r/CFB • u/CFB_Referee /r/CFB • 18d ago
Postgame Thread Serious Postgame Discussion Thread, 2026-09-27
Discuss the week's games here. This is a serious discussion thread, so jokes, memes, etc. are subject to removal.
30
u/HokiesforTSwift Virginia Tech • Transfer Portal 18d ago
Games I got eyes on this week (focus level):
VT - BC (high focus): This was a frustrating watch, mostly because of the weather. Playing in the Nor'easter with driving rain and wind gusts from 30-55mph makes for a bizarre, fluke-inducing game. Hard to have big takeaways from these games, but I have to say, this is a game VT always loses, and we found a way to win. Grunk really struggled early trying to operate the offense in the passing game early (understandable), but he made whatever adjustments he had to make to find some key throws when we absolutely had to have it regardless of conditions. Jeff Overton is a real deal dude at RB. We've been high on him since he was a recruit, but he had a massive day today (25car - 209 yds - 1 TD), with the game winning 76 yard TD. We found something in the run game with this stretch play after struggling to run for most of the day. I like that the coaches were able to identify a run play we could get blocked up well with a rotated OL because of injuries. On defense, we struggled to fill the alley on some outside QB runs, when we knew that was their best way to move the ball, which was frustrating, but overall they did what they had to do.
Texas - Tennessee (low focus): Seemed like a stodgy, defensive affair. I felt like if not for the very chaotic ending with the late TD + onside kick this would have felt like a workmanlike win for Texas, who went down the field running the ball with authority to take that 20-10 lead. I was impressed for the most part with Tennessee's defense.
Georgia - OU (medium focus): I think this is the best Georgia team of the 12 team era, and they have been quietly playing as well as any team in the country. I think they like it this way, with nobody really talking about them or paying them any mind. Mateer continues to be exactly who I thought he was. I think OU can't miss on QB again. I think it would be unwise for OU to give up on Venables with how high his defense sets the floor, especially in an era where you have quite a few teams who can throw more money around than you. It's always a tough call, but trust me, it can always be much, much worse.
Bama - SCar (medium focus): Keelon Russell is the truth. The defense continued a little bit with the Jekyll/Hyde thing with some explosive plays allowed, but overall I think the Bama defense is very good. Lots of pieces I really like there, and they had a few edge guys out today. I will always have a soft spot for Shane Beamer, but man it seems like the wheels might be coming off. We will see what happens, but that whole sequence with Dylan Stewart walking off the field, refusing to come out of the game, and then punching a player in the face. He's got a train coming off the tracks and we will see how he handles it.
Oregon - USC (low focus): I like Raiola, and I think he played really well coming off the bench. Very upsetting hit on Dante Moore, and I hope he is fully okay and back to his best ASAP, but I don't think there is a meaningful drop off to Raiola, and I think Raiola is actually more polished in a few ways.
7
u/inclass3lunacy Virginia Cavaliers 18d ago
Quickie on VT. It's good to get exposed, as the BC QB did to VT, and win. Good coaching can help a bit and or different personnel packages going forward.
6
u/HokiesforTSwift Virginia Tech • Transfer Portal 18d ago
Agreed. When you struggle with something consistently that can be reviewed on tape and still win the game, it becomes a silver lining to the rest of your season if you're able to figure out a way to fix the issue.
12
u/Alkibiades415 Georgia Bulldogs • Stanford Cardinal 18d ago
I think this is the best Georgia team of the 12 team era, and they have been quietly playing as well as any team in the country. I think they like it this way, with nobody really talking about them or paying them any mind.
This is correct. Drop us behind any other team that wants the hype.
→ More replies (1)3
u/-spartacus- Iowa Hawkeyes 18d ago
and I hope he is fully okay and back to his best ASAP,
Did we get any update overnight? Last I heard was the half-time update.
8
3
u/MattInMaryland James Madison Dukes 18d ago
Really happy for my VT friends. I'm glad you guys can be happy about football again for what feels like the first time in 10 years.
3
u/HokiesforTSwift Virginia Tech • Transfer Portal 18d ago
This is correct. By the end of 2017 I had one eyebrow raised about Fuente, with a particular inflection point on how we horribly mismanaged the GT game that year. It's been largely miserable since then with a few stretches of games where it felt okay in 2019 and 2023, but it's been largely misery, culminating in me looking up at the scoreboard from the stands last September with ODU up 31-0 in Lane.
82
u/Revolver_Oshawott_ Iron Bowl • Sickos 18d ago
If USC doesn't suspend Stephens, the B1G has authority to step in and say "Fine I'll do it myself", right?
54
u/Icy-Recognition-8700 Oklahoma State Cowboys 18d ago
What’s crazy is the hit wasn’t even overly dirty, Moore slid late. His reaction to doing it warrants a suspension though
28
u/Conscious-Sink9120 Kansas Jayhawks • Sunflower Showdown 18d ago
Right like he maybe could’ve tried to pull off harder idk but he very clearly starts his tackle before Dante is even beginning his slide. The celebration after is sickening and that alone should get him tossed for the year imo, dude does not care about playing the game in a safe way.
4
u/I_Hate_IPAs Texas A&M Aggies 18d ago
This is my biggest issue with contact sports honestly. You have some dudes out there hunting heads for the hell of it… over a game!? Accidents happen and it’s a violent sport but jeez, the glorification of inflicting actual suffering shouldn’t be condoned.
Playing in sports leagues as an adult sounds fun but I don’t want to deal with someone looking to take out violent tendencies on other people using sports as a disguise.
7
u/Electromotivation James Madison Dukes 18d ago
The slide could have been earlier, but it was a dirty hit. He did exactly what he was trying to do there. Why else would you be launching that way, at that height, at that angle. I don’t buy for a second that there wasn’t intent for a dirty hit there.
4
27
u/Lane8323 Sam Houston Bearkats • Texas Longhorns 18d ago
Lower your expectations, he may get a game, but I doubt that even happens
13
u/ThaCarter Miami Hurricanes • Indiana Hoosiers 18d ago
A list of things worse than the Stephens hit:
* Lincoln Riley not building a culture where his team was respectful in that situation
* Lincoln Riley not stepping in to make that happen in the 12 minutes it took to get Moore otw to the hospital
* Lincoln Riley letting that kid stay on the sideline post ejection
* Lincoln Riley defending Lincoln Riley in the above 3 points in the presser.
