College Football
Week 16 – Auburn fires Gus Malzahn
How do you spell
stupidity?
M-a-r-c-o W-i-l-s-o-n
But as stupid and costly as Wilson’s stunt was, you can’t solely blame him for Florida’s 37-34 loss to LSU.
Late in the game, with the score tied 34-34, Wilson ripped a shoe off the foot of an LSU player and threw it downfield. Florida had just stopped LSU on third down. Wilson received an unsportsmanlike penalty for his action. Instead of being forced to punt, LSU’s drive was kept alive due to the penalty. Six plays later the Tigers kicked a 57-yard, game-winning field goal with 23 seconds on the clock. LSU 37, Florida 34. As time expired, Florida subsequently missed a 51-yard field goal.
There were other mistakes made in the game – coaching mistakes and player mistakes.
Back during Florida State’s glory days under Bobby Bowden, the Noles frequently played a Wake Forest or a Duke the week before playing a big game against Florida, Clemson, etc. Some years later many former FSU players revealed that Bowden never had a game plan for Wake Forest, Duke, etc. Instead, the Noles spent two weeks preparing for Florida, Clemson, etc. There was no need to worry about Wake Forest, Duke, etc.
That’s the way Florida played Saturday night. The Gators had no game plan for LSU. Florida took LSU for granted. There was no need to worry about LSU. The Gators were already preparing for Alabama. Sadly for Florida, LSU didn’t turn out to be a Wake Forest or a Duke.
Dan Mullen’s play calling throughout the game was questionable. Was there a game plan? Early in the game, on Florida’s first drive and the score tied, 0-0, the Gator’s had a first down on LSU’s goal line. For four downs, Florida ran the ball up the middle – didn’t even go for the field goal on fourth down. LSU held the Gators on all four downs.
Florida moved well between the 20s, but the Gators offense had problems in the red zone.
Midway through the fourth quarter, with Florida trailing, 34-31, and deep in its own territory, quarterback Kyle Trask, with a heavy fog in the air, threw three erratic Hail Mary-like, down-field passes. All three fell incomplete. Three and out.
Florida had three turnovers in the game and Trask was responsible for all three – two interceptions and one fumble. In nine previous games, Trask had only thrown five interceptions. That’s less than one interception per game.
Florida’s defense was sloppy and careless throughout the game – mixing high points with low points, a lot of low points. Every time Florida managed to get a lead in the game, LSU came right back and retook the lead. Florida went up 7-0. Nine minutes later, LSU was up 14-7. Florida went up 17-14. Two minutes later LSU was up 21-17. Florida went up 31-27. Five minutes later LSU was up 34-31.
I can’t imagine that defensive coordinator Todd Grantham will be on Mullen’s staff next year.
How do you spell stupidity? C-o-m-p-l-a-c-e-n-t.
A complacent team doesn’t win football games. That was Florida’s problem against LSU. The Gators – coaching staff and players – suffered from complacency.
It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world. Sometimes I think college football this season has had one foot in the bucket and the other one on a banana peel.
First of all, Kirk Herbstreit was right. Michigan used the COVID card to get out of playing Ohio State. This left Ohio State playing only five games this season. As a result, the Big Ten moved the goal post. The conference voted to change its six-game minimum requirement to participate in the conference championship game to a five-game minimum. So Ohio State will play Northwestern in the Big Ten title game.
No less than thirteen games were canceled over the weekend due to COVID. And then, not because of COVID, Utah State opted-out of its game at Colorado State. The players voted not to play. It seems they were unhappy with alleged, inappropriate comments that Utah State president Noelle Cockett made about interim head coach Frank Maile.
Earlier in the season, Utah State fired head coach Gary Andersen, after the team started out 0-3. In his second season, Andersen had a 7-9 record with the Aggies. Defensive coordinator Frank Maile was named the interim head coach. Maile was in the running to become the full-time head coach.
However, Saturday, Utah State announced that Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson was leaving the Red Wolves to become the new coach at Utah State. In seven seasons at Arkansas State, Anderson was 51-37, including 4-7 this season. Meanwhile, Arkansas State didn’t waste any time finding a replacement for Anderson. The Red Wolves hired Butch Jones as their new coach. Jones is a former head coach at Tennessee, Cincinnati and Central Michigan. He spent the past three seasons as an offensive analyst and consultant on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama.
