Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Vols show they’ve got what it takes
Tennessee is for real. The Volunteers have quietly been a top-10 team since the end of September, but they made plenty of noise in their thrilling 52-49 victory over then-No. 3 Alabama on Saturday. Tennessee scored the most points against a Crimson Tide team under Nick Saban as the Vols, now No. 3, ended 15 years of frustration over one of their rivals in one of the most impressive games of the college football season.
Alabama is good but not great. When the Crimson Tide are playing their best football, they avoid all the little mistakes that plague their opponents. That hasn’t been the case this season, as penalties, miscues and defensive struggles have sometimes hampered this team throughout the season. While quarterback Bryce Young has helped Alabama overcome some of those errors, it all finally caught up with the Tide against Tennessee.
Hendon Hooker made his case for the Heisman Trophy. The Vols quarterback outdueled reigning Heisman winner Young to help produce the upset. Hooker finished with 441 yards of total offense with five touchdown passes — all to wide receiver Jalin Hyatt — and his ability to drive his team 45 yards in the final 15 seconds set up the game-winning field goal should make people stand up and take notice.
USC stumbles over its defense. The Trojans were off to their best start since 2006 and a top-10 ranking thanks, in part, to new coach Lincoln Riley and transfer quarterback Caleb Williams. But much was the trend at Oklahoma, Riley’s most significant challenges have come on the defensive side of the football. The Trojans gave up 562 yards to Utah as the Utes converted a late two-point conversion to rally from 14 points down and stole a win.
Don’t sleep on Ole Miss. The Rebels are off to their best start since 2014 after they racked up 448 yards on the ground to snap a six-game losing streak to Auburn. Lane Kiffin’s team sits atop the SEC West standings thanks to Alabama’s loss and with road contests against LSU and Texas A&M on the horizon and a home game against the Crimson Tide, Ole Miss controls its destiny when it comes to its conference-title hopes.
Max Duggan has TCU on track for the Big 12 championship game. The Horned Frogs overcame a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter against then-No. 8 Oklahoma State thanks to quarterback Max Duggan, who had three total touchdowns, including one with 1:57 left to send the game into overtime before coming away with a 43-40 double-overtime win. It was the third straight win over a ranked opponent and moved TCU into first place in the Big 12.
The shine has come off Kansas’ fairy-tale start. The Jayhawks became the darling of the college football world with their 5-0 start and first top-25 ranking since 2009, but an injury to quarterback Jalon Daniels has really dampened things as Kansas has dropped two straight games to TCU and Oklahoma. The program can still earn its first bowl trip since 2008 with a win over the next five games.
Michigan continues to outmuscle its opponents. The Wolverines relied on an impressive ground attack and a stout defense to throttle then-No. 10 Penn State, improving to 7-0 overall and 13-1 against the Big Ten over the last two seasons. It was a typical Big Ten performance, with Michigan rushing for 418 yards, crossing over 400 rushing yards in a game for the first time since 2016 while holding the Nittany Lions to 268 total yards.
Bret Bielema has Illinois in the Big Ten title hunt. The Illini remain undefeated in the Big Ten West with wins over Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, and Bielema’s team is bowl-eligible for the first time since 2019. Illinois is off to its best start since 1953 and much of the team’s success has been because of an imposing defense that held the Gophers to under 200 yards of offense while forcing three turnovers.
Sun Belt sees double trouble. James Madison and Coastal Carolina were two of 15 undefeated teams entering this weekend of play, but both suffered embarrassing losses. James Madison jumped out to an early 14-0 lead over Georgia Southern but watched the Eagles rally to beat them on a late touchdown. At the same time, Coastal Carolina was steamrolled by Old Dominion, seriously damaging the Chanticleers’ hopes for a New Year’s Six bowl as the top Group of Five champion.*