College Football Random Thoughts Week 11: Cream Rises to the Top

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Funny thing about college football. As the season wears on, the cream always rises to the top. Fans have seen many changes in the game they love. But in the end, pretenders fall by the wayside. That is as long as the College Football Playoff Committee does not pull another TCU or Cincinnati.

Alabama 42 LSU 13 – This game was similar to the Bama-UGA except the second half was much like the first half. It was complete domination.

The Alabama defense led by LB Jihaad Campbell harassed and confused Garrett Nussmeier all night (27/42, 239 yds, 1 garbage TD, 2 INT, 1 fum, 2 sacks, 8 yds rush on 6 car). The Tigers managed only 106 yards on the ground attack. Not counting the final LSU 75-yard drive in which Brian Kelly left in his starters against the Crimson Tide’s back-ups, the Bayou Bengals had only 268 total yards.

The defense must give a big ‘Thank You’ to the offense for grinding out rushing yards (311) and time of possession. Many suspected that Jalen Milroe had been nursing some sort of injury. Regardless if true or not, he looked refreshed and electric after having a week off to recuperate. The Tide signal caller looked poised and confident in the pocket. The nicest thing to see was his decisiveness.

The Tide punted only twice and even then, it was exceptional. James Burnip’s punt went for 29 yds, but it was downed at the LSU 10. The second traveled 62 yards.

If there was one flaw in this game, it was the kickoff game. For one, only one kickoff resulted in a touchback. The coverage unit had some good coverage on a few returns but one was brought back 50 yards, another went 27 up to the 32 yard line, and a third went for 32 yds to the LSU 33 plus 15 yards tacked on for a face mask penalty.

Ole Miss 28 Georgia 10 – Lane Kiffin finally did it. It seems like every year since he started coaching in Oxford, his teams would be killing everyone until he faced an elite program and then his Rebs would blow it. This time started out looking like a repeat when OM QB Jaxson Dart was sacked on the second play of the game and then picked off on the third. UGA would score a short touchdown for an early 7-0 advantage, but that would be the last offensive highlight of the half as the Uggz would punt the rest of the first half. Meanwhile, Dart & Co. would rebound to take a 16-7 halftime lead.

The second half was more of the same with the BlackSharkRebelBears dominating the Bulldogs and handing them their first “non-Alabama” regular season loss since 2020. The Rebbies were aggressive and dominated the line of scrimmage. UGA QB Carson Beck was not great, 20/31-186-0-1 INT. He was sacked 5 times and fumbled twice with one lost. The Dwags had a putrid 59 yards rushing on 33 attempts. That is a 1.8 ypc average.

Beck, who once upon a time was a Bama commit (bullet dodged) has thrown seven picks and only two touchdowns in the last three games. He is tied for the most INTs on the season in FBS with 12. Beck will get some poor NFL coach and GM fired someday soon.

If there is any criticism of OM, it is that they had some issues converting drives into touchdowns. The Rebs had a pair of 75 yard TD drives but all the other scoring came on five field goals – three of which were 32, 24, and 23 yarders.

Georgia Tech 28 Miami 23 – The Yeller Jackets were up 28-16 with six and some change remaining when Cam Ward completed a TD pass to draw within five points. After a Tech punt dropped the ‘Canes on their own 19 yard line with 1:52, Ward dropped back and scrambled and surveyed the field and did his taxes and looked up again and was sacked and stripped of the ball. After GT recovered, the offense did a masterful job of running out the clock from inside the Miami 15.

Miami turned the ball over on down three times and had only 88 rushing yards. GT ran the ball a massive 48 times for 271 yards. Eight different YJs had a rush attempt led by QB Haynes King’s 20 for 93 yards. WR Eric Singleton had 6 for 34.

THE FALLOUT

1. This loss and Clempsoning from last weekend has thrown the ACC into total chaos. This conference, now led by SMU, is in danger of not getting an at-large team into the CFP.
2. On that final Miami possession, the ESPN announcers were openly rooting for Cam Ward to have a “Heisman moment” – probably so his play-by-play can vicariously live on with Ward throughout his career. However, the death-blow fumble was more of a “Oopsman moment”.
3. As a cherry on top, GT becomes bowl eligible at 6-4. It is the second year in a row for Nick Saban disciple Brent Key, now in his second full season as HC but third if you count his interimship when his predecessor was canned in mid-season..
4. Ya know, even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. I listed this one as a potential UPSET ALERT in last week’s RT. Mostly because the Yeller Jackets seem to have the ‘Canes number. Recall last season when Miami beat TAMU and then turned around and lost to Tech? Miami is now 14-15 against Ga Tech all time. GT has won 4 of the last 6 meetings.

