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Week 8 turned out to be Survival Saturday within much of the top 10.
As a result, there is a shakeup in this week’s Athletic 133 and a new No. 1: Ohio State. The Buckeyes beat Penn State 20-12, holding the Nittany Lions to a 1-for-16 performance on third down. That gives Ohio State two wins over current top-15 teams, enough to catapult the Buckeyes to No. 1 this week.
Does this mean Ohio State will beat Michigan? I don’t know. The Wolverines have won the last two against Ohio State and have been a buzzsaw against weak competition this year. They look really, really good again. The escapes by other top-10 teams do help the case for Michigan, which hasn’t had such struggles. But as I get ahead of explaining each week, I can’t put a team whose current best win is Rutgers much higher yet. Once Michigan plays Penn State on Nov. 11, that’ll change. I actually have Michigan in my CFP predictions. But these rankings are not predictions. They’re an attempt to evaluate what you’ve done. Margin of victory matters, but who you’ve played weighs more.
GO DEEPER
Behind the AP Top 25 ballot: Weak Michigan schedule doesn’t mean it can’t be voted No. 1
Here is this week’s Athletic 133.
1-10
Georgia remains at No. 2 while idle. Florida State moves up to No. 3 thanks to its win and Washington/Oklahoma scraping by. Michigan leaps Texas after the Longhorns barely got out of Houston. Oregon and Oregon State slide into the top 10. The Ducks beat Washington State 38-24, while Oregon State was idle. The Beavers gave Utah their only loss earlier in the season.
11-25
Rank
Team
Record
Prev
11
6-1
16
12
6-1
8
13
6-1
17
14
6-1
13
15
6-2
14
16
6-2
19
17
7-1
20
18
6-1
10
19
5-2
15
20
7-0
21
21
6-1
23
22
7-0
24
23
5-2
25
24
6-2
18
25
5-2
26
Utah jumps to No. 11 after beating USC. Both Penn State and North Carolina fell out of the top 10 after losses. The Nittany Lions drop to No. 13 because they lack notable wins, but the Tar Heels fall to No. 18 after losing to a 1-5 Virginia team at home. Duke was in a battle with Florida State until quarterback Riley Leonard reinjured his right ankle, an unfortunate turn of events. The Blue Devils fall from No. 15 to No. 19. USC hangs on in the top 25 after yet another loss to Utah, and Kentucky slides into the top 25 while idle, on the strength of its earlier win against Florida.
GO DEEPER
Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Is the Big Ten’s ‘Big Three’ really just a ‘Big One’?
Miami’s overtime win against Clemson sees the Hurricanes rise to No. 30. The Tigers fall down to No. 37. TCU lost 41-3 to Kansas State, and BYU beat Texas Tech, but both the Horned Frogs and Cougars remain in their position because of TCU’s blowout of BYU just last week. Georgia State moves into the top 50 after getting to 6-1.
51-75
UNLV is 6-1 and bowl-eligible for the second time since 2000 after beating Colorado State to move up to No. 57. Boston College has won three consecutive games since an ugly start to the year and now sits at 4-3 overall and No. 58 in the rankings. UTSA is 3-0 since quarterback Frank Harris came back, beating FAU 36-10 to jump up to No. 60. Jacksonville State jumps up to No. 63 after beating Western Kentucky. Like James Madison, Jax State can only reach a bowl game if there aren’t enough 6-6 teams.
GO DEEPER
Saturday Superlatives: Another Utah-USC classic, upsets and scares galore
76-100
Not a ton of movement in this group. Old Dominion’s 28-21 win against Appalachian State moves the Monarchs up to No. 88. FAU was blown out by UTSA and USF beat UConn, but FAU remains ahead of USF after the Owls’ win over the Bulls last week. Northern Illinois has won three consecutive games to get up to No. 91. One week after Stanford beat Colorado, the Cardinal lost 42-7 to UCLA and drop back down to No. 95. Michigan State’s 49-0 loss to Michigan drops the Spartans down to No. 97.
101-133
Nevada ended its 16-game losing streak with a 6-0 win against San Diego State, so the Wolf Pack get out of the bottom spot. The new No. 133 is Sam Houston, which is 0-7. The Bearkats were 1:11 away from beating Jacksonville State, three yards away from beating Liberty and one fourth-and-18 stop away from beating FIU. Alas, they have yet to get their first FBS win. Elsewhere in this group, East Carolina drops to No. 126 after a 10-7 loss to Charlotte, and New Mexico State moved up to No. 108 with its third consecutive win.
The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Go ahead, question Michigan’s integrity.
Accuse Jim Harbaugh of disregarding the NCAA rulebook. Cry foul about sign-stealing or analysts overstepping their bounds. Root for the Big Ten’s cockiest program to get its comeuppance. The Wolverines have made one thing abundantly clear: They. Do. Not. Care.
“You see it all over social media,” right guard Zak Zinter said. “People are throwing different stuff at us, NCAA, whatever. They can claim and do whatever, say whatever. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing.”
What they’re doing is demolishing every Big Ten team in their path. No. 2 Michigan (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) did it again Saturday night, shellacking Michigan State 49-0 after another week shrouded in controversy.
News broke two days earlier that the NCAA was investigating Michigan for potential violations of a rule banning in-person scouting of future opponents. Friday afternoon, Michigan suspended recruiting analyst Connor Stalions, a staffer known for his sign-stealing prowess.
Apparently Stalions was not essential to Michigan’s success. The Wolverines still have J.J. McCarthy and one of the best defenses in the FBS, and that was more than enough to overwhelm Michigan State. Like every opponent before them, the Spartans ran into Michigan and didn’t stand a chance.
“They were a real buzzsaw,” Harbaugh said.
The Wolverines haven’t made a lot of friends around the Big Ten while winning 20 consecutive conference games. Teams that suspected something fishy about Michigan’s sign-stealing operation surely felt some satisfaction when news of the NCAA investigation went public.
GO DEEPER
Michigan investigation: Explaining CFB’s sign-stealing rules, what’s next for Harbaugh
Some of that is sour grapes. Some is, no doubt, a reaction to the way Michigan carries itself as a program. For a team that prides itself on doing things the right way, Michigan seems to end up in the middle of a lot of controversies. The program has a bullseye on its back, both from its Big Ten rivals and the NCAA.
“There’s a target, yeah,” Harbaugh said. “Everybody’s pointed that out from the beginning of the season. Our guys are just very focused. They just go about their business.”
It’s going to take more than an investigation or three to take down Michigan. The Wolverines play through investigations the way other teams play through sprained ankles. It just doesn’t faze them.
Michigan was already under investigation for alleged Level II violations that included impermissible contact with recruits during the COVID-19 dead period and impermissible use of analysts for on-field coaching. Harbaugh was accused of failing to cooperate with the investigation and served a three-game school-imposed suspension to start the season.
That was after co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was fired for cause in January amid a police investigation of suspicious computer activity at Schembechler Hall. Now the program faces another NCAA investigation tied to alleged violations of the in-person scouting rule.
Debating the ethics of in-person scouting is like debating the ethics of pass interference: Ethical or not, it’s against the rules, and that’s what matters. If the Wolverines broke rules involving in-person scouting or video recording, they should be punished. If Harbaugh knew of such violations — and he says he didn’t — he should be held accountable.
Neither Michigan nor the NCAA deserves the benefit of the doubt here. Both have shown themselves to be fallible in various ways. The NCAA has the burden to prove its case, either through video evidence or written communications. People are rightfully skeptical of the NCAA’s ability to administer justice. Just look at the Kansas basketball investigation, which lasted six years and ended with hardly a whimper.
Even if these investigations don’t end with meaningful sanctions, they suck up time and resources. They cast a cloud of suspicion over the people and programs involved. They tarnish reputations and diminish achievements.
Months or years may pass before the full story emerges. In the meantime, Michigan has games to play and another Big Ten championship to chase. The Wolverines are adept at ignoring allegations and innuendo, possibly because they’ve had so much practice.
“All the outside distraction, the allegations against Coach Harbaugh, that doesn’t do anything to us,” McCarthy said. “We’re just out there trying to play ball and have fun with our boys. We just keep it very simple.”
This week was already emotionally fraught after last year’s game against Michigan State ended with a violent scene in the Michigan Stadium tunnel. Two players from Michigan were injured in that confrontation, including cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows, who had the first interception of his career in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. Leading up to the game, the Wolverines claimed they weren’t talking about the tunnel. After McBurrows made that interception, they acknowledged that, yes, it might have come up a time or two.
“I know how he felt,” said defensive back Mike Sainristil, who had his second pick-six of the season. “I felt it, too. I was so happy for him. All week he was talking about different things. He mentioned what happened last year a couple different times. Coaches and us as players told him, ‘When you get your chance, just go out there and make the plays.’”
When Michigan went to halftime with a 28-0 lead, Harbaugh told the Wolverines to “leave no doubt.” That was a response to blowing a lead in their last trip to Michigan State, McCarthy said, and not any attempt to prove a point about the sign-stealing allegations.
Even if they weren’t trying to, the Wolverines sent a message. They outscored their first seven opponents 93-0 in the third quarter, a stat that was cited after the sign-stealing allegations surfaced. Is Michigan that good at halftime adjustments? Or, perhaps, are the Wolverines benefiting from some unfair advantage?
The third-quarter scoring margin is 107-0 after Saturday’s game. Any Michigan State fans hoping the Wolverines would crumble without the aid of their sign-stealing network went home sorely disappointed.
“Put all that stuff aside: We’re taking our 11 against anybody else’s 11 in the country on offense, defense and special teams,” tight end AJ Barner said.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a team anywhere in the country that’s playing better than Michigan. Six people on The Athletic’s eight-person panel picked Michigan to win the national championship, and the Wolverines certainly looked the part again Saturday night.
Investigations aside, the Wolverines are running roughshod over the rest of the Big Ten. And they’re going to keep doing it until somebody stops them.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article stated the Big Ten was investigating the allegations. The NCAA is conducting the investigation.
The NCAA is investigating the University of Michigan football program amid allegations of sign-stealing, the Big Ten announced Thursday.
“U-M Athletics will offer its complete cooperation to the NCAA in this matter,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement Thursday. “At the University of Michigan, all of us are committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity for all members of our community. This is the same expectation I have of all coaches, staff, and student-athletes.”
The Big Ten approached Michigan State on Wednesday, ahead of this weekend’s matchup between the rivals in East Lansing, saying it’s been made aware of “credible evidence” that exists suggesting the Wolverines have successfully stolen signs called by opposing teams’ coaches this season.
The NCAA is investigating Michigan “over possible rule-breaking around in-person scouting of opponents,” according to an industry source briefed on the matter. According to NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited. An issue with the bylaw would mean a case that would likely proceed through the traditional infractions process.
Manuel spoke with conference commissioner Tony Petitti on Wednesday. According to a source briefed on the allegations, as of noon Thursday, Michigan had yet to be presented with the evidence compiled in the investigation.
One source who was briefed on the allegation said Michigan is being accused of using a “vast network” to steal opposing teams’ signs. The alleged evidence appears to suggest UM had knowledge of what play an opposing team was going to run before the play occurs.
“The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation,” the league said in a statement Thursday.
Upon learning of the pending investigation, Michigan State initially warned the Big Ten it might consider not playing Saturday’s game out of concern for health and safety for its players, according to two sources briefed on those conversations. On Thursday morning, MSU confirmed it will play the game. Michigan’s upcoming opponents were notified of the allegations and games are expected to take place as planned, an industry source said Thursday.
“As we look forward to the football game this Saturday, we are chagrined by the news of the NCAA investigation and we echo the Big Ten Conference’s commitment to integrity. The allegations are concerning, but will be handled through the NCAA’s processes. MSU has no further comment on that matter. The university is focused on supporting our own team and preparing campus for a safe game-day environment,” read a statement from Michigan State interim president Teresa Woodruff.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said that he and his staff “will fully cooperate” with the investigation.
“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.”
Sign-stealing is not prohibited by the NCAA, unless a team intercepts in-game electronic communication. But it has a long history, with decades of accusations and allegations in college football.
Arizona State coach Todd Graham was accused by both Washington and Utah of signal-stealing in 2015. At halftime of a 2014 game, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder accused Auburn of sign-stealing. A year prior, Auburn was accused by Florida State of sign-stealing in the BCS championship game. The list goes on.
The question facing Michigan is if these recent allegations go beyond on-field sign-stealing.
Michigan is currently under NCAA investigation for a series of Level II rule violations relating to recruiting during a COVID dead period and statements to NCAA investigators. Harbaugh served a university-imposed three-game suspension.
— The Athletic‘s Nicole Auerbach and Austin Meek contributed to this report.
Strains of “The Victors,” Michigan’s fight song, reverberated inside the stadium’s cinder-block tunnel as players from Michigan State trudged to their locker room.
In the grainy footage, it’s easy to identify the moment when everything goes haywire. An event manager stationed near Michigan’s locker room entrance leaps to attention and jogs toward the scene. An official holding the bright orange down marker lets it fall to the ground. Several players come into view: Michigan cornerback Gemon Green, restrained by a player from Michigan State while another Spartan, cornerback Khary Crump, bashes Green with his helmet.
Farther down the tunnel, Michigan cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows is surrounded by white jerseys, shoved against a metal door and thrown to the ground. Michigan State players attempt to corral their teammates and break up the fight. Michigan players walk through the mayhem single file, one lunging toward Michigan State’s locker room before being restrained.
