College Football Week 4 – Florida QB Del Rio out for 2 to 3 weeks
Just can’t wait to get on the road again

“On the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again”

Eleven Top 25 teams went on the road over the weekend – nine of them for the first time this season. For the other two – Alabama and Florida State – it was the first time on the road in an opponent’s stadium.

Ten of the eleven teams were not only on the road, but on the road against stiff competition. Four were up against other ranked teams. All 11 were putting their undefeated records on the line.

“The life I love is winning games with my friends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again”

Well, for eight of those 11 teams, they just can’t wait to get on the road again. It was a great experience for them. For three of the teams – it was a nightmare.

The first of the 11 to go on the road was No. 6 Houston. The Cougars invaded Cincinnati Thursday night to take on the Bearcats. It was a thrilling game for 54 of the 60 minutes.

At the end of three quarters, Houston only led Cincinnati, 12-10. However, three seconds later, the Bearcats went up on the Cougars, 16-12. But only three minutes after that, Houston went back on top, 19-16. Then, in the final six minutes of the game, Houston outscored Cincinnati, 21-0. The Cougars won, 40-16. Houston can’t wait to get back on the road again.

Cincinnati coach Tommy Tuberville used to be a good coach. Now he is just a “bump on the log,” standing on the sideline, not knowing what’s going on, but looking pretty in his clothes. “Fire Tuberville” signs first appeared last year at Cincinnati games. After Friday night, I think more signs will be appearing this year.

Friday night, No. 21 Baylor was on the road at Rice. The Bears were not expected to have any problems with the Owls. And they didn’t. Baylor won, 38-10. Well, then again they did have some problems. Not from the Rice football team, but from the Rice band. The Owl band parodied the sexual assault scandals that have rocked Baylor this year.

During the halftime performance, the band formed “IX” in front of the Baylor fan section in reference to the Title IX lawsuits. As the musicians were forming the “IX,” the band’s public address announcer said, “There are nine judges on the Supreme Court or is it?

Then the band shifted into a “star” formation, mocking the former, disgraced Baylor president Kenneth Star. During the two formations the band was playing “Hit the Road, Jack.” Penn State should be thankful it isn’t playing at Rice. What a band performance that would be.

Nine of the 11 ranked teams on the road played Saturday. First up – No. 2 Florida State at No. 10 Louisville. Well, let’s just say that FSU won’t be No. 2 this week. The Noles were the first of the three ranked teams that lost on the road. And did they ever lose. Louisville scalped FSU, 63-20.

With his performance in the game, Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson became the early front-runner for the Heisman. Jackson passed for 216 yards and ran for 146.

No. 25 Miami (Florida) went into Boone, North Carolina, to play a dangerous Appalachian State. Two weeks earlier, App State took Tennessee to overtime in Knoxville, before losing to the Vols, 20-13. App State wasn’t so dangerous Saturday. The Canes all but clobbered the Little Mountaineers, 45-10.

Then, No. 22 Oregon traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on the Huskers. Like Florida State, Oregon didn’t find comfort on the road. But unlike FSU, the Ducks weren’t slaughtered. In a back-and-forth game, Oregon ultimately fell to Nebraska, 35-32.

No. 1 Alabama paid a visit to Oxford, Mississippi, to play No. 19 Ole Miss. Now keep in mind the Tide had lost to Ole Miss the past two years. Would the Landsharks make it three in a row over Bama? No. The Tide did start off slow, down 24-3, but came back to beat Ole Miss on the road, 48-43.

Next, No. 17 Texas A&M was on the road at Auburn. And what a great road trip it was for the Aggies. A&M put another nail in Gus Malzahn’s coffin, beating the Tigers, 29-16.

No. 12 Michigan State traveled south to South Bend, Indiana. The Spartans had an encounter with No. 18 Notre Dame. It wasn’t much of an encounter to begin with – State jumped out to a 36-7 lead of the Irish. But Notre Dame rallied, scoring 21 unanswered points. The Spartans held on to win, 36-28. Just can’t wait to get on the road again.

