College Football Week 8 – Irish-Noles; Big Week in Big 12
One Mississippi, two Mississippi

Counting down the seconds.

Well, I guess technically we should say, “One Mississippi State, three Ole Miss.”

That’s right. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Miss State is the No. 1 team in the country in, not one, but both polls – AP and Coaches. And Ole Miss is the No. 3 team in the country in both polls.

Saturday, the two teams were almost like twins. Both jumped out to early 21-0 leads on their respective opponents and both ended up winning by 15 points. Miss State beat Auburn 38-23 and Ole Miss beat Texas A&M 35-20.

It has been an amazing season for both schools. Last week, ESPN College GameDay was in Oxford for the first time. Saturday the popular pregame show made its first appearance in Starkville. And it could be back in Oxford on November 29 when Miss State and Ole Miss tangle in the Egg Bowl. That’s right. The Miss State-Ole Miss game could be bigger than the Auburn-Alabama game this year.

Then you have to wonder if both teams can hold onto their coaches after this season. In his sixth season with Miss State, Dan Mullen is 42-28. Hugh Freeze is 21-11 in his third season at Ole Miss.

It’s all but a done deal that Florida will dispose of Will Muschamp at the end of the season. The Bulldogs Dan Mullen is a former offensive coordinator at Florida under Urban Meyer. Mullen is also popular with the Gator Nation. Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze doesn’t have any direct Gator ties, but I’m sure Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley wouldn’t give second thought about going after Freeze.

Of the two coaches, Mullen is the most likely to leave. Freeze is a Mississippi native. He was born in Oxford and grew up in Independence, Mississippi. His ties to the state of Mississippi are pretty strong. It may be easier to move a mountain than to get Freeze to leave Ole Miss for another school. But stranger things have happened.

Miss State would do everything in its power to hang onto Mullen. They know they have a gem of a coach in Mullen. It isn’t likely they could land someone else as good. But I’m sure if Foley decided he wanted Mullen, he would do everything in his power to secure him. But, Foley was once turned down by Bob Stoops and Mike Shanahan. Then again, Miss State isn’t Oklahoma or the Denver Broncos. Stay tuned.

Miss State and Ole Miss both have some tough games ahead on their schedules. It won’t be easy hanging onto their lofty spots in the polls. The SEC West is loaded for bear, especially this year. There’s not a bad team in the bunch.

After a break this week, Miss State needs to get by Kentucky and Alabama on the road and Arkansas at home before the Bulldogs finish up with Ole Miss in Oxford. Ole Miss has stiff encounters with Tennessee and Auburn at home and LSU and Arkansas on the road before the season finale against Miss State. It won’t be easy.

Speaking of several tough games in a row, how would you like to be Texas A&M? The Aggies just came off of back-to-back games against Miss State and Ole Miss. This week, they play Alabama in Tuscaloosa. After starting the season at 5-0, I think the Aggies will be 5-3 after Saturday. Fortunately, they have the week off next week.

If you didn’t catch it, we went from 10 to six undefeated teams over the weekend. Four previous unbeatens – Auburn, TCU, Georgia Tech and Arizona – fell for the first time this season. Auburn lost to Miss State, 38-23. TCU lost a heartbreaker to Baylor, 61-58. Georgia Tech fell to Duke for the first time in 10 years, 31-25. And Arizona lost a donnybrook to USC, 28-26.

Five of the six remaining undefeated teams are the Top 5 teams in the polls – Miss State, Florida State, Ole Miss, Baylor and Notre Dame. The sixth undefeated team is Marshall. The Herd entered the Top 25 this week for the first time this season. At the most, there will only be five undefeated teams this time next week. Notre Dame and Florida State tangle in Tallahassee. Miss State is off this week and Ole Miss, Baylor and Marshall appear to be safe. Stay tuned!

At the other end of the spectrum, three teams remain winless – Idaho (0-6), Kent State (0-6) and SMU (0-5).

If a ground game is your thing and you admire the efforts of good running backs, you should have been in Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, Saturday. In beating Illinois, 38-28, Wisconsin had 401 yards rushing. Two Badger running backs each rushed for more than 100 yards – Melvin Gordon 175 yards and Corey Clement 164 yards.