Within hours, officials at Michigan State are in full-on damage-control mode. Talking points and official statements fly back and forth. Chad Hawley, the Big Ten’s senior vice president for policy and compliance, notifies the school that the conference is launching an investigation.
A member of Michigan State’s football operations staff is interviewed, and the notes are shared with MSU athletic director Alan Haller.
“Following the game, a University of Michigan player and his father pushed through police and attempted to attack (redacted) as he was walking to the bus,” read the notes, obtained by The Athletic via a Freedom of Information Act request. “MSP (Michigan State Police) did nothing, a member of the Michigan staff got to him prior to an altercation.”
McBurrows suffers facial injuries. Green is diagnosed with a concussion. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh calls for a criminal investigation. Suspensions are assessed, charges filed, fines levied. In the compressed space of the Michigan Stadium tunnel, an already combustible rivalry has exploded.
Some fans and administrators blamed the incident on a few rogue players who lost their composure. For others, it was the further escalation of a rivalry that has veered dangerously out of control. In the year since the tunnel altercation, Michigan and Michigan State have faced uncomfortable questions about the future of their 125-year-old series. Has the rivalry gotten too toxic? And if so, who’s to blame? Can it be fixed? Or is the hatred too deeply ingrained?
“That whole week is nothing but hype,” said Mike Nichols, an attorney who attended Michigan State and represented Crump, one of the players charged in the tunnel incident. “You instill in the players, ‘You’ve got to assault the guy in the other colors, got to subvert his will, got to break him down, got to win and make him not want to play you next season.’ And we’re astonished when bad things like that happen.”
The Michigan-Michigan State rivalry fits a familiar archetype in college football: the massive research institution on the hill and former land-grant agricultural college down the road. The schools have played each other since 1898 and have been conference rivals since 1949, despite Michigan’s backroom maneuvering to keep Michigan State out of the Big Ten.
“I think Michigan State fans look at Michigan as arrogant and pompous and unjustifiably elite,” said Greg Dooley, a lecturer at Michigan who grew up rooting for Michigan State and teaches a course on the history of college athletics. “I know Michigan fans look down a little bit at State. State prides themselves from a football perspective on toughness, being a little more blue-collar, and deserving of being on the same playing field with Michigan.”
The rivalry has always been intense, but it’s grown more hostile in recent years. In 2007, Michigan running back Mike Hart, now the school’s running backs coach, famously referred to Michigan State as “little brother.” Mark Dantonio, Michigan State’s new head coach, fired back that “pride comes before the fall,” signaling a new era of hostilities between the programs.
Michigan is 72-38-5 all-time against Michigan State, but the Spartans won the Paul Bunyan Trophy seven times in eight years from 2008 to 2015. Michigan State’s rise under Dantonio coincided with Michigan’s decline under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke and forced the Wolverines to regard the Spartans as an equal.
“Michigan State really found a hot streak,” said Jack Miller, who played center at Michigan from 2011 to 2014. “When I was playing, Dantonio had that team firing on all cylinders. They were playing well. Spartan players and fans and alums enjoyed that run and rubbed it in Michigan’s face a little bit.”
The chippiness remained, but the quality of the games diminished late in Dantonio’s tenure. Dantonio’s successor, Mel Tucker, beat Michigan in his first try, inspiring hope that Michigan and Michigan State could be headed for another decade of high-stakes matchups.
In their first meeting as top-10 opponents in more than 50 years, the Spartans overcame a 16-point deficit and beat Michigan 37-33 in 2021 behind five touchdowns from running back Kenneth Walker. Fans celebrated by burning couches and mattresses in the streets of East Lansing, resulting in 57 service calls to the East Lansing Fire Department. Shortly thereafter, Michigan State signed Tucker to a 10-year, $95 million contract that made him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
Within a year, fans and supporters were second-guessing that decision. Last year’s loss in Ann Arbor dropped the Spartans to 3-5, and the ugly scene in the tunnel only magnified fans’ disappointment.
In the hours after the tunnel incident, school administrators received a deluge of emails from fans who were fed up with the conduct of coaches and players in the rivalry. The Athletic reviewed more than 100 pages of correspondence sent and received by officials at both schools in a four-day period following the incident, as well as an incident report from the Michigan State University Police Department.
“It is now an EMBARRASSMENT to be a Spartan for the first time in my life,” a fan named Brad Lazorka wrote in an email to Michigan State’s president and board of trustees. “Shame on all of you.”
“I will not be purchasing/wearing any of my MSU apparel going forward,” wrote a fan named Jane Cwiek. “I would not want to give the impression that I condone such criminal behavior.”
In an email to Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, a fan whose name was redacted called the incident “absolutely shameful” and “a result of the continual disrespect displayed over the years by players and the head coach of your football program.”
Among those who emailed to express his displeasure was Edward J. Minskoff, a prominent New York real estate developer and Michigan State alumnus and donor.
In 2018, Minskoff donated $30 million – reported at the time as the largest single gift in MSU history – to complete a pavilion at Michigan State’s Broad College of Business. Following the tunnel incident, he sent an email to MSU president Samuel Stanley, who was in his final week on the job after announcing his resignation two weeks earlier under pressure from the school’s board of trustees for his handling of Title IX reports.
In the email, Minskoff was critical of the board’s role in ousting Stanley, former president Lou Anna Simon and a former business school dean, Sanjay Gupta. He wondered, in essence, if Tucker would be held to the same standard as other MSU leaders who were forced out.
“(T)he recent horrible events that took place after the game in my opinion are the full responsibility of the football coach,” Minskoff wrote. “The behavior of his athletes cannot be overlooked … The board should also cancel Tucker’s $9M contract as well!!! Otherwise reinstate Sanjay and yourself!!”
In a telephone interview, Minskoff said he remained a fan and supporter of Michigan State, despite what he described as “pretty poor” leadership from the school’s trustees. He considered Tucker’s firing amid sexual harassment allegations justified but bristled at the suggestion that the tunnel incident or Tucker’s transgressions reflected poorly on the university or the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry.
“What you fail to understand is these are individuals,” Minskoff said. “This is not the university as a whole. It’s not every department of the university, not every athletic team at the university. It’s a single person.”
Speaking to reporters in July, Tucker was adamant that he wouldn’t change his approach to the rivalry, saying hardly a day went by without someone asking him about Michigan.
“It’s the biggest game of the year for us,” Tucker said, “and it’s always going to be that way as long as I’m the coach here.”
Tucker was fired two months later amid allegations that he sexually harassed Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor who speaks to college football programs about preventing sexual assault. Tucker has denied the allegations, stating he believed the relationship was consensual. While Michigan State rides out the season with interim coach Harlon Barnett, the school is searching for a full-time replacement who will get the same questions and face the same pressure to beat Michigan at all costs.
“You just had this confluence of events that have continued to escalate the passion and the disdain for one another,” Miller said. “It’s been a perfect storm that led to an unfortunate situation in the tunnel last year.”
Many of the emails sent to Michigan officials accused the school of turning a blind eye to issues with the stadium tunnel. Two weeks before the incident, players from Michigan and Penn State clashed in the tunnel at halftime, prompting Penn State coach James Franklin to call on the Big Ten to implement a policy to prevent future confrontations.
“Putting Michigan football players and visiting team players in the same tunnel at the same time is only asking for trouble,” one fan wrote to Michigan president Santa Ono. “Trash talk and verbal confrontations, which are commonplace in the tunnel, can easily escalate into physical altercations, as history has shown, so a change in policy, or the construction of a second tunnel, must occur, in order to prevent these ugly incidents from continuing to happen.”
(Scott W. Grau / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
As the teams prepare to meet for the first time since the tunnel altercation, fans are understandably wary of another incident. In July, a Detroit radio host cautioned Michigan fans to stay away from Spartan Stadium or risk “eating a battery.” The game will be played at night, which tends to encourage a rowdier crowd. It also will be the first Michigan-Michigan State game since the passage of a state law that allows schools to serve alcohol at sporting events.
Todd Blackledge called last year’s game for ESPN and will be back in the TV booth Saturday, this time as part of the NBC crew. He said he’s not sure what can be done to change the tone of the rivalry, but he’s hoping the teams can figure it out.
“Cooler heads have to prevail in some form or fashion,” Blackledge said. “If that means more security, if that means having a different protocol (for) how teams go in and come out of the locker room, whatever it is. The game’s too good. The rivalry is too important. It’s too special to have it marred by something that’s unnecessary.”
Michigan and Michigan State are capable of setting aside their differences, as they did last year when Michigan State’s basketball team played at Michigan’s Crisler Center days after a campus shooting claimed the lives of three MSU students. Fans of both teams also have no problem reveling in the other’s pain or piling onto the other’s controversies, whether it was tunnel incident, Tucker’s firing or an NCAA investigation at Michigan that resulted in Harbaugh’s three-game suspension to open the season.
“It does seem kind of like our political environment right now,” Dooley said. “Everything the other side does is wrong, evil, immoral. The intentions are all sour. I feel like that is what’s happening on both sides of the rivalry right now. There’s no middle ground.”
Michigan conducted a safety review following the 2022 season and removed approximately 45 temporary seats around the entrance to the tunnel after a fan reached out of the stands and made contact with Tucker before last year’s game. The school also has a stronger security presence on the field after games to separate the teams as they enter the tunnel.
Crump, the Michigan State player who swung his helmet at Green, won’t play in Saturday’s game as he serves an eight-game suspension levied by the Big Ten. While other players had their criminal charges dismissed, Crump was charged with felonious assault, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to probation under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act, which allows young offenders to have charges scrubbed from their records.
Crump returns from his suspension Nov. 4. He was contrite about his actions and wrote a letter of apology to Green, who declared for the NFL Draft after last season. Recalling death threats Crump received after the incident, Nichols, his attorney, described the entire experience as eye-opening.
“It’s always been, you bleed green or bleed blue,” Nichols said. “Maybe it’s a confluence of this thing we call social media and the complete bastardization of our priorities as a society, but it just seems like it’s way, way disproportionate when you talk about the blind loyalty to the school that you choose.”
Michigan-Michigan State is one of 12 rivalries that will be protected in the new 18-team Big Ten, meaning the Spartans and Wolverines will continue to play every year. Pausing the rivalry was a topic among fans, but when the Big Ten gathered feedback on its new schedule, Manuel was “forthright and vocal” that Michigan needed to play Ohio State and Michigan State every year, said Kerry Kenny, the Big Ten’s chief operating officer.
But another variation of the big game may be coming to an end.
For decades, student journalists from the State News and the Michigan Daily met for a game of touch football before the main event. Trash talk and cheap shots have always been part of the game, but lately the friendly rivalry has gotten more intense, said Morgan Womack, editor in chief of the State News.
The Daily, which has a significantly larger staff, has won 17 consecutive games, and Womack said students at the State News no longer look forward to the tradition. Womack proposed writing a joint editorial instead, but the Daily declined to participate.
Womack said it will be up to next year’s staff to decide whether the game returns in some form, but she’s not counting on it.
“We all know how the MSU-U of M game ended last year,” Womack said. “We don’t want the rivalry between our publications to be headed that way.”
(Illustration: Samuel Richardson / The Athletic; photos: Nic Anti, Scott W. Grau / Getty Images)
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It’s rare that a monster game lives up to the hype. We’ve now had it happen two weeks in a row in college football, shaking up the rankings.
Last week, Oklahoma beat Texas with a touchdown in the final seconds. This week, Washington beat Oregon with a late fourth-down stop, a touchdown and a missed Ducks field goal as time expired. We knew Washington looked like world-beaters up to this point. The Huskies just hadn’t played anyone notable. Placed in one of the biggest games of the year, Washington and Michael Penix Jr. delivered. As a result of the 36-33 win, Washington takes the top spot in this week’s Athletic 133.
Penix took control of the Heisman Trophy race with his performance and a seemingly never-ending supply of good wide receivers. The Huskies aren’t perfect, but they game-planned well with a banged-up offensive line, and the defense got the stops when they needed them, keeping Oregon to 0-for-3 on fourth downs.
It’s a top-three win for any team this season, also up there with Texas beating Alabama on the road and Oklahoma beating Texas on a neutral site. That Oregon win, coupled with the strong play otherwise (including a win at Arizona that looks a lot better recently), moves Washington to No. 1 for now. But we’ve got a lot more top-10 matchups coming this year.
Here is this week’s Athletic 133.
1-10
Other than Washington’s move up to No. 1, the only other changes in here include Michigan hopping past Penn State to No. 7 and North Carolina sliding into No. 10 after taking care of Miami. On the Michigan point, the Wolverines leap the Nittany Lions because their Rutgers win is now essentially equal to Penn State’s West Virginia win (though neither is very notable), and Michigan has been so dominant otherwise. As I say every week, Michigan looks extremely good. The Wolverines just don’t play anyone notable until Penn State on Nov. 11. If they win that game, they’ll rocket up near the very top, just like Washington did. As for the comparison to Georgia, the Bulldogs have a blowout top-30 win against Kentucky. Meanwhile, Ohio State and Penn State meet this coming weekend.
