College Football Awards, Week 7 (2025) October 13, 2025
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Alabama, Alex Golesh, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Bobby Petrino, Boise State, Bruins, BYU, Clemson, college football, Colorado, Cougars, Curt Cignetti, Dan Lanning, DeShaun Foster, Drew Allar, Eliah Drinkwitz, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Franklin, John Mateer, Kalen DeBoer, Lane Kiffin, Longhorns, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Mike Elko, Mike Norvell, Missouri, NCAA football, Nittany Lions, North Texas, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Red River rivalry, Rice, Sooners, South Florida, Steve Sarkesian, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, UAB, UCLA, UNLV, USC, USF, Utah, UTSA, Virginia, Washington State, Yellowjackets
add a comment
COACHES
Wish I were him: Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Honorable mention: Steve Sarkesian, Texas
Glad I’m not him: Dan Lanning, Oregon
Lucky guy: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Poor guy: Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Alex Golesh, South Florida
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Mike Norvell, Florida State
Desperately seeking … anything: James Franklin, Penn State
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Clemson (defeated Boston College 41-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Ole Miss (defeated Washington State 24-21)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: N/A
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Northwestern (defeated Penn State 22-21)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: South Florida (defeated North Texas 63-36)
Honorable mention: Utah (defeated No. 21 Arizona State 42-10)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Akron
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Oregon
Did the season start? Penn State
Can the season end? Florida State
Can the season never end? Indiana
GAMES
Play this again: No. 7 Indiana 30, No. 3 Oregon 20
Play this again, too: No. 8 Alabama 27, No. 14 Missouri 24
Never play this again: UTSA 61, Rice 13
What? Colorado 22, No. 22 Iowa State 17
Huh? USC 31, No. 15 Michigan 13
Double-huh? No. 7 Indiana 30, No. 3 Oregon 20
Are you kidding me?? Texas 23, No. 6 Oklahoma 6
Oh – my – God: Northwestern 22, Penn State 21
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 8)
Ticket to die for: No. 12 Tennessee @ No. 8 Alabama
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Washington State @ No. 19 Virginia
Best non-Power Four matchup: UNLV @ Boise State
Upset alert: Utah @ No. 18 BYU
Also: No. 20 USC @ No. 13 Notre Dame
Must win: No. 4 Ole Miss @ No. 9 Georgia
Offensive explosion: Air Force @ UNLV
Defensive struggle: Penn State @ Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: Arizona @ Houston
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mike Elko of Texas A&M vs Bobby Petrino of Arkansas
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 22 Memphis @ UAB
Why are they playing? Washington State @ No. 19 Virginia
Plenty of good seats remaining: Georgia State @ Georgia Southern
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Lafayette @ Oregon State
Week 7 Thoughts:
Another monster week for college football, with great games abounding from noon Eastern through night, and upsets abounding in turn. Indiana proved that they are a considerable force to be reckoned with in defeating Oregon, on the road, no less. USC continues to quietly gain strength after losing to Illinois earlier in the year, this time by defeating ranked Michigan in rather convincing fashion. Colorado proved to have some fight within them by upsetting Iowa State on the road. Then we had the Red River Showdown, and the incredibly electric environment it always produces. Many in the sports commentary space had given Texas up for dead after their loss to Florida in the Swamp last week. The calculus was that since the Longhorns’ offense sputtered against the Gators’ defense, given that Oklahoma’s defense is even better, Texas would likely be demolished in Dallas. But as the great Lee Corso would say, “[N]ot so fast, my friend!” The Longhorns’ defense stepped up in a major way, cramping the performance of the Sooner’s star QB John Mateer as he returned to the line-up, going so far as to shut out OU in the second half and to deny them reaching the endzone the entire game. In so doing, Texas defense gave their offense time to get their sea-legs under them. Thus, Texas’ triumph was unexpected, and all the more savored.
