A Look at the Weekend That Was
The Coaching Carousel Has Begun
Kansas’ Charlie Weis became the first official casualty of the 2014 college football season, fired Sunday after compiling a 6-22 record over two-plus seasons, dropping a 23-0 decision to the Texas Longhorns over the weekend. Makes you kinda wonder if it is actually worse to lose to Texas these days than a team like Minnesota, who beat the daylights out of Michigan at the Big House, 30-14. Weis is out of a job; Wolverines coach Brady Hoke is still employed (but he’s a dead man walking).
Arkansas-Texas A&M Was a Classic
Arkansas and Texas A&M played a whale of a game at AT&T Stadium on Saturday and gave us a classic. I’m impressed with what Bret Bielema is building in Fayetteville, starting with the biggest offensive line in college ball, one that looks like it could operate in the NFL. Bielema’s offense is built to pound away at a defense. A&M’s defense is improved over last season and they hung in there vs. the Hogs, despite a hiccup or two. The Aggies’ problem on Saturday was the offense, which couldn’t get out of its own way with some drops and penalties at bad times; they left approximately 17-to-21 points on the field because of it and it put their team in vulnerable positions all day. But the Aggies came together in the fourth quarter and made the plays when it mattered most. But make no mistake – Arkansas is improving fast and they’re going to take someone down this season.
Big Weekend Ahead
Think the A&M-Arkansas game was good? If you did, you’re gunna love this Saturday. Just in the SEC West there are three fantastic match-ups: Alabama goes to Ole Miss, A&M is at Mississippi State and LSU travels to Auburn. Then there’s the TCU Horned Frogs, fresh to the Top-25 rankings, hosting OU. Stanford is at Notre Dame, and Baylor travels to Austin to take on Texas. Oh, and then there’s Nebraska at Michigan State and Utah plays at UCLA. There’s simply not enough hours to watch it all Saturday. Your remote may get a workout.
Baylor Humming Right Along
The Baylor Bears simply keep on keeping on. They are a model of consistency over the last two seasons and a lot of that is due to quarterback Bryce Petty. They are almost impossible to stop in the red zone and the games have often been over by the time the fourth quarter comes along. Will they be tested by anyone in the Big 12 other than OU this season? Probably not. The Horns take their shot Saturday.
Smoke and Mirrors
I mentioned this last week and I’ll say it again – Florida State is not worthy of a No. 1 ranking. They survived at NC State over the weekend, winning 56-41. All good teams are tested at times during the season, but FSU has made all three of its games vs. FBS opponents an adventure. Notre Dame comes to Tallahassee on October 18. Circle that one on your calendar.
My Playoff Four
Here are the four teams who I personally feel are the four best teams in the country, based solely on results from games played and quality of opponents (with zero consideration towards the schedule ahead or anything other than what we’ve seen so far). Here’s who I would put into the College Football Playoff if the selection happened today:
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Oklahoma
- Auburn
Last two teams out: Texas A&M, Notre Dame
This is a fluid ranking and will change from week to week, depending on results on the field.
