Tramel analyzes Week 6
The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel breaks down this weekend’s matchups in college football.
Texas A&M joined the SEC for the 2012 football season, but not until Saturday do the Aggies finally play Kentucky in a conference game.
But A&M and Kentucky have played before. In 1952, Kentucky won 10-7 at A&M.
In 1953, A&M won 7-6 at Kentucky. The Aggies were so impressed with the Wildcats, they up and hired UK’s coach for the 1954 season. Fellow by the name of Bear Bryant.
Now the series resumes, and coaches are at the forefront again. Kentucky’s Mark Stoops has the 5-0 Wildcats ranked 13th, which are heady days for UK football. Keep this up, and Stoops’ seats at basketball games will be upgraded.
Kentucky hasn’t started 5-0 since 2007 and hasn’t been 6-0 since 1950, when the Wildcats were coach by the Bear.
A&M has again hired away a notable coach, this time Jimbo Fisher from Florida State.
Stoops was Fisher’s defensive coordinator for three years at Florida State, 2010-12.
“Fond memories,” Stoops said this week. “They were intense and fun sometimes, competing with him. I learned a lot.”
Kentucky historically has not fared well in the SEC’s storied stadiums. But the Wildcats won at Florida in September, which should embolden them for the trip to Kyle Field in College Station.
“I think it gives you some confidence to know that you’ve gone into an environment very similar and played well,” Stoops said of winning at Florida. “But this is a new opportunity. We have to go prove it again, and we’ll have to play at a higher level.”
And so for the first time in 65 years, the Aggies and Wildcats play football.
“Yeah, that’s a little different,” Stoops said. “You always get some crossovers once in awhile, but A&M definitely for me is new and fresh, definitely not very familiar with them. It’s no different than playing a non-conference opponent.”
Upset special
Mississippi State has been a disappointment so far. The Bulldogs won big at Kansas State, but the Wildcats have been pushed around all season. Since then, Mississippi State has lost at Kentucky and lost at home to Florida.
But now the Bulldogs host Auburn, and the Tigers might be ripe for the picking. Auburn beat Washington 21-16 to open the season, but then the Tigers lost at home to LSU, and last week Auburn never put away Southern Miss, winning 24-13.
The Washington game was in Atlanta, so this is Auburn’s first road test. The Tigers, like many SEC teams, don’t play enough true road games to get good at it. Auburn is 9-9 in its last 18 true road games.
Auburn is a 3½-point favorite in Starkville, but let’s go with Mississippi State in the upset.
Coach on the hot seat
Boise State coach Bryan Harsin has been successful by any definition. His Broncos are 45-13 in 4½ years, with Mountain West Conference titles in 2014 and 2017.
But Harsin’s teams already have suffered more defeats than Chris Petersen had in eight years as the Boise State coach. The Broncos were 92-12 in eight years under Petersen.
A 44-21 loss at Oklahoma State on Sept. 15 made Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl hopes precarious, and now San Diego State comes to town.
The Aztecs won Mountain West titles in 2015 and 2016 and have another good team. The winner Saturday has the inside track on hosting the Mountain West title game in December and perhaps getting that Fiesta Bowl berth. A loss could make Boise State fans reminisce about the days before Harsin.
Ranking the games
1. Notre Dame at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m., ABC: Hokies would be widely hailed, if not for that pesky loss to Old Dominion. ODU is 1-4 and lost 52-10 to Liberty.
2. LSU at Florida, 2:30 p.m., CBS: Defensive slugfest on tap? LSU won 17-16 at Florida last year; Florida won 16-10 at LSU the year before.
3. Kentucky at Texas A&M, 6 p.m., ESPN: Wonder if the Stoops gang will leave the Cotton Bowl and hop a charter flight to make kickoff in College Station?
4. San Diego State at Boise State, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU:
Strange but true. These programs, the two best in the Mountain West, have not met in the league’s championship game, despite being in opposite divisions.
5. Auburn at Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2:
Bulldogs have held tough against the Tigers, going 3-3 in their last six meetings.
6. Boston College at North Carolina State, 11:30 a.m., ACC Network: Wolfpack is undefeated, but its best win was at home over Virginia.
7. Clemson at Wake Forest, 2:30 p.m., ESPN: Lost in freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s injury vs. Syracuse was that he wasn’t playing well.
8. Arizona State at Colorado, 3 p.m., Pac-12 Network: The Buffaloes could emerge as the favorite to win the Pac-12 South. It’s a woeful division.
9. Iowa at Minnesota, 2:30 p.m., Big Ten Network:
Speaking of weak divisions, this winner challenges Wisconsin as the best of the Big Ten West.
10. Utah at Stanford, 9:30 p.m., ESPN: The Cardinal is as good a pick as any for nation’s toughest schedule. Already played San Diego State, Southern Cal, Oregon and Notre Dame. Still to come are Washington State and Washington.