TWIF Notes 10/12/26

Welcome Back!

It finally happened! Chaos reigned supreme this past weekend as college football delivered on upsets, close games, and wild finishes. So much fun! 

Here are my thoughts from Week 6.

1. We had 3 games go into overtime this week. First, Wyoming kicked a FG to defeat San Jose State on the road on Friday night. Then, Michigan State scored the final 14 points in regulation, the last TD coming with 1:17 remaining, before missing the potential game-winning 2-point try in a 38-37 loss in Champaign. And finally, Kentucky kicked the tying FG with 16 seconds left, but then converted their 2-point try to stun LSU 35-34 at home. This is the 2nd straight week the Wildcats have won a game by converting the 2-point try in OT to win 35-34. What are the odds.

2. I can never figure the MAC out. Just when I think a team is going to dominate the conference (Toledo), they lose to a team with no FBS wins (Buffalo). And it wasn't even close, as the Bulls led by double digits most of the game, finally winning 23-8.

3. FSU is cooked. The Seminoles opened their game with Louisville by scoring the 1st 14 points, then celebrated by allowing the Cardinals to score the next 35 points in a 44-20 loss. I just don't see this season ending above .500 at best.

4. Iowa has found an offense! The Hawkeyes blasted Washington in Seattle by a score of 41-24, and have now scored 40 or more points in 3 of their 6 games. This was the 1st, however, against a P4 team. This matches the number of game the Hawkeyes scored 40+ points in all of last year. And with Minnesota allowing 41 to Purdue in a 28-point loss, and those same Boilermakers still on the schedule, along with Illinois, the chances of reaching the 40 point plateau again is pretty good, I'd say.

5. Nebraska spit the bit against Indiana, blowing a 17-6 4th quarter lead when they had all the momentum and the entire crowd behind them. Instead, Indiana scored on the very next play and never looked back in the 20-17 win in Lincoln. While I'm not overly worried about the Hoosiers, I wouldn't be surprised if they lost a game or 2 the rest of the way, starting with Ohio State this weekend. I also won't be surprised if they extend their winning streak to 32 games by winning the National Championship for a 2nd year in a row.

6. Texas A&M is falling apart. After losing to Missouri 27-6, the Aggies have scored just 6 points in 2 of their last 3 games, and have lost 3 of their last 4. Meanwhile, their defense has allowed at least 27 points in half of their games. Mizzou, on the other hand, is flying high. Or should I say running high, as their ground game just crushed their 2nd consecutive opponent.

7. Speaking of bad defense, West Virginia has allowed 41, 45, and 52 points in their last 3 games, and didn't exactly overwhelm their other FBS opponents in allowing 24 to CCU and 27 to UVA. It's going to be a long season in Morgantown.

8. Wake Forest just plastered NC State 38-14, and the Demon Deacons are now 5-1/3-1. While nothing is certain in the ACC, their remaining schedule is lacking in top teams. If they can avoid a stumble, we just may see a rematch with Miami in the ACC CG. The offense has scored at least 30 points against every opponent except the Hurricanes (they lost 30-20), and at least 38 in 4 of their 5 wins.

9. Florida is another team that looked good early, but has been just awful the last 2 weeks. This time, the Gators lost to a less-than-stellar South Carolina by a score of 38-19. The Gamecocks came into this game at 2-3/0-3 but dropped the Gators to 4-2/2-2. UF has a brutal schedule remaining: at Texas, UGA in Atlanta, Oklahoma, at Kentucky, Vandy, and at FSU. Can they find 2 more wins to reach a bowl?

10. ODU came off the mat to defeat App State 10-3 in bad weather to get their 1st FBS win. The Monarchs are out of the race in the SBC East, but can certainly play spoiler, and now have renewed hopes of making it back to a bowl.

11. Oklahoma still has a terrible offense, but did just enough on the last drive to kick the winning FG against #1 Texas in a 27-24 victory. The Sooners scored TDs on a blocked punt and a pick 6, as the offense was only able to muster a TD and 2 FGs. The Longhorns had a chance to get the winning FG themselves, but QB Arch Manning threw an INT instead.

12. Notre Dame still hasn't been challenged as they demolished Stanford 58-7. The Fighting Irish have scored at least 37 points in 5 out of 6 games, and have allowed more than 13 points in a game just once, holding 4 opponents to 10 points or less, including 1 shutout. The Irish just may be the best team in CFB, but we should know more after they visit BYU in Provo this weekend.

13. UCLA eked out a big win over Oregon to stay undefeated. The Bruins are 5-0 for the 1st time since 2022, when they started 6-0 before losing at Oregon. With the next 3 games at home, UCLA could be 8-0 when they travel to Minnesota the 1st weekend in November. And really, none of the remaining games should scre anyone (except maybe a team from the MAC), and they get USC at home in the finale.

14. Georgia Tech earned their 1st FBS win when Duke missed the potential game-tying FG. The Blue Devils are now 4-1/1-1 while the Yellow Jackets are 2-3/1-1.

15. Navy is another team that just may have turned their season around thanks to a 34-26 victory over Tulsa. The Midshipmen are 2-3/1-2, and if they can get past UTSA in San Antonio this weekend, could be back in the American Conference race.

16. Does Maryland have any hope left? Any at all? The Terrapins crushed by Ohio State by a score of 45-16, and that was their 11th straight Big Ten loss, as they've now lost 18 of their last 20 in the conference.

17. Oregon State just decimated San Diego State, winning 66-14. The Beavers have won 4 in a row after dropping their 1st 2 to power conference foes, and they've score 52 or more in 3 of their last 4 games. Will OSU challenge Boise State for the Pac 12 crown?

18. UNLV ended North Dakota State's perfect start to their FBS lives, winning 13-7 over the Bison. It was the 1st time NDSU scored less than 28 points in an FBS game, but follows a weird pattern for UNLV. The Rebels have alternated good and bad defensive performances. In order, they have allowed 27 points in a loss, 6 in a win, 44 in a loss, 10 in a win, 31 in another win, and now 7. I guess that means Air Force is about to score a lot this weekend.

19. The Georgia-Alabama game more than lived up to the hype. The Bulldogs looked like the better team all night, but the Crimson Tide kept doing just enough to hang around and give themselves a chance to win. In the end, the Dawgs prevailed 20-17, and they now take over sole possession of 1st place in the SEC (and nationally). 

20. USC finally won a big game on the road, if you can call a 31-23 victory over a now 3-3/0-3 Penn State a big game. I guess it's better than the alternative for the Trojans.

21. La Tech won their 1st SBC game as they topped Louisiana 32-31. The Bulldogs joined the conference this year, and seem to be a good fit. There's a long way to go in the season, but it should be interesting to see if they can win the division and/or get a win against their Eastern Division opponents ODU and Ga Southern.

22. 117 of 138 teams played this past weekend, 2 more than last week. That's still just too many teams to list.

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!