College Football Week 3 – Top 3 on the road playing ranked teams
What’s wrong with the Big 12?

Only two teams in the AP Top 25 poll lost Saturday. Both were Big 12 teams – TCU and Oklahoma State. TCU lost to Arkansas, 41-38 (2OT), and Oklahoma State lost (although they shouldn’t have) to Central Michigan, 30-27. TCU and Oklahoma State dropped out of this week’s AP Top 25. And out of the Coaches Top 25 poll for that matter.

Those two losses, along with Kansas losing to Ohio, 37-21, Iowa State losing to Iowa, 42-3 and Texas Tech losing to Arizona State, 68-55, left the Big 12 with a 4-5 record against non-conference teams over the weekend.

Combined with the opening weekend, when the Big 12 finished 7-3, the conference has an 11-8 record (57.9%) for the first two weeks. That is the worst record of the five Power 5 conferences. And to make the picture worse, it was on opening weekend when Oklahoma, a Top 5 team at preseason, fell to Houston, 33-23.

After two weeks, the Big 12 only has one quality win. That occurred on opening weekend when Texas beat Notre Dame, 50-47 (2OT). The next best win for the Big 12 also occurred on opening weekend when West Virginia beat Missouri, 26-11.

The Big 12 also has the most bad, or embarrassing, losses among the Power 5 conferences – three. They are the Oklahoma State loss to Central Michigan, the Kansas loss to Ohio and Iowa State’s 25-20 loss to Northern Iowa.

The conference has a chance to improve its image this week in three contests. Oklahoma hosts No. 3 Ohio State, Oklahoma State hosts undefeated and highly-regarded Pitt and Texas plays at a competitive California.

The best conference after two weeks is the ACC. The ACC has three quality wins and an 18-4 record (81.8%). Intra-conference games are thrown out. The three quality wins are Clemson 19, Auburn13, Florida State 45, Ole Miss 34 and Pitt 42, Penn State 39. The conference was 10-2 on opening weekend and 8-2 this past weekend.

The ACC has two embarrassing losses – Richmond 37, Virginia 20 and East Carolina 33, NC State 30. The conference is eyeing two interesting inter-conference games this week – Pitt at wounded Oklahoma State and Miami at dangerous Appalachian state.

After the ACC, the Big Ten is the next best with a 21-6 (77.8%) record. However, the Big Ten only has one quality win. That was Wisconsin’s 16-14 victory over LSU on opening weekend. The Big Ten was 10-2 on opening weekend and dropped to 9-4 on the second weekend.

The Big Ten has two embarrassing losses and both were suffered by the same team – Northwestern. The Wildcats lost at home to Western Michigan, 22-21 and also at home to Illinois State, 9-7. Of interest on the horizon for the Big Ten this week are Ohio State at Oklahoma, Michigan State at Notre Dame and Nebraska hosting Oregon.

The third best conference among the Power 5 is the SEC with a 16-6 (72.7%) record. The SEC had a disastrous opening weekend, finishing 6-6. Saturday, the conference made a big improvement. The SEC was undefeated – 10-0. Intra-conference games excluded.

The SEC has the most quality wins, among the Power 5, at five. They are Texas A&M 31, UCLA 24 (OT); Georgia 33, North Carolina 24; Alabama 52, USC 6; Arkansas 41, TCU 38 (2OT), and Tennessee 45, Virginia Tech 24.

The conference has two embarrassing losses – South Alabama 21, Mississippi State 20 and Southern Miss 44, Kentucky 35.

Just behind the SEC is the Pac-12. After two weeks, the Pac-12 is sitting at 15-7 (66.2%). The conference has three quality wins – Stanford 26, Kansas State 13, Utah 20, BYU 19 and Arizona State 68, Texas Tech 55.

The Pac-12 improved to an 8-2 record the second week from a 7-5 record the first week. There is one embarrassing loss – Eastern Washington 45, Washington State 42. Key for the Pac-12 this week is Oregon at Nebraska, California hosting Texas, Colorado at Michigan and UCLA at BYU.

The SEC has the most teams in this week’s AP Top 25 with eight. The Big Ten has five teams in the Top 25, followed by the ACC with four teams and the Pac-12 and Big 12 with three each. The poll has one team from the AAC (a Group of 5 conference) – Houston, and one Independent – Notre Dame.

So, for sure one and possibly two Power 5 conferences will not make the playoffs come December. Any bets on which conference or conferences it will be? Stay tuned!

