Georgia football coming on strong in my Big Ten/SEC top 25 poll | Adams
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The top three football teams in my Big Ten/SEC top 25 held their positions this week. Barely.
1. Indiana: Two things you can count on with the Hoosiers: Fernando Mendoza throwing touchdown passes (30 for the season) and a dominant third quarter. They have outscored teams 139-19 in that quarter.
2. Ohio State: UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava shouldn’t have complained about missing a rematch against the Buckeyes’ renowned defense because of concussion symptoms.
All he missed was a 48-10 loss, which wasn’t much different from a 42-17 defeat when he played for Tennessee against the Buckeyes in a first-round playoff game last season.
3. Texas A&M: The Aggies set themselves up for an epic comeback with one of the worst first halves you will ever see a top 10 team play. Randy Bond missed two field-goal tries, Marcel Reed threw two interceptions, KC Concepcion dropped a pass in the end zone, and the Gamecocks outrushed them 108 to minus-9 yards.
Texas A&M responded by outscoring South Carolina 28-0 in the second half for a 31-30 win.
4. Georgia: The Bulldogs keep getting better. That applies to this season and to their rivalry with Texas.
After beating Texas twice last season, the Bulldogs routed the Longhorns 35-10 in Athens on Nov. 15.
5. Oregon: These Ducks prefer dry weather, as opposed to the slight inclement conditions that recently impacted their passing game. On a dry evening, they completed 30 of 33 passes against Minnesota.
6. Ole Miss: Rebels fans were chanting “We want Lane” at the end of their victory over Florida. The same chant can be heard at LSU and Florida, both of whom would love to have Lane Kiffin as their coach.
7. Oklahoma: There’s nothing pretty about the Sooners offense. But Oklahoma looked gorgeous on the scoreboard in back-to-back road wins at Tennessee and Alabama during which they forced a total of six turnovers.
8. Alabama: Tide quarterback Ty Simpson passed for 326 yards against Oklahoma, but their inability to run the ball again proved costly. They had fewer than 90 yards rushing in both of their losses – to Florida State and the Sooners.
9. Vanderbilt: The Commodores could be playing for a spot in the playoffs when they take on Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in the last game of the regular season. But don’t assume they will get past Kentucky, which has won three consecutive games behind freshman quarterback Cutter Boley.
10. Southern Cal: The Trojans overcame a 21-7 deficit and a rare rainy day in LA to defeat Iowa. The bigger challenge will come Nov. 22, though, when they face Oregon on the road.
11. Michigan: The Wolverines edged Northwestern on a last-second field at Chicago’s Wrigley Field to improve their baseball-stadium record to 13-0.
They went 12-0 at the HHH Metrodome when that served as the home field for the Minnesota Gophers.
12. Texas: Speculation that the Longhorns could still make the playoffs with three losses seems farfetched. Sure, they lost by only seven points to unbeaten Ohio State. But they also lost by 25 points to Georgia and are one of only three teams to lose to Florida.
13. Tennessee: Never mind how bad things are going for Florida, which has lost three consecutive games and is 3-7 overall. The Vols will need to be at their best in The Swamp, where they have lost 10 consecutive games.
14. Missouri: The Tigers passing game has dropped off since the injury to quarterback Beau Pribula. But a passing game wasn’t necessary in a victory over Mississippi State – thanks to running back Ahmad Hardy, who rushed for 300 yards on 25 carries.
15. Iowa: The Hawkeyes have lost four games by a combined margin of 15 points. That tells you how close they have come to a great season.
But their record against nationally ranked teams tells you something else. Their 26-21 loss to USC was their 13th consecutive defeat against ranked teams.
16. Washington: The Huskies were without several offensive starters in beating Purdue 49-13. If you must have injury issues, it’s best to have them against Purdue.
17. Minnesota: The Gophers didn’t live up to their reputation for a strong running game and a ball-control offense in a lopsided loss to Oregon. They managed only 62 yards rushing in a 42-13 defeat.
18. Illinois: The Illini defense has capitalized on a more favorable November schedule. It gave up just 19 points combined in back-to-back victories over Rutgers and Maryland. In its previous five games, it allowed an average of 39.6 points per game.
19. Nebraska: The Cornhuskers are 7-3; Penn State is 4-6 and has lost six of its past seven games. But the Nittany Lions opened as a 7.5-point favorite. What does that tell you?
Answer: The oddsmakers weren’t paying attention when Nebraska quarterback T. J. Lateef, subbing for injured Dylan Raiola, competed 13-of-15 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns against UCLA.
20.LSU: Forgive Tigers fans if they didn’t get overly excited about a 23-22 victory over Arkansas. That was the first time since Sept. 6 that the Razorbacks held an opponent to fewer than 32 points.
21. Northwestern: When the schedule toughened, the Wildcats didn’t. They have followed a four-game winning streak with three consecutive losses.
22. Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights’ Nov. 15 open date couldn’t have come at a better time for running back Antwan Raymond, who rushed for 240 yards on 41 carries against Maryland a week earlier.
23. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs were lauded in the first month of the season for their defensive improvement. The praise proved premature for a defense that has given up an average of 37.5 points in their last seven games.
24. Kentucky: Coach Mark Stoops began the season on the hot seat. But the seat gets cooler every time his $38 million buyout comes up.
So, it’s no wonder athletic director Mitch Barnhardt expressed confidence in Stoops before the Wildcats beat Tennessee Tech for their third consecutive victory.
25. Auburn: Could Tigers interim coach DJ Durkin get the job on a full-time basis? I wouldn’t think so, but he got positive reviews in a 43-35 loss to Vanderbilt.
That tells you how far the Tigers have sunk. Just coming close and showing a semblance of offense against the Commodores fostered optimism.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Georgia football coming on strong in Big Ten/SEC top 25 poll
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