GO DEEPER
Auerbach’s Top 10: Washington takes No. 1, UNC enters the mix
11-25
Rank
Team
Record
Prev
11
5-1
9
12
6-1
18
13
6-1
13
14
6-2
14
15
5-1
15
16
5-1
19
17
5-1
20
18
6-1
12
19
5-2
21
20
6-1
23
21
6-0
35
22
6-1
36
23
5-1
33
24
6-0
34
25
4-2
16
Oregon slips just out of the top 10 to No. 11. While the Ducks played well and nearly beat Washington on the road, they don’t have a notable win to justify a top-10 spot at the moment, unlike Texas. Oregon State sits just behind at No. 12 after a 36-24 win against UCLA. Louisville was the most difficult team to place this week. The Cardinals lost to Pitt 38-21 but remain at No. 13 because their lopsided win against Notre Dame last week looks much better after the Fighting Irish beat USC. I can’t yet justify putting a two-loss Notre Dame ahead of Louisville after what we just saw last week, so they remain in place for now. It’s always natural to move teams each week after a win or loss, but previous games matter, too.
After a bunch of losses from the bottom of this group, a handful of Group of 5 teams slide into the top 25, including Air Force (No. 21), Tulane (No. 23) and James Madison (No. 24). The Falcons and Dukes are undefeated, while Tulane beat Memphis on the road. Iowa also jumps up to No. 22 after beating Wisconsin on the road to move to 6-1. Whatever you think of the offense and the injuries, the Hawkeyes keep winning.
GO DEEPER
Ubben: Iowa to the College Football Playoff? Avert your eyes — but it’s possible
26-50
Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee were also very difficult to place, just outside the top 25. They all have similar records, but Kentucky walloped Florida, which beat Tennessee. I wanted to put Florida and Tennessee in the top 25 after Kentucky lost to Missouri, but I can’t do it quite yet because of that Kentucky-Florida result.
Arizona makes another big leap up to No. 30 after finally getting a breakthrough win, destroying Washington State 44-6 one week after taking USC to overtime and losing to Washington by just seven before that. Quarterback Noah Fifita (342 passing yards) has changed the trajectory for the Wildcats. Oklahoma State similarly makes a big jump to No. 36 thanks to a quarterback decision (Alan Bowman) that has fixed things, with consecutive wins against Kansas State last week and Kansas this week. The Jayhawks don’t fall behind the Cowboys, though, because starting quarterback Jalon Daniels didn’t play in Stillwater.
Miami (No. 39) and Texas A&M (No. 40) continue to tumble after losses. Iowa State has won three of its last four games since a loss to Ohio, which stunningly lost to Northern Illinois this weekend. And Liberty finally played a somewhat notable opponent, handling 5-1 Jacksonville State to move up to No. 38. Troy is also back on track with a 19-0 shutout of Army, its fourth consecutive win.
GO DEEPER
What we learned in CFB’s first half: Pac-12 peaking, UGA cruising, and who’s ‘back’?
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Georgia State moves up to No. 51 after a 41-24 win against Marshall to get to 5-1 on the season. A lot of teams dropped out of the top 50 after losses, including Memphis (No. 54), NC State (No. 54), South Carolina (No. 55), Auburn (No. 56) and Texas Tech (No. 63). There were more drops from the likes of Arkansas (No. 62), Syracuse (No. 64) and Cal (No. 65) with losses. Texas State, meanwhile, escaped ULM to move to 5-2 overall and up to No. 68, while UNLV beat Nevada to get to 5-1 and move to No. 69.
UTSA seems to have rounded into form with Frank Harris playing again, beating UAB convincingly to move to No. 71, and Virginia Tech has won two of its last three after beating Wake Forest 30-13 to move up to No. 72.
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Houston (No. 78) beat West Virginia on a Hail Mary and Colorado State (No. 84) beat Boise State on a Hail Mary, but other previous results keep both teams from moving higher for now. Michigan State blew a 24-6 fourth-quarter lead against Rutgers and continues to fall apart, now down to No. 88 with Michigan coming to town next week.
USF is a very difficult team to place. Since playing Alabama close and winning the next two games, the Bulls have lost to UAB and FAU convincingly in the last two weeks and have tumbled to No. 93. Army continues to struggle, getting shut out by Troy and dropping to No. 95. Central Michigan (No. 94) is a tough team to play, beating South Alabama but losing to Buffalo and holding on to beat Akron 17-10 this week.
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No. 101 Northern Illinois has wins against Boston College and now Ohio to go with losses against FCS Southern Illinois and Tulsa. But over the last three weeks, the Huskies seem to have turned things around. Keep an eye on them. Sam Houston, still looking for its first win as an FBS program, fell behind quickly to New Mexico State and tumbles down to No. 132. But Nevada, with its 16th consecutive loss, this one to rival UNLV, remains No. 133.
The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo: Jesse Beals / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Sign up for the Until Saturday newsletter | Jayna Bardahl and The Athletic’s college football staff deliver expert analysis on the biggest CFB stories five days per week. Get it sent to your inbox.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a season without a clear-cut No. 1 team this deep into the fall.
Several teams can make a case, and there are still many big games to be played. But at this point, it’s time for a change. Texas is the new No. 1 in this week’s Athletic 133.
There are two reasons for it. The first is Texas itself. The Longhorns went to Alabama and handled the Crimson Tide in what is the most impressive single win of the season. Texas also took care of business with blowouts of Baylor and Kansas in the last two weeks. Yes, Texas had a brief scare against Wyoming, but the other teams in the top four have each had a scare against an inferior team as well. The Longhorns have played like the best team in the country and have a marquee win. That’s good for No. 1.
The second reason is Georgia. We’re almost halfway through the season, and these slow starts can’t be ignored anymore. The Bulldogs trailed South Carolina at halftime and needed a second-half comeback to beat an Auburn team that was pushed around by Texas A&M last week and barely escaped Cal. Georgia hasn’t lost, but the Dawgs don’t have a notable win, unlike Texas (Alabama), Ohio State (Notre Dame) and Florida State (LSU, Clemson). Sagarin ranks Georgia’s schedule strength at 130th nationally. It’s not that bad, but nothing Georgia has done this year is worth a No. 1 ranking at this point compared to other teams.
Now, believing in Texas might be famous last words for one week. The Longhorns play Oklahoma in Dallas this Saturday. If they win, we might see everyone else come around and rank Texas at No. 1. But I’m making the move now. If the Longhorns lose, well, that’s what I get for thinking Texas has turned a corner. These rankings aren’t meant to be predictive. They’re based solely on what has been accomplished, and thus far, Texas deserves that spot.
GO DEEPER
Behind the AP Top 25 ballot: Why I moved Texas to No. 1 over Georgia
Here is this week’s Athletic 133.
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Outside of Texas and Georgia, the other notable move in this group is USC. The Trojans get jumped by Oregon on account of their results against common opponent Colorado, and by Notre Dame after the Irish rallied to beat Duke in the final seconds. USC now sits at No. 10.
Florida State and Ohio State were both idle, while Oregon and Washington are both off this coming week before playing each other in Seattle on Oct. 14 in a massive game. Michigan finally dominated an opponent (Nebraska) from start to finish like it should, but again, the Wolverines are going to just float around in these rankings until they play a notable opponent (Penn State on Nov. 11) or the teams ahead of them drop games. It’s the same as Georgia. The Bulldogs just started higher. Both teams have played very easy schedules, making their rankings basically irrelevant for now. They have the talent to win the national championship. They just don’t have the resume yet.
GO DEEPER
How good is Washington? After a sizzling start, the Huskies got tested Saturday
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Maybe Alabama has figured some things out? The Crimson Tide have rebounded from the scare at USF with multi-score wins against Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and they move up to No. 11. Oklahoma continues to look dominant but hasn’t played anyone of note yet, so the Sooners sit behind North Carolina and Washington State. We’ll get a good read on Oklahoma against Texas this Saturday.
Duke was one fourth-and-long stop away from beating Notre Dame, so the Blue Devils only fall one spot to No. 15. Oregon State rises ahead of Utah up to No. 17 after beating the shorthanded Utes on Friday night. Ole Miss dropped out of the top 25 after losing to Alabama, but the Rebels are back in at No. 20 after their wild 55-49 win against LSU, which falls to No. 24.
Maryland and Kentucky, both 5-0, have moved into the top 25. The Wildcats sit slightly ahead at No. 21 thanks to the win against Florida this weekend. Texas A&M also slides in at No. 25. The Aggies may have figured things out since Max Johnson became quarterback, with consecutive wins against Auburn and Arkansas.
GO DEEPER
Auerbach’s Top 10: Week 5 leaves some contenders sweating more than others
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Rank
Team
Record
Prev
26
4-1
22
27
3-1
27
28
3-2
21
29
4-1
29
30
3-2
30
31
5-0
34
32
3-2
24
33
3-1
31
34
4-1
32
35
5-0
37
36
5-0
46
37
5-0
48
38
4-1
41
39
4-1
49
40
3-2
25
41
4-1
44
42
4-1
47
43
4-1
36
44
4-1
52
45
4-0
55
46
3-2
45
47
3-2
38
48
2-3
39
49
3-2
50
50
3-2
40
Kansas falls just out of the top 25 after its 26-point loss to Texas because it didn’t have quarterback Jalon Daniels. Florida only remains in the top 30 for now by virtue of its win against Tennessee. Louisville is 5-0 but still outside the top 25 due to a weak schedule and close calls against Georgia Tech and Indiana. A home game this Saturday against Notre Dame will give us a true read on the Cardinals. Colorado only falls to No. 32 after rallying to within seven of USC late. The Buffs have a lot of problems, but they can still score.
Tulane remains the top Group of 5 team (No. 34) after a comeback win against UAB, but undefeated Fresno State, James Madison and Air Force are right on the heels of the Green Wave. Fresno State’s game against Wyoming this week is a big one that could boost the Bulldogs into the top 25.
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Arkansas and Mississippi State fall out of the top 50 after lopsided losses to Texas A&M and Alabama, respectively. Troy got back on track with a dominant win against previously undefeated Georgia State and moves up to No. 54. One week after comfortably beating Wake Forest, Georgia Tech lost to Bowling Green, making the Yellow Jackets a difficult team to place. They are now down to No. 61.
USF has beaten Rice and Navy since its narrow loss against Alabama, and the Bulls rise up to No. 65. Texas State is 4-1 and ninth nationally in scoring, and the Bobcats are up to No. 66. Michigan State allowed 26 points to Iowa but just one offensive touchdown, which is a pretty typical way to lose to Iowa these days. Purdue handled Illinois 44-19 in a stunning final score; the Boilermakers move up to No. 57 and Illinois falls to No. 72, remaining ahead of Toledo for now because of its head-to-head win. Miami (Ohio) and UNLV are both 4-1 and squeeze into the top 75 as teams to keep an eye on in their respective conferences.
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Baylor scored 29 points in the final 19 minutes to come back and beat UCF 36-35 and move up to No. 79. The Bears remain behind UTSA for now due to their loss to common opponent Texas State. San Diego State has lost four in a row, including 49-10 to Air Force on Saturday, and continues to tumble down to No. 83. Virginia Tech got a much-needed 38-21 win against Pitt to jump up to No. 87.
GO DEEPER
Saturday Superlatives: Top Week 5 highlights, from Ole Miss-LSU to Caleb Williams
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Bowling Green, which was blown out by Ohio a week ago, beat Georgia Tech 38-27 to jump up to No. 101. Stanford drops into this group at No. 102 after a 42-6 loss to Oregon. ULM remains at No. 103 after Appalachian State needed a 54-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Warhawks. Virginia is now the lowest-ranked Power 5 at No. 104 after losing to Boston College, which previously held the title.
Arkansas State, which was No. 133 after Week 2, has won three games in a row and is up to No. 113 after beating UMass. Sam Houston nearly notched its first FBS win but allowed a late Jacksonville State touchdown drive and lost in overtime. Buffalo beat Akron for its first win to get out of the bottom spot, and the new No. 133 is Nevada, which is now on a 15-game losing streak.
The Athletic 133 Rankings series is part of a partnership with AllState. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
Sign up for the Until Saturday newsletter | Jayna Bardahl and The Athletic’s college football staff deliver expert analysis on the biggest CFB stories five days per week. Get it sent to your inbox.
We entered this much-hyped college football weekend ready to learn about a lot of teams. Some flailed in the spotlight while others came through. But the biggest lesson we learned is that Florida State is truly back to being one of the best teams in the country. After an overtime win at Clemson, the Seminoles move up to No. 2 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.
Yes, it was ugly early. Yes, Clemson missed a chip-shot field goal late. But the fact those things happened highlighted how Clemson has fallen and how the Seminoles have risen to take that place, ending a seven-game losing streak in the rivalry. Clemson didn’t have a Keon Coleman-esque player who made a play when the team needed it most. Instead, it missed a field goal with a late-addition kicker and made an ill-advised wide receiver screen throw on third-and-1 in overtime.
Now Florida State sits at 4-0 with a blowout victory against LSU and a win at Clemson. The Seminoles have an argument to be No. 1. They have some of the best wins. They only sit at No. 2 for me because they needed to escape Boston College last week. Georgia doesn’t have the big wins but it also hasn’t been in real danger.
On this exact date two years ago, Florida State dropped to 0-4 after a loss to Louisville, two weeks after a loss to FCS Jacksonville State. FSU couldn’t afford to buy out another coach in less than two years. It had to let Mike Norvell figure it out. Now it sits here as a national championship contender. The Seminoles have figured it out. It’s a lesson in patience, roster building and believing in the people you have.
