College Football
Week 13 – First CFP rankings released on Tuesday
A Tale of Two
Cities
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…..”
Perhaps that best sums up the situation for many college football teams, coaches and players this season – a season that has but four weeks to go. A season that has been happy, upbeat, positive and promising for some. A season that has been anxious, agitated, restless, fidgety and full of angst for others.
The best of times: Cincinnati (8-0), Coastal Carolina (8-0) and Marshall (7-0). All three teams are ranked in the top 17 of the AP Top-25 poll – Coastal Carolina is ranked for the first time in the program’s history. Cincinnati has a legitimate shot at making the College Football Playoff.
The worst of times: Will Muschamp and Jim Harbaugh. South Carolina fired Muschamp after seven games into the season. Harbaugh, whose Wolverines are struggling at 2-3, faces the same fate as Muschamp.
The age of wisdom: Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and BYU. Fickell had the opportunity to go to Michigan State after last season but turned down the offer. His Bearcats are 8-0. Michigan State is 1-3. Several in the media laughed when Pittman was named the Arkansas coach. At the beginning of the season, they said the Razorbacks would go 0-10. Arkansas is 3-3. When COVID-19 shut down the Pac-12, the MWC, etc. last summer, BYU lost most of its schedule. The school’s athletic director, Tom Holmoe, quickly went to work and put together a new schedule for the Cougars to save their season. BYU is 9-0 and ranked 8th.
The age of foolishness: The Big Ten, Pac-12, MWC and MAC for suspending their 2020 football seasons – then changing their minds, but not starting their seasons until late October and early November. Also, Florida State for calling off its game against Clemson just three hours and fifteen minutes before the game was to start, on a poor COVID excuse. In all probability, Florida State was afraid to play Clemson.
The epoch of belief: Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask and Nevada and Tulsa. After patiently waiting in the shadows for a long time, both Jones and Trask have come to the forefront leading their teams to 7-0 and 6-1 records, respectively. Trask is 5th and Jones is 6th in total passing yards this season. Trask is first and Jones is 10th in passing touchdowns. Both are currently listed among the top two or three candidates to win the Heisman Trophy. Nevada (5-0) and Tulsa (5-1) are surprise teams, performing better than expected this season.
The epoch of incredulity: Virginia Tech (4-5), Syracuse (1-8), South Florida (1-7), Temple (1-6) and the Big 12 Conference. All four teams are performing worse than expected this season and none have any credulity. The Big 12 does not have an undefeated team nor does it have a team that has just lost one game. Every team in the Big 12 has lost two or more games. No team in the Big 12 is considered a possibility for the College Football Playoff.
The season of Light: Northwestern (5-0), Indiana (4-1), Kent State (3-0) and San Jose State (4-0) – all teams who are exceeding expectations and who are frequently the doormats of their conferences. Also quarterbacks Ian Book of Notre Dame and Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati – two quarterbacks who entered the season without much hype, but who have led their teams to undefeated seasons so far.
The season of Darkness: Nebraska (1-3) and Penn State (0-5). Need I say more?
The spring of hope: West Virginia (5-3) under second-year coach Neal Brown and Arkansas (3-3) under first-year coach Sam Pittman. Both teams show a bright promise and hope for the future.
The winter of despair: Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, Florida State coach Mike Norvell, and Georgia and Utah. Mason is 0-7 this season and facing termination. Norvell is 2-6 in his debut season at Florida State. Georgia (5-2), favored to win the SEC East, has struggled this season, with the lack of an offense. The Dawgs lost badly to Alabama and Florida. Utah (0-1) not only had its first two games canceled, but also lost when it came time to play. Picked to challenge USC for the Pac-12 South, the Utes lost to the Trojans 33-17.
We had everything before us: Alabama (7-0), Notre Dame (8-0), Ohio State (4-0), Clemson (7-1), Texas A&M (5-1) and Florida (6-1). Four of those teams have the College Football Playoff before them.
We had nothing before us: Connecticut, Old Dominion and New Mexico State. They are the only three of the 130 FBS football teams who chose not to play football this season.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…..”
That describes six games that were played Saturday – five of which were exciting games, one that wasn’t.
First: In Columbus, Ohio, Indiana met Ohio State for the 94th time – a series that Ohio State leads 77-12-5. The last time the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes was in 1988. The last time before that was 1951. And the teams play every year. They did tie in 1990 and 1951.
