Well, I can only say that I’m in awe of Alabama. To go into that seething caldron known as LSU’s home field and shut them out 29-0 is far more than just impressive.
Sure, Georgia has a great team and, sure, anything can happen in a single game but, even if Alabama should lose, there is no doubt in my mind that they are perhaps the most talented and best coached team I’ve ever seen in the college ranks.
I don’t know if the Tide are the best college football team I’ve ever seen, but they seem to be right up there. This Tide team is probably “the total package” compared to its previous championship teams. Tua is probably the most accurate and sharpest passer I’ve seen from an Alabama QB (and oh BYW, Jalen Hurts is their backup and they’re capable of winning a title with him coming off the bench, even if he’s not nearly as good at passing down-field). The Tide have athletic receivers who are very hard to cover for an entire game. They have a great running game, as good as any they had with Ingraham and Lacey. But they’re crushing it on the lines. The only thing that can stop Bama is injuries. A few key injuries and maybe a game against Georgia or Clemson could suddenly become more interesting, but other than that, I don’t see how this team loses, and the opposition will struggle to keep the point margin respectable.
Great game, Texas Tech kept it close but couldn’t quite seal the deal. TTU opened strong by scoring two TDs off two (!) interceptions on OU’s first two possessions. But, just before the half, Tech’s starting QB, Alan Bowman, took a hit that reaggravated the partially collapsed lung he’d suffered in the West Virginia game earlier this season. Hope he can come back, but take it easy, man, your health isn’t worth it.
A local place that puts up funny marquee signs had one this weekend that said, “TEXANS SAY Y’ALL BECAUSE THEY CAN’T STAND OU”.
After Nebraska’s 0-6 start, things are starting to come together with Scott Frost. We went to #10 Ohio State and lost 36-31. The Buckeyes have won the last two games vs NU 62-3 and 56-14 and never punted in either game.
It didn’t really feel like “OMG, our 2-6 team almost beat the #10 team in the nation on the road!”
It felt like “Oh man, if we can stop these stupid penalties and turnovers, we should be winning this game” Special teams had a rough day, too.
Am I already getting spoiled?
Depends on Tua getting/staying healthy. That knee injury could get worse on any play. Also depends on Hurts being ready as the back up. Their third stringer doesn’t look ready for prime time in the national spotlight to me. If he has to go…Bama would be beatable.
I figured Frost would turn it around, and I agree: the loss to OSU was actually an indication of progress by Nebraska. The Huskers will probably be a 7 or 8-win team next year. The big question, and the real reason they hired Frost, is whether they can become a 10- or 11-win team and compete for Big 10 titles.
It sure feels nice to complain about the little things in a 5-point loss than give up after a 40-point loss.
We certainly have the resources to make it happen (our trophy room has a waterfall and locker room has a swimming pool!). Football’s changed a lot since our heydays, but with the right coach (check!) and recruiting (soon), I feel definite optimism. He’s got an expensive 7-year contract, so we’re in it for the long haul.
Will we be the next Alabama, like we were in the 90s? Oh, to dream. But I think its reasonable to be Wisconsin or old-rival Oklahoma: 10-11 win seasons, occasional conference titles and New Years bowl games.
I think Scott Frost is the real deal. That’s why I didn’t want you guys to panic and start talking about running him off mid-season. I don’t care if that guy goes 0-11; Frost is a real coach. Don’t just look at the wins; look that the losses. He’s competing. He’s creating a culture of competition at each position. That’s the hallmark of a great coach. As good and as underrated as I thought Bo Pelini was, the one knock against him was that I didn’t always believe that he was really and truly a teacher. He’s a drill sergeant. And while drill sergeants will get you some wins because you’ve got some talented guys who come in and play hard because they fear getting benched, I don’t think they take you to the next level. Bo Pelini is like Ed Orgeron. He’ll recruit like a mother, but he won’t make okay players good, and he won’t make good players great. What they come in as is what they leave as. Scott Frost is different. I’d say he’s Nick Saban, but he’s kinder and gentler, more like Bill Walsh. But don’t let that kindness fool you: that guy demands excellence and wants to win more than any guy on that field. You’ve got a great coach. Don’t even think of getting rid of this guy. I can’t guarantee Nebraska will win national championships, but I think you’re gonna be competing for Big10 titles and you might at least compete for a national title once in a while. The days of Nebraska being an easy win…are over.