Here is this week’s edition of The Athletic 133.
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Quite a bit of change in this group. FSU jumps Texas because it has two top-level wins. Ohio State moves up to No. 4 after beating Notre Dame with one second to play. Washington continues to wreck everyone and look like the best team in the country, but it won’t play a top-level opponent until Oregon on Oct. 14.
Utah beat UCLA to move to 4-0 and Cam Rising hasn’t even played yet, so look out for the Utes. Penn State overwhelmed Iowa 31-0 and slides up as well. Michigan slips to No. 8 not just because the Wolverines haven’t played anyone noteworthy, but because they haven’t been all that impressive, either. They are 0-3-1 against the spread, and that 31-7 win against Rutgers on Saturday was a 10-point game deep into the third quarter. I don’t doubt the talent on Michigan. We just haven’t seen it yet like we have with Washington. When we do, the rankings will react to it. Is this contradictory to the Georgia ranking? Maybe. But the two-time defending national champions get that benefit of the doubt for now. All Michigan has to do is win its games and it’ll be fine.
USC battled into the fourth quarter with an Arizona State team that Fresno State shut out last week, so the Trojans tumble. Oregon moves into the top 10 after a 42-6 win against Colorado, bringing the Buffs back down to earth.
GO DEEPER
Auerbach’s Top 10: A shakeup at the top for early-season resume-builders
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Notre Dame only falls to No. 11, since the Irish were a few inches away from beating Ohio State. LSU needed a last-second field goal to beat Arkansas and stays at No. 12. Alabama got through a brutal first half against Ole Miss to win 24-10 and sort of get back on track, moving up to No. 15. Washington State beat Oregon State 38-35 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score, and Wazzu moves up to No. 16.
Kansas is 4-0 for the second consecutive year and moves into the top 25 after beating BYU 38-27. Kansas State beat UCF 44-31 and also moves into the top 25. TCU looks like the TCU we expected this season after a 34-17 win against SMU, and Colorado hangs in the top 25 for now because of that victory over TCU.
GO DEEPER
Sampson: Notre Dame’s coaches got in the players’ way against Ohio State
26-50
Maryland is quietly 4-0 after taking care of business at Michigan State and is No. 26. UCLA really struggled at Utah, but it was just a 14-7 final score, so the Bruins only drop to No. 27. Ole Miss and Clemson also fall out of the top 25 after their losses.
Kentucky, at No. 33, handled itself against Vanderbilt and hosts Florida this upcoming weekend for a big matchup. Syracuse is 4-0 and No. 36 after beating Army and finishes undefeated in nonconference play for the first time since the Orange joined a conference in 1991. Fresno State is also 4-0 after taking care of Kent State and inches up to No. 37.
Iowa and Auburn drop into the 40s after ugly offensive performances against Penn State and Texas A&M, respectively. No. 46 James Madison held on to beat Utah State, No. 47 Wyoming returned a block field goal in the final minutes to beat Appalachian State, and West Virginia beat Texas Tech to jump into the top 50.
GO DEEPER
Dochterman: Wow, Iowa makes offensive football look hard
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No. 51 Ohio continues to do what it needs to and beat Bowling Green 38-7. This team might be undefeated if Kurtis Rourke didn’t get hurt in the opener against San Diego State. Georgia Tech jumps up to No. 53 after a comfortable 30-16 win at Wake Forest. Fellow Atlanta resident Georgia State is 4-0 after a 30-17 win at Coastal Carolina to put the Sun Belt on notice and move up to No. 54. Marshall beat Virginia Tech 24-17 and looked like the better team from the start, and the Herd make a big jump to No. 55 because of it.
Texas Tech lost to West Virginia and lost quarterback Tyler Shoughto a broken fibula. A Big 12 dark horse has turned downward very fast, down to No. 60. Rutgers played Michigan tough for more than a half and the Scarlet Knights do look improved, inching up to No. 57. USF seems to have something under Alex Golesh, after a 42-29 win against Rice, and moves up to No. 69. Troy held on to beat Western Kentucky 27-24 and moves to No. 58. Boise State beat San Diego State 34-31 for a big Mountain West road win to move up to No. 64.
GO DEEPER
Ten questions about the AP Top 25: When will Georgia’s No. 1 reign end? Who will be next?
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Texas State continues to win but slip a little because Baylor continues to fall, and because of Texas State’s loss to UTSA. South Alabama, one week after blowing out Oklahoma State, lost 34-30 to Central Michigan in a stunner and dropped to No. 83. UNLV is 3-1 under Barry Odom after a comfortable 45-28 win against UTEP, moving up to No. 85.
Minnesota slides dramatically down these rankings to No. 90 after blowing a 31-10 fourth-quarter lead and losing to Northwestern in overtime. Indiana needed a missed field goal and four overtimes to escape Akron, so the Hoosiers drop to No. 91. Jacksonville State and RichRod are 3-1 and move up to No. 94 after a 21-0 thumping of Eastern Michigan. Stanford played Arizona close but lost 21-20, dropping to No. 96. Colorado State beat Middle Tennessee 31-23 and moves into the top 100.
GO DEEPER
Mandel’s Final Thoughts: College football or WWE? Lessons from an angry Week 4
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Virginia Tech and Virginia drop to this group. The Hokies are 1-3 after a loss to Marshall. The fact they were underdogs to begin with says a lot. Virginia rallied but lost to NC State on a last-second field goal to remain winless.
Hawaii continues to show improvement, beating New Mexico State at home to move up to No. 115. UMass continues to fall since beating NMSU in Week 0, losing to New Mexico in overtime and dropping to No. 119. Arkansas State beat Southern Miss for Butch Jones’ first Sun Belt win over a team that isn’t ULM and moves up to No. 123. That’s a win that could be a needed sign of progress this year.
UConn lost 41-7 to Duke and appears to have taken a massive step back this year, falling to No. 128. Sam Houston finally scored a touchdown, but has just 10 points through three games, so the Bearkats drop to No. 132. Buffalo remains at the bottom after a 45-38 loss to Louisiana.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Online poker players in New Jersey and Michigan will be able to compete against each other starting Jan. 1 as a long-sought effort by gambling companies and their regulators to expand interstate play takes effect.
PokerStars will combine player pools in the two states.
The idea is that more players will lead to bigger prize pools and contribute to the growth of the industry.
“Michigan and New Jersey joining forces is great news for our players in these two states, and poker, more generally, as it promises a better experience and even more value, all with the confidence provided by a trusted, licensed operator,” PokerStars U.S. managing director, Severin Rasset, said in a statement. “Our community will experience more breadth and depth of games, more tournaments with bigger prizes to win, amped-up promotions, and more choice.”
Rasset said his company worked closely with New Jersey and Michigan gambling regulators on the arrangement, adding he hopes other states will soon adopt similar pacts.
PokerStars has been operating in New Jersey since 2016.
BetMGM and PokerStars are active in Michigan and New Jersey and stand to benefit from the launch.
In 2018, New Jersey launched an interstate compact with Nevada and Delaware for online poker with Caesars Interactive Entertainment.
Players in Nevada and Delaware have been able to play against each other since 2015.
PokerStars is owned by the Ireland-based company Flutter Entertainment.
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Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
Today is Sunday, Dec. 11, the 345th day of 2022. There are 20 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Dec. 11, 1936, Britain’s King Edward VIII abdicated the throne so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson; his brother, Prince Albert, became King George VI.
On this date:
In 1816, Indiana became the 19th state.
In 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States; the U.S. responded in kind.
In 1946, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established.
In 1972, Apollo 17’s lunar module landed on the moon with astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt aboard; they became the last two men to date to step onto the lunar surface.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation creating a $1.6 billion environmental “superfund” to pay for cleaning up chemical spills and toxic waste dumps. “Magnum P.I.,” starring Tom Selleck, premiered on CBS.
In 1997, more than 150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to control the Earth’s greenhouse gases.
In 1998, majority Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee pushed through three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, over Democratic objections.
In 2001, in the first criminal indictment stemming from 9/11, federal prosecutors charged Zacarias Moussaoui (zak-uh-REE’-uhs moo-SOW’-ee), a French citizen of Moroccan descent, with conspiring to murder thousands in the suicide hijackings. (Moussaoui pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2005 and was sentenced to life in prison.)
In 2002, a congressional report found that intelligence agencies that were supposed to protect Americans from the Sept. 11 hijackers failed to do so because they were poorly organized, poorly equipped and slow to pursue clues that might have prevented the attacks.
In 2008, former Nasdaq chairman Bernie Madoff was arrested, accused of running a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that wiped out the life savings of thousands of people and wrecked charities. (Madoff died in April 2021 while serving a 150-year federal prison sentence.)
In 2018, a Virginia jury called for a sentence of life in prison plus 419 years for the man who killed a woman when he rammed his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. (James Alex Fields Jr. received that sentence in July, 2019.)
In 2020, the Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit backed by President Donald Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, ending a desperate attempt to get legal issues that were rejected by state and federal judges before the nation’s highest court. The Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech; the decision came as the U.S. recorded a new daily high in the number of coronavirus deaths. (Hours before the FDA action, according to two administration officials, a high-ranking White House official told the FDA’s chief that he could face firing if the vaccine was not cleared by day’s end.)
Ten years ago: The Michigan Legislature gave final approval to a pair of right-to-work bills that were quickly signed by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder amid angry protests by union members and their supporters. Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue (TAG’-lee-uh-boo) overturned the suspensions of four New Orleans Saints players in the league’s bounty investigation but said three of the players had engaged in conduct detrimental to the league.
Five years ago: A Bangladeshi immigrant set off a crude pipe bomb in a New York City subway passageway in a botched suicide bombing; it did not fully detonate and Akayed Ullah was the only one seriously hurt. (Ullah was convicted on terrorism charges in federal court and sentenced to life in prison.) A Southern California wildfire exploded in size again, becoming the fifth largest in state history; officials handed out masks to those who stayed behind in an exclusive community where Oprah Winfrey and other stars had homes. Chef Mario Batali stepped away from his restaurant empire and his cooking show “The Chew” as he conceded that reports of sexual misconduct “match up” to his behavior. French President Emmanuel Macron awarded millions of dollars in grants to 18 climate scientists from the U.S. and elsewhere, allowing them to relocate to France for the remainder of Donald Trump’s presidential term. The Pentagon said transgender recruits would be allowed to enlist in the military beginning Jan. 1; a ban ordered by Trump had suffered a series of legal setbacks.
One year ago: Anne Rice, author of best-selling gothic novels including “Interview With the Vampire,” died at 80 due to complications from a stroke. Alabama’s Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy, beating out Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson to give the Crimson Tide consecutive winners of college football’s most famous individual award. Football star and TV celebrity Michael Strahan (STRAY’-han) was among the latest to ride into space aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, sharing the trip with Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of Alan Shepard, who was America’s first astronaut.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Rita Moreno is 91. Pop singer David Gates (Bread) is 82. Actor Donna Mills is 82. Former Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., is 81. Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is 79. Singer Brenda Lee is 78. Actor Lynda Day George is 78. Music producer Tony Brown is 76. Actor Teri Garr is 75. Movie director Susan Seidelman is 71. Actor Bess Armstrong is 69. Singer Jermaine Jackson is 68. Rock musician Mike Mesaros (The Smithereens) is 65. Rock musician Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) is 64. Rock musician Darryl Jones (The Rolling Stones) is 61. Actor Ben Browder is 60. Singer-musician Justin Currie (Del Amitri) is 58. Rock musician David Schools (Hard Working Americans, Gov’t Mule, Widespread Panic) is 58. Actor Gary Dourdan (DOOR’-dan) is 56. Actor-comedian Mo’Nique is 55. Actor Max Martini is 53. Rapper-actor Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) is 49. Actor Rider Strong is 43. Actor Xosha (ZOH’-shah) Roquemore is 38. Actor Karla Souza is 36. Actor Hailee Steinfeld is 26.
We’ve reached the midpoint of the 2022 college football season, and some new faces — both teams and players — have navigated their way to the front of the line.
Tennessee is unbeaten and ranked No. 3, the Vols’ highest in-season AP ranking since 2001. Ole Miss also is unbeaten and the No. 7 Rebels have won 11 straight regular-season games dating back to last year. TCU and UCLA cracked the AP top 10 this week. It’s the highest ranking for the Horned Frogs (No. 8) since 2017 and the highest for the Bruins (No. 9) since 2015.
The fresh faces extend to ESPN’s midseason All-America team, which includes only five players who were on our preseason team. Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee each placed two players on the team. Overall, the 26 players selected on offense, defense and special teams come from 23 teams:
Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud are special players, but Hooker gets the nod. The sixth-year senior has been the heart and soul of Tennessee’s resurgence. He’s third nationally among Power 5 quarterbacks in total offense (350.7 yards per game) and has accounted for 18 touchdowns with just one interception, and he’s done it without his most accomplished receiver (Cedric Tillman) for much of the season.
The 5-foot-8, 210-pound Corum is a dynamo. Opposing defenses know he’s going to get the ball, and it doesn’t matter. He just keeps piling up the yardage. Corum has 666 of his 901 rushing yards in his past four games and has rushed for an FBS-leading 13 touchdowns. He leads all Power 5 running backs with 11 runs of 20 yards or longer and is averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
One of Robinson’s many specialties is making defenders miss. Pro Football Focus has him No. 1 among Power 5 backs when it comes to creating missed tackles. The 6-foot, 222-pound junior, who is a carryover from our preseason team, also catches the ball like a wide receiver. He’s the only FBS player to have more than 700 rushing yards (780) and 200 receiving yards (239). He has 11 total touchdowns, including 10 on the ground, and has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his past five games.
