Random Thoughts Week 12: Crazy Comebacks & Near Misses

For Alabama fans, it was a pretty lousy Saturday. The only real chaos occurred in Bryant Denny Stadium.

Oklahoma 23 Alabama 21 – This is going to sound like Gump sour grapes, but the better team did not

win this game. It was the Crimson Tide mistakes that set the Sooners up for scores. Bama almost doubled up Okie in total yards and first downs. It was a godwaful pick six and a fumble by Ty Simpson, a Ryan Williams fumbled a punt return, and poor special teams. A Sooners defender got a hand on the Conor Talty kick blocked field goal but that ball was not going through the uprights. The snap was a little high but their was no issue with the hold.

OU quarterback John Mateer was rather forgettable, passing 15/23-138-0-0. But he did not make mistakes. After back-to-back 100 yard rushing games, Xavier Robinson was held to 34 yards on the ground. The Sooners had only 212 total yards and a dozen first downs. Their offense produced one touchdown and that came after the Williams fumble set them up with a short field at the 31. The two longest OU drives were 41 and 31 yards. Nobody can blame the Alabama defense for this defeat.

Georgia 35 Texas 10 – Stop me if you have heard this one before: UGA schlepped around for three quarters, lets the opponent hang around, and then blows it out at the end. This game had the Dwags up 14-3 for such a long time until the Longhorns scored a touchdown late in the third quarter. When the scoreboard flipped to “4th Qtr”, the Bulldogs decided to wake up. A long 10-play drive put them up 21-10. Then Kirby Smart dropped a hammer with a highly unexpected and successful onside kick with an ensuing touchdown. It was basically over by that point. Speaking of dropping things, ‘Horns receivers had at least 6 passes go between their hands in this game. Arch Manning wasn’t great (27/43-251-1-1), but he can share the blame with the rest of his team.

BLOWN LEADS

Texas A&M 31 South Carolina 30 – A TALE OF TWO HALVES: It was the best of halves. It was the worst of halves. Never in our lifetime has there been such an epic collapse/comeback among Power FBS teams as the one witnessed in College Station on Saturday.

In the first half, QB Marcel Reed was 6 of 19 passing with two interceptions, a fumble returned for a score, 2 sacks, and -9 team rushing yards plus two missed field goals (one from 24 yards) as his Aggies dug themselves into a 30-3 halftime hole. But TAMU clawed their way out.

Reed’s second half: 16-for-20 for 298 yards and three touchdowns. LaNorris Sellers’s second half: 6-for-11 for 63 yards, four sacks, and 39 net yards in 15 pass attempts. It is unclear what Sellers was thinking on that final play (↑↑↑). 4th & 16, no timeouts left. Do the math. Just throw the dang ball!

Bottom line, someone had a fantastic halftime speech, and someone else had a terrible halftime speech. You can just tell from this video (↑↑↑) that Shane Beamer went into the locker room with the wrong attitude. Honestly, how was he not fired on the tarmac?

Georgia Tech 36 Boston College 34 – The Yeller Jackets must have seen their CFP life flash before their eyes as they trailed the last place 1-win Eagles 28-17 entering the final frame. In the 4th Quarter, Tech scored 16 straight points (missed 2 pt conv). BC retaliated with a touchdown of their own to lead 34-33. Haynes King ran 13 plays to burn the clock down to 14 ticks on the clock before the Techster kicker connected a chip shot field goal to save their season. This close win against a really bad team, combined with the girl-crush on Miami-FL caused Ga Tech to drop below the ‘Canes in the AP Poll. The YJs finish with Pitt, UGA, and maybe the ACCCG. Yikes!

LSU 23 Arkansas 22 – After the Razorbacks went up 14-0, the Bayou Bengals scored the next 16 points for the upper hand at the break. LSU punted in three 3rd quarter possessions. Meanwhile, Arky retook the lead on a touchdown and a two-point conversion. With Garrett Nussmeier not playing, Michael Van Buren marched the Purple Tigers 92 yards for the go-ahead TD. The Hogs had one last shot at stealing the win in Baton Rouge, but the 48 yard field goal was no good and LSU ran out the clock.

Southern Cal 26 Iowa 21- The Hawkeyes led 21-7 in the first half, but gave up the next 19 unanswered points. Makai Lemon recorded 10 catches for 153 yards and a second-half touchdown.

Michigan 24 Northwestern 22 – The Wildcats were up 22-21 in the final two minutes when the Wolvies went 50 yards on 11 plays to boot a 31 yarder as time expired.

ELIMINATED

Clemson 20 Louisville 19 – In a sloppy affair, the Orange Tigers fumbled the ball on third-and-goal from the 1, recovered it, then fumbled again on fourth down. CU also muffed a punt snap. The Cardinals committed three fourth-quarter personal fouls (10 total penalties), missed an extra point and two fourth quarter field goals which ended their ACC and CFP hopes. I see Pop-Tarts or Bad Boy Mowers in their future.

