On paper, this looked like it would be a great week for college football. There were some match-ups between ranked teams with big playoff consequences. In reality, it was an exciting week, but not as good as it could have been. There was a lot of shake-up in the rankings. Speaking of which, we will now be referring to the CFP rankings, instead of the AP. Let's get started.
Notable Games:
LSU and Alabama have had some of the best games in recent years. They even played for the national title a few years ago. Their game on Saturday was no different. Blake Sims led a 50 yard drive in 50 seconds, capped by a game-tying field goal by Adam Griffith. The Tide then won the game in overtime, sending the Tigers to sixth in the SEC West.
The only other great game of the week featuring a ranked team featured #3 Auburn and Texas A&M. Kevin Sumlin has loved to play spoiler these last few years, and that continued on Saturday. Behind a great game by freshman Kyle Allen, the Aggies picked up a 41-38 win, seriously hurting Auburn's playoff chances. A&M meanwhile, moved up to 24.
#10 Notre Dame and #9 Arizona State were supposed to have a classic. Instead, the Sun Devils took a 34-3 lead in the second quarter and never looked back. ASU ended up winning 55-31 and now sits at #6. ND meanwhile, dropped all the way to 18. Could we see two Pac-12 teams in the playoffs? It's certainly a possibility, with both Oregon and ASU playing well.
Speaking of Oregon, the #4 team in the country had an easy going against #17 Utah, dropping the Utes to 6-3, fifth in the Pac-12 South, and to #23 in the rankings. Oregon meanwhile, leapfrogged to the two spot and clinched the Pac-12 North.
The week started off with #21 Clemson visiting Wake Forest. Though the Demon Deacons kept things interesting, the Tigers broke away and won 34-20. Clemson is now ranked #19 and is behind only Florida State in their division.
#7 Kansas State took on #6 TCU in a battle of top ten Big 12 teams. Unfortunately for K-State, things went downhill pretty quickly. The Horned Frogs jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first and ended up winning 41-20. TCU is now ranked fourth and is second in the Big 12, only to Baylor.
Baylor meanwhile, easily dispatched of #15 Oklahoma quite easily. The #12 Bears won 48-14 and moved into the top ten. Oklahoma meanwhile, dropped off the rankings completely, even though they are 6-3.
Brett Hundley led #18 UCLA to a win over Washington, becoming the school's all-time leader in career touchdown passes. The Bruins are now ranked 11 and still have a shot at making the playoffs, though it will be tough.
One of the biggest upsets of the week was unranked Texas taking down #23 West Virginia. This is the best win so far of coach Charlie Strong's first year at Texas. This moved the Longhorns up to fourth in the Big 12 and moved West Virginia (now unranked) to fifth.
Not many people have paid attention to the American Athletic Conference now that East Carolina dropped off the rankings, but the conference does have some good teams. Leading the pack right now is 6-3 Memphis, who knocked off Temple 16-13. If Memphis does win the conference, they will surely be ranked.
Notable Performances:
We start with Army's Angel Santiago. He was only 2/3 for 38 yards, but his main contribution was on the ground. Santiago rushed 25 times for 97 yards and two scores, helping Army beat Connecticut 35-21.
Many experts believed Georgia was out of the playoff race after their star running back Todd Gurley was suspended, but the Bulldogs have actually done quite well since then. Their most recent win: A 63-21 thumping of Kentucky. Leading the way was Hutson Mason, who went 13-16 for four scores and zero picks.
Arizona entered the week at 19, but moved up five spots after beating Colorado 38-20. A big reason was freshman QB Anu Solomon, who accounted for 316 total yards and four passing touchdowns. Is it time he get a little Heisman love?
Isaac Blakeney had only three catches for #22 Duke in their conference game against Syracuse, but they went for a total of 94 yards and two scores. The Blue Devils are now ranked #19 and are one of the favorites to win the Coastal division.
