After five weeks of some good games and a whole lot of meh, college football fans were greeted with some real gems for Week 6. Alabama became the first bowl eligible team with their sixth win. The Red River Shootout had another classic. Mizzou and South Carolina slugged it out in a monsoon. The soap opera in Tallahassee had more twists and turns. Auburn’s offense fell flat. And LSU-Florida showed us why this annual crossover game needs to continue. Eight ranked teams fell to defeat. Seven of the winners were lower ranked or unranked.

#5 LSU lost to #22 Florida.
#7 Oklahoma fell to #19 Texas.
#8 Auburn kerflopped against Missy State.
#13 Kentucky were doomed by mistakes in a loss to Texas A&M in OT.
#14 Stanford got hammered at home by Utah.
#20 Michigan State lost to Northwestern for the third straight year.
#24 Virginia Tech lost to #6 Notre Dame and probably shouldn’t have been ranked to begin with.
#25 Oklahoma State lost at home to Iowa State.

ROLL TIDE

ALABAMA 65 Arkansas 31

You don’t have to be a Gump to admit this may be the most efficient college football offense of the modern era if not all time. Tua Tagovailoa’s possessions went TD, TD, TD, over on Downs (all running plays), TD, TD, TD, TD. No punts, no turnovers. Two of the scores came on the first play of the series. One came on the second play. I stole this nugget from rugman11: Alabama is averaging 39.7 points per game in the first half. That number would be good for 17th in the country in overall scoring.

The defense is another story. They are young and still make some mistakes but there is immense talent on that side of the ball as well. There is some concern when giving up 31 points to anyone, but this Tide offense seems able to overcome any hole the D may put them in.

If you are keeping track at home, Alabama now has six non-offensive touchdowns on the season:

• vs. Louisville Josh Jacobs 77 yard kickoff return.
• vs. Louisville Shyheim Carter 45 yard interception return.
• vs. Arkansas State Saivion Smith 38 yard interception return.
• vs. Ole Miss Xavier McKinney 30 yard interception return.
• vs. ULL Jaylen Waddle 63 yard punt return
• vs. Arkansas Shyheim Carter 44 yard interception return.

ESS-EE-SEE

South Carolina 37 Missouri 35 - The two Columbia schools slogged their way through a driving rain that had a big impact on the outcome such as a 25-yard field goal (above) that was missed, a SC pick six and a blocked punt by Mizzou. Lightning delayed the game with under 2 minutes to play and the Gamecocks clinging to a two point lead. The teams were greeted with dryer conditions upon returning, enough so that Mizz connected on an unfathomable 57 yard field goal to take the lead. With 1:18 to play, SC was able to drive enough to kick a game-winning 33-yard field goal with 2 seconds to play.

South Carolina backup quarterback Michael Scarnecchia, playing in place of injured Jake Bentley, threw for three touchdowns and had 0 turnovers. It was the first college start for the fifth-year senior. There is something to be said for staying at your original school, working hard every day, and waiting your turn. Michael Scarnecchia: I am a fan.

Florida 27 LSU 19 - You wouldn’t know it by the score but this was a good defensive battle with some hard hitting and a little chippiness. In other words, classic SEC.

Seldom-used Gators tight end Lucas Krull threw a perfect pass to Feleipe Franks on a trick play that set up a Florida touchdown that put them up 20-19 in the fourth quarter. A pick-six thrown with under 2 minutes to play by two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week Joe Burrow sent LSU home with their first loss.

Texas A&M 20 Kentucky 14 (OT) - Another tough hard-fought game ended in some UK miscues. The Wildcats went toe-to-toe with the Aggies and the two remained locked at 10-10 at the end of regulation. In the first overtime period, Kentucky had a 3rd and 2 at the 17-yard line when QB Terry Wilson took a damaging sack to push the ‘Cats back 8 yards. UK’s kicker hit the crossbar on 43-yard field goal attempt. The Aggies scored on four plays to clinch the victory.

