College Football Random Thoughts Week 6: Utter Chaos; Upsets, Nailbiters, and more.

September is the Honeymoon phase of a season. Everyone is still getting to feel each other out and see what and who they are. Even with a couple of losses, a team can still have hope. When the calendar flips to October however, all bets are off. This is the time when conference games really kick in and teams are forced to play away from the comforts of home.

Vanderbilt 40 Alabama 35 – After posing for photographs, slapping each other on the backs, and basking in the glory of beating Georgia, the Alabama staff turned their attention to the SEC team to the state to the north. Unfortunately, that opponent must have been Tennessee because this Crimson Tide team was nowhere near prepared for what Vanderbilt brought them. Clearly the Bama coaches are not readers of “Random Thoughts” since we have been telling you all about Diego Pavia for two years now. There were even comparisons to Johnny Manziel, and he did nasty Manziel type things to Alabama – without the aid of a Mike Evans! Vandy was getting to third down and then converting at an alarming rate, 12 of 18. Because of this methodical strategy, the ‘Dores possessed the ball a ridiculous 42:08 out of 60 minutes. Alabama ran 45 plays. Vanderbilt ran the ball 54 times alone to go with 21 passes. The Tide had 0 sacks and 0 takeaways.

Arkansas 19 Tennessee 14 – One consolation for Alabama fans is the Vols’ stunning loss to Arkansas on the same night. The UT high-powered offense was stymied and shut out in the first half. At the halfway mark, Tennessee had 3 first downs and 8 rushing yards on 9 attempts with the Hogs holding a 3-0 advantage. The inside-of-a-pumpkin-orange team woke up in the second half led by RB Dylan Sampson who scored a pair of rushing TDs and would finish with 138 yards on the ground. But Arky QB Taylen Green would respond with two scoring drives that would have them trailing only 14-13. After an exchange of several punts and Green leaving the game to injury, the Razorbacks started a drive with 3 minutes remaining with the back-up quarterback and punched in the go-ahead score with 1:17 left. UT’s Nico Iamaleava got the Vols down to the Arky 20 with 6 seconds left, but instead of throwing a desperation pass into the end zone, he scrambled to the sidelines, but could not make it out of bounds before the clock hit zeroes.

Minnesota 24 Southern Cal 17 – One week after being screwed by B1G refs at Michigan, the Golden Gophers were not going to be denied against the #11 Trojans. Hyped up So Cal QB Miller Moss had his lowest passing yardage of the season with 200 and threw a pair of 4th quarter interceptions. The first pick would lead to a Minnie touchdown that would tie the game 17-17. On the ensuing possession, the Trojans would go 3 & out. The Gophers would march 75 yards over 12 plays and 5:13 to punch in the go-ahead score on 4th and goal from the one with under a minute left to play.

Southern Cal is now 3-2 with both losses coming on the road versus east coast conference foes. Welcome to your B1G life, Trojans.

Washington 27 Michigan 17 – The Huskies got a measure of revenge on the Wolvies from last year’s NC game. UW got the scoring going to lead 14-0. UM came back with 17 straight points to take the lead. But the 4th quarter was all Huskies as they recorded a touchdown and two field goals while Michy would twice turn the ball over.

Michigan turned to yet another QB, 50-year old Jack Tuttle. This guy has been around so long that Kalen DeBoer was his OC at Indiana. Totally serious. Just like Alex Orji before him, Tuttle was unable to register 100 yards passing. UM is 4-2. Whomp whomp.

SLUGGISH FIRST HALVES

Georgia 31 Auburn 13 – The score doesn’t show it, but this was yet another sluggish start for UGA. This game played in front of a restless Athens crowd was 14-10 favor of the home team before the Doggies had a long drive to go up 11 points. On Aubie’s succeeding drive, they got to their own 40 yard line with a whole fourth quarter to play. At this point, Hugh Freeze decided to go for it on 4th & 1 and you can guess what happened next. Yup, they failed miserably and Freeze ripped into his quarterback. With a short field, UGA easily scored and the game was basically over.

Ohio State 35 Iowa 7 – The Buckys led 7-0 at the half but scored 21 in the third quarter.