OTHER ESS-EE-SEE

Ole Miss 34 Florida 24 – The Gators came with a little fire in the first half. After 30 minutes of play, they held a 24-20 advantage. Sadly, they would not score in the second half. The Rebels would go scoreless in the 3rd quarter including being stopped on the one yard line. However, Kewan Lacy twice found the end zone on short runs in the final 15. Lacy finished with 224 rushing yards on 31 attempts and had three scores.

UF’s DJ Lagway threw his nation-leading 13th interception of the year against 12 passing TDs.

Missouri 49 Mississippi State 27 – What do you do when your top two quarterbacks are on the shelf? Lean on your All-SEC running back, of course. Mizzou’s Ahmad Hardy went OFF for 300 rushing yards on 25 carries with 3 touchdowns runs of 10, 43, and 72 yards.

NOTHING TO ESS-EE-SEE HERE

Tennessee 42 New Mexico State 9 – Yadda-yadda-yadda, Joey Aguilar, blah-blah-blah, NMSU is 3-7.

Kentucky 42 Tennessee Tech 10 – The Wildcats are 5-5 with @Vandy and @Louisville remaining. I don’t know if coach Mark Stoops can survive.

* Aubie and Vandy were off.

OTHER STUFF

Notre Dame 37 Pitt 15 – What a ridiculous week it has been leading up to this game with the national blabbermouths pushing the agenda that this was a major game. On the first play of the Irish’s second series, Jeremiyah Love scampered 56 yards up the middle for the first score of the game. On the very next play from scrimmage, Pitt threw a pick-six and it was downhill from there for the Panthers. UP scored a garbage touchdown with six seconds remaining to make the score look a smidge better.

Texa$ Tech 48 Center Florida 9 – The Red Raiders ran past Center Florida like Fat F*** Phil Fulmer at a Krispy Kreme Free Samples Day. Tech was one yard shy of 500 yards. So much for Scott Frost’s big return to Orlando. His team didn’t pick up a first down until after they were trailing 21-0. Center Florida will have to beat Okie Lite and then win at BYU to get to a bowl. Ain’t.Gawna.Happen.

BYU 44 TCU 13 – The desperate Cougars kept their starters in the entire way.

Utah 55 Baylor 28 – 380 rushing yards and a pick-6 of 65 yards for the Two Utes.

Miami-FL 41 NC State 7 – The ‘Canes got Dr. Jekyll Carson Beck (21/27-291-3-0) on this day. Nine 1st downs and 143 offensive yards for the Wolfpack who have lost five of their last six FBS match-ups.

James Madison 58 App State 10 – The AP voters ranked these guys No. 21 – ahead of unranked Louisville who beat them head-to-head 28-14. There is no way these jokers have seen the Dukes play. They just see that right purty 9-1 record and assume.

TOP HEAVY B1G

Ohio State 48 UCLA 10 – The quick-hit highlight shows broadcast a dominating blowout. But what they weren’t saying was that Bruins starting QB Nico Iamaleava did not even play. Someone named Luke Duncan threw his first college career pass (16/23-154-1-0) but all UCLA could muster was 8 first downs and 222 yards.

Indiana 31 Wisconsin 7 – The Hoos had a big ol’ struggle in the first half, holding a slim 10-7 lead after 30 minutes. But nobody watched this game, so SHHHH, keep it quiet.

Oregon 42 Minnesota 13 – No big surprise here. Minnie is historically bad on the road. They are 0-4 away from their home state this season and been outscored 152-33 in those games.

FUMBLE OR NO FUMBLE?

Remember some weeks back there was a receiver who caught a pass, took two steps in the end zone, a third out of bounds and fell to the ground where the ball came out? That reception was called incomplete. It happens all the time. So tell me why this run above was NOT ruled a fumble and a touchback?

WORST BOY BAND OF THE WEEK

WHAT THE…?

I suppose Texas is going to the Avocado Bowl.

BLOCKT

STUCK ON YOU

DOINK OF THE WEEK

PASS INTERFERENCE?

SUSPECT FLAG PICK UP OF THE WEEK

CURMUDGEON OF THE WEEK

Bill Belichick is such an ass.

TROLL OF THE WEEK

OBLIGATORY TWEET OF THE WEEK

We would not have blamed them if they didn’t tweet anything.

A-HOLE OF THE WEEK

The above “shoulder bump” incident took place in the final minute of the first half at Kyle Field following an 80-yard touchdown pass from LaNorris Sellers to Nyck Harbor that put South Carolina then up 27-3. To their credit, Texas A&M acted swiftly after the above incident. This Texas State Trooper was sent home and will not be a part of future game day assignments.

CARNIVAL RIDE OF THE WEEK

OPTIMIST OF THE WEEK

Credit to the TAMU scoial media team for keeping a sunny disposition.

