No Surprise

No surprise...

Meyer strikes the surrender cobra pose.
Been waiting all year to see this.
Thanks Purdue!

That Ohio State lost to an unranked team - again. OSU is just not consistent and has not been for years. Even the last time they made they playoffs they started and ended the game with the same score. Plus - this year it seems everyone had it out for OSU given the summer fiasco. The signs were there with close calls and comeback wins - it was just a matter of time.

No surprise...
That the World's Largest Cocktail Party did not disappoint. Two fierce conference rivals, both 6-1 with a shot at the SEC East crown. One coming off an embarrassing loss, the other coming off a season-high win (over the team that embarrassed the other). Sure, Georgia pulled away but not until the 4th quarter. The Dawgs are not known for bouncing back but my bet was on Jake Fromm and his competitiveness. I didn't think he'd let that LSU game keep him down.

No surprise...

A new low at BYU - hardly any fans
on a perfect fall day for football.

That BYU failed to show any passion or aggressiveness yet again. There does not seem to be much hope for a turnaround this year as we all hoped. The QB change sparked one game but failed to demonstrate any QB or team consistency. For the first time in years I'm debating whether or not to seek out and pay top dollar for the Holy War as I have in years past. It could be really, really ugly.


No surprise...

Not even in the student section.

That the top four remain the same but I doubt that'll be the case in a month. Remember how 4-6 weeks ago we all thought we'd see Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Washington vying for a playoff spot? Bama or LSU will drop out this week and I still have my doubts about Notre Dame pulling it off. Clemson is playing better but I think both Clemson and Bama have yet to be tested and may not be unless they meet up - again.

Top 10 Melt Down

And this is why college football is fun to follow...unpredictable, close games, passionate fans, crying fans, pro picks that run a muck, etc. Its just anybody's call on any given Saturday. Four losses and two close calls in the Top 10.

That first loss after a 6-0 start
s tough to accept.

1. Alabama: Still rolling as expected but weaknesses are showing. Much like UGA (until yesterday) I don't think Bama has been tested yet.
2. Georgia: The flubbed fake field goal in Q1 took all passion out of the Dawgs and it was downhill from there. Four turnovers, dropped passes, over-thrown passes. It was not their norm and LSU took advantage. They've got serious rebounding to do as their next three games are against Florida, Kentucky and Auburn.
3. Ohio State: Talented and well coached but like Bama, yet to be tested.
4. Clemson: They're just glad they had a bye week in unlucky Week 7.
5. Notre Dame: Down to the wire after trailing most of the game. This just gives future opponents more insight.
6. West Virginia: Awww...this was my dark horse team. A scoreless second half...really?
7. Washington: One of my pre-season picks but now they are out of the playoff discussion. Yes - it was an OT loss but a 2-loss team is out of the question this year.
8. Penn State: Not surprised as I think, and have for two years, that they are still re-building.
9. Texas: Starting to turn things around. It just took a few coaches to figure it out.
10. UCF: See Notre Dame above.

Hey - BYU discovered that making a much-needed QB change sometimes makes everyone else up their play a little more. Mangum had promise but not the consistency and the Cougars may have found some light down the stretch.

Separation Anxiety

Five weeks into the season and we are starting to see the real contenders as well as the real pretenders. IMHO, the contenders today are determined not by your W column or who you've played but by your consistent play and crisp execution.

The Pretenders
VaTech looked good on paper but losing to Old Dominion, regardless of your win over a ranked team this week, shows the inconsistency.

BYU never should have been ranked #20 and I agreed more with the Coaches Poll at about #26. Give 'em credit for what they did in Wisconsin but to show up last night with little or no resemblance is evidence they still have a ways to go before deserving a Top 25 ranking.

Jury-Still-Out
Clemson is just hanging on but showing they have the drive to do so - and can.
Georgia is winning and winning handily. But their execution is a bit sloppy and they are just not as crisp as last year. The next few weeks (Vandy, LSU, Florida, Kentucky, Auburn) will test them Dawgs.
West VA is gaining ground with the voters and rightfully so.
UCF is, too.
Ohio State is not great. Their win over Penn State was due more to a poor defense than a great offense. We'll see...
Others: LSU, Oklahoma, Kentucky

The Contenders
I was not a Notre Dame believer but they seemed to have turned the corner this year and given a favorable schedule they have a chance to really keep the selection committee up at night. With a worthy independent team the committee will have it's hands full deciding which two Power 5 conferences to leave out this year.

The Huskies looked very good against a decent BYU defense. Their Week 1 loss may hold them out of the playoff depending on who else has 1-loss.

Bama has and continue sot separate itself. Granted - five wins were against opponents who are currently 12 - 12. They still have yet to be really tested and TA&M showed they can at least be hampered. But I've watched my fair share of football over the years and I have not seen a team as well prepared, conditioned and able to execute as the what I've seen in Bama this year. Will they lose one or could they? Sure - any given Saturday shows u s that. But I'd say it's not likely.

Telling Week 3

After a couple of cupcake weeks and most teams at the top falling in line, Week 3 proved to be a bit of a test for some and insight of others.

BYU is 2 - 0 against Heisman hopefuls. Both these wins were away games, both upsets, yet they could not pull off a W at home against Cal last week (it was BYU 2017 playing last week...too little, too late). But week 1 and 3 BYU showed they can play better and more consistent this year. Against the Badgers BYU was not lucky, they just man-handled in the trenches and made the right play calls at the right time. BYU is not #1 by any means but they felt like it on Saturday. They'll play with some confidence the rest of the season.

Georgia is done playing around and it is all uphill from here on out. They cannot afford to look ahead or overlook any team or rest on their laurels.

Bama continues to dominate but I wonder if the ease of winning will catch up to them...

Ohio State is done with it's Urban ban but they are still targeted more than any other top team this year and that will catch up to them. We won't see them in the playoff and I don't think the selection committee wants to deal with the ire it would draw anyway.

Off to the Race

Week 1, as usual, had few surprises as the top teams took care of business as expected. Most played FCS or other sub-par opponents but we got the Bama QB question answered (as if we did't already know) and Miami picked up where they left off 2017 (as many expected).

The Washington-Auburn showdown created plenty of chatter as both teams could end up their respective conference champs and in the playoffs. Ohio State ran up the score (again) just making the new haters hate even more. Georgia showed off both QBs and a number of backs as they prepare for another run at the title. West Virginia converted a few more (I was already on their bandwagon) with a convincing win.

BYU pulled off the biggest upset as they controlled Arizona and their Heisman Favorite QB / SI cover boy most of the game. Their defense stepped up and the offense played with more consistency (that is what they lacked most last year). If they can keep that up and improve on it they just might improve on the 2017 4-9 record - even with their brutal schedule (Cal, at Wisconsin, at Washington, at Boise State, at Utah).

ENDZONE
Saban, I get it, you're tired of the QB questions and you don't like the media anyway. They're a distraction. But we all have parts of our jobs we dislike (even if we really like our job). So make your peace with that fact, take a few deep breaths and let people do their job even when you disapprove of their chosen career.