Monday, November 6, 2017


College Football Week 11 – Is the Big Ten out of the Playoff?

Who’s in? Who’s out?


Last week, 14 teams still had a chance of making the college football playoffs. Four of those teams were eliminated over the weekend. This week, 10 teams still have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs.

Four of the 10 teams – Georgia (9-0), Alabama (9-0), Wisconsin (9-0) and Miami (Florida) (8-0) – are still undefeated. Five teams – Notre Dame (8-1), Clemson (8-1), Oklahoma (8-1), TCU (8-1) and Washington (8-1) – have just one loss. And one team – Auburn (7-2) – has two losses.

Yes, Auburn, with two losses, could make the playoffs. All the Tigers have to do is win out. That includes a win over Georgia this week and a win over Alabama on November 25. Those two wins would put Auburn in the SEC championship game. A second win over Georgia in the SEC title game and Auburn – No. 14 in last week’s playoff rankings – is easily in the playoffs with two losses. Saturday the Tigers beat Texas A&M, 42-27.

Win out and Georgia (No. 1) or Alabama (No. 2) will remain in the Top 4 of the playoff rankings. But the big question is: What would happen to the loser between the two in the SEC championship game? Would that knock the loser out of the Top 4? Or would they just fall to No. 3 or No. 4 in the rankings?

Saturday, Georgia beat South Carolina, 24-10, and Alabama beat LSU by the same score, 24-10. Alabama’s win over LSU, a higher-rated team than South Carolina, could enable the Tide to leap frog Georgia in the playoff rankings. Stay tuned!

If the other two teams, currently in the Top 4 – Notre Dame (No. 3) and Clemson (No. 4) – win out, they should be safe to hold on to a Top 4 spot. Over the weekend, Notre Dame beat Wake Forest, 48-37, and Clemson beat NC State, 38-31.

However, there could be some changes with Notre Dame and Clemson. Based on its win over NC State, a much-higher rated team than Wake Forest, Clemson could leap frog Notre Dame. Or, you could see last week’s No. 5 team – Oklahoma – replace either Notre Dame or Clemson in the Top 4. Oklahoma had a big win over No. 11 Oklahoma State, 62-52.

TCU (No. 8) should jump up to No. 6 this week. The Horned Frogs beat Texas, 24-7. TCU plays Oklahoma this week. The loser will be eliminated, while the winner will be in good shape.

The other two undefeated teams – Wisconsin (No. 9) and Miami (No. 10) have not been well-respected. The Badgers have not played a single Top 25 team this season. However, if Wisconsin wins out, including a win in the Big Ten championship game, then there is a path for the Badgers to make the playoffs. Saturday, Wisconsin beat Indiana, 45-17.

After beating Virginia Tech, 28-10, over the weekend, Miami should start getting some respect. In fact, look for the Hurricanes to leap frog Wisconsin. If Miami beats Notre Dame this week and goes on to beat Clemson in the ACC title game, the Canes stand a good chance to make the playoffs.

The one team of the 10 with the most difficult task of making it to the playoffs is Washington. Win out and it’s not impossible for the Huskies to make the playoffs, but it won’t be easy. Over the weekend, Washington beat Oregon, 38-3.

And who’s out? Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech were eliminated over the weekend from any chance of making the playoffs. All four teams suffered their second loss. No. 6 Ohio State lost to Iowa, 55-24, and No. 7 Penn State lost to Michigan State, 27-24. As mentioned above, Oklahoma State fell to Oklahoma and Virginia Tech lost to Miami (Florida).

Seven games this week will have a big impact on the playoff rankings. The key games are Georgia at Auburn, Alabama at Mississippi State, Notre Dame at Miami, Florida State at Clemson, TCU at Oklahoma, Iowa at Wisconsin and Washington at Stanford.

Something has to give between Georgia and Auburn, Notre Dame and Miami and TCU and Oklahoma. Any of the other four teams – Alabama, Clemson, Wisconsin and Washington – could get upset. Stay tuned.  

Make Florida Great Again! As we all know, Florida is looking for a new coach. I don’t know who will get the job in Gainesville, but whoever does should make their theme Make Florida Great Again!

