College Football Week 3 – Vols-Sooners; Dawgs-Cocks
And it’s all over now, Big Ten

After Saturday’s action, I’m convinced that no team from the Big Ten Conference deserves to be selected for the Four-Team Playoff at the end of the season.

Oregon 46, Michigan State 27…..Notre Dame 31, Michigan 0…..Virginia Tech 35, Ohio State 21…..(last week) LSU 28, Wisconsin 24.

And, Purdue loses to Central Michigan, 38-17…..Northwestern loses to Northern Illinois, 23-15.

“The vagabond who’s rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore”

Plus, Nebraska struggles to beat McNeese State, 31-24…..Iowa struggles to beat Ball State, 17-13.

Additionally, Illinois, Rutgers, Minnesota and Maryland were everything but impressive in their sloppy wins over weak competition.

“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” was written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on Dylan’s album “Bringing It All Back Home, released in March 1965.
Following the losses by Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State on Saturday, I couldn’t get, “And it’s all over now, Big Ten,” out of my head.

The Big Ten is one of the Power Five conferences, but based on the Big Ten’s performance this season, no Big Ten team should be considered for the Four-Team Playoff. In Michigan State’s 46-27 loss to Oregon, the Spartans were outscored 28-3 by the Ducks in the second half of the game.

Michigan failed to score a point in the Wolverines’ loss to Notre Dame. And Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett threw three interceptions and only completed 31 percent of his passes in the Buckeyes 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech. In the three games, the Big Ten teams – Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State – averaged losing by 21.3 points.

The previous weekend, Wisconsin blew a 17-point third quarter lead in the Badgers 28-24 loss to LSU. In that game, Wisconsin quarterback Tanner McEvoy passed for only 50 yards, completing only 33 percent of his passes.

To add insult to injury Saturday, Purdue lost to Central Michigan 38-17 and Northwestern fell to Northern Illinois, 23-15. Iowa and Nebraska each had to score in the final 60 seconds of their games to beat Ball State (17-13) and McNeese State (31-24) respectively.

In the AP and Coaches Polls released yesterday, no Big Ten team was in the Top Ten.

Strike another match, start again
And it’s all over now, Big Ten

Speaking of the Four-Team Playoff, USC athletic director Pat Haden, a member of the playoff selection committee got a little testy on Saturday during USC’s game with Stanford. When an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called against USC coach Steve Sarkisian, and a USC linebacker was ejected for targeting the head of a Stanford player, Haden left his seat in the press box and went down to the sideline where he got into an animated argument with the officials.

Haden’s action was unprecedented. It doesn’t bode well for a big-time college athletic director, much less a member of the playoff selection committee, to make a scene on the sideline, questioning officials. Some in the media are calling for Haden to resign his position from the selection committee.

And speaking of getting testy, Florida coach Will Muschamp got testy with the media last week when they questioned his decision to reinstate three suspended players – Demarcus Robinson, Darious Cummings and Jaynard Bostwick – for the Eastern Michigan game.

As punishment, Muschamp had suspended the three players from Florida’s first game. Florida’s first game – Idaho – was never played. It was called due to inclement weather. So the Eastern Michigan game Saturday was Florida’s first game. But Muschamp reinstated the players for the Eastern Michigan game, thus reneging on his first-game suspension punishment.

Hey, with Kentucky, then Alabama, on the horizon following the Eastern Michigan game and your job is on the line this season, what’s a coach to do?

Former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden got a little testy too. Well, not quite testy. Bobby was a cry baby last week. At a book signing, Bobby was crying about the 12 wins that the NCAA took away from him several years ago for academic scandals at Florida State. For crying out loud, Bobby, get over it. Get a life. Get on with it. There are more important things.

Some reflections on the weekend: I can see a pattern developing at Washington State. Against Rutgers, on opening weekend, the Cougars only rushed for 6 yards. Against Nevada Friday night, the Cougars only had 38 yards rushing. Of course they had more than 500 miles passing in both games. At 0-2 this season and 9-18 overall, Mike Leech isn’t going to cut the mustard in Pullman.