Continuing on, No. 16 Georgia headed to the Midwest to take on Missouri. Late in the game, the Dawgs were trailing the Tigers, 27-21. But the Dawgs got a treat. Missouri fumbled and Georgia capitalized. The Dawgs scored and Georgia beat Missouri, 28-27.

Later, No. 3 Ohio State was on the road, playing Oklahoma in Norman. After a lengthy delay due to a lightning storm, the game finally got underway. Well, I should say it got underway for the Buckeyes. Ohio State jumped out to a substantial lead and went on to subdue the Sooners, 42-28.

And finally, the nightcap was a goody. No. 11 Texas hit the road to Berkeley to play California. Well, it was a good, exciting game, but it wasn’t a goody for the Longhorns. Neither the Bears nor the referees were kind to Texas. Cal won a thriller, 50-43.

So, by Sunday morning, eight of the 11 ranked teams that played on the road came out victorious. That was a 73% winning percentage for the roadies. Not bad.

In addition to Florida State, Texas, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Ole Miss, the only other ranked team to lose over the weekend was Iowa. And what a loss it was. The Hawkeyes, playing at home, lost to North Dakota State, 23-21.

North Dakota State is a FCS (Division IAA) team – granted a formidable FCS team. The Bison have won the FCS national championship for the past five years. Last week, I wrote this could be an interesting game. It was.

Oklahoma State obviously found friendlier officials Saturday. The Cowboys came out on the better end of their encounter with Pitt. Oklahoma State beat the Panthers, in a lightning storm, delayed game, 45-38. It was the first loss for Pitt.

Speaking of on the road, Friday night, unranked but undefeated Arizona State was on the road at UTSA. The Sun Devils needed a fourth quarter rally to beat the Roadrunners. Entering the final period, ASU trailed UTSA, 28-15. The Sun Devils scored 17 points and held UTSA scoreless to pull out a 32-28 win. ASU’s go ahead touchdown came with 3:15 on the clock.

As mentioned, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson has to be the front runner at this point for the Heisman, but Christian McCaffrey is hanging in there. The Stanford running back has more than 450 all-purpose yards in just two games. And the curtain is still up for Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett. Stay tuned.

The mercy rule is not a requirement in college football, but sometimes coaches elect to use it. They did so Saturday in the South Carolina State-Clemson game. At the halftime break, Clemson led South Carolina State, 45-0. The two coaches agreed to play 12-minute quarters, instead of the normal 15-minutes, in the second half. Clemson ultimately won, 59-0.

Three weeks and the three service academies are still undefeated. Army (3-0) beat UTEP, 66-14, and Navy (3-0) beat Tulane, 21-14. Air Force (2-0) had the week off. This week Army is at Buffalo and Air Force is at Utah State. Hope the road is good for them. Navy has the week off.

The only overtime game over the weekend occurred in Orlando. Maryland beat UCF, 30-24, in two overtimes. And the best basketball game? Who else but the Wildcats – Kentucky 62, New Mexico State 42.

Penn State beat Temple, 34-27. During the game, the Nittany Lions honored former coach Joe Paterno. Do you think the folks at Penn State will ever get it? Will they ever understand? But had something similar happened when Bear Bryant coached Alabama, Tide fans would have reacted the same way. Nuff said.

Here we are only three weeks into the season and Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and USC already have two losses.

What did I learn last week? I learned that Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield used to be able to lick his elbow, and that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh doesn’t eat boogers.
And I learned that some teams just can’t wait to get on the road again.

It was good hearing from Eric Griggs over the weekend. And Rockledge Gator texted, expressing his approval of Jen Bielema and ESPN’s Samantha Ponder. They are easy on his eye.

