One month in, here’s what we know about college football thus far on a local, regional and national level: ADVERTISING One month in, here’s what we know about college football thus far on a local, regional and national level: Cal
One month in, here’s what we know about college football thus far on a local, regional and national level:
Cal is better prepared, better coached, better conditioned — better in every sense, really — than it was a year ago.
Given reasonably good health over the next two months, California should be competitive against the majority of teams in the Pac-12. They might even compete for a bowl berth, a notion that seemed ludicrous a few weeks ago to anyone outside the program.
To reach the postseason, however, the Bears must learn to finish. They came close to blowing a big lead at Northwestern, then lost in epic fashion at Arizona last week, allowing 36 points in the fourth quarter and a game-winning Hail Mary pass.
The defeat was not only brutal emotionally but problematic numerically. There simply aren’t many victories left on the back-loaded schedule.
—Cal (2-1) must win four more to become bowl eligible. Sweeping Colorado and the Washington schools over the next three weeks isn’t enough. Because of the collapse in Tucson, the Bears need at least one victory against the dastardly grouping of USC, UCLA, Stanford, Brigham Young, Oregon and Oregon State.
Combined record: 18-2.
—Stanford’s defense remains rugged despite heavy offseason attrition, but the Cardinal is a work in progress offensively.
The rebuilt line, with four new starters, has yet to reach optimum efficiency. The running game is not yet up to the standard of previous years.
The Week 2 loss to USC, while damaging, did not eliminate No. 16 Stanford from contention for the Pac-12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff, but there is little margin for error remaining. The Cardinal must survive trips to Washington (this week) and Notre Dame (Oct. 4) and hope the young line coalesces in time for the stretch run.
—Three games in, San Jose State is starting over.
The Spartans are changing quarterbacks for this week and quite possibly the season. Junior Joe Gray is in; senior Blake Jurich is out.
The switch costs SJSU nothing in the near term — Gray is no less capable than Jurich — and it could pay dividends over time because of Gray’s additional year of eligibility.
Then again, he would be better prepared for the Mountain West Conference opener Saturday against Nevada if he had been the starter all along. Coaches usually opt for the younger player when a quarterback competition is razor close. The Spartans did the opposite, and they might pay for it.
—All the Pac-12 favorites are flawed.
Stanford is hit-or-miss offensively. Oregon is vulnerable defensively. UCLA has struggled against lesser competition, and USC is fragile because of the NCAA-mandated scholarship reductions.
But the conference is impressively deep. Utah and Cal have improved. Washington State and Arizona are competitive. Colorado appears to have some teeth, at least at home.
The combination of a flawed top and strong middle makes for weekly drama, as we saw with Oregon’s narrow victory at Washington State. But it’s hardly an ideal dynamic for a seat at the College Football Playoff.
—The best player in America is either:
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, who has 13 touchdown passes, an otherworldly efficiency rating of 218 and zero interceptions.
Georgia running back Todd Gurley, who’s averaging 9.8 yards per carry and represents the Dawgs’ best chance for the Heisman Trophy since Herschel Walker won it 22 years ago.
Or Alabama receiver Amari Cooper, who’s averaging 10.8 catches per game and has more receiving yards (655) than 25 percent of the teams in major college football.
It seems the Crimson Tide’s rookie offensive coordinator, Lane Kiffin, knows what he’s doing.
—Florida State’s Jameis Winston is a terrific quarterback and an even better knucklehead.
Winston’s antics, which earned him a one-game suspension last week, could cost his team a chance at the national title and will surely cost him in the NFL draft.
His greatest feat might be making Johnny Manziel seem mature and grounded by comparison.
—Two undefeated independents, Notre Dame and Brigham Young, could play a role in shaping the postseason.
With an upcoming schedule that includes four ranked teams (Florida State, Arizona State, Stanford and USC), the Irish will assuredly receive a playoff berth if they run the table.
BYU probably won’t face a ranked team all season. Would the playoff selection committee favor the undefeated Cougars over a one- or two-loss team from a power conference? Seems unlikely.
—The Big Ten is worse than anyone could have imagined.
The season-ending injury to Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller derailed the No. 5 Buckeyes and left a mass of mediocrity in its wake.
Michigan was shut out at Notre Dame and thumped at home by Utah.
Northwestern lost at home to Cal and Northern Illinois.
Purdue lost to Central Michigan.
Nebraska needed a last-minute touchdown to beat McNeese State.
But the sorry state of affairs in the Big Ten is a golden opportunity for everyone else. It makes for one less mouth at the playoff table.