Speaking of patterns, Pitt running back James Connor is the real thing. Opening weekend, Connor rushed for 153 yards against Delaware. Friday night, the Panther running back rushed for 213 yards against Boston College. Pitt is off to a 2-0 start.

Conversely, SMU is off to an 0-2 start. The Mustangs have lost to Baylor, 45-0 and North Texas 43-6. I can’t help but feel that SMU coach June Jones is just collecting a welfare check from the school. In his seventh season, Jones is 36-43 at SMU and the program has not improved.

Would you believe there wasn’t one overtime game over the weekend? It’s not often that happens. Army opened its season Saturday with a 47-39 win over Buffalo. It’s good to see the Cadets off to a winning start. After an opening loss to Ohio State, Navy bounced back with a 31-24 win over Temple.

Déjà vu: BYU 41, Texas 7. Last year it was – BYU 40, Texas 21.

What’s the story with UCLA? Opening week, the Bruins barely beat Virginia, 28-20. Saturday, UCLA struggled at home with Memphis, 42-35. If you watched the USC-Stanford game, did you notice the Stanford “Tree” mascot was a Palm Tree? Usually, the Stanford mascot is a Fir Tree. No wonder Stanford lost to USC.

By the way, if you are in the mood for an Italian dinner, it is not too late to purchase pasta from the Space Coast U14 Boys Soccer team. The pasta, with your favorite college logo on the bag, can be ordered through the following Website:

www.funpastafundraising.com/shop/space-coast-u14-boys-travel


Saturday night, Swamp Mama and I were next door watching the Virginia Tech-Ohio State game with Betty “The Duchess of Indialantic” Pappas and Russ and Sandy Grunewald. Swamp Mama and I have never cheered so hard for Virginia Tech in our lives. It was a fun evening over a various assortment of beverages.

It’s good to have Bootsie and Rockledge Gator back in Florida where they belong during football season. All this time in Alabama and Georgia has been a bad influence on them. Rockledge Gator did send me a picture last week of a tombstone in Georgia. The engraving on the stone read: “Clemson….Died August 30, 2014….Last Words Were….Who Let The Dawgs Out.”

“The vagabond who’s rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore”

And it’s all over now, Big Ten

Touchdown Tom
September 8, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Spartans get Quacked – Oregon 46, Michigan State 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 27, Michigan State 24). Michigan State played a good first half, especially in the second quarter when the Spartans outscored the Ducks, 24-10. State led at the break, 24-18. The Spartans even added a field goal early in the third quarter. State led Oregon 27-18 late in the third. But that was it for the Spartans. It was all Webfeet after that. Oregon outscored State, 28-3 in the final 19 minutes of the game. The Ducks played a near perfect game – no turnovers. Marcus Mariota threw for 318 yards. The Spartans Connor Cook threw for 343 yards, but he also threw two picks. Running back Jeremy Langford was a no show. Attendance: 59,456

RUNNER UP: The Trees were all bark and no bud – USC 13, Stanford 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, USC 27). When you think of a Pac-12 game, you don’t often think of defense. But that’s what this contest was – a defensive battle. In four quarters, each team only scored one touchdown. And both of those were in the first half. There were no TDs in the second half. The Trojans managed two field goals in the second half. Stanford’s offense managed nothing in the second half. USC’s Javorius Allen rushed for 154 yards. Attendance: 50,814

REST OF THE BEST: Urban needed some bourbon – Virginia Tech 35, Ohio State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 29, Virginia Tech 22). The game was closer than the score indicates. The Hokies final touchdown was a 63-yard interception return with 0:46 left. From a statistical point of view, the game was about as evenly matched as you can get. The Hokies had three more total yards than the Bucks. Both teams had three turnovers. Still, watching the game, you had the feeling that Va Tech was generally in control on the field. Attendance: 107,517

Another nail in Hoke’s coffin – Notre Dame 31, Michigan 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 26, Michigan 24). The Irish had no running game – only 54 yards rushing. But Michigan had four turnovers. And ND’s Everett Golson knew how to throw the ball, while the Wolverines’ Devin Gardner didn’t. Attendance: 80,795

