With all the talk about Cincinnati maybe being the 1st Group of 5 team to legitimately challenege for a CFP spot, nobody is talking about the return of Gus Malzahn and UCF. UCF after opening the Gus Bus era with a big win over Boise State has lost their last 2 games to an average Louisville squad and last weekend to a struggling Navy team. Mitigating factor no doubt is the loss of starting QB Dillon Gabriel to a broken clavicle against Bethune Cookman. Gus now needs to find an answer or the season that started so well could go south for him. Thinking a bit about Cincinnati and hoping that they didn't leave it all on the field at South Bend, no doubt a great win for them as a program and what is currently propelling them up the polls. But it's not a given that they will win out, they have some good teams that they will have to beat. Starting with a decent Temple, not a great team, but if they haven't anything left in the tank after the ND win they could fall victim to the Owls or maybe even worse play a close game and have to go the whole 4 qtrs to win.
Just goes to show how easy a season can be derailed with the loss of a QB. With all the transferring, it's not going to get any better for most schools. (until the NCAA allows in season transfers!)
Unrelated to this week's games, but ESPN has a story up on the Idaho Vandals football stadium, known as the Kibbe Dome, it's a fascinating read. It was built and opened as an open-air stadium, and they added the dome part a few years later. What's fascinating is that the dome is a wooden structure. Also, it's about 9 miles from Pullman Washington to Moscow Idaho where the University of Idaho is located. I did not know that there was once a rivalry between the 2 schools called the Battle of the Palouse. Wazzu dominated. Pretty unique setting, very rural for sure, for a football stadium. They are also opening a new basketball/multipurpose arena called the Idaho Central Credit Union area which will be built out of a material called "mass timber" an emerging construction product made from layers of compressed wood. A giant beer can on its side: Why the Kibbie Dome is CFB's weirdest stadium
The dome part doesn't surprise me. Here's a pic of the Superior Dome up at Northern Mich. U According to NMU "The Dome stands 14 stories high and encompasses 5.1 acres under its roof. Constructed of 781 Douglas Fir beams and 108.5 miles of fir decking, the Dome has a permanent seating capacity of 8,000, although the building can hold as many as 16,000 people." I've been inside the place, it's impressive.
Well any worries that Cincy would have a let down and not play well vs Temple are out the window 45-3 at the end of the 3rd qtr. Looking forward to the Stanford /ASU game.
The Bear likes Nebraska to finally break through and get the big win! Certainly Fickell is going to be a hot name this off season. USC right now is the best job available for sure, James Franklin gets some notice as well, but it seems like he's in a good place at Penn State, unless he wants to get out of the shadow of Ohio State and Michigan.
Unbelievable start for Texas 14 - 0 LONGHORNS! Only a couple of minutes into the game. I didn't see this coming. Of course a long way to go.
Try 28 - Goose egg for Tennessee in the 1st quarter. This is two straight weeks that Tennessee scored 28 in the 1st quarter.
Terry... can you start saying OU-verated!!! Tom!! What's going on over there?!?! While I don't think SCAR is a world-beater your guys seem to be way ahead of what was expected.
Should be 21 - 0 Texas, I don't get how that big 3rd down pass play where the OU player clearly stepped out of bounds. 21 - 7 though is more than I figured.
Not many Heisman candidates get benched. As much offense as happened in the 1st half, I won't be shocked if the opposite happens in the 2nd half
Getting tight in Dallas. Momentum has changed and OU defense is playing with their hair on fire. If they pull it out with the Freshman QB, mark my word he will be in the Heisman race!
41 - 41. Unbelievable, the catches that the OU receivers have made. Head scratcher why they take out the hot Qb for the 2 point play and put in the guy who was benched for turnovers, but it worked