Elsewhere, Pitt upset Florida State, in Tallahassee, no less, but perhaps the biggest upset of all came when Northwestern stunned Penn State in Happy Valley, 22-21. That loss came on the heels of the Nittany Lions already losing that heartbreaker to Oregon, then laying an egg on the road to UCLA. Now they have suffered this defeat, which is no ignominious and ill-timed that Penn State fired James Franklin today. Penn State’s current state was made all the worse with QB Drew Allar suffering a season-ending injury late in the game. What started out as a potential championship season for the Nittany Lions now lies in ruin.
Some near-upsets also occurred wherein Mizzou was on the verge of defeating favored Alabama before the Tiger’s QB threw a sudden pick that ended the drive and their hopes of victory. In a similar situation was Washington State, who ventured into Ole Miss and nearly defeated the home team before the Rebels somehow managed to escape with their skin intact. Arkansas presented a serious challenge to Tennessee, signaling that the Bobby Petrino Era 2.0 is on the rise in Fayetteville. Late into the night, Arizona took BYU in a second overtime before the Cougars managed to pull out the win.
What a week.
Random Thoughts:
UCLA was once the whipping boy of the B1G. Not anymore. Perhaps all it took was the firing of the inept DeShaun Foster, inter alia. But now the Bruins are a rising force in the conference. First, they massively upset Penn State at home last week. This week, they went on the road to dismantle Michigan State. Not a moment too soon, either, since all the remaining opponents – including Indiana and Ohio State – or nearly-ranked (e.g., Maryland and Washington). At this rate, their traditional rivalry game against USC should be one the best in Gen-Z’s living memory.
Meanwhile, has there been a team to more quietly advance up the rankings than Georgia Tech, at least recently? The Yellowjackets are currently undefeated (6-0), and have now reached the rank of No. 12.
College Football Awards, Week 6 (2024) October 7, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Akron, Alabama, Arizona State, Army, Ball State, Cal, California, Clark Lea, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, college football, Eliah Drinkwitz, Florida, Florida State, football, Golden Bears, Hurricanes, Indiana, Iowa, James Franklin, James Madison, Jeff Monken, Justin Wilcox, Kalen DeBoer, Kent State, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Mario Cristobal, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Missouri, NCAA, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Red River rivalry, Red River Shootout, Ryan Walters, SEC, Syracuse, Texas, Texas A&M, Tulane, UAB, UMass, UNLV, USC, Utah, Vanderbilt, Washington, Western Michigan, Wisconsin
add a comment
COACHES
Wish I were him: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Glad I’m not him: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Lucky guy: Mario Cristobal, Miami
Poor guy: Justin Wilcox, Cal
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Lincoln Riley, USC
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Monken, Army
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri
Desperately seeking … anything: Ryan Walters, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Tulane (defeated UAB 71-20)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Clemson (defeated Florida State 29-13)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Purdue (lost to Wisconsin 52-6)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Vanderbilt (defeated No. 1 Alabama 40-35)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Texas A&M (defeated No. 9 Missouri 41-10)
Dang, they’re good: Ohio State
Dang, they’re bad: Purdue
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Alabama
Did the season start? Missouri
Can the season end? UAB
Can the season never end? Indiana
GAMES
Play this again: No. 4 Alabama 41, No. 2 Georgia 34
Play this again, too: Washington 27, No. 10 Michigan 17
Never play this again: Wisconsin 52, Purdue 6
What? Minnesota 24, No. 11 USC 17
Huh? Washington 27, No. 10 Michigan 17
Double-Huh? No. 25 Texas A&M 41, No. 9 Missouri 10
Are you kidding me?? Arkansas 19, No. 4 Tennessee 14
Oh – my – God: Vanderbilt 40, No. 1 Alabama 35
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 7)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout
Ticket to die for, runner-up: No. 2 Ohio State @ No. 3 Oregon
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: N/A
Best non-Power Four matchup: Coastal Carolina @ James Madison
Upset alert: Arizona State @ No. 16 Utah
Must win: Florida @ No. 8 Tennessee
Offensive explosion: No. 9 Ole Miss @ No. 13 LSU
Defensive struggle: Washington @ Iowa
Great game no one is talking about: California @ No. 22 Pittsburgh
Intriguing coaching matchup: James Frankin of Penn State vs Lincoln Riley of USC
Who’s bringing the body bags? Army @ UAB
Why are they playing? Missouri @ UMass
Plenty of good seats remaining: Ball State @ Kent State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Akron @ Western Michigan
Week 6 Thoughts:
Upsets abounded this weekend. On paper, this was not supposed to happen. Most of the matchups appeared to be middling at best, without any top-ten, high-stakes slugfest. Yet the games delivered some good contest and interesting results anyhow. Things started in such an interesting manner Friday night, when Syracuse ventured out to Las Vegas to take on UNLV. The Runnin’ Rebels had been on something of a hot streak lately, but the Orange played them closely throughout regulation, even took the game to overtime, where they went on to triumph with a touchdown after UNLV’s field goal.
