Welcome to the first edition of the sophomore season of The Hangover, where I recap the previous weekend in college football. This week, The Hangover comes from Charlotte, North Carolina, where I spent Friday and Saturday working and soaking up college football. I watched West Virginia beat Tennessee 40-14 in the Queen City, and I must say that Will Grier is a spectacular thrower. Maybe more striking is his pocket awarenss and ability to get rid of the ball quickly; He had thirty-eight dropbacks against the Vols and hit the turf twice (on two sacks). I was very impressed with the Mountaineers. A lot of things happened this weekend, so let’s dive right in.
Week one is all about the over-reactions. Fans and media members try to tell you they won’t do it, but judging off of a small sample size is inevitable. And, let’s face it, it’s hard to watch week one games and not use those results to project how things will go the rest of the season. While I think we have to be careful with some of the things we saw, a few takes will probably be harbingers of things to come for certain programs. So, let’s take some temperatures. I’ll list some popular takes I saw on social media after Week 1, and then I’ll rate each statement as a “hot take,” “cold take,” or “just right.” Let’s get it started.
Jim Harbaugh should be feeling the heat very soon.
Just Right. I’m as big a critic as any of Jim Harbaugh. I agree that, thus far, he has failed as the head coach of Michigan. The man is 9-9 in his last 18 games; to put that in perspective, Nick Saban is 91-9 in his last 100 games at Alabama. Harbaugh’s record against rivals can’t be ignored, either. Bottom line, Coach Khaki has to start winning and showing some improvements on offense. With the addition of Shea Patterson in the offseason, Michigan fans were fed the idea that things would be different this year. Instead, Big Blue lost at Notre Dame in a game that felt like it was teetering on the edge of a blowout up until the fourth quarter. The offense couldn’t run the football, and Patterson looked uncomfortable trying to run a pro-style offense. The reason I’m calling this take just right is the “very soon” part of the sentence. As I stated earlier, I’m a big critic of Jim Harbaugh. But I don’t think he should be on the hot seat yet. This is probably the best roster he’s had while in Ann Arbor, and I think we have to see how it plays out before we start calling for his job. There were lots of flashes of good on Saturday, and the defense played really well in the second half. I’m not ready to say Harbaugh’s in trouble quite yet.
LSU will challenge Alabama in the SEC West.
Hot Take. Like most of America, I was very impressed with LSU’s performance against Miami on Sunday night. However, I think a big reason why LSU won by 16 points is because Miami played that bad and Malik Rosier struggled that much. One LSU fan I talked to was very excited, especially with the offense, as he told me how impressed he was with offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger (“**** Matt Canada,” he told me, although Canada must be commended for his Week 1 work in an interim role at Maryland). While I agree the offense looked better, proclaiming LSU as a threat to Alabama in the SEC West is premature. Joe Burrow played well, but I didn’t see a game-changer at quarterback. I saw a game-manager. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if LSU wants to make a run at the SEC West title, they need Burrow to develop into a game-changer.
Tom Herman isn’t the right guy for Texas.
Just Right. I don’t necessarily disagree here because Texas continues to disappoint. I have no idea how Maryland swept a home-and-home with the Longhorns. It doesn’t make sense. The expectations were high coming into the year for Herman’s bunch, and those expectations have stalled after a 34-29 loss in Landover. As of right now, this take is a touch hot; however, Texas’ next five games are against Tulsa at home, USC at home, TCU at home, at Kansas State, and Oklahoma in Dallas. All five are winnable if the Longhorns play to their talent and potential. If not, and if we see the team the nation witnessed on Saturday, don’t be surprised if Texas is 2-4 or 1-5 midway through the season. If that’s the case, this take may turn cold and Herman may be on the hot seat.
The Pac-12 is finished.
Hot Take. Washington did the impossible; the Huskies lost to Auburn and, somehow, played in a way that made pundits think they’ve still got a shot to make the playoff. It was a hard-fought defeat for Chris Peterson’s club, and the Huskies certainly looked like a team capable of running the table in conference play and finishing at 11-1. If that happens, Washington will make the playoff. Other teams to watch out for are Stanford, Oregon, and USC, who have the capability of playing their way into a playoff position. Stanford-USC this weekend will answer a lot of questions.
Gray’s Top 10
- Alabama
- Clemson
- Auburn
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- Georgia
- Wisconsin
- Notre Dame
- Stanford
- LSU
Alabama takes the top spot, and it isn’t even close. In Nick Saban’s tenure in Tuscaloosa, he’s never had a game-changing quarterback. That has changed this season with Tua Tagovailoa. Alabama’s offense should terrify teams around the country; it may be premature, but if I see the same team that played against Louisville on September 15th against Ole Miss, I’m changing my national champion pick to the Crimson Tide. Clemson rolled past Furman, and we got to see our first glimpse of Trevor Lawrence. Boy, he’s going to be good. Auburn had the best win of the weekend. I have some concerns about the offensive line, but the defensive front is absolutely nasty. We’ll see how for real they are against LSU in two weeks. Ohio State’s offense looked superb, albeit against arguably one of the three worst Power Five teams in the country. The defense giving up some big plays is a concern. Oklahoma shocked me with a dominant win over Florida Atlantic. Kyler Murray was great, but the defense really impressed me. Maybe they do belong in the bigger CFP conversation. Georgia did what it had to do in Week 1, as did Wisconsin. Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush showed some development, and the Fighting Irish defense is nasty. Stanford needs more from Bryce Love, obviously, but the passing game looks lethal with JJ Arcega-Whiteside stretching the field. Lastly, LSU slides in. Do I think LSU is a top ten team? No. But they earned this ranking after throttling Miami in Arlington. I still think this is an 8-4 squad, but I’m much more excited to see how this team plays into the SEC picture going forward.
