Opinion: College Football's Week 13 Villains

Another weekend of college football is in the books, so let’s go through who let themselves down on the gridiron with my Week Thirteen Villains:

USC: So, the balance of football power in Los Angeles has definitely shifted. I struggled through the Trojans 38-20 loss to UCLA – one that was far more comprehensive than the scoreboard suggested – and, aside from being blasted by Bruins QB Brett Hundley, who’s been nothing but straight-up awesome in three starts against the Trojans, what stood out for me was the ineffectiveness of the USC offensive line.

Trojan QB Cody Kessler was sacked 6 times and hurried at least a dozen more times. Bruin defenders set up shop in the USC backfield and Kessler was always on the move, skating this way and that, rarely able to set his feet to get a good throw out to his legion of talented wide receivers, like star Nelson Agholor, who had easily the quietest game of his season when he needed to be really, really good.

There were a few questionable defensive calls from Justin Wilcox to boot, and, of course, there’s a lack of depth defensively thanks to scholarship restrictions that, thankfully, end this year, and the inept offensive performance meant, more often than not, that the Bruins had a short field to work with.

As much as it pains me to say, because I’ve loved watching USC defensively over the last 15-20 years, the opening pick-six was about the only highlight of the night for the Trojan D. It was as though that bad throw woke Hundley up, and the Men of Troy had no answers afterward, giving up third-and-longs with startling regularity.  Wilcox is not going to be too popular amongst Trojan fans this week.

Like I said, I struggled through the game, with my frustration level growing with every botched play. How bad was it? When normally mild-mannered defensive lineman Leonard Williams gets chippy with Hundley, you know things are spiralling out of control. Now, the Trojans need to look ahead to Notre Dame, who, honestly, are eminently beatable at the moment. The problem is, so is USC.

Michigan: The Wolverines season of discontent sunk to a new low, succumbing to Maryland 23-16 in what was one of the most inept displays of Wolverine football that I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brady Hoke fired during the week. He deserves nothing less, being the figurehead of a team that’s absolutely stinking the place up every week. They out-gained Maryland, but couldn’t convert when they needed to.

Oh hey, remember when Michigan beat Ohio State and won the Sugar Bowl in Hoke’s first season in Ann Arbor? That was January 2012, my friends. Seems a lot longer ago than that, right? Especially for Hoke. Michigan’s lost at least six games for the fifth time in seven years, and, obviously, there’s little to no pride in that Wolverines jersey at the moment.

Notre Dame: When USC loses, all I can hope for is that UCLA and Notre Dame also lose. The fact that the Trojans and the Bruins played each other this week means that all I had to rely on for a little gridiron happiness was a possible Fighting Irish loss, and Brian Kelly’s men happily provided it.

The Irish started an impressive 6-0 and have absolutely imploded since then, losing three on the trot – Arizona State, Northwestern and now Louisville – and four of it’s past five, but it hasn’t so much been the losses, but how they’ve actually lost. Take Saturday’s effort against the Cardinals for example: they failed to convert on seven of eleven third downs, were gashed for 229 yards rushing and Kyle Brindza missed yet another big game-on-the-line field goal.

Absolutely nothing is going right for the Irish, and this Trojan fan loves it! Speaking of USC, Notre Dame travels to . They travel to USC next week for what, with the way both teams performed this week, might actually be a really entertaining game. If Notre Dame lose, they fall to 7-5, which equals Brian Kelly’s worst season in South Bend. Let’s hope it happens!

Virginia Tech: Lost 6-3 in 2OT after their game against Wake Forest went into overtime tied at nothing. That’s right – donuts on both sides of the scoreboard after 60 minutes of regulation. The Hokies were out-scored by a Wake Forest team that ranks 127th in the FBS in points scored. Surely Frank Beamer is out at the end of the season? VT needs a win against in-state rival Virginia just to make a Bowl game. Based on their performance today, you wouldn’t exactly back them in.

Ole Miss: Six turnovers against a rampant Arkansas Razorback defense – yeah, I surprised myself typing that phrase, too – has all but doomed the Rebels chances of being a part of the inaugural College Football Playoff bracket. The way they played on Saturday afternoon, they don’t deserve to be there. Bo Wallace was just 16-31 for 235 yards, no scores, and two interceptions, including a rub-salt-into-the-wound 100-yard return by the Hogs.

Utah: Not a good day for the Utes in Salt Lake City. Arizona RB Nick Wilson made them look pretty silly, running for 208 of the 520 total yards the Wildcat offense, coming from the warmth of the desert to the frigid conditions of Salt Lake City, rolled up on an out-of-sorts Utah defense. Worse, they coughed up four turnovers (including three interceptions) on offense, and managed just a solitary field goal in the second half. The final score line of 42-10 probably flattered the Utes a little.

Vanderbilt: Another week, another embarrassing loss for a Vanderbilt program that’s stuttered and died since former coach James Franklin departed for Penn State. They turned the football over three times en route to being trounced 51-0 by a Mississippi State team hell-bent on revenge after losing to Alabama. The Commodores drop to 0-7 in SEC play this season, and a scratchy 3-8 overall record.