All along the Western front

Another week, another conference takes it on the chin. This time it was the ACC’s turn, as Clemson and Florida State stunk up national TV on two consecutive nights before the weekend even started. Sure, you could make the argument that the Pac-12 and SEC’s most high-profile programs losing was more embarrassing, but Clemson and FSU are literally all the ACC has. If Week Three was any indication, neither is playoff-worthy.

Start with the Tigers, who bumbled their way to a three-point win at Louisville on Thursday evening. Regardless of how ESPN feels like spinning it, no, this was not a “big road win” or a “test.” Louisville is 0-3. Houston has a three-point road win over the Cardinals. Clemson looked terrible.

Florida State managed to be even worse. At least Louisville has a name people more or less respect. Boston College hasn’t been relevant since Matt Ryan left town, and the Seminoles scored one time on the Eagles’ D. It seems harsh given that both the Tigers and ‘Noles won, but these were bad opponents. This was a disaster for the ACC.

I’ll get to USC later, because the Trojans are a whole different mess. Instead, let’s talk about Alabama, and whether the Crimson Tide are in trouble. The 43 points allowed at home are alarming, yes. So too, is the increasingly likely notion that a dynasty is impossible to maintain for more than a few seasons, even in the uneven world of college football. Quarterback play, long an aspect of the game Nick Saban has managed to skate by without addressing, now appears paramount to ‘Bama’s continued success.

Yet I still can’t shake the thought that this was a fluke. Fortunately, SEC play is still a meat grinder, so we’ll find out soon enough. But the Tide outgained the Rebels by eighty yards. They had 29 first downs to Ole Miss’ 16. They held the ball for more than 35 minutes, and lost the turnover battle 5-0. And they lost the game by six. Forgive me for not crowning the Rebels – or eulogizing the Tide – just yet.

This week should be exciting, a fitting follow-up to the semi-craziness that invaded Week Three. Most of the quality contests are in the Pac-12, but there's a lot more  fun to be had around the country. There’s an early game in Piscataway worth keeping an eye on, as Kansas and Rutgers battle in what could be a matchup of the two worst Power 5 teams. Maryland and West Virginia renew their rivalry at noon, while Tennessee gets an opportunity to prove it really is back at Florida.

Cal has a similar chance at Washington in the Pac-12 opener for both teams. Later, UCLA travels to Arizona for a contest that should provide a lot of insight into how the South race will play out. Utah and Oregon also face off in another big Pac-12 showdown, while USC meets Arizona State in a game that could knock the loser out of the division race in September. In other words, the plot will thicken.

Playoff Poll

Alabama drops out of the top tier this week, though I have a strong feeling we’ll see the Tide again before the season’s out. There seems to be a lot of decent teams, but few elite ones this year. Time will tell if that theory holds true.

First Tier

Michigan State

Georgia

Ohio State

TCU

Ohio State has to fall a little after an ugly win over Northern Illinois. Georgia hasn’t really been tested yet, but SEC play will reveal what we have with the Bulldogs.

Second Tier

Baylor

Ole Miss

Alabama

I consider Ole Miss a second-tier candidate still because of the road the Rebels still have to traverse, while ‘Bama stays here because of the reasons I explained above.

Third Tier

Oregon

Clemson

Florida State

Georgia Tech

Oklahoma

The ACC looked this week, and both FSU and Clemson need to drop. No one else really moved that much.

Pac-12 Report

There were some pleasant surprises this week, as Washington and Colorado notched swing-game wins over Utah State and Colorado State, respectively. Washington State and Oregon State likewise came through in the second halves of their games to down Wyoming and San Jose State, which ensured the conference wouldn’t end the non-league slate with too many embarrassing moments.

Oregon, Utah and the Arizona schools all walked over highly inferior opponents, which brings us to the L.A. schools (Cal also got a win at Texas, though it was more fortuitous than impressive). UCLA escaped with a win over an injury-depleted BYU squad, while USC yet again proved to be unable to deal with expectations in a shootout loss to Stanford.

