TWIF Notes 9/23/19
Welcome back!
And welcome to Autumn! What an exciting weekend of college football- big games, huge comebacks, and just a little bit of everything! There were several upsets, and many exciting, close games. And, of course, there were blowouts.
I apologize for this being a little late this week. Normally, I write these out on Sunday afternoon, and then review and post on Monday. This weekend, however, my wife and I went out of town for a long weekend, and I had no wifi or internet for much of the time, so I had to do it all when I got home Monday afternoon.
Anyway, here is how the games turned out, and some thoughts on each (or at least most).
Tulane scored on the last play of the game to avoid OT and defeat Houston 38-31. The Green Wave now own the tiebreaker over the Cougars, should it come to that. UH needs to tighten up their defense if they want to have a chance to win the AAC West.
Louisiana Tech had its way with FIU, winning 43-31. The Bulldogs are 3-1/1-0 while the Panthers are 1-3/0-2.
USC stunned Utah behind its 3rd string QB 30-23. The loss ruins any chance the Utes had at a playoff spot, but revives the chances for the Trojans (though that loss to BYU may keep them out regardless of what they do the rest of the season).
Boise State took control of the MWC Mountain with its 30-19 victory over Air Force. The only remaining "tough" division game is @Utah St on Nov 23. The Falcons need to win out and hope Boise St either loses to Utah St (setting up a possible 3-way tie), or loses 2 conference games total (maybe Hawai'i?). The Broncos look to be the favorite to get the G5's NY6 spot.
Alabama demolished Southern Miss 49-7. Is anyone surprised? The Crimson Tide won't face anyone of consequence until they travel to Texas A&M on Oct 12, and even that is questionable. They may not truly be challenged until LSU visits on Nov 9.
LSU destroyed Vanderbilt 66-38! The Tiger offense is humming along, but their defense may be a bit of a concern, as both Vandy and Texas have scored 38 against them. The Commodores are 0-3/0-2, and already trail SEC East leader Florida by 2 games. Vandy hosts Northern Illinois this weekend, and desperately needs a win to salvage their season.
Speaking of Florida, they dominated Tennessee 34-3, and the game wasn't that close. The Volunteers may be worse than everyone expected, and may battle Vandy for the SEC East basement. Their best chances for victories may be when they host UAB on Nov 2 and Vandy on Nov 30. The Gators have a tough 4 game stretch coming up starting Oct 5- Auburn, @LSU, @S Carolina, off, then vs. Georgia in Jacksonville on Nov 2. This stretch will define their season.
Wisconsin ran all over Michigan 35-14, and pretty much passed at will, too. The Badgers led 35-0 in the 3rd quarter before the Wolverines tacked on a couple of meaningless TDs. Once again, Michigan has fallen short against a ranked opponent on the road. Their defense has been awful, and their offense has turned the ball over at an alarming rate. They should get a win this weekend when they host Rutgers, but then Iowa comes to town. The Badgers look like a legitimate contender to win the Big Ten West.
Michigan State won easily over Northwestern 31-10, and may have solved their own offensive woes. The Spartans host Indiana before their big trips to Ohio St and Wisconsin, 2 games that may decide whether they are contenders in the Big Ten East or pretenders. The Wildcats have struggled to score against P5 defenses so far this season, and their schedule doesn't get any easier the next few weeks: @Wisconsin, @Nebraska, off, Ohio St, then Iowa.
Boston College escaped the greatest infamy imaginable by defeating Rutgers 30-16. Can you imagine if the Eagles had lost back-to-back to Kansas and Rutgers?
Iowa State crushed ULM 72-20. The Cyclones are 2-1 heading into a key matchup with Baylor this weekend. The Warhawks host S Alabama in their conference opener.
Indiana moved to 3-1 with a 38-3 victory over UConn. The Hoosiers look to even their conference record at 1 when they travel to Mich St this weekend. The Huskies get to travel to UCF...
