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Friday, October 23, 2015

SportsDayDFW.com

The Dallas Morning News

College Football Playoff Watch

Bill Nichols
SATURDAYS NOTABLE GAMES

AAC has become league to respect

This figured to be a down year
for the American Athletic Conference. With the fall of marquee
teams UCF and Cincinnati, who
would carry the leagues banner?
But instead of fading into obscurity, the American has attracted attention with three undefeated teams and victories over power five programs.
After screaming for attention
the first two seasons, the Ameri-

can refuses to be ignored. Last

week Memphis defeated Ole Miss
37-24 to join fellow bowl-eligible
conference members Temple and
Houston in the AP Top 25.
The American is in prime position to land a Group of Five spot in
one of the New Years six bowl
games and perhaps the four-team
College Football Playoff.
No. 18 Memphis signature win
provided a big bargaining chip.

And with No. 21 Houston and No.

22 Temple also undefeated, the
American has some strong rsums for the selection committee to
consider: East Carolinas victory
over Virginia Tech, Houstons victory over Louisville, Temples win
over Penn State, in addition to
Memphis win.
If the committee values wins
over quality nonconference opponents, then that should benefit the

American. The league is 10-1

against the other Group of Five
conferences (Mountain West,
Conference USA, Sun Belt and
Mid-American).
The American is 7-11 against
power five conferences. But other
non-P5 teams have combined for
only nine wins in 82 games versus
power five programs.
On Twitter: @BillNicholsDMN

No. 6 Clemson
at Miami (+7)

Quarterback Deshaun Watson

has an ACCbest 14
touchdown
passes for a
Clemson
team that is
6-0 for the
third time in
five seasons.

11 a.m., Channel 8: This marks the

third time in five years that Clemson has started 6-0, but all but one
of this seasons wins were played
at home. The Tigers lone road
game was a 20-17 victory over
Louisville, their lowest point total.
Sophomore QB Deshaun Watson
leads the ACC with 14 TD passes,
including three in last Saturdays
win over Boston College. The
Hurricanes rebounded from their
loss to Florida State with a 30-20
victory over Virginia Tech in which
they forced four turnovers. Miami
has thrown for a combined 701
yards the last two games. Clemson
27, Miami 24.

No.15 Texas A&M (+6)

at No. 24 Ole Miss
6 p.m., ESPN: Both teams are coming off losses in
which their prolific offenses failed to come through.
And both teams must win to remain in the SEC
West race. The Aggies managed only 316 yards and
23 points against then-No. 10 Alabama. Ole Miss
scored 22 fewer points than its average in a 37-24
loss to Memphis. The Aggies have lost four of their
last six SEC road games. Ole Miss won last years
meeting, 35-20, in College Station. Texas A&M 34,
Ole Miss 30.

No. 3 Utah at Southern Cal (+312)

6:30 p.m., Channel 4: With the possible loss of several key players, USC faces the tough task of limiting mistakes against Utahs aggressive defense.
The Utes, off to their best start since 2010, are tied
for first nationally with 13 interceptions and rank
second in turnover margin at plus-12. Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler has been intercepted twice in
the last two games. Two of his receivers, Darreus
Rogers and Steven Mitchell, are recovering from
injuries. And left tackle Chad Wheeler missed practice with concussion-like symptoms. Utah 27, USC
23

Texas Tech (+1412)

at No. 17 Oklahoma
2:30 p.m., Channel 8: The Sooners have been tough
against the pass since surrendering 427 yards to
Tulsa. Although they lead the Big 12 in total defense,
pass defense and scoring defense, Tech ranks
second nationally in passing yards per game
(427.6), second in total offense (623.7) and third in
scoring offense (49.4). OU quarterback Baker
Mayfield, who threw for 282 yards and five TDs in
last weeks blowout over Kansas State, ranks fourth
nationally in yards per attempt (9.87). Tech's Patrick Mahomes has thrown for 2,628 yards and 20
touchdowns. Oklahoma 38, Texas Tech 30.
LINE THROUGH TUESDAY

