Chubb Down For Season

The Georgia Bulldogs had a nightmare of a day on Saturday, as they not only blew a double-digit lead to Tennessee, a team that finds ways to lose on their own, but they will likely be without running back Nick Chubb for the season.

The school announced that Chubb suffered “significant damage” to his ligaments and cartilage but did not suffer an ACL tear.

“All rehab is tough, but the best news is that there was no damage to a nerve or anything vascular, like an artery,” Richt said. “That was the best news of all, and of course the ACL not being damaged was great as well.”

A Heisman candidate before the injury, Chubb had his streak of 13 consecutive 100-yard rushing performances come to an end.

In consecutive weeks, Georgia’s national title hopes were drowned by the Alabama Crimson Tide and then the loss of Chubb and the game to Tennessee puts the Bulldogs behind the proverbial eight-ball in terms of an SEC East title.

USC Keeps Making Bad Choices

Former USC head coach and current Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin was an easy guy to hate.  He’s brash, lacks coaching talent and is everything that America despises; Someone who succeeds because of nepotism.

Kiffin’s failing up in the employment ranks came to a crescendo when he became the head coach at USC, but he only last a little over three years due to inconsistency and embarrassing losses.

Athletic Director Pat Haden stayed in the USC family with his next head coach as he handed the job to Steve Sarkisian, and the early results make Kiffin look like Vince Lombardi.

Sarkisian was forced to take a leave of absence on Sunday, following the team’s embarrassing loss to Washington at home.

A player told ESPN via text that Sarkisian “showed up lit to meetings again today.” Another source said he showed up Sunday morning and “appeared not normal,” and then was told to leave.

This comes after a preseason event showed Sark to be inebriated and slurring his words.  He explained it away by saying that he combined medications and alcohol and had an adverse reaction and that he didn’t have a problem.

Unfortunately, Sark hasn’t accomplished Step 1: admitting that you do indeed have a problem.

Offensive coordinator Clay Helton will take over as the interim head coach, and the Trojans are trying to salvage a season which saw them begin with a preseason Top 10 ranking and are now 3-2 overall, 1-2 in the Pac-12.

“I was at a basketball event earlier today when I got a call to say Sarkisian was not at practice,” Haden said Sunday. “I called Steve and he made it clear to me that he was not healthy, and I asked him to take an indefinite leave of absence. I think this is the right thing for our team.

“I’ve spoken to our team and our coaches — they obviously had a great deal of concern for the health of Coach Sarkisian. It was also clear to me the support that Clay has from the team, and the staff. We’ve got a big task this week with the Notre Dame game, and Clay will do a great job getting our team ready. I don’t have a lot of answers right now for you guys, as I first heard about this an hour and a half ago.”

The Trojans need to get Sarkisian the help he needs, but never let him coach another game for the school.

Our Rankings

Our rankings are based upon what actually happened on the field and much less about perception of how good teams should be or past history of the conferences they play in.

1. Utah Utes- They didn’t blow out Cal, but the Utes took down another undefeated opponent at home and there’s no reason to drop them from the top spot.
2. Baylor Bears- You can only beat who’s on your schedule, and Baylor has looked very impressive doing just that.
3. Florida Gators- Another road victory where Florida didn’t give up a touchdown.  They’re legit.
4. LSU Tigers- Devastating ground game and a pretty good defense.  Great test this week against Florida.
5. Clemson Tigers– They have a playmaker at quarterback and are another team that’s managed to dodge some land mines.
6. Michigan Wolverines- Three consecutive shutouts by the Michigan defense.  Jim Harbaugh is very much ahead of schedule.
7. Ole Miss Rebels- Most polls have them ranked behind Alabama, a team they beat in Tuscaloosa.
8. Alabama Crimson Tide- They are beginning to figure out the quarterback position and they’ll be favored to win every game the rest of the season.
9. Ohio State Buckeyes- Ohio State returns to the rankings even though they’ve played mediocre football.
10. TCU Horned Frogs- TCU will have a chance to prove itself against Baylor.  Until then, we don’t really know how good they are.

Heisman Rankings

1. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU- Fournette had a “down game” as he only finished with 158 yards rushing and a touchdown in LSU’s 45-24 victory against South Carolina.  He’s still the most recognizable player in college football and will have a chance to put some more distance between himself and everyone else with a good game against Florida.
2. Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Ohio State- Elliot’s schedule complies with having a big finish to the season and he will have one more big profile game against Michigan State on a national stage.
3. Dalvin Cook, RB, FSU- Cook may be the most explosive player in college football and he’s the MVP of the undefeated Florida State Seminoles.  His off-the-field issues make him a tough guy for voters to get behind.
4. Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU- Boykin combined for over 400 yards and led the team to 52 points on the road against K-State.  Boykin will likely need to beat Baylor to have a real shot of winning the award.
5. Seth Russell, QB, Baylor- Russell leads the NCAA in passing touchdowns and he might be leading the best team in the nation, certainly the best offense in the nation.