Big uglies still on top
10 THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEKEND
Some wins aren’t the prettiest, but they’ll have to do
1 Itwas survive and advance for top teams:
It may not have been pretty, but formany of the top-ranked teams in the country, a win is awin. Clemson, Oklahoma, Penn State and US Call needed late heroics to avoid upsets.
2 Bret Bielema, Hogs wallowin mediocrity:
Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long has done his best to squelch talk of Bielema being under fire, but Razorbacks fans and boosters watched the program fall to 10-23 in the SEC with a disappointing 50-43 overtime loss to Texas A&M.
3 Tennessee continues to underwhelm under Butch Jones:
The Vols were coming off a disheartening last-second loss to Florida, but that doesn’t excuse looking disinterested throughout their matchup with U Mass, needing a late stop to hang on for a 17-13 win.
4 Some Florida State fans need to step away from Twitter:
Some disgruntled Seminoles fans took to social media to voice their displeasure with the team’s 0-2 start after a 27-21 loss to N.C. State, calling for firings. Unreal when you consider the effect of losing quarterback Deondre Francois and the long layoff caused by Hurricane Irma.
5 Florida has Kentucky’s number:
And that number is 31 … and counting. Kentucky fans suffered another painful loss when the Wildcats failed to account for a wide-open Freddie Swan, who scored easily in the final minute to give the Gators an improbable 28-27 victory in Lexington. It extended the nation’s longest active winning streak over a single opponent to 31 games.
6 Georgia’s defense gives the Bulldogs bite:
Mississippi State came into Saturday’s game averaging 41 points and 400 yards of offense, but Georgia’s defense held the Bulldogs to three points and 280 yards.
7 Saquon Barkley boosts Heisman case in Penn State’s walk-off win:
The Nittany Lions tailback used a combination of downfield speed and bruising runs on his way to a career-high 211 rushing yards, helping Penn State cap a 21-19 comefrom-behind victory over a tenacious Iowa team.
8 TCU is a legitimate contender in the Big 12:
The Horned Frogs were just 6-7 last season, but Gary Patterson’s team has bounced back in a bigway thanks to a solid defense that forced three Mason Rudolph interceptions during a 44-31 upset of Oklahoma State. TCU improved to 6-5 under Patterson against teams ranked in the top six, including 2-2 since joining the Big 12.
9 John O’Korn could be the answer to Michigan’s offensive struggles:
The transfer from Houston came off the bench to replace injured quarter back Wilton Speight and helped spark the offense, helping Michigan score two touchdowns in the red zone during a hardfought 28-10win over Purdue.
10 ACC’s strong start continues:
The ACCf inished Saturday with five undefeated teams— the most among the Power Five conferences. The list includes Clemson, Wake Forest, Duke, Virginia Tech and Miami. The Pac-12 started the day with seven undefeated teams, but Cal, Oregon and Colorado all lost.