We Still Know Nothing, Except That Les Miles Isn't a Great Coach

National Overview

In spite of a seeming dearth of quality matchups, Week Two produced much more drama than its predecessor. It was a pleasant surprise to see Troy hanging with second-ranked Clemson (well, maybe not in Death Valley) and Nicholls State nearly take down Georgia. But that was far from the totality of the excitement this weekend; Arkansas - TCU turned out to be a barnburner, LSU was on the ropes early against Jacksonville State, and Central Michigan notched an upset of dubious veracity at Oklahoma State.

It's a shame the Cowboys got jobbed on that intentional grounding call, but for the record, there was also a blatant uncalled hold on Okie State's go-ahead touchdown minutes earlier. In the end, voters probably won't punish OSU too harshly if it wins out, so the team's fate is still in its own hands, despite the current outrage emanating from Stillwater.

The smattering of minor upsets and close calls underscored the simple fact that we still know very little about every team. Even squads that have already played a high-profile showdown might have more to reveal. In Oklahoma's case, for example, the Sooners could have been vastly overrated (yet again) in preseason predictions and exposed against a mid-major in Houston. Or they might have also run into a top-five team, in which case a 10-point loss in a virtual road game in the season opener is no great shame. We'll get a better idea of where OU - and a handful of other teams - really stack up starting this week.

In an early AAC test, Houston (which should surely be in the top five by now, given Clemson's struggles) has to go to Cincinnati for its first road game Thursday night. Greg Ward, Jr. will play, but don't underestimate the Bearcats. This is not a warm-up like last week against FCS foe Lamar. Cincy can play, and a Cougars victory ought to be treated as a quality one.

Saturday morning offers the next context with real intrigue, as mercurial Tennessee takes on Ohio. The Volunteers should of course roll to an easy win, but given UT's struggles to this point (despite a 2-0 start) it might be worth keeping an eye on this one while watching the second-biggest game of the day: Florida State at Louisville.

Both teams are ranked in the top 10, but to be frank, I'd be shocked if the Cardinals even stay within a score. Louisville's offensive numbers thus far are impressive, but they came against the equivalent of high school defenses. It's nice that Lamar Jackson likes to run around and make plays with his feet, but he's completed less than 60 percent of his passes and won't have anywhere near the same amount of time to make decisions against the fierce FSU defense.

Also at 9 a.m. Pacific, there's a pair of teams on upset watch in the Big Ten. Penn State is favored by nine over Temple, which is interesting given how thoroughly the Owls dismantled the Nittany Lions last year. Meanwhile, Iowa has the thankless task of hosting five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State, which could spell real trouble for the Hawkeyes if they let the Bison pull them into a slugfest.

Moving on to the midday slate, we get Alabama trying to avoid an unthinkable third-straight loss to SEC West rival Ole Miss. The Rebels are definitely a quality team, but they appear to have regressed from the past two seasons, and it would be stunning to see anything other than a huge blowout for the Crimson Tide. It's what they do.

Oregon - Nebraska, also at 12:30 p.m., will provide a great look into what the Ducks and Cornhuskers are working with in 2016. If Oregon really is going to be a Pac-12 afterthought, it wouldn't a surprise to see NU make a statement to move back into the national spotlight. With a win, the Huskers would also announce their candidacy for the Big Ten title.

At the same time, there's Pittsburgh at Oklahoma State, a sneaky-good intersectional matchup. The Panthers will try to shake off that near-collapse versus Penn State, while OSU has to bounce back from the Central Michigan controversy. I expect a fantastic game in Stillwater featuring two very different offensive styles.

In the afternoon time slot, Texas A&M has to travel to Auburn for a contest that should offer referendums on more than just these two teams. UCLA and Clemson's reps are also at stake, as we might find out if the Bruins and (Clemson) Tigers were simply overhyped. It's increasingly looking that way.

