College Football Season 2021

[jumpnblues]

Iowa's offensive issues have been there from the beginning of the season. If they haven't addressed them by now, it may be too late.

The Hawkeyes would have lost to Penn State if not for one big play in which the PSU defense was caught napping. (Also, Iowa would most certainly have lost to PSU had the Lions not lost their QB to injury and replaced him with a backup who appeared to have no idea what he was doing.)

Can't disagree with anything you said. The Hawks have been ridiculously overrated from the beginning of the season. My wife and I cringed when the Hawks came out #5 in the national rankings and then #2 the next week. I'm not sure they should even be ranked at all. We've seen this happen with the Hawks countless times over the years. Sometimes the coaching staff gets it together and the Hawks will finish the season strong. But too often they come out highly ranked only to be a huge disappointment.

I'd rather see them ranked around #20 to #25 (or not at all) and have them earn their way to higher rankings. Maybe Coach Ferentz can perform another miracle, turn things around, and take the team to another bowl. They do just have one loss...so far. I still think Ferentz is an outstanding head coach. But I'm not sure they are even minor bowl material right now after their miserable showing against Purdue. I've never seen a team so thoroughly defeated. And that's an understatement. I mean, they consistently have little to no offense. You can't win football games with no offense. I even think their highly touted defense is at least somewhat overrated.

They have a bye next weekend then they're at Wisconsin. Wisconsin is not a dominating team this year (although not a push over either), so maybe the Hawks can eek out a win there which would make them bowl eligible for sure. But if their performance vs Purdue is any indication at all they'd likely be an embarrassment in a bowl game. I really wish I could be more optimistic. Overrated for sure. We can only hope not.

 

[Guitarzan]

This 2021 Georgia team has favorably impressed me thus far with its ability to handle the hype and high ranking. UGA has survived another visit by College Game Day (and SEC Nation was there as well) and the curse of Lee Corso picking them and putting on the head gear. The defense made a number of mistakes against Kentucky yesterday and gave up an easy touchdown and one hard fought one. But UK is the best Georgia has played so far this year. The KY OL was certainly the best at holding of any OL UGA has played all year and the officials were very inconsistent and generally bad, even calling some dumb ones in UGA's favor.

Georgia played Cincinnati in a bowl game back in January and bare beat Cincy. Ironically, the two teams in that bowl game are now nos. 1 and 2 respectively, the same order they finished the bowl game (so to speak).

Georgia has some difficult games left against Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech and less difficult games against Missouri and Charleston Southern. The defense has been so good that the offense has been able to get the job done without having to score 40+ points and without its starting QB and a number of other injured, important players.

Being in the top 5 in the polls this year has been hazardous. Iowa was exposed as a fraud Saturday.

A number of Big 10, including Ohio State, Penn St., Mich. St., and Michigan have stumbled into the top 10 for now. But they will all be playing each other soon in conference games and will be upsetting the pecking order the way that the SEC conference has been.

 

[GGardner]

Penn State Illinois game is in 9th OT.

 

[Guitarzan]

IL just knocked off Penn State and I am glad to see Franklin lose.

The rules committee will go back to work on new OT rules

 

[Guitarzan]

Dang, Clempsun lost again. That first win does not look quite as good.

Pitt and Wake are the best 2 teams in the ACC for the first time ever

Oklahoma won another close one

 

[FMA]

IL just knocked off Penn State and I am glad to see Franklin lose.

The rules committee will go back to work on new OT rules

As I watched the game, I figured out in the first half that PSU was going to lose. The quarterback was hampered by injury and apparently Franklin didn't trust his backups. The defense never adjusted to what Ill. was doing. And, well, Penn State was a just a hot mess. It didn't appear that Franklin and his coaches did anything to prepare the team for the game. They looked lackadaisical throughout. Just a terrible performance. And Saturday, PSU has Ohio State. At least I have a gig that night and an excuse not to watch what surely will be extremely ugly.

