College Football Week 4 – Will TCU survive its trip to Lubbock?
Football in the morning,
Football in the evening,
Football at supper time

Watching lots of football
Can drive you out of your mind
(But we love it all the time)

How about football at 1:30 in the morning? That’s when I was watching the BYU-UCLA game – a game I switched to after watching the Ole Miss-Alabama game – a game I switched to after watching the Florida Kentucky game – a game I switched to after watching some of the Texas Tech-Arkansas game – a game I switched to after watching the Auburn-LSU and Nebraska-Miami games – games I switched to after watching the Air Force-Michigan State, Illinois-North Carolina and Connecticut-Missouri games.

Whew! It’s addicting, isn’t it?

And, all of that after watching Clemson-Louisville on Thursday night, and Florida State-Boston College on Friday night.

Not only was it addicting, but also it was revealing – quite revealing. Saturday was one of those wild and crazy days in college football – the first one of the season. It was full of upsets, near upsets and surprising – wild and crazy – scores.

Saturday was quite revealing. What we didn’t know about some teams, we know now. What we weren’t sure about other teams, the picture is clearer now. Before Saturday, there were a lot of questions marks. The question marks are fewer now.

Before the season began, Auburn was thought by many to be a playoff contender, a SEC champ. After Saturday’s 45-21 beat down from LSU, those thoughts have been all but dispelled. Will Muschamp must be running around the Auburn campus singing, “How do you like me now?”

During the offseason, Gus Malzahn brought Muschamp in to fix the Auburn defense – a defense that was full of holes last season. In just three games this season, the Auburn defense has given up 1,328 yards (443 yards-a-game) and 96 points (32 points-a-game).

Alabama, the other favorite to win the SEC and make the playoffs, was upset at home by Ole Miss – 43-37. Three games into the season – Alabama’s offense is still trying to find an established quarterback and Alabama’s defensive secondary is giving up 341 passing yards to Ole Miss.

South Carolina was a question mark at the beginning of the season. Not anymore. Saturday, Georgia pounded the Gamecocks, 52-20. Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert was 24-for-25 passing – 330 yards. South Carolina not only doesn’t have an offense, the Gamecocks also don’t have a defense. I can’t believe the 70-year-old Head Ball Coach feels like 55 now. South Carolina is no longer a question mark.

Coming into the season, Arkansas fans could hardly sit still. They were hyped. They were expecting big things from the Razorbacks – Bret Bielema’s third season. Saturday, Arkansas lost at home to Texas Tech, 35-24. It was the Razorback’s second-straight loss at home. The previous week, Arkansas lost to Toledo, 16-12. So much for the hype and expectations.

Kentucky was supposed to be improved this season (Mark Stoops’ third year), while Florida was supposed to be, at best, trying to find itself (Jim McElwain’s first year). Going into Saturday’s game, Florida had a 28-game winning streak over Kentucky. After Saturday’s game, Florida has a 29-game winning streak over Kentucky – the Gators won 14-9.

Speaking of Florida, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Florida graduate, told an audience last week that the only reason for Florida State is to take the kids who can’t get into Florida. Do you suppose Rubio’s honesty and candidness, unusual for a politician, just cost him votes from Seminole fans? What say you, Tim Muth?

Last year, SEC East champion Missouri lost to Indiana, one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. Saturday, Missouri almost lost to Connecticut, one of the worst teams in the AAC. At home, Mizzou escaped UConn, 9-6.

Is Ohio State vulnerable? Before the season, most analysts said that Ohio State was a sure bet to win the Big Ten and make the four-team playoffs. The only threats on the Buckeyes’ schedule were Virginia Tech on the road and Michigan State at home.

After Ohio State solidly beat Virginia Tech on opening weekend, the analysts said the Buckeyes would skate through the rest of their schedule until the Michigan State game on November 21. Saturday, Ohio State escaped Northern Illinois, 20-13. And after three games, the Buckeyes still don’t have an established quarterback. Stay tuned.

Before the season, Northwestern was picked to finish 5th or 6th in the seven-team Big Ten West Division. The Wildcats haven’t begun their Big Ten schedule yet, but three games into the season, Northwestern is 3-0. The 3-0 record includes wins over Stanford and Duke – the only blemish on Stanford’s and Duke’s record. Saturday, the Wildcats beat Duke, 19-10. Northwestern doesn’t have a dominating offense, but the Wildcats have an impressive defense.

