Forde-yard Dash: Grading Second-year Cfb Coaches As Texas A&m, Indiana Excel

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news successful assemblage football, wherever counseling is disposable successful nan authorities of Colorado aft the Buffaloes and Rams mislaid by a mixed 81-7 to neighboring rivals Utah and Wyoming connected Saturday.

Killing It

Texas A&M (1). Whoever squashed nan hiring of Mark Stoops 2 years agone deserves to person a shot installation named aft them. Torpedoing that attempted move paved nan measurement for nan Aggies to deed nan location tally that is Mike Elko, who is simply a specified 16–5 connected nan job—most importantly 8–0 this season.

By comparison, Stoops is 6–13 complete nan aforesaid span astatine Kentucky. Tougher job, sure, but he’s mislaid his juice and it seems intolerable that he would person done anyplace adjacent arsenic good arsenic Elko has successful College Station.

After mauling LSU successful Baton Rouge connected Saturday night, A&M has 1 of nan clearest College Football Playoff paths successful nan nation. The Aggies are 5–0 successful nan Southeastern Conference pinch remaining convention games astatine Missouri connected Saturday, wherever freshman backmost Matt Zollers seems assured of making his first commencement for nan Tigers; location against South Carolina, which has mislaid 5 of its past six; and astatine Texas, which is experiencing utmost turbulence.

Even if A&M loses 1 of those, a 7–1 squad has a very bully chance of making nan SEC title game. And nan 2 teams successful that crippled are decidedly making nan playoff.

How person nan Aggies gone from bully to awesome twelvemonth complete year? The discourtesy is overmuch amended successful its 2nd play nether coordinator Collin Klein. Quarterback Marcel Reed is improved and enjoying nan transportation portal additions of Mario Craver and KC Concepcion astatine receiver. Those 2 velocity merchants person mixed for 76 catches, 1,261 yards and 12 touchdowns, pinch Concepcion besides lodging 2 punt returns.

Defensively, A&M is destroying opponents connected 3rd down. The Aggies person allowed conscionable a 14.6% conversion complaint successful SEC games, by acold nan champion successful nan league. It’s nary coincidence that they besides lead nan SEC successful sacks by a wide separator pinch Cashius Howell racking up 9.5 already.

Schadenfreude bonus: Texas is vastly underperforming fixed preseason expectations, which is making this autumn moreover much enjoyable for A&M fans. Major prize points awarded.

Indiana (2). With a 19–2 record, Curt Cignetti remains connected way to beryllium 1 of nan top hires in assemblage shot history. (We’ll talk that further successful a consequent Dash quarter.) Like Elko astatine A&M, Cignetti instantly improved nan product, past took it up different level successful Year 2.

The 8–0 Hoosiers person fantabulous roadworthy victories complete Oregon and Iowa, but they’ve perfectly demolished opponents astatine home. The mixed people of six location games: Indiana 313, Other Guys 49. That says Cignetti has accomplished nan antecedently impossible, transforming Memorial Stadium from mausoleum into snake pit.

Indiana’s playoff way includes 3 roadworthy games, and it will drawback Maryland connected Saturday pinch nan Terrapins coming disconnected an unfastened date. But nan Hoosiers are apt to beryllium heavy favored successful each remaining contests—and moreover if they decorativeness 8–1 successful nan Big Ten, they are successful awesome position to make nan convention title crippled pinch head-to-head wins complete nan Ducks and Hawkeyes.

Schadenfreude bonus: Purdue hasn’t won a Big Ten crippled since Cig arrived. His powerfulness is unlimited.

Curt Cignetti’s occurrence successful Bloomington resulted successful a monolithic statement hold this month. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Houston (3). Unlike nan 2 guys above, Willie Fritz was not an instant victor upon presence past year. But for illustration nan 2 guys above, he’s cranked it up a level successful Year 2.

The Cougars were 4–8 successful 2024 pinch a malfunctioning discourtesy that turned nan shot complete frequently. This year, pinch backmost Conner Weigman and different portal arrivals, Houston is 7–1 and performing overmuch much efficiently. Points per crippled person doubled, from 14 past twelvemonth to 28.8 this year, and turnovers person plummeted from 2.3 per crippled to 0.5.

In nan fluid Big 12, 4–1 Houston is successful contention for nan title crippled but could request immoderate thief to get there. Its 4 remaining opponents person convention records of 6–13, truthful winning retired is surely possible. The league’s 2 unbeatens, BYU and Cincinnati, will look disconnected Nov. 22. Texas Tech (7–1, 4–1) owns nan head-to-head tiebreaker pinch nan Cougars.

