Simon Clancy brings the latest from the college game, with more big wins and upsets, star shows and no-shows, as well as his latest Heisman rankings and Game of the Week selection…

LEAD OFF
What a weekend of action it was, with some terrific games across the board.

One top six team goes down in a stunner at home, Nebraska loses again to go 0-2 for the first time since 1957 and, in doing so, underlines how weak the Big 10 is – they lost seven non-conference games against unranked opponents, the most in a single day since the Associated Press poll debuted in 1936. Elsewhere, Ohio State survived thanks to four crazy third quarter minutes, Florida State sink further into the mire, there’s the resurrection of Tom Herman in Austin as they beat #22 USC, Texas Tech and Houston combine for 112 points, the FCS Rams of Rhode Island took UCONN to the final play, we saw arguably the greatest punt return of all time, and Joe Burrow’s LSU Tigers roll on towards the top five…

But let’s start in scorching hot Camp Randall Stadium, where #6 Wisconsin were taken down by a BYU side fresh off a 4-7 season a year ago and a three-point loss to Cal last week. No team outside the Big Ten had beaten the Badgers in Madison since UNLV won 23-5 almost 15 years ago to the day. In 120-degree heat, the Cougars never struggled to match Wisconsin’s physicality, especially in the trenches, and held Heisman candidate Jonathan Taylor in check. In linebackers Sione Takitaki and Zayne Anderson, they had two seniors playing the games of their respective lives. In the end, it came down to a 42-yard field goal miss by Rafael Gaglianone that would have sent the match-up to overtime. But BYU coach Kalani Sitake called back-to-back-time outs to ice the fifth-year senior and his kick was always drifting wide left. With trips to Michigan and Penn State to come, Wisconsin’s playoff chances are on life support with the proverbial off-switch flashing.

THIS AND THAT
I mentioned the Big 10’s terrible day: defeats for Wisconsin, Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers, Illinois, and Purdue are symptomatic of a dreadful season so far, especially when you consider that Michigan (lost to Notre Dame), Michigan State (lost to Arizona State) and Penn State (needed OT to beat Appalachian State) have flattered to deceive. The Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 1st could be not much more than a national afterthought…

If Ohio State had fallen to TCU – as it looked as though they might through two-and-a-half quarters – then Big 10 Commissioner Jim Delaney may well have quit on the spot. But a crazy four-minute period saw the Buckeyes advance to 3-0: Parris Campbell’s long screen pass, followed by Dre’Mont Jones’ pick six on the next drive and then a blocked punt on the next TCU possession that set up Dwayne Haskins’ touchdown to KJ Hill did the damage. 19 unanswered points that turned a 21-13 deficit into a 32-21 lead that they never relinquished… One note of concern was superstar DE Nick Bosa’s groin injury that forced him to leave the game and will bear watching… TCU are now 1-17-1 all time against teams inside the AP’s Top 5…

Clemson QB Kelly Bryant left the game against Georgia Southern after landing awkwardly on the ball. He had a CT scan and an EKG, but the early prognosis is that it’s just bruising… In that game, Southern gave freshman DT CJ Wright five carries. Fascinating to watch a 294lb man average four yards per carry against an NFL calibre defensive line…

The biggest game of the weekend was LSU’s 22-21 defeat of Auburn on the road in one of the best match-ups of the season so far. This was college football at its finest as Ed Orgeron’s men rallied late and won the game on Cole Tracy’s 41-yard field goal as time expired… QB Joe Burrow struggled for great swathes of the game, but his 71-yard touchdown to Derrick Dillon was a thing of beauty and he’s still yet to throw an interception this season… LSU’s defense is something to behold, with sophomore FS Grant Delpit looking like a very high first rounder when he declares… The Tigers are the early season feel-good story of the season and the SEC Championship flows through Baton Rouge as they host both Georgia and Alabama…

