Upon Further Review
Mike Zierath | Staff Columnist
What will happen in the second half of the season to the Hawkeyes?
You know why I love College Football? It’s simple.
It’s utter Chaos!
Every single week, it’s like watching the best reality TV show, never knowing what’s going to happen.
It’s a good book you can’t put down, wanting to read the next chapter, then the next chapter, then the next!
It gets the Oscar for best dramatic actor in a series, week after week after week.
Last weekend was no exception. It wasn’t a week 11 from 2016 where 3 of the top 4 teams in the country bit the dust. There were, however, 4 of the top 10 who found a way to lose to unranked opponents. That’s chaos. That’s drama. That shakes stuff up a little.
It all started in the ACC on Friday night. Clemson traveled to the Carrier Dome to play Syracuse. What happens? The mighty fell on their sword! The defending national champions never led. Matter of fact, Syracuse pretty much outrushed them, out passed them and out kicked them. The latter is why they ended up on top. Clemson was just 1-3 on FG attempts and lost 27-24. So much for unstoppable. I will say this though. They got beat by Pitt last year and never looked back. Kelly Bryant is hurt. Will he be back next week? Probably, since they are on a bye this week. Couldn’t have come at a better time for the Tigers.
In the rest of the ACC, Miami slipped past Georgia Tech to remain unbeaten. They don’t appear to be world beaters, but right now, they may be the best the Coastal has to offer. Bronco Mendenhall and his 5-1 Cavaliers, who no one is talking about, might have something to say about that.
On the other side, everyone’s preseason darlings, the NC State Wolfpack, find themselves at 6-1 and tied with Clemson on their bye week as well. Next week, they get Notre Dame. I have a feeling we will see how good they are, or aren’t, in two weeks.
The ACC is still a 4 team race.
A little later on Friday night, the chaos continued as Washington State gave Cal the ball 7 additional times (yes, 7) and got throttled 37-3. No one, and I mean no one, survives a 7 turnover game, in particular, the Cougs. They are a lot like Iowa. When they are good, they still have a razor thin margin for error. Make too many mistakes, it will come back to bite you.
On Saturday, The Washington Huskies created a little drama of their own, by losing to those Todd Graham coached Arizona State University Sun Devils. Yes, the very same ones that haven’t been able to fight their way out of a wet paper bag the last couple years. The same ones who most people thought wouldn’t have a coach by the end of this season, or before, including yours truly. The same Arizona State that dismantled what ended up being a pretty good Iowa team out in the desert a few years back. Well, they just did it again, to a pretty good Washington team. The defense cracked the whip, swung the hammer, and laid the wood, the entire game. Washington could do nothing. Certainly didn’t look like a playoff contender from last year, that’s for sure.
Meanwhile, back at Pac 12 central, Stanford has quietly crept up the North standings and currently sits a half game ahead of both Wazzu and the Huskies. Stanford, the same inept looking program that couldn’t have gotten wet by jumping in a pool the first couple weeks of the season, has found themselves. Watch out you boys in the North, it’s going to be a three way, and not in a good way!
In the South, USC got by the Utah Utes, but just barely! They are in the drivers seat in the South. They travel to South Bend this weekend to take on the Fighting Irish in what is basically, a CFP elimination game. Both teams have one loss. Both lost early. Early losses can be overcome. Two losses can’t. The winner in South Bend this weekend will still control their own destiny. The loser is playing for pride, and that’s about it.
The last game of the weekend that continued to unravel the ball of yarn, was the Auburn vs LSU game in the SEC. LSU, down 23-14 at the half, found a way to hold Auburn to just 106 yards of total offense in the second have and outscore them 13-0 to earn a 27-23 home win. Now, this might not seem like that big a deal. But when you look at the SEC West, and who may have had a chance to challenge Darth Saban and the Dark Side, you had to look no further than Auburn. Huh……I’ll be darned. Not looking so hot anymore and looks like the west is still a one horse race.
