College Football
Week 6 – Wisconsin, Colorado fire head coaches
Ian makes the
all-star team
Floyd, Irene, Frances, Jean, Faye, Matthew, Irma and Dorian. No, those are not the names of the Alabama cheerleading squad. Nor are they the names of former Heisman Trophy winners. They are the names of hurricanes and one tropical storm – the tropical storm being Faye.
All eight of those storms disrupted the college football season in the year they occurred. Their disruption to the season ranged from changing the start time of some games, changing the venue of other games, postponing many games to later dates and even canceling some games altogether. Because of their interference on or around a football weekend, all eight of the storms made the headlines of a College Football Week post in the year they occurred. Now you can add Ian to the list.
Entering from the Gulf of Mexico as a strong Cat-4 hurricane, Ian blew through Florida on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. Ian traveled from Cayo Costa in the southwest to Cape Canaveral in the east-central part of the state, exiting into the Atlantic Ocean as a strong tropical storm.
Traveling north along the coasts of north Florida and Georgia, Ian regained some strength. A hurricane again, Ian reentered the U.S. at Georgetown, South Carolina, on Friday as a Cat-1 storm. Shortly after entering South Carolina, Ian dropped down to a tropical depression and continued moving inland in a northern direction.
In the days before Ian reached Florida, the athletic directors of several schools were getting itchy and twitchy. They were dancing the “Texas Two Step.” These ADs, three in Florida and one in South Carolina were keeping their eyes on the projected path and spaghetti models for Ian. They were trying to determine just where Ian would be on Friday and Saturday. And what they might have to do.
None wanted to cancel the home games they were hosting. Ultimately, all four made a decision to adjust the date, and in one case the venue, of their games. Florida reacted first. Scheduled to host Eastern Washington in Gainesville on Saturday, Florida athletics director Scott Stricklin moved the EWU-Florida game to Sunday in Gainesville.
Next, noticing where Ian would be tracking after it finished with Florida, South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner decided to move the Gamecocks’ game with South Carolina State from Saturday to Thursday night. Tanner wanted to make sure the game was over and done with before any remnants of Ian came blowing and raining through Columbia.
South Florida athletics director Michael Kelly decided to keep the East Carolina-South Florida game on Saturday, but moved the game’s location from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to FAU Stadium in Boca Raton. The tracking projection at the time of Kelly’s decision had Ian entering Florida at Tampa.
UCF was scheduled to host SMU in Orlando on Saturday. UCF athletics director Terry Mohajir was the last of the ADs to make a decision. He held out until the final minute. But ultimately, Mohajir, like the other ADs, decided to make a change too. Originally, the SMU-UCF game was moved from Saturday to Sunday in Orlando. Then on Friday, UCF and SMU agreed to play the game on Wednesday night of this week.
Now as it turned out, none of the games needed to be changed or moved. But who would have known. Better safe than sorry. Friday and Saturday were beautiful, clear sunny days in Gainesville, Tampa and Orlando – no wind, no rain. Ian was long gone. And Saturday was a partly cloudy/partly sunny day in Columbia, South Carolina. The remnants of Ian passed far east of Columbia on Friday and was up on the North Carolina-Virginia border on Saturday afternoon, spreading rain and breezy weather over the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states.
The remnants of Texas A&M and Oklahoma were found scattered around Starkville and Fort Worth respectively on Saturday. Jimbo Fisher and Brent Venables are still picking up the pieces.
Mississippi State was favored by most to beat Texas A&M, but only by 3 or 4 points. No way were the Bulldogs supposed to beat the Aggies, 42-25. Miss State never trailed in the game and led A&M, 42-17, late in the fourth quarter. Earlier, the Bulldogs had leads of 21-3 and 28-10. This isn’t what A&M fans were expecting from a coach in his fifth year who is guaranteed $9 million a year through 2031. The Aggies are 3-2.
