College football week 14 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are five things learned from college football week 14.
College football fans were gifted an early holiday present when BYU was able to travel to Coastal Carolina on short notice. The undefeated teams squared off in one of the most exciting games of the season. BYU had a last second heave to the end zone that fell just short. The Chanticleers won the game 22-17.
Both of these teams were rated rather lowly by the College Football Playoff Committee, but Coastal Carolina should move up quite a few spots after this win. They have wins over Kansas, a ranked Louisiana team and now a formerly undefeated BYU team. The Chanticleers deserve a lot of respect for their season, especially given that they just came up to the FBS level in 2016.
COVID has made this football season tough. It has caused games to be canceled and rescheduled. The season has brought on some surprising games that were scheduled last minute, like the BYU vs. Coastal Carolina game. It was a game featuring undefeated teams and the game generated a lot excitement, as shirts saying “Mormons vs. Mullets” were even sold.
Most of the time in college football, games are scheduled years in advance. While that is probably a good thing on a large scale, why can’t there be open dates on the schedule to fill with games like fans saw this weekend? If teams like BYU and Coastal Carolina are having good seasons, they can schedule each other and increase their CFP ranking. Why is their no ACC-Big Ten Challenge like their has been in basketball? Any number of ideas to improve scheduling in college football should be looked at. If it is possible for BYU and Coastal Carolina to put a game together in a matter of days, there is no reason that more teams can’t schedule closer to a date on their schedule.
Cincinnati had a bye after their previous game against Temple canceled because of COVID. The Bearcats have gone 8-0 this season and are on the fringe of the CFP talk this season. They have already clinched a spot in the AAC Championship Game and will at the very least be looking to playing a New Year’s Six Bowl Game this season.
Tulsa has clinched the other spot in the AAC Championship Game. The Golden Hurricanes have swept their AAC schedule so far, with their only loss coming to Oklahoma State. Now, Tulsa will take on Cincinnati two weeks in a row with a chance to ruin the Bearcats’ hopes and dreams.
Against Maryland, Michael Penix Jr. went down with a torn ACL. It looked like a cruel twist to a good season for Indiana, but the Hoosiers have handled him being out well. They finished the game against Maryland with a win and then beat Wisconsin 14-6 to put Indiana at a 6-1 record.
The Indiana offense has garnered most of the headlines this season, but Indiana’s defense stepped up. They only allowed six points against Wisconsin and 11 points against Maryland. The Hoosiers’ defense has come up with some timely plays and now Indiana is in position to play some big plays down the road.
Devonta Smith (photo via rolltide.com)
This year the Heisman Trophy race has been interesting. Florida’s Kyle Trask has put up gaudy numbers. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence possibly proved that he was the most valuable to his team. Justin Fields has produced in a limited number of games. Alabama’s Mac Jones has taken Alabama’s offense to a new level this season.
All of these quarterbacks have had good seasons, but Alabama wide receiver Devonta Smith should be getting more love for the Heisman. Against LSU this week, Smith finished the game with eight catches for 231 yards and three touchdowns. In a shortened season, Smith has 80 receptions for 1,305 yards and 15 touchdowns catches. He also has three rushes for 11 yards and a touchdown. If a full 12-game season happened, plus the SEC Championship Game afterwards, Smith would be on pace for nearly 2,000 receiving yards. That season is worthy of being recognized a lot more than it already has been.
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