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2011 College Football: Grading the Top 25 Teams' Performance from Week 7

Stix SymmondsOct 16, 2011

Week 7 of the 2011 college football season is in the books. Now come the first BCS Standings of the season and the race for the title hits full stride.

How big is the race, though? With better than half the season behind us, who really has a shot of making their way into the coveted top two spots? Who is a lock for a BCS bowl, and who might still have time to work their way into the mix?

All of the rankings to this point have only been indicators. They give us a picture into what the coaches have been thinking, and how the AP sees things.

That's really all they've been, though—indicators. The BCS will take the coaches' thoughts and add them to the Harris Poll, then mix them both up with computer rankings and spit out their own ranking system.

That ranking will mean everything to teams hoping for a major bowl game in front of a national audience. Those standings will be the one that determines who plays where in January—and indirectly, who plays where in December.

As the standings are being revealed, let's take a look at how everyone in the AP standings did over the weekend. For many of them, this could have made or broken how they're viewed going forward.

Bleacher Report is your home for college football for the 2011 season. From scores, news, analysis, live blogs and updates on your favorite teams and the big national games every week, keep it on Bleacher Report for the very latest in college football news.

No. 25 Houston

1 of 25

Opponent: Idle

Outcome: N/A

The Cougars enter the Top 25 just in time for a bye week. The last time they saw action (Oct. 8), they blasted East Carolina 56-3. They're 6-0 on the year, and have a schedule that lays out so that they could easily find their way to a 10-2 or 11-1 record.

The rest of the season looks like this:

vs. Marshall

vs. Rice

@ UAB

@ Tulane

vs. Southern Methodist

@ Tulsa

Grade: N/A

No. 24 Auburn

2 of 25

Opponent: Florida

Outcome: Won 17-6

Usually, I like to come at these things using stats as a measuring stick with which to define my grades. This time, that's not so easy or appropriate. There aren't many stats to throw about.

That's largely because this was a defensive duel to the very end. Neither team found a lot of success through the air. Both teams finished with around 125 yards passing, with Auburn scoring a touchdown and Florida throwing an interception.

Neither team found much success on the ground either. Maybe that's the stat that would mean the most in this instance. Florida typically has a very good rush attack, but Auburn never allowed it to get much steam and ultimately held the Gators to just 66 net yards on the ground.

The Tigers won the turnover battle, forcing three Gators missteps. Giving up 79 yards to penalties wasn't that great, but it ultimately didn't hurt that much either.

This win pushes Auburn to 3-1 in SEC play and keeps them a threat in the conference race.

Grade: B

No. 23 Michigan State

3 of 25

Opponent: Michigan

Outcome:

Sporting some spiffy new duds, the Spartans hosted their most hated rival in the Michigan Wolverines. Where has this team been?

We knew they had a pretty good defense, but were they really that good? They held Ohio State to just seven points, but Ohio State wasn't playing like Ohio State at that time. They held most of the rest of their opponents to seven or fewer points, but who are those opponents? Nobody worthwhile.

They also allowed Notre Dame to put up 31 points on them. What would Denard Robinson and that frisky Michigan offense do?

Nothing, that's what.

They held Robinson to 123 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception, and limited him to only 42 yards rushing. In total, the Spartans held the Wolverines to just 250 total yards of offense—well below the 450+ yards the Wolverines have been averaging per game.

Meanwhile, Edwin Baker ran roughshod through Michigan's defense, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. QB Kirk Cousins didn't have a stellar day passing, completing 13 of 24 passes for just 120 yards, but he did put up a pair of touchdowns.

The offense was okay, but the defense shined through and came away with a big win over a hated rival and stayed undefeated in conference play.

One more thing that must be added though, is that there were some uncalled-for penalties by that defense, particularly late in the game. All said and told, the Spartans committed 13 penalties for 124 yards.

Grade: B

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No. 22 Texas

4 of 25

Opponent: No.6 Oklahoma State

Outcome: Lost 26-38

The Longhorns have been one of the tougher teams to gauge in the early going of the season. Their out-of-conference schedule allowed them time to try to put some pieces together, and their opening Big 12 game at Iowa State didn't do a lot to test Texas.

Over the last couple of weeks, however, the picture has started to become a little clearer. They're good enough to beat the mid-level teams, but not good enough to beat the real contenders this year.