SEC

Missouri 30 Oklahoma 23 – For 56 and a half minutes, this game was pretty boring. And then, craziness broke out. With Mizzou leading 16-9, Jackson “Whatchutalkinboutwillis” Arnold drove the Sooners down for a tying score. On the Tigers next drive, RB Jamal Roberts fumbled and Okie completed a scoop & score to take a touchdown lead. With two minutes to go, Drew Pyne of all people led a drive for a touchdown that took just under a minute that covered 75 yards. On the third play of Okie’s possession with 24 ticks until the end of regulation, Arnold was sacked and stripped of the ball, and Mizzy returned it 17 yards for the winning score.

Texas 49 Florida 17 – The Gators were playing some decent defense on the first Texas series and were rewarded with a UT missed field goal. After a few first downs, UF was forced to punt. The Longhorns drove the other way for the first score of the game 7-0. On the ensuing drive, Florida fumbled inside their own red zone and that basically ended the game right there in the first quarter. It was inevitable that Texas would score and that a 14-0 hole would just be too big for the Gators to come back from.

To be fair, Florida is down to a walk-on starting at QB, as well as the leading receiver and nine other starters all out with injuries.

Tennessee 33 Mississippi State 14 – UT QB Nico Iamaleava was knocked out of the game late in the second quarter with the Vowels leading 14-7. The Orangemen had to ride it out with seldom-used senior backup Gaston Moore and still the Bullies could not win. What a craptacular team MSU (2-8) is. Nico did not return after halftime.

South Carolina 28 Vanderbilt 7 – The magic is slipping. VU field general Stephen Garcia Diego Pavia threw for 166 yards and added 65 yards and a touchdown on the ground and lost a fumble. That meh output could not match the offense of the Gamecocks. LaNorris Sellers threw for 238 yards and two TDs. “Rocket” Raheim Sanders ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns and scored a 43-yard TD catch. VU was outgained 452 to 274.

The Commodores (6-4, 3-3) now have lost 16 straight to South Carolina (6-4, 4-3). The ‘Dores are already bowl eligible but finish @LSU and home against Tennersee. SCar gets Mizz and a cupcake in Williams-Brice, followed by the season finale at Clemson.

SABAN COACHING TREE BRANCH OF THE WEEK

Lane Kiffin was OC for the Crimson Tide in 2014 and 2015 and most of 2016.

THE SOUTH CAROLINA TEST

In the middle of the SEC pack is South Carolina. The ‘Cocks are the perfect “control” in this experiment. Look at the below scores and then think as to whether the Gamecoks could have beat them in the same way.

TOP HEAVY BIG TEN

Funny how even though the league added four PAC teams, they are still a top heavy conference. Oregon joined the elite, but the Dux basically replace Michigan. Iowa’s role as the scrappy little engine that coulda is being replaced by Indy.

(@ = home team)

@Indiana 20 Michigan 15 – The Hoosiers jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead and figured it was a good time to game plan for anOhio State in two weeks. The Wolvies (5-5) are not a good team but they fought back to make the score 17-15, missing on a two-point conversion. With five+ minutes remaining Indy got a 22 yard punt return that placed them at the Michy 38. Five plays later, they kicked a 41 yard field goal and hung on for an unimpressive home win. But it is adorable little Indiana, so everyone is giving them a pass.

SC Test: Play this one in Columbia like Indy had this game in Bloomington and SCar pulls it out.

@Oregon 39 Maryland 18 – This game happened but nobody noticed.

SC Test: The ‘Cocks would probably win this one no matter where they played.

@Ohio State 45 Purdue 0 – PU is one of the worst Power teams. Must be nice.

SC Test: Play this game on the surface of the sun and SC wins by 4 TDs.

@Penn State 35 Washington 6 – UW is 0-4 when they have to cross the Rocky Mountains to play a game. Having fun in the B1G yet?

SC Test: Another W for the Gamecocks in Columbia.

SPOILERS

Virginia 24 Pitt 19 – Two losses in a row for the Panthers end any fleeting hope of an invite to the CFP Dance.

Kansas 45 Iowa State 36 Two straight Ls for ISU as well.

CIRCLING THE DRAIN

Notre Dame 52 Florida State 3 – FSU drove 75 yards on 16 plays to set up a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter. The Seminoles only managed 37 yards in their next seven drives combined. ‘Noles QB Brock Glenn was 5 of 18 passing for 51 yards with two picks – one returned for a score. The Irish accumulated 8 sacks and 10 TFL.
FSU (1-9) has a week off to prep for Charleston Southern (1-9) and then the Gators on Rivalry Saturday.

Since we are on this subject, where the heck is DJ Uigeleielele? The guy reportedly broke a finger way back in September on a play that nobody saw. Will we see him again this year?

TCU 38 Oklahoma State 13 – SEVEN STRAIGHT LOSSES for Okie Lite (3-7). And they still have to play Texas Tech and at Colorado.

