Final Whistle: Losses continue for tone-deaf Baylor
Given the upheaval surrounding a sexual assault scandal and the offseason ejection of Art Briles, the actual football season at Baylor was virtually guaranteed to be surreal. In too many ways, it’s just sad — and that’s not because of a 62-22 loss to TCU on Saturday, the Bears’ second consecutive loss after starting 6-0.
It’s apparent that not many feel too badly for the Bears. And even if you were so inclined, the combination of a continuing dribble of tawdry allegations and/or revelations related to the sexual assault scandal, along with reflexive defiance from some quarters in and around Baylor, makes it more and more difficult.
Although it’s certainly true that the vast majority of Baylor players and others associated with the school were not involved in the scandal, it’s also undeniable that the school’s administration, its football coaching staff and a vocal and very visible segment of its fan base have at times demonstrated serious tone deafness and sometimes worse.
Baylor fans line up for T-shirts supporting Art Briles
The latest came Friday. In response to statements made in recent days by Baylor regents to several different media outlets, Baylor’s assistant football coaches — all of whom were retained from Briles’ staff — tweeted a coordinated statement attempting to refute allegations that Briles knew of a gang rape but didn’t take the proper steps in response.
Then there was the “blackout” look. Let’s take some of the players at their word when they say their uniform choice wasn’t intended as a tribute to Briles; a school spokesman told CBSSports.com the all-black look was “since it was a rivalry game” and “they are not making any type of statement.”
But the T-shirts sold outside the stadium and emblazoned #CAB (for Coach Art Briles) and the banner with the same initials hanging from a luxury suite — those spoke volumes. Even if it’s only a small minority of the fan base, it’s a very visible segment. And the look is terrible.
Perhaps more troubling is that interim head coach Jim Grobe said Saturday he didn’t know the assistants were going to tweet the statement in support of Briles. If it’s true — and there’s no real reason to disbelieve him on this — then either the staff members need to be relieved of their duties immediately for insubordination, or Grobe needs to hit the door.
Neither is likely to happen. “I think our coaches wanted their perspective known,” Grobe told reporters Saturday, “and I’m not going to stand in the way of that.”
Someone should. Especially considering the assistant coaches haven’t been interviewed, period, since Briles’ firing.
On some levels, Grobe’s public response to the assistants’ move — which undercut his authority — is understandable. He’s trying to hold together a program that might soon come apart at the seams. It might be an impossible task.
Anti-rape activist Brenda Tracy wants Baylor to cancel season after T-shirt sales
Grobe is a good football coach with a reputation as a good man. When he took the Baylor job on an interim basis, it was more than just doing a solid for old friend Grant Teaff, who’d called him. He wanted back into the game. He’s made some pretty big missteps during his short tenure in Waco. Said some goofy things. Done some, too.
But he sure never bargained for this.
Calls by advocates for Baylor to cancel the rest of the football season are pointless; that’s not happening (although the school would be wise to consider forgoing a postseason bowl appearance). But at this point a whole lot of people would be just fine if Baylor’s football season faded to black.
And when a rival — TCU vs. Baylor, remember has recently become a very heated thing — treated Baylor the way the Bears do to all of those nonconference directional schools? Here’s guessing many outside the Baylor bubble took almost as much delight as TCU’s fans surely did.
Played in/Played out: Auburn, Washington State, Penn State rise
PLAYOFF PICTURE CLEARS … FOR NOW
The first weekend of November brought more clarity to the College Football Playoff picture.
Remember that faux controversy when the selection committee ranked Texas A&M, with one loss, at No. 4 ahead of unbeaten Washington? It was a goofy move by the committee on multiple levels, but it was never going to matter if the Huskies kept winning.
They did on Saturday, blowing past California on the road. Texas A&M, meanwhile, which was ranked ahead of Washington because of its strength of schedule, was exposed in a loss to woeful Mississippi State.
All of which means the opportunity for the next faux controversy comes Tuesday, when the selection committee members could get it right — Alabama, followed in some order by Clemson, Michigan and Washington — or they could decide after Ohio State’s 62-3 win against Nebraska, the one-loss Buckeyes deserve the No. 4 spot.
Either way it wouldn’t matter. At this point, all Washington needs to do is win. But given how impressive Washington has been in running to 9-0, never mind a weak nonconference schedule — it would be another indication the committee doesn’t think much of the Pac-12 schedule.
Ohio State makes a statement: Buckeyes ready to turn it up
SEC (L)EAST
Hey, how about that SEC? If we’re going to proclaim the league, again, as the best in college football, we must acknowledge the significant mediocrity — that’s probably too high an assessment — of the SEC East.
