With four of the top five ranked teams on a bye week and Clempson ridiculously playing Wofford (to no criticism by anyone), you’d think there would be no drama. That would be a mistaken assumption.

Don’t talk to me about any one-handed hot dog catches. This is the catch of the year...by a running back.

Georgia 24 Florida 17

Could it be? Could the “offensive genius” Dan Mullen actually truly be... dare I say... a tad overrated? Remember, this is the man who made the sober choice of starting Feleipe Franks over Kyle Trask for the last two years. Cousin Eddie’s Gators called 10 running plays for running backs for the whole game and accumulated 21 total rushing yards. UF was outgained 398 to 278.

UGA’s Lawrence Cager came out of nowhere to earn the first 100 yard receiving game of his five years in Athens. Coming into the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”, the redshirt senior had 245 receiving yards in seven games this season. Against Florida’s faux-DBU, he caught 7 passes for 132 yards and a score. Jake Fromm was 20 of 30 passing for 279 yards and found 8 different receivers. [SIDE NOTE: George Pickens had one catch for 4 yards.]

Georgia converted 12 of 18 third downs in a dominating effort not truly reflected in the final score. Meanwhile, the Gators managed to convert only 2 of 9 third downs.

Memphis 54 SMU 48

Brace yourself. I am about to get all #GOML here: That was crap football. Was it a wild and exciting spectacle full of big plays in front of a large crazed crowd screaming their heads off? Yes. Was it good fundamental football? No. Granted, these two teams have some very good athletes and playmakers, but there were too many running backs busting through the second level and wide receivers running free in the secondary. You probably enjoyed watching it but it’s like Arena football. You’d watch it once to see what all the hype was about but you’re not likely to keep watching every week.

Good for the AAC and the city of Memphis for putting on such a good show, but most SEC defenses would’ve shut this crap down. These teams do not have the offensive lines and defenses in general to keep up with the big boys.

SEC

Mississippi State 54 Arkansas 24 - Everybody and their brother thought Arky might step it up and get a much-needed home win. Everyone outside of the state of Arkansas that is. The “official” attendance was 52,256 but it looked more like four digits. And it was Homecoming! The Bulldogs Kylin Hill had a massive day gaining 234 yards and 3 TDs on 21 carries. It was a must win for MSU (4-5) with Alabama up next, followed by a cupcake, and then the Egg Bowl to decide their post-season fate. The defeat for the Hogs sends them into 7-loss purgatory and turns up the heat on Chad’s posterior.

Auburn 20 Ole Miss 14 - Aubie barely survived despite outgaining OM 507 to 266. The Tigers missed three field goals and Bo Nix lost a fumble.

Texas A&M 45 UTSA 14 - A sluggish TAMU finally woke up and put away their cupcake in the second half.

Tennessee 30 UAB 7 - The Vols gained only 302 total yards but were blessed by the generosity of the Blazers’ four turnovers. Amazingly, UT is two wins away from qualifying for the post-season. They now face @UK, @ Mizz, and vs Vandy.

South Carolina 24 Vanderbilt 7 - SC is now 4-5 with Appy State, @TAMU, and Clemson remaining. Making a bowl is an uphill battle. Lose Saturday and it’s ovah. Coach Boom might be taking over Butch Jones’s job washing Nick’s car real soon.

YOU SAY HELLO AND I SAY GODBYE

Georgia Southern 24 Appalachian State 21 - I believe the technical term for this is “crapping the bed”. With their first appearance in the Top 25 and South Carolina next on the docket, the Mountaineers overdosed on the rat poison and blew their chance at a 12-0 season. GSU led this match 24-7 in the fourth quarter and let ASU score some late TDs to make it look close.

JOB OPENINGS

Miami 27 Florida State 10 - It’s no surprise Willie Taggart was canned after this fiasco. The ‘Noles were sluggish, missing assignments, and Taggart could never seem to settle on a quarterback this season. FSU had 203 total yards and 10 penalties for 75 yards in a game played in Tallahassee.

