SLAYER’S SPORTS AND STUFF!
Hi Everybody! Welcome to another edition of Slaye’s College Football Stuff as we take a complete look at Week VI of college football. We’ll take a look at last week’s games that changed the landscape, take a peek at the undefeated teams in college football, brievly overview the conferences, and then go over the Games of the Week.. So, take a shot, a hit, and chimney kiss and let’s get going.
SCORES OF THE WEEK!
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 38
ARIZONA ST. 28
Those of you who hate the Trojans (and there are plenty) were grinning and smiling at Halftime when the Sun Devils led 21-3. This included the studio hosts who were laughing with the best of them. Leave it up to the Trojans to break a Pac-10 record and comeback to win the game by ten points. Every week, they are looking more like one of the greatest dynasties within our lifetimes. Having a giant at the top makes things more fun for everyone.
ALABAMA 31
FLORIDA 3
This could have been a landmark game that flipped the powers that be in the SEC. Alabama is not only back, but they are for real and have positioned themselves as a darkhorse for the National Championship. As for the Gators, their lack of defense was going to catch up to them sooner or later. Better sooner as opposed to November which is when it usually happens.
NOTRE DAME 49
PURDUE 28
Quinn throws for 440 yards and the game was never even as close as the final score with ND topping off with a 42-14 lead. The Irish are strolling through what many believe to be the most difficult schedule in college football. If you look outside, the fair-weather fans are also back with their Notre Dame hats and shirts. This excites some, disgusts others. Either way, fans and foes have already begun the two week countdown to Southern California.
VIRGINIA TECH 34
WEST VIRGINIA 17
A game that proved two things most fans already knew: Virginia Tech is one of the elite teams in the country and West Virginia will look good in the Big East and not really anywhere else.
MICHIGAN 34 (OT)
MICHIGAN ST. 31
It was the most exciting game of week but alas, the Spartans can’t seem to figure out the Wolverines as the dominance in this state rivalry continues. This was supposed to be the game the Spartans break on through. But the pressure was on, and the Wolves weren’t gonna have a 3 loss season”¦not at this point anyway.
PENN ST. 44
MINNESOTA 14
Yeah, yeah..same old story. Minnesota has an artificial no-loss record and then they tailspin in the Big Ten. But new story! Penn St. is 5-0! Joe Pa isn’t an old retard! This is still Linebacker U. Personally, I am rooting for Penn St. because I want every media fool who dismissed them to eat a big bowl of shit after this season. And who doesn’t want to root for that?
NEBRASKA 27 (2OT)
IOWA ST. 20
Hmmmm”¦.so are the Huskers for real? We’ll get to that later. For now, let’s talk about the Cyclones. This was THEIR division to win or lose and now they are already behind and will need the Huskers to lose twice in this horrible division to get anywhere. It’s possible, but the Cyclones would have been excused from losses to Big 12 South foes, but not in the North. Now they are back with the rest of the gang. Very bad loss for them.
MARYLAND 45
VIRGINIA 33
Just when the Cavs were seemingly putting together a nice strong season, they get bumped by the wild offense of the Terps. It was a back and forth game until the fourth quarter when the Terps scored 21 points to turn the game into a runaway. Virginia just got caught off guard against a team that was in panic mode.
AND THEN THERE WERE 12″¦
12 undefeated teams remain in College Football. An undefeated record means you go in front of the line at the championship race. Let’s look at them in a completely objective alphabetical order.
ALABAMA
Death List: Middle Tennessee, Southern Miss, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida
Not too shabby of a death list. Each week was a harder test and they passed each time. This could be a reality as opposed to an illusion. They get a well deserved break this week.
CALIFORNIA
Death List: Sacramento, Washington, Illinois, New Mexico St., Arizona
Their death list tells us absolutely nothing about them. Are they a true contender? We’ll find out more against UCLA as next week, one will stay on this list and one will leave.
