CFW Week 7 Forecast - The SEC is still angry with LSU

 CFW Week 7 Forecast – The SEC is still angry with LSU

Marquee games: Ohio State-Indiana,

Notre Dame-BYU, Alabama-Tennessee

 

Supporting cast: Missouri-Ole Miss, Oklahoma State-Houston, Wisconsin-UCLA

 

The Big Ten has three games in the Top-10 games of the week, including the “Game of the Week” – Ohio State at Indiana. I suspect this is the biggest game in Bloomington, Indiana, in years – maybe ever. And I suspect the winner of the game will be on their way to the Big Ten championship game and most likely the College Football Playoff. The loser of the game may be too. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if these two teams meet again this season in the Big Ten title game.

 

The next top Big Ten game is Wisconsin at UCLA. Like Wake Forest in the ACC and Kentucky in the SEC, UCLA is not only a surprise, but the Bruins have become the “darlings” of their conference. Bruins coach Bob Chesney could be in the running for one of the “Coach of the Year” awards. However, like all Cinderellas and “darlings”, the bubble could burst at any time. Will the Badgers do any bursting?

 

The third and final big game in the Big Ten is Nebraska at Oregon. Oregon can’t afford another loss – not with seven games remaining. Nebraska doesn’t need another loss at this point in the season either. Both teams will be playing desperate football. If Dylan Raiola is the quarterback for the Ducks, then that brings an interesting perspective to the game.

 

The SEC doesn’t have the “Game of the Week” this week, nor does the conference have the “Runner-Up Game.” But the SEC does have five games in the Top-10 games. First up is Alabama at Tennessee. Alabama enters the game wounded. Tennessee enters breathing a sigh of relief. What does Josh Heupel have cooking?

 

Next, the SEC gives us Missouri at Ole Miss. Like the Nebraska-Oregon game, the Missouri quarterback brings an interesting perspective to the game. Austin Simmons used to be the Ole Miss quarterback – until Trinidad Chambliss came along.

 

How about Mississippi State at LSU? Following the loss to Kentucky, LSU can’t afford to lose again. It would be the Tigers’ third loss. Miss State will have to play inspired football to win. The Bulldogs can.

 

A fourth big SEC game is Florida at Texas. Florida has already revealed itself as a pretender. Texas has revealed itself to be mistake prone. Something tells me the Longhorns will be mad. Something tells me Jon Sumrall just hopes to keep it close. Florida may be without quarterback Aaron Philo, who has been suffering this week with a shoulder injury.

 

And finally in the SEC, we have Kentucky at Oklahoma. Before the Texas game, OU had been declared dead for the season. The Sooners found life against Texas. Did they ever! Kentucky is a feisty bunch. Maybe too feisty for OU after the win over Texas.

 

The “Runner-Up” game this week is a non-conference affair – Notre Dame at BYU. What a fun game this has the potential to be. Notre Dame has been impressive, but the competition hasn’t been. BYU will be competitive. But the Irish could be overwhelming. Look for BYU coach Kalani Sitake to have a few tricks up his sleeve. The Irish better be equipped with Bear spray.

 

There is one Big 12 game in the Top 10 – Oklahoma State at Houston. Two good quarterbacks will be on display in this affair – the experienced Houston quarterback Connor Weighman and the young, up-and-coming Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker. I’m thinking Weighman must be glad he transferred out of Texas A&M two years ago. He’s playing for a winner at Houston.

 

There are seven other games worth keeping your eye on this weekend. Their outcomes should be interesting: Virginia at SMU, Georgia State at James Madison, UNLV at Air Force, Penn State at Michigan, Florida State at Miami, Wake Forest at California and North Carolina at Duke.

 

James Madison announced this week that it will leave the Sun Belt Conference and join the American Conference. The change will take place at the earliest on July 1, 2027, or at the latest on July 1, 2028.

 

The SEC revealed this week that a live controversy still exists between the conference and LSU. The SEC said its lawsuit against LSU is still an open matter. The SEC said that LSU lacks institutional control over its athletic programs and that LSU defies the conference’s professionalism and rules. As a result, the SEC said that the possibility of terminating LSU’s membership still exists. The SEC said this week, “The dispute between the SEC and LSU remains alive.”

 

Sounds like LSU is the “rogue school” that Paul Finebaum said it was. Back when there were 10 and even 12 schools in the SEC, I think the loss of LSU as a member would have been significant – tough on the conference. Today, with 16 schools in the SEC and the possibility of increasing to 20 members with the likes of Florida State, Miami, Clemson, North Carolina, etc., the loss of LSU would be insignificant – no one would notice or be bothered by the termination of LSU.

 

The Top-12 teams in this week’s FCS Coaches Top-25 Poll are 1. South Dakota State (5-1), 2. Tarleton State (6-0), 3. Stephen F. Austin (6-0), 4. Lehigh (6-0), 5. Montana State (5-1), 6. Youngstown State (5-2), 7. Montana (5-2), 8. Lamar (5-1), 9. South Dakota (5-2); 10. Northern Arizona (5-2), 11. Austin Peay (5-2), and 12. UC Davis (4-2).

 

This week’s Saturday morning pregame shows: ESPN’s College GameDay is in Provo, Utah, for the Notre Dame-BYU game. FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff is in Bloomington, Indiana, for the Ohio State-Indiana game. SECN’s SEC Nation is in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Alabama-Tennessee. And ACCN’s ACC Huddle is in Coral Gables, Florida, for the Florida State-Miami game.