California travelled to Oxford and came away with a 28-20 victory when they stopped Ole Miss twice on the goal line as time expired. The Golden Bears are the only undefeated team in the Pac 12, but host Ariz St on Friday night. The Rebels fell to 2-2.
Syracuse defeated Western Michigan 52-33. Both teams are now 2-2.
Coastal Carolina continued their offensive growth with a 62-28 win over UMass. The Chanticleers have outscored their 4 opponents 143-72 and are 3-1 for the 2nd consecutive year, but have a tough game @App St. The Minutemen have allowed at least 45 points in every game so far.
Louisiana added to the SBC's good weekend by routing Ohio 45-25, and are also 3-1 overall. The Bobcats drop to 1-3 entering their off week before conference play starts on Oct 5. The Ragin' Cajuns travel to Ga Southern.
Troy defeated Akron 35-7 in yet another victory by the SBC over the MAC. The Trojans have looked strong on offense under new HC Chip Lindsey. They host Ark St in a big SBC game this weekend. The Zips are 0-4, and may be the weakest team in a weak MAC.
Ohio State fell behind Miami, OH 5-0, then scored 76 unanswered points to win 76-5. The Buckeyes travel to Nebraska next and put their undefeated record on the line. The Redhawks are 1-3 and host Buffalo in a key MAC East matchup.
Auburn went on the road and survived 28-20 over Texas A&M. This game establishes the Tigers as a threat in the SEC West, but they need to get past Miss St and Florida the next 2 weeks to really solidify that. The Aggies are now 2-2, but both losses were to Top 10 teams.
Pittsburgh pulled perhaps the biggest upset of the weekend when they defeated UCF 35-34. The Knights had their 25-game regular season winning streak snapped. The problem for the Panthers is that they can't seem to build on their successes. They're able to pull big upsets, but can't sustain any real success. Their last season better than 8-5 was 2009 (10-3). UCF should immediately start a new streak as they host UConn this weekend...
Washington crushed BYU 45-19 to drop the Cougars to 2-2, and move their record to 3-1. The Huskies have a key Pac 12 game against USC on Saturday.
Tulsa outlasted Wyoming 24-21 as the AAC moved to 2-1 against the MWC. The Golden Hurricane is 2-2, and have an off week before facing SMU in Dallas. The Cowboys are 3-1 and host UNLV, who's coming out of an off week.
FSU defeated Louisville at home 35-24, to move to 2-2, but the Seminoles host NC State this weekend. The Cardinals are also 2-2, but have an off week before BC comes to town.
Buffalo had one of the few non-conference MAC wins by besting Temple 38-22, in what has to be considered a surprise. The Owls saw their hopes for an undefeated season ended, and now must host Ga Tech. The Bulls have a big MAC game at Miami.
Kent State crushed Bowling Green 62-20 in the 86th meeting between these 2 rivals. The Golden Flashes look like they may challenge in the MAC East, but have a game @Wisconsin in 2 weeks before they travel to Akron and Ohio. This was their last home game until Oct 26!
Appalachian State stunned North Carolina when they blocked a potential tying FG on the last play of the game and won 34-31. This was the Mountaineers 2nd win ever over a P5 opponent (you know who the other one was!). App St stays undefeated at 3-0 and host CCU nest, while the Tar Heels drop to 2-2 and host Clemson. Good luck with that!
UAB demolished South Alabama 35-3 and remains undefeated at 3-0. The Blazers play at surprising WKU while the Jaguars must go to ULM.
SMU moved to 4-0 for the 1st time since 1984 when they defeated TCU in Fort Worth 41-38. The Horned Frogs host Kansas next, and the Mustangs play @USF.
Mississippi State defeated Kentucky at home 28-13, and established themselves as solidly in the 2nd tier in the SEC. The Bulldogs are 3-1 and play @Auburn, and the Wildcats are 2-2 and play at S Carolina.
