Monday, October 11, 2021

College Football Week 7 - Georgia is No. 1

College Football Week 7 – Georgia is No. 1

You Were Simply the Best, Better Than All the Rest

What a Saturday! What donnybrooks! What barnburners! What heartstoppers! And so many of them. Not just two or three wild and crazy games, but several. It was incredible. It was non-stop excitement from 12 noon to 12 midnight. It was enough to put you in a straitjacket. 

For starters, there was the ending of the Arkansas-Ole Miss game. Yes, you better have had your popcorn ready – one bag for the first half, another bag for the second half and a third bag just for the final two minutes. Add the ending of the Oklahoma-Texas game – actually the entire Oklahoma-Texas game – and you were probably going out of your mind.

Then there was the drama of the Penn State-Iowa game. It was enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. At some point, you probably fell off. The Alabama-Texas A&M game turned out to be probably the biggest upset of the season. And darn if it didn’t have an incredible ending.

When it rains, it pours. The Notre Dame-Virginia Tech game kept our blood pressure rising. The Michigan-Nebraska game was full of intensity. It went down to the final wire. For bonus points, throw in the closing seconds touchdown in the Virginia-Louisville game and the wild finish of the Wake Forest-Syracuse game in overtime. What a Saturday!

Not because of who won. Not because of who lost. But those games were simply the best – better than all the rest. College football Week 6 was like no other. And for icing on the cake, Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I were in Gainesville where we saw the romp in The Swamp – Florida 42, Vanderbilt 0. Believe me, there was no drama, no intensity in that game. You didn’t need to have your popcorn ready.

Arkansas at Ole Miss and Oklahoma-Texas in the Cotton Bowl were 12 noon starts. In the Arkansas-Ole Miss contest, the Razorbacks had two early leads – 7-0 in the first quarter and 14-6 in the second quarter. The Sharks came back and tied the game at 14 apiece. Just before the half, Ole Miss took its first lead at 21-14.

Early in the third quarter, Ole Miss increased its lead to 24-14. Sure enough, Arkansas came back and tied the game at 24-24. From that point on, Ole Miss would score and Arkansas would tie – 31-31. Ole Miss would score and Arkansas would tie – 38-38. Ole Miss would score and Arkansas would tie. With just 1:22 left on the clock, Arkansas scored and tied the game at 45-45.

The excitement was building. Ole Miss scored with 1:07 left to play and went up, 52-45. Now talk about pressure, as the clock expired, Arkansas scored on the final play of the game and trailed 52-51. All the Hogs had to do was kick the extra point and the game would go into overtime. However, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman decided to go for two and win the game. But the two-point attempt failed and the Hogs lost the game. Ole Miss beat Arkansas, 52-51.

In the Red River Showdown, played annually in the old Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Oklahoma and Texas put on one of the best Showdown performances in the history of the series. But it sure didn’t begin that way. At the end of the first quarter, Texas led Oklahoma, 28-7. At halftime, the Longhorns led the Sooners, 38-20. Late in the third quarter, Texas led Oklahoma, 41-23.

However, the final 16 minutes of the game, was a different story. Oklahoma outscored Texas, 32-7. With 7:25 to go in the game, the Sooners tied the Longhorns, 41-41. Then with 7:10 to go in the game, OU went up 48-41 over Texas. It stayed that way for a while. But with 1:23 on the clock, Texas tied Oklahoma, 48-48.

Time was running out. Only 10 seconds left. Third down for Oklahoma on the Texas 33. Sooners running back Kennedy Brooks just needed a yard or so up the middle to set up a fourth down field goal. But Brooks ended up scampering for 33 yards and an Oklahoma touchdown. Brooks scored with 0:03 showing in the clock. Oklahoma beat Texas, 55-48.

Driving back to our hotel after the Vanderbilt-Florida game, I had ESPNU Radio on. The ESPNU commentator was switching back and forth between live broadcasts of the final minutes of the Arkansas-Ole Miss and Oklahoma-Texas games. We heard both endings. It was all I could do to keep my eyes on the road and my hand on the steering wheel.

Next up was the Penn State-Iowa game. Although the Nitts never dominated, they seemed to have control of the game. Penn State led 14-3 at the end of one and 17-10 at halftime. Penn State led 20-13 at the end of three. But in the final eight minutes of the game, Iowa outscored Penn State, 10-0. First, Iowa kicked a field goal to close the gap to 20-16. Then with 6:26 on the clock, Iowa scored a touchdown. There was still plenty of time for Penn State to score. The Hawkeyes held and Iowa beat Penn State, 23-20.

