College Football Week 11 – Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly out for season
It was the best of times;
it was the worst of times

Going into the weekend, there were five undefeated teams. When the weekend was over, all of them remained just that – undefeated. It was the best of times, as the five teams had impressive wins.

Facing the toughest competition of the five, Alabama improved to 9-0, as the Crimson Tide beat LSU, 10-0. The Tigers came into the game riding a three-game winning streak. LSU was undefeated under interim coach Ed Orgeron. But Alabama’s defense held the Tigers to 125 total yards – just 33 rushing and 92 passing.

Playing before a home crowd, Clemson improved to 9-0, as the Tigers pummeled Syracuse, 54-0. Clemson played four quarterbacks in the game. Two of the quarterbacks – Deshaun Watson and Nick Schuessler – passed for a combined 346 yards (24-33-0), and each threw two touchdown passes.

Also playing at home, Michigan improved to 9-0, as the Wolverines demolished Maryland, 59-3. Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight passed for 362 yards, throwing two touchdown passes. The Wolverines racked up 660 total yards.

Playing on the road against a tenacious offense, Washington improved to 9-0, as the Huskies slammed California, 66-27. Washington quarterback Jake Browning passed for 378 yards and six touchdowns. The Huskies amassed 704 total yards.

Also on the road, Western Michigan improved to 9-0, as the Broncos rolled by Ball State, 52-20. Western Michigan quarterback Zack Terrell passed for 367 yards, throwing three touchdown passes.

Yes, it was the best of times for Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Washington and Western Michigan.

This week, the challenge is on Washington, as the Huskies will be facing the toughest competition of the five undefeated teams. Washington hosts USC (6-3). The Trojans are riding a five-game winning streak. Michigan is on the road at Iowa (5-4). The Hawkeyes have the potential to give the Wolverines some problems.

Alabama entertains Mississippi State (4-5). The Tide just need to watch out for a letdown after the big win over LSU. Clemson hosts Pitt (5-4). Like Iowa against Michigan, Pitt could cause the Tigers some mild concerns. Western Michigan is on the road at Kent State (3-6). The Broncos should be safe.

Going into the weekend, there were 10 teams with just one loss. When the weekend was over, four of those teams had their second loss. It was the worst of times, as three of the teams were upset and the fourth was slaughtered.

The biggest surprise came in Starkville, Mississippi. Texas A&M fell to 7-2, as the Aggies were knocked off by Mississippi State, 35-28. Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald passed for 209 yards and rushed for 182 yards, scoring two touchdowns passing and two rushing. Miss State running back Aeris Williams added 140 yards rushing. Texas A&M was the No. 4 team in last week’s Playoff Rankings. The Aggies won’t be this week.

Florida ran into a wall in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Gators fell to 6-2, as they were stunned by Arkansas, 31-10. The Razorbacks Rawleigh Williams rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Arkansas’ defense held Florida to a mere 12 yards rushing.

What a shocker in Waco, Texas! Baylor fell to 7-2, as the Bears were humiliated by TCU, 66-22. The Horned Frogs Kyle Hicks rushed for 192 yards. TCU racked up 688 total yards against Baylor.

And what a slaughter in Columbus, Ohio! Nebraska fell to 7-2, as the Huskers were pelted by Ohio State, 62-3. Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett passed for 290 yards, throwing four touchdown passes. Ohio State’s defense held Nebraska to 204 total yards – 78 yards rushing and 126 passing.

“So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye.”

Yes, it was the worst of times for Texas A&M, Florida and Nebraska.

“Bye bye Baylor, Baylor goodbye.”

And yes, it was the worst of times for Baylor too.

On the positive side, six teams with one loss fared better over the weekend.

Up in Boston, Louisville improved to 8-1, as the Cardinals breezed through Boston College, 52-7. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson scored seven touchdowns, passing for 231 yards and four TDs and rushing for 185 yards and three TDs. The Cardinals held the Eagles to 57 yards rushing.

