College Football Week 15 – Huskers fire Pelini; SMU hires Morris
Turkey Weekend Shakeup;
Final Auditions Scheduled

Heading into Thanksgiving Weekend, seven teams were legitimate contenders for the four-team playoff. All seven were in competition over the weekend. Coming out of the weekend, only six of the teams survived to remain in contention for the playoffs.

Yes, it was another Thanksgiving Weekend. Three days of football and annually one of the most exciting weekends of the college football season. This chapter of the 2014 season had seven major plots and several subplots. When it comes to excitement, the chapter didn’t disappoint us.

Speaking of heading, on Thanksgiving Eve, Swamp Mama and I were heading down to Punta Gorda for a couple days. We took the back roads from east-central to southwest Florida – 192, 441, 60, 630, 27, 64 and 17.

The most important thing we wanted to survive was Swamp Mama’s pumpkin pie, sitting in the backseat. The pie needed to remain in contention for the Thanksgiving Day meal, where it would be competing with cousin Donna Snyder’s pecan pie. Needless to say, I drove very cautiously.

One of the spots – you can’t call it more than a spot – we pass through on the way to Punta Gorda is Yeehaw Junction. Swamp Mama recently learned that Yeehaw Junction is so named because it was previously known as Jackass Crossing. Someone wanted to clean up the name of the town…..I mean…..spot. There’s your Florida history for the day.

But more importantly, back to the three-day football weekend and the race to the playoffs. The first of the seven contenders – TCU – played Thanksgiving Night. The Horned Frogs, No. 5 in the Playoff Rankings, were going up against a much improved Texas team. The Longhorns were riding a three-game winning streak. Even more challenging for TCU, the game was in Austin.

The previous week, the Horned Frogs slipped up, barely beating a weak Kansas team, 34-30. No style points for that win. Thanksgiving Night, TCU got its style points back with an impressive 48-10 win over Texas. The Frogs held the Longhorns to 90 yards on the ground. TCU (10-1) survived. Six teams to go.

Friday morning, Swamp Mama and I returned to Brevard County, passing through Jackass Crossing…..I mean…..Yeehaw Junction again. The pumpkin pie was a hit. As for me, I took the diplomatic approach. I had two pieces of pie – one pumpkin and one pecan.

Several games were played on Friday, but none involving one of the seven playoff contenders. There were, however, several subplot games on Friday which I’ll get to later.

Six of the seven playoff contenders saw action on Saturday. First up, Ohio State – No. 6 in the Playoff Rankings. The Buckeyes were heavily favored in a home game against archrival Michigan. Ohio State struggled a bit against the Wolverines. The score was tied 21-21 late in the third quarter.

Leading 28-21, Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett broke his ankle on the first play of the fourth quarter. But Ohio State held onto its lead and went on to beat Michigan 42-28. Ohio State (11-1) survived. Five teams to go.

Next up Saturday, undefeated Florida State – No. 3 in the Playoff Rankings. The Seminoles were hosting their hated intrastate rival Florida in Tallahassee. The game was filled with drama. It was the last time Will Muschamp would be coaching the Gators. Would that inspire Florida to an upset of FSU?

The Gators grabbed an early lead – 9-0. But then everyone grabs an early lead on the Noles. True to form, Florida State came back, retook the lead and went on to beat Florida, 24-19. In the end, Muschamp was plagued by the same thing that plagued his team all season, and last season – no offense. Florida State (12-0) survived. Four teams to go.

Two states west of Tallahassee, another intrastate rivalry was taking place in Oxford, Mississippi. The Bulldogs of Mississippi State – No. 4 in the Playoff Rankings – were on the road against Ole Miss. The Rebel Bears were smarting, having lost three of their last four games. The previous week, Ole Miss fell to Arkansas, 30-0.

All Miss State had to do was win and the Bulldogs were all but assured a spot in the playoffs. Miss State lost a heartbreaker to Alabama – 25-20 – two weeks earlier. But the Bulldogs bounced back last week with an impressive win over Vanderbilt, 51-0.