CAL-LOS ANGELES
Death List: San Diego St., Rice, Oklahoma, Washington
Their win against Oklahoma caught almost everybody by surprise with the exception of some west coast beat writers. If they defeat California this week, the countdown to USC/UCLA will be on. Could that game have meaning again?
FLORIDA ST.
Death List: Miami (FL), The Citadel, Boston, Syracuse
A very nice, well-rounded respectable death list for the Seminoles gives them a solid Top 5 ranking and an inside track to the Rose Bowl. Next game is against the troubled Demon Deacons. Shouldn’t be anything to call your neighbor about.
GEORGIA
Death List: Boise St., South Carolina, Monroe, Mississippi St.
Their domination of Boise St. is no longer any big deal since the Broncos are tailspinning anyway. Needs some real meat on their death list and they could get it as they go against Tennessee.
NEBRASKA
Death List: Maine, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Iowa St.
They jumped to a 4-0 start and nobody expected that. Contender or Pretender? Another elimination match-up against Texas Tech should straighten some things out.
PENNSYLVANIA ST.
Death List: South Florida, Cincinnati, Central Michigan, Northwestern, Minnesota
It’s actually a nice little death list considering the spunk of South Florida and Minnesota. They may not stay here long as they go against Ohio St.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Death List: Hawaii, Arkansas, Oregon, Arizona St.
It wasn’t as easy as most people thought but they are where they are supposed to be. And already have two respectable teams on their Death List and October just started. Next game is Arizona but people are looking ahead to the Irish.
TEXAS
Death List: Lafayette, Ohio St., Rice, Missouri
Does killing the Buckeyes even out the death list? Maybe. But that’s last week’s conversation. This week is the Red River Classic which has been the Longhorn’s Achilles Heel since 1999.
TEXAS TECH
Death List: Fla Int., Sam Houston St., Indiana St., Kansas
*Yawwwwwwwwwwwwwn* If you’re still here next week, then we can talk.
VIRGINIA TECH
Death List: N.C. St., Duke, Ohio, Georgia Tech, West Virginia
Three ACC kills and a rivalry kill. The hokies are on a bloodbath and it should continue next week against”¦Marshall.
WISCONSIN
Death List: Bowling Green, Temple, North Carolina, Michigan, Indiana
I told you! I told you! Don’t discount Alvarez when it’s his last season. We’ve all seen this before, a coach has their final year, the team is supposed to be in a valley, and then insanity happens. With that said, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if they lost to the Cats next week.
Let’s look at the Conferences. We’ll quickly review the status and look at some games not on the national Television feed.
ACC
At this point, if the ACC Championship games is anything other then FSU/VT, it would be a surprise. Miami (FL) is still well in the hunt for the Ultimate Prize and are holding on strong to a Top Ten ranking. As for the rest”¦well”¦so far, nobody has come out and screamed “look at me”. We may have to wait a few weeks before the haves and have-nots of this conference are truly separated.
WAKE FOREST vs. 4) FLORIDA St.
The Seminoles continue their Rose Bowl campaign as the Deacons just try to look respectable and not get their coach fired.
MARYLAND vs. TEMPLE
The Owl’s “Free Win” tour continues”¦.
DUKE vs. 9) MIAMI (OH)
Hurricanes are going to be looking to put a BIG number so that no one forgets about them.
BIG 12
No team in the Big 12 has a losing record”¦yet. Still, in Week VI that is still quite an accomplishment. In the South, Texas A&M and Oklahoma seem to be slowly be recovering from stumbled starts and they both have good tests against Colorado and Texas respectively.
BAYLOR vs. IOWA St.
An intriguing match-up that may be off most radar screens as Baylor has a nice 3-1 record and if they want to get into a bowl they will have to get their wins in the North Division.
MISSOURI vs. OKLAHOMA St.
Oklahoma St has the quietest one loss record in college football and it should improve against the Tigers at their home field. Prove me wrong, Tigers! Prove me wrong!
