Scott Ludwig
Contributor
Scott Ludwig
Think of this as a midseason report, because it will cover every team ranked in the top 25.
Nine teams from the SEC began the weekend ranked in the top 25. Let’s start with the team ranked the highest, number four Ole Miss. Playing at home against Washington State – who is so hard pressed to find competition now that 10 of the 12 teams in the Pac-12 are gone that they have to play the other remaining team, Oregon State, not once but twice this season – Lane Kiffin’s team went into the game as a 32.5 point favorite. Expecting a blowout, it was anything but: Ole Miss barely escaped with a 24–21 win that wasn’t decided until the last play of the game.
Number eight Alabama faced number 14 Missouri on the road to win their fifth game in a row, beating the Tigers 27–24. Although the Crimson Tide had possession of the ball for over 38 minutes, Missouri outgained them by five yards on 19 less plays. Inexplicably, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson didn’t throw to his stellar receiver, Ryan Williams. Fortunately, he didn’t need to. Despite rather pedestrian numbers – 23 of 31 for 200 yards and three touchdowns – Simpson completed a gutsy yet pinpoint pass on fourth-and-eight that went for 29 yards and a first down in the final quarter that helped seal the win.
Number six Oklahoma held a slim 6–3 lead over Texas at halftime. In the second half, the Sooner offense was worse, generating about as excitement as an intentional walk. Final score: Texas – 23, Oklahoma – 6. Longhorn QB Arch Manning did just enough to win: 21 of 27 for 166 yards and a TD – although the three interceptions thrown by his counterpart, John Mateer, certainly didn’t hurt. Since joining the SEC, Oklahoma is now 3–7 in conference games – the same as Arkansas, and they fired their head coach a week ago. It begs the question as to whether the Sooners will miss the Big 12. My guess: very likely.
Speaking of the Razorbacks, number 12 Tennessee beat them by a field goal, 34–31, in Part I of interim Razorback Head Coach Bobby Petrino’s audition for the permanent job now that Sam Pittman is gone. The Arkansas brain trust might want to take the balance of the season to check out Petrino’s… ‘er, track record before making a final decision. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of decades, you know it’s not pretty.
Number 11 LSU didn’t have their “A” game against South Carolina, but fortunately they didn’t need it. Tigers – 20, Gamecocks – 10.
Number five Texas A&M hosted the Florida Gators, looking for their second consecutive upset (Texas being the first last week). The Gators, led by QB D.J. Lagway, executed a flawless six-play opening drive for a quick 7–0 lead. Aggie QB Marcel Reed, apparently with the song Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better running through his mind, threw a 67-yard completion on his first play from scrimmage and followed it with an eight-yard jaunt into the end zone virtually untouched to tie the game. For an encore, Reed then led the Aggies to touchdowns on their next two possessions. Final score: A&M – 34, Florida – 17.
Billy Napier is only halfway through his fourth season as the Florida head coach, and his teams have already lost 23 games. By comparison, the two coaches who won National Championships with the Gators, Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, were on the short end of the score just 27 times in 12 seasons and 15 times in six seasons, respectively. In Gainesville, the bell tolls for Billy Napier.
If you had a ticket to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the Auburn–Georgia game, consider yourself lucky. You saw two games for the price of one. The first, which lasted 29 minutes, was won by the Tigers, 10–0 (Georgia only had 20 yards of offense). The second, which lasted the other 31 minutes, was won by the Bulldogs, 20–0 (Auburn returned the favor, gaining just 51 yards). Add them together and you get a game that the referees gifted number 10 Georgia right before halftime when they overruled an apparent first-half Auburn touchdown that would have given the Tigers a commanding 17–0 lead (The video review of the play lasted so long that there had to be at least a dozen commercial breaks). Put the two games together and you get a final score of 20–10 in favor of the Bulldogs.
By the time you read this, I imagine the Auburn faithful will still be booing the game officials. If they’re not, they should be.
Five teams from the Big Ten were ranked. Number one Ohio State had no trouble with number 17 Illinois, winning 34–16 in a game that was about as exciting as a high school debate. Don’t blame the Illini – for being ranked, that is – because none of their five victories were anything to write home about. On the other hand, their one loss – a 53-point evisceration by number seven Indiana two weeks ago – made headlines.
Now that the big three in the Big 10 has changed membership – number three Oregon is in, Penn State is out, and Ohio State and Michigan remain – number seven Indiana took on the Ducks in Eugene to prove they are more than just the conference’s annual “flavor of the month.”
The Hoosiers didn’t disappoint. Indiana knocked Oregon from the unbeaten ranks with a convincing 30–20 win. Take note that seven of the Ducks’ 20 points were from a pick six, so their offense was only responsible for 13 of their points. Indiana proved worthy of their ranking, but time will tell if they belong in the upper echelon of the Big 10 (Don’t count on it).
Meanwhile, Penn State proved that they no longer belong in that upper tier. Although they were 20-point favorites against Northwestern, they fell short by a score of 22–21. The Nittany Lions also lost quarterback Drew Allar for the season due to injury. Expect James Franklin’s seat to be even hotter than usual, because their fans certainly are.
Speaking of unhappy fans: Southern Cal – 31, number 15 Michigan – 13. The Wolverines’ status as one of the big three could be in jeopardy as well.
Four teams from the ACC were ranked. Remember when Florida State started the season 3–0? Would you believe they have now lost all three of their conference games since then? Well, believe it. Pitt – 34, FSU – 31. Incidentally, Seminoles Head Coach Mike Norvell’s buyout is $53 million.
Meanwhile, number 13 Georgia Tech keeps their winning streak alive, taking care of Virginia Tech, 35–20. The Yellow Jackets should be favored in their next five games, if not their next six. That sixth team, incidentally, is Georgia, who just dodged that huge bullet in Auburn.
Number two Miami and number 19 Virginia had the week off.
The Big 12 had four teams ranked as well – soon to be two. To understand the shape of college football in the Big 12, look no further than Colorado’s 24–17 upset of number 22 Iowa State. The hometown Buffaloes’ fans stormed the field after the game… simply for beating a previously once-beaten team barely ranked in the top 25. Incidentally, Colorado Head Coach Deion Sanders had no problem with the post-game incident – regardless of the fine the school will have to pay.
Number 21 Arizona State also took it on the chin, falling to Utah 42–10. Number 18 and Number 19 BYU and Texas Tech beat Kansas (42–13) and Arizona (33–27), respectively, to remain tied for the Big 12 lead with identical conference records of 3–0. Cincinnati, also at 3–0, beat UCF 20–11 in a game only the mother of a Bearcat could love.
The AAC, believe it or not, has two teams in the top 25: Number 23 Memphis, idle this week, and number 24 South Florida, 63–36 winners over North Texas. It’s worth noting that Navy is leading the conference with a perfect 4–0 record in conference games, while Memphis and South Florida (as well as unranked Tulane) are 2–0.
The lone ranked independent, number 16 Notre Dame, didn’t have a problem taking care of North Carolina State in a 36–7 win. However, the Fighting Irish might want to circle Nov. 8 on their calendars when they take on Navy. The Midshipmen are now 6–0 after beating Temple on a 51-yard touchdown run with 39 seconds left in the game, then opting for a successful two-point conversion to win the game in overtime. Final score: Navy – 32, Temple – 31.
Navy should be taking the spot of one of the losing Big 12 teams in next week’s rankings. If not, it’s likely because the officiating crew from the Auburn-Georgia game were allowed to vote.
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