Wk 05: September to Remember

Personally I consider October the best month of college football. That is usually when conference play begins and the polls start solidifying and the pretenders begin getting weeded out. But I'll be the first to say that this September had a little bit of all that.

This weekend especially had a great ending to a great month of college football. Four Top 25 match-ups (which forced major poll shifting) and a Top25 lost to a non-ranked (OSU at WVA). The OU-ND game was a good re-match, South Carolina squeaked by a non-ranked, 'Bama defense put on a show against a ranked MSU and Ohio State was finally tested and showed some worthiness...maybe.

But the LSU - UGA game was a not-soon-to-be-forgotten back-and-forth. It was fun watching two very young defenses trying to figure out two very competent QBs and their receivers. I don't know that I have ever seen a game that showcased top-of-the-line QBs on either side with more than impressive receivers and soon-to-be top defenses fighting down to the wire (and yes, the UGA RBs did more than their share as well).

E N D - Z O N E

• BYU struggled with Middle Tennessee State? OK - I'm still a little upset about their performance against Utah. But really? Down to MTS at all? They won big but took too long to get it figured out.
• Kiffin fired? No surprise...it was just a matter of time...the clown had no believers and his antics and attitude have no place in college football.

Wk 04: Early Rivalry Game

The last Holy War between BYU and Utah (until 2016) played out last night and it did not disappoint (unless you were a BYU fan...like me). It makes 7 of the last 9 contests that have come down to the final play.

Rivalry games are about passion. The players' passion overshadows all the build up, the line, the talent, the experience, the series record, and the coaching staff. The players with passion win - and Utah has had that 14 of the last 20 years. Good local comments from Brad Rock.

BYU was favored, I thought they had their best chance in years, and yet they came up short. They made the Texas game look like a fluke. They were back to their 2012 habits of being predictive and not making adjustments. It's been a few tough years as a Cougar fan...and I don't see changes coming.

Whittingham has Mendenhall's number. It doesn't matter who has the best players or best record or best ranking, Kyle just knows how to win against BYU (he's 6 - 3 against Bronco). BYU executed a great game plan against Texas, they had two weeks to prepare for this one, yet they still came out and stuck to a non-working game plan. No one to blame but themselves (and Anae). And don't blame the refs, either...

Granted - the officiating was odd. As a spectator from the stands I'll not second guess what they are seeing because they have to make split-second calls in real-time. However, I was aghast at what I saw from the stands on this play (there is a reason it is already on YouTube). Two TDs called back, missed interference calls and late whistles were all curious indeed, but heaven forbid that be used as an excuse for losing. Every team, probably every year, faces some officiating fiasco. I don't believe any team really loses a game over poor officiating (OK...well maybe...like the infamous 5th down given to Colorado in 1990). Officiators, good or bad, are part of the game and good teams deal with it ... the not so good teams whine and use it as an excuse for years to come. No doubt the officiating from this game will be coffee break (or water-cooler) fodder for years to come in Provo.

E N D - Z O N E
Don't give me that crap about playing bad teams and and no other choice what not (see HERE). Ohio State and others ran up the score Saturday on a few teams for no good reason. Urban "Whiner" Meyer was back to his old ways of making teams look bad while thinking it makes his team look good. Call it "practice" or "warm up" or "testing out the 3rd string" or whatever you want. But up 55 - 0 at half (due to six TD passes) and you pour on another 22 the 2nd half? All the while padding stats and setting new school records? That's just wrong.

I do give kudos to a few (see HERE) who stepped up and did the right thing and eased the pain a bit. And I give kudos to FBS schools who do play FCS teams (unlike USC and ND) because it provides those programs some much needed cash.

Wk 03: As Expected

A few Top 25 losses this week but no big surprises. 'Bama bested TA&M in the long-awaited re-match as four of the Top 25 fell...two of those losses were to other Top 25 teams. We now have five 1-loss teams in the Top 25 and three that just moved in (Fresno State, Michigan State, Arizona State).

'Bama and TA&M: I actually had TA&M by 3 for this one - I simply did not think that 'Bama looked good in their opener and TA&M had already had two games to get any kinks worked out. It was a great re-match but 'Bama controlled most of the game once TA&M got a little cocky. Sometimes I think Saban likes to let teams think they might beat him and then he very patiently, methodically pulls out the win. But it was fun to watch Johnny Football play and nearly pull off an amazing comeback. He is a most versatile player who can improvise on the fly and I've never seen anyone who can throw that accurate off-balance and on the run. He showed it's worth the hassle up putting up with his antics.

There were a few surprises: Purdue scared ND. TCU lost to TT. After chants of "Fire Kiffin" last week, USC tried to make a statement with their win. After rumors of "Fire Brown" last week, Texas could not make a statement and I foresee changes a coming to that program real soon. (BTW - SI did a great print article this week on the downward spiral of USC and Texas even though their resources far exceed many other programs). Wisconsin fell to un-ranked ASU and Nebraska fell to an up-and-coming team-to-watch UCLA.

