The dust has settled after week 4 of the 2017 college football season; following are seven Grueling Truths we took away from the weekend’s games…
1) TCU and Georgia are legit playoff contenders
The Horned Frogs made Oklahoma State’s vaunted offense look inept at times and the offense is dangerous. Head coach Gary Patterson is one of the most underrated coaches in all of college football and the Horned Frogs just may be the class of the Big 12 this year.
Georgia tore through Mississippi State and staked a claim as the best team in the SEC East. Georgia looks headed for the SEC championship game barring injuries.
2) Clemson and Oklahoma raise questions
The Boston College-Clemson game was at the start of the 4th quarter against Boston College. Clemson dominated the fourth quarter, 27-0, but those first three quarters should have never happened. Was it a fluke? Probably, but it still gives some cause for concern.
Oklahoma scored 49 points, which was not shocking – but the Sooner defense giving up 41 points to Baylor was a huge surprise! The Big 12 is known as a high-scoring conference, but there is no way that Baylor should hang a 41 spot on a top three team.
3) The Washington Huskies may be better than last year
The PAC 12 as a conference is top heavy, and the Huskies may be at the top. They have a legit QB in Jake Browning and what looks to be once again a top 10 defense. Some thought the Huskies may drop off some from last year and so far in 2017 that is clearly not the case.
4) Oklahoma State play-calling was mystifying
When you’re behind in a close game, you want a big-time QB like Mason Rudolph throwing the ball for your team, right? Would the Cowboys rather run a trick play with receiver Jalen McCleskey attempting a pass instead of Rudolph, one of the best quarterbacks in the country (McCleskey’s pass was intercepted)? So you’d choose a receiver throwing the ball in a pressure situation over your future NFL QB? Really?
5) Alabama is still *awesome*
Just when it looks like the Crimson Tide may not be as good as usual, they rear their heads up and destroy a solid Vanderbilt team 59-0. Yes, the same Vanderbilt team that upset a ranked Kansas State team last week. Could we be headed for Alabama-Clemson part 3…?
6) The SEC East is *awful*
Outside of Georgia, the East side of the SEC seems to get worse each week. Kentucky lost to Florida, so hopes that the Cats were about to become a legit contender are gone. Tennessee can barely beat UMASS. South Carolina barely survived Louisiana Tech, and Missouri is one of the worst teams in all of college football. It looks like you can pencil Georgia in for the SEC title game against Alabama come December.
7) Saquon Barkley is a BAD MAN
Barkley did it all in the Nittany Lions last-second win against Iowa on Saturday night. He ran the ball, he caught passes and, maybe more importantly, he picked up a blitz on the final play that helped keep Penn State’s college playoff hopes alive.
Download The Grueling Truth app in the iTunes store!
Follow The Grueling Truth on Twitter @GruelingTruth and Like us on Facebook.
