Each week, the three of us will drop a few lines about the week that was.
Week 3 had something for everyone. We had a few fun prize fights, some juicy G5 games and a wacky late-night slate. This year more than most, it feels like every team is mortal.
- B1G Night in Happy Valley
An unheralded mark of a good coach is the ability to pivot. After a dreadful 2020, James Franklin pivoted on offense and brought in Mike Yurcich. Together, they’ve got the Nittany Lions back in business.
Penn State is the cream of the B1G crop. In the ABC primetime game, PSU stood tall against a late push from a feisty Auburn team and won 28-20. Sean Clifford is accurate now? He went 28/32 for 280 yards and 2 TDs. Senior Jahan Dotson is an absolute star and had another big night. The Nittany Lion defense is physical and loves to hit.
I can’t believe I like watching Penn State. This feels like something I’d write in a hostage situation.
- Hold Deez
Nick Saban is the best. The best coach in history. The best at DEEZ NUTS jokes. He’s also the best at being disgustingly disappointed after games his team wins.
Bama jumped out to a big lead and survived late to win 31-29 in The Swamp. Florida outran the Crimson Tide 245-91, which is strange and maybe concerning if you’re a Bama fan. Teams rarely establish the run against a Saban defense.
That said, Bryce Young and that Bama offense is so damn legit. They’re gonna hammer a lot of teams this year. This result makes me more bullish on Florida and unchanged on Bama. UF’s offense versus UGA’s defense on October 30 sounds juicy.
- Bruins Go Bust
The Pac-12 doesn’t get to have nice things. Two weeks ago, Chip Kelly and the Bruins were on top of the world after crushing LSU. A week after USC fired their flaccid head coach, they were supposed to be LA’s team.
Kalen DeBoer and Fresno State had other plans. I’m here to tell you: Fresno State is a damn good team. They almost beat Oregon Week 1. Saturday night, they took a flaming arrows approach and burned UCLA for 455 passing yards in the 40-37 upset.
Fresno QB Jake Haener plays like a guy with huge balls. He’s gritty. He’s tough as shit. Dare I say he’s got a little Mike Winchell to him.
Don’t look now, but Fresno State could be the G5 darling this year…especially if Cincinnati slips up.
- Boomer Bummer
Give credit where credit is due: Nebraska dialed up a good defensive gameplan to limit OU to 23 points. That soft zone gave OU fits. They made Spencer Rattler do the thing he does the worst: play disciplined football.
I try to extend grace to college kids. I’m not terribly far removed from that stage of my life. That said, I’m done with Spencer Rattler. He’s a TikTok ass quarterback. His flashes are great and his bad is real, real bad.
This game seriously dampened any expectations I had of OU and the Big 12. I felt like OU had opportunities to run rampant in this game. They barely survived. In the same vein…man, Nebraska. They find new ways to lose. I tweeted this and I think it rings true: If you told me a dog ran onto the field, stole the ball from Martinez and ran it back for OU, I would believe it. NU finds new and creative ways to lose each and every game.
- Survive and Advance
Winning ugly is the mark of a good team. I’m sure of it. No. 8 Cincinnati went on the road and grinded out a 38-24 win over the fighting Tom Allens of Indiana. Was it grimy? Yes. Did Desmond Ritter make fans sweat? Of course.
Look, Cincinnati has their biggest game of the year against Notre Dame on the horizon. It’s a good sign to see them find a way to win. They won’t make the CFP. They were never going to. But despite the Fickell-USC whispers and a slow start, the Bearcats held out strong for the Group of 5.
- Trouble in Tallahassee
Growing up in Mississippi, it was commonplace to see roadkill. Even before you see it, you smell it. It has a distinct smell.
The Florida State Seminoles have a distinct smell right now and it isn’t a good one. Fresh off their worst loss in program history against a Hail-Mary-happy Jacksonville State team, they got demolished 35-14 by…wait for it…Wake freaking Forest.
Look, I don’t think they can fire Mike Norvell. Firing two coaches in four years is a tough look. But man, oh man, there is something not right in Tallahassee.
- A Tale of Two Teams
Michigan State-Miami very much felt like the tale of two teams.
On one hand, you have the upstart Spartans from East Lansing, riding the high of the first real season under Mel Tucker. They aren’t the prettiest team, but they have an SEC feel to them. They play hard. Tucker recruits well. They’re 3-0 and have a favorable matchup against Nebraska up next.
