College Football Week 9 Recap

1. LSU upsets Ole Miss

LSU coach Les Miles has called Death Valley "the place where opponents' dreams come to die."  That may in fact be the case for Ole Miss, as Bo Wallace threw an interception with seconds left to play after opting to go for the win instead of a 47-yard game-tying field goal.  The end result was a 10 - 7 win for the Tigers, the first loss of the season for Ole Miss.  The Rebels can still win out to make it to the SEC championship game, but face some tough games ahead and no longer have any margin for error.

2. Michigan shocks Michigan State in East Lansing

The Wolverines' defense kept it close for most of the first half, but a late second-quarter touchdown and pick-six in the third fueled the Spartans on to a 35 - 11 win.  The only victory for Michigan that day was a touchdown in the fourth quarter, their first against Michigan State since 2011.  Based on what I've said earlier about Brady Hoke's job security, the game against Ohio State is now a must-win for the Wolverines for the Michigan coach to have any chance of keeping his job.  I still stand by this assessment.

3. Ohio State scores at least 14 points in the first quarter against Penn State

The Buckeyes scored their first touchdown off a questionable interception (which was not reviewed properly due to technical difficulties), but didn't reach the end-zone again until late in the second quarter.  Ohio State played lights-out defense and moved the ball efficiently in the first half to build a 17 - 0 lead.  But the second half belonged to the Nittany Lions, who tallied a pick-six and rallied in the fourth quarter to send it to overtime.  The Buckeyes ultimately prevailed in double OT but the game may serve as a bit of a reality check for the Ohio State offense, which was not nearly as explosive as it had been in previous weeks.  However, the performance by the defense was encouraging, as was the team's resiliency, despite a raucous crowd.  Most notable was Barrett's effort in overtime while dealing with an MCL sprain, and Joey Bosa's beastly performance which included the game-winning fourth down sack.

4. One or both Washington teams take down their Arizonian opponents

Arizona jumped out to a 24 - 0 lead over Washington State, so the Cougars were stuck playing catch-up all game.  They were never quite able to close the gap, as the Wildcats pulled away to a 59 - 37 victory.  In the other match-up, Washington had a slow start as anticipated, but never got much going against the Sun Devils, as they were held to only 10 points.  Arizona State's strong defensive performance gave them the win, 24 - 10.  Arizona State and Arizona continue to work their way up the rankings, but have big tests ahead, including Nov 1 games against Utah and UCLA, respectively.

5. SMU tallies 7 or more points against Memphis

The Mustangs managed to score a touchdown and a field goal, to end up with 10 points for the game, their second best offensive performance of the season so far.  Of course, it was not enough to compete with Memphis, as they fell 48 - 10.  Rumors have circulated that SMU might be looking at former Texas coach Mack Brown to revive the program.  It's unclear whether Brown has interest or how successful he would be there, but you'd have to think he could do better than 0 - 7.

Week 9 record: 2 - 3 (I'm starting to sense a pattern...)
Overall record: 17 - 28

Other headlines from week 9:

First edition of College Football Playoff rankings released

The CFP Committee has finally revealed their much-anticipated first set of rankings, which I'm sure are already being highly scrutinized and analyzed.  While there are a few surprises and notable differences with the AP poll, I don't think it means too much at this point.  We learn a little bit about the committee's thinking process, but I think we can count on a very different set of rankings by season's end.

Illinois brings down Minnesota in first conference win

It was the Fighting Illini's first Big Ten win this season, and only the second in coach Tim Beckman's tenure in Champaign.  Illinois doesn't have much time to celebrate, though, as they face a tough road trip to Columbus next week to take on the Buckeyes.  Minnesota will have a bye week as they try to regroup after the tough loss, which was their first in conference play.  The Gophers remain in first place in the West but have a brutal stretch of games remaining.  These last four games may prove to define the season for Minnesota as they try for a division title.

Big guy scores TD for Arkansas

Who says a 350-pound lineman can't throw a touchdown pass?  Not Arkansas coach Brett Bielema.