Random Thoughts: Halftime!

We are halfway through the 2023 regular season and many of the pretenders are fading into the background.

Alabama 26 Texas A&M 20 - Tide WR Jermaine Burton had the best output of his career grabbing 9 passes for 197 yards and a pair of scores. Isaiah Bond added another 7-96-1. The Bama defense once again stepped up with some huge plays. The front seven continues to hassle opposing quarterbacks leaving many with grass stains on their backs.

Alabama struggled with the running game with the Tide’s leading rusher Jase McClellan compiling only 45 yards. Thanks to six sacks of Jalen Milroe, the Bama QB ended up in the red with -31 rushing yards. The Tide also committed a ridiculous 14 penalties though some of them were iffy, such as the alleged “blind-side” block on the blocked field goal that negated a touchdown. The block was not really necessary and on a slow ass pursuer - and that is probably what caught the zebra’s eye - but most other teams probably would not get flagged on that play. I’m jus’ sayin’.

Oklahoma 34 Texas 30 - The Red River Shootout was back in the spotlight and it did not disappoint. This game had everything: fake punts, blocked punts, trick plays, turnovers... The biggest sequence has to be Okie’s goal line stand in the fourth quarter (see above) from the one yard line. Texas QB Quinn Ewers continues to look up-and-down against teams not named “Alabama”. He had some nice plays and pretty numbers (31/37, 346 yds, TD) but also threw two picks - one on the second play of the game, lost a fumble, and took 5 sacks. Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel was the real star of the game with 285 yards through the air and 113 on the ground. He was sacked only once and did not turn the ball over.

Louisville 33 Notre Dame 20 - AARP pitchman Sam Hartman had an abysmal night as the Cardinals defense sacked the Irish quarterback 5 times, intercepted 3 passes, and forced him to lose two fumbles. Notre Dame was 3-13 on third down and 0-2 on fourth. The ‘Ville racked up 16 fourth quarter points for a 33-13 advantage until ND tacked on a late TD to make it look a tad closer than it was. The Cards’ RB Jawhar Jordan had 143 rushing yards and two scores.

This might be the earliest that the Irish have been knocked out of championship contention since Brian Kelly’s atrocious 2016 season.

SEC

LSU 49 Missouri 39 - Mizzou had a strong first half leading 25-17 with some dynamic offensive plays. However, LSU was the better team coming out of the locker room with 32 second half points against 14 for Mizzy. The Bayou Bengals profited off many explosive plays against a slower MU defense.

Ole Miss 27 Arkansas 20 - This game is always a street fight and this year’s version was no exception. OM came back from down 20-17 in the final frame with 10 points to rally for the win. Arky RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders again struggled to get anything going as he netted 15 yards on 8 carries. KJ Jefferson threw his fifth and sixth interceptions of the season - already the most he has thrown in any of his five seasons. OM’s Ulysses Bentley had 94 rushing yards and a score for the Rebs in his most extensive playing time as a Reb.

Georgia 51 Kentucky 13 - UGA finally played a solid four quarter game dominating an overhyped group of basketball-schoolers. After three weeks of lethargic play, Carson Beck has finally been able to find the unstoppable Brock Bowers (7 rec, 132 yds, 1 TD) the last three games which is bad news for opposing secondaries. UK’s Devin Leary (10/26, 128 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT) has not been the threat we thought he might be, and it feels like RB Ray Davis (15 rush, 59 yds, 0 TD) was reading too many headlines this past week.

[NOTE: If you talk to Dwags fans, they will inform you of how Carson Beck is the latest second-coming of Jesus. But truthfully, Bowers could make any sorry ass quarterback look like a Hall of Famer.]

Florida 38 Vanderbilt 14 - The Gators were at home in the Swamp, so of course that means that they look like the 2008 Gators. Next, they go on the road, so naturally they’ll look like the 2014 Gators. Vandy was never going to win this game. It sure did not help that starting QB AJ Swann was a no-go.

Mississippi State 41 Western Michigan 28 - Clanga-cland snapped a three-game slide but did so giving up way too many points to a bad MAC team.

