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.

Baylor and Georgia Register All Time Best Teams in 2021

Calculations released in the newly updated Billingsley Encyclopedia reflect two major notable entries. Both Baylor and Georgia registered their best all time teams in 2021. The 2021 14-1-0 National Champion Bulldogs scored 349.912 points in the final Billingsley Report, significantly better than their  11-1-0 1982 season of 333.804. The undefeated 12-0-0 National Champion team of 1980 falls to #3 on Georgia's list of best teams. Baylor also posted their best team in history with a rating of 304.020, better than both the 2014 and 2013 teams which virtually tied with 291 points.  The 1982 Georgia team is arguably their best ever but the Bulldogs fell just short of winning the Sugar Bowl and the National Title, falling to Penn State 27-23 in the Sugar Bowl. The 2021 Baylor Bears registered their best team by virtue of winning the Big 12 Championship over Oklahoma State 21-16 followed by a stunning 21-7 defeat of Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. 

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.