Leave it to Smokey to make friends with Victor E. Huskie, that furry resident of DeKalb, Illinois.
Ol’ Victor is Northern Illinois’ mascot. Tennessee fans should consider him their friend after what NIU did Saturday.
The Huskies uppercut Notre Dame. Made a laugher of the leprechauns.
NIU sent Notre Dame spinning toward an NIT bowl game. Forget the playoffs.
Any 10-2 SEC team (well, other than Texas A&M) will be a more viable playoff contender than 11-1 Notre Dame – if the Irish are fortunate enough to reach that record after losing 16-14 at home to NIU.
When the Huskies’ Kanon Woodill blasted through a 35-yard field goal, he simultaneously booted the Irish out of the CFP and created more room for the SEC.
Insert No. 12 Tennessee.
The Vols (2-0) are humming behind Nico Iamaleava.
TOPPMEYER: Texas football becomes bully under Steve Sarkisian, as Michigan left to cheat their fans
ADAMS: I apologize for leaving anyone out on Tennessee football defense in rout of NC State
OPINION: Why does what happened to Notre Dame football Saturday keep happening?
Never mind that Tennessee coach Josh Heupel should’ve vaulted his five-star quarterback into the starting lineup 11 months ago. Better late than never.
Here’s the best part about Tennessee’s quarterback: Iamaleava’s ceiling resides a couple of floors above him. He’s better than he played in Week 2, when he threw two interceptions amid his 276 yards of total offense in a 51-10 dissection of No. 23 NC State.
Tennessee’s defense (forever the question mark under Heupel) looks pretty good.
“The standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense,” Heupel said. “This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry.”
And now Will Brooks, the walk-on safety who scored an 85-yard touchdown following an interception.
But, how about a pat on the head, a scratch behind the ears, and a treat for NIU’s defense? The Huskies limited Notre Dame (1-1) to 286 yards.
“I just couldn’t be more proud,” NIU coach Thomas Hammock told NBC Sports after the win.
SEC playoff contenders couldn’t be happier.
If the Irish snag an at-large playoff bid, that’s bad news for the SEC’s quest for five CFP qualifiers. Notre Dame gained steam after beating Texas A&M in Week 1.
The SEC’s bravado took it on the chin while the Aggies, LSU and Florida suffered losses in their openers.
But, this NIU upset clears the chess board.
My perception on Tennessee hasn’t wavered. For months, I’ve pegged Tennessee’s playoff hopes to one game: Win at Oklahoma in Week 4, and the Vols are in. Lose that game, and Tennessee is out.
The Sooners flirted with disaster Saturday in a 16-12 win against Houston. If UT beats OU, I’ll stop questioning whether the Vols will make the playoff. Better question: How good will their seed be?
No reason why Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama and Tennessee can’t all make the playoff, especially with Notre Dame removed from the mix.
Just remember to thank the Huskies.
Arkansas loses, Bobby Petrino wins
Arkansas blew a lead in a 39-31 double-overtime loss to Oklahoma State, and Sam Pittman inched closer to a discounted buyout.
Pittman is 21-19 since the start of the 2021 season. If he slips below .500 since ’21, he’ll trigger a discounted buyout clause in his contract.
Who’s on deck? Look no further than offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Arkansas fans know all about Petrino and his motorcycle. He was the coach the last time the Hogs reached double-digit wins – and he’s behind the 648 yards of offense Arkansas compiled against one of the Big 12’s frontrunners.
The loss became especially bad news for Pittman, because the offensive output made Petrino look better.
Anyone at Alabama superstitious?
Nick Saban provided a grateful speech before Alabama dedicated its field to the legendary coach. It’s now Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Hours later, the No. 4 Crimson Tide nearly sullied Saban’s good name.
Kalen DeBoer’s squad led South Florida just 21-16 late in the fourth quarter before the Tide (2-0) scored three touchdowns in the final six minutes for a 42-16 victory.
Time to panic? No.
I can’t explain it, but something about USF gives Alabama trouble. The Tide beat the Bulls 17-3 last season before reaching the Rose Bowl.
So, don’t peel Saban’s name off the field just yet. Let this ugly win count for DeBoer.
Best line I heard this week
“Aflac! Aflac! Aflac!” – a fan who bet on Nebraska, cheering while he pounded a Coors Light and watched the Huskers trounce Colorado.
Three and out
1. Nobody, and I mean nobody, should be laughing at No. 3 Texas anymore. The “Texas is back!!” sarcasm is so passé. Texas is back. For real. Really, really back. And Michigan has gone into hiding after the Longhorns trounced the defending national champions 31-12. These past few years, coach Steve Sarkisian instilled a level of toughness Texas sorely missed. “We’re calloused,” Texas senior center Jake Majors said of the program’s evolution. Calloused hands fit nicely into the SEC.
2. Stock up: Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas, Abbott Laboratories, Coca-Cola, Aryna Sabalenka. Stock down: LSU, Kentucky, Auburn, Notre Dame, Michigan, Disney. Be careful before you doubt: Alabama, Johnson & Johnson, Anheuser-Busch.
3. The latest Tope Rope 12-team playoff projections: Georgia (SEC), Ohio State (Big Ten), Oklahoma State (Big 12), Miami (ACC), Memphis (Group of Five), plus at-large selections Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Penn State, Oregon and Utah. Next up: Missouri, Southern Cal.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
The “Topp Rope” is his SEC football column published throughout the USA TODAY Network.
Subscribe to read all of his columns. Also, check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, and newsletter, SEC Unfiltered.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football gained new best friend in NIU Huskies
You must be logged in to post a comment Login