Week 13

The Playoff Selection Committee and the Big 10 quandary. Louisville drops one to Kentucky (Kentucky?). Boise State and Houston losing. With a Penn State win in the conference championship but an OSU placement in the top four, the PSC will have some explaining to do.

And coaches are already on the move: Strong is out :( , Herman is in, Oregeron is official, Kiffin might leave Bama. More to come...

The best game over the weekend was the UGA vs GaTech game. UGA lost 28-27 in a contest that they had in hand by the 4th quarter...until Georgia suffered three injuries to its secondary during one GaTech drive. That was the game changer. GaTech took advantage of inexperienced replacements, as any team would, and pulled out a close one.

The best part? A prime example of the "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate". With about 9:49 left in the 3rd Quarter, Lance Austin from GaTech tackled Sony Michel. Sony is laying on his back and before he could get up Lance picked him up by the face mask and dropped him back down. (Note: Lance went on to intercept Georgia in the final minutes to secure the GaTech win).

Week 12

Week 12 was actually just left-overs from Week 11. Louisville, Utah and LSU all lost big games and knocking them all out of any contention for conference championships. All were expected to win. And the next two Saturday's are "YOOGE" (as Trump would say): Aub-Bama, OSU-Mich, UW-WashSt, UF-FSU, and then the conference title games. Anything could happen...and often does.

What's up with Western Michigan? Where will they end up when it's all said and done? I haven't watched them play yet but I'm excited to see how good they really are. And I really like it when teams honor one of their fallen, but this honoring went the extra mile. See article HERE.

Week 11

Un. Believe. Able.

The week started out unusual when everyone thought Hillary would beat Trump, but Trump prevailed in the end (heaven help us).

Then on Saturday, the rain started to fall. November rain. Only once before have #2, #3 and #4 fallen on the same week (1985). They may be back, or not. Overnight, we went from five unbeatens to now only two (Bama and Western Michigan).

• #4 Washington had no answer for #20 USC. They were simply outplay by a team that wanted it more.
• #3 Clemson has been on the ropes too many times and it finally caught up with them.
• #2 Michigan was simply beaten. Iowa looked well prepared and took advantage of the Wolverines likely over-confidence and expected blowout mentality. Or, maybe it was the pink locker room Iowa has for the visiting teams.

And...

• #9 Auburn was stuffed by a committed Georgia defense that held them to zero 2nd half first downs.
• #8 TA&M could not hold on and let Ole Miss back in the game. Did they forget about the many Land Shark's comeback runs?
• Also losing were #14 VaTech, #13 North Carolina, and #25 Baylor. The first two to un-ranked teams.
• And looking good down the stretch: Utah, Colorado, Penn State, Florida, Oklahoma and LSU.

Some may say the losses at the top muddied the playoff waters. Not me - it cleared things up. We were shown that maybe these three are not true contenders. We want the top four teams, teams that really want it, teams that don't overlook "lesser" opponents, and teams that are not one dimensional (rely on one or two star players).

All hail the underdog.

Week 10

What is going on with the SEC East? There is no beast of the east to match-up with the best of the west. Arkansas, maybe the 5th best team in the west, man-handled Florida. The SEC East needs to do get back to its heyday form. Bama met its match Saturday night but still did what we all expected - win. But LSU looks resurgent along with South Carolina and even a little resurgence from the Dawgs.

Louisville and Washington are doing what they are supposed to - win - but until they play someone with a bit more credentials they are going to be on the edge of the playoffs. Michigan is looking like a complete team ready to take on anyone, maybe even Bama.

More surprises: Miss State over TA&M? Navy over Notre Dame? Colorado ranked? Auburn almost letting it slip away to Vandy? And Vandy, giving it all to Auburn? TCU by 40 over Baylor? (No surprise since Baylor had not played anyone significant yet...like Washington and Louisville). Did anyone see this coming? Not me...

Week 9

Here is my poll analysis ahead of the first of the season playoff poll to be released this week. As usual, my comments are per the Coaches Poll, not the AP.