 

Enjoy your games. The weekend is gonna be another good one.

 

Touchdown Tom

October 15, 2026

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

 

Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for

Week Seven’s 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games….and then some

 

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. #4 Ohio State (5-1) at #5 Indiana (6-0) – Big Ten vs. Big Ten – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – This could be the game of the year in the Big Ten. Indiana is not as good as last year’s team. But the Hoosiers are a good team. We’ll find out how good the Hoosiers are on Saturday. Ohio State is a good team. But how good are the Buckeyes really? We know receiver Jeremiah Smith is good, probably the best player in college football. The rest of the Ohio State team is still an unknown. We’ll find out how good the Buckeyes are on Saturday. Indiana plays the better defense. Ohio State has the stronger offense. It will be interesting to see how the Hoosiers defend Jeremiah Smith. Iowa tripled teamed Smith. He still caught passes and ran away from the Hawkeyes defenders. Brutus is brutal on the Hoosiers – Ohio State 28, Indiana 24.

 

RUNNER-UP: 2. #2 Notre Dame (6-0) at #8 BYU (5-0) – Ind. vs. Big 12 – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Notre Dame won’t get many tests this season – two, possibly three. BYU is one of those two, possibly three tests. To be selected for the CFP, the Irish can’t afford many losses. A loss to BYU would require that the Irish beat Miami later in the season. That’s a pretty good incentive for ND. The Irish haven’t been challenged this season. Their victories have been convincing. On the other hand, BYU has had to scrap in some of its games. But those were conference games. Conference games are always tougher. That’s where ND has it easier. The Irish aren’t in a conference. Both teams have played good defense. They may be equal there. Both have played good offense. But the Irish have played better offense. I’m thinking this will be an exciting game in Provo. The Irish are more excited – Notre Dame 30, BYU 28.

 

REST OF THE BEST: 3. #6 Alabama (5-1) at #14 Tennessee (5-1) – SEC vs. SEC – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Tennessee was definitely slacking last week against Arkansas. The Vols were already thinking about Alabama. This is Tennessee’s second big test of the season in Knoxville. A few weeks ago it was Texas. Texas was a big game, but the Longhorns aren’t really rivals. Alabama is not only a big game. The Tide are rivals. Now, after that loss to Georgia, how will Bama play? Will the Tide be in a funk? Or will they be fired up. Something tells me Kellen DeBoer will have them fired up. It looks like Alabama receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams may miss the game due to injuries. The difference in this game may be the play of the quarterbacks. Alabama seems to have the more talented and dangerous QB. But I said this game is a rivalry. Actually, it is uncertain who will start at QB for the Vols – George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon. Big Al cracks a smile – Alabama 28, Tennessee 23.

 

4. #13 Missouri (5-1) at #9 Ole Miss (4-1) – SEC vs. SEC – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – I’m not really sure what to make of these two teams yet. Missouri looked terrible in its loss to Mississippi State. But the Tigers looked great in their win over Florida. Ole Miss looked terrible in its loss to Florida. But the Magnolias looked great in their win over LSU. There was one difference. Ole Miss had running back Kewan Lacy in their win over LSU. They did not have him in their loss to Florida. He’s expected back for Missouri. Mizzou’s quarterback – Austin Simmons – has some incentive in this game. Simmons is a former Ole Miss quarterback. He lost his starting job to Trinidad Chambliss and later transferred to Missouri. This could be a donnybrook. Truman loses his stripes – Ole Miss 30, Missouri 27.

 

5. #18 Oklahoma State (4-1) at #20 Houston (5-1) – Big 12 vs. Big 12 – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Oklahoma State is a surprise team this year. The Cowboys got a real surprise in their opener. They lost to Tulsa. Since then they have won four-straight games, including a win over Oregon. They were a new team under a new coach when they lost to Tulsa. Since then they have grown up real fast. Leading that growth is quarterback Drew Mestemaker. He has become one of the leading passers in the country. On the contrary, Houston is not a surprise. The Cougars were supposed to be good. And they have been. Their only loss was by 2 points on the road against undefeated Texas Tech. Houston quarterback Connor Weighman gets better and better each week. Cowboys can’t lasso Cougars – Houston 33, Oklahoma State 31.

 

6. #26 Wisconsin (4-1) at #12 UCLA (6-0) – Big Ten vs. Big Ten – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – UCLA’s bubble hasn’t burst yet. But Wisconsin will be trying to pop it. Five and a half of UCLA’s six wins were led by quarterback Nico Iamaleava. But Nico is out. Out for the rest of the season Luke Fickell. He suffered a leg injury at the end of the second quarter against Oregon last week. Quarterback Ty Dieffenbach played the second half and handled things pretty well. Wisconsin coach, who was on the hot seat when the season began (and may still be), has the Badgers off to a good start. But the Badgers may not be good enough to take care of the Bruins. Bucky gets a Bear hug – UCLA 24, Wisconsin 20.

 

7. #16 Mississippi State (4-1) at #22 LSU (4-2) – SEC vs. SEC – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Mississippi State was a hot team and quarterback Kamario Taylor was a hot topic until the Bulldogs and Taylor ran into Alabama a couple weeks ago. They’ve had a week to get over that loss. Now the Bulldogs and Taylor are facing LSU. (Taylor may miss the game due to a foot injury.) And Mike is a wounded Tiger – two losses. You know what they say about wounded animals – they are dangerous. Yeah, Lane Kiffin can’t afford anymore losses. Otherwise, he can kiss the CFP goodbye. And that’s what he was hired for – the CFP. The game is in Baton Rouge. Bully retreats to the Doghouse – LSU 33, Mississippi State 21.

