All this poll discussion so early in the season is nonsense. #1 Clemson won their game but dropped in the polls. #3 UGA is the only team in the country to beat a top ten team. They held at 3 for a week, then people want to drop them lower after their bye week. For the most part the polls will work themselves out by the end of the year. Bama, LSU, UGA, and Auburn are all good teams. Only one has a chance of remaining undefeated. Will an undefeated Clemson team receive a playoff bid over a one loss SEC runner-up? Probably so. Unless it’s Alabama.
Everyone loves Notre Dame, even after they lost to UGA. The Irish ran 35 more plays than the Dawgs and still gained fewer yards. Notre Dame is good, but there are ten teams more deserving of a top ten ranking than them. I don’t see how the Irish could earn a playoff bid after losing to UGA (and to Clemson last year). Stranger things have happened. GA outgained ND. GA averaged twice as many yards per play, but only ran half as many plays. I think ND is good. Tough on defense and offense. Shoot ND could probably beat Ohio State, maybe Clemson or Florida or Wisconsin or Auburn. Good chance four undefeated teams will make the playoff, with several strong one loss teams who played tough schedules. Nothing against the Irish. Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis, right? I have a picture of the Four Horsemen that pops up on my screen saver every now and then.
This year it could be Ohio State’s turn to get blown out in the playoff, should they cruise through the regular season without a serious challenge. Hopefully Wisconsin and Penn State can give them a game. Michigan may improve, but don’t count on it.
Dude at USA Today ranked Auburn number one. They havn’t won a big game in years. That’s the society we live in. That’s a pretty accurate ranking for the Sept 28 games. People just remember the last thing they saw. No deep analysis of who has played who (strength of schedule). We’ll see how Auburn and Ohio State do when they face tougher competition. Do you think Alabama should be ranked behind Auburn and Ohio State?
I think the UNC QB knew he was going to be tackled short of the goal line so he tried to flip the ball to his teammate. Yes the UNC QB #7 looked okay for a freshman. Was going to sign with FSU but changed his mind when Mack Brown signed on as NC head coach.
The NC/GT spread should be wider (currently 10 points). Tech’s only chance is if NC is worn out emotionally from playing Clemson. But GT can’t score. Can’t run. Can’t pass. Can’t kick. They can punt, though.
Every other idiot makes predictions, so I will as well. Wait – what?
My Current Top Ten
1. LSU 4-0 plays Bama & Auburn
2. Alabama 5-0 plays LSU & Auburn
3. UGA 4-0 plays Auburn & Florida
4. Clemson 5-0
5. Oklahoma 4-0 plays Texas
6. Ohio State 5-0 plays Wisconsin & Penn State
7. Auburn 5-0 plays FL, GA, LSU, & Bama
8. Wisconsin 4-0 plays Ohio State
9. Florida 5-0 plays Auburn & UGA
10. Penn State 4-0 plays Ohio State
11. Texas 3-1 plays Oklahoma
12. Notre Dame 4-1
My Sept 30 playoff prediction: LSU runs the table, beating Bama, Auburn, and UGA. Oklahoma and Ohio State advance. Undefeated Clemson edges one loss Bama and UGA for the final playoff spot. Would be fun to see Bama and UGA play each other in a bowl game.
Big debate this weekend started by some uninformed numbskull about whether UGA did the wrong thing letting Justin Fields transfer to Ohio State, since he was better than Fromm. Glad to see the Twitter-verse educate the fool, who was wrong on several counts. UGA did not “let” Fields transfer. Justin did it on his own, without even telling his teammates. Fields could not beat out Fromm. The UGA coaches bent over backward to accommodate Fields, calling an easier set of plays when he was in the game, which required fewer reads and easier throws. Still Fields complained. Had Fields showed more in practice, surely he would’ve received more playing time. Fields did play more than most backup QBs. When Fields was finally inserted in a pressure situation (4th down against Alabama) the freshman failed to get the fake punt play started quickly. His hesitation allowed Bama to sniff out the play, and UGA lost the game.
UGA and Ohio State run two different offenses. Fields was never a good fit for the Dawgs pro-style offense. While UGA wanted him, it was Fields’ mistake for not choosing a school that could best use his talents. Fields has done good so far this year, though he has shown a tendency to take off and run if his first read is covered (like he did last year). Before the season there were rumors the Buckeyes had only been able to install a small part of their total offense, due to Fields ability to execute and take everything in. Fields has yet to face an elite defense.
Meanwhile Fromm has impressed NFL scouts with his ability to read defenses and call audibles. The UGA offense requires more complex reads and tougher downfield throws than most read option teams. Fromm has come up big in big games against the best teams in the nation: Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn. The loss to LSU was not his fault, and his two interceptions in Baton Rouge were great diving catches by defenders. UGA needs to hope Fromm chooses to return for his senior year.
My rankings of the most NFL-ready QB’s:
1. Jake Fromm UGA
2. Joe Burrow LSU
2. Joe Burrow LSU
3. Tua Tagovailoa AL
4. Ian Book Notre Dame
5. Trevor Lawrence Clemson
6. Jacob Eason Washington
7. Hebert Oregon
8. Jalen Hurts Oklahoma
In a related note, former Buckeye QB Dwayne Haskins threw three interceptions in his debut yesterday against the Giants.
Saturday morning I went downstairs early for ESPN College Game Day. Dwayne Wade was the guest picker. At 3:30 I came inside to watch GT/Temple. Kept an eye on Clemson/UNC but mostly Tech. Wanted to see what was the problem. Several poor coaching decisions. Two fumbles caused a 14 point swing in the game, Temple’s way. Collins says they’re going to keep trying hard. Not sure how far they’ll take them. Finally played the best QB, Graham, though the kid seems scared of getting hurt again. The schedule keeps getting tougher.
At 7 pm I started looking for the UGA/Tenn game. Couldn’t find it anywhere. Looked on the internet and saw the game is next week. Watched FSU beat NC State, who I thought was better.
Falcons: everyone blames Matt Ryan, but he wasn’t the one drawing unsportsmanlike penalties or holding on big gains, or missing field goals. Actually I give Matt Bryant a pass since he just came out of retirement to help, after the Falcons had let him go. Loved the throwback uniforms. They ought to wear them against teams with traditional uniforms like the Giants, Bears, Packers, Cowboys, or Raiders.
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