1) OH MY GOD MICHIGAN STATE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Sparty had tied Arizona State with six seconds left, but had 12 men on the field on the kick. Pushed back five yards, the kicker missed wide left. Arizona State 10, Michigan State 7, Mark Dantonio the target of all the Spartans' ire.
2) OH MY GOD IOWA STATE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
The Cyclones lost the game. Then Iowa rubbed salt in the wound and won Twitter
3) College kickers man...Kentucky trailed Florida 22-21 and drove the length of the field to set up a game-winning 35-yard field goal. And then...
I mean, the dude's name is Chance Poore. Unfortunate name for a kicker, but accurate on Saturday.
The Gators also lost Feleipe Franks to a season ending dislocated ankle in this game. Kyle Trask looked good and led them to a win and I know the skeptics are saying Florida just got better. Maybe it did...but Dan Mullen hasn't made his career out of being an idiot with quarterbacks and if he was starting Franks, there has to be a reason.
4) Very little about Arkansas' win over Colorado State was remarkable or noteworthy. Except Colorado State's tackling, which is an embarrassment to the game of football.
The Hogs have a winning record, so good for them. They ought to win next week too against San Jose State. After that, I think winning will become far less frequent.
5) Look out, Kansas State might have found itself another damn good football coach. Some eyebrows were raised when the Wildcats hired Chris Klieman from North Dakota State. Nobody was outraged, but making the jump from FCS to FBS isn't automatic no matter how good you were in FCS. But Klieman took the Wildcats into Starkville and won 31-24, outscoring the Bulldogs 14-3 in the fourth quarter. I don't think Mississippi State is a great team, but it's a good team and a road win over an SEC team is nothing to sneeze at, especially when nobody was picking you higher than eighth in the Big 12. Klieman has the purple people 100% behind him at 3-0 going into the bye week. You'd think KSU is headed to a bowl game, which most people wouldn't have thought before the season.
6) Speaking of the Sunflower State, avert your eyes if you object to any praise of Kansas. The Jayhawks got their first Power Five road win SINCE 2008 on Friday night when they waxed Boston College 48-24. I watched about 2/3 of the game and Kansas just flat whipped the Eagles. They were running all over the place. I mean this sincerely, congrats to the kids on that team. They've been through some things. They just did something their program hasn't done since some of them were in second grade. But also, Steve Addazio probably has to be fired now. There was talk of it before the season. And you just can't get blown out by Kansas on your home field.
Along with this point, Clemson better not lose a game this season. If it does, it has to be out of the playoff. The Tigers' best opponent before the season was supposed to be Syracuse. Clemson dispatched of them easily with a 41-6 win. Here is the rest of the schedule:
Charlotte: Terrible
North Carolina: Better than we thought but bad
Florida State: I'm not 100% sure Willie Taggart makes it to this game
Louisville: See North Carolina
Boston College: Lost to Kansas
Wofford: Come on
NC State: Blown out by West Virginia
Wake Forest: Best conference game left?
South Carolina: Toughest game left on the schedule, but may not be playing for anything by then
They'll probably get UVA in the ACC title game. Clemson better hope UVA wins every single game. The No 1 team in the country is going to be largely ignored the rest of the year. As long as they keep winning big, they'll stay No. 1. But the only way any of the games are more than a footnote is if someone manages to be within two touchdowns going into the fourth quarter. If Clemson loses once, they can't get in over any Big 12, Big Ten or SEC team with one loss. It's not really their fault, but outside of Texas A&M, they're not going to play anyone.
7) Two proud programs going in complete opposite directions played in the Rose Bowl last night. Oklahoma blew out UCLA 48-14 and that's not really even noteworthy. The Sooners look every bit as good offensively as they did the last two years when their starting quarterback won the Heisman. Jalen Hurts threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 150 and a score. Here are his numbers this season:
Passing: 49/61, 880 yards, 9 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
Rushing: 38 carries, 373 yards, 4 touchdowns
Hurts is averaging 12.66 yards every time he runs or throws the ball. Oklahoma's offense is averaging 10.5 yards PER PLAY. My goodness.
Meanwhile, Chip Kelly is now 3-15 in a year plus at UCLA. The only game the Bruins are going to be given much of a shot in is against Oregon State in three weeks. What a disaster it is in Westwood.
8) Speaking of disasters, Illinois lost to Eastern Michigan 34-31 on a field goal at the gun yesterday. EMU coach Chris Creighton now has three wins over Big Ten teams in the last three years (yes, wins over Rutgers and Illinois still count as Big Ten wins, plus he beat Purdue). Lovie Smith has two. It's impossible to see how the Lovie Smith experiment continues beyond this year barring a miraculous turnaround nobody can see coming. This was written on our Illinois site yesterday (in a story, not on the message board):
This loss was on Lovie, the defensive guru who made a name for himself in the NFL before losing two jobs and getting a golden parachute from Whitman. Four seasons into his Illini project, Lovie took over the defense rather than hire a capable assistant, then doubled down by hiring his inexperienced son and throwing him 200K to hold a clipboard.
