2026-27 NCAA Football (Week 6)

Games I saw (some of):

(1) Texas 24-27 Oklahoma

Wow, I thought Texas worked really hard to lose this game! The Longhorn defense is very good but it gives up ridiculous penalties; the Longhorn offense has moments but is mostly stagnant. Oklahoma, on the other hand, is okay, they're not particularly good at anything on either side of the ball, they're not an embarrassment but this is by no means some classic Sooner squad. Man, all Texas had to do was not give this away and that's precisely what they did. My Arch Manning hot take: he reminds me of Will Levis; yes, I know that sounds awful but going into the draft Levis was considered as a potential #1 pick, so maybe that isn't as bad as you think; that said, when Levis got to Kentucky, I thought he was really good at running the ball and playing backyard football but he clearly wanted to mold himself into an NFL prospect and so he stood there like an old timey pocket passer and...well, he wasn't very good at that. Manning needs to let himself be himself and maybe he'll turn in to something; and, if not, well, he wasn't gonna be the NFL QB we all wanted him to be anyway 

(7) Indiana 20-17 Nebraska

I was impressed with Nebraska, they made stops on D and managed to pull out nifty big chunk plays on offense when they needed it. Unfortunately, there was more clock than they were ready to deal with--if this game was 50 minutes long, I think the Cornhuskers win convincingly. The Hoosiers have Ohio State coming up next week, this was a "trap" game, and they wriggled out of it, so good on them. But I really thought they could've/should've been wildly better than Nebraska and I wanted to see them take over game earlier than the last 5 minutes (where they were able to successfully play Nebraska's aggressiveness against them). Good W for the Hoosiers, keep an eye on the Huskers, I think they might be kinda good. 

(10) Louisiana State 34-35 (OT) Kentucky

I was back and forth with baseball on this night (and I was drunk as all get out--but both my teams won, so all good!), but this was a fun one. Kept waiting for LSU to take control, to squeeze the life out of the Cats (as I've seen happen so many times in my life) and it just didn't happen. The Cats made plays down the stretch, then stole the W in OT for the 2nd time in as many weeks! LSU isn't ready to take over the world just yet, while Kentucky surges up the rankings. Pinch me. 

(21) UCLA 17-15 (13) Oregon

Wow, Oregon suuuuuuuuucccccckkkkked in this game! They didn't do anything well at any point in the game. They were so bad that its hard to get a sense of UCLA, I mean, the Bruins should've dominated the shit out of this game but it was still close late. But, man, Oregon was awful at every phase of the game, so for UCLA to squeak it out late is not a ringing endorsement, though they have played well so far. I don't know what's up with Oregon, they are not right. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Georgia, (3) Notre Dame, (5) Ohio State, (8) Brigham Young, (9) Mississippi, (12) Utah, (14) Missouri, (15) Tennessee, (18) Oklahoma State, (19) Southern Cal, (20) Iowa, (21) UCLA, (22) Houston, (23) Boise State

Won but did not impress

(7) Indiana (Indiana 20-17 Nebraska)

Good win really for the Hoosiers, they could've fallen and they didn't and I should be more optimistic about that, I suppose. But they could've wrapped this up early with a more consistent offensive game plan and instead they relied on last minute hero ball.  

Bad beat

(6) Alabama (Georgia 20-17 Alabama)

Losing to your main rival at home always sucks, but Georgia is really good right now, I presume they will be #1 in next week's poll. Alabama has been up and down but when their offense is cooking, they've looked damn good at times and I don't think this L will doom their season. 

Not so good

(1) Texas (Texas 24-27 Oklahoma)

Yipes, Longhorns, what do you want? Do you want to win? 

(10) Louisiana State (LSU 34-35 (OT) Kentucky)

I seem to recall 2 seasons ago when UK beat Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss squad in Oxford, kinda destroyed their season really. Long live the Kentucky "season-killer" Wildcats!

(13) Oregon (UCLA 17-15 Oregon)

Oregon has to figure some things out. 

(16) Florida (South Carolina 38-19 Florida)

Wow, 2 weeks ago I was blown away by Florida's dominance of Ole Miss. Since then, they got stomped in Missouri and and now at home by South Carolina. WTF, Gators?

