October 31, 2021

  • David M. HaleESPN Staff Writer

    Shut

    • ACC reporter.
    • Joined ESPN in 2012.
    • Graduate of the University of Delaware.

There's a slogan that coaches echo frequently: Proficient is the enemy of great.

The idea is simple enough. To settle for good is to abdicate a quest for greatness. Coaches like great. Practiced is only important in contract negotiations.

Aside from Georgia, which beat Florida hands on Saturday and appears destined for an SEC title game date with Alabama, the biggest question looming over the 2021 season is almost the departure between good and great. Georgia is great. Anybody else? Difficult to say. Saturday's games were supposed to offering answers.

That brings us to the Big Ten.

A few weeks dorsum, the Big Ten had five teams ranked in the top 10, and you might accept assumed that at least 1 of them was great.

And so Penn State lost in 27 overtimes to Illinois.

And then Iowa remembered that scoring points matters.

And then Michigan -- poor, sweet Michigan -- played a rivalry game.

Nowhere is the good-to-slap-up dynamic more than apparent than with Michigan, which fell to Michigan State 37-33 on Sat.

Jim Harbaugh is a good coach. He's won a lot of games at Michigan. It's just hard to recall a single 1 of them that actually mattered.

Harbaugh famously won for the first time at Michigan equally an underdog before this season, which raised the question: Why was Wisconsin favored in that game to begin with? While big wins are few nether Harbaugh, the crushing defeats are everywhere. The 2016 Orange Bowl. The 2018 Notre Dame game. The ultimate give up cobra. A 3-ix career mark confronting rivals Michigan Land and Ohio Land. The homo has a flair for the big stage -- if that flare is a raging inferno that engulfs his unabridged program in pain.

Saturday'due south defeat was particularly galling because there were myriad opportunities for Michigan to put the game away, and it was ultimately Harbaugh himself who blew the biggest one.

In fairness to Harbaugh, we were all confused when Michigan appeared to have a real QB leading the offense Sabbatum. To advise Michigan could win with its QB under Harbaugh makes no sense historically. It would be like saying the gdp of Mars is majestic. The words don't add together up. And yet, Cade McNamara was terrific, throwing for 383 yards and two TDs and zipping i beautiful ball after another downfield. So of course Harbaugh assumed he needed to sub in his fill-in, J.J. McCarthy, for a few snaps in hopes of gaining an edge he didn't need.

The conclusion proved disastrous. McCarthy about fumbled abroad the game once, escaping but when the ball bounced out of bounds. One drive afterward, he did it again, and the Spartans recovered. It was the offset of an inevitable finish.

Information technology wasn't the most painful way to lose to Michigan State, of course. But the fact that there's a bureaucracy of horrible losses to Sparty is itself an indictment of Harbaugh.

There'southward no existent shame in losing to Michigan Land, either. The Spartans are skilful. Mel Tucker has become the hottest coach in America, and he'll accept his option of jobs if he wants to leave East Lansing. Kenneth Walker Three is a Heisman contender. The defence force is terrific. And even so, Michigan had this game in its dorsum pocket, and instead, information technology tripped over its own shoelaces. This, in spite of all the wins, is the story of the Harbaugh era.

Is Michigan State bang-up? This will be one of the biggest questions the playoff committee must wrestle with earlier revealing its starting time rankings on Tuesday. The Spartans are viii-0, and the win over Michigan is an middle-opener. But they were outgained by 157 yards, trailed by as much as sixteen and didn't lead until the final 5:08 of the game. We'll notwithstanding put Sparty in the "dandy" column for now, if but because we don't want Walker to be mad at us.

Ohio State was relegated to the "good" bin in September after losing to Oregon at home, but nosotros know the Buckeyes are capable of greatness. It was just a year ago they played for a national title, later on all. And since that loss to the Ducks, Ohio State had shown it could be corking with dominant wins. Oh, sure, those wins were against Tulsa and Akron and Rutgers and -- wow, it keeps getting worse -- Maryland and Indiana. Notwithstanding, information technology was four straight games with 50 points or more, and a narrative began to take concur: If anyone could score enough to beat Georgia in a potential playoff matchup, surely it was Ohio Country.

