Home School Fans Episode 4: Week 3 - Postmortem: A&M Back in Business, Pt. II

       Aggies Up!

     Texas A&M lived up to some of the pre-season billing, beating Miami in a low scoring game, 17-9. I am glad that Miami loses in general. Don't tell my friends Billy or Jones. They are big Hurricane fans. I talk, or have talked with them about the Canes, and I understand their fixes. Now an initial fast-rising Miami joins the defeated, like BYU, the Aggies and the Utes. Once each. All still ranked in the top twenty. BYU barely. But hopefully licking their wounds, regrouping and getting healthy. We may have lost a defensive back, Kaleb Hayes. But this is about the other six teams, I have already written about the debacle in Oregon. See: Clinch It Sooner or Later: Home School Fans Episode 4: Week 3 - Postmortem: Cougs Crushed Part I

So the Aggies are back in it, CBS has them at 22 with 12th ranked Arkansas next. Should be a good game, I say.

Utes Roll On 

    Utah went on to smoke a pretty good Fresno State Bulldog team in Rice Eccles Stadium. I wrote about a Chattanooga journalist who voted Utah OUT (?!) of the top 25 last week, but these guys are good. I think possibly better than BYU now, after my Cougs were declawed. And injured on both sides of the ball. 

    I think that Utah is primed, strong, and ready to go. Now ranked at 15 by CBSSports.com, taking on a turmoil filled Arizona State Sun Devils, woebegone now, having lost their coach off a particularly sad loss, and are rated at 103 (yikes!) by the same raters. I call for a big score, lopsided for the Utes. Good luck, newly installed coach in Tempe. Or Scottsdale. Or Phoenix. Or wherever the campus is in the greater Metroplex. Honor to Pat Tillman, always.

    Bulldogs Barely Score in Salt Lake

    As reported above, supposed creme de la creme of the Mountain West was humbled in the Wasatch Front of the campus of the flagship university of the state. The Dogs of the San Joaquin Valley of California almost were blanked. Holding Utah to 35 may be not bad, all things considered. Now ranked 49th on the list of 131, FSU now will face paltry UConn, ranked 126. Fifth from the bottom. ESPN calls them "UCan't" in their bottom 10 weekly mock up. The Bulldogs are 1-2, while the Huskies are 1-3. Utah State struggled but beat them the first game of the season, Week 0 in August.

    Who is better? UVA or IU? One is luckier thus far...

    I am not sure if one is better than the other. The Cavaliers hang on to beat Old Dominion, 16-14, and are now ranked 69th against a 71st rated ODU. Is next: Surprisingly good 3-0 #36 ranked Syracuse. They shocked the Boilermakers after a wild one last Saturday. Purdue committed last minute (literally) dumb penalties to allow the Orange to win with seconds remaining. Wahoos and Orange should have a good battle of the fruity color, non-burnt (save that for Texas).

    IU, my alma mater and hometown boys of Bloomington, got pretty lucky and hung a loss in Over Time on the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky. Similar to the first game against Illinois, and the first half against Idaho, IU was being outplayed. Indiana all-cool and promising linebacker Donovan McCullough got a huge interception to prevent a score late, and the Hoosiers culled enough points to eke out the tie in regulation, and the 51-yard field goal in OT. Whew. These Indiana guys are clutch so far. Or, yes, fortunate. 3-0, now ranked 63rd, behind 1-2 Purdue at 47, and 2-1 Illinois at 55, Indiana now faces last year's breakthrough team Cincinnati Bearcats. They are in the list at 33, 2-1. They lost to #19 Arkansas first game of their year, 31-24. 

    Last year, as explained before, IU was closer in that Bearcat game than the final score indicated, losing by two touchdowns. I think IU is better this season, and Cincy is not as good, but the Bearcats are still favored. I want to see this upset.

    IU can be better. The QB Bazelak has been good when required, Cam Camper has been super at receiver, some other wide outs have been decent, the running game is okay (needs improvement), and the offensive line adequate. Sadly their best OLineman was hurt and out for the year after the first game against Illinois. Hopefully the depth is there.

    Dukes take a Breather

    The rising James Madison Dukes face a plucky and exciting Appy State. 2-0 now at 82nd in Harrisonburg, the Mountaineers of Boone, North Carolina are ranked #24, 2-1. They won against Troy State with a last second tipped Hail Mary Long Bomb, and afore that upset the Aggies in College Station (man!), and barely lost in a wild one against the UNC Tar Heels, 63-61.

    This may be the game of the week. Good times!

    ____The Undefeated Remaining____

        Apparently there are 33 teams left without a blemish in the loss column. Last year this included my BYU Cougars. Not so now this season. But Indiana, yes. Cougs are still much better. I wonder if they could play in a bowl, recreating the 1979 classic? This would mean Indiana would have got at least three more wins. Cincy would be a huge gift. Hmmmmm... For BYU this might mean a few more losses, which would be disappointing after beating highly thought of Baylor, then the pounding by the Ducks.

    Who are the undefeated left?

    1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Ohio State, 4. Michigan, 5. Clemson (7 in CBS), 6. Oklahoma, 7. USC, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Arkansas, Tennessee, N.C. State, Ole Miss, Washington (impressive), Wake Forest, Washington State (not bad for the state), Minnesota, Florida State, Kansas (wow!), Oregon State, North Carolina, Iowa State, Syracuse, Duke (whoa!), UCLA, Maryland, TCU, Tulane, Coastal Carolina, Rutgers, Indiana (INDIANA!), and James Madison. 

    Is this 33? That is supposed to be the math.

    Not always my strong suit.

    But anyway, Week Four should be fun. Math or not.

    Blog it and blog on.

PS: I did the count, mathwise. It is 33. Should drop a few notches after this weekend.

Hokies lose to West Virginia in a mountain brawl, Coast Carolina scores a lot on Georgia State, and Illinois is smacking the Chattanooga Mocs. 

Ummm. Chattanoogie. Steve Hargis? Still a dorkus, fo sho'.