Schadenfreude bonus: City rival Rice, while improved, still isn’t a threat to triumph nan American Conference.

Holding Serve

Second-year coaches who are keeping things moving aft inheriting successful programs:

Alabama (4). Kalen DeBoer’s support standing was astatine a perilous constituent after losing nan opener to Florida State and dropping to 9–5 successful his first 14 games connected nan job. Since past he’s mostly doing what Alabama is accustomed to doing— inning games, rising to nan apical of nan SEC standings and being forwardly placed successful nan playoff race.

That said, nan capacity astatine South Carolina connected Saturday was dicey—the Tide trailed 22–14 precocious successful nan 4th fourth earlier a long, game-tying drive, a forced fumble and nan winning people successful nan last minute. Alabama had its first two-turnover crippled of nan play against nan Gamecocks and continues to flail successful nan moving game.

Despite a unsmooth commencement to nan season, Alabama is undefeated successful nan SEC truthful far. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But immoderate of that mightiness person been inevitable. Going connected nan roadworthy to return connected a proven upset-perpetrator successful Shane Beamer aft beating 4 consecutive classed opponents is simply a vulnerable script. Just uncovering a measurement to past pinch a triumph keeps nan train moving successful nan correct direction.

Schadenfreude bonus: Auburn is still a mess. Bonus points awarded.

Washington (5). Jedd Fisch was ne'er going to prolong DeBoer’s 14–1 magic of ’23, not aft each nan unit departures to nan NFL and different places (like Alabama). But he has continued to tenaciously take sides Husky Stadium, pinch a 10–1 grounds location and nan only nonaccomplishment coming against No. 1 Ohio State.

Fisch and nan Huskies sewage a large location triumph Saturday complete Illinois successful a Big Ten ladder game, improving to 3–2 successful nan convention and shoving nan Illini down to 2–3. The adjacent 3 are each winnable (at Wisconsin, vs. Purdue and astatine UCLA), which would group up a juicy location finale against Oregon.

Beat nan Ducks to decorativeness 10–2? That mightiness beryllium bully capable for a backdoor playoff bid. But moreover a nonaccomplishment and a 9–3 grounds would beryllium a successful year.

Schadenfreude bonus: The Huskies should consciousness much subsister guilt than joyousness complete crippling Washington State by sidesplitting nan Pac-12.

Duke (6). The Blue Devils don’t conscionable smoothly replicate past occurrence erstwhile a bully coach leaves—after Steve Spurrier, they had losing records successful 22 of nan adjacent 23 years. But aft replacing Elko, Manny Diaz is simply a coagulated 13–7, pinch a 4–3 people this season.

Duke spent a batch of money successful nan backmost marketplace to bring successful Darian Mensah this season, which truthful acold has not elevated nan program. The Devils person beaten nan teams they should hit convincingly and mislaid to nan amended ones, which leaves this play to beryllium mostly defined by what happens successful November.

At 3–1 successful nan league, a way to nan ACC title crippled still exists. Duke is astatine Clemson connected Saturday, hosts Virginia connected Nov. 15, visits North Carolina and hosts Wake Forest. The full spectrum of outcomes successful those games, from 4–0 to 0–4, seems possible.

Schadenfreude bonus: The Bill Belichick Era has been an enjoyable disaster 8 miles down Tobacco Road ... but location are signs of advancement from nan Tar Heels. Duke had amended beryllium fresh for that one.

Duke backmost Darian Mensah is still trying to find his feet since transferring successful from Tulane. / Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Not nan Envisioned Upgrade

Second-year coaches who were expected to hole immoderate things but haven’t gotten astir to it:

Michigan State (7). The Spartans already tried 1 John Smith, and nan results were not bully (they were 22-–6 from 2003–06 nether John L.). The existent 1 (Jonathan is his preferred appellation) isn’t doing immoderate better. Smith is 8–12, connected a five-game losing streak and winless this play successful nan Big Ten. They person surrendered 31 aliases much points to each power-conference force this season.

There is an opportunity to decorativeness decently, fixed nan schedule, but astatine 3–5 and coming disconnected a 4th consecutive nonaccomplishment to Michigan, nan instrumentality guidelines mightiness beryllium losing its zest for this season. They tin perceive nan basketballs bouncing astatine nan Breslin Center and nan puck dropping astatine Munn Arena.

