Thanksgiving Week Drama

College Football Week 14 – Six More Coaches Canned Last Week

Thanksgiving Week Drama

Thanksgiving week is bittersweet for college football fans. Bitter because it’s a reminder the season is coming to an end. Sweet because, along with the pecan and pumpkin pies, there are so many good rivalries and games played during the week.

Then there is the drama. In addition to the rivalries, games and pies, Thanksgiving week is always full of drama. This year was no exception.

The week began with drama when Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman verbally reprimanded Husker football coach Bo Pelini. “Pelini’s actions were embarrassing,” Perlman said.

Perlman was reacting to Pelini’s foul-mouthed rants, screaming and temper tantrums during the Husker’s game against Texas A&M – a game Nebraska lost 9-6. And a game where Nebraska was penalized 16 times for 145 yards and Texas A&M only was penalized twice for 10 yards.

Pelini also lashed out at his quarterback Taylor Martinez midway through the second quarter in the game. Late Sunday and early Monday, rumors spread that Martinez had quit the team. But, by mid-day Monday, the rumors were dispelled. Martinez was still on the team.

And Bo wasn’t the only Pelini misbehaving at the Texas A&M game. Brother Carl, Nebraska’s defensive coordinator, attacked a cameraman after the game. When asked about the incident later, Carl denied the attack. But video and photos confirmed he was guilty.

In Columbus, Ohio, another university head made some verbal reprimands. E. Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State, reprimanded the pollsters and the BCS for their high regard for Boise State and TCU. In an apparent attempt to get higher respect for Ohio State in the polls, Gee made some rather absurd and foolish statements, especially for a university president.

Attacking the schedules of Boise State and TCU, Gee said, “We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor. We play very fine schools on any given day.”

Let’s see, Ohio State doesn’t play Little Sisters of the Poor? Marshall, Ohio, Eastern Michigan were on the Buckeyes’ schedule. What are they? And in the Big Ten, Ohio State played the weakest teams – Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota, Penn State and Michigan. Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota were definitely Little Sisters of the Poor this year.

Gee went on to liken Ohio State’s schedule to “murderer’s row.” If you look at the current Top 25, Ohio State only played one Top 25 team – Wisconsin. And the Buckeyes lost to Wisconsin. Murderer’s row? How about Cupcake Lane!

At another Ohio school – Kent State – football coach Doug Martin announced his resignation last week. Martin, in his seventh season with the Golden Flashes, was 29-53 at Kent State, including Saturday’s 28-6 upset win over Ohio.

Meanwhile, another coach has no plans to resign.

“I had no intentions, and I’ve never indicated to anybody, including myself, that I was not coming back.” That was Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who let it be known on Tuesday that he would return for the 2011 season.

Paterno went on to say, “It’s always been in my mind that now is not the time to go. I think we’ve got a good young team. They may not be there yet but they will be soon.” Let’s just hope that Paterno can fill the seats next year. Empty seats were prevalent at Beaver Stadium this season.

Later Tuesday, a second Mid-American Conference school dumped its football coach. Ball State fired Stan Parrish, a few days after finishing the season 4-8. Parrish stepped in for Brady Hoke to coach the Cardinals in the GMAC Bowl after the 2008 campaign, then led the team to a 2-10 finish in 2009 before this year’s disappointing season ended with a 59-21 home loss to Northern Illinois. It’s rare that a school fires a coach after only two years. Parish was 6-19 at Ball State.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Princess Gator, Bama Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe arrived for Thanksgiving.  All was well.

Tuesday night, Miami of Ohio upset Temple, 23-3. Both teams had good seasons. The RedHawks finished 8-4 (7-1 in the MAC). Temple finished 8-4 (6-2 in the MAC).

Thanksgiving Day, Swamp Mama and I had 16 guests for Turkey dinner. Along with the family, including Swamp Mama’s mother Auline, the guests included Tom Sharpe and his sons Michael and Jack (wife Jane was working at the hospital), Neal and Stephanie Stein and their children Julia and David. Also, Steph’s parents Ron and Lillian. And our neighbors Dieter and Deb Gum.

It was a great gathering of family and friends and a good time and good food and drink was had by all. I even have a new favorite pecan pie now. Several years ago at one of our Thanksgiving gatherings, Jane Sharpe brought a pecan pie that was made by neighbor Susan Beall. It was the best pecan pie I had ever tasted.

For some years thereafter, Susan always made a pecan pie especially for me at Thanksgiving. I looked forward to it every year. But Susan abandoned me. She and her family moved to Orlando. At this year’s Thanksgiving gathering, Deb Gum brought a pecan pie that she made. It was so good – the best. Deb’s pecan pie is now my favorite. Hint, hint! Just kidding Deb.

There was plenty of drama on TV Thanksgiving night. I digested my pecan pie watching Beyonce, Taylor Swift and the Texas A&M-Texas football game. Beyonce and Taylor Swift each had specials on TV.

The Longhorns gave the Aggies a good battle. It was a tight game. Texas had the better passing and A&M had the better running. The Aggies won by a touchdown, 24-17. The Longhorns finished the season at 5-7. Who would have thunk it? The Horns were missing a rushing game all season, and Garrett Gilbert’s passing was erratic at best.

There was more drama in Ohio and in the Mid-American Conference on Friday. Akron, the only winless team in Division I-A college football, won its first and only game. In the final game of the season, 0-11 Akron beat Buffalo, 22-14, to finish 1-11.

West Virginia, wearing its special Nike uniforms with the gold shoes, beat Pitt in the 103rd Backyard Brawl, 35-10. But the drama was only beginning. Auburn, trailing Alabama 24-0 midway through the second quarter, rallied, behind Cam Newton, to beat the Tide, 28-27 in the Iron Bowl. Alabama had all the Iron in the first half. Auburn had it all in the second half.

Nebraska and Colorado met in the last ever Big 12 game for Colorado and the last ever regular season Big 12 game for Nebraska. Nebraska joins the Big Ten next year and Colorado joins the Pac-12. The Huskers beat the Buffaloes, 45-17. The win propelled Nebraska into the Big 12 championship game.

Friday night, Oregon and Arizona played a good game for two quarters. At the half, The Ducks led the Wildcats, 19-14. But in the second half, it was all Oregon. The Ducks went on to beat Arizona, 49-28. Then the week’s biggest drama occurred late Friday night and into the wee hours of Saturday morning. Nevada knocked off previously unbeaten Boise State, 34-31 in overtime. Boise State missed two twenty-plus-yard field goals – one to win the game in regulation, and the other to tie the game in the first overtime.

Saturday, Vanderbilt coach Robbie Caldwell announced he was resigning after the Commodores game with Wake Forest. Caldwell, who was just named head coach in July when Bobby Johnson unexpectedly stepped down, went 2-10 this season at Vandy. The Commodores lost to Wake Forest, 34-13. Caldwell, who joked at the SEC Preseason Media days about being unknown, will continue to be unknown.

Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State all won Saturday to finish in a three-way tie for the Big Ten crown. The Badgers beat Northwestern, 70-23; the Buckeyes beat Michigan, 37-7, and the Spartans upended Penn State, 28-22.

South Florida upset Miami (Florida), 23-20 in overtime. After the game, Hurricane coach Randy Shannon was fired. The Canes finished the season 7-5 and Shannon was 28-22 in four seasons at Miami. At the other end of Florida, Florida State beat Florida for the first time in seven years. The Noles downed the Gators, 31-7, in a game where Florida’s offense was so confused, it didn’t know who the quarterback was.

N.C. State blew its opportunity to win the ACC Atlantic Division and go to the conference title game. The Wolfpack lost to Maryland, 38-31. I felt for Brent Stancil. Arkansas ruined LSU’s BCS bowl hopes. The Hogs dumped the Tigers, 31-23. Oklahoma won the Big 12 South title, nipping Oklahoma State, 47-41.

Out west, Notre Dame surprised the USC Kiffins…I mean…Trojans. The Irish edged USC, 20-16. Lane Kiffin is 7-5 in his first year at USC, with one game remaining. The Irish, under first-year coach Brian Kelly, finish the season at 7-5. Mississippi State beat Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, 31-23; and Stanford beat Oregon State, 38-0.

In the ACC-SEC quadfecta, the conferences finished 2-2. Georgia and South Carolina beat Georgia Tech and Clemson respectively. Florida State and Wake Forest beat Florida and Vanderbilt respectively.

During the day Sunday, Indiana fired coach Bill Lynch. In four seasons with the Hoosiers, Lynch was 19-30 (5-7 this season). Indiana beat Purdue Saturday, 34-31 in overtime.

Sunday night, word leaked that Louisiana-Lafayette has fired football coach Rickey Bustle. In nine seasons at ULL, Bustle was 41-65 (3-9 this season). Saturday, ULL beat cross-state rival Louisiana-Monroe, 23-22.

So, to update the coaching carousel, nine schools are in the hunt for a new head coach – North Texas, Minnesota, Colorado, Kent State, Ball State, Vanderbilt, Miami (Florida), Indiana and Louisiana-Lafayette. San Diego State coach Brady Hoke has expressed interest in the Minnesota job. Former Colorado coach Bill McCartney has expressed interest in returning to Colorado. McCartney is 70. Reports have Florida defensive line coach Dan McCarney getting the North Texas job. And there is a report that Jon Gruden is interested in the Miami job.

Sunday afternoon, Swamp Mama and I went to see Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” at the Cocoa Village Playhouse. It was very entertaining.

Bootsie and Rockledge Gator were in Georgia for a long Thanksgiving weekend. After the way Florida played Saturday, I wouldn’t be surprised but what Bootsie had to do the driving coming home. I also wouldn’t be surprised but what Bootsie heard some new four-letter words after the game.

Yes, Thanksgiving week was a bittersweet week. Florida’s loss to Florida State was bitter. But West Virginia’s win over Pitt and Deb Gum’s pecan pie were sweet.

Touchdown Tom
November 30, 2009


Weekend Review

GAME OF THE WEEK: Tide dyed Orange – Auburn 28, Alabama 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 36, Auburn 34). The Tide came out on fire, scoring 24 unanswered points against the Tigers. But the fire died midway through the second quarter and it never sparked again. Bama’s offense and defense literally quit halfway through the second quarter. They died. Bama stopped Cam Newton from running, but the Tide couldn’t stop Newton’s passing. Auburn, on the other hand, let Greg McElroy pass all day – 377 yards. The Tigers stopped the Tide’s running game. Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson were worthless. A crowd of 101,821 attended the game in Tuscaloosa.

RUNNER UP: Slow Pokes – Oklahoma 47, Oklahoma State 41 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 34, Oklahoma 31). In the battle of the quarterbacks, both threw three interceptions each in the game. But OU’s Landry Jones outdistanced Okie State’s Brandon Weeden in passing yards 468 to 257. It was a close game, but the Sooners were always one step ahead of the Cowboys. A crowd of 51,164 attended the game in Stillwater.

BEST OF THE REST: Pork fat – Arkansas 31, LSU 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Arkansas 28, LSU 27). Arkansas may be the best team in the SEC right now. The Razorbacks are playing good, sound football. The emergence of Knile Davis’ running has made Ryan Mallett a bigger threat passing. LSU’s luck finally ran out. A crowd of 55,808 attended the game in Little Rock.

Disco Ducks – Oregon 48, Arizona 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 33, Arizona 19). Arizona’s Nick Foles passed for 448 yards. But the Ducks held the Wildcats to only 58 yards rushing. Again, Oregon runs away from its opponent in the second half. A crowd of 59,990 attended the game in Eugene.

Oh it’s howling time again in Reno – Nevada 34, Boise State 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 37, Nevada 22). Nevada rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to upset the Broncos. Boise State missed a 26-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in regulation to win the game. Then the Broncos missed a 29-yard field goal in the first overtime, which would have kept the game alive. A crowd of 30,712 attended the game in Reno.

Jumbo scalps Urban – Florida State 31, Florida 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 30, Florida State 27). Remember how discombobulated the Florida offense was in the first game of the season against Miami (Ohio)? Well, 11 games later, the Florida offense was just as discombobulated against FSU in the final game of the season. Not only discombobulated, but totally confused. Half of the time, the Gator offense never knew who was quarterbacking the team. Heck, the quarterback didn’t know who was quarterbacking the team. And the Gator defense isn’t much better. In its last two big games (against South Carolina and FSU) Florida was totally unprepared. You really have to wonder what is going on with Urban Meyer’s staff. You have to wonder what is going on in Meyer’s head. Until the loss to Alabama last year in the SEC title game, Meyer always thought he walked on water. Bama knocked that attitude out of him. After the FSU game Saturday, I’m not sure Meyer has the confidence to swim in water. One thing is for sure. Meyer doesn’t like to shake hands with the opposing coach after a loss. It was as brief as could be with Jimbo Fisher. I’m not sure Meyer ever did shake Spurrier’s hand. FSU held the Gators to 64 yards passing. A crowd of 82,324 attended the game in Tallahassee.

Wolves choke – Maryland 38, N.C. State 31 (Touchdown Tom said: N.C. State 28, Maryland 18). Unbelievable! Where was the N.C. State pass defense? Maryland is the worst good team in the ACC. The Wolfpack held the Terps to minus nine yards rushing. But the Turtles had 417 passing. State wasn’t much better rushing. The Wolfpack never have had a running game. And quarterback Russell Wilson barely completed 50 percent of his passes. A crowd of 35,370 attended the game in College Park.

Trees bark at the Beavers – Stanford 38, Oregon State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 34, Oregon State 17). Stanford is an amazing team on both sides of the ball. Andrew Luck passed for 305 yards. A crowd of 38,775 attended the game in Palo Alto.

Spartans near perfect – Michigan State 28, Penn State 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 25, Michigan State 23). The Spartans built up a 21-3 lead at the end of three and then hung on for dear life in the fourth quarter. Michigan State had a balanced attack, while Penn State couldn’t run the ball. The vast number of empty seats in Beaver Stadium were all too obvious. A crowd of 102,649 attended the game in State College.

Galloping Badgers – Wisconsin 70, Northwestern 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 40, Northwestern 15). At least the Badgers didn’t score on the Wildcats in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin’s 70 points all came in the first three quarters. The Badgers running combo of Montee Ball and James White is scary. Ball rushed for 178 yards and White had 134 yards. A crowd of 80,011 attended the game in Madison.

Buckeyes in-Vest wisely – Ohio State 37, Michigan 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 35, Michigan 16). Not only did the Wolverines not have a defense, but they didn’t have an offense in this game. The Buckeyes shut them down. A crowd of 105,491 attended the game in Columbus.

Shannon gored – South Florida 23, Miami (Florida) 20 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 30, South Florida 15). The Canes were only 3-3 at home this season. Miami coach Randy Shannon was fired after the game. A crowd of 41,148 attended the game in Miami Gardens.

RedHawks boot the Hoot – Miami (Ohio) 23, Temple 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Temple 27, Miami 22). Temple began the season with so much promise only to finish the season with so much disappointment. Miami began the season with a 34-12 loss to Florida and finished strong. A crowd of 13,235 attended the game in Oxford.

Eagles fly into a Storm – Tulsa 56, Southern Miss 50 (Touchdown Tom said: Tulsa 34, Southern Miss 32). This was one of those classics of whoever had the ball last was going to win. After a season opening loss to East Carolina, Tulsa had an amazing season. The Golden Hurricane finished 9-3, including a win over Notre Dame. A crowd of 21,901 attended the game in Tulsa.

