With this disaster that is going on in college basketball, I thought we’d take a look at something a lot more positive and interesting, week 5 in college football.

The Crimson Tide, coming off a dismantling of Vanderbilt and showing the indomitable force that they are becoming again, host the somewhat reeling Ole Miss Rebels Saturday at 8 PM CT on ESPN. The Auburn Tigers, after taking care of business at Missouri, look to back that up with a statement victory Saturday versus the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the Plains. The game kicks off at 5 PM CT and will also be televised by ESPN. Should be a compelling doubleheader of football in the state of Alabama with the Crimson Tide again looking like a winning machine with an endless amount of horsepower, while the Tigers are trying to assert themselves again in SEC and national contender circles. Clemson plays at VA Tech Saturday Night at 7 CT on ABC in an excellent matchup in the ACC. Some other pivotal SEC games and a classic in Pullman, Washington Friday Night at 9:30 CT with the No.5 USC Trojans playing at the No. 16 Washington State Cougars. The Cougars are hungry to detour the Trojans hopes of playing deep into the season and making it into the playoff with a shot of going all the way. The Cougars are always an interesting team with Mike Leach in control. They’re good too. 

Here’s a look at another riveting weekend of college football.

 

Last week: 19-7

Overall: 72-18 (80%)

 

Ole Miss @ No.1 Alabama

8 PM CT

ESPN

Tess, Todd, Holly, great crew

Bama by 28

The Crimson Tide just destroyed Vanderbilt last week and looked every bit the epic team that everyone expected to see this season. It’s not that they looked bad before that.  Florida State was very impressive, but they were injured at linebacker in the next 2 games and didn’t play as well, but then got Rashaan Evans and Anfernee Jennings back for Vandy and dominated the Commodores. It was a spectacular performance. Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy, and Najee Harris were sensational in relief of the starters. Of course, Damien Harris, Jalen Hurts, Bo Scarbrough and Calvin Ridley, and that once again very stout defense, looked pretty darn spectacular as well. I don’t know what to think of Ole Miss. They got hammered by Cal at Cal a couple of weeks ago and pretty much imploded. Shea Patterson is a great talent at quarterback, and he has good receivers, but he really has to run around a lot as his line breaks down and the Rebels don’t have much of a running game per se. Their defense is athletic, but give up a lot of yards and points. They’re still pretty talented, but they’re not even close to the talent level in Tuscaloosa. I’m trying to figure out who is. Clemson is the closest thing to Alabama in terms of greatness. That could be the game that determines it all on January 8, 2018 at Mercedes- Benz Stadium in Atlanta, but both teams have a lot of work left. It’s hard to see anybody stopping those two forces, but there are some other good teams nationally in Oklahoma, Penn State, USC, though they’ve got a tough one Friday Night, Georgia, Michigan looks pretty good, and TCU has emerged as a contender that could very well be in the discussion come December. So a lot of football left to play, but I of course like the Crimson Tide to do well Saturday Night. Everybody on the team is hitting their stride. I’m not sure if there will be any letup from last week’s phenomenal performance, and I see the team with a lot of momentum which will continue against the Rebels, a team that has talent, but are faced with a next to impossible task of trying to stick with the Tide in Bryant-Denny on a Saturday Night.

Bama 45, Ole Miss 14

 

No. 24 Mississippi State @ No. 13 Auburn

5 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Flemming, Grease, McShay

AU by 9 1/2

The Tigers played well last week against Missouri, and with the disastrous stuff that is going on with the basketball program, Alabama has problems with it too, a solid victory over a pretty good State team would help alleviate some stress among the Auburn faithful. State got blasted by Georgia last week between the hedges, 31-3, but are better than that. Nick Fitzgerald is a quality dual threat qb who just couldn’t seem to solve the Dawgs’ defense. The Dawgs have a very good team that has a chance to be special this season. For the Tigers, I really like the fact that they have both Kerryon Johnson and Cam Pettway back in the backfield. And there are other weapons in the running game. Cam Martin has proven to be a game breaker. Eli Stove is a weapon on jet sweeps. Malik Miller shows some talent running the football and he’s got good size at 6’1″, 230. And the receiving corps is talented. I still like Nate Craig-Myers in the downfield passing game. Jarrett Stidham needs to get him the ball. The line needs to get its chemistry right to protect Stidham better, but they are certainly physically talented enough. The defense is playing well. Really like the front led by Marlon Davidson. The linebackers and secondary are solid as well. I see the Tigers putting on a good performance  Saturday and gathering some momentum heading into the rest of the SEC slate. The Tigers get an impressive victory at home.

Auburn 31, State 21

 

No. 7 Georgia at Tennessee

2:30 PM CT

CBS 

Brad, Gary, Allie

Dawgs by 7 1/2

The Dawgs were super impressive last Saturday Night in Athens blasting Mississippi State. Nick Chubb looks like the Chubb from his freshman year when he broke out as a superstar. That’s super to see. He’s been through a lot, and has hung in there and it’s paying off. Sony Michel is a fantastic player and freshman D’Andre Swift looks like the next superstar running back in Athens. I also really like what freshman quarterback Jake Fromm is doing. He’s not only efficient, he’s a playmaker. Jacob Eason is coming back soon, but I like the Dawgs with Fromm under center. He’s got leadership and talent and seems more assertive than Eason. There are excellent targets around Fromm in the awesome Terry Godwin, along with Javon Wims, Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley. Isaac Nauta looks like an All American tight end. He’s a terrific player. The defense was outstanding last week as they intercepted Nick Fitzgerald twice and caused him problems all night. This is an outstanding football team that is primed to be special this season. The Vols are coming off a 17-13 victory over UMass. UMass, are you kiddin me? So I like the Dawgs to get the job done here and keep matriculating in the SEC East. I don’t know what’s going to happen to the Vols. This could get pretty ugly for Butch Jones and his team this season if they can’t turn it around quickly. But I’m expecting Tennessee to step up here and make it interesting. 

