The Ole College Try

Well, the Pac-12 shot itself in the foot with Arizona State beating California, so it likely will - once again - have no representative in the college football playoffs.  The only question now is can Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State/Wisconsin can keep a second SEC team out.

I like this format better than the "Fake-Heisman" format for updating college football games, so I am going to keep it, at least for awhile.

Game of the Week

Clemson 21 - North Carolina 20. Watching this game with a couple of Clemson alumni while at a local Oktoberfest, and after North Carolina's late touchdown to make the score 21-20, I turned to one of them and said, "Mack Brown is old and old school, no way he even thinks about going for two at home", then I turned and walked to the bar.  I was wrong and had to watch the game at the bar away from my friends.  Thank goodness for him North Carolina ran a horrible play and Clemson stopped the game-winning two point conversion.  However, Brown's decision made this game the best game of the week.

Best Team Performance

Penn State Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lions blitzed Maryland in Maryland 59-0.  Now, Maryland is not the greatest team, but there offense had been explosive to date, and Penn State's defense rose to the occasion pitching a shutout.  The fact that Penn State scored 59 makes this even more impressive.  The Nittany Lions have at least put themselves in the Big 10's championship radar.

Least Impressive Team Performance

Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Nebraska not only hosted Ohio State, they also hosted ESPN's GameDay - and GABRIELLE UNION - only to lay a 48-7 egg, and frankly it wasn't even that close.  Nebraska's quarterback, Adrian Martinez, threw for a total of 47 yards.

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Offense)

DeVonta Smith, WR - Alabama.  The Crimson Tide wide receiver torched the Mississippi secondary hauling in 11 catches for 274 yards and 5 TDs.  Smith stood out despite sharing the field with reigning Biletnikoff Award winner Jerry Jeudy (who himself had a fine game).

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Defense)

Evan Weaver, ILB - California Bears. This one wasn't even close.  Weaver followed up last week's 22 tackle game with a 15 tackle game, including 11 solo (out of a total of 72!).  In that total was 1 1/2 tackles for loss.  Too bad California lost, to drop from the ranks of the unbeatens.  

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Special Teams)

Clemson's defense - Clemson Tigers.  Stopped the two-point conversion attempt by North Carolina to preserve the victory, their undefeated record and their playoff hopes.

Goat of the Week (Player Edition)

Matt Fink, QB - USC Trojans.  Finally on a big stage, the USC quarterback was 19-31 for only 163 yards with 1 TD and 3 INTs in a 28-14 loss to the Washington Huskies.  He finished with a QBR of 16.5.  That is not getting it done.

Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)

Mike Leach - Washington State Cougars.  Not only did Washington State embarrass itself in a 38-13 loss at Utah (although losing at Utah is not embarrassing in-and-of-itself), Mike Leach went on a tirade chastises all of his players, basically calling them fat, lazy and stupid.  Now, I don't know if he is right or wrong, but you cannot go public with this critique.  Besides, as coach are you supposed to make sure they are in shape, work hard and know the game plan and football?

Breakthrough Performance

Jake Smith, QB - Harvard Crimson. The junior quarterback had himself a game against the Brown Bears, going 22-29 for 299 yards and 4 TDs against only 1 interception in Harvard's 42-7 thrashing of Brown.

Finally

Brian Lewerke, QB - Michigan State Spartans.  Lewerke threw for 300 yards and 3TDs, while also rushing for 78 yards in Michigan State's 40-31 victory over Indiana.  Lewerke showing some dual-threat capabilities which should help them in upcoming conference schedule.

Impact Injury

Blake Vinson, T - Clemson Tigers.  When your offense is clicking, it usually means that your offensive line is completely in sync.  That is going to take a hit when you lose one of your tackles for the season.

Team Rising

Wake Forest Demon Deacons - Off to a 5-0 start, Wake Forest is ranked for the first time in 4,286 years (22nd AP; 20 Coaches Poll).  With winnable games coming up against Louisville and Florida State, Wake Forest has a chance to make some noise and ultimately determine who could be the ACC Champion.

