Saturday Football: FSU’s options, Mizzou’s wait and a B1G showdown

The following originally appeared in the Saturday Football newsletter. The Saturday Football newsletter is a multiple-times-a-week email that goes to over 150,000 subscribers and covers the key events going on in the world of college football. You can click here to subscribe and receive this newsletter directly in your inbox.

Good morning and happy Wednesday! Week 11 is already underway, as Tuesday night MACtion started last night. Tonight, we get some more MACtion (so much MACtion!) and then, tomorrow night, Louisiana heads to Coastal Carolina and Temple hits the road to take on USF.

The first College Football Playoff rankings came out on Tuesday night, too (after this newsletter’s deadline), so we’ll have some reactions for you on Friday. For now, though, let’s take a look at some other stories and coaching searches dominating the headlines.

Florida State is now officially searching for a new coach. Who is in the mix for the job?

Willie Taggart is out at Florida State, and that means the Seminoles are searching for a new coach. Considering the frustration among the FSU fan base, this search will be closely monitored. That means we could be in for rumors and reports that rival Tennessee’s search from a couple of years ago.

Indeed, there are already a number of rumors flying in Tallahassee, so let’s take a look at where FSU’s coaching search could lead:

• One guy who is being considered a front runner is Mark Stoops. The current Kentucky coach spent the 2010-12 seasons as the Seminoles’ defensive coordinator, so the connection is there, at least. Stoops didn’t exactly shoot down the rumors, but he did say it’s better to be talked about leaving for other jobs than to be talked about being on the hot seat. He has a good point there. One radio caller botched his question to Stoops, though, asking if Stoops had any interest in the Miami job. Oops.
• Stoops’ brother, Bob (you may remember him), is also drawing some buzz. In fact, a report on Monday night said a deal with the former Oklahoma coach was almost done. As College GameDay’s Lee Corso (a former Florida State player, interestingly enough) likes to say, “Not so fast, my friend.” FSU AD David Coburn set the record straight on Tuesday, saying Bob Stoops is certainly a candidate the Seminoles are considering, but nothing is even close to being done.
• Could the Seminoles stay closer to home for their next coach? There are rumors about Florida Atlantic’s Lane Kiffin being interested. CBS Sports writer Dennis Dodd said Kiffin had expressed interest in the position. However, Kiffin’s Twitter activity seems to be contradicting that narrative.
• Now, let’s take a look at a pair of potential Big Ten candidates. Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck and Penn State’s James Franklin are both undefeated this year (at least until they play each other this weekend. More on that later). They’ve also both been named in rumors. Franklin is being mentioned at both USC and FSU. Franklin joked about Fleck’s candidacy for the FSU job, saying reporters should keep calling the Minnesota coach this week ahead of the Penn State-Minnesota game. However, Minnesota quickly put its money where its mouth is, signing Fleck to a new seven-year deal that increases his salary and his assistants’ salaries. Fleck didn’t sound like he wanted to leave Minnesota anyway.
• There is something very concerning for FSU fans, though. A search firm will be used to assist in the hiring of a new coach. This firm is led by Glenn Sugiyama. FootballScoop.com reported on some of the less-than-inspiring selections Sugiyama has overseen in recent years. The icing on the cake? He oversaw the search that ended with Kansas hiring Charlie Weis. Yikes.

So, who will be Florida State’s new coach? Well, no one knows right now. Though Coburn said he hopes to have a new coach by the end of the month, we’ll have to wait and see who the Seminoles are eventually able to hire. There could be many more twists and turns along the way before this search is all said and done.

Stat Leaders

Many of the nation’s top teams were off during Week 10, but there were still some impressive statistical performances. There are some familiar names atop these categories, but some of them only hold narrow leads over the closest competition.

With Week 11 action already underway, here’s a look at who leads some key categories (stats via CFBStats.com):

• Passing yards: Anthony Gordon, Washington State — 3,387
• Passing TDs: Anthony Gordon, Washington State — 32
• Rushing yards: Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State — 1,604
• Rushing TDs: Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State — 18
• Receiving yards: Omar Bayless, Arkansas State — 1,168
• Receiving TDs: Omar Bayless, Arkansas State — 13
• Sacks: Chase Young, Ohio State — 13.5
• Tackles: Evan Weaver, Cal — 127
• Interceptions: Douglas Coleman III, Texas Tech — 7

How many categories will see changes this week? Check back next Wednesday to find out which players stand out above the rest following Week 11 action.

