NCAA Football Report (Week 7)
This time of year is one of the toughest times for every student athlete that has to step into the spotlight on Saturdays.
That is because they are exactly that, student-athletes, and have some tough hills to climb when they commit to play football.
In any pro sport, life is all about trying to find a balance between family and work.
On one hand family is the only thing that will always be there whether you have a good day or a bad day and doesn’t care how well you play. On the other hand is a passion that athletes have been working on their entire lives in one of the most cut throat businesses in the world.
That balance is tough for many professional athletes to find but it doesn’t compare to what the athletes in the NCAA have to deal with.
It is true in every sport but in football the pressure to perform is slightly higher as everyone is watching on every Saturday.
The men who play football are under plenty of pressure as it is often the premiere sport at a school and fans spread far further than the campus.
There are TV stations dedicated to analysing every move of a game and pointing out the flaws of young men who play the sport they love.
Along with this pressure is the time it takes every athlete to be a part of a team in the NCAA.
There are practices, film study, and team meetings that everyone must attend but it is far from the only thing they have to worry about.
Many also take on full course loads that are enough for a regular student to get stressed out about on a weekly basis.
They have a full course load plus the responsibilities that almost match that of the NFL in their study and their practices.
This time of year it is made all the more difficult as it is about halfway through the first term of the year and anyone who has been to college knows that means midterms.
It is a stressful time for every student as they get their first big exams or their first big assignments that count towards a big portion of the grades.
As much as football players get a bad wrap for being coddled in college, and many are, they still need to make the grades to stay in the lineup.
Without good grades they will be put on academic suspension and could lose a good portion of the season.
Now they have to prepare for these big tests and assignments while also preparing for a game on Saturday.
It is a tough time for every student but student-athletes get a bit of a tougher test in their increased responsibilities.
Sometimes it can have some big negative effects on teams as many players have to pull close to all-nighters to get everything done.
With tired teams any team can take a loss and in the NCAA that means the beginning of the end to their season.
Some teams take their bye weeks around now or schedule easy games to help the players but that is not always possible.
That was the case in Notre Dame where midterm week ended with a massive rivalry game against the USC Trojans.
The game was a wild one and some of it could have been the cause of some players that had a more stressful week than usual.
Those players that can get through the midterm week without much changing have gone through a big part of their careers.
They have dealt with some major issues through this week and coming through it should give all of the athletes a boost that one of the toughest parts of the season is now over.
Midterms are just another part of what student athletes have to go through all for the pursuit of an education and potentially a future career.
They are some of the best athletes in the world and the strongest, mentally, which is why NCAA remains one of the biggest leagues in North America.
As midterms end the competition will only increase as teams prepare for the home stretch when the official rankings are released and the pursuit of the playoff officially beings.
As tough as this time is there is no end to the stress for student-athletes as a loss now provides no time for a team to come back and earn a spot in the playoff as one loss can now end a season.
Key Scores:
Memphis Tigers 37 – 24 Ole Miss Rebels #13
– The Rebels were at one point looking at the playoff as a real possibility then they lost to the Crimson Tide and now to the Tigers as their season is over while the undefeated Tigers earned a massive boost debuting in 18th in the AP rankings
#7 Michigan State Spartans 27 – 23 Michigan Wolverines #12
– The long in-state rivalry has plenty of great chapters but this might go to the top, or bottom depending on who you cheer for, as the Spartans took the Paul Bunyan trophy for another year after blocking a punt with second left and scoring a game-winning touchdown
#6 LSU Tigers 35 – 28 Florida Gators #8
– The Tigers and Gators were flying up the rankings before they met in an all-SEC battle and thanks to the leader in the Heisman, Leonard Fournette, the Tigers got by the Gators continuing their pursuit of the playoff and ending the Gators’ hopes
#14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 41 – 31 USC Trojans
– It is a long-time rivalry between two storied programs and this one is sure to provide plenty of highlights in the rivalry reel as both offences went back and forth with big plays until the Irish finally took the lead in the fourth quarter
Next Week:
#18 Memphis Tigers vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (Friday October 23rd; 8:00 pm ET)
– The Tigers were the highest debuted team on the rankings and now they hope to extend their winning streak and move up the rankings as they take on the unranked Hurricane with a chance to prove something to the voters
Iowa State Cyclones vs. #2 Baylor Bears (Saturday October 24th; 12:00 pm ET)
– The Bears are the best offence in the NCAA and their second place ranking reflects that as they take on another weaker school hoping to continue to build their point totals while the Cyclones attempt a major upset
Tennessee Volunteers vs. #8 Alabama Crimson Tide (Saturday October 24th; 3:30 pm ET)
– The Tide were once solidly in the playoffs but an early loss in the season sent them falling down the rankings and they continue their run towards the playoff looking to make the Volunteers another footnote on their way to the top four
#15 Texas A&M Aggies vs. #24 Ole Miss Rebels (Saturday October 24th; 7:00 pm ET)
– Both the Aggies and the Rebels are victims of the Tide’s run to the playoff and now they both try to recover and attempt to get another win as a loss for either team could send them out fo the rankings and push them out of a big bowl game
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