SnoTap College Football Try Week 3

If you are wondering where the Alabama-Texas A&M and Arizona State-Wisconsin stuff, it is coming later today. I actually wanted to watch the games in full as I saw bits and pieces of both on Saturday as I was at a wedding. The Bama-TAMU will be coming soon with UW-ASU later in the day. While we wait, let's talk about the rest of college football.

Bad Day for B1G - Just when you think the Big Ten is turning the corner, they have an awful weekend making everyone reconsider how good the league really is this season. Sure, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan State and Northwestern beat up on inferior opponents, but it gets pretty ugly after that. Nebraska held a 16-point lead only to get blown out by 20 with 38 unanswered points by UCLA.  Purdue could not complete the upset of Notre Dame as the Irish put up 21 points in the fourth quarter.  Michigan nearly lost to Akron at home. Penn State suffers a home loss to Central Florida. Ohio State got a nice road win and Iowa took care of their rival, Iowa State, but overall, it was a putrid day for the B1G.

No Ole Miss love - Everyone is paying attention to Texas, and yes we will address them too, yet no one is giving Mississippi any credit. The Rebels have went to Vanderbilt and Texas and won both road games. That's truly impressive and the rest of the country should be noticing the Rebs. They play at Alabama in two weeks. I am not saying they could beat the Tide, but do not be surprised if Ole Miss gives them a game. With the way Alabama's secondary played last week plus Ole Miss's wealth of receivers, it could make for a classic. I really think this is a good team who will win at least eight games this season even with their brutal schedule.

Jameis Winston's special encore - Some mid-majors are straight up cupcakes, others are above average mid-majors and can make for a good football game. Nevada would be put in the latter category, but they did not look at way facing Jameis Winston and Florida State on Saturday. This game featured a more efficient Winston with only 15 completions but he still had two more passing touchdowns. For the season, Winston only has five incompletions... Wow.

Anyone noticing the Ducks? - No big deal, but the Ducks put up nearly 60 again for the second straight week. They did it this week against an SEC opponent with Marcus Mariotta throwing over 450 yards. People including me wondered if they would skip a beat with Chip Kelly leaving, and the answer is no, they are the same Oregon team dominating everyone in sight. They start Pac-12 competition in two weeks against California. They just need to avoid the hiccup that seems to happen to Oregon every year.

Texas is a mess-as (Oh that's horrible) -  The Longhorns were beat by 20+ and they gave up 40+ points for the second straight games. They lost at home to Ole Miss, a good but not great SEC team and one, Las Vegas expected them to beat.  The next three games are huge for the Horns as they play Kansas State at home under the lights on national television then a tough road Thursday night game in Ames and then they play Oklahoma. If Texas loses two of three, I doubt Mack Brown still has a job. I realize it would be odd for him to resign mid-season, but I have to think Horns fans would come with pitchforks if that happened.

Underwhelming Louisville performance - This is a weird game where it will probably hurt Louisville in the long run they did not pound Kentucky on Saturday afternoon. They won by 14 points but Teddy Bridgewater looked fairly normal plus the team did not play as well as probably Louisville fans would have hoped given their schedule is weaker than most in the top ten.  The only real way this could end up working out for Louisville is if Kentucky ends up winning a couple meaningful SEC games this year.

Charlie.

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Tap's College Football Try Week 1

I am trying to gear Sports News on Tap as a one-spot shop for literally everything Wisconsin and nationally-related meaning we had to up our coverage on some things. We already took some steps forward, and I believe this will be another one.  There will be college football games where we have recaps (Michigan-Notre Dame, probably), but every week we will definitely have a dump of thoughts about the college football weekend. They will be out every Monday and hopefully in the morning. It is on Tuesday and being posted in the afternoon because I overslept for the first time in about a year.