While drinking Irish Mules, the four of us watched the final eight minutes of the Iowa-Penn State game at our hotel.   

Before the season began, all the so-called pundits of college football were zeroing in on the Alabama-Texas A&M contest, calling it the “game of the season.” However, A&M lost its starting quarterback – Haynes King – in the second game of the season. Then, A&M lost to Arkansas and Mississippi State. The Aggies were 2-3. Now, all the so-called pundits of college football were saying the Alabama-Texas A&M contest would be one of the worst games of the season. It was no longer glamorous. The Tide would kill the Aggies.

Well, let me tell you, the game ended up like the pundits first predicted. If it wasn’t the game of the season, it was one of the games of the season. Early in the first quarter, A&M led, 3-0. Then Alabama went up 7-3. About halfway through the first quarter, the Aggies took command of the game. By the end of the quarter, A&M led, 17-7. Alabama scored and through the third quarter, the teams traded scores. As the fourth quarter began, Texas A&M led, 31-24.

With five minutes to go in the game, Alabama went up 38-31. It was the Tides first lead since the first quarter. With three minutes to go in the game, A&M tied the score – 38-38. But Bama had three minutes to win the game. However, the Aggies held the Tide. A&M took over and kicked a field goal as the clock expired. Texas A&M upset Alabama, 41-38.

During the summer, Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher was speaking to a group of Aggie boosters. Discussing Nick Saban and the upcoming Alabama game, Fisher said, “We’re going to beat his ass when he’s down here,” Jimbo was right. 

By this time, we had long stopped drinking our Irish Mules and watched the ending of the Alabama-Texas A&M game in our respective beds from our respective rooms.

Notre Dame and Virginia Tech put on quite a show in Blacksburg. The Hokies took control and led 10-0 early in the second quarter. Then Notre Dame got control. The Irish went up 14-10 in the second quarter. At the half, the Irish led the Hokies, 14-13. Then the lead changed hands three times. Tech led, 16-14, ND led 21-16, and by the end of the third quarter, the Hokies led 22-21.

Late in the fourth quarter, with 3:55 to go, Tech extended its lead to 29-21. One minute and twenty-nine seconds later, Notre Dame tied the game at 29-29. Then with only 17 seconds on the clock, the Irish kicked a 48-yard field goal. Notre Dame beat Virginia Tech 32-29.

In America’s “Heartland,” the Michigan Wolverines invaded Lincoln to take on Nebraska. Michigan was 5-0 and Nebraska was 3-3. But Nebraska was showing signs of improvement in recent games. The Huskers were getting better.

And they are better. Michigan took command early and led the Huskers 13-0 at halftime. Michigan led 19-7 late in the third quarter. Then Nebraska got serious and scored 15 unanswered points. As the fourth quarter began, Nebraska led Michigan, 22-19. The teams traded scores. Michigan went back up, 26-22. Nebraska returned the favor and went up, 29-26. In the final three minutes of the game, Michigan kicked two field goals – the second one – a 39-yarder – with 1:24 on the clock. Nebraska failed to score and Michigan beat the Huskers, 32-29.

From the hotel, we watched bits and pieces of the Notre Dame-Virginia Tech and Michigan-Nebraska games.

To close out the “Simply the Best” day, there were two thrillers in the ACC. Trailing Virginia 13-10 early in the second quarter, Louisville scored 20 unanswered points. As the fourth quarter began, the Cardinals led the Cavaliers, 30-13. Then Virginia went on a rampage, outscoring Louisville 21-3.

With 2:22 to go in the game, the Cavaliers trailed Louisville, 33-27. With 0:22 on the clock, Virginia scored a touchdown. Virginia rallied to beat Louisville, 34-33.

The ACC’s only undefeated team – Wake Forest – paid a visit to the Carrier Dome to meet Syracuse. It was looking grim for the Demon Deacons. Syracuse had second quarter leads of 14-3 and 21-10. Then Wake Forest scored 16 unanswered points. Late in the third quarter, the Deacons led the Orange, 26-21. The teams traded scores. As the fourth quarter began, Syracuse led, 27-26.

