College Football
Week 11 – Florida DC Todd Grantham fired
College football is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get
What an assortment of games over the weekend! Two undefeated teams lost for the first time – Michigan State was stunned by Purdue, 40-29, and Wake Forest fell to North Carolina, 58-55. Two winless teams won for the first time – Arizona beat California, 10-3, and UNLV upended New Mexico, 31-17.
Then there were the upsets – Illinois 14, Minnesota 6, Memphis 28, SMU 25, and TCU 30, Baylor 28. How about the barnburners – Miami (Florida) 33, Georgia Tech 30, Arkansas 31, Mississippi State 28, and Tennessee 45, Kentucky 42. The closer than expected – Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17, Cincinnati 28, Tulsa 20, and Alabama 20, LSU 14. The overtime – Army 21, Air Force 14 (OT).
You can’t go home again – Ole Miss 27, Liberty 15. And finally two teams who appear to be on a path of self-destruction – Florida and Texas. Florida was crushed by South Carolina, 40-17, and Texas was humiliated by Iowa State, 30-7.
The first time losers: Last week, when Kenneth Walker rushed for 197 yards and Michigan State rallied to beat Michigan, the Spartans looked unbeatable. But along comes giant killer Purdue. The Boilermakers put a crimp in Michigan State’s spotless record. Wake Forest had its bubble burst, as North Carolina’s Ty Chandler ran all over, around and through the Demon Deacons. Chandler rushed for 213 yards and four touchdowns.
The first time winners: Yes, Arizona and UNLV finally got the monkeys off their backs. Arizona’s defense held California to 122 totals yards – 28 rushing and 94 passing. Up 21-17 at halftime, UNLV outscored New Mexico 10-0 in the second half.
The upsets: Two weeks ago, Illinois knocked off Penn State. Saturday the Banned Indians shocked Minnesota. Bret Bielema is on the prowl. In upsetting SMU, Memphis held the Mustangs to just 61 yards rushing. TCU had lost three-straight games and fired its coach, but the Frogs surprised Baylor.
The barnburners: Miami (Florida) and Georgia Tech went back-and-forth and back-and-forth and back-and-for the before the Hurricanes won by 3 points. Miami, who was 2-4, has won three-straight games to improve to 5-4. The horizon is looking brighter for Manny Diaz. Arkansas scored a touchdown with 21 seconds left and Mississippi State missed a 23-yard field goal as time expired. The Razorbacks won by 3 points. Kentucky had 9 minutes and 36 seconds to score, but the Wildcats came up short, losing to Tennessee by 3 points.
The closer than expected: At 7-1 Ohio State was supposed to run roughshod over a 3-6 Nebraska. But the Huskers, as they have done so often against the big teams this season, hung tough with the Buckeyes. In fact, an obvious interference that wasn’t called may have cost Nebraska the game. Cincinnati is shooting itself in the foot. The Bearcats are supposed to win big over teams like Tulsa. They need the style points to impress the CFP selection committee. Beating Tulsa by only 8 points won’t help Cincinnati any. Alabama stopped LSU three times in the Tide’s territory in the fourth quarter to hang on and beat the Tigers by 6 points.
The overtime game: At the end of regulation, Army and Air Force were tied 14-14. In the first overtime, Army scored and Air Force didn’t.
The you can’t go home again: Former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze, who was forced to resign as the Rebels coach for questionable behavior, returned to his old stomping grounds in Oxford. It wasn’t a pleasant return. Not only did his Liberty team lose, but also Freeze was torched on Twitter by Ole Miss fans.
The two teams self-destructing: In trailing South Carolina by 30 points in the third quarter and losing to the Gamecocks by 23 points, Florida was a disaster waiting to happen. The loss to South Carolina was Florida’s third-straight. The Gators are 4-8 in their last 12 games. Only one of those four wins is over a decent team. Meanwhile, Texas fans are having nightmares, wondering if they have hired the wrong coach again. The Longhorns, under first-year coach Steve Sarkisian, lost their fourth-straight game. This time by 23 points to Iowa State. Florida and Texas appear to be imploding.
