CFW Week 1 Results – ACC to add Cal, Stanford and SMU
Just one look, that’s all it took
College football is back.
“Yeah, just one look
and I knew that I, I, I really love you”
Did you see that Colorado-TCU game? And how ’bout those Dookies!
“Oh, oh
Just one look
That’s all it took”
Well, actually it took the ACC two looks. California, Stanford and SMU didn’t qualify on the first look. They lost that encounter, 11-4. It takes 12 “yes” votes to get an invite. Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and NC State voted “no” on the first look.
That’s when Cal, Stanford and SMU put in the heavy hitters – Condoleezza Rice and George W. Bush. Rice was battling for Cal and Stanford, while Bush was fighting for SMU. The three schools made their request to join more financially attractive to the ACC. Basically, they agreed to some cuts in pay.
Well, even with the new financial terms, Cal, Stanford and SMU still weren’t attractive enough for Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina. But they were looking good to NC State. After two looks, that’s all it took. NC State changed its mind. Cal, Stanford and SMU won the second encounter, 12-3. They got their 12 “yes” votes. That’s all it took.
California and Stanford of the Pac-12 and SMU of the AAC will officially become members of the ACC on July 1, 2024. Their first season competing in the conference will be the 2024-25 academic year. And we thought realignment was over. It’s a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.
“Just one look
And I fell so hard
In love with you, oh, oh”
Yeah, it only took one look for me on Saturday to fall in love with college football again. It only took one look at the Colorado-TCU game. It was wild. It was entertaining. But most of all, it was shocking.
Colorado, under first -year coach Deion Sanders, came into the game a 20-point underdog. No one really knew what to expect from the Buffaloes. They were 1-11 last year. TCU was 13-2 last season and played for the national championship.
Let me tell you, Colorado came to play. The Buffaloes made that point clear, when they scored the first touchdown of the game with 8:58 to go in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, TCU evened the score at 7-7. The battle was on.
With 9:28 to go in the second quarter, Colorado responded. The Buffs were up 14-7. TCU countered with 1:53 to go in the first half. The Frogs scored a touchdown – 14-14. The battle was still on. Even with less than two minutes to go in the half, Colorado didn’t quit. The Buffs kicked a 49-yard field goal to take a 17-14 halftime lead.
Less than a minute into the second half, Colorado scored on a 75-yard pass from Shedeur Sanders to Dylan Edwards. The Buffs were up by 10 points – 24-14. Just 55 seconds later, TCU cut into Colorado’s lead. The Frogs scored on a 24-yard pass play to pull within three – 24-21.
TCU wasn’t finished. Late in the third quarter, the Frogs took their first lead in the game. A touchdown put TCU up 28-24. Colorado wasn’t quitting. With 0:27 left in the third, the Buffs scored and retook the lead – 31-28. And back-and-forth we went.
Four minutes into the fourth quarter, TCU responded. The Frogs scored a touchdown and went back up – 35-31. Colorado wasn’t fazed. Three minutes later, the Buffs countered with a touchdown – Colorado 38, TCU 35. The race was on.
Sure enough, and only 36 seconds later, TCU scored a touchdown to retake the lead at 42-38. But Colorado wasn’t finished. With 4:25 left in the game, Colorado scored on a 46-yard touchdown pass again from Shedeur Sanders to Dylan Edwards. The Buffs were up by three.
In the final minutes, TCU had its chances, but Colorado held on to win – 45-42. The TCU fans were stunned.
“Just one look
And I knew
That you
Were my only one, oh, oh”
The openers Thursday night didn’t look good for two teams – Florida and Nebraska. The Gators only had 13 yards rushing in their 24-11 loss to Utah. The Huskers had four (here we go again) turnovers in their 13-10 loss to Minnesota. You simply don’t win football games with 13 yards rushing and four turnovers.
I’ve often heard coaches say that the defense is generally ahead of the offense in the opening game of the season. That statement was ever so true, watching the Nebraska-Minnesota game. The Huskers and Gophers offenses were so bad it made it a bit hard to fall in love with college football after just one look. There was no offense.
Fortunately for UCF, the Knights had their act together on offense. On Thursday night, UCF scored 14 points (two touchdowns) in each of the four quarters to beat Kent State 56-6. The Knights racked up 723 yards on offense – 334 yards passing and 389 yards rushing. UCF did all of this in spite of three turnovers.
