Here are a few random topics that I feel the need to weigh in on today.
1. Houston does control its own destiny
Ever since the Cougars throttled Oklahoma, people have asked whether the team controlled its own destiny in the College Football Playoff race. Yesh Ginsburg wrote an excellent piece about how Houston will need some help to get in the field, while ESPN’s Desmond Howard made a persuasive argument explaining how the Selection Committee could put a one-loss team in the field over the Cougars.
While both of them raise valid points, it still doesn’t mean that the Cougars don’t control their own fate. Sure, there are scenarios that could prevent an unbeaten UH squad from making the field. But, it’s ultimately up to the Cougars to prevent that from happening. Houston still has some very high-profile games on its schedule, including Cincinnati, Louisville, and the AAC Championship game. If UH wins all of those contests, it will have a resume that’s as impressive as anyone else in college football, which will make it very difficult to exclude them from the field.
Although that’s not the same as “win and you’re in”, it’s the next closest thing to it.
2. Don’t give up on Oklahoma
It’s also important to note that most of the scenarios that would actually keep Houston out of the College Football Playoff assume that the Sooners will suffer a few more defeats this season.
That’s a very dangerous assumption. Yes, Ohio State looked great against Bowling Green. And, yes, Texas played like a top 15 team versus Notre Dame on Sunday night. However, Bob Stoops knows how to rally his troops, leading the Sooners to conference titles after early season losses in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, and 2015. The 2008 team was especially impressive, averaging 59.8 points per game after dropping the Red River Rivalry to Texas en route to the BCS Championship Game.
And, of course, last year’s team shook off a loss to Texas to capture the league title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
There’s no reason to think that the same thing couldn’t happen again in 2016 with all of the firepower that Oklahoma has on offense. Remember, Baker Mayfield was the best quarterback in the Big 12 last year, leading the league in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and touchdown passes. After his 323-yard performance against Houston – in which he completed 72.7% of his passes – it’s safe to say that he’ll match last year’s production again this season.
That hardly sounds like a team that’s going to suffer several losses this season.
3. The real problem with the Auburn offense
It’s time to stop talking about the Auburn quarterback situation. The Tigers have a more important problem to worry about.
That’s not to say that the quarterback rotation didn’t cause problems against Clemson, because it clearly did. By changing signal callers early and often, the Tiger offense never really found its groove. Yet, when Auburn went primarily with Sean White later in the game, it moved the ball more consistently. Now that Malzahn has tabbed White as the starter, cohesiveness shouldn’t be a problem.
Of course, quarterback play wasn’t what doomed the Tiger offense against Clemson; offensive line play was. Brent Venables’ front seven made plays in the Auburn backfield all night long, recording 14 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks.
I don’t care who’s under center, every offense is going to struggle in that situation. It’s difficult for any quarterback – even one as talented as Cam Newton – to have a ton of success when his team is frequently playing from behind the sticks. If the Auburn offense is going to resemble the explosive units that it had in 2013 and 2014, it must get better on the offensive line. Should it do that – as most teams often do between week 1 and week 2 – it doesn’t matter who starts at quarterback.
4. The Sun Belt Race Is Wide Open
Most of the media – including our staff at the Student Section – predicted that the Sun Belt was essentially a three-way race between Appalachian State, Arkansas State, and Georgia Southern.
After the first week of the season, we can already see that there’s more than just the big three in the Sun Belt this year. South Alabama – picked to finish seventh in the conference – went into SEC country and upset Mississippi State. Texas State – tabbed to finish second-to-last in the league by the media – defeated a solid Ohio squad that has gone to a bowl game in six of the last seven seasons.
With victories against teams of that caliber, there’s no reason to think that the Jaguars and Bobcats won’t be in the mix for the Sun Belt title this season. They might not win the league, but they’ll definitely make the race more interesting than people expected it to be.
