Former Foes, Week 9

Temple (7-0)

Beat ECU, 24-14

Just keep winning, Temple. No matter how ugly it is, just keep doing it. I'm not even going to talk about the ECU game, because Temple can vault itself into the top-20 if it beats Notre Dame this week, which is way more exciting than looking back on last week's win. If you really want to know how Temple did against ECU, here's the box score. It's everything we have come to expect from the Owls – make it an ugly game, force turnovers, and at the end, make the plays necessary to win.

I think Notre Dame beats Temple this week. I know Temple won't go down without a fight.

Up Next: Notre Dame (6-1)

Buffalo (3-4)

Beat Ohio, 41-17

This one was unexpected. Buffalo came into this game with a losing record, while Ohio was considered one of the best teams in the MAC. The Bulls laughed at this, forced a bunch of turnovers, and smacked the Bobcats around. A pair of pick-sixes from linebacker Okezie Alozie and safety Ryan Williamson, along with three rushing touchdowns (two from RB Jordan Johnson and one from QB Joe Licata), broke the game wide open. Between that and the balance on the offensive side of the ball – the Bulls had 212 passing yards and 161 rushing yards – it was a really solid performance from Lance Leipold's squad.

Up Next: vs. Miami (OH) (1-7)

Rutgers (3-4)

Lost to Ohio State, 49-7

Oof. This is exactly what you should expect when Ohio State meets up with Rutgers: one school whips the other one, and by "one school," I mean "Ohio State." Rutgers didn't score until there were 13 seconds left in the game. The Buckeyes had 528 yards of total offense to the Scarlet Knights' 293. The gap between J.T. Barrett (14-for-18, 223 yards, three touchdowns, 13 rushes, 101 yards, two rushing touchdowns) and the RU quarterbacks (Chris Laviano and Hayden Rettig went a combined 13-for-27 with 189 yards, a touchdown, and an interception) was gargantuan, as was the gap between Ezekiel Elliott (19 carries, 142 yards, two touchdowns) and Rutgers' running backs (25 carries, 116 yards, no touchdowns).

Trying to find a positive from this for Rutgers is really tough, so I'm going to stop trying.

Up Next: @ Wisconsin (6-2)

San Diego State (5-3)

Beat Utah State, 40-14

Don't look now, but San Diego State may be the best team in the MWC. The squad is 5-3 with an unblemished conference record, and if it looks as good against the rest of the conference as it did against Utah State, there's no telling what the Aztecs will end up doing.

Donnell Pumphrey continued to shred defenses, as he carried the ball 23 times for 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Aggies. Two of Pumphrey's backups also found the end zone, as Chase Price (21 carries, 97 yards) and Rashaad Penny (10 carries, 38 yards) both had touchdowns. The San Diego State defense was stout, allowing only 239 yards of total offense and forcing four turnovers.

Up Next: @ Colorado State (3-4)

Army (2-6)

Lost to Rice, 38-31

There's a lot to be happy about within this loss, because Rice is a solid team, but still, not a great weekend for Army. The best news was that the Black Knights ran all over the Owls, to the tune of 378 yards and three touchdowns. Which is good! Running back Aaron Kemper scampered for 129 yards on 14 carries with a score, while quarterback A.J. Schurr ran 23 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. Army's defense, of course, couldn't stop Rice from gaining 432 yards of total offense, but hey, it happens.

Up Next: @ Air Force (4-3)

Indiana (4-4)

Lost to Michigan State, 52-26

This result isn't too surprising, as Indiana doesn't match up very well with Michigan State and the Spartans look like they're rounding into form. Both Nate Sudfeld (23-for-37, 308 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception) and Jordan Howard (11 carries, 78 yards, and a touchdown) had solid nights, but Michigan State – namely Connor Cook, who threw for four touchdowns and nearly 400 yards – did whatever it wanted against the porous Hoosiers defense.

The bad news for Indiana is that things are going downhill and its next two games are against Iowa and Michigan, but the good news is that it still has a good shot at becoming bowl eligible, as the season ends with games against Maryland and Purdue.

Up Next: Iowa (7-0)

Ohio State (8-0)

Beat Rutgers, 49-7

Ohio State is figuring it all out. This is scary.

(On a different note, OSU got called for zero penalties against Rutgers, which is...interesting)

Up Next: Minnesota (4-3)

Maryland (2-5)

GOT BURNT

So in this space, I would like to mention the two maroons who called the game for ESPN. I have never, in my life, heard two announcers as bad as these two. Imagine Mike Patrick without the "oh well he's been around forever and he can be fun at times" charm that he has. They kept calling Chris Godwin "Chris Goodwin." It was painful. I am envious of y'all who were at the game and didn't need to sit through this nonsense, because it was bad as hell.

Up Next: @ Iowa (7-0)