Ohio State improved to 8-1, as the Buckeyes (mentioned above) dumped Nebraska, 62-3.

On the banks of the Monongahela, West Virginia improved to 7-1, as the Mountaineers crushed Kansas, 48-21. West Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns. WVU running backs Justin Crawford and Kennedy McKoy rushed for 129 yards and 127 yards respectively. The Mountaineers had 605 total yards.

Playing before a home crowd, Boise State improved to 8-1, as the Broncos downed San Jose State, 45-31. Boise State quarterback Jeremy McNichols rushed for 158 yards.

Also playing at home, San Diego State improved to 8-1, as the Aztecs ran over Hawaii, 55-0. San Diego State running backs Donnel Pumphrey and Rashaad Penny each rushed for more than 100 yards. The Aztec defense held Hawaii to 50 yards rushing.

And finally, Troy improved to 7-1, as the Trojans spanked Massachusetts, 52-31. Troy quarterback Brandon Silvers passed for 245 yards, throwing three touchdown passes. The Trojans defense held the Minutemen to 44 yards rushing.

Yes, it was the best of times too for Louisville, Ohio State, West Virginia, Boise State, San Diego State and Troy.

Of the six remaining teams with one loss, Troy has the toughest assignment this week. The Trojans host Appalachian State (7-2). West Virginia won’t have it easy either, as the Mountaineers go on the road to face Texas (5-4) in Austin.

Louisville hosts Wake Forest (6-3). Ohio State plays at Maryland (5-4). Boise State travels to Hawaii (4-6), while San Diego State is on the road at Nevada (3-6).

Five undefeated teams and six teams with just one loss. What will the numbers be next week?

So you have to think that the Top 4 teams in this week’s Playoff Poll will be Alabama (1), Clemson (2), Michigan (3) and Washington (4). Ohio State, Louisville and West Virginia should move up. The best Power 5 teams with two losses are Wisconsin (7-2) and Auburn (7-2). The Tigers are riding a six-game winning streak.

Western Michigan should be the highest-ranked among the Group of 5 teams. That ranking would have the Broncos heading to a New Year’s Six bowl. But Boise State, Troy and San Diego State are still hanging in there. And Navy (6-2), Tulsa (7-2), South Florida (7-2), Houston (7-2), Wyoming (7-2), Toledo (7-2) and Appalachian State (7-2) each with two losses, aren’t totally out of it. Stay tuned!

What on earth was going on in the SEC Saturday? Early in the game in the three 12 noon starts, Texas A&M was down to Miss State, 21-7. Auburn trailed Vanderbilt, 10-7, and Ole Miss was losing to Georgia Southern, 14-3.

Auburn and Ole Miss rebounded to win. The Tigers beat Vanderbilt, 23-16, and Ole Miss downed Georgia Southern, 37-27. Ole Miss lost quarterback Chad Kelly for the remainder of the season to a knee injury – torn ACL. Texas A&M, however, rebounded too late. The Aggies lost to Miss State, 35-28.

And what was with Kentucky coach Mark Stoops? Trailing Georgia, 24-21, in the closing minutes, the Wildcats drove down to the Dawgs 10 and then played for an overtime and not a win. For three plays, Kentucky made no serious threat to score. Ultimately, the Wildcats kicked a field goal and tied the game, 24-24. But ultimately, with less than two minutes to play, Georgia drove down the field and kicked a field goal as time expired – Dawgs 27, Wildcats 24.

Butch Jones finally found a team he can beat. Tennessee topped Tennessee Tech, 55-0.

What were Washington, Washington State, TCU and Ohio State drinking in their Kool-Aid? Washington beat California, 66-27. Washington State downed Arizona, 69-7. TCU beat Baylor, 66-22, and Ohio State downed Nebraska, 62-3.

Can anybody explain Michigan State? The Spartans have lost seven-consecutive games. Saturday, lowly Illinois beat Michigan State, 31-27.

