College Football Week 9: 25 Winners and Losers From Saturday's Action
College Football Week 9 has come and gone. Again, there were upsets all around the Top 25. For at least one week, the No. 1 ranked team side stepped an upset.
As with any week, there were heroes and goats. There were some that made their fans and alumni proud, and others that left the field wishing they never suited up on Saturday. Here is my look into the Top 25 winners and losers from a great day of college football.
25: Winner Robert Griffin III (Baylor)
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Baylor has been playing inspired football for the past few weeks. Going into Texas, they needed great performances from the whole team to knock off a formidable opponent. They received just that from their leader—quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Griffin passed for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran in a touchdown that put Baylor ahead for good in the fourth.
24: Loser Texas Cache
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Saturday's contest might have been played in Austin, but the ambiance did little to deter Baylor. Texas has lost much of their revered reputation this year. The Longhorns gave up a turnover late to seal their fate. It was a telling sign for a team that has failed to keep momentum weekly.
Not only are their hopes of a major bowl dashed, they have lost the ability to put away a team like Baylor away on their home turf. This was a game that previous incarnations of Texas would have prided themselves in playing. It just was not there this Saturday.
23: Winner Keith Payne (Virginia)
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Virginia was hopeful they could beat Miami. They would need someone to step up in the backfield. Keith Payne did just that.
Virginia knocked off the Miami behind the running of Payne. He picked up 81 yards and two critical touchdowns.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22: Loser Jacory Harris (Miami)
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It is hard to put Harris in here, but his interception and the astounding hit he received swayed the game early to Virginia.
It was the kind of hit that establishes the rest of the game. Here is to hoping that Jacory Harris comes back next week healthy. It is obvious they cannot win with freshman Stephen Harris and his two interceptions at the helm.
21: Winner Alshon Jeffrey (South Carolina)
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This one was close. The Gamecocks were at risk of getting upset at home when Alshon Jeffrey caught a pass from Stephen Garcia and completed a 70-yard touchdown. It was one of the best runs on the day and gave the game to South Carolina.
20: Loser Tennessee Conference Play
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We knew this would not be the Volunteers year. After being spurned by Lane Kiffin in the offseason, it was clear they would either be inspired or falter. Sadly, it has been the latter.
They are now win-less in conference play. The once mighty Tennessee Volunteers are now fighting just to get out of the cellar.
19: Winner Stanford Offense
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Stanford completely annihilated Washington on Saturday. Much of that has to do with the offensive package of Andrew Luck and Stepfan Taylor.
Luck threw close to 200 yards and a touchdown. It was a relatively low output day for one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. The Cardinal really shined in the backfield. Lead by Stepfan Taylor who had 104 yards rushing with two touchdowns.
18: Loser Jake Locker (Washington)
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The Stanford and Washington matchup was to pit two of the best quarterbacks the Pac-10 has to offer. Sadly, only one decided to show up.
Jake Locker had the worst performance of the season. He threw only 64 yards and had two interceptions.
17: Winner Terrelle Pryor (OSU)
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With so much attention being dedicated to Cam Newton on a weekly basis, sometimes we forget how good Terrelle Pryor can be.
Pryor did it all. He passed for two touchdowns and ran for another. At the end of the day, he would pick up over 270 total yards.
16: Loser Kevin Riley (Cal)
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Many will tell you that Cal's up and down year is attributed to the play of their quarterback Kevin Riley. But now, he may have lost his season. Riley suffered an injury early on in the Golden Bears game against Oregon State.
He is scheduled to have an MRI this week. This may be the excuse coach Jeff Tedford needs to give the reigns over to junior Brock Mansion.
15: Winner TCU Defense
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The TCU offense is already renowned as a machine. But in order to get to a BCS title game, they need to show something more. Their defense showed up just in time for their bout with Utah next week.
The Horned Frogs intercepted the ball twice—one of which was run back for a touchdown. UNLV was stifled at the line as they only picked up 69 rushing yards.
14: Loser USC Dominance
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If you are like me, then you have been praying for this day to come. USC is no longer an elite team. Going into Saturday, the Trojan faithful believed their offense could match production with the best in the land.
What the Oregon game showed is that USC is no longer an elite team. Their reign atop the PAC-10 standings is over and done with.
13: Winner Nebraska
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Nebraska's season did a full turn this Saturday. With their loss to Texas still looming in the background, the Cornhuskers answered their critics by upsetting No. 6 Missouri.
Now they can head into the final push with some added momentum. It was their final game against a ranked team, and they needed it to get back into BCS contention.
