College Football Teams: The Good- Mississippi State, The Bad- South Carolina, and the Ugly- UCLA
By Jerry Levi
It wasn’t necessarily a record setting upset Saturday, but some college football teams were out and out eliminated from Final Four contention this past weekend with 2 losses added to their resume. Those teams were Missouri, Texas A&M, and UCLA. Some of you are probably asking why South Carolina is on ‘The Bad’ list since they were idle this weekend, but since so much value was placed on them on the preseason in a #9 ranking. And teams that have beaten them, A&M and Missouri, have since been utterly exposed, the Gamecocks make the Bad squarely on their overhype and overrating. How then does one explain them defeating Georgia a month ago? Even a broken clock is right twice a day I guess.
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The Good:
Ole Miss, Baylor, and Mississippi State could easily have topped the Good list. As it is, we’ll put the Bulldogs up there. If you sneezed on Saturday in the 1st quarter on either the State game in Starkville or Ole Miss in College Station, by the time you got back the scores in both games were 21-0 in favor of both Magnolia state schools. Mississippi State’s QB Dak Prescott dominated that opening quarter, leaving no doubt as to who was going to win against the number 2 team in the nation in Auburn. Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace looked the part as well, making sure pundits knew that the Alabama win the week before wasn’t a fluke or a One Hit Wonder. November 29th has never loomed larger on the plate of these two schools, when they meet for what could be the SEC West Crown in Oxford, and on to Atlanta and the SEC Championship Game. Other ‘Good’ teams who started out either unranked or who have had steady inclines in their play throughout this year. Oklahoma State: Preseason unranked. Lost the first game of the year on the final drive of that game against Florida State. Since then the Cowboys are undefeated and ranked #15. East Carolina: Preseason unranked. Knocked off then #17 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg a week after the Hokies stunned Ohio State. Their only blemish? Yep that’s right, that succubus South Carolina on September 6th, as the Pirates only loss 33-23. Currently ranked #19 and 5-1 on the year.
The Bad:
Right now there’s a whirlpool over Columbia, South Carolina and it’s taking all perceived ‘good’ teams with it, including Texas A&M and Missouri. Remember when all the hype came around Texas A&M QB Kenny Hill and how great a game he had against SC that opening weekend? Does any of that even matter anymore? He wants to be known as ‘Trill.’ Ha! Who cares now, especially after that beat down the week before in Starkville and on Saturday at home against Ole Miss. 2 losses and out for the Aggies. Missouri. Another South Carolina begat whom many laid claim that because they defeated them, they were entitled to the spoils of ‘great SEC team.’ 34-0 later to Georgia, at home, in what was supposed to be a defensive battle, turned ugly early and often. 2 losses and out for Mizzou. Other ‘Bad’ teams who have missed the marked this year, considering their preseason rank: North Carolina, preseason #23, currently 2-4, 0-2 in ACC play. LSU, preseason #13, currently 5-2, 1-2 in SEC conference play. Michigan: No comment.
The Ugly:
Where does one start? Let’s start in L.A. where most dreams die anyway. UCLA’s Head Coach Jim Mora and Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich got into it on the sidelines in Saturday’s loss and playoff eliminator against Oregon. Can you say implosion? They looked like 2 junior high kids fighting over a Nerf ball out there and yes if you read Coach Mora’s lips you can make out, ‘Okay you’re fired,’ to which the DC hands over the defensive play card to which Mora goes over and grabs Ulbrich’s face, with both hands mind you, and pulls him back to the sideline where Ulbrich eventually stays. And the Oscar goes to…Doesn’t matter, the Bruins lost anyway. Alabama. Oklahoma. Georgia. All Ugly as well. They’re still winning but it doesn’t look good when they do. Georgia lost to South Carolina. That South Carolina stake is still in your leg Georgia and eventually we’re going to have to take it out. Other ‘Ugly’ teams right now: Texas at 2-4 could have salvaged something out of their year by defeating Oklahoma on Saturday. The Horns looked good and dominated the 1st half of that game yet went to the locker room down 17-13. How did that happen? A defensive touchdown by OU and a kickoff return on special teams doomed Texas in the long run of that game, including penalties in short yardage situations and snaps off of face masks made for what could have been.
Well there’s a look at the first 7 weeks of the College Football season. Are we missing anybody? Tell us your Good, the Bad, or the Ugly that we might’ve missed out on. And stay away from South Carolina…