I wanted to start this week’s column with, “Aha! I told you so! I told you Michigan State was on the downslide. I told you Michigan will be the king of the Big Ten soon!” Well, then came a fumbled punt attempt and subsequent scoop and score to end the hopes and dreams of all Wolverine fans as triple zero hit the game clock. Fans were stunned, Twitter exploded, and the mocking began.
That punt return was one of the most incredible plays I have ever watched, the other being the kick six in the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn. I still cannot fathom that Michigan State won that football game. Catch the ball, kick the ball, win the game. Everything went wrong for the maize and blue; everything went right for Sparty. And that was our official welcome to the second trimester, see here if you’re confused.
However, the scoop and score wasn’t the only thing that happened. No, not by any stretch. In total, we watched as seven ranked teams lost (including Michigan). Of those seven, five games were of the ranked versus ranked variety, so it was not total pandemonium.
#21 Boise State getting its doors blown off by Utah State 52-26 and #13 Ole Miss getting embarrassed by Memphis 37-24 headlined the upsets of the week.
Amongst the ranked teams eating themselves, we saw #18 UCLA get beat by Christian McCaffrey and #15 Stanford, #8 Florida giving #6 LSU as much as it could handle, #9 Texas A&M got reminded that #10 Alabama is still king, and #17 Iowa making a statement to remain undefeated after a 40-10 drubbing of #20 Northwestern.
Exhale.
Now, what does it all mean?
Here are my biggest takeaways from week seven of the college football season.
1. The Southeastern Conference Is A Mess
The SEC is absurd, per usual. I wish I had the time to make one of those arrow diagrams showing the weekly change in the SEC standings, it would be a joy to behold. In the East Division: Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee can all reasonably make it to Atlanta. Florida has the easiest path, win out and they’re going. For the others, they all need help.
In the West Division: Ole Miss and LSU still have the easiest path to Atlanta, win out, and they’ll be there. Alabama needs Ole Miss to lose another SEC game, which looks entirely possible. And Texas A&M will need Alabama to lose, which looks entirely impossible for now.
The arrows are flying everywhere, and it resembles that scene from 300 when the Spartans watch as the sky turns dark with arrow fire. It’s a mess; one team goes up as others go down, just to watch it change the next week. And that will be par for the course as the conference season continues to flow.
Who will win? Nobody knows. I’m anticipating an Alabama-Florida matchup in Atlanta. Nick Saban has his Crimson Tide rolling once again, and Florida doesn’t look like all is lost after Treon Harris was thrown into Will Grier’s starting role. I think the Gators roll all over the University of Georgia, the Bulldogs just don’t look like the same team. Mark Richt needs to find a way to rally the troops once again.
What I know for a fact, the SEC is going to be fun to watch the next few weeks. I’m most excited for the LSU-Alabama matchup on November 7.
2. There’s A Storm Brewing In Columbus
If you recall watching Urban Meyer’s Ohio State team last year, you’ll remember that they got better every week. They were on a consistent upswing.
This year, so far, they have underperformed. They have been involved in some slugfest with unlikely foes, but they have persevered. Are they the best team in the country right now? Probably not. But that’s okay. They are doing what they need to. More importantly, Meyer is learning who he can lean on and who he cannot. He’s learning his team, learning what tweaks to make, what ripples to place in his offense, and what surprises he can tuck in his sleeve for later this year.
Braxton Miller’s move to H-Back has been a pleasant surprise; they’re doing some new things with him, more reverses and jets. The new two-quarterback system has been anything but pleasant. They have had growing pains with Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett. But, they may have found a suitable formula for the time being. Jones between the 20’s and Barrett in the red zone.
Is it perfect? No. Is it working? Yes.
Barrett gives the team a completely different look when he’s in the red zone; he uses his legs more than Jones. That’s given defenses a wrinkle that they have yet to figure out, will they? Probably.
That is why Ohio State will be an ever-changing team throughout 2015. Is this the offense we will see against Michigan State and Michigan? Probably not. What will be different? Who knows?
I still think we will see Barrett and Jones both lined up in the backfield at some point. The possibilities are endless. Meyer is a fantastic coach, one of the greatest ever, he is an innovator. He will have this team on the upswing the rest of the year. Look for new things each week. I’m (unfortunately) on board with Meyer and OSU.
