Tag: college football

College Football Bowl Game Participants Should get More Than a $550 Bowl Gift

It is that time of year again. College football playoff and bowl game season! The College Football Playoff (CFP) matchups are set. Bowl game matchups are set. There is a lot at stake during the college football post-season. Bragging rights for winning a bowl game, being crowned the CFP champion, and last but not least – MONEY. There are millions of dollars at stake for coaches, conferences, and schools. However, there is one group that is systematically left out of the financial distributions. That group is none other than the football players themselves.

It is true that the NCAA permits bowl game participants to receive up to $550 in gifts. However, those gifts severely pails in comparison to the rewards that coaches, schools, and conferences receive. Right out the gate, the conferences of the schools that qualify for the College Football Playoff semifinal games receive 6 million dollars for each team. Conferences that do not have a CFP contender still have a chance to rake in 4 million dollars for each team that qualifies for a bowl game. However, this revenue barely scratches the surface of all of the money that is at stake. Let’s take a look at how much the coaches, schools, and conferences stand to earn during the college football post-season.

The CFP and Bowl Games are a Cash Cow for the Participating Coaches

Dabo Swinney $93M contract There's enough money to pay the players

Several college football coaches enjoy million-dollar salaries. CFP champion coach, Dabo Swinney, signed a 9.3 million per year contract for his base salary Many more coaches enjoy salaries in the upper six figures. However, the college football post-season is the sweetest time of year for qualifying coaches. It is sweet because qualifying for post-season play demonstrates that the coach has led the team through a very successful season. It is also sweet because qualifying for post-season play equals sizeable bonus money for the coaches.

Coach Mack Brown at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Take the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill coach, Mack Brown, for instance. He will receive $75,000 for the Tar-heels qualifying for the Military Bowl. This $75,000 is additional compensation on top of the $3.5 million he earns as an annual salary. Brown is not the only person on his staff who will be a bonus beneficiary. The Tar-heels assistant coaches will receive bonuses up to “two-twelfths of their annualized salaries”. Meanwhile, the football players will receive a compilation of arguably useless gifts up to $550 in value.

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Coach Ryan Day at Ohio State University

Another coach who stands to make more in bonus money than most people make in a year is Ohio State’s Ryan Day. Day replaced Ohio State coaching legend, Urban Meyer, and quickly realized that he needed to make a name for himself. Make a name for himself is just what he did in leading the Buckeyes to the CFP for the first time since 2016. Day stands to earn an additional $450,000 in CFP bonuses. Per Day’s contract, he will earn $200,000 just for the Buckeyes making an appearance in the CFP. Day stands to make another $250,000 if the Buckeyes make it to the CFP semifinals.

However, Ohio State and Clemson are set to face off in the Fiesta Bowl. If the Buckeyes are successful in that game, Day will not receive $250,000 if the Buckeyes make it to the CFP semifinals. Instead, Day will receive $350,000 for “team participation in the finals of the College Football Playoff.” These are only the bonuses that two coaches stand to receive for post-season play. Every other qualifying coach stands to receive similar compensation. Meanwhile, the football players are left with arguably useless gifts totaling up to $550 in value.

Conferences and Schools Rake in the Cash from the CFP and Bowl Games too

Merely having a school qualify for the CFP semifinals or a bowl game earns a conference at least 6 to 4 million dollars respectively. There is so much money available to the conferences and schools from post-season play. Each conference with a school that qualifies for post-season play receives $300,000. Each qualifying independent school receives $300,000 as well. An independent school is one that does not belong to a conference like Notre Dame.

Additionally, each of the ten conferences receives a base amount of money. Conferences who participate in the Orange, Rose, and Sugar Bowl receive approximately $66 million for each conference. Conferences that do not participate in those bowls receive approximately $90 million in the aggregate that is dispersed as the conferences see fit. If Notre Dame qualifies, it receives $3.19 million as an independent school. The other three independent schools receive $1.56 million.

Furthermore, each conference with a school participating in the Cotton, Fiesta, or Peach Bowl or the CFP National Championship receives an additional $2.43 million to cover game expenses. This is a lot of money. Meanwhile, the football players receive arguably useless gifts totaling up to $550 in value. The schools do use some of the money to fund their athletic departments to make collegiate sports participation possible. However, there is still enough money that football players can receive more than $550 worth of gifts.

The Bowl Gifts Are a Joke in Comparison to the Coaching Bonuses and Revenue the Conferences and Schools Receive

Football players who participate in bowl games and the CFP are allowed to receive $550 worth of gifts. In the scheme of things, the gifts are arguably worthless and pails in comparison to the six-figure bonuses their coaches receive. Participants in the Peach Bowl will receive a $390 Vanilla Visa Gift Card, a Fossil watch, and a football. While a $390 gift card sounds nice, it is nothing for all of the hard work and effort players put into their sport. It is certainly nothing compared to the bonuses the coaches receive.

Participants in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl receive a PlayStation 4 Gift Package, a Fossil watch, an Ogio Shuttle Pack backpack, a history of bowl games book, and an Ice Shaker Insulated bottle. A PlayStation 4 is a nice gift. However, is it really that useful for a college football player who puts in 40 plus hours a week on football and has to study too? It would seem that sharing the revenue with the players would be a better option. However, that is not going to happen because of the NCAA’s farce of amateurism.

What if the NCAA, Conferences, and Schools Decided to Share the Revenue With the Players?

If the revenue was shared with the players it would provide a major financial boost for the players. This is especially true for players who come from disadvantaged situations. Such players often need extra money to make ends meet. Players who may need extra cash cannot even sell their gifts without fear of being declared ineligible for receiving an impermissible benefit like Terrelle Pryor. In 2010, Pryor was suspended for selling his sportsmanship award from the 2008 Fiesta Bowl. If the NCAA, conferences, and schools decided to share some of the revenue they could eliminate this problem for their athletes.

The NCAA could hold the money in a trust for the football players to receive after they graduate. They could provide financial planning seminars to help them manage the money and use it in a productive manner. This would help the players way more than a fossil watch ever could. With all of the money floating around college football post-season play, the players should receive more than a $550 gift.

Don’t Fire Your College Football Head Coach Until You Answer 2 Questions

Tis’ Coach Firing Season

Willie Taggart, Chad Morris, and Matt Luke are all college football coaches who were fired, while Clay Helton, Will Muschamp, and Kevin Sumlin were all retained. It is abundantly clear that many college football programs do not make good decisions when it comes to deciding whether to retain or fire their head coaches. So I am here to help. I have come up with a simple, absolutely genius, and foolproof Coaching Test to determine whether or not your head coach needs to be fired. Thanks to social media, fans, and boosters that scream about wanting their coaches fired are now heard except at USC. More often than not get their wish granted.

2019 Coaching Changes

As of December 12th, there have been 15 FBS head coaching jobs that have come open. All of the schools fired their coaches except two. Chris Petersen (Wash) and Jeff Tedford (Fresno St) unexpectedly resigned.

The Power 5 firings happened at Arkansas, Missouri, Florida State, Ole Miss, Boston College, and Rutgers (Is it ok to call them Power 5).

None of these coaching changes were unexpected, but were they justified? Often, coaches are on an extremely short leash and are expected to win now despite the dysfunction they inherited. College football fans and school administrations demand microwave results for problems that took years to make.

Fans and boosters have called for Clay Helton (USC), Tom, Herman (TEX), Gus Malzahn (AUB) fired. But should they be gone as well?

Cost of firing a coach

With some coaches having enormous buyouts, there are obvious financial ramifications to firing a head coach. For instance, for USC to fire Clay Helton they would have to pay out over $20 million for him and his assistants remaining contracts. Kevin Sumlin is another name that rings a bell. The school just paid Rich Rodriguez a buyout and is probably reluctant to pay another so soon.

In addition to financial ramifications of firing the coach, there is often a lot of uncertainty when you don’t know who the next head coach is going to be. Many fan bases that have called for their coaches to be fired are learning a hard lesson. You may get your wish with your coach being fired, but your new coach may be from the “scratch and dent bin.” There are good coaches in the scratch and dent bin, but they aren’t perfect and have some unsuccessful times in their history. But you got what you wanted, a new coach.

Most importantly, recruiting classes are often destroyed when recruits believe a coach will be fired. No matter how good a coach is, he cannot win without players.

Unafraid Show Coaching Test

Every head coach needs to be reevaluated every season. It does not matter whether the coach went undefeated and won the championship or went defeated and zero games. You only need to answer two questions to know whether your coach needs to be fired or not.

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Number one:

Is there a coach that is guaranteed to take your job that is better than your current coach? Example: James Franklin is the head coach at Penn State. In fact, they just gave him an extension. He is winning football games while recruiting well, but PSU would fire him without a second thought if Dabo Swinney or Nick Saban were walking through that door. Often coaches are fired, and the schools have no clue who will replace him. I believe that is part of the reason USC did not fire Clay Helton. They kicked the tires on Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer but ultimately couldn’t get a deal done. So, Helton lives to “fight on” for another day.

Coaches are more often valuing the stability at a top 11-25 job rather than jumping at the chance to coach a top 10 team.