(25) Pittsburgh (North Carolina 21-17 Pittsburgh)

Pitt was undefeated and ranked but couldn't handle the Tar Heels. Not a good look. 

Next week's intriguing matches:

(4) Ohio State @ (5) Indiana (game of the week--in a pretty strong week!)

(16) Mississippi State @ (22) Louisiana State (SEC probably has too many ranked teams, no?)

(6) Alabama @ (14) Tennessee (good bounce back opportunity for the Tide or back to back devastating rivalry L's)

(13) Missouri @ (9) Mississippi (SEC probably has too many ranked teams, no?)

(2) Notre Dame @ (8) Brigham Young (the Irish are riding high, should probably flummox BYU, but we'll see)

(15) Kentucky @ Oklahoma (Kentucky is as hot as they've been in...ever? OU just beat Texas, one of these teams is gonna be disappointed)

(18) Oklahoma State @ (20) Houston (two schools ready to jump up the rankings)

2026-27 NFL (Week 4)

Games I saw (some of):

Steelers 24-27 Browns

The Brown built a nice halftime lead, let the Steelers come back, but then the Steelers faltered and the Browns won anyway. These teams are both capable of being good but they're also both capable of laying an egg. If QB Watson can keep it going, the Browns might be good. 

Jaguars 22-17 Bengals

The Jags are just better than the Bengals. This wasn't a blowout but I never thought the Bengals were gonna win. 

Chiefs 30-27 Raiders

The Raiders hung for while, then the Chiefs ran off and left them, but the Raiders kept at it and made it close in the end.  The Raiders are one of those classic teams that isn't very good but they play hard and that alone wins games in the NFL. As for the Chiefs, they're good enough to curry favor from the refs (which irritates the shit out of me, but what are ya gonna do?).

The rest of the slate: 

Colts 30-13 Commanders

Thought the Commanders would bring it abroad but once their (2nd string) QB got hurt, they were pretty much done for the day. The Colts have moments but I can't imagine they're actually particularly good.

Patriots 29-26 Bills

A bit of a shocker for the mighty home team but it's a division game and those are always unpredictable. We'll see if the Bills even it up later on in Foxboro.

Jets 12-23 Bears

Looks like a slopfest of a game. I think the Jets play hard and while I want to believe in the Bears, I'm not sure they're going to be consistent enough to be very scary. 

Cards 24-36 Giants

The Giants with a nice W. The Cards still plugging along til next year's draft.

Rams 24-20 Eagles

The Rams are the "good version" of the Eagles? Both of these squads are loaded with talent but neither plays with much intensity. 

Packers 17-14 Bucs

The Packers have yet to look very good this year. Ditto the Bucs.

Titans 18-24 Ravens

The Ravens almost bungled this away. The Titans look like the very worst team in the league to me--a serious candidate to go winless!

Cowboys 34-30 Texans

The Cowboys and Texans are both kinda disappointing so far this season. I guess I gotta say the Texans are even more disappointing than the Cowboys. 

Dolphins 10-15 Vikings

The Vikings D looks monstrous but the offense does not. The Dolphins are flounders.

Broncos 14-24 Niners

Would've liked to have seen this one. I think the Niners might be the best team in the league. The Broncos are like last year: they play hard, they plug away, they don't get blown out so they're always dangerous, but do we really think they're a really good team?

Chargers 23-30 Seahawks

The Chargers are at least starting to move the ball and look a little dangerous, but its probably already too late for them. The Seahawks just keep getting W's. 

Lions 26-32 Panthers

I bet this was a fun one. The Lions can score but that D looks hideous. The Panthers are a trick-or-treat team. 

Falcons 45-24 Saints

I've thought all season that if the Falcons can just get some reliable QB play, they could be really good. The Saints are the Saints. 

