Tis The Season: Week 3 Takeaways
What a weekend. I’ve officially decided that picking against the spread is not one of my best skills. I’m pretty good at predicting who is going to win games straight up, but clearly Vegas is smarter than me with lines.
Gambling during March Madness = fun. Gambling on college football ATS = stressful as fuck.
Here are my biggest takeaways from Week 3:
(By the way, we are expanding Comeback SZN this week. We’ll drop a new segment every Monday night that recaps the weekend. It’ll be me, JackMac and Dave. Be on the lookout.)
1. LSU actually IS the real deal.
I’m not saying that I thought they were a bad team, I just thought their Wover then top 10 Miami was going to be a little over-hyped. And hand up, I was very wrong.
Joe Burrow is the QB they’ve been looking for in Baton Rouge for a while now. He can actually throw a deep ball. And that defense is, well, a true SEC defense. Greedy Williams is one of – if not the – best corners in the country.
As for Auburn? Same story, new year. Last year they blew a lead in Death Valley and this year they did it at Jordan-Hare. This time in walk off style. I still think Auburn is going to be a force to reckon with in the SEC West, but LSU just proved they’re more of one.
2. LOL @ anybody who thought the Big Ten might be better than the SEC this year.
I think anyone with a brain can see that the SEC is just a better conference at this point. I thought the Big Ten was going to be VERY tough this year. But, I took that back after Week 1. If you somehow missed it, the Big Ten went and had a HORRENDOUS Week 3.
Let’s recap, shall we?
– Wisconsin lost at home to BYU (they may have lost their playoff hopes too)
– Kansas beat Rutgers by 41 (Kansas lost to an FCS team in Week 1)
– Akron (who had never beaten a Big Ten team before) beat Northwestern
– Nebraska lost to Troy (Yikes, Scott Frost)
– Maryland and Illinios lost to lesser teams
– Purdue lost to Missouri (at least it was to an SEC team??)
Long story short, this weekend was not good for the conference. At all.
Penn State and Ohio State are still undefeated though, but they play each other in Happy Valley a couple of weeks. So even before the half way point of the season, the CFP hopes for the Big Ten have taken a huge hit.
3. FSU needs a mulligan.
Good lord this team stinks. And it’s not like they don’t have talent. They still have a team full of Top 5 recruit classes. Yet they still lost to Syracuse 30-7.
Horrible coaching, terrible clock management, ridiculous errors that high school teams make… etc, etc. I mean the way the first half ended is just a microcosm of how bad things are in Tallahassee. Willie Taggart’s ass is firmly in the jackpot and it should be. Other than one 10 win season at USF, he hasn’t done anything and he’s proving he’s in WAY over his head. Woof.
And don’t forget the fucking backpack. (I’ll never let that go).
4. The state of Oklahoma had itself a weekend.
Kyler Murray, folks. Sure, they were playing Iowa State, but the kid just keeps rolling. He added another 400+ yards of total offense to his stat line. I just love watching this kid play football and I don’t give a shit how his time ended at A&M. He absolutely rocked his first road test as a starter and I’m here for it.
As for OSU, the 44-21 W over Boise State was impressive. And it wasn’t just their high-powered offense either. Defense and special teams showed up huge. It was one hell of a win for Mike Gundy and his mullet.
5. Ohio State is one of the most talented teams in the country.
I honestly thought they’d blow TCU out of the water… and then TCU gave them their best shot. Ohio State eventually scored three TDs in 4 minutes and it was a wrap.
There’s is no denying that the talent level, depth and athleticism on the Buckeyes sideline can match anybody else in the country. TBD on if Nick Bosa will be healthy after injuring his groin against the Horned Frogs.
Urban Meyer is back this week. Hopefully he stops saying stupid shit to the media.
6. Vandy!?
Listen, I know that Notre Dame has been under-whelming for most of Brian Kelly’s tenure in South Bend, but VANDY. Had the ‘Dores not committed three turnovers, they would’ve won that game. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think Vanderbilt could be actually decent this year. Too bad for Derek Mason and co, but they play in a stacked SEC. Still, Kyle Shurmer looked solid.
7. North Texas gave us one of the best plays in football history.
PS: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Big 12 had a really good weekend. I know I’m normally a big time Big 12 hater, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Even Texas looked good. Credit to me for admitting that.
Happy Monday!