1. Florida State has gotten a lot of attention for winning seven games by six points or fewer. But one thing the Seminoles haven’t heard enough is how dependable they’ve been on special teams. It’s a long-term thing, more than two-time All-American kicker Roberto Aguayo. The Seminoles haven’t allowed a punt return for a touchdown since 2001 or a kickoff return for a touchdown since 2004. They haven’t had a kick blocked since 2012. After Tyreek Hill of Oklahoma State returned a punt 28 yards in the opener, Florida State allowed only one more punt return that went longer than 10 yards this season.
2. In 80 years of the Heisman Trophy, Marcus Mariota is only the second player from the four Pacific Northwest schools to win, joining 1962 winner Terry Baker of Oregon State. This may be more amazing: Mariota is only the sixth player from the four Oregon and Washington schools to finish in the top five in Heisman votes. And this may be the most amazing stat of all: Though we’ve had 80 winners, they have been supplied by only 38 teams. Among the schools without a Heisman winner: Arkansas, California, Illinois, North Carolina and Tennessee.
3. The Will Muschamp Defensive Coordinator Lottery ended late Friday night with Auburn holding the winning ticket. The high-profile schools looking for defensive coordinators -- Texas A&M, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Auburn -- have a common trait: head coaches hired for their prowess on offense. The good news for their defensive coordinators is that they run their own ship. The bad news is that –- human nature calling –- the offensive head coaches usually keep the best players on their side of the ball. It will be interesting to see how fast Muschamp gets better players and more of them.