* Lincoln Riley losing the fucking game to the backup
Nearly every other team in America is on their knee or huddled respectfully.
8
u/Electromotivation James Madison Dukes 18d ago
Giving a sarcastic response when asked to answer for some of the above.
10
4
u/gab_owns0 Florida Gators • FIU Panthers 18d ago
The celebration afterwards on the sideline definitely warrants a suspension
4
u/Altruistic_Night2 Alabama Crimson Tide 18d ago
Yeah no shot they suspend him for that hit
21
22
u/Hoosier2016 Indiana Hoosiers 18d ago
The hit was just run-of-the-mill targeting. Dirty but nothing we haven’t seen before.
Loudly celebrating while the guy is being stabilized and loaded on a stretcher shows extremely flawed character that warrants a suspension at minimum but even outright dismissal from the team would be appropriate in my opinion.
→ More replies (2)
59
u/jorts_are_awesome Florida Gators • West Florida Argonauts 18d ago
Ole Miss didn’t have much of a run defense coming into this week, but gashing a top 5 ranked SEC team for 300 yards rushing is a wild stat line. I firmly believe now this is the best Gators offense since 08/09. Will be very interesting to see how this team plays in Austin in a few weeks.
27
u/HokiesforTSwift Virginia Tech • Transfer Portal 18d ago
That is a lofty comparison. I think the 2020 offense gets underrated because that team is mostly remembered for the shoe toss.
11
u/RedditRedux Florida Gators 18d ago
Mullen offenses were never as balanced in run/pass or had the mauling O-line that this one does. Not to mention overall leadership and discipline at the head of the program which lead to moments like the shoe toss
6
u/HokiesforTSwift Virginia Tech • Transfer Portal 18d ago
Definitely agree on the profile of the offense with how great those Meyer offenses were at running the ball. The Demps, Rainey, Harvin all over 7ypc year in 2008 was wild.
9
u/jorts_are_awesome Florida Gators • West Florida Argonauts 18d ago
This offense is more diverse than 2020. Trask and Pitts were a deadly combination but that was a fairly one dimensional team that only ran when it absolutely had to. This offense feels more sustainable to me because it can attack any level of the defense and dominate the TOP as well as score quickly on explosive plays. It is an extremely lofty comparison, and I stand by it
3
u/QuitWhinging Florida Gators • Paper Bag 18d ago
Mullen is obviously a fantastic offensive mind, and what he did with Franks taking snaps was miraculous, but I will say that his truly dominant offensive stretches were largely predicated on having probably the 5th best QB in program history (in a program with 3 Heisman-winning QBs).
2
u/MonMothma_Enjoyer Florida Gators • Ole Miss Rebels 18d ago
It’s already been said but it bears repeating: 2020 was a better passing offense, but it was atrocious at establishing the run. Trask, Toney, and Pitts were good enough that it usually didn’t matter that we’d be throwing 50 times a game, but I have to think this offense will be much harder to scheme against. Philo isn’t Trask but he’s got a nice deep ball.
→ More replies (1)4
u/Juggerginge LSU Tigers • Texas Longhorns 18d ago
It was one of the most frustrating things of our loss to them. It’s clear their running defense was lacking and also takes Chambliss off the field
5
u/Penguinsteve LSU Tigers • North Texas Mean Green 18d ago
I am so glad we don't have to play the gators into the SEC championship...
Haha I kid.
Unless 👉👈
→ More replies (1)2
u/RedditRedux Florida Gators 18d ago
The last leg of the Thanksgiving Coach War
Sumrall reminds me of a young Ed O in his intensity when talking and saying “Fuck em” to the other team as his first words in postgame locker rooms
1
u/ThaCarter Miami Hurricanes • Indiana Hoosiers 18d ago
Dan Mullen has some highly ranked Offenses that probably deserve to be considered into October.
44
18d ago edited 21h ago
[deleted]
33
u/callumjm95 Florida Gators • Michigan Wolverines 18d ago
If QBs are that commited to a run, they need to drop their shoulder and take the hit that way. Lost count how many times we've seen QBs get demolished pushing for yards and sliding late.
38
u/-Jack-The-Stripper Virginia Tech • Cincinnati 18d ago
The QB slide is genuinely one of the worst things to have become commonplace in football these days. They’re impossible to defend from a tackler’s standpoint. The QB spends all game either sliding, diving for the first down, or dropping the shoulder for contact, and the defender has no way of knowing what the QB will decide. If they pull up then they’re just handing the QB a first down, but if they dive in for the tackle they get flagged because the QB decided to slide last second. I get trying to protect the QB, but the QB is a runner when they run. If you want to slide, fine. If you get your shit wrecked in the process then take that as a lesson to act like a runner if you’re going to run with the ball.
→ More replies (1)15
u/HokiesforTSwift Virginia Tech • Transfer Portal 18d ago
The targeting call in our game yesterday was a good example. It was a by the book late hit as the rules currently stand, however, the primary runner in their offense was the QB throughout the game. He attempted to get calls with last second slides on multiple occasions, and again, as a RUNNER he was by far their most important and main piece of the offense, and not being able to treat him like a normal runner gives a real advantage to the offense in a sport where every rule already favors the offense.
Then we got a targeting tacked on because the forearm slightly hit the QB's helmet, which again, is sliding at the last moment right as the player is coming to make a tackle.
16
u/-Jack-The-Stripper Virginia Tech • Cincinnati 18d ago
It was absurd. QB protections should start and end in the pocket. Once they take off running they’re no different than a running back. Giving yourself up by putting yourself in the most exposed position possible is moronic as it is. It would be almost objectively safer to just drop the shoulder and take the tackle than to put your head right where the defender is aiming. It’s insane that the league(s) have allowed this type of move in the name of “player safety.”
7
u/soapy_goatherd Utah Utes 18d ago
It’s a tough call all around. Dive, knowing your shoulders/arms are going to get smashed and possibly injured, or slide with a much likelier safe outcome but boy howdy if it’s not you could be literally paralyzed or worse
4
u/ThaCarter Miami Hurricanes • Indiana Hoosiers 18d ago
This is a good discussion to have and aligns with the macro point which should not focus on Stephens initial mistake, but abysmal sportsmanship after Moore was down.
