We've published
nine stories on Mizzou vs Murray State since the game ended late Thursday night. We've covered that one from every possible angle. Every Sunday, I'll take a look around what else stood out to me in college football action across the country.
1) There were no significant upsets in the first full week of action. After Florida State went down to Georgia Tech in Ireland, the rest of the top 12 went unbeaten and mostly unchallenged in the first game of the year. That means when rankings come out on Tuesday, it's a virtual certainty Mizzou is going to be ranked 10th in the country. There's a small chance LSU could blow out USC and that could somehow carry enough weight for those Tigers to jump these Tigers into the top ten, but it doesn't seem all that likely. Missouri did what it needed to do and now will very likely be a top ten team. The way the polls work, they'll stay there as long as they keep winning.
2) They may have to disband the ACC. Florida State's loss wasn't necessarily great for the league, but at least it was a conference game. SMU didn't exactly light the world on fire beating Nevada 29-24 in a game the Wolfpack gave away more than the Mustangs won it. I don't think anybody really expected Clemson to beat Georgia, but the Tigers were ranked 14th and you'd expect them to at least put up some resistance against the Bulldogs. They did not. It was just a 6-0 game at halftime, so maybe that counts for something, but
Dabo Swinney's loyal soldiers laid down in the second half, losing 34-3. Clemson was outgained 447-189 and just didn't look like it belonged on the same field. You have to wonder if bolstering the roster with a few transfers at key positions might have helped.
But the biggest hit for the league happened in Nashville. Vanderbilt took down Virginia Tech 34-27 in overtime. Don't get me wrong, the Commodores deserve credit. They look like a much more competent outfit than they've been the last few years, thanks mostly to New Mexico State transfer QB
Diego Pavia. Pavia threw for 190, ran for 104, accounted for three touchdowns and is generally fun as hell to watch. But the Hokies were supposed to be an ACC contender and I've even seen a few people pick them as a surprise playoff team. That seems out of the question after yesterday.
3) The only saving grace in that conference was the Miami Hurricanes who, at least for a day, lived up to the hype. Cam Ward threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns and added another 33 yards on the ground in a 41-17 thrashing of Florida that really wasn't even that close. For the people who do stupid things like Heisman Trophy straw polls after week one, Ward will probably be atop them. Of course, the story of this one is as much the Gators' ineptitude as it is the Canes' dominance. In a year in which most believe
Billy Napier to be fighting for his job, it was a terrible way to start. A loss can be forgiven, a humiliation is tougher. The Gators should get their first win next week against Samford, but other than that, there's only one game I'm almost sure they'll win (that's a trip to Mississippi State in week four and while they'll be favored, it's far from a gimme). Things can change drastically from week to week in this sport, but the way Florida played yesterday brought 3-9 or 2-10 clearly into the picture. I don't care what it costs, nobody survives that kind of record in year three in Gainesville.
4) The biggest head scratcher in the top 25 took place in Eugene yesterday. Oregon beat Idaho just 24-14.
Dillon Gabriel threw for 380 yards and two touchdowns.
Jordan James ran for 95 and a score. Idaho had only 207 yards of offense and Oregon won the turnover battle 2-1. I didn't watch a second of this game, but I simply can't figure out looking at the box score how it was only 24-14. The stats tell me Oregon dominated, the score does not. There weren't many big plays. Oregon had just three go for more than 20 yards and the longest was 24. In the end, the only thing that matters is a win. If Oregon has the season most believe it is going to have, nobody's really going to remember that they only beat the Vandals by ten points. It's just a really curious result.
5) The biggest game of the week (other than maybe Georgia/Clemson) took place in College Station. There are two sides to this one. Let's start with the negative, because that's more fun. We learned
Mike Elko is not a miracle worker. Eight months ago, I feel like everyone knew this. And then as the season got closer, more and more people started to generate buzz about Texas A&M. It's like they just can't help themselves. Every year, A&M is an offseason darling. And every year, it comes up short of that. I don't think last night was a disaster of any sort for the Aggies (outside of
Connor Weigman's 12/30, 100-yard, two interception night). Notre Dame is a good team with a potentially great defense. Nobody should have expected Elko to walk in and have it all rolling in week one against a top ten team. But it was certainly a bit of a letdown after yet another summer of hype around a program that hasn't really lived up to it since my grandparents were teenagers.
On the flip side, the Fighting Irish will almost have to try not to make the College Football Playoff now. They were a slight underdog last night. They will be favored in the rest of the games they play. Three of their four toughest remaining games (Georgia Tech, Louisville, Florida State) are in South Bend and the only real road test is at USC. We have no idea what the Trojans are going to be. That could be a tough one. It could also be a season finale against a team that has disappointed and mailed it in. If Notre Dame goes even 3-1 in those games, it's virtually impossible it finishes outside the top 12. Even 2-2 might give them a shot.
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