All of us should abide by a few debatable truths. There is never a land war in Asia. Texting your ex after 2 a.m. is forbidden. Throw darts with enough glass in your house.
We think Jimbo Fisher knew what he was talking about.
The one piece of advice Fisher didn't follow was this: "You come at the king, you best not miss."
In the five months since Fisher said Alabama cheated with impunity and mangled the advice about stones and glass houses, there was almost a sense of relief.
It was indeed.
Neither team had their starting quarterbacks. Like Texas A&M's NIL deals, it's best not to pay much attention to the details.
Haynes King had a hard time against the Alabama defensive front. Will Anderson Jr., like a guy who had too many Mountain Dews trying to find the bathroom at a crowded cocktail party, racked up eight quarterback hurries on the night. It's hard to say what happened on the final play of the game, but King was poised to deliver the game winner until he fumbled on the final play. Fisher used the word despicable back in May.
Alabama survived a last second scare from Texas A&M to win 24-20.
The running game for the Tide was led by Jahmyr Gibbs who racked up 288 yards. In Young's place, the quarterback completed just 12 passes. Alabama turned the ball over four times and missed two field goals. Fisher is no deity. You should look into his deal, though.
There wasn't much to like about Alabama's 24-20 victory. A clean game would be a disappointment. The game played out exactly as it was supposed to, a mirror image of the battle of words between the two coaches, in which both teams did as much damage to themselves as they did to their opponent.
The week in the SEC was like that.
Georgia thumped the team they were supposed to beat by a large margin. Georgia has not thrown a touchdown pass in three games. The next challenge may be as accommodating as the one in auburn. Is Bryan Harsin still with auburn for fun? The man should be treated with more respect.
After falling behind early, Ole Miss came back and won 52-28. The Rebels have three games in front of them before they play Alabama.
Since Brian Kelly's ancestors first landed on the shores of Louisiana to set up a homestead, Tennessee has not won in Baton Rouge.
The SEC reminded everyone on Saturday that it is still the top power broker in the country, with the Tide, Rebels, and Vols accounting for more than a quarter of the country's remaining perfect teams. The man offered his own reminder with dancing and sunglasses.
Climate check ๐ pic.twitter.com/z9yv0lY14e
โ Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) October 9, 2022
Ohio State is the favorite to win the title of the nation's best team. The Spartans probably worried about the investment they made in Mel Tucker because of the Ohio State game. Since the deal was announced, Ohio State has beaten him two times.
We don't know what to call the Red River. Is it a rivalry? What's the name of the show? Are you talking about stigmarole? All of them are good. Texas rolled Oklahoma in a big way. Since 1998, the Sooners have lost three in a row. Their last two losses have been by a combined 80 points, which is three points more than their 10 losses from the previous year. The state fair in Texas was turned into Oklahoma's Dustbowl 2.0, a cloud of misery that John Steinbeck would find too depressing for publication. If Ewers hadn't gotten hurt in the first half of the Longhorns' game against Alabama, this season might have been different.
We left Week 6 mostly as we entered it. The teams in the top 10 won all nine of their games. There is no change in the status quo.
We will not be allowed to believe bigger surprises await. Fisher reminds us that we aren't gods.
Artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence one day if a theory is correct. If that's true, then logic would follow that some society has already reached that point, and as such, there is a hypothesis that our entire existence is just a computer simulation.
Simulation theory was only found on the fringes of metaphysics, and most people thought it couldn't be proved.
On the same day as the Red River game, the center of college football was in Lawrence, Kansas. There is a glitch in the matrix.
Imagine back in May, when Jimbo Fisher sent an army of private detectives to comb through Nick Saban's trash, that Texas A&M- Alabama would be overlooked because of Kansas' perfect record.
Imagine, back when Oklahoma fans welcomed home prodigal son, that the Sooners' game against Texas would be a debacle, with Oklahoma being shut out 49-0.
Imagine if Texas and A&M signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, and Houston did the same, but instead of being the top team in Texas, it would be TCU.
