I know some of you all thought Saturday would be a dud because of the lack of Top-25 matchups across college football. But my goodness, we were treated to a crazy day of football, thanks to losses by Alabama, Tennessee, USC, Michigan and Missouri.
It’s usually the slate of games that you least expect. This was the case on a wild day that ended on the West Coast, as Miami and California squared-off in the ACC challenge that saw the Hurricanes erase a 25-point deficit to beat the Bears.
The chaos started in College Station, made a pit-stop in Nashville, traversed to the State of Washington and ended in Minnesota.
For the first time in SEC history, we saw two Top-5 teams lose to unranked opponents on the same day.
You didn’t actually think we’d get through the weekend without some chaos, right?
Vanderbilt Shocks No. 1 Alabama, As Nashville Erupts In Chaos
In what might be the wildest upset this season, and I do remember Northern Illinois beating Notre Dame, but what Vanderbilt did on Saturday afternoon in Nashville will be remembered for a very long time.
For the first time in forty years, Vanderbilt defeated Alabama, and did so in-front of what looked like a crowd full of Crimson. This game belonged to Diego Pavia, who ran all over the Alabama defense, and made them pay through the air as well. The Vanderbilt QB has now beaten the Tide and Auburn in a span of two years, with two different teams, after winning on the Plains last season with New Mexico State.
This night belonged to the Commodores, as they forced Jalen Milroe into numerous mistakes, and frustrated the Alabama defense into a number of mind-numbing plays. As the clock ticked down to zero, Vandy fans stormed the field in jubilation, tearing down the goalposts and taking it all the way to the Cumberland River in Downtown Nashville.
Nextup: Alabama will host South Carolina, while Vanderbilt will play at Kentucky.
Arkansas Stuns No. 4 Tennessee In Another Huge upset
Oh, so you thought Vanderbilt would be the only team to cause chaos in the Top-5 this weekend? Nope, Arkansas decided to get in on the party, upsetting No.4 Tennessee 19-14 in what was a dramatic game of defense.
There was nothing about Tennessee’s playcalling that made them look like a team that was prepared for a trip to Fayetteville. I don’t know what happened to Josh Heupel’s explosive offense, but the offensive line has done them zero favors over the past few weeks. Credit goes to Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks for taking advantage of the Vols mistakes, given that things could’ve gone sideways when QB Taylen Green took a bad hit to the knee in the fourth quarter.
The longer Arkansas hung around, the more it felt like Tennessee was in trouble. And now, the Vols are in a very interesting spot, almost the same as Ole Miss last weekend after the loss to Kentucky. The next two weeks could define the Tennessee season, as Florida and Alabama will travel to Knoxville. I’m not saying the Vols have to win both, but if they were to lose, it better not come at the hands of the Gators, with the playoffs just two months away.
Big win for the Hogs, while it was a bad night to hear ‘Rocky Top’ in Fayettville.
Next, Tennessee hosts Florida in a game in which I now have no idea what to expect. Arkansas gets a week off before hosting LSU.
What’s Up, Missouri? Texas A&M Pounces On No. 9 Tigers
This was actually the game that started the college football madness on Saturday. But this wasn’t just any loss, this was a 41-10 beatdown at the hands of Texas A&M. While the Tigers came into this game riding high, with an offense that looked like a problem, they left College Station with more questions than answers.
Credit goes to Aggies QB Conner Weigman, who diced up the Missouri secondary and has Texas A&M looking like a team that will fight for a college football playoff spot. Just as we were all expecting, right?
Eli Drinkwitz said during the week that Mike Elko was playing games with the potential of Conner Weigman getting the start of Marcel Reed. But the only ones laughing after the game were the Aggies, who embarrassed the Tigers and sent them into a state of panic.
Next up, Missouri plays UMass, while Texas A&M gets a week off before playing Mississippi State.
What Happened In The Big Ten? USC And Michigan Lose Thrillers
Nope, the SEC wasn’t the only conference to eat themselves on Saturday. I know that Washington was favored to beat Michigan, but it’s still an upset when the No. 10 Wolverines were beaten by the Huskies. Talk about a rough game for Michigan, being out-gained 429 to 287 in total yards.
This was a brutal loss for Michigan, given that they had already been beaten by Texas. Having two losses by the end of the first weekend of October should all but end their chances of making the college football playoffs. Sure, anything could happen, but the loss to Washington will cost them.
But it was USC that suffered the most gut-wrenching loss, just in terms of how it played out. The trip to Minnesota was always weird looking on the schedule, and the outcome of this one lived up to the craziness of the day.
Yes, that was the Gophers going for the touchdown, rather than kick the field goal to take the lead. I’ll give PJ Fleck a lot of credit, as he makes these games worth watching, especially with his choice of ways to take the lead. It could’ve easily backfired, but Miller Moss found himself in a lot of trouble on the final drive.
For USC, their second loss of the season is going to sting for a while. Given that they look like a squad that’s struggling to find an identity of offense, there are a number of games remaining that look like potential losses. Next week’s game against Penn State just lost some luster, but nothing would surprise me anymore this season.
Other Games Of Note, Futures To Question
How about those SMU Mustangs? Going on the road and beating Louisville, as Rhet Lashlee has his team 5-1 on the season, looking good in the ACC right now.
In news outside the realm of good teams in college football, It’s time for UAB to move-on from Trent Dilfer. What was once a proud G-5 team that rose from the ashes of having its football program shut down, the Blazers are now an embarrassment to what Bill Clark rebuilt and Bryan Vincent helped stay on-course. It’s time for the team in my home-state to make the move and pay the buyout. They shouldn’t have hired Dilfer to begin with, as his high school resume was worthless.
Just a wild weekend of college football, which started on Friday night with UNLV and Syracuse giving us a thrilling game. That’s what this beautiful sport will give us, when you least expect it.
Take a deep breath, regroup if your team lost, and prepare for another week of trash talk leading up to a crucial weekend of football.
Man, that was a fun Saturday.
