College football games to watch: week five

The Early Games

In a pretty juiced up slate of games presented to us this weekend on the amateur gridiron, we have the pleasure of seeing a top-25 matchup to inaugurate our Saturday. The No. 12 West Virginia Mountaineers trek down to Lubbock, Texas to take on Kliff Kingsbury (now that's a cool guy) and his No. 25 ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders. Kliff Kingsbury's tenure at Texas Tech hasn't been entirely glamorous, but they've picked up steam in the weeks following a 20 point loss to Ole Miss on opening weekend. Since then, they've: thrashed an FCS opponent 77-0, scored nine touchdowns to beat Houston 63-49, and knocked No. 15 Oklahoma State out of the rankings in a 41-17 beatdown on the road. And now, they get to prove the authenticity of these last three weeks, as they take on a team that has yet to be challenged. West Virginia has only played three games, as their matchup with NC State was canceled due to the hurricane. In those three games, they've outscored their opponents (Tennessee, Youngstown State, Kansas State) 127-37. Early Heisman hopeful Will Grier has been lighting it up, as expected, and a top-25 win would certainly help his Heisman campaign. And it'd help the resume of West Virginia as they've done what they need to do so far in order be a part of the Big 12 contenders discussion. Everyone expected their offense to thrive, but the Mountaineers defense has been impressive. Look, I know they haven't played anyone that you could argue is legit, but they've still only allowed an average of 12.3 points per game. They're tied for No. 1 in that category with Utah. The Texas Tech offense, on the other hand, has the fifth most points per game with 52. Also, the Red Raiders' true freshman quarterback Alan Bowman has the second most passing yards in the country with 1,557. According to OddsShark, West Virginia is currently favored by 3.5 points. The Mountaineers are 3-0 against the spread, while Texas Tech is 3-1 against the spread.

In the 2017 regular season, the Clemson Tigers only suffered one loss, and that was a 27-24 stunner that came courtesy of Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Now Clemson, who is ranked No. 3 in the country, hosts a 4-0 'Cuse squad that has looked impressive so far. Through four games, Syracuse has outscored its opponents (Western Michigan, Wagner, Florida State, UConn) by a total of 198-80. They're 3-0-1 against the spread, and their senior quarterback Eric Dungey is a legitimate dual-threat. Although Syracuse has shown a noteworthy run game, this Clemson defense is a unit that can absolutely stunt any momentum your offense had going. Especially on the ground. The Tigers enter this game as 24 point favorites, and are 1-3 against the spread. Clemson enters this one with a new QB1, as Dabo Swinney announced he is going with freshman phenom Trevor Lawrence as his starter. He's earned the job, and now it's time for the young buck to take control of the team. A lot of people have a lot of thoughts on the situation of Dabo giving the Lawrence the nod, causing Kelly Bryant to announce that he is transferring. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with the situation. At least Dabo was straight forward with him, which still gave him time to sit out and transfer. Before Kelly Bryant goes feeling bad for himself, he should be thankful he's not Jalen Hurts.

Bryant transferring isn’t him “giving up on the team.” It’s a two way street. If you’re best isn’t quite good enough, bounce to a program where your best is more than enough. He’s already got a ring as a backup. Now he’s focusing on his career.

— Caleb Blackmur (@CalebBlackmur) September 26, 2018

The Afternoon Games

Sandwiched in between some great early games and a plethora of night time entertainment is a mediocre slate of afternoon games. If you haven't realized by now, I am enamored with the Texas Longhorns' quest for their old ways. And this week, the No. 18 Longhorns hit the road to take on Kansas State. The Wildcats are 2-2 so far, although both of their losses have come to ranked teams: No. 23 Mississippi State and No. 12 West Virginia. Texas has some hefty momentum rolling, coming off of three straight wins against Tulsa, USC, and TCU. This will be the Longhorns' first away game of the season, and of all the places to be travelling to, Manhattan, Kansas is not the ideal destination for them. The last time Texas traveled to Kansas State and headed home with a victory was 2002. The Longhorns enter Saturday's game favored by 8.5. Neither team has a winning record against the spread, with Texas being 2-2 and Kansas State is 1-3. If the Longhorns don't end that losing streak in K-State's house, they'll be dealing with some serious scaries looking ahead to their matchup with rival Oklahoma next week.