BIG EAST
This conference has still yet to get rolling. West Virgnia, Rutgers, and South Florida are 1-0. Louisville, Syracuse, and Pittsburgh are 0-1, and Uconn and Cincy haven’t played any conference games yet. Rutgers beating Pittsburgh got some people excited but time will tell if it means everything.
WEST VIRGINIA vs. RUTGERS
Knights are looking to establish their season and the Mountaineers are careful the conference doesn’t get out of their control.
CINCINNATI vs. PITTSBURGH
Someone has to win”¦
BIG TEN
Two undefeated teams and they are not Michigan and Ohio St. This is old school Big Ten Football with every week any team can beat any team. Even have-nots, Indiana and Illinois are dangerous. Ohio St. is still in recovery mode from their loss against Texas and they can’t afford to lose any game for the rest of the season. But it’s very unlikely they will go through the Big Ten undefeated, but they are going to try..if they lose it will be devastation for Ohmygoddrama State University.
ILLINOIS vs. INDIANA
They both want to get to Bowl Games and they need this win. Because it doesn’t get easier.
PAC-10
Three undefeated teams but that will change this weekend. As for the rest of the Pac-10, it’ll be about gaining a top Bowl Spot, with many teams eying the Holiday Bowl. Oregon has looked very good and their game against USC was respectable enough which makes their match-up against ASU all that more important.
STANFORD vs. WASHINGTON ST.
Both teams got off to bad starts in the Pac-10. The Cougars are looking to pile on to their win total and sneak into a bowl game. Good game to do it.
SEC
The SEC may be top heavy but they are no longer the best conference top to bottom. Kentuky, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Mississippi St. are falling off the face of the planet and falling fast. And don’t look now but Vandy is 4-1.
MISSISSIPPI ST. vs. FLORIDA
We all know what happened last year, could it happen again? Not in Gainesville”¦
KENTUCKY vs. SOUTH CAROLINA
If either team is going to make a late run, now would be a good time to start.
THE MID MAJORS
It’s official. C-USA is officially a mess. The conference of 12 teams could be UAB, Southern Miss, and everyone else. Though many are hopping on the Tulane bandwagon for emotional reasons whom are 2-1. As for the Mountain West, an intriguing game is TCU vs. Wyoming, both are 4-1 and undefeated in the conference. Winner gets a clear shot at the conference crown. The MAC has gone topsy-turvy and right now Eastern Michigan and Ohio are at the top of the standings. Let’s wait for the smoke to clear from this one. As for the Sun Belt, just last Tuesday, Troy beat North Texas 13-10 to knock off the Mean Green’s 26 game conference win streak. Troy has been moving up the college football ladder like a rocket. We’ll have more on the mid-majors next week.
INTERCONFERENCE!
Some other interconference games that may have interest to some people.
NORTH CAROLINA vs. LOUISVILLE
The Cardinal’s last chance to rectify their South Florida loss outside their conference. Heels could give them a good game if their defense holds up.
CITADEL vs. MISSISSIPPI
The Rebels could win this game”¦but just barely.
UL-MONROE vs. ARKANSAS
If Monroe was ever going to beat a national program, now is their chance.
Alright, now we finally get to the part of the column everyone seems to love (or just not hate).
Let’s look at this week’s games on TV!
GAME OF THE WEEK!
5) GEORGIA vs. 7) TENNESSEE 3:30/CBS
The Bulldogs are looking for respect and the Vols are looking to get back in the Rose Bowl Hunt. A loss for either team could easily de-rail them while a win gives them a 1up mushroom. So far, every game on CBS has been a blowout. This one has to be good..it has too! It’s my game of the week for crying out loud!
OTHER GAME OF THE WEEK!