Will Muschamp tried and failed. After three and a half years, he ended up becoming Will Mustake. Jim McElwain tried and failed. After two and a half seasons, he became Jim McExcuse, the king of bar-be-cue sauce – Mombo3. Now it looks like interim coach Randy Shannon is going to continue the recent tradition of failure.

Saturday, Florida lost to Missouri, 45-16. It was the Tigers first SEC win this season. Shannon made some bad and disappointing decisions during the game. Trailing Missouri 14-0, Florida had a third-and-one (short one) on Mizzou’s 21-yard line halfway through the second quarter. Instead of going for the first down, Shannon chose to kick a field goal.

Then trailing Missouri 28-3 at the end of the second quarter, Florida had a fourth-and-goal. Instead of going for the touchdown, Shannon chose again to kick a field goal. Looks like Florida chose the wrong assistant coach to become the interim head coach.

The other Florida school – Florida State – got back on the winning track. The Seminoles held on to beat Syracuse, 27-24, as freshman running back Cam Akers rushed for 199 yards.

Speaking of getting back on the winning track, after losing four-straight games, Utah took it to UCLA, 48-17. The Utes Zack Moss rushed for 153 yards. Also in the Pac-12, USC beat Arizona, 49-35. The Trojans Ronald Jones rushed for 194 yards. In a thriller in Pullman, Washington State slipped by Stanford, 24-21. The Cougars Luke Falk passed for 337 yards.   

In Morgantown, West Virginia scored the first 20 points, all in the first half. Iowa State scored the last 16 points, all but three in the second half. The Mountaineers held on to beat the Cyclones, 20-16.

Earlier in the season, Kentucky lost at home to Florida, 28-27, on a 5-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the game. Saturday, Kentucky lost at home to Ole Miss, 37-34, on a 7-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the game.

In the MWC and in a snow storm, Wyoming beat Colorado State, 16-13.

Baylor is no longer winless. The Bears beat Kansas, 38-9. However, still winless are UTEP (0-9) and Georgia Southern (0-8).

Butch Davis and Lane Kiffin continue to do well at Florida International and Florida Atlantic respectively. Saturday, FIU improved to 6-2, beating UT-San Antonio, 14-7, while FAU improved to 6-3, beating Marshall, 30-25. This week the Panthers host Old Dominion and the Owls are at Louisiana Tech. The two schools face each other on November 18.

Among the Group of Five teams, UCF remains undefeated. But the Knights had a close call Saturday. They beat SMU, 31-24. UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton passed for 412 yards.

My best of the Group of Five this week: UCF (8-0), Memphis (8-1), South Florida (8-1), Toledo (8-1), Boise State (7-2), San Diego State (8-2) and Army (7-2). Army beat Air Force, 21-0. The Cadets quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 265 yards.

In the Heisman race, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has to be the leading contender. Against Oklahoma State Saturday, Mayfield passed for 598 yards to bring his season total to 3,226 yards.

Last week, the Management Committee of the College Football Playoff organization announced future sites of the championship game from 2021 to 2024. The 2021 game will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Other sites include Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (2022), Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California (2023) and NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas (2024).

Announced earlier were the sites for the 2019 and 2020 title games, which will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California and at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans respectively. This season’s championship game will take place on January 8, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Former Colorado (1995-1998), Washington (1999-2002) and UCLA (2008-2011) coach Rick Neuheisel confirmed that he has his hat in the ring for the Oregon State job. Neuheisel has been out of coaching since the end of the 2011 season when he was fired by UCLA. He currently is a college football commentator for CBS. Neuheisel enjoys what he is currently doing, but misses coaching. Washington offensive coordinator Jonathan Smith, a former Oregon State quarterback, is considered to be the frontrunner for the job.

Last Thursday, Swamp Mama and I went to Florida Tech’s homecoming party at Meg O’Malley’s. It was good seeing and talking to Tim Muth. No bragging, only commiserating on our teams – Florida and Florida State.  

Bootsie and Rockledge Gator are off to the Georgia-Auburn game this week. That could be a classic game.

Have a good week!

