College Football
Week 10 – Season’s first CFP rankings released Tuesday
When my eyes
beheld an eerie sight
Halloween is upon us and that can only mean one thing. Spooky games were commonplace over the weekend. The ghouls, ghosts, and goblins were out and about on Saturday. Throw in a few vampires too. Several teams were obviously haunted. A number of them, who were favored and having a good season, got spooked. How else can you explain it? What horrors!
The ghouls, ghosts and goblins got to Syracuse, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Cincinnati and South Carolina. Those five teams had a spell cast over them.
Syracuse entered its game against Notre Dame with a 6-1 record. The Orange were at home against the Irish (4-3) and the Orange were favored by 11 points. But things weren’t quite right in the Dome. Notre Dame jumped out to a 24-7 lead over the Cuse. The Orange were afflicted with turnovers – three. Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader left the game with a concussion. Orange running back Sean Tucker couldn’t get his act going. Notre Dame beat Syracuse, 41-24. The Cuse were spooked.
Oklahoma State was on the road against Kansas State. The Cowboys were 6-1 and averaging 40 points a game. Granted, Kansas State was favored. But the Wildcats were only favored by 2.5 points. That’s like calling the game even. Like Syracuse, Okie State was afflicted with demons. The Cowboys had three turnovers. Even worse, Okie State’s 40-point a game offense was denied the end zone. Kansas State downed Oklahoma State, 48-0. The Cowboys were haunted.
Wake Forest was on the road against Louisville. The Demon Deacons were enjoying a good season. At 6-1, their only loss was by 6 points to Clemson. Against Louisville, Wake was favored by 3 points. But, like Syracuse and Oklahoma State, something was awry with the Deacons. Wake Forest was plagued by 8, count them, 8 turnovers. The Cardinals built up a 48-14 lead. It was a frightening day for the Demon Deacons. Louisville beat Wake Forest, 48-21. The Deacons were cursed.
Cincinnati, enjoying a 6-1 season, was on the road at UCF. The Bearcats were riding a 6-game winning streak. Their only loss was on opening weekend to Arkansas. And only by 7 points. Granted, UCF was a 1.5-point favorite over Cincinnati. But 1.5 is basically calling the game even. The Bearcats were on their way to another AAC championship and a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl. But against UCF, Cincinnati was tormented. The Knights beat the Bearcats, 25-21. Cincinnati was spooked.
And finally, South Carolina was home against Missouri. The Gamecocks were on a 4-game winning streak and coming off back-to-back wins against Kentucky and Texas A&M. South Carolina was a 3.5-point favorite over the Tigers. Next to Vanderbilt, Missouri was the worst team in the SEC. But Beamer Ball was jinxed on Saturday. The Gamecocks had two turnovers. Mizzou jumped out to a 17-0 lead. Missouri upset South Carolina, 23-10. The Gamecocks were in the twilight zone.
Four 6-1 teams and one 5-2 team, all looking to win their games on Saturday. Instead, they suffered a graveyard smash. All five lost. Only one game was close. Was it a coincidence? Or did someone put a spell on Syracuse, Oklahoma State. Wake Forest, Cincinnati and South Carolina. It’s that time of the year. The ghouls, ghosts and goblins are in their glory. Instead of getting treated, Syracuse, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Cincinnati and South Carolina got tricked. Big time!
College football Week 9 began Thursday night with an ACC encounter and a Pac-12 encounter. In between there was a Sun Belt encounter. In the ACC engagement, Virginia Tech led NC State, 21-3, with less than 2 minutes to go in the third quarter. But the Wolfpack rallied to score 22 unanswered points in the final 16:42 of the game. NC State beat Virginia Tech, 22-21. The Wolfpack are 6-2.
Down Sun Belt way, Southern Miss topped Louisiana, 39-24. Leading 32-24, the Golden Eagles scored on a pick-6 with 1:14 left in the game. In Thursday’s nightcap, Utah held off Washington State in a hard-fought game. The Utes downed the Cougars, 21-17.
Two more games took place Friday night – one in Utah and the other in Florida. In Provo, BYU suffered its fourth-straight loss, as East Carolina beat the Cougars, 27-24, on an end of the game field goal. East Carolina running back Keaton Mitchell rushed for 175 yards. Meanwhile in Miami, it took two overtimes for FIU to beat Louisiana Tech, 42-34 (2OT).
Saturday’s three big marquee games – Ohio State-Penn State, Kentucky-Tennessee and Oklahoma State-Kansas State – failed to live up to their hype. All ended in routs.
Granted, Penn State gave Ohio State a battle for three quarters – three-plus quarters. The Nittany Lions led the Buckeyes 14-13 at the halftime break. At the end of three quarters, Ohio State only had a 2-point lead over Penn State – 16-14. And early in the fourth quarter, Penn State led Ohio State, 21-16. But the rest of the fourth quarter was all Ohio State. The Buckeyes wore down the Nitts. Ohio State proceeded to outscore Penn State, 28-3, building up a 44-24 lead, with 2:42 to go in the game. The Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions, 44-31.
Tennessee warmed up for Georgia by literally crushing Kentucky, 44-6. The game was only close for one quarter. That was when the Vols led the Wildcats, 7-6. Then Tennessee proceeded to score 37 unanswered points. The rout was on.
As mentioned above, the Oklahoma State-Kansas State game was a total disaster for the Cowboys. They were never in the game. K-State built up a 35-0 halftime lead, on the way to a 48-0 victory over Oklahoma State. Mike Gundy had to be beside himself.
Elsewhere Saturday, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is back in good graces with Razorbacks fans. After dropping three-straight games, Arkansas has won two-straight to improve to 5-3.
Saturday, the Hogs downed Auburn, 41-27. Arkansas racked up 520 total yards on
Auburn with a good mix of rushing and passing. The Hogs Raheim Sanders
rushed for 171 yards. Auburn actually had a good day passing. Tigers
quarterback Robby Ashford was 24-33-0, passing for 285 yards.
Crypt kickers! Miami (Florida) and Virginia weren’t much on offense. The Canes and the Wahoos finished regulation tied 6-6 – four field goals. It then took four overtimes for Miami to win, 14-12 (4OT). Neither team scored a touchdown.
The drinks were on Georgia at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Albert got tipsy, as Georgia downed Florida, 42-20. The Dawgs built up a 28-3 halftime lead. Florida briefly made it close, scoring 17 unanswered points to pull with 28-20. But Uga said that’s enough.
Arizona gave Lincoln Riley and his USC Trojans a good scare. Hey, it’s Halloween. The game was tight for three quarters. As the fourth quarter began, USC led Arizona, 31-29. The Trojans outscored the Wildcats 14-7 in the fourth quarter. USC beat Arizona, 45-37. The teams combined for 1,166 total yards. The two quarterbacks combined passed for 791 yards. USC’s Caleb Williams was 31-45-0, passing for 411 yards and five touchdowns. Arizona’s Jayden De Laura was 26-43-1, passing for 380 yards and three touchdowns.
The Ducks keep quacking. Quarterback Bo Nix passed for three touchdowns and rushed for three touchdowns, as Oregon downed California, 42-24. Nix also threw two interceptions. He was 27-35-2, passing for 412 yards. Nix rushed for 59 yards. The Ducks had 586 total yards.
Michigan gave up one touchdown to Michigan State in the first quarter and that was it for the Spartans. Michigan State never saw the end zone again. The Wolverines beat the Spartans, 29-7. Michigan running back Blake Corum rushed for 177 yards.
Creepin’ it real. In the Lane Kiffin-Jimbo Fisher fight, Kiffin came out on top. Ole Miss beat Texas A&M, 31-28. The game was close throughout. The Aggies led at the break, 14-10. Ole Miss went up 17-10 in the third quarter and never trailed again. The Magnolias racked up 530 total yards. Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins rushed for 205 yards. A&M quarterback Conner Weigman was 28-44-0, passing for 338 yards and four touchdowns.
In the Pac-12 late show Saturday night, UCLA got back on the winning track, beating Stanford, 38-13. In the MWC late shows, Fresno State downed San Diego State, 32-28, while San Jose State beat Nevada, 35-28.