The Miss State-Ole Miss game was a donnybrook for three and a half quarters. Neither team led by more than 7 points. But with 9 minutes to go in the game, Ole Miss jumped out to a 14-point lead and held on to upset Miss State, 31-17. Mississippi State (10-2) did not survive. Three teams to go.

Next on the agenda was Baylor – No. 7 in the Playoff Rankings. The Bears were expected to have an easy time of it against Texas Tech in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Red Raiders were 4-7 – 1-3 in their last four games.

Midway through the third quarter, it was looking good for Baylor. The Bears led Texas Tech 42-17. But Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty left the game with a concussion. After that, the Bears only points came on two field goals. The Red Raiders rallied to pull within 5 points – 45-40 – with eight minutes to go in the game. With 1:42 left on the clock, Texas Tech scored to close the gap to 48-46.

The Red Raiders went for two, but the conversion failed. The Bears held on to win, 48-46. Baylor (10-1) survived, just barely. Two teams to go.

In the first of the two night games involving playoff contenders, Alabama – No. 1 in the Playoff Rankings – was hosting intrastate rival Auburn in the annual Iron Bowl game. We all know how it ended last year.

Saturday night, it was looking good for the Tide early on. Alabama had a 14-3 lead on the Tigers in the first quarter. Then Auburn caught fire. The Tigers first took the lead early in the second quarter and retook the lead late in the second quarter. This time Auburn held onto the lead. The Tigers were up 36-27 late in the third quarter. Then the Tide came to life and scored 28 unanswered points. The Tide ended up beating Auburn, 55-44. Alabama (11-1) survived. One team to go.

In the other night game, Oregon – No. 2 in the Playoff Rankings – played intrastate rival Oregon State in “The Civil War.” Like Baylor, the Ducks were heavily favored. But it was a big rivalry game.

Oregon had nothing to worry about. The Ducks led 33-3 early in the third quarter and 40-10 early in the fourth quarter. The Beavers were never in the game. Oregon won 47-19. Marcus Mariota solidified his chances for the Heisman Trophy, passing for 367 yards – completing 76 percent of his passes. Oregon (11-1) survived.

So, of the seven contenders going into Thanksgiving Weekend, only Mississippi State fell from contention. Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, TCU, Ohio State and Baylor are still alive. But potential problems lay ahead for each of them except TCU. More later.

As mentioned above, there were a number of subplots to the playoff picture that played out over the weekend. Several of those took place on Friday. Missouri, in the running for the SEC East title, hosted Arkansas in Columbia. The Tigers had to win to make it to the SEC championship. A Mizzou loss and Georgia would go to the SEC title game from the East.

Down 14-3 to Arkansas late in the second quarter, Missouri scored 18 unanswered points – 15 points in the fourth quarter alone – to beat the Razorbacks 21-14.

Out West, all UCLA had to do was beat Stanford and the Bruins were headed to the Pac-12 title game. But UCLA lost. Stanford upset the Bruins, 31-10. The UCLA loss left the Pac-12 South Division title up to the Arizona State-Arizona winner. In a thriller, the Wildcats beat the Sun Devils, 42-35.

Then among the Group of 5 teams that had a shot at the Golden Ticket berth, there were three games of interest. Undefeated Marshall, ranked in the Playoff Rankings for the first time, hosted Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers shocked the Herd in an offensive explosion, 67-66 in overtime.

In the MAC, Northern Illinois defeated Western Michigan, 31-21, to take the MAC West Division title. In the MWC, one-loss Colorado State, with a shot at the MWC championship game and the Golden Ticket berth, fell to Air Force, 27-24.

Saturday provided more drama in the subplots to the playoffs. First, Wisconsin rallied in the second half to down Minnesota, 34-24 and win the Big Ten West Division title. Saturday night, Boise State, the current leader for the Golden Ticket berth, did nothing to hurt its chances. The Broncos beat Utah State, 50-19. The win gave the Boise State the MWC Mountain Division title and a spot in the MWC championship game.

The Thanksgiving Weekend was full of other interesting games and conference bragging rights. In the annual battle of the ACC vs. SEC, the ACC was 4-0. It began with Clemson beating South Carolina, 35-17 and continued with Georgia Tech upsetting Georgia, 30-24 in overtime, and Louisville beating Kentucky, 44-40. It ended with Florida State’s 24-19 victory over Florida. So much for the SEC.

