We had quite a shake up this past week in the chase for the College Football Playoff (CFP). Five teams have fallen from among the unbeaten.
FIRST LOSS
Louisville 24 Miami-FL 21 – UGA-Carson Beck finally reared his ugly head as the Hurricanes gunslinger
misfired for four interceptions with a fifth that was negated by a very iffy Cardinals’ penalty. With this first loss, the ‘Canes go from the No. 2 team in the nation to casting doubts whether they can win the ACC.
Georgia 43 Ole Miss 35 – Entering the final frame, the Rebs held a 35-26 advantage. UGA reeled off 17 straight points while OM had a pair of 3 & outs that netted one yard. The Black Shark Bears QB Trinidad Chambliss completed only 19 of 36 passes and the rushing attack totaled 88 yards. Georgia’s Sling Blade QB had an impressive day of 26/31 passing for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns thrown. He also ran for 59 and another score.
This is Lane Kiffin. He can’t win the big ones with consistency. His record against Top 25 teams at Ole Miss is 11 wins and 24 losses. Penn State would just be getting SEC James Franklin.
We’ll probably be seeing these two on Sundays pretty soon.
Arizona State 26 Texas Tech 22 – The Sun Devils led this game most of the way until the Red Raiders made it 22-19 with two minutes to play. However, Sam Leavitt had one last drive in him, traveling 75 yards on 10 plays for the go-ahead touchdown with 25 seconds remaining.
It is Texa$ Tech’s first loss but they were playing without starting QB Behren Morton. His replacement Will Hammond is no slacker but we’ll see what the CFP Committee thinks about all that.
UAB 31 Memphis 24 – Despite being a 24 point underdog, Birmingham U. hung with the Blue Tigers, played like a real team, and took home the W in the end. More on this amazing turnaround and the coaching change below.
Boise 56 UNLV 31 – The Smurfs outscored Vegas 28-7 in the second half. The Runnin’ Rebels may have blown any chance they may have had at the Participation Trophy slot in the CFP.
SOMETHING TO ESS-EE-SEE HERE
Alabama 37 Tennessee 20 – The Vols put up 410 yards of offense on the the Crimson Tide, but it was well below the 529 yards UT had been averaging which led FBS. Additionally, Tennersee had the nation’s highest scoring average of 48.2 ppg (this defeat dropped them down to 44.1 ppg). The 20 points is two touchdowns less than their previous low scoring output in a game.
UT had problems finishing their trips into the red zone, converting only 2 of 5 opportunities into points. The most significant Bama defensive stop was an interception by Zabien Brown just before halftime, which was returned for a 99-yard touchdown. Tenn was also stopped on downs in the red zone in the 4th quarter, as well as a denial at the goal line as time expired.
Bama QB Ty Simpson spread the ball around very nicely. WR Ryan Williams (5 rec, 87 yards) made some fantastic catches and also drew a pass interference call that would lead to the Alabama knock-out punch touchdown. Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em!
Missouri 23 Auburn 17 (2 OT) – Perhaps feeling a bit of a hangover from their loss to Bama, the Ozark Tigers came out pretty flat in Jerdin’s Hair. Miz QB Beau Pribula threw a pair of interceptions and the running game was held to 91 yards. Aubie LB Xavier Atkins had 10 solo tackles which included two sacks. Robert Woodyard had 9 solos and 4 TFL for AU. Jackson Arnold had no TD passes for the third straight game. The big issue was his running: 14 net yards on 17 carries. Both teams had issues moving the ball. War Tiger Eagles kicker missed three or four field goal attempts in the game.
Hilariously, both teams missed field goals in the first overtime. Pribula scored in the second OT, then the UM defense got a defensive stop on fourth down.
The good news is that Toomer’s Drugs has plenty of toilet paper in stock and they are slashing prices!
Vanderbilt 31 LSU 24 – For all the Corndogs who laughed at Alabama last year: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Now, they know what that Tide team was up against last season. Diego Pavia in Nashville is about as dangerous as it gets in the SEC. On Saturday, the Vandy QB scrambled for 86 yards and a pair of scores. He also had 160 passing yards and a TD through the air. As seems to be the norm for the last several years, LSU amassed only 100 yards of rushing.
This targeting foul call was overturned. Clean hit.
