Gene Frenette: Questions about Sunshine State's best team, Jaguars, QB pampering, MLB playoffs
Questions worth asking about the state of college football in the Sunshine State, the Jaguars’ wildly inconsistent pattern, NFL quarterback pampering and the Major League Baseball postseason:
Halfway through the college football season, can you honestly say which FBS team in the state of Florida is the best one?
Who would you make the favorite between Florida, Florida State, UCF and Miami to win a four-team playoff regardless of the semifinal pairings?
Did anyone a month ago imagine the Jaguars going to the west coast and routing the Los Angeles Chargers 38-10, then coming home and scoring a measly six points on the Houston Texans?
Whatever concerns Jaguars fans have about the inconsistency of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, how silly is it that his even-keeled, calm demeanor even gets brought up as some sort of negative body language?
More from Gene Frenette:
Bad loss: Gaffes by Jaguars' No. 1 draft picks prove costly in another loss to Texans
Jaguars Up-Down drill: Not much good, some bad and much ugly in loss to Houston Texans
Jaguars report card: Failing offense, lack of discipline prove costly against Texans
How much smaller did the FSU bandwagon get after the bizarre manner in which the Seminoles blew a 17-3 halftime lead at North Carolina State, losing 19-17 despite the Wolfpack playing most of the second half without starting QB Devin Leary?
Has anybody ever seen a punter actually punt the ball beyond the line of scrimmage like FSU’s Alex Mastromanno?
Who knew the penalty for such an infraction was five yards and loss of down, giving the receiving team possession five yards closer to the end zone from the previous line of scrimmage?
What infuriated FSU fans more — losing to a backup quarterback (Jack Chambers) whose coaches didn’t trust enough to throw the ball? Or QB Jordan Travis tossing an ill-advised pass that was intercepted in the end zone, denying the ‘Noles a field goal attempt from 39 yards that could have won the game?
Seeing as how Clemson is next up and 4-2 FSU gets a resurgent Georgia Tech team under interim coach Brent Key next week, is there even the slightest concern about the ‘Noles making a bowl game?
Will Anthony Richardson ascend?
Can any NFL scout look at Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson and say with any conviction, as was hyped as a strong possibility in preseason, that this is a future first-round draft pick?
How many highly-touted NFL quarterback prospects have five touchdown passes in six games and a 55.9 completion percentage?
Don’t you think the best move for UF coach Billy Napier is to let Richardson run more, even at the greater risk of him getting hurt?
With only two home games (LSU, South Carolina) left on their schedule, is a winning season for the 4-2 Gators considered a mortal lock at this point?
How diminished is Florida’s No. 99-ranked defense (412.8 yards allowed per game) when linebacker Ventrell Miller, gamely playing while rehabbing a foot injury, isn’t on the field?
Did anyone see Miami favorite son Mario Cristobal losing three consecutive games (Texas A&M, Middle Tennessee St., North Carolina) in his first season as head coach or at any point in his tenure?
Was it any kind of consolation in the 27-24 UNC loss that slumping Hurricanes’ QB Tyler Van Dyke threw for 496 yards and three TD passes?
Can 4-1 UCF be dismissed as the state’s best team with top-30 national rankings in scoring offense (35.6 ppg), total offense (482.8 yards) and scoring defense (14.6 ppg), as well as being No. 1 in red-zone defense (4 TDs allowed in 19 chances)?
Is this finally the year that unbeaten Tennessee, with coach Josh Heupel guiding the No. 1 offense (547.8 yards) in the country and a lethal quarterback in Hendon Hooker, finally snaps a 15-game losing skid to Alabama?
Even if Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young returns from injury to play for ‘Bama, doesn’t it seem like the Crimson Tide is significantly more vulnerable than past Nick Saban championship teams?
Has any team fallen faster after losing its star coach than Oklahoma with Lincoln Riley’s departure to USC?
Stop pampering QBs
Seeing how NFL officials are calling roughing-the-passer penalties on sacks only slightly rougher than a love tap, will Tom Brady now consider playing to age 50?
How else to explain the appalling flags on Kansas City Chiefs’ pass-rusher Chris Jones and the Atlanta Falcons’ Grady Jarrett than the NFL overreacting to the medical fiasco with Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa?
When it comes to deciding whether to go for a 2-point PAT or kick the extra point, why do NFL head coaches bow to analytics over simple math and common sense?
What was the benefit of Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, trailing 30-29, going for two points with 4:30 left and plenty of time for Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes to go get a field goal?
Could anybody fault McDaniels going for two and the win on the road if there was too little time for Mahomes to answer?
Isn’t the most pertinent question a coach must ask himself when going for a two-point PAT always this: what are the consequences of not making it?
Shouldn’t Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams be more frustrated with teammate Hunter Renfrow colliding into him on a game-deciding play, rather than pushing a photographer in anger while walking to the locker room?
Did anybody think when the season began that the Indianapolis Colts, at any point, could have the NFL’s 26th-ranked rushing offense (91.4 yards per game) and only one running TD with Jonathan Taylor in the backfield?
How hesitant will NFL owners be about hiring a college head coach after fired Carolina Panthers’ boss Matt Rhule failed without a franchise QB and the Jaguars’ Urban Meyer was simply incompetent?
With frontline starters Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin and a roster deeper than the Pacific Ocean, does anybody see the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers and their plus-334 run differential (best since 1939 New York Yankees) not winning the World Series?
Other than the Dodgers not having a dominant closer, does anybody in baseball have a greater embarrassment of riches?
How tough a matchup was the Dodgers’ lineup for San Diego Padres Game 1 starter, Wolfson High product Mike Clevinger (still pitching with knee discomfort), who got knocked out in the third inning and has now allowed 18 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings this year against L.A. with six home runs allowed?
When you look at the 101-win New York Mets’ epic crash-and-burn, what more can owner Steve Cohen do when his team with an MLB-high $282 million payroll went belly up at the worst possible time?
How much is the FOX network rooting for a New York Yankees-Dodgers meeting for the 12th time in World Series history and their first matchup on the biggest stage since 1981?
If Brett Favre — among 38 people being sued by the state of Mississippi for fraudulently diverting funds from a federal program designed to assist needy families — insists he "did nothing wrong" and is being smeared by the media, then why does the Hall of Fame quarterback do more to defend himself than just issuing a statement to Fox News?
Gene Frenette Sports columnist at Florida Times-Union, follow him on Twitter @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Who is state's best team, why the Jaguars roller coaster, QB pampering
