BARNEStorming: Thoughts Around the College Football World

Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral was atop the charts in the Music City Saturday. 

All Corral did was throw six touchdowns in the Rebs’ 54-21 win at Vanderbilt. Those six scoring passes tied an Ole Miss record, with Eli Manning, but why tie a record when one can be broken? 

Corral completed 19 consecutive passes, which happened to be his first 19 attempts of the game. That number broke Eli’s record of 18 against Murray State. Coincidentally, Manning set that record 19 years ago.

Also, last week wide receiver Elijah Moore only had five catches against Auburn. It was the first time all season the junior had caught fewer than ten passes in a game. That sparked some to ask what was wrong. The answer? Not a thing.

Saturday, Moore tied a school record with 14 receptions (A.J. Brown and Laquon Treadwell) and broke the Ole Miss single-game receiving yards record (A.J. Brown) as he totaled 238 yards.

Yes, Ole Miss fans, the kids are alright, and they’re singing a happy tune.

HUSKERS, GO TO YOUR ROOM

Nebraska has been a member of the Big Ten for a decade now and like a misbehaving 10-year old, the Cornhuskers seem to always be in their parents’ doghouse.

When the Big Ten announced it would not be playing football this fall, Nebraska lashed out at its authority figure saying it would come up with its own schedule and play anyway. Nannie-nannie-booboo.

The daddy of the conference, commissioner Kevin Warren, told the Huskers they would get nothing and like it.

Then the Big Ten reversed course and decided to play football in the fall. In what some believe was a bit of a punishment for Nebraska, the conference rewarded the Huskers with an opening game at No. 3 Ohio State — where they were spanked by their league big brother.

Saturday, the Huskers were scheduled to play another Top-10 ranked conference brother, but COVID-19 hit Wisconsin’s team and the game was cancelled. So, Nebraska thumbed its noses at the conference office and scheduled a game against Chattanooga. The league said no and sent the Cornhuskers to sit in the corner.

It is unclear why Nebraska keeps acting this way. In the days of yore when Tom Osborne was in charge, the Cornhuskers may have gotten away with behavior like this because they played routinely for national titles. Now, they might be the fourth or fifth best team in the Big Ten.

A team that needs 13 points in the fourth quarter to beat Ball State, 41-40 in 2007, should not be so rambunctious. A team that must score with 20 seconds left to beat FCS McNeese State, 31-24, in 2014, might want to bite its tongue. And a team that loses to Troy, 24-19, two years ago, might want to keep its outbursts in check.

A SUPERSIZED MISCALCULATION

The MAC will start its season Wednesday with six games on the schedule. The league announced that for a team to qualify for the conference championship game, it only needs to play three games. Three games?

Does that mean a team could go 3-0 and get to the title game over another team that goes 5-1?

Yes, one team can be rewarded with a Happy Meal while another wonders why it cannot order a McRib.

THE CONDIMENT BOWL

Since the inception of corporate sponsorship for bowl games, there have been some doozies. Of course, there was the Poulin Weed-eater Independence Bowl, the GoDaddy.com Bowl and the Famous Potato Boise, Idaho Bowl.

There is a new contender to top off this list.

The former Belk Bowl is now the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Now, I am Southern, and I grew up loving Duke’s mayonnaise. When I was young, my favorite snack was a mayonnaise sandwich slathered with Duke’s. My grandmother taught me to put Duke’s on my black-eyed peas (don’t judge until you tried it). I once lived with a woman and our biggest fight was in a Kroger’s grocery store in Macon, Ga., about which mayo to buy. She won the argument, and we got some nasty stuff and quickly broke up. It was okay; she was a Yankee.

As much as I love Duke’s, I wonder one thing about the sponsorship. During the last sponsor’s tenure, players were given a gift certificate to Belk’s as a part of its bowl swag. What will those kids get this year?

Finally, it’s worth noting the game has a slot for an ACC team to receive a bid. How appropriate would it be if that bid was extended to Duke University?

BEST IN SHOW/THE DOGS WITH FLEAS

This year has been dogged with inconsistent play, so this week, we are going to look at the teams that could compete in the Westminster Dog Show and the ones that are the runts of the litter:

Best in show

Coastal Carolina –The Chants went into Atlanta and dog-pounded Georgia State, 51-0. Look out Sun Belt, there might be a new top dog in the league.

West Virginia — No. 16 Kansas State rolled into Morgantown and learned just how dangerous a blue-tick hound from the mountains can be. WVU clawed the ‘Cats, 37-10. 

Cincinnati — The Bearcats were more like Beardogs against the Memphis Tigers. Cincy beat the Tigers, 49-10. New Year’s Six anyone?

The dogs with fleas

The aforementioned Kansas State Wildcats — K-State entered the West Virginia game averaging five touchdowns per game. It got one Milkbone against the Mountaineers. 

Kansas — Against a team that lost to Louisiana to start the year, the Jayhawks lost by 30 to Iowa State. Les Miles might become a stray soon. 

Southern Miss — The Golden Eagles lost to Rice – yes Rice – 30-6. USM has had more head coaches this season (three) than it does wins (one). The Southern Miss highlights should be played with a soundtrack by Sarah McLachlan.