Code Orange

Update 4:16 PM

Another Division II final: Grand Valley State defeats Central Washington 41-21.

Also another Division III final: Wisconsin-Whitewater defeats Wabash College 47-7.

Update 4:14 PM

The 500 fans in Jacksonville goes wild as someone finally scores again in the ACC Championship as Virginia Tech goes up on Boston College 23-16 with 7:20 to go in the game.

Meanwhile in the SEC Championship Game, Tennessee strikes first, going up on LSU 7-0.

Update 3:48 PM

The ACC Championship game heads towards the 4th quarter with neither team really able to get anything going in the 3rd quarter. Virginia Tech and Boston College are still tied at 16.

Update 3:44 PM

Southern Illinois also leads Massachusetts 13-0.

Update 3:41 PM

Delaware is now up on Northern Iowa 19-10 nearing halftime.

Update 3:41 PM

Appalachian State recovers the onsides kick and advances to the I-AA semifinals to play either Wofford or Richmond.

In a Division II final, California (PA) defeats Shepherd 58-38.

Update 3:37 PM

Central Florida wins the Conference USA Championship game over Tulsa 44-25.

Update 3:35 PM

Appalachian State recovers the onsides kick and goes 3-and-out, but they force Eastern Washington to use all of their timeouts. Eastern Washington once again drives down the field to put another touchdown on the board, making it 38-35. They now need the onsides kick as there is only 28 seconds to go and they have no timeouts.

Also, suddenly Delaware is up on Northern Iowa 12-10.

Update 3:20 PM

Eastern Washington is able to drive down the field to close the gap against Appalachian State to 38-28, but they took a long time with there only being 3:11 left in the game.

Update 3:18 PM

Navy routes Army 38-3.

Update 3:07 PM

Appalachian State recovers an Eastern Washington fumble and probably puts the final nail in the coffin by scoring another touchdown, going up 38-21 with only 6:07 to go.

Update 3:06 PM

A couple of Division III finals:

Mt. Union 52, St. John Fisher 10
Mary-Hardin Baylor 27, Wesley College 10

Update 2:52 PM

Appalachian State is able to get into Eastern Washington’s territory but the drive stalls and EWU stops ASU for the 2nd straight drive. However, they’re still down 31-21.

Also, it’s now 10-o Northern Iowa over Delaware.

Update 2:39 PM

Virginia Tech responds to Boston College, driving down the field and tying the game at 16-16.

Update 2:38 PM

Appalachian State intercepts an Eastern Washington pass, but EWU is able to hold ASU to stay in the game and gets the ball back on a punt.

Update 2:30 PM

The last remaining undefeated team in I-AA Northern Iowa takes a 7-0 lead on Delaware in the 1st quarter.

Update 2:29 PM

Appalachian State once again answers Eastern Washington, putting another touchdown on the board and going up 31-21.

Eastern Washington is going to have to get their offense going. Their three touchdowns have been on a kickoff return for a touchdown, a fake punt, and a 14 yard drive after another long kickoff return. Eastern Washington hasn’t had a single long drive for a touchdown today. Meanwhile, Eastern Washington’s defense hasn’t been able to stop Appalachian State’s offense all day. They’ll need to do that if they want to win this game.

Update 2:20 PM

Boston College responds to Virginia Tech’s touchdown with one of their own. However, Virginia Tech blocks the extra point and returns it for 2 points and Boston College is only able to extend their lead to 16-9.

Update 2:18 PM

Eastern Washington gets their second huge kickoff return, this time for a touchdown, and suddenly it’s 24-21 Appalachian State.

Update 2:15 PM

Central Michigan wins the MAC, defeating Miami (OH) 35-10

Update 2:14 PM

Appalachian State drives down the field on their first drive of the 2nd half and puts up a field goal to expand their lead to 24-14.

Update 2:11 PM

Virginia Tech finally is able to get a drive together and sticks it into an endzone to make it 10-7 Boston College.

Update 1:59 PM

Eastern Washington scores a touchdown on a fake punt on their opening drive of the 2nd half to reduce Appalachian State’s lead to 21-14.

Meanwhile, Boston College works their way down the field and adds a field goal to make it a 10-0 lead over Virginia Tech.

Update 1:38 PM

Virginia Tech fumbles and Boston College recovers and runs it back for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

Update 1:31 PM

In the Division II quarterfinals, California (PA) leads Shepherd 27-17 at halftime, Grand Valley State leads Central Washington 6-0 in the 1st quarter, while North Alabama and Valdosta State are tied at 6 in the 1st quarter. I can’t seem to find a score for the Chadron State vs. NW Missouri State game.

In the Division III quarterfinals, Mt. Union leads St. John Fisher 21-0 at halftime, Mary-Hardin Baylor leads Wesley College 10-3 at halftime, Wisconsin-Whitewater leads Wabash 7-0 in the 1st quarter, while the Bethel vs. Central College game is reported as being delayed.

Update 1:25 PM

Despite 3 holding calls on their drive, including one calling back a touchdown, Appalachian State is still able to stick it into the endzone, and now it’s 21-7 ASU over Eastern Washington near halftime.

Also, Tulsa strikes back and it’s now 24-20 Central Florida over the Golden Hurricanes. Also, Navy is now up on Army 21-3.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech is held to a 3-and-out.

Update 1:18 PM

Virginia Tech is back to their usual business in the ACC Championship Game as they block a Boston College field goal.

Update 1:17 PM

Central Michigan now goes up on Miami (OH) 14-3.

Update 1:15 PM

By the way, the Conference USA title game is also going on today. Currently Central Florida leads Tulsa 24-13.

Update 1:13 PM

Eastern Washington gets the ball inside the ASU 5 yard line but fumbles the ball away and is recovered by Appalachian State.

Meanwhile, Miami (OH) gets on the board, but is still down to Central Michigan 7-3. It’s also 7-3 Navy over Army.

Update 1:00 PM

Appalachian State is able to work their way into Eastern Washington territory, but then is stopped and is forced to put it away.

Update 12:52 PM

Eastern Washington returns the kickoff down to the ASU 14 yard line. They quickly put it into the endzone and makes it 14-7 Appalachian State.

Update 12:47 PM

Navy goes up 7-0 on Army. Meanwhile, Appalachian State appears to be having an easier time this week than last week as they go up on Eastern Washington 14-0.

