College Football Week 6 – Is Ed Orgeron in trouble?
A real pig pickin’ in Athens, while
Notre Dame finally played someone
Mike Leach must be pinching himself, Lane Kiffin is a clown and when Dan Mullen is bad, he’s really, really bad. Kentucky beat Florida in Lexington for the first time since 1986. Oklahoma had another close one, so did Clemson. And, yes, Auburn beat LSU in Baton Rouge for the first time since 1999. Just another typical college football weekend.
The undefeated Arkansas Razorbacks invaded Athens, Georgia, Saturday for a battle with the Georgia Bulldogs. When the battle was over, Uga was lickin’ his chops – Arkansas was no longer undefeated. The Pigs had been picked to pieces – rib to rib. The Dawgs devoured the Hogs, 37-0.
That’s right. Arkansas scored zero points – nada, nil. Teams that have played Georgia this season, have not had much success, if any at all, scoring points. In five games, the Dawgs have just given up 23 points. That’s 4.6 points a game.
Georgia’s defense is not only first in the country in points allowed, but also the Dawgs defense is first in total yards allowed per game (180.6 yards) and first in passing yards allowed per game (110 yards). They are fourth in rushing yards allowed per game (70.6 yards). Saturday, Arkansas had only 162 total yards against Georgia – 75 yards rushing and 87 yards passing.
Georgia’s offense ain’t exactly hurtin’ either. The Dawgs offense is averaging 41 points a game.
Yeah, Georgia 37, Arkansas 0. When Uga throws a pig pickin’, he throws a pig pickin’.
Two undefeated teams – Cincinnati and Notre Dame – met in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday. Coming into the game, Cincinnati was 3-0 and Notre Dame was 4-0. When the game was over, Cincinnati was 4-0 and Notre Dame was 4-1. The Bearcats beat the Irish, 24-13.
Me thinks Notre Dame was overrated coming into the game. The Irish were undefeated, but they struggled to beat Toledo, 32-29, and a bad Florida State team, 41-38 in overtime. Notre Dame beat Wisconsin, but Wisconsin is 1-3 with a lame offense. The Irish beat Purdue, but then, well, Purdue is Purdue. So when you think about it, Cincinnati was the first real team Notre Dame has played this season. The Irish met their match.
I was so upset over West Virginia’s 23-20 loss to Texas Tech and so engaged watching the Florida-Kentucky game, that I failed to be aware of the proceedings of the Mississippi State-Texas A&M game, until I saw the final score – Mississippi State 26, Texas A&M 22. And I was shocked, surprised, stunned. After all, Miss State was coming off back-to-back losses to Memphis and LSU.
For almost two full quarters, the game went back and forth. Just before the halftime break, Miss State went up on the Aggies, 17-13. The Bulldogs never looked back for the remainder of the game. Texas A&M did pull within two – 24-22 – with 5:39 to go in the game, but three and a half minutes later, Miss State added a safety. I figured when the game was over, Miss State coach Mike Leach must have been pinching himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
A week or so ago, Michael Wilbon of ESPN’s PTI (Pardon the Interruption) said that Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is a clown. He added that Kiffin has been an embarrassment at multiple stops. Paul Finebaum and his home boys on the SEC Network attacked Wilbon for his statement. Lately, Finebaum, for some reason, has become enamored with Kiffin.
Saturday, Ole Miss met Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Both teams were undefeated. After Florida scored 29 points against the Tide, many thought the Ole Miss offense would do in Alabama. The Ole Miss offense was averaging 53 points a game coming into the contest. Well, six minutes into the fourth quarter, Alabama led Ole Miss, 42-7. The Tide went on to beat the Sharks, 42-21. So much for the Ole Miss offense. Lane Kiffin is a clown.
I have to tell you that Saturday wasn’t the best of my days. After watching West Virginia’s miserable loss to Texas Tech, I sat through Florida’s anemic play against Kentucky. Sometimes, Florida coach Dan Mullen calls a brilliant game. Then, there are the times – like the LSU game last year – when Dan Mullen calls a terrible game. When he’s good, he’s really, really good. But when he’s bad, he’s really, really bad.
Against Kentucky, Saturday, Mullen was really, really bad. The Wildcats beat the Gators, 20-13. It was Florida’s first loss to Kentucky in Lexington since 1986. It was also only the second time Florida has lost to Kentucky in the past 35 meetings. And guess who the Gators coach was for those two losses? You guessed it – Dan Mullen.