Mississippi State 23 Auburn 9 - Last November, Auburn upset the Crimson Tide and won the SEC West. Auburn fans threw toilet paper in their trees and probably came up with some stupid name for the win. However, the moniker it will instead be remembered as is “The Iron Bowl That Didn’t Matter”. Alabama still went to the playoff and won the whole shebang. But wait! That game is the gift that keeps on giving. After the win and rumors of Arkansas trying to woo Gustavo Malzahn away from the west Georgia campus forced Aubie’s hand and they decided they could not live without him. Now they are stuck with the so-called quarterback guru/offensive genius, his big fat 7-year contract, and his $32 MILLION DOLLAR BUYOUT.

Once upon a time, Aubie quarterback Jarrett Stidham was trumpeted as a Heisman Trophy contender. On Saturday, he looked like another AU Heisman wannabe turned bust Jeremy Johnson, overthrowing wide open receivers on several occasions and producing only three field goals. The running game totaled 90 yards. But the blame is not all on Stidham. This offensive line is trash.

Meanwhile, MSU QB Nick Fitzgerald finally broke out of his timid shell and ran like his old self crashing into defenders to the tune of 195 yards rushing and two scores. Kylin Hill added 126 rushing yards of his own. Conversely, the Bullies’ passing game was nonexistent with Fitz going 9/17 for 69 yards, a pick and no scores.

THE REST OF THE SEC

Georgia 41 Vanderbilt 13 - UGA did what was expected.
Ole Miss 70 UL Monroe 21 - The Rebs are making a serious run at the Sun Belt championship.

NATIONAL

MAINE > VILLANOVA > TEMPLE > MARYLAND > TEXAS > OKLAHOMA

Texas 48 Oklahoma 45 - “Texas is BACK... again! And this time we mean it! I swearz!” This was a wild game that looked like a runaway until the Longhorns kicked a 40 yard field goal with 9 seconds to go to win. Texas built a 45-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter. But this is Big 12 football and Texas has a Big 12 defense. Kyler Murray led the Sooners on a rally of three straight touchdowns to tie the score at 45. UT quarterback Sam Ehlinger had one last drive in him going 52 yards on 9 plays before the game-winning kick sailed through the uprights.

It’s funny how just a month ago, Tejas fans were ripping Ehlinger to shreds but he was pretty darn good (24/35, 314 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT; 19 rush, 71 yds, 3 TD) in this year’s version of the Red River Shootout handing the Sooners their first loss on the season.

Some time after the game, Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley dismissed defensive coordinator Mike Stoops who is brother of former Okie head coach Bob Stoops.

Miami 28 FSU 27 - The Seminoles had this game. For a time, it looked like maybe Willie Taggart had turned the corner and got his team back on track. Canes QB N’Kosi Perry was struggling mightily and FSU was up 27-7 with 5 minutes to go in the third quarter when Deondre Francois was sacked and fumbled on his own 20. The Canes punched it in to make it 27-14. On the ensuing drive, Francois was sacked on the first play and picked on the second. 17 yards later, the Noles lead shrunk to 6. Two possessions later, Miami took their first lead of the game and held FSU without a first down on their last three possessions. Francois continues to bark at his teammates and the chaos continues. (I am so glad Burt Reynolds wasn’t around to see this.)

Taggart has five years remaining on his $30 million contract at FSU and would be paid 85 percent of his remaining contract if he were to be fired, which comes out to around $21.3 million after this season.

Clemson 63 Wake Forest 3 - For once, quarterbacks were not the main topic of a Clemson game. Trevor Lawrence (20/25 175, 2 TD, 0 INT) was efficient but the ground game was devastating. The Tigers had three running backs with over 100 yards. Travis Etienne, Lyn-J Dixon, and Adam Choice each had 10 carries for 128+ yards and each had runs of 64 yards or more. Etienne had three scores, Dixon two and Choice had one.
Notre Dame 45 Virginia Tech 23 - After leading by a single point at the half, Irish QB Ian Book (25/35 271 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT), RB Dexter Williams (17 rush, 178 yds), Miles Boykin (8 rec, 117 yds), and company scored 21 unanswered points to make this ND team a tiny bit scary at 6-0.