Conversely, in a game with the likes of T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry, and Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins when you would have expected to see a lot of yards piled up on the ground, you didn’t. In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Alabama beat Arkansas, 14-13. The Tide had a total of 66 yards rushing and Arkansas only 89 yards. Combined, Alabama’s Yeldon and Henry rushed for 70 yards. Combined, Arkansas’ Williams and Collins rushed for 96 yards.

I don’t know what it is this season. I don’t know if the coaches and athletic directors are on a short fuse. I don’t know if the game officials are becoming as corrupt as our politicians. Maybe it is a little of both. But there sure have been a slew of complaints about the officiating this year from several coaches and athletic directors.

Earlier in the season, USC athletic director Pat Haden uncharacteristically rushed down to the field from the press box to argue with officials over a call. This occurred in USC’s game against Stanford in Palo Alto – a game the Trojans won, 13-10. For his performance, the Pac-12 Conference fined Haden $25,000.

NC State coach Dave Doeren complained about the officiating in the Florida State-NC State game a few weeks back – a game the Seminoles won after the Wolf Pack had an early lead. Doeren said the ACC officials were blind to the blatant offensive holding of FSU. He also accused Florida State of faking injuries in the game to slow down the Wolf Pack. Afterwards, Doeren was forced to make an apology, half hearted as it was, to keep from being fined by the ACC.

Then Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard was fined $25,000 and reprimanded by the Big 12 Conference for ripping the officials after Iowa State’s loss to Oklahoma State. It was the largest fine ever doled out by the Big 12 against an AD or coach.

Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre chased down the officials after the Oregon State-Colorado game to complain about their efforts, or lack thereof – a game the Buffalos lost 36-31. MacIntyre had to be separated from the officials by security. He was fined $10,000 and reprimanded by the Pac-12.

Last week, the Pac-12 Conference’s coordinator of officials – Tony Corrente – resigned. Corrente has been on the hot seat all season. Officiating in a number of Pac-12 games has been questioned.

After NC State’s Doeren voiced his complaints, a conspiracy theory circulated throughout the ACC. According to the conspiracy, ACC officials have been ordered to go easy on Florida State since the Seminoles are the conference’s only hope of getting a team into the playoffs at the end of the season. Stay tuned!

Among the conferences, the SEC is the highest paying for officials – around $1,600 per game, plus expenses. The Sun Belt Conference pays the lowest – around $800 per game, plus expenses.

Speaking of money, after the Alabama-Ole Miss game, Ole Miss fans tore down both goal posts at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The goal posts cost $10,000 each to replace. In addition, Ole Miss was fined $50,000 by the SEC for letting the fans rush the field after the game. Ole Miss set up a website asking fans to donate to a fund to help pay for the charges. The athletic department hoped to collect $75,000. Late last week, Ole Miss fans had committed $102,000 to the fund. Not bad.

Remember former Northwestern and Colorado coach Gary Barnett? Well, add Barnett’s name to the openings at Kansas and SMU. He says he’s interested.

Friday, Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I are off to Gainesville for the weekend. We’ll be attending the Missouri-Florida game Saturday. Staying at our favorite spot – the Laurel Oak Inn (www.Laureloakinn.com).

And, come next week, it just may be, “One Mississippi State, two Ole Miss.” Something about Notre Dame at Florida State. Stay tuned!

Touchdown Tom
October 13, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: A (Ko)Dak moment – Mississippi State 38, Auburn 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 34, Mississippi State 32). The Miss State quarterback, Dak Prescott, accounted for 367 of the Bulldogs 469 yards – 246 passing and 121 running. Prescott also jumped to No. 1 (with a bullet) on the Heisman pop charts. Miss State also was helped by Josh Robinson’s 97 yards rushing. The game was marred by turnovers. Early miscues by Auburn contributed to the Bulldogs’ 21-0 first quarter lead. There were eight turnovers in all – four by each team. Attendance in Starkville: 62,945

RUNNER UP: Bears Shock the Frogs – Baylor 61, TCU 58 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 34, TCU 27). Trailing 58-37 early in the fourth quarter, Baylor scored 24 unanswered points to rally and beat the Frogs. The Bears’ winning points came on a 28-yard field goal as time expired. Until the end, Baylor dominated TCU in everything but the score. The Bears had 39 first downs to 23 for TCU, 782 total yards to 485 for TCU, 510 yards passing to 346 for TCU, and 272 yards rushing to 139 for TCU. But the Bears also had three turnovers. The game was marred by 20 penalties – eight (110 yards) on TCU and 12 (117 yards) on Baylor. Baylor’s Shock Linwood rushed for 178 yards. Attendance in Waco: 45,034

