Gators survive (by the skin of their teeth), but 'Noles don't, losing the Battle of the Bowdens. I didn't check the odds, but I'd guess the latter was considered an upset, what with Clemson coming off a loss to Boston College, and FSU having beaten Miami (even though it could barely get by Troy State last week). But the rout of the 'Canes by Louisville shows that Miami was overrated in preseason polls; so, also, may have been the lads from Tallahassee.
Next week, the Gators host Kentucky. Even though it's in the Swamp, I'm predicting an early scare, perhaps with the Wildcats ahead at the half. Florida always comes off a big game flat, win or lose. After Kentucky, they face the gauntlet of 'Bama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia. My guess is, they crest the Tide this year, but the Bayou Bengals ruin their homecoming. The other Tigers then make it two losses in a row, but the Gators regroup to continue their recent ownership of the Ur-rival Dawgs. Bookmark this, and we'll see.
My South Florida Bulls stay undefeated, thanks to an upset of their Interstate 4 rivals, the Central Florida Knights. Alas, I see their run ending next week in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks are no great shakes these days, but they are a team with a history, tra-di-shon (remember Gayle Sayers?) and all that, so, of course, they'll prevail. (Hey! Wait a minute. USF beat Pitt a couple of years ago. Yeah, but that was just one of those exceptions that prove a rule.)
Big news is Michigan's upset of Notre Dame. Yawn. One establishment team over another. I guess I like Michigan marginally better because they aren't lionized in quite the obnoxoius way ND is, what with "subway alumni", their own "Notre Dame Central" on the MSNBC college grid page, ad nauseam.
One reason to like ND: I remember seeing a painting (Neiman?) of an early 1970s Irish vs. Southern Cal game, in which ND fans had hung a banner reading "Trojans burst under pressure".
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