Penn State 27 UCLA 11 – The Brittany Lions led an absolutely ghastly Bruins team 7-3 before adding a touchdown 20 ticks before the half ended. The PSU defense locked down in the second half and gave their O some good field positions.

MORE SHENANIGANS FOR THE ‘U’

Miami 39 Cal 38 – The Golden Bears were up 35-10 and later 38-18 early in the 4th quarter when the ‘Canes stormed back with 21 points. Miami scored the winning touchdown when it was way after midnight on the proper side of the country. The ACC officials must have dozed off because they seemed to miss a couple of obvious fouls by Miami. If you watch the winning touchdown replay (above), two ‘U’ offensive linemen apparently ran receiving routes which apparently is okay if you are the only hope for the conference

Previous to that drive, Cal’s QB was hammered in what looks like a clear textbook targeting but it was overturned. A flag would have given the Bears a first down at the Miami 39 yard line with a six point lead, 1:42 to play, and a possibility to end the game. Instead, Cal was forced to punt.

The ‘Canes would drive the field and score the above touchdown. Wow, the ACC is getting REALLY desperate.

SEC

Ole Miss 27 South Carolina 3 – The Rebs jumped out to a 24-3 first half lead, but struggled in the second half. OM quarterback Jaxson Dart failed to record a passing score for the first time this season.

Florida 24 UCF 13 – Billy Napier REALLY needed this win. It might have been curtains before the left the field had he loss to perceived little brother Center Florida in the Swamp. UF may have had a chip on their shoulder being a one point underdog coming into the game. The Gators built a 24-3 halftime lead and forgot they were supposed to do the same in the second half. The real story here was the UF defense. Their opponent came into this game averaging 39.5 points scored per game and over 300 rushing yards per game and tallied only 108 ground yards on this day. KJ Jefferson (12/22, 165 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT, sacked five times) is not helping his NFL stock, if he has any left.

FRAUDS

Texas A&M 41 Missouri 10 – Following two tight wins at home (BC, Vandy), Mizzou hit the road for the first time in 2024 and got their backsides handed to them. TAMU RB Le’Veon Moss was in beast mode, collecting 138 rushing yards and three scores. The Aggies sacked Brady Cook six times and denied WR Luther Burden the end zone.

It is the first loss for the Tigers. They drop from #9 all the way down to #21.

West Virginia 38 Oklahoma State 14 – Mike Gundy defiantly continues to move forward with Alan Bowman as his quarterback when it is clear the guy is not the answer. 11 first downs and 227 total yards is not a winning formula. A few weeks ago, the Cowboys were ranked #14. Now they are 3-3 and 0-3 in the B12.

SMU 34 Louisville 27 – The Cardinals were ranked #15 until running into Notre Dame, and now the Mustangs.

OTHER STUFF

Clemson 29 Florida State 13 – The Tigers got off to a fast 17-0 start and led 23-7 at the break. The Seminoles didn’t have any rushing yardage through three quarters and finished with 22 yards on 23 carries. [SIDE NOTE: Roydell Williams is still out with an injury.] FSU punted seven times. Hopefully, the ‘Noles fans got some good reading in.

Iowa State 43 Baylor 21 – The Cyclones are 5-0 but I am not sure what to think of them. It may take until late November to find out when they face Utah and K-State back-to-back.

Boise 62 Utah State 30 – The Smurfs keep rolling. Ashton Jeanty tossed another 186 rushing yards on his nation leading 1,031 heap – 260 more than the next closest rusher. He also added an additional 3 touchdowns to make his total 16 – six more than next closest. Despite the big win, the Boys in Blue did yield 507 yards of offense to one-win USU.

SABAN COACHING TREE BRANCH OF THE WEEK

This might be my last chance to laud Billy Napier with the murderers’ row he has coming up (@Tenn, UK, UGA, @Texas, LSU, OM, @FSU). His Gators hosted Center Florida as an underdog in the Swamp and his team responded. Napier was an Alabama analyst in 2011 (ring) and was WR coach for the Crimson Tide from 2013 to 2016 (2015 ring).

YOU HAD ONE JOB

Remember the 35 yard TD pass by Pavia on 4th and 1 that made it 30-21? What do you notice about the receiver to the bottom of the screen? How hard is it for a linesman to look down the line and notice that he can’t see the football because the Vanderbilt receiver is in the way?

