College Football Week 14 – Richt goes; Miles stays
You can book Alabama and Oklahoma,
but hold your horses on the other two

Thanksgiving week never lacks for excitement. This year was no exception. Clemson barely held onto its playoff hopes, while Notre Dame’s playoff hopes went down the drain as time expired. In Baton Rouge, Les Miles job was hanging in the balance.

Two of the playoff spots were settled, while the possibilities for the other two spots remain open. Conference division titles were settled. The coaching carousel continued to spin, as more coaches were fired, while some new coaches were named. And Will Muschamp blew a gasket during the Alabama-Auburn game.

Turkey Week began with more movement from the coaching carousel. Syracuse announced the firing of third-year coach Scott Shafer, effective after the Orange’s last game against Boston College.

There was plenty of excitement in that game, as Syracuse beat BC, 20-17, on a 35-yard field goal as time expired. Shafer finished 15-22 at Syracuse. The Orange were 4-8 this season, 2-6 in ACC play. 

The week also began with news that, in all likelihood, LSU coach Les Miles would be fired at the end of the week, if not sooner. News reports said the decision to fire Miles was a done deal and it was only a matter of time before the announcement would be made.  

Early in the week, even the Mighty MAC – the Mid-American Conference – got into the excitement of Turkey Week. On Tuesday night, all Northern Illinois had to do was beat Ohio to claim the MAC West title and a spot in the conference championship game. But NIU was upset by Ohio, 26-21.

NIU’s loss left the door open for Toledo to win the MAC West title on Friday. But first, Toledo had to beat Western Michigan. However, WMU upset Toledo, 35-30. Toledo’s loss enabled Northern Illinois to win the MAC West after all. NIU will face Bowling Green for the MAC championship this week.

Thanksgiving Day saw UCF finish its season without a victory. The Knights lost to South Florida, 44-3, and ended its dismal season at 0-12. The win for South Florida kept the Bulls in the running for the AAC East title, pending the outcome of Saturday’s game between Connecticut and Temple.

Meanwhile, out in Austin, Texas Tech added to Charlie Strong’s woes. The Red Raiders beat Texas, in a thriller, 48-45.

Iowa completed its Cinderella season on Friday. The Hawkeyes took advantage of four interceptions by Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong, and held on to beat the Huskers, 28-20. The Hawkeyes finished their season at 12-0.

Miami (Florida) knocked off Pitt, 29-24, to finish at 8-4. Maybe the Hurricanes should have fired Al Golden earlier than they did. Miami finished 4-1 after Golden was terminated.  Houston sewed up the AAC West Division title with a 52-31 win over Navy, and Western Kentucky took the Conference USA East title, beating Marshall, 49-28.

Out West, Washington burst Washington State’s bubble. The Huskies handed the Cougars their first loss in four games. Washington won 45-10. And in the rain, in Fort Worth, on Friday night, TCU upset Baylor, 28-21, in two overtimes. The loss was Baylor’s second and eliminated any possibility the Bears had of winning the Big 12.

In the annual season-ending battle between the ACC and the SEC on Saturday, the ACC went 3-1. Louisville rallied to beat Kentucky, 38-24. Florida State all but shutout Florida, 27-2. In the most interesting and exciting of the four games, heavily favored Clemson just barely kept its playoff hopes alive. After jumping out to a 28-10 third quarter lead, the Tigers held on to top South Carolina, 37-32 – the same South Carolina that lost to The Citadel last week.

Georgia was the only team to come through the for the SEC. The Dawgs held off Georgia Tech, beating the Yellow Jackets, 13-7.

Southern Miss grabbed the C-USA West title, downing Louisiana Tech, 58-24. On the losing side, former Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel threw three interceptions in the game. The game ended Driskel’s sad and disappointing career in college football, one that was once so promising.

Indiana ended Purdue’s dismal season, with a 54-36 win over the Boilers. It marked the Hoosiers third-straight win over Purdue – the first time that has happened since the 1940s when Indiana beat Purdue four-straight years, 1944 to 1947.

Retiring Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer ended the regular season with a win and became bowl eligible as a result. The Hokies beat Virginia, 23-20. West Virginia won its fourth-straight game. The Mountaineers downed Iowa State, 30-6. The game was the last one for Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads who had been fired the previous weekend.