Team Falling

California Bears - Oh what a difference a week makes.  After last week being named "Team Rising", California's loss to Arizona State - at home no less - makes them this week's "Team Falling".

Player(s) to Watch

Sean Clifford, QB - Penn State Nittany Lions.  I have been holding off saying anything about Penn State unless and until they showed me that they could be a legitimate contender.  This week's win over Maryland and Clifford's performance especially, reaches that threshold.  Clifford was 26-31 for 398 yards and 3 TDs in a 59-0 blanking of Maryland. 

My New Favorite Player

DeVonta Smith, WR - Alabama Crimson Tide.  The aforementioned Smith had a helluva game as noted, but to do so when Alabama took its starters out in the second half, and with 3 wide receivers to which Tagaviloa has to spread out his distribution of passes is just astounding, particularly with Jerry Jeudy - the potential first wide receiver draft pick in 2020.

Players of the Week (Just Week 2)

5.  Bo Nix, QB - Auburn Tigers - Nix was 16-21 for 335 yards and 3 TDs in Auburn's win over Mississippi State.

4.  Sean Clifford, QB - Penn State Nittany Lions.  See above.

3. Jalen Hurts, QB - Oklahoma Sooners.  Hurts was 17-24 for 415 yards and 3 TDs as Oklahoma routed Texas Tech 55-16.

2.  Tua Tagavailoa , QB - Alabama Crimson Tide.  He was dually responsible for a large part of DeVonta Smith's success, going 26-36 for 418 yards and 6 TDs.

1. DeVonta Smith, WR - Alabama Crimson Tide.  See above.

Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups

Alabama (1) v. Clemson (4)/ (2) Oklahoma v. (3) Ohio State

I have shuffled the rankings, but switched Oklahoma and Ohio State.  This is how I feel things are now, not a prediction on the future, especially since the SEC West is a loaded gauntlet for anyone, even Alabama.  LSU/Auburn/Georgia are threats, especially given that Georgia is in the East.  Wisconsin/Penn State has the opportunity to bust through Ohio State in the Big 10.

Remaining Unbeatens

Alabama, Appalachian State, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, LSU, Memphis, Minnesota, Navy, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, SMU, Wake Forest, Wisconsin

Remaining Winless Teams

Akron, New Mexico State, Rice

Rant(s) of the Week

Nothing new this week.

Last Week's Trivia Answer

The question was:  On Saturday during Houston's 38-31 loss to Tulane, Cougars' quarterback D'Eriq King set an NCAA record with 15 straight games with both a passing and a rushing touchdown, breaking whose record?

The answer is Tim Tebow, who had 14 consecutive games with both a passing and a rushing touchdown.

Match up(s) to Watch

5. Texas v. West Virginia - In a heated contest to see who could challenge Oklahoma in the Big 12.

4.  Iowa v. Michigan - Although Michigan is not as good as Wolverine fans hope, they are still a solid team and could prove to be a good test at home against undefeated Iowa.

3.  Howard v. Harvard - The second half of a home-home and home between the two academic powers.

2.  Michigan State v. Ohio State - The first real test for the Buckeyes, and a chance for the Spartans to make a name for themselves.

1.  Auburn v. Florida - If it is good enough for ESPN's GameDay, it is good enough for me - at least given that only one of these teams can come out unscathed, while both have the chance to show us if they are for real or not.

Trivia Question of the Week

Alabama's Tua Tagavailoa broke the Alabama career record for TDs responsible for when he hit 80 this week against Mississippi (he since flew past that mark in the game).  Whose record at 80 TDs responsible for did he break?  Bonus question, who is third in Alabama history?

The Ole College Try

This season is starting to get interesting, especially as teams enter the heart of their conference schedules.  Auburn-Texas A&M, Kentucky-Mississippi State, UCLA-Washington State and many other important battles as teams vie for rankings within their power conferences.  Add a little Georgia-Notre Dame on top for good measure, and we had a great week of college football.  And UCF learned a bit about how hard it is to play in a real conference and having to play solid teams week-in-and-week out (more on this later).

