The Mighty Are Falling
There has never been a College Football Playoff without the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers. There is a very strong chance that neither will make the playoff this season.
The duo have combined to win five of the eight CFP championships. Both lost last Saturday and dropped big time in the rankings. Clemson fell to 10th and Alabama dropped from sixth to ninth after its second loss of the season. This is the first time since the College Football Playoff rankings began in 2014 that neither Clemson nor Alabama have been ranked in the top six.
Georgia was the new No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night, followed by Ohio State, Michigan and TCU. The Bulldogs’ rise from No. 3 was no surprise after their dominant victory against previously top-ranked Tennessee on Saturday.
Tennessee fell to No. 5 and was followed by Oregon from the Pac-12 and LSU, which jumped three spots to seventh after the Tigers knocked off Alabama. Clemson fell to 10th and Alabama dropped from sixth to ninth after its second loss of the season.
Panthers On Prime Time
The Carolina Panthers are on primetime television tonight as it hosts visiting Atlanta. In the past, the city came alive when the Panthers got a primetime game.
Not this year. Here are just a few of the issues with the Panthers this season.
The franchise still has an interim coach in Steve Wilks. Evidently, he has the power to fire assistant coaches because a few more got fired after the team’s ugly 42-21 loss to Cincinnati last week. Cornerbacks coach Evan Cooper and defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni were let go on Monday after the Panthers defense gave up five touchdowns to Bengals runningback, Joe Mixon.
You have to believe every single assistant coach is walking on egg shells. Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule last month following a 1-4 start to the season. The staff overhaul also includes the firings of defensive coordinator Phil Snow and assistant special teams coach Ed Foley last month.
Wilks may not like his assistants but he clearly likes Walker. The signalcaller will start again this week despite being benched Sunday with the Panthers trailing 35-0 at halftime after completing 3 of 10 passes for 9 yards and two interceptions.
Mayfield relieved and led three late scoring drives while going 14-for-20 with 155 yards and two touchdowns. His 126.0 passer rating was the highest of his Panthers career so far.
Walker gets the nod despite Sam Darnold being back and healthy and Baker Mayfield performing well in relief of Walker last week. It makes one wonder why Carolina gave up so much in trading for Darnold and Mayfield.