Nebraska was a question mark at preseason, under first-year coach Mike Riley. After Saturday, the Huskers are 1-2. Nebraska lost to Miami (Florida), 36-33 (OT). Nebraska may no longer be a question mark, but you can’t say the Huskers don’t have spunk. Early in the fourth quarter against Miami, Nebraska trailed the Hurricanes, 33-10. But the Huskers rallied, scoring three touchdowns, including two successful 2-point conversions, to tie the score at 33-33 and force the overtime.

Prior to the game, a plane flew over Sun Life Stadium with a banner that read, “FIRE AL GOLDEN.” These planes have become all too common at Miami games.

Rutgers is suffering from a number of internal problems. Last week, the school suspended football coach Kyle Flood for three games and fined him $50,000 for contacting a faculty member over a player’s grade. Coaches are prohibited from initiating contact with faculty members regarding a player’s grades or academic standing.

Flood’s suspension comes with Rutgers football already reeling from a series of player arrests and suspensions over the last 30 days. Six players have been dismissed from the team. Saturday, Rutgers lost to Penn State, 28-3. The week before, the Scarlet Knights were upset at home by Washington State, 37-34.

In the ACC, Louisville was thought to be a contender for the conference’s Atlantic Division title. After three games, the Cardinals are 0-3. Thursday night, Louisville lost to Clemson, 20-17. The Cardinals have lost all three games by 7 points or less.

Many think Florida State looks vulnerable after the Seminoles 14-0 win over Boston College Friday night. Early in the fourth quarter, Florida State was only winning 7-0. The defense scored the Seminoles second touchdown on a return of a fumble recovery.

Two ranked teams out of the Big 12 had trouble putting away lesser opponents Saturday. Oklahoma struggled with Tulsa, before beating the Golden Hurricane, 52-38. Late in the third quarter, the Sooners only led Tulsa, 38-31. Then TCU was hard put to dispose of SMU. The Horned Frogs beat the Mustangs, 56-37. But midway through the fourth quarter, TCU only led SMU, 42-37.

Texas Tech is a surprise at 3-0. Swamp Mama’s hyped.

Last week, Texas fired athletic director Steve Patterson. Patterson had only been the AD at Texas for 22 months. Since his arrival in Austin, Patterson developed a reputation of being arrogant, obnoxious and rude. Patterson’s dismissal may spell trouble for Longhorn football coach Charlie Strong, already under fire himself. Strong was hired by Patterson. Texas is off to a 1-2 start this season, including a bad loss to Notre Dame and Saturday’s 45-44 loss to California at home.

At preseason, several thought USC would win the Pac-12 Conference and most likely be in the four-team playoffs. Saturday, Stanford, a loser to Northwestern, beat USC, 41-31. UCLA kept its perfect record intact. Saturday, the Bruins rallied and then held on to edge BYU, 24-23.

Before the season began, California was considered to be a sleeper in the Pac-12. The Golden Bears are 3-0.

After beating Georgia Tech, 30-22, on Saturday, Notre Dame is off to a 3-0 start. The Irish have to be taken seriously.

Among the Group of Five conferences, six teams remain undefeated. Four of them – Memphis (3-0), Temple (3-0), Navy (2-0) and Houston (2-0) are from the AAC. The other two are from the MAC – Ohio (3-0) and Toledo (2-0). Toledo’s two wins are over Power Five teams – Arkansas and Iowa State.

There were six overtime games Saturday – the most so far this season. And in the “how many points can we score” category: Middle Tennessee 73, Charlotte 14; Arkansas State 70, Missouri State 7; Arizona 70, Northern Arizona 13, and Oklahoma State 69, UTSA 14.

The Driskel brothers are still performing well in losing causes. Saturday, Jeff Driskel was 30-51-0 for 314 yards passing, but Louisiana Tech lost a heartbreaker to Kansas State. K-State beat La Tech, 39-33 in three overtimes. Younger brother Jason Driskel passed for 385 yards, but Florida Atlantic lost to Buffalo, 33-15.

Last Tuesday, I was on the Mark Moses Show on Sports Talk 1560 – The Fan. It’s always good talking college football with Mark. The Mark Moses Show runs 3-6 pm, Monday-Friday on 1560 AM.

Just as Saturday was a big day for the SEC (Ole Miss-Alabama, Auburn-LSU, South Carolina-Georgia and Florida-Kentucky) this weekend is a big one for the Pac-12 (UCLA-Arizona, Utah-Oregon, USC-Arizona State and California-Washington).

Swamp Mama and I had dinner with Bootsie and Rockledge Gator Friday evening. We got an update on their recent trip to North Carolina and discussed the weekend’s football schedule.

Friends John and Karlene Tuttle attended the Florida-Kentucky football game in Lexington. But Karlene, a UK grad, reported that they were more impressed with their tastings on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour prior to the game. Karlene said she couldn’t drink enough bourbon.

Yeah, it was an addicting weekend – football, not bourbon.

Football in the morning, football in the evening, football at supper time.

Watching lots of football
Can drive you out of your mind
(But we love it all the time)

Touchdown Tom
September 21, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: The Suds were duds – Ole Miss 43, Alabama 37 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Ole Miss 20). Bama dominated the stats, including most turnovers – 5 for the Tide and 0 for Ole Miss. That was a big difference in the game – 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles lost for Bama. Another big difference was Ole Miss getting some of that Auburn luck with deflected receptions. The Black Bears’ Chad Kelly passed for 341 yards, while the Tide’s Jake Coker only completed 46% of his tosses. Bama trailed 43-24 halfway through the fourth quarter. But the Tide’s rally came up short. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821

RUNNER UP: Paybacks – LSU 45, Auburn 21 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Auburn 23). Last year Auburn beat LSU 41-7. The Cajun Tigers got their paybacks this year. LSU just stomped on Auburn, outgaining the Aubie Tigers 485 total yards to 260. Late in the third quarter, LSU led 38-7. LSU’s Leonard Fournette was unstoppable, rushing for 228 yards. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321

REST OF THE BEST: Bees waxed – Notre Dame 30, Georgia Tech 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Notre Dame 24). Notre Dame’s defense shut down Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas. But the Jackets’ defense couldn’t stop C.J. Prosise. ND’s Prosise rushed for 198 yards. Attendance in South Bend: 80,795

The magic ran out – UCLA 24, BYU 23 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, BYU 26). BYU never trailed in the game until 3:21 left on the fourth quarter. The Bruins scored to go up by one point – 24-23. Tanner Mangum then had a little more than three minutes to perform his game-ending magic again. But the third time wasn’t a charm for Mangum. The Bruins’ Josh Rosen didn’t have a particularly good game, but UCLA’s Paul Perkins did. Perkins rushed for 219 yards. The Cougars’ Adam Hine rushed for 149 yards. Attendance in Pasadena: 67,612

Smoke signals – Florida State 14, Boston College 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 27, Boston College 16). Neither team had any offense – 412 total yards combined. BC was the worse of the two – 195 total yards, only 56 yards passing. Both teams played well on defense. FSU played the better defense. After scoring 76 points (against Howard) last week, the Eagles had 0 points (zero, goose egg, nothing, nada) against the Noles. Troy Flutie, a nephew of Doug Flutie, was a backup quarterback for BC in the game. Attendance in Chestnut Hill: 39,111

Dookies exposed – Northwestern 19, Duke 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 25, Northwestern 22). Neither team showed much offense. Both played pretty good defense. One of Northwestern’s touchdowns was a 98-yard kickoff return. Attendance in Durham: 24,127

Pitt ate you know what – Iowa 27, Pitt 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 30, Pitt 24). Iowa held Pitt to 55 yards rushing and beat the Panthers on a 57-yard field goal as time expired. The Hawkeyes’ C.J. Beathard passed for 258 yards. Attendance in Iowa City: 63,636

Defense! – Florida 14, Kentucky 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Kentucky 29, Florida 27). Neither team had an offense – only 526 yards combined. The Gators’ defense won the game for Florida, while the Wildcats’ defense kept Kentucky in the game. Florida was 2-for-11 (18%) in third down efficiency and Kentucky wasn’t much better. The Gators increased their winning streak against Kentucky to 29 games. Attendance in Lexington: 63,040