Last week, Miami fans made the news for catching a falling cat from an upper deck. I joked it was perfectly Miami. Well, this week…there was no flag, no celebration, no college kids to catch the flailing Hurricanes. Instead, they got walloped by a second-year coach in their home stadium after barely surviving against a Sun Belt team just a week ago.
I never thought Manny Diaz was “The Answer.” I’m not even sure there is an answer. But the fact of the matter is that these two teams are going in opposite directions. In a suddenly open B1G race, Sparty is a team to keep an eye on.
- MEMPHIS IS STILL VERY MEMPHIS
Hey y’all, I’m not a psychic but I like to think that I have a good radar for when some stupid shit is about to happen. Whew buddy, that Mississippi State-Memphis game was all sorts of stupid.
In our Week 3 Betting Guide, I wrote the following: Something stupid will happen. This is a blood bank guarantee. MSU fans are gonna try and sneak the cowbells into the Liberty Bowl. Sping the wheel of stupid: brawl, a million points and no defense, a driving rainstorm, Mike Leach problematic comments…or any combination of these things.
Oh wow, would you look at that. Memphis won the game 31-29 but that doesn’t even begin to tell the story. Will Rogers went 50-67 (HOLY SHIT!) for 419 yards and 3 TDs in a loss. The Bulldogs played a damn good game on defense (who woulda thought that when they hired Leach) and it was unfortunate they lost.
The big highlight was when MSU attempted a punt late in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs punted the ball and appeared to down the ball inside the Memphis 5 yard line….only to not have full possession, allowing Memphis’s #4 to scoop and score that thing 94 yards for a touchdown. Upon further review…there were 2 #4’s on the field at one time. BECAUSE SURE OF COURSE THERE WAS. You can’t do that…at least outside the city limits of Memphis, Tennessee.
Still, MSU had a chance to tie. They kicked an onside kick and recovered it…only for them to review the play and call a penalty on a totally unrelated call. SURE.
After a stop, Rogers gunned two deep balls late that led to a touchdown, only to be stopped at the 1.5-yard line on a two-point conversion attempt.
Post-game, the SEC released a statement admitting to a litany of officiating errors. They messed up big time.
This game perfectly encapsulated why I love college football. It was absurd very dumb and sort of hard to explain to someone who doesn’t understand CFB. I love this sport.
- Pac-12 Horror Show
We’ve barely gotten to the Pac-12 After Dark portion of the season and that conference is already in shambles. New conference commissioner George Kliavkoff is a gambling man. His conference is playing Blackjack and won’t stop telling the dealer to “hit me!” with an 18. Tough scene.
Washington, UCLA, Colorado, Oregon State and Utah all have some tragic non-conference losses. Arizona State and Cal lost very winnable non-con games. USC had to fire their coach after a beatdown at the hands of Stanford. Arizona lost a home game to Northern Arizona last night. WAZZU’s head coach made a spectacle of himself all offseason for refusing to take the vaccine.
After Week 3, once again the Pac-12’s eggs are all in one basket: Oregon. This just means they’ll lose in some bizarre Friday night game. Nature is healing.
- Quick Hitters
Despite relying on a backup QB, KState beat a solid Nevada team 38-17 yesterday. We shouldn’t sleep on the Cats quite yet. They will manufacture a good season.
The Black Diamond Trophy game screamed SpiderMan meme. Virginia Tech and West Virginia might be the same team? The Mountaineers got up big on Saturday, only to need a goal-line stand to hold off the Hokies 27-21. Neither team is good. They’ll both probably drop some headscratchers later this week.
Clemson’s offense is cause for concern and Trevor Lawrence ain’t walkin’ through that door (even though I’m sure he’d like to.) The Tigers needed a 4th-and-goal stand to avoid a Georgia Tech upset. DJ Uiagalelei is struggling. Their offensive line is not very good. Little Ole Clemson doesn’t look right offensively.
Meep Meep…All aboard the Jeff Traylor bandwagon. People aren’t talking enough about how Jeff Traylor might be the best coach in the state of Texas. He led the Roadrunners to a 7-5 record in 2020 and they’re off to a 3-0 start now. He’s also doing miracles in recruiting. Somebody should try to lure him away in the offseason.