The State of College Football: My Fans Would Never Boo Me!
College football has been drunk all season and I freaking love it! This weekend we saw two more top 10 teams lose (Clemson, Texas A&M) and even some of the “good” teams have looked very beatable. Buckle up ladies and gentleman, it’s not even October yet!
Top 25 Rankings
1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Oregon
4. Arkansas
5. Penn State
6. Iowa
7. Cincinnati
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Ole Miss
11. Florida
12. Ohio State
13. Michigan
14. BYU
15. Coastal Carolina
16. Oklahoma State
17. Michigan State
18. Texas A&M
19. Baylor
20. Wake Forest
21. NC State
22. Fresno State
23. Texas
24. UCLA
25. Boston College
Weekly Awards
Offensive Player of the Week: Casey Thompson, Texas: 303 passing yards, 29 rushing yards 6 TDs (5 passing)
Defensive Player of the Week: Jack Campbell, Iowa: 18 tackles, 2 pass breakups, 2 fum. recoveries
Freshman of the Week: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas: 5 catches, 100 yards, 3 TDs
Coach of the Week: Sam Pittman, Arkansas
$100 Handshakes
Quarterback
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh: 403 yards, 5 TDs
Christian Anderson, Army: 236 rushing yards, 2 TDs
Jake Haener, Fresno State: 378 yards, 5 TDs
Running Back
Breece Hall, Iowa State: 190 yards, 2 Tds, 51 receiving yards, 1 TD
Sean Tucker, Syracuse: 169 yards, 1 TD
Bijan Robinson, Texas: 137 rushing yards, 54 receiving yards, 1 TD
Receiver
Treylon Burks, Arkansas: 6 catches, 167 yards, 1 TD
Jalen Cropper, Fresno State: 10 catches, 108 yards, 4 TDs
Jameson Williams, Alabama: 1 catch, 81 yards, 1 TD, 177 return yards, 2 TD
Tight End
Sean Dykes, Memphis: 6 catches, 167 yards
Jahleel Billingsley, Alabama: 5 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD
Chase Allen, Iowa State: 7 catches, 98 yards
Offensive Line
Texas: 303 rushing yards, 5 TDs
Boston College: 275 rushing yards, 3 TDs
Oregon State: 322 rushing yards, 3 TDs
Defensive Line/EDGE
Will Anderson Jr., Alabama: 5 tackles, 1 sack, 3 TFLs
Cory Durden, NC State: 6 tackles, 1.5 sacks
Haskell Garrett, Ohio State: 5 tackles, 3 sacks
Linebacker
Noah Sewell, Oregon: 14 tackles, 1 hurry
Charlie Thomas, Georgia Tech: 8 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 4.5 TFLs
Damone Clark, LSU: 15 tackles
Defensive Back
Bennet Williams, Oregon: 2 INTs, 1 TD
Trey Dean III, Florida: 11 tackles, 1.5 TFLs
Cam Hart, Notre Dame: 2 INTs
#AskMelloAnything
—Who are some players who have underperformed? Outside of Spencer Rattler
All of the draft eligible quarterbacks. Even though guys like Corral and Willis have looked good it’s becoming very clear that this is a bad quarterback class and no one has stepped up to take the title of QB1 yet. That all could change when Ole Miss plays Alabama on Saturday, but as of right now it has been a very unimpressive battle. Outside of the quarterbacks - Kayvon Thibodeaux and Derek Stingley have both battle injuries this year and they came into the season looking like “generational talent” so I would say they haven’t lived up to the hype but I wouldn’t say they’ve underperformed.
—Does Matt Campbell regret not taking the Jets job?
NOPE! But he might regret not taking some of the other NFL jobs. If I were Campbell I would be doing some serious soul searching to figure out if I want to be in the NFL, be at Iowa State or stay in college football elsewhere. Iowa State is going to lose a lot of talent after this season and this could be the opportunity for Campbell to abandon ship. But to answer your questions - I don’t think there has been a single day that he wishes he were with the Jets.
—Is this the beginning of the end for Dabo?
The end of Dabo might be a little strong but I think he has definitely peaked. There was a time when he was being mentioned in the same breath as Nick Saban and viewed as the obvious replacement at Alabama - I don’t think that is the case anymore. In fact, a lot of people are growing tired of Dabo and his personality but if the recruits keep coming Clemson will still be a good program - they just won’t be the next Alabama like many were expecting a few years ago.
