By Ron Johnson
Last week, the experts felt that Ohio State was showing more true grit than Georgia the last few weeks. They were quick to crown Ohio State as the No. 2 team in the country over Georgia but not above Michigan. But on Saturday, Georgia made sure that the experts remembered who they were in bunches. And it is because of this that Georgia should be the No. 1 team on the first College Football Playoff Poll tomorrow.
Georgia Dominates Gators in Jacksonville
While the Jaguars are dominating the AFC South in the NFL, Georgia gave the fans in Jacksonville yet another reason to be loud. After a dominating performance against conference and division rival Florida, the Bulldogs have all but punched their ticket to yet another SEC Championship Game in December.
Carson Beck showed up and showed out amassing 315 yards on 19 completions out of 28 attempts, while Daijun Edwards almost hit the century mark on the ground with 96 yards on 15 carries as the Bulldogs ran wild all over Florida 43-20 to improve to 8-0 on the season and 5-0 in SEC play. The Bulldogs will have a tough test on the horizon this coming weekend as they welcome fourteenth-ranked Missouri (7-1 overall) in a key conference matchup.
Buckeyes overcome Late Surge to beat Wisconsin
Ohio State was listening to the experts as well as the critics last week as they traveled to Madison to take on the Badgers. Despite Kyle McCord’s two interceptions, Marvin Harrison, Jr. was able to be the equalizer for the Buckeyes. Harrison snagged six catches for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help Ohio State improve to 8-0 and 5-0 in Big Ten play with a 24-10 win over the Badgers. The Buckeyes still have a few weeks to prepare for their annual rivalry showdown with Michigan, so for now they will face a Rutgers team that is 6-2 overall.
Seminoles Establish Status as Tribal Chief of the ACC
While Clemson is falling further and further into mediocrity, the Florida State Seminoles are finding new and exciting ways to stay in the race for the College Football Playoff. On Saturday, Jordan Travis placed himself deeper into the Heisman Conversation by going 22/35 for 359 yards and three touchdowns as Florida State had little to no trouble with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a 41-16 beatdown in North Carolina.
The Seminoles have officially established themselves as the standard bearer of the ACC and have made it clear that they intend to ride this wave all the way to the ACC Title. Up next for the Noles is another game not worth sweating about if you’re a FSU fan as they head to Pennsylvania to face a 2-6 Pitt team.
The Huskies avoid another upset to stay Perfect
Washington is a team possessed as October comes to an end. Despite a good showing from a Stanford team that just upset Colorado the week before, Michael Penix, Jr. was able to shrug off his lone interception in the game and still finish completing 21 passes out of 37 attempts, amass 369 yards and tacking on four touchdowns as the Huskies remained perfect at 8-0, 5-0 in conference play with a 42-33 win over the Cardinal.
The Huskies survived the Cardinal, but will that be the case this weekend as they face the USC Trojans, who are always a legit threat to any perfect team on any given day?
Did we put too much faith in the Sooners???
Yes, they beat the Longhorns, who defeated the Tide in Tuscaloosa. But did we do what the Sooners possibly did last weekend and not take Kansas seriously? They clearly did not expect the Kansas football team to play like the Kansas basketball team. But they did in every way possible. Jason Bean of the Jayhawks notched up 218 yards on 15 completions but he also threw a pair of picks.
Dillon Gabriel was no better in the pass game as he completed 14 passes on 19 attempts and threw a pick as well. The ground game for both teams was practically evenly matched as Tawee Walker of the Sooners got 23 carries for 146 yards, and Devin Neal of the Jayhawks got 25 carries for 112 yards. But when the gun hit zero in Lawrence, it was the Kansas fans who were going crazy as they defeated the Sooners 38-33 and handed Oklahoma their first loss of the year.
Only time will tell if Oklahoma can bounce back, but they won’t have that time because they face a very game and very good Oklahoma State team that is coming into the game at 6-2.
The Ducks Keep Flying High
To say the least, Oregon bounced back from the stunner against Washington. And it was truly a perfect time for them to do that as they flat-out embarrassed the Utah Utes in their backyard. Heisman hopeful Bo Nix was almost unstoppable as he completed 24 of his 31 passes, snatched up 248 yards with a pair of touchdowns through the air and even got a touchdown on the ground as the Ducks bounced back and defeated Utah 35-6 to improve to 7-1, 4-1 in conference play. Oregon will look to continue their last ride in the Pac 12 with another win as they welcome 3-5 Cal to Eugene this weekend.
Nittany Lions bounce back in a slugfest
Last week, Penn State suffered its first loss against a dominating Ohio State team. On Saturday, they overcame their own mistakes to get back on the winning track. Drew Allar completed 20 of his 31 passes for 210 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while Kaytron Allen did his part on the ground with 81 yards on 18 carries as the Nittany Lions won a hard fought battle against a 2-6 Indiana team 33-24.
The Lions better get the kinks worked out quick because they now head to Maryland to face a Terrapins team that is 5-3 at the moment and still could be a threat this late in the season.
The Gospel of Prime is preaching the wrong sermon
At the beginning of the season, we all were enthralled by Coach Prime and the Buffs. They showed they were paying attention with a huge upset win over TCU and Colorado State. But now, the Buffaloes are struggling to get back in the saddle as they lost a tough one to UCLA 28-16. Shedeur Sanders completed 27 of his 43 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown, but he spent more time making out with the field than showing out through the air.
The Buffs are now 4-4 on the year and have only been able to muster one win in conference play to this point. They now turn their attention to hopefully getting back on the right path as they welcome the Oregon State Beavers, who are 6-2 after losing a shocker to Arizona last week, to Folsom Field this weekend.
Trojans survive the Battle of California
To say that the showdown between USC and Cal was a shootout is an understatement. Heisman top guy Caleb Williams completed 23 of his 40 passes for 369 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but Fernando Mendoza of the Golden Bears was virtually in stride with Williams as he snagged 292 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 25/39 passing.
In the end, the Trojans survived the shootout with a 50-49 victory over Cal, and no this game did not go into overtime. This weekend, we will find out what Williams is made of as he leads the Trojans in an epic battle against the undefeated Washington Huskies which could be make or break time for both teams.
With the first poll set to come out on Halloween, we will see who will be suffering from the tricks and who will be enjoying the treats of the committee. Which conference will have the advantage in the first unveiling? Who will remain undefeated this weekend? Who will rise, and who will fall?
