College Football Week 10 – Frank Beamer, Norm Chow are the latest
Where was the Duke band?

Where was the trombone player?

Reminiscent of the 1982 California-Stanford game, when Cal won the game on a crazy, multi-lateral kickoff return as time expired, Miami beat Duke Saturday night in similar fashion.

Or did they?

In 1982, Stanford kicked a field goal with 4 seconds left on the clock to go ahead of Cal, 20-19.

Saturday night, Duke’s Thomas Sirk scored on a quarterback sneak from the one with six seconds left on the clock to give the Blue Devils a one-point lead over Miami. Following the two-point conversion, Duke led the Canes, 27-24.

On the ensuing kickoff in 1982, California took the ball and proceeded to return it down the field, executing five laterals along the way. Meanwhile, the Stanford band, thinking the game was over, had formed in the end zone and began marching onto the field.

After the fifth lateral, the last Cal player with the ball carried it into the end zone, weaving in and out of Stanford band members along the way. Finally in the end zone, the Cal player slammed into a Stanford trombone player, knocking him to the ground. Cal won 25-20.

On the ensuing kickoff Saturday night, Miami took the ball on its 25, but lost ground as it lateraled the ball to keep it alive. Finally, on the eighth lateral, the Canes’ Corn Elder took the ball on the Miami eight-yard line and ran it 92 yards for the touchdown.
Miami won 30-27.

But when Elder approached the Duke end zone, there were no Duke band members to be dodged. Nor was there a trombone player in the end zone to be knocked to the ground.

In 1982, there were no flags thrown during Cal’s kickoff return for the touchdown. However, it wasn’t without controversy. Some felt that two of the five laterals were illegal, and some believed that a Cal player’s knee touched the ground while he was in possession of the ball. But there was no replay review in 1982. Additionally, video in 1982 wasn’t as detailed and sophisticated as it is today, nor was it as plentiful.

Saturday, during the kickoff return, a flag was thrown for an illegal block in the back. The touchdown was put on hold. Duke still led 27-24. Following a nine-minute review by the replay officials in the booth, the block in the back penalty was reversed.

But, replay officials were also reviewing a possible downing of the ball. When Miami’s Mark Walton possessed the ball during the kickoff return, he was tackled and, before he lateraled, his knee touched the ground while the ball was still in his hand.

However, the replay officials ruled that Walton had lateraled the ball before his knee touched the ground. Touchdown good. Miami wins 30-27.

In 1982, there was no suspension of the referees/officials, following the Cal-Stanford game. Nor was there a call for their suspension.

Yesterday, ACC commissioner John Swofford announced that the on-field crew and replay officials who worked the Miami-Duke game have been suspended for two games.

Some penalty. Personally, I would have suspended the officials for the rest of the season. In addition to the block in the back call that was reversed, I saw at least three other blatant blocks in the back that weren’t called during the play.

In what was supposed to be a mild and quiet weekend before the crush of madness in November, Saturday turned out to be a pretty wild and crazy day. But we should have expected it. After all, it was Halloween. Along with the Miami-Duke affair, there were a number of other haunting games.

If anything, we were forewarned of what was to come on Thursday night. That is if any of you East coasters stayed up late enough. Oregon at Arizona State was a late start East coast time – around 10:30 p.m. ET. But it was worth staying up for. The game was very entertaining.

Oregon beat Arizona State, 61-55 in three overtimes. With 12 seconds to go in regulation, the Sun Devils led the Ducks, 41-34. Oregon had the ball 4th-and-goal on the Arizona State 8-yard line. Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams took the snap. He went back to pass, but was chased out of the pocket. Adams scampered over towards the sideline. As time expired, he tossed a desperation pass into the back of the end zone.

Oregon receiver Dwayne Stanford jumped up, grabbed the ball out of the air and fell back to the ground with his butt landing in the end zone just inside of the back line. After the PAT, the score was tied 41-41 and the teams were into overtime. Three overtimes later, Oregon won.

Early Saturday kickoffs, there was nothing wild or unusual about Florida State’s 45-21 thumping of Syracuse. But I was taken back when, with only 6:08 left in the game, the Noles lined up to kick a 35-yard field goal. After the Georgia Tech debacle last week, I didn’t think FSU would be attempting any more late-game field goals. But I guess when you are winning, 42-14, it really doesn’t matter.