Three ACC schools – Boston College, Pitt and Virginia – and one Pac-12 school – Stanford – announced they have no interest in playing in a bowl game and would turn down any offers. The players are tired of adhering to the strict COVID protocols. It’s been a tough season on the teams.
It’s been a tough season at ULM. The Warhawks are 0-10, with one game reaming Thursday night against Troy. As a result, the school fired head coach Matt Viator. Viator was 19-39 in five seasons at ULM.
Sources close to Urban Meyer say that if and when he returns to coaching, there are only two schools Meyer is willing to coach – Notre Dame and USC. Otherwise, he is content right now as a college football analyst for Fox Sports. Texas had been courting Meyer, but he informed the Longhorns that he is not interested. Meanwhile, the thinking is that Texas will now hold onto Tom Herman, believing that there is no other coach out there who is worth Herman’s buyout.
Six games Saturday went down as interesting, exciting and quintessential college football games. Five were close and one wasn’t.
First: In Lincoln, Nebraska, the Huskers were hosting Minnesota. Both teams were having disappointing seasons – Minnesota at 2-3 and Nebraska at 2-4. Nebraska was coming off a win over Purdue last week. Minnesota, due to COVID cancelations, was playing its first game since November 20.
Minnesota jumped out to a 10-0 lead at the end of one quarter. In the second quarter, Nebraska scored two unanswered touchdowns to take a 14-10 lead. Just before the half, Minnesota scored a touchdown and took a 17-14 lead at the break. The third quarter was scoreless. The Gophers still led, 17-14, as the fourth quarter began. Early in the final quarter, Minnesota scored again and increased its lead to 24-14. About seven minutes later, Nebraska kicked a 30-yard field goal with 4:42 to go in the game. The Huskers trailed 24-17. But the Gophers held for the remainder of the game and beat Nebraska, 24-17. After the game, Husker fans took to social media to blast Scott Frost.
Second: In Muncie, Indiana, Western Michigan and Ball State met for the MAC West Division title. The winner would go to the MAC Championship game. Both schools were 4-1. After one quarter, Ball State led, 6-3. Then Western Michigan exploded for 17 points in the second quarter. At halftime, WMU led Ball State, 20-13. In the third quarter, the Broncos increased their lead to 27-13. As the fourth quarter began, it was looking good for WMU. But in the final quarter, the Cardinals scored 17 unanswered points. With the score tied 27-27, Ball State kicked a 22-yard field goal with 29 seconds on the clock. Ball State edged Western Michigan, 30-27.
Third: In Troy, Alabama, Coastal Carolina, fresh off a win over BYU, put its undefeated record – 10-0 – on the line against Troy. At the end of the first quarter, it was looking good for the Chanticleers. Coastal Carolina led Troy, 14-3. The Trojans came to life in the second quarter, but still trailed the Chanticleers, 21-16, at halftime. The teams each traded a touchdown in the third quarter. As the final quarter began, Coastal Carolina was up 28-23.
There was no scoring for the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. But in the final 5 minutes of the quarter, 29 points were scored. First, with 5:03 to go, the Chanticleers increased their lead to 35-23. Then Troy scored 15 unanswered points. With 1:22 to go in the game, the Trojans led Coastal Carolina, 38-35. But the Chanticleers weren’t through. Grayson McCall threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Jaivon Heiligh with 35 seconds on the clock. Coastal Carolina went on to beat Troy, 42-38.
Fourth: In Miami Gardens, Florida, North Carolina visited the Hurricanes. And what a visit it was for the Tar Heels. The game was also a first meeting between a former head coach and his assistant. From 2011 to 2013, Miami coach Manny Diaz was the defensive coordinator at Texas for current North Carolina coach Mack Brown when Brown was the coach at Texas.
After one quarter on Saturday, North Carolina led Miami, 21-3. At halftime, the Tar Heels led the Canes, 34-10. Things were fairly even in the third quarter. After three, North Carolina was up 41-18. The Tar Heels overwhelmed Miami, 21-8 in the fourth quarter. When the game was over, North Carolina beat Miami, 62-26. Amazingly, the Tar Heels racked up 778 total yards. Back during 2013, Texas lost to BYU, 40-21. In that game, BYU racked up more than 700 total yards. After the game, Texas coach Mack Brown fired his defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. Interesting coincidence.