You never know what you’re going to get. But I think you can tell the nuts from the cremes.
College football Week 10 began last Tuesday – three games – and continued Wednesday – two games – all with a MAC flair. All five games were close too.
Tuesday night, Ball State downed Akron, 31-25, Ohio edged Miami (Ohio), 35-33 and Eastern Michigan got by Toledo, 52-49. In the loss to Ball State, Akron quarterback Zach Gibson passed for 331 yards. In the loss to Ohio, Miami quarterback Brett Gabbert passed for 492 yards and five touchdowns. And in the loss to Eastern Michigan, Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn passed for 461 yards. EMU and Toledo combined for 1,162 total yards.
Wednesday night, Central Michigan beat Western Michigan, 42-30, and Kent State slipped by Northern Illinois, 52-47. In the loss to Kent State, Northern Illinois quarterback Rocky Lombardi passed for 532 yards. Kent State and Northern Illinois combined for 1,345 yards.
There was one game Thursday night and it wasn’t a MAC affair. But it was another close one. Louisiana improved to 8-1, beating Georgia State, 21-17. Trailing Georgia State 17-14, Louisiana scored a touchdown with 2:32 left in the game.
In the first of two games Friday night, Boston College shut down Virginia Tech, 17-3. The Eagles held Tech to just 235 total yards – only 73 yards passing. In the second game, Utah routed Stanford, 52-7. While the Utes racked up 581 total yards, Stanford only had 167 total yards – 85 passing and 82 rushing.
In some other games Saturday, Texas A&M’s defense smothered Auburn, holding the Tigers to 226 total yards. The Aggies beat Auburn, 20-3. NC State survived a scary third quarter and went on to beat Florida State, 28-14. FSU, who fell to 3-6, scored all 14 of its points in the third quarter.
UTSA remained undefeated, improving to 9-0. The Roadrunners downed UTEP, 44-23. UTSA running back Sincere McCormick rushed for 169 yards.
And in the double-feature late shows from the Pac-12, Oregon beat Washington, 26-16, and Arizona State took care of USC, 31-16. Oregon improved to 8-1, while Arizona State’s Rachaad White rushed for 202 yards.
With Michigan State and Wake Forest losing, only four teams remain undefeated – Cincinnati (9-0), Georgia (9-0), Oklahoma (9-0) and UTSA (9-0). With Arizona (1-8) and UNLV (1-8) winning, there are no more winless teams.
Six Group of Five teams are in both the AP and Coaches Polls. In the AP Poll (and Coaches Poll), they are Cincinnati 2 (3), BYU 14 (15), UTSA 15 (16), Houston 17 (17), Coastal Carolina 22 (21), and Louisiana 24 (25).
The second CFP rankings poll of the season will be released Tuesday evening on ESPN. My Top 4 are 1. Georgia, 2. Oklahoma, 3. Cincinnati and 4. Oregon. My first six out are 5. Alabama, 6. Ohio State, 7. Michigan, 8. Oklahoma State, 9. Michigan State and 10. Notre Dame.
Akron fired Tom Arth last week. In his third year with the Zips, Arth was 3-24 – 2-7 this season. Arth was the eighth coach to be fired this season. Meanwhile, Georgia Southern, who fired its coach earlier in the season, hired former USC coach Clayton Helton. Helton was fired by USC a few weeks ago.
Conference USA which has been plagued by departures in recent weeks, announced that four schools would be joining the conference. The schools are Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State and Sam Houston State. The addition of the four schools gives C-USA a total of nine members. However, two members – Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky – could be leaving for the Mid-American Conference. Stay tuned!
James Madison, an FCS school and member of the Colonial Conference, announced it was moving up to the FBS level and joining the Sun Belt Conference.
Yesterday, Massachusetts fired head coach Walt Bell. Bell was 2-23 in almost three seasons with the Minutemen – 1-8 this season. Offensive line coach Alex Miller was named the interim head coach for the final three games of the season. Massachusetts has not won more than four games in any season since 2011.
