Nine things we learned in college football week six
- Hurricanes are nothing to be trifled with
Hurricane Matthew ravaged much of the Eastern seaboard from Florida through the Carolinas over the weekend, with officials counting the death toll at 17 people in four states as of Sunday afternoon. Entire homes, neighborhoods and cities were flooded and destroyed. Seeing the devastation caused by the hurricane, it’s astonishing to think several football teams attempted to play games during the storm. Notre Dame and North Carolina State played a Saturday morning game in the midst of the storm, with the stadium receiving up to eight inches of rain per hour during the game, turning the entire field into a giant slip-and-slide. In an ugly, muddy game, NCSU managed just enough offense in a 10-3 win. Virginia Tech and North Carolina had their own battle in the mud, with Virginia Tech winning 34-3 despite having seven fumbles and several bobbled snaps in the rain. Several other games were either postponed or canceled all together, thus proving what many of already knew: playing a football game in, or even staying in the path of, a Category 4 hurricane is a bad idea.
- Tennessee finally ran out of magic
But they sure gave it their best shot. In a thrilling 2OT game against Texas A&M, Tennessee tried to pull off the same demon magic that’s carried them through several of their games this year, but finally ran out of tricks. Entering the final three minutes down by two touchdowns, the Vols managed to score twice, partly thanks to Tennessee defender Malik Foreman forcing a fumble on what should have been a game-sealing 71-yard touchdown run for Trayveon Williams and Texas A&M. Tennessee’s luck finally ran out in the second overtime, as QB Joshua Dobbs was intercepted by Armani Watts to seal the win and Tennessee’s first loss.
- Rutgers is a three-legged puppy
Sometimes, you see something that just makes you cry inside. Rutgers football makes me cry inside. Three weeks, the team was tied with Iowa late in the fourth quarter. Since that point, they’ve been outscored 143-0, including a 58-0 shellacking by Ohio State last week and a 78-0 dismantling at the hands of Michigan this week. Stay strong, Rutgers.
- Washington has no regard for the PAC-12 ‘Elite’
For years, the conference has been dominated by Oregon and Stanford. Judging by the last two weeks, the Huskies are sick of such a status quo. After trampling the Cardinal 44-6 last week, Washington walked into Eugene and beat Oregon 70-21. For everyone who thought former Boise State coach Chris Peterson could not survive at the Power 5 level, the last two weeks serve as an emphatic counterpoint.
- Don’t sleep on Navy
This should be common knowledge after World War II, but apparently it also extends to the football team. Despite the loss of all-time FBS touchdown leader Keenan Reynolds, the Midshipmen are now 4-1, including a 3-0 conference record in the AAC after a 46-40 upset over #6 Houston. The win effectively eliminates any hope the Cougars had of making the Playoff while also thrusting Navy back into the national spotlight. With the Group of 5 spot in the New Year’s Six bowls now possibly up for grabs, Navy is prepping to again make a run at it.
- USC is still a good team
USC’s three losses on the season are two games on the road at Utah and Stanford and a neutral field game against Alabama. Yet the prevailing notion is that USC is not a good football team. But two straight wins over Arizona State and #21 Colorado have USC back to 3-3 on the year and right back into the PAC-12 South race at 2-2. A possible redemption game looms on November 12 at Washington.
- Your Mountain West dark-horse is… Wyoming?
It seems far-fetched, but the Cowboys are 2-0 in conference play, 4-2 on the season, and play both Boise State and San Diego State at home. After beating Air Force 35-26, the Cowboys somehow turned an October 29 date with Boise State into a crucial matchup. Led by junior RB Brian Hill, who is averaging five yards per carry on the year while rushing for 721 yards total, the Cowboys may just have a shot at an extremely improbable conference title.
8. Kansas is Kansas
The Jayhawks are terrific in basketball. Football, not so much. Kansas has not beaten a Big 12 opponent since November of 2014 when they beat Iowa State, which also doubled as their last win over any FBS team. The Jayhawks came excruciatingly close to ending the skid on Saturday, losing 24-23 to TCU while missing three field goal kicks on the day, including a 54-yard attempt at the end of the game. The Big 12 losing streak extends to 14 games.
- Get ready for the in-conference road game
It’s almost cliche how often it gets talked about. No matter how good of a team you are, you always have to be aware of the in-conference road game that could cause you a lot more trouble than you would normally expect (cough, Colorado State, cough). We’re in the midst of those trap games, as this week almost caught the aforementioned TCU and did trip up Houston. With teams like Nebraska, Utah, West Virginia, and Alabama among others all set to face in-conference opponents on the road next week, it might start getting real interesting here real soon.