Firmly at the midway point of the college football season, the playoff picture is beginning to clear.
Here are some knee-jerk reactions to the Week 7 action:
OSU HC Ryan Day melts under the bright lights again
No. 2 Ohio State (5-1, 2-1) lost 32-31 to No. 3 Oregon (6-0, 3-0) due to poor clock management and a genuine lack of awareness from the HC, which trickled down to his players. With OSU trailing by one in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, QB Will Howard scrambled for 12 yards but slid down to the turf too late, as time expired before the Buckeyes could take a timeout and attempt a potentially game-winning field goal. While the senior signal-caller will likely get all the heat, Day, now 1-7 against top-five opponents, deserves the brunt of the blame. He failed to realize the clock would begin to run following an offensive pass interference penalty two plays early, costing 12 precious seconds to run off the clock, and it set the stage for an ending that’s become all too familiar during his tenure.
Alabama doesn’t look much like a contender after surviving South Carolina
QB Jalen Milroe was responsible for 21 points (two rushing TDs) but showed his limitations in the pocket, throwing two interceptions in the 27-25 win. Meanwhile, South Carolina freshman QB LaNorris Sellers had a career day (23-of-31, 238 yards, two touchdowns) against a defense that’s allowed 33.0 points over the last three games after giving up only 8.7 per game over the first three weeks of the season. Since defeating No. 2 Georgia, Alabama responded with a loss to an unranked team (Vanderbilt, 40-35) and an unconvincing win against another ahead of three straight matchups versus ranked opponents (No.8 Tennessee, No. 21 Missouri, No. 13 LSU).
No. 4 Georgia showed cracks in 10-point victory over Mississippi State
Georgia improved to 5-1 (3-1) after holding on to defeat Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3) 41-31, though they didn’t look great doing it, despite what some of the numbers may say. QB Carson Beck had an incredible outing (36-of-48, 459 yards, three TDs) but committed two turnovers that led to 10 points, while the Bulldogs defense allowed 21 second-half points, erasing what was a comfortable 37-10 lead at the break. Perhaps the Bulldogs were looking ahead toward next week’s SEC clash with undefeated No. 1 Texas, but only time will tell.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik creeping up Heisman Trophy candidate list
The junior was fantastic in a 49-14 win by No. 10 Clemson (5-1, 4-0) over Wake Forest (2-4, 1-2) Saturday, finishing 31-of-41 for 309 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Since a poor season opener against Georgia (18-of-29, 142 yards, one interception), Klubnik has played like a Heisman Trophy contender, throwing for 1,386 yards while completing 67.7 percent of his passes (105-of-155) with 17 touchdowns and only one interception. According to FanDuel, he has the fourth-best odds (+1000) of winning the award, which could improve with similar production down the stretch, especially in the Tigers’ upcoming matchup against No. 22 Pittsburgh (11/16).
Army or Navy in the CFP?
Following Army’s 44-10 win over UAB on Saturday, both the Black Knights (6-0, 5-0) and Navy (5-0, 2-0) are undefeated through six weeks of the college football calendar. If the winning trend continues for both teams, they could meet in the AAC Championship (Dec. 6), which could be for the last at-large bid in the college football playoff, only a week ahead of the annual Army-Navy Game in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 14.
