Welcome back to College Football Rewind. This is your first look back at what happened each week and what it means moving forward. Every Saturday night, I will analyze the week’s games and the always colorful world of college football. Check back later for analysis of the late games.
Because of the College Football Playoff, this is a college football season unlike any we have ever seen. Four teams, not two, will be competing for the national championship.
You can feel the politicking already bubbling underneath the surface. You can sense the snap judgments that get made about teams and conferences in a world in which everyone ranks their top 4 teams.
- UCLA is overrated.
- The Big Ten is dead.
- The SEC West is the best division ever.
- Florida State is clearly not No. 1.
We in the media -- myself included -- feed the beast. It's in part what makes college football fun, but take grandiose statements with suspicion anytime there are not qualifiers attached to them. As we leave September and prepare for an October with the first playoff committee rankings, here’s a refresher on what we think we know so far.
Who’s still undefeated? There are 17 teams still without a loss. Almost half are in the SEC and Pac-12: Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Oregon, Arizona, and UCLA. It is becoming clear the SEC and Pac-12 have the deepest conferences. Deepest doesn't necessarily translate to having the best team (that could be Oklahoma right now), but it can help the perception of a conference.
Penn State's blowout loss to Northwestern leaves the Big Ten with one undefeated team (Nebraska). The Big 12 has three: Oklahoma, Baylor and TCU. The ACC has two: Georgia Tech and Florida State. Other undefeated teams: Notre Dame, BYU and Marshall. This is a common number for undefeated teams at this point in the season. Conference records vs. Power 5 teams (counting Notre Dame): Pac-12 6-2, SEC 5-2, Big 12 4-6, ACC 4-6, and Big Ten 5-11.
Florida State is vulnerable: The Seminoles have not been the dominating team they were a year ago. On Saturday, Florida State needed to rally from a 24-7 deficit to beat NC State 56-41 while allowing the Wolfpack to average 6 yards a play.
To put the defensive showing in perspective, the Seminoles gave up 11.7 points per game to ACC opponents in 2013. N.C. State's 41 points was the fourth-most ever by an unranked team against an AP No. 1 team in history. It also was the most points Florida State has allowed since losing 44-33 to Virginia Tech in the 2010 ACC Championship Game. Florida State faces several more tests before writing in another undefeated season.
There likely will be a 'sleeper' playoff team: Some team or teams out there are getting very little attention that we'll be talking about a lot more one month from now.
A year ago at this time, Auburn and Michigan State were unranked and Florida State was No. 8. They would likely have been three of the four playoff teams in 2013. From 2009 to '13, 40 percent of the Associated Press' final top-four teams were ranked 10 or lower at this point of the season. There are still so many games to be played, which brings us to ...
The SEC West is very good: If Arkansas had held on to defeat Texas A&M, every SEC West team would have been ranked Sunday. That has never happened by one division. The West entered Saturday's late games with a 23-0 record against non-West opponents, including wins over South Carolina, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Florida and Texas Tech. But it's too soon to say this is the best division ever. Check out Ole Miss' offense struggling against Boise State and Memphis, and Mississippi State allowing 34 points to UAB earlier this season.
Here's the thing: The West is going to start beating itself up. Some teams will emerge intact, others will fall back under the brunt of the schedule. Auburn's next six games: No. 17 LSU, No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 13 South Carolina, No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 6 Texas A&M. The Aggies just started a stretch of Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Alabama.
What We Learned in Week 5
1. UCLA can win the Pac-12 if it plays like this: This was the UCLA team many people had expected. UCLA was explosive on offense, defense and special teams in a 62-27 rout at Arizona State. (Disclaimer: Arizona State is a tackle-whiffing machine, so that must be factored into UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley's 18-of-23, 355-yard, four-touchdown performance.) Teams would be wise to stop kicking to UCLA's Ishmael Adams, a dynamic cornerback who had one of the best jukes on Arizona State you'll see. Already this season, Adams has three touchdowns (one kick return, two interception returns) and had a punt return for a score called back because a teammate lost his helmet. Adams' ability to impact games on defense and special teams is reminiscent of Charles Woodson and Tyrann Mathieu. Looming for UCLA in two weeks is Oregon in a possible preview of the Pac-12 Championship Game.
2. As Todd Gurley goes, so goes Georgia: The success of Gurley -- in my mind, the best college football player at the moment -- is a double-edged sword for Georgia. The Bulldogs desperately rely on Gurley, but at some point they're going to need quarterback Hutson Mason to play better. Mason tossed two interceptions and had only 147 yards on 25 pass attempts in a 35-32 win over Tennessee.
Georgia survived because of Gurley’s 208 rushing yards and the Vols playing without injured quarterback Justin Worley for several series. Tennessee will disrupt someone's SEC East title hopes and could be a force in the future. Imagine Jalen Hurd (119 yards rushing) behind a better offensive line. Two weeks after losing to South Carolina, Georgia now controls its SEC East title hopes again thanks to Missouri defeating the Gamecocks.
3. Arkansas isn't quite there yet: This was the Razorbacks' signature game to win. They stifled Texas A&M's explosive offense all day while building a 28-14 lead. Arkansas was this close to being able to run the clock out in regulation. Instead, the Aggies found a way to win behind Kenny Hill by forcing overtime. Arkansas is much improved, yet it still has lost 14 consecutive SEC games. Finishing games is the next step for the Razorbacks.
4. Fashion statements are the rage. I don't have a major problem with many schools changing their uniforms. I would like to be able to recognize the teams immediately when I flip the channel. Syracuse, Nebraska and so many other teams look like they belong in the XFL. How does it help a school's brand if you don't know what you're looking at? Meanwhile, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder was asked by the Big 12 to stop wearing on the sideline windbreakers with logos of bowl games whose sponsors are no longer affiliated with the Big 12. Alas, Snyder kept the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl windbreaker at home Saturday. Here's hoping Snyder still gets good use out of it at home.