In some other Turkey Week games of note, LSU beat Texas A&M, 23-17. With the win, the Tigers ended a two-game losing streak. In the Big Ten, Nebraska rallied to beat Iowa in overtime, 37-34. Also, Michigan State downed Penn State, 34-10.

In the ACC, Virginia Tech continued its dominance over Virginia, beating the Cavaliers for the 15th time in the last 16 games, 24-20. Also, NC State spanked North Carolina, 35-7. Two Wolf Pack players – Jacoby Brissett and Shadrach Thornton – rushed for more than 160 yards each. The Tar Heels only had a total of 30 yards rushing as a team.

In the Big 12, West Virginia ended its season on a high note. Playing with a backup quarterback, the Mountaineers beat Iowa State, 37-24. And finally, USC demolished Notre Dame, 49-14. The Trojans Cody Kessler passed for 372 yards, completing 80 percent of his passes.

So the stage is set for the playoffs. All we need now are the players in the four roles of the production. Auditions take place this weekend. Alabama (11-1) plays Missouri (10-2) for the SEC championship. If the Crimson Tide wins, they are in the playoffs.

In the Pac-12, Oregon (11-1) plays Arizona (10-2) for the championship. The Wildcats beat the Ducks during the season, 31-24. If Oregon wins, the Ducks are in the playoffs. Undefeated Florida State (12-0) meets Georgia Tech (10-2) for the ACC championship. A Seminole win assures a spot in the playoffs for FSU.

Then it gets interesting. Ohio State (11-1) plays Wisconsin (10-2) for the Big Ten title. A Buckeye win may or may not put Ohio State in the playoffs. The Big 12 doesn’t have a championship game, but both TCU and Baylor are playing this weekend in their final regular season games.

The Horned Frogs have the easier game. TCU (10-1) hosts Iowa State (2-9). The Bears have it tougher. Baylor (10-1) hosts Kansas State (9-2). Either TCU or Baylor could make the playoffs with a win. Stay tuned.

In the chase for the Golden Ticket berth, Boise State (10-2) plays Fresno State (6-6) in the MWC championship game; Marshall (11-1) meets Louisiana Tech (8-4) in the C-USA title game, and Northern Illinois (10-2) plays Bowling Green (7-5) in the MAC championship game. Stay tuned.

Thanksgiving Weekend proved interesting on the coaching front too – at least four firings and two hirings. In a stunner, or was it, Nebraska fired Bo Pelini. The Huskers finished the season 9-3. But were 0-3 in their three biggest games. Pelini was 67-27 in seven seasons at Nebraska.

The job market is looking better for Will Muschamp. Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin fired his defensive coordinator Mark Snyder, and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn fired his DC Ellis Johnson. Washington State’s Mike Leach also fired his defensive coordinator Mike Breske. But I don’t think Muschamp wants to move to Pullman.

On the positive side, Virginia, Illinois and Indiana announced that their coaches, Mike London, Tim Beckman and Kevin Wilson respectively, would return for at least another year.

Meanwhile, SMU announced that Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris will be the new coach of the Mustangs. Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown is rumored to be the new coach at Troy. Wisconsin-Whitewater coach Lance Leipold was named the new coach at Buffalo.

There is a report circulating that Colorado State’s Jim McElwain is the leading candidate for the Florida job. Other reports say that Ole Miss’ Hugh Freeze is the leading candidate. Stay tuned. There is also a report that UAB athletic director Brian Mackin has been fired and that the Blazers' football program will be terminated this week. Conference USA will have to find another member. The Sun Belt gets raided again.

I have to tell you that Dave Fleming and Danny Kanell about put me to sleep watching the Virginia-Virginia Tech game Friday night. The Cavaliers and Hokies about put me to sleep too. But Fleming and Kanell were awful. They make a terrible broadcasting team. I guess it could be worse – Danny Kanell and Jesse Palmer together.

So, I’m still exercising my diplomacy – pumpkin pie yesterday, pecan pie today, pumpkin pie tomorrow, etc, etc.

