Last week kinda sucked. Not last football week, a 30-0 win over Wisconsin will never suck. But when the week starts with losing Floyd of Rosedale and ends with the news of beloved actor Patrick Stewart’s death at 86, that’s pretty bad.
The news of Stewart’s death hit me surprisingly hard. It’s strange to think that the passing of someone I’ve never met or have any personal or familial connection to could be felt so strongly. Of course he was a tremendous stage actor but I’ll always first see him as the best
captain who ever sat on the bridge of the Enterprise. Growing up, my dad would often watch Star Trek: The Next Generation. While the younger me could appreciate the steady authority of Jean-Luc Picard, the older I got the more I grew to appreciate the character’s wisdom and moral compass.
“You told the truth up to a point. But a lie of omission is still a lie.”
“Seize the time. Live now. Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.”
“With the first link the chain is forged, the first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.“
“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness, that is life.”
Star Trek was conceived as a vision of a future built on humanity’s best qualities, and Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard was that future personified. Whether as Picard, Professor X, Himself, or countless characters on stage, Patrick Stewart was one of the most memorable performers of his generation.
Set course and engage, captain. Thanks for the memories.
Let’s get to the football. Schedule graphics courtesy of Projection Sports by Tyler Markley.
The CFP committee released their first rankings this past Tuesday and there are a slew of games this week with significant impact the playoff. Kicking things off from Salt Lake City is the Holy War, #9 BYU @ #3 Utah. This game is a triple threat: huge rivalry game, conference championship implications, and playoff positioning. The Utes lead the Big XII while BYU is tied for second. The Cougars can’t afford to drop this game if they hope to keep both postseason hopes alive.
The UCLA Bruins are one of college football’s best stories this year. They’re one of three remaining unbeaten teams and continue to win even after losing QB Nico Iameleava to injury. Now they’re inside the CFP top ten ahead of #8 UCLA @ Minnesota and with the Gophers taking Indiana to the brink of their second loss of the year last week this game suddenly got more interesting. Can Minnesota pressure another CFP hopeful?
Stepping away from the CFP for a moment, what a win for Jimmy Rodgers’s Cyclones last week. A first year head coach at a program which hemorrhaged players in the portal, got a ranked win in his first year? That’s impressive. And fun fact, Rodgers got a ranked win before his predecessor, Matt Campbell, did at Penn State. Will the Cyclones face a letdown in Iowa State @ Baylor? We’ll find out by Saturday afternoon.
Okay, back to the playoff talk, Saturday afternoon is full of implications. One of the surprises/scandals with the committee’s rankings was Alabama coming in at #5. The Tide have two losses on their resume, one of which was a 16-point flop against Tennessee, ranked six spots farther down, whose two losses were only by field goals. #5 Alabama @ #14 LSU and #6 Kentucky @ #13 Tennessee will be opportunities for all four teams to separate themselves. That’s not to mention the prime time SEC game, #2 Georgia @ #10 Ole Miss. Saturday is going to be a huge day for each of these schools.
Not to be outdone, the Big Ten has a couple huge games of its own. #23 Oregon @ #12 Ohio State either lost or gained some luster depending on whose colors you wear. The Ohio State fell to USC last week, possibly forecasting trouble for the Buckeyes sans Julian Sayin. But Oregon surprisingly jumped back into the national rankings after toppling red hot Northwestern. It’s made a mess of the Big Ten’s playoff hopes, but the game itself got a whole lot more interesting.
That loss to the Ducks did take a bit of shine off #19 Iowa @ Northwestern. Had the Wildcats won last week, no doubt this game would be getting much more national attention. But it is what it is. Iowa bounced back very nicely against Wisconsin but I have plenty of mental scars from Northwestern games of the past. But if Iowa can manage to get past the Cats, and if the CFP chaos continues, who knows what could happen.
Finally, the big one of the night is #1 Miami @ #11 Notre Dame. Just like the Holy War, this is another intense rivalry that will have huge playoff stakes. Thanks to their loss to BYU this is essentially an elimination game for the Irish.
This week marks Miami’s first appearance at the top of the CFP rankings, and if they could singlehandedly keep Notre Dame out of the playoff for the second year in a row, that would be an amazing new chapter in this heated series. If that happens, I’m sure the Irish can be trusted to handle the disappointment with the same poise and maturity as last season.
Bonus game: Michigan State @ Michigan doesn’t have any major postseason implications, but it’s another rivalry and a series that has had some incredible moments. Could we see more this week.
A huge weekend of football awaits, let’s enjoy all it offers. “Seize the time. Live now. Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.”
