It's that time of the year...BCS Mania!! What we learned.....Johnny Football should win the Heisman, Notre Dame is an average team with a very good defense, Oregon is a great offense with a bad defense, Kansas State is a great team with average talent, and Bama's defense is good..not great!
Make no mistake...Johnny Football was the difference in T-Town and has been the most consistent player in the country this year! The red shirt freshman has run wild in the tough SEC and has separated himself from the pack! The only debate would involve Klein from Kansas State, but Johnny's ability to throw the ball accurately and the level of competition of the SEC is the difference. Klein is a big QB that has developed an ability to throw, but it's Manziel's pure speed with his feet and his deadly accurate arm that separates him from Klein.
The Irish continue to look average against bad competition. I believe Notre Dame would lose head to head vs the Top 5. So far their D has kept them undefeated but they are a trip away to LA from being exposed! If ND had a legitimate offense then the tradition and luck of the Irish might be enough....not this year!
Besides Bama the Ducks are the most consistent team over the last 3 to 4 years. Chip Kelley is very Saban like in his offensive process that produces the same result week after week. I once believed Oregon was the only team that had a shot to dethrone the SEC this year because they supposedly had their best defensive team in years. Well... over the past two weeks we learned that their best is BAD! Cal ran all over the Ducks last night and if it wasn't for Cal's inexperience at QB the Ducks could have easily lost. Oregon also has injury issues on defense and I believe between Stanford, Oregon St, and probably a rematch against USC that will ultimately be their undoing!
Kansas State is probably the best team with the least talent. The Cats probably have the best shot at getting to Miami... but were very fortunate to have TCU playing their backup QB. Baylor will have a shot at home next week, but K-State's defense should get them past Waco, but Texas is playing better, has better talent, and could expose the Cats in the end!
Bama is the most talented and complete team in the Top 5..make no mistake! However they are not great on the defensive side of the ball, they are very good! On the other hand they are not average on the offensive side of the ball..they are very good! Even on special teams they are remarkably improved! The point being that Tide cannot lean on a great defense (ND) or a great offense (Oregon) to pull them out of close games, they have to be solid on both sides of the ball to be effective. Yesterday A&M executed the perfect formula for beating a Saban coached team by jumping out to a big lead. But as much as the Bama D struggled in the 1st qtr ...it was the offensive inefficiency that primarily contributed to the early deficit! McCarron's inaccuracy led to quick possessions that gave Johnny Football three early opportunities to score in the 1st qtr before the Bama D could adjust. The past two weeks McCarron has been uncharastically inaccurate combined with five turnovers... the Tide are fortunate to be 1-1 in that stretch! Take away the turnovers and Bama wins going away in both games. Whether McCarron is being affected by a back injury sustained during the Miss St game or a young D being exposed...the Tide has to clean up the turnovers and play a complete game as a team to be effective! If they can do that then they will once again be the team no one wants to play at the end of the year!