In the SEC East, Georgia appears to be the only show in town, and it ain’t even close. Or, is it? There is still one team that has only one loss, and that team, believe it or not, is coached by a Stoops. That’s right, Mark Stoops has his Kentucky Wildcats at 5-1. Their schedule kind of reminds me of a Wisconsin 2017, or Iowa 2015 for that matter. No Alabama and Georgia is the only team currently ranked between now and the end of the year. Stoops believes his boys are trending in the right direction, getting better each week. If that’s the case, maybe it is a two team race in the East.
The Big 12 took care of business last weekend, with just one casual upset, when West Virginia stormed back from a 35-17 deficit to score the last 29 points and win 46-35 over #24 Texas Tech. Wait a minute…….Texas Tech was ranked? The team that was dead last in total defense last year in the NCAA was ranked? The team with a coach walking the green mile…….to pull the switch on his own electrocution, was ranked? Okay, you get the picture. No one, and I mean no one, saw that coming. This is starting to look more like an 7-5 team than a 5-7 team. Will is save their savior’s job? Time will tell, but I’m guessing it would.
In other Big 12 news, The Red River Shootout happened on Saturday with Oklahoma coming out on top. As one of the most storied rivalries in college football, I had decided to roll down to the Cotton Bowl to see if I could scare up a couple tickets for me and the wife to go. Didn’t happen. There will be more chances.
Okie State continued to roll as did TCU. It’s going to get a little dicey in the coming weeks as they will all eventually play each other. TCU currently has the upper hand, but how long will it last? Thinking about running down to Fort Worth for the 7PM Prime Time affair this weekend when they play Kansas. If anyone, including ISU fans, want to see a really good team in two weeks, head on over to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames when TCU visits the Cyclones.
Big 12 still has three teams in contention.
The Big Ten is going to sort itself out starting this weekend when Michigan visits Penn State. If Penn State can somehow find a way to win, and they have about 33% odds of doing so, games in the next 3 weeks, they are going to solidify the perception of them being good and belonging. Right now, nobody really knows. They haven’t played anyone, other than Iowa, and we know how that went for them. There’s a white out awaiting the Maize and Blue this weekend. I think we also know how that’s gone a time or two. That said, I don’t think ol’khaki pants can get it done this weekend in what will probably be a 21-7 type game.
Ohio State has a bye this week, then they get PSU, Iowa and MSU back to back to back. Other than Oklahoma, who have the Buckeyes played? Oh, that would be a big fat NO ONE! MSU won’t really be tested again, in theory of course, until they get PSU in a few weeks.
In the West, Wisconsin has the upper hand, and I think they know it. They don’t really have another huge test until November 11 when Iowa rolls in to Camp Randall, and the way the Hawkeyes have been giving up rushing yardage, you gotta figure that they will stop these shenanigans sooner rather than later. If they can somehow get that to manage the paltry 18.5 points a game they are giving up, Iowa might be dangerous. I’ve seen worse.
Three teams in the East, down to two in the West, with one holding on for dear life.
I thought that maybe the college football playoff scenario was going to start shaping up after last weekend. But, really, it hasn’t. There is one clear cut favorite that would be in if it all ended today, and that is Alabama. The other three spots would have 18 teams that still have a shot at getting in. That 18 includes the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, as hard as that is for me to say. The bottom line is we still have a long way to go. Nothing is set. No one has handed the keys to the brand new car to Bama, Georgia, PSU or TCU just yet, even though that would probably be the four teams in as of today.
Reminder, my preseason four included Bama, USC, Okie State and FSU. FSU is out. The others all still have a shot.
Last week, there were still 13 undefeated teams in college football among the Power 5 and Group of 5 conferences. It’s down to 8 after losses by Washington State, Washington, Clemson, Navy and San Diego State. My best guess at who joins them this coming weekend would be PSU losing to Michigan and UCF losing to Navy.