I am scrapping the "fake" Heisman watch method of reporting about last week's college football season, as even I tired of me making fun of how tiring it is listening to talking heads talk about the Heisman.  I am going to try out my pro-football recap format with some more college related topics as well.

Game of the Week

UCLA 67 - Washington State 63. This game was not just the game of the week because of the high score and the fact that it was close, but it was how the game progressed.  Washington State raced to a 35-17 halftime lead, and UCLA came storming back by scoring 50 points - IN THE SECOND HALF.  Anthony Gordon threw for 570 yards and 9 TDs, including 4 to receiver Easop Winston, Jr. - AND LOST!  Bruin receiver Chase Cota gained 147 yards receiving, AND DIDN'T EVEN LEAD HIS OWN TEAM!  Thirteen different players entered the endzone, including a kick return and punt return for UCLA.

Best Team Performance

Wisconsin Badgers. They thoroughly dominated the Michigan Wolverines at home, as they raced to a 35-0 lead against the higher ranked Wolverines.  Jonathan Taylor rushed for 203 yards on 23 carries, pacing a 399 team rushing performance that reminded Michigan's defense of, well, Army.  Wisconsin cemented itself as the toughest competition for Ohio State in the Big 10, not Michigan.

Least Impressive Team Performance

Arkansas. The easy answer would have been Tennessee, and I saw their decrepit performance live at Florida field as they laid a 34-3 egg against the Gators.  It was so bad that walking down the street after the stadium, a group of Tennessee fans that were waiting until the last possible minute to leave a tailgate parking facility (presumably to let traffic calm down and not to keep drinking), were cheering and taunting Florida fans that the Gators actually gave up a field goal, including a pantomine of the kick.  Brilliant self-trolling.  But alas, along came fellow SEC member Arkansas, who then lost, at home mind you, 31-24 to San Jose State, and this was even though Arkansas scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to cut into the Spartans lead.  Arkansas gave up 402 passing yards to Josh Love. What do you think Tua, Joe Burrow and Kelly Bryant are thinking?  Forget thinking I am sure they are salivating!  To make matters worse, the Razorbacks paid San Jose State $1.5 million to play this game.

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Offense)

Jonathan Taylor, RB - Wisconsin Badgers.  The aforementioned Taylor rushed for 203 yards on only 23 carries, and scored 2 TDs early against the Wolverines, to basically take their soul as Wisconsin rushed, literally, to a 35-0 lead.  Because the award is QB-centric and because of the likes of Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagavailoa and Trevor Lawrence, Taylor may not win the Heisman, but he is better than all of them.

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Defense)

Evan Weaver, ILB - California Bears. This one wasn't even close.  Weaver made 22 tackes, including 11 solo (out of a total of 79!).  In that total was 1/2 sack, 2 QB hurries, and, oh yeah - a goal line stop as time expired to preserve the 28-20 victory at Mississippi!  This is the single most impressive defensive performance since Buffalo's Khalil Mack in a losing effort at Ohio State in 2013.  

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Special Teams)

James Stefanou, K - Colorado Buffaloes.  Stefanou's field goal with 2:02 left gave Colorado a 34-31 lead they would not relinquish, to help lead the Buffaloes to their first win over a ranked opponent in 17 years.  Stefanou's kick was necessary, as Colorado was being depleted by injury, after losing their best two players in the first quarter, and various other players as the game progressed.  I am not sure they would have lasted through overtime.

Goat of the Week

Aaron Mathews, WR and Kenny Pickett, QB - Pittsburgh Panthers.  Mathews threw a touchdown pass to quarterback Pickett on a "Pitt Special" version of the "Philly Special" to defeat the two-time defending national champions and undefeated UCF Knights (Please note sarcasm.)  How are they goats?  Well, as much as I hate that uppity Knight fans legitimately think their team is a top-notch level championship contender, this Pitt Special took away the argument that they are not.  And, although I love being proved right, part of sports is that we get to argue, and that argument is no over.  On the other hand, UCF fans did learn what it is like to play in a good conference, where even the average teams prove tough, especially at home, when you have to play them week-in-and-week-out.  Coming off an impressive performance at home over Stanford, UCF traveled to Pittsburgh only to get beat.  This is what it is like in a real conference, even though Stanford is way down by its standards and Pittsburgh is just a good team (almost beat Penn State).  Imagine say, being in the SEC West where Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State call home.  Even Mississippi gave undefeated Cal a run.  This is what you should aspire to UCF, but you are not there yet.  Your skill position players can play with anyone; you do not have the strength in the trenches or the depth - yet.  You are on your way, though.

