The Hangover, Week 9

Welcome to the first edition of The Hangover, where we recap the previous weekend in college football. College football is the best time of the year (and that’s not up for debate, so don’t even start), I want this weekly column to be the thing that gives you your fill on Sunday. I want The Hangover to be the two Advil and bottled water you scarf down after a day of drinking throughout exciting contests, hard-fought match-ups, and shocking upsets on the gridiron. Consider this your trip to Waffle House the next morning after a full day of partying. For your all-inclusive look back at the weekend that was in college football, The Hangover has you covered (and smothered).

All week, I questioned Ohio State and JT Barrett. I questioned whether Barrett, who has now solidified himself as a Buckeye legend, could sustain his statistical success against teams with an actual pass defense. I cited numbers, historical performances, and more…and JT Barrett slapped them right in my face. Ohio State came back from two separate 18-point deficits to beat Penn State 39-38 in what was easily the most impressive performance of the season by any team in any game in my eyes. Why? Because I challenged them and they proved me wrong. JT Barrett finished the night 33/39 with 328 yards and 4 touchdowns. Barrett completed his final SIXTEEN passes in the game, and went a perfect 13-13 in the fourth quarter. That’s impressive no matter who you are, let alone a quarterback that has led an offense to 16 points in its last two games against ranked opponents. It took me awhile, but I’m all in on Ohio State now. They proved me wrong, and I’ll admit it. Plus, by beating Penn State and with the Michigan State loss, they’re essentially guaranteed a spot in the Big Ten Championship game. So welcome to the playoff, Buckeyes.

The second most impressive win of the day belonged to Notre Dame. When you looked at the Fighting Irish’s matchup against NC State on paper, you knew something had to give. Brian Kelly’s squad was 6th in the country in rushing offense; Dave Doeren’s Wolfpack defense was 6th in America in stopping the run. Someone’s strength would overrule in this contest and, in the end, it was the NC State defense that folded. Josh Adams, Brandon Wimbush, and company rushed for 318 yards as a team. Adams himself had 202 rushing yards, which is the first time NC State allowed even a 100 yard rusher. With this win, Notre Dame has completely solidified itself as a playoff contender. This result also begs the question–if a talented NC State defense couldn’t stop Notre Dame, who can?

 

Gray’s Top 10

Here’s my updated Top 10 after this past week’s action. Remember, I rank these teams using both the eye test and resumes. These rankings are as of right now, not how I think the season will end.

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Ohio State
5. Miami (FL)
6. Wisconsin
7. Oklahoma
8. Clemson
9. Oklahoma State
10. Penn State

No reason to move Alabama out of the top spot. I think they’re far and away the best team in the country right now, although admittedly the eye test is what’s carrying them (which begs the question–if undefeated Alabama loses to undefeated Georgia in the SEC Championship, would the committee put Alabama in the playoff? The resume would be a problem, but can you legitimately look at Nick Saban’s team and not think they’re one of the four best in the county? It’s an interesting dilemma).

Georgia is number two after demolishing Florida. Kirby Smart has completely changed the culture in Athens. Notre Dame skyrockets to number three because of their impressive wins to date, all of which easily top any other one-loss teams behind them. I’m not sure a team has looked better against good teams this season than the Fighting Irish. Ohio State’s win over Penn State moves them to number four. I still think Penn State is a great team but, as stated above, Ohio State showed me a lot this weekend. Miami (FL) is fifth because I simply think they’re better than Wisconsin. The Badgers will win the Big Ten West and will go undefeated in the regular season; they’re in for a rude awakening in the Big Ten Championship game, no matter who they face.

 

Coach of the Week

Congratulations to Brian Kelly, who wins my first Coach of the Week award. Honestly, Coach Kelly should be in the running for Coach of the Year. What sets him apart this weekend was his play-calling against a tough NC State defense. As stated above, the Wolfpack was known for stopping the run this season. In retaliation to the statistics about NC State, Brian Kelly simply ran it down the Wolfpack’s throats. The Fighting Irish averaged 5.9 yards per carry. Coach Kelly saw the “on the ground” success for Notre Dame and, instead of trying to get cute to win, stuck to his guns and ran it up the gut. I admire simple coaching, especially when it leads to a 35-14 victory over a top-15 team.

