College Football Week 7 – Auburn-Miss State; TCU-Baylor
A good day in Mississippi;
a bad one in Los Angeles

And if you are susceptible to heart attacks, stay away from Pac-12 Conference games. The Pac-12 had its wildest and craziest day ever. More on that later.

Yes, it was a good day in Mississippi if you are from the Magnolia State. Not since Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear while hunting in the state, nor since the prime of Elvis Presley, William Faulkner and Eudora Welty, has so much attention been focused on Mississippi – especially on a college football Saturday.

ESPN College GameDay, with Chris Fowler, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Katy Perry, was broadcast from The Grove on the campus of Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi. SEC Network College GameDay, with Tim Tebow, Paul Finebaum, Joe Tessitore and Marcus Spears, was broadcast from the campus of Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi. The day was labeled “Big Saturday” in Mississippi.

Starkville took center stage at noon with the Texas A&M-Mississippi State game. The undefeated and 12th-ranked Bulldogs, with quarterback Dak Prescott, were hosting the undefeated and 6th-ranked Aggies, with quarterback Kenny “The Trill” Hill.

Less than two minutes into the game, Texas A&M took a 7-0 lead on a 13-yard pass from Kenny Hill to Josh Reynolds. Then the fireworks began for Miss State. Less than three minutes after A&M’s touchdown, the Bulldogs scored the first of four unanswered touchdowns, building a commanding 28-7 lead over the Aggies.

Before the day was over, Hill threw three interceptions, while Prescott completed 76 percent of his passes with no INTs, as Miss State went on to rout Texas A&M, 48-31. The Aggies didn’t find their thrill on Kenny Hill.

Later Saturday afternoon, Oxford took center stage with the Alabama-Ole Miss game. The undefeated and 11th-ranked Rebels….I mean….Bears….I mean….Landsharks….I mean….Hotty Toddies, with quarterback Bo Wallace, were hosting the undefeated and 3rd-ranked Crimson Tide, with wide receiver Amari Cooper and running back T.J. Yeldon.

Less than two minutes into the game, Ole Miss kicked a 46-yard field goal and took a quick 3-0 lead. Late in the second quarter, Alabama scored two back-to-back touchdowns. The Tide led 14-3 at the break. Both teams added scores in the third quarter. At the end of the third, Alabama still held the lead, 17-10.

But the fourth quarter belonged to the Rebels. Ole Miss scored 13 unanswered points in the final quarter. With 5:29 on the clock, the Rebels tied the score at 17-17 on a 34-yard pass from Bo Wallace to Vince Sanders. Then with 2:54 remaining, Ole Miss got the lead on a 10-yard pass from Wallace to Jaylen Walton. Up 23-17, after a missed extra point attempt, the Rebels held on to win.

Saturday had to be the biggest and most exciting day of football in the history of the State of Mississippi. And how appropriate – when the AP Top 25 poll was released yesterday, Miss State and Ole Miss were tied for 3rd-place in the poll – each team receiving 1,320 votes.

Will the SEC West Division championship be decided in the Egg Bowl on November 29 in Oxford? Stay tuned!

Saturday was a big day for college football in Los Angeles too. But unlike the State of Mississippi, it was a disappointing day for the City of Los Angeles. The Coliseum took center stage first with the Arizona State-USC game. The 3-1 and 16th-ranked Trojans, with quarterback Cody Kessler and running back Javorius Allen, were hosting the 3-1 and unranked Sun Devils, with quarterback Mike Bercovici.

The game was tight. USC took a first quarter lead – 7-0. Then Arizona State took a second quarter lead – 15-7. The Trojans retook the lead and led at the half – 17-15. In the third quarter, the lead changed hands twice. The Sun Devils went up 18-17. Then USC went back up – 20-18.

The Trojans increased their lead to nine points – twice – in the fourth quarter. USC was up 27-18 early in the fourth and led 34-25 with 3:02 remaining. But that was it for the Trojans.

Arizona State closed the gap to two points – 34-32 – on a 73-yard pass from Bercovici to Cameron Smith, with 2:43 on the clock. Then, as time expired, Bercovici connected with Jaelen Strong on a 46-yard, Hail-Mary pass to give the Sun Devils a 38-34 upset win over USC. Bercovici finished the game with 514 yards passing.