If you're looking to watch some hard-fought, closely-matched football on Saturday, the No. 2 Georgia vs. Tennessee is not for you. But if you want to merely observe how far behind Tennessee is from the rest of the SEC, this might be the one for you. I'm personally interested in Jeremy Pruitt's tenure in Knoxville and how much he can improve the program that is in complete shambles. I like Pruitt and hope he can turn this thing around; it's just an incredible challenge as the Vols have dug themselves way too deep of a hole in recent years. In a Q&A after the loss to Florida, Pruitt told reporters that he is honest with recruits in saying, "This will probably be the worst year with me being the head football coach, because it's the first year." I love the honesty from him here. I feel like so many coaches, and fans of their teams, think a turnaround effort can be executed in just a couple of weeks or months. But Pruitt understands and transparently conveys that this is a process; you've got to build your way up. So as the Vols travel to Athens, Georgia for their first SEC road game, it's probably not going to be close at all. The Bulldogs are favored by 31.5 points. They have yet to score fewer than 40 points in a game this season. This game isn't a potential upset, that just won't happen. But it could be a game that, a few seasons down the road, people look back at to compare the "then and now" of Jeremy Pruitt's time at Tennessee.

The Night Games

The evening slate is absolutely loaded, so let's start off with the same game the College Gameday crew will start our day from. The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes play the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. This top 10, in-conference battle under the lights should be absolutely extraordinary. Although the Buckeyes are the road team in an extremely hostile environment, they are favored by three points. Both teams come into this one as 4-0 straight up and 3-1 against the spread. After a week one overtime scare from Appalachian State, Penn State has been steamrolling opponents, outscoring the competition of the last three weeks 177-40. Nobody has scored more points in the country than these two teams: Penn State has scored the most with 222 total points (55.5 points per game) and Ohio State is right behind them with a total of 218 points (54.5 points per game). This BIG 10 matchup clearly features a ton of offensive power, and Ohio State's defense will be missing a key piece as defensive end Nick Bosa is out after having surgery on a core muscle. Both quarterbacks in this game are awesome. I could never really get behind Trace McSorely being something special, but he keeps on proving me wrong over and over again. On the other side, Dwayne Haskins is just about as legitimate as an early Heisman contender can get, as he's put up insane numbers: he has the second best completion percentage in the country with 75.7, the second most passing touchdowns with 16, the third best passer efficiency rating with 207, and the tenth-most passing yards with 1,194. The current over/under for this game is 71, which seems like more of a Big 12 line than that of two BIG 10 teams.


Count your blessings folks, because we get to witness two top-ten matchups under the lights on Saturday. It could've been nice if these heavyweight bouts were spread out a bit, having one in the currently lackluster afternoon slot, but I won't complain about top teams battling it out in prime time. No. 7 Stanford travels to South Bend as they take on No. 8 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are favored by 5.5 in this one. The last time Notre Dame beat Stanford was in 2014, when the Irish won 17-14 at home. Although Stanford handled Notre Dame last season 38-20, every meeting between these two team from 2012-2016 ended as a one-possession point differential. This game being in South Bend is huge for ND, as the home crowd should be a zoo and the Irish haven't beat Stanford out West since 2007. One of Notre Dame's glaring weaknesses in 2018 has been the play of quarterback Brandon Wimbush. However, coach Brian Kelly assigned junior QB Ian Book as the starter. Regardless of who is under center for ND, this Stanford defense is capable of causing major disruptions. Also, keep an eye on Stanford's running back Bryce Love, who hasn't necessarily put up his expected numbers so far this year, but he's still an incredible talent that is due for a breakout performance in the spotlight. It will be extremely difficult for the Cardinal to play a second-straight ranked matchup on the road, but playoff implications are on the line for both teams in this one.