Mike Zierath | Staff Columnist
What will happen in the second half of the season to the Hawkeyes?
You know why I love College Football? It’s simple.
It’s utter Chaos!
Every single week, it’s like watching the best reality TV show, never knowing what’s going to happen.
It’s a good book you can’t put down, wanting to read the next chapter, then the next chapter, then the next!
It gets the Oscar for best dramatic actor in a series, week after week after week.
Last weekend was no exception. It wasn’t a week 11 from 2016 where 3 of the top 4 teams in the country bit the dust. There were, however, 4 of the top 10 who found a way to lose to unranked opponents. That’s chaos. That’s drama. That shakes stuff up a little.
It all started in the ACC on Friday night. Clemson traveled to the Carrier Dome to play Syracuse. What happens? The mighty fell on their sword! The defending national champions never led. Matter of fact, Syracuse pretty much outrushed them, out passed them and out kicked them. The latter is why they ended up on top. Clemson was just 1-3 on FG attempts and lost 27-24. So much for unstoppable. I will say this though. They got beat by Pitt last year and never looked back. Kelly Bryant is hurt. Will he be back next week? Probably, since they are on a bye this week. Couldn’t have come at a better time for the Tigers.
In the rest of the ACC, Miami slipped past Georgia Tech to remain unbeaten. They don’t appear to be world beaters, but right now, they may be the best the Coastal has to offer. Bronco Mendenhall and his 5-1 Cavaliers, who no one is talking about, might have something to say about that.
On the other side, everyone’s preseason darlings, the NC State Wolfpack, find themselves at 6-1 and tied with Clemson on their bye week as well. Next week, they get Notre Dame. I have a feeling we will see how good they are, or aren’t, in two weeks.
The ACC is still a 4 team race.
A little later on Friday night, the chaos continued as Washington State gave Cal the ball 7 additional times (yes, 7) and got throttled 37-3. No one, and I mean no one, survives a 7 turnover game, in particular, the Cougs. They are a lot like Iowa. When they are good, they still have a razor thin margin for error. Make too many mistakes, it will come back to bite you.
On Saturday, The Washington Huskies created a little drama of their own, by losing to those Todd Graham coached Arizona State University Sun Devils. Yes, the very same ones that haven’t been able to fight their way out of a wet paper bag the last couple years. The same ones who most people thought wouldn’t have a coach by the end of this season, or before, including yours truly. The same Arizona State that dismantled what ended up being a pretty good Iowa team out in the desert a few years back. Well, they just did it again, to a pretty good Washington team. The defense cracked the whip, swung the hammer, and laid the wood, the entire game. Washington could do nothing. Certainly didn’t look like a playoff contender from last year, that’s for sure.
Meanwhile, back at Pac 12 central, Stanford has quietly crept up the North standings and currently sits a half game ahead of both Wazzu and the Huskies. Stanford, the same inept looking program that couldn’t have gotten wet by jumping in a pool the first couple weeks of the season, has found themselves. Watch out you boys in the North, it’s going to be a three way, and not in a good way!
In the South, USC got by the Utah Utes, but just barely! They are in the drivers seat in the South. They travel to South Bend this weekend to take on the Fighting Irish in what is basically, a CFP elimination game. Both teams have one loss. Both lost early. Early losses can be overcome. Two losses can’t. The winner in South Bend this weekend will still control their own destiny. The loser is playing for pride, and that’s about it.
The last game of the weekend that continued to unravel the ball of yarn, was the Auburn vs LSU game in the SEC. LSU, down 23-14 at the half, found a way to hold Auburn to just 106 yards of total offense in the second have and outscore them 13-0 to earn a 27-23 home win. Now, this might not seem like that big a deal. But when you look at the SEC West, and who may have had a chance to challenge Darth Saban and the Dark Side, you had to look no further than Auburn. Huh……I’ll be darned. Not looking so hot anymore and looks like the west is still a one horse race.
