TWIF Notes 10-17-22

Welcome Back!

What an exciting weekend of college football! Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch a single minute, as I was judging a marching band competition for 7 hours, and it was a 4 hour drive each way, to and from the event. But I did get to listen to a bit of some of the late games.

Having said that, I won't be giving much insight into the actual games themselves, but will be focusing instead on how the outcomes may affect the seasons of the respective teams.

Let's get to the recaps!

Teams Who Defeated FCS Opponents, Just As They Should Have

Army defeated Colgate 42-17

Teams Who Barely Escaped FCS Opponents

Liberty held off Gardner-Webb 21-20 to improve to 6-1 and become bowl eligible for the 4th straight year. They get to host BYU next.

FBS vs FBS Games

Louisiana got back on the winning track with a 23-13 win over Marshall. The Ragin' Cajuns (3-3/1-2) finally got an SBC win, and have an uphill climb to win their 5th straight division title, but they had to get their 1st win to begin that journey. The Thundering Herd (3-3/0-2) have had a rude introduction into their new conference, and now get to travel to JMU. 

West Virginia upended Baylor 43-40 as both teams are now 1-2 in the Big 12. The loss likely eliminates the Bears from the Big 12 Championship Game, but with games remaining against Kansas St, TCU and Texas at the end of the season, they will play a huge role in who does get to play in the CG.

UCF destroyed Temple 70-13. The Knights are one of 3 teams in the AAC that are still undefeated in league play. 

SMU eased by Navy 40-34 to keep their hopes alive in the AAC. At 1-1 in the conference, their hopes will hinge largely on how they do this weekend against Cincinnati, as a loss would probably eliminate them.

UTSA ran past FIU 30-10. The Roadrunners lead CUSA at 3-0, but there are 6 other teams in the conference with 1 or fewer losses (the Panthers are not one of those teams), so this is far from decided. UTSA hosts the only other 3-0 CUSA team this weekend when North Texas comes to town.

Michigan crushed Penn State 41-17, exposing the Nittany Lions as nothing more than pretenders. The Wolverines are off this week, and seem destined to be 10-0 when they host what seems to be a very good Illinois team on Nov 19. Chances are excellent that regardless of the outcome of that game, the winner of the game the following week- at Ohio State- will decide the division.

Ole Miss outlasted Auburn 48-34, and the Rebels are now the lone undefeated team in the SEC West. If they can get past 2 road games at LSU and Texas A&M the next 2 weeks, they can all but clinch the division with a win over Alabama on Nov 12. In fact, if things break right, it's possible the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving could decide the SEC West! But both teams would have to win the rest of their games leading into that one, which would include both beating Alabama, and MSU also beating UGA...

Oklahoma put Kansas back in its place by winning 52-42 for its 18th consecutive win in the series. The loss leaves the Jayhawks 1 win shy of bowl eligibility, and no easy path to get there. With the win, the Sooners earned their 1st Big 12 win of the season to climb out of the conference basement, and ended their 3-game losing streak.

Texas eked by Iowa State 24-21. The Cyclones have now lost 4 consecutive games by one score (combined 14 points) for the 1st time in its history, and with OU's win over Kansas, ISU is all alone in the Big 12 cellar. The Longhorns are still in the conference title chase as they have yet to play any of the teams they trail or are tied with, but they start this weekend at Oklahoma State.

Illinois ground down Minnesota 26-14. The Illini are tied with Purdue atop the Big Ten West, but now own the tiebreaker against Minnesota, which could be important, as I would be surprised if the division winner has less than 2 losses.

Central Michigan got its 1st FBS win by dispatching Akron 28-21. The Zips are still without an FBS win; the Chippewas are one of 4 teams in the MAC West that are 1-2.

Bowling Green surprised Miami, Oh (and just about everyone else!) with a 17-13 victory over the Redhawks. The Falcons are right in the thick of the MAC East race.

ODU demolished Coastal Carolina 49-21, ending any hopes the Chanticleers had of going undefeated for a 2nd time in 3 years. CCU is 28-4 over the last 2+ seasons. The Monarchs are all alone at the top of the SBC East at 2-0.

Miami, Fl squeaked by Virginia Tech 20-14, and the Hurricanes are technically still alive in the ACC Coastal, but they'll need some help, as UNC holds the tiebreaker advantage.

Buffalo routed UMass 34-7, and the Bulls just may be the 2nd best team in the MAC, behind Toledo.