This is nothing new for the Cardinal, who have made a habit of embarrassing the Pac-12 in non-conference play and then wreaking havoc by knocking off the contenders during league action. It’s much more inexcusable for the Trojans, who have run out of excuses as to why they’re not a title contender any longer.

The sanctions and scholarship restrictions were painful, but this is still USC. The coaching may be a mere ghost of what it was in the halcyon days of Pete Carroll, but the talent is still second to none. What I saw in the Stanford game was simply more of the same thing we’ve seen for the past five seasons: hubris. It appears the instant the program gets attention for potentially being “back,” the entire roster gets self-satisfied, complacent and delusional to the point of arrogance.

Arrogance is what makes wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster – whom the announcers repeatedly referred to as “the best receiver in the nation” during the game – return a punt from his own six, setting up Stanford for a short touchdown on the ensuing drive. It’s what makes the Trojans’ defense relax before the half, assuming the Cardinal couldn’t possibly drive down the field in a minute to take the lead. It’s what makes center Max Tuerk commit a ridiculous late hit in the third quarter to turn a third-and-short into a third-and-15, costing SC a chance to score on the drive.

And most importantly, it’s the tactical advantage conceded to David Shaw, who flat-out coached circles around Steve Sarkisian after halftime. USC’s run game, as it has countless times in dumb losses this decade, disappeared in the second half, despite an incredible passing attack to keep the defense honest. And on the game’s crucial play – a third-and-long to prevent the Cardinal from taking a two-score lead late – the Trojans were burned on a flare screen. The same flare screen USC had been running all night (but which had been bottled up by the third quarter). That’s a total team failure, and it couldn’t more aptly summarize what’s wrong with this team.

So… on to Week Four! Stanford should handle Oregon State Friday night. Colorado has Nicholls State in an easy walkover, which is when the fun begins. Cal – Washington ought to be a great barometer of how competitive the North will be, as the winner will have the inside track to spoiler status. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Arizona knock off UCLA in Tucson given how overhyped the Bruins have been. Then there’s Utah at Oregon, a contest in which I expect the Ducks to hold serve, but could be interesting. Finally, there’s the USC – ASU nightcap, which looked quite promising in the preseason but now looks like a total dud. The Sun Devils could save their season here, but against an angry Trojans squad, I doubt it’ll happen.

2015 Stanzi Awards

It was a veritable treasure trove of Stanzi madness last week, as nine new signal-callers jumped into the fray. Minnesota’s Mitch Leidner also snagged his second Stanzi of the year, just one week after Auburn’s Jeremy Johnson appeared poised to run away with the award.

Jeremy Johnson, Auburn: 2

Dane Evans, Tulsa: 1

Mitch Leidner, Minnesota: 1

Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma: 1

Cody Clements, South Alabama: 1

Max Wittek: Hawai’i: 1

Maty Mauk: Missouri: 1

Michael Birdsong, Marshall: 1

Tanner Mangum, BYU: 1

Deshaun Watson, Clemson

Opponent: Louisville

Performance: Two INT, won by three

Mitch Leidner, Minnesota

Opponent: Kent State

Performance: Two INT, won by three

Kendall Hinton, Wake Forest

Opponent: Army

Performance: Two INT, won by three

Clayton Thorson, Northwestern

Opponent: Duke

Performance: Two INT, won by nine

P.J. Walker, Temple

Opponent: Massachusetts

Performance: Two INT, won by two

Hayden Moore: Cincinnati

Opponent: Miami (OH)

Performance: Two INT, two FUM, won by four

Matt Johns, Virginia

Opponent: William & Mary

Performance: Two INT, won by six

Matt Linehan, Idaho

Opponent: Wofford

Performance: Two INT, won by three

Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech

Opponent: Arkansas

Performance: Two INT, won by 11

Josh Rosen, UCLA

Opponent: BYU

Performance: Three INT, won by one

One can only hope Week Four brings as much ridiculousness as the previous weekend. With conference play heating up, it's a pretty decent bet.