College Football Week 8 – Lattimore out for the season
The good, the bad and the uglyHalfway through the season and it’s a good time to check on the good, the bad and the ugly teams of the first seven weeks.
The good: Alabama, Boise State, Clemson, Houston, Kansas State, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Wisconsin – all 10 undefeated. And the only undefeated teams after seven weeks.
But they all won’t remain undefeated. Alabama and LSU meet on November 5 in Tuscaloosa. Only one will come away the winner. Then, Alabama has a potentially dangerous game at Auburn on November 26. LSU hosts Arkansas on November 25. The Razorbacks have been a problem for good LSU teams in the past.
Kansas State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State all play each other before the season is over. Oklahoma plays at Kansas State on October 29 and at Oklahoma State on December 3. Oklahoma State hosts Kansas State on November 5. The Cowboys could be in the best shape of the three since they have both Oklahoma and Kansas State at home.
Wisconsin has two potential trouble spots remaining on its schedule – this week and next. The Badgers play at Michigan State Saturday and at Ohio State the following Saturday (October 29). Stanford is just now entering the tough part of its schedule. The Cardinal have to play Washington, USC, Oregon and Notre Dame. All but USC are home. Clemson still has tough games against North Carolina (at home this Saturday) and at Georgia Tech and at South Carolina.
The two teams with the best chance of finishing the season undefeated are Boise State and Houston. If Boise State has any problem spots, it’s TCU and San Diego State. TCU is home on November 12 and San Diego State is away on November 19. Houston’s only potential problem is SMU. The Cougars play the Mustangs at home on November 19.
The bad: Florida Atlantic, New Mexico and UAB – all three winless. And the only winless teams after seven weeks.
But there is encouraging news for Florida Atlantic and UAB. They meet on November 26 at FAU. One of them has to win. UAB has a good shot at beating Memphis on November 12. The Tigers are 1-6. But the game is at Memphis. New Mexico’s only hope of winning a game is against UNLV on November 12. The Rebels are 1-5.
The ugly: Florida. Yes, the Gators. If you’ve watched the Gators the past three weeks, the only way you could describe them is ugly. Florida’s offense has only scored 27 points in its past three games. That’s just nine points-a-game.
This has to be the worst Florida team since the 1980s. Even Ron Zook’s teams were better than this one. Steve Spurrier’s and Urban Meyer’s first seasons at Florida were better. Spurrier was 9-2, Meyer was 9-3 and Zook was 8-5. Granted Will Muschamp could still finish equal to or better than 8-5, but it is doubtful.
Did Muschamp come into the Florida job with a pool of less talented players than Spurrier, Zook and Meyer did? For what it’s worth, Barbara Dooley says Muschamp came to a Florida loaded with talent. And she had to hear that from her husband, Vince.
Fortunately for Florida, the Gators are off this week. Perhaps they can re-group. And John Brantley will likely be back after the layoff. Florida has remaining games with Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Furman and Florida State. You figure the Vanderbilt and Furman games are sure winners. But the other three are in doubt. Stay tuned!
Three undefeated teams lost their first games on Saturday. Michigan went down to Michigan State, 28-14, Illinois fell to Ohio State, 17-7, and Georgia Tech was stunned by Virginia, 24-21.
South Carolina eked out a win over Mississippi State, 14-12. But the Gamecocks have lost the services of outstanding running back Marcus Lattimore for the season. Lattimore suffered torn ligaments in his left knee during the game. Clemson got a big-time scare from Maryland. The Tigers had to rally in the second half to overcome the Terrapins, 56-45.
Kansas State continued to be perhaps the biggest surprise team of the season. The Wildcats won at Texas Tech, 41-34. Georgia got a scare from Vanderbilt. The Dawgs slipped by the Commodores, 33-28. Rutgers beat Navy, 21-20, and Utah dumped Pitt, 26-14. BYU downed Oregon State, 38-28, and Northern Illinois dominated Western Michigan, 51-22. Late Saturday night, Oregon beat Arizona State, 41-27.
Friday night, Swamp Mama and I attended the Harmony-Melbourne Central Catholic football game at MCC. We were there to see our favorite high school football player Michael Sharpe, a running back for MCC. Michael, a senior, didn’t disappoint us. He scored two touchdowns as MCC beat Harmony, 37-7.
