College Football Week 10 – Bama-LSU and Ducks-USC
When does that 4-team playoff start?

If ever we needed the four-team playoff, which will begin in two years, we may need it now.  The possibility of Alabama, Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame finishing the season undefeated is very real.  And if that happens, I can hear the noise now.  It will be loud.

The list of undefeated teams took a big hit over the weekend.  Five of the 11 unbeatens lost – Florida, Mississippi State, Oregon State, Rutgers, and Ohio.  Florida gave up six turnovers to Georgia, losing to the Dawgs, 17-9.  Miss State finally played a tough team.  The Bulldogs fell to Alabama, 38-7.

Like the Gators, Oregon State and Rutgers were extremely generous to their opponents also.  The Beavers had four turnovers, losing to Washington, 20-17.  The Scarlet Knights had an unbelievable seven turnovers, falling to Kent State, 35-23.  And Ohio got off to a slow start and couldn’t catch up, losing to Miami (Ohio), 23-20.

That leaves six teams without a blemish on their records – Alabama, Oregon, Kansas State, Notre Dame, Louisville and Ohio State.  Like the other four, Louisville and Ohio State could finish the season unbeaten.  But the Cardinals and the Buckeyes aren’t contenders. 

Louisville’s weaker schedule won’t boost the Cardinals into a Top-2 spot even if they are the only undefeated team come December 9.  Several teams with one loss on their record would finish above Louisville in the BCS rankings.  And Ohio State is on probation.  The Buckeyes can’t play in a title game no matter what their record is – not this season.

But Alabama, Oregon, Kansas State and Notre Dame are contenders.  If all four of them should finish undefeated, prepare for madness.  It would cause the biggest controversy in the history of college football.

What are the odds?  Alabama still has to play LSU (away), Texas A&M, Western Carolina and Auburn – all home.  Then the Tide would have the SEC title game – most likely against Georgia.  Oregon has games remaining against USC (away), California (away), Stanford (home) and Oregon State (away).  Then the Ducks would play the Pac-12 title game – most likely against USC or UCLA, or possibly Arizona State or Arizona.

Kansas State will finish its season against Oklahoma State (home), TCU (away), Baylor (away) and Texas (home).  The Wildcats are not faced with a conference title game.  The Big 12 doesn’t have one.  And finally, Notre Dame’s remaining foes are Pitt (home), Boston College (away), Wake Forest (home) and USC (away).  As an Independent, the Irish don’t play a conference title game.

Wouldn’t it be something if both Alabama and Oregon suffered their first loss in their conference title game?  Then most likely Kansas State and Notre Dame would meet for the national championship.      

There are an infinite number of possibilities and scenarios that we could be faced with as college football plays out the final five weekends of its season.  As easy as some of the opponents may appear, the pressure on an undefeated team gets stronger and stronger as the team remains unbeaten. 

It’s possible that none of the teams could finish undefeated.  We could end up with a slew of one-loss teams.  Then imagine the controversy.

As bad as the situation always looks around this time of the season each year, everything generally pans out.  We end up with two logical teams for the national championship.  But there is always the first time it doesn’t pan out.  Stay tuned!

Five of the six undefeated teams had an easy day on Saturday.  Alabama, as mentioned above, put down Mississippi State, 38-7.  Oregon embarrassed Colorado, 70-14.  Kansas State dispatched Texas Tech, 55-24.  Notre Dame demolished Oklahoma, 30-13, and Ohio State upended Penn State, 35-23.  Only Louisville struggled.  The Cardinals were taken to overtime by Cincinnati, before they put away the Bearcats, 34-31 (OT).

In the only other overtime game Saturday, Michigan State stunned Wisconsin in Madison.  The Spartans beat the Badgers, 16-13 (OT).  In a barnburner in Tampa, Syracuse scored a touchdown with 0:03 left in the game to beat South Florida, 37-36.  The Orange trailed the Bulls 23-3 at halftime.  South Florida coach Skip Holtz could see a pink slip soon.

Speaking of pink slips, the first firing occurred last week.  Idaho fired its coach Robb Akey.  In his sixth season with the Vandals, Akey was 1-7 this year and 20-50 overall at Idaho. 

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I are off to Gainesville for the upcoming weekend.  We’ll be attending the Missouri-Florida game on Saturday.  The game is a 12 noon start so it sounds like another Bloody Mary tailgate is on tap. 

Speaking of tailgates, I’ve been remiss this season for not giving a shout-out to Dan Kleinbeck and the Big Red Meat Wagon crew in Lincoln, Nebraska.  The BRMW gang throws the best tailgate parties before all Nebraska home games in Lincoln.

And speaking of shout-outs, Rockledge Gator was singing in his sleep the other night.  He was dreaming about Pat Boone and started singing “Bernadine” in his sleep.  Bootsie woke up and started hitting Rockledge Gator with her pillow, but she couldn’t get him to stop. “Oh, oh, oh Bernadine.”

Just before the start of Saturday’s NC State-North Carolina game, my former Wolfpack neighbor Brent Stancil reported that his 3½-year-old son was calling the Tar Heels – “the Stinky Poo-Poos.”  Sounds like Brent has been training his son.               

Touchdown Tom
October 29, 2012
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)

     
Week Nine Review

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Stoops poops – Notre Dame 30, Oklahoma 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 25, Notre Dame 23).  It seems like Bob Stoops can’t win the big game anymore.  His Sooners couldn’t win a yard on the ground.  The stingy Irish defense held OU to a mere 15 yards rushing.  The Sooners won the passing game.  Landry Jones had 374 yards.  The Irish won the rushing game.  But ultimately the Notre Dame defense won the game.  A crowd of 86,031 attended the game in Norman.

RUNNER UP:  That dirty old egg-suckin’ Dawg – Georgia 17, Florida 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 27, Georgia 26).  No, I’m not talking about Georgia.  I’m talking about Will Mustake – the first Florida coach in 23 years to lose two straight to Georgia.  Yeah, Will is back to being a Mustake, while the Gator offense was a mistake – six of them.  Now the Gators know how South Carolina felt last week when the Gamecocks had four turnovers.  Florida’s six turnovers against Georgia were a reminder of how shaky the Gator offense is.  They had been making good progress each week, but the turnovers were a reflection of their carelessness.  And it wasn’t as if Aaron Murray didn’t try to help out the Gators.  Murray was guilty of throwing three interceptions himself.  He only passed for 150 yards and only completed half of his throws.  But the Gator offense couldn’t take advantage of Murray’s kindness.  The Gator defense played good.  In fact, both defenses played good.  A crowd of 84,644 attended the game in Jacksonville.

REST OF THE BEST:  Dismantled – Alabama 38, Mississippi State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Mississippi State 16).  Before the game, we had our doubts about Miss State.  The Bulldogs were undefeated, but they hadn’t beaten anybody.  Well, they played somebody Saturday and they are no longer undefeated.  Then again, Alabama isn’t just somebody.  The Tide are “the” body.  Alabama just seems to take its opponents apart one piece at a time.  And they never miss a step, or a piece, along the way.  The Tide does it on defense and the Tide does it on offense.  Like a precision marching band, Alabama is a precision playing football team.  A crowd of 101,821 attended the game in Tuscaloosa.

Cats leave the Raiders in their litter – Kansas State 55, Texas Tech 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 33, Texas Tech 21).  K-State is definitely the better team, but three turnovers didn’t help Texas Tech’s cause any.  Tech led 10-3 early in the second quarter and only trailed 27-17 halfway through the third quarter.  That’s when the Wildcats scored 28 unanswered points.  Collin Klein passed for 233 yards and rushed for another 83.  A crowd of 50,766 attended the game in Manhattan.

Time out – Louisville 34 Cincinnati 31 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 32, Cincinnati 30).  Louisville scored with 1:56 left in the game to take a 31-24 lead.  But then Cincinnati scored with 1:03 remaining to tie it up again, 31-31.  The Cardinals survived in the first overtime with a 30-yard field goal, after the Bearcats had failed to score.  On fourth down, Louisville flubbed the snap on its first field goal attempt and the game appeared to be headed to a second overtime.  But wait, Cincinnati coach Butch Jones called a timeout just before the snap.  So the Cardinals got to kick again.  A crowd of 53,271 attended the game in Louisville.

The bubble burst – Ohio State 35, Penn State 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 24, Ohio State 22).  Braxton Miller couldn’t pass worth a darn, but he could still run with the ball.  Miller was 7-for-19 and one interception passing, but he rushed for 134 yards.  Speaking of rushing, Penn State didn’t know what it was.  The Nittany Lions only had 32 yards on the ground.  Matt McGloin made up for the difference, passing for 327 yards.  But it wasn’t enough to make a big difference.  Leading by only 14-10 late in the third quarter, the Buckeyes put the game away with two quick scores before the quarter ended.  A crowd of 107,818 attended the game in State College.

Devils melt – Florida State 48, Duke 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 37, Duke 25).  This one was over before it began.  Just 19 minutes into the game, the Noles led 31-0.  The Dookies never knew what hit them.  FSU was too balanced, passing for 299 yards and rushing for 261.  A crowd of 71,467 attended the game in Tallahassee.

Ears poppin’ – Nebraska 23, Michigan 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 22, Michigan 20).  Much maligned after the Ohio State game, the Nebraska defense rose to the occasion against Michigan.  The Husker “D” held the Wolverines to 188 total yards – 93 passing and 95 rushing.  While the Nebraska defense was doing its job, the Husker offense held up its end of the bargain.  The “O” had 326 total yards, 166 passing and 160 rushing.  A crowd of 86,160 attended the game in Lincoln.

Wild one – UCLA 45, Arizona State 43 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, Arizona State 33).  In what may have been the most exciting game of the weekend, Arizona State took a 43-42 lead over UCLA with 1:33 left in the game.  But as time expired, UCLA kicked a 33-yard field goal to win the game.  The Sun Devils jumped out to a kick 14-0 lead in the first quarter.  ASU never trailed in the game until UCLA first took the lead at 21-17 just before the half.  The Bruins held onto the lead until near the end when ASU went up 43-42, brief as it was.  The two teams combined for 1,021 yards of offense.  A crowd of 55,672 attended the game in Tempe.

Wolves get Tar on their paws – North Carolina 43, NC State 35 (Touchdown Tom said: NC State 28, North Carolina 24).  In another wild game, North Carolina led 25-7 late in the first quarter.  Then NC State woke up and scored 28 unanswered points to take a 35-25 lead at the end of the third quarter.  At that point, the Wolves retired to their den and the Heels scored 18 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win the game.  In all, the two teams amassed 1,104 yards of offense.  But the Wolfpack only had 67 yards rushing.  A crowd of 62,000 attended the game in Chapel Hill.

Frogs get Poked – Oklahoma State 36, TCU 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 26, TCU 23).  TCU scored the first 14 points and Okie State scored the next 36 points.  It was as simple as that.  A crowd of 57,183 attended the game in Stillwater.

Beaver pelts – Washington 20, Oregon State 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon State 27, Washington 19).  The Huskies kicked a 30-yard field goal with 1:20 on the clock and held on to win.  Four turnovers killed the Beavers.  A crowd of 60,842 attended the game in Seattle.