 

8. #32 Florida (4-2) at #7 Texas (4-1) – SEC vs. SEC – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Bevo has a good memory. He remembers what Florida did to Texas last year. That will fire up the Longhorns. And that is only part of it. Following the Texas loss to Oklahoma last Saturday, Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Arch Manning have been facing criticism all week. You know that will only have Sark and Arch fired up. It may not be pretty for Albert and the Gators. As it is, Texas is mad enough from the loss to Oklahoma. Add the other factors and it could be over for the Gators before the game starts. Florida coach Jon Sumrall better find a remedy for his defensive problems quickly. And the Gators offense needs to get back on track. Away from The Swamp, the Gators flounder – Texas 33, Florida 17.

 

9. #15 Kentucky (5-1) at #30 Oklahoma (3-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – The amazing Wildcats are up against another challenge this week. But they could catch Oklahoma still hungover, following the Sooners win over Texas. That would be to Kentucky’s advantage. On the other hand, Oklahoma may be recharged after the win over Texas. Regardless, Kentucky will face a tough OU defense. The Sooners offense hasn’t been that strong. But Kentucky’s defense isn’t all that good. This should be an interesting matchup. If nothing else, you know Will Stein will have the Wildcats fired up. Boomer kicks the boom out of the Wildcats – Oklahoma 21, Kentucky 20.

 

10. #29 Nebraska (5-1) at #27 Oregon (3-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 11 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Nebraska  could be facing its former quarterback this week. If Dante Moore doesn’t return to action then Dylan Raiola could well be Oregon’s starting quarterback against Nebraska. Raiola transferred to Oregon from Nebraska during the offseason. Oregon has been a bit out of sync this season. Without Moore, the Ducks are even more out of sync. No pun intended. Three preseason polls had Oregon ranked No. 1. A consensus of all the preseason polls had the Ducks ranked No. 2. After six weeks of football, Oregon is nowhere near those rankings. Nebraska darn near beat Indiana last week. The Huskers could easily beat Oregon. They are capable of doing it. But it is hard to see Oregon losing two-straight games in Eugene. Puddles likes his corn on the cob – Oregon 27, Nebraska 24.

 

 

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

 

Washington (3-3) at Purdue (3-3) – Big Ten vs. Big Ten – 8 pm ET, Friday, FOX – All of a sudden, Purdue has gotten hot. The Boilers have won two-straight games. And over Big Ten teams at that. Wonders never cease. How about three-straight wins? Washington will be without quarterback Demond Williams. He’s out with an injury. But sometimes it is dangerous facing an unknown quarterback. Still, the Boilers have definitely been improving. Coach Barry Odom may have turned the corner. Washington has been going downhill. The Huskies have lost three-straight games. The Boilers get it done at home – Purdue 33, Washington 30.

 

Cincinnati (4-1) at West Virginia (3-3) – Big 12 vs. Big 12 – 12 noon ET, Saturday, TNT –On the positive side, West Virginia has one of the best offenses in the country. On the negative side, WVU has one of the worst defenses in the country. In order to win, the offense has to outscore the defense. Lately, that hasn’t happened. The Mounties have lost three-straight games, while averaging 32.3 points in those games. Cincinnati is 4-1, but a shaky 4-1. Both teams lost to Arizona. The Bearcats lost 34-7. The Mounties lost 52-31. Against Cincinnati, it looks like WVU’s offense has a chance of outscoring its defense. Mountaineers skin the Cats – West Virginia 34, Cincinnati 31.

 

Auburn (3-2) at #1 Georgia (6-0) – SEC vs. SEC – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Auburn can only hope that they catch Georgia still hungover from the win over Alabama. And even at that, I don’t think the Tigers could handle Georgia. The Dawgs are too much for Auburn. Alex Golesh is still building his program. Kirby Smart’s program is not only built, but Kirby is adding reinforcements to it. Auburn standout linebacker Xavier Atkins will miss the game due to an undisclosed injury. Uga bites Aubie – Georgia 35, Auburn 24.

 

North Carolina (3-2) at #33 Duke (4-1) – ACC vs. ACC – 3:30 pm ET, ESPN2 – Duke stumbled last week. The Dookies must have had their minds on North Carolina. The Tar Heels were focused last week. They handed Pitt its first loss. One thing about Bill Belichick, he definitely has the Tar Heels playing better. This is going to be a tough ball game for both teams. Duke running back Nate Sheppard may be the difference. The Dookies hope so. Belichick feels the pitch fork – Duke 21, North Carolina 20.

 

 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

 

FIU (3-2) at Jacksonville State (4-2) – C-USA vs. C-USA – 8 pm ET, Tuesday, ESPNU….

Florida Atlantic (4-1) at Army (3-2) – AC vs. AC – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN….

 

Presbyterian (3-3) at Stetson (1-5) – Pioneer vs. Pioneer – 2 pm ET, Saturday, YouTube….

Bethune-Cookman (3-3) at Mississippi Valley St. (3-4) – SWAC vs. SWAC – 3 pm ET, Saturday….

 

Florida A&M (2-4) at Jackson State (5-1) – SWAC vs. SWAC – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….

West Alabama (5-1) at West Florida (3-2) – Gulf South vs. UAC – 5 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….