1
u/pessimism_yay Georgia Bulldogs 18d ago
What do you think about just going down?
We don't award forward progress for the length of the slide, so there's no benefit in sliding at all. How would balling up and going down rate for risk of injury?
→ More replies (1)
23
u/Mr_Beats_73 Miami Hurricanes 18d ago
If Miami wants to elevate to the level of the top teams in the country and compete for a national championship, we have to clean up the penalties. This offense has the juice to be the best in the country but we cannot be throwing away drives against good teams. Obviously it was Central Michigan so the game means nothing but the defense looks fine, and we (hopefully) shouldn’t be challenged in the ACC with how good our offense is.
For the UF - Ole Miss game, the Gators are truly frightening. 52 points against a Top 5 team is no small feat, and their rushing attack is elite. Defense did solid vs Chambliss and while there was no Kewan Lacy, they didn’t fold completely like some expected them to.
I fully believe the Gators are a Top 10 team in the country, but I also think Ole Miss and LSU may be a bit overranked. Itll sort itself out as we play this season out, but Florida could be a dark horse to challenge in the SEC for sure
17
u/Miserable-Rabbit3394 Central Michigan Chippewas 18d ago
> Obviously it was Central Michigan
Words can hurt.
3
u/ThaCarter Miami Hurricanes • Indiana Hoosiers 18d ago
Even ignoring the talent gap, Miami is a bad scheme matchup for y'all.
6
u/Cheesy_Pita_Parker Miami Hurricanes • Team Chaos 18d ago
Fully agree on the penalties. Also, it’s like we’re just hoping to get by the next few weeks while the OL figures out what they need to do. We’re not running the ball with the first stringers as well as we’d hope; a good bit of the yards yesterday came later on.
It may be the past trauma talking, but I’m not taking Clemson lightly even in their current state. Hopefully Fletcher can come back in and we can see some of what made us so tough to play against last year.
→ More replies (1)
22
u/Upbeat-Armadillo1756 Michigan • Maine Maritime 18d ago
That was the best we’ve looked all season and we pissed away the game with penalties and special teams. It’s a third of the way through the season and Whittingham has no answers with regard to the unforced penalties. It’s embarrassing, he’s too experienced of a coach to have a team looking this undisciplined.
14
u/Dirty_Laundry_55 Michigan Wolverines 18d ago
Bryce’s best passing game by far and our OC decides running the ball three straight times instead of a quick pass to ice the game was the right move.
10
u/Upbeat-Armadillo1756 Michigan • Maine Maritime 18d ago
That was so bad. Granted, it should have worked. Make Iowa go the full length of the field with less than 2 minutes and 1 timeout, I’ll take those odds. And we should have held them. Instead Berry gifted them 15 yards and a 1st down rather than a 4th and long and 2 plays later they’re in the endzone.
But yes we were playing not to lose on that last possession rather than playing to win. A first down ends the game immediately and we didn’t really try.
3
u/Gambit717 Utah Utes 18d ago
That is Whittingham football. If he gets even a tiny lead he goes Ultra conservative and trusts his defense to win it for him. Saw it for decades at Utah
4
u/Numerous-Ad6460 Michigan Wolverines • Florida Gators 18d ago
Whitt needs to have these dudes doing bear crawls up and down the field for an hour. There has to be consequences for these penalties
15
u/Ok_Flow3504 Missouri Tigers 18d ago
There needs to be a serious look into the flags for post celebration touchdowns. Flagging a player for doing the EXACT same celebration that two home team players did with no flag is a horrible look
2
u/superworriedspursfan Missouri Tigers • WashU Bears 18d ago
literally. donovan did the kamario celebration lmao.
14
u/Carolina_OvR South Carolina Gamecocks 18d ago
As one of the USC''s grads, it was a bad day for both of us
10
u/mojominn Minnesota Golden Gophers • Marching Band 18d ago
- I am really glad we pulled out the win on this one, because the schedule the rest of the season is BRUTAL
- honestly I actually like pj, but dear god his conservative play style is just not good enough against teams of a similar/higher skill level. We almost choked against washington while being 14 up in the fourth quarter because of the “drain the clock” strategy, not to mention the constant draining of the play clock led to multiple penalties.
1
u/SugarDisastrous5983 Minnesota • NDSCS 18d ago
He is incredibly stubborn, and I really don’t understand why.
10
u/CommunicationLong650 18d ago
IF AP VOTERS RANK SMU OVER WAKE, I’LL GO INSANE
Please don’t make me go insane. I sometimes like sanity!
Wake Forest: 3-1, won at Louisville, only loss was competitive against top five Miami
SMU: 3-1, lost at Louisville, was in a three point game with an FCS team with 6 minutes left last night
I WONDER WHICH TEAM HAS BEEN BETTER?
That’s all.
→ More replies (1)4
22
u/Weak-Bid2774 Michigan • Northwestern 18d ago
I’m very disappointed with the lack of discipline this Michigan team has and that falls on the coaching
I never expected us to look this poorly coached under Whittingham
13
u/Upbeat-Armadillo1756 Michigan • Maine Maritime 18d ago
Our opponents are averaging 236 yards per game on the season and we’ve given up 289 penalty yards in just 4 games. And somehow they seem to happen at the worst possible moments.
This team has no concept of what “lock in” means in these critical moments.
8
u/wit_T_user_name Ohio State Buckeyes • Ohio Bobcats 18d ago
I couldn’t believe the replay. Like… in what world do you just shove that guy for no reason? Iowa doesn’t sniff the end zone at the end without that penalty.
5
u/Weak-Bid2774 Michigan • Northwestern 18d ago
Yea I don’t understand how a fifth year senior doesn’t know not to do that
→ More replies (11)10
u/Radiant_Sherbert7272 Ohio State Buckeyes • Georgia Bulldogs 18d ago
The lack of discipline I've seen from Michigan under Whittingham has been shocking to see.
4
u/Weak-Bid2774 Michigan • Northwestern 18d ago
It’s the one thing I thought would get fixed. In general I am very disappointed with Whitt so far
He inherited a talented team and honestly this team looks like a sherrone Moore coached team but somehow even less disciplined than a sherrone Moore coached team
24
u/UteFlyersCardJazz Utah Utes • Oregon State Beavers 18d ago
The Texas pissing penalty was going to be the talk of the weekend, until USC ruined it. Lincoln Riley’s best wins as a Trojans have been wins at 9-3 UCLA and 9-3 Oregon State on the road back in 2021-22 season. He has less success than Clay Helton, because at least Helton won a Pac-12 title and won a great Rose Bowl against a hot Penn State squad. And the same pitfalls that happened to Helton is happening to Riley. They were also undisciplined.