I don’t get the love for Clemson. Their schedule has precisely two teams that are currently ranked in the top 25. Feast on cupcakes and you get fat. I’m hoping BC upsets them this week and knocks them out of the top 4.
Actually, their strength of schedule is not that different compared to Alabama’s, surprisingly. I was reading about that in the Forde Yard Dash earlier today. Also, their offensive and defensive numbers are not far off 'Bama’s. If anyone can handle 'Bama, it’ll be Clemson.
I am NOT looking forward to the USC v Clemson game this year. Musgrave’s 'Cocks are no where near Swinney’s Tigers in ability or execution. Gonna be a real slaughter, I have a feeling. 
Mmmm nope. Clemson is for real, and their QB is scary good.
They have just rattled off three (3) statement wins in a row.
Keep in mind also that ND’s win against Michigan was on the road, too.
I kind of put Alabama’s win at LSU a little above that, but it’s a close call.
I remember the last time Notre Dame played Alabama in the college football playoffs. They were vaporized. I honestly wished that they had called the game at halftime and not make them come out on the field for yet more punishment. It was gruesome.
ND beat Michigan at ND.
Yeah, that BCS title game was over midway through the 1st quarter. Bama scored a quick TD on their opening drive. Then ND’s 2nd or 3rd offensive play was a deep pass to TE Tyler Eifert, broken up, could have maybe been called PI but wasn’t. 3 and out. ND was penalized 15 yards on the punt for catch interference even though the returner was not touched. You just knew those couple early breaks going Bama’s way meant doom for the Irish, because it was ND that *needed *to catch breaks to stay in the game.
Maybe the refs can declare a TKO for football games.
At any point, if both teams agree, the time remaining can be shortened. Note, however, that a “running clock” cannot be used, unlike with the high school “mercy rule.”
Baylor’s QB ejected during 4th quarter drive:
This is a ridiculous rule. How does an entire team get an unsportsmanlike penalty? If a player is on the bench staying out of the brawl, then how does he get a penalty?
Is there any indication that the QB for Baylor stayed on the bench and out of the brawl?
It’s designed to encourage teams not to empty their benches. High school football has even more draconian rules about this.
Eh, if the second unsportsmanlike was the brawl, I could understand it. But he had to know everyone was already on thin ice. Maybe don’t run your mouth to an official? It’s not like these penalties happen in a vacuum.
That said, I’m an ISU fan that couldn’t watch the game, so I don’t know exactly how everything transpired and will thus reserve judgement in case he said something innocuous about the ref’s mother.
Missed edit window: Watched the replay of what started the entire thing - Butler’s trying to get up after Lynch pulled him down, only to have Lynch wraps both of his calves up and hold him. Then Hand blasts Butler from the blind side. That’s the kind of shit that ends knees. No defense either for Roberts throwing a punch AROUND an official attempting to separate him from an ISU player. Nothing I’ve seen shows Brewer involved, but I’d hope a few other guys got to watch the game from the locker room after that bullshit.
No. He wasn’t on the bench, but nothing shows that he was involved in the brawl. Is he supposed to sprint to the locker room? He could have been trying to play peacemaker but still get tagged with the penalty. If a teammate is taking a beatdown, then it is your duty as a teammate to go help. Should this be the rule in life? I see a guy beating on an old lady, but I should stay out of it until the proper authorities show up, stop the beating, and the courts mete out the proper penalty?
This “everyone gets a penalty” is something that happens in 2nd grade when the teacher gets frustrated and nobody gets recess. The officials should determine the instigator(s) and assess a penalty for him/them, and also anyone who acts to continue the brawl. To eject a starting QB on a crucial drive under this rule is a gamechanger and, IMHO, ridiculous.
Yes, he shouldn’t have said whatever in the hell he said to the official, but that is what a 15 yard penalty is for.
As the article said, it could happen in reverse. A guy gets a taunting penalty in the first quarter, and when a brawl happens in the 4th quarter, he could be sitting on the bench by the Gatorade cooler and get ejected.
I’m not even a Baylor fan, but I thought that was ridiculous.