Number Two:

Is there still hope? Can your current coach go into the living rooms of 17-21-year-old players and sell them and their parents on the fact that the future of your program is brighter than the past? Can you make them buy-in, believe, and go all-in with you? If you can’t answer both of these questions in the affirmative, then you need a head coaching change. The Unafraid Coaching Test is a simple and foolproof test. If Athletic Directors and administrators answered these two simple questions every season, they wouldn’t consistently mess up their programs.

This method of determining whether to keep or fire your coach is an easy explanation for the boosters and other influential people around your program. It will keep the waters from being muddied by people with personal agendas and faulty reasoning. When Athletic Directors and administrations listen to the mob of angry fans, they mess up their programs by firing a coach too prematurely, or they rely on their gut/pride and keep the coach too long. The angry mob of fans and boosters change their minds like the wind; their opinions cannot be trusted in the short term. Think about this. Last year Florida State fans couldn’t wait to get Jimbo Fisher out and Willie Taggart in. Now, they would happily take Jimbo back. Texas fans were unsure about Tom Herman’s prospects as head coach. Now the Longhorns fanbase is smiling. Here are a couple of common questions I got when I explained this on the Pac-12 Apostles Podcast:

What if the coach is winning, but he can’t recruit?

If your coach can’t recruit, then he can’t win long term. If he can’t win, there will be a loss of hope. When the loss of hope happens, fire your coach. Don’t fire a winning coach!

Those people that tell you “recruiting stars don’t matter” are delusional. There is no coincidence that the best teams in college football every year finish at the top of the recruiting rankings.

What if the coach recruits well, constantly goes 8-5 or 9-4, and can never get you “over the hump”?

This is clearly referring to the coaches like Tom Herman and Mark Dantonio. These coaches are expected to compete for conference championships and sometimes be in the national championship conversation. Coaches that consistently recruit well stay in around 8-9 wins per season. They are really close to breaking through and will eventually win the conference. But, fan bases aren’t happy with nine wins per season. They want a maximum of one loss per season. It is damn near impossible to put up win totals like Nick Saban every year.

Next time you get into a discussion about whether or not the coach of your favorite college football team needs to be fired refer to the Unafraid Coaching Test.

college football College Football Playoff NCAA

College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 15 As it Should Be

Welcome to the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 15 As it Should Be. I believe this season makes the best case for CFB Playoff expansion. The seasons when there are a bunch of 1-loss teams that don’t get in are compelling. However, in 2019, the teams from #4-10 can beat anybody on any given Saturday. Imagine a national championship tournament where there are upsets and the occasional “Cinderella” story like March Madness. Television ratings and bowl game interest would be significantly higher. The New Years Six Bowls would have no top NFL Draft picks sitting out. There would be so much more money flowing that the NCAA wouldn’t have to share with the players (who actually generate the revenue).

Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have an 8-team playoff? The five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 teams would get automatic bids. The two remaining spots would be at-large bids.

College Football Playoff

After two sets of CFB Playoff Committee rankings, we have more information to put playoff scenarios together. So here is how it should shake out at this point. Check back here on Tuesday for the Road to the Playoff series where we examine every team’s path to the top 4.

Ohio State– The only thing that could mess up Ohio State’s season if 2-loss Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship.
SEC Champion- LSU and Georgia will play in the SEC championship. The conference could make a case for two teams if 1-loss UGA beats LSU.
Clemson– Just don’t lose. Dabo Swinney knows the committee would love to throw them out with a loss to Virginia.
Utah– Utah will get in if they can beat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship and LSU beats Georgia in the SEC Championship.
Oklahoma/Baylor– The winner of the Big XII championship will have first dibs on a playoff spot if Utah loses to Oregon.

Watch Paul Finebaum still try to argue for Alabama to be in the #CFBPlayoff if UGA loses to LSU.

“Their only two losses are to top 15 teams”

Who did they beat Paul?

It doesn’t matter, if Bama were to play them 10 times they would win more.
— George Wrighster III (@georgewrighster) December 1, 2019

The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings

There is no more unbiased ranking out there than Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 6. I get criticized from time to time by people who only want to see the college football world through the lens of the AP Poll. These rankings are not going to look like the AP Poll. Open your eyes to see a different view of evaluating the top 10. Most polls including the College Football Playoff Committee give college blueblood teams a massive “benefit of the doubt.” I don’t believe in that. Teams are ranked by the correct criteria: quality wins, schedule played, and dominance. After the preseason rankings, only games played matter. No consideration is given for future games.

I re-rank the top 10 every Sunday from scratch. The previous week’s rankings do not factor into the next week. So, the rankings will change, sometimes drastically every week because we will have new information. So make sure to come back every Sunday. For reference, you can check College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14.

College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 15:

Next Up: Wisconsin, Penn State, Minnesota, Alabama,

Alabama has not earned top 10 status. They have only played two top 25 teams and lost to them both. And they have ZERO quality wins and didn’t play Georgia or Florida. So, while they only have two losses, and are a crazy talented team, nothing about their resume says they 100% would beat any team on this list.

10. Oregon Ducks (10-2)

Last Week: 24-10 (W) vs Oregon State

Johnny Johnson III Oregon Ducks wide receiver 2019

A win is a win. Weirdly the Ducks offense has been inconsistent over the last three games. They have been stout defensively in two of the three so they were able to win those two games. Their dreams of the CFB Playoff are dead for 2019, but their Rose Bowl dreams are still alive. However, they are six-point underdogs heading into the Pac-12 Championship.

9. Auburn (9-3)

Last Week: 48-45 (W) vs Alabama

The only thing holding Auburn back all year has been Bo Nix. There is still hope for his future, but they have won more in spite of him more than because of him. The Tigers defense has been top tier all year despite the offense continuously putting them in bad spots against good teams. If Auburn had either true freshman QB Kedon Slovis (USC) or Jayden Daniels (ASU) they would be undefeated or at the very least in the top four.

A lot of Auburn fans are always calling for Gus Malzahn’s job but he and Dabo Swinney are the only two coaches to beat Nick Saban two of the last three times they faced him. The best part is that he outsmarted Nick Saban last week.

https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1200945512704290817?s=20

8. Florida (10-2)

Last Week: 40-17 (W) vs Florida State

Slow and steady is winning the race for Florida. Dan Mullen has Florida back as a top 10 team. No one expected this team to be in the conversation for a national championship, but they will absolutely be in 2020. They also won the state of Florida. The Gators knocked off Miami and destroyed Florida State in the same season. Recruiting should be fun with all those bragging rights.

7. Baylor (11-1)

Last Week: 61-6 (W) Kansas

I really believed Baylor would finish 10-2 like Minnesota, but they have shown they are in it for the long haul. When you look at their CFB Playoff resume, their non-conference schedule leaves a lot to be desired ( SFA, UTSA, Rice). But if an 11-1 Alabama without a conference championship would have been in the conversation, why not Baylor and a Big XII Championship?

Name brands mean a lot in college football. It is hard for people outside of Waco, Tx to wrap their minds around the fact that Baylor may be one of the four best teams.

6. Oklahoma Sooners (11-1)

Last Week: 34-16 (W) at Oklahoma State

Oklahoma finally has a dominating performance against a good team. Better late than never, but never late is better. It might just be at the right time to impress the CFB Playoff committee. A dominating performance against Baylor in the Big XII championship might provide the Sooners the momentum to leapfrog Utah and Georgia if they lose the SEC Championship.

Lincoln Riley has the Sooners peaking at the right time. The only thing I’m sad about this season is that we won’t get to see Jalen Hurts and Tua play against each other. It would have been far and away the most-watched college football game this season.

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5. Utah (11-1)

Last Week: 45-15 (W) vs Colorado

Utah has crushed every team in their path since their loss to USC. No team has been able to withstand the defensive onslaught that the Utes bring. They are physical, tough, and well-coached. If Utah makes it to the top four, whoever they play will underestimate them and be in for a rude awakening.

Tyler Huntley may be having the best season of any quarterback in the Pac-12. Some are even arguing they are better than the Oregon Ducks. If you haven’t watched Utah play, Florida would be a really good comparison except UF has more explosive wide receivers.

4. Georgia Bulldogs (11-1)

Last Week: 52-7 (W) at Georgia Tech

Georgia Bulldogs College Football Rankings Top 10

UGA made Georgia Tech look more like a November cupcake game than a rivalry game. The Bulldogs got the win but suffered major damage in the process. D’Andre Swift was injured, Lawrence Cager is out, and George Pickens is suspended for the first half of the SEC Championship for fighting.

Not only does Georgia have to win to make the playoff, but they also have to do so short-handed. If they win, where do you seed them? Could LSU and Georgia play in the first round of the playoff, or could LSU get bounced out?

3. Clemson Tigers (12-0)

Last Week: 38-3 (W) at South Carolina

Clemson is ready and they are mad. Dabo timing was perfect for his rallying cry to his team. They feel like underdogs and like everyone is waiting for them to fail. In reality, Clemson has won 27 straight games. In past years the committee would have ranked them #1 because they were the reigning champs who hadn’t lost. I love that they are basing the rankings on this season and week to week like the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 15 As it Should Be.