Washington coach Jimmy Lake fired his offensive coordinator John Donovan yesterday. And in a late move Sunday, Florida coach Dan Mullen fired his defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Grantham had been unpopular with Florida fans since last season. In addition to Grantham, offensive line coach John Hevesy was also fired. And finally, Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith fired his defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar. It’s that time of the year.
Yes, college football is like a box of chocolates.
When I left you last week, I was in my hotel room waiting to take the Old Town Trolley tour of St. Augustine with my Navy friends and their wives. That afternoon, we toured the St. Augustine Distillery, tasting their bourbon, gin, rum and vodka, and toasting our Navy friends from the Edzell, Scotland, days who are no longer with us.
The fishing excursion on Tuesday morning was a success. No one fell overboard. The three boats of us caught a combined total of about 93 fish in the Intercoastal Waterway – the Mantanzas River. Randy Rollman of Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania, not only caught the most fish, but he also caught a shark.
Dinner Tuesday evening was at Pizzalley’s Chianti Room in St. Augustine. After dinner, everyone posed for the annual group picture – one of the former sailors and one of the wives.
While touring the St. Augustine Lighthouse and its grounds on Wednesday, I surprisingly became acquainted with a fellow West Virginian – Frank Clark. Frank, as it turns out, is not only a fellow West Virginian, but he also graduated from West Virginia University. He not only graduated from WVU, but he also graduated the same year I did – 1969. And he not only graduated the same year as me, but he also graduated from the School of Journalism – just as I did. What a coincidence. About the only thing we didn’t have in common – Frank was a Phi Psi (Phi Kappa Psi) and I was a Delt (Delta Tau Delta).
A native of Fairmont, West Virginia, Frank and his wife are retired, living in St. Augustine. He volunteers as a docent on the grounds of the lighthouse, talking about the shipwrecks off the coast of St. Augustine.
After the lighthouse, some of our Navy group had lunch at the Sunset Grille on St. Augustine Beach. Wednesday night, we gathered for our final group dinner at Meehan’s Irish Pub in St. Augustine.
Thursday morning, everyone hugged and bid each other a fond farewell, as we headed off in different directions. I enjoyed planning and hosting the reunion in St. Augustine. However, I was relieved when it was over. It was a load off my shoulders. But I was also pleased. The reunion was a success – everything went off as planned.
Swamp Mama and I drove over to Gainesville, Florida, along with Joe and Lynne Gannon of Waterbury, Connecticut. We took Joe and Lynne on a tour of the Butterfly Rainforest and the Florida Museum of Natural History. Following lunch at the Reitz Student Union on the campus of the University of Florida, we showed Joe and Lynne The Swamp, where the Gators play football and the O’Dome, where the Gators play basketball. And of course we introduced them to the statues outside the stadium of Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, Tim Tebow and Albert – the Alligator.
Thursday evening, the four of us had dinner at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille – Steve Spurrier’s new restaurant, which opened in August. Friday morning, we said our farewells. Joe and Lynne headed for the Jacksonville Airport and Swamp Mama and I headed home.
And it’s official. Next year’s Navy reunion will be in August at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. The reunion will be hosted by Mike and Eva Fisher of Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Now, where is that box of chocolates?
