COLLEGE FOOTBALL SATURDAY, QUESTIONS ASKED & ANSWERED
Just how bad was Mizzou's performance in their 31-17 loss at Nebraska?
I racked my brain & could only think of one person connected with this team that didn't make a glaring mistake, drop a ball, commit a stupid penalty, call the wrong play, take one sack too many etc. etc. etc. That person was tight end Michael Egnew. He caught 7 passes good for 70-yards, he wasn't flagged for a penalty & he hung on to everything thrown to him.
Overall the team didn't seem to have much passion, they seemed tentative & were completely out-coached. Nebraska's defensive backs were superior in every way, the Tiger receivers seldom got any separation. The six sacks Mizzou gave up were mostly coverage sacks. It was tough to watch as the Huskers jumped all over a seemingly unprepared Tiger squad for 24-first quarter points. At that point the outcome was determined, oh Mizzou would mount a few drives, but you could tell they would never recover from the horrific start. They made Roy Helu Jr. look better than he really is. I mean, of his 307-yard, record breaking day, 192-yards of it he was completely untouched. Helu isn't the only back on that field who could've scored with the blocking he got & Mizzou's awful pursuit angles, gap responsibility & reactions. I'm not making any excuses, the Tigers were surprisingly terrible in every phase of the game. They need to run the table, finish 11-1 & then win their bowl game. It's the only thing that will begin to take the nasty taste of today out of their mouths.
Just how bad was Michigan State's performance in their 37-6 loss at Iowa?
The score would indicate they played worse than Mizzou did, but actually they didn't. They held Iowa under 4-yards per carry. Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi completed just 11-passes in the entire game. Iowa outgained MSU 352-258 total yards, hardly indicative of a 31-point blowout. Spartan QB Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions all leading to touchdowns & State was completely unable to run the ball against the Iowa front four, IMO the best in college football. Now the BIG TEN has four 1-loss teams, Michigan State is basically out of the race & the November 20th showdown when Ohio State visits Iowa will go a long way towards determining the conference crown. Wisconsin, having already beaten both Ohio State & Iowa is in the driver's seat.
Who's better, Auburn or Oregon?
Great question, a better question to me would be who's best period? I still believe Alabama is better than either. But they'll probably have to wait until after they beat Auburn on November 26th & win their revenge game with South Carolina in the SEC Championship game before most people will get on their bandwagon again. Auburn is a very good team with a so-so defense. Oregon is an awesome offensive team with a defense that can get pushed around. The speed & pace of their offense will wear out most teams. Alabama isn't most teams. Both Oregon & Auburn gave up over 30-points again this week. The Tigers have surrendered 31 or more in three of their last 4 games. Oregon three times. These free-wheeling offenses are great as long as they don't turn the ball over several times or, God forbid, run into an opponent with a defense that can slow or even stop their scoring machine.
What's happened to the old guard of Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame & Tennessee?
Texas has 4 losses, the Irish & Dawgs 5 & the Vols have 6. These programs are littered with 4 & 5-star recruits. How does this happen? Georgia needs a new coach, Mark Richt lost control of this program over a year ago. His roster is more akin to a police blotter, way too many off-field & suspension issues. Texas sent a bunch of kids to the pros last year & they simply don't have a lot of usable talent right now, especially on offense. Since Colt McCoy left, Mack Brown has tried to be more of a running team & less of a throw-it-around-spread team. Problem is, every lineman he recruits within the state of Texas came from a spread offense & run blocking in a more pro-style offense is completely foreign to them. It takes time, I believe he'll turn it around if he chooses to stay in Austin. I can't see Notre Dame ever becoming the power they once were. That is unless they get into a conference & adapt their recruiting & their team to play in that conference. This team gets so overwhelmed by the likes of Navy, Stanford, USC & next week, Utah. All four of these teams play a totally different offense. Another problem the Irish have is a lack of speed, they're slow. They have very high academic standards & a rigid recruiting policy, they don't take any bad kids & very, very few with any kind of a checkered past. They prefer Catholics, another problem recruiting in the deep South. Brian Kelly has his work cut out for him returning this program to anywhere near it's former greatness. I say it can't be done. As for the Vols, Phil Fulmer sort of left the cupboard bare, he had back-to-back disappointing recruiting classes. In comes Lane Kiffin, one season later, out walks Lane Kiffin & some of Tennessee's best kids left too. Derek Dooley is the right guy to run this program, but Vol fans better be patient, they have a long way to go.