6) OHIO ST. vs. 16) PENN ST. 7:45/ESPN
The Lions are playing with house money but they are salivating. A win will be the official comeback for Joe Pa and then the media jerks can eat shit and die. As for the Buckeyes, every game from here on out is an important one. They should be in top form.
MORE GAMES OF THE WEEK!
10) CALIFORNIA vs. 18) UCLA 7:30/TBS
Two Pac-10 undefeated programs go at it to see if either of them can knock USC off and win the conference outright. Cal is the favorite but the Bruins have looked more impressive and many are betting on the UCLA for the long money. It’s been a long time since this rivalry had this much on the line.
25) OREGON vs. 19) ARIZONA ST. 10:15/FSN
ASU already has two losses to Top 25 teams and Oregon wants to show they are for real. So can a duck beat a satanic entity? They’ve done it before. A nice late-night matchup for those of you that can figure out how to catch a game on FSN.
15) TEXAS TECH vs. NEBRASKA 4:00/TBS
Another battle of two undefeated teams though on a much lesser scale. Or that’s what we think. Winner of this game has a chance to prove a lot of people wrong with the loser making people go “eh, figures.” The Red Raide’s schedule has been so light, they may be at a disadvantage here.
VIRGINIA vs. 17) BOSTON 1:00/ABC-R
Boston is looking to stabilize their see-saw season and the Cavs want to offset their loss to the Terps. A fun middle of the pack ACC inter-divisional matchup.
MINNESOTA vs. 23) MICHIGAN 1:00/ABC-R
Michigan needs to put two big wins in a row or face falling off the polls again. The Gophers are getting verbally smacked around by the sports pundits though. Could be a driving force for them.
TEXAS A&M vs. COLORADO 7:00/FSN
One of those cool Double Whammy games where the winner of this game gets in the Top 25, the loser takes two steps backwards.
RANKED TEAMS ON THE NATIONAL FEED
ARIZONA vs. 1) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 3:30/FSN
Arizona’s only hope is that USC is emotionally drained after two weeks of drama and are looking ahead to the Irish.
OKLAHOMA vs. 2) TEXAS 1:00/ABC-R
Hmmm”¦the Red River Rivalry was supposed to be so much more extravagant this year. But don’t just put a checkmark on Texas. Through the records out as the Sooners would love to spoil their season.
MARSHALL vs. 3) VIRGINIA TECH NOON/ESPN2
Little Vick and the Hokies get to advertise for the pollsters.
11) LOUISIANA ST. vs. VANDERBILT 7:00/ESPN2
Vandy has looked good this year and it’s their home field”¦may not be a bad game.
13) WISCONSIN vs. NORTHWESTERN NOON/ESPN
The Cats always score a couple upsets a year against the top tier of the Big Ten. No reason this can’t be one of them.
NORTH CAROLINA ST. vs. 24) GEORGIA TECH Thurs7:30/ESPN
All summer we’ve hearing about how N.C. State has the best defense in college football. Well, they got the national stage to show us that. The Jackets are coming off a bye week though.
AND ALL THE OTHER GAMES ON THE NATIONAL FEED
MIAMI (OH) vs. NORTHERN ILLINOIS W7:30/ESPN2
Two teams that are not achieving expectations. Both will fight hard for this.
SYRACUSE vs. CONNECTICUT Fri8:00/ESPN
UCONN has looked pretty good this year and they may be on their way to a 7 or 8 win season. Good test for both teams.
KANSAS vs. KANSAS ST. NOON/FSN
So is Kansas St. back? Not yet, but they better win this one if they want get ‘back’ this year.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN vs. ARMY 1:00/ESPNC
Two very bad teams. But sometimes that makes for a good game.
IOWA vs. PURDUE 4:30/ESPN
Both got knocked off the Top 25 these past couple of weeks. Crossroad game for both teams.
As for the hundreds of games in your area that are on Gameplan, syndication or locally produced, you’re on your own..
Next Week: In search of Cinderella”¦”¦”¦..
Have a great week and God bless.
