Three-point stance: The best and worst storylines of 2016

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-point stance is here with a look at some good, bad and ugly college football storylines, an odd question about Leonard Fournette and a classy move by some Clemson Tigers.

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Let’s take a quick look after 10 weeks of college football at the good, the bad and the downright ugly when it comes to certain programs. These are essentially things I’d never thought I’d be typing at this stage of the year.

THE GOOD

Penn State could win the Big Ten. Okay, chances are that they won’t, but who would have expected the Nittany Lions to beat Ohio State and be playing with such confidence at this stage of the season? This proves how important confidence in a system, a coach and in winning can truly be. Penn State has been a great surprise to many.

Auburn could go to the playoff. Think about that for a second as fans and media members, myself included, were wondering what the heck Gus Malzahn was doing by rotating quarterbacks so often against Clemson. However, I said it back then and I’ll brag on it now — I felt if he settled on a quarterback, this team had the talent to surprise.

Colorado could win the Pac-12 South. With a 5-1 in conference record, the Buffs control their own destiny in their division, which is simply amazing when you consider they were picked dead last in the South in the preseason. Colorado football is back!

THE BAD

UCLA has a losing record. Josh Rosen injury or not, there is no way the Bruins should have a losing record. Many losses have been very close and this team doesn’t appear to have the want-to when it comes to finishing games and that’s not a good sign.

Iowa is losing games and commits. Iowa was supposed to take the Big Ten West and try to make a run at the playoffs again. Instead they are barely over .500 and have lost two key commits from Texas due to a “no-other-visits” policy. None of that is good for business.

Ole Miss can’t defend or run the ball. The Rebels have a losing record, they are dead last in the SEC West and the NCAA is still snooping around, which has hurt recruiting. After being the best two-loss team in the country after losses to FSU and Alabama, they are fighting to make a bowl game.

THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY

Michigan State is winless in the Big Ten. The Spartans were a top 15 team in the preseason and after beating Notre Dame, everyone expected another great season. After losing to lowly Illinois, things have gotten so bad that the upcoming game against Rutgers is likely the only chance the Spartans will have to taste victory in conference.

Notre Dame is no longer a quality opponent. Remember when the wins by Texas and Michigan State were considered good ones against the Fighting Irish? And remember when those losses were to quality opponents for Notre Dame? With losses to Duke, NC State and Navy and a Stanford team without Christian McCaffrey, this season has gone about as bad as it can for the preseason Top 10 Irish.

Arizona was in the Fiesta Bowl two years ago. And now? The Wildcats have zero Pac-12 wins and are getting routed worse and worse each week. They have lost their last three games by a combined score of 151-31.

Okay, I’m going to ask the question out loud, so be prepared. Is Leonard Fournette overrated? That’s right, you heard me (or read me). Fournette rushed for over 1,000 yards as a freshman and nearly 2,000 last season. He’s averaging 7.1 yards-per-carry this season and has 705 yards in only five games, but against Alabama the last two seasons he has been absolutely stuffed. Last year he rushed for 31 yards on 19 carries and this past weekend he went for 35 yards on 17 carries. In his career, he is averaging 2.54 yards-per-carry against the best team he faces each season.

So is it stupid to ask such a question? Should we base a player’s ability against all comers or should we hold a player like Fournette to the ultimate standard and base his ability on his production against Alabama? Ezekiel Elliott went for 230 yards against Alabama in 2014, Nick Chubb rushed for 146 against Alabama last season and Jeremy Hill, Todd Gurley and Tre Mason all eclipsed the 100-yard mark against Alabama in conference since 2012.

So is he overrated? No, but I had to ask, because what it will be like if he ends up on an NFL team with an average offensive line and no quarterback, similar his situation at LSU? Elliott is a great back, but he also fell into the perfect situation in Dallas with an amazing offensive line and a quarterback playing beyond his years. Could Fournette turn into Trent Richardson in the wrong NFL situation or is he going to be Adrian Peterson no matter what? I wonder.

I like the idea of the Clemson quartet of DeShaun Watson, Mike Williams, Wayne Gallman and Artavis Scott not only notifying their head coach before the season that this would act as their senior year, but also the idea of honoring them on Senior Day this Saturday against Pitt. This allows head coach Dabo Swinney months of advanced notice when it comes to filling out his 2017 recruiting class, it gives the fans an opportunity to honor four terrific players and overall is a win-win for the program.

I know many players like to wait until after their senior years to declare and often take the decision right up to the deadline and they have every right to do so. But if you know, really know, that this is it, then let your coach know and give your program that recruiting advantage. And if one of them has a change of heart, they can always come back for another year and I doubt anyone will boo them being honored on their true senior night.

And the flip side applies as well, so kudos to Mike McGlinchey at Notre Dame for announcing his intention to return for his final season and kudos to guys like Jourdan Lewis at Michigan, who made his announcement early last season as well. It just gives everyone more clarity, especially in recruiting.