Game of the Week: Appalachian State (32) vs. Troy (28)
Be honest, did you watch this game? Of course not.
Did I watch this game? Again…of course not.
I wish I had though. I convinced myself to stay up to the very end of the Miami/Texas A&M game because I really believed something climatic was going to happen. But Texas A&M reminded everyone how good their defense is, and Miami reminded everyone that they are still Miami and we need to tone down our expectations.
But when you looked around the country there were no really thrilling games, unless you want to note the potential disasters that almost took place in Florida and Arkansas. But both SEC schools ended up winning, so who cares?
While no one was watching the App State/Troy affair (despite the efforts of ESPN’s College Gameday crew) it gave us a finish that we will be talking about for quite some time. In one of the most thrilling Hail Mary passes in recent memory, App State pulled out a great win, in what could have been a trap game after their thrilling upset a week ago against Texas A&M. While the catch off of the tipped pass was incredibly fortunate, the foresight of the blockers to set a wall for the receiver to get in the endzone was even more incredible.
While we didn’t have a great matchup of ranked teams this week, it was nice to have one of the better highlights we have seen in quite some time.
Player of the Week: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington (24-40, 397, 4 Touchdowns)
Never outlaw a southpaw!
Michael Penix Jr., the junior quarterback from Washington had a coming out party against Sparty yesterday in one of the best upset games of the season so far. Now while Michigan State is not as good as their ranking suggested (same can be said for the rest of the Big 10 as well…more to come) not too many experts had the Washington Huskies being a factor out of the PAC-12. While they still have a tall order in the PAC-12 (USC, Oregon and Utah looked really good yesterday) Washington could be the sleeper in College Football this season, and Penix is a big reason why.
You don’t see too many lefties any more playing quarterback anymore, but Penix seems to be the exception to the rule, as he sliced and diced the Michigan State secondary all game. And this is not a fluke. Penix already has thrown for over 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns and just 1 interception on the year (good enough for a QB rating of 180.8). If he can continue to stay near this pace, not only will Washington be in PAC-12 contention but he may find himself in Heisman contention as well. It’s still very early, but Penix and the Huskies are going to start turn some people into believers.
Disappointment of the Week: Big 10 Non-Contenders
What a rough week for anyone in the Big 10 not named Michigan or Ohio State. And you may say “Hey, what about Penn State?” but by the end of the year I think we will all understand just how bad Auburn is this year. But even if Penn State hadn’t blown out the Tigers, it was already solidified that the Big 10 had by far the worst week.
Nebraska was throttled by Oklahoma…expected.
Purdue lost to Syracuse… gross.
Southern Illinois beat Northwestern…that’s a Missouri Valley Conference team.
Indiana needed late game heroics to beat Western Kentucky…their mascot is called ‘Big Red’ like the chewing gum I guess.
In the end none of this will really impact the playoff hopes for Michigan, nor Ohio State, but it is another reminder of how ridiculously top heavy this conference is. What was once a juggernaut of a College Football conference has been reduced to a two team race for another countless season. Granted when USC joins the conference it should provide another national title contender, but the depth of this conference is not only alarming, but it's concerning.
Game to Watch: Baylor @ Oklahoma State
With Oklahoma looking better than anyone expected, and the same being said for Texas as well, everyone is going to start to get excited for their epic Red River showdown in a couple of weeks. However, this week’s Oklahoma State/Baylor matchup is even more significant and just may feature the two best teams in the Big 12. While the Big 12 will look dramatically different in the next couple of years, the conference looks to go out with a bang as Baylor, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas may all be in playoff contention at one point this season. This is just the opening act.
Coach K’s Top 10:
2023 NFL Mock Draft:
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