10 things I'm absolutely overreacting to after Week 9 in the SEC
Bloomington By God Indiana was the center of the college football universe Saturday.
College GameDay was there. Former IU coach Lee Corso received a hero’s return. And the Hoosiers rolled in front of a national TV audience and rare sell-out crowd filled with … Indiana fans.
None of this make sense to a college football purist or an SEC fan, and none of that happens in the 4-team Playoff era. Heck, they would have laughed you out of Santa Claus, Indiana, if you even mentioned it as a wish.
But dreams are coming true in 2024. Just ask Texas A&M.
Don’t ask LSU, Kentucky and Mizzou. Misery loves you guys.
Those are among the 10 things I’m absolutely overreacting to after Week 9 in and around the SEC.
10. Forget Indiana, how about Mike Elko’s 1-year turnaround …
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti will win national coach of the year, but let’s not sleep on what Mike Elko is doing in College Station.
Like Cignetti, Elko also in Year 1. Like Cignetti, he’s about to exceed first-year expectations, too.
Here’s the key difference, though: Elko had a much higher bar to clear, in a much tougher landscape, too.
The Aggies are the lone unbeaten team in SEC play and have the inside track to get to Atlanta. They enter November as the hottest team in the SEC, if not the country.
Nobody saw that coming. They’ve overcome injuries, portaled in playmakers, and Elko has expertly managed a developing quarterback situation. Everybody is buying in and a Saturday night in Kyle Field quickly is becoming the most intimidating road hazard in college football.
How good are the Aggies feeling right now?
Nobody even mentions the former coach’s name or how much they paid to get rid of him.
9. Texas, you have a perception problem …
First, congratulations for staving off Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt in your first SEC road game. Alabama couldn’t do that, so … props.
But, frankly, we were expecting a better response after getting drilled at home last week against Georgia.
You know, kind of how Georgia responded against you, after its loss to Alabama.
Why does it matter, you ask? Have you seen your schedule? It’s about to get picked apart. You have 3 wins over ranked teams — which sounds great — but none of those 3 teams will be ranked on Sunday. Michigan and Oklahoma already disappeared from the polls, ne’er to return in 2024, and Vandy’s 1-week stay at No. 25 might end, too. (Vandy should stay in the Top 25, by the way, but … voters.)
Florida, Arkansas and Kentucky certainly won’t be ranked at kickoff.
That leaves 1 more chance to make an impression: at hated rival Texas A&M in a long-awaited, world-ender on Thanksgiving weekend.
If the game were next week, #GigEm. Fortunately for the Longhorns, they still have time to get back to being the team everybody thought they were.
This isn’t about simply making the Playoff. Even if they lose at A&M and finish 10-2, Texas will have an at-large case — just not a no-doubt one, and certainly not a strong one to host a quarterfinal.
Bottom line: Wins are great, but margins matter.
It’s time to pick it up, Longhorns.
8. It can’t get worse than this, right Mizzou?
We get it: Brady Cook wasn’t healthy and eventually was knocked out of the game. (Playing a backup QB didn’t bother Indiana or Texas A&M, but I digress …)
But given the state of Alabama’s defense, Saturday’s show-me-nothing performance had to qualify as rock bottom for Eli Drinkwitz’s offense.
Check out the Tigers’ drive chart:
Oh, no, Mizzou.
Is this the worst offensive performance of Drinkwitz's tenure? pic.twitter.com/blpXvb8jwt— Saturday Down South (@SatDownSouth) October 26, 2024
None of that is any good, and I’m not sure which of the following is worse: Suffering the first shutout of the Drinkwitz era, or Luther Burden somehow catching 3 passes for 3 yards.
7. It was a good run, Mark Stoops
This is what “over” looks like.
An uninspiring home loss to one of the SEC’s worst teams.
But Saturday’s abysmal 24-10 loss to Auburn was more than that.
Kentucky has lost 4 consecutive SEC home games. Oddly, the only 1 they had a chance to win was a strange 13-12 loss to Georgia in Week 3.
For all of the good Stoops has done — heck, he beat Ole Miss a few weeks ago, and he raised the ceiling high enough that people actually care about losses instead of merely yawning — he’s about to finish with a losing SEC record for the 5th time in the past 6 years.