Hope your Thanksgiving was good too!

Touchdown Tom
December 1, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: The Tigers had an Iron deficiency – Alabama 55, Auburn 44 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 31, Auburn 24). Alabama led at the end of the first quarter 14-6. Auburn led at the half 26-21. The Tigers still held a slim lead – 36-34 – at the end of the third quarter. Bama retook the lead early in the fourth quarter – 42-36 – and never gave it up after that. The Tide went on to extend their lead to 55-36. The Tigers scored a “who cares” touchdown with 0:20 left in the game. Still, up until midway through the fourth quarter, it was an exciting game – it was anybody’s ball game. But eventually, Auburn ran out of steam. The Tigers outdistanced the Tide 628 yards to 539. Bama’s Amari Cooper had 13 receptions for 224 yards. Auburn’s Nick Marshall passed for 456 yards. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821

RUNNER UP: The Wildcats had the fuel in the desert – Arizona 42, Arizona State 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona 34, Arizona State 33). This game stayed about as close as you can get throughout. And the teams were pretty even in the stats. Arizona running back Nick Wilson was the difference for the Wildcats. Wilson rushed for 178 yards. Attendance in Tucson: 56,083

REST OF THE BEST: Stinger – Georgia Tech 30, Georgia 24 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 26, Georgia Tech 25). Georgia’s defense couldn’t stop the running game of Georgia Tech. The Jackets had 399 yards rushing. In all, Tech had 463 total yards to Uga’s 388. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

So much for the playoffs – Ole Miss 31, Mississippi State 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 19, Ole Miss 18). Bo Wallace only completed 43 percent of his passes, but Wallace played well enough to lead the Rebel Bears to a win. Actually, the difference for Ole Miss was the running of Jaylen Walton – 148 yards. Miss State never could get its running game going. Attendance in Oxford: 62,058

Bombs away – Air Force 27, Colorado State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Colorado State 35, Air Force 25). Hard to believe Colorado State lost this game. Garrett Grayson passed for 366 yards and Dee Hart rushed for 115 yards. But at the close of the game on each teams’ final drives, the Rams suffered from poor play calling on offense and the CSU players looked like they were out of shape on defense. Air Force’s Will Conant kicked a 39-yard field goal as time expired to give the Falcons the win. Attendance in Colorado Springs: 32,650

Stampede – Boise State 50, Utah State 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 29, Utah State 26). Boise State’s Jay Ajayi rushed for 229 yards and Grant Hedrick passed for 191 yards. The win sends the Broncos to the MWC title game. Attendance in Boise: 33,940

All Chop and no Chomp – Florida State 24, Florida 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Florida 24). FSU followed script. The Noles trailed Florida at the end of the first quarter. The Noles assumed the lead about midway through the second quarter and never relinquished it. The Gators’ Treon Harris only completed 40 percent of his passes and the Gators never got a running game going. FSU’s Jameis Winston threw four interceptions – three in the first quarter. But the Gators couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities. Attendance in Tallahassee: 82,485

Axed – Wisconsin 34, Minnesota 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 28, Minnesota 27). Midway through the second quarter, Minnesota was leading 17-3. Then Wisconsin scored 24 unanswered points. The Badgers outdistanced the Gophers 448 total yards to 272. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon rushed for 151 yards. Attendance in Madison: 80,341

No, it wasn’t a basketball game – Western Kentucky 67, Marshall 66 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Marshall 34, Western Kentucky 22). If you like a lot of offense, this was your ideal game – 74 first downs, 1,446 total yards, 933 yards passing and 513 yards rushing. What more could you ask for? This was also the type of game where head coaches fire their defensive coordinators after the game. The Hilltoppers Brandon Doughty passed for 491 yards and Leon Allen rushed for 237. The Herd’s Steward Butler rushed for 233 yards. Attendance in Huntington: 23,576

On to Detroit – Northern Illinois 31, Western Michigan 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Michigan 30, Northern Illinois 29). WMU led 21-7 late in the second quarter, but the Broncos were never heard from again. NIU scored 24 unanswered points to win by 10. WMU’s problem was turnovers – six of them. The Broncos only had 91 yards rushing. The win by NIU gave the Huskies the MAC West title. Attendance in Kalamazoo: 11,195