Oklahoma 26 South Carolina 7 – Okie QB John Mateer wasn’t as terrible as the previous week, but he wasn’t exactly at his pre-injury level. He passed for 150 yard and a TD, while Tory Blaylock ran for 101 yards and a score. The Sooners’ defense sacked Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers six times, had 13 TFL overall, an interception on a dumb trick play, and a recorded a safety. Sellers looks disinterested at times. If he doesn’t go pro, expect him to transfer.
Texas A&M 45 Arkansas 42 – The Aggies flirted with disaster in this one. With TAMU leading 45-35 and 3:44 remaining, Arky got the ball back and drove 93 yards for a touchdown. Problem was, the drive drained the clock down to 10 seconds. Nice job, Petrino. Even if they had recovered the onside kick, they would have had one play to score a TD.
On the bright side, Hogs great Darren McFadden had his #5 jersey retired.
Wellll, not quite, Brandon…
Florida 23 Mississippi State 21 – Win a game? FIRED! Oddly enough, Fla AD Scott Stricklin canned coach Billy Napier following a victory over the Bullys. However even before kickoff, it was pretty well known in circles that the axe was dropping following the game. Napier took over for Dan Mullen for the 2022 season after leading UL-Laffy to great heights. But he did not find the same success in the Swamp, going 6–7, 5–7, 8–5, and 3–4 this season. His teams were wildly inconsistent, often beating top 10 teams and then fall to some unranked squad – often at home. His personality probably meshes better with a non-Power team tehn one with an irrational fanbase. UAB could be a possible landing spot.
As for the game, Gators RB Jadan Baugh ran for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown, while DJ Lagway threw for 280 yards but had two interceptions. The Gators led 23-14 when MSU added another touchdown with 2 minutes to go. Florida ran only 22 seconds off the clock and had a 3 & out that gained two yards. The Bulldogs were able to put together a drive but it ended in an interception by a gigantic defensive lineman (Tweet above) inside of field goal range.
Texas 16 Kentucky 13 (OT) – Texas had to go to overtime to beat this godawful team. Arch had 132 passing yards, no scores, and was sacked three times. The Longhorns scored ONE touchdown, had 179 TOTAL yards and had a piddly 8 first downs. UT also punted 8 times. The real hero for the ‘Horns was Ryan Niblett who had one punt return of 45 yards that would lead to the sole TD and one of 43 yards that set up a 4th quarter field goal. The Wildcats had 26 first downs and 395 yards of offense and could only manage 13 points. How Mark Stoops still has a job is a miracle. Napier?
OTHER STUFF
BYU 24 Utah 21 – 12 penalties for 77 yards and two turnovers helped doom the Two Utes. Abstaining running back LJ Martin dashed for 122 yards.
Notre Dame 34 Southern Cal 24 – SoCal QB Jayden Maiava tossed two picks and completed only 22 of 42 passes for the Trojans. The Irish continue their march to the CFP by beating meh teams after losing their first two.
UCLA 20 Maryland 17 – From 0-4 to three straight Bruins wins has been quite a story this year. The Terps have gone the opposite direction with three straight losses after starting 4-0.
CIRCLING THE DRAIN
Stanford 20 Florida State 13 – The ‘Noles (3-4) were stopped at the one inch line as time expired for their fourth straight defeat. There sure are a lot of teams out there getting transitive wins over Alabama. The Trees improve to 3-4.
Penn State 25 Iowa 24 – The Brittany Lions were up 21-10 in the 3rd quarter but outscored 15-3 the rest of the way. It is the fourth straight setback for PSU (3-4) with anOhio State and Indiana up next.
Cal 21 North Carolina 18 – Laughingstock Bill Belichick continues to chip away at his once-respectable reputation. The Tar Heels are now 2-4, 0-2 ACC.
Cincinnati 49 Oklahoma State 17 – The Cowpokes were throttled at home to tally their sixth loss of the season. The sole OSU win came against UT-Martin.
COIN TOSS OF THE WEEK (NSFW)
BEAMER BALL DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK
DERP OF THE WEEK
SKETCHIEST FLAG OF THE WEEK
Ignore the “rigged” comment here. The point is this penalty seems a bit excessive and unnecessary. It was not the “throat slash” which always gets a flag. It was more of a wiping your mouth or wiping the sweat off your brow kind of celebration. And it was not directed at an opposing player or even the UNC sideline. That said, it was quite beneficial to a certain former NFL head coach who is desperate for a win. The Heels still lost, 21-18.
FAKE OUT OF THE WEEK
Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz thought his kicker connected for a game-winner in OT but it was wide left.
