Three-Point Stance: Saturday Shine and Shame, Notre Dame
MORE: Five weird things from Week 6 | Breaking down October's biggest games
Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with Saturday Shine and Saturday Shame from the weekend, as well as a look at what could happen if Notre Dame finishes 12-0.
1. SATURDAY SHINE
Here's a look at the teams, units and players that should feel good following their performance in Week 6.
Texas – The Longhorns pulled out a huge victory over Oklahoma after blowing a sizable lead, showing a lot of heart. This could be a turning point win for the program.
Sam Ehlinger, Texas – When your stat sheet looks similar to Vince Young, you know you did a good job. Ehlinger was key with his arm and especially his legs in the win over Oklahoma.
Notre Dame – This team is legit, Ian Book is the real deal and the defense is nasty. Virginia Tech is not easy to beat at home but Notre Dame made it look fairly simple.
Dexter Williams, Notre Dame – Since his return, the running game is as dangerous as it was last year. His 97-yard touchdown was a dagger.
Florida – The Gators' defense played off the charts and the offense did just enough for a huge win over LSU in a great atmosphere.
Brad Stewart, Florida – The Louisiana native wasn’t heavily recruited by LSU and ended up killing them with his pick-six.
Mississippi State – Auburn was supposed to be a top-10 team but Mississippi State handled them with ease. Joe Moorhead out-coached Gus Malzahn in this one.
Texas A&M – It wasn’t pretty at all but a win over a top-15 team at home is nothing to sneeze at. Limiting Benny Snell was the biggest accomplishment.
Northwestern – The Wildcats lost another lead but this time they fought back and didn’t cave. Michigan State isn’t an easy team to beat on the road but Northwestern put together a nice game.
Iowa State – Brock Purdy and company played a great game in the upset over Oklahoma State. Iowa State keeps finding quarterbacks somehow.
Miami – They looked awful at times but coming back from a 20-point deficit isn’t easy in a rivalry game and the turnovers were key. Florida State had this game won and Miami just kept fighting back.
Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama – He has 18 touchdown passes and 25 incompletions this season. Think about that for a second. Arkansas had zero chance.
Georgia – The passing game was back in an easy win over Vanderbilt and that balance we have come to expect was on full display.
Ohio State's offense – Dwayne Haskins was once again incredible and the Buckeyes rolled through an Indiana team that always gives them trouble it seems.
Clemson – Wake Forest is not a bad team at all so this shows you how dominant Clemson can be. It was good to see Trevor Lawrence back healthy as well.
Utah – Try to figure out this Utah team. Stanford was banged up a bit, but this game really wasn’t close.
Michigan – Maryland, as usual, was thumped in a game against Michigan but you have to give the Wolverines credit as well. They are a very balanced team and that defense is nasty.
Wisconsin – Yes it was only a win over a winless Nebraska but Jonathan Taylor reminded everyone of how great he is again.
NC State – Boston College was without their star running back AJ Dillon but NC State was still very efficient and Ryan Finley is the best quarterback you’ve never heard of.
Colorado – Arizona State is a tough out but Colorado keeps on rolling and remains one of 11 undefeated teams and the only one in the Pac-12.
South Carolina – It was an ugly game from the play on the field to the weather but South Carolina showed toughness and never gave up in a tight win over Missouri.
2. SATURDAY SHAME
Here's a look at the teams, units and players that should be feeling some heat following their performance in Week 6.
Virginia Tech – The Hokies were in this for a half and had the momentum and then threw it away. Credit Notre Dame for the domination, but Virginia Tech shot themselves in the foot a few times.
Joe Burrow, LSU – His first two picks of his career came during crunch time and when the team needed a big drive. Florida’s defense rattled him it seems.
Oklahoma's defense – The offense is amazing to watch but the defense still stinks and it cost Mike Stoops his job. The tackling was bad and there were too many easy plays for Texas. The Sooners need to get a lot solved on the defensive side of the ball.
Auburn – I thought Auburn was going to be good this year with great balance but the Tigers have played down to opponents and were just outclassed against Mississippi State.
Kentucky – The Wildcats had a chance to continue this great run but played a sloppy game against Texas A&M and couldn’t get the running game going.
Michigan State – The Spartans have played down to opponents all season long and it bit them again. This was the team I picked to finish ahead of Michigan?
Oklahoma State – The Cowboys' defense was really bad against a true freshman quarterback they made look like Tom Brady.
Florida State – A blown lead in a rivalry game where it seemed Miami wanted it more at the end. The Willie Taggart era is off to a really bad start.
Ohio State's defense – The Buckeyes gave up too many explosive plays, especially against a team like Indiana, which isn’t an offensive juggernaut.
Stanford – Two-straight losses and some poor play overall. This was supposed to be a well-disciplined and well-balanced team.
West Virginia – Will Grier didn’t look great and the Mountaineers barely beat Kansas, that’s never a good thing.
Washington – The Huskies won, but it was an uninspired performance against a winless UCLA team. When are they going to put together a dominant performance?
3. WHAT HAPPENS IF NOTRE DAME RUNS THE TABLE?
I’m beginning to think Notre Dame will run the table and be in the College Football Playoff. And that’s bad news for teams like Oklahoma, West Virginia, Washington and even Clemson. Because if Notre Dame does in fact run the table, and the Fighting Irish's toughest game left is against a very average USC team, that means that two conferences could be left out of the playoff.
The SEC will be in with either Alabama or Georgia, the Big Ten will be in with Ohio State or whichever team can knock them off and the ACC looks solid if Clemson runs the table. That leaves the Big 12, with Oklahoma's loss to Texas a big blow to the conference and West Virginia potentially left out even if the 'Eers go undefeated, and the Pac-12 sitting around looking jealous.
I expect Notre Dame to finish 12-0 now after its dominant win over Virginia Tech. There is no way, and I mean no way, that the Fighting Irish get left out of the playoff as an undefeated team. Ian Book, Dexter Williams and a great defense have me believing we’re going to see Notre Dame in the playoff.
Will it be an Alabama- Notre Dame rematch for the title? Will the Irish battle Ohio State like they did in the Fiesta Bowl a few years back or will they line up against Clemson? Think of the possibilities and get ready for it because it’s happening. Alabama is still winning it all, but Notre Dame is going to be in the final four. And that’s exciting.