Confronting free-falling Penn State though? Offense was tougher to come by. The Buckeyes were 5-of-15 on third downward. They struggled in the carmine zone. They needed a defensive touchdown to continue the Nittany Lions at bay.

Is that a pattern for greatness? Possibly information technology is, but Michigan State and Michigan all the same await (non to mention Purdue, which has exposed the Buckeyes before).

For a while, Iowa seemed like a squad that could win with a genuinely great defense. The Hawkeyes were once ranked No. 2 in the country. They might accept stayed there if the law-breaking was remotely good. Instead, the Hawkeyes curled into a ball and waited for the punishment to end.

Penn State might take been bully this year. Instead, the Nittany Lions endured their third straight loss in a close game in which the offense simply couldn't practice enough. James Franklin, too, has been a very good autobus -- skillful enough that he'll be denying interest in the USC job right up until he takes it. Simply he'due south also had the luxury of having his mounting résumé of losses in big games upstaged past Harbaugh.

Possibly this is the lesson Saturday taught us: Greatness resides at Georgia, and the season's drama will come only from shuffling through a rotating bandage of adept teams never quite capable of rising to the Bulldogs' heights.

In that location'due south another calendar month to go. There's still fourth dimension for a challenger to emerge. Perhaps it's Ohio Land. Perchance it's Michigan State. Or perhaps it's some other year in which the Big 10'southward all-time comes up just short of being great.

Who's in?

The College Football Playoff committee is set to release its first rankings of the season on Tuesday, but you don't need to await that long to get insight into its thinking. Let'south break downward all the key contenders and predict the committee'due south approach to each.

Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0)

Pros: They're undefeated, and they shell Notre Dame on the route.

Cons: They crush Notre Dame on the route, making it very hard for the commission to and then put Notre Dame in the playoff. Also, unlike Oklahoma's hard-fought and heroic v-signal win over Tulane in Calendar week i, Cincinnati was only able to narrowly escape Tulane by 19 on Saturday.

Committee'southward have: It's a Grouping of 5 squad in a boondocks that makes Grouping of Five chili.

Verdict: Cincinnati is out.

Georgia Bulldogs (viii-0)

Pros: Undefeated with a ascendant defense force. Has wins over Florida, Kentucky, Auburn and Clemson. Plays in the SEC.

Cons: Non Alabama.

Committee'due south take: The Dawgs are the clear No. 1 team in the country, and we're OK proverb that now considering nosotros trust Alabama will beat them in the SEC championship game (probably using its backup QB in the second half) to restore lodge to these chaotic times.

Verdict: Georgia is in.

Oregon Ducks (7-1)

Pros: Beat out Ohio State in Columbus. Kayvon Thibodeaux is among the most feared defenders in the country. Saturday'south 52-29 win against a solid Colorado defense force was a reminder that the Ducks tin be explosive.

Cons: Blew a lead and lost a heartbreaker confronting Stanford. Lack "game control," which is definitely a thing that matters.

Committee'due south take: Unfortunately, the committee forgot to assign anyone to lookout man Pac-12 games this season, bold it was unnecessary.

Verdict: Oregon is out.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish gaelic (7-1)

Pros: Brian Kelly threatened to execute his team subsequently Week 1, and yet they're however in the thick of the playoff race. The Irish gaelic have wins over Purdue, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, USC and North Carolina and many of those teams were quite good in the 1990s.

Cons: Notre Matriarch is not actually very adept.

Committee's take: They lost to Cincinnati, forcing the committee to wrestle with allowing a Group of Five team into the playoff. They must be punished. Brian Kelly is but lucky the committee doesn't put the aforementioned voodoo curse on him they did Scott Frost.