12: Loser Air Force Turnovers
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Air Force had it. They could almost taste the upset. Air Force kept putting a halt to any momentum they would gain with costly turnovers.
Every time they sniffed the end zone they would cough it up. Even as they brought the game within spitting distance, they just couldn't hold the ball. Two touchdowns late would not be enough. Utah was challenged all day; In the end, Air Force gave this one away.
11: Winner Iowa
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Iowa could not win the big game. Sure they beat then No. 22 Penn State, but the Nittany Lions have fallen off since then. It was the losses against Arizona and Wisconsin that people are reminded of.
Well, this week they finally got their big game in the bag. The Hawkeyes looked like an elite team as they trounced the Michigan State Spartans.
10: Loser Florida State
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Sure this game happened on Thursday. But when a team loses their season, you need to include it in a list like this.
Florida State lost a close one to North Carolina State. Now, the Seminoles have four remaining games against unranked teams. I fail to see where they could work their way back to the No. 16 seeding they had going into that game—especially if Christian Ponder is going to continue the horrible play he had this week.
9: Winner Roy Helu Jr. (Nebraska)
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As I mentioned, Nebraska got things done this week. But, it was running back Roy Helu Jr. that was lighting up the stat line.
He picked up 307 rushing yards for three touchdowns. One was a 73-yard jaunt into the end zone. Helu was simply unstoppable.
8: Notre Dame's Weekend
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Notre Dame had one of the worst weekends of their existence. While at practice this week, their videographer, student Declan Sullivan, fell from a crane to his death as he was filming practice. The team and school mourned the death of one of their own.
They then decided to go ahead with the game against Tulsa. Therein, they lost not only the game but their starting quarterback Dayne Crist with a knee injury. Now the Irish must face Utah in a couple weeks.
7: Winner LaMichael James (Oregon)
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Oregon showed their mettle on Saturday, and LaMichael James was one reason the cream rose to the top at the Coliseum on Saturday.
James had a typical day wherein he carried the ball for 239 yards and three touchdowns.
6: Loser The Polls
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For yet another week, I find myself screaming for a college football playoff. What is abundantly clear is that the polls do not agree with each other.
The AP has Boise State at two and USA today has Auburn three. Both polls have Oregon who is currently three in the poll that matters—the BCS. When it is annouced a bit later, I am sure the BCS will have some further changes.
What this all means is we have a solid top five we can all agree on. What we have never been able to correctly argue is a clear top two to compete for it all. The polls and the BCS do not work. A playoff just makes sense.
5: Winner Ryan Broyles (Oklahoma)
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It is nice for a team hoping to compete for a national title to have a sure-handed receiver—one that combines strength and speed to break tackles and gain yards. The Sooners used their best asset on the wing this weekend.
Ryan Broyles was straight dirty this Saturday. His best reception was a Landry Jones pass that he ran for 81 yards and a touchdown. It was the second of three touchdowns he would have on the day.
4: Loser Missouri
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Missouri was having a season for the ages. They sat at No. 6 in the national polls. All they had to do was get past Nebraska. Their remaining four games would have solidified their hold in the Top Five. They just needed a win on Saturday.
That turned out to be too tall of an order. Missouri was outclassed in almost every category in their away defeat to the Cornhuskers.
3: Winner Landry Jones (Oklahoma)
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Ryan Broyles was not the only Sooner to pick on the Colorado defense. Landry Jones had quite the day himself.
Jones picked up over 450 yards on the day and four touchdowns. Three of which went to best friend of the day Ryan Broyles.
2: Loser Michigan State
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I was wrong. I thought that the game Michigan State had last week against Northwestern showed a team that could be tested and still win. What I failed to recognize is that their issues were real issues that will take them some time to mend.
What started last week and what was finished on Saturday was the ousting of a real contender. The Spartans had looked like a solid team all year. But on Saturday, Iowa made them look silly. Kirk Cousins was no where to be found, and their defense was nonexistent. They should take care of their remaining games, but that will not be enough to keep them in the race.
1: Winner Cam Newton (Auburn)
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One thing I have found to be remarkably hard to maintain in college football is consistency. Whether it is teams falling off or players not meeting expectations. One player that has remained true is Cam Newton.
For yet another week, Newton was solid. In the end that is all you can ask for in a leader. Auburn looked a bit shaky at times early but it was Newton and his arm that lead the team to a decisive win. Never needing to run from the pocket. Newton gained 200 yards and two touchdowns passing.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
