Wk #3: Statement Week

CFB never fails to remind us that even the best predictors are not always correct. Four teams in the T25 fell this week, three of them to un-ranked teams. Ohio State tried to make a statement after losing last week by beating up on Kent State 66 - 0 (just stop it, Meyer). Virginia did make a statement with their win over #21 Louisville (remember they almost beat UCLA in week #1). Boston College made their presence known taking one from USC. SCAR stated that they are not the team we saw in week #1. And ECU plainly stated that they are not to be ignored.

BYU struggled getting to 3 - 0. Coming off the big win at Texas they were a little cocky and not quite as precise as the first two games. That caught up with them and they almost gave the game away. They take on Virginia this week who beat #21 Louisville.

The UGA and SCAR game did not disappoint. Twas a game of two young defenses, two well executed offenses, various questionable penalty calls, and close measurements. In the end, it came down to which defense was not the worst. SCAR held strong when it counted most and got the W. And once again, UGA is chasing SCAR and counting on them to lose. A tough slot to be in and one they've been in many times lately. But hang in there Dawg fans...a 3-point loss to a ranked division rival in their house won't count much down the home stretch.

Yes - the masses will second guess UGAs play calling in the final minutes. I will not. We don't know the ins and outs of what is going on in the heat of the battle. Doing just the opposite of what the opponents (and fans) expect works as often as it doesn't. UGA coaches took the risk and it didn't pay off this time. Hindsight would say feed it to Gurley, burn the clock and take the go ahead touchdown...even if it takes four tries with Gurley. But I'm sure when the call came in that it made sense at the time.

UCLA held on to yet another close win to stay un-defeated. But it was a W over struggling Texas. We'll see what they are really made of when they take on ASU.

Really? I've never seen THIS happen before.

Wk #2: Too Weak

There was indeed some excitement this week but many teams played down a level. It was, as Mark May of ESPN put it, "Stat pad Saturday." Winning scores in the 70s and losing scores of 0 were the result of a few games. Great for padding the stats and checking out your 2nd string, but an embarrassment for the other team.

BYU padded a few stats...but against Texas. At halftime it was anybody's game but BYU did what they oft failed to do last year: made adjustments. And those adjustments paid off in the 2nd half. Yes - there are those that will say BYU was playing an injured / suspended Texas. But remember - that was only the Texas offense. BYU's 41 points came against a Texas defense that was not playing injured / suspended. The Coaches Poll is still unsure about BYU (ranking at #27) but they snuck into the AP at #25. Keep playing like the last two games and they'll see a single-digit ranking (as long as their opponents win a few).

OSU lost. No surprise to me. It has been a whine of mine for a year or more that OSU was held in such high regard (high ranking). Lots of wins but they never looked that great or dominant so their fall to an un-ranked VaTech didn't surprise me on bit.

Also - Oregon had a scare. UCLA not looking as sharp as expected. Nebraska pulled off the win in the final minute. With the exception of MSU the entire Big10 looks in disarray.

Wk #1: Re-thinking

After this first week of the long awaited play-off season, there is some serious re-thinking going on out there. Dang near every sportswriter had FSU and 'Bama in the playoff championship but Week 1 put some question marks on those two programs...

FSU held on to win and were it not for a fumble recovery they may have lost that game. One play away from losing to a non-ranked is not the FSU people were expecting. And Saban and the boys played about the same, finally pulling away in the end but not before a few thousand fans were sweating.

TAM showed that a few years of great recruiting and coaching pays off even though the one-man Johnny Football show left town. A seamless transition - just what a great coach expects. SCAR had their hat handed to them and they've got some work to do. UCLA struggled with a Virginia team that went 2 - 8 last season. They'll need serious OL improvement to allow their playmaker QB shine. OSU and LSU looked rusty and unprepared, even though they pulled out Ws.

We'll see a lot more of this guy.

Georgia played like a team just glad to be healthy and injury-free and have the chance to showcase the talent they couldn't last year. And that they did. They unveiled a deep backfield that will have defensive front fours huffing before half-time. Smart adjustments to their defensive scheme and offensive play calling garnered them a 2nd half shutout, an offensive explosion and the win over a very good Clemson team (beware FSU).

BYU played like they wanted to win. They brought and executed a good game plan and made well timed adjustments. (And it didn't hurt that they showed up a day earlier than last year's east coast first game debacle in Virginia). They proved they can still throw (and catch) the ball, play up-tempo when it makes sense and slow down if necessary, and have a successful, balanced attack. The 150 yards of penalties? So what - first game jitters and just proof they are playing with some passion (thank heaven). They'll give Texas a good run next week.

END-ZONE

From Andy Staples at si.com:

"...Going into a season, we don't really know anything. That's the beauty of this sport. Even the safest assumptions can be turned upon their heads on an annual basis. We can't draw any real conclusions until October, but the constant guessing is half the fun....".

Off-Season 2014

Get up! It's Gameday (almost).