Welcome to the world of head coaching Brent Venables. Oklahoma suffered its second-straight loss Saturday. This time TCU beat the Sooners, 55-24. At the end of the third quarter, the Frogs led, 55-17. OU entered the game a 6-point favorite. Last week, Kansas State beat the Sooners. Venables may be ready to call up Dabo Swinney to see if he can get his old defensive coordinator job back. At 0-2 in Big 12 Conference games, Oklahoma is sitting at the bottom of the conference.
Speaking of the Big 12, look who the two teams sitting at the top of the conference are. Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. Yes, the two Kansas teams – the Jayhawks and the Wildcats. Kansas and Kansas State are 2-0 in Big 12 games. The Jayhawks are undefeated overall at 5-0.
Kansas beat Iowa State, 14-11, while Kansas State downed Texas Tech, 37-28. In the K-State game, Wildcats’ quarterback Adrian Martinez (171 yards) and running back Deuce Vaughn (170 yards) combined for 341 yards rushing.
It’s like college football is turned upside down. Approaching the mid-season point, 2022 is turning out to be a strange one.
And speaking of two teams from the same state, it’s still a Rocky Mountain Low in Colorado. Both FBS teams from Colorado are still looking for their first win. Colorado, 0-5, lost to Arizona, 43-20, while Colorado State, 0-4, had the week off. In the Buffaloes’ game, Arizona quarterback Jayden De Laura passed for 484 yards and 6 touchdowns. Colorado and Colorado State are the only two winless teams in FBS football. Both may well finish the season at 0-12.
College football Week 5 began on Thursday evening, with two games. South Carolina downed South Carolina State, 50-10, in a mistake-plagued game. Both teams had three turnovers.
In the second contest, BYU broke open its game in the second half to beat Utah State, 38-26. The teams were tied 17-17 at halftime. After the break, the Cougars jumped out to a 38-20 lead. The Aggies only second-half touchdown came with 1:09 left in the game. BYU quarterback Jaren Hall was 17-27-0, passing for 274 yards and three touchdowns. The Cougars improved to 4-1.
Friday night was a busy one for college football. Five games were played. In the opener, Tulane edged Houston, 27-24 (OT). The Green Wave scored a touchdown with 0:39 on the clock to even the score at 21-21. Tulane improved to 4-1.
In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, UTSA and Middle Tennessee provided an offensive affair. The teams combined for 1,042 total yards, as UTSA pulled out the victory, 45-30. The Roadrunners had 590 of those total yards. Middle Tennessee quarterback Chase Cunningham was 35-56-0, passing for 368 yards and one touchdown.
In the featured game Friday night between two undefeated teams, UCLA beat Washington, 40-32. As the 4th quarter began, the Bruins led the Huskies, 40-16. UCLA had 499 total yards, as Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (24-33-0) passed for 315 yards and three touchdowns. UCLA is 5-0.
Boise State held San Diego State to 114 total yards, as the Broncos downed the Aztecs, 35-13. San Diego State only had 81 yards rushing and 33 passing, and only 6 first downs. Boise State running back George Holani rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
In the nightcap on Friday, UNLV beat New Mexico, 31-20. New Mexico jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead. But the Lobos were outscored 31-6 after that.
In other games Saturday, Illinois coach Bret Bielema went back to his old stomping grounds. Illinois played Wisconsin in Madison. Bielema wore out his welcome, as his Banned Indians beat the Badgers, 34-10. Illinois held Wisconsin to 2 yards rushing. The Badgers are off to a bad start, sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten West with an 0-2 record in conference play. Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst is under fire. Meanwhile, Illinois is 4-1 overall.
The season is turned upside down.
Former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix put on quite a show Saturday night. Leading Oregon to a 45-27 win over Stanford, Nix passed for 161 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 141 yards and two more touchdowns.
Iowa broke its string of 7’s appearing in its scores. After scoring 7 points in each of their first two games and 27 points in each of the next two games, the Hawkeyes scored 14 points Saturday. Michigan beat Iowa, 27-14. But they almost kept the streak going. Up until 8 seconds left in the game, Michigan lead Iowa, 27-7. And then the Hawkeyes had to go and spoil it.
