Every Monday, Dr. Saturday editor Graham Watson looks back on the weekend that was and decides what she loved, what she hated (I have all the hot takes) and what she can’t wait to see again.
THE LOVE
We see you, Oregon: Was there any team that made a stronger statement than Oregon this week? It wasn’t just the 46-27 win, though that was definitely impressive, it was the way the Ducks accomplished the win. How many times have we seen Oregon face a tough defensive opponent and let frustration affect its play? This time, Oregon saw a 27-18 deficit and didn’t flinch. In fact, some might say it got motivated. The defense started playing lights out and the offense just did what the offense does. It was the most complete game Oregon has played against a highly-ranked opponent in quite some time. And now it makes the Ducks scary. Not only does that win give them the inside track on the playoff, it also sets up a possible undefeated regular season with pretty soft schedule ahead. Could the Ducks finally live up their potential?
Oklahoma and its scholarship: One of the best moments of the weekend was one the general public didn’t see (until this below video was released). Following Oklahoma’s 52-7 win against Tulsa, coach Bob Stoops awarded the game ball to linebacker Caleb Gastelum and then awarded the senior walk-on a scholarship. Gastelum had a career-high eight tackles, which led all Sooners, a sack, a tackle for loss and an interception in the win. The sack and the interception against Tulsa also were career firsts.
Very cool, Oklahoma. Very cool.
Tanner McEvoy giving Wisconsin fans the finger (figuratively): After Wisconsin’s 28-24 loss to LSU last week, Badgers’ fans took to Twitter to bash new starting quarterback Tanner McEvoy, who completed 33 percent of his passes for 50 yards and two interceptions in the game. The tweets, as you can imagine, were pretty ugly and McEvoy noted he was happy he had the ability to block and mute people on Twitter. But on Saturday, following the Badgers' 37-3 win against Western Illinois, McEvoy took to Twitter to give a shoutout to the fans that stuck by him and a proverbial middle finger to the ones who didn’t.
That one was for the fans who stuck with me! Thank you for all of the support! We will keep this going! #UWBadgers
— Tanner McEvoy (@tmcevoy5) September 6, 2014 McEvoy threw for 283 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the win. Yes, it was against Western Illinois, a team the Badgers should have beaten by 40, but McEvoy has to accentuate his positive moments when he can.
THE HATE (hot takes a-plenty)
This whole Pat Haden thing: The Internet exploded Saturday when USC athletic director Pat Haden came down from the press box to talk to officials about a pair of calls they made during the game against Stanford. The over-the-top outrage was swift and ridiculous. There were articles about how Haden should recuse himself from the College Football Committee, there were columns that were a little more level-headed. When the smoke cleared on Monday, Haden was hit with a Pac-12 reprimand and a fine, which wasn’t a big surprise. But Haden wasn’t the only committee member who had a fit with the refs last weekend. Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez was spotted screaming at officials during the Badgers game against Western Illinois.
Pat Haden not the only AD & member of the selection committee getting after officials on the sideline.(Photo/@mpking) http://ift.tt/WFn3T6
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) September 7, 2014 Where’s the outrage, people? Where are the calls for Alvarez recusing himself from the Playoff committee? Where is the swift and ridiculous overreaction? An email about all of this went unanswered by the Big Ten, though it was probably a little busy with Penn State being cleared of its NCAA sanctions to deal with my query. But if we’re going to chastise Haden for his actions, it’s not really fair to ignore those of a man in a similar position just because his game didn’t happen to be on ESPN.
Ugh, the Big Ten:
And while we’re on the subject of the Big Ten, is there any conference that has been a bigger letdown? I’m not going to beat this to death because I know it’s been a hot topic around the country, but man, the Big Ten really has been a hot mess during the first two weeks of the season. And it’s unfortunate because I believe the conference had a chance to get two schools — Wisconsin and Michigan State — into the CFB Playoff, or at least into the discussion. Now, I think the conference will be left out altogether.
However, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is urging Big Ten faithful not to give up hope.
"No doubt some games matter more than others," Delany told ESPN.com. "We still have more work to do. We just don't have those [wins] in our résumé. Others do. People can write what they want to write. It's America. But it's at a stage where the narrative is still developing. "Anyone who writes the story of the 2014 football season after two weeks, that's premature."
Perhaps, but the fact of the matter is the two best shots for a playoff spot both lost the most important games on their schedule.
Some might say that teams such as Michigan State and even Nebraska could make a case by winning the rest of the way out, but the conference has struggled so much, it’s going to be difficult to weigh any Big Ten Conference games over ones from some of the more impressive leagues.
Texas Tech ain’t Texas Tech: Has anyone seen Texas Tech? In the past two weeks, the Red Raiders have struggled across the board to be the dominate team many expected it to be this season. It beat Central Arkansas by a touchdown — a come-from-behind win — and escaped UTEP by four points (also a come-from-behind victory). These are teams that the Texas Tech of yesteryear would have run the score up on with absolutely no apology.
But quarterback Davis Webb has been shaky in his first two starts. Even though he’s thrown for 730 yards and seven touchdowns, the offense hasn’t been crisp, and the defense, well, UTEP rushed for 277 yards against the Red Raiders.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury said he was disappointed in his team’s performance following the Central Arkansas win and he has to be totally dumbfounded after the Red Raiders’ UTEP escape. With Arkansas’ high-powered running game looming, Texas Tech has to figure something out quickly or risk getting run off their own field.
LET’S DO IT AGAIN
More high-profile nonconference games, please: I would like to officially thank the College Football Playoff for making the first two weeks of college football as entertaining as they’ve ever been. Sure, we’ve had high-profile nonconference games before, but never so many in such a short span that mean so much. There’s no question teams are beefing up their nonconference schedules in an attempt to gain an edge in the new playoff and the fans are going to be the ones benefitting. What’s awesome is that these first two weeks aren’t an aberration. Nonconference schedule for years to come are packed with these marquee games and that will only make college football better in the long run.
Run Taysom, run: BYU quarterback Taysom Hill seems to be at his best when he plays Texas, but I’d like to see him be that good all the time and make BYU football nationally relevant again. There was a time when BYU had a quartet of offensive players — quarterback Max Hall, tight end Dennis Pitta, receiver Austin Collie and running back Harvey Unga — that made the program one of the most intriguing non-power conference programs in the country. But the Cougars haven’t been nearly as interesting since they went independent and it’s time that changed. What Hill didn’t have last season was a lot of help, but it seems like that’s different in 2014. BYU doesn’t have the schedule to be a contender for the playoff, but a good season could do wonders for the Cougars in 2015.
Keep doing you, Craig Bohl: I’m pretty sure new Wyoming coach Craig Bohl doesn’t know how to lose. Since 2011, Bohl has lost just two games and he’s won three FCS national titles. In fact, he hasn't lost a game since 2012. As the new coach of Wyoming, he’s already 2-0, beating perennial FCS power Montana and defeating Air Force on a last-minute touchdown. Wyoming hasn’t started a season 2-0 since 2011. Sadly, I don’t expect the Cowboys to go 3-0 as the Cowboys travel to Autzen Stadium to play Oregon, but I absolutely love the energy Bohl has brought to Wyoming football and the belief he’s instilled in his short time there. If the Cowboys keep believing in Bohl, they could have some unexpected success this season.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - A Case of the Mondays: A look back at Week 2 love, hot takes and memorable moments
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