After opening weekend was billed as the “best ever” in college football, this past weekend was billed as one of the “worst ever” in college football. But then it is college football and even on a “worst ever” weekend, there is never a dull moment.

Troy and Nicholls gave Clemson and Georgia all they could handle. The Tigers held off Troy, 30-24, while the Dawgs squeaked by Nicholls, 26-24. You can’t get much closer than that.

The largest crowd ever to attend an athletic event in Pittsburgh was kept on the edge of their seats, as Pitt held off Penn State, 42-39. East Carolina rubbed it in again on NC State. The Pirates beat the Wolfpack for the third-straight time. This year the score was 33-30.

Navy won a barn burner against Connecticut, 28-24. It could be a decent year for all three of the service academies. Air Force, Army and Navy are each off to a 2-0 start on the season. First time that has happened since 1996.

Arkansas and TCU went to two overtimes before the Hogs could subdue the Frogs, 41-38. Meanwhile, in Salt Lake City, as the seconds were ticking down, Utah had to stop BYU on a two-point conversion attempt to beat the Cougars, 20-19. You better believe the hearts of Utah fans stopped for a few seconds.

And before the largest crowd ever to watch a football game – 156,990 – at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Tennessee rallied from a 14-0 deficit at the end of the first quarter to beat Virginia Tech 45-24.

In the Rio Grande Rivalry, New Mexico State, trailed New Mexico, 31-22, early in the fourth quarter. But the Aggies kicked a field goal and scored a touchdown in the final 10 minutes of the game to beat the Lobos, 32-31. It was New Mexico State’s first win over New Mexico since 2011. The Lobos had won four straight.

And finally, in two contests where you wondered who was going to outlast the other, Arizona State beat Texas Tech, 68-55, and San Diego State beat California, 45-40. On the losing side, Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed for 540 yards, while on the winning side San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 281 yards.

How would you like to be Syracuse’s defensive coordinator? Friday night, Louisville racked up 845 total yards, beating the Orange, 62-28. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson passed for 411 yards and ran for 199.

What did I learn this week? I learned that Delta State University has an interesting nickname – the Fightin’ Okra. Their mascot is a big ole Okra. Florida Tech plays Delta State for homecoming this year. I wonder if the Okra will be at the game.

Speaking of Florida Tech, our next door neighbors Deb and Dieter Gum went to the Panthers game against Mississippi College Saturday night. Florida Tech won, 41-0. The Gums sent texts to Swamp Mama, updating her every time Florida Tech scored.

It didn’t make my “best and most intriguing games of the week,” I’m not sure why, but you need to keep your eye on the North Dakota State at Iowa game this Saturday. The game is on ESPN2 at 12 noon ET. North Dakota State has won the FCS national championship for the past five seasons. The game could be interesting.

The Top 3 teams in the country – Alabama, Florida State and Ohio State – are on the road this week, playing ranked teams: Alabama at Ole Miss, Florida State at Louisville and Ohio State at Oklahoma. Stay tuned!

It was good to hear from Tim Muth, Monta Burt, Casey Beavers, Dave Brolhorst and George Knapp last week.

Swamp Mama and I drove to Jacksonville Friday morning. We shopped at the St. Johns Town Center and had dinner that night at Maggiano’s. Saturday, Swamp Mama was attending a baby shower at the Candy Apple Café in downtown Jacksonville.

After dropping her off at the baby shower, I parked the car in a garage and headed for Fionn MacCool’s Irish Pub at the Jacksonville Landing. What a great place to have lunch, a few brews and watch college football on TV.

Swamp Mama called me when the baby shower was over. I got the car, picked her up and we headed back down I-95. We were home in time to catch the last three quarters of the Kentucky-Florida game.

Watching the “Paul Finebaum Show” one day last week I couldn’t help but laugh at the comments from one caller and the resulting Tweet – mostly the Tweet. The caller was an LSU fan – big time. He said his wife was three hours into labor, but he wanted to take the time to call so he could complain about LSU’s quarterback. And he did.

Almost immediately after the call, someone Tweeted the “Finebaum Show” saying, “If that baby is a boy, you better believe he won’t be named Brandon or Harris.”

Another day on the Finebaum Show, the callers and Tweeters were talking and carrying on about Tim Tebow and his baseball exploits. As the conversation continued, they began wondering what other stunts Tebow might pull. Before long, they were calling Tebow – Timberly Kardashian.

Meanwhile, the Big 12 needs to pull some stunts and win some big football games.

Enjoy your week.

