Tag: 2020 college football

College Football Cavalcade: 4th Best Team In Playoff Race, Big Ten Kicks Off

What I think, know and believe, the 4th best team, and the Big Ten kicks off, all in the latest College Football Cavalcade.

What I think, know and believe about the college football world, the 4th best team in college football, and the Big Ten kicks off, all in the latest College Football Cavalcade.

Sorry if this column sucks, it’s not my fault …

Unlike Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, the column will NOT be apologizing in any way for scoring a late touchdown instead of taking a knee despite being up 28 points. What are you going to do about it, call a time out with three seconds left? Oooooooooh, that’ll sting. Go for it – prolong your agony.

[jwplayer vj3ofcqq]

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– Check out all the past Cavalcades

– Big Ten 21-Day Rule
– 4th Best Team In CFP Race
– I Think, I Know, I Believe
– 5 Footballey Opinions
– Sure-Thing Picks of the Century

And I still say Margot was safe on the attempt to steal home

I know we live in a world where reality has gone bye-bye. However, in this time of deep division, a horrific number of moral failings, and too many moronic opinions voiced by people who feel empowered to go full jerkweed, let us all come together as one nation, under a groove, and with one voice to agree on one undeniable truth …

Indiana’s Michael Penix SO didn’t get in on that two-point conversion to beat Penn State.

Opinion-wise, this is Green Needle or Brainstorm – you can read this either way and your brain will interpret it correctly.

Acceptable Reaction and Opinion 1: Penix didn’t get in, you can clearly see it on the replay, the officials botched this huge, and Penn State should’ve won.

Acceptable Reaction and Opinion 2: It’s Penn State. (bleep) it.

Now 22-1 all-time goes to 22-2, and it didn’t have to be that way …

I’ve fought with several people over the last few days on this, and I absolutely understand the theory behind the other side of the argument.

But I’m right.

To whiteboard what happened, Penn State was up 21-20 in the final minutes against Indiana when RB Devyn Ford had a clear path for a touchdown. All he had to do was fall down on the one-yard line and that was it. IU wouldn’t have been able to stop the clock and Penn State would’ve won.

In a similar situation on Sunday, I actually like that Todd Gurley accidentally scored against Detroit – Atlanta was losing late, and you never, ever, ever, ever assume anything, including a chip shot field goal. In this case, again, Penn State was up.

I can’t blame Ford for what happened. You’re asking the world out of a college running back in the heat of the moment to not score a touchdown when he gets a chance. ALL that hard work and ALL these guys go through to have a shot at the glory – going down when the end zone is right there goes against every possible instinct.

Okay, so Ford gets in and Penn State is up 27-20 with 1:42 to play. To me, this situation is the equivalent of basketball types who desperately scream about why a team that’s up three in the final seconds should foul and put the other team on the free throw line rather than allow a possible game-tying three-pointer.

[lawrence-related id=521684]

I’m Mr. Never Go For Two Unless You Absolutely Have To, but in this case you’re already up seven with 1:42 to play. You go for two. Always.

It’s a relatively risk-free, free-pass chance to win the game right there.

At worst, you miss, and the other team still has to go 75 yards or so for a touchdown. (Actually, the worst that could happen is the two could be returned the other way, but we’re not being that guy right now.)

If you miss and the other team roars back and scores a TD, the coach will almost certainly kick the extra point and take the thing into overtime. If he doesn’t and chooses to go for two and the victory, then that’s on you to win the game with a stop.

However, in Penn State’s case, if you go for two when up seven and convert, you’re up nine, game over, get on the bus, go home. Kick the extra point, you’re up eight, and Indiana is still alive.

Penn State kicked the extra point. Penn State lost.

– Big Ten 21-Day Rule
– 4th Best Team In CFP Race
– I Think, I Know, I Believe
– 5 Footballey Opinions
– Sure-Thing Picks of the Century

NEXT: The Big Ten’s 21-Day Rule

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

Notre Dame drops in latest Amway Coaches Poll

Notre Dame played up to their ranking but in the latest Amway Coaches Poll they dropped. Find out where the Irish are ranked now.

