Welcome to the fifth edition for the junior season of The Hangover, where I recap the previous weekend in college football. This week, The Hangover comes to you from Biloxi, Mississippi, where I took the weekend off for a senior trip with some friends. I also did sports betting for the first time ever and went 5-4, so I think I’ll stop for the rest of my life to preserve a winning record. It was a weekend without tons of excitement, but that’s not to say things didn’t happen. Let’s dive in!
After Week Zero, most of the nation had written off the Florida Gators as an overrated team. Feleipe Franks was volatile at quarterback and the offense as a whole didn’t look very impressive. That opinion has largely remained the same since August 24th, but now things are changing after this past Saturday.
Dan Mullen and his Gators squashed Auburn in the Swamp 24-13 behind a suffocating defense and gutsy quarterback play from backup Kyle Trask. The Tigers were hot and had looked like a typical Auburn “destiny” team, but Florida shut that down quickly thanks to a four forced turnovers. Despite leaving the game for a bit with a sprained knee, Trask was 19/31 for 234 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon against a vaunted Auburn defense with maybe the best defensive front in the SEC.
So, where does Florida fit into the national landscape? Is this a team that can challenge Georgia in the East and maybe beat LSU on the road this weekend? I’m not so sure.
We’ve seen this movie before. Remember last year? The Gators hosted undefeated and fifth-ranked LSU in the Swamp on October 6th and won 27-19, then lost two weeks later against Georgia 36-17 and Missouri the weekend after that 38-17. Florida has a tendency to win early season games at home against really good teams and then lose that goodwill a few weeks later against another good team and an average team. Last year’s defense was largely as respected as this year’s, so I’m being wary about jumping on the Florida bandwagon. There is one wild card in all of this though, and that’s Kyle Trask.
Look, I wouldn’t say Florida’s offense looked electric or anything, but Trask himself didn’t make too many risky throws on Saturday against Auburn. The Gators’ defense will keep them in the game, so if Trask is smart with the ball, maybe Florida can keep things going. I’m just not confident that will happen.
On the flip side, it’s back to the drawing board for Auburn. I’ve warned you for weeks to not jump on the bandwagon just yet and that I needed to see more before I became a Bo Nix Believer, and Saturday showed just how far he has to go. Will Nix eventually become a good quarterback in the SEC? I think so, but to expect greatness from him as a true freshman was a little presumptuous. The Tigers did a great job to start at 5-0, but the schedule doesn’t get easier with Alabama, Georgia, and LSU still on the horizon. If Auburn finishes better than 9-3, it’ll be Gus Malzahn’s best coaching job yet.
More Week Six Thoughts
-Michigan beat Iowa, and I feel a little better about the Wolverines now because of the defense. Forcing eight sacks against a pretty good offensive line is impressive, and Jim Harbaugh’s squad was sound on that side of the ball all day long. Still, the offense worries me, and Michigan won’t have a prayer against Penn State or Wisconsin unless Shea Patterson, Josh Gattis, and the rest of the crew can take a step forward and figure things out. There’s a playoff-type team somewhere in Ann Arbor, things just haven’t lined up quite yet. And yes, the win this weekend doesn’t change my feelings about Jim Harbaugh.
-Ohio State continues to roll, and now the question is who can stop this team? Even against a good defense known for stopping the run, the Buckeyes ripped apart Michigan State thanks to 172 yards from J.K. Dobbins. Ohio State will have to play a close game eventually, but can anyone in the Big Ten beat them? I have a hard time believing it, except for maybe Wisconsin.
-Watching Georgia dismantle Tennessee on Saturday night was impressive, especially after the Vols jumped out to a 14-10 lead early in the second quarterer. The Bulldogs’ defense is looking better and better each week, and Jake Fromm is just so darn efficient.
-I know the Pac-12 is largely considered to be out of the playoff, but that doesn’t mean we should stop paying attention to this league. Nothing makes sense, and it’s as if the larger narratives of a season don’t apply in this conference. There was zero evidence that suggested Stanford would beat Washington, but the Cardinal won 23-13 in pretty dominating fashion. Oregon State wrecked UCLA 48-31 just two weeks after it looked like Chip Kelly had his mojo back. The Pac-12 doesn’t make sense, but that’s what makes it fun. Well, unless you’re Larry Scott trying to get a playoff bid that will justify your excessive salary.
-SMU was down 30-9 heading into the fourth quarter against Tulsa and somehow came back to force overtime, eventually winning 43-37 after three extra sessions to improve to 6-0. Quietly, the Mustangs are turning into the story of the year thanks to a multitude of transfers brought in by Sonny Dykes, including quarterback Shane Buechele. Things are about to get tougher with a scrappy Temple team coming to town in a few weeks and then consecutive road games at Houston and Memphis. Still, watch out for SMU. Not saying it would happen, but a 12-0 Mustangs squad could be closer to the top of the CFP rankings that anticipated thanks to a road victory at TCU this season. Watch these highlights from Saturday, because this game was a ton of fun and ended with one of the catches of the year.
