College Football Week 3 Recap
Just like last week, I delayed writing this week’s recap until late afternoon Sunday. Just like last week, I end up leading off with breaking news of a head coach’s firing. This time it’s Herm Edwards at Arizona State. Edwards was fired this afternoon and Shaun Aguano, the running backs coach, has been named the interim head coach.
Much like Scott Frost before him, I think we all saw Edwards’s dismissal coming for some time. Also like Frost, many wondered how Edwards lasted this long, what with the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations of which evidence indicates he had direct knowledge. ASU made nearly his entire staff fall on the sword at various points in the year following the allegations becoming public. Somehow, Edwards remained - until today. It was an ugly 30-21 home loss to Eastern Michigan that served as the final straw.
The match seemed odd from the get-go. Edwards had been out of coaching for 9 years when hired ahead of the 2018 season. He hadn’t coached at the college level in nearly 30 years, and had never served as a college head coach. It didn’t hurt that ASU’s athletic director who hired him, Ray Anderson, once served as Edwards’s agent and that the two had a close friendship. Anderson touted a “new leadership model” that Edwards would oversee that would transform the structure at football programs across the country. Now, it seems difficult to believe that Anderson would be allowed to make the next head coaching hire; but Arizona State has made curious decisions before. Early names to keep an eye on to be the next head coach: USC defensive backs coach (deep West Coast ties and was USC’s interim HC last season) and Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham (Phoenix native and Sun Devil alum).
As for the NCAA violations issue, I don’t know that it will end up being that serious. The violations were blatant - they hosted in-person recruiting visits during the COVID-induced dead period in 2020 - but the NCAA seems to be doing a better job of not allowing the individuals who inherit the mess bear the brunt of the punishment. Expect that Edwards and many of his staff will receive show-causes. Beyond that, a 2022 postseason ban seems superfluous right now. The Sun Devils are 1-2 headed into conference play, and it’s difficult to identify five more wins.
Here’s my other thoughts on Week 3:
While there were a couple of upsets near the top of the field, this week felt short on major drama. Unless you watch Appalachian State games - and believe me, YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING APPALACHIAN STATE GAMES!
Penn State. 245 yards rushing against what
iswas a very good Auburn run defense. Wow just wow.I thought Texas was primed for a letdown after an emotional 1-point loss against Alabama, and an uncertain QB situation, against a pretty good UTSA squad. It was dicey early, down 17-7 in the 2nd Qtr and tied at halftime. The Longhorns owned the second half, though. Kudos to QB Hudson Card, who still had a gimpy ankle that he injured in the Alabama game. Card was 15-23, 161 yards, 1TD and even had a 32-yard run on that ankle.
Whoever at ESPN is responsible for deciding where College Gameday will go did a fantastic job in choosing App State for Saturday’s location. Too bad that person didn’t nail it for Week 4. The crew will head to Knoxville, TN for the Tennessee-Florida matchup. That’s potentially a nice game, IF Anthony Richardson plays more like he did against Utah and less like he did against Kentucky and South Florida yesterday. But c’mon, you have 3-0 Duke visiting 3-0 Kansas next week. How about spreading some of the fun around while these schools still have something to cheer about?
Speaking of surprise undefeated schools, have a look at who has started 3-0 along with Duke and Kansas: Indiana, Oregon State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tulane and Washington State. Throwing out some Pacific Northwest love: This is the first time in 107 years that both Oregon State and Washington State have started 3-0.
Something To Keep An Eye On: Dino Babers was almost certainly on the hot seat entering this season at Syracuse. After Saturday’s win against Purdue, they actually won some votes in both major polls. QB Garrett Shrader has been outstanding so far (66% completions, 8 TDs, INTs, 3 TDs rushing). Their next two games are pretty favorable, at home against Virginia and Wagner. Then they get a bye week before hosting #12 NC State.
Staying in the ACC, I’m not ready to get on the Florida State bandwagon yet. Those back-to-back wins away from home against LSU and Louisville look great in the standings. Having watched both games, I’ve seen too many warts to declare them a Top 25 team right now. Their defense is suspect. They do battle hard, and that means something. Especially at Louisville, when they twice came from behind in the 4th Qtr with their backup QB. Hopefully, Jordan Travis can return soon, as their passing attack looks formidable.
Herm Edwards wasn’t the only one among the college coaching ranks to find himself unemployed today. Nebraska’s interim head coach, Mickey Joseph, dismissed defensive coordinator Erik Chichander Sunday. This after an embarrassing 49-14 loss to Oklahoma in which the Huskers gave up 580 yards of offense. Under Scott Frost, these sorts of losses were at least close on the scoreboard. Before anyone wants to use this as an example that Frost is blameless, remember, we already knew the Huskers’ defense was awful - and Frost was the one who oversaw the assembly of the players and coaches behind it.
The much-maligned Pac-12 had a solid week, at least at the top. Oregon and Washington demolished #12 BYU and #11 Michigan State, respectively. USC held a very good Fresno State offense to just 17 points, while scoring 45 of their own. Utah cruised past San Diego State 35-7. All four of those aforementioned teams are now ranked in the Top 25. The last time the Pac-12 had four teams ranked was in 2021’s preseason poll.
Even once-lowly Arizona (1-11 in ’21) got a big win last night. Against an FCS team. However, this was not just any FCS team; it was North Dakota State. The Bison had won four of the previous five FCS titles, the exception being the COVID-wrecked 2020 season (which the FCS actually played in the spring of 2021). Over those four title seasons they amassed a 59-2 record. They also came into the game with a 5-0 record against Power teams since 2010, the last being a win at then-#11 Iowa in 2016. Not coincidentally, they have a had a tough time finding FBS teams to play them since then, a cancelled matchup with Oregon in 2020 (COVID) being the exception. Until last night. Anyway, Arizona went into that game an underdog, and needed a late touchdown and defensive stand to pull it off, but they did.
Last word on the Pac-12: The Wildcats have already found their replacement to sit among college football’s dreck. That would be Colorado. The Buffalos will need a miracle to win a game this season. They might need a miracle just to score more than 20 points in a game. Karl Dorrell would appear to be the odds-on favorite to be the next to join Scott Frost and Herm Edwards, even though it will be costly for Colorado to part ways with him.
I had a strong hunch Texas A&M would bounce-back with a win against Miami, and they did. It sure wasn’t pretty. Their offense has issues, no matter who the quarterback is, and it’s hard to see them doing any better than .500 in the SEC West. As for Miami, after watching head coach Mario Cristobal closely here in Oregon, I’ve repeatedly attempted to explain why I’m not as high on him as many are when it comes to restoring The U. Well, my reasons were on full display Saturday night. For as outstanding a recruiter as he is, his game management leaves a lot to be desired.
This season has a similar feel as 2021 did for most of the season, in that Georgia seems head and shoulders above everyone at this point. It wasn’t until Alabama convincingly beat them in the SEC Championship game that we bumped the Tide up into the Dawgs’ pantheon. Just remember, it’s a long time until December. Also remember, the real enjoyment of college football is found in the journey, not the destination.
Speaking of journeys, my own journey through a season of making picks has hit a rough bump.
This week: 2-2 straight up, 1-3 ATS (Overall: 8-4 straight up, 6-6 ATS)
And, my post Week 3 Top 25…