Alabama Shuts out LSU 29-0 in Baton Rouge

If there were any doubts whatsoever as to the Nations best team, the Crimson Tide put all of the questions to rest Saturday night as Alabama steamrolled the Tigers 29-0 in front of a raucous Death Valley crowd and a national television audience. The LSU offense never got untracked as the Crimson Tide defense was stifling, completely dominating the line of scrimmage. The SEC championship game is now set between Alabama and Georgia as the Bulldogs sewed up the East Division with a 34-17 win in Lexington over Kentucky. Around the Nation: Clemson demolished Louisville 77-16 keeping pace with the Tide as one of the nation's elite teams. Michigan blasted a very good Penn State team 42-7. The Wolverines continue to improve each week as the season unfolds, with a big game against Ohio State looming in the regular season finale. Notre Dame remains unbeaten as the Irish outlasted stubborn Northwestern 31-21. Oklahoma survived a West Texas upset bid at the hands of Texas Tech as the Sooners escaped Lubbock with a 51-46 win. West Virginia scored a two point conversion as time expired to down Texas in Austin 42-41. Washington State remained in the hunt for a National Championship with a hard fought 19-13 home victory over California and Arizona State turned the Pac 12 South Division race upside down with a stunning 38-20 win over favored Utah.

Oklahoma State Turns Big 12 Upside Down with 38-35 Win Over Texas

Just when it seemed like Texas had turned a corner in their program with a 6-1 record and Top Ten National Ranking, (which included a major win over their arch rival Sooners), Oklahoma State ambushed the Longhorns 38-35 Saturday night, throwing the Big 12 Conference race up for grabs. Oklahoma, West Virginia and Texas, all sport 4-1 conference records and the Mountaineers have yet to play the Sooners and Longhorns. Iowa State and Texas Tech are not far behind with 3-2 conference records. The Cyclones scored a big win Saturday, outlasting the Red Raiders 40-31 in Ames. Texas outscored Oklahoma State 21-7 in the second half, but the 31-14 halftime deficit was just too much to overcome as the Longhorn defense simply could not stop Cowboy QB Taylor Cornelius on the lone second half touchdown drive for Oklahoma State. Around the Nation: Clemson blasted Florida State in Tallahassee 59-10, dealing the Seminoles their worst defeat since a 1973 loss at Florida, also by 49 points. Houston ended South Florida's hope for an undefeated season as the Cougars outscored the Bulls 57-36. Northwestern seized control of the Big Ten West Division race with a huge 31-17 win over Wisconsin. Colorado had a second half meltdown against the visiting Beavers. The Buffaloes led 31-3 at the half but Oregon State stormed back in the second half to tie the score 34-34 and went on to win in overtime 41-34. Georgia pulled away in the second half to fry the Gators 36-17 in Jacksonville and finally, Kentucky scored a touchdown on an untimed down, the last play of the game to top Missouri 15-14. The surprising Wildcats host Georgia next week in what may determine the SEC East Division title. The Nation now awaits the game of the season ( so far ) as Alabama travels to Baton Rouge to tangle with the Tigers of LSU.

