The Fumble: Embracing Chaos as More Conferences Enter the Fray

We’re going into Week 3, college football is almost completely back into the swing, and with the Pac-12’s most recent vote to play a seven-game schedule starting Nov. 6, things are increasingly looking like we may have at least a few normal weeks later in the Fall. It’s certainly encouraging, at least, that previously-final decisions to postpone sports have been shown to be, well, not that final. Peer pressure works to some extent on everyone, even conference board members.

In any case, let’s appreciate the football that has happened so far! It truly is a gift to have some diversions in a world that have been frustratingly empty of them, and as someone who believes that the opportunity for genuine leisure is crucial to having a worthwhile life, I’m glad to see it slowly return.

There is a caveat to the conferences who are returning late: the scheduling has become increasingly complicated because different conferences are playing different numbers of games. The Pac-12 is playing seven games, the Big Ten is playing eight, the SEC and Big 12 are playing 10, and ACC is playing 11. And this isn’t counting conference championships. Obviously, this creates some strange timing, and comparison is going to be a problem.

The real question is how the college football playoff committee will reward a team that has only played seven games. If, say, an Oregon team that has gone undefeated against a Pac-12-exclusive seven-game schedule is put up against a 10-win Notre Dame team that has only lost to Clemson, who will the committee prefer? My money is on the team that played more games and beat Clemson. Even a loss to North Carolina, currently ranked eleventh, wouldn’t seem to be catastrophic to the Irish’s chances because of the extra games.

The Pac-12s reputation could end up hurting them more here than ever before, too. A seven-win undefeated Ohio State team would almost definitely be in, it seems far dicier for a conference champion Utah. Things get even more interesting if a non-Ohio State team ends up winning the conference: they will have two fewer games than whoever will have won the Big 12 or SEC, and three less than whoever wins the ACC. Will beating Ohio State be enough to convince the committee they should get in over a Georgia team whose only loss is to Alabama?

In other words, like everything else this year, college football is setting up to be even more chaotic than usual. Those with heart conditions may want to refrain from watching.

Let’s move on with the Fumble.

If the Season Ended Today, the Playoff Teams Would Be...

Clemson
Alabama
Notre Dame
Oklahoma

Notre Dame replaces Georgia if the true decision has to be made, as the Irish have commenced their season by beating Duke by a solid margin and dominating South Florida. Other than that, though, nothing has changed. The SEC begins to play this week, and Alabama should be fine for a while, at least.

Your New Favorite Player

Miami fans might suggest new transfer D’Eriq King, a former three-star quarterback who just came from Houston. King’s debut against Alabama-Birmingham was solid if not spectacular, but he passed for over 300 yards along with three touchdowns to lead the Hurricanes over Louisville. The performance turned a lot of heads (including our own TJ Mathewson), and the hype is building for the ACC’s new star. Wins over ranked opponents are at a premium in a shortened season, and this one could be crucial for Miami as the season goes on.

The Top of the G5 Rests With…

UCF. Cincinnati and UCF are so incredibly close right now, but UCF played very well against a Georgia Tech squad that has already beaten Florida State in its first game, winning 49-21 and showing that Dillon Gabriel’s solid freshman season was no fluke. If Cincinnati beats the Army next week, they’ll likely be right back here. But for a week, it’s UCF.

Game of the Week

#14 Cincinnati vs. #22 Army

Two games in, Army is undefeated after victories over Middle-Tennessee State and Louisiana-Monroe. This will be a very good gauge of how real the Black Knights are: a victory could signal that there is a new G5 contender to deal with. On the other hand, Cincinnati could establish their not-really-doubted-legitimacy very quickly with a victory over Army after an easy warmup against Austin Peay.