Texas A&M Topples Tide 41-38 On Late Field Goal

Late Saturday night in front of an overflow Kyle Field crowd of 106,815, the Texas A&M Aggies managed to do what no one has been able to do since the end of the 2019 season, slow down Alabama enough to outscore them. Roaring to a 24-10 halftime lead A&M held off the Tide comeback in the second half. Alabama took a 38-31 lead late in the 4th quarter but Texas A&M tied the game and held Bama on their next possession, then methodically moved down filed and kicked a chip shot field goal to end Alabama’s 18 game winning streak.Around the Nation: College Football Research Center Executive Vice-President Steve Billingsley and his lovely wife Jill enjoyed the festivities at the Texas State Fair before attending the Red River Rivalry Game in Dallas where Oklahoma performed a second half miracle rally after falling behind by 21 points. Maneuvering for a potential game winning field goal with seconds left in the game, Kennedy Brooks busted through the line and scored a touchdown giving the Sooners a 55-48 win over the shocked Longhorns. The Top Five showdown in the Big 10 turned into an instant classic with Penn State controlling the game for 3 quarters before the Hawkeye offense managed to put together just enough offense to squeak out a 23-20 home victory. The win puts Iowa at #2 in this week’s Billingsley Report. Michigan held off a noticeably improved Nebraska team, kicking a late field goal to down the Huskers 32-29 in Lincoln. Michigan State also remained unbeaten with a 31-13 win at Rutgers. Texas-San Antonio continues to surprise with a 52-46 win on the road over Western Kentucky. The Roadrunners are undefeated at 6-0 and moved into this week’s Top 25 at #25. Brigham Young suffered their first loss of the season, at home no less to Boise State 26-17.  Notre Dame came from behind to spoil Virginia Tech’s upset bid, kicking a late field goal to top the Hokies 32-29. Surprising Kentucky continues to rack up impressive wins, this time over LSU 42-21. The Wildcats are 6-0. Down in the Sun Belt Coastal Carolina moved to 6-0 with a lopsided Thursday Night win over Arkansas State 52-20. Watch for Billingsley’s Projections to be posted late Tuesday.

Alabama Cruises by Auburn 42-13 in Iron Bowl

Rivalry weekend turned out to not be so full of rivalries in 2020 as the pandemic caused multiple cancellations and several last minute rescheduled games and dates. Even without Coach Saban, The Crimson Tide had no problem flying past War Eagle though as Alabama crushed arch rival Auburn 42-13.  

Crimson Tide Crushes Ohio State 52-24. Alabama wins 11th Billingsley National Championship.

In a season like no other, with limited fans and abbreviated schedules, Alabama left no doubt....the Crimson Tide is the King of College Football. Ohio State held their ground for a quarter and a half, mainly due to Tide errors, but even before halftime there was really no doubt, Alabama is the best team in 2020. In the second half an obviously more talented Tide team out manned the Buckeyes and ran to a 52-24 win. Alabama now holds a record 11 Billingsley National Titles. Look for the updates coming on the Encyclopedia in February and March 2021.

Alabama and Ohio State Set For National Championship

The Crimson Tide, 31-14 winners over Notre Dame, and the Buckeyes who scored a 49-28 win over Clemson will vie for the 2020 College Football National Championship on Monday January 11, 2021.

Alabama Survives Gators Upset Bid 52-46 to Win SEC Championship

Florida QB Kyle Trask was sacked on the final play of the game, ending the Gators hopes of upsetting the #1 ranked Crimson Tide. Alabama will now enter the CFP undefeated and most likely the #1 seed. Around the Nation: Clemson got their revenge for their only regular season loss by overwhelming Notre Dame 34-10. Ohio State struggled early but pulled away for a 22-10 win over Northwestern to win the Big 10 Title. Cincinnati squeaked by a very good Tulsa team 27-24 to remain undefeated at 9-0 and win the AAC Title, keeping slim hopes alive for a shot at the CFP. An Oklahoma interception inside their own 10 yard line as time was running out gave the Sooners their 6th straight Big 12 Title, surviving Iowa State 27-21. UAB shocked Marshall 22-13 to win the C-USA Title. The Blazers have won two of the last three conference championships since reviving their football program just 3 years ago. What an amazing feat. Army beat Air Force 10-7 to capture the Commander-In-Chief Trophy. Ball State beat Buffalo 38-28 to win the MAC. San Jose State finished the season 7-0 and won the MWC Title by beating Boise State 34-20. Oregon shocked Southern Cal in the Coliseum 31-24 to win the PAC 12. And Coastal Carolina finished the regular season 11-0 after the Sun Belt Championship game with Louisiana-Lafayette was canceled.