Mounties give Pitt a fit – West Virginia 35, Pitt 10 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 23, Pitt 19). And of all things, WVU scored three of its five touchdowns in the second half. The Mountie defense held Pitt to 78 yards rushing. A crowd of 60,562 attended the game in Pittsburgh.

Young get hung – Utah 17, BYU 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 30, BYU 24). Utah blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt by BYU at the end of the game to preserve the win. Both teams passed well. Neither team could run the ball. A crowd of 45,272 attended the game in Salt Lake City.

Chicken livers – South Carolina 29, Clemson 7 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 26, Clemson 23). South Carolina seems to have gotten that erratic play out of its game plan. The Cocks have become consistently good. Clemson fans can’t be happy with a 6-6 finish. A crowd of 81,500 attended the game in Clemson.

Irish use the Trojans – Notre Dame 20, USC 16 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 29, Notre Dame 23). Notre Dame scored on a five-yard run with 2:23 to play and the Irish snapped an eight-game losing streak to USC. Former Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain played quarterback for the Trojans. A crowd of 85,417 attended the game in Los Angeles.

Mississippi State 31, Ole Miss 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 26, Ole Miss 20). Miss State built up a 31-9 lead on Ole Miss and then held on to beat the Black Bears. The Bulldogs held Ole Miss to 65 yards rushing. A crowd of 58,625 attended the game in Oxford.

Eagles squeeze the Orange – Boston College 16, Syracuse 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Boston College 18, Syracuse 17). After a promising start, Syracuse lost its final two games to finish at 7-5. A crowd of 42,191 attended the game in Syracuse.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Dooley traps the Joker – Tennessee 24, Kentucky 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 34, Kentucky 31). No matter how good Kentucky is or how bad Tennessee is, the Wildcats can’t beat the Vols. UT quarterback Tyler Bray passed for 354 yards. A crowd of 101,170 attended the game in Knoxville.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Herdless in Lincoln – Nebraska 45, Colorado 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Colorado 16). Bo Pelini left his temper at home this week. Of course Nebraska’s 45-17 win (and a few words from Tom Osborne and Harvey Perlman) may have had something to do with Pelini’s good behavior. Next stop for the Huskers: Arlington, Texas, for the Big 12 title game. A crowd of 85,646 attended the game in Lincoln.

Dookies get Rammed – North Carolina 24, Duke 19 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 24, Duke 21). North Carolina held Duke to 12 yards rushing to continue its dominance over the Dookies. A crowd of 30,904 attended the game in Durham.

Uga sprays the insects – Georgia 42, Georgia Tech 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 32, Georgia Tech 22). Georgia Tech scored with 4:57 to play to apparently tie the game at 35-35. But Tech missed the PAT and trailed 35-34. Aaron Murray was near perfect, passing for the Dawgs – 15-19-0 for 271 yards. Georgia Tech was near perfect running the ball – 411 yards rushing. A crowd of 92,746 attended the game in Athens.

Boiler spoilers – Indiana 34, Purdue 31 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 33, Indiana 32). Indiana kicked at field goal with 0:09 remaining to tie the score and then kicked a field goal in overtime to win the game. The Hoosiers Ben Chappell passed for 330 yards. Both teams passed well. Neither team could run the ball. Indiana snapped a 12-game Big Ten losing streak. A crowd of 50,136 attended the game in West Lafayette.

Gray day for Bevo – Texas A&M 24, Texas 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 21, Texas 20). Texas has its first losing season and fails to become bowl eligible for the first time since 1997. And to think the Longhorns were a Top 5 team at preseason. The Aggies’ Cyrus Gray rushed for 223 yards. A crowd of 100,752 attended the game in Austin.

Comment: A rough week at 16-10, brings my season total to 225-94 (70.5 percent).


AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF downed Memphis, 37-17. A crowd of 14,922 attended the game in Memphis…. Florida Atlantic lost to Middle Tennessee, 38-14. A crowd of 10,140 attended the game in Murfreesboro…. Florida International beat Arkansas State, 31-24. A crowd of 14,588 attended the game in Miami.


Superlatives

Impressive Passers: Arizona’s Nick Foles – 29-54-1 for 448 yards; Maryland’s Danny O’Brien – 33-47-0 for 417; Tulsa’s G.J. Kinne – 23-37-2 for 406; Arizona State’s Brock Osweiler – 27-36-0 for 380; Alabama’s Greg McElroy – 27-37-0 for 377; Texas Tech’s Taylor Potts – 32-46-1 for 373; Southern Miss’ Austin Davis – 28-41-1 for 371; Tennessee’s Tyler Bray – 20-38-2 for 354, and Boise State’s Kellen Moore – 20-31-0 for 348.

Also, San Diego State’s Ryan Lindley – 22-30-0 for 338 yards; SMU’s Kyle Padron – 21-34-0 for 331; Indiana’s Ben Chappell – 31-50-0 for 330; Central Michigan’s Ryan Radcliff – 28-39-1 for 322; UCLA’s Richard Brehaut – 33-56-1 for 321; Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett – 12-23-2 for 320 yards; Hawaii’s Bryant Moniz – 21-31-1 for 315; East Carolina’s Dominique Davis – 33-45-1 for 314, and Penn State’s Matt McGloin – 23-43-1 for 312.

Also, N.C. State’s Russell Wilson – 31-60-1 for 311yards; Stanford’s Andrew Luck – 21-30-0 for 305; Troy’s Corey Robinson – 26-39-1 for 304; Toledo’s Terrance Owens – 22-34-0 for 304; Mississippi State’s Chris Relf – 13-20-1 for 288; Pitt’s Tino Sunseri – 28-46-1 for 284, and Bowling Green’s Matt Schilz – 19-31-1 for 282.

Also, Kentucky’s Mark Hartline – 31-44-1 for 272 yards; Memphis’ Ryan Williams – 21-34-1 for 272; Georgia’s Aaron Murray – 15-19-0 for 271; Buffalo’s Jerry Davis – 19-34-2 for 268; Florida International’s Wes Carroll – 21-27-1 for 266; North Carolina’s T.J. Yates – 28-35-0 for 264, and Ole Miss’ Jeremiah Masoli – 24-44-1 for 261.


Impressive Rushers: Hawaii’s Alex Green – 327 yards; North Texas’ Lance Dunbar – 270 yards; Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas – 269 yards; Louisiana Tech’s Lennon Creer – 252 yards; Texas A&M’s Cyrus Gray – 223 yards, and Boston College’s Andre Williams – 185 yards.

Also, Miami of Ohio’s Thomas Merriweather – 182 yards; Wisconsin’s Montee Ball – 178 yards; Ohio State’s Daniel Herron – 175 yards; Connecticut’s Jordan Todman – 175 yards; Georgia Tech’s Anthony Allen – 166 yards, and Western Kentucky’s Bobby Rainey – 157 yards.

Also, San Diego State’s Ronnie Hillman – 152 yards; Arkansas’ Knile Davis – 152 yards; Boise State’s Doug Martin – 152 yards; Middle Tennessee’s Phillip Tanner – 150 yards; Arizona State’s Cameron Marshall – 147 yards; Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch – 142 yards, and Wake Forest’s Josh Harris – 138 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“At times I get too animated,” Nebraska coach Bo Pelini.

“He’s still vocal and energetic on the field. He still loves to come out and coach, be vocal. He has fun with it, we see that and we feed off of that,” Penn State linebacker Chris Colasanti, on Joe Paterno returning in 2011.

“It’s been quiet on the Cam Newton front. You would’ve figured somebody at Alabama would’ve started a rumor about him dating Lizzie Borden or being part-Klingon. But even if Cecil “Huggy Bear” Newton and the NCAA don’t derail Auburn this week, Alabama will,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“Miss. State at Oxford Correctional Institute: Let’s check in on the school of Faulkner. Houston Nutt is 1-6 in the SEC. Good thing he de-shackled felon Jeremiah Masoli or his team might be really bad. Nutt’s also suspended leading receiver Melvin Harris for an unspecified team violation (presumably not robbery because we know that’s allowed),” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“The Seminoles have lost seven straight to the Gators. Maybe they should change their name to the Bulldogs,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“After a 2-6 start, the Vols have won three straight and can become bowl-eligible with a win. That would enable Derek Dooley to coach one more bowl game than Lane Kiffin. OK, for one week, everybody loves orange, Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“Virginia ranks 106th in the nation against the run. Another 10 yards and they’re officially a turnpike,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“Did you see where President Obama told Barbara Walters that he is a Miami Heat fan and keeps tabs on the Heat’s progress from the White House? Should we really be surprised? I mean, why wouldn’t Obama be a big fan of a team that has spent tons of money but is getting no results? The Heat are the NBA’s version of the federal government,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“The Miami Dolphins offense is sort of like those TSA agents: Groping for something explosive but coming up with junk,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Richard Seymour gets fined $25,000 for decking Ben Roethlisberger. What a bargain. Most of us would pay twice that to deck Ben Roethlisberger,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“I don’t know what makes me more drowsy – the tryptophan in that Thanksgiving Day turkey or watching Steve Addazio’s offense,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Admit it Seminoles: You’d rather beat Gators than win ACC,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“What do you want me to do? Hold hands with all the Buckeye fans and sing ‘Kumbaya’?,” Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, after the loss to Ohio State.


The 15 Hottest and Most Intriguing Games of the Week…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Auburn (12-0) vs. South Carolina (9-3) – (SEC Championship Game – Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA) – It’s often hard to beat a team twice in the same season. That’s the challenge facing Auburn. But then, nobody has beaten Auburn all season. That’s the challenge facing South Carolina. In the first meeting early in the season, the Tigers rallied to beat the Gamecocks, 35-27. Gator fans can relish the fact that both coaches are Florida grads. Steve Spurrier played and coached at Florida. Gene Chizik, a native of Clearwater, Florida, played for the Gators. Contain Cam Newton, and South Carolina wins. Aubie raids the Coop – Auburn 34, South Carolina 33.

RUNNER UP: 2. Oregon (11-0) at Oregon State (5-6) – (Pac-10 vs. Pac-10) – Only Oregon State stands in the way of Oregon finishing undefeated and going to the BCS Championship Bowl. The Beavers are facing a big task. Oregon State can be tough in Corvallis. But are the Beavers tough enough in the second half to beat Oregon? Ducks ambush the Beaver patrol – Oregon 32, Oregon State 19.

BEST OF THE REST: 3. Nebraska (10-2) vs. Oklahoma (10-2) – (Big 12 Championship Game – Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX) – Unfortunately for Nebraska, the game is in Texas. I don’t think the Huskers like to play in Texas. But then it is an opportunity for Nebraska to finish in Texas with a positive mark. The Huskers need to outscore Oklahoma to win. Herbie throws a tantrum – Oklahoma 29, Nebraska 28.

4. Virginia Tech (10-2) vs. Florida State (9-3) – (ACC Championship Game – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC) – The two divisions of the ACC ended up just as most predicted at preseason – the Hokies and the Noles. The Hokies are riding a 10-game winning streak. Hokies turn on their Beamers – Virginia Tech 27, Florida State 17.

5. Connecticut (7-4) at South Florida (7-4) – (Big East vs. Big East) – UConn controls its own destiny. Beat USF and the Huskies are in a BCS bowl. The Bulls can play some defense. But they still may be celebrating the win over Miami. Bulls outrun the Dogs – South Florida 19, Connecticut 16.

6. Rutgers (4-7) at West Virginia (8-3) – (Big East vs. Big East) – WVU not only needs to beat Rutgers, but the Mounties need UConn to lose to South Florida. That combination will put WVU in a BCS bowl. Guido gets lost in the hills – West Virginia 28, Rutgers 13.

7. Pitt (6-5) at Cincinnati (4-7) – (Big East vs. Big East) – Pitt needs to win and for both UConn and West Virginia to lose for the Panthers to make it to a BCS bowl. Not impossible, but not likely. Still, stranger things have happened. Panthers win the Cat fight – Pitt 31, Cincinnati 26.

8. SMU (7-5) at UCF (9-3) – (C-USA Championship Game – Bright House Stadium, Orlando, FL) – Look for a lot of points to be scored in this contest. Both teams can score. UCF has the better defense. Knights corral the Mustangs – UCF 32, SMU 28.

9. Northern Illinois (10-2) vs. Miami (Ohio) (8-4) – (MAC Championship Game – Ford Field, Detroit) – At preseason, Northern Illinois was predicted to be here; Miami wasn’t. Some picked Miami to finish at the bottom of the MAC East. Bird Dogs – Northern Illinois 25, Miami 18.

10. Arizona State (5-6) at Arizona (7-4) – (Pac-10 vs. Pac-10) – ASU has already said that Dennis Erickson will be back in 2011. So that pressure is off his back. Arizona may have worn itself out at Oregon last week. Wildcats freeze the Devils – Arizona 31, Arizona State 30.

11. USC (7-5) at UCLA (4-7) – (Pac-10 vs. Pac-10) – This has been a disappointing year for UCLA. Rick Neuheisel has already said he will make staff changes after the season. Kiffy beats Ricky – USC 24, UCLA 23.

12. Illinois (6-5) at Fresno State (7-4) – (Big Ten vs. WAC) – Strange game to be played this late in the season. But you have to play somebody. Regardless of the outcome, it looks like Ron Zook will return in 2011. Indians are banned in California too – Fresno State 35, Illinois 34.

13. Nevada (10-1) at Louisiana Tech (5-6) – (WAC vs. WAC) – Can Nevada keep its momentum going? Or will the Wolf Pack collapse after the big win over Boise State. Wolves continue the howling – Nevada 32, Louisiana Tech 25.

14. Utah State (4-7) at Boise State (10-1) – (WAC vs. WAC) – Look for the Broncos to bounce back – big time. No mercy for Utah State. Looking Horsey in Boise – Boise State 41, Utah State 18.

15. Washington (5-6) at Washington State (2-9) – (Pac-10 vs. Pac-10) – Everyone is expecting Washington State coach Paul Wulff to be fired after the game. With a win, the Huskies become bowl eligible. Dogs catch the Cats – Washington 26, Washington State 19.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. UNLV (2-10) at Hawaii (9-3) – (MWC vs. WAC) – Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz has put up some big numbers this season. He’ll put up a lot more in this contest. Rebels run, but they can’t surf – Hawaii 47, UNLV 21.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Florida (7-5), Georgia (6-6), Texas (5-7), Duke (3-9) and Purdue (4-8) have completed their seasons. Florida and Georgia will be going bowling.


Comment: Five conference title games and the three-game play out in the Big East make for an exciting weekend.


AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida Atlantic (4-7) entertains Troy (6-5)…. Florida International (6-5) hosts Middle Tennessee (5-6).