Yet another top-25 matchup on Saturday night will take place in Seattle, with the No. 11 Washington Huskies hosting No. 20 BYU. Entering the season, the Huskies were highly regarded as a playoff contender and the Pac 12 favorite. Those two accolades are still very much in sight for Washington, but they definitely haven't looked as dominant as many had foreseen, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Which is why I am a little stunned that Washington is favored by 17 points in this one. The only time this year they've really lit up the scoreboard was against North Dakota, a game they won 45-3. But in the three games the Huskies have faced Power Five opponents (Auburn, Utah, Arizona State), they've scored an average of 21.3 points per game. Not that their offense has been non-existent, but that's a lot of points to be favored by for a team that hasn't been entirely explosive offensively. I guess that line is really counting on the Washington defense to completely shut down BYU's offense, which is very possible seeing as they've allowed 12.8 points per game (tied for fourth fewest in the country). Against Power Five opponents (Arizona, Cal, Wisconsin), BYU has allowed an average of 21.6 points in three games. BYU has proven that they are not afraid of going on the road to play a higher ranked team, as they went into Madison, Wisconsin two weeks ago and stunned the Badgers 24-21. BYU was unranked, while Wisconsin was No. 6 at the time. Washington has only covered the spread once this season, while failing to do so in the other three weeks. BYU, on the other hand, goes up to the Pacific Northwest with a 3-1 record against the spread.

One final ranked matchup for week five comes to you courtesy of #Pac12AfterDark. The No. 19 Oregon Ducks are looking to bounce back after blowing a lead to Stanford last Saturday night, which they'll have to do on the road against the No. 24 Cal Golden Bears. Cal has gone 5-7 in three of the last four seasons, and head coach Justin Wilcox is really looking to turn things around in his second year in charge. Their most significant win in 2018 was the 21-18 victory over BYU in Provo, Utah. They've also beat UNC 24-17 and Idaho State 45-23. They've allowed an average of less than 20 points per game, but Justin Herbert and the Ducks' offense are much more talented than anything Cal has faced yet this year. Oregon has scored an average of 46.5 points per game, but they've also failed to come out on top in their only Power Five matchup of the year. The Ducks are currently favored by 1.5, but I wouldn't be surprised if that line changes a bit between now and kickoff. Oregon has yet to cover the spread this season, and Cal is 1-1-1 against the spread. This is the second of three-straight ranked opponents for Oregon, as they host No. 11 Washington next week.

College football games to watch: week four

The Early Games

For being a top-ten, undefeated team (with a win over a ranked opponent), Notre Dame sure is getting a lot of heat. But when you look at their other two wins over Ball State and Vanderbilt, they've won by a single possession in each of the victories against inferior opponents. I won't sit here and tell you that Vanderbilt is as terrible as they were not too many years prior, but Notre Dame, as No. 8 in the country, should win at home by more than five against the Commodores. And they certainly should win by more than eight when hosting Ball State. So now the Irish will travel for the first time this season to take on a 2-1 Wake Forest team. Wake Forest's sole loss came to Boston College last Thursday night, a team that now sits at No. 23 in the rankings. Between Notre Dame's shakiness in the last two weeks, Wake Forest looking not terrible, and the Irish being in an away stadium for the first time, you can see why people's "upset radar" might be going off for this matchup. I don't think the Deamon Deacons will pull it off, but any game becomes substantially more intriguing even if the grand minority deems it a potential upset.

The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs visit the 3-0 Missouri Tigers as heavy favorites. Although Georgia outweighs Mizzou in many (probably all) aspects, Drew Lock could maybe, possibly, potentially play a perfect game and keep this one relatively close against a stacked Georgia team. Lock has eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark already this season, which only six other quarterbacks can boast about so far. He is also tied with Dwayne Haskins for the fifth most TD passes in the country with eleven. Even if Georgia does blow the doors off of Mizzou, it's still not the worst thing in the world to watch top talent obliterate everything in its way. But who knows, as Mizzou has covered the spread the last three times they've played each other. Georgia is currently favored by two touchdowns.

