by Matt Kupec
October 6, 2019
The college football season continued with some outstanding performances this past weekend but remained void of many major upsets. Four teams in the Top #25 were beaten this week but two went down (Iowa and Auburn) to opponents in the Top #25.
The top upset of the week was Stanford taking down #15 Washington in a battle on The Farm in Palo Alto. The winner of the Washington and Oregon game in a few weeks was considered to be the last chance of any Pac 12 getting an invite to the College Football Playoffs. With the Husky loss, it looks like only Oregon has any kind of chance for running the table and getting the invite to the Final Four.
Only one of the 14 unbeaten teams (Iowa) lost this past weekend so there remains 13 teams unbeaten heading into Week #7. The big match-up of the week will be #7 Florida at #5 LSU in a key SEC battle of unbeatens.
Some notable points from Week #6:
Tulane and their new light blue uniforms are looking more like UNC than even the Tar Heels!
How can a University with the nickname “Green Wave” wear uniforms that are Carolina (powder) blue? It was weird turning on the television and thinking that UNC was playing when, in fact, is was Tulane. Maybe it is the new uniforms but the “Green Wave” beat Army this past weekend in a huge win. Tulane now stands at 4-1 for the season. Coach Willie Fritz’ name is being thrown around when candidates for open BCS jobs – like Rutgers, etc. – are being considered. Tulane went bowling last year and look’s to be headed for a 2nd consecutive bowl game this year.
Speaking of Uniforms, what was Iowa State wearing in their Game vs. TCU?
Typically, the Cyclones wear gold and cardinal uniforms. Against TCU they wore black and white! Iowa St. in black and white? Yikes! These ugly uniforms were the Cyclones “alternative uniforms.” One of the beautiful strengths of college football is its traditions – the alma mater fight song, school spirit and school colors. I know my thinking is old school but I like knowing who is playing on television by just the sight of the colors of their uniforms. We haven’t seen Alabama wear any alternative uniforms of late under Nick Saban. And it hasn’t hurt Alabama on the field or in the recruiting circuit, has it?
In this column, each week my son Matthew and I will review the weekend games and make a few observations and provide some thorough analysis. If you have any comments, questions or perhaps disagree with our analysis, please send your comments by going to mattkupecqb.com and submit through the contact section. We’d love to hear from you!
Biggest Surprise
Matthew Kupec – Florida. You have to hand it to Florida Head Coach Dan Mullen for the big win over Auburn this week. I really thought Florida was in trouble, having to play with their back-up QB who hadn’t started a game since his freshman year in high school, and battling an unbeaten Auburn team that took down Oregon during the opening weekend. Florida can play some serious defense. Auburn couldn’t generate any offense. And Kyle Trask went 19-31 for 234 yards 2 TD’s. Big win for the Gators. Next week LSU in Baton Rouge! That will be a great game!!
Matt Kupec – LSU’s offense. LSU is averaging 54.6 points per game! Yes, that is LSU, not Oklahoma. The LSU offense is for real!! QB Joe Burrows continues to play lights out and threw for 344 yards and 5 TD’s against Louisiana-Monroe. Like the Alabama offense, I actually find myself watching LSU on offense. No flipping channels or running to the kitchen for food when the Tigers have the ball on offense. The LSU offense will face a big challenge this week when they take on the vaunted Florida defense. Rest assured, I will be watching that game!
Best Performance
Matthew Kupec – Cincinnati. You have to give a great deal of credit to the Cincinnati Bearcats. They stopped UCF’s conference winning streak at 17 games by beating the #15th ranked Golden Knights in a tough battle in a loud Nippert Stadium. Cincinnati has beaten UCLA and UCF for two good wins this year. Despite a one-sided loss to the powerful Ohio State Buckeyes, Cincinnati has climbed into the national rankings and is looking at a really magical year. Maybe a Major Bowl invite as the Group of Five’s representative for the Bearcats?
Matt Kupec — Jonathon Taylor, Wisconsin. I have to shower a running back with some love every once in a while. The best performances can’t always be QB’s! Today’s high-powered offensive systems are geared for QB’s to put up huge numbers. Taylor has been amazingly consistent – and consistently great – all year. Against Bowling Green this past weekend, he scampered for 186 yards and 4 TD’s. Wisconsin is good and Taylor is great. Some marquee Big Ten games await the Badgers and Taylor will be tested. But, he is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate.
Biggest Disappointment
Matthew Kupec — Iowa. I really thought Iowa was going to go into Ann Arbor and take down the Michigan Wolverines this weekend. With Michigan searching for an identity, I thought the Hawkeyes would really out physical the Wolverines and bring home the victory. Kyle Stanley struggled and threw 3 INT’s and the Iowa offense could never get it going. A disappointing loss for the Hawkeyes.
Matt Kupec — Miami. Manny Diaz is not off to the start he was hoping for as the Hurricanes new coach. Miami turned the ball over early with 3 INT’s, fell way behind but fought back only to fall short to Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes are now 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the ACC Coastal Division race. Not where Diaz thought that Miami would be after five games. And now he may have a QB controversy as back-up N’Kosi Perry came in off the bench and threw 478 yards and 4 TD’s after starter Jarren Williams threw 3 INT’s of his 7 total attempts. Virginia comes into town next with a key Friday night battle for the Hurricanes. A win against the Cavaliers could turn the season around.
Picks for the Final 4 Playoff Teams
Matthew — Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, LSU
Matt — Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, LSU.
About the Authors
Matt Kupec is a former record-breaking four year starting quarterback for the UNC Tar Heels. During his career he set 19 passing records, two of which still exist (most consecutive games with a TD pass and most wins as a starting QB). He was named MVP of the 1977 Liberty Bowl and 1979 Gator Bowl becoming the 1st player in ACC history to be named MVP of two bowl games.
Matthew Kupec is a senior at East Chapel Hill School in Chapel Hill, NC. Matthew played defensive back for the East HS football team last year and set a school-record when intercepting three passes in one game. As a baseball junior last year, Matthew led the conference with the lowest ERA (earned run average).