Trust is everything. Without trust, relationships fall apart.
And right now, for college football fans, no relationships are as important as the ones we have with the college football teams we tune in to watch each week. Yes, the season is nascent, but there are still bonds being built between these teams and myself, the viewer (and bettor).
Here, then, are the first annual GCM Levels of Trust.
DISCLAIMER: These are subject to change at any time, based on interceptions or fumbles or what have you.
THE TRUST IS ROCK SOLID
Bryce Young
It was getting late in the Alabama/Texas game, and it felt like nothing was going right for Alabama. They were stacking penalties the way they’ve historically stacked championships, and despite Texas being down a starting quarterback (and using a wounded back-up), the Longhorns were nursing a 16-10 lead.
Right about then, Rob Fischer, host of The Odds Couple, texted our Odds Couple group chat and said, “Alabama is going to win, right?”
“Alabama is definitely going to win,” I responded.
By now, we all know what happened. Alabama won, 20-19, and it was almost solely because of Bryce Young. I don’t think there’s a player in college football right now that I trust more than Bryce Young.
Sure, it helps that he’s the returning Heisman winner, so we know the talent is there. But I just believe in his calming vibe and confident presence. Even though Alabama seems a little flat this season, Young never showed any doubt. And when Texas brought that corner blitz, Young coolly stepped aside and trotted for a first down.
It certainly feels as though right now Alabama doesn’t have the offensive threats surrounding Young that they had in previous seasons. Maybe the bigger question for Bama is defensively, because Texas was able to move the ball a lot easier than I suspected they would, even after Quin Ewers went out. The offensive line also turned in a performance that was reminiscent of the Texas A&M game a season ago, allowing pressure throughout. And then there were the 15 penalties.
Either way, Alabama has a lot to work on. The one thing they can believe in, though, is Bryce Young.
Stetson Bennett IV
If we’re being honest, for most of last season I did not believe Stetson Bennett should be Georgia’s starting QB. The Dawgs had done everything possible to find a replacement, but injuries and inability had Kirby Smart turning to Stetson, over and over again. And then, whaddya know, Bennett did it. He led the Dawgs to their first title in four decades, and played not only solid football, but he actually looked great. And then he announced he was returning for what seemed like a seventh season in Athens!
Through two games this season, Bennett is 49-65 for 668 yards and 3 passing TDs, plus 2 rushing TDs. UGA has outscored their opponents this season, 82-3. According to The Athletic, when he is being blitzed this season, Bennett is 18-for-18. I know he’ll face a tough test this weekend in Columbia, where the Hairy Dawgs will face off against Cluck Norris, but at this point, we have to trust Stetson. There is no other choice.
(By the way, it’s Stetson’s sixth season at UGA. Lol.)
A LITTLE SHAKY
Ohio State
Buckeyes coach Ryan Day is doing his best Hollywood Hogan with the painted-on beard he’s been rocking this season. Ohio State has been really close for the last few seasons, but just haven’t been able to get over the hump. Maybe a new look, a new attitude, will help?
Ohio State has a history of getting off to slow starts, and eking out a win against Notre Dame two weeks ago seemed understandable, back when we thought Notre Dame was, you know, good. Ohio State looked a lot better against Arkansas State, but of course they did.
Still, by consensus, Ohio State is the third-best team in the country right now. New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles seems to have created some positive buzz around what was usually just thought of as the other side of the ball, but I still have questions about OSU’s receiving core.
Tennessee
Every time I watch the Vols play, I see flashes of what I think Josh Heupel wants this team to become. They play at a crazy fast tempo! They sling the ball all over the field! They score more points than you can score! It’s like watching a regular football game on fast forward, or something like that.
I’ve thought a lot about which teams in the SEC belong after UGA, and in which order, and I’m ready to rule out Florida after watching Anthony Richardson throw passes into the ground at a million miles an hour against Kentucky. (I don’t fully trust Kentucky, either, although I think they’ll benefit in two weeks when last season’s SEC rushing leader Chris Rodriguez returns.)
So I’ll ride with the Vols at third in the East, and leave them slotted a season away from leapfrogging UK into that second spot in the East, once they bring in another class of talent. Maybe it’s just PTSD from the way the Jeremy Pruitt era went, but there’s still something there keeping me from buying completely in.
Oklahoma
This feels like the quietest season in years for the Sooners, which is odd considering how loud the offseason was for them. Perhaps the expectations are low, after Lincoln Riley moved to Beverly Hills and took a bunch of the Oklahoma team with him.
But Brent Venables has jumped out to a 2-0 start, and former UCF QB Dillon Gabriel has been efficient (264.5 ypg, 0 INTs and 5 total TDs) along the way. OU also has a favorable schedule, and don’t play a ranked team (Texas) until the middle of October.
This week, the Sooners square off against traditional rivals Nebraska, who are, of course, going through it lately. (More on them later.) For now, I like the way the Sooners are heading.
Bryan Harsin
I really can’t believe I’m putting Bryan Harsin in this tier. Heading into this season, I thought Harsin was a dead man walking, considering how many different factions of boosters on the Plains have tried to run Harsin out of town.
But guess what? He’s still there, and for a second season, the Tigers have started 2-0. Also for a second season, Auburn now has to take that undefeated record up against Penn State. Last season they played it close, before finally losing to the Nittany Lions. This season?
Well, even though Auburn is 2-0, both wins were against crummy teams (Mercer and San Jose State), and neither win was particularly convincing. But I think Harsin is a good coach (heck, he was 69-19 at Boise State), and if he can keep dodging all the haters at Auburn, he’s going to turn the thing around eventually. Now it’s just about dodging the haters. And a win against a Big 10 opponent would go a huge way toward keeping them off Harsin’s back.
I’M OUT
Jimbo Fisher
Two years ago, Texas A&M went 9-1 and appeared to be trending in the right direction. Last year, the Aggies beat Alabama(!) and managed to sign eight(!) five-star recruits.
This week, Texas A&M lost, at home, to Appalachian State, to whom they paid over a million dollars for the pleasure of getting upset. TAMU’s offense scored 7 points. App State had 80 offensive snaps. TAMU had 38.
As the great Paul Finebaum said on Monday, “I’m not here to make fun of Jimbo Fisher. His record does that already.”
Spencer Rattler
Every time I’ve watched South Carolina play this season, I see Rattler overthrowing receivers down the field. This week, South Carolina hosts UGA, and today it was announced that the Gamecocks will be without two of their starting defenders. Good luck!
Scott Frost
At this point it’s just piling on, but man oh man did things ever go sideways at Nebraska for Frost. I wonder where he ends up next. And speaking of…
Gus Malzahn
I was all set to write Louisville off, and then I watched UCF let them into the game last week, over and over. UCF got skunked in the second half, and the Knights didn’t seem able to find anything that could work. I had UCF fans tweeting me, asking me to help them get off the Gus bus. Since his first season at Auburn, Malzahn has lost at least four games every year, including last season at UCF. I don’t know how long he’ll last at UCF, but UCF legend Scott Frost is available!