The passing game continues to be more pain than pleasure for the Longhorns. David Ash completed 55 percent of his passes against the Cowboys, but only picked up 139 yards and threw two costly interceptions.

The ground game, however, was very good, with Malcolm Brown rushing for 135 yards, averaging a whopping 7.1 yards per carry and scoring two touchdowns.

Special teams were a little bit of a mixed bag. Opening the second half, Texas allowed Cowboy Justin Gilbert to streak 100 yards on a kickoff return for a touchdown. However, in exciting fashion, Foswhitt Whittaker answered right back by returning the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a score.

This was no blowout. It was a hard-fought battle to the end, and Texas should be given credit for never allowing this game to get completely away from them. However, they also lost the turnover battle and couldn't do anything more than force a safety in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line.

Grade: B

No. 21 Texas A&M

5 of 25

Opponent: No.20 Baylor

Outcome: Won 55-28

This was the kind of performance the Aggies really needed. After losing two straight to Oklahoma State and Arkansas, then struggling to put away Texas Tech, A&M got a convincing win over a good Baylor team. Plus, the next couple of weeks are very winnable before the Aggies have to go on a road march to Oklahoma and Kansas State.

They couldn't do much to slow down Baylor's Heisman-hopeful quarterback, as Robert Griffin III threw for 430 yards and three touchdowns. However, the Aggies did pick him off for only the second time this season and absolutely shut down the Baylor run game.

Then they blasted through the Baylor defense like it didn't even exist. QB Ryan Tannehill put up 415 yards of his own and shredded Baylor for six touchdowns. He did give up an interception as well, but made up for it by doubling the number of TD's Griffin threw.

They didn't limit it to just an air assault either. RB Christine Michael slashed for 105 yards on 21 carries (5.0 average) and a touchdown, leading an A&M charge that put up 266 rushing yards in total.

WR Ryan Swope had a monster day as well, hauling in 11 passes for 206 yards and four of the six touchdowns Tannehill threw on the day.

A&M forced Baylor to be a one-man show while they took it to the Bears from every angle. They got a big win over a good team to make a strong statement in the opening BCS Standings.

Grade: A+

No. 20 Baylor

6 of 25

Opponent: No.21 Texas A&M

Outcome: Lost 28-55

And now, to turn the discussion over to the Bears. This wasn't the outcome they hoped for or needed, obviously.  Hanging onto a spot in the most volatile portion of the polls, Baylor needed a solid win to help propel their way inside the Top 20.

Instead, they were shredded by Texas A&M, and looked woefully out-matched in the process.

Robert Griffin III had another great individual day, passing for 430 yards and three scores. That's really the only highlight of the day. He also threw a pick and couldn't possibly do enough to keep his team in this one.

The run game wasn't there. Terrance Ganaway could only manage 2.1 yards per carry, while Griffin could only grab 1.3 per scramble. Ganaway scored the only rushing touchdown of the day, and it kept Baylor within striking distance of the Aggies.

However, the fourth quarter was owned by A&M. The defense couldn't seem to stop anything the Aggies threw at them, and Baylor gave up 21 unanswered points from the end of the third quarter to the end of the game.

To be fair, for all of the gushing launched toward A&M in this one, Baylor did make it a very interesting game until that last quarter. They fell down 31-14 early in the third quarter, but quickly brought it back within two scores and closed within six points late in the third quarter.

But then, everything fell apart again as A&M went on their late scoring binge and left Baylor in the dust. They allowed the Aggies to convert on 10 of 13 third down situations, and couldn't get any balance on the offensive side of the ball.

Not a good total team effort, and the Bears will suffer in the standings.

Grade: C-

No. 19 Virginia Tech

7 of 25

Opponent: Wake Forest

Outcome: Won 38-17

QB Logan Thomas is not-so-quietly taking control of this team's offense and making it his own. That has to be good for coach Frank Beamer to see, as there were a lot of questions coming into this season. The Hokies had to replace standout Tyrod Taylor, and you never really know what you're going to get when a star of Taylor's caliber graduates.

Thomas threw the ball for 280 yards and two touchdowns against the Demon Deacons and carried it for two more scores on the ground.

It wasn't all Logan Thomas, though. The Hokies ground game was led once again by David Wilson, who averaged an astounding eight yards per carry en route to a 136-yard rushing day with a touchdown.

