College Football Week 12 – Elimination game in Tuscaloosa
Another round of musical chairs

When the music stopped Saturday, four more teams couldn’t find a chair when they went to sit down. Translation: After all the games were played Saturday, four teams were eliminated from playoff possibilities – Auburn, Michigan State, Kansas State and Notre Dame.

All four teams suffered their second loss of the season. And with two losses the odds of making the playoffs are zero. Zero, unless there are an excessive and unusual number of surprises in the final four weeks of the season. Stay tuned.

Who knows, there could be. Just ask Auburn. The Tigers, the No. 3 team in the Playoff poll, got a surprise they weren’t expecting. Auburn lost to unranked Texas A&M, 41-38. Going into the game, the Tigers were 23-point favorites over the Aggies. Auburn was the highest ranked of the playoff contenders to be eliminated on Saturday.

Michigan State, slight favorites to beat Ohio State, fell to the Buckeyes, 49-37. The Spartans were No. 8 in the Playoff rankings. They won’t be when the new poll is released Tuesday night. The Ohio State-Michigan State game was more like a Pac-12 contest – 1,104 yards on offense and no defense.

Ohio State should make a significant jump in the Playoff poll. But if the Buckeyes win-out, will they make the playoffs? Not likely. Not unless there are an excessive and unusual number of surprises to come. Stay tuned.

Kansas State and Notre Dame both lost to teams who were ranked one spot above them in the Playoff poll. The (No. 7) Wildcats were decimated by (No. 6) TCU, 41-20. The Horned Frogs should be No. 4 or No. 5 in this week’s poll.

Regardless of where TCU is ranked Tuesday night, two things became evident after the Frogs’ big win over K-State – come December 7, TCU will be one of the four playoff teams and its quarterback – Trevone Boykin – will be a Heisman finalist.

Notre Dame, No. 10 in the Playoff poll was humiliated by (No. 9) Arizona State, 55-31. Irish quarterback Everett Golson had been considered a Heisman candidate. Not any longer. Golson threw four interceptions in the game.

I always thought Notre Dame was ranked too high in the playoff poll. The Irish have no quality wins on the season. Until Saturday, Notre Dame had played only one good team – Florida State. Granted, that was a quality loss, but Arizona State proved that the Irish were just pretenders and not contenders.

Three other highly ranked Playoff poll teams – Oregon, Alabama and Baylor – made it through their elimination games Saturday. One team – Alabama – barely survived elimination. The other two breezed past their challengers.

The (No. 5) Crimson Tide escaped from Baton Rouge, beating LSU 20-13 in overtime. With just 0:50 left in the game, LSU appeared to have won when the Tigers’ Colby Delahoussaye kicked a 39-yard field goal to give LSU a 13-10 lead. A fumble by Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon set up the field goal.

But in the next 47 seconds, Alabama’s Blake Sims took over and drove the Tide down the field to the LSU 10-yard line where Adam Griffith kicked a 27 yard field goal with 0:03 remaining on the clock. Score tied 13-13. The Crimson Tide went on to win in the first overtime period on a six-yard pass from Sims to DeAndrew White.

The difference in the Alabama-LSU game was the quarterback. Alabama had one and LSU didn’t.

In a close game for three quarters, (No. 4) Oregon ran away from (No. 17) Utah in the fourth quarter to beat the Utes, 51-27. Just a few seconds into the second quarter, and with Utah up 7-0, Utes’ receiver Kaelin Clay appeared to score on a 68-yard touchdown pass. But just a foot or two before Clay crossed the goal line, he dropped the ball to begin celebrating his touchdown. Oregon’s Joe Walker picked up the ball and returned it 100 yards for an Oregon touchdown. Had Clay held onto the ball, Utah would have gone up 14-0. Instead, Oregon tied the score at 7-7.

Meanwhile, (No. 12) Baylor remained a contender for the playoffs. The Bears demolished (No. 15) Oklahoma, 48-14. And wouldn’t you know it? Just like last week when Georgia fans began calling for Mark Richt’s head, this week Oklahoma fans are already calling for Bob Stoops’ head.