Michigan State also faces a huge test at Notre Dame. It's unclear why the Spartans are ranked so high, but ND's defense didn't engender much confidence at Texas, either. I think the Fighting Irish are rightly favored, so we'll see if MSU will return some of that usual strong Spartan D and get a quality road win.

Then there's the big one: Ohio State at Oklahoma. The Sooners, in typical OU fashion, cheated us out of a fantastic top-five Week Three showdown by losing to Houston. No matter. This is still a delightful non-conference battle that could have major Playoff implications. No doubt Houston is rooting hard for Oklahoma to improve its resume by, in turn, beating another top-ranked school. OSU overwhelmed its first two overmatched opponents, but OU in Norman is a different animal. Despite their inexperience and the location, though, I have to favor the Buckeyes. The Sooners have flopped one time too many on the big stage.

In late-night action, USC and UCLA will try to save their seasons on the road at Stanford and BYU, respectively. While the Pac-12 contest has a lot more at stake, the Bruins need to avoid another black eye for the league in Provo. It won't be easy. More on these games in the Pac-12 section.

Playoff Poll

It's still too early, but there are always absurdities in the polls to point out. It's clear voters still place far too much of an emphasis on running up the score against terrible opponents, as Louisville's rankings (10th in both polls) demonstrate. LSU is the poster boy for why preseason polls are terrible, somehow retaining a ranking despite losing its opener and struggling against an FCS team in the first half this week. On the other hand, Georgia was roundly rebuked by both polls for nearly losing to Nicholls State, which is a positive sign.

Pac-12 Report

So much for Washington State, eh? There was a slim chance the Cougars could rebound from the opening loss to Eastern Washington to take a redeeming win at Boise State, but the old Wazzu bugaboos - falling behind early, poor defense - rose up to put this squad in an 0-2 hole to start the year. The Cougs could go unbeaten the rest of the way (not that they will) and wouldn't garner a Playoff invite.

Unfortunately, the WSU game was just the start of an awful late-night slate the Pac-12 is probably glad most the country missed by going to bed early. San Diego State ran all over Cal, proving that the Bears are exactly who most of us thought they were. Arizona fell behind 21-3 at the half to Grambling State, averting disaster only because it was playing an FCS foe. Arizona State got the win over Texas Tech, but despite Sun Devil running back Kalen Ballage's insane night, the result said a lot more about the Red Raiders' defense than ASU.

UCLA and Oregon slogged though decent wins against overmatched opponents, looking largely uninterested throughout their respective games. Washington got another blowout, though against another patsy, while USC and Colorado did the same. Utah got the conference's best win of the week against BYU, and even that victory was pretty fortunate. Stanford and Oregon State may have fared the best of any Pac-12 teams by simply not playing.

Week Three, sadly, does not offer the conference much in terms of bolstering its sagging reputation. ASU plays at Texas-San Antonio on Friday and should win. Half of the other teams in the league play similarly hapless non-conference foes. UCLA is in for a battle at BYU, but by already losing at Texas A&M to start the season there's not much the Bruins can win back at this point.

Colorado will probably lose at Michigan, which is no big deal. The Buffaloes have already looked significantly improved in the early going and an expected defeat to a top-five team on the road won't hurt (granted, an upset would be HUGE). Cal hosts Texas and will also almost assuredly lose, but a decent showing from either the Buffaloes or Bears would be nice.

Oregon's trip to Nebraska won't help the league much, either. If the Ducks win, it's because they are the higher ranked, more prominent team nationally. If they lose, it's because Oregon is clearly on a slide to irrelevance again. There's nothing to be gained and everything to lose. UO has the clear advantage offensively, but the D is again the question. I don't know if the Ducks can come back if they get into, say, a 14-0 first-quarter deficit. Getting out in front early or keeping pace appears very important this week. We'll see what happens.

The significant prime time game is USC at Stanford, a series that, as I noted in my preseason preview, has been maddeningly difficult to predict. The inferior team has won multiple times in recent years, often hurting the conference. This year Stanford is in the top 10 and the likely best hope for the Pac-12 to make the Playoff (based on preseason ranking), so I'm fully prepared for SC to go up to The Farm and upset the Cardinal, devastating the remaining prestige of the league. Prove me wrong, Stanford. Win a big game you're supposed to, for once.