Meanwhile, the defense scored four sacks and intercepted a Tanner Price throw. They held the Demon Deacons rush attack to just 59 net yards, though they did give up a couple of passing touchdowns—including a long 79-yard completion early in the game.

The Hokies played cleanly, giving up only 28 yards to penalties, and didn't commit a turnover all game.

Solid win against a decent-but-not-necessarily-good Wake Forest team.

Grade: A

No. 18 Arizona State

8 of 25

Opponent: No.9 Oregon

Outcome: Lost 27-41

There's no question that the Sun Devils are steadily improving. Already this year, they are 5-2 with a lot of winnable games left on their schedule.

That's far more hopeful than the mediocre 6-6 season they put together a year ago or the ugly 4-8 campaign of 2009.

The score doesn't look particularly good in this one, but Arizona State played right along with a very good Oregon team right to the end. They never got more than 14 points behind and—for the most part—matched the Ducks punch-for-punch.

Brock Osweiller threw for 291 yards and a pair of scores, while Cameron Marshall averaged just under five yards per carry and picked up another touchdown. The Sun Devils offense was strong, putting up 460 total yards.

The defense recovered a fumble and picked off a Darron Thomas pass, but unfortunately, that's about all that can really be said. Oregon's offense is awfully talented, and Arizona State was unable to do much to stop it.

Thomas beat them for 209 yards and a pair of scores, but that was nothing compared to the 327 rushing yards the Sun Devils allowed—and this to an Oregon offense that was missing LaMichael James.

Osweiller threw a couple of painful interceptions, the team gave up 95 yards on penalties and the defense couldn't stop RB Kenjon Barner.

Good effort, but it obviously wasn't good enough.

Grade: B-

No. 17 Kansas State

9 of 25

Opponent: Texas Tech

Outcome: Won 41-34

Speaking of teams making a comeback, Kansas State has to be one of the surprises of 2011 that shouldn't really be a surprise at all. The Wildcats have been steadily building over the last couple of years, moving up from 5-7 in 2008 to 6-6 in '09 and 7-6 a year ago.

With this win, they're now 6-0 and should surpass last year's total wins—though the toughest stretch of their schedule is yet to come.

This game is what might be called a successful failure. Kansas State was actually out-played on the stat sheets. They out-ran the Red Raiders by roughly 80 yards, but were out-passed by over 300 yards. Total yards were clearly in Texas Tech's favor and the Red Raiders committed fewer penalties for fewer yards.

However, games aren't won or lost on stat sheets.

Collin Klein was efficient passing the ball, completing 12 of 18 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown, but his biggest contribution was on the ground. He carried the ball for 110 yards and three scores.

The real story of the game though, was big plays and turnovers. Nigel Malone started it off with a 24-yard pick-six of a Seth Doege pass. That was just one of three interceptions the Wildcats defense took away from Doege.

Tyler Lockett added to the Red Raider misery with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Those two plays kept Kansas State in the game early. If not for them, the Wildcats would have been down at least 28-7 at the half, instead of trailing just 28-20. The offense picked up the pace in the second half, and ultimately pulled out the win, but it took some special plays to keep it close enough for that to happen.

It was an exciting performance and an important win. K-State came up with the big plays early, then settled into a tough defensive stand that helped them control the clock, and ultimately the tempo, of the game.

Grade: A-

No. 16 Illinois

10 of 25

Opponent: Ohio State

Outcome: Lost 7-17

This loss hurt Illinois in more ways than one. With the Buckeyes struggling early and Penn State merely slipping by most weeks, the Illini were asserting themselves as the only real threat that could stand between Wisconsin and a Leaders Division title.

With this one loss, they're now third in their division.

Illinois' defense did fairly well, considering Ohio State attempted to just run the ball down their throats. The Buckeyes attempted just four passes, while running the ball 51 times. The Illini gave up 211 yards and a touchdown, but it could have been much worse.

Against the pass, they allowed just one completion on those four attempts. Unfortunately, it was for a touchdown.

Still, they held a resurgent Ohio State team to just 228 total yards and two touchdowns.

Offensively, they just couldn't seem to get it going. QB Nathan Scheelhaase was efficient enough, completing 20 of 34 passes. Unfortunately, he couldn't grab more than 169 yards, and scored just one touchdown while throwing two interceptions.

The ground game couldn't do enough. Scheelhaase had the bulk of the carries, but could only manage 3.1 yards per carry. As a team, they averaged just 3.3 yards per haul, and failed to score any points on the ground.