Look what Rich Rod did – Arizona 39, USC 36 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 34, Arizona 24).  The Trojans led 28-13 early in the third quarter.  Then Arizona scored 26 unanswered points to take a 39-28 lead.  USC never made it back.  The two teams combined for 1,206 yards.  The Trojans were victims of five turnovers.  A crowd of 47,822 attended the game in Tucson.

Cats don’t give up – Northwestern 28, Iowa 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 29, Iowa 27).  Northwestern has this habit of jumping out early and getting a good lead on its opponents.  Then late in the game, the Wildcats often lose the lead and lose the game.  It almost happened again against Iowa.  Northwestern led the Hawkeyes 28-3 throughout most of the third quarter.  By midway through the fourth quarter, Iowa cut the lead to 11 points – 28-17.  But the Hawkeyes got no closer.  A crowd of 44,121 attended the game in Evanston.

Mad in Madison – Michigan State 16, Wisconsin 13 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 22, Michigan State 14).  A real defensive battle, neither team could run the ball.  State had 61 yards rushing to only 19 for Wisconsin.  Did you ever think the Badgers would have a game where they only rush for 19 yards?  Tied 10-10 at the end of regulation, the Spartans won in the first overtime.  A crowd of 80,538 attended the game in Madison.

Wolves on the run – Air Force 48, Nevada 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Nevada 32, Air Force 29).  Nevada’s defense didn’t have an answer for Air Force’s running game.  The Falcons racked up 36 first downs and 600 yards of offense – 461 of the yards rushing.  A crowd of 24,277 attended the game in Colorado Springs.

Cluck, cluck – South Carolina 38, Tennessee 35 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 30, Tennessee 20).  As hard as they tried, the Gamecocks couldn’t shake Tennessee.  The Vols kept hanging in there.  In a passing duel, Tyler Bray tossed for 368 yards and Connor Shaw passed for 356.  A crowd of 80,250 attended the game in Columbia.

Dirty Birdies – Iowa State 35, Baylor 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 35, Iowa State 33).  Baylor had the early lead, but Iowa State took control midway through the second quarter and never looked back.  The game became a passing battle between Nick Florence (426 yards) and Steele Jantz (381 yards).  The Bears suffered four turnovers.  A crowd of 54,877 attended the game in Ames.

Cougars take the Bumble out of the Bees – BYU 47, Georgia Tech 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 19, BYU 18).  BYU held Georgia Tech to 157 yards – 40 passing and 117 rushing.  The Tech defense couldn’t stop the Cougars.  A crowd of 50,103 attended the game in Atlanta.

Is the moving van at Chizik’s house yet? – Texas A&M 63, Auburn 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 25, Auburn 20).  What a massacre.  Early in the third quarter, A&M led 49-7.  If a decision hadn’t been made already to fire Gene Chizik before the game, I’m sure that decision was made after the game.  The Aggies racked up 671 yards of offense on the Tigers.  A crowd of 85,119 attended the game in Auburn.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

Aggies get a rose – Utah State 48, Texas-San Antonio 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah State 36, UTSA 15).  The Aggies Chuckie Keeton had another good day, passing for 340 yards.  Utah State held the Roadrunners to 51 yards rushing.  A crowd of 23,519 attended the game in San Antonio.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Bevo’s living on the edge – Texas 21, Kansas 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 35, Kansas 17).  Texas was lucky to win.  The Horns scored on a one-yard touchdown pass with 0:12 left in the game to pull it out.  Neither team could develop a passing game – the Jayhawks least of the two, passing for only 39 yards.  A crowd of 40,097 attended the game in Lawrence.

Boilers shut down – Minnesota 44, Purdue 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 27, Minnesota 23).  Early in the third quarter, the Gophers led 44-7.  Then Purdue decided to get into the game.  But it was too late for the Boilers.  Minnesota had a balanced attack – 246 yards passing and 212 rushing.  A crowd of 41,062 attended the game in Minneapolis.

Week 9 Picks:    12 Correct,    11 Wrong   (52.2 percent)
On the Season:  147 Correct,   59 Wrong   (71.4 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

UCF plastered Marshall, 54-17.  A crowd of 22,563 attended the game in Huntington….  South Florida lost to Syracuse, 37-36.  A crowd of 38,562 attended the game in Tampa….  Florida Atlantic beat Troy, 34-27.  A crowd of 11,968 attended the game in Boca Raton.

Florida International fell to Western Kentucky, 14-6.  A crowd of 12,842 attended the game in Miami….  Bethune-Cookman downed North Carolina Central, 42-17.  A crowd of 5,738 attended the game in Daytona Beach.


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:  USC’s Matt Barkley – 31-49-2-493 yards; NC State’s Mike Glennon – 29-52-2-467; Tulane’s Ryan Griffin – 34-42-1-466; Clemson’s Tajh Boyd – 27-38-0-438; Baylor’s Nick Florence – 31-51-1-426; Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater – 24-41-1-416; Fresno State’s Derek Carr – 31-44-1-416, and Washington State’s Jeff Tuel – 43-60-1-401.

Also, Iowa State’s Steele Jantz – 36-52-1-381 yards; San Jose State’s David Fales – 26-38-2-376; Arizona’s Matt Scott – 27-50-1-369; Tennessee’s Tyler Bray – 27-43-1-368; North Carolina’s Bryn Renner – 30-47-1-358; South Carolina’s Connor Shaw – 22-32-1-356; Oklahoma’s Landry Jones – 35-51-1-356, and SMU’s Garrett Gilbert – 25-35-0-353.

Also, Middle Tennessee’s Logan Kilgore – 20-30-0-349 yards; Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton – 27-36-1-340; Western Michigan’s Tyler Van Tubbergen – 32-51-1-333; Texas Tech’s Seth Doege – 35-50-1-331; Akron’s Dalton Williams – 31-51-2-329; Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib – 27-40-0-328; Penn State’s Matt McGloin – 27-45-1-327; Oklahoma State’s Wes Lunt – 18-33-1-324; Pitt’s Tino Sunseri – 20-28-0-321, and Arizona State’s Taylor Kelly – 25-35-1-315.

Also, Miami of Ohio’s Zac Dysert – 21-36-1-311 yards; Ohio’s Tyler Tettleton – 23-38-0-302; Marshall’s Rakeem Cato – 35-62-0-298; Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson – 24-43-2-297; Louisiana Tech’s Colby Cameron – 29-44-0-292; California’s Zach Maynard – 20-32-1-288; Boston College’s Chase Rettig – 21-39-0-287; New Mexico State’s Andrew Manley – 18-34-1-283, and Florida State’s E.J. Manuel – 8-16-0-282.      


Impressive Rushers:  Central Michigan’s Zurlon Tipton – 243 yards; Toledo’s David Fluellen – 228 yards; Northwestern’s Kain Colter – 166 yards; UAB’s Darrin Reaves – 166 yards; UCLA’s Johnathan Franklin – 164 yards; Arkansas’ Dennis Johnson – 161 yards; Western Kentucky’s Antonio Andrews – 158 yards; UCF’s Latavius Murray – 156 yards, and Air Force’s Wes Cobb – 152 yards. 


Quotes of Last Week

“Sorry, Doggies, Gators look too good,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz, prior to the Florida-Georgia game.

“Duke coach David Cutcliffe should push for his raise now because he might lose the next four (Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami),” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“Tennessee loses today, but wins its last four games and goes to a bowl game,” ESPN analyst Lee Corso, prior to the Tennessee-South Carolina game.


The 20 Hottest and Most Intriguing Games of Week 10…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Alabama (8-0) at LSU (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – Finally, Alabama meets someone who may be able to match up against them.  But LSU will have to play a mistake-free game, if the Tigers expect to hang around with Bama.  The home field should be some advantage to LSU.  I really can’t see the Tigers scoring on the Tide.  But the Tiger defense may be able to contain Bama.  Then the Tigers will need some luck.  LSU looks for Bama mistakes and can’t find them – Alabama 24, LSU 14.

RUNNER UP:  2. Oregon (8-0) at USC (6-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: Fox, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – There is no way USC can stop Oregon.  The Trojans have to hope they can keep scoring with the Ducks.  And they could.  But Matt Barkley needs to have an almost perfect game.  The Ducks have a horse – Oregon 40, USC 30.

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Texas A&M (6-2) at Mississippi State (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Miss State is in the tougher part of its schedule.  The wins, if at all, won’t come very easily.  But at least the Bulldogs are bowl-eligible.  During their first year in the conference, the Aggies, unlike Missouri, have made an impact on the SEC.  The Collie gets the best of the Bulldog – Texas A&M 25, Mississippi State 19.

4. Oklahoma State (5-2) at Kansas State (8-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – The Wildcats are the class of the Big 12 and Collin Klein is the class of the Heisman contenders.  Okie State would like to disrupt those classes.  Cowpokes lose their spurs – Kansas State 43, Oklahoma State 29.

5. Texas (6-2) at Texas Tech (6-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – When the season began, Tommy Tuberville was on the hot seat.  Tuberville has turned-down the heat on his seat.  When the season began Mack Brown was not on the hot seat.  Brown is now feeling the heat.  Tuberville stays cool – Texas Tech 42, Texas 23.

6. Arizona State (5-3) at Oregon State (6-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: ESPN2, 10:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Oregon State stumbled last week.  Arizona State lost a heartbreaker.  The Beavers bounce back – Oregon State 32, Arizona State 30.

7. Ole Miss (5-3) at Georgia (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Ole Miss has to be hoping that Georgia is still slap-happy drunk from its win over Florida.  That’s the only way the Rebel Bears can expect to win.  They may find Athens to their liking.  But Uga finds a way to win – Georgia 28, Ole Miss 20.

8. Missouri (4-4) at Florida (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN2, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Mizzou has to be hoping it catches Florida down from its loss to Georgia.  If the Tigers do, they could pull off the upset.  But Mustake becomes Muschamp again – Florida 30, Missouri 22.

9. Pitt (4-4) at Notre Dame (8-0) – (Big East vs. Ind.) (TV: NBC, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – The Irish are rolling after the win over Oklahoma.  And the schedule doesn’t pose any threats for the next three games.  The Panthers are the first of three non-threats – Notre Dame 28, Pitt 11.

10. Oklahoma (5-2) at Iowa State (5-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Frustrated from the loss to Notre Dame, the Sooners could run into some problems in Ames.  After all, the Cyclones have nothing to lose.  The Sooners survive – Oklahoma 31, Iowa State 27.

11. Clemson (7-1) at Duke (6-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN2, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – The Dookies are bowl eligible and that’s a good thing.  They may not win any more.  For starters, the Dookies won’t beat the Tigers – Clemson 33, Duke 19.

12. TCU (5-3) at West Virginia (5-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: Fox, 3 pm ET, Saturday) – The Mountaineers have had two weeks to get rid of their demons and take care of their problems – some obvious, some not.  Now it’s time to get back on the field.  TCU is a wounded animal.  The Frogs could be dangerous.  Kermit gets drunk on moonshine – West Virginia 34, TCU 27.