Boston College held off a game Wake Forest on Thursday night thanks to a big performance from Heisman outsider AJ Dillon, who had 185 yards rushing. The true sophomore will be a fascinating NFL evaluation when he departs because, at 250lbs, he lacks breakaway speed but is a big, punishing runner between the tackles, with enough wiggle to be effective… On the other side of the field, true freshman QB Sam Hartman is only 6’0, but he’s got NFL arm talent and should keep the Demon Deacons relevant for the next four seasons. He faces a challenge this week, however, against #8 Notre Dame…

It’s hard to overstate the effect that Kyler Murray has had for Oklahoma and, as you’ll see below, he’s fully into the Heisman conversation after another superb performance. The Sooners avoided the upset against a feisty Iowa State team on the road… Footnote to that game, in the third quarter, Sooner FB Carson Meier, playing in his 43rd game, touched the ball for the very first time, making a tremendous downfield catch to convert a critical 3rd down. That’s just one of the beauties of college ball…

Tennessee’s sophomore running back Ty Chandler had a very impressive performance as Jeremy Pruitt’s improving Vols moved to 2-1. Chandler had 158 yards on just 12 carries including a tremendous 81-yard run…

Where to start with Florida State? The hapless ‘Noles dropped to 1-2 after losing 30-7 to Syracuse for the first time in 52 years. And it wasn’t as close as the score indicates. An already hot seat has become significantly hotter for Willie Taggart, with some around the campus looking to see how much it would cost to buy him out of his contract – and eight GoFundMe pages launched by supporters to do just that. The answer is that it would take a lot of donations: for FSU to call time after this year, the cost would be 85% of his remaining salary on the six-year, $30 million deal he agreed to in December – around $21.5 million…

Taggart’s team looked badly coached, mentally weak and utterly unmotivated against the Orangemen, with an offensive line so bad that Deondre Francois was being blasted on every dropback and TB Cam Akers consistently hit before he got back to the line of scrimmage. Even Oscar-winning film director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) tweeted that Francois should sit out the remainder of the season for the sake of his future and his physical welfare. Next up? 1-2 Northern Illinois who could – astonishingly – enter the game as favourites…

Kudos to FCS Rhode Island, who were one play away from beating UCONN, finally falling 56-49. The Huskies take away the Ramnapping Trophy, which is awarded to the victor of this rivalry… David Pindell had another magical performance for UCONN, finishing with six touchdowns, passing for 308 yards and rushing for 144 more. He IS Husky football…

For two weeks in this column, we’ve talked up Arizona State and the Herm Edwards revival but, seven days after stunning Michigan State, they fell to San Diego State, in large part to a dreadful umpiring decision on the penultimate play of the game which robbed them of the chance to have first-and-goal at the two with six seconds left…

North Texas not only thrashed Arkansas, but did so in part because of a tremendous ‘fake’ punt return call from ST coach Marty Biagi that was carried out to perfection by Keegan Brewer. Brewer stood still after catching the ball, pretending he’d fair caught it and then, as the Razorbacks defenders trotted to the sideline, ran it back for a touchdown…

Texas Tech QB Alan Bowman had an eye-popping day in the 63-49 win over Houston. He finished 43 of 59 for 605 yards passing and five touchdowns. Antoine Wesley caught 13 of those passes for 261 yards and four scores…

A word for two stand-out running performances: first, Memphis running back Darrell Henderson, who followed up his 200-yard game from a week ago with 233 yards against Georgia State. He leads the nation in rushing with 521 yards at an obscene 14.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Navy QB Malcolm Perry had 223 yards rushing and three scores against Lehigh…

GAME OF THE WEEK
The best match-up this weekend is on the west coast, in a battle of the unbeatens as Oregon host Stanford in the Pac-12. Heisman hopefuls QB Justin Herbert (1-5 vs ranked teams) and TB Bryce Love face off in what could be a statement game for the Ducks to prove that they’re back on track nationally.