Well, I think this past weekend was just as exciting as the first weekend. Maybe better. And there is more in store for us this weekend. Ranked teams on the road this week against formidable competition: Wisconsin at Michigan State, Florida at Tennessee, Arkansas at Texas A&M, Clemson at Georgia Tech, Stanford at UCLA, Florida State at South Florida, Washington at Arizona, Georgia at Ole Miss and LSU at Auburn. How’s that for a lineup?

“On the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is winning games with my friends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again”

Enjoy your week!

Touchdown Tom
September 19, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Deondre was taken to the Laundry – Louisville 63, Florida state 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Louisville 30, Florida State 27). The French Laundry. Where he was stuffed. And don’t let the score fool you. It wasn’t as close as it looks – not that it was close. Louisville led 63-10 late in the fourth quarter. FSU scored 10 – it makes us look better – points in the final 5 minutes of the game. Frenchie….I mean….Francois just had 101 yards passing, completing only 39% of his tosses. He had that freshman game. Attendance in Louisville: 55,632

RUNNER UP: Hot seat in Norman? – Ohio State 42, Oklahoma 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 29, Ohio State 28). Wow! Three games into the season and the Sooners already have two losses. Ironically, the coach of the other team that beat OU – Tom Herman – was Urban Meyers’ offensive coordinator for three seasons at Ohio State. What happened to Oklahoma’s running game? And the Sooners obviously have problems on defense. Attendance in Norman: 87,979

REST OF THE BEST: Now that was an ass-chewing – Alabama 48, Ole Miss 43 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 36, Ole Miss 24). Or should we say, “Fins down.” Ole Miss scored 13 points in the final 3 minutes of the game. But it was too little too late. In the Ole Miss-Florida State game, Ole Miss led 28-6 in the second quarter. In this game, Ole Miss led 24-3 in the second quarter. Against FSU, the Ole Miss offense ran out of steam and the defense was sucking wind. It was déjà vu against Alabama. And against FSU, Ole Miss had no running game. Again, déjà vu against Alabama. For Bama, Jalen Hurts ran for 146 yards and Damien Harris ran for 144. Attendance in Oxford: 66,176

Speechless in South Bend – Michigan State 36, Notre Dame 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 30, Michigan State 24). Late in the third quarter, Michigan State led 36-7. Then the Spartans almost pulled an Ole Miss. ND scored 21 unanswered points. With 6 minutes to go in the game, it was 36-28. The Irish had no running game. Attendance in South Bend: 80,795

Barecats – Houston 40, Cincinnati 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Houston 32, Cincinnati 26). Houston quarterback Greg Ward passed for 326 yards and ran for 73. Ward had his hand, or legs, in 399 of Houston’s 506 yards. This was an exciting ballgame until the final six minutes of the fourth quarter when Houston outscored Cincinnati, 21-0. Attendance in Cincinnati: 40,015

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes – Nebraska 35, Oregon 32 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 38, Oregon 34). This game swung both ways. Late in the second quarter, Oregon led by 13 points. Midway through the third quarter, Nebraska led by 8 points. Oregon had a 4-point lead through most of the fourth quarter. Nebraska grabbed a three-point lead with less than 3 minutes on the clock. Husker quarterback Tommy Armstrong passed for 200 yards and ran for 96. Attendance in Lincoln: 90,414

Looking grim on the plains – Texas A&M 29, Auburn 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 24, Texas A&M 22). From late in the first quarter to late in the second quarter, Texas A&M scored 16 unanswered points, including three field goals. Then from late in the third quarter to midway through the fourth quarter, the Aggies scored 13 unanswered points, including two field goals. Auburn had no such spurts. In fact, Auburn’s offense couldn’t maintain any consistency. Neither could the Tigers defense. Attendance in Auburn: 87,175

One man wrecking crew – Stanford 27, USC 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Stanford 28, USC 23). Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey had 260 all-purpose yards, including 165 yards rushing. USC had no answer for that. Stanford had the ground game (295 yards); USC had the passing game (236 yards). Attendance in Palo Alto: 48,763

