Last week finally lived up to some of the preseason hype with a great Georgia vs LSU battle in Athens and old Lane Kiffin getting his ass kicked off the team bus and fired after USC gave up 62 points to Arizona State. With Georgia winning a HUGE game they have set themselves up to reach the National Championship game if they win out. Granted one of Clemson or Oregon would have to lose one game to 100% make sure a one-loss SEC Championship winner gets into the BCS Title game but we know there is no fucking way they both go undefeated with Stanford and FSU on their schedules.
Who replaces Kiffin? My early bet would be Kevin Sumlin. Sumlin will have to replace Johnny Manziel in the offseason along with 3 starting linemen. Plus what is more attractive: College Station, TX or Hollywood? Yeah Sumlin would jump at the opportunity if given it. But you also have Jack Del Rio (no fucking way), Chris Petersen (I could see him leaving Boise), Pat Fitzgerald (seems an odd fit), and James Franklin (can't see Haden putting up with his antics) as viable candidates. Honestly it won't matter who USC hires. They will be better than Kiffin instantly.
Here are my top 10 teams. These are how I would rank them in terms of overall performance and the strength of schedule they have faced.
1. Oregon
2. Alabama
3. Stanford
4. Clemson
5. Georgia
6. Baylor
7. UCLA
8. Washington
9. Texas A&M
10. LSU
I think I'm going to regret dropping LSU that low from where I had them last week (3). The Tigers are a really good team. They just faced a better Georgia team at home with a quarterback in Aaron Murray who is playing Heisman-worthy football right now. LSU lost last minute on the road but they still can make it to the SEC Championship and possible the National Championship if they win out including battles vs Bama and Johnny Football. Could it be done? Of course. But right now I would put it at less than 25%. LSU has the feel of a 2-loss team but they are better than UCLA and Washington overall. Fuck I should have LSU definitely higher. I'll probably switch around next week.
Georgia of course makes the big climb back into the top 5. They lost a tough road game to #4 Clemson in the season opener and struggled vs North Texas but they got two tremendous victories at home vs South Carolina and LSU. Both of those victories are like getting strange 9's or 10's in Miami as opposed to banging a 7 somewhere in the Midwest. Baylor is still the sneaky little sexy bitch with glasses out in Texas who a lot of guys are failing to recognize because they aren't Oklahoma or Texas. In fact they are much better. Again they remind me of Oregon. So much speed. Also you could interchange Oregon and Alabama at the top of the rankings. Both are great programs who could eventually meet in Pasadena. Personally I would love to see those two programs battle it out.
Noticed I've left out Ohio State and Florida State despite being undefeated behind one loss SEC teams Georgia, Aggies, and LSU. While both the Buckeyes and Seminoles have unbelievable talents at the QB position in Braxton Miller and Jameis Winston I don't see their overall team speed and athleticism up there with the other SEC schools. Again I could be wrong on this but they will have plenty of chances to sneak up the ladder.
TOP 5 HEISMAN CONTENDERS
1. Johnny Manziel - Johnny ran and passed all over the Hogs Saturday night.
2. Marcus Mariota - He wasn't flawless because of the monsoon in Eugene but he still lead the Ducks to 55 points vs Cal.
3. Jameis Winston - The Seminoles struggled early on but Famous Jameis came on strong and led the team to romp vs Boston College.
4. Tajh Boyd - Passed the 100 TD career mark in an impressive 49 point victory over Wake.
5. Aaron Murray - Played brilliantly while leading the Dawgs to an impressive win vs the Mad Hatter.
Yup I got all 5 contenders filled with quarterbacks. It's another one of those years where anyone who doesn't take a snap behind center has much of a chance. I dropped Todd Gurley (not his fault with the sprained ankle) and replaced him with Aaron Murray. I still don't have AJ McCarron or Teddy Bridgewater in there.
Best play of the week goes to Famous Jameis with this remarkable play...
