1. Bulls are really, REALLY good
​No kidding. Electric QB Quinton Flowers played meh at best, and the hosts were never threatened in this game. The team speed – everywhere – was amazing, especially on defense. Brought to neon light all the issues with Temple's offense. Senior LB Auggie Sanchez lived in the Owls' backfield.

2. QB quandary
The Logan Marchi Experiment needs to end, or completely altered. The kid has skills, both throwing and running. But he has absolutely no feel for the game or what's going on in it. Perhaps too much is being put on him. Whatever. A change is necessary – either in scheme or to another guy.

3. O-line is downright awful
Tough call on which is more brutal – the Owls' QB play or the blocking in front of it. This is a unit that has three quality running backs that can line up behind it, not to mention arguably the best fullback in the country, and none of them can produce because there is no where to run.

4. Defense actually played well
Only so many times the guys charged with making all the stops simply run out of gas when they're put under fire almost non-stop. At one point, Temple's offense turned the ball over on four straight snaps. On its side of the field. Maybe the Owls could be a bit more physical on D, but c'mon in this one.

5. Yep, still a winner here
Not a fan, per se, of the white-on-white jersey-pants combo. But the cherry helmet helped ... and, sorry, South Florida, but what the eff is going on with the lime-green face-guards, chrome-gold helmets, all-green unis with old-gold numerals? It's a shades of silliness pajama party.

- Jack Kerwin  |  [email protected]

​by Jack Kerwin  |  [email protected]

Lamar Jackson ... gone.

Josh Rosen ... likely gone.

Sam Darnold ... never been in it. Yet.

Three of the top Heisman candidates entering the season, less than a month into the 2017 campaign, well, keeping it real, they're really not right now.

Not here at least.

Can't be disappearing as Jackson, the reigning award holder, did against Clemson – no matter how good Clemson is on D – or imploding as Rosen did at Memphis.

Darnold? Yo, dude has 6 interceptions in just three games. C'mon, get real. Don't care if the kid if being talked about as the possible No. 1 pick in next spring's NFL Draft. He's not worthy of being in the discussion for college football's best player this season.

Definitely not our Super Six. These guys do, though ... for this week:

Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma QB. Flag plants and Katy Perry complaints notwithstanding, he's a tough one to knock. Thus far has thrown for 1,046 yards and 10 TDs on just 82 passing attempts. Newsflash: That's insane. His “worst” game so far was that 386-yard, 3-TD effort at Ohio State. Gulp.

Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State QB. Was only a matter of time before the big dude cracked this lineup. Merely needed a 497-yard, 5-TD aerial effort in a 59-21 romp at Pittsburgh is all. Kidding aside, he's clearly legit with 1,135 yards and 11 TDs in just three games.

Saquon Barkley, Penn State RB. Hasn't gone off for anything crazy this season thus far, but he is averaging better than 100 yards rushing and 80 yards receiving this season. Almost seems the coaching staff is hyper-focused on displaying the kid's all-around game for pro scouts right now.

Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State QB. Led the unranked Bulldogs to a 37-7 blowout of No. 12 LSU. He's not just a gatekeeper to the deal, though. Guy is on the most dangerous multi-threats out there. Posted 180 yards and 2 TDs throwing as well as 88 and 2 rushing. MSU now No. 17 in nation.

Quincy Roche, Temple DE. The freshman racked up 8 tackles, 3 of 'em coming on sacks. He also forced a fumble and recovered it. If new head coach Geoff Collins could get the rest of his Owls to play at that level in the future, something special would get brewing on North Broad in Philly.

Will Grier, West Virginia QB. Coming in behind the weekly token defensive pick on our list, still diggin' what this guy brings to the table. Gonna ride him all season. Special player. Meh game this past Saturday: 304 yards and 3 TDs passing.

​by Jack Kerwin  |  [email protected]

Not all that concerned.

Or worried.

Or even disappointed.

With Geoff Collins entering his fourth game as head coach of the Temple University football team, have heard all the panic and propaganda before.

He'll never be as good as so and so.

He sucks. Get him outta here.

If they don't make a change, that program is going to hell.

Sound familiar? It should. The same stuff was said about Steve Addazio when he took over for Al Golden in 2011 and then Matt Rhule two years later – not so much as a successor to Daz, who forever will be seen as a guy who just used Temple to get a better gig, but, again, as a successor to Golden.

Ad nauseam.

Not for nothing, but after seeing Daz win 9 games his first season, including the Owls' first bowl conquest in more than three decades, and then Rhule post back-to-back 10-victory campaigns the last two years, along with an American Athletic Conference crown last season, pardon me for not joining the “he's gotta go” when it comes to Collins.

Had a good vibe about Rhule, even as the masses were ready to storm North Broad with torches and burn-Frankenstein intent, and perhaps an even better one about Collins.

So, gonna give it a little time before joining the knee-jerk, reactionary crowd. Frankly, doubt any union with it will be necessary.

That being said, all these guys have benchmark games. Win or lose, how their teams stack up against big-time competition says a lot about the coach, his players and where the program is headed.

In Rhule's case, the fact it didn't seem to register how well his initial squad played at No. 14 Notre Dame in the 2013 opener, going toe-to-toe with the Irish for three quarters before fading in a 28-6 loss, remains mind-boggling. Sure, those same Owls came up lame against FCS-level Fordham and a lowly FBS team in Idaho. They also got manhandled by No. 7 Louisville in Week 5.