 

[scrapyardblue]

As I watched the game, I figured out in the first half that PSU was going to lose. The quarterback was hampered by injury and apparently Franklin didn't trust his backups. The defense never adjusted to what Ill. was doing. And, well, Penn State was a just a hot mess. It didn't appear that Franklin and his coaches did anything to prepare the team for the game. They looked lackadaisical throughout. Just a terrible performance. And Saturday, PSU has Ohio State. At least I have a gig that night and an excuse not to watch what surely will be extremely ugly.

Agreed, Penn State did not adjust their defense.

 

[Rustbucket]

College OT format sucks…that’s all I have to say.

 

[scrapyardblue]

College OT format sucks…that’s all I have to say.

Probably does suck, but that game was not any kind of test for the new rules. The end of that game was defined by futility, the inability of either offense (good defense notwithstanding) to get the necessary 3 yards time and time again.

The silliness of the rule is that the NCAA claims the two-point shootout is designed to shorten the game.....for the "safety of the players." Yet after every failed OT, they stopped and walked all the way to the other end. One of the longest games in the history of college football and the longest for extra periods.

 

[stxrus]

I hate the current OT rules. I want to go back to a single 15 minute period, play lt like any other quarter. Someone either wins, loses, or it’s a tie that goes down in the book

 

[Guitarzan]

Michigan State made a heckuva comeback to beat its in-state rival. MSU should be ranked well on Tuesday night by the committee. The coach, Mel Tucker, coached there under Saban and went with Saban through the Alabama leap. Tucker left Alabama with Kirby Smart and became Georgia's DC, left Georgia for Colorado, then left CO for MSU.

It would be humorously coincidental to see UGA, Mich. St., and Alabama in the top 3 positions on Tuesday night.

Penn. State challenged OSU for most of that game.

Auburn knocked of Ole Miss in Oxford, MS and is ostensibly getting better. They may put up a good fight against Bammer.

Georgia stumbled and fumbled through an unimpressive offensive performance against Florida but whipped UF with defense. The last 3 minutes of the second quarter were the strangest 3 minutes of first half football that I can remember, and UGA turned a 3-0 lead into a 24-0 lead. You might want to watch it if you have not seen it.

The stats from the game are strange and demonstrate how they can be misleading when a few explosive plays put up big points. UF had 1 yard more of total offense than UGA (355-354), UF had 2 more first down's than UGA (20-18), and UF had about 5 minutes more time of possession (32:20-27:40). But UGA ran more plays UF, and despite the flawed offensive showing, UGA only punted twice [that I can find] and that kept UF's defense on the field.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/matchup?gameId=401282117

Georgia is a solid no. 1 for the first committee rankings on Tuesday. The question is whether this UGA team has what it takes to stay focused and keep winning with all of the hype and attention (versus past UGA teams that could not do it). Georgia should beat the remaining teams on the schedule, which are Missouri, Tennessee, Charleston Southern, and Ga. Tech. Being positioned to do something and actually doing it are two different things, we shall see if this team has what it takes to go 12-0.

 

[EZMFE]

It seems clear that UGA is he best team in the nation--at least for now. Who knows, maybe the Braves AND the Dawgs get it done to truly break the Georgia curse!

 

[Guitarzan]

The Braves have two more shots at it tonight and tomorrow night in Houston. They squandered a grand slam and good lead and could not get it done in Atlanta.

Beating Florida is one of the best things for Georgia fans. Florida has lost 4 of the last 5 and UF fans are not happy with Dan Mullen's recruiting and coaching performance at all, and he has not helped himself with stupid and evasive comments. He would be better off to admit he and his staff have some problems to fix and have a plan to do it. He will have one more year and will need to make changes on his staff in the offseason, such as replacing the DC. If he fails to show efforts to change and improve, he will be out after next season with much acrimony.

 

[Guitarzan]

The CFP Committee published its first rankings last night.

https://collegefootballplayoff.com/news/2021/11/2/cfp-rankings-2021-1102.aspx

 

[Guitarzan]

My rankings for the first week would be as follows, and it is good enough for the first week. A number of the teams still have to play big rivalry games and will sort some of it out.