After both teams failed to score for several minutes, Wake Forest went up 34-27 with 3:28 left in the game. With just 0:21 on the clock, Syracuse tied the game at 34-34. Overtime! In the first overtime period, Syracuse kicked a field goal and went up 37-34. Wake Forest came back and scored a touchdown on a 22-yard pass from Sam Hartman to A.T. Perry. The Deacons beat the Cuse, 40-37 (OT).  

Yes, those eight games were simply the best – better than all the rest.

College football Week 6 began Thursday night. There were two games. In the first game, Coastal Carolina improved to 6-0. The Chanticleers subdued Arkansas State, 52-20. Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall passed for 365 yards and four touchdowns. Chanticleers receiver Isaiah Likely had eight receptions for 232 yards. All totaled, Coastal Carolina racked up 685 total yards.

In the other game, Houston downed Tulane, 40-22. Cougars quarterback Clayton Tune passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns. Houston improved to 5-1.

The first of three games Friday night was a blowout. Cincinnati routed Temple, 52-3. Bearcats running back Jerome Ford rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Cincinnati tallied 542 total yards. The Bearcats improved to 5-0.

In the second game Friday, Charlotte beat FIU, 45-33. In the loss, FIU quarterback Max Bortenschlager passed for 466 yards and four touchdowns. The Panthers racked up 538 total yards, but only 72 yards rushing.

Friday’s late show, saw Arizona State improve to 5-1. The Sun Devils topped Stanford, 28-10. Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee threw three interceptions and the Trees only had 13 yards rushing.

In other games Saturday, first-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is better than first-year South Carolina coach Shane Beamer. At least for now. Tennessee beat South Carolina, 45-20.

Boise State surprised BYU on BYU’s home field. The Broncos handed the Cougars their first loss. Boise State downed BYU, 26-17.

The honeymoon is over between Mack Brown and North Carolina fans. Florida State beat North Carolina, 35-25, handing the Tar Heels their third loss. The honeymoon may be just beginning between Mike Norvell and Florida State fans.  

UTSA remained undefeated, improving to 6-0. The Roadrunners beat Western Kentucky, 52-46. In losing, WKU quarterback Bailey Zappe passed for 523 yards and five touchdowns.  

Looks like Kentucky really is for real. And it looks like LSU really is hurting. The Wildcats topped the Tigers, 42-21. Kentucky improved to 6-0. Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez rushed for 147 yards.

In the two Pac-12 late shows, Utah knocked off USC, 42-26, and UCLA downed Arizona, 34-16.

Two winless teams met Saturday – Massachusetts and Connecticut. UMass beat UConn, 27-13.

The only three teams still lacking a victory are Connecticut (0-7), Arizona (0-5) and UNLV (0-5).

Georgia is your new No. 1. The Bulldogs are 6-0 and host Kentucky this week. And, are you ready? Cincinnati is No. 3. The Bearcats are 5-0.

Whenever Bootsie, Rockledge Gator, Swamp Mama and I are together, we talk about everything imaginable – serious, funny, crazy and all things in between. Driving from the hotel to the Vanderbilt-Florida game Saturday, Rockledge Gator asked the rest of us what song we want sung at our funeral. I said I want Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” played at my funeral.

And, yes, college football Week 6 was simply the best. Better than all the rest.

Touchdown Tom

October 11, 2021

 

Weekend Recap

GAME OF THE WEEK:  The Lion looks Hawkeyed – Iowa 23, Penn State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa 17, Penn State 14). This was a classic Big Ten game. Good defense, sound, stubborn offense. Iowa kept the ball away from the Nitts, maintaining time of possession for 35:50. Penn State threw four interceptions – two by Sean Clifford and two by Ta’Quan Roberson. Roberson was 7-for-21 passing. Penn State had no running game. Attendance in Iowa City: 69,250

RUNNER-UP: Uga never liked Cats – Georgia 34, Auburn 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, Auburn 17). Georgia’s stout defense held Auburn to 46 rushing yards. Georgia led 17-3 at halftime and outscored Auburn 21-7 in the second half. Attendance in Auburn: 87,451

REST OF THE BEST: Bevo can’t drive a Lincoln – Oklahoma 55, Texas 48 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 35, Texas 33). The teams combined for 1,178 total yards. OU was strong in both rushing and passing. Texas was weak in rushing, strong in passing. OU’s Kennedy Brooks rushed for 217 yards. Texas’ Casey Thompson passed for 388 yards and five touchdowns. Texas receiver Xavier Worthy had nine catches for 261 yards. Attendance in Dallas: 92,100

