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The Daily Cardinal Est. 1892
Friday, March 29, 2024

Louisville dominates, looks like contender

Statements were made on Saturday, and there was plenty of movement in the college football world on Sunday. After another weekend of action, which featured everything from kickoff returns to #SurrenderCobras, there is still little movement between the top teams in college football. Obviously it is just one weekend in a long season, but if teams such as Louisville can indicate they belong in the College Football Playoff Picture, then the Alabama Crimson Tide should be fearful that their spot at the top of college football is threatened by a deeper elite tier.

With their narrow 48-43 victory against Ole Miss, Nick Saban’s team has begun to solidify their status as a true playoff contender. Alabama’s pass-heavy offense was nowhere to be seen in Week 3, but this provided the opportunity for other areas of the team to be highlighted. The Alabama special teams was led by Eddie Jackson, who swung the momentum against the Rebels with an 85-yard punt return. It is always positive to see a team not give up after trailing by 21 points at halftime. Alabama is a force to be reckoned with, as well as the surging Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes recorded their 19th straight true road win and secured their ranking among college football powerhouses in 2016. Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett was exceptional once again, throwing for 140 yards and four touchdowns. Credit Noah Brown here, for finishing with five catches and all four of Barrett’s touchdowns against the Sooners. The offensive balance from Week 2 was not as dominant, but Urban Meyer was able to move the ball well in a 45-24 victory. This convincing win officially puts Ohio State in the national championship conversation along with the scorching Louisville Cardinals.

After last weekend, fans should recognize quarterback Lamar Jackson, the new Heisman-trophy frontrunner. The Cardinal’s victory over the Florida State Seminoles was an absolute blowout–a 63-20 lopsided win that proved to be a big statement for the sophomore star. He registered 362 yards with five touchdowns and has transformed as the face of this team. Jackson has 876 yards rushing in his last five games, which is astonishing. Bobby Petrino’s team has potential to be dangerous, as long as they are effective against tough defenses. One defensive team that comes to mind is the Michigan Wolverines.

Jim Harbaugh’s khakis and his team’s confidence are hardly wrinkled. That is what made the Wolverine’s 45-28 victory over Colorado so impressive. A new superstar emerged in Ann Arbor, as linebacker, running back, punt returner and renaissance man Jabrill Peppers featured nine tackles and 204 all-purpose yards and a punt-return touchdown to shut down the Buffaloes’ late comeback. The Heisman discussion is early, but if Peppers continues to put up these numbers, he will be in the thick of the race come September. During the Michigan game, the players did not buckle under pressure. Conversely, a team that hardly felt any pressure at all last weekend was the Clemson Tigers.

Clemson recorded its fourth shutout in the last 27 games with a 59-0 win over South Carolina State. The Tigers totaled 555 yards while holding South Carolina State to 102 yards. A week after narrowly winning against Troy, this game appeared over as Clemson led 45-0 at half. Clemson plays Georgia Tech in Week 4 and a big victory then could help their ranking. Another team that could benefit from a big Week 4 victory is the Stanford Cardinals who remain undefeated.

A strong performance by Christian McCaffrey was the highlight of this game. His routine 260 all-purpose yards caused headaches for USC. Even with McCaffrey continuing to carry the Cardinals from scrimmage, other skill position players will have to step up against stronger Pac-12 teams. Wait to see what the score is against the Pac-12 frontrunner Washington in two weeks for any indication on a deep playoff run. Besides McCaffery, another great start to the season takes the form of the Houston Cougars.

Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. set the tone. His stat line of 24-for-36 passing for 326 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions helped the Cougars rally against University of Cincinnati. The 40-16 win was constructed by the defense, which had three takeaways and a safety. The Cougars may have not looked like a playoff contender early, but after scoring 28 fourth-quarter points, the team looked like they could potentially compete with the top teams (but the question is, how long can they last at the top). Tom Herman must figure out how to prevent dumb penalties by his offense because against better-coached teams, Houston will not survive.

In the Big 10, the Michigan State Spartans are quietly moving up in the rankings after beating Notre Dame 36-28. They dominated, scored 36 straight unanswered points, and owned the line of scrimmage. Notre Dame was stunned early, but took advantage of the defending Big Ten champions’ lackadaisical play to close the gap late. Still, we learned that this team can be very good when they want to be. A tough test arrives for the Spartans in Week 4, so there will be questions about how tough coach Dantonio’s group can be against rival Wisconsin.

Another non-conference victory from this weekend put the Washington Huskies back on the radar. The Huskies dominated and their 41-3 victory over Portland State was paced by quarterback Jake Browning, who threw for 4 TDs. UW’s nonconference schedule was ranked the weakest by CBSsports.com, which is an accurate claim thus far. The Huskies have outscored their first three nonconference opponents 148-30 and look to continue that trend as the conference season progresses. Big offensive plays from Chico McClatcher (106 total yards, 2 touchdowns) are helping the team look forward to next week’s Pac-12 matchup against Arizona. Washington must continue to score in the red zone to remain in the playoff discussion.

In addition to the Huskies, the Texas A&M Aggies face a great deal of pressure entering their conference schedule. However, with a 29-16 win against Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium, A&M is beginning to silence their critics. Led by Trevor Knight’s 247 passing yards, A&M put pressure inside Auburn’s 20-yard line on multiple drives, but settled mostly for field goals. Their incapability to score within the red zone is an issue for a team against admirable opponents (e.g. Alabama) late in the season. The true test for the Aggies is whether they will falter down the stretch or rise to the occasion.

As fans turn to Week 4, games against tough conference foes are great indicators of how prepared a program is for the playoffs. If your team’s odds for the CFP National Championship are already looking rather slim, remember there is a bowl game for practically everyone.

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