Coming in with a 4-0 record, Indiana was hopeful. But early in the third quarter, it was looking grim for the Hoosiers. Ohio State led, 35-7. Then, out of the blue and in a 15-minute span, Indiana outscored Ohio State, 28-7. With 10:26 to go in the game, Ohio State’s 35-7 lead had been cut to a 42-35 lead. The Hoosiers had time to win. But the Buckeyes held on and beat Indiana for the 30th-straight year, 42-35.
Second: In Conway, South Carolina, a one-loss Appalachian State took on an undefeated Coastal Carolina for the lead in the Sun Belt East Division. At halftime, App State led the Chanticleers, 17-9. But Coastal Carolina came storming back in the second half, outscoring App State, 25-6. With less than three minutes to go in the game, App State still led the Chanticleers, 23-21. Coastal Carolina scored two touchdowns in the final 2:24 of the contest and beat App State, 34-23.
Third: In Lincoln, Nebraska, the Huskers were coming off a win over Penn State, facing a weak Illinois team. But someone forgot to tell Illinois they were a weak team. The Banned Indians never trailed in the game and led Nebraska, 28-10 at the half. Illinois increased its lead to 41-17 early in the fourth quarter. When it was all over, Illinois upset the favored Huskers, 41-23.
Fourth: In Orlando Florida, undefeated Cincinnati met a tough UCF team. The Knights took early leads of 7-0 and 14-3. Then the Bearcats scored 16 unanswered points and led UCF, 19-14 late in the second quarter. The teams exchanged field goals – Cincinnati led 22-17.
Late in the third quarter, UCF went back up 25-22. Then the Bearcats scored 14 unanswered points and led 36-25, with 7:15 to go in the game. With 4:27 on the clock, the Knights scored, made the two-point conversion and trailed, 36-33. But Cincinnati controlled the ball for the final 4:27 and beat UCF, 36-33.
Fifth: In Evanston, Illinois, undefeated Wisconsin went up against undefeated Northwestern. Both teams scored in the first quarter. Northwestern added a touchdown late in the second quarter. The Wildcats led 14-7 at the break. The second half was a defensive battle. Northwestern finally managed a field goal early in the fourth quarter. Those were the only points scored by either team in the second half. Northwestern beat Wisconsin, 17-7.
Sixth: In Eugene, Oregon, Chip Kelly returned to his old stomping grounds. It was his first visit to Autzen Stadium since 2012, his last year coaching Oregon. Kelly brought his UCLA Bruins in to take on the Ducks. Oregon jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But UCLA came back to tie the score at 14-14 with 13:21 to go in the second quarter.
Before halftime, the teams exchanged scores. Oregon went up 17-14. Then UCLA went up 21-17. At the break, Oregon led 24-21. In the second half, each team scored two touchdowns. The Bruins trailed the Ducks, 31-28 late in the third quarter. When the game ended, Oregon won, 38-35.
As usual, Week 12 began with the MAC attack. And what an attack it was for Kent State quarterback Dustin Crum. Crum passed for 348 yards and three touchdowns, completing 88% of his passes. He also rushed for 104 yards and two more touchdowns. Kent State buried Akron, 69-35. The Golden Flashes racked up 750 yards of offense.
In two other MAC contests, Buffalo gored Bowling Green, 42-17. The Bulls Jared Patterson rushed for 301 yards. And, in the battle of the unbeatens, Western Michigan outscored Central Michigan, 52-44. WMU quarterback Kaleb Eleby passed for 382 yards and five touchdowns. After three weeks of play, it is clear that Buffalo, Kent State and Western Michigan are the cream of the crop in the MAC. Each of the three are 3-0.
In the Thursday night contest, the game between Tulane and Tulsa started out slow. The score was 0-0 at halftime. But there was nothing slow about the second half, especially the fourth quarter. As the final quarter began, Tulane led Tulsa, 14-0. Then, with just 3:16 on the clock, Tulsa scored its second touchdown of the fourth quarter. We had a tie ball game – 14-14.
Tulane responded. With 1:38 left in the game, the Green Wave scored to take a 21-14 lead. It was looking grim for Tulsa. But on the final play of the game, the Golden Tornadoes scored on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Davis Brin to JuanCarlos Santana – 21-21. Overtime!
In the first overtime, each team kicked a field goal – 24-24. In the second overtime, Tulsa’s Zaven Collins intercepted a Tulane pass and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown. Game over – Tulsa 30, Tulane 24 (2OT).