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Stymied – Texas A&M 20, Auburn 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 30, Auburn 23). Auburn kicked a field goal in the first quarter and the Tigers never scored again for the rest of the game. The Aggies shut down the Tigers, holding Auburn to just 73 yards rushing. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix completed less than 50% of his passes and threw an interception. Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller rushed for 112 yards. Attendance in College Station: 109,855
RUNNER-UP: Frozen – Ole Miss 27, Liberty 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 44, Liberty 30). Ole Miss built up a 24-0 halftime lead over Liberty. Then the Magnolias went into cruise control and held on to beat Liberty. The game marked the return of former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze to Oxford. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral was 20-of-27, passing for 324 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Oxford: 53,235
REST OF THE BEST: Giant killers – Purdue 40, Michigan State 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan State 30, Purdue 17). Although keeping it close, much of the time, Michigan State never led in the game. The two teams combined for 1,052 total yards. Purdue had 594 of those yards. Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell was 40-of-54, passing for 536 yards and three touchdowns. Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker rushed for 146 yards. Purdue only had 58 yards rushing. Attendance in West Lafayette: 57,748
Like basketball – North Carolina 58, Wake Forest 55 (Touchdown Tom said: Wake Forest 33, North Carolina 30). When Wake Forest took a 24-21 lead with 8:25 to go in the second quarter, the Demon Deacons never trailed again until 2:12 left in the game, when North Carolina went up 51-48. The teams combined for 1,189 total yards. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman passed for 398 yards and five touchdowns. But Hartman also threw two picks. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 50,500
Ducky in Seattle – Oregon 26, Washington 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 27, Washington 16). Oregon led 10-9 at halftime. Then the Ducks built up a 24-9 lead in the second half. Washington only had 166 total yards – just 55 rushing. The Huskies only had 7 first downs. Oregon running back Travis Dye rushed for 211 total yards. Attendance in Seattle: 63,193
The Tide didn’t exactly Roll – Alabama 20, LSU 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 38, LSU 27). LSU was fired up. That’s for sure. The Tigers limited Bama to only 6 yards rushing. Tide quarterback Bryce Young was 24-of-37, passing for 302 yards and two touchdowns. Both teams went scoreless in the fourth quarter. Attendance in Tuscaloosa: 101,821
Too little too late – Memphis 28, SMU 25 (Touchdown Tom said: SMU 38, Memphis 34). SMU led 10-7 at halftime. Then Memphis scored 21 unanswered points. SMU rallied in the final 8:36 of the game. But the rally came up short. Neither team had a ground game. Memphis rushed for 31 yards and SMU rushed for 61 yards. Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan passed for 392 yards. SMU lost its second-straight game. Attendance in Memphis: 30,191
Take off aborted – Army 21, Air Force 14 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Air Force 29, Army 16). At the end of the third quarter, Army led 14-3. The Falcons scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. Uncharacteristically, both teams had more passing yards than rushing yards. All Army has to do is beat Navy to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Attendance in Arlington: N/A
Broncos kickin’ – Boise State 40, Fresno State 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Fresno State 25, Boise State 22). Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener threw three interceptions. Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier passed for 283 yards and one touchdown. Broncos running back George Holani rushed for 117 yards. Boise State possessed the ball for 36:09. Attendance in Fresno: 41,031
Beep-beep – UTSA 44, UTEP 23 (Touchdown Tom said: UTSA 32, UTEP 23). UTSA built up a 30-9 halftime lead. The teams were even-steven in the second half. The Roadrunners had 566 total yards. UTSA quarterback Frank Harris passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow running back Sincere McCormick rushed for 169 yards. Attendance in El Paso: 31,658
