Texas A&M snaps Alabama's 100 game win streak against unranked teams, Iowa beats Penn State, Ole Miss survives Arkansas, and the Red River Showdown gives us the Game of the Year. OHHHH BABY WHAT A WEEKEND OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL.
I was very excited to write this post after what was the best college football weekend of the year. Going into it the games were not that sexy. You knew Iowa-Penn State would be a slug fest but not terribly exciting, and had high hopes for Oklahoma-Texas but other than that the slate wasn't that appealing. Ole Miss-Arkansas was another instant classic but after seeing each team get throttled by Georgia and Alabama the week prior, I wasn't terribly excited for it. But as the great Chris Berman would say "that's why they play the games." Let's jump right into the recap.
Game of the Week: Oklahoma 55-Texas 48
Game of the week is the understatement of a life time. This game had everything. Two minutes into the game it was 14-0 Texas. Then it was 38-20 Texas at the half. Then it was 41-20 Texas when pre-season Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler was benched for Caleb Williams. Oklahoma storms all the way back to tie it (on what was possible the catch of the year) when Texas fumbles the ensuing kickoff leading to Oklahoma taking a 48-41 lead. Texas then ties the game with a minute and change to play. For the Texas +3.5 bettors their hearts got ripped out when Kennedy Brooks took a run 33 yards to the house at the buzzer to win 55-48. Unbelievable game. Instant classic. The most points ever scored in the Red River Showdown. There aren't enough superlatives to describe it.
Winners:
Oklahoma: With their season on the brink Caleb Williams put a jolt into an uninspiring Sooners offense by accounting for 3 touchdowns and looking every bit like a guy that can get this team to the National Title game. Sooners are loaded with talent and if they not tale a step back and handle TCU, look out for Lincoln Riley's squad.
Georgia: I bet them to win the national title pre-season, I kept ranking them number 1 in the CS Top 10, now it is abundantly clear who the best team in the country is. Kirby Smart now gets to rip Alabama's hearts out when the two meet in the SEC title game. After losing the 2018 national title and the following SEC title game in heart breaking fashion, how sweet it is for Georgia fans across the country
Iowa: Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. They got lucky Sean Clifford went down for Penn State or else they lose that game. However, no more ranked teams remain on the schedule for the Hawkeyes and they should be undefeated in the Big Ten title game with a chance at the CFP on the line with (presumably) Ohio State.
Losers
Spencer Rattler: Rattler will never start a game again for Oklahoma. We will be seeing him dress for some mid-major or low tier power 5 school next year. Tough Saturday for him.
BYU: The stars looked like they were aligning for a NY6 Bowl appearance if they could cap off an undefeated season. Dropping one to a 2-3 Boise State squad at home with a trip to Waco to face a good Baylor team up next is a recipe for disaster.
UCONN: 0-6 UCONN vs. 0-5 UMASS in a New England rivalry for who is the worst team in college football. Dropping to 0-7 by losing to UMASS by 14 is a tough one so no better way to cap off loser of the week than for it to be the official worst team in college football.
CS TOP 10
Georgia
Iowa
Oklahoma
Cincinnati
Ohio State
Alabama
Kentucky
Penn State
Michigan
Michigan State