I have long believed that the two best teams in the country are Ohio State and Clemson. But, if the best team didn’t earn their spot, they don’t get it.

2. LSU (12-0)

Last Week: 50-7 (W) vs Texas A&M

Joe Burrow, or should I call him Joe Burreaux? The man has cemented himself an LSU legend. He is the QB who turned the tide on Alabama, reshaped LSU’s offense, and will win the Heisman trophy. The Tigers’ defense clearly heard all the chirping from the outside about the amount of 30-point games they have surrendered. They put a hurting on Texas A&M. Jimbo Fisher’s team didn’t even look like they belonged on the same field. Had Ohio State not crushed a much better football team than LSU, the top spot would have been different.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0)

Last Week: 56-27 (W) at Michigan

The Ohio State faithful were nervous they had suffered the same fate as Alabama when Justin Fields went down grabbing his knee. But, then he rose from the ashes like a phoenix and threw a pinpoint touchdown pass. JK Dobbins looks unstoppable running the football. The pass rush is spectacular and deserving of all the praise and attention they receive. Now, they cannot let it slip against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game.

They deserve the #1 spot of the College Football Top 10 Rankings As It Should Be.

Check back next Sunday morning for the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14.

Alabama Crimson Tide AP Top 25 Clemson Tigers college football College Football Playoff College Football Top 10 ohio State buckeyes Texas Longhorns. Oklahoma Sooners

College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14 As it Should Be

Welcome to the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14 As it Should Be. Firstly, the SEC November cupcake scheduling is so ridiculous. In November, teams are competing for playoff spots and New Years Six Bowl games while SEC schools are playing East Tenn, Western Carolina, UT-Martin, Abilene Christian, New Mexico St., and Western Carolina. To make it even worse, their fans co-sign it which makes ZERO sense to me. Why do they want to waste their time or money watching that? When a team stacks a November cupcake on top of a poor schedule, there’s no way they should be in the CFB Playoff.

There is always a huge debate surrounding the CFB Playoffs. Should the four best teams be in or the four most deserving teams? I would argue those are one in the same. The best teams are the ones that jump through all the obstacles in their way. Teams should get what they earn. If you schedule poorly in the non-conference, don’t win your conference, and only have one ranked win then you should NOT be in the top four. The amount of talent on your team, who your coach is, and your playoff history should have no bearing the rankings.

Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have an 8-team playoff? The five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 team would get automatic bids. The two remaining spots would be at-large bids.

Rankings should be fair and unbiased, but that’s not the world we live in when preseason polls ultimately affect the final rankings.

I always talk about how big of an advantage playing eight conference games is for the ACC and SEC. In addition to the math that forces more losses within the conference, there is a grinding element to playing nine conference games. Injuries mount during the season and have a huge impact on a team’s record. Imagine if Alabama were playing Missouri, Miss St (again), or Florida this weekend instead of Western Carolina. All the injuries they have would affect the outcome. This is what happens in the Big Ten, Pac-12, and Big-12.

College Football Playoff

College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14 As it Should Be

SEC Champion- LSU and Georgia will play in the SEC championship. The conference could make a case for two teams if 1-loss UGA beats LSU.
Undefeated or 1-loss Big Ten Winner– (Ohio State/Minnesota): The only thing that could mess up the Big Ten selection is if 2-loss Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship. But if Minnesota beats OSU in the Big Ten Championship they will have a case for two teams as well.
Clemson– They have no competition in the ACC so they will finish undefeated with a string of blowout victories.
Utah– Oregon hurt the Pac-12’s chances by messing up the battle of 1-loss top six teams in the Pac-12 championship. But Utah will get real consideration if they can beat Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship.
Oklahoma– Everybody canceled Oklahoma when they lost to K-State but three weeks later they are right back in the playoff mix. Beat OKSt and Baylor in the Big-12 Championship and have Georgia and Utah lose and they may be in.

The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings

College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 13:

Next Up: Baylor, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Auburn

10. Oregon Ducks (9-2)

Last Week: 28-31 (L) at Arizona State

Horrible loss for Oregon, but still not worse than the loss Georgia suffered against South Carolina. Arizona State is going to a bowl game. Justin Herbert played awful and for the first time all season, the Ducks defense gave up big plays. After being down 24-7 in the fourth quarter, Oregon fought back and showed why they are a top tier college football team. Justin Herbert has easily the worst two interceptions of his career.

Their dreams of the CFB Playoff are dead for 2019, but their Rose Bowl dreams are still alive. However, going through Utah will NOT be easy.

9. Penn State (9-2)

Last Week: 17-28 (L) at Ohio State

It wasn’t pretty against Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions did put up a good fight. It’s hard to knock Penn State for an 11-point road loss to the best team in college football. There was a point in the 3rd quarter game where they were down one score with the football. The team was largely ineffective on drop-back passes because Chase Young had set up a campsite in the PSU backfield. However, after QB Sean Clifford went down with an injury, Will Levis stepped in an played well. Some of the Penn State fans and media wonder if he should be the starter for the remainder of the season.

This is still a very good football team, just not one of the top four. However, if there were an 8 team playoff, PSU would warrant serious consideration.

8. Minnesota (10-1)

Last Week: 38-22 (W) at Northwestern

Good thing we have the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14 As it Should Be. It is inexplicable how the committee ranked Penn State in front of Minnesota last week. Minnesota literally beat them two weeks before. It would be different if the game had been played in September and there was a lot more information in between.

The Golden Gophers still control their own playoff destiny. Wins against Wisconsin this weekend and Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship with absolutely land them in the top four.

7. Oklahoma Sooners (10-1)

Last Week: 28-24 (W) vs TCU

This week Oklahoma remembered how to play football in the first half. Jalen Hurts didn’t pass the ball particularly well (11-21, 145 yds), but his legs more than made up for it (173 yds 2 TD).

A lot of people thought Oklahoma and the Big 12 were completely out of the playoffs but chaos is striking. If the Sooners can beat ranked Oklahoma State and Baylor in the next two weeks, Alabama loses to Auburn, and Oregon beat Utah in the Pac-12 Championship the path is clear.

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6. Utah (10-1)

Last Week: 35-7 (W) vs Arizona

No team in the country is beating down opponents like Utah. This team is NASTY on defense. They are the boa constrictor that wraps around a team and just squeezes every bit of life out of them. It’s time to stop sleeping on Utah. No one is giving them the respect they deserve except the College Football Rankings Top 10 As It Should Be. They haven’t received 1/10 of the coverage as any team in the top 15. Whoever they play in the bowl game will be in for a rude awakening. Their defense has only allowed over 13 points three times this season and has held six opponents to single digits.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-1)

Last Week: 66-3 (W) vs Western Carolina

There was nothing to be learned about Alabama or gained from playing Western Carolina. It was a glorified bye week for the Crimson Tide. Nick Saban could have scheduled an intrasquad scrimmage that was more competitive. Mac Jones replaced Tua and averaged 27.5 yards per completion. Most of them were short passes that the army of 1st round receivers turned into big plays.

Good thing they schedule that “November Cupcake” game to get healthy before Iron Bowl. When will SEC fans grow tired of wasting their time and season ticket money on games like this?

4. Georgia Bulldogs (10-1)

Last Week: 19-13 (W) vs Texas A&M

The Bulldogs pulled out a close one against Texas A&M. It was not pretty but ultimately any win against a solid opponent in a good win. They are fully battle-tested and will give LSU a run for their money in the SEC Championship. At this point, there is no other team that could have an argument to be ahead of UGA. For their last trick, they must beat Georgia Tech this weekend.

Ultimately, Georgia’s undoing will be the same thing that has plagued them every year under Kirby Smart. They are too conservative. They won’t be able to run their way to an SEC championship or CFB Playoff Championship. Jake Fromm will have to show is elite and not just a game manager. The best teams won’t allow them to run the football at the level they are accustomed too. And the best opponents will score enough points to make the Bulldogs throw the ball more than 30 times.

3. Clemson Tigers (11-0)

Last Week: IDLE

Dabo Swinney had another week off to fine-tune his well-oiled machine. Everything I have seen this season tells me Clemson and Ohio State are in a class of their own. LSU is an elite team, but their defense is not up to the job of beating either one of them.

There is no way South Carolina, who beat Georgia, stays within three touchdowns of Clemson this weekend. This team just feels like a veteran NBA team that coasts throughout the regular season but starts getting prepared for a championship push late in the season.

As a college football fan, I’m hoping Clemson and Ohio State is not one of the semi-final matchups in the CFB Playoff. It would suck for the two teams I believe are the best to play each other first. Wouldn’t Ohio State vs Clemson be a helluva national championship game?

2. LSU (11-0)

Last Week: 56-20 (W) vs Arkansas

College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 3 As it Should Be

Not only did LSU beat Alabama, but they scheduled better too. No November cupcake for the Tigers. Even though Arkansas is awful, it was still an SEC opponent. Joe Burrow added another 300+ yard, three touchdown performance to his Heisman Trophy campaign. At this point, why would anyone else even be invited to the ceremony? Tua is hurt, Chase Young missed two games, Justin Herbert was awful last weekend. There is no one else who could possibly win.

