October in College Football: Breaking Logic

Published: Monday, October 28, 2024

by Kyle Ferreira

The 2024 college football season has been bonkers.

Through the first two months of the season, fans have been treated to some of the best Saturdays the sport has ever seen. Week after week, when fans think they’ve seen it all, they aren’t even close. Teams like Indiana, BYU, and Army are undefeated, Alabama has two losses before November, and Vanderbilt was ranked at one point.

Time and time again, everyone is saying that college football 2024 is eerily similar to 2007. 17 years ago, things like Appalachian State beating Michigan, the “curse of the number two ranking,” and a two-loss LSU winning the championship all happened. In October 2024, fans are watching many storylines similar to those of 2007 play out live.

To start, Indiana, a program that has the most losses in FBS history with 713, have somehow taken over the sport. If you Google their head coach, you will understand why they are the darlings of the sport; head coach Curt Cignetti took over the program in November 2023 following successful tenures at James Madison and Elon, and he meant business.

Not only are the Hoosiers undefeated at 8-0, but they also haven’t trailed a single minute this season. From hosting “College Gameday” to destroying Nebraska and beating Washington this past weekend, Indiana is having their best season since 1967. It may be controversial, maybe insane, but the Hoosiers might just beat Michigan or Ohio State and potentially go undefeated.

Now to “America’s Team,” not the Dallas Cowboys, but the Army Black Knights. In a strange coincidence, the Black Knights are having an incredible season during an election year. Unlike the turmoil and the negativity in that realm, all Americans are coming together to root for this team.

Known for their triple-option offense, Army have pounded the ball efficiently and destroyed teams, running for a ridiculous 2,514 yards. Quarterback Bryson Daily has been essential to their success, being a physical runner with 909 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. While they’re not the most talented team, the Black Knights are very disciplined and one that should not be overlooked come playoff time.

While these teams have survived October with no blemishes, many squads in the SEC were unable to stay undefeated. Not one team in the dominant Southeastern Conference has a  perfect overall record. Not Georgia, not Texas, and definitely not Alabama. Mississippi State hasn’t even won a conference game…

The SEC this season is so unpredictable yet so talent heavy that Texas A&M is the only team without a conference loss. It only took firing former head coach Jimbo Fisher and having multiple players from their historic 2022 recruiting class transfer to get here. A&M head coach Mike Elko has completely transformed the program, and the Aggies have rebounded nicely since losing to Notre Dame in week one.

Player wise, many have established firm positioning in award races, most notably the Heisman. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Miami quarterback Cam Ward, and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel all had fantastic Octobers. Jeanty notably has been the frontrunner to win the sport’s greatest award.

The RB, who has a stance like Michael Myers, is probably scarier than the famous movie character. With 1,376 rushing yards and 18 TDs, Jeanty could break Barry Sanders’ FBS record for rushing yards in a season. He has the potential, and with games against Nevada and Wyoming in November, he will surely pass 2,000 rushing yards for the season.

There have also been plenty of upsets this month. Alabama losing to Vanderbilt and Tennessee, Washington beating Michigan, as well as undefeated Liberty losing to winless Kennesaw State. Safe to say, this month was chaotic.

Now with November coming, mayhem will ensue. It all starts November 2nd, when Ohio State travels to Penn State for a top five matchup in the Nittany Lions’ annual White Out. Brace yourself college football fans, November will be here, and it will redefine everything you know about the sport.

Kyle Ferreira can be reached at kyle.ferreira@student.shu.edu. 

 

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