Each week, Noble Apparel LLC presents “Saturday Rewind” on which I will share five thoughts from the college football Saturday that was. This week marked the beginning of the SEC football season and a couple major upsets that have playoff implications.
5 thoughts from the college football weekend
- College football felt right for the first time this year. Until Saturday, I just wasn’t getting the same vibes as I would in years past. The SEC finally kicked off its season and it felt like the first real college football Saturday. No, we don’t have the Big 10 or Pac 12 yet but the season is slowly starting to form an identity.
- The Big 12 is in dire trouble of not making the playoff. The league’s best team, Oklahoma, was upset by Kansas State…again. Texas needed a miracle to stave off Texas Tech. Don’t forget ISU and Kansas State have already lost to non power five opponents. Sure, Oklahoma State or Texas can still run the table but even those two have looked shoddy thus far.
- Alabama is the best team in the SEC and it’s not close. They certainly have the best offensive line and receiving corps (Waddle and Smith are ridiculous). Sure, the Tide failed to cover the spread against Missouri but they were in cruise control the entire second half after building a 35-3 lead. You can just about mark down a Clemson/Alabama matchup this postseason and we’re all here for it.
- The Pirate is already terrorizing opponents in the SEC. Were LSU really a one hit wonder in 2019? Mike Leach’s Mississippi State Bulldogs went to Baton Rouge and put on a show as transfer QB K.J. Costello threw for over 600 yards and five touchdowns. Just like clockwork, Leach’s system is already producing results at yet another school.
- The other first year SEC coaches didn’t fare so well. The other three new head coaches in the SEC lost a combined 126-64. It doesn’t matter. None of these coaches are under any pressure at all. For Missouri, they outscored Alabama 16-3 in the fourth quarter. Arkansas stifled Georgia offensively for a half before falling apart and Ole Miss managed 35 in a loss to Florida. All three of these programs are likely better off than they were a year ago and these coaches will be judged on team improvement rather than wins and losses.
I’m with you on it was a football Saturday but it wasn’t right. It felt off. No talk by the guys on TV how Ohio state was going to run the table (as they try to say every year and we all know the playoff trophy is going to sit in a facility that is either covered in Orange and Purple or Crimson).
The Big 12 is a strange bunch of teams who still can’t decide who the top dog is. It’s like they all jockey for position in the lead but don’t take the others seriously. Quite honestly that league is more who can make the other team punt at least once (pun not intended on the blocked punt by KSU but hey I will take the credit for the witty comment).
Alabama is the top of college football right now. Unlike other big time teams their guys not only are athletic but they have great fundamentals. That is not always a trait you see in big time D1 guys. Especially not all 11 on the field at one time. I’m not sure if it is out of fear of Coach Sabin or because that staff is doing something different but you watch how each of one of those guys plays their position. Linemen all step at the same time on zone runs. Backs and WRs do not take false steps. That defense is it’s own animal. Those dude fly to the ball and they get the ball down.
Mississippi state ran the mesh concept about as many ways as someone could imagine. I’m guessing Coach Leach spends the time he isn’t coming up with witty comments drawing mesh routes on a Magna Doodle. I said the day I saw he took that job that they would be scary good one day. Maybe yesterday was a fluke, but we will see as teams prepare for the Mesh concept.
I am not the biggest air raid fan (drank the Power Scheme run Kool-Aid a long time ago) but it’s his scheme and he sticks to his guns. I don’t think it would matter who his QB was that dude would rack up tons of yards. Not that Costello doesn’t have that talent level. It’s somewhat a result of the system since most of their “run” plays are balls either behind the line of scrimmage or 1-2 yards past it. Also 60 passing attempts in one game is insane.