Since last week was not that substantial in the world of the NCAAF in terms of big games, I guess it is fitting that this week was the exact opposite. With four top 10 teams losing this past weekend, including one top-5 team in Ole Miss, the football world was something to watch. Freshman quarterback Josh Rosen of UCLA finally was pressured into playing like his young age, and Georgia proved that maybe they are not as strong outside of Nick Chubb as people might have imagined.
With that, here are this week’s thoughts:
1. Ohio State Buckeyes: An easy choice, but the Buckeyes actually trailed Indiana for the whole first half and part of the third quarter. Indiana was able to get the Buckeyes into turnover trouble, penalty trouble, and pick off Cardale Jones inside the red zone. But, Ezekiel Elliot’s 274 yards and three touchdowns made the defending champs take another victory in the Big 10. Hopefully having their next two games be in Columbus will cause the offense to play more cohesively as the team enters the middle portion of the season and more in-depth Big 10 play.
2. Baylor Bears: Another strong week for the Baylor Bears, who thrashed Texas Tech by a score of 63-35. Shock Linwood’s 221 yards of rushing and two touchdowns, coupled with Seth Russell’s 286 yards of passing and four touchdowns led the Bears to another easy win. They have the FBS’ top offensive rankings in multiple categories, and are the only top team to not show any signs of resilience or doubt so far this season. A trip to Lawrence next weekend should be a piece of cake against the 0-4 Jayhawks.
3. Michigan State Spartans: Purdue is 1-4, but made the Spartans play for every bit of their 24-21 victory at Spartan Stadium on Saturday. Connor Cook threw for only 11 yards in the second half, and the offense had to be primarily on the ground as a result. Further, the Purdue offense was splendid and with the exception of a batted pass in the final minutes, was pretty sure on completing the upset bid. Things are shaky in East Lansing.
4. TCU Horned Frogs: After almost losing to Texas Tech in a nail biter last week, the Horned Frogs played a little bit more like themselves this week against the Texas Longhorns. Trevone Boykin’s five touchdowns with four to KaVontae Turpin, coupled with strong defensive play, sent the Longhorns to their worst start since 1956. The Horned Frogs looked in command and confident, something they did not have against Texas Tech. Bring on Kansas State.
5. Clemson Tigers: Despite a second-half push from Notre Dame, the Clemson Tigers stood strong and beat them by a score of 24-22. DeShone Kizer’s 2-point conversion attempt with 7 seconds left was stopped by the Clemson defense to secure a victory. Clemson looked tenacious and passionate, two strong qualities as they continue marching through ACC play.
6. Utah Utes: Talk about a great week. The Utes smash Oregon last Saturday 62-20, then take a bye week and move up four slots in the rankings because of the shake-up in the Top 10. Now, they sit where both USC and UCLA have sat earlier this season before taking some big losses. While the Utes may rest now, next week is a huge game on College GameDay as they take on the California Golden Bears at home.
7. LSU Tigers: Does Leonard Fournette ever stop? The Heisman candidate had yet another 200-yard plus rushing day, as he tallied up 233 yards and a trio of touchdowns over Eastern Michigan. He is the first player in SEC history to rush for over 200 yards in three consecutive games. Meanwhile, his team took a 44-22 victory over Eastern Michigan. While there were enough mistakes to make Les Miles and the Tigers frustrated, they should be happy that they at least secured a win, and can move back after a two-week break into SEC play next week against South Carolina.
8. Alabama Crimson Tide: A huge win for the Tide to propel them back into the Top 10 for the first time since their loss to Ole Miss. The 38-10 win in Athens was largely the fault of the Georgia defense, and not Georgia as a whole. Certainly, it was not Nick Chubb’s game, as he had another 100 plus yard effort including an 83 yard touchdown run.
9. Texas A&M Aggies: Their 30-17 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs was a thing to watch, as Kyle Allen and the offense led a strong first half and then cruised through the second to a nice win. While the Bulldogs were a ranked team, the Aggies played with ease and had a sweet victory. Enjoy your bye week next week, because the Crimson Tide lurk on the schedule.
10. Florida Gators: Alabama won 38-10 this week, but the team that beat them also lost 38-10. The Florida Gators look like a true contender now that their offense matched up with the expectations of their defense. 355 yards of offense against a top-5 team is a key statement, and the Gators should definitely be looked towards in the gauntlet that is the SEC.
11. Oklahoma Sooners
12. Florida State Seminoles
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It was a family reunion in College Park on Saturday as the visiting Michigan Wolverines and coach Jim Harbaugh were met up by Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh on the sidelines during the Wolverines 28-0 victory over the Terrapins.
13. Northwestern Wildcats
14. Stanford Cardinal
15. USC Trojans
16. Michigan Wolverines
17. Georgia Bulldogs
18. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
19. Ole Miss Rebels
20. Oklahoma State Cowboys
21. California Golden Bears
22. UCLA Bruins
23. Iowa Hawkeyes
24. Boise State Broncos
25. Duke Blue Devils
Week 6 – Key Matchups
Northwestern at Michigan
Cal at Utah
LSU at South Carolina
Oklahoma at Texas
Sources
ESPN
All images are courtesy of Getty Images.