2026-27 NCAA Football (Week 5)

Games I saw (some of):

(8) Florida 17-45 (25) Missouri 

I was in and out of this game (I'm still a baseball nerd at heart) but I didn't see anything Florida do anything in this match. Every time I turned it on, it was to catch Missouri to score another TD or get another big stop on D. Nice work, Missouri, but honestly this was all about that disappointing Gator show. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Georgia, (3) Notre Dame, (4) Miami, (5) Ohio State, (6) Indiana, (7) Alabama, (10) Brigham Young, (11) Louisiana State, (12) Texas Tech, (17) Tennessee, (20) Houston, (22) Boise State, (24) Kentucky, (25) Missouri

 

Won but did not impress

(18) Southern Cal (Washington 21-25 Southern Cal)

If USC was really gonna be a squad, I can't help thinking they would have closed out a so-so conference foe at home with more confidence. Don't wanna bang on the Huskies, but they haven't looked particularly good this season, I think the Trojans should've brought it 

(21) Southern Methodist (Boston College 16-25 SMU)

BC is not good right now, I kinda thought SMU's offense would roll. Instead this was much closer throughout than it should have been. Not impressive from the Mustangs.

Bad beat

(14) Iowa (Ohio State 31-14 Iowa)

The Hawkeyes brought their D, the game was a little closer than the score suggests, but that offense still just doesn't exist. So they hung for 2 quarters or so but the Buckeyes were able to pile up points and Iowa just couldn't keep up. Still think Iowa is a pretty good squad but they're not in Ohio State's class.

(16) Mississippi State (Alabama 56-23 Mississippi State)

Yeah, they got trucked at home by a conference foe but Alabama is getting their offense cranked up and there just wasn't much Mississippi State was gonna do about it. Bama is looking pretty good right now. 

Not so good

(8) Florida (Florida 17-45 Missouri)

Man, I was blown away by Florida's offense a week ago at home against Ole Miss, I thought the huge jump into the top 10 was absolutely warranted. But, in Columbia, that offense didn't get going at all. I thought Florida was primed for a run and so now what? Am I supposed to get behind Missouri? 

Next week's intriguing matches:

Iowa State @ (8) Brigham Young (Iowa State is always an upset candidate, might be nothing but BYU better bring it just to make sure)

Texas A&M @ (14) Missouri (its easy to say that A&M is done but with Missouri coming off a big W against Florida, I can't help thinking this is gonna be a close match)

(1) Texas @ Oklahoma (Texas ought to win easily but will that happen?)

(21) UCLA @ (13) Oregon (I kinda think Oregon is ready to roll, but UCLA has gotten off to good start, curious to see how long they can keep it going)

(10) Louisiana State @ Kentucky (easy to say that the Tigers will stomp the Wildcats, but both of these squads are kinda weird right now and actually UK has had decent success against LSU over the years; you never know....)

(2) Georgia @ (6) Alabama (okay, game of the week--game of the season, so far)

(19) Southern Cal @ Penn State (is USC ready to do what needs to be done? Can Penn State still turn their season around?)

2026-27 NFL (Week 3)

Games I saw (some of): 

Falcons 35-14 Packers

Everyone bags on the Falcons but if they can figure out QB, the rest of that offense is kinda loaded and the pass rush is good, too.  For now, QB Pennix looks like the guy (we'll see how long he can stay upright) and I'm not at all surprised that the Falcons are moving the ball right now. I'm a little shocked at how bad the Packers are, not sure what their problem is, they're just not very good right now. This game was not a shock to me but I still expect the Packers to figure it out at some point. 

Chargers 16-24 Bills

Wow, slopfest of a game--so many dumb penalties and turnovers! The Bills eventually got going, the Chargers eventually stopped working after jumping out to an early lead. The Bills are a gunslinger team, the Chargers are a mess. 

Bengals 27-30 Steelers

Meh, these two are basically the same team: surprisingly good D-line, good talent on the offense but a QB struggling to get the ball downfield. I'm not as impressed with the Bengals as I feel like I'm supposed to be and I'm not as bummed by the Steelers as I thought I would be. 

Rams 26-30 Broncos

Fun game. Typical Broncos come back late. The Rams were the better team for three quarters but couldn't slam the door shut--when they figure out how to close games, they'll be really good. The Broncos are okay, they're spunky but I'm not sure if they're actually any good. 