13. Arizona (5-3) at UCLA (6-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: P12N, 10:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Having just gone through a donnybrook with one team from Arizona, UCLA is about to go through another one with the other team from Arizona.  This one could be wilder.  The Wildcats could still be high from their win over USC.  Expect the unexpected, but the Bruins pull it out – UCLA 34, Arizona 33.

14. San Diego State (6-3) at Boise State (7-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) (TV: CBSSN, 10:30 pm ET, Saturday) – The Aztecs are capable of giving the Broncos some problems.  But in Boise, the problems won’t be as severe – Boise State 35, San Diego State 23.

15. Nebraska (6-2) at Michigan State (5-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – The Huskers had their way with the other Michigan team.  It won’t be so easy with this one.  If there is one thing that can be said about the Spartans: They know how to play defense – with a capital D.  The Spartans are only giving up 12 points-a-game – less than that in regulation.  Two of their games went into overtime.  In spite of the excellent defensive play, it’s been a disappointing year for the Spartans.  Their offense has rarely made an appearance.  Look for a dog fight.  Sparty pops the Corn – Michigan State 19, Nebraska 16.

16. Temple (3-4) at Louisville (8-0) – (Big East vs. Big East) (TV: ABC, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – The Cardinals have an excellent chance of finishing the season undefeated.  But with each remaining game comes the added pressure.  And the thought that Charlie Strong may not be around next year.  The Cardinals don’t give a hoot for the Owls – Louisville 32, Temple 16.

17. Penn State (5-3) at Purdue (3-5) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPNU, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – The Nitts’ five-game winning streak came to an end last week.  Now they start a new winning streak – Penn State 31, Purdue 17.

18. Tulsa (7-1) at Arkansas (3-5) – (C-USA vs. SEC) (TV: SECN, 12:20 pm ET, Saturday) – Tulsa may be the best team in C-USA.  But are the Golden Hurricane good enough to beat Arkansas?  The Bacon sizzles – Arkansas 33, Tulsa 27.

19. Louisiana-Lafayette (4-3) at Louisiana-Monroe (6-2) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) (TV: SBN, 4 pm ET, Saturday) – Here’s that Louisiana-Hayride team again.  They beat Arkansas and scared the daylights out of Auburn and Baylor.  They’re on a five-game winning streak.  The winning streak continues – Louisiana-Monroe 42, Louisiana-Lafayette 21.

20. Virginia Tech (4-4) at Miami (Florida) (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN, 7:30 pm ET, Thursday) – It’s been a disappointing season for both teams.  Eight games into the season, the Hokies aren’t used to be sitting at 4-4.  Tech’s defense, usually its mainstay, has been missing.  And the Hokies offense has been up-and-down.  The Canes were hoping this would be a coming out year, but instead, it has been a frustrating year.  Miami’s offense and defense have shined at times and sputtered at times – no consistency.  Hurricanes surge for the occasion – Miami 30, Virginia Tech 27.     


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

21. Georgia Tech (3-5) at Maryland (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ACCN, 12:30 pm ET, Saturday) – These two teams are struggling to become bowl eligible.  One won’t and the other one may.  And the Terps are struggling to find a quarterback.  But then again, so is Tech.  Turtles box the Bees (even without a quarterback) – Maryland 24, Georgia Tech 23.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

UCF (6-2) hosts SMU (4-4) (TV: CBSSN, 7 pm ET, Saturday)….   South Florida (2-6) entertains Connecticut (3-5) (TV: ESPNU, 7 pm ET, Saturday) ….  Florida Atlantic (2-6) visits Navy (5-3) (TV: CBSSN, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) ….  Florida International (1-8) travels to South Alabama (2-6) (TV: ).

Florida A&M (3-5) is at North Carolina A&T (4-4) (TV: None, 1:30 pm ET, Saturday)….  Bethune-Cookman (6-2) plays at Morgan State (3-5) (TV: None, 1 pm ET, Saturday)….  Jacksonville U. (6-2) is on the road at Butler (7-2) (TV: None, 12 noon ET, Saturday)….  Florida State (8-1) is off.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . UCF and Maryland have announced a two-game, home-and-home series to be played in 2016 and 2017….  Ohio State and Oregon have announced a two-game, home-and-home series to be played in 2020 and 2021.

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were two passings of note last week – Russell Means and Margaret Osborne duPont.

Russell Means, the charismatic Oglala Sioux who helped revive the warrior image of the American Indian in the 1970s with protests that called attention to the nation’s history of injustices against its indigenous peoples, died last week at his ranch in Porcupine, South Dakota.  He was 72.  In 1987, Means ran for president.  He sought the Libertarian Party nomination, but lost to Ron Paul.  He retired from the American Indian Movement in 1988.  In the 1990s, he appeared in more than 30 movies and television shows, including “The Last of the Mohicans.”  Russell Charles Means was born on the Pine Ridge, South Dakota, reservation on November 10, 1939.  

Margaret Osborne duPont, an American tennis champion who won six Grand Slam singles titles in the middle decades of the 20th century while becoming one of the most dominant doubles players of her era, died last week at her home in El Paso, Texas.  She was 94.  duPont won 37 Grand Slam titles, her last, in mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 1962, came at the age of 44.  She was ranked No. 1 in the world among women from 1947 to 1950.  Her son William is a former owner of the Orlando Magic.  Margaret Evelyn Osborne was born on March 4, 1918 in Joseph, Oregon.  By age nine, her family moved to Spokane, Washington.  Two years later, they moved to San Francisco. 

College Football Week 9 – Irish-OU, Uga-Gators, Bulldogs-Bama
Geno Smith can forget the Heisman,
Dana Holgorsen has major problems
We have known since the first game of the season that West Virginia didn’t have a defense.  What we didn’t know, until the last two games, is that West Virginia doesn’t have an offense.  In just two short weeks, West Virginia has gone from one of the most prolific scoring offenses in the country to one of the most anemic offenses in the country.

The Mountaineers averaged 52 points a game through their first five encounters.  But in its last two outings, WVU has averaged only 14 points a game.  Two weeks ago against Texas Tech, the West Virginia offense sputtered in a 49-14 loss to the Red Raiders.  Saturday night the WVU offense ground to a halt in a 55-14 loss to Kansas State.

Seven of WVU’s 14 points against K-State were obtained on a kickoff return by Tavon Austin.  The West Virginia offense didn’t achieve a touchdown until halfway through the fourth quarter when the score was already 52-7. 

It’s apparent that opposing coaches have figured out how to stop Geno Smith.  They have figured out how to apply pressure.  And when Smith is under pressure, he doesn’t perform very well.  In fact, he fails to execute.  When conditions are hunky dory, Smith performs with near perfection.  He is smooth as silk.  But put pressure on the guy and he loses his composure.  He tends to get rattled.       

After the back-to-back hammerings from Texas Tech and Kansas State, Smith can forget about the Heisman.  But that might be a good thing.  With the Heisman pressure relieved, maybe Smith will get back into his groove. 

West Virginia’s offensive collapse in the last two weeks and the consistent lack of a defense all season is an indication that Dana Holgorsen has some major problems.  The question is: Can Holgorsen correct the problems before the season is over?

Opposing teams obviously have learned to adjust and fine tune their defenses to stop Holgorsen’s offense.  There has been a breakdown in West Virginia’s offensive line.  It has not been protecting Smith in recent games the way it did in earlier games.  In the last two games, WVU’s receivers are finding it tougher to get open.  The coverage on them is much tighter.  Holgorsen needs to make some adjustments on offense.

Then there is the biggest problem – the defense.  Or, I should say, the lack of a defense.  This has been a problem since the first of the season.  And sadly, it only seems to be getting worse.  You would have thought there would have been some improvements by now.  WVU’s defense is giving up 40 points a game. 

The only way an improvement can be made on the defense is for Holgorsen to fire Joe DeForest.  DeForest couldn’t read an opposing team’s offense if it was in 100-point type.  And the breakdown in the defensive backfield is appalling.  That was supposed to be DeForest’s area of expertise.

I questioned the hiring of DeForest from the get-go.  He didn’t have the credentials to be a defensive coordinator.  West Virginia’s defense makes every opposing quarterback look like a Heisman Trophy winner. 

When questioned about the problems after the loss to Kansas State Saturday night, Holgorsen said, “We’ll fix what’s wrong.  We’ll get it fixed.”  Well, he hasn’t fixed it yet, because DeForest hasn’t been fired.

Fortunately for WVU, the team is off this week.  That gives Holgorsen an extra week to stop the bleeding before the next game – TCU.  If Holgorsen doesn’t fix what’s wrong, I can’t see West Virginia winning another game this season.  It will be the team that began 5-0 and finished 0-7. 

The bleeding stopped for Eastern Michigan Saturday.  Winless in their first six games, the Eagles won their first game of the season, beating Army, 49-38.  That leaves Massachusetts and Southern Miss as the only two remaining winless teams.

Conversely, the bleeding began for Cincinnati.  The Bearcats lost their first game of the season, losing to Toledo, 29-23.  Eleven teams remain undefeated.

There were five overtime thrillers Saturday – the most exciting one occurring in Fort Worth, Texas.  Texas Tech beat TCU, 56-53 in three overtimes.  The Horned Frogs scored 10 points in the final two minutes of regulation to put the game into overtime, only to fall short in the third OT.  It took two overtimes for South Alabama to subdue Florida Atlantic, 37-34.  The Jaguars scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter to force the game into overtime.

Ohio State received a serious scare from Purdue.  The Buckeyes needed an overtime to down the Boilers, 29-22 (OT).  At the end of regulation, Ohio State scored a touchdown with 0:03 on the clock and then converted a two-point conversion to extend the game into overtime.

The remaining two overtime games were wild ones.  Louisiana-Monroe scored a touchdown with 0:31 remaining to put their game with Western Kentucky into overtime.  In the OT, the Warhawks won 43-42 when the Hilltoppers were not successful on a two-point conversion attempt.  In the MWC, San Diego State scored 10 points in the final four minutes of regulation – the last three points on a 35-yard field goal as time expired – to put their game with Nevada into overtime.  In the OT, the Aztecs won 39-38.

Auburn’s season became more frustrating and Gene Chizik’s job more precarious, as the Tigers fell to 1-6, losing to Vanderbilt, 17-13.  Duke became bowl eligible.  The Blue Devils held on to down North Carolina, 33-30.

Bill O’Brien continues to do an amazing coaching job at Penn State.  The Nittany Lions clobbered Iowa, 38-14.  Penn State has won 5 straight, since losing its first two games.  In two late contests Saturday night, Rich Rodriguez got his offense rolling.  Arizona downed Washington, 52-17.  And, also in the Pac-12, Oregon State remained undefeated.  The Beavers beat Utah, 21-7.  Mike Riley has to be a candidate for coach of the year.

After Florida’s big win over South Carolina, Rockledge Gator says, “Bring on Uga.  We ain’t scared of them Dawgs.” And he’s not talking about the Georgia cheerleaders. 

