Michigan drops out of top 25 after rout
Jammed into the visitor’s interview room that could easily double as a tool shed underneath Beaver Stadium, Jim Harbaugh assessed where Michigan goes from here with his typical brevity.
“We solve it with our team and no one else can help us, but us. We put our best people on it, which is our players and our coaches,” Harbaugh said late Saturday night after Michigan was routed 42-13 by No. 2 Penn State.
The second loss in three weeks for the Wolverines dropped them out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since September 2015, Harbaugh’s first season as coach of his alma mater.
The downside of being the most interesting man in college football, the coach who made $9 million last season, started a war of words with the SEC over football camps, and took his team to Italy this past spring is that there is little patience for a setback season.
Michigan went 10-3 in Harbaugh’s first year, exceeding expectations. Last season’s 10-3 was not quite as satisfying, but three losses by a total of five points was no reason to question Harbaugh.
Year three of Harbaugh at Michigan had a rebuilding feel from the outset. Michigan had just lost 16 NFL draft picks and about 20 starters players recruited by Harbaugh’s predecessor but developed under his regime. Harbaugh’s first two full recruiting classes were consensus top 10 in the nation, according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings, but those players are sophomores and freshmen. IRISH RIDES DEFENSE >> No one around the No. 9 Notre Dame football team will take offense if you say the defense is responsible for the Irish’s climb in The Associated Press Top 25.
That certainly includes head coach Brian Kelly and members of his powerful offense that is taking advantage of the turnovers produced by first-year defensive coordinator Mike Elko’s swarming and suffocating unit.
“The plan in hiring Mike Elko was that he’s got a great reputation in taking the football away,” Kelly said late Saturday night after the Irish converted three first-half turnovers into touchdowns on their way to dismantling No. 11 USC 49-14 at Notre Dame Stadium.
ROLLING TIDE >> Alabama is unbeaten, scarcely challenged and dominating on both sides of the ball.
Now, the top-ranked Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) gets an open date to ready for the stretch run. And it’s clear the focus of coach Nick Saban & Co. is on finishing this one out, not spending much time savoring the accomplishments through eight games.
In fact, Saban said the team held a “come to Jesus meeting” last week leading up to Saturday’s 45-7 victory over rival Tennessee . He tried once again to explain after the game to reporters the challenge of tuning out the hype that he has likened to “rat poison.”
“I talk about this all the time and you all don’t get it,” Saban said. “But it’s not human nature to have people say you’re unanimous No. 1, you’re 36-point favorites. You read in the paper every day that you don’t even need to play the game. So why should we get excited about practice?
“Those external factors cannot affect your team and sometimes it does. We had to have a little come to Jesus meeting about what is this all about, what is your commitment to, what goals do we have as a team?” CYCLONES BIG SURPRISE >> Iowa State (5-2, 3-1) is off to its best start in 15 years and on Sunday entered The Associated Press poll for the first time since 2005, at No. 25. And this week the Cyclones play fourth-ranked TCU on homecoming for get this a share of first place in the Big 12.
Typically the Cyclones are playing out the string by late October. A 31-13 win at Texas Tech on Saturday offered more evidence that this isn’t the same team that had not won more than three games in a season since 2012 and had finished ninth or 10th in the 10-team Big 12 in four of the six years since the conference ended its division alignment.
Cyclones fans can dare to dream of their team playing Dec. 2 in the Big 12 championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. But first Iowa State must navigate a schedule that, after TCU, has it playing at West Virginia and hosting Oklahoma State (both are 3-1 in the conference). The Cyclones finish with road games against Baylor and Kansas State.
“Obviously, this is the most wins I’ve had in a season,” senior receiver Allen Lazard said. “We have to go out there and focus on the next game. Can’t look at the bigger picture too much. We have to focus on our goal right now.” TROJANS SLIDING >> USC dropped 10 spots to No. 21 after its second loss of the season. The Trojans entered the season as a topfive team and the Pac-12 favorites. USC is still in first place in the Pac-12 South.