But speaking of Georgia Tech, the poor Yellow Jackets still must have been hung over from their big win over Florida State. How else would you explain Georgia Tech’s 27-21 loss to hapless Virginia, 27-21? Florida State may end up being the only ACC game the Yellow Jackets win all season.

And speaking of not winning a conference game all season, that’s what I had Purdue pegged for. That is until Saturday. Would you believe the Boilermakers beat Nebraska? They did and they beat the Huskers pretty good too – 55-45.

But the Boilers had to hang on for dear life to do it. At the end of the third quarter, Purdue led Nebraska, 42-16. Then the Huskers came alive and scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was pretty wild.

And talk about pretty wild, well, that’s the way it was in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday. In the highest point total game of the season, Oklahoma State beat Texas Tech, 70-53. But early in the second quarter, the Red Raiders led the Cowboys, 31-14. Then it got wild.

And what’s all this talk about Vanderbilt having a good defense this season. Hey, I believed it too. Until Saturday, that is. Houston beat the Commodores, 34-0. Actually, Vandy’s defense is good against the run. It’s not that good against the pass.

Sometimes it’s good to fire your offensive coordinator. Maybe it should happen more often. Early last week, Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads fired his offensive coordinator – Mark Mangino. Saturday, the Cyclones beat Texas, 24-0.

Then there was Michigan at Minnesota. Talk about clock management, it could not have been mismanaged more poorly than Minnesota mismanaged it Saturday night. Trailing Michigan 29-26, the Gophers had a first down on the Michigan one with 19 seconds left in the game. Minnesota also had one timeout left.

Now I would have executed a running play on first down. If no score, then I immediately would call time out and still have time for two passing plays. Minnesota called a passing play on first down and wasted 17 seconds executing the play. It was an incomplete pass. With only two seconds left, the Gophers tried a quarterback sneak which didn’t come close. Game over. The Wolverines lucked out. I guess after the loss to Michigan State, the Michigan deserved some luck.

In the Game of the Week, Notre Dame played Temple in Philadelphia. Most everyone expected the Irish to crush the Owls. Oh, it might be close in the first half, they said. But Notre Dame will run away from Temple in the second half.

Well, here it was fourth quarter and Temple was still in the game. In fact, the Owls were winning, 20-17, with less than three minutes to go in the game. But Notre Dame scored a touchdown with 2:09 on the clock. The Irish won 24-20. Still, Temple fans have to feel good about the way the Owls played.

Saturday night’s climax was like Thursday night’s climax – another late, late game for East coasters. The Stanford-Washington State game began at 10:30 p.m. ET. It was worth staying up for.

Wazzu was getting the best of Stanford with its passing game. The Cougars led 15-3 early in the third quarter, and 22-10 late in the third. Then it got interesting. Stanford rallied and took a 27-22 lead early in the fourth quarter. Halfway through the quarter, Wazzu retook the lead at 28-27. With 1:54 on the clock, Stanford went back up 30-28. As time expired, the Cougars missed a 43-yard field goal attempt. Stanford won, 30-28. And it rained throughout the game.

With Temple suffering its first loss, we’re down to 11 undefeated teams: Clemson (8-0), Baylor (7-0), Oklahoma State (8-0) TCU (8-0), Iowa (8-0) Michigan State (8-0), Ohio State (8-0) and LSU (7-0) from the Power 5, and Houston (8-0), Memphis (8-0) and Toledo (7-0) from the Group of 5.

Then there are the 12 one-loss teams who are still contenders for big things: Florida State (7-1), North Carolina (7-1), Oklahoma (7-1), Notre Dame (7-1), Stanford (7-1), Utah (7-1) Alabama (7-1) and Florida (7-1) from the Power 5, and Navy (6-1), Temple (7-1), Marshall (8-1) and Appalachian State (7-1) from the Group of 5. Duke and Pitt fell from this list on Saturday.

The first College Football Playoff poll of the 2015 season will be released at 7 p.m. ET, Tuesday night on ESPN.