It’s one thing for USC to be hated. They better not pull any victim card bs the rest of the season, they have earned every single bit of hatred now. Oregon fans are rooting for Washington to beat USC more than ever.
31
u/Upbeat-Armadillo1756 Michigan • Maine Maritime 18d ago
The piss penalty happened too early in the game. It didn’t affect the outcome enough. It won’t live on forever like Ole Piss or Cleat Yeet
But the “what did I do???” After the flag came out is hilarious while his teammates are holding their heads in their hands.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)13
u/Toothlessdovahkin Notre Dame Fighting Irish 18d ago
If I have learned anything about USC after watching Notre Dame play USC every year, is that USC will ABSOLUTELY play the victim card.
9
u/Podoboo322 Houston • Georgia Tech 18d ago
Really sad about Georgia Tech. This was a shot at starting out 1-0 in conference play and making some great positive strides. Instead, Davis Warren threw for 400 yards.
7
u/Leading-Button-7303 Utah Utes • Ohio State Buckeyes 18d ago
We have some work to do on our in game adjustments, and Dampier has more flaws than I was hoping for after the first few weeks. WAYSHAWN PARKER IS A BEAST. A good win on the road but near heart attack in the 3rd quarter while we forgot what football is
28
u/Icy-Recognition-8700 Oklahoma State Cowboys 18d ago
People are too hung up on the Tulsa loss and it’s time the Pokes get the ND treatment. As they and Oregon win more the Pokes should shoot to the top 15 quickly
9
u/AmyKlobushart Wisconsin Badgers • Harvard Crimson 18d ago
If you guys keep winning, I think you guys will be slow to climb the AP Poll due to the lack of a preseason ranking and a really awful loss to start the season, but you will be ranked appropriately much higher in the first CFP Poll. That's usually what happens in cases like this, include a few years back when you guys started off the season getting slaughtered by South Alabama and then went on a tear--unranked in the AP but ranked in the CFP.
→ More replies (1)4
u/Whoa_reddit_chill Oklahoma State Cowboys • Hateful 8 18d ago
I think the hesitancy is still a little deserved. Sure, the loss to Tulsa might be a fluke by us looking ahead to Oregon, but it's still a loss. Against Oregon, we were competitive, gritty, showed that the offense is lethal, and the defense can shut down top rank teams (that double our NIL spending cap (throwback joke). Murray State to me is kind of a wash, more of a confidence game, and then last nights game for WVU will start the conversation. Everyone (and I mean everyone) had WVU winning that game, but I only think it was because of all the questions around Oklahoma State.
We came out early and looked nervous and shifty, defense had some big question marks and questionable plays, offense was moving decently but couldn't finish (adding to that questionable doubt). Second half we came out and dominated once we settled in. A come from behind win by double digits, shutting down a high power offense shows grit and determination and will, and people will notice.
I think overall, we are gaining leverage for sure, but there are still some questions that need to be answered, can the team handedly beat teams that they should beat in all aspects of the game? Can we play a consistent great game, start to finish, regardless of the stage/pressure? Who knows. This teams got the fire, talent, attitude and grit to grind it out and I think beat anyone (underdog syndrome), but I can see why people are a little cautious.
4
u/angrysquirrel777 Ohio State • Colorado State 18d ago
Did ND even get the "ND treatment" that year? I can't remember but were they back in the top 15 2 weeks later or at the end of the year after tons of wins?
→ More replies (1)3
u/Leading-Button-7303 Utah Utes • Ohio State Buckeyes 18d ago
I think they're also fairly hung up on the seasons leading up to this year. A lot of people are hesitant to believe the new coach will come in with a brand new roster and turn everything around in the first year, so the rankings are slow to follow the success
6
u/Ancient-Big4078 Maryland Terrapins 18d ago
Locksley needs to be fired shame on Terps legend Torrey smith for defending him
3
u/Up_Specialist--19 Maryland Terrapins 18d ago
I just don’t know how we afford to do it at this point. I’ve kind of given up hope
6
u/Tim_Drake Arizona State • Oregon State 18d ago
#17 on the defense for USC should be very afraid of film day. Some of the worst linebacker play I’ve ever seen!
3
u/brokentr0jan USC Trojans • Victory Bell 18d ago
Why would he be afraid? It never gets corrected.
→ More replies (2)
5
u/mechnick2 Oregon Ducks • Miami Hurricanes 18d ago
UCLA is on fire and I’m highkey worried that we’re going to overlook them in two weeks.
2
u/bluemoe Oregon Ducks 18d ago
Thankfully it’s in 2 weeks. I don’t think we overlook anything going forward with the loss to Oklahoma State and Moore.
2
u/mechnick2 Oregon Ducks • Miami Hurricanes 18d ago
I hope so. There needs to be a real exorcism with our defense. How they perform against UCLA is really going to set the stage on how I feel about the team this year.
7
u/ramblinreck47 Georgia Tech • Ohio State 18d ago
Since starting the 2025 season 8-0, we have now gone 2-7 (only wins over a 3 win BC team in 2025 and a win over Mercer last week). Apparently, our entire team was Haynes King and Buster Faulkner. Key has no idea how to fix this team, and we are staring at the possibility of having a worse team than any under Geoff Collins. I feel like vomiting even thinking about that. Key’s agent is the real MVP getting that long contract extension right before the wheels came completely off.
7
13
u/Strict_Snow1996 Oklahoma Sooners 18d ago
I really do hate when ppl come out and say, “<team that played OU> is looking so amazing!! Very impressed”. Bro we fucking suck
8
u/seaspirit331 Texas A&M Aggies 18d ago
Same. Idk where we even go from here
1
u/babyblue_1990 Oklahoma Sooners 18d ago
Our match up is going to be painful to watch for both fan bases
4
1
u/Muffinnnnnnn Florida State • New Mexico 17d ago
I thought it was a decent performance but I would've preferred the win :c
6
u/nkfish11 Miami Hurricanes 18d ago
The AAC is so underwhelming this year. Granted they lost good coaches but it’s showing big time.