Prior to the game, we went tailgating at Beef O’Brady’s with Michael’s parents Tom and Jane Sharpe. Also present were Tom’s brother Larry and his wife Liz from Jacksonville, Florida. Tom and Larry, big Florida State fans, were telling me that FSU fans have new names for the Seminoles’ head coach and defensive coordinator.
Head coach Jimbo Fisher is now known as Dumbo – coach Dumbo Fisher. And defensive coordinator Mark Stoops now goes by Oops – coach Oops. Mark’s brother Mike Stoops was obviously coach Oops too. Last week, Arizona fired Mike. In his eighth season with the Wildcats, Stoops had a record of 41-50. He was 1-5 this year prior to his firing.
Stoops is the second coach to be fired this season. Earlier, New Mexico fired its coach Mike Locksley. Already mentioned as possible replacements for Stoops at Arizona are former West Virginia and Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach and former Miami (Florida) coach Randy Shannon. Leach and Shannon also are being mentioned as candidates for the Florida Atlantic job, which will become available when Howard Schnellenberger retires at the end of the season.
There could be several openings at the end of the season as several coaches are currently on the hot seat. They include Mississippi’s Houston Nutt, Boston College’s Frank Spaziani, Kansas’ Turner Gill, UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel, Washington State’s Paul Wulff, Oregon State’s Mike Riley.
Also, Colorado State’s Steve Fairchild, UAB’s Neil Callaway, Memphis’ Larry Porter, Idaho’s Rob Akey and Middle Tennessee’s Rick Stockstill. Last week, UCLA’s athletic director Dan Guerrero said that Neuheisel’s job status is day-to-day. Interim coaches Luke Fickell at Ohio State and Everett Withers at North Carolina may be terminated at season’s end. Fickell more likely than Withers at this point.
More reports surfaced last week about Urban Meyer becoming the next head coach at Ohio State. Meyer is currently a college football analyst for ESPN. Last week, ESPN’s Rece Davis questioned Meyer about the reports during a show on the network. Meyer would neither confirm nor deny the reports, basically evading Davis’ questions. Stay tuned!
My favorite quarterbacks over the weekend were Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill, SMU’s J.J. McDermott, Boise State’s Kellen Moore and Northern Illinois’ Chandler Harnish.
My favorite running backs were Clemson’s Andre Ellington, Alabama’s Trent Richardson, San Diego State’s Ronnie Hillman, Utah’s John White, Oregon’s Kenjon Barner and Michigan State’s Edwin Baker.
An update to last week’s report about the Texas A&M team buses being vandalized at the Texas Tech game in Lubbock. The so-called excrement was fish bait (not feces) and the vulgar graffiti was shoe polish (not spray paint). And where was Bobby Knight?
Bootsie and Rockledge Gator attended the Florida-Auburn game in Auburn on Saturday. During the day, before the game, Swamp Mama and I viewed the two of them on-line via a Webcam at Toomer’s Corner. We saw Rockledge Gator doing the Gator Chomp on Toomer’s Corner. Then we saw Auburn fans chasing Rockledge Gator away from Toomer’s Corner. Stay tuned!
Touchdown Tom
October 17, 2011GAME OF THE WEEK: Four – Michigan State 28, Michigan 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 30, Michigan 26). Beating Michigan State is becoming a major problem for the Wolverines. It’s even tougher when Edwin Baker rushes for 167 yards. The Spartans have now won four straight. A crowd of 77,515 attended the game in East Lansing.
RUNNER UP: Where’s the Beef – Oklahoma State 38, Texas 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 41, Texas 27). The state of Oklahoma extended its domination over Texas. Last week it was the Sooners, this week the Cowboys. A crowd of 100,101 attended the game in Austin.
REST OF THE BEST: Nike rules – Oregon 41, Arizona State 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 32, Arizona State 24). A lot of teams are competitive with Oregon in the first half. It’s the second half that is the killer. ASU only trailed Oregon 21-17 at halftime. And the Sun Devils took a 24-21 lead early in the third quarter. Then it was all Ducks. Oregon didn’t miss LaMichael James. Kenjon Barner stepped up and rushed for 171 yards. A crowd of 60,055 attended the game in Eugene.
