It's out with the old and in with the new!
The Power Five conferences have been granted autonomy by the NCAA to vote on their own to make changes to how they run college football. What does this mean? Nothing yet, but it could lead to the Big 5 paying players, It also means that not all 351 Division 1 schools are created equal. The schools with major revenue sports, ie football and basketball, now have autonomy to do as they please for the most part. The NCAA only granted this autonomy because the Big 5 threatened to leave the NCAA altogether, which would've made the NCAA as relevant to college athletics as Trixter is to rock n' roll.
The College Football Playoff, or CFP, has replaced the BCS. So who replaces the computers you ask? Well, that would be a, you guessed it, Selection Committee!!
Ok, let's be real, the committee might try to sneak a Pac 12 school or Florida State into the mix, but really that's about it.
And before you say... but the Big Ten!! Did you watch OSU get beat by 2 touchdowns at home by VA Tech? Or Michigan get crushed by Notre Dame 31-0? Or Sparty get manhandled by Oregon 46-27? Or Wisconsin blow a second half lead to LSU by giving up 15 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to lose 28-24? Or Penn State... wait, Penn State is still a few years away from competing for anything.
So yeah, the SECFP brought to you by ESPN. And yes, ESPN has literally a BILLION reasons to promote the SEC now.
Enough about ESPN's SEC bias... let's talk some football!!!
Top 25 Action
Wyoming @ #2 Oregon - If haven't seen Nike University, aka University of Oregon's, new football facility, it's worth a look. If you don't have time, I'll just show you the best part... |
| This would be awesome if not for the cameras watching me deuce. |
... video games in the bathroom! Every teenage boys dream! Aside from this of course...
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| "It was THIS big!" |
The Heisman Hype is in full swing for Ducks star QB Marcus Mariota.
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| Marcus Mariota |
Against the reigning Big Ten champs Michigan State, the Ducks found themselves down 27-18 early in the 3rd quarter... and then the Ducks exploded....
Wyoming is 2-0, but only averaging 17 points per game against, well, let's just say their opponents could use some Viagra. The Cowboys are 115th in points per game, 99th in rushing and 95th in passing, so at least they're consistently bad on offense. Their D is ranked 20th in points allowed, but they have not seen anything like the Ducks offense.
63-10 Oregon
Southern Miss @ #3 Alabama - Bama had a bit of a scare in week 1 as West Virginia gave them everything they can handle before putting up a 33-23 win. Week 2 was a cakewalk against Florida Atlantic 41-0. After AJ McCarron, and his mom Dee Dee,
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| Dee Dee McCarron |
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| Amari Cooper |
After going 12-2 in 2011, Southern Miss has won 2 games in the past 3 years, and only one against an FBS opponent, which was UAB to close out last season and end up with a 1-11 record. They are one of the worst programs in FBS.
49-0 Roll Tide
Tennessee @ #4 Oklahoma - Vols HC Butch Jones has been killing it in recruiting since he took over at Rocky Top. He's also been getting into it with opposing coaches...
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| "No, YOU da man!" |
Jones' 2015 class had a whopping 32 recruits, ranking as the #4 class in the nation, but 3rd in the SEC. Those youngsters are seeing action too, as Tennessee played 21 freshman in week 1 against Utah State. Senior QB Justin Worley is enjoying is new toys. He threw 10 TD's all of last season and already has 5 through two games this season. The Kids will face their toughest test yet as they head to Norman to take on the Sooners and their explosive offense.
Lead by Sophomore QB Trevor Knight, a dual threat QB, the Sooners are averaging 50 points per game. Granted their schedule has been softer than Charmin thus far, but 50 points is still 50 points. And in case you're wondering, yes, the Blake Bell, aka the Belldozer, is back for what seems like his 10th year in Norman, but is now playing TE.
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| Belldozer |
45-31 Oklahoma
#6 Georgia @ #24 South Carolina - The Gamecocks got smashed at home by Texas A&M in week 1...