Missouri crushed South Carolina 34-14 to move to 3-1 and drop the Gamecocks to 1-3. SC has what has to be called a "must win" game against Kentucky at home, while the Tigers have an off week before hosting Troy. It's possible they could be 7-1 heading into their game at Georgia on Nov 9.
Miami, FL barely escaped against Central Michigan at home, 17-12. The Hurricanes are a mess heading into their off week. However, they are in the midst of 5 straight home games (their last away game was Sep 7 and their next one is Oct 26), and only leave the state of Florida 3 times all year (@UNC on Sep 7, @Pitt on Oct 26, @Duke Nov 30). Both teams are now 2-2, with the Chippewas travelling to WMU this weekend.
West Virginia survived Kansas 29-24, and is now 3-1/1-0. The Jayhawks were unable to string 2 wins together, but improved on their 16-point loss from last year. the Mountaineers are off before hosting Texas and Iowa St. KU travels to TCU, and will try to make it 2 in a row over the Frogs.
New Mexico outlasted New Mexico State to win the Iron Skillet 55-52. Neither team is going anywhere, but it looks like that was a fun game!
Oregon defeated Stanford 21-6. It looks like the Cardinal may have fixed some of their defensive issues, but their offense is still mostly ineffective. The Ducks keep their playoff hopes alive with this win, but they need to win out, and hope Auburn wins at least10 games, too. OU is now 3-1 while Stanford falls to 1-3.
Virginia spotted ODU a 17 point lead, but then scored the final 28 points to win 28-17. The Cavaliers remain undefeated and play @Notre Dame next. The Monarchs are 1-2 and host ECU in their conference opener.
NC State survived against a mediocre Ball State team 34-23. The Wolfpack are now 3-1and play @FSU, while the Cardinals are 1-3 and have an off week before starting their conference slate a
@Northern Illinois.
Baylor squeaked by a much improved Rice 21-13. The Owls have nothing to show for their improved play, as they are 0-4, but it is evident nonetheless. The Bears are 3-0, and have a big game against Iowa St this weekend.
Texas State won their 1st game 37-34 in 3 overtimes, prevailing over Georgia State. The Bobcats are 1-3/1-0 and the Panthers fall to 2-2/0-1. This was a game GSU needed to reach bowl eligibility. Now that possibility is in question.
Clemson routed Charlotte 52-10. No surprise there.
Texas defeated Oklahoma State for the 1st time since 2014, 36-30. The Longhorns remain on track to be undefeated in conference play when they meet Oklahoma in the annual Red River Rivalry on Oct 12. The Cowboys have an uphill climb to get back into the race, and fall from the ranks of the unbeaten. They host Kansas St while UT takes a week off.
San Jose State pulled off a big upset, beating Arkansas in Fayetteville 31-24 to move to 2-1. It is the 1st time the Spartans have had a winning record at any point since they started the 2015 season 1-0. The Razorbacks, on the other hand. have lost their last 3 games against G5 opponents. HC Chad Morris is firmly on the hot seat, even though this is only his 2nd season at Arkansas.
Georgia outlasted Notre Dame 23-17 in a thriller. There were momentum swings throughout the night, as the Fighting Irish took a 10-7 lead into halftime, and then the Dawgs roared back with the next 16 points on 3 scoring drives. ND then scored a TD to close the gap to 7, but couldn't convert on a 4th down play, allowing the Bulldogs to run out the clock. Both teams are definitely in the playoff hunt, but the margin of error for the Irish just got smaller.
Nebraska eked out a 42-38 win over Illinois despite vastly outgaining the Illini. Perhaps the Cornhuskers were looking ahead to their big home game against Ohio St this Saturday. They are now 3-1/1-0, and UI is 2-2/0-1.
Nevada won on the road at UTEP 37-21. The Wolfpack (3-1) host Hawai'i in their conference this weekend while the Miners (1-2) open their conference slate @ Southern Miss.
