It looks like Temple might be pretty good this year. They lost at Penn State 14-10 and had chances to win at the end of the game. They blew out their opponents in their other three games, including a road game at Maryland in which they were leading 31-0 at halftime. They play at home against Toledo on Saturday and that should be a telling game for both teams. Toledo should have won their game against Syracuse but the replay booth botched a PAT call which changed the outcome of the game.
Alabama is very good. I thought they'd struggle a bit with Arkansas but they didn't really struggle much and won on all sides of the ball. They intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown. They also returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown. A.J. McCarron threw 2 touchdown passes and completed 75% of his passes. Trent Richardson carried the ball 17 times and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. They had no turnovers. They're firing on all cylinders right now and have a big matchup at Florida this week. If they win this week, they should breeze through the next 3 before a huge game at home against LSU on November 5. I think they'll be 8-0 going into that game.
Clemson surprised me with a big win over Florida State. I really thought FSU's defense was great and that Clemson would struggle to move the ball. Clemson ended up with 455 yards of offense, including 344 through the air. Clemson WR Sammy Watkins is a great player. He caught a big touchdown pass to give Clemson their first lead at 7-3 in the first quarter. He also had a big 62 yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter right after FSU had just cut the lead to 28-23. QBs for both teams played and had almost identical stats. FSU's Trickett completed 24/38 for 336 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT while Clemson's Boyd completed 23/37 for 344 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. It didn't help that FSU had 11 penalties for 124 yards, and that made a big difference. Both teams struggle to run the ball, averaging around 2 yards per carry. Now Clemson has a big edge in what is shaping up to be a very weak ACC Atlantic division outside of FSU and Clemson.
Oklahoma State was sure a fun game to watch. Texas A&M was surprising jumping out to a 20-3 halftime lead. But OSU head coach Mike Gundy was very calm going into the locker room, saying they needed to just settle down and play their game. They did just that and scored 27 unanswered points on their way to a 30-29 win. OSU QB Brandon Weeden was remarkable, completing 47 of 60 passes for 438 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has such great leadership and poise on the field. Now OSU is in the driver's seat with Oklahoma and that will be a big matchup on December 2 in Stillwater.
LSU keeps winning big games. They were outgained by West Virginia 533-366 but won 47-21. They did force 4 turnovers and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. LSU's worst starting field position was their own 24 yard line, while West Virginia's best was their own 29. LSU started near midfield almost every time they had the ball, and once started on West Virginia's 1 yard line after an interception. Field position can make a huge difference in games, and LSU's defense and special teams play a huge part in that. They may not put up big numbers on offense, but they really do win the game with defense and special teams.
LSU, Oklahoma, and Alabama are all looking more and more impressive. The LSU at Alabama game on November 5th is a huge game and the winner will be in the national championship, and probably win.
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