Touchdown Tom
October 22, 2012
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


Week Eight Review

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Trey Bon – Florida 44, South Carolina 11 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 23, Florida 20).  In spite of Florida’s 44 points, this game was a defensive battle.  The Gators only had 183 yards of offense.  South Carolina had more at 191 yards.  But Florida caused three Gamecock fumbles, all near the South Carolina goal line.  The Gators turned all three of those turnovers into touchdowns.  One of the fumbles was caused by Florida’s Trey Burton, who then fell on the ball after he knocked it out of the Gamecock player’s hands.  Burton was also busy running the wildcat formation on offense.  Trey Burton was Tres Bon on Saturday.  The thing that impresses me most about the Gators is that all season they have consistently gotten better and shown improvement each week.  In all, South Carolina suffered three turnovers – three fumbles and one interception.  A crowd of 90,833 attended the game in Gainesville.

RUNNER UP:  The bleeding continues – Kansas State 55, West Virginia 14 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 38, Kansas State 33).  This game was touted as the battle between the two Heisman contenders – Geno Smith and Collin Klein.  The way it played out, it reminded me of the first presidential debate – the one in Denver.  Collin Klein performed like Mitt Romney.  Geno Smith performed like Barack Obama.  Klein was electrified and fired up.  He dominated the action.  He executed.  He made an impact.  Smith, on the other hand, was flat and dull.  He played like he didn’t want to be on the field.  He showed no interest.  He was unimpressive.  Klein passed for 323 yards and three touchdowns.  He completed 90 percent of his passes and had none intercepted.  He rushed for 41 yards, scoring another four touchdowns on the ground.  Smith passed for 143 yards and one touchdown.  He completed 65 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions.  He rushed for only seven yards with no touchdowns rushing.  Klein was inspiring; Smith wasn’t.  A crowd of 60,101 attended the game in Morgantown.

REST OF THE BEST:  Sand Webs – Oregon 43, Arizona State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 37, Arizona State 24).  Oregon led 43-7 at halftime.  I think the Ducks went home after two quarters.  After all, what could the Devils do?  Oregon ran the ball so well (406 yards) that the Ducks only passed for 48 yards.  Kenjon Barner and Marcus Mariota rushed for 143 and 135 yards respectively.  A crowd of 71,004 attended the game in Tempe.

Tigers rag the Aggies – LSU 24, Texas A&M 19 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Texas A&M 19).  This game looked like it was going to be a win for the Aggies early on.  A&M led 12-0 late in the second quarter.  LSU scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half.  Then the Tigers just wore down the Aggies in the second half.  Johnny Manziel threw three interceptions and the Aggies had five turnovers in all.  A crowd of 87,429 attended the game in College Station.

Another Big 12 barnburner – Texas Tech 56, TCU 53 (3OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 25, TCU 23).  Texas Tech only had 71 yards rushing, but Set Doege passed for 318 yards.  TCU had three turnovers.  A crowd of 47,894 attended the game in Fort Worth.

Rockets scorch the Bearcats – Toledo 29, Cincinnati 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Cincinnati 36, Toledo 32).  With Louisville coming up next, this had the makings of a trap game for Cincinnati.  Munchie Legaux threw two interceptions.  A crowd of 24,124 attended the game in Toledo.

Cougars can’t get rid of Riddick – Notre Dame 17, BYU 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 30, BYU 13).  Notre Dame has been living on the edge in its last two games.  The Irish held BYU to 66 yards rushing.  Theo Riddick rushed for 143 yards and Andrew Hendrix ran for 114.  A crowd of 80,795 attended the game in South Bend.

Florida State 33, Miami (Florida) 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Miami 16).  The Noles had a balanced attack rushing and passing.  Miami was held to 29 yards rushing.  A crowd of 73,328 attended the game in Miami Gardens.

Herbie shucks a Cat – Nebraska 29, Northwestern 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 33, Northwestern 25).  Trailing 28-16 halfway through the fourth quarter, the Huskers scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game.  Nebraska won in spite of three turnovers – all fumbles.  Taylor Martinez passed for 342 yards.  A crowd of 47,330 attended the game in Evanston.

Raiders get Bullied – Mississippi State 45, Middle Tennessee 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 35, Middle Tennessee 21).  Miss State only led 10-3 at the half.  This was the Bulldogs’ breather prior to the Alabama game.  A crowd of 55,108 attended the game in Starkville.

Devils turn up the heat – Duke 33, North Carolina 30 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 34, Duke 25).  Trailing 30-26, the Dookies scored on a 5-yard pass play with 13 seconds remaining to win the game.  Sean Renfree passed for 276 yards.  A crowd of 33,941 attended the game in Durham.

Orange Pants soiled – Alabama 44, Tennessee 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 38, Tennessee 17).  Bama racked up 539 yards of offense, as A.J. McCarron passed for 306 yards.  McCarron completed 77 percent of his passes.  A crowd of 102,455 attended the game in Knoxville.

No Hope – Ohio State 29, Purdue 22 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 39, Purdue 17).  Purdue should have won this game.  They lost because of the poor coaching of Danny Hope.  The Buckeyes suffered four turnovers.  A crowd of 105,290 attended the game in Columbus.

Three in a row – Clemson 38, Virginia Tech 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 30, Virginia Tech 20).  Four turnovers didn’t help the Hokies any.  A crowd of 81,500 attended the game in Clemson.

Another overtime for the Warhawks – Louisiana-Monroe 43, Western Kentucky 42 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Louisiana-Monroe 34, Western Kentucky 32).  Tough loss for WKU.  Both teams passed for 308 yards each.  A crowd of 22,323 attended the game in Bowling Green.

It’s been a while – Michigan 12, Michigan State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 24, Michigan State 19).  The two teams were about as evenly matched as you can get.  Denard Robinson passed for 163 yards and rushed for 96.  A crowd of 113,833 attended the game in Ann Arbor.

Nitts shut the Eyes – Penn State 38, Iowa 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 17, Penn State 14).  Penn State led 38-0 before Iowa even scored.  The Lions held the Hawkeyes to 20 yards rushing.  Matt McGloin passed for 289 yards.  A crowd of 70,585 attended the game in Iowa City.

Beaver believer – Oregon State 21, Utah 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon State 32, Utah 18).  Four turnovers didn’t help Utah any.  Oregon State only managed 53 yards rushing.  A crowd of 45,769 attended the game in Corvallis.

Yet, another Big 12 barnburner – Texas 56, Baylor 50 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 37, Baylor 34).  Baylor had much better stats in the game.  But the Bears had two turnovers to none for Texas.  Texas has been in some thrillers this year.  The Horns have also been in some blowouts.  A crowd of 101,353 attended the game in Austin.

Pokey’s revenge – Oklahoma State 31, Iowa State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 29, Oklahoma State 25).  Okie State totaled 625 yards of offense.  J.W. Walsh passed for 415 yards.  Joseph Randle rushed for 151 yards.  The Cyclones scored early, but were shutout in the final three quarters.  A crowd of 57,019 attended the game in Stillwater.

AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

The Trees take root – Stanford 21, California 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, California 26).  All points were scored in the first half.  Stanford totally shutdown Cal’s running game, holding the Bears to 3 yards rushing.  Stepfan Taylor rushed for 189 yards.  A crowd of 61,024 attended the game in Berkeley.

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Air Uga – Georgia 29, Kentucky 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 46, Kentucky 9).  The Dawgs only had 77 yards rushing, but Aaron Murray passed for 427 yards.  Kentucky gave Uga a few scares.  A crowd of 54,553 attended the game in Lexington.

Week 8 Picks:    16 Correct,     6 Wrong   (72.7 percent)
On the Season:  135 Correct,   48 Wrong   (73.8 percent)

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

UCF dumped Memphis, 35-17.  A crowd of 22,106 attended the game in Memphis….  South Florida lost to Louisville, 27-25.  A crowd of 50,167 attended the game in Louisville….  Florida Atlantic fell to South Alabama, 37-34 (2OT).  A crowd of 17,566 attended the game in Mobile….  Florida International was downed by Troy, 38-37.  A crowd of 17,354 attended the game in Troy…. 

Florida A&M was beaten by South Carolina State, 27-20.  A crowd of 11,106 attended the game in Tallahassee….  Bethune-Cookman beat Norfolk State, 48-3.  A crowd of 6,253 attended the game in Daytona Beach….  Jacksonville U. lost to San Diego, 24-7.  A crowd of 2,270 attended the game in Jacksonville.

Superlatives

Impressive Passers:  Georgia’s Aaron Murray – 30-38-0-427 yards; Oklahoma State’s J.W. Walsh – 32-47-0-415; Louisiana Tech’s Colby Cameron – 29-37-0-400; East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 23-35-0-386; Eastern Michigan’s Tyler Benz – 19-31-1-369; Tulane’s Ryan Griffin – 28-44-0-363; Baylor’s Nick Florence – 30-41-1-352; Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez – 27-39-0-342, and Marshall’s Rakeem Cato – 31-42-1-340.

Also, Central Michigan’s Ryan Radcliff – 23-38-1-339 yards; TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 26-44-2-332; Kansas State’s Collin Klein – 19-21-0-323; UAB’s Austin Brown – 22-37-0-319; Texas Tech’s Seth Doege – 30-42-0-318; Florida International’s Jake Medlock – 18-29-1-316; Louisiana-Monroe’s Kolton Browning – 22-41-2-308; Western Kentucky’s Kawaun Jakes – 25-32-1-308, and Alabama’s A.J. McCarron – 17-22-0-306.

Also, Nevada’s Cody Fajardo – 29-40-0-304 yards; Florida Atlantic’s Graham Wilbert – 27-41-0-303; UTSA’s Ryan Polite – 20-32-1-302; USC’s Matt Barkley – 19-20-0-298; Connecticut’s Chandler Whitmer – 23-41-1-296; Oklahoma’s Landry Jones – 19-28-0-291; Penn State’s Matt McGloin – 26-38-0-289, and North Texas’ Derek Thompson – 17-28-0-282. 

Impressive Rushers:  Air Force’s Kasey Carrier – 338 yards; Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon – 232 yards; Army’s Trent Steelman – 212 yards; UCF’s Latavius Murray – 192 yards; Stanford’s Stepfan Taylor – 189 yards, and Eastern Michigan’s Bronson Hill – 185 yards.

Also, Wisconsin’s James White – 175 yards; Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey – 172 yards; Vanderbilt’s Zac Stacy – 169 yards; Tulsa’s Ja’Terian Douglas – 169 yards; Wisconsin’s Montee Ball – 166 yards; Toledo’s David Fluellen – 161 yards, and Oklahoma State’s Joseph Randle – 151 yards. 

Quotes of Last Week

“It seems somewhat ironic that Mack Brown is a Florida State graduate because it’s looking more and more like he will suffer the same fate as FSU icon Bobby Bowden.  Brown will hang around too long and the program will continue to slide until he is forced out,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi, on Texas coach Mack Brown.

“Muschamp must beat The Head Ball Coach to be the head ball coach,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Well, I mean Florida is always going to be my school.  I love Florida and my wife and my daughters and even Steve Jr. got a graduate degree from there.  So we’re Gators, but we’re Gamecocks now.  And when my coaching days are over, I’ll be more of a Gator then.  But I’m a Gamecock now and this is our team,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, four days prior to the Florida game.