ELIMINATED (ALL HOME LOSSES)

Utah 40 Stanford 21 - Without injured RB Bryce Love, the Trees are just another also-ran.
Northwestern 29 Michigan State 19 - An ugly loss to a bad team at home just piles on the disappointment in East Lansing. Now, all Sparty can do is play spoiler. Please play spoiler, Sparty.
Iowa State 48 Oklahoma State 42 - Remember Brock Purdy, a little known 3-star QB from Arizona that Alabama offered late in the 2018 recruiting cycle? He signed with ISU and was third-string coming into this game. With the ISU starter out injured and the second guy ineffective, the Cyclones turned to Purdy (18/23, 318 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT) and he sparked the team to a big road win. This is the death knell for the Cowpokes. Losing at home to Iowa State? Yeah, they’re done.

THE LAST WINLESS P5

Washington 31 UCLA 24 - A late Bruins score makes this game look closer than it was.
Wisconsin 41 Nebraska 24 - bad.

THE WACKY WORLD OF DESMOND HOWARD

Herbie and I took another hit with Oklahoma going down, though they could get revenge on Tejas later. It’s funny sad how nobody picked Ohio State to win the B1G. Now it seems inevitable.

• DESI - Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, West Virginia, Washington. Mich over WVU; Bama over UW; Mich over Bama.
• CORSO - Georgia, Clemson, Wisconsin, Texas, Washington. Clemson over UW; Wisky over UGA; Wisky over Clemson.
• HERBIE - Alabama, Clemson, Penn State, Oklahoma, Washington. Bama over UW; Clemson over PSU; Bama over Clemson.

MY PICKS

• Alabama, Clemson, Penn State, Oklahoma, Washington. Bama over Okie; Clemson over PSU; Bama over Clemson.

BAMA STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

Not too much going on in this department. Texas A&M might be the best win.

• Louisville - The Cardinals (2-4) were run over by Georgia Tech 66-31. I don’t think anyone expected ‘Ville to be this bad this year. The rest of their schedule is @BC, Wake, @Clem, @Syra, NCSt, UK. I’m not so sure if there is a single win in there.
• Arkansas State (3-2) - The Red Wolves had the week off to prep for a Tuesday night game against App State (7pm CT ESPN2).
• La-Laf - The Ragin’ Cajuns (2-3) defeated Texas State 42-27. There may be hope for them after all. They now welcome New Mexico State (2-4) to campus.
• Citadel (Nov 17) - The Fightin’ Cupcakes (1-3) had a week off from sucking.

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• FAU! (3-3) - The Owls got back to their lighting-up-the-scoreboard ways with a 52-33 win over Old Dominion. ODU had 501 total yards. FAU had 605.
• Hawaii (6-1) Playing without their star quarterback Cole McDonald, the Rainbow Warriors became bowl eligible after slipping past Wyoming 17-13 on a 38 yard pass with four minutes to play. Hawaii now faces a tough road game at BYU (3-3) who is 1-2 at home. There is no word on how long McDonald will be out but they are going to need him.

COUSINS

• Troy (5-1) - Trojans QB Kaleb Barker had a Tua-esque game with 9-of-10 passing for 136 yards and two touchdowns - all in the first half - as Troy cruised by Georgia State 37-20. Next, it’s a game at Liberty who is transitioning to FBS. Not sure how Troy got talked into a trip to Lynchburg.
• South Alabama (1-5) - The Jags were trounced by Georgia Southern 48-13. USA lost the turnover battle 4-0. It’s been a long season for USA and it’s gonna get longer. At least they have FCS Alabama State up next.