Eagles 7-27 Bears

Yeech! The Eagles kinda stink! The Bears are fun, we see how well they can actually close games, although they did just fine with backup QB Keenum tonight. The Eagles do this every year but this year they seem even weirder than usual. The Bears are pretty good, man, but they will lose games they ought to win (while winning games they ought to lose). 

The rest of the slate:

Panthers 18-21 Browns 

QB Watson getting it done! If he can actually play--a possibility no one even bothered to consider--the Browns might win their division. 

Jets 24-31 Lions

Looks like a sloppy game but a fun one. The Jets aren't good but they play hard and weird, they'll win some games. The Lions still have the offense but the defense isn't as good as its been lately. 

Texans 17-19 Colts

The Texans still can't get going. The Colts are meh.

Chiefs 24-10 Dolphins

Yeah, yeah.

Titans 7-12 Giants

Glad I missed this one. The Giants are a weird team, gonna be dangerous some weeks and positively invisible in others.

Patriots 6-35 Jaguars

The Jags are rolling right now. The Pats are weird but I wouldn't worry just yet, I think the Jags are actually really good.

Seahawks 31-33 Commanders

Whoa! What happened here? Looks like the Commanders got turnovers and put points on the board and that was enough to outlast the Seahawks. 

Cardinals 30-36 Niners

Division game. The Niners got the W, that's all that matters. 

Vikings 23-16 Bucs

What is up with the Bucs? Are the Vikings actually good? 

Ravens 34-31 Cowboys

It was simply a matter of which team would make the fatal mistake and give the game away....this week it was the Cowboys. 

Raiders 35-27 Saints

The Raiders are kinda for real, right? The Saints are gamers, not particularly good but they play hard. 

2026-27 NCAA Football (Week 4)

Games I saw (some of):

(1) Texas 20-17 (14) Tennessee

Texas's defense was monstrous in this game, not sure why they fell asleep on that late 4th quarter drive that allowed the Vols to keep it close (the other TD was a nifty punt return). The Longhorn offense was not impressive, I chalk that up to Tennessee playing some pretty good defense, too. I thought Texas QB Manning had a coupla good drives and wasn't terrible but he wasn't special either; and as for Tennessee QB Brandon, I'd say keep an eye on that guy, he's got skills (a next level Anthony Richardson?). Texas is good, this was a good W and would've been more dominant if they'd a) cut out the stupid defensive penalties, b) played all the way through the 4th quarter instead of slacking off and c) really tried to get the running game going. Tennessee is not bad, the QB is a work in progress, but the D-line is pretty good and if they can get the ball downfield, they'll definitely outscore a lot of their opponents. Sludgy game but a good one. 

(4) Mississippi 28-52 (21) Florida

Wow, Florida's offense is legit and the defense is good enough to slow down a fine squad like Ole Miss. I thought Florida took charge early in the game and the Rebels were never able to get the tempo where they wanted it, the momentum was just never in their favor, they were just watching the avalanche come down to them. As for Florida, oh that attack is for real! They're #21 this week but I expect them to be in the top 10 soon enough.

(20) Oregon 41-27 (12) Southern Cal

In and out of this game but I watched most of the 4th quarter, where the Ducks moved the ball and got stops and the Trojans did not. Looked like a pretty even contest for three quarters, then Oregon made plays down the stretch and the Trojans couldn't get it done. Oregon has been pretty sloppy so far this season and this game will likely be remembered for the brutal hit that QB Moore suffered (a pretty ordinary play when I was a kid but with the softening of the game in the last decade, you just don't see carnage like that much any more), I saw this as a get-right game for the Ducks and establishing that they are still clearly better than USC; I think Oregon is finally ready to be the team they were supposed to be this season, even with a backup QB. As for the Trojans, they're not bad but....that's all they are....not bad.

(17) Iowa 20-19 (18) Michigan

All I saw really was the final play where the Hawkeyes ran out the clock with the game-winning TD. Good stuff!

But why didn't Michigan put more time back on the clock and keep playing? They finally found a strategy that works for them and then failed to employ it in an important conference game? Puzzling...

