Another week, another review of this highly fluctuating college football season. After the week off from the blog last week, we pick right back up with all of what’s hot in this ever-changing world of college football!

The PSU Review

In what would have been reviewed in the blog last week, Penn State defeated Central Michigan 33-14 two weekends ago. Now, that win wasn’t pretty by any means due to a multitude of offensive and defensive mishaps in the first half. But, if we want to talk about ugly wins, look no further than this weekend’s 17-7 defeat of the Northwestern Wildcats. This game can be summarized by one single very descriptive and telling word: sloppy.

Hunter’s Takeaways:

Big. Ten. Football.

Not only was the play on the field sloppy, but Happy Valley itself was very sloppy last Saturday as well. Persistent downpours and rain plagued State College all day, creating a treacherous playing environment in Beaver Stadium. Fans and students were warriors as they weathered the storm with ponchos, rain jackets, and umbrellas galore. But, none of that stopped the #11 ranked Nittany Lions.

If you look at the stat sheet, a layperson would immediately notice the seemingly massive number 5 in the turnover category for Penn State. Now what this person doesn’t know is the conditions on the field of play Saturday. However, no matter how wet the ball or field may be, 4 fumbles by your running backs can’t happen if you want to win football games. Luckily, Penn State’s defense offered a historical performance on plays following turnovers – only surrendering a total of 8 yards in possessions following their 5 turnovers. Coach Franklin was understandably a burning tea kettle on the sideline over the consistent fumbling. Any inkling of momentum captured by the Nittany Lions on Saturday was squandered by offensive turnovers. Obviously the weather was a major factor as to why so many turnovers occurred. However, the players knew the environment they were playing in and needed to place more emphasis on ball security throughout the game.

Penn State ran the ball a total of 58 times on Saturday, an astonishingly high number with adequate distribution across the board from our 3 RB rotation led by Allen and Singleton. But, considering the tricky terrain, this result was predictable. The ground game accumulated 220 yards, but to a disappointingly low 3.8 yards per carry. It was apparent that this offense looked like nothing it had the first four weeks of the season. Then again, none of the prior 4 games involved playing in a persistent downpour. QB Sean Clifford only attempted 20 passes as a result of mother nature.

Obviously, you have to take this game with a grain of salt. This was Big Ten football at its finest and an exhaustive victory for the Nittany Lions. Defense played superior and the offense should be fine heading into a much needed bye week.

This has to be one of the more important bye weeks in Penn State history. Over the next three games, Penn State will have to face the: #4 Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Whiteout Game, and #3 Ohio State Buckeyes. A monumental couple of games stare the Nittany Lions right in the face, and there is no better way to prepare for this grueling slate than a week of rest. See you in Ann Arbor folks.

Around CFB

One of the more notable storylines of this past weekend came in the form of the Kansas Jayhawks and TCU Horned Frogs? Yes, you read that correctly. Kansas, a team that finished 2-10 a season ago, has opened the season 5-0 and finds themselves in the AP Top 25 after a narrow defeat of Iowa State at home. TCU clobbered #18 Oklahoma, handing the Sooners a shocking 31-point loss in Fort Worth. Not only do these two Big 12 teams find themselves undefeated this far into the season, but they will face off against each other this week in Lawrence. College Gameday is even making the trip for these two surprisingly ranked foes!

#1 Georgia travelled to Columbia, MO on Saturday night on what many expected to be a walk over against the Missouri Tigers. What many didn’t expect was that Missouri led Georgia the entire game until late in the 4th quarter and almost played spoiler to the #1 ranked team in the country. The Bulldogs recovered from a disastrous first half to salvage their position among the top of the totem pole.

#5 Clemson looked strong in Death Valley against the #10 NC State, defeating the Wolfpack 30-20. This team looks much stronger than it did when struggling at the beginning of the season and looks again like a legit CFP contender.

#9 Oklahoma State took down #16 Baylor in a revenge game after Baylor’s comeback win in last year’s Big 12 Championship Game. Spencer Sanders looks like a top QB in the country and someone that could lead Oklahoma State to their first CFP appearance and 2nd Big 12 championship.

#4 Michigan rolled Iowa this Saturday on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff. Despite only giving up a maximum of 10 points in any game all season, Iowa’s defense couldn’t stop the dual threat attack of Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy and RB Blake Corum.

The UCLA Bruins triumphed against the #15 Washington Huskies on an early game Friday night. UCLA moves to 5-0 on the season and becomes a serious threat to #6 USC for the PAC-12 championship.

#2 Alabama handles #20 Arkansas on the road, with defending Heisman winning QB Bryce Young going down early in the 2nd quarter. His injury situation is ongoing and must be monitored before an important hosting of Texas A&M this weekend in Tuscaloosa.

The Purdue Boilermakers took down the #21 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesota entered the game outscoring their opponents 183-27, but an ankle injury to star RB Mohamed Ibrahim stunted what looked to be a phenomenal start to the season for the Gophers.

Week 6 AP Top 25 Poll

What’s Ahead in Week 6?

Hunter’s Game of the Week: #17 TCU (-6.5) vs. #19 Kansas – Why not? This matchup pits together two unlikely ranked Big 12 opponents. America wins in this game no matter what, two underdogs rising to the top of the CFB ladder. I’m in! I expect Kansas to cover the spread and potentially pull off the upset here.

#11 Utah (-3.5) vs. #18 UCLA – Two strong teams in what could be a preview of who can challenge #6 USC for the PAC-12 championship. I love this matchup and think it can provide for a fantastic game in the Rose Bowl Stadium.

#8 Tennessee (-3.0) vs. #25 LSU – Can Tennessee continue their great season by going into Death Valley and taking down a surging Tigers team?

#20 Kansas State (-2.0) vs. Iowa State – This is a great matchup. Iowa State always plays team tough, especially at home. However, QB Adrian Martinez leads a strong Kansas State team into Ames. If he can do what he did against Oklahoma two weeks ago, expect a meaningful win on the road for the Wildcats.

#3 Ohio State (27.0) vs. Michigan State – Don’t expect a close game here folks, but I’m just curious to see how good Ohio State is and maybe how bad Michigan State is among their recent slide.

Texas A&M vs. #1 Alabama (-24.0) – Does QB Bryce Young play? How does Alabama fair if he doesn’t? Can Texas A&M rekindle the magic they found in their upset of Alabama at home last year?

Auburn vs. #2 Georgia (-30.0) – Does Georgia bounce back from a shaky past two weeks to cover a massive spread at home versus the struggling Tigers?