Week 4 - No Bucks, No Problem

Last week brought us a bevy of high powered matchups.  This week...is different, but there may be a few diamonds in the rough.  Let's watch!

Standings
1) Schweinfurth    6-3        (2-0 upset)
2) Hoying              8-5        (1-2 upset)
3) Draper               7-6        (2-1 upset)
4) Seeberg             6-7        (0-3 upset)

Clemson Tigers @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Draper: I'm looking at my watch and I see the time.  Chop-block-o-clock! I'm falling into the horrible trap.  Weird things happen in this game and GT is usually good for one 'huh?' game a year.  Clemson has been quite underwhelming this year (ignore the game vs. SCState), but the Jackets haven't set the world on fire.  I'm just going with the super gut check Clemsoning belief on the weird Thursday night option attack.  The attack....of the Clemsoning.  Clem: 20--GT: 21
Hoying: Preparing for the Georgia Tech triple option is never fun. Having only 5 days to prepare is significantly less so. Has Clemson been looking ahead to this game? They didn't seem to be too squarely focused on preparing for Auburn or Troy.  Clemson's thrashing of Who Cares 1-AA State provided a glimmer of hope, but I don't see the Tigers ramblin' and wreckin' Tech quite so easily. This is an awful trap game for Clemson: short week, on the road, Louisville coming to town next, quirky offense to try to stop. Now is the time to Clemson if ever a Clemsoning there was. And since it's so obvious, of course it won't happen. Clem: 34--GT: 24
Schweinfurth: Triple option football! I always get made fun of for saying this, but I love watching Navy, Georgia Tech, and the few remaining teams that run the triple option, flexbone offense. The only problem with that offense is that it is very difficult to come from behind. Clemson's defense is very good, and I do think Georgia Tech is going to give them some problems (this offense gives everyone problems). There will be a Clemsoning this year, but not this week. Clem: 31--GT: 28
Seeberg:  For those of you unaware, Clemson has lost its last five games at the ramblin' wreck.  However, the last game deserves an asterisk as Deshaun Watson went out early with an injury and Clemson amassed a whopping 6 points.  Clemsoning is a fun word to say, but it won't happen this week.  Tigers big.  Clem: 45--GT: 21

Wisconsin Badgers @ Michigan State Spartans
Draper: Somehow, we never learn.  The Spartans sleepwalk early then go into a game against a quality opponent.  They always seem to explode in those matchups and they did it again vs. the Irish.  The Bagers had a huge win to open the season then crashed back to earth over the last few weeks.  I have far more faith in Dantonio and the Spartans than I do in Chryst and the Badgers.  The Spartans have earned the benefit of the doubt, I will continue to give it to them against Wisky who seems to be given credence as a 'contender' then ends with the traditional 8-9 win season.  MSU has a better QB and LJ Scott is a player. There will be prancing after this one in East Lansing.  UW: 13 --- MSU: 17
Hoying: Stop me if you've heard this one before: Dantonio's Spartans head into a marquee matchup where they're given little chance to win and end up silencing the doubters quite adeptly. These days, Michigan State doesn't lose to a whole lot of ranked teams not named Alabama or Ohio State (and they don't do too badly against the latter), even without a star QB or RB to buoy their offense. Just solid scheme, solid D, and lack of mistakes. Meanwhile Wisconsin has continued to be overrated ever since their rented quarterback Russell Wilson headed west. 3-0 is going to become 3-3 very quickly (seriously, how did the Badgers get hit with MSU, UM, and OSU from the East in the same year, and all in sequence?!?). UW: 17--MSU: 20
Schweinfurth: Michigan State pulled of one of, if not the, biggest surprises last week. Seriously, who saw the Spartans demolishing Notre Dame like that. Then again, if Notre Dame had a defense...but I digress. Wisconsin has already had a shot at this offense (LSU) and did a very good job shutting it down. Now if only the Badgers had a QB. This game is going to be very close and I would love a SPARTY NO!!! early this year. I gotta take Sparty at home. UW: 10--MSU: 16
Seeberg:  Don't look now folks, but the B1G 14 has FOUR teams in the top eleven...and three even deserve to be there!  Then there's Wisconsin.  The Badgers squeaked out a win over hopelessly overrated LSU, then squeaked out a win against I-didn't-even-know-they-weren't-1AA-anymore Georgia State.  Now Michigan State comes calling, fresh off a beatdown of ND, though the final score was respectable.  This won't go well for the visitors as Sparty provides another overrated team some comeuppance.  UW: 10--MSU: 28

