CFW Week 10 Results – First CFP rankings announced tomorrow
Penn State, Iowa State, Texas A&M,
Clemson lose, while Miami, Ole Miss,
Indiana, SMU cruise – the plot thickens
Penn State and Iowa State are no longer undefeated. Neither is Pitt. Texas A&M and Clemson suffered their first conference losses. The Aggies lost for the first time in SEC play, while the Tigers lost for the first time in ACC play.
Meanwhile, Miami, Ole Miss, Indiana and SMU scored 47 to 63 points between them (211 points combined). And their victory margins ranged between 22 and 37 points – an average of 29 points.
Penn State (7-1) lost to Ohio State (7-1) for the eighth-straight year. Nittany Lions’ coach James Franklin is responsible for all eight of those losses. Franklin is now 1-10 against the Buckeyes. Penn State led 10-0 late in the first quarter. But once Ohio State took a 14-10 lead early in the second quarter, the Buckeyes never trailed for the remainder of the game. Ohio State beat Penn State, 20-13.
Coming into Saturday’s game against Texas Tech, Iowa State was undefeated and tied with undefeated BYU for the lead in the Big 12. BYU (8-0) is still undefeated. The Cougars had the weekend off. But the Cyclones (7-1) are no longer undefeated. Texas Tech (6-3) scored a touchdown with 0:20 remaining in the game to knock off Iowa State, 23-22.
Before Saturday night, Texas A&M was the only team in the SEC with no conference losses. Now, everybody in the SEC has at least one conference loss. South Carolina (5-3) blew Texas A&M (7-2) off the field in the second half – 24-0. The Gamecocks beat the Aggies, 44-20.
Clemson was one of four teams in the ACC, along with Miami, SMU and Pitt, who were undefeated in conference play. Only Miami and SMU are undefeated in ACC games now. Clemson was riding a six-game winning streak. Not any longer. Clemson (6-2) was tripped up by Louisville, 33-21.
Some highly-ranked teams – Miami, Ole Miss, Indiana and SMU – had the opposite experience of Penn State, Iowa State, Texas A&M and Clemson. They not only won, they won big. I mean big time. After a close first half in the Duke-Miami game – Miami trailed 21-17 at the break – the Hurricanes poured it on Duke in the second half. Miami (9-0) won, 53-31.
Against Arkansas Saturday, Ole Miss (7-2) was relentless on the Razorbacks (5-4). Thirty-five points wasn’t enough for the Magnolias in the first half. Ole Miss went on to score another 28 points in the second half. Ole Miss barbecued the Hogs, 63-31.
Indiana has been the darlings of the Big Ten this season. But I don’t think Michigan State would call Indiana “the darlings.” Not after Saturday. The Hoosiers (9-0) embarrassed the Spartans, 47-10.
SMU hosted undefeated Pitt in Dallas. Pitt is no longer undefeated. The Mustangs (8-1) kicked the Panthers (7-1) into a pit. With less than five minutes remaining in the game, SMU led Pitt, 48-11. The Mustangs beat the Panthers, 48-25.
And yes, Florida State (1-8) and Nebraska (5-4) lost again. North Carolina stripped the Seminoles, 35-11, and UCLA upset the Huskers, 27-20.
So, after 10 weeks of football, where do we stand in the Power Four conference’s? Well, as I said, the plot thickens.
Two teams sit atop the Big Ten with 6-0 conference records – Oregon and Indiana. Right behind those two are Ohio State and Penn State with 4-1 conference records. Oregon’s three remaining conference games are against Maryland, Wisconsin and Washington. The Ducks don’t play Indiana, Ohio State or Penn State.
Indiana doesn’t have it quite so easy. The Hoosiers play at Ohio State in Columbus on November 23. Indiana’s other two remaining conference games are against Michigan and Purdue. Other than Indiana, Ohio State’s remaining conference games are against Purdue, Northwestern and Michigan. Penn State plays Washington, Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland.
So the key remaining game in the Big Ten looks to be Indiana at Ohio State.
It gets more interesting in the SEC. Five teams in the SEC have just one conference loss – Georgia (5-1), Texas A&M (5-1), Tennessee (4-1), Texas (3-1) and LSU (3-1). Georgia has a challenge. The Dawgs’ two remaining conference games are against Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Texas A&M has one challenge. The Aggies host Texas on November 30. Their other game is against Auburn. In addition to Georgia, Tennessee has games against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Texas has to face Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky and Texas A&M. LSU is looking at games against Alabama, Vanderbilt, Florida and Oklahoma.
