A Look Around the Country

I don’t know what to think of the nation’s “best” teams so far this season. Once again, the top ranked teams in the country struggled this past weekend. It just doesn’t make sense. I can’t remember the last time I’ve watched a college football season without thinking a certain team has all the goods to be National Champs. Right now, there isn’t a single team that I’m confident in to run the table. Florida State won in overtime without Infamous Jameis. Alabama struggled with a Florida team who barely beat Kentucky last week. Oregon beat Washington State by a touchdown. Oklahoma struggled briefly against West Virginia (who is better than people think). Hell, Indiana beat Missouri. Indy-freaking-Ana beat the defending SEC East Champs! I still can’t believe it happened. But that’s the kind of year it’s been. I wouldn’t be surprised if a local flag football team beat Oregon. So, let’s get into the week that was while also looking into this weekend’s slate of games.

Notable Games Last Week

Auburn 20 Kansas State 14

Much like most of last season, Auburn was able to escape defeat. This time doing it in Manhattan, Kansas in what many people considered one of the biggest games in Kansas State Football history. But the Wildcats continued to shoot themselves in the foot and lost a very winnable game. The defending SEC Champs (and a team I’ve had ranked in my top 4 since the preseason) have struggled so far this season. Eventually, they’re luck is going to run out.

Oklahoma 45 West Virginia 33

A game which was tied at halftime led to the Sooners pulling away, something Alabama couldn’t exactly do back in Week One. I firmly believe as the season goes on, we’ll start to see how good of a team the Mountaineers really are. But Oklahoma is better and right now they have a case to be number one.

Florida State 23 Clemson 17

The broadcast started with Jimbo Fisher having to send his star quarterback to the locker room because apparently not dressing for a game your suspended for is something Jameis never considered. It’s tough to figure out what this means because the guy who will be leading the Noles the rest of the way* wasn’t playing. But teams will use this to their advantage to scout against the rest of that team. If you stop Jameis, you can beat Florida State.

*As long as he doesn’t do something stupid again.

Nebraska 41 Miami (FL) 31

In the battle of “Who’s Back?” Ameer Abdullah and the Huskers didn’t disappoint. In case you haven’t noticed (and if you’ve been watching ESPN, you haven’t) Bo Pelini has them at 4-0 with Illinois coming to Lincoln this week. A win there would give them a 5-0 record headed into their game at Michigan State. I’m giddy to watch that one already. And the way this season has been going, anything can happen in East Lansing that night.

Ohio State (Bye)

The Buckeyes struggled against Bye Week as they dropped in the polls for the second consecutive week. The SEC consistently plays better against them.

Big Games This Week

UCLA at Arizona State

Both teams roll into this game with an unblemished record and the winner of this one will have a leg up in the Pac 12 South Division going forward. Arizona State is without QB Taylor Kelly but the home crowd in Tempe should make up for that. Winner of this one could very well be playing Oregon in the Pac 12 title game in December. But UCLA has been flirting with a loss all season. Sun Devils with the upset.

Thursday, September 25 at 10:00pm on FOX Sports One

Maryland at Indiana

Who would have thought that this game would hold any sort of significance in the Big Ten race in 2014. The 3-1 Terrapins take on the 2-1 Hoosiers in a Big Ten East showdown. With the amount of parity in college football this season, there’s a possibility that this could at least play a role in the East. But I’ll be honest in saying it’s an extreme longshot. However, when was the last time the Hoosiers ever played a significant game in something other than basketball? Might as well get the most out of it now.

Saturday, September 27 at 1:30pm on Big Ten Network

Missouri at South Carolina

Missouri is coming off of a disastrous loss to a basketball school while the Gamecocks barely beat a middle of the road Sun Belt team in Vanderbilt. Sure, the SEC is the best conference in the country and there’s no arguing that. But they are not as good as the south says they are. The SEC East is WIDE OPEN with these two teams along with Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia all in the mix. In my humble opinion, this division is no better than the Big Ten East. I got Spurrier in this one.

Saturday, September 27 at 7:00pm on ESPN

Cincinnati at Ohio State

All of the talk about Chris Ash’s new secondary will be put to the ultimate test on Saturday evening as former 5 star QB and Notre Dame Enrollee, Gunner Kiel comes into the Shoe. The Buckeye defense will be the X factor in this game, and if the D-line can get after Kiel, then the Bearcats should be in for a long night. They gave up 34 points to Toledo so I know we can score against them. However, I’m not sure I like our chances if we get into a shootout with them. But I don’t see that happening. Buckeyes win by 17.