Colorado got back into the Pac 12 South race with a 34-31 victory over the Arizona State, putting both teams at 3-1. However, the Buffaloes are 1-0 in the conference and the Sun Devils are 0-1. CU is off while ASU plays @Cal.
Toledo struck a blow for the MAC with its 41-35 victory over Colorado State, warming up CSU HC Mike Bobo's hot seat. The Rams are now 1-3 with their only victory against an FCS team, and their next game is at Utah State. The Rockets are 2-1 and host BYU.
UCLA had an epic comeback from 32 points down in the 3rd quarter to defeat Washington State 67-6! Wazzu QB Anthony Gordon had 9 (!) TDs in the losing cause, as the Bruins scored 50 2nd-half points, more than they had scored in their previous 3 games combined. Turnovers and special teams play doomed the Cougars, who now must regroup @Utah, who is coming off a devastating loss of their own. UCLA plays @Arizona in a key Pac 12 South matchup.
Utah State prevailed over San Diego State 23-17 in a mild road upset. The Aggies may be the best bet to unseat Boise State at the top of the MWC Mountain division, while the Aztecs have a week off to lick their wounds and try to get better. Interestingly, both teams have Colorado St as their next opponent!
That's it for now! I hope you are enjoying reading my recaps as much as I enjoy writing them. As I've said before, all the research is my own, though I might repeat something I have heard during a game or read in an article. Come back tomorrow for my Power Rankings, Wednesday for my Odds and Ends, and Thursday for Paul's Picks. Oh, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @pbanderson.
Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!
And welcome to Autumn! What an exciting weekend of college football- big games, huge comebacks, and just a little bit of everything! There were several upsets, and many exciting, close games. And, of course, there were blowouts.
I apologize for this being a little late this week. Normally, I write these out on Sunday afternoon, and then review and post on Monday. This weekend, however, my wife and I went out of town for a long weekend, and I had no wifi or internet for much of the time, so I had to do it all when I got home Monday afternoon.
Anyway, here is how the games turned out, and some thoughts on each (or at least most).
Teams who won against FCS competition, exactly as expected:
Army 52-21 over Morgan State
Wake Forest 49-7 over Elon
Liberty 62-27 over Hampton
FAU 42-7 over Wagner
Arkansas State 41-28 over Southern Illinois
Fresno State 34-20 over Sacramento State
Hawai'i 35-16 over Central Arkansas
Wake Forest 49-7 over Elon
Liberty 62-27 over Hampton
FAU 42-7 over Wagner
Arkansas State 41-28 over Southern Illinois
Fresno State 34-20 over Sacramento State
Hawai'i 35-16 over Central Arkansas
Teams who struggled with FCS teams, but won
Eastern Michigan had to block a punt for a TD to escape against Central Connecticut, 34-29.
East Carolina struggled a bit to put away William & Mary 19-7.
East Carolina struggled a bit to put away William & Mary 19-7.
There were only 9 games against FCS teams this week, much lower than each of the 1st 3 weeks.
FBS vs FBS games
Louisiana Tech had its way with FIU, winning 43-31. The Bulldogs are 3-1/1-0 while the Panthers are 1-3/0-2.
USC stunned Utah behind its 3rd string QB 30-23. The loss ruins any chance the Utes had at a playoff spot, but revives the chances for the Trojans (though that loss to BYU may keep them out regardless of what they do the rest of the season).
Boise State took control of the MWC Mountain with its 30-19 victory over Air Force. The only remaining "tough" division game is @Utah St on Nov 23. The Falcons need to win out and hope Boise St either loses to Utah St (setting up a possible 3-way tie), or loses 2 conference games total (maybe Hawai'i?). The Broncos look to be the favorite to get the G5's NY6 spot.
