TWIF Notes 9/23/24

Welcome Back!

What a fantastic 4th weekend of college football! We had unexpected close games, unexpected blowouts, several OT game, and some surprising results.

Most of the FBS vs FCS games were the routs everyone expects in these matchups, and you can't really take much forward from these results. However, FIU lost to Monmouth, dropping the Panthers to 1-3, which is very disappointing since FIU was expected to make a jump in HC Mike MacIntyre's 3rd year.

Here are my thoughts on the FBS vs FBS games.

South Alabama opened the weekend by throttling Appalachian State 48-14. This result throws into question everything we thought we knew about these 2 teams, as the Jaguars just may be better than expected while the Mountaineers just may not be a good team this year. Both have tough games this week as App State hosts Liberty and SA goes on the road to Death Valley to take on LSU.

Stanford kicked a late FG to get by Syracuse 26-24 and win their 1st ACC game. The Cardinal now sit atop the standings here in the early going.

Illinois needed OT to best Nebraska 31-24 and remain undefeated. The Fighting Illini are 1-0 in the Big Ten for the 1st time since 2021, when they opened the season with a win over- you guessed it- the Cornhuskers. And really, has anything changed for the Huskers? They are still losing close games, as they have lost 5 straight games decided by 8 points or less.

Washington State needed 2 OTs to subdue San Jose State 54-52. The Cougars are 4-0, and a win over Boise State on the blue turf this weekend could put them in the CFP conversation.

Ohio State crushed Marshall 49-14, proving not much of anything. The Buckeyes have beaten 3 teams that have a combined 0-7 record against FBS competition.

Clemson cruised past NC State 59-35. The Wolfpack are likely out of the CFP as an at-large team, but I guess they are still alive in the ACC, as only GT and FSU have played more than 2 conference games.

Florida righted the ship with a 45-28 victory over Mississippi State. The Gators get an off week before hosting UCF; the Bulldogs welcome Texas to the SEC by serving as the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter.

Indiana is now 4-0 thanks to a 52-14 win over Charlotte. The Hoosiers could be 9-0 or 8-1 when they host Michigan on Nov 9, as they should be favored in at least 4 of their next 5 games.

James Madison scored 53 points in the 1st half on their way to a 70-50 victory over North Carolina. The Tar Heels had held each of their 1st 3 opponents to 20 points or less, but had no answer for the Dukes. 

Cincinnati shut out Houston 34-0 to improve to 3-1, and only a last second loss to Pitt keeps them from an unblemished record.

West Virginia came back to defeat Kansas 32-28, perhaps salvaging their season and/or sending the Jayhawks spiraling.

Tulane eased by Louisiana 41-33 as the Green Wave evened their record at 2-2 and sent the Ragin' Cajuns tumbling to their 1st loss.

Army upended Rice 37-14. The Black Knights and Navy are 2 of the 3 teams that are 2-0 in a conference (Liberty is the other). 

Kentucky stomped Ohio 41-6 as both teams are now 2-2.

Central Michigan outlasted Ball State 37-34 in a fairly meaningless game that very few of us outside of Michigan or Indiana cared about.

Iowa State pummeled a decent Arkansas State team by a score of 52-7 as the Cyclones start a season 3-0 for the 2nd time in 3 years. They haven't started a season 4-0 since the year 2000 (finished 9-3 that year).

Virginia beat Coastal Carolina 43-24 to cement their best start (3-1) since 2019 (started 4-0). CCU is also 3-1.

Temple got their 1st win of the 2024 season by besting Utah State 45-29, leaving both teams at 1-3.

Jacksonville State demolished Southern Miss 44-7 to earn their 1st win of the season.

Penn State destroyed Kent State 56-0. The Golden Flashes have allowed at least 55 points to all 3 P5 foes they have faced, losing by a combined score of 182-24!

Michigan scored a late TD to pull out a 27-24 win over USC. The win puts the Wolverines back into the CFP discussion, and hands the Trojans their 1st loss.

Notre Dame finally beat a MAC team with a 28-3 victory over Miami, Oh.

Louisville held off Georgia Tech 31-19 to stay undefeated and drop the Jackets to 3-2.

