gmw college football mid-week: week 10

Oh, how the mighty undefeateds have fallen (including WVU tonight). Will we be looking at an “undefeated Big East team vs. one-loss SEC team” controversy come bowling time? Or the problem of which 1-loss team to offer the national title shot to? As always in a non-playoff sport, these questions will be settled in the most awkward way possible–off the field.

This week, the Week 10 G-Poll, a special interview with Baylor redshirt freshman Patrick Swindle, and Games I’m watching this weekend.

Week 10 G-Poll Top 10

1. Ohio State (9-0)
2. Michigan (9-0)
3. Louisville (8-0)
4. Texas (7-1)
5. California (7-1)
6. Florida (7-1)
7. Tennessee (7-1)
8. Arkansas (7-1)
9. Auburn (8-1)
10. USC (6-1)

Notre Dame and West Virginia are knocking on the door. After the top twelve, though, there’s a clear drop-off. The top 4 are pretty clear-cut. Between 5 and 12 is a little tougher to place in order–several could be anywhere in the 5-8 range in any order and several could be in the 9-12 range in any order. Fortunately, we’ve got more games to play and opportunities for wild things to happen.

Previous weeks: four, five, six, seven, eight, nine

Life on the Inside: An Interview with Patrick Swindle

When I met Patrick Swindle, he was a high schooler in a church I was pastoring. In high school, he played Running Back, Wide Receiver, and Defensive Back. Patrick signed with Baylor University last spring. He is currently red-shirted for his freshman year and plays Inside Receiver on the practice squad for the 4-5 Bears. Each week, his squad simulates the upcoming opponent’s offense to help the Baylor defense in preparation for that week’s game.Looking for a peak inside a D-1A football program, I interviewed Patrick about his experience and this year’s season just before last weekend’s game against the Texas A&M Aggies. The Bears played well against the Aggies but fell in the 4th quarter 31-21.

GMW: Describe the feeling on campus and surrounding the program after the big comeback win against Kansas.

Patrick Swindle: The feeling on campus was very good, but half of the people at the game left with 9 minutes left in the game, so most of the people were upset because they missed it. There was a lot of support for the team.

GMW: At 4-4, Baylor needs to split its last 4 games in order to become bowl-eligible with a minimum of 6 wins. What would a bowl game and a non-losing or even a winning season mean to this program?

PS: A bowl game would be everything this program is working for. We have not been to a bowl game in 12 years. A non-losing season would be a first in a long time, but a winning season would be the biggest turnaround for us and would help rally support from alumni and other fans.

GMW: What is the most noticeable difference as you’ve transitioned from a high school student-athlete to a college student-athlete?

PS: The speed of the game is absolutely amazing. Everyone out here is blazing fast and in high school some are fast and most are not. The size of the stadiums is a huge difference too, but that is a no-brainer.

GMW: What have learned the most in your time so far at Baylor?

PS: That to play hard you have to practice hard. The faster you work, the faster you get. I have noticed a big change in my speed and the way I play, due to how much faster I work in practice compared to how I worked in high school practices.

Thanks for the insight, Patrick. Great interview. No matter where Baylor finishes in the Big 12 this year, there will be a lot of positives to take into next fall. Best of luck for the remainder of this season.

Games I’m Watching This Weekend

Oklahoma at Texas A&M – Despite the 1 loss to Texas Tech, the Aggies control their own future–keep winning and they can as far as a BCS bowl. But their fate does have them finishing the season against OU, Nebraska, and Texas (in Austin). OU comes off a very good win Peterson-less at Missouri. We’ll learn a lot about both teams this Saturday.

LSU at Tennessee – Both teams are ranked in top 15 nationally, yet both need help getting to an SEC title game. Only one will keep their dream alive after kickoff on Saturday.

Arkansas at South Carolina – Arkansas can continue its impressive SEC run if they can get past the tricky Gamecocks on the road. The only undefeated team in SEC play, they’ll need to keep it that way in order to continue climbing in the polls and earning respect.

Enjoy the games!

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