The Week in Football: Auburn's luck ran out, Alabama wins in Tiger Stadium, and the Niners save their season

 

 

It was, like always, a great football weekend. In fact, the most enjoyable thing about it was the Auburn loss. You know, Auburn, the program that’s caught more breaks than anyone the last 5 years? On Saturday though, it appeared that, finally, the Tigers’ luck had run out. Texas A&M blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown on the last play of the first half, and they were also gift-wrapped two Auburn fumbles in the last 2:37 of the game. Last week I wrote that I was tired of their luck, and that I was going to root against them in every game for the rest of eternity. So to say I was “happy” about them Clemsoning a winnable game against a mediocre team would be more of an understatement than saying Honey Boo Boo was an annoying television program. This was the most overjoyed I could be on a Saturday that didn’t involve a Tennessee victory.

 

Alabama and Mississippi State are head and shoulders above every other team

 

Why? They have two things, unique only to them, that have happened this season:

 

1. Both teams have won night games in Tiger Stadium
2. Neither defense has been completely torched and stomped on by an opposing offense

 

I can’t state strongly enough just how impressive both those things are. There isn’t a venue in college football that’s harder to play at then night in Death Valley, and both teams escaped victorious. Les Miles only had two losses in home night games at LSU before this season, but these teams doubled that total this year. The Bulldogs were dominant through most of their victory, before having to hold on late to prevent a furious LSU comeback. And Alabama took every body blow the Bayou Bengals could throw and were never fazed, including what could’ve been a soul crushing fumble deep in their own territory late in the game by TJ Yeldon.

 

In this era of football, where defense has no shot on a week-to-week basis, the fact that both these teams haven’t had that, “We can’t generate a pass rush, stop the run, tackle any ball carriers, or prevent receivers from running through the Grand Canyon-sized holes in our secondary” is extremely impressive, and that’s ultimately why I think these are the nations two best teams. Alabama has been great on defense since Saban’s second year, and that’s really why they’ve been able to dominate college football since 2008. Mississippi State, at least this year, has been the same way. Having a defense you can count on is so rare in football now, but it helps so much when you have that inevitable offensive stinker game (which both schools have had this season).

 

Interestingly enough, these teams play each other this week, in Tuscaloosa. At least right now, I’m leaning towards the Tide, solely because they’re at home. And much like Saturday in Death Valley, I expect it to be a 60 minute slug fest. But more on this game later in the week.

 

It’s time to for me to stop doubting Ohio State

 

I gave the Buckeyes almost no shot to go into East Lansing and beat the Spartans. As always, I was an idiot. Superstar freshman QB J.T. Barrett was fantastic (300 yards passing, 3 passing TDs, 14 carries, 86 yards rushing, 2 TDs), and Ohio State proved they’d come a long way from that embarrassing home loss to Virginia Tech earlier in the season. I’d been sitting back all year, watching them from a distance, doubting their accomplishments, because I just rationalized it in my head that they were doing all of this in an abysmal Big 10, and it was ultimately meaningless. But now, after Saturday night? Sheesh. J.T. Barrett for Heisman? I think it’s a possibility.

 

Right now, regardless of where they played, I’d take them over Florida State. The ‘Noles struggled again on Saturday, this time with Virginia. Really? I’m supposed to believe FSU is one of the four best teams when they’ve trailed 4 times at halftime this season, and could’ve lost five games? They’re in the ACC! That league sucks! If they were actually a top 4 team, they’d be blowing everyone off the field, like they did last year. No disrespect to Duke, but you’re probably not in a great league if the Blue Devils have a chance to win back-to-back Coastal Division titles. It’s ridiculous. And the sad thing is, Florida State is probably going to struggle and look awful a few more times this year, only they’ll win because their schedule is full of a bunch of cupcakes. What a shame. They’re taking a playoff spot away from a really good team.

