TWIF Notes 9/27/21
Welcome Back!
What another exciting weekend! Unfortunately, I got to watch very little of it, as I was on the road most of the day, though I did get to see a little of the Georgia-Vandy game, some of the Arkansas-Texas A&M game, and bits and pieces of the Florida-Tennessee and Oklahoma-WVU games. I did get to listen to the College Football Blitz on SiriusXM for a few hours while I drove, so I heard a lot of highlights.
The MAC seemed to have a good day, there were lots of surprising results, the 2-point conversion- or missed conversion, as the case may be- also figured prominently, and we had 4 games that went into OT, all of which makes college football the greatest game on Earth!
Anyway, on to the recaps!
Teams Who Defeated FCS Opponents, Just as They Should Have
Teams Who Escaped An FCS Upset
Teams Who Lost To FCS Teams
FBS vs FBS Games
Appalachian State scored 10 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to defeat Marshall 31-30. The Thundering Herd are 2-2, having lost 2 straight heading into their CUSA opener @MTSU. The Mountaineers are 3-1and have their SBC opener at what seems to be a much improved Ga State.
Charlotte defeated Middle Tennessee 42-39. The 49ers are 3-1 and finish their nonconference slate @Illinois this week. The Blue Raiders fall to 1-3/0-2.
Wake Forest stayed undefeated with a 37-17 pasting of Virginia, dropping the Cavaliers to 2-2 and 0-2 in the ACC, virtually eliminating UVA from winning the ACC Coastal. The Demon Deacons have a big divisional matchup with Louisville at home this week.
Syracuse ended any hopes Liberty had for an unbeaten season with a 24-21 victory at home. The Orange kicked a FG as time expired to secure the win and are 3-1 for the 1st time since starting 2018 at 4-0. They have a divisional contest at FSU this week.
Fresno State had to rally in the 4th quarter to defeat a stubborn UNLV 38-30 and keep the Rebels winless. The Bulldogs ae 4-1/1-0.
Georgia destroyed Vanderbilt 62-0, holding the Commodores to 77 total yards in the win. The Dawgs play undefeated Arkansas at home this week.
Notre Dame scored 31 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to break open a close game and defeat Wisconsin 41-13. The Fighting Irish have held their last 2 opponents to 13 points each, and will host Cincinnati in a battle of unbeatens. The Badgers will host Michigan in an attempt to save their season.
LSU held off a Mississippi State comeback attempt in a 28-25 win in Starkville. The Bayou Bengals will host Auburn while the Bulldogs go on the road to take on TAMU.
Missouri kicked a long 56-yd FG on the last play of regulation, and then lost in OT to Boston College 41-34, dropping the Tigers to 2-2. The Eagles are 1 of 2 remaining undefeated ACC teams (Wake Forest is the other).
Central Michigan overcame a 17-point deficit with 21 points in the 4th quarter to win 31-27 over FIU as the Panthers fell to 1-3 heading into CUSA play. The Chippewas improved to 2-2 and open MAC play at Miami.
Bowling Green upset Minnesota 14-10 as the Golden Gophers turned the ball over 3 times, twice throwing INTs in the waning minutes. As Minnesota prepares to play @Purdue next week, one has to wonder whether the results against the 2 MAC teams are the outliers, or if the ones against Ohio St and Colorado are. The Falcons defeated their 1st FBS team since 2019, and their 1st P5 teams since beating both Purdue and Maryland in 2015.
Northwestern evened their record at 2-2 with a 35-6 victory over winless Ohio.
SMU topped TCU 42-34 to remain unbeaten and to hand the Horned Frogs their 1st loss. The Mustangs host USF and TCU hosts Texas.
Army ground out a 23-10 win over Miami, Oh as the Black Knights remain unbeaten.
Boise State dominated Utah State 27-3 as the Aggies suffered their 1st loss. The Broncos evened their record at 2-2.
Coastal Carolina demolished UMass 53-3, keeping perfect records for both clubs.
Western Michigan earned another nonconference victory for the MAC with a 23-3 victory over San Jose State. The Broncos are one of 2 MAC teams at 3-1.
Toledo defeated Ball State 22-12 as the Rockets moved to 2-2 and the Cardinals, who won the MAC last year, dropped to 1-3/0-1.
Eastern Michigan scored the final 31 points in a 59-21 win over Texas State. The Eagles are the other MAC team at 3-1.