E N D - Z O N E

• The mighty SEC? We'll see. So far this year we have seen Georgia, Florida, Mississippi State and Tennessee lose to the ACC (twice) and PAC-12 and Big-12.
• Maybe I was wrong about Ohio State. A thumping of Cal, in Cal, without their star QB. They may change my mind yet.
• The big news this week was the SI report on pay for play (possibly) at Oklahoma State, Alabama and Tennessee. I'm a fan of the student athletes getting credit for their talents and what they bring to the school, but I am also a fan of following the rules. We've seen such infractions surface every year in some form or fashion for the last six or eight years yet the NCAA seems reluctant to force the issue, they take too long to make decisions and any sanctions they do enforce seem to have little effect. (OK...sometimes they get it right but it's a drawn out process).

Wk 02: Early Poll Shift

And we're only on Week 02! Two big name programs (Texas and USC) drop out of the AP altogether and Miami moves in for the first time in three years. The Top 10 is now made up of four SEC, two Pac-12, one AAC and one Big-10. Those SEC teams will play each other by the end of September.

Texas at BYU
Texas got their "Ash" whooped early in this one and never found an answer to BYU's offense nor their defense. BYU played their most complete game I've seen in in years. The weather was about the only thing that Saturday had in common with BYU's previous Saturday in Virginia. Other than the 2-hour weather game delay, BYU was simply not the same team. They actually made some adjustments in their game-plan, tried some new things, found what worked and just kept at it. When Texas finally showed signs of life in Q3 against the run, BYU actually adjusted and mixed in enough pass completions to keep them on their heels. This was the BYU we were all expecting in Week 01...but we'll take it in Week 02 and hope it just keeps getting better. A well earned week off next week.




Gamecocks at UGA
Another big test for UGA but no adjustment was necessary. They simply played like they did last week at Clemson (well...a little better) and the 'Ol Ball Coach was finally bested. And I'd venture a guess that most of the coaches did not sit together on that bus ride home (see video HERE). Georgia's young defense was tested time and again and had their mistakes but dug deep when it counted and made the necessary stops. A well earned week off for Week 03.

E N D - Z O N E

• BYU's victory proved to be the last straw for the Texas Defensive Coordinator - he was fired Sunday afternoon.
• Week 03 will bring us an early SEC showdown with title implications in the 'Bama - Johnny football re-match.
• I typically do NOT like the College Gameday court skit they often "perform" but I did find last Saturday's semi-legal analysis of whether or not to pay college athletes.

Wk 01: And they're off...

We are underway...finally...after a most interesting off-season. College football has a way of keeping our attention even in the off-season with coaching shifts, player antics and injuries, and the un-expected (see list below). But that's all over and we can get on to some serious ranting and whining.

The Off-Season:

View from the grassy knoll.

• the Manti Teo girlfriend fiasco
• Johnny Football making light of his fame...and embarrassing himself, TA&M and the good name of the Heisman
• Petrino already re-hired...wow
• 'Bama players using deer antler spray instead of PEDs
• the SI cover curse for K-State
• paying college athlete debates - see great article HERE

BYU at UVA

BYU coming on field.

I attended this game and may I first say how impressed I was with the campus, the facilities and especially the amazing hospitality of the people we met. We were greeted well, offered free lunch by the Physics Department, and hung out post-game in a pizza and sub bar with people who made us feel like long-time friends.

There were a plethora of BYU head-scratchers during this six-hour "deja' vu of 2012" activity: the team checking in to the hotel less than 24 hours before kick-off; a playbook of maybe half-a-dozen plays (run the middle, run left, run right, short pass to the flat, rinse, repeat); running the hurry-up instead of the huddle-up; etc. But the biggest head-scratcher was the first series after the two-hour weather delay: a 3-and-out series of run plays. Really Anae? After testing your new offense and seeing their defense for an entire scoreless quarter, you get two-hours to make adjustments and this is what you came up with - the same pattern that produced a scoreless 1st quarter? What were they all doing all that time...playing patty-cake with Pedro?

It rained hard...

The new hurry up simply gave UV more time on field and the entire game seemed an endless loop of the 2012 season: poor play calling, poor execution, lack of variety and passion, trying hard not to lose. And please...don't make excuses like "water-logged balls" and "the field was a swamp" when they had to play on the same field. Face the brutal facts: failing to make adjustments lost the game. Now get up, brush off, put it behind you and plan to do better (something different) next week.

UGA at Clemson
The marquis game of the week lived up to the hype of power offenses (73 points were scored), thus proving that both defenses are still questionable. UGA struggles with the big games. It's like a curse and they simply cannot get that monkey off their back. They have a great team, loads of talent and can hopefully make a better showing against the 'Ol Ball Coach next weekend.

...and then rained more.

E N D - Z O N E

• 'Bama did not look ready; they still have some prep work to do.
• Don't jump on the Clemson bandwagon yet...they played against a questionable defense.
• And don't jump too high when celebrating - just ask UGAs top receiver who is now out of the season after celebrating the first TD of the year.
• Louisville may be the team to watch. A cupcake schedule but lots of returning talent.
• OSU? I'm still not ready to believe they are really good.