Cnotes College Football Week # 6 Rated Plays, Trends, News Etc. !!

RECORD GOING INTO THURSDAY GAMES : ( 10/08/15)


CFB: 18 - 17 -0 FRI/SAT DAY / NIGHT( 10/02 - 03 - 15 )






COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECORD:


single play:.......................................21 - 18 - 1
double play:......................................28 - 30
triple play:........................................21 - 16
blow out:..........................................10 - 9
gow:.............................................. . ..1 - 0
gom:.............................................. . .0 - 0
goy............................................... .. ..0 - 0
upsets................................................0 - 1
game of the day..................................1 - 1

Betting Recap - Week 5


October 4, 2015




Overall Notes


COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 5 RESULTS


Wager Favorites-Underdogs
Straight Up 45-15
Against the Spread 27-32-1


Wager Home-Away
Straight Up 35-25
Against the Spread 24-35-1


Wager Totals (O/U)
Over-Under 12-45-1


The largest underdog to win straight up
Arizona State (+13, ML +400) at UCLA, 38-23


The largest favorite to cover
Boise State (-27.5) vs. Hawaii, 55-0


Top 25 Notes


-- It was a topsy-turvy day for the Top 25, as several big teams fell on this first Saturday of October. The weekend will likely be remembered for soggy weather which affected games from coast to coast, mostly keeping scores way down. Earlier in the day Georgia was a slight favorite at home against Alabama, but they were steamrolled by the Tide in a 38-10 victory. The total was one of the weekend's bad beats (see below). ... Top-ranked Ohio State was pushed to the brink, turning in their fourth straight mediocre performance. They survived at previously unbeaten Indiana, 34-27, but have yet to wow anyone. That's four straight non-covers and unders for the champs heading into next weekend's game against Maryland. ... Mississippi wasn't as fortunate, getting run out of 'The Swamp' in a 38-10 setback against Florida. The Gators ran their record to 5-0 SU/4-1 ATS, and suddenly find themselves in the driver's seat in the SEC East. ... UCLA was another high-ranked team to take it on the chin, against a struggling Arizona State team which posted their best showing of the season. ... In the rainy upstate of South Carolina, Clemson outlasted Notre Dame by a 24-22 score. It was also one of the weekend's more notable bad beats.


-- Texas A&M pulled off a 30-17 win at home against Mississippi State to improve to 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS. The Aggies have recorded impressive wins against Arizona State and now Mississippi State, but things get kicked up a notch when Alabama pays a visit in two weeks after A&M's bye. As always, if you're going to win the SEC West, you must slay the Tide.


-- Oregon hit the road for Boulder for a big test following their whitewashing at the hands of Utah last week. The Ducks got off to a slow start, but acclimated in the second half and outscored Colorado 24-7 after being tied 17-17 at halftime. Oregon has won six straight on the road, and they have covered their past five in a row.


-- Northwestern continues to flex its muscle, especially on the defensive side of the ball. They picked up an impressive 27-0 win against Minnesota, and they're now a perfect 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS. The Wildcats have allowed a total of 35 points, or just 7.0 PPG.


-- Michigan State had to hang on tight at home, narrowly escaping 24-21 against Purdue. The Spartans might be ranked No. 2 nationally, but they are now 0-5 ATS.


Big Five Conference Report (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC)


-- It was a strange weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with three of the five head-to-head conference battles being won by the underdog with Louisville (+2.5) winning at North Carolina State, North Carolina (+6.5) winning at Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh (+3.5) winning at Virginia Tech. Miami-Florida also lost its Thursday game at Cincinnati (+7.5) in an interconference tilt. ... Boston College continues to show off one of the best defenses in the nation, but they fell at Duke 9-7 in a soggy, defensive slog. The Eagles have allowed 40 total points, or 8.0 PPG. The under is a perfect 4-0 for Boston College this season. Don't look now, but Duke is 4-1 SU/3-2 ATS, and the under has connected in each of their five outings.


-- Iowa picked up an impressive road win in Madison, winning 10-6 at Wisconsin to take the reins of the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes are also 4-1 ATS heading into their home game next week against Illinois. ... Speaking of the Illini, they stunned Nebraska by a 14-13 score. They posted 14 points in the final quarter, and this game also qualified as a bad beat (see below). ... Michigan pitched its second straight shutout, topping Maryland 28-0, and they have now allowed just 14 total points in the past four games after losing 24-17 at Utah in their opener. The under is a perfect 5-0 for the Wolverines this season.


-- Texas Christian ran out to a 30-0 lead in the first quarter, and finished with a 50-7 victory. That wouldn't be so strange, but it came against Texas. The Longhorns might be at their lowest depths in program history. ... Kansas State dropped their first game of the season, but they covered at Oklahoma State for the fifth straight time. The Cowboys are 5-0 SU, but they're just 2-3 ATS. ... Baylor-Texas Tech had a total set an at unheard of 88, and they easily eclipsed it. The two sides combined for 42 points, and the Bears ended up with the 63-35 win. The over is 4-0 for Baylor, and 4-1 for Texas Tech this season.


-- Stanford started out rather sluggishly, losing 16-6 at Northwestern. However, that loss is suddenly not looking as bad as it seemed. And after winning at USC and Oregon State, and routing Arizona Saturday, the Cardinal are back in the Pac-12 championship picture in a big way. More important, Stanford has covered four in a row and the over has hit in three straight heading into their game against UCLA Thursday, Oct. 15. ... Last season California and Washington State had a 60-59 video-game-like battle. Saturday's game wasn't as prolific, but it had the same result - a Cal win. The Bears won 34-28 over the Cougs, and the under is now 3-1 for Washington State.


-- Arkansas snapped a three-game losing streak with a 24-20 road win over the equally disappointing Tennessee. The under cashed for the fourth straight game for the Razorbacks. ... Auburn won 35-21 in an out-of-conference game against San Jose State, but they failed to cover for the 10th consecutive game dating back to Nov. 1, 2014.


Mid-Major Report


In MACtion, Ohio won a wet game at Akron by a 14-12 count. Depending on your shop, this was either a push or a cover for the Zips. It was a bit of a bad beat for Ohio bettors, who were covering for most of the game before a late field goal with 3:55 left cut Ohio's lead from 14-9 to the final score. It was 14-3 at one point. ... Toledo continues to impress, winning and covering on the road at Ball State. The Rockets are 3-0-1 ATS, and the under has cashed in each of their four games. ... Bowling Green frittered away a 28-9 fourth quarter lead, allowing Buffalo to cut the lead to 28-22 and earn a backdoor cover with 5:13 to go.


-- Marshall hammered out a 27-7 win against Old Dominion, improving to 4-1 and covering back-to-back games for the first time this season. ... Southern Mississippi might be one of the most improved teams in the nation. They improved to 3-2 with a 49-14 win over North Texas, and they are a perfect 5-0 ATS.


-- Boise State rubbed out Hawaii by a 55-0 score, easily covering a 27 1/2-point number. The Warriors have made three trips to the mainland and they have been outscored by Ohio State, Wisconsin and Boise State by a combined 121-0. The under has cashed in four of the past five for Hawaii. ... San Diego State rebounded 21-7 win over Fresno State, snapping a three-game skid. It was also the first cover of the season for the Aztecs after an 0-4 ATS start.


-- Georgia Southern picked up a 51-31 road win against Louisiana-Monroe, and they have won and covered four straight games since a shutout loss at West Virginia to start the season. ... South Alabama won 24-18 at Troy, winning outright as a six-point underdog. The Jaguars entered 1-3 ATS, and the over hit in each of their first four games before the under Saturday.


Bad Beats


There were plenty of bad beats across the nation on Saturday:


-- The Alabama-Georgia game had a total of 48 points after three quarters, just three points short of the total. After a scoreless fourth quarter 'over' bettors were left shaking their heads.


-- Kansas State moneyline bettors had their hopes dashed with :32 left in regulation, as Oklahoma State had a 37-yard field goal to win 36-34.