That was fun last night, wasn’t it? The Irish finally gave the nation no reason to complain about their top 3 ranking, but was it enough for them to stay in that spot?

Well, the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports  showed that it wasn’t. The Irish fell one spot to No. 4, but this shouldn’t come as a surprise. In all honestly, this probably is a week late, but with Ohio State getting a fairly impressive win over Nebraska in their season opener, the Buckeyes jumped the Irish and Georgia.

Around the ACC, Clemson started off slow but ultimately beat Syracuse at home, North Carolina beat up North Carolina State in the only ranked matchup in the conference, while Miami, FL escaped with a win over Virginia. Wake Forest upset Virginia Tech, so movement for some of the ACC teams wasn’t surprising at all.

Here is the updated Amway Coaches Poll, with the ACC members in bold, and their rankings from last week in parentheses.

1 Clemson (1)

2 Alabama (2)

3 Ohio State (5)

4 Notre Dame (3)

5 Georgia (4)

6 Oklahoma St (6)

7 Cincinnati (10)

8 Texas A&M (9)

9 Florida (8)

10 BYU (11)

11 Wisconsin (14)

12 Miami, FL (11)

13 North Carolina (13)

14 Michigan (17)

15 Oregon (15)

16 Kansas St (19)

17 Penn St (7)

18 Marshall (25)

19 Indiana (NR)

20 USC (23)

21 Costal Carolina (24)

22 Iowa St (18)

23 SMU (16)

24 Oklahoma (NR)

25 Army (NR)

Dropped out: No. 20 Virginia Tech, No. 21 Minnesota, No. 22 NC State

BREAKING: Alabama’s Nick Saban tests positive for COVID-19

Alabama’s head coach Nick Saban and athletic director Greg Byrne test positive for COVID-19 after Florida and LSU had their game canceled.

The hits just keep coming for the SEC. First it was Florida, after their head coach Dan Mullen wanted 90,000 fans to pack The Swamp this weekend. Then a rash of positive cases has made them postpone their game against LSU this weekend.

That wasn’t even the biggest news out of the day from the conference, as Alabama’s head coach Nick Saban and their athletic director Greg Byrne had both tested positive for COVID-19.

Saban will not be on the sidelines for the huge game against Georgia this weekend. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will take over for Saban.

The hits just keep coming this college football season and don’t expect that to change.

College Football Cavalcade: Arkansas Auburn Debacle, The Team That Could Explode

What I think, know and believe, the Arkansas-Auburn debacle, and the team that might explode, in the College Football Cavalcade.

What I think, know and believe about the college football world, the Arkansas-Auburn debacle, and the one team that might be on the verge of exploding, all in the latest College Football Cavalcade.

Sorry if this column sucks, it’s not my fault …

The officials blew the column dead instead of awarding it to Arkansas like they should have. Unlike Auburn, though, after catching the monster break it shanked the chance for the win.

[jwplayer E4rbYaCn]

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– Check out all the past Cavalcades

– The Team That Could Explode
– I Think, I Know, I Believe
– 5 Footballey Opinions
– Sure-Thing Picks of the Century

Because if Arkansas wins another big game, the world as you know it will cease to exist

To whiteboard this, Auburn was down 28-27 in the final seconds against Arkansas and in field goal range. With the clock winding down, Tiger QB Bo Nix fumbled the snap, picked it up, turned, and spiked the ball behind him to stop the clock.

Arkansas recovered what technically was a live ball after Nix fired it into the ground, and that should’ve been it. Hog win, 2-1, Gus Malzahn on a mega hot seat, and …

After a review, it was ruled intentional grounding on an incomplete pass, Auburn ball, field goal, ball game, let’s go take a steam.

And then this got even worse. Instead of simply saying the officials gagged, a blown whistle became the official party line.

