Another exciting day in college football just happened! As usual, we learned A LOT! Ohio State is exactly who we thought they were. I also got to gain more evidence on how the SEC was a WEAK conference. I’ve been saying this for a while but maybe the SEC homers will now finally come around. There’s one week left in the regular season before championship Saturday and some teams are still making those final playoff pushes. That’s why I don’t have an issue with it only being 4 teams. In college football, every week is a playoff!
Ezekiel Elliott
So, I’ve seen/heard some people having an issue with the comments from Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott after the loss to Michigan State. I have zero problems with it, because what he said was true. Essentially, he said the coaches didn’t put the team in the right situations to win the game and that there’s no chance he’s coming back next year. Now he did issue an apology today, somewhat, that basically said he apologizes to anyone who was offended but he doesn’t regret what he said. And why should he? Look, I never played college athletics so maybe Jalynn can give a better perspective on this than i. I’m speaking typically from a analysts/fan perspective. Urban Meyer, and the Ohio State coaching staff coached like they did not want to win this game. They coached like they just wanted to survive. And when you’re playing one of your rivals without their starting quarterback, you should be a lot more aggressive than that. You have a Heisman caliber running back, who consistently gets over 100 yards a game, and will likely be the first running back picked in the draft and he gets 12 carries?? There is NO excuse for that. Its disrespectful, that in his last home game he hardly sees the ball. OSU thought they were going to win this game by continuing to run JT Barrett on plays that weren’t working, and included an inept passing game. Look, they have PRO’S at receiver and the fact that Urban Meyer didn’t put an emphasis on getting the ball to their playmakers proves that what Elliott said is true. But let’s be real. Ohio State hasn’t been impressive all year, so it was only a matter of time before they took an L.
The SEC
So, I’m BIG on podcasts and listen to them every single day. Yesterday I was listening to “Russillo and Kanell” and they brought up a point I agreed with wholeheartedly. As they said on the show, “there is no conference that is deeper than the PAC-12”. Now this might make some of you who believe the SEC reigns supremacy over ever other conference upset but it’s simply NOT a good conference. Yes, I realize they won 7 out of the last 10 championships or whatever but we have to stop living in the past. You can’t mention the SEC to me as a good conference when you have an ENTIRE division that’s TERRIBLE! The SEC East may be the worst division in all of college football. I mean, Florida is the best team there and they just beat Vandy 9-7, and almost lost to Florida Atlantic. The team picked to win in the preseason, Georgia is terrible and just almost lost to Georgia Southern. Let’s flip it over to the SEC West. Now obviously this division is more talented but how many good teams are here? Alabama continues to carry the league but outside of that, I can’t name another really good team there. Ole Miss is talented, but very inconsistent. Mississippi State is alright, but got destroyed by Alabama. This conference is the definition of mediocre and I do not want to hear anything more about the SEC being the best conference. I know some fans act like just because they were the best conference 3 years ago, that they will always be that but STOP! It’s not true. Face the facts. Auburn is terrible but ANYTHING can happen in a rivalry game and if they happen to beat Alabama on Saturday then the SEC won’t be represented in the playoffs. I can’t wait to see how the SEC homers defend them then.
Les Miles
I have a tremendous amount of respect for Les Miles. One of the best coaches in college football. He recruits well, and constantly puts players in the NFL. So why are the rumors of him being fired beginning to heat up? It’s quite simple actually, when you lose to your rival (Alabama) 5 times in a row, people are not going to be happy. Fans, boosters, players, students will all start to question your ability to win big games. As it stands, the road to the Playoff goes through Alabama almost every year and when you can’t win those games, it’s going to be a problem. LSU has done a good job recruiting, and has fielded several high quality teams but haven’t been able to show those results on the field in recent years. Maybe a change of scenery is needed for Les and LSU could probably use a new voice as well. LSU is one of the best jobs in the country and I could see someone like Chip Kelly leaving the NFL to come take over. It’ll be interesting watching this play out and see what the next phase is of Les Miles’s career and as much as I like him, his time in Baton Rouge should end soon.