-- If you had under 61 in the Arizona-UCLA game, you were likely cursing at the TV with :45 left when Arizona State cracked off a 23-yard touchdown run to seal their stunning 38-23 road victory.


-- Notre Dame was down 21-3 heading to the fourth quarter, but the Irish outscored the Tigers 19-3 in a driving rain in the upstate. The Irish had a chance to tie with :07 left in regulation, but they failed on the two-point conversion after a questionable decision to try and run. However, Notre Dame still earned the backdoor cover to kill Clemson side bettors who were winning for the first 59:53.


-- Connecticut bettors were living Friday night when Brigham Young came away with a 30-13 win. But it was BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall that they were cursing, as he kicked a field goal with :26 left to go from a UConn cover to a BYU cover. It really was a meaningless field goal as far as the result of the game was concerned, but it likely led to many bad words.

Gators make a move in AP Top 25


October 4, 2015


Ohio State remained No. 1 in The Associated Press college football Top 25 and tied a poll record on Sunday, despite lagging support from the voters.


Meanwhile, No. 2 TCU and No. 3 Baylor edged forward, No. 4 Michigan State slipped and No. 5 Utah and No. 6 Clemson took big jumps.


After four top-10 teams lost on Saturday, the rankings were rattled and five teams received first-place votes. The Buckeyes received 38 first-place votes, their fewest this season after beginning as the first unanimous preseason No. 1. TCU has five first-place votes, Baylor received 10, Utah has seven and No. 9 Texas A&M has one.


Ohio State was the only team in the top 16 to have the same ranking this week as last.


The Buckeyes held off Indiana 34-27 on Saturday and have now been top-ranked 101 times, matching Oklahoma for the most in the 79-year history of the media poll.


---


POLL POINTS


One more week at No. 1 will give Ohio State a record all to itself. The most times being on top of the AP poll.


101 - Oklahoma


101 - Ohio State


98 - Notre Dame


91 - Southern California


73 - Alabama


72 - Florida State


70 - Nebraska


68 - Miami (Fla.)


45 - Texas


41 - Florida


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MOVING UP


Utah and Clemson were among six teams that moved up at least five spots in this week's rankings. The Tigers gained six spots after squeaking past Notre Dame, 24-22 at home. The Utes moved up five spots in an off week, taking advantage of all the losses by teams in front of them.


- No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 10 Oklahoma all gained five spots after impressive victories.


- No. 11 Florida made the biggest leap forward, 14 spots after crushing Mississippi.


The Gators move ties for the third largest in the history of the poll:


17 spots - No. 19 Michigan State to No. 2, Oct. 2, 1950


16 - NR Arizona to No. 10, Oct. 5, 2014 (Top 25)


16 - No. 25 TCU to No. 9, Oct. 5, 2014


14 - No. 19 Purdue to No. 5, Oct. 4, 1954


14 - No. 24 Kansas to No. 10, Oct. 8, 1995


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FALLING DOWN


Four teams dropped at least nine spots:


9 - Notre Dame from six to 15.


11 - Ole Miss from three to 14.


11 - Georgia from eight to 19.


13 - UCLA from seven to 20.


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CONFERENCE CALL


The Southeastern Conference leads all leagues with six ranked teams, but LSU at No. 7 is the highest ranked. The last time the highest-ranked SEC team was that low was Oct. 10, 2010, when Auburn was No. 7.


After two weeks of the Big Ten having the top two teams in the nation, Michigan State dropped two spots to No. 4.


Rankings by conference:


SEC - 6 teams


Pac 12 - 5


Big Ten - 5


Big 12 - 4


ACC - 2


MAC - 1


Mountain West - 1


Independent - 1


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WELCOME BACK


- No. 22 Iowa is ranked for the first time since November 2010.


- No. 24 Toledo is ranked for the first time since November 2012.


- No. 25 Boise State is back after falling out last month.


---


BUH-BYE


Mississippi State, Wisconsin and West Virginia dropped out of the rankings after losses.


---


RANKED VS. RANKED


This week's big games:


- No. 23 California at No. 5 Utah. The last remaining undefeated Pac-12 teams. Just like we all expected.


- No. 13 Northwestern at No. 18 Michigan. Yep, just like we expected.

Top 25 Capsules


October 4, 2015


BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) Ezekiel Elliott did everything he could to keep Ohio State's winning streak going. It still took a final goal-line stand for the top-ranked Buckeyes to hold off Indiana.


And now, Ohio State's grip on the No. 1 ranking could be slipping after its 34-27 victory over the Hoosiers on Saturday.


Elliott had an electrifying second half with touchdown runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards and finished with a career-best 274 yards to help the Buckeyes narrowly win their 18th in a row - the longest active streak in the FBS.


Nothing came easy for Ohio State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten). Especially at the end, when Buckeyes cornerback Eli Apple batted away a desperation pass in the back of the end zone as time expired.


From the start, the game was full of surprises. Indiana (4-1, 0-1) gambled twice on fourth down in the first half - including a fake punt from its 16 that failed. Ohio State fumbled four times and wound up with three turnovers and eight major penalties.


The teams combined for four scoring runs - three from Elliott - that went for more than 50 yards during a 13-minute stretch in the second half.


The Buckeyes also extended their Big Ten regular-season record streak to 25 in a row - and could tie Oklahoma for the most weeks ranked No. 1 (101), if they can hold onto it.


Cardale Jones finished 18 of 27 with 245 yard with one TD and one interception.


NO. 25 FLORIDA 38, NO. 3 MISSISSIPPI 10


GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Will Grier threw four touchdown passes to four receivers - all in the first half - and Florida upset Mississippi to give coach Jim McElwain a signature win in his first season in Gainesville.


The redshirt freshman battled a stomach virus for two days before the game - feeling so ill that the Gators (5-0, 3-0) thought there was a chance Treon Harris might get the nod - but Grier started anyway and was sharper than ever.


Grier was sick all right.


He was downright nasty against the Rebels (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference).


He completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards. He was poised in the pocket, precise with every throw and even closer to perfect than he was down the stretch against Tennessee last week.


McElwain, meanwhile, became the first Florida coach since Steve Spurrier in 1990 to open his first season 5-0.


NO. 12 CLEMSON 24, NO. 6 NOTRE DAME 22


CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) - Deshaun Watson threw two touchdowns pass and ran for a score, and Clemson stopped DeShone Kizer on a tying 2-point conversion to help the Tigers hold off Notre Dame.


Tigers linebacker B.J. Goodson had an interception and a fumble recovery to halt two fourth-quarter drives by the Fighting Irish (4-1). But the biggest stop was by defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, who brought down Kizer short of the goal line with 7 seconds left.


Kizer rallied Notre Dame from 21-3 down in the second half with two touchdown passes, the last a 1-yard toss to Torii Hunter Jr.


Clemson secured Notre Dame's onside kick and closed out the victory, moving to 4-0 for fourth time in five years.


NO. 13 ALABAMA 38, NO. 8 GEORGIA 10


ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Jake Coker ran the offense to perfection, the defense turned in a dominating performance, and No. 13 Alabama even got a touchdown from its special teams in a rout of Georgia that re-established the Crimson Tide as a force in the national race.


Coming of a home loss to Mississippi two weeks ago, Alabama (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern) jumped ahead 24-3 at halftime and iced the victory on Georgia's first offensive play of the second half. Eddie Jackson intercepted Brice Ramsey's pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.


Coker, with an assist from Lane Kiffin's play-calling, completed 11 of 16 for 190 yards, passed for one touchdown, and ran for another. Derrick Henry rushed for 148 yards and scored on a 30-yard run that put Alabama ahead to stay midway through the second quarter.


Georgia (4-1, 2-1) yanked starting quarterback Greyson Lambert late in the first half, but it didn't matter. He even went back in after Ramsey threw his second interception.


ARIZONA STATE 38, NO. 7 UCLA 23


PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Mike Bercovici passed for 273 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score, and Arizona State got its season back on track with a victory over UCLA.