Later that night in the Rose Bowl, Pasadena took center stage with the Utah-UCLA game. The undefeated and 8th-ranked Bruins, with quarterback Brett Hundley, were hosting the 3-1 and unranked Utes, with running back Devontae Booker.

Utah jumped out to a 7-0 first quarter lead. At halftime, the Utes led UCLA, 17-7. After the break, the teams traded touchdowns. Utah was up 24-14 at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter got exciting, as the Bruins went up for the first time in the game. UCLA grabbed a 28-27 lead with 4:50 on the clock. But the game wasn’t over. With 0:34 remaining, the Utes’ Andy Phillips kicked a 29-yard field goal. Utah held on to win 30-28.

When the AP Top 25 poll was released yesterday, USC fell from 16th to unranked, and UCLA fell from 8th to 16th-place in the poll. The Arizona State-USC and Utah-UCLA games were just the tip of the iceberg to the excitement that took place in six games involving Pac-12 teams over the weekend. Believe me, it wasn’t for the faint of heart.

There were five Pac-12 Conference games and a sixth game that was an inter-conference game between a Pac-12 team and an Independent. The six games were decided by a total of 22 points.

The Pac-12 roller-coaster ride began Thursday night with Arizona’s 31-24 upset win over Oregon in Eugene. Arizona scored the winning touchdown with 2:54 left in the game. Saturday, in the inter-conference game, Stanford fell to Notre Dame in a thriller, 17-14. The Irish scored a touchdown with 1:01 remaining on the clock to win the game.

In Boulder, Oregon State held off Colorado, beating the Buffaloes, 36-31. Up next were the two games mentioned already. Arizona State upset USC, 38-34, and Utah surprised UCLA, 30-28. Both of those games were won in the closing/expiring seconds of the contests.

But the Pac-12 saved the best for last. In the nightcap, in Pullman, Washington, California outlasted Washington State, 60-59. The Golden Bears scored the winning touchdown on a 51-yard pass from Jared Goff to Trevor Davis with 3:18 left on the clock. In the game, the Cougars’ Connor Halliday passed for a record 734 yards, while Cal’s Goff passed for 527 yards.

The teams combined for 1,401 total yards, but only 140 of those yards were accumulated on the ground – 78 yards rushing for Washington State and 62 for California. Combined, the teams passed for 1,261 yards.

I have a feeling there is going to be a lot more excitement in the Pac-12 before the season is over. Stay tuned!

The Big Ten had its share of thrillers. Michigan State held off a late rally by Nebraska to beat the Huskers, 27-22. Rutgers edged Michigan, 26-24, and Purdue won its first Big Ten game in two seasons. The Boilers beat Illinois, 38-27.

In addition to the Texas A&M-Miss State and Alabama-Ole Miss games, the SEC had three other doozies. Down 9-0, Florida rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Tennessee, 10-9. Kentucky also rallied in the fourth quarter to upset South Carolina, 45-38. And Auburn stunned LSU, 41-7.

In the ACC, Georgia Tech remained unbeaten. The Yellow Jackets beat Miami (Florida), 28-17. In the Big 12, undefeated TCU handed Oklahoma its first loss. The Horned Frogs beat the Sooners, 37-33.

On a shocking Saturday of college football, 11 teams ranked in the Top 25 lost. Seven of the teams lost to other ranked teams, but four lost to unranked teams. In addition to Oregon and UCLA, BYU fell to Utah State, 35-20, and Wisconsin was upset by Northwestern, 20-14.

In the first game of the season involving two of the service academies, Air Force beat Navy, 30-21. Marshall remained undefeated, smacking Old Dominion, 56-14.

Along with the games, it was a week of protests and demonstrations on some of the college campuses. Michigan students were demanding the resignation of athletic director Dave Brandon and football coach Brady Hoke. They’ll probably get their wish for Hoke, but not until near or at the end of the season. They may or may not get Brandon’s ouster.

Florida State students and faculty were protesting the choice of the new president at FSU. Apparently the new head of the school is totally lacking in academic credentials.