Update 12:39 PM

Eastern Washington gets deep into Appalachian State territory, but a big sack sets EWU back and ASU blocks the field goal.

Update 12:27 PM

Appalachian State strikes first and goes up on Eastern Washington 7-0.

In the MAC Championship, it’s 7-0 Central Michigan over Miami at halftime (the game started at 11am).

Original Post

We start off the day with the MAC Championship game between Miami (OH) and Central Michigan and our first I-AA quarterfinal between Eastern Washington and Appalachian State.

Well, so much for the anticipated Big 12 playoff.  We’ll still get part of it next week when Missouri and Kansas face off, but now a Big 12 team in the title game is no longer assured.  Even more, it may not even be Oklahoma who represents the southern division in the Big 12 title game.  Oklahoma’s loss gives them 2 conference losses and ties them with Texas.  If Texas defeats Texas A&M and Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, it will be Texas who plays in the Big 12 title game.

Speaking of title games, Boston College played their way into the ACC title game with a 20-17 come-from-behind victory at Clemson.  They’ll face the winner of Virginia Tech/Virginia, who play next weekend.

Meanwhile, in the SEC, LSU had already clenched the SEC West title, but the SEC East race got a tad bit clearer as Georgia’s win over Kentucky boots Florida from the race.  Georgia almost clenched the East title, but Tennessee was able to come back and beat Vanderbilt.  If Tennessee defeats Kentucky next weekend, Tennessee will play in the SEC title game.  If they lose, Georgia will play LSU.  Georgia is finished with their SEC schedule.

In the BCS conferences without a formal title game, Ohio State clenched the Big 10 title by defeating Michigan 14-3 in a sloppy game, both in the weather, as well as with Michigan’s offense, who couldn’t get anything going on the ground or in the air.

In the Big East, West Virginia’s win over  Cincinnati set up a de facto Big East championship game next week with Connecticut.

In the Pac 10, Arizona State controls their own destiny now, but plays USC next Thursday, and then Arizona after that.  If they were to lose, Oregon would be next in line,  If Oregon loses, then it falls into USC’s hands.  However, if all hell breaks loose, you could end up seeing a 4-way tie for 1st place in the Pac 10 between Arizona State, USC, and 2 out of Oregon, Oregon State, and UCLA.  That could happen if Arizona State loses to both USC and Arizona, USC loses to UCLA, and Oregon loses to Oregon State, UCLA, or both.

In non-BCS conferences, the Conference USA Eastern title will be determined next week. UCF has a one game lead on East Carolina, but East Carolina owns the head-to-head tie-breaker.  That means if UCF were to lose to UTEP and East Carolina defeats Tulane next weekend, East Carolina would win the division.

The Western Division is in a similar situation where Tulsa and Houston are tied for the division lead with 2 losses, but Tulsa defeated Houston earlier.  It all comes down to Tulsa, as Houston is finished with their conference slate.  If Tulsa defeats Rice, they win the division.  If they lose, Houston wins the division.

In the MAC, the conference title game is now set: Miami vs. Central Michigan.

In the Mountain-West, Brigham Young all but has the conference title, but Utah could still feasibly pull out the come-from-behind upset in the conference race. However, Utah will have to beat BYU next week to keep their hopes alive, and then hope BYU gets upset by San Diego State in the final game of the season.  That was the game delayed by the California fires earlier in the season.

In the Sun Belt, it is essentially a two team race between Troy and Florida Atlantic.  FAU is 1 game behind Troy, but they get to play the Trojans in the last game of the season.   Depending on how tie-breakers work, MTSU could still have a shot, but Troy would have to lose to FAU as well as MTSU, while Florida Atlantic would have to lose to Florida International.

In the WAC, the title will be determined by the Hawaii/Boise State game next weekend.

Update 11:44 PM

Kansas finishes out Oklahoma State 43-28 and goes to 10-0.

Update 11:41 PM

Boston College has pulled off a South Florida, and loses their 2nd straight game after rising up to #2 in the rankings, losing to Maryland 42-35.

Also, Hawaii is now leading Fresno State 21-0.

Update 11:38 PM

Southern Cal defeats California 24-17.

Finals:

LSU 58, Louisiana Tech 10

Update 11:26 PM

Florida puts away South Carolina 51-31.

Update 11:12 PM

Kansas gives themselves some breathing room with another touchdown. The Jaykawks are now up on Oklahoma State 40-28. Southern Cal is now also up on California 24-17.

Meanwhile, Hawaii strikes quickly against Fresno State, going up 7-0 early.

Update 10:59 PM

Suddenly it’s a game again. Oklahoma State scores again and all of a sudden it’s only 33-28 Kansas.

Finals:

Central Florida 45, UAB 31

Update 10:48 PM

Perhaps it’s not over yet in Stillwater as Oklahoma State tries to come back, but is still down 33-21. Meanwhile, Maryland has pulled away from Boston College, leading 42-21.

Update 10:22 PM

Kansas starts rolling towards 10-0 and a possible BCS title game berth, going up 33-14 on Oklahoma State.

Finals:

Virginia 48, Miami 0

Update 10:12 PM

Florida goes up 34-17 on South Carolina, Kansas goes up on Oklahoma State 27-14, and Boston College and Maryland are tied at 20.

Finals:

Washington State 33, Stanford 17 (Stanford now bowl ineligible)
Oklahoma 52, Baylor 21
Tulane 34, UTEP 19

Update 9:40 PM

Forget any upset in Baton Rouge. LSU now leads Louisiana Tech 27-7.

Update 9:18 PM

Kansas retakes the lead themselves, going up 17-14 on Oklahoma State. USC also takes the lead on California 14-10.

Update 9:07 PM

Oklahoma State takes the lead on Kansas 14-10. Also, Maryland retakes the lead on Boston College 17-14, Cal retakes the lead on USC 10-7, and Florida extends their lead on South Carolina to 27-14.

Also, LSU tacks on a field goal on Louisiana Tech, but their lead is still only 13-7.

Update 8:52 PM

There isn’t an impossible Bayou upset brewing is there? Louisiana Tech closes to within 10-7 of LSU.

Update 8:50 PM

Maryland retakes the lead on Boston College 14-7 while Florida retakes the lead on South Carolina 20-14.

Update 8:42 PM

Oklahoma State drives down the field and ties Kansas at 7. USC has also come back to tie California at 7 in that game.