BEST PASS FROM A WIDE RECEIVER

DERP OF THE WEEK

It seems a little ridiculous to put Marcel Reed in the Heisman talk when he is the entire reason they had to come back from down 27. If you carelessly start a fire and then bravely put it our, does that make you a hero?

EXTRA POINT DERP OF THE WEEK

CLANG OF THE WEEK

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

WHO ARE YOU PASSING TO??

TIP DRILL OF THE WEEK

TIP DRILL II

SAD FAN OF THE WEEK

Come on, bro. You didn’t really think you were gonna win. Did you?

“MESSAGE DELIVERED” OF THE WEEK

MOST UNUSUAL SCOOP & SCORE OF THE WEEK

SHIRTLESS LOSERS OF THE WEEK

Yes, these idiots are still doing this thing. It was funny the first time it happened. It was even funny the next week when others joined. Then it became sad. Now it is just pathetic. The joke is over. Put your shirt back on and go talk to a girl.

OLD COOT OF THE WEEK

It’s three seasons at Southern Cal and three with Oregon for WR Gary Bryant. He has caught a pass in six different seasons. Thanks, Emmert!

NAME OF THE WEEK

Virginia tight end Dakota Twitty. I can’t wait for his next country music mix tape.

STATS OF THE WEEK

• I don’t know who dug this one up: Entering last Saturday, teams were 0-286 in Southeastern Conference play since 2004 when trailing by 27 points or more. TAMU changed that zero to a one.
• Louisville is 3-0 on the road including @Pitt and @Miami-FL. Against ACC/Power foes at home, the Cards are 1-3.
• Saturday night’s 28-12 loss to Wake Forest was the first time since October 2016 that UNC did not score a touchdown in a game.
• Against JMU, App State had 1 rushing yard on 15 attempts.

THE WACKY WORLD OF HERBIE

College GameDay was in Pittsville for the #22 Pitt vs #9 Notre Dame game for some stupid reason. #4 Alabama vs #11 Oklahoma or #10 Texas vs. #5 Georgia would have been infinitely more appropriate.

Kirk Herbstreit brought the heat:

I am so sure ESPN first approached Aziz Ansari and Bill Burr to be the guest picker. Poor guys at the 4-Letter had to settle for former Pitt and NFL 10x Pro Bowler AA-Ron Donald. F-U, ESPN.

Pat McAfee picked Notre Dame and Donald literally threw Pat off the stage.

GD is heading back to Eugene FOR A SECOND TIME as Oregon hosts Southern Cal in a Pac 12 Big Ten showdown.

Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff was at Chicago’s Wrigley Field for the Michigan-Northwestern game. Been there. Done that.

Alabama Lieutenant Governor candidate AJ McCarron joined Damien Harris and others on the CBS Sports HQ set on Saturday morning. [SIDE NOTE: I had to Google “Alabama Lieutenant Governor candidates” just to make 100% sure I didn’t dream that.]

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• Southern Miss (7-3) – The Golden Eagles’ starting QB Braylon Braxton injured his right knee in last week’s win over Arkansas State and was held out of this home trouncing by Texas State (4-6), 41-14. He was in uniform, but coach Charles Huff said he was around 75% healthy and didn’t want to chance it. Even with the loss, USM (5-1 CUSA) stays on top of the Sun Belt West Division standings.
• Georgia Tech (9-1) – The Yeller Jackets barely avoided disaster with a comeback over one-win Boston College 36-34.
• Western Michigan (6-4, 5-1) defeated Ohio 17-13 to take sole possession of 1st in Mid-American Conference. This win is noted in this section because of their coach, Lance Taylor, is an Alabama native and was a walk-on wide receiver for the Crimson Tide in the early 2000s. He was also a GA under Nick Saban (2007-2008). His WMU teams have gone 4–8, 6–7, and now stand at 6–4 with two 3-7 teams left on the regular season schedule.

COUSINS

• Jacksonville State (7-3, 6-0) – The Gamecocks topped Kennesaw (7-3, 5-1) 35-26 to take sole first place in Conference-USA. JSU is at FIU (5-5) and then a big finale at home against WKU (8-2, 6-1) that might decide the regular season title.
• South Alabama (3-7) – Continuing the theme for the weekend, the Jags came back from down 14-0 to UL Monroe (3-7) to win 26-14. Southern Miss comes a-calling.
• Troy (6-4) – A week after gaining bowl eligibility, the Trojans turned in a travesty of a performance against Old Dominion (7-3) losing 33-0. ODU outgained Troy 503 to 138. TU had almost as many punts (7) as first downs (9). Last place Georgia State comes into town on Saturday.
• West Alabama (5-4) – Lawd, what happened? Scott Cochran concluded his first season as head coach of the Tigers with a 4th straight defeat.
• Samford (1-9) has parted ways with their long-time coach Chris Hatcher following the ninth loss in 10 games. He was 62-59 from 2015 to 2025.