In the SEC East, Georgia appears to be the only show in town, and it ain’t even close. Or, is it? There is still one team that has only one loss, and that team, believe it or not, is coached by a Stoops. That’s right, Mark Stoops has his Kentucky Wildcats at 5-1. Their schedule kind of reminds me of a Wisconsin 2017, or Iowa 2015 for that matter. No Alabama and Georgia is the only team currently ranked between now and the end of the year. Stoops believes his boys are trending in the right direction, getting better each week. If that’s the case, maybe it is a two team race in the East.
The Big 12 took care of business last weekend, with just one casual upset, when West Virginia stormed back from a 35-17 deficit to score the last 29 points and win 46-35 over #24 Texas Tech. Wait a minute…….Texas Tech was ranked? The team that was dead last in total defense last year in the NCAA was ranked? The team with a coach walking the green mile…….to pull the switch on his own electrocution, was ranked? Okay, you get the picture. No one, and I mean no one, saw that coming. This is starting to look more like an 7-5 team than a 5-7 team. Will is save their savior’s job? Time will tell, but I’m guessing it would.
In other Big 12 news, The Red River Shootout happened on Saturday with Oklahoma coming out on top. As one of the most storied rivalries in college football, I had decided to roll down to the Cotton Bowl to see if I could scare up a couple tickets for me and the wife to go. Didn’t happen. There will be more chances.
Okie State continued to roll as did TCU. It’s going to get a little dicey in the coming weeks as they will all eventually play each other. TCU currently has the upper hand, but how long will it last? Thinking about running down to Fort Worth for the 7PM Prime Time affair this weekend when they play Kansas. If anyone, including ISU fans, want to see a really good team in two weeks, head on over to Jack Trice Stadium in Ames when TCU visits the Cyclones.
Big 12 still has three teams in contention.
The Big Ten is going to sort itself out starting this weekend when Michigan visits Penn State. If Penn State can somehow find a way to win, and they have about 33% odds of doing so, games in the next 3 weeks, they are going to solidify the perception of them being good and belonging. Right now, nobody really knows. They haven’t played anyone, other than Iowa, and we know how that went for them. There’s a white out awaiting the Maize and Blue this weekend. I think we also know how that’s gone a time or two. That said, I don’t think ol’khaki pants can get it done this weekend in what will probably be a 21-7 type game.
Ohio State has a bye this week, then they get PSU, Iowa and MSU back to back to back. Other than Oklahoma, who have the Buckeyes played? Oh, that would be a big fat NO ONE! MSU won’t really be tested again, in theory of course, until they get PSU in a few weeks.
In the West, Wisconsin has the upper hand, and I think they know it. They don’t really have another huge test until November 11 when Iowa rolls in to Camp Randall, and the way the Hawkeyes have been giving up rushing yardage, you gotta figure that they will stop these shenanigans sooner rather than later. If they can somehow get that to manage the paltry 18.5 points a game they are giving up, Iowa might be dangerous. I’ve seen worse.
Three teams in the East, down to two in the West, with one holding on for dear life.
I thought that maybe the college football playoff scenario was going to start shaping up after last weekend. But, really, it hasn’t. There is one clear cut favorite that would be in if it all ended today, and that is Alabama. The other three spots would have 18 teams that still have a shot at getting in. That 18 includes the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, as hard as that is for me to say. The bottom line is we still have a long way to go. Nothing is set. No one has handed the keys to the brand new car to Bama, Georgia, PSU or TCU just yet, even though that would probably be the four teams in as of today.
Reminder, my preseason four included Bama, USC, Okie State and FSU. FSU is out. The others all still have a shot.
Last week, there were still 13 undefeated teams in college football among the Power 5 and Group of 5 conferences. It’s down to 8 after losses by Washington State, Washington, Clemson, Navy and San Diego State. My best guess at who joins them this coming weekend would be PSU losing to Michigan and UCF losing to Navy.