In an unexpected defensive battle, Air Force beat Navy, 13-10. The Falcons kicked a 22-yard field goal with 4:14 left in the game to win. Air Force is 4-1. Georgia Tech upset Pitt, 26-21. Tech running back Hassan Hall rushed for 157 yards. Maybe the Yellow Jackets should have fired their coach sooner.
Sun Belt powers James Madison (4-0), Coastal Carolina (5-0) and South Alabama (4-1) all won. James Madison beat Texas State, 40-13. Coastal Carolina scored a touchdown with 0:38 on the clock to beat Georgia Southern, 34-30. Chanticleers quarterback Grayson McCall was 23-34-0, passing for 335 yards and three touchdowns. South Alabama kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to beat Louisiana, 20-17.
Trailing Auburn 17-0, in the second quarter, LSU rallied, scoring 21 unanswered points to beat the War Eagles, 21-17. Auburn had four turnovers. LSU is 4-1. And in the late show, USC beat Arizona State, 42-25. USC quarterback Caleb Williams passed for 348 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 44 yards, scoring another touchdown. The Trojans are 5-0.
Five teams lost for the first time Saturday. As already mentioned above Washington lost to UCLA. Florida State fell to Wake Forest, 31-21. NC State lost to Clemson, 30-20. Kentucky suffered its first loss, losing to Ole Miss, 22-19, and Minnesota was upset by Purdue, 20-10.
Going into Week 6 there are now 16 undefeated teams. Two of the teams, TCU (4-0) and Kansas (5-0) meet this week in Lawrence.
CBS Sports reported last week that the Big Ten has made a decision to add California, Oregon, Stanford and Washington to the conference. The only question remaining is when will the Big Ten announce the addition of the four schools. The inclusion of these four schools, along with the previously announced addition of UCLA and USC, will bring the Big Ten membership to 20 schools.
If and when this happens, it would ultimately be the collapse of the Pac-12 Conference. The loss of California, Oregon, Stanford and Washington on top of the loss of UCLA and USC would all but force Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to join the Big 12 Conference. That would leave Oregon State and Washington State to join the Mountain West Conference. Can you say, “Bye-bye Pac-12?” Stay tuned.
And speaking of the Big Ten, Northwestern, announced last week that it plans to build a new Ryan Field, replacing the current 97-year-old football stadium. The new stadium will be a state-of-the art facility, featuring a reduced seating capacity, but with a greater emphasis on the fan experience. The current Ryan Field seats 47,000. The new stadium will seat 35,000.
Friday night, high school quarterback Arch Manning broke his high school’s passing records for career passing yards and touchdowns that were held by his uncles Eli and Peyton Manning. Arch broke Eli’s record for career passing yards at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans, and he broke Peyton’s record of 93 career touchdown passes. Arch threw five touchdown passes in the first half. The No. 2 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, Arch committed to Texas earlier this year. He is the son of Cooper Manning and the grandson of Archie Manning.
Yesterday, Wisconsin and Colorado fired their head coaches. Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst was let go after a 2-3 start. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonard was named the interim coach for the remainder of the season. In seven plus seasons, Chryst, a graduate of Wisconsin, was 67-26. According to his contract, Chryst will get a $16.4 million buyout.
Also, Colorado fired football coach Karl Dorrell, after an 0-5 start this season. The school also fired defensive coordinator Chris Wilson. Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford was named interim coach for the remainder of the season. Dorrell was 8-15 in two plus seasons in Boulder. Dorrell will receiver an $8.7 million buyout.
Five weeks into the season and that’s five coaches who have been fired. Chryst and Dorrell join Herm Edwards (Arizona State), Scott Frost (Nebraska) and Geoff Collins (Georgia Tech) who were fired in recent weeks.
“She gets better looking every year.” That was the latest response from Rockledge Gator, after I texted him that Laura Rutledge was on TV.
Whenever Laura Rutledge makes an appearance on TV – the Paul Finebaum Show, SEC Nation, etc. – either Rockledge Gator or I will text one another with the news. Needless to say, we are fans of Laura. Who isn’t?
Last Saturday morning, I simply got a text from Rockledge Gator that said, “Wow! Laura’s LEGS.” I immediately switched from College GameDay to SEC Nation.