Touchdown Tom
November 6, 2017


Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK:  The Canes are back – Miami (Florida) 24, Virginia Tech 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 27, Miami 24). After being down 14-0, Virginia Tech closed the gap to 14-10 early in the third quarter. That was as close as the Hokies got. It was a mistake prone game. Tech had four turnovers and Miami had three. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 63,932

RUNNER UP:  No, this wasn’t basketball – Oklahoma 62, Oklahoma State 52 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 39, Oklahoma 35). What a game! The score was 38-38 at halftime. The difference was the third quarter where OU outscored Okie State, 10-0. The teams combined for 1,446 total yards – 1,046 of the yards were from passing. The Cowboys Justice Hill rushed for 228 yards. Attendance in Stillwater: 56,790

REST OF THE BEST:  7th in a row over LSU – Alabama 24, LSU 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, LSU 17). LSU controlled the clock (more than 34 minutes) and had more total yards (306 to 295). But the Tigers couldn’t score. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821

Chicken Little – Georgia 24, South Carolina 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, South Carolina 20). Georgia controlled the clock for more than 38 minutes. The Dawgs held South Carolina to 43 yards rushing. The Dawgs Jake Fromm was 16-22-0 passing for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Athens: 92,746

Thriller – Clemson 38, NC State 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 30, NC State 22). NC State led 21-17 at halftime. The difference was the third quarter when Clemson outscored NC State 14-0. The Wolfpack led in total yards 491 to 415 and in first downs 27 to 19. NC State also controlled the clock for more than 34 minutes. The Packs Ryan Finley passed for 338 yards. Attendance in Raleigh: 57,600

After the long delay – Michigan State 27, Penn State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 26, Michigan State 24). Neither team could run the ball – 74 yards for Michigan State and 65 yards for Penn State. It was a passing game – 401 yards for Penn State and 400 yards for Michigan State. The Lions Trace McSorley threw three interceptions. Michigan State controlled the clock for more than 34 minutes. Attendance in East Lansing: 71,605

Still perfect – UCF 31, SMU 24 (Touchdown Tom said: UCF 34, SMU 24). UCF had 615 total yards. The Knights only led by 4 points – 28-24 – at the start of the fourth quarter. Knights running back Adrian Killins rushed for 145 yards. Attendance in Dallas: 24,445

Offense – USC 49, Arizona 35 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 33, Arizona 30). The score was 35-35 midway through the fourth quarter. USC had 642 total yards. Sam Darnold passed for 311 yards. Two Trojans rushed for more than 100 yards. Ronald Jones had 194 yards and Aca’Cedric Ware had 122 yards. Attendance in Los Angeles: 70,225

Treeless in Pullman – Washington State 24, Stanford 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington State 29, Stanford 28). Midway through the fourth quarter, Stanford led 21-17. Washington State scored its winning touchdown with 6:56 remaining in the game. Stanford only had 198 total yards. Less than 100 yards rushing. Attendance in Pullman: 32,952

Sumlin’s a short timer – Auburn 42, Texas A&M 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 27, Texas A&M 20). Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham was 20-27-0 passing for 268 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers Kerryon Johnson rushed for 145 yards. Auburn controlled the clock for more than 35 minutes. Attendance in College Station: 100,257

Almost Heaven – West Virginia 20, Iowa State 16 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Iowa State 28). WVU had 524 total yards – 208 rushing and 316 passing. The Mounties held Iowa State to 101 yards rushing. Will Grier has now passed for more than 300 yards in 8 of 9 games. WVU ended Iowa State’s four-game winning streak. The Mountaineers defense was much improved. Attendance in Morgantown: 55,831

Duck season – Washington 38, Oregon 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Oregon 18). Washington held Oregon to only 31 yards passing. The Huskies Myles Gaskin rushed for 123 yards. The Ducks Royce Freeman rushed for 122 yards. Attendance in Seattle: 70,572

….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

Barrett can forget the Heisman – Iowa 55, Ohio State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 25, Iowa 17). Urban Meyer must be having chest pains. Next he’ll be telling the Buckeyes that he is stepping down – only to change his mind and come back. This was the most points ever scored on an Urban Meyer-coached team (Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State). Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett threw four interceptions. Iowa quarterback Nathan Stanley was 20-31-0 passing for 226 yards and five touchdowns. Hawkeyes running back Akrum Wadley had 118 yards rushing. Attendance in Iowa City: 67,699