OTHER STUFF

Oregon 56 Southern Cal 24 - Ugh. Another week of this nonsense.
Utah 33 Washington 28 - Oregon is not the only team that can win at UW.
Virginia 38 North Carolina 31 - The Wahoos’ QB Bryce Perkins tallied 490 of UVa’s 517 total yards.
Purdue 31 Nebraska 27 - The Boilermakers won with their backup quarterback and star WR Rondale Moore still on the sidelines. Karma is not done with Scott Frost just yet.
Baylor 17 West Virginia 14 - If you are a fan of two-yard passes, penalties and turnovers, this was the game for you. An ugly win for the still undefeated Bears.
FAU! 35 WKU 24 - Lane Kiffin is going bowling (6-3)!
Michigan 38 Maryland 7 - Another bludgeoning for Locks and the Terps. Up next: Ohio State! Michigan is looking good and may actually give anOSU a challenge on Nov. 30.
Central Michigan 48 Northern Illinois 10 - Head coach Jim McElwain has the Chippewas bowl eligible in his first season after CMU went 1–11 (0–8) a season ago.
Liberty 63 UMass 21 - Hugh Freeze dialed up win No. 6 in his first season at Jerry Falwell U. And it’s a good thing because they are next on the road @BYU and @UVa followed by a win vs NMexSt. There is no guarantee a 6-win Libby goes to a bowl. Had they lost to UMass or improbably lose to NMSU, they may not get an invite.
Illinois 38 Rutgers 10 - Break them up! The Illini have won three straight. They’ll need to win once more (@Sparty, @Iowa, vs NW) to go to a bowl. It’s unfortunate for Illinois cuz now they are stuck with Lovie Smith and his crazy cornbread crumb-filled beard for another year.

Clemson beat the crap out of Wofford. Nobody cares.

THE WACKY WORLD OF DESMOND HOWARD

On Saturday’s GameDay, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit and David Pollack all agreed that Alabama has the lowest chance of making the playoff among the top 4 ranked teams. I hope the Bama players heard that.

Teams in BOLD below already have one loss. Teams with a strikethrough have more than one loss.

• DESI - 1. Georgia (SEC Champs), 2. Clemson (ACC Champs), 3. Oregon (PAC Champs), 4. Wisconsin (B1G Champs); Iowa State (B12 Champs); Clemson over Georgia in the CFP final.
• CORSO - 1. Alabama (SEC Champs), 2. Clemson (ACC Champs), 3. Utah (PAC Champs), 4. Ohio State (B1G Champs); Oklahoma (B12 Champs); Alabama over Utah.
• HERBIE - 1. Alabama (SEC Champs), 2. Clemson (ACC Champs), 3. Ohio State (B1G Champs), 4. Texas (B12 Champs); Washington (PAC Champs); Alabama over Clemson.

MY PICKS

• 1. Clemson (ACC Champs), 2. Alabama (SEC Champs) 3. Ohio State (B1G Champs), 4. Georgia; Oklahoma (B12 Champs); Washington (PAC Champs); Alabama over Georgia.

BAMA STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• Duke (4-4) - The Blue Devils had a week to stew over an unforgivable loss to UNC before they host Notre Dame.
• New Mexico State (0-∞) - The Aggies took the weekend off from sucking.
• Southern Miss (5-3) - The Screaming Eagles enjoyed bye week. They host UAB.
• Western Carolina (2-7) - The Fightin’ Cupcakes shock VMI.
• BONUS: SC and Tenn won.

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• UL-Laf (6-2) - Bowling for the Ragin’ Napiers as they walloped Texas State 31-3. Coastal Carolina is next.
• K-State (6-2) The Wildcats pushed Kansas around 38-10. Coming up, a big trip to Texas.
• Wyoming (6-2) - The Cowpokes take an extra week to prep for a trip to the Smurf Village.

