The Obstructed NCAA Top 5-Week 2
Probably the biggest week of college football until when conference play came and went. I like to call this past week "revenge/return" week as we had a lot of return matches from last year while teams had revenge on the minds from last year. MOST of the teams exacted a measure of revenge while others, not as much. And it was more of a telling week as we saw what we can view the contenders from the pretenders. Here we go!
TOP 5 WINNERS
1. OKLAHOMA SOONERS: Even over Ohio State who had the moniker of not being able to beat the tougher teams, Oklahoma has had that monkey on their back of not winning the big games. Well, maybe it was the new coach, Lincoln Riley. Not only did the Sooners win the game, but they DOMINATED Ohio State in almost every aspect. What was impressive to me wasn't Baker Mayfield (who played well and solidified his standing as one of the best quarterbacks in college), but the defense. Yes, I know Ohio State's offense has been sketchy at times, but this was the same Ohio State that placed 45 on them last year pretty much. And honestly, this game could have been MUCH worse with the score as it could have been 45-16 or maybe even 52-16 if not for a sloppy start to the game. You have to put them right now as a top 3 team in the nation.
2. GEORGIA BULLDOGS: While I flip-flopped on this game for a LONG time and said ultimately Notre Dame would win, I am not fully surprised Georgia won. In fact, it always felt in the game that the Bulldogs should have dominated by the score. But the penalties and poor play calls on offense kept this closer than what it should have been. However, it showed that Georgia's defense is a top 5 defense in the nation and has to be the favorite in the SEC East by a wide margin. And like Oklahoma, this was a needed win for the program's history that has been ridden with losing big games themselves.
3. CLEMSON TIGERS: There were two unknowns at Clemson: Auburn and Clemson had a lot of question marks going into the game. We didn't necessarily know what was going to be played out as Week 1 were tune-ups for the Tigers. But as the game unfolded, Clemson showed they still had a physical and fast defense that can play with anybody. The offense was okay as there may be a few more questions there, but the Clemson Tigers showed why they are champions. And it also felt like the 14-6 game was a 28-6 game with how Clemson went after Auburn.
4. USC TROJANS: It goes to show sometimes we cannot take all Week 1 games too seriously. Stanford in their first game drubbed Rice and had a week to prepare for USC, who struggled against Western Michigan at home and Sam Darnold did as well. However, Darnold showed why he is a Heisman candidate (and my pick for it) with a huge game and a game that really was decided by the half. And honestly it may be that win that makes USC a massive threat for a playoff.
5. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS: You have to hand it to Lamar Jackson. He's proven the doubters wrong about his Heisman candidacy (myself included) and he is becoming more and more of a quality pocket passer. In other words, he's learning how to be a quarterback. Now that said, did he still make some silly mistakes? Yes, but it did not cost them and the positives he did far outweighed the negatives Saturday in Chapel Hill. If they are to beat Clemson, he needs to play better and cut down on the mistakes for sure. But overall, this was a "I'm still here!" win for Jackson, and Louisville.
TOP 5 LOSERS
1. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES: The one thing that has plagued Ohio State since the National Championship in 2014 has been the inconsistencies of the passing game. And JT Barrett just seems lost out there without Tom Herman. One comment has been that while Kevin Wilson is the new offensive coordinator, Urban Meyer is still calling the plays on offense. Now Buckeye fans feel like how Meyer is calling them is a stale, out-of-date offense where teams can figure out what Ohio State can do. Now the good news is that the Buckeyes have a relatively favorable schedule in the Big Ten but one more loss AT ANY POINT sends them out of the playoff easily. The games to look at are of course your usual suspects of Penn State and Michigan but also Iowa and Michigan State could be in question. But do I think Ohio State will be 7-5 this year? No way. But if that is the offense they are going to play and that is the JT Barrett we see, then there will be difficulties for them to even win 10.
