Each week, the three of us will drop a few lines about the week that was.
Don’t look now, but we are edging closer to a 2007 Season 2.0. If Bama or Georgia get beat…we can call it 2007. The water feels especially murky this season. Everyone is ripe for the taking. It’s going to get weirder as we progress through the season.
Goodbye and Good Riddance, Clemson
Clemson doesn’t have it this year. Their 27-21 OT loss at the hands of NC State cements that. Their offense has been gross all season and it reared its ugly head last night.
I don’t think it’s an overreaction to say Clemson might need to do a reset of philosophies. It’s clear Trevor Lawrence hid a lot of ugly warts, but it’s far more than just average quarterback play. They just seem to not have the talent their accustomed to having. At least we don’t have to deal with Playoff Dabo this season.
Hog Wild
Hey, so, uh, Arkansas is good. They might even be second-best team in the best division in CFB level good. Arkansas likes to hit, likes to out physical you and have a bargain bin Cam Newton-esque quarterback. That matchup against Georgia is gonna be a bloodbath in a really fun way.
A&M’s offense is so constipated. It’s clear why Calzada was the backup to start the year. Not loving the thought of watching the Aggies down the stretch.
Out on Oklahoma
I’m out on the team that will probably still win the Big 12. OU has an explosive plays problem and their offense can’t seem to cope with not having a road grader offensive line.
The chants from the OU faithful clamoring for the benching of Spencer Rattler were sort of sad. He is, as I’ve stated before, a “Tik-Tok ass QB” in my eyes…but in front of the home crowd...that’s rough. Wouldn’t shock me at all if UT beats OU this season.
Graham Mertz is a Problem
Look, Graham Mertz is not a good quarterback. There’s no way around it. He stunk in the Big Noon Kickoff game yesterday in the Badgers 41-13 loss to No. 12 Notre Dame.
Mertz finished with 4 INTs and a QBR of 17.6. He’s thrown just as many pick 6 INTs as he has touchdowns since his breakthrough game against Illinois last season. In a division that is begging for someone to step up and win, Wisconsin does not appear that they will oblige.
On the flip side, ND is somehow back in the CFP conversation. I don’t love their team but they keep finding weird ways to win.
Waffle House University
If it weren’t for that stunning loss to NIU a few weeks ago, I think Georgia Tech would be a bowl team. In Year 3, Geoff Collins seems to be figuring a few things out.
Saturday night they walloped No. 21 UNC 45-22. They still have a weird offense and won’t blow anyone away on that side of the ball, but they’ve had two really strong defensive performances against Clemson and UNC.
The Nebraska Narrative
It’s hard to find something new to say. Each loss is more mind-numbing than the ones before. Nebraska wasted a really excellent defensive performance and lost an absolute dick punch of a game 23-20 in OT to Michigan State.
Nebraska seemingly does the one thing you can’t do on critical plays. A punt to the worst spot on the field. An INT in overtime. More laughably bad penalties.
For one of the first times in years, AM2 is not the issue. He still misses some open receivers and had THE critical turnover, but he saves NU’s bacon way too much. The Skers are going to sniff around a bowl game and this game might the one that keeps them out.
The Wake Forest Conversation
Hey, it’s weird to type this but Wake Forest is good? They might win their division and be the best team in the ACC? They beat the brakes off Virginia on Friday night. They’ve got road games against Clemson and UNC but man, they are looking like a good-ish team.
Quick Hitters
- That Minnesota loss to Bowling Green is inexcusable. They have severe offensive issues right now. That division is hot trash.
- Mississippi State kicked ass between the 20s and did the opposite from the 20 inwards. They wasted a lot of yards and should’ve beaten LSU.
- Rutgers is decent. Their defense seems to be competent and I think if they were in the Big 10 West, they’d be the second-best team.
- UTSA is the second-best G5 team in the country. Let’s give Jeff Traylor his flowers. They fell behind big early but stormed back to beat a pesky Memphis team. He should be the next head coach at Texas Tech.
- I repeat: Iowa’s offense is a problem. The Hawkeyes play at Maryland next Friday night. That might be a loss.
- Good luck pegging what USC will do week to week. They got the gas pipe against Oregon State 45-27. This just means they’ll beat ND late in the season.
- Hilarious is an understatement but a LB from Ohio State quit mid-game against Akron and then tweeted “Fucc Ohio State.” This was a funny wrinkle on Saturday night.