College football’s weekly emotional roller coaster can turn fast. One minute a team is riding high after a statement win, and the next it’s trying to avoid the kind of stumble that comes when the praise starts pouring in and the focus slips. That’s the danger of the “letdown spot,” the classic trap that can hit right after a team has been showered with attention.
We’ve already seen plenty of it this season, and the damage hasn’t been subtle. The common thread hasn’t been a shocking upset by a heavy underdog so much as a strong team following a big win with a rough night against another quality opponent - and getting blown out in the process.
The SEC has been the biggest showcase for that pattern. Ole Miss beat LSU in a tense, emotional matchup that marked Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford, then turned around and got thumped at Florida by 24 points. Just last week, Florida found itself on the other side of the spotlight and then got hammered in a 45-17 loss to Missouri.
Mississippi State has also been caught in the same cycle. After one of the biggest wins in recent program history against Missouri two weeks ago, the Bulldogs came back down to earth in a 56-23 loss to Alabama on Saturday.
The Big Ten had its own example when Iowa knocked off Michigan on the final play of the game, then ran into Ohio State in Week 5 at Kinnick Stadium and lost by 17. That one, though, feels a little different - more about Ohio State being a much better team than the Hawkeyes than about a classic emotional hangover.
That’s what makes the trend worth watching. Teams can get too high after a huge win, and in college football that swing can be especially sharp. The league has already shown how costly that can be.
Week 6 offers a few more chances to see whether the pattern keeps rolling. Missouri is right back in the spotlight as it hosts Texas A&M, with the Tigers giving us another look at how the chain of letdowns that started with LSU and Ole Miss holds up. Alabama, meanwhile, gets another massive test in Tuscaloosa against Georgia after its win over Mississippi State.
Pitt is another team to keep on the radar. Pat Narduzzi’s group scored a huge road win over Virginia Tech on Friday night and climbed into the Top 25, but now it has to turn around and face Bill Belichick and a frisky North Carolina team without star quarterback Mason Heintschel, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the win over the Hokies.
Not every team gets caught in the trap. Plenty of good programs string together strong weeks and never lose their edge.
But one of the hardest jobs for a coach is getting a team back on the ground after a huge win and making sure the next performance matches the last one. With Week 6 on deck, that challenge is front and center again.
In Other News...
Missouri Faces A New SEC Test With One Aggies Threat Looming
Texas A&Ms September stumble sent the Aggies tumbling out of the AP Top 25, but the reset they found in a win over Arkansas has them heading into an SEC matchup with No. 14 Missouri with some momentum restored. Eli Drinkwitz already has his eye on the part of the Aggies offense that can change a game in a hurry, pointing to quarterback Marcel Reed as the central problem for Missouri to solve.
Reeds regained confidence and dual-threat ability give Texas A&M a different kind of stress test than the Tigers have seen in recent weeks, especially with Mike Elko saying the overall team performance has started to improve. Missouri, meanwhile, is trying to protect its ranking and avoid letting a surging quarterback turn a promising conference position into a long afternoon. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Still Has One Huge Ahmad Hardy Question Hanging Over Its Offense
Ahmad Hardy remains the biggest lingering question around Missouris offense, even after the Tigers have moved forward with Jamal Roberts as the lead back. Eli Drinkwitz said Hardy has not yet returned to practice while he continues to recover from the gunshot wound he suffered in May, and Roberts has handled the workload well enough to keep the running game moving in Hardys absence.
For now, the issue is less about production than availability. Drinkwitz indicated Hardy is still working hard through the recovery process, but he is not physically ready to jump back into SEC competition, with the Tigers still waiting to see when he can get back on the field and start building toward a real return. [Read more 🡒]
Three Mizzou Breakouts Just Changed This Teams Ceiling
Missouris season has taken on a different look because of three players who were not expected to reshape it this quickly. Jamal Roberts, Donta Simpson and Blake Craig have all taken meaningful steps forward, giving the Tigers more answers on both sides of the ball and in special teams at a time when depth and reliability matter most. Roberts has become especially important after stepping in following Ahmad Hardys injury, while Simpson and Craig have helped round out a team that suddenly has a little more room to dream.
Roberts has already flashed the kind of burst that can change a game, and Simpsons presence has started to matter in the defensive rotation after his summer setback. Craigs return from a torn ACL has been just as encouraging, with his leg adding confidence whenever Missouri crosses into scoring range. The bigger question now is how far this surge can carry the Tigers if all three keep climbing at the same pace. [Read more 🡒]