Fifth: In Pasadena, California, USC and UCLA met for the 90th time, with the Trojans holding a 50-32-7 lead in the series. Early on, the game was looking good for UCLA. The Bruins led 7-0 at the end of one and 21-10 at halftime. The scoring opened up in the third quarter. After three, UCLA led, 35-23. But the fourth quarter belonged to the Trojans. USC outscored UCLA, 20-3 in the fourth. But it was tight. With 52 seconds to go in the game, UCLA kicked a 43-yard field goal and led USC, 38-36. Then with just 16 seconds on the clock, the Trojans scored a touchdown on an eight-yard pass from Kedon Slovis to Amon-Ra St. Brown. USC beat UCLA, 43-38. Perhaps more amazingly, it was the third game this season that USC won in the final 80 or less seconds of the game.
Sixth: In Corvallis, Oregon, Stanford paid Oregon State a visit. Oregon State took a 7-0 first quarter lead and narrowly held onto the lead until early in the third quarter. That’s when Stanford took its first lead in the game. The Trees went up 16-14. It was a short-lived lead. Four minutes later Oregon State went back up, 21-16. The Beavers held that lead until early in the fourth quarter when Stanford went up, 24-21. With 7:18 to go in the game, Oregon State kicked a 26-yard field goal and tied the score, 24-24. The score remained tied until there was 1:48 on the clock. That’s when Stanford kicked a 39-yard field goal. Stanford beat Oregon State, 27-24.
Week 15 football began on Thursday night with two games. In Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Southern Miss beat Florida Atlantic, 45-31, while in Atlanta, Georgia, Pitt downed Georgia Tech, 34-20. Pitt’s Vincent Davis rushed for 247 yards.
Three games were played on Friday night – two exciting contests and one blowout. And what a blowout it was. Arizona State trounced Arizona, 70-7. Arizona State’s Jackson He, a walk-on and a Chinese-born player scored a touchdown in the game. Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin should have been fired on the spot. I’m sure he will be any minute now.
Sure enough, Sumlin was fired Saturday afternoon – 18 hours after the game ended. Sources say that Arizona will go after Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Stay tuned!
Trailing Nevada, 20-7 at halftime, San Jose State mounted quite a rally in the second half. The Spartans outscored the Wolf Pack, 23-0. San Jose state remained undefeated at 6-0, beating Nevada 30-20. Meanwhile in El Paso, Texas, UTEP and North Texas put on a scoring spectacular. When it was over, North Texas beat UTEP, 45-43.
In other games on Saturday, Northwestern solidified its spot in the Big Ten Championship game, representing the West Division. Northwestern downed Illinois, 28-10. Two Northwestern running backs had more than 100 yards rushing. Evan Hull rushed for 149 yards and Cam Porter had 142 yards. The next day, Illinois fired coach Lovie Smith. After five seasons, Smith was 17-39.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Penn State rallied to beat Michigan State, 39-24, and Rutgers beat Maryland in overtime, 27-24 (OT). Maryland’s Jake Funk rushed for 180 yards. Back in the West Division, Iowa beat Wisconsin, 28-7. After starting 0-2, Iowa finished the season at 6-2, winning six-straight games.
Alabama and Georgia had big days in the SEC. Alabama topped Arkansas, 52-3, and Georgia downed Missouri, 49-14. Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels passed for 299 yards and three touchdowns. Also in the SEC, Auburn put down Mississippi State, 24-10. Auburn’s Tank Bigsby rushed for 192 yards.
In the ACC, Virginia Tech tackled Virginia, 33-15. Virginia Tech’s Khalil Herbert rushed for 162 yards. While in Tallahassee, Florida State finally found a team it could beat. The Noles outscored Duke, 56-35.
Out West, Utah handed Colorado its first loss of the season. The Utes beat the Buffaloes, 38-21. Utah’s Ty Jordan rushed for 147 yards.
Army dominated in the annual battle between Army and Navy. The Cadets skunked the Middies, 15-0. The score was just 3-0 until 11 minutes to go in the game. Army scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. The teams only combined for 279 total yards – 162 for Army and 117 for Navy.
In the two late shows, BYU took care of San Diego State, 28-14, and New Mexico thumped Fresno State, 49-39. BYU quarterback Zach Wilson passed for 310 yards and Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener passed for 350 yards.
Then in the late-late show, Hawaii bested UNLV, 38-21.
Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller made history again. Against Tennessee on Saturday, she became the first woman to score a point in a Power Five football game. She not only scored one but she scored two points, kicking the extra point on Vanderbilt’s two touchdowns in the Commodores, 42-17 loss to Tennessee.