Georgia 35, Tennessee 30

 

Vanderbilt at No. 21 Florida

11 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Gregory McElroy, Lugues

Gators by 9

Luke Del Rio was terrific off the bench in leading his Gators to a sensational 28-27 comeback victory over Kentucky last Saturday Night in Lexington. Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier was just as terrific with his play calling. It was an awesome game with the Gators coming back from 10 down in the fourth quarter and scoring in the final minute to claim a massive victory for Coach Mac and his program. Vanderbilt got destroyed by the Crimson Tide and I don’t see them recovering this week. I do think they’ll be competitive, and I do see this as a close game for a while, but I like the Gators in the Swamp.

Florida 31, Vanderbilt 21

 

South Carolina at Texas A&M

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom Hart, Jordan Rogers, Cole Cubelic

A&M by 8 1/2

The Aggies found some life in defeating Arkansas last week in overtime, 50-43. They aren’t playing a ton of defense, but they do have really good athletes over there, so they may very well keep developing. On offense, freshman Kellen Mond is playing like the high 4 star he was expected to be. Christian Kirk is a phenomenal take it to the house guy. He returned a kickoff 100 yards for a TD last week against the Hogs in a game changing play. He’s superb. South Carolina escaped a possible upset against LA Tech last week pulling it out on a last second field goal, 17-16, at home. But I see a competitive contest here. The Gamecocks will give the Aggies everything they want,  but I like Kevin Sumlin and his team to prevail in an explosive contest.

A&M 34, South Carolina 31

 

Other SEC games

Troy at No. 25 LSU

6 PM

ESPNU

I haven’t seen much impressive out of the Bengal Tigers the past 2 weeks. They got dominated by State on the road and struggled to defeat Syracuse at home last Saturday. Troy is always a competitive team, and I see them giving LSU a battle. Like the Tigers to get over the top, but to struggle once again. 

LSU 31, Troy 28

 

Kentucky 38, Eastern Michigan 20

3 PM 

SEC Network

The Wildcats are deflated after the Florida loss, but they bounce back.

 

Arkansas 34, New Mexico State 10

11 AM 

SEC Network

 

No. 2 Clemson at No. 12 Virginia Tech

7 PM 

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Maria

The Tigers struggled a little bit with Boston College before pulling away. VA Tech is a quality team that will do well this season, and they’ll hang with Clemson. Like the Tigers to keep what looks like a spectacular season going Saturday Night in Blacksburg, but in a high quality game.

Clemson 34, VA Tech 31

 

Friday
 

No.5 USC @ No. 16 Washington State

9:30 PM 

ESPN

Now this is a game worth staying up for. I know I will. The Trojans struggled a little bit on the road at Cal last week, but came away with a 30-20 victory and looked impressive late. I really like this Mike Leach Air Raid attack. I like Luke Falk and the Cougar offense to knock the Trojans off course this week.

Washington State 34, USC 31

 

No. 15 Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech

7 PM 

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny Taft

This is going to be a riveting offensive game. Oklahoma State was upset by a very good TCU team at home last week in what was a bit of a shocker. I think they’ll have just enough to defeat a hungry Red Raiders team. This should be quite a show. Worth checking out while Auburn and Alabama are in commercials and definitely worth taping.

Oklahoma State 48, Texas Tech 45

 

Other scores

Friday

Miami 35, Duke 31

6 PM

ESPN

Should be an excellent game here. Duke is doing some really good things under super coach David Cutcliffe, but I like superstar running back Mark Walton and the Canes to survive the Blue Devils on the road.

 

No. 6 Washington 48, Oregon State 20

7 PM 

PAC 12 Network

 

No. 4 Penn State 34, Indiana 28

2:30 PM 

Big Ten Network

I see the Nittany Lions having another struggle this week after scoring a touchdown on the last play of the game to defeat Iowa last week on the road. I like this team, but thy will be challenged again as they are once again on the road. 

No. 10 Wisconsin 35, Northwestern 24

11 AM

ABC

The Badgers have another solid team. Northwestern needs to get it back together. I see them being competitive with Whisky though, and they’ll come back and get it going very soon.

 

Tonight

Texas 42, Iowa State 38

7 PM

ESPN

This is going to be an electric game as the Longhorns really showed some fight a couple of weeks ago just falling on the road to USC and playing extremely well in the process. Iowa State will be a tough out on the road though. This should be pretty electric. 

 

No. 19 San Diego State 33, Northern Illinois 30

9:30 PM

CBS Sports Network

Northern Illinois went on the road and upset Nebraska 2 weeks ago. That was impressive. San Diego State has a very good  team with 2 impressive victories over Stanford at home and Air Force on the road in the last 2 weeks. They’ll survive, but they’ll be in another battle. Rashaad Penny of San Diego State is a superb running back. 

 

Florida State 21, Wake Forest 17

2:30 PM

ABC

It’s been a tough season for the Noles. Losing their starting quarterback for the year against Alabama, then having to deal with Hurricane Irma and all those complications, then losing at home to N.C. State last week, 27-21, last week. N.C. State is a good team, but FSU is pretty dismantled right now. The Noles defense will help them survive a hungry Wake team.

 

Stanford 42, Arizona State 38

3 PM

PAC 12 Network

I see Zona State giving the Cardinal everything they want, but Stanford has found a good quarterback now in K.J. Costello and Bryce Love is a spectacular running back.

Georgia Tech 41, North Carolina 38

11 AM

ESPN2

I really like Tech’s quarterback TaQuon Marshall. He’s super tough at 190 and took hit after hit against Tennessee in the opener and still ran for over 200 yards and really threw it well. Like Tech to survive the Tar Heels at home.

