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Two races Saturday could end up defining this season.
It sounds a little drastic, and there will surely be a lot of twists and turns before the day of selection for the college football playoffs. But the fifth Saturday of the season had two playoff favorites – one of 94 yards after a win, the other 96. Both mistakes were difficult for most of the day. Both needed huge games along the way. And yet, both have succeeded.
In Death Valley, Clemson's worst nightmares were made, Trevor Lawrence fell due to a concussion and Chase Brice was forced into action. The new QB – the guy no one expected to get major reps just a week ago – has designed a reader for ages. The Tigers played 13 games, including a breathtaking 20-yard run over Brice in fourth and sixth place, and maintained their hopes in the playoffs with a 27-23 win over Syracuse.
In Happy Valley, the state of Ohio did the same. Dwayne Haskins spent the week hearing the hype about a Heisman trophy and his chances of being a full-fledged player before the NFL called him. But in the fourth quarter against Penn State, he had done almost nothing to prove that all the buzz was justified. And then the switch has rocked.
Penn State opened a straight line on the Ohio State 4-meter line and in the first game it was clear what would happen. Haskins threw a pass to J.K. The Dobbins who ran for 35 yards and the Buckeyes left and rolled. The drive ended with another dump at K.J. Hill, who ran 24 yards for the end zone.
Want to find weak points for Clemson and Ohio State? Saturday introduced a few. But these two discs have said more about both teams than anything that preceded. When it mattered most, Clemson's third-string QB made a throw that will be remembered for years. When the match was in play, Haskins looked like a Heisman candidate. And as a Saturday that could have completely disrupted the playoff picture came to an end, Clemson and Ohio State did not just survive. They proved something.
Although the Tigers and Buckeyes have kept their pre-season prognoses, we must not forget either that university football's university landscape has changed since the beginning of week 1. It's Voltaire or Billie Joe Armstrong who said, "Wake me up at the end of September?" No matter, they spoke clearly about college football.
Just think how different life was a month ago. Nebraska, UCLA and Tennessee all had hope. Clemson had three quarterbacks, and Alabama seemed to have one too many. Elon Musk was president of a car company. These were the days.
Suddenly, Clemson's QB became a shortage, while Alabama understood everything.
At Clemson, however, the situation was very bad before Brice converted a fourth and six to save the season against Syracuse. But perhaps the most misguided problem with the Tigers is to focus on the quarterbacks. It could be a racing team, and we did not pay enough attention. Travis Etienne ran for 203 yards and three career touchdowns, while the Tigers just threw the ball into Syracuse's throat in the second period. There was no secret to the game plan, but Etienne, Adam Choice and Tavien Feaster did not stop. Etienne now has an average of 8.14 yards per race this season.
After a win over Michigan in Week 1, we were not talking about any more dramatic QB for Notre Dame, but the Irish are now a legitimate threat to the playoffs, largely thanks to Brian Kelly's decision to install Ian Book as QB. The goals were not completely out of the left field – Brandon Wimbush had a hard time throwing the offensive – but the results were sensational. In both starts, against Wake Forest and Saturday against Stanford, Book completed 73% of his throws, with 683 yards and nine touchdowns. With regard to the agenda of Notre Dame, where Virginia Tech, Florida State and USC seem all much less intimidating than we thought last month, it may be a disaster for the Irish not to knock on the door. playoffs.
Looking at this opening of Notre Dame, however, it is also worthwhile to reconsider the other team on the ground. Michigan was late in the game, but after half-time the Wolverines defense was dominant, allowing only 53 points in its last four games. The offense? Well, Saturday's fight against Northwestern is rich in history, but it's fair to say it's still a work in progress.
Ohio State came back from a 12-point deficit to stun Penn State, while Clemson survived a QB injury to beat Syracuse. What did we learn from the best teams in the country?
A couple gets married at the half time of the Texas Tech-West Virginia match and three candidates show up for the season.
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Perhaps no September game requires a re-examination more important than Kentucky's 27-16 win over Florida. At the time, it was good for a chuckle. Florida lost to Kentucky for the first time how old was it – 83 years old? Dan Mullen seemed as lost as all the other Gators coaches before him, and the entire SEC-East was simply living in the long shadow of Georgia.
Since then, many things have changed in all three games. Kentucky still has not lost, topping the Mississippi State and South Carolina. And Florida has not upset Tennessee and Mississippi either. Both teams are now 9 to 1 and they can take a serious blow to the all-powerful SEC West with Week 6 games against Texas A & M and LSU, respectively.
Speaking of LSU, he continues to win, but his opponent of week 1 too. It seemed reasonable enough to write off Miami's playoff hopes after the first week's debacle against the Tigers, but the Canes now have a new QB, a large-scale offensive and a win-win conference.