Alabama Bulldozes Bulldogs 41-24. Clemson Destroys Tech 73-7.

In the season's most anticipated game to date the Crimson Tide came from behind in the second half, holding Georgia to no points, and posted a huge 41-24 victory. The win solidifies Alabama's CFP hopes and lifted the Tide to #1 in this week's Billingsley Report. Meanwhile, Clemson absolutely demolished Georgia Tech 73-7. Louisville put a huge scare into the Irish, but Notre Dame prevailed in South Bend 12-7. Florida State upset previously unbeaten North Carolina 31-28. Brigham Young moved to 5-0 on the season with an impressive 43-26 win at Houston. And the Arkansas Razorbacks are showing signs of life, moving to 2-2 on the season after shocking Ole Miss 33-21.

Championship Weekend Turns Topsy Turvy As Alabama Downs Dawgs 41-24

Upsets dotted the landscape Saturday as Championship Games unfolded over the course of the day. Baylor started things rolling by holding off a furious comeback bid by Oklahoma State including an amazing goal line defensive stand to end the game. The Bears won the Big 12 Conference  Title with a 21-16 win over the Pokes. In the afternoon SEC Title game Georgia's vaunted defense was no match for Bryce Young and Alabama as the Tide rolled off 41 points on the nation's top defense. Young's performance probably sealed a Heisman Trophy and completely altered the landscape of the CFP as the SEC will now most certainly send two teams to the playoff. Cincinnati, 35-20 winners over Houston, and the Nation's only undefeated team, leaped to #1 in the latest Billingsley Report and will most likely make history by becoming the first Group of Five team to make the playoff. The Bearcats are expected to nab the #4 position behind Alabama, Michigan and Georgia. The official results, along with the 2021 Bowl Pairings will be released on ESPN today beginning at 11AM CT.Around the Nation: Pittsburgh secured their first ACC Championship with a 45-21 win over Wake Forest. Michigan finally grabbed the elusive Big 10 Title that Wolverine fans have longed for with a 42-3 whipping of Iowa. Looks like sticking with Harbaugh through tough times was the right move. Texas-San Antonio finished 12-1 after jumping out to a huge lead then holding off Western Kentucky 49-41 in the C-USA Championship. Northern Illinois surprised slightly favored Kent State in Detroit 41-23 for the MAC Title. In one of the days biggest shockers Utah State won their first MWC Crown with a 46-13 dismantling of heavily favored San Diego State. Utah beat Oregon 38-10 making it two in a row for the Utes over the reeling Ducks. It is the first PAC 12 Title for Utah. And down in the mighty Sun Belt La. Lafayette finished the regular season 12-1 and took the Sun Belt Title over Appalachian State 24-16. The projections for the 2021 Bowl Games will be posted later this week.  

Alabama and Georgia Set To Tangle For Title

In a repeat of the SEC Championship, the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs will play for the 2021 College Football National Championship. Both teams won their Bowl Games in convincing fashion. Alabama crushed Cincinnati 27-6 and Georgia manhandled Michigan 34-11. The game is set for Monday January 10, 2022 with a 7pm CT telecast. Their were 35 Bowl Games played this year after 5 cancellations due to covid protocols. Billingsley Projections were 24-11 which was a tie for first in the nation in a report released today by the PREDICTION TRACKER. More to follow on a wrap up of the Bowl Season. 