Touchdown Tom
September 12, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: The checkered flags won – Tennessee 45, Virginia Tech 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 23, Virginia Tech 17). The Hokies outscored the Vols 14-0 in the first quarter. But the Vols outscored the Hokies 45-10 in the remaining three quarters. Granted VT shot themselves in the foot with 5 fumbles. Still, Tennessee took over the game after the first quarter and dominated it. Attendance in Bristol: 156,990

RUNNER UP: Gigged – Arkansas 41, TCU 38 (2OT) (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 33, Arkansas 30). TCU outrushed and out-passed Arkansas, but the Hogs outscored the Frogs. TCU had to play catch up in the 4th quarter. The Frogs trailed the Hogs 20-7, entering the final period. Attendance in Fort Worth: 48,091

REST OF THE BEST: Cliffhanger – Utah 20, BYU 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 21, BYU 16). What an exciting finish! BYU scored a touchdown with 18 seconds left. The Cougars went for 2, but failed in their attempt. BYU quarterback Taysom Hill was tackled short of the goal line. Utah had 6 turnovers in the game but still managed to survive. The Utes out-passed and outrushed the Cougars. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 46,915

Franklin’s woes – Pitt 42, Penn State 39 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 26, Pitt 24). Pitt had the running game (344 yards) and Penn State had the passing game (332 yards). The running game won. Four turnovers hurt the Lions. Attendance in Pittsburgh: 69,983

Basketball – Arizona State 68, Texas Tech 55 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 40, Arizona State 37). For starters, the two teams combined for 1,264 yards. Both teams had a passing game, but only Arizona State had a running game. That was the difference. Tech only had 72 yards rushing. Attendance in Tempe: 44,511

Almost basketball – San Diego State 45, California 40 (Touchdown Tom said: San Diego State 28, California 27). Cal had 604 total yards to 464 for San Diego State. But Cal had 4 turnovers – 3 interceptions. Again, the running game beat the passing game. Cal (522 yards passing) only had 82 yards rushing and the Aztecs (335 yards rushing) had only 129 yards passing. Attendance in San Diego: 42,473

The Badgers burned the Rubber – Wisconsin 54, Akron 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 30, Akron 24). No surprises from Terry Bowden this year. The Badgers picked up where they left off with LSU. Wisconsin had 586 total yards to 224 for Akron. Akron scored all of its 10 points in the second quarter. Attendance in Madison: 77,331

Never schedule the Broncos – Boise State 31, Washington State 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 41, Washington State 36). With 12 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, Boise State led 31-14. Washington State scored two touchdowns in 7 minutes to close the gap to 3 points. There was still 4:17 on the clock when the Cougars scored the second touchdown. Washington State had 520 total yards, but only 40 yards rushing. Attendance in Boise: 36,163

Yet again – Florida 45, Kentucky 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 34, Kentucky 15). Florida found the offense it couldn’t find last week against Massachusetts. The Gators amassed 564 total yards – a nice balance of 244 rushing and 320 passing. Kentucky had four turnovers (3 interceptions) and only 55 yards passing. Kentucky’s mere 7 points came with 4:27 on the clock in the 4th quarter. The Gators have now won 30-straight against Kentucky and are 45-5 over the Wildcats in the past 50 years. Attendance in Gainesville: 85,821

No Love in Champaign – North Carolina 48, Illinois 23 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 30, Illinois 25). A decent game at the half (UNC led 24-16), the Heels ran away from the Banned Indians in the second half. UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky completed 79% of his passes. Attendance in Champaign: 60,670

Mustake suffers a Dog bite – Mississippi State 27, South Carolina 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Mississippi State 20, South Carolina 12). Miss State led South Carolina 24-0 at the half. The Bulldogs went into cruise control in the second half and held off the Gamecocks. The Miss State defense held South Carolina to only 34 yards rushing. Attendance in Starkville: 57,763

Alive and breathing – Auburn 51, Arkansas State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 34, Arkansas State 18). No problems this year from a Sun Belt Conference team. War Eagle soared, racking up 707 total yards. Auburn had two backs run for more than 100 yards – Kamryn Pettway (152 yards) and Kerryon Johnson (124 yards). Attendance in Auburn: 86,825


…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Vandy was randy – Vanderbilt 47, Middle Tennessee 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Vanderbilt 20, Middle Tennessee 19). Vandy scored 47 points and won by 23 points, but its offense was still outgained by Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders had 495 total yards to 344 for the Dores. Blue Raiders quarterback Brent Stockstill passed for 399 yards. Attendance in Nashville: 29,627