... enduring a 52-28 beat down. They rebounded with a lackadaisical 33-23 win against East Carolina in week 2. HC Steve Spurrier's defense has been abysmal in it's first two games. And now they face a Bulldogs offense that hung 45 on Clemson to start their season.
After destroying Clemson, Georgia had a bye week so this is only their second game of the season. So are the Bulldogs as good as they looked against Clemson? Is South Carolina as bad as they've looked in their first two games? Could this be the year HC Mark Richt finally breaks through in the SEC and gets Georgia into the national championship?
South Carolina will have to find a way to contain RB Todd Gurley, who Hershel Walker considers the best back in college football.
34-24 Georgia
Rice @ #7 Texas A&M - As mentioned above, Texas A&M destroyed South Carolina in week 1. Week 2 was the annual cupcake game, as the Aggies beat up on poor helpless Lamar 73-3.
Which begs the question, should these games even be allowed? Granted Lamar got a nice pay day to take a beating...
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Now that Johnny Football is riding the bench in Cleveland, and Jerry Jones lusts after him like a teenage boy, the Aggies are lead by Sophomore QB Kenny Hill...
52-13 Texas A&M
#8 Baylor @ Buffalo - Baylor unveiled McClane Stadium...
... to a Tesla.
No, this kind of Tesla...
The Bears shutout SMU 45-0 and followed that up with their a W against cupcake FCS Northwestern State 70-6. Is Baylor for real? We won't know until at least October 4th when they play Texas, who looks to be rebuilding. If the Bears hold serve their game at Oklahoma on November 4th could determine the Big XII champion and who gets into the playoffs.
Buffalo lost LB Khalil Mack to the NFL and he was pretty much the only pro talent they had.
59-7 Baylor
#9 USC @ Boston College - The Trojans pulled the upset at Stanford last weekend, holding the Cardinal to 10 points and coming up with a sack and strip as the Cardinal were driving in USC territory late in the 4th quarter...
After such an emotional win, the Trojans travel all the way across the country to play a team in Boston College that is not highly regarded. What does that mean? You guessed it...
BC is a typical run of the mill average team. They beat UMass, which is competing for worst team in the FBS, and lost to Pittsburgh, which is always embarrassing. The Eagles have a chance to pull the upset if they can run the ball and avoid turnovers. Look for USC to come out flat and if the Eagles can get some momentum the Trojans won't enjoy their autumn trip to New England.
And for any USC fans attending, I highly recommend you try some Sam Adams Oktoberfest while in town. Also good is Great Lakes Oktoberfest and Dogfishhead Punkin Ale.
But if you really want a treat take a drive to Waterbury, Vermont to visit The Alchemist brewery and indulge in some Heady Topper. You can't find this pretty much anywhere outside of New England and even there it's tough to get, so enjoy it if you can find it.
UL Monroe @ #10 LSU - The Warhawks are undefeated! Ok, so they're 2-0, beating Wake Forest and Idaho by a TD each. They're led by 4 year starter QB Pete Thomas. Unfortunately he's never thrown more TD's than INT's in a season in any year. That doesn't bode well as UL-Monroe faces one of the nation's best defenses at LSU.
The Tigers appeared to be headed to 0-1 after being down 24-7 in the middle of the 3rd quarter. LSU came roaring back with 21 unanswered for a 28-24 win. They followed that up with a 56-0 drubbing of Sam Houston State. Sophomore Anthony Jennings has won the QB job over freshman Brandon Harris, but both will play.
The only question in this game is what kind of crazy shit will Les Miles do next?
Purdue @ #11 Notre Dame - Did you know Notre Dame has played Purdue every year since 1946? The Irish lead the series 57-26 with 2 ties. With all the talk about the Notre Dame v. Michigan rivalry ending because of Notre Dame's new agreement with the ACC, we should note that Notre Dame has many more rivalries than just the Wolverines.
Remember when Notre Dame was pretending they were national title contenders and Manti Te'o was hooking up with fake girlfriends? Notre Dame's QB in that game was Everett Golson, the same Everett Golson who was kicked out of school for cheating on a test and sat out the 2013 season. Well, he's back now and the Irish offense looks good again.