After the media said that Ohio State was dysfunctional, following the team’s loss to Michigan State the previous week, the Buckeyes came out this week and proved the media wrong. Ohio State easily beat arch rival Michigan, 42-13. And Ezekiel Elliott wasn’t unhappy with the play calling against the Wolverines. Elliott carried the ball 30 times for 214 yards.

The win kept the Buckeyes hopes alive for the Big Ten East title, pending the outcome of the Penn State-Michigan State game. Well, those hopes were short-lived. Michigan State blasted Penn State, 55-16, to win the Big Ten East crown.

Alabama secured its spot in the SEC championship game and, in all likelihood, the playoffs, with a 29-13 victory over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. The most interesting and exciting part of the game was when Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp went into a wild rage, like a mad dog, on the sideline. Well, he is a Dawg.  

Auburn was flagged with a 15-yard penalty for a late, out-of-bounds hit on Alabama quarterback Jake Coker.  That’s when Muschamp lost it.  Muschamp made it a 30-yard yard infraction with his foul-mouthed, gasket-blowing performance.

Shortly afterward, Muschamp had another meltdown, going after an official on the field. Two Auburn assistant coaches had to intervene and physically restrain Muschamp. Who knows? Muschamp’s antics may have cost Auburn the game. I’m sure it cost him the chance of a head coaching job at another school. 

During the game, Muschamp’s defense gave up 465 yards to Alabama.  For the season, Auburn’s defense was 88th in the country in total yards allowed (422 per game), 77th in passing yards allowed (233 per game), 90th in rushing yards allowed (190 per game) and 68th in points allowed (28 per game). No wonder Muschamp had a meltdown.

North Carolina prepped for its ACC title encounter with Clemson, by beating NC State, 45-34. Northwestern capped an outstanding season, beating Illinois, 21-14. The Wildcats finished their season at 10-2.

Out West, USC claimed the Pac-12 South Division crown, beating arch rival UCLA, 40-21. Tennessee finished the season at 8-4, beating Vanderbilt, 53-28. And South Florida’s hopes were diminished as Temple beat Connecticut, 27-3. The victory gave the AAC East title to the Owls.

In the Egg Bowl, Ole Miss downed Mississippi State, 38-27. If it wasn’t for that wild and crazy game-ending 53-52 loss to Arkansas, Ole Miss would have won the SEC West and be playing in Atlanta this week.

LSU beat Texas A&M, 19-7. The win saved Les Miles’ job. Although it appeared certain that Miles was a gonner regardless of the score, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva announced that Miles would remain as LSU’s coach.

Going into the Stanford game on Saturday, Notre Dame’s playoff hopes were still very much alive. But Stanford put an end to those hopes. The Cardinal kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired and Stanford beat Notre Dame 38-36. Conversely, Oklahoma secured its spot in the playoffs as the Sooners downed Oklahoma State, 58-23.

The weekend came to an end with three games out West. California won a thriller over Arizona State, 48-46. Cal’s Jared Goff passed for 542 yards. In the Mountain West, New Mexico beat Air Force, 47-35, and San Diego State downed Nevada, 31-14.

So, after all was said and done over the weekend, four teams finished the season with perfect records. Clemson and Iowa both finished undefeated, each at 12-0. While Kansas and UCF finished the season perfectly winless, each at 0-12.

Five teams finished the season with just one loss – North Carolina (11-1), Oklahoma (11-1), Michigan State (11-1), Ohio State (11-1) and Alabama (11-1) from the Power 5, and Houston (11-1) from the Group of 5.

As far as the playoffs are concerned, you can go ahead and pencil in Oklahoma and Alabama. Oklahoma has no more games, and let’s face it, Alabama is not going to lose to Florida in the SEC championship game. Mark my word.

The remaining two spots most likely will go to Clemson and Michigan State. But that does assume that Clemson beats North Carolina in the ACC title game and that Michigan State beats Iowa in the Big Ten championship game. If the Spartans lose to Iowa, then the Hawkeyes will be in the playoffs. However, a North Carolina upset of Clemson would not boost the Tar Heels into the playoffs. Either Ohio State or Stanford would then be the fourth team in the playoffs. Stay tuned.

