College Football Week 5 – Believe it: Alabama is an underdog this week
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love

Lord almighty: Utah 62, Oregon 20

Who would have thunk it? Oregon was home – in the pond. The Ducks were favored by 13 points. This was Oregon’s worst loss at home since Washington beat the Ducks 54-0 in 1977. In just four games, Oregon’s defense has given up 163 points. It’s not even October yet and already Oregon has lost two games. Scratch the Ducks from the playoff. Lord almighty.

I feel my temperature rising: TCU 55, Texas Tech 52

The way this game went back-and-forth, how could your temperature not rise. TCU coach Gary Patterson said he went from one baby aspirin to two and then to extra-strength Tylenol. The lead changed hands 10 times. TCU won in the final 23 seconds when a tipped pass, on a fourth-down play, fell into the hands of Aaron Green. Feel my temperature rise.

Higher, higher: UNLV 80, Idaho State 8

UNLV scored its most points in a game since 1976. The Rebels scored a school-record 11 touchdowns and it was the largest margin of victory ever for UNLV. But who could condemn the Rebels. Usually UNLV is on the losing end of scores like this. And it was the Rebels first win this season. Higher and higher.

It’s burning through my soul: Michigan 31, BYU 0

With three-straight impressive wins, after the season-opening 7-point loss to Utah, you have to believe that Jim Harbaugh is burning through to the soul of Wolverines fans. And you have to believe that BYU is on a free fall. After opening the season with impressive wins over Nebraska and Boise State, the Cougars have dropped two straight – UCLA and Michigan. Harbaugh is burning through and BYU is burning through.

Football, football, football: Mississippi State 17, Auburn 9

It’s not even October yet and already Auburn has two losses. Yes, Auburn, the team some said would win the SEC and make the four-team playoff. Instead of football, football, football, maybe Auburn fans should be looking ahead to basketball, basketball, basketball. Can’t be bad with Bruce Pearl. Meanwhile, for Miss State, it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire. Next up for the Bulldogs – Texas A&M, in College Station. For Miss State, it’s football, football, football.

You gonna set me on fire: Oklahoma State 30, Texas 27

That must be how Charlie Strong feels. He’s on track to be fired. It’s not even October yet and Texas has lost three games. With the last two losses, Charlie must feel he is jinxed. Last week, Texas lost by one point. The Longhorns scored in the final minute of the game, but missed the extra point kick that would have tied the score. Saturday, with the score tied in the closing seconds of the game, the Texas punter dropped the snap from center inside the Texas 10 – first-and-10 Oklahoma State. The Cowboys kicked a field goal with 6 seconds left on the clock and won by three. And speaking of fire, the Longhorns are jumping into it this week – TCU, in Fort Worth. You gonna set me on fire?

My brain is flaming: UCLA 56, Arizona 30

Josh Rosen’s brain has to be flaming as the Bruins freshman quarterback passed for 284 yards and UCLA improved to 4-0 on the season. Arizona suffered its first loss. This was supposed to have been a close game – some picked Arizona to win. Rosen’s brain can keep flaming. The Bruins are off this week.

I don’t know which way to go: Texas A&M 28, Arkansas 21 (OT)

Yeah, we weren’t sure which way the Texas A&M-Arkansas game would go. At the end of regulation, the score was tied. The game went into overtime. Finally, the Aggies decided to win. It was the Razorbacks third loss – third-straight loss. And this was supposed to be Bret Bielema’s breakout season in Fayetteville. Bielema broke out in something alright. Meanwhile, is Texas A&M a sleeper? Time will tell which way the Aggies will go.

Your games lift me higher: Florida 28, Tennessee 27

I don’t know if I would want to lift Jim McElwain or not. He looks pretty heavy to me. But he had to be seven feet off the ground when Tennessee missed the field goal attempt. Yes, the Gators made it 11-straight over the Vols. Like Bret Bielema, this was supposed to be Butch Jones’ breakout season in Knoxville. And already, Tennessee has two losses. In the loss to Oklahoma, two weeks ago, the Vols built up a 17-3 lead over Oklahoma in the first half. Tennessee still maintained the 17-3 lead early in the fourth quarter. But the Sooners scored twice in the final period to tie the score. OU won the game in the second overtime. Against Florida, Tennessee led the Gators 20-7 late in the third quarter and 27-14 late in the fourth quarter. But like OU, Florida scored two late fourth-quarter touchdowns. Some Vols fans are calling for a new coach. At 2-2, Jones is lower and lower, while at 4-0, McElwain is higher and higher. But Ole Miss is heading to Gainesville.