Coach O has a very tough job in front of him now. It is national championship or bust for LSU now. So, he has to find a way to keep his team focused and away from reading their headlines. Any stumble from here on out will ruin their great season.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0)

Last Week: 28-17 (W) vs Penn State

The Buckeyes check all the boxes: quality wins, schedule played, and dominance.

The most complete team in college football is back the #1 team in college football. Ohio State actually helped Penn State stay in the ball game with three lost fumbles. Justin Fields only threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns but there were a couple throws he made that NFL scouts were salivating over. After watching this season Fields is clearly better than Jake Fromm at Georgia. Chase Young came back from his suspension against Penn State and was still the best player on the field.

No matter who you can a fan of, an honest man can’t tell you he’s seen a better team than O-H-I-O State in 2019?

They deserve the #1 spot of the College Football Top 10 Rankings As It Should Be.

Check back next Sunday morning for the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 14.

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The Utah Utes will Finish Above of the Oregon Ducks. They are Better

The Utah Utes are Heating Up

We're gonna say it louder for the people in the back:

UTAH IS THE REAL DEAL! 🗣

(Via @Pac12Network)pic.twitter.com/8h1TcVWQM1
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 21, 2019

At 9 and 1, the Utah Utes are truly coming into their own. After moving from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12, they took a few seasons to get their feet under them. Now. ranked No. 7 in the nation (just one spot behind Oregon), the Utah Utes are making their name known. Just two more regular-season games and a pivotal clash against the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 Championship. If the Utes win all three, they earn College Football Playoffs or at least a Rose Bowl appearance.

Utah vs Oregon. Who gets playoffs?

The gap between the Utah Utes and Oregon Ducks is slight. Both programs sit at 9 and 1 in the Pac-12 and they are side by side in the AP rankings. Additionally, Oregon’s only loss this season came to Auburn (currently ranked 15th), while USC (currently ranked 23rd) beat Utah. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Oregon a 48.1-percent chance of winning the Pac-12 Title and Utah a 38.1-percent chance. It’s ever so close.

Across the experts, analysts and fans, the debate is tight. SB Nation’s Fan Pulse ranked Utah at 7 and Oregon at 8. Even ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are split in their Oregon vs Utah projections. While both have LSU making the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Bonagura has Utah and Schlabach picked Oregon.

Ever so close to each other, here’s why the Utah Utes will reign supreme in the Pac-12.

The Utah Utes Defense is Elite

The Utah defense has gone 14 quarters at home without allowing a single touchdown 🤯😳 pic.twitter.com/Wuu6nCQBST
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) November 17, 2019

Through 10 games, they’ve allowed just 11.3 points-per-game to opponents. They are elite.

According to PFF grading, Utah’s defense is the third-best in the FBS. Breaking it down further, PFF ranked Utah top-five in both run-defense and coverage. Against Utah, runners average 2.3 yards-per-carry, while only scoring three rushing touchdowns against them all season. There’s no room to run with stars like Leki Fotu and John Penisini hovering.

.@JulianBlackmon = TOUGH. 😤

Blackmon’s 1️⃣2️⃣ tackles, interception, and forced fumble earns him this week’s #Pac12FB Defensive Player of the Week ➡️ https://t.co/MVl8g7EWoP pic.twitter.com/jcAyj6stZi
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) November 18, 2019

In coverage, the Utah Utes are equally impressive. Terrell Burgess and Julian Blackmon are at the top of their game. Opposing quarterbacks average:

56-percent Completion Percentage
193 Passing Yards
1 Passing Touchdown
1.3 Interceptions

Their defense is stout against the run, can cover any receiver and is opportunistic. In addition to their 13 interceptions, the Utes also have 7 fumble recoveries. They capitalize on mistakes. And, they limit opposing big plays.

2.4 yards after contact-per-rush (No. 4)
23 runs over 10 yards (No. 3)
10.3 yards-per-reception (No. 8)
37 passes of 15 yards or more (No. 5)

It’s Hell to go against the Utah defense.

An Offense to Match Oregon’s

Tyler Huntley

For anyone that watches Utah Utes games, Tyler Huntley is the Russell Wilson of college football. Efficient, accurate and deadly in limited opportunities. Remember that Tyler Huntley was the best quarterback in the Pac-12 and still is now. He’s the big reason why the Utah Utes are averaging 34.7 points-per-game and blowing out opponents.

Tyler Huntley ranks 2️⃣nd in the FBS in completion percentage (.742), behind only Joe Burrow of LSU. #goutes #HuntleyForHeisman pic.twitter.com/tun3palljv
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) November 19, 2019

The nation's leaders in adjusted completion percentage & their average depth of target in the process:

1. Tyler Huntley, Utah: 86.2% (8.3)
2. Joe Burrow, LSU: 83.8% (9.0)
3. Peyton Ramsey, Indiana: 80.7% (7.9)
4. Ty Storey, WKU: 80.5% (7.6)
5. Jack Coan, Wisconsin: 79.% (7.0)
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) November 20, 2019

Yes, Justin Herbert is still ranked as the better quarterback prospect by most. But, come on, we can’t keep ignoring Huntley. His efficiency is off the charts!

78.6-percent Completion Percentage (No. 2)
86.2-percent Adjusted Completion Percentage (No. 3)
11.5 Yards-Per-Attempt (No. 2)
12.5 Adjusted Yards-Per-Attempt (No. 3)
190.1 Passing Efficiency Rating (No. 5)
13 Touchdowns, 1 Interception
221 Rushing Yards and 5 Rushing Touchdowns

In comparison, Justin Herbert only ranks higher than Huntley in passing yards and passing touchdowns. The rest goes to Huntley and proves he’s the better quarterback right now.

🚨 https://t.co/tvWY7UiJIh 🚨#HuntleyForHeisman pic.twitter.com/QBJc26Ruuo
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) November 20, 2019

Zack Moss

In addition, Zack Moss continues to prove he’s a top running back prospect.

Zack Moss was as it again in Week 12! pic.twitter.com/GQyZbfELOZ
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 22, 2019

His stats this season are unbelievable:

6.2 yards-per-carry
16.9 yards-per-reception
61 broken tackles on 154 carries
955 rushing yards
288 receiving yards
14 total touchdowns

Moss is powerful, physical runner. He’s difficult to tackle and has the ability to take any carry to the house. Combining his rushing talent with Huntley’s elite passing created the best offense in the Pac-12.

Utah Utes and Oregon Ducks common opponents

So far this season, the Utes and Ducks had four common opponents. USC, Washington State, Cal and Washington. In those matchups, Oregon won all four. The Utah Utes, on the other hand, lost to USC. So, Oregon is 4-0 against common opponents, while Utah is 3-1. The edge goes to Oregon. Right?

Actually, it’s a bit more complicated. Oregon handily beat USC 56-24, while Utah lost 23-30. They also both let Washington keep it close. But, Utah beat Cal and Washington State by far better margins. Oregon won 17-7 against Cal. Meanwhile, Utah torched Cal 35-0. Additionally, Oregon barely beat Washington State 37-35. But, Utah won with ease 38-13.

Yes, they lost to USC. But, it’s far closer than people think. Utah is proving to be a powerful adversary.

2019 Pac-12 Football college football College Football Playoff College Sports collegefootball Pac-12 Pac-12 Championship Pac-12 Conference Pac-12 football pac-12 network pac-12 north Pac-12 South Pac-12 Sports Pac-12 Top Performers pac12

Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 13: Time to Win the Beauty Pageant

Penei Sewell Oregon Pac-12 power rankings

Welcome to the Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 13. These last three weeks, including the Pac-12 championship game are all about winning the beauty pageant for the CFB Playoff Committee. Utah and Oregon are both within striking distance to get a berth in the top four. They will need style points to fade the east coast bias and SEC media cycle pushing Alabama or a 2-loss SEC team. I do believe if Oregon and Utah meet with 1-loss in the Pac-12 Championship, the winner should land a spot in the College Football Playoff Top 4.

The rest of the conference still has a lot to play for as well. There are four bowl-eligible teams already plus four more who are sitting on five wins.

Check back on Unafraid Show this Friday to see all the internal and external threats to the Pac-12 conference and who will speak up to stop it.

For Reference Check out the Pac-12 Power Rankings from Week 12.

Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 13:

Teams are ranked by the correct criteria: quality wins, schedule played, and dominance. Only games played matter. No consideration is given for future games. The Pac-12 Power Rankings will available on Unafraid Show every Monday morning. Make sure you send your comments and grievances to immad@unafraidshow.com.

Here are the Pac-12 Bowl Projections from Jerry Palm of CBS (many people expect Oregon or Utah to make the CFB Playoff):

Post-Week 12 Bowl Projections from @jppalmCBS

Rose—Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Alamo—Utah vs Kasas State
Sun—ASU vs Miami
Redbox—Washington vs Indiana
Holiday—USC vs Iowa
Las Vegas—WSU vs Boise State
— SuperWest Sports (@SuperWestSports) November 18, 2019

12. Arizona Wildcats (4-6, 2-5)

Last Week: 6-34 (L) at Oregon

I cannot figure out why Kevin Sumlin is juggling quarterbacks. He finally started freshman Grant Gunnell but pulled him after a couple of unsuccessful series. Then he turned to senior Khalil Tate for two quarters only to go back to Grant Gunnell. It makes zero sense. This team looks like a disaster. There is no way they should be the worst team in the Pac-12.