Let’s just say Arkansas fans didn’t exactly take any part of this well as they vented on Twitter – and they were in the right.

However, I now get the joy of doing this after hearing it over and over and over and over again, particularly over the last six months.

To the grouchy fans on social media after that all happened …

STICK TO SPORTS.

Yes, there’s a segment of our society that now feels emboldened because, you know, everything, and when it comes to the silly-season rhetoric and buzzwords, no. Hard no.

There’s no “conspiracy” against Arkansas, and no, this wasn’t “rigged” – just like the world didn’t have it out for the program when the revised schedule came out.

Arkansas didn’t get deliberately “cheated” out of the win. It simply got totally hosed by a missed call.

And everybody knows it.

But they haven’t figured out my trick that if you pretend to be totally inept at a household chore, no one will want you to do it

When I first started doing radio appearances on sports shows over 20 years ago, a friend in the business gave me a great piece of advice that I continue to use.

Answer the question you wish you were asked.

It’s a debate tactic that also comes in handy when you’re on a show in Las Vegas and asked about the UNLV backup left guard situation.

I also use this in every day life, especially around the house, like …

Kid: “Dad, did you leave the toilet seat up?”

Me: “Of course I’ll get more Jell-O. Put it on the list.”

My trick was exposed and outed by the family six minutes into the vice presidential debate last week, but I’m not stopping now. To quote Freddie Bauer, when something works for me, I stick with it – and that especially goes for college football.

I will now pivot away from statements I may or may not have uttered or written over the course of the 2020 offseason. So go ahead and call me out, starting with “You said …”

LSU is simply going to reload like Ohio State, Alabama and Clemson do, and be a factor in the national championship chase again.

My pivot response: I’m a fan of Barry Odom’s – he caught a bad break – Eliah Drinkwitz was a great hire by Missouri. It’s going to be a rough year record-wise, but the program is going to be a thorn in everyone’s side.

“You said …” Mississippi State was about to be a thing and KJ Costello was front-and-center in the Heisman chase after the win over LSU.

My pivot response: Why yes, this is going to be a fun and crazy year in the SEC West – outside of whatever Alabama does – and Ole Miss is coming out red hot under Lane Kiffin. The six other non-Tide teams all look like they could beat each other up on any given day.

“You said …”Florida State had the talent in the starting 22 to be a sleeper in the ACC title chase.

My pivot response: I’ve been saying all off-season that NC State could be this year’s Louisville – a program that’s about to revert back to the norm. The Pack might not win the ACC title, but Dave Doeren has created a steady-good program that had one down year.

“You said …”Coastal Carolina was 72 out of 76 teams in the modified preseason rankings.

My pivot response: There aren’t enough bowl spots potentially available for Sun Belt teams. The conference went 3-0 against the Big 12, but the Big 12 is going to load up the bowls with its teams in a year when records don’t necessarily matter for the post-season exhibitions. The Sun Belt might not have the best records as the teams beat each other up, but there will be at least seven teams that deserve the spotlight.

“You said …”The Big Ten had almost no chance of coming back to play in the fall. 

My pivot response: Is it playing yet? No … I’m talking here … it’s Fiumala’s turn … is it playing yet? Has it been able to get through a season? No? You can’t answer the question … why can’t you answer the question? Is … the … Big Ten … playing yet? Okay then …

(Actual pivot response … Get here already, October 24th. I so need Big Ten football already.)

“You said … “Before the season, Texas was a top ten team and should be deep in the mix for the College Football Playoff.

My pivot response: You know, we’re sitting here focusing on a Texas team that can’t tackle, continues to underachieve, and is lucky to not be 0-3 in the Big 12 when we could be focusing on issues that matter to American families at their kitchen table, like this ….

– The Team That Could Explode
– I Think, I Know, I Believe
– 5 Footballey Opinions
– Sure-Thing Picks of the Century

NEXT: The team that might not be on the verge of blowing up

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Florida’s loss is Notre Dame’s gain in latest Amway Coaches Poll

Notre Dame took care of business against Florida State, while Florida fell to Texas A&M which helped the Irish move up in the Coaches Poll.