It’s fine to wonder whether anybody else could do better … but all you have to do is look north across the border at their hated basketball rival to know the answer is: At this point, yes.
6. Can we stop pretending Sam Pittman is on a hot seat, please?
This is a shocking concept, but not every team can go 12-0.
Heck, there are some Power conference programs that still have not won 10 games in any season.
Arkansas hasn’t won 10 games since 2011, and probably won’t this year, either. But I’d argue the Hogs are playing as well as they have at any point since that season.
They always were going to play — and keep playing — for Sam Pittman. That has never been in question, even as questions about his future grew louder. And Taylen Green won’t always look as good as he did Saturday (314 yards, 5 passing TDs) because the defense won’t always be as atrocious as Mississippi State’s.
But at their best? The Hogs are fully capable of officially ending Ole Miss’ Playoff hopes next week — and maybe Texas’, too, in Week 12.
5. Ranking the 5 easiest schedules among Playoff contenders
We’re getting close. The first Playoff ranking show is Tuesday, Nov. 5 — as if we needed something else to argue about that day.
Strength of schedule will be more important than ever because there are more teams than ever competing for spots.
These 5 teams have the easiest remaining path to 11-1 (or better).
No. 13 Indiana: As great as Indiana’s overnight success story has been — 2nd 8-0 start in program history — let’s also be real: The Hoosiers have feasted on the softest schedule among Power conference teams, and the finishing stretch won’t change the narrative. Michigan obviously is a brand name, but Ohio State is the only ranked team IU will face all season. And the Buckeyes hardly looked like world-beaters Saturday against Nebraska. Would an 11-1 IU team with no quality wins deserve an at-large bid? I don’t think so — unless they keep it within double-digits at Ohio State.
No. 6 Miami: The U hasn’t faced a ranked team — and won’t until the ACC title game. The Canes close with Duke, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Syracuse.
No. 11 BYU: The 8-0 Cougars hammered a ranked Kansas State team in Week 4, but that’s the only ranked team they’ll face in the regular season.
No. 10 Iowa State: The Cyclones haven’t faced a ranked team and might not, either, if No. 16 Kansas State slips up somewhere before they meet in the regular-season finale.
No. 3 Penn State: This is the most overrated team in the country. After Ohio State next week, it doesn’t get much easier than facing 4 teams in the bottom half of the B1G: Washington, Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland.
4. It’s time to talk about Brian Kelly and LSU …
Few, if any, recent SEC hires have enjoyed a longer honeymoon than Brian Kelly.
It’s time to ask: Is it over?
It should be. Despite his Playoff history and stated goals of bringing another banner to Baton Rouge, LSU isn’t appreciably better this year than the Tigers were last year, or the year before.
Saturday’s 15-point loss at Texas A&M was merely the latest missed opportunity.
Nobody is suggesting Kelly needs to be added to a hot-seat watch list, but instead of continuing to include the Tigers in every Playoff conversation … just because … from here on out, let’s treat Kelly and LSU like everybody else and make them earn it.
The truth is: This isn’t a Playoff team any more so than Ole Miss is.
3. The SEC’s 3 Playoff teams will be …
1. Georgia, 2. Texas A&M, 3. Tennessee
Texas A&M has never looked more legit, but the Aggies don’t exactly have a rich history of closing.
A&M’s Playoff path is simple and well-defined: They are a Playoff lock if they take down Texas to finish 11-1/8-0 in the league and secure a spot in the SEC Championship.
Everything will sort itself out, and it’s still more likely than not that a 4th SEC team makes the field, too. Texas obviously has the opportunity to right itself and earn a bid.
Just know this, SEC fans: Notre Dame is grabbing 1 of the 7 at-large spots, meaning the SEC would have to take 3 of the remaining 6. That’s a tough sell right now.
2. I know we’re overreacting to all things IU, but let’s not get crazy …
What should #13 Indiana (8-0) be ranked tomorrow? (Please only vote if you follow the sport)
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 26, 2024
1. Absolutely perfect …
"It's love. We love him and then we know that he loves us."
Coach Corso's former players and coaches share how much he means to them 🥹 pic.twitter.com/GbaU8Vf29D
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 26, 2024
What a moment for Lee Corso and Indiana football.
For the past 2 years, the noise has grown louder that Corso should step down from his duties at GameDay. At times, it has been painful to watch. Saturday was a celebration.
