Great games coming!

Coach Talk: Week #7

As we approach the mid-season point for most college football teams, we will take a look back at how a few of my pre-season poll (Coach Talk: Week One) teams have fared to date. There have been a couple of disappointment, and a few glaring omissions in my week one poll. We will also take a look at my top 5 Heisman candidates, in order, after 7 weeks.

The biggest disappointment in the first half of the season, as related to my initial Top 15 Poll has to be Pre-season #5, the Florida St. Seminoles. I really liked their chances of finishing this year with one loss. The only game I really believed FSU would have a tough time winning was against my preseason #1, Oklahoma. The Seminoles today are 3-3 overall, and 1-2 in the ACC Atlantic. They are out of contention in both their division, and therefore, playing in the ACC Championship game. I had them winning both. The Seminoles have lost to Oklahoma, in a close game. Not a big deal. But then, they drop two games by the same 35-30 score to upstart Clemson and Wake Forest. FSU’s three wins are against Louisiana-Monroe, FCS Charleston Southern, and Duke. What a huge disappointment for the Seminole faithful. It’s obvious that Jimbo Fisher had no back-up plan in place in the event that QB E.J. Manuel was injured. And that is exactly what happened.

The only other team that I felt pretty strong about before the season started that just hasn’t lived up to expectations, yet, is Texas A&M. The Aggies currently, are 4-2 overall, and 2-1 in the conference. It is quite possible for A&M to drop three more games. They have yet to play Texas, Kansas St., and Oklahoma. More than one more loss in the regular season could cost head coach Mike Sherman his job. Sherman entered this year with a 19-19 record. That is not good enough in College Station.

There are three teams that I just didn’t see being where they are today, when I did my preseason ranking. I knew Arkansas would be pretty good, and they have shown as much so far. Their only loss so far in a 5-1 season is to my current #1, Alabama. They have two nice wins against Texas A&M and Auburn. It will be interesting to see how they finish. The only remaining game in which they will be the underdog is their last game against LSU. And the Razorbacks always play the Tigers tough. Look for the Hogs to finish with 2 losses, at worst, and with some help and an upset over LSU, the West Division champs of the SEC. The two biggest omissions in my first poll are two undefeated teams. I wouldn’t of had either team, Clemson and Kansas St., in my top 25, let alone my top 15. The Tigers are 7-0 and have quality wins over Florida St., Auburn, and Virginia Tech. The Wildcats are 6-0 and have decent wins over Baylor, Missouri, and Texas Tech. We will see how both of these surprise teams finish.

Heisman Leaderboard after 7 weeks:

1. Andrew Luck, QB Stanford 129-182; 1719 yds; 6-0 record; 18 TD’s; 3 INT.’S; 180.6 QB Rating.
2. Trent Richardson, RB Alabama 132 rushes – 912 yds; 7-0 record; 13 Rush TD’s; 15 receptions, 179 yds; 2 Receiving TD’s.
3. Robert Griffin, QB Baylor 142-182; 1950 yds; 4-2 record; 22 TD’s; 2 INT.’S; 205.7 QB Rating; 72 rushes for 295 yds; 2 TD’s.
4. Russell Wilson, QB Wisconsin 95-128; 1557 yds; 6-0 record; 14 TD’s; 1 INT.; 210.9 QB Rating; 24 rushes for 182 yds; 2 TD’S.
5. Kellen Moore, QB Boise St. 151-199; 1729 yds; 6-0 record; 21 TD’s; 4 INT’s; 179.7 QB Rating.
   

Top 15: Week #7

1. Alabama (7-0) Beat Mississippi (2-4) 52-7. Home vs. Tennessee (3-3), a 38-7 loser to #3 LSU last week.
2. Oklahoma (6-0) Beat Kansas (2-4) 47-17. Home vs. Texas Tech (4-2), a 41-34 loser to #12 Kansas State last week.
3. LSU (7-0) Beat Tennessee (3-3) 38-7. Home vs. Auburn (5-2), a 17-6 winner over Florida last week.
4. Boise St. (6-0) Beat Colorado St. (3-3) 63-13. Home vs. Air Force (3-3), a 41-27 loser to San Diego St. last week.
5. Stanford (6-0) Beat Washington St. (3-3) 44-14. Home vs. Washington (5-1), a 52-24 winner over Colorado last week.
6. Wisconsin (6-0) Beat Indiana (1-6) 59-7. At #14 Michigan St. (5-1), a 28-14 winner over Michigan last week.
7. Oregon (5-1) Beat Arizona St. (5-2) 41-27. At Colorado (1-6), a 52-24 loser to Washington last week.
8. Oklahoma St. (6-0) Beat Texas (4-2) 38-26. At Missouri (3-3), a 52-17 winner over Iowa St. last week.
9. Clemson (7-0) Beat Maryland (2-4) 56-45. Home vs. North Carolina (5-2), a 30-24 loser to Miami, FL last week.
10. Arkansas (5-1) Off last week. At Mississippi (2-4), a 52-7 loser to #1 Alabama last week.
11. West Virginia (5-1) Off last week. At Syracuse (4-2) this Friday, who was also off last week.
12. Kansas St. (6-0) Beat Texas Tech (4-2) 41-34. At Kansas (2-4), a 47-17 loser to #2 Oklahoma last week.
13. South Carolina (6-1) Beat Mississippi St. (3-4) 14-12. Off this week. Next at Tennessee.
14. Michigan St. (5-1) Beat Michigan (6-1) 28-14. Home vs. #6 Wisconsin (6-0) this week, a 59-7 winner over Indiana last week.
15. Nebraska (5-1) Off last week. At Minnesota (1-5), who was also off last week.
    

Dropped Out of Top 15: Georgia Tech (6-1) - Lost to Virginia; Michigan (6-1) - Lost to #14 Michigan St.

Nearing Top 15: Virginia Tech (6-1); Houston (6-0); Michigan (6-1); Georgia Tech (6-1); Rutgers (5-1); Penn St. (6-1); Washington (5-1).

Interesting Games: Week #7 (Against the Spread)
(Record: Week #6: 9-6) {Overall Record 2011: 55-50}

Thu.
UCLA +4 @ Arizona (Neither team is very good)
Fri.
West Virginia –13 1/2 @ Syracuse (The Mountaineers get better every week)
Sat.
Illinois – 4 1/2 @ Purdue (Illini to bounce back)
Arkansas –16 1/2 @ Mississippi (Razorbacks are pretty good)
North Carolina +10 1/2 @ Clemson (NC defense will keep this close)
Cincinnati @ South Florida –3 (Can the Bulls get back on track?)
Boston College @ Virginia Tech –21 (BC is really down)
Oklahoma St. -6 1/2 @ Missouri (Cowboys to strong for Tigers)
Air Force +31 @ Boise St. (Too many points)
Kansas St. -11 @ Kansas (I like the Wildcats in the battle of Kansas)
Penn St. @ Northwestern +5 (PSU loses this week, outright)
USC +9 @ Notre Dame (Too many points)
Washington +20 1/2 @ Stanford (Again, too many points)
Wisconsin –8 @ Michigan St. (I’m going with the Badgers)
Auburn +22 1/2 @ LSU (Too many points, again.)