CFB Bits: Week 7 Headlines.
Week 7 proved to be the strangest week yet, which capped off a fairly strange first half of the season. Seven of the top 25 teams lost, leaving only eight undefeateds remaining. Here are the week 7 headlines.
Syracuse orange is a little brighter than Clemsons'
Friday the 13th started off with a hit to Clemsons' repeat title hopes in the Carrier Dome, losing to the Orange; 27-24. The scrappy Syracuse team led most of the night. They kept the Clemson rushing attack in check. Other than two big Clemson plays which resulted in two of their touchdowns; the Tigers only mustered 24 yards on 23 carries.
Clemson quarterback; Kelly Bryant, was taken out of the game for a possible concussion at the last minute of the first half. Clemson kicker; Alex Spence, missed field goal attempts of 35 and 38 yards.
A very forgettable weekend for the Evergreen state.
"We're a bunch of pathetic, frontrunners."
That was the assessment of Washington State head coach, Mike Leach. His squad walked the plank Friday night against California; 37-3. Their rival in Seattle didn't fare any better as the Huskies left their offense in Seattle, losing at Arizona State, 13-7.
The California defense smacked Washington State in the mouth with nine sacks and producing seven turnovers. Luke Falk was picked off five times. It was Californias' first win over a top 10 team in 14 years.
The game was played in smoky conditions as the wildfires continued to rage across Californias' wine country, approximately 50 miles away from Berkeley.
The Arizona State defense also had a stellar night against Washington. The Huskies offense tried to give an answer, the Sun Devil defense changed the question. The Sun Devil defense held Washington to 230 total yards. The Huskies averaged 43 points a game going into Tempe. The Huskies last win in Tempe was 2001.
Will the PAC 12 be shut out from the playoffs?
Not yet. The PAC 12 is the only conference without an undefeated team; but they are still very much in contention to get a representative into the playoffs. Both Washington teams are still alive, along with USC. Stanford may be the team that wrecks the PAC 12s' hopes.
Miami pulls off a miracle.
It appeared that the Miami run had ended in the tropical rain at Hard Rock Stadium. The Canes were facing a fourth down; trailing 24-22, with time about to expire. A Malik Rosier pass was tipped and landed in the hands of Darrell Langham for 28 yards. That set up a Michael Badgley 24 yard game winning field goal to keep Miami undefeated; 25-24.
After 12 years in the ACC, it appears to be Miami's best chance for an ACC Championship appearance.
The Eagles soar over the Cardinals.
The Boston College Eagles made some noise; beating Louisville, 45-42 at Papa John's Stadium. Eagles freshman running back; A.J. Dillon ran over the struggling Louisville defense to the tune of 272 yards and four touchdowns. The Cardinals defense has allowed over 500 yards in each of the past two games.
Louisville quarterback; Lamar Jackson was an one man mission once again, rushing for 180 yards.
Louisville has lost six of its past ten games and are last in the ACC Atlantic. They will face a struggling, but hell bent for revenge, Florida State this week.
LSU comeback leads to win.
The LSU Tigers picked up their second consecutive big SEC victory; defeating Auburn, 27-23, in Baton Rouge. The Bayou Tigers rallied from a 20-0 hole in the second quarter to earn coach, Ed Orgeron his first top 10 win. A Danny Etling touchdown pass to Russell Gage late in the third quarter ignited LSU. They followed up with a 75 yard, D.J. Clark punt return early in the fourth to close the Auburn lead to two. LSU kicker; Connor Culp, finished the scoring with the 42 yard game winning field goal and later added a 36 yarder.
The Butch Jones watch is officially on.
I'm almost anticipating Tennessee coach; Butch Jones, to be fired by Monday night. The latest body blow was a 15-9 loss to South Carolina. Tennessee hasn't scored a touchdown since September 23rd. Before this debacle, Tennessee was humiliated at home to Georgia, lost in the dying seconds at Florida and barely beat a winless UMASS team. Jones has a $5 million buyout, but it's becoming increasingly more difficult to see him survive the year.
Oklahoma wins the Showdown.
The Red River Showdown almost always is an entertaining game, and this year was no different. The Sooners romped out to a 20-0 lead midway through the second quarter; but Texas cut that lead in half by halftime. Momentum stayed with the Longhorns through the third quarter and took its first lead on freshman quarterback; Sam Ehlingers' eight yard touchdown run. Texas had Oklahoma quarterback; Baker Mayfield, shaken up with right arm trouble after a hit; but Mayfield immediately returned. He completed a 59 yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews to complete the 29-24 win; keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Are the Buckeyes back on everyones' radar?
If not; they really should be. They have been annihilating the competition since the Oklahoma loss. Traveling to Lincoln and plastering Nebraska; 56-14, doesn't happen everyday.
Before anyone anoints Penn State the Big Ten champion, better shelve that opinion for another two weeks. Ohio State is playing the best football in the conference lately, and it's not even close.
Can anyone stop the Alabama express?
Unless they stop themselves; no. Their main remaining obstacle; Auburn, appears to be falling apart a bit, but the Iron Bowl can still be a suprise. Georgia looks to have the East under control, but they gave up a load of points to lowly Missouri.
Making bold predictions are dubious in this crazy season, but the prediction that Alabama is going to rip through the rest of the regular season and playoffs is about as solid as any.