Week 15’s Winners: Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller and LSU coach Ed Orgeron. Week 15’s Losers: Florida corner back Marco Wilson and Florida coach Dan Mullen.
Eight Group of Five teams are in the AP Top-25 Poll. They are, in order, Cincinnati (8-0), Coastal Carolina (11-0), BYU (10-1), Louisiana (9-1), Tulsa (6-1), Liberty (9-1), Buffalo (5-0) and San Jose State (6-0). Boise State (5-1) is knocking on the door. Cincinnati is the highest ranked at 6th. This week has Tulsa-Cincinnati in the AAC championship, Louisiana-Coastal Carolina in the Big South championship, Boise State-San Jose State in the MWC championship and Bal State-Buffalo in the MAC championship. There will be big shake ups in the poll next week. BYU and Liberty have completed their seasons.
After eight seasons, Auburn has fired head coach Gus Malzahn. Malzahn had a record of 68-34 – 6-4 this season. Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele will serve as interim head coach until a new coach is found. Liberty coach Hugh Freeze wants the Auburn job real bad. Stay tuned.
Former UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton, who has been unable to play for the past two years while rehabbing a devastating right-leg injury, said he is transferring to Florida State. Milton was a three-year starter at UCF from 2016 to 2018.
The 10 conference championship games will be played this Friday and Saturday. Additionally, the Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC will be playing regular season games – making up games that were postponed due to COVID.
And the first bowl game of the season kicks off on Saturday. SMU vs. UTSA in the Frisco Bowl from Frisco, Texas.
We lost a two former college football coaches and a former major league baseball player last week. Fred Akers was a college football player and coach. He served as head coach at Wyoming (1975-1976), Texas (1977-1986) and Purdue (1987-1990), compiling a career record of 108-75-3. Akers played college football for Arkansas, as a halfback, kicker and punter. A native of Blytheville, Arkansas, Fred Akers was 82.
Ray Perkins was an NFL coach and player, and a college football coach and player. He most notably was the coach at Alabama for four seasons (1983-1986), where he replaced the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant. Perkins played for Bryant (1964-1966) at Alabama, where he was a wide receiver for the Crimson Tide. He was a first-team All-American in 1966. Perkins was also a wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts in the NFL (1967-1971). He coached the New York Giants for four seasons (1979-1982) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for four seasons (1987-1990). Walter Ray Perkins, a native of Petal, Mississippi, was 79.
Dick Allen had a 15-season MLB career, most notably with the Philadelphia Phillies (nine seasons) and the Chicago White Sox (three seasons), primarily playing first and third base. He was an All-Star in seven of those seasons. A native of Wampum, Pennsylvania, Richard Anthony Allen was 78.
Remember the early 1970s? Remember “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’,” and “Is Anybody Goin’ To San Antone?” Singer Charley Pride died Saturday. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records. During the peak years of his recording career (1966 to 1987) he garnered 52 Top-10 hits on Billboard’s Country Music chart, 30 of which made it to No. 1. A native of Sledge, Mississippi, Charley Frank Pride was 86.
And we lost the nation’s best-known pilot – Chuck Yaeger. Yaeger was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace and record-setting test pilot. In 1947, he became the first pilot in history to break the sound barrier, exceeding the speed of sound. Yaeger retired from the Air Force in 1975 as a Brigadier General. A native of Myra, West Virginia, Charles Elwood Yaeger was 97.
In the mail last week, my Florida State friend Tim Muth wrote to say that he got a call from Coach Mike Norvell. The FSU coach needs Tim to play quarterback for the Noles against Duke. Tim went on to say, “Do you think we can still win?” Swamp Mama said if Tim played quarterback for FSU, that alone would be enough to make her attend an FSU game. Even more amazing, Swamp Mama said that she would actually cheer for FSU.
So, no more riding the Gus Bus in Auburn….but a winter Freeze might be coming to town.
Happy Hanukkah!
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Canceled – Cincinnati at Tulsa (Touchdown Tom said: Cincinnati 22, Tulsa 19). The Cincinnati at Tulsa game was canceled due to COVID.
RUNNER-UP: Run away – North Carolina 62, Miami (Florida) 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 34, North Carolina 30). North Carolina had more yards rushing – 554 – than Miami had total yards – 314. The Tar Heels Michael Carter rushed for 308 yards and Javonte Williams rushed for 236 yards. The Tar Heels controlled time of possession for 40:19.