Is Boston College for real this year? There have been many down years for the Eagles since the likes of Matt Ryan and BJ Raji were gracing Alumni Stadium with their presence, but some folks are saying that it's starting to look like BC is back. So far in 2018, they've stomped fellow Bay State opponents Umass and Holy Cross, winning 55-21 and 62-14, respectively. And as I had mentioned above, BC edged out Wake Forest last Thursday 41-34 for their first conference win of the year. Now they take on a winless Purdue team in West Lafayette, Indiana. Now, Purdue's 0-3 record isn't quite as putrid as it looks, as through three games they've lost by a combined total of eight points. Purdue could come into this one with a chip on their shoulder, with a feeling that their record is an inaccurate portrayal of them as a football team. Or, this could play out in the way you'd expect an undefeated ranked team playing a winless team inevitably would. Regardless, my main interest in this one is to see how legit BC is. Sure, they have a handful of challenges that lie ahead on the schedule which will bring far greater jeopardy than Purdue. But winning two straight road games against Power Five teams and starting 4-0 would deservedly turn some heads, and give further support for their presence in the top 25. For what it's worth, BC is currently favored by 6.5 points, and they've covered the spread in all three games this year. Purdue is 0-3 against the spread so far.

The Afternoon Games

I know many of you may find this statement shocking, offensive, and bold. But I don't care. I'm going to come out and say it. Alabama has, by far, looked like the best team in the country this season. Wow, felt good to get that off my chest. Look I know it isn't easy to be entirely intrigued by Alabama, once again, dismantling each and every opponent, every single week. And now with the addition of Tua under center, the once pretty-much-unstoppable force of Saban and his Tide are now seemingly-completely unstoppable, in the most literal sense. But the No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies are Alabama's biggest test so far this year. And from the minute sample size we have obtained through just a few games, we can conclude that A&M can hang with the big dogs. The Aggies came up a hair short against No. 2 Clemson in week two, when College Gameday came to College Station. A&M surprised 'Bama once upon a time in 2012, and it'd take a big surprise for the Crimson Tide, favored by 26 in this one, to take a loss at home.

No. 17 TCU luckily only dropped two spots in the rankings after blowing a lead to No. 4 Ohio State last week. The Horned Frogs now travel to Austin as the Longhorns are looking to win a third straight, after losing to Maryland opening weekend for the second consecutive year. Texas is riding high after thrashing USC and knocking them out of the rankings. As of right now, TCU is favored by a field goal. Beating a ranked team for the second straight week sure would alleviate some of the pressure Tom Herman is feeling from Texas fans and boosters. After TCU this Saturday afternoon, three of the next five opponents on the Longhorns' schedule are ranked in the top 25 (No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 12 West Virginia), so if Herman wants to really turn this season around, he'll need to gain as much momentum as possible with a win at home against TCU.

The Georgia Tech game could be a solid triple  option to check in on, as they host No. 3 Clemson on Saturday. I, along with the masses, do not think this will be a close game. But can't complain about an in-conference matchup featuring a top-three team. Georgia Tech's offense could potentially execute some exciting plays for big yardage. And it's always worth observing the quarterback play in these early Clemson games, as it seems Trevor Lawrence stock has done nothing but rise since he arrived.

The Night Games

College Gameday will set up shop in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday as the No. 20 Ducks host No. 7 Stanford. The Pac 12 is such an intriguing conference to me; it has a somewhat mysterious feel to it. Yeah, it's mostly due to West Coast game being on later for the Midwest and East Coast spectators, but that unique aspect keeps me interested at least. So it's nice to see this foreign conference get the Gameday crew to shine the spotlight on Autzen Stadium for a top-25 matchup. I'm sure Willie Taggart is absolutely beaming that he took that dream job down in Tallahassee. The Ducks have been blessed with Justin Herbert as their quarterback, and if Oregon is going to pull this off, it's going to take an excellent performance by him under the home-field lights. Herbert is tied for the second most touchdown passes in the country (most of any Power Five quarterback) right now, tossing for six points twelve times. He also does have four picks so far on the year, and through three weeks Stanford's defense has allowed an average of 7.7 points per game, which is less than any other team. Right now Stanford is favored, and the spread seems to be varied between 1.5 and 2.5. Stanford is 2-1 against the spread, and Oregon has yet to cover this season.

