Randy Smith
After two weeks of the regular season, a few things are becoming more and more apparent in college football:
Tennessee is still out of sync offensively even though they're 2-0. Had Virginia Tech taken better care of the football, the 45-24 win over the Hokies in the "Battle at Bristol" would have been almost as frustrating at the Vol's opening overtime win over Appalachian State. The Hokies outgained the Volunteers 400 yards to 330. The five fumbles by the Hokies was most definitely the difference.
There are still some problems to be ironed out on both sides of the football before the Big Orange plays host to the Florida Gators on
September 24th. Tennessee hosts Ohio University this weekend at Neyland Stadium.
The "Battle at Bristol" was a huge success. 156,990 fans attended the game, making it the largest crowd in college football history. Though the view of the game wasn't all that good for most of the fans in attendance, the event itself went off without a hitch. It's well worth doing again.
Clemson's Tigers are also 2-0 but they continue to struggle as well. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has gone from a Heisman Trophy favorite to simply a Heisman candidate. Clemson's margin of victory in their two wins over Auburn and Troy is a mere 12 points and Like Tennessee the offense looks very out of sync.
The Big 12 is close to being shut out of the College Football Playoffs after only two weeks of the regular season. With Oklahoma's opening week loss to Houston, and TCU falling to Arkansas on Saturday, when you consider the league doesn't have a Championship Game, it's very unlikely any team will be able to make the final four.
Alabama is very, very good even though the honeymoon is apparently over between head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. The two got into an argument on the sidelines in the Tide's win over Western Kentucky; an argument that Saban described as a "chewing'.
Texas A&M could be the surprise team in the SEC West. The Aggies are 2-0 heading into their game this week at Auburn. A win over the Tigers on the road would likely move them into a "top three" scenario in the West, with Alabama and Ole Miss.
I seriously doubt Ole Miss can get a third straight win over Alabama, though we'll find out this weekend.
When will I ever learn that either way I pick a Vanderbilt football game, I lose. Last week I picked Vandy to beat South Carolina, and they lost. This past weekend I tabbed MTSU to defeat the Commodores and they won. I should have known better.
It's becoming more and more possible for the Big Ten to get a pair of teams in the College Football Playoffs. Michigan and Ohio State both seem to be very good early on, but I'm not picking a final four until at least mid-season. It could be the same scenario in the ACC if Clemson and Florida State take care of business.
The Louisville Cardinals are looking more and more like a legitimate playoff contender. We will know more after this week's big game at home with Florida State.
I wish I had never picked LSU to win the SEC West; not my wisest choice.
How can Georgia and their freshman quarterback Jacob Eason look so impressive in week one in their win over North Carolina, and then look so bad in their week two 26-24 win over FCS member Nicholls State? The good news is the Bulldogs are 2-0 heading into their SEC opener this weekend with Missouri.
Kentucky is a very, very bad football team.
When was the last time Florida played someone other than a cupcake in their first couple of weeks of the season?
I know several people from Chattanooga went to the "Battle at Bristol" but there was no excuse for the poor showing at Finley Stadium for the Mocs' win over Presbyterian College. The sixth ranked Mocs open Southern Conference play this weekend at Furman. This is a very good football team. Fans cried and moaned when the team was winning 2-3 games a year and now that Russ Huesman has them among the FCS elite programs, Chattanooga still won't come see them play.
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. He is currently teaching Broadcasting at Coahulla Creek High School near Dalton, Ga.
His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for thirty years.
He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga Television for more than a quarter-century.
In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, (Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith.) They have four grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, DellaMae and CoraLee.