After Baylor’s putdown of Oklahoma in Norman, Stoops may want to come to Florida. But I’m not sure Florida would want Stoops now. Bob may want to think about eliminating nepotism in his program and dump brother Mike – his defensive coordinator. Oklahoma has given up 32 points-a-game in its last six games.

And speaking of Stoops, brother Mark isn’t doing much better at Kentucky. Saturday the Wildcats were plundered by Georgia, 63-31. After beginning the season 5-1, Kentucky has lost its last four games.

Waiting for the West Virginia-Texas game to start at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, I couldn’t find any good games to watch. The 12 noon games were all blowouts – Georgia 63, Kentucky 31; Minnesota 51, Iowa 14; Wisconsin 34, Purdue 16; Baylor 48, Oklahoma 14, and Georgia Tech 56, NC State 23. I finally settled on Duke-Syracuse. It was a good game until Duke blew it open in the fourth quarter, beating the Orange 27-10.

And speaking of West Virginia, well, I would have just as soon as not watched that game either. Texas upset the favored Mountaineers, 33-16.

You know, part of me wants to say, “Fire Holgorsen.” I’m sick and tired of this crap – four years and no improvement. The inconsistencies and the lack of discipline – enough is enough. This team hasn’t played a good game for four quarters – even three quarters – all season. Usually, they play a good first half and a bad second half. Sometimes they play a bad first half and a good second half. But they never play two good halves – not in the same game.

And I still believe that Clint Trickett is an overrated quarterback. Yes, he’s a good quarterback. But, instead of playing like a fifth-year senior, he plays like a freshman or a sophomore. He makes those kinds of mistakes. Part of me wants to say, “Bench Trickett.” Start preparing for next season now. But how can you prepare if you have nothing to prepare with. Holgorsen hasn’t recruited a quarterback in four years. Geno Smith was there when he arrived and Trickett transferred in from Florida State.

Three years ago, in his second season at Louisville, Charlie Strong beat Dana Holgorsen with a mediocre – at best – Louisville team. Saturday, in his first season at Texas, Charlie Strong beat Dana Holgorsen with a mediocre – at best – Texas team. A good coach will beat a bad coach nine times out of ten.

Saturday night was better. Florida beat Vanderbilt, 34-10. Yeah, I know, it was only Vanderbilt. Everybody beats Vanderbilt. But with two-straight wins and the way Florida was headed a few weeks ago, a win is a win – over anybody.

It’s comforting to see the Gator offense jelling and showing consistency with Treon Harris at quarterback. One can only hope that it gets better. Stay tuned.

And one can only wonder what Will Muschamp’s status is now? Has he saved his job for another season? Or is it too soon to say? South Carolina, Eastern Kentucky and Florida State remain on the schedule.

One more win and the Gators are bowl bound. Obviously, Eastern Kentucky is a win so the Gators are bowl bound. I made that statement to someone recently and they said, “I have two words for you: Georgia Southern.” Yeah, but Eastern Kentucky ain’t no Georgia Southern.

My guess is Jeremy Foley will do just as he says. He will evaluate Will Muschamp and make his decision at the end of the season. Will it be an easy one? Stay tuned.

There will be another round of musical chairs this week – one true elimination game and three games where a playoff contender is facing a serious challenger. The elimination game is a biggie – Mississippi State (9-0) at Alabama (8-1). In the challenger games, three playoff contender teams are all on the road, facing potentially stiff competition – Florida State (9-0) at Miami (Florida) (6-3), Ohio State (8-1) at Minnesota (7-2) and Nebraska (8-1) at Wisconsin (7-2). Stay tuned!

Oregon (8-1) and Baylor (9-1) have the week off. And TCU (8-1) and Arizona State (8-1) should have little to no trouble with Kansas (3-6) and Oregon State (4-5) respectively. Of course that’s what I said about Auburn against Texas A&M.