After Week 9, we hold at six undefeated teams – Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, TCU and Tennessee. All six are 8-0. Georgia and Tennessee meet this week.
There are 10 teams with just one loss – Alabama, Coastal Carolina, Illinois, Liberty, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tulane, UCLA and USC.
The first CFP rankings of the season will be revealed at 7:00 p.m. ET, Tuesday on ESPN.
Musical athletic directors. Auburn appears to be closing in on a deal to hire Mississippi State AD John Cohen to the same position at Auburn, replacing Allen Greene. Cohen became the AD at Mississippi State in 2016 when Florida hired Scott Stricklin away from Mississippi State to become the AD at Florida, replacing Jeremy Foley. In 2019, Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward left the Aggies to become the AD at LSU. Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork replaced Woodward at Texas A&M. That’s called good ole SEC incest.
“Great Balls of Fire,” Speaking of incest, Jerry Lee Lewis died last week. There must be a “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” in Heaven.” Lewis was born on September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. As a young boy, he often played with his cousins Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley. Jerry Lee Lewis was 87.
One of college football’s best-known, most successful and highly respected coaches died last week. Former Georgia coach Vince Dooley passed away in Athens, Georgia. Dooley coached the Bulldogs for 25 years, from 1964 to 1988. During those 25 years, Dooley’s teams won six SEC championships and one national championship. He compiled a 201-77-10 record. Dooley was the athletics director at Georgia for 26 years, from 1979 to 2004.
A native of Mobile, Alabama, Dooley played quarterback at Auburn under Ralph “Shug” Jordan, from 1951 to 1953. While working on his master’s degree, he was a graduate assistant coach at Auburn under Jordan (1954-1955). Dooley then became a full-time member on Jordan’s staff (1956 to 1963), eventually becoming offensive coordinator.
Several years ago, Rockledge Gator gave me the book “Put Me In Coach” written by Barbara Dooley, Vince’s wife. The book covers their time together during Dooley’s coaching years from Auburn to Georgia. In the book, Barbara shares many serious as well as humorous events during these years.
She revealed how on Sunday afternoons, following a Saturday Georgia game, Vince used to like to lie on the couch in the family room and watch NFL games on TV. One Sunday, while Vince was on the coach, Barbara put gaudy makeup on her face and teased her hair. She then removed all her clothes and wrapped a bath towel around her. Then she walked into the family room and stood between Vince and the television. At this point, she let the towel fall to the floor and said, “Play me or trade me.” To which Vince responded, “Get out of the way, I can’t see the game!”
Barbara also told how they would often sit across from one another at the breakfast table on weekday mornings before Vince would leave for work. Vince always had his head buried in a newspaper. She would remind Vince of something he needed to do or pick up that day before coming home. Invariably, Vince would come home without accomplishing the task. He would say he forgot. However, Barbara was convinced that he wasn’t listening to her. One morning at the breakfast table she thought, “I’ll get him.” It was a day or two before her birthday and Barbara said, “This year for my birthday, I want a divorce.” At which point, the voice from behind the newspaper said, “I didn’t plan to spend that much money on your birthday present.”
Vincent Joseph Dooley was 90.
Saturday evening, I got a message from Colorado resident and Nebraska fan Jess Schwartzkopf. Jess said, “I can already see the headline for next week’s report. ‘As we approach Halloween, Florida gives Georgia a serious scare.’ Looking forward to what Touchdown Tom has to report.”
Unfortunately, Florida didn’t give Uga much of a scare, but I think I need to recruit Jess as my headline writer.
Yes, for some teams, the weekend was an eerie sight. For some, it was a monster mash. For others, it was a graveyard smash. Happy Halloween!