When has Ohio State not been loaded with talented receivers? Emeka Egbuka and Harrison have formed an explosive one-two punch with Jaxon Smith-Njigba slowed by a hamstring injury. Harrison, a 6-4, 205-pound sophomore, is tied for second among Power 5 players with nine touchdown catches and is averaging 17.3 yards per catch. He has the most targets (46) without a drop in the Power 5, according to Pro Football Focus.
Hyatt has been one of college football’s most compelling stories and also one of the nation’s most improved players. He torched Alabama with a school-record five touchdown catches and has 10 touchdowns for the season. The 6-foot, 180-pound junior has elite speed and has been much more consistent in every area of his game. He had made just two career starts prior to this season and has stepped in for the injured Tillman as the Vols’ go-to receiver.
Johnson’s move from guard to left tackle has been a big reason Ohio State’s offense has been as explosive as ever. The Buckeyes rank first nationally in scoring offense (48.8 points per game) and have given up just three sacks. The 6-6, 310-pound Johnson, one of the three offensive linemen who also made our preseason team, hasn’t allowed a sack since the 2020 season, and his tackle cohort on the right side, Dawand Jones, also is a top NFL prospect.
This is Broeker’s third straight season as a starter, and he has blossomed as the Rebels’ starting left guard after playing left tackle as a sophomore and junior. Lane Kiffin’s offenses always run the ball effectively, and the 6-5, 315-pound Broeker has been a mauler. Ole Miss is third nationally in rushing (271.4 yards per game), and Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans have made a living running behind Broeker.
One of college football’s most experienced and dominant interior offensive linemen, the 6-4, 320-pound Schmitz has 29 career starts. The sixth-year senior has helped clear the way for Mohamed Ibrahim, who is fourth nationally in rushing yards per game (138.8). Schmitz’s 91.2 run-block grade, according to Pro Football Focus, leads all other centers by a wide margin. Schmitz is a carryover from our preseason team.
After starting 11 games at center a year ago, Avila shifted to left guard this season. He’s the unquestioned leader of the TCU offensive line and has played his way into being a top NFL prospect. A 6-4, 330-pound senior, Avila has made starts during his career at center, guard and tackle. His play in the interior of the TCU offensive line has helped the unbeaten Frogs move into the top 25 nationally in both rushing and passing offense.
The Wildcats have struggled, but Skoronski continues to play his left tackle position as well as anybody in the country. The 6-4, 315-pound junior has been a fixture in the Northwestern lineup since his true freshman season in 2020, when he stepped in for Rashawn Slater. Skoronski, who also made our preseason team, has the footwork and strength to play anywhere on the offensive line, but he has excelled at tackle.
There are a lot of good tight ends to choose from. Utah’s Dalton Kincaid and Georgia’s Brock Bowers are both having big years, but Mayer has been the most complete tight end to this point. He leads Notre Dame in catches (33), receiving yards (351) and touchdown catches (five). The 6-4, 265-pound junior is a good runner after the catch and more than holds his own as a blocker.
The transfer from Georgia Tech has been invaluable for an Alabama offense that has had to rely far too much on Young. Gibbs is the only FBS player with more than 600 rushing yards (635), 200 receiving yards (268) and 150 return yards (164). He has five rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns and is one of those players who looks like he’s going to score every time he touches the ball.
Tuipulotu has been one of the most disruptive defenders in the Pac-12 after earning first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore. The 6-4, 290-pound Tuipulotu is athletic enough that he can do a little bit of everything. He leads all FBS defensive linemen with 12.5 tackles for loss and leads all Power 5 defensive linemen with seven sacks.
A dominant pass-rusher on the interior, Kancey had 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack against Georgia Tech and heads into the second half of the season with a total of 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks while generating six quarterback hurries. The 6-foot, 280-pound Kancey has also freed up other teammates to make plays because he’s constantly facing double teams and crushing the pocket.
Chris Klieman’s Wildcats (5-1) are contending in the Big 12 and their defense has led the way. They’re ranked 14th nationally in scoring defense (16.7 points per game), and the 6-4, 255-pound Anudike-Uzomah has picked up right where he left off a year ago. He has 6.5 sacks (11 last season) and two forced fumbles (six last season), and his constant pressure off the edge has fueled Kansas State’s stifling defense.
Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. returns interception 25 yards to the house.
Alabama used Anderson a little differently in the loss to Tennessee, and he didn’t have big numbers, but he’s still one of the most feared defenders in college football and a player who must be accounted for on every play. The 6-4, 243-pound junior, the final carryover from our preseason team, is tied for sixth nationally with 10.5 tackles for loss, including five sacks. He has nine quarterback hurries, an interception return for a touchdown and blocked a field goal attempt in the 1-point win over Texas.
Campbell is a fierce leader and competitor and has been one of college football’s most productive defenders from his middle linebacker position the past two years. The 6-5, 246-pound senior has 63 tackles, including three for loss, and recorded a safety in Iowa’s 7-3 win over South Dakota State. Campbell’s presence in the middle is a big reason the Hawkeyes have held opponents to just two rushing TDs this season.
Pace didn’t have to look far for his new home, and his transfer from Miami (Ohio) has paid dividends for both him and Cincinnati. After opening the season at outside linebacker, the 6-foot, 235-pound senior has created havoc from his middle linebacker position and is tied for the FBS lead with 12.5 tackles for loss, including five sacks. He’s been remarkably consistent with an average of 10.3 tackles per game.
The Alabama transfer — and a player the Tide could use right now on defense — moved to inside linebacker at Arkansas and has been a force for the Hogs. His defensive coordinator, Barry Odom, says the 6-5, 233-pound junior is playing at an “elite” level, and Sanders’ numbers back up those words. He has 7.5 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks, and has forced three fumbles. He ranks fourth in the SEC with 63 total tackles.
Phillips has started every game since he came to Utah, including all five games during the 2020 shortened season when he was a freshman. During that time, Phillips has developed into one of the top corners in the country and is tied for the FBS lead with five interceptions this season. He had interception returns for touchdowns in back-to-back games earlier this season against Oregon State and UCLA.
Wherever the ball is, you’ll find Forbes. He’s one of the best cover cornerbacks in the country and already has five interceptions this season to add to the three he had a year ago. The 6-foot, 180-pound junior has returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns this season against Texas A&M (33 yards) and Kentucky (59 yards) and has five pick-sixes in his Mississippi State career.
It’s no secret how much talent the Dawgs lost on defense to the NFL last season, and they’ve also been hampered by injuries to some key players. But Smith’s consistency and experience have been vital to a Georgia defense that ranks second nationally in scoring defense (9.1 points per game) and third in total defense (247 yards per game). The 5-11, 195-pound senior has three tackles for loss, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
Illinois and Bret Bielema have something special brewing in Champaign, and it starts with a defense ranked first nationally in scoring defense (8.9 points per game). The Fighting Illini (6-1) have been especially hard on opposing passing games. They’ve allowed just two touchdown passes and collected 12 interceptions. Martin is part of a safety tandem along with Kendall Smith that has been terrific. Martin is second on the team in tackles (33) and has also intercepted two passes.
There’s perfect, and then there’s Christopher Dunn. He’s 14-of-14 on field-goal attempts and hasn’t missed an extra point this season. Eight of Dunn’s field goals have been from 40 yards or longer. The Wolfpack (5-2) would have a third loss had it not been for Dunn making all four of his field goals in the 19-17 win over Florida State. He kicked a 53-yarder in the fourth quarter of that game and the go-ahead 27-yarder with 6:33 to play.
Baringer has been booming footballs seemingly forever in the Big Ten. He started his career at Illinois and is now in his sixth collegiate season. It’s been his best to this point, as he leads the country with a 51.4-yard average (the only FBS punter over 50 yards). He’s had seven of his 30 punts downed inside the 10-yard line and has a long of 70 yards, the best in the Big Ten this season.
Garror, a fifth-year senior cornerback, is the only FBS player with two punt returns for touchdowns. Garror had an 83-yard return for a score in the Ragin’ Cajuns’ opener against Southeastern Louisiana and took one back 69 yards for a touchdown against South Alabama. Garror is averaging 18.4 yards on 13 returns, and he also had a 34-yard return to set up a touchdown against Eastern Michigan.
We’re officially over halfway through college football’s regular season, so what better time to check on the Heisman Trophy race than now?
After several high-profile games this past week, our Heisman watch has been turned upside down with three new faces on the list since our last check in — congrats on making the cut once again C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young.
This week, you’ll see our Heisman standings, top Heisman moments of the week, what to watch for in Week 8, plus a Q&A with Michigan RB Blake Corum.
Voting methodology: 13 voters ranked their top five candidates, with five points for a first-place vote down to one point for a fifth-place vote.
Notable: Hooker has been the breakout star of the college football season so far and his best came last Saturday against Alabama. He finished 21 of 30 for 385 yards and five touchdowns as the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide for the first since 2006.
Notable: Stroud has been the picture of consistency this season as the No. 2 Buckeyes are off to a 6-0 start. Stroud has thrown for over 350 yards three times this season, including his last time out when he threw for 361 yards and six touchdowns against Michigan State. He’s thrown for 4+ touchdowns in four games this season.
Notable: The Crimson Tide may have taken a loss at Tennessee but Young’s return was still something to behold. He threw for 455 yards and two touchdowns while keeping Alabama in the game as Hooker was lighting up the scoreboard. Young is looking to be the second player in history to win back-to-back Heisman trophies.
Notable: The Bruins are off to the program’s best start under Chip Kelly and the success starts with the quarterback. Thompson-Robinson put UCLA on the map on Sept. 30 when he threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-32 win over a ranked Washington team. If Thompson-Robinson wants to thoroughly place himself in the Heisman conversation, a big performance in Eugene this week against Oregon will do it.
Notable: Much like Young, one of Williams’ best performances of the season came in loss. The Trojans fell late to Utah this past week but Williams threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns in the 43-42 defeat. He also ran for 57 yards against the Utes.
Heisman odds: +800
Others receiving votes (total points in parentheses): Blake Corum, RB, Michigan (8); Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina (3)
Q&A with Blake Corum
After Michigan’s 41-17 win over Penn State in Ann Arbor, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg and Chris Grandstaff talked with Corum about his season and the Heisman.
ESPN: Reggie Bush has attended your last few games [as a Fox analyst]. What have your interactions been like with him?
BC: I’ve become really cool friends with Reggie the last couple weeks. I talked to Reggie after every game. The respect is mutual. Reggie is one of the best running backs ever, especially when you talk about college, he killed it. He told me what he thought about my cutting ability and what type of running back I am. He said I’m one of the best. He is the best, so getting those words from him meant a lot. I talked to them after the game yesterday, and then when he was leaving, the police were escorting their cars, and I was walking out with fans, and he saw me, he rolled his window down [and said], ‘Keep being great.’ Then he told me, ‘You’re the best running back in the nation.’ That meant a lot. If I’m able to win the Heisman like Reggie, it would be a blessing.
ESPN: Did you see Charles Woodson at the Penn State game?
BC: Yeah, I’ve met Charles Woodson a couple of times. I talked to him before the game, he came up to me. Desmond Howard, I’m really cool with him. I know a bunch of guys who used to play here.
ESPN: Obviously those two guys won the biggest award you can win in the Heisman. What would it mean to be in that mix and ultimately have a chance?
BC: It would be amazing, but I’m not looking too far ahead. I’m really focused on trying to get better, how can this team get better and keep winning? When you’re winning, everyone’s looking at you. Those awards that happen at the end of the season, they’re at the end of the season for a reason. I’m not going to win the Doak Walker [Award] today, I’m not going to win the Heisman today. I have to keep producing, I have to keep eating, and that’s going to take work. Obviously, it would be a blessing to be up there on that wall next to the greats. It would be a dream come true.
ESPN: Growing up, what was your Heisman Trophy memory? What player do you remember most?
BC: I don’t have too many Heisman memories, because more times than not, it’s a quarterback winning it. But when I committed to Michigan, I went on YouTube and actually looked at the [Heisman] ceremonies of Desmond and Charles. Obviously, Johnny Manziel, that was cool with the money sign, that was a big year, that was fun, everyone was rooting for him. He was a heck of an athlete.
ESPN: How do you view your role last year as opposed to what they’re asking of you this season?
BC: I look at it as Donovan [Edwards] took my role and I took Hassan [Haskins’] role. Hassan last year, he set it up for me. He got those hard yards, and then I come in and break a 50-yarder. It’s a little different now because he wasn’t really breaking too many 50-yarders. I’m still breaking some long ones, but he was getting 20-plus carries a game, really inside zone, he wasn’t going outside too much. I feel like I’m that thunder with some lightning as well. That’s what my role is. I can take the load and then Donovan comes in and does his thing, too. I was lightning last year. Now I get to the goal line, like third-and-1, I’m in as a power back. Red zone, I’m in.
ESPN: How important has it been for you to prove you can do that and still break a 60-yarder?
BC: It’s been very important. A lot of people have doubted my durability, maybe my size, it starts with my height [5-8], but at the end of the day I’m 210 [pounds], weighed in at 212 today. So the weight isn’t a problem. But being able to get 28 to 30 carries in the last four games, I feel has shown a lot to whoever may have been doubting that.