Speaking of Florida State, Saturday was a tough day for my friend Tim Muth. Tim has his bachelors from Florida State and his masters from Wake Forest. The two schools played Saturday. FSU won 43-3. Apparently when the Seminoles and the Deacons play, Tim hangs around the house all day in his Wake Forest underwear, while doing the tomahawk chop.

Word out of Dallas has it that SMU wants former Texas coach Mack Brown to be the next coach of the Mustangs. Supposedly, the SMU job is Brown’s if he wants it. Meanwhile, two familiar names have surfaced, regarding the SMU and Kansas openings. Former Arkansas and Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt and former Miami and North Carolina coach Butch Davis have floated their names as interested in the jobs. Usually, the names that surface early for these openings don’t typically get the jobs. Stay tuned.

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh’s name continues to come up as a replacement for Brady Hoke at Michigan. That’s still an outside chance, but apparently Harbaugh has mentioned leaving the 49ers at the end of the season.

And finally, and I kid you not, did you see last week where Johnny Manziel said he would like to offer advice and counsel Jameis Winston? I mean, isn’t that like Al-Qaeda saying they want to counsel ISIS?

It really was a grand day in Mississippi Saturday. And after sitting in the shadow of Alabama, Auburn and LSU for so long, I can’t think of two schools or a state more deserving of the attention. By the way, ESPN College GameDay is moving from Oxford to Starkville this week. Something about Auburn at Miss State.

Touchdown Tom
October 6, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Hotty-Toddy Defense – Ole Miss 23, Alabama 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Ole Miss 20). Yes, Ole Miss can play defense. And that’s what it took for the Rebel Bears to beat Alabama. Ole Miss didn’t win the game on offense. The Rebel Bears only had 72 yards rushing. But their defense held Bama to only 17 points, to only 6-for-16 on third-down efficiency and to only 3.8 yards per rush. After taking an early 3-0 lead, Ole Miss lost the lead to Bama late in the second quarter and the Rebel Bears never led again until they scored the winning touchdown with 2:54 remaining in the fourth quarter. Attendance in Oxford: 61,826

RUNNER UP: Dak cracks the Aggies – Mississippi State 48, Texas 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 26, Texas A&M 25). One quarterback rose in the Heisman rankings, while the other quarterback all but fell off the Heisman chart. Miss State’s Dak Prescott passed for 259 yards, completing 76 percent of his lobs with no interceptions, and he rushed for another 77 yards. Meanwhile, A&M quarterback Kenny Hill was no Trill. Hill threw three interceptions and only averaged 5.9 yards-per-pass. Miss State’s ground game was impressive with 289 yards rushing to only 161 yards for the Aggies. The Bulldogs are for real. Attendance in Starkville: 61,133

REST OF THE BEST: Wildcats muzzle the Quacks – Arizona 31, Oregon 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 33, Arizona 24). Tied 24-24, the Wildcats scored the winning touchdown with 2:54 left in the game. The game was tight throughout, with the lead changing hands four times. Arizona beat Oregon for the second-straight year. Attendance in Eugene: 56,032

Even-Steven – TCU 37, Oklahoma 33 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 31, TCU 23). The score was almost evenly matched and the teams were evenly matched in the statistics. TCU had 469 total yards to 461 for OU. TCU had 318 yards passing to 309 for OU. TCU had 151 yards rushing to 152 for OU. Even in first downs, yards-per-pass and yards-per-rush, the two teams were evenly matched. The Horned Frogs grabbed an early 14-0 first quarter lead, only to have the Sooners tie the score at 14-all by the end of the quarter. After that, as soon as one team scored and went ahead, the other team would quickly respond and tie the score. That is until TCU took the lead early in the fourth quarter – a lead the Frogs never lost. Attendance in Fort Worth: 47,394

Aubie was the better Tiger – Auburn 41, LSU 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 30, LSU 27). This was a total put down. Auburn had 566 total yards to 280 for LSU. The Cajun Tigers had no running game, no passing game and no defense. Auburn came to play; LSU didn’t. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