OTHER STUFF

Clemson 24 Virginia Tech 14 – After a 0-7 first half deficit, CU’s Cade Klubnik threw three touchdown passes in the second for the win. Va Tech has been one of the nation’s most disappointing teams this year. Many thought they could challenge for the ACC crown. The Hokies (5-5) finish at Duke and home vs UVa.

Boise 28 Nevada 21 – The Smurfs were having a mighty struggle with the 3-win Wolf Pack. The Blue Man Group led this one 21-14 in the 4th when Nevada apparently picked off a pass. After a REALLY long look, the MWC officials ruled it incomplete. They must have thought they were calling a Patrick Mahomes game.

BYU 22 Utah 21 – More controversy out west. With under two minutes to play, the Utes had a 21-19 advantage over the Cougars, when they sent a punt down to the Utah 9 yard line. BYU threw incompletions on the first three plays. On 4th & 10, the Coogs QB was sacked at the one yard line. Rice-Eccles Stadium exploded in cheers. But it was short-lived as a yellow hanky laid on the turf. Defensive holding was the call. First down, Brigham Young.

Ignore the dismissive commentary guy in the video above saying it was a “very good call”. It was probably closer to 50-50, depending on whether the official’s wife yelled at him before he left for the game or if she gave him a big kiss and a hug. Very controversial to say the least, especially considering the fact that the penalty benefited the conference’s first place team over a sad sack 4-win team. I would do a poll but oddly enough there are no real good looks at the call.

Following this incident, the Cougars drove the field and kicked a 44 yard field goal to win at the buzzer.

Colorado 41 Texas Tech 27 – TT can be real Jekyll and Hyde. Unfortunately, Hyde showed up.

Washington State 49 Utah State 28 – zzzzzzz

Jacksonville State 44 La Tech 37 – If not for the Mizzou-Okie game, this was the wildest ending of the weekend. JSU trailed 31-37 at midfield with 4 seconds remaining when they tossed a Hail Mary into the end zone that connected and tied the game at 37 apiece. A replay delay for targeting must have iced the freshman kicker for he inexplicably missed the extra point! In overtime, Jax scored a TD – and extra point. LaT was sacked on 4th down to end the game.

FLAWDUH

Every FBS and FCS team from the Sunshine State lost this past week.
They are: Miami, Florida, FSU, Center Florida, FAU, South Fla, Bethune-Cookman, FAMU, and Stetson. Fortunately for FIU, they were off.

LES MILES MEMORIAL CLOCK MANAGEMENT AWARD OF THE WEEK

Sherrone Moore had three timeouts.

DIRTIEST PLAYS OF THE WEEK

FAT GUY TOUCHDOWN OF THE WEEK

FAT GUY TWO POINT CONVERSION OF THE WEEK

LAME FAN BASE (AND BEST TWEET) OF THE WEEK

MFers were leaving in the third quarter! At least the smell of corndogs subsided a little bit.

IDIOT BOTTLE THROWING FAN BASE OF THE WEEK

It was LSU’s turn to show their asses. Texas Tech did it too. It is unbelievable that the NCAA is not doing anything effective about it. It’s just like storming the field. You do nothing about it the first couple of times and soon everyone is doing it. First off, make a proclamation that it’s now a 15 yard penalty. But they could nip this one in the bud by threatening to cut off alcohol sales. Corndogs gots to have their Natty Lights!

HANGRIEST FAN BASE OF THE WEEK

NAME OF THE WEEK

Clemson Tight End Jake Briningstool. How appropriate for a fecalphilia program.

IS IT SOMETHING WE SAID?

A few weeks ago West Virginia coach Neal Brown suggested their fans should appreciate the “fun time” they’re having at tailgates, etc. This, despite WVU being 1-3 at home against FBS opponents. After defeating Cincinnati on Saturday, The Mountaineers are now 3-1 on the road.

TOUCHDOWN SQUIRREL IS BACK!

Squirrel Nation is not taking PNut’s murder very well.

INCOMPETENT OFFICIALS OF THE WEEK

TRANSFER OF THE WEEK

Former Bama back-up Jake Pope was caught jumping up and down with Ole Miss fans after his team got a severe butt-whupping in Oxford. He tried to explain that they were good friends blahblahblah, but that is never an excuse. If it was your mom who you thought was lost in a plane crash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean who just appeared out of nowhere, maybe JUST MAYBE that would be okay. But not some dumb childhood friend you haven’t seen in a long time. Kirby Smart was asked about it on Monday and he called him an “idiot” and “stupid”. He isn’t wrong.

DRIVE OF THE WEEK

Holy moley. 21 plays, 94 yards, 13:54.

STATS OF THE WEEK

• Indiana is 10-0 for the first time in school history. In the last three seasons combined, the Hoos were 9-27.
• It’s interesting to point out that here that in the first season of no divisions of the SEC, Georgia takes two losses against former SEC West teams. Hmm. It’s almost as if the West was a lot harder than the East in recent years.

GAMEDAY SIGN OF THE WEEK (see the reply)

THE WACKY WORLD OF DESI

Desmond Howard has little interest in what Pat McAfee has to say.

Former LSU, current Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star pitcher Paul Skenes and news-to-me-girlfriend/LSU-gymnast/zoomer-thirst-trap Livvy Dunne were guest pickers. Everyone but Nick Saban picked LSU to win.

PICK’EM

The GD crew’s picks:

GameDay is going to Athens for Tenn-UGA. SECNation will be there as well.

Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff gets back to what they do best which is fluffing Deion and Colorado leading up to the Buffs smacking around the wounded Utes.

ADOPT-A-TEAM

He did it again! UNLV WR Ricky White has FOUR blocked punts this year. I can’t remember the last time Alabama got one and this dude has four in nine games. Oh, yeah. He is also the team’s leading receiver.

• UNLV (7-2) must have had some jet lag because they barely slipped by Hawaii 29-27.
• Indiana (10-0) slogged past Michigan 20-15.
• UL-Monroe (5-4) fell to Texas State 38-17, but should have a much easier time this Saturday at Auburn. GO WARHAWKS! CAW! CAW!
• Not adopting UCLA (4-5) but after beating Iowa, the Bruins have won three straight after losing five straight. They have @Wash, So Cal, and Fresno remaining with a great shot at 7-5. Following coach Deshaun Foster’s cringe-worthy Big Ten Media Day appearance in the summer and the 1-5 start, it looked like Los Angelenos were heading for disaster.
• Of note, Saban’s former car detailer, Butch Jones, has Arky Lite at 5-4. He needs one win to get to a bowl and perhaps save his job for another year. @Ga State, ULM, Old Dom.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• WKU (7-2) topped New Mexico State 41-28 and lead the C-USA 5-0 along with Jax State. BOWL
• USF (4-5) was without injured starting quarterback Byrum Brown and struggled to score against Navy 28-7. (-2 to bowl)
• Wisconsin (5-4) was idle. (-1 to bowl)
• Vandy (6-4) lost to SC. BOWL
• South Carolina (6-3) defeated Vandy. BOWL
• Mizz (7-2) topped Okie. BOWL
• UGA, Tenn both BOWL

COUSINS

• Jacksonville State (6-3, 5-0) – The Gamecocks made it six wins in a row and will be bowling in December. They are also tied with WKU for first place in the C-USA.
• Troy (2-7) – Mercifully, the Trojans were off this week.
• South Alabama (4-5) – The Jags were off as well. They likely lose @ULL this Saturday. If so, USA will need to sweep their last two, @USM and Texas State at home, both doable. TWSS.

THAT ANNOYING GUY WHO LICK CLEANS SILVERWARE

• UAB (2-7) – The Dragons were knocked out of bowl eligibility by UConn 31-28. Connie is 7-3.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

• Army (9-0) – The Black Knights stay undefeated by outlasting North Texas 14-3. The Cadets logged two goal line stands.
• Air Force (2-7) – The Falcons earned their first FBS win by beating Fresno 36-28.
• Navy (7-2) – The Midshipmen ran all over USF 28-7.

ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

Eliminated: Boston College, Cal, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, NC State, UNC, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Arizona, Baylor, Center Florida, Cincy, Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, WVU, Utah, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnie, Michigan, Nebraska, Sparty, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington, Wisconsin, Oregon State, Arky, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Vanderbilt.

Endangered: Miami, SMU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas.

Extremely Endangered: Clemson, Pitt, Arizona State, Colorado, Iowa State, K-State, Wazzu, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Mizzou, Texas A&M.

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

FanDuel Odds To Make The 2024-25 College Football Playoff:

1. Oregon -10000 (wager $10,000 to profit $100)
2. Ohio State -5000
3. Texas -1700
4. Penn State -850
5. Indiana -500
6. Georgia -500
7. Alabama -350
8. Ole Miss -350
9. Tennessee -350
10. Notre Dame -350
11. Boise -300
12. Miami FL -125

POWER TWO

• SEC – Things are getting REALLY complicated. There is a good chance multiple tiebreakers will be needed to determine the top two in the conference. With the ACC and B12 falling apart, the SEC looks like they could/should get multiple at-large bids to go with their champ.
• Big Ten – Oregon and Indiana are both 10-0. anOhio State and Penn State are 8-1. The Ducks have a clear shot to 12-0. There is a small chance Minnesota could upset PSU. Indy and the Buckys play Nov 23.