Colorado defeated California 20-13 in overtime to earn its 1st victory of the 2022 season. The Buffaloes are the last team to get a win this season, so now there are NO winless teams remaining. 

Ball State came back to beat UConn 25-21 to drop the Huskies to 3-5. UConn will now need to win 3 of their last 4 games if they hope to reach a bowl in HC Jim Mora's 1st season in Storrs, but that's a big ask with Boston College, UMass, Liberty, and @Army on the schedule after they are off this week.

Tennessee capped a dramatic comeback with a last second FG to upset Alabama 52-49. The Volunteers merely need to get past Kentucky on Oct 9 to set up a winner-take-all game in Athens against UGA on Nov 5, as their last 3 games are pretty laughable- Missouri, @S Carolina, and @Vandy. The Crimson Tide are not really hurt by this, as all they have to do is win out and they're in the SEC Championship Game regardless of what anyone else does. However, this does set up the fact that they now must win the SECCG, just like last year, to advance to the CFP, but they don't really know who their opponent will be- will it be a rematch of last year's SECCG and CFP National Championship Game with Georgia, or will it be a rematch of this game with Tennessee? Only time will tell. The Tide hosts Miss St this week while the Vols host FCS UT Martin.

It took 2 overtimes, but TCU pulled out the 43-40 win over Oklahoma State to knock the Cowboys from the ranks of the unbeaten. OSU now has Texas, @ Kansas State, and @Kansas the next 3 weeks, all of them fighting to stay in the Big 12 title chase. The Horned Frogs have Kansas State, @WVU, and Texas Tech.

Syracuse staked a claim to 2nd place in the ACC Atlantic with a 24-9 victory over NC State. The Orange have a chance to grab 1st place when they travel to Clemson, but they have a tough remaining schedule to hold on to either spot: @Pitt, FSU, @WF are in their future, as well as a home date with Notre Dame (which is still a dangerous team). The Wolfpack now must adjust their goals downward and just shoot for the best bowl they can get, and perhaps 10 wins.

Arkansas slapped down BYU 52-35 to end their 3-game losing streak and end any fading hopes the Cougars had of making a NY6 Bowl. The Razorbacks are off before traveling to Auburn and then hosting Liberty as they continue their tour of Independents.

Maryland squeaked by Indiana 38-33 in a game that will probably decide 5th place in the Big Ten East, though the Terrapins might finish 4th.

Northern Illinois decimated Eastern Michigan 39-10 to get their 1st win against an FBS team this season. Both teams are among the 4 who are 1-2 in the MAC West.

Toledo rocketed past Kent State to maintain sole possession of 1st place in the MAC West with a 5-2/3-0 record. The Golden Flashes are tied for 4th in the East.

Ohio flattened Western Michigan 33-14 to remain in contention in the MAC East, a game behind Buffalo, whom they'll play on Nov 1 (a Tuesday). 

Troy scored the decisive TD early in the 4th quarter and made that stand up in the 17-14 win over Texas State. The Trojans, 5-2/3-1 look like the biggest threat to the current leader in the SBC West (South Alabama), but we'll know more after they play this Thursday in Mobile.

UAB kept Charlotte winless in CUSA with a 34-20 victory in Birmingham. 9 of the 11 teams in CUSA are still in the race, but quite a few will be thinned out over the next 2 weeks. The Blazers play @WKU this week in a battle of 2-1 conference teams, which is essentially an elimination game.

WKU blasted Middle Tennessee 35-17 as the Blue Raiders dropped their 3rd straight game and fall to 0-3 in CUSA.

Michigan State broke a 4-game losing streak by besting Wisconsin 34-28 in 2 overtimes. The Spartans get a much deserved week off while the Badgers will try to play spoiler against Purdue.

Tulane corralled USF 45-31 to stay undefeated in the AAC. The Green Wave will host Memphis this week. The Bulls are idle, but will try to get their 1st FBS win in 2 weeks @Houston.

Georgia Southern ended the ball for Cinderella as they handed James Madison their 1st ever loss as an FBS team by a final score of 45-38. The Eagles now have a winning record at 4-3, and need just 2 more wins for bowl eligibility as they travel to ODU this week. The Dukes will host Marshall.

North Texas ran away from La Tech 47-27 as the Mean Green stay undefeated in CUSA play. UNT plays @UTSA for sole possession of 1st place this week.