The coaching carousel was active Sunday, as a number of firings and hirings were announced. The most surprising of the firings was Georgia’s Mark Richt.  After 15 seasons in Athens, Richt will no longer be coaching the Bulldogs. While we were surprised that Les Miles retained his job, we were just as surprised that Mark Richt lost his.

As expected, Rutgers announced the firing of Kyle Flood. Flood was 27-24 in four seasons at Rutgers – 4-8 this season (1-7 in Big Ten play). Rutgers not only fired Flood, but also athletic director Julie Hermann.   

Also as expected, Virginia dumped Mike London. London was 27-46 in six years at Virginia. This season, the Cavaliers were 4-8 – 3-5 in ACC play.

Then a number of coaches fired their coordinators on Sunday. Penn State coach James Franklin fired his offensive coordinator John Donovan. Purdue coach Darrell Hazell, who just barely hung onto his own job, cleaned house, firing his offensive coordinator John Shoop, his defensive coordinator Greg Hudson and his defensive line coach Rubin Carter. Hazell is coming off his third-straight losing season at Purdue.

Still in the Big Ten, Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys fired his offensive coordinator Matt Limegrower and his passing game coordinator Jim Zebrowski.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech announced that Memphis coach Justin Fuente would be the new coach of the Hokies, replacing the retiring Frank Beamer. The Tech announcement also said that longtime Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster would be retained on Fuente’s staff.

Iowa State announced that Toledo coach Matt Campbell is the Cyclones new coach. And Illinois announced that interim coach Bill Cubit would become the Banned Indians fulltime coach.

Among the 13 schools yet to announce a new coach are Maryland, USC, South Carolina, UCF, Miami, Missouri, and now Syracuse, Georgia, Rutgers and Virginia. And the rumors are rampant. 

And in the strangest and craziest comment of the weekend, ESPN’s Mark May (and he was serious) said that Georgia should hire Mack Brown as its new coach. Yeah Mark and Lou Holtz should be Brown’s offensive coordinator and Lee Corso his defensive coordinator.

Meanwhile, Feleipe’ Franks, the No. 4 pocket passer in the country, has committed to Florida. The 6-foot-6, 219-pound quarterback from Wakulla High School in Crawfordville, Florida, had originally committed to LSU. But when Les Miles job became in jeopardy last week, Franks reneged on his commitment. Yesterday, the day after Florida only scored 2 points against Florida State, he committed to the Gators.

That’s a Thanksgiving Week wrap. Enjoy Championship Weekend.

Touchdown Tom
November 30, 2015
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com



Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: We’re in the playoffs – Oklahoma 58, Oklahoma State 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, Oklahoma State 31). An exciting first quarter, Oklahoma led at the end, 14-10, the Sooners left the Cowboys standing in their boots in the second quarter. That’s when OU outscored Okie State, 30-10, to take a 44-20 lead at halftime. The Sooners went on to outscore the Cowboys, 14-3, in the second half. OU won the contest on its running game. The Sooners rushed for 344 yards – Joe Mixon (136 yards) and Samaje Perine (131 yards). Okie State didn’t help themselves any with three turnovers. Attendance in Stillwater: 58,231

RUNNER UP: Sunk – Houston 52, Navy 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 31, Houston 29). Would you believe Navy passed for more yards than it rushed? Believe it. The Middies had 312 yards passing, 147 yards rushing. But Houston had 555 total yards – 218 rushing, 337 passing. Attendance in Houston: 40,562

REST OF THE BEST: Just to prove last week was a mistake – Ohio State 42, Michigan 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 24, Ohio State 20). A close first half, Ohio State led 14-10 at the break. The Buckeyes ran away from Michigan in the second half, outscoring the Wolverines, 28-3. Ohio State’s defense limited Michigan to 57 yards rushing. The Buckeyes Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 214 yards, and J.T. Barrett ran for another 139 yards, as the Buckeyes racked up 369 rushing yards on the Wolverines. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 111,829

It ain’t over till it’s over – Stanford 38, Notre Dame 36 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 26, Notre Dame 23). Stanford kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired to win the game. Notre Dame had 533 total yards to 422 for Stanford. But the Cardinals dominated time of possession 36 minutes to 24 minutes. The Irish were 3-for-9 (33%) on third-down efficiency. Attendance in Palo Alto: 51,424