 

Oregon 45, California 42 

9:30 PM CT

FOX Sports 1

 

Colorado 34, UCLA 31

9:30 PM 

ESPN2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Yeager’s Mountain Brook Spartans’ football team pulled off a miraculous 51-50 double overtime victory over No. 6 Spain Park at Spartan Stadium in a wild, Class 7A, Region 3 epic last Friday Night.

After super senior running back Harold Joiner completed a 6 yard TD pass to junior Hamp Greene to cut the margin to 50-49 in the second OT, Yeager threw caution to the wind and went for the 2 point conversion to win it. Senior quarterback Hamp Sisson connected with senior wide receiver Wilson Higgins in the corner of the end zone with Higgins just getting a foot inbounds to cement the classic victory for the Spartans, who moved to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in Region 3.

Mountain Brook came off two grueling games against Hoover and Thompson the two weeks before, in which they gave Hoover everything they wanted before falling to the No.2 Bucs, 31-21. Central Phenix City is the No.1 team in the state in 7A, but that could change down the road as Hoover is playing like Hoover. The team was beaten up both physically and mentally after the Hoover game  as it traveled to No.3 Thompson the next week and fell victim to junior phenom quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, younger brother of Tide superstar QB Tua, and the Thompson Warriors, 40-13. But the Spartans rebounded in a huge way and came out with a massively important region victory in what could be a momentum builder for the team as it heads into its off week this week before traveling to Tuscaloosa County next Friday Night, Oct. 6th. The Spartans will then host Vestavia on Friday, October 13th. After those 2 regional wars, the Spartans will host region opponent Oak Mountain for homecoming Friday, Oct. 20th, then play at region foe Huffman Friday, Oct. 27th, and finish the season off on a Thursday Night at Class 6A defending state champion Ramsay.  

Sisson completed 16 of 20 passes for 243 yards and ran for another 73,. Joiner, a 94, 4 star by 247 sports, who has been offered by Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Clemson and a host of other schools, ran for 85 yards on 16 carries and 3 TDs, of 37, 1 and 10 yards and also threw the TD pass in the second overtime to Greene. Greene, a junior whose dad, Hamp, was a kicker at Alabama in the early 90’s, caught 10 passes for 141 yards and a TD. Junior A.J. Gates ran for 40 yards on 12 carries. Gates and Joiner make up the best running back tandem in the state. Higgins caught 3 passes for 45 yards, a TD and the game winning 2 point conversion. It was a collective team effort in this memorable victory for the Spartans and one that could catapult the team as it heads into the off week and the second half of the schedule. 

I had a chance to speak with Coach Yeager after the victory and here’s what he had to say. Yeager, in his 12th season as head coach at Mountain Brook, is 87-46, and almost always has his teams playing in the postseason. He does a remarkable job with an always super group of kids who are very good athletes and want to excel. 

***Note*** Spain Park was No.6 in the state going into the game last week, not No.5 as I stated in my email. Apologize for the error. 

DW: How would you describe that football game last Friday Night?

CY: I tell you the most remarkable thing about that game is the 3 game stretch we had with Hoover, Thompson and Spain Park. Hoover was such a demanding game, it was such a physical game, and our kids played extremely well in that game. But we really took a physical beating. We lost 2 linebackers in that game, so we limped into the Thompson game and we were just rung out. So I wondered if we could recover from the Thompson game because it was a situation where your program is spiraling and we wanted to stop that nosedive. We backed off and just let’em mend a little bit. The region’s tough, but the way those games come, the order that they come in, is a factor. Those 3 teams were ranked 2, 3 and 6 in that stretch. So to answer your question, I was really just marveled in our kids’ ability to bounce back and give that kind of effort in that game. It says a whole lot about them. Gosh, it says a whole lot about who they are in their training, their upbringing, everything about’em. 

DW: Were you guys just worn out going into Thompson?

CY: After the Hoover game, on Sunday we came in to lift and watch film and the training room was just full of kids. We lost 2 linebackers that didn’t get to play in that game (the Thompson game). So we got together (the coaches) and said ‘all right who are our best players.’ So what we did is we got in a package where we inserted another defensive back, so we were down a linebacker, and we didn’t have the numbers in the box. We wanted to see if those guys could stop the run and we couldn’t. We just didn’t have the numbers. That and we were hobbling a little bit. I’m going to tell you, Thompson is a good football team. They’re a very, very good football team. Their quarterback (Tagovailoa) is as good as everybody says. I told the kids that I know we’re better than this. And I do not make excuses for them, but our defensive coordinator Oscar Glasscock made a very keen observation. He wondered what people’s record is after they play Hoover. Man that’s an incredible question. Everybody asks who can beat Hoover. But the question we have is does Hoover beat you twice (Meaning after playing Hoover are you so physically and mentally spent that the next week it’s even tougher to win). Can you rebound from it. We’re the smallest school in our region and we get spread thin sometimes in our personnel. But our kids give you everything you want and that is all we can ask for.

DW: Hamp was fantastic against Spain Park. Talk about his performance.

CY: The Thompson game was really a catalyst for some of the things we did. We were sort of working on these things and Jim King, our passing game coordinator, said after 4 games these are the things Hamp does well. So we just put’em out on the table and said let’s get really good at these things and structure the offensive game plan around that. So that’s what we did. We used his legs and his arms at the same time. Making decisions, and running the football that’s what he can do very well. He has a lot of yards rushing and close to 250 passing. He does better if he can run the ball. He used all of his gifts in that game and I owe a lot of that to him because he has those gifts. But the other thing is, Jim King did an incredible job of just narrowing it down to what plays work for Hamp. We didn’t waste any plays. We wanted every play to count. We’ve got to do what he does best. 

