Top 25
1. Ohio
State, 5-0, 1
2. Louisiana
State, 4-0, 5
3. Texas Christian, 5-0, 7
4. Baylor, 4-0, 8
5. Florida, 5-0, 23
6. Clemson, 4-0, 15
7. Utah, 4-0, 10
8. Michigan State, 5-0, 6
9. Texas AM, 5-0, 13
10. Ole Miss, 4-1, 3
11. Alabama, 4-1, 11
12. Oklahoma, 4-0, 14
13. Florida
State, 4-0, 12
14. Notre Dame,
4-1, 2
15. Northwestern,
5-0, 16
16. Stanford,
4-1, 17
17. Southern Cal,
3-1, 18
18. Georgia, 4-1,
9
19. Michigan,
4-1, 19
20. UCLA, 4-1, 4
21. Oklahoma
State, 5-0, 21
22. Iowa, 5-0, NR
23. California,
5-0, NR
24. Duke, 4-1, 25
25. Arizona
State, 3-2, NR
OUT: Mississippi
State (20), Wisconsin (19) and West Virginia (24)
VOTES: Mississippi
State, Oregon, Boise State, Wisconsin, Memphis, Houston, Toledo, West Virginia,
Temple, Auburn, Arizona, Louisville and North Carolina.
FLORIDA STATE ANALYIS
It was rainy and cold up at Wake Forest, but even still, given the recent success the Seminoles have had with the Deacons, it seemed an opportune time for FSU to get the offense cranked up. A three and out in the first drive, with three dropped or misfired passes, prohibited FSU from getting off to a good start. But, Dalvin Cook got loose for a 94 yard TD, the third longest run in Nole history, and FSU led 7-0. The Seminole defensive unit was expected to stifle the Deacons, but it was not the case. Wake threw quick passes, and had their dual threat quarterback use his feet, which alarmingly seemed to confuse the Seminole stop troops. Meanwhile, Cook got a hamstring and the offense seemed to stall. Jonathan Vickers played well in relief, but things were not happening. Golson had moments,and protected the ball, but the offensive effort we saw on Saturday will not get it done against Miami, who is coming to Tallahassee on Saturday night. Additionally, the defensive unit, which lost Nate Andrews and Terrance Smith early, did not appear synced up and looked somewhat confused. Even All America CB Jalen Ramsey had passes completed in front of him. That being said, Wake only scored 16 points. FSU has not really played anyone yet, so we really do not have much of a idea yet. Boston College is not bad on defense, and offensively, BC and Wake tried the same approach. Although Miami has issues of their own, they have much better athletes and next level speed and will test FSU at DOAK Saturday. Perhaps FSU has been sleepwalking, but we will need to see much better offensive prowess and more aggressive defense, not only to beat Miami, but win the tough three game stretch upcoming, which after Miami includes a home tilt with Louisville and a road trip to surprisingly struggling Georgia Tech.