Boilermakers Blister Buckeyes 49-20

In one of the most surprising upsets of the 2018 season, Purdue upended undefeated Ohio State 49-20 in front of a jubilant home crowd Saturday night. The loss will certainly hamper the Buckeyes in their quest for a spot in the CFP. Ohio State is now one game behind arch rival Michigan in the Big 10 standings as the Wolverines scored a 21-7 win at Michigan State earlier in the day. It was a near flawless performance for Purdue who gained solid momentum right before the end of the first half by successfully converting on a fake field goal for a first down, setting up a touchdown to lead Ohio State 14-3 at the half. Purdue never looked back, going on to score 28 points in the 4th quarter to rout the Buckeyes in what certainly will become one of Purdue's greatest wins in the long storied history of this series. Around the Nation: Clemson silenced all speculation about who the best team is in the ACC by blasting previously undefeated North Carolina State 41-7. The AAC lost one of it's three undefeated teams as Cincinnati lost at Temple 24-17. Houston is quietly putting together a conference contending season as the Cougars traveled to Navy and won 49-36. Houston is now 6-1 on the season. Nebraska finally got their first win of the 2018 season as the Cornhuskers blasted Minnesota 53-28 in front of another sold out crowd in Lincoln. UAB took control of the Conference USA race by nipping North Texas 29-21. The 6-1 Blazers are having  a great season only 2 years removed from having temporarily abandoning football. Hats off to the Birmingham community and the die hard fans for reviving the program. It was a tale of two halves in Wazzu where a hungry ESPN Game Day crowd watched the Cougars race to a 27-0 lead and then hang on for a 34-20 win over the high flying Oregon Ducks. Washington, who lost in overtime to Oregon last week, rebounded in a home win over Colorado, 27-13. Utah pushed itself into Pac 12 South contention with a big 41-28 win over the Trojans. LSU set up a the big game with Bama (coming up in two weeks), with a win over Mississippi State 19-3. The big unanswered question now is whether LSU's stout defense can slow down the unstoppable Tide offense. Let the games continue!

The Quack Attack is Back! Oregon Tops Washington 30-27 in OT Thriller

The Oregon Ducks outlasted Washington Saturday in front of a packed Autzen Stadium. The sold out crowd witnessed the second overtime game of the 2018 season, but this one had a dramatically different outcome than the disappointing loss to Stanford. After missing a 37 yard field goal on the last play of regulation that would have won the game for Washington, the game went into overtime 24-24. The Ducks held Washington to 3 points in their first drive in overtime. On Oregon's first overtime possession QB Justin Herbert guided the Ducks to a touchdown and a 30-27  win, avenging two straight losses to the hated rival Huskies. Oregon now holds the lead in the Pac 12 North Division headed into the heart of conference play. Around the nation: Virginia surprised Miami (Fla.) 16-13 turning the ACC Coastal Division race upside down. Central Florida and South Florida both posted 1 point wins to remain undefeated.The Golden Knights survived a trip to Memphis 31-30, and the Bulls traveled to Tulsa, dramatically coming from behind to nip the Golden Hurricane 25-24. Michigan blasted Wisconsin under the lights in the Big House 38-13, while Michigan State stunned Penn State in Happy Valley 21-17. Iowa State dominated previously unbeaten West Virginia 30-14 with an amazing defensive performance. Notre Dame came from behind to beat Pittsburgh 19-14 in South Bend.The win keeps Notre Dame on top of the Billingsley report. The Irish are undefeated having played the 6th most difficult schedule in the nation. Southern Cal spoiled Colorado's bid for an undefeated season, running over the Buffaloes in the Coliseum 31-20. And finally, LSU rebounded from the loss to Florida by dominating the Dawgs in Death Valley 36-16.

Longhorns Survive Wild 48-45 Shootout In Red River Game

Texas built a 21 point lead over Oklahoma going into the 4th quarter but almost let the game slip away as the Sooners stormed back to tie the game at 45-45. The Oklahoma defense, true to it's much maligned nature, could not stop Texas on the Longhorns final drive. The Texas offensive line was the difference in the game. They dominated the line of scrimmage, opening huge holes for the running game and giving ample time for Texas QB Sam Ehlinger to pick apart the Oklahoma secondary. Texas kicked a 40 yard field goal with 9 seconds left on the clock to win in regulation 48-45. Around the nation: After trailing the Seminoles for most of three quarters, Miami scored 21 points in the second half to survive Florida State's upset bid 28-27. The American conference race is shaping up to be quite a contest as three teams, Central Florida, South Florida, and Cincinnati all remain unbeaten after 7 weeks of play. Iowa State blew into Stillwater and surprised Oklahoma State 48-42. The pesky 2-3 Cyclones certainly appear to be in position to influence the Big 12 race. Notre Dame, sporting a 6-0 record remained on top in the Billingsley Report after a dominating win on the road over another Top 25 team. The Irish beat Virginia Tech 45-23. San Diego State took a huge leap forward in the race for the MWC championship by surprising Boise State 19-13 on the Broncos home field..... But don't overlook Hawaii, the Warriors are 3-0 in conference play. Colorado is quietly putting together a great season. The Buffaloes are 5-0 after handling Arizona State 28-21. In the SEC Alabama and Georgia continued to roll while LSU and Kentucky suffered their first loss of the season, both playing on the road. The Tigers lost 27-19 at Florida, and the Wildcats lost at Texas A&M in overtime 20-14. Billingsley's Week 7 Ranking reports are now online, and week 8 projections will be posted Monday, October 8th.

