Even with plenty of ranked teams sitting out with a bye week, we had Top 25 upsets and some very close games. We had the first test of the new overtime rules, and I think they failed (more on that to come).
Top 25 [Last week's position]
1. Georgia Bulldogs (7-0) [1]
2. Michigan Wolverines (7-0) [4] : The Wolverines position themselves in a strong position in preparation to face their in-state rivals
3. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-0) [2] : Not a pretty win
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1) [5] : Definition of dominance. Best victory among Top 25 teams
5. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1) [6] : They struggled early against Tennessee, but they took control in the second half. That was a better performance than many in the Top 25
6. Michigan State Spartans (7-0) [7]
7. Oklahoma Sooners (8-0) [9] : How do you rise two positions when you struggle against conference doormat Kansas? That's an indication of the type of weekend it was for the Top 25 teams!
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) [13]
9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-0) [14] : This might be the highest position the Demon Deacons have ever reached in my rankings
10. Oregon Ducks (6-1) [10] : I accidentally typed "Oregon Sucks" when I was typing their name, and that almost accurately describes their performance this week. They really should have lost that game.
11. Kentucky Wildcats (6-1) [11]
12. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1) [12]
13. Ole Miss Rebels (6-1) [16]
14. SMU Mustangs (7-0) [18]
15. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (6-1) [8]
16. Texas A&M Aggies (6-2) [20]
17. Baylor Bears (6-1) [17]
18. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2) [3] : What happened to their run defense? What happened to their offense? Since they face Ohio State next week, this might be their last week in the rankings
19. UTSA Roadrunners (7-0) [24]
20. Houston Cougars (6-1) [25] : Like most Top 25 teams this week, they had only 30 minutes of decent play. For Houston, though, it happened to be most of the first half and the final few minutes of the fourth quarter.
21. Auburn Tigers (5-2) [21]
22. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2) [22]
23. Florida Gators (4-3) [23]
24. San Diego State Aztecs (7-0) [27]
25. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-1) [15]
On the Edge: NC State Wolfpack (5-2), Pitt Panthers (6-1), Iowa State Cyclones (5-2), Oregon State Beavers (5-2), Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (6-1), Air Force Falcons (6-2), Texas Longhorns (4-3)
Big Ten Report
Well, four of the games went pretty much as expected. The exception is the most talked-about upset of the weekend. Penn State was a 24.5-point favorite against Illinois. Instead, their offense could not figure out how to outmaneuver the Illini defense. Worse, the vaulted defense of Linebacker U couldn't stop ANY of Illinois' three runners. Chase Brown gained more than 220 yards, a personal best and more than a single runner has gained against the Nittany Lions in nearly 40 years. In total, the Illini gained over 330 yards on the ground, an achievement no team has done against Penn State in over 25 years.
And then there's the NINE overtime periods. For those of you who were surprised, the NCAA revised their overtime rules this year. In an attempt to prevent long-running games and help reduce injuries to the players, they required that teams attempt a 2-point conversion for touchdowns beginning in overtime period two, instead of the third period that was previously required. Furthermore, if a game went into a third overtime period, teams would only make one play from the three-yard line (a two-point conversion) instead a drive from the 25-yard line.
So, how did that work out on Saturday? The Penn State - Illinois game turned out to be the longest-running game in NCAA history (you cannot count the late-night Houston - East Carolina game, because it ran so late due to a 5.5 hour lightning delay. It was not the longest PLAYING game), so it failed to reduce the length of the game. During the nine overtime periods, two key players were injured, including Illini quarterback Artur Sitkowski. That turned out to be Illinois' saving grace. Sitkowski left with a sprained wrist in the seventh overtime period, and Brandon Peters, former starting QB who was injured against Wisconsin yet was cleared for this game, came in and engineered their two successive conversions, the second one after a failed attempt by Penn State that sealed the victory and FINALLY ended the game.
Upset Report
Well, after the Illinois-Penn State game, I suppose any upsets would be anti-climactic. However, we had two upsets even BEFORE that game. Wednesday night had the first one of the week, as Appalachian State finally found traces of their previous seasons' strengths and handed Coastal Carolina their first loss of the season. The next night found Charlotte be totally powerless against usually pathetic Florida Atlantic.
Upsets didn't end with the Penn State loss. Other Top 25 teams faced scares, while Wyoming fell to doormat New Mexico and weak Louisville ousted Boston College.
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