Adoption Probation

• Iowa State (5-3) - The Cyclones had a bye week as they gear up for an upset @Okie.
• Hawaii (5-4) - The Rainbow Warriors fell to Fresno 41-38. Next: San Jose Altuve State.

COUSINS

• Troy (3-5) - It’s looking like no bowl for the Trojans. They screwed their season by losing to Coastal Carolina 36-35 on a touchdown and a ballsy 2-point conversion with 30 ticks left. Two of their last four are against ULL and Appy State. It’s highly unlikely they get to six wins.
• South Alabama (1-7) - USA had the week off from their six game losing streak.

THAT ANNOYING STEP-BROTHER WHO CHEWS THE ERASERS HEADS OFF OF PENCILS

UAB (6-2) - The Blazers lose only their second game of the season, falling to Tennessee 30-7. Birmingham U scored their only points against the Vols back-ups. Hopefully, Southern Miss will hand them loss number three.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

Round 2 of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

• Navy (7-1) - The newly-ranked #25 Midshipmen showed great discipline scoring two touchdowns in each quarter to defeat UConn 56-10. They have a week off before their historic win at Notre Dame in two weeks.
• Air Force (7-2) - The Falcons and the Black Knights had a slugfest with AFA edging the Cadets 17-13. Next for Air Force should be a win @New Mexico (2-6).
• Army (3-6) - Despite the loss to Air Force, the Cadets hopes stay alive as they host a lousy UMass team (1-6) followed by FCS VMI, @Hawaii, and Navy.

ELIMINATED

PREVIOUSLY ELIMINATED:

NEWLY ELIMINATED:

• Florida

ENDANGERED

• Clemson
• Oregon, Utah
• Minnie, PSU
• UGA
• Baylor, Oklahoma

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

• ACC - Clemson. Can you imagine what it must be like when entering November your biggest concern is a home game against Wake Forest???

• Big Ten - Three undefeated teams and they all have to go through each other at some point. If Minnie and anOSU go 12-0, they will still have to meet in the B1G title game.

• Big 12 - Winner of Baylor-Okie doke will be the favorite but it’s still a tough gauntlet for both of them to get through. Plus, there may be a rematch to underwhelm everyone.

• PAC-12 - Oregon (8-1) vs Utah (8-1).
• SEC - Alabama vs LSU. UGA is still hanging around... for now.
• Indies - n/a!

SPOILERS?

• ACC - Can NC State or Wake beat Clemson? Or UVa in the ACCCG?
• Big Ten - Indiana is 7-2 with PSU still on the schedule.
• Big 12 - Baylor can’t keep this up. Can they?
• PAC-12 -
• SEC - Auburn Still has UGA and Bama to play.
• Indies - n/a

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

Tonight, Tuesday, the College Football Committee will release their first poll, rendering the other polls irrelevant. Below is how I predict they will rank the teams:

1. LSU
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Clemson
5. Penn State
6. Georgia

Five Southeastern Conference teams are currently ranked in the AP.

#1 LSU
#2 Alabama
#6 Georgia -
#10 Florida
#12 Auburn - Leapfrogged one spot by Baylor despite both having close ugly wins at home against 3-win conference foes.

* Texas A&M is still receiving a few votes.

Here is my after-ten-weeks-half-ass Top 6 rankings.

1. Ohio State
2. LSU/Alabama
4. Clemson
5. Penn State
6. UGA

LET’S GO BOWLING

• 40 bowl games; 80 spots.
• 43 teams have six or more wins.
• 22 teams are a win away from 6.
• With their sixth victory, Texas A&M joins five SEC teams (Ala, LSU, Fla, UGA, Aub) who are already bowl eligible.
• Arkansas and Rutgers are the first two Power 5 teams to reach 7 losses. 14 teams fill this criteria.

STATS OF THE DAY

• Oregon State scored over 50 points for the first time since 2013 in a 56-38 win over Kevin Sumlin’s Arizona in Tuscon.
• SMU had 11 penalties 108 yards. Not to be outdone, Memphis was whistled 16 times for 136 yards.
• Boise scored 52 points and none of them came by way of passing scores - a rarity these days. They had six ground scores, a field goal and a 66 yard punt return in defeat of San Jose Cuervo State.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...