DW: Hamp seems to be a really clutch player for you.

CY: Since he’s been a starter for us, once as a sophomore, twice as a junior, and now this year, he wins the game at the very end. When it gets in a clutch situation where a guy is either going to choke or perform, that is when Hamp is at his finest. I tell you thing that Hamp does, I can’t put a finger on this, but he just has a calming effect on the people around him. He doesn’t panic. At the very end, we have a minute and 27 seconds left in regulation (down 33-28) and he says we’re going to go down and score. I wasn’t surprised by that. I expected that. And that comes from him. 

DW: What are Hamp’s college prospects?

CY: Well the academies have all offered, Army, Navy, and Air Force. He’s got an offer from Jacksonville State, he’s got an offer the Citadel. Wofford has offered. Furman is on the brink of offering him. 

DW: He’s so bright too, he could go to an elite academic school. What about the Ivies. Do they give some scholarship money?

CY: You get spots in the Ivy League schools. They only have so many spots. But that would be perfect for him. The thing right now is everybody is looking for a dual threat quarterback.  Everybody is looking for that. It’s like having 12 people on offense. When you have an empty backfield (no running back on the field) you still got a running back, back there. That’s where everybody is heading right now. People want to use all the tools a quarterback offers. Gosh, there are a lot of places he could play.

DW: You were talking about the spots in the Ivy League schools, could he get scholarship money for that?

CY: Yes. The kids we have had that have gone on to the Ivy Leagues they do have scholarship money. They don’t actually give athletic scholarships, but the athletes do get some scholarship money. But it’s not per say athletic scholarships.

DW: Back to the game, Harold, A.J. Gates, Wilson Higgins and Hamp Greene, those guys were pretty clutch too.

CY: The formula for winning those kinds of games is you can’t turn the ball over and you’ve gotta have, everybody says, somewhere between 3 and 4 explosive plays. And every one of those guys had 1 explosive play, at least 1. Definitely a team effort. We say that Hamp (Sisson) played his finest game, but there were a lot of people that came together and played individually their finest game and collectively for sure.  

DW: How did your offensive line perform?

CY: Very, very well. Our offensive line has had a pretty good year even against this competition. This is one of the better offensive line groups that we’ve had. This is one of the savviest groups we’ve had. They’re all smart. The football part comes naturally to them. I like them because understanding the game does come natural to them. They’re great at getting hat on hat, extending blocks. I do think we need to get better sometimes on protecting Hamp in the passing game. That’s sort of been our Achilles Heel, but it has improved.

DW: Who’s your leader up front and what kind of size do you have?

CY: We got Anderson Tomlin (a senior), our left tackle. He’s 6’5″, 275. He’s got offers from UNA (North Alabama) and Central Arkansas, and a lot of people are talking to him. I think Richmond’s going to offer him before it’s all said and done. The ones he does have offers from are in hand. He’s only been on the offensive line for a year, so he’s got a lot of upside. We’ve got Will Carothers, who is a 2 year starter (senior) and he’s sort of the anchor of that group. And Sean Doud (senior center) is one of the most productive players we have. He played 12 snaps on defense last Friday night. He played 90 snaps the other night. He had full body cramps after the game and we had to call an ambulance for him. He gave us everything he had.

DW: What position does Carothers play?

CY: Carothers is our left guard. He plays on the left side with Anderson. And we have Michael Mancuso (junior), who’s our right guard, then ( senior) Zach Morris, who is our right tackle, and (senior) Clay Stearns who’s our H Back, and he’s a really good player too.

DW: Do you feel OK about your size up front?

CY: Yes, this is one of the larger groups we’ve had.

DW: How did your defense perform? I know it was a high scoring game, but did they improve from where they’ve been?

CY: Well, this is the thing to me about our defense. At halftime it was 14-7, their favor. We had a blown coverage that allowed them to score a touchdown. Anyway, it was 14-7. We had 6 stops in the game, and that’s sort of what everybody now is thinking about. It goes in cycles. I’ve seen times where the offense is ahead of the defense and the defense will catch up and the defense will have its low scoring games. In 35 years of coaching I’ve seen it go back and forth, and back and forth, and I don’t think that’s a different phenomenon. It’s always been that way on both sides of the ball with schemes and what people are trying to do skill-wise. But this is the thing that I got out of the game. Number 1, it was 90 degrees. I think at game time it was 82 with a heat index. We had a late start, a 7:45 start (due to a Jewish holiday that delayed the start of the game, which usually starts at 7 PM). Anyway, all that being said, we scored 29 points in the second half and they scored 22. I really thought our defense really did improve. I just think right now the offenses are ahead of the defenses, that’s just the cycle of football we’re in. Fans seem to like that. People said that was the most enjoyable game at Mountain Brook they’ve ever seen, and I said, well, the most enjoyable game was the year that we beat Vestavia 7 to nothing and stopped them 4th and goal on the 1 yard line. 

DW: How big of a momentum builder was this for your football team?

CY: It was the way the game ended. We had the momentum. Then they come down and kick a field goal (to tie it 36-36 at the end of regulation). In overtime we go on offense and score a touchdown. They go on offense and score a touchdown. Then they score a touchdown in the second overtime and we won it (with a touchdown and a 2 point conversion). I think the percentage of that is 37 percent (converting a 2 point conversion). With us winning on a 2 point conversion, the way that we did, after being down, the kids just continued to fight. You don’t come back when you’re playing Hoover, you don’t come back when you’re playing Thompson. Then you reverse that. So it communicates to the players, this thing is a journey and you’ve just gotta keep fighting every single play. Now coming together as a team, the possibilities are there and there are some things we can now accomplish.

DW: Doesn’t sound like there was any hesitation going for 2 on the final play was there.