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Dead team walking – Missouri 45, Florida 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Missouri 30, Florida 27). Florida lost its fourth-straight game. Mizzou held the Gators to 94 yards rushing. The Tigers had 29 first downs to 16 for Florida. Attendance in Columbia: 49,154

Doesn’t look good for Riley – Northwestern 31, Nebraska 24 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 22, Northwestern 20). Trailing Nebraska 24-17, Northwestern scored the tying touchdown with 5:32 left in the game. The Wildcats had 28 first downs to 19 for the Huskers and 475 total yards to 337 for Nebraska. Northwestern’s Justin Jackson rushed for 154 yards. Attendance in Lincoln: 89,721

Frogs rule – TCU 24, Texas 7 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 27, Texas 18). TCU held Texas to 9 yards rushing. The game was a defensive battle, especially in the second half. Neither team had any turnovers. Attendance in Fort Worth: 48,042

Back in the saddle again – Purdue 29, Illinois 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 27, Illinois 25). Purdue ended a three-game losing streak. The Boilers led 13-10 at halftime, then outscored Illinois 16-0 in the second half. Purdue held Illinois to 80 yards rushing. The Boilers had 25 first downs to 15 for Illinois. Attendance in West Lafayette: 46,027

Week 10 Results:  12 correct picks, 5 fumbles (70.6 percent)

For the Season:    115 correct picks, 44 fumbles (72.3 percent)

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

Jacksonville U. 20, Valparaiso 17 – Attendance in Jacksonville: 1,738
Florida State 27, Syracuse 24 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 71,805
West Georgia 20, Florida Tech 13 – Attendance in Melbourne: 3,800
South Florida 37, Connecticut 20 – Attendance in East Hartford: 18,430

Bethune-Cookman 41, Morgan State 28 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 5,261
Howard 37, Florida A&M 26 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 17,234
Butler 23, Stetson 6 – Attendance in Deland: 2,512
Florida Atlantic 35, Marshall 30 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 15,880

Florida International 14, UTSA 7 – Attendance in Miami: 15,874

Superlatives

Impressive Passers:  

Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield – 24-36-2 for 598 yards; New Mexico State’s Taylor Rogers – 29-46-0-474; East Carolina’s Gardner Minshew – 52-68-1-463; Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph – 28-54-2-448, and UCF’s McKenzie Milton – 23-40-2-412.

Also, Texas Tech’s Nic Shimonek – 34-53-1 for 405 yards; Michigan State’s Brian Lewerke – 33-56-1-400; Toledo’s South Florida’s Quinton Flowers – 24-37-1-385; Ole Miss’ Jordan Ta’amu – 31-40-0-382, and Toledo’s Logan Woodside – 23-31-0-361.

Also, Louisiana-Monroe’s Caleb Evans – 24-32-1 for 356 yards; Miami of Ohio’s Billy Bahl – 28-51-2-350; Colorado’s Steven Montez – 23-41-1-345; Appalachian State’s Taylor Lamb – 20-29-0-339; NC State’s Ryan Finley – 31-50-2-338, and Washington State’s Luke Falk – 34-48-1-337.

Impressive Rushers:

Army’s Ahmad Bradshaw – 265 yards; San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny – 234 yards; Oklahoma State’s Justice Hill – 228 yards; Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin – 228 yards; California’s Patrick Laird – 214 yards; Arizona State’s Demario Richard – 202 yards; Michigan’s Karan Higdon – 200 yards, and Florida State’s Cam Akers – 199 yards.

Also, UCS’s Ronald Jones – 194 yards; Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor – 183 yards; North Texas’ Jeffrey Wilson – 165 yards; Arizona’s Khalil Tate – 161 yards; Northwestern’s Justin Jackson – 154 yards; Colorado State’s Dalyn Dawkins – 154 yards; Utah’s Zack Moss – 153 yards, and Cincinnati’s Gerrid Doaks – 149 yards.