Ouch! – BYU 41, Texas 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, BYU 19). This was worse than last year when BYU beat the Horns, 40-21. And this one was in front of the home crowd in Austin. Mack Brown fired Manny Diaz after last year’s game. Is Charlie Strong going to fire Vance Bedford? The Horns’ first and only score didn’t even come until the waning seconds of the third quarter. BYU was up 34-0. Texas only managed 82 yards rushing. Attendance: 93,463

Heels get high in the fourth quarter – North Carolina 31, San Diego State 27 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 30, San Diego State 23). The Aztecs clearly outplayed the Heels – running and passing – 509 total yards to 394. But Quinn Kaehler also threw three interceptions, including a crucial one in the closing seconds of the game with the Aztecs on the Heels goal line. The Heels outscored the Aztecs 17-6 in the fourth quarter. Attendance: 58,000

You can go home again – Missouri 49, Toledo 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 30, Toledo 25). Gary Pinkel’s trip back to Toledo was not as problematic as expected. After exchanging touchdowns in the first quarter, it was all Mizzou after that. The Tigers Maty Mauk passed for 325 yards. Once Attendance: 24,196

Hawks win the battle of the Birds – Iowa 17, Ball State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Ball State 26). Ball State never trailed in the game until the final minute. The Cardinals were leading Iowa 13-3 with less than three minutes on the clock. The Hawkeyes scored two touchdowns in the final 2:52 of the game. Iowa’s Jake Rudock passed for 322 yards. Attendance: 64,210

James gang – Pitt 30, Boston College 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 30, Boston College 22). In its first ACC game, the Panthers put it to their ol’ Big East rivals. Former Florida quarterback Tyler Murphy was terrible passing (10-28-2) but decent running (92 yards) for the Eagles. Pitt’s James Conner rushed for 213 yards. The game wasn’t as close as the score indicates. BC scored its final touchdown with 0:43 left in the game. Attendance: 30,083

Don’t blink, you’ll miss a touchdown – Washington 59, Eastern Washington 52 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 32, Eastern Washington 30). There were 15 touchdowns scored in the game. The teams combined for 1,109 total yards of offense – all passing for Eastern Washington; all running for Washington. The Huskies jumped out to a 21-0 lead. The Eagles cut the Huskies’ lead to 3 points early in the second quarter. Late in the third quarter, EWU actually led 45-44. The first half was wild with the two teams combining for 38 points in the first quarter and another 30 points in the second. Attendance: 62,861

Road had no runners – Arizona 26, UTSA 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 33, UTSA 20). The Wildcats were lucky to get out of San Antonio alive. Four minutes into the game, Arizona led 10-0. It looked like the rout was on. But the Roadrunners wouldn’t let the Wildcats get away from them. Before the first quarter was over, UTSA closed the gap to 10-7 and kept it close until the final buzzer. The difference was Nick Wilson’s rushing (174 yards) for Arizona. Attendance: 33,472

The South is better than the East – South Carolina 33, East Carolina 23 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 30, East Carolina 23). East Carolina took the early lead. Then the Gamecocks went ahead for the first time with 4:49 remaining in the second quarter and never looked back. The Pirates Shane Carden passed for 321 yards. South Carolina’s defense is still suspect. Attendance: 80,899

The Commodores’ boat is scrap metal – Ole Miss 41, Vanderbilt 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 34, Vanderbilt 17). Ole Miss had 34 first downs to Vandy’s 9. Ole Miss had 547 total yards to Vandy’s 167. Ole Miss had 367 yards passing to Vandy’s 60. It’s going to be a long year for the Dores. The Rebel Bears Bo Wallace passed for 320 yards. Attendance: 43,260

It ain’t over ’til Mark Mangino hollers, “Uncle” – Kansas State 32, Iowa State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 37, Iowa State 18). K-State jumped out to an early 13-0 lead. Then it was all I-State until 1:30 left in the game. That’s when the Wildcats retook the lead, scoring the winning touchdown. The Cyclones led 28-13 late in the second quarter. K-State quarterback Jake Waters passed for 239 yards and rushed for 138. Attendance: 54,800