REST OF THE BEST: That’s 0-2 against the teams from Mississippi – Ole Miss 35, Texas A&M 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 21, Ole Miss 20). Except for rushing, the Aggies dominated the statistics, including turnovers – three miscues for A&M to none for the Rebel Bears. Like their partners in crime from Starkville, the Rebel Bears also jumped out to an early 21-0 lead. A lead Ole Miss eventually built up to 35-7. The Aggies Kenny Hill passed for 401 yards. But A&M was lacking in a running game – only 54 yards on the ground. Attendance in College Station: 110,633

Raid! – Duke 31, Georgia Tech 25 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 31, Duke 21). The Dookies snapped a 10-year losing streak against Georgia Tech. The Jackets suffered from three turnovers to none for the Dookies. Attendance in Atlanta: 44,281

Marco takes the Middle – Marshall 49, Middle Tennessee 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Marshall 39, Middle Tennessee 20). Marshall racked up 589 total yards against the Blue Raiders, improving their record to 6-0. Rakeem Cato passed for 337 yards and Devon Johnson rushed for 134 yards. Attendance in Huntington: 30,210

We don’t need no Gurley – Georgia 34, Missouri 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 32, Georgia 30). Georgia’s Nick Chubb rushed for 143 yards. The Dawgs took advantage of five Missouri turnovers. Mizzou only had 147 total yards – 97 passing and 50 rushing. Georgia’s Hutson Mason completed 79 percent of his passes. Attendance in Columbia: 71,168

The rubber Duckies bounce back – Oregon 42, UCLA 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 33, UCLA 24). A reasonably close game, Oregon scored 21 unanswered points – midway through the third quarter to early in the fourth quarter – to take a commanding 42-10 lead. In an effort to catch up, UCLA scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. But it was too little too late. The Bruins dominated the stats, but not the final score. UCLA’s Paul Perkins rushed for 187 yards. Attendance in Pasadena: 80,139

Huskies catch the Bears hibernating – Washington 31, California 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 36, California 34). Cal looked promising until the Huskies came to town. But three turnovers to none for Washington doomed the Golden Bears. The Huskies led 28-0 at halftime. Attendance in Berkeley: 44,449

The sword is bigger than the Rod – USC 28, Arizona 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 30, USC 27). Trailing 28-13 in the fourth quarter, Arizona rallied, scoring two touchdowns, but the Wildcats’ two-point conversion attempt failed after the second touchdown. Had it succeeded, Arizona would have tied the score with 1:07 remaining. The Wildcats’ Anu Solomon passed for 395 yards, but Arizona only had 77 yards rushing. USC’s Javorius Allen rushed for 205 yards. Attendance in Tucson: 56,754

A Cardinal in the Paw is worth two in the bush – Clemson 23, Louisville 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 26, Louisville 17). Tied 17-17 late in the third quarter, two field goals (one in the third and one in the fourth) by Clemson was the difference in the game. The game was a defensive battle – only 12 first downs for the Tigers to 10 for the Cardinals. Clemson had 72 yards rushing to only 52 by Louisville. Attendance in Clemson: 81,500

Hog tied – Alabama 14, Arkansas 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 32, Arkansas 24). A defensive battle that was dominated by Arkansas, except for the final score. A blocked kick on an extra point attempt was the Hogs downfall. Arkansas had 18 first downs to 10 by Alabama, 335 total yards to 227 for Alabama, 246 yards passing to 161 for the Tide and 89 yards rushing to 66 for Bama. Attendance in Fayetteville: 72,337

Muschamp’s coup de grace – LSU 30, Florida 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, LSU 23). With less than two minutes left in the game, Florida had a first down on the LSU goal line and the Gators couldn’t punch it in. Instead, Florida had to settle for a field goal that tied the score at 27-27. The Tigers took advantage of the final 1:49. Three turnovers didn’t help the Gators any. Leonard Fournette finally stepped up for LSU, rushing for 140 yards. If he hadn’t already, I would suspect that Jeremy Foley made up his mind to fire Will Mustake by season’s end. Attendance in Gainesville: 88,014