Christian McCaffrey bounced back Saturday. The Stanford running back and last year’s runner-up for the Heisman Trophy rushed for 159 yards. Stanford beat Oregon State, 26-15.

Florida State got a scare. Late in the third quarter in Raleigh, the Noles trailed NC State, 20-10. As the quarter ended, FSU scored a touchdown to close the gap to three points – 20-17. Then with only 3:09 on the clock in the fourth, the Noles scored a touchdown to go up 24-20. FSU held on to win.

As time was running down in the Oklahoma State-Kansas State game in Manhattan, the Wildcats were on the Cowboys goal line. But K-State couldn’t punch it in and Oklahoma State held on to win, 43-37.

Among the service academies, Navy beat Notre Dame, 28-27. The game was played in Jacksonville. In West Point, Air Force downed Army, 31-12.

Yes, it was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I will be in Gainesville this weekend for the South Carolina-Florida game. And, of course, we are staying at where else – the Laurel Oak Inn (www.laureloakinn.com).

We will be celebrating our 25th anniversary of going to Florida football games together. As separate couples, we had been to Florida football games prior to 1991. But we went to our first Florida football game as a foursome in 1991. Together, we have been to at least one or more Florida games every year since.

Enjoy your week!

Touchdown Tom
November 7, 2016
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

Note: Due to travel and other restrictions, the posting of next week’s CFW (Week 12) will most likely be delayed a couple of days. Stay tuned!


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK: Making a statement – Ohio State 62, Nebraska 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Nebraska 18). Nebraska was in this game for all of about eight minutes. That’s when the Huskers trailed the Buckeyes, 7-3. Ohio State went on to score 55 unanswered points, including a 24-0 outburst over the Huskers in the third quarter. Nebraska had 9 first downs to 34 for Ohio State. Attendance in Columbus: 108,750

RUNNER UP: Defense! – Alabama 10, LSU 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 32, LSU 23). Until early in the fourth quarter, this game was deadlocked at 0-0. Finally, with 13:08 on the clock in the fourth, Bama quarterback Jalen Hurts scored on a 21-yard touchdown run. The Tide later added a 25-yard field goal with less than three minutes on the clock. Bama held LSU to 6 first downs and only 125 total yards – 33 rushing and 92 passing. Hurts finished with 114 yards rushing. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 102,321

REST OF THE BEST: Happy Pigs – Arkansas 31, Florida 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 17, Arkansas 16). Florida’s offense continues to be bad. You wonder why Jim McElwain doesn’t play one of the freshman quarterbacks. Luke Del Rio isn’t getting the job done. The Gators were 5-0 under Del Rio, but the offense didn’t look good in any of those wins. It was the defense that won the games. Then Saturday, there was no defense. Attendance in Fayetteville: 74,432

Bow-wow – Washington 66, California 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 42, California 24). Until midway through the second quarter, this was an exciting game. Washington led 28-20. Then the Huskies proceeded to outscore the Bears, 38-7. Washington had 704 total yards. Attendance in Berkeley: 47,756

Oklahoma State 43, Kansas State 37 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 26, Kansas State 23). This was a close game throughout and Kansas State led for most of it. Trailing 37-35, Oklahoma State scored with 1:46 to go in the game to take a 43-37 lead. In the final 100 seconds, K-State got down to the Okie State goal line. But the Cowboys held. Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph passed for 457 yards and five touchdowns. K-State quarterback Jesse Ertz rushed for 153 yards. Attendance in Manhattan: 52,450

Smurf attack – North Carolina 48, Georgia Tech 20 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 30, Georgia Tech 23). The teams combined for 1,154 yards of offence. Tech was the better running team. Carolina was the better passing team. The Heels Mitch Trubisky passed for 329 yards. Running back Elijah Hood rushed for 168 yards. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 58,000

