It may be old news but still worth mentioning some of the details of Oregon’s thrilling 32-31 victory last week over Ohio State. It was our only trip in nine years to Eugene and the atmosphere at Autzen Stadium did not disappoint. A raucous crowd throughout reached a crescendo when time ran out on the Buckeyes, as they were threatening to kick a game-winning field goal, and the fans rushed the field. Naturally, the magnitude and the fact that the game was an instant classic played a role but there was no shortage of energy from the beginning. It may be somewhat smaller than many off the larger venues but the environment reminded me of some of the best stadia (LSU, Nebraska, OSU, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, etc.) in all of college football where the incredible noise level never seemed to diminished. Just epic.
More: It’s early but Ken Schreiber separates the contenders from pretenders in college football
Having said that, these teams may meet again with greater stakes on the line and Ohio State, while losing, may be the better team.
New heights for Hoosiers football?
Texas, LSU, Bama, Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee all have one thing in common. One of them are likely to finish with three losses and qualify for the CFP Playoff. Then there is No. 16 Indiana, undefeated at 6-0 for the first time since the 1960s. Their best victory is against 3-3 Maryland (42-28) and they play a Nebraska team tis week trying to find its identity. Basketball-crazed Indiana has embraced first-year head coach Curt Cignetti and this team. They play with an edge to them with something to prove because they recognize Indiana football has been at the bottom of the Big Ten for decades and taken a back seat to its basketball team for a century. Not this year. If the Hoosiers defeat Nebraska, their schedule is favorable with only Ohio State on the road. An 11-1 Indiana team will make the CFP no matter how weak their schedule is because the Big Ten is known as the conference of influence and affluence for a reason.
∎Don’t look now but the Clemson Tigers are ranked No. 10. They don’t play Miami this year and their best victory is against 3-4 NC State (59-35). The voters have put them here by reputation not by body of work. The Tigers will probably only play No. 20 Pitt as a ranked team on their remaining schedule. It’s win the ACC or they’re out of the CFP.
Ashton Jeanty making a name for himself
Colorado’s Travis Hunter is probably the best all-around player in the country, but there’s a player you’ve probably never heard of who is putting up numbers not seen in decades and deserves to be acknowledged. He is Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and to date he’s rushed 126 times for yards 1,248 and is on a pace to break the great Barry Sanders record of 2,628 yards set in 1988. Before downplaying his competition, be reminded he rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns against Oregon in the Broncos‘ only loss of the year. This guy is special.
Saluting Army & Navy
No. 25 Army (6-0) and No. 23 Navy (6-0) are both ranked for the first time in six decades. Navy defeated a solid Memphis team (56-44) but the other combined 11 wins are against “nobodies.” I love the academies and actually have a child in the Air Force, but these schools would struggle in any Power Four league. It’s not unpatriotic to say neither deserves to be ranked just because they’re undefeated. However, both by chance have, you guessed it — Notre Dame — on the schedule in the next two weeks and a victory would change the whole perception. I’ll be openly rooting for both academies acknowledging my family bias but also because they’ll be huge underdogs.
More: Hey, college football, fix your bowl problems! And here are Ken Schreiber’s year-end awards
Top 25 games this week
No. 5 Georgia (5-1) at No. 1 Texas (6-0) -3.5: Quarterback Quinn Ewers returned last week as the starter against Oklahoma and after a slow start, picked the Sooners apart in a victory, 34-3. Now the Bulldogs come to Austin. The Horns have NFL talent at almost every position but Georgia has lacked a running game this year and quarterback Carsen Beck, while averaging over 300 yards per game with a 68% completion rate, has made uncharacteristic mistakes. It’s the Texas defense which looks to be the difference maker here, yielding just 6.3 points per game. Expect the Longhorns to exert pressure on Beck leading to turnovers. Yes, the Longhorns are finally back!
No. 7 Alabama (5-1) -3 at No. 10 Tennessee (5-1): It’s the third Saturday in October, which means these two rivals are on the schedule. Both are fortunate to come off victories last week (Bama 27-25 over South Carolina and Tennessee 23-17 in OT over Florida). Bama was actually booed by the home crowd and it is clear things are not the same without the GOAT. Quarterback Jalen Milroe took a huge step backward making some terrible throws and just seemed to lose his confidence. Tennessee’s freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava hasn’t thrown for over 200 yards in the past three games. also has come back to reality. Meanwhile, Alabama’s defense cannot get off the field on third downs, and is shell of what it used to be. Coach Kalen DeBoer either fixes it or the Tide will collapse in Knoxville. Even though both teams have major flaws, the Vols are in a better spot because they’re at home and their defense ranks in the top five in most major categories. Vols role!
Michigan (4-2) at Illinois (5-1) +3: How lucky was Illinois last week ? They blew a 24-3 halftime lead but prevailed in OT over Purdue, 50-49. Illinois will be wearing throwback Red Grange uniforms. A must win for Michigan or they’re out of CFP consideration. With the 132nd ranked passing game, they’ve turned to Jack Tuttle as their new quarterback. We know back Kalel Mullings, who averages six yards per carry, will run the ball at least 25 times.. Illinois is in the midst of a dream season with only a loss to Penn State (21-7). They generally do not beat themselves, case in point being their quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has just one interception. The Wolverines defensive will be his biggest challenge. It’s a one-score game and since Michigan can’t throw the ball, the Illini are winning outright.
3-0 last week against the spread. 11-6 ATS for the season.
followtheschreib61@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: No. 2 Oregon football win over No. 4 Ohio State an ‘instant classic’