Three more schools will be looking for new head coaches. Early last week Minnesota’s Jerry Kill announced his immediate retirement from coaching due to medical reasons. Watching his presser was a tear jerker. Then just yesterday, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer announced he is retiring at the end of the season. It will be hard to think of the Hokies without Beamer. Also yesterday, Hawaii fired Norm Chow. An interim coach will lead the Warriors for the remainder of the season. There are now 10 schools seeking a head coach. Stay tuned!

Former Miami (Florida), Cleveland Browns and North Carolina coach Butch Davis made it known last week that he would love to be the Miami coach again. He said he’d love to have that job. Problem is I don’t think Miami would love to have Davis as its coach again.

Last week, I reported that Florida coach Jim McElwain put out an SOS for a new backup kicker after the Gators first team kicker suffered a season-ending injury in the LSU game. More than 200 students responded to the SOS. After boiling it down to a few candidates in tryouts, Neil MacInnes, a senior at Florida was selected as the new backup kicker.

MacInnes, 21, is studying to be a dental ceramist at Florida. He graduated from Chamberlain High School in Tampa, where he played soccer, ran on the school’s record-breaking 4x100 relay team, and kicked extra points and field goals for the football team. He kicked field goals of 48 and 43 yards in a high school all-star game. MacInnes drew interest from Harvard, both academically and athletically. And, oh yes, MacInnes was valedictorian of his high school class.

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I got together Friday night for a pep rally dinner prior to the Florida-Georgia game. This weekend, the four of us will be back in Gainesville for the Vanderbilt-Florida game. We’re not only looking forward to the game, but also to our stay at the Laurel Oak Inn.

Bulldog fans Russ and Sandy Grunewald and Betty Pappas watched the Florida-Georgia game with Swamp Mama and me. We made it through the entire game without any fights.

Saturday night was Halloween. I was handing out candy, while I was watching football games. Unfortunately, the doorbell never rang when a commercial was on.

But I was reminded this year of a Halloween night about 12 years ago. I was home alone. Swamp Mama went to Bunco or something and left me at home to handle the trick or treaters.

She didn’t leave me with very much candy either and we had a record turnout that night. I ran out of candy and the doorbell kept ringing. I didn’t know what to do. For a while, I found all the change lying around the house and started handing out coins and dollar bills.

The doorbell kept ringing. Heck, they were probably coming back to the house for more money. Then I ran out of money. I started giving out oranges, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, lemons, bell peppers, onions. I was getting desperate.

The doorbell kept ringing. Surely they weren’t coming back for fruit and veggies. Now I was out of fruit and veggies. I finished off the evening giving out cans of soup, beans, diced tomatoes. I was more than desperate. When Swamp Mama came home she had no pity for me.

And speaking of Swamp Mama, one morning last week she was sitting at the bar, reading the newspaper. I was watching “Morning Joe” on TV. All of a sudden Swamp Mama started laughing uncontrollably. She was laughing so hard she couldn’t talk. And she couldn’t stop laughing.

I said, “What’s so funny,”

She couldn’t tell me because she couldn’t stop laughing. She just held up the paper and pointed to a cartoon. It was the “Pickles” cartoon – an elderly retired couple. In the cartoon, the husband says to his wife:

“Do I come across as grumpy to you?”

His wife responded, “Honestly?”

He said, “Of course.”

She said, “Well, yes. At times you do come across as grumpy. Other times you come across as dopey.”

Swamp Mama is still laughing. She has a strange sense of humor.

Oh, and before I forget it: Washington & Lee 42, Statler and Waldorf….I mean….Emory & Henry 14.

Yeah, where was the Duke band? Where was the trombone player?

