I Tell Ya' Herbie

    It's been a while since I've written an "I Tell Ya' Herbie", which I started last year as a weekly look at college football that tries to hit notes that don't involve the Ohio State Buckeyes.

I haven't been excited about college football as much since half of the game was on hiatus from their decision on how to deal with Covid-19.

Still, the time is right with all the conferences playing now, so I'll be doing "Herbie" weekly or until things shut down again.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            I think most fans (that aren't fans of Penn State) had to be happy for Indiana's one-point win over Penn State in overtime on the two-point conversion shown above, but I also have to say that in real-time, Michael Penix's dive for the pylon looked like a score.

However, on the replay and in photos, Penix looks to this eye to be an eyelash short.

It's always nice (except when it's your team taking the hit) to see the bottom dwellers of a league KO a blue blood and Indiana has always been one of the weak sisters in the league.

Tom Allen seems to be the type of coach that can succeed at Indiana, a school that doesn't have silly expectations and a fanbase that would be satisfied with a minor bowl bid every season.

I Tell Ya' Herbie: 

                            I'm not saying that group of five unbeaten's Cincinnati and BYU can be competitive with Clemson, Alabama, or Ohio State, but I will say this- If the Big 12 champion comes out with two losses, I would rather see one of those two teams earn a spot in the playoff than a one-loss runner up from any other conference.

The Bearcats would seem to have the edge as far as their total schedule being tougher, but should BYU run the table, they might have the best victory as they will have to play Boise State on the road at the home of the blue turf.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Going into this season, I figured the Texas Longhorns would be improved and I figured even if they weren't substantially improved that Tom Herman would have one more year to stem the tide in Austin.

Now I'm not so sure.

Texas has played some exciting games, but have lost to TCU and Oklahoma and should have lost to Texas Tech.

The Longhorns face undefeated Oklahoma State in Stillwater this Saturday in a game that could be Herman's last chance to deliver a signature victory and perhaps cool off a seat that has become increasingly hot this season.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            More from Austin as the Longhorns lost 2022 quarterback commitment Quinn Ewers after Ewers decided to re-open his recruitment.

Ewers isn't only the top rated quarterback in that class, he is rated by some as the top overall player period in that class.

I'm not a recruiting guru by any standards, but it is usually a good indicator of a coaches status when highly rated recruits start changing commitments.

Keep an eye on more Texas commitments as the Tom Herman future watch continues.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            I was always a bit dubious of Maryland's hire of Mike Locksley and the answer usually came back with "Locksley knows and will be able to recruit the DMV".

Some also answered that his time with Nick Saban would help him learn after a disastrous tenure at New Mexico that saw the Lobos struggle on the field (2-26) and off as well.

Well, Maryland has won one game (over Rutgers) since winning their first two games in 2019 and a 43-3 embarrassment against Northwestern in their opener hasn't shown growth in the program.

Maryland does have some hope with a good recruiting showing for 2021 with several top-notch area players in the fold, which was a main reason for Locksley in getting the Terrapins job.

Should Maryland fail around this season and heaven forbid lose to Rutgers, the one school that they cannot afford to lose to, will Locksley be able to retain those players?

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            What's the game that I'm looking forward to seeing that I don't have a rooting interest in?

November 17th in the Sun Belt between Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina in the battle between the traditional heavyweight Mountaineers and the upstart Chanticleers that should decide the conference champion.

Not only are both teams entertaining, but should Coastal Carolina enter that game undefeated (Appalachian State has a road loss to Marshall), they could have be a dark horse for the Group of Five slot in the New Years Day Bowls, should Cincinnati suffer a loss or by an upset earn a spot in the playoff.