1. The College Football Playoff selection committee unveils its first rankings Tuesday. We all know who will be No. 1: that juggernaut in Athens that has outscored its eight opponents 303-53. But for the first time since the first-ever one of these shows on Oct. 28, 2014, I truly have no idea who the next three teams will be, much less in what order. And that feels … refreshing.
The pool of candidates includes 8-0 Michigan State, 8-0 Cincinnati, 9-0 Oklahoma, 7-1 Alabama, 7-1 Ohio State and 7-1 Oregon. None of which feel like a no-brainer No. 2, and none of which feel like they belong down at No. 7.
2. Remarkably, Michigan State, which won two games last season, could well be that first No. 2 team. Down 30-14 in the third quarter, the Spartans rallied to win an instant classic against undefeated rival Michigan, 37-33, primarily because they had Kenneth Walker III and the Wolverines did not. Walker should sit atop every Heisman poll this week after rushing for 197 yards and five touchdowns, busting 58- and 23-yard scores in that fourth quarter comeback. Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara had a heck of a game himself, up until his last two drives, when the Spartans forced a turnover on downs, then picked off McNamara to seal it.
Is Michigan State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) really the second-best team in the country? Don’t know. But the Spartans now have a top-10 win and four wins over .500-or-better opponents, which arguably gives them the season’s second-best resume.
3. It can’t be emphasized enough how broken Michigan State’s program had become by the end of Mark Dantonio’s tenure, and he made things no easier by waiting until February 2020 to retire. Despite taking over shortly before a pandemic hit, Mel Tucker managed to flip the roster, thanks in part to impact transfers like Walker, and transformed the Spartans’ identity from ground-and-pound to balanced and explosive. Credit goes as well to offensive coordinator Jay Johnson for some nifty and aggressive play calling Saturday.
The pool of candidates includes 8-0 Michigan State, 8-0 Cincinnati, 9-0 Oklahoma, 7-1 Alabama, 7-1 Ohio State and 7-1 Oregon. None of which feel like a no-brainer No. 2, and none of which feel like they belong down at No. 7.
2. Remarkably, Michigan State, which won two games last season, could well be that first No. 2 team. Down 30-14 in the third quarter, the Spartans rallied to win an instant classic against undefeated rival Michigan, 37-33, primarily because they had Kenneth Walker III and the Wolverines did not. Walker should sit atop every Heisman poll this week after rushing for 197 yards and five touchdowns, busting 58- and 23-yard scores in that fourth quarter comeback. Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara had a heck of a game himself, up until his last two drives, when the Spartans forced a turnover on downs, then picked off McNamara to seal it.
Is Michigan State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) really the second-best team in the country? Don’t know. But the Spartans now have a top-10 win and four wins over .500-or-better opponents, which arguably gives them the season’s second-best resume.
3. It can’t be emphasized enough how broken Michigan State’s program had become by the end of Mark Dantonio’s tenure, and he made things no easier by waiting until February 2020 to retire. Despite taking over shortly before a pandemic hit, Mel Tucker managed to flip the roster, thanks in part to impact transfers like Walker, and transformed the Spartans’ identity from ground-and-pound to balanced and explosive. Credit goes as well to offensive coordinator Jay Johnson for some nifty and aggressive play calling Saturday.
