College Football Week 8 – Big Showdown in the ACC
A week of Clowney, injuries,
‘women,’ upsets, and for two
teams: halfway to paradise

I don’t know if this was the big one or not – it usually occurs on the last weekend in October (near Halloween) – but Saturday had all the signs of being a shakeup, shakedown Saturday.  The Top 25 took a pounding.

Stanford fell from 5 to 13 in the polls, Georgia dropped from 7 to 15, Oklahoma from 12 to 18, Washington from 16 to 20, Florida from 17 to 22, while Michigan and Northwestern fell out of the Top 25 all together.  Stanford, Oklahoma and Michigan all suffered their first loss of the season.

Six other Top 25 teams, five of them undefeated, survived scares to hold on to their lofty spots – Clemson, Louisville, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech and Northern Illinois.  And for two of the lucky teams in the Top 25 – they are halfway to paradise.  Saturday marked the halfway point in the season – seven weeks down and about seven weeks to go.   

It was also the week of Jadeveon Clowney, injuries and “women.”  But more on that later – let’s get back to the weekend’s action. 

Who said Mack Brown had one foot in a bucket and the other one on a banana peel?  After Saturday’s Oklahoma-Texas game, Brown must have been saying, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”  Texas pulled off the unexpected, beating Oklahoma, 36-20.  The Longhorns took a 3-0 lead about five minutes into the game and never looked back.  Texas handed the Sooners their first loss of the season.

Stanford suffered its first loss.  The Cardinal stumbled in Salt Lake City to Utah, 27-21.  The game had all the makings of an upset.  Stanford was coming off a hard-fought win last week over Washington, while Utah was coming off a hard-fought loss to UCLA.  The Utes were determined they weren’t going to lose again.

In State College, Michigan had a number of chances to put away the game against Penn State.  But too many conservative play calls by Brady Hoke and too many missed field goals by Brendan Gibbons cost the Wolverines the game.  The Nittany Lions waited out Michigan and hung on to beat the Wolverines, 43-40, in four overtimes.  Michigan was the third undefeated team to lose Saturday.

Georgia lost its first SEC game of the season.  Missouri came into Athens and stunned the Dawgs, 41-26.  Georgia suffered four turnovers in the contest.  Washington and Florida lost to higher-ranked teams Saturday.  Oregon racked up 631 yards of offense, downing the Huskies, 45-24.  In Baton Rouge, Florida’s offense was flat, as the Gators fell to LSU, 17-6. 

Northwestern was ranked and Wisconsin wasn’t.  But the Badgers were favored over the Wildcats.  And the favored team won.  Unranked Wisconsin all but shutdown ranked Northwestern, 35-6.  The Wildcats were limited to 44 yards rushing.

As mentioned, six ranked teams had close calls over the weekend.  Trailing Boston College, 14-10, in the fourth quarter, third-ranked and undefeated Clemson rallied, scoring two touchdowns to come back and beat the Eagles, 24-14.  No doubt the Tigers were looking ahead to Florida State.

Throughout most of the fourth quarter, eighth-ranked and undefeated Louisville only led Rutgers, 17-10.  The Cardinals pulled it out, 24-10.  In Oxford, Mississippi, ninth-ranked Texas A&M kicked a field goal as time expired to subdue Ole Miss, 41-38.  The Aggies trailed the Rebels, 38-31, late in the fourth quarter. 

Believe it or not, someone finally held undefeated Baylor below 70 points this season – considerably below.  At the end of the third quarter, Kansas State led the 15th-ranked Bears, 25-21.  Baylor rallied with two touchdowns in the fourth to win, 35-25.  Texas Tech may have thought it was going to have an easy time with Iowa State.  But the 20th-ranked and undefeated Red Raiders couldn’t shake the Cyclones.  The game was basically tit-for-tat throughout, as Texas Tech held on to win, 42-35.

And finally, Akron, who scared Michigan big-time earlier in the season, gave 23rd-ranked Northern Illinois all it could handle.  The undefeated Huskies played well-enough, to hold off the Zips, 27-20. 