TROLL OF THE WEEK
Aimed at Arky interim coach Bobby Petrino.
DON’T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB (IF YOU HAVE ONE)
TIP DRILL OF THE WEEK
TIP DRILL TO YOURSELF OF THE WEEK
WHAT A WAY TO LOSE A GAME
CORNIEST FANS OF THE WEEK (sorry, not sorry)
Iowa, of course.
THEY HAVE LOST THEIR MINDS IN STILLWATER
Last week, it was a Shirtless Revolution. This week, it’s bananas.
UNORIGINAL COPY CATS OF THE WEEK
REEEEAL original, UCLA. They also did it at James Madison and Wisconsin.
WORST FIELD GOAL ATTEMPT OF THE WEEK
THROWING TEAMMATE UNDER THE BUS OF THE WEEK
SCOOP ‘N’ SCORE OF THE WEEK
MANZIEL MEMORIAL YOLO PASS OF THE WEEK
WORST WIN CELEBRATION OF THE WEEK
MOST INAUSPICIOUS START TO A GAME OF THE WEEK
DON’T GET CUTE
I’D LIKE TO REPORT A MURDER
BOOKMARK OF THE WEEK
Save this for the next time the boogs shoot their mouths off.
IS THIS AI?
OLD COOT OF THE WEEK
Arizona State senior offensive lineman Ben Coleman was a Class of 2019 recruit. He spent four years at Cal before transferring to ASU where he is in his third season.
NAME OF THE WEEK
Cal DL Legend Journey
STATS OF THE WEEK
- Tennessee allowed 4 sacks in their first 6 games. Alabama doubled that total on the Third Saturday in October.
- It would seem logical that teams that commit few penalties per game would be among the most successful. Right? In reality, the teams with the lowest ppg are not ones you should expect to see in the College Football Playoff in December:
| RANK | TEAM | PPG | RECORD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | 2.3 | 5-2 |
| 2 | Army | 3.1 | 3-4 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 3.3 | 2-5 |
| 3 | Kansas State | 3.3 | 3-4 |
| 5 | Minnesota | 3.6 | 5-2 |
| 6 | Northwestern | 3.9 | 5-2 |
| 6 | Penn State | 3.9 | 3-4 |
THE WACKY WORLD OF CORSO… JELLY ROLL??
College GameDay was in Athens for Ole Miss-Georgia. ESPN is still trying to make up for not covering Bama-UGA. The guest picker was fat face-tattoo weirdo Jelly Roll who grew up in Nashville and has no ties to the University of Georgia or the Peach State. I don’t know who is producing this show this year, but they seem to have a penchant for women basketball players and dirtbags.
I couldn’t get a screen grab, but the funniest sign I saw was one that read “I DROVE THE SPEED LIMIT TO BE HERE!”
The next GD will be in Nashville for Mizzou-Vandy. This truly is the strangest timeline.
Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff was in Provo, Utah for the Holy War: Utah vs BYU. For the record, the song these Mormons are singing in the video above is not from their Tabernacle choir. It is a 2010 Kanye West song called “Power” (explicit lyics) which actually samples “21st Century Schizoid Man” by King Crimson.
Haircut 1 Brady Quinn, goofball dork Chris Fallica, lap-dancing enthusiast Urban Meyer, and Barstool dumbass Dave Portnoy all picked Utah to win. King Gump Mark Ingram and Haircut 2 Matt Leinart took BYU. Leinart actually got the final score (24-21) exactly right.
BNK is headed to Bloomington for UCLA-Indiana. Go Bru Crew.
ADOPT-A-TEAM
- Georgia Tech (7-0) led Duke 27-10 and gave up a late garbage TD but the Yeller Jackets still managed to take the road game, 27-18.
- Southern Miss (5-2) won at Laffy 22-10.
- USF (6-1) bopped FAU! with 522 yards of offense and won 48-13.
COUSINS
- Troy (5-2) – The Trojans have been quite a surprise this season. Four turnovers cost ULM dearly as Troy took this one 37-14. Laffy comes to town.
- Jacksonville State (4-3) – Delaware scored two late touchdowns to make their game with the Gamecocks look a little closer than it was, 38-25. JSU heads to lowly MTSU.