ESPN: Who have you tried to model your game after?
BC: I love Barry Sanders. He was a little before my time, so I didn’t really get to watch him on TV, but I love watching him on YouTube, just how elusive he was and how he was able to get out of cuts and get out of tackles, break tackles, not get touched. I admire his style. Then, when it comes to power, because I like inside zone, I like running up the middle, I’m not afraid of contact, so I like Marshawn Lynch. He likes getting hit, he likes hitting people. He has that thing where he says, ‘Hit ’em over and over and over again.’ I like that mentality.
ESPN: You mentioned earlier that the Heisman is often a quarterback’s award. What would it mean to win it as a running back?
BC: It would mean a lot because it is kind of like a quarterback award. Obviously, [Michigan defensive end] Aidan [Hutchinson] went last year, didn’t get a chance to win it. If I’m able to go [to New York] and win it, I don’t know what I would do, honestly. I just know it would mean the world to me. I would definitely have come back and give my offensive linemen and big ol’ present. If I’m able to win it, I don’t know what the emotions would be like. It would mean a lot, especially another No. 2 at the University of Michigan winning it. They may have to retire the jersey after that. I thought they would have already retired it after Charles, just because of the legend he is, but if someone else wins it wearing No. 2, oh man, it would be a blessing.
play
0:27
Blake Corum gets down to the 1-yard line with a 50-yard run. On the next play he finished the drive off with a short touchdown run.
Top Heisman moments this past week
1. Let’s be honest, Hooker’s entire performance against Alabama is why he’s No. 1 on the list this week. But here’s one of his many dimes from the 52-49 win.
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
As previously mentioned, if Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a true Heisman candidate, this will be the game to show it — until the USC matchup, of course. ESPN’s College GameDay is heading to Eugene for the game and, with both teams in the top 10, UCLA coach Chip Kelly’s return to Oregon should be one of the Pac-12’s most electric games of the season. Oh, and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix isn’t too shabby, either.
Tennessee moved to No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll behind No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Ohio State after knocking off Alabama.
The Crimson Tide was one of five unbeaten teams to fall during a wild weekend and dropped three places to No. 6 in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank. Alabama swapped places with the Vols after losing to them 52-49 on a field goal as time expired Saturday.
Georgia remained No. 1 and received 31 first-place votes and Ohio State had 17 first-place votes.
The Vols received 15 first-place votes and have their best ranking since starting the 2005 season at No. 3. The last time Tennessee was ranked this highly in the second half of the season was 2001, reaching the top 10 in late October and headed into the SEC championship at No. 2.
No. 4 Michigan moved up a spot Sunday, switching places with No. 5 Clemson after the Wolverines blew out now-No. 16 Penn State.
No. 7 Mississippi moved up two spots and No. 8 TCU, No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Oregon all moved into the top 10.
POLL POINTS
The Crimson Tide had its string of 40 straight appearances in the top five snapped. It was the longest such active streak in the country.
Georgia now has the longest run of top-five appearances with 24.
The Tide’s latest top-five run is only the third longest of the Saban era. The Tide’s 68 straight top-five appearances from 2015-19 is the AP poll record, and a string of 48 consecutive top-five rankings from 2011-13 is tied for fourth.
EXPLAIN YOUR VOTE
Tennessee made a case to be the No. 1 team in the country, and it swayed some voters.
Those who bought in on the Vols cited a resume that includes four victories against teams that were ranked at the time (at Pitt, Florida, at LSU and Alabama).
“I voted Tennessee No. 1 because the Vols’ strength of schedule is far superior to UGA and Ohio State,” said Ron Counts of the Idaho Statesman in Boise.
For comparison, Georgia has played just one team (Oregon) that has been ranked at any point this season. Ohio State has played three, though only one was ranked at the time (Notre Dame) and all of those opponents have at least three losses.
Plus, beating Alabama doesn’t happen often and holds a lot of weight with voters. No team this season has beaten a team with a better ranking at the time the game was played than Tennessee.
“It was a tough call between Tennessee and Georgia for No. 1,” said Kellis Robinett of The Wichita (Kansas) Eagle. “I have been voting the Bulldogs ahead of everyone else for several weeks, mostly because their blowout victory over Oregon has aged like a fine wine. But I think beating Alabama is slightly more impressive.”
So why only No. 3 for Tennessee?
The ranked-at-the-time argument falls flat for some voters, who were less impressed with victories against Florida and Pitt and give Georgia and Ohio State credit for being more dominant overall.
“I’ve been high on Tennessee all year, but I don’t think ranking them No. 3 is any kind of snub this week,” said Mike Barber of the Richmond (Virginia) Times-Dispatch.
IN
• No. 22 North Carolina is ranked for the first time this season.
• No. 25 Tulane is this week’s breakthrough team. The Green Wave (6-1) is ranked for the first time since 1998, when quarterback Shaun King led them to an unbeaten season and No. 7 in the final Top 25.
OUT
• Kansas lost two straight games after snapping a poll drought of 13 years and is unranked again.
• James Madison is out after becoming the first team to be ranked in its first season as an FBS member. The Dukes lost 45-38 on the road at new Sun Belt rival Georgia Southern.
CONFERENCE CALL
SEC — 6 (Nos. 1, 3, 6, 7, 19, 24).
ACC — 5 (Nos. 5, 13, 14, 22, 23).
Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 8, 11, 17, 20).
Big Ten — 4 (No. 2, 4, 16, 18).
Pac-12 — 4 (Nos. 9, 10, 12, 15).
American — 2 (Nos. 21, 25).
RANKED vs. RANKED
After six games matching ranked teams this past weekend, five more are on tap, including the first top-10 matchup in the Pac-12 since the 2016 conference championship game (No. 4 Washington and No. 9 Colorado).
Coming into the college football season, a lot of focus was put on the Week 6 slate. Jimbo Fisher against Nick Saban after an offseason of chatter and the new age of the Red River rivalry ahead of an SEC move highlighted what was supposed to be the week that made contenders and pretenders.
We were just off a week, it turns out.
Week 7 brings all the fireworks we were ready for last week as Alabama heads to Tennessee in a top-six SEC showdown that could very well be the conference championship game, while Kentucky and Mississippi State try to keep up with the current front-runners in another top-25 matchup. The Big Ten has a top-10 battle of its own this week with Penn State traveling to Michigan in what could be a College Football Playoff-defining game.
Set aside the unknown of Bryce Young‘s health and how it will impact Alabama’s offense on Saturday afternoon. We saw against Texas A&M last weekend that Young’s backup, Jalen Milroe, might not be ready to go into Tennessee and come away with a victory.
Instead, look to the battle of Tennessee’s offense vs. Alabama’s defense as the key factor in this clash of unbeaten teams.
The Vols’ offense is first among FBS teams in score rate, yards per game and points per game.
“They’re probably one of the most explosive offenses, if not the most explosive offense, in the country,” Saban said.
But the Crimson Tide’s defense is no slouch. It ranks in the top 10 in opposing score rate, yards per game and points per game.
Something has to give. And that something will likely be determined by Alabama’s ability to put pressure on Tennessee star quarterback Hendon Hooker, who has four talented receivers at his disposal with Jalin Hyatt, Bru McCoy, Cedric Tillman and Ramel Keyton — all of whom have more than 200 yards receiving this season.
In the past, Alabama has struggled against teams that go up-tempo, and Tennessee is the fifth-quickest team in the country in terms of time of possession per play (21.3 seconds). The Vols have allowed the second-lowest pressure rate in the country (16.1%), which looks at any time the quarterback is sacked, under duress or hit.
In other words: Getting a hand on Hooker won’t be easy.
But Alabama has generated the sixth-highest pressure rate in the country (37.0%) for a reason. Just look at the Texas A&M game, in which the Tide debuted their so-called “Cheetah package” that featured speedy edge rushers Will Anderson Jr., Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell on the field at the same time. Saban said simply, “It was effective.” No kidding. The defense racked up 28 total pressures against the Aggies. Anderson had a season-high 12 on his own.
“Between their personnel being good enough to win a lot of one-on-one matchups and then all their pressures and all their games up front, you gotta do a really good job,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said of his offensive line. “You have to win the one-on-one matchups and then you gotta do a great job working together as all five guys.” — Alex Scarborough
The last time Michigan and Penn State met at Michigan Stadium, they played in a virtually empty building because of COVID-19 restrictions. Penn State was 0-5 for the first time in team history. Michigan wasn’t much better at 2-3.
The teams are much better, and the stakes are much higher Saturday. Both teams are undefeated and in the top 10. Saturday’s winner will be labeled the primary challenger to Big Ten favorite Ohio State, and a bona fide College Football Playoff candidate. Michigan is defending its league title, but Penn State hasn’t been in this position since an 8-0 start in 2019.
“We know that these types of games every year are critical,” Penn State coach James Franklin said.
Penn State’s fortunes could hinge on an emerging run game and a pressure-heavy defense under first-year coordinator Manny Diaz. A Lions offense that hasn’t averaged more than 200 rush yards per game since 2018 has averaged 216.3 rush yards over the past four games with 14 touchdowns. Freshmen Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton are combining to average 153.2 rush yards per game.
They face a Michigan defense that, despite the NFL draft losses of star pass-rushers Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, ranks seventh nationally in rush yards allowed per game (81.7) and sixth in yards per rush (2.62). Penn State’s run game could take some pressure off senior quarterback Sean Clifford, whose numbers to date mirror those of past seasons.
“It’s about execution, but it’s also about keeping people on their toes,” Franklin said. “If you can run in predictable passing situations and be efficient and effective, that’s what you want to do, and vice versa.”
Michigan also wants to broaden its offense as sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy makes his sixth career start and first against a ranked opponent. McCarthy’s athletic ability and overall skill set give Michigan a chance to open up the offense in ways it truly hasn’t under coach Jim Harbaugh. But McCarthy has operated a mostly conservative scheme, showing accuracy on high-percentage routes while struggling on deeper ones.
McCarthy’s decision-making and execution will be tested by Diaz’s defense, which has pressured quarterbacks 85 times on dropbacks, more than all but five FBS teams.
“When you look at what we have as a group and who we’re coached by, and you look at what we’re doing on the field, it’s just not matching up with our potential and where we should be, and where we’re going to be,” McCarthy said. “We should not be getting stopped offensively.” — Adam Rittenberg
The Clemson-Florida State matchup used to be the can’t-miss game in the ACC, but it has turned into a relative afterthought over the past five years.
Perhaps the Seminoles can change that Saturday.
Though it has lost its past two games, Florida State (4-2) is in position to challenge the No. 4 Tigers (6-0) based on the improvements the team has made across the board. Much of that starts on offense, where Florida State has one of the best rushing attacks in the country.
Florida State has 32 explosive run plays this year on offense, 12th most in FBS and tops in the ACC. Clemson, on the other hand, has allowed just four explosive run plays — best in the nation. What’s more, Clemson is expected to have its top five defensive linemen — Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, K.J. Henry and Myles Murphy — available to play for the first time this season on Saturday.
On the other side, the status of Florida State leading rusher Treshaun Ward remains unclear after he sustained an injury last week against NC State and was seen with a sling on his arm on the sideline. Florida State coach Mike Norvell said the injury wouldn’t require surgery but has not given a timetable for his return. If Ward cannot play, Trey Benson and Lawrance Toafili will carry the load.
That matchup is one of the most intriguing to watch in this game — especially if Florida State has any shot at breaking a six-game losing streak to the Tigers. The results have been ugly over that stretch, though the Seminoles had their opportunities in a 30-20 loss last year, a game in which they led 20-17 midway through the fourth quarter.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said during his news conference this week he “wanted to vomit” watching the game tape from last year, then noted how much better the Tigers are this year — most especially with an improved DJ Uiagalelei and better offensive line.
“Grading our tape this year versus last year is night and day in every area,” Swinney said.
Clemson is now the overwhelming favorite to win the Atlantic Division, while Florida State is just hoping to avoid a third straight loss after starting the season 4-0. Of course, this is also the third straight AP-ranked opponent the Seminoles will face, the only team in the ACC scheduled to play Wake Forest, NC State and Clemson in a row.
“I love this team. I love the mindset of what they bring,” Norvell said. “Nobody wants to have a disappointing outcome in any game or in any play, but how you choose to respond to things is really what’s indicative of the character that you have and the identity of what you are going to put out. These guys continue to work, they continue to believe. We’ve got to have a great week of prep to capitalize on what’s coming here Saturday night.” — Andrea Adelson
The two “Wills” were always going to dominate the buildup to this football game — Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers and Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.
But there’s a bit of a twist.
Levis has generated much of the buzz this season from pro scouts and is widely regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft. He’s also not healthy and is battling a turf toe injury that kept him out of the South Carolina game a week ago, a 24-14 home loss that saw the Wildcats average just 4.7 yards per play and go 3-of-12 on third down with redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron making his first career start at quarterback.
The Wildcats (4-2) are hopeful that Levis can return for this game, although it could still be a game-time decision. Whoever is at quarterback, the Wildcats have to find a way to protect him better if they’re going to avoid their third straight loss. They’ve allowed 25 sacks in six games, which ranks them 129th nationally out of 131 teams in sacks allowed. Zach Arnett’s 3-3-5 defense at Mississippi State has feasted on forcing turnovers (12 in six games) and has allowed just 16 touchdowns in six games. Two of those TDs came in the fourth quarter of blowouts.