On a roll – Penn State 41, Iowa 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 29, Iowa 19). Penn State had 599 total yards to 234 for Iowa, holding the Hawkeyes to 30 yards rushing. The Nitts won their fifth-consecutive game. Attendance in University Park: 106,194

Wild ride – TCU 62, Baylor 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 32, TCU 21). Baylor has now dropped two games in a row. Maybe the pressure of the Title IX suits is getting to them. The Bears had no defense. The offense wasn’t much better. TCU’s Kyle Hicks rushed for 192 yards and five touchdowns. Quarterback Kenny Hill had another 85 yards rushing. The Frogs had 688 total yards. Attendance in Waco: 48,129

Give Bucky a piece of cheese – Wisconsin 21, Northwestern 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 26, Northwestern 22). Northwestern passed for 277 yards, but Wisconsin held the Wildcats to just 30 yards rushing. The Badgers controlled the clock, holding on to the ball for more than 40 minutes. Attendance in Evanston: 42,016

The Force be with you – Air Force 31, Army 12 (Touchdown Tom said: Air Force 29, Army 26). Air Force had 444 total yards to 228 for Army. The Falcons Jacobi Owens rushed for 106 yards. Attendance in West Point: 38,443

Uga does his dump on the blue grass – Georgia 27, Kentucky 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Kentucky 25, Georgia 22). Georgia dominated the statistics, but the Dawgs didn’t really dominate the score until the end. Kentucky deserved to lose as Mark Stoops played for an overtime instead of the win. Georgia’s Jacob Eason passed for 245 yards, and Sony Michel rushed for 12 7 yards. Attendance in Lexington: 62,507

Ain’t over till it’s over – Florida State 24, NC State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 33, NC State 20). NC State led throughout, until the final three minutes of the game. State dominated the statistics – first downs and total yards – even ball control. But the Noles dominated the score. FSU’s Deondre Francois passed for 330 yards. Attendance in Raleigh: 57,789


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Back in the saddle – Miami (Florida) 51, Pitt 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 31, Miami 30). After losing four consecutive games, Miami bounced back in the winning column. Miami’s Brad Kaaya passed for 356 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Mark Walton rushed for 125 yards. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 51,796

Ralphie rules – Colorado 20, UCLA 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Colorado 26, UCLA 17). UCLA led 10-7 at the half, but in the second half, Colorado outscored the Bruins 13-0. The Buffaloes defense held UCLA to only 25 yards rushing and only 14 first downs. Colorado won in spite of suffering four turnovers. Attendance in Boulder: 43,761


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

In spite of the red zone – West Virginia 48, Kansas 21 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 45, Kansas 17). In spite of scoring 48 points, WVU’s offense still has problems scoring in the red zone. Dana Holgorsen goes anal on his play calling in the red zone. Outside the 20, the Mounties are fine. Inside the 20 and they are dyslexic. West Virginia led 31-0 at halftime. Then WVU got a little sloppy on offense and defense in the second half. Attendance in Morgantown: 56,343

Dukes demoted – Virginia Tech 24, Duke 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 32, Duke 19). The teams were about as even as you can get in the statistics. The score was pretty close too. Trailing by 10 early in the fourth quarter, Duke scored with 7:10 on the clock to pull within three at 24-21. It was a stalemate after that. Attendance in Durham: 38,217

The golden touch – Minnesota 44, Purdue 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 33, Purdue 24). Purdue was in this game in the first half. The Boilers led, 28-23, at the break. Then Minnesota outscored Purdue 21-3 in the second half. The Boilers only had 23 yards rushing, but they passed for 391 yards. Purdue’s David Blough threw four touchdown passes. Minnesota was balanced in its attack – 235 yards rushing and 231 passing. The Boilers suffered three turnovers. Attendance in Minneapolis: 42,832

Week 10 Results: 13 correct picks, 4 fumbles (76.5 percent)
For the Season: 114 correct picks, 60 fumbles (65.5 percent)