THAT ANNOYING GUY WHO DOESN’T PICK UP AFTER HIS DOG

• UAB (3-7) – It’s official: The Dragons are out of contention for a bowl for the third straight season. North Texas built a 28-0 lead and cruised to a 53-24 win. It doesn’t get any easier with USF arriving in Bham this weekend.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

• Navy (8-2) – The Midshipmen had a slugfest with South Florida and came out on top 41-38. Murderer’s Row continues with @Memphis up next a week from Thursday.
• Air Force (3-7) – An early big moment went the wrong way for the Falcons when they traveled 90 yards on 19 plays that ate up 11:50 of the 2nd quarter, but ended in a turnover on downs at the UConn 3 yard line. The Huskies outscored AFA 17-9 in the second half for the 26-16 win. It is the dreaded Loss No. 7 for the Falcons, which clinches a second straigh losing campaign for long-time coach Troy Calhoun. New Mexico arrives in Colorado Springs this weekend.
• Army (5-4) – The Black Knights had a week off before Tulsa invades.

ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

Eliminated: Washington State, Oregon State, Boston College, Cal, Clemson, FSU, Louisville, UNC, NC State, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Arizona, Baylor, Center Florida, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Sparty, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, Washington, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Miss State, Mizz, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tejas

Endangered: Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Oregon

Extremely Endangered: Duke, Miami-FL, Pitt, SMU, Virginia, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Utah, Michigan, Southern Cal, Alabama, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt

In: Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M

Likely In: Georgia, Ole Miss, Texa$ Tech

A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture

Just a reminder that last year, the four CFP teams that had byes all lost. Those teams had to sit around almost a month getting fat and rusty. Those that played Round 1 had 10-12 days before Round 2. There is a definite advantage to playing R1 in CFB.

8-seed anOhio State lost to Michigan at home in the regular season finale and did not even play in the B1GCG. That is equivalent to a Wild Card winning the Super Bowl except they had to play one less game. The Buckys were 10-2 and 4th in the B1G as they entered the playoff. In years past, they would not have even sniffed a spot in the Natty game or even the 4-team playoff. They won Round 1 at home, and went on a run to the championship.

THE 2

The SEC Championship Game participants have yet to be decided. It will all come down to the final weekend of the regular season. The SEC tiebreakers use the cumulative conference winning percentage as a method of determining the best teams in a conference. It is calculated by adding the winning percentages of all conference opponents a team has faced and then dividing by the number of opponents. Due to the Aggies’ weak SEC schedule, should they lose to Texas, they might not get in the SECCG.

Texas A&M reaches SEC Championship if …

• Beat Texas OR
• Auburn beats Alabama and Mississippi State beats Ole Miss

Alabama reaches SEC Championship if …

• Beat Auburn and Texas beats Texas A&M OR 
• Beat Auburn and Mississippi State beats Ole Miss OR 
• Beat Auburn; Alabama wins three-way tie with Ole Miss/Georgia based on SEC opponent winning percentage

Georgia reaches SEC Championship if …

• Auburn beats Alabama OR
• Texas beats Texas A&M OR
• Ole Miss beats Mississippi State; Georgia wins three-way tie with Alabama/Ole Miss based on SEC opponent winning percentage

Ole Miss reaches SEC Championship if …

• Beat Mississippi State, Texas beats Texas A&M, and Auburn beats Alabama

• Big Ten – Can you guess how many currently ranked teams anOhio State has beaten? One. AP #17 Texas. The team everyone is dumping all over on Sunday. Aside from the Buckys and everyone falling over themselves over Indy, the flapping lips are trying like heck to get Michigan (8-2) and Southern Cal (8-2) back in the discussions. The Wolvies have anOSU at the end of the season. The Trojans have Oregon (9-1) this Saturday.

THE NEXT 2

• Big 12 – Texa$ Tech is the best of this bunch, thanks to their oil money bought roster. Cincinnati was a longshot, but Arizona took them out. BYU (9-1) and Utah (8-2) are waiting in the wings so the CFPC can slide them in there at the end.
• ACC – Louisville (7-3) and Pitt (7-3) are toast. Burnt toast. Georgia Tech (8-1) barely defeated the ACC cellar dweller. Virginia (9-2) has basically been forgotten, but they could still win the conference title. Miami-FL (8-2) is the sexy pick that TV and the conference really want.

AT LARGE

• Indies – Just as we predicted two months ago, Notre Dame (8-2) is on the smooth path to 10-2 and a playoff spot.

PARTICIPATION TROPHY

East Carolina 31 Memphis 27
Navy 41 South Florida 38

This is perfect. These results might finally open the eyes of the CFP Committee that this inclusion silliness of auto-bids for a non-Power team needs to go. Or at the very least needs an alteration of certain requirements.

• East Carolina (7-3) handed Memphis (8-3) their third loss.
• Navy (8-2) upset South Florida (7-3).
• Tulane (8-2) beat FAU! at home by 11.
• North Texas (9-1) has the best record but they have not played anyone worth a hill o’ beans. But that does not register with this idiotic CFPC.
• And don’t forget that two of these teams have to play in the AACCG.
• All the MWC teams have two or more losses.
• The Sun Belt’s James Madison is now 9-1. SORRY, VANDERBILT and OKLAHOMA! THE CFPC THINKS JMU IS MORE WORTHY!