OTHER STUFF

Michigan 52 Minnesota 10 - The Wolverines scored a pick-six on the second play of the game and held Minnie to zero pass completions in the 2nd half. UM had a second pick-six and forced seven punts.

Ohio State 37 Maryland 17 - This one was a tight game for awhile with the Terps actually leading 17-10 in the third. They probably should have had a bigger lead but they Maryland’d and screwed up some opportunities for the upset. anOSU scored 27 unanswered for the W but had 10 penalties and 62 rushing yards. This Buckeyes team might have been a 3-loss team this season if not for Marvin Harrison Jr. (8 rec, 163 yds, 1 TD) being on the roster.

UCLA 25 Washington State 17 - The Wazzu Cinderella story might be coming to a premature end. The darlings of the Pac-2 gave up a 17-12 lead with the Bruins scoring two early fourth quarter touchdowns and holding on for the win. After all the early success/hype for the PAC teams, they are starting to settle into mediocrity.

NEAR DERPS OF THE WEEK

Southern Cal 43 Arizona 41 (3 OT) - ‘Zona went up 17-0 on home team, So Cal, in the second quarter. The Trojans came back to make it a three-point game at the half. Credit to the Wildcats for not wilting in the second half as they went toe-to-toe including converting a two-pointer to tie it at 28. Caleb Williams was able to drive the field with under a minute to play but his kicker missed a 25-yarder to send it into overtime. Both teams scored TDs in the first two OTs (and both missing two-point conversions in the second extra frame). In the third, the University of South Central scored a touchdown+2. Arizona answered but missed the two. It was another near miss for the Men of Troy.

Clemson 17 Wake Forest 12 - The Demon Deacons are 3-2 but don’t let that record fool you. Their wins are over Elon, Vanderbilt, and @Old Dominion. Georgia Tech waxed Wake 30-16 the previous week and Clemson barely slid by them in Def Valley on Saturday. Cade Klubnik had his lowest passing output of the season with 131 yards and also lost a fumble inside his own red zone. People are starting to wonder if the CU quarterback has lost his team - or if he ever had them.

OFFENSIVE OFFENSE

Iowa 20 Purdue 14 - Quite possibly the worst quarterbacking effort in a win was Iowa’s Deacon Hill who completed 6 of 21 attempts for 110 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. Fortunately for them, Kaleb Johnson rushed for 134 yards and the Iowa defense did the rest.

If you haven’t heard, Hawkeye OC Brian Ferentz’s contract was amended for the 2023-24 football season to include two performance objectives: Average 25 Points per Game and Win 7 games. Iowa is 5-1, but they are averaging 21.8 ppg. It is yet to be seen if his boss/daddy holds up to his promise and fires his sonny-boy when he falls short of that second stipulation.

COACHING MALPRACTICE OF THE WEEK

Georgia Tech 23 Miami 20 - This mental derp by Mario Cristobal may have killed their season. On a 3rd and 10 with the clock ticking under 40 seconds before you have to snap the ball, you just take a knee and the game is over. Right? The Yeller Jackets with no timeouts left had no way of stopping the clock. Instead, the ‘Canes said “nah” and called a run play. The running back coughed up the football and Tech recovered. With the ball at their own 26 and 25 ticks remaining, former TAMU QB Haynes King drove the field and concluded the possession when he found former Alabama WR Christian Leary in the end zone for the winning touchdown with one second to go. Talk about a “signature loss”...

MAY THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN

Miami-FL beat Miami-OH who beat Bowling Green who beat Georgia Tech who beat Miami-FL.

KEEP YOUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL

CATCH OF THE WEEK

DID THEY REALLY THINK THIS WAS LEGAL?

Oddly enough, no flag was thrown on the play. If this had been Alabama, it would have been a 50-yard penalty. Like this...

FCS MELTDOWN OF THE WEEK

Central Arkansas 38 SE Missouri 33 - CAU trailed SEMO 30-6 in the 4th quarter and outscored the Redhawks 32-3.

REF OOPSIE OF THE WEEK, PART 1

Some tinfoil hat Aggie fans are out there whining that this incident was all a big conspiracy to help the Tide! Yep, 14 penalties to four for TAMU and the refs are in Alabama’s pocket. Gotcha.

