Around college football: How Auburn-Kansas State paid off for both

The night before Auburn played Kansas State in September, during a reception held at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs took a moment to thank his hosts for their hospitality. Then, with perfect timing, he went for laughs.

"When we signed this (contract), Coach Snyder had retired," Jacobs said. "Now we're here — and he's back."

It was a good line. And as it turns out, the game was a good deal — for both teams.

Auburn's 20-14 victory is a prime reason the Tigers, despite a loss to No. 1 Mississippi State, are ranked No. 3 in the initial College Football Playoff Top 25. And it's apparent that the selection committee also rewarded Kansas State (6-1), which is ranked No. 9, for challenging itself in nonconference play. The same goes for No. 5 Oregon and No. 8 Michigan State after the Ducks beat the Spartans back in September.

Tuesday evening, after the unveiling of the initial poll, CFP executive director Bill Hancock held up a handout with the Top 25 and touted the selection committee's emphasis on nonconference scheduling.

"You'll see it repeated over the next six weeks," Hancock said. "Clearly the teams that went out and played somebody are gonna benefit in this (ranking). There's no question you're going to see better schedules across the country because of this."

When Auburn and Kansas State signed their deal almost a decade ago, the playoff was only a glimmer in SEC commissioner Mike Slive's eye. But Jacobs said he wanted to upgrade Auburn's nonconference schedules after getting left out of the BCS championship game in 2004. The Tigers had played Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel and Louisiana Tech in 2004, and the resulting drag on their strength of schedule was among the factors that prevented them from overtaking USC or Oklahoma in the BCS formula.

"I scheduled (K-State) to play a good team," Jacobs told USA TODAY Sports this week. "My vision was that 12th game has to be a strong nonconference game … (so) if it comes down to that close again, we don't get left out."

Auburn opens the 2015 season against Louisville in Atlanta and has home-and-home series with Clemson in 2016-17 and California in 2019-20.

There's no way to project the impact of those games, on either side. But Jacobs said intersectional games also provide intangible benefits. "It was great for our players and our fans," he said of the Kansas State game. "It's a destination place for our fans. They've never been to Manhattan, Kansas."

If it's hard to fathom the idea of the Little Apple as tourist haven, Jacobs' meaning was clear. Intersectional games provide opportunities for cross-pollination. Fan bases get a taste of the traditions at unfamiliar places. When Auburn and California announced their series a few days ago, the immediate snark was that it would make for a nice cultural exchange.

But for playoff contenders, there's potentially a much bigger benefit — which is why Jacobs, who still has a schedule vacancy in early 2018, has a plea for his peers.

"We want a game that will be fun for our players and fans — and help our strength of schedule," he said. "Whether they come to Auburn or we play there or at a neutral site, we need to play the best teams we can. You don't want to be eliminated (from playoff contention) by your scheduling."

Win or maybe even lose, the selection committee's initial Top 25 indicates teams that challenge themselves with nonconference scheduling will be rewarded for the effort.

— G.S.

Oregon's changing challenge

With Stanford struggling to find itself on offense and Oregon having already beaten a highly ranked team – Michigan State – that plays a style akin to Stanford, the No. 6 Ducks would seem like a clear favorite in Saturday's game against the Cardinal in Eugene.

But the disparity between the 5-3 Cardinal and 7-1 Ducks may have been more clear a week ago, before Stanford played and defeated Oregon State.

Entering the Oregon State game, the Cardinal was coming off a 16-point loss at Arizona State that included the team's second-worst yards-per-play number and lowest time of possession of 2014. Stanford coach David Shaw took the blame for his team's offensive struggles and said he needed to put his players in better position and to "play faster", the latter a sudden change from the Cardinal's widely reputed and highly successful grinding style.

By spreading out those players, occasionally eschewing a huddle and running sweeps to the outside instead of dives into the line, Stanford gained more yards per play (6.74) against Oregon State than it had against any Pac-12 opponent and scored more points than it had since Week 1 against UC Davis.

"They were certainly more efficient and did a few different things," Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said of the Cardinal. "I think they've been really close in a couple other games. They're extremely talented, and obviously it starts with the quarterback (Kevin Hogan). They've got weapons everywhere.

"Offensively they were in a different rhythm and maybe had a different sense of urgency, but they've looked pretty good all year to me. They've had some tough games against some very, very quality opponents."

How does this relate to Oregon? This year, statistically, the Ducks have played their best against brawn and balance than speed and spreads. Oregon is outscoring its opponents by nearly 20 points per game, but its margin vs. spread teams is 7.5 per game.

"We have to play against great quarterbacks almost every week, and those are tough to defend against, and we've played against a ton of big, fast physical receivers, and those are tough to defend," Helfrich said. "That's where these guys, again, are the total package.

"Until it's a shutout and everybody's happy, I don't think you've played to the total measure of what you want to accomplish."

— D.U.

Stave finds footing, provides Wisconsin balance

Physical injuries heal. Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave broke his collarbone in 2012, for example, but returned last fall to set a new program record for attempts and toss 22 touchdowns, the second-most in school history.

Mental funks might be more difficult to shake. Stave, while healthy, was taken off the Badgers' depth chart prior to the season opener after a troubling battle with inaccuracy — a case of the yips, essentially, a sort of nerves-induced inconsistency.

Stave's struggles coincided with Wisconsin's decision to name Tanner McEvoy the starting quarterback, knocking the returning starter into a backup role. After not playing in the season's first four games, Stave was inserted into the lineup midway through a 20-14 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 4. He's started the two games since, both wins, helping the Badgers find a foothold in the Big Ten Conference race.