I’m not saying that is what Saturday was, but it’s impossible to think of a better way for Corso to say good-bye.
Like Cignetti, Elko also in Year 1. Like Cignetti, he’s about to exceed first-year expectations, too.
Here’s the key difference, though: Elko had a much higher bar to clear, in a much tougher landscape, too.
Both of these guy make Napier look like the idiot of the year. Oh wait idiot of the past 3 years
Hopefully this will be both him ElStupidio Scott last season.
Big Ten is down this year. Not like the ACC is, again, but sure looks like a two team league. Penn State is not one, they look like they’re living on borrowed time.
I am not sure if its down or just our middle of the pack teams have got better after loading up on transfers like Indiana, IL and Minnesota for example. All have starting QBs that transferred from other schools. The same goes for the SEC..the usual bottom dwellers or middle of the pack teams look better than they used too when they play the elite teams.
Yeah-B1G is a monster. Penn St is one of your best and they almost lose multiple games including to powerhouse Bowling Green. Smart commish though-just enough decent teams yearly to keep rankings up but not seriously contend with the 3-4 playoff contenders who are mostly kept off each other’s schedules. Much better strategy than the SEC where everyone is getting cannibalized.
B1G TV markets command BIG TV ratings, which command BIG $$$ TV contracts, which inflate the B1G’s reputation.
Year after year, playoff and bowl game records demonstrate the SEC is a stronger football conference, top to bottom.
Them’s the facts.
@roskie that would sound convincing but BG almost best Texas A&M . Sort of like a lot of teams BG has some transfers including a QB who used to start at a power 4 school
A&M in year 1 of new coach and QBs is obviously going to improve with every month into the season.
Thats a sorry excuse considering the same team competed with ND. A week or 2 before that?
Prior to this season, the Big 10 was Ohio State, Michigan and the 12 dwarves. This season, it’s Oregon, Ohio State and the 16 dwarves. Indiana is a feel good story, but Ohio State will expose them for what they are, the 2024 edition of 2022 TCU.
If ND goes 11-1 and lands a playoff bid and both Texas and TA&M reach their yearend face-off at 10-1, BOTH will make the playoff field and the SEC will get 4 teams into the playoffs. Otherwise, Tennessee will be the 2-loss team left out, due to their loss to Arkansas being worse than TA&M’s loss to playoff bound ND, or Texas’ loss to playoff bound UGA.
I don’t believe the Vols will beat UGA, or will be left out of the playoffs in favor of an 11-1 Indiana. There is no universe in which Indiana beats UGA, Texas, TA&M, or Tennessee in a playoff game.
I also don’t believe Penn St will finish this season with only one loss. They’re not that good.
Then whats the SEC this season? Outside of the Alabama first half loss the only dominant team looks to be Georgia
I dont know what to mKe of indiana..its a team filled with transfers so i do agree there schedule hasnt challenged them but one game to keep in mind is their UCLA game. They beat them by a larger margin than LSU did and it was an away game for Indiana. To me they have enough talent to compete against some of the best teams this year
The SEC this year has an UGA team that will dispatch either Oregon or tOSU. The Dawgs have the best combination of talent, coaching and experience in all of CFB.
The issue is that, besides Oregon and tOSU, the B1G has zero teams that can beat any of TA&M, Texas, Tennessee, or Alabama. Name one of the other 14 in the B1G that can beat any of those four in the SEC today.
Each P4 conference will get their champ in one of the 4 bye slots. After that, the question is how many at large spots should they get? The Big 12 should get none. The ACC should get one. The B1G should get two. ND should get one and the SEC should get the other three.
It won’t go that way with the committee trying to spread the wealth around, but that’s the way it should go.
I think Penn State, USC and even Indiana would at best beat those teams or at least stay competitive. Maybe not texas but alabama, UT and Texas A&M
And too add i am not sure UGa is that much better then OSU and oregon..good thing about the playoffs as opposed to the old system now the best teams dont have an easy path to the playoffs by just playing one or two
Games that they have weeks to prepare fo(which benefited the more talented teams) At minimum you have to win 3 or 4 games to win a championship
@FieldsHoyas07: Yup, all the conferences were pretty much the same, one or two dominant teams, a couple really competitive ones and a bunch of mediocre to bad. It’s always kind of been that way. Not so much anymore with the Big12 and PAC losing their big dogs, but historically you’re spot on.