Some more Pac 12 action will happen in true #Pac12AfterDark fashion as Herm Edwards and his 2-1 Arizona State Sun Devils travel up to Seattle to face the No. 10 Washington Huskies. When ASU hired Herm Edwards as head coach, it was written off as a disaster immediately. Although it's only been three games with him in Tempe, he's partially silenced some of the doubters by upsetting Michigan State in week two. That momentum halted last week in a 28-21 loss to San Diego State. But who knows, Herm could throw some schemes at Washington quarterback Jake Browning and really throw him off. If there's one major downfall to this Washington team, it's Browning's poise. As you probably know, Washington's sole loss came to No. 9 Auburn on Labor Day Weekend. The Huskies enter this game as heavy 17.5 point favorites and have only covered once so far in the 2018 season.

One of the earlier night games shouldn't be close by any means, but No. 5 Oklahoma hosting Army on Saturday is worth watching because Sooners' Kyler Murray has proven to be simply extraordinary.  The Sooners have been booming all-around, and their quarterback is playing like he'll be in New York City for the Heisman ceremony. As I said, this isn't projected to be a battle for the ages, as Oklahoma is favored by 31 points. But Oklahoma is not showing any signs of a hangover from last year's talent and success, and their return to the College Football Playoff keeps looking more likely.

College football games to watch this weekend

As we clock out of work on Friday after yet another long week, we've got an excellent slate of games to watch in week three. A few games in the Carolinas/Virginia area will be cancelled/postponed due to Hurricane Florence, but precautionary action in the wake of a natural disaster is a far greater concern than getting in a football game. So let's take a look at your best options for each time slot.

The Early Games

These early games admittedly are not the most fascinating group of the day, but I won't sit here and complain. In the 2017 regular season, Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners only suffered one loss, and that was to the Iowa State Cyclones. Iowa State pulled off that upset in Oklahoma's house, and now it's time for Kyler Murray and the No. 5 Sooners to head up to lovely Iowa to prevent that from happening in consecutive years. Iowa State only has one game under their belt this season, as their opening game was cancelled due to lightning. The one game that they have played this season was a 13-3 loss against in-state rival Iowa. I think there is little-to-no chance of Iowa State pulling this off again, but at the very least you'd get to watch a wildly explosive Oklahoma team take on an in-conference opponent.

Florida State vs. Syracuse is an unranked, lowly matchup, so I wouldn't blame you for not wasting anytime with this one. But it would be worth something to see the Seminoles lose to 'Cuse, even if you couldn't necessarily define that one as "an upset," seeing as the 'Noles are nowhere close to being their usual selves. I mean, seriously, this team has not looked good for a second yet this season. Not only did they get pounded by Virginia Tech on Labor Day, but they had to stage a fourth quarter comeback in order to beat Samford. No, not Stanford. Samford. Syracuse has started 2018 with two wins and no losses, and I think it's likely that the Florida State Seminoles will leave the Carrier Dome with another conference loss.

There are some people out there that believe an upset is brewing in Toledo, Ohio as the No. 21 Miami Hurricanes hit the road for some MACtion. Look, I know Miami was very underwhelming in the season opener against LSU, but I don't think the 'Canes will be taken down by Toledo. I understand that Miami has some problems regarding quarterback play, and they've lost four of their last five games. The U is obviously not as BACK as we thought they were at one point last season. But I think them being upset by Toledo is simply a fantasy for upset addicts. I'll be shocked if the 'Canes enter week four with two losses.

The Afternoon Games

The earliest of the noteworthy afternoon games, which will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Central Time, features No. 8 Notre Dame hosting Vanderbilt. Vandy is not the most impressive SEC team in any sense, but watching the Irish take on an SEC opponent will always garner some attention. And although Notre Dame opened the season by knocking off Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines under the lights, the Irish beating Ball State 24-16 in week two rightfully raised some eyebrows. ND enters the game as 13.5 point favorites, and it'd take an abysmal effort to lose to the Commodores. But crazier things have happened.