Verdict: Notre Dame is out.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-0)

Pros: Wake has ane of the most explosive offenses in the country. The Deacons are 8-0 for the first time in plan history. Saturday's 45-7 thumping of Duke was the Deacs' second direct game with more 650 yards of offense. Likely to bring fresh Krispy Kreme doughnuts (founded in Winston-Salem!) to their playoff site.

Cons: Defense has been shaky at times. No signature wins.

Commission'southward take: Who?

Verdict: Wake Woods is out.

Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)

Pros: Impressive wins over Ole Miss and ... hang on, we're certain at that place'southward more than ... does Tennessee count? What about Florida? Oh, two points? Hmmm. Well, it's Alabama. Don't overthink it.

Cons: Tough to decide whether to get Dreamland or Archibald & Woodrow'southward barbecue.

Committee's accept: Alabama is the defending champion, and the Tide are very good. Most of the analysis we accept we just cut and pasted from last year, so all-time to get with that.

Verdict: Alabama is in.

Michigan State Spartans (8-0)

Pros: Undefeated, beat Michigan, accept a great running back and a terrific defence. Mel Tucker knows Georgia'south defense force, too. That could be interesting.

Cons: Chirapsia Jim Harbaugh in a rivalry game doesn't actually count as a large win.

Committee's take: Wait, if the Big 10 wanted a team in the playoff that wasn't Ohio State, it should have voted to expand to 12. There are consequences to your actions, The Brotherhood. Don't brand us angry. You wouldn't like united states when we're angry.

Verdict: Michigan State is out.

Oklahoma Sooners (8-0)

Pros: They're undefeated. They have tons of not bad jokes near Texas. The criminal offence looks fantastic with Caleb Williams at QB. They tin probably lend Spencer Rattler to Georgia to help the SEC if need exist.

Cons: They almost lost to Kansas. They're not in the SEC yet.

Committee'due south have: This is a tough one. If Oklahoma was already in the SEC and had wins over Vanderbilt or LSU, the Sooners would exist a shoo-in. But West Virginia? Kansas State? Nebraska?

Verdict: Oklahoma is out.

Ohio Country Buckeyes 7-i

Pros: They score l points any time they play a terrible squad.

Cons: Playoff teams are unremarkably not terrible.

Committee'south take: They lost to Oregon at home, so how tin we perchance put them in ahead of the Ducks? Oh, nosotros can do whatever we want.

Verdict: Ohio Land is in.

Texas A&M Aggies (6-2)

Pros: Trounce Alabama. Plays in the SEC, where the brutal schedule includes teams similar Arkansas and Mississippi State.

Cons: Lost to Arkansas and Mississippi Land.

Committee'due south accept: Look, we don't like letting two-loss teams into the playoff, simply the Aggies beat Alabama, and our hands are tied.

Verdict: Texas A&M is in.

The Longhorns' calendar month of misery

A quick refresher on how the month of October has treated Texas.

Back on Oct. 9, Texas jumped out to a 28-seven halftime atomic number 82 over rival Oklahoma and led 41-30 entering the 4th quarter. Texas lost.

Then, on October. 16, the Longhorns opened up a 24-13 pb over Oklahoma State on a Bijan Robinson TD early in the third quarter and led 24-22 inbound the quaternary. Texas lost.

On Sabbatum, Texas again led at the half, scored early in the third quarter to go up 21-10, and held a 21-17 pb to first the fourth against Baylor. Again, Texas lost.

At present, an optimist might note that those three opponents are a combined 22-2 this year, and the fact that the Longhorns held a big lead against each says something virtually the talent level Steve Sarkisian is working with correct at present. Unfortunately, whatsoever remaining optimists in Austin have gone to live a life of solitude on Matthew McConaughey's free-range pulsate-circle ranch.

