Week full of twists and turns and some of them can only end up in our ranking. We’ll let you discover who goes among the Tops and who goes among the Flops in the article. As always, a 360-degree look with the best and worst divided between the Power 4 and Group of 5.
TOP (Power 4)
Indiana: The Hoosiers are certainly the winners this week. The away victory over Oregon launches them forcefully into the race for the Big Ten Championship. Coach Curt Cignetti’s boys are surprising everyone with an excellent mix of aggressive defense and a skilled attack both in the passing game and on the runs.
Indiana’s calendar between now and the end has no teams (currently) in the Top 25 and this could allow them to arrive at the (probable) match against Ohio State with the certainty of being able to also lose the Conference final and remain in the 12 places for the Playoffs.
Desmond Purnell: Fantastic performance from Kansas State’s LB, who finished Saturday with 5 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1TFL, 2 PDs, 2 Interceptions and 1 TD. In short, he did everything against TCU’s attack. As for K-State, there are finally signs of recovery after the terrible start. The season record remains negative with 3-4, but in the Big 12 they moved to 2-2.
Texas A&M: The Aggies seem to be, after Ohio State, the best team on the collegiate scene. They have already beaten Notre Dame, Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida this season. These last 3 victories put them at the top of the SEC at 3-0.
An incredible defense combined with a varied attack make them a serious candidate to reach the Conference final.
However, the calendar is still difficult with 3 difficult away games against LSU, Missouri and Texas. 2 wins out of 3 in these games and the playoffs are assured.
TOP (Group of 5)
Anthony Colandrea: The Rebels are clearly the team to beat in the Mountain West, thanks to a roster full of talent in which QB Anthony Colandrea stands out (361 pass yards, 62 run yards and 3 TDs). Against the Air Force Falcons, UNLV had to suffer and chase for most of the game, suffering from the opponents’ ability to keep possession and wearing down the opposing defense with their running game (428 yards). In the most difficult moments, however, Colandrea carried the team on his shoulders, dragging them to victory after a monumental second half with 38 points scored. The last drive was epic in which, down by 4 points (48-44) with just over a minute to play, the Rebels’ QB led the team for 75 yards and ended the game with a 19-yard TD run. A majestic performance.
Tulane Green Wave e Jake Retzlaff: Important victory for Tulane against a tough opponent like East Carolina, the underdog that had most impressed in the AAC so far. The Green Wave are not the dominant team of previous seasons, the absence of a top running back makes the offense predictable but it is the defensive department that makes the difference (3 sacks, 8 tackles for loss and 6 deflected passes) and keeps the team in the game. The great defensive work was once again rewarded by the talent of QB Retzlaff who, in the last quarter, found the decisive plays to give the team the victory. First with a 63-yard TD pass to Lewis and, then, in the final seconds the TD pass to Gordon for a victory that reaffirms Tulane’s position at the top of the AAC.
Bowling Green Falcons: An incredible comeback after suffering the Rockets’ superiority for 28 minutes and finding themselves trailing 21-0. The Falcons showed character and, after reopening the game in the final seconds of the first half with Pettaway’s first TD (118 yards and 2 TDs), in the second half they dominated the field by neutralizing Toledo’s offense, one of the best talent units in the MAC, with a monstrous defensive performance (2 sacks, 9 tackles for loss and 4 deflected passes). An extraordinary Pettaway took care of the rest. An important victory (28-23) which relaunches the ambitions of coach George’s team in the MAC.
FLOP (Power 4)
Oregon: The Ducks’ defeat weighs heavily, because they risk having missed the boat to play for the Big Ten. Now for Oregon, in addition to starting to win again, they will have to hope for some missteps from their Conference opponents. The schedule is quite easy, with the only Top 25 being USC, at home, but even winning them all might not be enough to play for the Big Ten.
Michigan: The other defeat of the week is the Wolverines who suffered a heavy defeat against USC by 31 to 13. Defense to be reviewed and passing game with the only target in the WR, freshman, Andrew Marsh.
There is no more hope for the Conference, now even getting back into the 12 for the playoffs seems like a mirage. Michigan now has only one objective that can save the season: an upset against eternal rivals Ohio State on the final day. Even if it currently seems like an impossible challenge.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks don’t end up among the Flops so much for the defeat against LSU by 20 to 10, but for the season they are playing. The record of 3-3 and above all 1-3 in the Conference is certifying the crisis. They started with very different ambitions and with the rest of the calendar to play I don’t see how they can manage to finish with just a winning record.
FLOP (Group of 5)
Fresno State Bulldogs: Heavy and unapologetic defeat for the Bulldogs at home to the Rams. Coach Entz’s team suffered a tough defeat at Colorado State and complicates its path to the Mountain West Championship. Game without history with the Rams in control of the game from the start and leading 35-7 after just 24 minutes of play. Bad day for QB Warner who finished with three interceptions and, overall, for the entire Bulldogs offense which, in addition to four turnovers, gave away three turnovers on downs to the opponents, who were good at limiting Fresno State’s running game and in particular Donelson. A heavy defeat for the Bulldogs, expected to have a very difficult calendar in the coming weeks, against an opponent in obvious difficulty with the risk of having jeopardized the entire season.
Old Dominion Monarchs: The Monarchs’ march unexpectedly ends with a heavy defeat at Marshall. The Virginia team suffered the supremacy of the Thundering Herd right from the start, finding themselves trailing 27-7 already at the end of the first half and even 48-10 at the start of the last quarter, thanks to the bad day of QB Joseph (two interceptions) and the battery of Monarchs RBs who ran into three lost fumbles. Five total turnovers that compromised a game in which the Monarchs were unable to limit QB Del Rio-Wilson (291 pass yards, 95 run yards and 4 TDs) proving fragile especially against runs (223 yards allowed). Complicated situation for Old Dominion which is now awaiting the decisive match against James Madison without the possibility of making a mistake.
North Texas Mean Green: In the clash at the top of the AAC, the Mean Green were heavily defeated by the South Florida Bulls at the end of a game that saw them in the running for only one half. Already in the first half, North Texas had shown considerable difficulty in containing the opposing QB Byrum Brown (245 pass yards, 82 run yards and 5 TD), but seemed able to manage the game thanks to an offense well managed by QB Mestemaker (326 yards and 2 TD). In the second half, however, the team collapsed and the Bulls took advantage of two serious errors (an interception and a fumble reported as a TD) at the partial start of their opponents and took off scoring 42 points for the final 63-36. A bad setback for a team that was traveling at full speed at the top of the conference.
✍️Fabio Bertini and Danilo Fontana – L’intercetto.it
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