Former Virginia quarterback, now NC State quarterback, Brennan Armstrong rushed for 96 yards, as the Wolfpack downed Connecticut, 24-14.
I don’t care who your opponent is, anytime you complete 92.7% of your passes, it’s a remarkable accomplishment. UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno was 38-41-0, passing for 291 yards and three touchdowns, as the Blazers beat North Carolina A&T, 35-6.
Friday night, the Canes offense wasn’t confused in the Confusion Bowl. Miami beat Miami. Confused? Miami (Florida) beat Miami (Ohio), 38-3. The Miami from Florida had 493 total yards. Canes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw a 44-yard touchdown pass on his first pass of the game.
Louisville at Georgia Tech was an interesting game. The Cardinals led, 6-0, at the end of one. But the Jackets came back and led, 28-13, at halftime. The second half was all Louisville, as the Cardinals scored 26 unanswered points. Tech’s one and only score in the second half came with 1:07 left in the game. Louisville downed Georgia Tech, 39-34. The teams combined for 962 total yards.
In the very late, late show Friday night, Stanford beat Hawaii, 37-24. Stanford controlled Hawaii better than Vanderbilt did the previous week. The Trees limited the Rainbow Warriors to -5 yards rushing. But Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager did pass for 355 yards and three touchdowns.
“I found out
How good it feels
Forever and always, oh, oh”
There were two overtime games on Saturday and both were upsets. Northern Illinois knocked off Boston College, 27-24 (OT). BC trailed throughout the game and tied the score at 21-21 with 1:44 left on the clock. In a bigger upset, Wyoming surprised Texas Tech, 35-33 (2OT). Tech led 17-0 at the end of the first quarter, but had to kick a field goal with 0:41 remaining to tie the score. It was 20-20 at the end of regulation.
Not an overtime, but perhaps the biggest upset, Texas State shocked Baylor, 42-31.
Six teams definitely had no problem with their offenses on Saturday. They were really racking up the points. Oregon downed Portland State, 81-7. The Ducks had 729 total yards – 381 passing and 348 rushing. Oklahoma toppled Arkansas State, 73-0. Arkansas State needs to fire Butch Jones. Jones is a fraud, pretending to be a football coach.
Ole Miss pummeled Mercer, 73-7. Three Ole Miss quarterbacks passed for a combined 524 yards. Cincinnati beat Eastern Kentucky, 66-13, and USC dumped Nevada, 66-14. Caleb Williams threw five touchdown passes. Syracuse humbled Colgate, 65-0.
“So you see
I really care
Without you
I’m nothing, oh, oh”
Air Force quarterback Zac Larrier passed for 95 yards and rushed for 99 yards. The Falcons beat Robert Morris, 42-7. Air Force had 380 rushing yards.
Sunday night, Florida State made mincemeat of LSU. The Noles embarrassed the Tigers, 45-24. Seven of LSU’s 24 points came in the closing seconds of the game. That’s right. It was 45-17 as the game was winding down.
With Florida State’s win over LSU and North Carolina’s win over South Carolina, the SEC took it on the chin from the ACC. Wonder what Paul Finebaum has to say about that?
The long Labor Day weekend came to a close last night with yet another big upset. Just as Colorado shocked us Saturday, Duke shocked us last night. The Dookies knocked off 9th-ranked Clemson, and they knocked off the Tigers big time – Duke 28, Clemson 7.
“Just one look
That’s all it took”
There were six potentially interesting and intriguing games I told you to keep an eye on. First (Toledo-Illinois): Illinois had to kick a 29-yard field goal with 0:05 on the clock to beat Toledo, 30-28. Second (Coastal Carolina-UCLA): As the fourth quarter began, UCLA only led Coastal Carolina, 14-13. The Bruins beat the Chanticleers, 27-13. Third (Virginia-Tennessee): Tennessee got off to a slow start but ultimately looked impressive, beating Virginia, 49-13. The Vols held the Cavs to 12 first downs.
Fourth (Oregon State-San Jose State): Oregon State had a balanced attack, beating San Jose State, 42-17. Fifth (Utah State-Iowa): It looks like Iowa may have another lethargic offense again this season. The Hawkeyes only had 88 yards rushing, but beat Utah State, 24-14. And Sixth (Washington State-Colorado State): Washington State led Colorado State, 36-3 early in the fourth quarter. The Cougars beat the Rams, 50-24. WSU quarterback Cameron Ward passed for 451 yards.