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| Everett Golson |
45-3 Notre Dame
#12 UCLA @ Texas - The Texas Long got their Horns cut off by the Stormin' Mormons of BYU in Austin last week 41-7.
New Texas HC Charlie Strong is trying to revive a program that's been in decline since QB Colt McCoy lead them to the BCS Championship game in 2010 where they lost to 'Bama. Since taking over in Austin, Charlie Strong has dismissed 8 players from the team for a variety of reasons.
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| HC Charlie Strong asking his team, "WTF are you diong!?" |
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| Couple caught getting it on in Jerryland |
45-37 UCLA
LA Lafayette @ #14 Ole Miss - Sr. QB Bo Wallace leads the aerial attack of the Rebels, which is the only attack they currently have as their ground game ranks 101st in the nation and their leading rusher has only 48 yards total on the year.
The Ragin' Cajuns, like most Sun Belt teams, are not very good.
52-13 Ole Miss
Army @ #15 Stanford - Stanford snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when QB Kevin Hogan was sacked and fumbled as the Cardinal were deep in USC territory with under 2 minutes left in the game. The Stanford offense was able to move the ball all game but could never seal the deal. They came away empty on 7 trips into the USC red zone. Stanford outgained USC 413-291 but turned it over twice and missed two FG's. You don't need a Stanford degree to know that adds up to a LOSS.
Army is perpetually undersized because of their recruiting restrictions but the Black Knights ALWAYS play with heart and discipline. Army is 1-0 after beating Buffalo 47-39 in week 1. The Black Knights triple option offense attempted only passes. There's a reason many undersized teams have gone to a spread offense in order to level the playing field, but Army is what it is, and will try to run the ball against anyone. Unfortunately Stanford is pretty good on D.
45-10 Stanford
#16 Arizona State @ Colorado - The Sun Devils have beat up on some hapless competition the first two weeks, taking down Weber State and New Mexico. Their version of the pre-season continues this week against a Colorado team that lost to in state rival Colorado State then had to come back from 11 down against a UMass team that still has FCS level talent. Remember when Colorado was good?
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| Rashan Salaam Heisman winner |
East Carolina @ #17 VA Tech - The Hokies handed OSU HC Urban Meyer his first regular season loss as the Buckeyes HC. The Hokies lead 21-7 before letting OSU back in it, then responded in a big way with a TD drive right after OSU tied the game and then a pick six as OSU was driving to seal the win. Texas Tech transfer QB Michael Brewer was efficient, tossing 2 TD's but also 2 INT's. The VA Tech running game only averaged 3 yards per carry it was the D that stepped up and stuffed OSU's attack. So will the Hokies suffer an OSU hangover?
East Carolina played South Carolina tough in week 2 but still lost 33-23. The Pirates never lead, but never let the game get out of hand either. The Hokies pride themselves on D, but if they can create some turnovers, they may just spring the upset and catch Va Tech sleeping.
23-20 East Carolina
UCF @ #20 Missouri - Central Florida came roaring back against Penn State in week 1. UCF is replacing QB Blake Bortles, the #3 pick in this year's NFL draft. After benching their starting freshman QB Pete DiNovo in the second half their offense came alive. Backup Sophomore QB Justin Holman lead the Knights to 3 second half TD's, the last one giving UCF a 24-23 lead with 1:13 remaining. However the UCF D couldn't hold the Nittany Lions in check as they moved into range for the game winning FG. A valiant effort by the Knights in Dublin, Ireland but a 26-24 loss.
As with most teams so far this season, Mizzou has beat up on some patsies the first couple weeks so it's hard to gauge if they are any good. UCF will pose a more difficult challenge than South Dakota State or Toledo.
31-28 UCF
#21 Louisville @ Virginia - Virginia couldn't get out of it's own way at home against UCLA in week 1. Virginia had 3 turnovers and they were ALL returned for touchdowns! Despite the three defensive TD's, the Cavs only lost 28-20. Virginia beat up on Richmond last week 45-13. So which Virginia team shows up this week? If Virginia can avoid the turnovers they have a chance against Louisville.