TOP 6
1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Michigan State
4. Iowa
5. Notre Dame
6. Oklahoma
- D-Will
Ezekiel Elliott
Although I don’t disagree with anything that Ezekiel Elliott had to say, or D Will’s defense of what he said, I do have a problem with him actually saying this to the press and here’s why. First of all, he’s a college athlete, not a pro, an amateur. You are not being paid millions and you are not obligated by contract to speak with the press. It is a privilege as a college athlete to get a chance to speak with the press and you take NUMEROUS classes on how to answer questions that reflect the university in a positive light. You HAVE to respect your coach, the university and your team. Because now, instead of talking about how Ohio State could possibly work themselves back into the National Playoff picture, we’re talking about how he answered a few questions. Secondly, when you’re a part of a team there are certain things that should be discussed behind closed doors and should never leave the locker room or coach’s office. How you feel about play calling absolutely falls under that category. As an upperclassman, star player, Heisman candidate, and one of the face’s of that team, if he wasn’t happy about his involvement in the offense there should have been a private meeting between him, the Offensive Coordinator and Urban Meyer to discuss his displeasure PRIVATELY. Now with all of this being said, I understand that he is a kid in the heat of the moment, after a loss, extremely frustrated and being asked these questions may have caught him off guard. I understand that, but I can’t believe that any part of him thought that his answers were a good idea.
The SEC
Guys, the SEC East is really, really, really bad. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that if the SEC West was a conference of its own, it would still be one of the premier conferences in the country. But I’m not quite sure how you can say that the Pac-12 is the best conference in the country when any time a team from their conference stepped outside of conference play to play a quality opponent, it resulted in a loss. (Arizona St./Texas A&M and Oregon/Michigan St.) If there’s a conference that can even be in the same debate with the SEC, it’s the Big 10. The Pac 12 would be a distant 3rd with the Big 12 being on its heels.
Les Miles
I’m in 100% agreement with D Will on this one. Even though we can all agree that Les Miles is one of the best in the business at recruiting (everything except a QB), he just hasn’t gotten it done the at the level that LSU is accustomed to. In the past 3 seasons, his conference record is 13-10. Think about that, LSU, big, bad LSU is barely over .500 against conference opponents the last 3 years. Like D Will said, I think it’s just time for a new voice in Baton Rouge. Someone who’s willing to change with the times. Les has all of the athletes that would make an uptempo, spread type offense virtually unstoppable. But his stubbornness won’t allow him to go against his patented smash mouth offensive philosophy. Which is fine, but now he’ll get to go somewhere else and try it out. As far as potential replacements, I’m sure they’ll get USC’s leftovers. I still think that’s the premier job to have this offseason.
I have 2 different top 6 rankings. An “eye test” top 6 and a “resume” top 6.
Eye-Test
1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Michigan St.
4. Oklahoma (you don’t know how bad this hurts me)
5. Notre Dame
6. Iowa
Resume top 6
1. Clemson
2. Iowa (For now, they’re undefeated in a Power 5 conference)
3. Notre Dame
4. Michigan State
5. Alabama
6. Baylor (That Oklahoma loss is looking better and better)
- Jalynn
So basically it’s been another great week of college football. While I can understand certain points Jalynn raised, there’s as usual, a few that I can’t. From now on, I will no longer participate in the “SEC is the best conference” debate. If you still think that, I have to assume you don’t watch any of the other conferences. It’s just not true! Les Miles to USC? Miami? With the amount of jobs open after the year, I’m sure his name and others will pop up. It will definitely be an interesting offseason! It was refreshing to hear a player speak his mind like Elliott. We have had some players that have. Dez, A.I., and some others and I think players should feel free to express themselves honestly. Who else is tired of the automated responses to questions that athletes consistently give? I get sick of hearing fake responses. Anyways, HUGE games this weekend for several teams at the top. It will definitely be a “Survival Saturday”.
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