Saturday, September 27 at 6:00pm on Big Ten Network

Michigan Update

Wow, I’m speechless about this team so far. They’ve gone from bad to worse. After losing to Utah 26-10 in front of about 12 people on Saturday night (to be fair, they had a weather delay) they’re season is all but over. Changes at quarterback could be coming as well as head coach. Brady Hoke will probably ride out the rest of the season, but there’s no way he’s coaching for them next year. The rest of this season has to be about getting the right coach in there to turn this once legendary program into its old self. Jim Harbaugh? Les Miles? Doug Nussmeier? Fielding Yost? Something has to change in Ann Arbor. I’m sick of beating a crappy Wolverine team each year. It’s much more fun to do that when their good. They play Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug at 3:30 on ESPN2. I have the Gophers by a touchdown.

Heisman Watch

Marcus Mariota, Oregon

21/25 passing for 329 yards and 5 touchdowns in 38-31 win over Washington State. The Ducks struggled this week against the Cougars but they can thank Mariota for the W. He’s my clear favorite right now.

Todd Gurley, Georgia

6 carries, 73 yards in 66-0 win over Troy. He was taken out early because of the horrible play of juggernaut, Troy. But he may be the best RB in the country.

Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin

13 carries for 253 yards (19.5 yards per carry!!)  and 5 touchdowns in 68-17 win over Bowling Green. That’s an insane stat line, even if it’s against a MAC team. He has to be in this discussion.

Rising Star

Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska

35 carries for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns in 41-31 win over Miami (FL). He’s an underrated player because of the lack of coverage of the Big Ten. Abdullah has to enter this discussion because of his extraordinary skill set, especially in the receiving game. We’ll see what he’s made of next week against Michigan State.

Dropping Fast

Jameis Winston, Florida State

You know why.

My Playoff if the Season Ended Today

1. Oregon (beat Washington State 38-31, plays Arizona next week) The Ducks escaped the upset bid by the Cougars. Good teams find a way to win. And this is still a great team. They stay at the top.
2. Oklahoma (beat West Virginia 45-33, plays TCU next week) The Sooners struggled in the first half in a hostile environment. But the cream rose to the top in the second half. It took Alabama a lot longer to do that in an SEC environment in Georgia. Sooners are team to be reckoned with.
3. Florida State (beat Clemson 23-17, plays NC State this week) The Seminoles are a one-dimensional team. Once someone figures that out, Florida State will go down.
4. Alabama (beat Florida 42-21, plays Ole Miss next week) The Crimson Tide finally earn a spot in my top 4. In a weaker than usual SEC, they have the best chance of being in the playoff. They can thank Amari Cooper for that. Nobody in America can cover him.

Just Missed the Cut

5. Baylor
6. Auburn
7. Notre Dame
8. Texas A&M
9. Michigan State
10. Ole Miss
11. Ohio State

 

 

Finally that daggum bye week is over and OSU fans won’t have to deal with a Saturday of watching jerks from other schools play instead of the Bucks until next season.

What’s that, there is another one in two weeks?

Fine, I’m not even going to put any effort into this post, there is no point. Bye’s really suck the fun out of me (phrasing)…

Here is the rest of the A- Z Buckeye thoughts:

 

 

 

 

Part 1 for you “Forgetful Franks”: A-Z Part 1

 

Nobody throws to baby on the corner: Has Doran Grant even played a down this year? Honestly, I don’t remember him making a play so far- which is awesome. He is going all Shawn Springs- 0 interceptions yet still first team All-American- and is making himself more cash every week (draft stock not boosters you punks). Opposing quarterbacks haven’t really tested the cornerback at all in his final year so far.  The physical specimen will have his money making hands full this weekend against Cincinnati.

On the way Holme: At risk of being one of those ding-bat Ohio State fans that believes every freshmen is Woody’s gift to Earth and every senior plays like Betty White, I believe Jalyn Holmes is poised to take over opposite the gorgeous-Joey Bosa at defensive end pretty soon. Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier have been pretty average if you ask me and the freshmen’s talent maybe too much to keep off the field. Am I judging Holmes based off of one solid game against Kent State? I guess so, sometimes when you know you know.

Picktown Pride: Being a Pickerington child myself, I am very proud to say that the Ohio State starting offensive line is 40% P-town alumni with Pat Elflein and Jacoby Boren. It’s an awesome time for us east siders. Upper white middle class is going to take over NCAA football, you heard it here first.

