Pacific Blues

National Overview

For a slate with only one ranked-versus-ranked matchup Week 3 turned out to be decently entertaining. No, there was no earth-shattering upset that eliminated a team from playoff contention, but overall it’s hard to be dissatisfied with a weekend that produces a couple of ranked teams going down and a conference (Pac-12) on the edge of its seat for a couple hours late Saturday night.

How about that Georgia – South Carolina game? For the third time in four years the Bulldogs and Gamecocks went nuts in their early-season meeting, flying around the field in delightfully reckless fashion. Carolina prevailed for the fourth time in five years, perhaps signaling that the East is still Cocky’s to lose. Despite UGA’s two recent trips to the SEC title game the Bulldogs have struggled with SC. In both those division-title seasons Georgia got to Atlanta by virtue of the Gamecocks’ own inability to avoid missteps. It seems the opening loss to Texas A&M won’t be the death knell some thought it was for Carolina.

Speaking of ominous signs, Week 3 had more than a few for the Pac-12. Injuries to the two best quarterbacks in the South (ASU’s Taylor Kelly and UCLA’s Brett Hundley)? Check. The conference’s two most prominent programs (historically) trailing on the road in the second half against inferior opponents? Check. How about one of those teams actually losing, just one week after knocking off a ranked Stanford team on the road? Ugh. The league avoided complete disaster when Jerry “TwoWeasel*” Neuheisel led UCLA back to a 20-17 win over Texas in Arlington, but USC’s defensive flop at Boston College was on display for the whole nation to see. More on the Trojans in the Pac-12 section, but let’s agree to cool it with the “Pac-12 is as good as the SEC!” talk for now.

*Jerry’s father Rick, the former UCLA, Washington and Colorado head coach, was derisively referred to by rival fans as Rick “Neu-Weasel” for various rules violations and transgressions. I thought it only fitting to bestow the moniker “TwoWeasel” upon his son.

However, it was once again the Big Ten that brought up the rear. The beleaguered home of the Leaders and Legends (not really, but the conference will never live that down) saw Illinois and Minnesota blown out by big-league competition, Indiana drop a close one to Bowling Green, and Iowa and newcomer Maryland fall to rivals Iowa State and West Virginia, respectively. The B1G is now 1-10 versus schools from the other Power 5 conferences in 2014, with Rutgers’ shootout victory over Washington State on opening night the only mark in the win column. It seems there’s no end to this misery and the reality that this once-respected league will be excluded from the first playoff in college football history is looming larger every week.

What’s on tap for Week 4? So glad you asked. To start with, there’s a very interesting Thursday night matchup between Auburn and Kansas State in Manhattan that’s been pointed to for weeks now as a potential trap for the Tigers. I’m not entirely sure I buy it – not because Auburn is a elite title contender, because I have a lot of skepticism about that – but because I’m not sure K-State is that good. The Wildcats were lucky to escape Week 2 with a win over Iowa State, and regardless of what Iowa may have had to say about it last Saturday I don’t think the Cyclones are anything more than average. We’ll see on Thursday.

Moving forward to the weekend, we get the always-entertaining Tech-vs.-Tech battle when Georgia Tech meets Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Bowling Green taking on a shaky Wisconsin team and North Carolina at East Carolina in another round of what has become a great intra-state series. Florida at Alabama is getting some hype, but I tend to doubt the bona fides of teams that just needed three overtimes to beat Kentucky. I feel similar about Mississippi State at LSU. Seemingly every year the Bulldogs start hot by beating some garbage teams, then look average in SEC play. MSU hasn’t finished better than .500 in-conference for more than a decade. Why exactly should I believe this is the year the streak ends?

Utah at Michigan is an intriguing non-league contest. The Utes did upset UM in the Big House a few years back and it’s safe to say this iteration of the Wolverines has been less than impressive thus far. Still… it’s hard to trust Utah, which has struggled mightily since making the leap to a major conference in 2011. Likewise for Virginia – BYU, which is being hailed as a good matchup because of the Cavaliers’ upset of Louisville last week. The Cavs did knock off the Cougars last season, but that was a Week 1 slugfest BYU should have won. This year, in Provo, they will.

