Week 5 Impressions
It was another exciting week of college football, with several surprises, but mostly expected results. I was able to watch quite a few games this past weekend, but this coming Saturday, October 7, I'll be judging a marching band competition, so my impressions will be based mostly on the scores of the games and a few highlights I might happen to see.
In the SEC, it is obvious now that Mississippi State's domination of LSU was more a function of LSU being bad than it was of MSU being good. LSU's loss to Troy, even though it is a very good Sun Belt Conference team, illustrates how far they have fallen. Since it's victory over LSU, Mississippi State has been routed by Georgia and Auburn, a clear indication that they are NOT the second best team in the SEC, as many writers thought.
Georgia and Alabama continued to dominate conference foes, winning 41-0 and 66-3 respectively. At this point, it looks like these two are headed for a collision in the SECCG, but Florida and Auburn will have a lot to say about that. I do not see any of the other 10 teams posing a threat to the top four, though Texas A&M may actually be a good team. We'll know more about them after they play Alabama this weekend. Other big games remaining are Alabama-Auburn on Nov 25, Georgia-Florida on Oct 28, and Georgia-Auburn on Nov 11.
In the Big !0, Penn State looks to be the class of the East Division, though Ohio State continues to improve. Michigan is also very good, but I'm not sure their offense can do enough to win anticipated close games against Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. Wisconsin continues to win, and looks to have a clear path to the West Division title, though Nebraska could surprise them this weekend. Maryland continues to surprise me, defeating a previously undefeated Minnesota team, even though the Terrapins are on their third-string quarterback due to injuries. However, I don't see them finishing higher than third in the East Division.
In the PAC 12, the South Division is a mess! No one seems to want to grab the division. USC and UCLA have looked ordinary, Colorado seems to have taken a step back from last year, and the Arizona teams will look to play the spoiler role. Utah appears to be the best of the bunch, but they have yet to play anyone of consequence, so it's hard to gauge their talent level. This will make the race interesting, but I don't perceive any of these teams making the 4-team CFB playoff.
The North Division has much better teams, with Washington and Washington State the best so far. Stanford seems to have figured things out the last 2 weeks, but their game against Utah this Saturday will have a lot to say about both teams. Oregon, Oregon State, and California may pull an upset or two between them , but I don't see them as challenging for the division title.
The Big 12 will come down to Oklahoma's game against TCU on Nov 11. There is a clear second tier, which includes Oklahoma State, Kansas St, Texas Tech, and West Virginia, and one of those could move up into the top tier with an upset over Oklahoma or TCU, but I would be very surprised if that happened. The rest will battle for 7th place.
The ACC has a huge game this weekend between FSU and Miami which will tell us a lot about both teams. Is Miami good enough to challenge Clemson for the conference title? Is FSU improved enough to have a say in the race for the Atlantic Division crown? Clemson has looked dominant in every game, and they should have relatively smooth sailing until they play Georgia Tech on Oct 28. I still see Tech as a dark horse to win the Coastal Division, and I think they could give Clemson fits. Louisville, NC State, and Wake Forest may still make some noise, but I don't see them being in the division race. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech may be the best challengers to Miami in the Coastal, but Virginia and Duke may surprise.
Notre Dame continues to be the best team among the independents. BYU is a mess, Army is mediocre, and UMass is just plain unlucky. They are 0-6, but have lost by 3, 10, 10, 8, 4, and 8. Their best chances at a win will be against Georgia Southern and Maine, but I see them as being competitive in all of their remaining games, except perhaps against USF and Mississippi St.
USF is finally starting to assert itself as the best team in the AAC, and UCF looks to be its greatest challenger in the East Division. The West looks more competitive, with Houston (only loss to Texas Tech), Memphis (despite their loss to UCF), Navy (undefeated), and SMU (only loss to an excellent TCU team) all looking relatively even in talent and resume'. USF and UCF are fighting for a spot in the New Year's Six Bowls.
No team in the Mountain Division of the MWC has less than 2 losses. In fact, they all have exactly 2 losses, except for Air Force, who has three. In the West Division, San Diego St is head and shoulders above every other team, with all the others having 2 losses or more. San Diego St is the only team outside of the AAC with a chance at the New Year's Six Bowl slot that goes to the best of the Group of Five conferences.
The MAC always has exciting games and division races. Toledo, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois all look strong in the West Division, while Ohio looks to be the class of the East Division. Buffalo has been a pleasant surprise, and along with Akron and Miami, could pull a few upsets between them.
Conference USA doesn't have any dominant teams. Many teams look good enough to win their division, but each could just as easily fall to the bottom. Western Kentucky and Marshall look to be the best in the East Division, while La Tech, UTSA and North Texas appear to be the best of the West Division. Conference play over the next few weeks will help sort things out, and with so much parity, it should be fun.
Finally, the Sun Belt is wide open, as most of the teams have spent the first few weeks of the season collecting paychecks from Power Five teams to get whipped, the exception being Troy, of course, who upset LSU this past weekend. Mots of these teams are mediocre, at best, on par with Army and the Conference USA teams, but Appalachian State, Arkansas State, and Troy have been competitive in all their games. La-Monroe has been a pleasant surprise so far, with a 2-0 conference record, and may remain undefeated in the conference until they meet Appalachian St on Nov 4.
