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College Football | Only a week in and already some clarity

9/4/2018

by Jack Kerwin | [email protected]

It may seem a bit early ...

But, what the hell, here is what we’ve not only learned, but confirmed for college football 2018 … after just one full week of action:

5 FRAUDS

Miami
Never really bought into the Hurricanes’ return to the elite last season as they slithered away unscathed in close games so many times, with just one real statement game — a 41-8 drubbing of Notre Dame. Shortly after that they closed the season with an oh-3 stretch … and then came back Sunday night to get physically undressed by LSU. Forget the final stats in that loss. Miami was never in that game.

Florida State
The Seminoles, like the ’Canes, ultimately could make some noise in the ACC. But they’re a far cry from what the nation remembers them as under Bobby Bowden and even Jimbo Fisher — as evidenced by Monday night’s embarrassing home loss to good-not-great Virginia Tech. Again, forget the final stats in that loss. FSU was dominated even more than Miami.

Geoff Collins’ swag
If nothing else, the big fella was supposed to bring some energy — both real and superficial-based — to the Temple program and keep its run of success under Matt Rhule rolling along. Now in his second season, all those cool slogans and uniform changes have yielded just 7 wins to match 7 losses, including a not-as-close-as-it-sounds, 19-17 loss to FCS-level Villanova.

The Pac-12
Maybe Stanford and Southern Cal will put on a show this coming Saturday night. Perhaps Oregon may turn into something better than its hideous uniforms would suggest. But the conference’s bell-cow program, Washington, came up small in its opener, and the rest of the circuit outside of those mentioned is pretty much trash.

Tom Herman’s genius
OK, let’s get this straight. The dude just got fingered as former Ohio State bad boy Zach Smith’s go-go bar buddy last week and then Saturday afternoon leads his “ready to leap back to prominence” Texas squad into Maryland to face a beleaguered group of Terrapins and loses to the them for the second straight year … Umm, maybe Houston was the right fit for him.

5 'FOR REALS'

Central Florida
It’s not so much that the Knights dismantled UConn in their opener because, let’s face it, just about every opponent dismantles UConn anymore. It’s how UCF didn’t seem to miss a beat from last year’s unbeaten campaign. That it just came out and took care of business, displaying the same kind of offensive brilliance under new coach Josh Heupel as it did under media-anointed wunderkind Scott Frost. Like 2017, the Knights are legit, worthy of national attention — and acceptance.

Will Grier
Hands down, best offensive player the eyes behind this piece saw in Week 1. Of course, that was to be expected since he was a top-5 performer last year for me. The guy is a maestro out there at QB for West Virginia, dropping dimes all over the field. When he misfires, it’s to the point where you don’t believe it.

Virginia Tech’s defense
Not sure the fake-injury antics they pulled against FSU were even needed. The Hokies controlled the line of scrimmage so easily in Tallahassee that you had to wonder if the ’Noles are unable to find the weight room, or just no longer use it, anymore. Tech is strong at all three levels on the defensive side of the ball, with athletes and wheels aplenty.

Quarterback play
So far this season, two have thrown for 6 TDs in a game, and a whopping eight more tossed 5 apiece this past weekend. How ridiculous are things? Grier had the best statistical game of his career on Saturday, completing 25 of 34 passes for 429 yards and 5 scores … and he doesn’t even crack the top 7 nationally in passer rating as you read this.

Alabama No. 1 and Clemson No. 2
Everyone else, you can forget it. The Tide and Tigers are so laughingly that much farther ahead of even top-notch teams like those residing in Athens, Ga., and Columbus, Ohio, it seems a foregone conclusion the two will meet up for a third time in the national-championship game — in just the last five years.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Considering that last statement, not to mention the reality that Alabama and Clemson already have met twice in the title tilt, as well as in last year’s national semifinals, in the previous four years under the College Football Playoff umbrella, it amazes yours truly that so little — if anything — is ever made of the connection between the two.

As in Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, who is …

an Alabama native, having been born in Birmingham and raised in nearby Pelham
a former Crimson Tide player and coach
a graduate of the University of Alabama — twice, earning his bachelor’s and master’s there.

We always want the personal angle in our sports stories. Well, there it is. Why don’t we hear it, see it, read it … in great detail?