Sports Talk

Week 9 of college football has come to pass, bringing with it another collection of big games highlighted by even bigger moments. If there was to be a theme for this week it would be making a statement, as teams proved themselves against strong competition across the league and the playoff race took another step towards a clearer view. So, let’s take a look around college football and some of the biggest games from this weekend.

Miami 36 Florida State 14

After blowing out rival Florida State and resoundingly defeating the Florida Gators in a week one matchup, it can be said that the Hurricanes run the state of Florida. This much was expressed by head coach Mario Cristobal in his postgame comments to the press stating that “[recruits] can now clearly see the trajectory of this program versus the trajectory of the other [Florida] programs”. A bold statement from coach Cristobal, after garnering his first win against the Seminoles, however supported by a 7-0 record and a win in which Miami never trailed and never even had an inkling of looking back, it’s hard to argue against his him. Frankly, the final score of this game isn’t representative of the game played with FSU’s second touchdown coming with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 22. For Florida State a dismal season has only gotten worse with their first loss to Miami in Four years and the loss of whatever hope they had at making a bowl game this season. In a season that’s been a complete shock to a team who felt cheated out of a playoff appearance last season, the Seminoles appear to be a sinking ship who, now hurricane-battered, are just listing lifelessly towards the end of the season. The questions for FSU coach Mike Norvell are how to motivate your players in an era where a season as dismal as this will send athletes running for the portal, and whether he may need to begin looking for realtors as his seat is certainly heating up.

Texas A&M 38 LSU 23

Since 2013, this game has been the endcap to these team’s seasons bringing with it an additional level of importance to a veritable rivalry between Texas A&M and LSU. Up 17-7 entering the second half LSU looked to control the game and capitalize off of the steady lead they had amassed. It was at this point that mistakes became the theme of the game for the Tigers as quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw 3 interceptions which the Aggies capitalized on to the tune of 17 points fueling their offense to a comeback victory. The easy person to blame for the Tigers would be Nussmeier, however in a game where LSU only managed 24 yards on 23 rushing attempts even head coach Brian Kelly readily admitted that some blame fell on the lack of balance in the offense. With an overtime win against Ole Miss two weeks ago and only one in-conference loss, LSU still holds a chance at the college football playoff, but with a bye week ahead of them and a matchup against rival Alabama it may be time for the Tigers to make a statement or face a loss of any chance at contention. For Texas A&M this game was a testament to their grit and ability to come back, and the power of a home game at Kyle Field. With this win the Aggies now stand resoundingly at the top of the SEC. With only one ranked opponent left on their schedule, the Aggies should be a shoe in for the SEC championship, right? In most scenarios I’d be forced to agree, except that the ranked team standing at the end of their schedule is the Texas Longhorns in the reinvigoration of a rivalry whose first game back will likely be a virtual play-in game for the SEC championship.

Notre Dame 51 Navy 14

In a season where Navy has dominated based upon a perfectly executed offense supported by mistake-less football the Midshipman seemed to be a shell of themselves against their rivals. Compounding mistakes and misplays resulted in 6 turnovers for Navy and a straightaway for the Fighting Irish to dash away with any hopes of a win. As a non-power four (SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12) team the Naval academy would likely need to win out to have a shot at the twelfth playoff spot, however with Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty and the Boise State Broncos rolling through their competition in the Mountain West, even this would be a longshot. Though in this year of college football, anything is possible and the road to a chance at the playoff rolls right through a matchup against Army, and I doubt the fans of the Midshipmen would want it any other way. For the Irish this win cements an excellent response by the team after a shaky start to the season. With no conference and therefore no automatic bid, Notre Dame needs to prove their worth through high level play against a schedule which is recognizably weaker than many of their peers. Though with only one ranked opponent remaining in the form of the Army Black Knights the path to the playoffs looks to be relatively clear for the Irish moving forward. With their current ranking the only thing that could stop Notre Dame is themselves, and while this is a statement win for the team this year this is still the team that lost to NIU and struggled in the first half against Miami University, and in college football any given Saturday anything can happen.

Alabama 34 Missouri 0

Over the past three weeks Alabama has been a team in crisis, seemingly rattled by their own performances and the pressure to win in Tuscaloosa. Alabama hadn’t seen a season with two losses this early in 17 years, and a contingent of fans had become vocal on a seeming lack of intensity from their new head coach, Kalen Deboer. To all of those fans this game was a statement to not count out the Tide and to have faith in their head coach. The adjustments made by the coaching staff were evident this week as Alabama brought a more balanced attack against the Tigers racking up 271 yards on the ground and 215 through the air. Kane Wommack’s defense appeared stout throughout the game even against Missouri starting quarterback Brady Cook, who exited early with hand and ankle injuries. Head coach Kalen Deboer could even be seen on the sidelines having heated conversations while coaching players in a style more reminiscent of that of former Alabama head coach Nick Saban. For Eli Drinkwitz and Mizzou this loss comes hard likely eliminating a team with playoff expectations to start this season. With a starting quarterback whose wear and tear has been showing as the season progresses it may be a struggle for the Tigers in the back half of their season. Though with no ranked opponents remaining and a record of 6-2 the Tigers still have some hope of making an impact in the final standings this season. For Alabama, one game in October does not make you a champion and while the team did look reinvigorated against Mizzou team with quarterback issues, they have a test coming in two weeks at rival LSU and likely need to win out to have a chance at the playoff. Although as Kane Wommack sent the starters back in on defense to preserve the shutout in a goal line situation late in the game, the thought that could be a pivot point for an Alabama team ready for a run was ever present in my mind.

Texas 27 Vanderbilt 24

Although the magic seemed to run out in Nashville on Saturday, Vanderbilt has become a team to reckon with this season. With a chance late in the game for an onside kick it’s hard to shake the feeling that if the ball would have rolled their way, we’d be discussing the Commodores chances at making the playoffs this season. Instead, the conversation turns to “moral victories” and the expectation is to try and win a bowl game. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia doesn’t seem to be the type of person to believe in moral victories however, and the fact remains that this is a good football team with high-level execution of Clark Lea’s complicated offense. For the Commodores this season ends with two ranked opponents with legitimate playoff contenders in LSU and Tennessee, however you’d have to imagine that the feeling in Nashville is that if we can’t make the playoffs why should you. For the Texas Longhorns they’ve completed the all important get back game against an opponent geared for an upset. By avoiding this loss coach Sarkisian will be able to keep all of the growing emotion in Austin at bay and prevent his team from entering a situation similar to that of Alabama entering this week. With their only ranked opponent being Texas A&M at the end of this season now is the opportunity for Texas to build momentum and put to bed any thoughts of a quarterback controversy as they move towards what will likely be a play-in game for the SEC Championship.