Remember former FSU quarterback Deondre Francois who was battered by the Tide in Atlanta in 2017? He got tired of getting pummeled behind the Swiss cheese OL and grad-transferred to Hampton this past August. You would think a guy like that is just dominating in the realms of FCS/HBCU like Steph Curry in a rec league. However, he has been pretty pedestrian. The Pirates are only 5-4 with him at the controls. He has passed for under 200 yards in three different games and under 300 in all but two games. He has thrown 20 TDs but 8 interceptions.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to the ACC once again. Remember at the beginning of the season Syracuse was going to be the team to challenge Clemson? Yeah, they lost to Boston College by 31... at home. The Orange are 3-6 and 0-5 in the ACC.

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 and refuse to REALLY look at what a player has accomplished.

WHO WILL WIN

CLARIFICATION: This section is not who deserves to win. It is who the slobbering press and other voters will callously crush on (see last year).

• Joe Burrow (QB LSU Sr.) - DNP
• Tua Tagovailoa (QB Alabama Jr.) - DNP
• Jalen Hurts (QB Oklahoma Sr.) - DNP
• Chase Young (DE anOSU Jr.) - “Wut about a defensive guy??!?!?!” Stop.

WHO SHOULD WIN

CLARIFICATION: This section IS for who deserves to win it.

Burrow vs. Tua might decide this thing.

Runner-Ups

• Justin Fields (QB anOSU Soph.) - DNP
• Jonathan Taylor (RB Wisconsin Jr.)

If I had a vote:

• Burrow or Tua.

This is SO Miami. ‘Canes DB Bubba Bolden hurt his knee while celebrating with a teammate after an interception and is out for season.

THE SICK REPORT

• Nick Saban’s presser last Wednesday regarding PK Will Reichard (hip): “I can’t tell you [when he will return]. This has been a very frustrating injury for him and for us. He had two or three weeks where we thought he was ready to come back, and then he had a setback. So we’re going to be really cautious with how we bring him back this time around.” Joseph Bulovas it is.
• LSU starting linebacker Michael Divinity has allegedly “left the team for personal reasons.” However, word on the streets is that he was asked to leave. LSU defensive end Justin Thomas (not the golfer) has also left the Tiguhs for “personal reasons”. Coincidence? Doubtful. He had played in five games with one start for LSU this season. He had eight total tackles and one sack.
• Auburn played Ole Miss without key defensive end Marlon Davidson (back). However, he was seen screwing around on the sideline so I am guessing it is not that bad.
• Clemson DL Xavier Thomas missed a third consecutive game after suffering a concussion against Louisville three weeks ago.
• Mizzou QB Kelly Bryant is still “day to day” after a hamstring injury a week ago. The Tigers travel to UGA on Saturday.
• Mississippi State QB Tommy Stevens started in place of injured Garrett Shrader (foot).

DRAMA

• Florida State finally did something right firing in-over-his-head coach Willie Taggart nine games into his second season. He had two top 20 recruiting classes but oddly did not sign a quarterback in either class - a cardinal sin in college football - and did very little to improve a dreadful offensive line. He wraps his tenure with a record of 9–12 (6–9 ACC). Longtime FSU assistant coach Odell Haggins will again serve as interim coach. He coached the ‘Noles to two wins after Jimbo Fisher skipped town two years ago.
• Rumors immediately began swirling around Taggart’s replacement, including names such as Stoops (Bob & Mark), Meyer, Leach, and even Malzahn. Several reports surfaced Monday evening that Bob Stoops was in Tallahassee and he was NOT interviewing rather he was already finalizing a deal. A guy like Stoops does not interview. Stay tuned...