SECOND TWO

• Big 12 – BYU still leads the conference. Colorado has one B12 loss but two losses overall. Four other teams are 4-2. Probably the only shot for the league to get two teams in would be for the Coogs to go 12-0 and lose the Championship Game in a close game.
• ACC – Miami (9-1, 5-1) went thump in the night. Pitt (7-2, 3-2) is the pits after a second straight defeat. Clemson (7-2, 6-1) will may have to win the conference title game. SMU (8-1, 5-0) is king of the hill and their one loss (a 3-pointer to BYU) is looking better with each passing week. The Mustangs finish with BC, @UVa, and Cal.

AT LARGE

• PAC-2 – Washington State is indeed 8-1. However, their schedule is garbage. Do the “SOUTH CAROLINA TEST: Portland St, Texas Tech, Wash, SJSU, @Boise (L), @Fresno, Hawaii, @SDSU, Utah St.
  UP NEXT: @NMex, @Oreg St, Wyo.

• Indies – Notre Dame is also 8-1. They beat TAMU at the beginning of the season when Conner Weigman was still the starting QB. But then lost to N. Illinois at home. The next best win is Louisville followed by Navy or Ga Tech. Again, let’s do the “SOUTH CAROLINA TEST”: @TAMU, NIU (L), @Purd, Mia-OH, Ville, Stanf, GaT*, Navy*, FSU.
  UP NEXT: UVa, Army, @SoCal
  (* = neutral site)

PARTICIPATION TROPHY

You know the drill. Some unworthy non-Power will hog a precious spot in the 12 team playoff because we are all about inclusion these days.

• MWC: Boise (8-1, 5-0) has looked a little shaky the last couple of weeks. They are no guarantee to win the conference with UNLV (7-2, 3-1) and out-of-nowhere Colorado State (6-3, 4-0) lurking.
• AAC: Army (9-0, 7-0) is getting the headlines but Tulane (8-2, 6-0) is hanging around.
• C-USA: WKU (7-2, 5-0) should not be left out of the Participation Trophy talk.
• Sun Belt: Laffy is quietly 8-1, 5-0. The Rajuns beat Wake Forest but their loss came to Tulane.
• MAC: So bad this year. Every team has at least THREE losses overall.

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

After last week, it sure feels like the CFP Committee has chosen to be lazy and let the biased AP voters lay the groundwork for rankings. The pollsters sure look like they just look at records and not schedules, strength-of-schedules, or how they won their games. Thus, here is who the APs have chosen for the CFPC to slot. The committee will just move a couple teams one position here and there.

The next college football playoff rankings will be announced tonight, Tuesday, after the Michigan State and Kansas basketball game. GO SPARTY! FKU! Time is around 7:30 CT/8:30 ET.

LET’S GO BOWLING!

• We are down to four FBS teams that are still undefeated: Army, BYU, Indiana, and Oregon.
• 53 teams are bowl eligible.
• 29 teams are one win away including Wisky, Arky, and Okie.
• There are 82 post-season slots to be filled.

LET’S GO BLOWING!

• Could Kent State get any worse? Last Wednesday night, the Fightin’ Nick Sabans were shutout at home by Ohio 41-0, while recording 7 first downs and 114 total yards. Both teams had one turnover and KSU was flagged for one penalty. So, no excuses. They are just horrendously awful. Kent State (0-9) has yet to lead a game this season, which includes a defeat to FCS team St. Francis (3-6).
• FBS now has 23 teams with 7 or more losses.
• 14 teams are one defeat away from unlucky number 7, including CMU (3-6, 1-4). Is Jim McElwain on the hot seat? He has not had a winning season since 2021 and only two in six campaigns. The school gave him a three-year contract extension prior to the 2023 season. He is making just over a million a year. I don’t know if CMU can afford to dump him.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to Looziana Governor Jeff Landy who got in the mix to help ship some poor caged tiger named Omar Bradley in from a shady Florida Man to parade around the field at Tiger Stadium. “Our hope is that maybe we can get this tiger to roar a couple of times and that’ll indicate how many touchdowns we’ll have, and it’ll be more than Alabama.” Landry actually said this. A sitting US Governor. Funny thing is, Landry did not even attend LSU. He went to UL-Laffy.

The cage is so tiny that even a human would be claustrophobic, much less a majestic beast like Bengal tiger who is meant to roam miles through the jungle. Furthermore it was not like anyone could see him. The cage had bars and a grate. It’s likely unless someone had a sideline pass or field level seats, they could not clearly see him. The cat was likely pumped up with so many drugs to keep him calm in front of thousands of yabbering idiots. And then, “Hey! Let’s darken the whole stadium and beam a blinding spotlight right on him. Won’t that be kewl?”

PETA is one of the most annoying organization in the US, but I have to agree with them. This never should have happened. Fortunately for Omar, it probably won’t.

Either way, Ima blame that b*tch Carole Baskin.