Where were the FAU-game refs when you need them – Florida State 27, Florida 2 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 17, Florida State 14). Florida suffered from the same ole problems – no offensive line and no kicking game. And let’s face it, Treon Harris isn’t really that good of a quarterback. The Gators defense played admirably until late in the game when they wore down and Dalvin Cook had his way with them. With 6 minutes left in the game, FSU only led 13-2. Cook rushed for 186 yards. Florida’s Kelvin Taylor ran for 136 yards. Florida’s Attendance in Gainesville: 90,916

Toad over – TCU 28, Baylor 21 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 34, TCU 27). Would you believe Baylor only passing for 62 yards? Believe it. Tied 14-14 at the half, neither team scored in the second half. Baylor had five turnovers to two for TCU. Attendance in Fort Worth: 47,675

Doughty takes a Holliday – Western Kentucky 49, Marshall 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Kentucky 37, Marshall 24). WKU had 546 total yards to 273 for Marshall. The Hilltoppers had 31 first downs to 16 for the Herd. The WKU defense held Marshall to 31 yards rushing. The Hilltoppers Brandon Doughty passed for 370 yards, completing 69% of his passes. Attendance in Bowling Green: 17,687

How’s that, playoff committee? – Michigan State 55, Penn State 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 26, Penn State 19). Another close game at the half, Michigan State led 20-10. Then the Spartans outscored Penn State 35-6 in the second half. The Nittany Lions were hampered by four turnovers. Attendance in East Lansing: 74,705

The Tar Heels weeded out the Pack – North Carolina 45, NC State 34 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 40, NC State 30). North Carolina built up a 35-7 first quarter lead and then held on to win. Late in the third quarter, NC State cut the Tar Heels lead to 12 at 35-23. That was as close as State could come until they scored with 1:50 left in the game to pull within 11. The teams combined for 1,067 total yards. UNC’s Elijah Hood rushed for 220 yards, and T.J. Logan added another 100 yards rushing. The Heels won in spite of suffering three turnovers and letting the Wolf Pack dominate the clock – 36 minutes to 24 minutes. Attendance in Raleigh: 57,600

The Bears sack Dak – Ole Miss 38, Mississippi State 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 35, Ole Miss 34). Ole Miss won the first half, 28-3. Miss State won the second half, 24-10. But early in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs trailed the Black Bears, 38-13. Attendance in Starkville: 62,265

Oh Henry – Alabama 29, Auburn 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34, Auburn 17). For three quarters, Auburn kept it close. As the fourth quarter began, the Tigers trailed the Tide, 19-13. But then Bama outscored Auburn 10-0 in the fourth quarter. Alabama had 465 total yards to 260 for Auburn, and 24 first downs to 12 for Auburn. The Tide’s Derrick Henry rushed for 271 yards. The Tigers only had 91 yards rushing and were 3-for-15 (20%) in third-down efficiency. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

Bring on Western Kentucky – Southern Miss 58, Louisiana Tech 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisiana Tech 35, Southern Miss 30). This game was for the C-USA West Division title and Southern Miss took care of business. Louisiana Tech only rushed for 2 yards and suffered 7 turnovers. The Eagles Nick Mullens passed for 386 yards and Ito Smith rushed for 169 yards. The Bulldogs Jeff Driskel threw three interceptions. Attendance in Ruston: 19,028



….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

I’ll be back – LSU 19, Texas A&M 7 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Texas A&M 20). Midway through the third quarter, Texas A&M led, 7-6. Then the Tigers scored 14 unanswered points. LSU’s 244 yards rushing was the difference in the game. The Aggies only rushed for 89 yards and LSU only passed for 83 yards. Leonard Fournette rushed for 159 yards. Three turnovers hurt A&M’s cause. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 101,803

No grizzly in these Bears – USC 40, UCLA 21 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 34, USC 23). UCLA led throughout most of the first half, but trailed USC at the break, 20-14. The Bruins went back up 21-20 in the third quarter. Then the Trojans scored 20 unanswered points. The Bruins suffered three turnovers to none for the Trojans. USC’s Justin Davis rushed for 130 yards. Attendance in Los Angeles: 83,602