It's possible that Saturday's TCU-Kansas game wasn't overhyped. The Frogs and Jayhawks had a lot of drama.
The onetime backup is now considered a contender for the award. Max ran for 55 more yards and accounted for four touchdown. When Kansas got off the mat in the second half, he delivered another haymaker, leading to four touchdown drives for the Frogs.
The fairy-tale season at Kansas ended like a fairy tale on Saturday when the Jayhawks turned to a magic bean to save their lives. After Jalon Daniels left the game at the end of the first half with an injured shoulder, the Jayhawks went on to win the game.
A failed fourth-down conversion with 37 seconds remaining kept the Jayhawks from a chance to tie the game at 38.
The game was decided by a few hundredths of a second, thanks to the world's most powerful microscopes, as Derius Davis ran the sideline for a touchdown and Quentin Skinner tapped his knee in the back of the end zone to keep Kansas alive.
Quentin Skiner came down inbounds for the Kansas touchdown as they tied the game at 31-31.
It was a battle rife with cinematic drama that earned it the title of Week 6's best game and will undoubtedly be in the conversation as one of the most entertaining games of the year.
At Kansas, it did happen.
Kansas' record isn't as good as it used to be. If reality is what we're living in, it had to come back eventually. College football's powerhouses won't be overshadowed by TCU for long. It might be the Longhorns who are the talk of the sport now that Ewers is healthy.
Nothing in college football matters more than the events in Kansas. Jasper Beardsley said "What a time to be alive."
If we aren't all in a simulation.
Don't fall asleep in the Pac-12. Sleep a bit on thePac-12. The games don't start on time. Home Depot is open early on Sunday. For the first time since the Hoover administration, thePac-12 has some serious playoff juice, so be sure to check the scores and highlights.
UCLA made a huge statement with a 43-32 win over Utah. One critical play after another, the defense came up with one critical play after another as the defense came up with one critical play after another.
The Bruins' first four wins were not easy, but the past two weeks they have dominated Washington and Utah, making a serious statement that the past decade was like that of "Dallas" that turned out to be a nightmare. Kelly was the coach of the 49ers for a year. It's not possible that that actually happened.
The Bruins got on the board first as Thompson-Robinson scored a touchdown.
USC avoided a potential trap game against Washington State and we think it's time the pundits gave the credit where it's due. Lincoln Riley has injected new life into the USC program, and so have the other players. The real hero of this team? The man has a mustache. Tom Selleck had great facial hair.
Two weeks ago, it looked like Washington could be a real playoff contender, but Saturday proved to be an absolute embarrassment. Valladay ran for 112 yards, caught four passes, scored twice and accounted for a Scrabble points record as the Sun Devil's suddenly look frisky now that they have a new coach.
If Week 1 convinced us to give up on Oregon, they kept reminding us that anyone can lose to Georgia. Sure, not all of them, but good teams. In the last five games, the Ducks have scored 40 or more. Are we prepared to love Bo again? He's like that guy you dumped a dozen times, but then he shows up with a burger at 2 a.m.
The Pac-12 has three teams that fit the bill as the season nears its halfway point. At this time of year, it has had three more than it has in the past.
Oklahoma State is the 7th ranked team in the country and is off to a great start with a perfect record. It might be worth asking if the Pokes are all that good.
There have been times when Oklahoma State has excelled, such as the fourth quarter against Arizona State and the first half against the Bears.
It was mostly the story Saturday against Texas Tech, a team that has spent much of the season looking like Nic Cage's IMDB page, and once again, it's not entirely clear who played well.
Behren Morton was the third different quarterback for Texas Tech. Despite completing less than half of his passes, Oklahoma State relied on the veteran, who accounted for three total touchdown.
Oklahoma State increased their lead to 17-7. Texas Tech led 24-20 at halftime. The Cowboys were able to score. The Red Raiders were able to score. The game slowed to a crawl in the final quarter as the Pokes led by just 3. "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Bangkok Dangerous" are two different drives.
Oklahoma State allowed more points in the process than any other team this year. The Power 5 foes are completing less than half of the throws. Oklahoma State seems poised for another "Raising Arizona" for a few drives every game. The Cowboys are a combination of paradoxes and mullets.