Talk about living on the edge, how about Oklahoma. In their four games against FBS teams, the Sooners have won each game by seven points or less. Saturday, undefeated Oklahoma beat Kansas State, 37-31. Earlier this season, OU beat Tulane, 45-40, Nebraska, 23-16, and West Virginia, 16-13.
And how about Clemson. Win or lose, against FBS teams – the Tigers are 2-2 – Clemson has won and lost those games by seven points or less. Saturday, Clemson beat Boston College, 19-13. Earlier this season, the Tigers beat Georgia Tech, 14-8, and lost to Georgia, 10-3, and lost to NC State, 27-21 (OT).
Last week, Auburn had to rally from 12 points down in the second half to beat lowly Georgia State. During that game, Auburn coach Bryan Harsin benched quarterback Bo Nix. After the game Harsin fired his receivers coach Cornelius Williams. Saturday, Auburn was on the road in Baton Rouge playing LSU. Entering the fourth quarter, Auburn trailed LSU, 19-10. But thanks to some heroic play from who else but quarterback Bo Nix, Auburn rallied in the fourth quarter and beat LSU, 24-19. It was Auburn’s first win over LSU in Baton Rouge since 1999. What a difference a week makes. After the game, LSU fans torched coach Ed Orgeron on social media.
College football Week 5 commenced on Thursday night last week with an ACC encounter between Virginia and Miami in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Hurricanes missed a 33-yard field goal as time expired in the game. Virginia beat Miami, 30-28.
Three games took place Friday night. In the first contest, Houston blew out Tulsa, 45-10. The Cougars defense held the Golden Tornadoes to 31 yards rushing. Houston is now 4-1 on the season.
In the second game, in College Park, Maryland, Iowa remained undefeated at 5-0, while handing Maryland its first loss. The Hawkeyes pounded the Terrapins, 51-14. Maryland had seven turnovers in the game. Six of the turnovers were interceptions.
The third time was a charm Friday night, as the third game was not a rout. BYU kept its record perfect at 5-0, beating Utah State, 34-20. But with nine minutes to go in the game, the Cougars just led 27-20. BYU running back Tyler Allgeier rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns. The Cougars defense held Utah State to just 31 yards rushing.
Talk about up and down, last week Georgia Tech beat North Carolina, 45-22. Saturday, Gorgia Tech lost to Pitt, 52-21. The Panthers had 580 total yards – 389 yards passing by Kenny Pickett. And talk about up and down, last week Tennessee lost to Florida, 38-14. Saturday, Tennessee beat Missouri, 62-24. The Vols had 683 total yards.
Michigan remained undefeated, beating Wisconsin, 38-17. The Wolverines held the Badgers to just 210 total yards – only 43 rushing yards. Likewise, Wake Forest remained undefeated. But it was a little closer for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest edged Louisville, 37-34. The Deacons kicked a 29-yard field goal with 22 seconds on the clock.
Stanford handed Oregon its first loss. The Trees upset the Ducks, 31-24 (OT). Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee was 20-of-36, passing for 230 yards and three touchdowns.
Trailing Boise State, 21-20, at halftime, Nevada outscored the Broncos in the second half, 21-10, and beat Boise State, 41-31. Broncos quarterback Hank Bachmeier passed for 388 yards and four touchdowns, but Boise State suffered from three turnovers.
There’s hope yet for the Noles. Florida State won its first game, beating Syracuse, 33-30. Florida State kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired. There’s hope for the Huskers too. Nebraska evened its record at 3-3, beating Northwestern, 56-7. The Huskers racked up 657 total yards.
And in the two Pac-12 late shows, Oregon State shocked Washington, 27-24. And Arizona State downed UCLA, 42-23. The Beavers kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Huskies. After losing its opener to Purdue, Oregon State has won four-straight games. Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns.
Just another typical college football weekend.
So, going into Week 6, the Big Ten has the most undefeated teams at four – Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State. The only two undefeated teams in the Big 12 are the two Oklahoma teams – OU and Okie State. Wake Forest is the only undefeated team in the ACC. The SEC is down to three undefeated teams – Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky. The Pac-12 has no undefeated teams, but – surprise, surprise – Oregon State is sitting atop the Pac-12 North Division at 4-1.
Cincinnati and SMU are the only perfect teams in the AAC. UTSA is the sole undefeated team in C-USA. San Diego State and Wyoming are the only remaining undefeated teams in the MWC. Coastal Carolina is the only undefeated team in the Sun Belt. The MAC is the only Group of Five conference that has no undefeated teams, and Western Michigan is the only one-loss team in the MAC. BYU is the only undefeated Independent.