CY: I told the coaches when we got to the overtime, I told our captains we wanted to play defense first, and if we didn’t  play defense first, I wanted us to play to the end zone by our student section. So when I got together with my coaches, I told them (in the first OT) if we go on defense first and offense 2nd, we’ll go for 2. The reason that was is that both defenses were just worn out with the 7:45 start and the weather. Our kids were just gone. We were totally out of defensive assets. So that was the plan in the first overtime. If we were on offense second we were going to go for 2. I felt like they had a little more depth than we had on defense, not a whole lot more, but a little more. So when that thing went into the second overtime, I knew we were going for 2. I told my coaches after the game that I learned a lot from the triple overtime game we played against Oxford (in the 2011 quarterfinals of the then 6A playoffs), it was similar to Oxford. At Oxford, I said we would go for 2 in the second overtime, but my defensive coordinator said we could stop’em. I thought OK we’d do that. It ended up we didn’t go for 2 and lost in triple overtime. I learned something. It’s really not about the schemes or the coaching ability. It’s about who has the best talent on offense. It’s what shape is your defense in. We had a lot of injuries on defense. Did we have anything left in the tank?  Are we healthy? I learned a lot from that Oxford game.

***Note***In high school overtimes, teams start on the 10 yard line and have 4 downs to score a TD or kick a field goal. If the team that has the ball first kicks a field goal and the second team to possess the ball scores a TD, the second team wins. if the second team also  kicks a field goal it goes to a second OT. If the second team  doesn’t score at all, the first team wins. If the teams are tied in the first OT, the team that had the ball second in the first OT gets the ball first in the second OT. The Spartans had the ball first in the first OT, and Spain Park had the ball first in the second OT, thus with the Spartans going second in the second OT and getting a six, they went for 2 and won the game because the Jaguars just kicked the extra point after their TD.

In college, teams start on the 25 and can get 2 first downs to the 15 and the 5, but have four downs to do it. If the offense kicks a field goal, the opposing offense can win it with a touchdown or tie it with a field goal and send it to a second overtime, where like high school, the team that was second on offense in the first OT, gets the ball first in the second OT. If it goes to a 3rd OT, both teams have to go for 2 if they score a touchdown.

DW: I saw where Wilson Higgins, who caught the 2 point conversion that won it, said he was just making sure he had a foot in. That was good footwork by him.

CY: When I was watching the film it was just bam-bam, it was so close. It seemed like it took’em 10 years to raise their hands. He had one step in and control of the ball. If it was an NFL or college game they would have been looking at that forever. But I’ve got a picture of it, and he had a foot in. If that happened a second later he wouldn’t have gotten a foot in.

DW: Coach I know you talk about championship teams during the season sometimes. Do you think this team has the ability to make a deep run this year?

CY: I can remember so many times at Mountain Brook people saying about us, that’s not the same Mountain Brook team you played in week 1 or week 2 and that’s typical Mountain Brook to me. It’s all about improving week to week. I always tell them there’s a darkhorse team out there, and we didn’t get any votes in the poll when this thing started. But there’s a team out there that nobody knows about and they don’t know about the players they’ve got that have been working since they were sophomores. They don’t know their hearts. And that usually describe us, when we make up our minds up that that’s what we want to be. We want to be that team that people will look at us and see us as a team that people didn’t see in week 1 or week 5. That’s who we want to be.

 

 

Bama Golf commented a couple of weeks ago that the predictions will only get harder as the season progresses. Bama was right on the mark. These are some challenging decisions this week. It’s like deciding whether to go to Miami or stay in Cleveland, then whether to stay in Miami or go back to Cleveland, and then whether to stay in Cleveland or join Nicholson, Bieber and Snoop Dog in LA and play for the Lakers. Poor LeBrick. As the late, great Alabama football analyst and sports personality Doug Layton said, it’s, “Meind Boggling!” But the decisions need to be made, and with some classics in the SEC with No.1 Bama at Vandy, Mississippi State at Georgia, Florida at Kentucky and A&M vs Arkansas, it makes for an exciting challenge. Some pretty classic national games as well, along with the Auburn Tigers trying to reach their potential on the road against  Missouri. Here’s a look at this week’s slate.

Last week: 14-6

Overall: 53-11 (83%)

 

No. 1 Alabama at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Allie

Bama by 18 1/2

I really like the way Bo Scarbrough ran last week and caught passes out of the backfield. He’s back to the Bo we saw at the end of last season when he ran all over Florida and Clemson before getting hurt in the Clemson game, an injury that really hurt Alabama’s chances of winning the national championship game, though they battled till the end and almost captured their 5th title under Nick Saban. Bo is back and looks to be primed to have a super season and follow the lineage of Ingram, Richardson, Lacy, Yeldon and Henry. He’s a total stud, and he looks confident and has his wheels back after breaking his leg in the championship game. Damien Harris is one of the most underrated running backs in the country, and Najee Harris will be elite in the near future. Jalen has played well recently. He hit the awesome Calvin Ridley on a deep ball-house call last week against Colorado State and hooked up with the ultra talented and Supersonic fast Robert Foster on a beautiful pass and catch house call. The line played better last week and they look to be getting it together. It’s taken a little time for Jalen and OC Brian Daboll to jell, but it looks to be coming together and the ceiling is extremely high. I like both of them a lot. Jalen can sure run it too. Great young man above and beyong all that. The defense has been hampered by injuries at linebacker, but it looks like Rashaan Evans and Anfernee Jennings might very well play Saturday, which will help the Tide measurably. The d line needs to get pressure on VU quarterback Kyle Shurmur. Kyle has thrown 8 TDs and no interceptions. He’s quite a player. A four star out of high school in Philadelphia, Kyle’s dad, Pat, is now the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings after serving as OC for the Philly Eagels, so high football IQ runs in the family. He’s an excellent player and very smart. While not that mobile, he has a quick release and avoids sacks. Ralph Webb is a pretty good running back, as is Khari Blasingame, but everybody has trouble running on the Crimson Tide. Those 2 will have to do something for VU to have a shot. Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best defensive player in college football. The safety, star, is so versatile, he’s a phenomenal athlete, and is a game changer for the Crimson Tide. The secondary will be tested, so Bama needs to get pressure on Shurmur. The VU defense is solid and opportunistic. They’re a good group. They’ll keep it competitive.