Any surprises in tomorrow's polls?
Oh I expect two in particular, Oklahoma to be ranked ahead of Mizzou, the team that just beat them a week ago & I also figure Wisconsin will be ranked ahead of Michigan State, the same Spartan team that handed Wisconsin it's only loss of the season. I've never understood how when two teams have the same record & one holds a victory over the other, how is it possible for the loser in this matchup to be ranked ahead of the winner? Pollsters believe in perception, they perceive Oklahoma is a better team than Missouri even tho Missouri beat them by 9-points just one week ago. The pollsters perceive Wisconsin to be better than Michigan State even tho the Spartans beat them by 10-points three weeks ago. Many pollsters have a preconceived notion who is really better than who. They know that because......well they just do. That's why Boise State & TCU are constantly shoved on the back burner.
"But isn't the SEC the toughest conference in the land?"
"Well if they played in the SEC, they wouldn't be undefeated" is the constant reply & rationalization for pollsters' perception about teams they know little about like TCU & Boise. Yes, the SEC is a tough conference overall, but there are plenty of stiffs in the SEC too. Vanderbilt for instance, 2-5 record, the aforementioned Tennessee, 2-6 & 0-6 in conference, Georgia, 4-5 without a win over a team with a winning record. How about Ole Miss? They have a sparkling 3-5 record with a loss to Division 1AA Jacksonville State & to Vanderbilt. Then there's Mississippi State who has a deceptive 7-2 record. They've beaten one team with a winning record, 5-3 Florida. The Gators have have been a major disappointment. Members of the SEC often play a slate of out of conference stiffs like the teams Boise & TCU play in their conferences. Alcorn State, San Jose State, Tennessee-Martin, Memphis, Tulane, Furman, UAB, Duke, Louisiana-Monroe put the fear of God in anybody?
Who are my top-5 Heisman hopefuls?
1. Cam Newton QB Auburn
2. Andrew Luck QB Stanford
3. Kellen Moore QB Boise State
4. LaMichael James RB Oregon
5. Mark Ingram RB Alabama
Who is my top-10?
1. Boise State better defense than Oregon or Auburn, just as explosive on offense, you'll see
2. Oregon only because their offense is slightly more scary than Auburn, not impressed with D
3. TCU might be the best defense
4. Alabama they should continue to move up my list every week
5. Auburn no real defense I can detect, it will hurt them down the road
6. Utah big showdown with TCU next week
7. Stanford should stay here
8. Nebraska they are also capable of beating OU
9. Wisconsin beat Iowa on road, tough to do
10.Arizona No, I'm not putting Ohio State in my top-10, no way, not LSU either, sorry
My top-10 doesn't have a bogus preseason poll that inflates some schools to start with. That's why Mizzou will rank behind OU, Michigan State will be behind both Ohio State & Wisconsin & Stanford or Arizona will not be ranked in the top-10 in any of the polls.
What the hell happened to Navy today?
Yes, I touted them & just like West Virginia last night, Navy became very sloppy with the ball, dropping it 6-times, losing just one but it seemed like QB Ricky Dobbs was constantly chasing the ball 5-6-yards behind the line of scrimmage. Navy got down 24-0 & no more triple option for the Midshipmen, they were forced to throw the ball. When you take the third leading rushing team in the land & turn them into a passing team, it just doesn't work. It was hard for me to comprehend how such a disciplined team as Navy, missed so many tackles & demonstrated zero pass defense. I mean zero, Duke QB Sean Renfree had the day of his life, 28 of 30 for 314-yards & no interceptions. The guy had two(2) incomplete passes all day. Renfree threw 15-interceptions in Duke's last five(all losses) games. Trust me, I saw every play, it was not the Navy team that demolished Notre Dame just one week ago.
Who won the "Big Pillow Fight Part III?"
New Mexico State prevailed in this tussle of the titans, edging San Jose State 29-27. The win doubled the Aggies total for the season, now at two. For two really awful teams, they combined for 56-points & 870-yards of total offense. I'm sure Las Cruces was rockin' tonight. I could have watched this epic struggle on DirecTV but after watching a lot of really bad football all day long, I thought "why watch another?"
