The Rest of College Football

[JRB]

Some of this has been really good offense. Like that, for instance.

55-48 is your final at the Cotton Bowl. That was a classic.

[Cody_Russell]

Insane.
Both Texas vs Oklahoma and Arkansas vs Ole Miss games. The teams I rooted for didn’t win. Still can’t ask for better college football.

I think Xavier Worthy would still be better than any M WR outside of the injured Ronnie Bell. Coulda woulda shoulda Mario Manningham 2.0.

[lineygoblue]

Quote by the airhead girly on field reporter following Texas v Oklahoma, to Oklahoma's coach: "Your defense stepped up big time today, can you comment about that?"

Final score.. Oklahoma 55 - 48.

Yep. Big time.

Sweetie pie girl needs to take home economics and leave football reporting to the boys.

[Hannibal]

Jeebus what a choke job by Tejas.

[lineygoblue]

Jeebus what a choke job by Tejas.

I think they were leading at one time by 28-7.

You can't lose games like that. Not if you want to be taken seriously. Sark is an offensive genius, but he better find a better DC.

[WM Wolverine]

Texas only gave up 25 4th quarter points.

[Hannibal]

Sark got totally outcoached in the 2nd half. His OL looked like a Darrell Funk unit in the 3rd and 4th quarters.

[Hannibal]

I saw Erik Swenson out there for Boomer Sooner too. I guess he’s in his sixth year there?

[JRB]

Down goes BYU, doomed by a -4 turnover performance at home against a 3-3 Boise State team that finally got over the hump in a close game.

[iam416]

I missed this, but Oregon's disastrous final 2 minues of regulation against Stanford got worse -- CJ Verdell is out for for the season with an injury he suffered against Stanford...in overtime.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Yeah that sucks for them but the Pac12 is such a fucking mess this year they may still have a shot at a conf title

[CGVT]

I missed this, but Oregon's disastrous final 2 minues of regulation against Stanford got worse -- CJ Verdell is out for for the season with an injury he suffered against Stanford...in overtime.

He got hurt in the third quarter.

[JRB]

[iam416]

Has Bezerklie posted his top 10, yet?

[JRB]

The Top Ten

1. Georgia. There were three contenders for this spot now that the defending champs have, for the moment at least, vacated it, but there's been only one team that's looked the part across the board all year, so here they are. The Bulldogs haven't had too much trouble with anybody since the opener, and certainly didn't have much against Auburn. This week, they've got upstart Kentucky, and while the Wildcats have already managed wins over Florida and LSU, this one's probably beyond their grasp. Prediction: Georgia 35, Kentucky 21.

2. Iowa. SP+ and ESPN's FPI rank them in the teens, due largely to their mediocre offense, and that's probably more reflective of Iowa's overall talent. But sometimes, a team is better than its talent, and I'd argue that's the case with the Hawkeyes right now. For those arguing that Penn State was better until Sean Clifford got hurt, well, sure, but it was a one-score game by the time Penn State's backup QB entered the game, and Sean Clifford got hurt because an Iowa player hit him. That's kind of what Iowa does-- they make life miserable for opposing QBs. So, full marks from me for that win. Next up is Purdue, which could be a tricky hangover sort of game, but it's tough seeing the Boilermakers actually winning.

3. Oklahoma. Now that was an Oklahoma game. Huge momentum swings, tackling that ranged from erratic to non-existent, and skill talent performing all over the place. The Red River Showdown was so much fun, at least for a neutral observer. Now OU's got to figure out their QB situation. They haven't much looked like a playoff team with Spencer Rattler leading the way, but with Caleb Williams...they might be. If they get this figured right, the Sooners could finally be as explosive as they thought they'd be this year.

4. Cincinnati. Again, for the Bearcats to make it to the playoff, they need carnage in the Power 5 leagues. So far, they're getting exactly that, and they're doing their part, following up their Indiana-ND sweep with a 52-3 crushing of Temple. Two things, though. First, they're awfully streaky on offense, and I could see them getting caught in a game where the offense goes flat for a half or so. Second, of all the teams in the playoff hunt, they're the one that can probably least depend on its kicker.

5. Alabama. Well, well. Where to put Alabama after an upset loss like that? A lot of things had to happen in College Station for Texas A&M to pull that one off, and they seemingly all did. Zach Calzada played a game he had not appeared capable of playing. Alabama's red-zone offense went AWOL at critical times, and the defense couldn't stop A&M early or late. Still, it's a three-point road loss to what was a preseason top ten team. The flaws are there, and A&M exposed some of them, but I don't think you can drop the Crimson Tide farther than this. Their next three will be interesting: at Mississippi State, at home against resurgent Tennessee, and then against LSU, who may be looking for a new head coach by then.

6. Oregon. The Ducks have to retool with all their injuries, so it's a good thing they're playing Cal this week. They've still got the best road win of any team in the country so far this season, and the rest of the schedule isn't that daunting-- their toughest game left is either at UCLA or at home against Oregon State. They might be able to soldier through the rest of the way, and 12-1 with a win at Ohio State would be tough to argue against. As beaten up as they are, though, winning eight straight is a tough ask.

7. Ohio State. SP+ ranks Ohio State just behind Georgia at #2 overall, and with the way the Buckeyes have played the last three weeks, you can see why. They've got the nation's best and most explosive offense, and after giving up 79 points in weeks 1-3, they've only allowed 37 in weeks four through six. There are still questions here, but Ohio State's on a bye week and then has Indiana. We won't get much in the way of answers until Penn State comes calling October 30th.

8. Michigan State. Of the teams on this list, including the next ten, nobody's done more with he's got so far than Mel Tucker has at Michigan State. This team was not supposed to be here, but not only are they here, they look like they're planning to stay a while. They've got arguably the nation's best player right now, and while they don't do anything else at a dominant level, they do everything else well. They get Indiana this week, and then a bye week to prepare for what figures to be a top ten showdown against...

9. Michigan. What to say here? I never thought the Wolverines would make an appearance on this list this year. But, at 6-0, they've earned it, even if at times(the second half against Rutgers, the second half against Nebraska) they look nothing like a top ten team. If they could figure out a way to maximize the talent they have at QB, they might be able to overcome the limitations of their defense(i.e., their CB play). The bye week is a great time for self-scouting, and Michigan's going to need to come up with some answers with Michigan State, Penn State, and Ohio State on deck.

10. Penn State. It's a bit harsh to drop them five spots after a close loss in Iowa City, I know, but with Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State still on the schedule, it's not as if the Nittany Lions won't have the opportunity to move back up. They're going to have to get Sean Clifford back healthy, and they're going to have to find a way to get the sort of chunk plays they couldn't manage enough of against Iowa, but they've got the playmakers. They're not missing much.

Next Ten: Coastal Carolina, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, BYU, Arizona State, Florida, Arkansas