By FLINT WHEELER
It is overreaction week as the NCAA heads into week 3. Here are some true possibilities even if it is a little early.
Baylor could start 0-8
Matt Rhule is not having the best start to his new job in Waco, Texas. In Week 1, he lost to FCS opponent Liberty Flames 48-45. The Liberty loss was definitely his worst defeat as a head coach since it gave Liberty its first Power Five win in school history.
But it looked like Rhule wasn’t done giving team’s their first Power Five wins in school history. In Week 2, the Bears played host to Conference USA opponent UTSA. The Roadrunners left Waco with the surprising win.
The Bears once again fell to a non-Power Five school. The losses are alarming but looking at the schedule ahead for the Bears is even worse. The Bears will likely not be favored in any of their next six games. They play Duke in Week 3 and then open up Big 12 play the following week. They shouldn’t be favored in a game until Nov. 4 when they go to Kansas. And after that they will not be favored to win a game.
It is very possible to see Rhule and the Baylor Bears start their season 0-8.
One conference will have two teams in the CFB Playoff
In the three year history of the College Football Playoff, there has never been a conference that has sent two teams to the final four field.
This is the year that it will happen. It won’t be the SEC or the ACC, the conferences with the most playoff wins, though. And it won’t be the Big Ten, the conference with the inaugural College Football Playoff title.
It will be the conference with no Playoff wins: the Big 12. This does not mean the Big 12 is best conference because it definitely is not. It only means that it’s the only conference that doesn’t have divisions.
Divisions can get in the way of getting two teams in the playoff.
Let’s take LSU-Alabama for example. LSU and Alabama are usually the best teams in the SEC, but only one can go to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. If there were no divisions and both games they play against each other are very close, there is a higher possible of getting them both into the playoff.
This year, the Big 12 has two great top-10 teams: Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. If an undefeated Oklahoma beats an undefeated Oklahoma State in a close game on Nov. 4 and a one-loss Oklahoma State barely escapes the Big 12 Championship with a win, there’s a possibility they both get in.
I think this will play out because the Pac-12 and the Big Ten champion has a good chance of having two losses. It could easily be a final four that features an ACC champion, SEC champion, a Big 12 champion and a Big 12 runner-up, with the Big Ten and Pac-12 champion watching from the couch.
Sam Darnold isn’t the best USC player
Before the season, Sam Darnold was the Trojan that everyone was talking about. Through two weeks of the season, he has not even played the position the best in his conference, maybe not even in the state of California.
While Darnold has taken some time to find some consistency, one Trojan has been picking up the slack.
Reintroduce yourself to possibly the next great Trojan running back, Ronald Jones II.
Jones II has placed himself firmly into the discussion of the being one of the best running in 2017. He has rushed for 275 yards on 41 carries and five touchdowns. His 41 carries are ninth in the Power Five, and his 275 yards are the sixth best in the Power Five. The five touchdowns are second in the FBS.
