Top 25 time! Not too much variation in the top half of the ranking this week, but definitely some shuffling down at the bottom. Duke continues to impress with their strong play and seems to be a contender in the Coastal division of the ACC. Along with the Blue Devils, I think it’s high time folks started taking the little guys seriously; Marshall and ECU are both punching way above their weight right now. Same goes for BYU and Utah.
Utah is going to have to survive a rough stretch that includes five of six weeks playing currently ranked opponents, and Duke will have to rise above the mediocrity in the ACC, but Marshall and ECU? Those two teams are looking like prime candidates to go undefeated from here on out. I’m very curious to see where these teams end up ranked to finish the season should they continue their strong play.
14 thoughts in 14 lines
Probably watching you a little more closely this weekend: East Carolina
Probably not watching you at all this weekend: Troy
Thought you were good, you were: Texas A&M
Thought you were bad, you weren’t as bad: Indiana
Game you couldn’t get a ticket for this week: #16 Stanford at Washington (FOX)
Game no one wants a ticket for this week: Miami (OH) at Buffalo
A little overrated: Auburn
A little underrated: Nebraska
Lamb for slaughter: Iowa State (vs Baylor)
Smells like an upset: Cincinnati over #22 Ohio State
Best power conference: Pac-12
Worst power conference: ACC
No need to panic: Clemson
Start freaking out: Florida
So many feels for you in week 5: Will Muschamp’s staff and Brady Hoke’s staff
I’m not sure I understand why it’s only on Saturday’s that a big stink is made about these two coaches jobs being on the line. Were I part of that fan base or a media member covering that beat, I’d already have slideshows prepped for prospective candidates that could fill the soon-to-be-vacant head coaching gig. I’m never comfortable calling for someone to be fired from their jobs, but it seems like both Muschamp’s and Hoke’s staff should be looking at the jobs section of their local papers a little more closely. Those two are walking dead right now.
For Hoke, the writing is on the wall: since arriving at Michigan in 2011, Hoke’s teams have gone from 11 wins to 8 wins to 7 wins and now it looks like they’re on pace for even less than that. Sure, Michigan has made a bowl game each year he’s been at the helm, but anyone who has seen Michigan lately knows that the program is in panic mode right now.
There’s no player development taking place at Michigan despite a very solid amount of talent coming in. The offensive line looks disastrous, there are no offensive weapons as a result, and Devin Gardner looks lost. At some point, you have to wonder what exactly Hoke is doing there.
For Muschamp, the problem is that his Florida teams have drastically underachieved both last year and this season. Despite Muschamp guiding the Gators to a Sugar Bown in 2012 (his second year on the job), Florida doesn’t look like they’re going to be reaching that height anytime soon.
The Gators have more talent than most teams in the country, and they’re recruiting even better than Michigan. But they’re not really in the national conversation because Muschamp has been outcoached over and over again. Florida canned Ron Zook for better results than Muschamp has given them, and that 4-8 campaign last year (their first losing season since 1979) has not sat well with Gator faithful.
Both coaches are probably going to be looking for some new gigs after this season, and for that reason I have major feels for their respective staffs.
College Football Haiku:
Tuberville-Meyer;
SEC fight in Midwest?
Only Big Ten loss.