College Football
Week 14 – Vanderbilt fires Derek Mason
Scaled-back Thanksgiving,
Scaled-back
Football
Thanksgiving Week was a bit different this year. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) was telling people not to travel. They also asked us to have smaller gatherings for Thanksgiving dinner.
And not to be outdone, college football was cutting back too – from 56 games to 43 games. Yes, 13 Thanksgiving Week games were canceled or postponed. All for various COVID reasons.
On the travel part, I guess you could say that our family defied the CDC. Princess Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe arrived Tuesday afternoon to spend the next several days with us. They arrived with two dogs, two cats and three bicycles. We had a full house.
After dinner that evening, we watched the College Football Playoff show on TV. The first CFP rankings were revealed. Alabama (7-0) was first, followed by Notre Dame (8-0), Clemson (7-1) and Ohio State (4-0) in the Top 4. Texas A&M (5-1) and Florida (6-1) were knocking on the door at 5th and 6th respectively.
I have no problem with the ranking of five of those teams. I do have a problem with one – Ohio State. How do you rank a team in the Top 4 who has only played four games? It doesn’t make sense to me. Especially when the four games have been against a bunch of nobodies. The combined record of Ohio State’s four opponents was 6-13.
The CFP selection process is all about politics. The selection committee is made up of a bunch of former coaches and athletic directors. They practice the policy of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch your back.”
And guess what? Ohio State’s game Thanksgiving Week against Illinois was canceled because of COVID problems with the Buckeyes. When the second CFP rankings are revealed on Tuesday night this week, Ohio State still will have played only four games. What will the committee do? Stay tuned!
Now here’s my take on the picture, assuming Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame and Clemson win out going into their conference title games. Should Florida knock off Alabama in the SEC title game, and should Clemson knock off Notre Dame in the ACC title game – then the four playoff teams should be Florida, Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame.
However, if Alabama beats Florida and Notre Dame beats Clemson – then Florida and Clemson do not belong in the playoff. That would leave the door open for Texas A&M? Cincinnati? – assuming they win out. Maybe Ohio State if the Buckeyes finish 7-0. But Ohio State can’t afford to have any more games canceled due to COVID. Stay tuned.
Wednesday afternoon, we turned our attention to basketball. We watched 15th-ranked West Virginia beat South Dakota State, 79-71, in the quarterfinal round of the Bad Boy Mowers Classic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
In addition to West Virginia, this tournament was originally scheduled to have Duke, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Creighton, Memphis, Utah and Wichita State. But six of the teams, everybody but West Virginia and Memphis, had to drop out due to COVID problems. That left the tournament committee scampering and hustling to get six replacement teams all within 10 days or less of the of the tournament starting.
Oklahoma assistant head coach and tight ends coach Shane Beamer became the latest favorite to get the South Carolina coaching job. Beamer is the son of former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. However, ESPN’s David Pollack said that South Carolina should hire Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson. Stay tuned!
Thanksgiving Day we adhered to CDC protocol. Normally, Swamp Mama and I have a large gathering for Thanksgiving dinner – 12 to 20 guests. And we eat indoors. This year we scaled back. There were just nine of us. And we ate outdoors. We had Thanksgiving dinner in our front yard. Fortunately, the weather cooperated.
After our outdoor Thanksgiving feast, we watched West Virginia beat VCU, 78-66, in the semifinals of the Bad Boy Mowers Classic.
Thanksgiving week football began on Thursday night. In Turkey Day’s only game, Utah State 41, beat New Mexico 27. It was the Aggies (1-4) first win. The Lobos (0-5) are still winless.
The Friday after Thanksgiving had several games, but five were particularly interesting – four of the five settled by six or less points. Three of the five settled in the final 85 seconds or less of the game.