After their win over Michigan in week 1, this is the type of game we expected Appalachian State to have all season. They defeated Western Carolina today 79-35. However, it was Wofford who clinched the Southern Conference title today.

Update 8:37 PM

California goes up 7-0 on USC in the 1st quarter. Meanwhile, Virginia is absolutely blowing out Miami 31-0.

Update 8:31 PM

Kansas strikes first and takes a 7-0 lead on Oklahoma State

Update 8:30 PM

All of a sudden, South Carolina takes the lead on Florida 14-13. Also, Boston College ties Maryland at 7.

Update 8:26 PM

Maryland strikes first to take a 7-0 lead on Boston College.

Finals:

Troy 21, Western Kentucky 17

Update 8:18 PM

Well, Oklahoma made sure to get rid of the Baylor threat fast. They scored again before touchdown to make it 28-14. Also, Virginia is starting to rout Miami 24-0 early in the 2nd quarter.

Finals:

Louisiana Monroe 28, Grambling State 14

Update 8:11 PM

Oklahoma better keep their eye out on Baylor. The Bears just closed the gap to 21-14 just before halftime.

8:04 PM

As late games start, Virginia jumps out to a 14-0 lead on Miami in the Hurricane’s last game in the Orange Bowl. Also, Florida takes a 13-0 lead on South Carolina.

Update 6:58 PM

Georgia finishes off Florida 42-30.  With that, the winner of the South Carolina/Tennessee game tonight will control their own destiny in the SEC East.

Update 6:54 PM

Texas finally takes the lead in Austin 21-15 over Nebraska with 7:23 to go.

Georgia also recovers a Florida fumble, crushing a Florida drive as they were threatening in the red zone.

It’s official: Connecticut 22, South Florida 15.

Update 6:51 PM

It’s all but officially over in Connecticut as UConn holds South Florida on 4th and goal to take over with 54 seconds left ahead 22-15, and South Florida has no time outs.

Finals:

East Carolina 41, UAB 6

Update 6:46 PM

Georgia starts putting nails in the coffin as they go up 42-30 on Florida with 3:54 to go.

Finals:

Arizona 48, Washington 41
Michigan 34, Minnesota 10
Tulsa 29, Southern Methodist 23

Update 6:32

Florida says “not so fast” to Georgia as they make the score 35-30 after missing a point conversion.

More Finals:

Eastern Michigan 19, Western Michigan 2

Update 6:22 PM

Georgia starts putting serious heat on Florida as they go up 35-24 on Florida with 11:03 to go in the game.

More Finals:

Louisiana Tech 31, Utah State 21

Update 6:08 PM

It’s over in Eugene, and USC can forget any hopes of climbing back into the title game. Oregon intercepts USC in a desperation final drive to end the game and the Ducks win 24-17.

Finals:

Memphis 28, Tulane 27

Update 5:54 PM

The Trojans are trying to come back, scoring a touchdown and closing to 24-17 of Oregon with 4:44 to go.

Update 5:47 pm

All of a sudden South Florida shows up. After the kickoff following the safety, South Florida goes 3 plays and 63 yards to get a touchdown and closes the gap to 16-9.

Meanwhile, Florida answers Georgia’s touchdown and closes their gap to 28-24.

Also, Nebraska takes a 17-3 lead on Texas.

Update 5:43 PM

Correction: It is South Florida who blocks the punt and gets the safety. 16-2 Connecticut

Finals:

Wyoming 29, UNLV 24

Update 5:40 PM

South Florida drives down to the Connecticut 4 hoping to finally get on the board, but UConn intercepts a pass in the endzone, and keeps their 16-0 lead in the middle of the 3rd quarter.

Also, Tebow is already effected with a bruised shoulder for Florida. Now, Harvin looks like he’s injured his arm. That is basically Florida’s entire offense both with injuries now. If Florida loses today, the road is cleared once again for South Carolina to win the SEC East. However, if they lose to Tennessee tonight and with Kentucky losing, Tennessee would once again be in the drivers seat.

Update 5:34 PM

The Gators are getting in trouble. Georgia comes out at halftime and quickly takes a 28-17 lead.

Update 5:29 PM

Duck and cover? Oregon takes a 24-10 lead on Southern Cal in Autzen Stadium in the 4th quarter.

Finals:

Missouri 42, Iowa State 28

Update 5:10 PM

Nebraska takes a 10-3 lead on Texas as they near halftime.

Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan leads Western Michigan 3-2 in the bottom of the 4th inning at halftime.

Mississippi State isn’t the only SEC team on the verge of bowl eligibility. Vanderbilt gets win #5 themselves, beating Miami (OH) 24-13. The SEC could get 11 bowl eligible teams. Of course, since they’ll have to all beat each other to do so, they may all be 6-6 or 7-5…

Other Finals:

Arkansas 58, Florida International 10

Update 5:03 PM

Southern Cal has now tied up Oregon at 10, halfway through the 3rd quarter.

Meanwhile, Michigan has come back to take the lead on Minnesota 13-10 at halftime.

Update 4:56 PM

Georgia goes up again nearing halftime, taking a 21-17 lead on Florida.

Update 4:40 PM

UConn goes up on South Florida 16-0.

Update 4:37 pm

Looking forward maybe? How embarrassing is this for Navy in their final game before they play Notre Dame. The Blue Hens of Delaware come in and defeat the Midshipmen 59-52.

Update 4:30 PM

UConn tries to show that they’re really for real, and they’re off to a good start over South Florida, leading 9-0 in the 2nd quarter.

Update 4:23 PM

Florida strikes back by picking off a Georgia pass for a touchdown to tie that game up at 14. Elsewhere, Oregon leads Southern Cal 10-3 at halftime and Minnesota leads Michigan 10-3 in the 2nd quarter.

Finals:

Central Michigan 41, Kent State 32

Update 4:05 PM

We might get 100 points put up in Jacksonville as Georgia responds quickly themselves, going up 14-7.

Update 3:58 PM

Florida strikes back fast, and ties the game at 7.

Also, Buffalo gets their 4th win of the season by defeating Akron 26-10.

Update 3:57 PM

Navy has now allowed 52 points to Delaware are they trail 52-42 late in the game.