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

The AP voters dropped Alabama six spots all the way down to No. 10. That must have made their day. Texas fell 7 places to No. 17. Last week, the teams ranked 1 through 5 and 9 through 12 were identical in the AP and the CFP rankings. Teams 6, 7, and 8 were the same teams but in a different order. Clearly, the CFP Committee members are using the AP as a study guide.

My CFP rankings predictions (NOT my picks):

1. anOhio State
2. Indiana
3. Texas A&M
4. Georgia
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texa$ Tech
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. Miami-FL*
12. North Texas*

The third College Football Playoff rankings reveal will be announced tonight on ESPN following the Michigan State-Kentucky basketball game which is estimated to conclude at 7:30/8:30.

LET’S GO BOWLING!

• UConn is remarkably 8-3 with only FAU! (4-6) left to play. Coach Jim Mora Jr. had the Huskies at 9-4 a season ago. Some advice to him if he reads this post: don’t get greedy and take a bigger job. At age 63, just ride it out in East Hartford until they don’t want you anymore.
• Not sure how this happened, but the New Mexico Lobos are now 7-3 with Air Force and Carmen San Diego State remaining. They likely split those two games. It’s a eck of a good job by Jason Eck in his first year coaching in the FBS. Previous to his Albuquerque tenure, Eck led Idaho three straight post-seasons with the last two reaching the Quarterfinals.
• Early season darling UNLV is at 8-2.
• The following teams became bowl eligible this week: LSU, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Toledo. 64 teams now have 6 or more Ws.
• Only 3 teams remain undefeated: Indiana, Ohio State, Texas A&M.

LET’S GO BLOWING!

@cfbcampustour" data-portal-copyright="@cfbcampustour" />

• UMass is at 0-10 with MAC power Ohio up next. The Minutemen have lost 14 straight and counting…
• Four MAC teams are at 6 -4. Five are 7 losses or more.
• Break them up!! Sam Houston (2-8) topped Delaware for their second straight W!
• Boston College is Power team worst at 1-10. Purdue (2-9) and Oklahoma State (1-9) are next in line.Arkansas is at the bottom of the SEC at 2-8 with @Texas and Mizz remaining.
• The following teams picked up defeat No. 7 this past week: Florida, South Carolina, Michigan State, UCLA, Wisky, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, UAB, Air Force, New Mexico State, San Jose Canseco State, UL Monroe, and Akron, though the Zips were already eliminated from bowl contention due to poor Academic Progress.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to Athletic Directors on the College Football Playoff Committee. Why exactly are there sitting ADs on this committee? The main job of an AD is to talk people out of their hard-earned money to give to their school’s athletics departments. So, they are good at influencing intelligent people. Right? Imagine if 50% of Congress was made up of lobbyists. There will always be a conflict on interest, even with voting recusals. In addition, the responsibilites of these people are many with all the sports and events they have to handle on a daily basis. There is absolutely NO WAY they are watching any college football games other than their own. Man, we need a CFB Commissioner and it needs to be Nick Saban.

HEISMAN HYPE

Ty Simpson is not winning the Heisman next month. Up until halftime of the South Carolina-Texas A&M game, it looked like he would at least get to New York City as a runner-up. But not now. ESPN has already decided that Indy’s Fernando Mendoza will win, followed up in some order by Julian Sayin (anOhio State), Marcel Reed (Texas A&M), and some other random QB of a ranked team.

A FEW GUYS WHO DON”T GET ENOUGH HYPE
…Because they aren’t quarterbacks on an undefeated team:

• RB Ahmad Hardy (Missouri) 134.6 ypg (#1), 15 TD
• RB Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss) 103.3 ypg, 19 TD (#1)
• WR Makai Lemon (Southern Cal) 71 rec, 1090 yds, 8 TD
• WR Skyler Bell (UConn) 93 rec, 1151 yds, 13 TD
• WR Danny Scudero (SJSU) 72 rec, 1155 yds, 10 TD
• LB Jacob Rodriguez (Texa$ Tech) 54 solo, 43 asst, 1 sack, 6 PD, 4 INT, SEVEN FF

