College Football Week 11 – Florida State fires Willie Taggart

Some second-year coaches

are having a tough time of it 

And they may not survive to coach a third year. Yesterday, we learned that one definitely won’t survive to coach a third year. Florida State announced that second-year coach Willie Taggart has been fired.

Florida State’s Willie Taggart was 9-12 in one-plus years with the Seminoles – 5-7 last season and 4-5 to date this season. Saturday, FSU lost to Miami (Florida), 27-10. It was the Noles third straight loss to the Canes.

Except for passing yards, FSU’s offense is among the worst in the country. And except for defense against the run, the Noles defense is among the worst in the country. Florida State didn’t qualify for a bowl game last year and the Noles are in jeopardy of not qualifying for a bowl this year. They need to win two of their remaining three games.

If you combine Taggart’s previous head coaching records at Western Kentucky, South Florida, Oregon with his one-plus years at FSU, he was 56-62 (16-20, 24-25, 7-5 and 9-12). That doesn’t measure up to Florida State pedigree.

Some thought Taggart may survive because FSU is currently in the market for a new school president and athletic director. No indication yet when they will be hired. But with the current dudes on the way out, many thought they would not want to get involved with hiring a new coach. Obviously, the demand to dispose of Taggart was too great.

Twenty other FBS coaches are in their second season at their respective schools. Already, some are superstars. For some, the jury is still out. And some are teetering on the edge of the cliff. Like Willie Taggart, they may not be head coaches next year.

The two other coaches in the greatest danger of losing their jobs are Chad Morris (2-10, 2-7) of Arkansas and Kevin Sumlin (5-7, 4-5) of Arizona.

Morris’ four wins are over two FCS teams and two Group of Five teams. He has yet to beat a Power Five team and he is 0-14 in SEC play. Saturday, Arkansas lost to Mississippi State, 54-24. The Razorbacks offense and defense is among the worst in the country of the 130 FBS teams. The defense is giving up 35.2 points a game.

If you combine Morris’ three-year record at SMU with his one-plus years at Arkansas, he is 18-40 (14-23, 4-17). I never understood why Arkansas hired Morris in the first place. He lacked the resume for the job.

Arizona’s Kevin Sumlin was a washout at Texas A&M. But two years ago, Arizona took its chances and hired him anyway. He inherited a talented team in his first season. The Wildcats were a flop (5-7). This year (4-5), Arizona isn’t any better. Saturday, the Wildcats lost at home to Oregon State, 56-38. Arizona has a decent offense, but the defense is among the worst in the country, in all categories.

Sumlin fired his defensive coordinator, Marcel Yates, last week. The Wildcats’ defense had allowed 133 points in its previous three games. That’s 44.3 points a game. In Arizona’s first game without Yates, the Wildcats gave up 56 points. After an opening loss to Hawaii, Arizona won four-straight games. Now the Wildcats have lost four-straight games.

Then there’s Scott Frost at Nebraska. In one-plus years at Nebraska, Frost is 8-13 (4-8, 4-5). If Frost was anyone else other than Scott Frost, he would be fired at the end of the season. But with his ties to Nebraska (home state and former player), Frost won’t be fired. He will be given another chance to show improvement and demonstrate that he can coach not only a winning team but also a championship team at Nebraska. But if Nebraska continues to be an erratic team, Husker patience will eventually wear out. It’s already getting a little thin. Saturday, Nebraska lost to Purdue, 31-27.

Matt Luke of Ole Miss is not looking good. Luke is 8-13 (5-7, 3-6) in one-plus years in Oxford. At the end of the season, it would not surprise me if Luke is on the outside looking in. Saturday, Ole miss lost to Auburn, 20-14.

And while we are in Mississippi, Joe Moorhead of Mississippi State has fallen into disfavor with the Bulldogs fans. Moorhead started out pretty good last year, going 8-5. This year the Bulldogs have slipped to a 4-5 start.

Likewise, there are reports that Mississippi State has fallen into disfavor with Moorhead. And there is talk that Rutgers would like Moorhead to become its new coach. So Moorhead and Mississippi State could have a mutual separation at the end of the season. On a positive note for Moorhead, the Bulldogs did beat Arkansas, 54-24.