If you are looking for a positive, the defense came into the game giving up 37ppg, but only surrendered 34. If would have been 38 if Oregon’s kicker could make a 20-yard field goal and an extra point.

11. Stanford Cardinal (4-6, 3-5)

Last Week: 22-49 (L) at Washington State

Yikes. It is going to take a Herculean effort for the Cardinal to make a bowl game. They have Cal and Notre Dame left on the schedule. Between Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw coaching, Stanford hasn’t missed a bowl since 2008. In fact, they haven’t even won less than eight games during that time. I’m finding it hard to find any other solution for what is going on at Stanford other than a crisis. The last two seasons have looked nothing like the Stanford we are used to watching.

Things are tough for a team when they end up with three different quarterbacks starting games in one season. But the defense and special teams haven’t been much better or more healthy. The sole focus of these next two games should be about figuring out the new direction for the offense because “Intelectual Brutality” is dead.

10. Colorado Buffaloes (4-6, 2-5)

Last Week: IDLE

The good news is Colorado snapped their five-game losing streak before their off week. The bad news is they stand two wins away from a bowl game with Washington and Utah on the schedule. I said it would take a Herculean effort for Stanford to make a bowl game. It would take an act of God for Colorado to make a bowl game.

9. Washington State Cougars (5-5, 2-5)

Last Week: 49-22 (W) vs Stanford

Mike Leach to Arkansas and Florida State rumors are in full force. It feels like this relationship is at the end of its rope. Could he be coaching his last two games in Pullman? If so, he will want to go out like a pirate; with a bang. He will be going for broke against Oregon State and the Apple Cup vs Washington. Be prepared to see onside kicks, going for it on 4th and long, and trying to run up the score.

Wazzu hasn’t been any better on defense since Tracy Claeys left the program. They are giving up over 450 yards and nearly 30 points per game. Either WSU or OSU will get bowl eligible this weekend, while the other will have an uphill battle in their final game.

8. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-5, 2-5)

Last Week: 34-35 (L) at Oregon State

What a terrible loss for the Sun Devils. I realize Oregon State is much improved this season, but losses to them still look bad (OSU lost to Hawaii). Herm Edwards’ team continues to fall apart. The only freshman quarterback to even have a season close to Jayden Daniels was Rudy Carpenter. It’s unfortunate his record-setting performances aren’t being rewarded with more victories.

The Arizona State defense that was the strength of this team early in the season is now a liability. Over the past three games, they are giving up 36ppg. It is extremely difficult to win games like that. Oregon comes to town this with, so their bowl game hopes will lie squarely on the Arizona game.

7. Cal Golden Bears (5-5, 2-5)

Last Week: 17-41 (L) vs USC

What in the world happened to Cal’s pass defense? USC’s receiving corps is really good, but damn, they went crazy. The Takers allowed 405 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. Not only did the defense make USC look like a top 10 team, but the offense also helped too. The Golden Bears only accumulated 263 yards of total offense.

As bad as this season has been for Cal since Chase Garbers got hurt they still can win seven games. After missing five games he returned to face USC but was injured again and his status remains in doubt.

6. UCLA Bruins (4-6, 4-3)

Last Week: 3-49 (L) at Utah

Chip Kelly had UCLA headed in the right direction until they ran into Utah. It seemed like the Bruins were going to keep the game competitive until Dorian Thompson-Robinson gave up a Jameis Winston like fumble-six.

Fun fact: Mika Tafua is an offense’s worst nightmare.

5️⃣ tackles and a 6️⃣8️⃣-yard fumble recovery TD will do the trick for #Pac12FB Defensive Lineman of the Week ➡️ https://t.co/MVl8g7nlxh pic.twitter.com/fmFUXxiYiR
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) November 18, 2019

There is no team in the Pac-12 that is purely momentum-based like UCLA. If things are going well, they can beat anyone outside the top three. But when things go badly, they have no ability to overcome adversity. Their 32-point comeback victory against Wazzu is a perfect example. They were awful until momentum shifted, then everything went in their favor.

5. Oregon State Beavers (5-5, 3-4)

Last Week: 35-34 (W) vs Arizona State

I still cannot believe Oregon State has been consistently in the top half of the Pac-12 Power Rankings for the last few weeks. Jonathan Smith deserves a lot of praise for changing the culture in Corvallis. His team shows up to games expecting to win, and not just hoping to him. They are now ranked between 6th and 8th in most meaningful offensive and defensive statistical categories. That consistency is what may have them headed to a bowl game with a win over Washington State.

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4. USC Trojans (7-4, 6-2)

Last Week: 41-17 (W) at Cal

USC got a new athletic director and Clay Helton’s team found some fight. Mike Bohn said good football coaches finish strong and he would re-evaluate Helton after this season. If the Trojans finish 8-4 with all their injuries there is a distinct possibility there may not be a coaching change. USC fans would be fighting mad, but how do you fire a coach that won his five out of his last six games with a couple in impressive fashion?

Kedon Slovis has proven that he is that man and JT Daniels needs to get in the transfer portal as soon as he is healthy because there is no way he gets his job back. Slovis just had another 400-yard, four-touchdown performance. He is still a true freshman, just getting started.

3. Washington Huskies (6-4, 3-4)

Last Week: IDLE

All Huskies fans want to do is finish strong. This is not the season they envisioned with Jacob Eason at quarterback, but 6-4 is where they are. A trip to Boulder to face the second-worst Pac-12 pass defense should spell success for the offense. While a trip to the Rose Bowl is off the table, there is still a lot to play for. At this moment the Huskies have the #1 recruiting class in the conference. So, they must keep up that momentum to ensure players don’t flip to other schools.

Washington is clearly the 3rd best team in the Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 13. However, it feels like a huge gap between UW and the top two teams.

2. Utah Utes (9-1, 6-1)

Last Week: 49-3 (W) vs UCLA

At this point, Utah is trying to embarrass every opponent they play. They have their foot on the gas and won’t let up. Their offense and defense are firing on all cylinders. Tyler Huntley is leading the way and may be having the best season of any Pac-12 quarterback. Kyle Whittingham’s defense doesn’t give anyone a chance to breathe. The defense has only given up 84 points in seven Pac-12 games.

Utah is the equivalent of Florida or Iowa, except they have a better offense.

Is Utah better than Oregon? I cannot wait to see the PAC-12 Championship game.

1. Oregon Ducks (9-1, 7-0)

Last Week: 34-6 (W) vs Arizona

The Ducks did not play their best football against Arizona but still did not allow a touchdown. Mario Cristobal has his team walking around like bullies. they just run through everyone and out physical them. Then Justin Herbert hits them over the head with big plays off play-action passes.

Both Utah and Oregon will need to remain dominant through the last two games is they hope to fend off Alabama for the final CFB playoff spot.

Check back every Monday for the next Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 13.

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College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 13 As it Should Be

Welcome to the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 13 As it Should Be. Every year there is always talk about the potential for chaos. This season looks like it might just happen. What happens if Georgia beats LSU in the SEC championship, Minnesota beats Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, Oregon dominates Utah in the Pac-12 championship, Oklahoma finishes 12-1, and Alabama looks good with Mac Jones at QB? How can the committee possibly figure out who the four best/most deserving teams are?

Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have an 8-team playoff? The five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 team would get automatic bids. The two remaining spots would be at-large bids.

Rankings should be fair and unbiased, but that’s not the world we live in when preseason polls ultimately affect the final rankings.

College Football Playoff

SEC Champion- LSU and Georgia have the inside track to play in the SEC championship. The conference could make a case for two teams if 1-loss UGA beats LSU.
Undefeated or 1-loss Big Ten Winner– (Ohio State/Minnesota/Penn State): The only thing that could mess up the Big Ten selection is if 2-loss Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship.
Clemson– They have no competition in the ACC so they will finish undefeated with a string of blowout victories.
Pac-12 Champion– (Oregon/Utah) If both teams finish the season 11-1 the conference championship game will feature a top 10 showdown. And both teams are playing exceptional football right now.

The Big 12 is in trouble. Oklahoma can’t play offense or defense in the first-half for the last three weeks and there are no signature wins possible to jump other teams.

The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings

College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 13:

Next Up: Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Auburn

10. Penn State (9-1)

Last Week: 34-27 (W) vs Indiana

James Franklin’s team bounced back from the Minnesota loss with a win, but they got ZERO style points. Indiana is a good football team at 7-3, but Ohio State beat them 52-10. They received low marks for dominance but got a solid win. The Nittany Lions are just too limited offensively to compete for a national championship. Sean Clifford has only thrown for over 200 yards once in the last five games. That just won’t cut it against the elite teams.

Everything is on the line for Penn State this week at Ohio State. Might they shock the world?

It’s hard to move up the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 13 As it Should Be when you have a dog fight against an unranked team, everyone who was looked at as better dominated, and the team that beat you lost a close game against a ranked team.