Final verdict

Derek Mason is doing a phenomenal job in Nashville. His players believe they can compete with anybody in the country. This team is solid with a shot at winning 8 games, possibly 9, if they stay healthy, then go to a solid bowl and win it with a bright future ahead as Mason has recruited well and is recruiting very well for 2018. But this is a tough assignment. As a high school coach told me one time before his team played a powerhouse, “They’re hard.” The Crimson Tide is hard. Elite players, elite coaches, the most elite head coach in college football history, though Bear Bryant fans would argue with that. It’s a tossup, but I’ll take S with only 85 scholarships per year versus about 140 under the Bear. This team is ready to break out. I see it happening Saturday. 

Bama 35, Vanderbilt 14

 

No. 15 Auburn at Missouri

6:30 PM CT

ESPNU 

Mark Neely, Ray Bentley

AU by 18

The Tigers actually played a decent game against a pretty scrappy Mercer team last week. The line gave Jarrett Stidham a lot of time and Jarrett was accurate. He made some super throws. The defense was solid as usual. The Tigers just had some trouble with turnovers. They need to take care of the football this week. Kerryon Johnson has been practicing this week and that will help if he can combine with Kamryn Pettway to give the Tigers a formidable running game to help Stidham and the passing attack. Missouri was a disaster against Purdue last week, losing 35-3. Purdue is a quality team, but Missouri looked clueless out there. The Auburn Tigers need to gather some momentum heading into the SEC schedule and this would be a really good time for them to do that. I see AU having a good week this Saturday and getting back on track and becoming a competitor in the SEC West. The talent is just too good not to. They need to get Nate Craig-Myers more involved in the offense. He needs to get the ball on the perimeter and downfield. He’s an explosive player and a house call just waiting to get the ball. I like the Tigers to step it up this week. The defense has been terrific so far.

Auburn 38, Missouri 14

No. 17 Mississippi State @ No. 11 Georgia

6 PM CT

ESPN

Tess, Todd, Holly

Them Dawgs by 5 1/2

State is a quality football team. Nick Fitzgerald is the real deal. He can run like a white tail deer and has become a quality passer. He has playmakers all around him led by Donald Gray, an explosive wide receiver, and some good running backs this season. His line is solid and the defense under Todd Grantham has been outstanding this season. The Bullies blasted LSU last week at home, 37-7. They’re going to play well between the hedges and this will be a superb game to watch on Saturday Night. But Nick Chubb ran for 132 yards last week and a couple of 7’s, and Sony Michel was sitting out last week with a minor injury and will be back. Georgia has another emerging superstar in the backfield in freshman D’Andre Swift. Swift ran for 58 yards on 9 carries and a 7 last week in the Dawgs 42-14 victory over Samford. While I’m bullish on State to be a major challenger in the West and to have a really good season if Fitzgerald doesn’t get hurt, Georgia freshman quarterback Jake Fromm looks to be getting it and has some good targets in the electric Terry Godwin. Riley Ridley, Calvin’s little brother, and Javon Wims. The Georgia defense is pretty good too. Kirby will have his team ready as will Dan Mullen. But I like the home field and Georgia’s running game and some explosive plays in the vertical game to get’er done for the Dawgs. This won’t take away from a promising season for State as they are a very good team. I see an exciting, high drama game here that very well could be won at the end.

Dawgs 34, Bullies 31

 

No. 20 Florida @ Kentucky

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom Hart, JRodg, Cole

Gators by 2 1/2

This should be an excellent matchup as well. Kentucky is the best story in the SEC so far this season. They just went down to South Carolina last week and defeated the Gamecocks 23-13 in impressive fashion. They’ve got a physical offense with a solid running game led by powerhouse running back Benny Snell Jr.  Their defense is solid. Mark Stoops has recruited very well at Kentucky with top 20 classes in the last 3 to 4 years and it’s paying off. The Gators won dramatically last week, 26-20,  with a 65 yard touchdown pass from Feleipe Franks to Tyree Cleveland on the last play of the game to win it. It was a spectacular throw and catch by the QB and wide receiver. Florida has won the last 30 games played between the 2 teams, which is the longest winning streak over another team in SEC football history, and 4th longest in college football history. But Mark Stoops and his players haven’t been involved in many of those, so that’s a little overrated. While I’m bullish on Kentucky in the East, I still like the Gators here in a fierce battle. This should be outstanding.

Gators 24, Wildcats 23

 

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas 

“Sugar Magnolia, Blossoms bloomin,” Jerry Country, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX.

11 AM 

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams

A&M by 2 1/2

While both teams are not having the years they wanted to have so far with A&M suffering that heartbreaking loss to UCLA to open the season, and Arkansas getting blasted at home by TCU 2 weeks ago, I like this matchup. A&M high 4 star freshman quarterback Kellen Mond did some really good things against a pretty decent La Lafayette team last week, and some young playmakers stepped up for the Aggies. The Hogs were off last week, so they’re rested, but I like more that A&M played last week. The Aggies have the best defensive player on the field in safety Armani Watts, who had 2 ints last week. Armani is a game changer for his team. Like the Aggies to outlast the Hogs in a classic. 