Thursday’s Television Schedule – December 2

Arizona State at Arizona – 8:00 p.m. ET – ESPN


Friday’s Television Schedule – December 3

Northern Illinois vs. Miami (Ohio) (MAC Championship) – 7:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Illinois at Fresno State – 10:15 p.m. ET – ESPN2


Saturday’s Television Schedule – December 4

Rutgers at West Virginia – 12:00 noon ET – ABC/ESPN
Pitt at Cincinnati – 12:00 noon ET – ABC/ESPN
SMU at UCF (C-USA Championship) – 12:00 noon ET – ESPN2
Troy at Florida Atlantic – 2:00 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Oregon at Oregon State – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC
Auburn vs. South Carolina (SEC Championship) – 4:00 p.m. ET – CBS
Washington at Washington State – 7:00 p.m. ET – Versus
Virginia Tech vs. (ACC Championship) – 7:45 p.m. ET – ESPN
Nebraska vs. (Big 12 Championship) – 8:00 p.m. ET – ABC
Connecticut at South Florida – 8:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2
USC at UCLA – 10:30 p.m. ET – Fox Sports Network


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Paralyzed Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand has been taken off a ventilator and is able to breathe on his own. The 20-year-old defensive tackle was paralyzed from the neck down October 16, making a tackle on a kickoff return against Army.

Cam Newton of Auburn, Andrew Luck of Stanford and Kellen Moore of Boise State are the finalists for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the best player in college football, and the Davey O’Brien Award, which honors the top quarterback…. Finalists for the Bednarik Award, which goes to the best defensive player, are Clemson end Da’Quan Bowers, Auburn tackle Nick Fairley and LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson.

The Doak Walker Award finalists for best running back are Oregon’s LaMichael James, Wisconsin’s John Clay and Oklahoma State’s Kendall Hunter…. The finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the top receiver, are Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles and South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffrey…. The Outland Trophy finalists for top interior lineman are Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi, Florida State guard Rodney Hudson and Colorado tackle Nate Solder.

The finalists for the Thorpe Award, which goes to the top defensive back, are LSU’s Peterson, Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara and TCU safety Tejay Johnson…. The kickers who are finalists for the Lou Groza Award are Notre Dame’s David Ruffer, Oklahoma State’s Dan Bailey and Southern Mississippi’s Danny Hrapmannn.

The punters up for the Ray Guy Award are Chas Henry of Florida, Ryan Donahue of Iowa and Drew Butler of Georgia…. Finalists for the Mackey Award, which goes to the best tight end, are Missouri’s Michael Egnew, Wisconsin’s Lance Kendricks and Arkansas’ D.J. Williams.


Extra Points

AP Poll – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. TCU, 4. Wisconsin, 5. Stanford, 6. Ohio State

Coaches Poll – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. TCU, 4. Wisconsin, 5. Stanford, 6. Ohio State

TT’s Poll – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. TCU, 4. Stanford, 5. Wisconsin, 6. Michigan State

BCS Rank – 1. Auburn, 2. Oregon, 3. TCU, 4. Stanford, 5. Wisconsin, 6. Ohio State


On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Website and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.

On the Radio – Listen live to Touchdown Tom every Friday morning from 8:05 to 8:40 ET on the Bill Mick Live show, talking college football with Bill Mick on NEWS TALK 1240 and 1350 WMMB AM. The show streams on http://www.wmmbam.com/. To listen, go to the Web site and click on “Listen Live.”

Touchdown Tom


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but on a sad note, there were two passings of mention last week – Danny McDevitt and Leslie Nielsen.

Danny McDevitt, who pitched, and won, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ final game at Ebbets Field in 1957, a 2-0 shutout, died last week in Covington, Georgia. He was 78. McDevitt, a left-handed pitcher, struck out nine Pirates, four in a row, on his way to a complete-game victory against Pittsburgh in that last home game, on September 24, 1957, by the last major league team to represent Brooklyn. Daniel Eugene McDevitt was born in New York City on Nov. 18, 1932, and blossomed as a high school pitcher after the family moved to Hallstead, Pennsylvania. After a semester at St. Bonaventure University, he was signed by the New York Yankees in 1951 but was shortly released. He pitched while in the Army and afterward joined the Dodgers’ farm system. McDevitt played professionally until 1963, with stints with the Yankees, the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Athletics after leaving the Dodgers.

Leslie Nielsen, the Canadian-born actor who in middle age tossed aside three decades of credibility in dramatic and romantic roles to make a new, far more successful career as a comic actor in films like “Airplane!” and the “Naked Gun” series, died yesterday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 84. His best-known roles included the stalwart spaceship captain in the science fiction classic “Forbidden Planet” (1956), the wealthy, available Southern aristocrat in “Tammy and the Bachelor” (1957) and an ocean liner captain faced with disaster in “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972). Leslie William Nielsen was born on February 11, 1926, in Regina, Saskatchewan. The son of a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of Danish heritage and a Welsh mother, he grew up in the Northwest Territories and in Edmonton, Alberta. Jean Hersholt, the Danish-born actor and humanitarian, was an uncle.

Cheering Against the Mountaineers

Week 13 – Thanksgiving Week and the games are big!

Cheering Against the Mountaineers

Not long after I posted last week’s CFW blog (CFW 12), I received an e-mail from my friend Greg Walker of Crossville, Tennessee.

“Tom, Tom, Tom,” Greg wrote. “Tennessee scores over 50 two weeks in a row (I know the competition was not that good) and they don’t even get a mention in your newsletter?? I believe your “bias” is showing!!

I responded to Greg, saying I would give mention to Tennessee this week.

Greg replied, “You don’t have to mention them if they get beat!!”

Well, the Vols didn’t get beat. Tennessee beat Vanderbilt, 24-10. I honored my promise, Greg. Not only that, but I have the Kentucky-Tennessee game this week as the “One To Keep An Eye On” in my predictions below.

The arrival of Greg’s e-mail was ironic. It arrived just as I was watching and listening to former Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler on TV. Shuler, a U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, was on the “Morning Joe” show.

The following morning, my N.C. State friend and former neighbor Brent Stancil e-mailed. “Here’s a quote for you,” he wrote. The quote was from an article that appeared in The News & Observer. The story was an interview with N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien on the upcoming N.C. State-North Carolina game, among other things.

“That’s the carrot to win the game, to get to the ACC championship,” O’Brien said. “As I said Saturday, the road to Charlotte goes through Chapel Hill. You have to get through Chapel Hill.”

Brent added his own personal comment to the quote, and in boldface.

“Well, if you’re at N.C. State and you’re part of this football program, you have to win in Chapel Hill anyway.”

This was followed with the link to the article in The News & Observer.

Brent should be happier with O’Brien this morning. N.C. State beat North Carolina, 29-25. Actually, Brent shouldn’t have been worried. At N.C. State, O’Brien is 4-0 against North Carolina. He has the Tar Heels’ number.

I was surprised Brent sent me a link to and quote from The News & Observer. He’s always told me the sportswriters in The News & Observer are no good because they are all North Carolina grads.

The next day, I received an e-mail from my friend Barry LeBlanc of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. With the message, “It’s heating up down here,” Barry sent me the link to an article that appeared in The Advocate.

The article raises the point that if Cam Newton or his father took money for Cam to play at Auburn, then the Auburn quarterback has not only hijacked college football’s regular season, but also he is hijacking the SEC championship and potentially the Heisman Trophy and BCS championship.

The article’s author, Advocate sportswriter Scott Rabalais writes, “I hope the Newton investigation is being put on the fastest track possible, because there are deadlines. We need to know whether or not Newton is eligible and whether or not Auburn is guilty of playing an ineligible player before they compete for SEC and BCS titles.”

As you can imagine, LSU fans are particularly anxious for the NCAA to get to the bottom of the Cam Newton investigation as fast as possible. If it’s determined that Newton’s father received financial reward for Cam’s services at Auburn, then in all likelihood LSU would play South Carolina in the SEC championship game. But as Rabalais points out, the finding could impact Boise State or TCU, as well as Kellen Moore, Andrew Luck or LaMichael James. But time is running out.

So much for some of last week’s mail. Friday couldn’t get here soon enough. Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I were headed to Gainesville for a Florida football weekend. And we were staying at our favorite hang out in Gainesville – The Laurel Oak Inn (www.laureloakinn.com).

Surprisingly, we departed Brevard County on time early Friday afternoon. No one forgot anything – the tickets were in hand. We made good time scooting across the Bee Line and up the Turnpike and I-75 to Gainesville. On the Turnpike, Rockledge Gator saw an alligator several yards from the road, lying near a pool of water. We figured that was a good omen for the weekend.

Once in Gainesville, we went straight to our home away from home. It was good to see innkeepers Monta and Peggy Burt again and catch up on the football talk in Gainesville. Monta and Peggy have heard some interesting conversations around the breakfast table on Sunday mornings after Gator games – “What’s wrong with the offense?” “Is something wrong with Urban?” “What’s the offensive line’s problem?” “Why won’t Urban get rid of Addazio?”

Over a few glasses of wine, we pondered those and other questions with Monta, Peggy and some of the other guests. It’s common talk and discussion among Gator fans this season.

Later in the evening, the four of us strolled down the street a few blocks to Harry’s for dinner. Our waitresses’ name was Diana. That got Rockledge Gator started on Paul Anka. Our waitress said she remembered his TV show. We were convinced that Paul Anka never had a TV show. We also decided that our waitress was too young to know if Paul Anka had a TV show. Walking back to the Laurel Oak Inn after dinner, we made a pit stop at Starbucks.

Reading The Gainesville Sun Saturday morning, I realized that Appalachian State (Florida’s opponent) is the Mountaineers. I said, “I can’t cheer against the Mountaineers. That’s sacrilegious.”

Studying the pre-game special section in The Gainesville Sun, we learned that Appy State’s Mountaineer is named Yosef. He looks more like a mountain man than a mountaineer – Mennonite Mike or Taliban Timmy or Andy Amish. I give Appalachian State credit for that. At least they didn’t copy the West Virginia Mountaineer like Tennessee did.

While we were discussing the Mountaineers, Monta, in good humor, informed me that when he was a student at Penn State, the popular sign when they were playing West Virginia said, “Muck the Fountaineers.” Rockledge Gator, Bootsie and Swamp Mama thought that was funny. I didn’t see any humor in it.

The Appalachian State-Florida game was a 12:30 start. After a big breakfast at the Inn, we had no plans to tailgate Saturday. The early start wasn’t compatible with tailgating. But we did head over to the campus early to get a good parking spot. Near where we parked, a number of people were tailgating. But not nearly as many tailgaters as you see when the games start at 3:30 or later.

We walked around campus, visited the bookstore and returned to the car where we spread a blanket on the ground and set up a couple of chairs. We chatted with some people who were tailgating next to us. They were playing a very early Fleetwood Mac CD – from the early 1970s.

At the stadium, I looked across the field and saw Yosef. At that moment, I convinced myself that Appalachian State is the “other” Mountaineers. They aren’t “the” Mountaineers like West Virginia. That made it easier to cheer against “those” Mountaineers. Still, when the stadium game announcer said, “Mountaineers fumble,” or “No gain for the Mountaineers,” or “4th-and-10 for the Mountaineers,” it made me cringe, hearing that.

It’s a shame Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina didn’t play like Appalachian State when they played the Gators. Florida scored at will on the “other” Mountaineers, beating Appy State, 48-10. It was a relaxing game – unlike so many other Gator games this season.

On the scoreboard at Florida Field, we monitored the scores of some of the other games in progress around the country. Eventually, some final scores were posted – Georgia Tech 30, Duke 20, and Clemson 30, Wake Forest 10. In the Big Ten – Penn State 41, Indiana 24, Wisconsin 48, Michigan 28 and Michigan State 35, Purdue 31. In the Big 12 – Oklahoma State 48, Kansas 14.

Back at the Laurel Oak Inn, it was post-game wine and beer time. And time to watch some of the other games on TV. We watched Iowa collapse in the fourth quarter, losing to Ohio State, 20-17. Then we watched LSU outgun Ole Miss, 43-36. We also caught some of Virginia Tech’s 31-17 win over Miami (Florida).

We ordered a large pizza from Satchel’s. Rockledge Gator and I drove over and picked it up. Satchel’s was packed with people waiting to get in. It was a good thing we were just there to pick up our pizza. Back at the Inn, we devoured the pizza while we watched the first half of the Arkansas-Mississippi State game.

We called it a night at halftime and retired to our rooms. Somewhere in the second half of the Arkansas-Miss State game, I fell asleep with the TV on. The next morning I learned that the Hogs won, 38-31 in two overtimes.

Sunday morning, the headline in The Gainesville Sun read, “APP-ETIZER.” Speaking of appetizer, the four of us had breakfast on the porch. It was more than an appetizer – much more. And so good too!

After breakfast, we said farewell to Monta and Peggy, with hopes of seeing them again soon. Rockledge Gator and I are thinking about a possible Florida basketball-game weekend this winter. Bootsie and Swamp Mama love how we plan these things without consulting them.

The drive back to Brevard County was just as smooth as the drive up. Even smoother, because on the way back, we stopped at the German Bakery in Yalaha (near Howey-in-the-Hills). We were just going to look, but the pastries were too tempting.

Finally, with this being Florida-Florida State week, here’s a quiz for you old, old Gator fans (like Rockledge Gator).

1. What year did Florida and Florida State first play?
2. Who called for the annual matchup to begin?
3. Who were the head coaches at Florida and Florida State when the schools first played?
4. In what two bowl games were Florida and Florida State awarded a post-season rematch?
5. In 1961, when the Southeastern Conference voted 8-4 to deny inviting Florida State to join, what SEC school sponsored Florida State’s bid?
6. What year was the annual matchup called the “Lane Fenner Memorial Bowl” thanks to an official’s controversial call?
7. Who was Florida’s quarterback during the “Lane Fenner Memorial Bowl?”
8. Who was the Florida Alumni Association president the year of the “Lane Fenner Bowl?”

The answers are provided in the Extra Points section below.

Touchdown Tom
November 22, 2010


Weekend Review

GAME OF THE WEEK: Fourth and out – Ohio State 20, Iowa 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Iowa 23). This is the third game this season where Iowa simply ran out of steam in the fourth quarter. The other two were the Wisconsin and Northwestern games. Iowa lost both and lost them in the fourth quarter. Ohio State shut down Iowa’s running game. A crowd of 70,585 attended the game in Iowa City.

RUNNER UP: Balls – Texas A&M 9, Nebraska 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Texas A&M 25). Nebraska had 16 penalties for 145 yards, while A&M only had two penalties for 10 yards. The Huskers had two turnovers, while the Aggies had none. The two teams were basically equal in passing and rushing yards. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini was not pleased with the officiating and he didn’t hold back. Pelini let it be known how he felt. A crowd of 90,079 attended the game in College Station.

REST OF THE BEST: Badgers run the Big House – Wisconsin 48, Michigan 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 38, Michigan 26). Wisconsin’s James White and Montee Ball combined for 354 yards rushing. Michigan’s Denard Robinson rushed for 121 yards and passed for 239 yards, but one man can’t beat the Badgers. A crowd of 112,276 attended the game in Ann Arbor.

Dogs hit with a Mallett – Arkansas 38, Mississippi State 31 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Arkansas 28, Mississippi State 16). Neither team was playing defense. A crowd of 56,406 attended the game in Starkville.

Hokies play beach ball – Virginia Tech 31, Miami (Florida) 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 27, Miami 20). You can’t have six turnovers and win a ball game. Miami had six turnovers. A crowd of 40,101 attended the game in Miami Gardens.

Stuffed Bears – Oklahoma 53, Baylor 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 45, Baylor 27). This game was 34-7 at the half and 53-10 at the end of three. Baylor was never in the game. A crowd of 36,034 attended the game in Waco.

Are you sure you want Friedgen back? – Florida State 30, Maryland 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 29, Maryland 26). This was anybody’s ball game until the fourth quarter. Four turnovers didn’t help Maryland any. A crowd of 48,115 attended the game in College Park.

