I have to tell you I didn't actually SEE a ton of football yesterday. I followed some scores and such but since we were at the stadium for 11 hours, I am likely to miss some things.
1. Dan Mullen's making a difference at Florida. I think LSU was due to come back to earth, but the Gators have won at Mississippi State and at home against LSU and should be 6-1 when they face Georgia in Jacksonville in a couple weeks. If they win that one, they very well could win the East and finish 11-1. At a minimum, I'd think the Florida faithful have their sights set on a 10-win regular season. They were 4-8 and a disaster a year ago.
2. Texas just really hurt the Big 12. The Longhorns raced to a three-TD lead over Oklahoma, blew every bit of it and then won the game on a last-second field goal. The Sooners seemed destined for the playoff. Not now. West Virginia's the only unbeaten team, but still has Texas, Oklahoma, TCU and Oklahoma State, plus a road game at Iowa State next week. I can't see them running the table and winning the title game. So the Big 12's not going to have an unbeaten team. Who's the best bet to get in the playoff? Maybe the Longhorns, who opened the season losing to Maryland.
3. Speaking of Iowa State, I'm sold on Matt Campbell now. I am late to this party, but the guy knows what he's doing. The Cyclones beat Oklahoma State in Stillwater yesterday without starting running back David Montgomery. They're regular giant killers now, beating ranked teams frequently. They're still not consistent, but Campbell's done plenty for me to be intrigued what he could do at a place where it's a little easier to win.
4. The quietest unbeaten team in the country is NC State. The Wolfpack won 28-23 over Boston College yesterday. They're 5-0, but they've really not beaten anyone. They're at Clemson and Syracuse the next two weeks. They could really throw some things into chaos if they could beat the Tigers...and if they win the next two, an unbeaten regular season (it would be 11-0 because they had a game against West Virginia cancelled) isn't out of the question. Honorable mention here goes to 5-0 Colorado, which beat Arizona State 28-21 this week.
5. Notre Dame has a real shot at the playoff. The Irish are 6-0 after destroying Virginia Tech 45-23 in Blacksburg. They have road games at Northwestern and USC and some recognizable names on the schedule, but none of them are very good. If the Irish are 12-0, they're in without a doubt.
6. I'm buying Kentucky and selling Auburn. I know the Wildcats lost in overtime at Texas A&M, but they've made a believer out of me. They're not flashy, you don't watch them and think they're great, but that's a very solid team. Meanwhile, Auburn didn't score a touchdown in a 23-9 loss at Mississippi State which had looked terrible the previous two weeks. The Tigers have A&M, Georgia and Alabama left. 8-4 seems likely and 7-5 seems possible. That's not good enough for Auburn fans from a coach they just gave a trillion dollars.
7. Winless teams update: Nebraska gave up 370 rushing yards at Wisconsin. The Huskers are 0-5 and Scott Frost actually said he was encouraged by a 41-24 loss in which Nebraska never had a chance. UCLA lost 31-24 to Washington and is also 0-5. Those are the only two winless Power Five teams in the country. UCLA is at Cal this week and Nebraska is at Northwestern. Both have an excellent shot at 0-6, but thanks to a late addition to the schedule, Nebraska gets Bethune-Cookman and has a better chance to win a game soon than the Bruins do.
8. My Heisman vote as of today:
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
Johnathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin
McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF
9. If the playoff started today:
1) Alabama vs 4) Notre Dame
2) Ohio State vs 3) Clemson
I think UGA is one of the four best teams in the country, but they'd have to play Alabama at some point. I think it's possible all five of these teams, plus UCF, finish the regular season undefeated. GIVE ME ALL THE CHAOS.
Teams with a chance: Georgia, UCF, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia, Florida, Kentucky, Washington, Penn State, Michigan, LSU, NC State, Colorado. (Everyone after West Virginia is unlikely and probably needs help, but is theoretically possible in the right scenario).
10. Five games I'll watch next week:
Tennessee at Auburn, 11 am, SEC Network: Either Tennessee continues to be terrible or they pull an upset that will make Auburn people freak all the way out. Either way, I enjoy it.
Georgia at LSU, 2:30, CBS: The Bulldogs can almost ice a spot in the SEC title game with a win this week and a win next week against Florida. But it's a huge two week stretch.
Washington at Oregon, 2:30, ABC: The Huskies have to win to keep any realistic PAC 12 playoff hopes alive
West Virginia at Iowa State, 6:00, TBD: Don't discount the chances of a big-time upset here. The Big 12 better hope it doesn't happen.