“I certainly hope the Gators finish second in the East this year.  That would be a good finish for them.  Hopefully, we finish first.  But they’re having a very good year.  I like Will Muschamp and obviously Jeremy Foley and the guys down there.  We’re still good friends.  It’s, I think, healthy competition,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, four days prior to the Florida game.

“Florida State and Miami were supposed to elevate ACC football, but instead ACC football has dragged down the Noles and Canes to their mundane, mediocre level.  You are who you hang out with,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“If you hang out with a bunch of turkeys, you’re going to get cooked.  And, so, that gobbling sound you hear is the ACC getting ready for another week of nationally meaningless games.  The ACC’s record in BCs bowl games is 2-13.  So far this season, the ACC has fewer teams ranked in the Top 25 than any of the other BCS leagues,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi, on how the lack of significance and legitimacy of the ACC has hurt football at Florida State and Miami.

“Chomp Mor Chikin,” sign at ESPN College GameDay.

“Steve Spurrier is not the ‘fun and gun’ anymore; he’s the ‘ground and pound’,” ESPN analyst David Pollack.
 
“I went to Florida State.  I know I’m stupid, but I’m not that stupid.  The Gators are going to win,” ESPN analyst Lee Corso, picking Florida to beat South Carolina on College GameDay.

The 20 Hottest and Most Intriguing Games of Week 9…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Notre Dame (7-0) at Oklahoma (5-1) – (Ind. vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – I’m impressed with Notre Dame’s defense, but I don’t think the Irish have really played anybody, other than Stanford.  They’ve had three or four close calls.  OU got off to a slow start, but the Sooners seem to have their act together now.  If Landry Jones throws interceptions, then the Irish win.  If the Sooners win, they’ll be back in the national title picture.  Sooners shred the Cabbage – Oklahoma 25, Notre Dame 23. 

RUNNER UP:  2. Georgia (6-1) vs. Florida (7-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Mark Richt and the Dawgs were cheering for Florida to beat South Carolina.  They got their wish.  That gives the Cocks two losses in the SEC.  Now the Dawgs plan to beat the Gators which will put Uga back on top in the SEC East.  Will Muschamp doesn’t want to lose to Georgia twice.  He won’t – Florida 27, Georgia 26.

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Mississippi State (7-0) at Alabama (7-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 8:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Believe it or not, Miss State will probably be the toughest team Bama has played this season.  No doubt about it, Bama is good.  But the Tide hasn’t really played anybody.  Not real sure if Miss State is anybody either.  But the Bulldogs probably are.  Big Al trunks Bully – Alabama 28, Mississippi State 16.

4. Texas Tech (6-1) at Kansas State (7-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: Fox, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – I see another Big 12 barnburner here.  Both teams can put some points on the board – lots of points.  Good quarterback duel between Seth Doege and Collin Klein.  My money’s on Klein – Kansas State 33, Texas Tech 21.

5. Cincinnati (5-1) at Louisville (7-0) – (Big East vs. Big East) (TV: ESPN2, 8 pm ET, Friday) – The Bearcats were definitely looking ahead last week in their loss to Toledo.  They could easily bounce back this week.  Louisville can score, but its defense is iffy – very iffy.  Birds escape the Cats – Louisville 32, Cincinnati 30.

6. Ohio State (8-0) at Penn State (5-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPN, 5:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Bill O’Brien has convinced me.  I’m a Penn state believer.  This is a different group of Lions than the ones that lost their first two games.  They are playing with a lot of confidence now.  The Buckeyes have been living on the edge at times.  The Nitts push the Lions over the edge – Penn State 24, Ohio State 22.

7. Duke (6-2) at Florida State (7-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPNU, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – As well as the Dookies have played, it just ain’t going to happen.  Not in Tallahassee.  But oh wouldn’t it be sweet if it did.  Maybe the Noles will have a letdown after Miami.  Noles turn the Devils into Angels – Florida State 37, Duke 25.

8. Michigan (5-2) at Nebraska (5-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPN2, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – You know Michigan’s yellow is supposed to be corn yellow.  That’s why they call it maize.  Is that an omen? As long as the Huskers don’t let Denard Robinson become another Braxton Miller, then Nebraska should be okay.  Both teams barely escaped with wins last week.  One will barely escape again.  Herbie puts the Maize in a silo – Nebraska 22, Michigan 20.

9. UCLA (5-2) at Arizona State (5-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: FX, 3 pm ET, Saturday) – The Sun Devils looked awful last week.  Then again, they were playing Oregon.  UCLA ain’t no Oregon.  There may be no defense in this one.  Devils get cooled again – UCLA 34, Arizona State 33.

10. NC State (5-2) at North Carolina (5-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ACCN, 12:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Remember, the Tar Heels are only playing for pride this year.  There won’t be any ACC title games or bowl games.  The Heels are on probation.  That means they could be dangerous.  Go all out.  Nothing to lose.  That could make the Heels reckless too.  The ol’ Wolf is too big and too bad for the Heels – NC State 28, North Carolina 24.

11. TCU (5-2) at Oklahoma State (4-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: FSN, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – And this could be the week’s other Big 12 barnburner.  Both of these teams can score and TCU seems to have lost its defense.  The Cowpoke says “Jump” and the Froggies say, “How high?” – Oklahoma State 26, TCU 23.

12. Oregon State (6-0) at Washington (3-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: P12N, 10:15 pm ET, Saturday) – Washington definitely plays tougher in Seattle than the Huskies do on the road.  That makes the Huskies tougher to deal with for the Beavers.  You gotta believe in the Beav – Oregon State 27, Washington 19.

13. USC (6-1) at Arizona (4-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Rich Rod would love to beat the Trojans.  What a feather in his cap that would be.  But like Oklahoma, the Trojans seem to be playing better now.  Much better – USC 34, Arizona 24.

14. Iowa (4-3) at Northwestern (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPN2, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Northwestern always seems to get leads on teams and then can’t hold on to win.  The other team always comes back.  Iowa could easily do that to the Wildcats.  But not this time – Northwestern 29, Iowa 27.

15. Michigan State (4-4) at Wisconsin (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Wisconsin looked iffy – very iffy – early in the season.  But the Badgers seem to have gotten their act together.  They found their running game.  The Spartans have looked good on defense all season, but bad on offense.  Can their defense stop the Badger running game?  Not quite – Wisconsin 22, Michigan State 14.

16. Nevada (6-2) at Air Force (4-3) – (MWC vs. MWC) (TV: CBSSN, 8 pm ET, Friday) – Last week, the Falcons’ Kasey Carrier rushed for 338 yards.  And Nevada doesn’t have that good of a defense.  But the Wolf Pack can score too.  Smack attack from the Pack – Nevada 32, Air Force 29.

17. Tennessee (3-4) at South Carolina (6-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Georgia, Miss State, Alabama and now South Carolina.  There is no easy pickins’ for the Vols.  Maybe Derek Dooley should try orange underwear instead of pants.  Maybe Mama Dooley should dye her hair orange.  I mean, what the heck?  When things are this bad, you might as well try anything.  Steve Spurrier is one mad rooster.  It’s not nice to catch Spurrier when he is mad – South Carolina 30, Tennessee 20.

18. Baylor (3-3) at Iowa State (4-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: FSN, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – We know Baylor can score.  Generally, Iowa State doesn’t, but against Baylor everybody scores.  This could be a wild one.  Cyclones can’t grin and Bear it – Baylor 35, Iowa State 33.

19. BYU (4-4) at Georgia Tech (3-4) – (Ind. vs. ACC) (TV: FSN, 3 pm ET, Saturday) – It’s been a tough and strange year for the Yellow Jackets.  It’s been a tough year for BYU too.  This one is going to be a tough game.  Too tough for the Cougars – Georgia Tech 19, BYU 18.

20. Texas A&M (5-2) at Auburn (1-6) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPNU, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – Looks like the Aggies are going to extend Aubie’s frustration streak.  A record of 1-7 has to be hard to live with in Auburn.  But who said Gene Chizik is going to have to live with it much longer.  Aggies contribute to Chizik’s unemployment – Texas A&M 25, Auburn 20.

AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

21. Utah State (6-2) at Texas-San Antonio (5-2) – (WAC vs. WAC) (TV: None, 2 pm ET, Saturday) – Both in the WAC this year.  Next year the Aggies will be in the MWC and the Roadrunners will be in C-USA.  Aggies win the brief encounter – Utah State 36, UTSA 15.

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Texas (5-2) at Kansas (1-6) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: FSN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – After weeks of losses and close calls, the Horns should have an easy time of it this week.  Charlie Weis is a big target for Bevo.  Good time Charlie’s got the blues – Texas 35, Kansas 17.

Purdue (3-4) at Minnesota (4-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Time is running out for one or both of these teams qualifying for a bowl game.  I’d say both need a win here to help their cause.  The loser won’t make it.  And there is no guarantee for the winner.  Hope floats – Purdue 27, Minnesota 23.

West Virginia (5-2) is off.

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

UCF (5-2) visits Marshall (3-4) (TV: CBSSN, 8 pm ET, Saturday)….  South Florida (2-5) hosts Syracuse (3-4) (TV: None, 7 pm ET, Saturday)….  Florida Atlantic (1-6) entertains Troy (4-3) (TV: None, 5 pm ET, Saturday).

Florida International (1-7) is home against Western Kentucky (5-2) (TV: None, 6 pm ET, Saturday)….  Bethune-Cookman (5-2) has a home game against North Carolina Central (5-2) (TV: None, 5 pm ET, Saturday)…. 

Miami (4-4), Florida A&M (3-5) and Jacksonville U. (6-2) have the week off.

In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Charlotte, which begins playing football next season, announced a two-game home-and-home series with Temple to be played in 2015 and 2016.  Charlotte will compete as an Independent in 2013 and 2014 and then become a member of Conference USA in 2015.

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)

P.S.

Not directly college football related, but as the days were getting shorter, the nights were getting colder, the leaves were falling, the frost was on the pumpkins, and Halloween was just around the corner, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1942 was “(I’ve Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo” by Glenn Miller

…65 years ago this week in 1947 was “Near You” by Francis Craig

…60 years ago this week in 1952 was “You Belong to Me” by Jo Stafford

…55 years ago this week in 1957 was “Chances Are” by Johnny Mathis

…50 years ago this week in 1962 was “Monster Mash” by Bobby Boris Pickett & The Crypt Kickers

…45 years ago this week in 1967 was “To Sir With Love” by Lulu

…40 years ago this week in 1972 was “My Ding-A-Ling” by Chuck Berry

…35 years ago this week in 1977 was “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone

…30 years ago this week in 1982 was “Who Can It Be Now” by Men At Work

…25 years ago this week in 1987 was “Lost in Emotion” by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam

…20 years ago this week in 1992 was “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men

Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were three passings of note last week – Eddie Yost, Slater Martin and George McGovern.

Eddie Yost, a durable and reliable third baseman for three American League teams, died last week in Weston, Massachusetts.  He was 86.  Yost made his major league debut with the Washington Senators in 1944, when he was just 17, and never played in the minor leagues.  Fourteen of his 18 big league seasons were spent with the Senators.  He played in the 1952 All-Star Game.  Edward Frederick Yost was born in New York City on October 13, 1926.  He spent 18 months in the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II.  While playing baseball, he earned a bachelor’s degree in education from NYU, taking classes during the off-season.  Yost finished his baseball career, playing two seasons each for the Detroit tigers and the Los Angeles Angels. 

