Contender or Pretender?

It's simply remarkable how everything you thought you knew about football can change so drastically after only a month. Now is the time to toss out preseason picks and build new predictions for the landscape of college football. After four weeks of action, let's try to label which teams are contenders and which are pretenders.

There were several statements made throughout the country Saturday, but none louder than the resounding surge of a rising Michigan team in its blowout win of No. 22 BYU. Since losing their opening game against Utah, the Michigan Wolverines have looked sharp on both sides of the ball against strong opponents. The Wolverines put BYU away early, coasting to a 31-0 decimation of a team many thought to be playoff worthy. Under one of the best coaches in the nation, how far could Michigan go? While it may be a bit early to throw them in the playoff, the Wolverines are certainly contenders and a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten. Top ranked Ohio State and Michigan State have shown signs of weakness, but they are also contenders.

            
                             This image is provided by Ben Glicksman.

Why might Michigan's close loss to Utah actually look good on their resume? The Wolverines weren't the only team to send a message this weekend, as Utah dismantled the fabled Oregon Ducks by a whopping score of 62 to 20! Dominating the game from start to finish, this win puts undefeated Utah right in the playoff mix, and it's exactly why I have them labeled as a contender.

Staying in the PAC 12 Conference, let's take a look at how some other teams are faring in league play. Arizona will unfortunately be making the pretenders list, as the Wildcats gave up 56 points in their crushing loss to No. 9 UCLA, but let's focus more on UCLA's win than Arizona's loss. The Bruins have looked strong all season, rolling past tough non-conference teams on their way to a 4-0 record. With another impressive win over a ranked opponent, I definitely have UCLA as a contender.

            
                           This picture is compliments of Casey Sapio.

We will learn much more about the SEC in the coming weeks as league competition develops, but for now it's safe to label a few of these teams. Auburn, despite holding high hopes at the start of the season, is without a doubt a pretender; the tigers have now lost two weeks in a row. Ole Miss and LSU make the cut for contenders, as both teams have looked complete on offense and defense in wins over top opponents. This week's matchup of No. 8 Georgia and No. 13 Alabama will tell us a lot about these teams, and I'm picking Alabama to bounce back with an upset over the Bulldogs.

In the Big 12 Conference, No. 3 TCU has looked shaky defensively, and I am just barely naming them a contender after their narrow escape on Saturday against Texas Tech. Meanwhile, No. 5 Baylor has looked unbeatable all year, but they haven't played any tough teams yet, so they also fall at the bottom of the contenders list.

The final team to make the cut is Notre Dame, who will face a huge road test against No. 12 Clemson this week. I still don't see Clemson as a playoff team, and as a pretender, I predict they will lose to the Fighting Irish Saturday night in a very fun game.

            
                            This picture is courtesy of Matt Cashore.

Watch Penn State (unfortunately still a pretender) win against Army this weekend, and stay tuned for other big games and upsets across the country!

Top Ten Takedown

Brace yourself. As conference play began this week, things got jumbled and chaotic much sooner than expected. If you thought things wouldn't heat up until later in the year, think again. We're just three weeks into the college football season, and already the stakes have never seemed higher.

Sweet home Alabama, where the skies are so blue...and falling! If you missed it this weekend, Ole Miss pulled it off yet again, beating the second ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 43-37 on their home turf. Although they were looking to avenge last year's loss to the Ole Miss Rebels, the Tide appeared out of sync and discombobulated most of the night. Ole Miss's offense was firing on all cylinders, and they rolled right through one of the nation's top defenses. This wacky play sums it up. Alabama was uncharacteristically sloppy throughout the game, and they have some huge questions at their quarterback position moving forward. 

                         This image is compliments of Kevin Cox.

Ole Miss now holds the fast track in the SEC, and they certainly appear playoff worthy through 3 weeks. However, Alabama still managed to reach the playoff last year after losing to the Rebels, so definitely don't count them out! One loss may not be enough to vanquish one of the best coached teams in the nation.

Besides No. 2, the top ten lost another playoff contender as unranked Stanford upset the sixth ranked USC Trojans! Stanford looked indomitable in their 41-31 road win, as their offense pounded USC into the dirt. Remember, this is the same Stanford team that scored only six points in their loss at Northwestern just two weeks ago! This upset certainly shakes things up in the PAC 12 Conference, which is already a jumbled mess of power-hungry teams.

This picture is courtesy of Harry How.

The top ten came just one point away from losing a third member Saturday night, as UCLA rallied to slip past the BYU Cougars 24-23 in a game that came down to the wire. A late touchdown lifted UCLA past the playoff-hopeful Cougars, handing them their first loss of the season. 

Elsewhere across the country, top ranked Ohio State looked confused at best as they barely eked out a 20-13 win over Northern Illinois. That's right, the reigning national champions struggled to beat a team that most people didn't even know existed. The Buckeyes need to wake up and settle on a starting quarterback if they're to repeat as champions. On the other hand, No. 6 Notre Dame looked great in their win over No. 14 Georgia Tech. The Irish got outstanding play from their backup quarterback after their starter was injured last week.

The upcoming week should be a little more quiet, as there is a limited number of ranked match-ups. Nonetheless, watch out for some exciting action out on the west coast in the PAC 12! I'm predicting that No. 9 UCLA finds a way to win on the road as they face the surging Arizona Wildcats at No. 16.  I also think that No. 12 Oregon will pull away late to earn a tough conference win against Utah. Finally, I predict that USC will bounce back to claim the victory against Arizona State.

This image is provided by Nabil Mark.

Keep cheering on your Nittany Lions as they host San Diego State! After last week's revitalizing win over Rutgers, look for Penn State to put their opponent away early in a dominant performance. Enjoy the weekend of football!

