The Spread Offensive: Who will Prove The Winner?

I don't think I had more nicknames than anyone else growing up. But make no mistake about it, I had a few. My friends called me "The Siren" in middle school because I was so loud. "Messy Jesse" was just too easy. I didn't hit my growth spurt until 11th grade, and because I was small with thick, round glasses, some people called me "Squints," named of course after the famous character in the classic movie, "The Sandlot." But by far, the best nickname I had growing up was given by my parents. To this day, there are still veiled references made to the nickname, even if only in jest. What's that nickname, you ask? Well, I was "The Winner."

The nickname was drenched in sarcasm, of course, though not in the way you might think. It was never mean-spirited, either. I just had to win. I had to be first. First in line, first in the class, first to hit, first to the dinner table. It was a borderline obsession. I had to know everything. I had to beat everyone. I had to win. Nothing less would do.

I never had a little brother. I consider my younger sister to be one of my best friends in the world, but we never had a relationship that was steeped in competition. We did not fight over toys. We did not tackle each other over who could jump the highest or run the fastest. I had the Ninja Turtles. She had Barbie. I had Nintendo, she had My Little Pony. Sure, we fought occasionally, and naturally spent a lot of time together growing up. But there wasn't any competition. After all, I was older, and I was a boy. I was "The Winner" by default.

As I gained friends outside of my household, I came to an awful realization. I could not win all the time. My best friend beat me once in a race in the schoolyard. I think we were about eight years old. He was the only person faster than me in the entire class. It cut me to the core. I may have cried. OK, I cried about a lot of things back in those days. But that was surely one of them.

What's the point, you might be asking? There are three huge matchups between ranked schools this weekend that could have significant implications on the College Football Playoff. They all feature some sort of sibling/family rivalry dynamic. Each school probably thinks they're "The Winner." We'll find out soon enough who really gets to own the title.

Michigan State vs. Michigan

An in-state battle looms this weekend, with the Wolverines playing host to Michigan State, often touted as Michigan's little brother. The Spartans have been anything but that in recent history, though. You may not like Jim Harbaugh. You may think his act is tiresome. You may think he wears khakis even when it is fashionably irresponsible to do so. But what he's done with the Michigan Wolverines this season is simply remarkable.

Let's compare the two programs in the five years prior to Jim Harbaugh's arrival.

Michigan State: 53-14 overall, 32-8 in the Big Ten, 4-1 in Bowl Games.

Michigan: 38-26 overall, 21-19 in the Big Ten, 1-3 in Bowl Games. The Wolverines did not make a bowl in 2014.

The Spartans have pasted the Wolverines the last two seasons: 35-11 in 2014, 29-6 in 2013. In fact, the Wolverines have only beaten Mark Dantonio once since Lloyd Carr left Michigan after the 2007 season. That was a 12-10 victory at the Big House in 2012. Dantonio has built something of a juggernaut in East Lansing, while Michigan has struggled to stay relevant.

The Wolverines opened the season with a 24-17 loss to Utah on the road. "This is going to take time," many pundits said. "Give him a chance to get his type of players into the program," others retorted.

In fact, everyone was wrong. It did not take Harbaugh any time at all. Michigan has rattled off five consecutive wins since that initial loss. Utah, by the way, is still undefeated and ranked in the top 5. An argument can be made that the Utes have been the most impressive team in the country in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines have pitched three consecutive shutouts against power conference opponents. In this day and age, that's unheard of. Sure, they beat BYU, Maryland and Northwestern -- Mormons, turtles and economics geniuses do not exactly come to mind when evaluating football powerhouses -- but two of those programs were ranked when Michigan beat them. Northwestern was undefeated when the two teams met last weekend. It's difficult to shut out anyone in college football, even cupcake opponents. Michigan is on a tear, and Jim Harbaugh hasn't even had any postgame handshakes go viral yet.

This season certainly has a different feel to it, thanks to Harbaugh, a former Michigan quarterback, a disciple of Bo Schembechler. Harbaugh's father was on the coaching staff with Schembechler during his tenure from 1969-1989. Jim Harbaugh is running his pro-style offense, complete with tight ends and fullbacks galore. Michigan is playing ferocious defense, as evidenced by the shutout streak. It's old school, smashmouth, cliche-filled football. In a time when high-octane, spread attacks are running roughshod over the college football map, Harbaugh employs a fullback, lines his quarterback under center, gets the tight end involved in the offense and runs the ball with reckless abandon.

The Big Blue faithful are in a tizzy.

Let's look at some more numbers, just to make sure I'm not making this up.

Against Northwestern, Michigan ran 46 times, while throwing just 23 passes.

Against Maryland, Michigan threw 33 times but ran 40 times.

Against BYU, Michigan passed 25 times, while running 51 times.

The game plan is simple. The execution was obviously lacking at Michigan, for the last seven or so seasons. Whatever Harbaugh has done to instill confidence in this group, it's working.

There's so much hype surrounding the Michigan program that the Wolverines are favored by 7.5 points over the Spartans, who are undefeated and ranked higher. I'm not sure about the points, but the Spartans have been playing with fire, while the Wolverines are on fire. A Michigan win could also set up a delicious matchup with Ohio State at the end of the season, where the Buckeyes could still be undefeated, and the Wolverines with only one blemish. Now that would be some scene at the Big House.