So, we now know the fate of California and Stanford. With their acceptance into the ACC, they will be joining eight of their fellow Pac-12 schools, moving into new conferences next season – four to the Big Ten, four to the Big 12 and two to the ACC. That leaves Oregon State and Washington State, hanging on a tree limb in the Pac-2. The Beavers and the Cougars will likely announce their intentions later this week. And it’s looking like a move to the Mountain West Conference, which means a move from Power Five to the Group of Five. It’s sad for those two schools.
By the way, the Pac-12 was 12-0 during opening weekend – the only Power Five conference to go undefeated.
With the loss of SMU to the ACC, reports say the American Athletic Conference (AAC) will target Army to replace SMU. Stay tuned!
“Niblin’ on sponge cake. Watchin’ the sun bake….” Singer, songwriter, musician, author and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffett died on September 1. As a singer, Buffett’s biggest song was “Margaritaville,” which peaked at No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The song spent 22 weeks on the chart in the spring and summer of 1977. His other Top 40 hits were “Come Monday,” “Changes In Latitude, Changes in Attitude,” “Cheeseburger In Paradise” and “Fins.” A native of Pascagoula, Mississippi, who grew up in Mobile and Fairhope, Alabama, James William Buffett was 76. “….And I know this is somebody’s fault.”
Swamp Mama came up with a name for Rockledge Gator and me: The Romeos – Real old men eating out.
Yeah, just one look, that’s all it took. College football is back!
Touchdown Tom
September 5, 2023
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Note: CFW Week 2 Forecast will be posted Thursday morning, September 7.
Week One Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Not ready for prime time – Florida State 45, LSU 24 (Touchdown Tom said: LSU 27, Florida State 23). LSU is not a good football team. The Tigers defense is bad and the offense is a one-man show. LSU expects Jaden Daniels to be the quarterback and a running back. The Tigers were overrated at preseason. Actually, LSU played a good game for one half – the first half. The Tigers led FSU, 17-14 at the break. Then the Noles scored 31 unanswered points in the second half. LSU ran out of steam at halftime. I’m impressed with FSU’s Jordan Travis. He is a good quarterback. FSU receiver Keon Coleman had nine receptions for 122 yards. The two teams combined for 954 total yards. It’s back to the drawing board for LSU coach Brian Kelly. Last year on opening weekend, Florida State beat LSU, 24-23, in New Orleans. Attendance in Orlando: 65,429
RUNNER-UP: Heisman performance – Washington 56, Boise State 19 (Touchdown Tom said: Washington 30, Boise State 15). Washington’s Michael Penix picked up where he left off last year. The Huskies quarterback passed for 450 yards and five touchdowns. Washington got off to a slow start, trailing Boise State, 6-0, at the end of the first quarter. The Huskies trailed the Broncos, 9-7, midway through the second quarter. Then Washington scored 17 unanswered points and never trailed again. Washington receiver Rome Odunze had 7 receptions for 132 yards. The Huskies finished with 568 total yards, but only 78 yards rushing. Attendance in Seattle: 67,475
REST OF THE BEST: Gators lost their shaker of salt – Utah 24, Florida 11 (Touchdown Tom said: Utah 28, Florida 17). Florida wasn’t supposed to win, but the Gators were supposed to look better than they did – especially with Utah quarterback Cam Rising not playing. Buth Utah’s defense and undisciplined play by the Gators killed Florida. The Utes held Florida to a very meager 13 rushing yards. And the Gators racked up nine penalties. Entering the fourth quarter, Utah led, 24-3. The Gators were 1-for-13 on third down efficiency. You can’t blame the loss on Florida quarterback Graham Mertz. Mertz actually had a reasonably decent game. His only mistake was one interception. Mertz was 31-for-44, passing for 333 yards and one touchdown. In his post-game presser, Florida coach Billy Napier said the Florida players would get better and better with each game this season. Translation: The Florida players aren’t worth a crap right now. Attendance in Salt Lake City: 53,644
No Beaner ball – North Carolina 31, South Carolina 17 (Touchdown Tom said: South Carolina 26, North Carolina 24). South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler (30-39-0 for 353 yards) had a better game than North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye. But Rattler didn’t throw any touchdown passes, and South Carolina was limited to -2 yards rushing. This has to be a big disappointment for Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer. Attendance in Charlotte: 68,723