In some other interesting games, USC, playing its first game under interim coach Ed Orgeron, beat Arizona, 38-31.  Army’s Terry Baggett rushed for a record 304 yards, as the Black Knights downed Eastern Michigan, 50-25.  After beginning the season 0-4, South Florida won its second-straight game, edging Connecticut, 13-10.

Houston remained undefeated, beating Memphis, 25-15.  Tulane, out to a surprising 5-2 start, outlasted East Carolina, 36-33, in three overtimes.  In two one-point games, Maryland scored with 5:14 left in the game to beat Virginia, 27-26, while Marshall scored on a Justin Haig 41-yard field goal as time expired to down Florida Atlantic, 24-23.

In another one-pointer, Mississippi State held off Bowling Green, 21-20.  There was only one member of the “60-plus” club over the weekend – Auburn.  The Tigers defeated hapless Western Carolina, 62-3.  Arizona State, Oregon State and South Carolina came close to getting into the club.  The Sun Devils beat Colorado, 54-13, the Beavers downed Washington State, 52-24, and the Gamecocks pounded Arkansas, 52-7.

So at the halfway point in the season, there are 14 undefeated teams – Alabama, Baylor, Clemson, Florida State, Fresno State, Houston, Louisville, Miami (Florida), Missouri, Northern Illinois, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas Tech and UCLA.

The group will be reduced by at least one this weekend – Florida State meets Clemson.  Four more of the undefeated teams have tough encounters: Louisville plays UCF, Houston meets BYU, UCLA plays Stanford and Missouri meets Florida.  And you never know what could happen.  Any of the other eight could fall victim to an upset.  Stay tuned!

By the way, the SEC has a record eight teams in the Top 25 this week – (1) Alabama, (6) LSU, (7) Texas A&M, (11) South Carolina, (14) Missouri, (15) Georgia (22) Florida, and (24) Auburn. 

South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was at the top of the college football news at the first of the week.  After sitting out two games due to a rib injury, Clowney drew the ire of his coach Steve Spurrier and several writers.  However, a day or so later, Spurrier and many writers changed their tune about Clowney.  They basically accepted his absences, saying that Clowney must do what is best for his health and his future – the future being the NFL.

Spurrier said that Clowney would be accepted and welcomed back when he is ready to play.  Clowney played in South Carolina’s win over Arkansas over the weekend, but was only credited with one tackle in the game.

Reading about Clowney and other related situations with some players, I have become convinced that the NFL needs to start a minor league in pro football.  Coming out of high school, players could choose to enter the minor league or play college ball – one or the other, but not both.  This would hopefully root out the players who are not interested in an education. 

Remember the comment from Ohio State’s Cardale Jones last year?  “Why should we have to go to class if we came here to play football?  We ain’t come to play school.  Classes are pointless.”  Players like Jones should be able to go directly into the NFL minor leagues out of high school.   

Injuries were also a popular topic last week in college football – faked injuries.  After last week’s Washington-Stanford game, Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian accused Stanford coach David Shaw of having his defensive players fake injuries after a play to slow down the Washington offense.  Earlier in the season, California coach Sonny Dykes accused Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald of the same thing.  There have been other similar accusations from coaches this season.

The supposed tactic gives the defenses a breather and time to substitute players against the hurry-up, fast-paced offenses.  Whether they were or not in the above games, I’m sure some injuries have been faked.  Coaches are coaches after all.  We’re not surprised by anything they do.

However, that said, it seems to me there have been considerable more injuries in college football games this season.  At the Arkansas-Florida game in Gainesville last week, there was an injury on almost every other play – especially in the second half.  Watching games on television this season, it seems there are more injuries.  All the injuries add time to the games.  It seems like the games are taking longer.  Maybe the refs should let the clock run and add injury time at the end of the game – like soccer.

It’s a rough game and it’s getting rougher.

Then we learned last week that former Auburn coach Pat Dye and ESPN commentator David Pollack don’t think women have any business being on the selection committee for the four-team playoff starting next season.  This surfaced when former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was mentioned in reports to be a likely committee member.

