College Football Week 4 – Florida Tech on TV Thursday night
Alabama is good, very good
But the Tide is vulnerable

Twice vulnerable.

Virginia Tech exposed one of those vulnerabilities on August 31.  That’s when the Hokies all but shut down the Bama offense.  Yes, Virginia Tech lost to Alabama, 35-10.  But 21 of the Tide’s 35 points were scored by its special teams and defense.

In that game, Virginia Tech held Alabama to 206 yards of offense – 96 rushing and 110 passing.  A.J. McCarron was only 10-of-23 passing, and the Tide was only 6-of-17 on third down conversions.  

Saturday, in College Station, Texas A&M exposed the other vulnerability – the Tide defense.  A&M scored six offensive touchdowns on Alabama in the Aggies 49-42 loss to the Tide. 

In Saturday’s game, the Aggies racked up 628 yards of offense on the Bama defense.  A&M accumulated 31 first downs, averaged 5.1 yards per rush and Johnny Manziel completed 72 percent of his passes. 

If Virginia Tech had Texas A&M’s offense to go with its defense, the Hokies would have beaten Alabama on August 31.  If Texas A&M had Virginia Tech’s defense to go with its offense, the Aggies would have beaten Alabama Saturday. 

It will take a team with the combination of a good offense and defense to beat Alabama.  That’s why the Tide is good, very good.  But Alabama does have its vulnerabilities.  However, to take advantage of those vulnerabilities, it will take a team with talent on both sides of the ball.

Not many of those teams exist.  I’m not sure there is anyone remaining on Alabama’s schedule that meets those requirements.  But I’m sure there’s a team (or teams) somewhere around the country that does.  Stay tuned!

Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be Cowboys.  If everything Sports Illustrated says is true, and most likely, much of it probably is, then Oklahoma State is about to become the latest poster child for NCAA discretions.

Sex, drugs, illegal payments, academic fraud, you name it, the Oklahoma State football program has it, according to SI.  It is shades of so many scandals we have been through recently in college football.  About the only thing missing from the Okie State soap opera is a Jerry Sandusky type character.  

In recent years, it has been USC (the Reggie Bush scandal), Miami (the Nevin Shapiro scandal), Ohio State (the Tattoo scandal), North Carolina (the academic scandal) and Penn State (the Jerry Sandusky scandal).  We’ve seen it all. 

The USC, Ohio State, North Carolina and Penn State transgressions all resulted in some severe penalties and probations, not to mention, a number of firings – coaches, presidents, athletic directors, etc.  Miami is still waiting to learn its punishment from the NCAA.  The school, acting on its own, enacted a self-imposed bowl ban each of the past two seasons.  

If the Sports Illustrated accusations hold up, the resulting actions on Oklahoma State won’t be pretty.  But the NCAA’s investigation into the Cowboys’ program may take eons.  In the meantime, a lot of those mamas out there won’t want their babies to sign with the Cowboys.

Not to be outdone by Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports has reported that four former SEC players and one current SEC player received improper benefits in the form of financial payments from an NFL agent.

The former players are Alabama tackle D.J. Fluker, Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray, Miss State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and Miss State receiver Chad Bumphis.  The current player is Tennessee defensive lineman Maurice Couch.  According to Yahoo, the agent’s runner (go-between) who gave the money to the players was former Alabama player Luther Davis.  The payments totaled $45,550. 

Stay tuned.  Okie State may have some company in the dog house.    
 
There were four games Saturday involving teams from the Pac-12 against teams from the Big Ten.  The Pac-12 won 3-1.  UCLA beat Nebraska, 41-21, Washington downed Illinois, 34-24 and Arizona State edged Wisconsin, 32-30.  The lone Big Ten winner was Ohio State.  The Buckeyes outscored California, 52-34.

One team’s luck ended, while another team’s luck continued and both against Big Ten teams.  After a hot start, Bowling Green dropped its first game of the season.  The Falcons lost to Indiana, 42-10.  Meanwhile, UCF remained hot, beating Penn State, 34-31. 