YOUR MOVE, TENNESSEE

Remember that time Bama WR Jermaine Burton smacked a Tennessee fan in the head and all the Vols fans were hooting and hollering that he should be arrested for assault? On Saturday, UT senior starting DL Omari Thomas cowardly shoved a fan from behind which knocked him and another fan to the ground. Where’s all the yelping now?

FAST HEALER OF THE WEEK!

If you need an explanation, that is NOT Tyler Van Dyke. You may recall he tore his ACL versus Alabama. FOX later deleted this tweet.

WORST ATTEMPT TO HIDE A DOUBLE CHIN

Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

KIRBY HAS GOT TO RUN OUT OF SABANISM SOMEDAY, RIGHT?

But he isn’t wrong. The UGA fans were not into the Aubie game. It’s not only happening in the stadium, but also in the homes and the sports bars. The Dwags disciples are growing increasingly apathetic. They don’t want to work too hard at being a fan. Much of the attention in the Peach State is swinging to the Falcons.

PUNT OF THE WEEK, YEAR?

AT LEAST THE VIEW WAS NICE

Northwestern got thumped at home, but what a cool experience this must have been.

POINT OF EMPHASIS OF THE WEEK

POINT OF EMPHASIS OF THE WEEK, PART DEUX

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW YEARS CAN MAKE

LET’S HELP A FELLOW GUMP OUT

I can get him as far as Northport. Who can take him from there?

NAME OF THE WEEK

Notre Dame DL Boubacar Traore. Is it Boob-A-Car?

TRANSITIVE REASONING OF THE WEEK

Georgia State > Vanderbilt > Alabama > Georgia

FINGER POINTING OF THE WEEK

Saban is no longer Alabama’s coach, but did he aid in firing up Vandy?

BACKFIRE OF THE WEEK

I’d wager Will Lee had nothing to do with this.

MOST CARTOONISH HELMET OF THE WEEK

Only the Hilltoppers could get away with this.

RETRO 80s OF THE WEEK

Too bad they aren’t Georgia playing this week. They’d be legit scared.

SITTING DOWN ON THE JOB

B1G SHENANIGANS OF THE WEEK

You would have thought that Patrick Mahomes threw that pass.

DERP OF THE WEEK

DOINK OF THE WEEK

HOW TO CLOSE OUT A GAME

STATS OF THE WEEK

• Iowa QB Cade McNamara threw for only 98 yards. It marked the fifth time he has finished with under 100 yards passing in 10 career starts for the Hawkeyes.
• West Virginia did not punt in their 38-14 triumph over Okie Lite. They twice got stuck in no man’s land and unsuccessfully went for it on 4th down – though up 31-7 both times. Every other possession was a score or the kneel down at the end.
• Preaseason All-SEC WR Luther Burden has one touchdown reception (vs Buffalo) through five games.

GAMEDAY SIGNS OF THE WEEK

THE WACKY WORLD OF DESI

There was unexpected wackiness at College GameDay as the crew traveled to Berkeley for Miami-Cal. These fans were up all night – and the game kicked off at 7:30 Pacific Time!

DAMN! Mario Cristobal dunking on Nick Saban! Nick had a few zingers as well.

Cal alum Marshawn Lynch was the guest picker. Huh. Imagine that. A former player of the home school. What a novel approach.

PICK’EM

The GD crew’s picks:

GameDay is heading to Eugene for Ohio State-Oregon.

Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff was at Penn State for the lopsided match-up between the Brittany Lions and the UCLA Ruins. The crowd was sparse and tame. BNK will be in Provo for BYU-Arizona. I predict these LDS kids will go nuts.

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• UNLV (4-1) It’s big plays like the blocked punt for a score – the second in as many games for Ricky White – that is making Vegas’s season so special. It’s clearly not the QB who thinks he is bigger than the team. The Runnin’ Rebs put up a good fight against a solid Syracuse (4-1) team but fell in overtime 44-41 when they kicked a field goal and the Orangemen answered with a TD.
• Upon defeating Northwestern 41-24, Indiana (6-0) became the first bowl eligible team of the season.
• UL-Monroe (4-1) shocked JMU 21-19. The Dukes were coming off a 63-7 win over Ball State last week and a 70-50 W over North Carolina the week before.
• After topping UNC in Chapel Hill, former Bama back-up QB Eli Holstein has Pitt at 5-0. Granted they haven’t exactly faced murderer’s row so far. But that changes real quick as they have Cal, Syracuse, @SMU, UVa, Clemson, @Ville, and @BC.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

After the UGA win, it didn’t look like SOS would be important to the Tide. That has changed now.