Boise State 51, Fresno State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 39, Fresno State 20). The Bronco defense held Fresno State to 125 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs were only 6-of-24 passing. A crowd of 33,454 attended the game in Boise.

It was a good road through Chapel Hill – N.C. State 29, North Carolina 25 (Touchdown Tom said: N.C. State 28, North Carolina 24). The Tar Heels passed for 411 yards, but only had -7 yards rushing. A crowd of 60,000 attended the game in Chapel Hill.

No hoot in the Owls – Ohio 31, Temple 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Temple 29, Ohio 25). Ohio has won seven straight. A crowd of 16,433 attended the game in Philadelphia.

The Jordan flows – Utah 38, San Diego State 34 (Touchdown Tom said: San Diego State 30, Utah 28). San Diego State has come so close in so many games this year, only to lose. It happened again. The Aztecs also had three turnovers. Utah bounces back after two-straight losses. Jordan Wynn passed for 362 yards. A crowd of 34,951 attended the game in San Diego.

Some teams have all the Luck – Stanford 48, California 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, California 21). This one was 45-0 at the end of three. The same Cal team that only lost to Oregon, 15-13. And Cal was home too. A crowd of 67,793 attended the game in Berkeley.

No mama grizzlies in these Rebel Bears – LSU 43, Ole Miss 36 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 30, Ole Miss 18). I thought LSU knew how to play defense. Ole Miss is really a strange team. A crowd of 92,915 attended the game in Baton Rouge.

Panthers by a whisker – Pitt 17, South Florida 10 (Touchdown Tom said: South Florida 19, Pitt 17). A real defensive struggle. A crowd of 43,844 attended the game in Tampa.

Miners are minor – Tulsa 31, UTEP 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Tulsa 34, UTEP 17). The Golden Hurricane are moving closer to a C-USA West title. A crowd of 16,547 attended the game in Tulsa.

Rotten Oranges – Connecticut 23, Syracuse 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Syracuse 23, Connecticut 22). Neither team had much offense. A crowd of 41,465 attended the game in Syracuse.

Mounties stack the Cards – West Virginia 17, Louisville 10 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 27, Louisville 17). Neither of these teams had much offense either. And WVU still can’t score a touchdown in the second half. What is Jeff Mullen’s problem? Mountie defense did hold Louisville to 26 yards rushing. A crowd of 51,772 attended the game in Louisville.

Wildcats strike out – Illinois 48, Northwestern 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 35, Illinois 31). The Banned Indians only had 40 yards passing, but they had 519 rushing. Mikel Leshoure had 330 of those rushing yards. Northwestern played without starting quarterback Dan Persa who is injured. A crowd of 41,058 attended the game in Chicago.

Beavers chew holes in the Trojans – Oregon State 36, USC 7 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 30, Oregon State 22). Oregon State beat USC in Corvallis for the third-straight time. But USC still leads in the series 59-11-4. A crowd of 44,969 attended the game in Corvallis.

Tigers feast on fowl – Missouri 14, Iowa State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 34, Iowa State 18). Iowa State won in the stats. Mizzou won the game. A crowd of 41,776 attended the game in Ames.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Irish ride the Mules – Notre Dame 27, Army 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 31, Army 26). Notre Dame becomes bowl eligible. A crowd of 54,251 attended the game in New York City.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Easy pickin’s for the Gators – Florida 48, Appalachian State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 30, Appalachian State 17). Reed to Brantley? Never thought I’d see that one. On Senior Day in Gainesville, the Gators seemed to have fun. They were relaxed. It was an emotional game for Ahmad Black and Mike Pouncey. I can’t see Appalachian State winning the Division I-AA championship. A crowd of 90,119 attended the game in Gainesville.

Dookies get stung – Georgia Tech 30, Duke 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 20, Duke 19). Duke couldn’t stop the run. Georgia Tech couldn’t stop the pass. But Tech won. A crowd of 42,110 attended the game in Atlanta.

A little too Spartan until the fourth – Michigan State 35, Purdue 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 34, Purdue 17). Talk about living on the edge, Michigan State scores 22 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Boilers. A crowd of 71,111 attended the game in East Lansing.

Cows clean the Owls’ bowels – Texas 51, Florida Atlantic 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, Florida Atlantic 14). Texas can beat somebody. The Longhorns snapped a four-game losing streak. A crowd of 99,799 attended the game in Austin.

Comment: An improved 18-7 for the week, brings my season total to 209-84 (71.3 percent).


AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF clobbered Tulane, 61-14. A crowd of 19,069 attended the game in New Orleans…. Florida International downed Louisiana-Lafayette, 38-17. A crowd of 13,041 attended the game in Lafayette…. Florida AM surprised Bethune-Cookman, 38-27. A crowd of 61,712 attended the game in Orlando.


Superlatives

Impressive Passers: Hawaii’s Bryant Moniz – 32-44-2 for 560 yards; Houston’s David Piland – 28-47-1 for 467; North Carolina’s T.J. Yates – 33-44-0 for 411; Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden – 31-43-0 for 389; Cincinnati’s Zach Collaros – 23-39-1 for 366; Utah’s Jordan Wynn – 21-33-0 for 362; UAB’s Bryan Ellis – 21-38-2 for 361, and Rutgers’ Chas Dodd – 19-29-2 for 335.

Also, Duke’s Sean Renfree – 30-41-0 for 334 yards; Boise State’s Kellen Moore – 27-38-1 for 333; Oklahoma’s Landry Jones – 26-39-1 for 325; Tulsa’s G.J. Kinne – 19-34-0 for 325; Penn State’s Matt McGloin – 22-31-0 for 315; Temple’s Mike Gerardi – 28-48-2 for 311; East Carolina’s Dominique Davis – 21-39-2 for 308, and Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett – 17-26-1 for 305.

Also, Southern Miss’ Austin Davis – 24-31-0 for 293 yards; Virginia’s Marc Verica – 31-49-1 for 284; Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins – 28-37-1 for 276; Texas Tech’s Taylor Potts – 21-24-0 for 272; Kansas State’s Carson Coffman – 16-23-0 for 270; Maryland’s Danny O’Brien – 25-45-2 for 269; Wyoming’s Austyn Carta-Samuels – 23-32-0 for 267, and Texas’ Garrett Gilbert – 15-21-0 for 263.


Impressive Rushers: Illinois’ Mikel Leshoure – 330 yards; Western Kentucky’s Bobby Rainey – 248 yards; Cincinnati’s Isaiah Pead – 213 yards; Southern Miss’ Kendrick Hardy – 205 yards; SMU’s Zach Line – 202 yards; Colorado’s Rodney Stewart – 195 yards, and Eastern Michigan’s Dwayne Priest – 192 yards.

Also, Arkansas’ Knile Davis – 187 yards; Wisconsin’s James White – 181 yards; Wisconsin’s Montee Ball – 173 yards; Georgia Tech’s Anthony Allen – 165 yards; Toledo’s Adonis Thomas – 163 yards; Miami of Florida’s Lamar Miller – 163 yards; UTEP’s Joe Banyard – 155 yards; Navy’s Ricky Dobbs – 154 yards, and Mississippi State’s Vick Ballard – 150 yards.

Also, Wyoming’s Alvester Alexander – 147 yards; UCF’s Latavius Murray – 146 yards; Rice’s Jeremy Eddington – 143 yards; Virginia Tech’s Ryan Williams – 142 yards; Clemson’s Jamie Harper – 142 yards; Miami of Ohio’s Thomas Merriweather – 141 yards; Washington’s Chris Polk – 138 yards, and Texas A&M’s Cyrus Gray – 137 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“Georgia State at Alabama: The Crimson Tide has been ducking the Panthers for years. But not anymore! Bill Curry’s coming back to Tuscaloosa and he’s bringing a whole bag of bricks! OK, maybe just some of those little Styrofoam balls. But I’ve got to think after a short week following the Mississippi State game and with Auburn ahead, Nick Saban will not want to risk his starters in this for too long. And he kinda likes Bill Curry. I mean, the school’s giving State $400,000 for this; they must like the Panthers, right? I’m feeling frisky. Panther frisky! No, not an upset. I’m not that stupid,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“LSU coach Les Miles is shameless for suggesting that a team from the Southeastern Conference should play for the national championship no matter what. What a pandering, politicking, condescending, elitist SEC snob he is,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Can you believe CBS is developing a sitcom based on national sports talk radio host Colin Cowherd? Let’s just hope this doesn’t start a trend. I mean do we really want to see Paul Finebaum on Dancing With the Stars?,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Are we supposed to be excited that Tiger Woods is now on Twitter? Come on, the man hasn’t said anything interesting in 14 years; why would you think he’s going to say anything interesting in 140 characters?,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.


The 20 Hottest and Most Intriguing Games of the Week…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Auburn (11-0) at Alabama (9-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – In Auburn’s run for the BCS championship game the Tigers have two obstacles to clear. Alabama is the first of the two. Alabama may be the worst of the two. I’ve read that Nick Saban will have his defense totally focused on stopping the running of Cam Newton. Supposedly, Saban is taking the approach that if Newton is going to beat Alabama, it will have to be through the air. The pressure on Auburn has to be intense. While with two losses, Alabama should not be feeling any pressure at all. Tigers get Rolled – Alabama 36, Auburn 34.

RUNNER UP: 2. Oklahoma (9-2) at Oklahoma State (10-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – If Oklahoma has had a weakness this year it is playing on the road. Saturday, the Sooners are on the road. The Cowboys are facing a challenge. Okie State has never won the Big 12 South. You figure both quarterbacks – Landry Jones and Brandon Weeden – are going to do well. This could come down to the team with the better running game. Nothing pokey about the Pokes – Oklahoma State 34, Oklahoma 31.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. LSU (10-1) at Arkansas (9-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – The Razorbacks have been a thorn in LSU’s side before. They could be again. Ryan Mallett had some problems earlier in the season, but he’s going out a winner. He doesn’t want the Tigers to stop him. What a squealer – Arkansas 28, LSU 27.

4. Arizona (7-3) at Oregon (10-0) – (Pac-10 vs. Pac-10) – Arizona is the first of two remaining obstacles for Oregon. That is if the Wildcats are an obstacle at all. Arizona can be, but it will take a 101% effort from the Wildcats’ offense and defense. Both teams had the week off to prepare. Web feet rule – Oregon 33, Arizona 19.

5. Boise State (10-0) at Nevada (10-1) – (WAC vs. WAC) – This is Nevada’s big opportunity. The Wolf Pack could put themselves on the map with a win over the Broncos. Nevada has the offense that can score on Boise State. Unfortunately for the Wolf Pack, they do not have the defense that can stop Boise State. And the Broncos defense can stop the Wolf Pack. Broncos break up the Pack – Boise State 37, Nevada 22.

6. Florida (7-4) at Florida State (8-3) – (SEC vs. ACC) – Wonder what Florida team will show up in Tallahassee? Wonder if a Gator offense will show up at all? At 7-4, the Gators still have something to prove this year. They have not beaten a good team on their schedule. All seven wins have come against bad to mediocre teams. All four losses have come against good teams. FSU is a good team. Do the Gators have it in them? Albert hollers Bingo! – Florida 30, Florida State 27.

7. N.C. State (8-3) at Maryland (7-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – Not only all roads, but the only road left between N.C. State and Charlotte goes through College Park. A win here and the Wolfpack are in the ACC championship game – an opportunity to get revenge on Virginia Tech. But the Wolfpack must beat Maryland first. It shouldn’t be hard. Maryland’s seven wins have been against losers. Packing for Charlotte – N.C. State 28, Maryland 18.

8. Oregon State (5-5) at Stanford (10-1) – (Pac-10 vs. Pac-10) – If the Beavers play like they did against USC, the Cardinal could be in trouble. But that is not likely to happen. Stanford has its eyes set on the Rose Bowl. Beavers can’t fell these Trees – Stanford 34, Oregon State 17.

9. Michigan State (10-1) at Penn State (7-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – Against the Lions, will the Spartans need to rally late in the game to win – like they did against Northwestern and Purdue? And if the Spartans need to, will they be able to – against Penn State? Lots of incentive riding on this game. The Spartans want to go to the Rose Bowl. Penn State wants to finish better than 7-5. And Penn State wants to beat somebody decent. Nitts have their wits – Penn State 25, Michigan State 23.

10. Northwestern (7-4) at Wisconsin (10-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – Wisconsin is also eyeing the Rose Bowl. The Badgers have scored 131 points in their last two games. With Northwestern’s porous defense, the Badger could be doing a lot of pushups. Wildcats choke on Cheese – Wisconsin 40, Northwestern 15.

11. Michigan (7-4) at Ohio State (10-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – Little by little, this game is getting closer to being what it once was. But the Wolverines still have a ways to go, especially on defense. The Buckeyes’ offense should have a field day. The Rod isn’t Rich – Ohio State 35, Michigan 16.

12. South Florida (6-4) at Miami (Florida) (7-4) – (Big East vs. ACC) – Tough year for both teams, but more so for Miami. This was supposed to be a big year for the Canes and it wasn’t. The Bulls were expected to have a rebuilding year under first-year coach Skip Holtz. But this day belongs to the Canes. No ring in these Bulls – Miami 30, South Florida 15.

13. Temple (8-3) at Miami (Ohio) (7-4) – (MAC vs. MAC) – The RedHawks would still like to finish the season with only one loss in MAC play. They can, providing they beat Temple. But that won’t be easy. Owls give the Birds a bath – Temple 27, Miami 22.

14. Southern Miss (8-3) at Tulsa (8-3) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – Tulsa has a five-game winning streak on the line. Southern Miss has won three straight. This has the makings of a good contest and a high-scoring affair. Hurricane Gold better than Eagle Gold – Tulsa 34, Southern Miss 32.

15. West Virginia (7-3) at Pitt (6-4) – (Big East vs. Big East) – Another Backyard Brawl and a lot riding on the outcome. Both teams are in contention for the Big East title. WVU has to win to remain in contention. Pitt doesn’t exactly have to, but it would help. The outcome of the game could come down to the second half, where WVU has had trouble finding the end zone in recent contests. Mounties shave the arm Pitts – West Virginia 23, Pitt 19.

16. BYU (6-5) at Utah (9-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) – Last game between these two rivals as members of the Mountain West Conference. Each are going their separate ways next year, but they will continue to play each other. BYU is on a roll. The Cougars have won four straight. But the competition hasn’t been the strongest. Meanwhile, the Utes have struggled lately against strong competition. Utes get some Cougar fur for the winter – Utah 30, BYU 24.

17. South Carolina (8-3) at Clemson (6-5) – (SEC vs. ACC) – After that embarrassing loss to Arkansas, the Gamecocks have been on a roll, scoring 105 points in their last two games. Something tells me the Cocks will run into a defense this week. But the Tigers don’t have much of an offense. Still, you gotta figure at this point, Steve Spurrier is more focused on Auburn than he is on Clemson. But we’ll see. Chickens put Dabo in the coop – South Carolina 26, Clemson 23.

18. Notre Dame (6-5) at USC (7-4) – (Ind. vs. Pac-10) – After showing signs of revival the last two weeks, life at Notre Dame will cease this week. But at 6-6, the Irish still get in a bowl game. This is the Trojans bowl game. There are no more games for USC until next season. Irish have problems with Trojans – USC 29, Notre Dame 23.