In three other good games this week, which certainly have implications of their own, Clemson (7-2) is at Georgia Tech (8-2), Auburn (7-2) visits Georgia (7-2) and Missouri (7-2) travels to Texas A&M (7-3).

In the remaining mystery, yet to be solved, which Group of 5 team will get the Golden Ticket berth – a spot against a high-ranked Power 5 team in one of the New Year’s 6 bowls. The berth goes to the Group of 5 team that is highest ranked in the Playoff poll on December 7.

That team was East Carolina until the Pirates were upset by Temple. Last week, there were no Group of 5 teams ranked in the Playoff poll. The most logical one now is Marshall, sitting at 9-0. So far the Herd has not cracked the poll. That could change Tuesday night. Also waiting to pounce is Colorado State at 9-1. The Rams are ranked in this week’s AP and Coaches polls. Also sitting in the wings are Boise State (7-2), East Carolina (6-2), Georgia Southern (8-2) and Cincinnati (5-3). Stay tuned!

Little-by-little, the playoff picture is becoming clearer. The Heisman Trophy picture is becoming clearer too. I figure it’s down to Dak Prescott (Mississippi State), Marcus Mariota (Oregon), Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin), Trevone Boykin (TCU) and Amari Cooper (Alabama). Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska) remains a long shot.

I had fun watching the “Paul Finebaum Show” last week. Georgia fans were calling in every day saying that Mark Richt has to go. Richt’s status at Georgia brings up a good point. How long do you give a coach to win the national championship? It took Vince Dooley 17 seasons at Georgia before he won a national championship. And he only won one. Bobby Bowden was at Florida State 18 season before he won a national title. And it took Tom Osborne 22 seasons at Nebraska before he won a championship. This is Richt’s 14th season at Georgia.

By the way, I’ve enjoyed my conversations with Mark Moses this season on the “Mark Moses Show” on Sports Radio 95.9 – The Fan. Mark’s show runs weekdays from 3:00-6:00 p.m. ET.

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I will be back in Gainesville this weekend for the South Carolina-Florida game. Of course we’re staying at our favorite hangout – the Laurel Oak Inn (www.laureloakinn.com). Yes, Swamp Mama, I have the tickets.

When the music stops this Saturday, who won’t get a seat?

Hug a veteran this week!

Touchdown Tom
November 10, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Kermit’s happy – TCU 41, Kansas State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Kansas State 33, TCU 30). TCU so dominated this game, limiting K-State to only 35 yards rushing. The Wildcats scored a touchdown with 1:36 remaining to make the game look closer than it was. The Frogs’ Aaron Green rushed for 171 yards and Trevone Boykin rushed for 123 yards. Attendance in Fort Worth: 48,012

RUNNER UP: Urban hits the Mark – Ohio State 49, Michigan State 37 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 26, Ohio State 25). Ohio State was an amazing 10-for-14 in third down efficiency. The Spartans weren’t much worse – 8-for-15. The Buckeyes’ J.T. Barrett passed for 300 yards and rushed for another 86 yards. Attendance in East Lansing: 76,409

REST OF THE BEST: Sun Devils mount Everett – Arizona State 55, Notre Dame 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona State 30, Notre Dame 28). Five turnovers and the lack of a running game – only 41 yards – killed the Irish. Everett Golson threw four interceptions. Attendance in Tempe: 65,870

Nick makes Les sick – Alabama 20, LSU 13 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, LSU 27). The Tigers suffered from the lack of a passing game – only 76 yards. Interestingly, LSU dominated the time of possession – 38:16 to 21:44. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321

Dropsies – Oregon 51, Utah 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 27, Utah 18). Four minutes into the fourth quarter, this was a tight game. Oregon only led by three points – 30-27. Then the Ducks scored 21 unanswered points in the final 11 minutes of the game. The Ducks’ Marcus Mariota passed for 239 yards and rushed for another 114 yards. Oregon’s defense put the brakes on Utah running back Devontae Booker, limiting the Ute to 65 yards rushing. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 47,528