By Week 10, though, Temple pushed 17th-ranked Central Florida to the limit, only falling 39-36 when a couple miraculous catches sealed the deal for the visitors from Orlando.

A year later, the Owls knocked off No. 23 East Caroline. The following season, 2015, the breakout one that even got people in Philly to stand up and take notice along with the rest of the country, saw the Penn State win and a 7-0 start as a prelim to an attention-meriting, albeit losing, effort to No. 9 Notre Dame as Temple, Philly and Lincoln Financial Field became the center of the college football universe for a weekend.

Before winning the AAC title last fall against Navy, Rhule's Owls blew out highly skilled and super quick South Florida.

Then the coach left. It happens.

Someone was hired to replace him. Also happens.

So, here Collins stands Thursday night ... 2-1 in his first season, facing, ironically enough, South Florida – which returns many of the same players who got embarrassed at the Linc last October, chief among them quarterback Quinton Flowers.

Indeed, this is a benchmark game for him, taking on the conference favorite and a top-25 team ... with bad intentions on its mind.

But concerned, worried or even disappointed? Nah.

Not yet at least.

by Jack Kerwin  |  [email protected]

It’s over.

Seriously. If the eyes don’t deceive and what transpired the past two Saturday nights was legit, just fuhgettaboutit.

The deal is done.

Clemson will repeat as college football’s national champion.

Easily.

Though admittedly not a daily genuflector at the altar of Nick Saban, have never ignored, or failed to appreciate, what he has accomplished at Alabama, basically turning arguably the most storied program in the sport into something better than it ever had been before – even under Bear Bryant.

Kinda hard to just gloss over four titles since 2009, ya know …

But, the reality is, or appears to be, that the Tigers – ironically under the direction of former Crimson Tide receiver, and, later, assistant coach Dabo Swinney – have passed ’Bama.

Yep. Said it. Not only that, truly believe it.

Frankly, a play here or there going different in the 2016 championship game, and Saban could be looking at a 0-2 record against Swinney under the brightest of big-time college football lights. Point is, Clemson didn’t just eat alive Alabama’s vaunted defense nine months ago to capture its first crown since 1982, it did so the year before, too.

If you ask me, the better team – check that, better program – lost two years ago. Then it avenged that loss, and, right now, it looks head and shoulders beyond anything that may step in its path this season. Including Alabama.

Not for nothing, but that season-opening “blowout” of Florida State by the Tide wasn’t exactly impressive. The Seminoles looked to have the better athletes; ’Bama the better football players. The latter won out, benefitting from some silly FSU plays and winning the war of attrition. That resulted in a 17-point victory.

The slate for Saban’s team since has included expected home wins against OK opposition – Fresno State and Colorado State, the latter of which actually rolled up close to 400 yards.

Clemson, meanwhile, has dominated its first three games, most notably in shutting down high-powered Auburn and then essentially obliterating Louisville and reigning Heisman winner Lamar Jackson on the road the other night. Held Alabama’s assumed chief SEC competition to 6 points, then Jackson and Co. to just 7 into the fourth quarter.

We’re not talking nice, solid, or even impressive wins here. We’re talking almost embarrassing physical poundings, ones that saw the Tigers’ NFL-reader defensive line toy with its counterpart while junior quarterback Kelly Bryant blossomed into something far beyond a capable replacement for Deshaun Watson.

Still, with two months and change to go in the regular season, there is time for teams to catch up. Just not sure even the No. 1-ranked squad in the country ever will.

Not from what the eyes behind these words have seen.
 
Just Sayin’ ... Like most who follow the sport, am incredibly impressed with the talent possessed by Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, but, if you ask me, he is not the team’s best, or most important, player – quarterback Trace McSorley is – and he actually seems to be losing some flexibility with each new program weight-lifting record he sets.

Crazy as it may sound, considering the numbers he puts up, but the guy isn’t the most graceful, or most balanced, athlete out there … and, you know what, he used to be. Perhaps he’s just so desperate to have the ball in his hands, he gets super excited once he does and starts to stumble over himself, but, to me, Barkley isn’t nearly as smooth as he has been in the past. Powerful? Explosive? Oh, heck yeah.

As for McSorley, he’s a freak … blending skill, football I.Q., intangibles and attitude into program-elevating level.
 
Bye-bye? ... If we’re really putting the Heisman candidates under a microscope, Jackson is gone after his performance against Clemson. Yeah, he ended up throwing for more than 300 yards and running for another 60-plus, but he was a non-factor on the plus side until the fourth quarter, when the game’s outcome had long since been determined. Truth be told, he was dramatically outplayed by his younger counterpart – Bryant – and didn’t even flash any of his electric talents when things mattered.

UCLA’s Josh Rosen may have thrown himself out, too, tossing a key pick – his second INT of the afternoon – late against Memphis to seal the Bruins’ upset loss on the road. Kid threw for more than 400 yards, but, like Jackson, was outplayed by his counterpart, Riley Ferguson.
 
A Tree Falls … Goofy, leaf-bearing mascot aside, Stanford is a major surprise this season – in how unsuccessful it has been. Expected to be a serious contender for the Pac-12 title, the Cardinal in losses the last two Saturdays has been exposed by conference rival Southern Cal and non-conference foe San Diego State – get this, despite being able to run the ball.

Long a staple in the program, the ground game ain’t struggling. Bryce Love ran for 160 yards against the Trojans and then 184 against the Aztecs, averaging a Glenn Davis-esque 11.5 yards per carry in the process, yet all Stanford could muster was 41 points combined the past two games.
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