The headliner of the afternoon games comes from a conference you may have heard of called the SEC, as No. 7 Auburn hosts No. 13 LSU. If I were an unoriginal moron who has a knack for dad jokes, I'd say "I think the Tigers are going to win this one!" But I'm cool. I'm original. And I am hip. No  Minimal dad jokes allowed in this arsenal of knee slappers. But seriously, this is one of those games you'd expect to see in the last three or four weeks of the regular season. Two traditional SEC powerhouses, both ranked in the top 15, going at it in week three. LSU came out hot and beat Miami in week one, followed by a 31-0 shutout victory over Southeastern Louisiana. Auburn opened up the season in a great 21-16 win over Washington, and then obliterated Alabama State 63-9 in week two. I'd say both teams have had similar seasons thus far, considering the small sample size we have to deal with. Auburn is currently favored by 10.5 points over LSU. Both teams are 1-1 against the spread. When it comes down to it, with each team having an impressive opening win, followed by an expected execution, each team's resume is comparable. But Auburn's opening win was against a much better team, which makes me like Auburn in this one. It certainly also helps that they'll be playing at home in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Another great, and somewhat unorthodox, top 25 matchup this weekend will be between No. 17 Boise State and No. 24 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This will be the first time ever that these two teams meet. In fact, it's the first time the Broncos have faced a Big 12 team in the regular season. Boise State playing a Big 12 team from Oklahoma strongly strikes a nostalgic sense in most college football spectators, bringing back memories of the Statue of Liberty play leading to a bowl upset. But that was a long time ago, and these OK State Cowboys aren't quite those vintage Sooners. And to add to that, Boise State has built quite a reputation since then. Although they've only faced far inferior opponents with Troy and UConn, the Broncos have averaged 59 points per game through the first two. Similarly, the Cowboys have averaged 56.5 points per game so far, shooting down Missouri State and South Alabama. Oklahoma State is currently favored by three points, and ESPN's matchup predictor has the Cowboys with a 54.2% chance to win. If Boise State truly wants to be a disruptive group-of-five squad, they'll obviously need to leave Boone Pickens Stadium with a win. It's a damn shame we won't get to watch this one of Boise's Smurf turf.

The Night Games

Alabama taking on Ole Miss brings back a few great memories of recent matchups to remember, but I'm sorry to break the news: We will not be seeing the Rebels take down Saban in 2018. Ole Miss has some exciting offensive players (not named Swag Kelly), and has exceeded expectations through two weeks. But what this game really comes down to, is we get to watch the best team in the country take on an opponent that could maybe, possibly, give Alabama some competition for like...a quarter and a half....tops. This won't be close, but there are more reasons to watch the Tide this week than in previous weeks. 'Bama is currently a 21.5 favorite in this one.

The evening games are headlined by a top 25 matchup between No. 4 Ohio State and No. 15 TCU at Jerry World in Arlington, Texas. Another unnecessary neutral site game. I understand that TCU's campus is about 20 miles away from the Cowboys' Stadium, but there are just way too many college games being played there. Let the student section stumble from the dorm to the tailgate to the stadium, rather than hop on shuttles to experience the mega-commercialized version of football. I'd love to see TCU come out on top in this one, seeing as tOSU is one of the few programs I have genuine disdain for. And who doesn't love a good upset? I do think TCU will be competitive with the Buckeyes for a good portion of the game. But I'm ready to give up on waiting for this Ohio State downfall. I don't see them losing this game. They may get brought down by someone this season, but mark my words it will not be the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University.

Saturday night will be capped off by some classic Pac 12 After Dark, with a nice 10 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff in Salt Lake City, with No. 10 Washington visiting the Utah Utes. The Utes are everyone's go-to trap game in the Pac 12, and it seems people are singing that tune a little extra this year. Utah is not ranked, but a lot of people like them to make some noise in the conference this year. And that, my friends, is a paradox in the world of trap teams. They're a trap when you don't expect it, build up a reputation as a trap opponent, and then the hype defeats the purpose of them being a trap. The Huskies are favored by five points, but I think the hype surrounding Utah will light a fire under Washington, causing them to light the Utes up. Well, at least by more than five.

