Oklahoma , Baylor , Sooners , Sooners
Baylor Surprises Sooners, Diminish Oklahoma's Playoff Hopes
A very well prepared Baylor team created a defensive masterpiece Saturday morning, holding the mighty Oklahoma offense to just 14 points in a 27-14 home win over previously undefeated Oklahoma. The Sooners still control their destiny in the Big 12 Conference race, but the loss all but shut the door on Oklahoma's shot at the College Football Playoff. The best the Sooners can hope for now is total chaos in the remaining few weeks of the season among the nations top teams.Around the Nation: The ACC's two top teams in the Atlantic Division squared off Saturday night with the Demon Deacons coming away with a thrilling 45-42 win over North Carolina State. Pittsburgh positioned itself well as the top team in the Coastal Division with a 30-23 win over North Carolina. Cincinnati remained unbeaten with a 45-28 win over South Florida. The Bearcats chances for a playoff spot increase with every win and a conference showdown at home with SMU is looming on the horizon Saturday. Ohio State shot down Purdue's giant killer dreams with a 59-31 win over the Boilermakers. The Buckeyes continue to dominate games like a true playoff contender ever since their loss to Oregon. Michigan continues to impress. The Wolverines went on the road and nipped Penn State 21-17. Texas fans are up in arms after a shocking 57-56 overtime loss to conference cellar dweller Kansas. The Longhorns have now dropped 5 games in a row, the longest losing streak since 1956, the year before Darrell Royal took over the reins in Austin. San Diego State took control of the MWC West Division with a 23-21 win over Nevada. Oregon enhanced their playoff hopes with a 38-24 win over Washington State. A huge game at Utah is upcoming this week. Down in the SEC, Tennessee held tough for a half, but Georgia proved to be the Nation's best team again after pulling away for a 41-17 win. Ole Miss dashed Texas A&M's conference title hopes with a 29-19 win over the Aggies. The loss all but handed the West Division crown to Alabama. Geez.....how about them Hogs! Arkansas is having quite a season. The Razorbacks traveled to Baton Rouge and beat LSU in overtime 16-13. Arkansas now stands 7-3 on the season with games against Alabama and Missouri remaining. Watch for Billingsley's Projections to post late Tuesday.
Bulldogs , Georgia , Clemson , Tigers
Defense Dominates as Dawgs Down Tigers 10-3
If you are an old school football fan who loves great defensive performances you were in heaven Saturday night as Georgia smothered Clemson 10-3 in Charlotte, North Carolina. In a game that lived up to all the hype, two of the top 5 teams in the nation battled in a classic showdown. Based on winning the game and the attached strength of schedule Georgia is projected to move to #1 in this week's Billingsley Report which will not be released until late Tuesday after Monday night's Louisville/Ole Miss game. Notre Dame and Florida State face off tonight. Around the Nation: Virginia Tech hosted and surprised North Carolina 17-10, serving notice that the ACC Coastal Division will be a wide open race. Minnesota held tough with Ohio State for 3 quarters on Thursday night but the Buckeye offense came to life in the 4th quarter pulling away from the determined Gophers 45-31. Penn State put on a defensive performance of their own Saturday afternoon, shocking Wisconsin at Camp Randall 16-10. Iowa blasted Indiana 34-6 in preparation for the trip to Ames next Saturday to take on arch rival Iowa State who really struggled Saturday to escape with a 16-10 win over Northern Iowa. The Sooners seemingly had everything under control by the end of the third quarter, holding a 40-22 lead over Tulane until the Oklahoma defense inexplicably let their guard down, opening the door for the Green Wave to come within an inch of a mighty upset before finally bowing 40-35. Texas looked sweet in Sarkisian's debut as the Longhorn's blasted a very good Louisiana team 38-18. Brigham Young defeated old Border Conference foe Arizona 24-16 in Las Vegas late Saturday night. Northern Illinois travelled deep into the heart of Dixie and came away with a shocking 22-21 win over Georgia Tech. UCLA made the Pac 12 proud Saturday night as the Bruins blasted mighty SEC contender LSU 38-27. Washington, not so much as the Huskies fell to Montana 13-7. Defending National Champion Alabama hasn't skipped a beat rolling over Miami (Fla.) 44-13, and the Josh Heupel era at Tennessee started out on a positive note as the Volunteers overpowered Bowling Green 38-6.