On the whole, the results from Week 5 didn’t change the overall picture in the sport. A few more teams fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, but for the most part the highest-rated squads were able to handle their business.
Naturally, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t the usual amount of hyperbole from observers. Our aim here is to lend a bit of perspective to some of the most outrageous leaps to conclusions following the latest round of games.
Without further ado then, here are the top five overreactions from Week 5, beginning with a name-brand program whose devoted fans are ready to reclaim their throne.
This is the best Alabama offense ever!
That’s a pretty high bar, folks. The Crimson Tide are indeed putting up a ridiculous number of points – at least 45 in all four of their outings
thus far, and first-year starting QB Keelon Russell is getting better by the week.
But a whole lot of talented playmakers have come through Tuscaloosa in the not-too-distant past. The 2020 squad that ran the table put up at least 38 points against every regular-season opponent, and don’t forget that was the pandemic season when they played only other SEC teams until the playoff. Even then, Notre Dame could only limit the Tide to 31 in the semifinal.
Let’s also not forget that life in the SEC doesn’t allow any team to rest on its laurels. The last three weeks have all had conference members get knocked out of the top 10.
Now, if Alabama keeps up this scoring pace against its next opponent, we might talk more about this group’s place in program history. Georgia, however, will likely have something to say about that.
Jeremiah Smith should start working on his Heisman acceptance speech.
We’ll say this much. It’s one thing to go for two bills against an average team. To amass 206 receiving yards against a well-schooled defense like Iowa’s on the road is worthy of all the accolades Smith has been getting.
This comes after Smith had a combined 20 catches for 381 yards and five touchdowns in the other two previous Pour Four opponents - Texas and Illinois.
Of course, as we reiterate in this space on a weekly basis, we’re a long way from the finish line. There have already been big-game moments for star, and there are sure to be more in the next couple of months. But Mr. Smith might want to make sure he keeps his calendar clear on Dec. 12.
We can pencil Texas into the SEC championship game.
Wait, what?! OK, to be fair we haven’t actually heard anyone make such a bold pronouncement at this early juncture.
On one level it makes some sense. Even though the Longhorns have only played one SEC contest thus far, they’re one of only three league members still with a ‘0’ in the loss column. The other two, the aforementioned Georgia and Alabama, play each other next week, and neither are on the ‘Horns’ schedule. So all Texas has to do is run the table, right?
The Longhorns’ annual showdown with Oklahoma might not be the major obstacle we expected based on preseason rankings. But their next five opponents are all currently in the top 20 of the US LBM Coaches Poll, and those are in consecutive weeks with no open date. Can Texas get there? Sure, but it’s anything but a guarantee.
Poll voters don’t know anything
We could devote a segment in this space to poll outrage seemingly on a weekly basis. Critics have a credible argument on this particular week, in which recency appears to take precedence over head-to-head results when it comes to SEC rankings. In fact, they would argue, the voters have it exactly backwards.
LSU sits at No. 10, a spot ahead of Mississippi. That’s the same Ole Miss team that beat the Tigers just more than twoe weeks ago. The Rebels, meanwhile are four places ahead of No. 15 Florida, which of course beat the Rebels a week later. The Gators are still a spot ahead of No. 16 Missouri, which just handed them their first loss. Then at No. 20 is Mississippi State, which owns a win against Mizzou. Should Mississippi State be ranked the highest of that group? Should LSU be the lowest?
These exercises in transitivity can be fun, but they don’t actually prove anything. We still have a very small dataset of results, and poll matters tend to sort themselves out over the long season. As we alluded to in a previous item, the five teams we’ve mentioned here are the ones who will all be facing Texas in the coming weeks. We love the polls and the debate they generate, but we shouldn’t get too bent out of shape over who is ranked where with more than half the season still to be contested.
Let’s just get to Miami-Notre Dame already.
We still have over a month to wait for what will likely be a top-five clash between the Fighting Irish and the Hurricanes. If a few dominoes topple, it might even be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown.
Ah, but before we get to Nov. 7, both playoff hopefuls have to get by Oct. 17. Notre Dame will head west to Brigham Young that week, a likely top-10 opponent in its own right. Miami, meanwhile, will be hosting archrival Florida State, which might be a more formidable task than it appeared a few weeks ago.
We’ll just have to be patient for what might be the best game of the season that will have the home team looking to deal the visitors from the Sunshine State some payback for a loss that kept it out of the College Football Playoff.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alabama offense, Jeremiah Smith lead college football overreactions from Week 5