7. It was a good run, Mark Stoops…..
UK recruiting is kinda heavy on 3-stars. Not sure why the Cats can’t attract better players. Is all the NIL money tied up in basketball?
If it were that simple. I don’t think talent this year is the problem. And I don’t think it has anything to do with basketball NIL. UK’s problems are a “checked out” coach. The fans have done everything he’s asked – “ponied up”, etc. Hell, we’re still packing the stadium. But he just doesn’t want to do this – at least here – anymore. But he also doesn’t want to walk away from $9mm/year. And his buyout is $44mm. We’re not A&M; can’t buy this out. We’re just stuck, and so is he.
UK offense is the problem this year imo. The defense can’t win by themselves.
Actually, talent IS the problem at UK. They’re #24 in the 247Sports Talent Composite. And, of the five teams that have beat them to date, only Vandy is ranked lower and UK upset Ole Miss, which is ranked higher, to offset that loss.
That dearth of talent at UK also explains why Stoops is open to other opportunities. He can’t recruit HS any better than Kiffin at Ole Miss and can’t get the UK NIL collective to pony up for TP transfers like Kiffin does at Ole Miss. Perhaps, that has to do with basketball. Football doesn’t get the same level of competition for NIL $$$ from the basketball program at Ole Miss as it gets at UK.
Them’s just the facts.
Yes, talent is the problem. Ky missed on a transfer QB they thought was going to be good and he is barely acceptable, and they have NO offensive line. Their only chance to beat teams is that the opposing team has one of those games and turns it over 4 times, creating a very short field for Ky.
There’s a reason plenty of Kentucky fans were happy when they thought A&M had hired stoops. Instead, they’re stuck with his $40m buyout unless he voluntarily leaves.
Okay, here’s something that no one has mentioned: the health of the UK team. Here is the injury list BEFORE the Auburn game:
Jayvant Brown | LB | Out
Maxwell Hairston | DB | Out
Darrion Henry-Young | DL | Out
Jantzen Dunn | DB | Out
Gerald Mincey | OL | Out
Josaih Hayes | DL | Out
Tavion Gadson | DL | Out
Chip Trayanum | RB | Out
Demie Sumo-Karngbaye | RB | Out
Take a look at the positions: 6 of 9 players listed as out are defensive players, including their best DB Maxwell Hairston. The Cats also lost starting outside linebacker JJ Weaver at the end of the first half, defensive back DJ Waller Jr. early in the third. Their best DL Deone Walker was listed as questionable during the week, so he might not have been at his best.
NOW, that said, this is the SEC. If you want to win you have to be able to recruit and develop at a level where you can build quality depth through your second string, and even into the third string. This just hasn’t happened at UK for a number of reasons: NIL, low number of in state high-level high school players, lack of tradition, etc.
On the offensive side of the ball, I think there are several issues that are causing the extremely poor offensive output: 1) new OC this year, 2) new OL coach, 3) not enough depth at the OL that was developed at UK (I sometimes question how long it take an OL player who transfers in to really become effective), 4) QB issues: neither of the 2 transfer QBs have been that impressive, 5) injury issues at RB: UK’s two best RBs were out for the game and the RB that had the majority of carries (25) is a true freshman.
All of those combined are a recipe for disaster in the SEC. Those are not excuses, but just real facts. I don’t see the Cats getting the necessary 6 wins this year to get bowl eligible.
This is just my opinion, but I think Stoops gets a pass this year based on the injuries and new coaches, BUT if next year’s results are similar, then I don’t see him remaining at UK.
I would like to hear real responses from UK fans (and knowledgeable other) on what they see as the major issues and Stoop’s future with UK.
Didn’t watch the game, but the line score indicates Kentucky quit on Stoops…
haven’t looked into it any further than this, three goose eggs under the points Auburn scored in quarters 2, 3, and 4 may tell everything we need to know.
Stoops got quit on, he got quit on at home; that hurts!
There is a reason Brock Vandergrift didn’t start at Georgia. And you were wrong about him…and a lot of other things.
Grits, that is so true. Say those words out loud; “…staving off Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt….” Now, couple that with the thought that Texas had a tough schedule this year? Please.