• There have been some rumors that P.J. Fleck has a new contract and a big fat raise in the works to stay at Minnesota. Currently, he makes $3.6M to freeze his arse off. Good for him. Frankly, I think he would be a flop anywhere south of the Mason Dixon line.
• The latest “Next Cam Newton” has left the building. Former high 4-star quarterback Joey Gatewood has left the Auburn Tigers. After seeing Bo Nix stink up the joint against LSU (15/35, 157 yds, TD, INT) and not being allowed to step on the field during the game, he probably realized he isn’t going to supplant Auburn wonderboy royalty.
• Ole Miss has also lost a back-up quarterback in Grant Tisdale to the dreaded transfer portal. The former 4-star RS freshman is buried behind underclassmen Matt Corrall and southern dandy John Rhys Plumlee I do declayuh.
• Penn State starting DT Antonio Shelton will serve a one-game suspension against Minnesota after he spit on a Michigan State player and was ejected in the fourth quarter against the Spartans. Classy.
• Nick Saban’s head car washer Butch Jones reportedly interviewed for the opening at Rutgers on Friday.
• Former Alabama 5-star defensive lineman Antonio Alfano has reportedly been looking to transfer to Colorado. Hmm. I wonder why.
• Now in retirement, Urban Meyer spends his time breaking into daycare facilities and “filling up” the juice boxes with his own version of apple juice.
• Fat F*** Phil Fulmer recently went to the beach and several other beachgoers tried to push him back into the ocean.

EYEBALLS

The Arkansas-Alabama game drew 2,121,000 viewers.

For Kansas State’s upset of Oklahoma, Birmingham (16.9) was the third largest TV market almost doubling the ratings of Kansas City (8.8). The top two markets were Oklahoma City (27.8) and Tulsa (23.6).

THIS WEEK

Didja hear where College GameDay will be this weekend? If not, welcome back from the coma. The ESPN circus is returning to Tuscaloosa for the first time since 2016. There have been some suggested guest pickers: golfer Justin Thomas, boxer Deontay Wilder, underutilized legend (yes, I am still bitter he did not play more) Shaun Alexander. Who is your choice? Not to be outdone, SEC Nation will also be in T-town and Laura Rutledge wants y’all to come see her instead!

(Below is an abbreviated list of games of interest. If you REALLY need to know about the big UTSA-Old Dominion showdown, you can find the details here.)

It’s November and that means MACTASTIC COLLEGE FOOTBALLZ EVRRY NIGHT!

Tuesday, November 5

Kent State at Toledo 6pm/7pm CBSSN - MAC Daddy’ll make you JUMPJUMP
Ball State at Western Michigan 7pm/8pm ESPN2 - Daddy MAC’ll make you JUMPJUMP

Wednesday, November 6

Miami (OH) at Ohio 7pm/8pm ESPN2 - Kris Kross’ll make you JUMPJUMP

Thursday, November 7

ULLaf at Coastal Carolina 6:30/7:30 ESPNU - Billy Napier alert.
Temple at USF 7pm/8pm ESPN - Watch Blake Barnett pout from the sidelines.

Friday, November 1

Center Florida at Tulsa 6pm/7pm ESPN2 - Go Golden Hurricanes!
Washington at Oregon State 9:30/10:30 FS1 - Everybody is beating UW these days. Why not THE OSU?

Saturday, November 2

SEC:

Vanderbilt at Florida 11pm/noon ESPN - Will the Gators be hung over?
Western Kentucky at Arkansas 11pm/noon SECN - Oh my. Lose this one and Chad might want to call for an armed escort out of the stadium state.
New Mexico State at Ole Miss 3pm/4pm SECN - OM gets the joy of kicking the crap out of someone.
Missouri at Georgia 6pm/7pm ESPN - What do you think Admiral Ackbar?
Appalachian State at South Carolina 6pm/7pm ESPN2 - This is a DANGEROUS game.
Tennessee at Kentucky 6:30/7:30 SECN - A must-win for UT. A should-win for UK.