These cats have no claws – Northern Illinois 23, Northwestern 15 (Touchdown Tom said: Northern Illinois 29, Northwestern 28). Scoreless at halftime, NIU built up a 23-7 lead in the second half. Northwestern had 322 yards passing, but only 72 rushing. It’s going to be a long season for the Wildcats. Attendance: 41,139


…AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Looking more like the Broncos – Boise State 37, Colorado State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Colorado State 26, Boise State 25). Compared to their opening games last week, these two teams looked like the exact opposite of each other. Colorado State went from 266 yards rushing to 28. The Rams’ Dee Hart went from 139 yards rushing to 16. Meanwhile, Boise State went from five turnovers to only one. The teams combined for 1,138 total yards. Attendance: 34,910


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

How sweet it is – West Virginia 54, Towson 0 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 49, Towson 9). I know it’s only Towson, but the Mounties needed a win like this. The WVU defense held the Tigers to 80 yards passing and 42 yards rushing. Meanwhile the Eers racked up 606 total yards with Clint Trickett passing for 348 of those yards. WVU had 34 first downs to 7 for Towson. Attendance: 56,414

Finally – Florida 65, Eastern Michigan 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 48, Eastern Michigan 13). Idaho doesn’t know how lucky it was, getting out of Gainesville without a game. The Gators had 655 total yards to EMU’s 125. The Florida defense held the Eagles to 45 yards passing and 80 yards rushing. EMU suffered from five turnovers. Attendance: 81,049

Too close for comfort – Nebraska 31, McNeese State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 48, McNeese State 10). The game was tied 24-24 in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter. Then with only 0:20 remaining, Ameer Abdullah scored on a 58-yard pass from Tommy Armstrong Jr. Attendance: 91,082

The Dookies don’t need a wooden horse – Duke 34, Troy 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 40, Troy 15). Troy scored early in the first quarter and early in the second quarter and led 14-3. Then it was all Dookies after that. In the final 41 minutes of the game, the Devils outscored Troy, 31-3. The Devils’ Anthony Boone passed for 268 yards. Attendance: 21,331

Not looking good for Darrell Hazell – Central Michigan 38, Purdue 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 37, Central Michigan 22). Fortunately for the Boilers, they still have Southern Illinois on their schedule. I hope it’s their homecoming game. The Chippewas Thomas Rawls rushed for 155 yards. Attendance: 36,410

Week 2 Pick Results: 16 correct, 5 wrong (76.2 percent)
On the Season: 33 correct, 8 wrong (80.5 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida State 37, Citadel 12 – Attendance: 81,294 …. Miami 41, Florida A&M 7 – Attendance: 48,254 …. Maryland 24, South Florida 17 – Attendance: 28,915

Alabama 41, Florida Atlantic 0 – Attendance: 100,306 …. Florida International 34, Wagner 3 – Attendance: 9,981 …. Florida Tech 54, Stetson 12 – Attendance: 4,042


Superlatives

Weekend’s Best Passers:

Illinois’ Wes Lunt – 35-50-1 for 456 yards; Baylor’s Seth Russell – 16-25-0-438; Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson – 31-58-2-434; UCLA’s Brett Hundley – 33-44-1-396; Washington State’s Connor Halliday – 38-57-2-389; Louisiana-Monroe’s Pete Thomas – 24-44-1-384, and Boise State’s Grant Hedrick – 22-33-1-352.

Also, West Virginia’s Clint Trickett – 35-40-0 for 348 yards; Michigan State’s Connor Cook – 29-47-2-343; Clemson’s Cole Stoudt – 23-31-0-338; Missouri’s Maty Mauk – 21-32-2-325; Idaho’s Matt Linehan – 26-47-2-324; Iowa’s Jake Rudock – 33-52-0-322; East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 32-46-2-321; Ole Miss’ Bo Wallace – 23-30-0-320, and Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg – 22-36-2-319.

Also, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – 17-28-0 for 318 yards; Colorado’s Sefo Liufau – 26-42-1-318; Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 27-41-0-303; Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 26-37-1-300; Oklahoma’s Trevor Knight – 21-34-0-299; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 28-48-1-297; Louisiana Tech’s Cody Sokol – 22-33-0-295, and Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 21-37-2-294.