Nor would UNLV be the only undefeated team to bite the dust suddenly and unexpectedly. Missouri went down to ignominious defeat to Texas A&M, losing 41-10. In so doing, the Tigers proved our suspicions that they were grossly overrated at No. 9.
Louisville might not have been undefeated, but they were ranked before going down to defeat at home to SMU. The Cardinals were unable to contain the Mustangs’ offense the whole game, and that lack of defense cost them dearly in the end.
USC appears to still struggle to get its sea legs under them in the B1G, for they lost to unranked Minnesota on the road, 24-17. Clearly “rowing the boat” paid off for P.J. Fleck this week.
Arkansas’ defense showed up in a massive way at home on a night game when No. 4 Tennessee came calling, and the Volunteers went home with their first loss of the season, 19-14.
But the most jaw-dropping upset of them all, even, likely, the most jaw-dropping upset of the decade thus far, was without a doubt No. 1 Alabama losing to Vanderbilt in Nashville. To put things in perspective, this monumental win marked the first time that the Commodores defeated a No. 1 team, ever.
If all these upsets are not enough, though, we almost had another one late at night…almost. The [No. 8] Miami Hurricanes ventured out to Berkeley to play California. The Golden Bears led most of the game. Even in the middle of the 3rd quarter, they led 35-10. Finally, in the 4th quarter, the ‘Canes decided to live up to their potential, and scored three touchdowns in 10 minutes of play to eventually, almost inexplicably, triumph, 39-38.
So much for middling matchups.
That notwithstanding, next week we have Texas playing Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout; No. 2 Ohio State vs No. 3 Oregon, and No. 9 Ole Miss vs No. 13 LSU. It’s going to be grand. Buckle up.
College Football Awards, Week 4 (2024) September 23, 2024
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: Air Force, Akron, Alabama, Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, BYU, Chris Klieman, Cincinnati, Clark Lea, college football, Eliah Drinkwitz, Georgia, Houston, Illinois, James Madison, Josh Heupel, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kansas State, Kent State, Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley, Louisville, LSU, Mack Brown, Major Applewhite, Matt Rhule, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Mizzou, NC State, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, South Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Wyoming
add a comment
COACHES
Wish I were him: Josh Heupel, Tennessee
Glad I’m not him: Lincoln Riley, USC
Lucky guy: Eliah Drinkwitz, Mizzou
Poor guy: Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Chris Klieman, Kansas State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Major Applewhite, South Alabama
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Matt Rhule, Nebraska
Desperately seeking … anything: Mack Brown, North Carolina
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Penn State (defeated Kent State 56-0)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Texas A&M (defeated Bowling Green 26-20)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Akron (lost to South Carolina 50-7)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: UCLA (lost to LSU 34-17)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Cincinnati (defeated Houston 34-0)
Dang, they’re good: Miami (Fla.)