Cowboys got zoomed – Air Force 24, Wyoming 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Air Force 31, Wyoming 27). The game was tied 14-14 at the half. Air Force outscored Wyoming 10-0 in the second half. Time of possession favored Air Force – 38:48 minutes. The Falcons Brad Roberts rushed for 140 yards. Attendance in Colorado Springs: 24,832

Who would have thunk it? – Texas A&M 41, Alabama 38 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 34, Texas A&M 20). Alabama dominated the stats, just not the score. Alabama’s Bryce Young passed for 369 yards and three touchdowns. Bama running back Brian Robinson rushed for 147 yards. Attendance in College Station: 106,815

Orgeron looking more and more like Gene Chizik – Kentucky 42, LSU 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Kentucky 21, LSU 20). Kentucky only scored 14 points in the first half, then cut loose for 28 points in the second half. LSU failed to score in the first half. The Wildcats had 330 yards rushing. Two Kentucky running backs rushed for more than 100 yards each and a third back had 75 yards rushing. Attendance in Lexington: 61,690

No mercy – Ohio State 66, Maryland 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 42, Maryland 24). Ohio State is looking more and more like the Buckeyes we’ve known. Ohio State had 598 total yards – 432 of those yards passing. Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud threw five touchdown passes. Attendance in Columbus: 99,277

Greensburg – Notre Dame 32, Virginia Tech 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Virginia Tech 25, Notre Dame 23). Notre Dame started quarterback Tyler Buchner and ended with quarterback Jack Coan. Buchner threw two interceptions. Tech quarterback Braxton Burmeister was not sharp in his passing. Attendance in Blacksburg: 66,632

The corn was popping – Ole Miss 52, Arkansas 51 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Arkansas 26). These teams combined for 1,287 total yards – equal amounts rushing and passing. Seven points were scored in the first quarter, while 41 points were scored in the fourth quarter. Attendance in Oxford: 60,256

Another close one – Michigan 32, Nebraska 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 30, Nebraska 22). Michigan’s running game was the difference. The Wolverines had 204 yards rushing. Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez was 18-of-28 for 291 yards passing and three touchdowns. Attendance in Lincoln: 87,380

In the three games I suggested you keep a very close eye on: Virginia rallied to beat Louisville, 34-33….  TCU pounced on Texas Tech, 52-31….  and Arizona State took care of Stanford, 28-10.

 

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Bad news Bears – Baylor 45, West Virginia 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Baylor 27, West Virginia 23). Baylor had 525 total yards. WVU only had 90 yards rushing. Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon passed for 336 yards and four touchdowns. WVU was totally unprepared for the game. WVU coach Neal Brown reminds me more and more of a former WVU coach – Frank Cignetti. Cignetti was a nice guy but a lousy coach. Attendance in Waco: 43,569

Albert shut the Dores – Florida 42, Vanderbilt 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 52, Vanderbilt 10). Florida won big, but you could tell their hearts weren’t in the game. There was no enthusiasm. It’s hard to get excited about Vanderbilt. Gators quarterback Emory Jones passed for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Attendance in Gainesville: 86,258

The Dookies were stung – Georgia Tech 31, Duke 27 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 30, Duke 25). Duke dominated the stats but not the score. Duke quarterback Gunnar Holmberg was 22-of-29 passing for 292 yards. Duke running back Mateo Durant rushed for 152 yards. Attendance in Durham: 11,849

Week 6 Results:  11 winners, 2 fumbles ( 84.6 percent)

For the Season:  62 winners, 25 fumbles (71.3 percent)

 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Charlotte 45, FIU 33 – Attendance in Miami: N/A

Florida State 35, North Carolina 25 – Attendance in Chapel Hill: 44,805
Marist 34, Stetson 3 – Attendance in Poughkeepsie: 1,292

UAB 31, Florida Atlantic 14 – Attendance in Birmingham: 25,191

Mississippi Valley State 20, Bethune-Cookman 14 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 10,178

UCF 20, East Carolina 16 – Attendance in Orlando: 41,649

Florida A&M 30, South Carolina State 7 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 14,892
West Florida 52, North Greenville 10 – Attendance in Tigerville: 2,134

 

Superlatives

Impressive Passers:

Western Kentucky’s Bailey Zappe – 38-60-1 for 523 yards (5TDs); Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong – 40-60-2-487 (3TDs); FIU’s Max Bortenschlager – 19-30-1-466 (4TDs); Memphis’ Seth Henigan – 34-57-2-463 (2TDs); New Mexico State’s Jonah Johnson – 38-62-0-425 (3TDs), and Kent State’s Dustin Crum – 22-36-0-407 (3TDs).

