Nittany Lions Fall To Illinois 20-18 in 9 Overtimes.

Long gone are the days you can overlook any team on your schedule. Penn State, a 17 point favorite over Illinois at home in Happy Valley got caught looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Ohio State and paid the price. The Fighting Illini outlasted the stunned Nittany Lions 20-18 in nine overtimes.Around the nation: Miami (Fla.) threw the ACC into chaos with a 31-30 win over North Carolina State. Only the surprising Demon Deacons remain undefeated in the conference. Wake Forest survived an offensive explosion with Army, topping the Cadets 70-56.  Pittsburgh positioned itself well in the Coastal Division race with a win over perennial power Clemson, 27-17. AAC league leader and #3 ranked Cincinnati struggled with Navy but came away with a 27-20 win while SMU kept pace by thrashing Tulane 55-26. Are the Bearcats and Ponies headed for an undefeated showdown on November 20th? What a treat that would be for college football fans. One thing is for certain now, there will be no undefeated match in the Bedlam game. Iowa State saw to that with a 24-21 win over Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon. Speaking of being unprepared, Oklahoma’s hopes for a playoff bid almost bit the dust in Lawrence, Kansas. The Sooners, a whopping 38 point favorite were totally unfocused and if not for the 4th quarter heroics by QB Caleb Williams the Sooners would most certainly have bit the dust on the plains of Kansas. Up in the Big 10, Ohio State has been playing like champions ever since their upset loss to Oregon a few weeks back. The Buckeyes destroyed Indiana 54-7. Michigan dismantled Northwestern 33-7 in preparation for next week’s undefeated match with arch rival Michigan State who was idle this week. San Diego State remains unbeaten after going on the road and nipping Air Force 20-14. The Aztecs moved to 7-0 on the season and Appalachian State removed Coastal Carolina from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 30-27 win at home Wednesday night.

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. 

Penn State, Texas Losses Create Major Top Ten Shakeup

The Nittany Lions and Longhorn defeats opened the door for some unexpected newcomers to the top ten in the Billingsley Report. Alabama, Texas A&M and Oklahoma benefitted greatly. The Penn State 42-37 loss to UCLA was shocking. It seems as though the Nittany Lions just left their heart on the field last week in the loss to Oregon. The Texas loss was not as surprising in the sense that it was an obvious trap game , going to the swamp to play a good Florida squad the week before they play Oklahoma, but still, it is a game Texas should have been better prepared for.  Around the Nation: Miami (Fla.)'s win over arch rival Florida State jumped the Hurricane back to #1 this week with Ohio State just a fraction of a point from taking the top spot themselves. Iowa State fell from the list of undefeated teams as thee Cyclones traveled to Cincinnati and left a 38-30 loser. Texas Tech continues to surprise everyone, now sporting a 5-0 record after beating Houston 35-11. Vanderbilt had Alabama on the ropes but threw an interception in the red zone which would have given them the lead and solid momentum. The Commodores just never seemed to recover and Alabama walked away with a 30-14 win. Oklahoma destroyed Kent State 44-0 as expected, but now I'm putting the Sooners on upset alert. I promise you a different Texas team will take the field next Saturday.  Enjoy you week. Projections will post Tuesday.