College Football Minute

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1. College football has a playoff now, but we still discuss the postseason as we do with no other sport. (Any arguments about the NFL playoffs if the season ended today? I didn't think so.) Keep in mind that at this time a year ago, eventual No. 2 Auburn ranked 11th, and eventual No. 4 Michigan State wasn't even in the top 25. And in 2010, eventual No. 4 Stanford ranked 13th at this time. Frankly, given the right scenario, anyone from No. 19 Utah (5-1) on up has a plausible path to the playoff, and if the right things happen, a lot of two-loss teams can get back in the mix, too.

2. Amid all the excitement regarding Mississippi State's rise to No. 1, what hasn't been mentioned enough is Dan Mullen's ability to adjust his offense to the players he has. Last season, without a quarterback comfortable running no-huddle, the Bulldogs averaged 60 snaps and 434 yards per game. This year, with Dak Prescott at quarterback, a guy who ran the no-huddle at Haughton (La.) High, the Bulldogs are averaging 77 plays and 530 yards per game.

3. If you're sick of hearing how the SEC West has invented football, focus on the Big Ten West, a five-team race in which most of the intradivisional play is just starting. Northwestern, with a 1-2 record against the other four contenders, probably will be a spoiler. But Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin all have straight paths to the conference championship game, likely against the Ohio State-Michigan State winner. And let's give a shout (again) to the Big Ten for ditching the Legends and Leaders divisional format. If you can read a map, you know which division holds which team.

So maybe all the hubbub and apocalyptic thoughts that came crashing down on Eugene and all of Interstate 5 and up through the Cascades a few weeks ago were a little bit of an overreaction, no?

But oh, how quickly the tide changes. Because in just two weeks, Marcus Mariota has led the Oregon Ducks from pandemonium to the Promised Land (with some help from a few other top teams being upset) and back into the good graces of the football gods. Not bad, Marcus, not bad -- just 16 days to go from a hopeless team to a heroic one.

"Ah, but [insert SEC West QB name here] could do it in 15," someone argues. But, that's fine. Because the SEC can do what the SEC wants to do.

At this point, the Ducks just need to insulate and take care of business because they're likely in control of their own destiny. According to the ESPN Football Power Index, Oregon has a 21 percent shot to win out. That's third-best among one-loss teams, behind Ohio State and TCU, which both have a 26 percent chance.

And with one game to go until the College Football Playoff committee releases its first set of rankings, Oregon solidified itself as the Pac-12's banner holder.

But that doesn't mean there aren't major issues that could still be exploited, and coach Mark Helfrich is the first to admit that.

"There's a ton we can improve upon, for sure," he said on Sunday night after watching his team's game film from its dominant win over Washington.

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> GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Too little, too late?

Florida coach Will Muschamp is fighting for his job and faces the gargantuan task of getting his Gators back on track before what could be a career-deciding game against Georgia on Nov. 1 in Jacksonville.

Muschamp announced Wednesday that true freshman Treon Harris will start at quarterback, replacing junior Jeff Driskel. It's an obvious move because there is little else this team can do to reverse the tailspin that dates back to the 4-8 season of 2013. The discord has only grown this season, as Florida (3-3, 2-3 in the SEC) is looking at another dysfunctional offense and another poor record.

Even legendary Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, as positive a voice as can be found in his role as an analyst for the SEC Network, criticized his alma mater's lack of heart and lack of identity on offense.

Muschamp agreed and said his players are circling the wagons.

"We've just tried to control the controllables. We repeat that to our players a lot," he said. "The things that we can control -- we need to play better, that's the bottom line. We need to coach better. So those are the things we need to focus on -- improving ourselves and finding an identity offensively in what we can do and what we can do well.

"And block out as much as you can. You're going to hear it. That's part of it playing at a place like the University of Florida."

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