On last week's recap, I noted that it wasn't a particularly excited week. This week, that completely changed. It was one of the most exciting weeks in recent memory. Almost every exciting possibility that could have happened happened. For the first time in history, five of the top eight teams in the AP poll fell. In total, eleven ranked teams lost on Saturday. This provided for an awesome Saturday of football. In this recap, we'll look at ten big games that took place the day before yesterday, notable performances, an updated look at the Heisman race, and a preview of next week. Let's get going.
Notable Games:
The week of upsets started on Thursday, when #2 Oregon played host to the team that beat them 42-16 last year, Arizona. The Wildcats managed to stun the Ducks for the second year in a row, possibly ending the Ducks' championship hopes. Arizona was rewarded for their efforts by the AP voters, who put them at #10 in the new poll.
Fans didn't have to wait long for the next upset, as it took place on Friday when Utah State knocked off #18 BYU. The 2-2 Aggies won convincingly, dropping the Cougars off the rankings completely. On top of that, BYU lost its star QB Taysom Hill for the season.
One of the biggest upsets of the week was #11 Mississippi taking down #3 Alabama. Before the game, Alabama was considered a near-lock for the playoffs and the Rebels weren't even considered real contenders. Now Ole Miss is ranked #3 and a definite contender.
Ole Miss is not the only team ranked #3, however, They share that distinction with their in-state rivals Mississippi State. The Bulldogs knocked off undefeated #6 Texas A&M, knocking the Aggies down to #14. The Bulldogs also received two first-place votes for their troubles.
The third battle between ranked SEC teams was #15 LSU visiting #5 Auburn. Last year, LSU was #6 and handily beat unranked Auburn. LSU would finish at #14 while Auburn played in the national championship game. This year, Auburn blew out LSU to move to #2 in the polls and send LSU off the top 25. At this point, Auburn is considered a favorite for the playoffs.
One of the best games of the week was #9 Notre Dame and #14 Stanford. These two had one of the best games of the year in 2012 en route to the Fighting Irish competing in the title game. This year's game was just as good. ND ended up with the win thanks to a 23 yard touchdown pass from Everett Golson to Ben Koyack with 61 seconds left.
Notre Dame is now #6, only 72 points behind Baylor. The Bears are now 5-0 after handing Charlie Strong his first career Big 12 conference loss. Texas now has a record of 2-3 and in the bottom half of the Big 12.
There was only one meeting this week between two ranked Big Ten teams. That was between #10 Michigan State and #19 Nebraska. The Spartans jumped out to an early lead, but the Cornhuskers made it interesting in the fourth, only to fall short in the end. MSU is now ranked eighth while Nebraska dropped two spots.
Michigan's woes meanwhile, continued this week. The Wolverines, expected to contend for the Big Ten championship at the beginning of the year, lost 26-24 to the Rutgers. While the Scarlet Knights picked up their first Big Ten win in program history, Michigan dropped to 2-4.
East Carolina played its first game as a ranked team since 2008 when it took on 0-4 Southern Methodist. The Pirates won handily, 41-25, and are now ranked 19 in the polls and are first in their division.
Notable Performances:
Nebraska wasn't the only ranked team from the Big Ten to lose this week. #17 Wisconsin was shocked by 2-2 Northwestern, dropping them from the rankings. A big reason the Wildcats won: safety Godwin Igwebuike picked off QB Joel Stave three times.
#23 Kansas State, smarting off a tough loss to Auburn last week, recovered from their disappointment to beat conference foe Texas Tech by 32. Leading the way for K-State was QB Jake Waters, who threw for four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Last week, UCLA laid a beat down on the Sun Devils. Still smarting from the loss, Arizona State paid a visit to the Coliseum this week and emerged with a hard-fought victory. Quarterback Mike Bercovici led the way for his team with five touchdown passes, including a Hail Mary to win the game.