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Texas, (2) Georgia, (3) Notre Dame, (6) Miami, (7) Ohio State, (8) Alabama, (10) Louisiana State, (11) Texas Tech, (15) Utah. (17) Iowa, (20) Oregon, (21) Florida, (22) Southern Methodist, (24) Mississippi State, (25) Houston

Won but did not impress

(5) Indiana (Northwestern 23-29 Indiana)

The Hoosier offense had been running as smooth as anyone in the land so far, but then....what? Northwestern is some kind of defensive juggernaut? And the Hoosiers suffered a major injury to their starting RB and gave up a bunch of point late...not looking good in Bloomington suddenly. Curious to see how they bounce back from this. 

Bad beat

(4) Mississippi (Ole Miss 28-52 Florida)

Normally when a top 5 team gets pantsed in a conference game, I would put this in the "Not so good" category. But was genuinely impressed with Florida's offense --not just skill but depth at the skill positions--and talent on both sides of the ball and as of now I see the Gators as wildly underrated. So I'll give the Rebels another chance to save some face because I think was more of an ambush than a gimme for them. I think both these sides are pretty good but for now the Gators look kinda devastating. 

(14) Tennessee (Texas 20-17 Tennessee)

The Vols did well to keep it close, stuck in a late TD to make it a nailbiter (when in reality the Longhorns were the better team throughout) and I think their young QB could really turn into something against lesser competition. While I definitely think the Longhorns are better on both sides of the ball than the Vols, I think the Vols are probably better than you think. Keep an eye on the Vols. 

(18) Michigan (Iowa 20-19 Michigan)

Another one I probably would've put in the "Not so good" category but I think these two squads are pretty even and Iowa was just lucky enough to have their shot at a stealing a W (which they did). Even game between even opponents, I think they're both pretty good squads and if this game had been one second longer....well, you just never know. 

(19) Missouri (Missouri 24-31 Mississippi State)

Missouri held the lead for long stretches of the game but State came back on them. Which is the better team? Well, for 2026 it is Mississippi State, though both squads are probably pretty similar. 

Not so good

(12) Southern Cal (Oregon 41-27 USC)

Southern Cal just couldn't get it done down the stretch, you gotta win these games to be one of the big dogs. 

(13) Penn State (Wisconsin 24-20 Penn State)

Penn State was up most of the game, but Wisconsin ended up winning. I don't even know how. But, you gotta win these games....

(16) Louisville (Wake Forest 30-27 Louisville)

Big fave at home, Louisville has a pretty soft schedule, they absolutely could've gone undefeated this season, but to blow one like this at home is disappointing. You gotta...

(23) Texas A&M (Texas A&M 6-35 LSU)

A&M is done. Officially.  

Next week's intriguing matches:

(7) Alabama @ (16) Mississippi State (I think the Tide will roll, but we'll see)

(5) Ohio State @ (14) Iowa (if Iowa can slow down the Buckeye passing attack, perhaps they can hang around and steal another one this week)

(8) Florida @ (25) Missouri (I was blown away by Florida's offense last week, I suspect Missouri will be their next victim)

2026-27 NFL (Week 2)

Games I watched (some of):

Lions 31-41 Bills

Fun one. The Bills were up 21-0 almost instantly, pretty even match from that point on. The Lions started slow, got no lucky breaks and while they were never really in the game, they did pile up some points and moved the ball with confidence. The Bills defense isn't wowing anyone, feels like the Bills have finally figured out that their success is built on scoring every time they touch the ball. 

Vikings 9-3 Bears

Fun game (if you like slop). Neither team could move the ball at all in the misty muddy conditions. Just as the Bears were about the stick in the TD that surely would've sealed the victory, QB Williams pulled up lame. Looked bad at first, then not quite as bad on replay, now everyone is clowning on him because it seems like he'll be back in Week Three, when he was hang-dogging like his career was over on the sideline. Anyway, both of these squads were on the 2nd string QBs by the end and neither team could do anything anyway. Weird game, one of those you just chalk up to weirdness and move on. 