NEBRASKA ANALYSIS
I am at a loss to describe what I had just witnessed. Nebraska's loss at Illinois, after leading for 59:54, is nothing short of inexcusable. This one lands squarely in the lap of the coaching staff, whose mind boggling play calling and inexplicable game and clock management allowed Nebraska to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Omaha World Herald writers Sam McKewon, who described the weather was similar to the ocean banks of Scotland and Tom Shatel, who noted the game was played "in weather that wrecked the Edmund Fitzgerald", the 'Huskers seemed bound and determined to toss the pigskin hither and yon with little to no success. Tommy Armstrong, who was 10-31, regressed considerably from earlier strong efforts this season. Impacted by the wind to be sure, Armstrong attempted way too many passes of 20+ yards with little if anything to show for it, much of the time rolling out of the pocket under duress. There was quite a bit of previous chatter suggesting OC Danny Langsdorf is a great coach, but after some questionable play calling in the first two games, the game plan was pitiful on Saturday, seemingly with no adjustments during the contest when it was obvious to Foghorn Leghorn they were needed. The offensive line is not good, and Coach Mike Cavanaugh, who many thought was perhaps the best coach Riley brought with him from Oregon State, needs to reevaluate. Coach Mike wants to stick with the same group seeking consistency, but that consistency includes poor pass blocking and a failure to own the line of scrimmage, and apparently includes a member of the unit running his mouth and going rogue. Damon Benning, a former 'Husker RB turned radio host on 1620 The Zone in Omaha, accurately says that Nebraska must run the ball not only when they want to, but when they have to. At Illinois, they needed to to run the clock out, but did not do so, either because they were not confident they could do so or the coaching staff stubbornly desired to throw it. Down and distance play calling sucked, with Armstrong throwing downfield on 3rd and 3 repeatedly into a swirling wind. Westerkamp caught one pass for one yard, and that alarm bell rings loud. With Terrell Newby his steady average, Devine Ozigbo was inserted and seems to run with authority having very good situational awareness. Ozigbo should have gotten opportunities to carry the rock much earlier in the year. Two horrendous play calls late in the game, which seemed to be the same bootleg pass play, failed miserably dropping incomplete taking no time off the clock while two runs would have almost expired the time. The defense played much better, but wilted late between the continuous firing of passes deep and officials calling pass interference every other play. Nate Gerry let a receiver get behind him on Illinois last drive, which is inexcusable given Gerry's veteran status. Chris Weber payed well at linebacker, and the DL was better. Rose appeared to remain lost, and Cockrell was hit and miss in the secondary. I was fine with the Riley hire, but had concern over him bringing over much of his staff. Nebraska was almost 4-0 coming in to this game, but was 2-2. The team has been and is plagues by injuries, and does not have top level talent. But, Nebraska is 2-3 for the first time since 1959! I was not born yet! Much of the damage done to Nebraska has been self inflicted, and although there were signs in the first four games (the Hail Mary versus BYU, the OT interception thrown to nobody at Miami and the late game meltdown vs. Southern Miss) that the coaching staff was in over their head both in play calling and game management, it became clear to everyone that it is in fact the case. This loss to a below average Illinois team, and I do not care if the game was played in a hurricane, is the type of loss that will not be tolerated. Coach Riley and the staff may want to hold off any discussion with Realtors about getting settled in Lincoln, because this butter loss is strike one, and the batter resembles Omar Infante rather than Alex Gordon. Not only should Riley be on notice after this, but so should AD Shawn Eichorst. A beatable Wisconsin team comes to Lincoln on Saturday, and it would behoove the coaching staff to be ready and put the players in position to win. Without any question, this is a must win game for Riley and the Big Red, and further game management mistakes will be registered in red. At worst, Nebraska should be 4-1, and it appears the coaching staff is sadly to blame for the win loss deficit. Time to get correct; now.
It was rainy and cold up at Wake Forest, but even still, given the recent success the Seminoles have had with the Deacons, it seemed an opportune time for FSU to get the offense cranked up. A three and out in the first drive, with three dropped or misfired passes, prohibited FSU from getting off to a good start. But, Dalvin Cook got loose for a 94 yard TD, the third longest run in Nole history, and FSU led 7-0. The Seminole defensive unit was expected to stifle the Deacons, but it was not the case. Wake threw quick passes, and had their dual threat quarterback use his feet, which alarmingly seemed to confuse the Seminole stop troops. Meanwhile, Cook got a hamstring and the offense seemed to stall. Jonathan Vickers played well in relief, but things were not happening. Golson had moments,and protected the ball, but the offensive effort we saw on Saturday will not get it done against Miami, who is coming to Tallahassee on Saturday night. Additionally, the defensive unit, which lost Nate Andrews and Terrance Smith early, did not appear synced up and looked somewhat confused. Even All America CB Jalen Ramsey had passes completed in front of him. That being said, Wake only scored 16 points. FSU has not really played anyone yet, so we really do not have much of a idea yet. Boston College is not bad on defense, and offensively, BC and Wake tried the same approach. Although Miami has issues of their own, they have much better athletes and next level speed and will test FSU at DOAK Saturday. Perhaps FSU has been sleepwalking, but we will need to see much better offensive prowess and more aggressive defense, not only to beat Miami, but win the tough three game stretch upcoming, which after Miami includes a home tilt with Louisville and a road trip to surprisingly struggling Georgia Tech.