Alabama demolished Southern Miss 49-7. Is anyone surprised? The Crimson Tide won't face anyone of consequence until they travel to Texas A&M on Oct 12, and even that is questionable. They may not truly be challenged until LSU visits on Nov 9.
LSU destroyed Vanderbilt 66-38! The Tiger offense is humming along, but their defense may be a bit of a concern, as both Vandy and Texas have scored 38 against them. The Commodores are 0-3/0-2, and already trail SEC East leader Florida by 2 games. Vandy hosts Northern Illinois this weekend, and desperately needs a win to salvage their season.
Speaking of Florida, they dominated Tennessee 34-3, and the game wasn't that close. The Volunteers may be worse than everyone expected, and may battle Vandy for the SEC East basement. Their best chances for victories may be when they host UAB on Nov 2 and Vandy on Nov 30. The Gators have a tough 4 game stretch coming up starting Oct 5- Auburn, @LSU, @S Carolina, off, then vs. Georgia in Jacksonville on Nov 2. This stretch will define their season.
Wisconsin ran all over Michigan 35-14, and pretty much passed at will, too. The Badgers led 35-0 in the 3rd quarter before the Wolverines tacked on a couple of meaningless TDs. Once again, Michigan has fallen short against a ranked opponent on the road. Their defense has been awful, and their offense has turned the ball over at an alarming rate. They should get a win this weekend when they host Rutgers, but then Iowa comes to town. The Badgers look like a legitimate contender to win the Big Ten West.
Michigan State won easily over Northwestern 31-10, and may have solved their own offensive woes. The Spartans host Indiana before their big trips to Ohio St and Wisconsin, 2 games that may decide whether they are contenders in the Big Ten East or pretenders. The Wildcats have struggled to score against P5 defenses so far this season, and their schedule doesn't get any easier the next few weeks: @Wisconsin, @Nebraska, off, Ohio St, then Iowa.
Boston College escaped the greatest infamy imaginable by defeating Rutgers 30-16. Can you imagine if the Eagles had lost back-to-back to Kansas and Rutgers?
Iowa State crushed ULM 72-20. The Cyclones are 2-1 heading into a key matchup with Baylor this weekend. The Warhawks host S Alabama in their conference opener.
Indiana moved to 3-1 with a 38-3 victory over UConn. The Hoosiers look to even their conference record at 1 when they travel to Mich St this weekend. The Huskies get to travel to UCF...
California travelled to Oxford and came away with a 28-20 victory when they stopped Ole Miss twice on the goal line as time expired. The Golden Bears are the only undefeated team in the Pac 12, but host Ariz St on Friday night. The Rebels fell to 2-2.
Syracuse defeated Western Michigan 52-33. Both teams are now 2-2.
Coastal Carolina continued their offensive growth with a 62-28 win over UMass. The Chanticleers have outscored their 4 opponents 143-72 and are 3-1 for the 2nd consecutive year, but have a tough game @App St. The Minutemen have allowed at least 45 points in every game so far.
Louisiana added to the SBC's good weekend by routing Ohio 45-25, and are also 3-1 overall. The Bobcats drop to 1-3 entering their off week before conference play starts on Oct 5. The Ragin' Cajuns travel to Ga Southern.
Troy defeated Akron 35-7 in yet another victory by the SBC over the MAC. The Trojans have looked strong on offense under new HC Chip Lindsey. They host Ark St in a big SBC game this weekend. The Zips are 0-4, and may be the weakest team in a weak MAC.
Ohio State fell behind Miami, OH 5-0, then scored 76 unanswered points to win 76-5. The Buckeyes travel to Nebraska next and put their undefeated record on the line. The Redhawks are 1-3 and host Buffalo in a key MAC East matchup.
Auburn went on the road and survived 28-20 over Texas A&M. This game establishes the Tigers as a threat in the SEC West, but they need to get past Miss St and Florida the next 2 weeks to really solidify that. The Aggies are now 2-2, but both losses were to Top 10 teams.