Breakthrough Performance

Michael Pittman, Jr., WR - USC Trojans. We have seen flashes from Pittman, but nothing like this against a quality opponent.  Ten catches, for 232 yards and 1 TD in the Trojans 30-23 defeat of #10 Utah.  Pittman's yards were much needed as USC's team rushing total for the entire game was 13 yards.

Finally

A.J. Dillon, RB - Boston College Eagles,  We have seen this before from potential All-American Dillon, but I have been waiting for him to just take control of a game.  He did that in BC's 30-16 victory over Rutgers by carrying the ball 32 times for 150 yards and 2 TDs.  Dillon's toughness are going to determine which bowl game BC attends, and which ACC teams they Eagles can upset.

Impact Injury

Zack Moss, RB - Utah Utes.  Moss, a potential All-American, injured his shoulder and the effects of this injury were shown immediately, as Utah missed his presence in a 30-23 loss to USC. Moss, usually the feature back in Utah's offense, left after only 6 carries.  If he misses significant time, this could effect the entirety of the Pac-12, as Utah, then ranked 10th in the country, was one of the few teams that could challenge the other Big Five teams for a college football playoff spot.

Team Rising

California Bears - Undefeated at 4-0, and beating a tough (although not great) SEC team on the road.  They look to rise several spots from their previous ranking of 24, aw Chase Gerbers looks to make a name for himself among some very good Pac-12 quarterbacks.

Team Falling

Michigan Wolverines - Michigan, Michigan, Michigan; falling, falling, falling.  It isn't THAT they lost to an excellent Wisconsin team in Madison; but rather that they were thoroughly annihilated.  This was the kind of loss that turns murmurs about firing a coach into actual talk.  Michigan State and Ohio State are now salivating.  Of course, if Wisconsin goes on to do this to Ohio State AND Michigan State, then we may understand that Wisconsin is more than excellent.  But, until that point...

Goat of the Week (Player Edition)

Being at the Florida-Tennessee game honestly meant that I could not see much of a lot of other games, so no goat of the week for the players this year as I cannot adequately assess this category.

Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)

Jim Harbaugh - Michigan.  It is possible that Michigan just doesn't have the talent to run with Wisconsin.  But, from the standpoint of watching the game and its outcome, Michigan just wasn't ready, and a lot of that blame has to rest with the coach.

Player(s) to Watch

Anthony Gordon - QB - Washington State Cougars.  Yes they lost 67-63, but Gordon threw for 570 yards and 9 TDs!  For the season, Gordon has passed for 1,894 yards and 21 TDs in ONLY 4 GAMES.  As a senior, it is interesting to see how the quarterback he replaced, Gardner Minshew, II, is performing as the starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars, which is pretty well.  Could the NFL be in Gordon's future?

My New Favorite Player

D'Eriq King, QB - Houston Cougars.  Partly because of the trivia question, this week, and partly because this multi-talented dual-threat quarterback is hard to contain, even though the Houston offense is lacking in playmakers besides King.  But, mostly because King, a senior, is taking the rest of the season off after a 1-3 start in order to redshirt and come back with a hopefully more productive roster next year after he has graduated.  The you can play 4 games and redshirt rule is so that young players don't waste a season of eligibility just because of a 1 game injury to an upperclassman and so coaches can play some freshman sparingly just to give them some action without losing a year of eligibility.  But, King is taking full advantage of this rule on the back-end of his college career when his senior year is not going as planned, and I commend him for it.