THE SICK/QUIT REPORT

• Garrett Nussmeier ALLEGEDLY aggravated a previous abdomen injury in practice last Thursday and was a game-time withdrawal versus Arkansas. Hmmm… It couldn’t have something to do with him having an awful season and Michael “Don’t Call Me Martin” Van Buren playing better. Could it?
• Any hope that 49 of the 50 United States had of UCLA upsetting anOhio State flew out the window when Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava was a scratch due to a concussion suffered during the Nebraska game. Hmmm… Nico couldn’t be peacing out on the Bruins. Could he? Naw. He and daddy have higher morals than that. Right?
• Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels will redshirt the rest of the 2025 season to preserve his remaining year of eligibility. He has already played in three games and the plan is to skip the Mercer game but be available for the Iron Bowl. Interim coach DJ Durkin said former starter Jackson Arnold and freshman Deuce Knight will play against Mercer, though he did not name a starter. Knight was 2 for 5 passing for 20 yards in his only appearance this year, Ball State. He also took a sack in that game.
• Florida WR Tank Hawkins has quit on his teammates.
• Tennessee defensive back/punt returner Boo Carter was told by the coaching staff that he wasn’t going to play against the New Mexico State because of disciplinary issues, but he was still expected to be on the sidelines. But this little baby didn’t even show up. He plans to transfer. Good luck with that.
• Kansas State will be without leading tackler Austin Romaine for the remainder of the season after the All-Big 12 middle linebacker hurt his hand a couple of weeks ago and opted for surgery rather than to continue playing through the pain. Might the junior be looking for an upgrade school? I know a certain team that might be looking for a MLB for next season.
• South Carolina’s leading receiver Nyck Harbor was hospitalized overnight after suffering an undisclosed injury versus TAMU, but has since returned to the team. Coach Shane Beamer didn’t give extensive details on the injury but explained that a defender had landed on Harbor’s chest, As a precaution, they sent star receiver to the hospital.
• Michigan running back Justice Haynes, who led the Big Ten in rushing before suffering a foot injury that required surgery, is not expected to return for the rest of the regular season.

DRAMARAMA

• How messed up is this? The NCAA placed Michigan State on three years of probation for violations that occurred during Mel Tucker‘s tenure as coach. Meanwhile, Michigan cheated their butts off for years and got a slap on the wrist. In addition to the probation, the NCAA has also instructed the Spartans to vacate all 14 wins from the past three seasons. Ironically, Sparty has to vacate their win over Central Michigan who had Connor Stalions on their sidelines wearing CMU staff gear and spy camera glasses (above).
• On the subject of the NCAA ordering vacated wins: What if MSU refused? Is there any punishment? It’s not like the NCAA keeps these records. It’s up to each individual school. I’d tell them to go pound sand.
• Baylor AD Mack Rhoades is taking a leave of absence for “personal reasons”. He also steps away from his side gig as the CFP Committee Chair. It wasn’t more than a few minutes after the news broke that the Big 12 had Utah AD Mark Harlan lined up as a replacement. He previously served a one-year term during the 2023 season. Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek was promoted to chair.
• Colorado athletics director Rick George – the guy who hired Deion Sanders – will step down from his role at the end of the academic year and become a special advisor to the chancellor.
• One of the biggest issues holding UCLA back from becoming an elite program has always been the lack of an on-campus stadium. If you are familiar with Westwood, it is sandwiched between Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Brentwood. There is no way they are ever getting a stadium there. For decades upon decades, the Bruins called Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum home, a place they shared with rival Southern Cal which was about 16 miles from campus. When the Raiders relocated to L.A. in 1982, UCLA moved to the Rose Bowl, which is a good 25 miles away. This past week, the school had had enough of the old relic and plan to move to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood (13 miles), the current home of the Rams and Chargers. The city of Pasadena and the operators of the Rose Bowl filed for a temporary restraining order barring UCLA’s football team from playing its home games at any other venue, but a judge ruled against them. It appears the Bruins’ game against Washington on Saturday could be their last inside the “Granddaddy”.

KOACHES KORNER

• COACHING CAROUSEL:
  • Arkansas
  • Auburn
  • Colorado State
  • Florida
  • Kent State – filled
  • LSU
  • Oklahoma State
  • Oregon State
  • Penn State
  • Stanford
  • Virginia Tech – filled
  • UAB
  • UCLA