First: In Austin, Texas, Iowa State and Texas were basically battling for a spot in the Big 12 championship game. The Longhorns jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead. But by halftime, Iowa State had cut into Texas’ lead. The Longhorns led 13-10. In the third quarter, Texas went up 20-10, but by the end of the quarter, the Longhorns’ lead was 20-13.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Cyclones. Iowa State outscored Texas, 10-0. Less than a minute into the quarter, the Cyclones kicked a field goal and trailed Texas, 20-16. Then the teams went into a stalemate. Finally, with just 1:25 left on the clock, Iowa State took its first lead in the game when running back Breece Hall scored a touchdown on a three-yard run. The Cyclones held on in the final 85 seconds and beat Texas, 23-20. After the game, social media went wild, ripping Texas coach Tom Herman.
Second: In Iowa City, Iowa, Nebraska hoped to reverse its fortunes against the Hawkeyes. Coming into the game, Iowa held a five-game winning streak against the Huskers. Early in the game, it didn’t look good for Nebraska. Iowa led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. But the Huskers rallied in the second quarter. At halftime, the score was tied, 13-13.
Nebraska continued its rally. Early in the third quarter, the Huskers went up 20-13. However before the quarter ended, Iowa scored a touchdown and tied the score, 20-20. The Hawkeyes continued their scoring in the fourth quarter, kicking two fields goals – a 48-yarder and a 37-yarder. Nebraska never found the end zone and was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. Iowa beat the Huskers, 26-20. Iowa has now won six straight against Nebraska. But the Huskers lead the overall series, 29-19-3.
Third: In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Notre Dame put its undefeated season on the line against the Tar Heels. It was a good game in the first half. The score was tied, 17-17, at the breaks. It was all Notre Dame in the second half, as North Carolina was held scoreless. The Irish totally dominated the Heels in the third and fourth quarters. The Irish added two more touchdowns, one in each quarter, and beat North Carolina, 31-17.
Fourth: In Berkeley, California, Stanford and Cal got together for the 114th time – “The Big Game.” This was a close game throughout. Cal led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. The game was tied at halftime, 10-10. The game was tied again midway through the third quarter – 17-17. It should have been tied one more time, but it wasn’t. First, Stanford went up 24-17 with 1:51 to go in the game. Then Cal scored a touchdown with 0:58 on the clock – 24-23. The Golden Bears went for the tie, but the extra point kick was blocked. Stanford downed California, 24-23. Stanford leads the overall series, 60-44-10.
Fifth: They saved the best for last. In the nightcap, in Corvallis, Oregon, the Ducks and the Beavers got together for the 124th time. Oregon had won three straight and 11 of the last 12 games against Oregon State. Coming into the contest, Oregon was undefeated and ranked 15th. The game went all Oregon’s way in the first half. The Ducks led 14-7 after one and 24-13 at halftime. Oregon still looked good after three quarters. The Ducks were up 31-19.
Then the fun began. Oregon State scored back-to-back touchdowns. With 12:23 to go in the game, the Beavers were up 34-31. Oregon came right back and scored a touchdown. With 8:27 on the clock, the Ducks were up 38-34. As the game got down to about a minute left, Oregon State had a first-and-goal. On second down from the two-yard line the Beavers appeared to score. But the refs said no. After a review, the refs’ decision was upheld. Third and goal from the from the two-inch line. Oregon State ran a quarterback sneak. It came up short. On the play, the Oregon State quarterback was injured. He was replaced by the backup quarterback who had not taken a snap all game.
My grandson and I were watching the game. Everyone else had gone to bed. We were enjoying every minute of it.
Fourth and goal from the two-inch line with a backup quarterback calling signals. An offsides call on Oregon, moved the ball half the distance to the goal line – about one inch away. So fourth-and-goal from the one-inch line. This time the quarterback sneak worked. Oregon State went up 41-38, with about 42 seconds left. The Beavers held. Final in Corvallis – Oregon State 41, Oregon 38. The Beavers outscored the Ducks 22-7 in the final quarter. Oregon leads the overall series, 66-48-10.
In another game on Friday, UCF built up a big lead, 31-14, watched it erode, 45-38, and then held on to beat South Florida, 58-46. The teams combined for 1,223 total yards. Four running backs, two from each team, rushed for more than 100 yards. Both quarterbacks passed for more than 335 yards.
In between the football, we squeezed in a basketball game on Friday, watching West Virginia beat Western Kentucky, 70-64, in the finals of the Bad Boy Mowers Classic.