Update 3:55 PM

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team have to kick from the 7 1/2 yard line, like Georgia just had to…

Update 3:51 PM

Georgia strikes first in Jacksonville and goes up 7-0 (after Georgia gets a great double-excessive celebration penalty on Georgia, who sent out the entire bench to celebrate their touchdown).

Update 3:46 PM

Mississippi State gets the first major upset of the day, defeating Kentucky 31-14.

3:42 PM

Colorado recovers the onsides kick and finishes off Texas Tech 31-26.

Update 7:34

Syracuse holds on to beat Buffalo 20-12.  It’s pretty bad when at least 3 Syracuse bloggers live blog this came as “the game of the year” for Syracuse.  It’s Buffalo.  At least Syracuse won said game.

Finals:

Central Florida 44, Tulsa 23

Update 7:26 PM

Syracuse starts to run the clock out, picking up a big 3rd down on their own 36.

Update 7:19 PM

Buffalo puts another 3 up on the board, but they’ll need to start sticking it in the endzone if they want to win. 20-12 Syracuse with 4:42 to go.

Update 7:16 PM

Buffalo once again must go for it on 4th down and once again gets it. The Bulls are down to the Syracuse 14.

Oops: Florida State fumbles, Miami recovers for a touchdown and suddenly it’s 37-29 with 1:04 to go.

Update 7:14 PM

Miami scores a late touchdown and retakes the lead on Florida State 30-29 with 1:15 to go in that game.

Update 7:13 PM

Too little, too late: Kentucky scores a touchdown on the last play of the game. Unfortunately for them, it only makes it 45-37.

Update 7:09 PM

Syracuse puts up 3 more points and expands their lead to 20-9.

Update 7:08 PM

Another top 10 loses, and it’s California once again as they fall to the Bruins of UCLA 30-21. If the Florida game finishes as it is, we’ll have 4 top 10 teams lose this weekend once again (South Florida and South Carolina).

USC finally finishes off Notre Dame 38-0. What was that about Notre Dame finally finding a quarterback? The Irish are now officially bowl ineligible.

Update 7:06 PM

Kentucky just hasn’t been able to stop Florida today. Tebow has been able to move the ball at will. Florida goes back up by 14 45-31 with only 1:33 left.

Missouri grinds Texas Tech into the ground 41-10 to create even more chaos in the Big 12.

Finals:

Bowling Green 31, Kent State 20.

Update 6:59

4th down fortunes. Buffalo picks up a 4th and 5 on the Syracuse 30 to keep their drive alive, and follows it up with a 29 yard field goal to make it 17-9 Syracuse with 10:25 to go.

Meanwhile, Kentucky hits a touchdown on 4th down to once again narrow their lead against Florida back to 7, 38-31, but with only 3:35 to go.

Cal looks like they’re going down two weeks in a row and UCLA extends their lead to 30-21 with only a minute to go.

Update 6:48 PM

UCLA retakes the lead on California 23-21 with 3 minutes to go.

Finals:

Troy 45, North Texas 7
West Virginia 38, Mississippi State 13

Update 6:43 PM

End of 3 in Syracuse and the Orange leads 17-6.

Update 6:39 PM

Another quick kick by Syracuse on 3rd and 30 on their own 14, and pin Buffalo down on their own 15. This is the third time that a team has been pinned and punted and pinned the other team. Huge changes in field position on special teams today.

It’s over: Ohio State 24, Michigan State 17. And this was perhaps Ohio State’s easiest of their remaining games.

Update 6:30 PM

Florida says “not so fast” to a Kentucky comeback, scoring another touchdown and expanding their lead back to 14, 38-24.

Also, Buffalo kicks another field goal, and it’s now 17-6 Syracuse.

Meanwhile, Michigan State, perhaps unwisely, kicks off after their last field goal, and it appears Ohio State will successfully be able to run out the clock.

More finals: Memphis defeats Rice 38-35. Middle Tennessee defeats Arkansas State 24-7.

Update 6:21 PM

It’s a one score game in Columbus as Michigan State kicks a field goal to make it 24-17. The only problem is that there is only 3:42 to go.

Update 6:15 PM

Just under 6 minutes to go in Columbus, but the Spartans are driving again.

Update 6:12PM

Kentucky scores another touchdown and it’s a game again in Lexington as Florida’s lead is cut to 31-24.

Meanwhile, California finally retakes the lead against UCLA 21-20 in the 3rd quarter.

More finals: Nevada 31, Utah State 28 and Utah State remains winless.

Update 6:09 PM

Syracuse marches into Buffalo territory, but the drive stalls on the 38 and they have to punt.

Update 6:05 PM

Kentucky holds Florida to a field goal, but the Gators still lead 31-17 in the 3rd quarter.

Meanwhile, Miami retakes the lead over Florida State again in the 3rd quarter, 24-23.

5:59 PM

Kentucky makes a really gutsy call and kicks an onsides kick after the kickoff, but Florida recovers after an official review.

Update 5:53 PM

Return of the Spartans?  Michigan State puts up another touchdown and it’s suddenly 24-14 in Columbus.

Update 5:50 PM

Return of the Wildcats? They score a touchdown and get back to within 28-17.

Michigan State finally gets on the board, but still trails Ohio State 24-7.

Update 5:43 PM

Some halftime stats for you:

Total yards: Syracuse 297, Buffalo 180
Passing: Syracuse is 9 for 16 for 170 yards; Buffalo is 14 for 17 for 128 yards.
Rushing: Syracuse 127 yards, Buffalo 52 yards

Update 5:39 PM

Florida is rolling over Kentucky now as they go up 28-10. Also, UCLA takes the lead on California again 20-14.

Meanwhile, Ohio State piles on another touchdown to lead Michigan State 24-0.

Update 5:35 PM

Syracuse picks up another touchdown on a 11 yard touchdown pass, and suddenly Syracuse is up 17-3 just before halftime.

Ball State defeats Western Michigan 27-23.

Update 5:29 PM

Syracuse picks up a fumble on Buffalo’s kickoff return and get it on the Buffalo 26.

In finals: Air Force defeats Wyoming 20-12 while time finally runs out Nebraska as they fall to Texas A&M 36-14.

Update 5:26 PM

Syracuse completes a 99 yard drive with a touchdown and goes up 10-3 against Buffalo.

Update 5:22 PM

Once I say that, Syracuse gets a huge pass and gets into Buffalo territory for at least the 3rd time today.