Cincinnati played Georgia back on January 1 and UGA won it at the end with a field goal. Cincy is a respectable team and has a lot of juniors and seniors and would like beat half of the field currently ranked in front of them by the committee.

My rankings for Week 1 would be:

1. UGA
2. Alabama
3. Michigan State
4. Cincinnati
5. Oklahoma
6. Wake Forest
7. Oregon
8. Ohio State
9. Michigan
10. Notre Dame

Wake Forest is probably too high at no. 6 and would likely to lose to 3 of the 4 teams behind them, but WF is undefeated for now and it is only Week 1 and it will work itself out. WF could be at no. 10, but I am giving them the benefit of being undefeated for now, as I am with Oklahoma.

What your top 10 be this week?

 

[EZMFE]

My boyfriend and I will play. (we alternated picking.... I went first)

1 UGA
2 Ohio State
3 Alabama
4 OU
5 Oregon
6 Mich State
7 Cincy
8 Wake Forest
9 Auburn
10 Tx A&M

As for Cincy, meaningless bowl games are just that: meaningless. Georgia woulda beat them like a drum if they'd met in the playoff last year. I think they'd beat Wake probably two out of three times if they played them. However, I think they'd be lucky to win 1 out of 3 against any of the rest of the top 10 teams, just my opinion.

 

[stxrus]

Once again we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory

 

[Guitarzan]

The ranking process continues to sort itself out.

Michigan State and Wake Forest both lost their first games last Saturday.

Perdue got its one major upset for certain by beating MSU, and it will have a chance at another against Ohio State this Saturday. OSU had a hard time putting Nebraska away in Lincoln, NE and has had a number of tight games.

Cincinnati struggled with Tulsa, and that may hurt the team in the next rankings.

Oklahoma probably benefitted from having an off week.

Alabama played a flat game against LSU in Tuscaloosa but got another win.

Georgia started slow against Missouri at home and let the QB put up a lot of rushing yards, but finished with a pretty convincing score and kept Mizzou from scoring a TD. UGA travels to Knoxville this week to play an improving team on its home field. On paper, UGA should win, but I am always concerned about the team showing up for a game like this. UGA has lost to UT far too many times when it should have won. UT beat Kentucky last Saturday, which has fallen apart since the trip to Athens and loss. But I still thought UK would win that one. Heupel is doing a pretty good job in his first year at UT.

Florida lost an ugly one to S. Carolina and after that loss, I am not sure that Mullen and his crew have another year to try to fix things. Mullen fired his [terrible] DC Todd Grantham and his OL coach. If UF won all its remaining games after the ugly loss to big rival UGA, he probably would have had another year (and been under pressure to change up his staff). But he may have lost the team and the showing they make on the field might just cost the entire coaching staff their jobs.

 

[Guitarzan]

It is almost Saturday again.

I turned it off the UNC-Pitt game last night after watching for a few and believing it was settled. They ended up in overtime with Pitt winning (which was expected).

I see some games of interest this weekend. Tonight, Cincinnati is playing U. South Florida, and Cincy needs to make a good showing.

Oklahoma is playing at Baylor tomorrow which should be a good game.

Michigan is playing at Penn. State.

Purdue is playing at Ohio State.

Georgia plays at Tennessee at 3:30 PM, and although UGA should win on paper, I have learned not to take victory for granted.

Texas A&M at Ole Miss appears to be the better evening game.

https://fbschedules.com/college-football-schedule/

 

[Guitarzan]

Two recruits formerly committed to Florida have committed to Georgia in the last 24 hours. Florida fans and boosters are going to lose their minds seeing UGA flip their recruits after comments Mullen made that were very passive about recruiting during the season.

https://www.dawgnation.com/recruiti...-georgia-football/TFZTZ5J3E5C5NMVUHQINRXBRJA/

https://www.dawgnation.com/programs...lorida-recruiting/BEKG7MG4IZFCDB22MU7LMCMO6U/