THAT ANNOYING STEP-BROTHER WHO IA ALWAYS TRYING TO BORROW MONEY

UAB (4-1) - The Blazers beat LaTech 28-7.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

• Army (3-2) - The Black Knights had a bye week. They match up with winless San Jose State in upstate New York.
• Navy (2-3) The Midshipmen were upset by Air Force 35-7 accumulating only 178 total yards. They next host wishy-washy Temple.
• Air Force (2-3) - The Falcons take the early lead in the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Next is a tough trip to San Diego State.

ELIMINATED

Only 8 Power 5 teams remain unbeaten. 14 have one loss.

NEW:
AUBURN! - Second loss of the season for the fifth highest paid coach in college football.
Michigan State - Loss number two came at home to previously one-win Northwestern. Yikes.
Mizzou - Second loss.
Stanford - Second loss in a row.

All non-Power 5 teams.
Ole Miss
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Arkansas
Arizona
Arizona State
Baylor
Boston College
BYU
Cal
Duke
FSU
Georgia Tech
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Iowa State
Kansas State
Kansas
Louisville
Maryland
Minnesota
Nebraska
North Carolina
Northwestern
Oklahoma State
Oregon State
Pitt
Purdue
Rutgers
Southern Cal
Syracuse
TCU
Texas Tech
UCLA
Utah
Vandy
Wake Forest
Virginia
Virginia Tech

ENDANGERED

The following are still in the running but have a slim margin for error.

Clemson - You might find this one controversial but if the Tigers drop a single game in the lame ACC, they very well could be out of the running for a playoff spot.
Florida
Kentucky - NEW!
LSU - NEW!
Miami
Michigan
Mississippi State
Oklahoma - NEW!
Oregon
Penn State
Texas
Washington
Washington State
Wisconsin

THE CONTENDERS

A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture:

The situation is still a bit murky. Could this be the season a 2-loss team gets in?

• ACC - It looks like Clemson or nothing. NC State is 5-0 but that won’t last. Miami took a hit when LSU lost.
• Big Ten - Ohio State still leads. Michigan State is done and over. Michigan and Wisky play this weekend. PSU needs a LOT of help.
• Big 12 - Okie has allowed Texas back in the chase. WVU is the only remaining team without a loss (5-0).
• PAC-12 - Is Colorado for real? We’re about to find out in a hurry with consecutive road games at So Cal and Washington. Stanford is toast.
• SEC - It’s mostly Alabama and UGA, and a bunch of praying by LSU and Florida. Should Kentucky still get consideration? Aubie is done.
• Indies - Notre Dame remaining schedule: Pitt, Navy, @NW, FSU, Syra, @SoCal. Remember, they have no championship game. Mediocre wins will hurt them.

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

The Southeastern Conference has 8 ranked teams:

#1 Ala
#2 UGA
#13 LSU
#14 Fla
#18 UK
#21 Aub
#22 TAMU
#24 MSU

Here is my half-ass as-of-now ranking:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. It pains me to do this but... Notre Dame.
5. Clemson

LET’S GO BOWLING

Seven teams are bowl eligible including out-of-nowhere Cincinnati. The other six win teams are Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson, and Hawaii (6-1).

DIVISION II

From 1986-2013, the NCAA Division II Football Championship was played at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, home of the North Alabama Lions. Soccer stadium Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas outbid Braly for 2014-2017 but last season’s game drew only 4,259. The championship is on the move again and this time it is moving to one of the most ridiculously lavish high school football stadiums you may ever see located in a Dallas, TX suburb of McKinney.

STAT OF THE DAY

• Former Florida Gators running back Jordan Cronkrite tallied 302 yards on 23 carries and three TDs for South Florida in a 58-42 victory over UMass.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to Tim Tebow for the creepy weird pajama top he wore when Florida inducted him into the Ring of Honor.

HEISMAN HYPE

With the exception of TWO YEARS, the Heisman Trophy voting is basically a hype award. Often times voters fall in love with someone way too early. This year, that love may last.