Random Thoughts and Observations

I've talked in the past about LSU's Les Miles and how I believe he isn't a good coach. Miles has won a National Championship, played for another and has the highest winning percentage among Tigers' coaches who have coached more than one season. He's also highly controversial at this point in his tenure, been accused of squandering LSU's elite recruits, and was very nearly fired in what amounted to a booster-led coup last season.

There comes a time with college head coaches when a change needs to be made, for the benefit of both the longtime coach and the program. We saw it at Georgia in 2015, when Mark Richt's "always pretty good but rarely great" era was mercifully ended. We saw it in 2014, when Mike Riley, tired of playing with a lesser deck at Oregon State, jumped ship for Nebraska. It happened with Lloyd Carr at Michigan, Phil Fulmer at Tennessee, and Mack Brown at Texas. All of those men won National Championships. It was simply time to part ways.

That's where I think LSU is with Miles. The accusations about the recruits are fair. The Tigers have recruited at an elite level for several years, and outside of a run to the BCS title game in 2011, they just haven't fully taken advantage of those talents. In 2013, LSU had future NFL receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, Jr., future NFL RB Jeremy Hill and a great college QB in Zach Menttenberger, yet finished in the middle of the pack (seventh) in the SEC in total offense.

I (and many other commentators) have noted over the past few seasons how strange it is that LSU can't seem to find even an average quarterback, something this team desperately needs (Mettenberger, the exception, transferred from Georgia). Leonard Fournette is the best back in the country, but seems doomed to play out his college career on a series of eight- and nine-win squads that fail to meet expectations. The Tigers have already gotten off to a 1-1 start in 2016 that included an upset loss to Wisconsin, still haven't found a competent passer, and still have zero chance of playing with Alabama. It's almost like I predicted this might happen.

It's time for a change. Miles has recruited well and usually fields good defenses, although it's worth noting that after losing longtime defensive coordinator John Chavis last season the Tigers fell all the way to 41st nationally in scoring D, the first time in seven years they finished outside the top 25. Miles isn't terrible, but he's inarguably a better recruiter than in-game coach, and it's starting to show. LSU should have parted ways with him last year to create a fresh start for the program. It didn't, and now has to deal with another squandered season.

2016 Stanzi Awards

In Week Two we were rewarded with another five individual awards, including a wild Double Stanzi in Hawai'i. The 2016 race is off to a wonderful start!

Week Two Awards

Deshaun Watson, Clemson
Opponent: Troy
Performance: Two INT, won by six

James Knapke, Bowling Green
Opponent: North Dakota
Performance: Two INT, won by one

Troy Williams, Utah
Opponent: BYU
Performance: Three INT, won by one

Brett Rypien, Boise State
Opponent: Washington State
Performance: Three INT, won by three

DOUBLE STANZI ALERT

Ikaika Woolsey, Hawai'i
Opponent: Tennessee-Martin
Performance: Three INT, won by five

Troy Cook, Tennessee-Martin
Opponent: Hawai'i
Performance: Two INT, lost by five

2016 Standings

Ikaika Woolsey, Hawai'i: 1
Troy Williams, Utah: 1
Brett Rypien, Boise State: 1
Nick Mullins, Southern Miss: 1
Bart Houston, Wisconsin: 1
Tyler Jones, Texas State: 1
Austin Allen, Arkansas: 1
James Knapke, Bowling Green: 1
Deshaun Watson, Clemson: 1
Riley Neal, Ball State: 1


We've already got a new leader in the clubhouse after just one week! For tossing three picks and nearly losing to an FCS team, Hawai'i's Ikaika Woolsey takes the top spot! He'd better enjoy it, because it doesn't seem like the Rainbow Warriors are going to be winning much this year. Week Three promises even more entertainment as we move toward full-time conference play.