Horns out of tune – California 50, Texas 43 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 43, California 34). The two teams combined for 68 points in the first half. Then they settled down and only had 25-combined points in the second half. Cal’s Davis Webb passed for 396 yards. Texas’ D’Onta Foreman rushed for 157 yards and the Horns’ Chris Warren rushed for 119 yards. With 5:29 left in the fourth quarter, the score was tied, 43-43. Cal scored the go-ahead and winning touchdown with 3:41 on the clock. Attendance in Berkeley: 50,448

Better late than never – Georgia 28, Missouri 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 25, Missouri 13). Trailing 27-21, Georgia scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:29 left in the game. The killer for Mizzou was turnovers. The Tigers committed five turnovers (2 fumbles and 3 interceptions) during the game. Neither team could run the ball. Nick Chubb was held to 63 yards rushing. Attendance in Columbia: 57,098

Cowboys delight – Oklahoma State 45, Pitt 38 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 40, Pitt 31). The two teams combined for 1,167 yards. Okie State’s Mason Rudolph passed for 540 of those yards. Pitt tied the game at 38-38 early in the third quarter. The score remained tied until 1:28 left in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys scored the go-ahead and winning touchdown. The game was stopped for nearly two hours due to lightning in the area of the stadium. Attendance in Stillwater: 53,514

Not ready for prime time in Boone – Miami (Florida) 45, Appalachian State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 30, Appalachian State 22). Whatever App State had going for it in the game against Tennessee, the Little Mountaineers lost in their encounter with Miami. The Canes jumped out to a quick 24-0 lead and App State was too shaken to recover. Miami’s Brad Kaaya passed for 368 yards and the Canes’ Mark Walton rushed for 130 yards. Attendance in Boone: 34,658


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Close – LSU 23, Mississippi State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Mississippi State 16). Midway through the third quarter, LSU led Miss State, 23-3. Then in the final 21 minutes of the game, the Bulldogs scored 17 unanswered points. With 3:30 left on the clock, LSU’s lead was cut to 23-20. Miss State had no rushing game – only 56 yards. The Tigers Leonard Fournette rushed for 147 yards. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 99,910

Josh by gosh – UCLA 17, BYU 14 (Touchdown Tom said: UCLA 24, BYU 20). Midway through the third quarter, UCLA led BYU, 17-0. Then the Bruins held on as the Cougars scored 14 unanswered points. Neither team could run the ball. UCLA had 50 yards rushing, BYU 23. The Bruins Josh Rosen passed for 307 yards. Attendance in Provo: 62,904


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

The Big “D” – Florida 32, North Texas 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 47, North Texas 13). Shades of the Massachusetts game. All defense and little to no offense from Florida. But speaking of defense – wow! The Gators held North Texas to 53 total yards – minus 13 rushing and 66 passing. Going into the fourth quarter, Florida only led 19-0. At best, the Florida offense was inconsistent. Florida quarterback Luke Del Rio left the game late in the third quarter after taking a low hit from a North Texas defender. Del Rio, suffering a knee injury, won’t play in the Tennessee game. Attendance in Gainesville: 86,848

Purr – Northwestern 24, Duke 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 19, Northwestern 17). Northwestern won its first game of the season, while the Dookies lost their second. Both teams are now 1-2. Early in the fourth quarter, Northwestern held a 24-7 lead. Both teams suffered 2 turnovers. Attendance in Evanston: 34,464


Week 3 Results: 11 correct picks, 5 fumbles (percent)
For the Season: 38 correct picks, 16 fumbles (percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Kansas State 63, Florida Atlantic 7 – Attendance in Manhattan: 50,871
South Florida 45, Syracuse 20 – Attendance in Syracuse: 32,288

Massachusetts 21, Florida International 13 – Attendance in Foxborough: 12,202
Tennessee State 31, Bethune-Cookman 24 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 9,385

Maryland 30, UCF 24 (2OT) – Attendance in Orlando: 43,197
Jacksonville U. 41, Edward Waters 7 – Attendance in Jacksonville: 3,158

Florida Tech 40, Shorter 0 – Attendance in Rome: 1,150
Tuskegee 20, Florida A&M 17 – Attendance in Mobile: 19,223


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 26-46-0 for 540 yards; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 26-36-0-470; North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky – 24-27-0-432; Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly – 26-41-1-421; East Carolina’s Philip Nelson – 44-58-2-400; California’s Davis Webb – 27-40-0-396, and Akron’s Thomas Woodson – 21-32-0-379.

