JDubb's Sideline Report

If this season has taught me anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. Specifically, the final four teams in the College Football Playoff.  They are as follows:

1. Clemson

2. Oklahoma

3. Georgia

4. Alabama

The old cliche says “anyone can be beaten on any given day”. There is not a more truer statement than that. We saw that almost on a weekly basis this season. However, have any of you heard of the statement “down but not out”? Sure you have. Here’s my point- each of the playoff teams have one thing in common: they each lost a game somewhere down the road on their schedule that was lousy, but they likewise found a way to reach the four team playoff. And boy did they earn it!

I know some of my buckeye brethren are asking ” why God?”. It’s elementary my dear fighting urbans– Alabama lost only one game and their strength of schedule was better than Ohio St. Plain and simple. If Ohio St beats Oklahoma and doesn’t get embarrassed on the road to Iowa, I think the committee puts them in instead of Alabama, but that didn’t happen. Now the Crimson Tide are playing in the playoff while the Buckeyes will play USC in the Cotton Bowl.

Georgia turned fortune in their favor but redeeming a loss that left a sour taste in their mouth. Winning the SEC Championship for the first time since 2005, Kirby Smart and company now have a shot at the big dance. If they keep playing with the same amount of intensity that they have all season(minus the Auburn loss), they could be partying like it’s 1980 in Athens.

Clemson proved again they are the cream of the ACC crop by beating the Miami Hurricanes 38-3 and winning their third straight ACC Title. It truly is amazing what Dabo Swinney has done at Clemson. This team is no longer the team that does less with more-  they’re now legitimate contenders every year. Now the Tigers will play Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on New Years for the another rematch and another shot for the National Championship.

The Oklahoma Sooners have once again made it to the playoff after taking care of TCU and winning the Big XII Title. Now they prepare to take on UGA and their stingy defense. This will be a huge test for Baker Mayfield and the Sooners. Will they be able to move the ball willingly against the bulldogs? Also, will they be able to find a way to contain Georgia’s strong running game? This Rose Bowl Bowl game will be a very compelling match up.

Rose Bowl– Georgia vs. Oklahoma, January 1, 2018

Sugar Bowl– Alabama vs. Clemson January 1, 2018

Have we really come to the end of the regular season? Our favorite sport has flown by as usual, but not without some amazing games and some top ten finishes. Now we have arrived at Rivalry week- the week where we are a house divided, a family torn apart, just for this one Saturday throughout the year. Whether you’re a bulldog, yellow jacket, a Clemson tiger, or a gamecock, you proudly wear your teams colors loud this time of year. Oh, and you can throw the record of each team out the window too- because it means absolutely nothing for these games. Each team plays for their coach, their school, and the guys that have come before them and the ones after them. This is THE GAME you want to win all year so that you can have bragging rights all year. Let’s take a look at some of the big games for Rivalry Saturday.

1. Alabama vs. Auburn (3:30 PM- CBS) – The last time Auburn beat Alabama, it was in 2013 at Auburn and it was a finish for the ages. Chris Davis returned a 108 yard FIELD GOAL for a touchdown to beat #1 Alabama and propel Auburn to play for the National Title game. This years Iron Bowl is shaping up to be one of the best in the series. I highly suggest you don’t miss this game.
2. Ohio St. vs. Michigan (12:00 PM- FOX) – If Harbaugh is going to take the wolverines to the next level, he needs to start by beating Ohio St. Harbaugh is 0-2 so far against the buckeyes and a win over them could help silence some critics that have started to whisper their skepticism towards the prominent coach.
3. Georgia vs. Georgia Tech (12:00 PM- ABC) – 1999 was the last time the yellow jackets defeated the bulldogs at Grant Field. It’s going to take a total team effort to upset the #7 bulldogs. UGA’s stubborn defense looks to put the clamps on the yellow jackets rushing attack while also getting their ground game going strong with seniors Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.
4. Clemson vs. South Carolina (7:30 PM – ESPN) – The battle for the Palmetto state looks to be the sleeper game of the day. The Tigers roll into Columbia with a three game winning streak over the gamecocks and hope to pull the win to help their playoff hopes. The Gamecocks need to get their running game going to have a chance in this game or it will be a long night for the chickens.
5. Notre Dame vs. Stanford (8:00 PM – ABC) – The season that was has turned out to be another disappointment for the Fighting Irish. But they can still salvage it by beating Stanford and getting a good bowl. Yet, I have to ask myself, how long will the Irish settle for Brian Kelly? And is the Notre Dame job just not appealing to coaches like it use to be?
6. Louisville vs. Kentucky (12:00 PM- SEC Network) – This can be a nasty rivalry in the bluegrass state. Known as basketball powers, the two schools have had some success as of late on the gridiron which has heated the rivalry between both teams. Stoops and Petrino know what this game means to their schools and fan bases and they are ready to get it on this Saturday.
7. Florida St. vs. Florida (12:00 PM – ESPN) – This game use to be mean something back in 90’s and it usually sent the winner to the National Championship. Now both schools have hit some adversity via injuries and coaching changes, but it hasn’t taken the hatred the schools have for each other. Can Jimbo Fisher get his players ready to fight? Do the gators have anything left in the tank after an up and down season?