Texas is 7-1…
and Wright writes: “First, congratulations for staving off Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt in your first SEC road game.”
Nine weeks in and Texas plays their first SEC road game…
absolutely overreacting to that!
Sark is a prima donna in the “selection” committee’s world and it may take three losses to keep Texas out…
even with his favorable schedule, it’s still possible for Sark to fck things up.
After all the trouble tyrant Sankey went through to get Texas in, it would be a pleasant experience to see Texas on the outside looking in!
It will take 3 losses to keep Texas out of the CFP field this season. The hype machine has built them up to a point where they’re the first 2-loss team getting in as an at-large from the SEC.
Book it.
StLGator, I don’t think any 3 loss team makes it in this year, but I do loathingly agree that tu is the only team that could plausibly do it. No school brings in more viewership across the entire country than tu (evidence based statement – look it up folks), and we all know that CFP is designed to make max profit…
Mustard, the way things are shaking out in other conferences this season, zero 3-loss SEC teams will make the CFP field this season, not even overhyped Texas.
I see now that I misread your comment StLGator. I completely agree with the fact that Texas is in with only 2 losses at this point. Right now though, I just wish I could make it out to the USC game in person to support my team. I will have to settle for yelling support at the TV for this one.
To clarify, I am saying that if Texas ends the regular season with only 2 losses, I think they make the playoff. However, this year has been particularly chaotic in the SEC, so it’s still an open question as to how much the Committee chooses to both value wins and be forgiving of losses in the SEC, which is unquestionably the strongest top-to-bottom football conference this year (as always, but now even more so).
3-loss SEC title game runnerup would get in, if finished regular season with 2 losses. You better not have a bad loss if you have 2-losses. Idk why Alabama has any chance to get in with loss to Vandy + another loss.
Since entering the SEC, we (Aggies) have really enjoyed the respect within the conference. Yes, we rib each others teams, but rarely go after the other teams fans. I remember my first trip to The Grove and was shocked by Ole Miss guys inviting us to their tailgate. Quite a culture shock.
Just to be clear….Our fans and for most fans in the old big 12, our 2 favorite teams are the Aggies and whoever is playing tu….Which explains why Texas scores so big in television….So many fans are watching to see them lose!
It seems the rest of the SEC is catching on.
BTW, where are tu fans?
The problem with Kentucky and why it’s a tough job in the SEC is the lack of instate talent. Even though it doesn’t matter as much with the transfer portal and it is easier to recruit across the nation but i think in Kentucky high school basketball is bigger than football
The same can be said about Tennessee. Tennessee basically started the national recruiting trend back in the days of Majors and Fulmer. They didn’t have enough instate talent, so they went where the talent was. They were successful. Though when the program fell on hard times, it made it harder for them to overcome, but it appears that they have now done so.
Yeah that is a good point! TN does have some advantages over Ky, one it has bigger cities and a larger population so it has given it a larger pool to recruit from and i am assuming high school football is more popular than basketball?. In comparison to rest of the “old” sec…lets just tell it like it is just like Kentucky, TN has a whiter population so that doesn’t/didn’t help lol
Kentucky has talent but not SEC elite talent that the Dawgs have. KY changes OC jobs every year so we are a terrible offensive team
Lee Corso has dragged down CFB for so long. I can’t figure out why anyone likes him or gives him such high praise. He was a mid AF coach and his retirement can’t come soon enough.
College Gameday is a clown show.
Beat me to it. I don’t waste my time with that mess.
Unwatchable garbage.
Brian Kelly 4-7 vs top 25 teams at LSU. Fairly telling.
We’ll know everything we’ll need to know about Brian Kelly in two weeks!!!
In the first playoff game of the season, the loser of the Alabama/LSU game will officially be out of the brand new 12 team playoff…
The 12 Team playoff is over two decades late…
it’s a shame that the tyrant Sankey was able to convince men with balls that their conference championship teams didn’t deserve a chance to play for the title…
we, along with the men with no balls, got scammed by Sankey’s SEC Ponzi scheme scam!
It’s great to finally have a coach who understands that you need the whole team and is willing to make the hard choices to get a win. This season has exceeded expectations so far, and this is the time we’ll find out how well they handle success. I’m intrigued to see how far Elko and Klein can take this team. Gig ’em!