Unusual characteristic of the season: Boise State has already lost three games. The Broncos are 2-3. And they face BYU at BYU this week. The Broncos are likely to be 2-4 and that’s really unusual.
Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I face Florida at Florida this week. Yeah, we’ll be in Gainesville for the weekend for the Vanderbilt-Florida game. It will be our first time back to The Swamp since the 2019 season.
Losing Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the Big 12, the American Athletic Conference (AAC) last week extended invitations to Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State and San Diego State – all teams from the Mountain West Conference. Without hesitation, Boise State rejected the AAC, saying it would prefer to wait for an invitation from the Big 12. Some have speculated that Boise State and Memphis will eventually be invited to join BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF as additions to the Big 12. Air Force, Colorado State and San Diego State pondered the AAC invitation before ultimately rejecting the offer. So, for the time being, the MWC remains intact. It appears the AAC will have to look to C-USA, the MAC and/or the Sun Belt to find new teams.
“Sad Movies Make Me Cry” and “Norman” – remember those songs? If you don’t, you’re not old enough. How about “Paper Tiger?” Sue Thompson, the lady who sang those songs died last week. “Sad Movies Make Me Cry” reached No. 5 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart in 1961, followed by “Norman” the same year, which reached No. 3. Along the way, she had other Top 40 hits, including “James (Hold The Ladder Steady),” and her last hit being “Paper Tiger” in 1965. In the 1970s, Thompson recorded duets with country music singer Don Gibson, charting nine hits, including “I Think They Call It Love,” “Good Old Fashioned Country Love” and “Oh, How Love Changes.” Sue Thompson was 96.
Sad football games make me cry.
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: The Clown exits – Alabama 42, Ole Miss 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 38 Ole Miss 34). Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss team was supposed to be known for its offense, but the Sharks only tallied 291 total yards against Bama – only 78 rushing yards. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral upheld his end of the bargain – 21-of-29, passing for 213 yards and one touchdown – but there simply was no running game from the Sharks. Bama’s Brian Robinson rushed for 171 yards and four touchdowns. Alabama had more first downs, total yards, rushing yards, passing yards and dominated time of possession – 37:59. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 100,077
RUNNER-UP: Uga says those ribs tasted good – Georgia 37, Arkansas 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 20, Arkansas 12). Georgia didn’t have much of a passing game against Arkansas – only 72 yards – but they didn’t need one when could run all over the Razorbacks – 273 rushing yards. Time of possession favored the Dawgs – 36:42. Georgia led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
REST OF THE BEST: Irish Bearcats – Cincinnati 24, Notre Dame 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Cincinnati 26, Notre Dame 23). Cincinnati took control of the game in the second quarter when the Bearcats scored 17 points and went up 17-0 over the Irish. With 8:20 to go in the game, Notre Dame closed the gap to 17-13. However, Cincinnati iced the cake, adding a touchdown with 5:08 to go – 24-13. Neither team had a running game. Both had a passing game. Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder was 19-of-32, passing for 297 yards and two touchdowns. Notre Dame played both Drew Pyne and Jack Coan at quarterback. Pyne couldn’t hit the broadside of a red barn. Coan threw an interception. However, together they combined for 257 yards passing. Attendance in South Bend: 77,622
Soft shells – Iowa 51, Maryland 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 27, Maryland 24). Iowa all but crushed Maryland with more first downs, more total yards, more rushing yards, more passing yards and time of possession – 39:00. Maryland threw seven interceptions and quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw six of them. Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras was 21-of-30, passing for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in College Park: 45,527
Bear skins – Oklahoma State 24, Baylor 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 25, Baylor 24). Oklahoma State dominated all the stats, including time of possession. Okie State running back Jaylen Warren rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Stillwater: 52,144
Albert couldn’t find a swamp – Kentucky 20, Florida 13(Touchdown Tom said: Florida 23, Kentucky 21). Florida outplayed Kentucky – first downs, total yards, passing yards, rushing yards, time of possession, etc. But Kentucky outscored Florida. The Gators were great between the 20s. They just couldn’t get into the end zone. Florida quarterback Emory Jones was flat. It wasn’t one of his better games. You just expected Florida to pull it out and they didn’t. Attendance in Lexington: 61,632
