The college football weekend resulted in a bizarre series of unfortunate events for more than a few top teams. The UCLA Bruins, Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Bulldogs, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish each lost and the college football rankings will look a little different today.

UCLA lost 38-23 to Arizona State and the game was not as close as the final score. The Bruins could muster a pathetic 62 yards rushing on only 28 carries. The Sun Devils dominated the clock, possessing the ball for almost 38 minutes, and were the more aggressive team.

They also rocked these uniforms.

The Rebels struggled early in the game and the Florida Gators proved to be the better team. The Rebels defense missed an awful lot of tackles and the pass defense was dismal. Florida only managed to run for 84 yards on 34 carries. That might not sound like much, but in comparison to the 69 yards on 33 carries the Rebels rushed for, it was reasonable. Will Grier, who finally seems to be the quarterback Florida has wanted since Tim Tebow, had a tremendous game. Chad Kelly, who was hit on nearly every play, played admirably behind an offensive line that needs serious work.

The Gators are a young team with a lot of talented guys on the field. The future looks pretty bright all of a sudden. The chances the Gators win the SEC East has dramatically risen since last week and the hype will continue to build if they win on the road versus Missouri.

Alabama crushed Georgia and looks poised to move back up the rankings. Alabama seems to have found some things with Jake Coker working the field horizontally. The strategy was beneficial and freed up some easy vertical throws. I thought the Crimson Tide were the aggressors and forced Georgia to make tough decisions. In fact, Alabama’s players seemed to know what was coming and their preparation was a big reason why they won the game.

The Clemson Tigers had a big win over the weekend in the flooding rain. I was impressed with them for most of the game. They held off a comeback (barely) in the 4th quarter after the offensive calls got too conservative. I don’t know if Clemson wins the ACC or anything like that just yet. I do think they are impressive and I’ll be interested to see where things go from here.

Quick Reads:

• Texas continues to look worse and worse.
• Baylor’s offense is incredible again.
• Arkansas and Tennessee might have been the worst game of the weekend. These teams don’t even want to win in the 4th quarter.
• Michigan will be great again with Jim Harbaugh taking charge.
• Notre Dame doesn’t suck and was not overrated.
• Clemson could actually make the CFB Playoff if they stay healthy.
• Ohio State’s quarterback controversy is not nearly as simple as people hoped. The struggles this year seem to be tied to a locker room divide over leadership at the most important position.
• Mark Richt made a mistake taking out Greyson Lambert.
• Hugh Freeze, if he was actually offered the Florida Gators job, made a mistake turning it down.
• Nobody knows which teams are good and which teams are not. College football is a volatile game and there is little method to the madness.

Heisman Watch:

If I had a vote in the Heisman race, here is the ballot I would submit at this point of the season.

1. Leonard Fournette, LSU

Fournette looks like the best player in the country. He’s been unstoppable in every game and looks like he was sent to Earth in the same capsule as Superman. Fournette’s capsule took a detour in Louisiana.

2. Trevone Boykin, TCU

I picked him in the preseason and I’m not giving up yet. He’s thrown the most touchdowns (19) and is still a factor in the running game.

3. Jared Goff, California

He’s the one player who is rising the fastest on NFL prospect lists. He will need to keep a relatively average team undefeated to have a realistic shot.

4. Corey Coleman, Baylor

He’s on pace to catch 72 passes for 1,710 yards and 33 scores. 

5. Myles Garrett, Texas A&M

Garrett will be a top pick in the 2017 draft. He’s averaging 1.5 sacks per game and has 9.5 tackles for loss. He’s a major reason why Texas A&M is 5-0.

Honorable Mentions:

Kyle Allen (Texas A&M), Will Grier (Florida), Josh Doctson (TCU), Derrick Henry (Alabama), Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma)