Jimbo Fisher said that this day was near, and we laughed.
We laughed at the absurdity of Texas A&M's recent back-to-back defeats to Alabama. It would have a devastating effect on Alabama's 100-game winning streak against unranked rivals. We laughed because Nick Saban, a perfect 24-0 former assistant, had never lost to him. We laughed because Saban laughed, suggesting that Fisher's prediction that Saban would win must have been a reference to golf.
Saban isn't looking forward to the next round with Fisher.
Week 6 saw Oklahoma's incredible comeback against Texas, Iowa's defense putting an end to Penn State's overmatched backup quarterback, Michigan and Notre Dame surviving late field goals, and a showdown between two of the worst teams in America. None of this could have prepared us for what transpired in College Station.
Saturday was crazy -- literally.
Alabama was unbeatable just one week ago. After dominating Ole Miss, the Tide defeated Saban and he threw popcorn at yet another assistant. The path to college football's championship seemed to be converged in the SEC title match, where Georgia and Alabama were clearly the dominant teams.
We live in a world that has Jim Harbaugh undefeated, Florida State on a winning streak, and UMass has won more games recently than Nick Saban. It's a great time to be alive.
The theory states that the universe is composed of infinite universes where each reality can be manifested in its own timeline. That hypothesis would be supported by Saturday's college football game.
In the fourth quarter, Texas A&M and Wake Forest were all in the lead. They all won.
We came so close to making another round of "Texas has back!" at the Red River Showdown. Jokes aside, Lincoln Riley, his preseason All-America quarterback, was replaced by Caleb Williams by the Sooners, who scored 25 points in the fourth quarter and won a thrilling 55-48 victory.
Play 0:19 A wild fox runs onto the Oklahoma-Texas field during the Oklahoma-Texas first-half.
In the final 90 seconds of the game, Ole Miss and Arkansas scored three touchdowns each. The Razorbacks ran 95 plays. However, the Razorbacks failed to score on their final attempt -- a two point try with time expiring -- which was a two-pointer. Scott Frost had an opportunity to change the narrative that has plagued his tenure at Nebraska. However, an Adrian Martinez fumble led Michigan to score, which resulted in a facepalm for all the right reasons.
Iowan fans cheered Penn State players who they believed were inflicting injuries to slow down the Hawkeyes' pace. This was the first time that "Iowa", "tempo" and "tempo" have been combined. It was still Iowa's defense (4 more takeaways), and Tory Taylor's punting (398 yards of punting and six punts inside Penn State 20) that made the difference. It was the most Iowa-specific of all game plans.
Georgia is currently the best team in America, a team that is being led by Ladd McConkey and Stetson Bennett IV. These names are not real, seriously.
The real chaos began in College Station. It was shocking that Alabama fell so early. In two years, the Tide had never trailed by more that a touchdown. An Alabama comeback felt almost planned. This was Saban playing with Fisher, allowing him to get fitted for his Aflacket, before succumbing to another humiliating defeat.
Alabama, which was down 24-10, finally found its feeting. The blocked punt led to a touchdown. Two touchdowns were scored by Bryce Young and Jameson Williams. The Aggies were able to get a little bit more momentum when the Tide settled twice for chip-shot field goals.
But Saturday was a rare occasion when the unavoidable is outmatched by the extraordinary. When Zach Calzada connected to AiniasSmith to tie the game with just three minutes remaining, it was replaced with the feeling that Alabama would find a way. Fisher was likely to get two to three more contract extensions before the season ends.
We are at the halfway point in the 2021 season and Wake Forest and Michigan are undefeated. Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson are not.
This is a new and strange universe.
Play 1:59 Oklahoma wins epic victory against Texas in fourth quarter. Texas and Oklahoma go back-and-forth in the fourth quarter with Texas scoring a touchdown each with seconds to spare.
Texas is home to everything.
Texas is back.
The Longhorns are not so lucky. They lost a 21 point lead to Oklahoma. The Longhorns will live in pain for the next year, reliving every moment of that game.
The state of Texas, however, is doing well outside of Austin.
Texas A&M's win over Alabama was Saturday's highlight, but there are other good teams in Texas.
Tulane was overthrown by Houston on Thursday. UTEP and SMU won Saturday. These four teams now have a combined record of 22-2.
Even Texas State won Saturday's game, finding the end zone on South Alabama's final play to tie the game. The team then won 33-31 in four overtimes.
Even though things are looking grim for Texas, the school and the state of Texas are riding high. This should be enough to lift up some Longhorns. Are you here? Hello?
Oklahoma recovered from a 21 point deficit and sent misery through central Texas. William Purnell/Icon Sportswire
Hope emerging at Tennessee
In a win over South Carolina, Tennessee's offense was hot. The Volunteers now have 107 points in their last two games. Hendon Hooker, the Vols' quarterback, was the key to their success. He threw three touchdowns against South Carolina and ran for another against the Gamecocks.
In Week 2, the Virginia Tech transfer was on the bench against Pitt. He almost pulled off a dramatic come-from-behind victory. He has become one of the top passers in the country since then.
Hooker has thrown multiple TDs in five consecutive games, becoming the first Tennessee QB since Tyler Bray (2012). Hooker also has 13 TD throws to match his career record. Hooker's success has markedly changed the Vols' pace. They managed only 14 TD throws last season, and haven’t had a QB throw 20 TDs since Joshua Dobbs (2016). Hooker will be able to keep this pace and Tennessee fans may finally fall asleep without having to scream, "Guarantanoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
Cinderella stories
In the wake of Cincinnati's win over Notre Dame, there was a popular narrative. What if the Bearcats weren't the best team other than the Power 5? BYU, for example, was undefeated and won over Arizona State and Utah.
Take stock of the situation.
BYU lost the game to Boise State 26-17 on Saturday. This officially cedes the top spot among the future Big 12 members, Cincinnati.
The Bearcats aren’t the only team with big dreams outside of the Power 5, but they are undefeated. SMU beat Navy 31-24 to improve to 6-0. QB Tanner Mordecai threw two more TD throws to increase his FBS-best 26. On Nov. 20, the Mustangs will host Cincinnati. The Cinderella team from last year, Coastal Carolina beat Arkansas State 52-20 on Thursday. To make it 6-0, the Chanticleers will travel to Appalachian State on Wednesday, Oct. 20.
This could lead to interesting discussions about other teams than the Power 5, making it into a 12-team playoff. We are still at four teams in College Football Playoff. However, we hope one of these teams beats unmotivated Florida in Peach Bowl.
Heel turn
It was six weeks ago that North Carolina was ranked among the top 10, and considered a dark horse in the playoffs. Mack Brown believes that every media member who contributed to this preseason absurdity needs to be allowed to rest and accept their wrongdoings.
You might be inclined, of course, to blame UNC's woeful 3-3 season start, which also included another embarrassing loss to Florida State on Saturday, 35-25. FSU QB Jordan Travis was the one who flummoxed Tar Heels defense, scoring four touchdowns on Saturday, despite Travis having flummoxed them with a similar game plan a year earlier. You'd be wrong. The problem was in the media.
Brown stated that "the expectation for us [to be] a top-10 club was] wrong" after Saturday's defeat. "I think we all should be critical of the media for picking me so high."
It's an accurate point. Although North Carolina is the most disappointing college football team this season, you don't have to disappoint if you have expectations. If you set the bar low, everything can be a success. Here's a bet that UNC's bus will break down next Saturday on the side of I-85. The team will spend the weekend camped in a Sheetz lot. If the Heels make it to kickoff, that'll be something to celebrate.
The best and the worst
Yes, there were some great comebacks from undefeated powerhouses like Iowa, Oklahoma, and Wake Forest. But it was still a good Saturday.
