Notre Dame sophomore backup QB came into the game after starter Malik Zaire was lost to a season ending ankle injury late in the third quarter. The Fighting Irish lost a 12-0 lead by halftime and a 26-14 lead after Virginia scored to take a 27-26 lead with two minutes left in the game. Kizer moved the Irish into Virginia territory and on 4th down threw a 39-yard TD to junior WR Will Fuller with 12 seconds on clock. Kizer will need to grow up quick and get lots of help from his defense if Notre Dame is going to stay afloat in a season where they've already lost their starting RB and QB. The first test will be a trial-by-fire home game against #14 Georgia Tech and their potent option attack.

The Bad:

Bret Bielema

If you could summarize Razorback head coach Bret Bielema's time in Fayetteville in a single word, it would probably be "karma." During his first season, his wife started a twitter war with the entire state of Wisconsin by tweeting the word "Karma" after a tough Badgers loss. Arkansas would go winless in SEC play that year and the twitter-verse never let Bielema forget it. Last week, the coach decided to take a shot at Ohio State's strength of schedule:

“Ohio State’s ranked No. 1 and they have one game remaining on their schedule that has anybody ranked right now — Michigan State. We’re going to play eight straight opponents that are ranked.”

While the statement was technically true, it might have benefited the head coach to focus on his team and the task at hand instead of looking into other team's futures. Arkansas promptly lost to Toledo 16-12. If the Razorbacks somehow manage to come out of the insanely tough SEC West on top, you can bet that loss will not go unnoticed by the Playoff Committee.

Louisville

The Cardinals had a fairly impressive first season in the ACC last year. Looking to build upon that success, Bobby Petrino and company opened the 2015 campaign in the Georgia Dome against then #6 Auburn. The Cardinals staged a valiant second half comeback but ultimately lost 31-24. A loss that looks even worse after week two. (more on that below) The Cardinals followed that performance with a loss to Houston over the weekend. The only two winless teams in the ACC are Louisville and Virginia. The Cavaliers opened the season on the road against #13 UCLA and at home versus #9 Notre Dame and the Cavs came closer to winning than Louisville has all season. With Clemson coming to town on Thursday night the only September win for the Cardinals might be Samford and at this point, that might even be a stretch.

The Ugly:

Howard and Stephen F. Austin

No, not brothers but two schools who should have stayed on the bus this weekend. The Bison and the Lumberjacks lost by a combined total of 146-7 to Boston College and TCU respectively. I don't think anyone was expecting Boston College to score 100 points in the first two weeks of the season but whoever was in charge of SFA scheduling should have known better than to lineup against the Horned Frogs after they've had a week to get the kinks out.

Rutgers

In the last eleven days, the Rutgers University football team has dismissed seven players. Offenses have included home invasion and assault. Head coach Kyle Flood has even been accused of attempting to coerce a university professor into giving a player favorable grades. Then on Saturday, after the Scarlet Knights lost 37-34 to Washington State, senior WR Leonte Carroo allegedly assaulted a woman by slamming her to the concrete outside the stadium. Rutgers has suffered several athletic missteps on and off the field for the last couple of years and this is certainly another terrible mark on a school that prides itself on being "the birthplace of college football."

Which is Worse?

For years, winning wasn't everything, it was the only thing. Win and you were in. Then after a few seasons of multiple undefeated teams at the top of the BCS rankings, pollsters were forced to answer the question, who won better? So, for the last couple seasons of the BCS era a few colleges around the country were beginning to forgo the usual opening weekend fare of "preseason games" against Directional Tech or Sisters of the Blind University in favor of more marquee match-ups. This was an attempt to boost their computer rankings with a higher Strength of Schedule rating and sway BCS pollsters with what was termed "style points." 

Now the CFB Playoff Committee has made winning and looking good while doing it an absolute necessity. Last season they selected a #6 Ohio State team over #5 Baylor and #4 TCU based on the merits of a tougher schedule and a conference title game. Apart from increasing the likelihood of better in-season non-conference match-ups across the country the committee now has the opportunity to answer the oft argued question: Which is worse, a bad win or a tough loss? 