5. Losing to Texas now gets you immediately fired. It was inevitable that Kansas would fire Charlie Weis at some point this year. Who knew Texas had dropped so far that Kansas' 23-0 loss to the Longhorns would be the last straw for Weis? According to USA Today's Steve Berkowitz, it is likely Weis will be paid $4.6 million in 2015 to not coach either Kansas or Notre Dame (where he's still getting paid). That estimated $4.6 million in severance will likely make Weis one of the 10 highest-paid coaches in 2015. All of that money for a coach who was 6-22 at Kansas and 35-27 at Notre Dame. Amateurism!
What Was He Thinking?
Brady Hoke inexcusably let Michigan quarterback Shane Morris take a beating. Morris could barely move on an injured leg when he took a shot to the head. Morris was wobbly and needed to lean on a teammate to stay on his feet. The hit clearly should have signaled for a concussion protocol to evaluate Morris. Instead, Morris stayed in the game. "I don't know if he had a concussion or not, I don't know that," Michigan coach Brady Hoke said via MLive.com. "Shane’s a pretty competitive, tough kid. And Shane wanted to be the quarterback, and so, believe me, if he didn't want to be he would've come to the sideline or stayed down."
That’s a disappointing statement from a coach, given all we know about concussions. Players rarely pull themselves out, especially a young quarterback like Morris, who was trying to compete for the starting job. The onus is on the adults. Morris, who later left the game, departed the field after the game on a cart. Hoke bizarrely told reporters he didn't know why. Ironically, Michigan is leading the NCAA's research efforts to study the natural history of concussions among college athletes. If you wonder why there's still skepticism about the NCAA’s new (but unenforceable) concussion guidelines, Shane Morris is Exhibit A.
Score of the Week
Yale 49, Army 43. Army needed a waiver from the NCAA to play this game without hurting its bowl eligibility since Ivy League schools like Yale don’t technically offer scholarships or play in the FCS postseason. No matter. Yale beat an FBS team for the first time since it dropped down to what was then Division I-AA in 1982. Army and Yale played the game as part of a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Yale Bowl.
Stat of the Week
Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson scored his fourth touchdown of the season in Saturday's loss to Stanford. Thompson has three defensive touchdowns and one score on offense. In other words, Thompson has scored 12 more points than SMU's entire team this season.
This Week in Tempo
My weekly look at the evolving trends, successes, failures and all-around moaning about up-tempo offenses.
Not all tempo stats are created equal. That was evident Thursday night when Arizona State ran a staggering 105 plays, collected 38 first downs and gained 626 yards, yet lost by 35 points to UCLA. The Bruins forced four turnovers and scored four touchdowns on plays of 80 yards or more. Arizona State used tempo. But given the Sun Devils were starting a backup quarterback and their defense can't tackle, this was an instance when shortening the game might have helped both Arizona State's offense and defense.
FBS tempo leaders for plays per game through five weeks: Western Kentucky 91, Colorado 88.8, West Virginia 88.5, Baylor 87.5, Tulsa 87. After Week 5, FBS teams are averaging 72.9 plays per game, up from 71.8 during all of 2013. Fourteen teams are running 80 or more plays. As recently as 2011, only seven teams averaged 80 for an entire season.
Week 6 Questions
1. Has the state of Mississippi ever had a bigger day of football? The Magnolia State takes center stage for college football next Saturday. No. 6 Texas A&M visits No. 14 Mississippi State at 12 p.m. ET, and then No. 3 Alabama plays at No. 10 Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. ESPN's College GameDay will come to the Grove for the first time. Next week, both Mississippi schools will play on the same day as top-15 teams for the first time since Oct. 4, 1958, when the Rebels were No. 6 and the Bulldogs were No. 11. We'll get a better idea next Saturday if either Mississippi school will be a longterm SEC West contender this season.
2. Can LSU's John Chavis solve Auburn again? It was still early in Nick Marshall's career. But the performance by LSU's defense last September against Auburn remains one of the crowning achievements against a Gus Malzahn offense. Auburn was shut out in the first half of a 35-21 loss at LSU last season. Marshall finished the night with two interceptions, no touchdowns and only 3.3 yards a carry. Auburn is still putting up points in 2014, but the offense has been more spotty than usual. Can LSU's young defense go on the road and shut down Auburn next week?
3. Will Stanford or Notre Dame help its playoff resume? Stanford and Notre Dame meet in an intriguing game in South Bend. Stanford survived a tough, four-quarter game to beat Washington on the road on Saturday. Notre Dame-Stanford has the feel of a quasi-elimination game for the loser in the eyes of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Stanford beat Notre Dame 27-20 last year, but the Irish had at quarterback Tommy Rees (199 yards, two interceptions), not Everett Golson.
4. Will Michigan State slow Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah? This is becoming the year of great running backs, and Abdullah certainly deserves to be in the conversation among the game's best players. Abdullah ran for 208 yards against Illinois and averages 166.7 yards per game. He is the engine that drives undefeated Nebraska's offense. The better question may be whether Abdullah can get help from other playmakers against a stingy Michigan State defense. This might be a preview of the Big Ten Championship Game. The winner next week keeps playoff hopes alive.
Quote of the Week I
"Note to Michigan Football Players: don't go on twitter today!"
-- Former Michigan basketball player Nik Stauskas on Twitter after Michigan lost to Minnesota. The Wolverines lost three games in September for the first time in their 135-year history.
Quote of the Week II
"There was some unbelievable holding by their offensive line that apparently is invisible."
-- N.C. State coach Dave Doeren about Florida State’s offensive line in a remark that will presumably draw a fine from the ACC.