Update 5:21 PM

Syracuse gets a nice run to get a first down and get from under the shadow of their own goal posts, but the play comes back for holding. Penalties are killing both of these teams today.

Update 5:17 PM

Buffalo drives into Orange territory, but the drive stalls and they have to punt. However, the Bulls down the punt at the 1.

Texas A&M puts the final nail in the coffin against Nebraska, going up 36-14 with 4 and a half to go.

Arkansas defeats Mississippi 44-8.

Update 5:04 PM

Syracuse marches to inside the Syracuse 20, then throws an interception in the endzone. Neither team wants to score in this game it seems.

Update 5:02 PM

Florida extends their lead on Kentucky to 21-10 just before halftime.

Update 5:01 PM

Just reported that Brinkley will not return in the game after a 6 rushes for 40 yards game.

Elsewhere, USC puts up 7 more against the Irish and now leads Notre Dame 14-0.

Update 4:56 PM

Buffalo gets inside the Syracuse 20, but gets a personal foul penalty and Buffalo has to punt.

Update 4:50 PM

End of the 1st quarter in Syracuse, tied at 3.

UCLA kicks a field goal to pull to 14-13 with Cal. Texas Tech finally gets on the board, but still trails Missouri 10-7.

Another final: Western Kentucky 56, Indiana State 7.

Update 4:46 PM

Kentucky kicks a field goal to pull within 14-10 of Florida with 2:38 left in the 1st half.

Update 4:44 PM

Syracuse finally able to respond as they march down the field and get a field goal to tie the game at 3. Unfortunately, Brinkley injured his ankle on the drive.

Meanwhile, Texas A&M puts up another TD on Nebraska and goes up 30-14.

Update 4:36

Florida State takes the lead over Miami 17-14 in the 2nd quarter. Cal also now leads UCLA 14-10 (it was actually UCLA that was ahead 10-7 before).

Update 4:33 PM

Brinkley gets another good run to give the Orange some breathing room out to the 26.

Update 4:30 PM

Buffalo can’t get out from under their own endzone and has to punt, but, a big punt, a Syracuse fumble on the punt catch, and a penalty pushes Syracuse back to their own 11. From the Buffalo 10 to the Syracuse 11. Syracuse just blew a chance to get great field position.

Update 4:23 PM

Syracuse moves down to the Buffalo 34, but a false start on a would-be 4th and 5 that Syracuse was going to go for forces the Orange to punt. However, Syracuse downs the ball at the 2 yard line.

Update 4:21

Meanwhile, Texas A&M scores again and extends their lead over Nebraska to 23-14. Florida State also draws closer to Miami, pulling to within 14-10. Cal leads UCLA 10-7, USC takes a 7-0 lead over Notre Dame, and Ohio State extends their lead over Michigan State 17-0.

Update 4:16 PM

Miami leads in the battle of Florida over Florida State 14-3. Meanwhile, Missouri leads Texas Tech in a Big 12 tussle 10-0.

Update 4:14 PM

Florida takes their first lead on Kentucky on a 66 yard touchdown pass, going up 14-7.

Update 4:12 PM

Buffalo strikes first, kicking a 31 yard field goal and going up 3-0.

In finals, Wake Forest defeats Navy 44-24.

Update 4:10 PM

Kentucky misses a field goal, and they remain tied with Florida at 7. Meanwhile, Ohio State jumps out to a good start against Michigan State, leading 10-0.

Update 4:08 PM

Texas pulls away from Baylor in the 4th quarter to win 31-10.

Meanwhile, Buffalo is already driving in their first drive against the Orange.

Update 4:04 PM

Buffalo gets the ball first. Syracuse actually wearing blue shirts at home this time.

Update 4:02 PM

Alabama takes over the game in the 2nd half and dumps Tennessee 41-17. This means the winner of the Kentucky/Florida game pretty much controls their own destiny for the SEC East title.

4:01 PM

This thread is going to largely going to be a live thread for the Syracuse vs. Buffalo game, but I’ll also keep updating updates of other games, especially the Florida vs. Kentucky game.

Update 3:58 PM

Oklahoma survives Iowa State 17-7.  Meanwhile, Texas A&M leads Nebraska 16-14 at the half.  Florida and Kentucky are also tied at 7 in the 1st quarter.

Update 3:40 PM

Temple continues to turn the football world upside down as they finish off Miami (OH) 24-17 and move to 3-5.

Also, a note about North Dakota State that I grabbed from the Bristol Blog: Minnesota is the 2nd I-A team they’ve defeated this year (Central Michigan being the other), they’re currently ranked #1 in the I-AA (watch out Appalachian State!), and they have the longest winning streak in division I at 11 games.

Update 3:35 PM

Penn State dashes Indiana’s hopes for glory, defeating the Hoosiers 36-31. Georgia Tech also defeats Army 34-10.

Update 3:32 PM

Another Top 10 upset: Vanderbilt defeats #6 South Carolina 17-6. Is this the first time Spurrier ever lost to the Commodores? Meanwhile, in another upset, Pittsburgh defeats Cincinnati 24-17.

Meanwhile, Purdue rolls over Iowa 31-6.

Update 3:27 PM

Clemson emphatically shows there was nothing to worry about, as they roll over Central Michigan 70-14.

Meanwhile, we’re on the verge of two Top-25 upsets, including another top-1o upset.

Update 3:17 PM

At least Syracuse isn’t like Minnesota….yet. North Dakota State just defeated the Golden Gophers 27-21. Didn’t Minnesota go 6-7 last year? Then fire their coach? The similarities are eerie between Minnesota and Syracuse.

Update 3:10 PM

We have our first final as Wisconsin obliterates Northern Illinois 44-3. Meanwhile, Oklahoma finally takes the lead on Iowa State 14-7 with 13:50 to go.

Update 3:01 PM

This can’t be a good sign for Syracuse. A team that Syracuse lost to (Miami-OH) is currently losing to Temple (yes, that Temple) 24-7. Temple, meanwhile, lost to Buffalo 42-7. I’ll try to live blog the Buffalo/Syracuse game later, by the way.

In other games, Penn State and Indiana are still locked in a tough battle, where the Nittany Lions currently lead 29-24. Cincinnati is trying not to lose two in a row, but Pittsburgh is giving them a game, with the Bearcats only up by 1, 17-16.

