It is one of the best times of year for sports, especially for college football fans. The season has already been crazy, with many wild upsets, close finishes, and back and forth thrillers. The biggest game of the season so far was the SEC matchup between Alabama and Georgia.
At Alabama’s home stadium in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide jumped out to an early lead, winning 30-7 at halftime. However, the second half was a different story. Georgia took the lead late in the fourth quarter after a heroic comeback with a long touchdown. Alabama came right back with their own long touchdown, which ended up being the game winner for Alabama.
The biggest upset of the season also involved Alabama, but with them coming out on the losing side. Alabama fell to Vanderbilt by a score of 40-35. At the time of the game, Alabama was ranked number one in the AP poll, fresh off their stunning victory over Georgia. This win for Vanderbilt was the first time they beat Alabama since 1984.
“When I saw that Vanderbilt beat Alabama, I was so shocked I couldn’t speak. That’s one of the biggest upsets I’ve ever seen,” said freshman David Nasello.
Another wild upset happened in Week Two of the season, when Northern Illinois defeated Notre Dame 16-14. This game was at Notre Dame, adding to the shock of the upset. Northern Illinois made a game winning field goal at the end of the fourth quarter to secure the upset victory.
The AP poll ranks the top 25 teams in the country and has Texas at number one for Week Seven. They are closely followed by Ohio State and Oregon at the number two and three spots. Alabama dropped from number one to number seven after their crushing defeat to Vanderbilt in Week Six.
Notre Dame has mostly rebounded from their Week Two loss to Northern Illinois, as they are ranked at number 11 in the nation. Many teams have underperformed so far this season. The biggest example is the Florida State Seminoles.
The Seminoles came into the season with sky-high expectations after finishing their regular season 12-0 last year. Florida State barely missed the playoff last year, and they expected to be there this year with the new expanded playoff format.
However, they have started their season very slowly, with a record of 1-5. They suffered some shocking losses along the way, including an opening loss to Georgia Tech, a crushing defeat at the hands of Boston College and a loss to Memphis. Florida State started the season ranked 10th in the country, but have fallen off the AP poll and haven’t been featured since then.
“I thought Florida State was going to not only contend in the ACC this year but also for the National Championship, and I am shocked with how they have looked so far this year,” said freshman Matthew Scott.
The college football season is only halfway through, with many more big matchups to come.
The biggest matchup of Week Seven is definitely the Big Ten showdown between the number two ranked Ohio State and number three ranked Oregon. Both teams are undefeated heading into this matchup and this game could affect how the Big Ten championship shapes up, and how the playoff landscape looks at the end of the season.
Two other huge upcoming matchups are between SEC contenders in Week Eight. Alabama will travel to Tennessee in a top-ten ranked matchup. This game could potentially eliminate Alabama from SEC contention, as they would have lost to Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the SEC. Number five ranked Georgia will also head to play number one Texas.
This matchup could eliminate Georgia from SEC contention, giving them two in-conference losses. Another crucial Big Ten matchup will happen in Week Ten, when number two ranked Ohio State travels to play number four Penn State. Penn State will need this win if they want to go to the Big Ten championship.
There have been many breakout stars so far this season, and many of them are looking to get their hands on the Heisman trophy at the end of the year. Right now, the Heisman front runner is Boise State Broncos’ running back Ashton Jeanty. This position is well deserved for Jeanty, as he is running all over opposing defenses. Jeanty has 1,031 yards and 16 touchdowns through five games for the Broncos.
Another Heisman candidate is Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel has had a great start to his year, throwing for 1,449 yards and 11 touchdowns to three interceptions. Gabriel has also led the Ducks to an undefeated 5-0 start.
Another breakout star is 17 year-old freshman Ryan Williams, who has been great for Alabama all year. He has 19 catches for 540 yards and six touchdowns through six games for the Crimson Tide.
“It’s crazy that Williams can put up these types of stats at only 17 years old,” said freshman Justin Kassan.
The college football season has just begun, and there is still so much more to come. We will continue to see more shocking upsets and crazy finishes as the season progresses.