- South Alabama (1-6) – The Jags led Arkansas State 14-6 in the fourth quarter but then gave up a TD. The missed 2-pointer made it 14-12. USA drove down to the ASU 11 yard line but missed a chip shot 29 yard field goal that would have given them a 5 point advantage. The Red Wolves went 60 yards and kicked a game winner from 38 yards out at the buzzer. USA is now at equally dreadful Georgia State.
- West Alabama (5-1) – Scott Cochran’s Tigers suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of #3 ranked West Florida 23-16.
THAT ANNOYING GUY WHO FIRES HIS COACH AND THEN BEATS MEMPHIS
- UAB (3-4) – Yep, that’s right. The unthinkable happened. Just like UCLA and Virginia Tech, the Dragons circled the wagons after their coach was canned and turned in a major upset. Bham U dragged Trent Dilfer out to the curb and then went out and handed one of the top non-Power teams in Memphis their first loss of the season which weakened the Blue Tigers’ CFP hopes by a good bit. Memphis was stopped on 4th & Goal at UAB 11 with 15 ticks remaining.
- Former Alabama Analyst and current interim coach Alex Mortensen (1-0) earns the win despite being a 21.5-point home underdog. His first move was to bench QB Jalen Kitna in favor of sophomore Ryder Burton who responded with 20 of 27 passing for 251 yards, 3 TDs and a pick.
- Dilfer was a bad hire from the beginning. First off, his only coaching experience was 4 years at a Christian school located in Nashville. You would have to guess that Athletic Director Mark Ingram (no, not THAT Mark Ingram) was hypnotized by the Super Bowl ring Dilfer wore to the interview. Seriously though, Ingram is another one who should be on the chopping block. The way he let what Bill Clark built go down the drain was a huge misstep.
- Dilfer finished his two and a half seasons with a 9–21 (5–14) record.
SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS
- Navy (6-0) – With under a minute to play, the Midshipmen scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion to stay undefeated. They also become bowl eligible after sneaking by Temple 32-31. Blake Horvath had 141 passing yards and 155 on the ground and accounted for three touchdowns. The Sea-Lovers host FAU! on Saturday.
- Army (3-4) – Tulane scored touchdowns with two minutes left and with half a minute left to top the Black Knights 24-17. The Cadets have a week off to prep for Air Force in Round 2 of the Commander in Chief Trophy.
- Air Force (2-5) – The Falcons snapped a 5-game losing streak by upsetting Wyoming 24-21. They too have a week of RnR before Army invades.
ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION
Eliminated: Washington State, Oregon State, Boston College, Cal, Clemson, FSU, UNC, NC State, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Arizona, Center Florida, Colorado, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Maryland, Sparty, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Miss State, South Carolina
Endangered: Miami-FL, Louisville, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame
Extremely Endangered: Duke, Pitt, SMU, Arizona State, Baylor, Iowa State, TCU, Utah, Houston, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, LSU, Tennessee, Tejas
A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture
POWER 2
- SEC – Texas A&M, Alabama, and Georgia. Maybe Vandy.
- Big Ten – Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon.
SECOND 2
- Big 12 – BYU, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Texa$ Tech, Houston.
- ACC – Miami-FL is not cooked yet. Is Georgia Tech for real?
AT LARGE
- Indies – Notre Dame.
PAC-2– nope
PARTICIPATION TROPHY
- Navy (6-0) is the only remaining non-Power team who has yet to meet defeat this fall.
- USF (6-1)
- Tulane (6-1)
- UNLV (6-1) took a devastating loss.
RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM
WORST RATED BEERS ACCORDING TO BEER ADVOCATE:
.tg {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-cly1{text-align:left;vertical-align:middle} .tg .tg-lboi{border-color:inherit;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle} .tg .tg-fymr{border-color:inherit;font-weight:bold;text-align:left;vertical-align:top}| Rank | Sorted by weighted rank | Ratings | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Budweiser Select 55 | 2.40% | 639 | 1.65 |
| 2 | Natural Light | 4.20% | 2,430 | 1.77 |
| 3 | Miller Extra Light | 2.80% |
840 | 1.81 |
| 4 | Keystone Light | 4.10% | 2,216 | 1.85 |
| 5 | Natural Ice | 5.90% | 1,619 | 1.86 |
| 6 | Bud Light | 4.20% | 6,720 | 1.88 |
| 7 | Milwaukee’s Best Light | 4.20% | 745 | 1.84 |
| 8 | Crazy Ed’s Cave Creek Chili Beer | 4.20 | 289 | 1.76 |
| 9 | Milwaukee’s Best | 4.80% | 852 | 1.89 |
| 10 | Sharp’s | 0.40% | 175 | 1.74 |
| 11 | Bud Ice | 5.50% | 1,299 | 1.94 |
| 12 | Busch Ice | 5.90% | 375 | 1.87 |
| 13 | Busch Light | 4.10% | 1,917 | 1.96 |
| 14 | Michelob Ultra | 4.20% | 2,830 | 1.97 |
| 15 | Corona Light | 4.10% | 2,219 | 1.98 |
| 16 | Beer 30 Light | 4.00% | 105 | 1.66 |
| 17 | Bud Light & Clamato Chelada | 4.20% | 464 | 1.94 |
| 18 | Coors Light | 4.20% | 5,817 | 2.07 |
| 19 | Keystone Premium | 4.40% | 161 | 1.86 |
| 20 | Red Dog | 4.80% | 808 | 2.04 |
| 21 | O’Doul’s | 0.50% | 680 | 2.04 |
| 22 | Budweiser Select | 4.30% | 1,374 | 2.08 |
| 23 | Icehouse | 5.50% | 1,384 | 2.09 |
| 24 | Busch Beer | 4.30% | 1,960 | 2.1 |
| 25 | Keystone Lager | 4.90% | 152 | 1.9 |
We are a mere two weeks away from the first College Football Playoff rankings that will be announced Tuesday, Nov. 4.
LET’S GO BOWLING!
- Southern Miss (5-2) is one win away from getting back to a bowl game for the first time since 2022 and the second time in this decade.
- 24 FBS teams are newly bowl eligible including Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Vanderbilt.
- Only six team remain unbeaten: Georgia Tech, BYU, Texas A&M, anOhio State, Indiana, Navy.
LET’S GO BLOWING!
- In a matchup of two dreadful teams, the UTEP Miners picked up their first FBS victory by topping winless Sam Houston (0-7). On top of the home loss, the Bearkats also pick up the dishonor of being the second team eliminated from a bowl invitation. The first? Why that was Oregon State of course. These two stalwarts face off on Nov 8.
- Speaking of the Beavs (1-7), they got their first win of the season by defeating FCS Patriot Leager Lafayette.
- UMass (0-7) was just mere seconds from removing that goose egg in the front of their record when disaster struck in the form of a 16 yard scoring strike from Buffalo (4-3). The Minutemen are last in FBS in points per game at 11.3.
- Every MAC team has three or more losses.
Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to Josh Pate. Seriously, dude. What is the deal with the Homer Simpson-wearing the same damn clothes every day. It’s weird and your cult-like followers are weird. And he gets so defensive over every little Tweet that involves him from a dude with 77 followers. I am losing some respect for this guy.
HEISMAN HYPE
It is interesting that Trent Dilfer is in the news. He was an okay NFL quarterback but certainly nothing great. For his only season with Baltimore in 2000, he won a Super Bowl with the Ravens. However, most of the credit has always gone to that crazy-good defense that gave up only five rushing touchdowns all season.
And then we have this situation in Columbus, OH. Julian Sayin is doing a good job at QB. He is efficient and does not turn the ball over too much. However, it’s that nasty Buckeyes defense (5.9 ppg allowed) that has them at top of the polls. Unfortunately, we have these lazy ass sports reporters whose thought process is that the quarterback of the No. 1 team MUST be a Hypesman candidate. Right?
- Ty Simpson (Alabama) +320
- Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) +340
- Julian Sayin (Ohio State) +400
- Marcel Reed (Texas A&M) +750
- Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt) +800
- Gunner Stockton (Georgia) +1100
THE SICK REPORT
- Auburn starting center Connor Lew suffered a torn ACL against Missouri and will miss the remainder of the season.
- LSU LB and team captain Whit Weeks (ankle bone bruise) and defensive lineman Bernard Gooden (collarbone bruise) did not play against Vanderbilt.
- Michigan lost starting left tackle, Evan Link, in the first half against Washington. He went down clutching at his lower left leg in obvious pain in the first quarter and was carted off the field. Wolverines running back Justice Haynes was listed as questionable against the Huskies but did not play.
- Texas Tech lost the game and also lost star tight end Terrance Carter (23 rec, 297 yds, 5 TD) after he took a hit in the third quarter Saturday against Arizona State. He was seen on crutches due to an ankle injury.