Alabama, Clemson, Washington and Michigan are deserving of their top four sots. Louisville at 5? Hmmm, they've had a too many close calls. I think Baylor and West Virginia had their weak schedules exposed (maybe we should take that into account earlier). Florida State still in the Top 20 with three losses? That's fishy. Utah didn't drop a spot after losing to UW...and that is probably right as close as that was. Yet Louisville remains at #5 after barely getting past UV?

Yep - the playoff poll will be interesting. Plenty of comments to come...

Week 8

There are nine unbeatens left. Here is my guess at who will stay unbeaten: Alabama, Boise State and maybe Washington (if they get by Utah this week) and maybe Nebraska. I think Ohio State will bounce back against Michigan and that the other sub-par Big 12 teams will beat each other up.

Alabama: Seemingly unstoppable at this point. Though I believe that most any team can win on any given Saturday, just as any highly ranked team can have a bad Saturday, I just don't know when such a combination would present it self this year.

Damn. Is that scoreboard right?

Ohio State: It was a matter of time. As in years past, OSU looks good and executes well but tends to look past "lesser" opponents, and then pay for it. (Of course, no tears from me. I respect the talent of the OSU coaches and players, but there is just something that has always bugged me about that school).
Penn State: A great reminder to never underestimate the power of a team that really wants the W, especially when said team's fans want it just as much.
Louisville: Continuing to make noise.
Utah: Massive PAC-12 showdown this week with UW in SLC. Whittingham will be prepared to throw everything at the Huskies and won't hold anything back. That is gonna be good.
Auburn: Are they really that good?
Georgia: A much needed bye week to prep for the WLCP and a much needed W to somewhat salvage the season.
BYU: The team that is literally four good plays away from being undefeated. Yes - the fake punt on 4th and 19 from your own end zone was crazy - like uber Les Miles crazy - and it'll be remembered for a long time. Few coaches will ever second guess Sitake now. BYU just should've gone with, and still should, a 2QB system. And just a side note: three of the four teams that BYU has lost to are in the Top 20.

"Yea, why not? Let's fake this!"

Week 7

I've watched more than my share of college football this year (and years past) but I have not really watched Bama or Ohio State or Wisconsin this year until yesterday. Holy guacamole.

Alabama just looks unstoppable by all accounts. They never seemed tired or worried about a comeback miracle or even annoyed. Well planned, well executed.

Though I am not a Big 10 fan, and in particular not of Ohio State or Whiner Meyer, I can't not applaud the speed and execution of Wisconsin and OSU. I was, of course, pulling for Wisconsin but nonetheless impressed with both teams and their talent. Their consistent execution of plays in a hurry up mode the entire game was like nothing I've seen this year. Kudos.

BYU continues to get better, although with notable weaknesses. We'll see how they fare this week on the Smurf Turf. Georgia continues a gradual downfall. They seem unable to put together a balanced / complete offensive attack like they did in Week 1. Maybe the week of for the Dawgs will give 'em a W in the Cocktail Party, a much needed W.

Week 6

Not feeling well today......

BYU made a statement and seems to be firing on all cylinders. But why did they put Mangum in to take a knee at the end?????

Georgia has a great running attack but inconsistent passing. But they got the job done against the Gamecocks. Got more work to do.

Houston...dang it. I love it when the underdog breaks in to the party. It'll have to wait.

And Tennessee...I was pulling for you after besting my Dawgs last week...but I guess the you used up your three wishes in Sanford Stadium.

A great life lesson to be learned from the firing of Les Miles: click HERE.

Week 5

Well welcome to October. What a whirlwind of a weekend with three Top 10 matchups.  I enjoyed watching Lamar Jackson and Louisville and the QB battle with Watson was a fun shootout. I'm only slightly surprised by the blowout UW handed Stanford as I'v long been impressed with Coach Petersen. And Harbaugh showed he has made quick progress at Michigan and I'm looking forward to the UM-OSU game.