The Birds – Iowa 45, Indiana 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Indiana 26). The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead, only to have the Hoosiers come back and make it an interesting game in the second quarter. Indiana trailed 28-21. But then Iowa scored 17 unanswered points and led 45-21 in the fourth quarter. Indiana’s Tevin Coleman rushed for 219 yards. Attendance in Iowa City: 68,590

Knights work overtime – UCF 31, BYU 24 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: UCF 29, BYU 27). UCF jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead and led 10-3 at the half. The third quarter belonged to the Cougars, thanks to turnovers by the Knights. BYU scored 21 unanswered points and led 24-10 with 9 minutes to go in the third. UCF held onto the ball and bounced back to tie the score at 24-24 by early in the fourth quarter. The Knights went on to win in overtime. UCF’s Justin Holman passed for 326 yards, but the Knights only had 63 yards rushing. Attendance in Orlando: 41,547

The Sooners made the River Red – Oklahoma 31, Texas 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 31, Texas 17). OU couldn’t shake the Horns. The Sooners had a 17-3 second quarter lead only to have Texas pull within four at 17-13 at the break. Then the Sooners built up a 31-13 lead by early in the fourth quarter. But the Horns pulled within five points at 31-26 with five minutes left in the game. Texas dominated the stats – 24 first downs to 11 for OU, 482 total yards to 232 for OU, 334 yards passing to 129 for OU and 148 yards rushing to 103 for OU. Texas also had 11 penalties to only three for OU. Attendance in Dallas: 92,100


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Yet another bummer coach for the Wolf Pack? – Boston College 30, NC State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: NC State 28, Boston College 26). This was a game of two former Florida quarterbacks competing against each other and Tyler Murphy beat Jacoby Brissett. Murphy accounted for 233 yards, while Brissett only managed 152 yards. BC had 411 total yards to 217 for the Wolf Pack. NC State only had 43 yards rushing. Attendance in Raleigh: 49,125


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Déjà vu Lambert – West Virginia 37, Texas Tech 34 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Texas Tech 29). Finally, the Mountaineers played ball in the second half – offense and defense. After looking so pathetic in second-half play all season, WVU scored 27 of its 37 points in the second half, and the Mounties outscored Tech 27-13 in the second half. Two WVU running backs rushed for more than 100 yards each – 123 yards for Wendell Smallwood and 110 yards for Rushel Shell. Tech’s DeAndre Washington rushed for 132 yards. Both quarterbacks – Clint Trickett and Davis Webb – passed for more than 300 yards. Trailing 34-20, with less than six minutes left in the game, the Mounties rallied with 17 unanswered points. WVU’s Josh Lambert (from Garland, Texas) kicked a 55-yard field goal as time expired to win the game for the Mountaineers. It’s the second time this season Lambert has kicked the winning field goal on an expiring clock. Attendance in Lubbock: 58,502

A game of spurts – Michigan State 45, Purdue 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 32, Purdue 19). The Spartans built up a 21-3 second quarter lead. Purdue closed the gap to 24-17 by the half. State then scored 14 points to increase its lead to 38-17. Purdue answered with two touchdowns to cut State’s lead to 38-31 with a little more than six minutes left in the game. Attendance in West Lafayette: 40,217


Week 7 Pick Results: 11 correct, 7 wrong (61.1 percent)
On the Season: 96 correct, 31 wrong (75.6 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida State 38, Syracuse 20 – Attendance in Syracuse: 43,295 …. Miami 55, Cincinnati 34 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 43,953 …. East Carolina 28, South Florida 17 – Attendance in Tampa: 31,567.

UTSA 16, Florida International 13 – Attendance in San Antonio: 25,318 …. Florida A&M 24, Savannah State 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 9,868 …. Bethune-Cookman 49, Howard 12 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 10,247.

Jacksonville U. 45, Morehead State 26 – Attendance in Morehead: 3,755 …. San Diego 31, Stetson 23 – Attendance in San Diego: 3,405 …. Florida Tech 33, West Alabama 32 – Attendance in Livingston: 3,250


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Baylor’s Bryce Petty – 28-55-2 for 510 yards; Texas A&M’s Kenny Hill – 42-53-2-401; Appalachian State’s Taylor Lamb – 20-31-2-397; Arizona’s Anu Solomon – 43-72-0-395; Buffalo’s Joe Licata – 27-44-2-383; Miami of Ohio’s Andrew Hendrix – 24-41-1-352; Texas Tech’s Davis Webb – 28-46-1-348, and Marshall’s Rakeem Cato – 17-33-1-337.