- When it rains it pours: Clemson leading receiver Bryant Wesco was hospitalized after a scary injury during a punt return. Teammate starting left guard Collin Sadler was also carted off the field.
DRAMARAMA
- On Sunday, the ACC fined Stanford $50,000 for violating stupid fans storming the field following the Cardinal’s 20-13 home win against Florida State. Seeing how too-much-money alum Bradford M. Freeman recently donated $50 million, I am sure the Trees administrators got a good little laugh over that piddly invoice.
KOACHES KORNER
- Indiana and Curt Cignetti agreed to new 8-year, $11.6 million that runs through Nov. 30, 2033. The 64-year old stated he hopes to retire as a Hoosier. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, if Indiana were to fire Cignetti without cause during his new deal, his $93.25 million is fully guaranteed. Considering his age and the insane nature of the Penn State fanbase, this move makes sense for Cig. If he makes to to the end of this contract, he will be 72 – the same age at which his former boss Nick Saban retired.
- Not that anyone noticed, but Colorado State fielded a football team again this year. After losing at home to Hawaii 31-19, the school has parted ways with Jay Norvell. After four straight winning seasons with Nevada, Norvell made an inter-conference move within the Mountain West to CSU in 2022. His first two campaigns finished on the minus side. Last year, his team was 8–5 (6–1 MW) but with a bowl loss. In the midst of his fourth season, the Rams were 2-5 overall and 1-5 against FBS opponents.
- Speaking of Norvells… FSU’s athletic director Michael Alford told the local media that “nobody is happy” with the football program’s current plight, but that sticking with the Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell for now. These two Norvells are not related.
- Brian Kelly‘s seat is heating up in Baton Rouge. The problem with getting rid of Kelly is that his buyout is north of $53 million. If the Bayou Bengals were to go through with cutting Kelly loose, it would represent the second highest buyout in college football history. Of note, former LSU coach Ed Orgeron is no longer on the payroll. Also of note: BKKAK.
- Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh wrote a letter to Badgers fans acknowledging that the Badgers’ season has “fallen well short of our standards” under third-year coach Luke Fickell, who is 15-18 at the school and 2-5 this season. However, Wisky is pushing forward with the embattled Fickell despite two consecutive home shutout losses to Iowa and Ohio State, the team’s first home shutouts since 1980. Fickell is on a rolling seven-year contract that takes him through the 2031 season. He would be owed more than $25 million if fired this fall and that could be a sticking point for UW.
- Urban Meyer told his wife, “I’ll never forget the first time we met, but I’ll keep trying.”
- The human body is 60% water. Fat F*** Phil Fulmer’s body is 60% donuts.
TEEVEE
The ABC tripleheader took the top three TV ratings spots in week 7, which includes beating out the adorable Big Ten and their marquee game Indiana-Oregon on CBS at 5.59 million. The Oklahoma-Texas “Red River Rivalry” led the week with 8.73 million viewers. Alabama-Missouri was at 6.99 million and Georgia-Auburn at 6.69 million.
THIS WEEK
Below is just a sampling highlight of games of interest this week. If you REALLY MUST know about the BIG Bowling Green @ Kent State showdown, click here.
Tuesday, October 21 – Two Awful Games
Wednesday, October 22 – Two Bad Games
Thursday, October 23 – One Game b/t Two 1-6 Teams
South Alabama at Georgia State 6:30/7:30 ESPN2 – Applewhite REALLY needs a win.
Friday, October 24– Three Games
North Texas at Charlotte 6pm/7pm ESPN2
Cal at Virginia Tech 6:30/7:30 ESPN
Boise at Nevada 9pm/10pm CBSSN
Saturday, October 25
SEC
Ole Miss at Oklahoma 11am/noon ABC – Two one-loss teams.
Auburn at Arkansas 11:45/12:45 SECN – Ugh.
Missouri at Vanderbilt 2:30/3:30 ESPN– Two one-loss teams. Who’d they lose to again?
Texas at Mississippi State 3:15/4:15 SECN – Potential for derp from Tejas.
Texas A&M at LSU 6:30/7:30 ABC – Aggs trying to stay undefeated.
Tennessee at Kentucky 6:45/7:45 SECN – Vols gawna take out frustrations on the godawful ‘Cats.
* Florida and Georgia are off.
National
South Florida at Memphis 11am/noon ESPN2 – A HUGE Participation Trophy game.