Also, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud – 24-33-0 for 406 yards (5TDs); USC’s Kedon Slovis – 33-53-1-401 (2TDs); Washington State’s Jayden De Laura – 32-46-1-399 (3TDs); Texas’ Casey Thompson – 20-34-0-388 (5TDs); Nevada’s Carson Strong – 25-32-1-377(6TDs), and Alabama’s Bryce Young – 28-48-1-369 (3TDs).

Also, Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall – 18-23-0 for 365 yards (4TDs); UTSA’s Frank Harris – 25-38-1-349 (6TDs); Texas Tech’s Henry Colombi – 23-41-1-344; Michigan State’s Payton Thorne – 16-27-1-339 (3TDs); Baylor’s Gerry Bohanon – 18-29-0-336 (4TDs), and Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman – 19-32-1-330 (3TDs).

Impressive Rushers:

Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker – 234 yards (1TD); Oklahoma’s Kennedy Brooks – 217 yards (2TDs); Missouri’s Tyler Badie – 217 yards (2TDs); TCU’s Kendre Miller – 186 yards (3TDs); Central Michigan’s Lew Nichols – 186 yards (1TD); Syracuse’s Garrett Shrader – 178 yards (1TD); Massachusetts’ Ellis Merriweather – 171 yards (2TDs).

Also, Old Dominion’s Blake Watson – 168 yards; Louisville’s Hassan Hall – 162 yards (1TD); UTEP’s Ronald Awatt – 159 yards (1TD); Duke’s Mataeo Durant – 152 yards (1TD); Cincinnati’s Jerome Ford – 149 yards (2TDs); Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez – 147 yards (1TD); Alabama’s Brian Robinson – 147 yards.

Also, LSU’s Tyrion Davis-Price – 147 yards (2TDs); UCLA’s Britain Brown – 146 yards (1TD); Wisconsin’s Chez Mellusi – 145 yards (1TD); Oregon State’s B.J. Baylor – 145 yards; Air Force’s Brad Roberts – 140 yards (1TD); Arkansas’ Raheim Sanders – 139 yards; Texas’ Bijan Robinson – 137 yards (1TD); Connecticut’s Nathan Carter – 136 yards.

 

Quotes of the Week

“Do you know how Lane Kiffin spells Tulane? Two-Lane,” Augie from New Orleans on “The Paul Finebaum Show.”

 

Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for

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

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Kentucky (6-0) at Georgia (6-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Athens for the game. Georgia’s offense gets better every week. The Dawgs defense remains strong. It’s a challenge for Kentucky. The Wildcats have a few weapons but not as many as Georgia. Uga likes his Cats Wild – Georgia 29, Kentucky 11.

RUNNER-UP: 2. BYU (5-1) at Baylor (5-1) – (Ind. vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – BYU suffered its first loss last week. The Cougars will suffer their second loss this week. Baylor is improving each week. BYU isn’t – Baylor 29, BYU 21.

REST OF THE BEST: 3. Oklahoma State (5-0) at Texas (4-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – Texas took it on the chin from one Oklahoma team. The Horns won’t lose to this one. But Okie State is undefeated. Bevo gives the Cowboys their first loss – Texas 27, Oklahoma State 25.

4. TCU (3-2) at Oklahoma (6-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – TCU could be catching Oklahoma at a good time. The Sooners post-Texas win mind-set could have them in a cloud. TCU is an improving team. The Frogs will give the Sooners problems. But no warts – Oklahoma 35, TCU 27.

5. NC State (4-1) at Boston College (4-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Two one-loss ACC teams doing battle. BC has the home field and that will help. Both teams are average on offense and strong on defense. These Eagles aren’t bald – Boston College 26, NC State 22.

6. Appalachian State (4-1) at Louisiana (4-1) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 7:30 pm ET, Tuesday, ESPN2 –Next to Coastal Carolina, these are the two best teams in the Sun Belt. App State has the better offense and defense, but Louisiana has the home field. Apps get sick on the Cajun food –  Louisiana 25, Appalachian State 24.

