Take two: Saban; big visits at Oklahoma; Nebraska

Take Two is back this week tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape.

Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

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Storyline: Alabama coach Nick Saban gave an “ass chewing” to offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin on the sidelines during last week’s blowout win over Western Kentucky. After the game, Saban said he might have never been this disappointed after a win.

Is Saban serious, or is he just focusing his team on Ole Miss, the big SEC showdown this weekend? It’s especially important for the Crimson Tide since they’ve lost to Ole Miss twice in a row.

Saban stood at his post-game press conference like he was delivering a eulogy at a funeral. Was that feigned disappointment in an attempt to really focus his players for the Ole Miss game? Or was Saban really that disappointed with a 38-10 win over Western Kentucky?

Alabama has the best team in college football and the top-rated recruiting class. Was Saban's displeasure genuine this past weekend?

First take: “Alabama opened the season with an eye-opening 52-6 win against USC. Alabama may have beaten Western Kentucky by 28 points, but they didn't look at dominant as they did against the Trojans. Saban said he didn't think the team respected its opponent in the Hilltoppers. They certainly must respect Ole Miss this weekend in Oxford. The Rebels have defeated Alabama two years in a row. Ole Miss may have a loss, but it was to a great Florida State team. Alabama will have to play up to its standard and not lose focus if it wants to win on the road this weekend. Recruits every year seem to love the high-standard, strictly-business approach, which is Alabama football. They see what it takes to win. Alabama does a great job of collecting championships with the high standard Saban emphasizes in the program.” – Andrew Bone, TideSports.com

Second take: “Recruits react well to it. That might be the opposite of what people think. ‘Why is he chewing out a coach in front of everybody? Why’s he always upset? The game wasn’t close.’ You think that might turn off recruits, but it’s actually a big-time lure for recruits. They want a coach where not only is losing unacceptable, but not winning in a dominant fashion is unacceptable. He set the bar so high there that recruits will continue to gravitate. They could have beaten Western Kentucky by 80 and he would’ve blown up at somebody on the sidelines and talked about how horrible they played because his strategy is to focus his team on Ole Miss. Recruits are drawn to that type of personality.” - Farrell

Storyline: Five-star recruits Marvin Wilson and Jeffrey Okudah will be in Norman on Saturday, a huge weekend for Oklahoma as it hosts Ohio State. Win and keep your College Football Playoff hopes alive. Lose and the Sooners are almost assuredly out.

That being said, this is a huge off-field weekend for Oklahoma and a major recruiting weekend as well with Wilson, Okudah, Texas commit Kobe Boyce and many other top recruits expected at arguably the biggest game of the weekend.

Okudah has said Ohio State is a frontrunner, so this is a chance for Oklahoma to change his mind. Wilson, who had LSU among his favorites, is definitely open to the Sooners.

Norman should be rocking this weekend. For the Sooners’ sake, a good showing could help tremendously in recruiting.

First take: “It's kind of impossible to overstate what a win over Ohio State this weekend could mean to Oklahoma's recruiting both in 2017 and beyond.

“You first start with the two five-stars, Marvin Wilson and Jeff Okudah, two players that Oklahoma has slowly made a move for over the summer and two that with a win, Oklahoma might be in nearly as good a spot as anyone. For Wilson, Oklahoma can erase the bad, or perhaps confusing, taste left in his mouth following the Houston game and start to push themselves right to pole position.

“Meanwhile, with Okudah, Oklahoma can take a big bite out of Ohio State's perceived lead by beating the team he seems to favor in front of his own eyes all while surrounding him with numerous commitments from the Dallas/Fort Worth area that he knows very well. Signing Okudah or Wilson would represent the first five-star Oklahoma has landed from Texas since 2011 and the first on the defensive side of the ball since 2008.

“You add in numerous other key 2017 targets like Adrian Ealy, Greg Rogers, K'Jakyre Daley and Tyler Taylor and the possibility of building some real momentum to close out what would be only Bob Stoops' second top-10 class since 2009 exists. Oklahoma also has a chance to get a head start with some of their top 2018 and 2019 prospects. It's also an opportunity to continue the roll the 2017 class has begun if Oklahoma can find a way through Ohio State.” – Josh McCuistion, SoonerScoop.com

Second take: “They’re getting a billion recruits there. Okudah has said Ohio State is his leader. This is an opportunity to show him that Oklahoma is the place to be, it’s close to home and we beat your favorite head-to-head. It could push them to the top for Wilson, who doesn’t really have a leader right now. It could really push them into the top two for Okudah and Wilson and also send a message to all the other recruits there that this is a team that can compete with anybody in the country despite the loss to Houston.” - Farrell

Storyline: There are lots of big games at Nebraska. This weekend’s contest against Oregon is in an even higher category especially since the Huskers recruit the West Coast so much.

The Ducks have become a Pac-12 power and a ton of West Coast prospects are considering that program because of that success, the facilities, the uniforms, the offense or what have you.

This is a huge weekend for Nebraska not only to beat Oregon and remain undefeated but to keep proving to many of those same recruits – many of which live in California and will be closely watching this game – that the Huskers are a serious contender and a major player in their recruitment.

The Calibraska movement is alive and well. A win over Oregon could keep that momentum rolling.

First take: “Nebraska’s big game with Oregon this weekend presents a great opportunity for head coach Mike Riley and the Huskers on several different levels. Riley got off to a rough start in his first season at the helm by going 3-6, which included some gut-wrenching losses like the Hail Mary to BYU, overtime at Miami and some last-second defeats by Illinois, Wisconsin and Northwestern. However, Nebraska seems to have turned the corner, as they’ve gone 5-1 over its last six games including wins over previously unbeaten Michigan State at home, a bowl game victory over UCLA as well as wins against Fresno State and Wyoming to start the 2016 season.

“Riley has made recruiting the West Coast, especially California, a priority and has had some solid results thus far, landing standouts like Rivals100 safety Lamar Jackson and four-star quarterback Patrick O’Brien last year along with Calabasas standouts Keyshawn Johnson Jr. and Tristan Gebbia in its 2017 class. A win against the nationally ranked Ducks this weekend would provide a huge boost in keeping the “Calibraska” movement going as it would validate what Riley and his staff have been telling recruits about the direction of the program.

“Additionally, Nebraska finds itself in quite a few recruiting battles against the Ducks with some high-profile players like Joseph Lewis, Thomas Graham, Jaylon Redd, Chuck Filiaga, Martin Andrus, Jaylen Kelly-Powell and Trajon Cotton just to name a few. All of the aforementioned players have either already taken official visits to Lincoln and Eugene or should be visiting both schools in the future. One would think a win this weekend would prove to be very beneficial towards winning those key recruiting battles as well as improving Nebraska’s national brand as a whole.” – Nate Clouse, HuskerOnline.com

Second take: “I don’t want to be dramatic, but this is one of the most important games for Nebraska in a very, very long time. At least the most important game under Riley and probably the most important recruiting game since Bill Callahan. They do have the Calibraska movement and they’re recruiting the West Coast so well, so if they win at home over a Pac-12 power, it shows they’ve taken the next step in the program’s development. It also makes Nebraska a much more viable option for West Coast kids, even more than they are now. If they win this, the Calibraska movement maybe even doubles because it’s such a game they could sell to everybody.” - Farrell