Players of the Week (Just Week 2)

5.  Kellen Mond, QB - Texas A&M Aggies - A more than commendable 31-49 for 335 ad 2 TDs in the Aggies loss to Auburn.

4.  Michael Pittman, Jr., WR - USC Trojans.  See above.

3. Evan Weaver, ILB - California Bears.  See above.Dillon Gabriel - QB - UCF - Gabriel had a phenomenal game as UCF soundly defeated Stanford.  Gabriel was 22-30 for 347 yards and 4 TDs.

2.  Anthony Gordon , QB - Washington State Cougars.  See above.

1. Jonathan Taylor, RB - Wisconsin Badgers.  See above.

Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups

Alabama (1) v. Clemson (4)/ (2) Ohio State v. (3) Oklahoma

I have shuffled the rankings, but still have the same four teams.  This is how I feel things are now, not a prediction on the future, especially since the SEC West is a loaded gauntlet for anyone, even Alabama.  Georgia is also lurking in the east.  Wisconsin is looking strong, also.

Remaining Unbeatens

Alabama, Appalachian State, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, California, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas State, LSU, Memphis, Minnesota, Navy, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, SMU, UAB, Virginia, Wake Forest, Wisconsin

Remaining Winless Teams

Akron, New Mexico State, UMass, Rice, Vanderbilt

Rant(s) of the Week

Targeting. Still targeting.  Listen, I am not opposed to this penalty in general.  I am not a "this is not real football" person.  But, we have to somehow better define this rule.

Last Week's Trivia Answer

The question was:  With Tagovailoa returning to college after finishing second in the Heisman Trophy race in 2018, how many players have finished second for the Heisman Trophy returned to win the Heisman the following year?  Name them.

The answer is 4:  Tom Harmon (Michigan - 1939); Glenn Davis (Army - 1945); O.J. Simpson (USC 1967): and Herschel Walker (Georgia 1981).  Interestingly, Glenn Davis finished second in 1943 AND 1944.

Match up(s) to Watch

6.  Brown v. Harvard - Harvard starts its campaign toward the Ivy League crown after a tough cross-country defeat at San Diego.  Brown comes off a narrow 35-30 victory over Bryant.

5. Navy v. Memphis - The winner remains undefeated and takes control of the American Conference (not UCF - for now).

4.  Arizona State v. California - Only a last minute field goal by Colorado has kept this from becoming a battle of undefeateds as Herman Edwards brings his team to Berkeley to take on a tough Bears football team hot off their win at Mississippi.

3. Mississippi State v. Auburn - Mississippi State is coming off its win against Kentucky, which looked tough the week before against Florida.  Auburn is undefeated after beating a tough Texas A & M squad.

2.  USC v. Washington - Another big Pac-12 matchup as the #21 ranked Trojans travel to UW to take on the #17 ranked Huskies.

1.  Virginia v. Notre Dame - The 18th ranked Cavaliers travel to South Bend to face off against the Fighting Irish, still ranked #10 after their close defeat at Georgia last week.  Virginia is certainly for real if they pull this game off (the are a very good team regardless).

Trivia Question of the Week

On Saturday during Houston's 38-31 loss to Tulane, Cougars' quarterback D'Eriq King set an NCAA record with 15 straight games with both a passing and a rushing touchdown, breaking whose record?

The Ole College Try

Lots of upsets, as ranked teams went down to unranked foes.  And, a couple of more survived upset bids themselves.  It is too soon for the college football season to be this exciting, isn't it? NO - not at all.

For those that don't remember, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous that the networks, including the World Wide Leader, nay, especially the World Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race all season at the expense of everything else.  Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.

Heisman Watch

Quarterback Edition

Favorite - Jalen Hurts -Oklahoma - He is 12th in the NCAA in passing yards AND 6th in the NCAA in rushing yards (tied).  Oklahoma pummeled UCLA this week, putting up only 48 points, which is down from the 59.5 they were averaging.

Rising - Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa - Alabama - Not sure you can consider "Tua", "rising", but I just didn't have him as a favorite last week.  He cemented his place in consideration (probably in second right now), with 444 yards and 5 TDs in a 47-23 victory over SEC foe South Carolina.  Plus, I just wanted to type his full name.