What a magic twanger! – TCU 48, Texas 10 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 19, Texas 17). Just when the Longhorns were getting better – three-straight wins – they up and exploded. And explode they did – six turnovers. Four of the turnovers were interceptions thrown by Tyrone Swoopes. TCU wasn’t exactly great on offense, but the Frogs played good defense. Attendance in Austin: 96,496

Smooth as silk - Corn silk – Nebraska 37, Iowa 34 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Nebraska 26). Iowa led 24-7 late in the third quarter. It was all Nebraska after that. The Huskers outscored the Hawkeyes 24-7 in the final 17 minutes of regulation to put the game into overtime. Four turnovers hurt the Hawkeyes. Attendance in Iowa City: 66,897

Atlanta bound – Missouri 21, Arkansas 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 22, Arkansas 18). Arkansas led 14-3 late in the fourth quarter. But the Hogs were held scoreless after that. Mizzou went on to score 18 unanswered points. The Tigers outgained the Hogs 423 yards to 288. Mizzou’s Maty Mauk passed for 265 yards. The win gives Missouri the SEC East tile. Attendance in Columbia: 71,168

The Trees blossomed – Stanford 31, UCLA 10 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 24, Stanford 18). Midway through the second quarter, UCLA led Stanford 10-7. But that was it for the Bruins. Stanford went on to score 31 unanswered points. The Trees outdistanced UCLA 436 to 262 yards, with Kevin Hogan passing for 234 of the yards and rushing for another 46. The loss knocked the Bruins out of the Pac-12 title game. Attendance in Pasadena: 70,658

Flat – Michigan State 34, Penn State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 30, Penn State 21). Neither team showed much on offense, least of all Penn State which only had 38 yards rushing. Combined, the two teams only had 531 total yards. Attendance in State College: 99,902


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Tigers empty the ATM – LSU 23, Texas A&M 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 29, LSU 27). LSU had never lost three-straight games under Les Miles and the Tigers still haven’t. LSU dominated the Aggies in total yards – 491 to 228. A&M only had 144 yards passing and 84 rushing. Two Tigers rushed for more than 100 yards each – Leonard Fournette (146) and Anthony Jennings (119). With that said, LSU only led 20-17 late in the fourth quarter. Attendance in College Station: 105,829


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Take Cy to the taxidermist – West Virginia 37, Iowa State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 33, Iowa State 23). Early in the second quarter, Iowa State had a 21-7 lead. But the Cyclones only scored 3 points after that, while the Mounties scored 30. The Eers were perfectly balanced on offense – 285 yards passing and 285 yards rushing. WVU’s Rushel Shell rushed for 146 yards. Sophomore Skyler Howard quarterbacked the Mounties. Clint Trickett was sidelined from a concussion he suffered last week against Kansas State. Attendance in Ames: 50,059

Another great season for the Dookies – Duke 41, Wake Forest 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 21, Wake Forest 17). Late in the second quarter, Duke held a 24-7 lead. But early in the third quarter, Wake Forest cut the Dookies’ lead to 6 at 27-21. Then Duke went on to score 14 unanswered points. The Dookies’ defense held the Deacons to 64 yards rushing. Attendance in Durham: 22,247

Jones – Indiana 23, Purdue 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 32, Purdue 27). Midway through the third quarter, Purdue led 13-3. After that, the Boilers were outscored 20-3. Purdue’s Akeem Hunt rushed for 171 yards. But the Boilers suffered from four turnovers. The win for Indiana was the Hoosiers first Big Ten Conference win of the season. Attendance in Bloomington: 40,079

Week 14 Pick Results: 11 correct, 8 wrong (57.9 percent)
On the Season: 185 correct, 75 wrong (71.2 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA

Pitt 35, Miami 23 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 61,106 …. UCF 16, South Florida 0 – Attendance in Tampa: 36,963 …. Old Dominion 31, Florida Atlantic 28 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 9,566


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 30-56-1 for 598 yards; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 34-50-2-491 yards; Auburn’s Nick Marshall – 27-43-1-456; BYU’s Christian Stewart – 23-38-1-433; California’s Jared Goff – 38-60-1-393; Louisiana Tech’s Cody Sokol – 20-32-1-387, and Louisville’s Kyle Bolin – 21-31-1-381.