Bengals 20-6 Texans

I dunno, man, I was not impressed with anything the Texans were doing in this game. The D looked flat and backpedaling, the offense couldn't move forward at all. Everyone is blaming QB Stroud, but I don't think so. I think the O-line is not good, the WRs are kinda terrible, the running game is non-existent and the defense everyone was raving about isn't getting stops. You can blame the QB if you want, but I don't think its him. It could be the Bengals defensive Renaissance is for real (meh, maybe) or that the Bengal attack is back on track (the passing game is humming right now), and maybe the Bengals are gonna be for-real dangerous this season (could be). But I think this game was really more about everything going wrong in Houston and that is EVERYTHING (except the QB that is taking all the blame).

Colts 30-33 (OT) Chiefs

The Colts had a 4th down call late in the game that ended up in a penalty, so they kicked the tying FG in OT and then let the Chiefs come back and win the game. This was the controversial moment of the game but my quibble wasn't the 4th down FG itself, it was the first three downs they squandered. In that position, I would've wanted only a TD, a tie is of little use if you're gonna hand the ball back to QB Mahomes. So it was 4-down territory the whole time and they farted around on the first two downs, scrambled on 3rd down, got stuck with a 4th and long and basically had to kick the FG, which was just giving the game away at that point. It wasn't the 4th down, it was the 1st and 2nd downs that were wasted. Not sure what the Colts are (this is, like, the 5th year in a row that I don't understand what the Colts are), while the Chiefs seem better than last year (but not exactly vintage). 

The rest of the slate:

Panthers 34-3 Falcons

The Panthers offense looks pretty damn good. Sup wit dat?

Eagles 24-20 Titans

Eagles had to steal the W, not a good sign, but they did get the W, so what do you want? The Titans are gonna be looking at drafting another QB next spring, I'm guessing.

Steelers 3-20 Patriots

The Pats don't look very good, the Steelers look bloody awful. 

Packers 20-17 (OT) Jets

Two ugly teams getting ugly together. NYJ probably should've taken this but no one is surprised they didn't. The Packers got lucky (and no one is surprised about that either).

Browns 23-19 Bucs

To be fair, this game had a weird rain delay deep into the 4th quarter that interrupted what could (should?) have been the game-winning drive for the Bucs.  That said, they shouldn't have let it get to that point. The Bucs are 0-2 and I thought they were the better team in both games.....is this a fixable problem or are they already cooked? As for the Browns, kinda thought the Deahsun Watson experience would've been over by now, but he just got a W on the road, so....can't stop now. 

Saints 24-17 Ravens

Listen: more than any team in all of sports, the Saints do NOT tank, they are not out there trying to lose--indeed, they're trying to win the Super Bowl every damn Sunday no matter how sorry their roster is. So, while it is sad to see them spin their wheels at times, it is heartening to watch their never-say-die-ness go into a place like Baltimore and steal a W. Are the Saints good? Probably not, but they don't roll over, you have to beat them to get the W. As for the Ravens, I mean they've been like this for more than a decade now, right? Just when you think it is their time and they're going to dominate, they lose at home to the Saints. (Likewise, every time you're ready to give up on them, they go on a run) Up-down is just who the Ravens are. 

Jaguars 13-20 Broncos

Seemed like the Jags had this one, then the Broncos stole it late. I think both of these teams are going to be good and this is probably the correct outcome.

Raiders 26-14 Chargers

Another sluggish performance (on both sides of the ball) from the Chargers, so, uh, wtf, guys? What is going on in LA? As for the Raiders, they look frisky, they look loose and it looks like it might be a while before we see their rookie QB. Chargers need to figure it out pronto. 

Commanders 20-37 Cowboys

Yeah, division game. Commander QB Daniels hurt his elbow (yowza, a gnarly highlight) and that was pretty much it for the Commanders. The Cowboys looked better than last week but division games are always weird. Not looking good for the Commanders (it's Mariota time!), not sure yet about the Cowboys.

Seahawks 31-7 Cards

The Cards looked pretty good at the Chargers last week, not so much against the Seahawks (with a backup QB), who were clearly in no mood to mess around. I think the Cards are not particularly good but I think they're gonna be scrappy. The Seahawks look good and they look no-nonsense (don't mess with these dudes).

Dolphins 13-35 Niners

*yawn* Yeah, the Dolphins. 