In the four games I suggested you keep a very close eye on: Arkansas scored late to beat Mississippi State, 31-28…. Tennessee got by Kentucky in a wild one, 45-42…. Clemson just edged Louisville, 30-24…. And Arizona State trounced USC, 31-16.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Hurtin’ – Oklahoma State 24, West Virginia 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 26, West Virginia 21). There are some teams out there you can’t say enough good things about. Then there are the teams like West Virginia. You can’t say enough bad things about the Mountaineers. How do you score 38 points one week and 3 points the next? In 32 quarters pf play against FBS teams this season, WVU has failed to score a touchdown in 19 of those quarters. The coach is bad. The quarterback is awful. The team stinks. The coaching staff is inadequate. There is no offensive coordinator. There is no quarterbacks coach. The kicker can’t kick the ball into the endzone on kickoffs. The returners don’t know enough to take a fair catch so they can get the ball on the 25 yard line. West Virginia is disgusting. In his more than two and a half years, WVU coach Neal Brown has never won three games in a row. Against Oklahoma State, WVU only had 11 first downs and 133 total yards. Only 17 yards rushing. Attendance in Morgantown: 50,109
Hopeless – South Carolina 40, Florida 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 24, South Carolina 20). Florida is a team that has no desire to win. Florida has lost eight of its last 10 games against Power Five opponents. With the team’s attitude, the Gators may be incapable of winning. If they don’t get their act together, Florida could well go 1-2 in its remaining three games and finish the season at 5-7. The Gators are spiraling down. Florida had no running game against South Carolina. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks had two running back rush for more than 100 yards. Kevin Harris rushed for 128 yards and Zaquandre White rushed for 111 yards. South Carolina dominated ball possession for 36:18. Attendance in Columbia: 70,131
Tough loss – Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 35, Nebraska 14). Nebraska hung in there all the way until Ohio State kicked a 46-yard field goal with 1:29 to go in the game. The Huskers held the Buckeyes to 90 yards rushing. But Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was 36-of-54, passing for 405 yards and two touchdowns. In spite of his passing yardage. Stroud didn’t look all that good. He threw two picks. Stroud didn’t have a Heisman performance. I couldn’t believe how undisciplined the Buckeyes looked. Attendance in Lincoln: 84,426
Another tough day for the Dookies – Pitt 54, Duke 29 (Touchdown Tom said: Pitt 31, Duke 19). The Dookies kept it close for a while. They actually led 19-17 late in the second quarter. But the Panthers poured it on in the second half. Pitt racked up 638 total yards. Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett passed for 416 yards and three touchdowns. Duke is 0-5 in ACC play. Attendance in Durham: 20,693
Routine – Georgia 43, Missouri 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 36, Missouri 6). All is normal with the Dawgs. They keep winning and Georgia’s defense keeps teams from scoring. Missouri did mange two field goals. Georgia had 505 total yards. Quarterback Stetson Bennett passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Athens: 92,746
Back in the saddle again – Iowa State 30, Texas 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 37, Texas 27). Texas is similar to Florida in that the Longhorns are spiraling out of control. Interestingly, Texas led 7-3 at halftime. Then the Horns were outscored 27-0 in the second half. Texas only had 11 first downs and 207 total yards. Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy passed for 252 yards and running back Breece Hall rushed for 136 yards. Attendance in Ames: 61,500
Week 10 Results: 10 winners, 6 fumbles (62.5 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Bethune-Cookman 35, Alcorn State 31 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 3,673
West Florida 47, West Alabama 7 – Attendance in Livingston: 1,633
Marshall 28, Florida Atlantic 13 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 21,803
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell – 40-54-0 for 536 yards (3TDs); Northern Illinois’ Rocky Lombardi – 33-57-0-532 (3TDs); Miami of Ohio’s Brett Gabbert – 32-55-1-492 (5TDs); Toledo’s Dequan Finn – 30-45-1-461 (3TDs); Mississippi State’s Will Rogers – 36-48-1-417 (4TDs); Pitt’s Kenny Pickett – 28-43-0-416 (3TDs); Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud – 36-54-2-405 (2TDs), and Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman – 25-51-2-398 (5TDs).
Also, Memphis’ Seth Henigan – 34-53-1 for 392 yards (2TDs); Miami of Florida’s Tyler Van Dyke – 22-34-0-389 (3TDs); Houston’s Clayton Tune 21-26-0-385 (3TDs)’ Kentucky’s Will Levis – 31-49-1-372 (3TDs); Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa – 41-57-1-371 (1TD); Penn State’s Sean Clifford – 27-47-0-363 (3TDs); Utah State’s Logan Bonner – 23-32-1-359 (4TDs); Eastern Michigan’s Ben Bryant – 29-41-1-354 (3TDs); Marshall’s Grant Wells – 26-38-1-352 (1TD), and Akron’s Zach Gibson – 24-31-0-331 (2TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
North Carolina’s Ty Chandler – 213 yards (4TDs); Oregon’s Travis Dye – 211 yards (1TD); UAB’s DeWayne McBride – 210 yards (4TDs); Arizona State’s Rachaad White – 202 yards (3TDs); Rice’s Ari Broussard – 186 yards (2TDs); Toledo’s Bryant Koback – 180 yards (2TDs), and Utah’s Tavion Thomas – 177 yards (4TDs).
