The Cupcake Revolt didn’t erupt all over the nation.
But some rabble did rise to embarrass Power 5 teams.
College football is back for blowouts and upsets and another scintillating season.
The start was not dandy for several Southeastern Conference teams – Tennessee, Missouri, Vanderbilt and South Carolina – and historically name programs Florida State, UCLA and Oregon.
However, the top 25 almost managed to go unscathed. The 11th ranked Ducks were the only blemished bunch, and they were playing another elite team – No. 16 Auburn, which pulled off a herculean finish. Iowa State barely beat Northern Iowa in the third overtime, and Arizona did not have a pleasant trip to Hawaii, losing to the Rainbow Warriors. Stanford barely survived Northwestern, and Florida struggled to beat Miami.
Southern Cal didn’t lose the game, but lost its starting quarterback for the season. And the state of Oregon had the double defeat for Oregon University and Oregon State University.
Nothing probably matched the Volunteers. (Vols in tears!) Full disclosure: Tennessee is my alma mater. The first Saturday may have been the worst Saturday ever. At home in Knoxville, the Vols were upset (and hot and bothered) by underdog Georgia State, which won only two games last year. The other Atlanta school with Georgia in its title not only won, but received $950,000 for agreeing to be the guinea pig for the Volunteers’ home opener. Tennessee turned out to be the stuck pig.
Rocky bottom Tennessee.
Chip Kelly also isn’t thrilled. The former genius of football began his second season with the Bruins as they traveled to Cincinnati. UCLA is just as bad as it was in the first season.
And so it went.
After watching, at last count, parts of 21 games, I can conclude this: Clemson, Alabama and Oklahoma are as good as it gets, and national playoff bound. I would add The (trademark pending) Ohio State University, and there’s your final four.
Georgia is on my mind, too, and I think another SEC member, Texas A&M, will have much to say about the championship contenders. I’ll explain why. The Aggies won easily over poor little Texas State and will win over a bunch of teams this year. But it is well to remember that Texas A&M will go to Clemson to play, and will stay at home to play Alabama. The Aggies could have a lot to provide, giving all of us a comparison of the Tigers and the Tide and giving those two all they may not want this year.
The five-star player of the first weekend was Jalen Hurts, the Alabama transfer to Oklahoma. The Sooners’ opponent, Houston, must have felt the quarterback Hurts so bad. Yet, he was so good with three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in a record 508-yard performance. Houston, you have a problem. The Sooners won 49-31.
How about the other Heisman aspirants?
Justin Fields, who transferred after his freshman year at Georgia, was very special in his first game for the Buckeyes – throwing for four touchdowns and running for one, with 234 yards passing (18 of 25) in the beatdown of Florida Atlantic.
The other Justin – Herbert – wasn’t so impressive. Justin Herbert returned for his senior season at Oregon, and, as noted, the Ducks weren’t so impressive despite leading for all but the final nine seconds against Auburn. Herbert had a chance to win it on the last play but flew his desperation pass over the end zone. He managed a so-so 242 yards with one touchdown, but he fumbled in the Red Zone.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Super Sophomore, didn’t put up video game numbers, either. He said afterward: “I’m looking at the bigger picture. We are 1-0.’’ But he was only 13 of 26 for a touchdown and two interceptions
Actually, his teammate, running back Travis Etienne, helped his Heisman hopes with a career-best 205 rushing yards, including a 90-yard dash and a trio of touchdowns. Last year he rushed for 1,658 yards and 24 touchdowns.
And there’s the Hurts replacement with Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa, who, in the Tide’s tune-up in Atlanta against Duke, threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns.
In passing, Kelly Bryant, another transfer who left Clemson for Missouri (succeeding Drew Lock), did fling for 432 yards, but he was picked off in the end zone in Laramie, Wyoming, and the Cowboys knocked off Mizzou. Mamas in the SEC, don’t let your son grow up to play the Cowboys in Wyoming.
If the Alabama-Duke game was the Chik-fil-A Kickoff Classic, the Oklahoma-Houston game should have been billed the Popeyes Kickoff Game – given the chicken sandwich wars.
College football is off and running, and passing.
