NO FREE RIDES
Even mighty have tough time in wild week
Alabama looked beatable for the first time. Ohio State’s defense still looks discombobulated, Clemson’s offense still looks limp and Oklahoma still looks far from elite.
Maybe college football’s season of the super teams won’t be such a foregone conclusion after all.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide faced its first serious challenge but managed to get out of The Swamp undefeated against Florida. The Buckeyes, Tigers and Sooners also were winners — with blemishes.
Those four teams have combined for 20 College Football Playoff appearances. Fans, at least those of other teams, have been lamenting the same old, same old and bracing for another round of it in 2021.
Three weeks in, dare to dream of something different.
After Alabama rolled out to a 21-3 lead, things didn’t come easy for the offense and maybe Nick Saban was right to be concerned about that run defense after the Mercer game. The Gators ran for 245 yards — though they went nowhere on the potential tying 2-point conversion late in the fourth quarter.
Credit Florida coach Dan Mullen with back-to-back games against Alabama in which — with very different personnel — the Gators were able to make the Tide’s offense operate under pressure by carving up its defense.
Last year, Florida was all about Kyle
Trask connecting with Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney. The Gators are a quarterback-run team now with Emory Jones, who went the whole way with Anthony Richardson sidelined.
“To be honest with you, I hope we see them really soon, like later this season,” Mullen said.
Alabama will still be No. 1 in the country, the favorite to repeat as national champion, but the Tide gave just the slightest indication the machine might have a couple of gears that need grease. Especially with consecutive games against Mississippi (Oct. 2) and at Texas A&M (Oct. 9) coming up soon.
Ohio State (2-1) is past the point of needing just a tuneup. The Buckeyes pulled away from Tulsa in the fourth quarter thanks to freshman phenom TreVeyon Henderson (270 yards rushing and three TDs).
Those defensive issues that had coach Ryan Day being asked about the status of defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs after the Oregon loss? Still there. Tulsa passed for 428 yards.
Related: Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State are a combined 9-0.
Clemson’s opening, touchdown-less loss to Georgia seemed no reason to panic and maybe Saturday’s long weather delay against Georgia Tech got the Tigers (2-1) out of sorts. Still, 284 total yards against a team that lost to Northern Illinois is disconcerting. Clemson has scored 17 points in two games against
FBS opponents.
Of course, the ACC is not exactly showing off a bunch of potential challengers to break Clemson’s six-year lock on the conference title.
As for Oklahoma, the hype coming into this year was based on the premise that the Sooners now had a good defense to go with what is almost always a supercharged offense. The assumption being that with Lincoln Riley calling plays, Spencer Rattler would go from good to great at quarterback and the rest of the offense would follow.
Rattler would turn into a Heisman contender like the three quarterbacks (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts) who came before him.
What’s the old saying about assuming? Oklahoma’s offense is still a long way from from the Baker/Kyler days. In a workmanlike victory against Nebraska, Rattler was 23 of 34 for 213 yards and no picks.
The Sooners have won six straight Big 12 titles but have only gone unbeaten in conference play once during that time. After watching the Sooners play it close with Tulane and Nebraska, the rest of the Big 12 should be buoyed.
Now, a reality check: Wins are wins and by the time November rolls around all these powerhouses could be rolling toward the CFP again.
But for now, the rest of the country has some reason to hope a real playoff race is possible.