19. Mississippi State (7-4) at Ole Miss (4-7) – (SEC vs. SEC) – Five more points and Miss State could be coming into this contest 9-2. The Bulldogs have had a couple of tough losses. But still it has been a good year for the Starkvillians. You never know what Ole Miss is going to show up with. Heck, for several years, we didn’t even know what mascot Ole Miss would show up with. Bully shows up – Mississippi State 26, Ole Miss 20.

20. Boston College (6-5) at Syracuse (7-4) – (ACC vs. Big East) – Sitting at 2-5, BC has won four-straight games. The Eagles have found something at season’s end. The Orange thought they had found something, but the bottom fell out last week. Mostly pride on the line in this one. Faded Orange – Boston College 18, Syracuse 17.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

21. Kentucky (6-5) at Tennessee (5-6) – (SEC vs. SEC) – Now if there was ever a year for Kentucky to beat Tennessee, this is it. But Kentucky never beats Tennessee. And the Vols have won three straight. Just ask Greg Walker. Of course Kentucky has won two straight. Somebody has to lose. Wildcats skinned on Rocky Top – Tennessee 34, Kentucky 31.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Colorado (5-6) at Nebraska (9-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – A victory for Nebraska gives the Huskers the Big 12 North title – a chance to go back to the Big 12 championship game. An opportunity for the Huskers to make amends for last year. But first things first. They have to beat Colorado. Is that a chore? Herbie hangs some Buffalo hide – Nebraska 28, Colorado 16.

North Carolina (6-5) at Duke (3-8) – (ACC vs. ACC) – The Dookies won one conference game this year. Can they win two? Not if the Tar Heels have anything to say about it. Carolina moons the Devils – North Carolina 24, Duke 21.

Georgia Tech (6-5) at Georgia (5-6) – (ACC vs. SEC) – These two almost came into this game with the exact same record. They could go out with the exact same record. Uga licks the honey – Georgia 32, Georgia Tech 22.

Indiana (4-7) at Purdue (4-7) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – Take your pick. The only thing worse than these two is Minnesota. Then again, I’m not sure Minnesota is worse than Indiana. Will the Hoosiers have a new coach next year? Hoosiers sent to the Boiler room – Purdue 33, Indiana 32.

Texas A&M (8-3) at Texas (5-6) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – About the only thing these two have in common is that both beat Nebraska. Other than that, it has been all downhill for the Horns. Do they have one blast left in them? Will Texas qualify for a bowl game? Aggies grab Bevo by the balls – Texas A&M 21, Texas 20.

Comment: The Big Ten comes down to Michigan-Ohio State, Northwestern-Wisconsin and Michigan State-Penn State. The Big 12 comes down to Oklahoma-Oklahoma-State and Colorado-Nebraska. The WAC comes down to Boise State-Nevada. Throw in LSU-Arkansas, Arizona-Oregon and N.C. State-Maryland and it’s quite a Thanksgiving week.


AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF (8-3) plays at Memphis (1-10)…. Florida Atlantic (4-6) visits Middle Tennessee (4-6)…. Florida International (5-5) hosts Arkansas State (4-7). Florida A&M (8-3), Bethune-Cookman (10-1) and Jacksonville U. (10-1) have completed their seasons.  Bethune-Cookman was selected to play in the Division I-AA playoffs.  B-CU will play New Hampshire (7-4) on December 4


Tuesday’s Television Schedule – November 23

Temple at Miami (Ohio) – 7:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2


Thursday’s Television Schedule – November 25

Tuskegee at Alabama State – 4:00 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Texas A&M at Texas – 8:00 p.m. ET – ESPN


Friday’s Television Schedule – November 26

West Virginia at Pitt – 12:00 noon ET – ABC
Louisville at Rutgers – 12:00 noon ET – ESPN2
Ohio at Kent State – 12:00 noon ET – ESPNU
SMU at East Carolina – 2:00 p.m. ET – CBS-CSN
Auburn at Alabama – 2:30 p.m. ET – CBS

Colorado at Nebraska – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC
UCLA at Arizona State – 3:30 p.m. ET – Fox Sports Network
Southern Miss at Tulsa – 6:30 p.m. ET – CBS-CSN
Arizona at Oregon – 7:00 p.m. ET – ESPN
Boise State at Nevada – 10:15 p.m. ET – ESPN


Saturday’s Television Schedule – November 27

Boston College at Syracuse – 12:00 noon ET – ESPN/ESPN2
Cincinnati at Connecticut – 12:00 noon ET – Big East Game of the Week
Michigan at Ohio State – 12:00 noon ET – ABC
Michigan State at Penn state – 12:00 noon ET – ESPN/ESPN2
South Florida at Miami (Florida) – 12:00 noon ET – ESPNU
Tulane at Marshall – 12:00 noon ET – CBS-CSN
Virginia at Virginia Tech – 12:00 noon ET – ACC Game of the Week
Kentucky at Tennessee – 12:20 p.m. ET – SEC Game of the Week
Kansas at Missouri – 12:30 p.m. ET – Fox Sports Network
Grambling vs. Southern – 2:00 p.m. ET – NBC
LSU at Arkansas – 3:30 p.m. ET – CBS
Florida at Florida State – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC/ESPN
N.C. State at Maryland – 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Northwestern at Wisconsin – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC/ESPN
North Carolina at Duke – 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
TCU at New Mexico – 4:00 p.m. ET – Versus
Houston at Texas Tech – 7:00 p.m. ET – Fox Sports Network
South Carolina at Clemson – 7:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Mississippi State at Ole Miss – 7:00 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Oregon State at Stanford – 7:30 p.m. ET – Versus
Georgia Tech at Georgia – 7:45 p.m. ET – ESPN
Notre Dame at USC – 8:00 p.m. ET – ABC
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State – 8:00 p.m. ET – ABC


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football … Fox Sports has signed a six-year agreement with the Big Ten Conference to televise the Big Ten’s championship game 2011 through 2016…. The University of Washington Board of Regents have given approval to a $250 million renovation of Husky Stadium. Plans for the remodeling include complete demolition of the lower bowl and the south upper deck. The field will be lowered and seats brought closer, and a football operations facility will also be constructed. Seating capacity is expected to stay close to its current total of 72,500.

Washington State has moved its 2011 matchup against Oregon State from its home field in Pullman to Seattle’s Qwest Field…. Georgia and Boise State have agreed to play next season. The two teams will open the 2011 season against each other on September 3 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta…. Ole Miss and Boise State will meet in the Georgia Dome in 2014. Ole Miss has added BYU to its 2011 schedule. The game will be played in Oxford…. North Carolina and Louisville have signed up for a two-game home-and-home series for 2011 and 2012.


Extra Points

AP Poll – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. Boise State, 4. TCU, 5. Wisconsin, 6. LSU

Coaches Poll – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. Boise State, 4. TCU, 5. Wisconsin, 6. LSU

TT’s Poll – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. Boise State, 4. TCU, 5. Stanford, 6. Wisconsin

BCS Rank – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. TCU, 4. Boise State, 5. LSU, 6. Stanford


On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Website and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.

On the Radio – Listen live to Touchdown Tom every Friday morning from 8:05 to 8:40 ET on the Bill Mick Live show, talking college football with Bill Mick on NEWS TALK 1240 and 1350 WMMB AM. The show streams on http://www.wmmbam.com/. To listen, go to the Web site and click on “Listen Live.”


Answers to the Florida-Florida State quiz:

1. What year did Florida and Florida State first play? 1958
2. Who called for the annual matchup to begin? Board of Control chairman Fred Kent told Florida’s and Florida State’s athletic directors to schedule the game or be demoted.
3. Who were the head coaches at Florida and Florida State when the two schools first played? Bob Woodruff at Florida and Tom Nugent at Florida State
4. In what two bowl games were Florida and Florida State awarded a post-season rematch? The 1995 Sugar Bowl and the 1997 Sugar Bowl
5. In 1961, when the Southeastern Conference voted 8-4 to deny inviting Florida State to join, what SEC school sponsored Florida State’s bid? Florida
6. What year was the annual matchup called the “Lane Fenner Memorial Bowl” thanks to an official’s controversial call? 1966
7. Who was Florida’s quarterback during the “Lane Fenner Memorial Bowl?” Steve Spurrier
8. Who was the Florida Alumni Association president the year of the “Lane Fenner Bowl?” Stephen C. O’Connell

Happy Thanksgiving!

Touchdown Tom


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but as the regular season was coming to a climax and Thanksgiving turkeys and pumpkin pies were almost in the oven, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1935 was “You Are My Lucky Star” by Eddy Duchin

…70 years ago this week in 1940 was “Only Forever” by Bing Crosby

…65 years ago this week in 1945 was “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” by Harry James

…60 years ago this week in 1950 was “Harbor Lights” by Sammy Kaye

…55 years ago this week in 1955 was “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford

…50 years ago this week in 1960 was “Are You Lonesome Tonight” by Elvis Presley

…45 years ago this week in 1965 was “I Hear a Symphony” by The Supremes

…40 years ago this week in 1970 was “I Think I Love You” by The Partridge Family

…35 years ago this week in 1975 was “That’s the Way (I Like It)” by K.C. & The Sunshine Band

…30 years ago this week in 1980 was “Lady” by Kenny Rogers

…25 years ago this week in 1985 was “We Built This City” by Starship

…20 years ago this week in 1990 was “Love Takes Time” by Mariah Carey


Not directly college football related, but on a sad note, there were three passings of mention last week – William Self, Pat Burns, and Rob Lytle.

William Self, a prolific producer who brought a long list of successful shows to television – “Daniel Boone,” “Peyton Place,” “Batman” and “M*A*S*H” among many others – transforming 20th Century-Fox Television into a leading supplier of programming to the networks in the 1960s and ’70s, died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 89. William Edwin Self was born on June 21, 1921, in Dayton, Ohio. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Chicago in 1943, he worked briefly as an advertising copywriter and then went to Los Angeles to try his luck as an actor.

Pat Burns, a tough-minded, tight-lipped coach of four National Hockey League teams who led the New Jersey Devils to a Stanley Cup title in 2003, his first season with the team, died last week in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He was 58. Burns led the Devils to their third Stanley Cup championship when they beat the Anaheim Ducks in seven games. He also coached the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins, twice leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup finals. Patrick Burns was born April 4, 1952, in the St. Henri section of Montreal.

Rob Lytle, an All-American running back at Michigan who scored a touchdown in the 1978 Super Bowl as a Denver Broncos rookie, died last week in Fremont, Ohio. He was 56. Lytle was drafted by the Broncos in the second round in 1977. He scored on a 1-yard run in Denver’s 27-10 loss to Dallas in the Super Bowl. He played seven seasons with the Broncos and scored 14 times in the regular season. Lytle finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy – behind Pittsburgh’s Tony Dorsett and USC’s Ricky Bell – in 1976 when he was the Big Ten’s MVP and an All-American. Lytle grew up in Ross, Ohio.

There Ain't No Good Guys; There Ain't No Bad Guys

College Football Week 12 – Buckeyes, Huskers and Badgers Face Tests

‘There ain’t no good guys,
There ain’t no bad guys’

There’s only you and me and we just disagree.

What year was it?

Snow fell in Melbourne, Florida, and for the first time ever in Miami. The King died, and the Motown diva and her partners disbanded. Devastating plane crashes took the lives of a basketball team and three members of a rock group. A soccer legend hung up his cleats. It was a year of computers, the Concorde and floods.

On the first day of the year, the first female Episcopal priest was ordained. Two days later Apple Computer Inc. was incorporated. At the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the Oakland Raiders beat the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, to win the Super Bowl.

In mid-January, Bill Murray joined Saturday Night Live, replacing Chevy Chase. Gary Gilmore was executed by a firing squad in Utah. Scientists identified previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious legionnaire’s disease.

On January 19, snow fell for the first time in history in Miami. That same night, an individual attending the Harris (Composition Systems Division) Users Group meeting at the old Holiday Inn on U.S. 1 in Melbourne, Florida, entered the cocktail party yelling, “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” Everyone rushed outside to see the snow.

The next day, the 39th President of the United States – Jimmy Carter – was inaugurated. Carter succeeded Gerald Ford. The day after the inauguration, President Carter pardoned the Vietnam War draft evaders.

Two days following the inauguration, Touchdown Tom and Swamp Mama were married in Temple Terrace, Florida. They honeymooned in Belleair Beach, Florida.

The television mini-series “Roots” began a phenomenally successful run on ABC; while a major Great Lakes blizzard hit upstate New York and southern Ontario.

On February 4, Fleetwood Mac introduced its album “Rumours.” A week later, a 44 lb. 9 oz. lobster – the largest ever – was caught off Nova Scotia.

Several rivers in the United States froze over in January and February as some cities recorded all-time low temperatures (Cincinnati -25° F., Miami Beach +25° F.) in the coldest winter on record.

Just a few days into March, an earthquake struck Bucharest, Romania, killing 1,500.

“Eight is Enough” and “Three’s Company” premiered on ABC TV, while NBC’s “Sanford and Son” and CBS’s “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” aired for the last time.

Spring arrived and that brought the start of football practice on the campuses of many colleges around the country. Football season couldn’t be far behind. In late March, a collision between a KLM 747 and Pan Am 747 on the runway of the Tenerife Airport in the Canary Islands killed 543. Marquette defeated North Carolina, 67-59, to win NCAA basketball championship.

Early in April, the Grundy, Virginia, area experienced a major flood that caused more than $15 million in damages. The Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners played their first-ever baseball games. The Blue Jays opened against the Chicago White Sox and the Mariners opened against the California Angels.

Tom Watson won the Masters, and “McCloud” and “McMillan & Wife” aired for the last time on television. Optical fiber was used for the first time to carry live telephone traffic; while Pink Floyd opened the North American leg of their “Animals” tour in Miami.

May was upon us and Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby. The Grateful Dead played Cornell University’s Barton Hall in Ithaca, New York, and scientists first used bacteria in a lab to make insulin. In late May, “Stars Wars” opened in movie theaters and became the then-highest grossing movie of all time.

The Beverly Hills Super Club in Southgate, Kentucky, was engulfed in a fire, killing 165 inside. A.J. Foyt won the Indianapolis 500 – his 4th win. Foyt became the first driver to win the race four times. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins 4-matches-to-0 to win the Stanley Cup.

June arrived and the first Apple II series computers went on sale. The Portland Trailblazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 4-games-to-2 to win the NBA championship. Bill Walton was named MVP. Seattle Slew won the Belmont Stakes, capturing the Triple Crown.

Summer was underway and while not yet able to listen to the games on the radio, college football fans were listening to “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffet; “Sound and Vision” by David Bowie; “Slow Dancin’ Don’t Turn Me On” by The Addrisi Brothers; “Got To Give It Up (Part I)” by Marvin Gaye; “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac; “Whatcha Gonna Do” by Pablo Cruise; “On the Border” by Al Stewart; “Mainstreet” by Bob Seger; “Gonna Fly Now” (Theme From Rocky) by Maynard Ferguson, and “High School Dance” by The Sylvers.

Also, “Gonna Fly Now” by Bill Conti; “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb; “Jet Airliner” by The Steve Miller Band; “You and Me” by Alice Cooper; “Back Together Again” by Daryl Hall & John Oates; “You’re My World” by Helen Reddy; “Luckenbach, Texas” by Waylon Jennings; “It’s So Sad To Belong” by England Dan & John Ford Coley; “Looks Like We Made It” by Barry Manilow, and “(You’re Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher” by Rita Coolidge.