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Four straight – West Virginia 30, Iowa State 6 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 34, Iowa State 18). WVU’s defense limited Iowa State to two field goals – both in the second quarter. They also held the Cyclones to 93 yards rushing. Meanwhile, WVU’s offense racked up 415 total yards in a balanced attack of 213 yards rushing and 202 passing. The Mounties won their fourth-straight game. Attendance in Morgantown: 42,446

No Husk – Iowa 28, Nebraska 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Iowa 27). Iowa outscored Nebraska 14-10 in each half. The Huskers dominated the game – 22 first downs to 11 for Iowa; 433 total yards to only 250 by Iowa. Iowa was 0-for-9 on third down efficiency. But the Huskers Tommy Armstrong threw four interceptions. Attendance in Lincoln: 90,830

Finally – Duke 27 Wake Forest 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 25, Wake Forest 18). Late in the third quarter, the Dookies led 24-7. Then Wake rallied to outscore the Dookies 14-3 in the final 11 minutes of the game. The Deacons John Wolford passed for 338 yards. But the Deacons suffered three turnovers. The Devils won their first game since October 24. Attendance in Winston-Salem: 26,435

Uga had some good bug spray – Georgia 13, Georgia Tech 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 22, Georgia Tech 12). Georgia led 13-0 late in the fourth quarter. Georgia Tech finally scored with 3:24 left in the game. The Dawgs had 402 total yards to 276 for Tech. The Yellow Jackets suffered from three turnovers and a 2-for-13 (15%) third-down efficiency. Attendance in Atlanta: 55,000

Kliffed in Austin – Texas Tech 48, Texas 45 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 35, Texas 33). After a scoreless first quarter, Texas took a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter. But 28 seconds later, Texas Tech scored a touchdown and went up 7-3. The Red Raiders never trailed again until 7:54 left in the fourth quarter when the Longhorns went up 38-34. One minute and thirty-six seconds later, Tech retook the lead at 41-34 and held on to the lead for the rest of the game. The Red Raiders final touchdown, which put them up 48-38, came on a trick fumblerooski play that resulted in a 40-yard touchdown run. The teams combined for 1,132 total yards. Tech had a balanced attack, but the Longhorns had 403 yards rushing and only 64 passing. The Horns Chris Warren rushed for 276 yards. Attendance in Austin: 94,299

Maybe basketball season will be better for the Boilers – Indiana 54, Purdue 36 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 38, Purdue 29). The teams combined for 1,145 total yards. Indiana had a balanced attack – 309 yards rushing and 350 passing. Purdue’s attack was mostly passing – 336 yards. The Boilers attack also suffered four turnovers. Both quarterbacks passed for more than 330 yards. Indiana’s Devine Redding rushed for 144 yards. Attendance in West Lafayette: 37,152

Week 13 Picks:  12 correct, 8 wrong (60%)
On the Season:  153 correct, 77 wrong (66.5%)



ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA 

Miami 29, Pitt 24 – Attendance in Pittsburgh: 40,126
Florida Atlantic 33, Old Dominion 31 – Attendance in Norfolk: 20,118
South Florida 44, UCF 3 – Attendance in Orlando: 25,967



Superlatives

Impressive Passers: 

California’s Jared Goff – 30-51-0 for 542 yards; Arizona State’s Mike Bercovici – 27-43-0-395; Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush – 25-39-1-391; Southern Miss’ Nick Mullens – 24-37-1-386; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 22-39-1-372; Western Kentucky’s Brandon Doughty – 27-39-0-370, and Georgia State’s Nick Arbuckle – 29-41-0-368.

Also, Tulsa’s Dane Evans – 19-32-1 for 367 yards; Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten – 23-42-1-367; Oregon’s Vernon Adams – 28-38-0-366; Indiana’s Nate Sudfeld – 18-29-0-350; Rutgers’ Chris Laviano – 21-33-1-344; Tulane’s Jordy Joseph – 23-41-2-343, and Wake Forest’s John Wolford – 23-35-2-338.

Also, San Jose State’s Kenny Potter – 28-41-2 for 336 yards; Purdue’s Austin Appleby – 36-57-2-332; Oklahoma State’s J.W. Walsh – 25-42-1-325; East Carolina’s Blake Kemp – 33-50-0-315; Navy’s Keenan Reynolds – 13-16-1-312; Texas State’s Tyler Jones – 24-43-1-312; Idaho’s Matt Linehan – 21-31-0-309, and  Houston’s Greg Ward – 26-35-0-308.

Impressive Rushers: 

Texas’ Chris Warren – 276 yards; Alabama’s Derrick Henry – 271 yards; Massachusetts’ Marquis Young – 240 yards; Wyoming’s Brian Hill – 231 yards; North Carolina’s Elijah Hood – 220 yards; Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott – 214 yards, and Boise State’s Jeremy McNichols – 192 yards.

Also, Georgia Southern’s Matt Breida – 187 yards; Utah’s Joe Williams – 187 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 186 yards; Florida State’s Dalvin Cook – 183 yards; Oregon State’s Ryan Nall – 174 yards; Texas Tech’s DeAndre Washington – 173 yards, and Maryland’s Brandon Ross – 173 yards.

Northwestern’s Justin Jackson – 172 yards; New Mexico’s Jhurell Pressley – 170 yards; Texas State’s Tyler Siudzinski – 170 yards; Southern Miss’ Ito Smith – 169 yards; Notre Dame’s Josh Adams – 168 yards; Oregon’s Royce Freeman – 167 yards; Hawaii’s Paul Harris – 166 yards; LSU’s Leonard Fournette – 159 yards, and San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey – 154 yards.`



Quotes of the Week

“Rebels, Land Sharks, Black Bears – Ole Miss runs through mascots like they run through bad quarterbacks,” Mississippi State fan Stingray.

“I’ll slap the shit out of you,” Cam Newton to a heckler at the Alabama-Auburn game.

“And this is among the reasons you’d have to be a fool to hire Muschamp to be your head coach,” ESPN’s Bomani Jones, on Will Muschamp’s eruption during the Alabama-Auburn game.

“This season is complete and I want to make it very clear and positive that Les Miles is our football coach and will continue to be our football coach,” LSU athletic director Joe Alleva.

“LSU coach Les Miles deserves better than athletic director Joe Alleva’s ineptitude,” CBS Sports writer Dennis Dodd.

“I don’t know what the world is coming to,” Alabama coach Nick Saban, on hearing that Mark Richt was fired.



Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.…and then one

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Iowa (12-0) vs. Michigan State (11-1) – (Big Ten Championship: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Iowa’s undefeated although State played the tougher schedule. Interestingly, the Spartans one loss was to Nebraska in Lincoln, 39-38. The Hawkeyes beat Nebraska in Lincoln, 28-20. Iowa’s signature is its defense. The Hawkeyes are 6th in the country in rushing yards allowed (110 per game), 15th in the country in points allowed (18.7 per game), and 21st in the country in total yards allowed (331.7 per game). State is better on defense too, where the Spartans are 15th in rushing yards allowed (118.2 per game) and 23rd in points allowed (21.1 per game). So this could be a low scoring game.  The Hawkeyes miss their Mark – Michigan State 30, Iowa 23.

RUNNER UP:  2. Clemson (12-0) vs. North Carolina (11-1) – (ACC Championship: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Clemson played the tougher schedule – Notre Dame and Florida State – but against common opponents – NC State, Wake Forest and Miami (Florida) – both stacked up equally. The one exception is South Carolina. The Tar Heels one and only loss was to the Gamecocks, 17-13, in the first game of the season back on September 3. This past weekend, the Tigers beat the Gamecocks, 37-32. The Tar Heels have some strong points on offense and defense. On offense, UNC is 11th in points scored (41.2 per game), 16th in total yards (495.7 per game) and 18th in rushing yards (230 per game). On defense, UNC is 18th in passing yards allowed (186.2 per game) and 19th in points allowed (20.8 per game). But Clemson is more impressive on offense and defense. On offense, the Tigers are 14th in total yards (502.5 per game), 15th in points scored (37.9 per game) and 22nd in passing yards (288.8 per game). The Tigers are strong in rushing yards too. On defense, Clemson is 4th in passing yards allowed (160.8 per game), 7th in total yards allowed (289 per game) and 17th in points allowed (18.8 per game). Both teams have talented quarterbacks – Deshaun Watson for Clemson and Marquis Williams for North Carolina. Dabo looks good in Heels – Clemson 36, North Carolina 30.