Both Dye and Pollack said women shouldn’t be on the selection committee.  Pollack’s comment drew the ire of Fox Sports commentator Erin Andrews.  You realize the common denominator here is Georgia.  Dye and Pollack are both Georgia graduates.  Perhaps there’s a moral to the story for women: Don’t marry a Dawg.

Oregon’s cheerleaders have their eyes on the Ducks.  At the Oregon-Washington game this past weekend, the Ducks’ cheerleaders wore green and yellow contacts in their eyes.  Wonder if the contacts were paid for by Aflac? 

The Iowa State-Texas Tech football game was on television Saturday.  You know what that meant at our house.  We had to watch the game.  Swamp Mama was glued to the screen.  After a while, she complained that the TV cameras were showing too much of the game and not enough of Kliff Kingsbury. 

I said, “Honey, this is the Iowa State-Texas Tech football game.  It’s not the Kliff Kingsbury Show.” 

But maybe it was.  Texas Tech won.

Later in the day, Saturday, Swamp Mama and I participated in the Witch Way 5K, an annual event that takes place in our town every October.  We walked over to the starting area.  It was only about a half mile from our house and the race course goes through our neighborhood.

After the race, we walked back home.  A few blocks from our house, there was a young couple in a pickup truck, collecting the traffic cones and “Caution, Racers” signs that were positioned throughout the course.

Walking by the couple, the girl stared at us with a suspicious, yet concerned look.

“I hope you all have finished the race?,” she said.

“We have,” I responded.

“Oh, thank God, I’m so relieved,” she said.  “I was worried you all were lost and going the wrong way.”

Touchdown Tom
October 14, 2013
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK:  Oregon 45, Washington 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 42, Washington 36).  This game wasn’t as close as many thought it would be.  Oregon’s running and passing was too much for the Huskies.  But Washington’s Bishop Sankey did rush for 167 yards.  A crowd of 71,833 attended the game in Seattle.

RUNNER UP:  LSU 17, Florida 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Baton Rouge).  Will Mustake….I mean….Muschamp is in his third season at Florida and he still hasn’t established an offense.  A common problem when you hire a defensive coordinator as a head coach.  He’s also a Georgia man.  Remember Ray Goof?  Florida’s offense was flat.  And especially against a LSU defense that is considered weak this year.  Meanwhile, I don’t know what happened to Florida’s defense.  A crowd of 92,980 attended the game in LSU 27, Florida 24.

REST OF THE BEST:  Missouri 41, Georgia 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 32, Missouri 22).  It was bound to happen eventually.  Georgia’s defense has been bad all season.  Four turnovers didn’t help the Dawgs any either.  Aaron Murray can forget the Heisman.  A crowd of 92,746 attended the game in Athens.

Not the Knights’ night – Louisville 24, Rutgers 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 33, Rutgers 28).  Although the score was close throughout most of the fourth quarter – Louisville led 17-10 – the Cardinals all but controlled this game.  Louisville had almost twice as many yards as the Knights.  The Cardinals held Rutgers to only 12 yards rushing.  Turnovers by both teams marred the game.  A crowd of 55,168 attended the game in Louisville.

Utah 27, Stanford 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 32, Utah 20).  This was an upset waiting to happen.  Utah popped up between Washington and UCLA on Stanford’s schedule.  I think the Cardinal took the Utes for granted.  A crowd of 45,372 attended the game in Salt Lake City.

Clemson 24, Boston College 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 40, Boston College 20).  Do you think Clemson was looking ahead to Florida State – just a bit?  Tajh Boyd had a spectacular game.  A crowd of 77,506 attended the game in Clemson.

Texas 36, Oklahoma 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 25, Texas 17).  Just when you think Mack Brown is down and out, he pops up and surprises you.  Texas sure surprised the crap out of Oklahoma.  The Horns Jonathan Gray rushed for 123 yards and Malcolm Brown rushed for 120 yards.  OU’s offense and defense were flat.  A crowd of 92,500 attended the game in Dallas.

