Texas Survives Kansas State in 33-30 Thriller

The first half was all Longhorns and it appeared to have all the makings of a runaway, but Texas miscues ignited the Wildcats who fought back to tie the game 30-30 and send it to overtime. Texas took a 33-30 lead and Kansas State, forced with a 4th and goal, opted not to try a field goal to tie and force a second  overtime. Texas stopped the 4th down try with a stout goal line stand, securing the victory.  Around the Nation: Oklahoma State sent Oklahoma packing to the SEC with a 27-24 win over the Sooners in the last Bedlam game. Kansas went on the road to Ames and squeaked by the Cyclones 28-21. Clemson potentially salvaged their season season with a 31-23 upset over Notre Dame. Army stunned highly favored and undefeated Air Force 23-3 in Denver. Washington handed USC their third loss on the season with a 52-42 win in the Coliseum. Arizona continued an upward trend with a 27-10 win over UCLA. The Wildcats are now 6-3 on the season. Georgia moved to 9-0 with a 30-21 win over Missouri, lifting the Bulldogs to #2 in this week's Billingsley Report behind Ohio State. Alabama moved closer to the SEC West Title with a 42-28 victory over LSU, and Ole Miss hosted the Aggies and nipped Texas A&M 38-35. Projections post Monday. 

Kansas Surprises Oklahoma 38-33

The Sooner's hopes for an undefeated season and a shot at the college football playoffs evaporated in the cold misty rain in Lawrence, Kansas Saturday afternoon. The Jayhawks came to play football, jumping out to a 14-0 lead. The Sooners fought back and the game went back and forth with multiple lead changes, but Kansas took the lead with 55 seconds left and held on as Oklahoma furiously moved down field on what looked like might be another miracle win, only to see the ball overthrown in the end zone as time expired. Kansas broke an 18 game losing streak to the Sooners. The game is one of the greatest in Jayhawk history and sets Kansas up for a possible run at the Big 12 Title.  Around the Nation: Louisville dominated a good Duke team 23-0 and plants the Cardinals among the elite teams of the ACC with a 7-1 record. Ohio State traveled to Madison and came away with a 24-10 victory. The win solidified The Buckeyes #1 ranking in this week's Billingsley Report. Penn State survived a powerful upset bid by Indiana, finally securing a 33-24 win. Texas destroyed BYU 35-6 while Kansas State was dismantling Houston 41-0. Oklahoma State finally pulled away from Cincinnati for a 45-13 win. The Cowboys and Sooners meet in Stillwater for the last Bedlam Game next Saturday. The Ducks traveled to Salt Lake City and dominated Utah 35-6. Arizona scored a late TD to nip visiting Oregon State 27-24. Georgia beat Florida in their annual rivalry game in Jacksonville 43-20. Tennessee outlasted Kentucky in Lexington 33-27. This weeks projections will not post until Tuesday. 

Florida State Surges Past Duke

The Blue Devils gave the Seminoles all they could handle before Florida State took control in the 4th quarter to come away with a 38-20 win. North Carolina and Clemson were not so lucky. Virginia, 1-5 on the season, and heavy underdog, shocked the undefeated Tar Heels 31-27, while Miami (Fla.) took down visiting Clemson 28-20 in 2OT.  Ohio State solidified their position as the #1 team in the Billingsley Report with a hard fought 20-12 win over Penn State. Michigan destroyed in state rival Michigan State 49-0, but still remain outside the Report's Top 5 due to a very low strength of schedule rated #105 out of 133. Oklahoma and Texas both barely escaped the upset bug. The Sooners survived UCF 31-29 by way of a failed two point conversion try and the Longhorns stopped a 4th and inches try by Houston to nose out the Cougars 31-24. Toledo took control of the MAC with a 21-17 road win at Miami (Ohio). Air Force took the first step in winning the Commander in Chief Trophy with a 17-6 win at Navy. Arizona State took PAC 12 leader Washington to the wire, eventually falling 15-7. USC was not so lucky. Utah nipped the Trojans on a last second field goal 34-32. It was USC's second loss in a row. Alabama stormed back to score 27 points in the second half after trailing Tennessee 20-7 at halftime. The Tide danced to a 34-20 win after holding the Vols scoreless in the last two quarters. Projections post Monday. 