Then dig into the Big 12. Oklahoma was not supposed to take a step back without Baker Mayfield? Here are some interesting numbers: Mayfield recorded 1,709 yards and 16 touchdowns in five games last year. Kyler Murray makes his own Heisman affair after another dominant performance against Baylor on Saturday, and his season totals are ahead of the pace of his former teammate – 1,745 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Murray's most important test will take place next week in the Red River Showdown, which is quite surprising considering the position of Texas after week 1. Tom Herman raked Steinbeck, and the Longhorn licking their wounds after a loss in front in Maryland. Although they have not yet seemed dominant since – see the Saturday match too tight for comfort against Kansas State – they also have not lost.
Or take a look west in Washington. The Huskies – and, by extension, the Pac-12 – seemed cooked after a week lost in Auburn. Jake Browning on Saturday beat the school's success record in a BYU win, and Washington continues to win.
The fact is that Voltaire was right. These big proclamations after a week or two of action did not last long and perceptions change every Saturday. We know more now. Not everything, just more. For soon it will be October, and the kingdoms will rise and the kingdoms will fall. I think it was Nietzsche. Or Bono.
Week 5 hot plugs
Clemson should sign Jay Cutler this week
Think about it for a second: at the end of last season, the Tigers had Kelly Bryant, Zerrick Cooper, Hunter Johnson and Brice, and Lawrence had signed on. On Saturday, they were at Hunter Renfrow's injury taking pictures. Lawrence is in a concussion protocol, so his availability for next week's game against Wake Forest is pending, which means Brice may need to get up without a safety net behind him.
Holgorsen wins Big 12 Hair Trophy
Follow the logic here: Ryan Gosling look-alike Kliff Kingsbury defeated Mike Gundy and the mule last week. This week, Dana Holgorsen's highly styled hairstyle toppled Kingsbury. So, unless Lincoln Riley wants to start wearing a pompadour (yes, please!), Holgorsen wins the title.
We should have seen that coming
Louisville was four and driving with less than two minutes to play. The cardinals had a first try. And yet, instead of missing a clock, scoring a goal on the court and winning the match, Bobby Petrino started a passing game, Jawon Pass pitched it and A.J. Westbrook selected it. Florida State drove for the TD winner. To be fair to Petrino, however, his QB is not named Jawon Run.
They should have seen that coming too
You would think Temple would have an idea of what was coming. After all, they come from Philly, and the figures of the "Eagles" of the "Philly Special" have played a bit in the air. Instead, the Owls were completely fooled when BC ran his own version of the "Philly Special", with receiver Jeff Smith throwing a touchdown pass to quarterback Anthony Brown. As a punishment, no whiz on temple cheesesteaks this week.
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WR Jeff Smith catches a shot then passes to Anthony Brown for a 9-yard touchdown.
Wisconsin is not a winning game for Nebraska
Scott Frost hit the bottom of Week 4. But he is optimistic, so he said that this week's match against Purdue was "winner". And he was right. If the match was over after four minutes, Nebraska would have won No. 1. In the end, the Cornhuskers played another 56 minutes and Purdue was pretty good during that period, ensuring the Huskers scoring the program for consecutive defeats, Frost was quite angry after. "I'm tired of training an unruly team," Frost said. "I do not want to be the only one who can not stand it, the team must not stand it."
New coach collapse of the week
Jimbo Fisher is nothing if it's not a teacher. And he knows that some children learn visually. So when he wants to teach a lesson about controlling your emotions in a game, he really practices.
Game of the week
A year ago, the trash of the sideline seemed perfectly summed up what it meant to be a fan of Tennessee. But this year there is a new coach, a new team and a clean slate. Of course, Tennessee is still horrible, so it's time for a new image that captures the essence of the misery of the volunteers. And with that, we give you that beauty thing in Tennessee's 38-12 defeat against Georgia.
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Isaac Nauta, the Georgia Bulldogs' newcomer, scooped a fumble after quarterback Jake Fromm was hit in the backfield and he performs 31 yards for the score.
Game of the week (group of 5)
At UNC, players are suspended for distributing shoes like this one. At Boise State, John Hightower went up and down with a football and a shoe. Our only complaint: why this match could not have been played in Hawaii, started at midnight and ended a bit just before the NFL kickoff on Sunday?
It's one thing to capture with a hand, but a shoe? ? pic.twitter.com/MWiCLK7Jbw
– ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) September 30, 2018
Game under the radar of the week
Hawaii and San Jose State have made five extra passes before the Spartans miss a placement to give the Rainbow Warriors victory.
Victory under the radar of the week
The credit army got one of the most impressive victories of week 5, ending up at 4-0 at Buffalo and maneuvering the Bulls defense. The army hung 42 in Buffalo, including five touchdowns of 10 or more pieces. Meanwhile, Buffalo only managed 13 points in the loss. How impressive are these two things? Buffalo entered the game scoring at least 30 points in seven straight games and holding his last 10 under 30. Both streaks were broken by the Black Knights.
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