College Football Week 10 – First Playoff Poll out Tuesday
Playoff poll, ‘hot seat’ coaches,
and another wild weekend –
Ain’t college football fun!

Starting Tuesday, you can all but forget the AP and Coaches polls. At 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, October 28 on ESPN, the first Top 25 poll from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee will be released – the Playoff poll. The top 4 teams in the final poll (December 7) will compete for the national championship – No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in the semifinals.

Yes, there still will be an AP and Coaches poll released every week until after the last bowl game is played. But except for the personal pride of being ranked, those two polls are basically meaningless. They’ve been neutered.

Hence forward, the College Football Playoff poll is the supreme poll in college football. The rankings of the Playoff poll determine who will play in the six top-tier New Year’s Bowls – Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar – two of which will be the semifinal bowls for the four-team playoff.

On an annual rotating basis, two of those six bowls will host the semifinals of the four-team playoff (Rose and Sugar this season), and the other four bowls will be filled based on the rankings in the final Top 25 Playoff poll as determined by the 13-member Playoff Selection Committee. (Currently 12 members, as Archie Manning has taken a temporary medical leave of absence from the committee.)

The Top 25 Playoff poll will be released every Tuesday evening from October 28 through December 2 on ESPN. The final Top 25 poll, along with the playoff and bowl pairings will be released by the Selection Committee around mid-day on Sunday, December 7, on ESPN.

By chance, should the Playoff poll mimic the AP and Coaches polls, and based on how those polls rank the teams today, we would have (1) Mississippi State vs. (4) Auburn and (2) Florida State vs. (3) Alabama playing in the semifinals. However, I suspect there will be changes, maybe several, by December 7. We have a lot of football to be played yet. Stay tuned!

Ain’t college football fun?

Back during preseason, in my first CFW newsletter, I wrote about the coaches on the hot seat entering the 2014 season. “Problems, problems, problems all day long. Will my problems work out right or wrong?”

I said the two coaches on the hottest seat, with the most problems, were Florida’s Will Muschamp and West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen. Well, it looks like one of those coaches has worked out right and the other one has worked out wrong.

As of Saturday, West Virginia is sitting at 6-1, bowl eligible and ranked No. 20 in the AP poll. I said that Holgorsen needed to get seven wins and a bowl bid to save his job. I’d say he is safe.

On the other hand, it’s not looking good for Muschamp. As of Saturday, Florida is 3-3. I said Muschamp needed to get eight wins and one of those eight wins needed to be over Georgia. With only five games remaining, Florida would have to win all five to obtain eight wins, or four of the five plus a bowl game win. What are the odds?

Personally, I think Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley has already made the decision to fire Muschamp at the end of the season. But there is a small possibility of doubt. This Saturday, Florida plays Georgia. Stay tuned!

Ain’t college football fun?

The other five coaches on my hot seat list were Virginia’s Mike London, Kansas’ Charlie Weis, Hawaii’s Norm Chow, Illinois’ Tim Beckman and Indiana’s Kevin Wilson. Weis has already been fired. I’d say it is not looking favorable for the other four. However, Beckman got a boost with Illinois’ 28-24 upset of Minnesota on Saturday.

Then I had five coaches on the bubble, entering the 2014 season – Maryland’s Randy Edsall, Iowa State’s Paul Rhoads, Central Michigan’s Dan Enos, UNLV’s Bobby Hauck and Memphis’ Justin Fuente. Of those five, Fuente is safe, Hauck is a gonner and Edsall, Rhoads and Enos remain on the bubble.

Then I said there are six coaches …..“well, you just don’t know for sure. They could be in trouble. Then again, they may not be.” Those six were Michigan’s Brady Hoke, Nebraska’s Bo Pelini, Minnesota’s Jerry Kill, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson and Tulsa’s Bill Blankenship.

Of those six, Hoke is in the same situation as Muschamp. The decision has already been made to fire him. Blankenship is a gonner too. But Pelini, Kill, Whittingham and Johnson are safe. Stay tuned!

Speaking of departures, as reported last week, SEC commissioner Mike Slive announced his retirement, effective the end of July 2015. Look for Greg Sankey to be the next commissioner of the SEC. Sankey has been the associate commissioner, Slive’s right-hand man, since 2002.

