WEEK 7

This was supposed to be Curt Cignetti’s week. Indiana with its first EVER road win against a top 5 team. We’re talking about a program founded in 1887, two CENTURIES ago. 0-46 became 1-46 in spectacularly dominant fashion. The Hoosiers went step-for-step with a very dangerous Ducks team, pulling ahead 30-20 in the 4th and not relenting. They walked out of Eugene a team that inexplicably looks like they might not just make the College Football Playoff, but potentially be competitive in it. As a Midwesterner, I’m all for it. Add IU to my BYU bandwagon.

 

That was the Week Seven story. And then goddamn James Franklin had to go and try to steal the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, while I was in the midst of writing this recap nonetheless, getting himself fired after a third straight loss, with the two most recent being historically embarrassing. #2 preseason ranking to this. A nearly unthinkable demise. What happens in Sad Valley next? PSU coach watch just became a very appealing sub-narrative this season. Big money. High stakes. We’ll be watching…

 

Ok, less about coaches, more about players. This was a fantastic week of football, and a tough one for OTC. Ironically, this week’s points champs were PSU1996 (condolences for the personal joy and fan-based pain you are balancing this week) and Mastergrimes, both grinding out a 39 in a week filled with upsets.

 

Bama did what Bama does, finding a way to win against #14 Missouri in Columbia. Suddenly, the 5-1 Crimson Tide finds themselves a top team in the country. That Week One Florida State loss feels like a distant memory, especially after watching so many other preseason behemoths drop out of the rankings all together.

 

Speaking of preseason behemoths who dropped out of the rankings… is Texas back?! The Longhorns knocked off #6 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry in convincing fashion, 23-6. And in doing so, they’ve given us the key to betting profitability this season. Don’t quote me on this, but I am certain that every time a non-ranked team has played a ranked team and the non-ranked team has been favored to win, they win. Exhibit A: Texas (-2.5 despite being unranked and playing the 6thranked team in the country)

 

Exhibit B: USC.  The unranked Trojans hosted the 15th ranked Wolverines, and what happened? The three-point favorite Trojans never had a doubt, steamrolling 31-13 in our palindrome of the week.

 

Exhibit C: Utah. The unranked Utes clobbered the 21st ranked Sun Devils… by THIRTY-TWO points. Vegas had them as 9.5-point favorites. I mean, c’mon people. Let’s all retire early and ride this train the rest of the season.

 

Elsewhere, Kansas State summoned the ghost of Bill Snyder (yes, I know he isn’t actually dead yet), thumping TCU at home. Trojan317gets some major props for being the lone Wildcats backer here. Dependable Deion upset the visiting, and ranked, Cyclones, 24-17 in Boulder. Shame on all of us for having no faith in the Buffaloes – not one of us gave them a chance, and five even had this as their 10-pointer. Nebraska moved to 5-1, their only loss of the season coming to Michigan. I heard someone say the Cornhuskers have a path to the playoff, and looking at their schedule, I can’t say I disagree.

 

My BYU Cougars keep the dream alive moving to 6-0 after a gutsy 2OT win on the road at Arizona. What’s not to love about this team?!

 

You know it’s a busy week when we close with a Georgia v. Auburn game as perhaps the least newsworthy outcome, but here we are, the 20-10 Dawgs W a mere footnote from the Week Seven slate.

 

Dallas2697 extends his season lead, with 247 on the leaderboard. Recordsetter 98 remains on his heels with 242. And PSU1996 lurks just behind his namesake’s preseason ranking with 233.

 

We have some big ones to watch on next week’s card: #5 Ole Miss @ #9 UGA. #11 Tennessee @ #6 Bama. #20 USC @ #13 Notre Dame. #23 Utah @ #15 BYU (Go Cougars!). And #10 LSU @ #17 Vanderbilt. The OTC leaders are establishing themselves. Don’t get left behind. Think you’re slick? Make that pick!

 

#8 Alabama (-3) @ #14 Missouri

#6 Oklahoma @ Texas (-2.5)

TCU (-2.5) @ Kansas State

#22 Iowa State (-3) @ Colorado

#7 Indiana @ #3 Oregon (-6.5)

Nebraska (-7) @ Maryland

#10 Georgia (-4.5) @ Auburn

#15 Michigan @ USC (-3)

#18 BYU (-2.5) @ Arizona

#21 Arizona State @ Utah (-9.5)