Something went Boom – Baylor 48, Oklahoma 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, Baylor 27). Would you believe Oklahoma led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter? After that, the Sooners never saw the end zone again, while Baylor put up 41 unanswered points over the remaining three quarters. The Bears had 31 first downs to only 13 for OU. Attendance in Norman: 85,048

Kyle looks Trill – Texas A&M 41, Auburn 38 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 39, Texas A&M 20). The second quarter was Auburn’s demise. Tied 14-14 at the end of the first quarter, the Aggies outscored the Tigers 21-3 in the second quarter. Still, Auburn fought back. The Tigers closed the gap to three points – 41-38 – with 6:42 left in the game. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

Don’t go near the Bears – UCLA 44, Washington 30 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 24, Washington 22). The Bruins led 31-10 at the half. UCLA’s Brett Hundley passed for 302 yards, completing 81 percent of his passes. Attendance in Seattle: 65,547

You betcha – Minnesota 51, Iowa 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Minnesota 24). Iowa scored the game’s first touchdown halfway through the first quarter. The Hawkeyes scored the game’s last touchdown with 0:14 remaining in the game. In between, Minnesota scored 51 points. Iowa had three turnovers and only 84 yards rushing. Attendance in Minneapolis: 49,680

Cav legs taste like crab legs – Florida State 34, Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 33, Virginia 15). As with many of their games, the Noles fell behind early, trailing Virginia 13-7 at the end of the first quarter. Then FSU scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 28-13 lead at the half. The Cavs made it tight one more time, scoring the first touchdown in the third quarter to pull with eight points – 28-20. The Noles answered with two field goals. FSU’s defense held Virginia to 37 yards rushing. Attendance in Tallahassee: 82,325

Sluggers – Louisville 38, Boston College 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Boston College 26, Louisville 23). BC jumped out to a 13-3 lead early in the second quarter. Then Louisville scored 21 unanswered points to take a 24-13 lead in the third quarter. The Eagles scored again and the Cardinals’ lead was just 24-19 at the start of the fourth quarter. Louisville responded with 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Attendance in Chestnut Hill: 33,565

The Pack had a wreck – Georgia Tech 56, NC State 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 29, NC State 22). State led 13-7 late in the first quarter. Then Tech scored 28 unanswered points to hold a 35-13 lead late in the second quarter. In the second half, Tech built up its lead to 56-13. The Yellow Jackets had 479 yards rushing in the game. Attendance in Raleigh: 54,653

Were the Dawgs mad or something? – Georgia 63, Kentucky 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, Kentucky 25). Georgia was 8-for-8 in third down efficiency. The Dawgs racked up 559 total yards. Attendance in Lexington: 60,152

How do you like us now? – Marshall 63, Southern Miss 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Marshall 36, Southern Miss 19). Marshall outscored the Eagles 35-0 in the second half. The Herd piled up 521 total yards. Attendance in Hattiesburg: 22,949

Caught in a stampede – Texas 33, West Virginia 16 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 27, Texas 23). The Mountaineers outgained the Longhorns 448 yards to 351. But the Eers were only 3-for-17 in third down efficiency. Attendance in Austin: 95,714


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Let’s hear it for Skip – Louisiana Tech 40, UAB 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisiana Tech 29, UAB 26). La Tech is all but assured of winning the C-USA West and a chance to meet Marshall for the conference championship. The game was marred with six turnovers – three by each team. Attendance in Birmingham: 9,457


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Grand ole Gators – Florida 34, Vanderbilt 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, Vanderbilt 12). Gators defense held Vanderbilt to 83 yards rushing and the Gators offense took advantage of four Vanderbilt turnovers. Florida’s Treon Harris passed for 215 yards and rushed for 49 yards. Attendance in Nashville: 35,191