NATIONAL:

Penn State at Minnesota 11pm/noon ABC - ELIMINATION GAME!
Baylor at TCU 11pm/noon FS1 - Can the Frogs ruin BU’s magical mystery tour?
Kansas State at Texas 2:30/3:30 ESPN - Imagine the Meltdown if Tejas gets L #4!
Notre Dame at Duke 6:30/7:30 ACCN - The ACC Network? Really, ACC?
Iowa State at Oklahoma 7pm/8pm FOX - Can ISU finally be a spoiler this year?

EAT BREAKFAST TONIGHT. THAT WAY YOU CAN SLEEP UNTIL LUNCHTIME

Wyoming at Boise 9:15/10:15 ESPN - Cowboys and Smurfs. Winner takes control of the MWC Mountain Division.
Nevada at San Diego State 9:30/10:30 ESPN2 - Rocky Long has the Aztecs (7-1) chugging along once again.
San Jose Can You See State at Hawaii 10pm/11pm - Aloha ‘Oe

#ALABAMA

Let’s talk about LSU here for a moment. They are 8-0 and giddy with themselves. But what are they hanging their hats on so far this season?

• BEAT #9 TEXAS (now unranked) - Clearly, the Longhorns were overrated at the beginning of the year (big surprise). Currently at 5-3, they are nowhere near being ranked. They still have K-State, @ISU, @Baylor, and Texas Tech to play.
• BEAT #5 FLORIDA (now #10) at home - UF shoulda lost to South Carolina and did lose to UGA. LSU gave up 457 yards to the Gators. The Bulldogs yielded 278. Even SC outgained UF. And let’s not forget Florida’s slim victories over Kentucky and Miami. Good not great.
• BEAT #9 AUBURN (now #12 and dropping) at home - LSU beat Aubie by a field goal at home. Ole Miss almost duplicated this feat last week but fell short while playing on the road at Jerdin-Hair. AU still has UGA and Alabama to play.

In summation, LSU is still a good team but maybe not as great as the blabbermouths with microphones say.

SABAN VS MACK

Mack Brown missed out on an opportunity to pick up one game on Nick Saban. He is, however, getting closer to doubling up Saban’s total in the loss column. The Tide coach is still up 3 Ws in career wins as a FBS/I-A coach on the UNC coach.

As coach of LSU and then Alabama, Saban has been on the winning side of Bama-LSU 14 out of 18 times.

• Jack linebacker Anfernee Jennings has been named one of 12 semifinalist for the Butkus Award.

GAME 9: Saturday, November 9, 2019

LSU at Alabama - GOTC19

Bryant-Saban Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL ~ 2:30pm/3:30pm, CBS

It’s the latest incarnation of the “Game of the Century” with No. 2 Alabama facing No. 1 LSU in Tuscaloosa. Will Tua play? If so, how effective will he be? Might a “Heisman Moment” be forthcoming for the Tide quarterback?

• Bleeding Ears: Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jamie Erdahl.
• Eli Gold on Alabama Radio.
• Alabama is 53-25-5 all-time against LSU. The Tide have won 8 straight in the series. The last time Bama lost to the Tiguhs, Game of Thrones had just finished its first season.
• Bama is favored by 6½ with an over/under of 65½.

LOOKING AHEAD, BUT NOT REALLY: The MSU game time is 11am CT, ESPN. As is the custom on Cupcake Saturday, Alabama vs. Western Carolina on November 23 will AGAIN kickoff at 11am CT. At least it won’t be 95 degrees. This of course means a grand total of TWO home night games for the Crimson Tide this entire season, one of which started at the manageable 6pm CT, the other at ridiculous 8pm. If you missed the Tennessee and/or Arkansas games, you will have to wait until next season to see the light show.
A recent Alabama news release stated that the Iron Bowl at Jerdin-Hair could be either the 2:30pm CBS game OR it could be 6:30pm on the SEC Network. If it is the former as expected, that is two total night game for Alabama in 12 games and three 11am games.

#RollTide

POLL