Buffalo upset Northern Illinois 23-20 in OT to knock the Huskies from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Arkansas upended Auburn 24-14, and the Razorbacks are suddenly 3-1 with a big game in Arlington against Texas A&M looming this week. The woeful Tigers host Oklahoma this week.

Rutgers eked by Virginia Tech 26-23 as the Scarlet Knights stay undefeated. The Hokies, at 2-2, are not where they expected to be.

Texas Tech held off Arizona State 30-22, as the Red Raiders are another team that has quietly run their record to 3-1.

Navy upset Memphis 56-44. The Midshipmen have scored at least 38 points in each of their 3 games, all wins, but now go on the road for the 1st time to face UAB and Air Force the next 2 weeks. The Tigers should get back in the win column when they take on MTSU at home this week.

LSU shut out UCLA in the 2nd half as they pulled away for a 34-17 win over the Bruins. The Tigers still seem to have all sorts of problems, but not nearly as many as UCLA has.

Utah announced their presence in the Big XII with a 22-19 win over Oklahoma State, handing the Cowboys their 1st loss of the season.

Duke routed Middle Tennessee 45-17 to improve to 4-0, one of 4 ACC teams still undefeated. Oh, and the Blue Devils finally scored something other than 26 points.

Missouri squeaked by Vanderbilt 30-27, but needed 2 OTs to do so. The Commodores have lost 2 straight, but by a combined 7 points. The Tigers are 4-0, but aren't exactly impressing anyone.

SMU routed TCU 66-42 to claim the Iron Skillet. The Mustangs have played a couple of close games (1 win, 1 loss) but those teams have turned out to be better than expected.

Liberty remained unbeaten with a 35-24 win over East Carolina. If the Flames finish the season undefeated, how will the CFP committee handle them, due to their easy schedule?

Colorado State bounced back from their loss to rival Colorado with a 27-17 win over awful UTEP. The Miners remain winless at 0-4, and have lost 7 in a row.

Miami, Fl stomped USF 50-15, but much like Alabama against the Bulls, the Canes didn't pull away until the 2nd half.

Washington blasted Northwestern 24-5 to get back into the win column and earn their 1st Big Ten victory.

UConn blew out FAU 48-14. The Owls had played Michigan State and Army tough, but had no answers in this game.

FSU muddled past California 14-9 as the Seminoles got their 1st win and handed the Golden Bears their 1st loss.

Tulsa slipped by La Tech 23-20 in OT, which seemed to be the score of the day.

Sam Houston grounded out a 31-11 win over New Mexico State. The Bearkats have matched last year's win total already, and are in line to get several more.

WKU surprised Toledo 26-21 as the Rockets suffered their 1st loss of the season.Both teams are now 3-1.

North Texas crushed woeful Wyoming 44-17 as the Mean Green is 3-1. The Cowboys are still winless.

Tennessee dominated Oklahoma 25-15 in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. The Sooners lose their 1st SEC game, and the Vols look like legitimate CFP (and SEC) contenders.

South Carolina demolished Akron 50-7 to move to 3-1.

Texas A&M edged Bowling Green 26-20, and the Aggies will be lucky to finish in the top half of the SEC.

Iowa pasted Minnesota 31-14 to claim the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. 

Ole Miss destroyed Georgia Southern 52-13 to stay undefeated.

Texas barely broke a sweat to get by ULM 52-3, and now the Longhorns will finally play their 1st SEC game. Against Mississippi State.

Boston College got by Michigan State 23-19 as both teams are now a surprising 3-1.

Colorado stunned Baylor 38-31 in OT, scoring on the game's final play of regulation to give the Buffaloes a chance. 

Fresno State cruised by New Mexico 38-21 to keep the Lobos winless.

Oregon State pounded Purdue 38-21 to hand the Boilermakers their 2nd straight loss.

BYU crushed Kansas State 36-7, completely upending the narrative in the Big XII. The Cougars are 4-0 on the season, and seem poised to be 5-0 when they host Arizona in 3 weeks. But their remaining schedule is challenging; if they finish with 9 or 10 wins, they will have definitely earned it.

That's it for this week! Come back tomorrow for my updated Power Rankings!

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