Seedless in the Dome – Duke 27, Syracuse 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 29, Syracuse 23). Tied 10-10 at the end of the third quarter, the Dookies owned the fourth quarter, scoring 17 unanswered points. Neither team displayed much offense. Combined, they had less than 500 total yards. Attendance in Syracuse: 39,331

Boilers got boiled – Wisconsin 34, Purdue 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 30, Purdue 17). Wisconsin limited Purdue to 26 yards rushing and only 11 first downs. The Badgers’ Melvin Gordon rushed for 205 yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 35,068


Week 11 Pick Results: 12 correct, 7 wrong (63.2 percent)
On the Season: 151 correct, 52 wrong (74.4 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

North Texas 31, Florida Atlantic 10 – Attendance in Denton: 20,957 …. Old Dominion 38, Florida International 35 – Attendance in Norfolk: 20,118 …. South Carolina State 34, Florida A&M 17 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 7,675.

Bethune-Cookman 13, Norfolk State 7 – Attendance in Norfolk: 4,220 …. Jacksonville U. 56, Davidson 0 – Attendance in Davidson: 2,214 …. Stetson 22, Marist 14 – Attendance in Deland: 4,265 …. West Georgia 49, Florida Tech 35 – Attendance in Carrollton: 4,610


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Washington State’s Luke Falk – 44-61-0 for 471 yards; Oregon State’s Sean Mannion – 31-41-0-419; Baylor’s Bryce Petty – 32-42-0-387; Boise State’s Grant Hedrick – 21-32-0-367; Michigan State’s Connor Cook – 25-45-0-358; San Jose State’s Joe Gray – 26-44-2-350, and Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 23-34-0-324.

Also, Old Dominion’s Taylor Heinicke – 20-35-0 for 315 yards; UCLA’s Brett Hundley – 29-36-0-302; Texas State’s Tyler Jones – 30-51-2-302; Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett – 16-26-0-300; Utah’s Travis Wilson – 18-28-2-297; Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 23-37-2-293, and Kansas State’s Jake Waters – 20-37-1-292.


Impressive Rushers:

Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne – 221 yards; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 205 yards; New Mexico’s Teriyon Gipson – 205 yards; SMU’s Matt Davis – 181 yards; TCU’s Aaron Green – 171 yards; Ole Miss’ Jordan Wilkins – 171 yards; Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 170 yards, and Tulsa’s Zack Langer – 167 yards.

Also, Georgia Tech’s Synjyn Days – 157 yards; Ohio’s O.J. Ouellette – 155 yards; Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott – 154 yards; New Mexico’s Jhurell Pressley – 154 yards; Arizona’s Nick Wilson – 153 yards; Northern Illinois’ Cameron Stingily – 148 yards; UAB’s Jordan Howard – 148 yards, and Fresno State’s Marteze Waller – 145 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“The plan is to definitely be back here and so forth. Just say that’s the plan” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.

“You probably have some questions I’m going to have a tough time answering. If it’s got anything to do with coaches coming back next year, me coming back next year, I am just going to refrain from all of that. Let’s get through this season here and see where we are all at is probably the smartest thing for all of us to do right now,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.

“I was telling our coaching staff, I think Taylor Swift’s got a song called ‘Shake It Off.’ That’s what we’re trying to do, shake it off and get ready for the Florida Gators next week,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Mississippi State (9-0) at Alabama (8-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – This looks like the game-of-the-year in the SEC West. If Bama wins, all the Tide has to do is beat Auburn (November 29) to win the West. However, Miss State can lose but still win the West if Bama loses to Auburn and Miss State beats Ole Miss (November 29). If Bama loses, the Tide is eliminated from the playoffs. But if Miss State loses, the Bulldogs will still be in the playoffs if they beat Ole Miss and win the SEC title game, and with Bama losing to Auburn. A lot’s at stake. It should be a barn burner. The Tide does the burning – Alabama 26, Mississippi State 20.