Sleeper - Anthony Gordon - Washington State - The Cougar quarterback leads the NCAA in passing yards - by over 200 yards (202 to be exact).  If Mike Leach can somehow keep Washington State competitive in the Pac-12 North, and maybe into a Pac-12 championship game, Gordon could rise up the charts.

Falling - Feleipe Franks - Florida - Believe it or not, some people thought that he would be a darkhorse coming into this season.  By suffering an ankle injury against Kentucky, thus ending his season prematurely, and then seeing Kyle Trask come in and lead Florida to a come-from-behind victory, any and all thoughts of this occurring have not just fallen - they have ended.

Running Back Edition

Favorite - Jonathan Taylor - Wisconsin - Best running back in college football.  Has a statement game against Michigan this weekend.

Rising - J.K. Dobbins - Ohio State - They say Ohio State is only going to go as far as Justin Fields takes them, but this is not true.  Their fate lies with running back J.K. Dobbins, who has already gained 425 yards this season, good for 4th in the NCAA.

Falling - D'Andre Swift - Georgia - As good as any runner (including Taylor and Etienne), but is a victim of his team's success.  Georgia is annihilating teams, and because of that, Swift is not getting many touches - just 9 rushes last week in the Bulldogs' 55-0 defeat of Arkansas State.

Sleeper - Zack Moss - Utah - Moss, a WeMakeItRain pre-season All-American would never ordinarily qualify as a "sleeper", except he plays for Utah.  So far Moss is tied for 6th in rushing yards in the NCAA with 373, and Utah has risen to 10th in the rankings.  If Utah somehow manages its way into the college football playoffs, Moss could get some Heisman love.  Moss also isn't suffering from overuse, as he only ran the ball 10 times (for 106 yards) last week.

Wide Receiver Edition

Favorite - Jerry Jeudy - Alabama - Because of the glut of talent present on Alabama, Jeudy is not going to have those "WOW" stats that lead the NCAA, but he will have those "WOW" plays.  His 24 catches are tied for 5th in the NCAA.

Rising - DeVonta Smith - Alabama - He made 8 catches for 136 yards and 2 TDs in Alabama's win over South Carolina.  Will ultimately be hindered because he lines up next to Jeudy.

Falling - Rondale Moore - Purdue - Moore is suffering from the injury to his quarterback Elijah Sindelar, but 3 catches for 25 yards last week against TCU is not going to cut it as a Heisman favorite.

Sleeper - David Duvernay - Texas - He already leads the NCAA in receptions with 27 (three-way tie).  Since he plays for Texas, he is going to get to play against a lot of Big 12 defenses, which means statistically, Duvernay's season is limitless.

Defensive Edition

5.  Jace Whittaker - CB - Illinois - His 3 interceptions lead the NCAA(well tied for the lead).

4.  David Reese III - LB - Florida - Finished last week's game against Kentucky with 16 total tackles, 13 of them solo.

3.  Oluwole Betiku, Jr. - DE - Illinois - Leads the NCAA with 6 sacks, despite opposing teams having to game plan for basically only him, and running the ball a ton in the second half.

2.  Ethan Aguayo - LB - San Jose State - Off a bye week, he no longer leads the NCAA with his 34 total tackles, but his per game pace leads me to believe he will have that lead back soon.

1.  Evan Weaver - LB - California - Leads the NCAA with 40 total tackles.

Player(s) to Watch

Jamie Newman - QB - Wake Forest - With the glut of talent at the QB position in college, Newman is going to be overlooked, but this kid can play. So far this year he has a 69% completion percentage, a 7-1 TD/INT ratio and supplements his throwing with an ability to run - 78 yards rushing against North Carolina.  Plus, Wake Forest is 3-0.

My New Favorite Player

Kyle Trask - QB - Florida - Only because he is not Feleipe Franks.

Players of the Week (Just Week 2)

5.  Khalil Herbert - RB - Kansas - He rushed for 187 yards and 1 TD on only 1 carry as Kansas defeated Boston College 48-24.

4.  J.K. Dobbins - RB - Ohio State - Making his second straight appearance, as he gained 193 yards on 22 carries and 1 TD in Ohio State's 51-10 victory.