Washington defeated Arizona 49-39, but neither team is likely to make the Pac 12 Championship Game.

FAU fell behind 14-0 in the 1st quarter, then scored 17 unanswered over the final 3 quarters to win 17-14 over Rice. At 3-4, FAU has a tough row to hoe to get to bowl eligibility. Rice has a slightly easier path, but still needs 3 more wins.

LSU triumphed over Florida 45-35 in a game that wasn't as close as the score might indicate. The Fighting Tigers (as their radio announcers kept referring to them) led by as much as 21 before the Gators pulled within 7 midway through the 4th quarter, but a late FG by the Bayou Bengals sealed the victory. The Tigers, at 3-1 in the SEC, are tied with Alabama for 2nd place in the West, and they can actually take control of the race with a win over Ole Miss at home this week, and can virtually clinch the division with a win over the Tide at home on Nov 5. The Gators have 3 losses, and only an upset of Georgia in 2 weeks can salvage their season. That and a win at FSU on Nov 25.

South Alabama rebuffed ULM 41-34 to stay unbeaten in the SBC at 2-0. The Jaguars host Troy in a huge game this Thursday.

Utah State mastered Colorado State 17-13, and now that both teams have a loss, they are once again chasing Boise State in the division.

Southern Miss repulsed Arkansas State 30-19, as the Golden Eagles remain in the SBC East chase while all but eliminating the Red Wolves.

Clemson jumped out to a big lead, then held on to vanquish FSU 34-28. The Seminoles suffered their 3rd straight defeat as the Tigers have come very close to clinching the division early. Their game at home against Syracuse on Saturday could just about do it (I'll have to look at all the possible scenarios, but it won't quite do so).

Kentucky thrashed Mississippi State 27-17, as the Wildcats scored 24 points in the 2nd half. Interestingly, each team is the only one in their respective division that is 2-2.

Purdue conquered Nebraska 43-37 as the Boilermakers remain tied for 1st in the Big Ten West. The Cornhuskers stand alone in 3rd place.

Stanford got its 1st FBS win of the year over Notre Dame, 16-14. The Cardinal are the last P5 team to do so, but the loss drops the Fighting Irish to 3-3, and coupled with BYU's loss to Arkansas, it's obvious that there aren't any really good Independent teams this year. (Yes, Liberty is 6-1, but their strength of schedule has been somewhat less than daunting.) With their remaining schedule, it is possible that the Irish don't get to 6 wins: UNLV, @Syracuse, Clemson, Navy, Boston College, and @USC.

It took 4 overtimes, but East Carolina licked Memphis 47-45. The Pirates and Tigers are both 2-2 in the AAC, and so it looks like they'll mostly be battling for position in the 4th through 8th slots.

Utah scored a TD with 48 seconds left and converted a 2-point conversion try to win 43-42 over USC. The Utes eschewed the tying PAT to go for the win, and it paid off as they handed the Trojans their 1st loss of the season. Both teams are still alive for a Pac 12 Championship Game berth at 4-1 for USC and 3-1 for Utah, but now the Utes own the tiebreaker advantage should it come to that. Both are still trailing UCLA and Oregon, with USC still to play @UCLA and Utah still to play @Oregon. UCLA plays Oregon this week, so one of those 2 will already have a loss when either the Utes or the Trojans play them.

New Mexico State embarrassed New Mexico 21-9. Both teams are 2-5 and likely staying home for the holidays.

North Carolina scored a TD with 16 seconds left to master Duke 38-35. The Tar Heels lead the ACC Coastal as the only team without a loss. The Blue Devils have now lost 3 of their last 4.

Oregon State obliterated Washington State 24-10. The Beavers are 1 win away from securing their 2nd straight bowl after missing a bowl for 7 consecutive years. 

Air Force shellacked UNLV 42-7. The Rebels have lost 2 straight by a combined score of 82-14 after winning 4 of their 1st 5. The Falcons are 5-2/2-2 with a big game vs Boise St this week.

Fresno State ruined San Jose State by a score of 17-10. The win was the 1st for the Bulldogs over an FBS team this year and broke a 4-game losing skid. The Spartans, at 2-1, still lead the MWC West, but that lead is tenuous at best.

Hawaii thrashed Nevada 31-16 to earn their 1st FBS win of the season. Both teams are 2-5 and have little hope of making a bowl game.

That's all the games from this past weekend. Let me know what you think in the comments. Come back tomorrow for my Power Rankings!

Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!