What a fourth – Michigan State 27, Nebraska 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 26, Nebraska 22). What a strange ending! Nebraska, trailing 27-3 with less than 13 minutes to go in the game, scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter – all in the span of 9 minutes. Then, in the final 60 seconds, Nebraska was driving deep in Michigan State territory, only to suffer an interception, killing the drive. Stranger yet, Ameer Abdullah only had 45 yards rushing. Until the fourth quarter, the Spartans played near perfect defense. The game was marred by turnovers – 3 for Michigan State and 4 for Nebraska. Attendance in East Lansing: 75,923

The leaves are falling – Notre Dame 17, Stanford 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 18, Notre Dame 17). Stanford plays excellent defense. Their problem is they have no offense. The Trees only had 47 yards rushing. The Irish scored a touchdown, on a 23-yard pass with 61 seconds left in the game, to pull out the victory. Attendance in South Bend: 80,795

The Utes were hoots – Utah 30, UCLA 28 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, Utah 26). Trailing 28-27, Utah’s Andy Phillips kicked a 29-yard field goal with 0:34 on the clock to win the game. The Utes only had 100 yards passing, but they made up for it with 242 yards rushing – 156 yards by Devontae Booker. Trailing since midway through the first quarter, UCLA took its first lead at 28-27 with 4:50 left in the game. Attendance in Pasadena: 74,329

Brutus was a brute – Ohio State 52, Maryland 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 31, Maryland 24). The Terps thought they had a chance to knock off the Buckeyes, but four turnovers changed those plans – four turnovers and only 66 yards rushing. Maryland was doomed from the start, as the Bucks built up a 21 point lead midway through the second quarter. That lead grew to 28 points midway through the third quarter. Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett passed for 267 yards (completing 78 percent of his throws), and Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 139 yards. Attendance in College Park: 51,802

The Bees are buzzing – Georgia Tech 28, Miami (Florida) 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 21, Miami 20). Don’t look now but Georgia Tech is undefeated at 5-0. And the last two wins have been over Virginia Tech and Miami (Florida) – not bad. The Jackets never led in the game until midway through the third quarter when they took a 21-14 lead over the Canes. Tech never trailed after that. Attendance in Atlanta: 52,221

Cruise control – Marshall 56, Old Dominion 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Marshall 34, Old Dominion 25). By season’s end, Marshall may be the only undefeated team in the country. Blessed with a weak schedule, there are no opponents remaining on the slate that appear to have a snowball’s chance in hell of beating the Herd. Against Old Dominion, the Herd built up a 28-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game and coasted after that. The Herd held ODU’s Taylor Heinicke to only 85 yards passing. Attendance in Norfolk: 20,118

Hail Mary – Arizona State 38, USC 34 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, Arizona State 24). The Sun Devils are amazing. Last week, they lost at home to UCLA, 62-27. This week, they win on the road, beating USC. Nip and tuck throughout, ASU held a 15-7 lead midway through the second quarter. By halftime, USC took a 17-15 lead. In the third quarter, the Devils retook the lead at 18-17. USC retook the lead late in the third quarter and built the lead up to 9 points by early in the fourth quarter – 27-18. The Trojans still had a 9-point lead – 34-25 – with less than three minutes left in the game. Then ASU scored two touchdowns in the final 2:43 of the game. The winning touchdown for the Sun Devils was a Hail-Mary pass as time expired. ASU won the game with only 31 yards rushing. The Sun Devils had 541 yards passing. Neither team suffered a turnover. Attendance in Los Angeles: 70,115

Sorry Charlie – Baylor 28, Texas 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 24, Texas 17). Baylor’s Bryce Petty had a terrible game – 7-for-22 passing – and the Bears still won. Texas had three turnovers to none for Baylor. The Bears Shock Linwood rushed for 148 yards. Attendance in Austin: 93,727

The Gamecocks were put on the rotisserie – Kentucky 45, South Carolina 38 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 22, Kentucky 19). The Gamecocks are not a fourth-quarter team. Last week they lost to Missouri in the final quarter. Saturday, South Carolina led Kentucky 38-24 early in the fourth. Then the Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points. Kentucky won in spite of the Gamecocks’ Mike Davis rushing for 183 yards and South Carolina bettering the Wildcats in passing yards, rushing yards and first downs. But quarterback Dylan Thompson threw three interceptions. Attendance in Lexington: 62,135