Also, Texas’ Tyrone Swoopes – 27-44-1 for 334 yards; UNLV’s Blake Decker – 29-40-1-332; UCF’s Justin Holman – 30-51-2-326; Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson – 26-36-0-326; Ball State’s Jack Milas – 26-42-0-326; UAB’s Cody Clements – 17-22-0-316; Florida State’s Jameis Winston – 29-36-0-313, and California’s Jared Goff – 35-51-0-304.

Also, North Carolina’s Marquise Williams – 24-41-1 for 303 yards; Fresno State’s Brian Burrell – 25-44-2-302; West Virginia’s Clint Trickett – 28-44-0-301; Notre Dame’s Everett Golson – 21-38-1-300; Utah State’s Darrel Garretson – 20-29-0-298; Nevada’s Cody Fajardo – 27-50-1-297; Washington State’s Connor Halliday – 42-69-1-292, and Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell – 20-29-1-290.


Impressive Rushers:

Central Michigan’s Thomas Rawls – 270 yards; San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey – 246 yards; Indiana’s Tevin Coleman – 219 yards; USC’s Javorius Allen – 205 yards; Eastern Michigan’s Reggie Bell – 202 yards; UCLA’s Paul Perkins – 190 yards, and Arkansas State’s Michael Gordon – 188 yards.

Also, Baylor’s Shock Linwood – 178 yards; Troy’s Brandon Burks – 176 yards; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 175 yards; Wisconsin’s Corey Clement – 164 yards; Miami of Florida’s Duke Johnson – 162 yards; Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin – 161 yards; Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 155 yards, and Temple’s Jahad Thomas – 152 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“Alabama’s dynasty is over. I predicted Gus Malzahn was going to own Nick Saban. He’s going to own him,” ESPN’s Colin Cowherd, after Alabama’s loss to Ole Miss.

“I don’t know if that’s Lane doing that or if coach Saban is kind of putting the hand cuffs on Lane like I’ve known coach to do in the past on his offensive coordinator. It’s going to be interesting to see how they bounce back against Arkansas this week and what kind of offense comes out,” former Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, on Nick Saban overriding his offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.

“I don’t know how A.J. would know, but I don’t think that’s the case,” Alabama coach Nick Saban, responding after former Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron said that this year’s Alabama team is lacking in leadership.

“Oh gosh. A.J. McCarron. Did he go to class? I mean, really. Did he make the league or not. I mean, really. He needs to be quiet. He was so fortunate to play in that program. He’s an average quarterback at best. He couldn’t have played anywhere else but Alabama, and to make any kind of comment is just disrespectful. He should keep his mouth shut and praise Saban and Alabama for the rest of his life,” former quarterback Fran Tarkington, on A.J. McCarron’s comments about Nick Saban and the Alabama team.

“Who are the two best coaches in college football? Nick Saban and Urban Meyer. What have they done in their last seven games? Both are 4-3,” former New Mexico, TCU, Alabama, Texas A&M and current Texas State coach Dennis Franchione.

“They should bitch about the way we perform. When we can’t cover kickoffs and we can’t do this, that and the other, it’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed at times the way we play,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.

“And speaking of disgraceful, do you know what is disgraceful? Florida State University – 22 months after the fact – breaking its silence and sending a letter to fans Friday trying to explain away why it totally dropped the ball on the Jameis Winston sexual assault investigation. The Seminoles pretty much blamed the entire ordeal on “media misinformation.” Question for FSU leaders (if there are any): If there is so much media information, why don’t you have a news conference and let the media ask you some questions,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Just what LSU’s defense needs – Jeff Driskel. LSU over Florida,” ESPN’s Desmond Howard.

“The NFL announced possible sites for next year’s draft have been narrowed to two locations. It’s either Rikers Island or San Quentin,” Conan O’Brien.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Notre Dame (6-0) at Florida State (6-0) – (Ind. vs. ACC) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – The Noles have fallen from No. 1 to No. 2 in the polls. But a win over the Irish will most likely boost the Noles back into the No. 1 spot, especially since Miss State is idle this week. Chances are, the Irish will make FSU work for its win – assuming the Noles do win. It should be a good one in Tallahassee. My friend Tim Muth may not wear any underwear during this game. Or he may be changing his underwear frequently. Noles smoke the Irish – Florida State 23, Notre Dame 22.