You probably didn't know this, but Lousiana Tech is 6-0 in conference play and 7-3 overall. Granted, they do play in Conference USA, but that's still impressive. Their seventh win came over UAB in a game mainly controlled by the Bulldogs. Junior Kenneth Dixon had three scores on the ground and 17 yards receiving to help the Bulldogs win.
Heisman Watch:
We had a big shake-up this week, as two top six candidates (Everett Golson and Nick Marshall) fall off the list completely. We have two returning players to the list and only one guy on the bubble: Gerod Holliman of Lousiville, who had three interceptions against Boston College. He's a dark horse candidate, but he has a shot.
10. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska (Last Week: 10)- Abdullah stays at number 10 after a week of inactivity. Remember, he was injured in his previous outing, so that could affect his status for next week against Wisconsin. If he misses that game, his Heisman quest is done.
9. Brett Hundley, UCLA (Last Week: NR)- Hundley moves back into our list after putting up great numbers against Washington. Not only did he throw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, he also ran for 18 yards and two scores.
8. Bryce Petty, Baylor (Last Week: NR)- Petty is the second returning player on our list. He only threw one touchdown against Oklahoma, but his Bears are ranked #7 and first in the Big 12. If Baylor does make the playoffs, it can only help Petty's Heisman dreams.
7. Rakeem Cato, Marshall (Last Week: 8)- Marshall is 9-0, and Cato is a big reason why. Against Southern Mississippi, Cato had three scores and accounted for 278 yards of offense. If Marshall goes undefeated, Cato could get invited to New York.
6. Amari Cooper, Alabama (Last Week: 7): Cooper didn't have a fantastic game against LSU, but the Crimson Tide won and Cooper had 8 catches for 83 yards and a score. Receivers are always long shots to win the Heisman, but Cooper definitely has a chance.
5. Trevone Boykin, TCU (Last Week: 9)- Boykin enters the top five after leading TCU to a huge win over #7 Kansas State. The Horned Frogs are now ranked 4 and if they win out, will probably make the playoffs. If so, Boykin is a near lock to be a Heisman finalist.
4. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (Last Week: 5)- Barrett moves up after showing up the stout Michigan State defense. Barrett accounted for five total touchdowns, leading his Buckeyes to a huge win over #8 MSU.
3. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin (Last Week: 3)- Gordon leads the country with 1,501 rushing yards and 166.8 yards per game. Those numbers won't guarantee him the Heisman, but they sure will help his case.
2. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (Last Week: 2)- Prescott had 260 total yards and three scores for Mississippi State in their win against Tennessee-Martin. The real test however, comes next week when he takes on Alabama. If the Bulldogs win, Prescott could once again become the Heisman front-runner.
1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon (Last Week: 1)- The junior accounted for 300 yards and four scores as Oregon trounced #20 Utah. If Oregon wins the Pac-12 title, it's all but guaranteed that Mariota will be a Heisman finalist.
Games to Watch Next Week:
Notre Dame is still reeling from their loss to ASU. Northwestern is a sneaky good team that is ready to prey upon the unsuspecting Irish. The #18 Irish are heavily favorite, but the Wildcats could pull off the upset.
Duke Johnson has had a pretty great year so far. In fact, he could even be in the Heisman race. To further his candidacy, he and his Hurricanes of Miami (Fl) will have to beat #3 Florida State on Saturday.
The biggest game of the week is undoubtedly #1 Mississippi State travelling to take on #5 Alabama. The Bulldogs are undefeated while 'Bama has only one loss, so the winner's playoff aspirations will get a big boost.
#19 Clemson and #22 Georgia have been under-the-radar this season, but they are ranked (obviously). These two will clash in Week 12, and the loser will likely have their ACC Championship dreams dashed.
Texas A&M is now ranked #24 after upsetting Auburn last week. However, they now have to contend with 7-2 Missouri, who could actually win the SEC East. This could possibly be one of the best games of the week.