The Illini committed just three penalties all game, but also committed three turnovers and that killed them.

Grade: C

No. 15 South Carolina

11 of 25

Opponent: Mississippi State

Outcome: Won 14-12

The Gamecocks have had a lot of news surrounding them lately, and none of it is very good. First, QB Stephen Garcia was kicked off the team for reportedly failing an alcohol test. Then star RB Marcus Lattimore went down with a nasty knee injury and is lost for the season.

QB Connor Shaw continues to be efficient, nailing 20 of 28 passes with a touchdown. Unfortunately, the interception bug struck him a bit this week too. He dropped off a pair of them this week and put his team in something of a bind with those turnovers.

Lattimore struggled even before the injury. On 17 carries, he managed just 39 yards and a touchdown.

Fortunately, the defense did its job. They kept Tyler Russell under 50 percent passing on the day, and stole away two interceptions of their own. They also held Vick Ballard to just 69 yards on 20 carries and kept him out of the end zone.

Very solid defensive performance, but the offense was flat.

Grade: C

No. 14 Nebraska

12 of 25

Opponent: Idle

Outcome: N/A

The Cornhuskers have had a dramatic first couple of weeks in the Big Ten. They struggled through a 17-48 loss to Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago, but had an exciting come-from-behind win to take down Ohio State last weekend.

Their reward for starting the conference portion of their schedule at 1-1 is a week off. Things will eventually get a shade easier when they come back to action next week.

The rest of their schedule looks a little something like this:

@ Minnesota

vs. No.23 Michigan State

vs. Northwestern

@ Penn State

@ No.11 Michigan

vs. Iowa

No. 13 West Virginia

13 of 25

Opponent: Idle

Outcome: N/A

In the first six games the Mountaineers have had this season, five of them have been at home. They've taken good advantage of the home front to put together a 5-1 record.

This week, they get to take a rest and get ready for a long road march.

When they come back to action, West Virginia will have four of their last six games on the road. The rest of their season looks like this:

@ Syracuse

@ Rutgers

vs. Louisville

@ Cincinnati

vs. Pittsburgh

@ South Florida

No. 12 Georgia Tech

14 of 25

Opponent: Virginia

Outcome: Lost 21-24

Ouch. This one hurts. Yes, the Cavaliers are 4-2, but their other three wins came against William & Mary, Indiana and Idaho. Meanwhile, their losses have come to North Carolina and Southern Miss.

Georgia Tech probably should have exposed the Cavaliers and walked away with this one.

Instead, Tevin Washington completed just two of eight passes and tossed up a pair of picks. He also grabbed 115 yards rushing with a pair of touchdowns.

However, while Tech's triple option racked up 272 yards, Washington's two touchdowns were all they could manage to lock down.

Meanwhile, their defense couldn't slow down Virginia's run game. Perry Jones ripped off 149 yards on 18 carries and the Cavaliers matched Tech's rush total at 272 yards.

The difference was that Virginia's Michael Rocco was able to complete eight of 14 passes for 118 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. That passing touchdown, along with an extra made field goal were the difference makers in this game.

Grade: C

No. 11 Michigan

15 of 25

Opponent: No. 23 Michigan State

The Wolverines may be much-improved over the incarnations we've seen over the last few years, but they still had trouble with their in-state rivals from East Lansing.

Okay, that might be a little bit of an understatement. They were had by their rivals.

No, the score wasn't a blowout, but what happened on the field was certainly dominant. The Wolverines couldn't get anything going on offense—a situation they're not used to. Defensively, they were decent against the pass, but they couldn't seem to shed their blocks and get at Edwin Baker.

Michigan was manhandled for the first time this season, and there may be some doubts moving forward. No, this isn't going to be like the last few years, where they collapsed unceremoniously once they got into conference play.

However, there has to be some concern in regards to that run defense, and even more concern about playing other defensively tough opponents. What had started out looking like a dream turnaround season suddenly is looking a little less impressive.

On top of all of that, Denard Robinson was banged up throughout the game. His health moving forward has to be a concern for the coaching staff, as he's such an integral part of this Wolverines attack.

They've looked like conference contenders up until now. Suddenly, they still look a couple of years away.

Grade: C

No. 10 Arkansas

16 of 25

Opponent: Idle

Outcome: N/A

The Razorbacks have stormed out to a strong 5-1 start that includes back-to-back wins over No. 21 Texas A&M and No. 24 Auburn. This week, they're sitting down and letting the rest of the league shake up a little.