Washington Edges Oregon 36-33

In a epic battle between bitter rivals, meeting for the last time as members of the PAC 12, Washington outlasted the Ducks 36-33. Oregon missed a 43 yard field goal as time was running out that would have sent the game into overtime. The win propelled the Huskies to #2 in this week's Billingsley Report and squarely adds Washington into the conversation of potential playoff contenders.   Around the Nation: One week after beating Notre Dame, Louisville tasted their first defeat, falling on the road at Pittsburgh 38-21. North Carolina remained undefeated, keeping pace with Florida State. The Tar Heels handled Miami (Fla.) 41-31 while the Seminoles blasted Syracuse 41-3. The Rock Chalk Jayhawk train suffered a derailment in Stillwater as Kansas fell to surging Oklahoma State 39-32. Notre Dame hosted USC and burst the Trojans undefeated bubble. The Irish dominated the game 48-20 giving Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams their first loss of the year. Air Force moved to 6-0 with a 34-27 win over MWC contender Wyoming. Alabama survived a scare by the Razorbacks, nipping Arkansas 24-21 and Tennessee held off stubborn Texas A&M 20-13. Billingsley Projections post Monday.  

Sooners Edge Longhorns In Red River Rivalry

A confident proven Texas team ran into an Oklahoma team hell bent on proving last year's 49-0 humiliation was a fluke. The result was one of the greatest games played in series history. Every time Oklahoma gained momentum and pulled ahead Texas fought back, eventually taking the lead on a 47 yard field goal 30-27 with 1:17 remaining. But the Sooners were not to be denied traveling 75 yards to score the winning TD with 15 seconds remaining. The 6-0 Sooners jumped all the way to #8 in this week's Billingsley Report. With a long season ahead the loss did not take Texas out of playoff contention. The earlier season win over Alabama still factors heavily and a rematch with Oklahoma in a conference championship game is possible. Kansas might have something to say about that though as the Jayhawks rebounded nicely after their loss to Texas by smashing UCF 51-22. Kansas hosts Oklahoma in a few more weeks.  Around the Nation: North Carolina cruised to a 40-7 win over a good Syracuse team and Louisville stole the National stage Saturday night by shocking Notre Dame 33-20. Ohio State struggled early with undefeated Maryland but finally pulled away for a comfortable 37-17 win. Michigan destroyed Minnesota 52-10  and Nebraska finally got a Big 10 road win by beating Illinois 20-7. Maybe Matt Rhule is the right fit after all. Wyoming is making a beliver out of me after a 24-19 win over Fresno State. The Cowboys only loss is at Texas. USC hosted Arizona and was oh so lucky to come away victorious. The Trojans survived 43-41 in 3 OT. Georgia finally put together a solid game and demolished unbeaten Kentucky 51-13. Texas A&M hosted Alabama and fell short to the Crimson Tide 26-20. Projections post Monday. 

Late TD Lifts Ole Miss Over LSU

In the highest scoring game in this long storied rivalry Mississippi edged LSU 55-49. The Rebels now stand at 4-1 with the lone loss at Alabama. The Tigers fell to 3-2.  Around the Nation: Duke came alive in the 4th quarter to take a 14-13 lead over Notre Dame only to see the victory slip away on a late Irish TD. Notre Dame prevailed 21-14. Surprising Louisville moved to 5-0 with a 13-10 win over NC State. Clemson rebounded with a 31-14 win over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. Maryland moved to 5-0 by blasting Indiana 44-17. The Terrapins play #1 Ohio State next week. Texas and Oklahoma nicely set up next week's Red River Rivalry with big wins over Kansas and Iowa State respectively. Both teams will go to Dallas undefeated at 5-0. Washington survived a scare at Arizona, nipping the Wildcats 31-24. Oregon State kept pace in the race for the PAC 12 crown by cruising past previously unbeaten Utah 21-7. USC survived a furious second half rally by Colorado, hanging on for a 48-41 win. Auburn took Georgia to the wire but a late score by the Bulldogs lifted Georgia to a 27-20 win in the Deep South's oldest rivalry. Missouri is now 5-0 after pummeling Vanderbilt 38-21 as well as Kentucky who beat Florida 33-14. Billingsley Projections post Monday. 