Notre Dame’s return to the field was just as a few of us expected, they had to shake off some rust early on and didn’t beat an overmatched Florida State team as soundly as they should have. But a win is a win and the Irish continue to have a crooked number first and a big fat zero after the dash.

Advance and survive, that’s the name of the game. The Irish did just that, while watching Florida do the opposite. The Gators loss is Notre Dame gain, as they moved up one spot to No. 4.

Here is the full Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports. Last weeks rankings are in parentheses while the ACC teams are in bold.

1 Clemson (1)

2 Alabama (2)

3 Georgia (3)

4 Notre Dame (5)

5 Ohio State (6)

6 North Carolina (9)

7 Oklahoma State (10)

8 Penn State (8)

9 Florida (6)

10 Cincinnati (11)

11 Texas A&M (20)

12 Miami (7)

13 BYU (15)

14 Auburn (13)

15 Wisconsin (14)

16 Oregon (17)

17 Tennessee (12)

18 SMU (21)

19 Michigan (19)

20 Iowa St. (24)

21 ULL (23)

22 Kansas St. (NR)

23 Virginia Tech (18)

24 USC (NR)

25 Minnesota (NR)

Is it already Separation Saturday for College Football?

Three undefeated matchups (Miami at Clemson, Tennessee at Georgia and Virginia Tech at North Carolina) are on deck for college football.

When looking at this weekends games, there are four Top 25 matchups, with the biggest game being the ACC contest that has No. 1 Clemson hosting No. 7 Miami. It is obviously a big weekend, and Brandon Marcello of 247Sports is already calling it Separation Saturday.

Does this hold weight? Is this really when the top teams will make their moves? How can this be when two of the five power conference’s haven’t even started playing football yet?

Three of the four matchups will have one of the teams falling form the ranks of the unbeaten, Virginia at North Carolina and Tennessee at Florida along with the Tigers and Hurricanes. The other Top 25 matchup has one loss Texas A&M hosting Georgia.

Can this really be the weekend where teams start to make their moves to gain entry into the College Football Playoffs? Certainly it can, but this year is going to be significantly different than previous seasons. Teams won’t have as many data points, the CFP committee has already adjusted their schedule and undoubtedly will ranks teams differently due to circumstances.

Could a loss in this week for the unbeatens knock them out of CFP consideration? I tend to think the answer is no. Say for instance, Miami beats Clemson, would the Tigers, who have made the CFP every year except it’s first year, be out of consideration. I’d say no, not at all. Same for Florida if Tennessee was to upset them this weekend.

I agree with Marcello that this is a big weekend, but will it be the “Separation Saturday” he claims? It’s way to early to anoint this weekend that title.

COVID-19 still running rampant in College Football

A team from the Big XII and a coach from a different team in the conference has made adjustments due to positive COVID-19 cases.

If you didn’t think that there would be issues with COVID-19 during the college football season, you’ve been in a cave for the last 8 months. Obviously the Irish have had their issues, but they’re not alone. Just today, Baylor of the Big XII has suspended all of their football activities.

This was the second time Baylor has had to shut it down. They weren’t the only ones to announce a COVID-19 related issue, Kansas’ head coach Les Miles tested positive.

While it was “good timing” for Miles with Kansas on a bye week, it’s still obviously a big issue. Mike Norvell, who will be across the sidelines this weekend from the Irish, was the first major coach to catch the virus.

The SEC’s commissioner Greg Sankey, for the second week in a row, warned teams of fines and bans if they didn’t follow the leagues protocols. Multiple coaches in the SEC haven’t been wearing their masks at appropriate times.

Go check out any major networks website and look at the headlines. Five of ESPN’s 6 top stories in college football are COVID-19 related.