A&M 37, Arkansas 34

 

Other SEC games

No. 25 LSU 34, Syracuse 10

6 PM CT

ESPN 2

Anish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks, Jule Stewart-Binks

Derrius Guice is hurt and not playing this week, but the Bengal Tigers rebound over the Orange.

****Update**** Guice will play Saturday. He’s been cleared and is ready to go. 

Tennessee 49, UMass 10

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Andre, Olivia Harlan

The Vols also snap back after a heartbreaker in the Swamp last week.

 

South Carolina 30, Louisiana Tech 27

2:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Dave Neal, Matt Stinchcomb, Dawn Davenport

The Gamecocks started out of the gates so fast last week against Kentucky with a huge touchdown play from quarterback Jake Bentley to the ultra explosive Deebo Samuel. They got an interception on Kentucky’s next possession and looked in good shape to defeat UK. But things fell apart and Samuel broke his leg. He tried courageously to play through it, but couldn’t overcome the injury and had to leave the game in the third quarter. That was and is a blow to the Gamecocks offense. Such an electric, dynamic player and super competitor. Seems like a great kid too. He’ll be back next season though. Still think SC is a pretty good team. La Tech is competitive and will give the Gamecocks a tough time. 

 

National games

No. 2 Clemson 42, Boston College 7

2:30 PM CT

ESPN 2

Dave LaMont, Kelly Stouffer, Kris Budden

Clemson is cookin after blasting Louisville last week on the road. Before the game last week, Paul Finebaum called Lamar Jackson, “the best player in college football, period.” I don’t think so. He wasn’t even the best quarterback on the field. Kelly Bryant was. And he certainly wasn’t the best player. Clemson had 7 or 8 guys who were better, maybe more. Really high on this Clemson group. Bryant has exceeded expectations and all this loaded team needed was good quarterback play. They are getting exceptional quarterback play and have the talent to go the very deep again.

 

No. 3 Oklahoma 48, Baylor 20

5:30 PM CT

FOX Sports 1

Justin Kutcher, Mark Helfrich, Petros Papadakis

The Sooners keep on rolling with Baker Mayfield putting up superb numbers. That victory at Ohio State was super impressive.

 

No. 4 Penn State 31 Iowa 27

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Maria

While the Nittany Lions have a stellar team this season, the game is at Iowa City and will be a tough one for the Nittany Lions.  Iowa ruined Michigan’s season last year at home and they’ll be looking to ruin the Nittany Lions’ Big Ten and playoff aspirations this season. It wouldn’t totally ruin Penn State’s chances, but they don’t want to take a loss.  I like Penn State to survive, but I expect a hard fought, tight game.

 

No. 5 USC 38, California 28

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Dave Pasch, Gregory McElroy, Tom Lugues

 

Cal had a huge victory over Ole Miss last week. It was impressive how they played offensively and particularly on defense. The competition has really stepped up this week, but I like the Golden Bears to put a scare into the Men from Troy for a while. But the Trojans keep what could be a special season in tact. The Trojans won a classic 2 overtime thriller over a rapidly emerging Texas team under Tom Herman. Texas is going to be elite sooner rather than later. They’ll win their share of games this season and will give OU everything they want in the Red River Shootout.

 

No. 6 Oklahoma State 45, No. 16 TCU 31

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

Steve Levy, Brian Griese, McShay

This is a pretty solid matchup, but I’m a believer in the Cowboys. Their offense is superb led by stud quarterback Mason Rudolph and playmakers all over the field and they’re playing better defense this season. They have a shot to go a long way this season. 

 

No. 8 Michigan 31, Purdue 24

3 PM

FOX

Joe Davis, Brady Quinn, Bruce Feldman
 

Michigan had a tough time with Air Force last Saturday and I expect them to have another tough time on the road against a very good Purdue team. 

 

No.7 Washington 34, Colorado 21

9 PM CT

FOX Sports 1

Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, Holly Saunders

The Huskies may be the most undervalued  top 10 team in the country. I like Chris Peterson’s team. They can be right in the thick of things in November-December. 

 

No. 10 Ohio State 45, UNLV 7

11 AM

Big Ten Network

Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, James Laurinaitis

Honestly, Ohio State is a soft team, but they’ll get it done against a weaker opponent this Saturday. 

 

No. 12 Florida State 27, N.C. State 24

11 AM CT

ABC 

Jason Benetti, Anthony Becht, Rocky Boiman

I see the Noles getting tested here with their freshman quarterback and a pretty decent Wolfpack team that is hungry to knock them off. But the FSU defense helps them prevail. 

 

UCLA  45, Stanford 41

9:30 PM CT

ESPN

Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich

I like the 7 1/2 point underdog Bruins to pull off the upset on the road.

 

Air Force 24, San Diego State 21

6 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

Ben Holden, Jay Taylor, Jenny Dell

Like the 3 1/2 point underdog Falcons to pull off the upset at home. Air Force gave Michigan everything they wanted last week at the Big House. San Diego State is a very good team with a stud running back in Rashad Penny and will win a lot of games this year, but I like the Academy to shock them a little bit. 

 

North Texas 37, UAB 31

5:30 PM CT

BEIN Network, Channel 715 on Charter Cable, 620 on DirecTV

Mike Gleason, Donovan McNabb, Michelle Gingras

Blazers will be competitive, but don’t think they can pull out the victory on the road. They had a good game last week in upsetting Coastal Carolina and they’re building. 

 

No. 24 Oregon 49, Arizona State 37

9 PM

PAC 12 Network

Roxy Bernstein, Anthony Herron, Lewis Johnson

The Ducks are explosive on offense but not as swift on defense. They always have good athletes on defense, but can’t seem to stop people. Their offense will get them over the top against the Sun Devils.

