We have one of the best weekends of college football all season coming up, and it is already the last Saturday in September. Again, it just flies by. Several Southeastern Conference heavyweights had this past Saturday off in anticipation of major games. Same in the Big Ten. Clemson and Florida are both 1-3.
1. LSU – The Fighting Tigers put up big numbers in a 56-10 win over Southeast Louisiana. At 4-0 and 1-0 in the SEC, the Tigers have put themselves in position. Now comes a great old rivalry, as LSU ventures to Oxford to face talented Ole Miss.
2. Ohio State – The Buckeyes were off this past Saturday, and now the defending champs hit the road to play Washington. This would’ve been a great Rose Bowl in the 1980s. Now the Huskies are in the Big Ten.
3. Miami – The Hurricanes’ impressive run through September continued with a 26-7 win over Florida down in Miami. Along with the Yellow Jackets from Atlanta and Florida State, the Canes look like one of the three best teams in the ACC.
4. Oregon – The Quack Attack was on the loose in the Civil War, as Oregon beat down Oregon State 41-7. Dan Lanning will have his team primed for the huge battle against Penn State in State College. The Ducks beat Penn State last year for the Big Ten title.
5. Georgia – The Bulldogs were off this past Saturday, as was Alabama, and now all the attention turns to Saturday night. If Georgia can pull it out, the Bulldogs would have a little margin for error against a very tough schedule the rest of the way.
6. Oklahoma – Speaking of tough schedules, Oklahoma’s is brutal. The Sooners took care of Auburn 24-17 in Norman, and they are undefeated at 4-0. Oklahoma is off this week, then hosts Kent State with the Longhorns looming.
7. Texas A&M – The Aggies were off this past week, so they got to savor that win at Notre Dame a bit. They’ll host Auburn at Kyle Field Saturday afternoon. The Tigers lost a tough one this past week at Oklahoma.
8. Penn State – The Nittany Lions had a very soft three game stretch to open the season and were off this past week. Now comes one of the biggest games in the Big Ten this season, with the Oregon Ducks coming to town.
9. Texas – The Longhorns were clicking against outmatched Sam Houston State, and they cruised to a 55-0 win. Texas is off this Saturday, then they head to The Swamp to take on the Gators, who are off to a 1-3 start.
10. Tech – The Yellow Jackets are rolling at 4-0 after a 45-24 win over Temple. Now comes another ACC game, as Tech ventures to Winston-Salem to play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Haynes King is a tremendous quarterback.
11. Tennessee – It was a nice bounceback win for the Volunteers, who took down UAB 56-24 at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee hits the road this week to take on surprising Mississippi State. Those Maroon Bulldogs have shown some bite this season.
12. Memphis – The Tigers got a signature win over Arkansas, edging Razorbacks 32-31 in an instant classic. They are this week’s top Group of Five team. Memphis hits the road on Saturday night to take on Florida Atlantic.