Saturday, we had been all set to watch the Kentucky-Florida game at noon, the Auburn-Alabama game that afternoon and the Oklahoma-West Virginia game that evening. But unfortunately, the Oklahoma-West Virginia game had been postponed to December 12. The Sooners had COVID issues.
What did Meat Loaf say? “I want you; I need you. Now don’t be sad. Cause two out of three ain’t bad.”
So we settled for two out of three – Kentucky-Florida and Auburn-Alabama. Neither game was exciting. Well, Florida only led Kentucky, 14-10, at the half. But the Gators outscored the Wildcats 20-0 in the second half. The most exciting part of the Florida game was watching Florida coach Dan Mullen chew out his defensive coordinator Todd Grantham early in the first half. It was a riot. The Gators won, 34-10.
Alabama blasted Auburn, 42-13. It was 42-6 until late in the fourth quarter.
In general, Saturday’s games lacked the excitement of Friday’s games. But a number of interesting things occurred. For starters, there was a record broken and another record tied and two nearly broken.
In Columbia, Missouri, Sarah Fuller made history, becoming the first woman to play in a Power Five football game. With all of Vanderbilt’s placekickers out with COVID, Fuller, a member of Vanderbilt’s women’s soccer team, suited up for the Commodores football team to handle the kicking duties.
Unfortunately, for Fuller, Vanderbilt lost to Missouri, 41-0. So her only kicking act was the second half kickoff – a squib kick that was placed perfectly, preventing Missouri from returning it. With no Vandy touchdowns, Fuller never got to attempt any extra points or kickoff more than once. And the Commodores never got close enough for any field goal attempts. But Fuller does lead the country in the fewest kickoff return yards allowed.
Then, in Buffalo, New York, Jaret Patterson tied the FBS record for most touchdowns in a game and almost broke the record for most rushing yards in a game. Patterson, a tailback for Buffalo scored eight touchdowns and rushed for 409 yards in the Bulls 70-41 win over Kent State.
On Buffalo’s final drive, late in the fourth quarter, with the Bulls on the Kent State 23-yard line, Buffalo coach Lance Leipold pulled Patterson from the game. Buffalo went on to score. Had Patterson remained in the game, he would have broken the rushing yards record and the touchdown record. After the game, Leipold apologized. He said he pulled Patterson to give him a rest, not knowing that he was close to the records.
Conversely, in Syracuse, New York, there was the dumbest play and series of the day in the NC State-Syracuse game. With a fourth down, near the NC State goal line, in the closing seconds of the game, Syracuse trailing NC State, 36-29, and no timeouts left, Syracuse quarterback Rex Culpepper stupidly spiked the ball to stop the clock. Again, it was fourth down.
On the three previous downs, the play calling from Syracuse coach Dino Babers was atrocious. Running plays with no timeouts left and the clock running down. Then on third down, Culpepper scrambled around forever and took a sack rather than throwing the ball away. Oh well, those things happen. NC State beat Syracuse, 36-29.
The rest of the games on Saturday were rather routine. Perhaps it is more interesting, looking at them form a conference perspective.
The Big Ten experienced a first loss and a first win. Northwestern suffered its first defeat, losing to, of all teams, Michigan State, 29-20. Then Penn State got its first win of the season. The Nittany Lions beat, of all teams, Michigan, 27-17. And the game was played in Ann Arbor. Indiana bounced back from its loss to Ohio State last week. The Hoosiers beat Maryland, 27-11.
The Big 12 had two of the day’s most exciting games. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech battled back-and-forth in Lubbock. First State led. Then Tech led. Okie State led, 34-31, early in the third quarter. That’s when the Cowboys took off and scored 16 unanswered points to take a big lead early in the fourth quarter. Texas Tech came rushing back, scoring 13 unanswered points. But the Red Raiders rally fell short. Oklahoma State beat Texas Tech, 50-44.