If that is not enough to sort out, Alabama, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt are lurking at 3-2.
You tell me which two teams are going to come out on top in the SEC.
The Big 12 is just as perplexing. BYU is alone at the top of the conference with a 5-0 record. The Cougars have games remaining against Utah, Kansas, Arizona State and Houston. Right behind BYU are Iowa State and Colorado at 4-1. Iowa State still has to play Kansas, Cincinnati, Utah and Kansas State. Colorado’s remaining games are against Texas Tech, Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State.
Note that BYU, Iowa State and Colorado don’t play each other. And right behind Iowa State and Colorado are Kansas State, Texas Tech, Arizona State, Cincinnati and West Virginia with two losses in the conference. The Big 12 could be in for a mess.
The ACC appears to have the clearest picture of the four conferences. Miami and SMU are both at the top with 5-0 records. Miami’s remaining games are against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Syracuse. SMU has yet to play Boston College, Virginia and California.
I’d say it is looking pretty good for Miami and SMU to play for the ACC championship. However, if an upset or two should come along, Pitt and Clemson are waiting in the wings with one loss in the conference. Pitt has a tough road ahead. The Panthers play Virginia, Clemson, Louisville and Boston College. Clemson plays Virginia Tech and Pitt.
So, other than the ACC, your guess is as good as mine on who will be playing in the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 championship games. It’s looking complicated.
And who will be the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the final CFP Poll? My guess is either Army or Tulane out of the AAC or Boise State or UNLV out of the Mountain West. Army and Tulane are the only teams with unblemished conference records in the AAC. They don’t play each other during the season and are likely to meet in the AAC championship game.
Boise State appears to be a shoo-in as one of the teams in the MWC title game. The Broncos will likely meet UNLV or Colorado State in that game. Earlier in the season, Boise State beat UNLV, 29-25. Colorado State does not play Boise State or UNLV in its remaining conference games.
And by the way, as an Independent, Notre Dame is looking good to make the CFP playoff. The Irish (7-1) have remaining games against Florida State, Virginia, Army and USC.
College football Week 10 began Tuesday night in the same spot where Week 9 began last week – Miami, Florida. But the outcome was different in Week 10. Instead of losing, FIU (3-6) won. The Panthers beat New Mexico State, 34-13. A tight game at halftime – FIU led 7-6 – the Panthers outscored the Aggies 27-7 in the second half. FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins passed for 338 yards and four touchdowns. New Mexico State fell to 2-6.
The next two games Tuesday night took place in Texas. In the first of the two games, Louisiana (7-1) downed Texas State, 23-17. Texas State’s opportunities were hampered by two turnovers. In the second contest, Sam Houston (7-2) got by Louisiana Tech, 9-3. It was the lowest scoring FBS game this season. Louisiana Tech (3-5) had four turnovers.
Week 10 action resumed Wednesday night with two C-USA games. The first game saw Jamie Chadwell’s Liberty Flames continue to decline. Liberty (5-2) lost Wednesday to Jacksonville State, 31-21. It was the Flames second-straight loss. Liberty’s only lead in the game was 7-0 at the 10:43 mark in the first quarter. Thirteen seconds later, Jax State (5-3) tied the score at 7-7. The Gamecocks went up 14-7 at the 10:53 mark in the second quarter and never trailed for the remainder of the game. Jax State running back Tre Stewart rushed for 232 yards and four touchdowns. Gamecocks’ quarterback Tyler Huff passed for 95 yards and rushed for 130 yards.
The second game saw Western Kentucky (6-2) top Kennesaw State, 31-14. Hilltoppers quarterback Caden Veltkamp was 17-22-0, passing for 276 yards and three touchdowns. Kennesaw State dropped to 1-7.
Thursday night, Tulane (7-2) put down Charlotte, 34-3. The Green Wave held the Forty-Niners to 189 total yards – 69 passing yards. Tulane won its sixth-straight game.
The three games under Friday night lights covered a large swath of the country from Connecticut to Florida to Idaho. In the Nutmeg State, Connecticut (6-3) ran up a big lead and then held on to beat Georgia State, 34-27. UConn led 34-13 early in the fourth quarter. Connecticut running back Mel Brown rushed for 138 yards and one touchdown.