HEISMAN HYPE

• All the blabbermouths are back on the Travis Hunter/Colorado bandwagon again. He is indeed a very good football player and will probably be a first round NFL pick. But the competition really sucks. Colorado has the advantage of not playing B12 first place team BYU, second place Iowa State, and they already lost a third place Kansas State. Hunter keeps catching passes (9-99-1) against mediocre to bad B12 defenses. If he played defense against Texas Tech, it wasn’t noticeable. The box score did not show him recording any defensive stats. But let’s get real. Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders is the reason this team is 7-2 right now. Hunter and the Real Slim Sheddy could split votes.
• Ashton Jeanty had 209 rushing yards and three TDs on 34 carries. They are right purty stats but the Smurfs were playing 3-8 Nevada. He also lost a fumble and the Wolf Pack converted the turnover into a TD.
• I must have jinxed Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson. After lauding him last week, he manged only 49 yards in the Hawkeyes’ loss to UCLA.
• Cam Ward blew his chance for a “Heisman moment”.
• It is rumored that Dillon Gabriel and the Dux played this past Saturday, but the details are sketchy. Since he didn’t make any Cam Ward-like lowlights, the national press is gonna be lazy and assume he was just awesome.
• Amazingly, Jalen Milroe is back in the hunt. A few more games like Saturday and he may find himself in NYC in early December.

Below are FanDuel’s top Heisman picks in order of the money lines.

1. Travis Hunter (Colorado) +120
2. Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) +320
3. Ashton Jeanty (Boise) +350
4. Cameron Ward (Miami FL) +800
5. Kurtis Rourke (Indiana) +1400
6. Jalen Milroe (Alabama) +1800
7. Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) +2000

THE SICK REPORT

• Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava took a hard hit against MSU and had to leave the game. UT is very hush-hush about his injury but it appeared to these eyes to be of the concussion variety. For now, they are calling it the ambiguous “upper body” injury. This week should be REALLY interesting. If it was Dabo, the dude would play this Saturday, no doubt. We’ll see what kind of person Josh Heupel is. If I had to bet money, I’d say he plays against UGA. Winning a football game is much more important than a guy’s health. Right, Joshy?
• Not that they needed him but Ole Miss was without RB Henry Parrish against UGA. The senior suffered a leg injury a week ago against Arkansas near the end of the first half and did not return. Parrish has had an unusual college career. He started out at OM in 2020 and transferred to Miami after the 2021 season. After two campaigns there, he returned to Oxford for his final season. Parrish has 678 rush yards and 10 touchdowns on 130 carries.
• Mizzou starting center Connor Tollison is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

R.I.P.

Bobby Allison (1937-2024) was the President/King/Head Honcho/Alpha Dog of the Alabama Gang back in the days when NASCAR was cool and didn’t suck ass like it does today. He was the 1983 Winston Cup champion and won the Daytona 500 in 1978, 1982, and 1988, and won 85 Cup races in his career. He was named Winston Cup Series Most Popular Driver seven times.

R.I.P. DOGGYSTYLE

In case you missed it, Kirk Herbstreit’s dog Ben had cancer and was put out of his misery last week. He couldn’t have been too miserable! That dog lived out many Gump fantasies in his short life! (wink emoticon) I mean, really! Who wouldn’t want to roll around on their back at the 50-yard line of SF@BDS??

DRAMARAMA

• Big 12 Board Chair and Baylor president Linda Livingstone, sent a letter to college presidents requesting a “Summit on the Future of College Athletics” in the Dallas area on December 2-3 at a specific hotel. Her note called for an “urgent need for the presidents and chancellors from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC” to gather in person to discuss “models for the future of college football specifically and college athletics overall.” Oh, yeah. I am sure the SEC and B1G brass are going to be falling over themselves to travel to Big 12 country the week of Conference Championships so you can whine at them.
• ICYMI this past week, VU quarterback Diego Pavia is suing the NCAA because he doesn’t want his two years at junior college to count against his eligibility. Alright Van Wilder. How about you man up and try your luck at the NFL next year like everyone else your age?
• Last December after Caleb Williams peaced out on his Southern Cal teammates, Miller Moss stepped into the starting quarterback role in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville and threw 6 touchdown passes in a 42-28 win over Louisville. He was immediately anointed as the second coming of Carson Palmer. Fast forward to this past week and the prognostications are not looking so rosy anymore. With the Trojans at 4-5, 2-5 and losers of four of the last five outings, the so-called QB guru Lincoln Riley is making a change. Moss will be a healthy scratch in the Nov. 16 match-up with Nebraska in favor of a guy named Jayden Maiava, who transferred in from UNLV. Rumors have been swirling that he plans to transfer. For now, he is still with the Trojans (4-5).
• Former 4/5-star wide receiver Johntay Cook is no longer a part of the Texas program. The sophomore out of powerhouse Desoto (Texas) HS saw rotational playing time during his first two years at Texas. He caught 8 passes in each season with his only two touchdowns coming against UTSA in September.
• The Big 12 has fined Utah athletic director Mark Harlan $40,000 and will issue a public reprimand in the wake of his disparaging comments about officiating and the Big 12 after Utah’s home loss to BYU (see the controversy above). He also was seen visibly berating an official after the game.
• The SEC fined LSU $250,000 for fans throwing debris on the field during Alabama game. Also, Ole Miss will be $350,000 lighter in the pocket for fans rushing the field after Georgia win. Kirby will be using those funds on bail bonds. I have said it before and I will say it again: fans do not care about fines.