Miami (FL) also travels to Nebraska in another opportunity for the Big Ten to fall on its face, while undefeated Cal and Arizona teams (say what?) meet in Tucson for an early Pac-12 battle. However, the big game (and in many respects, the only game) this week is Clemson at Florida State. The Tigers were eviscerated last year at home and I don’t really think they’ve improved much, if at all. However, FSU looked vulnerable in their opener, so we’ll see if Clemson can keep this thing closer than the 2013 meltdown. If the Seminoles struggle to put this game away it might be a warning sign.

Top 25

It’s still too soon. The more I think about it, the more I feel that perhaps the traditional top 25 should be replaced this season to better reflect this new era of college football. After all, at the end of the year it won’t matter who’s ranked where. The opinion of the playoff committee is what counts. I’ll toy around with some ideas in the next couple of weeks before deciding. For the record, Oregon and Texas A&M should be first and second. Those teams have quality wins no other squad can match. Based on the eye test, I’d say Oklahoma, Alabama and FSU ought to round out the top five. Any combination of those schools would make for a fantastic final four.

Pac-12 Report

Hmmm. Hmmm indeed. After all the talk this preseason about how the Pac-12 was ready to challenge the SEC for conference supremacy, it nearly all came crashing down in a matter of hours in Week 3. Sure, Oregon and Stanford handled their business against underpowered mid-majors and the Washington schools looked good, but from mid-afternoon on almost nothing went right for the Conference of Champions. UCLA continued to look bad before and after Hundley’s injury, only to be saved by a familial blast from its past. Arizona State got a comfortable win over Colorado but lost Kelly for at least a few weeks, including the big South showdown with UCLA next Thursday. Arizona barely held on against Nevada, a team that had just beat Wazzu the week prior. And then there was USC.

I was skeptical after Week 1, when the Trojans got way too much credit for running more than 100 plays against Fresno State. That feeling has been justified, as the Bulldogs are now 0-3 with three blowouts on their resume. But SC survived Stanford on the road despite being outplayed, so I thought perhaps my initial preseason prediction of a division title would turn out to be correct. That changed drastically this weekend, as Boston College trampled the Trojans’ D with 452 yards on the ground.

452! I can’t remember ever seeing a USC team get that thoroughly whipped at the line of scrimmage. Even in the 2009 Halloween night massacre that signaled the end of the Trojans’ dynasty, Oregon only rushed for 391 yards. However, the Ducks on that night also passed for 222 yards. BC completed five of 13 passes for 54 yards and an interception. The fact that SC knew exactly what was coming on every play and still couldn’t stop it is unforgivable. There’s been some talk of a “Stanford hangover,” a phenomenon that seems to affect teams the week after playing physical squads like the Cardinal, but that’s no excuse for losing to an clearly inferior side in BC. In just seven days USC went from chic playoff pick to potential Pac-12 also-ran.

Fortunately for the Trojans, they still have QB Cody Kessler, whose superb performance Saturday was overshadowed by the loss. UCLA and ASU can’t say the same. That alone might keep SC on top of the suddenly shaky South. None of those three teams plays this week, which is probably a good thing (Stanford is also off). There are still only two conference games, which we’ll get to in a minute.

I expect Washington to finally play a complete, error-free game against Georgia State. No real danger there. Hawai’i at Colorado is an decent matchup of two relatively evenly-matched squads. The Buffaloes should be able to come out with a win to climb to .500 (four games into the season! Way to go, Ralphie!), but you never know with CU. Utah – Michigan has a chance to be a death blow to the Big Ten, though I’m nervous about the Utes leaving the friendly confines of Rice-Eccles. This team is 2-9 on the road the past two seasons. Michigan isn’t particularly good, but I have nothing to assure me Utah is either. The last non-conference game is San Diego State at Oregon State, a team OSU very nearly lost to in 2013. There’s some potential for an upset, but I expect the Beavers to pull out the win.