Pittsburgh pulled perhaps the biggest upset of the weekend when they defeated UCF 35-34. The Knights had their 25-game regular season winning streak snapped. The problem for the Panthers is that they can't seem to build on their successes. They're able to pull big upsets, but can't sustain any real success. Their last season better than 8-5 was 2009 (10-3). UCF should immediately start a new streak as they host UConn this weekend...
Washington crushed BYU 45-19 to drop the Cougars to 2-2, and move their record to 3-1. The Huskies have a key Pac 12 game against USC on Saturday.
Tulsa outlasted Wyoming 24-21 as the AAC moved to 2-1 against the MWC. The Golden Hurricane is 2-2, and have an off week before facing SMU in Dallas. The Cowboys are 3-1 and host UNLV, who's coming out of an off week.
FSU defeated Louisville at home 35-24, to move to 2-2, but the Seminoles host NC State this weekend. The Cardinals are also 2-2, but have an off week before BC comes to town.
Buffalo had one of the few non-conference MAC wins by besting Temple 38-22, in what has to be considered a surprise. The Owls saw their hopes for an undefeated season ended, and now must host Ga Tech. The Bulls have a big MAC game at Miami.
Kent State crushed Bowling Green 62-20 in the 86th meeting between these 2 rivals. The Golden Flashes look like they may challenge in the MAC East, but have a game @Wisconsin in 2 weeks before they travel to Akron and Ohio. This was their last home game until Oct 26!
Appalachian State stunned North Carolina when they blocked a potential tying FG on the last play of the game and won 34-31. This was the Mountaineers 2nd win ever over a P5 opponent (you know who the other one was!). App St stays undefeated at 3-0 and host CCU nest, while the Tar Heels drop to 2-2 and host Clemson. Good luck with that!
UAB demolished South Alabama 35-3 and remains undefeated at 3-0. The Blazers play at surprising WKU while the Jaguars must go to ULM.
SMU moved to 4-0 for the 1st time since 1984 when they defeated TCU in Fort Worth 41-38. The Horned Frogs host Kansas next, and the Mustangs play @USF.
Mississippi State defeated Kentucky at home 28-13, and established themselves as solidly in the 2nd tier in the SEC. The Bulldogs are 3-1 and play @Auburn, and the Wildcats are 2-2 and play at S Carolina.
Missouri crushed South Carolina 34-14 to move to 3-1 and drop the Gamecocks to 1-3. SC has what has to be called a "must win" game against Kentucky at home, while the Tigers have an off week before hosting Troy. It's possible they could be 7-1 heading into their game at Georgia on Nov 9.
Miami, FL barely escaped against Central Michigan at home, 17-12. The Hurricanes are a mess heading into their off week. However, they are in the midst of 5 straight home games (their last away game was Sep 7 and their next one is Oct 26), and only leave the state of Florida 3 times all year (@UNC on Sep 7, @Pitt on Oct 26, @Duke Nov 30). Both teams are now 2-2, with the Chippewas travelling to WMU this weekend.
West Virginia survived Kansas 29-24, and is now 3-1/1-0. The Jayhawks were unable to string 2 wins together, but improved on their 16-point loss from last year. the Mountaineers are off before hosting Texas and Iowa St. KU travels to TCU, and will try to make it 2 in a row over the Frogs.
New Mexico outlasted New Mexico State to win the Iron Skillet 55-52. Neither team is going anywhere, but it looks like that was a fun game!
Oregon defeated Stanford 21-6. It looks like the Cardinal may have fixed some of their defensive issues, but their offense is still mostly ineffective. The Ducks keep their playoff hopes alive with this win, but they need to win out, and hope Auburn wins at least10 games, too. OU is now 3-1 while Stanford falls to 1-3.
Virginia spotted ODU a 17 point lead, but then scored the final 28 points to win 28-17. The Cavaliers remain undefeated and play @Notre Dame next. The Monarchs are 1-2 and host ECU in their conference opener.
