BYE BYE BYE! Nope, I am not talking about NSYNC, but instead there were eight byes this week. We had some upsets this week, plus we almost had a big upset with Clemson. A few people have asked why I have put Ohio State #1, considering their schedule has been weak so far. Everyone had Notre Dame ranked high, I think losing to Ohio State did a number on the Irish and they collapsed a bit after that game. The score was somewhat close, but it felt like Ohio State dominated the game. Also, the Buckeyes have absolutely dominated their opponents. Georgia had a stretch of two games where they looked beatable. Alabama lost a game. Tennessee almost lost to Pitt. Clemson…well they have something going on each week, but still win. So yeah, Ohio State is number one until I see something that says otherwise.
- Ohio State (7-0)–#1–W 54-10 Iowa–I feel like the Buckeyes are playing at a different level right now. Making Iowa look that bad is impressive.
- Georgia (7-0)–#2–BYE
- Tennessee (7-0)–#3–W 65-24 Tennessee-Martin–Basically a bye week for the Vols.
- Michigan (7-0)–#5–BYE
- Clemson (8-0)–#4–W 27-21 #12 Syracuse–I dropped them below Michigan. Only because a top four team should not be benching their QB in the 3rd quarter and relying on the run game to win it. It was a tough win, but Clemson is on shaky ground right now.
- TCU (7-0)–#6–W 38-28 #16 Kansas State–The Horned Frogs mounted a big comeback and took down the Wildcats.
- Alabama (7-1)–#7–W 30-6 #25 Mississippi State–‘Bama rebounded nicely by almost shutting out a good Mississippi State team.
- Oregon (7-1)–#9–W 45-30 #10 UCLA–Auburn has to be wondering where this Bo Nix was all those years.
- USC (6-1)–#11–BYE
- Oklahoma State (6-1)–#13–W 41-34 #20 Texas–The Cowboys overcame the Longhorns and ended up shutting things down late in the game when it mattered most.
- Wake Forest (6-1)–#14–W 43-15 Boston College
- Penn State (6-1)–#15–W 45-17 Minnesota–I wonder if the fans that complained last week are giving Franklin and his coaching staff any credit for this win…
- UCLA (6-1)–#10–L 45-30 #9 Oregon–The Bruins have one difficult game left on the schedule. They need to win out and give themselves a chance at a rematch against Oregon.
- Syracuse (6-1)–#12–L 27-21 #4 Clemson–They should have won this game.
- Ole Miss (7-1)–#8–L 45-20 LSU–Not only a loss, but blowout. Not good at all.
- UNC (6-1)–#17–BYE
- Cincinnati (6-1)–#18–W 29-27 SMU–Do the Bearcats give up a ton of points in the fourth quarter intentionally?
- Illinois (6-1)–#19–BYE
- Kentucky (5-2)–#21–BYE
- Kansas State (5-2)–#16–L 38-28 #6 TCU
- Tulane (7-1)–#22–W 38-28 Memphis–Keep winning, keep climbing the rankings.
- Utah (5-2)–#23–BYE
- LSU (6-2)–HM–W 45-20 #8 Ole Miss–The Tigers are rolling right now. Could they be ready to challenge Alabama in two weeks?
- NC State (5-2)–#24–BYE
- Liberty (7-1)–HM–W 41-14 BYU–The Flames crushed BYU, who were ranked fairly high at one point.
Honorable Mention
South Carolina (5-2)–W 30-21 Texas A&M–The Gamecocks continue to win games. The Aggies are not great, but this would have been a loss for South Carolina in years past.
Maryland (6-2)–W 31-24 Northwestern–Nice to be bowl eligible this early.
Washington (6-2)–W 28-21 California
Oregon State (6-2)–W 42-9 Colorado–I still believe the Beavers are a good team.
Coastal Carolina (6-1)–BYE
Watch List
Baylor (4-3)–W 35-23
UTSA (6-2)–W 31-27 North Texas
Boise State (5-2)–W 19-14 Air Force
Florida State (4-3)–BYE
Troy (6-2)–W 10-6 South Alabama
The big game this week is Ohio State heading to Beaver Stadium to take on #12 Penn State. This is the first test for the Buckeyes and will tell the country whether they are worthy of the top spot or not. The only other games with ranked opponents are #10 Oklahoma State at #20 Kansas State, and #19 Kentucky traveling to #3 Tennessee. The Cincinnati Bearcats have a tough one as they head to Orlando to face UCF. Other interesting matchups:
Notre Dame @ #14 Syracuse
Pitt @ #16 UNC
#15 Ole Miss @ Texas A&M
Michigan State @ #4 Michigan
Coastal Carolina @ Marshall
If you are interested in a weekday game, check at East Carolina at BYU on Friday. I have a feeling BYU may be looking at another loss.