Gators? More like Geckos – Auburn 17, Florida 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 27, Florida 24). Florida has more quarterbacks than Pfizer has pills. But the problem is: Pfizer’s pills get the job done. Florida’s quarterbacks don’t. The Gators had less than 200 yards of offense. A crowd of 87,451 attended the game in Auburn.
Poor Barbara Dooley – LSU 38, Tennessee 7 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Tennessee 10). There was a good reason Matt Simms lost his starting job last year to Tyler Bray. That reason was ever so evident Saturday. Simms was 6-for-20 passing. A crowd of 101,822 attended the game in Knoxville.
Snyder’s magic – Kansas State 41, Texas Tech 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 31, Kansas State 29). Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein passed for 146 yards and rushed for another 110. The Wildcats are 6-0. Texas Tech had four turnovers, including three interceptions thrown by Seth Doege. A crowd of 49,744 attended the game in Lubbock.
Hokies do the preaching – Virginia Tech 38, Wake Forest 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 31, Wake Forest 26). Logan Thomas passed for 280 yards, David Wilson rushed for 136 yards and the Hokies defense held the Deacs to 59 yards rushing. A crowd of 35,026 attended the game in Winston-Salem.
Trees take root – Stanford 44, Washington State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 34, Washington State 19). Andrew Luck threw an interception on his first pass of the game. After that, he was 23-for-35 and no interceptions. The Cardinal defense held the Cougars to 48 yards rushing. Stanford has now won 14 consecutive games. A crowd of 30,843 attended the game in Pullman.
Ground attack – Ohio State 17, Illinois 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Illinois 25, Ohio State 22). The Buckeyes beat the Banned Indians with only 17 yards passing – one completion in only four attempts. Ohio State didn’t throw a pass until halfway through the second quarter. And the Buckeyes didn’t complete a pass until early in the fourth quarter. A crowd of 55,229 attended the game in Champaign.
Starkville scare – South Carolina 14, Mississippi State 12 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 26, Mississippi State 19). I’m still mystified. In seven seasons Steve Spurrier has never recruited or developed a good quarterback at South Carolina. It’s obvious now that Miss State was overrated coming into the season. Wonder what kind of beer Connor Shaw likes? A crowd of 55,418 attended the game in Starkville.
Looking like an SEC team – Texas A&M 55, Baylor 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 39, Baylor 34). The Aggies racked up 681 yards of offense, including Ryan Tannehill’s 415 passing. Baylor only mustered 50 yards rushing. RG3 passed for 430 yards, but the Bears were scoreless in the fourth quarter. A crowd of 87,361 attended the game in College Station.
Basketball anyone? – Clemson 56, Maryland 45 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 24, Maryland 18). Maryland must have been wearing some good uniforms. The Terps almost pulled off the upset. Clemson’s Andre Ellington rushed for 212 yards. A crowd of 47,961 attended the game in College Park.
Uga strums – Georgia 33, Vanderbilt 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 26, Vanderbilt 15). Georgia is lucky that Vanderbilt had four turnovers. Otherwise, the Commodores might have won this game. The Dawgs’ Aaron Murray passed for 326 yards. A crowd of 36,640 attended the game in Nashville.
Utes declaw the Panthers – Utah 26, Pitt 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 31, Utah 22). The Utes held the Panthers to 120 yards of offense. Utah’s John White rushed for 171 yards. A crowd of 43,719 attended the game in Pittsburgh.
Preview to a Big East game – SMU 38, UCF 17 (Touchdown Tom said: SMU 24, UCF 20). The Mustangs’ J.J. McDermott passed for 358 yards. A crowd of 22,932 attended the game in Dallas.
A strong breeze on the Hill – Miami (Florida) 30, North Carolina 24 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 24, Miami 22). Miami led 27-3 near the end of the 2nd quarter. Then the Heels decided to get into the game. A crowd of 60,000 attended the game in Chapel Hill.
The Eyes didn’t blink – Iowa 41, Northwestern 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 23, Northwestern 19). Iowa snapped a three-game losing streak to the Wildcats. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 17-0 lead. Then Northwestern gave them a fight. A crowd of 70,585 attended the game in Iowa City.
