Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
Disclaimer: Bandwagoning is not a ranking of the best or worst teams, the biggest wins or worst losses. It’s instead an inexact assessment of the emotions experienced by various fan bases following their most recent game. There is nothing scientific about this. Not a thing. JUMPING ON: A note to the Sun Belt Conference: Please always schedule Coastal Carolina to play at home the week of Halloween. College football needs the Haunticleers the way the NBA needs Christmas. Coastal went full Myrtle Beach State University, busting out glow-in-the-dark uniforms and rebranding as the Haunticleers for its Thursday night game with Marshall. And, yes, they really did glow. Only for a minute or so at a time, though that was enough to separate Coastal in a sport with seemingly limitless uniform-helmet combinations. And to think that a handful of teams thought they were being extreme with all-black looks during Week 10. "Last week’s glow-in-the-dark jerseys were about more than just a bold look — they were meant to deliver a one-of-a-kind game-day experience for our players and fans alike," athletic director Chance Miller said. "We wanted to reward our team with something unique and memorable, something that underlines the energy and identity of our program. And I believe the reaction made it clear we achieved exactly that." Miller and senior deputy athletic director Andy Humes began developing the idea earlier this year. Coastal's different creative teams then jumped into action, and the result was another festival-type experience for a place that’s specialized in a different type of game-day experience. This one also included a halftime sword fight — yes, a sword fight — courtesy of Medieval Times, the interactive dinner theater in Myrtle Beach. That’s pretty standard for a place that’s held halftime shows featuring hundreds of synchronized drones and energizes students with free Red Bull at the start of the fourth quarter. For the record, Coastal (5-3, 4-1 Sun Belt) won 44-27 for its third straight victory. JUMPING OFF: No doubt the ACC would love to have a Week 10 do-over. Each of its highest-ranked teams not only lost, but to three-loss opponents who were significant underdogs. N.C. State (5-4, 2-3 ACC) beat Georgia Tech 48-26, while SMU (6-3, 4-1) upset Miami 26-20. Those defeats dropped the Yellow Jackets from eighth to 16th in the Associated Press Top 25 and Miami eight spots to No. 18. That leaves surprising Virginia (8-1, 5-0) as the ACC’s highest-ranked team. The Cavaliers are 12th after winning at Cal 31-21. None of that is great for a league already in a precarious spot when it comes to getting multiple teams into the College Football Playoff. SEATS GOING FAST: We can finally start some legitimate Heisman Trophy hype now that the calendar has flipped into November. And the betting favorite wasn’t high on any preseason lists. According to ESPN, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin has +175 odds to win the most iconic individual award in sports. The sophomore was 20-for-23 for 316 yards and four touchdowns during the Buckeyes’ (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) 38-14 win over Penn State. Sayin’s nearly 81 percent completion rate easily leads the nation, well ahead of Washington quarterback Demon Williams Jr.’s 73 percent. He’s third in passing touchdowns (23) against only three interceptions. Here’s something wild to ponder: ESPN listed the preseason odds for 79 players with regards to the Heisman Trophy. Sayin was pretty far down that long roster, which included four other Ohio State players. That’s likely because Sayin wasn’t named OSU’s starting quarterback until Aug. 18, after what coach Ryan Day described as a "close competition" with junior Lincoln Kienholz. The next odds we need regard the likelihood of Kienholz leaving Columbus when the transfer portal opens. PLENTY OF ROOM LEFT: Actually, the bandwagon’s wheels are buckling when it comes to the coaching carousel. There have already been 12 coaches fired during this season, the latest being Auburn pulling the plug on Hugh Freeze. His ouster means at least one-fourth of SEC schools will have new football coaches next season. Two schools are backfilling as they go. Kent State fired Kenni Burns back in the spring and promoted interim coach Mark Carney last week. Stanford general manager Andrew Luck has been looking for a long-term coach since firing Troy Taylor in March. Frank Reich has been working as an interim coach for the 2025 season. Luck is going to need, well, luck when it comes to finding his ideal candidate. It’s a sure bet he didn’t know the market was going to be this flooded with so many openings when he cut ties with Taylor nearly eight months ago. HOT TICKETS: Indiana’s ruthlessness … Kennesaw State … Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell … Texas Tech’s special teams … Memphis QB Brandon Lewis … American Conference … N.C. State RB Jayden Scott … Ohio State’s third-down offense … Nebraska’s all-black uniforms … Pants > shorts. COLD TICKETS: Governors running athletic departments … Maryland … Fresno State QB Carson Conklin … Colorado’s quarterback room … Auburn … Mountain West … Marshall’s turnover margin … Stanford’s rushing offense … UTSA’s all-black uniforms … ACC refs.