RUNNER UP: 2. Nebraska (8-1) at Wisconsin (7-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – Now technically, Nebraska is not out of the playoff picture yet. Win-out, including the Big Ten title game, and there are possibilities for the Huskers. But lose to Wisconsin and it’s all kaput. The Huskers kaput the Badgers – Nebraska 28, Wisconsin 22.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Ohio State (8-1) at Minnesota (7-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC) – The Buckeyes looked good against Michigan State – surprisingly good. The Gophers are hoping the Buckeyes have a letdown after the big win. But then Minnesota had a big win too over Iowa. The Gophers have the letdown – Ohio State 28, Minnesota 23.

4. Florida State (9-0) at Miami (Florida) (6-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – Most figure this is FSU’s sole remaining hurdle to the playoffs. That is if you consider Miami to be a hurdle. How ’bout a low hurdle? Definitely not a high hurdle – Florida State 30, Miami 23.

5. Rice (6-3) at Marshall (9-0) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, FSN) – Rice is one of the better teams in C-USA – but not much better. Meanwhile, Marshall is doing all it can to impress the Playoff Selection Committee. It’s not a good time to be an Owl in Huntington – Marshall 34, Rice 20.

6. Clemson (7-2) at Georgia Tech (8-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Win-out, and both of these teams have a chance for a New Year’s 6 bowl. But only one can win-out. Killer Bees – Georgia Tech 25, Clemson 23.

7. Auburn (7-2) at Georgia (7-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) – A couple weeks ago, these two teams were still fighting for a playoff berth. Now they just will be fighting each other. The Dawgs rebound big time after their loss to Florida. How will the Tigers rebound following their loss to Texas A&M? Aubie takes the Dawgy for a walk – Auburn 34, Georgia 32.

8. Missouri (7-2) at Texas A&M (7-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, SECN) – Mizzou is still the front runner for the SEC East title. The Aggies are playing the spoiler role. Just ask Auburn. The Aggies have some more spoilin’ to do – Texas A&M 27, Missouri 22.

9. Michigan State (7-2) at Maryland (6-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, BTN) – How will the Spartans react following their loss to Ohio State? It doesn’t matter; it’s the Terps – Michigan State 34, Maryland 20.

10. Nevada (6-3) at Air Force (7-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) (2 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local) – The Falcons are back to playing good ball again. They’ve already won this year’s Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Now they are playing for a good bowl game. But Nevada is no pushover. The Falcons do a flyover – Air Force 29, Nevada 27.

11. Toledo (6-3) at Northern Illinois (7-2) – (MAC vs. MAC) (8 p.m. ET, Tuesday, ESPN2) – Two teams battling for the MAC West. They usually put on a good battle. The Huskies battle better – Northern Illinois 31, Toledo 29.

12. Washington (6-4) at Arizona (7-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Fox) – The Huskies have been putting up some pretty good fights. But they haven’t come out on top against the better teams. They’re on the bottom again – Arizona 33, Washington 26.

13. Virginia Tech (4-5) at Duke (8-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – The Dookies knocked off the Hokies in Blacksburg last year. Can they make it two-straight. Yes – Duke 21, Virginia Tech 17.

14. Arizona State (8-1) at Oregon State (4-5) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) (10:45 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – After beating Notre Dame, the Sun Devils better hope this isn’t a trap game. You never know what can happen in Corvallis. The Devils do the trapping – Arizona State 37, Oregon State 25.

15. San Diego State (5-4) at Boise State (7-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) (10:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPNU) – The Broncos are a long shot for the Golden Ticket berth. That means they have to keep winning. They do – Boise State 31, San Diego State 23.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

16. East Carolina (6-2) at Cincinnati (5-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (7 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPN2) – After the slip up against Temple, you gotta figure the Pirates have their guard up. But the Bearcats are improving. Both are possibilities for the Golden Ticket berth. The Pirates hang the Bearcats – East Carolina 27, Cincinnati 26.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

South Carolina (4-5) at Florida (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN) – This may be the last trip to The Swamp for the “Head Ball Coach.” Well, the last trip as a coach, that is. The Gamecocks haven’t been playing well. Their defense is rotten. The Gators weren’t playing well either. Their offense was rotten. But the Gators may have turned it around. The Gamecocks haven’t – Florida 30, South Carolina 26.