Butt whippin’ – Georgia 52, South Carolina 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, South Carolina 18). That’s what Georgia gave South Carolina – a real butt whippin’. The Dawgs had 576 total yards to the Cocks 258. South Carolina only had 84 yards passing. Georgia’s Greyson Lambert was near-perfect passing, completing 24 of 25 throws for 330 yards. The Cocks didn’t have a quarterback. The Dawgs’ Nick Chubb added 159 yards rushing. Chubb has had 11-straight 100-yard games. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

Treed – Stanford 41, USC 31 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 27, Stanford 18). The game was close throughout. USC mostly led in the early part of the game, while Stanford mostly led in the latter half of the game. Both quarterbacks – Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler – had good games. There were no turnovers in the game. Attendance in Los Angeles: 78,306

The Porks got chopped – Texas Tech 35, Arkansas 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 32, Arkansas 30). Arkansas won the running game – 228 yards. Texas Tech won the passing game – 315 yards. The passing game won. The Hogs never led in the game, but the Red Raiders never led by more than 7 points until the fourth quarter when Tech went up by 11. Arkansas’ Alex Collins rushed for170 yards. Attendance in Fayetteville: 73,334

Hurricane Kaaya – Miami (Florida) 36, Nebraska 33 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 30, Nebraska 28). Early in the fourth quarter, Miami led 33-10. Then Nebraska scored 23 unanswered points in the final 8:36 to put the game into overtime. Canes’ quarterback Brad Kaaya passed for 379 yards. Huskers’ quarterback Tommy Armstrong passed for 309 yards, but Armstrong also threw 3 interceptions. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 53,580


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Sweet Carolina – North Carolina 48, Illinois 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Illinois 21, North Carolina 20). And I picked Illinois? I was going for an upset – a big upset. The game was pretty evenly matched in the stats, but not in the score. The Tar Heels took advantage of their opportunities and the Banned Indians didn’t. UNC had two backs rush for more than 100 yards each. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 41,000

Tigers beat the tweet out of the Cardinals – Clemson 20, Louisville 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 36, Louisville 24). The game was close throughout. Neither team led by more than 7 points, except for 16 seconds early in the fourth quarter when Clemson led by 10. Louisville still suffers from the lack of a running game – only 19 yards against Clemson. The Cardinals were 2-for-14 in third down efficiency. Clemson’s Wayne Gallman rushed for 139 yards, as the Tigers improved to 3-0. Louisville fell to 0-3 and could be 1-5 heading into their game against Boston College on October 24. Attendance in Louisville: 55,396


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Young Turks – Virginia Tech 51, Purdue 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 42, Purdue 27). The game was tied 17-17 late in the second quarter. Then the Hokies scored 27 unanswered points. Attendance in West Lafayette: 45,759

Close, but no cigar for Bevo – California 45, Texas 44 (Touchdown Tom said: California 30, Texas 20). Early in the fourth quarter, Texas trailed California 45-24. Then Texas scored 3 touchdowns in the final 13:24 of the game. But on the last touchdown, the Longhorns missed the extra point. It was blocked. The two teams combined for 1,198 total yards. Texas found a quarterback – Jerrod Heard. Heard passed for 364 yards and ran for 163 yards. Attendance in Austin: 91,568


Week 3 Picks: 10 correct, 6 wrong (62.5%)
On the Season: 39 correct, 13 wrong (75%)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Maryland 35, South Florida 17 – Attendance in College Park: 36,827
Buffalo 33, Florida Atlantic 15 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 15,397
Furman 16, UCF 15 – Attendance in Orlando: 36,484
FIU 39, North Carolina Central 14 – Attendance in Miami: 16,567

South Carolina State 36, Florida A&M 0 – Attendance in Orangeburg: 14,987
Bethune-Cookman 7, Lane 3 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 5,026
Florida Tech 37, Warner 0 – Attendance in Melbourne: 3,527


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 32-38-0 for 487 yards; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 35-46-2-484; TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 21-30-1-454; Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson – 28-44-0-443; Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush – 37-51-1-430; Tulsa’s Dane Evans – 34-51-0-427; Massachusetts’ Blake Frohnapfel – 29-55-1-393, and Temple’s P.J. Walker – 28-48-2-391.