The Missouri Tigers are still waiting to hear about their appeal. What is the holdup with the NCAA?

The Missouri Tigers are 5-3 and having an up-and-down season. However, they still have a big cloud hanging over the 2019 campaign. That’s because, after the 2018 season, the Tigers were handed a postseason ban for the 2019-20 school year. The problem? After the Tigers appealed the ban, they’ve been stuck in limbo.

The NCAA has yet to issue a ruling on the Tigers’ appeal. It was originally rumored to be coming a couple of weeks into the season, then by the end of October. Now, we’re in early November and there’s still no news on the appeal front. What gives? Here’s the latest on Mizzou:

• No one in Columbia is happy with the way this is going. Earlier this month, AD Jim Sterk said on “Tiger Talk” that he expected a ruling back in September. He added that the postseason ban needs to be overturned and the Tigers need to be given a penalty similar to the one Mississippi State received for almost the same infraction. That penalty, as you’ll remember, involved probation, but no bowl ban.
• Sterk wasn’t done bashing the NCAA just yet, though. He spoke about the July 1 appeals hearing, saying it got pretty contentious between the Mizzou side and the NCAA side. “We attacked their position and they attacked us. It wasn’t warm and fuzzy.”
• Coach Barry Odom is baffled by the NCAA’s delay on the ruling, too. During a press conference on Tuesday, he admitted that he’s shocked there hasn’t been a ruling yet. He looked like he wanted to say a whole lot more than he actually did, but this was his message. “I am surprised. I don’t know what else to say about that.”
• Mizzou is currently in a fight for bowl eligibility, making this battle stickier. The Tigers are 5-3 and should be bowl-eligible by now, but losses at Wyoming, Vanderbilt and Kentucky have put a damper on the season. With games against Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Arkansas remaining, a bowl berth is still a possibility until the NCAA makes its ruling.
• The good news for the Tigers? At least the Border War is back. The Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks will resume their basketball rivalry next season. Perhaps a renewal of the football rivalry is just around the corner? The Mizzou fans need something to root for.

Will the NCAA rule before the season is over? If not, it’s possible the ban could be extended to the 2020 season. The NCAA couldn’t possibly be that petty, could it? Well, we all know the answer to that one.

Good Reads

• Kentucky WR-turned-QB Lynn Bowden Jr. is special. He’s led the Wildcats to two wins in three games since moving to quarterback. It might be too late for him to enter the Heisman conversation this year, but Saturday Down South’s Connor O’Gara makes a convincing case for Bowden to be included on the All-America team.
• Alabama’s receiving corps might be the best in college history. Henry Ruggs III, Jaylen Waddle, Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith are all capable of torching opposing defenses. The story of how that group came together and formed into what it is today is an interesting one, and ESPN’s Alex Scarborough takes you behind the scenes to show how coach Nick Saban and his staff found these future stars.
• Penn State is undefeated and very much in the CFP mix. That says a lot about the work coach James Franklin has done since taking over a program on the ropes after one of the ugliest scandals in sports history. How has he made the Nittany Lions a power once again? Saturday Tradition’s Nick Matkovich took a look at how Franklin has led his squad back into the ranks of the elite.
• Rutgers is a dumpster fire, and that’s putting it mildly. As the Scarlet Knights search for a new coach, Banner Society’s Jason Kirk has a radical idea. He suggests (tongue firmly in cheek, of course) that the Power 5 conferences share games against Rutgers so that the Big Ten doesn’t get to be the only conference to beat up on the Knights. It’s just crazy enough to work!

Who is the second-best team in the Big Ten behind Ohio State? We’ll find out in Minnesota on Saturday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have proven themselves to be one of the best teams in the country. That much is a fact. However, the Big Ten has two other unbeaten teams — Penn State and Minnesota. The Nittany Lions have the much better resume, but the Golden Gophers have been solid all year, too.

Fortunately for us, these two teams will settle things on the field on Saturday afternoon and answer, for now, the question of who the second-best team in the B1G really is. So, will the Nittany Lions win as expected by many analysts? Or, will Minnesota continue its magical season?

