Instant reaction to Week 9 developments …
1. The Saban scoreboard
The two losses unfolded eight hours and 1,700 miles apart. They had different fuel sources and plot twists. But deep in the background, there was a fascinating point of commonality between Washington’s third loss in the past four games and Arizona’s fourth consecutive defeat.
The chain reaction created by Nick Saban’s retirement has not produced equal treatment for the schools caught in the aftermath.
Saban seems to be enjoying the new chapter of his life, appearing on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ and every commercial on television (or so it seems) since stepping down from Alabama in January.
At the other end of the reaction, San Jose State — yes, little old San Jose State — likely has few complaints with the results. (First-year coach Ken Niumatalolo has led the Spartans to five victories.)
But for the three links in the middle of the chain, there is deep discontent, soaring frustration and a noticeable amount of schadenfreude making the rounds.
Alabama’s victory over Missouri on Saturday did nothing to quell the outrage over two October losses — two! — that has engulfed Saban’s replacement, Kalen DeBoer, just two months into his first season.
Saban was Alabama’s vaccine against all the ills and pitfalls that affect college football programs in every region and on every level.
The moment he retired in January, the Crimson Tide became as vulnerable to the whims of the sport as everyone else. The loss at Vanderbilt was proof of that.
DeBoer won’t get much sympathy from Washington fans. If anything, there’s a slice of delight in Seattle as they watch him struggle while dealing with the reality of the transition to the Jedd Fisch era.
The Huskies are 4-4 overall after their second consecutive multi-touchdown loss in the Midwest.
If they learned anything from the 40-16 defeat at Iowa two weeks ago, it wasn’t apparent Saturday in the 31-17 fade at Indiana.
They trailed by two touchdowns early, then pulled within three points briefly in the third quarter. But at winning time, UW mustered little direction offensively or resistance defensively as Indiana took control.
Now, with November roadtrips to Penn State and Oregon, the Huskies have two must-win home games (against USC and UCLA) if they hope to become bowl-eligible.
That’s right, folks. October is coming to a close, and the only certainty about Washington’s postseason fate is that it’s too close to call.
2. Fall of their discontent, II
Meanwhile, schadenfreude is alive and well in Fisch’s former home.
Arizona fans are undoubtedly enjoying UW’s struggles — and relieved that basketball season is almost here — because Fisch’s replacement, Brent Brennan, hasn’t provided any reason for excitement.
The Wildcats’ 31-26 loss to West Virginia on Saturday completed a winless October that has a smattering of irate fans wondering if a coaching change might be necessary.
Arizona is decimated by injuries on defense, grasping for consistency on offense and generally drifting under the leadership of Brennan and his staff.
The fourth-quarter signs of life against West Virginia featured plenty of Tetairoa McMillan, which is always a good thing for the Wildcats. But their bottom line is increasingly grim: A team picked to compete for the Big 12 title must win three of its last four to qualify for the postseason.
The last link in the Saban retirement chain is Brennan’s former team, San Jose State. The Spartans lost at Fresno State but are 5-3 and quite happy.
The other school engulfed in the reaction? Not so much.
3. Bad loss, deep hole
A mere three weeks ago, Oregon State outlasted Colorado State for its fourth victory in five games.
Since then, the Beavers have collapsed with three consecutive losses, including a 44-7 no-show at Cal on Saturday afternoon.
Battered by injuries and lacking a consistent running game or aerial attack, their path into the postseason is increasingly narrow.
OSU (4-4) must win two of its final four games to become bowl-eligible, which seems like manageable math until you examine the details.
Only one opponent, Air Force, has a losing record.
The other three teams are a combined 18-5: San Jose State, Washington State and Boise State.
To secure a bid that once seemed within easy reach, the Beavers must rise to a level of efficiency they have not shown since the early days of October.
4. Oregon stands alone
The Associated Press rankings offer a weekly snapshot of the state of the game and don’t typically reveal significant trends.
This week, the Top 25 illuminated a grim reality: Of the 12 schools that previously competed together in the Pac-12, only undefeated Oregon was ranked.
It marked the first time since the Pac-12 expanded in 2011 that the collection of 12 hasn’t placed at least two teams in the Top 25 at this point in the season.
The reasons for such comprehensive mediocrity are numerous and include injuries, bad luck, coaching transitions and matchup trouble.
Fox Sports analyst Brock Huard also noted the impact cross-country travel has taken on the four teams now competing in the Big Ten.
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“There’s no question,” Huard told the Hotline this week, as part of our deep dive into the issue. “It’s an excuse and an explanation — the early kicks and the amount of miles are playing a role. Oregon’s roster is stocked to deal with it. That’s not the case for the others.”
But the grind is exacting a toll on the former Pac-12 teams now in the ACC and Big 12, as well.
In all, the 10 departed schools are 7-17 in games played on the other side of the Rockies, broken down in this manner:
ACC teams: 2-4
Big 12 teams: 3-5
Big Ten teams: 2-8
We don’t expect that rate to continue into the second half of the decade. The schools will learn and adjust to the travel over time. But for the moment, the issue is worth tracking.
5. New reality
Week 9 served as perhaps the best example of the sport’s new world order.
Rutgers kicked off at USC at 11 p.m. Eastern on Friday night.
Washington took the field at Indiana at 9 a.m. Pacific on Saturday morning.
Then came Utah’s trip to Houston, Illinois’ visit to Oregon and West Virginia’s first trip to Tucson, ever.
But no region exemplified the realignment reality more succinctly than the Bay Area.
At 12:30 p.m., Stanford welcomed Wake Forest for an ACC matchup.
At 1 p.m., Cal faced Oregon State in a non-conference game.
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