Thanks for reading, If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe, comment, and share. And of course, be sure to check in for next week's recap.
Notable Games:
LSU and Alabama have had some of the best games in recent years. They even played for the national title a few years ago. Their game on Saturday was no different. Blake Sims led a 50 yard drive in 50 seconds, capped by a game-tying field goal by Adam Griffith. The Tide then won the game in overtime, sending the Tigers to sixth in the SEC West.
The only other great game of the week featuring a ranked team featured #3 Auburn and Texas A&M. Kevin Sumlin has loved to play spoiler these last few years, and that continued on Saturday. Behind a great game by freshman Kyle Allen, the Aggies picked up a 41-38 win, seriously hurting Auburn's playoff chances. A&M meanwhile, moved up to 24.
#10 Notre Dame and #9 Arizona State were supposed to have a classic. Instead, the Sun Devils took a 34-3 lead in the second quarter and never looked back. ASU ended up winning 55-31 and now sits at #6. ND meanwhile, dropped all the way to 18. Could we see two Pac-12 teams in the playoffs? It's certainly a possibility, with both Oregon and ASU playing well.
Speaking of Oregon, the #4 team in the country had an easy going against #17 Utah, dropping the Utes to 6-3, fifth in the Pac-12 South, and to #23 in the rankings. Oregon meanwhile, leapfrogged to the two spot and clinched the Pac-12 North.
The week started off with #21 Clemson visiting Wake Forest. Though the Demon Deacons kept things interesting, the Tigers broke away and won 34-20. Clemson is now ranked #19 and is behind only Florida State in their division.
#7 Kansas State took on #6 TCU in a battle of top ten Big 12 teams. Unfortunately for K-State, things went downhill pretty quickly. The Horned Frogs jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first and ended up winning 41-20. TCU is now ranked fourth and is second in the Big 12, only to Baylor.
Baylor meanwhile, easily dispatched of #15 Oklahoma quite easily. The #12 Bears won 48-14 and moved into the top ten. Oklahoma meanwhile, dropped off the rankings completely, even though they are 6-3.
Brett Hundley led #18 UCLA to a win over Washington, becoming the school's all-time leader in career touchdown passes. The Bruins are now ranked 11 and still have a shot at making the playoffs, though it will be tough.
One of the biggest upsets of the week was unranked Texas taking down #23 West Virginia. This is the best win so far of coach Charlie Strong's first year at Texas. This moved the Longhorns up to fourth in the Big 12 and moved West Virginia (now unranked) to fifth.
Not many people have paid attention to the American Athletic Conference now that East Carolina dropped off the rankings, but the conference does have some good teams. Leading the pack right now is 6-3 Memphis, who knocked off Temple 16-13. If Memphis does win the conference, they will surely be ranked.
Notable Performances:
We start with Army's Angel Santiago. He was only 2/3 for 38 yards, but his main contribution was on the ground. Santiago rushed 25 times for 97 yards and two scores, helping Army beat Connecticut 35-21.
Many experts believed Georgia was out of the playoff race after their star running back Todd Gurley was suspended, but the Bulldogs have actually done quite well since then. Their most recent win: A 63-21 thumping of Kentucky. Leading the way was Hutson Mason, who went 13-16 for four scores and zero picks.
Arizona entered the week at 19, but moved up five spots after beating Colorado 38-20. A big reason was freshman QB Anu Solomon, who accounted for 316 total yards and four passing touchdowns. Is it time he get a little Heisman love?
Isaac Blakeney had only three catches for #22 Duke in their conference game against Syracuse, but they went for a total of 94 yards and two scores. The Blue Devils are now ranked #19 and are one of the favorites to win the Coastal division.
You probably didn't know this, but Lousiana Tech is 6-0 in conference play and 7-3 overall. Granted, they do play in Conference USA, but that's still impressive. Their seventh win came over UAB in a game mainly controlled by the Bulldogs. Junior Kenneth Dixon had three scores on the ground and 17 yards receiving to help the Bulldogs win.