Tim White and D.J. Foster caught scoring passes for the Sun Devils (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12), who responded to their dire situation after two September losses with a solid effort in their second straight win at the Rose Bowl. Arizona State built a 29-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter and then hung on.


Thomas Duarte caught his second touchdown pass from Josh Rosen with 9:19 to play, trimming the Sun Devils' lead to 29-23. But after UCLA (4-1, 1-1) got stranded inside its 1 by Matt Haack's punt, the Bruins snapped the ball out of their own end zone with 4:16 left for their second safety of the night.


Kalen Ballage wrapped it up with a 23-yard TD run with 45 seconds to play, covering most of that distance with UCLA defenders hanging on him.


Arizona State's defense rebounded splendidly after giving up 42 points in a home loss to Southern California last week.


NO. 2 MICHIGAN STATE 24, PURDUE 21


EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - LJ Scott ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns, and Michigan State held on through a lackluster second half.


The Spartans (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) led 21-0 at halftime, but Purdue had the ball near midfield with a chance to tie or take the lead before David Blough threw incomplete on fourth down with about a minute to play in the game. The Boilermakers (1-4, 0-1) turned the ball over three times in the first half.


Michigan State's Connor Cook went 13 of 19 for 139 yards and a touchdown, and became the school's career leader with his 28th victory as the starting quarterback. Kirk Cousins won 27 games.


Cook improved to 28-3 as the starter.


NO. 4 TCU 50, TEXAS 7


FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Trevone Boykin threw five touchdown passes, including four to freshman KaVontae Turpin, and TCU rode a 30-point first quarter to a second straight rout of Texas.


Josh Doctson broke the TCU record for receiving TDs with a pair of scores and the Horned Frogs (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) won their 13th straight game, second nationally to Ohio State's 18-game run.


The Longhorns (1-4, 0-2), plagued by special teams mistakes for the third straight game, scored a late touchdown to avoid matching the second-worst shutout loss in school history - 50-0 to Oklahoma 107 years ago. They are off to their worst start since going 1-9 in 1956.


TCU beat Texas in consecutive years for the first time since 1958-59, outscoring the Longhorns 98-17.


Boykin threw for 332 yards without playing in the fourth quarter, and his 74 career TD passes are three more than Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had from 2007-10.


NO. 5 BAYLOR 63, TEXAS TECH 35


ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Seth Russell passed for 286 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two more scores, Shock Linwood ran for a career-high 221 yards and two touchdowns and Baylor began its pursuit of a third consecutive Big 12 championship with a victory over Texas Tech.


Baylor (4-0, 1-0) entered with the FBS' top offense in scoring (64.0 points per game), total offense (767.0 yards per game) and rushing yards (379.7 per game). The Bears gained 680 yards, 368 rushing.


Corey Coleman caught touchdown passes of 24, 16 and 16 yards.


Russell was 15 for 23 with one interception.


The Red Raiders (3-2, 0-2) dropped their second straight game after sweeping their nonconference opponents. They lost 55-52 to No. 4 TCU last week.


NO. 9 LSU 44, EASTERN MICHIGAN 22


BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Leonard Fournette highlighted his third straight 200-yard game with a 75-yard touchdown run, and LSU beat Eastern Michigan.


Fournette had 233 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries to remain among the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy. He also became the first player in the history of the Southeastern Conference to rush for 200-plus yards in three straight games.


But some might have expected even more from the 6-foot-1, 230-pound sophomore against the Eagles (1-4), who came in allowing a nation's-worst 373.2 yards rushing per game.


The Eagles stacked their defense to stop the run, but the Tigers (4-0) struggled to cash in through the air. LSU quarterback Brandon Harris was 4 of 15 for 80 yards with one interception.


NO. 11 FLORIDA STATE 24, WAKE FOREST 16


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Dalvin Cook had a 94-yard touchdown run before leaving with a left leg injury, and Florida State held on to beat Wake Forest.


Johnathan Vickers added a 9-yard touchdown run and Everett Golson was 20 of 31 for 202 yards with a 5-yard scoring pass to Kermit Whitfield.


Roberto Aguayo added a 25-yard field goal for the Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).Freshman Kendall Hinton was 27 of 42 for 215 yards against the nation's No. 4 pass defense with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Cam Serigne.


Mike Weaver kicked three field goals for the Demon Deacons (2-3, 0-2), including a 29-yarder with 3:34 left that pulled them within eight.


Wake Forest got the ball back with 1:42 left and reached the Florida State 20 before Hinton overthrew Serigne in the end zone and a diving Tyler Hunter intercepted it with 21 seconds left.


NO. 14 TEXAS A&M 30, NO. 21 MISSISSIPPI STATE 17


COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Kyle Allen threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns to help Texas A&M remain undefeated with a victory over Mississippi State.


The Aggies (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) led by 14 at halftime. They didn't score a touchdown in the second half, but added two field goals to secure the victory.


Dak Prescott capped a 68-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run that got Mississippi State (3-2, 1-2) to 27-17 with about 12 1/2 minutes remaining.


A 30-yard field goal by Taylor Bertolet pushed the lead to 30-17 midway through the fourth quarter.


Allen threw touchdown passes of 1 and 29 yards in the first quarter and Tra Carson ran for a score in the second to help A&M to the win.


Prescott threw for 210 yards and ran for 96 more.


NO. 15 OKLAHOMA 44, NO. 23 WEST VIRGINIA 24


NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Baker Mayfield passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns, and Oklahoma beat West Virginia in the Big 12 opener for both teams.


Dede Westbrook caught five passes for a 107 yards and Durron Neal had 87 yards receiving for the Sooners (4-0).


Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker had 13 tackles, including two sacks and three tackles for loss. He forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that Jordan Evans returned 41 yards for a touchdown. Jordan Thomas intercepted two passes for the Sooners.


The Sooners sacked West Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard seven times, and he lost two fumbles. West Virginia had committed just two turnovers in its first three games, but had five on Saturday. Wendell Smallwood ran for 111 yards for the Mountaineers (3-1).


NO. 16 NORTHWESTERN 27, MINNESOTA 0


EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - Clayton Thorson scored two touchdowns, Justin Jackson ran for 120 yards and the Northwestern defense turned in another dominant performance.


Thorson, a freshman quarterback, scored on runs of 5 and 1 yards to spark the offense for Northwestern (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten). The Wildcats defense, which has allowed only three touchdowns in five games, did the rest.


Northwestern defensive tackle Tyler Lancaster forced a fumble by Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner that inebacker Anthony Walker returned 13 yards for a touchdown that gave the Wildcats a 27-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.


Minnesota (3-2, 0-1) turned the ball over twice and finished with only 173 yards. The Golden Gophers also failed to convert on all three of their fourth-down conversion attempts.


NO. 18 STANFORD 55, ARIZONA 17


STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Christian McCaffrey ran for 156 yards and a touchdown, Remound Wright scored three times and Stanford overwhelmed Arizona.


Kevin Hogan threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns to help the Cardinal (4-1, 3-0 Pac-12) win their fourth straight after an opening loss to Northwestern. Hogan also moved into fifth place on Stanford's career passing yardage list.


Barry Sanders added a 65-yard touchdown run for Stanford, which scored 40 or more points in third straight games for the first time in 14 years. The Cardinal have scored at least 37 points in five straight against the Wildcats.


Jerrard Randall passed for 178 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 67 yards for Arizona (3-2, 0-2). The Wildcats were coming off a 56-30 home loss to UCLA.


IOWA 10, NO. 19 WISCONSIN 6


MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Jordan Canzeri ran for 125 yards and Iowa took advantage of four turnovers by Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave.


George Kittle caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Beathard in the second quarter for the only touchdown and Iowa (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) beat a ranked opponent for the first time in its last 10 attempts.