Karma is a bitch.
https://illinois.rivals.com/news/lovie-smith-era-takes-another-blow-with-disappointing-loss-to-emu
OOF. It might be a little harsh and the last word is probably unnecessary, but the basic point is largely true. The Illini might be favored over Rutgers later in the year, but even if you give them that one and a surprise, it's tough to find more than four wins. That's not good enough in year four.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Maryland came back to earth with a loss to Temple and Purdue got hammered by TCU and is 1-2 and I know we are all supposed to universally sing the praises of Jeff Brohm, but I'm wondering if we should tell the guy building the statue to hold off for a few months.
9) We are three weeks into the season and I can already tell you the six teams that have a real chance at the playoff. Sure, weird things can happen and you just never know, but it will be a big surprise to me if four of these six aren't your final four: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Clemson. Welcome to college football where nothing ever changes.
10) Six games I want to watch next week:
Utah at USC, 8 pm Friday, FS1: With Washington and Oregon already having a loss, the PAC 12 kind of needs Utah to run the table to have any chance at the playoff. Clay Helton watch is back on at USC.
Tennessee at Florida, TBD Saturday: While a Vols win would benefit the rest of the East, it's probably better to keep them on the mat and take your chances Florida drops a couple later on.
Kentucky at Mississippi State, TBD Saturday: If the Cats start 0-2 in league play with a backup QB, how do they respond? But can MSU bounce back? If they lose two in a row at home to Wildcats (KSU and UK) that's a pretty rough September. Also watch for Bulldog RB Kylin Hill. He's a stud.
Michigan at Wisconsin, 11 am Saturday, FOX: Wisconsin has looked better than people expected. Michigan has looked worse. The winner is in the top ten and the top challenger to Ohio State and will attempt to trademark "the" if they beat the Bucks. The loser can have a solid season, but can't make a serious run at anything.
Auburn at Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m., CBS: Hell of a game here. One of the two best of the weekend.
Notre Dame at Georgia, 7:00 p.m., CBS: Appointment viewing.
Sparty had tied Arizona State with six seconds left, but had 12 men on the field on the kick. Pushed back five yards, the kicker missed wide left. Arizona State 10, Michigan State 7, Mark Dantonio the target of all the Spartans' ire.
2) OH MY GOD IOWA STATE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
The Cyclones lost the game. Then Iowa rubbed salt in the wound and won Twitter
3) College kickers man...Kentucky trailed Florida 22-21 and drove the length of the field to set up a game-winning 35-yard field goal. And then...
I mean, the dude's name is Chance Poore. Unfortunate name for a kicker, but accurate on Saturday.
The Gators also lost Feleipe Franks to a season ending dislocated ankle in this game. Kyle Trask looked good and led them to a win and I know the skeptics are saying Florida just got better. Maybe it did...but Dan Mullen hasn't made his career out of being an idiot with quarterbacks and if he was starting Franks, there has to be a reason.
4) Very little about Arkansas' win over Colorado State was remarkable or noteworthy. Except Colorado State's tackling, which is an embarrassment to the game of football.
The Hogs have a winning record, so good for them. They ought to win next week too against San Jose State. After that, I think winning will become far less frequent.
5) Look out, Kansas State might have found itself another damn good football coach. Some eyebrows were raised when the Wildcats hired Chris Klieman from North Dakota State. Nobody was outraged, but making the jump from FCS to FBS isn't automatic no matter how good you were in FCS. But Klieman took the Wildcats into Starkville and won 31-24, outscoring the Bulldogs 14-3 in the fourth quarter. I don't think Mississippi State is a great team, but it's a good team and a road win over an SEC team is nothing to sneeze at, especially when nobody was picking you higher than eighth in the Big 12. Klieman has the purple people 100% behind him at 3-0 going into the bye week. You'd think KSU is headed to a bowl game, which most people wouldn't have thought before the season.
6) Speaking of the Sunflower State, avert your eyes if you object to any praise of Kansas. The Jayhawks got their first Power Five road win SINCE 2008 on Friday night when they waxed Boston College 48-24. I watched about 2/3 of the game and Kansas just flat whipped the Eagles. They were running all over the place. I mean this sincerely, congrats to the kids on that team. They've been through some things. They just did something their program hasn't done since some of them were in second grade. But also, Steve Addazio probably has to be fired now. There was talk of it before the season. And you just can't get blown out by Kansas on your home field.