Close again – Oklahoma 37, Kansas State 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 29, Kansas State 23). Except for an early 7-3 lead by Kansas State, Oklahoma led throughout most all of the game. Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson was 29-of-41, passing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Manhattan: 41,690
The Deacons escape – Wake Forest 37, Louisville 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Wake Forest 30, Louisville 27). The lead in the game changed hands four times and the game was tied on four different occasions. Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman passed for 324 yards and two touchdowns. The stats were pretty even. Attendance in Winston-Salem: 29,077
LSU got Nixed – Auburn 24, LSU 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Auburn 27, LSU 23). LSU led throughout the game until there was 3:11 left on the clock. That’s when Auburn took its first lead of the game. Auburn defense held LSU to only 33 yards rushing. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix passed for 255 yards and rushed for another 74 yards. He had one touchdown passing and one rushing. Attendance in Baton Rouge: 97,717
Bruins go into hibernation – Arizona State 42, UCLA 23 (Touchdown Tom said: Arizona State 37, UCLA 34). Close at halftime. Arizona State led 24-23. Then the Sun Devils outscored the Bruins 18-0 in the second half. UCLA dominated time of possession – 34:42. Attendance in Pasadena: 40,522
In the eight games I suggested you keep a very close eye on: BYU took care of Utah State, 34-20…. Michigan blasted Wisconsin, 38-17…. Ohio State flattened Rutgers, 52-13…. Stanford upset Oregon in overtime, 31-24 (OT)…. Nevada knocked off Boise State, 41-31…. Mississippi State surprised Texas A&M, 26-22…. Liberty cruised by UAB, 36-12…. and Clemson got by Boston College, 19-13.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Another end of the game field goal – Texas Tech 23, West Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: West Virginia 30, Texas Tech 25). Usually, West Virginia can’t score a touchdown in the second half. Against Texas Tech, WVU couldn’t score a touchdown in the first half. Tech led 17-0 at halftime. WVU tied the game at 17-17 and again at 20-20. Tech won the game on a 32-yard field goal with 18 seconds on the clock. The Mountaineers dominated the stats, but not the score. Again, WVU’s offense was flat. And Saturday, the WVU defense showed that it is vulnerable. WVU coach Neal Brown is simply not getting the job done. If nothing else, he needs to shake up his staff at the end of the season. WVU’s three losses have been by a total of 12 points. Attendance in Morgantown: 54,090
Herbie buttered his Corn – Nebraska 56, Northwestern 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 28, Northwestern 19). After coming so close in its last two losses, Nebraska poured it on in this game. The Huskers held Northwestern to just 37 yards rushing. Nebraska running back Jacquez Yant rushed for 127 yards. Attendance in Lincoln: 87,364
It wasn’t a Dookie day – North Carolina 38, Duke 7 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 40, Duke 29). North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell passed for 321 yards and three touchdowns. The Tar Heels dominated the stats. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 45,812
Bevo enjoyed the frog legs -- Texas 32, TCU 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 33, TCU 27). The lead in this game changed hands five times. TCU last led 17-16 late in the second quarter. Texas running back Bijan Robinson rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns. The teams were pretty even in the stats. Attendance in Fort Worth: 43,337
Steamless – Minnesota 20, Purdue 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 17, Minnesota 13). Purdue dominated all the stats except for rushing yards. The Boilers have no running game. Purdue quarterback Adan O’Connell passed for 371 yards. I’m thinking Purdue coach Jeff Brohm better be looking for a job. I can’t imagine the Boilers will keep him. Attendance in West Lafayette: 51,111
Week 5 Results: 12 winners, 3 fumbles (80 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Virginia 30, Miami 28 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 37,269
Navy 34, UCF 30 – Attendance in Annapolis: 30,871
SMU 41, South Florida 17 – Attendance in Dallas: 23,355
Superlatives
Weekend’s Best Passers:
Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe – 46-64-0 for 488 yards (3TDs); Mississippi State’s Will Rogers – 46-59-0-408 (3TDs); Pitt’s Kenny Pickett – 23-36-0-389 (4TDs); Boise State’s Hank Bachmeier – 34-48-1-388 (4TDs), and Purdue’s Adan O’Connell – 34-52-1-371 (1TD).
Also, Georgia Tech’s Jeff Sims – 23-32-2 for 342 yards (2TDs); Louisiana Tech’s Austin Kendall – 26-43-2-341 (3TDs); Eastern Michigan’s Ben Bryant – 27-40-1-338 (2TDs); Vanderbilt’s Ken Seals – 27-40-1-333 (2TDs), and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud – 17-23-0-330 (5TDs).