Penn State 43, Michigan 40 (4OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 32, Penn State 21).  Penn State all but handed this game to Michigan so many times.  But the Wolverines refused to accept it.  Brady Hoke’s play calling was way too conservative.  Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg (305 yards passing) is amazing.  He made a believer out of me.  A crowd of 107,884 attended the game in State College.

Virginia Tech 19, Pitt 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 25, Pitt 11).  Virginia Tech shuts down the offense of every team the Hokies play.  Tech quarterback Logan Thomas seems to be getting his act together.  A crowd of 64,954 attended the game in Blacksburg.

Oregon State 52, Washington State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon State 38, Washington State 35).  This was an exciting game through the third quarter – 24-24 after three.  Then Oregon State scored 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.  Beavers quarterback Sean Mannion (493 yards passing) is amazing.  A crowd of 31,955 attended the game in Pullman.

Texas A&M 41, Ole Miss 38 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 31, Ole Miss 20).  A close call for the Aggies.  Johnny Manziel (346 yards passing, 124 rushing) put on quite a show – a Heisman performance.  The teams combined for 1,049 yards of offense.  A crowd of 60,950 attended the game in Oxford.

Wisconsin 35, Northwestern 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 30, Northwestern 29).  Northwestern was still wiped out from the Ohio State game.  They had nothing left in them.  The Badgers pounded the Wildcats on the ground with the rushing of Melvin Gordon (172 yards) and James White (101 yards).  A crowd of 81,411 attended the game in Madison.

Michigan State 42, Indiana 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 29, Indiana 26).  Maybe, just maybe, the Spartans are getting their act together.  They put on a pretty good offensive show.  But then again, Indiana doesn’t have much of a defense.  A crowd of 73,815 attended the game in East Lansing.

South Carolina 52, Arkansas 7 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 26, Arkansas 24).  Arkansas only had seven first downs and only 30 yards passing.  Florida must have beat up the Hogs pretty good.  Bret Bielema has a job on his hands.  A crowd of 66,302 attended the game in Fayetteville.

Baylor 35, Kansas State 25 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 40, Kansas State 27).  All week, everybody asked, “How many points will Baylor put up on K-State?”  Answer: “Not that many.”  The Bears’ Bryce Petty passed for 332 yards.  The Wildcats’ Daniel Sams rushed for 199 yards.  A crowd of 52,803 attended the game in Manhattan.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

The Wildcats didn’t take off their rainbow shades – USC 38, Arizona 31 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, Arizona 32).  Looks like USC did the right thing getting rid of Lane Kiffin.  However, early in the fourth, the Trojans led 38-17 and almost let Arizona come back and tie the game.  The Wildcats’ rally fell short.  The teams combined for a 1,054 yards of offense.  A crowd of 64,215 attended the game in Los Angeles.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Nebraska 44, Purdue 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 38, Purdue 20).  It’s already been a long year for the Boilers and it’s going to get longer.  The Huskers held Purdue to 32 yards rushing.  Purdue’s only score came with 0:39 left in the game.  Nebraska must have had the cheerleaders in at that point.  A crowd of 47,203 attended the game in West Lafayette.

Duke 35, Navy 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 31, Duke 29).  The Dookies defense must really know the Navy offense.  The Dookies are only two wins from being bowl eligible.  A crowd of 23,749 attended the game in Durham.

Week 7 Picks:   13 Correct, 5 Wrong (72.2 percent)
On the Season:  102 Correct, 29 Wrong (77.9 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

South Florida slipped by Connecticut, 13-10.  A crowd of 37,861 attended the game in East Hartford….  Florida Atlantic lost to Marshall, 24-23.  A crowd of 19,760 attended the game in Boca Raton….  A crowd of 15,696 attended the game in Miami….  Florida A&M beat Savannah State, 27-14.  A crowd of 5,620 attended the game in Savannah.

Bethune-Cookman downed Howard, 27-6.  A crowd of 1,052 attended the game in Washington, DC….  Stetson fell to Dayton, 49-20.  A crowd of 5,116 attended the game in Deland….  Florida Tech lost to Ave Maria, 45-41.  A crowd of 1,345 attended the game in Ave Maria.    