• WKU (3-2) and USF (2-3) both had bye weeks.
• Wisconsin (3-2) beat the bloody hell out of Purdue 52-6.
• Vandy (3-2) is at Kentucky which they will probably lose. They are still Vanderbilt after all.

COUSINS

If you are a Troy fan, you’re gonna need $2 beers. SIDE NOTE: Bottled water is $5.

• Troy (1-5, 0 wins vs FBS) – The Trojans fell to Texas State 38-17. Next they trek to South Alabama a week from tonight.
• South Alabama (2-4) – The Jags lost Arky Lite by the odd score of 18-16 on an ASU field goal with 10 ticks to go. Troy comes in 10/15.
• Jacksonville State (2-3) – The Gamecocks thumped godawful Kennesaw 63-24. It’s a short week for JSU as they face New Mexico State only five days later (Wednesday) with a possibility of getting to .500 on the season.

THAT ANNOYING GUY WHO HAS 10 CARS IN HIS YARD, BUT THE ONLY THING MOBILE IS HIS HOME

• UAB (1-4, 0 wins vs FBS) – The Dragons were crushed at home by Tulane 71-20. It could have been worse. Two UAB touchdowns came against the Green Wave scrubs in the 4th. Birmingham U is at Army.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

Wait. This is NAVY?

• Air Force (1-4) – The Falcons got clobbered at home by Navy 34-7. The Flyboys looked like they might get back in the game down 27-7 early in the 4th, but turned the ball over on downs at the Navy 11. AFA heads to New Mexico to hopefully earn their first FBS win.
• Navy (5-0) – The Midshipmen dominated this game behind star QB Blake Horvath who passed for 134 yards, and ran for 115. The Middies take a commanding 1-0 lead in the Commander-In-Chief (whoever that is these days) Trophy standings. It’s a week of R&R before Charlotte visits.
• Army (5-0) – The Black Knights flummoxed Tulsa 49-7 on the road behind 481 yards of offense. The Cadets host UAB with bowl eligibility on the line.

ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

Eliminated: Florida State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Baylor, Houston, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Minnie, Maryland, Sparty, Northwestern, Purdue, UCLA, Auburn, Mississippi State,

Endangered: Clemson, Pitt, SMU, Virginia, Virginia Tech, K-State, Utah, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Mizzou, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M.

Extremely Endangered: Boston College, Cal, Georgia Tech, Louisville, UNC, NC State, Notre Dame, Stanford, Syracuse, Arizona, Arizona State, Center Florida, Cincy, Colorado, TCU, Texas Tech, WVU, Illinois, Iowa, Southern Cal, Washington, Wisconsin, Wazzu, Oregon State, Arky, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt.

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

An interesting story is developing. The semifinal games for the CFP take place in Arlington, TX and Miami. The top seed gets their choice of locations. If that team is Texas, they will assuredly pick JerryWorld. As it stands now, Ohio State could be the second seed and ACC Champ Miami could be their opponent in the semis as the 3-seed. The Buckeyes would be forced to play in the Hurricanes’ home stadium. L O L

Despite the upset to Vanderbilt, FanDuel still likes Bama’s odds. In fact, the SportsBook now has Bama as a 2.5 point favorite at Tennessee.

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

Ohio State -1600 (bet $1600 to profit $100)
Texas -1100
Oregon -800
Alabama -500
Georgia -500
Miami -250
Penn State -250
Ole Miss -130
Notre Dame -120
Clemson -110
Tennessee +110 (bet $100 to profit $110)
Texas A&M +120

POWER TWO

• SEC – UGA, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Mizzou are in the mix. Maybe LSU?
• Big Ten – Indiana (6-0, 3-0) leads the B1G with a bye week upcoming. Oregon, anOhio State, and Penn State are each 5-0, 2-0. Rutgers had their mini-run ended by Nebraska in typical B1G fashion, 14-7.