 

Baylor is the most playoff-deserving team in the Big 12

 

TCU is getting a lot of love right now, which is understandable, because they have a flashy offense that scores a ton of points, but if I had a vote, I’d rank the Bears higher than the Horned Frogs. Why? Because when they played on October 11^th, TCU played matador defense, blew a 21 point lead in the 4^th quarter, and lost. Assuming that both these teams win out and finish with just one loss, that game should be the most important factor when these teams are compared. They played head-to-head, and Baylor proved by winning that they were the better team. And if both teams do finish with just one loss, Baylor will be the Big 12 Champion. How would it make any sense to put the second place team in a conference in the playoff over the conference champion, particularly when that conference champion beat that team head-to-head? You’re right, it wouldn’t. I’d put Baylor 5^th, and keep them above TCU until they lose, which might not happen the rest of the year. Plus, how great did the Bears look on Saturday? I know TCU also had a blowout victory over K-State, but Baylor went into Norman and put it on them for almost the entire game, scoring 45 unanswered points. Baylor should be that team on the fringe of the playoff, not TCU, and I hope the committee wakes up and realizes it.

 

The Fighting Irish punched themselves in the face, and out of the playoff conversation

 

This game was more about what Notre Dame didn’t do than what Arizona State did. Everett Golson played well in stretches, particularly during their comeback from a 34-3 deficit, but he also threw 4 interceptions, and had 3 turnovers in a 4 minute stretch in the first half that all but doomed the Irish from the start. Golson’s actually been a turnover machine this year; including his five on Saturday, he now has 17 in his last 6 games. 17! That’s almost three a game! I hate to put all the blame (or the praise) on one player, particularly the quarterback, after a loss (or win), because that’s such an oversimplification of what happens each week, but in this case, it’s hard not to point at him. Those turnovers were so debilitating, and it put them in an almost impossibly difficult and deep hole at the beginning of the game. And how did Arizona State let them come back? I have no idea. Imagine if Golson had just taken care of the ball just a little bit better. Regardless, those turnovers doomed their entire season, and eliminated them from playoff contention.

 

My 4 Team Playoff

 

1. Mississippi State. It’s the same story every week with this team. They’re undefeated in the best conference in the country, they’ve got Dak Prescott, a Heisman contender, at quarterback, and a great defense.
2. Alabama. I’ve bought some Blake Sims stock, particularly after this week. I still had some questions about his chops in big games, and while he wasn’t spectacular on Saturday (just 209 yards with 2 TDs, all while completing less than 50% of his passes), he did lead them into field goal range, going 55 yards in 50 seconds, on their most important drive of the season, against a swarming and physical LSU defense in the most hostile environment in college football. That’s extremely impressive, if you ask me. But with as good as that defense is, they don’t even really need him to be great every week. They just need him to make a few plays in the passing game and with his legs, and not turn the ball over. I think he can manage that.
3. Oregon. I bumped the Ducks up to number 3 this week, because they’ve been more impressive this season than Florida State ever dreamed of being. They went into Utah and absolutely whipped the Utes like it was nothing, just like they’ve been doing recently. Since their loss to Arizona on October 2^nd, Oregon’s smallest margin of victory has been 12, against UCLA, a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. This, in my opinion, is the best Ducks’ team since the one that lost to Auburn in 2010 BCS Title Game.
4. Florida State. As much as I’d love to leave the Seminoles out of the top 4, I really can’t, because as an undefeated team from a power conference, they’re going to be in the playoff. As much as I don’t like it, I’ll just have to deal with it.

 

Now, onto the NFL…..

 

San Fran silenced their critics, and saved Jim Harbaugh’s job, at least for another week

 

Such a huge win for the Niners. They needed this game badly, and got off to a great start, as they led 21-10 at halftime. But when New Orleans came out and dominated the second half, and took the lead on a Drew Brees to Jimmy Graham TD pass with 1:52, I thought it was over for San Fran. There have been so many times over Colin Kaepernick’s career, in late game situations, where he’d made a horrible decision with the football that led to a game ending turnover. Last year’s interception in the NFC Championship Game (when he challenged Richard Sherman deep, who had great coverage on Michael Crabtree, only to have the ball batted away and picked off) is a perfect example of this, as is last week’s fumble against the Rams near the goal line. And there was no way I thought he’d convert that 4^th and 10. Only, he did, accomplishing it in the most Jekyll and Hyde way possible, a 51 yard bomb to Michael Crabtree, putting them in field goal range. For all the mistakes and bad decisions Kaepernick makes, this guy always seems to make at least one play a week that amazes you. That’s why he’s got so many people who defend him, because he’s got all the tools and skills to consistently be one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