For the rest of us college football sickos, however, there was something better: Winless UConn at Winless UMass. This was a clash of titans between two historical programs. However, technically it was a football match. The Top 10 spot and the highly-coveted rivalry trophy were on the line. We're told it was a VHS copy of "Cats".
UMass, which has been winless in the past two calendar year, ran for 247 yards. The Minutemen ran for 247 yards, their most rushing yardage since 2018. They had the exact same total against UConn in 2018. The Huskies were 1-of-10 on third down and missed a field goal. They also punted five times, turned the ball over three more times, and punted five times. This is due to the UMass defense's dominance.
Fun fact: UMass won a football match more recently than New England Patriots. Bill Belichick, take a bow.
Heisman Five
While the leader is still the same, the list of players who want to challenge Bryce Young for Heisman Favorite is getting very long. His loss to Texas A&M opened up the possibility of some major shakeups. We could easily go 10 deep this week with strong candidates, including Desmond Ridder from Pitt, Desmond Ridder from Cincinnati, Drake London of USC, and Kenneth Walker at Michigan State.
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
Young struggled to overcome a weak offensive line early on, but he did his best to give the Tide an opportunity to win. Young was 28-of48 for 369 yards with three touchdowns. However, the most important stat anyone will remember is the "L."
2. Ole Miss QB Matt Corral
Last week's defeat by Alabama saw Corral's Heisman campaign lose some of its shine. He showed the world why he's one of the most dangerous weapons in the country against Arkansas by throwing for 287 yards and running for 94 more, all the while his playbook was covered with popcorn butter stains.
Play 0:24 Matt Corral leads three Arkansas defenders to the end zone. Henry Parrish Jr. gives Corral a push and he muscled his way into Ole Miss for a touchdown.
3. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
After the loss at home to Oregon, we wrote off Ohio State. While wins over Maryland and Rutgers won't be enough to redeem the Buckeyes, Stroud has been a consistent star from the beginning. Stroud's latest stat was Saturday's 66-17 win against the Terps. He completed 24 of 33 passes for 406 yard and five touchdowns.
4. Texas RB Bijan Robinson
Robinson was not at fault for Texas' 21-point loss to Oklahoma. Robinson finished the game with 20 carries and 137 yards, with a touchdown for his fifth consecutive game with more 100 yards. The bigger problem is that he only saw five more carries after Texas won 41-23. This was due in part to the 33-yard touchdown run by the star tailback.
5. Georgia defensive tackles Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt and Jalen Carter
Auburn ran for 46 yards Saturday. This marks the fifth consecutive game in which Georgia's defense has held the opposition to less 100 yards on the ground. It's not fair that we add three more players to the No. It's unfair that we add three players to the No. 5 spot. But how can you choose just one? It's similar to naming your Hanson brother. They are all vital parts of the same magical group.
This season, Jalen Carter is on a different level than the Georgia D. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Play of the Week that's Not on the Radar
Michigan State continues to win and Kenneth Walker III continues to build a strong Heisman case. On Saturday, the Wake Forest transfer was again stellar, carrying 29 times for 223 yards. This included a touchdown run of 94 yards with about half a dozen ridiculous jukes. The pice de résistance came at the end when Walker reached out and high-fived his teammate Jalen Nilor at the 15 yard line. We would have liked a fist bump, or perhaps a quick game with rock, paper and scissors, but Saturday was a great show of swagger, and this was as close to a Heisman moment you will find.
The week's under-the-radar games
A made-up rivalry has never been so important since the unfortunate end of Civil ConFLiCT. Saturday's match between FCS Gardner-Webb (FCS) and Campbell was the first East/West Barbecue Bowl.
The Camels won the last 21 points, beating Gardner-Webb by 42-28. They also took home this sweet trophy with a pig on it.
The losing team must provide a full-service barbecue meal for the winners. Gardner-Webb will send over White Swan Bar-BQ for the Camels. Let's not forget that the best barbecue is still in western North Carolina, even though the vinegar sauce is poor.