Three coaches, who got off to rough starts last year and in the first few games of this season, may be showing signs of turning things around. They are Jonathan Smith of Oregon State (6-14), Jeremy Pruitt of Tennessee (9-12) and Chip Kelly of UCLA (7-14).

Already, Smith has gone from 2-10 last season to 4-4 this year. Last year, the Beavers only won one Pac-12 game. They have already won three conference games this season. Following an 0-2 start, Oregon State has won four of its last six games. Most recently, Oregon State downed Arizona, 56-38.

In Knoxville, Jeremy Pruitt may have turned the corner. The Vols began the season 1-4, but have won three of their last four games, including two wins over SEC opponents – Mississippi State and South Carolina. Saturday, Tennessee beat UAB, 30-7.

Two years ago, Chip Kelly was hired with a lot of notoriety at UCLA – the former successful Oregon coach returning to college football. Well, let me tell you, last year was nothing short of a disaster – 3-9. This year was beginning just as bad, if not worse. The Bruins were 1-5 in their first six games. But now UCLA has won three-straight games – wins over Stanford, Arizona State and most recently, Colorado, 31-14. Kelly could be saving his job.

Group of Five schools just don’t fire coaches, as a rule, after only two seasons. But if they did, Dana Dimel (1-11, 1-7) of UTEP, Steve Campbell (3-9, 1-7) of South Alabama and Mike Bloomgren (2-11, 0-9) of Rice would be gone from the scene this December. Saturday, UTEP fell to North Texas, 52-26, and Rice lost to Marshall, 20-7. South Alabama was off.

I think the jury is still out on two Power Five coaches who are in their second seasons – Herm Edwards (7-6, 5-3) of Arizona State and Jimbo Fisher (9-4, 6-3) of Texas A&M. Many criticized Arizona State for hiring Edwards. They thought it was a mistake. But Edwards has surprised most of his critics. Some are now believers.

Fisher has winning records at Texas A&M, but he has failed to win the big games. Aggies are getting a little anxious. Fisher has a chance to make amends with games coming up against Georgia and LSU. Saturday, A&M beat UTSA, 45-14.

Among the second-year Group of Five coaches, the jury is still out on Billy Napier (7-7, 6-2) of Louisiana. But Napier appears to be moving in the right direction. Saturday, Louisiana beat Texas State, 31-3. Likewise, the jury is still out on Sean Lewis (2-10, 3-5) of Kent State.

The superstars among the second-year coaches are Mario Cristobal (9-4, 8-1) of Oregon, Dan Mullen (10-3, 7-2) of Florida, Josh Heupel (12-1, 7-2) of UCF, Sonny Dykes (5-7, 8-1) of SMU and Chad Lunsford (10-3, 5-3) of Georgia Southern,

Cristobal has Oregon in the top spot to win the Pac-12 North Division. More importantly, Oregon has the potential to make the four-team college football playoff. Saturday, Oregon polished off USC, in the Coliseum, 56-24. The Ducks are currently riding an eight-game winning streak.

Mullen got off to a great start last season that included wins over LSU and Michigan. Already, Florida has a good win over Auburn this season. The only blemish on Mullen’s image is his 0-2 record against Georgia. He needs to do something about that. Saturday, the Gators lost to the Dawgs, 24-17.

Last year, Josh Heupel picked up at UCF where Scott Frost left off. He coached the Knights to a 12-0 regular season, before losing, without his starting quarterback, to LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. This year, the Knights have lost two games by a total of four points. Saturday, UCF beat Houston, 44-29.

In one-plus seasons, Sonny Dykes has returned the glory to SMU. Going into Saturday’s game against Memphis, the Mustangs were undefeated – 8-0. They lost a thriller, on the road, to Memphis, 54-48.

And finally, Chad Lunsford has been a hot coach at Georgia Southern. Two years in a row, he has coached the Eagles to wins over Appalachian State. Thursday night, Georgia Southern beat the Little Mountaineers for the second-straight year, 24-21. Earlier this season, the Eagles lost to undefeated Minnesota by only three points – 35-32. The Gophers scored in the closing seconds to beat Georgia Southern.