SECOND TWO

• Big 12 – Wait! Texas Tech is in first place? Yep, the Red Raiders are the first to 3-0 in the conference. BYU (5-0, 2-0) is also having a surprisingly strong season.
• ACC – Miami is still on top. But Clemson is not going away. SMU could factor in. Fortunately for the ‘Canes, they do not play either of those teams in the regular season.

AT LARGE

• PAC-2 – Oregon State (4-1) beat Colorado State in double overtime at home. Not exactly a resume builder. Washington State (4-1) had a bye.
• Indies – Notre Dame (4-1) did not play. Like it or not, the Irish are still a big draw. They have three upcoming neutral site games: Georgia Tech at the Atlanta Falcons’ stadium (Oct 19), Navy at the Jets/Giants East Rutherford (Oct 26), and Army at Yankee Stadium (Nov 23).

PARTICIPATION TROPHY

It’s slim pickings from the Participation Trophy potentials. As you probably know, the NCAA and CFP Committee have decided to allow one non-Power conference champ to be included in the playoff, no matter how lousy they are.

• MAC: Toledo and Eastern Michigan are both 4-1, 1-0. Neither looks like a CFP team.
• AAC: At 5-0, Army and Navy are still the only AAC squads without a defeat. Realistically, Tulane (4-2, 2-0) is probably the team to beat. The Green Wave fell to K-State and Okie.
• C-USA: With a game cancellation vs App State and a bye week, Liberty (4-0, 2-0) has a been sitting at home for two weeks getting healthy and/or rusty. Sam Houston of all teams is 5-1, 2-0. WKU (3-2, 1-0) whose losses have come to Bama and BC could create some havoc.
• MWC: Boise (4-1, 1-0) is still looking like the strongest team, but San Jose And The Pussycats State suddenly leads the league at 4-1, 2-0.
• Sun Belt: James Madison (4-1) losing to Monroe throws this conference into a horse race.

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

TBH, Alabama did not drop as far as they could have. Southern Cal had a freefall from No. 11 to completely out of the top 25. #22 Louisville and #25 UNLV also dropped out.

1. Texas (52)
2. Ohio State (9)
3. Oregon
4. Penn State – really?
5. Georgia
6. Miami
7. Alabama – down 6
8. Tennessee – down 4
9. Ole Miss
10. Clemson
11. Iowa State
12. Notre Dame
13. LSU
14. BYU
15. Texas A&M – up 10
16. Utah
17. Boise
18. Indiana
19. Oklahoma
20. Kansas State
21. Missouri – down 12
22. Pitt – NEW
23. Illinois
24. Michigan – down 14
25. SMU – NEW

The first college football playoff rankings will be announced in 4 WEEKS – Tuesday, Nov. 5.

LET’S GO BOWLING!

• With their sixth win, Indiana and Miami (FL) are the first two bowl eligible teams.
• We are down to 12 FBS teams that are still undefeated.
• In only their second year in FBS, Sam Houston (5-1) is one win away from bowl eligibility. Just two seasons ago, SHSU was 5-4 in FCS. Last year, they were 3-9 in FBS.

LET’S GO BLOWING!

• We are still at three teams remaining without a win on the season. Kennesaw, Kent State, and UTEP are tied for the Triple Golden Sombrero (going 0-12) with five defeats each against no victories.
• Florida State and Kansas were both ranked in the preseason AP Poll. Now, they both stand at 1-5. FSU’s issues of culture/quit mode, miscalculation of DJU’s abilities, and stocking the team with transfer portal misfits is bringing their downfall. But what has happened in Lawrence? The Jayhawks had 30 seniors returning from last year’s nine-win team that could’ve had 11 or 12 wins had things gone a certain way. QB Jalon Daniels is among those upperclassmen back but he has been pretty awful (54% completions, 7 TD, 8 INT). The departure of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to Penn State looms large. Store that name away for later.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to Malachi Moore and Kalen DeBoer’s kid gloves. If you shut off the TV prematurely, you fortunately missed the Tide team captain lose his cool in multiple ways. If it was one incident, it might be forgivable.