Even more exciting was the Kansas State-Baylor affair. K-State started out hot. The Wildcats led the Bears, 17-6, at halftime. But Baylor came roaring back in the second half. In the waning seconds of the game, K-State led Baylor, 31-29. On the last play of the game, as time expired, Baylor’s John Mayers kicked a 30-yard field goal. Baylor beat Kansas State, 32-31.
The best game in the SEC took place in Oxford, Mississippi, in the annual Egg Bowl. Debut coaches Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach were up against one another. Kiffin came out on top. Ole Miss held off Mississippi State, beating the Bulldogs, 31-24.
LSU gave Texas A&M a tougher than expected battle. In the end, the Aggies beat the Tigers, 20-7. Georgia clobbered South Carolina, 45-16.
As expected, in the ACC, Clemson demolished Pitt, 52-17. Tyler Lawrence passed for 403 yards.
Out West, in two Pac-12 encounters, Washington rallied big time to beat Utah, 24-21, and UCLA took care of Arizona, 27-10. Washington trailed Utah, 21-0 at halftime. The Huskies also trailed Utah 21-17 in the closing seconds of the game. With 0:36 on the clock, Cade Otton caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Morris to give Washington the 24-21 come-from-behind win.
In the AAC, East Carolina is getting better and SMU is getting worse. The Pirates beat the Mustangs, 52-38.
In the late-late show, Hawaii handed Nevada its first loss. The Rainbow Warriors beat the Wolf Pack, 24-21.
Not to be outdone by the men, the West Virginia women’s basketball won the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas, Nevada, Saturday. In the semifinals on Friday, the Lady Mountaineers beat Fresno State, 83-62. In the finals, WVU beat LSU, 62-42.
Although it was a scaled back Thanksgiving and football weekend, it was a busy four days.
Princess Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe bid us farewell Sunday morning, driving back to the panhandle – along with the two dogs, the two cats and three bicycles. The dogs, the cats and the bicycles all got a good workout.
Week 13’s Winners: Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith and Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson, Buffalo running back Jaret Patterson. Week 13’s Losers: Texas coach Tom Herman, Syracuse coach Dino Babers and Syracuse quarterback Rex Culpepper.
Seven Group of Five teams remain in the AP Top 25 Poll. In order, they are Cincinnati (8-0), BYU (9-0), Coastal Carolina (9-0), Marshall (7-0), Louisiana (8-1), Tulsa (5-1) and Liberty (9-1). Buffalo (4-0) is knocking on the door. Cincinnati is the highest ranked at 7th.
Sunday afternoon, Vanderbilt fired Derek Mason. The Commodores were 0-8 this season. In his seventh season at Vandy, Mason’s overall record at the school was 27-55. Three schools are on the lookout for a new coach – Southern Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Jake Scott, a former NFL All-Pro player died last week. In the 1970s, Scott was a safety and punt returner for the Miami Dolphins (1970-1975) and the Washington Redskins (1976-1978). He was a member of the 1972 Dolphins team that went undefeated and won the Super Bowl. Scott had two interceptions in the game was named the Super Bowl MVP. The next season, his recovery of two fumbles helped the Dolphins win the Super Bowl again. Scott played college football for Georgia. A native of Greenwood, South Carolina, Jacob E. Scott was 75.
And Argentina soccer legend Maradona (“The Golden Boy”) died last week. He captained the Argentina team that won the 1986 World Cup and Maradona won the “Golden Ball” as the tournament’s most valuable player. Diego Armando Maradona Franco was 60.
Will Ohio State still be in the Top 4 when CFP rankings are announced on Tuesday night?
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Irish eyes are smiling – Notre Dame 31, North Carolina 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Notre Dame 33, North Carolina 29). Although this game was close in the first half, you always had the feeling Notre Dame was going to win, especially in the second half. It came easy for the Irish. The Tar Heels had to struggle. Notre Dame dominated first downs (25 to 14), total yards (478 to 298) and time of possession (35:04 to 24:56). The Irish held North Carolina to 87 yards rushing. Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book was 23-for-33, passing for 279 yards and one touchdown. Irish running back Kyren Williams rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
RUNNER-UP: Where were the Eyes? – Iowa State 23, Texas 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 33, Texas 30). This was a tight and intense game throughout – settled at the very end, with Texas missing a 57-yard field goal attempt. Both quarterbacks played well. Iowa State’s Brock Purdy was 25-for-36, passing for 312 yards and one touchdown. Texas’ Sam Ehlinger was 17-for-29, passing for 298 yards and one touchdown.