REST OF THE BEST: They knew the way – San Jose State 30, Nevada 20 (Touchdown Tom said: San Jose State 33, Nevada 27). San Jose State outscored Nevada 23-0 in the second half to rally and win the game. The Spartans racked up 506 total yards – 200 rushing and 306 passing. San Jose State’s Tyler Neven rushed for 184 yards.
The Dawgs showed ’em – Georgia 49, Missouri 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, Missouri 20). Georgia only led 21-14 at halftime. Then the Dawgs outscored the Tigers 28-0 in the second half. Georgia had 615 total yards to just 200 for Missouri. The Dawgs had 28 first downs, while Mizzou only had 11. The Dawgs held the Tigers to 22 yards rushing. Georgia’s Zamir White rushed for 126 yards.
Canceled – Oklahoma at West Virginia (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 28, West Virginia 24). The Oklahoma at West Virginia game was canceled due to COVID issues at West Virginia.
Postponed – Ole Miss at Texas A&M (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 35, Ole Miss 24). The Ole Miss at Texas A&M game was postponed to December 19 due to COVID problems at Ole Miss.
The Trojans get the Bell – USC 43, UCLA 38 (Touchdown Tom said: USC 30, UCLA 24). The teams combined for 993 total yards, but USC only had 100 yards rushing. The quarterbacks combined for 708 yards passing.
Tamed – Ball State 30, Western Michigan 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Western Michigan 32, Ball State 28). Western Michigan dominated the stats – first downs, total yards, passing yards, rushing yards and time of possession. But Ball State dominated the score. WMU’s La’Darius Jefferson rushed for 159 yards.
Canceled – Washington at Oregon (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 26, Oregon 23). The Washington at Oregon game was canceled because of COVID issues.
The Cheese melted – Iowa 28, Wisconsin 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 23, Wisconsin 18). Iowa led 6-0 at halftime. Twenty-nine of the 35 points were scored in the second half. The teams only combined for 580 total yards and just had 24 first downs between them. Iowa held Wisconsin to 56 yards rushing.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Gators had a shoe fetish – LSU 37, Florida 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 34, LSU 17). The teams combined for 1,029 total yards – 609 for Florida and 420 for LSU. Kyle Trask passed for 474 yards. Florida receiver Kadarius Toney had nine receptions for 182 yards.
The Corn was Golden – Minnesota 24, Nebraska 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 30, Minnesota 23). Minnesota dominated the stats – first downs, total yards, passing yards, rushing yards and time of possession. Nebraska dominated the turnovers – two.
Scalped – Florida State 56, Duke 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida State 33, Duke 19). Florida State just led by a touchdown, 28-21, at halftime. There were six turnovers in the game – four for Duke and two for FSU.
Canceled – Texas at Kansas (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 47, Kansas 17). The Texas at Kansas game was canceled due to COVID problems.
Canceled – Purdue at Indiana (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 28, Purdue 20). The Purdue at Indiana game was canceled due to COVID problems.
Week 15 Results: 5 winners, 4 fumbles (55.6 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Southern Miss 45, Florida Atlantic 31
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Florida’s Kyle Trask – 29-47-2 for 474 yards (2TDs); UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson – 30-36-2-364 (4TDs); Fresno State’s Jake Haener – 26-43-1-350 (3TDs); Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders – 20-30-2-347 (3TDs); USC’s Kedon Slovis – 30-47-2-344 (5TDs), and Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall – 24-29-1-338 (3TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
North Carolina’s Michael Carter – 308 yards (2TDs); Pitt’s Vincent Davis – 247 yards (1TD); North Carolina’s Javonte Williams – 236 yards (3TDs); Auburn’s Tank Bigsby – 192 yards; San Jose State’s Tyler Nevens – 184 yards (1TD); Buffalo’s Kevin Marks – 182 yards (2TDs); Maryland’s Jake Funk – 180 yards (1TD), and Oklahoma State’s Dominic Richardson – 169 yards (3 TDs).