KOACHES KORNER

“In most cases, the people that are negative and voicing their opinion are the same ones that can’t pay their own bills. They’re not taking care of themselves. They’re not taking care of their own family. They’re not taking care of their own job. But they have an obligation to speak out and complain about others because it makes them feel better. But then, in the end, when they go to bed at night, they’re the same failure that they were before they said anything negative about anybody else.”

• If you have not been paying attention to the goings-on in Stillwater this fall, Okie Lite (3-7, 0-7) has fielded a historically bad team that just might go winless in a version of the Big XII that no longer has Texas or Oklahoma. Because of this, coach Mike Gundy has been getting some criticism. This past week he fired back with some thoughts that were probably met with a round of guffaws in private with his assistants. In public, it did not go over so well.
  A day later, he would cowardly apologize via Twitter rather than say it out loud in front of rolling cameras.

• For better or for worst, Florida coach Billy Napier has received a vote of confidence from his AD. It has been rough going in Gainesville for the former Nick Saban assistant and the natives have been getting restless. According to Pete Thamel, a buyout for Napier alone would be over $26 million. It would take an estimated $40 million to expel the entire staff. In years past, it would not be unusual to see a few Power team coaches being handed their pink slips before November arrives. However now that we are in this era of needing ridiculous amounts of money for NIL, the days of buying out bozos like Jimbo Fisher and Ed Orgeron with huge eight digit price tags might be over. Furthermore, firing Napier could mean freshman QB DJ Lagway (as well as other top players) hits the Transfer Portal. UF can ill-afford to lose Lagway with Graham Mertz out of eligibility and a daggum walk-on as the safety net.
• Speaking of Florida and NIL, you may recall a few years ago, UF had a commitment from QB Jaden Rashada. Allegedly, the Gators could not come up with money they promised him. So he did the most logical thing in his teenage noggin and filed a frivolous lawsuit against Napier and UF. He would flip to Arizona State who agreed to sign his no-talent brother as a package deal. In his freshman season, Jaden had two starts and then for some reason transferred to Georgia after spring practice. My bro has not even sniffed playing time in Athens. If he had just not been such a b***h and stuck with his commitment, he would now be the starter at Florida.
• Florida State coach Mike Norvell came up with the perfect plan! Fire the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach, the defensive coordinator, and the receivers coach. Yeah. That should fix everything. But seriously, folks. Usually when this sort of move occurs, it means the head coach is not getting fired. But we’ll see. FSU is a hilariously Karmic 1-9 and 1-7 in the ACC.
• Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has announced that former Houston and West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen is taking over as the team’s offensive coordinator. The ‘Huskers (5-4) – losers of three straight – were off this past week.

• Kennesaw AD Milton Overton made the controversial move of firing the only head coach the program has ever had in Brian Bohannon. Coach Bo birthed the Owls into the FCS world in 2015 and went 6-5. Over the next four seasons, he had four double-digit win campaigns and four playoff appearances. As most people would expect, KSU has struggled to a 1-8 record as the program transitions from the FCS to FBS this season. The school reported that Bohannon agreed “to step down”, but Bo sees it differently. If that name looks familiar, yes, Milton Overton is the father of Bama EDGE LT Overton.
• Urban Meyer has the heart of a lion and a lifetime ban from the zoo.
• Fat F*** Phil Fulmer is so fat that he falls off both sides of the bed.

TEEVEE

Alabama-LSU averaged 7.90 million viewers.

The Alabama-Oklahoma game will kick at 6:30/7:30 and air on ABC. It will the sixth time that the Crimson Tide has appeared on The Alphabet this season

THIS WEEK

Below is just a sampling highlight of games of interest this week. If you REALLY MUST know about the BIG FAU-Temple duologue, click here.

Tuesday, November 12

+Three MAC games all starting at 6pm/7pm.

Wednesday, November 13

+Three MAC games all starting at 6pm/7pm.