Y’all should crack the top 10 today.
I’m more interested in the committee ranking, but frankly, just stay focused and get that next win at SCe.
I think Texas A&M is the best team in the SEC, and they are getting hotter every week. I can’t wait to for the Texas A&M/Texas game. Hopefully A&M doesn’t stumble before then (don’t think they will) because that one is shaping up to be epic.
They should be ahead of the Vols. Better resume for sure
That SCar game will be an interesting road challenge for the Aggies. They better not take it lightly.
The Cocks got a bye week to prepare for this one and watched how Reed carved up LSU. Their very active front seven will be ready for Reed.
Perhaps, switching back to Weigman at QB and beating the questionable SCar DBs deep will work for the Aggies the way it worked for LSU and Alabama. The Aggie OL will have to give him time for deep throws to get open.
The key to another Aggie win is for Elco’s D to shut down the anemic SCar O. So, they better show up ready to rumble.
AggieRider and StLGator are 100% correct about the real USC this season. The Gamecocks are a very talented and well-coached team that the Aggies must play in a primetime SEC on ABC matchup on the road at a raucous William Brice Stadium. I’ve been worried about this game since the LSU vs USC game, with USC getting better every week just like A&M. I hope we get Chase Bisontis back healthy this week because that USC defense is scary and we need all the best hands on deck in the trenches for what will very likely be an extremely close one at USC.
Vol98 we might want to pump the breaks on the A&M is the best team in the SEC. They didn’t look anything like the best team in the SEC through the first 2 1/2 quarters. The change to Reed meant a change in offensive philosophy that LSU had not prepared for. It will be interesting moving forward how successful the offense is when teams prepare for Reed at QB.
If you look back at my posts in the past I continuously referred to Jimbo as Sumlin 2.0 because that’s all he gave Aggies fans. Now, here we are talking about Coach Elko. Why are the A&M fans not screaming about the Board of Regents wasting millions and years on Jimbo? The Florida fans sure know their AD needs to be cut.
Calling Jimbo “Sumlin 2.0” is an affront to Sumlin.
We’re not screaming because Elko is doing so dam* well and because the Aggie Boosters’ pocketbooks are essentially bottomless. A&M has more incredibly wealthy donors than basically any other school not named tu. Plus, you need to think about what it was like for Bama fans in Saban’s 2nd year (2008 I believe) and factor in that A&M (arguably) has never looked better on a national level than they do now. Aggies are riding with our team each week and couldn’t care less about what Dimbo does with his millions.
“It’s great to finally have a coach who understands that you need the whole team and is willing to make the hard choices to get a win. ”
right! even with the exodus of that 2022 draft class, it’s scary just how much talent is still on this team and ready to come in. reed was other level type stuff last night. i can’t help to also not think about the fact that we may not have even seen him last night, had henderson been healthy. so much talent on that roster….and you finally have a hc looking out for the greater good of the team.
seeing what reed did last night, i can guarantee you that reed and a&m caught cks’ attn in athens.
The exodus was a bit overstated for that 2022 recruiting class. A handful of those guys were simplybad apples. There are still 16 guys left from that class. Eight or so are real contributors and a few more still have a chance to develop in the next season or two. I’ll bet those percentages are about the same for most recruiting classes.
Well, on the opportunities for Texas to beat ranked teams, there is a possibility, maybe, that if Arkansas beats Ole Miss convincingly they might make a #24 or 25. Not that impressive but still another ranked team. So Longhorn fans might want to pull for an Arkansas upset against the Rebels for CFP consideration insurance should they loose the A&M game.
There is no way a 10-2 tu team is left out of a 12 team playoff, as much as I hate it. Heck, look at how they snuck in last season.
Another really interesting weekend in the sec.
I agree on Pittman job status. But I also expect petrino to get a HC gig next season and that could spell trouble again.
TX has a lot of talent but they didn’t play well. Credit to Vandy. I think TU loses at least 1 and maybe 2 more.
Will stoops gang em up after this season. Wouldn’t surprise me one bit. He won’t be fired though.
Mizzou just looked abysmal. No adequate backup qb was huge but they looked bad pretty much everywhere. They are toast for any chance at a playoff and if cook is not 100% for much of anything else.