Giants 6-28 Rams

And here it is: Giants QB Dart got hurt, looks to be out for several weeks. Okay in last week's post I pointed out that while no one really thought much of NYG coming into this season that pessimism was based on the fact that we all knew Dart was going to get hurt eventually. We were all shocked the Giants stuffed the Cowboys last week, but they were healthy. Now they are no longer healthy. And the Rams finally looked like what we thought the Rams were gonna be. 

2026-27 NCAA Football (Week 3)

Games I saw (some of):

(7) Louisiana State 24-32 (8) Mississippi

Last year, Coach Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss as they were heading into the quarterfinals to take the LSU job. I couldn't believe a coach would leave a team that had a shot at winning the title--they beat Georgia!--to take a job at a school that had been a mess for a while. How do you walk away from a contender? Well, now Coach Kiff is back with his LSU Tigers and I'm sure he was expecting to get the better of his old mates. Didn't happen. I think Ole Miss kinda fell asleep after halftime and allowed LSU to make a game of it, but one good scoring drive was all the Rebels needed to finish off the Tigers. Ole Miss was better last year, still better this year. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Texas, (2) Georgia, (3) Notre Dame, (4) Indiana,

(5) Miami, (6) Ohio State, (8) Mississippi, (10) Alabama, (11) Brigham Young, (12) Southern Cal, (13) Texas Tech, (14) Penn State, (15) Tennessee, (17) Utah, (19) Michigan, (20) Missouri, (21) Oregon, (23) Louisville

Won but did not impress

(24) Oklahoma (New Mexico 6-14 Oklahoma)

I don't want to diss on New Mexico, but what the hell was that? OU has yet to look good--and I was not a fan of how they closed last season. The Sooners look like they have a long way to go to actually the earn the rankings they've already had this season. 

Bad beat

(7) Louisiana State (LSU 24-32 Mississippi)

I'm gonna be generous to the Tigers and call this a Bad Beat, when we all know Lane Kiffin and the Tiger faithful really wanted to come into Ole Miss and lay a beatdown. But that wasn't happening because Ole Miss is pretty good. I liked their offense and pass rush last year, still impressed with them this year. LSU under Kiffin will be better than they have been lately, but maybe not this year (and not in Oxford). 

(16) Southern Methodist (SMU 31-41 Louisville)

A back and forth game, the Cardinals took control in the 2nd half. SMU went on the on the road and (kinda) hung with a ranked opponent, not a bad L.

(22) Houston (Houston 26-28 Texas Tech)

Needed the 2-point conversion to tie it late, didn't get it. Too little, too late for the Cougars. Not a bad L, though, looked like a fun game. 

Not so good

(9) Texas A&M (Kentucky 31-21 Texas A&M)

Whoa! Kentucky winning conference games on the road doesn't happen often, so what happened here? On the one hand, outside of the 2nd half of last week's Alabama, UK has played well this season--weller than usual! So can A&M turn it around? Were the caught off guard by a Kentucky squad playing with unexpected confidence? Or is it all over for the Aggies? I have no idea. My gut feeling is UK just came in feeling themselves and A&M just didn't know how to react. That might be because they're not that good (still not overwhelmed by their QB) or it could be that they turn dangerous from here. We'll see.

(25) Virginia (West Virginia 38-27 Virginia)

It's early but this is not a good result for the Cavs. WVU has been down lately, UVA has been, well, overrated, lately, but you're still expecting a well regarded Cavs squad at home to get the W over the Mountaineers. Well, not so much.  

Next week's intriguing matches:

(1) Texas @ (14) Tennessee (game of the week, right off the bat)

Illinois @ (7) Ohio State (Illinois is an enigma: this will either be the most fascinating game of the week or it'll be long over by halftime)

(4) Mississippi @ (21) Florida (I think the Rebels will get it done on the road, but we'll just have to see it, won't we?)

(17) Iowa @ (18) Michigan (yeah, I guess I'm supposed to care)

(23) Texas A&M @ (10) Louisiana State (hmmmmm....both coming off embarrassing L's, let's see whose season is over by Saturday night)

(20) Oregon @ (12) Southern Cal (could be fun or could be a tire fire--which might be fun!)

(19) Missouri @ (24) Mississippi State (I doubt either of these teams will be ranked by the end of September)