That leaves a pair of evening matchups I find very interesting. Cal’s visit to Arizona should be no big deal for the Wildcats, right? After all, the Golden Bears are still terrible. Well, I’m not so sure. First, Cal has already won more games in two weeks than it did all last season. Second, the Bears got a week off to prepare for this conference opener. Third… how good is ‘Zona, really? After annihilating UNLV in their opener the ‘Cats have been average at best. Close wins over UTSA and Nevada don’t exactly scream “playoff contender.” The Roadrunners, in particular, seemed to figure out frosh QB Anu Solomon, who – like many young passers – tends to struggle when forced to make second and third reads. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this turn into a close affair.

Oregon’s trip to WSU has some great trap potential as well. The Ducks, for all their talent and versatility, often look at a loss when faced with an offense that wants to only do one thing. What’s more, UO’s coverage has been spotty so far this season and might be missing starting CB Troy Hill in Pullman. The Cougars want to throw the ball upwards of 60 times, and they’ll need to against an offense they should have little hope of slowing down. But there’s always potential for a Mike Leach offense to catch fire. Throw in a turnover or two and a busted play and this could become a shootout in a hurry.

Random Thoughts and Observations

The Heisman Watch is also on hold for another few weeks, but let’s take the time to appreciate the true ridiculousness of Florida State QB Jameis Winston’s stupidity. Not only has he repeatedly made headlines for off-field behavior since the allegations of rape made against him went public, he’s apparently tone-deaf enough to think shouting a particular phrase (click the link if you dare) in the middle of the student union would go unnoticed. Nevermind that this meme isn’t particularly funny outside of the college-humor sphere; it’s astounding that he would think this is a good idea after the charges leveled against him last year.

The Heisman’s purity among individual athletic awards is somewhat of a sham, but there’s virtually no denying it is still, in the Heisman Trust’s own words, “The most coveted individual award in sports.” The trophy has also traditionally been associated with good character and strong academic standing. While some of those platitudes are really just that, the fact remains that Winston has made it extraordinarily difficult for voters to consider him for the honor again.

Stanzi Watch

It was a quiet week in the Stanzis but for one wild game: Louisiville at Virginia saw not only the return of the Double Stanzi (when the winning QB on either side would receive one), but a truly remarkable near-feat in the Triple Stanzi! UVA played two QB’s – Grayson Lambert and Matt Johns – and the duo came up one Johns turnover short of both earning Stanzis. Lambert threw one pick and fumbled, while Johns threw a pick of his own. For the record, Louisville’s Will Gardner tossed two interceptions and fumbled as well. So close! I’d never considered it before, but I suppose there’s really no limit as to how many Stanzis could be awarded in a single game. It would take absurdly poor quarterbacking, coaching staffs eager to pull guys after a couple turnovers and a healthy dose of unintentional comedy from the Football Gods. Let’s get Florida and Texas together and do this. Here are this week’s winners, with previous weekly winners and standings below.

Taysom Hill, BYU

Opponent: Houston

Performance: Two INT, one FUM (recovered by teammate), held on for 33-25 win

Grayson Lambert, Virginia

Opponent: Louisville

Performance: One INT, one FUM, escaped with 23-21 win

Tanner Lee, Tulane

Opponent: Southeastern Louisiana

Performance: Two INT, won by two scores

Blake Decker, UNLV: 1

Nick Arbuckle: Georgia State: 1

Davis Webb, Texas Tech: 1

Michael Brewer, Virginia Tech: 1

Christian Hackenberg, Penn State: 1

Wes Lunt, Illinois: 1

C.J. Brown, Maryland: 1

Angel Santiago, Army: 1

Dane Evans, Tulsa: 1

Jameis Winston, Florida State: 1

We’re so close to good football. Keep on believing for one more week. UCLA – ASU is next Thursday night. It can’t possibly be worse than Florida – Alabama will be this weekend. Onwards and preferably upwards we go.