The Hodgepodge: Kirby Smart Owes Mark Stoops a Gift Basket for Conservative Play Calling, Florida State Makes Preseason AP Top 25 Wall of Shame, Pac-12 Fights Back

By Garrick Hodge on September 16, 2024 at 11:05 am
Mark Stoops
Carter Skaggs – Imagn Images
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Welcome to The Hodgepodge.

Ohio State was off, so we don’t have a game to recap for the first time this year. A lot still happened in the college football world, though. 

Ohio State spotlight of the week: Defensive encore?

The Buckeyes face their final opponent of an underwhelming non-conference schedule for the 2024 season this week against a Marshall team that probably will fight tooth and nail just to get to a bowl game. 

Ohio State spent the past seven days taking part in what the team called an “improvement week,” so we’ll see just how refreshed and energized they look against the Thundering Herd. Personally, I’m most curious about how the Buckeyes perform defensively after achieving their first shutout since the 2019 season. Asking for a shutout of any team is a tall order, mostly because there’s frankly often a lot of luck involved, but this is a nice chance for OSU’s defense to make a statement before turning things up for Big Ten play against Michigan State in two weeks.

Georgia survives against Kentucky

Kirby Smart owes Mark Stoops a gift basket. 

Despite holding No. 1 Georgia in check offensively for most of the Bulldogs’ eventual 13-12 win, Stoops consistently refused to go for the kill shot as a 24-point underdog. Instead, he coached as if the Wildcats were on equal footing with the Bulldogs and that he hadn’t watched his team lose 31-6 to South Carolina at home the week prior.  

The most unforgivable offense and most popular talking point was punting on 4th-and-8 at midfield trailing by one with just more than 3 minutes remaining. Frankly, the criticism was warranted and then some. He might as well have waved his white flag and surrendered to Smart right then and there. You’ll be surprised to learn the Wildcats didn’t get the ball back until only 14 seconds remained in the contest. 

But I also hated how Kentucky was content to run the football multiple times on its final possession of the first half to play for the field goal while up three. Stoops opted to kick a field goal with nine seconds left in the first half with the ball in the red zone instead of taking one quick shot at the end zone, a missed opportunity. 

Kentucky also was content playing for a field goal on its first drive of the second half as the Wildcats called a run on 3rd-and-8 from the Georgia 28-yard line.

Ultimately, you have to have an aggressive mindset as an underdog if you want a chance to make some magic happen. Instead, Stoops was more conservative than a senior citizen driving on the highway, and it cost him dearly.

If there’s anything else to glean from this, Georgia doesn’t look nearly as indestructible as pundits once thought. 

Florida State makes preseason AP Top 25 Wall of Shame

In 19 of the past 20 seasons, a team ranked within the top 10 of the preseason AP Top 25 finishes the year unranked. No doubt, that’s going to be Florida State in 2024.

But not until Saturday had a preseason top-10 team accomplished a historic lowlight of losing to three straight unranked teams until Florida State’s 20-12 loss to Group of Five team Memphis.

The Tigers, which could be a serious contender for the Group of Five College Football Playoff spot this year, left Tallahassee $1.3 million richer and with their undefeated record intact. 

FSU had a noisy offseason, highlighted by a high-profile lawsuit against its own conference and public declarations that it would right a perceived wrong from the CFP committee last season and earn its way into the 12-team tournament. 

Three games in, the Seminoles are all but eliminated from playoff contention unless FSU wins the rest of its games and the ACC standings are a mess enough that a two-conference loss team could qualify for the championship game. But forget the playoffs, are these guys even going to go to a bowl game? 

The Seminoles face Cal, SMU, Clemson, Duke, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Charleston Southern and Florida the rest of the way. Finding six wins from that stretch seems impossible. 

What a terrible day for Mike Norvell, by the way. Norvell has now led the Seminoles to a 0-3 start for the second time in his five-year tenure with FSU, which is not exactly the impression you want to leave at a program of that stature. 

His former team came into Doak S. Campbell Stadium and whipped his dysfunctional new one, as Memphis outgained FSU 337-238 and outmuscled the Seminoles up front on both sides. Norvell couldn’t even finish his postgame press conference without the fire alarm going off.

Last thing on FSU: For the good of the team, Norvell has to end the DJ Uiagalelei experiment. The Oregon State transfer delivered a third underwhelming performance, completing 16 of 30 passes for 201 yards and an interception. Uiagalelei isn’t part of the team’s future, and if the outlook of making a bowl is already bleak anyway, you might as well see what you have with Brock Glenn and determine if he can be a future program building block or not.