Ohio State Shocks Notre Dame 17-14 on Late TD

Ohio State raced to a 10-0 lead at the half only to see the Irish fight back and forge ahead 14-10 late in the 4th quarter. With less than 3 minutes remaining Notre Dame had the lead and the ball, but the Irish could not make a first down to seal the win. Instead the Buckeyes created losses on two plays and forced Notre Dame to punt. The Buckeyes masterfully moved down field and scored a touchdown with 1 second left on the clock. The sellout home crowd was stunned. The game will be an instant classic and the win moved Ohio State to #1 in this week's Billingsley Report.  Around the Nation: Florida State traveled to Death Valley and came away with a 31-24 OT thriller over Clemson. North Carolina struggled with Pittsburgh early but pulled away for a 41-24 victory. Surprising Duke, now sitting at 4-0 blasted Connecticut 41-7. Penn State rolled over previously unbeaten Iowa 31-0. Kansas moved to 4-0 after topping BYU 38-27. Air Force and Fresno State remain unbeaten. The Cadets beat San Jose State 45-20 while the Bulldogs overwhelmed Kent State 53-10. The leaders in the Pac 12 are beginning to emerge as the top teams begin to play one another. Washington State hosted Oregon State and nipped the Beavers 38-35. Utah soared to a 14-0 lead and held on for a 14-7 win over UCLA. Oregon showed Colorado no mercy in a 42-6 shellacking of the Buffaloes. Alabama scored a big 24-10 win over previously unbeaten Ole Miss and LSU squeaked past Arkansas 34-31. Missouri played Memphis in Saint Louis in the battle of the Tigers with Missouri holding on for a 34-27 win. The projections will be posted Monday.   

Bulldogs Survive Gamecocks Upset Bid

South Carolina sailed to a 14-3 halftime lead behind a brilliant first half by Spencer Rattler, but the Dawg defense rose up in the second half and shut down the Gamecocks to come away with a 24-14 win, the 20th in a row for Georgia. Around the nation: Talk about upset bids, Boston College wins the weekend award for nearly taking down Florida State. The Seminoles survived 31-29. North Carolina posted an impressive 31-13 win over Minnesota. Iowa has found an offense to compliment their stingy defense. The Hawkeyes blasted Western Michigan 41-10. Missouri hosted old Big 8 rival Kansas State and sent the Wildcats packing with an SEC record 61 yard field goal as time ran out posting a 30-27 win. Texas struggled for 3 quarters with a very good Wyoming squad but came alive in the 4th quarter for a 31-10 victory. The win vaulted Texas to #1 in this weeks Billingsley Report. Brigham Young traveled to Hog country and snatched away a 38-31 win over Arkansas. Notre Dame moved to 4-0 on the season with a 41-17 blasting of Central Michigan. Sam Hartman really has the Irish offense humming. In the MWC Air Force and Fresno State remained unbeaten at 3-0 with big wins, 39-21 over Utah State and 29-0 over Arizona State respectively. The PAC 12 continues to shine with Washington, Utah, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington State and Colorado all posting wins to remain undefeated. Tennessee just can't shake off Florida. The Volunteers traveled to the Swamp and were promptly swamped 29-16. This upcoming weeks projections should post Monday afternoon.   

Texas Topples Tide In Tuscaloosa

Until someone proves us wrong I think we can officially say…… Texas Is Back! Quinn Ewers guided the Longhorn offense with precision and the stingy Texas defense held Bama in check as the Longhorns danced to a 34-24 win, one of the greatest in Texas' long storied history.  Around the Nation: Three Big 12 newcomers are already proving to be an asset to the conference. Cincinnati went on the road and scored a big win over ACC contender Pittsburgh 27-21. Central Florida traveled to Boise and came away with an 18-16 win over the Broncos and BYU went to 2-0 on the season with a 41-16 blowout over Southern Utah. Current Big 12 members aren't doing so shabby either. Kansas State blasted a good Troy squad 42-13 and vaulted all the way to #2 in this week's Billingsley Report. Oklahoma downed SMU 28-11 and Oklahoma State traveled to Arizona State and beat the Sun Devils 27-15. Kansas started things rolling Friday night by rolling over Illinois 34-23. Watch out for the Jayhawks, they look like a solid team. The Big 12 race should prove to be very interesting this year. North Carolina squeaked by stubborn Appalachian State in two overtimes 40-34. Notre Dame moved to 3-0 with a convincing 45-24 win at North Carolina State. Don't look now but the Pac 12 is boasting as many Top 25 teams as the SEC with Washington, Southern Cal, Utah, Oregon, Oregon State, and UCLA all among the Nation's top teams with Colorado and Washington State not far behind. Speaking of the SEC, Ole Miss scored a huge 37-20 win at Tulane vaulting the Rebels to #9. Stay tuned for week 4 projections which should be uploaded sometime Monday.  