More than 20 games have been impacted by COVID-19, either cancelling or postponing. With no vaccine coming in the near future, what can you expect going forward? There will be additional games to feel the wrath of the global pandemic. It’s just the reality of the situation.

Hell, the Big Ten and Pac-12 flip flopped their fall season decisions and now could they be questioning their return? I bet Big Ten commish Kevin Warren is.

Brian Kelly has been through it firsthand and it has been difficult. Seeing other teams go through similar situations really gives you perspective of the situation. Unfortunately this is what teams will have to battle throughout this season. Don’t be surprised to continue to see more coaches quarantined and programs suspending football related activities.

Latest USA TODAY bowl projections keep Notre Dame feeling Orange

Where Notre Dame ends up this postseason remains an educated guess at best but the latest USA TODAY projection would certainly be compelling

Bowl projections are incredibly interesting this season as some think the Pac-12 and Big Ten will have played enough games for their schools to be potentially College Football Playoff worthy while others don’t think that’s the case.

What comes of it is an interesting discrepancy in where various teams end up in the projections as a result.

Yesterday we looked at the latest from Jerry Palm at CBS, who had Oregon in the College Football Playoff.  As fallout, Notre Dame was projected by Palm to make a return trip to Orlando in the Cheez-It Bowl.

USA TODAY has also updated their projections with a different end to 2020 for Notre Dame however and it’s against a team that was one of America’s sweethearts last weekend.

The Projection:
Orange Bowl – Miami, FL
Notre Dame vs. Georgia

This would be only the fourth ever meeting between Notre Dame and Georgia and the second in a bowl game if it were to play out.

Georgia has won all three previous meetings with Notre Dame, making them one of a very few programs to ever not lose to the Fighting Irish.

College Football Cavalcade: The New Normal Bowls, Playoff, Fans, Schedules

What I think, know and believe about college football, and the new normal we’ll have to live with, in the latest College Football Cavalcade.

What I think, know and believe about the college football world, and the new normal we’ll all have to live with, all in the latest College Football Cavalcade.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– Check out all the past Cavalcades

Sorry if this column sucks, it’s not my fault …

Just like getting into an LSU home game, there are no CDC wellness checks – the column wants you to get through it faster and easier. However, there still aren’t any alcohol sales.

[jwplayer ofnu5DDC]

– College Football New Normal, Part 2
– College Football New Normal, Part 3
– I Think, I Know, I Believe
– 5 Footballey Opinions
– Sure-Thing Picks of the Century

If the “new normal” includes lighter traffic and few people in my way … okay

I’m well aware that “the new normal” is right up there with “it is what it is” and “that’s 2020” and “it’s not you it’s me” as nails-on-a-chalkboard phrases that have to be eradicated from our planet, but it applies.

There is a new normal to college football.

Things had to be worked on and tweaked to get this season up and working, and by necessity, we’re now seeing what’s possible to make things better in a sport whose norms and traditions are equal parts charm and restraint.

So as this weirdest of seasons rolls on, what about the new college football normal should stay, what needs to snap back once we return to the old normal, and what else has to be worked on?

From the playoff, to fans in the stands, to bowls, to a whole slew of other aspects of the college football world, here’s how things have changed this year, starting with the No. 1 most fundamental thing that 2020 has taught us …

College Football Will Always Be Fine

College football people despise change.

They’re not as bad as baseball blowhards, but anything that interferes with what fans are used to – uniforms, fight songs, traditions – gets met with the biggest brick wall of resistance.

However, as we’ve learned in 2020, college football finds a way no matter what.

This virus is ripping through college campuses with outbreaks that aren’t close to being contained – and college football is still played.

Racial unrest, a bitterly divided nation, an economic meltdown, death and destruction, some schools not playing, some players not playing, players rising up with demands, Vin Diesel’s heartthrob dance track – once the ball gets kicked off, it’s college football again and everything is fine.

It’s actually not fine in a whole lot of ways, but the games steamroll on no matter what.