Utah rallied with 17 unanswered points to defeat Washington State 24-13, the 2nd straight week the Cougars have lost an early lead, as they fall to 1-3 and 0-2 in the Pac 12. The Utes are 2-2/1-0.
Iowa also scored the last 17 points, all in the 2nd half, as they struggled to put away a stubborn Colorado State team 24-14. Although the Rams are 1-3, they have played much better the last 3 weeks after their opening loss to an FCS team. The Hawkeyes will put their unbeaten record on the line at also unbeaten Maryland.
Arkansas jumped out to a 17-0 lead early into the 2nd quarter, then held on for the 20-10 win over formerly undefeated Texas A&M, possibly derailing the Aggies' hopes of winning the SEC West. The Razorbacks will put their unblemished record on the line @Georgia this week.
It took 2 OTs, but NC State overcame a missed late FG to upset Clemson and drop the Tigers to 2-2, and 1-1 in the ACC. The last time Clemson had 2 regular season losses was in 2014, when they were 9-3 in the regular season, and began 1-2 with losses to Georgia and FSU. The Wolfpack are 3-1/1-0, with a nonconference game with La Tech at home. Clemson hosts unbeaten Boston College.
Baylor held on to defeat Iowa State when the Cyclones missed the potential game-tying 2-point conversion with 24 seconds left. The Bears will put their unbeaten record on the line when they travel to also unbeaten Okla State. ISU will try to right things when they play Kansas at home.
Michigan led 20-3 at the half, and then did just enough to keep Rutgers at bay in the 20-13 victory over the Scarlet Knights, handing Rutgers their 1st loss. The Wolverines will try to beat Wisconsin for the 1st time since 2018 this week.
UTSA scored 17 straight points in the 4th quarter to stun Memphis 31-28. The Roadrunners stay undefeated, and the Tigers suffered their 1st loss.
Louisville scored all of their points in the 1st half in their 31-23 win over FSU, dropping the Seminoles to 0-4. The Cardinals are 3-1 and play at undefeated Wake Forest this week.
Purdue scored a TD with 5:44 left to defeat Illinois 13-9, as the 2 teams combined for 5 FGs. The Boilermakers are 3-1/1-0 and the Illini are 1-4/1-2.
Maryland improves to 4-0 with a 37-16 win over Kent State. The Terps host undefeated Iowa this week.
Wyoming continues to live on the edge, as UConn missed a game-tying 2-point conversion try with 4 seconds left as the Cowboys won 24-22. Wyoming is 4-0, and while the Huskies are 0-5, they've scored 21 and 22 points the last 2 games, after being shut out the 1st 2 games against FBS foes, so they are beginning to show some life up in Storrs. UConn plays @Vandy this week.
Auburn scored the last 22 points thanks largely to a blocked punt and a pick six to defeat upset minded Georgia State 34-24. After being blown out in their 1st 2 games, the Panthers have played much better in their last 2, but now must host Appalachian State. They just can't catch a break in the schedule!
Duke stomped Kansas 52-23, and the Blue Devils have now won 3 straight after losing their opener to Charlotte.
Tulsa earned their 1st victory with a 41-34 win over Arkansas State. Both teams are now 1-3.
UCLA edged Stanford 35-24, moving the Bruins to 3-1/1-0, and the Cardinal to 2-2/1-1.
Buffalo was shut out in the 2nd half, but prevailed when ODU missed what would have been the game-tying PAT with 19 seconds left, to win 35-34. The Bulls earned yet another nonconference victory for the MAC, and are 2-2. The Monarchs are 1-3.
Louisiana defeated Georgia Southern 28-20, and the Eagles have surprisingly chosen to fire HC Chad Lunsford, as GSU opened this year at 1-3, and have lost 6 of their last 8 regular season games (they won their bowl game). Lunsford was 28-21 across 4+ seasons, including 2 bowl wins in 3 appearances, and a 10-3 season in 2018. GSU hosts Ark State. The Ragin' Cajuns are 3-1/1-0, and will play @South Alabama, who will be coming out of an off week.
Tennessee hung with Florida for a half, but then the Gators dominated, winning 38-14. UF is now 3-1/1-1 and travels to take on undefeated Kentucky. The Vols are 2-2/0-1 and play @Missouri.