This week, the Associated Press gave their two-cents worth by dropping the #7 Oregon Ducks five spots to #12 for their 31-28 loss to then #5 Michigan State and dropping #6 Auburn TWELVE spots to #18 for their 27-20 overtime WIN against FCS Jacksonville State. The same weekend that saw #9 Notre Dame, after losing it's starting RB and QB scrape out a win against a Virginia team that has won 23 games in six years, promoted to the #8 team in the country. It's true, a top ten team should never have to squeeze out a victory over a lower division school, but I believe the AP has set a precedent with this demotion of Auburn even after an albeit scary win. Which begs the question, with one playoff spot remaining, if the Tigers and the Ducks win the rest of their regular season games as well as their conference titles, which one does the committee choose?

Interesting...

#14 Georgia Tech vs #8 Notre Dame

As stated above, the Irish are starting a backup RB and a sophomore QB is making his first start. For the Yellow Jackets, it's their first true test of the season. Can the Irish keep pace with the vaunted  Tech option attack? How will the Yellow Jackets fare on the road in a hostile environment?

#15 Ole Miss vs #2 Alabama

Ole Miss has scored 70-plus points in back to back games...against UT-Martin and Fresno St. Alabama handled Wisconsin in week one and Middle Tennessee State in week two. Are the Rebels really that high powered? Have the Crimson Tide gotten over last year's loss?

#19 BYU vs #10 UCLA

After two upsets in two weeks the Cougars find themselves ranked and in Pasadena to take on perhaps the most talented Bruins team of the Jim Mora Jr. era. Can BYU catch lightening for a third week in the Rose Bowl? Are Josh Rosen and UCLA a serious threat for the CFB Playoffs?

(My) Playoff Picture

#1 Ohio State

After a shaky first half which saw Cardale Jones replaced by J.T. Barrett. Jones reentered the game in the second half and the defending champs pulled away.

#2 Alabama

The Tide have looked utterly professional the first two weeks of the season.

#3 Michigan State

The Spartans convincingly beat a top ten opponent. 

#4 TCU

The Horned Frogs and Baylor seem destined to vie for this spot. TCU takes it this week because Baylor continues to give up too many points to lowly competition.

Pontifications on College Football: Week 1

Finally, games that matter. Preseason polls? Irrelevant. Hype videos? Overrated. Coach's QB carousels? Somewhat determined. (See Louisville and Texas A&M)

The opening week of the major college football season kicked off on Thursday night and took full advantage of five uninterrupted days on the last vacant weekend before the NFL cuts out it's share starting September 13th. When the dust settled in Blacksburg, Virginia late Monday night the only certainty was that the CFB Playoff picture got, if nothing else, at least 1/15th clearer.

The Good:

Tiquan Lang

The junior safety from Marshall had the game of his or anyone else's life on Saturday versus Purdue. Lang recorded 17 tackles and two interceptions BOTH returned for touchdowns. Yet perhaps the most amazing feat was not being a unanimous National Defensive Player of the Week award winner.

Josh Rosen

The UCLA freshmen QB only went 28/35 for 352 yards with 3 TD's and no picks in his first collegiate game. That's good enough for a total QBR of 90.8. The Walter Camp Player of the Week, Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Manning Award Star of the Week will have to hone his skills on the road at UNLV next Saturday and host BYU the following week before the schedule really heats up with Arizona and ASU back to back.

Alabama

The Crimson Tide put a lot doubts to rest and a lot of fear into the rest of the country with a convincing win over Wisconsin in Arlington, Texas Saturday Night. The score (35-17) was closer than the game but Alabama coach Nick Saban relied heavily on the reserves for much of the second half. Tide RB Derrick Henry catapulted himself into early Heisman contention with 147 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Braxton Miller

The former Ohio State starting QB/Heisman candidate played his first game back from injury (and at wide receiver!) on Monday night against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Braxton was a career 5,000+ yard passer, 3,000+ yard rusher and accounted for 84 total TD's as the signal caller for the Buckeyes before being injured last season. In his first stint as wide receiver he collected 78 yards and a TD including the highlight of the night.

The Bad:

Stanford

The Cardinal came into the season ranked #21 in the country with a veteran senior QB in Kevin Hogan and having won two of the last three Pac-12 championships. Only to promptly lay an egg in a 16-6 loss at Northwestern, a team still feeling the impact of losing to Braxton Miller and Ohio State two-years ago. The clock is ticking for head coach David Shaw who may have finally run out of (Andrew) Luck.