Johnny Football pissed everyone off and I loved it -  There are so many HOT TAKES about Johnny Manziel after he went full WWE heel in the second half of the game. It felt like Jim Ross on the mic going 'MY GAWD, IT'S JOHNNY FOOTBALL!'  He literally threw IDGAF's all over the place from showing the scoreboard to faking signing an autograph to making the 'Show me the money' sign after scoring a touchdown.  Every old man is absolutely furious at him. There is a clear generation gap growing with young players in sports and people whom cover it.  Think about all the shit Yasiel Puig, Bryce Harper has taken in the last couple years/months and now Manziel is getting the extreme version of it. He is the most talked about athlete in sports and I hope he beats Alabama and gives the crowd the Stone Cold salute. I love him like people loved Tim Tebow.

Clemson... Maybe this is the year? - The Tigers looked prettay prettay good. They played well against Georgia beating their second straight SEC team. Tajh Boyd played excellent having 270 passing yards and 42 rushing yards with five total touchdowns. He looked great and a player whom can carry the Tigers to the promise land. I am not ready to anoint them the National Champion, but I do believe they might be able to actually finally break through and not pull a 'Clemson.'  Side note, I love that Boyd to Dabo Sweeney know what 'pulling a Clemson' means and honestly, I can relate because I probably 'pull a Clemson' once a weekend.  

Jameis Winston should put fear in ACC opponents eyes - While Clemson looked great, Florida State made a statement too setting up for possibly one of the biggest games of the year in mid-October when the Noles take on the Tigers. Jameis Winston had his first game as a redshirt freshman in a night game at Pittsburgh. This is not the toughest place to play, but at the same time, what Winston did is far more impressive than many players this weekend. He finished the game with completing 25 of 27 passes with 356 yards and four touchdowns. Did people overreact about Winston on Twitter last night? Probably, but the game was literally the only thing on television leading people to romanticize about Jameis.  

FCS ain't coming just for a pay check - College football schedules usually feature some cupcakes here and there. For example, the Wisconsin Badgers are playing Tennessee Tech on Saturday and clearly, it is for Tech to get some major money plus Wisconsin gets the majority of the revenue.  Now some of these teams play tougher opponents and they made them pay over the weekend. North Dakota State and Eastern Washington are two of the best FCS teams in the country and knocked off two of the better programs lately, Kansas State and Oregon State. Towson and McNeese State also won games this weekend while Southern Illinois and William & Mary gave their opponents games to the very end.  Really impressive weekend for the FCS meaning the separation between the two is not that great.

Temper your excitement Badger fans - Wisconsin had a great debut as they beat UMass, 45-0, getting the shutout and covering the spread of 44.5 points (Vegas is always impressive).  James White, Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement all rushed for over 100 yards with the team having 393 total yards of rushing. The Badgers averaged 8.9 yards a carry. All of these numbers are great, but we need to remember UMass has barely been in the FCS with the Badgers having a great size advantage over them up front. Although I will say this, the way their offensive linemen were pulling was impressive.  The jury is still out until Arizona State on September 14th.

SnoTap Upsets - Nailed it: Washington Blew it: Mississippi State - I called my shots for two upsets. I am 1-1 as Mississippi State took a giant dump comparable to this woman in Boston over the Labor Day weekend as they only had three points against OKLAHOMA STATE from the Big 12. I could sense Boise State was overrated plus Washington playing their first home game in their upgraded digs, but I did not expect a 32 point win from the Milwaukee Bucks in college football. Impressive start for Washington.

 I am in love with Vodka Sam - Pretty mad she deleted her Twitter account, but Vodka Samm became an overnight celebrity as she had over 12,000 Twitter followers by Monday. She wandered onto the field at Kinnick Stadium blowing a .341. She clearly enjoys boozing just like the normal college kid (Yes .341 is not normal, but many people in college have been there.) and she likes to brag about it on social media.  As being the number one party school, that is an impressive way to make your presence felt. If you do not believe the folks in Iowa City know how to party, I tell my story in our last podcast about my time in Iowa City about 10 minutes in.

 Ronnie Lott and chairs do not mix. - By far, the funniest thing to happen in college football was Ronnie Lott talking at the end of the Pac-12 Network games and falling out of his chair. If the GIF of it does not make you laugh, I do not know if we can be friends.  Here's the video if you want that too.