Oklahoma is in serious upset alert mode now as, nearing the 4th quarter, they’re only tied with Iowa State at 7. Texas must also watch out, as they’re only leading Baylor 10-7 halfway through the 3rd quarter.

However, South Carolina has the biggest upset alert of all, losing to Vanderbilt 17-6 at the start of the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, Alabama has pulled a little further ahead of Tennessee and now lead 27-17.

Update 2:08 PM

Some games are moving into halftime now, and we have several possible upsets brewing, once again some of them involving top-1o teams against unranked teams.

Perhaps the most surprising is Iowa State shutting out Oklahoma in the first half, leading 7-0 at halftime. Also, Vanderbilt is leading South Carolina 17-6 at halftime.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati is leading Pittsburgh, but not by much, 17-10 at the half.

Perhaps the best looking game of the day has been Alabama vs. Tennessee, where the Tide lead 24-17 at halftime.

Update 1:17 PM

Clemson decided to start playing, as they now lead Central Michigan 21-7.

However, elsewhere, Indiana leads Penn State 14-13, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are tied at 10, Georgia and Army are also tied at 10, Minnesota and North Dakota State are tied at 14, Iowa State leads Oklahoma 7-0, and Vanderbilt leads top-10 South Carolina 17-0.

Update 12:44 PM

At the end of one, Clemson and Central Michigan are tied at 7, Indiana still leads Penn State 7-0, and North Dakota State leads Minnesota 14-7.

12:18 PM

Tommy Bowden’s chair will be as hot as the sun if Clemson loses to Central Michigan. I know it’s still early, but the Chippewas are up 7-0. Meanwhile, Indiana also leads Penn State 7-0.

We once again enter the twilight zone where games featuring South Florida are bigger than Miami vs. Florida State, and Kentucky get to be in a game bigger than Tennessee vs. Alabama.  In any case, here are the games to watch in week 8:

South Florida (6-0) at Rutgers (4-2) - Thursday, 7:30 PM

I don’t know that this game is bigger than the West Virginia game earlier in the year for South Florida, but it certainly is one of the big 4 games South Florida must get by this season (along with Cincinnati on November 3rd, and Louisville on November 17th).  Meanwhile, Rutgers needs this win, or else they may have to start worrying about bowl eligibility.

Louisville (4-3) at Connecticut (5-1) - Friday, 8:00 PM

Louisville has had a bad habit of not winning games they were supposed to win this year, while Connecticut fared better than people expected against Virginia.  Connecticut can show that they are indeed a team to be dealt with in the Big East while Louisville, with West Virginia, South Florida, and Rutgers still to play, desperately needs this win to get closer to bowl eligibility.

Penn State (5-2) at Indiana (5-2) - 12:00 PM

Indiana can finally get bowl eligible with a win over the Nittany Lions.  Meanwhile, the winner of this game stays at least maintains radar contact with the Big Ten championship, while the loser is out.

Tennessee (4-2) at Alabama (5-2) - 12:30 PM

Both of these teams find themselves in surprisingly good shape in the race for their respective division titles.  However, neither team can afford another loss in conference play if they want to continue having SEC Championship Game aspirations.

Wyoming (4-2) at Air Force (5-2) - 2:00 PM

These are two of the four teams still in the Mountain-West race, but another loss would pretty much put either of these teams too far behind to catch conference leader Brigham Young.  Especially Air Force since they’ve already lost to the cougars.

Texas A&M (5-2) at Nebraska (4-3) - 2:05 PM

With the way the Big 12 is going, both of these teams could be still in the race for the Big 12 title, though neither of these teams, especially Nebraska, can afford another loss right now.  A loss here by Nebraska would also put their bowl eligibility in jeopardy.

Michigan State (5-2) at Ohio State (7-0) - 3:30 PM

This is the first true test for the #1 ranked team who never expected to be in the top spot all year.  Michigan State has a history of ruining Ohio State seasons, and they’ll hope to do it again this week.

Florida (4-2) at Kentucky (6-1) - 3:30 PM

This is a huge game in the race for the SEC East - and the national title in Kentucky’s case - as another loss by Florida pretty much eliminates their chances of winning the SEC East.  Meanwhile, Kentucky must win this game, especially if Tennessee defeats Alabama earlier in the day.

California (5-1) at UCLA (4-2) - 3:30 PM

Despite UCLA’s out of conference debacles against Utah and Notre Dame, the Bruins are currently tied for the Pac 10 lead, one of only two teams still undefeated in conference play.  California hopes to end that, and hopes to get back in the title race as well.

Texas Tech (6-1) at Missouri (5-1) - 3:30 PM

Missouri hopes to avoid dropping two straight Big 12 championship game previews in a row as they face the other good team in the Big 12 South Texas Tech.  Another loss puts Missouri in very difficult position in the Big 12 North. Meanwhile, with 4 teams with only 1 conference loss in the Southern division, Texas Tech must look to keep up in their half of the conference too.

Buffalo (3-4) at Syracuse (1-6) - 4:00 PM

Since I am a Syracuse grad and this blog is called “Code Orange,” I assert my right to include Syracuse games whenever I feel they’re important.  This is an important one.  If the Orange lose to Buffalo, Coach Robinson might as well start packing his bags right after the game.

Kansas (6-0) at Colorado (4-3) - 5:30 PM

Despite Colorado’s overall record, they’ll well in the race for the Big 12 North title.  A win by Kansas would effectively put them two games ahead of everyone else in the division except for Missouri, who they play in the season finale. However, Kansas also needs a win over Colorado because they don’t have a large margin of error as far as their future opponents either.

Kansas State (4-2) at Oklahoma State (4-3) - 7:05 PM

Both of these teams are still in contention for their division titles, but neither can afford another conference loss.  Also the loser needs to start worrying about bowl eligibility in general as well.

Michigan (5-2) at Illinois(5-2) - 8:00 PM

Michigan tries to keep pace with Ohio State while Illinois tries to stay relevant in the Big Ten title race.  Given that 9 teams still have 2 or fewer conference losses, it’s still anyone’s game, but picking up another loss definitely won’t help Illionis.

Auburn (5-2) at LSU (6-1) - 9:00 PM

LSU needs a rebound from their upset loss to Kentucky, and a second SEC loss may put the team everyone though would play in the title in serious trouble as far as getting the SEC title.

Update 12:04 AM

Will a 6th undefeated team fall? Washington leads Arizona State 17-13 at halftime.