Skunked in the Piedmont – Clemson 41, NC State 0(Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 34, NC State 22). This didn’t look like the NC State that gave Florida State a big scare last week. And this didn’t look like the Clemson that already had two losses. The Tigers had 493 total yards to only 156 for the Wolf Pack. NC State only had 35 yards passing. State’s Jacoby Brissett was 4-for-18 passing. Attendance in Clemson: 78,459


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Red Raiders fall off the Kliff – Kansas State 45, Texas Tech 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 33, Texas Tech 23). K-State’s Jake Waters was on top of his game. The Wildcat quarterback passed for 290 yards, completing 77 percents of his tosses, and rushed for 105 yards. Texas Tech had four turnovers. Attendance in Manhattan: 52,726


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Second-half quitters – West Virginia 33, Kansas 17 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 34, Kansas 17). I don’t know what the problem is but the Mountaineers have a bad habit of quitting at halftime. WVU led Kansas 26-0 at the break. In the second half, the Eers’ offense failed to score a touchdown, as WVU was outscored by the Jayhawks, 14-7. Against Alabama, WVU scored 17 points (two touchdowns) in the first half and only two field goals in the second half. Against Maryland, WVU scored 28 points in the first half and only 12 points in the second half. Against Oklahoma, WVU scored 24 points (three touchdowns) in the first half and 9 points in the second half. In the second half, the Mounties have been outscored by Alabama, Maryland and Oklahoma 13-6, 17-12 and 21-9 respectively. Either the team is out of shape or the coaches aren’t making the proper adjustments at halftime. On the up side, WVU had 557 total yards to only 176 for Kansas. The Jayhawks were held to 65 yards rushing. WVU’s Clint Trickett passed for 302 yards. Attendance in Morgantown: 52,164

Muschamp lives for another day; Driskel doesn’t – Florida 10, Tennessee 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 28, Tennessee 27). Tennessee led until the final 14 minutes of the game. The Gators scored all 10 of their points in the final 14 minutes. It was a defensive struggle. Florida only had 76 yards passing, and Tennessee only had 28 yards rushing. Last year in the Tennessee game, Jeff Driskel was lost for the season with a broken leg. This year against the Vols, Driskel was replaced – possibly for the season – due to poor play. Driskel threw three interceptions. Freshman Treon Harris was brought into the game late to salvage the Gators’ win. Attendance in Knoxville: 102,455

Gurley Dawg – Georgia 44, Vanderbilt 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, Vanderbilt 16). Georgia had little trouble with Vandy, especially with Todd Gurley’s 163 yards rushing. Vanderbilt shows no resemblance to recent Commodore teams. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

“Wow, Illinois must stink” – Purdue 38, Illinois 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Illinois 25, Purdue 23). That’s what my Purdue friend Steve Klingberg said when I told him his Boilers were winning. Illinois does stink. Banned Indians coach Tim Beckman will be lucky if he still has his job at the end of the season. Purdue’s Akeem Hunt rushed for 177 yards. Attendance in Champaign: 45,046


Week 6 Pick Results: 12 correct, 8 wrong (60 percent)
On the Season: 85 correct, 31 wrong (73.3 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida State 43, Wake Forest 3 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 82,327 …. UCF 17, Houston 12 – Attendance in Houston: 26,685 …. Florida International 38, Florida Atlantic 10 – Attendance in Miami: 12,544 …. Morgan State 24, Florida A&M 9 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 7,657.

Bethune-Cookman 27, Delaware State 7 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 6,445 …. Jacksonville U. 29, Drake 14 – Attendance in Jacksonville: 3,748 …. Butler 49, Stetson 41 – Attendance in Deland: 3,812 …. Delta State 58, Florida Tech 20 – Attendance in Melbourne: 2,875


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Washington State’s Connor Halliday – 49-70-0 for 734 yards; California’s Jared Goff – 37-53-0-525; Arizona State’s Mike Bercovici – 27-43-0-514; Miami of Ohio’s Andrew Hendrix – 32-58-0-432; Southern Miss’ Nick Mullens – 36-54-1-426; East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 31-41-0-410; Rutgers’ Gary Nova – 22-39-0-404, and Massachusetts’ Blake Frohnapfel – 35-60-2-389.