In Boca Raton, South Florida trailed Florida Atlantic 21-14 early in the third quarter. Then USF went on a rampage, scoring 30 unanswered points. South Florida (4-4) beat Florida Atlantic 44-21. USF racked up 525 total yards. Finally in Idaho, Boise State (7-1) trampled San Diego State, 56-24. Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen passed for 307 yards and four touchdowns, and running back Ashton Jeanty ran for 149 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos racked up 541 total yards.
Army remained undefeated Saturday, beating Air Force, 20-3. The Black Knights won the game without starting quarterback Bryson Daily. Daily was sitting out with an undisclosed injury.
In the Big Ten, Minnesota downed Illinois, 25-17. Minnesota running back Darius Taylor rushed for 131 yards and one touchdown. Also, Iowa crushed Wisconsin, 40-10. Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns.
In ACC action, Syracuse knocked off Virginia Tech in overtime, 38-31 (OT). Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns.
After the close loss to Texas last week, Vanderbilt bounced back to beat Auburn, 17-7. Both teams had less than 90 yards rushing. Tennessee downed Kentucky, 28-18. Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava passed for 292 yards and one touchdown. Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
In the Big 12, Houston shocked Kansas State. The Cougars beat the Wildcats, 24-19. Trailing Kansas State 19-10 early in the fourth quarter, Houston scored two unanswered touchdowns to win the game. The final touchdown came with 2:31 on the clock. In Orlando, UCF took out all of its frustrations on Arizona. The Knights broke a five-game losing streak, plastering the Wildcats, 56-12. UCF quarterback Dylan Rizk passed for 294 yards and three touchdowns. Knights running back R.J. Harvey rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns.
After you went to bed Saturday night, Baylor kicker Isaiah Hankins kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bears a 37-34 victory over TCU. Trailing TCU, 27-20, early in the fourth quarter, Baylor scored back-to-back touchdowns to take a 34-27 lead over the Frogs. With 1:55 remaining in the game, TCU responded with a touchdown to tie the game at 34-34.
And Colorado State downed Nevada, 38-21.
The plot thickens!
In this week’s AP Poll, Oregon (9-0) is No. 1, followed by 2. Georgia (7-1), 3. Ohio State (7-1), 4. Miami (9-0), 5. Texas (7-1) and 6. Penn State (7-1). Boise State is 12 and Army is 18.
The first CFP rankings will be released at 7 pm ET, tomorrow on ESPN. Henceforth, the CFP rankings will become the primary poll of reference.
Record producer, songwriter, composer, arranger and film and television producer Quincy Jones died yesterday. His career spanned more than 70 years with 80 Grammy nominations and 28 Grammy Awards won. Jones came to prominence in the 1950s as a jazz arranger and conductor before working on pop music and film scores. He moved easily between genres, producing pop records for Lesley Gore in the early 1960s (including “It’s My Party”) and serving as an arranger and conductor for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. He produced albums by Michael Jackson. In 1985, he produced and conducted the charity song “We Are the World.” Jones is one of only four composers to have written scores for a Steven Spielberg-directed film. A native of Chicago, Quincy Delight Jones Jr. was 91.
Touchdown Tom
November 4, 2024
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
(The next CFW – Week 11 Forecast – will be posted Thursday morning, November 7.)