 

Florida State (3-3) at #3 Miami (5-0) – ACC vs. ACC – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN….

Kent State (2-4) at South Florida (4-2) – MAC vs. AC – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….

 

 

Quotes of the Week

 

“Forget Lane Kiffin, toast no-name coaching hires Will Stein and Bob Chesney,” USA Today sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer, on the success of the first-year Kentucky and UCLA coaches.

 

Touchdown Tom

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

The next CFW – Week 7 Results – will be posted Monday morning, October 19.

 

 

CFW Week 6 Results - Alabama was robbed

 CFW Week 6 Results – Alabama was robbed

‘Anything you want, you got it,

anything you need, you got it,

anything at all, you got it’

 

Saturday, college football had it all – an upset in Dallas, déjà vu in Kentucky, ten turnovers in Oregon and a blown call in Tuscaloosa.

 

What more could you want? What more could you need? South Carolina is alive and well in Gainesville. Six undefeated teams went down to defeat, all by six points or less. Three undefeated teams won by just three points.

 

Saturday had its weirdness. Trailing by 4 points and facing a fourth-and-1, Curt Cignetti called a surprise play. Minnesota, who in the last two weeks beat Michigan and Washington, lost 41-13 to a hapless team. Wake Forest won its third ACC game, while Texas A&M lost its third SEC game. A 1-3 Georgia Tech upset a 4-0 Duke. Under a first-year coach, UCLA is 5-0.

 

There is only one undefeated team in the SEC, while there are three undefeated teams in the Big 12.

 

And yes, back to that walk-off, upset win in Dallas. Anything at all, you got it.

 

It was a beautiful day for football in Dallas. The Cotton Bowl was filled with 90,100 fans. No. 1 Texas (4-0) was a six-point favorite over unranked Oklahoma (2-2). In a tight and tense game, Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell kicked a 47-yard field goal as time on the clock expired. Oklahoma knocked off Texas, 27-24.

 

Last week, in Columbia, South Carolina, Kentucky and South Carolina were tied 27-27 at the end of regulation. In overtime, South Carolina scored first and went up 34-27. Then Kentucky scored and the Wildcats went for 2. Kentucky was successful on the 2-point conversion. The Wildcats beat South Carolina, 35-34 (OT).

 

Saturday, in Lexington, Kentucky, the Wildcats and LSU were tied 27-27 at the end of regulation. In overtime, LSU scored first and went up 34-27. Then Kentucky scored and the Wildcats went for 2. Kentucky was successful on the 2-point conversion, The Wildcats beat LSU, 35-34 (OT). Déjà vu!

 

In Eugene, Oregon, undefeated and Cinderella UCLA (4-0) was a 10-point underdog to Oregon. There were an amazing 10 turnovers in the game. Oregon committed seven of those 10 turnovers. UCLA remained undefeated, upsetting Oregon, 17-15.

 

In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, undefeated and No. 2 Georgia took on undefeated and No. 6 Alabama. The pregame show was provided by the remnants of Hurricane Isaias. With 3:28 left in the game, Alabama trailed Georgia, 20-17. The Tide had the ball on the Georgia 35. On 2^nd down, Bama quarterback Keelon Russell threw a pass to receiver Rico Scott in the end zone. Covering Scott, Georgia defender K.J. Bolden clearly and obviously interfered with Scott. No flag was thrown. The referees didn’t throw a flag. Georgia hung on to beat Alabama, 20-17.

 

When South Carolina lost to Kentucky last week 35-34 in overtime, it was the third conference loss for the Gamecocks. South Carolina was 0-3 in SEC play. There were no signs of life in the Gamecocks. They were declared dead. Saturday, in Gainesville, Florida, a miracle occurred. South Carolina rose from the dead. The Gamecocks all but clobbered Florida, 38-19. South Carolina is alive and well.

 

Six undefeated teams suffered their first loss on Saturday. All six losses were by six points or less – four by just three points – Texas fell to Oklahoma, 27-24, Alabama lost to Georgia, 20-17, Nebraska fell to Indiana, 20-17 and Duke lost to Georgia Tech, 28-25. Pitt lost to North Carolina by four points – 21-17, and North Dakota State fell to UNLV by six points – 13-7.

 

Three undefeated teams won by just three points – Georgia, Indiana, and James Madison edged Georgia Southern, 27-24.

 

In Lincoln, Nebraska, Indiana was trailing Nebraska 17-13 with a little more than 7 minutes left in the game. Indiana was facing a fourth-and-1 on the Nebraska 44. Instead of punting the ball, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti kept his offense on the field to go for the first down. Instead of a run play to get the one yard, Cignetti called for a pass play. Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover tossed the ball to wide open receiver Nick Marsh and Marsh proceeded to run 44 yards for a touchdown. Indiana took its first lead in the game at 20-17 and held on to win.

 

Minnesota has been a hot team the past two weeks. First, in Seattle, the Gophers knocked off  Washington , 27-24. Then last week, in Minneapolis, the Gophers knocked off Michigan, 20-14. Saturday, the Gophers suddenly cooled off. And to a not so good team. Purdue ran all over Minnesota, 41-13. And while we are at it, in Atlanta, a dismal Georgia Tech handed Duke its first loss of the season. The Yellow Jackets beat the Dookies, 28-25. Trailing Duke, 25-21, Georgia Tech scored the game winning touchdown with 0:54 remaining in the game.

