Trick or treat? Biggest surprises and disappointments of the college football season

There have been plenty of tricks and treats throughout the college football season so far.

With over two months’ worth of games in the books, there have been a handful of narratives most fans would not have seen coming, good and bad. One could chalk these up to the most pleasant surprises (treats) or biggest disappointments (tricks). With Halloween rapidly approaching, let’s apply this logic to the best storylines from the college season, good, bad and the downright ugly.

Trick or treat but choose wisely.

College football: Tricks and treats heading into Halloween

Trick: Clemson has become irrelevant nationally and in the ACC this season

Though some regression was possible, nobody saw this coming. The ACC juggernaut Clemson Tigers went from a virtual lock of making the College Football Playoff annually to a forgettable team in the conference they used to dominate. Clemson has three losses on the year and has been brought to the brink of defeat on more than one occasion. This team is not any bit good.

Treat: Georgia is the No. 1 team in the land with an incredible defense

While most people expected Georgia to be one of the better teams in college football, few saw the Dawgs having a historically dominant defense. Georgia is 8-0 and the No. 1 team in the country, but the way in which the Dawgs have dominated both lines of scrimmage is the stuff that national champions are made of. It is still early, but this year’s Georgia team could be something special.

Trick: Texas is not back under first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian

Though it was not bound to happen right away, Steve Sarkisian has not been the panacea to whatever has been ailing the Texas football program for over a decade. While has plenty of time to set his mark on the Longhorns, four losses before Halloween is not what the deep-pocketed boosters of Texas football were hoping for when they agreed to fire Tom Herman last December.

Treat: Kenneth Walker transfers to Michigan State to be a Heisman frontrunner

Leading the charge for arguably the best team in the Big Ten is Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker. Though the Spartans were expected to be competitive under second-year head coach Mel Tucker, they are 8-0 heading into Halloween with potentially the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy in Walker, a running back who transferred from Wake Forest to play a bit more.

Trick: Spencer Rattler went from No. 1 overall pick to being benched

At the start of the season, it was not if, but who would be drafting future No. 1 overall pick and 2021 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Spencer Rattler. As it turns out, it hit the fan big time for him in Norman. He was inconsistent at best and was benched in favor of another five-star recruit in Caleb Williams. All the while, Oklahoma remains undefeated and is still a top-four team.

Treat: Wake Forest is the shining beacon of college football hope in the ACC

There is only one undefeated team in the ACC and it is the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. They are scoring at will under longtime head coach Dave Clawson. Though the defense is not as good, it is truly amazing what quarterback Sam Hartman and the offense are doing without Kenneth Walker. He is a serious Heisman contender, while Wake Forest is pushing closer to being a top-10 team.