No fretting Tagovailoa injury — yet
Welcome to the college football overreaction index, where we examine the most important storylines from the past weekend of games to determine what’s worth paying attention to and what’s getting a little too much attention.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Week 8.
Tua Tagovailoa’s ankle injury changes the playoff picture.
Verdict: Overreaction.
Tagovailoa, a Heisman Trophy favorite, rolled his right ankle in Alabama’s 35-13 win Saturday night over Tennessee and left the game. He was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, had surgery Sunday and coach Nick Saban said his star quarterback would likely miss one to two weeks. That’s great news for ‘Bama and college football fans alike, since that timeline would put Tagovailoa back on the field for a huge game Nov. 9 against LSU.
The injury happened during a fortunate time in Alabama’s schedule. The Crimson Tide host Arkansas (2-5, 0-4 SEC) next Saturday before their bye week, giving Tagovailoa plenty of time to rest.
Redshirt sophomore Mac Jones, a former three-star recruit, played well in Tagovailoa’s absence, completing six of 11 passes for 72 yards Saturday. But even with the Tide’s dynamic group of receivers, the offense was much more limited under Jones. Alabama’s lone offensive touchdown with Jones in the game came on a Wildcat pass from receiver Slade Bolden.
Until we know the true extent of Tagovailoa’s injury, we won’t know for certain how it will affect him. It’s not the same ankle he injured in the SEC championship game last year, which might have caused his uncharacteristically poor play in the national title game loss against Clemson.
If Tagovailoa misses just one game against an easy opponent and comes back fully healthy against LSU, there’s no reason to worry. But if the injury lingers and hampers his ability to make plays and move around in the pocket, Alabama might not be equipped to win the SEC and make the playoff with its backup quarterback.
Penn State vs. Ohio State will determine the Big Ten championship. Verdict: Overreaction.
The Big Ten’s top teams proved their strength again this weekend, with Ohio State routing Northwestern, 52-3, on the road and Penn State surging ahead of Michigan in its annual “white out” game before hanging on for a 28-21 win.
With Wisconsin falling as a 30.5-point favorite to Illinois on Saturday, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are the last remaining top-10 teams in the conference. And they’ll meet Nov. 23 in Columbus in a game that will likely decide the Big Ten East title. But a lot can happen over the next five weeks.
Just look at this upcoming weekend. Ohio State hosts Wisconsin, which, despite its inexplicable loss to Illinois, has been among the most dominant teams in the country. Penn State, meanwhile, travels to East Lansing to face Michigan State, a team that has beaten the Nittany Lions in four of the last five seasons.
Of course, with the way Michigan and Michigan State have struggled, there’s a pretty good chance it’s the Buckeyes or Nittany Lions representing the East in the conference title game even if they each slip up before their big meeting. But assuming either team will waltz to a win in Indianapolis, the way Ohio State did against Northwestern last year, is disrespectful to the possible West champ, which could be a motivated Wisconsin team hungry for revenge or a rising (and perhaps undefeated) Minnesota team looking for a statement victory.
Wisconsin was exposed as a fraud. Verdict: Overreaction.
A 39-yard field goal. That’s all it took to sink the Badgers’ playoff hopes in a 24-23 last-second loss to Illinois, which picked up its first win over a ranked opponent since 2007.
Wisconsin turned the ball over three times, which led to 17 points for the Fighting Illini. The Badgers gave the ball away on their last two possessions, with a fumble by Jonathan Taylor and an interception by Jack Coan leading to 10 Illinois points in the final seven minutes.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, it was the biggest upset by point spread (Wisconsin was a 30.5-point favorite) in a Big Ten game since Northwestern beat Minnesota as 32point underdogs in 1982.
But talk of this loss proving Wisconsin can’t hang with the nation’s elite is premature. Head-scratching losses are almost a given in college football. Just look at Georgia’s loss to South Carolina two weeks ago, Ohio State’s blowout defeats to Purdue and Iowa the past two seasons, or Clemson’s losses to Pittsburgh (2016) and Syracuse (2017), to name a few. The Buckeyes rebounded to win the Big Ten and a major bowl each of those seasons. Why can’t Wisconsin?