Interestingly, Florida’s Jeremy Foley reportedly expressed interest in the SEC position. But, as we know, Foley has more important things on his plate right now – finding a new football coach. There also was a contingency of folks who championed Condoleezza Rice to be the new commissioner of the SEC.

And speaking of coaches, sources out of Dallas say that former Texas coach Mack Brown has been offered the SMU job with an eight-year contract, paying $4 million annually. Stay tuned!

Ain’t college football fun?

Speaking of fun, actually this is more funny than fun, maybe dumber than dumb, Marshall has hired a PR firm to promote the Thundering Herd to the Playoff Selection Committee in hopes of getting Marshall ranked in the Top 4 of the Playoff poll. What a waste of money!

Granted Marshall (8-0) is undefeated and playing well this season. But the Herd have not played one Power Five Conference team nor has the Herd played anyone who came anywhere near being ranked all season. Only one – Middle Tennessee (5-3) – of Marshall’s eight opponents to date has a winning record, and only one – Rice (4-3) – of the Herd’s remaining four opponents has a winning record.

Now Marshall does have a shot of being selected by the Playoff Committee for what is referred to as the “Golden Ticket” berth. The team from one of the non-Power Five Conferences (Group of Five) that is highest ranked in the final Top 25 Playoff poll will get a berth in one of the non-semifinal New Year’s Six bowls – Cotton, Fiesta, Orange and Peach.

Currently one-loss East Carolina (6-1) is the highest ranked non-Power Five team in the AP and Coaches polls. Whether the Pirates will be the highest ranked in the Playoff poll remains to be seen (Tuesday night). To its credit, East Carolina has wins over Virginia Tech and North Carolina. The one loss was to South Carolina. Stay tuned!

Marshall’s best shot is to remain undefeated and hope that East Carolina suffers another loss. The way the Pirates played against Connecticut Thursday night that could happen. East Carolina had to rally late in the game to beat UConn, 31-21. East Carolina has games remaining against Temple, Cincinnati, Tulane, Tulsa and UCF. There is a possible team or two there who could well trip up the Pirates.

Should both Marshall and East Carolina lose down the stretch, then there is the possibility that Colorado State (7-1) could be chosen for the Golden Ticket berth. But the Rams must win out. Colorado State has wins over Colorado and Boston College.

Up until recently, 39 bowls were on tap for the end of this season – four more than last season. Last week a 40th bowl – the Auto Nation Cure Bowl – was added to the list. The Cure Bowl, to be played on December 19 in Orlando, will match a team from the AAC against a team from the Sun Belt Conference.

Ain’t college football fun! Well, I’m not sure we really needed another bowl game.

But speaking of fun, Will Muschamp’s job was listed on Craigslist last week. Some of the requirements: You cannot be a graduate of Georgia and you cannot have the last name of Zook. Stay tuned!

And speaking of Florida, Tim Tebow criticized the Gators’ lack of leadership on offense, while Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan said Will Muschamp was the hardest working man he knew.

You’ve probably never heard of Fredi Knighten before, I hadn’t, but Thursday night, the Arkansas State junior quarterback passed for 344 yards and rushed for another 61 for a total of 405 yards in the Red Wolves 55-40 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.

With Ole Miss’ 10-7 loss to LSU Saturday night, there are only three undefeated teams left – Mississippi State, Florida State and Marshall. SMU is the sole winless team at 0-7.

Along with our neighbors Dieter and Deb Gum, Swamp Mama and I went to Florida Tech’s game Saturday. The Panthers beat Mississippi College, 44-9. I called Mississippi College – Lil Miss. It was Florida Tech’s homecoming game. Dieter and Deb are both graduates of Florida Tech. We had a good time. The weather was perfect.

Mississippi College is the Choctaws. I don’t know how Lil Miss gets to keep Choctaws for a mascot. Maybe all of the Choctaws are dead, or something.

The homecoming activities began Thursday night with the Florida Tech Homecoming 5k run/walk in downtown Melbourne. The 5k began and ended behind Meg O’Malley’s. Swamp Mama participated in the 5k, while I sat with her boss – Alex Vamosi – at one of Meg O’Malley’s outside tables. Swamp Mama exercised her legs while Alex and I exercised our arms. Ain’t Irish beer good!