REF OOPSIE OF THE WEEK, PART DEUX

Shouldn’t that be a blind-side penalty?

WACKIEST HALFTIME SHOW OF THE WEEK

Iowa State.

JEFFERSON-PILOT MOMENT OF THE WEEK

Yep, ABC. Same team that broadcast the Bama-USF game through a flip phone.

NAME OF THE WEEK

Kentucky DL Octavious Oxendine

WEIRD FORMATION OF THE WEEK

NEWS FLASH: VEGAS WINS AGAIN

Up by three points with 41 seconds to go, LSU gets a pick-6 to win by 10. The point spread you ask? Why it was LSU -6.5 of course.

SAY WHAT? OF THE WEEK

(shhhhhh! a little meltdown for you but don’t tell anyone)

IF YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO SAY, YOU’RE “NOT WEIRD”, YOU’RE PROBABLY WEIRD.

This is a TAMU commercial that they ran during the Bama game.

TROLL OF THE WEEK

Dagger.

STATIONARY RUNNING BACK OF THE WEEK

• I am sorry to do this one to him but Alabama running back Roydell Williams had 6 rushes for 9 yards.

STATS OF THE WEEK

• With five more sacks against Arizona, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders leads the nation in being sacked at 30. No wonder he has a high completion rate.
• LSU is allowing 32.3 points per game. That ranks them at #112 in the nation behind stalwarts such as UConn, Boston College, UVa, and Utah State.
• Southern Cal has given up at least 41 points and 500 yards in consecutive games. Not sure if that is sustainable.

GAMEDAY SIGN OF THE WEEK

THE WACKY WORLD OF DESI

Lawd! Are they trying to kill the poor guy??

GAMEDAY TROLL OF THE WEEK

GameDay is going to Seattle for Oregon vs. Washington. FOX’s Big Noon will be in South Bend for Trojans-Irish. SEC Nation heads Knoxville for Aggies vs. Vols.

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• Wyoming (5-1) ruined Fresno’s perfect season 24-19. The Bulldogs drop out of the top 25 and off our Adopt list.
• Tulane (4-1) had a week off before heading to Memphis as a field goal favorite.
• Jamey Chadwell (36-6 over the last four seasons) Liberty barely escaped Sam Elliott Houston State 21-16.

COUSINS

• South Alabama (3-3) - The Jags waxed ULM 55-7. USA has a week off before hosting Southern Miss next Tuesday.
• Troy (4-2) - The Trojans snapped Arky State’s three-game win streak 37-3. Up next for TU (-4) is a trek to Army.
• Jacksonville State (5-1) - The Gamecocks trailed MTSU 23-7 at the half and laid down 38 consecutive points to win 45-30. It’s a shame that the NCAA has a goofy rule that teams transitioning to FBS are not eligible for the post-season in their first two years. JSU is in their first year. James Madison (5-0) is in their second and both will be sitting at home in December. Stupid. Liberty comes a-callin’ on Jax as a 6 point favorite.

THAT ANNOYING GUY WHO DIPS TOBACKY IN CHURCH

• UAB (2-4) - The Dragons came up big with a 56-35 romp of South Florida. They next visit UTSA as a 8.5 point underdog.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

• Air Force (5-0) - The Falcons (-9.5) were grounded for a week to prepare for Wyoming’s arrival on Oct. 14.
• Army (2-3) - The Black Knights gave up a TD to Boston College with 25 ticks to go to lose 27-24. Troy (-3) invades on Saturday.
• Navy (2-3) - The Midshipmen topped North Texas 27-24. The Middies fly to Charlotte as a 4.5 point favorite.

ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

Eliminated: All non-P5s, Clemson, Boston College, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Baylor, Houston, Iowa State, K-State BYU, Cincinnati, Center Florida, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Rutgers, Sparty, Minnie, Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, Arizona State, Arizona, Colorado, Stanford, Cal, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Missy State, Arky, Auburn, Florida, NEW: Notre Dame, Texas A&M, K-State

Endangered: Alabama, Tennessee NEW: Texas

Extremely Endangered: Wisconsin, West Virginia, Kansas, Ole Miss, UCLA, Oregon State, Utah, Duke, LSU NEW: Mizzou, Miami-FL, Maryland, Wazzu

A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture:

DraftKings odds to win the 2023 National Championship:

1. Georgia +220 to+240 to +230 to +300 to +260 (bet $100 to win $260)
2. Michigan +800 to +750 to +700 to +475 to +400 to +340
3. FSU +2000 to +1100 +1000 drop to +1200 to +800 to +900 to +800
4. Ohio State +700 to +750 to +900 +1200 to +1000 to +800 to +750 to +900
5. Washington to +1500 to +1200
6. Penn State +2200 to +1800 to +1600 to +1400 to +1200
7. Oklahoma +1400
8. Oregon to +1600 to +1400
9. Texas +2200 to +1000 to +800 to +750 to +1800
10. Alabama +600 to +550 to +2500 to +4000 to +4000 to +2500 to +2000
11. Southern Cal +1500 to +1600 to +1500 stays at +1400 to +1600 to +1800 to +2500

• LSU +1100 to +3500 to +3500 to +3000 to +4000 to +15000 to +20000
• Notre Dame +3500 to +2800 to +2200 to +1600 to +3500 to +4000 to +25000
• Texas A&M +12000 to +10000 to +12000 to +25000

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

• ACC - Louisville cleared a big hurdle on their dogs**t schedule. Florida State and UNC easily won over garbage teams. Miami-FL crapped the bed.
• Big 12 - Texas fell to Okie but the ‘Horns are not out of the running. These two could meet again December 2.
• Big Ten - Still waiting on anOSU, Michigan, and PSU to play a conference foe worth a hill of beans.
• PAC-12 - Southern Cal had another sloppy ugly win against an inferior opponent. Oregon and Washington play this weekend.
• SEC - Long shots Kentucky and Mizzou fall by the wayside. It’s Georgia and... well I’ll be! Look who’s back. It’s Alabama, Paawwwllll!
• Indies - Notre Dame (NC odds +4000 to +25000) is toast.
• Non-Power 5

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

A good deal of movement in the polls.

1. Georgia (50)
2. Michigan (11)
3. Ohio State (1) +1 spot
4. Florida State (1) +1
5. Oklahoma - moved up 7 spots
6. Penn State
7. Washington
8. Oregon
9. Texas - down 6
10. Southern Cal -1
11. Alabama - no movement
12. North Carolina - up 2 for beating Syracuse??
13. Ole Miss - +3
14. Louisville - zoomed up 11 for dumping Notre Dame
15. Oregon State
16. Utah +2
17. Duke +2
18. UCLA - back in the rankings
19. Washington State - down only 6 after losing to UCLA
20. Tennessee - up 3 for sitting at home and doing nothing.
21. Notre Dame - tumbling 11 spots
22. LSU +1
23. Kansas - back in the rankings
24. Kentucky - down only 4 for that abomination against UGA.
25. Miami - down 8 for the derp of the year.

Missouri and Fresno State dropped from rankings.

LET’S GO BOWLING!

• Of the 131 FBS teams eligible for the post season, only 14 are still undefeated.
• Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, and Louisville are 6-0 and bowl eligible. Nine other teams are 5-0.

LET’S GO BLOWING!

• Virginia GOT A WIN! Over li’l ol’ William & Mary 27-13.
• UConn also captured their first W by topping Rice 38-31 on the road.
• Nevada (0-5) is still winless.
• Sam Houston is also 0-5 and the odds on favorite for this year’s Triple Golden Sombrero for going 0-12 in a season. They are averaging 10.8 ppg.
• By being pummeled by Kansas, Center Florida is now 0-3 in their inaugural Big 12 campaign. None of the new members of the B12 have conference wins over the rest of the league thus far. BYU is 1-1 by defeating Cincinnati. Cincy and Houston are 0-2 each.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to whiny-ass programs who complained to the NCAA about photo shoots for recruits and the effort they require from staff. You mean they have to put in a little extra work to keep up with the big boys?? Poor Babies! Because of their whining, the NCAA passed legislation to ban the act. Although outlawed, there is nothing from stopping a parent or coach from taking a photo on their phone of the recruit on his visit. The ban is for the use of professional photographers and coordinated photo shoots.