NEBRASKA ANALYSIS
I am at a loss to describe what I had just witnessed. Nebraska's loss at Illinois, after leading for 59:54, is nothing short of inexcusable. This one lands squarely in the lap of the coaching staff, whose mind boggling play calling and inexplicable game and clock management allowed Nebraska to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Omaha World Herald writers Sam McKewon, who described the weather was similar to the ocean banks of Scotland and Tom Shatel, who noted the game was played "in weather that wrecked the Edmund Fitzgerald", the 'Huskers seemed bound and determined to toss the pigskin hither and yon with little to no success. Tommy Armstrong, who was 10-31, regressed considerably from earlier strong efforts this season. Impacted by the wind to be sure, Armstrong attempted way too many passes of 20+ yards with little if anything to show for it, much of the time rolling out of the pocket under duress. There was quite a bit of previous chatter suggesting OC Danny Langsdorf is a great coach, but after some questionable play calling in the first two games, the game plan was pitiful on Saturday, seemingly with no adjustments during the contest when it was obvious to Foghorn Leghorn they were needed. The offensive line is not good, and Coach Mike Cavanaugh, who many thought was perhaps the best coach Riley brought with him from Oregon State, needs to reevaluate. Coach Mike wants to stick with the same group seeking consistency, but that consistency includes poor pass blocking and a failure to own the line of scrimmage, and apparently includes a member of the unit running his mouth and going rogue. Damon Benning, a former 'Husker RB turned radio host on 1620 The Zone in Omaha, accurately says that Nebraska must run the ball not only when they want to, but when they have to. At Illinois, they needed to to run the clock out, but did not do so, either because they were not confident they could do so or the coaching staff stubbornly desired to throw it. Down and distance play calling sucked, with Armstrong throwing downfield on 3rd and 3 repeatedly into a swirling wind. Westerkamp caught one pass for one yard, and that alarm bell rings loud. With Terrell Newby his steady average, Devine Ozigbo was inserted and seems to run with authority having very good situational awareness. Ozigbo should have gotten opportunities to carry the rock much earlier in the year. Two horrendous play calls late in the game, which seemed to be the same bootleg pass play, failed miserably dropping incomplete taking no time off the clock while two runs would have almost expired the time. The defense played much better, but wilted late between the continuous firing of passes deep and officials calling pass interference every other play. Nate Gerry let a receiver get behind him on Illinois last drive, which is inexcusable given Gerry's veteran status. Chris Weber payed well at linebacker, and the DL was better. Rose appeared to remain lost, and Cockrell was hit and miss in the secondary. I was fine with the Riley hire, but had concern over him bringing over much of his staff. Nebraska was almost 4-0 coming in to this game, but was 2-2. The team has been and is plagues by injuries, and does not have top level talent. But, Nebraska is 2-3 for the first time since 1959! I was not born yet! Much of the damage done to Nebraska has been self inflicted, and although there were signs in the first four games (the Hail Mary versus BYU, the OT interception thrown to nobody at Miami and the late game meltdown vs. Southern Miss) that the coaching staff was in over their head both in play calling and game management, it became clear to everyone that it is in fact the case. This loss to a below average Illinois team, and I do not care if the game was played in a hurricane, is the type of loss that will not be tolerated. Coach Riley and the staff may want to hold off any discussion with Realtors about getting settled in Lincoln, because this butter loss is strike one, and the batter resembles Omar Infante rather than Alex Gordon. Not only should Riley be on notice after this, but so should AD Shawn Eichorst. A beatable Wisconsin team comes to Lincoln on Saturday, and it would behoove the coaching staff to be ready and put the players in position to win. Without any question, this is a must win game for Riley and the Big Red, and further game management mistakes will be registered in red. At worst, Nebraska should be 4-1, and it appears the coaching staff is sadly to blame for the win loss deficit. Time to get correct; now.
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