Wisconsin at Michigan, 6:30, ABC: This game might feature seven passes. Also, I like seeing Jim Harbaugh lose and hope he does.
1. Dan Mullen's making a difference at Florida. I think LSU was due to come back to earth, but the Gators have won at Mississippi State and at home against LSU and should be 6-1 when they face Georgia in Jacksonville in a couple weeks. If they win that one, they very well could win the East and finish 11-1. At a minimum, I'd think the Florida faithful have their sights set on a 10-win regular season. They were 4-8 and a disaster a year ago.
2. Texas just really hurt the Big 12. The Longhorns raced to a three-TD lead over Oklahoma, blew every bit of it and then won the game on a last-second field goal. The Sooners seemed destined for the playoff. Not now. West Virginia's the only unbeaten team, but still has Texas, Oklahoma, TCU and Oklahoma State, plus a road game at Iowa State next week. I can't see them running the table and winning the title game. So the Big 12's not going to have an unbeaten team. Who's the best bet to get in the playoff? Maybe the Longhorns, who opened the season losing to Maryland.
3. Speaking of Iowa State, I'm sold on Matt Campbell now. I am late to this party, but the guy knows what he's doing. The Cyclones beat Oklahoma State in Stillwater yesterday without starting running back David Montgomery. They're regular giant killers now, beating ranked teams frequently. They're still not consistent, but Campbell's done plenty for me to be intrigued what he could do at a place where it's a little easier to win.
4. The quietest unbeaten team in the country is NC State. The Wolfpack won 28-23 over Boston College yesterday. They're 5-0, but they've really not beaten anyone. They're at Clemson and Syracuse the next two weeks. They could really throw some things into chaos if they could beat the Tigers...and if they win the next two, an unbeaten regular season (it would be 11-0 because they had a game against West Virginia cancelled) isn't out of the question. Honorable mention here goes to 5-0 Colorado, which beat Arizona State 28-21 this week.
5. Notre Dame has a real shot at the playoff. The Irish are 6-0 after destroying Virginia Tech 45-23 in Blacksburg. They have road games at Northwestern and USC and some recognizable names on the schedule, but none of them are very good. If the Irish are 12-0, they're in without a doubt.
6. I'm buying Kentucky and selling Auburn. I know the Wildcats lost in overtime at Texas A&M, but they've made a believer out of me. They're not flashy, you don't watch them and think they're great, but that's a very solid team. Meanwhile, Auburn didn't score a touchdown in a 23-9 loss at Mississippi State which had looked terrible the previous two weeks. The Tigers have A&M, Georgia and Alabama left. 8-4 seems likely and 7-5 seems possible. That's not good enough for Auburn fans from a coach they just gave a trillion dollars.
7. Winless teams update: Nebraska gave up 370 rushing yards at Wisconsin. The Huskers are 0-5 and Scott Frost actually said he was encouraged by a 41-24 loss in which Nebraska never had a chance. UCLA lost 31-24 to Washington and is also 0-5. Those are the only two winless Power Five teams in the country. UCLA is at Cal this week and Nebraska is at Northwestern. Both have an excellent shot at 0-6, but thanks to a late addition to the schedule, Nebraska gets Bethune-Cookman and has a better chance to win a game soon than the Bruins do.
8. My Heisman vote as of today:
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
Johnathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin
McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF
9. If the playoff started today:
1) Alabama vs 4) Notre Dame
2) Ohio State vs 3) Clemson
I think UGA is one of the four best teams in the country, but they'd have to play Alabama at some point. I think it's possible all five of these teams, plus UCF, finish the regular season undefeated. GIVE ME ALL THE CHAOS.
Teams with a chance: Georgia, UCF, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia, Florida, Kentucky, Washington, Penn State, Michigan, LSU, NC State, Colorado. (Everyone after West Virginia is unlikely and probably needs help, but is theoretically possible in the right scenario).
10. Five games I'll watch next week:
Tennessee at Auburn, 11 am, SEC Network: Either Tennessee continues to be terrible or they pull an upset that will make Auburn people freak all the way out. Either way, I enjoy it.
Georgia at LSU, 2:30, CBS: The Bulldogs can almost ice a spot in the SEC title game with a win this week and a win next week against Florida. But it's a huge two week stretch.
Washington at Oregon, 2:30, ABC: The Huskies have to win to keep any realistic PAC 12 playoff hopes alive
West Virginia at Iowa State, 6:00, TBD: Don't discount the chances of a big-time upset here. The Big 12 better hope it doesn't happen.
Wisconsin at Michigan, 6:30, ABC: This game might feature seven passes. Also, I like seeing Jim Harbaugh lose and hope he does.