Buckeyes Come From Behind 27-26 Win Stuns Nittany Lions

In the biggest game of the 2018 season so far, Ohio State survived the "White Out in Happy Valley", scoring 13 points in the final 9 minutes to defeat Penn State 27-26. The Nittany Lions were on their way to hard earned win in a classic defensive struggle until the Ohio State offense caught fire. The record crowd of 110, 889 were left stunned and breathless as they watched the Buckeyes move up and down the field, seemingly at will after Penn State had controlled most of the game.   Around the nation: Syracuse had Clemson on the ropes but the Tigers squeaked out a 27-23 win. Virginia Tech rebounded from the embarrassing loss to Old Dominion last week with a big 31-14 win at Duke. Michigan scored 20 unanswered points to beat Northwestern 20-17. Scott Frost is discovering there is a lot of work to be done in reviving the Cornhusker program as Nebraska fell at home to Purdue 42-28 and is now 0-4 on the season. Oklahoma out dueled Baylor 66-33 and Texas held off Kansas State 19-14, both in preparation for the Red River Rivalry game this coming Saturday. Notre Dame pulled away from Stanford, capturing a 38-17 win and Kentucky continues it's meteoric rise as the Wildcats improved to 5-0 after beating South Carolina 24-10.  

Sooners Squeak by Army in Overtime 28-21

The last time Oklahoma hosted Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower was President and the "Palace on the Prairie"  was fifty plus years away from being a reality. The year was 1959 and Army was still considered a power in College Football. The game was a tossup and Oklahoma won 28-20. Fast forward to 2018 and the result was almost identical. Oklahoma scored a 28-21 win. But the entire scenario was far from the same. The Sooner fans were being nostalgic on a cool September night and welcomed the Black Knights with open arms as 30 point favorites. But Army came to play football, and the Sooner defense could not stop Army's triple option all night long. Oklahoma's vaunted prolific offense sat on the sidelines most of the game as Army completely dominated time of possession 44:41 to 15:59. Oklahoma ran 40 plays the entire game and only an interception in overtime saved the Sooners from what would have been one of the most shocking upsets in Oklahoma football history. Around the nation: Other heavily favored Top Teams did not fair so well. Old Dominion shocked Virginia Tech 49-35 and Texas Tech rode into Stillwater and ambushed Oklahoma State 41-17. Texas surprised TCU 31-16. Are the Longhorns for real? We will know in a couple of weeks when The Red River Rivalry resumes at the Texas State fair. Staying in the Big 12, West Virginia looks unstoppable and may be the best team in the conference. The Mountaineers blasted Kansas State 35-6.  Ohio State and Penn State rolled and remain unbeaten as they await their showdown this coming Saturday in Happy Valley. Oregon seemingly had their game in hand until a fumble late in the game ignited the Stanford offense and the Cardinal flew on to a dramatic 38-31 overtime win over the dumbfounded Ducks. Can anyone stem the Crimson Tide? Certainly not the Aggies. Alabama crushed Texas A&M 45-23. And how about those Wildcats! Kentucky dominated the favored Bulldogs and moved to 4-0 on the young season. Could we be witness to something special unfolding in Lexington? One game at a time Kentucky....one game at a time.  