REST OF THE BEST: We don’t need no Saban – Alabama 42, Auburn 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 36, Auburn 17). Yeah, Alabama looked good under Steve Sarkisian. He’ll be a head coach again somewhere before long. Would you believe Alabama only had the ball for 23:30. The Tide didn’t waste any time scoring when they had the ball. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix threw two interceptions. Bama quarterback Mac Jones passed for 302 yards and five touchdowns. Najee Harris rushed for 96 yards.
Postponed – Oklahoma at West Virginia (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 29, West Virginia 20). The Oklahoma at West Virginia game was postponed because of COVID problems at Oklahoma.
Canceled – Colorado at USC (Touchdown Tom said: USC 38, Colorado 25). The Colorado at USC game was canceled due to COVID issues.
The Shells were duds – Indiana 27, Maryland 11 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 30, Maryland 24). Maryland only had 59 yards rushing. And only had the ball for 23:41. In the closing minutes, Indiana led 27-3. Maryland quarterback Talia Tagovailoa threw three interceptions.
Football, not basketball – Buffalo 70, Kent State 41 (Touchdown Tom said: Buffalo 27, Kent State 24). The teams combined for 1,242 total yards. Buffalo had 516 yards rushing, while Kent State had 343 yards passing. Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum was responsible for those 343 yards and also another 76 yards rushing. He had three touchdowns passing and one touchdown rushing.
Canceled – San Jose State at Boise State (Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 29, San Jose State 27). The San Jose State at Boise State game was canceled because of COVID.
Rolling along – Clemson 52, Pitt 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 33, Pitt 19). Clemson racked up 581 total yards, while Pitt only had 246 total yards. The Panthers had just 16 yards rushing. Pitt also only had the ball for 23:28. Clemson receiver Cornell Powell had six receptions for 176 yards and one touchdown.
No offense – Texas A&M 20, LSU 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 35, LSU 17). As the game was coming to a close, Texas A&M led 20-0. LSU scored with 0:38 on the clock. Both teams had 267 total yards. LSU only had 36 yards rushing. Both quarterbacks completed less than 40% of their passes. Aggie running back Isaiah Spiller had 141 yards rushing. He was the only bright spot of the game.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Kyle to Kyle – Florida 34, Kentucky 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 40, Kentucky 15). It’s a good thing Florida had Kyle to Kyle, because the rest of Florida was pretty sloppy – along with the Kentucky quarterback who was pretty sloppy too. Florida’s defense seemed to look bad at times, but they held Kentucky to only 221 total yards – 62 yards passing. Not bad. Kyle Trask passed for 256 yards and three touchdowns – all to Kyle Pitts.
Six straight – Iowa 26, Nebraska 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Nebraska 22). The teams were close in the stats, except for time of possession. Iowa dominated ball control – 34:24 to 25:36. Nebraska should have passed more. Adrian Martinez was 18-for-20 and Luke McCaffrey was 3-for-5. Iowa running back Tyler Goodson rushed for 111 yards.
It got cold for the Devils – Georgia Tech 56, Duke 33 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 25, Duke 21). This game was touch and go for a while. It was tied three times at 7-7, 14-14 and 21-21. In the second quarter, Duke briefly took the lead at 23-21. In the same quarter, Georgia Tech retook the lead at 28-23 and never relinquished it. Late in the third quarter, Georgia Tech led 35-33. Then the Jackets scored 21 unanswered points. Tech quarterback Jeff Sims passed for 146 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards.
Bobo, really? – Georgia 45, South Carolina 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 28, South Carolina 13). Yeah, couldn’t South Carolina come up with a better interim coach? This one was over before it started. Georgia led 45-10 early in the fourth quarter. The Gamecocks only had 83 yards rushing.
