Kick Six Part 3***** Week 9 Review
Week 9 Summary
11/3/15
Joe Broback
LOOK GOOD PLAY GOOD
Brands have so much power over players. Their product sometimes determines if a kid will go to a certain school or if he will take his talents elsewhere. Teams will change brands because everyone knows money talks and teams will always listen to the person with the largest offer. Nike used to be the only brand that people considered elite, but other brands have slowly made a rise into the spotlight. Under Armour and Adidas are the two next biggest brands that outfit multiple teams from head to toe and from practice to game day. Some teams want to change things every week (Oregon), while others are content keeping things simple (Alabama).
A question that pops comes up every so often: does the brand make the program? The answer is yes and no. Part of recruiting for teams like Oregon, Baylor, and Texas A&M is the fact that they are constantly getting new inventory for the players. That becomes a factor when choosing a school of that caliber. On the other side, teams like Alabama, Texas and USC don’t do much to their uniforms, and they don’t use the apparel as part of the recruiting as much. That being said, it ultimately comes down to the coaches’ and the players’ performances on the field. Any of those three brands produce quality material and wouldn’t make a difference for a player’s performance.
What if the brand determined how good a team was? We take a look at the number of national championships won by brand. Granted some teams have switched brands and will switch in the future. Tennessee was an Adidas school for a while but switched to Nike this year, and Notre Dame was also Adidas and switched to Under Armour this year also. Team’s like Michigan were with Nike, switched to Adidas, and have been rumored to switch to Jordan brand (a first, but essentially Nike) in the future. For now, the brand that currently represents the team will get credit for the championships. Here is the list of each brand and number of national championships (since 1936).
Nike----64
Adidas----14
Under Armour----11
Russell----1 (in case you’re wondering, it’s Georgia Tech)
It’s clear to see Nike’s domination amongst the 128 FBS teams. For those arguing that Nike sponsors more teams than the others (you would be correct), Nike also sponsors teams that aren’t exactly “in the running.” Teams that include Georgia State, Wake Forest, Iowa State, Purdue, and the list goes on. The last 9 of 10 national champions had the swoosh on their uniforms, and all four teams in the playoff were sponsored by Nike. Again, it isn’t about the brand at the end of the day, but it’s about the players and coaches on the field. No matter which brand you’re talking about, most teams are fitted with sick gear every week, and each brand comes up with some neck-breaking ideas. 2015 has already provided some great jerseys, warmups, and fan gear. With the conference championships, bowl games, and playoff coming soon, the brands will produce more crazy gear. One thing that will happen for sure: wallets will be emptied by all involved in the craze that is college football.
TRENDING UP
Goal Line Stand----The Gophers had won the game. They went up on a last second touchdown and the crowd was losing their minds. The review showed the ball had not crossed the goal line and would be placed inside the 1 yard line. While Michigan can thank Minnesota for poor clock management, the Wolverines stuffed QB Mitch Leidner on a quarterback sneak to end the game.
Ankles Win It For Aggies----New Mexico State was down 40-21. Why I was paying attention to that score, I have no idea. Regardless, I thought to myself the game was over and the Aggies were on their way to 0-8. Next thing I know, Terrill Hanks made the interception of the year to win the game against the Vandals. Seriously though, if you haven’t watch it, go check out how he won the game. He catches the ball in between his ankles and hangs on for the Aggies first win of the season.
TRENDING DOWN
ACC Officiating----Speaking of things you need to check out. Go watch the Hurricanes “win” over Duke. Namely, the last play. The referees called a block in the back, which would have ended the game in a Blue Devils win. But the officials decided to review that call (which cannot be reviewed) and reversed the call. The other problems were the other block in the back that was missed and a Miami player who was down that went unnoticed and un-reviewed. I’m not saying to go overturn the call today, because that’s not fair. But the referees and replay officials should have known they can’t review a penalty. One play doesn’t determine a game, but the Blue Devils were cheated out of this one.
Frank Beamer----Steve Spurrier and Beamer have been trending down for a few years now, and it’s too bad they didn’t go out on better notes. There are reports that Beamer will retire after this year, and that opens another opportunity for someone to bring a once powerful program back to relevancy. Beamer had a great run in Blacksburg, but it will be nice when Enter Sandman gets fans fired up and the team’s play keeps them that way. That being said, Beamer ball will be missed in the ACC.
PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK
Trevone Boykin, TCU (388 yards passing, 3 TD; 84 yards rushing, 1 TD)----Boykin continues to impress the country, including West Virginia’s head coach. Dana Holgorsen couldn’t help but give Boykin a high five after Boykin dodged nearly every player on the Mountaineers defense. Boykin, Leonard Fournette, and Watson (below) seem to be the three to watch for the Heisman.
Deshaun Watson, Clemson (383 yards passing, 5 TD; 54 yards rushing, 1 TD)----No one was surprised that North Carolina State gave the Tigers issues. The Wolfpack has a history of creating problems for the top ACC teams. Once the Tigers woke up, the game was over. Watson ensured the win with the air attack and keeping plays alive with his legs. He needs to produce these numbers more often if he wants a shot at the Heisman.
Anthony Wales, Western Kentucky (185 yards rushing, 4 TD)----If someone told you a player from WKU had a big week, 10 out of 10 would instantly assume you were talking about Brandon Doughty. This week you would be wrong because Wales relieved the pressure off of Doughty’s arm. The Hilltoppers showed they have a running game to complement the passing game (Doughty still threw for 276 yards and three scores).
Gunner Kiel, Cincinnati (319 yards passing, 5 TD)----It’s good to see Kiel performing at a high level after he took a scary hit to the head earlier in the season against Memphis. The Bearcats routed UCF in a game where four UC players attempted a pass.
Alex Collins, Arkansas (173 yards rushing, 5 TD)----The Razorbacks haven’t had much go right for them this season. Their best performance may have been coach Bret Bielema’s flop against Alabama. Collins has been the workhorse on offense and that won’t change as long as he lines up behind Brandon Allen.
GAME BALL: Watson. Boykin had the most dominant performance, but he can thank his defense partially. Watson had to continue to put the ball in the air to keep his team ahead. No one blamed the Tigers for looking ahead to this week, but no one would have felt sorry if they lost.
WEEK 8 PREDICTIONS
My pick: Florida 24 Georgia 13 ACTUAL: Florida 27 Georgia 3
We’ll just say Georgia didn’t play their best to be nice. Not much went right for the Bulldogs on Saturday, but they did hold the Gators to only 27 points. Gators QB Treon Harris has done a solid job filling in for the suspended Will Grier. While his numbers aren’t jumping off the screen, Harris took care of the ball Saturday and let Kelvin Taylor gash the Bulldog defense. The SEC East appears to be Florida’s to lose.
My pick: Houston 35 Vanderbilt 21 ACTUAL: Houston 34 Vanderbilt 0
This result is the best scenario for the Cougars, as they routed the visiting Commodores from the start. Houston did not allow themselves to peak ahead to Cincinnati this week, but need to make sure they don’t do that this week (the play Memphis the next week). No player stood out, but it was a solid team effort to take care of business to improve to 8-0. The intensity ramps up quickly over the next two weeks, and the AAC will start to produce some clarity.
My pick: Stanford 37 Washington State 28 ACTUAL: Stanford 30 Washington State 28
Stanford looked like it was playing Northwestern again. The offense couldn’t get anything going, and the defense was doing all it could to keep the team in the game. Cardinal QB Kevin Hogan used his legs to produce offense, and the Cardinal survived after a Cougars missed field goal. Stanford should handle things next week against Colorado, but they can’t get caught peeking to their matchup against Oregon.
My pick: Notre Dame 28 Temple 27 ACTUAL: Notre Dame 24 Temple 20
DeShone Kizer should be thankful the ball bounced right back up to him. Kizer tried to step up in the pocket, had the ball stripped, but got the ball back to heave it downfield and end the game. We learned more about Temple this game and their ability to show no fear and hang with the big boys. This loss eliminates Temple from playoff contention most likely, but the Owls are still in the running for a New Year’s Bowl game. Both defenses played well and made life for the quarterbacks difficult. Temple still controls it’s own destiny in the AAC East, and their next game that will provide a challenge isn’t for three weeks.