Virginia Tech is still playing good defense.  The Hokies held a high-scoring East Carolina team to 10 points and 204 yards of offense.  Virginia Tech beat the Pirates, 15-10.

How do you go from beating Notre Dame one week to almost losing to woeful Akron the next?  Just ask Michigan.  The Wolverines had to hold on until the final play of the game before they could breathe a sigh of relief, beating Akron, 28-24.  Then there was little FCS Fordham beating Temple, 30-29, on a 29-yard touchdown pass with four seconds left in the game.       

There were two overtime games Saturday – one a five overtimer.  It took Buffalo five overtimes to subdue Stony Brook, 26-23.  Oddly, neither team scored in both the third and fourth overtimes.  Then, in a wild one, Oregon State beat Utah, 51-48, in overtime. 

Four teams made the “60-plus” club Saturday – Florida State 62 (against Nevada’s 7), Cincinnati 66 (against Northwestern State’s 9), Louisiana-Lafayette’s 70 (against Nichol State’s 7) and Utah State’s 70 (against Weber State’s 6).  Oregon and Oklahoma State just missed the club, each scoring 59 points.

Last week, Grambling State fired coach Doug Williams.  The Tigers were off to an 0-2 start, losing their first two games by a combined score of 71-19.  Williams, the former NFL quarterback, became the head coach at Grambling prior to the 2011 season.     

Among all the hoopla leading up to the Alabama-Texas A&M game, I read where a bar, Otey’s Tavern, in Mountain Brook, Alabama, made a piñata in the likeness of Johnny Manziel.  It was called the Johnny Piñata.  Apparently, patrons of Otey’s Tavern could take a whack at it.

Dan Kleinbeck and my Big Red Meet Wagon friends in Lincoln, Nebraska, are going through a busy time.  You might call it a tailgate marathon.  The Big Red Meet Wagon, a converted ambulance, is the all-purpose, all-service vehicle for their tailgates prior to Nebraska football games.  The Huskers are in the midst of a five-game home stand – three down and two to go.  You can check them out at www.bigredmeetwagon.com.

Watching the TCU-Texas Tech game Thursday night, I noticed that Swamp Mama was taking an unusual interest in the game.  Granted, Swamp Mama likes football, but she doesn’t usually get into TCU and Texas Tech.  And she doesn’t usually stay up and watch the entire Thursday night game with me.

At some point, it became obvious to me that Swamp Mama wasn’t so much interested in the game.  It was the Texas Tech coach – Kliff Kingsbury – she was interested in.  “What’s his name?”  “How old is he?”  “He’s cute.”  “He’s hot.”  She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

She really liked the shirt he was wearing.  She said not many coaches could wear a shirt like that.  I said I definitely wouldn’t want to see Charlie Weis in a shirt like that. 

I went through this once before with Swamp Mama.  It was 2003 through 2006.  Then, it was Mike Shula when he was the coach of Alabama.  Swamp Mama watched every Alabama game that was on TV.  Not to see the game, but to see Mike Shula.  She was smitten.  I feared for the worst the day I heard Alabama fired Shula.  I thought she would never get over it. 

Yes, Alabama is good – with Saban, not Shula – but weaknesses have been exposed.

Meanwhile, I’m thinkin’.  We’re going to be watching a lot of Texas Tech games.

Touchdown Tom
September 16, 2013     
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Good night John Boy – Alabama 49, Texas A&M 42 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34, Texas A&M 29).  This was a game of swings.  The Aggies swung first, jumping out to a 14-0 lead.  Then Bama tied things up, 14-14.  It was tense.  It was exciting.  Then Bama scored three-straight touchdowns and led 35-14.  The game was no longer exciting.  It wasn’t living up to its billing.  After trading touchdowns for a while, A&M scored two-straight TDs and pulled within 42-35.  All of a sudden, it was exciting again.  Both teams added another score.  It was a well-played game.  Both quarterbacks were extremely good.  T.J. Yeldon made the difference for Bama.  A crowd of 87,596 attended the game in College Station.  