And, “On and On” by Stephen Bishop; “Life In the Fast Lane” by The Eagles; “Knowing Me, Knowing You” by ABBA; “All You Get From Love Is a Love Song” by The Carpenters; “Da Doo Ron Ron” by Shaun Cassidy; “My Heart Belongs To Me” by Barbra Streisand; “Barracuda” by Heart; “I’m In You” by Peter Frampton; “Just a Song Before You Go” by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and “Undercover Angel” by Alan O’Day.

The preseason college football magazines were rolling off the presses. In London, the Supremes performed their final concert together at the Drury Lane Theater. The singing group disbanded after the concert. Hubert Green won the U.S. Open Golf championship, and Spain held its first democratic elections after 41 years of rule under Franco.

Been away, haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been?
Have you changed your style and do you think
That we’ve grown up differently? Don’t seem the same.
Seems you’ve lost your feel for me.

Oracle Corporation was incorporated in Redwood Shore, California, as Software Development Laboratories (SDL). According to a Gallup poll, Kiss was the most popular band in the United States. It was late June and Elvis Presley performed his last ever concert at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was dissolved.

In July, Virginia Wade and Bjorn Borg won the women’s and men’s singles titles at Wimbledon. As the summer air grew warmer and thicker, the DJs were playing and college football fans were listening to “The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)” by Rod Stewart; “Telephone Man” by Meri Wilson; “You Made Me Believe In Magic” by The Bay City Rollers; “Give A Little Bit” by Supertramp; “Easy” by The Commodores; “Black Betty” by Ram Jam; “Best of My Love” by The Emotions; “Telephone Line” by Electric Light Orchestra, and “Slide” by Slave.

Also, “Smoke From a Distant Fire” by The Sanford-Townsend Band; “Handy Man” by James Taylor; “It Was Almost Like a Song” by Ronnie Milsap; “Livin’ In the Life” by The Isley Brothers; “Walk Right In” by Dr. Hook; “(Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard” by Cat Stevens; “Way Down” by Elvis Presley, and “Swayin’ To the Music (Slow Dancin’) by Johnny Rivers.

A blackout occurred in the greater New York City area, lasting 25 hours. Flooding in the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, area killed 75 people. July was coming to a close as Tom Watson won the British Open, and Led Zeppelin played their last U.S. concert in Oakland, California, at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The first oil through the Trans Alaska pipeline system reached Valdez, Alaska.

Before you knew it, August arrived and the Tandy Corporation TRS-80 Model I computer was introduced at a press conference. David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam, was captured in Yonkers, New York, after more than a year of murders in New York City. The NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise made its first test-free flight from the back of a Boeing 747.

Summer was coming to an end and football fans couldn’t wait for another season to begin. Oklahoma was the No. 1 team in the country at preseason. On the eve of the first kickoffs, college football fans were grillin’ and chillin’ to “Don’t Worry Baby” by B.J. Thomas; “Strawberry Letter 23” by The Brothers Johnson; “It’s a Crazy World” by Mac McAnally; “Sunflower” by Glen Campbell; “How Much Love” by Leo Sayer; “Float On” The Floaters; “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac; “Stars Wars Theme” by John Williams; “So You Win Again” by Hot Chocolate, and “Christine Sixteen” by Kiss.

Also, “Hard Rock Café” by Carole King; “Edge of the Universe” by The Bee Gees; “Cold As Ice” by Foreigner; “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Shaun Cassidy; “Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon; “Boogie Nights” by Heatwave; “The Greatest Love of All” by George Benson, and “Keep It Comin’ Love” by K.C. & The Sunshine Band.

Lanny Wadkins won the PGA championship, and Elvis Presley died at his home Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 42. The U.S. launched the Voyager 2 spacecraft.

Guillermo Villas and Chris Evert won the men’s and women’s singles titles at the U.S. Open. South African activist Steve Biko died in custody, and T Rex lead singer Marc Bolan was killed in a car crash in England.

Meanwhile, the college football season was underway and Michigan replaced Oklahoma as the No. 1 team in the country. Football fans were tailgating to “Indian Summer” by Poco; “Daytime Friends” by Kenny Rogers; “Jungle Love” by The Steve Miller Band; “I Believe You” by Dorothy Moore; “Help Is On Its Way” by The Little River Band; “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer; “Stars Wars Theme/Cantina Band” by Meco; “Cat Scratch Fever” by Ted Nugent; “Just Remember I Love You” by Firefall; “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” by Crystal Gayle, and “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me” by Barry White.

“Soap,” “CHiPs,” “Lou Grant” and “The Love Boat” made their premiers on TV. The U.S.’s Courageous skippered by Ted Turner swept Australia in the 24th America’s Cup. The Porsche 928 debuted at the Geneva Auto Show.

The median household income in the U.S. was $13,572. Unemployment was at 7.1 percent, and the cost of first class stamp was 13 cents.

Oklahoma retook the No. 1 spot and college football fans were celebrating their wins and mourning their losses to “Heaven On the 7th Floor” by Paul Nicholas; “Another Star” by Stevie Wonder; “Surfin’ USA” by Leif Garrett; “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) by Peter Frampton; “She Did It” by Eric Carmen; “Brick House” by The Commodores; “I Go Crazy” by Paul Davis; “My Fair Share” by Seals & Crofts; “Dusic” by Brick; “We Just Disagree” by Dave Mason, and “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone.

In early October, Pele played his final professional soccer game as a member of the New York Cosmos, and Southern California became the No. 1 team in the country. On October 8, Alabama beat USC, 21-20. Three days later, Michigan moved back into the No. 1 spot.

The New York Yankees, led by Reggie Jackson, beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-games-to-2 to win the World Series. A few days later, we learned that three members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd died in a charter plane crash outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi. The plane crash occurred just three days after the release of the band’s fifth album “Street Survivors.”

So let’s leave it alone, ’cause we can’t see eye to eye.
There ain’t no good guys, there ain’t no bad guys.
There’s only you and me and we just disagree.
Ooo - ooo - ooohoo oh - oh - o-whoa

On October 22, Minnesota upset Michigan, 16-0. Texas became the No. 1 team in the country. The Center for Disease Control announced that Smallpox was eradicated in the world.

At Halloween, college football fans were being tricked or treated, while listening to “I Just Want To Make Love To You” by Foghat; “The King is Gone” by Ronnie McDowell; “Blue Bayou” by Linda Ronstadt; “A Place In the Sun” by Pablo Cruise; “Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes” by Jimmy Buffet; “Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me” by Peter Brown; “We’re All Alone” by Rita Coolidge, and “You Can’t Turn Me Off (In the Middle of Turning Me On)” by High Energy.

Also, “Send In the Clowns” by Judy Collins; “Baby, What a Big Surprise” by Chicago; “Come Sail Away” by Styx; “How Deep Is Your Love” by The Bee Gees; “Fair Game” by Crosby, Stills & Nash; “Daybreak” by Barry Manilow; “Gone Too Far” by England Dan & John Ford Coley; “Your Smiling Face” by James Taylor, and “Baby Come Back” by Player.

On November 6, the Kelly Barnes Dam near Taccoa, Georgia, collapsed, killing 39 people. Later in the month, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to make an official visit to Israel. On November 19, undefeated and untied Colgate lost its final game of the season to Delaware, 21-3.

British Airways launched regular London to New York supersonic Concorde service, and at Thanksgiving, college football fans were stuffing themselves on turkey and pumpkin pie, while listening to “She’s Not There” by Santana; “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” by The Carpenters; “Isn’t It Time” by The Babys; “It’s So Easy” by Linda Ronstadt; “You Make Lovin’ Fun” by Fleetwood Mac; “Swingtown” by The Steve Miller Band; “Sentimental Lady” by Bob Welch; “Here You Come Again” by Dolly Parton, and “Slip Slidin’ Away” by Paul Simon.

Also, “Falling” by Lenny LeBlanc; “The Way I Feel Tonight” by The Bay City Rollers; “(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again” by L.T.D.; “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA; “Draw the Line” by Aerosmith; “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions” by Queen; “Serpentine Fire” by Earth, Wind & Fire; “You’re In My Heart” by Rod Stewart, and “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” by Chic.

Texas finished the regular season undefeated, and at the end of the month, news and political commentator Eric Sevareid bade farewell on the “CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite,” after 48 years at CBS News.

November became December and the Nickelodeon Television Channel, a children’s cartoon channel, launched as the Pinwheel Network.

The consensus All-American first-team offense consisted of wide receiver John Jefferson – Arizona State, (6-1, 184) Dallas, TX; wide receiver Ozzie Newsome – Alabama, (6-4, 210) Leighton, AL; tight end Ken MacAfee – Notre Dame, (6-4, 250) Brockton, MA; tackle Chris Ward – Ohio State, (6-4, 272) Dayton, OH; tackle Dan Irons – Texas Tech, (6-7, 260) Lubbock, TX; guard Mark Donahue – Michigan, (6-3, 245) Oak Lawn, IL; guard Leotis Harris – Arkansas, (6-1, 254) Little Rock, AR; center Tom Brzoza – Pitt, (6-3, 240) New Castle, PA; quarterback Guy Benjamin – Stanford, (6-4, 202) Sepulveda, CA; running back Earl Campbell – Texas, (6-1, 220) Tyler, TX; running back Terry Miller – Oklahoma State, (6-0, 196) Colorado Springs, CO; running back Charles Alexander – LSU, (6-1, 215) Galveston, TX, and kicker Steve Little – Arkansas, (6-0, 179) Overland Park, KS.

Texas running back Earl Campbell won the Heisman Trophy. In the balloting, Campbell beat out Oklahoma State running back Terry Miller, Notre Dame tight end Ken MacAfee and Grambling quarterback Doug Williams.

College football’s other two most outstanding player trophies, the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award, went to Notre Dame defensive lineman Ross Browner and Notre Dame tight end Ken MacAfee respectively. Browner also won the Vince Lombardi Award as college football’s most outstanding lineman or linebacker. The Outland Trophy (most outstanding interior lineman) went to Texas defensive lineman Brad Shearer.

I’m going back to a place that’s far away. How ’bout you?
Have you got a place to stay? Why should I care?
When I’m just trying to get along. We were friends.
But now it’s the end of our love song...

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their very first NFL game, beating the New Orleans Saints. Tampa Bay had lost its first 26 games. On December 13, a DC3 charter plane carrying the Evansville University basketball team crashed in rain and fog about 90 seconds after takeoff from Evansville Regional Airport. Twenty-nine people died including 14 members of the basketball team.

The best albums of the year were “Low” by David Bowie, “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” by Jimmy Buffett, “Animals” by Pink Floyd, “Cheap Trick” by Cheap Trick, “Rumours” by Fleetwood Mac, “Tejas” by ZZ Top, “New Harvest – First Gathering” by Dolly Parton, “Next” by Journey, “Foreigner” by Foreigner, “The Idiot” by Iggy Pop, “Let There Be Rock” by AC/DC, “Lace and Whiskey” by Alice Cooper, “Even in the Quietist Moments” by Supertramp, and “A Period of Transition” by Van Morrison.

Also, “Book of Dreams” by the Steve Miller Band, “Indian Summer” by Poco, “Exodus” by Bob Marley & The Wailers, “Monkey Island” by the J. Geils Band, “Cat Scratch Fever” by Ted Nugent, “The Grand Illusion” by Styx, “My Aim is True” by Elvis Costello, “Livin’ on the Fault Line” by The Doobie Brothers, “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop, “Beauty on a Back Street” by Hall & Oates, “In Color” by Cheap Trick, and “Talking Heads: 77” by Talking Heads.

And, “Love You Live” by the Rolling Stones, “The Stranger” by Billy Joel, “Aja” by Steely Dan, “Simple Dreams” by Linda Ronstadt, “Heroes” by David Bowie, “Street Survivors” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “News of the World” by Queen, “Here You Come Again” by Dolly Parton, “Out of the Blue” by Electric Light Orchestra, “Plastic Letters” by Blondie, “Foot Loose and Fancy Free” by Rod Stewart, “Slowhand” by Eric Clapton, “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne, and “Draw the Line” by Aerosmith.

With Christmas in the air and bowl games near, college football fans were doing their shopping to “As” by Stevie Wonder; “Breakdown” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers; “Getting’ Ready for Love” by Diana Ross; “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Santa Esmeralda; “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” by Andy Gibb; “My Way” by Elvis Presley; “Point of Know Return” by Kansas; “Runaround Sue” by Leif Garrett, and “Hey Deanie” by Shaun Cassidy.

Also, “Short People” by Randy Newman; “Girls’ School” by Paul McCartney & Wings; “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration” by Donny & Marie Osmond; “Turn to Stone” by Electric Light Orchestra; “Peg” by Steely Dan; “More Than a Woman” by Tavares; “Emotion” by Samantha Sang, and “Sometimes When We Touch” by Dan Hill.

In the first bowl games of the season, Louisiana Tech beat Louisville, 24-14, in the Independence Bowl, and Nebraska won the Liberty Bowl, beating North Carolina, 21-17. It was Maryland 17, Minnesota 7 in the All-American Bowl, and Florida State beat Texas Tech, 40-17, in the Tangerine Bowl.

Some of the better movies of the year were “Star Wars,” “Rocky,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” “A Star Is Born,” “King Kong,” “The Deep,” “Silver Streak,” “The Enforcer,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “In Search of Noah’s Ark,” “A Bridge Too Far,” and “Annie Hall.”

Also, “The Cassandra Crossing,” “The Late Show,” “Looking For Mr. Goodbar,” “The Man Who Loved Women,” “Oh, God!,” “The Other Side of Midnight,” “Fun With Dick and Jane,” “The Goodbye Girl,” “Julia,” and “Turning Point.”

The better reads during the year were “Trinity” by Leon Uris, “Storm Warning” by Jack Higgins, “Raise the Titanic!” by Clive Cussler, “Roots” by Alex Haley, “Passages” by Gail Sheehy, “The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank” by Erma Bombeck, “Slapstick” by Kurt Vonnegut, “Sleeping Murder” by Agatha Christie, “The Users” by Joyce Haber, “Oliver’s Story” by Erich Segal, and “Falconer” by John Cheever.

Also, “The Chancellor Manuscript” by Robert Ludlum, “The Valhalla Exchange” by Harry Patterson, “Condominium” by John D. MacDonald, “The Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough, “A Book of Common Prayer” by Joan Didion, “All Things Wise and Wonderful” by James Herriot, “Full Disclosure” by William Safire, and “Coma” by Robin Cook.

And, “The Path Between the Seas” by David McCullough, “The Silmarillion” by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Honourable Schoolboy” by John le Carre, “Daniel Martin” by John Fowles, “Dynasty” by Robert S. Elegant, “The Second Deadly Sin” by Lawrence Sanders, “The Immigrants” by Howard Fast, “The Amityville Horror” by Jay Anson, and “Beggarman Thief” by Irwin Shaw.

