| 13 November 2011
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If I’ve learned one thing covering the sport of college football over the last few years it’s this: Much my like my 95-year-old grandma, we as fans simply worry too damn much. We are so busy discussing what could potentially happen, that we forget to pay attention to what actually does happen. Every year, we substitute different players, teams and coaches, but debates remain oddly the same.
In some order they usually are:
“Should a one-loss SEC team play for a title over an undefeated team from another conference?”
“Should we allow two teams who played during the regular season to play again for a BCS title?”
“Should we give Boise a shot?” (Incredibly, it doesn’t matter the year, Boise is ALWAYS in the discussion. They’ve become the proverbial "fat kid on the playground waiting to get picked for a kickball game" of the college football world.)
And every year, like clockwork, all this crap sorts itself out.
This year has been no different. It sorted itself out with losses by Wisconsin and Oklahoma a few weeks ago. It happened when Clemson got tripped up a week later. And guess what, the herd was thinned again with losses by Stanford and Boise last night. We’re now left with two undefeated teams, and two clear paths to the BCS National Championship Game. If LSU and Oklahoma State win out, they play for the BCS title. If they don’t, well, all hell breaks loose. But again, these things have a funny way of working themselves out, so for now, let’s not get caught up in hypotheticals, ok?
Instead let's discuss what did happen, starting with Saturday's results. Because it impacted a lot now, and what's ahead for the rest of the season.
It seems only fair to start at...
Stanford: Where the Cardinal’s worst fear (and one of my few correct predictions all season) came to light: They were proven to be a total fraud.
Ok, “fraud” might be a bit of a strong word. They’re not a fraud in the same way that people who think Lily from How I Met Your Mother is a "cute" girl…until you put her on the set of a movie with Brooklyn Decker, and realize that it's actually no comparison at all. Well, Stanford is the same way. The Cardinal are a good, Top 15-ish type team, a place that a lot of programs wish they could find themselves in. The problem is that they were touted as a top five team for most of this season, something that has infuriated many to no end. No one more so than yours truly.
Look, it’s not that I don’t like Stanford, but I do know what I see with my own eyes, and my eyes have told me since Week 1, “These guys aren’t a legit top-flight team.” Yes they’ve got an elite quarterback in Andrew Luck (more on him coming), with a good offensive line and running back in Stepfan Taylor. Then again, a lot of teams have those components to varying degrees.
But watching the Cardinal the last few weeks, I couldn’t help but think that they lacked speed on defense and play-making on offense, and eventually it’d catch up with them. Even after watching them beat Oregon State last Saturday (in a game that was a lot closer than the final score indicated), I was shocked how close the two teams were in athletic ability and actual football skill. Other than Luck and a few of his offensive linemen, there really wasn’t much difference between the two teams at all. Not a good sign for Stanford…you know, since Oregon State lost to Sacramento State earlier this season and all.
Thankfully Saturday happened, and thankfully the asinine talk of the Cardinal playing in a BCS title game have been put to rest. Oregon wasn’t the bigger team, but they were the more dominant one, running over, around and through the Cardinal in the win.
A few quick things on the game itself:
I’ve given Andrew Luck a lot of heat in this space, and I stand by most of it. I think the kid is a good, solid college quarterback, and someone who will likely find success at the next level. But I’ve never, not once thought that he was the can’t miss, surefire, future NFL Hall of Famer that others have made him out to be. Good? Yes. But the next Peyton Manning? Probably closer to the next Eli.
Well Saturday Luck got exposed. Some of it was beyond his control; like the fact that his offensive line was cement-footed against Oregon’s quicker, faster Ducks pass rush. I’ve never seen Luck more hurried or uncomfortable in the pocket, which is strange since Oregon is known more for their wacky uniforms than their great defensive line play. You also can’t blame Luck for the fact this his receivers looked more like a group of frat kids thrown together an hour before an intramural game than a high-level Division I receiving corps. Nobody could make plays, hell nobody could even catch the ball. It’s hard to blame the quarterback for that.
But there’s also this: If you’re Andrew Luck, if you’re the greatest thing since Peyton Manning’s side-part, an NFL quarterback simply hanging out on a college campus, well, you’ve got to be better than you were Saturday. Period. I know your offensive line sucked, I know your wide receivers played more nervous than a teen boy on prom night, and you know what? I don’t care. You’ve got to better, you’ve got to be more composed, and you’ve got to put up a better showing. Luck sailed too many easy passes, looked too nervous in the face of pressure, and looked too out of sorts overall. Oregon’s defense is good, but they’re not that good. Luck has some growing up to do before we start carving out his plaque in Canton.
And finally to Oregon: I’ve been saying for weeks that I think they’re the best one-loss team in college football, and well, outside of Alabama, I still do. To their credit the Ducks have grown up as a team, gotten rid of distractions (cough, Cliff Harris), and seemed to do what all Chip Kelly’s teams do- hit their stride late in the season. As I said Saturday, there really aren’t many things more beautiful than watching Oregon when they’re firing on all cylinders on offense, and Saturday was the best example of that.