Also, Miami of Florida’s Brad Kaaya – 21-27-1 for 368 yards; Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush – 20-33-0-352; Syracuse’s Eric Dungey – 32-48-2-350; Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer – 20-37-1-344; Baylor’s Seth Russell – 22-38-1-337, and Houston’s Greg Ward – 24-36-2-326.


Impressive Rushers:

Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elijah McGuire – 223 yards; San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey – 220 yards; SMU’s Braeden West – 220 yards; Wyoming’s Brian Hill – 207 yards, and Western Michigan’s Jamauri Bogan – 189 yards.

Also, Kentucky’s Stanley Williams – 181 yards; Troy’s Jordan Chunn – 175 yards; Nevada’s James Butler – 174 yards; Rutgers’ Robert Martin – 169 yards; Arizona’s J.J. Taylor – 168 yards, and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey – 165 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“We have the atmosphere of a JC softball team. That’s what we are, a JC softball team,” Washington State coach Mike Leach, on his football team.

“We run out of bounds more than any team in the country,” Washington State coach Mike Leach.

“There are no bad weeks in college football, just bad refs,” CBS Sports commentator Adam Zucker.

“When I was little I used to be able to lick my elbow,” Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.

“I have never eaten a booger in my entire life,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, after cameras appeared to show Harbaugh picking his nose and eating his catch.

“Do you know what LSU stands for? Les’s Stupid Urchins,” Stingray.

“If you are going to play Stanford all your defense has to worry about is one guy,” ESPN analyst Joey Galloway.


Quote from the Past

“There’s nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you,” Ohio State coach Woody Hayes.


Sign of the Day

“He Turned His Back, We’ll Turn Ours,” Temple fans at the Penn State game.


Worst T-Shirt of the Day

“Joe Pa Was Railroaded, Sandusky Is Innocent,” Penn State fans at the Temple game.


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Wisconsin (3-0) at Michigan State (2-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Is Michigan State that good? Are the Spartans better than we thought? They sure looked good against Notre Dame. At least in the first half they did. Not so much in the second half. And then there is Wisconsin – a winner over LSU and almost a loser to Georgia State. But the Badgers are often a sleeper. Something tells me they are going to sleep against the Spartans. Sparty throws a party – Michigan State 26, Wisconsin 20.

RUNNER UP: 2. Florida (3-0) at Tennessee (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – The Gators feel sorry for Tennessee. The Vols have lost 11-straight to Florida. So this year Florida is going to relinquish its quarterback to give the Vols a break. Tennessee needs all the breaks it can get against Florida. Yeah, Luke Del Rio is out for two or three weeks with a sprained knee. That’s like spotting Tennessee 10 points. Not a problem. The Gators will win on defense. Albert dances on Rocky Top again (this is getting old) – Florida 17, Tennessee 14.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Arkansas (3-0) vs. Texas A&M (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 9 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Arkansas has a secret weapon. They post Bret Bielema’s wife on the sideline and she distracts the opposing players. Not a bad secret weapon. I didn’t think the Hogs would beat TCU but they did. I’m convinced. The secret weapon works. Still, A&M is tough. The Aggies took care of Aubie in Auburn. But they can’t handle Jen Bielema – Arkansas 23, Texas A&M 21.