Nothing can stop the Duke of Durham – Duke 28, Clemson 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 28, Duke 21). Clemson has quarterback problems. The Tigers had quarterback problems last year. They have a quarterback problem again this year. Cade Klubnik didn’t get the job done. Duke doesn’t have a quarterback problem. Riley Leonard got the job done. Leonard passed for 176 yards and rushed for 98 yards. He didn’t throw any interceptions. Clemson led at halftime, 7-6. Duke proceeded to score 22 unanswered points in the second half. Clemson came into the game ranked 9th in the country. This was Duke’s first win over a Top 10 team since 1989 when Steve Spurrier coached the Dookies. During basketball season, you’ve heard of the Cameron Crazies. Now Duke has the Wallace Wade Crazies. They stormed the field after the game. Attendance in Durham: 31,638
Brown out – Penn State 38, West Virginia 15 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 34, West Virginia 17). This was a decent game until midway through the third quarter. Penn State led, 14-7. Then the Nittany Lions scored 17 unanswered points. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was 21-29-0, passing for 325 yards and three touchdowns. It was a clean game. There were no turnovers and only six penalties for 60 yards. Neal Brown’s days as the WVU football coach are numbered. The crowd in Beaver Stadium was the fourth largest in stadium history. Attendance in University Park: 110,747
Green storm surge – Tulane 37, South Alabama 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Tulane 34, South Alabama 31). Tulane jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never trailed in the game. South Alabama quarterback Carter Bradley was disappointing. He threw two interceptions. Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt was impressive. He was 14-15-0, passing for 294 yards and four touchdowns. South Alabama only had 75 yards rushing. The game was marred with eight turnovers – 5 by South Alabama and 3 by Tulane. Attendance in New Orleans: 26,973
Here we go again – Minnesota 13, Nebraska 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Minnesota 23, Nebraska 20). Under previous coach Scott Frost, Nebraska often suffered losses due to late game turnovers. Late in the game Thursday night, Nebraska led Minnesota, 10-3. But two turnovers in the final four minutes of the game enabled the Gophers to score a touchdown and kick a field goal. Minnesota’s victory came on a 47-yard field goal as time expired. Three of Nebraska’s four turnovers were interceptions thrown by quarterback Jeff Sims. Neither team had much offense. They combined for only 546 total yards. Nebraska only had 114 yards passing, and Minnesota only had 55 yards rushing. Attendance in Minneapolis: 53,629
Close but no overtime – Houston 17, UTSA 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Houston 35, UTSA 32). Houston led 17-7 late in the fourth quarter. UTSA scored its second touchdown with 5:42 to go in the game. UTSA quarterback Frank Harris threw three interceptions. That was a killer for the Roadrunners. Houston had no turnovers. Attendance in Houston: 37,862
It was Prime Time in Fort Worth – Colorado 45, TCU 42 (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 27, Colorado 16). This game was exciting from the opening minutes of the first quarter to the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. Never a dull moment. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion’s son, passed for 510 yards. He was 38-47-0, with four touchdown passes. Colorado receivers Dylan Edwards, Travis Hunter, Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn were impressive. The two teams combined for 1,106 total yards. TCU quarterback Chandler Morris threw two interceptions. Colorado only had 55 yards rushing. That is the Buffs weakness. Look for Colorado to be ranked in the Top 25 this week. Attendance in Fort Worth: 53,294
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
One UT down, one to go – Georgia 48, UT Martin 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 46, UT Martin 9). Georgia got off to a slow start. The Dawgs only led 7-0 with less than five minutes to go in the second quarter. Then Georgia turned it on. UT Martin’s only touchdown came in the fourth quarter. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck passed for 294 yards. Georgia played three quarterbacks. The Dawgs racked up 559 total yards and 28 first downs. Now, will Georgia beat the other UT on its schedule? Attendance in Athens: 92,746