Quotes of the Week

Jeremy Foley was getting buyer’s remorse six months after he hired Jim McElwain,” Orlando blogger and talk show host Mike Bianchi.

Scott Frost is a young Urban Meyer,” Orlando blogger and talk show host Mike Bianchi.

“Tennessee athletic director John Currie acts indecisive at a time when he needs to be showing leadership,” Paul Finebaum.

Signs of the Week

even yOUr mascot is a BANDWAGON

Baker Is A Browns Fan

Baker Gets Chicken Tenders At Mexican Restaurants

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

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. Notre Dame (8-1) at Miami (Florida) (8-0) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – An Irish win will strengthen Notre Dame’s current Top 4 Playoff position, while a loss will eliminate the Irish as a playoff contender. A Hurricanes’ win could boost Miami into a Top 4 Playoff position, while a loss will eliminate the Canes as a playoff contender. The Irish are strengthened – Notre Dame 27, Miami 24.

RUNNER UP:  2. TCU (8-1) at Oklahoma (8-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, FOX A Horned Frogs’ win could boost TCU into a Top 4 Playoff spot, while a loss will eliminate the Frogs as a playoff contender. A Sooners’ win will boost Oklahoma into a Top 4 Playoff position, if the Sooners aren’t there already after the updated rankings are released Tuesday evening. A loss will eliminate Oklahoma as a playoff contender. The Sooners stake their claim – Oklahoma 30, TCU 27. 

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Georgia (9-0) at Auburn (7-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – If Georgia loses, the Dawgs will fall out of the Top 4 in the playoff rankings, but they would remain as a playoff contender. A win could solidify Georgia’s Top 4 Playoff spot, even if the Dawgs lose to Alabama in the SEC championship game. But beware of Auburn. The Tigers are the only 2-loss team that is a legitimate playoff contender. If Auburn beats Georgia, the Tigers are a stronger playoff contender. A loss will eliminate Auburn’s chances. The Dawgs eliminate the Tigers – Georgia 30, Auburn 28.

4. Alabama (9-0) at Mississippi State (7-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Win and Alabama remains a Top 4 Playoff team. Lose and the Tide could still make the playoffs. Miss State is playing for pride and a chance to knock off an undefeated team. The Bulldogs can’t find their pride – Alabama 28, Mississippi State 25.

5. Iowa (6-3) at Wisconsin (9-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Wisconsin could finish the season undefeated, including a win in the Big Ten championship game, and still not make the playoffs. Unlikely, but it could happen. Through nine games, the Badgers haven’t played one team in the CFP Top 25 poll. You have to figure Iowa will still be celebrating last week’s win over Ohio State. Hey, the Hawkeyes should be still celebrating – Wisconsin 25, Iowa 23.

6. Toledo (8-1) at Ohio (7-2) – (MAC vs. MAC) – 7 pm ET, Wednesday, ESPN2 – Regardless of the outcome, these two teams could meet again in the MAC championship game. Most likely the winner will be there. The loser could be there too, but the path will be tougher. Toledo has the better offense. Ohio may have the better defense. Offense wins this one – Toledo 25, Ohio 20.

7. Washington (8-1) at Stanford (6-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Friday, FS1 – Washington is a playoff contender, but the Huskies still have some work to do and the pieces have to fall into place. They need a few higher-ranked teams to lose. But anything can happen. Stanford is playing the spoiler in this game and the Cardinal could spoil things for Washington. But they don’t – Washington 26, Stanford 24.

8. Michigan State (7-2) at Ohio State (7-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – These two teams can forget the playoffs. They are fighting for the Big Ten East Division title. It’s up for grabs and the Spartans and the Buckeyes are the current leading contenders. Michigan State is coming off a big win, while Ohio State is coming off a big loss. The Buckeyes grab this one – Ohio State 28, Michigan State 24.

9. Oklahoma State (7-2) at Iowa State (6-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – Iowa State has been the spoiler this season, but that came to an end last week. Oklahoma State could be devastated after the Cowboys exhausting loss to Oklahoma. The Cyclones rebound; the Pokes don’t – Iowa State 33, Oklahoma State 30.