Also, USC’s Cody Kessler – 32-40-0 for 372 yards; Oregon’s Marcus Mariota – 19-25-0-367; Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson – 23-46-1-366; Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 32-46-2-356; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 27-49-2-355; Rutgers’ Gary Nova – 28-42-0-347, and East Carolina’s Shane Carden – 28-41-1-338.

Also, Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 14-18-0 for 323 yards; Colorado’s Sefo Liufau – 20-31-1-317; New Mexico State’s Tyler Rogers – 28-43-2-314; Utah’s Travis Wilson – 25-37-0-311; Louisiana-Monroe’s Pete Thomas – 28-45-0-387; Kent State’s Colin Reardon – 28-45-1-298; Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten – 15-21-2-296, and Kansas State’s Jake Waters – 21-27-0-294.


Impressive Rushers:

San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey – 267 yards; UAB’s Jordan Howard – 262 yards; Buffalo’s Anthone Taylor – 237 yards; Western Kentucky’s Leon Allen – 236 yards; Marshall’s Steward Butler – 233 yards; Boise State’s Jay Ajayi – 229 yards; Florida Atlantic’s Ray Lawry – 213 yards, and Clemson’s Wayne Gallman – 191 yards.

Also, Akron’s Jawon Chisholm – 184 yards; Arizona’s Nick Wilson – 178 yards; Purdue’s Akeem Hunt – 171 yards; Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elijah McGuire – 169 yards; NC State’s Jacoby Brissett – 167 yards; Ball State’s Jahwan Edwards – 165 yards; Wyoming’s Brian Hill – 163 yards; NC State’s Shadrach Thornton – 161 yards; Bowling Green’s Travis Greene – 159 yards, and Baylor’s Shock Linwood – 158 yards.

Also, Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten – 153 yards; Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon – 151 yards; Ole Miss’ Jaylen Walton – 148 yards; Illinois’ Reilly O’Toole – 147 yards; UTEP’s Aaron Jones – 147 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 146 yards; West Virginia’s Rushel Shell – 146 yards, and Texas State’s Robert Lowe – 146 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“State takes Carolina to class, 35-7,” Brent Stancil.

“Nebraska fires another winning coach. Will it bite them?,” CBSSports.com writer Dennis Dodd.


Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 11 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then one

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Florida State (12-0) vs. Georgia Tech (10-2) (ACC Championship – Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, ABC) – Georgia Tech will arguably be the toughest team Florida State has played all season. The Yellow Jackets demolished Clemson and beat Georgia. Their two losses were by a total of 11 points. You gotta figure Tech will take an early lead in the game. After that, anything could happen. Well, we know what will happen – Florida State 27, Georgia Tech 21.

RUNNER UP: 2. Arizona (10-2) vs. Oregon (11-1) (Pac-12 Championship – Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA) (9 p.m. ET, Friday, Fox) – Arizona beat Oregon during the season – and in Eugene at that. But the Ducks were missing a couple starters on their offensive line in that game. Both teams can score. But the Ducks have the better defense – Oregon 37, Arizona 29.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Ohio State (11-1) vs. Wisconsin (10-2) (Big Ten Championship – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN) (8 p.m. ET, Saturday, Fox) – The Buckeyes and the Badgers didn’t meet during the season. Last year, they played a good game in Columbus, with Ohio State pulling it out. The Bucks won’t have J.T. Barrett quarterbacking. He has a broken ankle. The Badgers do have Melvin Gordon – Wisconsin 26, Ohio State 22.

4. Missouri (10-2) vs. Alabama (11-1) (SEC Championship – Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA) (4 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – This is Missouri’s second-straight SEC title game in only the Tigers’ third year in the conference. Last year Mizzou lost to Auburn. This year, the Tigers lose to the Tide – Alabama 32, Missouri 22.

