There were no games in major-college football last week. But there were plenty of winners and losers.
Hot teams idled. Banged-up teams had a chance to mend. Inexperienced teams had a chance to study and learn.
As college football resumes with a full schedule Saturday, many teams are in different positions than they were two weeks ago, despite not having played a game in that time. The national title race could be affected.
“It was just a draw of the straw,” Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. “Some people came out good, some people came out not as good.”
A rundown of those who have it good, and those who have it not as good:
Good: Florida State. The sixth-ranked Seminoles were to play No. 10 Georgia Tech last weekend. The game has been moved to Dec. 1 and that means first-year starting quarterback Chris Rix will have had time to develop before his toughest Atlantic Coast Conference test. Of course Rix still must face No. 1 Miami and No. 2 Florida before he meets the Yellow Jackets.
“By the time we catch Tech now, our quarterback will have eight games under his belt,” Bowden said. “Plus the No. 1 team in the nation and the No. 2 team in the nation will be under your belt.”
Not as good: Northwestern. The 16th-ranked Wildcats had carefully crafted their schedule to have 12 days off before their Thanksgiving Day game at Illinois. It looked like an enormous advantage because the Fighting Illini play only five days earlier at Ohio State, and trips to Columbus tend to be brutally physical. But when Northwestern canceled the Navy game, it faced the loss of about $600,000 in gate receipts and officials decided to make up the shortfall by adding Bowling Green to the schedule Nov. 17. The Falcons may not pose a serious upset threat, but the game will rob NU of a chance to heal at the end of the bruising Big Ten season.
Good: Washington. Even as the 13th-rated Huskies were defeating error-prone Michigan in Seattle on Sept. 8, Washington coach Rick Neuheisel was telling anyone who would listen that his young team had a lot of learning to do; Washington’s offensive struggles against Michigan–the Huskies didn’t score an offensive touchdown–underscored his view. With top-ranked Miami waiting in the Orange Bowl a week after the Michigan game, the Huskies looked as if they might be in trouble. But that game has been moved to Dec. 1, and by then promising quarterback Cody Pickett will have an entire season behind him.
Not as good: Florida. Hard to find much pity for coach Steve Spurrier but the second-ranked Gators may have been dealt the harshest blow of any national title contender. Florida’s game against Tennessee in The Swamp was moved from Sept. 15 to Dec. 1. That gives Florida perhaps the toughest homestretch in the nation: at South Carolina Nov. 10, Florida State Nov. 17 and Tennessee Dec. 1. And the Gators might find themselves in the Southeastern Conference title game Dec. 8.
Florida coach Steve Spurrier said his team is used to tough finishes.
“We’ve had the most difficult ending probably of any team in the nation ever since they went to the SEC championship game, with FSU [the week before],” Spurrier said. “Now that South Carolina has gotten to be a very good team, [the schedule] has gotten tougher. It could be a big game in The Swamp if Tennessee and us are in contention in the East Division. I don’t know how it’s going to play out. Heck, they may lose two or three or we may lose two or three.”
Good: Notre Dame. Instead of visiting cross-state rival Purdue, No. 23 Fighting Irish were given a chance to regroup after Nebraska drilled them 27-10 in their opener. Notre Dame will catch the Boilermakers on Dec. 1. It’s possible new Boilermakers quarterback Brandon Hance will have developed into a fine quarterback by then. But it’s also possible the weather conditions in West Lafayette, Ind., will hamper Purdue’s wide-open offense.
Not as good: Georgia Tech. After struggling past Syracuse in the Kickoff Classic, the 10th-ranked Yellow Jackets found their offensive rhythm in glorified scrimmages against The Citadel and Navy. Tech would have had momentum going into their showdown with FSU in Tallahassee, but now Tech will have gone 21 days between games. Its first game back is a toughie–against 19th-ranked Clemson in Bobby Dodd Stadium.
“I think the biggest concern for coaches having three weeks off is keeping your team sharp and playing at the speed they need to be playing at,” Tech coach George O’Leary said.