Also, Louisville’s Jalen Mitchel – 168 yards; Virginia Tech’s Khalil Herbert – 162 yards (1TD); Western Michigan’s La’Darius Jefferson – 159 yards (1TD); Northwestern’s Evan Hull – 149 yards (1TD); UNLV’s Charles Williams – 148 yards (2TDs); Utah’s Ty Jordan – 147 yards (2TDs); Northwestern’s Cam Porter – 142 yards (2TDs); New Mexico’s Bobby Cole – 138 yards (3TDs); TCU’s Kendre Miller – 136 yards (2TDs), and Arizona State’s Rachaad White – 133 yards (3TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“I have been blessed to be able to work for great coaches over my career. I’ve learned so much from all of them. Phillip Fulmer hired me and gave me an opportunity to get into the SEC and the University of Tennessee,” new South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, who was hired by Fulmer in 2001 to be a graduate assistant coach at Tennessee.
“To say I don’t think about it, it’s every day. It would have to be the perfect, perfect situation. It would have to be something that I was confidant the health issues are something I could overcome, at least prevent. So I don’t know at this point. I think I’m done but I would never say I’m never done,” Urban Meyer, on his return to coaching.
“I just think there has to be some type of standard. I just think it would be, if I were on the committee, hard for me to leave out a 10-1 Texas A&M or an 11-game Florida team over a team that’s only played six games. That would be hard for me if I were on the committee. But I’m not on the committee. I just think there has to be, from a big-picture standpoint, I would lean toward rewarding the teams that have been all in because it has been an incredible challenge. The Big Ten had the same opportunity and they chose not to play. I think the only reason they ended up playing was because the ACC, SEC and Big 12 demonstrated that we can do it and do it in a safe way.” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, on why he doesn’t think Ohio State should be selected for the playoff.
“Sitting on the bench, the Miami defense looks shell-shocked,” ABC’s Chris Fowler, early in the second quarter of the North Carolina-Miami (Florida) game, with Miami trailing 21-3.
“The Miami defense looks exhausted in addition to shell-shocked,” ABC’s Chris Fowler, late in the second quarter of the North Carolina-Miami (Florida) game, with Miami trailing, 31-3.
“Make no mistake, this is the most embarrassing Florida loss I can remember. They don’t deserve to be in the national championship conversation. If you can’t go out there and handle a three-win team at home when you have as much on the line, then you don’t deserve to be in that spot, former Florida receiver and SEC Network college football analyst Chris Doering, on Florida’s loss to LSU.
Sign of the Week
Kick The Ship Out Of Navy
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE WEEK: Clemson (9-1) vs. Notre Dame (10-0) – (ACC Championship – Charlotte, NC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Clemson has a good chance of reversing the outcome when these two met earlier in the season. Tyler Lawrence will be playing in this game and the Tigers will be playing close to home. But watch out for Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book. He’s has stepped up his game lately. The Irish can’t hold that Tiger – Clemson 30, Notre Dame 24.
RUNNER-UP: Florida (8-2) vs. Alabama (10-0) – (SEC Championship – Atlanta, GA) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Before the LSU game, I thought Florida might have a reasonable chance in this game. No way in hell do I think they might have a reasonable chance now. Bama quarterback Mac Jones has to be the No. 1 candidate for the Heisman Trophy. The only way Kyle Trask could overtake him would be for Florida to beat Bama. The Tide will be in the playoff. The Gators should be in a New Year’s Six bowl. The nine seasons Dan Mullen coached at Mississippi State, he was 0-9 against Nick Saban. Make it 0-10 – Alabama 48, Florida 24.
REST OF THE BEST: Iowa State (8-2) vs. Oklahoma (7-2) – (Big 12 Championship – Arlington, TX) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – This is another rematch. Iowa State won the first game, 37-30. They have a good chance of winning again. OU has been playing better defense since the first meeting. Cy sighs – Oklahoma 35, Iowa State 33.
4. Louisiana (9-1) at Coastal Carolina (11-0) – (Sun Belt Championship – Conway, SC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Yet another rematch. In the first game, Coastal Carolina kicked a field goal with 4 seconds on the clock to beat Louisiana, 30-27. This should be another good game. The Chanticleers appeared to be looking ahead to it when they escaped Troy last week. The Rooster likes Cajun hens – Coastal Carolina 34, Louisiana 29.
5. Northwestern (6-1) vs. Ohio State (5-0) – (Big Ten Championship – Indianapolis, IN) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – This is like the SEC championship game. Northwestern doesn’t have a chance in hell of beating Ohio State. But it could be interesting for a while. Ohio State’s strength is its offense and its weakness is its defense. Northwestern’s strength is its defense and its weakness is its offense. The Wildcats choke on Buckeyes – Ohio State 28, Northwestern 14.