Pac-12 (sort of) gets resurrected

The Pac-12 (Two? Now six?) works in silence. Late Wednesday evening, reports started leaking Mountain West teams Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State will join the conference beginning in the 2026 season. The Pac-12 confirmed their additions to the league on Thursday morning.

Those won’t be the only additions, as the Pac-12 needs to get at least eight teams by the start of 2026 to maintain its standing as a recognized FBS conference. 

Late last week, Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported on other schools that may interest the Pac-12, including UNLV, Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, North Texas, Rice and Texas State.

We’ll wait until the Pac-12’s poaching is complete to fully opine on where the conference stands nationally, but as of now, it sure looks like the conference is pining to be essentially a Group of Five all-star conference. You can’t imagine any Power Four conference commissioner would be keen to give the Pac-12 conference champion an automatic CFP berth in the latest round of negotiations for 2026. But if the playoff format stays consistent, a few more marquee Group of Five school additions to the Pac-12 would make it hard to argue that the conference doesn’t deserve the lone G5 playoff bid on strength of schedule alone in most years. 

Week Three had some fun moments

  • Wait a minute, a Manning has wheels? That’s not fair. In all seriousness, it was kind of fun to see the No. 1 player in the 2023 class light up UTSA. Manning completed 9 of 12 passes for 223 yards, four touchdowns and a 67-yard rushing touchdown. Wishing Quinn Ewers a speedy recovery from his abdominal injury, though. 
  • UNLV beat Kansas to earn its first 3-0 start since 1984. Barry Odom continues to have a career renaissance with the Runnin’ Rebels. Not only are they undefeated, but they walked away $700,000 richer after beating Kansas on Friday.
  • Can I interest you in a 100-plus yard pick-six?
  • Auburn’s Jerrin Thompson made an interception I had to watch a few times before I could fully process that he caught it.
  • Texas State ultimately didn’t win this game, but I love both the stones to go for it on fourth down against Arizona State inside your own territory and more importantly, the hurdle here.
  • I think Boston College gave me my new favorite play of the season. In any other week this would go in the wacky section, but it’s too fun not to put it here.
  • UCF had a big comeback victory against TCU, but that pales in comparison to the victory its social media team had immediately afterward.
  • Tennessee’s offense is officially a unit, with the Vols scoring 65-first half points against an undermanned Kent State team. Apparently Tennessee offered the Golden Flashes either reduced quarters for the second half or a running clock and Kent State denied both, so kudos to it for only losing 71-0. 
  • A goal-line stand from Washington State sealed the Apple Cup for the Cougars. Call me a softie, but I think it was pretty awesome that WSU’s fans, coaches and players got to experience that win after going through a hellish year of uncertainty with their place in the sport in question.
  • Dare I say it, but the Hoosiers are kind of fun. Indiana and its eccentric new coach curb-stomped UCLA 42-13 on the road Saturday, led by a prolific passing attack from Kurtis Rourke (25-of-33, 307 yards, four touchdowns). With games against Charlotte and Northwestern next, Indiana might have a pretty interesting game against Nebraska on the docket soon. 
  • Eastern Michigan defensive coordinator Ben Needham donned the outfit of the year on Saturday. 
  • Toledo delivered one of the most embarrassing losses ever to a non-Vanderbilt SEC team, walloping Mississippi State 41-17. That’s not very fun if you’re a Bulldog fan, but I’ve appreciated how formidable Jason Candle’s teams have been over the past three years.
  • Down 10 points with just more than 3 minutes remaining in one of the more underrated rivalries in the sport, Pittsburgh had a comeback for the ages to cement a Backyard Brawl victory over West Virginia.
  • Don’t know if the Morgan State game is the time to break this out, but Ohio had a fun trick play work to perfection. 