Slater Martin, the Hall of Fame guard who helped take the Minneapolis Lakers to four NBA championships in the league’s first decade, died last week in Houston.  He was 86.  Martin played for Laker teams that captured the NBA championship in 1950 and then three consecutive titles from 1952 to 1954.  He played on his fifth NBA championship team with the St. Louis Hawks in 1958.  Martin appeared in every NBA All-Star game from 1953 to 1959.  Slater Nelson Martin, sometimes known as Dugie, was born on October 22, 1925, in Elmina, Texas, and grew up in Houston.  He played on two Texas state championship teams at Jefferson Davis High School in Houston.  He played college basketball at Texas, but his career was divided by World War II, when he joined the Navy, serving in the Pacific.  He returned to Texas after the war and led the Longhorns to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament in 1947.  He joined the Lakers in 1949 and played for them through the 1955-56 season.  He was traded to the Hawks and played for them until he retired after the 1959-60 season.     

George McGovern, a United States senator from South Dakota who won the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1972, died Sunday.  He was 90.  McGovern lived in Mitchell, South Dakota.  A slender, soft-spoken, Methodist minister’s son, he was a decorated bomber pilot in World War II.  McGovern was first elected to Congress in 1956, at age 34.  He was elected to the Senate in 1962.  George Stanley McGovern was born on July 19, 1922, in Avon, South Dakota.  During World War II, he flew the B-24 Liberator in dozens of missions over Germany, Austria and Italy.
  

College Football Week 8 – Cocks-Gators, Wildcats-Eers, Ducks-Devils
‘Whoa, we’re half way there,
Whoa-oh, we’re livin’ on a prayer’
Halfway through the season, that’s what you could say about the 12 teams who are still undefeated.  They are halfway there and they are livin’ on a prayer.  Well, all that is except for maybe Alabama (6-0).  Up to now, the Tide hasn’t needed any prayers.  But that all could be about to change.  Alabama is entering the tougher part of its schedule.  The Tide may need a prayer or two.

Oregon (6-0) was off Saturday, so no prayers were needed.  But this week the Ducks pay a visit to Tempe to play an improving Arizona State (5-1).  Kansas State (6-0) had to fight off a feisty Iowa State Saturday, before beating the Cyclones, 27-21.  Next up for K-State – West Virginia (5-1) in Morgantown.

Florida (6-0) had a few dicey moments, but pretty much had its way against Vanderbilt.  The Gators beat the Commodores, 31-17.  But Florida only had a 7-point lead on Vanderbilt until about 2 minutes left in the game.  This week the Gators play South Carolina (6-1).  Talk about livin’ on a prayer, Notre Dame (6-0) was taken to overtime Saturday before the Irish could subdue Stanford, 20-13.  This week Notre Dame hosts BYU (4-3).

No one thought Ohio State (7-0) was going to need any prayers Saturday.  The Buckeyes played lowly Indiana.  But Ohio State barely escaped Bloomington, edging the Hoosiers, 52-49.  Coming up this week for the Bucks – Purdue (3-3).  Someone must have been praying for Oregon State (5-0) Saturday.  The Beavers played BYU on the road in Provo without their starting quarterback.  Sean Mannion suffered a season-ending injury last week.  Enter Cody Vaz who led Oregon State to a 42-24 win over BYU.  Next up for the Beavers – Utah (2-4).

Louisville (6-0) was trailing Pitt, 21-17, at halftime Saturday.  But the Cardinals came back in the second half to down the Panthers, 45-35.  This week Louisville plays South Florida (2-4).  Mississippi State (6-0) has been livin’ on a prayer.  Saturday, the Bulldogs beat Tennessee, 41-31.  But until 9 seconds left in the game, Mississippi State was only leading the Vols by 3 points.  Coming up this week for the Bulldogs – Middle Tennessee (4-2).

Rutgers (6-0) had a few tense moments before subduing Syracuse, 23-15.  This week the Scarlet Knights are on the road at a potentially dangerous Temple (3-2).  Among the undefeated teams, Cincinnati (6-0) had the easiest time of it Saturday.  The Bearcats scratched Fordham, 49-17.  But that all changes this week for Cincinnati.  The Bearcats pay a daunting visit to Toledo (6-1).  The 12th and last undefeated team, Ohio (7-0) was up against a sticky wicket Saturday.  The Bobcats outlasted Akron, 34-28.  Ohio is off this week.

Oh, and Alabama, the team who hasn’t needed any prayers so far.  This week the Tide visits Knoxville to take on Tennessee (3-3).  The Vols are like a wounded animal – dangerous.  They are desperate for a win.  Emotions will be high.

Of the 12 undefeated teams, five are from two states – Ohio (3) and Oregon (2).  The three from Ohio – Cincinnati, Ohio State and Ohio.  The two from Oregon – Oregon and Oregon State.  Eight of the 12 are from three conferences – the SEC (3), the Big East (3) and Pac-12 (2).  From the SEC are Alabama, Florida and Mississippi State.  From the Big East are Cincinnati, Rutgers and Louisville, and from the Pac-12 – Oregon and Oregon State.  The Big Ten (Ohio State), Big 12 (Kansas State), MAC (Ohio) each have one undefeated team.  The Independents are represented by Notre Dame.   

Four teams are no longer livin’ on a prayer.  They lost for the first time on Saturday.  South Carolina was edged by LSU, 23-21; West Virginia was hammered by Texas Tech, 49-14; Louisiana Tech lost a heartbreaker to Texas A&M, 59-57, and FBS newcomer Texas-San Antonio was drilled by Rice, 34-14.

At the other end of the spectrum, Tulane won for the first time this season.  The Green Wave scored with 35 seconds remaining in the game and kicked the extra point to beat SMU, 27-26.  Unfortunately, three teams are still looking for their first victory.  Eastern Michigan, Massachusetts and Southern Miss remain winless.

Halfway through the season and no head coaches have been fired – yet.  But several are livin’ on a prayer.  Stay tuned.  However, that said, it has been a dangerous season for coordinators and assistant coaches.  Last week, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson fired his defensive coordinator Al Groh.  Groh was in his third season as the DC for the Yellow Jackets.

Much earlier in the season, Houston offensive coordinator Mike Nesbitt was fired after only one game.  And Wisconsin offensive line coach Mike Markuson was fired after three games.  
 
Halfway through the season, CBSSports.com writer Tony Barnhart is touting Penn State coach Bill O’Brien as the Big Ten “Coach of the Year.”  Looking around the Big Ten, I would say that Barnhart is spot on, with O’Brien’s only competition being Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald.  And Penn State beat Northwestern.

Coming out of the NCAA athletic directors meeting last week in Dallas, Missouri AD Mike Alden said to expect more conference expansion within the next 24 months.  However, other athletic directors said, with the possible exception of the Big 12, they didn’t foresee any more conference expansion for at least another four or five years.   

Halfway through the season, Kansas coach Charlie Weis is already under fire – again.  This time by the student newspaper at Kansas – the University Daily Kansan.  In his one and only year as offensive coordinator at Florida last season, Weis became the brunt of jokes, some quite vicious, by Gator students and fans before the season was over.  And while Weis was at Notre Dame, he came under attack from the South Bend Tribune.      

Don’t be surprised if the SEC has four new coaches next season.  Suspects for removal are Tennessee’s Derek Dooley, Arkansas’ John L. Smith, Auburn’s Gene Chizik and Kentucky’s Joker Phillips.  The Auburn rumors have Chizik being replaced by Bobby Petrino.  Talk about a soap opera, I can just picture it now – Petrino riding into Auburn on a motorcycle with a volleyball in his hand.   

And more recently we learn that Skip Holtz is in trouble at South Florida.  Stay tuned!

Speaking of someone who lives on a prayer, Rockledge Gator got carded at the Goodwill store last week.  He went there to find a favorite shirt of his that Bootsie had given to Goodwill.  He couldn’t find the shirt.  He did find a couple other things and decided to buy them.  At the counter, he asked for the senior discount.  That’s when he got carded.  He not only felt good about being carded, but also he got 19 cents off his purchase.   

“Whoa, we’re half way there,
Whoa-oh, we’re livin’ on a prayer”

Touchdown Tom
October 15, 2012
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


Week Seven Review

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Chicken Little – LSU 23, South Carolina 21 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 16, LSU 14).  LSU’s defense and the Tigers’ ground game were too much for the Gamecocks.  The LSU defense held South Carolina to a mere 211 yards of offense – only 34 yards rushing.  Marcus Lattimore was held to 35 yards.  Meanwhile, the Tigers’ offense totaled 406 yards, with a powerful 258 yards rushing.  Neither teams’ passing game was effective.  A crowd of 92,734 attended the game in Baton Rouge.

RUNNER UP:  WVU may have messed with Texas, but the Eers were a mess in Lubbock – Texas Tech 49, West Virginia 14 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 42, Texas Tech 29).  Would someone please tell Dana Holgorsen how to spell defense?  Or maybe someone needs to tell Dana what the word “defense” means.  No better than the WVU defense has been playing, this was bound to happen – sooner or later.  It happened sooner.  The question is:  Will it happen again?  You would have thought the WVU defense would be showing some improvement.  Instead of improving, it may be getting worse.  No matter how good your offense is, you have to have a good defense to keep you in games – because, your offense is always going to have an off game or two.  WVU would have been better off to have left its defense at home.  It would have saved some traveling money.  Their bodies may have been in Lubbock, but their minds were somewhere else.  And so you wonder, is this the problem of a young, inexperienced and lacking in talent defense?  Or is this the problem of two bad co-defensive coordinators – Joe DeForest and Keith Patterson?  Or is it a mixture of both?  A crowd of 57,328 attended the game in Lubbock.

REST OF THE BEST:  Cardinal sin – Notre Dame 20, Stanford 13 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 30, Stanford 18).  Rain, turnovers, not much offense, poor passing, more rain and a controversial ending all describe the game.  Did Stanford’s Stepfan Taylor get the ball across the goal line in the overtime?  We’ll never know.  A crowd of 80,795 attended the game in South Bend.

What a castration! – Oklahoma 63, Texas 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 29, Texas 27).  I don’t know how Oklahoma could have humiliated Texas any worse than it did.  OU had 30 first downs to 13 for Texas.  OU had 677 total yards to 289 for Texas.  OU had 343 yards rushing to 74 for Texas.  And the score was 63-15 up until the final second.  Texas scored as time expired.  On the sideline, Mack Brown looked and acted like the imp-like creature in Rumpelstiltskin.  I thought Brown was going to drive his foot into the ground.  Texas fans probably wish Brown would disappear – never to return again.  A crowd of 92,500 attended the game in Dallas.

Purple rain, purple rain – Kansas State 27, Iowa State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 27, Iowa State 14).  The Cyclones gave the Wildcats a scare.  But Collin Klein kept the Cats from being scared too much.  A crowd of 56,800 attended the game in Ames.