 

No. 18 Washington State 52, Nevada 17

5 PM CT

PAC 12 Network

Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth, Jill Savage

Mike Leach is doing another stellar job in Pullman. His offense is through the roof good, at least against weaker defenses, and his teams play a little better defense now. The Cougars shouldn’t have a problem here. 

 

Michigan State 28, Notre Dame 27

7 PM CT

FOX, 

Gus, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft

Always a good game, I like the Spartans to pull off the upset at home. 

 

Duke 35, North Carolina 31

2:30 PM CT

ESPNU

Clay Matvick, Kirk Morrison, Desmond Purnell

David Cutcliffe has a very good team in Durham. Always a good rivalry game, this one is usually played later in the season. Like the Blue Devils to keep their undefeated season going. They blasted Northwestern a couple of weeks ago and were impressive doing it.

 

Friday

Boise State 31, Virginia 30

7 PM CT

ESPN 2

Adam Amin, Dusty Dvoarcek, Molly McGrath

Like the Cavs to give the Broncos everything they want on the blue turf, but will give the Broncos the edge at home. 

No. 23 Utah 34, Arizona 31

9:30 PM CT

FOX Sports 1

Brian Custer, Ben Leber, Jennifer Hale

The Utes are on the road at Tucson, so I expect this to be a tussle, but will give Kyle Whittingham and his team a slight edge over Rich Rod and his unit. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While this week may not be as electric as last Saturday, there are still some pretty colossal games around the country and in the SEC. Here’s a look at this week’s action.

Last week: 20-2

Overall: 39-5, 87%

Colorado State @ No. 1 Alabama

6 PM CT

ESPN 2

Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessinich

Bama by 28 1/2

Jalen Hurts had a very good game last Saturday vs. Fresno State throwing, and particularly running the ball. Don’t see Fresno State as a great barometer of where Jalen is, and this week may not be that indicative of whether Jalen is a championship quarterback either. But it won’t hurt. Jalen and the Tide can get some good reps against a team that is overmatched and get ready for SEC play against Vandy next week in Nashvegas. Linebackers Rashaan Evans and Anfernee Jennings are questionable for Saturday’s game. S may hold them out until next weekend. Young players should get good experience here and the starters should get some solid reps. 

Alabama 45, Colorado State 7

 

Mercer at Auburn

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Joel Myers, Brian Kinchen, Gabe Gross

Auburn was pathetic on offense last week. The Tigers defense keeps them in games, but Jarrett Stidham and the offensive line looks completely overmatched by elite defenses. This will be a scrimmage against the scout team. Auburn gets a blowout for what it’s worth.

Auburn 49, Mercer 7

 

No. 3 Clemson @ No. 14 Louisville 

7 PM CT 

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Maria

Clemson by 3

Clemson’s defense, quarterback Kelly Bryant along with awesome wide receiver Ray Ray McCloud get it done for the Tigers.

Clemson 31, Louisville 27

 

No. 23 Tennessee @ No. 24 Florida

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Brad Nessler, Gary, Allie

Gators by 4 1/2

Gators look dysfunctional but their defense gets them over the top.

Florida 28, Tennessee 24

 

No. 12 LSU @ Mississippi State 

6 PM CT

ESPN

Tess, Todd, Holly

LSU by 7

I’m expecting a close game here. Nick Fitzgerald is pretty dynamic for State and they’re playing better defense this season under first year coordinator Todd Grantham, an SEC vet defensive coordinator. I don’t really think Danny Etling is a championship quarterback, but I’ll take LSU in a close one in a hostile environment.

LSU 27, State 24

 

Kentucky at South Carolina

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom Hart, JRodg, Cole

SC by 6 1/2

I’m a believer in the South Carolina offense. Their defense is pretty decent too. Deebo Samuels is one of the most if not the most dynamic player in the country. He’s already taken 2 kicks back to the house, and he’s a phenomenal receiver. Deebo and the Gamecocks move on in SEC play.

South Carolina 31, Kentucky 21

 

No. 18 Kansas State @ Vanderbilt

6:30 PM CT 

ESPNU

K State by 4

Mike Conzens, John Congemi

I’ll go with the upset here. The Dores are pretty solid.

Vanderbilt 31, Kansas State 28

 

Other SEC games

No. 13 Georgia 49, Samford 7

6:30 PM CT

SEC Alternate Network

Mike Morgan, Barrett Jones, Desmond Purnell

 

Ole Miss 38, California 34

9:30 PM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams

 

Missouri 34, Purdue 31

3 PM 

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Andre, Olivia Harlan

 

Texas A&M 42, Louisiana Lafayette 27

11 AM 

SEC Network

Dave Neal, Matt Stinchcomb, Dawn Davenport

 

National games

No.4 USC 45, Texas 24

7:30 PM CT 

FOX

Gus, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft

UAB 31, Coastal Carolina 30

Noon

FOX 6

Doug Bell, Jay Sonnhalter, Christina Chambers

No. 2 Oklahoma 49, Tulane 10

5 PM

FOX Sports Net

Brendon Burke, Dave Anderson, Christian Steckel

No. 19 Stanford 35, San Diego State 31

9:30 PM 

CBS Sports Network

Ben Holden, Jay Feely, John Schriffen

No.7 Michigan 38, Air Force 17

11 AM CT

Big Ten Network

Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Michelle McMahon

No. 9 Oklahoma State 45, Pittsburgh 28

11 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Gregory McElroy, Lugues

No. 21 Washington State 52, Oregon State 30

4:30 PM CT

PAC 12 Network

Roxy Bernstein, Anthony Herron, Lewis Johnson

No. 25 UCLA 42 Memphis 38

11 AM CT

ABC

Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Rocky Boiman

Duke 45, Baylor 27

11:30 AM CT

ACC Network

Wes Durham, James Bates, Rebecca Kapel