The weekend was focused on the race for the number 62.
Aaron Judge? Good guess, but not the right sport.
TCU tried to get scoring 62 points, but then dialed it down in the latter quarter and ended up with a dazzling 55-24 victory over No. 16 Oklahoma that ended the Sooners big-bowl hopes, and raises serious doubts about how the season will play out for OU and their new head coach Brent Venables.
The Sooners were ranked as at No. six within the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll only two weeks ago The Sooners have suffered two straight losses to begin conferences for the second time in the past three seasons. They’ll need to rack up eight wins consecutively to earn a spot in the New Bowl of the Year.
The preseason favorite to be victorious in the Big 12 despite some major adjustments in the coaching and staff, OU is now at the lowest of the conference rankings, plagued due to a weak offense as well as a shockingly poor defense.
With Venables his status being one of the most prestigious coordinators of the last century the kind of fall that he experienced should raise eyebrows all over the Bowl Subdivision: TCU racked 668 yards, including a staggering 361 from the ground. They also scored four touchdowns of more than 60 yards, scoring the highest number of points OU has allowed in the course of a Big 12 game since a victory of 59-56 against West Virginia in 2018.
Looking back to last week’s loss against Kansas State, the Sooners have conceded 1177 yards of offense and scored 96 points over two games.
BIG GAMES: Every Top 25 finish from the college football’s Week 5
The offense did not fare much better than TCU. Even before losing QB Dillon Gabriel to injury -He left the field on his own initiative after sustaining a severe head blow when he slipped in the air — the Sooners weren’t able to keep up with their Horned Frogs, who remain unbeaten under the new head coach Sonny Dykes.
It’s not over yet for Oklahoma.
The Sooners are 2-2 In Big 12 play before even getting into the toughest part of this season’s schedule. This includes opponents Texas and young Kansas along with Iowa State in October. Then, in November OU plays No. 14 Baylor and No. 7 Oklahoma State.
Instead of going into one of the most prestigious bowls, even if it’s not that is the College Football Playoff, the Sooners might be in a middle of the road bowl match — or perhaps on an edge for bowling eligibility should Venables and his new team fail to find a way bring OU back on the right track.
The Sooners are at the top of this week’s list of colleges football’s top winners and losers:
Winners
Alabama
A 28-0 advantage was reduced to 28-23, and no. 19 Arkansas seeming to rise to the occasion following several ugly defeats in this series, it was the Crimson Tide responded with two quick touchdowns to earn the win by 49-26 in the massive SEC West matchup. A major issue in discussion after the game is: What’s the story with Bryce Young? He is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner was forced to leave the game in the 2nd quarter due to a strained shoulder. He was substituted by replacement Jalen Milroe. He had 91 yards of rushing as well as two scores. The young-less team switched into Georgia Tech transfer Jahmyr Gibbs who ran for a record-setting 206 miles.
BIG LOSS: Alabama QB Bryce Young leaves game with shoulder injury
Clemson
Two wins against Top 25 competition in as many weeks for Clemson. 5 Clemson. After beating Wake Forest in a shootout and a shootout, the Tigers were more aggressive in their grind-it-out physically and earned an impressive 30-20 victory over No. 10. North Carolina State to basically secure their place in the ACC Atlantic. In a shambles by the Demon Deacons’ pass defense, Clemson’s defense performed superior with Devin Leary, holding the junior to 245 yards with only 5.2 yards per pass. The Tigers have earned themselves a place within the top 5 teams and an opportunity to be among the most likely contenders to make the playoffs thanks to these two wins.
Kansas
The tale of the season continues improving. Every weekend is expected as the Jayhawks finishing the season unbeaten team. Every week, Kansas finds a way to defeat teams and build an argument for being among the top 25. The perfect September was built around an explosive offense, Saturday’s 14-11 victory over Iowa State was pulled off with the best defense in more than 10 years. The Jayhawks only allowed 313 yards and 4.2 yards per playwhich is the most against an opponent from a Big 12 opponent since 2014 -and are guaranteed in the next Coaches Poll.
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys are considered to be the top team to win the Big 12 and the league’s most likely to make it to the playoffs after they won 36-25 at Baylor. The second game of last year’s conference championship game had an important distinction: OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders scored more than 250 yards total of offense, and two touchdowns, after throwing four interceptions in his previous game against the Bears. The loss lowers Baylor to the score of 3-2, and as with Oklahoma it’s in a tough position for climbing to the top in the league.
