Let’s dive into the week that was in college football and hit all the highlights on the SoBros Network’s College Football Roundup.
*Let’s start this week’s column with a salute to my alma mater, often referred to as the “Harvard of the South,” as the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders went down to Miami and took a boat load of money just to boat race the Miami Hurricanes. Chase Cunningham posted four total touchdowns, DJ England-Chisolm had 169 yards and two touchdowns ON TWO CATCHES, and the Blue Raiders just kept hitting big play after big play. Suddenly, MTSU is 3-1 and right in the thick of the C-USA Championship hunt. This is a huge week for the program, too. Not only did they upset a top 25 team for the first time in program history, but they’re beginning a critical stretch of their schedule on Friday night as they host UTSA on a night when they’ll retire Kevin Byard‘s jersey. That’s right, folks – get to the Boro if you can. After that, they go to UAB on 10/8, and host Western Kentucky on 10/15. If they can survive that stretch, they just might make a run at a C-USA title. It’s wild to think about how this team turned things around after being trounced by an underrated James Madison to start the season.
99 YARDS FOR THE BLUE RAIDERS!!! MTSU IS ROLLING! pic.twitter.com/iKjsiIXBHq
— SoBros Network (@SoBrosNetwork) September 24, 2022
*Well, if you were like me and had the Vols at -10.5, you were swinging fists at the end of that game too. Unbelievable break. The Vols led by 11 after the Gators scored and went for two instead of kicking the extra point. But, that was ruined late with another Gators score. My takeaways from the game? Stock up on both head coaches. Hendon Hooker had a legit Heisman game. That’s it – I don’t want to talk about it anymore.
*Just when I thought the Oklahoma Sooners had announced themselves as legitimate playoff contenders, they go and shit the bed against the Kansas State Wildcats. I don’t know what it is with this program but the Sooners have a history of getting into some weird games with K-State, and Saturday was no different. It’s certainly not over for Oklahoma, but with the Big 12 being a lot better than any of us thought it was going to be, the road just got an awful lot harder. This loss opens the door for the Oklahoma State Cowboys to sneak into the playoff discussion.
*It’s not over for the Arkansas Razorbacks either. A couple of really bizarre, fluky plays tilted the voodoo around that game in favor of the Texas A&M Aggies, who are scratching and clawing to stay in the mix in the SEC West. That was a tough break, but this Arkansas team still plays a physical, tough brand of football that’s going to be tough to deal with. They have a huge opportunity to shake up the playoff race against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. Don’t put these boys to bed just yet.
*The Michigan Wolverines really struggled to put away the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, and my biggest takeaway from this game was just that it looks like Big Ten East will once again come down to Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. Furthermore, the Wolverines might just look like the worst of the bunch. Is anyone in this entire conference really going to challenge the Buckeyes? I don’t think so.
*While we’re on the Big Ten, is it okay to go ahead and say that the Big Ten West just isn’t very good now? The Minnesota Golden Gophers are sitting there at 4-0, but who’s the next best team? 2-2 Wisconsin? 3-1 Iowa that is playing the same style of offense they played in the 1910s? Is it…dare I say it…3-1 Illinois?!?! I think it’s just safer to say that the Big Ten West isn’t very good, and maybe even the entire Big Ten is in a bit of a down year.
*Man, the Pac-12 is going to be so much fun to watch this year. I hope y’all are staying up late on Saturday nights because there’s some good football going on. The USC Trojans survived a scare in Corvallis on Saturday, where they’ve had a history of struggling against good Beavers teams. They showed some real gumption in not pissing that one away, and finding a way to come home still undefeated. The Washington State Cougars proved their mettle against an Oregon Ducks team that is trying to stay in the championship race. The UCLA Bruins and the Washington Huskies are both 4-0 right now. And, we can’t forget about the tough-as-nails Utah Utes that are still sitting there at 3-1 and ranked at #12 in the AP Poll. This is going to be a hell of a race to watch in 2022, and no, there’s no way in hell I thought I’d be saying that about this conference in August.
*Shout out to the first place Kansas Jayhawks after they stayed ahead of the Duke Blue Devils all Saturday. Are they only in first place because they’re one of four teams that are 1-0 in the Big 12? Maybe. But, they’re in first place right now nonetheless at 4-0. They are an absolute blast to watch on offense, and they just need to squeak out two more wins to get to a bowl game for the first time in forever for this program. The problem? They’re about to really get into the meat of their Big 12 schedule, and it might mean upsetting a couple of teams along the way. I think they have a good chance of getting one of those this weekend as they host the Iowa State Cyclones.
*The ACC, as a whole, is not looking very impressive this year in my opinion. The Pittsburgh Panthers look like the only team in the ACC Coastal that could even remotely pose a threat to whoever wins this weekend’s Clemson-NC State game in the ACC. But, they had some fun kicker drama going this week, so they have that going for them.
So this was quite bizarre and lost yesterday. Rhode Island roughed the kicker on the extra point. Then seemingly the kicker went rogue and onside kicked it himself and recovered it. He then proceeded to get chewed out by Pitt’s Head Coach Pat Narduzzi & the special teams coach. https://t.co/NUrd7SEtAm
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) September 25, 2022
*Speaking of the ACC, this is THE stretch for the NC State Wolfpack if they’re going to have any shot at legitimate playoff contention. They’ve looked a little shaky at times this season, but none of that matters at 4-0 with a chance to derail the Clemson Tigers on Saturday. After Clemson, they host Florida State, and travel to Syracuse after that. These teams are a combined 12-0. If this team is going to live up to its potential, it has to survive this slate of tough games. It’s put up or shut up time for NC State.
*There’s a really interesting log jam of 3-1 teams happening in the American Conference. On paper, the Cincinnati Bearcats still look like they class of the bunch, but Memphis, Tulane, and UCF are all sitting there at 3-1 with ’em. I don’t think you can quite rule out 2-2 SMU or Houston just yet either. It’ll be interesting to see if any of these teams can challenge the Bearcats because right now, they look like the clear favorite to win the Group of Five’s New Years Six bowl bid.
*Shout out to the James Madison Dukes for starting the season 3-0 and completely deflating the hopes of App State fans on Saturday. The Dukes earned more votes in the AP Top 25 this week than UCLA, Mississippi State, LSU, and Washington State this week. Everyone talks about the “Fun Belt” with App State, Coastal Carolina, and Marshall – but don’t sleep on James Madison in the electric Sun Belt race.
*Steven McCash and I have our first Whataburger Bet of the Year coming up this weekend. It’s for the showdown between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Ole Miss Rebels from Oxford. I’ll admit – the Rebs are a lot better on defense than I thought they’d be, and the Wildcats looked a little shaky against Northern Illinois on Saturday. I’m a little less confident in this bet than I was back in August.
*Finally, I’m going to leave you guys with this clip of Brutus Buckeye getting DROPPED in a drive by:
BRUTUS GOT KNOCKED OUT! pic.twitter.com/PiPE8DXGjo
— ESPN (@espn) September 25, 2022
My Current Bowl Projections
- Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Alabama
- Peach Bowl: Georgia vs. USC
- National Championship: Georgia vs. Alabama
- Rose Bowl: Michigan vs. Utah
- Orange Bowl: NC State vs. Tennessee
- Sugar Bowl: Kentucky vs. Oklahoma State
- Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati
If you haven’t already, be sure to go subscribe to the College Football Roundup Podcast, on which Steven McCash and myself break down all the action from the college football world and look ahead to the week to come.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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