Who scheduled the Pirates again? – East Carolina 33, NC State 30 (Touchdown Tom said: NC State 38, East Carolina 24). NC State leads this series 16-13. But East Carolina has won 9 of the last 14 games and the last 3 in a row. Early in the 4th quarter, the Wolfpack scored a touchdown to take a 30-26 lead. Then the Pirates scored with 5:49 left in the game to go up 33-30 and held on to win. Attendance in Greenville: 50,719


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

First half letdown – West Virginia 38, Youngstown State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 33, Youngstown State 13). WVU got off to a slow start. The two teams were tied 14-14 at the half. Then the Mounties outscored the Penguins 24-7 in the second half. WVU had 624 total yards – 235 rushing and 389 passing. Attendance in Morgantown: 56,261

Better late than never – Nebraska 52, Wyoming 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 46, Wyoming 11). A so-so game through three quarters, Nebraska turned it on and outscored the Cowboys 28-0 in the 4th quarter. Six turnovers killed Wyoming. Attendance in Lincoln: 89,895

A Wake for the Devils – Wake Forest 24, Duke 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 25, Wake Forest 18). Wake Forest has a stubborn defense. The Deacons have only given up 17 points in two games. They held Duke to 37 yards rushing. The Deacons may be better than we thought, while the Dookies may be worse than we thought. Attendance in Durham: 21,077

Really, Dawgs – Georgia 26, Nicholls State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 56, Nicholls State 12). So, I get it. Nicholls State is now just Nicholls – no more State. Next year they might be Dimes and the year after that, Quarters. Regardless, the Nicholls put Uga asleep in the 4th quarter. The Dawgs led the Nicholls 26-14 at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Then the Nicholls outscored the Dawgs 10-0 in the final period. I wonder if the Nicholls have a heads and a tails? I know the Dawgs do. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

Strong – Texas 41, UTEP 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 33, UTEP 17). Texas did not suffer a letdown after its big win over Notre Dame. Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele completed 82% of his passes. Attendance in Austin: 92,863

Back to normal – Cincinnati 38, Purdue 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 30, Cincinnati 26). Just when I get some confidence in Purdue, the Boilers let me down. Actually, Purdue quarterback David Blough let me down. Blough threw 5 interceptions. That killed the Boilers chances. Purdue had 504 total yards to 512 for Cincinnati. But Cincy had a balanced attack, while Purdue had no running game. Attendance in West Lafayette: 33,068

Week 2 Results: 14  correct picks, 6 fumbles (70 percent)
For the Season: 27 correct picks, 11 fumbles (71.1 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Maryland 41, Florida International 14 – Attendance in Miami: 17,084
Michigan 51, UCF 14 – Attendance in Ann Arbor: 109,295
Florida State 52, Charleston Southern 8 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 75,831

Miami 38, Florida Atlantic 10 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 57,123
South Florida 48, Northern Illinois 17 – Attendance in Tampa: 36,557
Liberty 55, Jacksonville U. 7 – Attendance in Lynchburg: 16,625
North Texas 41, Bethune-Cookman 20 – Attendance in Denton: 15,609

Stetson 30, Warner 15 – Attendance in Deland: 3,348
Florida Tech 41, Mississippi College 0 – Attendance in Melbourne: 3,056
Coastal Carolina 49, Florida A&M 10 – Attendance in Conway: 10,037


Superlatives

Weekend’s Best Passers:

Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 38-53-2 for 540 yards; Washington State’s Luke Falk – 55-71-1-480; Missouri’s Drew Lock – 24-37-0-450; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 20-39-1-411, and Louisiana Tech’s Ryan Higgins – 34-52-2-409.

Middle Tennessee’s Brent Stockstill – 38-65-1 for 399 yards; West Virginia’s Skyler Howard – 20-33-1-389; Nebraska’s Tommy Armstrong – 20-34-1-377; TCU’s Kenny Hill – 36-56-1-377; Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush – 30-42-1-361, and Arizona State’s Manny Wilkins – 28-37-0-351.

South Florida’s Quinton Flowers – 21-33-0 for 350 yards; Texas A&M’s Trevor Knight – 21-37-1-344; Penn State’s Trace McSorley – 24-35-1-332; Duke’s Daniel Jones – 31-48-1-332; Oregon’s Dakota Prukop – 21-31-0-331; Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 13-25-1-329, and Florida’s Luke Del Rio – 19-32-1-320.