The story of Michigan State and their unknown quarterbacks - The Michigan State Spartans beat Western Michigan, 26-13, with them getting their two touchdowns by returning a fumble and interception. Once again, their quarterbacks are a complete dumpster fire. Andrew Maxwell and Connor Cook completed only 17 combined passes out of 37 for an average of 3.1 and 116 passing yards. Thankfully for these players, they had a defense because the Spartans would have lost this football game. They play South Florida next week who lost to McNeese State, but right now, Sparty's quarterback play is so damn bad that you just never know.

Somehow Alabama had a lackluster 25 point win. - Let me explain this one because it is true. Virginia Tech's defense for the most part played really well especially their defensive line. Alabama's offensive line clearly showed some immaturity which should be expected losing three starters from last year's team. The Crimson Tide had two touchdowns on special teams with Christian Jones being an absolute beast out there, and they had a defensive touchdown as well. This means the offense beat the Hokies, 14-10. I do not know if we underestimated the Tide, but I do think this team will need a couple games to round into form.

I need a name for this so if you have one, send it along to my Twitter account or shoot me an email, snotap12@gmail.com

Charlie.

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SnoTap College Football Preview: ACC Atlantic

Finally, the college football previews are beginning on SnoTap. We are trying something new looking at divisions/conferences as a whole versus breaking down every team. We look at the power six conferences, Notre Dame and independents and mid-majors. 

The Atlantic Coast Conference has not been represented in the National Championship game since 2000. While teams in their same region but different conferences have ultimate dominance in the sport, the ACC struggled to find footing with the powerhouses. This might be the first time in a long time where the ACC has three National Champion contenders, and it should not come as a surprise if we see one of those teams playing for the crystal ball.

The ACC Atlantic is first up in the SnoTap college football preview. It is a division filled with highlight reel players and intrigue on the height of some of the team's ceilings.

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Jameis Winston (Florida State) - One of the best freshmen (Redshirt but still) in the game right now. He has an absolute cannon for an arm as he displayed during the College World Series and all the tools to be a great player for Florida State. He also seems to have a way with words and people might get on his bandwagon quick. Helping Winston's transition into being a starter will be his very talented offensive line with Bryan Stork, Tre' Jackson and Josue Matias being one of the best inside trios in college football.


WR Sammy Watkins (Clemson) - If you believe in sophomore slumps, look no further than the wide receiver out of Clemson. Watkins missed three games and could not follow up his huge freshman campaign with another big year.  He only had four total touchdowns and two games with over 100 yards of receiving and Clemson still won 11 games. Imagine if Watkins can duplicate the 2011 season, Clemson becomes instantly a better team and a true threat to make it to the big game. Also with him healthy again, I expect him to be more part of the rushing game.

WR Stefon Diggs (Maryland) - I cannot blame if you do not know who Mr. Diggs is because Maryland was not a good football team last year. Diggs dealt with having the scout team linebacker throw him passes at one point of the season and he still had nearly 1,900 all-purpose yards on the year, second-highest for a freshman in school's history. Diggs is one of the most dynamic playmakers in college football that no one really seems to talk about.  Unlike Watkins, Diggs will have a huge second year with the Terrapins and actually make them look like a competent football team again.

CB LaMarcus Joyner (Florida State - One of the best playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. He is only 5'8 but he plays like a big corner out there. Joyner also makes up for his lack of height with blazing fast speed. If he jumps a route, there is a good chance Joyner will be seeing the endzone after picking it off. Terrence Brooks and him form an excellent duo in Florida State's secondary and with many teams passing the football more, the Seminoles should not have a problem stopping the pass.

QB Tajh Boyd (Clemson) - I would be remiss if I did not mention of my favorites in college football. Boyd is one of the favorites to win all of the awards come December. He progressed greatly as a quarterback under offensive coordinator Chad Morris and Boyd is poised to have another huge year. One thing to watch with Boyd is how he will do without having Andre Ellington in the backfield. While Clemson is pass-first, Ellington was a nice change of pace for the team.