• James Franklin and Virginia Tech have come to an agreement for him to become their next head coach. It makes sense. He already knows the DMV area pretty well – Penn State’s leading rusher Kaytron Allen is from Virginia. And all the Hokies fans want right now is winning seasons. The former Brittany Lions head coach was in attendance for Old Dominion’s match-up with Troy Thursday night in Norfolk, Virginia. The Monarchs’ head coach Ricky Rahne was an offensive assistant on Franklin’s staff at Vanderbilt and Penn State from 2011-2019. Was Franklin trying to convince Rahne to join him in Blacksburg? The ODU coach makes $846,000. In February, Hokies lame duck offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery signed a two-year nearly $2.7 million contract in base salary and supplemental compensation. Surely if Rahne joins Franklin at VaTech, he can get him a significant bump in salary.
• Well, Lane Kiffin is about to screw up a good thing. News broke on Monday afternoon that members of his family were allegedly in Baton Rouge. Folks on the interwebz provided blurry pictures of someone getting off a plane in Baton Rouge that were taken with a flip phone. So, it must be true. Right? On3 is saying that sources told them that they made a trip to Gainesville on Sunday, as well. It could be real or it could be BS or it could be totally unrelated. Kiffin’s son is a 2028 quarterback prospect and his daughter is a freshman volleyball player at Southern Cal. If these trips turn out to be real and on Lane’s behalf, I suppose if his plan is to coach three more years and get fired with a big ol’ payout, then by all means, proceed. Yahoo Sports reported that Ole Miss gave Kiffin an ultimatum to decide if he will be leaving the program for Florida or LSU before the Nov. 28 Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.
• Jeremy Pruitt is asking an Alabama judge for an expedited hearing about an injunction against the NCAA due to colleges being in the midst of hiring season. It’s been almost five years of being barred from college football and everyone is getting paid now. Pruitt was recently cleared by the NCAA to be hired by Jacksonville State as an analyst, but that status is not applicable to any other school.
• Speaking of fired coaches visiting others, former Gators coach Billy Napier was spotted at a Georgia practice as the Bulldogs prepped for Texas. Recall that Florida upset the Longhorns earlier this season 29-21. Napier and Kirby Smart overlapped on Nick Saban’s Alabama staffs in 2011 and 2013–2015.
• UNC grump Bill Belichick put out a statement saying he is not interested in pursuing any NFL head coach vacancies this hiring cycle. Rumors had him linked to the NY Giants opening but that was probably just the babbling bozos with microphones.
• Maryland athletic director Jim Smith informed boosters that Mike Locksley will be the Terps coach in 2026. Maryland has lost six straight games after starting the year 4-0. They were 4-8 last season after winning bowl games in three consecutive seasons under Locks.
• Urban Meyer asked his wife if sex with him is a chore to her. “Not really,” she replied. “Chores make me feel satisfied afterwards.”
• Texas A&M has finalized a new 6-year deal with Mike Elko to make him one of the highest paid coaches in college football. Terms have yet to be disclosed.
• Fat F*** Phil Fulmer claims he is a light eater. Yep. As soon as the light goes on, he starts eating.

TEEVEE

• USA Network announced last week the creation of a new network called USA Sports which has already agreed to a five-year media rights deal with the reconstituted Pac-12. The network’s slate will include 22 regular season football games and 50 regular season men’s basketball games. CBS Sports and the CW will continue their affiliations with the conference as well.
• Surprise, surprise, Alabama was once again the winner of CFB TV ratings. For Week 10, the Bama-LSU game held 7.54M viewers on ABC – even with the Disney/YTTV blackout. Adorable little Indiana-Penn State was second at 6.03M on FOX. ABC learned a hard lesson with the airing of the Big 12. Despite being the conference’s biggest game of the year, BYU-Texa$ Tech recorded a disappointing 3.98M viewers.

THIS WEEK

Below is just a sampling highlight of games of interest this week. If you REALLY MUST know about the BIG New Mexico State-UTEP scuffle, click here.

Tuesday, November 18

Three MACalicoius games, all at 6pm/7pm

Wednesday, November 19

Two MACadoodle games, both at 6pm/7pm

Thursday, November 20

UL-Laffy at Arkansas State 6:30/7:30 ESPN

Friday, November 21

Florida State at NC State 7pm/8pm ESPN
Hawaii at UNLV 9:30/10:30 FS1

Saturday, November 22

Sadly, there are not too many exciting games this week. A wedding would not be the worst thing in the world.

SEC

Samford at Texas A&M 11am/noon SECN+
Missouri at Oklahoma 11am/noon ABC – Vital game for Okie.
Charlotte at Georgia 11:45/12:45 SECN
Mercer at Auburn 1pm/2pm SECN+ – The Bears are 9-1 and average 41.7 ppg.
Kentucky at Vanderbilt 2:30/3:30 ESPN – ‘Dores better be careful and not be looking ahead to Tenn next week.
Arkansas at Texas 2:30/3:30 ABC
Coastal Carolina at South Carolina 3:15/4:15 SECN – Coastal is 6-4. Better not have a letdown or a look-ahead, SC.
Tennessee at Florida 6:30/7:30 ABC – A once classic match-up now relegated to running out the clock.
Western Kentucky at LSU 6:45/7:45 SECN – WKU is 8-2.

* Ole Miss and Mississippi State are off.

National – CFP Contenders

Rutgers at Ohio State 11am/noon FOX – Must be nice.
Miami at Virginia Tech 11am/noon ESPN
** Southern Cal at Oregon 2:30/3:30 CBS – ELIMINATOR
Syracuse at Notre Dame 2:30/3:30 3:30 NBC – MOAR CUPCAKES!!
Kansas State at Utah 3pm/4pm ESPN2 – CFPC is trying to squeeze another B12 in.
Michigan at Maryland 3pm/4pm BTN – Must be nice.
** Pitt at Georgia Tech 6pm/7pm ESPN
** BYU at Cincinnati 8pm/9pm FOX – CFPC is trying to squeeze another B12 in.