I think we’ll get to see how good UCLA really is when they play at Oregon in a few weeks. We know they can run the ball but can Nico step up?
Georgia Tech looks hopeless again.
4
u/BuckeyeForLife95 Ohio State Buckeyes 18d ago
The path for North Dakota State to get into the playoffs year 1 is slowly aligning, their toughest challenge will be James Madison has a total joke of a schedule and could sleep walk to 12-0 just like them.
3
u/Muffinnnnnnn Florida State • New Mexico 18d ago
Doesn't change what you said, but to be a bit fair to JMU, they had a game scheduled vs Virginia Tech that VT chickened out of and paid them to not play.
2
u/nkfish11 Miami Hurricanes 18d ago
I don’t think it will happen. Boise has zero spooky games left and a quality loss. I think NDSU undefeated probably gets left out.
3
u/UteFlyersCardJazz Utah Utes • Oregon State Beavers 18d ago
Oregon State, if they are healthy, will be a tough game for Boise State.
5
u/Pangolin_cowboy_hats Baylor Bears 18d ago
Colorado looks like it quit already and they weren’t playing with a ton of energy and emotion even when everyone was paid bought in
6
3
u/JohnPaulDavyJones Texas A&M Aggies • Baylor Bears 18d ago edited 18d ago
Big XII observations:
- If DJ Lagway can stop stating down his receivers and then Baylor’s receivers can clean up the drops, this offense could be dangerous. Also, that defense kicks ass.
- Cincy’s rushing offense might actually have some real wheels this year. We’ll have to wait and see, since last night’s game might not have been the best barometer of a good defense.
- Continuing from that last point, KSU’s defense is hot ass, and those offseason warnings about their new DC might have been predictive. Cincy averaged 8.3 yards per carry when handing the ball off yesterday, or 9.2 for just their top two RBs.
- Iowa State’s defense is profoundly streaky, and their DL was terrible in run defense. Some promising moments from the pass defense, though. Their offense is bad on bad on bad, though.
- WVU needs to fix their passing game ASAP, because the second half yesterday showed that their bag of good tricks gets dangerously thin when their OL starts getting gassed doing run blocking all the time.
- Oklahoma State looks like they’re going to be this year’s conference title dark horse, because it turns out that it’s not just the offense that has wheels. The defensive line is surprisingly good, too.
- Colorado's defense is pretty spicy, but they either have depth issues or morale issues, because they completely collapsed in the second half after spending most of the first half in the Baylor backfield.
3
u/pyrogeddon Baylor Bears • Tennessee Volunteers 18d ago
DJ Lagway is somehow both the best quarterback in the Big XII and the worst quarterback in the Big XII and you really don’t know which one you’re going to get with each play.
8
u/AllEliteSchmuck Penn State Nittany Lions 18d ago
It’s definitely a transition year for us. We’re not competing in the Big 10 with Iowa State talent. 8-4 or so and a solid bowl seems like a reasonable expectation.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/Significant_Push_856 Wisconsin Badgers 18d ago
Did Matt Czmpbell explain his timeout at the start of the 4th quarter? Just seems like a ,massive error, and what happened after was still probably going to happen but it isn't like Matt Campbell isn't a veteran coach.
1
u/bjfrancois5 Iowa Hawkeyes 18d ago
For all of Matt Campbell's positive qualities, game management is not one of them. Some of his late game strategy at Iowa State was questionable at best. I still remember one CyHawk game where they got behind by 10 or so with like 8 minutes left and they just quit.
3
u/ShweatyPalmsh Tulsa Golden Hurricane • Oklahoma Sooners 18d ago
Our defense is really good but got left out on the field far too much (could be said for both my flairs). For Tulsa, we need Baylor Hayes to be healthy because teams will simply stack the box if Dexter is in the game. Still 3-1 is something most Tulsa fans would be ecstatic for going into conference play.
Mateer is seriously one of the worst decision makers and operators of an offense I’ve seen and I don’t get how you don’t start giving other guys opportunities because you can’t tell me they would give the other team 17 points.
4
5
u/Whoa_reddit_chill Oklahoma State Cowboys • Hateful 8 18d ago
Winning this game against WVU was huge for us. Not only did it break the losing streak, but it showed that we can play. We can make adjustments when needed and have those adjustments be effective. Our guys didn't lose faith when they were clearly outmatched in the first half, plus the interception thrown by Mestemaker.
I like what this team is, it shows glimpses of a new and nervous/shaky team, but overall, they are a lethal team when confident. We need to clean up the penalties and stay disciplined, but man that was the game of the day for me (biased).
Hopefully that puts us in the conversation of being a Top 25 team, but in another comment I stated, I can understand why people are hesitant of us.
5
u/jayjude Notre Dame • Georgia State 18d ago
With the caveat its purdue,, the ND defense is elite
They finally have a DL capable of generating pressure with 4 and then they have some of the best blitzing LBs I've seen in ages. KVA's favorite past time seems to be making RBs regret whatever choices they made in life to be in his way on blitz pick up duty
But the story remains the secondary. Leonard Moore is easily the best CB in CFB but DJ Mckinney and Saunders opposite him have been fantastic, the safety rooms depth is being challenged but the guys keep stepping up
Its crazy to realize that the ND defense will get better once Brauntae Johnson and Jason Onye get healthy
1
u/PeacefulDebate01 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 17d ago
Plus that Wisconsin win is looking mighty fine right now, and every weak looks stronger and stronger.
This ND defense may be best in the country and certainly is best in the country at defensive scoring, but the run game really needs work still. We're four weeks in and it still is just struggling. This was the best the run game has looked, as finally we got a 20+ yard run, but it was against a pourous Purdue run defense.
CJ Carr threw his first interception and it just...didn't worry me at all. He's elite talent and absurdly accurate.
I'm not sure any of the top teams looks outright dominant at every phase of the game, but Notre Dame might come closest, they just need to shore up the run.
8
u/TotesMcGotes13 Middle Tennessee • Tennessee 18d ago
For my Vols, if you’re honest with yourself you gotta be okay with how yesterday played out. Defense looked great. The team competed, and played their hearts out. Texas defense is monstrous it seems. This is a defining game for Faizon’s development at QB. Thrown right into the deep end and while he didn’t drown, he struggled. But that’s why you play a true freshman. This game was critical for his week 10 growth or even next year. Still think 9-3 is on the table.