After 41 Years, The Dawgs Finally Have Their Day

You could see the joy all over Vince Dooley's face. Kirby Smart and his beloved Bulldogs had just brought the National Championship home again. The last time was 1980 when Dooley's Dawgs whipped Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl 17-10. This time may have even tasted sweeter as Georgia beat old nemesis Alabama 33-18. Fans were treated to a 1960's style defensive slugfest for almost the entire game until Georgia exploded for two touchdowns, one a defensive pick six which sealed the championship.  The Billingsley Encyclopedia will be updated over the course of the next few weeks. Stay tuned to see which teams set CFRC Rating Records for 2021!

Full Moon Chaos

College Football was turned upside down this weekend. Notre Dame lost at home to Marshall, Texas A&M lost at home to Appalachian State, Nebraska lost at home to Georgia Southern, and Alabama, a 21 point favorite over Texas barely escaped the trip to Austin. The whole weekend had an eerie feel. It must have been the full moon right? We have to blame it on something! Around the Nation: In the ACC Tennessee squeaked out a win at Pittsburgh 34-27, while North Carolina was escaping a second week in row with a close 35-28 win over Georgia State.  In the AAC, league leader Houston fell at Texas Tech 33-30. In the Big 10 all the big boys, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State continued to roll, all over lesser competition. Iowa and Wisconsin were not so lucky. The Hawkeyes fell 10-7 to in state rival Iowa State and the Badgers were surprised by visiting Washington State 17-14. In the Big 12, Oklahoma was embarrassed in the first half trailing Kent State 3-0 till right before halftime, but the Sooners got untracked in the second half and finally prevailed 33-3. Baylor travelled to Provo for a meeting with BYU and lost in overtime 26-20. Could this be Brigham Young's year for a run at the playoffs? They certainly have the schedule for it. In the Pac 12 USC is certainly grabbing some headlines with their prolific offense, blowing away Stanford 41-28, and don't look now but watch out for the Beavers, Oregon State went on the road and topped Fresno State 35-32. Down in the SEC Arkansas looks mighty good. The Razorbacks moved to 2-0 with a sharp 44-30 win over South Carolina. The Hogs moved up to #3 in this week's Billingsley Report, the highest since the Frank Broyles era in the 1970's. Mark Stoops became Kentucky's winningest coach with a win in the swamp over Florida 26-16. That was the most physical game I've ever seen the Wildcats play. Stay tuned for week 4 projections, scheduled to be posted Tuesday.    

Alabama Escapes Upset Bid

The much anticipated match of Texas A&M travelling to Tuscaloosa lived up to every drop of the week's hype. It boiled down to the final play of the game with the Aggies on the Tide goal line ending with an incomplete pass. Alabama survived 24-20. North Carolina State intercepted a Seminole pass in the end zone to edge Florida State 19-17. The Big 3 from the Big 10 all remained unbeaten. Ohio State crushed Michigan State 49-20, Michigan started slow but finished strong 31-10 over Indiana, and Penn State was idle, but something has to give this week as Michigan and Penn State tangle Saturday. Texas humiliated Oklahoma 49-0. The last time the Longhorns shut out the Sooners was 1965, I was 14 and my ranking system was just a pipe dream. How time flies. The Sooners are reeling from 3 straight losses and facing a daunting upcoming schedule. Could Oklahoma be looking at 3-9? Yikes. TCU won the Big 12 battle of undefeated teams nipping Kansas 38-31. Now the Horned Frogs must face the other remaining unbeaten team, Oklahoma State. Things are heating up on the West Coast with the Trojans and Bruins looking like title contenders. USC beat Washington State 30-14 and UCLA beat a very good Utah team 42-32. Looks like the battle for LA may be a dandy this year. Don't look now but the race for the SEC crown may be a real battle this year. In addition to the usual contenders of Alabama and Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee have raised some eyebrows. Both are still undefeated with the Tide headed to Knoxville this Saturday. The Volunteers looked mighty good in Death Valley, blowing out LSU 40-13. Projections will be posted by Tuesday.  