Like the sweet song of a choir: Nebraska 36, Southern Miss 28

Well, the music in Memorial Stadium must have sounded like the sweet song of a choir in the first half. At the break, the Huskers led, 22-0. Then it must have sounded like a sour song from a bunch of drunken sailors in the second half. Southern Miss outscored Nebraska 28-14 in the final two periods. Against the run, the Nebraska defense is sweet. But against the pass, there is nothing sweet about the Nebraska defense. Mike Riley is going to have to come up with a new song.

You light my morning sky: USC 42, Arizona State 14

Yeah, by the time this game got over in Tempe, my morning sky was coming to light in Florida. But the Trojans lit up the Sun Devils alright. USC was only picked to win by 5 points. Instead, the Trojans won by 28. This, after they lost by 10 to Stanford last week. Yeah, Cody Kessler’s 375 yards passing, lit up the morning sky.

With burning love: Duke 34, Georgia Tech 20

Both Duke and Georgia Tech lost last week. So, one of them was going to have to suffer some burning love Saturday. Tech suffered the burn and Duke suffered the love.

Ooh, ooh, ooh: East Carolina 35, Virginia Tech 28

Yes, ooh, ooh, ooh again. The Hokies lost to East Carolina last year. Nobody loses back-to-back games against East Carolina. Well, Virginia Tech just did. Something tells me that Frank Beamer’s removal from Blacksburg could happen sooner rather than later. Ooh, ooh, ooh.

I must be a hundred and nine: LSU 34, Syracuse 24

No, Leonard Fournette was 244. Yes, this week Fournette rushed for more than 200 yards again, giving the LSU running back 472 yards in two games. After blasting Auburn last week, 45-21, the Tigers, except for Fournette, cooled their paws a little bit against Syracuse. Maybe Fournette will just have 109 yards next week, against Eastern Michigan. Are you kidding me? Against EMU, he’ll have at least twice 109.

Burning, burning, burning: Kentucky 21, Missouri 13

That loss to Florida last week was still burning, burning, burning in Kentucky. It was burning so bad that the Wildcats went out and beat Missouri. It was the Tigers first loss. But after Mizzou only beat Connecticut by three points, 9-6, last week, you could almost see it coming. Mark Stoops isn’t burning, burning, burning in effigy this week.

And nothing can cool me: Baylor 70, Rice 17

No, nothing can cool Baylor. The Bears have scored 192 points in three games. Art Briles is ruthless. The only time Briles can be cooled is in bowl games. This week, Baylor plays Texas Tech. As bad as Kliff Kingsbury’s defense is, Baylor might score 71 points. Oh, talk about cool, as in cold, Swamp Mama just gave me a dirty look.

I just might turn into smoke: Boise State 56, Virginia 14

After losing that bad at home to Boise State, I think there is an excellent chance that Virginia coach Mike London will turn into smoke. The Cavaliers are 1-3. The one victory is over FCS William & Mary by only 6 points. Yes, look for London to dissipate, turning into smoke.

But I feel fine: West Virginia 45, Maryland 6

Yeah, anytime the Mountaineers beat Maryland that bad, I feel fine. I feel super fine. But my fineness may be short-lived. Next up for West Virginia is Oklahoma – and in Norman. Bob Stoops may be the one feeling fine next week. But let’s hope not.

Somebody had burning love for all the visiting teams in the Pac-12 over the weekend. In every game – Stanford at Oregon State, California at Washington, UCLA at Oregon, Utah at Oregon and USC at Arizona State – the visiting team won.

And speaking of burning, I couldn’t help but notice Butch Jones’ face during the Tennessee-Florida game. It was so red. I called him Beet Face Jones. I thought maybe he fell asleep in a tanning booth before the game.

Tennessee fans were expecting a big season this year and already the Vols have lost two games. Late Saturday night and early Sunday morning, a number of Vols fans were tweeting, calling for Beet Face’s head. I don’t know what Tennessee will do but it sure seems like that school goes through football coaches like a family of 10 goes through toilet paper. They don’t last long in Knoxville.

A couple of the tweets were quite funny. One said, “Bring back Lane Kiffin.” Another one read, “Chip Kelly….If South Carolina doesn’t get him, maybe we can.”

Yeah, Florida beat Tennessee for the 11-straight year. And of all people, Jeb Bush said last week that Tennessee would beat Florida. Poor Jeb, he never got anything right. My friend Larry Brewer commented, “Jeb was wrong, again.”

It’s early, but so far the season sure is a big disappointment for Arkansas (1-3), Auburn (2-2), South Carolina (2-2), Tennessee (2-2) and UCF (0-4).

Among the better Group of Five teams, five remain undefeated – Memphis (4-0), Houston (3-0), Navy (3-0), Temple (3-0) and Toledo (3-0).

And I’m also wondering is Michigan better than we thought the Wolverines were going to be. I know you can’t compare scores, but Michigan lost to Utah by 7 points. The Utes went on to beat Oregon 62-20. Michigan beat BYU 31-0, while UCLA struggled to beat BYU 24-23. Just wondering.

Tuesday, I enjoyed talking college football again with Mark Moses on the Mark Moses Show on Sports Radio 1560 – The Fan. Mark’s show runs from 3-6 pm weekdays on 1560 AM.

Thursday night, Swamp Mama and I went to the Melbourne Central Catholic junior varsity football game. The MCC JVs beat the Cocoa Beach JVs 38-8. We went to see David Stein play. David is the son of friends Neal and Stephanie Stein.

David, a ninth grader, is a linebacker. He is also the team’s place kicker – field goals and extra points. Thursday night David kicked a 25-yard field goal and was good on all five of his extra point kicks. On defense, David made several tackles and recovered a fumble.

At the game, I met a fellow Mountaineer who was a pitcher on the West Virginia baseball team – Sean Carley. Sean graduated from WVU in 2014. He was drafted by the New York Yankees and has pitched the past two summers in the Yankees farm system in the minor leagues. This past summer, Sean pitched for the Charleston River Dogs and the Staten Island Yankees. I enjoyed meeting and talking to Sean.

During the Tennessee-Florida game when things weren’t going too well for the Gators, Bootsie texted Swamp Mama, saying that unrepeatable words were flowing from the mouth of Rockledge Gator.

Later that evening, during the Mississippi State-Auburn game, Rockledge Gator texted, saying that unrepeatable words were flowing from the mouth of Bootsie.

And speaking of Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and me, the four of us will be in Gainesville next weekend for the Ole Miss-Florida game. Looking forward to our stay at the Laurel Oak Inn, and seeing innkeepers Peggy and Monta Burt. Rockledge Gator just has to watch his mouth if the Gators aren’t performing well.

Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love.

Touchdown Tom
September 28, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S. “Burning Love” was written by Dennis Linde and originally recorded in 1972 by country-soul singer Arthur Alexander. But it was Elvis Presley who brought the song to fame with his recording later that same year. “Burning Love” was Elvis’ biggest hit single since “Suspicious Minds” in 1969, and his last Top 10 hit on the American charts. “Burning Love” by Elvis spent 15 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100, peaking at No. 2 in the autumn of 1972.


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Rod-less in Tucson – UCLA 56, Arizona 30 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, Arizona 33). The two teams combined for 965 total yards – 497 for the Bruins; 468 for the Wildcats. But UCLA got points out of its offensive yardage; Arizona didn’t. The Wildcats suffered three turnovers to none for the Bruins. UCLA was 11-for-15 on third-down efficiency. Attendance in Tucson: 56,004

RUNNER UP: Dizzy – TCU 55, Texas Tech 52 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 35, TCU 33). The two teams combined for 1,357 total yards – 750 for TCU. The Horned Frogs Trevone Boykin passed for 485 yards, and the Red Raiders DeAndre Washington rushed for 168 yards. TCU went ahead for good on a tipped-pass completion for a touchdown with 23 second left on the clock. Attendance in Lubbock: 61,283

REST OF THE BEST: Leo the Tiger – LSU 34, Syracuse 24 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 30, Syracuse 17). A tight game in the first half – LSU led 7-3 at the break. Then the game really opened up in the second half with the Tigers outscoring the Orange 27-21. Leonard Fournette had 244 of LSU’s 268 rushing yards. Attendance in Syracuse: 43,101

Quack-less in Eugene – Utah 62, Oregon 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 30 Utah 20). Utah racked up 530 total yards on Oregon – 257 passing; 273 rushing. The game was reasonably close at the half. The Utes led 27-13. Then Utah outscored the Ducks 28-0 in the third quarter. It was curtains for Oregon after that. Attendance in Eugene:

Davey lost his buckskins – Florida 28, Tennessee 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 23, Tennessee 20). Florida won the passing game – 283 yards. Tennessee won the rushing game – 254 yards. The Gators took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. The Vols tied the score – 7-7 – late in the first quarter. Then UT went ahead 14-7 midway through the second quarter. The Vols held the lead until 1:26 left in the game when Florida went up 28-27. Attendance in Gainesville: 90,527

Here come the Bears – California 30, Washington 24 (Touchdown Tom said: California 30, Washington 19). Early in the third quarter, California led Washington 27-7. Then the Bears hung on for the victory. Washington suffered five turnovers to two for Cal. Jared Goff had 342 yards passing. Attendance in Seattle: 61,066

Thoroughbreds – Kentucky 21, Missouri 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 22, Kentucky 19). Neither team could run like a darn – only 231 rushing yards combined. Late in the third quarter, Mizzou was leading 10-7. Then Kentucky scored 14 unanswered points. Attendance in Lexington: 58,008

Country Roads – West Virginia 45, Maryland 6 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Maryland 20). WVU led 38-0 at the half and then went into cruise control in the second half. Neither team scored in the third quarter. The Mounties made it 45-0 before Maryland got its lone score. WVU had a school-record 37 first downs. The Mounties’ Skyler Howard passed for 294 yards and Wendell Smallwood rushed for 147 yards. WVU had 601 total yards. Brad Paisley serenaded the crowd with “Country Roads” during the pre-game ceremonies. Attendance in Morgantown: 61,174

Blanked – Michigan 31, BYU 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 22, BYU 20). Michigan scored all 31 of its points in the first half – 24 of them in the second quarter. The Wolverines’ defense totally shut down BYU. The Cougars only had 50 yards rushing, 55 yards passing and eight first downs. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 108,940

Iced – USC 42, Arizona State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, Arizona State 30). This game was over at the half. USC led 35-0 at the break. Then the Trojans went into cruise control in the second half. Arizona State fell to 2-2. Attendance in Tempe: 61,904

Gus missed the bus – Mississippi State 17, Auburn 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 26, Auburn 24). Miss State only had 56 yards rushing, but the Bulldogs had 270 passing. Auburn never led in the game. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

Buzz-less in Durham – Duke 34, Georgia Tech 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 27, Duke 25). Duke jumped out to a 19-3 first quarter lead and then played Tech pretty even after that. The Devils only led by 6 – 26-20 – when they scored their final touchdown with 1:49 left in the game. Attendance in Durham: 20,101


.…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Bare-cats – Memphis 53, Cincinnati 46 (Touchdown Tom said: Memphis 34, Cincinnati 26). Memphis is 4-0 but the Tigers won’t finish the season undefeated. They have no defense. Neither does Cincinnati. These two teams are all about offense – mostly passing offense. They combined for 1,322 total yards – 1,032 of which were from passing. The lead in this game changed hands an amazing 11 times. Attendance in Memphis: 45,172

Golden – Minnesota 27, Ohio 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 23, Ohio 19). Ohio led throughout the fourth quarter until the final 30 seconds in the game. That’s when Minnesota scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to go up 27-24. Attendance in Minneapolis: 53,917


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Almost Nicked – Nebraska 36, Southern Miss 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 30, Southern Miss 19). The two teams combined for 1,068 yards – 815 of the yards passing. Southern Miss was held to only 11 yards rushing. But the Eagles’ Nick Mullens passed for 447 yards. The Huskers’ Tommy Armstrong passed for 368 yards. Attendance in Lincoln: 89,899

Soaring – Bowling Green 35, Purdue 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Bowling Green 40, Purdue 27). Purdue never led in the game, but the Boilers never trailed by more than 7. BG scored the winning touchdown with 9 seconds remaining on a 12-yard run. The Falcons Matt Johnson passed for 402 yards. Purdue only had 77 yards rushing. Attendance in West Lafayette: 33,162

Who? – Georgia 48, Southern 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 56, Southern 3). Georgia held Southern to 184 total yards – 79 passing and 105 rushing. The Dawgs had 532 total yards. For the second-straight week, Greyson Lambert completed all but one of his passes. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

Week 4 Picks: 13 correct, 4 wrong (76.5%)
On the Season: 52 correct, 17 wrong (75.4%)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida Atlantic 17, Charlotte 7 – Attendance in Charlotte: 17,444
Louisiana Tech 27, Florida International 17 – Attendance in Ruston: 20,010
South Carolina 31, UCF 14 – Attendance in Columbia: 78,411

Drake 41, Stetson 3 – Attendance in Des Moines: 3,326
Tennessee State 30, Florida A&M 14 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 18,020
Bethune-Cookman 42, Savannah State 12 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 5,915
North Alabama 55, Florida Tech 48 – Attendance in Florence: 8,676
Jacksonville U. 20, Marist 16 – Attendance in Poughkeepsie: 2,160


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Cincinnati’s Hayden Moore – 31-53-2 for 557 yards; TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 34-54-0-509; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 33-41-0-457; Southern Miss’ Nick Mullens – 26-41-0-447; Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 24-36-0-412; Bowling Green’s Matt Johnson – 43-59-1-402; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 25-45-0-392; USC’s Cody Kessler – 19-33-1-375, and Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong – 23-35-1-368.

Also, Wyoming’s Cameron Coffman – 30-42-2 for 366 yards; Texas A&M’s Kyle Allen – 21-28-0-358; California’s Jared Goff – 24-40-1-342; Purdue’s David Blough – 29-39-1-340; Buffalo’s Joe Licata – 28-46-2-338; Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill – 29-42-0-330; Boise State’s Brett Rypien – 24-35-0-321; Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 24-42-2-320, and North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky – 17-20-0-312;


Impressive Rushers:

San Jose State’s Tyler Ervin – 300 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 244 yards; Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey – 206 yards; UNLV’s Xzaviar Campbell – 196 yards; Texas Tech’s DeAndre Washington – 188 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 184 yards, and Northwestern’s Justin Jackson – 184 yards.

Also, Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 179 yards; Nevada’s James Butler – 177 yards; UTSA’s Jarveon Williams – 170 yards; East Carolina’s James Summers – 169 yards; Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon – 169 yards; Indiana’s Jordan Howard – 168 yards, and Charlotte’s Kalif Phillips – 165 yards.

Also, TCU’s Aaron Green – 162 yards; Baylor’s Shock Linwood – 158 yards; Arkansas’ Alex Collins – 151 yards; Notre Dame’s C.J. Prosise – 149 yards; West Virginia’s Wendell Smallwood – 147 yards; New Mexico’s Lamar Jordan – 147 yards; Army’s Aaron Kemper – 147 yards; Wisconsin’s Taiwan Deal – 147 yards, and Navy’s Keenan Reynolds – 142 yards;


Quotes of the Week

“Will Muschamp is worse than cancer. He’s destroyed three programs – Texas, Florida and now Auburn,” a caller on the Paul Finebaum show.

“If that was an ass kicking, I’d love to see what last year was,” Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, responding to Kliff Kingsbury’s remark about this year’s Texas Tech-Arkansas game.

“He’s a prideful guy and he says what’s on his mind, but it just hasn’t worked out for him,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury on Arkansas coach Bret Bielema.

“I’m happy he got to vent and hopefully he feels a lot better. As a coach that’s been in it for 10 years, I know better than to worry about somebody that’s been around for a couple there, around 500,” Bret Bielema responding to Kliff Kingsbury.

“There’s not one negative thing you can say about the guy. He’s humble. He’s hard working, and loves football. There’s not one single skeleton in his closet. He’s all the stuff that you want. He’s never stolen crab legs,” California coach Sonny Dykes, on his quarterback Jared Goff.

“WDE no longer stands for War Damn Eagle. It stands for Worst Defense Ever,” Mississippi State fan Steven “Stingray” Ray.

“The Gators are, well, uhhh,” Presidential candidate Jeb Bush, picking Tennessee to beat Florida.

“Tennessee fans have been wandering in the wilderness for 10 years,” Paul Finebaum, prior to the Tennessee-Florida game.

“I’ve gone from one baby aspirin to two. I may go extra-strength Tylenol. Jiminy Christmas,” TCU coach Gary Patterson, after the Texas Tech game.