The consensus All-American first-team defense consisted of lineman Ross Browner – Notre Dame, (6-3, 247) Warren, OH; lineman Art Still – Kentucky, (6-8, 247) Camden, NJ; lineman Brad Shearer – Texas, (6-4, 255) Austin, TX; lineman Randy Holloway – Pitt, (6-6, 228) Sharon, PA; lineman Dee Hardison – North Carolina, (6-4, 252) Newton Grove, NC; linebacker Jerry Robinson – UCLA, (6-3, 208) Santa Rosa, CA; linebacker Tom Cousineau – Ohio State, (6-3, 228) Fairview Park, OH; linebacker Gary Spani – Kansas State, (6-2, 222) Manhattan, KS; back Dennis Thurman – USC, (5-11, 173) Santa Monica, CA; back Zac Henderson – Oklahoma, (6-1, 184) Burkburnett, TX; back Luther Bradley – Notre Dame, (6-2, 204) Muncie, IN, and back Bob Jury – Pitt, (6-0, 190) Library, PA.

Well-known people who were born during the year included A.J. Burnett, Orlando Bloom, Vince Carter, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Stephon Marbury, Ricky Williams, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Chandra Levy, Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran, Kanye West, Kerry Wood, Liv Tyler, Tim Couch, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tom Brady, Ludacris, Bode Miller, and John Mayer.

So let’s leave it alone, ’cause we can’t see eye to eye.
There ain’t no good guys, there ain’t no bad guys.
There’s only you and me and we just disagree.
Ooo - ooo - ooohoo oh - oh - o-whoa

Famous people who passed away during the year were Erroll Garner, Freddie Prinze, Anthony Eden, Peter Finch, Brett Halliday, Andy Devine, Ralph Graves, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Diana Hyland, Joan Crawford, Stephen Boyd, Roberto Rossellini, Alan Reed, Geraldine Brooks, Francis Gary Powers, and Alfred Lunt.

Also, Elvis Presley, Groucho Marx, Wernher von Braun, Sebastian Cabot, Jean Hagen, Mary Ford, Ethel Waters, Zero Mostel, Robert Lowell, Marc Bolan, Maria Callas, Bing Crosby, Cassie Gaines, Steve Gaines, Ronnie Van Zant, Guy Lombardo, Richard Carlson, Cyril Ritchard, Charlie Chaplin, Howard Hawks, and Adolph Rupp.

On Christmas Day, Penn State beat Arizona State, 42-30, in the Fiesta Bowl. Five days later, Pitt won the Gator Bowl, beating Clemson, 34-3.

The most popular TV shows of the year were “Laverne & Shirley,” “Happy Days,” “Three's Company,” “60 Minutes,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “All in the Family,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Alice,” “M*A*S*H,” and “One Day at a Time.”

On New Year’s Eve, Stanford beat LSU in the Sun Bowl, 21-14, and USC won the Bluebonnet Bowl, beating Texas A&M, 47-28. N.C. State downed Iowa State, 24-14, in the Peach Bowl.

College football fans were dancing, drinking and singing on New Year’s Eve to “Desiree” by Neil Diamond; “Street Corner Serenade” by Wet Willie; “What’s Your Name” by Lynyrd Skynyrd; “Easy to Love” by Leo Sayer; “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers; “Long, Long, Way From Home” by Foreigner; “Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees, and “I Love You” by Donna Summer.

Also, “Too Hot Ta Trot” by The Commodores; “Ffun” by Con Funk Shun; “Happy Anniversary” by The Little River Band; “Thunder Island” by Jay Ferguson; “Goodbye Girl” by David Gates; “Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind” by John Williams, and “The Name of the Game” by ABBA.

On January 2, Alabama beat Ohio State, 35-6, in the Sugar Bowl, and Arkansas won the Orange Bowl, beating Oklahoma, 31-6. Washington beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, 27-20.

In the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Notre Dame beat undefeated and No. 1 ranked Texas, 38-10.

Notre Dame became the national champions, finishing first in the AP and UPI Polls. The Irish, coached by Dan Devine, finished the season at 11-1. Their only loss was a 20-13 defeat at the hands of Ole Miss in their second game of the season.

So let’s leave it alone, ’cause we can’t see eye to eye.
There ain’t no good guys, there ain’t no bad guys.
There’s only you and me and we just disagree.

“We Just Disagree” – by Dave Mason (written by Dave Mason)
The song entered the charts on September 3 and spent 19 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 throughout the football season, peaking at No. 12 in late November. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Mason was an original member of the band Traffic. He was also a member of Delaney & Bonnie and Fleetwood Mac for brief spells.

The year (and football season) was 1977.

Touchdown Tom
November 15, 2010


Weekend Review

Colorado fired football coach Dan Hawkins last Tuesday. Hawkins, in his fifth season with the Buffaloes, was 19-39, including 3-6 this year. Hawkins came to Colorado from Boise State where he had been a very successful coach. Long-time assistant coach Brian Cabral will serve as Colorado’s interim head coach for the remainder of the 2010 season.

In response to last week’s news about Big East expansion, TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte said he has little interest in placing his football program in one conference and his other varsity sports in another conference.

Amid all the Cam Newton brouhaha, I read where Georgia coach Mark Richt said he recruited Newton out of high school to be a tight end at Georgia and not a quarterback. Further evidence that Richt is brain damaged.

Hats off to Florida International. The Panthers had three runners rush for more than 100 yards each in their 52-35 upset of Troy on Saturday – Darriet Perry – 186 yards, T.Y. Hilton – 158 yards, and Darian Mallary – 118 yards.

Swamp Mama and Touchdown Tom spent a long weekend in the panhandle celebrating Gator Babe’s birthday. She was three on November 13.


GAME OF THE WEEK: Chicken supreme – South Carolina 36, Florida 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 30, South Carolina 22). At halftime, I said, “This reminds me of the Mississippi State game.” Little did I know at the time that it would end up worse than the Mississippi State game. Florida, a team that looked so complete a week before against Vanderbilt, looked so incomplete against South Carolina. That will teach us to get so excited about a big performance against Vandy. After all, Kentucky racked up 580 yards of offense against Vandy on Saturday. And beating Georgia was nothing either. Look what Auburn did to Georgia. Let’s face it, Florida’s offense remains a mess. The offensive line couldn’t open a hole in a wet paper bag. It couldn’t stop Betty White from sacking John Brantley. And speaking of Brantley, Nancy Pelosi would look better running the quarterback draw. Why did Brantley ever change his commitment to Texas? Heck, Mack Brown would love to have him right now. Brantley’s not an Urban Meyer quarterback. Urban doesn’t know what to do with him. Did you see Urban throw his headset on the ground during the game? And the defense isn’t any better. The Gator defense couldn’t stop a turtle. Hat’s off to Steve Spurrier and South Carolina. Marcus Lattimore, Stephen Garcia, the Gamecock’s offensive line and the entire South Carolina defense played one heck of a game. If Florida’s going to lose, you want them to lose to a fellow Gator – Spurrier. The Gamecocks are a strange team. One week they look like the best team in the country. The next week they look like the worst team in the country. South Carolina looked like the best team in the country against Florida. It was a strange season in the SEC East. A crowd of 90,885 attended the game in Gainesville.

RUNNER UP: No 401 in Columbus – Ohio State 38, Penn State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 29, Penn State 19). Trailing 14-3 at the half, the Buckeyes exploded for 35 unanswered points in the second half. A crowd of 105,466 attended the game in Columbus.

REST OF THE BEST: Aztecs almost feasted on Legs – TCU 40, San Diego State 35 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 33, San Diego State 16). The Aztecs gave the Horned Frogs their first scare of the season. TCU’s defense held the Aztecs to 38 yards rushing. A crowd of 45,694 attended the game in San Diego.

The Tide is in – Alabama 30, Mississippi State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Mississippi State 16). Maybe the Bulldogs should have paid for Cam Newton. The Tide is warming up for Auburn. A crowd of 101,821 attended the game in Tuscaloosa.

Wildcats shoot some birds – Northwestern 21, Iowa 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 30, Northwestern 27). You would have thought Iowa would have learned from the scare it got form Indiana last week. Maybe the Hawkeyes were looking ahead to Ohio State. Northwestern is always a problem for Iowa. A crowd of 47,130 attended the game in Evanston.

Tigers win the Cat fight – Missouri 38, Kansas State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 26, Kansas State 23). After suffering back-to-back losses, Missouri bounces back. A crowd of 63,310 attended the game in Columbia.

Primrose Lane – USC 24, Arizona 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 24, USC 17). The Wildcats suffer their second-straight Pac-10 loss and third conference loss of the season. A crowd of 54,722 attended the game in Tucson.

Sherman’s on the march – Texas A&M 42, Baylor 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 27, Texas A&M 26). Don’t look now, but the Aggies are an improving ball club. A crowd of 45,089 attended the game in Waco.

Duck scare – Oregon 15, California 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 32, California 20). Well, at least we know you can stop the Oregon offense. It’s just that when you do, you need to score on the Duck defense. Oregon held Cal to 69 yards passing. Speaking of the Duck, he got a rest from the pushups Saturday. A crowd of 65,963 attended the game in Berkeley.

Newton-gate – Auburn 49, Georgia 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 30, Georgia 26). I have to admit, it did make my heart feel good seeing Todd Grantham’s defense get plastered. Actually, at times, the game was a classless display of football – an embarrassment to the SEC. I still think an Auburn-Oregon national championship game would be interesting to see – a wild one. Meanwhile, all remains quiet in the Cam Newton investigation. Auburn fans have to be on pins and needles. A crowd of 87,451 attended the game in Auburn.

Hokies shear the Sheep – Virginia Tech 26, North Carolina 10 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 24, Virginia Tech 22). The Hokies are like a bottle of red wine – they improve with age. North Carolina missed the services of Johnny White. A crowd of 60,000 attended the game in Chapel Hill.

With a little Luck – Stanford 17, Arizona State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 36, Arizona State 23). Like fellow Pac-10 member Oregon, Stanford got a scare too. Andrew Luck passed for 292 yards. A crowd of 45,592 attended the game in Tempe.

Potatoes fried – Boise State 52, Idaho 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 39, Idaho 19). The Broncos are a complete team. A crowd of 16,453 attended the game in Moscow.

Noles tee-pee the Tigers – Florida State 16, Clemson 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 23, Clemson 20). After last week’s wide-right at the end of the game, it had to feel sweet winning this one on a 55-yard field goal as time expired. FSU was quarterbacked by E.J. Manuel. The Noles are still in the thick of the Atlantic Division race. A crowd of 72,228 attended the game in Tallahassee.

Wolves take the Hill – Nevada 35, Fresno State 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Nevada 35, Fresno State 27). Both teams still have to play Boise State. A crowd of 37,116 attended the game in Fresno.

Dud – Northern Illinois 65, Toledo 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Northern Illinois 29, Toledo 27). NIU racked up 584 yards of offense, mostly on the ground. The Huskies improve to 8-2. A crowd of 18,472 attended the game in DeKalb.

Irish pub the Utes – Notre Dame 28, Utah 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, Notre Dame 27). Utah was obviously the most overrated team in the country. The Utes have been blown out two weeks in a row. The Irish defense held the Utes to 71 yards rushing. A crowd of 80,795 attended the game in South Bend.

Nothing like being home – Oklahoma 45, Texas Tech 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, Texas Tech 25). Oklahoma always plays well at home. Landry Jones passed for 317 yards. A crowd of 85,116 attended the game in Norman.

Bevo plays like Elsie – Oklahoma State 33, Texas 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 29, Texas 27). This is the year to beat Texas. You might as well take advantage of it, even though Nebraska didn’t. A crowd of 100,659 attended the game in Austin.

Rusty armor – Southern Miss 31, UCF 21 (Touchdown Tom said: UCF 32, Southern Miss 20). Typical George O’Leary – He can’t keep a good thing going. UCF gets ranked in the Top 25 for the first time and the Knights can’t handle success. A crowd of 40,358 attended the game in Orlando.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Dogs lick the Cats – Connecticut 30, Pitt 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 25, Connecticut 16). Pitt suffers its first loss in Big East play. A crowd of 35,391 attended the game in East Hartford.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Bearcats get jugged – West Virginia 37, Cincinnati 10 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Cincinnati 18). Coming into the game, WVU hadn’t scored a touchdown in the second half in its three previous games. Saturday, the Eers only scored once in the second half. Why does Jeff Mullen’s offense quit at halftime? What is the problem? WVU defense did hold Cincy to 60 yards on the ground. Bill Stewart still needs to be fired. A crowd of 56,593 attended the game in Morgantown.

Herbie bales the Jayhawks – Nebraska 20, Kansas 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 38, Kansas 9). Now this is too obvious. The Huskers had to be playing kind to Turner Gill. A crowd of 85,587 attended the game in Lincoln.

Devils get beaned – Boston College 21, Duke 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 25, Boston College 22). Just when you think the Dookies have it turned around, they can’t pull out three wins in a row. Not that Sean Renfree wasn’t trying. He passed for 285 yards. But the Dookies only rushed for four yards. A crowd of 21,420 attended the game in Durham.

Michigan 27, Purdue 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 36, Purdue 27). You know Purdue is bad if the Boilers can only muster 16 points against Michigan’s defense. A crowd of 50,268 attended the game in West Lafayette.

Comment: A tough week at 16-9, brings my season prediction total to 191-77 (71.3 percent).


AROUND FLORIDA:

Miami downed Georgia Tech, 35-10. A crowd of 47,425 attended the game in Atlanta…. South Florida slipped by Louisville, 24-21 in overtime. A crowd of 43,887 attended the game in Louisville…. Florida Atlantic edged Louisiana-Lafayette, 24-23. A crowd of 12,044 attended the game in Fort Lauderdale…. Florida International surprised Troy, 52-35. A crowd of 20,243 attended the game in Troy.

Florida A&M beat Hampton, 17-12. A crowd of 10,306 attended the game in Tallahassee…. Bethune-Cookman slapped Howard, 35-20. A crowd of 5,431 attended the game in Daytona Beach…. Jacksonville U. thumped Campbell, 31-24. A crowd of 5,160 attended the game in Jacksonville.


Superlatives

Impressive Passers: UAB’s Bryan Ellis – 31-49-1 for 418 yards; Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden – 29-43-1 for 409; Central Michigan’s Ryan Radcliff – 36-58-0 for 394; Arizona’s Nick Foles – 32-48-0 for 353; Western Michigan’s Alex Carder – 17-21-0 for 349; East Carolina’s Dominique Davis – 26-41-0 for 331; San Jose State’s Jordan La Secla – 19-37-1 for 331, and Tennessee’s Tyler Bray – 18-34-0 for 323.

Also, Northwestern’s Dan Persa – 32-43-1 for 318 yards; Oklahoma’s Landry Jones – 22-29-0 for 317; Tulane’s Ryan Griffin – 21-34-0 for 314; Arkansas State’s Ryan Aplin – 27-39-2 for 306; N.C. State’s Russell Wilson – 24-35-1 for 300; Troy’s Corey Robinson – 28-47-2 for 299; Stanford’s Andrew Luck – 33-41-1 for 292, and Colorado State’s Pete Thomas – 28-42-2 for 292.

Also, Maryland’s Danny O’Brien – 17-28-0 for 289 yards; Duke’s Sean Renfree – 35-49-0 for 285; Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill – 27-38-0 for 280; Georgia’s Aaron Murray – 15-28-0 for 273; Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi – 23-41-1 for 270; Colorado’s Cody Hawkins – 16-24-0 for 266; Virginia’s Marc Verica – 25-43-2 for 265, and Southern Miss’ Austin Davis – 21-34-0 for 264.


