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.

2022 Season Set To Open August 27

Although the first week of the season starts with a very abbreviated schedule, the opening weekend on August 27 is upon us. Highlighted by Nebraska and Northwestern squaring off in Dublin Ireland, the opening weekend shows a scant schedule of less than 15 games with only 7 between FBS versus FBS opponents. Labor Day weekend, week two on the schedule is the traditional opening weekend and offers a King's feast of highly anticipated games. Thursday September 1 kicks off the party with the renewal of an old rivalry between West Virginia hosting Pittsburgh. The series between these two rivals dates to 1895 with the Panthers holding a 61-40-3 lead. They have not met since the 2011 season. The fireworks kick off full force on Saturday September 3 as Cincinnati looks to extend their national prominence by travelling to SEC country to face Arkansas. I can hear the HOG CALL already reverberating through the Ozarks. Oregon and Georgia face off in Atlanta while Utah, the pre-season PAC 12 favorite, visits the Swamp to tackle Florida. In the prime time night game the most highly anticipated match finds Notre Dame travelling to the Horseshoe to battle Ohio State. These two college football king pins have only met 6 times, with the last two being in Bowl Games. The Fighting Irish won the first two way back in 1935 and 1936, with the Buckeyes taking the last 4. With both teams being highly ranked, Notre Dame #9 and Ohio State #8, the winner is likely to jump at or near the top of week 2's Billingsley Report due out the Tuesday after Labor Day. The Sunday night game finds Florida State at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge to face new LSU head coach Brian Kelly. The Monday night Labor Day game features Clemson at Georgia Tech. Needless to say the 2022 season should be an interesting one, full of upsets and surprises. Will someone be able to knock the SEC off their perennial perch? Perhaps Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson, Utah, or maybe even a rebuilt Oklahoma or upstart Texas? Hmmm…. maybe the hyped up USC? Time will tell. Let the games begin!     

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. 

Clemson Edges Syracuse, Vaults to #1

ACC undefeated Titans met in Death Valley Saturday morning with Clemson coming out on top 27-21. The Tigers jumped to the top spot in this week's Billingsley Report. TCU, by virtue of their big win over Kansas State 38-28, also made a major move in the rankings, moving to #2.  Around the Nation: Ohio State blasted Iowa 54-10 while Michigan was idle. Penn State's whiteout smothered Minnesota 45-17. Oklahoma State overcame a 17 point deficit in Stillwater to nip Texas 41-34. 14 penalties killed the Longhorns. The high flying Ducks hosted undefeated UCLA and former coach Chip Kelly, and ripped the Bruins 45-30. Alabama rebounded with a solid 30-6 win over Mississippi State. LSU spoiled Ole Miss' undefeated season, out scoring the Rebels 45-20. The Tigers improved to 6-2 on the season, and South Carolina is quietly putting together a good season. The Gamecocks improved to 5-2 with a 30-24 home win over Texas A&M. Projections will be posted Tuesday.  

Upsets Dot The Landscape of Rivalry Weekend

It all started with the 24-22 Mississippi State upset of Ole Miss Thursday night and rolled all the way thru a 38-34 Oregon State stunner over Oregon Saturday. Rivalry weekend was a wild ride. South Carolina absolutely stunned the nation, dropping a top 10 opponent for the second week in a row with a 31-30 win over arch rival Clemson. Shane Beamer certainly has the Gamecock program headed in the right direction. The same can be said for Mike Norvell and Florida State as the Seminoles nipped Florida 45-38 to finish the regular season 9-3. North Carolina State edged North Carolina 30-27. Michigan ran away from Ohio State 45-23 in the second half. Nebraska shocked Iowa 24-17 handing the Big 10 West Division crown to Purdue, 30-16 winner over Indiana. USC is inching closer to a spot in the CFP. The Trojans downed Notre Dame 38-27 and still have the PAC 12 Championship to impress the committee. Texas A&M saved their best performance of the year to spoil LSU's title hopes. The Aggies beat the Tigers 38-23. Next week is Championship Weekend and the Top 4 teams in the CFP will be announced along with the Bowl Game participants next Sunday. Projections will be posted Tuesday.