Also, Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell – 30-37-0 for 370 yards; Idaho’s Matt Linehan – 33-52-2-347; Boise State’s Grant Hedrick – 26-31-1-346; South Alabama’s Brandon Bridge – 19-28-0-339; Illinois’ Wes Lunt – 27-39-0-332; Middle Tennessee’s Austin Grammer – 21-26-0-332; Akron’s Kyle Pohl – 27-40-0-326; Utah State’s Darrel Garretson – 19-25-0-321, and Bowling Green’s James Knapke – 20-39-1-321.

Also, Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 25-37-0 for 319 yards; TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 20-38-1-318; Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 18-25-0-312; Colorado’s Sefo Liufau – 32-49-1-308; West Virginia’s Clint Trickett – 20-35-1-302; UAB’s Cody Clements – 22-25-1-300; Florida State’s Jameis Winston – 23-39-1-297, and Kansas State’s Jake Waters – 24-31-0-290.


Impressive Runners:

Texas State’s Terrence Franks – 284 yards; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 259; Central Michigan’s Thomas Rawls – 229 yards; Buffalo’s Anthone Taylor – 219 yards; Marshall’s Devin Johnson – 198 yards; Army’s Larry Dixon – 188 yards; UAB’s Jordan Howard – 183 yards; South Carolina’s Mike Davis – 183 yards; Purdue’s Akeem Hunt – 177 yards, and Toledo’s Terry Swanson – 172 yards.

Also, Virginia’s Kevin Parks – 170 yards; Memphis’ Sam Craft – 169 yards; Arkansas State’s Michael Gordon – 168 yards; Georgia’s Todd Gurley – 163 yards; Northwestern’s Justin Jackson – 162 yards; Utah’s Devontae Booker – 156 yards; Boise State’s Jay Ajayi – 152 yards; Indiana’s Tevin Coleman – 150 yards; Baylor’s Shock Linwood – 148 yards, and Georgia Southern’s Kevin Ellison – 145 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“Well, I accuse him of not knowing what he’s talking about. They’re not fake injuries. No one faked injuries, and we wouldn’t do that. We’ll coach Florida State and he can coach North Carolina State,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, responding to accusations by NC State coach Dave Doeren that the Seminoles were faking injuries in their game against the Wolf Pack.

“There was some unbelievable holding by their offensive line that apparently was invisible,” NC State coach Dave Doeren, on Florida State’s offensive line.

“We understand that we haven’t played a team that’s going to be as good as Bama. We don’t really think Bama is as good as they have been. And we’re better than we have been,” Ole Miss defensive back Cody Prewitt, prior to the Alabama-Ole Miss game.

“In high school they allowed him to do whatever he wanted. You could see then that there were problems. So no one here, sadly, is shocked by anything he’s done,” Hueytown, Alabama resident Pam Miller, on Jameis Winston.

“I miss the old Michigan. I miss what it stood for. Mostly, I miss Michigan’s class – its sense of aristocratic self that some interpreted as arrogance. Michigan football used to mean something. It had an identity. It had a promise. Michigan football is now more a brand than a program. Cold, corporate calculating. It’s an administration problem. That’s two ADs – Bill Martin and Dave Brandon – who have whiffed. Michigan is losing its touch,” CBSSports.com writer Dennis Dodd.

“It doesn’t even feel like game day anymore,” Michigan student, on home football Saturday’s in Ann Arbor.

“Michigan has a special place in my heart. The fact that it’s been mismanaged like this hurts me deeply as a student, as a fan, just as a person that cares about this university. It makes me upset how students have been handled and how the culture at Michigan has been changed, Michigan student Craig Kaplan, demonstrating for the removal of Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon and football coach Brady Hoke.

“We’ve run out of South Carolina callers. They don’t seem to exist anymore,” Paul Finebaum.

“I’m picking this one based on looks. Trevor Knight do you hear me? Trevor Knight call me,” singer Katy Perry, picking Oklahoma to beat TCU on ESPN College GameDay.

“It’s great to see all these people disappointed. I love it,” Florida coach Will Muschamp, commenting to the sideline reporter about the Tennessee fans after the Gators win.