RUNNER UP: 2. Washington (5-1) at Oregon (5-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, FS1) – The Huskies aren’t big scorers, but they can play defense. Washington’s defense is capable of bottling up the Ducks offense. After the loss to Arizona, Oregon will be leery of teams like Washington. Puddles splashes the Huskies – Oregon 27, Washington 19.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Baylor (6-0) at West Virginia (4-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1) – Two years ago in Morgantown, this game was a classic – an epic contest. WVU won 70-63. The teams combined for almost 1,500 yards of total offense. It could be similar to that again this year. Baylor beat TCU last week, 61-58. The Bears can pass with Bryce Petty and run with Shock Linwood. No Bear skins for the Mountaineers – Baylor 39, West Virginia 34.

4. Kansas State (4-1) at Oklahoma (5-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Bill Snyder against Bob Stoops is generally a classic meeting of the minds. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be this year. Both have a loss, but only OU’s is a conference loss. The Sooners can’t afford another one. By the way, did Trevor Knight ever call Katy Perry? Trevor makes Katy proud – Oklahoma 25, Kansas State 23.

5. Oklahoma State (5-1) at TCU (4-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (4 p.m. ET, Saturday, FS1) – TCU knocked off Oklahoma, then lost a doozy to Baylor. Okie State will be another doozy for the Frogs. But the Horny ones survive this doozy – TCU 27, Oklahoma State 22.

6. Rutgers (5-1) at Ohio State (4-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2) – A couple weeks ago, the Buckeyes belted Big Ten newcomer Maryland. And that was on the road. This week the Bucks belt the other Big Ten newcomer. And this one is in Columbus. It could be a long game for Rutgers. The Buckeyes scare the Scarlet out of the Knights – Ohio State 32, Rutgers 20.

7. Utah (4-1) at Oregon State (4-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (10 p.m. ET, Thursday, FS1) – After a couple of frustrating seasons in the Pac-12, the Utes are making some noise in the conference this season. The noise gets louder – Utah 28, Oregon State 25.

8. Texas A&M (5-2) at Alabama (5-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – After Miss State and Ole Miss, I’m not sure if the Aggies have anything left in them to battle Bama. Get to Kenny Hill and you get to the Aggies. A&M hasn’t shown much of a running game. Bama is due to explode after being held to 14 points last week. The Aggies get Trunked – Alabama 32, Texas A&M 22.

9. Kentucky (5-1) at LSU (5-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, SECN) – Kentucky is definitely playing better ball this season – no doubt about that. Question is: are the Wildcats playing good enough to handle LSU – and in Baton Rouge? It’s doubtful – LSU 27, Kentucky 19.

10. Stanford (4-2) at Arizona State (4-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (10:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Stanford’s defense can stop the Sun Devils. But can the Trees’ offense put points on the board against ASU. Stanford’s offense showed some promise last week against Washington State. The Sun Devils are confined to a Tree fort – Stanford 26, Arizona State 23.

11. Tennessee (3-3) at Ole Miss (6-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Tennessee has had a number of opportunities to knock off some big teams. So far, the Vols have not succeeded. They have another opportunity this week. Again they fail to succeed – Ole Miss 28, Tennessee 17.

12. Iowa (5-1) at Maryland (4-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2) – The Hawkeyes are 5-1, but most of the wins have been close – very close. And then there was the strange loss to Iowa State. Oh well, the Hawkeyes have another close win – Iowa 30, Maryland 28.

13. Georgia (5-1) at Arkansas (3-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (4 p.m. ET, Saturday, SECN) – Georgia surprised everyone last week – blowing out Missouri and without Todd Gurley. Meanwhile, the Hogs have been oh so close in their last two losses. The Dawgs luck runs out – Arkansas 28, Georgia 26.

14. UCLA (4-2) at California (4-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2) – Brett Hundley is due for a good game. He looked terrible in the loss to Oregon. But then, most do. Hundley makes the Golden Bears look like Olden Bears – UCLA 34, California 24.

