TWIF Notes 11/30/2020
Welcome Back!
We had another exciting weekend of College Football! There were plenty of postponements and cancellations (so many...), but also lots of close games! We had 44 games, so let's get to the reviews. Please understand that future opponents are apt to change at a moment's notice.
Thursday, November 26
Utah State won the battle of winless teams to prevail over New Mexico 41-27. The Aggies scored 28 straight points in the 3rd quarter to overcome a halftime deficit and open up a lead the Lobos could not make up.
Friday, November 27
Liberty pounded UMass 45-0 to move to 9-1, and now the Flames must face undefeated Coastal Carolina, with a chance to ruin the Chanticleers' season. The Minutemen remain winless.
Iowa State all but clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game with a 23-20 victory over Texas, just about eliminating the Longhorns from any chance they had to sneak into the CG. The Cyclones need a win over WVU this week or a loss by either Oklahoma or Okla St to clinch their spot.
Iowa eked out a 26-20 win over Nebraska. The Hawkeyes have now won 4 straight after losing their 1st 2, and have held 19 straight opponents to 24 points or less. They play at Illinois this week. The Cornhuskers fell to 1-4, and have scored more than 24 only once in their last 6 games while allowing that many 4 times in that same span.
Notre Dame gave up 14 in the 1st quarter, then shut down North Carolina the rest of the way for the 31-17 victory. The Fighting Irish stayed undefeated, but need to keep winning (or have Clemson and/or Miami lose) to make the ACCCG. The Tar Heels have been eliminated from the CG.
UCF routed USF 58-38. Both teams appear to have finished their regular seasons., but you never know, because 2020.
Wyoming stomped UNLV 45-14. The Cowboys play @New Mexico and the Rebels host Boise State.
Stanford partially blocked California's potential game-tying extra point attempt to eke out a 24-23 victory and earn their 1st win of the year. The Golden Bears drop to 0-3 and will try to right the ship against Oregon at home. The Cardinal play @Washington.
Central Michigan survived Eastern Michigan 31-23 and kept alive their slim hopes at a MAC West division title. The Chippewas host Ball State and the Eagles will try to get their 1st win of 2020 at Western Michigan.
Oregon State stunned Oregon 41-38, and probably killed any chances the PAC 12 had of getting a team into the CFP (though USC, Colorado, and Washington are still unbeaten). The Beavers have won 2 straight after opening 0-2, and 2 more wins @Utah and @Stanford could get them a good bowl. The Ducks play @Cal, and then host Washington to determine who will get to play in the PAC12CG, assuming no other upsets.
Saturday, November 28
Florida crushed Kentucky 34-10, and the Gators need 1 more win to sew up the SEC East. They'll probably get that this weekend against Tennessee, but if not, will get it against LSU. The Wildcats host South Carolina with 4th place in the division on the line.
Indiana throttled Maryland 27-11. The Hoosiers look primed to win the Big Ten East, especially if Ohio State is ineligible if they have one more game canceled. IU plays at Wisconsin this week, and a win could clinch the East for the Hoosiers and the West for NW (if the Wildcats also win their game). The Terrapins cling to 3rd place, just a half-game ahead of Mich State.
Oklahoma State held off a furious comeback attempt by Texas Tech to prevail 50-44. This was the 2nd time this season the Red Raiders have scored 44 or more points and still lost. The Cowboys have now given up 41 or more points in 3 of their last 4 games, and play @TCU this week, and still entertain hopes of making the Big 12 CG.
Western Michigan squeaked by Northern Illinois 30-27 to remain unbeaten and in 1st place in the MAC West. The Broncos will take on E Mich at home while the Huskies will try to earn their 1st win of 2020 at home against Toledo.
Ohio demolished Bowling Green 52-10. The Bobcats can take over 1st place in the MAC East with a win over Buffalo at home. The Falcons travel to Akron to take on their fellow winless team, the Zips.
Buffalo destroyed formerly unbeaten Kent State 70-41. The Bulls were led by RB Jaret Patterson who ran for 409 yards (yes, you read that right!) and 8 (EIGHT!!!) TDs. The win puts Buffalo all alone in 1st place, and the Bulls can clinch the division title with a win over Ohio in Athens this week. The Golden Flashes suffered their 1st loss and will play at Miami.
Penn State finally won their 1st game of 2020, defeating Michigan 27-17. The Nittany Lions are still off to their worst start in their history at 1-5, but victories in their last 2 games, @Rutgers and against Mich State would certainly leave a better taste in their mouths. The Wolverines have struggled on offense in 4 of their 6 games, and have 2 high-powered offenses left on their schedule: Maryland at home and Ohio State on the road.