For the pessimists, however, at that place's not enough Shiner Bock in the state to drown these sorrows. Texas has now lost five games in the past two years when leading in the fourth quarter, most in the state. Texas has lost 3 straight when information technology had a quaternary-quarter lead, as well tied for the most in the past five seasons. And Texas is the first squad to blow double-digit 2nd-one-half leads in three straight games since 2006 Kansas.

You read that right: Kansas.

On the upside, at present when people brand Kansas jokes about Texas, information technology won't just be about the 2016 game.

Many happy returns for Houston

On the listing of most painful ways to see an undefeated season come up to an end, SMU has to be well-nigh the top of the pain pyramid.

The Mustangs traded blows with Houston throughout Sat'south game, with SMU falling behind 17-0, rallying to have a 27-23 lead, then trading scores three more times. The Mustangs kicked a field goal with xxx seconds to play to tie the game again at 37, then kicked off to Houston's Marcus Jones.

This was a mistake.

Jones returned the kick 100 yards for a touchdown -- the kickoff go-ahead kicking return TD since Miami's infamous viii-lateral return to vanquish Duke in 2015, according to ESPN Stats & Data research. This one was far more than articulate-cut, but SMU still had a chance to win -- heaving a Hail Mary on the final play that fell incomplete in the finish zone.

The win moves Houston to vii-ane and 5-0 in AAC play. SMU, likewise, is 7-1. How does this impact Cincinnati's playoff hopes? The Bearcats volition likely end upward playing both (SMU on Nov. 20, Houston in a likely AAC title game), merely since neither team plays in a Ability 5 league, it probably doesn't really matter equally much as a 54-10 win over Rutgers.

How Florida got screwed, Part 109

Georgia used a flurry of turnovers late in the starting time one-half to build a 24-0 halftime lead over Florida on Saturday, then cruised through the second one-half behind another ascendant defensive endeavor, winning 34-vii and locking upwardly a spot in the SEC championship game.

That leaves Florida mired in a 3-game losing streak, and the Gators have now dropped vii of their past eleven. These are dark times at Florida.

But is this actually Dan Mullen'southward error the Gators are in free fall? We know terminal yr'due south loss to Texas A&M was merely because the Aggies had too many fans during a pandemic. And the basin loss, well, the season was already over in Mullen's eyes. And equally long every bit Florida plays Alabama shut, that's pretty much as skilful as a win.

And then there's this Georgia game. There are literally a dozen valid explanations for Florida's struggles that Mullen could take offered if people were but willing to listen.

ane. Nobody cares virtually the final 3 minutes of a one-half. Florida'southward showtime one-half ended at the 2:xxx mark.

ii. This game was played in the land of Florida, yet one-half the crowd was made up of Georgia fans. Why is that allowed to happen?

3. It's not off-white that Georgia gets all the five-star defensive linemen. They should accept to share. Bad neighbors, actually.

iv. Mark Richt lost control of our football rivalry.

5. Mullen spent the entire week picking out a really great mask to habiliment to his postgame news briefing, but you guys were really mean to him so he decided not to wearable it. (Note: It was Ted Lasso. He was going to exist the only person this year to wear information technology.)

half dozen. Don't you want to be mad at Todd Grantham? That's the whole reason Mullen keeps him around.

7. Mullen started the QB all the fans were begging him to start, so this is their fault, not his.

8. If we go past yardage, Florida really won 355-354.

9. Mullen hasn't even seen Stetson Bennett I, Ii or Three, how was he supposed to know what was going on with Stetson Bennett IV?

10. Georgia should have been flagged for likewise many men on the field on one-half of their defensive snaps considering Mullen counts Hashemite kingdom of jordan Davis as two people.

11. You guys would accept loved the Ted Lasso costume. Mullen had a false mustache and everything. Steve Spurrier was going to make a cameo as Coach Bristles, but he left at halftime to drinkable a bunch of Coors Banquets in the parking lot.

12. It's the World'south Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Of course everyone had a few cocktails before the game.