Florida Gators @ Tennessee Volunteers
Draper: Tennessee has performed their little yoyo with App State and Virginia Tech.  I don't buy them as a monster contender, but I think they can handle Purdue transfer QB's at Florida.  Jim McElwain may be an offensive guru, but Florida isn't setting any records here.  UT has much more experience and currently leads the Gators in talent.  As long as Josh Dobbs doesn't choke it away (no guarantee), it's Rocky Top over the Gator Chomp.  If the game was in Gainsville, we may be singing a different song, but Knoxville and Vol Nation attempt to resurrect the rivalry that used to be the marquee SEC battle.  UF: 17 -- UT: 27
Hoying: Tennessee is totally back this time, you guys. The Vols have some confidence heading into this year's installment of the only rivalry more one-sided than Ohio State - Michigan over the last 12 years. Florida has no QB, and Tennessee has already survived the spotlight in front of the biggest crowd ever to see be in somewhat close proximity to a football game. Unfortunately for them, the Gator D is a steel trap, and the Vol O has sputtered and threatened to seize up completely when a steady diet of Virginia Tech turnovers don't keep the machine oiled. I have no reason to believe in Butch Jones ever having success on the field at Tennessee. Last season, UT had Oklahoma, Florida, and Alabama on the ropes and couldn't finish any of them. Until the Vols get a real live football coach, they'll be stuck longing for the days of Philip Fulmer. UF: 16--UT: 13
Schweinfurth: I am still not sold on this Volunteers team. There is just something about them...oh yea, they have done absolutely nothing since Fulmer was coaching there. Look, Florida has no offense, but the Volunteers defensive line got pushed around by App State. Florida is going to cram the ball down the Volunteers throat and dare them to stop them. I'm picking Florida, only so the talking heads will shut up about one of the two majorly overrated teams this year. UF: 24--UT: 21
Seeberg:  Well, I keep waiting for my second alma mater to blow it and they haven't...yet.  OU, ahem, Ohio U, took Tennessee deep into the fourth quarter last week while Florida was busy shutting out a no-name opponent.  The Gators, sadly, have also flat had the Vols' number over the past decade.  In this installment, the best unit on the field should be Florida's D, so I'll take the Gators.  UF: 24--UT: 16

Arkansas Razorbacks @ Texas A&M Aggies

Draper: Bert bull rushes his Pigs into Kyle Field with hopes of silencing the 12th Man.  Kevin Sumlin has underperformed in this tenure in College Station and will likely be out soon if things don't turn around in a big way.  Arkansas got a nice win over TCU in OT but 'nice' is about as far as I'd go.  The Aggie OT win over the Bruins is better but not by a whole heck of a lot.  Trevor Knight is the better QB and their at home, so the edge goes to the Aggies.  Arkansas will try to muck up the game and they'll keep it close...really close, but A&M gets the win.  The Aggies won't be a top 10 team in a few weeks, but they can enjoy the early season success under Sumlin (as is tradition) before it comes crashing down (as is tradition). Ark: 24 -- TAMU: 27
Hoying: Remember when the Ohio State - Oklahoma game got pushed back to 9 PM? Well, Arkansas and Texas A&M decided that staying up until 1 AM watching football was too much fun not to try themselves. Woo Pig had a nice little surprise on the road against TCU but their defense didn't exactly shine in that outing. And now Trevor Knight and the high-flying Aggie attack are paying a visit. Could A&M finally make some noise in their new conference (or any conference)? Ark: 20--TAMU: 31
Schweinfurth: Arkansas is still a .500 football team. Bert has really done nothing to build that program up from where John L. Smith and Bobby Petrino left it. The Hogs are good for about one big one a season, and it's usually late in the year (checks calendar). Nope, it's still September. The Aggies should win this. If not, Sumlin's butt is going to be getting pretty warm. Ark: 20--TAMU: 42
Seeberg:  Ah yes, the Razorbacks, item #2 on the SEC bias list.  How they are ranked is beyond me...it's only slightly less baffling than Ole Miss blowing two 21+ point leads in their first three games and still being ranked.  In any case, Barf Bielema is likely to get a healthy dose of Trevor Knight and Co.  Also, Kevin Sumlin is the new John Cooper:  Great recruiter, solid coach, teams peak too early and fizzle late.  Sadly for Arkansas, it's still early.  Ark: 24--TAMU: 41