I had a feeling lsu would struggle. I didn’t expect a total meltdown from nuss and the team. By the time they got a bit of a handle on how to play reed the was in the bag. Kelly is just not as great a coach as many make him out to be.
It will be interesting to see if reed has the same success as teams watch more film and prepare for him. He was electric and certainly earned his shot.
I wouldn’t pencil anyone in the CFP just yet. Still too much ball left to play, especially for UT.
What crazy year and it will likely only get crazier.
“I agree on Pittman job status. But I also expect petrino to get a HC gig next season and that could spell trouble again.”
the whole petrino dynamic at ark is so intriguing. it’s reasonable to wonder how many backroom conversations that he and pittman have had with yurachek concerning the future of the program and positions within the program….as well as how many backroom conversations have likely taken place just between petrino and yurachek concerning the same. you don’t want to think that something shady could happen, but we are talking about petrino.
Petrino is very happy at just being a OC and I don’t believe he will be looking for a HC gig. Also, there is no way he will ever be HC again at Arkansas. Boosters wanted Pittman gone and have been withholding NIL contributions but if he makes a bowl game Yurachek will be forced to retain him. I can see Yurachek giving Petrino and other coaches raises, pour NIL money and give Sam an opportunity to prove himself before offering him an extension.
Iowa State’s only possibility of facing a ranked team is Kansas State. Just sounds weird to say it out loud. Playing in the Big Ten and it’s Kansas State for a marquee win. Hmmm.
Big 12. I can’t count.
How do you get to be an NCAA Div. I OC and not understand how receivers get open? Or not be able to explain it to 18 year olds? Every person watching the game even on TV could see the space but Cook, Pyrne, and their receivers could not? And oh my that run offense and defense has to be able to play a whole game! Every snap. I think we are seeing a coaching staff that is just too lazy or un assertive to keep a program improving for 1/3 of a year! Gentlemen, you’re better than that,
Their coaching staff has plenty of energy…..have you watched how that doofus Drinkwitz behaves?? Bowl bound baby!!!
Did you see how Bama’s pass rush hounded Cook out of the game? The Mizzou OL did not give him enough clean pocket time for deep and cross patterns to break open.
If I saw that, so did Mizzou’s OC.
No team will benefit more from the 12 team format than Penn St. They would never make the field before as Ohio St or Michigan would always nudge them out. But they’ll finish 11-1 or 10-2 and be in the field almost every year in the new format. Their OOC scheduling is always a joke and their teams are always overrated imo.
Texas still has to play Florida and Arkansas, both of whom are dangerous, and Texas A&M. No one is going to poo-poo their schedule if they win the rest of their games, or even if they lose a close one to A&M at Kyle Field.
It looks like A&M has finally found a guy to overcome the infamous A&M late season collapse. The elite talent was always there under Jimbo, but whenever Jimbo has won big it’s been in spite of his culture, not because of it. Watch out for A&M now.
Brian Kelly seems like a pretty good, if not great, coach. Elko seems like a better one. Kelly never won the biggest games at Notre Dame. His record as “winningest coach” at Notre Dame was just a function of longevity, and that moniker may not even still be accurate after the 2012-13 vacated wins.
Ranking Tennessee ahead of Texas as a potential playoff team is laughably stupid. The Tennessee offense is not good. They will lose to Georgia and they have to play Vanderbilt in Nashville — which is now a thing — a team they have lost to in five of the last 12 years. And this Vanderbilt team is better than any team Tennessee faced in those 12 years.
They should just forfeit the season now
He’s not wrong. The Vols aren’t very good.
This is probably the worst Vols team they’ve had in the last 4 years and were supposibly “back” the last 3 years. They’ll drop the UGA and Vandy game
I can see that happening
Too soon Nash. I am happy for the season so far, but I’m still taking it one game at a time.
Agreed that the future cannot yet be known, AggieRider. But the defense is both talented and well coached. That’s two-thirds of the battle.
What a laughably stupid comment by Nash Gator who is still salty over being a Gator fan and living in Gods Country. Wouldn’t expect any less…
Actually, I live in Austin, Texas now. And we will see how stupid the comment ends up being.