Let's have ourselves a weekend. May your Saturdays be filled with buffalo chicken dip, UberEats, and a million ice-cold Miller Lites.

Mid-week college football ramblings: Week 2

A few thoughts on week one's games from last weekend, the new edition of the AP top 25, and week two's games this upcoming weekend.

What we learned from last weekend's games

A few seasons ago, some morons (myself included) were eager to have some original takes, which created and fueled the narrative that the SEC as a whole was too dependent on Alabama for their title of most prestigious conference. That the past had shown the SEC to be the best conference, but that era was being threatened by other conferences improving their depth. That yes, Saban and his Tide were the best program of the century, but the rest of the conference wasn't that much more impressive top-to-bottom than the rest. But needless to say, those takes from a few seasons ago have done nothing but looked idiotic.

The SEC went 13-1 on opening weekend. The lone loser was, you guessed it, the Tennessee Volunteers. Granted, they lost to an expectedly good West Virginia team, but it's just so fitting that the Vols were the only team in the conference to lose last weekend. Auburn certainly had the biggest win out of any of the SEC's thirteen, edging out Washington 21-15. I will say, both teams were very impressive, and don't be surprised if this game becomes one of those "good losses" on Washington's playoff resume. The second most noteworthy SEC victory came from LSU, as they surprised a ton of people (shocker: myself included) by beating Miami 33-17. Coach O and his Tigers certainly came out with more fire than I had anticipated. Final (and extremely obvious) SEC thought from week one: Tua is no fluke. That National Championship performance was the perfect display of what is to come with this kid under center for Alabama.

Shifting over to the BIG 10, one might wonder how things are looking for Jim Harbaugh. Not great! Definitely, for sure, way less than ideal. Look, I know people can be highly critical within a very short window during a coach's tenure at a blue chip program. But did you know Brady Hoke never lost four games in a row during his time at Michigan? Did you know that Michigan's loss on Saturday night was their fourth straight? And obviously this one isn't just a Harbaugh problem, but a Michigan problem: the Wolverines are now 0-16 in that span of games against ranked opponents on the road. The savior under center, Shea Patterson, just simply did not impress. I expected him to thrive in the environment and Wimbush to crumble, but it happened completely the other way. Simply put: Harbaugh needs to win some big games or else he is completely and totally useless to a program like Michigan.

As for the rest of the BIG 10: Wisconsin and Ohio State looked exactly how you would've and should've expected them to. Penn State and Michigan State looked sketchy against unranked teams, both winning by a touchdown. But I don't think a lackluster week one effort is indicative of a bad season. Not saying it's guaranteed they'll both reflect their preseason rankings in December, but teams like that can collect and rebound after an opening weekend scare. And lastly for the BIG 10, Maryland once again took down Texas to start off the season. Even though Longhorns' coach Tom Herman has had less time than Jim Harbaugh to turn a legendary program around, I'm sure he's feeling even more heat from the boosters and alumni down in Austin.

On Monday night we saw Virginia Tech absolutely lay the hammer on Florida State, coming out with a 24-3 victory. This is the one game that after I made my picks and before kickoff, I really regretted going with the 'Noles. The game was a good reflection of where each program is currently at. Virginia Tech has gained confidence in Coach Fuente's system, which allowed them to go on the road and come out hot in silencing the crowd. Florida State looked like a team coming off of a subpar season while simultaneously having a coach make his debut for that team. The Hokies doing the Tomahawk chop at the end of the game was a great touch, that's what road wins are all about.