Where was Arch? – Texas 37, Rice 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas 40, Rice 12). Texas only led 16-3 at halftime. Then the Horns scored three touchdowns in the third quarter. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Arch Manning didn’t play. Texas had 24 first downs to just eight for Rice. The Horns defense held Rice to 27 yards rushing. Attendance in Austin: 98,017
Steamless in West Lafayette – Fresno State 39, Purdue 35 (Touchdown Tom said: Purdue 20, Fresno State 19). Purdue never trailed in the game until 13:44 to go in the fourth quarter when Fresno State went up 32-28. Purdue retook the lead at 35-32 with 4:36 to go in the game. Fresno State scored a touchdown on a 22-yard pass with 0:59 on the clock. That put the Bulldogs up 39-35. Fresno State quarterback Mikey Keene passed for 366 yards and four touchdowns. The two teams combined for 850 total yards. I’m surprised Purdue gave up 39 points. First-year Purdue coach Ryan Walters is a defensive whizz. Not Saturday. Attendance in West Lafayette: 54,898
Week 1 Results: 8 winners, 5 fumbles (61.5 percent)
For the Season: 11 winners, 5 fumbles (68.8 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
UCF 56, Kent State 6 – Attendance in Orlando: 44,088
West Florida 35, Kentucky Wesleyan 3 – Attendance in Pensacola: 4,068
Miami 38, Miami (Ohio) 3 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: 49,024
Western Kentucky 41, South Florida 24 – Attendance in Bowling Green: 15,438
Florida Atlantic 42, Monmouth 20 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 20,893
Stetson 34, St. Thomas (Florida) 33 (OT) – Attendance in Deland: 1,609
FIU 14, Maine 12 – Attendance in Miami: 16,878
Memphis 56, Bethune-Cookman 14 – Attendance in Memphis: 26,632
Florida A&M 28, Jackson State 10 – Attendance in Miami Gardens: N/A
Superlatives
Week One’s Best Passers:
Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders – 38-47-0 for 510 yards (4TDs); Washington State’s Cameron Ward – 37-49-0-451 (3TDs); Washington’s Michael Penix – 29-40-0-450 (5TDs); Fresno State’s Mikey Keene – 31-44-1-366 (4TDs); Hawaii’s Brayden Schager – 30-53-0-355 (3TDs); South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler – 30-39-0-353; LSU’s Jayden Daniels – 22-37-1-347 (1TD), and Cincinnati’s Emory Jones – 19-23-0-345 (5TDs).
Also, Florida State’s Jordan Travis – 23-31-1 for 342 yards (4TDs); Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed – 29-50-0-336 (2TDs); Ole Miss’s – Jaxson Dart – 18-23-0-334 (4TDs); Penn State’s Drew Allar – 21-29-0-325 (3TDs); USC’s Caleb Williams – 18-24-0-319 (5TDs); New Mexico State’s Diego Pavia – 18-20-0-317 (2TDs); Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel – 19-22-0-308 (2TDs); Baylor’s Blake Shapen – 21-31-0-304 (2TDs), and Texas State’s T.J. Finley – 22-30-0-298 (3TDs).
Also, Tulane’s Michael Pratt – 14-15-0 for 294 yards (4TDs); Georgia’s Carson Beck – 21-31-0-294 (1TD); UAB’s Jacob Zeno – 38-41-0-291 (3TDs); Oregon’s Bo Nix – 23-27-0-287 (3TDs); Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy – 26-30-0-280 (3TDs); Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa – 22-33-0-260 (3TDs); Texas’ Quinn Ewers – 19-30-0-260 (3TDs), and Arkansas’ K.J. Jefferson – 18-23-0-246 (3TDs).
Week One’s Best Rushers:
Troy’s Kimani Vidal – 248 yards; Western Michigan’s Jalen Buckley – 194 yards (1TD); California’s Jaydn Ott – 188 yards (2TDs); Georgia State’s Marcus Carroll – 184 yards (3TDs); UTEP’s Deion Hankins – 174 yards; TCU’s Emani Bailey – 164 yards, and South Florida’s Byrum Brown – 160 yards (2TDs).
Also, Wisconsin’s Chez Mellusi – 157 yards (2TDs); Oregon State’s Damien Martinez – 145 yards; Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen – 141 yards (2TDs); Missouri’s Cody Schrader – 138 yards (1TD); Marshall’s Rasheen Ali – 137 yards (2TDs), and San Diego State’s Jalen Mayden – 132 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“Do you believe now,?” Deion Sanders to the press, following Colorado’s win over TCU.
“We thought we were the Georgia Bulldogs, “LSU coach Brian Kelly, on the mindset of the LSU football team before the Florida State game.
Sign of the Weekend
Carolina is in Chapel Hill,
USC is in California
Touchdown Tom
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