HEISMAN HYPE

I hate to admit it, but Oregon’s Bo Nix is having a pretty darn good campaign thus far. Through five games, he has completed 80.4% of his passes - highest in the nation. He has 15 TDs against only one INT and has only been sacked three times. I suppose getting away from an overbearing daddy and fair-weather fan base helps. NiX and the DuX face Michael PeniX and the Washington Huskies on Saturday - a game which will clear up many things from a national perspective.

Below are just some of the top Heisman picks in order of the money lines.

Odds are provided by DraftKings and many more options can be seen at that link under the AWARDS tab. [Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.]

1. QB Michael Penix (6th YR, Washington) from +1600 to +900 to +550 to +400 to +380 to +200 *
2. QB Caleb Williams (JR, Southern Cal) +450 to +400 to +380 to +400 to +180 to +220
3. QB Bo Nix (5th YR, Oregon) +1000 to +900 to +600 *
4. QB Dillon Gabriel (5th YR, Oklahoma) +1200 *
5. QB Jordan Travis (6th YR, FSU) from +1400 to +900 to +1500 to +1200 to +1500 to +1600

• QB Quinn Ewers (RS-SO, Texas) +1300 to +900 to +700 to +600 to +900 to +3000
• QB Jayden Daniels (5th YR, LSU) +1100 to +3000 to +2200 +1800 to +2500 to +3500 *
• QB Sam Hartman (6th YR, Notre Dame) fell from +1600 to +2000 to +1100 to +2200 to +6500 *
• QB Jalen Milroe (RS-SO, Bama) +12000 to +10000 to +9000
• QB Shedeur Sanders (JR, Colorado) +1800 to +8000 to +12000
• RB Jase McClellan (SR, Bama) +12000 to +15000 to +20000

* Too damn old.

Thinking outside the box for some other non-QB candidates.

• Dallas Turner has 14 solos, 16 assists, 5.5 sacks, 8.5 TFL, 8 QBH, and 2 forced fumbles.
• Jonah Elliss, DE, Utah 15 solo, 10 asst, 7.5 sacks, 1 pass defensed, 2 QBH
• Luther Burden, WR, Mizzou 54 recs, 793 yds, 5 TD

THE SICK REPORT

• LSU DB Greg Brooks has been diagnosed with rare brain cancer and faces several months of rehab. He had surgery to remove a tumor from his brain last month.
• Auburn starting DE Mosiah Nasili-Kite is out for season with a torn bicep.

R.I.P.

• News broke Wednesday that former the Crimson Tide running back Ray Hudson had died. No cause of death has been announced as of yet. Hudson was well on his way to a stand-out senior season in 2004 when he injured a knee in Game 6 versus Kentucky and never played another snap. At that point, Hudson had compiled 638 rushing yards (106.3 ypg) and 4 touchdowns. He also had a receiving score in that shortened season.
• Hudson, who played from 2001-2004, is the third running back off of the 2002 Alabama squad who has died in the last 20 months. Ahmaad Galloway, who played 1999-2002, died of an accidental drug overdose this past January. Santonio Beard, who was on the team from 2001-02, died from gunshot wound in February 2022. The shooter has yet to be found.