Michigan State used a 62-yd punt return for a TD to tie the score and send the game into OT, then intercepted Nebraska and kicked a game-winning 21-yd FG to win 23-20. The Spartans are 4-0/2-0, and look to perhaps be a challenger in the Big Ten East, but we'll know more after 2 big back-to-back road games in mid-October versus Rutgers and Indiana. The Cornhuskers are only 2-3/0-2, but have played much better since their opening loss to Illinois. They host a so-far underwhelming Northwestern this week.
Oklahoma State squashed Kansas State 31-20, even though the Cowboys didn't score in the 2nd half. This was the most impressive game OSU has played thus far, and they'll need more of where that came from against Baylor at home this week. The Wildcats host Oklahoma, and will be trying to beat the Sooners for the 3rd consecutive year.
Kentucky and South Carolina combined for 4 FGs as UK defeated the Gamecocks 16-10. The 4-0 Wildcats have a huge game against Florida at home this week, while SC steps outside the conference to take on Troy at home.
La Tech scored the 1st 24 points, then held on as North Texas scored the last 17 to win 24-17. The Bulldogs are 2-2/1-0 and the Mean Green are 1-3/0-2.
Houston outscored Navy 21-3 in the 2nd half to win 28-20. The Cougars are 3-1/1-0, and the Midshipmen remain winless.
Alabama stomped Southern Miss 63-14.
Oklahoma kicked a FG on the last play of the game to lift the Sonners to the 16-13 victory over West Virginia. The Mountaineers had several opportunities to take the lead late in the game, but couldn't capitalize on their chances. OU is 4-0/1-0 and hopes to break a 2-game losing streak to Kansas State this week. WVU is 2-2/0-1 and hosts Texas Tech.
Ohio State pummeled Akron 59-7.
Georgia Tech routed North Carolina 45-22. This is one of the more inexplicable results of the weekend. The Yellow Jackets are 2-2/1-1, and are very much in the race to win the ACC Coastal. The Tar Heels are also 2-2, but they are 1-2 in the ACC, with both losses to division foes, and while not eliminated, their path just got a whole lot harder. GT hosts Pitt this week and UNC hosts a Duke team that has looked pretty good in recent weeks.
Air Force jumped out to an early lead and then cruised to a 31-7 win over FAU. The Falcons are 3-1 and the Owls fall to 2-2.
UAB used a 21-0 lead to fuel their 28-21 victory over Tulane. The Blazers have looked good against every team not named Georgia, and have a big home game against Liberty this week. The Green Wave are 1-3 and play @ECU.
Indiana eked out a 33-31 win over WKU to improve to 2-2.
ULM won its 1st SBC game since 2019 by defeating Troy 29-16, and it was only that close because of a Trojan TD with 36 seconds left. The Warhawks will try to make it 2 SBC wins in a row at CCU, as they haven't won a conference game on the road since beating Texas State earlier in 2019.
Hawaii routed New Mexico State 41-21, moving to 2-3 as the Aggies fell to 1-4.
UTEP is 3-1 after their 20-13 win over New Mexico, dropping the Lobos to 2-2. The Miners will try to make it to 4-1 when they take on ODU at home.
Washington prevailed over California in OT 31-24. The Huskies are 2-2/1-0 and the Golden Bears are 1-3/0-1.
BYU led 21-0 after the 1st quarter, then held on for the 35-27 win over USF to remain unbeaten. The Cougars play at Utah State next.
Oregon crushed Arizona thanks to 17 4th-quarter points to win 41-19. The Ducks, 4-0, remain on track for a playoff berth. The Wildcats lost their 16th straight game.
Oregon State scored 21 straight points to break open a close game and demolish USC 45-27. The Beavers earned their 1st win in LA since 1960, and at 3-1/1-0, may turn out to be one of Oregon's few challengers in the Pac 12 North. The Trojans suffered their second blowout conference loss on the young season, and are 2-2/1-2. It looks like a long season in LA.
Arizona State broke open a 14-10 game to pull away for the 35-13 victory over Colorado. It's becoming obvious that the Buffaloes are not the sleeper program that I thought they were going to be this year, as they may be a year or 2 away. The Sun Devils may yet win the Pac 12 South, as UCLA seems to be the only "real" competition.
That's all for this week. Come back tomorrow for my updated Power Rankings! Follow me on Twitter (@pbanderson)
Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!
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