—Does Dan Mullen move onto the hot seat if he keeps benching a healthy Anthony Richardson and they continue to underwhelm & accomplish nothing.
As long as they’re winning games Mullen will be nowhere near the hot seat. Richardson is a great talent but Mullen prefers veterans. Two, maybe three, years ago Florida fans were shouting to get Emory Jones on the field but Mullen went with Franks and then Trask over the talented but unproven quarterback. Now Jones is the veteran and the fan base wants the young kid. Florida also does an amazing job of keeping these kids on campus. I don’t think there is any worry about Richardson transferring and he understands that this is jones’ team for now and he will take over next year. I would also bet that Mullen has been communicating that with Richardson all year. Mullen is safe for a while and Florida fans should be happy to have him. I mean, who would you replace him with?
Where I Was Right / Where I Was Wrong
Right: Every Friday I put out my picks for the weekend’s games and I have been on a bit of a heater with the Super Underdog Locksmith Game of the Week to Bet Your Money On has been hittin’ like a 1$ Applebee’s long island iced tea!!! Underdogs like Arkansas and NC State this week and numerous others. Make sure you check it out on Friday morning.
Wrong: Checking where games are played. I had no idea Texas A&M and Arkansas were playing at Jerry World until Friday night. Oops. Regardless, Arkansas is still a tough place to play and Arkansas was able to win without the home field advantage. So sue me.
Final Thoughts
—Clemsoning is BAAAACK
Clemsoning is when your team loses a game they should have won by a lot and Clemson used to do this yearly, sometimes multiple times a year. Obviously that kind of went away when Clameson got good and started winning National Championships. But it is back in full swing this season. Clemson has now dropped to 2-2 on the season with losses to Georgia (not so bad) and NC State. Sophomore quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has not looked like the quarterback we thought he would and the Clemson offense has struggled mightily so far this season. With the offensive struggles I would not be surprised if we saw one or two more Clemsoning’s before the end of the season. Clemson also has two of the top paid coordinators in the Country and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott will have to answer a lot of questions and make a lot of adjustments ASAP.
—Preseason Polls are Dumb
Preseason polls are becoming a naughty word in the college football world but let’s all be honest with ourselves for a second - we love preseason polls. They are the easiest click bait article for July/August and everyone loves to see where the experts have their favorite team ranked. And while we’re being honest - it’s not the preseason polls fault. It’s the perception that certain “blueblood” teams will always be good (Clemson) and that even after losses or poor play we’re afraid to move them down the rankings. Even after two-losses Clemson is still ranked in the AP when they clearly don’t deserve to be. One thing that has improved this season is that voters don’t seem to be as hesitant as before to move teams up or down - Oklahoma began the season No. 2 and are down to No. 6 without a loss. Also, the only poll that matters doesn’t come out until Nov. 2nd. So chill out about rankings until then. If they screw it up on Nov. 2nd you have my full permission to lose your damn mind.
—Ohio State Linebackers Quits
Ohio State linebacker K'Vaughan Pope had a unique game Saturday. The senior linebacker was unhappy with his play time and removed from the sideline and escorted to the locker room after becoming a distraction. If that were the end of the story I think K'Vaughan Pope would still be an Ohio State Buckeye. But the story doesn’t stop there. Once Pope was in the locker room he tweeted multiple times with “fuc ohio state” being the highlight of the tweets and now Pope is no longer on the team. Let this be a lesson for us all. Don’t tweet when you’re angry. Or us Herm Edwards used to say “don’t push send.”
—Don’t Boo Your Quarterback
Look, I know Spencer Rattler isn’t the most likable guy and clearly isn’t the favorite quarterback, but the OU fans hurt themselves this weekend by chanting “we want Caleb” - the backup quarterback. Rattler was playing the way he usually plays and I understand wanting more from your quarterback, but chanting during the game isn’t the way to do it. That’s only going to make things worse for your team, your quarterback and yourself. Would be a real shame if opposing teams started chanting “we want Caleb” at every OU game. I mean can you imagine BOTH fanbases doing it? I really hope the Texas fans don’t do this in the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 9th.
Week 5 Games to Watch
8 Arkansas @ 2 Georgia, 11:00 CT, ESPN
14 Michigan @ Wisconsin, 11:00 CT, FOX
7 Cincinnati @ 9 Notre Dame, 1:30 CT, NBC
12 Ole Miss @ 1 Alabama, 2:30 CT, CBS
22 Auburn @ LSU, 8:00 CT, ESPN