Stave was intercepted twice by Desmond King and lost two fumbles, including midway through the fourth quarter on Iowa's 1. The Wisconsin quarterback tripped and lost the ball while attempting to hand off to freshman Taiwan Deal. Iowa's Faith Ekakitie recovered.


Wisconsin (3-2, 0-1) had its 10-game winning streak at Camp Randall Stadium snapped, and lost for only the eighth time in its last 79 home games dating to 2004.


NO. 20 OKLAHOMA STATE 36, KANSAS STATE 34


STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Ben Grogan made a 37-yard field goal with 32 seconds remaining to lift Oklahoma State past Kansas State.


Grogan rebounded to make the winner after having an extra-point blocked. Last week, he made field goals from 41 and 40 yards in the final 1:33 to give the Cowboys (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) a 30-27 victory at Texas.


After the Wildcats (3-1, 0-1) built a 28-13 lead late in the second quarter, the Cowboys rallied to take a 33-28 lead on Mason Rudolph's 3-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Sheperd with 6:06 to go.


Joe Hubener scored on an 8-yard run to give K-State a 34-33 advantage with 3:01 left. The quarterback returned in the fourth quarter after spending most of the game on the sideline because of an apparent head injury.


NO. 22 MICHIGAN, MARYLAND 0


COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Desmond Morgan led a dominating defensive performance by Michigan.


In winning its first Big Ten opener under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (4-1, 1-0) picked off three passes and limited Maryland to 105 yards. It was the second straight shutout for the Wolverines, who have allowed a total of 14 points in their last four games.


Morgan, a senior inside linebacker, picked off a pass in the first quarter and was a major reason why the Terrapins (2-3, 0-1) finished with 29 yards rushing after averaging 196 in their first four games.


Michigan led by only 6-0 at halftime before pulling away with two third-quarter touchdowns. After Jake Rudock connected with Drake Johnson for a 31-yard score, wide receiver Jehu Chesson took an inside handoff and sprinted down the left sideline for a 66-yard TD.


Michigan pulled away with two long third-quarter touchdowns. Jake Rudock connected with Drake Johnson for a 31-yard score and wide receiver Jehu Chesson took an inside handoff and sprinted down the left sideline for a 66-yard scoring run.


NO. 24 CALIFORNIA 34, WASHINGTON STATE 28


BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - Jared Goff got off to a shaky start and still threw for 390 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 24 California to a victory over Washington State in the Golden Bears' first game as a ranked team in six years.


Goff threw an early interception and was off target on a few throws before finding his groove. He threw two TD passes in a less than 2 minutes late in the third quarter surrounding a successful onside kick to erase an eight-point deficit and lead the Bears (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) to their best start since 2007.


Luke Falk threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score for the Cougars (2-2, 0-1). They have lost 28 of their past 29 games against ranked opponents.

Wisconsin looks to start offense back up


October 6, 2015


MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin is out of the Top 25 and keeps losing key players to injuries on an offense that is sputtering to start Big Ten play.


This is not the most ideal of times to go out on the road and play at Nebraska.


Badgers coach Paul Chryst is staying upbeat. His players, he said, are handling adversity well and taking responsibility for improving on the little things following an ugly 10-6 loss at home last week to Iowa.


''We put some drives together, but whether it was not getting third-down conversions or just missing on some plays - there's a handful that could be big plays and it changes,'' Chryst said Monday.


Start with the four turnovers by quarterback Joel Stave, including two interceptions and two fumbles. The second fumble came at the Iowa 1 after Stave tripped on a handoff when an offensive lineman stepped his foot as he was pushed back.


The running game managed just 86 yards on 34 carries. The Badgers were just 4 of 13 on third-down conversions and failed to score on two trips to the red zone. Stave was sacked four times.


The Badgers agreed that no single player or position group bears the brunt of the blame.


''There (are) always things that you can continue to get better at, from the receivers to the offensive line to me,'' Stave said. ''Everyone can continue to get better on the details and make sure we all understand our roles.''


Until the Iowa game, the Badgers had made steady improvement with the ball against three overwhelmed nonconference foes.


Now they've taken a big step back against more an evenly-matched Big Ten opponent.


''We talked about ... giving yourself a chance to have a chance. But once you have that chance you've got to take advantage of that opportunity, and we just missed out on it,'' Chryst said.


It could have been a quarterback not connecting with a receiver for some reason, or an extra blocker failing to chip a blitzing linebacker or safety off the edge.


The margin for error shrinks when injuries pile up.


Running back Corey Clement is out at least another three weeks because of sports hernia surgery. Injuries have taken a toll up front to the point where the Badgers have had to reach into their depth chart to start two redshirt freshmen on the right side of the offensive line.


Two more important options in the passing game were hurt last week in receiver Alex Erickson (concussion) and tight end Austin Traylor (right arm). Chryst said both were still being evaluated on Monday, though Traylor is already out for the Nebraska game and Erickson's availability appears to be in doubt.


''We're a resilient team. It's going to be tough playing without Traylor,'' running back Dare Ogunbowale.


The Badgers will have to regroup for what has turned into a crucial game against the Cornhuskers. Both teams began Big Ten play with a loss, and a second defeat would essentially knock the loser out of the West division race.


Wisconsin returned to practice eager to improve.


''I just like the way the guys are right now,'' Chryst said. ''You're always thankful as a coach, especially when you go through tough times, you find out a lot about yourself, each other, and (I) really appreciate this group.''

Patterson proud of TCU's resilience


October 5, 2015


DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Gary Patterson called No. 2 TCU's four-game stretch before its bye week the most important one of the season.


The Horned Frogs are halfway home.


TCU (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) followed a back-and-forth 55-52 win at Texas Tech (3-2, 0-2) with one of their most impressive wins under Patterson, a 50-7 home thrashing of Texas last weekend.


Patterson and the Horned Frogs have a pair of road games left; Saturday at Kansas State (3-1, 0-1) and on Oct. 17 at Iowa State (2-2, 1-0) before finally getting a week off.


TCU's unbeaten start has been particularly impressive considering that they've lost more than half of their starting defense to injuries. But Patterson said that defensive end Terrell Lathan could be back for this weekend's game against the Wildcats.


''They've had a lot of resiliency. I've been proud of them. With everything that's happened to them, they just keep fighting,'' Patterson said.


TCU's success came at the expense of reeling Texas (1-4, 0-2) which has dropped back-to-back games to the Horned Frogs for the first time since 1958-59. It won't get any easier this week.


The Longhorns limp into the annual Red River Showdown with Oklahoma in Dallas with the second-worst record in the Big 12 behind Kansas (0-4, 0-1).


''They're eager to get back on the field and let people know that wasn't our team,'' coach Charlie Strong said.


But Oklahoma was in a similar spot two years ago as a heavy favorite against the Longhorns - and got beat 36-20.


''It's safe to say that that will be brought up,'' Stoops said.


---


DOWNED: Kansas State was victimized by an officiating error late in the first half of last week's 36-34 loss to No. 21 Oklahoma State (5-0, 2-0). The chains were set for a 1st-down-and-15 following a holding penalty on Oklahoma State, but it should have been a 1st-down-and-20. The Cowboys, who were down 28-13, went on to score a touchdown on that drive. The Big 12 acknowledged the mistake, but Wildcats coach Bill Snyder wasn't too happy about being victimized by something he had no control over. ''Maybe we need a better system than what we have,'' Snyder said. ''I'd like to labor under the assumption that those things will be taken care of by other people.''


EXTRA POINTS


-Kansas will enter next week's game against No. 3 Baylor (4-0, 1-0) as one of the biggest home underdogs in recent memory. The Bears, who've won all four of their games by at least four touchdowns, were a 42-point favorite against the Jayhawks as of Monday. The rebuilding Jayhawks were manhandled by Iowa State (2-2) in their opener 38-13, while Baylor beat Texas Tech 63-35. ''I'm not really sure how you slow these guys down, because I don't know many people that have,'' Kansas coach David Beaty said.


