Washington is the Pac-12 champion. Penn State, not Michigan or Ohio State, won the Big Ten. Virginia Tech, after a couple seven-win seasons, gave Clemson all it could handle in the ACC title game.
Championship weekend in college football didn’t disappoint. And aside from securing College Football Playoff spots and generating vitriol for the process from Penn State fans, it set the stage for landmark changes in the college football landscape.
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Penn State is back, and the Nittany Lions are set to be more than just a thorn in the side of Ohio State and Michigan.
Also in this week’s NFL draft spotlight, Deshaun Watson’s narrow victory highlighted a letdown season for his draft grade. Plus, Jerod Evans’ promising future at Virginia Tech.
Penn State’s future is bright
After a 2-2 start, Penn State football talk revolved around whether James Franklin was the guy to put Happy Valley back on the map … and whether this team had more to offer than just the remarkably talented Saquon Barkley.
But nine straight wins, including two over top 10 teams in Ohio State and Wisconsin, have guided the Nittany Lions to a 11-2 record, a Big Ten championship, a near College Football Playoff berth and a position to truly capitalize on the return of their full scholarship numbers and top-flight recruiting classes over the last two years.
Barkley is arguably the best running back in the country, and the sophomore has had the pressure of carrying a young offense on his shoulders. Early in the season, Penn State’s success was directly tied to his ability.
But as the season wore on and the winning streak too shape, the team's youth began to turn around. Now it gives promise that Franklin has made Penn State a long-term contender in the Big Ten.
All three receivers (Chris Godwin, Saeed Blacknall and DaeSean Hamilton) are juniors, and each had their breakout performance games, with Blacknall and Hamilton specifically impressing late against Wisconsin. Tight end Mike Gesicki, also a junior, gave Penn State an impressive red-zone and seam-stretching option, as well.
But Penn State’s long-term success is tied to quarterback Trace McSorely, who quietly has emerged as one of the brightest young passers in college football.
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Based on his progression as a passer and clutch play as the season went on (particularly in the second half against Wisconsin), McSorely already has emerged as arguably the Big Ten’s best quarterback. Looking around the nation, he also seems more comfortable under pressure than Washington’s Jake Browning, has more fundamental refinement than Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans and has one of the best supporting casts at the skill positions returning next year, assuming his junior receivers don’t declare for the 2017 NFL Draft.
Franklin’s development of the Penn State offense has been phenomenal. He finally has gotten his own players in the system, developed a quarterback that can finish in big games, maximized his offensive skill players and supported his offense with an athletic, young defense that should only lose three seniors and maybe one junior (safety Marcus Allen) to the draft.
Dealing with Michigan and Ohio State each year was never going to be easy for Franklin and Penn State. But the success shouldn’t be viewed as a surprise.
This is a program on the rise and back on the national map, and while it might continue to be labeled an underdog against Ohio State and Michigan, Franklin, McSorely, Barkley and company have already proven Penn State won't be fading anytime soon.
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Deshaun Watson: another unimpressive performance
We’ve touted Watson as a candidate this year in one of the least impressive classes in recent Heisman history. Outside of occasionally productive outings, a 12-win season and an ACC championship, Watson hasn’t had the junior season many in the scouting community hoped to see.
In a quarterback draft class that doesn’t have a clear "favorite," which was the case before the season, too, the throne was Watson’s to take. He was a Heisman finalist in 2015 and returned the offensive weapons needed to show off his growth.
Instead, he appeared to regress as a passer, not unlike the way Brett Hundley’s peak fell sharply after his sophomore season at UCLA. Watson might be doomed for a similar draft fate.
Watson threw at least one interception in all but four games this year, and those turnover-free games came against Wake Forest, Boston College, Syracuse and South Carolina State. In every meaningful game he played this season, Watson made at least one highly questionable decision or lazy throw that directly led to a turnover or missed opportunity.
This year, Watson’s mechanics, footwork and comfortability in the pocket felt too forced, to rigid and at times unlike the Watson we saw dominate with decisiveness as a sophomore. Without knowing his mental state, it appeared he was trying to change himself, adjust on the field and force development that led to discomfort and distrust in his throwing style.
His lazy decision-making and field awareness stemmed from his perceived overly intense focus on footwork, mechanics and ideal ball placement, and it led to throws that should never happen.
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On an interception in the third quarter against Virginia Tech, for example, Watson’s predetermined read and eye foreshadowing gave the defensive end plenty of time to react, get his hands up and tip the pass. It wasn’t a direct interception from Watson’s hands, but he’s just as responsible.
Before and early in the season, Watson was our perceived top quarterback prospect, and the Marcus Mariota comparisons, though a bit over-hyped, weren’t completely unfounded. Watson’s running ability, clutch play down the stretch and reason for developmental optimism was the cause for excitement. But his concerning lack of development and added reason for pessimism has pushed him down the list of top quarterback prospects. As for the first round, he might already be on the outside looking in.
An impressive performance against a loaded Ohio State secondary could begin to restore the scouting excitement Watson has lost this season.
Player spotlight: Jerod Evans, QB, Virginia Tech
In a surprisingly narrow loss to Clemson, those unfamiliar with Evans and the job first-year head coach Justin Fuente has done with the overall talent-devoid Hokies nearly saw what would have been the biggest upset of championship weekend. Evans, a JUCO transfer in his first season as the team’s junior starter, flashed rushing ability and pass-game upside against Clemson, and he showed why NFL teams are intrigued by his potential.
Evans is far from an NFL-ready prospect. And while we’ve been told he’s considering entering the draft after just one season (only Cardale Jones has been drafted in the last 10 years with a year or less of starts under his belt), he’d be wise to benefit from the coaching and quarterback-development experience of Fuente.
Before he arrived in Blacksburg, Fuente turned two-star Paxton Lynch into a first-round quarterback. Now he has his work cut out to turn a mechanically inconsistent passer in need of a footwork overhaul into an NFL quarterback.
But Evans has the dual-threat ability, power and body type to hold up as an NFL starter, and he has flashes of the downfield and perimeter throws NFL teams covet in early-round upside passers.
Evens should not declare for the 2017 draft, but if he does, he will be selected somewhere at or below where Jones was drafted (fourth round). If he stays, Evans could be one of the early-season leaders to be a first-round quarterback for the 2018 class.
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Something you missed: South Alabama bowl eligible
The South Alabama Jaguars have lost four road games this season by seven points or less, and they were on the cusp of an eight- or nine-win season if a few things had gone their way. In their final regular-season game against New Mexico State, South Alabama needed a victory to secure a bowl berth.
In a narrow win that pushed South Alabama to its second bowl game in school history and a 6-6 record, the Jaguars relied on their feature running back Xavier Howard. In an impressive three-touchdown performance with his season high in carries, Howard sealed the team’s victory and bowl berth with a late fourth quarter touchdown.
Victories and performances like these are what build a program like that of South Alabama.