It’s terrible.
Arkansas’ 31-10 blowout of East leader Florida was an indication, again, of the severe imbalance in the divisions. The Hogs were coming off a 56-3 whipping by Auburn. Florida was (over-)ranked No. 11 in the College Football Playoff Top 25. With the victory, the Hogs moved into a tie for fifth place in the SEC West.
So here’s the state of things in the SEC East: Florida has no offense, Tennessee has imploded, Georgia’s not good, Kentucky has a legitimate shot to win the division.
Bad news for Alabama opponents: QB Jalen Hurts not cracking under pressure
Wait, what? Yep. If the Wildcats had been able to beat Georgia at home (a 27-24 loss), they’d have been sitting in first place right now. Anyone up for a rematch with Alabama in the SEC championship game?
Or maybe a matchup with Auburn.
But let’s talk about the SEC West, too. As one West opponent after another tries its best against Alabama and emerges beaten down — sorry Mississippi State, but Auburn has the last realistic shot — it might also be time to consider the idea that the entire SEC is Alabama and then a very large gap to whichever team is next.
The best conferences have a mixture of elite teams (plural) and very good teams. It’s very possible the SEC has one elite team and just maybe a couple of very good teams, and then some others.
HOW ABOUT THEM APPLES
Washington hosts resurgent USC, followed by a mediocre Arizona State bunch. But if the Huskies get by the Trojans, we’ll immediately fast-forward to the Apple Cup — and we should.
After losing to Eastern Washington and Boise State to open the season, Washington State has won seven consecutive. On Saturday, the Cougars beat Arizona 69-7, the most points against a Pac-12 opponent in the program’s history.
BEATEN DOWN HUSKERS
Remember when Nebraska was undefeated and thinking big thoughts? Yeah, good times.
Two weeks later, the Huskers are 6-2. And although there’s no shame in losing to Wisconsin and Ohio State, there’s nothing good about the 62-3 beatdown in Columbus, Ohio.
The Buckeyes finally got untracked and looked like the team we last saw dismantling Oklahoma on the road back in September – and like a team capable of winning its way into the Playoff, and from there who knows?
Snap judgments from college football's Week 10
But that also demonstrated a couple of discouraging things about Nebraska. The Huskers’ 6-0 start was nice, but it was also a mirage built against the softer portion of the schedule. They played well in a road loss at Wisconsin, but they were outclassed by Ohio State.
If being elite again is the goal – and at Nebraska, it’s always the goal – the Huskers still have a long way to go.
THREE TO WATCH
USC at Washington (7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Fox): USC’s midseason resurgence hasn’t included any opponent of note. Until now. Washington is gunning to go unbeaten and reach the Playoff.
West Virginia at Texas (noon ET Saturday, FS1): Don’t look now but the Longhorns have won two in a row and have momentum. West Virginia still has a Big 12 title in its sights.
Tulsa at Navy (noon ET Saturday, CBS Sports Network): An unexpected battle for the American’s West Division — and a serious clash of offensive styles.
QUOTABLE
“I’m too strong. I play football too hard, I guess.” – Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware, who incurred a personal foul after body-slamming a Syracuse running back.
“There is no margin for error.” – Oregon coach Mark Helfrich after a 45-20 loss to USC dropped the Ducks to 3-6.
QUICK KICKS
► Alabama’s 10-0 victory at LSU was a fantastic defensive clash. But in the end, the game was defined at least as much by the complete impotence of LSU’s offense. Ed Orgeron has done a tremendous job as interim coach after Les Miles’ firing, but the Tigers remain severely limited at quarterback — and also by the conservative offensive scheme installed by Miles and former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Neither of those issues is really fixable in-season.
► That said, what Alabama did against LSU running back Leonard Fournette in three meetings — probably the last one, since it’s likely Fournette heads to the NFL after this season — is spectacular. His three-game total: 57 carries, 145 yards, one touchdown. Saturday, Fournette had 17 carries for 35 yards.
College football's Week 10 winners and losers
► Meanwhile, this came against Texas Tech’s defense, which does not resemble Alabama’s, but Texas running back D’Onta Foreman continued a fantastic season by running for 341 yards and three touchdowns against the Red Raiders.
► This from Aaron Brenner of The Post and Courier: Clemson did not have an interception or fumble against Syracuse. It was the first time in 29 games dating to 2014.
► You knew it was coming, but Missouri was eliminated from bowl contention in a loss to South Carolina. It’ll be the second consecutive season the Tigers sit home for the postseason. Last time that happened was in 2001 and 2002, the first two seasons under former coach Gary Pinkel.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEEK 10
