College football kickoff: Midseason awards and the constant threat of coronavirus

Coastal Carolina (5-0) and its teal turf earn color scheme of the year. The Chanticleers have already matched their victory total from last season and vaulted into the national rankings for the first time in program history.

Few have taken advantage of the stilted season as well as quarterback Zach Wilson and BYU, which is not just a 6-0 juggernaut (outscoring its opponents by an average of 45-14) but was one of only two teams in the Mountain or Pacific time zones playing regularly before last weekend.

One game does not a season (or a career) make, but Greg Schiano is a contender for the Take That, F. Scott Fitzgerald Award. His second act at Rutgers started swimmingly last week with a takeaway-fueled victory at Michigan State.

Then there’s the most predictable development of all. The POY — that’s pathogen of the year here in 2020 — is, of course, the novel coronavirus. This week brought several reminders it is as influential as anything in how this season plays out.

(How Nebraska and its storied football program continue finding ways to somehow make themselves a worse fit for the football-centric Big Ten than decidedly non-football-centric Maryland and Rutgers, the league’s other recent expansion additions, is a true puzzler).

Postponements and positive tests are simply routine this season. Other subplots will grow and shrink in significance. Unsurprisingly, the story affecting all of society is, and will remain, a central figure in the 2020 college football season until its conclusion.

Five with the most at stake

1. Ohio State. The No. 3 Buckeyes’ road slate after this weekend includes trips to Maryland, Illinois and Michigan State. Which means a visit Saturday to a cranky No. 18 Penn State that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last week at Indiana is easily the most likely team to trip up Ryan Day’s bunch away from Columbus.

2. Penn State. The Nittany Lions would effectively be out of the Big Ten title race by the end of October if they stumble against Ohio State. In a normal year, that would be aggravating enough. In a year when their team’s season didn’t start until Oct. 24, it would be especially frustrating for Penn State fans.

3. Oklahoma State. The No. 6 Cowboys (4-0) are the Big 12’s best playoff hope, largely because they’re the last undefeated team in the league. They’re a quarter of the way through a tricky stretch, having upended Iowa State last weekend. Next up is Texas (which pummeled Baylor in its last outing) before trips to Kansas State and No. 24 Oklahoma.

4. Boise State. The No. 25 Broncos (1-0) are certainly a possibility to nab the Group of Five’s New Year’s Six slot, and they dusted off Utah State without much trouble to open their season. Next up is a trip to Air Force, which has looked great (against Navy) and not-so-great (at San Jose State) but does offer the challenge of a difficult offense to prepare for.

5a. LSU and 5b. Auburn. Who emerges from the SEC West’s tangle of Tigers with three losses entering November and a meeting still to come against Alabama? It’s not a pleasant thought heading into this game on the Plains.

Heisman watch

Justin Fields didn’t disappoint in the Big Ten’s return to the field last weekend.

1. QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson; 1,833 yards, 17 TDs, 2 INTs passing; 71 yards, 4 TDs rushing. The junior loses at least one game because of a positive coronavirus test, but he was in the news earlier in the week as well. If Lawrence is serious about possibly returning to the Tigers next year or not, this much is certain: He’s probably been part of more victories this season with Clemson (six) than he would be next year with the New York Jets. (Last week: 1)

2. RB Najee Harris, Alabama; 595 yards, 14 TDs rushing; 14 receptions, 147 yards. Harris has topped 20 carries in three consecutive weeks. The Crimson Tide might not need him so much against a Mississippi State in disarray. (LW: 2)

3. QB Justin Fields, Ohio State; 276 yards, 2 TDs passing; 54 yards, 1 TD rushing. Encountered little resistance while carving up Nebraska’s defense last weekend. He’ll deal with a Penn State defense that largely did its job in an overtime loss to Indiana to open the season. (LW: Not ranked)

4. QB Mac Jones, Alabama; 1,905 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs passing. The Crimson Tide’s super-efficient signal-caller will have to navigate the rest of the schedule without the injured Jaylen Waddle. He did just fine without the star wideout last week against Tennessee. (LW: 3)

5. QB Zach Wilson, BYU; 1,928 yards, 16 TDs, 1 INT passing; 115 yards, 6 TDs rushing. The junior has still completed at least 70 percent of his passes and thrown for multiple touchdowns in each game for the 6-0 Cougars. A visit from 2-4 Western Kentucky, which has allowed four of its five FBS opponents to score at least 30 points, is up next. (LW: 6)

6. QB Kyle Trask, Florida; 996 yards, 14 TDs, 1 INT passing. After a two-week hiatus, Trask and the Gators resume play against Missouri. (LW: 4)

Source:WP