 

Wake Forest continues to surprise in a positive way. Picked at preseason to finish 13^th in the 17-team ACC, the Demon Deacons improved to 3-1 in ACC play and 5-1 overall. Wake Forest beat NC State, 38-14. The Deacons’ one loss in the ACC was to Miami. That loss was just 13 points.

 

Texas A&M continues to surprise in a negative way. Picked at preseason to finish 4^th in the 16-team SEC, the Aggies fell to 1-3 in SEC play and 3-3 overall. Missouri stomped Texas A&M , 27-6. The Aggies one win in the SEC was against Arkansas.

 

UCLA continues to surprise in a positive way. At preseason, the Bruins were picked to finish 13^th in the 18-team Big Ten. Under first-year coach Bob Chesney, UCLA improved to 5-0 (3-0 in Big Ten play). The Bruins downed Oregon, 17-15.

 

That brings us full circle back to that amazing walk-off win in Dallas. Texas dominated Oklahoma in all the stats, including turnovers. The Longhorns had two and the Sooners had none. After being heavily criticized this season, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer redeemed himself Saturday. No mistakes. No miscues. Last year, Mateer threw three interceptions in the game. Saturday, Texas quarterback Arch Manning threw two interceptions. And OU walked it off, 27-24.

 

College football Week 6 began early in the week with a Tuesday night contest. Troy racked up 662 total yards and 33 first downs, beating Southern Miss, 55-34. Troy quarterback Goose Crowder was 18-21-0, passing for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns. Crowder also ran for 145 yards and 2 more touchdowns.

 

There were two more games the following night. Jacksonville State kicked a 33-yard field goal with 0:52 remaining in the game to beat Kennesaw State, 27-26. Kennesaw State receiver Braden Munroe had 7 receptions for 159 yards.

 

Also on Wednesday, FIU beat New Mexico State, 22-3. Combined, the teams only had 450 total yards. New Mexico State had 3 turnovers.

 

Thursday was a busy night with four games. It began in Lynchburg, Virginia, where Liberty beat Sam Houston, 35-3. Western Kentucky downed Missouri State, 34-13. WKU racked up 464 total yards. In San Antonio, Texas, UTSA scored a touchdown with 0:15 left on the clock to beat South Florida, 31-24. UTSA rolled up 486 total yards.

 

Thursday night’s finale saw South Alabama hold off Arkansas State, 56-49. Trailing South Alabama, 56-35, Arkansas State scored back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter. There was 6:51 still remaining in the game when Ark State scored its second of the two touchdowns. South Alabama running back Keenan Phillips rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns. Arkansas State receiver Hunter Summers had 9 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns. The teams combined for 888 total yards. Ark State had three turnovers.

 

The pre-weekend games came to an end on Friday night with five contests. In recent weeks, Louisville had been trending down, while Florida State was trending up. The direction of those trends made a U-turn Friday night for both teams. After Louisville spotted Florida State a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, the Cardinals scored five unanswered touchdowns to take a 35-14 lead over the Noles. Louisville went on to beat FSU, 44-20. Cardinals running back Isaac Brown rushed for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns.

 

Hurricane Isaias made landfall at 8:29 pm ET, Friday night in the Florida panhandle between Fort Walton Beach and Destin as a Cat 2 hurricane with winds of 105 mph. The storm soon died down to a Cat 1 storm as it moved north across the Florida panhandle towards Alabama.

 

In Seattle, Iowa bounced back from its loss to Ohio State to beat Washington, 41-24. The Huskies were the first of two Washington teams to lose Friday night. The other one, Washington State, lost to Utah State, 17-16. Trailing Washington State 16-10, Utah State scored a touchdown with 6:22 remaining in the game and held on to beat the Cougars.

 

Wyoming downed San Jose State, 16-13 (OT). With the score tied 13-13 at the end of regulation, Wyoming kicked a field goal in overtime to win the game. In the nightcap Friday night, BYU beat Iowa State, 24-10. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier was 22-30-0, passing for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns. BYU racked up 506 total yards.

 

The three service academies all won Saturday. Army rallied to beat Tulane, 20-17. Army quarterback Cale Hellums rushed for 223 yards and two touchdowns. Navy rallied to down Tulsa, 34-25. Navy quarterback Jackson Gutierez rushed for 232 yards and three touchdowns. And Air Force topped Northern Illinois, 28-7. Air Force running back Evan Medders rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns.

 

Receiver Jeremiah Smith had four receptions for 93 yards and two touchdowns, as Ohio State beat Maryland, 45-16.

 

It was “White Out” night at Penn State, but USC wiped out the Nittany Lions, 31-23.

 

While you were asleep Saturday night, Boise State edged Fresno State, 38-31. Broncos running back Dylan Riley rushed for 150 yards and one touchdown. Arizona State downed Hawaii, 30-12. Sun Devils running back Cardae Mack ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

 

Anything at all, you had it!

 

After six weeks of play, we are down to nine undefeated teams – 8 Power Four teams and 1 Group of Six team. The Power Four teams are Miami of the ACC, BYU, Texas Tech and Utah of the Big 12, Indiana and UCLA of the Big Ten, Georgia of the SEC and Notre Dame an Independent. The Group of Six team is James Madison of the Sun Belt Conference.