RUNNER UP:  Thumbless in Lincoln – UCLA 41, Nebraska 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 38, UCLA 34).  I’m not sure the Huskers are in shape this year.  They definitely ran out of steam about halfway through the second quarter – offense and defense.  They just haven’t been a second-half team.  I have to believe some shakeups are coming.  But it’s still early.  A crowd of 91,471 attended the game in Lincoln. 

REST OF THE BEST:  Taylored for the Devils – Arizona State 32, Wisconsin 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 28, Arizona State 27).  Wisconsin only had one runner, instead of three, rush for more than 100 yards this week.  But Melvin Gordon rushed for a lot – 193 yards.  It was a wild game with a wilder ending.  After falling behind early, 3-0, the Badgers took the lead and led until early in the fourth quarter.  A crowd of 66,155 attended the game in Tempe. 

Blame it on Derek Dooley – Oregon 59, Tennessee 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 40, Tennessee 23).  Tennessee scored first and last.  In between, the Vols were never heard from, nor seen.  The Ducks amassed 687 yards of offense, with Marcus Mariota passing for 456 yards.  A crowd of 57,895 attended the game in Eugene.

The Price is right – Washington 34, Illinois 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Illinois 29).  Nathan Scheelhaase was a disappointment.  Keith Price (342 yards) and Bishop Sankey (208 yards) were not.  A crowd of 47,312 attended the game in Chicago.  

A Knight of a night – UCF 34, Penn State 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 22, UCF 20).  UCF got off to a great start, building up an early lead.  Then the Knights hung on to hold off the Lions in the fourth quarter.  Both quarterbacks – Blake Bortles and Christian Hackenberg – played well.  A crowd of 92,855 attended the game in State College.

Fresno State at Colorado (postponed)

Bees make some honey – Georgia Tech 38, Duke 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Duke 21).  After a good start, the Dookies finally ran into the wall – a big wall.  Meanwhile, the Bumble Bees ran all over the Dookies.  Tech had 344 yards rushing.  A crowd of 21,267 attended the game in Durham. 

Trojans in the passing Lane – USC 35, Boston College 7 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 24, Boston College 16).  Lane Kiffin rebounds.  The Trojans held the Eagles to 183 yards of offense – just 83 passing.  A crowd of 62,006 attended the game in Los Angeles.  

Mack takes a smack – Ole Miss 44, Texas 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Texas 27).  Teams are just running all over Texas.  Ole Miss rushed for 272 yards.  A crowd of 101,474 attended the game in Austin.

Kings-bury the Frogs – Texas Tech 20, TCU 10 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 31, Texas Tech 29).  Holding Texas Tech to 43 yards rushing wasn’t good enough to keep the Red Raiders from winning.  Three turnovers and bad calls from the officials didn’t help TCU any.  This one has to go down as the worst officiated game to date in the 2013 season.  A crowd of 58,702 attended the game in Lubbock.

Bucks are California dreamin’ – Ohio State 52, California 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 34, California 26).  The Buckeyes jumped out to a 21-0 lead and then the teams just traded touchdowns back-and-forth after that.  The teams combined for 1,111 yards of offence.  A crowd of 62,467 attended the game in Berkeley.  

Drunken Pirates – Virginia Tech 15, East Carolina 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 32, East Carolina 24).  The Hokies play damn good defense.  Problem is, they don’t have much of an offense.  VT only had 53 yards rushing and ECU only had 46.  This was the lowest scoring game of the weekend.  A crowd of 50,096 attended the game in Greenville.  

Bubble burst – Indiana 42, Bowling Green 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Bowling Green 37, Indiana 36).  It all came crashing down for Bowling Green.  Indiana has a great offense.  And the Hoosiers found a defense in this game.  A crowd of 41,869 attended the game in Bloomington.  

