Around CFB: 2022 shaping up to be nation's strangest season since 2007

In college football history, the 2007 season is remembered as the weirdest and most schizophrenic.

That year, 62 ranked teams fell to unranked opponents. The No. 2 ranked team in the country lost seven times in the final nine weeks. Three times the No. 1 and No. 2 teams lost on the same weekend.

That year, Kansas — yes, Kansas — was one of the teams that lost with a No. 2 ranking. The Jayhawks won their first 10 games and later defeated Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

That was the year LSU lost to Kentucky and Arkansas in triple overtime, yet still reached the national championship. Coach Les Miles argued that LSU was “undefeated in regulation,” and somehow, that rationale was accepted.

The Tigers won the national championship over Ohio State, which was ranked No. 1 when it lost at home to Illinois on Nov. 10.

All the madness started with No. 5 Michigan losing to Appalachian State the first week of the season.

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For the second time in program history, Appalachian State took down a top-10 opponent when the Mountaineers upset Texas A&M at Kyle Field, 17-14.

Well, after just two full weeks, there are signs that the 2022 season could be just as bizarre as the 2007 campaign.

Already three teams ranked in the preseason top 10 — No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 7 Utah — have lost to unranked opponents.

Of course, Appalachian State again is involved with a 17-14 victory over No. 6 A&M last week.

That stunning loss left Aggies seeking answers and coach Jimbo Fisher taking responsibility.

“We did not execute and play at the level we needed to, and that’s my fault,” Fisher said. “As the head football coach, that’s your job to have your guys ready to play and put them in position to make plays and let them do it. At the end of the day, that’s on us. We have to do a better job of coaching them and getting the fundamentals right.”

Fisher wasn’t the only coach taking responsibility because A&M wasn’t the only team victimized by the mighty Sun Belt Conference.

No. 5 Notre Dame fell to Marshall 26-21. The Irish needed a touchdown pass with 14 seconds left to get that close.

The loss left Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman perplexed and echoing Fisher’s thoughts.

“We have to look at ourselves as individuals, the whole team, starting with the head coach on down, and say, 'What do I have to do? What do we have to do to fix the issues?'" Freeman said. "We have to look at the lack of execution in all phases of our team.

“This is an evaluation of everything we're doing. It starts with me. It starts with me as a head coach.”

That’s not Freeman’s only problem. Quarterback Tyler Buchner suffered a sprained AC joint that will require surgery. He’ll miss the rest of the season.

The Irish, who lost to Ohio State in the season-opener, hope to avoid an 0-3 start when they face Cal on Saturday.

The last time Notre Dame started 0-3? You guessed it… 2007. They finished 3-9.

Speaking of finished…

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Scott Frost was fired on Sunday after Nebraska lost to Georgia Southern, 45-42.

The Scott Frost era at Nebraska came to an end on Sunday. The last straw was a 45-42 loss to Sun Belt member Georgia Southern on Saturday.

“Certainly didn’t expect that tonight,” Frost said after the game. “I thought we would perform a lot better than that.”

All of Nebraska thought Frost would perform better when he was hired in 2018. He leaves with a 16-31 record.

Frost’s tenure was so bad Nebraska was willing to sacrifice $8 million to end it. His buyout is reportedly $15 million but would’ve dropped to about $7 million on Oct. 1.

Frost’s best season in Lincoln was just 5-7 in 2019. The last time Nebraska finished 5-7, coach Bill Callahan was fired the next day. That, too, was in 2007.

The Huskers would be lucky to finish 5-7 this year.

College football quiz

Name five Power 5 mascots/nicknames that do not end with an ’s’...

Heisman watch (If my ballot was due today)

1. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State, QB: He’s looking more and more like the definitive favorite. Stroud has thrown for 574 yards and six touchdowns and no interceptions. Last week, he passed for 351 yards and four scores in a 45-12 victory over Arkansas State. True, that was against a Sun Belt Conference opponent, but they can be better than expected.

2. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas, QB: He had an efficient showing in a 44-30 victory over South Carolina. Jefferson completed 18 of 21 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown. Thus far, he has thrown 385 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 123 yards and two scores.

3. Bryce Young, Alabama, QB: Young was not sharp in a 20-19 victory over Texas. He threw for just 213 yards and one touchdown. However, he did lead a last-minute drive for a game-winning field goal. He completed 5-of-7 passes for 41 yards and had a 20-yard run on that drive.

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The Stetson Bennett-led Georgia Bulldogs have claimed the top spot in the AP Poll heading into Week Three.

4. Stetson Bennett, Georgia, QB: After two games, Bennett is completing 75 percent of his passes. He’s thrown for 668 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also run for two scores.

5. Caleb Williams, USC, QB: He threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-28 victory over Stanford. After two games, he has 590 passing yards and six touchdowns.

Projected playoff participants

1. Georgia: It’s early, but the defending national champion again looks like the best team.

2. Ohio State: Buckeyes' offense may be the nation’s most explosive.

3. Alabama: Though the Crimson Tide looks vulnerable, it usually finds a way to win.

4. Clemson: Defense gives the Tigers a legitimate chance.

Games to watch

No. 13 Miami at No. 24 Texas A&M: The Aggies’ season may depend on how they bounce back from the Appalachian State loss.

No. 6 Oklahoma at Nebraska: Watch for the nostalgia. Once one of the greatest rivalries in college football.

No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon: One of the few games matching ranked opponents.

UTSA at No. 21 Texas: After a near miss against Alabama, will Texas take UTSA seriously?

Mississippi State at LSU: LSU coach Brian Kelly gets a taste of SEC regular season action.

Quiz answers

North Carolina State Wolfpack
Illinois Fighting Illini
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Syracuse Orange
Stanford Cardinal