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.
No comments:
Post a Comment