Week Three had some wacky things, too

  • You know we have to lead this section with Mizzou having a 2nd-and-59 after a bevy of penalties.
  • Two wacky things for the price of one: Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer completes a pass to himself, then his slide takes out a ref. 
  • I don’t understand how Georgia keeps having players get arrested for speeding/car-related incidents. Seriously, how does Kirby Smart keep enabling this to happen?
  • Just how they drew it up, UNLV edition. (If we’re being honest, Kansas failing to fall on this ball is probably why the Runnin’ Rebels won this game). 
  • Just how they drew it up, Appalachian State edition. 
  • South Alabama scored the most points in an FBS game since 1991 in an 87-10 shellacking of Northwestern State. The beating was so bad that both teams mutually agreed to a six-minute fourth quarter.  
  • DJ Uiagalelei’s first-quarter stats: 5-of-6 for 7 yards, one interception. I want to frame it. 
  • What kind of a season has it been for Florida State? Well… 
  • In FCS land, a game between Portland State and South Dakota was canceled because Portland State had a whooping cough outbreak.
  • Tulane’s kicker looked like one of those hungover college kids Pat McAfee ropes into trying a kicking contest they have no prayer of winning on College GameDay during this PAT. 
  • Almost equally as bad as the Tulane PAT botch, I have no idea what this field goal attempt was supposed to be. 
  • Last week we had a rabbit invade Northwestern’s field. This week, a cat found its way into Baylor’s stadium.
  • Cal coach Justin Wilcox had to borrow an official’s microphone so he could plead with students to stop throwing things on the field. 
  • Hard not to feel terrible for South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who suffered an ankle injury late in the first half against LSU and didn’t return to the contest. Sellers played well in the first half, throwing for 113 yards and rushing for 88 and two touchdowns. His backup, Robby Ashford, seemed a little overwhelmed in the second half but did lead his team into field goal position down three in the final seconds. 
  • Except, college kickers strike again.
  • So many quarterbacks got hurt in Week 3, including Wisconsin starter Tyler Van Dyke on the team’s opening drive. The Badgers didn’t have a prayer of staying with Alabama after that, suffering a 42-10 defeat. 
  • Davis Warren had one of the weirdest stat lines for a quarterback I can remember seeing: 11-of-14, 122 yards, three interceptions. Technically, none of his 14 passes hit the ground! In three games as the Wolverines’ starter, Warren has thrown two touchdowns and six interceptions. He was benched for Alex Orji late in Michigan’s 28-18 win over Arkansas State, and Sherrone Moore said Monday Orji will start next week. What a time to be making a quarterback change. It’s fine, the Wolverines only play… USC … welp. 
  • All right, we gave Tennessee some love for all the points in the first half, but a surprise onside kick up 30-0 in the first quarter seems a little Bush League.
  • Hmm, I’m starting to think it may be a rough year for Purdue.

Former Buckeye of the week 

Week Three former Buckeye of the week: Mookie Cooper, WR, Missouri

Cooper stepped up in Missouri’s 27-21 victory over Boston College, catching three passes for 55 yards. On the season, Cooper has seven receptions for 112 yards.

Past results

Week Zero former Buckeye of the week: Mason Arnold, long snapper, Florida State
Week One former Buckeye of the week: Evan Pryor, RB, Cincinnati
Week Two former Buckeye of the week: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas

Games of the week

We had our first under .500 week of the season, but we’re not letting one fluke week damper our spirits.

Week 3 record: 3-4
Overall record: 12-9

Appointment viewing

USC at Michigan, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS

Pick: USC -6.5

Breakdown: It’s amazing how Michigan went from an 8.5-point favorite to a 6.5-point underdog in this matchup in just a few weeks. But that’s how concerning the Wolverines have played offensively, and the defense, while still pretty good, hasn’t been the juggernaut it was thought to be. Following a poor performance from Davis Warren, who was benched against Arkansas State after throwing three interceptions, Alex Orji will start against the Trojans. If Orji couldn't even beat Warren out for the job in the preseason, what's the offense going to look like with him?

On the flipside, USC looked poised against LSU on both sides of the football, then followed that up with a dominating performance against Utah State. This is the Trojans’ opportunity to make a statement in their Big Ten opener, and all signs point to them doing just that.

Illinois at Nebraska, 8 p.m. Friday on FOX

Pick: Illinois +8.5

Breakdown: I like Nebraska and Patrick Mahomes Jr. to win this game, but asking for at least a nine-point win feels like a little much to me. I didn’t envision this game to be this much fun three weeks ago, but lo and behold, we have a game that could have some mildly interesting stakes between Nebraska and Illinois. The Illini have looked competent defensively through three games and have a deep and talented running back room. This has the makings of a one-score game, though the Cornhusker faithful are going to be pretty juiced for this one.

Utah at Oklahoma State, 4 p.m. Saturday on FOX

Pick: Utah +2.5

Breakdown: Utah is definitely a different team when Cam Rising is healthy, so his availability and effectiveness are a major talking point heading into a matchup that could eventually determine a Big 12 Championship Game participant. By all accounts, Utah was holding Rising out of Utah State for precautionary reasons and he should be ready to go against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys needed a minor miracle to beat Arkansas in Week 2 and running back Ollie Gordon II has had an abysmal start to the season by his standards. We’re going with Kyle Whittingham and the Utes here. 

Tennessee at Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. on ABC

Pick: Tennessee -7.5

Breakdown: I have officially drank the Kool-Aid on the Nico Iamaleava hype. It may have only been Kent State, but 65 points in one half is just nasty work. Meanwhile, Oklahoma has had to grind out wins against Houston and Tulane at home. Sooners might be in for a rude awakening here.