Aztecs sacrifice the Falcons – San Diego State 41, Air Force 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Air Force 34, San Diego State 33). Air Force is downright rotten on defense. A crowd of 27,490 attended the game in Colorado Springs.
Snapping in Durham – Florida State 41, Duke 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 33, Duke 19). Noles snap a three-game losing streak. Devils snap a three-game winning streak. A crowd of 24,687 attended the game in Tallahassee.
Cal-a-roni, a San Francisco treat – USC 30, California 9 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 30, California 24). Cal has no running game – 35 yards rushing – and a terrible quarterback – three interceptions. A crowd of 44,043 attended the game in San Francisco.
Mo vents – Missouri 52, Iowa State 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 32, Iowa State 23). Missouri, who has suffered its share of frustrating losses, took out its frustrations on Iowa State. The Cyclones, who began the season 3-0, have now dropped three straight. A crowd of 71,004 attended the game in Columbia.
Subtle – Penn State 23, Purdue 18 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 21, Purdue 12). Don’t look now, but Penn State is 6-1. But the easy part of the Lions’ schedule is coming to an end. The tough part looms. A crowd of 100,820 attended the game in State College.
Comment: Luck finally ran out for Michigan and Illinois.
A decent week with my picks at 17-5. That brings my season total to 125-41 (75.3 percent).
South Florida lost to Connecticut, 16-10. A crowd of 37,162 attended the game in East Hartford…. Florida Atlantic fell to Western Kentucky, 20-0. A crowd of 29,103 attended the game in Boca Raton…. Florida A&M beat Savannah State, 47-7. A crowd of 4,356 attended the game in Savannah.
Bethune-Cookman downed Fort Valley State, 58-30. A crowd of 4,921 attended the game in Daytona Beach…. Jacksonville U. clubbed Morehead State, 50-14. A crowd of 3,105 attended the game in Jacksonville.
Impressive Passers: Baylor’s Robert Griffin – 28-40-1 for 430 yards; Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill – 25-37-1-415; Oklahoma’s Landry Jones – 29-48-1-360; SMU’s J.J. McDermott – 20-31-1-358; Central Michigan’s Ryan Radcliff – 33-50-1-351; Tulsa’s G.J. Kinne – 31-43-1-341; Boise State’s Kellen Moore – 26-30-0-338; Stanford’s Andrew Luck – 23-36-1-336, and Georgia’s Aaron Murray – 22-38-1-326.
Also, East Carolina’s Dominique Davis – 28-37-0 for 307 yards; Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 27-43-2-306; Arizona State’s Brock Osweiler – 29-46-2-291; Missouri’s James Franklin – 20-28-2-289; North Carolina’s Bryn Renner – 29-37-0-288; Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas – 17-32-0-280; Louisiana-Monroe’s Kolton Browning – 23-31-0-275; Rutgers’ Gary Nova – 23-31-2-271, and Clemson’s Tajh Boyd – 26-38-1-270.
Also, Maryland’s C.J. Brown – 162 yards; Eastern Michigan’s Dominique White – 161 yards; Utah State’s Robert Turbin – 155 yards; Temple’s Bernard Pierce – 152 yards; Cincinnati’s Isaiah Pead – 151 yards; Virginia’s Perry Jones – 149 yards; Wisconsin’s Montee Ball – 142 yards; Oklahoma State’s Jeremy Smith – 140 yards, and Fresno State’s Robbie Rouse – 140 yards.
“Hiring (Urban) Meyer is the only way OSU’s (Gordon) Gee and (Gene) Smith can survive,” CBSSports.com writer Gregg Doyell, on Ohio State’s president and athletic director saving their jobs.
“I personally hope he (Steve Spurrier) coaches another 10 years. He is in great shape for a man of 66. Actually he’s in great shape for a man of 46. He’s a straight shooter, and I like that. He doesn’t cheat, and he won’t tolerate those that do. He remains the best in-game play-caller of my generation. He is good for college football,” CBSSports.com writer Tony Barnhart, on South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.
“I’m not going to pull a Steve Spurrier on you,” Alabama coach Nick Saban at his weekly conference with the media.
“For the rest of our life, we can walk the streets of Michigan,” Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins, after beating Michigan.