Weekend’s Best Rushers:

San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey – 281 yards; Vanderbilt’s Ralph Webb – 211 yards, and Oregon’s Royce Freeman – 207 yards.

Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 199 yards; Miss State’s Nick Fitzgerald – 195 yards, and Minnesota’s Kobe McCrary – 176 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“I made mistakes. I did wrong, but I’m not doing this trying to make myself feel better for apologizing. I understand I made some mistakes. There were some bad things that went on under my watch. I was captain of this ship. The captain of the ship goes down with it,” former Baylor coach Art Briles.

“So, I understand that I made some mistakes, and for that I’m sorry. But I’m not trying to plead for people’s sympathy. I was wrong. I’m sorry. I’m gonna do better,” former Baylor coach Art Briles.

“The students at Iowa State believe that BYU’s discriminatory policies and practices are inconsistent with the values of the Big 12 Conference. We do not support BYU’s membership bid to the Big 12 Conference,” the Iowa State University student senate.

“There are no arguments. Those are ass chewings,” Alabama coach Nick Saban, when asked about his sideline argument with Lane Kiffin, during the Western Kentucky game.


Quote from the Past

“Always remember Goliath was a 40-point favorite over David,” Auburn coach Shug Jordan.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Florida State (2-0) at Louisville (2-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – What a battle this game should be! Both teams have potent offenses. Both defenses are good, but porous, especially against good offenses. Both quarterbacks are good. But Louisville’s Lamar Jackson is more experienced. Florida State’s Deondre Francois is a freshman and he hasn’t had that freshman game yet. There will be a lot of talent on the field, but the Cardinals are more motivated. Bird droppings on the Bingo card – Louisville 30, Florida State 27.

RUNNER UP: 2. Ohio State (2-0) at Oklahoma (1-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Win, and Oklahoma is back in the race for the playoffs. Lose, and the Sooners can kiss it goodbye. If the Buckeyes lose, they could still make the playoffs. So the Sooners can’t afford to lose; the Buckeyes can. The Sooners take J.T. for a ride on Boomer – Oklahoma 29, Ohio State 28.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Alabama (2-0) at Ole Miss (1-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – So did Nick Saban’s tirade on the sideline get the Bama offense fired up for Ole Miss? It was a good ploy. But Bama shouldn’t need much to get fired up for the Landsharks. After all, Ole Miss has won the last two games. That should be enough to fire up the Tide. The Ole Miss defense looked weak against Florida State. They were sucking wind in the second half. And get Chad Kelly rattled and he’s no good. Saban’s revenge – Alabama 36, Ole Miss 24.

4. Michigan State (1-0) at Notre Dame (1-1) – (Big Ten vs. Ind.) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Michigan State is still an unknown. A weak win over Furman and that is about all we know. After the Texas game, we know the Irish can play offense, but are so-so on defense. The Spartans generally play good defense, but do they have an offense. This could be a fight over a turnip. Then again, the scoreboard could get lit up. The Kizer triumphs – Notre Dame 30, Michigan State 24.

5. Houston (2-0) at Cincinnati (2-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – The first conference game of the season for both. Cincy has the advantage of hosting Houston. After beating Oklahoma, the pressure is on the Cougars. Go undefeated and they are likely in the playoffs. But that is easier said than done. The AAC is not an easy conference. The Cougars stay alive – Houston 32, Cincinnati 26.

6. Oregon (2-0) at Nebraska (2-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Both teams are undefeated, but neither has really been tested. This is the first test for both. The Huskers get an A+ – Nebraska 38, Oregon 34.

7. Texas A&M (2-0) at Auburn (1-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – The pressure is on both coaches. It could be curtains for the loser. Both teams have been through a test. The Aggies beat UCLA. The Tigers lost to Clemson. The Tigers win their second test. Aubie gives Trevor the tremors – Auburn 24, Texas A&M 22.

8. USC (1-1) at Stanford (1-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Big battle in the Pac-12. Wonder what Trojan player will get ejected this week. USC is two-for-two in that endeavor. Stanford is the more settled team. The Trojans are men of Clay – Stanford 28, USC 23.

9. Texas (2-0) at California (1-1) – (Big 12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Charlie Strong is on a roll. Now’s he’s about to get a California roll. Cal lives and dies by its quarterback – Davis Webb. He’s got an arm, but sometimes he doesn’t know how to use it – too many interceptions. Simply put, Texas is the better all-around team. Bevo likes that California sushi – Texas 43, California 34.