Also, Kent State’s Marquez Cooper – 173 yards (2TDs); UTSA’s Sincere McCormick – 169 yards (1TD); Michigan’s Hassan Haskins – 168 yards (1TD); Wyoming’s Titus Swen – 166 yards; Central Michigan’s Lew Nichols – 163 yards (2TDs); Kansas State’s Deuce Vaughn – 162 yards (3TDs), and Miami of Florida’s Jaylan Knighton – 162 yards (1TD).
Also, Old Dominion’s Blake Watson – 158 yards (2TDs); Ball State’s Carson Steele – 154 yards; Illinois’ Chase Brown – 147 yards; East Carolina’s Keaton Mitchell – 146 yards (2TDs); Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker – 146 yards (1TD);Colorado’s Jarek Broussard – 145 yards; Iowa’s Tyler Goodson – 141 yards (1TD); Florida Atlantic’s Johnny Ford – 138 yards, and Iowa State’s Breece Hall – 136 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“I didn’t see it coming,” Florida coach Dan Mullen, on the Gators 40-17 loss to South Carolina.
“Week 10 showed yet again how hard winning is, unless you’re Georgia,” ESPN Sports writer David M. Hale.
“Dan Mullen, in fact, might not actually be a good fit for the job he has,” USA Today sports writer Dan Wolken.
“The question now is what is Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin going to do. Remember, Stricklin was Dan Mullen’s AD at Mississippi State. He hired him. He hired him because Chip Kelly and Scott Frost turned it down. I think they have a serious problem at Florida,” SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum.
Sign of the Week
Do We Need A Loss To Get In The CFP?
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Oklahoma (9-0) at Baylor (7-2) (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – Baylor had to be looking ahead to this game last week. That’s why the Bears lost to TCU. Oklahoma had the week off. The Sooners didn’t have to worry about losing to anybody. They do this week. Baylor is capable of beating OU. That would knock the Sooners out of playoff contention. That won’t happen. The Sooners rise to the occasion – Oklahoma 31, Baylor 23.
RUNNER-UP: 2. NC State (7-2) at Wake Forest (8-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Wake Forest lost a donnybrook last week. The Deacons could be in another donnybrook this week. No doubt it will be some game. Sam Hartman can’t afford to throw any interceptions this week. The Deacons Pack ’em in – Wake Forest 35, NC State 28.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Texas A&M (7-2) at Ole Miss (7-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – I don’t think Ole Miss will be able to cope with A&M’s defense. Still it should be a good game. Matt Corral seems to be getting tired. He hasn’t been himself since the Tennessee game. Ole Miss is wearing out. A&M is hitting its peak. The Aggies troll for Sharks – Texas A&M 27, Ole Miss 26.
4. Michigan (8-1) at Penn State (6-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – These contests are always classic ones in Happy Valley. Michigan still has a lot at stake. Penn State will be playing for pride. Jim Harbaugh needs to win a big game. He has trouble doing that. The Lions are blinded by the Maize – Michigan 26, Penn State 21.
5. Purdue (6-3) at Ohio State (8-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – We all love Purdue. And everybody in America, except those in Ohio, will be cheering for the Boilers this week. Can they do it one more time? Will the third time – Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State – be a charm for Purdue? The Buckeyes are vulnerable. I didn’t think they looked that good against Nebraska. But in Columbus, the Buckeyes will be prepared for the Boilers. Brutus does the steamin’ – Ohio State 31, Purdue 23.