Ball State built a 24-3 lead, and then held on for the 27-24 victory over Toledo. The Cardinals are still alive in the MAC West, as they still have C Mich and W Mich yet to play. Win those 2, and the division is theirs. The Rockets were favored to win the division, but currently sit in 4th place with 2 losses.
East Carolina routed SMU 52-38, sending the Mustangs to their 3rd loss of the season and eliminating the Ponies from any chance they had at winning the conference. The Pirates won their 2nd straight game, and are now 3-5 in the AAC.
Georgia State scored 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to defeat Georgia Southern 30-24. The Panthers have a winning record at 5-4, and evened their SBC record at 4-4, but their regular season is concluded. The Eagles will host FAU in a non-conference tilt this week.
NC State was lucky to survive Syracuse 36-29, as the Orange spiked the ball on 4th down, obviously losing track of the downs. The Wolfpack are 7-3 and host Ga Tech.
Missouri shut out Vanderbilt 41-0, as the Commodores never got further than the Missouri 32 yard line. Everyone was anticipating seeing Vandy's new kicker try a FG or PAT, but she never got the chance. However, Sarah Fuller did get to execute the 2nd half kickoff. HC Derek Mason was fired after the game, so we don't know if this game was a one-off for Ms. Fuller, but the 'Dores will play @Georgia this week. The Tigers will host Arkansas.
Miami, OH crushed Akron 38-7. The Redhawks will host Kent State and the Zips will host Bowling Green in a battle of winless teams.
Coastal Carolina clinched the SBC East with a 49-14 rout of Texas State. The Chanticleers will host 9-1 Liberty this week.
Louisiana obliterated ULM 70-20. The Ragin' Cajuns play @App St this week.
UTSA moved to 7-4 with a 49-17 rout of North Texas. The Roadrunners have reached 7 wins for just the 3rd time in school history (they were 7-5 in 2013 and 8-4 in 2012, their transitional year). Their regular season seems to have concluded, though their game with Rice is still listed as postponed and not canceled. At this point, I am unsure if their 5-2 CUSA record will trump UAB's possible 3-1 record (at best). Will CUSA simply decide that UAB hasn't played enough games, or will they pick UAB based on winning percentage?
South Alabama defeated Arkansas State 38-31. The Red Wolves have lost 5 straight to fall to 3-7/1-6. The Jaguars broke their own 4-game losing streak and are now 4-6/3-4.
Alabama crushed Auburn 42-13. The Crimson Tide needs 1 more victory (or a TAMU loss) to clinch the SEC West. The Tide plays @LSU and the Tigers host Texas A&M.
Clemson jumped out to a 31-0 lead over Pittsburgh, then cruised to the 52-17 victory. The Tigers need a win @Va Tech (or a Miami loss) to clinch an ACCCG berth.
Michigan State upset Northwestern 29-20, knocking the Wildcats out of any hopes at making the CFP. NW still controls the Big Ten West, however, as they hold the tiebreaker edge over both Iowa and Wisconsin. With their game against Minnesota already canceled for this weekend, they simply need a win over Illinois to clinch the division.
Rutgers outlasted Purdue 37-30 to stay out of last place in the Big Ten East. However, the Scarlet Knights will need to beat Penn State at home this week to stay out of the division basement. The Boilermakers are in a 3-way tie for 3rd in the Big Ten West.
Colorado skated past San Diego State 20-10 in a hastily scheduled non-conference game. The Buffaloes stay unbeaten and will play @Arizona this week.
Ole Miss captured the Golden Egg by defeating Mississippi State 31-24. This is the 2nd week in a row the Bulldogs have lost by that exact same score. Both teams are off this week as the SEC shuffled schedules.
Boston College squeaked by Louisville 34-27. The Eagles are 6-4/5-4 and have a good chance to finish in the top half of the conference.
Texas A&M throttled LSU 20-7. The Aggies will travel to Auburn and must win to have any chance to capture the division, and they have to hope the Bayou Bengals can somehow pull off the huge upset over Alabama in Death Valley.
Georgia Tech pummeled Duke 56-33. The Yellow Jackets are 3-4 in the ACC, more wins than almost anyone predicted.
Baylor kicked a FG on the last play of the game to defeat Kansas State 32-31, who led the entire game. The Bears earned just their 2nd victory of 2020 and dropped the Wildcats to 4-5/4-4.
