One month into the season, some school soccer themes, frontrunners and flops are rising.
Let’s take this one by one and separate reality from fiction:
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is Heisman Trophy frontrunner
Fiction.
Commercial
Oddsmakers put Smith within the pole place, however sensational although he’s, the Heisman largely stays a quarterback award. Solely 4 huge receivers have received it. So, I might predict a quarterback like Miami’s Darian Mensah or Mississippi’s Trinidad Chambliss will win.
Texas is workforce to beat for the nationwide championship.
Fiction.
Texas is No. 1, and its resume says it deserves the rating, courtesy of wins in opposition to Ohio State and Tennessee. However, Texas completed September trying sloppy and undisciplined, and Arch Manning is not elevating to the elite stage of quarterbacks. Different groups look higher on the attention take a look at, together with Georgia and Miami.
The SEC is school soccer’s greatest convention in 2026
Truth.
Commercial
The SEC has develop into what the convention’s propaganda agency pretended it to be the previous few years: the perfect convention, with unmatched high quality of depth. A couple of dregs exist, however the high 12 or so groups make for a stout convention that ought to qualify 4 or 5 playoff groups. A part of the SEC’s rebellion will be pinned to a superior batch of quarterbacks. The convention possesses a deeper nicely of expertise on the sport’s most essential place than it did the previous few years. Now, the SEC simply wants a workforce to emerge because the crème de la crème.
[ This column first published in our SEC Unfiltered newsletter. Want more commentary like this? Sign up here to get the newsletter delivered free to your email inbox.]
Mike Norvell would be the first coach fired.
Fiction.
Commercial
Norvell is a chief contender for a midseason firing. However, how can Maryland let the Mike Locksley tenure go on for much longer after his Terps obtained buried of their residence stadium, 54-3, by UCLA? If Maryland will get trounced in comparable trend by Nebraska this weekend, it wants to chop the examine and finish this. Throughout the SEC, Shane Beamer sits on the most popular seat. Beamer owns eight consecutive losses to Energy 4 applications. He might have some free time on his arms by Halloween. Perhaps he can borrow Dan Mullen’s outdated costume.
Oklahoma is school soccer’s largest flop.
Fiction. (Form of.)
It is both Oklahoma or Texas A&M. I lean the Aggies, a workforce I had anticipated to stay in playoff competition into November. Neglect that. They’re cooked. Not less than the Sooners’ two losses got here in opposition to ranked opponents on the street. Texas A&M appeared terrible in a house loss to Kentucky, then appeared even worse getting trounced at LSU. Extra humbling losses are forward for Oklahoma and Texas A&M, a pair of playoff groups final season that abruptly misplaced their means.
Commercial
Florida is school soccer’s greatest shock.
Truth.
Jon Sumrall proved how badly Billy Napier squandered the expertise he drawn to Florida. Sumrall stored some high quality leftovers, attracted a number of helpful elements, and cooked a 4-0 document in September. The Gators went from preseason unranked to playoff contenders at breakneck velocity. Mississippi State is a contender for this recognition, too.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Community’s senior nationwide school soccer columnist. Hearken to his podcast, “School Soccer Unfiltered.”E-mail him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and comply with him on X @btoppmeyer.
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: Truth or Fiction? September’s largest school soccer truths and lies