Here are a few headlines that caught my attention since January:

• There is a new poll in town: the Grantland Rice Super 16. I'll view it only out of curiosity. I'm a Coaches Poll fan since it is made up of people who live college football day in and day out.
• The new College Football Playoff (CFP) committee. I like to think this group will help build the foundation for what we all know will become a bigger and better playoff. Only three questions:
• Who was the selection committee for the selection committee?
• Were these folks on a ballot, vying for a spot or were they approached?
• How did Condoleeza Rice get on this gig? The others have some association with the sport but she never played. (She did oversee sports at Stanford and hired Tyrone Willingham. But does she watch enough to make playoff level decisions?)
• There were two 8th grade commits to LSU. One is a nephew of Koy and Ty Detmer. LSU has a serious long-term vision and they are putting it in place.
• And, of course, the lawsuit.
• I read both sides. I do think the NCAAF (BCS) was a big scam (read "The Six Billion Dollar Scam"). But both arguments have some merit and I think this is a good, baby-step move in the right direction. Highly paid players may take away from the sports passion. But this is just enough to be more fair, not be highly paid or remove passion.
• Click HERE for a summary on the Northwestern "players as employees" case.
• Click HERE for a summary of the O'Bannon ("pay for play") trial.
• And you gotta love Jon Stewart's take on all this: click HERE.

My 2014 Predictions

• Florida State will not repeat. Their soft schedule will take them far but they'll be schooled in the end.
• Alabama will have  "down" (re-building) year for the first time in years.
• The PAC-12 highly touted and loaded offenses will beat up on one another...but a playoff team will emerge. I'm guessing UCLA.
• Defense will reign once again in the SEC now that Manziel, Mettenburger, Moore and McCarron are playing on Sundays. 
• The Big 10 won't be part of the playoff...neither will Alabama.

Though I'm a big fan of UGA and BYU I will have my eye on a few other teams this year. (Oddly enough, four are from the PAC-12):

• Utah: I'm curious how Whittingham will handle his hot seat year, especially in a loaded PAC-12 conference.
• Washington: I want to see if Peterson can duplicate what he did at Boise State.
• USC: I just like Sarkisian's style of coaching and want to see how he transfers that back to USC.
• UCLA: I just want to watch Brett Hundley (my pre-season Heisman favorite). 
• Texas: I really like Charlie Strong, his background and his commitment to success and I want to see if he can bring that program back.

END-ZONE

Autonomy given to the Power 5? I'm not sure that is such a good idea. I like the limitations they put in place but too much power in too few hands usually spells trouble. Can't we all just get along?

Bowl Season Wrap Up

"The day after Alabama's dominant win over Notre Dame in last year's BCS National Championship, Bovada released 2013 national title odds. Alabama was an obvious favorite at 5/1, and Oregon, Ohio State, LSU, Texas A&M, and Florida rounded out the top five. Tied with Florida at 14/1: Florida State. And tied with Georgia Tech and Iowa at 200/1: Auburn. College football always plays out just like we expect, doesn't it?" (SBNation.com, 05 Jan 2014).

Yahoo! Bowl Pick 'Em Contest 2013-14

And that pretty much sums up the final season of the BCS system. Of course, we now have another system to whine about, and college football would not be the same without some whining. But the final BCS season worked out OK and the bowl season was fantastic. Well, except for my inability to predict the winners (see picture).

BYU and Georgia shared the same bowl fate - a loss. And for the same reasons: sluggish play. Neither looked excited or prepared to be there. Both had chances to win down the stretch but couldn't execute. Poorly prepared and a disappointment to fans. BYU made zero halftime adjustments being content to stick to the hurry-up offense and maintain their #2 ranking as the team that runs the most plays...failing to recognize that running the most plays does not win games. Oddly enough, both teams are pre-pre-season ranked by USAToday in the Top 25. Georgia because they "should be healthy" again and BYU because they have a "light schedule".

Texas A&M vs Duke was a great final show for Johnny Football. Duke owned the first half and surprised us all. But A&M coaching made the right adjustments at halftime which resulted in one of the best comebacks of the season.

Oklahoma over 'Bama was the surprise of the bowl season. Yahoo! noted that 95% of respondents bet on 'Bama to win (as did I). Where has Oklahoma been all season? Who was that QB? Where was that speed and those receivers and that play calling all season? How did they not win the Big 12? They are ready for next year. And Saban will come back waaaay upset after losing two in a row for the first time in five years. Last time that happened (also in the Sugar Bowl against an unsuspecting Utah team) 'Bama started their reign as kings. (Hey...did Saban really hire Kiffin? Was he on crack?).

And, of course, the title game. High powered offense Florida State over Auburn and their unforgettable worst-to-first season of miracle plays. What a great game and ending to another fantastic season. At half it was as I predicted: the soft schedule FSU had all season was catching up with them and they were no match for an Auburn team who worked their way to the top. But, alas, I was incorrect again. For FSU coaching made adjustments that worked (including using towels to hide play calling). Got to hand it to coaching staffs like FSU and A&M that can go into half-time losing and bring out a completely different team.