-Coaches preach about avoiding turnovers because they're often the difference between winning and losing. West Virginia, which led the Big 12 in turnover margin heading into October, committed five in their 44-24 loss to Oklahoma last weekend. ''We've got to play a little bit smarter,'' West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen.


-"I've been in involved in college football now for 30 years almost, and I'm not actually sure what makes kickers tick. He's very low key. He's a hard worker. He's disciplined. He doesn't get too emotional.'' - Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy about kicker Ben Grogan, who has hit game-winning field goals in each of the last two games. Grogan hit a 37-yarder with 32 seconds left to beat the Wildcats.

Michigan loses DE Ojemudia for year


October 5, 2015


ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) No. 18 Michigan says the college career of defensive end Mario Ojemudia is over because of an Achilles tendon injury.


Ojemudia, a senior, was hurt during Saturday's win at Maryland.


Michigan plans to put senior Royce Jenkins-Stone in Ojemudia's spot on Saturday at home against No. 13 Northwestern.


The Wolverines won 28-0 against the Terrapins without banged-up running back De'Veon Smith and cornerback Channing Stribling. Smith was hurt in the previous win over then-No. 22 BYU, appearing to injure his right ankle. Stribling's ailment has not been disclosed.


Harbaugh expects both Smith and Stribling to practice Monday, and hopes they needed to miss only one game to get healthy enough to play.

Clemson sets focus on Georgia Tech


October 5, 2015


CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) No. 6 Clemson began preparing for life after Notre Dame well before beating the Fighting Irish this past weekend.


Tigers co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott said coach Dabo Swinney made sure for the two weeks leading up to Saturday night's thrilling 24-22 victory the players knew there was much more season to go.


''He was telling them, `Hey, this is going to be a big moment. But it's only a moment,''' Scott recalled Monday. ''At the end of the day, we're going to be 4-0 or 3-1 and it's not going to mean a lot as far as the whole season.''


The season continues Saturday when the Tigers (4-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) take on Georgia Tech (2-3, 0-2).


Clemson hopes for a championship season will depend on its ability to leave the past behind and focus on the next game.


''We have a goal and dreams that are set in front of us,'' said quarterback Deshaun Watson.


Scott said coaches will remind younger players how Clemson opened 2011 at 8-0 and rose to No. 8 nationally before losing three of their next four games.


''This doesn't mean a lot if we don't take care of business,'' he said.


The Tigers stayed perfect and moved into the top 10 by holding off No. 15 Notre Dame's late rally in the instant classic played in a soaking rainstorm.


Clemson carried a 21-3 lead into the fourth quarter before the Irish rallied with 19 points and 225 yards in the final period. The game came down to a two-point conversion with Clemson defensive tackle Carlos Watkins stuffing quarterback DeShone Kizer short of the goal line with 7 seconds left.


The sold-out crowd, most covered in orange ponchos and rain suits, roared when time ticked down, many rushing the soggy field to celebrate with the players.


As Kizer and Watson left the field, the friends shared a few words.


''This is one of those games in the future we're telling our kids about,'' Watson said Kizer told him.


But that's the past and the future, the Tigers need to remain in the present.


Clemson showed off many strong attributes its hopes it can carry into the game against the Yellow Jackets.


The Tigers rushed for 212 yards against a Notre Dame defense that had allowed just 134 yards a game on the ground coming in. Wayne Gallman had 111 yards rushing - a 13-yard reception by Gallman was revised to a run when Clemson coaches went through the tape - to go over the century mark for a second consecutive game.


Scott said that spoke volumes about the Tigers offensive line, which he said was universally panned by most college football analysts as the weakest point of their attack.


''Our big challenge to those guys was that after the game, let's be sure they're talking about our offensive line and our running back,'' Scott said.


Clemson's defense forced four turnovers in the second half, including two in the final seven minutes to prevent Notre Dame's rally. And the defensive line got the push across the line of scrimmage to prevent Kizer from tying the game.


''I set the edge and I knew the guys in the middle would plug it up,'' said defensive end Kevin Dodd, named the ACC defensive lineman of the week after two sacks and a caused fumble.


But Clemson knows that lingering in the Notre Dame victory will cost them against the Georgia Tech.


The Yellow Jackets were in the Top 25 a few weeks back, but has lost three straight games. The Tigers faced a similar situation last month against struggling Louisville and saw an anticipated blowout come down to the end in a 20-17 victory.


Georgia Tech safety Jamal Golden said it's about not letting current problems spiral into a lost season and seeing these three defeats ''triple into six or seven losses. We have got to just take into next week, get ready for Clemson and try to get back into the W-column.''


The Tigers are ready for what's next against Georgia Tech.


''We're treating this like a new season,'' safety Jayron Kearse said.

Jayhawks lose top 2 QB's to injuries


October 5, 2015


LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) Kansas quarterback Montell Cozart is out with a shoulder sprain and Deondre Ford is done for the season with a thumb injury, forcing freshman Ryan Willis to start Saturday's against No. 3 Baylor.


Jayhawks coach David Beaty made the announcements Monday.


The Jayhawks (0-4) also lost top quarterback Michael Cummings to a season-ending knee injury during the spring game. Cozart was injured in last Saturday's loss at Iowa State, while Ford was hurt in a game at Rutgers, when Cozart was already sidelined by an illness.


Willis filled in for Cozart on the final few series against the Cyclones, going 8 of 16 for 100 yards. Before that game, his only experience was two plays in the opener against South Dakota State.


The Bears (4-0) were already 42-point favorites.

Georgia Southern at top of rush chart


October 5, 2015


Georgia Southern has returned to the top of the national rushing chart.


The Eagles ran for a season-high 455 yards in Saturday's 51-31 win at Louisiana Monroe, pushing their average to 377.4 a game. Their second straight 400-yard rushing game, and third of the season, allowed them to move past Baylor for the national lead.


Featured back Matt Breida is on pace to better his numbers from a year ago, when he ran for almost 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns. Through five games he's averaging 148.6 yards with 10 TDs.


He's among five Georgia Southern players rushing for 44 or more yards a game. Willie Fritz's triple-option offense has the Eagles running on 82 percent of their snaps. They've scored 22 touchdowns on the ground in the last four games.


Last year, the program's first in the FBS, the Eagles ran for a nation-best 380 yards a game while winning the Sun Belt Conference.


---


Some other notable statistical feats:


THIS TACKLE MAKES TACKLES: CJ Johnson of Kentucky, who had a total of 18 tackles through four games, made a career-high 19 against Eastern Kentucky. That was the most by a defensive lineman in the country this season and most by a Kentucky lineman since at least 1992.


200 CLUB: Six running backs went over 200 yards - Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott (23 carries for 274 vs. Indiana), New Mexico State's Larry Rose III (21-260 vs. New Mexico), LSU's Leonard Fournette (26-233 vs. Eastern Michigan), Arkansas State's Michael Gordon (26-221 vs. Idaho), Baylor's Shock Linwood (20-221 vs. Texas Tech) and Wyoming's Brian Hill (30-208 vs. Appalachian State). Fournette still holds a large lead in the national rushing race, averaging 216 yards a game.


OH, BOY, BOYKIN: Trevone Boykin's five touchdowns for TCU against Texas gives him 14 in the last three games and set a school career record. Boykin now has 74 TD passes; Andy Dalton had 71 from 2007-10.


SHARPE TARGET: UMass' Tajae Sharpe caught a school-record 15 passes against Florida International. That tied for the third-most receptions in a game this season behind Josh Doctson's 18 for TCU against Texas Tech on Sept. 26 and Trent Sherfield's 16 for Vanderbilt against Austin Peay on Sept. 19. Sharpe's catches covered 159 yards, and he had a touchdown.


RUNNING WRONG DIRECTION: UCF netted minus-35 rushing yards against Tulane. Delaware State is the only other team to go so far backward on the ground, netting minus-38 yards against Kent State on Sept. 12. Tulane pushed the Knights back on the strength of seven sacks and five other tackles for loss.


