The Most Overrated Thing Was …
Making too much out of any one big game.
I know we’re not supposed to say this right now, but (brace for impact) …
That Tennessee win over Alabama might not matter without a win over Georgia.
It was the game of the first half of the season, it was an all-time moment for the Tennessee program, and it’ll be a game that will live as long as Rocky Top is sung.
And, of course it mattered.
For a fan base dying to finally have its program back among the superpowers again, this was a giant step forward.
Then again, Texas A&M beat Alabama in a thriller last year.
Texas was all of a sudden riding high because it came this close to beating Alabama. Two weeks later it lost to Texas Tech.
Oregon apparently couldn’t play football anymore after getting walloped by Georgia 49-3 in the opener. If the Ducks get by UCLA this weekend, there’s a solid chance they can get to the Pac-12 Championship 11-1 with the CFP slot there for the taking.
Georgia couldn’t play football anymore after a bad half against Kent State and a sluggish performance against Missouri. It won its next two games by a combined score of 97-10.
Alabama supposedly can’t play football now – oh the “Saban should retire” thoughts on social media are rich.
USC can’t play football this season because it lost at Utah. Penn State can’t play because it lost to Michigan …
Remember, Michigan lost to Michigan State last year and got to the College Football Playoff. Alabama had that loss to Texas A&M and it made it to the national championship. Georgia lost to Bama and won it all.
The season is only about three months long – compared to other sports that you can ignore for six months and then dive in when the playoffs start – but every game takes on a life of its own with an outsized importance.
With all of that said, those games built everything up for what’s coming.
And yeah, Tennessee beating Alabama was a big deal. Just wait, though, until the Vols roll into Athens on November 5th.
– Winners & Losers Pac-12, Big Ten, Sun Belt
– Everything is fine One Really Big Thing
– Quarterback injuries Most Underrated Thing
– Superpowers are back What It All Means, Midseason
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