Back in July, while SEC Media Days was being televised, I texted Rockledge Gator, “Laura Rutledge has the ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ look on SEC Media Days.”
But, is Rockledge Gator two-timing Laura? On a Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I got a text from Rockledge that said, “Molly McGrath is a cutie.” Molly is a sideline reporter for ESPN.
Several years ago it was Jill Arrington. She was a sideline reporter for CBS. Rockledge Gator, Bootsie, Swamp Mama and I were attending a Kentucky-Florida game in Gainesville. Our seats were pretty close to the field. During pregame, while Jill was interviewing someone on the sideline in front of us, Rockledge Gator stood up and began loudly cheering, “J-I-L-L.” He formed the letters of her name with his arms as he was cheering “J-I-L-L.”
Bootsie wasn’t amused.
Touchdown Tom
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Back in the saddle again – Clemson 30, NC State 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 34, NC State 32). This was a close game in the first half. In fact, NC State briefly lead 10-6 – for a minute and 20 seconds – late in the second quarter. Clemson led 13-10 at halftime. The Tigers took control and dominated in the second half. The Tigers led 30-13 late in the fourth quarter. The Wolfpack only had 42 yards rushing. Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei passed for 209 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 73 yards and two more touchdowns. The Tigers are ruling the roost again in the ACC. Clemson is 5-0. Attendance in Clemson: 81,500
RUNNER-UP: Whew – Ole Miss 22, Kentucky 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Ole Miss 30, Kentucky 29). Late in the fourth quarter, Kentucky had three chances to take the lead and potentially win the game. But the Wildcats blew all three opportunities. Kentucky dominated time of possession: 36:53. It was a sloppy win for Ole Miss. The Magnolias are 5-0. Attendance in Oxford: 64,828
REST OF THE BEST: Young-less – Alabama 49, Arkansas 26 (Touchdown Tom said: Alabama 28, Arkansas 20). In the second quarter, with Alabama up 28-0, the Tide lost quarterback Bryce Young to a shoulder injury. Young was out for the rest of the game. Quarterback Jalen Milroe replaced Young. Arkansas made it close, scoring the next 23 points. The Hogs trailed 28-23. Then Alabama turned the game over to the running of Jahmyr Gibbs and Milroe. Gibbs rushed for 206 yards and Milroe rushed for 91. The Tide went up 42-23 and cruised. Alabama is 5-0. Attendance in Fayetteville: 75,579
Cowboys delight – Oklahoma State 36, Baylor 25 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma State 21, Baylor 20). Baylor took an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Still in the first, Oklahoma State went up 7-3. The Cowboys never trailed again, building up a 23-3 lead early in the third quarter. Okie State held a 33-17 lead late in the third quarter. But the Bears would never go away. Baylor cut the 23-3 deficit to 23-17 midway through the third quarter. Then they cut the 33-17 deficit to 33-25 late in the third quarter. The fourth quarter was a defensive struggle with the Cowboys adding a field goal. Oklahoma State is 4-0. Attendance in Waco: 47-979
Dam-less Utah 42, Oregon State 16 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, Oregon State 27). With 9:46 to go in the third quarter, Utah led 21-16. Then the Utes proceeded to score 21 unanswered points. Four turnovers, all interceptions, killed the Beavers’ chances. It was like last week against USC. Utah quarterback Cameron Rising was 19-25-0, passing for 199 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 73 yards and another touchdown. Utah is 4-1. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 51,729
No bingo for the Noles – Wake Forest 31, Florida State 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida state 33, Wake Forest 30). With 12:18 to go in the third quarter, Wake Forest led 28-7. Florida State pulled within 7 points – 28-21 – with 9:32 to go in the fourth quarter. That was as close as the Noles got. It was the first loss for FSU. Both teams are 4-1. Attendance in Tallahassee: 69,749
Sleepy eyes – Michigan 27, Iowa 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Michigan 16, Iowa 7). Early in the fourth quarter, Michigan led 20-0. The Wolverines held Iowa to only 35 yards rushing. Michigan’s Blake Corum rushed for 133 yards. Twenty-seven points is the most scored on Iowa in a game this season. The Wolverines are 5-0. Attendance in Iowa City: 69,250