COMEBACK OF THE WEEK: Division II Shippensburg made up a 27-point deficit in the last 20 minutes to tie East Stroudsburg and then prevailed 69-67 in five overtimes. It was the longest game in Shippensburg history and the second-highest scoring game ever in the Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference.

Mistakes making it hard on No. 1 OSU


October 4, 2015


Turnovers and penalties. Bad throws and blown assignments. Third-down dysfunction and red-zone malfunctions. Ohio State is making life very difficult on itself.


The Buckeyes (5-0) are still undefeated and still No. 1, but the way they are playing is not conducive to staying on top.


Ohio State is 101st in the country in turnover margin at minus-4 after three giveaways and no takeaways in its 34-27 victory at Indiana on Saturday. No other ranked team has a turnover margin that bad.


The Buckeyes are also 101st in FBS in penalties per game at 7.8. Several ranked teams are just as bad or worse in that category, including TCU, LSU, Oklahoma and Baylor, but the timing of those penalties was a big problem for Ohio State against the Hoosiers.


One wiped out a touchdown. Two gave Indiana first downs on its final drive, which ended with an incomplete pass into the end zone.


''We were just killing ourselves with turnovers and everything,'' running back Ezekiel Elliott told reporters after the game in Bloomington, Indiana, on Saturday. ''We've got to eliminate that.''


It's not just penalties and giveaways. The Buckeyes offense is still not crisp. They were 2-for-14 on third down conversions. Cardale Jones was 18 for 27 for 245 yard, but he sailed an easy touchdown pass and threw his fourth interception of the season. When the Buckeyes get close to the goal line, they sputter and stall. They rank 121st in the nation in turning trips into the red zone (inside the opponents 20) into touchdowns. Ohio State has scored six touchdowns in 16 red zone trips (37.5 percent).


''Not taking anything away from their defense, because they did play really well, but penalties, missed communications, missed blocks, things like that. It's killing us,'' Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker said.


The Buckeyes have been able to overcome those mistakes thanks mostly to their spectacular array of individual talent and the ability to make huge plays. On Saturday, it was Elliott ripping off touchdown runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards in the second half. Ohio State is 19th in the nation in yards per play (6.73) and tied for fourth in yards per play allowed (3.83).


The schedule has yet to provide Ohio State an opponent with comparable talent to the Buckeyes, and that's not about to change anytime soon. The Buckeyes return home for games against Maryland (2-3) and Penn State (4-1) the next two weeks before going to Rutgers (2-2) to close out October.


The reality is the Buckeyes are their own toughest opponent. As the defending national champions and a team that was the first unanimous preseason No. 1, the Buckeyes inevitably get compared to last year's edition, which blasted its way through the Big Ten championship game and first College Football Playoff.


At this point, Ohio State has remained No. 1 in the country mostly because it is hard to identify a team more deserving. For all the Buckeyes' warts, they do keep winning.


''We got to get it fixed,'' Jones said. ''I think we had three turnovers today and we still found a way to come out with a W, but we can't expect that each week.''

Utah plugging away despite new notoriety


October 5, 2015


SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Kyle Whittingham has felt like the boy in the bubble since No. 5 Utah beat Oregon and shot up the polls. The Utes went from being a plucky team with a nasty defense to being considered one of the best in the country. They moved up five spots without playing last week as No. 14 Ole Miss, No. 19 Georgia, No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 20 UCLA all fell out of the Top 10.


Utah is now ranked No. 5 for just the third time in program history, with this being the earliest in the season. Now eyes from across the country have centered on Salt Lake City.


''It's almost like living in a biosphere or a dome,'' Whittingham said. ''You've got people tapping on the glass and looking in at you. You've just got to block it out and go about your business and not let it affect you because it can be a distraction.''


That's often easier said than done. Whittingham said it's business as usual within the team, but there's a lot more going on in the peripheral. ESPN will broadcast its weekly show ''College GameDay'' live from Salt Lake City on Saturday. There's been more interest in the program from recruits recently. And the team that has thrived in the underdog role is suddenly the favorite.


''If you want to be a good team, you've got to handle the success you've had and the attention that's being placed on your program,'' Whittingham said. ''That's part of the deal. You've got to be able to block out the noise and continue to stay focused and continue to do the things that got you where you're at.


''If you get in the mindset where you're worrying about the external things and paying attention to all that, it's going to be a distraction. So you cannot allow that.''


The coaching staff has been here before, though it's a bit different. Utah finished the 2008 season ranked No. 2 after beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. It was ranked No. 7 heading into the game.


The Utes moved to No. 5 in 2004 after beating BYU in the regular season finale. They entered the game ranked No. 7 and finished the season No. 4 after beating Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.


Utah went undefeated in both seasons.


These Utes, however, still have eight regular season games to go, including hosting No. 23 Cal on Saturday.


''Similar feel? Sort of, but we're still really early,'' Whittingham said. ''There's so much football left that it's really hard to make a comparison to either of those teams.


''But, there is somewhat of a similar feel with the national attention that we've gotten and that type of thing. There's so much football left, it's pointless to talk about anything besides Cal-Berkeley.''


The players followed their coach's lead and insist no one is buying into the hype. With some prodding, linebacker Jared Norris admitted the attention is nice, but was eager to advance the conversation. Running back Devaontae Booker thinks the team can still play with a chip on their shoulder and said the leaders had a talk at the beginning of the off-week last week.


''I don't think none of us are feeling ourself too much,'' Booker said. ''I kind of look at it as we're still the underdog. It don't matter if we're No. 5 or whatever. We still have to go out there and win games if we want to be the best and win it all.


''We still have to reiterate to them because some guys still want to go down that bad trail. With a week break, we still had to tell them you can't be a distraction to this team or do anything stupid to hurt this team. I think they got the message.''


The Utes are 6 1/2 favorites against Cal on Saturday and are likely to remain on that side of the odds throughout the regular season as long as they keep winning. That's no easy task with eight Pac-12 teams eagerly awaiting.


But Utah has positioned itself to have a special type of season like in 2004 and 2008.


''We thought this was a special team from the very beginning and I think everyone on this team has believed in that concept,'' Norris said.

Stats show 'icing' kickers has been more effective this year


October 6, 2015


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Calling a timeout in an attempt to ''ice'' a kicker before a critical field-goal attempt has become almost as routine a decision for coaches as punting on fourth-and-long.


Whether the strategy actually works is a subject of much debate, but statistics show it's been particularly effective so far this year.


When a coach has called a timeout this season just before an opponent has tried a potential tying or go-ahead field goal in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, kickers have gone on to make just 36.8 percent (7 of 19) of their attempts, according to STATS.


That's significantly down from previous seasons. Kickers had made 81.8 percent of their attempts (18 of 22) in those circumstances in 2012, 64 percent (16 of 25) in 2013, and 80 percent (28 of 35) last season. The stats were from games involving at least one Football Bowl Subdivision team.


The wide disparity in those annual percentages shows how much a game of chance ''icing'' has become in an era when every kicker expects it to happen.


''It's a coin flip basically,'' Arizona kicker Casey Skowron said.


Skowron's track record exemplifies that. Arizona lost to Southern California 28-26 last year because the Trojans called timeout just before he made a potential game-winning field goal, and he missed his second attempt. Later that season, Washington called a timeout just before Skowron missed a field goal in the closing seconds, and he made his second try to give Arizona a 27-26 triumph.


STATS doesn't have numbers to indicate how often the strategy has backfired because a kicker missed an attempt just before the timeout and made a kick immediately afterward.


No. 22 Iowa remains undefeated thanks in part to an opposing coach's attempt to ice Hawkeyes kicker Marshall Koehn. Last month, Pittsburgh's Pat Narduzzi called a timeout just before Koehn missed a 57-yard field goal in the final seconds of a tie game. Given a second chance, Koehn made a game-winning kick.


''Any practice rep you can get before a real rep is good,'' Koehn said. ''You only get so many live kicks in games. To get a practice one was pretty beneficial.''