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:  Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 34-51-1 for 493 yards; East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 41-55-1-480; San Jose State’s David Fales – 28-35-1-431; Texas Tech’s Davis Webb – 35-56-1-415; UCLA’s Brett Hundley – 31-41-0-410; UNLV’s Caleb Herring – 34-57-1-385; Arkansas State’s Adam Kennedy – 22-32-1-375; Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – 24-31-0-366, and Arizona’s B.J. Denker – 28-44-0-363.

Also, Alabama’s A.J. McCarron – 21-35-0 for 359 yards; Troy’s Corey Robinson – 21-37-2-350; Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel – 31-39-1-346; Boise State’s Joe Southwick – 30-44-2-335; Clemson’s Tajh Boyd – 30-44-0-334; Baylor’s Bryce Petty – 12-21-0-332; Maryland’s Caleb Rowe – 18-34-0-332; Hawaii’s Sean Schroeder – 24-47-0-325, and Ohio’s Tyler Tettleton – 24-33-2-319.

Also, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater – 21-31-1 for 310 yards; Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson – 19-34-2-310; Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg – 23-44-2-305; Ball State’s Keith Wenning – 23-46-2-305; Florida International’s Jake Medlock – 17-34-1-302; Ole Miss’ Bo Wallace – 22-36-1-301; USC’s Cody Kessler – 15-30-0-297; Duke’s Anthony Boone – 31-38-0-295, and Georgia’s Aaron Murray – 25-45-2-290.


Impressive Rushers:  Army’s Terry Baggett – 304 yards; Kansas State’s Daniel Sams – 199 yards; Central Michigan’s Saylor Lavallii – 184 yards, and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 172 yards.

Also, Washington’s Bishop Sankey – 167 yards; Connecticut’s Lyle McCombs – 164 yards; UNLV’s Tim Cornett – 162 yards; UAB’s Jordan Howard – 159 yards; Idaho’s James Baker – 150 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“All she knows about football is what somebody told her,” former Auburn coach Pat Dye, on Condoleezza Rice being a member of the playoff selection committee.

 “Have you ever been to Manhattan, Kansas?  They say that nothing ever happens there after 10:00 – 10:00 in the morning,” Sports commentator Colin Cowherd.

“Say no to Quack,” Washington Huskies fan’s sign on College GameDay in Seattle.

“If Clowney plays, will his heart be in it?,” CBSSports.com blogger Tony Barnhart, on South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

“Lennart , Lennart, Lennart. OK...when you see a status that says BOOMER you respond SOONER. Then BOOMER....then SOONER.  Jeff Wohler gets a pass because SOMEDAY the Ducks will win a national championship and his world will be balanced.  Tom Carnohan gets a pass because he is a “dyed in the wool” (meaning forever) West Virginia fan with a SLIGHT loyalty – which only Lynn Yawn understands – to Florida.  All other participants must adhere to the Boomer/Sooner mandate or face blistering SCORN,” Oklahoma fan Beki Links, explaining American football fan support to a Swede.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Florida State (5-0) at Clemson (6-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ABC, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – The quarterback battle – the experienced Tajh Boyd against the outstanding, but inexperienced, Jameis Winston.  Boyd has been here before.  Winston hasn’t.  But FSU had an extra week to prepare.  Clemson got by Georgia earlier this season.  But the Noles have a better defense.  Fisher’s hook comes up empty – Clemson 33, Florida State 27.

RUNNER UP:  2. UCLA (5-0) at Stanford (5-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – The Bruins lost to Stanford twice last season.  They won’t lose a third time.  Brett Hundley makes the difference for the Bruins – UCLA 30, Stanford 26. 

REST OF THE BEST:  3. UCF (4-1) at Louisville (6-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) (TV: ESPN, 8 pm ET, Friday) – UCF had a chance to make a name for itself against South Carolina.  The Knights failed.  Now they have a chance again against the Cardinals.  This shapes up to be a duel between Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater.  Louisville goes from one Knight (Rutgers) to another (UCF).  The Birds defend their nest – Louisville 27, UCF 24.