 

Idiot of the Week

Lots of options for this title, but the easy winner is Jim McElwain from Florida. First off, I have never considered McElwain a good coach. I thought he took advantage of a weak SEC East to advance to the SEC Championship game in this first two years; with Georgia winning like it is now, he clearly couldn’t do that this season. This poor week started for Coach McElwain on Monday when he revealed that he and some players had received “death threats.” However, he had neither investigated nor let the University of Florida investigate said threats. Then, when asked about it, he tried to change the subject and not comment on the situation.

Then, he said this: ““Sometimes things are on your mind and I go ahead and speak it.” What does that even mean??? Anyway, this just added fuel to the “McElwain doesn’t belong at Florida” fire. Saturday, reports came out of Gainesville that Florida was asking boosters to start pooling money together to pay McElwain’s buyout. Naturally, athletic director Scott Stricklin refuted these claims. Now, as of the writing of this column early Sunday morning, there are rumors of a possible immediate coaching change, as reported by Yahoo! Sports. Either way, a buzz of controversy has hung around the Florida Gator football team all week. Did they react well to said controversy on Saturday in Jacksonville? Not one bit. Georgia beat Florida 42-7, out-gaining them 393-249. Jake Fromm only had to throw seven passes for the Bulldogs, and Sony Michel had 137 rushing yards on SIX CARRIES. Coach McElwain’s antics this week distracted his team and, while I don’t think they would’ve beaten Georgia anyway, Florida was certainly worse off for its coach’s week-long drama.

UPDATE (added after an earlier edition included only the above paragraph): Clearly, athletic director Scott Stricklin agrees with my synopsis of Jim McElwain, as FootballScoop.com is reporting that Florida is parting ways with their head coach. This sets up a very interesting coaching search in the SEC, as Florida could pretty much get whoever they want (last week on my radio show, I argued that the University of Florida is one of the top two jobs in the SEC and top six in America). So who will Scott Stricklin go after? Certainly a man that will be rumored is Dan Mullen. Stricklin was Mullen’s boss at Mississippi State for years, plus Mullen was the offensive coordinator for the Gators back in the Tebow years. The current Mississippi State coach is also known for developing quarterbacks, something that Florida desperately needs to happen with so much turnover under center the last few years. Either way, this entire situation is a little surprising. If you’d told me three weeks ago that the first available job in the SEC would be Florida, I would’ve probably laughed (more on that below).

 

Random Rankings

Since it’s the first edition, I’m currently starving, and I’ve already mentioned Waffle House, so we’ll start off Random Rankings with something near and dear to my heart–breakfast food. *Disclaimer*: once Random Rankings are posted, they aren’t changing. So don’t get any ideas. I’m very stubborn.

Best Breakfast Food

1. Bacon–The easy top choice. When you see bacon on the breakfast table, your eyes water and your heart soars. Crispy bacon is my favorite, although honestly I’ll eat any and every bacon form. If you disagree with this, then you probably also think The Big Bang Theory is legitimately funny and that Jon Gruden will actually be the next head coach at Tennessee. Basically, you’re insane.
2. Scrambled Eggs/Omelets–The staple of every breakfast. Throw in some salt, pepper, and a little cheese. That’s the good stuff. I’m more of an omelet guy, and I combine them here because they’re so similar, but scrambled eggs always hit the spot. Side note: why are there so many spellings for omelet? I found omelet, omelette, omelete, and a weird one with an “o” in the middle. Google says it’s something about the American English vs. British English spelling but, honestly, I’m still just confused.
3. Pancakes–First thing’s first, pancakes always defeat waffles. Secondly, because I’m a fan of delicious flavor, I have to eat my pancakes with 100% pure maple syrup. I’m kind of a syrup snob, but once you’ve had the real stuff, you can’t go back. Fluffy pancakes are the perfect thing to eat on a Fall weekend morning and, depending on the size of the flapjacks, there really isn’t such thing as eating too many pancakes. Pretty dang delicious.
4. Cinnamon Rolls/Monkey Bread–Cinnamon rolls are very underrated and if you’ve never had monkey bread before, I highly suggest it. My mom makes it every Christmas morning and it’s honestly better than opening presents. We only have monkey bread that one day a year, so that makes it taste even better once we actually eat it.
5. Sausage–Not nearly as good as bacon, but still delicious. Jim Dean sausage is fantastic, especially mixed with a little 100% pure maple syrup (see, I’m a snob). Other local Alabamians know about Conecuh Sausage, which is a state delicacy that has really taken off the last few years. If you’re ever in Alabama and see Conecuh on the menu, order it.