6. Oregon (3-2) at USC (5-0) – (Pac-12 Championship – Los Angeles, CA) – 8 pm ET, Friday, FOX – IF USC wins, and the Trojans probably will, it will be in the final seconds of the game. That’s just how the Trojans win. Oregon has been up and down on offense and defense. USC definitely has the stronger offense. The Ducks don’t have a horse – USC 33, Oregon 23.
7. Tulsa (6-1) at Cincinnati (8-0) – (AAC Championship - Cincinnati, OH) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – These two were supposed to play last week. It got called off due to COVID. Tulsa will be the best defense Cincinnati has played against. Cincinnati has the best offense Tulsa has played against. Nothing golden about Tulsa in this one – Cincinnati 26, Tulsa 17.
8. Boise State (5-1) at San Jose State (6-0) – (MWC Championship – San Jose, CA) – 4:15 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Boise State is always good but this is a surprise for San Jose State. And a surprise that the MWC championship game isn’t being played at Boise. No blue carpet this week for the Broncos. The Spartans win on adrenalin – San Jose State 27, Boise State 25.
9. Buffalo (5-0) vs. Ball State (5-1) – (MAC Championship – Detroit, MI) – 7:30 ET, Friday, ESPN – It’s a shame Buffalo didn’t get to play more games. The Bulls are good. And the Cardinal aren’t half bad. They have won five-straight games after losing their opener. But Buffalo just has too much power – especially in the running game. The Bulls call the Cardinals buff – Buffalo 32, Ball State 26.
10. UAB (5-3) at Marshall (7-1) – (C-USA Championship – Huntington, WV) – 7 pm ET, Friday, CBSSN – Marshall just ran through the C-USA until Rice came along. That was a jolt. UAB has lost two of its last four games – by a combined seven points. No more jolts for Marco – Marshall 28, UAB 24.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Nebraska (2-6) at Rutgers (3-5) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 4 pm ET, Friday, BTN – Nebraska has a chance to go out a winner, but the Huskers have to beat Rutgers first. That won’t be easy. Greg Schiano has done a good job during his first year with the Scarlet Knights. Or should I say back at the Scarlet Knights. Some Nebraska fans aren’t sure what kind of job Scott Frost has done during his third year with the Huskers. But Sir Herbie crashes the Roundtable – Nebraska 28, Rutgers 23.
Vanderbilt (0-9) at Georgia (7-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – Maybe Sarah Fuller will get a chance to kick some extra points against the Dawgs. This game was supposed to be played a couple weeks ago but got postponed due to COVID. Vandy is a hurting football team – that’s for sure. Georgia will have some fun with this one. Uga comes out of the Dawghouse – Georgia 42, Vanderbilt 12.
Purdue (2-4) at Indiana (6-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Friday, BTN – These two rivals get a second chance to play. COVID canceled the first chance. Indiana has had a great season. Purdue has not. The Hoosiers have learned to play football. There is no steam in these Boilers – Indiana 28, Purdue 20.
BOWLS:
SMU (7-3) vs. UTSA (7-4) – (AAC vs. C-USA) (Frisco Bowl – Frisco, Texas) – 4:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – The first bowl game of the season. If you like offense, this should be a good one. Both teams are loaded on offense. Not the best on defense. The Mustangs average 38.6 points a game on offense. Quarterback Shane Buechele has passed for 3,095 yards this season. UTSA averages 28.6 points a game. The Roadrunner becomes Roadkill – SMU 36, UTSA 27.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Florida State (3-6) at Wake Forest (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ACCN….
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but with the gray skies of mid-December upon us, the college football season was fading fast. The fans were talking about new coaches, bowl games and the Heisman Trophy, while the number one song in the country…
…75 years ago this week in 1945 was “It’s Been A Long, Long Time” by Bing Crosby and The Les Paul Trio, and “Chickery Chick” by Sammy Kaye
…70 years ago this week in 1950 was “The Thing” by Phil Harris, and “The Tennessee Waltz” by Patti Page
…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 “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by The Byrds
…50 years ago this week in 1970 was “The Tears Of A Clown” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
…45 years ago this week in 1975 was “Fly, Robin, Fly” by Silver Convention, and “That’s The Way (I Like It)” by K.C. and The Sunshine Band
…40 years ago this week in 1980 was “Lady” by Kenny Rogers
…35 years ago this week in 1985 was “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister
…30 years ago this week in 1990 was “Because I Love You (The Postman Song) by Stevie B
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