Stanford’s defense has been terrific so far this season, so it will need Herbert’s best effort if the Ducks are to top the Cardinal. But, if the aforementioned Love can’t overcome the injury that forced him to miss the win over UC Davis at the weekend, it will pile pressure on inconsistent QB KJ Costello. Look for Stanford’s 6’7” receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside to have an impact, whilst Herbert will have to contend with CB Alijah Holder on the perimeter. Meanwhile, if Jalen Jelks – who has first round potential – can get into Costello’s face consistently, then Oregon could take this.

BACK-UP GAME OF THE WEEK
Despite going 0-2, Nebraska will welcome back freshman sensation Adrian Martinez against the Michigan this weekend and that, in itself, is reason enough for Cornhusker fans to be cheerful. Why? Martinez’s high-power combination of arm talent and run ability makes him the perfect fit for Scott Frost’s offense.

There will also be huge emphasis placed on three legitimate top 40 candidates in next year’s draft on the Wolverine defense – DEs Rashaan Gary and Chase Winovich and MLB Devin Bush – to keep Martinez in check. The battle between Winovich and sophomore RT Matt Farniok will be one to watch. Farniok looks like he can play on Sundays and Winovich is the sort of energiser bunny in the Sam Hubbard mould that all NFL teams want. Also keep an eye on the battle between Wolverine CB Ambry Thomas against fluid pro-style WR Stanley Morgan Jr.

NFL WATCH
One of the best NFL match-ups of the week will be in Winston-Salem as Wake Forest left guard Phil Haynes takes on Notre Dame DT Jerry Tillery. Haynes is a people mover: the strongest player on the team, who displays great hands and terrific ability in the run game. He’ll need it against the 6’7”, 305lb Tillery, who’ll match that hand usage, as well as bringing fluid hips and great lateral agility to work down the line and make plays. In terms of the game within the game, this is a doozy.

Ole Miss were in the contest against Alabama on Saturday night for only a couple of minutes, but it was a fun couple of minutes as receiver DK Metcalf beat Savion Smith at the line and took a Jordan Ta’amu pass 75 yards on the game’s first play. AJ Brown gets all the love as a legitimate top 15 pick, but Metcalf also has first round talent and then some. At 6’3, 225lbs, the redshirt sophomore has everything you look for in a number one NFL receiver. He is a nuanced route-runner, which makes him so attractive.

Iowa State may have fallen short against Oklahoma but, in WR Hakeem Butler, they have a late bloomer with NFL potential. The 6’5”, 225lb burner had 5-174 against the Sooners and, should the Cyclones continue to feature him in their offense, his stock will rise.

Interesting test for Georgia cornerback for Deandre Baker against Missouri QB Drew Lock this weekend. Both players have first round potential, but it’s Baker who is making a case for the top 10 with another scintillating performance against South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel last weekend. He allowed two catches for minus-two yards against Middle Tennessee State.

HEISMAN FIVE
Again, it’s utterly impossible to dislodge Tua Tagovailoa from the top spot, despite only playing the first half against Ole Miss. Ironically, Alabama’s dominance may be the one thing that keeps him from winning it. He was 11-15 for 191 yards and two scores, adding 47 more on the ground.

Dwayne Haskins stays at two because of his performance in beating TCU. He wasn’t perfect, but it’s the sort of statement win that voters like. Plus, his unerring accuracy and poise was evident in the game’s biggest moments. It’s a welcome introduction into the top three for Kyler Murray who, frankly, should have been here sooner. Will Grier saw his game cancelled, so he falls another spot through no fault of his own. And, as Ta’amu and Wilkins see their chances fall away, there’s a pair of newcomers to the list. Jonathan Taylor can consider himself hard done by, but we’re a tough crowd.

1. Tua Tagovailoa – Alabama (1)
2. Dwayne Haskins – Ohio State (2)
3. Kyler Murray – Oklahoma (-)
4. Will Grier – West Virginia (3)
5. Darrell Henderson – Memphis (-)

Wildcard: AJ Dillon – Boston College (-)
Dropping out: Jonathan Taylor, Jordan Ta’amu

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