Thursday, November 14

East Carolina at Tulsa 6:30/7:30 ESPN

Friday, November 15

Wyoming at Colorado State 7pm/8pm CBSSN – CSU is the other undefeated team in the MWC. Win out and they will likely face Boise for the league title.
North Texas at UTSA 7pm/8pm ESPN2
UCLA at Washington 8pm/9pm FOX
Houston at Arizona 9:15/10:15 FS1

Saturday, November 16

SEC

Texas at Arkansas 11am/noon ABC – 80th meeting
UL-Monroe at Auburn 11:45/12:45 SECN – CAW! CAW!
Murray State at Kentucky 12:30/1:30 ESPN+
LSU at Florida 2:30/3:30 ABC – Who has the bigger hangover?
Missouri at South Carolina 3:15/4:15 SECN – Will Brady Cook play?
Tennessee at Georgia 6:30/7:30 ABC – ELIMINATION GAME
New Mexico State at Texas A&M 6:45/7:45 SECN

ERRYBODY ELSE – Lotsa ugmo games. Below are “highlights”:

Clemson at Pitt 11am/noon ESPN – ELIMINATION GAME
Penn State at Purdue 2:30/3:30 CBS – Man, what did PU do to piss off the B1G schedule makers? They have already played Oregon, anOSU, and Illinois. Now, PSU and then finish the season with Indy.
Nebraska at Southern Cal 3pm/4pm FOX – The ‘Huskers are 0-4-1 vs So Cal all time. If there was ever a time to beat them, this is the year.
Arizona State at Kansas State 6pm/7pm ESPN – B12 ELIMINATION GAME
Oregon at Wisconsin 6:30/7:30 NBC – GO BADGERS!

Kansas at BYU 10:15 PM ESPN – Coming off a win over Iowa State, the Jayhawks hope to ruin the Coogs perfect season.
San Diego Maradona State at UNLV 10:30 PM CBSSN – The Runnin’ Rebs aiming for 8-2.

#ALABAMA

• Tyler Booker was a beast against LSU. The junior guard was named SEC OL of the Week. He had 10 knockdown blocks and did not allow a pressure or commit a penalty against the Tigers. Booker graded out at a 91 percent by the Crimson Tide coaching staff.
• SEC Defensive Players of the Week Jihaad Campbell had a fantastic game against LSU. The Tide middle linebacker finished with 2 sacks, 2 hurries, 4 total pressures, 9 tackles, 0 missed tackles, 8 stops, 1 forced fumble, 3 targets, 1 reception, -1 yards, 1 PBU. With the recent attrition at linebacker (see below), there is some talk/speculation that he could slide over to Wolf on certain plays and let Justin Jefferson take his place in the middle. He was also named Senior Bowl DPOTW.
• Jalen Milroe was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week, as well as Senior Bowl OPOTW. He broke the single season school rushing TD record previously held by another QB Jalen originally from Texas, Jalen Hurts.
• Alabama “Wolf” outside linebacker Quandarrius “Que” Robinson is expected to miss remainder of season after suffering an arm injury against LSU. Unless there are more idiotic lawsuits before next fall, Robinson has played his final college snap as a fifth-year senior. Qua Russaw and Yhonzae Pierre could see more playing time.
• Keanu Koht did not travel to LSU on Saturday. On Monday, Kalen DeBoer noted that the linebacker is “suspended”. It’s unfortunate for him and the team in that he would have likely gotten more playing time with Q-Rob out.
• KDB did not give a definitive status report on DB DeVonta Smith but he did not sound pessimistic. With Mercer up next, he probably won’t play.

He already is. Bama has outscored opponents 76-13 in Bray Hubbard’s two starts, and he was not even on the field when LSU scored their garbage TD. When Keon Sabb comes back, this Crimson Tide staff needs to find a way to get both these dudes on the field at the same time.

GAME 10: Saturday, November 16, 2024

Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2) vs Mercer Bears (9-1)

Tuscaloosa, AL ~ 1pm/2pm ESPN+/SEC+

• Mercer coach Mike Jacobs is an interesting dude. He went 74-17 in four seasons each at D-II schools Notre Dame (OH) and Lenoir–Rhyne. This season with Mercer is his first at the D-1 level and he has his Bears ranked in the FCS Top 10. He seems to be taking that KDB, Curt Cignetti route.
• If Mercer beats Furman (2-7) on Nov. 23, they clinch the Southern Conference.
• Alabama is 4-0 all-time against the Bears. The last two meetings were blowout wins in 2017 and 2021. The other two games were in 1939 and 1940. Mercer’s football program was discontinued during World War II and didn’t resume until 2013.
• Saturday will be “Bama Salute” Military Appreciation Day. Arrive early to watch the U.S. Army Silver Wings Parachute Team jump into Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium at approximately 12:40 p.m.
• Honorary captains will be QB brothers Jeff Rutledge (1975-78) and Gary Rutledge (1972-74).
• Saturday should be cool in the morning but sunny with the high reaching around 68°. Bring a jacket, sunglasses, and a hat.
• TV Announcers will be Jay Alter and Rocky Boiman with Ashley Stroehlein – “I’ll take three people I have never heard of for $500.”
• Chris Stewart and Tyler Watts with Damion Square are on Alabama Radio.
• Most sportsbooks have not posted a point spread or Over/Under on this game.