The Bulldogs (5-1) have been a more balanced team all the way around this season, be it running the ball more consistently on offense or playing the kind of defense that’s going to keep them in every game.
But the centerpiece remains Rogers, who is the only quarterback in the country with more than 2,000 passing yards (2,110) and more than 20 passing touchdowns (22). If he ever was truly underrated, he’s not now. The 6-2, 210-pound junior, who still has two years of eligibility remaining, has established himself as one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football. He passed Georgia‘s Aaron Murray last week as the SEC’s all-time completions leader. Rogers did it in only 28 games. Murray set the mark over a span of 52 games.
“He’s a guy that elevates even the other sides of the ball,” Mississippi State coach Mike Leach said of his quarterback.
Rogers has been masterful at spreading the ball around this season. Six different Mississippi State receivers have caught at least 20 passes. No other SEC school has more than three (Georgia).
Kentucky has had trouble scoring against SEC foes. The Wildcats have yet to score more than 19 points on offense in their first three conference games, which becomes even more of a problem depending on Levis’ health.
On the flip side, few teams in college football have been better at scoring in the red zone than Mississippi State, which leads the nation with 19 touchdowns in 21 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
The last thing the Wildcats want is to get into a scoring match with the Bulldogs, who are 12-0 under Leach when they score at least 30 points. — Chris Low
When NC State hosted Syracuse a year ago, the defensive game plan for QB Garrett Shrader was simple enough: Make him throw the ball.
Shrader had proved an exceptional runner in 2021, and indeed, he carried 17 times for 70 yards and a score in last year’s 41-17 loss to the Wolfpack. But throwing the ball was misery. Shrader completed just 8 of 20 throws for a measly 63 yards, plus an interception for good measure. The passing game was Syracuse’s kryptonite. For the year, Shrader completed just 52.6% of his throws.
Enter Robert Anae. The new offensive coordinator for the Orange has refined the passing game and worked wonders.
“Everyone thinks Syracuse can just run the ball, and that’s it,” receiver Oronde Gadsden II said. “We wanted to develop a passing game so that when they’re running Cover 1, Cover Zero, we’ve got some dudes out there that can beat man and get open and score touchdowns.”
Syracuse can certainly run the ball. Shrader’s mobility is a weapon, but so, too, is tailback Sean Tucker, who was an All-American last season. But now there’s a genuine alternative when teams stack the box, and Shrader has proved he can find receivers downfield.
So far this season, he’s completing 71% of his throws with 10 passing TDs and just one pick. He trails only North Carolina‘s Drake Maye in passer rating among ACC QBs.
“Last year, I thought he struggled throwing the football,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. “Now he has a 70% completion rate and is playing really well.”
Shrader is one of just four QBs in the country with 1,200 passing yards, 200 rushing yards, 10 passing touchdowns and five rushing. Add in a completion percentage of more than 70%, and the only other QBs to match those marks through five games in the playoff era are Brock Purdy, Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts.
Doeren said the priority remains containing Shrader in the pocket — something NC State struggled to do against another mobile QB, Florida State’s Jordan Travis, just last week. Travis ran for 108 yards in the 19-17 NC State win, a week after Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei ran for 70 against the Wolfpack. NC State has allowed just 745 rushing yards (not counting sacks) this season, which ranks among the best marks in the ACC. But 358 of those yards (48%) have come from QBs. And the fact that the Wolfpack must now respect Syracuse’s passing game opens up even more avenues to run.
“It’s 11-man football in the run game, and sometimes the run is just created in a pass where a guy jumps back and takes off,” Doeren said. “We have to do a great job with their quarterback and not allowing him to get out.” — David Hale
When asked earlier this week what it would take to duplicate USC’s undefeated first half over the next six games, coach Lincoln Riley said with a smile: “Just six?” alluding to wanting to play for not just the conference title but perhaps a playoff game, too. “That’ll get quoted, oh boy. Everybody calm down.”
The unprecedented run to an undefeated season, though, gets tougher for the Trojans this week. Few places have given USC as much trouble as traveling to Salt Lake City in the past decade. Before the Trojans beat the Utes in a fan-less Rice-Eccles Stadium during the COVID-shortened season in 2020, USC hadn’t won there since 2012.
This weekend’s matchup lost some of its luster after UCLA beat Utah at the Rose Bowl, but the importance of this game — for both teams — has not been diminished.
Though Utah has not met preseason expectations, Kyle Whittingham’s team is stronger at home, and the expectation is that the Utes will bounce back from Saturday’s loss, especially after an uncharacteristic two-turnover day from quarterback Cameron Rising.
Earlier this week, Riley waxed poetic about Rising, whom he recruited out of high school. And by all accounts, Rising might be the best quarterback USC’s turnover-happy defense has faced so far.
For the Utes, dropping a third game (second in conference) would mean that the road back to the Pac-12 championship would require not just winning out, but hoping one of the L.A. teams and Oregon falter. For the Trojans, a win would not only keep their undefeated record intact heading into an easier stretch (and a bye week), but it would also create a simple path toward the title game: Beat UCLA.
“This is when it gets the most fun,” Riley said. “You put yourself in a great position, now it’s time to go accelerate and be our best.” — Paolo Uggetti
The Bulldogs received 32 first-place votes and 1,535 points in the Top 25 to easily reclaim No. 1. They were just two points behind Alabama at No. 2 last week.
Ohio State moved up a spot to No. 2, receiving 20 first-place votes and 1,507 points.
No. 3 is a season low for Alabama, which was the preseason No. 1 but fell to No. 2 after Week 2. The Crimson Tide received 11 first-place votes.
There were two notable season debuts in the Top 25: No. 24 Illinois is ranked for the first time since 2011, and James Madison is in the AP Top 25 for the first time in its program history. The Dukes are playing their first season as a member of the Sun Belt in Division I college football’s highest level.
Clemson overtook Michigan and moved up to No. 4 as the Wolverines fell one spot to No. 5.
Tennessee moved up to No. 6, which is the best ranking for the undefeated Volunteers since No. 5 early in the 2005 season. Tennessee stumbled to a 5-6 and unranked finish that year.
The shuffle that Georgia has made from No. 1 to 2 and back to No. 1 over three polls hadn’t happened in more than a decade.
Florida went back and forth between Nos. 1 and 2 in 2009, flip-flopping with Alabama as both teams won in late October.
The Crimson Tide are the first team to drop from No. 1 to No. 3 off a victory in 25 years, when Nebraska beat Missouri in overtime on the famous “Flea Kicker.” Michigan jumped from No. 4 to No. 1 on Nov. 10, 1997, after it won 34-8 at No. 2 Penn State.
IN
The week after Kansas handed the ignominious title of Power 5 conference team with the longest streak of being unranked to Illinois, the Illini are now off the schneid in their second year under coach Bret Bielema.
Illinois improved to 5-1 by beating Iowa and landed in the poll for the first time since Oct. 16, 2011, ending a drought of 178 polls.
Next up on the list of longest-ranking droughts for Power 5 schools: Rutgers (2012), Oregon State (preseason 2013) and Vanderbilt (final 2013).
• James Madison had been an FCS powerhouse for years, winning a national title in 2016 and losing to North Dakota State in the NCAA championship game in 2017 and 2019. The Dukes have had no issue moving up so far, going 5-0 and averaging 44 points per game.
James Madison’s move up has been different than transitions by other schools, which typically take a year or two to acclimate before playing a full FBS-type schedule as they build up from 63 scholarship players to 85.
Aided by temporary changes to eligibility rules due to the pandemic and loosened transfer rules, the Dukes were able to dive right in with a more FBS-ready roster, coach Curt Cignetti told the AP.
“There were a lot of unknows coming into the season,” Cignetti said. “The one thing about our program is we’ve had such great success from 2016 on. … There’s a culture here, a standard, an expectation. And our guys expect to win every time we go out.”
Since Division I football split into subdivisions in 1978, James Madison is the first team to be ranked in a season when it was transitioning up.
“All the national publicity that we have had is extremely positive for the university, the program, the athletic department and our boosters and supporters,” said Cignetti, the son of Hall of Fame coach Frank Cignetti, who died in September. “Making the Top 25, that’s just another step.”
• Texas is ranked again, tied with Kentucky at No. 22, after blowing out rival Oklahoma.
OUT
• BYU is unranked for the first time this season after losing to Notre Dame.
• Washington dropped out of the rankings after a second straight loss.
• LSU‘s return to the Top 25 was brief after getting thumped at home by Tennessee.
CONFERENCE CALL
The Sun Belt went from its inception in 2001 to 2015 without having a ranked team. The conference has now had at least one team ranked for at least one week each of the past five seasons and six of the past seven.
James Madison is the second Sun Belt team to reach the Top 25 this season, along with Appalachian State.
SEC — 6 (Nos. 1, 3, 6, 9, 16, 22) Big 12 — 5 (Nos. 8, 13, 17, 19, 22) ACC — 4 (Nos. 4, 14, 15, 18) Big Ten — 4 (Nos. 2, 5, 10, 24) Pac-12 — 4 (Nos. 7, 11, 12, 20) American — 1 (No. 21) Sun Belt — 1 (No. 25)
RANKED vs. RANKED
A season-high six games match ranked teams:
• No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan. Third top-10 matchup in the series and first since 1997.
• No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee. The second top-10 matchup since 2000.
• No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 13 TCU. The Horned Frogs have their best ranking since being No. 9 in 2017.
• No. 15 NC State at No. 18 Syracuse. First matchup of ranked teams at home for Syracuse since 2001.
• No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 Kentucky. First time the teams will meet with both ranked in 49 games.
• No. 7 USC at No. 20 Utah. Second straight game against a ranked Los Angeles team for the Utes.
For close to 15 minutes Saturday afternoon, it seemed like Alabama was doomed. Bryce Young was hurt. Arkansas had all but erased a huge Crimson Tide lead. The college football world held its collective breath.
For more than three quarters of action Saturday night, it seemed as if the kings had been dethroned. Georgia‘s offense sputtered. Missouri built a double-digit lead. The foundation of the college football world began to crumble.
For five plays Saturday, Rutgers led Ohio State. No one really panicked here. It’s still Rutgers, and there was only so much stress to go around.
In the end, college football’s Big Three of 2022 — the Buckeyes, Bulldogs and Tide — all survived. Ohio State rolled, Alabama used a pair of long runs to assert its dominance even without Young, and Stetson Bennett rallied Georgia to a 26-22 come-from-behind win. Order had been restored.
It was a reminder that the Big Three are worthy of their place atop the sport, but also served notice that no one has a playoff berth carved into stone after just five weeks.
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Jamon Dumas-Johnson is frustrated with Georgia’s defense as the Bulldogs give up a touchdown to go down by 10 in the second quarter to Missouri.
Young’s injury served notice of how tenuous title hopes can be, even at a place like Alabama. And Ohio State has its own injury woes at the moment, with a trio of solid defenses awaiting on the schedule. Georgia has delivered back-to-back stinkers against the likes of Kent State and Missouri. After the game, Kirby Smart shrugged off the struggles by noting, “There’s nothing easy in the SEC.” Kansas State, which beat Missouri by 28 two weeks ago, might disagree, but who are we to argue with the coach who won last year’s national championship?
So what happens if, one of these Saturdays, the Big Three don’t survive? Who’s next in the playoff pecking order?
If Week 5 didn’t deliver the shocking upsets, it did offer some separation between the pretenders and contenders behind the Big Three.
In Oxford, Ole Miss was decked out in helmets made of the same material used for those Coors Lite cans that turn blue when they’re cold, then delivered a silver bullet to Kentucky’ Wildcats playoff hopes. That the Rebels won with defense was an emphatic statement that Lane Kiffin’s team isn’t a one-dimensional attack. Kirby Smart and Jimbo Fisher each earned wins over Alabama last year, and Kiffin might now be the former Saban assistant with the best shot to upend his old boss.
After NC State beat Clemson in double overtime last year in Raleigh, Dave Doeren celebrated with a red Solo cup and a cigar. We doubt Dabo Swinney will do the same after Clemson’s impressive 30-20 win over the 10th-ranked Wolfpack Saturday (though, perhaps he’ll indulge in a tall glass of milk and some wheat toast?), but the win was a statement that the Tigers are back in the playoff hunt in 2022. DJ Uiagalelei accounted for three total touchdowns, and the Clemson defense turned in a vintage performance, all but paying rent for the amount of time it spent in the NC State backfield.
Baylor thwarted Oklahoma State twice last season, but on Saturday, the Cowboys delivered their response with a 36-25 win. Spencer Sanders, who struggled mightily in last year’s two losses, threw for 181 yards, ran for 75 more and accounted for two touchdowns. Mike Gundy’s team hasn’t gotten much love so far, but the Cowboys have won all four of their games by double digits and, if not for Big 12 power Kansas, would be a clear favorite to win the league.
Iowa‘s plan to lull Michigan to sleep by playing offense failed miserably, too. The Hawkeyes punted on each of their first five full drives, which is usually a winning formula, but not against Blake Corum, who carried 29 times for 133 yards and a touchdown in Michigan’s 27-14 win.
