I. Time to trash the college overtime rule
Let’s all take a moment to thank God that Penn State coach Bill O’Brien decided in the fourth overtime period of the game last Saturday night to go for the touchdown and the win instead of kicking yet another field goal versus Michigan. The Nittany Lions scored from one yard out and had they not, I might still be sitting on my couch watching these two teams trade field goals. A brilliant, hard-fought 60 minutes of football went to an overtime period that was highlighted by conservative play calling and a battle of field goals – two things that are the antithesis of why a college football game like that one is so exciting. Fans tune in to football to watch the dynamics of an offense and defense battling with each other, constantly making adjustments to expose the other unit’s weakness. To have a game then be decided by a field goal kicker shows why the college overtime rule of both teams getting the ball on the 25-yard line and trading possessions is a dishonor to the game. The NFL overtime rule has it right where the outcome of the football game is decided by actual football where essentially the first score wins (except for a field goal on the first possession). Time for college to ditch the old rule and let the teams, not kickers, decide the outcome.
II. Mizzwho?
If you had told me in September that six weeks into the college football season the Missouri Tigers would be leading the SEC East, I would have said this: “What in the name of Steve Spurrier are you talking about?” But this is not a joke, and after the Tigers’ huge upset of Georgia last week, Missouri finds themselves in the top spot with a huge contest against Florida coming up this week. It wasn’t all good news for Mizzou fans, however. Their sensational quarterback James Franklin will miss possibly the next 4-6 weeks with a shoulder injury he sustained in the game versus the Bulldogs. But fear not, his replacement Maty Mauck filled in admirably in helping the Tigers put second-half points on the board in a pressure-filled environment, sealing the upset win. Mauck has the national high school record for passing yards and touchdowns, so the pedigree is there. Couple Mauck with the momentum Missouri has right now and they may be able to put off the upset Saturday over the injury-plagued Gators.
III. Stanford down but not out
Saturday night I went to bed dejected after the lowly Utah Utes upset my national championship pick, Stanford. But I awoke Sunday with renewed hope that a national title for the Cardinal is still a possibility. Going off precedent, a one-loss team can still play in the title game in the same way Florida did in 2008 and Alabama did last year. My theory (and hope) all comes down to how they do versus Oregon on November 7th. Oregon is the most high-powered, seemingly invincible team in the country. A repeat upset of the Ducks by Stanford this year would count immensely in voter’s minds, especially with no undefeated (and nationally sentimental) Fighting Irish team present this year. But Stanford can’t look too far ahead with a ninth-ranked UCLA Bruins team coming in this week. To me this game is monumental. Win and Stanford is back in the picture. Lose, and Stanford’s streak of three-straight BCS bowl games is in serious jeopardy.
IV. UCLA excitement…What am I missing?
So last week, UCLA football a.) beat in-state rival Cal, moving them to 5-0 on the season, b.) had their NFL-ready quarterback Brett Hundley throw for 410 yards, third-most in a single game in Bruin history, and c.) broke into the AP Top 10 at #9 and it seemed NOBODY, especially UCLA fans, seemed to notice or care! This may be a case of ultra-high expectations, but for a program that has a great team, a fantastic coach and are undefeated, college football fans should be making more noise about them. One of the teams that they have beaten is Utah, who just upset Stanford. That makes tomorrow’s game against the Cardinal even more important. If the Bruins win again this week I expect the fan base will, and should, declare this team one of the best in the FBS.
V. Heisman battle this weekend in Death Valley
The biggest game of the college football season thus far, and possibly the biggest ACC contest ever, takes place this Saturday as #5 Florida State takes on #3 Clemson. I cannot wait for the showdown between these two explosive quarterbacks, Jameis Winston of FSU and my preseason Heisman pick, Tajh Boyd of Clemson. Both quarterbacks have had spectacular seasons, but I have to give the edge going in to Boyd and his experience in games played on the national stage. Boyd is a senior having started 27 contests in his career while Winston, a redshirt freshman, has only started five times in his short career. Experience is huge in big games. And the fact that Winston really hasn’t faced any real challenges this year make me feel even more confident that Boyd walks away from this game as a Heisman favorite.
– Rocky Boiman
Rocky Boiman is an analyst for WestwoodOne’s coverage of NCAA Football. Each week in “Rocky’s V,” the former Notre Dame captain and Super Bowl champion writes about five topics that have captured his interest from around college football. You can also follow Rocky on Twitter.