4. Florida (4-2) at Missouri (6-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: SEC Network, 12:20 pm ET, Saturday) – Mizzou lost its quarterback late in the Georgia game.  James Franklin is out for the season.  That’s an advantage for the Gators.  But that’s the only advantage for the Gators.  No swamps in the Midwest – Missouri 22, Florida 17. 

5. Auburn (5-1) at Texas A&M (5-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Auburn is a surprise this season.  The Tigers are playing well.  But they aren’t playing well-enough to handle Johnny Manziel.  The Tigers get thrown out of a fraternity party – Texas A&M 35, Auburn 24.

6. Washington State (4-3) at Oregon (6-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: Fox Sports 1, 10 pm ET, Saturday) – The Ducks get the other team from Washington this week.  And this one isn’t as good.  The Cougars can pass, but they have no defense.  Cougars don’t like water – Oregon 57, Washington State 26.

7. BYU (4-2) at Houston (5-0) – (Ind. vs. AAC) (TV: ESPN News, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Houston is one of the 14 undefeated teams.  But the Cougars are untested.  BYU will give them a test.  The Cougars flunk it – BYU 34, Houston 22.

8. Texas Tech (6-0) at West Virginia (3-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: Fox Sports 1, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Can the Mountaineers pull off another Oklahoma State-type upset against the Red Raiders?  Or will Texas Tech dominate?  I have a feeling Swamp Mama will be cheering for the wrong team.  Kliff winks, Swamp Mama faints – Texas Tech 31, West Virginia 30.

9. LSU (6-1) at Ole Miss (3-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN2, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – Ole Miss sure gave Texas A&M a good scare.  I don’t know if they can scare the Tigers or not.  They won’t scare Zach Mettenberger.  The Magnolias wilt – LSU 27, Ole Miss 20.

10. Arkansas (3-4) at Alabama (6-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 7 pm ET, Saturday) – Ho, hum – this looks like another easy win for the Tide.  The Hogs have no offense.  Bama does the Pig calling – Alabama 30, Arkansas 12.

11. Washington (4-2) at Arizona State (4-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: Pac-12 Network, 6 pm ET, Saturday) – Three tough ones in a row for Washington – Stanford, Oregon and now Arizona State.  The winner improves their stock.  Devils crush the Mush – Arizona State 33, Washington 32.

12. South Carolina (5-1) at Tennessee (3-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – This could be a tricky one for the Gamecocks.  Tennessee had an extra week to prepare.  And the Vols seem to be getting better.  But not better enough – South Carolina 26, Tennessee 23.

13. USC (4-2) at Notre Dame (4-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Ind.) (TV: NBC, 7:30 pm ET, Saturday) – This used to be a big game.  Now, it’s just another game.  USC is playing under an interim coach.  Notre Dame is a big disappointment after going undefeated and playing for the national championship last year.  Well, it will be a big game for the winner.  The winner moves to 5-2 with hopes of salvaging what began as a dismal season.  The loser falls to 4-3 with hopes that next year will be better.  Irish eyes are smiling – Notre Dame 30, USC 23.
  
13. Indiana (3-3) at Michigan (5-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – Brady Hoke doesn’t have to play conservative against Indiana’s defense.  He can be a liberal.  Not a Hoosier kind of day – Michigan 36, Indiana 26.

14. Utah (4-2) at Arizona (3-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: Pac-12 Network, 10 pm ET, Saturday) – So, I’m thinking Utah has a letdown after the big win over Stanford.  And I’m thinking Rich Rod is ready for a win.  The Wildcat mutes the Utes – Arizona 30, Utah 28.