2. AUBURN TIGERS: Speaking of head coaches calling plays instead of the offensive coordinators and having the feel of an incredibly stale offense....the Tigers showed they are still well behind the powers of the college football world and for one reason: their line play, notably on the offense. Jarrett Stidham spent more time on his back yesterday than he probably ever did playing football. That is not good when you are hoping for another National Championship and you are praying he is Cam Newton 2.0 or even Nick Marshall 2.0. The irony is, Auburn's running backs are more physical than the line, but it won't matter if nobody can block for you. Yeah, they're going to win their share of games against teams who aren't as stout up front like Clemson, but LSU, Georgia, and Alabama are all on the schedule. And now teams will be bringing the house on Stidham, who isn't the most mobile of quarterbacks around.
3. STANFORD CARDINAL: Maybe I was misled on Stanford's blowout win over Rice and then the squeaker USC had on Western Michigan. But it showed that USC is just so loaded with talent over Stanford it wouldn't have mattered. Stinks, because I think the Cardinal is a national power this year.
4. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH: Honestly, Notre Dame should be proud of the 20-19 loss as Georgia really should have won this by 10-15 points. The penalties and the key mistakes the Bulldogs made kept the Irish in this game longer than they should. But Notre Dame isn't there with what they have for now. And while the schedule is relatively not the worst (Michigan State in 2 weeks), they do not have the same physical speedsters like what Georgia or even Michigan State has.
5. NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS: Northwestern was considered the sleeper in the Big Ten this year especially out west of giving Wisconsin and Iowa a hard time. That just went ka-boom fast after a complete dismantling by Duke Saturday. And it may be a thing of there just isn't the same amount of talent. We probably should have kept a closer watch with how Nevada played them the week before because the start for Northwestern isn't good at all.
TOP FIVE QUESTIONS AFTER THE WEEK:
1. IS OKLAHOMA A LEGIT THREAT FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP? Yes. They sold me this week with how they just abused Ohio State on both sides of the ball. And while I am not the biggest fan of Baker Mayfield (I think he is a knucklehead), he is one great quarterback. It will be interesting to see how the Sooners move forward as they still have 2 more tough road tests at Oklahoma State and Kansas State. But for now, the Sooners have silenced their critics.
2. WHICH TEAM WITH ONE LOSS STILL HAS A GREAT PLAYOFF CHANCE? Ohio State of all teams. Remember 3 years ago we saw Virginia Tech roll in and beat the Buckeyes in Columbus and look how that turned out. However, there are major questions on the offense that needs to be addressed.
3. WHO IS THE BEST QUARTERBACK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL? No idea because there are so many quarterbacks out there that have an argument. Many point to Lamar Jackson. Many point to Baker Mayfield. Many say it is Sam Darnold. And you could have debates on Luke Falk, Josh Rosen, Nick Fitzgerald, Mason Rudolph, and others. And you know what, I'm enjoying it. This may be THE BEST ERA of Quarterbacks in college football.
4. WHAT TEAM CURRENTLY UNRANKED MAY CRASH EVERYTHING? Michigan State. Yes, playing two MAC schools in Western Michigan and Bowling Green isn't impressive but the defense has only allowed 3 points in two games (3 TD's but were from fumble returns and a kickoff return). Many view Michigan State is an afterthought after last year's 3-9 mess but it could be a problem if Ohio State and Michigan continue to scuffle and Penn State does visit East Lansing. So last year may end up being an aberration for the Spartans.
5. IS AUBURN AN ACTUAL THREAT TO WIN THE SEC NOW? No. LSU, Georgia, and Alabama PREACH on their offensive lines and defensive lines. Auburn has power backs but their linemen on the offense is actually weaker than I think the actual backs. And if Jarrett Stidham can't stand upright then all the hype surrounding him goes out the window because he may miss time on a few games. Right now I can see Auburn losing those three games with ease, even though they have a very good defense themselves.
That is it for this week. See you later for the previews of Week 3
-Fan in the Obstructed Seat
