College Football The Fumble: Speaking of Chaos
Hello and welcome back to the Fumble! I took a one-week break last week, and wow, what a difference two weeks makes. In two game weekends:
Oklahoma lost again, this time to Iowa State
Texas, the presumed next-team-up, lost not once but TWICE, once each to TCU and the aforementioned Sooners
Florida lost to Texas A&M
Tulsa beat eleventh-ranked UCF
Cincinnati, my pick for the top G5 team, climbed into the top 10, all the way to EIGHT.
And that’s just some of the chaos that has happened! The bizarre circumstances surrounding the season have definitely contributed, but that just means more fun for the rest of us!
Anyways, the last two power-5 conferences grow closer every day to the beginning of their seasons. The year hasn’t felt totally complete without Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and USC having their own moments each Saturday, and I’ll be very happy when they are all back. Unfortunately, it will likely spell the end of any chance for Cincinnati or another underdog team to truly make it into the playoff, but anything can happen this year. It truly would be bizarre to see Cincinnati become the highest-ranked team out of their state for what would probably be the first time in forever. I’d check it but I don’t have nearly that kind of time.
Without further ado, let us continue on to the rest of the Fumble
If the Season Ended Today, the Playoff Teams Would Be...
Clemson
Alabama
Georgia
Notre Dame
The Top 10 is getting even more of a Survivor-like feel to it than usual, with teams regularly getting dropped due to shocking upsets. The Big 12 feels like a lost cause at this point, unless somehow Oklahoma State can create some magic and manage to go undefeated. Eventually, the Big 10 will have to play and win games, but assuming they do, it will be interesting to see what happens to this top four. Also of note: North Carolina, of all teams, is ranked fifth right now after beating Virginia Tech, and they have a long set of games against unranked opponents before they run into a true test by playing Notre Dame. If the Tar heels keep up their success, that could end up becoming one of the bigger games of the season, and it would seem that coach Mack Brown is truly beginning to build a program.
Wait, WHO’S in the Top 10?
I’ve already addressed a few examples, but this season has provided some unique top 10 rankings already, with Cincinnati, North Carolina, and Oklahoma State breaking in. Texas A&M, who just beat Florida, is poised to do the same, as well, speaking of which…
The SEC Is Destroying Its Upper Middle Class
I guess after Alabama and Georgia it’s all pretty much the same, because we have had a few surprising upsets in the past weeks that have brought a supposed conference contender down. First, Mississippi State beat LSU to knock off the defending champs, and now Texas A&M has beaten Florida. And though it wasn’t an upset, Georgia even blew out Auburn 27-6 not that long ago. It certainly seems like breaking into the top of the conference is nearly impossible over the long term, and this would seem to be part of the reason why.
Where Did LSU Go?
Mostly to the NFL, unfortunately. The defending kings of college football have fallen to 1-2 and are currently out of the top-25, as coach Ed Orgeron seems to be having some trouble building a system that constantly produces talent like Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama. Will they be back? Almost definitely. Will they be back this season? Probably not. There’s just so much going against them, not the least of which is the lack of experienced talent in Baton Rouge.
How the (Big 12) Mighty Have Fallen
It really did feel like it was going to be any other year for Oklahoma: they had a highly-touted quarterback prospect, a team with title aspirations, and a cautiously optimistic hope that this year would be different from the past playoff nightmares. Unfortunately, this year turned out to be very different. They lost twice to Kansas State and Iowa State, then barely held on against a Texas team that had already lost a game of its own against TCU. Both teams are currently unranked after beginning the year ranked in the top 10. Texas is not back. It would seem the Sooners will have to come back later, too.
Notre Dame Is Sticking Around
Though they haven’t played anybody, the Fighting Irish have thus far beaten every team they’ve played by double-digits. Their game against Clemson is going to be indicative of exactly how good Notre Dame is, but for now, they are playing like a dangerous team with running back Kyren Williams rushing for over 350 yards in only 3 games and their defense allowing only 13 points per game.
The Top of the G5 Rests With…
Cincinnati, and it’s not close. It’s a bit early to call this a victory lap, but it definitely seems that the Bearcats, led by Luke Fickell and a top-5 defense, are the closest team of any in recent memory to get to a top 4 spot. Admittedly it took some bizarre circumstances to get there, but after UCF lost to an unranked Tulsa, it left Cincinnati to defend the last remaining spot for G5 playoff hopefuls.
Writer
-By: Alex Speildenner