 

The Top-12 teams in this week’s Top-25 AP Poll are 1. Georgia (6-0), 2. Notre Dame (6-0), 3. Miami (5-0), 4. Ohio State (5-1), 5. Indiana (6-1), 6. Alabama (5-1), 7. Texas (4-1), 8. BYU (5-0), 9. Ole Miss (4-1), 10. Texas Tech (5-0), 11. Utah (5-0), and 12. UCLA (5-0). Boise State is the highest-ranked Group of Six team at 23.

 

His nickname was Iron Mike. Former college and NFL tight end, coach and commentator Mike Ditka died on October 9. In the NFL, Ditka played 12 seasons for three teams – the Chicago Bears (6), the Philadelphia Eagles (2) and the Dallas Cowboys (4). In college, Ditka played for Pitt (1958-1960). He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (1986) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1988). He was the first tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards receiving in his rookie season. As a head coach, Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 seasons (1982-1992) and the New Orleans Saints for three seasons (1997-1999). His overall coaching record was 127-101. He coached the Bears to a Super Bowl title in 1986. As a player, he was on a Super Bowl winning team (Dallas Cowboys) in 1972. A native of Carnegie, Pennsylvania, Michael Keller Ditka was 86.

 

Touchdown Tom

October 12, 2026

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

 

Weekend Recap

 

GAME OF THE WEEK: Isaias cast a spell on Bama – Georgia 20, Alabama 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, Alabama 24). So, if Georgia defender K.J. Bolden had been flagged for the interference, Alabama would have had the ball on the Georgia 2 with a first down. You figure Alabama would have at the least ended up with a field goal that would have made the score 20-20. Chances are the Tide would have gotten a touchdown which would have made the score 24-20 in favor of Bama. At that point, on the kickoff, Georgia would have had about 3 minutes to score. Either the game would have gone into overtime, Alabama would have won or Georgia would have rallied and won. We’ll never know. Georgia took the initial lead and held it until Alabama went up 14-10 as the first half came to an end. Georgia retook the lead at 17-14 early in the third quarter. Still in the third, Alabama tied it at 17-17. Georgia kicked its game winning field goal with 5:25 on the clock in the fourth quarter. Georgia running back Dwight Phillips rushed for 12 yards. Bama running back Taeshawn Brown rushed for 90 yards. Georgia dominated the stats – first downs, rushing yards, passing yards, total yards and time of possession. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 100,077

 

RUNNER-UP: The dream continues – UCLA 17 Oregon 15 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 33, UCLA 30). Week after week, UCLA continues to amaze. Eventually, the amazement will end. But wow, this team is amazing. As the fourth quarter began, UCLA had a 17-6 lead. Oregon rallied but came up short. The Bruins played the entire second half without starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava was injured late in the first half. Actually, Iamaleava had thrown two interceptions. Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola threw two interceptions. He was replaced by quarterback Brock Thomas. UCLA’s Wayne Knight rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown. UCLA dominated the Stats – first downs, rushing yards, passing yards, total yards and time of possession. The Bruins defense held the Ducks to 73 yards rushing. Oregon had 7 turnovers; UCLA had 3. Attendance in Eugene: 59,262

 

REST OF THE BEST: That’s a familiar score for the Wildcats – Kentucky 35, LSU 34 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 37, Kentucky 24). I’m thinking Will Stein will get the Coach of the Year in the SEC this year. At preseason the Wildcats were picked to finish 15^th in the 16 team SEC. Currently, Kentucky is 3-1 in SEC play and 5-1 overall. This was some game throughout. The lead changed hands six times. Kentucky kicked a 33-yard field goal with 0:12 on the clock to put the game into overtime. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt passed for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns. . Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey passed for 246 yards. Wildcats running back C.J. Baxter rushed for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kentucky held LSU to 94 yards rushing. The Tigers had 2 turnovers. Attendance in Lexington: 61,897

 

Not a Manning day – Oklahoma 27 Texas 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, Oklahoma 19). At halftime, this sure looked like it was heading for a Texas win. The Longhorns were up 17-7. Then Oklahoma came out and scored 17 unanswered points in the second half. OU 24, Texas 17. Texas finally responded and tied the score at 24-24 with a field goal at the 6:32 mark in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma walked it off with a 47-yard field goal at the end. Arch Manning passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns. But he also threw 2 picks. Texas dominated the stats – first downs, rushing yards, passing yards and total yards. OU only had 83 yards rushing. Attendance in Dallas: 92,100

 

It was quite a battle – Indiana 20, Nebraska 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 34, Nebraska 28). Nebraska took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter and built it to a 17-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. Then Indiana scored back-to-back touchdowns. The Hoosiers took their first lead in the game at 20-17 with 7:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea passed for 263 yards. He had one interception. Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover passed for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nebraska receiver Jacory Barney had 9 catches for 108 yards. Indiana receiver Nick Marsh had 6 receptions for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns. Nebraska held Indiana to 65 yards rushing. The Huskers dominated time of possession 39:33 to 20:27. Attendance in Lincoln: 85,653

 

On a roll – Missouri 27, Texas A&M 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 31, Missouri 30). How did Missouri ever lose to Mississippi State? The Tigers have really looked impressive against Florida and Texas A&M. The Missouri defense held the Aggies to two field goals. The difference was the running game. Mizzou had 252 yards rushing to 29 for LSU. Mizzou running back Jamal Roberts rushed for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns. A&M quarterback Marcel Reed threw two interceptions. Attendance in Columbia: 63,609

 