5. Kansas State (9-2) at Baylor (10-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (7:45 p.m. ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Baylor’s bubble almost burst last week against Texas Tech. The question is will Bryce Petty be able to play. Even if Petty plays, it doesn’t matter – Kansas State 35, Baylor 27.

6. Louisiana Tech (8-4) at Marshall (11-1) vs. (C-USA Championship – Joan C Edwards Stadium, Huntington, WV) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2) – Marshall shocked the nation last week losing to a so-so Western Kentucky. This one could be another high scoring affair. La Tech can score, but the Bulldogs have no defense. Something tells me the Herd is pissed and will be playing for attention. Looking good for the Herd; looking bad for the Bulldogs – Marshall 39, Louisiana Tech 25.

7. Bowling Green (7-5) vs. Northern Illinois (10-2) – (MAC Championship – Ford Field, Detroit, MI) (7:00 p.m. ET, Friday, ESPN2) – I’m not sure this game will be much of a contest. All the strength in the MAC this year was in the West. NIU is tested; BG isn’t – Northern Illinois 31, Bowling Green 20.

8. UCF (8-3) at East Carolina (8-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPN) – UCF is playing for a piece of the AAC title. East Carolina is playing for pride. Pride wins – East Carolina 30, UCF 26.

9. Fresno State (6-6) at Boise State (10-2) (MWC Championship – Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID) (10 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS) – Boise State has its eyes on the Golden Ticket berth – one of those choice New Years bowl games. Maybe the Broncos can play Ole Miss again. Playing at home, the Broncos should breeze past Fresno State. We don’t need no Chris Petersen – Boise State 35, Fresno State 17.

10. Houston (7-4) at Cincinnati (8-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN) – Cincinnati is playing for a piece of the AAC title. Houston is playing for pride. The Bearcats get their piece – Cincinnati 30, Houston 22.

11. Oklahoma State (5-6) at Oklahoma (8-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Fox) – A disappointing year for both of these teams. Some thought OU would win the Big 12. Some thought Okie State might contend. You don’t have to think about this one. The Sooners win – Oklahoma 35, Oklahoma State 19.


….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

12. Iowa State (2-9) at TCU (10-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) (12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC) – Talk about a piece of cake. That’s what the Frogs have this week. The icing too – TCU 39, Iowa State 23.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

West Virginia (7-5), Florida (6-5), Nebraska (9-3), Duke (9-3), Purdue (3-9) and Texas (6-6) have completed their schedules.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Miami (6-6), South Florida (4-8) and Florida Atlantic (3-9) have completed their schedules.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football … Alabama and Florida State are in discussions about opening the 2017 season against each other in Atlanta, Georgia.

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but with the gray skies of early December upon us, the college football season was fading fast. As the fans were talking about new coaches, bowl games and the Heisman Trophy, 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 “Mule Train” by Frankie Laine

…60 years ago this week in 1954 was “I Need You Now” by Eddie Fisher

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

…50 years ago this week in 1964 was “Leader of the Pack” by The Shangri-Las

…45 years ago this week in 1969 was “Come Together”/”Something” by The Beatles

…40 years ago this week in 1974 was “I Can Help” by Billy Swan

…35 years ago this week in 1979 was “No More Tears” by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer

…30 years ago this week in 1984 was “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham

…25 years ago this week in 1989 was “Blame It on the Rain” by Milli Vanilli

…20 years ago this week in 1994 was “On Bended Knee” by Boyz II Men


Not directly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Ray Sadecki and P.D. James,

Ray Sadecki, a pitcher who won 135 games during 18 seasons in the major leagues – including 20 wins with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964, when he helped lead them to victory in the World Series – died last week in Mesa, Arizona. He was 73. Sadecki, a left-hander who finished his career with the New York Mets, was 19 when he reached the majors. Raymond Michael Sadecki was born on December 26, 1940, in Kansas City, Kansas. He had a career record of 135-131 in the major leagues from 1960 to 1978.

P.D. James, who became known as the “Queen of Crime” for the many mystery novels she wrote, died last week in Oxford, England. She was 94. James was in the genre of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Margery Allingham. She wrote 18 crime novels, seven of which were adapted for the public television series “Mystery.” Phyllis Dorothy James was born on August 3, 1920, in Oxford.