Speaking of beer, now why would I say that, ESPN College GameDay is in Morgantown this week on the campus of WVU. That will be fun!

Playoff polls, hot seat coaches, rumors – ain’t college football fun? Last week, I said to my friend Tim Muth, “Ain’t college football fun?” He responded, “That’s why I like it better than the NFL.”

Lil Miss, I kind of like that.

Touchdown Tom
October 27, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Hurtin’ on offense – LSU 10, Ole Miss 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 28, LSU 23). The Rebel Bears (or the Hotty Toddies, or the Landsharks or the Sweet Magnolias) play good defense, but their offense has been suspect all season. Pure and simple, Beauregard (Hold my Magnolia) Wallace is overrated. And aside from Bo, there ain’t nobody else on offense. The Mad Hatter and his Tigers took advantage of that. Wallace only completed 42 percent of his passes. LSU even turned over the ball four times to the Rebel Bears and Ole Miss still lost. Yeah, the Tigers weren’t much better on offense. But they showed Ole Miss that they could play defense too. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321

RUNNER UP: Bully, Bully – Mississippi State 45, Kentucky 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 29, Kentucky 19). Miss State never trailed in the game, but the Bulldogs could never shake Kentucky either. The Wildcats hung in there with their claws. Kentucky out-passed Miss State (401 yards to 216), but the Bulldogs out-rushed the Wildcats (326 yards to 103). State’s Dak Prescott passed for 216 yards and ran for another 98. Teammate Josh Robinson rushed for 198 yards. Kentucky’s Patrick Towles passed for 390 yards. Attendance in Lexington: 64,791

REST OF THE BEST: The Knights in rusty armor – Nebraska 42, Rutgers 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 42, Rutgers 28). This was pretty much a one-man show. Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah rushed for 225 yards, almost single handedly defeating Rutgers. Abdullah averaged 11.8 yards per carry. Attendance in Lincoln: 91,088

Cuttin’ it close – Utah 24, USC 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 20, USC 17). Talk about exciting finishes, trailing 21-17, Utah scored with 8 seconds left in the game to beat USC, 24-21. The Utes scored on a one-yard pass play from Travis Wilson to Kaelin Clay, as the seconds were winding down. The game was a tossup throughout, as the lead changed hands four times. Except for a 7-point lead by Utah early in the first quarter, neither team led by more than four points for the rest of the game, after USC tied the score at 7-7, just four minutes following the Utes’ opening score. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 47,619

Devils leash the Dogs – Arizona State 24, Washington 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Arizona State 27). Tied 10-10 late in the fourth quarter, ASU scored 14 unanswered points in the final three minutes of the game. Three turnovers hurt the Huskies. Attendance in Seattle: 64,666

Cowboys slow on the draw – West Virginia 34, Oklahoma State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Oklahoma State 29). WVU won the first quarter 14-0. Okie State won the second quarter 10-0. Then it was all Mountaineers in the second half. WVU outscored the Cowboys 20-0 in the final two quarters. The Mounties’ Wendell Smallwood rushed for 132 yards. Attendance in Stillwater: 59,124

The Ducks breached the Dykes – Oregon 59, California 41 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 43, California 26). A close game at the half, Oregon blew away from Cal in the third quarter, building up a 24-point lead – 52-28. The teams combined for 1,150 yards of offense. Marcus Mariota passed for 326 yards. Attendance in Berkeley: 55,575

Bucks apply the white out – Ohio State 31, Penn State 24 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State28, Penn State 21). Strange game. Ohio State won the first half 17-0. Penn State won the second half 17-0. It appeared the momentum was on the side of the Nitts going into overtime. But in the two overtime periods, it was the Buckeyes who had the momentum. Penn State was gassed. The Nitts were hurting for a running game – only 16 yards rushing. Ohio State wasn’t much better passing – only 74 yards. Attendance in State College: 107,895