Dang, they’re bad: Appalachian State
Can’t Stand Prosperity: Kansas State
Did the season start? Kansas
Can the season end? North Carolina
Can the season never end? Tennessee
GAMES
Play this again: No. 18 Michigan 27, No. 11 USC 24
Play this again, too: Utah 22, Oklahoma State 19
Never play this again: No. 9 Penn State 56, Kent State 0
What? No. 24 Illinois 31, No. 22 Nebraska 24
Huh? Buffalo 23, No. 23 Northern Illinois 20
Double-Huh? No. 18 Michigan 27, No. 11 USC 24
Are you kidding me?? James Madison 70, North Carolina 50
Oh – my – God: BYU 38, Kansas State 9
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current AP (week 5)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Georgia @ No. 4 Alabama
Best non-Power Four vs. Power Four matchup: Northern Illinois @ NC State
Best non-Power Four matchup: Fresno State @ UNLV
Upset alert: No. 19 Illinois @ No. 9 Penn State
Must win: No. 15 Louisville @ No. 16 Notre Dame
Offensive explosion: South Alabama @ No. 14 LSU
Defensive struggle: Air Force @ Wyoming
Great game no one is talking about: No. 20 Oklahoma State @ No. 23 Kansas State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Kalen DeBoer of Alabama vs Kirby Smart of Georgia
Who’s bringing the body bags? Mississippi State @ No. 1 Texas
Why are they playing? Holy Cross @ Syracuse
Plenty of good seats remaining: New Mexico @ New Mexico State
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Wagner @ Florida Atlantic
Week 4 Thoughts:
Offensive explosions are usually the hardest game to predict. No matter how one formulates the prediction, it has the least likelihood of coming true. The reason I bring this up is because this past week did not give us only one, or two, but several. Perhaps the most prominent – and inexplicable — was where James Madison beat North Carolina, 70-50, an outcome so embarrassing on the latter’s part that Mack Brown even suggested resigning after sustaining such a loss. But the day had offensive explosions elsewhere, too, if not quite as egregious. Clemson beat NC State, 59-35; Navy defeated Memphis 56-44; Monmouth upset Florida International, 45-42. Finally, out on the west coast, Washington State held on in two overtimes to defeat San Jose State, 54-52. Has there ever been such a horrible day to be a defensive coordinator?
USC @ Michigan
Typically when these two teams have played each other, it is in the Rose Bowl, and not just the stadium, but the actual “Granddaddy of Them All”. This time, the Trojans ventured into Ann Arbor, Mich, to take on the Wolverines. Such amazing new matchups in hitherto atypical settings are now a hallmarks of the newly expanded Big Ten. USC caused everyone to take notice during their win over LSU at the beginning of the season. The game lived up to its hype in every way, with Michigan pulling off the upset win.
Three takeaways from this game: Michigan, despite rebuilding, still has a strong defense. Granted, Texas made mincemeat of them a couple of weeks earlier, but now they are starting to play to form.
Second, Michigan might be rebuilding to an extent. Jim Harbaugh is no longer there. But they have been wise to emulate Harbaugh’s winning business model of a run-oriented offense and gritty, disciplined defense. Thus, they are in a position to continue to be a force in the conference foreseeably. Also, USC’s season is far from over. They can still climb their way back into playoff contention, with a partly favorable schedule paired with enough very good teams at home (Penn State and Notre Dame) to appear credible in the eyes of the football pollsters.
Georgia Tech @ Louisville
The Yellowjackets proved they are a dangerous team with some of their previous wins this season. That is why Louisville demonstrated – for now – that they deserve their current ranking of No. 15, despite a few unforced errors throughout the game. But while their win over Georgia Tech was a nice one, they must work extra-hard to prevent such unforced errors this week, as they play Notre Dame in what could be one of the best games of Week 5.
Tennessee @ Oklahoma
The Volunteers proved that they are the real deal. Not only did they win on the road in a hostile environment, but their winning score of 25-15 understates the way they gradually dominated as the game progressed. The most decisive factor of the game was Tennessee’s dominant front seven, which shut down the Sooners’ running game (OU managed only 33 total yards on the ground). While Tennessee’s rushing attack only added up to 59 yards, that is still better for one. But for another, that left both teams to rely more on the pass, wherein the Vols proved to be more adept.
Key takeaways: the fact that OU held Tennessee to only 25 points speaks well to their defensive talent and valiant efforts, and other teams in the conference should take notice, including Texas three weeks hence.