Meanwhile, Kentucky and NC State are likely to tumble out of the top 10. Penn State won, but served up five turnovers in an ugly performance against Northwestern. Minnesota couldn’t move the ball in a loss to the Purdue Owls with star tailback Mohamed Ibrahim sidelined. Oklahoma, Florida State and Washington all fell by the wayside in Week 5, too.
We’re just one Saturday into October. We’re still farther from the finish line than the starting blocks. There’s little point in making sweeping declarations about the contenders at this point, but Week 5 did offer a clearer picture than we’ve had before.
Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State keep winning — even if it hasn’t always been pretty.
But Clemson, Michigan, Oklahoma State and others offered their own reminder that, while only four playoff invites will go out at year’s end, the Big Three don’t need to check their mailboxes just yet.
It’s time to believe in TCU
It’s just like we’ve been saying for weeks: It’s time the rest of the country started paying attention to the upstart Big 12 team that’s opened the season 4-0 and deserves to be ranked.
After finishing last season 5-7 and firing Gary Patterson, the Horned Frogs were hardly considered contenders in the Big 12 this season, but Sonny Dykes has clearly injected some life into the offense, and Max Duggan has emerged as one of the nation’s most productive QBs.
If you weren’t a believer before Saturday, the 27 points TCU hung on Oklahoma in the first quarter should’ve had you convinced. And if you’ve ever wondered how many big plays are needed before Brent Venables’ head explodes, well, this game certainly took a swing at providing an answer.
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Taye Barber has no one anywhere near him downfield as he hauls in the 73-yard touchdown.
TCU racked up 668 yards in the 55-24 win, including four plays of 60 yards or more.
Duggan was sublime, throwing for 302 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 116 yards and two more scores. If the stat line looked familiar for Sooners fans, it should. In the playoff era, the only other Big 12 QB with 300 pass yards, 100 rush yards, three pass TDs and two on the ground in the same game was Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts in 2019. Duggan is just the eighth player in the playoff era from any conference to hit those marks against a Power 5 foe.
So, if Oklahoma can officially be scratched off the list of playoff contenders, is it time to start thinking about TCU as a possible Big 12 champ?
This is the Horned Frogs’ first 4-0 start since 2017 and they now have notable wins vs. the Sooners and SMU. They’ve put up 38 points in each of their first four games and, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, the 55 points vs. Oklahoma marked the most allowed by the Sooners since the 2019 Peach Bowl. That one came against Joe Burrow and LSU. The last time Oklahoma allowed 55 or more against an unranked foe was 2016. That one came against Patrick Mahomes. Yikes.
Still, for all the deserved attention TCU’s big win will get, it’s worth noting the Horned Frogs couldn’t deliver on their mid-game trolling. The family of Roger Maris will now need to attend every TCU game until the Horned Frogs score 62.
Rebels dunk UK, but hoops schools still flying high
The Ole Miss defense delivered a brutal blow to Kentucky‘s SEC hopes Saturday with a 22-19 win, then the Ole Miss social media team delivered an even more brutal blow after the win.
Somewhere, John Calipari is sipping a bourbon, throwing darts at a photo of Shaheen Holloway he keeps pinned to his wall and laughing. Yes, Kentucky remains a basketball school.
The Wildcats had their chances to pull off a road win, but an early safety left Will Levis‘ finger looking like he was trying to use his hands to do long division and was left with a remainder.
But all is not lost for the basketball schools.
Kansas had a message to those cowards voting in the AP poll, holding Iowa State cyclones to just 26 yards on the ground in a 14-11 win. Jalen Daniels‘ Heisman campaign took a bit of a hit as he completed just seven passes for 93 yards (we’re assuming he got in early foul trouble), but the defense more than made up for the offensive shortcomings.
Syracuse, too, moved to 5-0. The Orange played Wagner, which may or may not have been a bunch of elementary school kids standing on each others shoulders, wearing trench coats and jerseys.
And UCLA toppled Washington in a statement win Friday night, moving the Bruins to 5-0, too.
Add in 4-1 starts by North Carolina and Maryland, and the basketball schools are looking awfully good on the gridiron — even if Kentucky didn’t get its one shining moment at Ole Miss.
Auburn’s luck runs out
The Bryan Harsin Experience just keeps getting weirder.
Last week, Harsin was down to his fourth-string QB and just inches away from a loss to Missouri that seemed sure to be the final nail in his coffin — and he survived.
Then this week, former Alabama QB A.J. McCarron made the unsubstantiated comment that Auburn had actually already fired Harsin, but was allowing him to keep coaching for a while longer, undoubtedly following the “Office Space” principle of simply fixing the glitch in payroll and assuming Harsin would eventually realize he was no longer employed.
Nevertheless, Harsin was back on the sideline Saturday as Auburn hosted LSU, and for the first 20 minutes of action, it looked like he might find another escape hatch as Auburn jumped out to a 17-0 lead with 9:38 left in the first half.
Then LSU figured out its offense, and Auburn never scored again. Its second-half drives: punt, turnover on downs, interception, punt, fumbled punt return, interception.
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) October 2, 2022
Auburn will now be moving Harsin’s office downstairs to Storage B. They’ve got a lot of new people coming in, and they really need all the space they can get.
The Huskies engineered a 94-yard drive to score a go-ahead TD with 2:20 to play and finished with a shocking 19-14 win over Fresno State.
It had been 1,050 days since UConn last won a game against an FBS opponent. In the interim, 23 teams have announced they’re changing conferences (including UConn, which went independent), Miami has been back — then not back — eight times, and James Madison, which was an FCS team a month ago, has won three games vs. FBS foes.
Even that undersells just how long it’s been since UConn did something as unexpected as Saturday’s win. UConn had been a 19.5-point underdog — the money line for a UConn win was +1050 — and yet the Huskies pulled off a win. The last win was actually at home against equally woeful UMass in a game UConn was favored to win. To find UConn’s last FBS upset, you’d need to go all the way back to 2017. This was, like, five Taylor Swift albums ago.
This is the beauty of UConn football. It serves as a time capsule for the rest of us, a means by which we can measure not the struggles of the Huskies, but rather how far the rest of us have come.
Heisman Five
Nearly every week this season, we’ve gotten an email from a reader accusing us of being a “Georgia homer.” It’s not true. We’re simply biased in favor of teams that win national championships. Still, last week, he noted Stetson Bennett‘s No. 2 ranking here and asked, “Do you even watch football? How do they let you get away with this stuff?”
Well, dear reader, we’d like to let you know we flipped over to the Georgia-Missouri game several times this week during commercials in the big ULM-Arkansas State tilt, and we must admit — you’re right. Bennett did throw for 312 yards, but it was hardly a Heisman-worthy performance against woeful Missouri.
So, we’re retiring Bennett from the Heisman Five and simply awarding him a Lifetime Achievement Award, which he can put on his trophy case next to his national championship trophy and his “World’s Greatest Dad” coffee mug Alabama’s defense gave him for Father’s Day this year.
Nick Saban said Young’s shoulder injury isn’t serious, which is great news. Well, not for Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M Aggies, who’ll now lose by 30 next week, but for Alabama fans, it’s great news.
It was hardly Stroud’s best game — 13-of-22 for 154, two touchdowns and a pick — but Ohio State won easily and not it was actually a very sportsmanlike move to not pad his stats against Rutgers, as so many Ohio State QBs have done before.
Tennessee was off this week, but we assume Hooker at least got in a game of NCAA Football ’14, downloaded new rosters and threw for 600 yards and nine touchdowns against Florida, then sent some taunting text messages to dudes from the 2014 Gators just for fun.
Williams shrugged off last week’s struggles against Oregon State Beavers, accounting for TDs on each of USC’s first three drives against Arizona State on Saturday.
Maye threw for 363 and three touchdowns, ran for 73 and two more scores, and UNC dominated Virginia Tech Hokies 41-10. Maye has thrown for 300 yards and three TDs in four of his five games so far this season. And given that UNC’s defense has played horribly for most of the season, Maye’s going to have plenty of chances to keep putting up big numbers.
Break up the Illini
We’re five weeks into the season, and it feels like an appropriate moment for the college football world to take a quick step back, peruse the standings, and ask a question that has frustrated even the most renowned philosophers, scientists and scholars: Hey, is Illinois good?
The Illini are 4-1 for the first time since 2015 after throttling Wisconsin 34-10 on Saturday, led by a Syracuse cast-off and an absolutely dominant run defense. It was Illinois’ biggest road win since 2015, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, and it snapped an eight-game losing streak at Camp Randall.
On Saturday, QB Tommy DeVito pulled off a pretty neat trick: He ran for minus-2 yards in the game, but he also had three rushing touchdowns. It’s a rare feat to have five fewer rushing yards than rushing TDs, but at Illinois, DeVito has managed to combine a new-found scoring touch to go with his long established ability to serve as a tackling dummy. From 2019-21, DeVito was sacked 70 times at Syracuse, despite starting just 18 games. He’s been dumped in the backfield 11 more times this season, but he’s also racked up 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
The big key to Illinois’ success thus far has been the defense, which has been a brick wall against the run. Wisconsin managed just 2 rushing yards on 24 carries Saturday, marking the worst output on the ground by the Badgers since 2015 against Northwestern. For the season, Illinois has allowed just 351 yards on the ground, and has held four straight opponents to less than 100 yards rushing.
The most college football thing to happen Saturday
Phil Jurkovec led Boston College to a 34-33 win over Louisville on Saturday, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns, including completions of 50, 57 and 69.
Unfortunately, the throw that’ll likely show up most on SportsCenter this week wasn’t one to remember. Jurkovec was essentially in a full-on Neo-in-The Matrix position as he tossed the ball backward in the general direction of running back Pat Garwo III. From there, it got silly.
This was ugly. Like real ugly.
Trying to avoid the sack, BC QB Phil Jurkovec threw the ball away, but it went backwards.
BC RB Pat Garwo III tried to recover the now-fumble. Instead, though, Louisville’s YaYa Diaby hopped on it.
But hey, all’s well that ends well. Malik Cunningham scored two plays later to give Louisville the lead, but the Cardinals couldn’t hold on, as Boston College earned its first ACC win of the season.
Under-the-radar play of the day
Jaivian Lofton‘s catch to open the scoring in Liberty‘s game against Old Dominion would warrant its inclusion here regardless. It’s a ridiculous one-handed snag on a 34-yard TD. But what truly puts this one over the top is the reaction.
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Liberty QB Kaidon Salter lofts a ball into the end zone, where Jaivian Lofton makes a one-handed catch for the score.
Lofton basically treated the catch like he was picking up a DoorDash order at Arby’s. Zero emotion. We hope Lofton is like this in every aspect of life. Ace a test? No biggie. Win the lottery? Cool, he’ll send you his routing number in the morning. Finds out Kansas is 5-0? OK, no one could take that in stride.
Under-the-radar game of the day
Holy Cross toppled Harvard 30-21 on Saturday to move to 5-0 and, perhaps, put in its claim as the best team in Massachusetts this season.
Crusaders QB Matthew Sluka threw for 300 yards and two TDs, while Jalen Coker caught 10 balls for 166 yards in the win. It marked the first time Harvard lost a game by more than one possession since its 2019 opener.
Holy Cross is now 5-0, including a road win against FBS Buffalo last month, giving the Crusaders a pretty good case as the Commonwealth’s top team. Holy Cross has head-to-head wins over Merrimack and Harvard now, and both BC and UMass are below .500 for the season. That leaves Stonehill (3-0) as the only other contender, and frankly, we just learned that Stonehill was in Massachusetts.
Big bets and bad beats
Syracuse was cruising toward an easy cover over FCS Wagner on Saturday, but it turns out, it was a little *too* easy.
The line closed at Syracuse -54, which seemed about right given that Wagner is 1-27 since 2019 and had already lost to Rutgers by 59 this season. And, as expected, Syracuse rolled early, jumping out to a 49-0 lead at the half.
Easy cover, right?
Well, no. Wagner waved the white flag, and sports books waived the bets.
Syracuse went on to win 59-0 — a cover for the Orange and the under, but due to the shortened quarters, the bets didn’t count. Kudos to Caesars for having the courage to say what the rest of us were thinking.
There’s no such thing as easy money, but the service academies at least offer something close. Air Force hosted Navy on Saturday in the first Commander’s Cup matchup of the season, and that means it’s time to throw some money on the under. What was the total? Doesn’t matter. Whatever the total is, bet the under. In the playoff era, the under in Commander’s Cup games is 22-2-1, and it’s hit 77% of the time.
In this case, the the total closed at 38. It’s a low number. Low enough to worry about the under? Heck, no.
OK, so you bet the under, then Air Force found the end zone on its opening drive on a 67-yard pass play. Now you’re worried, right? Ah, still no.
Of the remaining 19 drives in the game, 10 ended with punts. The others: a Navy touchdown, two field goals (including one after Navy got the ball deep in Air Force territory), a turnover on downs, two fumbles (including one in the red zone), a missed field goal and a seven-play drive that chewed up the final 3:49 of the game.
That, friends, is a recipe for another under. Final score: Air Force 13, Navy 10.
The under has now covered in nine straight games that featured two of the three service academies, and 14 of the last 15.
Oklahoma State jumped out to a big lead and cruised to a 36-25 win over Baylor. The Cowboys had been a 2.5-point favorite, which is hallowed ground for head coach Mike Gundy. As ESPN’s Chris Fallica noted, since 2016, Oklahoma State is now 14-3 in games when the spread is +/- 3.5 points, including a ridiculous 13-2 in those situations on the road.
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