BYU De-rails Wisconsin's Playoff Dreams with 24-21 Upset in Madison

It was difficult to analyze BYU's opening win over Arizona. Was it a fluke or had the Cougars managed to pull together an improved squad for 2018? Last week's 21-18 home loss to California only muddled the question. But the waters have cleared in week four......Cal is looking mighty good sitting at 3-0, and BYU has indeed improved...DRAMATICALLY. The Cougars didn't let the loss to the Bears last week take them away from their focus as they promptly took their show on the road to Big 10 country and defeated CFP hopeful Wisconsin 24-21. It was the biggest win in BYU history since the Cougars defeated #3 Oklahoma in Arlington to open the 2009 campaign. Around the Nation: Speaking of improved teams, how about the Big Orange! Syracuse is 3-0 after surprising Florida State 30-7. Down in Texas Ohio State pulled away from a determined TCU squad to cap a hard fought 40-28 win in Arlington. Nebraska is 0-2 for the first time since 1957 as the Cornhuskers fought hard but came up short 24-19 to Troy. Oklahoma avenged the 2017 loss to Iowa State, but it wasn't easy. The Cyclones kept the game in doubt until late in the 4th quarter. The Sooners came away with a 37-27 win. Much to the delight of 103,507 fans, a record crowd at Darrell K. Royal Memorial stadium, Texas finally woke up in the second half and soundly defeated Southern California 37-14. Oklahoma State improved their national image tremendously by dominating a very good Boise State team 44-21. Washington posted a major conference win with a 21-7 defeat of Utah in Salt Lake City. In perhaps the biggest game of the day, certainly in terms of poll implications, LSU's Cole Tracy kicked a 42 yard field goal on the last play of the game to upset Auburn 22-21. And I would certainly be remiss if I did not give a shout out to North Texas, now 3-0 on the young season with a shocking 44-17 win over Arkansas in Fayetteville. QB Mason Fine is putting on quite a show for the fans of the Mean Green and Coach Seth Littrell's North Texas team is certainly raising eyebrows among fellow Conference USA members. The Billingsley Reports will be posted later this morning.

Colorado Freezes Frost's Debut at Nebraska with 33-28 Come From Behind Win.

In a game very reminiscent of the glory days from the old Big 8, Colorado and Nebraska literally battled to the bitter end. The Buffaloes, seasoned from an opening wallop of Colorado State last week jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to Cornhusker mistakes. Nebraska initially looked overwhelmed after not having played their opening game last week against Akron, which was canceled due to severe weather. The Cornhuskers settled down and took control of the game in the second quarter, rebounding to a 21-17 halftime lead, but a 4th quarter touchdown pushed Colorado ahead 33-28 and the Buffaloes held off a late attempt by Nebraska to secure the win. It was a sweet victory for Colorado, the first since November 23, 2007 when the Buffaloes prevailed in Boulder 65-51. The two teams had not met since they both left the Big 12 after the 2010 season. Around the nation: Clemson had all they could handle in College Station as the Aggies failed on a two point try that would have taken the game into overtime. The Tigers walked away, breathlessly, with a hard fought 28-26 win. Three Big 10 powerhouses prevailed as expected, Penn State beat Pittsburgh 51-6, Ohio State beat Rutgers 52-3 and Wisconsin beat New Mexico 45-14.....but Michigan State was not so lucky. The Spartans traveled to the desert to take on Arizona State in a late night game and were ambushed by the Sun Devils 16-13. In the Big 12, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and TCU all remained unbeaten, rolling heavily over their competition. Texas struggled with Tulsa coming away with a 28-21 win. Notre Dame, fresh off the big win over Big Blue, struggled mightily with lowly Ball State in South Bend only winning 24-16. Hawaii is off to a surprising 3-0 start after beating Rice 43-29 on the Big Island. Up on the Farm Stanford completely shut down the Trojans 17-3. Washington rebounded from the tough loss to Auburn with a resounding 45-3 win over North Dakota. In one of the more impressive wins of the day, Georgia traveled to Death Valley and dominated South Carolina 41-17 propelling the Bulldogs to #1 in the latest Billingsley Report. And last but certainly not least....Kentucky went to the Swamp and spanked the Gators 27-16 breaking a 31 game losing streak. The Wildcats had not beaten Florida since a 10-3 win in Lexington in 1986. The last time Kentucky had won in Gainesville was way back on November 17, 1979 with a decisive 31-3 victory.  