Tennessee Stuns Alabama With Late Field Goal

In what is sure to become an instant classic in this long storied rivalry, the Volunteers stunned Alabama 52-49 on a field goal with 2 seconds left on the clock. After building a 28-10 lead over the Tide, Alabama stormed back to tie the game with 18 unanswered points. The two teams traded score for score until tied 49-49 late in the game. Alabama had a chance to win but missed a long field goal with 12 seconds left leaving the teams apparently headed to overtime. But Tennessee was not to be denied. The Volunteers quickly moved into field goal range and kicked the winning goal with 2 seconds remaining. It was a miraculous win on Rocky Top with Tennessee snapping a 15 game Alabama winning streak.  Around the Nation: Clemson travelled to Tallahassee and outlasted Florida State 34-28. Syracuse remained unbeaten at 6-0 after surprising North Carolina State 24-9. Michigan pounded Penn State 41-17 in the Big House while Ohio State was idle. TCU roared back from a 17 point deficit to beat Oklahoma State  in double overtime. The Horned Frogs are the only undefeated team in the Big 12, now standing at 6-0. The Trojans were not so lucky. USC fell at Utah 43-42 in a late Saturday night contest. The Utes seem nearly impossible to beat at home these days. Georgia and Ole Miss both moved to 7-0. The Bulldogs smothered Vandy 55-0 while the Rebels were holding off a pesky Auburn team 48-34. And finally, heavily favored Notre Dame lost 16-14 to Stanford. Projections will be posted Tuesday. 

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.  

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. 

Nation Awaits CFP Rankings

The Championship Games are in the record books and chaos reigns in college football after Alabama defeated two time defending National Champ Georgia 27-24 Saturday afternoon. Three teams maneuvered their way through the 2023 regular season unbeaten and will no doubt finish #1,2,3 in some order, but the 4th place will be the hardest decision the playoff committee has ever had to make. Three teams, all 12-1, have a legitimate argument for the #4 position. The just released Billingsley Report shows Alabama rising to secure the final spot, edging out Georgia followed by Ohio State with Texas coming in at #7. The Longhorns certainly have a good claim considering they beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa in September, but the Horns later lost to arch rival Oklahoma and Alabama sailed on to 11 straight victories playing a more difficult schedule. Still, the CFP is known to place a lot of value to head to head competition so it's going to be interesting to see the final results scheduled to begin releasing ay 11 AM this morning CT. The Bowl matchups will be released throughout this afternoon.  

Alabama Survives Furious Georgia Rally

The Crimson Tide soared to a 28-0 lead early and made the game look like a blowout in the making. But the Bulldogs held strong and never gave up, shockingly rebounding to take a 34-33 lead in the 4th quarter. Alabama retook the lead at 41-34 and Georgia still had a shot to potentially take the game to overtime. The classic ended with Alabama intercepting the ball in the end zone with 49 seconds left on the clock. The win vaulted Alabama to #1 in this week's Billingsley Report followed by #2 Texas, 35-13 winners over Mississippi St.  The SEC was a wild crazy place to be Saturday. Double digit underdog Kentucky visited the Grove in Oxford and found a way to shut down the high flying Ole Miss Rebels 20-17. Just imagine where the Wildcats would be sitting right now if they had completed that near13-12 upset of Georgia a few weeks ago. Auburn fans were left unbelievably stunned after dominating Oklahoma, leading 21-10 with 6 minutes left in the game before Sooner Magic took over and boom…. Oklahoma scored 17 points to win 27-21. Miami (Fla.) remains unbeaten at 5-0 after a very controversial game ending that was  originally called a Virginia Tech TD for the win but overturned in replay to an incomplete pass giving the Hurricane the win. Duke, also unbeaten at 5-0 stormed back from a 20-0 deficient to slip by arch rival North Carolina 21-20. UNLV has take over the early lead for the G5 CFP bid at 4-0 with a big 59-14 shellacking of Fresno State.  Notre Dame looks strong again with an impressive 31-24 win over Louisville. Northern Illinois has dropped two straight since beating the Irish. How in the world did Notre Dame ever let that one slip away? The Big 10 is still growing strong with 5 teams still unbeaten, Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State and surprise surprise, Rutgers and Indiana.  BYU and Iowa State are the lone unbeatens in the Big 12 after Arizona traveled to Utah and took down the Utes 23-10. What a topsy turvy season so far, and we just got started. Ain't College football grand!