I racked my brain & could only think of one person connected with this team that didn't make a glaring mistake, drop a ball, commit a stupid penalty, call the wrong play, take one sack too many etc. etc. etc. That person was tight end Michael Egnew. He caught 7 passes good for 70-yards, he wasn't flagged for a penalty & he hung on to everything thrown to him.
Overall the team didn't seem to have much passion, they seemed tentative & were completely out-coached. Nebraska's defensive backs were superior in every way, the Tiger receivers seldom got any separation. The six sacks Mizzou gave up were mostly coverage sacks. It was tough to watch as the Huskers jumped all over a seemingly unprepared Tiger squad for 24-first quarter points. At that point the outcome was determined, oh Mizzou would mount a few drives, but you could tell they would never recover from the horrific start. They made Roy Helu Jr. look better than he really is. I mean, of his 307-yard, record breaking day, 192-yards of it he was completely untouched. Helu isn't the only back on that field who could've scored with the blocking he got & Mizzou's awful pursuit angles, gap responsibility & reactions. I'm not making any excuses, the Tigers were surprisingly terrible in every phase of the game. They need to run the table, finish 11-1 & then win their bowl game. It's the only thing that will begin to take the nasty taste of today out of their mouths.
Just how bad was Michigan State's performance in their 37-6 loss at Iowa?
The score would indicate they played worse than Mizzou did, but actually they didn't. They held Iowa under 4-yards per carry. Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi completed just 11-passes in the entire game. Iowa outgained MSU 352-258 total yards, hardly indicative of a 31-point blowout. Spartan QB Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions all leading to touchdowns & State was completely unable to run the ball against the Iowa front four, IMO the best in college football. Now the BIG TEN has four 1-loss teams, Michigan State is basically out of the race & the November 20th showdown when Ohio State visits Iowa will go a long way towards determining the conference crown. Wisconsin, having already beaten both Ohio State & Iowa is in the driver's seat.
Who's better, Auburn or Oregon?
Great question, a better question to me would be who's best period? I still believe Alabama is better than either. But they'll probably have to wait until after they beat Auburn on November 26th & win their revenge game with South Carolina in the SEC Championship game before most people will get on their bandwagon again. Auburn is a very good team with a so-so defense. Oregon is an awesome offensive team with a defense that can get pushed around. The speed & pace of their offense will wear out most teams. Alabama isn't most teams. Both Oregon & Auburn gave up over 30-points again this week. The Tigers have surrendered 31 or more in three of their last 4 games. Oregon three times. These free-wheeling offenses are great as long as they don't turn the ball over several times or, God forbid, run into an opponent with a defense that can slow or even stop their scoring machine.
What's happened to the old guard of Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame & Tennessee?
Texas has 4 losses, the Irish & Dawgs 5 & the Vols have 6. These programs are littered with 4 & 5-star recruits. How does this happen? Georgia needs a new coach, Mark Richt lost control of this program over a year ago. His roster is more akin to a police blotter, way too many off-field & suspension issues. Texas sent a bunch of kids to the pros last year & they simply don't have a lot of usable talent right now, especially on offense. Since Colt McCoy left, Mack Brown has tried to be more of a running team & less of a throw-it-around-spread team. Problem is, every lineman he recruits within the state of Texas came from a spread offense & run blocking in a more pro-style offense is completely foreign to them. It takes time, I believe he'll turn it around if he chooses to stay in Austin. I can't see Notre Dame ever becoming the power they once were. That is unless they get into a conference & adapt their recruiting & their team to play in that conference. This team gets so overwhelmed by the likes of Navy, Stanford, USC & next week, Utah. All four of these teams play a totally different offense. Another problem the Irish have is a lack of speed, they're slow. They have very high academic standards & a rigid recruiting policy, they don't take any bad kids & very, very few with any kind of a checkered past. They prefer Catholics, another problem recruiting in the deep South. Brian Kelly has his work cut out for him returning this program to anywhere near it's former greatness. I say it can't be done. As for the Vols, Phil Fulmer sort of left the cupboard bare, he had back-to-back disappointing recruiting classes. In comes Lane Kiffin, one season later, out walks Lane Kiffin & some of Tennessee's best kids left too. Derek Dooley is the right guy to run this program, but Vol fans better be patient, they have a long way to go.