Saturday was almost an historic day in College Football. Not since 1966 had the top three teams lost on the same day, and  it almost happened again. Let’s see what happened over the weekend.

1. UGA vs. Auburn (40-17) – An emphatic win by the Tigers and now the Iron Bowl is shaping up to be the game of the year. UGA still controls their own destiny but cannot slip up again.
2. Alabama vs. Mississippi St. (31-24) – The Bulldogs controlled this game til 30 seconds left with Bama securing the go ahead touchdown. Alabama  better correct the issues on their defense or they will not survive long in the post season.
3. Notre Dame vs. Miami (41-8)- A game hyped up all week and then became a blowout by halftime. The Hurricanes remain unbeaten and look to give Clemson all they can handle in the title game.
4. Florida St. vs. Clemson (31-14) – The Seminoles played with a lot of pride but could not keep up with the Tigers. Clemson has The Citadel this week and will need the tune up to get ready for their annual showdown against the Gamecocks.
5. TCU vs. Oklahoma (38-20) – A game that looked to be a toss up turned out to be the Sooners statement game. After beating Oklahoma St and TCU on back-to-back weekends, the Sooners have their eyes on a bigger prize- the 4 team playoff.

I have put it off for too long, it’s time to be heard! If you love college football, then you will love this podcast from yours truly. The main topic? Yes, you guessed it, College Football. I will have the podcast embedded with each article on my blog, but it will also be available via iTunes.

I will cover the following:

– Weekly top 25 match ups.

– Playoff selection and bowl games

– Recruiting

– Spring Practice

– Conference media days

– Fall camp

– Coaches corner

I will throw some high school football in here too, since I do cover it locally but it goes with recruiting as well.

This is a podcast dedicated to you-the college football fan. Leave me feedback because this is a whole new world for me, and the more I hear from you, the better I can get. Not only that, leave feedback on what you would like to hear from me. I know there will be stuff that I miss. I’m not ESPN- I actually do sleep 🙂

 

Sincerely,

 

Wes

Tomorrow, Tuesday at 7 PM, the official College Football Playoff Section takes place on ESPN. #1 and #2 are pretty established, but #3 and #4 are unknowns. College Football is an unpredictable game, you really don’t know how the dice are going to land, especially towards the end of the season. I will say this, do not put it past this committee to put two SEC teams in the playoff, even if one of them lose in the conference title game. But enough of that, there is still plenty of football left to play. Let’s take a look at what happened over the weekend.