Stubborn as a Mule – Stanford 34, Army 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, Army 12).  Army gave Stanford a great fight.  The Cadets led 6-0 early.  Then they just trailed Stanford, 17-13, late in the second quarter.  A crowd of 39,644 attended the game in West Point.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

Was The State covering the game? – South Carolina 35, Vanderbilt 25 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 32, Vanderbilt 20).  The Gamecocks jumped out to a 28-0 lead and then hung on to win by 10.  But the Cocks dominated the game – 31 first downs to 14 for Vandy.  A crowd of 81,371 attended the game in Columbia.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Dana has something to smile about – West Virginia 41, Georgia State 7 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 52, Georgia State 9).  Mountaineers may have found a new quarterback.  Ford Childress started and played throughout, passing for 359 yards.  Eers had 604 yards of offense.  A crowd of 57,440 attended the game in Morgantown.  

Irish almost get steamed – Notre Dame 31, Purdue 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 38, Purdue 13).  Got to give it those Boilers.  They gave the Irish a scare.  Purdue just didn’t have a running game – 38 yards rushing.  A crowd of 61,127 attended the game in West Lafayette.  

Week 3 Picks:    12 Correct, 5 Wrong (70.6 percent)
On the Season:   44 Correct, 13 Wrong (77.2 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

Florida State trampled Nevada, 62-7.  A crowd of 73,847 attended the game in Tallahassee….  Florida Atlantic beat South Florida, 28-10.  A crowd of 33,792 attended the game in Tampa….  Bethune-Cookman downed Florida International, 34-13.  A crowd of 14,957 attended the game in Miami.

Florida A&M lost to Samford, 27-20.  A crowd of 10,034 attended the game in Tallahassee….  Jacksonville U. clobbered Morehead State, 69-19.  A crowd of 3,813 attended the game in Jacksonville….  Florida Tech fell to Newberry, 23-19.  A crowd of 2,544 attended the game in Newberry.  


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:  Texas A&M’s Johnny  Manziel – 28-39-2 for 464 yards; Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – 23-33-0-456; Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 27-44-0-443; Oklahoma’s Blake Bell – 27-37-0-413; Washington State’s Connor Halliday – 32-41-1-383, and California’s Jarred Goff – 31-53-1-371.

Also, Marshall’s Rakeem Cato – 30-45-1 for 366 yards; West Virginia’s Ford Childress – 25-41-1-359; Arizona State’s Taylor Kelly – 29-51-1-352; Connecticut’s Chandler Whitmer – 29-46-2-349; Washington’s Keith Price – 28-35-0-342; Auburn’s Nick Marshall – 23-34-2-339; Indiana’s Nate Sudfeld – 17-26-0-335, and Eastern Michigan’s Tyler Benz – 24-40-1-335.

Also, Alabama’s A.J. McCarron – 20-29-0 for 334 yards; Ball State’s Keith Wenning – 27-46-2-333; Louisiana-Monroe’s Kolton Browning – 43-68-2-315; Wake Forest’s Tanner Price – 28-47-0-310; Notre Dame’s Tommy Rees – 20-33-0-309; Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson – 21-30-0-297, and UCLA’s Brett Hundley – 16-24-1-294.  


Impressive Rushers:  Washington’s Bishop Sankey – 208 yards; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 193 yards; Rutgers’ Paul James – 192 yards; Ohio State’s Jordan Hall – 168 yards, Ole Miss’ Jeff Scott – 164 yards.

Also, Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch – 159 yards; South Florida’s Marcus Shaw – 159 yards; Northwestern’s Treyvon Green – 158 yards; Rice’s Charles Ross – 157 yards, and Indiana’s Stephen Houston – 155 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“I apologize to all the athletic directors in the conference for what’s about to happen, for what’s about to be said about a member institution.  That reflects on everyone, all our brothers and peers, we’re very remorseful about that,” Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder, apologizing to  his fellow athletic directors around the Big 12 Conference for the scathing expose of the Cowboys football program by Sports Illustrated.