10. Washington State (8-2) at Utah (5-4) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 5:30 pm ET, Saturday, Pac-12N – This could be a trap game for Washington State. Utah is an up and down team. But when the Utes are up, they are really, really up. Utah has the home field advantage too. The Utes are really up, but they aren’t really, really up – Washington State 26, Utah 18.

11. West Virginia (6-3) at Kansas State (5-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – West Virginia rebounded last week, but that could be short-lived. The Mountaineers have never beaten Kansas State in Manhattan. But there is always the first time for everything – West Virginia 31, Kansas State 27.

12. NC State (6-3) at Boston College (5-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC/ESPN2 – NC State will be hurting after the tough loss to Clemson. Meanwhile, Boston College is on a roll – a three game roll. And the Eagles had the week off to prepare for the Wolfpack. The Pack doesn’t rebound – Boston College 30, NC State 28.

….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON: 

13. Boise State (7-2) at Colorado State (6-4) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – After a rough going early in the season, Boise State is on a five-game winning streak. Colorado State has potential, but the Rams are not a consistent team – good one week, bad the next. Make it a six-game winning streak – Boise State 31, Colorado State 26.

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS: 

Florida (3-5) at South Carolina (6-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBS – Florida may not win another game this season. The Gators are spiritually sapped. South Carolina plays good defense and lousy offense. What else would you expect from Mustake? But the Gamecocks don’t need much offense to beat the Gators – South Carolina 26, Florida 13.

Nebraska (4-5) at Minnesota (4-5) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – These two teams are hurting. One is playing under a last-year coach, while the other is playing under a first-year coach. P.J. Fleck has been disappointing at Minnesota, but I guess he had little talent to work with. Flip a coin on this one. Nebraska calls heads and it’s tails – Minnesota 23, Nebraska 21.

Duke (4-5) at Army (7-2) – (ACC vs. Ind.) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Army is on a roll. Duke is not. Roll wins – Army 26, Duke 21. 

Kansas (1-8) at Texas (4-5) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, LHN – Kansas hasn’t won a Big 12 game this season. The Jayhawks still don’t – Texas 30, Kansas 11.

Purdue (4-5) at Northwestern (6-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Northwestern in on a roll – a four-game winning streak – the last three in overtime. Purdue can’t stop the Wildcats momentum – Northwestern 27, Purdue 17.

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA: 

Connecticut (3-6) at UCF (8-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU….
Stetson (2-8) at Jacksonville U. (6-3) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Bethune-Cookman (5-4) at North Carolina Central (7-2) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida Tech (5-5) at Delta State (7-3) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 3 pm ET, Saturday….

Florida Atlantic (6-3) at Louisiana Tech (4-5) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday….
Florida State (3-5) at Clemson (8-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU….
Old Dominion (3-6) at Florida International (6-2) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

Florida A&M (3-7) is off this week.

Touchdown Tom

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 1942 was “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby

…70 years ago this week in 1947 was “Near You” by Francis Craig and His Orchestra

…65 years ago this week in 1952 was “I Went To Your Wedding” by Patti Page

…60 years ago this week in 1957 was “Jailhouse Rock”/”Treat Me Nice” by Elvis Presley and “Wake Up Little Susie” by The Everly Brothers

…55 years ago this week in 1962 was “He’s A Rebel” by The Crystals

…50 years ago this week in 1967 was “To Sir With Love” by Lulu

…45 years ago this week in 1972 was “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash

…40 years ago this week in 1977 was “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone

…35 years ago this week in 1982 was “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes

…30 years ago this week in 1987 was “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany

…25 years ago this week in 1992 was “End Of The Road” by Boyz II Men

 

Not exactly college football related, but sadly there was one passing of note last week – Dennis Banks.

Dennis Banks, the militant Chippewa who founded the American Indian Movement in 1968 and led often-violent insurrections to protest the treatment of Native Americans, died last week at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  He was 80. Banks once led a six-day takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, and mounted an armed 71-day occupation of the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Dennis James Banks was born on the Leech Lake Reservation, on April 12, 1937. After his fugitive years, Banks had a modest movie career, appearing in four movies. He also appeared in television documentaries.  

 

No comments:

Post a Comment