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| This is one of the many moments that caused overreaction from Ohio State fans |
While not a disease, it is a sickness that afflicts fan bases across the college football landscape.
Signs include chronic complaining about a team's performance, even in an easy victory, depression about the season because you know it won't get any better, and a feeling in the pit of your stomach that won't go away.
It was noticed in Columbus after Ohio State started slowly but pulled away for a 49-21 win over Indiana. The Buckeyes were never going to lose the game, yet fans were sick that the Hoosiers completed even one pass, that OSU couldn't get the offense going (never mind that it had 596 yards) and that J.T. Barrett was anywhere on the premises, even though he finished with over 300 passing yards and an healthy 8.7 yards per attempt. The Buckeyes were pretenders, not worthy of being in the CFP discussion.
It was noticed in Seattle, where Washington went just three-of-11 on third downs and managed only 84 rushing yards against Rutgers. It appears that losing the top-line stars Washington did is just too much, and that the Pac-12 is no longer there for the taking. It's frightening to think what Stanford will do to them in November, because we all know Washington won't get any better.
It would have been noticed in Los Angeles, if fans were as interested in USC as they are about the million other things to do in LA. USC didn't put away Western Michigan until midway through the fourth quarter, and Sam Darnold didn't throw a single touchdown pass. That has to mean his Heisman campaign is over, and that the Trojans will underachieve yet again, as they do every time they are anointed a top five team.
This is the most comical part about following message boards and fan communities, the sheer volume of overreaction. Emotions change from week to week, half to half, hell, play to play. A guy is great one week, then not good enough to be on scout team the next week. It's one thing to worry a little bit about something that might not have gone as planned, but to make the declaration, after one week, that the season is going to be a bust and that your team isn't worthy of praise? Seems just a tiny bit overboard.
To hear Ohio State fans tell it, Barrett -- despite the fact he's going to walk out of town with just about every conceivable passing record in school history -- is no better than Joe Bauserman. Think about that for a second, because it's something I actually heard.
Is Barrett a great passer? No. Is he a good enough passer to take Ohio State where it wants to go? Most certainly. What gets lost on fans in Columbus is that Urban Meyer's spread offenses have never been designed for great passers. It's a spread to run, not pass, and looking through the list of quarterbacks Meyer has had you won't find one that would be considered great. Alex Smith is the only one who has made any kind of professional career, which shows that Meyer values leadership and toughness at the position more than he values a big-time arm.
The Buckeyes defense gets the same treatment after Richard Lagow and Simmie Cobbs Jr. enjoyed their pitch and catch session. Never mind that the Buckeyes were breaking in almost an entirely new secondary, and that coverage on many of the plays was sound -- Cobbs just went up and got the football.
We know that OSU fans believe that after one outing the Buckeyes are not worthy of CFP talk -- a ludicrous thought because Meyer will tighten up the deficiencies, and the offense will get used to the breakneck pace coordinator Kevin Wilson wants to employ.
The same with Washington and USC -- the Huskies will fit their new pieces into place and get it humming, and Darnold will pick it up and start throwing touchdowns like they're going out of style.
Rest assured, the next time those teams, or any of the other college football big boys, struggle, fans will fall back on the most time tested method they know.
Snap Judgments
Maybe it's time to pump the brakes on the "Tom Herman is the savior" talk that was going around Longhorn Nation.
Texas 2017 looked a lot like Texas 2016, which begs the question -- why pay so much for so little production? They could have kept Charlie Strong and gotten a performance like the one they got Saturday against Maryland.
Texas couldn't stop the run last year, and allowed the Terrapins to rush for 263 yards. The special teams in 2016 were a disaster, and Maryland returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown, and two other field goals were missed. The offense was inconsistent and at times seemed to lack focus -- 11 penalties for 117 yards says as much.
Herman said afterward, "I told our guys to never get used to this feeling, but that if we all thought that we were going to come in here, and in nine months sprinkle fairy dust on this team and think that we've arrived, then we're wrong."