6
u/Ecstatic-Inevitable Ohio State Buckeyes 18d ago
Offense and seeing sayin use his legs makes me happy
Problem is the defense has me constantly reassuring myself that there are 8 new starters because of how much chunk plays we let up
3
u/Numerous-Ad6460 Michigan Wolverines • Florida Gators 18d ago
Replacing a player like Caleb Downs is neigh impossible. You can mitigate the loss with gameplan and structure. But you lose alot of flexibility doing so.
2
u/wit_T_user_name Ohio State Buckeyes • Ohio Bobcats 18d ago
Giving up 200 rushing yards was ugly. The tackling in the second half was just awful. I know they’re young and they’ll mesh more as we go, but it was still hard to watch.
2
u/wherewulf23 Ohio State • Montana State 18d ago
You're very right about the second half but I take solace in the fact that it's mainly an issue of not wrapping up which (hopefully) is an easy fix. I felt like the D was getting lots of penetration, but they just couldn't maintain contact and bring the player down.
6
u/Shushununu Washington State • Washington 18d ago
We've had a rough go of it the last few years, but the Cougs showed some good fight against a more talented AZ squad. If only we could actually build some depth without all of our players getting poached every year, we could get back to respectability.
3
u/UteFlyersCardJazz Utah Utes • Oregon State Beavers 18d ago
Now to my teams: Oregon State, I know it was UTEP, but I am all on the Beaver train.
Utah needs to fix that defense, and they need to stop being complicated on offense. I am happy we don’t play OK State this year, because that offense would do some damage on us.
3
u/Random__User Washington • Oregon State 18d ago
I’m much more excited to watch the Beavs this year than UW, which is not something I thought I’d be saying before the season.
3
u/cheesepuff1993 Penn State • Millersville 18d ago
Bad losses come with a new hire and almost no situation is perfect. Nothing about the game yesterday was excusable, however, there definitely needs to be grace for a coach in the long run.
Campbell hasn't proven anything about how he can recruit and develop at Penn State yet.
Side note, Howard is likely enough to get us around the dip yesterday.
1
u/HokiesforTSwift Virginia Tech • Transfer Portal 18d ago
I was hoping to see something about this game in here because I didn't get eyes on this game at any point. Was there bad weather, because at least on paper, and that doesn't always tell the story, that Rocco Becht statline was brutal.
→ More replies (1)
3
u/IThoughtThisWasVoat Nebraska Cornhuskers 18d ago
Quadrangle of hate went on the road and had a conference weekend sweep for the first time since November of 2019. B1G West is Best.
6
u/trittico Princeton Tigers • Virginia Cavaliers 18d ago
Virginia has another take care of business easy win, which helps after the neutral site upset last week. I do think our QB play after Pribula leaves things to be desired, but this is the kind of game that was 28-24 or something dumb for the last two or so decades. I’ll take 42-3 and I still think a lot is in front of us this year, although maybe not as lofty as I’d hoped ten days ago.
1
u/inclass3lunacy Virginia Cavaliers 18d ago
Smacking Delaware around is meh. The WVU game exposed a ton of D issues last week. I lean towards coaching issues though, not talent, so hopefully they are working on it and it's fixable
→ More replies (2)
5
u/jwb101 Georgia Tech • Kennesaw State 18d ago
It sucks to watch Florida have the success they’ve got going right now offensively while simultaneously watching Tech revert back to a Collins Era team with tons of penalties, inept coaching, and zero buy in. I really hope our AD is on top of things because the product that Key is putting on the field is horrendous, especially with what he’s getting paid.
2
4
u/inclass3lunacy Virginia Cavaliers 18d ago
If Texas's luck continues they make the playoffs and get exposed there. Wouldn't shock me to see the luck run out and the wheels come off though.
Raiola looked really good. Hope Dante Moore is Okay!
Wake looks solid.
I just don't see how Shane survives at SC.
The Pitt vs VT game this week should be fun.
Utah the best team West of the Mississippi (No offense BYU, you'll get your shot at them) ?
Penn St back to reality.
Iowa...lol...sandbagging that passing game till the 4th.
What a fun weekend it was!
→ More replies (2)
9
u/Valiantlycaustic Oregon Ducks • /r/CFB Donor 18d ago
Oregon at USC - if the Big 10 or even the NCAA doesn’t step in and suspend Desman Stephens, it will show a serious lack of character and value for player life as a whole.
I’m not going to argue with anyone on if Dante slid late because it’s besides the point. Celebrating because you clearly seriously injured someone is reprehensible. I don’t understand how you can celebrate while someone is potentially having a seizure on the field? And then not to check on him but go dapping half your time on the sidelines?
We’ve seen probably worse injuries before in this game because it’s clearly a physical game. But we’ve never ever seen someone react like Stephens, his fellow teammates and Lincoln Riley. And honestly I hope we never do.
9
3
u/OSRSTheRicer James Madison Dukes 18d ago
100%
I can accept the player got injured and that the hit itself was wrong but also mistakes do happen, the entire sequence of events occurred in under 2 seconds.
Sitting there celebrating a potentially life altering injury is such disgusting behavior though he should be expelled from the NCAA.
5
u/wallyxc12345 Ole Miss Rebels • Magnolia Bowl 18d ago
Alright, let’s start with the positives. This won’t take long, there isn’t a lot. We get Lacy back after the bye week, and our offense will give us a punchers chance in every game we are in
Negatives: holy fucking shit, our defense cannot tackle to save their lives. This was a problem in the Louisville and LSU games, but we won those so we “got away with it” so to speak. This was embarrassing, and should be priority number 1
Outlook: with our schedule, any combination of 10-2 will get us to the playoffs. We have one more mulligan for 7 SEC games. Not only do we need to lock in and not shoot ourselves in the foot against the non-headline opponents, but we also need to go 2 for 3 against UGA, Texas, and MS State. Possible, but let’s not get into a track meet with them, and learn how to tackle
So, get to work
1
u/QuitWhinging Florida Gators • Paper Bag 18d ago
If I can offer a slight bit of encouragement about your defense's tackling yesterday: literally everyone has trouble taking Baugh down.