Underrated games

Michigan State at Boston College, 8 p.m. Saturday on ACC Network

Pick: Michigan State +7.5

Breakdown: Michigan State and Aidan Chiles seem to perform better each week, and while Boston College looks much improved under Bill O’Brien, giving the Eagles a full touchdown even at home seems like a bridge too far with a mistake-prone quarterback in Thomas Castellanos.

Georgia Tech at Louisville, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2

Pick: Georgia Tech +11.5

Breakdown: This is one of those lines where it’s too many points for me to ignore but I still think Louisville wins this contest. Georgia Tech’s lone loss has been a three-point defeat to Syracuse and the Yellow Jackets play a style that can keep them competitive against the top teams in the ACC this year.

Arkansas at Auburn, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN

Pick: Auburn -5.5

Breakdown: Man, what a delicious matchup of two teams that really need a win to prevent their fanbases from melting down. Given the Tigers are at home, Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green can be electric but mistake-prone and new Auburn quarterback Hank Brown looked efficient in his first start against New Mexico, I’ll (timidly) roll with Auburn to cover here.

Hot seat tracker

Another week of college football brings more movement in the hot seat tracker. There’s still no surprise who’s at the forefront of potential firings.

Seat is red hot

Billy Napier, Florida: The man with the hottest seat in college football heard the cries for his job grow even louder in the Gators’ 33-20 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday. Starting Graham Mertz instead of seeing what DJ Lagway can do was a fireable offense. Various outlets reported Florida held a board of trustees meeting on Sunday to discuss Napier’s future. As of this writing, he remains employed by Florida, but ESPN reported Sunday that high-ranking boosters have already gathered the $26 million for Napier’s buyout should the Gators fire him. If he loses to a truly awful Mississippi State team this weekend, he won’t make it to the team bus before getting canned.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas: A 10-point win against UAB isn’t going to prompt a victory parade in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks have a winnable road game against Auburn next week, but face Texas A&M, Tennessee and LSU in succession following that contest.  

Dave Aranda, Baylor: It was a good week for the Bears with a 31-3 victory against Air Force. Still, that isn’t going to move the needle in securing Aranda’s job quite yet. Week 4’s tilt with Colorado is a must-win contest for Baylor if it has any hopes of making a bowl game. 

Seat is probably a little warm

Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame: It feels wrong keeping a guy on the list who just clobbered Purdue 66-7 Saturday, but let’s not forget the Fighting Irish have to win out to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive following a loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2.

Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati: For me, Satterfield is close to getting off the list, but an 11-point win against Miami (OH) isn’t going to completely erase a blown 21-point lead from Week 2. Cincinnati has some winnable games coming up, though, with tilts scheduled against Houston, Texas Tech, UCF, Arizona State and Colorado.

Clark Lea, Vanderbilt: Welcome back to the hot seat list, Clark. We took you off because we thought we were going to get 3-0 Vanderbilt, then the Commodores remembered who they play for and lost in last-second fashion to Georgia State.

Off the list for now

Shane Beamer, South Carolina: I don’t have the heart to keep Beamer on the list after a hard-fought loss to a ranked team at home in which your starting quarterback gets injured at halftime. He could find himself back on here later in the year, but considering how well his team played for the most part, he deserves some grace temporarily.  

Hodgepodge Week Three team classifiers

Conference contenders: Ohio State, Oregon, Utah, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Miami, Clemson

At-large bid contenders: Penn State, Missouri, Ole Miss, USC, Alabama

Better get your act together fast for playoff aspirations: Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU, Iowa, Oklahoma

Eliminated from the CFP already: Florida State

Arguably the most disappointing team not named Florida State: Kansas

Playoff darkhorses: Nebraska, Syracuse, Louisville, Iowa State

You have my attention but can't fully call you a darkhorse just yet: Indiana

Tough Group of Five teams: Boise State, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Toledo, Coastal Carolina, Memphis, Liberty, South Florida, UNLV, Texas State

Could make a nice bowl game but don’t know about much else: Arizona, NC State, Rutgers, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, Illinois, Pittsburgh

Just making a bowl game would be a win: Washington, Minnesota, Michigan State, Maryland, Cal, Duke, Colorado, TCU, South Carolina, Florida, Auburn, Boston College, BYU, SMU, Arizona State, Cincinnati, West Virginia

Not optimistic: Northwestern, UCLA, Purdue, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Stanford, Baylor, Houston, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

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THE SITUATIONAL: An Apple a Day

Sept 11, 2004; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio Sate Buckeyes #4 Santonio Holmes breaks away from Marshall University defenders in the first quarter at Ohio Stadium.Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images (©) Copyright 2004 by Matthew Emmons
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