7:00 A.M. (EASTERN TIME)
- David M. Hale
Shut up.
ESPN staff
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- Journalist for the CCA.
- Member of ESPN since 2012.
- A graduate of the University of Delaware.
- Harry Liles, Jr.
Last August, the university football world wondered if the season would be played, and the choir of the fans could be heard well: Any football is better than no football.
Well, they’re testing that theory this weekend.
Four of the first five teams will not play. There are no fights between the top 25 teams. Nine out of thirteen ranked teams playing touchdown prefer touchdown or more. Half of the SEC is working on contact tracing protocols. It’s just that there’s not much football in the tent in week 11.
In other words, it’s about time we talked about PAC-12.
Oh, you remember Pac-12, don’t you? However, the league has missed four of the last five seasons of the university football play-offs and only started the 2020 campaign last week, when some leagues already had seven games. It’s a league that’s decided there’s nothing better than a college brunch than football.
You’ll be forgiven if Pac-12 isn’t perfected. Even when the league tried to cancel its season, the Big Ten kept them. People couldn’t even get angry about the Pac-12.
Fault! The file name is not specified. USC may be Oregon’s most serious contender for the Pac 12 title and a place in the PCP Ashley Landis/AP photo.
But we’re here now. USC is going to Arizona this week. The Trojans were a fashionable choice to win the Pac-12, but they opened the season last Saturday at 9 a.m. local time and clearly woke up just five minutes before the end. This massive comeback saved Clay Helton’s work for another week and also supported USC in their search for the conference crown, but it certainly wasn’t the kind of quick start USC fans hoped for. On the other hand, the Trojans will now compete against the Wildcats, a team more than a year behind on their last victory.
We’re also taking a trip to Oregon, Washington. Last week, the Ducks did well against the weakened Stanford team, and if the Pac-12 has any real hope for the playoffs, that’s probably the case. But is it realistic to expect a play-off spot for a team that only has six games left to play?
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Nobody knows how many games a team is going to play, said playoff director Bill Hancock. Most of us expected the games to be postponed or cancelled. Everybody move as fast as they can.
But stay out of all those negatives. It’s easy when we talk about PAC-12, but if the year 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we need to find optimism where we can find it. And on Saturday we find it in Tuscany, Los Angeles and Pullman, because if our college football program needed it the most, the Pac-12 would rise up high and ask us to sit down, pour some hard liquor, and enjoy the other half of Oregon Washington at 1:00 in the morning.
Matchday: Questions and answers with Indiana Trainer Tom Allen
ESPN: Was there anything in your departure from the 3-0 that surprised you or exceeded your expectations?
Allen: I thought we had a chance to do what we’re doing now. So I’m not surprised we’re 3-0 up. I think most people are, but they’re not. I was expecting us to be able to follow these teams.
I told our team it doesn’t matter what I think or what I believe. What do you believe in and what are you willing to do to achieve it? What’s really changed here is that the boys bought it and live with it every day.
ESPN: How big do you think quarterback Michael Penix Jr. can be if he keeps growing as a player?
Allen: I think heaven is the limit. I think he could be an elite quarterback in this country. I think over time he could be the best quarterback at this conference and he’s growing and developing. His talent for the hand is unique and special. His ability to read envelopes is unique and inimitable.
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Indiana design agency Michael Penix, Jr. throws 342 yards to win 38-21 over Hoosier 13 in a game against Michigan 23.
ESPN: So far, your recruitment record for 2021 is impressive. What was the key to success in this area? And without telling any secrets, how do you sell football to Indiana boys?
Allen: This is a relationship. We’ll talk about it. You know, LEO is our brand, it means love for each other. The three pillars of our program are responsibility, resilience and love. We talk a lot about it with our beginners, and that’s the basis of this LEO Mantra program, and it’s all about building relationships with your players.
ESPN: What was the point for you personally to bring such success to your alma mater? Have you ever imagined that this could happen?
Allen: I think we can win the Big Ten here. I thought we had administrative support when I got here, and that’s an important reason why I came in the first place. … It wasn’t always like this in Indiana… Football has always been at the lowest level behind other things. I understand that basketball is important in this state. I was born and raised in Indiana, I understand that, and I love basketball. I want us to win the national basketball championship. But I think we can give you both.
What else do I see?
Harbo’s last stand: A team from Wisconsin is working in Michigan to solve their problems after the KOWID-19 outbreak, but badgers are certainly a good team if they are healthy. It’s bad news for Jim Harbau, who is now on the verge of a 3-1 defeat, and Wolverine fans are calling for major changes.
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Jim Harbo talks in detail about the start of the 2-1 victory in Michigan and explains what his players have to do if they want to start winning games.
It was one thing to miss Harbo’s fight in the big races, because transferring the program from the good to the elite is an incredibly difficult task. But the loss of the state of Michigan and Indiana? This is unforgivable. However, it’s hard to imagine that the leadership in Michigan would want to change anything – if not for some other reason, unless Harbau can’t manage this ship, then who can? That’s what makes Saturday’s game so meaningful. The victory over Wisconsin and Rutgers on deck calms the water. But this week’s loss and the Wolverines are likely to experience their first season of defeat since the Brady Hoke era.