Memphis eked out a 10-7 victory over Navy. The Tigers kept alive their (very) slim hopes of an AAC championship.
Georgia crushed South Carolina 45-16, finally looking like the team everyone expected it to be. The Dawgs will host Vandy in their last home game of the year. It is still uncertain at this point if they will make up their game at Missouri. My guess is if Florida clinches the East this weekend, they may not play the Missouri game next weekend.
TCU demolished Kansas 59-23. The Horned Frogs evened their record at 4-4.
Appalachian State obliterated Troy 47-10. The Mountaineers are 7-2/5-1 and will host SBC West champion Louisiana this week.
UCLA moved to 2-2 with a 27-10 victory over Arizona, dropping the Wildcats to 0-3. The Bruins will try to achieve a winning record for the 1st time since they were 4-3 halfway through the 2017 season when they play @Arizona State this week.
Washington fell behind 21-0 to Utah, then scored 24 unanswered for the 24-21 victory. The Huskies, at 3-0, are probably the best hope (along with USC) for a CFP spot, but it would probably take mass chaos for either of these teams to make it. The Utes fell to 0-2.
Hawai'i upset Nevada 24-21. The loss drops the Wolf Pack to 5-1 and into 3rd place behind co-leaders Boise State and San Jose State. Nevada hosts Fresno State this week.
Conference Standings
Here are the conference standings as of now (NOTE: ACC and MWC are NOT in divisions):
AAC
Cincinnati 6-0
Tulsa 5-0
Memphis 4-2
UCF 5-3
Houston 3-2
SMU 4-3
Navy 3-3
ECU 3-5
Tulane 2-5
Temple 1-6
USF 0-7
ACC
Notre Dame 8-0
Clemson 7-1
Miami 6-1
North Carolina/NC State 6-3
Boston College 5-4
Virginia Tech 4-4
Wake Forest 3-3
Pitt 4-5
Virginia/Georgia Tech 3-4
Louisville 2-7
FSU 1-6
Duke 1-7
Syracuse 1-8
Big 12
Iowa State 7-1
Oklahoma State/Oklahoma 5-2
Texas
Kansas State/TCU 4-4
Baylor 2-5
Texas Tech 2-6
Kansas 0-7
Big Ten East
Ohio State 4-0
Indiana 5-1
Maryland 2-2
Michigan State 2-3
Rutgers/
Penn State 1-5
Big Ten West
Northwestern 5-1
Iowa 4-2
Wisconsin 2-1
Purdue/Minnesota/Illinois 2-3
Nebraska 1-4
CUSA East
Marshall 4-0
FAU 4-1
Charlotte 2-1
WKU 3-3
Mid Tenn 2-4
FIU 0-3
CUSA West
UTSA 5-2
UAB 2-1
La Tech 3-2
North Texas 2-3
Rice 1-2
Southern Miss 1-4
UTEP 0-3
MAC East
Buffalo 4-0
Kent State 3-1
Miami/Ohio 2-1
Akron/Bowling Green 0-4
MAC West
W Mich 4-0
C Mich/Ball St 3-1
Toledo 2-2
E Mich/N Ill 0-4
Mountain West
Boise State/San Jose State 4-0
Nevada 5-1
Fresno State 3-1
San Diego State 3-2
Hawai'i 3-3
Wyoming 2-2
Air Force/Colorado State 1-2
Utah State 1-4
New Mexico/UNLV 0-5
PAC 12 North
Washington 3-0
Oregon 3-1
Oregon St 2-2
Washington State 1-1
Stanford 1-2
California 0-3
PAC 12 South
USC 3-0
Colorado 2-0
UCLA 2-2
Arizona St 0-1
Utah 0-2
Arizona 0-3
SEC East
Florida 7-1
Georgia 6-2
Missouri 4-3
Kentucky 3-6
Tennessee 2-5
South Carolina 2-7
Vandy 0-8
SEC West
Alabama 8-0
Texas A&M 6-1
Auburn 5-3
Ole Miss 4-4
LSU 3-4
Arkansas 3-5
Mississippi State 2-6
SBC East
Coastal Carolina 7-0
Appalachian State 5-1
Georgia Southern 4-3
Georgia State 4-4
Troy 2-3
SBC West
Louisiana 6-1
South Alabama 3-4
Texas State 2-6
Arkansas St 1-6
ULM 0-6
That's all for today. Feel free to leave a comment, and come back tomorrow for my updated Power Rankings.
Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!
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