I accomplished something this weekend that few people I know have accomplished: I got my first hole in one. A 141 yard par 3 upwind, where I took a 6-iron and tossed it up into the wind. It hit a foot above the cup and rolled back in. I wish I could say I planned all that, but honestly I was just happy I hit it towards the green that time. I proceeded to shoot 25 over par for the round.
If you took my round and just looked at that one hole, you might think I’m pretty good at golf (I’m not). This past weekend of college football was very similar. Looking at just one game isn’t going to give us really how good a team is. Is TCU actually not great, or is Minnesota better than we all gave them credit for? Is Notre Dame a world beater, or is Texas just really, really bad? Is the Oregon defense terrible? (Oregon gave up 42 to Eastern Washington?!) We won’t know for a few more weeks where some of these teams stand, though I do still think that TCU and Notre Dame will be contenders for the playoffs. This weekend will start to clear some things up, like if Oregon’s defense is actually that bad. First, let’s take a look back at the three games I had my eyes on over the weekend.
Michigan 17 at Utah 24
Lol Michigan. They did a decent job at containing the Utah run game, but man did the Michigan backs miss some running lanes, and Rudock looked like Devin Gardner.
TCU 23 at Minnesota 17
Every time I flipped to this game from the Michigan game, I felt like I was watching TCU punt or make a dumb mistake. At one pint, I flipped over and watched them fumble in the red zone. TCU was missing some of their playmakers, and their offense should improve as they return.
Wisconsin 17 vs Alabama 35
Two words: Derrick Henry. Oh mama, there goes that man again. While QB Jake Coker didn’t look great, he was good enough. As long as Derrick Henry is healthy, he’ll be the focus of the Alabama offense. Somehow Alabama just produces good RBs – do they have them frozen cryogenically, and every two years they unfreeze a new one? Someone should look into this.
Week 2 Big Games
7 Oregon at 5 Michigan State
Week 2 is headlined by the matchup of Oregon and Michigan State. If I wasn’t going to be in Columbus for the Hawaii game, I would head to East Lansing with some of my MSU grad coworkers for Game Day and such that day. Oregon gave up 42 points to Eastern Washington last week, and over 400 yards passing. However, Oregon also rushed for nearly 500 yards themselves. Michigan State held Western Michigan to double digit rushing yards. As always, the battle will be in the trenches. Last year, Oregon’s offense was able to dig out of a hole in the second half. Michigan State has a shot this year, given that it’s at home. I also am curious to see what the Oregon secondary really is. Connor Cook is a much higher caliber QB, and WR Aaron Burbridge looked great in his first game taking over for the departed Tony Lippet. Oregon QB Vernon Adams, Jr. is coming off of a head injury from a real cheap shot from a former teammate last week, so his health will be something to keep an eye on. Will the game plan be changed to avoid getting him hit? I think Sparty has the slight edge this year. Let’s hope we don’t get a #SpartyNo again this year.
19 Oklahoma at 23 Tennessee
Between “Rocky Top” and “Boomer Sooner”, Neyland Stadium will become the most annoying stadium in all of America. Quick aside – Rocky Top isn’t Tennessee’s actual fight song, and as a somewhat native Tennessean and son of a Tennessee graduate, I feel it is my duty to point that out every time I see it. Now, as for the game. Tennessee played Bowling Green in Nashville and won, 59-30. The secondary for the Vols was iffy at best, giving up over 400 yards through the air. The Falcons also ran for another 100+ yards, for a total offensive output over 500 yards on the day. Tennessee ran for nearly 400 yards and amassed another 200 in passing yards. This game is going to come down to whether Tennessee’s secondary can play well enough for the Volunteer run game to establish itself and allow the Vols to chew up clock, keep Oklahoma off the field, and score 28-35 points. Starting QB Baker Mayfield threw for 388 yards last week against Akron, and is likely licking his chops looking at what Bowling Green was able to do to the orange and white. This should be a fun one, but I do expect Oklahoma to win.
14 LSU at 25 Mississippi State
LSU’s game was rained out last week, so there’s not much to go off of here. I do expect a heavy dose of Leonard Fournette, and then lather, rinse, repeat. LSU QB Anthony Jennings had a decent year last year, but was arrested over the summer, and has been in a QB battle with Brandon Harris for the starting job this year. Les Miles, like many before him last week, has not named a starter yet. Mississippi State returns Dak Prescott from last year’s team that at one point was on top of the country with in state rival Ole Miss. MSU did give up over 400 yards to Southern Mississippi, and containing Fournette could be problematic for the Bulldogs.
I’m still working on a name for this weekly bit, so if anyone has any witty suggestions, feel free to tweet them to me, @BigDaddyChrisO. I might be making a pre game appearance at the Varsity Club while I’m in town, so if that’s your jam, reach out to me and let’s enjoy some adult beverages.
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