In some games of note over the weekend, Notre Dame scored a touchdown in the final seconds to edge Virginia Tech, 21-20. Wake Forest clobbered NC State, 44-10, and Virginia outlasted North Carolina, 38-31.

Utah rallied to beat Washington, 33-28, and, in the MWC, Boise State survived San Jose State, 52-42. In the Big 12, Kansas State thumped Kansas, 38-10, while in the Big Ten, Indiana improved to 6-2, beating Northwestern, 34-3.

Two teams – the only two Group of Five teams – fell from the unbeaten ranks over the weekend – Appalachian State and SMU. The seven remaining undefeated teams are all Power Five teams – Clemson (9-0), Baylor (8-), Ohio State (8-0), Penn State (8-0), Minnesota (8-0), Alabama (8-0) and LSU (8-0).

But something has to give this week, as LSU visits Alabama and Penn State travels to Minnesota. Clemson and Baylor are at NC State and TCU respectively. Ohio State entertains Maryland.

There are five one-loss teams out there who remain potential candidates for the playoff – Oregon (8-1), Utah (8-1), Oklahoma (7-1), Georgia (7-1) and Wake Forest (7-1). But they need to win-out and have some or all of the undefeated and other one-loss teams to lose.

And speaking of the playoff, the first college football playoff rankings of the season will be announced Tuesday evening. My Top 4 remain in alphabetical order: Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Penn State.

Cincinnati (7-1), as the highest ranked Group of Five team this week, is in the lead position for the Group of Five spot in a New Year’s Six bowl. On the Bearcats tails are Memphis (8-1), Boise state (7-1), SMU (8-1), San Diego State (7-1), Navy (7-1), Louisiana Tech (7-1) and Appalachian State (7-1). 

Thursday night was a bad night for Mountaineers – all Mountaineers. Appalachian State – the Little Mountaineers – lost to Georgia Southern, 24-21, while West Virginia – the Mountaineers – lost to Baylor, 17-14. Interesting that both Mountaineers each lost by three points.

USC is expected to name Cincinnati athletic director Mike Bohn as its new AD later today. Bohn will replace Lynn Swann who resigned in September. Now it will be up to Bohn to make a decision on football coach Clay Helton. But the decision already may have been made, as reports out of Los Angeles say that USC will do “whatever it takes” to hire Urban Meyer.

Meanwhile, reports out of Minneapolis, have both Arkansas and South Carolina eyeing Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck as a potential replacement for Chad Morris (Arkansas) or Will Muschamp (South Carolina).

And finally, if you haven’t seen the video of the final play of the Dartmouth-Harvard game, look it up on your laptop, iPad or phone. It’s available. Just Google it or get it on YouTube. Dartmouth beat Harvard with a Hail-Mary pass. The final score was 9-6. Make sure you watch and listen to the video with the Dartmouth radio announcer calling the play. He’s unbelievable. The play was unbelievable too. It’s a must watch.

By the way, Dartmouth (7-0) meets Princeton (7-0) at 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU, from Yankee Stadium in New York.

Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I will be in Gainesville this weekend for the Vanderbilt-Florida game. Looking forward to a good time and a pregame visit outside the stadium with my Husker/Gator friend Scott Greenwood.

Touchdown Tom
November 4, 2019
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com



Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK:  No chomp – Georgia 24, Florida 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 27, Georgia 22). There was no chomp in the Gators against Georgia, especially the Gator defense. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who was a genius in the Gators game against Auburn, was an imbecile against the Dawgs. Grantham’s defensive plan went on the premises that Jake Fromm couldn’t pass. Well, guess what? Fromm can pass. He was 20-for-30, passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns. But all the blame can’t be put on the Gators defense. The Gators offense was in short – ineffective. They only had 21 yards rushing and 278 total yards. They only maintained time of possession for 24 minutes. They were only 2-for-9 on third down efficiency. Georgia was 12-for-18. Dan Mullen is now 0-2 against Georgia. Attendance in Jacksonville: 84,789