Impressive Rushers: North Texas’ Lance Dunbar – 226 yards; Connecticut’s Jordan Todman – 222 yards; Fresno State’s Robbie Rouse – 217 yards; South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore – 212 yards; Navy’s Kriss Proctor – 201 yards; Ohio State’s Daniel Herron – 190 yards; Tulsa’s G.J. Kinne – 190 yards; Florida International’s Darriet Perry – 186 yards, and Arkansas’ Knile Davis – 182 yards.

Also, Kentucky’s Randall Cobb – 170 yards; Baylor’s Jay Finley – 169 yards; Wisconsin’s Montee Ball – 167 yards; Rutgers’ Jeremy Deering – 166 yards; USC’s Marc Tyler – 160 yards; Eastern Michigan’s Alex Gillett – 159 yards; Florida International’s T.Y. Hilton – 158 yards; Western Kentucky’s Bobby Rainey – 154 yards, and Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick – 153 yards.

Also, Toledo’s Adonis Thomas – 152 yards; Auburn’s Cam Newton – 151 yards; Northern Illinois’ Chandler Harnish – 149 yards; Wisconsin’s James White –144 yards; Florida Atlantic’s Alfred Morris – 143 yards; Clemson’s Jamie Harper – 143 yards; Kansas State’s Collin Klein – 141 yards; Illinois’ Mikel Leshoure – 141 yards; Louisville’s Bilal Powell – 140 yards, and Texas A&M’s Cyrus Gray – 137 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“This is a character assassination attempt. I think there’s a group of people who have a hidden agenda and don’t want to see him (Cam Newton) as a Heisman nominee, let alone a winner,” Cecil Newton, father of Cam, on the allegations against his son.

“It’s my hope that people will reserve judgment on this or any matter until the facts are known,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, on the Cam Newton allegations.

“Just when you thought Tebow left town, he showed up again in another jersey,” Georgia coach Mark Richt, on Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.

“What I do care about is coming to the defense of not only a great football player but a great human being who comes from a great family,” Auburn coach Gene Chizik, on Cam Newton.

“Don’t be sad, Florida fans, be happy. The Gators may not have won the game Saturday night for the right to play for the SEC Championship, but a Gator – the ultimate Gator – still won. And, admit it, there’s a little piece of you that is happy about it. If you’re going to lose your chance to win a championship, aren’t you glad the Eastern Division title is staying in the family?,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“We’re just not very good,” Florida coach Urban Meyer, after the loss to South Carolina.

“God has smiled on the Gamecocks,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, after the win over Florida.


The 20 Hottest and Most Intriguing Games of the Week…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Ohio State (9-1) at Iowa (7-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – This had the makings of a good game until the last couple of weeks. The Hawkeyes have looked flat. They are going to have to come up with one heck of an effort to take the Buckeyes. The Hawkeyes play good at home, but I don’t know if they are good enough – home or not. Buckeyes scramble the Eggs – Ohio State 28, Iowa 23.

RUNNER UP: 2. Nebraska (9-1) at Texas A&M (7-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – The Huskers need to make up for the loss to Texas by beating the Aggies. It won’t be easy. Both teams want to hand the other a loss as a farewell present. Aggies can’t harvest the Corn – Nebraska 28, Texas A&M 25.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Wisconsin (9-1) at Michigan (7-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – The Badgers are headed towards the Rose Bowl and don’t want to be derailed by the Wolverines. If Wisconsin can put up 83 on Indiana, how many points can the Badgers pin on Michigan? No holes in the Cheese – Wisconsin 38, Michigan 26.

4. Arkansas (8-2) at Mississippi State (7-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – The Hogs are playing at their best right now. Too good for the Bulldogs. Hogs put the Dogs in the pound – Arkansas 28, Mississippi State 16.

5. Virginia Tech (8-2) at Miami (Florida) (7-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – The Hokies have won eight straight. Can the Canes stop them? Not likely. Gobblers knob the Ibis – Virginia Tech 27, Miami 20.

6. Oklahoma (8-2) at Baylor (7-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – Uh oh…the Sooners are on the road. They are not the same team on the road they are at home. Baylor doesn’t have much of a defense. Bear skins – Oklahoma 45, Baylor 27.

7. Florida State (7-3) at Maryland (7-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – Is Maryland’s 7-3 as strong as FSU’s 7-3? We’ll soon know. Noles feast on Turtle steaks – Florida State 29, Maryland 26.

8. Fresno State (6-3) at Boise State (9-0) – (WAC vs. WAC) – Now, it’s Fresno State’s turn to try and knock off the Broncos. They have as good a chance as anybody. About like winning the lottery. Broncos trample the Dogs – Boise State 39, Fresno State 20.

9. N.C. State (7-3) at North Carolina (6-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – The Wolfpack better rush for more yards against the Tar Heels than they did last week. N.C. State won last week, but only had 59 yards rushing. I know Russell Wilson can pass, but the Wolfpack needs to have a more balanced attack. Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s clothing – N.C. State 28, North Carolina 24.

10. Ohio (7-3) at Temple (8-2) – (MAC vs. MAC) – Although Miami may have a say-so, this one most likely is for the MAC East title. Home field favors the Owls. All Hoots – Temple 29, Ohio 25.

11. Utah (8-2) at San Diego State (7-3) – (MWC vs. MWC) – The Aztecs want to let the country know that their close game against TCU wasn’t a fluke. The Utes have hit the skids. Utes get sacrificed – San Diego State 30, Utah 28.

12. Stanford (9-1) at California (5-5) – (Pac-10 vs. Pac-10) – The Cardinal better watch out. Cal is a different team at home – much different. The Bears put the skids on Oregon, but can they stop Andrew Luck? And can Cal find a passing game? Stanford 28, California 21.

13. Ole Miss (4-6) at LSU (9-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – If the cards fall right (like they did in 2007) LSU could find themselves in the championship game. But the Tigers can’t stumble. Tigers snag a Black Bear – LSU 30, Ole Miss 18.

14. Pitt (5-4) at South Florida (6-3) – (Big East vs. Big East) – Pitt suffered its first Big East loss last week. The Bulls intend to make it two. USF can play some defense. Bulls gore the Panthers – South Florida 19, Pitt 17.

15. UTEP (6-5) at Tulsa (7-3) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – Tulsa is looking good to win the C-USA West. But they have to beat UTEP. Miners get swept – Tulsa 34, UTEP 17.

16. Connecticut (5-4) at Syracuse (7-3) – (Big East vs. Big East) – UConn’s on a roll. The Huskies have won two-straight. But the Orange have the Dogs in the Dome. Orange juice the Dogs – Syracuse 23, Connecticut 22.

17. West Virginia (6-3) at Louisville (5-5) – (Big East vs. Big East) – Wonder how many points WVU will score in the second half this week? The Mounties better score more than seven if they want to beat the Cardinals. Mounties deck the Cards – West Virginia 27, Louisville 17.

18. Northwestern (7-3) vs. Illinois (5-5) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – Ron Zook was looking pretty good until he lost his last two to Michigan and Minnesota. Nobody loses to Minnesota. Not even Purdue. But the Wildcats may be caught still celebrating the win over Iowa. Wildcats put Zook on thin ice – Northwestern 35, Illinois 31.

19. USC (7-3) at Oregon State (4-5) – (Pac-10 vs. Pac-10) – All of a sudden, Oregon State has become a bad team. The Beavers have self-destructed. But they always pose a problem for the Trojans in Corvallis. Kiffin gets a pelt – USC 30, Oregon State 22.

20. Missouri (8-2) at Iowa State (5-6) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – Mizzou has a shot at finishing strong. But he Tigers can’t stumble in Ames. Tigers stripe the Birds – Missouri 34, Iowa State 18.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

21. Notre Dame (5-5) vs. Army (6-4) – (Ind. vs. Ind.) – The Irish have already lost to Navy. They don’t want to lose to Army. But the Cadets are back. They are playing tough. They hit you on the ground. Irish disband the Army – Notre Dame 31, Army 26.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Appalachian State (9-1) at Florida (6-4) – (Southern vs. SEC) – Remember who knocked off Michigan a few years ago? Yeah, it’s the same Appalachian State. The Mountaineers are catching Florida at a good time too. The Gators will still be stewing over the loss to South Carolina, while looking ahead to Florida State – while along comes Jones…I mean…Appy State. Albert avoids the Gator trap – Florida 30, Appalachian State 17.

Duke (3-7) at Georgia Tech (5-5) – (ACC vs. ACC) – I have a feeling the Dookies will win. Why? Because I picked them to lose. And Tech really is pretty bad. Jackets hit the Devils with a Buzz saw – Georgia Tech 20, Duke 19.

Purdue (4-6) at Michigan State (9-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – After a week off, the Spartans return to action and should get a win in preparation for their final game against Penn State. Should MSU manage to finish 11-1, there could be good things in the Spartans’ future. Boilers turn green – Michigan State 34, Purdue 17.

Florida Atlantic (4-5) at Texas (4-6) – (Sun Belt vs. Big 12) – Now here is a team Texas can beat. But will they? Horned Owls – Texas 27, Florida Atlantic 14.


Comment: Big and fun week – two key games in the Big Ten (Ohio State at Iowa and Wisconsin at Michigan), two key games in the Big 12 (Nebraska at Texas A&M and Oklahoma at Baylor), two key games in the SEC (Arkansas at Mississippi State and Ole Miss at LSU), and two key games in the ACC (Virginia Tech at Miami and Florida State at Maryland). Plus throw in Stanford at Cal and it’s quite a weekend.


AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF (7-3) visits Tulane (4-6)…. Florida International (4-5) travels to Louisiana-Lafayette (2-8)…. Florida A&M (7-3) vs. Bethune-Cookman (10-0) in Orlando…. Jacksonville U. has finished its season at (10-1).


Tuesday’s Television Schedule – November 16

Ohio at Temple – 8:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2


Wednesday’s Television Schedule – November 17

Miami (Ohio) at Akron – 6:00 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Bowling Green at Toledo – 8:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2


Thursday’s Television Schedule – November 18

Georgia State at Alabama – 7:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
UCLA at Washington – 8:00 p.m. ET – ESPN
Air Force at UNLV – 10:00 p.m. ET – CBS-CSN


Friday’s Television Schedule – November 19

Fresno State at Boise State – 9:30 p.m. ET – ESPN2


Saturday’s Television Schedule – November 20

Wisconsin at Michigan – 12:00 noon ET – ESPN
Yale at Harvard – 12:00 noon ET – Versus
N.C. State at North Carolina – 12 noon ET – ACC Game of the Week
Pitt at South Florida – 12 noon ET – ESPN2
Virginia at Boston College – 12 noon ET – ESPNU
West Virginia at Louisville – 12 noon ET – Big East Game of the Week
Oklahoma State at Kansas – 12 noon ET – Fox Sports Network
Troy at South Carolina – 12:20 p.m. ET – SEC Game of the Week
Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M – 2:30 p.m. ET – ESPN Classic
Arkansas State at Navy – 3:30 p.m. ET – CBS-CSN
Illinois vs. Northwestern – 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Ohio State at Iowa – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC
Ole Miss at LSU – 3:30 p.m. ET – CBS
Stanford at California – 3:30 p.m. ET – Fox Sports Network
Virginia Tech at Miami (Florida) – 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPN/ABC
Arkansas at Mississippi State – 7:00 p.m. ET – ESPN
Connecticut at Syracuse – 7:00 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Missouri at Iowa State – 7:00 p.m. ET – Fox Sports Network
Notre Dame vs. Army – 7:00 p.m. ET – NBC
Florida State at Maryland – 8:00 p.m. ET – ABC
USC at Oregon State – 8:00 p.m. ET – ABC
Houston at Southern Miss – 8:00 p.m. ET – CBS-CSN
Nebraska at Texas A&M 8:00 p.m. ET – ABC
Oklahoma at Baylor – 8:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Texas-San Antonio is joining the Western Athletic Conference in 2012. UTSA is starting a football program in 2011 and will compete at the Division I-A level. Also, joining the WAC are Texas State and Denver. Texas State will elevate its football program from Division I-AA to I-A. Denver, who is leaving the Sun Belt Conference, is joining the WAC for all varsity sports except football. The three schools are replacing Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada who are leaving the conference over the next two years. Montana, a potential fourth new member of the WAC, announced it will remain in the Big Sky Conference at the Division I-AA level…. Colorado State and UTEP have scheduled a home-and-home series to be played in 2011 and 2018.


Extra Points

Two games are being played in Major League Baseball stadiums this week. The Notre Dame-Army game at Yankees Stadium in the Bronx, and the Illinois-Northwestern game at Wrigley Field in Chicago.


AP Poll – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. Boise State, 4. TCU, 5. LSU, 6. Wisconsin

Coaches Poll – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. Boise State 4. TCU, 5. Wisconsin, 6. LSU

TT’s Poll – 1. Auburn, 2. Oregon, 3. Boise State, 4. TCU, 5. Stanford, 6. Nebraska

BCS Rank – 1. Oregon, 2. Auburn, 3. TCU, 4. Boise State, 5. LSU, 6. Stanford


On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Website and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.

On the Radio – Listen live to Touchdown Tom every Friday morning from 8:05 to 8:40 ET on the Bill Mick Live show, talking college football with Bill Mick on NEWS TALK 1240 and 1350 WMMB AM. The show streams on http://www.wmmbam.com/. To listen, go to the Web site and click on “Listen Live.”

This is the week of “The Game” – Yale-Harvard, and the “Big Game” – Stanford-California.

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and Touchdown Tom will be in Gainesville this weekend for the Appalachian State-Florida game. We’re staying at our favorite bed & breakfast – the Laurel Oak Inn (www.laureloakinn.com). We’re looking forward to seeing our friends Monta and Peggy Burt.

Touchdown Tom


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but on a sad note, there were three passings of mention last week – Dino De Laurentiis, Dave Niehaus and Wes Santee.

Dino De Laurentiis, the high-flying Italian film producer and entrepreneur whose movies ranged from some of Federico Fellini’s earliest works to “Serpico,” “Death wish” and the 1976 remake of “King Kong,” died last week at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He was 91. Agostino De Laurentiis was born in Torre Annunziata, a town in the province of Naples, Italy, on August 8, 1919, the third in a family of seven brothers and sisters. Among his many grandchildren is the chef and Food TV Network host Giada De Laurentiis.

Dave Niehaus, the Hall of Fame broadcaster who called Seattle Mariners games from the team’s first season in 1977 through this year, died last week at his home in Bellevue, Washington. He was 75. Niehaus was born February 19, 1935, and got into broadcasting as a student at Indiana University. He worked for the Armed Forces Network in Los Angeles and New York before anchoring himself in the Los Angeles market in the late 1960s and early 1970s, calling games for the California Angels and UCLA football.

Wes Santee, a record-setting track star for the University of Kansas who never ran the sub-four-minute mile expected of him and whose running career was ended by a suspension for accepting too much expense money, died yesterday at his home in Eureka, Kansas. He was 78. David Wesley Santee was born March 25, 1932, in Ashland, Kansas, and was raised there on a ranch with no running water or electricity. He ran five miles to school and five miles back. In 1949, he received an athletic scholarship to Kansas. After he earned a degree in physical education, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. In later years, he owned an insurance agency in Lawrence, Kansas, and gave clinics and lectures at high schools.