Plucked again – Auburn 42, South Carolina 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 30, South Carolina 22). Tied 35-35 at the end of the third quarter, Auburn scored the lone touchdown in the fourth and that was the difference. South Carolina looked good in the first half. The Tigers were the better team in the second half. The teams combined for 1,086 yards of offense – mostly passing for the Gamecocks (416 yards); mostly rushing for Auburn (395 yards). South Carolina’s Dylan Thompson threw three interceptions. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

Boxed – Wisconsin 52, Maryland 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 30, Maryland 28). Wisconsin totally dominated Maryland. The Badgers racked up 527 total yards to only 175 for the Terps. Maryland’s leading rusher only had 22 yards. Wisconsin played three quarterbacks in the game. Melvin Gordon rushed for 122 yards. Attendance in Madison: 80,336

Little Kiffy survives – Alabama 34, Tennessee 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Tennessee 13). Early in the second quarter, Alabama had a 27-0 lead. Then the Tide let the Vols into the game. With 5:52 to go in the third quarter, Tennessee had pulled within 27-17. Bama’s Blake Sims and Amari Cooper were the difference in the game. Sims passed for 286 yards. Cooper had nine receptions for 224 yards. Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs passed for 192 yards and ran for another 75 yards. Attendance in Knoxville: 102,455

Talk about getting’ stung – Georgia Tech 56, Pitt 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Pitt 24). Pitt turned the ball over six times – all fumbles – and that was pretty much the difference in the game. Georgia Tech jumped out to a 28-0 first quarter lead and the Panthers couldn’t catch up. The teams combined for 1,138 yards of offense. Pitt was the passing team – 328 yards; Tech was the running team – 465 yards. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 44,734

On a roll – Colorado State 45, Wyoming 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Colorado State 31, Wyoming 20). Wyoming scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game to make it appear closer than it was. Colorado State was leading 45-17 before the Cowboys’ two last minute scores. It was the Rams sixth-straight win since a 13-point loss to Boise State on September 6. Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson passed for 390 yards, completing 86 percent of his tosses. Attendance in Fort Collins: 32,529

Stallions – Boise State 55, BYU 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 32, BYU 22). The Broncos built up a 41-16 halftime lead and went into cruise control during the second half. Boise State racked up 637 yards of offense. Broncos’ quarterback Grant Hedrick passed for 410 of those yards. Attendance in Boise: 36,752

The first of back-to-back Oregon’s – Stanford 38, Oregon State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 22, Oregon State 13). Stanford’s defense was dominant again, and the Trees’ offense wasn’t bad. Stanford held Oregon State to 12 yards rushing. The Trees’ Kevin Hogan passed for 277 yards. Attendance in Palo Alto: 48,401


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Another Bobby Bowden/Mack Brown – Miami 30, Virginia Tech 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 25, Miami (Florida) 24). That’s what Frank Beamer has become. Another coach who was once good and now just stands on the sideline and collects a welfare check – a hefty one at that. Sadly, these guys don’t know when it is time to move on. The Canes ran all over the Hokies, with Duke Johnson rushing for 249 yards and Gus Edwards 115 yards. Miami’s defense held Tech to 262 total yards. The Hokies lone score in the game came with 1:30 on the clock in the fourth quarter. Tech suffered from three fumbles. Attendance in Blacksburg: 64,007


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Snyder was in the house – Kansas State 23, Texas 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 33, Texas 23). K-State held Texas to 196 total yards – 106 passing and 90 rushing. The Wildcats scored in every quarter, while shutting out the Horns. Attendance in Manhattan: 52,879


Week 9 Pick Results: 14 correct, 3 wrong (82.4 percent)
On the Season: 125 correct, 40 wrong (75.8 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF 34, Temple 14 – Attendance in Orlando: 39,554 …. Cincinnati 34, South Florida 17 – Attendance in Cincinnati: 30,024 …. Marshall 35, Florida Atlantic 16 – Attendance in Huntington: 27,236.

North Carolina A&T 40, Florida A&M 21 – Attendance in Greensboro: 21,500 …. South Carolina State 20, Bethune-Cookman 14 – Attendance in Orangeburg: 11,043.

