Brain Droppings

If you are a CFB fan, then you know, there's a weekend kind of like this every year. Upsets come in packs but to have witnessed a weekend like this, you would have to remember way back to 1990. That's the one and only time 4 of the top 6 have fallen prior to this weekend. It started on Thursday night with Arizona's win over Oregon and ended early Sunday morning (on the East Coast) with UCLA's loss to Utah. Those two teams managed to lose at home. Oklahoma, Alabama, and Texas A&M were on the road. Here's the one take away from this weekend: It truly is a free for all to grab those 4 spots. Don't freak out if you're an Alabama, Oklahoma, or Oregon fan. The season isn't quite halfway over. There's a lot that can happen.

Studs: - Mississippi Football Teams - I gave State the better chance to win on Saturday and they impressed with a convincing win over what I'm thinking may be an overrated A&M team. I gave Ole Miss less of a chance because I didn't trust Bo Wallace to get it done. The defense held up their end and he held up his. The great thing about CFB is that these teams had all of one night to celebrate. State welcomes #2 ranked Auburn this weekend while the Rebels are on the road at a now desperate A&M squad. Welcome to the big time. JoJo Kemp - Amidst the hoopla surrounding all of the other upsets, Kentucky beat what's becoming a bad South Carolina team (more on them later) late Saturday night. The hero was Kemp who had 131 yds rushing on 17 attempts and 3 TDs. I watched the 4th quarter of this game and the amazing thing is that it was the same thing every play. UK merely lined him up in the Wildcat and had him run the ball. South Carolina couldn't stop it. Kemp got so gassed he once asked to be taken out and Mike Stoops refused. He managed a 45 yd run on the next play and had to be helped off the field. Great effort and a big win for UK. CFB Fans - What a great weekend to be a fan. The beauty of it is that we're not halfway done with the season. This year may prove to be the most topsy-turvy yet as there are 4 teams in the chase to be in the playoff. Great times ahead.

Thuds - South Carolina - I alluded to it earlier. Carolina just isn't a very good football team. As a UGA fan, it's maddening knowing they beat us and with every loss they have, it looks worse for the Dawgs. They have zero ability to stop people on defense when it matters. Mike Davis had a good game but they went away from him when they needed him most. One has to wonder about the heart of this team now that they have 3 losses in the SEC. Will they keep fighting or just go quietly into that good night. USC/Stanford Pass Defense - The last 8 minutes of the USC/Arizona State game were wild. The game ended on a 45 yd Hail Mary catch by State as time expired. While there were multiple SC defenders in the area, none made a play on the ball. Awful. Stanford may have the best defense in the country. They were only giving up 6.5 points a game coming into their tilt in South Bend against Notre Dame. They only gave up 10 to the Irish until they gave up an inexplicable TD on a 4th and 11 with 11 seconds. left. They got beat 17-14. Ouch. Tennessee Fans - I tweeted on Saturday that if I was a Tennessee fan I might kill myself. How did they lose that game to the Gators? Jeff Driskel got benched after another ineffective performance. You would think the back-up could do better. He completed 2-4 passes. After looking like the offense could do something against UGA, they were MIA against the Gators putting up a measly 9 points. Ouch.

Playoffs - (1) Ole Miss (2) Auburn (3) Florida State (4) Baylor - I've said all year that two SEC teams would not reach the inaugural playoff. If things continue to go as they have, then that will change. A one-loss SEC West team that does not make the SEC Championship game will get in. Ole Miss has the best win. Sorry State fans, LSU is proving to be bad and A&M was overrated. Auburn has the 2nd best and that was over K-State. FSU will get in unless they lose. Baylor is the new leader in the Big 12, though they play TCU this week.

Next Week - Miss State and Auburn. Baylor and TCU. Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Georgia and Missouri. You know it's a big week when no one even mentions the Red River Shootout. Well, maybe it's just because Texas is irrelevant right now.

SEC
     14) Vandy - There's no reason to say any more about how bad they've become.
     13) Tennessee - Everyone thought they were going to snap the streak to the Gators. Nope
     12) South Carolina - Their defense is a wreck. How did UGA lose to this team.
     11) Florida - Certainly not sold on the Gators. Their offense is as bad as Carolina's defense.
     10) LSU - Horrible on defense and no QB. Come to think of it not much OL either.
     9) Kentucky - Should be undefeated but found a way to lose against Florida. Still a long way to go, but a great start.
     8) Arkansas - Alabama this week and the Dawgs next week. Let's see how far the Hogs have come.
     7) Texas A&M - A big fall. But I think they are a middle of the pack team.
     6) Missouri - Still hard to take serious after losing at home to Indiana, but win this week and the SEC East is their's to lose.
     5) Georgia - If this team continues to improve, they should win the East. They also are probably the only team in the East with enough talent to compete with the West Champ. However, a loss this week and it wouldn't matter.
     4) Alabama - Don't fret Tide fans. Your team is still very well thought of and can make the playoffs. However, is your QB good enough to win the games down the stretch.
     3) Miss State - Impressive wins against the two most overrated teams in the conference. Win this week and I'll shut my trap and move you to #1.
     2) Auburn - That game against K-State still concerns me. Obviously beating LSU wasn't the feat we thought it might be.
     1) Ole Miss - The defense is stacked. Can Bo Wallace be that consistent the rest of the year?