RUNNER UP:  Whirlwind – Memphis 54, SMU 48 (Touchdown Tom said: Memphis 34, SMU 28). If you like offense, especially passing offense, this was your game. The teams combined for 1,067 total yards – 806 of those yards being passing yards. Until late in the second quarter, the game went back and forth. But when Memphis took a 20-14 lead with 5:44 to go in the first half. The Tigers never again trailed in the game – although the score remained close. Along with passing, Memphis had a rushing game. SMU didn’t. Attendance in Memphis: 59,506

REST OF THE BEST:  Persistence – Utah 33, Washington 28 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, Washington 26). Utah never led until 11:23 to go in the game. That’s when the Utes went up 26-21. They never trailed again after that. Washington was ineffective on the ground. Only 53 yards rushing. Utah controlled time of possession for more than 34 minutes. Attendance in Seattle: 69,270

A parade of Ducks – Oregon 56, USC 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 33, USC 27). At the end of the first quarter, USC led 10-0. After that, Oregon outscored the Trojans, 56-14. At one point, Oregon scored 35 unanswered points. USC suffered four turnovers. Attendance in Los Angeles: 63,011

It was almost an Irish wake – Notre Dame 21, Virginia Tech 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 28, Virginia Tech 19). The score was 7-7 after the first quarter and 14-14 at the half. Following two fields goals, Virginia Tech led 20-14 early in the fourth quarter. The Irish scored a touchdown with 0:29 left to win the game. The Hokies were held to only 240 total yards. Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book passed for 341 yards. Attendance in South Bend: 77,822

The Pack was sacked – Wake Forest 44, NC State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Wake Forest 30, NC State 21). Wake Forest jumped out to a quick 24-0 lead and never looked back. The Wolfpack scored all 10 of their points in the second quarter. Demon Deacon quarterback Jamie Newman passed for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Wake Forest maintained the ball for more than 36 minutes. Attendance in Winston-Salem: 31,199

Fried Frog legs – Oklahoma State 34, TCU 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 29, TCU 27). Okie state had 311 rushing yards. Cowboys running back Chuba Hubbard was responsible for 223 of those yards. TCU suffered four turnovers. Attendance in Stillwater: 52,861

Over the Heel – Virginia 38, North Carolina 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia 27, North Carolina 24). Offensive game, t-he teams combined for 1,056 total yards. The teams were even in the stats. Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins was 30-for-39, passing for 378 yards and three touchdowns. Perkins also rushed for 112 yards, scoring two more touchdowns. North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell passed for 353 yards. The game went back and forth, but when Virginia went up 24-17 with 14:25 on the clock in the third quarter, the Cavaliers never again trailed. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 50,500

Tropical disturbance – Miami (Florida) 27, Florida State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 23, Miami 20). Neither team could run the ball. Miami had 40 rushing yards and FSU had 31. But Miami quarterback Jarren Williams passed for 313 yards. The Canes beat the Noles for the third-straight year. Attendance in Tallahassee: 63,995

The Bears, just barely – Baylor 17, West Virginia 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 34, West Virginia 17). West Virginia found its defense but still can’t find its offense. The WVU defense kept its offense in the game but unfortunately every time the Mounties offense had an opportunity to score, they muffed it with bad center snaps and a delay of game. With a little more than four minutes to go in the game, WVU kicked a 43-yard field goal – score tied 17-17. No. Flag on the play. Delay of game on West Virginia. On the second kick at 48 yards, the kick was blocked. The WVU offense finished with only 14 yards rushing and 12 first downs. Baylor had 176 yards rushing and 26 first downs.  Attendance in Waco: 46,379 



….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

Round table – UCF 44, Houston 29 (Touchdown Tom said: UCF 36, Houston 17). UCF got off to a slow start, trailing Houston, 17-7, late in the first quarter. The Knights still trailed the Cougars, 23-21, at halftime. Early in the third quarter, UCF went up 28-23 and never looked back. The Knights outscored Houston 23-6 in the second half. Houston maintained ball possession for more than 41 minutes. When UCF scored, the Knights scored fast. UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 21-for-30, passing for 298 yards and three touchdowns. Houston’s Mulbah Car rushed for 132 yards. Attendance in Orlando: 41,361



YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Frosty melted – Purdue 31, Nebraska 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 30, Purdue 27). The lead changed hands five times in this game. Nebraska had the first lead and Purdue had the last lead. The Boilers scored a touchdown with 1:08 left to win the game. Purdue had 450 total yards to 375 for Nebraska. Attendance in West Lafayette: 50,606 

Week 10 Results:  9 winners, 3 fumbles (75 percent)
For the Season:     106 winners, 37 fumbles (74.1 percent)



ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

FIU 24, Old Dominion 17 – Attendance in Miami: 14,644
Stetson 27, Jacksonville U. 24 – Attendance in Jacksonville: 1,754
West Alabama 13, Florida Tech 10 – Attendance in Melbourne: 878 

Florida A&M 52, Delaware State 30 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 7,412
Florida Atlantic 35, Western Kentucky 24 – Attendance in Bowling Green: 14,212
West Florida 17, North Greenville 14 – Attendance in Pensacola: 5,042



Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

East Carolina’s Holton Ahlers – 32-52-1 for 536 yards (4TDs); Liberty’s Stephen Calvert – 20-27-0-474 (4TDs); SMU’s Shane Buechele – 34-54-0-456 (3TDs); San Jose State’s Josh Love – 29-53-1-438 (2TDs); Troy’s Kaleb Barker – 26-35-0-385 (3TDs), and Virginia’s Bryce Perkins – 30-39-0-378 (3TDs).

Also, North Carolina’s Sam Howell – 15-29-0 for 353 yards (4TDs);  Memphis’ Brady White – 19-33-0-350 (3TDs); Notre Dame’s Ian Book – 29-53-2-341 (2TDs); Auburn’s Bo Nix – 30-44-0-340; North Texas’ Mason Fine – 24-39-0-332 (7TDs) and Oregon State’s Jake Luton – 20-26-0-328 (3TDs).

Impressive Rushers:

Boston College’s A.J. Dillon – 242 yards (3TDs); Mississippi State’s Kylin Hill – 234 yards (3TDs); Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard – 223 yards (2TDs); Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller – 217 yards (3TDs), and Clemson’s Travis Etienne – 212 yards (2TDs).

Also, Arkansas State’s Marcel Murray – 175 yards (3TDs); Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson – 160 yards (2 TDs); Air Force’s Timothy Jackson – 155 yards (1TD); ULN’s Caleb Evans – 148 yards (3TDs), and Middle Tennessee’s Asher O’Hara – 148 yards (1TD).



Quotes of the Week

“Notre Dame should buy out Brian Kelly and hire Urban Meyer,” ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.

“He’ll be a game-time decision based on how he progresses,” Alabama coach Nick Saban, on the status of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the LSU game on November 9.

“Gotta give Scott Frost credit: He is finding worse ways to lose with each passing week,” American sportswriter Stewart Mandell.

“Twitter keeps telling me Jim Harbaugh is the most overrated coach in college football. It’s Scott Frost. By far,” Nebraska fan Aaron Torres.

“Nebraska fired Frank Solich for going 10-3 in 2003. The Huskers haven’t had that good a record in 16 season since,” Nebraska fan Michael David Smith.

“Is Scott Frost gonna be hiding in a closet tonight?,” Nebraska fan Kevin.

“After 21 games coaching at Nebraska, Mike Riley was 13-8. Scott Frost is 8-13,” Nebraska fan Coaches Hot Seat.

“Do Nebraska fans a favor. Fire Scott Frost,” Nebraska fan Justin Devney.

“I want to get this off my chest. I’m done with Florida State. I don’t want to talk about them anymore. I hate the way they represent themselves. Their current roster needs to go back and watch the Bobby Bowden era. Because it wasn’t about talking trash and fighting. That’s all they do. They’re the most undisciplined team you’re gonna watch. And they’re a terrible team. They need to focus more on execution and less on chirping. All they do is chirp,” ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

“In the interest of the university, we had no choice but to make a change, Florida State president John Thrasher, on the firing of Willie Taggart.