Touchdown Tom
November 2, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Irish cheese steak – Notre Dame 24, Temple 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 28, Temple 22). In spite of the score, Notre Dame dominated the game. The Irish had 467 total yards to 295 for Temple. Owls quarterback P.J. Walker only completed 43% of his passes. Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer was practically a one-man show for Notre Dame. Kizer passed for 299 yards and rushed for 143 yards. The loss was Temple’s first this season. Attendance in Philadelphia: 69,280

RUNNER UP: Spiked – North Carolina 26, Pitt 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 21, North Carolina 20). The Tar Heels jumped out to a 20-3 halftime lead and then held on to win. The teams were pretty evenly matched in passing and running. The Tar Heels won their seventh straight and remain undefeated in ACC play. Pitt suffered its second loss and its first in ACC play. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 43,049

REST OF THE BEST: It was elementary for Watson – Clemson 56, NC State 41 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 30, NC State 18). This was a close and exciting game until late in the third quarter when Clemson ran and passed away from NC State. Clemson had 623 total yards to 389 for the Wolfpack. Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson passed for 383 yards, including 5 touchdowns. Attendance in Raleigh: 57,600

Shootout – Oklahoma State 70, Texas Tech 53 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 35, Texas Tech 31). Early in the second quarter, Texas Tech led Okie State, 31-14. After that, the Pokes outscored the Raiders 56-22. The teams combined for 1,304 yards. Okie State improved to 8-0 on the season. Attendance in Lubbock: 54,872

Time is on my side – Florida 27, Georgia 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 23, Georgia 18). Florida couldn’t pass, but the Gators could run. Georgia couldn’t pass or run. Florida had 413 total yards to 223 for Georgia. The Gator defense held the Dawgs to only 69 yards rushing. Both quarterbacks completed less than 45% of their passes. Florida dominated the clock, possessing the ball for 37 minutes to 23 minutes for Georgia. Attendance in Jacksonville: 84,628

Out on a limb – Stanford 30, Washington State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 34, Washington State 26). Trailing Washington State 28-27, Stanford kicked a 19-yard field goal with 1:54 remaining in the game. The Trees held on, as Wazzu missed a 43-yard field goal attempt as time expired. The Cougars held a 15-3 lead early in the third quarter, but Stanford battled back. Wazzu only had 88 yards rushing, while Stanford only had 86 yards passing. Attendance in Pullman: 30,012

The Trevone Boykin Show – TCU 40, West Virginia 10 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 33, West Virginia 24). TCU had 616 total yards and Trevone Boykin was responsible for 472 of it – 388 yards passing and 84 yards rushing. Boykin is definitely the No. 2 man for the Heisman at this point and could surpass Leonard Fournette before it’s over. WVU is 0-4 in Big 12 play. Attendance in Fort Worth: 45,947

Pacifist Eagle – Ole Miss 27, Auburn 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 26, Auburn 24). This game was tit-for-tat throughout, until Ole Miss went up by 8 points with 10:13 left on the clock and Auburn couldn’t counter. The Rebels had 558 total yards to 427 for the Tigers. Ole Miss quarterback Chip Kelly passed for 381 yards. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

1982 déjà vu – Miami (Florida) 30, Duke 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 29, Miami 20). Duke never led in the game until 0:06 left in the fourth quarter, when the Devils went ahead 27-24. However, Duke’s first (and only) lead was brief and short lived. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami returned it for a touchdown, a la California’s kickoff return against Stanford in 1982. Only Cal’s was a 5-lateral return. Miami’s was an 8-lateral return. And Miami’s return was not really a touchdown. There were several illegal blocks during the return, plus a Miami player’s knee was on the ground with the ball in his hand. But the corrupt ACC officials ruled it a touchdown. Attendance in Durham: 30,143

Roar – Penn State 39, Illinois 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 20, Illinois 15). The Banned Indians were about as banned as you can be. Illinois was limited to 167 total yards – only 37 yards rushing. Penn State had 400 total yards. Attendance in State College: 94,417

No honey for the Bears – USC 27, California 21 (Touchdown Tom said: California 34, USC 33). USC built up a 24-7 lead by early in the third quarter and then held on to win. Three turnovers – one fumble and two interceptions – hurt the Bears chances. The Trojans had no turnovers. USC quarterback Cody Kessler connected on 82% of his passes. Attendance in Berkeley: 50,060

Hickory, dickory dock – Michigan 29, Minnesota 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 32, Minnesota 17). The lead changed hands five times in this game. It could have changed six times, but Minnesota totally screwed up at the end of the game with the ball on the Michigan one, 19 seconds on the clock and one timeout remaining. It took 17 seconds for the Gophers to get off one play – a miserable and time consuming attempt of a pass. Minnesota had 461 total yards to 296 for Michigan. Attendance in Minneapolis: 50,709