"In adverse times, he continued to just fight like a young man does and battle through whatever was coming his way," Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen said. "It's a credit to him. He's been in a lot of battles."

Stave's return to the lineup has lent balance to an offense far too reliant on running back Melvin Gordon, who remains on pace for a 2,000-yard season — Gordon alone was enough to tread water, but the Badgers' one-dimensional attack lacked a downfield threat.

In Saturday's 52-7 win against Maryland, Stave threw for 155 yards and two scores on just 15 attempts. The Terrapins' defense, sneaking forward to slow down Gordon and the running game, was beaten over the top.

"To see where Joel's come and what he's been through with injuries and the situations he's had this year," Andersen said, "it's fantastic to see him have some success and really walk off of the field after a game, big smile on his face and a look of accomplishment in his eyes.

"Credit in the end goes to Joel for battling through it and being a tough-minded young man."

Toledo's springboard

Toledo is senior-heavy, experienced and properly motivated, which helps to explain why the Rockets stand atop a crowded Mid-American Conference West Division after the first two months of the regular season.

Don't overlook the power of proper motivation. The key turning point for this year's team occurred a year ago, in fact, according to coach Matt Campbell: Toledo capped a disappointing 2013 season with a road loss to Akron, sending the Rockets to 7-5 overall and outside of postseason play.

"It was a tough way to finish," Campbell said. "Kind of like, 'Where are we going to go from here?' It was myself, our staff, even our team, really just self-reflect. Where are we doing really well in our program? Where do we need to continue to get better?"

The Rockets' senior core — every upperclassman on the roster is a contributor, in one form or another — has led the charge, beginning during winter conditioning and extending through a 4-0 start to MAC play; Toledo is the league's only undefeated team heading into November.

To Campbell, evidence of the Rockets' growth came in a 58-34 loss to Cincinnati on Sept. 12. Down 34-0 in the second quarter, Toledo stormed back to draw within a touchdown with 12 minutes left. Last year's team, slowed by inconsistency, might not have pulled close after falling into such an early hole, Campbell said.

"Even though we didn't win that game, in that locker room that night I really felt like this is a really special team," he said. "A mixture of a group of kids that understands that the process is not always about what's on the scoreboard but about what our attitude, our effort, our ability to get better every week gives us. The scoreboard will take care of itself if we take care of those things."

— P.M.

Fresno State's rebirth

Fresno State's first scoring drive of the season — 13 plays, 75 yards, ending in a touchdown — came early in the second quarter of a 52-13 loss to USC; it was followed by an interception, a punt, an interception and halftime.

These are the ups and downs seen among an offense defined by near-overwhelming youth and inexperience. A year ago, the Bulldogs' attack ranked sixth nationally in scoring, propelled by senior quarterback Derek Carr and a pair of all-conference receivers. A year later, the Bulldogs' re-made cast has yo-yoed to a 3-5 start.

"I think that's college football," Fresno State offensive coordinator Dave Schramm said. "You lose a bunch of seniors and you get back to square one. We've got good kids and they're really talented, just inexperienced. So we're going through those bumps in the road right now.

"There's times where we'll have drives and go right down the field, like we did against USC, like we did against Nebraska. But then there's times in the same game when it's like, 'Holy crap, what are we doing?' "

The national statistical rankings help tell the story: Fresno State ranks 77th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring, 66th in passing and 60th in yards per game. Last year's offense ranked among the top six in each category, pacing the FBS in passing.

Optimism stems from the growth of this offense since September — the Bulldogs are averaging 33.8 points per game since an 0-3 start — and the idea that the system will hit its mark once fully grasped by a young group.

"I think things are going well, for the most part," Schramm said. "We've just got to overcome ourselves a little bit. We've got really, really good young players. I mean, we're talented. Really talented. We've just got to grow up and become better football players. I like what I see in them. They've got a really good work ethic."

— P.M.

Small victories at Kansas

Clint Bowen had a simple message for Kansas during his first meeting as the Jayhawks' interim coach: It's not your fault.

Charlie Weis' midseason dismissal — he was fired on Sept. 28, with just a single Big 12 Conference win at KU, and replaced by the longtime defensive assistant — was out of their control, Bowen said. Don't take it personally, and don't take responsibility.

"I didn't want them to feel like they were part of a firing, to put it bluntly," he said.

Instead, Bowen asked the Jayhawks to focus on the future.

"It's important for these guys to understand that wherever they are in the program, seniors or freshmen, this is their chance to start to build what's going to become our foundation for Kansas football," Bowen said. "Learn to develop an identity of what we want people to say about Kansas football when they leave a game. What are they going to say? What's going to be our identity?"

Bowen, who has continued to serve as defensive coordinator, has implemented subtle tweaks to the Jayhawks' offensive philosophy. KU is a little quicker in terms of the tempo — the Jayhawks have run at least 72 plays in their past two Big 12 games — and more balanced, not to mention more likely to take shots downfield in the passing game.

Yet the biggest change can be seen in the Jayhawks' tempo, whether on Saturdays or on the practice field.

"We play in a conference that I call a 'high-urgency' conference," Bowen said. "Urgency is a big word that we use around here in everything we do. We step on the practice field with extreme urgency; we never walk, we never go slowly, we do everything as urgently as possible."

It begins with a quicker practice routine: Kansas is always moving, Bowen said, looking to mirror Saturday's desired tempo during and in between drills. The team is buying in, even if Kansas, winless in three games since the coaching change, remains a Big 12 doormat.

"It hasn't gone well in terms of winning football games," he said, "but in terms of there not being any problems or issues, with players buying in and continuing to work and do everything right, that part's all gone really well."

— P.M.