So the next time you hear some old Farty McFarterson whine about how any sort of change or advancement or hair cut or jersey number 0 will be the end of college football as we know it …

College football will still be played. It might be different, but it’ll be fine.

College Football Playoff

There are two sides to this.

On one, just get through the season.

Just getting everyone on the field and hoping the campaign reaches the finish line is hard enough, much less dealing with the post-season logistics.

So for now, don’t get crazy. The College Football Playoff goes on like any other year, and out of whoever is out there and whatever happens, the committee will come up with the four best teams

On the other side, this is the year to blow it out, but not up.

How are we really supposed to judge the difference between the SEC, Big Ten, and Pac-12 teams when they’re only playing conference games? You don’t think it matters?

Sun Belt 3, Big 12 0 in head-to-head matchups.

It’s not happening, but this is the year – of all years – to make the tweak.

Expand it to 8, all Power Five conference champs get an automatic invite, so does the top-ranked Group of Five champ, and then the committee gets to choose two wild-cards.

First round on the home field of the higher seeds, then the CFP goes off as normal. It’s not that hard, and to go off the first blurb, it’ll all be fine.

But the old normal is sticking around … for now.

Longer Season

Not more games, but an actual longer time to get those games in.

The danger here would the greedy athletic director business types who’d see an opportunity to make more money to add more games, but the more stretched out the season, the more time players have to rest and recover.

Coaches love the compact schedules, especially in the Big Ten and Pac-12.

Routine, routine, routine, routine, routine – get into a groove, and keep everyone focused.

However, starting in late August and going through mid-December with more off weeks and more spread out games is a plus. Make it a 16-week regular season to get in 12 games. The teams would be healthier, and TV would love, it.

– College Football New Normal, Part 2
– College Football New Normal, Part 3
– I Think, I Know, I Believe
– 5 Footballey Opinions
– Sure-Thing Picks of the Century

NEXT: New Normal, Part 2. Conference Only Seasons, Bowl Games, Fans

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

No game, no change for Irish in newest Amway Coaches Poll

This week had no game on the schedule for the Irish, as they watched other teams around them fall from the ranks of the unbeaten. Auburn got dominated by Georgia, who this week actually looked like a top 4 team. Alabama was Alabama, once again …

This week had no game on the schedule for the Irish, as they watched other teams around them fall from the ranks of the unbeaten. Auburn got dominated by Georgia, who this week actually looked like a top 4 team. Alabama was Alabama, once again handling another SEC ranked opponent in Texas A&M, while Texas, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and Memphis were all upset.

The biggest loser this week was Texas, who continues to underperform while getting the benefit of the doubt by the polls. Last week they had a miraculous 4th quarter comeback, and this week living on the edge gave them their first loss to TCU. The Longhorns dropped to No. 22 after coming into the week ninth.

None of this really matter to Notre Dame, the teams what are ahead of them all won, although they didn’t all necessarily look great doing it. The Irish finally get back on the field next weekend to face Florida State, who’s sluggish start had them on upset watch for most of the 1st half. They would later pull away, winning their first game of the year.

Around the ACC, Clemson held steady atop the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports, Miami, FL moved up one spot, North Carolina up two, Virginia Tech up five while Pittsburgh dropped out entirely.

Here is the week 5 edition of the Coach Poll, with the ACC teams in bold and last weeks rankings in parentheses.

1 Clemson (1)

2 Alabama (2)

3 Georgia (4)

3 Florida (3)

5 Notre Dame (5)

6 Ohio State (6)

7 Miami (8)

8 Penn State (10)

9 North Carolina (10)

10 Oklahoma State (19)

11 Cincinnati (15)

12 Tennessee (20)

13 Auburn (7)

14 Wisconsin (18)

15 BYU (22)

16 LSU (17)

17 Oregon (NR)

18 Virginia Tech (23)

19 Michigan (21)

20 Texas A&M (13)

21 SMU (NR)

22 Texas (9)

23 ULL (NR)

24 Iowa State (NR)

25 Central Florida (12)