9. Minnesota (9-1)

Last Week: 19-23 (L) at Iowa

Playing against Iowa’s defense will make any offense look like a shell of itself. The Golden Gophers found themselves down 20-3 before they could get their feet underneath them. This game felt like the complete opposite of their game against Penn State. Iowa jumped out big, Minnesota came roaring back but didn’t have enough in the tank to get it done.

Minnesota has games against Northwestern and Wisconsin left. Both have turned into must-wins if they are to keep their CFB Playoff hopes alive.

8. Oklahoma Sooners (9-1)

Last Week: 34-31 (W) vs Baylor

Top 5 College Football Playoff Storylines Heading Into Week 3

Oklahoma forgot how to start football games. The Sooners have nine lives. I wish Oklahoma had a difference mascot so I could call them the “cardiac cats”. For the second week in a row, the Sooners have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. There is a finite number of times you can successfully execute big second-half comebacks. Two Saturdays ago, they barely outlasted Iowa State. Last Saturday they broke Baylor fans’ hearts after coming back from a 31-3 hole.

If it weren’t for UCLA coming back from a 32-point late 3rd quarter deficit to win, OU’s comeback would have been by far the best of the year.

Lincoln Riley and Alex Grinch are playing with fire with their defense. Over the last three weeks, second-half Oklahoma looks like a playoff team. First-half Oklahoma shouldn’t even be a top 25 team.

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7. Utah (9-1)

Last Week: 49-3 (W) vs UCLA

Every college football analyst in the country is sleeping on Utah. No one is giving them the respect they deserve except the College Football Rankings Top 10 As It Should Be. They haven’t received 1/10 of the coverage as even Minnesota who doesn’t get a lot. Whoever they play in the bowl game will be in for a rude awakening. Their defense has only allowed over 13 points three times this season and has held five opponents to single digits.

6. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-1)

Last Week: 38-7 (W) at Mississippi State

I believe Bama is better than UGA and maybe Oregon, but how would I know? They have only played one good team, LSU, and they lost to them. Don’t even start with that “close game” nonsense. North Carolina played a close game with Clemon. Those two teams aren’t even in the same stratosphere.

Alabama won the game but it feels like they lost the war. Went Tua Tagovailoa was laying on the ground it was evident that this injury was not like his ankle injury. This was extremely serious. It turns out he has a dislocated hip. The injury is similar to the one that ended Bo Jackson’s career.

Stop with the “Tua should have never played” nonsense, it’s his hip, not his ankle.

It’s football, bad things happen to good people sometimes.

We always want to blame somebody. Just stop. Its not Saban’s fault. It does suck though. pic.twitter.com/ffBBpjurzQ
— George Wrighster III (@georgewrighster) November 16, 2019

There were at least three other Alabama players who were injured in the game and didn’t return. Good thing they schedule that “November Cupcake” game to get healthy before Iron Bowl.

It will be interesting to see how Bama plays with Mac Jones at quarterback. Can they keep up the momentum to be in the final top four?

5. Georgia Bulldogs (9-1)

Last Week: 21-14 (W) at Auburn

It is difficult to look past UGA’s loss to South Carolina. It is inexplicable. And the committee has a president for holding a top team out of the top four with an awful loss (see Ohio State 2018). I know this is a new committee, which clearly believes that two quality wins is greater than an ugly loss at home.

4. Oregon Ducks (9-1)

Last Week: 34-6 (W) vs Arizona

The bar for Oregon is set extremely high. They didn’t allow a touchdown and under 300 yards of total offense to a team averaging over 32 ppg and 400+ yards. When a team covers a 27.5 point spread without allowing a TD against a conference opponent and fans say you played “just ok” the team has arrived. The Ducks are still as physical and nasty as they were at the beginning of the season.

This team dominated Auburn only to have conservative play-calling keep the game within striking range which ultimately got them beat.

Oregon fans, players, and coaching staff know they are playing for style points even more than they are playing for wins. They need to be able to pass the media’s “eye test” to generate enough momentum to power through the SEC Alabama, or two-loss team to the playoff hype train.

3. Clemson Tigers (10-0)

Last Week: 52-3 (W) vs Wake Forest

Maybe Clemson is like Roy Jones. Remember he said, “They say I don’t fight nobody, I just make them look like nobody, y’all must have forgot”. Wake Forest was the #19 ranked team a week ago and Dabo’s crew blew the doors off them.

This season feels a lot like last year for Clemson. They started out the season slow, had a scare, then demolished everyone in their wake including Alabama. I’m hoping Clemson and Ohio State is not one of the semi-final matchups in the CFB Playoff. It would suck for the two teams I believe are the best to play each other first. Wouldn’t Ohio State vs Clemson be a helluva national championship game?

This game was over after Clemson scored 28 points int he first quarter. How is the ACC so bad?

Clemson doesn’t have any obvious opportunities for quality wins on the schedule, so it is crucial they finish the season undefeated.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0)

Last Week: 56-21 (W) at Rutgers

The Buckeyes look like the most complete team in college football. But, there was nothing to be learned in a game the 2^nd string could have won. If they put together dominating performances against Penn State and Michigan over the next two weeks, they may creep back into the #1 spot. SEC fans will say no way, but sometimes fans won’t let common sense get in the way of their argument.

No matter who you can a fan of, can you honestly say you have seen a better team than O-H-I-O State? And they get Chase Young back from his suspension this week. If OSU puts together a dominating performance against Penn State, they may move back into the #1 spot of the College Football Top 10 Rankings As It Should Be.

Chase Young being suspended over a loan he says he repaid only makes the #NIL situation worse for the NCAA.
They will already be trying to push whatever “collegiate model” means as meaningful change but people and the states won’t be going for it.https://t.co/dPiwPEgyMi
— George Wrighster III (@georgewrighster) November 8, 2019

1. LSU (10-0)

Last Week: 58-37 (W) at Ole Miss

Joe Burrow and company were like a hot knife through butter. A lot of people will tell you they aren’t concerned about their defense but I am. They aren’t Oklahoma bad, but they do give up a lot of points. I don’t want to hear about “garbage time” points. Those are the same players that have to go in when injuries happen or players get tired.

LSU has earned the #1 spot in the College Football Top 10 As It Should Be, but I don’t think they are the best team in the country. Ohio State is. It is impossible to deny the Tigers’ body of work up to this point.

Check back next Sunday morning for the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 13.

Alabama Crimson Tide AP Top 25 Clemson Tigers college football College Football Playoff College Football Top 10 ohio State buckeyes Texas Longhorns. Oklahoma Sooners

Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 12: Everybody Gets a Bowl Game

Welcome to the Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 12. Overall, it was another wild week in the conference. There is not an oddsmaker in the world that can consistently pick winners. Every team in the conference except Oregon and Utah have between four and six wins. That means up to 10 teams could end up bowl eligible, most of which at 6-6. What a mess.

Another week, another Pac-12 officiating controversy. This time it was so bad, the conference suspended a referee and downgraded the crew. in last week’s power rankings I literally talked about how bad the officiating is, so this exact same statement applies. “The Pac-12 refs managed to steal the show and become the center of attention. The officiating is so bad that even commissioner Larry Scott who said Pac-12 referees were on par with other conferences at Pac-12 Media had to admit what we all know:”

“I sit through a review every single week with David Coleman, the head of our officiating, and I can tell you there’s a significant number of mistakes every week,” Scott said according to Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times.

Players and fans deserve better than to have crucial games be affected by horrendous officiating. It’s gotta stop somewhere.

If Oregon and Utah meet with 1-loss in the Pac-12 Championship, the winner should land a spot in the College Football Playoff Top 4.

For Reference Check out the Pac-12 Power Rankings from Week 11.

Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 12:

Post-Week 11 Bowl Projections from ESPN’s @Mark_Schlabach

Peach—Oregon vs LSU (Playoff)
Rose—Utah vs Minnesota
Alamo—USC vs Texas
Holiday—Washington vs Michigan
Sun—OSU vs Virginia
Las Vegas—Cal vs Boise State
Cheez-It—ASU vs San Diego St
Redbox—Stanford vs Indiana
— SuperWest Sports (@SuperWestSports) November 11, 2019

12. Arizona Wildcats (4-5, 2-4)

Last Week: IDLE

Nothing bad can happen if you don’t play, but the Wildcats did call into last place of the Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 12. Kevin Sumlin has allowed his job security to be threatened by refusing to choose a starting quarterback. The team looks awful not only defensively but inconsistent offensively. It is time to turn the page on Khalil Tate and let the era Grant Gunnell begin. They won’t be beating the Ducks in Eugene, so it’s time to plan for the future.

11. Washington State Cougars (4-5, 1-5)

Last Week: 20-33 (L) at Cal

Everybody thinks Mike Leach press conferences are amazing theatre and they regularly go viral for his off the wall content. His name is also constantly mentioned for every head coaching job that opens, even by me. But, why doesn’t the media trumpet his words when he is railing against his players? This week he called a group of his players frauds. Earlier this year he called his team fat, dumb, happy, and entitled.

I was always taught that teams are a reflection of the head coach. So, if the team is all these bad things, what is the head coach?