“Johnny Manziel, he’s doing something I never thought was possible.  He’s going to make me root for Alabama this weekend.  I never thought I would say those words.  I am so close to saying, ‘Roll Tide.’  Johnny Manziel is annoying me so much.  I really close to saying, ‘Roll Tide.’  Auburn fans are not going to be happy, but let me tell you something.  Johnny Manziel, oh my God, the only thing saving Manziel is Miley Cyrus.  I just think that Johnny Manziel has done a lot of stupid stuff in the last three or four months,” Charles Barkley. 

“And if there’s anybody who knows about doing a lot of stupid stuff when they were younger, it’s Charles Barkley, CBSSports.com college football writer Tom Fornelli.

“If I were going to plan an empire built on depravity and debauchery it would not be in Stillwater.  I’ve been to Stillwater.  Even the cows have that, ‘Can you believe this place?’ look in their eyes,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz, on the Oklahoma State accusations.

"Meanwhile, the NCAA continues to affirm its commitment to academic reform and amateurism and repurposes its rulebook for a screenplay that it plans to sell to Pixar, 'Finding Nemo in Stillwater.  He Flushes Himself,'" Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“Yahoo reported five SEC players received improper benefits.  I know what you’re thinking: Only five?,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“Mississippi State at Auburn: Dan Mullen liked it better when people were talking about him for other jobs,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“Lane Kiffin heard chants of “Fire Kiffin” in the final minutes of a 10-7 loss to Washington State.  Still better than what they chanted in Knoxville,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Jeff Schultz.

“Barbara and I are Aggies to the core,” former president George H.W. Bush.

“They definitely can’t have a sign like that in Lawrence, Kansas, or Ann Arbor, Michigan,” ESPN’s Reece Davis, commenting on a sign at Texas Tech that said, “Our coach is hotter than yours.”


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

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Arizona State (3-0) at Stanford (2-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: Fox, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Some picked these two to win their respective divisions in the Pac-12.  That could happen.  The Sun Devils have a good passing attack.  Stanford is well-balanced – good running and passing.  Will these two meet again in the Pac-12 championship game?  The Trees put the Devils in their Trunks – Stanford 32, Arizona State 27.

RUNNER UP:  2. Michigan State (3-0) at Notre Dame (2-1) – (Big Ten vs. Ind.) (TV: NBC, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Didn’t the Irish get enough of Michigan two weeks ago?  Nothing like a double dose.  The Spartans are 3-0, but they haven’t played anybody.  They are an unknown.  They remain unknown – Notre Dame 26, Michigan State 24.

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Clemson (2-0) at NC State (2-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday) – Two years ago, the Pack surprised the Tigers in Raleigh – big time.  Last year, the Tigers won in a shoot out – 62-48.  New Pack coach Dave Doeren is good, but he doesn’t have a lot to work with this year.  Clemson takes advantage of Doeren’s bare cabinet.  No surprises in Raleigh this year – Clemson 33, NC State 18.  

4. Auburn (3-0) at LSU (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 7:45 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The Mad Hatter has a lot on his mind these days.  After all, he was the head coach at Okie State when all the bad things supposedly started.  And some think he might be continuing those practices at LSU.  No?  Never?  Not Les.  Under Chizik, Auburn would probably be 0-3.  Under Malzahn, Auburn will be 3-1 after this game – LSU 30, Auburn 19.

5. Tennessee (2-1) at Florida (1-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Wonder if Brent Pease can run up 59 points on Tennessee like Oregon did?  Sometimes, it’s hard imagining Pease running up 7 points on someone.  The Gators have had an extra week to get their offensive woes fixed.  The Gator Nation is sitting on the edge of their seats.  Tennessee looked good until the Vols played Oregon.  They’ll still look bad after playing the Gators – Florida 30, Tennessee 17.