The Golden Girl turned Scarlet – Rutgers 37, Purdue 30 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 30, Rutgers 22). Talk about close – both teams had 412 total yards. Rutgers had 176 yards rushing; Purdue had 175. Purdue had 237 yards passing; Rutgers had 236. Oh, and Rutgers had 26 first downs; Purdue had 25. Purdue only had the ball for 24:52.
Week 13 Results: 11 winners, 1 fumble (91.7 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
UCF 58, South Florida 46
Louisiana Tech at FIU – Canceled
Virginia at Florida State – Postponed
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Mississippi State’s Will Rogers – 45-61-0 for 440 yards (3TDs); South Florida’s Jordan McCloud – 32-46-0-404 (4TDs); Clemson’s Tyler Lawrence – 26-37-0-403 (2TDs); Ole Miss’s Matt Corral – 24-36-0-385 (2TDs), and Texas Tech’s Alan Bowman – 31-46-1-384 (3TDs).
Georgia State’s Cornelious Brown – 28-39-1-372 (1TD); Toledo’s Eli Peters – 27-36-1-363 (2TDs); Baylor’s Charlie Brewer – 31-39-0-349 (2TDs); Kent State’s Dustin Crum – 22-32-1-343 (3TDs), and UCF’s Dillon Gabriel – 22-36-1-336 (4TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson – 409 yards (8TDs); UTSA’s Sincere McCormick – 251 yards (2TDs); Oklahoma State’s Dezmon Jackson – 235 yards (3TDs); Oregon State’s Jermar Jefferson – 226 yards (2TDs); UCLA’s Demetric Felton – 206 yards (1TD); Central Michigan’s Levy Nichols – 196 yards (2TDs); Ohio’s Demontre Tuggle – 185 yards (3RDs); Wyoming’s Trey Smith – 164 yards (1TD), and Missouri’s Larry Rountree – 160 yards (3TDs).
Coastal Carolina’s C.J. Marable – 157 yards (3TDs); Georgia Southern’s Logan Wright – 143 yards (2TDs); Navy’s Nelson Smith – 142 yards (1TD); Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller – 141 yards (1TD); Penn State’s Keyvone Lee – 134 yards (1TD); Texas Tech’s Sarodorick Thompson – 133 yards (2TDs); Louisville’s Malik Cunningham – 133 yards; Nevada’s Toa Taua – 131 yards (1TD), and UCF’s Greg McCrae – 130 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“Football coaches are not doctors,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell, on the cancelation of the Clemson-Florida State game.
“I’m not really worried about what they say down there in Tallahassee. I’ve been in this league 18 years. I’ve been the head coach for 12 years. They’ve had three head coaches in four years,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, on Florida State’s reasoning for calling off the Clemson-Florida Stare game.
“I want to tell all the girls out there that you can do anything you set your mind to,” Vanderbilt interim placekicker Sarah Fuller.
“That’s really of her choosing. If she wants to kick and she’s available, we’d love to have her,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, when asked if Sarah Fuller would kick in the next game.
“I think I did yell at the TV a couple of times today. A couple of times when we made some mistakes in coverage. A couple of times when we missed some tackles. A couple of times when Mac didn’t throw the ball to the guy I thought he should have thrown it to. So I guess it was more than a couple. It’s a little different, watching the game from home, but it still feels good to win,” Alabama coach Nick Saban, who was quarantined at home during the Auburn-Alabama game.
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Texas A&M (6-1) at Auburn (5-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Neither team looked good Saturday. Of course, Texas A&M wasn’t playing Alabama. Both coaches need the win, but Gus Malzahn needs it more than Jimbo Fisher. Jimbo gets the win – Texas A&M 22, Auburn 19.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Indiana (5-1) at Wisconsin (2-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Indiana has a shot at the Big Ten title game. That is if Ohio State has one more game canceled. Then the Buckeyes would be ineligible. Wisconsin is already ineligible from the West Division. So the Badgers will be playing for pride. Pride wins – Wisconsin 26, Indiana 21.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Liberty (9-1) at Coastal Carolina (9-0) – (Ind. vs. Sun Belt) – Saturday – This should be a good ballgame. High scoring. That’s for sure. Liberty is explosive. Both teams are having amazing seasons. It continues to be amazing for the Flames – Liberty 33, Coastal Carolina 30.
