I Tell Ya' Herbie

It's time for our weekly glance at the world of college football with more "I Tell Ya' Herbie"

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             While I'm surprised to see Ohio State as number one in the first CFP rankings and while I don't think they are the top team in the country currently, it's not unreasonable that they are ranked first.

The Buckeyes are the only team to have beaten two top-ten teams (Notre Dame and Penn State), one of those on the road, and except for Texas's win over Alabama, the Notre Dame win is the best non-conference win in the nation.

I'm not sure they will remain at the top as the process unfolds but for now, I can understand the decision.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Last week, I wrote about the troubles at Clemson and their potential struggles down the stretch with their schedule.

I didn't include N.C.State in the tougher games as the Wolfpack have had their own struggles this season, so of course the Pack dropped the Tigers 24-17 sending Clemson to a reeling 4-4 on the season.

However, the worst story of the week for Clemson wasn't the loss to N.C. State, it came during Dabo Swinney's radio show when Swinney had a complete breakdown in dealing with a critical fan on the air.

I'm not sure Swinney was completely wrong in stating that Clemson's fan base has gotten spoiled with their success and I'm sure he's sensitive to any criticism of the decline in the program, especially since he was so haughty when the Tigers were at the top of the sport.

And while anything that spices coaches shows up and adds some entertainment along some balance to a program about the team is welcomed, Swinney might have been better suited biting his tongue a bit and eating a little crow.

"Tyler from Spartanburg" raised some good points but he was pretty confrontational and that was possibly deliberate knowing Swinney would have problems staying composed.

Plenty of blame to go around.

I Tell Ya Herbie:

                            The Iowa-Northwestern game at Wrigley Field this Saturday is reported to be a record low on the over/under line with the offensive problems from both teams.

Iowa announced earlier this week that beleaguered offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz will not return in that role next season, which is a move that should have been taken care of before this season.

With one final season of the Big Ten divisional alignment of East-West, Iowa should have been all-in on the final West Division title (which they still may grab with Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Minnesota tied for first with a 3-2 conference record) instead of retaining Ferentz and risking exactly what happened- another year of awful offensive football.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            I wonder about how hot the seat is getting for Mike Locksley at Maryland.

After winning their first five games, against admittedly weak teams, Maryland has dropped three straight, and their remaining schedule isn't easy playing both Penn State and Michigan, Rutgers, who has been better than expected, and Nebraska, who have won five of their last six,

Maryland didn't play badly in their first loss, a 37-17 defeat against Ohio State but have since lost to Illinois at home and then at Northwestern.

It's not out of the question that Maryland could lose their last four games, which would mean a seven-game season-ending losing streak, a bowl game miss, and maybe a new head coach.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             There are three unbeaten teams in the Group of Five and two of them reside in the state of Virginia.

James Madison and Liberty aren't scheduled to play each other but both are making a run at perfection.

Liberty leads Conference USA an 8-0 overall record with six wins inside the league while James Madison is at the top of the Sun Belt at 8-0 overall and five wins against conference foes.

Madison has the tougher road with games against 6-2 Georgia State, Appalachian State, and a season-ending game at Coastal Carolina with three of Liberty's four remaining opponents holding losing records with only a non-conference game against Old Dominion, who gave Madison a hard time last week in a 30-27 loss.

James Madison is ineligible for a bowl game despite their record due to their "transition period" to 1-A football, while Liberty may have to hope for a loss by the other unbeaten in Air Force, and even then with the Flames' weak schedule may have to hope for a two-loss champion from the Mountain West (Fresno State has just one loss) and the American, where Tulanes has one loss and SMU has two, to have a chance for the New Years Day G-5 bid.

Liberty and James Madison are scheduled to face each other in a home-and-home series in 2033 and 2034.