Weekend’s Best Rushers:
Illinois’ Chase Brown – 257 yards (2TDs); East Carolina’s Keaton Mitchell – 222 yards (2TDs); BYU’s Tyler Allgeier – 218 yards (3TDs); Georgia Southern’s Logan Wright – 208 yards (2TDs), and Ohio’s De’Montre Tuggle – 201 yards (1TD).
Also, Texas’ Bijan Robinson – 193 yards (2TDs); Alabama’s Brian Robinson – 171 yards (4TDs); Tennessee’s Tiyon Evans – 156 yards (3TDs); Liberty’s Mark Willis – 144 yards (2TDs), and Air Force’s Brad Roberts – 142 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“It ain’t no funeral around here. We’ll be all right. We’ll be just fine. I know what the problems are. I don’t need to call anybody to tell me what the issue is. I know what the issue is,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, on being 2-2 going into the Boston College game.
“Four games in and you crack. You fire your receivers coach. The best coached group on the field for offense were your receivers. You’re basically firing your receivers coach because your offensive line sucks. Your offensive line is bad,” former Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, on Auburn coach Bryan Harsin firing his receivers coach last week.
“Auburn, you hired a weak man with no backbone who is gonna get run over by all those boosters.” Former Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, on new auburn coach Bryan Harsin.
“I think it comes down to as simple as this: Ole Miss is a better version of themselves this year than they were last. And Alabama’s not. And I think that’s the difference. Ole Miss wins,” CBS Sports analyst Aron Taylor.
“Good morning. Taulia Tagovailoa just threw another interception,” Jamie Mac.
“WTF is Dan Mullen doing. If you don’t trust Emory Jones, get him out of the game,” Professor Klump, on Dan Mullen’s decision to kill the clock with 1:30 and three timeouts at the end of the first half, instead of trying to score.
“Mullen is having a worse game than Grantham,” Jonathan Acosta, on Florida’s play in the Kentucky game.
“Mark Stoops has outcoached Dan Mullen all game, with a quarter of the talent,” Trevor Ard.
“Dan Mullen is on the verge of doing something twice in four years that the previous five UF coaches did zero times in 31 years,” Nick de la Torre.
“Fire Ed Orgeron. Now. Tonight,” Riley James.
“Please fire Ed Orgeron.” Ryne Sanders.
“He’s got a realistic chance of having a disastrous season and in Baton Rouge, that usually spells one thing,” SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum, on LSU coach Ed Orgeron.
Sign of the Day
Sometimes I Have Too Many Beers
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE DAY: 1. Penn State (5-0) at Iowa (5-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – A battle between two of the four undefeated teams in the Big Ten. This should be a classic football game. Both teams play good defense. And neither are shabby on offense. But defense is their better side of the football. Iowa is second to Georgia in points allowed per game. Penn State is third. Both teams are giving up about 12 points per game. Home field gives the advantage to the Hawkeyes. Captain Kirk beams the Hawkeyes up – Iowa 17, Penn State 14.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Georgia (5-0) at Auburn (4-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This should be another classic football game, assuming LSU didn’t wear out Auburn. Both teams are good on offense, but Georgia has the better defense – decidedly better. The Dawgs defense will be a challenge for the Tigers. Auburn will have to get creative on offense. Uga has no use for Cats – Georgia 30, Auburn 17.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Oklahoma (5-0) vs. Texas (4-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – If Oklahoma allows this one to be close then the Sooners could be doomed. Texas will take advantage of a close game. The Horns have certainly become a scoring machine of late. OU is tough against the run. With Bijan Robinson, running is a strength of Texas. The Horns are fifth in the country in rushing yards and sixth in points scored per game. Boomer and Sooner can run faster than Bevo – Oklahoma 35, Texas 33.
4. Wyoming (4-0) at Air Force (4-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN – Good game in the Mountain West Conference. Wyoming is undefeated but the Cowboys haven’t played anybody. Wyoming’s offense and defense is that good either. Air Force is the number one rushing team in the country – averaging 367.4 yards a game. The Falcons play pretty good defense too. Home field gives the advantage to Air Force. The Falcons catch their prey – Air Force 31, Wyoming 27.
