Welcome to The Debrief, Box Score’s freewheeling conversation about the sports we love that begins right when the action stops. This week, we’re talking about college football after a weekend of big games.
This Week’s Contributors
Keith Downing
Keith was a former Syracuse Orangemen quarterback from 1993-1997 (the last of the good years 😄), playing under Coach Paul Pasqualoni. He was co-captain of Syracuse’s Big East conference champion team in 1997. His SU claim to fame is having been Donovan McNabb's backup for three seasons.
Michael Corcoran
Michael wrote The Game of the Century: Nebraska vs Oklahoma in College Football's Ultimate Battle (Simon & Schuster), and he was Bruce Arians' head student manager at Temple back when they both had hair. He’s a college football junkie who could care less if the NFL ceased to exist.
Farrell Evans
Farrell is a Box Score co-founder, a former Sports Illustrated golf writer and the executive producer of The Land We Share, a documentary about the intimate bonds between the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club and the Shinnecock Indian Nation.
Notre Dame beat Miami 31-24. The Irish came in at No. 11 in the first CFP rankings, which made this game a must-win for them. Miami was the unbeaten No. 1. What does this win mean for Notre Dame, and does one loss in South Bend change how we should view Miami?
Keith: I think you have two top contenders, obviously. I think it's tough for Miami to go north this time of year and contend with the weather, and Notre Dame really brought their best. I mean, CJ Carr was outstanding throughout that game. I think both teams are still in a great place. Miami competed in a way where you can't really knock them too much. They'll only fall so far, and they're going to find themselves in the playoffs highly ranked.
And Notre Dame, we know they can play with the big boys, but they're there, they're real. And it's Notre Dame. So I think there's always a push to have them be part of the picture. I think they're set up to do well. And if you look at the closing schedule for Notre Dame, they’re playing BC, SMU, and my alma mater Syracuse. I'm hoping that they go to the Dome and we see an upset, but that's unlikely, frankly. I think Notre Dame are going to finish strong and be in a great place at the end of the season.
Michael: I don't think it hurt Miami that bad at all. But for an inch there at the end of the game, they could have sent it to overtime. Pretty much without their best offensive weapon, Malachi Toney, they gave Notre Dame a hell of a game. Notre Dame didn't do a heck of a lot after getting out to a pretty big lead, and Miami clawed their way back into it. I mean, it helped Notre Dame, for sure. I think they'll both get in the playoff for sure. I don't think Miami's going to be considered number one at this point, nor should they, but I don't think it hurt them at all. I think they could still be a top four team.
Farrell: If Malachi Toney, arguably the best player in college football, plays in that game for Miami, I think Miami wins that game. He makes plays that would've really made the difference. But he hurt his ankle in practice on Wednesday. Ultimately, if they play three times, I think Miami wins two out of three of those games. But that said, Marcus Freeman brought a Notre Dame team who could play. They're a good football team.
I'm not a big fan of Notre Dame because they're not in a conference. Week after week, they're not tested. They have one of the weakest schedules. They beat a lot of unranked teams. So they're going to get up for Miami, and I think they're going to go undefeated for the rest of the year, and they'll get a top seed, and then they'll have to beat a good SEC team in the playoffs at some point. Both teams are there, but I think Miami was a better football team that happened to lose Saturday because of an injury.
Georgia went to Oxford and won 42-7. Georgia entered at No. 2 and won by 35 on the road against a top-10 Ole Miss team. Was that the most impressive win of the season so far? And does Georgia now deserve the No. 1 spot in Tuesday’s rankings?