Signs of the Day

(Picture of Lou Holtz, captioned) “I Pick Arithona”

I’m Still Drunk

Tebow Is The Only Ten-I-See

(Picture of Steve Sarkisian, captioned) “Who Spiked The Punch”


Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 12 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…and then some

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Notre Dame (4-0) at Clemson (3-0) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – The Irish are 2-0 against ACC teams (Virginia and Georgia Tech) and hope to be 3-0 after this one. But Clemson could be a tougher hurdle for the Irish to get over. The game is at Clemson and the Tigers appear to be a legit team. But the latter of the two remains a big question. The Tigers competition has been weak. ND has definitely had tougher tests than Clemson. The Irish prevail in the Piedmont – Notre Dame 28, Clemson 24.

RUNNER UP: 2. Ole Miss (4-0) at Florida (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Both teams have been tested. Ole Miss by Alabama and Florida by Tennessee. Granted, Bama was the bigger test. If the Gator defense can shut down Chad Kelly, then Florida has a chance – more than a chance. After the Tennessee experience, Will Grier should have lots of confidence. He’ll need it. Brain Freeze in the Swamp – Florida 27, Ole Miss 24.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. West Virginia (3-0) at Oklahoma (3-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – Both teams appear to be legit. OU has a good win over Tennessee in Knoxville. WVU has a strong win over Maryland. WVU’s defense will have to stop both running (Samaje Perine) and passing (Baker Mayfield). That’s a pretty big order. Where is Brad Paisley when you need him – Oklahoma 21, West Virginia 16.

4. Kansas State (3-0) at Oklahoma State (4-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – A battle of two undefeated teams in the Big 12. Okie State got by its test in Austin last week. K-State barely escaped Louisiana Tech two weeks ago. The Wildcats won’t escape the Cowboys this week. Even the K-State band can’t help. Roped in Stillwater – Oklahoma State 35, Kansas State 23.

5. Alabama (3-1) at Georgia (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Two losses in the SEC this early in the season could spell disaster for Bama. That will make them play tougher. Georgia looked good against South Carolina, but I’m not sure the Gamecocks were much of a test. Bama’s quarterback issues could play into Georgia’s hand. But Saban comes out a winner in this one. Uga won’t come out of the dog house – Alabama 28, Georgia 26.

6. Mississippi State (3-1) at Texas A&M (4-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Miss State took care of business in Auburn. But two weeks on the road could be the Bulldogs downfall. A&M is tougher than Auburn. State can play defense, but the Bulldogs don’t have a lot of offense. The Aggies do. Reveille calls – Texas A&M 25, Mississippi State 20.

7. Minnesota (3-1) at Northwestern (4-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Northwestern has been an amazing team so far. Although, the Wildcats were amazingly bad against Ball State last week. Minnesota just doesn’t have the horses to contain the Wildcats. The Gopher isn’t Golden – Northwestern 25, Minnesota 17.

8. Iowa (4-0) at Wisconsin (3-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Iowa is undefeated, but the Hawkeyes have won too many close games against so-so teams. Wisconsin isn’t so-so. But the Badgers aren’t infallible either. The Hawkeyes put up a fight, but Bucky prevails. The Badgers get a Birdie (football, not golf) – Wisconsin 28, Iowa 23.

9. Baylor (3-0) vs. Texas Tech (3-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2/ABC – Talk about a one-two punch. Tech had TCU last week and now Baylor this week. Tech’s defense is too weak to stop Baylor’s offense. The Red Raiders will score some points, but not enough. Briles turns his Bears loose – Baylor 44, Texas Tech 35.

10. Arizona (3-1) at Stanford (3-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N – Arizona got clobbered by UCLA. And now the Wildcats are taking on Stanford. They must be masochists. Stanford is a lot better team than the one that lost to Northwestern. Not sure Arizona is a better team than the one that lost to UCLA. The Wildcats can’t climb the Trees – Stanford 34, Arizona 24.

11. Boston College (3-1) at Duke (3-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FSN – After looking anemic against Northwestern, the Dookies bounced back and looked tough against Georgia Tech. Tough enough that they should beat BC. The Eagles have a good defense and a weak offense. The Dookies use some finesse to pull this one out. The Eagles are no bulls in Durham – Duke 15, Boston College 10.

12. Miami (Florida) (3-0) at Cincinnati (2-2) – (ACC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – After a couple tough losses, Cincy will be out to get Miami. The Canes better be on their guard. The Bearcats lost Gunner Kiel, but Hayden Moore (557 yards passing) filled in nicely, thank you. Brad Kaaya fills in nicely too. The Hurricanes overcome the shear – Miami 36, Cincinnati 28.