The Trojans were happy – USC 31, Penn State 23 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, Penn State 31). This was a tight game throughout. The game was tied three times at 7-7 (first quarter), 14-14 (second quarter) and 17-17 (second quarter). Penn State went up 20-17 early in the third quarter. Six minutes later, USC responded and went up 24-20. In the fourth quarter, Penn State added a field goal and USC added a touchdown. Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht passed for 289 yards and one touchdown. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava passed for 301 yards and 3 touchdowns. Trojans receiver Trent Mosley had 9 catches for 111 yards and one touchdown. USC dominated the stats – first downs, total yards, passing yards and rushing yards. Penn State was held to 68 yards rushing. Attendance in University Park: 114,419

 

Hawkeyes stun the Huskies – Iowa 41, Washington 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 20, Washington 14). Iowa built up a 27-3 first half lead. The Hawkeyes coasted in the second half. Both teams entered the game coming off losses. Washington has now lost three-straight games. Iowa running back Kamari Moulton rushed for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns. Washington quarterback Elijah Brown, who replaced the injured Demond Washington, was 28-39-0, passing for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns. Iowa rolled up 465 total yards. Attendance in Seattle: 66,231

 

Cougars win the Cat fight – Houston 35, Kansas State 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Houston 27, Kansas State 23). Houston led 21-3 at halftime. The Cougars led 35-9 at the end of the third quarter. Houston quarterback Connor Weighman passed for 242 yards and 4 touchdowns. Houston racked up 475 total yards. Houston is a good football team. Attendance in Manhattan: 51,569

 

Panthers suffer first loss – North Carolina 21, Pitt 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 24, North Carolina 20). Pitt had the initial lead and led 10-0 in the second quarter and 10-7 at halftime. In the second half, North Carolina took the lead in the third quarter at 14-10. Early in the fourth quarter, Pitt went back up 17-14. Less than a minute later, UNC scored on a 75-yard touchdown pass. The Tar Heels went up 21-17 and held on to win. It’s obvious Pitt was missing quarterback Mason Heintschel. UNC quarterback Billy Edwards passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Both quarterbacks had 2 interceptions. Pitt held the Tar Heels to only 20 yards rushing. Pitt dominated time of possession 36:32 to 23:28. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 51,416

 

 

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

 

There’s life in those Gamecocks – South Carolina 38, Florida 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 30, South Carolina 21). Ever since Florida’s win over Florida Atlantic in the opening game of the season, I have been suspicious of the Gators’ defense. It didn’t look good in the win over Auburn. And it has looked terrible the last two weeks. Now, the Florida offense has been struggling the last two weeks. I’m thinking Florida’s win over Ole Miss was like the Gators’ win over Texas last year – a fluke. All of a sudden Jon Sumrall isn’t looking so good. This was a good game until early in the third quarter. Florida trailed South Carolina, 17-13. Then the Gamecocks took off, scoring 21 unanswered points. Before you knew it the Gamecocks led 38-13. South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers passed for 279 yards and 4 touchdowns. Florida quarterback Arron Philo passed for 227 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Florida receiver Bailey Stockton had 8 catches for 127 yards and one touchdown. Florida running back Jadan Baugh is still missing in action. The teams were relatively even in the stats. Attendance in Gainesville: 90,311

 

Dookies got stung – Georgia Tech 28, Duke 25 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 31, Georgia Tech 17). Duke never led in the game until late in the fourth quarter. At the 2:40 mark in the fourth, the Dookies went up 25-21 to take their first lead in the game. It was short lived. Less than 2 minutes later, Georgia Tech came back and retook the lead at 28-25. And so the game ended. Duke quarterback Walker Eget passed for 259 yards and one touchdown. Running back Nate Sheppard ran for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns. Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza passed for 218 yards and one touchdown. Duke had more first downs (28-21) and more total yards (418-383). Attendance in Atlanta: 46,432

 

Moving up – Purdue 41, Minnesota 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 24, Purdue 23). Who lit the fire under Purdue? The Boilers won their second straight game and over Big Ten teams at that. The Boilers led 20-3 at halftime. They outscored the Gophers 21-10 in the second half. Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey passed for 248 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne passed for 159 yards and one touchdown. Browne rushed for 81 yards and another touchdown. Boilers running back Fame Ijeboi rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns. The Boilers held Minnesota to 27 yards rushing. Purdue rolled up 464 total yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 48,559

 

Swiss cheese for defense – Arizona 52, West Virginia 31 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 34, Arizona 33). West Virginia’s offense can hang with just about anybody in the country. The problem is the West Virginia defense. It can’t hang, period. It has too many holes in it. There is definitely a problem on the defense. West Virginia scored back and forth with Arizona until early in the fourth quarter. At the 12:33 mark in the fourth, Arizona held a 38-31 lead. Then the Wildcats scored 14 unanswered points. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns. He threw one interception. Arizona receiver Isaiah Mizell had 6 receptions for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns. WVU quarterback Michael Hawkins passed for 219 yards. Hawkins rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns. WVU running back Cam Cook rushed for 141 yards and one touchdown. WVU receiver Prince Strachan had 5 receptions for 121 yards. WVU had more first downs (30-20) and more total yards (522-482) than Arizona. The two teams combined for 1,004 total yards. WVU gave up two fumbles. Attendance in Morgantown: 50,121

 

Week 6 Results:  5 winners, 9 fumbles (35.7 percent)

For the Season:  64 winners, 26 fumbles (71.1 percent)

 

 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

 