Longhorns reeling after stunning 34-29 loss to Maryland

The much anticipated, highly hyped second season for Tom Herman at the helm of the Longhorn program started with a thud Saturday as the Terps Surprised Texas 34-29 in Landover, Maryland. It was the second consecutive win for Maryland over Texas following last year's stunning upset in Austin in Herman's debut game. The Longhorn faithful are in shock, with many beginning to grumble out loud about the direction the program is headed. Meanwhile, Big 12 favorite Oklahoma crushed Conference USA league leader Florida Atlantic 63-14. Kyler Murray was near flawless in his replacement of Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, passing for 9/11 for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Rodney Anderson added 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns for the Sooners, completing one of the best performances in an opening game in Oklahoma football history. In another important Big 12 non-conference game, West Virginia routed Tennessee 40-14. Around the nation Notre Dame held off Michigan 24-17 in a renewal of one of the nation's most classic rivalries. Brigham Young scored a 28-23 opening upset win over Arizona, Penn State survived an upset bid by Appalachian State, winning 45-38 in overtime, Auburn took a huge step forward in their march toward a playoff bid by holding off Pac 12 leader Washington 21-16, and Group of Five leading team Boise State traveled into the deep South and shellacked Sun Belt leader Troy 56-20. The weather played havoc across the nation with several long delays being experienced from the Great Plains to the East Coast. Two games, Nebraska/Akron and Iowa State/South Dakota were canceled altogether due to fierce lightning, 80mph winds and torrential rain. National Title contenders Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Wisconsin, TCU, and Southern Cal all rolled over lesser competition as expected. The Billingsley Report will be posted Tuesday afternoon following the completion of Sunday and Monday night games.

Hawaii Stuns Colorado State 43-34

College Football didn't have to wait long for it's first major upset of the 2018 season. The 17 point underdog Rainbow Warriors traveled from rain soaked, flooded Hawaii to Fort Collins, Colorado and shocked the Rams 43-34. For three quarters it was all Hawaii with the Warriors leading 37-7 at one point. Colorado State caught fire in the 4th quarter and narrowed the gap to 40-34, but it was too little too late as Hawaii scored a late field goal to secure the victory. Hawaii QB Cole McDonald played an amazing game, certainly opening the eyes of fellow MWC foes. It was a limited slate to start the season. In other games, Wyoming manhandled New Mexico State 29-7, Rice kicked a field goal as time expired to escape an embarrassing loss to Prairie View, winning  31-28 and Massachusetts destroyed Duquesne 63-15.

Billingsley Releases 2018 Pre-Season Rankings

To no one's surprise 2017 National Champion Alabama starts on top of 2018's Pre-Season rankings. Georgia, Clemson and Ohio State round out the Top Four. Highlights from the just released Billingsley Report finds the Big 10 projected for another strong season with four teams, #5 Wisconsin, #6 Penn State, #11 Michigan State and #13 Michigan joining Ohio State to bring a total of 5 teams ranked among the nation's Top 13 teams. The Big 12 is projected to be a very tight race with #7 Oklahoma getting a slight nod for the conference championship and #22 Texas, #24 West Virginia, #25 TCU and #26 Oklahoma State all fighting for second place. As usual the SEC garnered the highest number of Top 25 teams. In addition to #1 Alabama and #2 Georgia, Auburn starts at #8, Mississippi State at #16, South Carolina #18, LSU #19 and Florida at #20. The ACC and Pac 12 placed three teams each in the initial elite 25 with # 3 Clemson and #9 Washington projected as potential playoff contenders. #10 Miami (Fla.) and #21 Virginia Tech follow Clemson in the ACC and #14 USC and #15 Stanford follow Washington from the Pac 12. The two highest rated Group of Five teams are Boise State at #17 and Florida Atlantic at #23. The season gets underway with a limited slate on August 25 and starts in earnest the next week with games from Thursday August 30 through Labor Day night, Monday September 3. Projections for the first week's games will be posted shortly.