Beyond that, I couldn't help but think one other thing Saturday night. Say Oregon played LSU next week. Would the outcome be any different than Week 1?
Now understand, I’m not saying they should get LSU in a title game, because I don’t think they should (unless something disastrously improbable happens). But at the same time, it’s easy to forget that when the Ducks played LSU it was the season opener, and they were breaking in two virtually entirely new offensive lines. They also weren’t helped by turnovers, especially by D’Anthony Thomas.
My point? I don’t know if Oregon would beat LSU if they played at this point in the season. But it would be closer.
A few closing thoughts on Oregon. First, there’s…
The Speed: As I joked on Twitter last night, we should just let Oregon’s backfield represent the United States in the 2012 Olympics on the 4x100 relay team. I mean honestly, give them a year to train (or even a spring), and you can’t tell me that LaMichael James, D’Anthony Thomas, Josh Huff and Kenjon Barner couldn’t at least medal in the Olympics. I just don’t believe it. How many other countries have one guy who runs that fast, let alone four? At the very least, I’m guessing those four could beat Canada's best sprint team.
Staying with the backfield, how about…
LaMichael James: One of my great regrets in life is that I fall asleep during most of his games (What can I say, I’m getting old). But watching his last night, I forgot just how damn good that guy is, and how fun he's been to watch. Other than Trent Richardson, there isn’t a single back in college football I’d take over him. And really, it’s not even close.
Lache Seastrunk: But seriously, imagine how good Oregon would be if they still had Lache Seastrunk!!
What too soon? Sorry Ducks fans.
USC Next Week: One final thought on Oregon, and that’s that they better not look past USC next weekend.
I know we say that every week is USC’s “Super Bowl,” (since they’re not eligible to play in the postseason), but I really feel like this kind of is. It’s their last “big” game of the season (sorry UCLA fans, but it’s true) and the Trojans are actually playing darn good ball right now. Quite frankly, I don’t think there are 10 teams in the country playing better than them.
Also, it seems like USC does match up a bit better with Oregon athletically than Stanford did. Remember all those mean things I was saying about how slow the Cardinal were on offense and defense earlier in this column? Yeah, that’s not really an issue with USC. They’ve got a few bona-fide playmakers (Marquise Lee, Robert Woods), and their defense is much better than Stanford’s, even if they do have a lack of depth.
I’m not saying USC will win. Just that the Ducks better not look ahead.
Speaking of USC…
Who’s More Improved?: One thing I found interesting yesterday, was watching USC in the same 3:30 timeslot as the Georgia Bulldogs, I honestly can’t think of two teams that have improved more since the start of the season.
For USC, the improvement is a bit less noticeable than it is in Athens. Because their record stands at 8-2 right now, it’s hard to fully comprehend or explain just how bad they were at the beginning of this year. Trust me, they were that bad; USC may have been winning games, but they were winning them in a particularly unwatchable fashion. There was a “hold on for dear life” win against Minnesota (yes, that Minnesota) the blocked field goal at the end of regulation against Utah, and a shootout against Arizona. It led to a lot of doubt, and a lot of, “When is Lane Kiffin going to skip town and leave for his next job?” jokes. Which were funny. 
They really were.
Except well, after all that, the Trojans have quietly morphed into one of college football’s better teams this season.
The biggest difference between then and now is that Matt Barkley is about 147,527 times more impressive than he was at the beginning of the season, or at any point in his career really. Honestly, early on, I just didn’t see it with the guy. He seemed to make weird decisions at weird times, and even when he was playing well, made you scream at the TV and say “What the heck is that boy thinking?”
But since the Notre Dame game, it does seem like a light-bulb went off in Barkley’s head. All the good things that everyone always loved about him (the arm-strength, the footwork, that beautiful blonde head of hair) are meshing with what had been bad up to that point; mainly the dumb plays and ill-timed decisions. Put the good from before with the development we’ve seen over the last few weeks, and I’m not sure there’s been a better quarterback in college football over the last 3-4 weeks. And yes that includes Mr. Luck.
As for Georgia, well, if USC is the most improved team in college football, the ‘Dawgs are “1A.”
Watching them pick apart Auburn yesterday was to view a different Georgia team than anything we’ve seen in recent years. Simply put, Aaron Murray played the best I’ve ever seen him yesterday. He made all the right reads at all the right times, tucked the ball and ran when he had to, and when he did throw, made some of the prettiest passes I’ve seen in awhile. Quite frankly he threw a few back-shoulder fades to Malcolm Mitchell that were so beautiful, I had to hold back tears upon completion (what can I say? I’m an emotional guy!).
And then there’s the defense…my goodness, is there the defense. Whatever Todd Grantham uses to get those guys fired up (fear, intimidation, water torture) it seems to work, because I have never, ever seen Georgia play with confidence like this. At least not in a real long time. These guys are flying to the ball, hitting, making plays. When did that happen? Who are these Georgia’s Bulldogs? And what happened to Mark Richt’s docile pups that we all knew and loved from a few years ago? I don’t know, but this is a different team.