DRAMA

• Pat Fitzgerald is suing Northwestern for $130 million for wrongful termination. He was fired from the school in July for alleged hazing within the football program.
• Mel Tucker’s lawyers sent a 106-page letter that presents “new evidence” to Michigan State’s interim president and board of trustees.
• The Ole Miss AD found a second invoice from the SEC on his desk last week. After being fine $100K for their idiot fans running on the field after defeating LSU, they were hit with a second fine of $75K for their idiot fans throwing debris onto the field during the fourth quarter of that game. The conference is using video evidence to determine who threw the trash. Anyone identified as having been involved will be prohibited from attending Ole Miss athletic events for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Fines are not going to deter this behavior. It’s daddy’s money. What do they care? A better solution might be to cut off sales of alcohol for the next game(s).
• A fire broke out last Tuesday night at Illinois’ Memorial Stadium. Firefighters found a utility vehicle and riding lawnmower on fire and safely extinguished the outburst without injuries.
• NC State had high hopes for QB Brennan Armstrong, who transferred to the Wolfpack from Virginia for his final season. However, he has found his way to the bench through his erratic play (5 TD, 6 INT) in favor of true sophomore MJ Morris. After a solid 2021 season at UVa - his fourth - in which he threw fro 4,449 yards, 31 TD and 10 picks, many Draftniks saw Armstrong as a potential first or second round NFL draft pick. Instead, he elected to return to the Cavaliers and regressed to 2,210 yds, 7 TD, 12 INT. In this his sixth season in college football, things are not going any better. Sometimes it’s best to strike while the iron is hot. Amirite, Zach Wilson?
• After a load of temper tantrums from UNC coach Mack Brown, wide receiver Tez Walker has been granted a waiver to play this season. A statement released by the NCAA announced the change of heart, but it also volleyed blame back onto UNC stating that “information had not been made available” previously by the school. And of course the immature name-calling started. Walker hauled in 6 passes for 43 yards in his first UNC game last Saturday.
• ICYMI, the NCAA has shortened the Transfer Portal window from 60 days to 45.
• The NCAA also voted to extend coach suspensions from just the games themselves to entire days or weeks. For example, Michigan self-imposed a three-game ban on coach Jim Harbaugh, but he was able to handle all coaching duties during the week. In the new ruling, a suspended coach would be out full days or weeks instead of just the games.

KOACHES KORNER

• Remember Dabo disciple Jeff Scott who went 4-26 as head coach at South Florida from 2020 to 2022? The Bulls already have three wins this season without him.
• Center Florida (3-3) has extended the contract of coach Gus Malzahn through the 2027 season. The handshake raises his salary to $5.5 million annually in 2026 and 2027.
• Urban Meyer decided to go visit his childhood home. He asked the residents if he could come inside because he was feeling nostalgic, but they refused and slammed the door in his face. Urbie’s parents are still a little afraid of him.
• Fat F*** Phil Fulmer decided to turn vegan and but was arrested for deforestation.

TEEVEE

TSIO: Alabama vs Tennessee will be on CBS, October 21, 2:30/3:30 kickoff with our old nemesis Gary on a live mic. How many times will he reference last season’s game before halftime?

THIS WEEK

Mercy sakes alive! So, many ball games this week!

(Below is an abbreviated list of highlighted games of interest with lines provided by DraftKings. If you REALLY need to know about the big Temple-North Texas showdown, you can find the details here.)

Tuesday, October 10

Louisiana Tech at Middle Tennessee (-3) 6pm7pm CBSSN
Liberty (-6) at Jacksonville State 6:30/7:30 ESPNU
Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State (-5) 6:30/7:30 ESPN2

Wednesday, October 11

UTEP (-1.5) at FIU 6:30/7:30 ESPN2
Yosemite Sam Houston at New Mexico State (-3.5) 8pm/9pm CBSSN

Thursday, October 12

West Virginia (-4.5) at Houston 6pm/7pm FS1
SMU (-10.5) at East Carolina 6:30/7:30 ESPN

Friday, October 13

Tulane (-3) at Memphis 6pm/7pm ESPN
Fresno (-6) at Utah State 7pm/8pm CBSSN
Stanford at Colorado (-12.5) 9pm/10pm ESPN

Saturday, October 14

SEC

Georgia (-32.5) at Vanderbilt 11am/Noon CBS - Ridiculously soft UGA schedule.
Texas A&M at Tennessee (-4) 2:30/3:30 CBS
Florida at South Carolina (-2.5) 2:30/3:30 SECN - There is a good reason why Fla is an underdog. They have been outscored 57-25 in two road games this season.
Auburn at LSU (-13) 6pm/7pm ESPN
Missouri at Kentucky (-3) 6:30/7:30 SECN

* Ole Miss and Missy State are off this week.