Andrew Hendrix isn't a name known my many football fans, but his performance on Saturday definitely increased his fan base. The senior accounted for five total touchdowns as Miami (Ohio) beat Massachusetts 42-41 to get the RedHawks their first win of the season.
Let's also give some love to Devon Johnson of Marshall. The junior running back rushed for 198 yards on 20 carries (a 9.9 average) and scored thrice. His efforts helped the Thundering Herd improve to 5-0.
Heisman Watch:
The Heisman race has really started to heat up now, and it was difficult to limit this list to only ten players, as there are a lot of contenders at this point. Before we get to the top 10, let's acknowledge the two contenders who dropped off the list: Brett Hundley (whose Bruins lost to Utah) and Taysom Hill, who suffered a season-ending injury against Utah State.
10. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska- The Cornhusker running back slips four spots after a decent outing against Michigan State. He had only 67 total yards for two touchdowns. If he wants to stay in the race, he'll need a great performance against Northwestern in two weeks.
9. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin- Wisconsin may have lost to Northwestern, but Gordon still played quite well. He ran for 259 yards and one touchdown. His performance should give hope to Abdullah, who hopes to light up the Wildcats next week.
8. Jameis Winston, Florida State- Winston accounted for two total touchdowns in a win against Wake Forest. It wasn't a great performance, but it got the job done. Unless he steps it up dramatically, his dream of back-to-back Heisman trophies will come to an end.
7. Amari Cooper, Alabama- Cooper may still be one of the top receivers in the nation, but it didn't always show on Saturday against the Bulldogs of Ole Miss. The junior had nine catches for 91 yards and zero scores.
6. Nick Marshall, Auburn- Marshall makes his debut on our list after throwing and rushing for two scores each against LSU. The Tigers are now ranked second, and Marshall's stock can only increase if they stay in the top two.
5. Kenny Hill, Texas A&M- Despite throwing for 365 yards and four touchdowns, Hill threw three picks and his Aggies fell to Mississippi State. His eye-popping stats are keeping him in the race for now, but that might change if A&M accumulates more losses.
4. Everett Golson. Notre Dame- Golson's last two games haven't been perfect, but they've gotten the job done. The junior also got a potential Heisman moment with his game-winning TD pass against Stanford on Saturday.
3. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State- Prescott makes a very impressive debut on our rankings. The junior QB was 20/26 for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Add on the fact that he plays for a top three team, and you have the formula for a Heisman front-runner.
2. Marcus Mariota, Oregon- Last week, Mariota was the clear leader for the Heisman Trophy. Now, he finds himself dethroned and feeling a lot of pressure from behind. His performance against Arizona on Thursday was mixed. He did throw for two touchdowns but was sacked five times.
1. Todd Gurley, Georgia- Thanks to his great performance against Vandy on Saturday (163 rushing yards, 24 receiving yards, and 50 passing yards), Gurley is now our Heisman front-runner. If you want outstanding, look no further.
Games to Watch Next Week:
Next week has the potential to be almost as exciting as this week was. One game that has upset alert written all over it is #10 Arizona vs USC. Following a last-second (literally) loss to Arizona State, the Trojans will look to bounce back in a big way.
#2 Auburn at #3 Mississippi State could possibly be the biggest game of the week. These are two undefeated SEC teams that need a win to further their championship dreams. It also has Heisman consequences for both teams' QBs, Nick Marshall and Dak Prescott.
Auburn vs. Mississippi State isn't the only meeting between top 10 teams, however. #5 Baylor plays host to #9 TCU in their biggest test of the season so far. The Horned Frogs are pumped after knocking off Oklahoma, so look for them to push Bryce Petty and co. to the limit.
Oklahoma meanwhile, looks to rebound against the Texas Longhorns. A dominant win against Charlie Strong's team could put the Sooners back in the title picture and top 10 (they're currently ranked #12).
The Duke Blue Devils defense gave Johnny Manziel everything he could handle last season in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Now, they'll look to upset undefeated Georgia Tech, who is sitting pretty at 22. A win here could put Duke back in the top 25.
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