Favorites (in no particular order)-

• Dwayne Haskins (QB thatOSU RS Soph.) was 33-44, 455 yds, 6 TD, 2 INT against Indiana. Despite the 23-point win at home, back-up Tate Martell did not play and the Buckeyes kept trying to score, throwing passes even on their final drive that ran out the clock. Stay classy, Urban.
• Tua Tagovailoa (QB Alabama Soph.) - Another unbelievable effort and the press is starting to figure out how special he really is.

Also-

• Kyler Murray (QB Oklahoma Jr.) - 19 of 26 passing for 304 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT, with 11 rushes for 92 yards and a TD. He missed out on a chance for a “Heisman moment” against Texas.

Meh-

• Will Grier (QB West Virginia Sr.) - 28-41, 332 yds, 4 TD, 3 INT against Kansas. Grier played the whole game despite his team being up big. Three picks hurts his chances.
• Benny Snell (RB Kentucky Jr.) was held to 60 yards on 13 carries with no scores against TAMU.
• Jonathan Taylor (RB Wisconsin Soph.) - 221 yards rushing and three scores against 0-5 Nebraska. Jonathan Taylor Thomas could’ve gained 221 yards against that defense.
• Bryce Love (RB Stanford Sr.) - Did not play against Utah. You will not see him on this list after this edition.
• Ed Oliver (DT Houston Jr.) - Still no sacks on the season, but had 4 solo tackles and 9 assists against Tulsa.

Who Should Win -

• Tua

THE SICK REPORT

• Starting cornerback Trevon Diggs has a broken foot and is out indefinitely. (angry face emoticon). Reserve tight end Kedrick James has a high ankle sprain.
• Reserve Tide safety Daniel Wright was suspended for a violation of team rules and then a day later underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. He will miss the rest of the season, according to sources. The true sophomore has played in four games this season. Will he transfer?
• On the bright side, check out Terrell Lewis!
• Auburn WR Will Hastings is likely out for the year after having surgery on the same knee that he had torn an ACL in the spring. Perhaps he came back too soon? The senior caught 26 passes for 525 yards and four touchdowns last season but had no stats in two games played this season.
• Senior Miss State cornerback Jamal Peters has missed the third straight game with a left leg injury.
• Wisconsin’s No. 1 blocking tight end Zander Neuville sustained season-ending knee injury during practice last week.
• According to The Miami Herald, junior Hurricanes receiver Ahmmon Richards’ football career is over because of a disabling neck injury. Once upon a time, Alabama wanted him to come to the Capstone but he chose to stay close to mommy and daddy.
• Oklahoma State senior defensive tackle Darrion Daniels will miss the rest of the season with a finger injury. How bad could it be that a DT can’t just tape up his hand in one of those oven mitt clubs like Reuben Foster had a few years ago? It’s not like he needs to catch the ball. Former Tide player Rashad Johnson lost tip of finger in an Arizona Cardinals game and was back on the field 3 weeks later. I’m just sayin’...

DRAMA

• Running back Greg Bell will abuse the redshirt rule and transfer from Nebraska. Earlier last week sophomore wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey, the No. 78 prospect nationally in the Class of 2017, left the team and announced he will join Oregon State. How bad must Nebraska be for a guy to leave Lincoln for the Beavers?
• Former Clemson running back C.J. Fuller passed away suddenly Wednesday afternoon at the age of 22 under what at the moment are unknown circumstances.
• For some of you wondering how Virginia Tech would treat Frank Beamer’s... ahem... condition in statue form, they were pretty sneaky about it. Too bad it doesn’t look like him.
• SEC commissioner Greg Sankey received a contract extension to 2023. At only 54 years of age, I don’t expect him to be going anywhere anytime soon.
• Urban Meyer celebrated his victory over Indiana by handing out foreclosure notices to widows of WWII veterans.

EYEBALLS

Lightning was to blame for the early ESPN coverage of Alabama-Arkansas that looked like it was shot by some guy with his phone. Apparently when there is lightning in the area, it is ESPN policy for the cameramen to lock down their cameras and leave them unmanned “due to safety concerns”. Lightning within 10 miles will cause a game to be suspended but this game was not halted. I can’t imagine what the ESPN policy must be. Within the state borders???