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Temple (10-2) at Houston (11-1) – (AAC Championship: TDECU Stadium in Houston) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Houston was on its way to an undefeated season, until the Cougars were surprised by Connecticut, 20-17, in their next to last game – UConn, a team that Temple easily beat, 27-3. Temple also easily beat Memphis, 31-12, while Houston just got by Memphis, 35-34. The Owls are better in defense than offense. Temple is 11th in rushing yards allowed (117.4 per game), 16th in points allowed (18.8 per game) and 18th in total yards allowed (328.4 per game). Houston’s strength is on offense – 8th in points scored (42 per game), 14th in rushing yards (240.7 per game) and 15th in total yards (499.8 per game). On defense, the Cougars are 12th in rushing yards allowed (117.5 per game). Houston could be hurt by the fact that its coach – Tom Herman – is actively seeking one of the openings at another school. He may not be focused. But the Cougars are focused enough – Houston 32, Temple 25.

4. Florida (9-2) vs. Alabama (11-1) – (SEC Championship: Georgia Dome in Atlanta) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This game won’t even be a contest. Alabama has the best defense in the country, while Florida has the worst offense in the country. And although Florida has a decent defense, Derrick Henry will soon wear them down. On offense, Alabama is very balanced, averaging a little more than 200 yards per game both passing and running. On defense, the Tide is 1st in rushing yards allowed (78.9 per game), 2nd in total yards allowed (264.6 per game) and 3rd in points allowed (14.3 per game). Florida will depend on its defense. The Gators are 5th in total yards allowed (283.6 per game), 5th in points allowed (15.5 per game), 8th in rushing yards allowed (111.9 per game) and 9th in passing yards allowed (171.7 yards per game). The teams had four common opponents during the season – Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss and LSU. Both barely beat Tennessee. Both beat Georgia handily. But while Alabama lost to Ole Miss, 43-37, Florida easily beat Ole Miss, 31-0. However, while Florida lost to LSU, 35-28, Alabama easily beat LSU, 30-16. Albert gets swamped – Alabama 28, Florida 7.

5. Southern Miss (9-3) at Western Kentucky (10-2) – (C-USA Championship: L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Both teams are strong on offense and weak on defense. WKU is 5th in points scored (44.2 per game), 6th in passing yards (361.1 per game) and 10th in total yards (519.7 per game). Southern Miss, on offense, is 8th in total yards (534.8 per game), 9th in points scored (41.7 per game) and 10th in passing yards (340.2 per game). Both teams have strong passing quarterbacks – Brandon Doughty for WKU and Nick Mullens for Southern Miss. The Eagles come into the game riding a six-game winning streak. The streak ends – Western Kentucky 42, Southern Miss 26.

6. Stanford (10-2) vs. USC (8-4) – (Pac-12 Championship: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara) – 7:45 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – This game is a rematch. On September 19, Stanford beat USC, 41-31. The Cardinal’s strength is its running game. Stanford is 22nd in rushing yards (221.8 per game). And the strength of the Cardinal’s running game is Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey has rushed for 1640 yards this season. USC relies on quarterback Cody Kessler. Kessler has passed for 3,128 yards this season. Both Stanford and USC lost to Oregon – Stanford by 2 points, USC by 20 points. Stanford beat Notre Dame while the Trojans lost to the Irish. And Stanford beat Washington, while USC lost to the Huskies. The Trees sprout again – Stanford 28, USC 27.

7. Air Force (8-4) at San Diego State (9-3) – (MWC Championship: Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – San Diego State began the season 1-3. Since, the Aztecs have won eight-straight games. San Diego State has a decent defense. The Aztecs are 4th in rushing yards allowed (95 per game), 6th in total yards allowed (283.6 per game) and 9th in points allowed (16.6 per game). State’s running back Donnel Pumphrey has rushed for 1,464 yards this season. Air Force’s strength is its rushing game. The Falcons are 3rd in rushing yards (323.5 per game). Air Force began the season 3-3. But the Falcons are 5-1 in their last six games. The Falcons get sacrificed – San Diego State 33, Air Force 29.

