Monday’s reading: A look at 10 bold predictions as the 2024 college football season heads into the second half

We have officially passed the midway point of the regular season for many teams. It’s a depressing thought, but here we are. With the way the calendar falls in 2024, there are a lot of byes for teams this year, and many are off in Week 9. The key to going is a critical self-evaluation process, which I make up 10 bold predictions The reading took place in September. We’re going to watch a movie and get ready, so make sure you bring a pen and notebook to the meeting.

1) Clemson is not in contention for a national title: This came to light after the Georgia game. The Tigers were out of contention after another year away from the transfer window. The takeaway from Clemson has always been that they didn’t need to use a portal because the guys on their roster were good. It’s a great place for a college football player to build, but TMR had serious doubts about whether Clemson could pull it off.

Now, the Tigers sit at 5-0 in ACC play and 6-1 overall, and have scored at least 40 against four conference opponents. This isn’t the Clemson of the Deshaun Watson/Trevor Lawrence days, but this is a team that is about to prove the doubters wrong. A big game with Louisville awaits (where the Cardinals will try to keep their disappointing conference hopes alive), as do Virginia Tech and Pitt. Win those, and Clemson could be in the conference championship game, and will be the betting app’s favorite to advance to the first round of the College Football Playoff.

2) Tennesseans are elite: Well, that’s right because Tennessee’s defense really isn’t a problem. There was a moment after the win over Oklahoma when Tennessee coach Josh Heupel pulled QB Nico Iamaleava aside and told him he “went backwards,” with the Vols heading back against the Sooners. in the second half of their game. At this point, though, there’s reason to wonder if Tennessee would have been able to game plan offensively to do that. The Vols got great production from Dylan Sampson, but the playbook talks about another way to slow down their offense: playing more often than not 8 points and forcing Iamaleava to be patient and accurate.

He’s struggled to do so, and the Vols haven’t scored in the first half of their last three games. They also struggle to hit deep balls to generate explosive plays and take the lead on defense. The Vols have a bye week after beating Alabama but still have Kentucky, Georgia and Vanderbilt left on the schedule. Can they get through the area unscathed? There’s no doubt that’s the way the offense is playing right now.

3) Alabama continues to hold: Everything we thought about Alabama was built on their game plan performance coming off a great week against Georgia. They gave the Bulldogs a look they hadn’t seen on both sides of the ball and were blowing Georgia out…until it wasn’t anymore. Georgia bounced back, Ryan Williams had some heroics, Domani Jackson got a late layup and the Tide survived. They did not the following week against Vanderbilt. After a narrow win over South Carolina and a loss to Tennessee, the Vanderbilt game was no surprise, the Georgia game was.

4) Florida State will not be that bad, right? It turns out, dear reader, that the Seminoles can. Thoughts of a dead cat offensively because of new QB Brock Glenn have been made after losing to Duke for the first time in school history (and FSU was the underdog). Games against Miami and Notre Dame remain, and a bowl game is almost out of the picture. Teams of FSU’s caliber have had painful seasons (Notre Dame, Florida and Auburn have gone 4-8 over the past decade, for example), but surprisingly, things keep getting worse. The 14-9 win over Cal was the only time the ‘Noles were on the right side of the ledger.

5) SMU isn’t ready for prime time in the ACC: The Ponies’ early season struggles with quarterback play didn’t give much cause for optimism, but it continues with Kevin Jennings at QB1 and a loss to BYU looks pretty good considering it. Now, SMU’s easy freshman ACC schedule could be their biggest asset as they look to make a run for the league title in their first trip to the powerhouse conference. .

6) Colorado is the same thing: Not only has Shedeur Sanders improved, especially with pocket movement, CU has shown to be physical enough to compete with the Big 12 on the line of scrimmage. They may not be a Big 12 title contender, but they’re holding their own (even without Travis Hunter for most of the last two games).

7) UNLV upset: Perhaps the real conclusion to the Matthew Sluka NIL debacle for UNLV is addition by subtraction. Regardless of what happens against Boise State in the big Mountain West night this week, or even in other games in the conference race, the Rebels have improved offensively with Hajj-Malik Williams during the quarterback, especially in the passing game. UNLV has all of its goals in front of it, and that currently includes a legitimate shot at the CFP, but it may have to get past Boise State twice to do so.