1. UGA vs. Florida (42-7) – The gators were coming into this game with high hopes of winning because of their past dominance in this rivalry. Yet, how do you expect to beat a good team like Georgia when you have no resemblance of an offense? Easy, you don’t! The bulldogs pretty much did anything they wanted against the gators on Saturday. Sony Michel rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Chubb rushed for another himself. If the bulldogs do anything specifically great, it’s their run game. Defense looked great as usual too- they held Florida to 66 passing yards and 183 rushing yards. Florida is now without a head football coach as the school has parted ways with Jim McElwain, who was hired to fix the gators broke offense. It’s still broke, folks. It looks like Florida is going to hire THE GUY this time around, and let me just say, they better!
2. Penn St. vs. Ohio St. (39-38) – This was the game of the day. Penn St. came into this game as the #2 team in the nation, and in the first half of the game, they looked the part. Saquon Barkely kicked everything off with his 97 yard kickoff return touchdown. Later in the second quarter, Barkley had another 37 yard rushing touchdown to put the Nittany Lions ahead, 21-3. But Urban Meyer had the Lions right where he wanted them. J.T. Barrett threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the Buckeyes ahead, 39-38. Penn St. could not make a comeback and the Buckeyes prevailed. What a game!
3. TCU vs. Iowa St. (14-7) – It think it’s time for the Big XII to start taking the Cyclones seriously. I know am. With TCU going down, Iowa St has now defeated two Big XII teams that were in the top 10. That’s a resume builder. Can the cyclones win out?
4. NC State vs. Notre Dame (35-14) – This was a tale of two halves. The first half looked to be a offensive shootout. The second half looked like one team kept going, the other put the brakes on. The Irish rushed for 318 yards against the Wolfpack. An area of concern for NC State is their rush defense, which will play Clemson this Saturday. Time to tighten up if they want to win the Atlantic division. Great win for the Irish. They control their own destiny now.
5. Georgia Tech vs. Clemson (24-10) – I’m curious, is this shocking? Paul Johnson is an stubborn coach. He’s a great coach, especially with his X and O scheming, but he has yet to learn to adapt, and it’s hurting his team’s success. Clemson refused to let Tech run any part of their base offense Saturday night. The Clemson defensive front was in the backfield while QB Taquon Marshall was still in the process of starting the play. At what point do you say ” I think we need to do something different?” Clemson looked like a team focused and wanting to more. Look for them to finish strong this season.

This past Saturday’s match up’s were not the most appealing of the regular season, yet we still found a way to watch, didn’t we 😉 Here’s what went down:

1. Tennessee vs. Alabama (45-7) – If there was a game that Butch Jones could had changed his status as head man to a better favor, it was this one. However, losing bad has been the Vols mojo this season and Alabama only made things worse for coach Jones current job situation. Even if UT wins out, I don’t forsee how Butch Jones is the head coach in 2018.
2. Michigan vs. Penn St. (42-13) – You want a heisman favorite? Watch Saquon Barkely out of Penn St. The stud running back ran for 108 yards on 15 carries with 2 touchdowns, as the Nittany Lions defeated Michigan last Saturday, 42-13. I’m curious when Jim Hardbaugh is going to turn the corner at Michigan. He took this job because he loves Michigan  and loves to win. Is the honeymoon period over? Because I don’t see anything that tells me that Michigan is going to be a contender right now. I will say this, if he doesn’t beat Ohio St., the dogs will start barking.
3. Syracuse vs. Miami (27-19) – The Miami Hurricanes don’t really dominate their opponents, but they find ways to win. They did it again against Syracuse last Saturday. The Orange are a solid football team that just upset Clemson only a week ago, but you can tell Miami had a great game plan and shutdown the Orange’s offense for most of the game. Hurricane Quarterback Malik Rossier threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns. If he keeps putting up numbers like this, he could sitting next to some special people on the second Saturday of December.
4. USC vs. Notre Dame (49-14) – Since their 20-19 loss to Georgia, Notre Dame has been on fire. The Fighting Irish put on an clinic against the Trojans of USC last Saturday night, winning 49-14 in South Bend. Irish Quarterback Brandon Wimbush passed for 2 touchdowns and ran for 2 as well. Coach Brian Kelly had a great game plan that kept the Trojans on their heels all night. A well balanced offense usually wins games, but the defense allowed only 76 yards rushing! Bravo. Notre Dame still has to play Stanford, Navy, NC State, Miami, and Wake Forest on their schedule. If they can run this gauntlet, they will be sitting fine in the playoff.
5. Oklahoma vs. Kansas St. (42-35) – Once again, the Sooners find a way to rescue themselves from mistakes and set backs and win a game. This is starting to become a habit. Kansas St. rushed for 268 yards against Oklahoma last Saturday, exposing a defense that was suppose to be better from a year ago. Bill Synder’s group gave the Sooners all they could handle, and them some. If the Sooners are going to win the Big XII, they better make defense a priority or they will not be  winning anything significant.

 

Phew, what a weekend of College Football. The Red River Shootout was an classic. Clemson fell into the Syracuse trap. Also, Miami gets another last second win. Let’s take a a look.

