The college football landscape continues to change rapidly and I’m here to try and make sense of all this.

Pure Michigan

Michigan lost to Michigan State in the most horrifying and devastating manner imaginable. They probably should have just snapped the ball to a WR or RB and let that player run around for the final seconds of the game. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Michigan State recovered a fumble and scored a touchdown on the final play in order to vanquish the Wolverines.

Jim Harbaugh is going to turn Michigan into a contender soon and I think he’s still a serious COY candidate. Michigan State is sneaky good and they’ll keep winning close games for the foreseeable future. I don’t buy them as a legit CFB Playoff team due to an inconsistent offensive attack. Connor Cook, who is now entering his 23rd year as the starting QB, is both vastly overrated and underrated.

Cook rarely turns the ball over and has a strong arm. He’s not especially accurate and is a dreadful runner. I think he’s going to be selected somewhere in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft when it’s all said and done. I don’t believe that he is a top quarterback that is capable of winning a game on his own. He is, however, a player with a wealth of experience and he’s got a steady playing style.

The Tide is High in Texas

Alabama dropped Texas A&M after returning three interceptions for touchdowns. The Crimson Tide won the game 41-23 (clearly the three pick-six plays were devastating) and Derrick Henry ran wild. Texas A&M lost the game due to inept play by Kyle Allen. I’m never one to blame one player for a loss, however, there are exceptions. Let’s break it down to see why Allen lost the game for the Aggies.

1. The first interception returned for a touchdown came on a high throw to a crowded area of the field. Allen threw a bad ball and it fell harmlessly into a defender’s hands. The route tree here was an outside hitch and an inside flat. The problem with a bad ball here is that there is too much congestion on that side of the field.
2. The second interception returned for a touchdown was another high throw. Allen and the Aggies were driving and the receiver was open. Unfortunately, that receiver wasn’t Shaquille O’Neal because he couldn’t have ever caught that ball. The interception return was almost 100 yards so that’s on the rest of the Aggies for not tackling the guy sooner.
3. The final interception by Allen was purely a bad decision. He was scrambling and slid up in the pocket. He was about to be sacked from behind and threw a reasonable pass. The issue here is that the WR broke to the opposite direction and Allen threw the ball into the middle of the field. Allen should have just taken the sack and played the next down.
4. Allen was inaccurate for almost the entire game and looked slow in too many ways. He made slow decisions and looked tentative. He couldn’t escape pressure and looked slower than I expected.

Alabama, on the other hand, is still perplexing. They look unstoppable at times and the offensive line asserts its will for roughly 50% of the game. The rest of the game the offensive line will get obliterated by the opposing defensive line. Alabama has had more negative plays this season than they did in the previous five years (not sure if that’s true but it seems that way). Alabama ranks near the bottom of the NCAA in terms of negative plays. Jake Coker’s passing game looked pedestrian and his running game looked like a real impact factor. He’s not Michael Vick, but I thought he made some really nice runs in the 4th quarter.

Les is More

Les Miles keeps doing his thing against the Florida Gators. I don’t understand why Florida wouldn’t see it coming by now. LSU has faked field goals so many times against the Gators and somehow they never see it coming! Brandon Harris had a good game and is better than most people think he is. Leonard Fournette is better that people think he is and he’s the best player in college football.

Florida’s season is still a huge success and I expect they’ll win the SEC East. They could easily be 10-1 going into a huge game versus Florida State to end the year. Treon Harris played well and the Gators didn’t lose to the Tigers because Will Grier was absent. Harris lack of arm strength is an issue and Florida will need to adjust accordingly going forward.

Quick Slants:

• Ole Miss, UCLA, Michigan, and Boise State are not contenders.
• Trevone Boykin is the nation’s best quarterback.
• Georgia has offensive issues that stem from an underperforming offensive line and a bad offensive coordinator.
• Missouri has bigger offensive issues and there is no end in sight.
• Cardale Jones needs to be benched and J.T. Barrett needs to be named Ohio State’s starting QB. *** (J.T. Barrett was named the starter today. You’re welcome, Urban)
• Baylor’s offense is on a different planet.
• CFB schedules and bye weeks are going to be a hot issue soon because some teams are playing way too many games in consecutive weeks.
• Utah keeps winning and made big plays in the 4th quarter to do so.
• Miami’s Al Golden is fighting off those that want him fired and he might be able to keep his job for another year.
• Iowa keeps winning and people are starting to care.