Weekend’s Best Rushers:

Minnesota’s David Cobb – 220 yards; Boise State’s Jay Ajayi – 219 yards; Arizona State’s D.J. Foster – 216 yards; Pitt’s James Conner – 213 yards; Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon – 184 yards; Army’s Larry Dixon – 177 yards; Arizona’s Nick Wilson – 174 yards, and Navy’s Keenan Reynolds – 173 yards.

Also, Central Michigan’s Thomas Rawls – 155 yards; USC’s Javorius Allen – 154 yards; Toledo’s Kareem Hunt – 148 yards; UTEP’s Aaron Jones – 147 yards; Kansas State’s Jake Waters – 143 yards; Arkansas’ Jonathan Williams – 143 yards; Marshall’s Rakeem Cato – 143 yards, and Marshall’s Devon Johnson – 137 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“That’s the biggest, lamest thing, I’ve heard ever,” Denver Post columnist Woody Paige, on Will Muschamp reinstating three players for the Eastern Michigan game, who had been suspended for the opening game, even though the Idaho game was never played.

“I think our discipline speaks for itself and how we’ve handled our football team. OKAY?,” Florida coach Will Muschamp, responding to the fans and media who criticized his decision to reinstate the three players who were supposed to sit out the first game.

“UTSA sounds like an insurance company,” Swamp Mama

“I hate it they took 12 games away from me, on something academic that I had nothing to do with! Now look….Notre Dame, aren’t they going through the same thing now with four or five players? I want to see what the NCAA does there. I bet they won’t do nothing,” former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden on his vacated wins.

“Florida State is just now – nearly two years after the fact – conducting an internal investigation into the allegations of sexual assault against Jameis Winston. Good grief, the way FSU administrators procrastinated on this you’d think they were cleaning out their garage instead of conducting a rape investigation,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Had to laugh when I saw this headline – ‘Bucs will be the best NFL team in Florida.’ Isn’t being the best NFL team in Florida sort of like seeing the best surfer in Kansas?,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Tennessee (2-0) at Oklahoma (2-0) – (SEC vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday) – We think we know Oklahoma is for real. We are not sure about Tennessee yet. (Kind of like the Virginia Tech-Ohio State game last week.) So, in addition to these two being undefeated, there is a certain amount of intrigue to the game. Oklahoma may blow out Tennessee. It may be a tight game, or, who knows, Tennessee may win. Regardless, it should be a fun game. The Boomers are for real – Oklahoma 29, Tennessee 19.

RUNNER UP: 2. Georgia (1-0) at South Carolina (1-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Rankings wise, this is the “Game-of-the-Week,” but Georgia has only played one game and South Carolina was clobbered in its loss. Still, it’s a crucial game in the SEC East. The Gamecocks can’t afford another conference loss – not this early in the season. Georgia is loaded in the backfield. This has the makings of a good one. Dawgs leave Columbia, wagging their tails – Georgia 32, South Carolina 26.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Minnesota (2-0) at TCU (1-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big 12) (TV: FS1, 4 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Here’s another game that will let us know what these two teams have – or have not. Minnesota has two wins, but the opposition hasn’t been of the highest caliber. Likewise for TCU. Home field is an important factor in this contest. The Frogs aren’t very kind hosts – TCU 33, Minnesota 23.

4. Penn State (2-0) at Rutgers (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The first Big Ten Conference game for the Scarlet Knights. It should be a big night in Piscataway. And the Knights would love nothing more than to beat their old nemesis – the Nittany Lions. They will be up for this one. The Lions will be up too – Penn State 26, Rutgers 22.

5. Kentucky (2-0) at Florida (1-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: SECN, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Florida last lost to Kentucky in 1986. The Gators have won 27-straight against the Wildcats. Current Gator players weren’t even born when Kentucky last beat Florida. In the last 35 meetings, the Gators are 33-2 against the Wildcats. But these are Mark Stoops’ Wildcats. Stoops has promised to turn around the program in Lexington. Of course, other coaches promised that too. But Stoops has been recruiting well. Better than other recent Kentucky coaches. Will Muschamp has been recruiting well too. And Muschamp doesn’t want to lose his job. The Gators make it 28-straight – Florida 30, Kentucky 15.