 

Gray Goes Off

I host a show in Tuscaloosa called “The Student Section” every Wednesday night from 6-7pm CT (shameless advertising, I know…but here’s our link: ow.ly/J3JUW) and, for the last four weeks or so, I’ve been begging Tennessee to fire Butch Jones. At this point, I just don’t know what the administration in Knoxville is waiting on anymore. John Currie, whom I know from his days at Kansas State and whom I consider a very smart, nice guy, needs to make a move and he needs to do it fast. This season has been a complete dumpster fire. The Vols are 0-5 in SEC play, 3-5 overall, and are showing absolutely zero signs of improvement. Butch was embarrassed by Georgia and Alabama by a combined score of 86-7 which isn’t, I guess, a fireable offense.

However, losing to South Carolina 15-9 at home and to Kentucky 29-26 on the road? Come on, now. Butch Jones continues to be the worst in-game coach in the SEC by a large margin and, if you need proof, watch his play-calling at the end of the South Carolina game this year. Heck, go back to the Georgia Hail Mary with ten seconds left last year and the Florida Hail Mary this year. Both times, the cornerbacks got lost and the safety let the receiver get by. Once might be excusable. Twice? That’s all on coaching. Honestly, Butch Jones should’ve been fired after last season. His team a year ago was, talent-wise, the second-best squad in the SEC. And they didn’t even win the East. That’s inexplicable. There are plenty of other reasons why Butch Jones should be gone already but, if you’ve seen a down of Volunteer football since the Georgia Tech game on Labor Day, you know what I’m talking about. So what’s next? Here are my Top 5 candidates to replace Butch Jones at Tennessee:

1. James Franklin
2. Justin Fuente
3. Matt Campbell
4. Jeff Brohm
5. Mike Norvell

Tennessee’s next coach should come from this list of five, although preferably from the Top 3. Penn State is currently paying James Frankin 4.5 Million a year. If Tennessee rolls out a good number, I think they can steal Franklin away. Fuente would be a fantastic hire considering his ties to the state of Tennessee and how well he has done in two seasons at Virginia Tech. Matt Campbell is just a darn good coach and, after what he’s done this year at Iowa State, I’m convinced he’d succeed at an SEC school. Bottom line, Tennessee deserves better than Butch Jones and, considering the type of job it is and the potential names available, Tennessee can get better than Butch Jones. John Currie just has to make the move.

SEC Power Rankings

I’m an SEC guy through and through. I’ve been going to Southeastern Conference events my entire life, and I’m pretty sure my blood has just a slight hint of yellow and blue in it (which, thinking about that…gross). If you want the perfect Christmas gift option for me, snag me a pillow that says “It Just Means More.” You’ll skyrocket up the friend poll. So because I’m a supporter of the best conference in America (another debate I’ll gladly take on), I’ve got to incorporate a little bit of my Southern favoritism into The Hangover. After all, nobody goes harder than the South. Here are my SEC Power Rankings after Week 9. Spoiler Alert, Alabama is number one and will be until Nick Saban retires.

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Auburn
4. Mississippi State
5. LSU
6. Texas A&M
7. South Carolina
8. Kentucky
9. Florida
10. Missouri
11. Arkansas
12. Ole Miss
13. Vanderbilt
14. Tennessee

 

So Who’s Ready for Week 10?

November 4th is going to be another exciting weekend of college football. Key match-ups for the week include:

Penn State at Michigan State

Ohio State at Iowa

Clemson at NC State

Virginia Tech at Miami (FL)

Auburn at Texas A&M

LSU at Alabama

Iowa State at West Virginia

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State

Next week will trim the Big 12 down to one playoff contender (the winner of Bedlam) and will also determine how “back” Clemson is after the loss to Syracuse a few weeks ago. Alabama will get somewhat of a test against a physical LSU team that’s on a roll, and Miami (FL) will face their toughest task of the season against Virginia Tech. Lots will happen next weekend and, I’m almost certain, many more questions about playoff contenders will be answered.