Texas (4-3) at Oklahoma State (5-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (7:30 p.m. ET, Fox) – It has been a tough year for both teams. The Longhorns make it tougher for the Cowpokes – Texas 29, Oklahoma State 21.

West Virginia (6-4) and Purdue (3-7) are off.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Tulsa (2-7) at UCF (5-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (8 p.m. ET, Friday, ESPN2) …. South Florida (3-6) at SMU (0-8) – (AAC vs. AAC) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBSSN) …. Middle Tennessee (5-4) at Florida International (3-7) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Local).

Florida A&M at Delaware State – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (2 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Bethune-Cookman at Hampton – (MEAC vs. MEAC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPNU).

Campbell at Jacksonville U. – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Stetson at Morehead State – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) (1 p.m. ET, Saturday) …. Valdosta State at Florida Tech – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) (6 p.m. ET, Saturday).

Florida Atlantic (3-7) is off.

In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . West Virginia and Missouri have scheduled a home-and-home series to be played in 2016 (Morgantown) and 2019 (Columbia).

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not directly college football related, but sadly there were five passings of note last week – Tom Magliozzi, Acker Bilk, Ben Aycrigg, Brad Halsey and Ernie Vandeweghe.

Tom Magliozzo, who with his younger brother, Ray, hosted “Car Talk,” for years the most popular entertainment show on NPR, died last week at his home outside of Boston. He was 77. “Car Talk,” with the brothers known as Click and Clack, was broadcast for more than 30 years. At its peak, “Cat Talk” reached more than four million listeners a week. The brothers stopped producing new shows in 2012. “Car Talk” began broadcasting in the Boston area in 1977. The show went national in 1987. Thomas Louis Magliozzi was born on June 28, 1937, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He earned a Chemical Engineering degree at MIT in 1958. Ray graduated from MIT in 1972.

Acker Bilk, a British jazz clarinetist whose “Stranger on the Shore” reached the top of the pop charts in Britain and the United States, died last week in Bath, England. He was 85. “Stranger on the Shore” was a wistful ballad that reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart in 1962, making Bilk one of the first British performers to achieve that distinction. Bernard Stanley Bilk was born Pensford, Somerset, England, on January 28, 1929. He adopted the stage name Acker from local slang for “friend.”

Ben Aycrigg, the dean of Orlando television anchors, died last week. He was 88. Aycrigg became a TV legend in east-central Florida during his 35 years with Channel 6. He retired in 1996 from WCPX, as the CBS affiliate was then known. Today, it is WKMG. During his long run there, he worked as reporter, news director and anchor. Ben Aycrigg was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His family moved to Winter Park, Florida, when he was 15. He graduated from Winter Park High School in 1944 and Rollins College in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in English and a theater-arts minor. He worked in radio until 1959 when he made the jump to TV as a news reporter.

Brad Halsey, a former major league baseball pitcher, died last week after a fall in Texas. He was 33. In a recreational climbing accident, Halsey fell from a 100-foot cliff. A left-hander, he was 14-19 in 88 games with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland Athletics from 2004 through 2006.

Ernie Vandeweghe, a star New York Knicks player of the early 1950s, died Saturday. He was 86. Vandeweghe’s son Kiki also played for the Knicks and was a star at UCLA. In college, Vandeweghe was an All-American at Colgate University. While playing for the Knicks, he was a medical student at Columbia and later resident in pediatrics. He retired from professional basketball after six seasons with the Knicks. Vandeweghe’s wife was Miss America in 1952, representing Utah. Ernest Maurice Vandeweghe Jr. was born in Montreal, Quebec, on December 12, 1928, but grew up in Oceanside, New York, on Long Island.