Also, the Volunteers passed a key test, but arguably tougher tests remain, as they are scheduled to play both Alabama and Georgia later in the year, giving us more memorable games to which to look forward. But the potential is nevertheless there to be one of the greatest Volunteer teams ever, should they live up to it.
Looking ahead:
No. 20 Oklahoma State @ No. 23 Kansas State
Two good teams coming off losses now go head-to-head. Nothing like two good teams butting heads who are hungry to avenge the previous week’s losses: this could be a good one.
No. 15 Louisville @ No. 16 Notre Dame
Ironically, this could be Notre Dame’s biggest test yet, as Texas A&M proved to be a bit overrated as the season began.
No. 2 Georgia @ No. 4 Alabama
Let’s be honest: we live for matchups like these. Adding additional intrigue is Georgia likely keen to avenge their loss to the Tide in the playoffs last year.
College Football Awards, Week 12 (2023) November 22, 2023
Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.Tags: ACC, Alabama, Appalachian State, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, B1G, Billy Napier, BYU, Clemson, Colorado, Cyclones, Deion Sanders, Duke, East Carolina, Eliah Drinkwitz, Florida, Georgia, Hawai'i, Hugh Freeze, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, James Madison, Jeff Brohm, Jeff Traylor, Jerry Kill, Jonathon Brooks, Kalen DeBoer, Kansas, Kansas State, Kyle Whittingham, Lance Leipold, liberty, Longhorns, Louisville, Mark Stoops, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, NC State, Nebraska, New Mexico State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Purdue, Qwinn Ewers, Ryan Walters, South Carolina, Tarheels, Tennessee, Texas, Tulane, Tulsa, Utah, UTEP, UTSA, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Washington, Washington State, Wolfpack, Wyoming
add a comment
COACHES
Wish I were him: Kalen DeBoer, Washington
Glad I’m not him: Lance Leipold, Kansas
Lucky guy: Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri
Poor guy: Billy Napier, Florida
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Deion Sanders, Colorado
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Jeff Traylor, UTSA
Also: Jerry Kill, New Mexico State
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Desperately seeking … anything: Ryan Walters, Purdue
TEAMS
Thought you’d kick butt, you did: Alabama (defeated Chattanooga 66-10)
Thought you’d kick butt, you didn’t: Oklahoma (defeated BYU 31-24)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you did: Hawai’i (lost to Wyoming 42-9)
Thought you’d get your butt kicked, you didn’t: Maryland (lost to No. 3 Michigan 31-24)
Thought you wouldn’t kick butt, you did: Arizona (defeated No. 22 Utah 42-18)
Dang, they’re good: Oregon
Dang, they’re bad: Purdue
Can’t Stand Prosperity: James Madison
Did the season start? North Carolina
Can the season end? Auburn
Can the season never end? Georgia
GAMES
Play this again: No. 5 Washington 22, No. 11 Oregon 20
Play this again, too: No. 21 Kansas State 31, No. 25 Kansas 27
Never play this again: No. 8 Alabama 66, Chattanooga 10
What? Appalachian State 26, James Madison 23, OT
Huh? Virginia 30, Duke 27
Are you kidding me?? Clemson 31, No. 20 North Carolina 20
Oh – my – God: New Mexico State 31, Auburn 10
Told you so: No. 16 Iowa 15, Illinois 13
NEXT WEEK
rankings are current (week 13)
Ticket to die for: No. 2 Ohio State @ No. 3 Michigan
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: none
Best non-Power Five matchup: UTSA vs No. 24 Tulane Also: Jacksonville State @ NM State
Upset alert: South Carolina @ Clemson
Must win: Washington State @ No. 5 Washington
Offensive explosion: No. 11 Oregon State @ No. 6 Oregon
Defensive struggle: No. 16 Iowa @ Nebraska
Great game no one is talking about: North Carolina @ NC State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jeff Brohm of Louisville vs Mark Stoops of Kentucky
Honorable Mention: Deion Sanders of Colorado vs Kyle Whittingham of Utah
Who’s bringing the body bags? No. 17 Arizona @ Arizona State
Why are they playing? Liberty @ UTEP
Plenty of good seats remaining: Tulsa @ East Carolina
Plenty of good seats remaining, B1G Edition: Indiana @ Purdue
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Vanderbilt @ Tennessee
Week 12 Thoughts:
Maryland vs Michigan
The Terrapins played the Wolverines reasonably close, losing by only a touchdown, 31-24. Is this close score on account of the matchup being a trap game for Michigan? They just came off a big win in Happy Valley, and must now prepare for “The Game”. If the matchup against Maryland does not scream “trap game”, what does? Moreover, did Jim Harbaugh’s absence hurt Michigan’s performance that much? Or, were the Wolverines simply playing their cards close to the vest, without giving away any major secret plays, while executing a very conservative game plan? I personally suspect the latter.