We don’t need no Casey Pachall – TCU 49, Baylor 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 34, TCU 26).  Baylor suffered from six turnovers.  Four were interceptions thrown by Nick Florence.  Trevone Boykin seems to be settling in well as TCU’s new quarterback.  A crowd of 42,524 attended the game in Waco.

Huskies seeing Redd – USC 24, Washington 14 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 30, Washington 22).  Silas Redd rushed for 155 yards, as the Trojans built up a 24-7 halftime lead and held off the Huskies in the second half.  A crowd of 66,202 attended the game in Seattle.

Midnight madness – Texas A&M 59, Louisiana Tech 57 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisiana Tech 25, Texas A&M 22).  The Aggies won the first half – 39-16.  La Tech won the second half – 41-20.  The Bulldogs scored with 0:38 remaining, but failed on their two-point conversion which would have tied the game.  A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel passed for 395 yards and rushed for another 181.  The two teams combined for 1,293 yards of offense.  A crowd of 40,453 attended the game in Shreveport.

Leave it to the Beavers – Oregon State 42, BYU 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon State 18, BYU 12).  Cody Vaz stepped into the quarterback job like a pro for the Beavers.  He started his first game for the injured Sean Mannion.  A crowd of 63,489 attended the game in Provo.

Driskel is a pistol – Florida 31, Vanderbilt 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 27, Vanderbilt 15).  I don’t think there is any doubt that Will Muschamp made the right decision on which quarterback to go with at the beginning of the season.  Jeff Driskel has been improving every game – not that he wasn’t good to start with.  But he is getting better, playing a steady game.  Driskel rushed for 177 yards against Vandy.  James Franklin is a good coach, but I never have understood some of his play calling.  A crowd of 40,350 attended the game in Nashville.

The Tide takes Mo for a ride – Alabama 42, Missouri 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Missouri 13).  The Bama defense held Mizzou to 129 total yards – just 3 yards rushing.  Bama had two backs rush for more than 100 yards each – Eddie Lacy (177) and T.J. Yeldon (144).  Mizzou remains winless in SEC play.  A crowd of 71,004 attended the game in Columbia.

Hip-hoppin’ away – Mississippi State 41, Tennessee 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 26, Tennessee 17).  A tight game throughout, Miss State didn’t put it away until the Bulldogs scored a touchdown with 0:09 left on the clock.  Derek Dooley had hip surgery on Monday and coached from the press box.  Did Vols fans miss the orange pants on the sidelines?  A crowd of 57,831 attended the game in Starkville.

Birds spit Pitt – Louisville 45, Pitt 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 27, Pitt 19).  Pitt led throughout most of the first half, holding a 21-17 halftime lead.  But the Cardinals scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter.  Louisville held Pitt to 93 yards rushing.  A crowd of 42,432 attended the game in Pittsburgh.

More purple rain – Northwestern 21, Minnesota 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 26, Minnesota 23).  A first-half ballgame, all but three of the points (a Minnesota field goal) were scored in the first two quarters.  The Wildcats became bowl eligible with the win.  A crowd of 49,651 attended the game in Minneapolis.

Boise State 20, Fresno State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 31, Fresno State 17).  It seems apparent that Boise State, in its first and only season in the MWC, will win the conference championship.  Last year the Broncos were in the WAC.  Next season, they will be in the Big East.  Boise State held the Bulldogs to 56 yards rushing.  A crowd of 35,742 attended the game in Boise.

Hope-less – Wisconsin 38, Purdue 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 28, Purdue 23).  It’s apparent that Purdue coach Danny Hope is a hopeless case.  No improvement in his fourth year at Purdue.  Wisconsin had 30 first downs to 11 for Purdue.  Wisconsin had 645 total yards to 252 yards for Purdue.  Montee Ball rushed for 247 yards and James White ran for 124.  A crowd of 46,007 attended the game in West Lafayette.

Candy Canes – North Carolina 18, Miami (Florida) 14 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 34, Miami 32).  The two teams combined for 901 yards of offense, but you couldn’t tell it from the scoreboard.  Giovani Bernard rushed for 177 yards.  A crowd of 58,954 attended the game in Miami Gardens.

Utah State 49, San Jose State 27 (Touchdown Tom said: San Jose State 20, Utah State 16).  Utah State built up a 28-3 lead early in the second quarter.  Then San Jose State scored 17 unanswered points and closed the gap to 28-20 at the half.  The Aggies scored the first 14 points of the second half and it was all over for the Spartans.  The Aggies held the Spartans to 4 yards rushing.  The Spartans David Fales passed for 467 yards.  A crowd of 15,168 attended the game in San Jose.

Hokies make a Duchess out of the Duke – Virginia Tech 41, Duke 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 32, Duke 21).  Twelve minutes into the game, the Dookies led 20-0.  Then they went off to celebrate.  The Hokies scored the next 41 points.  Tech held Duke to 22 yards rushing.  The Dookies also suffered from four turnovers.  A crowd of 65,632 attended the game in Blacksburg.

Aubie has bad Genes – Ole Miss 41, Auburn 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 20, Auburn 18).  This is the second time this season that Gene Chizik has had a long ride home after a game in Mississippi.  A tight game through three quarters (Ole Miss led 24-20), the Tigers fell apart in the fourth quarter.  Auburn only managed 213 total yards.  A crowd of 57,068 attended the game in Oxford.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

Cardinals harness the Horses – Ball State 30, Western Michigan 24 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Western Michigan 32, Ball State 28).  The game was about as evenly matched as you can get, but the Cardinals got the job done in the overtime.  A crowd of 14,192 attended the game in Muncie.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Nebraska and Georgia had the week off.


Week 7 Picks:    15 Correct,     6 Wrong   (71.4 percent)
On the Season:  119 Correct,   42 Wrong   (73.9 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

Florida State dumped Boston College, 51-7.  A crowd of 81,075 attended the game in Tallahassee….  UCF edged Southern Miss, 38-31 (2OT).  A crowd of 34,514 attended the game in Orlando….  Florida Atlantic fell to Louisiana-Monroe, 35-14.  A crowd of 16,782 attended the game in Monroe.

Florida International lost to Middle Tennessee, 34-30.  A crowd of 15,234 attended the game in Miami….  Florida A&M thumped Savannah State, 44-3….  Jacksonville U. downed Davidson, 34-24.  A crowd of 1,924 attended the game in Davidson.
  

Superlatives

Impressive Passers:  Texas Tech’s Seth Doege – 32-42-1-504 yards; San Jose State’s David Fales – 38-50-0-467; Louisiana Tech’s Colby Cameron – 44-58-0-450; Florida State’s E.J. Manuel – 27-34-2-439; Toledo’s Terrance Owens – 21-32-2-401 yards, and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel – 24-40-1-395.

Also, Florida International’s Jake Medlock – 24-38-0-380 yards; Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson – 23-31-0-372; Houston’s David Piland – 32-44-0-363; Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib – 25-42-2-356; Oregon State’s Cody Vaz – 20-32-0-332; Oklahoma’s Landry Jones – 21-37-1-321; Washington State’s Jeff Tuel – 30-53-0-320; Arizona State’s Taylor Kelly – 20-28-0-308, and East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 25-33-0-308.

Also, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater – 17-26-0-304 yards; Tulane’s Ryan Griffin – 17-32-0-302; Eastern Michigan’s Tyler Benz – 18-27-1-301; Akron’s Dalton Williams – 32-53-2-298; West Virginia’s Geno Smith – 29-55-0-295; Connecticut’s Chandler Whitmer – 22-39-0-293; Mississippi State’s Tyler Russell – 23-37-0-291, and Pitt’s Tino Sunseri – 28-37-0-287.


Impressive Rushers:  Eastern Michigan’s Bronson Hill – 283 yards; Wisconsin’s Montee Ball – 247 yards; Middle Tennessee’s Benjamin Cunningham – 230 yards; Kent State’s Dri Archer – 222 yards; Toledo’s David Fluellen – 188 yards; Nevada’s Stefphon Jefferson – 185 yards; Virginia Tech’s J.C. Coleman – 183 yards; Northwestern’s Venric Mark – 182 yards, and Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel – 181 yards.

Also, Florida’s Jeff Driskel – 177 yards; Alabama’s Eddie Lacy – 177 yards; North Carolina’s Giovani Bernard – 177 yards; Akron’s Jawon Chisholm – 177 yards; SMU’s Zach Line – 177 yards; Utah State’s Kerwynn Williams – 176 yards; Bowling Green’s Anthon Samuel – 171 yards; Oklahoma’s Damien Williams – 167 yards; New Mexico’s Kasey Carrier – 161 yards; Ohio State’s Carlos Hyde – 156 yards, and USC’s Silas Redd – 155 yards.      


Quotes of Last Week

“Al Groh was a mistake.  He was Paul Johnson’s mistake.  It took about two and a half years for the Georgia Tech head coach to realize that,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz, on the firing of Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator.

“The only thing predictable about college football is unpredictable,” Alabama coach Nick Saban.

“I think, and other people would probably agree with this: We haven’t seen the end of conference realignment.  This ain’t over.  There’s more coming.  I believe that,” Missouri athletic director Mike Alden, at the NCAA athletic directors meeting in Dallas.

“I just think there are going to continue to be schools that are going to attempt to align themselves with what they perceive to be ‘like’ schools, looking for increased revenue distribution with continued escalation of media contracts.  Is that going to happen tomorrow?  No, I don’t think tomorrow.  But I would think in the next couple years – and I don’t mean three to five years.  I’m talking about the next two years, we’re going to see even more shifts,” Missouri athletic director Mike Alden.

“He was one of a kind.  There never was and never will be another Beano.  His combination of humor, passion, love of college football and his engaging personality left an indelible mark on the sport and touched anyone who knew him,” ESPN executive chairman George Bodenheimer, on the passing of Beano Cook.

“R.I.P. to one of the only Pitt guys I like,” former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen, on the death of Beano Cook.

“Nothing like a call from Beano Cook to make you smile,” West Virginia grad and Auburn assistant athletic director Shelly Poe.

“In another attempt to provide a thoroughly enriching college football experience, Georgia State athletic director Cheryl Levick has brokered deals to throw her fledgling program’s abused slabs of meat into the center of the Roman Coliseum against Alabama and West Virginia next season and Oregon in 2015.  For these three sacrifices, Georgia State will make $2.15 million, less medical expenses that the HMO won’t cover.  The Panthers are 0-6 this season.  They’ve been outscored 236-71.  Two more routs and they qualify for FEMA funding,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz. 

“Five Missouri players were suspended for marijuana last week.  Gary Pinkel must be making recruiting in-roads in Georgia,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz. 

“Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson was in an accident last week.  But he was in a car, not on a motorcycle.  So when you think about it, the program is making tremendous progress,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz. 

“Auburn is a 6-point underdog to Ole Miss, triggering a clause in Gene Chizik’s contract that reads, ‘The locksmith will be arriving on Tuesday’,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz. 