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Drake 31, Jacksonville U. 27 – Attendance in Jacksonville: 471
Bethune-Cookman 41, Morgan State 10 – Attendance in Baltimore: 3,521

Marist 45, Stetson 38 – Attendance in Deland: 4,032
Florida Tech 45, West Georgia 21 – Attendance in Carrollton: 5,132
Florida Atlantic 42, Rice 25 – Attendance in Houston: 19,892

Western Kentucky 49, Florida International 21 – Attendance in Bowling Green: 15,516
UCF 37, Tulane 0 – Attendance in Orlando: 31,571


Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 29-38-2 for 457 yards; Indiana’s Richard Lagow – 28-40-2-394; Purdue’s David Blough – 29-48-1-391; Washington’s Jake Browning – 19-28-0-378; Western Michigan’s Zack Terrell – 23-34-0-367; Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes – 36-59-1-367, and Michigan’s Wilton Speight – 19-24-0-362.

Miami of Florida’s Brad Kaaya – 32-47-0 for 356 yards; South Alabama’s Dallas Davis – 25-39-1-336; East Carolina’s Gardner Minshew – 29-46-0-336; Florida State’s Deondre Francois – 22-39-0-330; North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky – 20-32-0-329; Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 25-34-1-328, and Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 26-37-0-327.


Impressive Rushers:

Texas’ D’Onta Foreman – 341 yards; Florida Atlantic’s Devin Singletary – 252 yards; UTEP’s Aaron Jones – 228 yards; Old Dominion’s Ray Lawry – 209 yards, and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey – 199 yards.

TCU’s Kyle Hicks –192 yards; Tulsa’s D’Angelo Brewer – 186 yards; Louisville’s Lamar Jackson – 185 yards; Charlotte’s Kalif Phillips – 183 yards; Miss State’s Nick Fitzgerald – 182 yards, and Tulsa’s James Flanders – 177 yards.

Navy’s Will Worth – 175 yards; Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway – 173 yards; USC’s Ronald Jones – 171 yards; North Carolina’s Elijah Hood – 168 yards; Penn State’s Saquon Barkley – 167 yards, and Boise State’s Jeremy McNichols – 158 yards.


Quotes of the Week

“I wish I had a better word for weird. It’s a strange deal and not a good situation for the future of Baylor football. That’s for sure,” Waco Midway High School football coach Jim Hulme, on Baylor’s lack of recruiting.

“There’s plenty of time for the Bears’ recruiting to rebound. There will be a lot of kids who want to come to Baylor. But they want to see who’s going to be their coach. As soon as that happens, there will be a lot of kids jumping in the boat,” interim Baylor coach Jim Grobe, on why Baylor is not recruiting.

“I’m looking for a place dedicated to the players’ achievement in the classroom and that wants to win championships. If there’s an athletic director and president that want to do that, I’m in line,” former LSU coach Les Miles, on coaching next season.

“I’m excited to get another opportunity to take a team to the field and fight for victory. Right now that is my focus,” former LSU coach Les Miles, on coaching next season.

“Kansas is called on the opening kickoff for taunting. How can anyone on a 1-7 team taunt anyone,” Morgantown sports columnist Bob Hertzel.

“What I want is for Baylor to act like they have some institutional control and stop allowing the football program to re-victimize the already traumatized survivors. In a show of institutional courage, Harvard just canceled the rest of the men’s soccer season over lewd ratings of female players. If Baylor wanted to do the right thing, they would cancel the rest of the football season for yesterday’s display of deliberate and calculated cruelty,” rape activist Brenda Tracy, on Baylor’s “blackout” at the TCU game in honor of Art Briles.

“It was a deliberate slap in the face to the women who were assaulted and raped on Baylor’s campus and for what? Art Briles? The man who said he knew of a gang rape and did nothing. Or the man who threw all of his assistant coaches under the bus by saying that de delegated down and didn’t know what was happening on his team,” rape activist Brenda Tracy.


