Caleb Downs (#2) celebrates an interception for Ohio State (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
Ohio State continued to roll with a win over Penn State. UC got demolished in Salt Lake City. The MAC had a lot of teams off in anticipation of their unique November schedule, as we are in the money month of college football.
#1 Ohio State 8-0 (5-0 in the Big Ten)
The Buckeyes won their 12th straight game, stretching back to last season’s title run, and their ninth straight against Penn State. The offense was dominant the entire game, and the defense pitched a shutout in the second half. Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate are red hot. With games left against Purdue, Rutgers, and UCLA before The Game, Ohio State should be 11-0 heading to Ann Arbor on November 29th to try and exorcise some demons.
#10 Cincinnati 7-2 (5-1 in the Big 12)
That was an ugly loss for the Bearcats. You could tell that the Bearcats were ready to fly home before the third quarter was even over. Very little went right for Cincinnati. They couldn’t get out of their own way in the 45-14 loss. They turned the all over three times. The good news for UC is that they still control their own destiny. Win out and you’re in the Big 12 Championship with a playoff berth on the line. Cincy will have a bye next week before they host Arizona.
Miami (Ohio) 5-3 (4-0 in the MAC)
A lot of MAC teams had this Saturday off as the conference is poised to start their weeknight November games this week. The RedHawks will put their 11-game conference-winning streak on the line on Tuesday in the Battle of the Bricks at Ohio.
Ohio 5-3 (3-1 in the MAC)
When the Bobcats welcome their rival Miami to Athens, it won’t be just to stop the RedHawks’ winning streak, it will be for sole possession of first place in the MAC.
Bowling Green 3-6 (1-4 in the MAC)
It was a bad day for the Bowling Green Falcons. BGSU gained only 216 yards of offense and couldn’t protect their quarterback. Buffalo’s defense got six sacks! Buffalo led 28-0 going into the fourth quarter. The Falcons needed a 51-yard field goal at home in the final stanza to avoid being shut out. It was just a rough game for Eddie George and Bowling Green. Next, the Falcons travel to play at Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
Toledo 4-4 (2-2 in the MAC)
The Rockets will try to send the NIU Huskies out of the Glass Bowl and the MAC with a loss this Wednesday night.
Akron 3-6 (2-3 in the MAC)
The Zips will host UMass at home on Tuesday night. Akron is ineligible for a bowl this year because the NCAA sucks, but you better believe finishing bowl eligible with six wins would mean the world to that program.
Kent State 3-5 (2-2 in the MAC)
The Golden Flashes will travel to Muncie, Indiana, to take on Ball State on Wednesday night.
Dayton 6-3 (4-2 in the Pioneer League)
The Flyers fell flat from the very beginning. Dayton could get no offense going at all. They were scoreless through the first three quarters and were down 21-0 going into the fourth. San Diego would finish Dayton off 31-13. Dayton would finish the game with 28 attempts for minus six yards rushing the football. Dayton will have this coming week off before playing their final home game of the season on November 15th against Drake.
Youngstown State 5-4 (2-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference)
The Penguins battled their butts off in a place where the visitors have only won four times in ten seasons. They traded haymakers with the #1 team in the FCS, and came up just short. The deciding factor was YSU losing the turnover battle, three to one. YSU fell to North Dakota State, 38-30. The Guins will play #16 SIU in Youngstown this coming Saturday.
Bill Willis Award Player of the Week
Beau Brungard did well in YSU’s battle with North Dakota State, Julian Sayin added to his Heisman resume, and Carnell Tate had another big game. But the player of the week has to be Jeremiah Smith. Smith had six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s 38-14 win over Penn State. His circus catch capped off the scoring and gave him the edge in having the best week of any college football player in Ohio.
Writer’s Note: The FBS rankings are from The College Football Power Rankings at TheForkball.com. The FCS rankings are from the FCS STATS Poll.
