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The head coaching carousel has yet to start spinning, but the coordinators’ hot seats are burning fast.
Here’s what’s happening in college football Until Saturday …
USC Makes a Change
Too little too late?
USC fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch yesterday, one day after the Trojans surrendered 52 points and 572 yards in a loss to Washington. The Trojans’ defense is largely responsible for the team’s fall from College Football Playoff hopeful to loser of three of its past four games (and that one-point win against 3-6 Cal was way too close).
USC (7-3, 5-2 Pac-12) has allowed point totals of 41, 41, 48, 34, 49 and 52 during the past six games.
Head coach Lincoln Riley elected to keep Grinch after embarrassing defensive performances in last season’s Pac-12 title game (vs. Utah) and Cotton Bowl (vs. Tulane).
Is this move a little too late? I would have to say yes. Of course, Riley, who is 73-15 overall as a head coach (18-5 at USC), can use this as a chance to redefine how he builds his defenses. But this season left one of college football’s best offenses, led by reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, out of Playoff contention. We’re missing out on watching Williams and company in the title race, and that’s a shame.
Defensive line coach Shaun Nua and inside linebackers coach Brian Odom will take over as interim co-defensive coordinators for the rest of the season.
Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide have won seven straight games since losing to Texas. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Who’s in Playoff Race?
The best one-loss team is …
We’ll get a new edition of the CFP rankings on Tuesday, and we have to hope November provides more clarity on the title chase.
My picks for this week’s CFP top four (all are 9-0):
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Florida State
I think the committee will swap the two teams at the top after Georgia grabbed a key win against No. 12 Missouri. Ohio State woke up after a slow start against Rutgers, but Notre Dame suffering its third loss of the season to Clemson diminishes the Buckeyes’ win against the Irish. I also think Michigan and Florida State will stay at Nos. 3-4.
Who is the best one-loss team?
Alabama (8-1). We pushed the Crimson Tide out of focus after their Week 2 loss to Texas, but Nick Saban isn’t ready to write off this season. Bama’s 42-28 win against No. 14 LSU should bump the Tide up a spot or two in the rankings.
I brought in Bama writer Kennington Smith III to check in on the Crimson Tide’s potential for a Playoff run.
Just when you thought Bama was done
Kenny, you laid out Alabama’s road to CFP contention in a column yesterday. What’s the biggest roadblock to getting there?
There’s no bigger threat than Texas, which holds the head-to-head win. As a result, it’s unlikely that Alabama will pass Texas leading up to conference championship week. And even then, it’s debatable if a win over undefeated Georgia would be enough to push the Tide over the Longhorns. The best-case scenario is a loss by Texas or a contender from the Big Ten/Pac-12. It’ll be an uphill climb if the teams in front of Alabama continue to run the table.
What’s the biggest difference between the Alabama team that lost to Texas and Alabama now?
Alabama from Week 2 had QB questions and little offensive identity, while the team that has scored 79 points the past two games has clear direction. The big-play element has been consistent throughout the season, but the running game is coming along, largely because of a bigger dose of QB Jalen Milroe, who is also becoming more confident through the air. During the past three weeks, the offense has converted 54 percent of its third downs, and that’s leading to more points.
Where do you see Bama in the CFP rankings this week?
It’s hard to see much movement from the No. 8 spot even after a strong win. No. 6 Oregon took care of business, and No. 7 Texas played with its backup QB and defeated a Top-25 opponent in Kansas State. That surely will impress the Playoff committee. Alabama earned a marquee win and took control of the SEC West. That’s good enough for this week.
AP Poll Newcomers
Arizona, Oklahoma State shake up order
As for the AP poll, the top nine teams remained the same in the newest rankings released yesterday. Here are the top five teams, the five remaining undefeated Power 5 teams (with first-place votes in parentheses):
1. Georgia (49)
2. Michigan (9)
3. Ohio State (3)
4. Florida State (2)
5. Washington
But while the top of the poll was stagnant, other teams shook things up:
Hello, Arizona! The Wildcats (6-3) are ranked 23rd after grabbing their third win in a row by beating UCLA. This is Arizona’s first time in the poll since Oct. 29, 2017, the same season the Wildcats last had a winning record. As our Bruce Feldman reported last week, redshirt freshman QB Noah Fifita has fueled an offensive surge with his top-15 passing efficiency rating (164).
And Oklahoma State, too! The Cowboys, who started 2-2 and are now 7-2, made a massive jump from unranked to No. 15 this week (they were ranked 22nd in the first CFP rankings). Cowboys fans might just be catching up on this news after celebrating a win in the final scheduled Bedlam game on Saturday. The lopsided nature of that rivalry didn’t seem to matter to OSU fans when the Cowboys took the finale.
Plus, USC dropped out of the poll for the first time under Riley.
Quick Snaps
Chris Vannini ranks all 133 FBS teams: Michigan and Washington switch spots.
First-year Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti is already in the middle of a challenging situation. Austin Meek and Nicole Auerbach take us inside the commissioner’s dilemma: Will the conference punish Jim Harbaugh and/or Michigan?
Deion Sanders said Colorado’s offense “just needed change” in the wake of his decision to give analyst Pat Shurmur the play-calling duties and demote Sean Lewis to co-offensive coordinator. The Buffs lost to Oregon State 26-19 on Saturday.
Has the SEC gotten boring? Seth Emerson is back with his weekly vibe check from the conference.
Wisconsin’s first season under Luke Fickell took a big hit in a road loss to Indiana. It’s time for a reality check in Madison.
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(Top photo of Alex Grinch, left: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
2023-11-06 14:47:27
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