FIU 22, New Mexico State 3 – Attendance in Miami: 10,013

UTSA 31, South Florida 24 – Attendance in San Antonio: 17,632

 

Louisville 44, Florida State 20 – Attendance in Louisville: 48,992

Oklahoma State 42, UCF 28 – Attendance in Stillwater: 52,168

 

St. Thomas 64, Stetson 21 – Attendance in Minneapolis: 3,840

Florida A&M 28, Alabama State 27 – Attendance in Montgomery: 16,994

 

Northeastern State at West Florida – CANCELED

Alabama A&M 55, Bethune-Cookman 17 – Attendance in Huntsville: 5,153

 

 

Superlatives

 

Impressive Passers:

 

Oregon State’s Braden Atkinson – 29-38-0-409 (5TDs); North Texas’ Tayven Jackson – 24-31-0-349 (5TDs); Georgia Southern’s Max Johnson – 26-38-1-343 (3TDs); BYU’s Bear Bachmeier – 22-30-0-329 (2TDs); California’s Jackson Brousseau – 29-43-0-321 (1TD); Louisiana Tech’s Blake Baker – 32-42-0-319 (3TDs); Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker – 19-28-0-304 (2TDs), and Wake Forest’s Gio Lopez – 26-35-0-303 (2TDs).

 

Also, USC’s Jayden Maiava – 21-33-0-301 (3TDs); Penn State’s Rocco Becht – 21-32-0-289 (1TD); Virginia Tech’s Ethan Grunkemeyer – 21-31-0-288 (1TD); South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers – 23-35-0-279 (4TDs); Northwestern’s Aidan Chiles – 17-23-0-272 (3TDs); UCF’s Keyone Jenkins – 30-41-1-265 (4TDs); Western Michigan’s Broc Lowry – 18-26-0-257 (3TDs); Houston’s Connor Weigman – 19-30-0-242 (4TDs), and Utah’s Devon Dampier – 23-30—238 (3TDs).

 

Also, Boise State’s Maddux Masden – 23-34-0-238 (2TDs); Arizona’s Noah Fifita – 16-23-1-231 (3TDs); Washington’s Elijah Brown – 28-39-0-231 (3TDs); Akron’s Brayden Roggow – 17-24-0-229 (3TDs); Troy’s Goose Crowder – 18-21-0-225 (2TDs); Georgia Tech’s Alberto Mendoza – 23-30-0-218 (1TD); Iowa’s Jeremy Hecklinski – 14-19-0-202 (3TDs); Michigan State’s Alessio Milivojevic – 22-26-0-196 (2TDs), and Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr – 14-20-0-181 (32TDs).

 

Impressive Rushers:

 

Louisville’s Isaac Brown – 235 yards (2TDs); Navy’s Jackson Gutierrez – 232 yards (3TDs); Army’s Cale Hellums – 223 yards (2TDs); Missouri’s Jamal Roberts – 222 yards (2TDs); Iowa’s Kamari Moulton – 208 yards (2TDs); Purdue’s Fame Ijeboi – 195 yards (3TDs); Nevada’s Herschel Turner – 192 yards (1TD); Notre Dame’s Jonaz Walton – 181 yards (2TDs), and Utah’s Wayshawn Parker – 171 yards (2TDs).

 

Also, Coastal Carolina’s Dominic Knicely – 169 yards (1TD); South Alabama’s Keenan Phillips – 157 yards (3TDs); Arizona State’s Cardae Mack – 154 yards (2TDs); James Madison’s George Pettaway – 151 yards; Boise State’s Dylan Riley – 150 yards (1TD); Troy’s Goose Crowder – 145 yards (2TDs); Troy’s Jordan Lovett – 142 yards (1TD), and West Virginia’s Cam Cook – 141 yards (2TDs).  

 

 

Quotes of the Week

 

“Alabama-Georgia is a great game. Just don’t call it a rivalry. Alabama and Georgia don’t hate each other enough to call it a rivalry.” USA Today sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer.

 

“This is a team loss. It starts with the head football coach and then goes down to every single person in the organization. Just really, really poor head coaching performance. Complete head coach failure,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, after the Gophers 41-13 loss to Purdue.   

 

Touchdown Tom

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

 

P.S.

 

Not exactly college football related, but in the autumn of October, as the college football season approached its halfway point, the number one song in the country…

 

…85 years ago, this week in 1941, was “Piano Concerto In B Flat” by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra

 

…80 years ago, this week in 1946, was “To Each His Own” by Freddy Howard and His Orchestra and “Five Minutes More” by Frank Sinatra

 

…75 years ago, this week in 1951, was “Because Of You” by Tony Bennett

 

…70 years ago, this week in 1956, was “Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley

 

…65 years ago, this week in 1961, was “Hit The Road Jack” by Ray Charles

 

…60 years ago, this week in 1966, was “Cherish” by The Association and “Reach Out I’ll Be There” by The Four Tops

 

…55 years ago, this week in 1971, was “Maggie May/Reason To Believe” by Rod Stewart

 

…50 years ago, this week in 1976, was “A Fifth Of Beethoven” by Walter Murphy and The Big Apple Band

 

…45 years ago, this week in 1981, was “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross

 

…40 years ago, this week in 1986, was “When I Think Of You” by Janet Jackson

 

…35 years ago, this week in 1991, was “Emotions” by Mariah Carey

 

The next CFW – Week 7 Forecast – will be posted Thursday morning, October 15.