Arkansas has faced three ranked teams so far this season, and have just two left (No. 15 South Carolina and No.1 LSU) the rest of the way. If the Razorbacks can win at least one of them, there's no reason they can't come away with a nice 10-2 season.

To get there, they'll have to navigate this remaining schedule:

@ Mississippi

@ Vanderbilt

vs. South Carolina

vs. Tennessee

vs. Mississippi State

@ LSU

No. 9 Oregon

17 of 25

Opponent: No.18 Arizona State

Outcome: Won 41-27

Who needs LaMichael James? Well, Oregon still does, but they didn't need him this weekend.

Kenjon Barner rolled for 171 yards and a score, while the Oregon ground attack amassed 327 total yards on the ground. Darron Thomas completed 13 of 17 passes with a pair of touchdowns.

The Ducks defense couldn't stop Brock Osweiller from putting up good yards, but they could take away a couple of interceptions that killed Sun Devils drives.

Putting it plainly, this was an offensive shootout, and Oregon brought a Howitzer to a pistol duel. They simply brought more to the table than Arizona State could.

Both teams coughed up two turnovers, and both had higher-than-acceptable penalties. However, Oregon put up 327 yards rushing to Arizona State's 169, and scored three rushing touchdowns to the Sun Devils' one.

Grade: A

No. 8 Clemson

18 of 25

Opponent: Maryland

Outcome: Won 56-45

And Clemson keeps winning. It was pretty close for most of the game, and Maryland threatened to upset the No. 8 team in the nation, but that wasn't to be.

QB Tajh Boyd was ultra-efficient, completing 68 percent of his passes and striking with four touchdowns. Andre Ellington was absolutely spectacular, running for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns. A fumble and an interception were the only real missteps from the offense.

This Tigers offense is really, really good.

The defense showed some holes, though. That defense allowed C.J. Brown to burn them for three passing touchdowns, plus 162 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Davin Meggett also picked up 69 rushing yards with a touchdown.

Clemson has the 10th-rated defense in the ACC. Maryland took advantage of that and made the Tigers work extra hard for the win. Will future teams be able to exploit that weakness and end Clemson's Cinderella run?

Maybe.

But for this week, Ellington and Boyd were enough to overcome whatever deficiencies the defense had, and carried away another nice win.

Grade: B+

No. 7 Stanford

19 of 25

Opponent: Washington State

Outcome: Won 44-14

This was no problem for Stanford, who moves on to 6-0, 4-0 in the Pac-12. Washington State kept it close in the first half, trailing the Cardinal by only three at halftime.

The second half was all Stanford though.

Andrew Luck had another great day, throwing for 336 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Stepfan Taylor added another 100 yards on 17 carries.

The defense never allowed a passing touchdown and held the Cougars to just 48 net yards on the ground.

What is there to really say? Though they started a little slow, the Cardinal eventually turned in a dominant performance. A pair of turnovers isn't ideal, but they also only gave up 14 yards on penalties.

Grade: A-

No. 6 Oklahoma State

20 of 25

Opponent: No.22 Texas

Outcome: Won 38-26

Would you like this game in a nutshell? Turnovers. That was ultimately what put this game in the bag for Oklahoma State.

They arguably had better run success than Texas, despite rushing for 29 fewer yards. Jeremy Smith broke off a couple of big runs, compiling 140 yards on just seven carries. He and Joseph Randle combined for three rushing touchdowns.

Brandon Weeden threw for 218 yards and a score, without giving up an interception. They aren't jaw-dropping numbers, but they were sufficient, and better than Texas was able to do on the other side of the ball.

The defense gave up quite a lot of yards on the ground as well, and allowed David Ash to complete more than 50 percent of his passes.

Which brings us back to the turnovers. The defense took away two Ash passes and forced another fumble. The Cowboys took away three turnovers, while giving up just one, and made extra opportunities for themselves.

Grade: A

No. 5 Boise State

21 of 25

Opponent: Colorado State

Outcome: Won 63-13

This wasn't even remotely fair. The Broncos built up a 35-0 lead before the second quarter was even half over. They put together 28 more unanswered points in the third quarter and allowed only a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter.

Kellen Moore kept up his Heisman march, throwing for 338 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Doug Martin ran for 200 yards on 20 carries and added an additional three touchdowns.