Closing Time, You Don’t Have To Go Home. But You Can’t Stay Here ~ Semisonic

Utah State at Fresno 9:30/10:30 CBSSN

#ALABAMA

• This was a really bad moment for Conor Talty. The snap was a little high but holder Blake Doud caught it just fine and had a good hold. Though the ball was slightly deflected, it was never going through the uprights. A frustrarated Talty thought it was prudent to rip into longsnapper David Bird who has been solid all season. First off, Talty should not be looking at the snap. His head needs to be down looking at the spot where the ball will be held down. Secondly, it is not his place to rip into a teammate – especially when he has been so bad at kicking this season. Bama GM Courtney Morgan needs to put “Placekicker” on his shopping list. Luca Lombardo of Boston College has not missed this season, connecting on 14 field goal attempts and 31 PATs. Kian Afrookhteh of Coastal Carolina is 14 of 15 on field goals this season and 28-28 on extra points.
• Alabama true freshman Michael Carroll got the start at right tackle and was in on all 75 offensive plays. Wilkin Formby (71 snaps) moved over to right guard. Jaeden Roberts – who started and played every snap against South Carolina and LSU – did not play a single down against Oklahoma. What in the Wide Wide World of Sports is a-going on here?
• Daniel Hill (39 snaps, 15 car, 60 yds, 2 TD) has really been shining lately and should probably start over Jam Miller (33 snaps, 9-27-0) at running back. No other RB played on Saturday.
• Game leading receiver Josh Cuevas (65 snaps, 6 rec, 80 yds, 1 TD) and frosh Kaleb Edwards (30; 1-25) were the only tight ends to get in on offensive plays. Danny Lewis did not dress out.
• Starting nickleback DaShawn Jones did not play due to an injury.
• EDGE Qua Russaw was in uniform but did not play. Kalen DeBoer: “He was available, but he had a good injury the week before in the game, and that definitely limited a lot of his practice throughout the week.” Red Morgan was the replacement.
• 57 Alabama players saw game action.
• As Saturday is the last home regular season game of the 2025, it is Senior Day. Among those announced to participate: WR Germie Bernard, TE Josh Cuevas, OL Kam Dewberry, P Blake Doud, LB Nikhai Hill-Green, DB Domani Jackson, LB Justin Jefferson, DB Dashawn Jones, DL Tim Keenan, LB Deontae Lawson, RB Jam Miller, DL LT Overton, OL Jaeden Roberts, OL Geno VanDeMark, and RB Dre Washington.
• The Alabama at Auburn game will kickoff at 6:30/7:30 and once again air on ABC. It is the tenth time in 2025 that a Crimson Tide game is aired on the flagship network.
• FanDuel sets Alabama’s chances of making the Playoff at “Yes” -225 (Bet $225, win $100) and “No” +180 (Bet $100, win $180). FanDuel also has odds for Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas, and Vanderbilt making the CFP field. In addition, check out the numbers for several teams “To Make 2025-2026 College Football Playoff National Championship”, “To Make 2025-2026 College Football Playoff Semifinals”, and “To Make the Playoff Quarterfinals”.

GAME 11: Saturday, November 22, 2025 – SENIOR DAY

Alabama Crimson Tide (8-2) at Eastern Illinois Panthers (3-8)

Tuscaloosa, AL ~ 1pm/2pm ESPN+

• Editorial: You may think that this game is not important. However, two things are vital for this match-up: 1) Nobody gets injured and 2) future players get plenty of reps. Expect to see QB Austin Mack (2 games played this fall) and QB Keelon Russell (1 game) get some plays behind center. Additionally and increasingly more importantly will be seeing freshman AK Dear (2 games) tote the rock. OT-of-the-future Jackson Lloyd has participated in 3 games. I would think they would give him plenty of reps. Jaylen Mbakwe, smh. Nick Saban said he’d be a great DB and he played in 12 games last season (12 solos, 3 asst, INT, 2 PBU). But he wanted to switch to WR and now he has played in 5 games this fall and has as many pass receptions as OT Wilkin Formby.
• EIU Coach: Some guy you have never heard of.
• EIU 2025: Even by FCS standards, this team stinks.
• Series: Alabama has never played EIU, but it isn’t like they haven’t had chances. This Panthers program has been around since 1899. That is older than Florida who first fielded a team in 1906. The most famous alum of this school is Tony Romo.
• Honoring: It is Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day. The Honorary Captains are OL brothers Cyrus Kouandjio and Arie Kouandjio.
• Weather: There is a danger of showers in T-town. Temperatures will be in the 70, but there could be some wet stuff falling out of the sky.
• TV Announcers: Jay Alter, Rocky Boisman and Tori Petry whoever the heck they are.
• Radio: Chris Stewart, Tyler Watts, Corey Reamer on Alabama Radio. ** For those of you who listened to radio this year: how has Reamer done in his sideline reporting? **
• Vegas: The FanDuel does not have a point spread on this game.