Colorado Shocks TCU 45-42

Love him or hate him for his coaching tactics of putting together his 2023 team…..Deion Sanders backed up his words as the Buffaloes traveled to Fort Worth and danced away with a 45-42 win over last season's high flying Horned Frogs. Around the Nation: The Tar Heels won the battle of the Carolina's with a 31-17 win over South Carolina. Michigan and Penn State looked impressive with wins over East Carolina and West Virginia while Ohio State struggled slightly with stubborn Indiana 23-3. Minnesota nipped Nebraska 13-10 with a last second field goal.  Fresno State traveled to Purdue and walked away with a 39-35 victory. The PAC 12 went undefeated with an 11-0 record with Oregon State's game scheduled for this afternoon. The Nation awaits the LSU/Florida State game tonight in prime time. The Billingsley Report will be posted Tuesday after The Clemson/Duke contest Monday night. 

Notre Dame Blasts Navy To Open 2023 Season

The American College Football season began Saturday in Dublin, Ireland as the Fighting Irish dominated Navy 42-3. It was a light schedule with only 14 teams hitting the gridiron. In other notable games, FBS newcomer Jacksonville State nipped Texas-El Paso 17-14 while Massachusetts went on the road and upset New Mexico State 41-30. Vanderbilt and San Diego State started the season out with a win as the Commodores best Hawaii 35-28 and The Aztecs beat Ohio 20-13. USC beat San Jose State 56-28 and Louisiana Tech squeaked by Florida Int. 22-17.  The season starts in full force Thursday with games running through Monday, Labor Day night, including a much anticipated LSU/Florida State contest Sunday night. Projections will be posted Tuesday. 

From the Desk of Richard Billingsley

I started this website in 1997 and only one time in those 26 years have I posted a personal message. The first time came after the release of the book DEATH TO THE BCS in which I was referred to as an Oklahoma Hillbilly with no formal mathematical training who had no business being part of the BCS. That was too good not to respond to. Ever since I have laughingly called myself the Hillbilly Football Guru. Previously, in 2005, my rankings had been published in the ESPN College Football Encyclopedia as their official computer rankings right alongside the AP and Coaches Polls. In 2014 the prestigious PREDICTION TRACKER web site named The Billingsley Report as the BEST OVERALL Predictive System in America. I've always let my work speak for itself.  But, the time has come for another personal message. One that is not so easy to convey. In the offseason I was diagnosed with Parkinson's and it has been rather fast moving. I have lost partial use of my right hand and right leg and along with some shaking and loss of some ability to swallow has come a debilitating weakness and fatigue. It forced some major decisions to be made quickly. Reluctantly I sold my 3rd generation family home in Hugo, Oklahoma and moved to the Houston area in with family and closer proximity to medical care. The Billingsley family moved to Hugo in 1926. 97 years later, I was last in the line. I'm a blessed man and I thank God for my close knit family, my brother Dave, and my four Nephews Steve, Travis, Tony and Joe, all of whom live in the area, but It was a very emotional time. Part of me will always consider Hugo home.  The outstanding question remaining is how will this affect my work in football? My hope is that it will continue, but it will most certainly be delayed. Everything about my life is slower and more difficult. Previously my goal was to have my rankings posted by Noon on Sundays and Projections posted by Noon on Mondays. That will no longer be possible. I'm going to try to have rankings posted by 5pm Monday and projections following on Wednesday Noon. I'm hoping for the best but being realistic about the future. The Pre-Season rankings and the first week's abbreviated schedule of projections have just been posted. That's a good start but hardly reflective of a full week's schedule. It will be a week to week and perhaps day by day experience for me to fulfill my obligations.  In spite of the difficulties I'm excited and looking forward to the 2023 season. It should be a dandy. And for the Longhorns, Aggies etc.  my move could be a good omen. It seems that whatever state I live in a team from that state wins a National Championship. I was born in Oklahoma in 1951 and Bud Wilkinson won titles in 1955 and 56. I moved to Texas in 1963 and the Longhorns won the National Championship. I moved to Nashville in the 1990's and Tennessee won in 1998. I moved back to Oklahoma in 2000 and the Sooners won the title. What team will 2023 smile upon? Stay tuned!