Week nine quick hits

* Purdue beat Nebraska 28-23 on Sabbatum, the sixth loss this season for the Huskers by a touchdown or less. That's the most by whatsoever team in the playoff era without a win in a i-possession game, and it's only ane shy of the most one-possession losses in that span, menstruation. (Army was ane-7 in 2015 and Notre Matriarch was 1-7 in 2016.) Nebraska is at present v-18 in one-possession games under Scott Frost, who is now probably two more than close losses abroad from giving up, going on some sort of "Eat, Pray, Dear" journey of self-healing, growing out his beard, getting really into Phish, and then accepting the vacant head-coaching position at UConn.

* Hither's a scrap of trivia that might win you a complimentary beer former down the road: Who's the offset omnibus ever to exist ejected for getting flagged twice for unsportsmanlike conduct? The answer: Bowling Light-green'southward Scot Loeffler, who was booted from Saturday'southward 56-44 win over Buffalo. But even while making history, Loeffler -- who serves every bit both head passenger vehicle and playcaller for the Falcons -- probably didn't do much to convince fans he's an integral role of the team's chemical science.

* Remember when Iowa was the No. 2 team in the state? It was a wild time called ... um, two weeks ago. Back then, teams could win with defense, and that was a bang-up programme for Iowa, which objects to scoring touchdowns on religious grounds. But the globe inverse somewhere effectually Oct. 15. Suddenly, scoring was all the rage. Merely Kirk Ferentz has never been one to follow the trends. He's got a closet full of Members Simply jackets and Bugle Male child jeans. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, points have become some sort of prerequisite for winning football game games. Iowa lost for the 2nd direct calendar week -- and failed to tiptop vii points for the second straight week -- falling to Wisconsin 27-7. The Hawkeyes finished with just 156 yards of offense, turned the ball over iii times, ran for only 24 yards and were a combined ii-of-16 on third and fourth down. While those numbers might be good enough to crush Iowa Country in September, information technology just doesn't fly in this brave new earth.

* Until two weeks ago, Bo Nix had two career games in which he completed 70% of his throws, had 300 total yards, and averaged at least 9 yards per pass against an SEC opponent. Now he's done it ii games in a row. Nix was spectacular confronting Ole Miss on Saturday, completing 22-of-30 for 276 yards and scoring three total touchdowns, as the Tigers cruised to a 31-xx win. We're now living in a "Bo Cipher is a Good QB" world. Stock upwardly on bottled h2o and beef jerky. The end is near.

* Washington State had no trouble with Arizona State, jumping out to a 28-0 lead and cruising to a 34-21 win that dropped the Lord's day Devils to 5-3. Arizona State coach Herm Edwards took full responsibility for the loss afterward and -- oh, no, that's actually non what happened at all.

* In Arizona'southward past 16 games, it has scored more than than 28 merely twice. The get-go time was last twelvemonth's opener against USC. The 2d fourth dimension was Sat -- confronting USC. Sure, the Trojans won 41-34, merely the 466 yards of offense was the Wildcats' well-nigh in two years. USC might want to burn Dirt Helton once more, merely to be safe.

Heisman Five

Kenny Pickett's Heisman candidacy took a hit every bit Pitt was upset by Miami. Never mind that Pickett has 901 yards and ix TD passes in Pitt's 2 losses. Syracuse'south Sean Tucker, Oklahoma's Caleb Williams and Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder all made emphatic statements Sabbatum, too. Yet none of them make our top five for Week nine.

one. Georgia DT Hashemite kingdom of jordan Davis

Entering Saturday's game confronting Florida, Georgia's defense was assuasive just ii.66 yards per play against other Power 5 teams when Davis was on the field -- nearly a thousand-and-a-half better than whatever other defense. So what happened confronting the Gators, who arrived as easily the biggest test of the year for Davis and the Dawgs' D? A garbage-time TD was Florida's merely score. UGA'south defense scored a TD and ready up two more than. Davis finished with just a one-half-sack and a QB bustle, but that's beside the point. He's the engine that makes the whole affair get, and he's been the best player in higher football this season.

2. Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III

After a tranquillity week confronting Indiana in his last outing, Walker'south Heisman hype dimmed a tad. That won't be a problem anymore. In Michigan State's biggest win of the season, Walker nearly single-handedly kept Sparty undefeated, rushing for 197 yards and five touchdowns. Walker is the first thespian with v or more rushing TDs against a top-ten opponent since 2001. He's topped 200 scrimmage yards three times this season.

iii. Alabama QB Bryce Young

Alabama was off this calendar week, but the Miami Dolphins have formally requested they get to utilize Young instead of Tua Tagovailoa on Dominicus.

4. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud

Information technology wasn't an exceptional offensive try for the Buckeyes in their 33-24 win over Penn State, but Stroud got the job done. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown, and he kept Ohio State'southward playoff hopes live against a stout Penn State D.

five. Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman

Wake absolutely destroyed Knuckles, and Hartman was at the center of it all, racking up 463 total yards and five touchdowns. For the season, Hartman now has ii,683 full yards, 28 touchdowns and only iii turnovers this season. In the playoff era, the only other players to mail a 2,600/28/3 line or amend through their first eight games are Marcus Mariota in his Heisman season of 2014, J.T. Barrett in 2017 and Zach Wilson last twelvemonth.

Under-the-radar play of the week

If you lot missed fifty-fifty a moment of the Liberty-UMass game -- well, healthy. That was a moment well spent. Just if you suffered through the Flames' 62-17 win, at to the lowest degree you got to run into one truly epic grab along the way.

From Liberty, you lot ask? Ah, sort of. From a Liberty cheerleader. Watch for the TD signals from the Liberty defenders. Information technology's perfect. Unfortunately, UMass coach Walt Bell'due south request to let all his receivers play with cheer horns the residual of the game was denied. Seems unfair.

Under-the-radar game of the week

There have been then many memorable moments in the Clemson-Florida State rivalry over the years -- from Nick O'Leary trucking Travis Blanks in 2013 to FSU'southward miracle OT win in 2014, from the FSU professor reading a book while shirtless in the stands during a blowout Clemson win in 2018 to Dabo Swinney and Mike Norvell's raging feud subsequently the Seminoles canceled last year'south game with merely a few hours' notice.

Indeed, the two teams have deemed for every ACC championship since 2011. This yr, though, the game had a little less luster. FSU came in three-4. Clemson was 4-3. Both teams have endured their share of misery. Then, perhaps it wasn't the marquee issue of the ACC season equally it had been for so many years. It was still -- well, skilful is the wrong give-and-take. But it had drama.

FSU'due south Lawrance Toafili ready a record for degree of difficulty on a 75-yard TD reception. Clemson's Will Shipley ran for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns, the first thing that could reasonably be chosen exciting offense for the Tigers all flavour. Clemson missed iii field goals and coughed upwards a scoop-and-score TD to the Seminoles, but Shipley'southward last TD run put the Tigers in position to win.

play

1:xviii

Tempers flare after tardily hit on Kansas State QB

TCU and Kansas State players go into it later Josh Foster laid a big hitting on Wildcats QB Skylar Thompson as he was running out of bounds.

Merely the existent excitement came for anyone who bet on this one. The Tigers were favored by 9.v. The Tigers oasis't covered a bespeak spread all year. They led by iv on the game's final play. The over/under was 47.v. The score when FSU took its final snap was 24-xx. So, what happened? The Seminoles tried to engineer a terminal-gasp score by completing a pass, then lateraling back ... and back ... and dorsum until fumbling the terminal lateral, which was recovered by Clemson in the end zone for a touchdown.

Clemson wins by 10, and the game score totals fifty. Fortunes won and lost on the dumbest of possible endings. It's why college football is then great.