5. Alabama (5-0) at Texas A&M (3-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – What a letdown this game is. Before the season started, this was supposed to be the game of the year in the SEC. Some said Texas A&M is the only team that can beat Alabama. But here we are just five games into the season and the Aggies have already lost two games. That could make A&M meaner. Meaner because Jimbo Fisher is making $95 million for 10 years. No doubt, Fisher’s team is hurting. The Aggies fans are hurting too. Bama makes them hurt some more – Alabama 34, Texas A&M 20.
6. LSU (3-2) at Kentucky (5-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Kentucky put it to Florida last week. The Wildcats must be for real. They aren’t that good on defense, but their offense is 10th in the country in yards per game – 284.6. LSU is just so-so on offense and defense. But Ed Orgeron will be mad. After the loss to Auburn, the LSU fans called for his firing. So ole Ed and his Tigers will be like a wounded animal – dangerous. But not dangerous enough for the Wildcats – Kentucky 21, LSU 20.
7. Maryland (4-1) at Ohio State (4-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – Well, you saw what Iowa did to Maryland. Ohio State is likely to do the same thing. The Buckeyes have a strong offense. Second in the country in yards per game – 555.6. And fourth in the country in points per game – 45. Maryland can give it the old college try, but the Terrapins won’t be able to cope against a strong offense. Brutus does the snapping – Ohio State 42, Maryland 24.
8. Notre Dame (4-1) at Virginia Tech (3-1) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Notre Dame met its match last week. The Irish are up against another tough match this week. And on the road this time. Virginia Tech is weak on offense but has a fairly tough defense. Notre Dame isn’t any better on offense or defense. The Hokies can be tough in Blacksburg. Too tough for the Irish – Virginia Tech 25, Notre Dame 23.
9. Arkansas (4-1) at Ole Miss (3-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Both teams were taken out behind the shed last week. Arkansas by Georgia and Ole Miss by Alabama. Which one can bounce back this week? They both have to be hurtin’. Arkansas generally plays good defense. The Hogs are hurting on offense. Offense is where the Sharks shine. Third in the country in yards per game – 549.2 and fifth in the country in points scored – 44.8 per game. Home field along with the Sharks offense will be too much for Arkansas. The Hogs become bacon again – Ole Miss 30, Arkansas 26.
10. Michigan (5-0) at Nebraska (3-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – After a rough start – a very rough start – the Huskers have been playing much better ball lately – much better. On offense, they are 11th in total yards – 503.7 per game. On defense, Nebraska is 13th in points allowed – 15.5 per game. Scott Frost just might finally have them coming along. But this is Michigan. The Wolverines are playing well this season. On offense, they are 7th in the country in rushing yards – 255 per game. On defense, the Wolverines are sixth in points allowed – 12.8 per game. Could be interesting in Lincoln. Herbie knows his Maize, but he gets lost in this one – Michigan 30, Nebraska 22.
I suggest you keep a very close eye on these three games:
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
West Virginia (2-3) at Baylor (4-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – You look at offense and West Virginia is one of the worst teams in the country, especially running. The Eers are only averaging 116.2 rushing yards per game. Defense is a little better and WVU’s strength is against the run. Eleventh in the country in rushing yards allowed – 87.8 yards a game. Rushing yards is Baylor’s strength in offense. So there is some hope for WVU. But at this point, I have to say that coach Neal Brown and the Mounties don’t give you any hope. The Bears are filling up for winter – Baylor 27, West Virginia 23.
Vanderbilt (2-3) at Florida (3-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – Playing Vanderbilt is like having a bye week. The Dores are really a joke. We’d like to get them out of the SEC. Vandy is one of the worst teams in the country on offense and defense. There is nothing good you can say about them. Florida’s defense is just average. But, on offense, the Gators are third in the country in rushing yards – 292.6 per game and 10th in total yards – 509.2 yards per game. They just couldn’t find that offense against Kentucky. But they will find it against Vandy. And quarterback Anthony Richardson should see a lot of action this week. Albert rests – Florida 52, Vanderbilt 10.
Georgia Tech (2-3) at Duke (3-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3 – With both of these teams, you just never know which one will show up from week to week. When they do show up, they are pretty decent. But when they don’t, they are pretty bad. The Jackets are very average on offense and defense. Nothing stands out. The Dookies are terrible on defense, but actually pretty decent on offense. They are averaging 501.4 yards per game. That’s not bad. But the odds favor Tech. The Dookies get Engineered – Georgia Tech 30, Duke 25.
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Charlotte (3-2) at FIU (1-4) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Friday, CBSSN….
East Carolina (3-2) at UCF (2-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Touchdown Tom
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