 

But it wasn’t just Kaepernick who stood out. For the second time this year, the Niners, with their backs against the wall, in a big spot, hit the field and gutted out a must-win. The first time it happened was in Week 4, when they beat the Eagles in San Fran to avoid starting 1-3. They won that game with great defense and their famous physical, pounding, running style. They did the same thing this week, running for 144 yards on 32 attempts, holding Brees below 300 yards passing, picking him off twice, and forcing him to fumble in the overtime, which allowed them to kick the game winning field goal. They might not make the playoffs, but they certainly won’t be eliminated from playoff contention without kicking and screaming the entire way there. There’s just too much pride in that locker room for them to go away quietly.

 

The curious case of Dez Bryant

 

Bryant, by all calculations, is one of the best receivers in the NFL, and proved as much yesterday, as he did just about whatever he wanted to against Jacksonville (6 catches, 158 yards, 2 TDs). I could throw out so many more stats to indicate this guy’s greatness (48 career TD catches, almost 5000 career receiving yards, and he’s only played 4 and a half seasons!), or I could show you videos like this one. And the Cowboys know this. They know he’s one of the best 3 receivers in the NFL. But they, understandably, have concerns about Bryant off the field. It was concerning, though not completely shocking, to hear yesterday that the police had been called to Bryant’s residence SIX times to deal with multiple incidents. This is also the same guy that got suspended for almost his entire junior season at Oklahoma State for lying to the NCAA. He also had an extremely questionable and troublesome upbringing, as he was born to a 14 year old mother who was arrested for dealing crack when he was 8 years old. Throw in the fact that he lived in 8 different homes during high school, as well as the fact that he didn’t really ever have a solid and consistent father figure growing up, and it’s really concerning, yet also extremely sad. Should the Cowboys’ really feel comfortable committing guaranteed millions to a guy with so many issues in his personal life? It’s not a completely unreasonable question. Obviously, I don’t know Dez, but if one thing is evident about his character, it’s this: that guy is so freaking competitive, and I’ve never seen him slog through a game, looking like he doesn’t care about what’s going. On game day, that guy is ready to go. He’s out there making plays, throwing a few blocks, and doing whatever his team needs him to do to win. He’s not a quarterback, meaning I don’t really need him to be a leader on my team. I just need him to show up and continue to do Dez Bryant things, which I don’t have any doubt he’ll be able to keep on doing. Plus, it’s not like the Cowboys haven’t been taking almost every precaution possible with him. I mean, they’ve got someone basically baby sitting him 24-7. Give him the money, and keep the baby sitter around. Plus, I think it would be good for Bryant to have some continuity in his life. In his 26 years, he really hasn’t had any consistency in his life (again, no father figure, 8 different homes in high school, mother in jail, etc.) No authority figures have ever made a long term investment in this guy, and allowed him to constantly be involved in something with consistent structure, like a professional football team. Even with all the faults Jerry Jones has, I’d never criticize him for the way he cares about, and takes care of his players. Once you’re a Cowboy, you’re a Cowboy for life. That’s how Jerry does it, and I ultimately can’t see him not trying to do everything he can to help Bryant succeed, not only as a football player, but also as a person. He needs that consistency, and I think Jerry knows that. He’ll get his money, and he’ll be a Cowboy for a long time.

 

Stick a fork in the Cardinals?