4. Clemson (3-0) at Georgia Tech (3-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – After opening against Auburn, Clemson has faced two cupcakes. One, Troy, gave the Tigers a scare. The other, South Carolina State, had to bow out under the mercy rule. Well, Georgia Tech may not be that tough, but I don’t think they are a cupcake. The Jackets could give Clemson a decent game. But the Tigers will have no mercy this week – Clemson 26, Georgia Tech 15.

5. Georgia Southern (3-0) at Western Michigan (3-0) – (Sun Belt vs. MAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3 – Western Michigan wants revenge. Last year, Georgia Southern won this game, 43-17. But that was in Statesboro. This one is in Kalamazoo. And the Broncos are a better team this year. Regardless, it should be a barn burner – maybe a high scoring affair. But the Broncs won’t be broken – Western Michigan 32, Georgia Southern 27.

6. Stanford (2-0) at UCLA (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Last week Stanford took care of USC. This week it is the other Los Angeles team. This L.A. team might be better. But the Trees get better and better each week. Stop Christian McCaffrey and the Bruins win. Don’t stop McCaffrey and the Bruins lose. McCaffrey wins – Stanford 24, UCLA 14.

7. Oklahoma State (2-1) at Baylor (3-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Okie State didn’t have any referee problems last week. And the Cowboys are assured of having Big 12 refs this week. Baylor is undefeated, but the Bears haven’t played anybody. We really don’t know if the Bears are real. Okie State was tested by Pitt – a good team. Baylor gets its first test and flunks – Oklahoma State 42, Baylor 40.

8. Florida State (2-1) at South Florida (3-0) – (ACC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Oh my, what happened to the Noles last week? They never could get a Bingo. Chief Ocey was pulling out his feathers. South Florida is undefeated. The Bulls are good. Are they good enough to beat FSU? Yes, at the right time, but this isn’t the right time. The Noles are mad. They will be pillaging all the towns between Tallahassee and Tampa. Then they pillage South Florida – Florida State 27, South Florida 24.

9. Penn State (2-1) at Michigan (3-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Jim Harbaugh got a wake-up call from Colorado last week. The Buffs gave the Wolvies a scare for a while. No scares this week. Penn State comes to town. The Nitts aren’t ready for prime time yet. Harbaugh goes for some style points – Michigan 34, Penn State 19.

10. Washington (3-0) at Arizona (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N – The Huskies could be the real thing this year. It was only a matter of time before Chris Petersen got the sled rolling in Seattle. The problem is the Huskies haven’t had a real good test yet. And I’m not sure that Arizona is a good test. But the Wildcats will be the best test Washington has had so far. Rich Rod is no hot rod – Washington 22, Arizona 17.

11. Pitt (2-1) at North Carolina (2-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – This is a tough game to pick. The Panthers are good, but how good?
The Heels are good, but how good? Since losing a close game to Georgia, but everybody loses a close game to Georgia, the Heels haven’t played anybody. Pitt’s had two competitive games – Penn State and Oklahoma State. The Panthers barely won one (Penn State) and barely lost the other one (Oklahoma State). These Heels aren’t spiked – Pitt 29, North Carolina 24.

12. Georgia (3-0) at Ole Miss (1-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Well, let’s see Georgia has won three games by 9 points, 2 points and 1 point. Looks like Uga goes into the minus column this week. Meanwhile, the Fin Boys have to be mad – two losses in three games. And the Fin Boys are a terrible second half team. They are out of shape. But this week they catch a second wind, as Uga goes from +1 to -4 – Ole Miss 30, Georgia 26.


…AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. Colorado (2-1) at Oregon (2-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 5:30 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N – Oregon is beatable. We now know that. And Colorado can put on a show – at least for a while. Maybe the Buffs will put on a show in Eugene. But only for a while – Oregon 37, Colorado 29.

