A Look Around the Country

Notable Games Last Week

South Carolina 38 Georgia 35

It was a wild one at Williams-Brice Stadium as the Gamecocks took down the Bulldogs. Moving forward, this sets up a very interesting SEC East race early in the season. Mark Richt had this team rolling but in typical fashion, he couldn’t keep it going. I still maintain that the SEC East is highly overrated and doesn’t pose much of a threat to the eventual SEC West Champion. But we’ll see.

Oklahoma 34 Tennessee 10

The Sooners are a very good football team. Granted, the Volunteers aren’t exactly blazing the trail with W’s but OU has great potential. Bob Stoops has built them into a championship caliber team yet again (he’s been doing this since 2000 and earlier). And with a weak Big 12, it sets up a HUGE matchup between Oklahoma and Baylor on November 7th in Norman. Gotta tune in for that one.

UCLA 20 Texas 17

Charlie Strong’s career in Austin hasn’t exactly gotten off to a great start. The Longhorns are 1-2 and don’t have an optimistic outlook into the 2014 season. Spoiling Oklahoma’s season on October 10 is something to look for. The Bruins on the other hand are grossly overrated and I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up having 3 losses by the end of the season. Brett Hundley has not been the least bit impressive thus far. I don’t think they stand much of a chance in the Pac 12 race.

Ohio State 66 Kent State 0

All of the frustration from last week’s loss to Virginia Tech was taken out on the poor, little, in state foe, Golden Flashes. I don’t know about you, but it felt good to win this week. Barrett tied Kenny G’s TD record for a game with 6 (5 in the first half) while freshman Curtis Samuel ran for 100 yards. The Buckeyes head into a bye week with Cincinnati on the schedule in 2 weeks. It’s time for them to stay focused on the ultimate goal which is the Big Ten Title. That is still a possibility, believe it or not.

Penn State 13 Rutgers 10

Rutgers first game in the Big Ten ended in disappointment as James Franklin’s Nittany Lions held on for the win. With the new NCAA ruling this past week making Penn State eligible for postseason play; it makes for an interesting wrinkle in the Eastern Division race. It has been a joy making fun of Rutgers being in this conference the past few months but I want to give them all credit in the world after watching their crowd and fans cheer on their beloved Scarlet Knights. They were loud and passionate and have a better home atmosphere than Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern, Purdue, and Minnesota combined. Welcome to the B1G!

Boston College 37 USC 31

Yep, had no clue this was coming. The Eagles pulled off the upset of the week with the win over the heavily favored Trojans. I still think USC is a force to be reckoned with in the Pac 12 (they’re better than UCLA) and could sneak back up into the playoff discussion with a few more wins down the stretch. Keep an eye on the Men of Troy.

Big Games This Week

Auburn at Kansas State

I think most people expect the Tigers to come out of this with a big win, and quite frankly, so do I. But it would be stupid to count out Coach Snyder’s Wildcats at any time during the season. They always seem like a pesky team who revel in ruining opponent’s title hopes. Right now I see Auburn as the SEC champ and playoff team because of Gus Malzahn’s coaching ability and Nick Marshall’s leadership. Tigers win.

Thursday, September 18 at 7:30pm on ESPN

Oklahoma at West Virginia

The Sooners are coming off a big win against Tennessee and are now set to travel to Morgantown to face the Mountaineers. West Virginia kept it close with Alabama up to the end of the game back in week one so they are no slouch. I expect OU to win but don’t be surprised if this one is in West Virginia’s favor headed into halftime.

Saturday, September 20 at 7:30pm on FOX

Clemson at Florida State

This was the ACC showdown of the year last season and it didn’t disappoint. But Clemson is a much different team this season and don’t have the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium to help them out (of course that didn’t seem to help last year either). Florida State had an extra week to prepare for this one so I don’t anticipate any surprises in Tallahassee. Seminoles romp.

Saturday, September 20 at 8pm on ABC

Miami (FL) at Nebraska

This game should give the Big Ten and the Huskers at least a little bit of credibility if they were to come away with a win in this one. Bo Pelini is inching closer and closer to the hot seat so every game is a must win for him here on out. Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah has had a great season so far both running and catching the football while entering himself into the Heisman discussion. It’ll be another sellout crowd in Lincoln and the Huskers should win by a touchdown or two.

Saturday, September 20 at 8pm on ESPN2

Ohio State (Bye)

We all hate bye weeks. Watch a replay of a past big win like the ’97 Rose Bowl or ’02 National Championship Game. Or go watch your local small college team play; they always need the extra support.

Michigan Update

The Wolverines struggled most of the first half against the team with the longest losing streak in the country, the Miami (OH) Redhawks. Even with a less than stellar schedule, Brady Hoke seems to be struggling against everyone so far. He’s going to need a miracle to keep his job. They take on Utah this week at 3:30 on ABC or ESPN 2.

Heisman Watch

Marcus Mariota, Oregon

19/23 passing for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns along with 5 carries for 71 yards and an additional 2 touchdowns in win against Wyoming. His Ducks are rolling and as long as they are he’ll be a favorite to hoist the trophy.

Jameis Winston, Florida State

Bye Week

Todd Gurley, Georgia

20 carries for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns in loss to South Carolina. In this day and age, it’s tough to be a Heisman candidate when your team loses. Gurley played well but this certainly hurts his chances.

Rising Star

Kenny Hill, Texas A&M

Kenny Trill™ has thrown for 1,094 yards, and 11 touchdowns while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. He’s having a freakish year so far. Kevin Sumlin’s Aggies remind me of the great Hawaii offensive systems where guys like Colt Brennan put up 800 yards of offense every game. But if A&M starts beating good SEC teams, Kenny has to be in the discussion.

Dropping Fast

Brett Hundley, UCLA

The Bruins have limped through every game they’ve played so far. If Hundley was a Heisman caliber quarterback, that wouldn’t have happened.

My Playoff if the Season Ended Today

1. Oregon (beat Wyoming 48-14, play at Washington State this week) The Ducks destroy who they’re supposed to destroy and even teams they shouldn’t (looking at you, Sparty). This is an all-around great football team.

2. Florida State (had bye week, plays Clemson this week) The Noles have to show me something this week against Clemson. OU is right on their tails. They just don’t seem as hungry thus far in 2014.

3. Oklahoma (beat Tennessee 34-10, plays at West Virginia this week) I’m all over the Sooners right now. This is a team to be reckoned with and a big win over WVU this week in primetime will show the rest of the country why.

4. Auburn (had bye week, plays at Kansas State this week) I still think Auburn is the team to beat in the SEC regardless of how bad ESPN wants it to be Alabama. This is another opportunity for them to prove that.

Just Missed the Cut

5. Alabama
6. Baylor
7. Notre Dame
8. Texas A&M
9. LSU
10. Michigan State
18. Ohio State

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