Quote from the Past

“In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in Bear Bryant,” Georgia coach Wally Butts.


Sign of the Day

Nick Saban Went As Himself For Halloween


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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. USC (6-3) at Washington (9-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, Fox – Washington has been an amazing football team this season. More and more believers come aboard each week. Chris Petersen is a good coach. He performed miracles at Boise State. He has turned around the Huskies program. Still, it’s tough for any team to get through a season undefeated. The Trojans will definitely be a challenge for the Huskies. Shaky at the start of the season – USC was 1-3 – the Trojans have won five consecutive games. They would like to make it six against Washington. But they won’t. Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin will see to that – Washington 30, USC 23.

RUNNER UP: 2. Baylor (6-2) at Oklahoma (7-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN – Baylor could be on the cusp of falling apart. The Bears have lost their last two games. Their non-conference competition was weak to begin with and nobody really knew how good Baylor was or wasn’t. I’m thinking here on out they won’t be very good. After a shaky start, Oklahoma is on a mission to have a strong finish and win the Big 12. The Bears won’t stop them – Oklahoma 35, Baylor 24.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Pitt (5-4) at Clemson (9-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Pitt could give Clemson some problems, but the Tigers game would have to be really, really off for the Panthers to win. Pitt has some offensive muscle, but the Panthers lack defense. The Tigers should have another heyday – Clemson 36, Pitt 21.

4. Michigan (9-0) at Iowa (5-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Iowa has been up and down. The Hawkeyes have a terrible offense, but are capable of playing good defense. After a quarter or two, the Wolverines should toy with the Hawkeyes. Jim Harbaugh is on a mission – Michigan 30, Iowa 17.

5. Minnesota (7-2) at Nebraska (7-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN – How will the Huskers react to the disaster in Columbus. They could fall apart and Minnesota could have its way with them. It won’t be easy, but my feeling is Mike Riley regenerates their pride – Nebraska 28, Minnesota 27.

6. Tulsa (7-2) at Navy (6-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Now this one could be another one of those high-scoring affairs. Both teams can put up some points – Navy on the ground, Tulsa passing and running. Both teams have good quarterbacks. The Middies pull it out in a squeaker – Navy 35, Tulsa 34.

7. Appalachian State (7-2) at Troy (7-1) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3 – This may be the game of the year in the Sun Belt. Although Arkansas State is coming on strong. App State doesn’t play Arkansas State, but Troy does next week. The pressure is on Troy and the Little Mountaineers take advantage of the pressure – Appalachian State 33, Troy 27.

8. South Florida (7-2) at Memphis (6-3) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – South Florida is having another great season, but Memphis isn’t exactly jelly. Both teams can score, but USF has the better defense. Memphis will be tough at home. The running of the Bulls – South Florida 27, Memphis 24.

9. West Virginia (7-1) at Texas (5-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – West Virginia bounced back from the stumble against Oklahoma State. But Texas is bouncing back too. The Horns have won two straight. Charlie Strong wants to keep his job. It may be too late, but he’ll try. The Mountaineers don’t give him any help – West Virginia 34, Texas 27.

10. Auburn (7-2) at Georgia (5-4) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Auburn is hot and Georgia is lukewarm. I think Gus Malzahn has saved his job, but it wouldn’t hurt to beat the Dawgs. Aubie gets Smart – Auburn 30, Georgia 20.

11. Utah (7-2) at Arizona State (5-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 9:30 pm ET, Thursday, FS1 – Utah is still looking to win the Pac-12 South and get another shot at Washington. It could happen. Arizona State is just trying to keep its head above water. The Sun Devils have some potential, but they rarely put it together. The Utes, however, are together – Utah 36, Arizona State 23.

12. Penn State (7-2) at Indiana (5-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Penn State is on a roll, but Indiana is the kind of team that could surprise the Nitts. Hoosiers coach Kevin Wilson is trying to save his job. A win over the Nitts just might do that. But that is an iffy win. Nothing iffy about the Lions – Penn State 32, Indiana 26.