7. Alabama (5-1) at Mississippi State (3-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Either Alabama will be mad – very, very mad – after the loss to A&M and take their vengeance out on Miss State. Or Bama will be in a post-lost funk and not do well against the Bulldogs. Me thinks they will take out their anger on Miss State. Mike Leach could be in a world of hurt. Red Tide in Starkville – Alabama 40, Mississippi State 19.

8. Ole Miss (4-1) at Tennessee (4-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Tennessee is getting better and better. They have had two good victories over Missouri and South Carolina. The Vols will give Lane Kiffin more headaches than popcorn. But little Kiffy prevails – Ole Miss 34, Tennessee 27.

9. Arizona State (5-1) at Utah (3-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Arizona State is the last hope of the Pac-12 to make the playoff, not that it will be easy. The Utes began the season slow but have been improving. Devils escape Salt Lake City – Arizona State 27, Utah 26.

10. Auburn (4-2) at Arkansas (4-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, CBS – Revenge! You better believe Arkansas will be out for revenge after that game last year in Auburn when the officials all but awarded the victory to Auburn. Auburn got beat up by Georgia. So did Arkansas, but the Hogs are revived. Aubie chokes on Pork – Arkansas 28, Auburn 24.

I suggest you keep a very close eye on these five games:

Pitt (4-1) at Virginia Tech (3-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 –
Fresno State (4-2) at Wyoming (4-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS2 –
Iowa State (3-2) at Kansas State (3-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 –
Air Force (5-1) at Boise State (3-3) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 9 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 –
San Diego State (5-0) at San Jose State (3-3) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 10:30 pm ET, Friday, CBSSN –

 

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Florida (4-2) at LSU (3-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – After Florida lost to LSU last year, the Gators should be out for revenge. Dan Mullen took enough heat for that loss. He should be prepared for this encounter. But it will be tough in Bator Rouge. And you just know Ed Orgeron is anxious to get a win. Gators don’t throw shoes this year – Florida 30, LSU 23.

Nebraska (3-4) at Minnesota (3-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Nebraska should get its record back to .500 after this one. The Huskers have been playing good defense. They just can’t get consistent on their offense. Minnesota is terrible on offense and not bad on defense. But their defense won’t hold the Huskers. Herbie speaks Scandinavian – Nebraska 33, Minnesota 17.

Duke (3-3) at Virginia (4-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3 – This could be a high-scoring game, but the Cavs are too much for the Dookies. The Cavs are definitely better on offense than defense. That’s why Duke will score on them. But they won’t score enough – Virginia 32, Duke 19.

Purdue (3-2) at Iowa (6-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Iowa could have a letdown after the big win over Penn State. Purdue has to hope for that. That’s the only way the Boilers can win. The Hawkeyes shutdown the Boilers – Iowa 27, Purdue 13.

 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

UCF (3-2) at Cincinnati (5-0) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC….

Tulsa (2-4) at South Florida (1-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU….

St. Thomas (3-2) at Stetson (2-3) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….

Prairie View A&M (4-1) at Bethune-Cookman (0-6) – (SWAC vs. SWAC) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….

Florida A&M (3-2) at Alabama A&M (3-2) – (SWAC vs. SWAC) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….

Miami (2-3) at North Carolina (3-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN….
West Georgia (5-1) at West Florida (5-0) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….

Touchdown Tom

 

P.S.

Not exactly college football related, but in the autumn of October, as the college football season approached its halfway point, the number one song in the country…

…80 years ago this week in 1941 was “Piano Concerto In B Flat” by Freddy Martin

…75 years ago this week in 1946 was “To Each His Own” by Eddy Howard and His Orchestra, and “Five Minutes More” by Frank Sinatra.

…70 years ago this week in 1951 was “Because Of You” by Tony Bennett

…65 years ago this week in 1956 was “Hound Doig”/“Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley

…60 years ago this week in 1961 was “Hit The Road Jack” by Ray Charles

…55 years ago this week in 1966 was “Reach Out I’ll Be There” by The Four Tops

…50 years ago this week in 1971 was “Maggie May”/“Reason To Believe” by Rod Stewart

…45 years ago this week in 1976 was “A Fifth Of Beethoven” by Walter Murphy and The Big Apple Band

…40 years ago this week in 1981 was “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross

…35 years ago this week in 1986 was “When I Think Of You” by Janet Jackson

…30 years ago this week in 1991 was “Emotions” by Mariah Carey

 


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