Gray’s Top Ten
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Clemson
- LSU
- Oklahoma
- Florida
- Wisconsin
- Texas
- Penn State
Things have changed mightily since we last brought you the top ten. First is Alabama, led by Tua Tagovailoa and maybe the best receiving corps in college football history. If the defense can continue to develop and fix a few issues, the Tide will continue to roll. I’ve moved Ohio State up to number two after two straight weeks of dominating wins against decent Big Ten teams. Georgia moves up to number three based on what I’ve seen this season, and I now think the Bulldogs will meet Alabama in the SEC Championship undefeated. Clemson is down to four after holding the top spot all season, and the answer is easy–if the Tigers played the four teams ranked ahead of them on a neutral field, I think they’d lose. Trevor Lawrence hasn’t been as sharp this year, and running the football has suddenly become a bit more difficult. Clemson isn’t going to lose in the regular season because nobody in the ACC is close to their level, but that doesn’t mean the Tigers are the best team in the country. LSU and Oklahoma continue to linger in the top six with both tests coming this weekend, and I’ve got the Gators up to number seven. Wisconsin and Jonathan Taylor sit at eight, and Texas and Penn State round out the top ten.
Coach of the Week
Don’t look now, but Baylor is 5-0 thanks to a spectacular turnaround from head coach Matt Rhule. This is Rhule’s third season at the helm of this program, and the results speak for themselves. 1-11 in year one transformed to 7-6 last season to an undefeated start in the 2019 campaign that beat previously-ranked Kansas State 31-12 on the road this past weekend. What’s impressive about the Bears is the defense, which is 19th in the country in scoring and 24th in total defense. Remember, this is a team that gave up 30+ points in nine of twelve games two years ago and last year allowed 31.7 points a contest last season. I’m not saying Baylor is a contender for the Big 12 title or that they can beat Oklahoma or Texas, but the job Rhule has done in Waco cannot be ignored.
Idiot of the Week
This week’s idiot is none other than yours truly because I got greedy at a casino. Yes, I know, this isn’t the first tale you’ve head of someone not knowing when to quit at the roulette tables, but I was up considerably and didn’t walk away. Don’t gamble, kids. It usually won’t go in your favor.
Also, what in the world was going on in Miami? The game between Virginia Tech and the Hurricanes was completely off the wall and very fun to watch. I know N’Kosi Perry had some issues last season but, after the way he played on Saturday, it’s easy to wonder why he hadn’t already replaced freshman quarterback Jarren Williams. Either way, what a bonkers game.
150 Corner
SMU’s 21-point rally against Tulsa on Saturday brings to our attention some of the best comebacks in college football history. Teams finding something down thirty and fighting back to win doesn’t happen often but, when it does, it’s a magical experience. Here are some of the best comebacks ever to occur in this great sport.
Yes, I’m including Texas A&M’s collapse against UCLA, and not just because of the margin that the Bruins faced before the win. Alabama plays the Aggies this weekend, and as much bad Maroon Juju I can put in the universe only helps. Also, isn’t it wild that UCLA is on this list twice at all, let alone once on either end of the comeback?
Random Rankings
We here at Random Rankings HQ love our movies, as noted by our Oscar predictions that will hit in February in The Buzzer-Beater. This past Thursday, we went to the theater and watched Joker, an ultra-complicated movie that will surely be debated about for the rest of 2019. We’ve written our full review of the film, and you can see that in February, but for now we wanted to highlight the performance of Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role. The Joker character has provided many actors with a chance to shine, and Phoenix definitely rose to the occasion in this movie. That begs the question–which actors have given the best performances as the Clown Prince of Crime? Here are the rankings.
1-Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
2-Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
3-Mark Hamill, Batman Animated Series
4-Jack Nicholson, Batman
5-Zach Galifianakis,LEGO Batman
SEC Power Rankings
The conference is really starting to take shape. Can the bottom of the league pull off some upsets this year? I’m not so sure. Here’s how The Hangover sees things stacking up in the conference where it just means more.
- Alabama (LW: 1)
- Georgia (2)
- LSU (3)
- Florida (5)
- Auburn (4)
- Missouri (6)
- Texas A&M (7)
- Kentucky (8)
- South Carolina (10)
- Ole Miss (11)
- Mississippi State (8)
- Tennessee (13)
- Vanderbilt (12)
- Arkansas (14)
So Who’s Ready for Next Week?
Here’s what’s on deck for a stacked Week Seven:
#20 Virginia at Miami, 7 pm CT on ESPN (Friday)
South Carolina at #3 Georgia, 11 am CT on ESPN
#6 Oklahoma vs. #11 Texas, 11 am CT on FOX
#16 Michigan at Illinois, 11 am CT on ABC
#1 Alabama at #24 Texas A&M, 2:30 CT on CBS
Florida State at #2 Clemson, 2:30 CT on ABC
Michigan State at #8 Wisconsin, 2:30 CT
Washington State at #18 Arizona State, 2:30 CT on Pac-12 Network
#25 Cincinnati at Houston, 2:30 CT on ESPN2
Texas Tech at #22 Baylor, 3:00 CT
USC at #9 Notre Dame, 6:30 CT on NBC
#10 Penn State at #17 Iowa, 6:30 CT on ABC
#7 Florida at #5 LSU, 7 CT on ESPN
Washington at Arizona, 10 CT
That’s it for this edition of The Hangover! This weekend, we’re headed to College Station to work the Alabama-Texas A&M game before coming back to Tuscaloosa on Sunday to call Alabama-LSU soccer on SEC Network+. It’ll be a packed weekend, so stay tuned for lots of tweets from different events. See you next week, college football fans!