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Takeaways from the College Football weekend ending October 16, 2021:

1. Clemson might be the most human of the current group of traditional football powerhouses right now. They have not restocked this year (talent-wise) as they have over the past 6-7 years, which is a common trait among 99% of all college football programs that don’t have a coach named Nick Saban.  Watching Dabo have to actually coach up his Clemson team every week has been interesting to watch. If not for South Carolina, where they scored 49, and won by 46, they have not scored over 21 points in a single game this year and have not won by more than 6 points. I am willing to bet that Dabo becomes the newest fan of the transfer portal this offseason – for debits and credits.

2. Kentucky, in a desperate attempt to become something other than a basketball school, threw every play in their playbook at the Georgia Bulldogs before the 5-star talent took over. The Wildcats are a great QB recruit away from becoming a more serious candidate for consideration within the SEC. UK does, however, invoke a word that is rarely spoken in the SEC anymore and that is the word “senior”. They have some of those in their lineup and they use them. Not many top teams can say that.

3. Georgia is still perfect and dangerously good in every facet of the game. There is speed and talent everywhere and they are hungry, folks. If you score on them, they are just tired and needed a break, or they were trying their shoe when the ball was snapped. Last time they won a National Championship was with a guy named Herschel. If UGA wins the national championship and he wins his election, you haven’t seen a party like what they will have in Athens, GA.

4. With all the talk about QBs and the Heisman candidates therein, maybe someone should be looking at the RB play in the country this year. There is some serious talent at that position this year and none of them are named Najee.

5. Speaking of QBs, can someone ask Bo Nix what kind of game he expects to play next week? One week he chooses to play backyard football like Johnny Manziel against LSU and the next he plays like Josh Allen and completes 90% of his passes against Arkansas. He has half the Auburn fans trying to figure out if they are on the correct medication for hypertension or if they simply have heart palpitations when he takes the field. This week he played well and the Razorbacks were never a threat despite the score of the game. It is funny to see how this Auburn team is gauged and given respect with how well one player – Bo Nix – plays.

6. Iowa had a cup of coffee at #2. Teams of that rank should not struggle against unranked teams, and definitely not at home. Alabama can relate, but their loss was on the road, in the SEC, and in front of a zillion people screaming at them and their families. The Hawkeyes’ 2nd half total yards were less than my age and you can’t throw four INTs and expect to stay undefeated. They need to find an offense – once they find one, they could be trouble. Keyword = could.

7. Spencer Rattler might be the first college QB to enter the transfer portal during the college season. If the Williams kid continues to play well, he is done. 

8. Cincinnati – Raise your hand if you have watched a Bearcats game this year. You might better start. Truth be told, they will probably need to beat their remaining opponents by 50 or more to get in to the CFP over the blue bloods this year. 

9. Every game should concern Alabama fans – for the rest of the season. Alabama is still an elite team, but it is not the dominant team that Tide fans are used to watching. Tell that to Mississippi State, right? They might disagree. The Tide defense has had a soft look to the opposing offense so far this year compared to recent years and every QB they have faced this year has generally had time to make reads and decisions. Defense was swarming and pretty pissed off in Starkville Saturday night for obvious reasons. The Bama secondary played more aggressive and had 3 big INTs in the game that snuffed momentum. The offense looked in charge and never struggled to generate push, the run game, and explosive plays. Bryce Young gets better each week.

10. Will Anderson for Alabama is becoming one of the most dominant defensive players in college football – and he is a sophomore. Expect to see more emphasis on him from the media from this point on and from offensive coordinators who prefer to keep their jobs. 

11. The SEC is back to being the SEC. Neyland Stadium is checker-boarded in that gaudy orange and white, cowbells are infringing on city noise ordinances miles outside of Starkville, and SEC stadiums continue to set the standard of human craziness, body paint, crowd hysteria, and youthful energy gone wild. College football stadiums, in general, this year have been packed and absolutely exhilarating to watch so far. May we never take them for granted again.

12. Tennessee Volunteer fans are not worthy of comment and their actions this week were the ultimate example of a bad look and completely classless. Their team is actually playing decent ball again for once and then this happens against Ole Miss. Good thing Lane Kiffin can catch a water bottle. Bet you never thought you would say that.

13. Troy has won two conference games in a row and you can tell that confidence is building. Coastal Carolina is next ranked #16 in the country, which is usually a good thing for Troy since they usually play to their potential against Top 20 ranked opponents. Watson has a firm hold on QB1 and the defense and secondary are playing hungry. 

14. When it is all said and done, we are simply enjoying the spectacle of 18-21 year old kids making split second decisions in front of millions of people and willing to be criticized for it in pursuit of glory and a few million dollars. We drive hundreds of miles, park on someone’s grass, walk all over creation to find our friends, eat all kinds of food, drink everything we can find, carry all kinds of things – just to scream at our team and our televisions and call it entertainment and a break from our crazy lives. Can we do it again next weekend?

Chris Amos is a native of Troy, loves Troy people, and everything about Troy. He currently lives in Prattville and occupies his free time by being a dance dad, baseball coach, and shopping partner.