One week after the Iowa-Pittsburgh game, Southern Mississippi's attempt to ice Nebraska's Drew Brown backfired in the second quarter of the Cornhuskers' 36-28 victory when he made a 50-yard field goal after a timeout nullified his previous miss from that distance.


''There are very few kickers at that level who really buckle under the pressure because of the fact they were iced,'' said Chris Sailer, a former UCLA kicker who now works with top high school kickers at various camps. ''I think if you take a poll and say would you rather have an extra minute-and-a-half to prepare during that timeout, or would you rather go out there right away, I think most kickers would say, `I really don't care.' ''


Checking the historical trends of when it's best to try this strategy doesn't necessarily pay off. Tennessee coach Butch Jones remembers examining research on the topic during his Cincinnati tenure.


''What we found is if it was a younger kicker, you'd want to ice him and call timeout right before the snap,'' Jones said. ''If it was a veteran kicker, if you're going to ice him, you'd ice him early.''


So when Cincinnati and Louisville were tied in overtime in 2012, Jones called a timeout just before redshirt freshman kicker John Wallace attempted a game-winning field goal. A high snap went through the holder's hands and ruined any potential kick, but Jones' timeout nullified the play. On its second chance, Louisville made the field goal.


''I think there's no right answer,'' Jones said. ''People have different philosophies, but a lot of time it's a gut feel for the game and how it's going.''


Even kickers themselves have different opinions on whether calling a timeout works.


''It seems like it would be smart because whenever I go out on the field, I want to kick as soon as I can,'' Brown said. ''If there's a timeout, it just delays it that much more and you have that much more time to think about it.''


Skowron says he benefited from Washington calling a timeout last season because it essentially gave him a practice kick.


''When they call a timeout, we snap it anyways because basically it's a free opportunity to kick it and get a feel for it,'' Skowron said. ''I heard the whistle and kind of hesitated a little bit but still kicked it.''


But that strategy also has risks, as Ohio recently learned.


Ohio trailed Minnesota 27-24 with seven seconds left on Sept. 26 when Minnesota called a timeout before Ohio's Josiah Yazdani tried a 53-yard field goal. When Yazdani kicked anyway, Ohio received a delay-of-game penalty.


NCAA rules allow officials to penalize a team under that circumstance for ''deliberately advancing the ball after it is dead,'' though it's rarely called.


''They felt that there was enough of a delay there that we were just getting in a practice kick,'' Ohio coach Frank Solich said. ''It's certainly in the rules that way. How that plays out week to week I think is sometimes a little different than how it's written in the rulebook. I've never seen that called in a game in my career, and (Minnesota coach) Jerry Kill mentioned he never saw it called in a game, but technically it can be called.''


Consider that just one more thing that must be considered in the ongoing dilemma on whether to call timeouts before critical kicks.

Lock to make another start at QB for Missouri


October 5, 2015


COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Freshman Drew Lock will make his second career start Saturday when Missouri hosts No. 11 Florida.


Starting QB Maty Mauk was suspended indefinitely last Tuesday for violation of team policies, along with backup offensive lineman Malik Cuellar, who was reinstated Monday. Coach Gary Pinkel said the timetable for Mauk's return is unknown.


Lock made his debut start in a 24-10 victory against South Carolina last Saturday, becoming the first freshman to start at quarterback for the Tigers since Corby Jones in 1995. He completed 21 of 28 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. The last Missouri quarterback to complete 75 percent of his passes with at least 20 completions was Blaine Gabbert in 2010 against McNeese State.


Clayton Echard will start at tight end for Missouri after Sean Culkin was sprained his right knee in a 21-13 loss to Kentucky Sept. 26. Culkin is expected to miss at least one more week.


The Tigers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) will try and hand Florida (5-0, 3-0) its first loss of the season.

ACC leading rusher Cook day-to-day for No. 12 Florida State


October 5, 2015


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida State begins preparations for Saturday's game against in-state rival Miami with three key starters nursing injuries.


Running back Dalvin Cook, who leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing, is day-to-day with a strained left hamstring. The sophomore had a 94-yard touchdown run on his first carry in last Saturday's 24-16 win over Wake Forest, then injured his hamstring on a screen pass later in the quarter.


If Cook is unable to play, Johnathan Vickers would get most of the carries.


Safety Nate Andrews will be out 2-3 weeks due to a bone bruise in his left leg with Derwin James moving into the starting spot. Linebacker Terence Smith is also day-to-day with a right ankle.


The 12th-ranked Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 ACC) have a five-game win streak against Miami (3-1).

Saban scoffs at critics who had Alabama 'dead and buried'


October 5, 2015


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) Nick Saban doesn't want his Alabama team to care what outsiders think.


It doesn't matter whether it was the questions in recent weeks that maybe the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide was a fading dynasty, or this week's feverish praise following the team's most dominating performance of the year against No. 19 Georgia.


It's all the same to Saban, who told reporters his message to players will be ''the same thing as when you all buried us last week.''


''It really doesn't matter what you think,'' Saban said Monday. ''It really doesn't matter what you say. And I'm hoping that nobody on our team is playing for you.''


In other words, it's about the team and then the fans, not national perception, whether it's criticism or praise. Clearly, Saban wasn't oblivious to the talk in the two weeks following a turnover-filled loss to No. 14 Mississippi, though.


Alabama (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) responded with a 38-10 thrashing of the then-eighth-ranked Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium and now hosts Arkansas (2-3, 1-1) Saturday night.


Quarterback Jake Coker and tailback Derrick Henry were superb and two freshmen, receiver Calvin Ridley and defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, also turned in huge performances in a dominant effort on offense, defense and special teams.


It was vintage Alabama. And a vintage Saban rant followed two days later when asked what he says to the team when perception is so fluid.


''I said before, I believe in our team,'' the coach said. ''I do believe in our team, and we're going to work hard to make our team better and I hope the players respond the right way. And it's not going to be for you. The fans, yes. Because if it was up to you, we were six foot under already. We're dead and buried and gone. Gone.


''So if that was the case, we'd have to get some respirators out or something there to put the life back in people.''


This was hardly the first time Alabama has mustered such a resounding bounce-back win.


Last season, Alabama destroyed Texas A&M 59-0 two weeks after losing to Ole Miss. In 2012, the Tide rebounded from a loss to Texas A&M by beating struggling rival Auburn 49-0 en route to a national title. A series of blowouts polished off Alabama's 2011 title run after losing to LSU, including a one-sided rematch in the national championship game.


Now, the Tide is a 16-point favorite over Arkansas. Razorbacks coach Bret Bielema said he never bought into chatter that Alabama was down after one loss.


''To me, they're the staple of what college football is, not just the SEC,'' Bielema said. ''They've got a phenomenal head coach, their environment ... It's as good as any environment. I've been in the Big Ten and the Big 12 and been to every part of this country, and I think that environment is as good as any that there is for a home-game environment.''


Saban said the Georgia win only re-establishes Alabama's identity ''if it happens on a continuum.'' He doesn't want the Tide to join the teams around the country who can't build on big wins.


It happened to Ole Miss, which was hammered by Florida by the same 38-10 score that Alabama produced against Georgia.


Alabama center Ryan Kelly said it was the team's most complete performance but knows the goal is to sustain the strong play.


He said Saban is ''obviously excited that we won but one of the messages he said was, `Look, this is the proof that we can do a lot of great things but we've just got to stay on the right road.'''

West Virginia loses S Joseph to knee injury

West Virginia will be without one of its top players for the remainder of the season after standout safety Karl Joseph suffered a knee injury during a non-contact drill in practice on Tuesday.


The Mountaineers announced Wednesday that Joseph, a senior who was a first-team All-Big 12 player in 2014, has played his last college game.


Joseph was tied for the FBS lead in interceptions with five. Three of those came in West Virginia's season opener against Georgia Southern. He was named the Big 12 player of the week and national player of the week by the Football Writers Association of America after his performance in that game.