6. Illinois (2-0) at Washington (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. Pac-12) (TV: Fox, 4 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Both are undefeated, but both have struggled somewhat in their wins. Something tells me Chris Petersen is tired of struggling. Something tells me the Banned Indians’ luck is about to run out. A treat for the Huskies – Washington 36, Illinois 25.

7. West Virginia (1-1) at Maryland (2-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big Ten) (TV: BTN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – After dominating Maryland for so many years, the Mounties got a surprise from the Terps last year. WVU was skunked – bad. Maryland looked sloppy in its win over South Florida. But the Terps may have been looking ahead to the Eers. WVU definitely has some momentum going – both from the near loss to Alabama and the big win over Towson. The Mountaineers are on a roll – West Virginia 27, Maryland 18.

8. Nevada (2-0) at Arizona (2-0) – (MWC vs. Pac-12) (TV: P-12N, 11 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Both teams survived tests last week to stay undefeated. Arizona on the road against upstart UTSA and Nevada at home against Washington State. The Wolf Pack doesn’t survive this test – Arizona 24, Nevada 22.

9. East Carolina (1-1) at Virginia Tech (2-0) – (AAC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Now you gotta figure that East Carolina is hoping to catch the Hokies in a haze after their win over Ohio State. The Pirates almost caught South Carolina and the Gamecocks weren’t on a high. But alas, the Pirates fail to make a catch again – Virginia Tech 29, East Carolina 23.

10. UCF (0-1) at Missouri (2-0) – (AAC vs. SEC) (TV: SECN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – UCF entered the season with high expectations. But those expectations took a hit in Dublin. The Knights have had a week to lick their wounds from that skirmish. Meanwhile, Mizzou and quarterback Maty Mauk have been on a roll, piling up the points. The Tigers continue piling – Missouri 30, UCF 22.

11. Louisville (2-0) at Virginia (1-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ACCN, 12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – This could be a tricky game for the Cardinals. Louisville has been impressive so far. But Virginia is still an enigma. The Cavs almost beat UCLA. (But then again, Memphis almost beat UCLA too.) Still, the Cavs put up a good fight against the Bruins. The Cardinals take the fight out of the Cavs – Louisville 27, Virginia 19.

12. Kansas (1-0) at Duke (2-0) – (Big 12 vs. ACC) (TV: FSN, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – After Elon and Troy, the Dookies step it up a notch this week – if you can consider Kansas a notch above the others. Charlie Weis is fighting for his job so he will throw everything at the Dookies he can. The Dookies might get a scare. But these Devils don’t scare easy – Duke 35, Kansas 23.

13. UCLA (2-0) vs. Texas (1-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Big 12) (TV: Fox, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas) – We thought this had the potential to be a big game until BYU blew the Longhorns off the field last week. But you never know, because the Bruins haven’t been very impressive in their two wins – not impressive at all. But it doesn’t take much to impress Texas – UCLA 34, Texas 17.

14. Arkansas (1-1) at Texas Tech (2-0) – (SEC vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Swamp Mama is concerned. Her boy Kliff has been living on the edge. The Red Raiders are 2-0, but both wins have been by seven points or less. And not against very strong competition – I might add. As strange as it may sound, the Razorbacks appear to be Tech’s strongest competition so far. But not strong enough to make Swamp Mama cry – Texas Tech 33, Arkansas 24.

15. UTSA (1-1) at Oklahoma State (1-1) – (C-USA vs. Big 12) (TV: FSN, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday) – UTSA upset Houston and came close to knocking off Arizona. The Roadrunners are looking for another upset. But Okie State is a bit of a stretch for UTSA. In fact the Pokes stretch their wins to two – Oklahoma State 31, UTSA 19.


…AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. Boise State (1-1) at Connecticut (1-1) – (MWC vs. AAC) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – After the loss to Ole Miss, the Broncos turned it around against Colorado State. The Huskies turned it around too after their opening loss. But UConn wasn’t very impressive turning it around. It’s going to be a long season for the Huskies – Boise State 35, Connecticut 16.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Nebraska (2-0) at Fresno State (0-2) – (Big Ten vs. MWC) (TV: CBSSN, 10:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – After breezing by Florida Atlantic, the Huskers almost blew it against McNeese State. And Fresno State gave Nebraska fits in Lincoln a few years ago. But this ain’t that Fresno State team. The Bulldogs have suffered two bad losses. They’re about to suffer another bad loss – Nebraska 33, Fresno State 17.

Purdue (1-1) at Notre Dame (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. Ind.) (TV: NBC, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Purdue’s only hope is that it can catch the Irish on a Michigan high. But even if the Irish are still celebrating the Michigan win, it would be almost impossible for the Boilers to catch the Irish – much less even come close to them. The Boilers just don’t appear to be a healthy team. The Irish give the Boilers an exam – Notre Dame 38, Purdue 17.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Arkansas State (1-1) at Miami (1-1) – (Sun Belt vs. ACC) (TV: ESPNU, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. NC State (2-0) at South Florida (1-1) – (ACC vs. AAC) (TV: CBSSN, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Tulsa (1-1) at Florida Atlantic (0-2) – (AAC vs. C-USA) (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Pitt (2-0) at Florida International (1-1) – (ACC vs. C-USA) (TV: FS1, 12 noon ET, Saturday) …. Grambling State (0-2) at Bethune-Cookman (1-0) – (SWAC vs. MEAC) (TV: None, 4 p.m. ET, Saturday)

San Diego (1-0) at Jacksonville U. (0-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (TV: None, 1 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Mercer (1-1) at Stetson (1-1) (Southern vs. Pioneer) (TV: None, 6 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Ave Maria (0-1) at Florida Tech (1-0) – (Ind. vs. Gulf South) (TV: None, 6 p.m. ET, Saturday)

Florida State (2-0) and Florida A&M (0-2) are off.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football … Ohio State and Notre Dame have agreed to a home-and-home series – 2022 in Columbus, 2023 in South Bend…. Stanford and UCF have agreed to a home-and-home series – 2015 in Palo Alto and 2019 in Orlando.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but in mid-September as the college football season was finally underway, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1944 was “Swinging on a Star” by Bing Crosby

…65 years ago this week in 1949 was “You’re Breaking My Heart” by Vic Damone

…60 years ago this week in 1954 was “Sh-Boom” by The Crew-Cuts

…55 years ago this week in 1959 was “The Three Bells” by The Browns

…50 years ago this week in 1964 was “The House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals

…45 years ago this week in 1969 was “Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones

…40 years ago this week in 1974 was “I Shot the Sheriff” by Eric Clapton

…35 years ago this week in 1979 was “My Sharona” by The Knack

…30 years ago this week in 1984 was “What’s Love Got to Do with It” by Tina Turner

…25 years ago this week in 1989 was “Hangin’ Tough” by New Kids On The Block

…20 years ago this week in 1994 was “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men


Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there was one passing of note last week – Joan Rivers, Stan Goldberg, Bruce Morton,

Joan Rivers, the raspy loud mouth who pounced on America’s obsessions with blemishes of neurotic life, including her own, in five decades of caustic comedy that propelled her from nightclubs to television to international stardom, died last week. She was 81. Joan Alexandra Molinsky was born in New York City on June 8, 1933. A Phi Beta Kappa, Rivers graduated from Barnard College in 1954 with a degree in English.

Stan Goldberg, who drew Archie comics for more than 40 years, died last week in New York City. He was 82. Goldberg was a freelancer for Marvel Comics during the 1960s. He migrated to drawing the Archie comics in the late 1960s. Goldberg was born in New York City on May 5, 1932.

Bruce Morton, an award winning reporter for CBS News from the 1960s through the 1980s, died last week at his home in Washington, DC. Morton, who later worked at CNN, won six Emmy Awards for his work at CBS News. He also won a Peabody Award in 1976 and a Polk Award in 1989. Morton was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, on October 28, 1930, and grew up in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and served in the Army. He joined CBS in 1964 and remained until 1993 when he joined CNN where he was a national correspondent until 2006.