Four games were played Friday night. Only one of the four was good – Minnesota 34, Purdue 31. In a losing effort, Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer passed for 367 yards and three touchdowns. A controversial offensive pass interference call deprived Purdue of a go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute to go in the game. It was definitely a bad call – maybe the worst call of the year.
In the other three games, Louisville juiced Syracuse, 30-0, Air Force bombed New Mexico, 28-0 and Florida Atlantic pecked Massachusetts, 24-2. Air Force running back Brad Roberts rushed for 177 yards.
Florida got off to a slow start Saturday. The Gators only held a 17-10 lead over Vanderbilt at halftime. Then Florida went to work in the second half, outscoring Vandy, 21-7. At the end, Florida beat Vanderbilt, 38-17. Kyle Trask passed for 383 yards.
Elsewhere in the SEC, LSU slipped by Arkansas, 27-24, in a sloppily officiated game. Alabama crushed Kentucky, 63-3, and Auburn downed Tennessee, 30-17. And Georgia finally found a quarterback. In his first game for the Dawgs, J.T. Daniels passed for 401 yards as Georgia got by Mississippi State, 31-24.
In the Big Ten, Iowa added to Penn State’s miseries. The Hawkeyes beat the Nittany Lions, 41-21. And in the thriller, Michigan edged Rutgers in three overtimes, 48-42 (3OT).
It was Bedlam in Norman. Oklahoma tossed Oklahoma State, 41-13. Also in the Big 12, Iowa State crushed Kansas State, 45-0.
In the ACC, Pitt roughed up Virginia Tech, 47-14. The Panthers Kenny Pickett passed for 404 yards. And NC State became the first ACC team to beat Liberty this season. The Wolfpack edged Liberty, 15-14. NC State blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt by Liberty with 1:18 on the clock. Previously, Liberty defeated ACC teams Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
Utah finally got to play a game this season, but the Utes lost to USC, 33-17. Also in the Pac-12 Washington downed Arizona, 44-27. Early in the fourth quarter, Washington led 44-6. Arizona scored the last 21 points in the game.
Nevada remained undefeated, beating San Diego State, 26-21. And in a squeaker, Army got by Georgia Southern, 28-27.
In the late-late show, Boise State outscored Hawaii, 40-32. A fourth-quarter rally by Hawaii fell short.
Week 12’s Winners: Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, Coastal Carolina and Oklahoma. Week 12’s Losers: Nebraska coach Scott Frost and the Purdue-Minnesota and LSU-Arkansas officiating crews.
Only six Group of Five teams are in the AP Top-25 poll this week. In descending order, they are Cincinnati, BYU, Coastal Carolina, Marshall, Louisiana and Tulsa. Nevada is knocking on the door. Cincinnati is the highest ranked at 7th.
We set a new record for postponed/canceled games over the weekend. Eighteen games were called off due to COVID. Last week it was 16 games. Actually, this week was 17 games, plus one we’re not so sure about – Clemson-Florida State. People are joking that when the Florida State players saw the Clemson players get off the bus at Doak-Campbell Stadium, they went running to Coach Norvell and told him to call off the game. They said there was no way they could compete with Clemson. The game was called off about three hours and 15 minutes before it was scheduled to start. Go figure.
Social media tore into Scott Frost, following Nebraska’s loss to Illinois. (See “Tweets of the Week” below.)
A lot of people think that Hugh Freeze will be the next coach at South Carolina. But Paul Finebaum thinks that Freeze is patiently waiting for the Tennessee or Auburn job to open up in the next year or two.
The first CFP rankings of the season will be released Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Remember the 1960s songs “The Bristol Stomp,” “You Can’t Sit Down,” “1-2-3,” and “Like A Baby”? Well, some of us do. They were sung by Len Barry. The first two as the lead singer for The Dovels. The latter two as a solo artist. “The Bristol Stomp” went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the fall of 1961 and “You Can’t Sit Down” reached No. 3 in the spring of 1963. “1-2-3” reached No. 2 on the chart in the fall of 1965. He also wrote the music for the instrumental “Keem-O-Sabe,” which reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the fall of 1969. Barry died last week. Leonard Borisoff was born on June 12, 1942 in Philadelphia. He was 84.
