College football week 9 is in the books. After every week, fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 9.
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There was a time when Ohio State lost their starting quarterback and were able to trust in the backups. They won a national championship with that being the case. This season, they lost starting quarterback Julian Sayin to injury. There was hope that Ohio State could rally around a backup quarterback and possibly still go on a run to a title. Things did not get off to a great start, as they lost to USC in Week 9.
The sport of college football has changed, with teams having less depth, and it seems to be impacting the Buckeyes. Luke Fahey may not have played terribly, but there is plenty of room for improvement, as he wasn’t very efficient. Tavien St. Clair was the more highly-regarded prospect, but didn’t see the field. If they don’t have confidence in him to be better than Fahey, the season may be lost. Ohio State has two losses and they’ll have to right the ship quickly with some tough games down the stretch.
Two weeks ago, Georgia lost a head-scratcher to Auburn. Before that, they looked like one of, if not the best team in the country. The Bulldogs took an off week last week to prepare for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (in Atlanta this season). The Bulldogs were focused and had a great performance, beating the Gators 27-8.
Georgia may have just had a slip-up against Auburn and now are back on track. In a season where it is hard for teams to stay in the top five or so of the country and there being a lot of parity, Georgia could be the best team in the country. They have defeated Florida, Alabama and Oklahoma this season, while looking great while doing so. The Bulldogs have a tough schedule ahead, but they look well-equipped to handle it.
After losing a close game to Ohio State a couple of weeks ago, Indiana has struggled. They needed overtime to defeat Michigan in Week 8. This week, Indiana had a late field goal to tie the game against Minnesota and send it to overtime. They then defeated the Golden Gophers in overtime.
Minnesota seems to be a solid team this season and has a 5-3 record after the loss, but Indiana still isn’t playing like a team that can win a title. The defense showed up, but the offense has really struggled, despite having two great receivers to utilize. Josh Hoover, who has been banged up, was benched for Grant Wilson at quarterback. Wilson played a little better, but Indiana still struggled to move the ball. The offense needs better quarterback play or Indiana could drop one of their three remaining games and be on the bubble for the CFP.
Notre Dame struggled early against Navy, but ended up coming back and winning handily. The Fighting Irish may find it too early to scoreboard watch, but two different results around the sport could impact them. Wisconsin, a team they defeated, was blown out by Iowa. A win for Wisconsin really could’ve boosted Notre Dame’s case to make the CFP. SMU, a team they haven’t played yet but are on the schedule, lost to Syracuse. That takes away another potential impressive win.
Last season, Notre Dame was left out of the CFP with a 10-2 record. They looked like a great team after the first two weeks, but they dropped games to Miami and Texas A&M in the first two weeks. The Fighting Irish could be in a similar situation this year if they lose to Miami in Week 10, as they would be with two losses, but without a marquee win. Things are a bit crazier this season, so Notre Dame getting in the CFP with a 10-2 record isn’t crazy if they get some help. But the easiest thing for them to do is to defeat Miami next week.
Utah won the first six games of the season heading into a ranked matchup with Houston last week. They took care of business against the Cougars, setting up a big matchup with Cincinnati. The game against Cincinnati was on the road this week, but it was a tough spot, because the Utes have a rivalry game with BYU coming up in Week 10. Utah remained focused and defeated Cincinnati, 49-25.
With the win, the Utes have set themselves up well for a run at the CFP. They have wins over Cincinnati, Houston and Iowa State, who are all teams with a .500 record or better. The Utes have zero losses in conference play, while BYU and Texas Tech have one loss. There are some teams with just two losses in conference, but the Utes have some room for error, especially if they defeat BYU in Week 10. Winning the Big 12 or an at-large bid are still very much possible for Utah.
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