NC State survived against a mediocre Ball State team 34-23. The Wolfpack are now 3-1and play @FSU, while the Cardinals are 1-3 and have an off week before starting their conference slate a
@Northern Illinois.
Baylor squeaked by a much improved Rice 21-13. The Owls have nothing to show for their improved play, as they are 0-4, but it is evident nonetheless. The Bears are 3-0, and have a big game against Iowa St this weekend.
Texas State won their 1st game 37-34 in 3 overtimes, prevailing over Georgia State. The Bobcats are 1-3/1-0 and the Panthers fall to 2-2/0-1. This was a game GSU needed to reach bowl eligibility. Now that possibility is in question.
Clemson routed Charlotte 52-10. No surprise there.
Texas defeated Oklahoma State for the 1st time since 2014, 36-30. The Longhorns remain on track to be undefeated in conference play when they meet Oklahoma in the annual Red River Rivalry on Oct 12. The Cowboys have an uphill climb to get back into the race, and fall from the ranks of the unbeaten. They host Kansas St while UT takes a week off.
San Jose State pulled off a big upset, beating Arkansas in Fayetteville 31-24 to move to 2-1. It is the 1st time the Spartans have had a winning record at any point since they started the 2015 season 1-0. The Razorbacks, on the other hand. have lost their last 3 games against G5 opponents. HC Chad Morris is firmly on the hot seat, even though this is only his 2nd season at Arkansas.
Georgia outlasted Notre Dame 23-17 in a thriller. There were momentum swings throughout the night, as the Fighting Irish took a 10-7 lead into halftime, and then the Dawgs roared back with the next 16 points on 3 scoring drives. ND then scored a TD to close the gap to 7, but couldn't convert on a 4th down play, allowing the Bulldogs to run out the clock. Both teams are definitely in the playoff hunt, but the margin of error for the Irish just got smaller.
Nebraska eked out a 42-38 win over Illinois despite vastly outgaining the Illini. Perhaps the Cornhuskers were looking ahead to their big home game against Ohio St this Saturday. They are now 3-1/1-0, and UI is 2-2/0-1.
Nevada won on the road at UTEP 37-21. The Wolfpack (3-1) host Hawai'i in their conference this weekend while the Miners (1-2) open their conference slate @ Southern Miss.
Colorado got back into the Pac 12 South race with a 34-31 victory over the Arizona State, putting both teams at 3-1. However, the Buffaloes are 1-0 in the conference and the Sun Devils are 0-1. CU is off while ASU plays @Cal.
Toledo struck a blow for the MAC with its 41-35 victory over Colorado State, warming up CSU HC Mike Bobo's hot seat. The Rams are now 1-3 with their only victory against an FCS team, and their next game is at Utah State. The Rockets are 2-1 and host BYU.
UCLA had an epic comeback from 32 points down in the 3rd quarter to defeat Washington State 67-6! Wazzu QB Anthony Gordon had 9 (!) TDs in the losing cause, as the Bruins scored 50 2nd-half points, more than they had scored in their previous 3 games combined. Turnovers and special teams play doomed the Cougars, who now must regroup @Utah, who is coming off a devastating loss of their own. UCLA plays @Arizona in a key Pac 12 South matchup.
Utah State prevailed over San Diego State 23-17 in a mild road upset. The Aggies may be the best bet to unseat Boise State at the top of the MWC Mountain division, while the Aztecs have a week off to lick their wounds and try to get better. Interestingly, both teams have Colorado St as their next opponent!
That's it for now! I hope you are enjoying reading my recaps as much as I enjoy writing them. As I've said before, all the research is my own, though I might repeat something I have heard during a game or read in an article. Come back tomorrow for my Power Rankings, Wednesday for my Odds and Ends, and Thursday for Paul's Picks. Oh, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @pbanderson.
Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!
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