What's Wrong with the SEC?

The second week of college football matched Week 1's opening salvo stride for stride, but what were the key highlights? Who established themselves as playoff contenders and who will be tossed from the mix?

The Big Ten Conference (home of our Nittany Lions) had a lot to prove on Saturday night, as No. 5 Michigan State battled No. 7 Oregon of the PAC 12 Conference. In the much anticipated top ten showdown, the Michigan State Spartans edged the Oregon Ducks for a 31-28 victory, earning pride and respect for the Big Ten. After giving up a long touchdown drive to open the game, the Spartans settled down on defense and trusted their reliable running backs to snatch the win. Oregon played valiantly on the road, but they were unable to close the deal when they came up short on their last drive.

                          This photo is courtesy of Michael Collins.

Michigan State has claimed the best victory of the year thus far, boosting their resume and placing them right in the thick of the playoff discussion. While Oregon lost the game, they held their own away from home, and they are certainly looking like the best one-loss team in this early season. Keep an eye on the Ducks; they could easily find themselves in the top four come December if they win out in the PAC 12.

Across the country, most top teams cruised to easy wins over inferior opponents: Ohio State crushed Hawaii, TCU slaughtered under-matched Stephen Austin, and Alabama steam-rolled Middle Tennessee. However, not all of the nation's leading programs got by Week 2 so easily. In perhaps the most shocking game of the new season, No. 6 Auburn needed a late touchdown and time beyond regulation to prevent unheralded Jacksonville State from pulling off the upset of the century. Trailing by 7 deep into the fourth quarter, Auburn forced overtime with a touchdown in the final minute, and the Tigers went on to win 27-20. 

                          This image is compliments of Sam Cooper.

Auburn, many experts' preseason pick to win the College Football Playoff,  wasn't the only team that disappointed from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Arkansas, ranked 18th in the country, was unable to prevent the horrendous upset Auburn evaded, as the Razorbacks fell 16-12 to Toledo! Who is Toledo? The SEC, who most people claim to be the greatest conference in the land, isn't looking quite as invincible as it has in recent history.

To make matters worse for the SEC, No. 23 Tennessee gave up a two touchdown lead at home in the fourth quarter in its heartbreaking loss to No. 19 Oklahoma. Just when it seemed Tennessee had the game wrapped up, the Oklahoma Sooners came storming back to force the game into overtime, where they won 31-24. It was a tragic loss for a program that's trying to turn the corner, but it was a great win for the Big 12 Conference contender Oklahoma.

For this weekend, be sure to watch No. 3 Alabama try to avenge last year's loss to No. 15 Ole Miss; I think Alabama will earn a hard-fought victory. I'm also predicting that No. 12 UCLA will beat the feisty BYU Cougars, seeded 19th. Lastly, I think No. 14 Georgia Tech will upset No. 8 Notre Dame.

               
                               This image is courtesy of Blake Newman.

Unless you're at the Penn State-Rutgers game (which I encourage you to attend after the Nittany Lions' win last week over Buffalo), try to watch some of the big games this Saturday!

Everything You Need to Know About the College Football Playoff

Once upon a time there was a College Football Playoff. Schools from all throughout the country would compete each week to build the most impressive resumes, hoping to claim one of the four hallowed spots in the playoff. These four highly esteemed programs would earn their positions through nearly flawless records, dominant performances on the field, and strong schedules throughout the year. After a long and hard-fought season, these sole remaining teams would play each other head-to-head in two semifinal games, with the winners meeting to play for the National Championship. Once upon a time there was a conqueror crowned king of all the land, marking a new era of college football; that time is now.

Last year was the first time in the history of the sport that college football introduced this four team playoff system. Designed to establish one true champion, the playoff system was created to force the best teams in the land to compete head-to-head, resulting in a de facto champion. With four teams qualifying for this postseason clash, the aim was to limit the controversies created by the old system, which excluded all but two teams from the National Title game.


This image is compliments of Ryan Look.

While the College Football Playoff is widely considered a vast improvement over the old system, it is far from perfect, and extensive debates arise near the end of the year when teams are jockeying for positions. Since the top four programs for the playoff are determined by a 13-member selection committee, one can imagine how disputable the rankings may become. The committee begins publishing their top 25 rankings midway through the season, but all that matters is who sits in the top four positions in the final week's poll. For now, rankings are based on the Associated Press (AP) poll.

Without further ado, let's dive straight in with analysis of Week 1! There were few surprises in the first weekend of football, but that doesn't mean there weren't heavy playoff implications. Last year's champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes (dreaded PSU rival!), made their first title defense against unranked Virginia Tech. After a shaky first half performance, the Buckeyes used their offensive talent to pull away to a big victory on the road.

Second ranked Texas Christian University (TCU), hailing from the Big 12 Conference of the midwest, also earned a gritty road victory against a fearless Minnesota team. Last year's Southeastern Conference (SEC) champions Alabama put on a show against the Wisconsin Badgers, the 20th ranked team, in perhaps the most important game of the week. Alabama, ranked third, dismantled Wisconsin's defense in the second half and stunted the Badger's lethal running attack. Other mix-ups in Week 1 included upsets of No. 15 Arizona State and No. 21 Stanford.

Keep your hopes up for a Penn State victory this week to recover from a disappointing loss at Temple. The Nittany Lions should cruise past Buffalo, so enjoy the game! Also be sure to watch out for other key match-ups across the country. The game of the week will be No. 5 Michigan State vs. No. 7 Oregon; I'm predicting Michigan State edges Oregon in a nail-biting finish. Another fun non-conference match-up should be Oklahoma vs. Tennessee; keep an eye on Tennessee to pull off the upset!


This photo is courtesy of Nick Forrester.

Now go surprise your friends with all you know about college football!