Alabama vs. Texas A&M

As I said, I never had a younger brother. Not only was I the oldest sibling, but I was also the oldest cousin in the entire family. Every Thanksgiving we'd have the annual "Turkey Bowl." Once again, there was no competition. I was older, bigger, faster, stronger. Every year, I was the MVP.

Then we played last year. One of my cousins had just turned 18. I was a creaky 31. He was quicker, more athletic, running circles around everyone else. Meanwhile, I crashed into the fence trying to make an acrobatic catch and thought I broke my arm.

That's how Alabama-Texas A&M feels. Alabama is the stalwart, the old guard, the reigning champion. A&M is new school, spread offense, coming into its own. Not saying that Alabama is done by any stretch of the imagination, but the A&M offense seems to be the way that most schools are leaning these days.

Shifting to the coaches, Nick Saban is among the more polarizing figures in college football. I find it rather amusing that he can not only be called "Nick Satan" but also "Old Saint Nick." Surely he gives the Alabama fans presents while the rest of the SEC gets coal. Love him or hate him, Saban has the Tide right back into the thick of the SEC title race. Meanwhile, Kevin Sumlin has done wonders for the Texas A&M program, building the Aggies into a national powerhouse, and maintaining the momentum even without Johnny Football the last two seasons.

This contest is almost like the unstoppable force versus the immovable object. Texas A&M averages 39.2 points per game this season, which is 15th in the country. Meanwhile, Alabama is 15th in the nation in points allowed, surrendering just 15.7 points per game. (Incidentally, Michigan is first in the nation in terms of points allowed, yielding a paltry 6.3 points per tilt). In any event, something has to give. Texas A&M fans will also be quick to point out that the Aggies started last season 5-0, only to lose five of the final seven games and finish the regular season 7-5. The difference this season, though, is the starting quarterback job is Kyle Allen's alone. Allen has quietly put together a stellar 2015 campaign, including passing for 680 yards and four touchdowns in the first two conference games.

Watch out for two freshmen wide receivers in this contest. Perhaps my favorite freshman in the country thus far has been Aggies wideout Christian Kirk. On a team loaded with options at wide receiver, it was Kirk who came right in and exploded onto the college football scene. At 5-foot-11, 200, the explosive Kirk averages more than six catches and nearly 104 yards per game. He has four touchdowns through his first five games in college.

On the opposite side, fellow freshman Calvin Ridley has emerged as a dangerous threat at wideout for the Crimson Tide. The injury to Robert Foster opened the door for Ridley. Believe it or not, Ridley has 14 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns in the last two games for Alabama. The vertical threat missing from the Tide offense due to the departure of Amari Cooper may finally be getting filled.

While all eyes will be on the A&M offense versus the Alabama defense, it could be the opposite sides of the ball for each team which determines this game. Can Myles Garrett and the Aggies defensive line slow down Derrick Henry, Alabama's beastly running back? Will Jake Coker take care of the football and do enough to help Alabama win on the road? The Aggies were embarrassed 59-0 last season. Something tells me this tilt will be a tad closer.

Florida vs. LSU

The quarterback competition at Florida went on even after the season began. It always felt like coach Jim McElwain wanted to use his recruit, Will Grier, as opposed to Treon Harris, who was a leftover from the prior regime. He never came out and said it, but the feeling was there. Just like how a stepmother or stepfather never says they favor their biological child over an inherited one. But the writing was on the wall.

Florida has been one of the surprise stories of the season, starting 6-0 under new head coach Jim McElwain. The defense has been stupendous, while the offense has done enough to get the job done. Grier had brought some stability to a position that has been in flux pretty much since Tim Tebow left.

This game just got a whole lot more difficult for the Gators, though, as Grier has been suspended for one year after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Florida plans to appeal, as Grier alleges he took an over-the-counter substance that caused the positive test. Now the dual-threat quarterback Harris, who has been in the doghouse at times this season, will take on the Tigers at night in Death Valley, where it has been almost impossible for the opposition to win. The Tigers are 46-4 under coach Les Miles in Saturday night games at Death Valley. Two of those losses have come to Alabama. One of the other two losses, though? To Florida in 2009. However, Tim Tebow is not walking through that door, and it is going to take a Herculean effort by Treon Harris to score points against the Tigers. Also, Les Miles eats grass from the field before every game. So there's that to contend with, as well.

Then there is the problem of Leonard Fournette. And make no mistake about it, he's a problem. For the Florida Gators, at least. There have been stories that Fournette was banned from playing football in Louisiana in eighth and ninth grades because he was too big. Well, he still might be too big for the college ranks. And too quick. And too strong. Fournette had his worst game of the season Saturday against South Carolina. He ran for 158 yards and one touchdown. Yes, you read that correctly. Statistically, that's his WORST game of the season through five contests. He has 1,022 rushing yards in five games, 12 touchdowns over that span and can leap small DBs in a single bound. Florida allows less than 100 yards per game on the ground this season. Fournette will push the Gators' defense to the limit. Coach McElwain has refused to say the Gators are back in the national spotlight, and perhaps seeing this game on the schedule was at least part of the reason.