Heisman Watch:
We had a big shake-up this week, as two top six candidates (Everett Golson and Nick Marshall) fall off the list completely. We have two returning players to the list and only one guy on the bubble: Gerod Holliman of Lousiville, who had three interceptions against Boston College. He's a dark horse candidate, but he has a shot.
10. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska (Last Week: 10)- Abdullah stays at number 10 after a week of inactivity. Remember, he was injured in his previous outing, so that could affect his status for next week against Wisconsin. If he misses that game, his Heisman quest is done.
9. Brett Hundley, UCLA (Last Week: NR)- Hundley moves back into our list after putting up great numbers against Washington. Not only did he throw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, he also ran for 18 yards and two scores.
8. Bryce Petty, Baylor (Last Week: NR)- Petty is the second returning player on our list. He only threw one touchdown against Oklahoma, but his Bears are ranked #7 and first in the Big 12. If Baylor does make the playoffs, it can only help Petty's Heisman dreams.
7. Rakeem Cato, Marshall (Last Week: 8)- Marshall is 9-0, and Cato is a big reason why. Against Southern Mississippi, Cato had three scores and accounted for 278 yards of offense. If Marshall goes undefeated, Cato could get invited to New York.
6. Amari Cooper, Alabama (Last Week: 7): Cooper didn't have a fantastic game against LSU, but the Crimson Tide won and Cooper had 8 catches for 83 yards and a score. Receivers are always long shots to win the Heisman, but Cooper definitely has a chance.
5. Trevone Boykin, TCU (Last Week: 9)- Boykin enters the top five after leading TCU to a huge win over #7 Kansas State. The Horned Frogs are now ranked 4 and if they win out, will probably make the playoffs. If so, Boykin is a near lock to be a Heisman finalist.
4. J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (Last Week: 5)- Barrett moves up after showing up the stout Michigan State defense. Barrett accounted for five total touchdowns, leading his Buckeyes to a huge win over #8 MSU.
3. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin (Last Week: 3)- Gordon leads the country with 1,501 rushing yards and 166.8 yards per game. Those numbers won't guarantee him the Heisman, but they sure will help his case.
2. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (Last Week: 2)- Prescott had 260 total yards and three scores for Mississippi State in their win against Tennessee-Martin. The real test however, comes next week when he takes on Alabama. If the Bulldogs win, Prescott could once again become the Heisman front-runner.
1. Marcus Mariota, Oregon (Last Week: 1)- The junior accounted for 300 yards and four scores as Oregon trounced #20 Utah. If Oregon wins the Pac-12 title, it's all but guaranteed that Mariota will be a Heisman finalist.
Games to Watch Next Week:
Notre Dame is still reeling from their loss to ASU. Northwestern is a sneaky good team that is ready to prey upon the unsuspecting Irish. The #18 Irish are heavily favorite, but the Wildcats could pull off the upset.
Duke Johnson has had a pretty great year so far. In fact, he could even be in the Heisman race. To further his candidacy, he and his Hurricanes of Miami (Fl) will have to beat #3 Florida State on Saturday.
The biggest game of the week is undoubtedly #1 Mississippi State travelling to take on #5 Alabama. The Bulldogs are undefeated while 'Bama has only one loss, so the winner's playoff aspirations will get a big boost.
#19 Clemson and #22 Georgia have been under-the-radar this season, but they are ranked (obviously). These two will clash in Week 12, and the loser will likely have their ACC Championship dreams dashed.
Texas A&M is now ranked #24 after upsetting Auburn last week. However, they now have to contend with 7-2 Missouri, who could actually win the SEC East. This could possibly be one of the best games of the week.
Thanks for reading, If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe, comment, and share. And of course, be sure to check in for next week's recap.
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