Week five of college football is in the books. With more good football, comes more knowledge. Here are five things we learned from the week of football:
1. Alabama and Georgia are the class of The SEC
Alabama and Georgia are both very, very good. This week both teams had their second straight blowout wins in SEC play and look like they are on a collision course to meet in the SEC Championship.
The Crimson Tide have won their last two SEC games by a combined score of 125-3. The offense is firing on all cylinders and have been running the ball phenomenally. There are still questions of whether Jalen Hurts can beat a team with his arm, but the good news for Alabama is: He may not need to. Alabama’s defense is the number one scoring defense in the country and is showing flashes of being yet another elite Crimson Tide unit.
Georgia has won their two SEC games by a combined score of 72-3. The offense is running the ball well and just asking freshman quarterback Jake Fromm to manage the game. On defense, Georgia has the second best scoring defense in the country, right behind Alabama. If they continue playing like this, there is no one in the SEC East that can touch them.
It’s still relatively early, but these two teams are by far the most likely to be playing each other in Atlanta for the SEC Championship.
2. Saquon Barkley isn’t the only good running back
Week five afforded the opportunity for a lot of running backs to have big games or to continue their good seasons. While Saquon Barkley has been getting a lot of the headlines, there are other backs who are having really impressive seasons.
Bryce Love of Stanford already has 1,000 yards on the season in just five games. He averages an astonishing 11.1 yards per carry. The fact that he averages a first down with every touch of the ball will start getting more love, no pun intended. If Stanford can win at least eight games and if he can continue to produce he will be invited to the Heisman ceremony.
San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny only amassed 107 yards in the Aztecs’ win over Northern Illinois, but had to deal with his eye being poked intentionally at the bottom of the pile. On the season 823 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. His performances have helped the Aztecs rise up to 19 in the polls before this week and they aren’t done climbing yet.
An under the radar running back this season is Josh Adams of Notre Dame. He has 658 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on nine yards a carry. This week he rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, while Notre Dame crushed Miami (OH). Adams is also a great receiver out of the backfield, which makes him an exciting player to watch. If Notre Dame can keep winning, Adams will see more publicity come his way.
3. The Pirate has Washington State rolling
Mike Leach, the pirate, has made Washington State a relevant football program. The Cougars are 5-0 and are coming off an upset win of USC in Pullman. As of now, they are a serious contender for the Pac-12 North and the College Football Playoff, but still have a lot of tough games on the schedule.
This week they were able to hold off the Trojans behind a solid offensive effort. Quarterback Luke Falk was able to throw for 340 yards against USC, which is impressive given that they have some NFL level talent in their secondary. The Cougar defense was able to limit Sam Darnold to just 164 yards passing.
While having the five wins is big for Washington State going forward, they haven’t played a road game yet. They will be tested in their next game when they play Oregon in Eugene along with a few other games down the stretch.
4. Big Night games in Blacksburg are needed
One of the biggest games of the weekend was Clemson visiting Virginia Tech. The Tigers were able to handle the Hokies 31-17 in a hostile atmosphere. It was another impressive win for Clemson, who looks like they are on their way to the College Football Playoff.
Virginia Tech came up short of scoring a big upset, but the fans created such a unique and awesome environment for a prime time game. From the time “Enter Sandman” started playing through the loud speakers, the fans were ready for this game. It is a place unlike any other and more night games like this are needed.
The way the Hokies have played the last two years, this doesn’t look like it will be the last time we will see the Hokies host a big game. Justin Fuente has the team on a roll and when they continue to progress, more crazy games at Lane Stadium will be had.
5. The Grass isn’t always greener
LSU fired Les Miles during the middle of last season, despite having a great record as the head coach of the Tigers. LSU couldn’t beat Alabama out for the SEC West title very often, but they were a successful program under Miles, who were not to be messed with.
Ed Orgeron was hired as the interim coach after Miles was fired and was retained after the season. The Tigers have been wanting more offense, but have not really seen many results. This weekend they really struggled and ended up losing to Troy at home. It takes time to get an offense going, but things aren’t looking good early for Oregeron. The defense also looked to have its fair share of problems against Troy.
It is too early to give up on Oregeron because he hasn’t had a chance to get his type of players in, but he needs to improve the offense. The huge buyout in his contract will prevent LSU from firing him. Miles may not have been the greatest coach in the world, but sometimes comparing a program to Alabama can force people to make decisions they may regret.
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