Yes, you have another Sunday Reaction post coming to you on a Monday (Fair warning, next week’s will certainly be on a Monday due to traveling). Blame life and the real life job because they get in the way. The final weekend in September has come to a close and we still do not know who is good and who is bad. Georgia was the one team I was sure of and then Kent State put them in a dog fight. Some programs are lacking clarity but others are starting to prove themselves. Time to jump into week four to talk about what we learned.
Kansas is legit – I predicted last week the Jayhawks would beat Duke to move to 4-0 and they did exactly as I predicted. Jalon Daniels is a player everyone should keep an eye on this season. Daniels has 11 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns already on the season. He also is number one in the nation in QB Rating. Daniels is completing over 71% of his passes can could be a Heisman contender by the end of the season if he continues on this pace. The Jayhawks will face Iowa State next which will be another lofty task. If Kansas beats Iowa State and still are not ranked, Walk-On Redshirt Nation will riot.
DJ Uiagalelei has regained his 2020 form – DJ Uiagalelei was a bad quarterback in 2021. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns and Clemson struggled to move the ball consistently. The tides appear to have turned for the quarterback. Uiagalelei played one of the best games of his Clemson career on Saturday. He threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns against Wake Forest. Uiagalelei also avoided turning the ball over which was one of his biggest flaws in 2021. He made a great debut in 2020 where many thought the transition from Trevor Lawrence to him would be seamless. Fans and media speculated Cade Klubnik would take the job from Uiagalelei but those talks have quieted.
The SEC will cannibalize themselves – I truly thought Arkansas was better than Texas A&M heading into Saturday’s game. The Aggies pulled out the victory and have a chance to get back on track. Arkansas was not the only SEC team to struggle on Saturday. Ole Miss, Georgia, Kentucky and Auburn all struggled against group of five opponents. This week could have been an anomaly for the SEC but I think a few teams have shown their hand and are not as talented as we originally thought. I have a sense Alabama and Georgia will finish with zero or one loss while the rest of the conference will all finish 8-4 after they beat each other up.
Boise State is no longer the Boise State we all know and love – The Boise State Broncos lost to UTEP on Friday night by a score of 27-10. The Broncos are 2-2 and will likely struggle to finish with a winning record for the first time since 1998 when they were an FCS program. Chris Peterson built the program into a national power. Bryan Harsin helped keep the program in the top 25 but Andy Avalos is overseeing the fall of their dynasty. Avalos is only in his second season but he will be unlikely to get a third.
Texas, still not back – Remember all the hype Texas received for the start of the season? Quinn Ewers was going to be their savior while Steve Sarkisian was going to restore Texas to a national power. Ewers is hurt and Texas is sitting at 2-2 after losing to Texas Tech. Texas has a difficult schedule playing four more ranked opponents plus a trip to Kansas. We all love to joke about how Texas beat Kansas (twice) in the last few seasons but this year they are once again a threat. Texas will find a way to make a bowl game but an 8-4 record is starting to look more likely each week.
Miami, still not back – Read above, somehow it is all worse for Miami after hiring Mario Cristobal.
Ohio State is probably good – I have attempted to avoid writing about Ohio State in these posts even after they beat Notre Dame as some may believe my views are bias. My thoughts on the Buckeyes are probably a little bias but I tried to be rational about my opinions. The Buckeyes appear to be a complete team. They struggled against Notre Dame in week one which could be attributed to a few factors. One of the factors would be the lack of a tune up game. Ohio State dismantled Wisconsin leading 49-7 at the end of the third quarter. A few garbage time touchdowns made the scoreboard look slightly better for the Badgers. The defense was the biggest question mark heading into the season and they are off to a great start.
Florida State is vastly improved – Mike Norvell was on the hot seat entering the 2022 season but his seat has cooled. Florida State is 4-0 with wins over LSU, Louisville and Boston College. The caliber of opponent may not be incredible but last the Seminoles would be 2-2 with this record. Florida State is still a long way from contending in the ACC but Norvell has them trending in the right direction. Florida State entered the AP rankings for the first time since the preseason rankings of the 2018 season. The Seminoles enter a tough stretch where they will face Wake Forest, NC State and Clemson in a row. Florida State is unlikely to win all three but I have confidence they will win at least one of their next three games.