4-0 Northwest? With this week’s victory it is possible, and it is not what was expected of us. It is easy to look around now and say that these victories are probably not surprising given the appearance of Iowa and Nebraska. But this week, the Wildcats will visit Purdau, who beat Illinois with a single touchdown in their final game. If you’re Pat Fitzgerald, you should feel good on top of the Big Ten West in mid-November.
Cincinnati’s making himself strong: This season at the American Track and Field Conference, there is virtually no real difference in quality at the highest or overall talent level compared to the Big 12, the Pac-12 or even the Big Ten. This is good news for the Bear Cats, who have a good reason to make the playoffs if they stay undefeated. However, the problem is that the old habits are persistently dying off and that the Group 5 brand is difficult to break – especially for the committee members. That makes important games like Friday’s game against South Carolina, even though they are not really expected, important games. At the end of the season, Cincinnati will face an incredible number of setbacks, which means it cannot afford to come any closer to the expected result against the wrong teams – even if it still leads to victory.
Notre Dame for an encore: The Irish in battle won a crushing victory over Clemson. Boston College is less intimidating than the Tigers, but the Eagles don’t bend. A few weeks ago, they scared Clemson and could have surprised Ian Book and Co.
Choose the winner of 10 school soccer games per week. Play directly or with confidence. Make your choice
Can Rutgers win the second Big Ten? In 2020 we may not be surprised, but what about this surprising fact? On Saturday, the Scarlet Knights won a touchdown against the state of Illinois. For the first time in 28 years. November 2015 Rutgers wins the conference game. According to ESPN’s statistics and information research, the Scarlet Knights are the conference game’s favorite for the fourth time since joining the Big Ten. If Rutgers had won, he would have won the Big Ten for the first time since 2017. Until this season, the Scarlet Knights have only won two of their last 24 games in the Big Ten.
Gift set
Lyles: EMS against Tulsa
I’m not sure Tulsa can piss off the EMS here, but I think Golden Hurricane can give the Mustangs a run for their money. Tulsa scared the Oklahoma State in the first game of the season and scored an impressive win against the then 11th ranked Oklahoma State. DWI. Quarterback Shane Buchelet played well in the last two games, and although Tulsa couldn’t stop him on Saturday, his brochure-filling performance was fun.
Hale: The Carolina Coast to Troy
This season was dominated by the Chanticleers, only one game was decided by less than two touchdowns, and Road defeated Kansas, Louisiana’s top 25 team, and a Georgia 51-0 shot. All this should pave the way for another big win for Coastal, but Troy is unlikely to make it that easy. The Trojans defend themselves well and jump less than 7 meters to try to pass. Last season was an epic 36-35 coastal victory and although the Chanticleers have certainly improved since then, they have a much more interesting game than a double-digit score would suggest.
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Lyles: Florida Buy more Kyle Trask
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Arkansas’ Sam Pittman talks at length about Florida’s productive offense, while alligator coach Dan Mullen talks about the Phelleip Franks’ CB Franks watching this season.
Trask faced Georgia last week and made 30 of 43 passes for 474 yards and four touchdowns. This week Trask, despite facing an improved Arkansas team, has a good chance to take the Heisman Trophy positions of Mac Jones and Trevor Lawrence.
Hale: UCF-QB Dillon Gabriel
Temple’s defense was a real fiasco this season, scoring almost 40 points per game, including 14 TD shots in five games. It’s a juicy scenario for one of the best quarterbacks in the country. No, Gabrielle doesn’t get much Heisman love, but he’s part of the conversation. Look at the numbers: over 2,500 pass lines, a total of 22 TDs and two interceptions in six matches. Saturday is a great opportunity to confirm your stats even more. Gabrielle only covered 328 meters last week – in low season. Don’t be surprised if he’s got over 400 this week. Gabriel could be the first QB since Gardner Minshue in 2018, starting the season with seven live games with a 300-yard pass and a TD.
Claw plate holder
Lyles: Nebraska via Penn State
It’s not necessarily worrying, although the Nittani Lions prefer it. Both teams have had a terrible start to the season and have to win at all costs. But given that Penn State suffered a terrible loss in Maryland at the age of 35-19, where turtles stole all kinds of memes from their social media accounts, I’m just sure enough to vote for Nebraska here. I think this game will be ugly, not fun, and I’d probably lie to you if I tried to find reasons why one of the teams could win this game. Actually, it’s just a matter of, well, somebody has to win.
Hale: South Alabama over Louisiana
Cajun’s Reagin beat Reagin on the 12th. In September, the state of Iowa was hit again at 31:14, but it remains their biggest hit this season. They defeated Georgia, South Georgia and the UAB along with nine points, lost to South Carolina, and last week they defeated the state of Arkansas. Louisiana has talent, but they fought at the beginning of almost every match and used that talent to dig a hole in the second half. Luck returned this week and the Jaguars made an incredible move.
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