10. Georgia (2-0) at Missouri (1-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Well, if the Dawgs play like they did against Nicholls, or was it Dimes, they are going to lose. Mizzou has a new coach, a new offense, but the same defense. The offense is coached by Josh Heupel. Remember him? Mizzou may have a surprise or two, but Georgia is more solid. Uga is pretty solid too – Georgia 25, Missouri 13.

11. Pitt (2-0) at Oklahoma State (1-1) – (ACC vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – For their sake, the Cowboys better hope the Mid-American Conference is not supplying the referees this week. They better hope the ACC refs know the rules of the game. But you know how those ACC refs can be. Just ask David Cutcliffe. The Cowboys get back in the saddle again – Oklahoma State 40, Pitt 31.

12. Miami (Florida) (2-0) at Appalachian State (1-1) – (ACC vs. Sun Belt) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Oh this could be a fun one. App state will be fired up. And you know how tough they played against Tennessee. The Little Mountaineers could sap the strength out of the Hurricanes. Almost, but not – Miami 30, Appalachian State 22.


…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. Mississippi State (1-1) at LSU (1-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Well, you never know what LSU team will show up. And you never know what Miss State team will show up too. That makes for an interesting game – a guessing game. Guess the Tigers will win – LSU 27, Mississippi State 16.

14. UCLA (1-1) at BYU (1-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Ind.) – 10:15 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – This game was a donnybrook last year. The Bruins won by a point. It could be a donnybrook again this year. Both of BYU’s games so far have been donnybrooks. The Cougars beat Arizona by 2 and lost to Utah by 1. You can’t get much closer than that. BYU does seem to be playing better defense this year. Another close game, but Josh is posh – UCLA 24, BYU 20.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

North Texas (1-1) at Florida (2-0) – (C-USA vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Well, this is obviously Florida’s prep game for Tennessee. Don’t expect a lot out of the Gators. Just enough to get by. They will be saving all they can for Knoxville next week. Albert knocks the Mean out of the Green – Florida 47, North Texas 13.

Duke (1-1) at Northwestern (0-2) – (ACC vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – Can you believe Northwestern. The Wildcats lost to Western Michigan by 1 and to Illinois State by 2. Maybe they will lose to the Dookies by 3. But I think they are stuck on 2 – Duke 19, Northwestern 17.

West Virginia (2-0) and Purdue (1-1) are off


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Florida Atlantic (1-1) at Kansas State (0-1) – (C-USA vs. Big 12) – 2:30 pm ET, Saturday, FSN….
South Florida (2-0) at Syracuse (1-1) – (AAC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….

Florida International (0-2) at Massachusetts (0-2) – (C-USA vs. Ind.) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ASN, ESPN3….
Tennessee State (2-0) at Bethune-Cookman (0-1) – (Ohio Valley vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….

Maryland (2-0) at UCF (1-1) – (Big Ten vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN….
Edward Waters (0-2) at Jacksonville U. (0-1) – (Gulf Coast vs. Pioneer) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida Tech (2-0) at Shorter (0-2) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida A&M (0-2) at Tuskegee (2-0) – (MEAC vs. SIAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but in mid-September as the college football season was finally underway, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1941 was “Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)” by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra

…70 years ago this week in 1946 was “To Each His Own” by Eddy Howard

…65 years ago this week in 1951 was “Because of You” by Tony Bennett

…60 years ago this week in 1956 was “Hound Dog”/“Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley

…55 years ago this week in 1961 was “Michael” by The Highwaymen

…50 years ago this week in 1966 was “You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes

…45 years ago this week in 1971 was “Go Away Little Girl” by Donny Osmond

…40 years ago this week in 1976 was “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” – KC and the Sunshine Band

…35 years ago this week in 1981 was “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie

…30 years ago this week in 1986 was “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin

…25 years ago this week in 1991 was “The Promise of a New Day” by Paula Abdul


Not directly college football related, but sadly there was one passing of note last week – Cary Blanchard.

Cary Blanchard, a clutch place-kicker who played for the New York Giants, the New York Jets and helped the Indianapolis Colts reach the American Football Conference championship game in January 1996, died last week in Mabank, Texas. He was 47. In college, Blanchard was a standout player at Oklahoma State. He was a three-time All-Big Eight selection at Oklahoma State before starting his NFL career with the Jets in 1992. Blanchard’s pro career was not so stable. He was a member of several teams, playing his last game in 2000. He made 165 field goals in his NFL career with a 77.1% conversion rate. Robert Cary Blanchard was born on November 5, 1868, in Fort Worth, Texas.