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Week 9 games get underway in less than 24 hours, everybody! I’ve got 50 things, yes 50 things, on my mind that I have to bring to light. Enjoy!
- Anyone else getting a little tired of people comparing unworthy running backs to Leonard Fournette? I’m sorry, but Dalvin Cook is not in his universe. He’s just not.
- What’s the craziest game this season? Auburn and Arkansas gave us a good candidate when they went to quadruple overtime last Saturday. Oregon and Arizona State gave us another on Thursday night.
- I’m not saying I don’t like the Ducks’ creativity with their uniforms, but shouldn’t they at least be wearing their colors the majority of the time? Just make silver your primary color and get it over with.
- Did you know Notre Dame is still paying Charlie Weis? That finally comes to an end after this season, 10 years later.
- Back in 2005, he had only coached seven games and was 5-2, yet Notre Dame extended him through the 2015 season for an estimated $19 million. You think the Irish jumped the gun on that just a tad?
- Does anyone buy that Laquon Treadwell doesn’t have some extra motivation against Auburn this week?
- Kind of like Urban Meyer when he said Florida didn’t have extra motivation after the “Gator Stomp?”
- Speaking of Florida-Georgia, will we see something crazy like that again when the two teams meet this Saturday?
- I was wondering how Gene Chizik is doing at North Carolina yesterday. The Tar Heels defensive coordinator has helped the team to a 7-1 record after their 26-19 win over No. 23 Pittsburgh on Thursday night. His team ranks 3rd in the ACC in passing defense but last in rushing defense.
- If you’re Clemson, is there a better season for you to break through? My feeling is, the window is now, and it’s sort of like the passenger window of a moving car where you have to dive in head first. I know Deshaun Watson is only a sophomore, but the Seminoles are kind of down. This is the season that will define Dabo Swinney’s tenure with the Tigers if you ask me.
- No. 14 Oklahoma is at No. 2 Baylor, vs. No. 5 TCU and at No. 12 Oklahoma State to finish the season. Will we be changing their name to Oklahoma Spoilers this season?
- Oklahoma is favored by 40 on the road against Kansas. Is that being too generous for the Jayhawks?
- Are Texas A&M fans just watching a rerun of last season, when the team started 5-0 but collapsed down the stretch? Losing to Alabama and Ole Miss in back-to-back games is understandable, but if the Aggies lose to South Carolina this week, we can definitely nod our heads and move on from that question.
- Will Houston give the American Athletic Conference two wins over the SEC this season, adding to Memphis’ win over Ole Miss?
- Will Vanderbilt win another game this season? The Commodores’ remaining schedule is at No. 18 Houston, at No. 11 Florida, vs. Kentucky, vs. Texas A&M and at Tennessee.
- Which QB will be the best one on the field when Tennessee faces Kentucky: Josh Dobbs or Patrick Towles?
- Which Towles will we see in Lexington this week? The one that’s thrown 8 TDs and 4 INTs in the Wildcats’ wins or the one that’s thrown 0 TDs and 5 INTs in their losses?
- Will Derrick Henry record a touchdown in a 14th straight game and extend the school record?
- Does Henry have a special relationship with end zones that we don’t know about?
- Or is it just that he’s a freak of an athlete that can squat 500 pounds? Yeah, I think that makes more sense.
- Is there a harder team in the SEC to figure out than Ole Miss?
- How does No. 15 Michigan respond in its first game after its crushing loss to Michigan State before getting a bye week to stew over it?
- No. 8 Stanford (6-1) and No. 13 Utah (6-1) are the only Pac-12 teams that don’t have multiple losses this season. Will we finish the season with every team in the conference having at least two losses?
- Who would’ve thought before the season that this week’s game between No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 21 Temple would be a matchup between ranked teams and that ESPN’s “College GameDay” would be in Philadelphia?
- Who will win this week’s game between teams with logos that feature a single letter with the team’s nickname above it?
- Texas A&M is a 17-point favorite against South Carolina this week. Do the Aggies cover?
- Who will be the best linebacker on the field in Lexington this Saturday: Tennessee junior Jalen Reeves-Maybin or Kentucky senior Josh Forrest?
- Did anyone get a chance to see USC freshman LB Cameron Smith record 3Â interceptions last week in the upset win over No. 3 Utah, one of which he returned 54 yards for a touchdown?
- Did anyone have a problem with West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen smiling and high-fiving TCU QB Trevone Boykin after his sick run on Thursday night … with his Mountaineers trailing 37-10 in third quarter? I certainly did. And if you watch the replay, No. 27 for West Virginia probably didn’t like it either, visibly frustrated at his teammates that couldn’t tackle Boykin directly behind Holgorsen while he congratulated him.
- After the game, Holgorsen said, “I could’ve started yelling at our guys, but what good is that going to do?” That seems like a defeated coach to me.
- How embarrassing would it have been if Boykin decided against the high-five?
- South Carolina has trailed at halftime in all seven of its games this season. Will the Gamecocks be trailing at the half when they face the Aggies this week?
- The over/under for No. 12 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech this week is 78. Too low?
- On that note, how unsurprising is it that neither the Big 12 nor the Pac-12 have a defense that ranks among the top 20 in scoring defense? The first appearance by either conference is at No. 22, where Oklahoma State and Washington are tied while allowing 18.9 points per game. How about some defense, fellas?
- To expand on that, how unsurprising is it that the Big 12 has five offenses that rank in the top 20 in scoring offense while the Pac-12 has four?
- How impressive has Missouri’s defense been considering its offense can’t move the ball, let alone score a touchdown? The Tigers haven’t gotten in the end zone in 13 quarters, and they’re 3-for-41 converting third downs over that span, including 0-for-14 on the money down against Vanderbilt last Saturday.
- How amazing is it that the preseason expectations of Florida and Georgia are completely flip-flopped now with the Gators being the ones gunning for an SEC East title while Georgia is the unranked team hoping for a shot?
- How similar will the College Football Playoff rankings be to the other polls when they’re first released this Tuesday?
- Did you know No. 10 Iowa can become 8-0 for just the second time in school history with a win over Maryland this week?
- Did you know the Hawkeyes’ schedule doesn’t include any of the current top five teams from the Big Ten East: Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan or Rutgers?
- How does Miami respond from its 58-0 shellacking to Clemson this week against Duke?
- How will Baylor do down the stretch with QB Seth Russell lost for the season?
- Which Rebels team will we see this week at Auburn? The one that notched impressive wins against Texas A&M and Alabama or the one that’s lost each of its last two road games?
- Can Auburn rebound from its four-overtime loss to Arkansas last Saturday to pick up a big win over Ole Miss?
- Will explosive plays be a factor when Florida faces Georgia this weekend? The Bulldogs have a margin of +10 on the season while the Gators are surprisingly one of only four SEC teams with a negative margin.
- Will Florida’s lack of an effective running game play even more of a factor? The Gators’ average of 3.5 yards per rush is 2nd-worst in the SEC. Only Missouri’s average of 3.3 is worse.
- Which FBS team has the best chance of picking up its first win this season: UCF (0-8 at Cincinnati), Kansas (0-7 vs. No. 14 Oklahoma), North Texas (0-7 vs. UTSA) or New Mexico State (0-7 vs. Idaho)?
- Is it safe to say the Jayhawks don’t have the best shot?
- How disappointing is it that Tennessee won’t be able to wear orange to compliment Kentucky’s black for the Halloween occasion this week in Lexington?
- If you read all 49 of those previous questions, your passion for SEC football is unmatched, and I stand and slow clap for you. Thanks for reading, everyone.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