6. Arkansas (3-0) at Rutgers (2-1) – (SEC vs. AAC) (TV: ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Bret Bielema had two runners rushing for more than 100 yards each until last week when only one Hog exceeded 100 yards on the ground.  But Arkansas still won.  Rutgers has potential.  The Knights chop the Pork – Rutgers 28, Arkansas 26. 

7. West Virginia (2-1) vs. Maryland (3-0) – (Big 12 vs. ACC) (TV: ESPNU, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – WVU may, or may not, have finally found a quarterback.  Chances are we’ll know for sure after the Maryland game.  The last time Maryland beat WVU the players on these teams were in grade school – 2003.  Will the streak continue?  The Terpies have Herpes – West Virginia 24, Maryland 20.

8. Boise State (2-1) at Fresno State (2-0) – (MWC vs. MWC) (TV: ESPN, 9 p.m. ET, Friday) – The favorites to win their respective divisions in the MWC hook up in an early season encounter.  Both have offenses that can move the ball.  Both have defenses that are a little weak, especially the Bulldogs.  But the Dogs make up for their weakness with a desire to win.  They shoot horses, don’t they? – Fresno State 40, Boise State 39.    

9. Utah State (2-1) at USC (2-1) – (MWC vs. Pac-12) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Utah State is capable of giving Lane Kiffin fits.  The Aggies should have no trouble moving the ball.  Question is: Can the Aggies stop the Trojans from moving the ball?  Could be an interesting afternoon in the Coliseum.  Life’s a holiday in Kiffin’s Lane – USC 30, Utah State 28.

10. North Carolina (1-1) at Georgia Tech (2-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Tech had no problem disposing of Duke.  The Bees will find Duke’s neighbor a little more troublesome.  As usual, the Bees are looking good on the ground.  The Heels had the week off for extra preparation.  That’s reason to give the Bees a little angst.  Bees get a Buzz on – Georgia Tech 33, North Carolina 24.

11. Missouri (2-0) at Indiana (2-1) – (SEC vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday) – After looking bad against Navy, the Hoosiers came back and looked good against Bowling Green.  Mizzou is 2-0, but an untested 2-0.  Indiana will definitely put some points on the board.  Will the Hoosiers put enough on the board?  Happy Cats – Missouri 32, Indiana 28.

12. Marshall (2-1) at Virginia Tech (2-1) – (C-USA vs. ACC) (TV: ESPNU, 12 noon ET, Saturday).  Can Rakeem Cato handle the Hokie defense?  Even Alabama had problems with the Hokie defense.  How well Cato performs is key for the Herd.  The Green aren’t mean…..enough – Virginia Tech 27, Marshall 20.

13. Utah (2-1) at BYU (1-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Ind.) (TV: ESPN2, 10:15 p.m. ET, Saturday) – After losing 51-48 in overtime last week, the Utes may not have anything left for this game.  But it shouldn’t take much to get them fired up for the Cougars.  This is the Book of Mormon….I mean….the battle of the Mormons.  Mendenhall has a ball – BYU 32, Utah 30.

14. Kansas State (2-1) at Texas (1-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Mack Brown may be up a creek without a paddle.  He’s changed defensive coordinators.  He says he has faith in this team.  He may not know what to do next.  He won’t have to worry about that if the Horns lose to K-State.  Brown can’t mount a Mack attack – Kansas State 29, Texas 27.

15. Troy (2-1) at Mississippi State (1-2) – (Sun Belt vs. SEC) (TV: Fox Sports Network, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Things haven’t been going so well for Dan Mullen at Miss State.  It was supposed to be better than this in Starkville.  Dan arrived with a lot of hullabaloo.  But lately, it has all been boohoo.  Troy has the potential to make things miserable.  Trojans get Bullied – Miss State 29, Troy 27.

…AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

16. Wyoming (2-1) at Air Force (1-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) (TV: ESPNU, 10:15 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Wyoming is a team on the up-and-up.  Air Force is a team on the way down.  Cowboys give the Falcons the boot – Wyoming 32, Air Force 21.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

South Dakota State (3-0) at Nebraska (2-1) – (MVC vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The way the Huskers have been playing lately, especially in the second half, these Jack Rabbits could be a problem.  This could be another North Dakota State-Kansas State affair.  This was supposed to be one of those games where Nebraska gets everything worked out before moving into Big Ten play.  But the Huskers may be pulling out all stops to win this game.  Herb puts the Rabbit on a spit –   Nebraska 36, South Dakota State 25.

Pitt (1-1) at Duke (2-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ACC Network, 12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Reality set in last week for the Dookies.  They realized they aren’t going to have an undefeated season…..again.  So now the goal is to have a winning season.  That bowl tasted good last year.  Pitt’s no Georgia Tech, but the Panthers won’t help the Dookies any.  Devils get egged – Pitt 29, Duke 21.

North Texas (2-1) at Georgia (1-1) – (C-USA vs. SEC) (TV: SEC Network, 12:20 p.m. ET, Saturday) – After Clemson, South Carolina and a week off, the Dawgs get a breather with North Texas…..is this like North Dallas 40?  North Texas is easier than the week off.  The Dawgs go North and Texas goes South – Georgia 36, North Texas 16.

Purdue (1-2) at Wisconsin (2-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – After putting up that fight against the Irish, the Boilers probably don’t have anything left in them to cope with the Badgers.  And the Badger is going to be mad after the two-point loss at Arizona State.  The frustration could be taken out on the Boilers.  I think you get the picture.  It doesn’t look pretty for the Boilers.  But the beer is good in Wisconsin.  Badgers have an Oktoberfest – Wisconsin 35, Purdue 23.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

Florida State (2-0) hosts Bethune-Cookman (3-0) (TV: None, 6 p.m. ET, Saturday) ….  Miami (2-0) entertains Savannah State (1-2) (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday) ….  Florida International (0-3) visits Louisville (3-0) (TV: Local, 12 noon ET, Saturday) ….  Florida Atlantic (1-2) is home to Middle Tennessee (2-1) (TV: Local, 12 noon ET, Saturday).

Florida A&M (1-2) travels to Ohio State (3-0) (TV: BTN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) ….  Jacksonville U. (1-2) is home against Warner (0-3) (TV: None, 1 p.m. ET, Saturday) ….  Stetson (1-1) hosts Birmingham Southern (2-0) (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday) ….  Florida Tech (1-1) entertains West Alabama (1-1) (TV: CBSSN, 8 p.m. ET, Thursday) ….  UCF (3-0) and South Florida (0-3) are off.   


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football … FIU and UCF have scheduled their annual home-and-home series to continue through the 2016 season….  Troy will play LSU in Baton Rouge in 2017 and Nebraska in Lincoln in 2018. 

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Not directly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Zelmo Beaty and Frank Tripucka.

Zelmo Beaty, a star center in the NBA, who left the league to play in the upstart ABA, died in Bellevue, Washington.  He was 73.  In eight seasons in the NBA, Beaty played the first seven for the Hawks (first in St. Louis, then in Atlanta) and the eighth, after his time in the ABA, for the Los Angeles Lakers.  In the ABA, Beaty played for the Utah Stars.  He was with the Hawks from 1962-1969.  Beaty played in two NBA All-Star games.  His last season in the NBA (with the Lakers) was 1974-75.  Beaty coached the ABA Virginia Squires during the 1975-76 season.  Zelmo Beaty was born in Hillister, Texas, on October 25, 1939.  He played college ball at Prairie View A&M University. 

Frank Tripucka, a star quarterback for Notre Dame’s unbeaten 1948 team and one of the leading passers in the early years of the American Football League with the Denver Broncos, died last week in Woodland Park, New Jersey.  He was 85.  His son, Kelly Tripucka, was an All-American basketball forward at Notre Dame and played for 10 seasons in the NBA.  Francis Joseph Tripucka was born on December 8, 1927, in Bloomfield, New Jersey.