Wowzwer! What a great time for Penn State to have a bye week! We had some amazing college football games over the past few days, starting with #10 Miami needing to come back to squeak by UNC 27-23 on Thursday. First tier wannabe Miami moves up to #7 in the AP Poll.
And what about our erstwhile foes at UCF knocking off #8 Louisville 38-35 after being three touchdowns in the hole on Friday? Between the Knights and the Cardinals they gained almost 900 yards, not exactly a pitcher’s duel, but exciting to the max. UCF is now ranked #21 in the AP Poll.
Number One Alabama put an exclamation mark on its ranking by slopping the Hogs 52-zip. Sorry, Bret Bielema, but your Razorbacks suuuuuuuuuuuuuug! They’re now 0-4 in the SEC.
Another first tier stepping-stone aspirant, #5 Florida State, made it clear that they’re for real this year by whipping the snot out of #3 Clemson 51-14. Redshirt freshman right fielder and quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 444 yards and three TDs, along with a double, a walk, and a stolen base. You know, unlike the stupid-ass Washington Redskins controversy and others like Stanford and Illinois, the Seminole Nation is happy with the association with the FSU football program. It helps promote their casinos, too. FSU seems a legitimate #3 in the AP Poll. Clemson dropped to #9.
The Heisman winning autograph signer everyone loves to hate got his comeuppance at the behest of a resurgent #24 Auburn, as #7 A&M went down 45-41. It’s a tough life in the SEC. Sorry, Johnny. Auburn leapfrogged the Aggies to #11, while the Aggies fell to #14 in the AP Poll.
Also in the SEC, #11 South Carolina lost to unranked Tennessee 23-21, while #14 Missouri easily handled #22 Florida 36-17. The Gators disappeared from the polls while Missouri jumped up to #5 in the AP Poll. Oh, and hapless #15 Georgia was knocked off by Vandy 31-27.
Before we get to the B1G, a couple of upsets out west are worth mentioning. #13 Stanford beat #9 UCLA 24-10, jumping to #8 in the AP Poll, and Arizona State didn’t need the benefit of poor officiating to dismantle #20 Washington 53-24.
Moving right along, the Big Ten provided its share of excitement on Saturday, even without the presence of Penn State.
Minnesota topped Northwestern 20-17 in Evanston. So much for the great expectations of Fitz’s boys this year. They’re now 0-3 in the B1G. Moo U. blanked the Boilermakers, another 0-3 B1G team, 14-0.
Fourth ranked OSU and formerly ranked Michigan had their hands full with lesser opponents. The Buckeyes had to overcome a 17-10 halftime deficit to beat Iowa, while in da Big House, Michigan played even with Indiana for three periods before pulling away in the final quarter to win 63-47. Another non-pitchers’ duel with a great big exclamation point!!! 1323 yards total offense in this fershtoonkenah game, and in passing yards alone, they eclipsed the total yardage output in the Louisville-UCF game. Half-pint Jeremy Gallon of Apopka had 14 receptions for 369 yards and two touchdowns, already! I remember when the B1G was all about defense, three yards and a cloud of dust, Woody, Bo, etc. Well, that was pretty boring. Looking back over this season thus far, it seems as if defense only exists at Moo U.
I’ll be back later in the week with a preview and prediction for the big Ohio State game. Chrysanne, I know you’re waiting with bated anticipation if you’re not too busy posting pictures of Baby Ross.