Louisville HC Bobby Petrino, last season wrecking his bike with his mistress on the back of it, then trying to cover it up, then getting fired from Arkansas...
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| Shit happens |
Louisville dismantled Miami in week 1, then throttled Murray State in week 2. Which tells us... .nothing really. So will Louisville challenge for the ACC championship in their first year in the league? Stay tuned.
34-24 Louisville
Kent State @ #22 Ohio State - As mentioned above, Urban Meyer suffered his first regular season loss as the Buckeyes HC. The bar was set WAY high for Meyer...
... who has to live up to Jim Tressel in Columbus. It doesn't help that Meyer is now 1-3 in his last four games with the Buckeyes dating back to last season. To be fair, the Buckeyes lost star QB Braxton Miller before the season even started. In his place is freshman JT Barrett, who looks a bit lost out there, especially when asked to throw the ball. Barrett threw 3 INT's against the Hokies, including the aforementioned pick six in the 4th quarter to seal the game for VA Tech. It seems Meyer needs a star QB in order for his system to run well. Dating back to his days at Utah when he had Alex Smith at Utah, then everybody's favorite Non-NFL QB Tim Tebow, and finally Braxton Miller at OSU. Sans star QB Meyer's teams have been beatable.
Kent State is 0-2 and lost to two teams that are not even close in talent to the Buckeyes. This one will be a cakewalk and a chance for Barrett to get some confidence back.
52-7 Buckeyes
Houston @ #25 BYU - The Cougars embarrassed Texas last week and many are mentioning them as the best team not in a power 5 conference. Even if BYU goes undefeated, that status likely means they'll be left out of the national title picture. As an independent, BYU does have a chance to run the table against a soft schedule. Their are currently zero ranked teams on the Cougars schedule this season.
The other Cougars on the field...
37-6 BYU
Games of Note
Penn State @ Rutgers - Welcome to the Big Ten Rutgers! To celebrate their wins over Washington State and Howard, the Scarlet Knights gave HC Kyle Flood an extension. Those Rutgers fans hoping for a return of Greg Schiano are none too happy as Rutgers is officially now the Kyle Flood show for the foreseeable future.
Rutgers offense is averaging 39 points per game, but their D is giving up 31.5, including 427 yards to FCS Howard last week.
That doesn't bode well as Penn State star QB Christian Hackenberg has surpassed the 300 yard mark in both his games, including a school record 454 yards against an experience UCF secondary in week 1. One AFC scout even touts the true sophomore as the best QB in college football. Could he end up being the first QB from the Big Ten drafted in the first round since Kerry Collins? Yep, you heard that right Big Ten fans. No big Ten QB has gone in the first round since 1995. Drew Brees was taken with the first pick of the second round. Nice try.
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| Christian Hackenberg |
And as you may have heard, the NCAA has removed all sanctions from Penn State. As you might expect the team is pumped up, and new HC James Franklin will use it to his advantage on the recruiting trail, where he's been killing it thus far.
As for this game, if Hack is turnover prone again, especially in the red zone, it's going to be a long night for the Nittany Lions.
23-20 Penn State
Nebraska @ Fresno State - Are you into uni-cycling shirtless?
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| Nebraska has cracked down hard on shirtless uni-cycling. |
55-13 Nebraska
Miami (OH) @ Michigan - That sound you heard in South Bend last week was Brian Kelly taking a chair to the back of the head of Brady Hoke and Michigan.
Miami (OH) stinks.
38-7 Michigan
UMass @ Vanderbilt - The Commodores are sorely missing HC James Franklin right now. They've been outscored 78-10 and are 0-2. UMass has also given up 71 points, but somehow managed to score 38 against a moribund Colorado team. Could an SEC team lose to one of the worst MAC teams? Maybe.
35-32 UMass
Kansas @ Duke - Wait, what? This is a game that should be held in December and be played on the hardwood. But since you asked, yes, this is a football game and yes, Charlie Weiss is still the head coach at Kansas and yes, he's still fat.
41-24 Duke
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