1. Georgia Tech vs. Miami (25-24)– This was probably a tougher pill to swallow for Paul Johnson and the Rambling Wreck than the Tennessee game. You controlled the clock, the line of scrimmage,  shoot, the entire game…and you let this one slip, once again. Defense has to be addressed at Tech, or they will continue to lose these types of games. Kudos to the Hurricanes, they kept on fighting and found a way to win. Good teams do that.
2. Clemson vs. Syracuse (27-24) – It’s mid-season, which means it’s time for Clemson to lose a game they shouldn’t. Syracuse was able to get away with pretty much anything against the Tiger defense, however Kelly Bryant getting hurt didn’t help things either. Huge win for the Orange and their program. I do recall though, a certain tiger team losing to Pitt last season and still winning the national championship. Can’t slip up again or they will not get in the show.
3. Washington St. vs. Cal (37-3) – What the heck happened here? Washington St still high on the beating USC? Because they looked drunk out there against Cal. Say goodbye to the playoff, Cougars.
4. Auburn vs. LSU (27-23) – Tigers vs. Tigers. One shall stand, one shall fall. This was a good game and the LSU offense came alive. Auburn is now out of the playoff hunt and this does not look good for Malzhan who is already on the hot seat. Huge win for Coach O.
5. Oklahoma vs. Texas (29-24) – This was the first red river shootout for Lincoln Riley and Tom Herman as head coaches. As expected, both Quarterbacks had a solid showing. Mayfield got the Sooners on the board first with a 54 yard bomb to Jeff Badet. Same Ehlinger got the longhorns offense humming with a 16 yard pass to Kyle Porter to get Texas on the scoreboard. Late in the fourth, trailing the Longhorns by 1, Mayfield threw a 59 yard pass to Mark Andrews to setup the go ahead touchdown and seal the win for the Sooners. Another instant classic at the Cotton Bowl.
6. Washington vs. Arizona St. (13-7) – The Sun Devil defense stuck it to the Huskies all night, defeating the #5 team in the nation and probably ending Washington’s playoff hopes at the same time.

Probably one of the most celebrated rivalries in college football is the Texas/Oklahoma game-aka “The Red River Shootout”.  The mid-season contest is played annually at the Texas State Fair and traditionally inside the cotton bowl. This rivalry will be played for the 112th time, with Texas holding the series lead at 61-44-5. However, within the past 33 years, Oklahoma leads the series 18-13-2. And since 1946, both teams are deadlocked at 34-34. Needless to say, this is a pretty even series. This Saturday, both teams head coaches are getting their first taste in this rivalry as the head man and both will find out really quick what this game means to it’s team and their fans.

Great games in this series

1900- The very first game between Texas and Oklahoma came at a time when the two teams didn’t even use their respective nicknames. Texas was known as “Varsity” and was a very good team at the time, while Oklahoma was still trying to find their identity. Texas won 28-2.

1958- The 1950’s were kind to the Sooners, as they dominated the Longhorns and college football for most of the decade. However, former sooner Darrell Royal was now the head coach at Texas and he knew how important this game meant.  His Longhorn team defeated the Sooners by one point, ending a decade long skid.

1963- Oklahoma was number 1. Texas was number 2. That match up could not be bigger. It was only the seventh time that two teams ranked like this were playing during the regular season. Texas held on to win and went on to win their first National Championship.

1977- This was the game where Earl Campbell carried the Longhorns on his back. In the first half, Texas lost their starting and backup quarterback to injury. Yet, the Longhorn defense held their ground and behind a future heisman running back, the Longhorns won 13-6.

2000- Y2K was the year of the Sooner. Bob Stoops showed the world that not only is Oklahoma back, but they trailed blazed Mack Browns Longhorns 63-14. They held the Longhorns to -7 rushing yards. This was the most lopsided win in the series history. Oklahoma went on to win the National Championship against Florida St.

2005- This was Vince Young’s swan song. Teammate Jamaal Charles put on a clinic against the sooners and set a freshman rushing record that day. He set the longest rush from scrimmage in the series with his 80 yard dash against the sooner defense that was banged up and non-existent. Texas went on to win the National Title against USC.

2007- Sam Bradford vs. Colt McCoy. Jamaal Charles vs. DeMarco Murray. This game was built up before the season even started and it was one for the record books. A game that had so many turnovers and lead changes, it lived up to the billing. Bradford and Murray stole the show and helped Oklahoma defeat the Longhorns 28-21.