So LSU is the new Baylor. And Ed Orgeron is the new Art Briles….Penn State coach James Franklin is on the hot seat and for more reasons than one….And speaking of Penn State, the Nittany Lions are 0-5 for the first time in the program’s history.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Same ole, same ole – Ohio State 42, Indiana 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 28, Indiana 18). But it was close. The teams combined for 1,097 total yards. Ohio State accounted for 607 of those yards. Indiana had -1 yard rushing. Between them, there were seven turnovers.
RUNNER-UP: Bedlam! – Oklahoma 41, Oklahoma State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 31, Oklahoma State 26). Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler was 17-for-24, passing for 301 yards and four touchdowns. OU running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 141 yards. Okie State only had 78 yards rushing.
REST OF THE BEST: Purple rain, purple rain! – Northwestern 17, Wisconsin 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 26, Northwestern 19). Not a lot of offense. Northwestern only had 24 yards rushing. Wisconsin had five turnovers.
A first! – Coastal Carolina 34, Appalachian State 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Coastal Carolina 26, Appalachian State 25). This was Coastal Carolina’s first win over Appalachian State in the program’s history. App State running back Camerun Peoples rushed for 178 yards.
Cat power! – Cincinnati 36, UCF 33 (Touchdown Tom said: Cincinnati 32, UCF 26). Cincinnati controlled ball possession for more than 37 minutes. Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder was 21-for-31, passing for338 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 57 yards and two more touchdowns.
Mildcats – Iowa State 45, Kansas State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 27, Kansas State 23). Iowa State led 35-0 at halftime and went into cruise control in the second half. The Cyclones had 539 total yards to 149 for K-State, and 26 first downs to nine for the Wildcats. K-State only had 73 yards rushing and 76 yards passing. Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy was 16-for-20, passing for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Cyclones running back Breece Hall rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
No bonds – NC State 15, Liberty 14 (Touchdown Tom said: NC State 35, Liberty 33). Both teams had three turnovers. Not much offense in the game. The teams only combined for 597 total yards. The loss was the first for Liberty this season.
Mule train – Army 28, Georgia Southern 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Southern 25, Army 22). Trailing 27-21, Army scored its winning touchdown with 8:16 to go in the game. Army controlled the ball for more than 38 minutes. Army’s Tyhier Tyler rushed for 121 yards.
The Wolf runs in a Pack – Nevada 26, San Diego State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Nevada 28, San Diego State 23). Nevada quarterback Carson Strong was 31-for-46, passing for 288 yards and two touchdowns. Nevada only had 88 yards rushing. The teams were scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Go West, young man, go West – Western Michigan 52, Central Michigan 44 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Michigan 30, Central Michigan 26). Western Michigan held a 31-14 lead over Central Michigan at halftime. Then the Broncos let the Chippewas slip back into the game in the second half. The teams combined for 1,034 total yards. WMU led with 628 of those yards. WMU’s La’Darius Jefferson rushed for 150 yards.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Gator music – Florida 38, Vanderbilt 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 34, Vanderbilt 17). Vandy led 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. Florida had 586 total yards. Vandy only had 87 yards rushing. Commodore quarterback Ken Seals was 22-for-34, passing for 319 yards and two touchdowns,
Don’t cry for me Chattanooga – Illinois 41, Nebraska 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Illinois 19). Nebraska had five turnovers. Illinois had two running backs rush for more than 100 yards. Mike Epstein rushed for 113 yards and Chase Brown rushed for 110 yards. Nebraska quarterback Luke McCaffrey rushed for 122 yards. Illinois controlled ball possession for more than 36 minutes.
Postponed – Wake Forest at Duke (Touchdown Tom said: Wake Forest 35, Duke 25). The Wake Forest-Duke game was postponed due to COVID issues.
Uga was the top Dawg – Georgia 31, Mississippi State 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 32, Mississippi State 15). Going into the fourth quarter, the score was tied 24-24. Amazingly, Georgia only had eight yards rushing and Miss State only had 22 yards rushing. Georgia finally found a quarterback – J.T. Daniels was 28-for-38, passing for 401 yards and four touchdowns. Miss State’s Will Rogers passed for 336 yards.
Postponed – Texas at Kansas (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 37, Kansas 14). The Texas-Kansas game was postponed due to COVID issues.
No steam from the Boilers – Minnesota 34, Purdue 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 30, Minnesota 23). With 8:31 to go in the game, Purdue scored on a six-yard pass from Jack Plummer to Payne Durham to close the gap to three points. But neither team scored again for the remainder of the contest. The Boilers dominated the stats – first downs, total yards – but not the final score. Purdue seems back to its typical play – up one week, down the next. It’s hard to believe that Jeff Brohm is the highest paid coach in the Big Ten.