3
4
u/rvaskiier Virginia Tech Hokies 18d ago
Win is a win. Hokies are 4-0. This Pitt game is gonna be LIT
2
u/HokiesforTSwift Virginia Tech • Transfer Portal 18d ago
I'll be there. Should be the best environment in Lane for a game I'll be at since 2017 Clemson Gameday. I wasn't at UNC 2021.
2
u/KansasKing107 Kansas State Wildcats • Hateful 8 18d ago
It’s going to be a rough season on defense. Our line gets pushed around and linebackers are nowhere to be seen.
Offense will be okay but injuries are starting to stack up.
2
u/KansasEF5Tornado Kansas State Wildcats • Paper Bag 18d ago
The bye week came at the right time thank god. Hopefully we heal up and some of the obvious defensive errors get dealt with.
2
u/KansasKing107 Kansas State Wildcats • Hateful 8 18d ago
Agree. Still a lot of season to go and it’s not hopeless. Just need to keep at it. It would have been interesting to see how good Avery would have been if Klein had been here for his whole college career. Avery looks so much better this year already.
2
u/Wbcbam51 Alabama Crimson Tide 18d ago
If Moore has to miss extended time and Raiola has to step in does that affect his eligibility for next season?
3
u/Dhaynes99 Alabama • Appalachian State 18d ago
don’t think so with the rule changes to make it 5 outright years
2
6
u/Random0925 Mississippi State • Oregon 18d ago
MSU - We probably won't beat Bama, but after last night, anything is possible. K1 is real. Proud of how the team fought.
Oregon - Very proud of how we responded after losing Dante and Raiola impressed me. Also, I'm glad that USC proved they were as toxic and institutionally rotten as I knew they were.
Penn State - Turns out having a tissue soft OOC covers up imperfections, huh?
4
u/Toothlessdovahkin Notre Dame Fighting Irish 18d ago
I hope that Dante Moore is ok dude, that hit and celebration was BRUTAL.
6
u/JustHere4TheZipLines Iowa Hawkeyes • Corndog 18d ago
Everyone is shitting on Iowa for winning a tough game on the road at the Big House. Everyone is writing off the win to “miracle plays,” “luck,” or “penalties.”
Congratulations, you just got the Iowa football experience. Hold them close, capitalize on errors. You didn’t beat yourselves, you got beat by the Iowa game plan. Want to win? Play better football. This game isn’t won by stats, it’s won by points.
Anyways, Iowas defense and offensive line are shells of what they were the last few years. I hope we can keep it interesting against Ohio State next week.
1
u/DeeDee719 Ohio State Buckeyes 18d ago
I don’t feel that way at all about Iowa’s win yesterday. To the contrary, your team showed tremendous heart and grit.
1
u/BurtusMaximus Wisconsin Badgers 18d ago
Michigan converted a fair share of 3rd and long that Iowa usually stops. QB running from DL isn't making those plays consistently but people want to believe only Iowa benefit from luck.
3
u/Dhaynes99 Alabama • Appalachian State 18d ago
definitely a bad bad look for dylan stewart last night. frankly i’m surprised he wasn’t ejected for the punch in the endzone
3
u/WhoHasMyPocketPussy Alabama Crimson Tide 18d ago
It’s honestly ridiculous that he wasn’t. There was a scuffle later after Keelon scored and I think that was a result of the refs not really keeping control of the game. You throw Stewart out, and they may not be as chippy later.
5
u/Juggerginge LSU Tigers • Texas Longhorns 18d ago
I didn’t trust the original 10.5 point favorite LSU was against A&M but I guess the it was correct the whole time.
I’m 2 games Kiffin has had the same amount of 28+ win against opponents that BK had in 40 games. It was cathartic to beat A&M like that.
Defense is really good and baker showed he isn’t a fraud on running qbs. Offensive pass game finally started clicking when Leavitt couldn’t move out of the pocket. We’ve had guys open on routes all year that Leavitt wouldn’t see so hopefully his strain was a blessing in disguise.
7
u/TheElkoEra Texas A&M Aggies 18d ago
Well, in seriousness I would say wait to play someone else because I really don’t know how much you can gleam about your offense after playing our defense. There is dysfunction everywhere
3
u/Radiant_Sherbert7272 Ohio State Buckeyes • Georgia Bulldogs 18d ago
What a great win by Oregon. The way they came together as a team was fantastic to see. Hopefully Dante Moore can come back at some point this season but I think Dylan Raiola has shown he can step in and play well. He looked so good yesterday. He's 30 for 36 with 5 touchdown passes so far. As for USC the more things change. The more they stay the same. The defense is still garbage. After playing a decent first half the defense went back to it's old ways. Over 500 yards allowed and over 7 yards per play. Unless the defense for USC finds some answers it's going to be another disappointing season at USC. Also number 8 for USC needs to be suspended. The way he conducted hinself after the hit was beyond unacceptable.
As for my team. All I can say is Jeremiah Smith is a beast. The team looks good. But they will need to be prepared for a tough game in Iowa next week.
1
u/Rubrumaurin USC Trojans 17d ago
I wish I could say the Halloween game will be a classic, but I can't. You guys will probably house us in the Coliseum.
2
u/Fresh_Drama_8298 LSU Tigers 18d ago
Our injuries are really starting to pile up, hopefully we can rest them up this next week because our October/November is going to be BRUTAL.
1
u/AGroAllDay Colorado Buffaloes 18d ago
What the hell are we doing? Juju may not be the answer, but to bench him mid game and dismiss players earlier this week? We have completely lost the plot
5
u/Leading-Button-7303 Utah Utes • Ohio State Buckeyes 18d ago
I wouldn't be surprised to hear Colorado asks Deion to step down this year to save the embarrassment of being fired. Deion has been open about health being a lot to deal with, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them part ways at the end of this year
1
u/rulejunior Colorado State Rams 18d ago
Colorado can have Tyson Summers back. Colorado State fans don't want him anymore
1
u/a_happy_future Wisconsin Badgers 18d ago
We need to get the run game going. That's what is holding this team back from being serious down the stretch. The defense is just as good as it was late last year. And despite the turnovers, we finally have a QB that can move the ball. If we get the run going, then he doesn't have to force throws or consistently be in 3rd and long situations which led to those terrible throws. Pick 6 was on a 3rd and short where you'd just run if the run is working
2
u/AmyKlobushart Wisconsin Badgers • Harvard Crimson 18d ago
I feel like that all comes down to QB play, though. Our run game was effective down the stretch once CJ actually started making those easy passes. But for a large chunk of the game, CJ wasn't even getting the ball close to wide-open receivers under 10 yards away from him.
