Florida proved the oddsmakers right, and then some, on Saturday and established itself as a real threat in the Southeastern Conference in Jon Sumrall’s first season.
The 21st-ranked Gators built a two-touchdown lead against No. 4 Mississippi and responded each time the Rebels got closer in the second half before pulling away for a Victory 52-28.
Ole Miss had a big fall after their emotional win over Lane Kiffin and LSU. The Gators were at their scoring best in The Swamp and showed unequivocally that they deserved to have been installed as 3 1/2 point favorites against their first five opponents.
The Gators (4-0) were unranked in the preseason and were picked ninth in the SEC. They won 66, 52, 44 and 52 points and deserve a big promotion when The Associated Press Top 25 is published on Sunday.
Ducks win without Moore
Oregon’s number 20 appears to be returning to action, win its first Big Ten game 41-27 against Southern California on the road and especially without Dante Moore. The star quarterback left the field on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital after being hit hard in the second quarter.
Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola came in and threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns as the Ducks showed they had bounced back from the loss to Oklahoma State that looked worse two weeks ago than it did today. The loss is especially sweet for USC coach Lincoln Riley, who sold the idea that this was the year the Trojans would be ready to take on the Big Ten.
These guys are good
No. 1 Texas, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 11 Texas Tech had some of the best individual performances of the season.
With President Donald Trump watching from a suite at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Texas, held off No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 after Colin Simmons recorded five of his team’s 10 sacks from freshman Faizon Brandon. Simmons’ five sacks were the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision since Miami (Ohio)’s Ivan Pace Jr. had six against Akron in 2019. Simmons’s wasn’t perfect. He was reported for unsportsmanlike conduct “pretend” using the toilet following a sack in the second quarter.
Jeremiah Smith stole the show in Columbus, tying Ohio State’s record with four touchdowns among a career-high 12 catches for 217 yards in a 42-19 win over Illinois. Smith made defenders look ridiculous on two of his four touchdowns. On his second, a 72-yarder, he made two quick moves to rattle Mac Resetich as he headed toward the end zone. On his fourth, he completely turned Juice Clarke around while getting open on his 26-yarder.
Texas Tech linebacker Austin Romaine returned interceptions for touchdowns on back-to-back defensive plays early in the second quarter — something that hadn’t been done by a major college player since 2013 — and the Red Raiders pulled away for a 49-14 victory over Sam Houston.
And those Hawkeyes?
Yes, karma really could be a thing.
Three weeks after Michigan I had that extra second On the game clock and a second Hail Mary chance to beat Western Michigan, Hank Brown threw a game-ending 16-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee. to give No. 17 Iowa a 20-19 victory against the 18th-ranked Wolverines.
The Hawkeyes have a huge game set up against Ohio State in Iowa City next week.
The best of the rest
— No. 10 LSU bounced back from its loss to Mississippi with a vengeance, hammering #23 Texas A&M 35-6 and nearly ended the Aggies’ hopes, after two losses, of returning to the College Football Playoff.
— Georgia No. 2’s dominance continued with its victory 41-13 against Oklahoma, but the big story to come out of the game was Sooners quarterback John Mateer and his ongoing struggles. Mateer turned the ball over three times in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 28-0 lead. The Sooners have scored a combined 37 points in their last three games.
— Matt Campbell and all the transfers he brought with him to No. 13 Penn State from Iowa State had a painful initiation into the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions led Wisconsin 20-10 at home heading into the fourth quarter and lost 24-20. Rocco Becht, who had the best passer rating in the Big Ten, finished 12 of 29 for 129 yards and an interception.
— No. 16 Louisville has been vulnerable on defense throughout the first month of the season, and the Cardinals paid the price against Wake Forest in a 30-27 loss. They will likely need to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship to make the College Football Playoff. An overall supply with two losses before October is a big ask.
– No. 24 Mississippi State held on for a wild 31-24 victory over No. 19 Missouri to go 4-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1944-45 and 2-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2014.
— Boise State hit the road and claimed the Group of Six class with a 32-7 victory against defending Mid-American Conference champion and preseason favorite Western Michigan.
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