Quit Scheduling Navy: Especially the first week of the season. Urban seemed none to pleased in post-game interviews and has said that a few early enrolled freshmen were only used as Navy wingbacks for the scout team from April to the start of the season. Why schedule a game that forces you to waste a kid’s first few months of practice for one game that you get no credit for winning? It’s even more maddening when you hear Bud Foster say that VA Tech was planning their surprise “bear” defense against Ohio State since spring ball while Ohio State had no time to plan for the Hokies. Speaking of…

Rye goes down smoothest: Almost the end of the month and many Buckeye fans are still not over the Virginia Tech debacle but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a learning experience.  Being an alcoholic on 12 Saturdays a year, September 6th taught me that the best way to force yourself to go to sleep after a maddening night is to drink Bulleit Rye Bourbon on the rocks until your eyes shut. It worked but my liver hasn’t spoken to me since.

S.S.S.: The Schedule switch stings in hindsight. Ohio State moving the VA Tech game up from week 3 to week 2 may have cost the Buckeyes a loss in my biased mind. With as many youngsters and as much time that was spent preparing for the goofy navy squad, it’s tough to not make the assumption that another week to prepare for the Hokies wouldn’t have made a world of difference. With that said, Frank Beamer’s squad had just as many young guys as the Buckeyes and Ohio State should not be making excuses for why they weren’t prepared for Virginia Tech… ever.

Thank heaven my wife is an English teacher: I’m privileged to get to write about Ohio State for the motsag but the only reason that happens is because a woman much smarter than me edits my gibberish before it is edited by my bosses. Oh what they would think if they saw my first drafts….

Under utilized: I’m sick and tired of  saying it- get the ball to the tight ends. Ohio State started doing it against Kent State last week but this needs to be an every week occurrence. Tim Hinton said yesterday that Jeff Heuerman is one of the best in the country at his position and some scouts feel he can be one of the top tight ends taken in next years draft. I’m ready to finally see why.

Virginia Tech- This is why we can’t give you nice wins: Losses to East Carolina and Georgia Tech after winning your biggest road game in school history make me giggle. That’s what you get when you put all your spring and fall camps into one game (yup still not over it). Michael Brewer was credited with having a terrific game against the Bucks, and not to toot my own horn, but I didn’t see it. Despite some nice scrambles and a solid td pass, he didn’t even throw for 200 yards and had three turnovers against Ohio State. He’s been the same in the last two losses.

Von Bell is a peach: The sophmore star from Georgia looks like he is going to be a big time playmaker in the next couple years. For the first time since the beginning of last season, Ohio State has a promising secondary.

When will they commit?: Damien Harris and Torrance Gibson are two crazy athletes who many consider to be Buckeye leans. The longer they wait the more nervous the leader gets, but most recruiting experts believe Ohio State is still in good shape with these two blue chippers.

X: Piss off I tried.

You can catch him: My boy Dontre Wilson had a decent start to the 2014 season yet a lot of Ohio State fans are expecting more. He has been so close to breaking the big one yet keeps getting tripped up. He’s averaging 5 yards a carry and 20 yards a catch, it just seems he hasn’t found the vision to become truly elite. Some really stupid fans will tell you that they are ready to give up on the sophmore h-back from Texas for others behind him; just laugh it off and imagine how bad Michigan would love to have an offensive back that averages 11 yards a touch.

Zeke needs to be the man: I’m ready for Ezekiel Elliot to get 15-20 carries a game. As much as I love Curtis Samuel, Zeke’s 225 pound frame will be more reliable between the tackles once the physical Big Ten season starts.  I think the 180 pound Samuel will be an outstanding compliment to the bigger Elliott. It’d just be nice to see the big boy run like he’s got 40 pounds on his backup.

 

Finally, after what seemed to be a ten year weekend, we get some real football back Saturday. I’m still upset we have to deal with another one of these bye’s so quickly but at least we aren’t UC fans. The Bearcats didn’t play the first two weeks during the season and I don’t know how their fans survived (oh yea I do, all of their fans are big time bandwagon dickweeds). If that was me I would have definitely looked at freezing myself or googled how to induce a two week coma.

Hopefully that the positives on this list will remain as such and the negatives will be forgotten quicker than the ice bucket challenge.

Who knows, maybe come December, we can finally forget about 9/6/14. I don’t know if I want to let it go though. I feel like heading down to the shoe this weekend all dressed in white and smoking cigarettes while following the happy nut fans around to remind them of that horrible night. We need to make sure they never forget- Leftovers style…

 

 

 

 

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