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Monster mash – Ohio State 44, Penn State 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio State 31, Penn State 19). Yes, Ohio State was the monster and Penn State got mashed. Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud was 26-33-0, passing for 354 yards and one touchdown. Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford threw three interceptions. Neither team did very well running the ball. Attendance in University Park: 108,433
RUNNER-UP: Spooky – Tennessee 44, Kentucky 6 (Touchdown Tom said: Tennessee 27, Kentucky 13). Let me tell you, the Tennessee players did look spooky in those black uniforms with the bright orange striping and piping, especially playing at night. It was as Halloween as you can get. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker was 19-25-0, passing for 245 yards and three touchdowns. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis threw three interceptions. The Wildcats only had 98 yards passing. Tennessee’s offense is averaging 49.4 points a game. Attendance in Knoxville: 101,915
REST OF THE BEST: Graveyard smash – Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State31, Kansas State 27). Kansas State took Okie State out behind a shed in the graveyard – that’s for sure. K-State racked up 495 total yards, while holding Okie State to 217 total yards. K-State backup quarterback Will Howard was 21-37-0, passing for 296 yards and four touchdowns. The Wildcats played without starting quarterback Adrian Martinez. K-State running back Deuce Vaughn rushed for 158 yards. Both teams are 6-2. Attendance in Manhattan: 51,133
Too cute to spook – UCF 25, Cincinnati 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Cincinnati 26, UCF 22). Trailing 21-18, UCF scored a touchdown with 0:48 left in the game and held on to win. UCF had 505 total yards – a good mix between running and passing. Midway through the second quarter, UCF lost quarterback John Rhys Plumlee due a hit to the head. Backup quarterback Mikey Keene played the remainder of the game. The Bearcats tried to spook UCF, but the Knights were too cute to spook. Attendance in Orlando: 44,313
Baying Hounds – Georgia 42, Florida 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 36, Florida 24). Oh, the Dawgs were baying alright. They are probably still baying. Georgia had 556 total yards – a good mix between running and passing. Neither quarterback was at their best. Georgia’s Stephen Bennett only completed 50% of his passes and threw two interceptions. Florida’s Anthony Richardson completed less than 50% of his throws. Attendance in Jacksonville: 75,868
Ghoulish – Notre Dame 41, Syracuse 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Syracuse 23, Notre Dame 18). Notre Dame must have looked like ghouls to Syracuse. How else can you explain it. The Orange only had 61 yards rushing. Notre Dame dominated time of possession – 37:40. Notre Dame running back Audric Estime rushed for 123 yards. Attendance in Syracuse: 49,861
Ghostly – North Carolina 42, Pitt 24 (Touchdown Tom said: North Carolina 30, Pitt 19). Trailing Pitt for three quarters, North Carolina didn’t become ghostly until early in the fourth quarter, when the Heels took their first lead of the game at 28-24. North Carolina went on to score two more touchdowns. With only 89 yards rushing, the Heels won the game through the air. UNC quarterback Drake Maye was 34-44-0, passing for 388 yards and five touchdowns. Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis had a terrible night passing, completing only 45% of his passes. Attendance in Chapel Hill: 50,500
Vampires are a pain in the neck – Louisville 48, Wake Forest 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Wake Forest 30, Louisville 23). Cardinals are a pain in the neck too. At least they were to Wake Forest. With eight turnovers, Wake Forest couldn’t do anything right. All Louisville had to do was wait for Wake to give them the ball. Louisville coach Scott Satterfield may be saving his job. Attendance in Louisville: 39,503
Hallo-scream – Utah 21, Washington State 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 38, Washington State 30). Washington State took an initial 7-0 lead. But Utah scored 21 unanswered points to take a 21-7 lead with 1:24 to go in the third quarter. Utah never scored again, but Washington State added 10 more points in the fourth quarter. The Utes’ defense held the Cougars to 42 yards rushing. Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward accounted for 250 of the Cougars’ 264 total yards. Ward passed for 222 yards (27-for-31) and rushed for another 28 yards. Utah starting quarterback Cameron Rising didn’t play because of a left knee injury. Utah improved to 6-2. Attendance in Pullman: 21,179
Where the vampires feast – Baylor 45, Texas Tech 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas Tech 31, Baylor 29). Baylor sure feasted on Texas Tech – in a big way. The Bears led 24-3 early in the third quarter. Tech rallied and cut the lead to 24-17. Then Baylor scored 21 unanswered points. Three Tech quarterbacks combined to throw five interceptions. Baylor controlled time of possession – 40:17. Baylor running back Richard Reese rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Lubbock: 60,705