UCLA at Indiana 11am/noon FOX – Can the Bruins keep the mojo rolling?
BYU at Iowa State 2:30/3:30 FOX – After the big emotional “Holy War”, this feels like a letdown game for the Coogs.
Michigan at Michigan State 6:30/7:30 NBC – This one is almost always a wacky one.
Good Night, Westley. Good Work. Sleep Well. I’ll Most Likely Kill You In The Morning
Colorado at Utah 9:15/10:15 ESPN
#ALABAMA
Let’s talk about Ty Simpson’s alleged fumble against Tennessee. First off, it seemed pretty obvious that his arm was moving forward when the ball came loose. I suppose the review officials saw it differently. Were they influenced by the Tide QB’s efforts to recover the ball as some kind of admission of guilt? It feels that way. But the real screw-up was the batted ball. Shout-out to krnxprs who sharply noted that after the ball was on the ground, Vols freshman linebacker Jadon Perlotte (#27) batted the ball forward, i.e. in Tennessee’s direction.
RBR reached out to rules expert Terry McAulay who confirmed this should have been a ten yard penalty on Tennessee with Alabama retaining possession.
- Yhonzae Pierre was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week. The redshirt sophomore tallied three sacks on Joey Aguilar. He was a terror.
- Big props to offensive guard Jaeden Roberts who has fought his way back into the starting lineup. A preseason injury put him back behind Geno VanDeMark and Kam Dewberry. Some guys might have pouted and given up. Saturday against Tennessee was Roberts’s first start of the season in place of Dewberry where he played 41 snaps. Dewberry did not stay on the bench. He got plenty of playing time as well.
- True freshman Michael Carroll also got his first start of the season, which obviously was his first career start. He was in on 25 plays, though fellow right tackle Wilkin Formby ended up playing 39.
- Running back Daniel Hill saw the most action of his season playing 22 snaps and gaining 34 yards on 7 carries with a score. Kalen DeBoer mentioned that Hill was “getting healthier”. Conversely, Kevin Riley was in on only 7 plays. He had 3 rushes and ended up with a net of -2 rushing yards.
- On the defensive side, freshman sensation Dijon Lee had a huge snap count if 64 in his first career start. He had 4 solo tackles which included a TFL. Domani Jackson, who had previously started all 19 games he has played in crimson and white, started the game on the sidelines but played 48 snaps. Red Morgan had 34 plays, while Zavier Mincey was in on 23.
- It appears that the Crimson Tide got out of TSIO without major injury issues. RB Jam Miller was back but had very little success toting the rock (12 rush, 15 yds). WR Germie Bernard was the Tide’s leading rusher (4-49).
- 60 Alabama players saw action against the Vols.
GAME 8: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1) at South Carolina Gamecocks (3-4)
Columbia, SC ~ 2:30/3:30 ABC
- Editorial: Alabama is playing some solid football. The real danger now is Rat Poison and becoming complacent. SC is looking like a weak team, but it is still Williams-Brice Stadium and Bama brings in the haters. The Gamecocks will be up for this game and so too should be the fans. It is vital that the Tide keeps their edge going.
- Coach: Shane Beamer is in the midst of his fifth season in the Palmetto State. He is 32–26 overall and 16–21 in the SEC. The numbers aren’t perfect but he has topped Clemson two of the last three years and the fanbase loves him. There has been a lot of chatter about Beamer filling the opening at Virginia Tech where he grew up as his daddy coached the Hokies for several decades. The distractions cannot help matters in Columbia-East.
- SC 2025: The ‘Cocks started off strong with a solid W over Va Tech. After a cupcake win, Vanderbilt clocked SC in Columbia 31-7. A nine point loss at Mizzou was followed by their only SEC win over lowly Kentucky. South Carolina then managed only 17 combined points in defeats to LSU and Oklahoma.
- Series: Alabama is 14-3 all-time against the Gamecocks but are 4-3 since 2001. More recently, the Tide topped SC last season in T-town 27-25. Bama won by 24 in 2019. Before that was the Stephen Garcia fiasco of 2010 which to this day makes no sense.
- Weather: Columbia should have partly cloudy skies and a high of 72°.
- TV Announcers: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer and Katie George. I am SO sorry.
- Radio: Chris Stewart, Tyler Watts, and Corey Reamer on Alabama Radio.
- Vegas: The FanDuel point spread has dropped two points with Alabama as a 11.5 point favorite. The Over/Under is at 47.5.