Schadenfreude bonus: The Wolverines aren’t nan nationalist title threat they were nether nan hated Jim Harbaugh, but they’re still amended than Michigan State. No prize awarded.

Mississippi State (8). Make nary mistake, nan Bulldogs are amended than successful their first twelvemonth nether Jeff Lebby, and amended than nan mislaid twelvemonth of ’23 nether Zach Arnett. They had a field-storming upset of Arizona State successful September, and pushed some Tennessee and Texas to nan brink successful October.

But nan bottommost statement remains nan same: Mississippi State hasn’t won an SEC crippled since ’23. Lebby is 0–12 successful that category, and while Arkansas presents a aureate opportunity to extremity that futility Saturday, 3 classed opponents follow. Letting nan Longhorns disconnected nan hook aft taking a 17-point lead successful nan 4th fourth is nan benignant of illness that tin time off a people connected nan psyche.

Schadenfreude bonus: None available, fixed Mississippi’s occurrence this season. The only dream State fans tin entertain is Lane Kiffin perchance jetting disconnected to Florida.

(We are going to skip correct complete UCLA, which was truthful bad nether DeShaun Foster that he was fired aft 15 games. Check backmost aft nan adjacent coach is hired.)

Still Undefined

The hold for definitive signs that they hired nan correct feline (or incorrect guy) continues:

Michigan (9). Sherrone Moore isn’t Harbaugh, arsenic his 14–7 wide grounds indicates. But he has an all-time programme triumph complete Ohio State past twelvemonth connected his résumé, and he should beryllium fixed nan opportunity to maximize freshman backmost Bryce Underwood’s imaginable successful ’26 and ’27. At 6–2 pinch 3 highly winnable games coming up, Moore is well-positioned to amended Michigan’s triumph full complete past play and ramp up for large expectations adjacent year.

Schadenfreude bonus: The bedeviling head-to-head ownership of nan Buckeyes is great, but Ohio State’s 11-game winning streak since nan past meeting—including nan nationalist championship—is a hellhole of a counterweight.

The Wolverines still ain Michigan bragging authorities aft winning successful East Lansing this weekend. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Syracuse (10). Given nan before-and-after his injury, Steve Angeli mightiness beryllium nan astir deserving Heisman Trophy winner. The Orange were 3–1 pinch nan Notre Dame transportation and are 0–4 without him. So kudos to Fran Brown for landing Angeli, but he intelligibly hasn’t been capable to fig retired what to do without him. Syracuse averaged 38.3 points successful games he played and has averaged 12.5 since.

Brown is entertaining, charismatic and a bully recruiter. He’s upgraded nan talent level and competitiveness. Closing pinch 4 consecutive wins to spell 10–3 past play was a awesome start, and possibly that would person carried complete to this twelvemonth pinch amended wounded luck. But astatine 3–5 pinch roadworthy games against Miami and Notre Dame still connected nan schedule, a backslide to a losing grounds seems inevitable.

Schadenfreude bonus: Pitt is surging while ‘Cuse is slumping, truthful nary is awarded.

Dash College Football Playoff Bracket

The latest College Football Playoff Top 12, positive matchups, if coming were Selection Sunday. The first CFP action committee rankings are coming Nov. 4.

Ranking 4–11 is progressively difficult. Alabama has nan astir value wins, but besides has an progressively bad nonaccomplishment to fading Florida State. The Dash is slotting Oregon and Miami ahed of nan Crimson Tide for now. In nan SEC pecking order, nan Tide should beryllium up of Georgia, which should beryllium up of Mississippi, which is somewhat up of Vanderbilt aft large wins for nan Rebels and Commodores.

BYU and Georgia Tech person done thing incorrect to date. They conscionable haven’t done capable correct yet to get up of nan SEC logjam.

CFP Seeding

First Round

No. 12 Navy astatine No. 5 Miami
No. 11 Georgia Tech astatine No. 6 Alabama
No. 10 BYU astatine No. 7 Georgia
No. 9 Vanderbilt up of No. 8 Mississippi

Quarterfinals

Cotton Bowl: Navy-Miami victor vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl: Georgia Tech-Alabama victor vs. Texas A&M
Orange Bowl: BYU-Georgia victor vs. Indiana
Rose Bowl: Vanderbilt-Mississippi victor vs. Ohio State

More College Football connected Sports Illustrated

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