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

The Ducks by a feather – Oregon 61, Arizona State 55 (3OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona State 30, Oregon 27). This game was a barn burner throughout. Oregon led 17-14 at the half and 34-31 at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, ASU tied the score at 34-34 with 12:41 on the clock and took the lead at 41-34 with 7:49 to go. But with a 4th-and-goal and 12 seconds on the clock, the Ducks scored on a wild pass play to put the game into overtime. Oregon finally pulled it out in the third overtime. The teams combined for 1,243 yards. Both quarterbacks passed for more than 300 yards. ASU had two backs rush for more than 100 yards – Demario Richard (135 yards) and Kalen Ballage (127 yards). The Sun Devils fall to 4-4 on the season. Attendance in Tempe: 56,534

Mush – Washington 49, Arizona 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 26, Arizona 24). Early in the first quarter, Arizona took a 3-0 lead. Then the Wildcats were never heard from again. Washington had 468 total yards to 330 for Arizona. The Wildcats suffered four turnovers to none for the Huskies. Attendance in Seattle: 56,749


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

The Boilers were fired up – Purdue 55, Nebraska 45 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 38, Purdue 23). At the end of the third quarter, Purdue led 42-16. Then Nebraska scored 29 points in the fourth quarter. But it was too little too late. The Boilers added 13 points in the fourth. The Boilers held the Huskers to 77 yards rushing. But Nebraska countered with 407 yards passing. Five turnovers (four interceptions) hurt the Huskers. Purdue was turnover free. Attendance in West Lafayette: 31,351

Beefless in Ames – Iowa State 24, Texas 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, Iowa State 17). The Cyclones totally dominated the Longhorns. Iowa State had 28 first downs to 11 for Texas. The Cyclones had 426 total yards to 204 for the Horns. Texas was held to 85 yards passing. Iowa State beat Texas for only the second time – the first victory over the Horns in Ames. Attendance in Ames: 53,616


Week 9 Picks: 10 correct, 6 wrong (62.5%)
On The Season: 108 correct, 44 wrong (71.1%)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Navy 29, South Florida 17 – Attendance in Annapolis: 26,766
Florida Atlantic 31, Florida International 17 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 16,432
Florida State 45, Syracuse 21 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 67,630
Cincinnati 52, UCF 7 – Attendance in Cincinnati: 30,131

San Diego 47, Stetson 16 – Attendance in Deland: 2,444
Dayton 31, Jacksonville U. 14 – Attendance in Dayton: 2,275
Bethune-Cookman 49, Delaware State 21 – Attendance in Dover: 1,283
North Carolina A&T 28, Florida A&M 10 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 10,279
Florida Tech 28, Shorter 24 – Attendance in Melbourne: 2,829


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Marshall’s Chase Litton – 33-48-0 for 386 yards; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 38-55-2-480; Boise State’s Brett Rypien – 35-52-0-469; Arizona State’s Mike Bercovici – 32-53-2-398; Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 23-43-1-390; TCU’s Trevone Boykin – 32-47-0-388; Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 27-32-0-383; Clemson’s Deshaun Watson – 23-30-0-383, and Ole Miss’ Chip Kelly – 33-51-2-381.

Also, UNLV’s Blake Decker – 29-50-2 for 357 yards; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 35-61-2-354; Florida State’s Sean Maguire – 23-35-0-348; Memphis’ Paxton Lynch – 26-42-0-343; Louisiana Tech’s Jeff Driskel – 17-26-0-320; Cincinnati’s Gunner Kiel – 15-15-0-319; Oregon’s Vernon Adams – 23-40-1-315; Colorado’s Sefo Liufau – 37-57-2-312; Idaho’s Matt Linehan – 25-41-2-307, and New Mexico State’s Andrew Allen – 22-38-1-300.


Impressive Rushers:

New Mexico State’s Larry Rose – 212 yards; Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 205 yards; Wyoming’s Brian Hill – 201 yards; Idaho’s Elijhaa Penny – 192 yards; Western Kentucky’s Anthony Wales – 185 yards; Connecticut’s Arkeel Newsome – 179 yards, and Utah State’s Devante Mays – 176 yards.

Also, Arkansas’ Alex Collins – 173 yards; Clemson’s Wayne Gallman – 172 yards; Florida State’s Jacques Patrick – 162 yards; Georgia Southern’s Wesley Fields – 158 yards; Iowa State’s Mike Warren – 157 yards, and Texas A&M’s Kyler Murray – 156 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“You have to be desperate to want that job,” Paul Finebaum, on the Miami opening.

“The quality of our officiating program is of the highest importance to the league and its schools, and the last play of the game was not handled appropriately,” ACC commissioner John Swofford, on suspending the on-field and replay officiating crews that called the Miami-Duke game.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. TCU (8-0) at Oklahoma State (8-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Something has to give when these two undefeated teams collide Saturday. It’s the only game this weekend matching two unbeaten teams. TCU relies on the passing and running of its quarterback – Trevone Boykin – and on the play of its defense. Okie State relies on its offense outscoring what its defense gives. But the Cowboys can be explosive – explosively good or explosively bad, sometimes both in the same game. The Frogs have legs and they know how to use them – TCU 37, Oklahoma State 35.

RUNNER UP: 2. Florida State (7-1) at Clemson (8-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – This is one of three games this weekend, matching an undefeated team against a one-loss team. The undefeated team – Clemson – can lose and still be in contention. The one-loss team – Florida State – can’t afford to lose. The Noles hope to have Everett Golson and Dalvin Cook back in good shape. However, Sean Maguire and Jacques Patrick looked pretty good in the Syracuse game. The Tigers have their work cut out for them. But so do the Noles. The Tigers play stomp ‘em the Wampum – Clemson 26, Florida State 23.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. LSU (7-0) at Alabama (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – If LSU wins, Alabama not only won’t make the playoffs, but also the Tide won’t win the SEC West, which means they won’t play for the SEC championship. A Tide loss would be the second conference loss for Alabama, while an LSU win would move the Tigers to 5-0 in the conference. There’s no way LSU is going to lose all three of its remaining conference games. If Alabama wins, the Tide needs Ole Miss to lose. Ironically, if the Tide wins, LSU could still win the SEC and make the playoffs. Again, Ole Miss is the key. So there is a lot hanging on this game as there usually is, including the Heisman race between Leonard Fournette and Derrick Henry. Alabama hasn’t played well at home this season. LSU 27, Alabama 26.

4. Navy (6-1) at Memphis (8-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Memphis better stiffen its run defense for its encounter against Navy. So far the Tigers have held up against the passing of Bowling Green, Cincinnati and Ole Miss. But Navy will come at the Tigers on the ground. The Middies are relentless. Both teams rely heavily on the play of their quarterbacks, but for different reasons. Memphis depends on the passing of Paxton Lynch and Navy depends on the running of Keenan Reynolds. The Tigers give the Middies the blues – Memphis 30, Navy 29.

5. Duke (6-2) at North Carolina (7-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – This should be two 7-1 teams going at each other. But last week, the refs made sure Duke had two losses. That should be enough to fire up the Dookies. But then again, it may have taken the wind out of their sails. The Tar Heels are riding high on a seven-game winning streak. Make that an eight-game winning streak – North Carolina 24, Duke 21.

6. Notre Dame (7-1) at Pitt (6-2) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – The Irish move from eastern Pennsylvania to western Pennsylvania – last week Temple; this week Pitt. The Panthers may be the easier of the two. Temple was fired up. Pitt may be fired down, following the loss to North Carolina. But the Irish can’t afford to lose, if they want to stay in contention for a playoff spot. The Panthers get Blarney stoned – Notre Dame 30, Pitt 19.

7. Cincinnati (5-3) at Houston (8-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Houston has an encounter next week against Memphis. But first, the Cougars need to get by Cincinnati. Memphis barely did. The Bearcats have a shaky defense, but their offense can be dangerous, especially if Gunner Kiel is on target. And he usually is. The Bearcats could catch the Cougars looking ahead. But they don’t – Houston 35, Cincinnati 26.

8. Penn State (7-2) at Northwestern (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU – When these two teams are good, they are really, really good. But when the Lions and Cats are bad, they are really, really bad. This boils down to whose bad and whose good shows up. If both teams show up good, it could be interesting – really interesting. If both teams show up bad, it could be interesting too – really interesting. Good or bad, it’s interesting for the Cats – Northwestern 20, Penn State 19.

9. Northern Illinois (5-3) at Toledo (7-0) – (MAC vs. MAC) – 8 pm ET, Tuesday, ESPN2 – Toledo is riding high, sitting in the Top 25. But it’s always this time of the year when some of those MAC contests get interesting. NIU is no power house this year, but the Huskies are no push over either. The home field helps the Rockets. Look for a red glare – Toledo 29, Northern Illinois 21.

10. Arkansas State (5-3) at Appalachian State (7-1) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPNU – Appy State got a scare form Troy last week. The Little Eers were probably looking ahead to Ark State. Likewise, the Red Wolves got a scare from Georgia State. Ark State was probably looking ahead to Appy State. This has the makings of a good one. And it is Appy State’s last real test of the season. Win here and the Little Eers are likely to finish 11-1. The Little Eers make the Red Wolves gray – Appalachian State 33, Arkansas State 30.

11. Utah (7-1) at Washington (4-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Washington is an improving team. The Huskies have been getting better. Utah can’t afford to lose. The Utes are still on track for good things to happen. But they do have to get by the Huskies. It won’t be easy. The Ute gives the Huskies the boot – Utah 18, Washington 16.

12. Ohio (5-3) at Bowling Green (6-2) – (MAC vs. MAC) – 8 pm ET, Wednesday, ESPN2 – Ohio began the season hot. The Bobcats won 5 of their first six games. Then Ohio dropped two straight. BG has always been hot. The Falcons two losses were to Tennessee and to Memphis. The Memphis loss was by 3 points. BG has one of the country’s best quarterbacks in Matt Johnson. He is first in the country in passing yards with 3,321 and first in passing touchdowns with 29. The Falcons are 4-0 in MAC play while the Bobcats are 2-2. A loss hurts Ohio more than its hurts BG. The Bobcats get hurt – Bowling Green 33, Ohio 19.


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. California (5-3) at Oregon (5-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – After stumbling for a while, the Ducks seem to have found their web feet. They can at least score. The defense is still so-so. After starting the season 5-0, the Bears have dropped three straight. Make it four straight – Oregon 37, California 30.

14. Auburn (4-4) at Texas A&M (6-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Auburn is definitely a disappointment. Some would say that A&M is a disappointment too. The Tigers are still trying to find themselves on offense. And their defense has been wobbly. The Aggies started out 5-0, before losing two straight. They bounced back last week, but they are still a bit of a mystery. The Aggies may be a mystery, but the Tigers are clueless – Texas A&M 29, Auburn 18.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Texas Tech (5-4) at West Virginia (3-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – Okay, WVU has been through the hard part of the Big 12 – Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and TCU. Now the Mountaineers are about to begin the easy part, if there is anything easy for WVU. Texas Tech passes like crazy. The Eers weakness is their pass defense. This one could be a score-a-thon. For the Raiders, it’s a scare-a-thon – West Virginia 34, Texas Tech 31.

Vanderbilt (3-5) at Florida (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Look for the let down after the win over Georgia. After all, how can you get up for Vandy? I thought Vandy had a good defense until Houston beat them 34-0 last week. But Houston is a passing team. Vandy defends the run. Let’s see, with Treon Harris, the Gators are a running team and not a passing team. And the Gators could be overlooking the Commodores. Sounds like trouble to me. Albert loves trouble – Florida 28, Vanderbilt 9.

Michigan State (8-0) at Nebraska (3-6) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – How can you explain Nebraska? Well, the defense is bad, there is no running game and the quarterbacks throw interceptions. And when was the last time Nebraska was 3-6. I don’t know. It may have been before I was born. They were 4-6 at one point in 2007. But you may have to go back to the late 1950s or early 1960s to find a 3-6 or worse. I guess I was born. It doesn’t look good for the Huskers with the Spartans coming to town. Hey, anything can happen. The Spartans almost lost to Purdue. But almost losing to Purdue is different than losing to Purdue – Michigan State 26, Nebraska 18.

Kentucky (4-4) at Georgia (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – These two teams have a lot in common. Both have lost three of their last four games. One of them will get out of the funk this week. Both are trying to find an offense, while their defenses are struggling. Uga gets his groove back – Georgia 26, Kentucky 15.