Apparently Austin grocers only have sour grapes in stock. Take pity on the gaytors. They have no long-term AD and no quality coach is going to step into that role. They’ll have to pay a Jimbo Fisher/lincoln Riley sized contract to get a guy on the level of Drinkwitz/Cignetti/Jedd Fisch. Most likely they’re stuck with Billy for another year. Plus the NIL has been an embarrassment to the point of lawsuits occurring. Trending towards some mean regression to the non-Spurrier/Urban days.
Gaytors? Are you 8 years old?
Fraking moron
Texas is 7-1…
and Wright writes: “First, congratulations for staving off Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt in your first SEC road game.”
Nine weeks in and Texas plays their first SEC road game…
absolutely overreacting to that!
BYU did beat a currently ranked SMU team in a non-conference game so most liekly will have wins against 2 ranked teams at the end of the season. Anyways, with the new concept of super conferences one issue that i am seeing is teams that end up with an easy conference schedule and that is in all leagues. I wonder how the committee factors that in
Very important point here. Especially if you combine that with an easy OOC schedule (see Mizzou).
Chris Wright…
you’re spousal spat with Brian Kelly came two weeks too early…
we’ll know everything we’ll need to know about Brian Kelly in two weeks!!! In the first playoff game of the season, the loser of the Alabama/LSU game will officially be out of the brand new 12 team playoff…
if Kelly loses that one, Kelly’s LSU marriage will be in hot water.
There have already been playoff elimination games, Mizzou just lost one of those
Why is Coach Drink chopping it up with opposing players in the middle of a humiliating beat down? Wipe the grin off your face, lock in, and mitigate that disaster of a performance so the team can go home with some sort of competitive spirit! Never would see Saban, Smart, Sark, or any other championship level coaches doing that. I guess that’s an amalgamation of his culture though. I’m glad the team has so much love for each other in the locker room, but where’s the competitive spirit and championship mindset? Did it graduate with Cody Schrader last year?
Kentucky would need to pay upwards of $30 M to fire Stoops
No way that happens this season
Fat out of shape most important to him is his Bourbon Distiller business and bourbon drinking with his friends at Ruby’s, the doughboy pot bellied Stoops will get another year after making $1.7M per win. Does anyone that gives to NIL and buys season tickets want to anymore. I as hell do not. He needs to go ASAP regardless of his few years of success here. His team was not motivated to even play hard last game. Done with this team after season ticket holder since 1974.
As disappointing as this season has been for Kentucky fans, I remember the old days where we won only a couple of games each year and only made a bowl game every 12-15 years. Kentucky has limited offensive weapons this year (minus some good receivers), a below average O-line, and a below overage QB. My feeling is to give Stoops another year. Often transition years when a new coach takes over are equally as painful as this year has been. Kentucky is not going to get a lot of quality candidates apply to be HC.
Tennessee will need to beat Georgia in a few weeks to make the playoffs. Tennessee has a bad loss in Arkansas. A&M and Texas at 2 losses overall (better losses) would both make the playoff over a 2-loss Tennessee team, surely.
Fat out of shape most important to him is his Bourbon Distiller business and bourbon drinking with his friends at Ruby’s, the doughboy pot bellied Stoops will get another year after making $1.7M per win. Does anyone that gives to NIL and buys season tickets want to anymore. I as hell do not. He needs to go ASAP regardless of his few years of success here. His team was not motivated to even play hard last game. Done with this team after season ticket holder since 1974.
I really thought Stoops was going to keep UK at a consistent 8-9 wins a year with the occasional upside surprise. Last night was a huge setback. UK has landed highly regarded transfer QBs 2 years in a row, but neither has worked.
Side note… Mrs. VAVOL1 and I were at Malone’s Hamburg location last night after a great day at Keeneland. We stepped into the sports bar area around mid way through the 3rd quarter. All TVs but one were on the Cats game but the bar was half empty. Bad coaching is one thing, but fan apathy is another.
100% KY fans deserve a competitive team. Stoops was giving us that. It feels like something has changed. Changing OCs every year is a big issue that needs to be addressed
My daughter went to IU, so we are happy they are relevant every 40 years or so. Every team plays the teams on their schedule. I do recall Washington was in the Natty in January, so who knew they would be so mediocre? Michigan was relevant in January also. Let’s just be happy the Big is more than just Michigan and Ohio State. The bigger the bowl game, the bigger the payout. No one thinks they are a top 4 team, but let’s just enjoy the fun of College Football.