BYU had me up way past bedtime Friday night with their shootout win over Toledo. It was a defense-less game but once again down to the wire with BYU pulling off the 55-53 win. At least they had a chance to get in to a much-needed offensive groove before the three State games (Michigan State, Mississippi State and Boise State).

But it was the Georgia-Tennessee game that had my heart racing. Georgia nails a perfect go-ahead TD strike with 10 seconds left and then loses it on the short kickoff and subsequent perfect Hail Mary by Tennessee. The result: a rare double "Surrender Cobra" (see pics below).

Watch the last 30 seconds of the game HERE.

Surrender Cobra #1 by Tennessee fans.

Surrender Cobra #2 by Georgia fans.

How UT's Jennings came down with that is unbelievable.

Week 4

Tough are the weeks when both your teams lose.

Georgia Bulldogs: Embarrassed. Throttled. Routed. Thrashed. Blown out. Unprepared. Out of sync. Lots to fix before UT visits next week. 'nuf said.

Just out of reach - again.

BYU Cougars: Oh so close...again. Three losses, all by less than three points. IMHO, two of those losses were due to Taysom trying to be a hero. But we all want that hero-Taysom to come through like he has before, it just doesn't always work out that way. But he did play his best game so far and I suspect we'll see weekly improvement from here on out.


NOTABLES
This has been a rare September where top teams are emerging now instead of the usual mid-October time frame. The SEC and PAC-12 seem to already eb narrowed to a few true contenders as does the Big-10. Never a dull moment...

The Utah Utes with Whitingham and his staff have shown an ability to control the 4th quarter like no other - clock management, play calling, predicting opponents plays, etc. And it is paying off. Stanford lead a great 2-minute drill with seemingly no concern that it might not work. Tennessee overcame a 21-point deficit to finally beat Florida after 10-straight losses to the Gators. Auburn over an up-and-down LSU team n the final seconds (or final second with the TD called back). Wisconsin looks to be real as does Texas A&M.

Week 3

Where did Louisville come from? And when did they get so good? And how far will they go? They not only looked flashy but dominant as well. You could almost say the same for North Dakota State, asking why they are still an FCS team. And Ole Miss was right there ready for the #1 upset and they let it slip through their hands.

Georgia narrowly escaped...again. But what a show of two great QBs and an exciting look into the SEC-East future. With Eason, Dobbs and Lock set to be around a few more years things will be interesting in the east. Georgia showed they are more than just good running backs with Isaiah McKenzie (aka: Human Joystick) stepping up and playing the star role that Mizzou was not prepared for.

BYU...hmmm. They just seemed stuck last night. They could not find the right combination of plays or players. They had periodic surges on both offense and defense that proved they could take the W, but they could not string enough of those together at once. In the end they came across as bland and timid and unwilling. But that is only my view; I'm sure there is much, much more to the story.

And speaking of Josh Rosen, he has a few things to say about the state of college football. I think he may leave UCLA a better place and make a difference for future players. Read the article HERE.

Week 2

On what was billed as a weak weekend of college football (no Top 25 match-ups) there was still plenty of excitement.

Georgia was one more bad play from losing to FCS team Nicholls. Nick Chubb was stopped over and over again by a defensive line playing their first game of the season. The FCS Southland division has been warned. And Georgia dropped in the polls, as they should.

Oklahoma State also dropped in the polls on a bad play call, that officials later admitted was an incorrect interpretation of the rule book. Were the voters required to drop them? I know the game outcome cannot be changed but can't voters vote by what they know, not the outcome?

And speaking of bad calls...the Holy War between BYU and Utah did not disappoint. I got my scalped tickets money's worth. But seriously, back-to-back targeting calls and ejections with a 15-yarder on the coach sandwiched in between? By all means, eject players who target, and I know replay officials see a lot more footage than the average viewer or attendee, but I saw nothing that merited those calls.

There were a few moments worthy
of waving the Y flag.