Illinois (4-4) at Purdue (2-6) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – There was a time I didn’t think I would be picking the Boilers to win a single Big Ten game this season. Then, low and behold, the Boilers up and beat Nebraska. So how can I not pick Purdue to beat the Banned Indians? After all, the Indians are not only banned, they are bad – badder than the Boilers. The Banned Indians need a band aid – Purdue 33, Illinois 20.

Kansas (0-8) at Texas (3-5) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, LHN – If Charlie Strong loses to the Jayhawks, he is toast. Not to worry, nobody losses to the Jayhawks – Texas 33, Kansas 17.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF (0-9) at Tulsa (4-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNNEWS….
Florida Atlantic (2-6) at Western Kentucky (7-2) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FSN….
Virginia (3-5) at Miami (5-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN/FSN….
South Florida (4-4) at East Carolina (4-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN….
Charlotte (2-6) at FIU (4-5) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ASN….

Stetson (2-6) at Marist (4-4) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Davidson (1-7) at Jacksonville U. (6-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida A&M (1-7) at Hampton (4-5) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
West Georgia (9-0) at Florida Tech (6-3) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Morgan State (3-4) at Bethune-Cookman (7-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . USC announced plans last week for extensive renovations to the Los Angeles Coliseum. The home field of the Trojans will undergo a $270 million face-lift…. Also at USC, athletic director Pat Haden is stepping down from his position on the College Football Playoff selection committee, citing health reasons. Haden has been one of the 13 members on the committee. This is the second year a committee member has resigned due to health reasons. Last year, Archie Manning resigned prior to the first meeting, also due to health reasons.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but there were four passings of note last week – Jimmy Roberts, Al Molinaro, Mel Daniels and Fred Thompson,

Jimmy Roberts, a five-time Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens and an original member of the St. Louis Blues who went on to coach the Buffalo Sabres and the Hartford Whalers, died last week. He was 75. Roberts was born on April 5, 1940, in Toronto, Ontario.

Al Molinaro, the character actor who was known for playing Al Delvecchio, the diner owner on the long-running sitcom “Happy Days,” died last week in Glendale, California. He was 96. He was a regular cast member in seasons 4 through 9 of “Happy Days,” which was broadcast on ABC from 1974 to 1984. Molinaro left the show to reprise his role in the short-lived spinoff “Joanie Loves Chachi” (1982-1983). He reappeared on “Happy Days” toward the end of its run. Molinaro previously played the policeman Murray Greshler on “The Odd Couple,” starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, broadcast on ABC from 1970 to 1975. In later years, he appeared in a spate of television commercials. Albert Francis Molinaro was born on June 24, 1919, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In the 1960s and 1970s, he had guest appearances on “Get Smart,” “Green Acres,” “That Girl” and “Bewitched.” After “Happy Days” ended, Molinaro and Anson Williams, who played Potsie on the show, were partners in Big Al’s, a chain of diners in the Midwest. He came out of retirement to appear in “The Family Man,” a sitcom on CBS in the 1990-1991 season.

Mel Daniels, the Hall of Fame center who helped the Indiana Pacers win three American Basketball Association titles, died last week. He was 71. Daniels was twice the ABA’s MVP. He played college basketball at New Mexico and began his ABA career as a rookie in 1967-68 with the Minnesota Muskies. Daniels was named the ABA’s Rookie of the Year that season. He had eight seasons in the ABA with Minnesota, Indiana and Memphis. Daniels grew up in Detroit.

Fred Thompson, a former United States senator, actor and presidential candidate, died yesterday in Nashville. He was 73. Thompson had an unusual career that bridged the worlds of national politics and mass-market entertainment. He served nine years in the Senate, where he served on the Senate Watergate Committee, and ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. He was also a regular cast member on the NBC drama “Law & Order.” Thompson, 6-foot-6 with a booming voice and folksy demeanor, appeared in 20 motion pictures, including “In the Line of Fire,” “The Hunt for Red October” and “Cape Fear.” Fred Thompson was born on August 19, 1942, in Sheffield, Alabama. He grew up in the town of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.