Brain Droppings

Ultimately, this past weekend was what CFB is all about. On paper, it looked pretty ho-hum with UGA/SCAR being the marquee match-up and the only one where both teams were ranked in the Top 25. Then things started to happen. Starting with Va Tech losing to East Carolina and ending with USC falling to Boston College, the 3rd week of football is in the books and these are the things that are starting to unfold...

1) Thuds - USC and Virginia Tech - What do you do the week after your teams post their best victory in some time? The answer for these two big names was to lay an egg against inferior opponents. Listen, ECU is no slouch. They have an excellent chance at winning 10 games, but Va Tech can't lose to them at home. You want to know the difference between the ACC and SEC? A team ranked 10 spots behind the Hokies in the poll sweated against ECU last week and still won by 10 with their season on the line the following week against UGA. Virginia Tech had just won on the road against a highly regarded (sort of) opponent. Guess Beamer Ball isn't quite back. As for the Trojans, they were coming across the country and were also on let down alert against BC. The Eagles crammed the ball down their throat in a game that wasn't close. People have said the PAC-12 is gaining on the SEC in terms of reputation. If that's the case, then you can't have losses by an upper tier school against a middle tier school like that. Pretty bad form. UGA - It pains me to say this but that thud you heard late in the evening on Saturday were my hopes for a different type of season for the Dawgs. Every championship quality team has a game where they have been outplayed and finds a way to win. Instead, Georgia found a way to lose. It's easy to say a few things about the referees, but let's be honest; the defense was below average and the special teams didn't get the job done. This doesn't mean that the Dawg's season is over but it does mean there is no more room for error. Paul Johnson - Georgia Tech won on Saturday and is technically 3-0 with a huge game against Va Tech on the horizon. So why does Paul Johnson make this list? The Jackets were losing at halftime in game 1 against Wofford. They were outplayed for a lot of the game against Tulane in game 2. And almost blew a 25 point halftime lead in their 3rd game against Georgia Southern. I was speaking with a Tech season ticket holder and he says Johnson is gone regardless of the outcome of the season. Do his players already know that? It's going to be a long year on the Flats if Tech doesn't start playing a little better. I know they're in the watered down ACC, but the teams in that conference are mostly better than the murderer's row of Wofford, Tulane, and Southern. Referees - Questionable calls in the South Carolina/UGA game (on both sides) and the Florida/Kentucky game. I don't blame officials for losses but sometimes they make it difficult. These guys are human and do the best they can but sometimes that leaves question marks and bitter tastes in the average fans mouth.

2) Studs -  South Carolina - This hurts to write even more than that bit about UGA in the thuds section. Carolina's defense is not very good and their schedule does not set up as favorably as UGA's in the future, but they are right where they want to be. Dylan Thompson isn't as good as Connor Shaw but the Gamecocks have 2 solid running backs and some talent at the skill positions. Their offensive line is pretty good as well. The SEC East is wide open but it might've been a two team race between UGA and Missouri had Carolina not pulled it together on Saturday. The SEC West - Outside of LSU defeating Wisconsin and A&M's dismantling of South Carolina, I realize that the SEC West hasn't played a brutal schedule. But the bottom line the record of the entire division is 19-1. The only loss for any team in the division is Arkansas' loss to Auburn. Ole Miss struggled early but beat down a decent Boise team. Arkansas whipped up on a Texas Tech team they would've gotten drilled by last year. Alabama's win over West Virginia was solid, And they've feasted on a bunch of cupcakes. But the SEC West is the best division in college football right now. Oregon - They beat Wyoming over the weekend but that's not why they're here. UCLA is underwhelming right now and USC just got drilled by BC. Who is going to challenge the Ducks in the PAC-12? Stanford may be the best bet, but I think they've taken a step back this year as well. Plus that game is in Autzen this year. Arizona State ain't on the schedule. It looks like the Ducks and the winner of the Oklahoma/Baylor game have the easiest path to the inaugural CFB playoff to me.

3) Playoffs - Speaking of which, the top seeds for the playoff haven't changed for me this week. But the order has. As it sits, I have: (1) Oregon, (2) Oklahoma, (3) Texas A&M, (4) FSU. Things start to heat up though as league play gets going soon. Auburn has a chance to make a statement against Kansas State this week. Oklahoma will travel to WVU which has been better than most people think. FSU will host Clemson. A&M and Oregon should win handily against SMU and Washington State, respectively. Now that team's will start to face some heavier opposition, we'll start to see some things change in these types of predictions across the board.

4) Next Week - I think the Auburn/K-State game should be the marquee match-up this week on Thursday night. However, Bama and Florida could tell us something about both teams. LSU/Miss State also has the potential to be a good one. Outside of the SEC, Miami and Nebraska meet in a game that would've been Marquee in 1991.

5) SEC Power Rankings - Other than the bottom, this is getting difficult. The league has a lot of talent this year and the games thus far haven't separated some of them.
     14) Vanderbilt - Got a win against UMASS. Barely.
     13) Tennessee - Offensive line problems, but vastly improved.
     12) Kentucky - Had Florida beat but came up short.
     11) Arkansas - Very impressive win against a team they would've lost to last year.
     10) Miss State - We'll see how good they are this week against LSU.
      9) Florida - Not sure they're that bad or Kentucky is that improved.
      8) Georgia - Should've won but like UGA always does, found a way not to.
      7) South Carolina - Their defense is shakey but there's still plenty of talent here. Plus the HBC is an X-factor.
      6) Ole Miss - The scary thing is I think this is a really good football team. They just haven't had a win against a really good opponent.
      5) Mizzou - Toledo on the road was ok as was UCF at home. We'll know about the Tigers when they play UGA, SCAR, and Florida in 3 straight games.
      4) Auburn - A win over K-State moves them up.
      3) Alabama - Their win over WVU looks better than it did opening weekend. If they handle the Gators with ease, they'll keep climbing too.
      2) LSU - They've got the best out of conference win thus far. But that doesn't mean they'll stay here all year.
      1) Texas A&M - Their win over SCAR keeps looking better. They better play someone else soon though. Feasting on teams like Lamar and SMU make you forget how impressive they were on opening night.