“Potential good coaches aren’t going to risk perhaps the biggest move of their career to go to Florida State. Not now,” CBS sportswriter Dennis Dodd. 



Signs of the Day

Urban Meyer Burned Down Cheryl’s She Shed and Lied About It

SMU: Paying Players Before It Was Cool

Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for

This Week’s 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games….and then some 

GAME OF THE WEEK:  1. LSU (8-0) at Alabama (8-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – The moment has come. The game we have all been waiting for. This reminds me of the 2011 game between LSU and Alabama. Both teams were undefeated. LSU won that game 9-6 (OT) – all field goals; no touchdowns. That was the last time LSU beat Alabama. Of course the big question: Will Tua Tagovailoa play? Can Alabama win if he does play? Can Alabama win if he doesn’t play? The answer is: No and No. But there will be touchdowns in this game – LSU 27, Alabama 24.

RUNNER UP:  2. Penn State (8-0) at Minnesota (8-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Then the other big game between undefeated teams on Saturday. Fortunately, for TV viewers they aren’t on at the same time. Everybody has been wondering: Is Minnesota for real? Yes, Virginia, there is a Golden Gopher – Minnesota 28, Penn State 26. 

REST OF THE BEST:  3. Iowa (6-2) at Wisconsin (6-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – This is the second biggest game in the Big Ten this weekend. But don’t expect big scoring in this affair. It will be more like two pigs fighting over an ear of corn. The Hawkeyes have the better pig – Iowa 17, Wisconsin 15.

4. Iowa State (5-3) at Oklahoma (7-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Kansas State did it. Can Iowa State beat Oklahoma? And how will the Okies react with no Sooner Schooner to parade around? They’re OK – Oklahoma 39, Iowa State 28.

5. Missouri (5-3) at Georgia (7-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Georgia could be in a hangover after the big win over Florida. The offense could go back into their pre-Florida funk. Well, maybe for a quarter or two. But not for the whole game – Georgia 26, Missouri 16.

6. Wake Forest (7-1) at Virginia Tech (5-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Another big test for Wake Forest. Every week you wonder how real are the Deacs. And every week they surprise you. They surprise again – Wake Forest 27, Virginia Tech 25.

7. Baylor (8-0) at TCU (4-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – Baylor had a close call against West Virginia. And TCU is probably better than West Virginia. Looks like another close call. But the Bears get by – Baylor 27, TCU 23.

8. Kansas State (6-2) at Texas (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Now, this is a tough call. K-State has been playing good lately. Texas hasn’t been playing so good. But it’s time for the Horns to start playing again. Bevo rules – Texas 30, Kansas State 27. 

9. Wyoming (6-2) at Boise State (7-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 10:15 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Boise State had a close call last week. The Broncos are still in the running for the spot in the New Year’s Six bowl. That’s pretty good incentive. These Cowboys can’t ride a Bronco – Boise State 29, Wyoming 25. 

10. USC (5-4) at Arizona State (5-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – The Trojans were embarrassed big time last week. Their coach is probably going to lose his job. And they might be playing for Urban Meyer next year. Clay Helton has a few “last hurrahs” left – USC 30, Arizona State 27.  



….AND ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON:

11. Louisville (5-3) at Miami (Florida) (5-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Louisville is a much improved team. This team was much maligned at preseason. Some even said last in the ACC Atlantic Division. Give credit to new coach Scott Satterfield. There’s barely a breeze – Louisville 27, Miami 24. 



YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Texas Tech (3-5) at West Virginia (3-5) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Okay, West Virginia showed promise in the loss to Baylor. Well, at least the defense did. But who will start at quarterback for the Mounties? Have we seen the last of Austin Kendall? Is this the debut of Jarret Doege? What does Neal Brown have up his sleeve? Inquiring Red Raiders want to know. Matt is not well – West Virginia 27, Texas Tech 25.

Vanderbilt (2-6) at Florida (7-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – How will the Gators respond to the setback to Georgia? They could be down. Down but not out – Florida 27, Vanderbilt 17.