And speaking of bad calls (part 2)...the call to go for 2 by Sitake was admirable; great to see some gumption and some risk taking and some aggressiveness and confidence in his team. But, IMHO, did they really have a play ready that would fool Whittingham? Had they practiced it? Didn't Taysom Hill just complete his best drive and groove of the night? Had BYU not just worn out the Utah defense on a well-called, well-executed 75-yard drive? Taking it to OT would have put groovy Taysom and that same worn out defense back on the field and given you a better shot at the elusive W.

Great venue.

NOTE: I may be a bit of a Sunday Morning Coach (SMC) but deep down, I don't really second-guess those guys. I know they are in the heat of the battle, time constrained, know their players capabilities and weaknesses, plus they have a paycheck riding on real-time, hasty decisions. I don't pretend to know better.  

Week 1

The hype over Tennessee has been building for the last few years...they're coming back...young team...tons of returning starters...it's all coming together, etc. But they did not look like that team. Maybe a bit too much pressure. Maybe now the nerves are all worked out, but I doubt it.

Top 10 pre-season favorites LSU and Oklahoma both dropped their opener. The underdog enjoys nothing more than beating the odds. Houston might be the real thing. Wisconsin, I think, was just the benefactor of poor LSU prep.

Great to see Nick Chubb (Georgia) back in action and he didn't miss a beat. He'll carry the team while the QB issue and newbies settle in. Also good to see Taysom Hill and Jamal Williams (BYU) back in the game after a hiatus. They made it clear that they've missed the game as much as BYU fans have missed them.

Bama quieted the critics (myself included...I thought they had too many questions to come out of the gate looking that good) and quickly answered their QB question. But bringing on Sarkisian? Really? I like Sark but it would just look odd to have Sark and Kiffin working together again.

ENDZONE
In the late 70s Fleetwood Mac released a unique song, Tusk, recorded with the USC marching band. For obvious reasons it became a staple at USC games. Rumor has it that Saban himself suggested it become a part of Bama football when he came to the program and the Million Dollar Band has since been playing it each game. This begat false stories of how Mick Fleetwood actually wrote the song about Bama since it's located in "Tuskaloosa" and their mascot is an elephant (although tuskless). Look Mr. Saban, college football is tradition. Nothing wrong with adding new traditions but come up with your own. Stealing traditions is not allowed.

BTW...Tusk was one of the earliest rock videos. See it HERE.

Bowl Season / Wrap-Up 2015

EMBARRASSED:

• The BYU - Utah Holy War was strange, very strange. I don't know that I have ever seen a game like that. BYU lost their first five possessions and the Utes scored on each one from short fields, making the game 35 - 0 in the 1st quarter! Then BYU woke up and prevented Utah from scoring anymore yet still lost 35 - 28. What an interesting way for Mendenhall to end his BYU career. September 10, 2016 will be interesting.
• Michigan State: I was a believer after the Iowa game and how well MSU handled a good Iowa team. But apparently it was a facade.
• Iowa: Again, a believer because they did so well in the BIG10 championship against MSU. But they never stood a chance against Stanford.
• The BIG10 in Bowls: 50%
• UCLA losing to Nebraska. Nothing against the Huskers but they have struggled this year and UCLA should have taken this one.
• Florida State...finding it tough to recapture the Winston era.
• Oregon, for blowing a great lead.

PROUD:

• Tennessee and Michigan looked dominant in their wins and ready for 2016.
• TCU, for a comeback win in 3OT with a QB no one had heard of before.
• Bama and Clemson showed why they are ranked #1 and #2. They man-handled their opponents in the semi-finals. That is the right match-up.
• McCaffrey: Why did he just get publicity late in the season. I wish I would have watched more of his games.
• The SEC in Bowls: 80%
• Any team who slipped into bowl play with only five wins, and won!
• UGA without head coach, OC and DC did just fine and Smart seems the right guy for a shot at turning things around (but I'll really miss Richt).

My Bowl Pick'em Results: I took a few more risks this year than normal and ...

...yes, I really suck at this.