FIVE GAMES TO WATCH
Saturday August 31st - Georgia at Clemson - My original hope we would have all ACC Atlantic matchups but let's be honest here, there are some juicy non-conference games with the teams in this division. Clemson looks to continue their run against SEC teams that started with them beating Auburn and LSU last season. This used to be a huge rivalry throughout the years and it is good to see the teams playing each other in their home stadiums. This should be a wild game.

Thursday September 19th - Clemson at NC State - This screams upset alert. The ACC will be hosting Thursday night games from now on ESPN and this could be one where we see SportsCenter open with fans charging the field after it. Boyd and Watkins will be ready for a Thursday night game in a hostile environment but the Tigers defense might not be there yet which could be a major problem. If the Tigers start off with two losses before we get to October, Dabo Sweeney's seat will start getting warm.

October 19th - Florida State at Clemson - For the sake of the article, let's say Clemson does not lose two games, this is the highlight of the ACC Atlantic division. It will probably decide who is playing in the ACC Championship game come December and the Noles will try to win Death Valley for the first time since 2001. Last year, Florida State scored 28 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarter winning 49-37 as the Tigers blew a 10-point lead.

November 30th - Maryland at NC State - Why should we care about this game you ask?  Both of these teams might be fighting to try to get bowl eligible or it could be the last game in the Randy Edsall experience for the Terrapins. Either way, this game will mean something.

November 30th - Florida State at Florida - Imagine if the Seminoles get through the ACC season unscathed and then they have to win in The Swamp to complete a perfect season before heading to the ACC Championship game. It could be some sight. The Seminoles have won twice in the last 10 years when they visit Gainesville. Even if Florida State is not undefeated, these two teams tend to deliver a good game.

FIVE QUESTIONS TO PONDER
Could Clemson be in the National Championship? - While I love the Clemson offense, I am going to say probably not. Yes they get Florida State at home and that's a huge advantage to their schedule, but they have an untested defense facing Georgia in Week 1 and then facing NC State in a tough road game three weeks later. There is also the whole thing about the bottom falling out for Clemson in November and if that's happens again, it might start when they have back-to-back road games against Maryland and Virginia.

Could Florida State be in the National Championship? - Personally, I am really buying into the Noles chances. We will get to Winston in a second, we have not even mentioned the potential huge year for James Wilder Jr. and they have a strong defense again as well.  For the first time in a long time, the game against Miami on November 2nd will hold a ton of meaning for not only the ACC but also the National Championship.

How much will we hear 'Jameis Winston is the next Johnny Manziel?' - Yes Mr. Winston made some comments saying "He did not want Johnny Manziel disease" which is a real stupid comment, but I digress. He will get compared to Manziel because he probably has an outside shot at winning the Heisman as a freshman and people will unfairly put him in with Manziel. Wintson is that good of a quarterback. Trust me, I know I am hyping him up throughout this post, but he will be one of the best players at the end of the year with people for the 2015 NFL Draft salivating.

After Florida State and Clemson, how bare is the ACC Atlantic cupboard? - It is bare as when a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model wears body paint. Sure it looks like there is something there, but in reality, she is not wearing anything. Boston College, Wake Forest and Syracuse is a truly weak bottom. Maryland and NC State both could be bowl teams but probably as 6-6 or 7-5 so not much hope there either. A couple upsets could happen but I do not think they are very deep.

How important are the ACC v. SEC games? - The first weekend of the season features Alabama-Virginia Tech, South Carolina-North Carolina and Georgia-Clemson, if the ACC somehow wins both games, people will probably freak out to epic proportions.  But in the grand scheme of things, it might take some of the superhuman strength of the SEC and that's it. Until one of these teams beat them in the National Championship game, they are the kings of college football.

PROJECTED FINISH
1. Florida State
2. Clemson
3. NC State
4. Maryland
5. Boston College
6. Wake Forest
7. Syracuse

I am all aboard the Florida State bandwagon. I like Clemson, but I feel they will once again find themselves looking on the outside of the BCS bowls.

Charlie.

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