I was right about the speed. It’s October already. The College Football Playoff semifinals will be here in about 18 hours. Auburn plays Misipi at home this week, then there will not be another game there until Georgia shows up November 11. You see what I mean? You kick off at noon on week 1 and then a few minutes later, bowl bids are being handed out.
LSU is a bottom-feeder. The LSU-Misipi game will determine who finishes 6th and who is 7th in the SEC West. I don’t think it’s complete lack of talent. I just don’t think Mr. O is all that good of a coach. Unless they go 3-9, it’s going to be hard to justify firing him. So he’s probably going to get another year. But this staff is really going to have to work some magic to get the best of these players or the talent-loaded high schools in the state are going to see their biggest stars leave for Texas and Alabama.
Contender or schedule beneficiaries? Yes, Misipi State was overrated. But does Auburn thrashing a top 25 team in game 5 mean they are true contenders, or are benefiting from a fairly easy schedule? I think it’s the latter. MSU is not a top 25 team, and the only real team Auburn has played is Clempson, and they were dominated despite the close score. I think Auburn is going to be 9-1, and probably near the top 5, when UGA comes calling. But I think Auburn is a clear step behind both UGA and ‘Bama, and will end up 9-3, and get a bowl game with a team they do not match up well with, just like the last 2 years. The question will be, is the enormous promise of Jarett Stidham and the defense enough to keep Gus around after another 9-4 season that could have been so much more?
Who’s seat is hottest? We all know Kevin Sumlin is a dead man walking, with the program’s sugar daddy saying he can’t survive without 10 wins, which he’s not going to get. What about Coach O in LSU? (They can afford the $12M buyout if they really want to go there.) This is clearly a step back. And Rece Davis of ESPN College Gameday spent a segment of last week’s show making fun of Butch Jones for his wandering rant after they eked out a win over UMass. When a nice, reserved guy like that starts mocking you, that’s a bad omen. I have a feeling McElwain will be on the hot seat also if UGA blows their doors off at the Cocktail Party.
Rankings
1 (tie). Clempson – Va. Tech is good. This is the most complete team.
1 (tie). ‘Bama – There is no difference in the teams, so I make no difference in the rankings.
3. Penn State – Barkley leads the Heisman race.
4. Oklahoma – Now we wait for the TCU game as a measuring stick.
5. Michigan – A week of rest.
6. Georgia – Clear front-runners in SEC East
7. Washington – Good win in the middle of a typhoon.
8. Wisconsin – Managed to avoid a letdown against Mike Greenberg U.
9. TCU – The surprise of the year so far.
10. Ohio State – We’ll have to wait for Penn State & Michigan games to know for sure about this crew.
11. Washington State – Sudden Rose Bowl favorites.
12. Auburn – Great win, but opponent was overrated.
13. Miami – Whipping Duke put them in charge of the ACC Costal.
14. Oklahoma State – Still a great offense.
15. USC – Wasn’t a terrible loss, but it does knock them out of the title picture.
16. Virginia Tech – May face Clemson again if they get past Miami.
17. South Florida – Best Group of Five team.
18. San Diego State – It would be a shame if SDSU and USF ended up undefeated and one of them had to go to the Potato Bowl or Gambler Bowl or something like that.
19. Utah – With USC exposed, could Utes take Pac 12 South?
20. Louisville – Easy win in a paycheck game.
21. West Virginia – Big XII may be decent after all. Probably not getting more than II or III schools into good bowls though.
22. Notre Dame – Yaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnnnnnn………….
23. Florida – Let Vandy hang around, but pulled away. Del Rio injury hurts, but Franks can play.
24. Central Florida – Put an end to any notion Memphis was on the rise.
25. NC State – Has played well since the loss to SC in the opener.
Not far away – Georgia Tech, Navy, Kansas State, Oregon, Kentucky
The Absolute Worst – Charlotte, UTEP, UMass, Bowling Green, Nevada
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