Week 12 Results: 10 winners, 4 fumbles (71.4 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUNBD FLORIDA:
Florida Atlantic 24, Massachusetts 2
Clemson at Florida State -- Postponed
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Indiana’s Michael Penix – 27-51-1-491 (5TDs); Texas State’s Brady McBride – 33-45-0-443 (5TDs); Pitt’s Kenny Pickett – 35-52-1-404 (2TDs); Georgia’s J.T. Daniels – 28-38-0-401 (4TDs); Florida’s Kyle Trask – 26-35-0-383 (3TDs); Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong – 16-23-0-383 (4TDs), and Western Michigan’s Kaleb Eleby – 12-20-1-382 (5TDs).
Also, Rutgers Noah Vedral – 29-43-1-378 (3TDs); Purdue’s Jack Plummer – 35-42-1-367 (3TDs); Kent State’s Dustin Crum – 22-25-0-348 (3TDs); Arkansas’ Feleipe Franks – 17-26-1-339 (1TD); Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder – 21-32-0-338 (2TDs); Mississippi State’s Will Rogers – 41-52-0-336 (1TD), and Rice’s Mike Collins – 23-34-0-327 (2TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson – 301 yards (4TDs); Akron’s Teon Dollard – 202 yards (4TDs); Oregon State’s Jermar Jefferson – 196 yards (1TD); Appalachian State’s Camerun Peoples – 178 yards (1TD); Air Force’s Brad Roberts – 177 yards (3TDs); Tennessee’s Eric Gray – 173 yards (1TD), and UTSA’s Sincere McCormick – 173 yards (2TDs).
Also, Ohio State’s Master Teague – 169 yards (2TDs); Western Michigan’s La’Darius Jefferson – 150 yards; Toledo’s Bryant Koback – 149 yards (1TD); Oklahoma’s Rhamondre Stevenson – 141 yards; BYU’s Tyler Allgeier – 141 yards (2TDs); Iowa State’s Breece Hall – 135 yards (2TDs), and; Tulsa’s Corey Taylor – 132 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“Well, he’s not going away empty pocketed. He knows how to get big contracts, I’ll tell you that,” Steve Spurrier on Will Muschamp.
“While throwing out names that are not currently on the media short list for South Carolina – James Franklin. No one has proven the elite ability to completely rebuild a program better than James Franklin. The Vandy turnaround was historic. Penn State, under scholarship sanctions and dark cloud won a Big Ten championship. And yes, if you are going to reply about Penn State’s current record and state of affairs, you have a valid point. But Franklin would put South Carolina on the recruiting map again,” former Vanderbilt quarterback and ESPN and SEC Network college football analyst Jordan Rodgers, on a replacement for Will Muschamp.
“Ole Miss fans are absolutely trash. It’s embarrassing how they have spit on us, thrown trash at us. It’s a disgusting place,” Jessica Jackson, Director of On Campus Recruiting at South Carolina.
“I didn’t really see this coming. I was embarrassed by our level of execution in all three phases. It was almost like our team thought, ‘We won one game, we’re good,’” Nebraska coach Scott Frost, after the loss to Illinois.
“This game was not canceled because of COVID. COVID was just an excuse to cancel the game,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, on the Florida State canceling the Clemson-FSU game.
Tweets of the Week
(Reflecting frustration at Nebraska)
“Do you guys realize how horrendously bad and unacceptable this performance is on all cylinders? This is an atrocity of a football game by a fragile as hell football team. And Scott Frost deserves a lot of blame.”
“How it started for Scott Frost at Nebraska vs. how it’s going. The Cornhuskers are unbelievably bad and are somehow finding a way to get much worse.”
“I remember when someone at Gridiron Magazine said that Scott Frost would have been a better hire than Kliff Kingsbury for the Cardinals. Nebraska is a train wreck.”
“Scott Frost being the next big thing feels like 20 years ago.”
“How much longer does Scott Frost have at Nebraska? I wonder if they realize they have no chance of hiring anybody better. I’m factoring this blowout home loss to Illinois into my statement.”
“When do Nebraska fans realize Scott Frost is not turning this thing around – and hasn’t been. It’s been excuse after excuse. What is it now? Illinois is rolling you.”