Mississippi
The No. 11 Rebels are at five-for-five at their most since the start of 2014, and are are poised to make a significant move to the top of on the Coaches Poll after beating No. 8 Kentucky 22-19. This win demonstrated the extent to which Lane Kiffin and this offense have made strides without the former player Matt Corral by focusing even more on running and relying on a significantly better defense. The Rebels are operating the ball 63.6 percent of the time, and, at 5.6 yards per run and running it much more efficiently. defense is allowing only 4.6 yards per game which is among the highest numbers of the Power Five.
Kansas State
Another week of solid Big 12 win for Kansas State powered by the duo of quarterback Adrian Martinez and running back Deuce Vaughn. In addition to scoring 5 touchdowns the win last Saturday against Oklahoma, Martinez finished with 287 yards of total offense and scored four points in the game as the Wildcats were able to hold on to defeat Texas Tech 37-28. Vaughn must be a key participant for the Heisman Trophy race after running for 170 yards and giving the Wildcats 638 yards in five games.
Wake Forest
No. 21, Wake Forest rebounded from last week’s defeat to Clemson by winning 31-21 against No. 22 Florida State that boosts the Demon Deacons’ chances of getting to a New Year’s Six game. Although they were a bit hampered due to their defeat to the Tigers however, the odds could have fallen to zero were Wake not taken away nearly seven minutes of the clock in the fourth quarter . It was an 18-play run that culminated with a field goal which gave players of the Demon Deacons a two-possession lead. QB Sam Hartman threw for two scores and scored 12 touchdowns with no interception in his three contests in the series against Power Five competition.
Losers
Texas A&M
The Aggies are leaps and leaps and bounds the most disappointing team in the college football league. A&M is plagued by the worst Power Five offense this side of Iowa, A&M will limp into the next game against Alabama just a few weeks ago, the most anticipated game of the regular seasonwith a record of 3-2 following a loss 41-24 against Mississippi State. The list of problems is long and extensive but none more pressing than the current state of an offense that is doing virtually nothing well. How long can Jimbo Fisher maintain control of this particular aspect of the ball before it becomes unsustainable?
Missouri
Self-inflicted injuries and a failure to make the most of scoring opportunities resulted in the loss of Missouri the chance of an unexpected upset against Georgia. 1 Georgia. With a lead of as much as 10-points in the 2nd quarter and the Tigers could not beat Stetson Bennett or the Bulldogs with a loss of 26-22. What could have gone wrong? Missouri was able to kick five field goals, which included one from 22 yards , and another one from 41 yards. Another field goal that was 49 yards away came following the Tigers were able to recover a fumble from the 36 yard line of Georgia.
Auburn
A true cynic could say that Auburn’s 21-17 loss LSU is a positive factor, as it puts the team along with head coach Bryan Harsin one step closer to officially severing the ties. Perhaps that’s not a bad thing. There’s plenty to dislike regarding the defeat, beginning with four Auburn mistakes. These turnovers reversed the lead to 17-0 and allow Brian Kelly and LSU to take the victory in the SEC game, despite only completing 10 of 26 throws , which equated to 85 yards.
Wisconsin
The Badgers cannot play the ball, they can’t throw the ball , and they can’t stop spinning the ball. The rest of the game is going smoothly but. The sentence keeps getting worse Wisconsin only managed two rushing yards over 24 carries and made three mistakes in a 34-10 defeat to Illinois the former team coach Bret Bielema. Wisconsin’s worst performance in rushing since 2015 demonstrates the fact that Wisconsin hasn’t seized its chance to be a contender for the playoffs and is now in the middle on the Big Ten.
Minnesota
In the wake of Wisconsin in the same situation and Iowa losing yet again and No. 23 Minnesota had a chance to beat Purdue to effectively take control of this division. Big Ten West — Minnesota could have moved several games over those two favorites in the preseason and secured the head-to head tiebreaker against the Boilermakers. However, Purdue made a huge interception in the zone in the second period and was dominant in the fourth quarter to secure an impressive 20-10 victory that will make the division a mess and knock Minnesota off the top 25. Seven of seven teams from the Big Ten West are 1-1.
Kentucky
Inconsistent occasions to beat Ole Miss may lead to Kentucky losing out on the Bowl in the New Year’s Six. What contributed to the Rebels victory? The Wildcats made two mistakes during the red zone. This included one late at the end of the quarter. the quarterback Will Levis. Special teams were also involved. Kentucky failed to score an extra point, as well as the field goal was 39 yards. The offense was also accountable for a safety, after being held close to the goal line by an one-yard Ole Miss punt.
