By CADE KENNEDY, Sports Editor
It was another crazy week of football, but that appears to be the “norm” for the season.
Starting in Oklahoma, Nebraska traveled to Norman to renew a rivalry with Oklahoma, and it felt exactly like a rivalry game.
The Sooners got off to a strong start, but it was Oklahoma’s defense that saved the day for them. The offense left a lot to be desired, as there were several moments where Oklahoma’s receivers had to play defense to prevent the ball from being intercepted.
I thought that the close win over Tulane would be the wake-up call that the Sooners needed, but it appears that they have still not woken up yet. They will have to be ready to play this Saturday against West Virginia, or Oklahoma might suffer an unexpected loss.
For Oklahoma State, the defense once again played well, but the offense struggled to find any rhythm.
The Cowboys were able to get the win on the road, as they defeated Boise State 21-20. The Cowboys play a ranked Kansas State on Saturday, so they need to get their act together before they get a rude awakening.
On the national stage of college football, there were several great games.
One of the games that surprised me was Alabama escaping with a 31-29 victory at Florida. It was the first time all season that Alabama looked vulnerable, as Florida was able to gash Alabama’s defense by simply running the ball right at them.
Another game that I kept an eye on was Cincinnati defeating Indiana, 38-24. Cincinnati has looked good so far this year and has shown that it can beat a power five team. The only question left to answer is whether it can beat a Top 25 team, and they will get to answer that question soon when it plays Notre Dame.
Another great game that I watched was Penn State defeating Auburn, 28-20. Anytime Penn State is playing someone in what is called the “whiteout” game, I would recommend that you watch it. Penn State once again proved that its defense is legitimate, and that it is a force to be reckoned with.
The final big game that I want to touch on was BYU defeating Arizona State, 27-17. BYU looks great so far this year and has already picked up some quality wins that will help it with its playoff resume later in the year. I would not be surprised to see BYU in the mix as a “dark horse” playoff contender.
The game that shocked me was Clemson barely defeating Georgia Tech, 14-8. Clemson has dominated Georgia Tech for the past few years, so it was odd seeing them struggle in a game they should have won comfortably.
The other game that surprised me was Ohio State beating Tulsa, 41-20. The score is deceiving for this game, as Tulsa was able to play a competitive game until the final few minutes.
Ohio State is having several problems this year, with the defense continuing to be a big issue. If they want any chance of being able to compete for a national title, they have to fix the defense.
There were two major upsets that occurred in college football, one that many people predicted.
The Real Upsets
The biggest upset involved Fresno State defeating UCLA, 40-37. This was one of the best games of the week, and it is a shame that not a lot of people got to watch it live. Jake Haener, the quarterback for Fresno State, threw for 455 yards and the game-winning touchdown, all while dealing with an injury.
Another upset that occurred was West Virginia beating Virginia Tech, 27-21. This was an upset that I thought would happen, as I was not impressed by how Virginia Tech had played this year.
Another upset that I predicted was Michigan State beating Miami, 38-17. The main takeaway I had from this game is that Miami was clearly over-hyped at the start of the season. I still do not understand what people saw in this team that made them think that Miami was going to be great.
Around the NFL
College football was not the only game in town, as the NFL had an interesting week as well.
The biggest surprise in the NFL was Tennessee coming back to defeat Seattle in overtime, 33-30.
I knew that Tennessee had the potential to win games like this, and they were able to show the world that they can still win big games.
Another surprise was seeing Baltimore come back to defeat Kansas City, 36-35. Once Kansas City got up by two possessions, I thought that they would be able to put the game away.
However, Kansas City’s defense could not stop Baltimore from scoring in the fourth quarter. I was also impressed by Baltimore’s defense in the fourth quarter, as they shut down Kansas City and prevented one of the better offenses in the NFL from putting the game out of reach.
Another great game involved Arizona and Minnesota, with Arizona winning 34-33.
Minnesota was able to control the first third of the game, but the Arizona offense eventually came to life and turned the game into a shootout.
Minnesota had a chance to win the game, but Greg Joseph, the kicker for Minnesota, missed a 37-yard field goal as time expired.
Injury Bug Strikes Again
Another point is that several quarterbacks got injured during the games, which will make this week’s slate of games odd.
For Chicago, Justin Fields will be the new quarterback for them, as Andy Dalton went down with a knee injury during their 20-17 win over Cincinnati. I would think that Fields would be the starter against Cleveland this Sunday, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out. I believe that this change can help Chicago, as they will have a mobile quarterback that can keep defenses guessing.
Some other injuries that occurred were Carson Wentz of Indianapolis, Tyrod Taylor of Houston, and Tua Tagovailoa of Miami. When a quarterback gets injured, it can drastically change the season.
It also means that some players who might have been overlooked will prove that they are worthy of being a starter.
There will be some great games this week in both college football and the NFL, especially with conference play beginning for most college football teams.
The main games to keep an eye on in college football this week are Notre Dame at Wisconsin and Texas A&M at Arkansas. Both games are at neutral sites, so none of these teams have a home field advantage this week.
In the NFL, the main games I am looking forward to are Tampa Bay at Los Angeles, Green Bay at San Francisco, Philadelphia at Dallas and Seattle at Minnesota. I would also keep an eye on the teams that may start a new quarterback this week, as there is no telling how they are going to play.
Enjoy a great week of football.