6. Notre Dame (8-1) at Virginia (6-3) – (Ind. vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – I’m thinking Notre Dame is ripe for an upset. I’m thinking Virginia, behind the arm of Brennan Armstrong, is the team to do it. The question mark is the Cavs defense. Can they stop the Irish? Regardless of who wins, it will be a struggle. The Irish get Wahoo ’ed – Virginia 38, Notre Dame 36.
7. Georgia (9-0) at Tennessee (5-4) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This could be an interesting game. Tennessee’s offense is crazy, scary enough to give the Dawgs a fright. The Vols have some talent on offense and it is getting better each week. But the Vols defense won’t stop Uga. Still, I’m thinking a fun game – for a while. Uga chases Smokey off Rocky Top – Georgia 35, Tennessee 17.
8. Minnesota (6-3) at Iowa (7-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – There is currently a four-way tie for first place in the Big Ten West. Iowa and Minnesota are two of those four teams. Neither can afford to lose. One will. It’s not a golden day for Goldy – Iowa 23, Minnesota 20.
9. UCF (6-3) at SMU (7-2) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU – SMU is hurtin’. After going undefeated, the Mustangs have dropped two games. At home in Dallas, they should be up for UCF. The Ponies hijack the Gus Bus – SMU 34, UCF 26.
10. Louisiana (8-1) at Troy (5-4) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 3:30 pm Et, Saturday, ESPN+ – Louisiana has already won the Sun Belt West Division. That could make them a little lackadaisical against Troy. The Trojans can’t be taken lightly. They can be dangerous. The Cajuns have a feast – Louisiana 30, Troy 20.
I recommended you keep a very close eye on these games:
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
West Virginia (4-5) at Kansas State (6-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – You never know how West Virginia is going to play from week to week. With Neal Brown, there is no consistency. Brown is actually 2-0 against the Wildcats. But he won’t be 3-0 – Kansas State 23, West Virginia 17.
Samford (4-5) at Florida (4-5) – (Southern vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – Samford is coming along at the right time for Florida. The Gators need to get their act together. Samford provides that opportunity. Maybe Florida did have the flu last week. They should have gotten their shots. Oh well, an easy one for the Gators. Time to straighten things out. Albert turns Samford into Hamford – Florida 56, Samford 6.
Duke (3-6) at Virginia Tech (4-5) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – The Hokies get a chance to even their record this week. The Dookies are winless in the ACC. And that’s not going to change. But even with the win, Tech coach Justin Fuente could be in trouble. The Hokie get the Dookie – Virginia Tech 30, Duke 21.
Kansas (1-8) at Texas (4-5) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Texas needs a breather. The Longhorns get one this week. Steve Sarkisian is under fire. Charlie Strong never lost four-straight games. Tom Herman never lost three-straight games. In his first year, Sarkisian has already lost four-straight games. Kansas keeps Texas from losing five-straight games. Bevo chalks the Jayhawk – Texas 35, Kansas 13.
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Stetson (4-5) at Morehead State (5-4) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3….
Miami (5-4) at Florida State (3-6) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN….
Valdosta State (9-0) at West Florida (8-1) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 4 pm ET, Saturday….
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but in early November, as the college football season began its final stretch, 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 “Rumors Are Flying” by Frankie Carle and His Orchestra
…70 years ago this week in 1951 was “Cold, Cold Heart” by Tony Bennett
…65 years ago this week in 1956 was “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley, and “Green Door” by Jim Lowe
…60 years ago this week in 1961 was “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean
…55 years ago this week in 1966 was “Last Train To Clarksville” by The Monkees, and “Poor Side Of Town” by Johnny Rivers
…50 years ago this week in 1971 was “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” by Cher
…45 years ago this week in 1976 was “Rock Me” by The Steve Miller Band
…40 years ago this week in 1981 was “Private Eyes” by Daryl Hall and John Oates
…35 years ago this week in 1986 was “Amanda” by Boston
…30 years ago this week in 1991 was “Romantic” by Karyn White, and “Cream” by Prince
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