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Wisconsin (6-0) at Michigan State (5-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – The going doesn’t get any easier for the Spartans. But at least they are home again this week. They’ll need some help from the home-field crowd. After devouring Indiana for an appetizer, Wisconsin rolls into East Lansing hoping to consume the Spartans for an entrée. Michigan State may have stopped Denard, but there is no stopping Russell – not with his supporting cast. Badgers have a feast – Wisconsin 28, Michigan State 24.
RUNNER UP: 2. Washington (5-1) at Stanford (6-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – Stanford has had four cupcakes in the Pac-12 – Arizona, UCLA, Colorado and Washington State. Washington is no cupcake. The Huskies will be Stanford’s first test. Cardinals ace the exam – Stanford 34, Washington 16.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Auburn (5-2) at LSU (7-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – Now it’s Auburn’s turn to be chewed up by the Cajun Tigers. LSU’s average score over its three SEC opponents to date is 32-8. Auburn’s goal is to hold LSU under 32 points and to score more than eight points on the Cajun Tigers. Good luck. Aubie bows to Mike – LSU 33, Auburn 14.
4. North Carolina (5-2) at Clemson (7-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – The Tigers got a scare last week and the Tar Heels got a surprise. No scares or surprises this week. The Tigers are back in form – Clemson 32, North Carolina 21.
5. USC (5-1) at Notre Dame (4-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Ind.) – The Irish are on a roll since losing their first two games. They are 4-0. But then again, Michigan State was the only good team in those four games. The other three were cupcakes. USC is no cupcake. The Trojans are respectable. But then again, USC’s five wins have been against cupcakes. And Notre Dame is no cupcake. But the Trojans are the icing on the cake for the Irish. Yum, yum – Notre Dame 30, USC 23.
6. SMU (5-1) at Southern Miss (5-1) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – Key game in C-USA. More key to Southern Miss, as the Eagles already have a loss in conference play. Since their season opening loss, the Mustangs have won five straight. Make it six straight – SMU 34, Southern Miss 32.
7. Texas Tech (4-2) at Oklahoma (6-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – If quarterback Seth Doege is hot, the Red Raiders could cause some problems for the Sooners. But OU won’t have any problems with Tech’s defense. It’s never hot. With Landry Jones and Doege, look for a supersonic air show. Sooners break the sound barrier – Oklahoma 49, Texas Tech 25.
8. Tennessee (3-3) at Alabama (7-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – Some teams have all the luck. Tennessee – like Florida – has the pleasure of facing Alabama and LSU on back-to-back weekends. Some pleasure. The Tide is beating its SEC opponents by an average score of 41-8. Wonder if Barbara Dooley is trying to plea bargain with Nick Saban? Tide makes a door Matt out of Simms – Alabama 36, Tennessee 9.
9. Air Force (3-3) at Boise State (6-0) – (MWC vs. MWC) – Notre Dame scored 59 points on Air Force. The Broncos in all likelihood could score more. But at least the Falcons should get some gratification out of the blue turf. It could make them sky high. Broncos ground the sky pilots – Boise State 42, Air Force 19.
10. Oklahoma State (6-0) at Missouri (3-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – This could be a trap game for Okie State. Missouri may be the best 3-3 team in the country. The Tigers are wounded, but dangerous. And the game is in Columbia. A difficult game for Okie State. Cowboys dig their spurs into the Tigers – Oklahoma State 31, Missouri 22.
11. Georgia Tech (6-1) at Miami (Florida) (3-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – From week to week, you never know which Miami team will show up. If it’s the Miami team that beat Ohio State and North Carolina, the Yellow Jackets could be in trouble. Regardless, it should be a tight game – Georgia Tech 27, Miami 24.
12. West Virginia (5-1) at Syracuse (3-2) – (Big East vs. Big East) – Last year, the Eers stubbed their toe on Syracuse. The Orange surprised the Mounties. Geno Smith had one of his worst, if not the worst, games of the season. The Cuse get another shot at Geno. Let’s see if he learned his lesson. WVU has won four straight in the Carrier Dome – last loss coming in 2001. The Mountaineers make it five straight – West Virginia 33, Syracuse 17.
13. Illinois (6-1) at Purdue (3-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – The Banned Indians stumped their toe last week. No offense against Ohio State. Purdue doesn’t have the defense that the Buckeyes have, but the Boilers are an improving team. And the Boilers are home. Illinois has a task on its hands. Zook’s eyes are smiling – Illinois 29, Purdue 20.