If you missed it late in the game, Moore took a cheap shot by shoving Vandy quarterback Diego Pavia’s head in the ground after gaining a first down. Then, he started acting really insane. He was ranting and raving like a madman, yelling at clouds, he threw his mouthpiece, was banging his own helmet, and then with absolutely no provocation he goes over and kicks the football that had been set down by the official for the next play. But the worst offense might be that when defensive coordinator Kane Wommack tried to substitute in Bray Hubbard for him. Moore waved him off and refused to leave the game. Meanwhile, DeBoer is just letting this happen. If I was coach, I would have taken the penalty and walked as far onto the field as needed to get him out of the game.

This whole episode was downright embarrassing. It undermines the authority of the coaches. What kind of message does this send to the younger player that someone can get away with these antics?

Oh, gee whillickers. That makes everything okay!

I think Damien Harris spoke for most of Tide Nation:

Moore released a statement which seems to basically be a response to Harris’s scolding.

We at RBR have some problems with this apology. An apology to the officials would not have been a bad thing. Chances are that that crew calls another Bama game real soon, and they will remember. Another problem is that his statement came in the form of a little jpg on social media. Be a man and get up in front of the press.

IMHO, he probably should have been suspended for the first half or first series or something similar against South Carolina. Better yet, he should volunteer self-suspension. This incident and how it is handled is bigger to the future of the program than just winning the next game. DeBoer is giving him a pass because of his reputation. What happens the next time something like this happens and the player is perhaps a little less of a saint that KDB paints Moore to be? The public may never know how what internal penanace Moore pays. But it needs to be noteworty. You never want to play favorites.

NOTE TO KDB: This is why you don’t pick team captains before the season.

HEISMAN HYPE

The Heisman is a fickle lover. Jalen Milroe had two turnovers, but one was a fluky bounce into the air and the other was because a certain right tackle got beat like a drum by a safety. Milroe still had 310 passing yards on just 18 completions. But this award is still about hype and nothing more. If your team got beat by a perennial doormat, it will cost you.

“iT’s nOT JusT a QUarTeRbAck aWaRd!”

Two non-quarterbacks are climbing the charts, and one of them did not even play this weekend.

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

1. RB Ashton Jeanty (Boise) +1000 to +220 – Not to brag too much, but we told you about this cat long before most of the nation even knew his name.
2. DB/WR Travis Hunter (Colorado) +1700 to +750 to +320 – You can’t screw up if you don’t play.
3. QB Cameron Ward (Miami-FL) +750 to +450 to +350 to +650 to +450
4. QB Jalen Milroe (Alabama) +1000 to +600 to +750 to +200 back to +1000
Tied 5. QB Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) +1200 to +900 to +1200 to +1600 to +1400
Tied 5. QB Cade Klubnik (Clemson) +2500 to +1400 – up from the tenth spot.
Tied 7. QB Carson Beck (Georgia) +850 to +1400 to +1500 to +2500 to +1800
Tied 7. QB Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) +950 to +600 to +500 to +1600 to +1800
9. QB Quinn Ewers (Texas) +500 to OFF to +1400 to +2000 – did not play.
10. NEW – WR Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) +3300

• QB Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee) +1200 to +900 to +1000 to +1600 to +3500
• Former Top 5 QB Will Howard (anOhio State) +2000 to +2200 … to +5000
• Former Top 10 QB Miller Moss (Southern Cal) +1800 to +2200 … to +10000