 

Last week, I wrote that I believed Arizona, at the midway point in the season, was the best team in the NFL. Carson Palmer’s play at the quarterback position was one of the reasons for that, as well as one of the reasons as to why I thought they’d be Super Bowl contenders throughout the rest of the season. Well, Arizona suffered a huge blow yesterday when Palmer, on a strange play with hardly any contact, tore his ACL in left knee for the second time in his career, ending his season. Drew Stanton was thrust into duty for the second time this year, and actually threw a huge TD pass to John Brown on his first pass. Stanton was serviceable in the 4 games he played this year (3 TDs, no picks), but after hearing that Arizona was fearful Palmer had torn his ACL, I pondered the question I asked about the Dolphins and Chiefs last week: can I see a scenario where that starting quarterback (in this case, Drew Stanton) could be lifting up the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year? Meaning, could Stanton get hot for 3 or 4 weeks, play extremely well, and propel his team to a Super Bowl victory? You aren’t going to win the Super Bowl without great quarterback play (it hasn’t happened since 2002 with Tampa Bay and Brad Johnson); is there a chance I’d ever say, “Man, Drew Stanton is great!” Unfortunately, I don’t think there is. I still think the Cards will make the playoffs, and they may even win their division, and get the one seed, but somebody with a hotter quarterback, and a defense that can get consistent pressure on the QB, will defeat them in the playoffs.

 

Now quickly, from my Angry Old Man, who called me on the phone on Friday, ranting and raving about new Tennessee basketball coach, Donnie Tyndall, who is now under NCAA investigation for things that happened at his previous job, Southern Miss. My Old Man wasn’t a fan of the hire to begin with. I couldn’t understand all of his points, because he just started snarling about halfway through, making strange, angry noises. Here’s what I caught:

 

“Aargh! I wanted Gregg Marshall, not this smiling buffoon! I don’t even care that his wife is way better looking than him! How is it possible that Buzz Williams (the former head coach at Marquette) took a pay cut to go to Virginia Tech, one of the worst jobs in the ACC, when Tennessee, which I think is a pretty good job, was open? And for all this talk about how they couldn’t hire back Bruce Pearl because of his NCAA trouble, how could they hire a guy who is now potentially in NCAA trouble? If it’s proven he lied to UT on signing his ‘Memorandum of Understanding’, he should be fired immediately! Let’s not be hypocrites! Maybe if your hearing wasn’t so impaired from that dumb boom bang music, or rap crap, or whatever you dang kids call it, you’d actually be able to learn something from your pops instead of making crappy football picks every week!”

 

He then violently hung the phone up, as he often does when he’s riled up (which is just about all the time). However, he did make some good points. I never liked the hire in the first place, just because I felt like Tennessee is the type of program that could make more splashy hire than that. I mean, really? Donnie Tyndall? I’m not saying I won’t be rooting for him to do well, and I hope he wins a national title, but I’m not overly optimistic about the program with him in charge of it. I just don’t understand how they weren’t able to hire a bigger name, someone like a Buzz Williams, a guy who has had a lot of success at Marquette. You’re not going to be able to convince me that Virginia Tech is a better basketball job than Tennessee. The Vols’ program has more fan support than any program in the SEC besides Kentucky (they have the enormous Thompson-Boling Arena, which is packed for almost every game), they’ve got great facilities, and you can win big there. They’ve been to the Sweet Sixteen four times in the last eight years! If you can win back-to-back national titles at Florida (a program with less fan support), you should be able to win ONE at Tennessee.

 

Now, if it comes out that Tyndall was dishonest, and lied to Tennessee, should he be fired? It certainly would make sense, and be consistent with what the Vols did in the past, particularly with Pearl. And why even hire a guy like Tyndall, who already got in trouble at Morehead State for committing NCAA violations? My only concern about firing Tyndall would be that this season is now, more than likely, a lost year. This team was already going to have a down season (they lose Jordan McRae, Jarnell Stokes, and Jeronne Maymon, only their three best players), and I can’t imagine firing a coach just days before the season starts will help. But if he was dishonest, and Tennessee is concerned about being perceived as hypocritical, then he probably should be gone.

 

Speaking of college basketball, with the season tipping off on Friday, I'll have some sort of preview for that later in the week, as well as something NBA related. So keep an eye out for that.

 

Enjoy Monday Night Football, and have a great week.