Upset Special

Draper: UCLA over Stanford
Hoying: Oklahoma State over Baylor
Schweinfurth: Penn State over TTUN
Seeberg:  Auburn over LSU

Grading the Bucks: Week 3 -- Oklahoma

Well, that was a pleasant surprise.

Offense: A
What can you say?  The young Bucks entered the unfriendly confines and simply dominated.  Noah Brown showed the special player that he can be.  Curtis Samuel and Mike Weber continued their 'Death and Taxes' ways of inside out play.  JT was clinical as always.  The O-line kept JT upright for the most part. This was almost as complete a game as you can expect against a top team like the Sooners.  On the road no less? Me likely.

Defense: A
This secondary might be special.  I feared that BG and Tulsa were just aberrations against bad teams, but the defense indeed traveled on the road to Norman.  Malik Hooker continues to impress as due other young studs like Lattimore and Baker.  Perhaps the biggest positive was that the loss of Gareon Conley was not noticed.  Conley has been a spectacular underrated corner since he started last year, but the 'next man up' philosophy worked like a charm.  The Dline has slowly amped up the pressure as they've gelled more as a unit.  Even the DT's replacing Tracy Sprinkle have been impressive.  I don't think it's a stretch to say the hiring of Greg Schiano was a massive homerun.  While they gave up some points this week (only 2 TDs), they have still outscored the opponent offenses over the last 3 games.  That is a MASSIVE achievement with any opponents let alone when one of those opponents is the Sooner squad in Norman.

Special Teams: B-
Everyone who reads this blog knows one of my biggest pet peeves is when a kickoff goes out of bounds and we saw it return here.  I know the thought to kick it in the corner, but Joe Mixon is too much of a threat to mess around with.  Boot it deep and start at the 25 in this situation.  Don't allow a momentum shift.  Which brings me to the kick return.  Mixon is an electric player, but no special teams coach can live with points for the opponent on a kickoff (even if he fumbled before he crossed the goalline).  That being said, every football player from now on should sprint to the ball and dive on it if there is ANY thought that it was dropped before crossing the line.  This epidemic must stop.  The grade given is accounting for all special teams.  The reason it's so high with the monster negative for giving up a kick return is because Cameron Johnston was magnificent.  While Tressel has to hate Urban's bull in a china shop mentality, the glorious punting has to bring a tear to his eye.  Johnston repeated flipped the field and put Mayfield in difficult situations which is worth counter-balancing the poor kick coverage.  Oh year, our kick return unit was pretty good.

Coaching: A
The defense was extremely prepared as was the offense.  The transition from Samuel to Weber and back was flawless.  I though the gameplan was nearly perfect with a nice mix of passes thrown in.  In addition, Urban's decisions to go for it on 4th down in many situations show an understanding of the situational football lacking in our loss-averse society.  Kudos!

Overall: A
Let's be honest, did anyone expect this before the season? The Sooners are nearly unstoppable at home, and the Buckeyes embarrassed them.  This team is so talented, the sky is the limit.  Honestly, the only worries are complacency until the date in East Lansing.  Nothing comes easy, but this team grew up in a BIG way on Sat.