THE SICK REPORT

• NC State QB Grayson McCall took a crushing blow that knocked his helmet off. Some of his teammates were immediately calling for the medical team while the play was still unfolding. He was down on the field for several minutes and left the field on a cart, though he was seen freely moving his arms. Coach Dave Doeren stated “all the reports back from the hospital are positive. Once they’re done going through all the tests, obviously we’ll have more information at that time.” Saturday evening, the school announced that McCall was released from the hospital after receiving positive news on all his scans. He has a history of concussions and head trauma. The quarterback suffered a head injury against Coastal Carolina last year that ended his season and could have ended his career.
• Florida State practice dummy DJ Uigieleleile allegedly broke a finger on his throwing hand in the previous Saturday’s loss to SMU. He missed FSU’s game against his former team Clemson. Wow. What a coincidence. Color me skeptical over this whole episode. He was probably about to get benched anyway.
• Georgia was without inside linebacker Smael Mondon, who was on crutches and his left foot in a boot. DL Christen Miller left the Auburn game with a knee injury.
• Notre Dame sack leader Boubacar Traore is out for season with a knee injury.
• Wisconsin leading rusher Chez Mellusi is “stepping away from football” as he continues to deal with an endless string of injuries. In 2021, he tore an ACL. The next year, he broke a bone in his arm. Last season, he missed nine games after breaking his leg and ankle in a game against Purdue. Despite all those mishaps, he returned this year and had 232 rushing yards and three scores. Against Alabama, he tallied 66 yards on 11 carries. Wisky has left the door open for a return later this season. He is out of eligibility at the end of this campaign.

REMEMBER THIS GUY?

• Linebacker Ale Kaho signed with Alabama out of Reno, NV in 2018 – the same class as Patrick Surtain II, Josh Jobe, and Jaylen Waddle. After three seasons, he transferred to UCLA where he played in 2021. Injuries kept him off the field for all of 2022 and 2023 but now he is somehow back for his redshirt senior season.

R.I.P.

DRAMA

• UTEP will vacate Conference USA and join the Mountain West in 2026-27. They have a lousy football team but the stadium – home of the Sun Bowl – is kinda cool.
• Texas State has ended their flirtation with MWC and will stay in the Sun Belt. It is a big win for the SBC. TSU is a fast growing school with a current enrollment of 40,678. Alabama’s fall enrollment is 40,846.
• Vandy has been fined $100K by the SEC for rushing the field after the win over Alabama. Under new SEC rules, that money goes to the offender’s opponent.

• Arkansas was in violation of the same policy following its game against Tennessee and will incur a fine of $250K (second offense under the policy). The Vols can probably use the money to feed Fat F*** Phil Fulmer for a day.
• ICYMI, reports have it that Ryan Williams is still 17 years old.

KOACHES KORNER

• Well, this is a new one. Former Okie Lite, LSU, Kansas coach Les Miles is suing LSU, the NCAA, and the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame over a decision to vacate 37 of his teams’ victories from 2012 to 2015. The wins were vacated by the NCAA in 2023, after a former player was ruled ineligible. His career head coaching record was reduced from 145–73 to 108–73 and his record in bowl games from 8–6 to 6–6. His record at LSU fell from 114–34 overall and 62–28 in the SEC to 77–34 and 42–28, respectively. Miles is spending a lot of money on this venture. It’s hard to understand what his endgame is other than pride. On the other side of the aisle, it seems odd that the NCAA doesn’t just relent. They have so many other bigger fish to fry.
• If Miles wins, it could point to Nick Saban having his five wins restored. You may recall, the NCAA ridiculously took away those five wins in Saban’s FIRST year at Alabama and he had no previous issues. Furthermore, he had no knowledge of (clutched pearls) a few Tide players selling books to other students for a pittance of profit.
• Speaking of the dumb ol’ NCAA, this past week they handed down one of their toughest and most useless show-cause penalties. From 2018 to 2021, Antonio Pierce was an assistant at Arizona State under Herm Edwards – a staff did not give a flip about recruiting rules. Since his tenure at ASU, Pierce became linebackers coach with the Raiders and was then promoted to head coach this season. This past week, the NCAA gave Pierce an eight year show-cause, which is basically nothing to a guy whose future lies in the NFL. Even if Las Vegas fires him in the future, he’ll always have an assistant job waiting for him somewhere within “The Shield”.
• As dumb as that penalty is, it still makes you wonder what the NCAA has in store for Jim Harbaugh. 10 years? 20 years? Lifetime? We’ll probably find out in 2028.
• Toledo’s Jason Candle has agreed to a contract extension thru 2028 season.
• Urban Meyer told his wife he does not want children, which was news to his three kids.
• Fat F*** Phil Fulmer was late getting home because when he went to the barber to get a shave and it took two hours just to get a quote.