3. Dillon Gabriel - QB - UCF - Gabriel had a phenomenal game as UCF soundly defeated Stanford.  Gabriel was 22-30 for 347 yards and 4 TDs.  No word yet on whether UCF fans are already giving themselves the championship this season.

2.  Anthony Gordon - QB - Washington State - Gordon was 36-48 for 440 yards and 3 TDs as the Cougars of Washington State defeated the Cougars of Houston 31-24.  I smell reality series ...

1. Tua Tagovailoa - QB - Alabama - What cane we say? 28-36 for 444 and 5 TDs.

Goat of the Week (Player Edition)

Chance Poore - K - Kentucky - Actually, the award should go to his parents as this is a terrible name for a kicker, but Poore missed a 35 yard field goal with 53 seconds left which would have given Kentucky the lead, and possibly its second straight defeat over Florida. Hopefully it doesn't affect this red-shirt freshman's career too much.

Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)

Willie Taggert - Florida State - Taggert's second straight appearance, as he completely mis-managed the clock and time in the 4th quarter during Florida State's 31-24 defeat at the hands of Virginia.  Not that this was an upset as the ranked Cavaliers were favored to win, but instead of having a chance at a last-second play, Taggert's mismanagement led to no play for FSU.  Taggert may not make it through the season.

Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups

Alabama (1) v. Ohio State (4)/ (2) Clemson v. (3) Oklahoma

Again, still way too early to tell as tons of teams are still alive.  LSU is looking especially interesting, as is Georgia.  Can a Pac-12 team stay unbeaten?

Final Unbeatens

Still too many to list right now.  May commence this section in another week or two.

Rant(s) of the Week

Targeting.  Now, I am not one of those "in my day football was manly" type of people.  I fully support the safety of the players and targeting as a penalty.  But, we have to clarify what the rules are, especially in one particular instance, when the ball carrier and/or receiver is hit by someone else first causing their body - and most importantly their head - to change positions.  The officials called targeting on Kentucky's T.J. Carter for a hit on Florida quarterback Kyle Trask.  The problem, as Carter was attacking Trask another Wildcat defender had hit Trask from the back so Trask started falling forward.  Carter did hit Trask helmet-to-helmet, but, without the split second timing problem on the initial hit, Carter's shoulder would have hit Trask in the chest - textbook tackling.  The targeting penalty - and accompanying ejection - gave Florida an additional 15 yards and an automatic first down, instead of a 3rd and 29 from their side of the field.  Florida went on to score a touchdown on the drive.

Under Performance of the Week

Michigan State - They fall 10-7 to Arizona State at home. Arizona State is a solid program so this isn't like Tennessee losing to Georgia State, but the lackluster play and the 12 men on the field penalty which occurred as the Spartans were kicking the game-tying field goal are standard symptoms of an under-performance.

Last Week's Trivia Answer

As a reminder, the question was:

We will start off easy:  There are five active NCAA head coaches that have won NCAA titles as head coaches.  Name them.

The answers are: Mack Brown, Jimbo Fisher, Les Miles, Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney.

Trivia Question of the Week

With Tagovailoa returning to college after finishing second in the Heisman Trophy race in 2018, how many players have finished second for the Heisman Trophy returned to win the Heisman the following year?  Name them.

Match up(s) to Watch

5. Harvard at San Diego - It is the start of the Ivy League non-conference season, as the Crimson, with conference title hopes, start their year on the west coast.

4.  Tennessee v. Florida - Only ranked this high because I am going to be there.

3. Michigan v. Wisconsin - A huge Big 10 game this early in the year. This is a must if either of these teams think they have a chance to make the college football playoff with a conference championship.

2.  Auburn v. Texas A & M - A huge early season SEC matchup between schools with ideas of breaking into the Alabama-LSU duopoly atop the SEC west.

1.  Notre Dame v. Georgia - The biggest game of the week as two top 10 ranked teams play each other for the right to gain much needed style points for the committee when they select the college football playoff participants.  Georgia, with the opportunity to defeat Alabama or LSU in an SEC championship game, can absorb a loss much easier than Notre Dame can.