The Alabama-Arkansas State game played in Week 2 is still the highest rated game for ESPN2 this season. This includes WVU-Texas Tech, FSU-Louisville, Miss State-UK, TCU-SMU, and SoCal-Arizona.

THIS WEEK

(Below is an abbreviated list of games of interest. If you need to know about the Ball State-Central Michigan game, you can find the details here.)

Tuesday, Oct 9:

Appalachian State at Arkansas State 7pm/8pm ESPN2 - A little SOS would be nice but I am not feeling confident.

Thursday, Oct 11:

Georgia Southern at Texas State 6:30/7:30 ESPNU
Texas Tech at TCU 6:30/7:30 ESPN - Big XII also-rans.

Friday, Oct 12:

South Florida at Tulsa 6pm/7pm ESPN
Air Force at San Diego State 8pm/9pm CBSSN
Arizona at Utah 9pm/10pm ESPN

Saturday, Oct 13:

SEC:

Kentucky and MSU have bye weeks.

Tennessee at Auburn 11am/noon SECN - Two historic programs relegated to 11am on SECN. So sad.
Florida at Vanderbilt 11am/noon ESPN - This looks like a prime trap game for Fla.
Georgia at LSU 2:30/3:30 CBS - Statement time!
Texas A&M at South Carolina 2:30/3:30 SECN - Loser is in deep.
Ole Miss at Arkansas 6:30/7:30 SECN - A few weeks ago, I might’ve though OM wins this one easily. Not so much anymore.

NATIONAL:

Clemson and Oklahoma are off. Ohio State has another cupcake.

Pitt at Notre Dame 1:30/2:30 NBC - Pitt always seems to have one big spoiler upset in them per season. Could this be one?
Washington at Oregon 2:30/3:30 ABC or ESPN* - A Big PAC game.
West Virginia at Iowa State 6pm/7pm FS1 - After a win at Okie State with their third-string quarterback at the helm, can ISU keep their momentum going?
Miami at Virginia 6pm/7pm ESPN2 - UVa is 3-0 at home.
Wisconsin at Michigan 6:30/7:30 ABC - ELIMINATION GAME! College Gameday will be there.
* Check local listings.

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzz...

Hawaii at BYU 9:15/10:15 ESPN2 - The Rainbow Warriors graduate to ESPN2!
Colorado at Southern Cal 9:30/10:30 FS1 - We will soon find out if the Buffs are for real.
Wyoming at Fresno 9:30/10:30 ESPNU
Boise at Nevada 9:30/10:30 CBSSN - The Smurfs already have two losses.

#ALABAMA

For the second straight game, punter Skyler DeLong did not get an opportunity to participate in the Alabama game. He is stuck on four games of participation with the redshirt intact. Running back Jerome Ford is also still at four.

Despite the big score, there were not a plethora of substitutions in the fourth quarter. Ale Kaho, Eyabi Anoma, Jaylen Moody, and Josh Jobe played in their sixth game. Walk-on senior DB D.J. Lewis was credited with this second straight game action, most likely on a kickoff late in the game.

Saban has surpassed the Ol’ Ball Coach at 229 FBS/I-A victories.
(For clarification, this list is FBS/I-A wins only. No wins while coaching at FCS/I-AA or lower level schools are included.) He has not lost to Arky since arriving at Alabama in 2007.

GAME 7 - Saturday, October 13, 2018, 6pm/7pm

Mizzou at ALABAMA

ESPN - Announcers: Steve Levy and Brian Griese with Todd McShay on the sidelines.
Bama favored by -28. 74 is the over/under.

(Game 8, Oct. 20: ALABAMA at Tennessee 2:30/3:30 CBS. If you are up for a trip to the Orangeville, there should be lotsa cheap tickets for sale outside the stadium.)

#RollTide