Also, Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 29-40-0 for 386 yards; Miami of Florida’s Brad Kaaya – 25-42-1-379; Rice’s Driphus Jackson – 29-39-0-373; Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill – 23-27-0-369; Washington’s Jake Browning – 22-31-1-368; Vanderbilt’s Jonny McCrary – 28-33-0-368; Texas’ Jerrod Heard – 20-31-1-364, and Western Michigan’s Zach Terrell – 25-30-0-355.

Also, Indiana’s Nate Sudfeld – 20-27-0 for 355 yards; Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 18-33-0-341; Idaho’s Matt Linehan – 25-34-2-334; Southern Miss’ Nick Mullens – 19-27-0-333; Georgia’s Greyson Lambert – 24-25-0-330; SMU’s Matt Davis – 17-31-0-330, and Ohio’s Derrius Vick – 17-26-1-327.

Also, East Carolina’s Blake Kemp – 36-49-1 for 325 yards; Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 25-35-2-318; Arizona State’s Mike Bercovici – 22-37-0-317; Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel – 30-51-0-314; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 37-45-1-303, and North Texas’ Andrew McNulty – 19-35-1-303.


Impressive Rushers:

Southern Miss’ Jalen Richard – 230 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 228 yards; UCLA’s Paul Perkins – 219 yards; Indiana’s Jordan Howard – 203 yards; Notre Dame’s C.J. Prosise – 198 yards; Penn State’s Saquon Barkley – 195 yards; New Mexico State’s Larry Rose – 186 yards, and Arkansas’ Alex Collins – 170 yards.

Also, TCU’s Aaron Green – 164 yards; California’s Khalfani Muhammad – 164 yards; Ball State’s Darian Green – 164 yards; Texas’ Jerrod Heard – 163 yards; Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin – 161 yards; Tulsa’s Zack Langer – 161 yards, and Texas State’s Tyler Jones – 160 yards.

Also, Georgia’s Nick Chubb – 159 yards; Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 159 yards; Utah’s Devontae Booker – 156 yards; Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine – 152 yards; Oregon State’s Storm Barrs-Woods – 151 yards; Arizona’s Jerrard Randall – 149 yards; BYU’s Adam Hine – 149 yards, and Hawaii’s Paul Harris – 147 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“I think there has to be a school where people who can’t get into Florida can go to college. And that’s why we have Florida State,” Florida U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio, a Florida graduate.

“I’m sure he’s frustrated by his low standing in the polls, which I believe could be a reflection of where he got his education,” Florida State University president John Thrasher, responding to Marco Rubio.

“Most people can’t stand Bob Stoops, outside the state of Oklahoma,” Paul Finebaum.

“Bret Bielema is the Donald Trump of college football,” CBS commentator Gary Danielson.

“Alabama fans are the family members at Thanksgiving that embarrass you,” Fox Sports’ Clay Travis.

“He got his ass kicked,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, on Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, after the Red Raiders beat the Razorbacks.


Signs of the Day

Saban Shops At Baby Gap

Ohio State Also Schedules Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs and Birthday Parties

Jeremy Johnson Just Threw Another Interception

Hugh Freeze Is A Belieber

Tebow Is Cut More Often Than My Lawn


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. UCLA (3-0) at Arizona (3-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – This is the big showdown in the Pac-12 South. It could be the Pac-12 equivalent of the Ole Miss-Alabama showdown in the SEC. Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen needs to bounce back this week and perform better than he did against BYU, if the Bruins expect to win. He can’t rely on running back Paul Perkins to save the day, but Perkins needs to be on top of his game too. Arizona has its share of weapons, led by quarterback Anu Solomon. The Wildcats are undefeated, but they haven’t really played anybody. They have now – UCLA 34, Arizona 33.

