Not a lot of shtick to share about last weekend.
It happens.
Went 4-2 but it felt less than good.
Southern Cal looked still pretty OK still on both sides of the ball, but Michigan under new coach Sherrone Moore proved more capable than it previously had. Stanford came up big in the Carrier Dome, as Syracuse fell back to the norm a bit. Could have used the Dome Ranger going long.
So I got those wrong.
Florida State finally won one. IU, UK and U of L also prevailed.
Like I said, 4-2 for the weekend, 20-7 on the campaign.
This weekend’s winners:
Washington @ Rutgers. Benny Oosterban is surely flippin’ and floppin’ in his grave. The conference now known as the Big Ten — except in this space where there is arithmetic correctitude and known as Big Eighteen — was founded as the intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Reppresentatives. It was later known as the Western Conference, then the Big Nine, when those hoity toity academic institutions could still count. But it’s always had that frozen tundra midwest identity. Until now. Which is why former Wolverine star Oosterban must be in a tizzy. Washington vs. Rutgers, the state University of New Jersey, is a league game. On a Friday night. In Piscataway, Joisey. Geesh. Scarlet Knights.
North Carolina @ Duke. It’s hard to get a handle on the Blue Devils under new coach Manny Diaz. Won on that temporary field in Evanston, OK. Then some walkovers. The Tar Heels are 3-1, but there was something so bracing about their 50-70 L to James Madison last weekend, one has to wonder what sort of systemic issues there might be. Mack Brown’s tenure at Texas fell apart in his later years there because of that issue. Not taking so long in Chapel Hill for said malaise to appear. Tough game to get a handle on. I’ll go with Duke.
Florida State @ Southern Methodist. That Florida State was nip and tuck last weekend to upend Cal is arguably more alarming than opening the season with three consecutive defeats. OK, maybe not, but it’s not like the alarm bells stopped ringing in Tallahassee. Now they visit Dallas where last weekend the Mustangs throttled arch rival to such an extent that Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes was ejected. Seminole woes continue. SMU.
Illinois @ Pennsylvania State. The surprising Illini are one of the couple or so squads who have beaten a pair of Top 25 teams. Or so they were at the time of battle. Kansas. Nebraska. Still, not chopped liver they. The Nittany Lions took care of things in their opener in Morgantown. Then turned a couple of MAC schools into, well, chopped liver. Comeuppance time for Bret Bielema’s team. Blue over Orange.
Georgia @ Alabama. Warning: Cliché ahead. This is what college football is all about. We may hate the conference where they care more, probably out of jealousy, but, reality check, these have been the two premier programs in the sport for the last decade, give or take a season. Now that his mentor/ arch-nemesis has retired, Kirby Smart is considered best in the biz. He went 1-5 against Nick Saban. Which GOAT is now sitting on the set next to a guy who wears a tank top way too much. Kalen DeBoer come on down, wilkommen to the Big Time. I got a hunch. Tide.
Maryland @ Indiana. Despite that calorie-laden Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte Double Espresso Americano you treated yourself to the other day at your coffee emporium of choice, the Indiana University Bloomington is the one and true Flav o’ Flav of the Month. 4-0. 1-0 in the Big Eighteen. The Terps lost their only league game. At home to Michigan State. Credit where it’s due. Curt Cignetti has apparently remade the Hoosiers for real. IU.
Kentucky @ Mississippi. I cannot tell you how difficult it is to actually pick a squad coached by Lane Kiffin. He is a charlatan. He is too peripatetic for my blood. Even Nick Saban wondered aloud to staff why he hired Kiff.? But, he can coach. Enough to beat a Kentucky team which still doesn’t seem quite settled. Champagne toasts for the W on the Grove post game.
Louisville @ Notre Dame. The respect afforded ND still baffles me. They have a seat at every decision making table, even though the Irish have been a legit national contender less than a handful of times since Ara Parseghian played for a tie in the ’66 game of the century slog against Sparty. Which he got 10-10 as I watched with disgust on pay-per-view closed circuit at Freedom Hall. I’d feel better about the Cards chances if Gerry Faust was still roaming the Irish sideline. There was lots of grumblin’ as we walked out to our cars. U of L won their first visit here, played ’em tough last time before succumbing 7-12, and won last year on Floyd Street. Irish are still deemed a CFP possibility even after falling to Directional Illinois at home. Geesh. My trepidations notwithstanding, that hope ends Saturday. Good Guys have a happy trip home.
— c d kaplan