14. Texas A&M (4-2) at Iowa State (3-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – After a couple of bumps on the road – and when the Aggies had big leads at halftime – A&M seems to have its act together again. The Cyclones started out 3-0, but then ran into Baylor, Texas and Missouri. Now the Cyclones run into the Aggies and they don’t like how it feels – Texas A&M 35, Iowa State 17.
15. Marshall (3-4) at Houston (5-0) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – Houston would like to become the first C-USA team to make it to a BCS bowl. Not impossible, but not likely. But the Herd won’t do anything to hurt the Cougars’ chances. The Cougars Case the Herd – Houston 35, Marshall 20.
16. Penn State (6-1) at Northwestern (2-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – Penn State is 6-1, but the Lions have been winning games ever so closely. Penn State has a good defense, but no offense. The Wildcats will test State’s defense, but the Lions win another close one – Penn State 25, Northwestern 22.
17. Cincinnati (5-1) at South Florida (4-2) – (Big East vs. Big East) – South Florida is dangerous at home. The Bulls two losses were on the road. But Cincinnati seems to be back in its groove, following the early season loss to Tennessee. Bulls lose their Skip – Cincinnati 26, South Florida 21.
18. Wake Forest (4-2) at Duke (3-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – The Dookies were on a roll until Florida State came along. Likewise, the Deacs were on a roll until Virginia Tech came along. The Deacs start rolling again – Wake Forest 28, Duke 19.
19. Rutgers (5-1) at Louisville (2-4) – (Big East vs. Big East) – Rutgers, picked at preseason to finish last in the Big East, is off to a fast start. But the Knights could be positioned for an upset. Louisville can play some defense, but the Cardinals have no offense. Knights read the Cards – Rutgers 28, Louisville 22.
20. Utah (3-3) at California (3-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – The Utes were hurting until they bounced back last week against Pitt. That win may have rejuvenated Utah. Cal is still hurting. The Bears have no defense, no quarterback and their coach is on the hot seat. Sounds like trouble to me. The Utes don’t leave their heart in San Francisco – Utah 28, California 24.
21. Oregon State (1-5) at Washington State (3-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – Two teams who could really use a win. Both coaches are in trouble. The Cougars have shown some signs of improvement. The Beavers are still floundering. In flounders fields where Cougars growl – Washington State 32, Oregon State 27.
Nebraska (5-1) at Minnesota (1-5) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – After two tough games and a week off, the Huskers get another week off this week. Well, maybe not quite. But playing Minnesota is the same as having the week off. There is nothing golden about these Gophers. They are about as putrid green as you can get. Minnesota’s lone win was against Miami (Ohio). I’m still trying to figure out how the Gophers won that game. Miami (Ohio) must have been playing its junior varsity players. Ironically, this is Minnesota’s homecoming. Some homecoming? After this game, the Gopher alumni may never come home again. Herbie chowders the Gophers – Nebraska 48, Minnesota 10.
Florida (4-3), Georgia (5-2) and Texas (4-2) are off this week.
Florida State (3-3) hosts Maryland (2-4)…. UCF (3-3) visits UAB (0-6)…. Florida International (4-2) travels to Arkansas State (4-2)…. Florida Atlantic (0-6) is hosting Middle Tennessee (1-4)…. Bethune-Cookman (3-3) is at Norfolk State (6-1)…. Florida A&M (4-3) is on the road at South Carolina State (4-3)…. Jacksonville U. (5-2) is home against Davidson (2-4).