Yeah, coach, you are. Because talent hasn't been the issue in Austin for the past few seasons. By most accounts, Strong did a bang-up job on the recruiting trail. He just couldn't figure out what to do on game day. Herman was supposed to change that, yet it was more of the same for the Longhorns. They get San Jose State next, which should be the panacea, but it looks like there is work to do before fans can utter that favorite Lone Star State phrase.
Texas Is Back.
Boilers Up
The hiring of Jeff Brohm from Western Kentucky might not have registered on the "Wow" meter, but it was a sound one. And if the results of Purdue's opener is any indication, there should finally be some long-term stability in West Lafayette.
Purdue was hanging with Louisville, something that would have been impossible in 2016, or any time during the Darrell Hazell era (is that really a thing?). The Boilermakers seemed confident, quarterbacks made good decisions with the football and the team played as hard as it has in ages. Louisville just had too much Lamar Jackson, but Purdue looks set up for better times, especially if it settles on a quarterback.
Mark it down -- Purdue will beat someone that it shouldn't, and it also will probably lose to someone it shouldn't. It isn't going to be an overnight process, but if Brohm can get the culture change going there's no reason that the Boilermakers can't make strides in the Big Ten West.
Seminoles Sadness
Florida State enters every football season with high expectations, and should. Any year they don't win the national title is seen as a disappointment, if not an outright failure.
This year was set up to be a big one in Tallahassee as FSU was a pick of many to reach the College Football Playoff. It was getting Derwin James back from injury, the defense as a whole was going to be nasty, and quarterback Deondre Francois had a year of maturity under his belt. This was going to be a big year for the Seminoles.
But that has all been cast into question following the season-ending knee injury Francois suffered against Alabama. The sophomore was hit a ton last year yet always showed the resiliency to get up and make the next play. There were more than a few "Jameis" whispers for Francois, who showed the same calm in the pocket and big arm that Winston possesses. He was also a big time leader in the huddle, and that more than anything is the quality that Florida State will miss.
Replacement James Blackman is, according to Jimbo Fisher, ready to roll. But in a season when FSU is replacing its all time leading running back and retooling the receiving corps, adding in a new quarterback seems to be too much to ask.
Florida State can still have a solid season, though we won't know how solid until Sept. 16 when it faces Miami in Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles with Francois were huge players in the national title chase. The Seminoles with Blackman are a huge unknown.
State Of Texas Football
We all know that football is a religion in Texas, so I wonder what's going through the minds of fans in the state after seeing Texas lose to Maryland, Texas A&M doing its midseason collapse a few weeks early and Baylor losing to an FCS program? Of the big time football playing schools, only TCU came out unscathed.
The A&M loss was especially jarring as Kevin Sumlin saw his team blow a 44-10 lead and lose to UCLA 45-44, thanks to the magic arm of Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen. Sumlin entered the season on the hot seat, and after the loss a member of the school's Board of Regents said that it's time for Sumlin to go, now. That's not going to happen, but if Sumlin can't get his team together and rally to a nine-win season -- that's likely what it will take -- then he might want to start polishing up his resume.
Given all of the problems at Baylor, Matt Rhule can have a mulligan for the entire season. Still, losing to Liberty, at home, isn't a good look for the Bears.
"This was not what we wanted tonight," Rhule said after the game. "It does not mean I'm not proud of them. I put this on me. I put this on the coaches. It's our job to get it fixed."
With its first three Big 12 contests against teams currently in the rankings, including two in the top 10, Baylor definitely has an uphill climb.
The Elimination Game
Beginning next week we will play the always entertaining game of "See You Next Year." Not familiar? Well, it's pretty simple.
We basically say goodbye to Power 5 teams as they rack up the losses and eliminate themselves from College Football Playoff contention. We were tempted to start this week, with Baylor (you just CAN'T lose to Liberty) and North Carolina (yeah, Pac-12 foe, but not good), but figured we would give them a week, maybe a bit longer. I mean, who knows? Maybe Cal is good, or maybe the Baylor loss was an anomaly and the Bears run the table from here.
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