Any surprises in tomorrow's polls?
Oh I expect two in particular, Oklahoma to be ranked ahead of Mizzou, the team that just beat them a week ago & I also figure Wisconsin will be ranked ahead of Michigan State, the same Spartan team that handed Wisconsin it's only loss of the season. I've never understood how when two teams have the same record & one holds a victory over the other, how is it possible for the loser in this matchup to be ranked ahead of the winner? Pollsters believe in perception, they perceive Oklahoma is a better team than Missouri even tho Missouri beat them by 9-points just one week ago. The pollsters perceive Wisconsin to be better than Michigan State even tho the Spartans beat them by 10-points three weeks ago. Many pollsters have a preconceived notion who is really better than who. They know that because......well they just do. That's why Boise State & TCU are constantly shoved on the back burner.
"But isn't the SEC the toughest conference in the land?"
"Well if they played in the SEC, they wouldn't be undefeated" is the constant reply & rationalization for pollsters' perception about teams they know little about like TCU & Boise. Yes, the SEC is a tough conference overall, but there are plenty of stiffs in the SEC too. Vanderbilt for instance, 2-5 record, the aforementioned Tennessee, 2-6 & 0-6 in conference, Georgia, 4-5 without a win over a team with a winning record. How about Ole Miss? They have a sparkling 3-5 record with a loss to Division 1AA Jacksonville State & to Vanderbilt. Then there's Mississippi State who has a deceptive 7-2 record. They've beaten one team with a winning record, 5-3 Florida. The Gators have have been a major disappointment. Members of the SEC often play a slate of out of conference stiffs like the teams Boise & TCU play in their conferences. Alcorn State, San Jose State, Tennessee-Martin, Memphis, Tulane, Furman, UAB, Duke, Louisiana-Monroe put the fear of God in anybody?
Who are my top-5 Heisman hopefuls?
1. Cam Newton QB Auburn
2. Andrew Luck QB Stanford
3. Kellen Moore QB Boise State
4. LaMichael James RB Oregon
5. Mark Ingram RB Alabama
Who is my top-10?
1. Boise State better defense than Oregon or Auburn, just as explosive on offense, you'll see
2. Oregon only because their offense is slightly more scary than Auburn, not impressed with D
3. TCU might be the best defense
4. Alabama they should continue to move up my list every week
5. Auburn no real defense I can detect, it will hurt them down the road
6. Utah big showdown with TCU next week
7. Stanford should stay here
8. Nebraska they are also capable of beating OU
9. Wisconsin beat Iowa on road, tough to do
10.Arizona No, I'm not putting Ohio State in my top-10, no way, not LSU either, sorry
My top-10 doesn't have a bogus preseason poll that inflates some schools to start with. That's why Mizzou will rank behind OU, Michigan State will be behind both Ohio State & Wisconsin & Stanford or Arizona will not be ranked in the top-10 in any of the polls.
What the hell happened to Navy today?
Yes, I touted them & just like West Virginia last night, Navy became very sloppy with the ball, dropping it 6-times, losing just one but it seemed like QB Ricky Dobbs was constantly chasing the ball 5-6-yards behind the line of scrimmage. Navy got down 24-0 & no more triple option for the Midshipmen, they were forced to throw the ball. When you take the third leading rushing team in the land & turn them into a passing team, it just doesn't work. It was hard for me to comprehend how such a disciplined team as Navy, missed so many tackles & demonstrated zero pass defense. I mean zero, Duke QB Sean Renfree had the day of his life, 28 of 30 for 314-yards & no interceptions. The guy had two(2) incomplete passes all day. Renfree threw 15-interceptions in Duke's last five(all losses) games. Trust me, I saw every play, it was not the Navy team that demolished Notre Dame just one week ago.
Who won the "Big Pillow Fight Part III?"
New Mexico State prevailed in this tussle of the titans, edging San Jose State 29-27. The win doubled the Aggies total for the season, now at two. For two really awful teams, they combined for 56-points & 870-yards of total offense. I'm sure Las Cruces was rockin' tonight. I could have watched this epic struggle on DirecTV but after watching a lot of really bad football all day long, I thought "why watch another?"
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