Three quick weeks in we’ve hit the quarter pole in a twelve-game schedule. What do we make of the action thus far? It’s interesting as always, but conference play starts this week and we’ll be a lot smarter because of it soon. Get your nuggets below.
- ESPN ran this Sunday AM headline, “Bama Looks Beatable!” Perhaps. Another way to describe their 31-29 win over a well-coached Florida team in The Swamp would be: True sophomore Bryce Young, making his third start ever, led Bama into the hostile Swamp, scored 31 against a good defense that anchors the #11 ranked team in America, and won. Saban has raised the bar so high that our perspective and ESPN’s headlines are jaundiced.
- Georgia held on to the second spot working the not-so-game SC Gamecocks, 40-13. That Oct 30th largest outdoor cocktail party that we don’t call the largest outdoor cocktail party anymore between the Gators and the Bulldogs should be quite the alcohol-fueled duel. The Bulldogs will be glad they are hosting very pesky Arkansas and Kentucky prior and not traveling to play them before the first fan bellies up on Halloween weekend. The pollsters left Florida at #11, deservedly so, after the 2 point loss.
- Oregon took the week off after beating THE in the Shoe. Well, not really. They beat Stoney Brook 48-7 in the northwest rain. After a 75 yard drive to start the game, the Ducks held SB to only 169 yards of offense for the remainder of the game with subs waddling in liberally. The difference between Oregon and the rest of the PAC 12 is that they play legit D.
- The BIG 10 wants in on the fun as well. Iowa, yes Iowa, is now #5, Penn St. is #6 and THE OSU is #10. They’re celebrating the 30 points that the Hawkeyes put up on Kent St. Saturday like it’s a corn crop safely in the silo. Iowa has no O, but it has a playoff quality D. Penn St. now has a single-digit win over Wisconsin(there) and Auburn(home) as two solid resume builders.
That white-out scene in Happy Valley is quite the sight. - It wasn’t pretty, but now #6 Cincinnati stayed undefeated after beating a good Big Ten team 38-24 on the road. Indiana kept it close for a while. The Bearcats strategically scheduled no one this week to build up to a trip to South Bend next week. An impressive win there would put Cincinnatti in the playoff conversation. Though after ND, they play no one ranked in the top 25 as of now.
- Texas A&M (7), Ole Miss (13), and Arkansas (16) give the SEC West four teams ranked in the top 16. Florida kept it close with the juggernaut known as Bama. Can any of these three shoot the moon, er, Bama? The best chance is three weeks away in College Station it seems.
- But, A&M needs to be focused this week on the opponent at hand-Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Sam Pittman has done quite a job resurrecting the Hogs. The Razorbacks had one lonely win v 23 losses in SEC play from 2017-19 before Pittman took the steering wheel in 2020. There were a few chuckles when he was announced as the next pig expected to get smoked at the luau. No more. Whooo Pig! The Aggies are an early six-point favorite on the road. - The BIG 12 has Oklahoma at #8 and Kansas St. #25. Where’s the beef? It’s lean in cattle country. Oklahoma’s win 23-16 over Nebraska wasn’t exactly what the Sooners needed to push higher.
- Life is good in Provo. Coming off last year’s 11-1 season, the BYU Cougars have secured a membership in the Big 12. Now, BYU sits proudly at #15. They’ve beaten three PAC 12 schools in three weeks. Arizona, Utah, and Arizona St. are all early 2021 skins on the Cougars wall. Arizona St. had a chance to raise their profile and the PAC 12 South’s a bit on Saturday but wasn’t quite ready for primetime. The other shoe dropped when UCLA gave up 75 yards in 6 plays in only 40 seconds and lost at the buzzer 40-37 to Fresno St. UCLA dropped to #24 in the process. In the PAC 12, it’s Oregon, and pray for rain. Wait!
- Some eyebrow-raising early lines are out. Wisconsin is a 5 1/2 point favorite over Notre Dame in Soldier Field. Florida St is just a 2 1/2 point home dog to Louisville. Memphis beat Moo St. Saturday but are only an at-home 3 1/2 point pick over UTSA. And Michigan St is a slim 4 1/2 point home choice over Nebraska.