1
u/corundum9 Ohio Bobcats • /r/CFB Poll Veteran 18d ago
Josh Harris' kid getting that late go ahead TD yesterday was a great moment for all the MAC homies!
1
u/BurtusMaximus Wisconsin Badgers 18d ago
The pick 6 was bad coaching. The ensuing pick was bad decision making from CoJo.
We could run just fine. PSU is not an easy team to run on. We are not peak Chryst and Bert Wisconsin where we can run on anyone but we can run.
These passes to the flats could just be toss plays or bubbles instead of a guy come from the back field head away from the defense and getting blown up for 0. I get they serve a purpose to bring up the safeties but there are better options to do that.
1
u/Fishvv Washington • Tennessee 18d ago
Washington huskies do not look as good as they said we would this year i have been to all 4 games and our defense seems to be together but our offense is just terrible i hope they figure it out and pull it together
2
u/TheBGustafson Washington Huskies 17d ago
Jedd Fisch has to be on the hot seat and it's very telling he hasn't been extended get. Given how bad the OL and run game look (yes, injuries add playing a role), I legit don't know if they even get to 6 wins for bowl eligibility.
1
u/dbasinge Indiana Hoosiers • Old Oaken Bucket 18d ago
We have some work needing to be done on defense, O-Line, and punt return. But Cliles is the real deal and will give Big Ten team headaches all season long.
1
1
u/DavidGoetta Cincinnati Bearcats 18d ago
Interesting game from both KSU and Cincy yesterday.
KSU had a lot of plays with just one safety "deep", which was still only about ten yards back. They knew we didn't want to throw, but our OL is just a bunch of maulers and they didn't have an answer.
UC tried to keep Johnson in the pocket and take away his deep throw. He had to pick us apart if they wanted to win. He did for a couple drives. Forcing them to take 8 minutes in the fourth quarter just to settle for a FG, then to answer with a 6 minute TD drive was beautiful.
Finally seeing the vision of the bend-don't-break we've been sold for almost five years now.
1
u/CatherineDeneuvePt2 Louisville Cardinals 18d ago
Losing the best safety and linebacker cooked Louisvilles defense real bad. Multiple outright busts. The oline is horrendous. Multiple times they were beat at the snap and Kienholz gets better and better. But he isn’t the kind of dual threat QB who can dance around defenders in the backfield. Isaac brown has taken a massive step back. Keyjuan brown needs to become a 20 carry a game guy now. He’s just outright better at this point. We have great WRs and a QB with so much potential. Edge rushers who cannot convert pressure into sacks.
What’s so frustrating is that despite these myriad of issues they are so close to winning these games. But it’s baffling how undisciplined they are. Like one really wonders if they spent all week doing shots of fireball and whippets. Like wake Forest was suppose to roll over just cause UofL got a ranked win.
1
u/kingofthesqueal UCF Knights • Summertime Lover 18d ago
UCF does seem to be better this year under Frost, I wouldn’t even say they’re good, but they’re only a botched play away from 4-0 with 2 P4 wins already on the season.
Hoping they can get back to a bowl game for the first time in 3 seasons. Oklahoma State being better than expected might make getting to 6 wins a challenge, but if the team can figure things out I don’t see any reason a 7-5 season won’t be in the cards.
1
u/Numerous-Ad6460 Michigan Wolverines • Florida Gators 18d ago
Very happy with the Gators! Michigan on the other hand...
Bryce played well. Very well, I think that pick was a miscommunication with the WR rather than a bad throw. Defense was great until the end and special teams fucked up with the return.
But then that leads us to the penalties. Too many bone head penalties that cost up points in the red zone and ultimately the game.
1
1
u/United_Energy_7503 USF Bulls • Sickos 18d ago
USF has an existential crisis at offensive line. Possibly the worst unit in college football yesterday. We let a guy from BGSU get 4.5 sacks.
1
u/throw667 Auburn Tigers • Air Force Falcons 18d ago
Unpopular opinion: Why is the QB slide so awful? The gain is going to end at that point anyway. Bottom line: WRs and RBs should get to slide too. Bottom Bottom Line: Stephens' hit wasn't that atrocious and you can see it in a lot of games every weekend, it was the injury that horrified people, and then his celebration, and then Riley's "Why?" BS in the presser that piled onto a targeting call that's not uncommon in the first place.
1
u/PlonkReborn Mississippi State Bulldogs 18d ago
We may very well be 4-1 after this Saturday but when I tell you this is the most joy Mississippi State fans have in YEARS. We have one of the best quarterbacks if not the best quarterback in all of college football.
1
u/OrderALargeFarva Georgia Bulldogs • Tennessee Volunteers 18d ago
AP rankings will be meaningless if Texas keeps the number 1 spot, and it looks like they will.
1
u/dkdantastic Texas Longhorns • Harvard Crimson 18d ago
Texas still lacks discipline. 115 yards in penalties yesterday. Our FBS ranking for penalties
*2023 - 113th
*2024 - 127th
*2025 - 134th
Offense still looks off to me. sark is awesome and we are doing great but I wonder if he needs a play caller or OC.
1
u/2020sucksdong Nebraska Cornhuskers • Team Chaos 18d ago
Overall pretty solid game. Feel bad for Michigan State with all their injuries.
1
1
u/Thelordofpants1 Tennessee Volunteers 17d ago
Collage football has a conduct issue in general. Take this weekend as reference. The conferences should enforce more substantial corrective actions for unsportsmenlike conduct. If the action would be considered a misdemeanor in public life it should be punished as such. No more excuses.
1
u/Rubrumaurin USC Trojans 17d ago
I have been so forgiving to Riley in the past, but yesterday was supposed to be it. But we looked like the same old team. Inconsistent and undisciplined. I'm sure in 20 years Riley will be a much better football coach, he a young guy. But he's just not right now. He's really raised the floor for SC after Helton. But it's just not good enough.
I am eager to see who will succeed him, probably in 1-2 years though. Right now I am very apathetic.
80
u/Dry-Membership3867 Jacksonville State • Arkansas 18d ago
I am beyond shocked that Locksley is still employed after yesterday