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
An Eerie sight – TCU 41, West Virginia 31 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 33, West Virginia 24). Almost anytime West Virginia plays, it’s eerie. Eerie for WVU, not the opponent. WVU led twice at 7-0 and 14-7. The game was tied three times at 7-7, 14-14 and 21-21. WVU never led in the second half. It was another disappointing loss for the Mountaineers. Almost everything was disappointing for WVU – the defense, the offense and the coaching. Surely Neal Brown added another nail to his coffin. Attendance in Morgantown: 50,426
Coffin banger – Illinois 26, Nebraska 9 (Touchdown Tom said: Illinois 21, Nebraska 18). Yeah, the Huskers still can’t get out of the coffin, no matter how hard they bang. The Huskers only had 9 first downs, 250 total yards and 62 yards rushing. Illinois possessed the ball for 38:13. Shades of last year as Nebraska had four turnovers – three interceptions. Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito completed 91% of his passes – 20-22-0, for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Illinois running back Chase Brown rushed for 149 yards. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,691
Week 9 Results: 7 winners, 5 fumbles (58.3 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
FIU 42, Louisiana Tech 34 (2OT) – Attendance in Miami: 12,478
Miami 14, Virginia 12 (4OT) – Attendance in Charlottesville: 43,714
Florida A&M 27, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 19,802
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Arizona State’s Trenton Bourguet – 32-43-1 for 425 yards (3TDs); USC’s Caleb Williams – 31-45-0-411 (5TDs), and North Carolina’s Drake Maye – 34-44-0-388 (5TDs).
Also, Houston’s Clayton Tune – 31-37-0 for 380 yards (4TDs); Arizona’s Jayden De Laura – 26-43-1-380 (3TDs); Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud – 26-33-0-354 (1TD), and Florida State’s Jordan Travis – 24-38-0-346 (3TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Ole Miss’s Quinshon Judkins – 205 yards (1TD); UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet – 198 yards (3TDs); Wyoming’s D.Q. James – 179 yards; Michigan’s Blake Corum – 177 yards (1TD), and Arkansas’ Raheim Sanders – 171 yards.
Also, UAB’s Dewayne McBride – 168 yards (1TD); South Alabama’s La’Damian Webb – 162 yards (3TDs); Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim – 159 yards (3TDs), and Kansas State’s Deuce Vaughn – 158 yards (1TD).
Quotes of the Week
“Two of our players were assaulted. I saw the video. It’s 10-on-1. Pretty bad. I’m going to let our athletic director, Warde Manuel, address it with the authorities,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, on the Michigan State players assaulting his players in the tunnel after the game.
“Hugh Freeze, I think, is going to be the coach to watch. I do think there is a lot of interest for Hugh Freeze. One thing that Auburn boosters like about Hugh Freeze, and this may sound irrelevant to people around the country, but he has something in his back pocket that resonates in Alabama. He’s beaten Nick Saban twice. Not many people have beaten Nick Saban twice,” Paul Finebaum, on who the next coach at Auburn will be.
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Tennessee (8-0) at Georgia (8-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This will be billed as the game of the year. Both teams had big wins last week against formidable rivals. Both took care of their opponents handily. Now they get to take care of each other. Georgia probably has the better defense. But the Vols defense has been getting better. Tennessee probably has the better offense. Georgia can play good offense when it has too. Uga never killed a bear when he was only three – Tennessee 27, Georgia 24.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Alabama (7-1) at LSU (6-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – What a doubleheader! Tennessee at Georgia at 3:30. Alabama at LSU at 7:00. No time for dinner in between. Pizza night. If Alabama didn’t already have a loss, the Tide would be vulnerable. But Alabama doesn’t lose two games during the season. However, LSU will be out to change that. The Tigers seem to be getting better and better each week. That is until this week – Alabama 31, LSU 27.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Clemson (8-0) at Notre Dame (5-3) – (ACC vs. Ind.) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Notre Dame surprised Syracuse. Can the Irish surprise Clemson? They have the Tigers where they want them – in South Bend. Will Cade Klubnik have to make an appearance for Clemson? The luck of the Irish has run out – Clemson 30, Notre Dame 28.
4. Oregon State (6-2) at Washington (6-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Oregon State is having a great season. Washington isn’t bad either. This time, the Beavers seize the day – Oregon State 27, Washington 24.
