A Case of the Mondays: Brady Hoke is on the hot seat, but what about Dabo Swinney?

Every Monday, Dr. Saturday editor Graham Watson looks back on the weekend that was and decides what she loved, what she hated (I have all the hot takes) and what she can’t wait to see again.

THE LOVE

It’s time to get to know Taylor Heinicke:

Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion’s senior quarterback, might be the best signal-caller you’ve never heard of, but he’s trying to put his stamp on the FBS before he leaves college.

Old Dominion is making its official FBS debut this season and is already 3-1 thanks in part to Heinicke, who is completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,172 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. He threw for 430 yards and five touchdowns against defending Conference USA champion Rice this past weekend.

Heinicke is not an unknown on the FCS level. In 2012, he won the Walter Peyton Award, which is given each year to the best offensive player in the FCS and has thrown for more than 12,500 yards in his career. Sadly, he won’t get a lot of pub as a member of Conference USA, but he’s definitely worth a watch if you happen to see Old Dominion on TV.

Shane Carden for Heisman?:

Is East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden a legitimate Heisman contender? While the prospect might cause some of you to giggle, Carden has put up terrific numbers this season while beating teams such as Virginia Tech and North Carolina and hanging with South Carolina.

Against the Tar Heels last week, Carden completed 30-of-48 passes for 438 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, and had two rushing touchdowns, while leading the Pirates to a 70-41 domination. Yes, East Carolina scored 70 points on an ACC team. Let that soak in for a minute.

Carden probably won’t get the Heisman hype he deserve because of his team and because of his conference, but he should at least be appreciated for the numbers he’s put up this season and the victories he’s amassed. Perhaps if East Carolina can win the American Athletic Conference, Carden could be a Heisman darkhorse.

We see you, Dan Mullen:

A lot of pundits might have predicted Mississippi State could go to LSU and beat the Tigers, but how many actually expected them to do it?

Dan Mullen is in his “put up or shut up” season and so far his team is living up to its billing. Since Mullen took over in 2009, the Bulldogs have been a middle-of-the-road SEC team. It won nine games in 2010 and hasn’t done better than that since.

Prior to Saturday’s win, Mullen had never beaten LSU as a coach at Mississippi State. But achieving that win was just one hurdle in a season full of hurdles in the SEC West, the nation's best division. The Bulldogs have a bye before they host Texas A&M, a team they’ve never beaten, and then Auburn, a team they’ve only beaten once. Kentucky has improved, Arkansas has improved and then there’s Alabama, yet another team Mullen hasn’t been able to solve.

So while Mullen and Mississippi State should be commended on the win against LSU, it’s not the championship. It’s not even close. The Bulldogs should feel good about where they are, but they still have a long way to go.

THE HATE (hot takes a-plenty)

Jameis Winston’s suspension:

Has anyone had more fun on a suspension than Jameis Winston? He got to dress and warmup, got to change into more comfortable clothes, and then got to stand on the sidelines, pep talk his guys, feel the ups and downs that come with a close game and then run onto the field to celebrate an overtime victory.

Greatest. Suspension. Ever.

Coach Jimbo Fisher actually told media on Monday that he thought the suspension “hit home” for Winston. Did it? Or was he just relieved that Clemson Clemsoned all over itself and handed Florida State the win?

Winston had a better experience at the game than most fans. Remember the days when suspensions meant staying away from the facilities and activities? You know, real punishments that are meant to teach and aren’t just for show. Hell, might as well have just let him stay in his full uniform. It really would not have made a difference.

It’s time, Brady Hoke. It’s time:

Anyone have $3 million?

That’s how much it would cost, according to Forbes, to oust Michigan coach Brady Hoke this year and trust that there are a lot of folks blowing up athletic director Dave Brandon’s cell phone offering to donate the money.

The latest embarrassment was Saturday’s 26-10 loss to Utah at the Big House. Quarterback Devin Gardner was benched, backup Shane Morris was worse and Hoke was spotted on the sidelines yelling obscenities at one of his assistants. Things are quickly going off the rails in Ann Arbor.

And want a little more salt in the gaping, festering wound that is Michigan football? Check out this photo (that mgoblog.com):

That’s the 66-yard punt return by Utah’s Kaelin Clay. You know, the one where he did the Heisman pose at the end? Yeah, well count the number of Michigan players on the field. That pretty much sums up the dysfunction at Michigan and the need for new blood.

Dabo on the hot seat?:

At what point does the habitual Clemsoning begin to wear on the fan base?

Last week’s loss to Florida State was both unbelievable and unacceptable. Clemson had every advantage in the game, every opportunity to put it away and fumbled — literally fumbled — its chance to beat the defending national champions.

Now, don’t get it twisted, I’m not putting Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on the hot seat. The man had won 32 games in the past three seasons coming into this year. He’s made Clemson a constant national contender and he’s been to two Orange Bowls, including last year when the Tigers beat Ohio State. But he’s also lost every game he’s coached against South Carolina and the last three losses against Florida State have been frustrating.

Swinney is the right man to lead Clemson. He seems to have the program doing all the right things, but he needs to find a way to break the Clemsoning curse or else his days could be numbers much earlier than they should be.

LET’S DO IT AGAIN

Amari Cooper 2014 like Armari Cooper 2012:

Welcome back, Amari Cooper.

In 2013, we all watched Alabama receiver Amari Cooper suffer through injuries and attitude issues while he mired through a disappointing sophomore campaign. So, it was refreshing to hear him talk in the preseason about the changes he’s made both on and off the field to be a better player, better leader and better person.

Now, we’re seeing it in action.

Cooper’s 655 receiving yards leads the country and he has five touchdowns to go with them. As long as Blake Sims keeps slinging the ball like he has, Cooper is going to be the prime target and we are all going to be amazed by what he does. This is the Cooper we saw gain 1,000 yards his freshman season and earn All-American status. If he can stay healthy, surpassing 1,000 yards shouldn’t be a problem, and an invite to New York for the Heisman ceremony should be in order.

Hey, I remember Melvin Gordon:

When I think of Melvin Gordon, it’s hard not to think back to that awesome first half he had against LSU and then his complete disappearance in the second half. Was he hurt? Was he not hurt? We got a couple answers on that. But one thing we learned for sure this past weekend is that he’s not ready to be counted out just yet.

Gordon tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns against Bowling Green last week and had a career-high 253 rushing yards… on just 13 carries. Yes, that’s 19.46 yards per carry and it’s crazy.

But that’s the Melvin Gordon we expected to see all season. He’s one of the nation’s best running backs and let’s hope last week’s performance reminds of that going forward.

It’s Alabama, Oklahoma and everyone else:

it’s early, I’ll admit that, but after this past weekend, it’s hard not to acknowledge Oklahoma and Alabama as the most complete teams in the country.

Sure, they both had their issues against their respective opponents and some might even argue that their opponents weren’t that good, but of the teams in the top five, none dominated their opponents like the Tide and Sooners, especially in the second half when both teams needed to pull away.

Again, it’s early. The meat of the conference season hasn’t even begun and we know that’s where a lot of teams falter. Still, it seems like these two teams are on a collision course for what could be a very exciting national championship.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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