….AND TWO TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

13. Georgia Tech (5-4) at Virginia Tech (7-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Always fun when the Techs get together. The Virginia one is definitely playing the better ball this season. The Georgia one is a very one dimensional team. For some reason, the Hokies always play well when Thanksgiving is near. No exception this year – Virginia Tech 35, Georgia Tech 25.

14. LSU (5-3) at Arkansas (6-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Big question? Will LSU have a big letdown after the tough loss to Alabama? Or will Arkansas still be hung over from the big win against Florida? The other big question is Leonard Fournette. Will he show up this week? Hog heaven – Arkansas 20, LSU 17.


YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

South Carolina (5-4) at Florida (6-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBS – Ah, the return of Will Mustake to the Swamp. It should be fun. And the Gamecocks are riding a three-game winning streak. Can’t say the same for Florida. But the Gators should bounce back – the defense, not the offense. The offense doesn’t bounce. It’s out of air. Albert roasts a Chicken – Florida 24, South Carolina 16.

North Carolina (7-2) at Duke (3-6) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – The Dookies are running out of time. One more loss and no bowl game for the Devils. The Tar Heels are running out of time too. They need Virginia Tech to lose. Otherwise, the Hokies win the Coastal Division of the ACC. So the Heels can’t slip up against Duke or its is curtains for the division title. The Dookies will sit home over the holidays – North Carolina 34, Duke 25.

Northwestern (4-5) at Purdue (3-6) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – This should be interesting. Northwestern plays good defense, but has no offense. Purdue plays good offense, but has no defense. I think the Wildcats defense wins – Northwestern 26, Purdue 17.


ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Cincinnati (4-5) at UCF (5-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU….

Miami (5-4) at Virginia (2-7) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, FSN Affiliates/ACCN….
Jacksonville U. (4-4) at Valparaiso (3-7) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Delta State (4-5) at Florida Tech (7-2) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….

Stetson (4-5) at San Diego (7-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Morgan State (2-6) at Florida A&M (3-6) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….

UTEP (3-6) at Florida Atlantic (2-7) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Boston College (4-5) at Florida State (6-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2….

Florida International (3-7) and Bethune-Cookman (3-5) are off.


Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but in early November as the college football season began its final stretch, the number one song in the country…

…75 years ago this week in 1941 was “Piano Concerto in B Flat” by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra

…70 years ago this week in 1946 was “Rumors Are Flying” by Frankie Carle

…65 years ago this week in 1951 was “Cold, Cold Heart” by Tony Bennett

…60 years ago this week in 1956 was “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley and “Green Door” by Jim Lowe

…55 years ago this week in 1961 was “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean

…50 years ago this week in 1966 was “Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees

…45 years ago this week in 1971 was “Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves” by Cher

…40 years ago this week in 1976 was “Rock Me” by the Steve Miller Band

…35 years ago this week in 1981 was “Private Eyes” by Daryl Hall & John Oates

…30 years ago this week in 1986 was “Amanda” by Boston

…25 years ago this week in 1991 was “Cream” by Prince


Not exactly college football related, but sadly there were four passings of note last week – Tammy Grimes, Curly Putman, John Hicks and Kay Starr.

Tammy Grimes, the actress and singer who conquered Broadway at the age of 26, winning a Tony Award for her performance in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” died last week in Englewood, New Jersey. She was 82. She won a second Tony in 1969 in the revival of Noel Coward’s “Private Lives.” She played the lead in “Look After Lulu” (1958), and in 1964 she appeared in “High Spirits.” Tammy Lee Grimes was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, on January 30, 1934. She graduated from Stephens College in Missouri. In 1976, she was in “California Suite.” Her films included “Play It as It Lays,” “The Last Unicorn” and “Slaves of New York.” She appeared in dozens of television series, including “The Tammy Grimes Show” (1966). Her last movie role was in “High Art” (1998). Her final Broadway appearance was in “Orpheus Descending” in 1989.

