After a brief hiatus, The Roar has returned with everyone’s favorite recap series, This Week in College Football. It’s been an exciting Week Four, so let’s dig in:
Biggest Storyline: Thinning the Field
Conference play has only just begun, and the playoff picture is already beginning to take shape. Mostly that has come in the form of playoff favorites and hopefuls suddenly becoming formal playoff favorites and hopefuls. See the following:
Clemson has two regular season losses. If they run the table and get some chaos then maybe—oh wait it’s still September. They’re screwed.
It’s far too early to call the dynasty over, but it’s safe to say 2021 will not be recalled fondly when Tiger fans remember the days of Dabo decades on.
Iowa State also has two losses. This was supposed to be their year. A loss to a now-top five Iowa team hurts, but is understandable. A loss to Baylor is less understandable and bodes poorly for the rest of the Cyclone’s Big 12 slate.
Texas A&M only has one loss, but keep in mind the Aggies have games against Alabama and Ole Miss left to play. Things aren’t looking good for a fanbase whose hopes and dreams rested on this year. And so far, the playoff contender has not been living up to A&M fans’ hopes and dreams.
Battered Aggie Syndrome has made its triumphant return to College Station, and TexAgs will surely contribute reasonable and valuable discussion of the Aggies’ season to the college football world. Right, guys?
Biggest Winner: Arkansas
Somehow, some way, in only Sam Pittman’s second year, Arkansas is back.
First, they handily defeated Texas. Which was impressive, no doubt.
But this week the Razorbacks beat Texas A&M to snap the Aggies’ nine-game winning streak over Arkansas. That’s a top-ten win in a very heated, very competitive (although the results may not show it) series.
This all sounds impressive, yes, but let’s put this in context. The last time Arkansas won six or more games? 2016. Total conference wins in the last four years heading into 2021? Four.
The Razorbacks have been dreadful, and now they’re in the top ten.
The job Sam Pittman has been able to do in Fayetteville is quite frankly insane. He’s the real deal, and while Arkansas isn’t going to somehow become the SEC’s new top dog, they’re back and they’re ready to put the rest of the conference to the test
Biggest loser: Clemson
Do I even have to say it? A loss to NC State of all teams is disastrous for a team projected to go to the playoff. Georgia was unfortunate but manageable. NC State is not manageable.
Now? They’ll need a miracle. And considering that the ACC’s only unbeatens are NC State, Wake Forest, and Boston College, the conference itself will need a miracle as well.
Non-Power Game of the Week: SMU 42, TCU 34
It’s the Battle for the Iron Skillet. Before I go any further, let’s be honest here. That’s one cool rivalry trophy. But moving on:
In what might be the state of Texas’ most underrated rivalry, SMU won the battle of “which private Christian school really is the Metroplex’s team?”
The former Southwest Conference rivals each are at an interesting place as a program. On one hand you have TCU, which is basically, to oversimplify around two decades of college football history, “The Team that Gary Patterson Built.” But now Patterson is in the middle of a stretch of meh, and the Horned Frogs have questions.
On the other hand, head across the way to Dallas and you’ll find SMU. They’re in the middle of a stretch of glory days, and are hitting highs not seen on campus since the days of the Pony Express (and the death penalty that followed).
What do you get when you combine the two? A Mustang victory in a shootout that will have SMU triumphant and TCU asking questions and searching for answers.
Stat of the Week: Clemson has two regular season losses for the first time since 2014
A third section with Clemson? Why of course, it’s not every day you get to see the fall of a titan.
Am I being dramatic? Of course I’m being dramatic. It’s quite fun to be dramatic.
But in all seriousness, let’s take a look at what this stat really means. Yes, it’s possible that this could genuinely end up being the fall of the Clemson dynasty. However, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here.
For one, it’s only two losses. Two loses and a pretty awful win of Georgia Tech yes, but the Tigers aren’t going winless. And even if Clemson continues to lose, that doesn’t mean the dynasty is dead. It may just be a down year.
We’ll see how the rest of the year turns out, but as of now the sky is not falling in Clemson, South Carolina.