Weekend Recap
GAME OF THE WEEK: Paybacks are hell – Ohio State 20, Penn State 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Penn State 21, Ohio State 20). For most of the first quarter, this game was looking good for Penn State. But Ohio State took control of the game late in the first quarter and it was all Buckeyes after that. Growing up in Pennsylvania, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard always wanted to play for Penn State. But Nittany Lions coach James Franklin had no interest in Howard. The Buckeyes’ quarterback got his paybacks. Howard passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns. The Ohio State defense held Penn State to 270 total yards. The only points in the second half were from field goals – two by Ohio State and one from Penn State. Attendance in State College: 111,030
RUNNER-UP: The Mustangs are for real – SMU 48, Pitt 25 (Touchdown Tom said: SMU 30, Pitt 24). SMU led 31-3 at halftime and 48-11 midway through the fourth quarter. Mustangs’ quarterback Kevin Jennings was 17-25-0, passing for 306 yards and two touchdowns. SMU running back Brashard Smith rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Dallas: 34,648
REST OF THE BEST: Ward to Restrepo – Miami 53, Duke 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Miami 28, Duke 21). For three quarters, Duke put up a fight. The Dookies led 21-17 at halftime. At the end of three, the Dookies only trailed by four points – 32-28. The Canes poured it on in the fourth quarter, outscoring Duke, 21-3. Four turnovers hurt the Blue Devils. Miami racked up 526 yards of offense. Miami quarterback Cam Ward and receiver Xavier Restrepo were amazing. Ward was 25-41-1, passing for 400 yards and five touchdowns. Restrepo had eight receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Attendance in Miami Gardens: 60,189
Quacky in Ann Arbor – Oregon 38, Michigan 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Oregon 27, Michigan 16). Oregon’s defense held Michigan to 11 first downs and 270 total yards. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel was 22-34-0, passing for 294 yards and one touchdown. Gabriel also ran for a touchdown. Oregon receiver Traeshon Holden had six receptions for 149 yards. Attendance in Ann Arbor: 110,576
Hoosiers continue to amaze – Indiana 47, Michigan State 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Indiana 28, Michigan State 20). After one quarter, Michigan State led 10-0. During the next three quarters, Indiana outscored the Spartans 47-0. The Hoosiers are 9-0 for the first time ever. Indiana held Michigan State to 193 total yards – just 36 yards rushing. Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke passed for 263 yards and four touchdowns. Attendance in East Lansing: 68,423
Tight game – Texas Tech 23, Iowa State 22 (Touchdown Tom said: Iowa State 33, Texas Tech 27). This game went back and forth. Texas Tech led 7-0 in the first quarter and 10-3 in the second quarter. Iowa State led 13-10 at halftime. Tech led 17-13 in the third quarter. Iowa State led 22-17 with less than two minutes to go in the fourth. Then Tech scored a touchdown on a five-yard run by Thaj Brooks with 0:20 remaining in the game. Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht was 23-39-1, passing for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Tech running back Tajh Brooks rushed for 122 yards and one touchdown. Iowa State receiver Jayden Higgins had 10 receptions for 140 yards. Attendance in Ames: 61,500
Chicken supreme – South Carolina 44, Texas A&M 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Texas A&M 26, South Carolina 23). The game was tied 20-20 at halftime. But it was all South Carolina in the second half. The Gamecocks had 530 total yards, balanced with 286 rushing and 244 passing. Texas A&M was ripe for the picking. Gamecocks’ quarterback LaNorris Sellers passed for 244 yards and two touchdowns. South Carolina receiver Joshua Simon had four receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Gamecocks’ running back Raheim Sanders rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders also had five receptions for 92 yards. Attendance in Columbia: 80,298
Clemson must be scratching its head – Louisville 33, Clemson 21 (Touchdown Tom said: Clemson 30, Louisville 17). Louisville held Clemson to seven first-half points and led the Tigers 26-7 at the end of the third quarter. The score seems strange because Clemson outperformed Louisville in all the stats. Clemson had more first downs, more total yards, more passing yards and more rushing yards. Clemson even dominated time of possession 37:52 to 22:08. But yet, the Tigers lost. Clemson running back Phil Mafah rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Louisville running back Isaac Brown rushed for 151 yards and one touchdown. Attendance in Clemson: 80,446