All in all, Boise State put together 742 total yards of offense versus 231 gained by the Rams.

What more do you really need to know? The Broncos dominated from top to bottom.

Grade: A

No. 4 Wisconsin

22 of 25

Opponent: Indiana

Outcome: Won 59-7

This was never supposed to be close, and Wisconsin didn't disappoint. Indiana has struggled mightily this season under new head coach Kevin Wilson, while the Badgers have been rolling week after week.

Montee Ball was the life of the party, showing Wisconsin's greatest strength. Ball rushed for 142 yards on just 14 carries and scored three touchdowns.

Russell Wilson was efficient (12 of 17 passes) and accounted for over 200 yards (166 passing, 42 rushing), but it was that powerful offensive line paving the way for Ball that was so impressive.

On the flip side, while Wisconsin's defense kept Edwin Wright-Baker under 50 percent passing and picked off two passes, they also allowed Stephen Houston to run for 135 yards and a touchdown.

Other Hoosiers runners also found a measure of success against the Badgers, but it obviously didn't matter.

Indiana wasn't a quality opponent, so expecting anything staggering out of this would have been foolish. Wisconsin did what they should have—they put away the Hoosiers early, and dominated all the way through the finish.

Grade: A

No. 3 Oklahoma

23 of 25

Opponent: Kansas

Outcome: Won 47-17

By the time many of you read this, the BCS Standings will be out for the first time in the 2011 season. I can't help but wonder where Oklahoma will land when that announcement is made.

Don't forget that they've been at the top of the Coaches' Poll—the one that feeds directly into the BCS— not the AP. Meanwhile, LSU has held a stranglehold on the AP poll for the last few weeks. Which will it be when the BCS Standings come out, or will Alabama change things up completely and steal away the top spot?

The only thing Oklahoma could do was win and win convincingly. They did just that against Kansas.

Landry Jones put up over 360 yards passing, and scored three touchdowns while Dominique Whaley ran for 165 yards and another touchdown. Jones passed for over 110 more yards than the total of Kansas' offense was able to put together.

The downside is that the Sooners coughed up three turnovers.

So now the question you will know the answer to by the time you read this is: did they do enough for the BCS?

Grade: B+

No. 2 Alabama

24 of 25

Opponent: Mississippi

Outcome: Won 52-7

Ole Miss is a struggling program. They have been for a while now, so there were no real expectations that the Rebels would make much of a game of this.

And they didn't.

Trent Richardson ran for 183 yards and four touchdowns. Jalston Fowler rushed for 125 yards and two more scores.

Meanwhile, the defense allowed just 113 yards through the air and only 28 net yards on the ground. They didn't have a single turnover, while taking two away from Mississippi.

So now the same question Oklahoma is facing will be posed to the Crimson Tide. Could they steal away the No. 1 spot in the first BCS Standings?

The nice thing for Alabama is—if they remain second chair to LSU—they'll get a chance to play for the spot later this year. They meet the Tigers on November 5th. So, in a sense, it may not really matter whether they're No. 1 in the standings or not.

That's the future. As for this week, the Tide did pretty much everything right and came away with an easy win.

Grade: A

No. 1 LSU

25 of 25

Opponent: Tennessee

Outcome: Won 38-7

Once again, the top team in the nation came away with a win. Surprised? No, me neither.

Tennessee is 3-3, and hasn't really beaten anyone of note. They might be exceptionally lucky if they achieve bowl-eligible status before this season is finished.

So a 38-7 Tigers win is pretty much exactly what I thought it would be.

QB Jarrett Lee was efficient, connecting on 10 of 14 passes and throwing two touchdowns. RB Spencer Ware didn't quite get the kind of production we're used to seeing, but it wasn't bad as he ran for 80 yards on 23 carries and picked up a touchdown.

Jordan Jefferson made another appearance and picked up 73 yards on just 14 carries and added a touchdown to the mix.

The defense held Matt Simms to only six completions (on 20 attempts) and picked him off twice, and they made the Volunteers' run game work hard for its yardage.

The Tigers head into tougher competition again, as they face Auburn and Alabama in their next two games. If they make it through both of those unscathed, there's a very good chance they'll go perfect through the remainder of the year.

For this week though, it was more of the usual. LSU dominated a lesser opponent and padded their stats a little.

Grade: A

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