Miami (FL) vs Louisville
The Cardinals, by the hardest, pulled off a win in Miami. Mirabile dictu, in his first year at the helm at Louisville, Jeff Brohm has clinched a spot in the ACC championship game against Florida State.
Auburn vs New Mexico State
In the O-M-G upset of the year, the Aggies (the ones in Las Cruces, not College Station) have defeated the Tigers 31-10. Surely this is the greatest win in the history of the program for New Mexico State, and surely this is Auburn’s most ignominious loss in at least, say, 45 years.
Iowa State vs Texas
In the upset alert that was not, the Longhorns proved many a doubter wrong and triumphed, fairly convincingly, in Ames. Texas’ recent loss of running back Jonathon Brooks to an ACL tear last week seemed to doom their running game. The two most recent games indicated inconsistencies in their offense overall. The Cyclones’ defense was known to be stingy, especially at home. On top of all that, the weather for this game was colder than what the Longhorns are used to back in Austin. And yet, the Horns still proved the doubters wrong. This time, there was no close call. QB Qwinn Ewers executed more consistently than in the past couple of games, the running game was still there, and the defense made some big plays when needed. Make no mistake: winning by 10 points in Ames in the latter part of November is a rather impressive feat.
Northwestern vs Purdue
Leave it to Purdue to find new ways to disappoint its fans. This team could not even beat a mediocre Northwestern team. Is it too early to speculate that Ryan Walters is Darrell Hazell 2.0? Conversely, the Wildcats, whom everyone gave up for dead earlier in the season, is now bowl-eligible.
Looking ahead to Week 13:
(Yay, it’s Rivalry Week!)
Michigan vs Ohio State
A.K.A., “The Game”. It all comes down to this. Or does it? The winner is in the driver’s seat for the playoffs. Too bad the B1G has not yet wised up and allowed the two teams with the best records in the conference to play each other for a matchup.
Purdue vs Indiana
Meanwhile, it’s a race to the bottom in the B1G as the two play for the Old Oaken Bucket.
Louisville vs Kentucky
The Wildcats have had the recent upper hand in the Governor’s Cup rivalry, winning the last four. Having just clinched a berth in the ACC championship, the Cardinals’ Jeff Brohm is surely out to make a statement and halt that trend.
Oregon vs Oregon State
This could be one of the hardest-fought, high-scoring “Civil Wars” of recent memory. Buckle up, and enjoy!
Illinois vs Northwestern
The Wildcats, now with six wins, are technically bowl-eligible. The Illini are now fighting for bowl-eligibility, and this is their last chance. Such is a great example of two mediocre teams pitted together can make for a potentially great game.
South Carolina vs Clemson
Speaking of fighting for bowl eligibility, the Gamecocks, sitting at 5-6, are in the same position as Illinois, though they are have a tougher task to make it to the six-win mark, since they face the Tigers.
That said, having passed something of a test against Kentucky, perhaps South Carolina might now pass a slightly harder one.
NC State vs North Carolina
No doubt that the Tarheels did not predict they would be sitting at only 8-3 at this point. Oddly, the Wolfpack has the same current record. Moreover, how ironic is it that, going into this game, NC State is the ranked team?
intellectualgridiron 