4. Louisiana (8-1) at Appalachian State (7-2) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 7 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2 – Another potential for a good ballgame here. App State took two off Louisiana last year – one during the season and one in the Sun Belt title game. The Rajin’ Cajuns take this one – Louisiana 32, Appalachian State 27.
5. West Virginia (5-3) at Iowa State (7-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Win or lose, Iowa State is in the Big 12 title game. So it will be a matter of attitude for the Cyclones. WVU is the team out to prove something. The Mountaineers haven’t won on the road this season. This is their last opportunity. They make the best of it. But not quite good enough – Iowa State 21, West Virginia 20.
6. Washington State (1-1) at USC (3-0) – Pac-12 vs. Pac-12 – 9 pm ET, Sunday, FS1 – USC is one of three undefeated teams in the Pac-12. The Trojans hope to stay unblemished. Washington State can be troublesome. But not that much trouble – USC 30, Washington State 19.
7. Oklahoma State (6-2) at TCU (4-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – TCU erupted for a big win last week. Of course everybody erupts for a big win over Kansas. Okie State was taken to the limits by Texas Tech last week. Both teams can score. Both are shaky on defense. The Frogs are shakier – Oklahoma State 35, TCU 33.
8. Boston College (6-4) at Virginia (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3 – When they are good, both teams are very good. When they are bad, both can be very bad. Lots of offense in this one. Little to no defense. The Cav doesn’t have – Boston College 29, Virginia 25.
9. Alabama (8-0) at LSU (3-4) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – On paper, this should be an easy one for Bama. It’s been a tough year for LSU. And it’s about to get a lot tougher – Alabama 38, LSU 14.
10. Fresno State (3-1) at Nevada (5-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) – Saturday – A good battle in the MWC. Nevada dropped its first game last week. Fresno State’s game was canceled. Both are looking to bounce back. The Wolf Pack bounces better – Nevada 30, Fresno State 27.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Florida (7-1) at Tennessee (2-5) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Florida just needs to take it easy from here on out – one game at a time. Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt is an unpopular man right now. Unpopular in Knoxville, that is. Dan Mullen will be unpopular too – Florida 34, Tennessee 20.
Nebraska (1-4) at Purdue (2-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Who knows? Both of these teams play like they don’t want to win. Although, Purdue did have that bad call up in Minneapolis. With Nebraska, it’s not a bad call, it’s holding onto the ball. The Boilers are due – Purdue 24, Nebraska 22.
Miami (Florida) (7-1) at Duke (2-7) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – This may be David Cutcliffe’s worst team at Duke. I don’t remember the Devils being this bad under him. Their chances again Miami are looking dim. The Canes haven’t played in a while. They will be hungry. Devil food cake – Miami 30, Duke 19.
Vanderbilt (0-8) at Georgia (6-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Who’s going to do the placekicking for Vandy this week. If it is Sarah Fuller, I hope she gets the chance to kick an extra point and more than one kickoff. Maybe even a field goal. But it doesn’t look good. The Dawgs play good defense – Georgia 36, Vanderbilt 12.
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
FIU (0-5) at Charlotte (2-3) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but as Thanksgiving was over and the regular season was coming to an end, the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1945 was “It’s Been A Long, Long Time” by Harry James
…70 years ago this week in 1950 was “Harbor Lights” by Sammy Kaye
…65 years ago this week in 1955 was “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford
…60 years ago this week in 1960 was “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” by Elvis Presley
…55 years ago this week in 1965 was “I Hear A Symphony” by The Supremes
…50 years ago this week in 1970 was “I Think I Love You” by The Partridge Family
…45 years ago this week in 1975 was “Fly, Robin, Fly” by Silver Convention
…40 years ago this week in 1980 was “Lady: by Kenny Rogers
…35 years ago this week in 1985 was “Separate Lives” by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin
…30 years ago this week in 1990 was “I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston
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