Who says geographic rivalries are dead in college football?
On Saturday, they returned and with exciting vengeance, too. We saw 10 games either between in-state teams or teams within 160 miles of one another. None were quite as spectacularly shocking as the affair in Gainesville, where South Florida stunned the Florida Gators, 18-16 (a big yikes for Billy Napiers future!). We had Baylors comeback win over SMU in double overtime to extend their winning streak in the rivalry to 14 games (the teams combined for more than 1,000 yards!). And, surely, you didnt miss Iowa States win over Iowa to snap a streak of its own in that series (the Cyclones had lost six straight at home to the Hawkeyes).
After a 14-year hiatus, Missouri and Kansas cranked the Border Showdown back up, and the Jayhawks squandered a big first-half lead. A slew of power programs downed their in-state little brothers, too, including Arkansas (Arkansas State), Tennessee (East Tennessee State), Houston (Rice), LSU (Louisiana Tech) and North Carolina, where coach Bill Belichick got win No. 1 in a game at Charlotte.
Plenty more happened.
Arch Manning got back on track with five TDs in a win over San Jose State, Clemson had to storm back from a 16-point deficit to take care of Troy and Army a week after losing to FCS Tarleton State upset Kansas State in Manhattan (the Knights went 5 of 6 on fourth down!). We had a game-winning interception at NC State (over Virginia) and a game-winning field goal at Iowa State (over Iowa). We even saw a coach, Fran Brown, run his team through post-game sprints following the Oranges survival of UConn in a wild overtime affair in New York.
Dan Mullen, meanwhile, has started his UNLV tenure 3-0 after beating hapless UCLA and Arizona State couldnt survive the cowbells in Starkville in a 24-20 loss to Mississippi State.
Before getting to the rankings, a reminder about our Top 10. When ranking teams, we do NOT consider any preseason polls or any past season results. What happened in the past is, firmly, in the past.
For instance, you wont find on here… Penn State (it played Nevada and FIU!) or Georgia (it played Marshall and Austin Peay!). This system normally rewards teams with tougher early season opponents, but it also makes for an unusual group in the first few weeks. By midseason, our Top 10 may not be much different than many others. But for now
This week: beat Grambling 70-0
Next week: vs. Ohio
QB Julian Sayin missed on one pass (18 of 19) and threw four touchdowns and Jeremiah Smith had 119 yards receiving after one of his worst games a week ago against Texas. The Buckeyes rise from No. 2 to No. 1 in our rankings after Clemsons struggles put some doubt in LSUs season-opening win.
This week: beat East Texas A&M 77-3
Next week: Off
No sleep walking through this one. After the rousing upset over Alabama, the Noles scored touchdowns on their first 10 drives against their Southland Conference opponent. Transfer QB Tommy Castellanos completed eight passes for 237 yards (thats a whopping 21.5 yards a completion) and another transfer, Duce Robinson, caught five passes for 173 yards and two scores.
This week: beat Oklahoma State 69-3
Next week: at Northwestern
Are the Ducks, somehow, better than last season? QB Dante Moore has slid right into Dillon Gabriels shoes and the Oregon offense is humming in midseason form. They scored touchdowns on seven of their first eight drives to wallop Mike Gundy and crew a few days after the coach accused Oregon of paying more for its roster (well, yeah they did, and it looked like it!).
This week: beat Louisiana Tech 23-7
Next week: vs. Florida
The Tigers drop a few spots for a few reasons: A tighter-than-expected win over the Bulldogs; Clemson struggles against Troy; and Oregon and FSUs impressive play. But Brian Kellys team did enough on Saturday night, especially defensively. The Bulldogs finished with 154 yards of offense. DC Blake Baker and Co. have one of the best units in the country.
This week: beat Bethune-Cookman 45-3
Next week: vs. South Florida
Despite the short week and the grinding win over Notre Dame, the Hurricanes came out firing against the Wildcats from the FCS. Carson Beck went 22 of 24 for 267 yards and found rising freshman star Malachi Toney six times. Look out, Canes, South Floridas coming to town!
This week: beat East Tennessee State 72-17
Next week: vs. Georgia
The Buccaneers from east of the state didnt stand a chance. UCLA transfer QB Joey Aguilar tore through the defense for 288 yards and the Vols had two 100-yard receivers in a thumping before the SEC showdown next week against the Bulldogs.
This week: beat Iowa 16-13
Next week: at Arkansas State
Neither team cracked 240 yards of offense; there were twice as many field goals (five) as touchdowns (two) and there were nine punts. Just as God intended in an Iowa-Iowa State rock fight. In fact, this was the sixth time in the last seven meetings between these two teams where the winner the winner did not crack the 20 point mark.
This week: beat Ball State 42-3
Next week: vs. South Alabama
Has Hugh Freeze finally found himself a quarterback? Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold went 24 of 28 for 253 and three touchdowns. But heres an issue: Auburn had five fumbles. Thankfully for the Tigers, they lost only one.
This week: beat Cal Poly 63-9
Next week: at Wyoming
If youre wondering why the Utes are in our Top 10 after a win over Cal Poly, remember that they have a road power conference victory and not many schools can say that this early in the season (we know, the road win was at a UCLA team that probably isnt very good, but still. Kyle Whittinghams defense gave up 19 points over the first two weeks.
This week: beat San Jose State 38-7
Next week: vs. UTEP
The Longhorns shook off last weeks loss at Ohio State and a slow start in this one. That Manning kid is alright, after all. He threw four first-half touchdowns, finished the game with 295 yards and found Parker Livingstone four times for a whopping 128 yards and two scores.
Just missed: Oklahoma; South Florida; South Carolina