Touchdown Tom’s predictions for
The 15 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games of Week 7…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Auburn (5-0) at Mississippi State (5-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Can Miss State handle all the attention. College GameDay is coming to Starkville. The players could start basking in all the glory. Dak Prescott is being mentioned as a Heisman candidate. The Bulldogs took the Trill out of Hill. Can they take the trick out of Nick? No – Auburn 34, Mississippi State 32.

RUNNER UP: 2. TCU (4-0) at Baylor (5-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – TCU knocked off unbeaten Oklahoma last week. Can the Frogs do the same to Baylor? The Bears are undefeated, but they are also untested. TCU will definitely be a test for Baylor. The winner will become the favorite to win the Big 12. Frogs croak – Baylor 34, TCU 27.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Ole Miss (5-0) at Texas A&M (5-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 9 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Something tells me the Aggies don’t want to lose to two Mississippi teams back-to-back. Something tells me Ole Miss will still be celebrating the win over Bama. Something tells me the Aggies win – Texas A&M 21, Ole Miss 20.

4. Duke (4-1) at Georgia Tech (5-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ACCN, 12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Everybody is talking about Florida State in the ACC, but Georgia Tech might have something to say about that. The Jackets are a bit of a surprise. They have two good wins over Virginia Tech and Miami (Florida). The Jackets will have another good win this week – Georgia Tech 31, Duke 21.

5. Middle Tennessee (4-2) at Marshall (5-0) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (TV: FSN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Looking at the rest of Marshall’s schedule, Middle Tennessee may be the only remaining threat left. And how much of a threat are the Blue Raiders? Not much – Marshall 39, Middle Tennessee 20.

6. Georgia (4-1) at Missouri (4-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: CBS, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Now this has the makings of a good one. Two SEC East teams – one undefeated in conference play (Missouri) and one with a loss in the conference (Georgia). The Dawgs have the incentive. A win puts them back on top in the SEC East. A loss and it is looking grim for the Dawgs. But Mizzou has a lot of tough conference games ahead. Uga loses in Columbia for the second time this season – Missouri 32, Georgia 30.

7. Oregon (4-1) at UCLA (4-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: Fox, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Both teams took it on the chin last week. Both suffered unexpected losses. But I’m not sure anything can be expected in the Pac-12 this season – other than the unexpected. The Bruins have their Duck blind in the wrong spot – Oregon 33, UCLA 24.

8. Washington (4-1) at California (4-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: PAC12N, 6 p.m. ET, Saturday) – After putting 60 points on the board last week, Cal may have trouble coming back down to earth this week. But Sonny Dykes definitely has the Bears playing better football this season. They’re just still a little giddy on defense. The Huskies can play defense – Washington 36, California 34.

9. USC (3-2) at Arizona (5-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (TV: ESPN2, 10:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – Is Arizona living on a pipe dream? Will it all come crumbling down on the Wildcats? Not this week – Arizona 30, USC 27.

10. Louisville (5-1) at Clemson (3-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – If anything, the Tigers have been playing like a new Clemson the past couple weeks. They are playing like they are on a mission. Louisville gets caught in that mission – Clemson 26, Louisville 17.

11. Alabama (4-1) at Arkansas (3-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: ESPN, 6 p.m. ET, Saturday) – You could look at this and say you feel sorry for Arkansas. After the loss to Ole Miss, Bama will take out their revenge on the Hogs. But the Tide will have to stop Bret Bielema’s running game. They do – Alabama 32, Arkansas 24.

12. LSU (4-2) at Florida (3-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (TV: SECN, 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – I’m thinkin’ LSU isn’t that good this year. I’m thinkin’ the Tigers have some problems. Maybe I shouldn’t be thinkin’ that. Speaking of “on a mission,” I think Will Muschamp is now a man on a mission – a mad man. Oh so close again – Florida 24, LSU 23.

13. Indiana (3-2) at Iowa (4-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ESPNU, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – The Hoosiers aren’t that bad. Then again, they aren’t that good either. But then you never know which Iowa team is going to show up – the good one or the bad one. This could be an interesting game. Slightly more interesting for the Hawkeyes – Iowa 27, Indiana 26.

14. BYU (4-1) at UCF (2-2) – (Ind. vs. AAC) (TV: ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday) – With Taysom Hill and BYU would win this game hands down. But the Cougars don’t have Hill anymore. That opens it up for UCF. Still, it won’t be easy – for either team. But it is easier for the Knights – UCF 29, BYU 27.