Notre Dame (6-2) at Duke (4-4) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – I know the Dookies would like to pull off the big upset. If the Hokies almost did, surely the Dookies can. But no, not this year – Notre Dame 30, Duke 21.

Purdue (3-6) at Northwestern (1-7) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – This could be another one of those fighting over an ear of corn games. Northwestern doesn’t score much. And the Wildcats generally keep their opponents from scoring much too. The Boilers score one point more – Purdue 17, Northwestern 16.

Nebraska (4-5) is off.



ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Temple (5-3) at South Florida (4-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 8 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN….
UCF (7-2) at Tulsa (2-7) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2….

Florida State (4-5) at Boston College (5-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ACCN….
San Diego (6-2) at Stetson (6-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 12 noon ET, Saturday….

Florida Tech (3-6) at North Greenville (3-6) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 1:30 pm ET, Saturday….
Jacksonville U. (2-7) at Drake (4-4) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Bethune-Cookman (6-2) at Delaware State (1-8) – (MEAC vs. MEAC) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….

FIU (5-4) at Florida Atlantic (6-3) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
West Florida (7-1) at Valdosta State (8-0) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

Florida A&M (8-1) is off.

Touchdown Tom
https://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 1944 was “I’ll Walk Alone” by Dinah Shore, and “(There’ll Be A) Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin (When The Yanks Go Marching In)” by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters

…70 years ago this week in 1949 was “That Lucky Old Sun” by Frankie Laine

…65 years ago this week in 1954 was “This Old House” by Rosemary Clooney

…60 years ago this week in 1959 was “Mack The Knife” by Bobby Darin

…55 years ago this week in 1964 was “Baby Love” by The Supremes

…50 years ago this week in 1969 was “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley, and “Wedding Bell Blues” by The 5^th Dimension

…45 years ago this week in 1974 was “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” by Stevie Wonder, and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

…40 years ago this week in 1979 was “Pop Muzik” by M

…35 years ago this week in 1984 was “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean

…30 years ago this week in 1989 was “Listen To Your Heart” by Roxette

…25 years ago this week in 1994 was “I’ll Make Love To You” by Boyz II Men

Not exactly college football related, but there were two passings of note last week – Robert Evans and Ron Fairly.

Robert Evans, the producer of the film classic “Chinatown” and a former Paramount Pictures production head who helped save the studio with hits such as “Love Story” and “The Godfather,” died last week. He was 89. Evans fell from grace in the 1980s when he was involved in a drug and murder scandal. He was a Hollywood first: a onetime actor who became the production head of a major studio. He was born Robert J. Shapera on June 29, 1930, in New York city. In the late 1950s, Evans played the bullfighter love-interest of Ava Gardner in “The Sun Also Rises.” In 1966, he was handpicked to head production at Paramount Pictures. Evans struck out with such films as “Paint Your Wagon,” “Darling Lili,” “Catch-22” and “Tropic of Cancer.” But over time, he had success with other movies he oversaw such as “Rosemary’s Baby,” “The Odd Couple,” “Goodbye Columbus,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “True Grit,” “Harold and Maude,” “Play It Again, Sam” and “Paper Moon.” By the end of 1971, Paramount had gone from last place to No. 1 among the major studios. Following a disastrous 1980s, which destroyed his career, Evans returned to the Paramount lot in 1991 and launched his professional comeback. 

Ron Fairly, an outfielder and first baseman who in a career of nearly a half of century played on three World Series championship teams with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1950s and 1960s and later moved to the broadcast booth, died last week in Indian Wells, California. He was 81. Fairly was a longtime broadcaster for the Seattle Mariners. He played for 21 major league seasons. Fairly played on the Dodgers teams that won the world Series in 1959, 1963 and 1965. In the mid and late 1970s, he played for the Montreal Expos and the Toronto Blue Jays. He retired after the 1978 season, after playing for the California Angels, his sixth team. Fairly was a TV and radio broadcaster for the Angels from 1980 to 1986, for the San Francisco Giants from 1987 to 1992 and finally for the Mariners from 1993 to 2006. Ronald Ray Fairly was born on July 12, 1938, in Macon, Georgia.