9) USC would take a step this year: LSU won? It’s big. First shutout since 2011 against Utah State? It’s great. Even though the Trojans lost to Michigan, they looked good enough defensively to make you think you had something to build on before it became clear that Michigan was bad because of a crime.

But as the injuries and red flags piled up for the Trojans, so did the losses (three straight). And it looks like USC hasn’t progressed at all.

9) Rutgers goes 8-4: This is still being played out, but those of us who appreciate Rutgers can agree that the season is early for New York City’s Big Ten team. A bowl game is still within reach, but there was a time last season when going to .500 looked like it would be on the floor. A few straight losses have put a lot of hope for this team, but there is still time to turn things around and respond to a small crisis in the middle of the season.

10) USF will be a top-five offense: Even before quarterback Byrum Brown was injured, the Bulls weren’t following their form on offense at the end of last season. Alex Golesh’s fumble set up the scoring for Tennessee, but Brown hadn’t taken the next step as a passer.

Carousel update of the week

A few weeks ago, Purdue set the carousel in motion based on the shooting performance of offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. Oklahoma (Seth Littrell), Utah (Andy Ludwig) and Coastal Carolina (Travis Trickett) have joined them in the offensive coordinator change.

ECU fired Mike Houston and Southern Miss fired Will Hall, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the season. Both jobs are completely different.

Queen of the South (1-6): Regardless of its location, this is a difficult task with industry sources describing the ceiling in The Monday Read as the eligibility of the bowl. The next coach’s salary is not expected to exceed the $1 million mark, which is the lowest quarter nationally. Southern Miss has a proud history, but that was then, and now, and the Eagles have a weak donor base.

ECU (3-4): ECU has some money, with an expected salary north of $2 million, which puts the top half of the AAC’s jobs, but the Pirates are lacking in the equipment department. The big indoor gym project has met its goal, however, and the building is expected to be completed before the 2026 season.

The personnel management decision of the week

Travis Hunter’s Heisman Trophy case rests on him averaging over 130 rebounds per game while playing at the top level. However, if he does not play, there is no doubt that he will bring it home. Hunter sat out the second half against Arizona after aggravating a shoulder injury, marking the second straight time he missed the end of the game. For more Heisman odds as Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty make their cases, visit Fanatics.

Lost victory of the week

Montana Tech went 97-0 over Simpson University in the NAIA rankings this week. It’s Simpson’s debut season, and growing pains matter. They were outscored 626-30 and trailed 43-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Status of the week

Three times is sweet for UNLV’s Ricky White, who has three blocked punts this season alone. There are 120 FBS teams that have never blocked that many kicks or flowers this season.

Notable quoted

Arizona State hasn’t made a field goal in three games, and coach Kenny Dillinaham is tired. He told reporters: “Our kicking game is brutal … So, if you can kick and you’re at Arizona State, email me. We’re going to have kickoffs on Monday, so bring it on.” .”

It goes back to Mike Leach, who once took a student off the field in a fan contest. Dillingham took back his tough stance, but one lucky ASU student has the opportunity of a lifetime here, and chances are. a person in one of the largest public schools in the country can enter.

Castle of the week

Basketball season is right around the corner, and the Crimson Tide is clearly ready:

Week 9 CFP Estimate

1. Oregon (Big Ten Champions, bye)
2. Georgia (SEC champion, bye)
3. Miami (ACC Champion, bye)
4. BYU (Big 12 Champion, bye)
5. Penn State
6. Ohio State
7. LSU
8. Texas
9. Clemson
10. Our Lady
11. Tennessee
12. Boise State (Mountain West champion)

The first four: Indiana, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Iowa State

Check out the latest CFP futures, via Fanatics Sportsbook

Meal of the week: smoked salmon Smør toast

Long ago, The Monday Read didn’t care about breakfast, but living in New York City introduces you to the deliciousness of smoked fish whether it’s on a bagel or on toast. Smør, a Scandinavian restaurant specializing in Nordic fare, was founded in 2019 by two boys named Sebastian. This salmon dish sits on a dill creme and is topped with lemon curd, pickled pearl onions and dill. The combination of flavors is amazing as the lemon curd cuts the saltiness of the fish perfectly.

The TMR thing is already excited for next week

It’s Vanderbilt’s biggest home game since … when the ‘Dores hosted Texas. Sure, they’ll be heavy underdogs, but don’t tell that Vandy team upset Alabama.