TEEVEE

ICYMI, the Alabama-Georgia game averaged a 6.0 TV rating and 11.99 million viewers on ABC with a peak of 14.1 million, marking the largest college football audience of the season, and the most-watched ABC game — including bowls and conference championships — since the January 2020 Citrus Bowl (Alabama-Michigan: 14.00M). Excluding bowls, it was the network’s most-watched game since Alabama-Florida State on the opening weekend of the 2017 season (12.34M).

Oklahoma-Auburn received a set of steak knives for their 5.04 million viewership.

THIS WEEK

Beginning last Thursday, there will be a FBS or NFL game on every night until November 27, which is the day before Thanksgiving. Then Rivalry Week cranks up the next day.

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

Tonight

FIU at Liberty 6pm/7pm CBSSN – It’s okay if you want to skip this one.

Wednesday, October 9

NMSU at Jacksonville State 6:30/7:30 ESPN2 – Same here.

Thursday, October 10

Coastal Carolina at JMU 6:30/7:30 ESPN2
Middle Tennessee at La Tech 7pm/8pm CBSSN
UTEP at WKU 7pm/8pm ESPNU

Friday, October 11

Memphis at South Florida 6pm/7pm ESPN – Potential post-hurricane issues. UPDATE: Game moved to Saturday.
Northwestern at Maryland 7pm/8pm FOX
UNLV at Utah State 8pm/9pm CBSSN
Utah at Arizona State 9:30/10:30 ESPN

Saturday, October 12

SEC

Missouri at UMass 11am/noon ESPN2
Texas at Oklahoma 2:30/3:30 ABC – RED RIVER SHOOTOUT!
Mississippi State at Georgia 3:15/4:15 SECN
Florida at Tennessee 6pm/7pm ESPN
Ole Miss at LSU 6:30/7:30 ABC
Vanderbilt at Kentucky 6:45/7:45 SECN

ERRYBODY ELSE – Below are highlights:

Penn State at Southern Cal 2:30/3:30 CBS
Arizona at BYU 3pm/4pm FOX
Ohio State at Oregon 6:30/7:30 NBC

WATCH OUT FOR BED BUGS AND ALL THAT

Kansas State at Colorado 9:15/10:15 ESPN
Boise at Hawaii 10pm/11pm CBSSN

#ALABAMA

• Jeheim Oatis is opting out of the rest of the season and will enter the Transfer Portal. Kane Wommack stated “he’s been battling some injuries. Has not been able to perform or produce the way that any of us would like, but my focus is really on the players that are going to do anything they can to help us win football games.” Oatis had a impressive freshman year and was looking like the next Quinnen Williams. However two years later, he is buried in the depth chart. In 2024, Williams has 1 solo tackle and 1 assist, both against WKU. Perhaps it’s due to injuries. Maybe it’s the scheme. Early Destination Prediction: Ole Miss.
• WR Kobe Prentice left Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt after suffering an apparent head injury. He was escorted to the locker room with a few minutes before halftime and did not return to the game. The Alabama media neglected to ask about him on Monday.
• Fellow WR Kendrick Law did not play against the Commodores due to a “lower leg injury”. No news on his current condition.
• TSIO: Alabama-Tennessee will be a 2:30/3:30 game aired on ABC.

GAME 6: Saturday, October 12, 2024

South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2) at Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1)

Tuscaloosa, AL ~ 11am/noon ABC

• Shane Beamer is in his fourth season with the ‘Cocks. He is 23-20 overall, 11-16 in the SEC. Even with that record, the fans love him for some reason.
• Alabama is 13-3 all-time against SC. Their last meeting was the a 47-23 Bama win at Columbia in 2019. This upcoming game is the first trip for the Gamecocks to Tuscaloosa since Mark Ingram ran all over them and Marquis Johnson schooled Steve Spurrier in 2009. That was back when Ryan Williams was 2 years old (Have you heard how old he is? Has anyone mentioned that yet?).
• The Honorary Captains are former DB Ricky Davis (1972-74) and 1974 All-American center Sylvester Croom (1972-74).
• Overnight, it will get down to the lower 50s. During the day, there will be a high around 82°, closer to the final whistle.
• TV Announcers are Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer with Katie George on the sidelines.
• Chris Stewart and Tyler Watts with Damion Square are on Alabama Radio.
• The point spread has Alabama as a 21.5 point favorite as of post. The Over/Under is around 51.5.