Jacksonville U. 61, Limestone 10 – Attendance in Gaffney: 2,753 …. Stetson 40, Davidson 34 – Attendance in Davidson: 3,614 …. Florida Tech 44, Mississippi College 9 – Attendance in Melbourne: 3,200


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Washington State’s Connor Halliday – 55-79-2 for 490 yards; Old Dominion’s Taylor Heinicke – 27-40-2-471; East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 38-64-1-445; Blake Frohnapfel – 28-55-2-438; TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 22-39-0-433; Louisiana Tech’s Cody Sokol – 27-46-0-423; Boise State’s Grant Hedrick – 24-31-1-410, and Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 24-38-1-408.

Also, Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson – 18-21-0 for 390 yards; Kentucky’s Patrick Towles – 24-43-0-389; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 23-26-0-371; California’s Jared Goff – 32-52-0-360; Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell – 22-28-2-344; Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten – 26-37-1-344, and Southern Miss’ Cole Weeks – 28-45-2-338.

Also, UCF’s Justin Holman – 25-39-0 for 336 yards; Wyoming’s Colby Kirkegaard – 24-38-0-335; Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – 18-30-1-326; San Jose State’s Joe Gray – 33-46-1-322; Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 17-23-0-307; Connecticut’s Chandler Whitmer – 18-30-1-303; Texas Tech’s Davis Webb – 15-30-1-300, and Arizona’s Anu Solomon – 26-39-0-294.


Impressive Rushers:

Marshall’s Devon Johnson – 272 yards; Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elijah McGuire – 265 yards; Navy’s Keenan Reynolds – 251 yards; Miami of Florida’s Duke Johnson – 249 yards; Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah – 225 yards; Cincinnati’s Mike Boone – 212 yards; Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 201 yards; Toledo’s Kareem Hunt – 198 yards, and Mississippi State’s Josh Robinson – 197 yards.

Also, Western Kentucky’s Leon Allen – 182 yards; UCLA’s Paul Perkins – 180 yards; South Alabama’s Kendall Houston – 178 yards; Michigan State’s Jeremy Langford – 169 yards; Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne – 167 yards; Northern Illinois’ Drew Hare – 166 yards; Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin – 156 yards; Arkansas’ Jonathan Williams – 153 yards, and Old Dominion’s Ray Lawry – 148 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“I tell everyone my next move is going to be to Crescent Beach, Florida. That’s where my next move is going to be to,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, laughing off rumors that he will return to coach Florida again, replacing Will Muschamp.

“College football is full of emotion. It’s all about passion. The players play with passion,” former Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth, on the difference between college and pro football.

“A top college football school always dreads the possibility of its star leaving early for the NFL. Always. Exception to the rule: Florida State ought to be welcoming the idea of Jameis Winston going pro after the season – and taking his tarnished Heisman Trophy with him. Florida State has been a national punch line, with Winston as its most visible campus personality,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Brian Schmitz.

“It ain’t gonna be a hoedown. It’s gonna be a beat down,” Alabama fan on the Paul Finebaum Show, commenting on the Bama-Tennessee game.


Touchdown Tom’s Picks for
This Week’s 15 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Auburn (6-1) at Ole Miss (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Ole Miss has a good defense, but it really will be tested this week. Auburn has a good offense. If the Rebel Bears are to win, they need to get a spark in their offense – something they have been lacking. The Landsharks find a spark – Ole Miss 24, Auburn 17.

RUNNER UP: 2. Florida State (7-0) at Louisville (6-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPN) – Some think Louisville can beat Florida State. Some – Rick Pitino – think the Cardinals will be the Noles. What does Pitino know about football? – Florida State 27, Louisville 23.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Utah (6-1) at Arizona State (6-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (11 p.m. ET, Saturday, FS1) – Utah has been the surprise of the Pac-12. The Utes have some good wins over UCLA and USC. But the Utes get surprised this week – Arizona State 27, Utah 26.

4. TCU (6-1) at West Virginia (6-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2) – TCU has been putting the points on the board – 82 last week against Texas Tech. But the Frogs defense has been lapse at times, while WVU’s defense has been playing better. This has the makings of a good one. Plus ESPN College GameDay in Morgantown – “We’re coming to your city.” As much as I want the Mounties to win, I think Dana will have warts when this one is over – TCU 37, West Virginia 34.

