Forty names, video games, groups and trivia making news in college football (flashlights bought individually in Blacksburg, so Virginia Tech can discover its means out of the basement it has fallen into):
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Fourth Quarter
The Second-Year Litmus Test
With Tennessee’s dazzling efficiency in upsetting Alabama and the Volunteers’ 7–0 begin, it’s time to wonder if coach Josh Heupel (31) is the next great one in his occupation. Lots will rely upon how the remainder of this season transpires, after all, however thus far the 44-year-old Heupel is checking bins for the Second-Year Litmus Test.
We’ve seen it earlier than: New coach comes into a standard energy program that has been performing under its conventional norm. He wants one yr to determine his personal tradition—apologies for making use of that trite and imprecise phrase, however it applies. In his second yr, the program takes off.
Heupel got here to Tennessee after three seasons at UCF.
Randy Sartin/USA TODAY Sports
Who else has adopted that profession arc? A number of names you may acknowledge:
Kirby Smart (32), whose No. 1–ranked Georgia staff figures to have lots to say about how far this Tennessee run can go, began 8–5 with the Bulldogs. In his second yr they went 13–2 and had been a Tua Tagovailoa bomb in extra time away from successful the nationwide title. Four years later, Smart acquired his title.
Smart, after all, was a protégé of Nick Saban, who had his personal second-season flex in the SEC. Saban began 7–6 at Alabama, then went 12–2 in his second season. The Crimson Tide took an undefeated document into the SEC championship recreation in 2008 and battled eventual nationwide champion Florida deep into the fourth quarter earlier than submitting. In Year 3, Saban received the first of his six nationwide titles at Alabama.
Speaking of that period of Florida football, Urban Meyer (33) was a Year 2 breakthrough man there. He went 9–3 his first season, then the next season went 13–1 and received the nationwide title in an upset of Ohio State. The coach he beat in the 2006 championship recreation was Jim Tressel (34), who catapulted from a 7–5 first season with the Buckeyes in ’01 to a 14–0 nationwide title in ’02. (Tressel additionally went from 2–9 to eight–2 in his first and second seasons at Youngstown State, effectively earlier than getting the Ohio State job.)
And two years earlier than Tressel received the natty with the Buckeyes, Bob Stoops (35) did it in his second season at Oklahoma. Year 1 was a 7–5 labor, and Year 2 was a 13–0 masterpiece. His quarterback on that championship staff? Josh Heupel.
Heupel was in his second season as the Sooners’ beginning QB, after transferring in from junior college, after they received all of it. That’s just like Hendon Hooker’s path to Tennessee, arriving final yr as a switch from Virginia Tech. Saban had a second-year starter at QB on that 2008 staff in John Parker Wilson. Craig Krenzel took over as the Ohio State starter late in Tressel’s first yr, and that carried over into his second.
Looking elsewhere, ought to we be giving the similar Year 2 breakthrough credit score to Lane Kiffin (36) at Mississippi? Ole Miss doesn’t have the constant, long-haul document of success as the different colleges talked about right here, however his arc has been related in Oxford. Kiffin’s first Ole Miss staff went 5–5, then final yr jumped as much as 10–2 and a Sugar Bowl berth. This season the Rebels are, at current, the solely undefeated staff in the SEC West.
But not each second-season success story carries ahead. Beware the Mel Tucker (37) false breakthrough. After the 2–5 pandemic season debut at Michigan State, the Spartans jumped as much as 11–2 and a top-10 end final yr, prompting the college to massively overcompensate Tucker in a brand new contract. Year 3 has been a 3–4 bust, with all losses coming by double digits. (If Tucker needs to salvage this season, upsetting Michigan in Ann Arbor on Oct. 29 would go a great distance.)
Heupel’s agent will completely be asking for a large contract extension—maybe he already has—however Tennessee athletic director Danny White could be sensible to maintain the Tucker instance in thoughts. Then once more, White must also keep watch over the state of affairs at Heupel’s alma mater, Oklahoma. Brent Venables assuredly will get a second season main the Sooners, but when 2023 goes poorly you’d have to wonder if Oklahoma would attempt to convey Heupel house.
Coach Who Earned His Comp Car This Week
Sonny Dykes (38), TCU. Hey, perhaps needing a second season earlier than breaking by is for sluggish learners. Dykes is ruining the curve with the Horned Frogs, getting off to a 6–0 begin with consecutive thriller victories over undefeated opponents. TCU went from taking down Kansas in Lawrence to rallying previous Oklahoma State in Fort Worth. Thanks to Dykes’s sharp offensive thoughts, the Frogs are third nationally in scoring, third in complete offense and second in yards per play. They are a enjoyable staff to observe and nonetheless have a number of huge video games forward of them.
Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work
Justin Wilcox (39), California. Dude, you simply misplaced to Colorado.
Point After
When thirsty in the previously sq. city of Salt Lake City, don’t despair—there may be beer to be discovered, and it’s good. In explicit, The Dash loved Fisher Brewing Company (40), a cool spot with a panoply of brewed choices. Order a Citra Bomb Tom IPA, seize a hen sandwich from the Cluck Truck exterior and thank The Dash later.
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