 
The 20 Hottest and Most Intriguing Games of Week 8…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. South Carolina (6-1) at Florida (6-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – I’m sure Steve Spurrier has had mixed emotions about beating Florida.  But with Will Muschamp being a Georgia man, that takes the mix out of the emotions.  Spurrier loves to beat anything Georgia or Georgia related.  The Gators survived their first big test in The Swamp against LSU.  The Gamecocks are their second and last big test in The Swamp.  Gamecocks come in smarting from the loss in Baton Rouge.  Gators come in happy they survived the trip to Nashville.  In those boat tours through the swamps and bayous, don’t the tour guides feed chickens to the gators?  Spurrier gets the tour guide – South Carolina 23, Florida 20.

RUNNER UP:  2. Kansas State (6-0) at West Virginia (5-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: Fox, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – Wonder what WVU’s defense will be doing in practice this week?  K-State’s offense is different than Baylor’s and Texas Tech’s.  The Cyclones are closer to Texas on offense.  Iowa State relies more on the ground game, with quarterback Collin Klein doing a lot of the running.  But after watching the Texas Tech debacle, maybe the Cyclones will pass more.  Eers should feel more comfortable in Morgantown than they did in Lubbock.  But have they learned to spell defense?  Another cardiac caper – West Virginia 38, Kansas State 33.

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Oregon (6-0) at Arizona State (5-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: ESPN, 9 pm ET, Thursday) – The Ducks, 3-0 in the conference, haven’t been tested in Pac-12 play.  Washington State came the closest and that was a 25-point difference.  The Sun Devils seem to be getting better.  But are they better enough to give the Ducks a scare?  Maybe, but only for two or three quarters.  Ducks find water in the desert – Oregon 37, Arizona State 24.

4. LSU (6-1) at Texas A&M (5-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – After the emotional roller coaster of Florida and South Carolina, the Tigers could be on the down slope against the Aggies.  The Tiger defense will have its hands full trying to stop Johnny Manziel.  Tigers hand A&M another SEC initiation – LSU 27, Texas A&M 19.

5. Texas Tech (5-1) at TCU (5-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – The potential exists here for a wild game.  Both teams can score and both teams play pretty good defense.  The Frogs croak on a tumble weed – Texas Tech 25, TCU 23.

6. Cincinnati (5-0) at Toledo (6-1) – (Big East vs. MAC) (TV: None, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – Upset alert: This could be a trap game for the Bearcats.  Cincy has Louisville coming up next week.  Toledo is a dangerous, feisty team.  And the game is at Toledo.  Bearcats defuse the Rockets – Cincinnati 36, Toledo 32.

7. BYU (4-3) at Notre Dame (6-0) – (Ind. vs. Ind.) (TV: NBC, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – The Irish should have an easier time of it this week.  At best, BYU will be a mild threat – not a serious one.  Irish spike the Mormons’ drinks – Notre Dame 30, BYU 13.

8. Florida State (6-1) at Miami (Florida) (4-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ABC, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – FSU got its groove back against Boston College.  The Noles should stay in the groove against the Canes.  Still, it should be a fun game.  Seminoles feel at home near the Everglades – Florida State 27, Miami 16.

9. Nebraska (4-2) at Northwestern (6-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Northwestern can score, but I can’t see the Wildcats’ defense stopping the Huskers.  Then again, I may have said that last year – and look what happened.  So Herbie has some kind of incentive this year.  How ‘bout a purple-people eater?  The revenge of the Corn – Nebraska 33, Northwestern 25.

10. Middle Tennessee (4-2) at Mississippi State (6-0) – (Sun Belt vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN2, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – Didn’t Middle Tennessee beat Georgia Tech?  And Miss State has Alabama next week.  Just sayin’.  Bully better not take the Blue Raiders for granted.  But he can take them – Mississippi State 35, Middle Tennessee 21.

11. North Carolina (5-2) at Duke (5-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPNU, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – The Dookies had us fooled last week, leading Virginia Tech 20-0 and in the first quarter no less.  Yeah, they had us fooled alright.  Giovani makes a pizza out of the Dookies – North Carolina 34, Duke 25.

12. Alabama (6-0) at Tennessee (3-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – Wonder if the orange pants will be back on the sidelines this week?  It’s so much more colorful when they are.  Something tells me that Bama is coming to Knoxville to kick butt and take names.  The Vols will be sporting a losing record when it’s over – Alabama 38, Tennessee 17.

13. Purdue (3-3) at Ohio State (7-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Okay, the Buckeyes had a close game against one Indiana team last week.  No way can it happen two weeks in a row.  This one may not be pretty.  Well, that is if you aren’t a Buckeye fan – Ohio State 39, Purdue 17.

14. Virginia Tech (4-3) at Clemson (5-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Last year, the Hokies lost to Clemson not once, but twice.  Will this be the third time?  Me thinks so – Clemson 30, Virginia Tech 20.

15. Louisiana-Monroe (4-2) at Western Kentucky (5-1) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) (TV: None, 4 pm ET, Saturday) – Both teams are undefeated in the Sun Belt.  And we know what ULM can do.  Just ask Arkansas.  We know what WKU can do.  Just ask Kentucky.  This one could be fun.  Warhawks use Bowling Green as a bombing range – Louisiana-Monroe 34, Western Kentucky 32. 

16. Michigan State (4-3) at Michigan (4-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – The Spartans play good defense, but they don’t have an offense.  The Wolverines play good offense, but they don’t have a defense.  It all makes for fun times in Ann Arbor.  But more fun for the Wolverines – Michigan 24, Michigan State 19.

17. Penn State (4-2) at Iowa (4-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – Just when we thought Iowa had rolled over and played dead this year, the Hawkeyes have come to life of late.  The Nitts have had a similar experience.  One of them has to roll over again this week.  The Eyes have it – Iowa 17, Penn State 14.

18. Utah (2-4) at Oregon State (5-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: ESPN2, 10:30 pm ET, Saturday) – My, what a fun year it has been for the Beavers.  And this is homecoming weekend in Corvallis.  Mike Riley has to be enjoying it all.  He enjoys another one this week – Oregon State 32, Utah 18.

19. Baylor (3-2) at Texas (4-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – At one time, we thought Baylor and Texas were both better than they are.  Both teams have lost their last two games.  After Saturday, one will have lost its last three games.  Mack the Knife – Texas 37, Baylor 34.

20. Iowa State (4-2) at Oklahoma State (3-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: FX, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – We’re not real sure about either of these teams just yet.  But we think that Iowa State is better than they were supposed to be, while the Pokes are worse than they were supposed to be.  We’ll know more Saturday.  Cyclones make jokes out of the Pokes – Iowa State 29, Oklahoma State 25.


AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

21. Stanford (4-2) at California (3-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: Fox, 3 pm ET, Saturday) – Cal has been playing better of late.  The Bears are capable of surprising the Trees.  And this is a big rivalry game.  It’s the Big Game.  Bears can’t climb these Trees – Stanford 28, California 26.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Georgia (5-1) at Kentucky (1-6) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: FSN, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – After the spanking the Dawgs got from South Carolina, they deserve a breather – two breathers.  Last week the Dawgs were off and this week playing Kentucky is like having the week off.  Aaron Murphy won’t be Error Murphy against the Wildcats – Georgia 46, Kentucky 9.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

UCF (4-2) travels to Memphis (1-5) (TV: Cable, 8 pm ET, Saturday)….  South Florida (2-4) visits Louisville (6-0) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday)….  Florida Atlantic (1-5) plays at South Alabama (1-5) (TV: None, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday)….  Florida International (1-6) is at Troy (3-3) (TV: SUN, 1 pm ET, Saturday).

Florida A&M (3-4) hosts South Carolina State (2-5) (TV: None, 7 pm ET, Saturday)….  Bethune-Cookman (4-2) entertains Norfolk State (2-5) (TV: None, 4 pm ET, Saturday)….  Jacksonville U. (6-1) welcomes San Diego (3-3) (TV: None, 1 pm ET, Saturday).


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Ohio State and Texas have announced a two-game, home-and-home series to be played in 2022 and 2023….  BYU and Wisconsin have announced a two-game, home-and-home series to be played in 2017 and 2018.

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there were five passings of note last week – Alex Karras, Beano Cook, Tom Coyle, Gary Collins and Arlen Specter.

Alex Karras, an All-Pro lineman for the Detroit Lions who had a second career as an actor on television and in the movies, died last week at his home in Los Angeles.  He was 77.  Karras made his film debut in 1968 in “Paper Lion.”  He had several appearances on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” and in the 1970s, he played numerous guest roles on television shows like “McMillan & Wife,” “Love American Style,” “M*A*S*H” and “The Odd Couple.”  Karras played Mongo in the movie “Blazing Saddles.”  From 1983 to 1989, he and his wife Susan Clark starred together in the television show “Webster.”  In the NFL, Karras anchored the defensive line for the Lions from 1958 to 1970.  George Alexander Karras was born on July 5, 1935, in Gary, Indiana.  He played college football at the University of Iowa, where in 1957 he won the Outland Trophy as the outstanding interior lineman in college football.  In 1958 Karras was drafted in the first round by the Lions.  His other movie credits include “Porky’s,” “Against All Odds” and “Victor/Victoria.”  Karras spent three seasons working with Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford on “Monday Night Football.”  

Beano Cook, a long time college football staple and an ESPN college football studio commentator since 1986, died last week at his home in Pittsburgh.  He was 81.  Cook, a 1954 graduate of Pitt, began his career as a sports publicist at the school from 1956 to 1966.  He was a studio commentator for ABC from 1982 to 1985.  Cook also worked for the St. Petersburg Times, the Miami Dolphins and CBS Sports.  His knowledge of the history of college football earned him the moniker – “Cardinal of College Football.”  Carroll Hoff Cook was born on September 1, 1931, in Boston, Massachusetts.  His family moved from Boston to Pittsburgh when he was seven.  His friends gave him the nickname “Beano” because he was from Boston. 

Tom Coyle, co-captain of Michigan’s 1972 football team, died last week at his home in Tampa, Florida.  He was 62.  Coyle played right guard for the Wolverines who went 30-3 during the three seasons he played for them – 1970-1972.  Coyle started in 32 games during the span.

Gary Collins, an actor, a television host and master of ceremonies for the Miss America Pageant, died Saturday in Mississippi.  He was 74 and lived in Biloxi.  In a career that spanned more than four decades, Collins made guest appearances on dozens of television shows, including “The Virginian,” “Love American Style,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “JAG.”  In 1974, he starred in a short-lived television version of “Born Free.”  In the 1980s, he was the host of the afternoon talk show “Hour Magazine” and the Miss America Pageant.  Collins was born in Venice, California, in 1938.  His first acting break came in 1965 when he had a supporting role in the NBC television series “The Wackiest Ship in the Army.”  In 1967, Collins married Mary Ann Mobley, Miss America of 1959.  

Arlen Specter, a former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, died Sunday.  He was 82.  A Republican for 44 years, Specter became a Democrat in 2009.  Arlen Specter was born on February 12, 1930, in Wichita, Kansas.  When Specter was 5, his family moved to Russell, Kansas, coincidentally, the hometown of another person who would become a prominent Republican senator – Bob Dole.  The Specters later moved to Philadelphia.  Arlen graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, served in the Air Force and got a law degree from Yale.