.…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. North Carolina (3-1) at Georgia Tech (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – The Tar Heels are on a roll – 3-0 since the opening loss to South Carolina. Tech is in a funk, losing two straight. In fact the Bees may not be as good as we thought they were. The two wins were over nobodies. But North Carolina could be a nobody. Tech should be fired up at home. The Smurfs will be pulling stingers out of their Heels – Georgia Tech 27, North Carolina 20.

14. Pitt (2-1) at Virginia Tech (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN Extra/FSN – Pitt is an unknown and the Hokies are unsettled. After the Hokies loss to East Carolina, you figure anyone could win this game. Either way, it could be a long season for both of them. The Turkeys are wild – Virginia Tech 27, Pitt 21.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Nebraska (2-2) at Illinois (3-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – After a 2-2 season in non-conference play, the Huskers step into conference play this week. It’s a good first step as the Banned Indians are one of the weaker teams in the West Division – probably one of the two weakest. Still the Banned Indians could provide a passing threat to the Huskers. They sure won’t provide a defensive threat. Herbie crashes the pow-wow – Nebraska 33, Illinois 21.

Purdue (1-3) at Michigan State (4-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Purdue stumbled through non-conference play, winning only one game – against a FCS team. The Spartans are no FCS team. When the Spartans get through with Purdue, the Boilers will be wondering what they are doing in the Big Ten. The Spartans take no hostages – Michigan State 40, Purdue 17.

Texas (1-3) at TCU (4-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Texas has dropped two straight and three in all. Granted, the last two losses were oh so close. TCU got a test from Texas Tech last week and held up pretty well. But the Frogs defense is questionable. But with Aaron Green and Trevone Boykin there are absolutely no questions about the TCU offense. It will leave the Longhorns in a stupor. Texas falls to 1-4 – TCU 33, Texas 23.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF (0-4) at Tulane (1-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNNews….
Florida International (2-2) at Massachusetts (0-3) – (C-USA vs. MAC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida State (3-0) at Wake Forest (2-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN….
Memphis (4-0) at South Florida (1-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2….

Dayton (3-0) at Stetson (1-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Morehead State (2-2) at Jacksonville U. (3-0) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Bethune-Cookman (3-1) at North Carolina Central (1-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida Tech (1-3) at Delta State (4-0) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida A&M (0-4) at Savannah State (0-3) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday….

Florida Atlantic (1-3) is off.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Alabama is an underdog this week for the first time in 73 games. Alabama hasn’t been an underdog since the 2009 SEC Championship game against Florida. The Tide won that game…. Oregon and BYU have scheduled a game to be played in Eugene in 2022.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but near the end of September as the college football season was about to move into its second month, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1940 was “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra

…70 years ago this week in 1945 was “Till The End Of Time” by Perry Como

…65 years ago this week in 1950 was “Goodnight, Irene” by Gordon Jenkins and The Weavers

…60 years ago this week in 1955 was “Ain’t That A Shame” by Pat Boone

…55 years ago this week in 1960 was “My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own” by Connie Francis

…50 years ago this week in 1965 was “Eve Of Destruction” by Barry McGuire

…45 years ago this week in 1970 was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross

…40 years ago this week in 1975 was “Fame” by David Bowie

…35 years ago this week in 1980 was “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen

…30 years ago this week in 1985 was “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits

…25 years ago this week in 1990 was “(Can’t Live Without Your) Love And Affection” by Nelson


Not exactly college football related, but there was one passing of note last week – Yogi Berra.

Yogi Berra, one of baseball’s greatest catchers and characters, who as a player was a member of 10 New York Yankees championship teams and as a manager led both the Yankees and New York Mets to the World Series, died last week. He was 90. Berra’s Yankees teams won the American League pennant 14 of 17 years. No other player has been a champion so often. Lawrence Peter Berra was born on May 12, 1925, in St. Louis. His neighborhood also fostered the baseball career of his boyhood friend Joe Garagiola. Berra’s baseball career began in 1943 with the Norfolk Tars of the Class B Piedmont League. After one season, he entered the U.S. Navy, during World War II. Following his discharge in 1946, Berra joined the Newark Bears, a Yankees farm team.