5. Wake Forest (6-2) at NC State (6-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Last week, Wake Forest got blown out by Louisville. NC State barely beat Virginia Tech. Both teams appear to be a little wobbly as the season nears the end. The Wolves send the Preachers packin’ – NC State 35, Wake Forest 33.
6. Appalachian State (5-3) at Coastal Carolina (7-1) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN – Good battle in the Sun Belt. App State has had some tough wins and some tough losses. The Chanticleers had that strange loss to Old Dominion. The Chanticleers go Coastal and delete the App – Coastal Carolina 30, Appalachian State 26.
7. Liberty (7-1) at Arkansas (5-3) – (Ind. vs. SEC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – Interesting game. Liberty’s one loss was by one point to Wake Forest. The Flames went for two at the end of the game and failed. Arkansas is obviously the stronger team. Liberty will need to out finesse the Hogs to win. No Pork for Liberty as the Hogs douse the Flame – Arkansas 34, Liberty 27.
8. Texas (5-3) at Kansas State (6-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – Kansas State has been amazing this season. Some amazing wins and some amazing losses. Texas has been a little disappointing. The Wildcats continue to amaze – an amazing win – Kansas State 30, Texas 27.
9. Oklahoma State (6-2) at Kansas (5-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – What happened to Okie State last week? I’ve never seen the Cowboys that bad. Kansas is due for a win. But the Jayhawks won’t get it this week – Oklahoma State 35, Kansas 23.
10. Texas Tech (4-4) at TCU (8-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – The Frogs are back home this week and look to keep their winning streak going. Sonny Dykes has had an amazing first year at TCU. Texas Tech is a funny team. Good one week. Bad the next. The Red Raiders will give the Frogs a battle. But Kermit prevails – TCU 33, Texas Tech 21.
And keep an eye on these eight games during Week 10: Buffalo (5-3) at Ohio (5-3) – (MAC vs. MAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Tuesday, ESPN2…..Maryland (6-2) at Wisconsin (4-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN…..Baylor (5-3) at Oklahoma (5-3) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+…..and UTSA (6-2) at UAB (4-4) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday.
Also, Syracuse (6-2) at Pitt (4-4) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN…..South Alabama (6-2) at Georgia Southern (5-3) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+…..Troy (6-2) at Louisiana (4-4) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 5 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+…..and James Madison (5-2) at Louisville (5-3) – (Sun Belt vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
West Virginia (3-5) at Iowa State (3-5) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+ – Figure the odds. Isn’t it about time for West Virginia to win? It may be their last chance to win this season. Neal Brown would like to have one more victory before he gets fired. After a 3-0 start, the Cyclones have lost 5-straight. They are due for a win. Make it 6-straight – West Virginia 27, Iowa State 23.
Florida (4-4) at Texas A&M (3-5) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Two teams that are hurting – Florida and Texas A&M. Who wants to win more? I’m thinking the Aggies play better defense. After losing four-straight, Jimbo Fisher becomes a happy camper again – Texas A&M 31, Florida 27.
Minnesota (5-3) at Nebraska (3-5) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – Minnesota is favored. But you just have the feeling Nebraska is ready to pop one. They are due. Minnesota is a freaky team. When the Gophers are good, they are really, really good. But when the Gophers are bad, they are really, really bad. Herbie explodes and the Gophers are bad – Nebraska 28, Minnesota 27.
Duke (5-3) at Boston College (2-6) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2 – The Dookies can become bowl eligible this week. One more win. And what better opportunity than Boston College. The Eagles actually lost to Connecticut last week. That’s about as low as you can go. Going bowling – Duke 31, Boston College 22.
Iowa (4-4) at Purdue (5-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – This game could go either way. Recent criticism of Kirk Ferentz seems to have the Hawkeyes a little fired up. The Boilers could use a boost. Don’t look for much scoring. Pete gets the Bird – Purdue 17, Iowa 14.
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Stetson (3-4) at Davidson (6-2) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
UCF (6-2) at Memphis (4-4) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2….
West Florida (7-1) at Valdosta State (4-5) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Touchdown Tom