Mike Leach not a fan of his team, calls them frauds after loss to Cal https://t.co/sv4jZkpj3R
— ClevelandFootballTalk (@CFTalk) November 10, 2019

10. Stanford Cardinal (4-5, 3-4)

Last Week: 13-16 (L) at Colorado

Colorado had given up at least 30 points in thirteen straight games. How is it possible that Stanford only managed to score 13 with KJ Costello at quarterback. For the second season consecutive season, David Shaw’s team has struggled to run the football. Everything we have seen since the beginning of last season says the “intellectual brutality” that Stanford is known for is broken beyond repair. They are either 10th or 11th in the Pac-12 in total offense, passing offense, and rushing offense.

But hey, the way things go in the Pac-12 you know they will put up 30 points at Washington State.

9. Colorado Buffaloes (4-6, 2-5)

Last Week: 16-13 (W) vs Stanford

Colorado looked like they were on pace to one-up last year’s team that lost seven straight games. But, they pulled out an offensive struggle against Stanford. Yes, I meant an offensive struggle. Neither defense is particularly good, but both offenses were completely underwhelming.

I don’t know what Mel Tucker did or said to his team to get them ready to play but he deserves praise because they were going nowhere fast. Can he bottle it up and get the Buffaloes to do it two more times to make a bowl game?

8. Oregon State Beavers (4-5, 3-3)

Last Week: 7-19 (L) vs Washington

Oregon State is much better, but they are still a loooooooooong way away from competing with Washington, Utah, and Oregon. Their offense came into the Washington game scoring over 32 points per game and didn’t score one point. If Jacob Eason didn’t throw the defense a pick-six, OSU would have been blanked.

The only positive this week for the Beaver was the defense showed up and played their best game of the season against Utah. All that talk about a possible bowl game needs to be stopped immediately.

7. Cal Golden Bears (5-4, 2-4)

Last Week: 33-20 (W) vs Washington State

Cal had only averaged 8 ppg since Chase Garbers went down, but they managed to put up 33 on Wazzu. Devon Modster played a great game and used his athleticism to make plays when things weren’t available via the pass. It seems inevitable that Cal will make a bowl game. They are expecting to have Garbers back under center for the last two games of the season.

Justin Wilcox and Tim DeRuyter clearly have the recipe for stopping Washington’s offense and the Air Raid. On the Pac-12 Apostles Podcast, we tell you the secret to stopping the Air Raid and where most teams go wrong.

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6. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-4, 2-4)

Last Week: 26-31 (L) vs USC

ASU just slept walked through the first quarter against USC. They gave up 28 points, and it looked like they were going to suffer an all-time loss. But the defense buckled down and only gave up a field goal for the rest of the game. If Jayden Daniels had played I believe Arizona State would have won. But, if “ifs and ands were pots and pans, the whole world would be a kitchen”.

The Sun Devils came extremely close to being the last game for a 3rd USC football coach. They previously sent Lane Kiffin and Seven-win Sark packing. But, the Sun Devils have some serious soul searching to do. They started the season 4-1 and are now losers in three of their last four.

5. USC Trojans (6-4, 5-2)

Last Week: 31-26 (W) vs Arizona State

Clay Helton survives to coach another week. USC is going to a bowl game and might finish 8-4. Wouldn’t that be an incredible set of events that may cause Helton to be the head coach next season? There are so many built-in injury excuses for USC’s failures in 2019.

The Trojans clearly have their quarterback for at least the next two years in freshman Kedon Slovis. Every week he seems to be breaking more and more USC passing records.

4. Washington Huskies (6-4, 3-4)

Last Week: 19-7 (W) at Oregon State

Ewww. What an ugly win by Washington. Huskies fans are so angry about the offensive struggles this season but can’t come to a consensus on where the blame lies. Everyone from Chris Peterson, OC Bush Hamdan, the wide receivers, and Jacob Eason has been blamed. It’s weird, but UW still looks like a quality football team despite being 6-4 this season. They are just having trouble closing football games.

Jacob Eason is such an enigma to me. In the Utah game, he made throws in the first half that prove he could be an NFL 1st round pick. Then he proceeded to throw two awful interceptions including a pix-six that turned the game in Utah’s favor.

3. UCLA Bruins (4-5, 4-2)

Last Week: IDLE

Chip Kelly and the Bruins got a week off to scheme something outrageous up tot beat Utah. They have everything to play for. They still control their own destiny in the Pac-12 South and can make a bowl game. Imagine UCLA and much-maligned QB Dorian Thompson beating the Utes this weekend. Yea, I can’t imagine it either.

However, if UCLA does the unthinkable and wins the Pac-12 South I am going to spike the football so hard on everyone who called me crazy in the preseason.

2. Utah Utes (8-1, 5-1)

Last Week: IDLE

Finish the job. Don’t drink the rat poison. If Kyle Whittingham can keep his team focused on one game at a time and not to worry about their CFB Playoff Rankings, they are golden.

Is Utah better than Oregon? Is Tyler Huntley having the best season of any Pac-12 quarterback?

1. Oregon Ducks (8-1, 6-0)

Last Week: IDLE

Don’t screw it up against Arizona. Last year, Khalil Tate and company put a hurting on the Ducks and flat out embarrassed them. This year, Mario Cristobal needs to make a serious statement to the College Football Playoff committee that they deserve to be in the top 4.

Check back every Monday for the next Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 12.

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College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 12 As it Should Be

Welcome to the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 12 As it Should Be. Saturday started with seven undefeated teams, and now we are down to five. Firstly, my head may explode if one more person says LSU has four top 10 wins. They don’t. Texas was severely over ranked in the preseason and isn’t even in the top 25 right now. Your wins count for where those teams are ranked now. Rankings should be fair and unbiased, but that’s not the world we live in when preseason polls ultimately affect the final rankings. I’m not sure why I have to explain this but clearly I do.

Secondly, LSU vs Alabama was a great football game. But, the media and fans acting like it was the “Game of the Century” was tiring. Truth be told, there were five other games this season that were just as good.

Texas v LSU, Penn St vs Michigan, Oregon vs Washington, UCLA vs Washington State, Notre Dame vs Georgia

Every year there is always talk about the potential for chaos. I believe we may actually get some wild finishes to the season.

The biggest debate this week will be the #4 spot. Will the committee reward quality wins and schedules or named brands?

College Football Playoff

After the first CFB Playoff Committee rankings, we have enough information to put playoff scenarios together. So here is how it should shake out at this point. Check back here on Tuesday for the Road to the Playoff series where we examine every team’s path to the top 4.

SEC Champion- LSU and Georgia have the inside track to play in the SEC championship. Ironically, Auburn could put the entire SEC out of the playoff by beating UGA and Alabama, then have 2-loss UGA win the SEC championship.
Undefeated or 1-loss Big Ten Winner– (Ohio State/Minnesota/Penn State): The only thing that could mess up the Big Ten selection is if 2-loss Wisconsin wins the Big Ten Championship.
Clemson– They have no competition in the ACC so they will finish undefeated with a string of blowout victories.
Pac-12 Champion– (Oregon/Utah) If both teams finish the season 11-1 the conference championship game will feature a top 10 showdown. And both teams are playing exceptional football right now.

The Big 12 is in trouble. Baylor can’t score and Oklahoma can’t play defense and there are no signature wins possible to jump other teams.

The way this season is shaping up, everyone may be on board with an 8 team playoff. There will be so many 1 loss teams who will be deserving of a chance to play for a championship. Wouldn’t it just make more sense to have the five Power 5 champions and highest-ranked Group of 5 team to get automatic bids? There would still be two spots left for at-large bids. You would always get the best and most deserving teams in the tournament. That might actually cause teams to schedule better non-conference games because they would know they could still get in the CFB Playoffs with 1-2 losses. Fans would then get better games.

The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings

College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 10:

Next Up: Florida, Baylor, Wisconsin, Michigan

Baylor has looked awful offensively in back-to-back weeks. Nothing about this team makes me believe they can beat any of the top 10 teams. They were #9 last week but can’t crack the CFTAISB this week.

10. Penn State (8-1)

Last Week: 26-31 (L) at Minnesota

PSU drank the “rat poison”. They showed up to Minnesota thinking they were all that and got punched in the mouth. The Nittany Lions tried to fight back but came up short. It was troubling to see their secondary have so many miscommunications and leave receivers wide open. And it was a very inopportune time for quarterback Sean Clifford to throw three interceptions.

All is not lost though. Penn State can still get to the Big Ten Championship by knocking off Ohio State.

9. Oklahoma Sooners (8-1)

Last Week: at 42-41 (W) vs Iowa State

Oklahoma’s defense is a real problem. No lead is safe because they cannot stop anyone. Part of the reason things got so bad against Iowa State is that injuries have caused them to be extremely thin in the secondary. The defense has struggled against Kansas State and Iowa State. So, imagine what Clemson, LSU, or Ohio State would do to Oklahoma.

Jalen Hurts had another great performance with over 330 total yards and five total touchdowns. But that was almost not enough. I would be surprised if the Sooners finish the rest of the season undefeated because they are playing with fire.

8. Minnesota (9-0)

Last Week: 31-26 (W) vs Penn State

Minnesota made a believer out of all the doubters. They clearly felt disrespected by the CFB Playoff committee ranking them #17.