15. TCU (3-3) at Oklahoma State (4-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: Fox, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – It will all come down to how well TCU’s defense plays.  The Frogs have struggled on offense.  Cowboys like Frog legs – Oklahoma State 26, TCU 19.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

16. Wisconsin (4-2) at Illinois (3-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 8 pm ET, Saturday) – The Banned Indians won’t roll over and fall dead like Northwestern.  They’ll show some life against the Badgers.  But the Banned Indians defense can’t stop the Wisconsin ground game.  Bucky bans another Indian – Wisconsin 30, Illinois 21.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Duke (4-2) at Virginia (2-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: Fox Sports Network, 3:30 pm ET, Saturday) – If the Dookies defense plays as well as they did against Navy, the Devils should win.  But Virginia runs a different type of offense than Navy.  And the Cavs are hungry.  Cavs ice the Devils – Virginia 30, Duke 29.

Georgia (4-2) at Vanderbilt (3-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – The Dawgs will bounce back but not before Vandy gives them a few problems.  You gotta figure Vandy’s offense will put up a few points on the Georgia defense.  But Aaron Murray will make the difference for the Dawgs.  Uga takes over the bridge – Georgia 32, Vanderbilt 26.

Purdue (1-5) at Michigan State (5-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Once in a while, the Boilers pop up and surprise somebody.  But I’m not sure the Boilers have any surprises in them this year.  Meanwhile, the Spartans have been getting the kinks out of their system.  Sparty throws a Boiler party – Michigan State 32, Purdue 17.

Nebraska (5-1) and Texas (4-2) are off.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

Miami (5-0) visits North Carolina (1-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN, 7:30 pm ET, Thursday). ….  Florida A&M (2-4) entertains Howard (1-5) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (TV: None, 2 pm ET, Saturday). ….  Bethune-Cookman (5-1) hosts Savannah State (1-6) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (TV: None, 4 pm ET, Saturday).

Jacksonville U. (2-4) travels to Campbell (1-5) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (TV: None, 1 pm ET, Saturday). ….  Florida Tech (1-5) is home against Shorter (0-6) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) (TV: None, 2 pm ET, Saturday).

South Florida (2-4), Florida Atlantic (2-5), Florida International (1-5) and Stetson (1-5) are off.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . BYU has added Stanford, Hawaii and Savannah State to its future schedules.  The Cougars and Cardinal will play a four-game, home-and-home series from 2020 to 2025.  BYU and Hawaii will play a two-game, home-and-home series in 2017 and 2018.  The Cougars will play Savannah State in Provo in 2014.

Tennessee and Virginia Tech will play their 2016 game at the Bristol Motor Speedway racetrack.  The two schools are hoping to set a record for the largest crowd ever to attend a football game….  Wisconsin has added Georgia State to its 2016 schedule.  The game will be played in Madison….  LSU and Wisconsin will play at the Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field on September 3, 2016. 

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly, there were three passings of note last week – Gordon Polofsky, Scott Carpenter and Andy Pafko.

Gordon Polofsky, who played three seasons in the NFL and was a linebacker and fullback on Tennessee’s 1951 national championship team, died last week in Knoxville.  He was 82.  Polofsky lettered at Tennessee from 1949 to 1951.  The Volunteers had a combined 28-4-1 record during those three seasons.  The 1950 team finished fourth in the polls with an 11-1 record, including a victory in the Cotton Bowl.  The 1951 team went 10-1 and finished first in the polls.  Polofsky played for the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals from 1952 to 1954.

Scott Carpenter, whose flight into space in 1962 as the second American to orbit the Earth was marred by technical glitches, died last week in Denver.  He was 88.  Carpenter was one of the seven original astronauts.  Malcolm Scott Carpenter was born on May 1, 1925, in Boulder, Colorado. 

Andy Pafko, an All-Star outfielder who played on four teams that won the National League pennant, died last week at a nursing home in Stevensville, Michigan.  He was 92.  Swinging right-handed, Pafko was an outstanding hitter, playing for the Chicago Cubs, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Milwaukee Braves.  He played for the Cubs from 1943 to 1950, then was traded to the Dodgers in 1951.  After two seasons with the Dodgers, Pafko was traded to the Braves in 1953.  He retired from the Braves after the 1959 season, with a career batting average of .285 and 213 home runs.  He was later a coach for the Braves.  Andrew Pafko was born on February 25, 1921, in Boyceville, Wisconsin.  In 1998, a 1952 Andy Pafko trading card sold for $83,870.