15. Texas (2-3) vs. Oklahoma (4-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: ABC, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – Will Katy Perry be at the game? The teams entered the game with similar records last year. It looked like a clean sweep for the Sooners. But the Horns clobbered OU. Must have been Mack Brown’s magic. Charlie Strong doesn’t have that magic yet – Oklahoma 31, Texas 17.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. Boston College (3-2) at NC State (4-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: FSN, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The winner of this game should salvage a pretty decent season. The loser could fall onto a tough time of it. Both need this win as a psychological boost. The Wolves get a boost – NC State 28, Boston College 26.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

West Virginia (3-2) at Texas Tech (2-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (TV: FS1, 12 noon ET, Saturday) – If WVU quits at halftime again, the Mounties won’t win this game. They need to play all four quarters. Texas Tech scares me. They are hurtin’. They are like a wounded animal – dangerous. The Mounties take the bling out of the King – West Virginia 30, Texas Tech 29.

Michigan State (4-1) at Purdue (3-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (TV: ABC/ESPN2, 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday) – The win over Illinois last week may have given new life to the Boilers. And the win over Nebraska may have worn out the Spartans. They looked gassed in the fourth quarter against the Huskers. Spartans pull it out, but it could be closer than you think – Michigan State 32, Purdue 19.

Nebraska (5-1) is off.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida State (5-0) at Syracuse (2-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) (TV: ESPN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) …. Cincinnati (2-2) at Miami (Florida) (3-3) – (AAC vs. ACC) (TV: FSN, 12 noon ET, Saturday) …. East Carolina (4-1) at South Florida (2-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (TV: ESPNU, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Florida International (3-3) at UTSA (1-4) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (TV: Local, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Savannah State (0-5) at Florida A&M (0-5) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (TV: None, 5 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Howard (1-5) at Bethune-Cookman (4-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (TV: None, 4 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Jacksonville U. (4-1) at Morehead State (2-3) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (TV: None, 1 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Stetson (2-3) at San Diego (3-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (TV: None, 5 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Florida Tech (3-2) at West Alabama (3-2) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) (TV: None, 7 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Florida Atlantic (2-4) is off.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . South Florida has signed a three-game series with Texas and a home-and-home series with BYU. The Bulls will play in Austin in 2019 and 2024. The Longhorns will play in Tampa in 2022. South Florida and BYU will play in 2021 and 2022…. Troy coach Larry Blakeney announced he will retire at the end of the season. Blakeney is in his 24th season with the Trojans. Troy is off to an 0-5 start this season.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but in the October autumn as the college football season approached its halfway point, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1944 was “You Always Hurt the One You Love” by The Mills Brothers

…65 years ago this week in 1949 was “That Lucky Old Sun” by Frankie Laine

…60 years ago this week in 1954 was “Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney

…55 years ago this week in 1959 was “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin

…50 years ago this week in 1964 was “Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison and The Candy Men

…45 years ago this week in 1969 was “Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies

…40 years ago this week in 1974 was “I Honestly Love You” by Olivia Newton-John

…35 years ago this week in 1979 was “Sad Eyes” by Robert John

…30 years ago this week in 1984 was “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince and The Revolution

…25 years ago this week in 1989 was “Miss You Much” by Janet Jackson

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


Not directly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Wally Hergesheimer and Jean-Claude Duvalier.

Wally Hergesheimer, the New York Rangers’ leading goal scorer of the early 1950s and one of their most popular players, died last week in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was 87. Walter Edgar Hergesheimer was born in Winnipeg on January 8, 1927. Hergesheimer played six seasons for the Rangers and one season for the Blackhawks. His older brother Phil played for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins.

Jean-Claude Duvalier, a former president of Haiti known as Baby Doc who ruled the country with a bloody brutality and then shocked it anew with a sudden return from a 25-year exile in 2011, died on Saturday in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was 63. Jean-Claude Duvalier was born on July 3, 1951, in Port-au-Prince. Duvalier was the son of Francois Duvalier, known as Papa Doc, who preceded him as president of Haiti. The father died in 1971.