RUNNER UP: 2. TCU (3-0) at Texas Tech (3-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 4:45 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Texas Tech wasn’t supposed to be that good this year. Tell that to Bret Bielema. The Red Raiders went into Fayetteville and slaughtered the Hogs Saturday. Looks like Kliff Kingsbury may have a competitive team again. No complaints from Swamp Mama about that. Kliff has another sharp-shootin’ quarterback in sophomore Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has put up some impressive numbers so far. But TCU has its own sharp-shooter – Trevone Boykin. And the Frogs have a dangerous runner in Aaron Green. However, TCU has shown some vulnerabilities on defense. Texas Tech may be a tougher game than what TCU was expecting. And it is in Lubbock. Anybody up for Frog Legs? – Texas Tech 35, TCU 33.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. LSU (2-0) at Syracuse (3-0) – (SEC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – LSU could be this season’s sleeper. The Tigers looked awesome against Auburn. We knew Leonard Fournette was going to be good. We just weren’t sure about the rest of the team. We are now. Syracuse is off to a 3-0 start, but the Orange haven’t really played anyone. Not sure what the Cuse have – or haven’t. The Carrier Dome can play tricks on some visiting teams. But the Tigers should have no problems. Mikey gets his citrus fix – LSU 30, Syracuse 17.

4. Utah (3-0) at Oregon (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8:45 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Another big matchup in the Pac-12. Utah has a good win over Michigan. Oregon has a close loss to Michigan State. The game is in Eugene and the Ducks have more weapons than the Utes, especially on offense. But Utah has a decent defense. No feathers for the Utes – Oregon 30, Utah 20.

5. Tennessee (2-1) at Florida (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Last week, Florida beat Kentucky for the 29th-straight year. This week the Gators will be looking to beat Tennessee for the 11th-straight year. The Vols last beat Florida in 2004. Tennessee came close last year. That’s when Treon Harris came on to save the day for the Gators. Depending on how Will Grier plays, Treon may have to save the day again. Actually, it may be the Gator defense that has to save the game for Florida. Tennessee is better. The Vols are much improved. But Davey Crockett can’t handle swamps – Florida 23, Tennessee 20.

6. California (3-0) at Washington (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 5 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N – Cal is off to a great start – its best in years. Jared Goff is a good quarterback, and now the Bears have a good running back in Khalfani Mohammad. But Washington can be dangerous in Seattle. You just know that Chris Petersen’s Huskies are going to pop somebody soon. Not this week – California 30, Washington 19.

7. Missouri (3-0) at Kentucky (2-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Missouri looked awful beating Connecticut last week. Well, the Tiger defense looked good. But Mizzou’s offense looked bad. Funny, that’s how Kentucky looked against Florida. The Wildcats’ offense was bad, but their defense was good. Something is going to have to give between these two. The Wildcats give and the Tigers take – Missouri 22, Kentucky 19.

8. Maryland (2-1) at West Virginia (2-0) – (ACC vs. Big 12) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – WVU is off to a good start, but the Mounties are untested. That will change this week. Maryland will definitely test the WVU defense. But the Mounties shouldn’t have trouble scoring on the Terps. In three games, Maryland has given up its share of points. It’s almost hell for the Terps – West Virginia 30, Maryland 20.

9. BYU (2-1) at Michigan (2-1) – (Ind. vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – I don’t know if Tanner Mangum has anymore last second tricks up his sleeve or not. If he does, he may need one in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines should give the Cougars a good game. Then again, BYU should give Michigan a good game. Harbaugh smiles – Michigan 22, BYU 20.

10. USC (2-1) at Arizona State (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Yet another humdinger in the Pac-12. And yet with the other Los Angeles school playing the other team from Arizona. This is definitely LA’s week in Arizona. Are the Dodgers also playing at the Diamondbacks? After the loss to Stanford, the Trojans will be mad. They aren’t going to drop two straight. The Trojans don’t accept the horse – USC 33, Arizona State 30.

11. Mississippi State (2-1) at Auburn (2-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – These two teams each have one loss in SEC play. And both lost to LSU. One had a close loss; the other was clobbered. Neither can afford to have another conference loss this early in the season. Sounds like we have a fight on our hands. When the fight is over, Aubie will be saying, “Who Dak?” – Mississippi State 26, Auburn 24.

12. Georgia Tech (2-1) at Duke (2-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Both of these teams were sailing along fine until last week. Both met their demise. One will bounce back this week. The other one won’t. Bees bounce better than Devils – Georgia Tech 27, Duke 25.