Okies got a Frog lickin’ – TCU 55, Oklahoma 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Oklahoma 45, TCO 30). Oklahoma’s defense was in a coma. At the end of the first quarter, TCU led 27-10. The Frogs never stopped until the fourth quarter. TCU led 55-17 at the end of three. The Frogs had an unbelievable 668 yards on offense – 361 rushing and 307 passing. TCU quarterback Max Duggan was 23-33-0, passing for 302 yards and three touchdowns. Frogs running back Kendre Miller rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel left the game in the second quarter due to a head injury. He didn’t return. TCU is 4-0. Attendance in Fort Worth: 49,095
Hollywood high – UCLA 40, Washington 32 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 34, UCLA 24). Washington scored first and went up 7-0. Before the first quarter was over, UCLA took a 9-7 lead. In the second quarter, Washington went back up 10-9. With 9:50 to go in the second quarter, UCLA retook the lead, 16-10, and the Bruins never trailed again, building up leads of 33-10 and 40-16 in the third quarter. The Huskies rallied in the fourth quarter – two touchdowns – but came up short. Attendance in Pasadena: 41,343
Aggies are hurtin’ – Mississippi State 42, Texas A&M 24 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 35, Mississippi State 31). Mississippi State never trailed in the game. The Bulldogs led 14-0 at the half. Texas A&M came to life in the second half, scoring all 24 of its points. But Miss State scored another 28 points. Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers was 31-45-0, passing for 329 yards and three touchdowns. The Aggies looked confused throughout the game. Miss State is 4-1. Attendance in Starkville: 51,930
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Bevo did some boot scootin’ – Texas 38, West Virginia 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 27, West Virginia 26). West Virginia is not a good football team. And if, in his fourth year, this is the best Neal Brown can do, then he is not a good football coach. Sonny Dykes is 4-0 in his first year at TCU, Lance Leipold is 5-0 in his second year at Kansas and Josh Heupel is 4-0 in his second year at Tennessee. Neal Brown is 2-3 in his fourth year. WVU has no defensive secondary. The offensive line isn’t much better. The receivers can’t catch the ball. Texas quarterback Hudson Card was 21-27-0, passing for 303 yards and three touchdowns. WVU only had 61 yards rushing. Attendance in Austin: 100,740
Delayed win – Florida 52, Eastern Washington 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Florida 34, Eastern Washington 16). Combined, Florida’s two quarterbacks Anthony Richardson and Jalen Kitna threw for 392 yards. Of course Richardson had to throw an interception. He has a tendency for that. But it was good for Kitna to get some game experience. As a team, the Gators had 666 total yards. EWU had a good passing attack. Or was that the weakness of Florida’s secondary? When Florida had the ball, the Gators scored fast. They only had the ball for 23:31 of the game. Florida led 35-3 at halftime and went into cruise control in the second half. Attendance in Gainesville: 72,462
First win! – Nebraska 35, Indiana 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 34, Indiana 30). The huskers got their first win this season over an FBS team. Nebraska never trailed in the game, although Indiana tied it up twice – 7-7 in the second quarter and 21-21 just prior to the half. The score remained 21-21 as the fourth quarter began. Then the Huskers put it away, scoring two unanswered touchdowns. Nebraska controlled the ball for 34:54. Huskers running back Anthony Grant rushed for 136 yards. Attendance in Lincoln: 86,804
The Dookies can beat Virginia – Duke 38, Virginia 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Duke 21, Virginia 20). Duke led 21-0 with 10:25 to go in the second quarter. The Dookies led 35-10 early in the fourth quarter. Duke quarterback Riley Leonard was 18-24-0, passing for 129 yards and one touchdown. Leonard also rushed for 59 yards and two more touchdowns. The Cavs only had 93 yards rushing. Duke is 4-1. Attendance in Durham: 15,152