Thoughts on the new top 25

The newest edition of the AP top 25 is as follows:

1. Alabama (48)

2. Clemson (12)

3. Georgia

4. Ohio State

5. Wisconsin (1)

6. Oklahoma

7. Auburn

8. Notre Dame

9. Washington

10. Stanford

11. LSU

12. Virginia Tech

13. Penn State

14. West Virginia 

15. Michigan State

16. TCU

17. USC

18. Miss. State

19. UCF

20. Boise State

21. Michigan

22. Miami

23. Oregon

24. South Carolina

25. Florida

Love to see that one guy still giving the Badgers a vote for top team in the country. I guess it wasn't a meat, cheese, and local brew induced mistake, which makes it (BIG) ten times better. As I mentioned above, the SEC is currently dominating, as half of the conference (seven of fourteen teams) appears in the top 25. Everything looks pretty reasonable; it is only week two after all. In a couple-two-tree weeks this will look very different, but after just one week there's not a substantial amount of movement. It was good to see Penn State and Michigan state drop a few spots despite winning. Texas and Florida State were rightfully the only two teams to drop from the rankings. Florida and South Carolina are the two new folks to the party.

What to look forward to this weekend

ESPN College Gameday announced that they'll be setting up camp in College Station, Texas as No. 2 Clemson takes on the Texas A&M Aggies. In week one Clemson, as expected, easily came out with a win over Furman. Both Clemson QBs, Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence, got reps in the 48-7 victory. Through the air, Bryant went 10 for 16, with 127 yards and a touchdown. He also recorded five rushes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Trevor Lawrence went 9 for 15 with 137 yards and three touchdowns. So if Dabo Swinney ever finds the need to put Lawrence in if Bryant is struggling, it seems as if the kid is comfortable enough. That't not to say he's proven that he can compete against more talented defenses yet, but he has done what he's supposed to so far. Same goes for the Clemson defense, who shut out Furman until allowing a touchdown very, very late in the fourth quarter. We know they're possibly the best in the country, almost shutting out Furman doesn't count for much, but they did what they needed to do so far. It goes without saying, they'll be tested much harder this Saturday at A&M than they were in Death Valley last weekend.

The Aggies are not a ranked team, but they did receive 29 votes for this week's top 25 (fourth most amongst unranked teams). In their first game under head coach Jimbo Fisher, they beat up on Northwestern State 59-7. Once again, this is impressive but expected. They did what they needed to do. Are you sensing a theme in the outcomes of week one non-conference blowouts? But Kyle Field will undoubtedly be a zoo this Saturday, and Gameday being there will just fuel the fire. The place will be a mad house, and Jimbo Fisher having history of battling with Dabo and Clemson will make the day even more fun. I'm really excited to see this game under the lights, though I don't see Clemson having too difficult of a time with the Aggies.

As far as ranked matchups go for week two, we've got No. 3 Georgia taking the trip to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the No. 24 Gamecocks. Although this is a top-25 matchup, both teams are on very opposite ends of the ranked-team spectrum. South Carolina as a program is allegedly on the upswing, but definitely not as much as them Dawgs. If you wanted to waste time and argue "SEC BIAS!!!" regarding South Carolina appearing in the bottom of the week two top-25, I don't think I could really validate an argument against that. They're not necessarily a bad team, but all signs point to Georgia winning big. UNLESS, you take into account that in five of the last six meetings between these teams, the home squad has come out on top. Something to think about. But I'm still thinking Georgia by a long shot.

The other ranked matchup is between No. 17 USC and No. 10 Stanford, with Stanford being the home team. Stanford is heavily favored on Saturday night, and I'm looking forward to this one as I didn't watch much of the Cardinal in week one. I absolutely was checking in on USC against UNLV, which was surprisingly close until the fourth quarter. The Trojans ended up winning 43-21, but it was a definite wake up call. Stanford routed San Diego State last weekend for a 31-10 win.

In terms of big name, non-conference opponents facing off in week two, we have No. 6 Oklahoma hosting UCLA. But the prestigious reputation of these programs is where the comparisons begin and end, as Chip Kelly and his Bruins will be embarrassed on Saturday. They've already dropped a loss to Cincinnati, and things aren't looking up as they have to hit the road to take on a (still) very impressive Sooners team.

Hope everyone had fun for the season-opening game day; Saturdays in the fall are meant for good people, good food, and anywhere-from-awful-to-good beer. And most importantly, football. If you failed to do so, give it a go this Saturday. In the mean time, we've got a lot to discuss.