"I am devastated and heartbroken for Karl," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said in a statement. "He is a young man who has given everything he has to our football program and university over the past four years and who elected to return to WVU for his senior season to earn his degree and to be a part of something special with this team. He exemplifies what it means to be a Mountaineer."


Joseph is listed as the No. 4 strong safety prospect in 2016 by NFLDraftScout.com.


"Karl is an All-American, a fierce competitor, a leader and I know he will have a full recovery, and I can't wait to watch him on Sundays next fall," Holgorsen said.


Joseph started 42 games during his career and logged 284 tackles, 16 1/2 tackles for loss, two sacks, nine interceptions, 14 pass breakups, eight forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries.


"I want to thank my teammates and my coaches for their outpouring of support," Joseph said. "This has been difficult for me and my family, but I know I will come through this stronger than ever. I will forever be a Mountaineer and will be cheering on our team every step of the way."


West Virginia plays Oklahoma State on Saturday at home in a Big 12 game.

South Carolina shifts game to LSU


South Carolina's home game against LSU on Saturday will be moved to Baton Rouge, La., because of intense flooding that ravaged the state last weekend.


Officials from both schools worked with the Southeastern Conference to determine a solution


"We made the extremely difficult decision to cancel classes for the week due to the stress 34,000 students would place on the region's recovering infrastructure. There is no doubt 85,000 fans would exact the same toll," University of South Carolina president Harris Pastides said in a statement. "In the spirit of supporting our South Carolina community that is so supportive of Gamecock Nation, we have decided to move the game to Baton Rouge.


"The stress on law enforcement and first responders is too great. Moreover, we've had many in the Carolina family directly impacted by the flooding."


According to South Carolina budget projections, the school will lose nearly $4 million from game ticket sales by moving the game to LSU.


South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium emerged from more than a foot of rain that hit the area relatively unscathed. Athletic director Ray Tanner said the game could have been played there Saturday.


"We've been spared," Tanner said. "We're in pretty good shape as far as that goes. ...


"With what has happened here in the state of South Carolina and the city of Columbia, football is not nearly as important or important at all when you think about it in that perspective. There are certainly lots of concerns with our families and people who live here in the Midlands. There are a lot of things to consider."


The Gamecocks have practiced on dry fields despite classes being cancelled for the week.


"Our team, we want to do what's right and what's best for all concerned," South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said before Wednesday's announcement. "Wherever is the right place to play this game, we're for it. It's in the hands of law enforcement, our athletic directors, president and our community.


"What's best for victims of the flood is something we all have to take into very serious consideration. Wherever they tell us to go play this game, we'll do our best to go compete against LSU."

Why wiseguys are betting these college football odds at the right time


Each week during the college football season, Covers Expert Steve Merril looks at the NCAAF odds and tells you which spread to bet now, which one to bet later and which total to watch as the week plays out.


Spread to bet now


Minnesota Golden Gophers (-3) at Purdue Boilermakers


Minnesota and Purdue played two totally different games last week. While the Golden Gophers got shutout 27-0 at Northwestern, the Boilermakers lost a close 24-21 game at home to Michigan State. Off such performances, we can expect Minnesota to have more motivation while Purdue figures to be flat.


The oddsmakers opened Minnesota as a 1.5-point favorite in this game, and early money has pushed that line up to -3. Based on my power ratings, the line is still a tad short and it wouldn't be a surprise if it goes up throughout the week. Lay the three points with Minnesota now.


Spread to wait on


Washington State Cougars (+17) at Oregon Ducks


Oregon won 41-24 in Colorado last Saturday night, and off that win, the public may think the Ducks are back to themselves after getting embarrassed by Utah 62-20 at home in their previous game. But Oregon still has serious issues, and it can't be trusted inside this pointspread range.


Washington State comes in with a 2-2 SU record with its two losses coming by a combined 13 points. The Cougars are a scrappy team and since they possess a strong passing offense, they always have backdoor potential if needed. Wait this game out, and grab at least an extra half point on Washington State.


Total to watch


Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (54.5)


Notre Dame just faced a triple-option offense a few weeks ago when the Irish beat Georgia Tech 30-22. Notre Dame allowed the Yellow Jackets to score just six points in the first 59 minutes of the game before Georgia Tech miraculously scored two touchdowns in the final minute. That experience will have Notre Dame more prepared to stop Navy's triple-option offense in this game.


The total on this game opened at 55 at the majority of sports books, but it has been bet down slightly to 54.5. There's no reason to expect a high-scoring game, especially since Navy has held their four opponents to an average of just 15.0 points per game this season. This total will likely drop even lower as the week goes on, so take the Under now.

Clemson could be set for strong finish


Clemson's 24-22 victory against then-No. 6 Notre Dame last Saturday has many prognosticators projecting a big finish for the Tigers, and the evidence certainly stacks up in the Tigers' favor.


The 4-0 Tigers have moved up to No. 6 in both polls and face just one ranked opponent over the final eight games -- Florida State on Nov. 7 -- and that game is at home. Clemson's final eight opponents have a combined winning percentage of 62.2 percent, which is the lowest among any team in the current Top 10.


But despite Clemson's strong start and upward mobility in the polls, coach Dabo Swinney doesn't want to hear any talk of championships or the College Football Playoff.


"Everybody wants to end the season after three or four games," he said. "It's so funny to see some of this rhetoric -- 'OK, these teams are in!'


"Every weekend is a season of its own. Just look around college football. I don't know who was sixth last week, but where are they now? You just got to go play the games. It's great to know that we're in the mix. We want to be in the conversation, but we've played four games -- not even half our season yet -- so we've got to keep our head down and keep chopping and grinding away."


Next up for Clemson is Georgia Tech, an opponent that looms large despite a 2-3 record. Georgia Tech has been a thorn in Clemson's side in recent seasons, and the Tigers are just 3-5 against the Yellow Jackets under Swinney.


"You'd better be ready to play Georgia Tech," Swinney said.


"They lost at Notre Dame. They lost to North Carolina, who's probably in the lead in the Coastal (Division) right now. They lost to Duke, who has just a loss to a ranked Northwestern team. They've played good teams. We have a ton of respect for their program and who they are. Their record has nothing to do with this game. If we have a letdown, we're going to get our butts kicked."


Swinney only has to point to recent history to drive that point home to his team. Georgia Tech routed Clemson 28-6 last season in Atlanta, capitalizing on the absence of starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who suffered a knee injury in the first quarter with Clemson leading 3-0 and missed two of the Tigers' next three games.


Watson is back at full strength, but Swinney is taking nothing for granted.


"We're not a national championship team yet," he said. "But we don't have to be on Oct. 6. We just need to find a way to beat Georgia Tech this weekend and build on the positives that we've had through the first four games."


NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH


--QB Deshaun Watson will be intent on righting last year's wrong. He suffered a knee injury, without contact, early in the Georgia Tech game and missed two of the next three games, including Clemson's bowl win over Oklahoma. "I just got to play a couple of drives last year," Watson said. "It's my home state, so I always want to get the victory." Watson still wears a brace on his left knee after undergoing knee surgery last December, but he hasn't been slowed this season; in fact, he's coming off a career-best 93 yards rushing against Notre Dame.


--DE Kevin Dodd will be a key figure against Georgia Tech. He'll be counted on to "set the edge" against the Yellow Jackets' option offense, and knows that will be no small task. "The triple-option is a tough scheme to defend," Dodd said. "Reaction time is big, and you've got to be disciplined. You've got to read your keys; if you don't read your keys, you get exposed. It's another game for me to take a stand and show people who Kevin Dodd is." Dodd has been making a name for himself in his first year as a starter, with 26 tackles, six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.


--WR Artavis Scott is a big-play producer whether he's catching passes or returning kicks. He amassed 171 all-purpose yards in the Tigers' win over Notre Dame and has jumped to the forefront amid a receiver corps that continues to miss injured preseason All-ACC selection Mike Williams.