That's it for this week. Tomorrow, I'll have my power rankings, and then my picks on Wednesday (there's a game on that day this week!). Until next time, may your day and your loved ones be blessed!
In the SEC, it is obvious now that Mississippi State's domination of LSU was more a function of LSU being bad than it was of MSU being good. LSU's loss to Troy, even though it is a very good Sun Belt Conference team, illustrates how far they have fallen. Since it's victory over LSU, Mississippi State has been routed by Georgia and Auburn, a clear indication that they are NOT the second best team in the SEC, as many writers thought.
Georgia and Alabama continued to dominate conference foes, winning 41-0 and 66-3 respectively. At this point, it looks like these two are headed for a collision in the SECCG, but Florida and Auburn will have a lot to say about that. I do not see any of the other 10 teams posing a threat to the top four, though Texas A&M may actually be a good team. We'll know more about them after they play Alabama this weekend. Other big games remaining are Alabama-Auburn on Nov 25, Georgia-Florida on Oct 28, and Georgia-Auburn on Nov 11.
In the Big !0, Penn State looks to be the class of the East Division, though Ohio State continues to improve. Michigan is also very good, but I'm not sure their offense can do enough to win anticipated close games against Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. Wisconsin continues to win, and looks to have a clear path to the West Division title, though Nebraska could surprise them this weekend. Maryland continues to surprise me, defeating a previously undefeated Minnesota team, even though the Terrapins are on their third-string quarterback due to injuries. However, I don't see them finishing higher than third in the East Division.
In the PAC 12, the South Division is a mess! No one seems to want to grab the division. USC and UCLA have looked ordinary, Colorado seems to have taken a step back from last year, and the Arizona teams will look to play the spoiler role. Utah appears to be the best of the bunch, but they have yet to play anyone of consequence, so it's hard to gauge their talent level. This will make the race interesting, but I don't perceive any of these teams making the 4-team CFB playoff.
The North Division has much better teams, with Washington and Washington State the best so far. Stanford seems to have figured things out the last 2 weeks, but their game against Utah this Saturday will have a lot to say about both teams. Oregon, Oregon State, and California may pull an upset or two between them , but I don't see them as challenging for the division title.
The Big 12 will come down to Oklahoma's game against TCU on Nov 11. There is a clear second tier, which includes Oklahoma State, Kansas St, Texas Tech, and West Virginia, and one of those could move up into the top tier with an upset over Oklahoma or TCU, but I would be very surprised if that happened. The rest will battle for 7th place.
The ACC has a huge game this weekend between FSU and Miami which will tell us a lot about both teams. Is Miami good enough to challenge Clemson for the conference title? Is FSU improved enough to have a say in the race for the Atlantic Division crown? Clemson has looked dominant in every game, and they should have relatively smooth sailing until they play Georgia Tech on Oct 28. I still see Tech as a dark horse to win the Coastal Division, and I think they could give Clemson fits. Louisville, NC State, and Wake Forest may still make some noise, but I don't see them being in the division race. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech may be the best challengers to Miami in the Coastal, but Virginia and Duke may surprise.
Notre Dame continues to be the best team among the independents. BYU is a mess, Army is mediocre, and UMass is just plain unlucky. They are 0-6, but have lost by 3, 10, 10, 8, 4, and 8. Their best chances at a win will be against Georgia Southern and Maine, but I see them as being competitive in all of their remaining games, except perhaps against USF and Mississippi St.
USF is finally starting to assert itself as the best team in the AAC, and UCF looks to be its greatest challenger in the East Division. The West looks more competitive, with Houston (only loss to Texas Tech), Memphis (despite their loss to UCF), Navy (undefeated), and SMU (only loss to an excellent TCU team) all looking relatively even in talent and resume'. USF and UCF are fighting for a spot in the New Year's Six Bowls.
No team in the Mountain Division of the MWC has less than 2 losses. In fact, they all have exactly 2 losses, except for Air Force, who has three. In the West Division, San Diego St is head and shoulders above every other team, with all the others having 2 losses or more. San Diego St is the only team outside of the AAC with a chance at the New Year's Six Bowl slot that goes to the best of the Group of Five conferences.
The MAC always has exciting games and division races. Toledo, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois all look strong in the West Division, while Ohio looks to be the class of the East Division. Buffalo has been a pleasant surprise, and along with Akron and Miami, could pull a few upsets between them.
Conference USA doesn't have any dominant teams. Many teams look good enough to win their division, but each could just as easily fall to the bottom. Western Kentucky and Marshall look to be the best in the East Division, while La Tech, UTSA and North Texas appear to be the best of the West Division. Conference play over the next few weeks will help sort things out, and with so much parity, it should be fun.
Finally, the Sun Belt is wide open, as most of the teams have spent the first few weeks of the season collecting paychecks from Power Five teams to get whipped, the exception being Troy, of course, who upset LSU this past weekend. Mots of these teams are mediocre, at best, on par with Army and the Conference USA teams, but Appalachian State, Arkansas State, and Troy have been competitive in all their games. La-Monroe has been a pleasant surprise so far, with a 2-0 conference record, and may remain undefeated in the conference until they meet Appalachian St on Nov 4.
That's it for this week. Tomorrow, I'll have my power rankings, and then my picks on Wednesday (there's a game on that day this week!). Until next time, may your day and your loved ones be blessed!
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