Go figure – Georgia 26, Missouri 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 35, Missouri 10). Of all teams, who would have thought Missouri would give Georgia trouble – serious trouble? Georgia never led in the game until the Dawgs went up 26-22 with 4:03 to go in the game. Fortunately for the Dawgs, they held Missouri to field goals – five of them. The Tigers couldn’t score a touchdown. They only made one. But Georgia wasn’t much better – four field goals and two touchdowns. Between the teams there were 9 field goals. Three of Mizzou’s five field goals were long ones. Harrison Mevis kicked field goals of 49, 52 and 56 yards. Attendance in Columbia: 58,165
Goldie got boiled – Purdue 20, Minnesota 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 33, Purdue 23). Purdue jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead. With 8:06 to go in the third quarter, Minnesota tied the score at 10-10. The Boilers added 10 more points in the fourth quarter. The Gophers added none. Minnesota only had 47 yards rushing. Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan threw three interceptions. Minnesota suffered its first loss. Attendance in Minneapolis: 48,288
Week 5 Results: 11 winners, 5 fumbles (68.8 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND
FLORIDA:
Alabama A&M 35, Bethune-Cookman 27 – Attendance in Huntsville: 18,750
Stetson at San Diego – Canceled
East Carolina 48, South Florida 28 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 3,708
Superlatives
Weekend’s Best Passers:
Arizona’s Jayden De Laura – 33-46-0 for 484 yards (6TDs); East Carolina’s Holton Ahlers – 31-41-0-465 (6TDs); Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed – 38-57-1-406 (3TDs), and Kent State’s Collin Schlee – 24-37-0-398 (1TD).
Also, Middle Tennessee’s Chase Cunningham – 35-56-0 for 368 yards (3TDs); North Carolina’s Drake Maye – 26-36-0-363 (3TDs), and USC’s Caleb Williams – 27-37-1-348 (3TDs).
Weekend’s Best Rushers:
Kent State’s Marquez Cooper – 240 yards (2TDs); Syracuse’s Sean Tucker – 232 yards (3TDs); Northern Illinois’ Harrison Waylee – 230 yards (3TDs), and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs – 206 yards (2TDs).
Also, Ohio State’s Miyan Williams – 189 yards (5TDs); Kansas State’s Adrian Martinez – 171 yards (3TDs); Kansas State’s Deuce Vaughn – 170 yards, and Georgia Tech’s Hassan Hall – 157 yards.
Quotes of the Week
“I tell people all the time that the audacity for the other team to even step on the field is disrespectful to me,” Alabama linebacker Will Anderson.
“Iowa is where Top-5 teams go to die,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, prior to the Wolverines’ game against Iowa in Iowa City.
“I think he’s okay. He doesn’t have a serious injury,” Alabama coach Nick Saban, on Bryce Young’s shoulder injury.
Touchdown Tom’s
Predictions for
GAME OF THE DAY: 1. TCU (4-0) at Kansas (5-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – This is the only game of the week matching two undefeated teams. It should be a good one. TCU probably has the better offense, and definitely has the better defense. This will be a true test for Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels. TCU quarterback Max Duggan aces the test. These Frogs have legs and they know how to use them – TCU 44, Kansas 35.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Utah (4-1) at UCLA (5-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – I think it all comes to an end for the Bruins on Saturday. They have had a good ride. But the ride is over. The Bruins will run out of gas against the Utes. Still, it should be an interesting battle between Bruins QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Utes QB Cameron Rising. The Utes do the rising and the Bruins do the falling – Utah 38, UCLA 24.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Tennessee (4-0) at LSU (4-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – There’s no question about Tennessee. The Vols are good. But LSU is still somewhat of a mystery. The Tigers are kind of an unknown. They looked good against Miss State. Not so good against Auburn and Florida State. There’s no doubt that Hendon Hooker will be the best quarterback on the field. Davey killed him a Tiger when he was only three – Tennessee 27, LSU 23.
4. Washington State (4-1) at USC (5-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – This has been a magical season for Washington State. But the magic act is over. The Trojans reveal the Cougars’ tricks. Caleb Williams has a heyday – USC 40, Washington State 26.