Curly Putman, a songwriter whose ballad “The Green, Green Grass of Home,” became a worldwide hit for Tom Jones in 1967, and whose long string of country classics included “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” for Tammy Wynette and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” for George Jones, died last week at his home in Lebanon, Tennessee. He was 85. Putman turned out hundreds of songs, many of them country chart-toppers. With Sonny Throckmorton, he wrote “It’s A Cheating Situation,” recorded by Moe Bandy and Janie Fricke, which was named country song of the year in 1979. He wrote “Dumb Blonde” (1967), which put Dolly Parton on the country charts for the first time, and “Blood Red and Goin’ Down,” a No. 1 hit for Tanya Tucker in 1973. In addition to Tom Jones, “The Green, Green Grass of Home” was also recorded by Johnny Darrell, Porter Wagoner, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, Dean Martin, Joe Tex and the Grateful Dead. Claude Putman Jr. was born on November 20, 1930, on Putman Mountain near Princeton, Alabama, northeast of Huntsville. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Navy and served two tours aboard the aircraft carrier Valley Forge during the Korean War. In 1960, he had a minor hit with “The Prison Song,” and Marion Worth reached the Top 10 with his song “I Think I Know.” Putman wrote hit after hit for the next two decades, including “As Long As the Wind Blows” (1965), “Set Me Free” (1967), “My Elusive Dreams” (1967), “You Can’t Have Your Kate and Edith Too” (1967) and “Just For You” (1968). He wrote hits for Johnny Darrell, Charlie Rich, David Houston, the Statler Brothers, T.G. Sheppard, among others.

John Hicks, a standout offensive lineman at Ohio State who became a first-round draft pick and rookie of the year for the New York Giants in 1974, died last week in Columbus, Ohio. He was 65. At Ohio State, Hicks was an offensive tackle and played for Woody Hayes. Hicks was twice named an All-American and in 1973 won the Outland Trophy, for the best interior lineman in college football. That same year he finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting behind Penn State running back John Cappelletti. After a good first year with the Giants in 1974, Hicks career sunk fast. Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978, Hicks never played a game for the Steelers and retired after the 1978 season. John Charles Hicks Jr. was born on March 21, 1951, in Cleveland.

Kay Starr, a hillbilly singer who crisscrossed jazz, country, pop, blues and rock ’n’ roll in the 1950s with hits like “Wheel of Fortune” and “Rock and Roll Waltz,” died last week at her home in Los Angeles. She was 94. She was born Katherine Laverne Starks on July 21, 1922, in Doherty, Oklahoma. Starr’s family moved to Dallas and her singing career began in her childhood. She became a local radio sensation at age 7. When she was 15, her family moved to Memphis, where she began singing at the Peabody Hotel. Starr’s first records were “Baby Me” and “Love with a Capital You,” recorded with the Glenn Miller Orchestra when she was 16. After high school, Starr moved to Los Angeles and performed for World War II soldiers. In 1948, she had a breakthrough hit with “You Were Only Fooling (While I was Falling in Love),” followed by “Oh Babe” and “Hoop-Dee-Doo.” In 1950, she began recording duets with Tennessee Ernie Ford. In 1952, Starr released her best-known hit “Wheel of Fortune,” which was No. 1 for 10 weeks. The next year brought another hit, “Side by Side,” which went to No. 3. In 1955, Starr recorded “Rock and Roll Waltz,” which spent six weeks at No. 1. Her last big hit was “My Heart Reminds Me” in 1957. She toured the country off and on from the 1960s through the 1990s. In the 1980s, Star toured with Rosemary Clooney, Helen O’Connell, Margaret Whiting, Rose Marie and Kaye Ballard. She recorded a duet with Tony Bennett on his 2001 album “Playin’ with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues.”