Coach of the Week
The most impressive team through two games this year has been Hawaii, led by Nick Rolovich. The Rainbow Warriors were 3-9 last year and 1-7 in the Mountain West. Expectations were low coming into 2018. Things have changed, however, after two blowout wins over Colorado State (43-34) and an always-tough Navy squad (59-41). Quarterback Cole McDonald has thrown for 846 yards so far, with nine touchdowns and an impressive zero interceptions. I’m on the bandwagon now, folks, and I see a legitimate chance for Hawaii to be 9-0 heading into a tough road match-up on October 27th against Fresno State.
Idiot of the Week
With my weekend work in Charlotte, I didn’t get to watch as much football as usual. When I came home, though, I got to sit down and view the entirety of the disastrous debut in Tallahassee for Willie Taggert as Florida State’s new head coach. Taggert gets the first IOTW of the year because of one play call. In the fourth quarter, trailing Virginia Tech 17-3, the Seminoles had a 3rd and goal situation from the Hokie 10-yard line. With time winding down, it appeared obvious that FSU would have to go for it should a touchdown not be scored on the 3rd down play. Taggert called a timeout to think about it, and then the offense came back out on the field. The Seminoles lined up in the wildcat and tried to run a zone read, leading to a horrendous exchange in the backfield and a fumble that essentially iced the game. Florida State’s offensive line had been Swiss cheese all night, but Taggert made the call to try and run on third and goal from the ten. Worse, he chose two players (Cam Akers and a receiver coming in motion) who probably don’t practice the zone read often to try and attempt this ride and read play. Predictably, just like the rest of Taggert’s debut, the play was a disaster.
Random Rankings
This week’s Random Rankings tackles college football analysts. These are the color commentators who I think are the finest in their field. Whether it’s providing quality commentary, humorous banter, or a perfect explanation for certain plays, these guys are the best in the business. And make no mistake, all of these guys are very, very good at their jobs. *Disclaimer*: per usual, once Random Rankings are posted, they aren’t changing. So don’t get any ideas. I’m very stubborn. If you have comments or questions, shoot me a tweet at @gray_robertson.
1. Todd Blackledge, ESPN
The former Penn State quarterback knows the game backwards and forwards, and Todd provides fantastic analysis each and every broadcast. I think his partnership with Brad Nessler was pure gold. Also a really good guy, Todd is my favorite color analyst out there. We must bring back Todd’s Taste of the Town.
2. Gary Danielson, CBS
Gary gets a lot of flack from SEC fans, but you’d be hard-pressed to find somebody who knows the schemes of college football better. He was great with Verne Lundquist and is just as good with Brad Nessler. Gary just gets the game, and that’s what makes him so good in the booth.
3. Spencer Tillman, FOX
The man with the best vocabulary in sports, Spencer Tillman is one of the best. An excellent analyst who played at Oklahoma, Spencer has insanely good chemistry with play-by-play man Tim Brando, which makes the broadcast even more entertaining. Spencer came and spoke at my high school a few years ago, and he’s a very thoughtful guy, something that shines through in each broadcast. Plus, his family is great. I’m a big fan.
4. Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN
Kirk is the hardest working man in college football, as evidenced by his travel schedule for week one this year. He’s excellent at his craft and always provides on-point in-game analysis. Kirk also goes a great job of watching away from the ball and providing a clue into what the quarterback sees every time he drops back.
5. Joel Klatt, FOX Sports
He’s great with Gus Johnson and is able to match his in-game energy in each broadcast. Joel is also a smart guy, and I think his takes are some of the better ones you’ll see on a national scale.
Honorable Mention: Brock Huard (ESPN), Brian Griese (ESPN), and Greg McElroy (ESPN).
SEC Power Rankings
I’m an SEC guy through and through, so I have to include my SEC Power Rankings. The best conference in America started 13-1 (thanks, Tennessee), and the quarterback play was impressive across the board. I’m interested to see which signal-callers can keep it up as the season progresses.
- Alabama
- Auburn
- LSU
- Georgia
- Ole Miss
- Mississippi State
- South Carolina
- Texas A&M
- Florida
- Missouri
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Vanderbilt
So Who’s Ready for Next Week?
Lots of great match-ups coming up. Here’s what we have to look forward to this weekend:
#2 Clemson at Texas A&M
#18 Mississippi State at Kansas State
UCLA at #6 Oklahoma
#3 Georgia at #24 South Carolina
#13 Penn State at Pittsburgh
#17 USC at #10 Stanford
#15 Michigan State at Arizona State
Iowa State at Iowa
Kentucky at #25 Florida
It should be another exciting week of college football! I’ll be in Columbia for the big Week Two battle between Georgia and South Carolina. Also, I’m making another SEC Network+ appearance on Thursday for Alabama women’s soccer versus South Alabama at 7 pm CT (shameless plug, yes). Tune in if you can! Thanks for reading this week’s edition of The Hangover. See you next week!