5. Florida State (4-1) at NC State (4-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Florida State has hit that part of the schedule when the Noles are facing reality. NC State is real. The Wolfpack will be in their den and they should be mad. Osceola’s last stand – NC State 28, Florida State 27.
6. Texas A&M (3-2) at Alabama (5-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – I’m not sure why I have this game in my Top 10. I must have been having a moment of weakness. The Aggies did beat Alabama last year. It won’t happen this year. In fact Bryce Young should take the week off and let Jalen Milroe handle the task. Did I say task? This won’t be any effort at all – Alabama 35, Texas A&M 20.
7. Texas Tech (3-2) at Oklahoma State (4-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – Oklahoma State is the real deal. The Cowboys aren’t flashy. But they get the job done. Tech is usually good to score some points. However, it’s the Cowboys who make the point. And they make a big one – Oklahoma State 39, Texas Tech 22.
8. Kansas State (4-1) at Iowa State (3-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Here’s that other Kansas team. This is probably the better one. The combination of Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn has been deadly. Iowa State has some defense. The Cyclones have no offense. The firm of Martinez and Vaughn gets the job done – Kansas State 23, Iowa State 20.
9. Arkansas (3-2) at Mississippi State (4-1) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, SECN – Miss State looked really good against Texas A&M. With Will Rogers, the Bulldogs have always been a threat on offense. But this year, the Bulldogs are playing good defense. Arkansas will be a test. The Hogs have lost two straight. Bully makes it three – Mississippi State 31, Arkansas 28.
10. Oklahoma (3-2) vs. Texas (3-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC – Ah, the battle at the Texas State Fair. But the way Oklahoma has played lately, it won’t be a battle. The Sooners have looked bad. Still, this is a rivalry. You just never know. Bevo knows. He wins the blue ribbon and has the Sooners choking on fried food – Texas 33, Oklahoma 25.
Two other games to keep your eyes on during Week 6 are: BYU (4-1) vs. Notre Dame (2-2) – (Ind. vs. Ind.) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC…..and UNLV (4-1) at San Jose State (3-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 10:30 pm ET, Friday, CBSSN.
YE OLDE STOMPING
GROUNDS:
Missouri (2-3) at Florida (3-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPNU – Will Missouri give Florida fits the way the Tigers gave Auburn and Georgia fits? Me thinks not. Mizzou’s string of near misses run out. The Tigers will miss big time in The Swamp. The Gators are ready to lay one on somebody. Truman the Tiger is that somebody – Florida 30, Missouri 20.
Nebraska (2-3) at Rutgers (3-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7 pm ET, Friday, FS1 – Nebraska won its first game over an FBS team last week. Why not make it two? The Huskers are getting their act together. Rutgers can be feisty. But Herbie can be nasty – Nebraska 28, Rutgers 26.
Duke (4-1) at Georgia Tech (2-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN3 – The Dookies have found a groove. They just can’t let it become a grave. Georgia Tech played well after their coach got fired. The Jackets beat Pitt. The Dookies have to be careful. They can’t let Tech turn down the temperature. The Dookies have a Devil of a time – Duke 31, Georgia Tech 22.
Auburn (3-2) at Georgia (5-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – It’s getting tougher and tougher for Bryan Harsin. The Auburn coach is feeling the pressure. Uga will make him feel some pressure too. You just know the Dawgs are going to be mad after that almost fiasco against Missouri. Kirby will have them fired up. Poor Aubie – Georgia 28, Auburn 14.
Purdue (3-2) at Maryland (4-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, BTN – Purdue pulled a surprise and upset Minnesota last week. Of course the Gophers were without star running back Mohamed Ibrahim. Still, it was a good accomplishment for the Boilers. Maryland isn’t without anybody. All the Terps will show up. This should be a good battle between Purdue QB Aidan O’Connell and Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa. The Turtles win this race – Maryland 24, Purdue 23.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
SMU (2-2) at UCF (3-1) -- (AAC vs. AAC) - 7 pm ET, Wednesday, ESPN2....
Marist (1-3) at Stetson (3-1) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
South Florida (1-4) at Cincinnati (4-1) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 2:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
West Florida (3-1) at West Georgia (3-1) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Touchdown Tom
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