OTHERS WORTH A PEEK

Oregon at Washington (-3) 2:30/3:30 ABC
Southern Cal at Notre Dame (-3) 6:30/7:30 NBC

WE ARE SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON; AND OUR LITTLE LIFE IS ROUNDED WITH A SLEEP ~ The Tempest William Shakespeare

San Diego Maradona State (-6) at Hawaii 10pm/11pm CBSSN - Remember that time when folks were saying adding SDSU would save the Pac-12? Yeah, they are 2-4 and 0-2 in the MWC.

SABAN vs. POP & BEAR

Below is a count of career FBS/Division I-A win totals for coaches.

For those of you new to RBR Random Thoughts, we count all on-field wins at the FBS/Division I-A level. So, before you go squawking about Frank Beamer, 42 of his wins came at Murray State. Mack Brown had six victories in one season with Appalachian State when they were still in what was known at I-AA (FCS today). Brian Kelly won 118 games with something called Grand Valley State. So, let’s stop talking about his win record with such reverence. In addition, we don’t recognize NCAA sanctioned forfeits. If you won on the field, it counts in our books.

Miss Terry probably deserves a share of those wins. :)

Mack Brown’s Tar Heels beat Syracuse.

#ALABAMA

• Alabama has recorded at least four sacks in the last four games, 18 total. The Tide is tied for third in the nation in sacks with a 3.67 per game average. The Bama defense has held MTSU, USF, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M to season lows in scoring.
• When asked about James Burnip after the Aggies game, Nick Saban paused before vaguely responding that the Tide punter has “a pulled muscle in his leg”. Hopefully, it is not hamstring but it might be. Placekicker Will Reichard filled in and kicked four times for a respectable 41.25 yard average while forcing three fair catches by Aggies return man Ainias Smith. TAMU’s preseason All-SEC punter Nik Constantinou averaged 37.75 over four boots. For his efforts, the Tide specialist was named the SEC’s Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Reichard added six more points to his career scoring tally. He moves into a tie for 7th:

1. QB Keenan Reynolds, Navy 530 (+50)
2. RB Kenneth Dixon, Louisiana Tech 522
3. RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin 500
4. PK Austin Seibert, Oklahoma 499
5. PK Zane Gonzalez, Arizona State 494
6. PK Christopher Dunn, North Carolina State 491

T-7. PK Will Reichard, Alabama 480
T-7. PK Daniel Carlson, Auburn 480

• Justin Eboigbe was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. He registered five tackles, including 1.5 sacks (-10 yards), one of which was the sack that resulted in a key safety late in the fourth quarter.
• Jaeden Roberts got the start at right guard for Alabama. Saban stated that usual starter Darrian Dalcourt “had a little shoulder problem” and that “he was struggling a little bit,” though he did not say what he was struggling with - the pain or the blocking. Previous to this game, Roberts had played in all of 12 snaps over three games this fall.
• Malachi Moore “has a twisted ankle”. After the left the game, Terrion Arnold moved to the nickel and Trey Amos came in at corner.
• Saban keeps trotting Roydell Williams out there as the second RB for some reason. The senior gained nine yards on six carries. Jam Miller played a few snaps on offense but did not get a rush attempt. Justice Haynes once again only played on special teams.
• Arkansas will be without star freshman tight end Luke Hasz who broke his clavicle.

GAME 7: Saturday, October 14, 2023 - HOMECOMING

Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0) vs Arkansas Razorbacks (2-4, 0-3)

Tuscaloosa, AL ~ 11am/Noon ESPN

• Arky defeated Western Carolina and Kent State to begin the season. Since then, they have lost four straight to BYU, @LSU, TAMU, and @OM.
• Alabama is 26-7 all-time against Arky. Nick Saban has never lost to the Razorbacks as head coach of Alabama. The last Hogs victory over the Tide came in Mike Shula’s final season at the Capstone.
• It is Homecoming for Alabama. Bryant-era QB Alan Gray and Hall of Fame center Dwight Stephenson will act as Honorary Captains.
• The Tuscaloosa weather forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 77°. Dress accordingly.
• TV Announcers are Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek and Tom Luginbill on the sidelines.
• Eli Gold is rocking the mic for Alabama Radio.
• The point spread according to DraftKings has Bama as a -19.5 favorite as of post. The Over/Under is around 48.5. Alabama has covered and gone OVER the last two games.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.