While there were a few exciting games to watch this past weekend (i.e. Wisconsin vs. Nebraska, California vs. Utah), and a few upsets (i.e. Washington vs. USC, Oklahoma vs. Texas), the weekend was mostly a fairly ho-hum Saturday in college football. Ohio State is still number one, Baylor still follows behind at number two, and from there on out the same juggernaut of teams persists. Here are this week’s thoughts.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes: Ezekiel Elliot had two short touchdown runs to propel the Buckeyes to a nice win over Maryland by a score of 49-28. It’s hard to come up with new storylines for this team: they just keep on chugging along, even when the games get close. Bring on Penn State.
2. Baylor Bears: Baylor does not stop the intense domination on the field, piling up a 66-7 victory over Kansas. Seth Russell’s three touchdown passes and Shock Linwood’s 135 yards rushing were only the beginning, and the Bears cruised to a safe win on the road. Will this team ever have a close game?
3. TCU Horned Frogs: Trevone Boykin’s 301 yards and two touchdowns, including a 55-yard pass with under a minute and a half left to clinch a victory for the Horned Frogs was intense, and they barely did get by Kansas State. But, the Horned Frogs keep flying along and giving hot pursuit to Baylor in the Big 12, making that game the day after Thanksgiving to be ever so crucial. Aaron Green will need to continue to play like he did this week, where he had two touchdowns, for the Horned Frogs to have a balanced attack necessary to get them to play into January.
4. Clemson Tigers: The Tigers proved that their win against Notre Dame really was the springboard necessary to take them towards continued success. A once-ranked Georgia Tech team faced continual problems against the Tigers on Saturday, as they managed only 71 yards of rushing in the effort. Further, Clemson quarterback DeShaun Watson passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns, which is his career high, and showed just how in business the Tigers are. When a team can make another look totally decrepit on the football team, it shows. Clemson is in business.
5. Utah Utes: The California Golden Bears are a ranked team and contender in the Pac-12 North, but the Utes made them look like just another opponent on Saturday night in Salt Lake City. The six turnover night, including five interceptions for quarterback Jared Goff, ultimately cost California the game, but the Utah defense was suffocating. Utah is now the only undefeated team in the Pac-12, and is looking hot as ever entering a key matchup against Arizona State.
6. Michigan State Spartans: Another week, another chance for the Spartans to barely win a game and hope to stay atop rankings and polls. This week really was no exception, as the LJ Scott touchdown with 43 seconds to play barely lifted the Spartans over Rutgers by a score of 31-24. A week after only passing for 11 yards in the second half, Connor Cook threw for 357 yards, two touchdowns, and one game-winning drive. While that’s a definite turnaround, the rest of the team needs to follow suit for the Spartans to reach January.
7. LSU Tigers: Leonard Fournette only ran for 158 yards this week, including an 87-yard touchdown run. Brandon Harris’ 228 passing yards and the team’s general balanced attack, a component that has not been present for quite some time, came to action on Saturday at an away game being played in their home stadium. Steve Spurrier is now 0-4 in the SEC, a spot that he is gravely unused to. LSU must get ready as a dangerous game against Florida awaits.
8. Florida Gators: A 21-3 victory over Missouri showed the continual resurgence of this Florida team. Kelvin Taylor’s 99 yards and two touchdowns shut down Missouri homecoming, which is a special occasion because Missouri was the first school to have homecoming. Will Grier went 20/33 for 208 yards, and the Gators looked clearly sharp. If they can figure out some way to stop Leonard Fournette in Tiger Stadium, they will probably end up in the Top 5.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide: It is always nice for the Tide to earn a key win against rival Arkansas, and the 27-14 effort in Tuscaloosa was no different. Jake Coker’s back-to-back touchdown drives were very instrumental in carrying the team forwards, and the defense continued to make a statement. If the offense joined, maybe the Tide could find themselves once again in January.
10. Texas A&M Aggies: They did not even play, but they have their work cut out for them next week when playing Alabama. In what will be a heated and long game, the two teams will duke it out in College Station for the marbles of pride and playoff contention in the SEC.
11. Florida State Seminoles
12. Michigan Wolverines
13. Stanford Cardinal
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At a university known for its basketball, its football team still made the top 25, which is something for Durham residents to be excited about.
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
15. Ole Miss Rebels
16. Oklahoma State Cowboys
17. UCLA Bruins
18. Iowa Hawkeyes
19. Boise State Broncos
20. Oklahoma Sooners
21. Northwestern Wildcats
22. California Golden Bears
23. Duke Blue Devils
24. Toledo Rockets
25. Temple Owls
Week 7 – Key Matchups
UCLA at Stanford
Iowa at Northwestern
Alabama at Texas A & M
Michigan State at Michigan
Florida at LSU
USC at Notre Dame
Sources
All images courtesy of Getty Images.