 

The first weekend of October brought some intriguing match ups, as well as some shocking finishes. Let’s take a look.

Oklahoma vs. Iowa St (38-31) – The theme this year in College Football is ” You plant your flag, I’ll plant mine”. That’s exactly what happened as the Oklahoma Sooners lost to the Iowa St. Cyclones. This was a game that should had never been a struggle, yet Iowa St. find a way to win. Oklahoma is now looking from the outside-in at the College Football playoff.

Alabama vs. Texas a&m (27-19) – If College Football awarded moral victories, the aggies would had won first prize on Saturday night. The gave the Crimson Tide their toughest game yet, just not the result they wanted to achieve. The Tide did not look like the team that has been trailblazing people this season, but their defense was still dominate.

LSU vs. Florida (17-16) – Not exactly the match up of the century, but a good game nonetheless. LSU made the plays. The gators made mistakes. Guess who won? Bayou Bengals.

Wake Forest vs. Clemson (28-14) – Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant left the game with a sprained ankle, making a easy game not so easy. The tiger defense made enough plays, but the demon deacons came to play and it showed. Look for the Tigers to rebound against Syracuse.

Michigan St. vs. Michigan (14-10) – If Jim Harbaugh is going to take Michigan to the next level, they have got to win these types of games. The spartans controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game and the Wolverine offense was very inept. Michigans playoff look to be diminished after Saturday night’s loss in Ann Arbor.

Miami vs. FSU (24-20) – The game that use to send you the National Championship has lost some of its shine as of late, but that doesn’t mean that the game means nothing.  With 11 seconds left in the game, Miami Quarterback Malik Rosier threw a 23-yard bomb to Darrell Langham to seal the deal against the FSU seminoles. This ends a 7 year skid for the Hurricanes and avenging last years loss in Coral Gables.

Air Force vs. Navy (48-45) – This game started out as a blowout. The sailors rushed ahead of the airmen 28-10 in the first half. Game over, right? Not so fast my friend. Air Force got their offense clicking through their passing game, not their run game. With a 45-41 lead, the Falcons looked to win this thing…but again, not so fast my friend. Navy Quarterback Zach Abey threw a 16 yard pass with 15 seconds left in the game to seal the deal. Navy only has one game left to win back the CIC trophy….Army!

West Virginia vs. TCU (31-24) – In a game that had over 900 yards of total offense, it’s hard to find much of a defense. This is the Big XII we’re talking about, now. However, TCU put the clamps down late and held West Virginia when it mattered. Player of the game goes to TCU Quarterback Kenny Hill who won the game with his hands and feet.

 

 

 

 

Week 5 came with some blowouts, upsets, and LSU losing to Troy.

Notable games:

USC vs. Washington St. (30-27) – The cougars get the win Mike Leach has been looking for. And it was not the best performance for USC Quarterback Sam Darnold. The Trojans needs to bounce back quick if they want to stay in the PAC 12 hunt.

Ole Miss vs. Alabama (66-3) – I guess Bama only knows how to dominate. Close wins are not in their blood.

Georgia vs. Tennessee (41-0) – The bulldogs pound the Volunteers on their home field. If Butch Jones was nervous before this game, I would hate to check his blood pressure now.

Clemson vs. Virginia Tech (31-17) – Enter Sandman couldn’t help the Hokies Saturday night. The Tiger Defense controlled this game from the get go. Tiger Quarterback Kelly Bryant had another break out game, making the loss of Deshaun Watson more of a memory.

Mississippi St vs. Auburn (49-10) – The War Eagles have been playing great football since their loss to Clemson. Can the finish strong?

Oklahoma St. vs. Texas Tech (41-34) – This was the shootout we all thought it would be, though the Cowboys found some defense late in the game and scored just enough to hold on and win. The Big 12 is wide open folks.

Vandy vs. Florida (38-24) – The gators lose Junior Quarterback Luke Del Rio but may have found their offense under youngster Feleipe Franks. The youngster has been inconsistent at times and the gators will need him to step up his game as the schedule gets tougher (Cocktail Party).

Troy vs. LSU (24-21) – This was the upset of the night(maybe year), as the Troy Trojans defeated the LSU Tigers 24-21. It’s hard to win a football game when you can’t score, but it’s ever harder to win when you turn the ball over four times.  LSU has an identity crisis. They need to figure out who they are quick!