…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. Cincinnati (2-1) at Memphis (3-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Memphis could be the darlings of the Group of Five. Stay undefeated and the Tigers could be headed to a New Year’s Day bowl as the highest-rank team among the Group of Five. But the pressure to remain undefeated is tough. Quarterback Paxton Lynch is looking good for the Tigers. But Cincinnati would love to be a spoiler. The Tigers rub the Bearcats ribs – Memphis 34, Cincinnati 26.

14. Ohio (3-0) at Minnesota (2-1) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Ohio is off to a good start. The Bobcats knocked off Marshall. Now they would like to knock off the Gophers. Minnesota would be a good trophy for the Bobcats. But trophies don’t come easy. Goldie holes up for a Bobcat – Minnesota 23, Ohio 19.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Southern Miss (2-1) at Nebraska (1-2) – (C-USA vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN News – It’s not often Nebraska starts out 1-2, but the Huskers should even things up this week. Granted, Southern Miss won’t be a pushover. Quarterback Nick Mullens could give the Huskers some problems – but only some. Tommy Armstrong should have a hay day – or is it a corn day. Regardless, the Huskers will head into Big Ten play at 2-2. Herbie flies like an Eagle – Nebraska 30, Southern Miss 19.

Bowling Green (1-2) at Purdue (1-2) – (MAC vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Bowling Green may be one of the better 1-2 teams in the country. The Falcons put 30 points on the board against Tennessee, beat Maryland by 21 points and barely lost to a good Memphis team by 3 points. Meanwhile, Purdue is definitely not one of the better 1-2 teams in the country. In fact, the Boilers may be one of the worst 1-2 teams in the country. BG quarterback Matt Johnson is passing like crazy. The picture doesn’t look good for the Boilers. Falcons crest – Bowling Green 40, Purdue 27.

Southern (2-1) at Georgia (3-0) – (SWAC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – Oh come on! Could Uga have found an easier team to play? I mean, why would anyone show up to see this game. Oh well, some people like to watch scrimmages. Uga won’t work up a sweat this week. He won’t need the air-conditioned doghouse. But Southern gets a good paycheck. Or should I say playcheck. Uga has no pants – Georgia 56, Southern 3.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

FAU (0-3) at Charlotte (2-1) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CSCA/ASN….
FIU (2-1) at Louisiana Tech (1-2) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 2:30 pm ET, Saturday, FCSA….
UCF (0-3) at South Carolina (1-2) – (AAC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU –

Stetson (1-1) at Drake (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Tennessee State (2-1) at Florida A&M (0-3) – (Ohio Valley vs. MEAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Savannah State (0-2) at Bethune-Cookman (2-1) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida Tech (1-2) at North Alabama (2-0) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Jacksonville U. (2-0) at Marist (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 12 noon ET, Saturday….

Florida State (3-0), Miami (3-0) and South Florida (1-2) are off.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football … Bill Clark, the football coach of UAB when the school shut down the program in January has been re-hired as UAB’s football coach. Clark signed a five-year contract. In June, UAB reversed its January decision, announcing it would resume the program. Clark’s contract will pay him around $650,000 a year. UAB will begin playing again in 2017 in Conference USA.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Gary Richrath and Jackie Collins.

Gary Richrath, the lead guitarist and songwriter for the rock band REO Speedwagon, died last week. He was 65. Richrath joined REO Speedwagon in 1971 just before the band recorded its first album. He remained with the band until 1989. Richrath wrote and co-wrote several REO Speedwagon’s songs, including “Take It on the Run,” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 1981, and “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” a staple at REO Speedwagon’s concerts. The band had 13 Top 40 hits between 1980 and 1988, including “Keep on Loving You” (1980) and “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (1985). Gary Richrath was born in 1949.

Jackie Collins, the best-selling British-born author known for her novels about the extravagant and glamorous life in Hollywood, died Saturday in Los Angeles. She was 77. She wrote more than 30 novels. Her first novel was published in 1968. Collins is the younger sister of actress Joan Collins. Many of her novels became the basis for movies and television mini-series. Jacqueline Jill “Jackie” Collins was born on October 4, 1937, in London.