The Big Ten is back to shake up the playoff picture and Heisman watch as we highlight the best from college football Week 8, including Indiana’s upset win over Penn State.
1. Graham Mertz looks like Russell Wilson
This is not your father’s Wisconsin team. Heck, they’re not your older brother’s Wisconsin team either. The Badgers are closer to an Air Raid team than their traditional smashmouth offense with redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz under center.
The highest-rated quarterback recruit in Wisconsin history who outshined Spencer Rattler and Sam Howell at the high school All-American game lit up the Illinois defense in his first career start on Friday night in the Big Ten opener.
Mertz was almost perfect, completing 20-of-21 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns. Normally, that could be a month’s worth of touchdown production from a Wisconsin quarterback, And it wouldn’t be uncommon for a Wisconsin running back to run for that many yards in a game.
Was it just because it was against Illinois or a sign of things to come?
Probably a little bit of both, but Wisconsin football fans should be pumped to have a real-life quarterback capable of making plays vertically for the first time since that magical season with Wilson in 2011.
2. Clemson lacks the killer instinct
I’m not going to put my foot up Clemson’s ass after a 26-point win because you’re supposed to win and winning by that much isn’t easy. But I’m also going to put my foot up their ass because when you’re Clemson, you’re supposed to beat teams like Syracuse by 50 points. Clemson always has one of these games every year, and it’s often come against Syracuse for some reason, but the lack of a killer instinct showed on Saturday. With that kind of effort against Notre Dame next month or vs. Alabama or Ohio State in the playoff, they’ll get their ass beat. That’s three times I’ve said ass in this passage.
Trevor Lawrence threw a pick-six, Travis Etienne had to leave the game for a while with a Frosted Flakes overdose and it was a 27-21 game in the third quarter. That’s just inexcusable. This is the rare case where a 26-point win feels like a loss and it’s why the media questioned Dabo Swinney about the energy level in the postgame and why the Clemson head coach got so salty. He knows his team didn’t play their best game and he’s lucky they’re so damn good that their C- game is still good enough to wipe the floor with all but two or three teams in the nation.
3. Alabama loses Jaylen Waddle
One of the most electrifying players in the nation will be lost for the season after Jaylen Waddle suffered a fractured ankle on the opening kickoff in Alabama’s win vs. Tennessee. The All-American returner and in all likelihood would have been an All-American receiver this year is a tremendous loss for fans who won’t get to see his quick-feet and exceptional hands and playmaking ability on the receiving end of passes from Mac Jones.
But I don’t think it’s going to be a crushing blow to the Crimson Tide’s SEC or National Championship hopes. Alabama has DeVonta Smith who is every bit as good and productive as Waddle. John Metchie III is one of the biggest breakout stars at receiver in the nation and Slade Bolden had nine catches for 94 yards in relief of Waddle. Plus, they have arguably the best running back in the nation in Najee Harris who set an Alabama record with 14 rushing touchdowns in the first five games. If anything, the Heisman chase at Alabama may be leaning ever-so-slightly in favor of Harris over Jones with the loss of Waddle.
4. Justin Fields was worth the wait
The Big Ten returning to play was most celebrated at Ohio State and Nebraska where the two programs were the most vocal about getting back. Well, Nebraska had their lunch handed to them by Ohio State after showing some signs of life early when it was tied at 14. But then Ohio State stopped toying with them and blew their doors off and won 52-17 to send a message to the rest of the league and to the playoff committee.
They didn’t have the headstart that Clemson, Alabama and to a much lesser degree Notre Dame had to impress, but that’s why the Buckeyes ran up the score and Ryan Day had to apologize to Scott Frost afterward for making them look so bad. But style points very much count in college football.
The most style came from Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields who launched a petition to bring back football and had about more people sign it than will vote in the state of Ohio and was nearly perfect in his season debut. Fields completed 20-of-21 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing score for good measure as he made a Heisman statement vs. the Cornhuskers.
5. New-look Harbaugh and new-look Michigan offense
Jim Harbaugh is undefeated when he doesn’t coach in khakis and cleats. Harbaugh showed off a new look on the sidelines, ditching his trademark look in favor of dark pants and boots. And the Michigan offense showed off a new look in their demolishing of Minnesota. Joe Milton looked solid in his first start, completing 15-of-22 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown while adding 52 rushing yards and a score in the 49-24 win over No. 21 Minnesota.