Kansas, Washington State and Wyoming

All three programs lost to FCS opponents the opening weekend. South Dakota State, Portland State and North Dakota respectively. None of these FBS schools would be considered title contenders and some FCS schools have been making serious strides in recent years but Kansas and Washington State are in power conferences and should be ashamed of themselves. Unfortunately for Kansas, their schedule does not get any easier for the rest of the season. At least Washington State and Wyoming get a chance to settle their mediocrity on the field in two weeks in what should be a classic.

Texas

When the eyes of Texas are upon you, try not to lose by 35 to Notre Dame. Texas has played for two NATIONAL titles in the last decade but the Horns have fallen on hard times (comparatively) in Austin with a record of 36-29, including only one 9-win season, since 2009. Charlie Strong is a good coach and Texas is rich with recruitable talent which only adds to the perplexing dilemma of how a team with incredible facilities, incredible program support and it's own television network can be so incredibly inept in almost all areas of the game. Texas hosts the no-longer-a-pushover Rice and high scoring Cal before conference play begins in three weeks. If the Longhorns can't win either of those games, they may not find a win until November when Kansas comes to town.

Penn State

The second season of the James Franklin era in Happy Valley started under historically dubious circumstances with a 27-10 loss against in-state rival Temple. (See below) The Nittany Lions are lucky to only have one conference game (Rutgers) in the next four weeks before Indiana comes to Beaver Stadium October 10th. The bad news is the rest of their schedule will not afford them the same opportunities as all the ones they missed against the Owls.

The Ugly:

Week one is supposed to be about new beginnings. A land of blinding optimism where playoff hope springs eternal. Sadly, in this oft cruel game, tragedy strikes before the game clock reaches triple zeroes for the first time. Thus is the case for Syracuse, Va. Tech and BYU. All three programs lost their starting QB to injury on the opening week. Terrell Hunt (Cuse) and Taysom Hill (BYU) are out for the season while Michael Brewer (VT) will miss at least a month if not two.

Allegiances and color schemes aside, every good fan knows the joy and entertainment from this game comes from great competition and no one wants to see these athletes hurt. It's especially difficult when a player has battled back from injury before, as is the case for Cougars QB Taysom Hill. Hill suffered injuries in 2012 and 2014 before returning this season as an outside Heisman candidate. When healthy, Hill is one of the most gutsy and dynamic playmakers at the position.

We're Going Streaking!

Temple defeated Penn St. on Saturday for the first time in 74 years. < -- READ THAT AGAIN. The last Owls victory over the Nittany Lions came on October 18th, 1941. 50 days before Pearl F'n Harbor! Penn State's 38 wins (with one tie) over Temple is the second longest winning streak over a single opponent after Notre Dame's 43 game dominance of Navy that ended in 2007. It was the longest active streak in the NCAA with that honor now falling to Florida, which is currently riding a 28-game winning streak against SEC East division rival Kentucky.

Temple won the game 27-10 thanks in large part to the defense, which held PSU to only 180 total yards and sacked QB Christian Hackenberg 10 times.

After Temple travels to AAC title-contender Cincinnati on Saturday, their schedule is very forgiving until late October with games against MAC opponent Umass, FBS newcomer Charlotte, Blue Devil Week 1 doormat Tulane and UCF which lost to Florida International, in between. If the defense can continue to be solid and the offense remain steady behind the QB/RB duo of juniors P.J. Walker and Jahad Thomas, the Owls could have high hopes come November.

Heisman Candidates (Stats)

Ray Lawry (So. RB) Old Dominion - 223 rushing yds. 4 TD's

Patrick Mahomes (So. QB) Texas Tech - 473 total yds. 4 TD's, Int.

Tiquan Lang (Jr. DB) Marshall - See Above.

Heisman Candidates (Media)

Seth Russell (Jr. QB) Baylor - 376 passing yds. 5 TD's, Int.

Baker Mayfield (Jr. QB) Oklahoma - 388 passing yds. 3 TD's

Derrick Henry (Jr. RB) Alabama - See Above.

(My) Playoff Picture

1. Ohio State - "To be the Man, you gotta beat the Man. Wooo!" -- Ric Flair

2. Alabama - From start to finish, the Tide were the best looking Top 10 team opening weekend.

3. Baylor - Struggled early but the defense pitched a second half shutout. The offense which started to click late against SMU will have a real chance to sharpen itself against Lamar on Saturday.

4. Notre Dame - Outside of Alabama, the Irish made the biggest impact against a quality (cough) or what should be considered a quality opponent, at home versus Texas. As far as the opening week eye test is concerned the Irish passed with flying colors.