CFB is getting ready to take off, especially if you are a fan of team's from the South. This past weekend whet our appetites for what is going to be a huge weekend across the country. This starts Thursday night with Oregon and Arizona. Too bad it kicks at 10:30 Eastern. I'll be out by halftime unless I drag myself out on a Thursday which would've been a lock as an undergrad. Not so much these days. Of course, if I went out, I wouldn't be watching the game anyways. But that doesn't mean it won't be entertaining. Then, just the SEC on Saturday is ridiculous. Texas A&M and Mississippi State is the 12:00 kickoff. Usually this spot is relegated to the lesser of the days games. With Alabama @ Ole Miss and Auburn @ LSU later that day, there wasn't room for it. That's #7 vs #14 in the Coaches poll (I refuse to recognize the AP as they see no fault with FSU at this point). Even South Carolina and Kentucky could be interesting at this point.
1) Studs - Todd Gurley - He's the only reason UGA has only one loss. He'll be the reason they do anything the rest of the year. The offense is completely different with him on the field. He's on pace for a better year than Herschel had in 1982. Think about that for a second. It's not like UGA has played awful teams. An amazing athlete. He's been a privilege to watch. Justin Worley - The more I watched the UGA/UT game on Saturday, the more I was impressed with this young man. He was the reason Tennessee was in the game. There were times that the UGA defense was in excellent position and he just made a great throw. When he had to sit out three series in the 2nd half, you saw the drop off. The Vols have no back-up QB and the UGA defense ravaged whoever they put out there. Maty Mauk - No offense for three quarters? No problem. Mauktober began early on Saturday as Missouri rallied late to take down South Carolina and perhaps eliminate them from the SEC East Race. The SEC East is wide open but if Missouri can manage to beat UGA in a couple of weeks, they'll have a great chance to go back to the Dome despite a tough schedule.
2) Thuds - Lead Blowers - NC State and Arkansas had excellent chances to beat two top 5 teams on Saturday. They both let it get away from them. FSU was down 24-7 to the Wolfpack and managed to come back to win by 15. When you have a team down, you have to keep them there, especially one with as much talent as the 'Noles. That being said, there's no way FSU is the best team in the country right now. They sleep walk through every game. However, their schedule doesn't have many pot holes left. A home date against Notre Dame may be the only thing between the 'Noles and the playoffs. As for the Arkansas game, maybe I'm off here, but everyone is talking about how good the SEC West is and I think rightfully so, but I'm beginning to wonder about A&M. They have wins against South Carolina and Arkansas. We're beginning to see that the Gamecocks aren't exactly what we thought they were. They managed to beat Arkansas in OT this weekend which may or may not be a good win. Remember how awful we thought Arkansas was going to be? They hung around against Auburn but were ultimately beat in a similar fashion that Louisiana Tech was by the Tigers this past weekend. They also beat Texas Tech. Does any win against a Big 12 member not named Oklahoma or Baylor count? Arkansas is definitely better than given credit for, but Texas A&M may not be as powerful as we originally thought. Kenny Hill looked mortal. They have a huge road game at Miss State this weekend, but get past that, and they still have Bama, Auburn, Ole Miss, and LSU on the schedule. I've been as high as anyone on A&M but I must admit, I am starting to question their authenticity. If they come away with a win this weekend, I'll be back on the bandwagon.
3) Playoffs - Things are going to get messier before they get better. Regardless, here's my picks:
(1) Oklahoma (2) Alabama (3) Oregon (4) Florida State - Do I think FSU deserves to be in the mix at this point? No. If they go undefeated, will they get in? Yes. Therefore, they're in until they lose. Oklahoma has been the most well rounded team to this point. They get the nod over Bama for two reasons. The first is their win against WVU was on the road whereas Bama's was "neutral site." Second, a more proven QB. Blake Sims looked great against the Gators last week, but he doesn't have the experience Trevor Knight has. Obviously having Amari Cooper and a slew of RBs helps Bama though. Oregon looks like the winner of the PAC-12 for now. UCLA showed signs of life after whipping Arizona State in the desert on Thursday. There's a big showdown between the Bruins and the Ducks on October 11. The question is: If they play again in the PAC-12 Championship game, does it matter?
4) Next Week - Nationally, Stanford will line up against the Notre Dame in an interesting rivalry game. Southern Cal will host Arizona State. But the SEC is the story here. A&M/Miss State, Ole Miss/Bama, LSU/Auburn. Florida and Tennessee are an afterthought. Things are going to start shaking out pretty soon.
5) SEC Power Rankings:
14) Vanderbilt - Defense Special Teams = 3 TDS; Offense = 2 TDS. Uh oh.
13) Kentucky - Needed 3 INTs in the 4th against the Commodores to hang on.
12) Florida - They haven't lost to Tennessee in 9 years. Is Saturday the day?
11) Tennessee - After the scare they gave UGA, it's tough to put them here.
10) Arkansas - Improved? Yes. Still not sold they're not the worst team in the West (which isn't horrible by any accounts)
9) LSU - Did they find a QB last weekend? If so, can their talent flex their muscle?
8) South Carolina - Finally found some defense but couldn't stop Mizzou when it mattered.
7) Mizzou - I want to take you seriously, but you lost to Indiana.
6) UGA - I really want to take you seriously but what is there besides Gurley?
5) Ole Miss - Will the Real Bo Wallace please stand up? Oh wait, he's just inconsistent.
4) Mississippi State - Any win in Death Valley is big. But for some reason, I'm waiting on the other show to drop here.
3) Texas A&M - We can't say that Carolina win was as good as it seemed at this point. Doesn't mean these guys aren't good.
2) Auburn - Slept walk through LA Tech but still won easy. Will this schedule catch up with them?
1) Alabama - Florida isn't good but that win was the most complete performance by a team this year. Just hang on to the damn ball.
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