• Minnesota fans were understandably bummed out by an ESPN decision. The popular College GameDay show will head to Tuscaloosa for a game between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama instead of making its first trip to Minnesota. Gophers coach P.J. Fleck’s plea to ESPN didn’t work.
• Penn State has a chance to make a statement the next three weeks. The Nittany Lions’ next three games are at 8-0 Minnesota, at home vs. 7-2 Indiana and at 8-0 Ohio State. For those of you non-math majors, that’s a combined record of 23-2. Some quality wins out there for the taking for coach James Franklin and his squad!
• This is one of the biggest games in Minnesota football history. Fortunately, the Gophers’ social-media team was ready to hype it up even more. The Gophers released a “Biggest Game Ever” hype video this week, and it is awesome. Minnesota is also encouraging all fans to wear maroon to the game. Meanwhile, Penn State has asked fans to eliminate all forms of P.J. this week — nicknames, pajamas, etc. — because of Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck.
• Fleck and Franklin have a ton of respect for each other’s teams. Fleck knows what his team is up against facing the Nittany Lions. “They’re deadly at every position,” he said. That respect is mutual. Franklin even went as far as to say he has a “huge man crush” on Minnesota DB Antoine Winfield Jr. He added that Fleck and the Gophers simply know how to get the job done.

Who will keep pace with Ohio State in the race for the College Football Playoff and who will suffer their first loss of the season? Tune in to ABC at noon Eastern time on Saturday to find out!

Kentucky’s WR-turned-QB Lynn Bowden Jr. is making history. How long can he keep it going?

When Kentucky QB Terry Wilson went down with a season-ending knee injury, the Wildcats turned to backup Sawyer Smith. When Smith went down, the Wildcats needed to do something drastic. Their solution? Shift super-athletic WR Lynn Bowden Jr. to quarterback.

It was a position he played in high school, so he wasn’t coming into it blind. However, no one could have predicted what he’d be able to do. In three games, Bowden has led the Wildcats to a 2-1 record, with the only loss coming against SEC East frontrunner Georgia. We linked to Saturday Down South columnist Connor O’Gara’s case for Bowden to be an All-American in the “Good Reads” section above, but now, let’s take a closer look at what Bowden is doing this year:

• The stats that Bowden is amassing are simply incredible. This season, he has 75 carries for 598 yards and 4 touchdowns. That’s an average of 8.0 yards per carry. He has also thrown for 188 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. Oh, and from his time as a receiver, he has 30 catches for 348 yards and a score. How impressive are those numbers? The SEC Network reports that Bowden is the only SEC player in at least the last 20 years to compile at least 300 receiving yards, 300 rushing yards and 100 passing yards. Wow.
• Things are going well for the Wildcats under Bowden’s leadership. In fact, coach Mark Stoops is going to continue riding the hot hand. Coming off last week’s open date, the Wildcats are hosting Tennessee this Saturday. Stoops said he anticipates Bowden continuing to have a large role in the Kentucky offense, even when Sawyer Smith comes back.
• Kentucky is 4-4 and has to play well down the stretch to reach a bowl. A Nov. 23 home game against UT-Martin should be an easy win, and the Wildcats will definitely be favored at Vanderbilt on Nov. 16. However, this weekend’s game against Tennessee and a Nov. 30 rivalry game vs. Louisville won’t be easy. Saturday Down South’s Joe Cox broke down Kentucky’s chances to win each remaining game.
• Yes, Kentucky’s last two wins have come against flawed teams. Winning by 4 at home against Arkansas and beating a Mizzou team that seems completely unprepared on the road aren’t necessarily great wins, but winning any SEC game is something to be proud of. And, as we saw at Georgia, the Wildcats’ offense sputtered in the rain, losing 21-0. Still, Bowden is thrilling to watch, and anything can happen when he has the ball in his hands. He’s become so popular in Lexington that kids are even dressing up as him for Halloween.

What Bowden is doing is special, even by Kentucky standards. The Wildcats watched as Randall Cobb did it all back in the day, but Bowden has taken it to a new level the past three weeks. How big of a factor will he be the rest of the season? We’ll find out starting Saturday.

Quote of the Day

“Bear was going to come to my house. My daddy said, ‘nope.’ … That’s the way it should be. I wish it was like that today.”

– LSU coach Ed Orgeron recalled when then-Alabama coach Bear Bryant wanted to come to Louisiana to recruit him. He delivered the great story the way only Coach O can.

Subscribe

Like what you read? You can click here to subscribe and receive this newsletter directly in your inbox several times a week.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.