5. Arizona (6-1) at UCLA (6-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (10:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Arizona has been hot. The Wildcats are explosive. Conversely, UCLA has had some problems. The Wildcats remain hot – Arizona 34, UCLA 32.

6. Stanford (5-3) at Oregon (7-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Fox) – Stanford has been a thorn in Oregon’s side in recent years. The Trees can play defense. But they are questionable on offense. No thorns this year – Oregon 20, Stanford 12.

7. Oklahoma State (5-3) at Kansas State (6-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – Talk about two teams going in opposite directions. But the Cowboys can be dangerous. Not in Manhattan – Kansas State 33, Oklahoma State 13.

8. Arkansas (4-4) at Mississippi State (7-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2) – You just keep thinking Arkansas is going to surprise somebody one of these weeks. It may happen, but not this week – Mississippi State 30, Arkansas 18.

9. Kentucky (5-3) at Missouri (6-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) (4 p.m. ET, Saturday, SECN) – Kentucky is an up-and-down team. The Wildcats gave Miss State all it could handle. Mizzou is up-and-down too. This week, the Cats are down and the Tigers are up – Missouri 26, Kentucky 25.

10. East Carolina (6-1) at Temple (4-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNNews) – Temple at Temple could cause some problems for East Carolina. The Owls have a way of scaring teams. And it is Halloween. But the Pirates got their scare last week. No problems this week – East Carolina 30, Temple 19.

11. Wisconsin (5-2) at Rutgers (5-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Last week Rutgers couldn’t stop Ameer Abdullah. This week the Scarlet Knights won’t stop Melvin Gordon – Wisconsin 38, Rutgers 26.

12. Virginia (4-4) at Georgia Tech (6-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – Virginia is no pushover. The Cavs are a dangerous team. But Georgia Tech is no pushover either. The Bees are dangerous too – Georgia Tech 29, Virginia 25.

13. Florida (3-3) vs. Georgia (6-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – Actually, isn’t this game Georgia vs. Georgia. After all, Will Muschamp is a Dawg. A dirty Dawg according to some. But look for the Gators to make it a game, just not enough of a game – Georgia 26, Florida 17.

14. Maryland (5-3) at Penn State (4-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2) – Some Big Ten teams – Ohio State and Wisconsin – have taken some real pot shots at Maryland. The Nitts may have exhausted themselves against Ohio State last week. But they still have enough left to take care of the Terps – Penn State 30, Maryland 20.

15. Boston College (5-3) at Virginia Tech (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ACCN) – Both of these teams have been a surprise – Boston College surprisingly good and Virginia Tech surprisingly bad. No changes – Boston College 22, Virginia Tech 19.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. Northwestern (3-4) at Iowa (5-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN) – Northwestern may be hungrier in this game. The Wildcats need the win. But the Hawkeyes starve the Wildcats – Iowa 27, Northwestern 20.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS

Purdue (3-5) at Nebraska (7-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2) – Purdue shouldn’t give the Huskers any more trouble than Rutgers did. The Boilers are not stable on defense and won’t contain Ameer Abdullah. But the Boilers could be troubling at times. Not many times – Nebraska 38, Purdue 23.

Duke (6-1) at Pitt (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – The Dookies should pick up where Georgia Tech left off against the Panthers. Pitt appears to be a hurtin’ team. The Dookies make the Panthers hurt some more – Duke 31, Pitt 21.

Texas (3-5) at Texas Tech (3-5) – (Big 12. Vs. Big 12) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, FS1) – Talk about two teams having their share of problems this season. Even Swamp Mama has dumped Kliff Kingsbury. And that’s saying something. The Longhorns dump Kingsbury too – Texas 27, Texas Tech 20.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

North Carolina (4-4) at Miami (5-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ACCN) …. UCF (5-2) at Connecticut (1-6) – (AAC vs. AAC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN) …. Houston (4-3) at South Florida (3-5) – (AAC vs. AAC) (4 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPNNews).

UAB (4-4) at Florida Atlantic (3-5) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) …. Rice (4-3) at Florida International (3-5) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (12 noon ET, Saturday, Local) …. Norfolk State (3-5) at Florida A&M (2-6) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (3 p.m. ET, Saturday).

