Desert Fans Episode 4: Changes in the Top 25
The regular FBS season of post-pandemic
2021 is a quarter done for most teams, three weekends into September. Some
things have gone as expected; there have been a few changes in the pre-season
Top 25, which is normal. For historical context, the delta variant of COVID-19
is still infecting and killing quite a few people, clogging up some hospitals
in the United States. But it looked like most college football games were very
well attended this past Saturday, and in many cases stadiums were packed this
last part of the summer of ‘21. Many of us are happy the summer has concluded.
For those living in broiling hot deserts, fall seems like the inevitable
solution to access more reasonable times.
So what happened? Georgia’s date
with destiny goes unabated, roasting the Game Cocks 45 -13. We all enjoy
ourselves a Cornish hen now and again. The Bulldogs are still ranked second,
while Alabama struggled in the Swamp against the Gators (a highly ranked
squad), so there is hope that the Tide can lose. This year. Up next: Vanderbilt.
This should be a cake walk for the mean dogs.
Clemson, still highly regarded and
still able to control their own destiny to make the College Football
Championship Series, or final four of the elite January games—if they run the
table the rest of the way with one loss— struggled to beat Georgia Tech 14 – 8.
I did not see or hear much about the game, but both the total points scored and
the final spread should be of concern to Tiger fans. Next up for the number 7
team (in some polls) is North Carolina State, who is 2-1, and might be better
than Georgia Tech. Get your paws and claws ready, you crazy Tigers! The
Wolfpack can be a sneaky foe. I hear
tell that wolves roam in vexing, tactical, formations. Clemson has some good
play to prove.
Notre Dame handled their business
with the Boilers of West Lafayette, 27 -13. Judging from the box score, and
seeing the updates from the first half, the Irish simply played solid D and got
their scores methodically. Up next: the mighty Wisconsin Badgers. This should be
a tough match up for both schools. I am willing to think that the Boilers are
better than the Rockets, so the Irish made some progress this game. They will
have to play on all cylinders to take on the Cheeseheads of Madison. (Toledo
folded to lowly Colorado State 6 – 22, so I do wonder how good Toledo is after
the close loss to Notre Dame the week before.)
Looking across the Big Ten from
Purdue to all points of the Mid-West, this almost concludes our teams followed
by us Desert Fans. Almost. Penn State and Michigan State played some desert
fans’ squads. This was a Big Ten centric weekend.
Credit both SEC and ACC powers
Auburn and Miami for scheduling their Big Ten opponents in the third week of
the season. There is honor in that. Auburn played a tough game in the Whited
Out Beaver Stadium in Central PA, and fell 20 – 28. Both teams, PSU and Auburn,
belong in the top 20, if not top 10, in my book. The War Eagle will play the Georgia
State Panthers next week, which I expect to be lopsided.
Sparty took care of the ‘Canes
late; it was not a good time for Miami on Saturday. The Hurricanes next will
face the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils. They look and sound like the
Duke Blue Devils a bit, but this should be a large rout for the big guys. CCSU
is a small program not well known, probably cashing out a bit to play the
Hurricanes. Miami can even their record at 2-2 and still finish respectably in
the Atlantic Coast Conference, if they can figure out what happened against MSU
and fix it.
I wish to get to my Big Ten team, Indiana, soon, but…BYU
is now ranked and IU has slid down the most as a team of the Desert Fans 7, so
let us talk top 25 first. Miami has to battle to get back there, too. I think
that they will achieve that.
However, I have to share more about
my Deseret desert team. ASIDE: (Deseret (pronounced DEZ- UR- ETTE) was going to
be the original name of the Utah region when settled by church President
Brigham Young and the pioneers back in the mid-19th century. The
U.S. government had other ideas, and thus Utah became a state later in 1896,
six years after the Latter-day Saints ended polygamy. By sheer population and
citizenhip Utah could have become a state as early as 1855, but Washington D.C.
and most Americans could not accept the plural wives issue with the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka the Mormons, therefore the native tribe
Utah took the state name rather than it becoming the religious name Deseret,
which means beehive in Hebrew). Enough history for now! On to more grid iron…
BYU upset its second ranked PAC 12
team in a row, at home, to a loud and proud Cougar nation in Provo. Arizona
State committed a large number of penalties, many of them false starts due to
the ravenous and raucous home fans. The same pattern emerged in this game as
the first two games: BYU got an early lead, then let the opponent slip within
range of taking the lead, then a few clutch plays secured the victory for the
Cougars. Up next is the University of South Florida Bulls, which upset Brigham
Young a couple years ago. The Y is now ranked around number 16 in the nation.
Some claim that they are the best in the PAC 12 (3-0), and also the best of their future conference, the Big 12. (Longhorns
smooshed by the Arkansas Razorbacks and Oklahoma struggling against lesser
teams). BYU is still independent, by the way.
Meant to mention it last week, that
the Big 12 is expanding to invite BYU (closest to Kansas by geography?),
Houston, Cincinnati (rival to eastern based West Virginia set up), and the
University of Central Florida. That one is strangely balanced by far off Provo,
Utah. Maybe.
I am very happy with these turn of
events for my alma mater in general (BA in Spanish ’95), only concerned that a
few injuries, especially on the defensive side, are beginning to take their
toll on the team as a whole this so far tremendous season. Keenan Pili, one of
their best tacklers, was seen after the game wearing a protective boot. A few
other guys have been dinged up, but as we say, no one is unscathed after 3 or 4
games.
And then we have my hoped-for-better-times Indiana
Hoosiers. Unlike the game against Iowa, IU was able to move the ball and score,
against a Cincinnati team that is ranked number 8 in the land. Although with
that improved ball movement came some more QB Michael Penix interceptions, that
cost Indiana points, at least a 3 point field goal twice, if not more in
touchdowns, plus a key late game RB fumble to lose a TD go ahead score, and a
kick-off return by the Bearcats in the second half that ensured their lead for
good. Indiana was more respectable in this loss and showed some good signs of
better play, but fell into some errors that prevented the upset. The Hoosiers
have to beat next opponent Western Kentucky, or this season will be a long,
losing one. Former weaker conference foes (Terps, Scarlet Knights) now seem
pretty good this year, so IU has to establish more discipline. While losing
38-24 on paper, Indiana in fact was a few plays from winning this game.
I do not think that Cincinnati
looked like a top 8 team (I watched the whole game), I could be wrong. Indiana
may deserve their now 50th ranking or so, we shall see. Hopefully
they can right the ship and get more wins than losses, I am thinking 7 -5 now,
realistically, perhaps optimistically. Or, they could tighten it up and be a
top 30 team. I wish.
LAST NOTES: A highly touted UCLA
was upset by Fresno State, Oklahoma looked beatable to Nebraska, winning by
only one score, Florida State was crunched by Wake Forest (‘Noles are now 0-3
for the first time since 1976!), North Carolina trounced Virginia, Army blasted
UConn, Air Force was bested by Utah State late in a thriller, and Navy had the
weekend off. They needed it, their offense has been anemic. 34 undefeated teams
remain among the 130 Football Bowl Series programs.
As it stands for the Desert Fans:
Georgia 3 – 0. #2
Clemson 2 – 1. #7
Notre Dame 3 – 0 #9
BYU 3
– 0 #16
Auburn 2
– 1 #23
Miami 1 – 2 #35
Indiana 1 – 2 #50
Have fun this week, my friends!
Things will be better. Right? Of course.
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