PS, today’s games are once again doing an number on my top 25 rankings…

Finals:

Tulsa 38, Marshall 31
Middle Tennessee State 21, Memphis 7

Update 10:57 PM

Auburn kicks their 3rd field goal of the day to beat Arkansas in a shootout 9-7.

More finals:

Louisiana Tech 22, New Mexico State 21
North Texas 31, Louisiana Monroe 21

Update 10:49 PM

The fifth undefeated team falls today: Louisville defeats Cincinnati 28-24.

And in the “where the hell are the points” game of the day: Alabama 7, Auburn 6 with less than a minutes to go.

Also:

Southern Miss 28, Southern Methodist 7

Update 10:46 PM

Ok, this is apparently what happened in Berkeley:

Cal was going to try to take a couple shots at getting a touchdown before kicking a field goal. However, with no one open on the play, instead of throwing the ball away, Cal quarterback Keven Riley tries to run the ball up the middle. In a rush, the Cal coaches try to rush the field goal team on the field, but cant set up before time expires.

Two dumb moves here: First, getting intentional grounding, but having the clock stopped is better than running with 14 seconds to go and with no time outs.

Second, wouldn’t it have been better to try to spike the ball THEN run your field goal unit onto the field instead of trying to get set up in like, 8 seconds?

With decision making like that by both the quarterback and the coaches, Cal pretty much deserved to lose.

Update 10:39 PM

Well, it’s apparently over in Berkely with #2 Cal losing to Oregon State 31-28. I’m not sure what happened since I’m not watching on TV, but from what I can see, Oregon State got called for pass interference with 14 seconds to go, which moved the ball down to the 12, and then Cal ran the ball for 3 yards to move it to the 9 and then…the game ended.

Surely Cal didn’t try to run the ball with 14 seconds to go with no time outs did they? In any case, both the #1 and #2 teams lost this week.

In Cincinnati, Louisville is about to pad their lead with under 3 minutes to go.

Update 10:35 PM

In field goal range! Cal hits a 37 yard pass to get down to the Oregon State 27 with 18 seconds to go.

Also, Cincy is forced to go 3-and-out.

Update 10:34 PM

In reality, Cal doesn’t have to go the entire 63. Getting about 30 more may due since they only need a field goal to tie.

Update 10:33 PM

Clutch. Cal throws a 20 yard pass on 3rd and 17, but they only have 34 seconds go to 63 yards now.

Update 10:29 PM

Cincinnati finally gets the ball back themselves with 5 minutes to go in their game. And Cal has 79 seconds to go 94 yards.

Update 10:28 PM

Oregon State goes 3-and-out and is forced to punt the ball back to Cal with about a minute and a half to go.

More Finals:

UAB 26, Tulane 21

Update 10:24 PM

Talk about guts. Louisville goes for it on 4th and 1 on their own 29 yard line, and make it to keep their drive alive and to keep running down the clock against Cincinnati. Also, Cal fails to recover the onsides kick.

Also, to add to the teams who I started to hype who immediately fell on their faces: Indiana loses to Michigan State 52 - 27.

Update 10:21 PM

California throws a 65 yard touchdown pass to claw back to within 3, 31-28, but there is only 2:31 to go in the game.

Update 10:19 PM

Missouri scores another late touchdown, but it’s too little, too late as Missouri becomes the 3rd undefeated team to fall today, losing to Oklahoma 41-31.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati kicks a field goal, but is still down to Louisville 28-24 with just under 9 minutes to go.

Also:

Arkansas State 52, Louisiana Lafayette 21

Update 10:09 PM

Boston College and South Florida must be loving this - Oregon State now has a 10 point lead on California, 31-21. Meanwhile, Louisville has taken a touchdown lead on Cincinnati 28-21.

Update 10:00 PM

Oklahoma puts the finishing blow on Missouri, taking a 41-24 lead with under 3 minutes left. Meanwhile Oregon State retakes the lead on Cal 26-21 halfway through the 4th quarter.

Update 9:44 PM

Cal has retaken the lead on Oregon State 21-20. Meanwhile Louisville ties Cincinnati at 21.

Update 9:38 PM

Just as I say that, Oklahoma scores again to make it 35-24.

Update 9:35 PM

We now may seriously have both the #1 and #2 teams lose. Oregon State leads Cal 20-14 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Elsewhere, Georgia pulls it out against Vanderbilt, winning 20-17. meanwhile, Missouri has made it a game again in Norman, with the Sooners only leading 29-24 in the 4th quarter. Cincinnati still leads Louisville 21-14 in the 3rd quarter.

Other Final:

Air Force 45, Colorado sTate 21

Update 8:52 PM

Georgia ties up their game with Vanderbilt at 17 with about 3 minutes to go. Meanwhile, Oklahoma puts up another 6 on Missouri and leads 23-10. Oregon State closes the gap against Cal to 1, 14-13, at halftime.

More Finals:

Texas Christian 38, Stanford 36
Temple 24, Akron 20

Update 8:35 PM

Cal retakes the lead on Oregon State 14-10.

Update 8:24 PM

Will #2 fall as well? Oregon State pulls ahead of Cal 10-7 late in the 2nd quarter. When was the last time the #1 and #2 teams both lost on the same day?

Meanwhile, another final:

Fresno State 37, Idaho 24

Update 8:18 PM

Don’t forget about Kansas still being undefeated as well after their win over Baylor today while Hawaii kept their undefeated season going Friday. One other undefeated team already lost today - Connecticut. Cincinnati and Missouri try to keep their unbeaten seasons going in games currently in progress while Arizona State tries to keep their undefeated season intact tonight against Washington.

P.S. If Arizona State and Cal both win tonight, then Cal has UCLA next week, and if they can beat the Bruins, we’re looking at a Cal vs. Arizona State undefeated match-up on the 27th. And people thought that the Pac 10 game of the year would involve USC in some way (and it still might).

Update 8:15 PM

Ohio State, Boston College, and South Florida all took care of business in their hunt for the national championship. Can Cal, the heir apparent for the #1 ranking now, do it as well? Oregon State tries to tell them no and the two are tied at 7 in the 2nd quarter.

Meanwhile, Missouri puts up a touchdown on Oklahoma to close the gap to 17-10 at halftime. Georgia scores again to close their gap against Vanderbilt to 17-14 in the 3rd quarter. Also, Cincinnati leads Louisville 14-7 in the 2nd quarter.