8. Bowling Green (9-3) vs. Northern Illinois (8-4) – (MAC Championship: Ford Field in Detroit) – 8 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2 – Bowling Green is strong on offense and weak on defense, especially passing defense – 101st in the country. But on offense, BG is 3rd in passing yards (387.8 per game), 3rd in total yards (566 per game) and 4th in points scored (44.2 per game). The Falcons mainstay is quarterback Matt Johnson. Johnson has passed for 4,465 yards this season. Like Bowling Green, NIU is weak on defense. But the Huskies are balanced on offense, averaging more than 200 yards per game passing and running. After a 2-3 start, NIU has won six of its last seven games. BG has won eight of its last nine games. Make it nine out of 10 – Bowling Green 28, Northern Illinois 25.

9. Texas (4-7) at Baylor (9-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Texas has no shot at a bowl game, but a win sure would help Charlie Strong’s cause. Unfortunately, the Horns will catch a mad Baylor team, following the Bears overtime loss to TCU. Sorry Charlie, rejected again – Baylor 40, Texas 23.

10. West Virginia (7-4) at Kansas State (5-6) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 4:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – WVU is riding a four-game winning streak and shooting to finish a strong 8-4. K-State needs one more win to become bowl eligible. Wildcats coach Bill Snyder isn’t used to having a losing season. He better get used to it – West Virginia 30, Kansas State 23.

….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

Georgia State (5-6) at Georgia Southern (8-3) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3 – Georgia Southern is about to finish another strong season and will be headed to a bowl game. Meanwhile, Georgia State needs one more win to qualify for a bowl. The Panthers have come on strong under the strength of quarterback Nick Arbuckle. State has won its last three games and Arbuckle has passed for 3,814 yards this season. Two weeks ago, Georgia Southern lost to Georgia in overtime. The Eagles won’t lose to Georgia State – Georgia Southern 32, Georgia State 26.

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Duke (7-5), Georgia (9-3), Nebraska (5-7) and Purdue (2-10) have completed their seasons. 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida Atlantic (3-9), Florida State (10-2), Miami (8-4), South Florida (8-4) and UCF (0-12) have completed their season.

In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football. . . Montana State fired football coach Rob Ash. Ash coached the Bobcats for nine seasons, going 70-38. This year’s team was 5-6. He was 2-7 against intrastate rival Montana….Eastern Kentucky fired football coach Dean Hood. Hood coached the Colonels for eight seasons, going 55-38. This year’s team was 6-5.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Ken Johnson, and Guy Lewis.

Ken Johnson, the only pitcher in MLB history to complete a nine-inning game without yielding a hit and still manage to lose it, died last week. He was 82. On April 23, 1964, pitching for the Houston Colt .45s against the Cincinnati Reds, Johnson claimed his spot in history. With one out in the ninth inning, Pete Rose got on second base as the result of an error. Two batters later, Rose scored on an error by second baseman Nellie Fox. Johnson pitched in the major leagues for 13 seasons – 1958 to 1970 – for the Kansas City Athletics, Houston, the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati, the New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs and the Montreal Expos. Kenneth Travis Johnson was born on June 16, 1933, in West Palm Beach, Florida. After his retirement, Johnson worked as a community service coordinator at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida, and as the baseball coach at Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana.

Guy Lewis, a college basketball coach known for coaching the University of Houston’s Phi Slama Jama teams of the early 1980s, died last week at a retirement home in Kyle, Texas. He was 93. Lewis was the Houston men’s basketball coach for 30 years, compiling a record of 592-279 and turning the program into a power house, with 20straight winning seasons and 14 NCAA tournament appearances. Lewis coached Houston to the NCAA tournament’s Final Four in 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983 and 1984. The Cougars reached the championship game in 1983 and 1984, but fell short both times. Guy Vernon Lewis was born on March 19, 1922, in Arp, Texas. After graduating from high school, he served in the Army during World War II. After the War, he enrolled in Rice University. He left Rice and enrolled in Houston where he graduated in 1947 with a degree in education. Lewis became the coach at Houston in 1956.