College football gives us plenty of thrills on a weekly basis, and there’s nothing like the surprise of an upset percolating and then happening, especially when it involves an unbeaten or a conference leader falling to an unranked foe.
October saw top 10 teams Georgia, Wisconsin and Oklahoma get surprised by league foes; very few had any falling — that’s why they’re called surprises. But while the SEC and Big Ten brass simply moved on to the next week, the Big 12 higher-ups were likely punching holes in their hats.
Because until we live in a world where there’s an eight-team playoff that gives all Power Five Conference champs automatic berths into the College Football Playoff, the last thing a league wants is to see its best hope for football’s final four take its first loss before November.
Just ask the Pac-12, a conference that’s eaten its own with a nine-game league schedule. Saturday night, No. 11 Oregon needed a last-second field goal to avoid an upset against Washington State, and I’m sure the league office was holding its breath as one of its two one-loss teams drove the length of the field with under a minute to play.
As long as the 13-member committee is looking for “intangibles” when it puts together a four-team field, one of the best things the game has to offer is actually the worst that can happen for the conferences that have their eyes on the playoff participation payout ($6 million for each team selected to the playoff).
Maryland (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten) went to No. 17 Minnesota with hopes that having running back Anthony McFarland and quarterback Josh Jackson healthy again could turn the tide of a season that was slipping away. Unfortunately, the Golden Gophers lived up to their 7-0 record and torched the Terps 52-10. Adding injury to insult, quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome left the game with a leg injury. The quarterback carousel continues in College Park.
Terrapin Triumphs: This team might be sub-.500, but they make big plays. Javon Leake had a 59-yard catch and a 41-yard kick return, Tayon Fleet-Davis added a 33-yard run, and Marcus Lewis had a 40-yard interception return.
Terrapin Troubles: The passing game earned a failing grade, as the combination of Pigrome, Jackson and freshman Tyler DeSue combined to complete 10 of 23 passes for 131 yards and two interceptions. The first INT set up the Golden Gophers’ first touchdown; the other was returned for a score. The defense allowed 321 yards rushing at 5.9 yards per carry.
Next: Saturday at noon against 6-2 Michigan.
Virginia (5-3, 3-2 ACC) continues to confound as the Cavaliers followed up an unexpected blowout of Coastal contender Duke with a 28-21 loss at rebuilding Louisville. After taking a 14-7 lead, U.Va. went into an offensive funk that included 43 yards on its first 16 plays in the second half. Thank goodness the Coastal is a quagmire. It’s the only division in FBS where the leader has two losses.
Cavalier Congrats: Hasise Dubois caught seven passes for 93 yards, while Wayne Taulapapa ran for 55 yards and two touchdowns. Eli Hanback had two sacks in his six tackles to power the pass rush that finished with four sacks.
Cavalier Concerns: Just 22 called runs, including only three carries for Taulapapa after halftime. Bryce Perkins threw for 233 yards, but averaged under 10 yards per completion (and 5.5 per attempt). The defense allowed 5.0 yards per carry and 227 on the afternoon. Eight penalties for 70 yards made life that much tougher on the road.
Next: Saturday at 7:30 against 4-4 North Carolina.
Navy (6-1, 4-1 AAC) looked like it was in control against Tulane, only to let a 24-point first half lead evaporate after intermission. They were able to prevail on a last-second field goal by freshman Bijan Nichols, but the 41-38 win will give head coach Ken Niumatalolo more questions than answers as his team focuses on the AAC West race in November and the Commander in Chief’s trophy in December.
Midshipmen Medals: Jamale Carothers ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns while Malcolm Perry ran for 142 yards. Diego Fagot notched eight tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown. Owen White averaged 47.3 yards per punt.
Midshipmen Miscues: The offense converted just five of 14 third downs as Perry completed two of seven passes and was intercepted. The defense had no solutions for Green Wave quarterback Justin McMillan in the second half and allowed the Green Wave to score the last four times they had the ball.
Next: Friday at 8 p.m. at 2-6 UConn.
