The Big Ten’s Cluster of Disappointment
Heading into the season, USC, Washington, Michigan and Penn State were all expected to compete for a playoff berth. It’s not looking promising for any of those teams. Washington looked sluggish in non-conference play before starting 0-2 in the Big Ten while being riddled with injuries. Penn State and Michigan are also both winless in conference, and have serious issues on offense that could linger the entire season. USC stands at 5-1, but another poor showing
by the defense suggests it won’t be long until they fall out of contention. Perhaps Northwestern, Nebraska, UCLA or Minnesota could be among the unexpected teams to punch their tickets.
Alabama is Rolling Again
Kalen DaBoer had the impossible task of replacing Nick Saban. Things looked a bit rocky during his first two seasons (at least, compared to the impossibly high standards of the Saban Era), and it appeared the Tide may be dropping off from the elites of college football. Alabama crushed #16 Mississippi State 56-23 on the road on Saturday, and could be considered the nation’s best team one month into the season. The Tide have found answers on offense, with a reliable ground game and the best quarterback to play in Tuscaloosa in years. Sophomore Keelon Russell could take home the Heisman in his first year as a starter. As good as things are looking for the Tide, they have a huge test coming up – a visit from #2 Georgia on Saturday night.
Putting the Ill in Illinois
Remember when it appeared Bret Bielema was on the verge of making Illinois a contender? It seems as Illinois is backsliding back toward the basement after a 2-3 start. Illinois was not able to defend its home turf against Purdue on Saturday, losing 24-17 in a game where they only managed seven points in the first three quarters. The schedule looks much more challenging with the early success of Northwestern, Nebraska and UCLA. At least they get Oregon and Iowa at home, and they already got the Buckeyes out of the way in week four.
Weekly Momentum Shifts in the SEC
The SEC race is off to an interesting start. It seems any team that scores a huge victory has the wheels come off the following week. Ole Miss won one of its biggest games in program history with a 32-24 takedown of LSU. They followed that up with a 52-28 thrashing by Florida. The Gators then rocleted up the polls, only to then get smacked by Missouri, 45-17.