“Fire him (Scott Frost) today”
“I think it’s time to realize nobody can save Nebraska. Not even Scott Frost.”
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Notre Dame (8-0) at North Carolina (6-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Friday, ABC – North Carolina has an impressive record, but the Tar Heels need a win over a big team. Notre Dame would be that big team. The Heels could make it interesting. The Irish step carefully in Chapel Hill – Notre Dame 33, North Carolina 29.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Iowa State (6-2) at Texas (5-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Friday, ABC – Texas has been resting up, while Iowa State had the big win over Kansas State. Tom Herman definitely needs this win. Texas needs the win to keep its hopes alive of playing in the Big 12 championship game. Cy destroys Bevo’s hopes – Iowa State 33, Texas 30.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Auburn (5-2) at Alabama (7-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – The Auburn fans will be on Gus Malzahn after this game. The Tigers chances of winning are slim to none. Granted, Bo Nix will give it his best. But that won’t be good enough – Alabama 36, Auburn 17.
4. Oklahoma (6-2) at West Virginia (5-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – I’d love to go out on the limb and pick the Mountaineers, but this isn’t the time to do it. Oklahoma is a rejuvenated team. However, WVU should make a game of it. It will be dark and dusty – maybe rainy too. Sooners get in and get out with a win – Oklahoma 29, West Virginia 20.
5. Colorado (2-0) at USC (3-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Just how good is Colorado. We know USC is good. Not real sure about Colorado. But we’ll soon find out. Tommy corrals Ralphie – USC 38, Colorado 25.
6. Maryland (2-1) at Indiana (4-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Indiana has to pick it self up from the tough loss to Ohio State. Otherwise, Maryland will knock them off. The lack of a running game hurts Indiana. But the passing game is strong. The Turtles are souped – Indiana 30, Maryland 24.
7. Kent State (3-0) at Buffalo (3-0) – (MAC vs. MAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Kent State has the better offense. Buffalo has the better defense. On offense, Kent State can run and pass. Buffalo can run. Thinking the home field has the advantage here. The Buffs don’t get Flashed – Buffalo 27, Kent State 24.
8. San Jose State (4-0) at Boise State (4-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – My heart is for San Jose State. My mind says Boise State. Still, this should be a good ballgame. Broncos love their blue field – Boise State 29, San Jose State 27.
9. Pitt (5-4) at Clemson (7-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Pitt is capable of competing with Clemson. Pitt isn’t capable of beating Clemson – especially not at Clemson. The Panthers are a hot and cold bunch. But when they are hot – they are hot. The Tigers can handle the heat – Clemson 33, Pitt 19.
10. LSU (3-3) at Texas A&M (5-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – The Aggies have been resting. The Tigers haven’t. A&M has been getting better as the season has gone along. The Aggies are still shooting for the stars. The Tigers fall below 500 – Texas A&M 35, LSU 17.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Kentucky (3-5) at Florida (6-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Kentucky showed promise early on in the season. Not anymore. The Cats are wiped out. The Gators should have a picnic. And nothing is better than a picnic in The Swamp – Florida 40, Kentucky 15.
Nebraska (1-3) at Iowa (3-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 1pm ET, Friday, FOX – Losing to Iowa is never easy for Nebraska. But the Hawkeyes have been looking good lately. The Huskers haven’t. Defense is the difference. Iowa’s is better. Where’s Chattanooga when you need them? – Iowa 27, Nebraska 22.
Duke (2-6) at Georgia Tech (2-5) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3 – This is a tough pick. One team is about as bad as the other. But each shows a spark every now and then. The Jackets get their fuse lit – Georgia Tech 25, Duke 21.
Georgia (5-2) at South Carolina (2-6) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – It’s not looking good for South Carolina. Maybe Will Muschamp should be glad he is out of there. Georgia won’t be any fun. And the Dawgs have a quarterback – at last. Uga drools – Georgia 28, South Carolina 13.
Rutgers (1-4) at Purdue (2-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – Okay, Purdue should be up this week. The Boilers were down last week. They are never consistent. Rutgers can be scary. But not scary enough – Purdue 30, Rutgers 22.
ELSEWHERE AROUNBD FLORIDA:
UCF (5-3) at South Florida (1-7) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 3:30 pm ET, Friday, ESPN….
Louisiana Tech (4-3) at FIU (0-5) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Virginia (4-4) at Florida State (2-6) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN….
Touchdown Tom
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