3. Baylor Isn’t As Good As Advertised
You will see most people on the Baylor hype train. I’m not one of them. I still believe the Bears are good, a top six team for sure. But they will get votes for number one. I still have Texas Christain beating them. Baylor’s high-flying offense is a blast to watch, but who have they done it against? Not a single notable team.
They can score 60 ’til the cows come home. But until they show up against TCU or Oklahoma, I won’t believe this team is the best. So let’s cool the hype train down.
Current College Football Playoff
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (13-0)
As I touched on above, the Buckeyes will continue to get better. I see this team being a force come playoff time. I really believe in Urban Meyer’s ability to coach and Ezekiel Elliott’s ability to run. This team will be in the playoff once again.
2. TCU Horned Frogs (12-0)
The Frogs will beat Baylor. They seem to be forgotten in the playoff picture as of now. They haven’t been as great as people had expected, and they are competing with Baylor each week in terms of which Big 12 team is most impressive. To this point, it’s been Baylor. But TCU and Gary Patterson will be tough when it matters, guaranteed.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1)
The Tide is rolling, they’ll be in Atlanta. LSU appears to be the biggest stepping stone to cross before they can get back to the top. And with LSU you know they’ll have to stop Leonard Fournette, America’s darling. I have a gut feeling that Fournette will be slowed, maybe not stopped, but slowed.
4. Clemson Tigers (13-0)
The Tigers will find a way to run through the schedule and finish undefeated. Deshaun Watson is a leader at quarterback, and Dabo Swinney is one of America’s brightest coaches. This team has to manage emotions and keep its eye on the prize, the college football playoff.
Heisman Race
1. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU 27/32, 436 Yards, 4 TD-0 INT
On The Year: 166-250, 2,539 Yards, 25 TD- 5 INT
Enter the Heisman race Trevone Boykin. I’ve had him atop my rankings all season. Here’s the thing, nobody else is crazy about him. This week he threw nearly as many touchdowns (4) as incompletions (5). He added 74 yards on the ground bringing his season to 440; he’s averaging 5.7 per carry, an entire yard per carry more than last season and with five rushing touchdowns, he should surpass his eight from last year.
2. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU 31 CAR, 180 Yards, 2 TD
On The Year: 150 CAR, 1,202 Yards, 14 TD
The sophomore sensation already has more yards and touchdowns this season than he did all of last year, and last year he had over 1,000 and 10 TDs. And I hate to mention this, but he’s on pace to nearly equal Barry Sanders record for 2,628 yards in a single season. Can you imagine? A rushing record in the age of spread offense. If Fournette breaks 2,400 yards, he gets the Heisman no matter what. If he gets 2,200, it’s going to be tough to beat him. He could do both very easily.
3. Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama 32 CAR, 236 Yards, 2 TD
On The Year: 152 CAR, 901 Yards, 12 TD
Henry is just as good as Fournette. Well, maybe not as good, but he’s close. He’s 300 yards behind Fournette and only two touchdowns. But ‘Bama rested Henry in some games he could’ve piled on for more yards. Saban and the staff at Alabama know better than to waste carries for meaningless yards. Like I’ve said before it may come down to ‘Bama-LSU for more than just a win or loss.
4. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, OSU 27 CAR, 153 Yards, 1 TD
On The Year: 148 CAR, 988 Yards, 11 TD
Elliott is a stud. He’s my favorite player to watch when the Buckeyes are on. He can do it all, and he runs between the tackles, unlike most backs. Great vision and explosiveness. But he has two guys above him that are better. He needs some super stats to jump up in the rankings.
5. Seth Russell, QB, Baylor 20/33, 380 Yards, 5 TD-0 INT
On The Year: 103/163, 1,907 Yards, 27 TD-5 INT
Russell needs a spot on the list. He’s got the most touchdown passes in the country and only five interceptions. Russell just needs to put the pedal to the metal and push himself. If he can keep this team in the top five and beat TCU to end the year, he could punch a ticket to New York City.
Others To Watch: Deshaun Watson, J.T. Barrett
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