It was a good thing that Minnesota signed PJ Fleck to that huge contract extension before the Penn State game. It would have cost more after Saturday. The Golden Gophers are for real. They have a humongous offensive line. I’m not sure I have ever seen a line this big. The secondary is extremely opportunistic. They can’t beat Iowa, Wisconsin, then Ohio State… right?

The name of the name is “win and you are in” for the Golden Gophers.

7. Georgia Bulldogs (8-1)

Last Week: 27-0 (W) vs Missouri

Georgia won 27-0 but it was not a very impressive win. The defense looked very good against an average Missouri offense. But, the offense was pretty pedestrian. The Bulldogs only managed 339 yards of total offense and wasn’t very explosive.

Their loss to South Carolina looks even worse this week after the Gamecocks lost to Appalachian State. Georgia is a very talented team but I can see a scenario where they drop another game before the SEC championship. Kirby Smart plays much too conservative to win anything.

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6. Utah (8-1)

Last Week: IDLE

The Utes are by far the most underrated team in college football. If they mess around and sneak in the playoff, they can shock the world. Their defense is experienced and physical. Utah’s quarterback, Tyler Huntley may be having the best season of any quarterback in the Pac-12.

Some are even arguing they are better than the Oregon Ducks. If you haven’t watched them play, Florida would be a really good comparison except UF has more explosive wide receivers.

5. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-1)

Last Week: 41-46 (L) vs LSU

Bama hadn’t played anybody with a pulse all year. When they finally did play their first top 25 team (TAMU is currently unranked), or team with a pulse, they lost. The Crimson Tide were not battle-tested while LSU had played Texas, Florida, and Auburn.

Tua fought hard and showed a lot of heart, but LSU was just too much. Most of the second half defensive stops had more to do with Joe Burrow missing throws than Alabama’s defense. It is clear that Bama is supremely talented offensively, but their defense is not what we are accustomed to. It would take a lot of chaos for Alabama to be deserving of a playoff spot.

They would need LSU to lose twice to make it to the SEC championship game. And if Bama were to beat Auburn, it would be their only quality win.

4. Oregon Ducks (8-1)

Last Week: IDLE

I would be pissed if I were Oregon. All week most of the national media debated their CFB Playoff chances and dismissed their defense and ability to compete with their preseason darlings. Expect Mario Cristobal to try and run up the score on their next three opponents before the Pac-12 championship to make a statement..

This is Oregon’s best team since the 2015 team that went to the CFB Championship in 2015. East coast bias will try and dismiss the Ducks, but this is a complete football team. They are one of the few teams in the nation who are tops in the nation in scoring offense and scoring defense.

People thought the Pac-12 was out of the CFB Playoff conversation. But eleven weeks into the season Oregon and Utah are squarely back in the conversation.

3. Clemson Tigers (10-0)

Last Week: 55-10 (W) at NC State

College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 10

This game was over after Clemson scored 28 points int he first quarter. How is the ACC so bad?

What Clemson is missing schedule, they make up for with dominance. It’s crazy to me that so many people knock Clemson’s schedule while barely mentioning Alabama’s weak schedule. At least the Tigers tried to have a good schedule. They play their conference games plus South Carolina and Texas A&M to bring them to ten Power 5 games. Bama scheduled Duke, NMST, So. Miss, and WCU.

Clemson doesn’t have any obvious opportunities for quality wins on the schedule, so it is crucial they finish the season undefeated.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0)

Last Week: 73-14 (W) vs Maryland

The suspension to Chase Young and people questioning their #1 ranking only made Ohio State mad. They put a hurting on Maryland. If this where high school football in Arizona or New York, OSU head coach Ryan Day would be fired for running up the score. Not only did they score 73 points, but they also racked up 705 yards of total offense, and held Maryland to 139 yards.

We are a week away from the meat of the Buckeyes schedule. They play Penn State and Michigan after they destroy Rutgers this upcoming weekend.

Chase Young being suspended over a loan he says he repaid only makes the #NIL situation worse for the NCAA.
They will already be trying to push whatever “collegiate model” means as meaningful change but people and the states won’t be going for it.https://t.co/dPiwPEgyMi
— George Wrighster III (@georgewrighster) November 8, 2019

1. LSU (9-0)

Last Week: 46-41 (W) at Alabama

LSU looks so unstoppable on offense. They can throw the ball downfield or run teams over. Joe Burrow cemented himself at the very least a Heisman finalist, if not sewing up the win. My biggest concern is this defense that has given up 38 points or more three times this season. But the good news is the offense is so potent LSU can win a shootout. Make no mistake, this is not an Oklahoma defense situation.

It is impossible to deny the Tigers’ body of work up to this point. Overtaking the #1 team in the College Football Top 10 As It Should Be Week 12 when the #1 team has been as dominant as Ohio State is a difficult task. But, LSU’s schedule played so far has been better and they knocked off Alabama last week.

Check back next Sunday morning for the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 12.

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Tyler Huntley is the Best Quarterback in the Pac-12

Utah Utes College Football Playoff Week 3

A Hobbled Tyler Huntley Took Down Washington

Tyler Huntley just continues stacking strong performances week after week. pic.twitter.com/GMKdiDOPJ1
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 6, 2019

It’s unbelievable what Tyler Huntley is doing this season. Against Washington (at Washington), Huntley made play after play. His 85.0 PFF grade and 139.6 Clean Passer Rating show this. Moreover, Huntley was incredible on third down.

Tyler Huntley on 3rd down today: 8-9, 143 yards, 1 TD, 7-10 first down conversions

3rd and 4, incomplete
3rd and 10, 31 yds
3rd and 21, 11 yds
3rd and 8, 9 yd TD pass
3rd and 6, 11 yds
3rd and 5, 2 yds
3rd and 3, 12 yd rush
3rd and 12, 41 yds
3rd and 8, 14 yds
3rd and 6, 23 yds
— Avinash Kunnath (@avinashkunnath) November 2, 2019

Even with Zack Moss averaging 3.7 yards-per-carry, it didn’t matter. Because Tyler Huntley proved he could take over a game. And he did it all on an injured leg!

Leading the Utes to a come-back win against the Huskies solidifies his position at the top of Pac-12 quarterbacks.

Tyler Huntley’s Efficiency

This 2019 season, the Pac-12 has a host of talented quarterbacks. Justin Herbert is currently projected to get drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Additionally, Jacob Eason earned praise for his NFL arm-strength and Anthony Gordon leads the FBS in passing yards and passing touchdowns. It’s an excellent year for Pac-12 quarterbacks. However, based off the metrics, it is actually Tyler Huntley that is currently the top Pac-12 quarterback.

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Tyler Huntley’s Impressive Passer Ratings

While Tyler Huntley ranks 30th in passing yards (2,062) and 64th in passing touchdowns (11), his efficiency is off the charts! Currently, Tyler Huntley leads all Pac-12 quarterbacks in Passing Efficiency Rating (182.5), NFL Passer Rating (124.6) and ESPN’s QBR (96.0). His 182.5 Passing Efficiency Rating ranks 5th among qualified FBS quarterbacks. After watching Utah Utes games and pouring over stats, Huntley’s accuracy is phenomenal. This is NFL-level precision.

Touchdown to Interception Ratio

As said above, Huntley has just 11 passing touchdowns this season. But, he’s only thrown one interception. Additionally, Huntley carried the ball into the end zone four times. His 11-1 touchdown to interception ratio is great, especially considering his four rushing scores.

He’s not a game manager

Whether on broadcasts or Twitter, Tyler Huntley’s been labeled a “game manager”. Because of his lower counting stats (yards and touchdowns), combined with Utah’s defensive and rushing prowess, it’s an easy judgment to make. Though easy, it’s inaccurate.

Game managers don’t let the ball fly like Huntley. They keep passes short and safe. Yes, he doesn’t throw the ball as often as other college quarterbacks. But, when he does, he isn’t afraid to take shots. His 10.8 yards-per-attempt and 11.7 adjusted yards-per-attempt both rank fourth in the nation. No other Pac-12 quarterback tops him in either of those categories.

Should Tyler Huntley be in the Heisman Conversation?

The fans have spoken…Tyler Huntley, a senior from the University of @Utah_Football, has been selected as the week-ten Manning Award Quarterback of the Week. https://t.co/N6O6qG064a pic.twitter.com/MyDurHoplh
— Allstate Sugar Bowl (@SugarBowlNola) November 7, 2019

So, in review, Tyler Huntley ranks higher than all other Pac-12 quarterbacks in:

Passing Efficiency Rating
NFL Passer Rating
ESPN’s QBR
Yards-Per-Attempt
Adjusted Yards-Per-Attempt

It’s time to give Tyler Huntley the reigns of the Utah Utes offense. Let him show Pac-12 and the rest of college football what he’s made of. He’s already proven that he can be efficient and productive when called upon. Huntley, even with a bum-leg, can carry his team. If he leads his team to a Pac-12 title and college football playoffs, he has to be in the conversation.

Huntley is accurate, efficient, impressive and leads a strong offense. He’s an elite college quarterback and should be treated as such.

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