Jacksonville wasn’t swampy – Georgia 34, Florida 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia 30, Florida 20). Surprisingly, the Gators made a game of it for a while. Florida led 13-6 at halftime. The score was tied 20-20 late in the fourth quarter. Then Georgia scored two unanswered touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game. The Gators kept it close without starting quarterback D.J. Lagway. Lagway left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. Georgia dominated the stats. Florida only had 228 totals yards. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck threw three interceptions. He was 25-40-3, passing for 309 yards and two touchdowns. Attendance in Jacksonville: 76,307
Pig pickin’ in Fayetteville – Ole Miss 63, Arkansas 31 (Touchdown Tom said: Arkansas 20, Ole Miss 19). The Ole Miss offense went wild, racking up 694 total yards and 63 points. Actually, Arkansas’ offense wasn’t bad with 492 total yards. But the Hogs had two turnovers. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was 25-31-0, passing for 515 yards and six touchdowns. Ole Miss receiver Jordan Watkins had eight receptions for 254 yards and five touchdowns. Arkansas receiver Andrew Armstrong had six receptions for 135 yards. Attendance in Fayetteville: 72,894
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
What happened? – UCLA 27, Nebraska 20 (Touchdown Tom said: Nebraska 30, UCLA 14). I guess it’s time for Nebraska to go find a new football coach. It’s getting to be a routine in Lincoln. UCLA built up a 27-7 lead in the third quarter and then held on to win. Neither team had much offense. Nebraska lost its third-straight game. Huskers’ quarterback Dylan Raiola left the game late in the fourth quarter with a back injury. Nebraska is 5-4 overall, but 2-4 in Big Ten play. Attendance in Lincoln: 87,453
These Boilers lacked steam – Northwestern 26, Purdue 20 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: Northwestern 30, Purdue 27). Northwestern led 17-10 at halftime. Purdue rallied in the second half to take the game to overtime. In the first overtime, Purdue failed to score, and Northwestern took advantage, scoring on a 22-yard touchdown pass. Purdue only managed 47 yards rushing. Attendance in West Lafayette: 61,141
Week 10 Results: 6 winners, 6 fumbles (50 percent)
For the Season: 96 winners, 43 fumbles (69.1 percent)
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
FIU 34, New Mexico State 14 – Attendance in Miami: 9,103
South Florida 44, Florida Atlantic 21 – Attendance in Boca Raton: 20,111
Butler 46, Stetson 13 – Attendance in Indianapolis: 2,518
West Florida 70, Erskine 0 – Attendance in Due West: 787
Bethune-Cookman 24, Grambling State 21 – Attendance in Daytona Beach: 5,103
UCF 56, Arizona 12 – Attendance in Orlando: 42,110
North Carolina 35, Florida State 11 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 55,107
Florida A&M 52, Texas Southern 28 – Attendance in Tallahassee: 23,271
Superlatives
Impressive Passers:
Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart – 25-31-0 for 515 yards (6TDs); Memphis’ Seth Henigan – 35-52-1-454 (4TDs); UAB’s Jalen Kitna – 25-32-0-404 (6TDs); Miami’s Cam Ward – 25-41-1-400 (5TDs), and Akron’s Ben Filey – 22-41-1-354 (4TDs).
Also, Wyoming’s Kaden Anderson – 20-29-1 for 342 yards (3TDs); FIU’s Keyone Jenkins – 18-27-0-338 (4TDs); TCU’s Josh Hoover – 25-34-0-333 (2TDs), and Old Dominion’s Colton Joseph – 27-38-1-332 (2TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Jacksonville State’s Tre Stewart – 232 yards (4TDs); New Mexico’s Devon Dampier – 207 yards (3TDs); ULM’s Ahmad Harvey – 204 yards (1TD); Baylor’s Bryson Washington – 196 yards (4TDs); Troy’s Damien Taylor – 190 yards (1TD); UCF’s R.J. Harvey – 184 yards (5TDs), and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton – 172 yards (4TDs).
Clemson’s Phil Mafah – 171 yards (2TDs); Wyoming’s Harrison Waylee – 170 yards (1TD); SMU’s Brashard Smith – 161 yards (2TDs); Army’s Kanye Udoh – 158 yards (2TDs); Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo – 153 yards (1TD); Louisville’s Isaac Brown – 151 yards (1TD), and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty – 149 yards (2TDs).
Quotes of the Week
“I’m stoked. I’m stoked. I cannot wait. It’s going to be a homecoming for me. I grew up a Penn State fan. I wanted to go there my whole life. They didn’t think I was good enough. I guess we’ll see if I was,” Ohio State quarterback Will Howard, before the Penn State game.
We will have this program back to where it’s supposed to be in a very short time,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell, on FSU’s 1-8 record.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
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 1944, was “I’ll Walk Alone” by Dinah Shore
…75 years ago, this week in 1949, was “That Lucky Old Sun” by Frankie Lane
…70 years ago, this week in 1954, was “Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney and “This Ole House” by Rosemary Clooney
…65 years ago, this week in 1959, was “Mack The Knife” by Bobby Darin
…60 years ago, this week in 1964, was “Baby Love” by The Supremes
…55 years ago, this week in 1969, was “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley
…50 years ago, this week in 1974, was “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
…45 years ago, this week in 1979, was “Pop Muzik” by M
…40 years ago, this week in 1984, was “Caribbean Queen” by Billy Ocean
…35 years ago, this week in 1989, was “Listen To Your Heart” by Roxette