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi promised his team would run more this season, after saying goodbye to quarterback Kenny Pickett. It was achieved.
During Saturday's win over Virginia Tech, the Pitt tailback was fed 36 times.
Since Ricky Williams did it in 1998, only one Power 5 conference has gone for more than 300 yards and six scores. Mike Ditka suggested to the Saints that they trade as many picks as they need to get Abanikanda.
Israel Abanikanda tied the school record for most touchdown runs by a single player in a single game.
The Pitt offense struggled last week against Georgia Tech and Abanikanda's big day was a salve. The Hokies are off to a poor start.
The story of the day was Abanikanda, who leads the country with 13 scrimmageTDs. He passed Tony Dorsett for the most rushing yards by a Pitt player in a single game.
If a newspaper doesn't run the headline "Pitt's Abanikanda don't want none unless it's touchdown" on Sunday then journalism is dead.
Young didn't show up for Week 6. The man left early. It was a good time to get some new names into the Heisman mix because a half-dozen other big-name QBs also dealt with injuries that cost them some or all of the Saturday action.
This is the first thing. The quarterback for Ohio State is C.J.
He threw six touchdown passes to Ohio State and one to Michigan State because he's a man of the people. It was the fourth game in a row where he threw four or more touchdown passes. He's in a rush to get back to his stories because he's been catching up on "House of the Dragon" on his iPad.
There are two The quarterback for Tennessee is Hendon Hooker.
Hooker threw for 239 yards and two touchdown in Tennessee's victory. Since Hooker's first start for the Vols in Week 3 of last season, he's 12-5 with 41 passing touchdown, 20 more than his former team, Virginia Tech, has in that span, while throwing just two picks.
There are three. Williams is a USC quarterback.
Williams had a hard time against Washington State's defense, completing just over half his throws. He converted several big third downs and kept USC perfect. If any Oklahoma fans are reading this, they should know that he keeps all your letters in a lavender scented box next to his bed and that he isn't really happy.
There are four. Thompson-Robinson is a quarterback for UCLA.
Thompson-Robinson set the UCLA record for career touchdown passes in the win over Utah. He accounted for five touchdown on Saturday and averaged 13 yards per throw.
There are five. Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr. and Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs are both from the state.
For this week, let's acknowledge how good two of Young's teammates were. Since Young went down with a shoulder injury, Gibbs has averaged more than 10 yards per carry and has scored twice. Anderson racked up eight QB hurries and spent a lot of time in A&M's backfield.
In a 26-12 win over Alabama State, Shedeur Sanders threw for 332 yards and three touchdown When it comes to SWAC-ness, Deion's team has a big, fat zero.
Eddie Robinson, the Alabama State coach, was not happy with the attitude of the Grambling coach before the game.
"He ain't SWAC. I'm SWAC."๐ณ Alabama State HC Eddie Robinson about Jackson State HC Deion Sanders #bamastate #swac #swarmas1 #theeibelieve pic.twitter.com/sJuZjnSXdB
โ The Wild Card (@wildcard2k) October 8, 2022
Robinson said he tried to get a Power 5 job so they could play again next season.
Are you aware that, auburn? Deion was not hired. There needs to be more SWAC grudge matches.
Give the state credit. Five of the most miserable seasons in school history have not stopped the Seminoles from finding new ways to hurt their fans.
It's not enough to just throw salt in the wounds of FSU fans, and that's what the punt did on Saturday. It was necessary for the Noles to dump a jug of cheap booze on top of the salt.
If every Florida State fan slammed their heads against a wall at the same time, Alex Mastromanno wanted to see what would happen. It's difficult to say which was his real motivation. He punted beyond the line of scrimmage, which set up NC State at the FSU 13-yard line.
Alex Mastromanno punts past the line of scrimmage after faking a punt for the FSU.
NC State didn't have any answers on offense, but it didn't matter because of the injury to Connelly. A 53-yard field goal by ChristopherDunn pulled the Wolfpack to within 1 before he kicked another field goal to give them a 19 17 lead.