Update 8:01 PM

#1 falls for the 2nd week in a row as Kentucky stops LSU on 4th down to win in triple overtime 43-37.

Update 8:00 PM

LSU now faces a 4th and 2 in overtime down 43-37. LSU has not missed a 4th down conversion all season before today.

Update 7:57 PM

Kentucky scores a touchdown but misses the 2 point conversion, putting the wildcats ahead 43-37.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma extends their lead on Missouri to 17-7 in the 2nd quarter.

Update 7:44 PM

LSU holds Kentucky on 3 and out, but Kentucky is able to exchange LSU’s field goal for their own and it’s now 37-37 going into the 3rd overtime. Remember, you can’t kick PATs any more starting with the 3rd overtime. Are we going to have another one of those fabled 7 overtime SEC classics again?

Update 7:41 PM

LSU is forced to settle for a 38 yard field goal in the 2nd overtime, but now lead 37-34.

Also, Boston College makes sure Notre Dame returns back to their losing ways, with the Eagles winning 27-14.

Update 7:32 PM

LSU quickly responds to tie Kentucky at 34 and we’re going to a 2nd overitme.

Update 7:28 PM

Kentucky scores a touchdown to start off overtime, with help of a roughing the passing penalty on LSU. They now lead 34-27.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma leads Missouri 10-7 early in the 2nd quarter. The SEC may get even crazier later as Vanderbilt leads Georgia 17-7 at halftime.

More Finals:

Houston 56, Rice 48
Western Michigan 17, Northern Illinois 13

Updated 7:17 PM

LSU just misses the field goal, and we’re going to overtime.

Updated 7:16 PM

LSU looks like, instead of throwing it into the end zone, that they’ll try a 57 yard field goal with a kicker who hasn’t kicked a field goal longer than 45 yards. However, we have our 3rd straight time out, so we’ll see which choice LSU makes.

Updated 7:14 PM

4th and 9 on the Kentucky 40 with 1 second left. LSU looks like they’ll take a shot at the end zone on the last play of regulation.

Updated 7:10 PM

LSU drives down the field, down to the Kentucky 41 with 39 seconds to go.

Updated 6:58 PM

LSU is able to hold Kentucky to just another field goal, but the game is now tied at 27.

Updated 6:57 PM

Southern California survives Arizona 20-13.

Updated 6:55 PM

Kentucky drives against LSU, moving the ball down to the LSU 16.

South Carolina survives a late comeback by North Carolina to win 21-15.

Also, Oregon finishes their rout of Washington State, winning 53-7.

Updated 6:50 PM

Kentucky kicks a field goal to narrow the margin against LSU to 27-24, them promptly gets an interception and they have it 1st and 10 in LSU territory.

Meanwhile, Texas Tech wipes out Texas A&M 35-7 as that’s a final now.

Updated 6:45 PM

Penn State finally finishes off Wisconsin 38-7. Virginia also survives Connecticut 17-16 as that moves to be a final. Central Michigan also defeats Army 47-23.

6:37 PM

LSU is on upset alert again this week as they only Lead Kentucky 27-21 in the 4th quarter. The same goes for Southern Cal, who only leads Arizona 17-13, also in the 4th quarter.

Meanwhile, Connecticut is trying to get some respect, but they currently trail Virginia 17-16 late in the 4th quarter.

Wisconsin is about to drop completely out of the Big 10 race as Penn State gets back on their feet in convincing fashion. The Nittany Lions currently lead the Badgers 38-7 late in the 4th quarter.

Texas Tech is well on their way to being a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12 South as they’re rolling all over Texas A&M 35-7 in the 4th quarter.

Next, some finals to catch us up:

Who would have thought that Buffalo would be the best Division I-A team in the state of New York? That may very well be the case as Buffalo wins their third game of the season by defeating Toledo 43-33.

Also, just as I finish about how the polls were dissing “only Wyoming” they go and make a fool out of me by losing to New Mexico 20-3.

In other finals:

Ball State 35, Western Kentucky 12
Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 21
Utah 23, San Diego State 7
Miami (OH) 47, Bowling Green 14

Updated 4:11

Minnesota tries to finish off Northwestern on a two-point conversion in the 2nd overtime, but fails.  Northwestern wins 49-48.
Meanwhile, Mississippi can’t quite come back against Alabama, losing 27-24.

Also, Texas finishes of their blowout of Iowa State 56-3.
Updated 3:51

One overtime isn’t enough for Minnesota and Northwestern as they’re tied at 42 going into a 2nd overtime.

Meanwhile, Ohio defeats Eastern Michigan 48 - 42.

Also, Oklahoma State blows out Nebraska 45-14 to say “not so fast” on the Big 12 north being the better division this year.

Updated 3:39

Minnesota and Northwestern head to overtime tied at 35 to see who will reside in the cellar on the Big Ten.

More blowouts:

Rutgers 38, Syracuse 14
Virginia Tech 43, Duke 14
Michigan 48, Purdue 21

Updated 3:17 PM

Georgia Tech ends up pulling it out against Miami 17-14.

Otherwise, may the blowouts commence:

Ohio State 48, Kent State 3

Updated 2:53

Illinois finally impressed enough pollsters to get ranked, then immediately blows it. The Illini throw and interception in the red zone with around a minute left and lose to Iowa 10-6.

Updated 2:46 PM

Alabama and Mississippi are in a fight right now, tied at 17 in the middle of the 3rd quarter. Meanwhile, time is running out for Illinois, with only a couple minutes left to go in that game.

Updated 2:26 PM

Illini in trouble? They’re currently down to Iowa 10-6 halfway through the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, Rutgers is ahead of Syracuse, but not by much, leading 24-14 in the middle of the 3rd quarter.

Georgia Tech and Miami are also in a good game with the Yellow Jackets leading 14-7 in the 3rd quarter.

Meanwhile, Buffalo is well on their way to getting their 3rd win of the season, with the Bulls leading Toledo 30-13 in the 2nd quarter.

1:02 pm

Is Syracuse only good against good teams? They are currently tied with Rutgers at 14 early in the 2nd quarter. Also in the Big East, South Florida is having no problem with their cross-state rival UCF, leading 19-7.

Michigan also looks like they’re going to continue to roll, leading Purdue 17-7 at the start of the 2nd quarter.