Looking ahead and assuming they get by Kentucky (please, for the love of God Georgia, get by Kentucky) call me crazy, but I think Georgia could upset LSU in the SEC Championship Game. The Tigers offense hasn’t exactly been “firing on all cylinders” these last few games, which is excusable against Alabama, but not nearly as much against Western Kentucky (the score was 14-7 at halftime last night). This would also be a good time to mention that to quote the Jersey Shore, “LSU has a situation on its hands,” at quarterback. Jordan Jefferson played most of the snaps yesterday under center, with Jarrett Lee throwing just four passes total. While I wouldn’t call that a “quarterback controversy” I would call it some quarterback confusion.
My point being, don’t sleep on the ‘Dawgs. They could really shake things up before this all said and done.
One More Fun Georgia Fact: Well, actually, it’s not fun if you’re a Georgia fan. Did you know yesterday marked the first time since 1981 that Georgia beat Tennessee, Florida and Auburn in the same season? Crazy, but true.
(It’s probably only fair I note that there were a few years in that stretch which Georgia didn’t play Tennessee. But even when they didn’t play Tennessee, the ‘Dawgs still did lose to either Florida or Auburn in that given season.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s been a long time since Georgia has beaten all their rivals in the same season. Got it?)
On Boise: Look, I know that a very large of my college football brethren was happy to see Boise lose yesterday. It’s hard to dispute that. Like Stanford, I didn’t think the Broncos were a top five team, and have been living off reputation and a win over Georgia for far too long in 2011. This team just isn’t anywhere near as talented as they were a year ago, and based on this year’s on the field results, didn’t deserve to be ranked where they were (in their defense, every team in college football would take a step back if they lost guys like Austin Pettis, Titus Young, Brandyn Thompson to the pros). And for the record, the Broncos deserved to lose yesterday. I don’t know if TCU is the better football team, but they were the better one on the field in Boise.
Still, it’s hard not to feel some level of sympathy for Boise State, especially Kellen Moore. I’ve been saying it for weeks, and I’ll continue to preach it: What Kellen Moore has done this year; the fact that he’s put up better stats with significantly inferior talent, is absolutely mind-boggling. Nobody should be completing 74 percent of his passes with this group of wide receivers, only he is. Moore deserves to be in New York for the Heisman ceremony.
And it’s like my reader Arjun C. pointed out to me on Twitter: Don’t feel bad for Boise, but do feel bad for Moore. Do you realize that he’s a few missed field goals away from being undefeated since December of 2008? Seriously, think about that. Moore led the Broncos to an undefeated season in 2009, and botched kicks cost Boise wins yesterday (although you could argue that it was only a bogus pass interference call which put them in field goal range) and last season against Nevada.
To everyone in the SEC, Big XII and beyond who wanted to see Boise fall, you got what you wanted. They lost. They won’t be playing for a BCS title, won’t be in the discussion, and probably won’t even up in a New Year’s Day bowl at this point.
Hopefully now that you’ve gotten all of that of your system though, you’ll be able to appreciate Moore. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: We’ve seen a lot of different quarterbacks in college football. Big, fast, strong, left, righty, short-hair, long-hair, whatever.
But the combination of smarts, skill and mental toughness that Moore has? It’ll be a long time before we see that again. If we ever do.
South Carolina: The ‘Cocks are still painful to watch, to the point that maybe the most exciting thing about yesterday’s Florida-South Carolina game was the “Napa Know How,” commercial that played on a seemingly continuous loop during breaks. What can’t be lost however is that Connor Shaw is quietly developing into a half decent quarterback, and Steve Spurrier is quietly in the midst of one of his best coaching jobs ever.
Seriously, let’s talk about Spurrier for a second. Because if I told you that Stephen Garcia would get booted mid-way through this year, Marcus Lattimore would miss more than half the season with a knee injury and that Alshon Jeffery would be on pace for barely half the receptions he had in 2010, how would you have expected the season to go? Chances are, your response would’ve been somewhere between “South Carolina finishes 7-5,” and “Steve Spurrier quits halfway through the year to join the Senior PGA Tour,” without much middle ground in between.
Still, this team is 8-2, and are really one disastrous day from Garcia against Auburn from being 9-1. That’s a credit to Spurrier, and especially a credit to the defense.
Speaking of Spurrier, how about the Old Ball Coach? This is the second straight year that the Gamecocks have beaten Georgia, Tennessee and Florida in the same season. Could anyone have imagined that when he took over all those years ago? Could anyone have imagined that two years ago when he went 0-3 against those schools?
Honestly, I sure didn’t.
Penn State: I did a little write-up on Penn State over at Crystal Ball Run this morning.
Just know it was a sad day off the field, and a painfully ugly one on it. But everyone in that town needed that game. Even though Penn State lost, I’m glad they got it.
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