FSU had a chance to win late, but Mike Norvell didn't have confidence in his kicker, so he threw into the end zone on a second-and-8 play from the NC State 22.
NC State was behind 17-13 when Leary fell. The team tried just two passes the rest of the way and still won.
The pain is there. The pain is unimaginable. On Saturday, what happened to FSU?
Is there next up? There is a school called "Clemson"
The football gods didn't like what they saw at the beginning of the season. In each of their first five games, the Boilermakers led in the final minute, only to see Penn State and Syracuse win by two points.
It made for a somber backdrop as Taulia Tagovailoa hitCorey Dyches from 18 yards out for a potential game-tying touchdown with 35 seconds remaining Saturday at Maryland.
Maryland scores a touchdown, then appears to haul in a 2-point conversion, but the play is called back and they fail on their next try.
The score was waved off because of a flag for an illegal man downfield, which has become college football's equivalent of your buddy who ruins everyone's fun. Maryland's second attempt at the 2-point try came up short, and it cost them the game.
No one from the Big Ten West is ranked in the AP top 25. It's nice to see that the Big Ten was able to steal the vibe of the Atlantic Coast.
The Mississippi State bandwagon is rolling through the SEC.
Arkansas suffered a third straight loss, dooming the season to a 1-3 record in SEC play.
It was a statement victory for Mississippi State. The defense was stout, fending off all three of Arkansas' fourth down attempts. The ground game played well. While Leach usually throws the ball between 40 and 600 times per game, the bulldogs racked up 173 yards and three touchdown on the ground. It was the most rushing yards by a coach since Washington State did it against Cal.
The ball was thrown with ease by the bulldogs. Rogers finished with 395 passing yards and three touchdown passes, including one to Ducking, who now has seven touchdown catches on the season.
The party could come to a screeching halt as Mississippi State travels to Kentucky and Alabama in back-to-back weeks before hosting Georgia.
It wasn't Drake Maye's best day for North Carolina, but he still threw for 309 yards, averaged 11 yards per attempt, and tossed two touchdown, including this ridiculous completion to Josh Downs that was reminiscent of "The Matrix."
DRAKE MAYE OFF HIS BACK FOOT ๐ฑ @UNCFootball #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/3AEBkQ4mCr
โ ACC Network (@accnetwork) October 8, 2022
The Tar Heels are in control of the coastal area. The Heels' defense held back-to-back Atlantic Coast Conference opponents to 24 points or fewer for the first time in over a year.
Georgia Tech moved on from Collins. It's fair to wonder if the team would have started playing well earlier if he'd allowed them to eat other than waffles.
Duke refused to roll over in the fourth quarter as Tech built a 20-12 lead. After a punt return for a touchdown brought Duke to within one possession, Riley Leonard hit Nicky Dalmolin for a touchdown with eight seconds remaining in the game to force overtime.
Georgia Tech kicked an easy field goal in the extra frame, then watched as Duke missed a chance to win the game.
Who wants to celebrate with a bowl of cheese and bacon?
Connecticut was a 5.5 point favorite against FIU on Saturday. It was the first time in the history of the program that they were favored in a game and the first time they were a road favorite. It was due to the fact that the team is not a complete embarrassment. Saturday's 33-12 win over FIU is a good sign for the team. They have three wins in a season for the first time in over a year. It's great to see Jim Mora stride over the low bar set by the University of Connecticut.
Jayhawks backers are still riding high despite the end of the season. The Jayhawks have not lost a game since last year's 57-56 win over Texas, and they were a 7.5 point favorite at the start. The Jayhawks have lost three times by seven or less.
Chris Fallica noted this week that there have been 18 SEC games over the past five seasons in which a team was favored by at least 30 points. The Dawgs are a poor 1-4 against the spread. The line moved down to 27.5 in time for the game. Georgia engineered a late 11-play, 65-yard drive that included two third-down conversions (one on third-and-15) and was capped by a touchdown run by a freshman. The final score was Georgia 42, auburn 10 and a garbage time cover.
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