14. USC (1-2) at Utah (3-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 9 pm ET, Friday, FS1 – This won’t be easy for the Utes. USC already has two losses. Three will look terrible on the Trojans’ resume. So expect a tough game. But the Utes prevail – Utah 28, USC 16.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

West Virginia (2-0) vs. BYU (1-2) – (Big 12 vs. Ind.) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – West Virginia had the week off last week to work on its weaknesses. BYU has been a strange team this year. Well, the Cougars haven’t been a typical BYU team. Usually BYU has a high scoring offense and a defense that allows high scoring. This year BYU beat Arizona, 18-16, lost to Utah, 20-19, and lost to UCLA, 17-14. Not much scoring on offense, but a good defense. Well, the Cougars do have a new coach. So the Mounties will have a challenge, scoring on BYU. But Skyler Howard should be fully healed and recovered. The game is being played at FedExField in Landover, Maryland – more of a home game for WVU than BYU, but still a neutral field. The sky doesn’t fall on Skyler – West Virginia 23, BYU 20.

Nebraska (3-0) at Northwestern (1-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – After a couple of practice games, the Huskers took their first test last week and passed. Northwestern is no Oregon, but the Wildcats are better than Fresno State and Wyoming. But the Wildcats aren’t better than the Huskers – Nebraska 28, Northwestern 15.

Duke (1-2) at Notre Dame (1-2) – (ACC vs. Ind.) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Well, the cat is out of the bag. We know that the Dookies are bad this year. It must be a rebuilding year for David Cutcliffe. He has a lot of construction to do. Notre Dame is not only better than the Dookies, but the Irish will be extra mad after the loss to Michigan State. The Irish will take out their anger on the Dookies. The Irish break out the Jameson – Notre Dame 30, Duke 11.

Nevada (2-1) at Purdue (1-1) – (MWC vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN News – So when the Boilers play a team like Nevada, it’s pot luck trying to figure out who is going to win. I mean what are you going to do? Well, you’re going to pick Nevada – that’s what you are going to do. The Wolves Pack it on – Nevada 30, Purdue 27.

Texas (2-1) is off.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Ball State (2-1) at Florida Atlantic (1-2) – (MAC vs. C-USA) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
South Carolina State (0-3) at Florida A&M (0-3) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….

UCF (1-2) at Florida International (0-3) – (AAC vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Bethune-Cookman (0-2) at Savannah State (0-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

Jacksonville U. (1-1) at Stetson (1-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Florida Tech (3-0) at Presbyterian (1-2) – (Gulf South vs. Big South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

Miami (3-0) is off.

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were two passings of note last week – Edward Albee and William P. Kinsella.

Edward Albee, widely considered the foremost American playwright of his generation, died last week at his home in Montauk, New York. He was 88. He introduced himself in 1959 with his first produced play, “The Zoo Story.” The play helped propel the burgeoning theater movement that became known as Off Broadway. In 1962, Albee’s Broadway debut, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf,” won a Tony Award for best play. Throughout his career (1962-2012), he turned out 32 or so plays. Some of Albee’s other plays included “A Delicate Balance” (1966), “Seascape” (1975), “Three Tall Women” (1994), “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia” (2002) and “Me Myself and I” (2007). Beyond his Tonys, he won three Pulitzer Prizes. Albee was born somewhere in Virginia on March 12, 1928. Shortly after his birth, his father deserted and abandoned him and his mother. Before Albee was a year old, he was adopted by Reed and Frances Albee, who lived in Larchmont, New York. They named him Edward Franklin Albee. He attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, but never finished, reportedly because he refused to go to chapel and was eventually expelled.

William P. Kinsella, who wrote “Shoeless Joe,” the novel that became the basis for the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams,” and the author of numerous baseball short stories, poetry collections and several works of nonfiction, died last week. He was 81. In addition to “Shoeless Joe,” wrote other novels in that genre, including “The Iowa Baseball Confederacy,” “Magic Time,” “If Wishes Were Horses” and “Butterfly Winter.” Kinsella published almost 30 books of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Kinsella was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on May 25, 1935. He received his bachelor of arts in creative writing at the University of Victoria in 1974 and earned a master of fine arts degree in English at the University of Iowa in 1978. He was a professor of English at the University of Calgary.