If we’re being honest, the disease arrived long before this season.
It’s just that the current environment of unrealistic expectations and instant reaction in college football screaming from all angles makes it feel so absurdly acute.
One week you suck, the next you’re great. One week you’re crawling on the floor, the next you’re floating above it all.
And since we’ve blamed all of college football’s ills on the NIL era, we’re not stopping now. But for all of the money in the system, there wouldn’t be this level of expectation and vitriol.
Or would there?
“Don’t listen to anybody that hadn’t been where you’ve been!” Auburn coach Alex Golesh pleaded with his team in a leaked locker room speech after the Tigers upset No. 1 Georgia two weeks ago — and
after the Bulldogs went from the best team in the nation, to “What’s Wrong With Georgia” in a matter of three hours.
Three days later, Golesh further expounded, underscoring the impact — and utter nonsense — of building up to tear down. And how it impacts a football team and its culture on a daily basis.
“You can’t sit here and listen to what somebody thinks of you,” he said. “If I ever listened to anybody that said I should do this or I should do that, I wouldn't be here. I'm here because of the work I put into it.”
Four days later, Auburn lost at home to LSU by three touchdowns.
Welcome to overreaction city, everyone. Nothing is as good or bad as it seems ― unless you're in the middle of the storm.
And in some cosmic convergence of dumb luck, this whole thing began with LSU in Week 1. The calamitous offseason, followed by the rout of Clemson, followed by declarations of the best team money can buy.
Two weeks later, LSU was down 24-7 at Ole Miss before we could say Lane Kiffin might actually be favored to win his first power conference championship. The eight-point win by Ole Miss then led to the inevitable best in the SEC declarations.
A week later, Ole Miss lost by 24 at Florida, which was then glorified as the next LSU 2019 under new coach Jon Sumrall. The Gators then gave up 83 points in back-to-back losses to Missouri and South Carolina, and Sumrall quickly became Billy Napier or Jim McElwain or any other coaching failure at Florida.
Until the Gators responded with a win at Texas, and now head into the World’s Largest Outdoor/Indoor Dome Party in Atlanta, for love of Run Lindsay Run, with a legit chance to beat Georgia for the first time since 2020.
Southern California was supposed to be different this year, tougher this year, with new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. Won four in a row to start the season, then lost at home by 14 to an Oregon team forced to turn a backup quarterback for much of the game.
And speaking of Oregon, no one underdelivers quite like the Ducks with coach Dan Lanning. The preseason favorite to win it all has three losses, despite having the best quarterback room in college football.
A room that could’ve absorbed the tough season-ending head injury to starter Dante Moore, but has stumbled around with former Nebraska starter Dylan Raiola — including an 11-point loss to Illinois, which two weeks earlier lost at home to Purdue. The same Purdue which had lost its previous 19 Big Ten games.
Notre Dame hadn’t played anyone, then played someone and lost, and a week later Brigham Young (see: the someone) lost at Big 12 middling Central Florida. The Irish get one more shot to prove their bonafides against Miami — which hasn’t played anyone all season, and is the current No.1 team in the US LBM coaches poll.
Never fear, everyone. When Notre Dame beats Miami on Nov. 7, the Canes will suddenly suck, too.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning was primed to win the Heisman Trophy, then not only couldn’t beat one-dimensional Oklahoma, he gave the game away. So, of course, he sucks — until “edgy” Arch arrived two weeks later in a critical, season-saving win over Ole Miss.
Manning had all of 41 yards passing the second half of that defeat of the Rebels, and still threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the game. I ask you, what's more edgy than that?
Jeremiah Smith is the greatest wide receiver to ever play college football — y’all may want to check out the really fast cat in Coral Gables — but when the next Ohio State quarterback can’t get him the ball and the Buckeyes lose at Southern California, guess who’s going to suddenly suck and lose that grip on the inevitable gold statue?
It won’t be anyone at USC, because the stale Trojans will be on the fresh up with a huge win that saved coach Lincoln Riley’s job and showed, beyond all doubt, he can win big at one of the three best jobs in college football. Until the Trojans spend two weeks with a bye, absorbing all the love and good vibes — and get drilled at Indiana.
Then Riley will be on his way to Baylor or even his alma mater Texas Tech, whose current coach has won 18 of his last 21 games, but whose team owner isn’t happy. With everyone. After one loss in seven games.
And speaking of the defending national champions, the new Indiana quarterback whose best friends would be a great defense and a running game? Josh Hoover is the same, solid quarterback he was at TCU. Same hit-and-miss in big games.
He’s not Fernando Mendoza, he’s not even Kurtis Rourke. But the Hoosiers will get through the next month, and they’ll win the war of attrition in the Big Ten and get a top two seed in the College Football Playoff. Maybe even No. 1 overall.
“You try to control what you can control,” says Indiana coach Curt Cignetti.
Because as great as it looks, suck is just around the corner.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Everyone’s a fraud eventually in college football’s age of instant outrage