Florida International at Arkansas State – 8 p.m. ET – ESPN2
Bethune Cookman at Norfolk State – 7:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
UCLA at Arizona – 9:00 p.m. ET – ESPNWest Virginia at Syracuse – 8 p.m. ET – ESPN
Rutgers at Louisville – 8 p.m. ET – ESPN2North Carolina at Clemson – 12 noon ET – ESPN
Illinois at Purdue – 12 noon ET – ESPN2Jacksonville State at Kentucky – 12 noon ET – ESPNU
Kansas at Kansas State – 12 noon ET – Fox Sports Network
Oklahoma State at Missouri – 12 noon ET – FX
Yale at Penn – 12 noon ET – Versus
Arkansas at Ole Miss – 12:20 p.m. ET – SEC Game of the Week
Wake Forest at Duke – 12:30 p.m. ET – ACC Game of the Week
Air Force at Boise State – 3:30 p.m. ET – Versus
Auburn at LSU – 3:30 p.m. ET – CBS
East Carolina at Navy – 3:30 p.m. ET – CBS College Sports Network
Maryland at Florida State – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC/ESPN2
Nebraska at Minnesota – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC/ESPN2
Texas A&M at Iowa State – 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC
N.C. State at Virginia – 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Oregon at Colorado – 3:30 p.m. ET – Fox Sports Network
Army at Vanderbilt – 7 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Tennessee at Alabama – 7:15 p.m. ET – ESPN2
USC at Notre Dame – 7:30 p.m. ET – NBC
SMU at Southern Miss – 8 p.m. ET – CBS College Sports Network
Texas Tech at Oklahoma – 8 p.m. ET – ABC
Washington at Stanford – 8 p.m. ET – ABC
Wisconsin at Michigan State – 8 p.m. ET – ESPN
Oregon State at Washington State – 10:30 p.m. ET – Fox Sports Network
Elsewhere around college football . . . New Mexico has scheduled a two-game home-and-home series with UT-San Antonio to be played in 2013 and 2014…. Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters announced he will retire July 1, 2012. Waters, 62, became the Sun Belt commissioner in 1998.
Tulsa athletic director Bubba Cunningham has been hired as the new athletic director at North Carolina. Cunningham will be paid a base salary of $525,000, plus bonuses…. Florida has added Louisiana-Lafayette to its 2012 schedule…. Wyoming has added North Dakota to its 2015 schedule…. Florida Atlantic inaugurated its new, on-campus 30,000-seat stadium on Saturday.
First BCS Rankings: 1. LSU, 2. Alabama, 3. Oklahoma, 4. Oklahoma State, 5. Boise State, 6. Wisconsin, 7. Clemson, 8. Stanford, 9. Arkansas, 10. Oregon.
On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Website and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.
Touchdown Tom
Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were four passings of note last week – Doris Belack, Mildred Savage, Dennis Ritchie and Patricia Breslin,
Doris Belack, a veteran stage, television and screen actress best known for her roles as a judge on “Law & Order” and as a soap opera producer in “Tootsie,” died last week in New York City. She was 85. Belack played many roles on Broadway and worked in television, beginning in the early 1960s. She was in “The Patty Duke Show,” “The Defenders,” “Barney Miller,” “Family Ties” and “The Cosby Show,” and a recurring role in the soap opera “One Life to Live” from 1968 to 1977. Doris Belack was born on February 26, 1926, in New York City.
Mildred Savage, the author of the best-selling novel “Parrish” (1958), a tale of a teenager struggling into manhood in the tobacco fields of the Connecticut River Valley in the late 1940s and early 1950s – a novel that later became a popular motion picture – died last week at her home in Norwich, Connecticut. She was 92. The movie “Parrish” (1961) starred Troy Donahue, Claudette Colbert, Karl Malden, Dean Jagger, Connie Stevens and Diane McBain. Mildred Spitz Savage was born in New London, Connecticut on June 26, 1919. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1941.
Dennis Ritchie, who helped shape the modern digital era by creating software tools that power things as diverse as search engines like Google and smart phones, died last week at his home in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. He was 70. Ritchie was the designer of the C programming language and the co-developer of the Unix operating system. Dennis MacAlister Ritchie was born on September 9, 1941, in Bronxville, New York.
Patricia Breslin, an actress who appeared on many television shows, including a memorable episode of “The Twilight Zone,” and who was married to the former NFL team owner Art Modell (Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens), died last week in Baltimore. She was 80. In the 1950s, she starred in the sitcom “The People’s Choice” as the wife of a politician (Jackie Cooper). Their basset hound, Cleo, had a talking voice on the show. She also played the role of Meg Baldwin in the soap opera “General Hospital” and Laura Brooks on the prime-time soap opera “Peyton Place.” She also appeared on “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Perry Mason” and “Maverick.” Patricia Breslin was born on March 17, 1931, in New York City.
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