North Carolina Central (4-4) at Bethune-Cookman (6-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (4 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Marist (2-6) at Jacksonville U. (7-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Stetson (3-5) at Campbell (4-4) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) …. Florida Tech (5-3) at Shorter (3-4) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) (12 noon ET, Saturday).


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Retired Florida Supreme Court chief justice Major Harding has been selected to serve as the independent observer who will conduct Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston’s upcoming student conduct code hearing…. Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon announced that student football ticket prices will be significantly lower next year. This year, the season student ticket pass at Michigan was $280. Next season the price for student season tickets will be $175. This season, Michigan had the most expensive student season tickets ahead of Ohio State ($252), Penn State ($218) and Wisconsin ($188). Iowa and Michigan State charged students $175.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly there were six passings of note last week – Oscar de la Renta, Paul Craft, Ben Bradlee, Frank Mankiewicz, Jack Bruce and Marcia Strassman.

Oscar de la Renta, the doyen of American fashion, whose career began in the 1950s in Franco’s Spain and sprawled across the better living rooms of Paris and New York, and who was the last survivor of that generation of bold, all-seeing tastemakers, died last week at his home in Kent, Connecticut. He was 82. Oscar Aristedes de la Renta was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on July 22, 1932. At age 19, after graduating from high school, he left home for Madrid.

Paul Craft, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer, whose sparkling wordplay was a reflection of his intelligent, irony-drenched, amiable personality, died last week in Nashville. He was 76. Of Craft’s hundreds of compositions, his favorite was “Walking Home in the Rain.” In 1976, country artists released seven of his songs and two of those – Hank Williams’ “You Wrote My Life” and “Dropkick Me Jesus (Though the Goalposts of Life)” – earned Grammy nominations. His “Brother Jukebox” was a No. 1 hit for Mark Chestnut in 1991. Craft also wrote Top 10 songs for T. Graham Brown (“Come as You Were”), Gail Davies (“Blue Heartache”) and Moe Bandy’s recording of “You Wrote My Life.” Ray Stevens charted with his “It’s Me Again, Margaret.” The Eagles recorded Craft’s “Midnight Flyer,” and Linda Ronstadt recorded his “Keep Me from Blowing Away.” Craft’s songs were also recorded by Alison Krauss, the Osborne Brothers, Charlie Sizemore and the group The Seldom Scene. Paul Craft was born in Memphis and raised in Arkansas. He graduated from the University of Virginia. Some of Craft’s other songs were “Teardrops Will Kiss the Morning Dew,” “Fastest Grass Alive,” “Nothing Happening Every Minute,” “Raised by the Railroad Line” and “Through the Bottom of the Glass.” Skeeter Davis recorded his “Somewhere with Me Sometime.”

Ben Bradlee, who presided over the Washington Post’s exposure of the Watergate scandal that led to the fall of President Richard M. Nixon and that stamped Bradlee in American culture as the quintessential newspaper editor of his era – gruff, charming and tenacious – died last week. He was 93. Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee was born in Boston on August 26, 1921. He graduated from Harvard and served in the U.S. Navy.

Frank Mankiewicz, 90, a writer and Democratic political strategist who was Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s press secretary, directed Senator George S. McGovern’s losing 1972 presidential campaign and was a former president of National Public Radio, died last week in Washington, DC. He was 90. Frank Fabian Mankiewicz was born in New York City on May 16, 1924. He served in the Army during World War II and graduated from UCLA. Then he earned a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia. He later earned a law degree from the University of California.

Jack Bruce, whose melodic bass lines helped power the British rock trio Cream, died Saturday at his home in Suffolk, England. He was 71. Often called rock’s first super group because its members were already experienced players, Cream featured Bruce, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. Cream’s hits included “White Room” and “Sunshine of Your Love,” among others. Bruce was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 14, 1943. He played in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers before forming Cream.

Marcia Strassman, known for her roles in TV’s “Welcome Back Kotter” and film’s “Honey I Shrunk the Kids,” died last week. She was 66. She had roles in other movies and TV shows, including “M*A*S*H.” Strassman was born in New York City, on April 28, 1948.