Along with this point, Clemson better not lose a game this season. If it does, it has to be out of the playoff. The Tigers' best opponent before the season was supposed to be Syracuse. Clemson dispatched of them easily with a 41-6 win. Here is the rest of the schedule:
Charlotte: Terrible
North Carolina: Better than we thought but bad
Florida State: I'm not 100% sure Willie Taggart makes it to this game
Louisville: See North Carolina
Boston College: Lost to Kansas
Wofford: Come on
NC State: Blown out by West Virginia
Wake Forest: Best conference game left?
South Carolina: Toughest game left on the schedule, but may not be playing for anything by then
They'll probably get UVA in the ACC title game. Clemson better hope UVA wins every single game. The No 1 team in the country is going to be largely ignored the rest of the year. As long as they keep winning big, they'll stay No. 1. But the only way any of the games are more than a footnote is if someone manages to be within two touchdowns going into the fourth quarter. If Clemson loses once, they can't get in over any Big 12, Big Ten or SEC team with one loss. It's not really their fault, but outside of Texas A&M, they're not going to play anyone.
7) Two proud programs going in complete opposite directions played in the Rose Bowl last night. Oklahoma blew out UCLA 48-14 and that's not really even noteworthy. The Sooners look every bit as good offensively as they did the last two years when their starting quarterback won the Heisman. Jalen Hurts threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 150 and a score. Here are his numbers this season:
Passing: 49/61, 880 yards, 9 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
Rushing: 38 carries, 373 yards, 4 touchdowns
Hurts is averaging 12.66 yards every time he runs or throws the ball. Oklahoma's offense is averaging 10.5 yards PER PLAY. My goodness.
Meanwhile, Chip Kelly is now 3-15 in a year plus at UCLA. The only game the Bruins are going to be given much of a shot in is against Oregon State in three weeks. What a disaster it is in Westwood.
8) Speaking of disasters, Illinois lost to Eastern Michigan 34-31 on a field goal at the gun yesterday. EMU coach Chris Creighton now has three wins over Big Ten teams in the last three years (yes, wins over Rutgers and Illinois still count as Big Ten wins, plus he beat Purdue). Lovie Smith has two. It's impossible to see how the Lovie Smith experiment continues beyond this year barring a miraculous turnaround nobody can see coming. This was written on our Illinois site yesterday (in a story, not on the message board):
This loss was on Lovie, the defensive guru who made a name for himself in the NFL before losing two jobs and getting a golden parachute from Whitman. Four seasons into his Illini project, Lovie took over the defense rather than hire a capable assistant, then doubled down by hiring his inexperienced son and throwing him 200K to hold a clipboard.
Karma is a bitch.
https://illinois.rivals.com/news/lovie-smith-era-takes-another-blow-with-disappointing-loss-to-emu
OOF. It might be a little harsh and the last word is probably unnecessary, but the basic point is largely true. The Illini might be favored over Rutgers later in the year, but even if you give them that one and a surprise, it's tough to find more than four wins. That's not good enough in year four.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Maryland came back to earth with a loss to Temple and Purdue got hammered by TCU and is 1-2 and I know we are all supposed to universally sing the praises of Jeff Brohm, but I'm wondering if we should tell the guy building the statue to hold off for a few months.
9) We are three weeks into the season and I can already tell you the six teams that have a real chance at the playoff. Sure, weird things can happen and you just never know, but it will be a big surprise to me if four of these six aren't your final four: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Clemson. Welcome to college football where nothing ever changes.
10) Six games I want to watch next week:
Utah at USC, 8 pm Friday, FS1: With Washington and Oregon already having a loss, the PAC 12 kind of needs Utah to run the table to have any chance at the playoff. Clay Helton watch is back on at USC.
Tennessee at Florida, TBD Saturday: While a Vols win would benefit the rest of the East, it's probably better to keep them on the mat and take your chances Florida drops a couple later on.
Kentucky at Mississippi State, TBD Saturday: If the Cats start 0-2 in league play with a backup QB, how do they respond? But can MSU bounce back? If they lose two in a row at home to Wildcats (KSU and UK) that's a pretty rough September. Also watch for Bulldog RB Kylin Hill. He's a stud.
Michigan at Wisconsin, 11 am Saturday, FOX: Wisconsin has looked better than people expected. Michigan has looked worse. The winner is in the top ten and the top challenger to Ohio State and will attempt to trademark "the" if they beat the Bucks. The loser can have a solid season, but can't make a serious run at anything.
Auburn at Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m., CBS: Hell of a game here. One of the two best of the weekend.
Notre Dame at Georgia, 7:00 p.m., CBS: Appointment viewing.