Quarterbacks are always the story, especially at Michigan where it’s largely been what’s prevented the Wolverines from beating Ohio State and challenging for Big Ten titles. But it was the offensive line that paved the way for the rushing attack that piled up 258 yards on a staggering 8.6 yards per carry and five touchdowns that was the prevailing takeaway. Hassan Haskins had 82 yards and two touchdowns and Zach Charbonnet had 70 yards and one touchdown to pace the ground game.
6. Windiana
Sure, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan and even Rutgers against Michigan State looked really good in their season-opening wins, but the most impressive win from the Big Ten was Indiana’s overtime win vs. No. 8 Penn State. The Hoosiers almost let it get away when Penn State took a 28-20 lead after Indiana led 17-7 at halftime but credit Tom Allen’s team for their resiliency in not giving up, which is what would have happened in most other years. Not this year. Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. scored the touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion to tie the game and force overtime.
And then, it was Penix stretching out every centimeter of his 6-foot-3 frame to extend the football to hit the pylon before he was down for the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime. Credit Allen for going for the win after Penn State scored first in overtime and put the Nittany Lions away with one play rather than extending the game into a second overtime. The win was the first over a top-10 team for Indiana since they beat Ohio State in 1987, snapping a 42-game losing streak, which was the second-longest such streak in the nation, only trailing Wake Forest’s 63-game streak. When you win like that, you celebrate in a big way with a little crowd surfing.
7. LSU rediscovers that 2019 feeling
2020 has been a year to forget for just about everyone, but in college football, it’s been an especially tough year for the reigning national champions, LSU. After a 1-2 start, a home game relocated to Missouri because of a hurricane, a game vs. Florida postponed due to a COVID outbreak among the Gators and a bad injury to starting quarterback Myles Brennan, not much has gone right. But for at least one night, LSU rekindled that old 2019 feeling with a 52-point outburst in a win vs. South Carolina.
Freshman quarterback TJ Finley looks like the quarterback of the future, and possibly the present depending on Brennan’s health, with two touchdowns and 275 yards vs. the Gamecocks. The defense and special teams returned to the form that Tigers fans are accustomed to and Ed Orgeron’s team played their most complete game of the year. Think of this as the unofficial start of the new season. This is the most fun LSU football fans have been able to have all year.
8. Oklahoma State bucks Big 12 trend
The Big 12 is known for its wide-open offenses that see quarterbacks put up video-game numbers and leave defensive coordinators going through bottles of TUMS like candy. That’s traditionally been how the league has been won, but it’s not how Oklahoma State has found their way to the top of the league standings with a 3-0 record in the Big 12 (Kansas State is 4-0 in the Big 12, 4-1 overall), it’s been the Cowboys defense that’s been the difference for Mike Gundy’s team.
Yes, Chuba Hubbard and Tylan Wallace are All-American-caliber offensive talents but it’s the defense that’s the reason why they can win the conference and make the College Football Playoff. Entering Saturday’s 24-21 win over Iowa State, the Pokes had the No. 3 scoring defense, No. 7 total defense and No. 10 rush defense in the nation. That’ll be tested when they play Oklahoma and Texas later this season but it’s clear they are not a one-dimensional team like most of their league-mates.
9. Don’t forget about Oklahoma
Speaking of which, don’t look now but Oklahoma found a defense after they used their open week to re-tool things and it showed in their 33-14 win over TCU. The Sooners only allowed 351 total yards, only 75 coming on the ground and held the Horned Frogs to 5-of-14 on third downs. The defensive showing helped take the pressure off quarterback Spencer Rattler who’s had some really high highs and some low lows in his first year as the starter. Without that pressure of needing to play perfectly to keep his team in the game, Rattler was able to stay within himself, keep his composure and let the game come to him. It’s too late to worry about making the playoffs now, but it’s not too late to win the Big 12 if the defense plays like it did vs. TCU the rest of the way.
10. Heisman watch
- Mac Jones, Alabama, QB
- Trevor Lawrence, Clemson, QB
- Najee Harris, Alabama, RB
- Justin Fields, Ohio State, QB
- Zach Wilson, BYU, QB
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