15. Clemson (4-2) at Boston College (4-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – Boston College doesn’t look like the same team from week-to-week – good one week, bad another. After looking good last week, it’s time for the Eagles to look bad – Clemson 33, Boston College 22.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. NC State (4-3) at Louisville (5-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, FSN) – The Cardinals gave Clemson a scare. The Wolf Pack didn’t. Cardinals do more than scaring this week – Louisville 27, NC State 18.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Missouri (4-2) at Florida (3-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN2) – Most likely, Treon Harris returns to the field for the Gators this week. Jeff Driskel has been banned to the low lying areas of The Swamp. Gator fans should be happy. Let’s just hope Harris doesn’t celebrate too wildly after this week’s game. Albert tanks the Tigers – Florida 24, Missouri 22.

Virginia (4-2) at Duke (5-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ACCN) – I’d be leery of the Cavaliers. They can sneak up on you. And the Dookies may be caught celebrating the win over Georgia Tech. The Dookies celebrate some more – Duke 21, Virginia 20.

Nebraska (5-1) at Northwestern (3-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, BTN) – Last year, Nebraska needed a Hail-Mary to beat the Wildcats. This year, a Bloody Mary should do. Wildcats can’t pop the Corn – Nebraska 28, Northwestern 20.

Purdue (3-4) at Minnesota (5-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN) – Did you notice what happened last week. The Boilers gave Michigan State a scare – well, a bit of one. Still, it showed signs of promise. The Gophers break the Boilers promise – Minnesota 33, Purdue 27.

Iowa State (2-4) at Texas (2-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, LHN) – The Horns definitely gave Oklahoma a scare. So that means the Horns will probably get a scare from the Cyclones this week. One thing about Texas – there is no consistency. But just enough consistency to beat the Cyclones – Texas 30, Iowa State 23.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Tulane (2-4) at UCF (3-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU) …. South Florida (2-4) at Tulsa (1-5) – (AAC vs. AAC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNews) …. Western Kentucky (2-3) at Florida Atlantic (2-4) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (12 noon ET, Saturday, Local).

Marshall (6-0) at Florida International (3-4) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (6 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) …. Florida A&M (1-5) at Howard (1-6) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Bethune-Cookman (5-1) at Savannah State (0-6) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (6 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Jacksonville U. (5-1) at Stetson (2-4) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (6 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. North Alabama (5-0) at Florida Tech (4-2) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) (6 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Miami (4-3) is off.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Harley Clark, the former Texas cheerleader credited with starting the “Hook ’em Horns” hand signal used by tens of thousands of Longhorns faithful over the past six decades, died last week at his farm outside of Austin. He was 78.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly, there were three passings of note last week – Paul Revere, Jimmy Feix and Jan Hooks.

Paul Revere, the keyboardist who founded Paul Revere & the Raiders, a band whose Top 10 hits were staples of the 1960s, died last weekend at his home in Garden Valley, Idaho. He was 76. The band’s hits, with Mark Lindsay on lead vocals, were upbeat 1960s pop-rock, including “Just Like Me” (1965), “Kicks” (1966), “Good Thing” (1966), “Him or Me – What’s It Gonna Be” (1967), “I Had a Dream” (1967), “Too Much Talk” (1968), “Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon” (1969), “Let Me” (1969), among others. The band’s biggest hit, “Indian Reservation,” reached No. 1 in 1971 and sold more than a million copies. Paul Revere Dick was born on January 7, 1938, in Harvard, Nebraska. He decided on a career in music as a teenager. He formed a band called the Downbeats and renamed it the Raiders in 1960. Lindsay joined in 1958. The group appeared regularly on “Where the Action Is,” the ABC spinoff of “American Bandstand.”

Jimmy Feix, Western Kentucky’s winningest football coach and former athletic director, died last week. He was 83. A former Hilltopper player, Feix coached Western Kentucky to a 106-56-6 record as head coach from 1968 to 1983. He was then the school’s director of alumni affairs and athletic director until he retired in 1990. Jimmy Feix was born and raised in Henderson, Kentucky.

Jan Hooks, whose flair for comedy was showcased on “Saturday Night Live” for five years, died last week in New York City. She was 57. Hooks joined “SNL” in 1986. She left the show in 1991, but returned several times for special appearances. After “SNL,” Hooks joined the cast of TV’s “Designing Women.” She later had a recurring role on “3rd Rock from the Sun” and more recently on “30 Rock.” Hooks was born in Decatur, Georgia, on April 23, 1957 and grew up in Atlanta.