LAST WEEK: 3-1 straight 2-1-1 vs line SEASON: 20-8 straight, 16-10-2 vs. line.
Tyler Smith/Getty Images

College
picks

SMU (+12) at South Florida

Kansas State (+4) at Texas
Iowa State (+37) at Baylor
Texas Tech (+1412) at Oklahoma
Kansas (+3312) at Oklahoma State
Texas A&M (+6) at Ole Miss
North Texas (+29) at Marshall
Auburn (+512) at Arkansas
Tennessee (+15) at Alabama
Houston at UCF (+2112)
Western Kentucky (+17) at LSU
Missouri at Vanderbilt (+3)
Utah (+312) at USC
Boston College (+712) at Louisville
Florida State at Georgia Tech (+6)
Washington State (+7) at Arizona
Indiana (+16) at Michigan State
Ohio State at Rutgers (+21)
Army (+9) at Rice
Washington (Off) at Stanford
Last week vs. line
Season vs. line
Last week straight
Season straight

CHUCK
CARLTON

CORBY
DAVIDSON

KATE
HAIROPOULOS

TOMMY
MAGELSSEN

BILL
NICHOLS

RIC
RENNER

NEWY
SCRUGGS

KEVIN
SHERRINGTON

BRETT
VITO

Colleges

The Ticket

Colleges

SportsDayDFW.com

Colleges

FSSW

Ch. 5

Columnist

Denton RecordChronicle

vs. Line
Straight
SMU
S. Florida
Texas
Texas
Baylor
Baylor
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
Kansas
Okla. St.
Texas A&M Ole Miss
Marshall
Marshall
Arkansas
Arkansas
Alabama
Alabama
Houston
Houston
W. Kentucky LSU
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt
Utah
Utah
Boston Coll. Louisville
Florida St.
Florida St.
Arizona
Arizona
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Rice
Rice
Stanford
Stanford
7-13-1 (.350)
67-73-4 (.479)
15-6 (.714)
106-38 (.736)

vs. Line
Straight
SMU
S. Florida
Texas
Texas
Baylor
Baylor
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Marshall
Marshall
Arkansas
Arkansas
Alabama
Alabama
Houston
Houston
W. Kentucky LSU
Missouri
Missouri
Utah
Utah
Boston Coll. Louisville
Florida St.
Florida St.
Arizona
Arizona
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Army
Rice
Stanford
Stanford
8-12-1 (.400)
73-67-4 (.521)
13-8 (.619)
105-39 (.729)

vs. Line
Straight
S. Florida
S. Florida
Texas
Texas
Iowa St.
Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Kansas
Okla. St.
Texas A&M Ole Miss
Marshall
Marshall
Arkansas
Arkansas
Alabama
Alabama
Houston
Houston
W. Kentucky LSU
Missouri
Missouri
Utah
Utah
Louisville
Louisville
Florida St.
Florida St.
Arizona
Arizona
Indiana
Michigan St.
Rutgers
Ohio St.
Army
Rice
Stanford
Stanford
10-10-1 (.500)
65-75-4 (.464)
16-5 (.762)
106-38 (.736)

vs. Line
Straight
SMU
S. Florida
Kansas St.
Texas
Baylor
Baylor
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Texas A&M Ole Miss
Marshall
Marshall
Arkansas
Arkansas
Alabama
Alabama
Houston
Houston
LSU
LSU
Missouri
Missouri
Utah
Utah
Boston Coll. Louisville
Florida St.
Florida St.
Arizona
Arizona
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Rice
Rice
Stanford
Stanford
11-9-1 (.550)
72-68-4 (.514)
18-3 (.857)
114-30 (.792)

vs. Line
Straight
S. Florida
S. Florida
Texas
Texas
Baylor
Baylor
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Ole Miss
Ole Miss
Marshall
Marshall
Arkansas
Arkansas
Alabama
Alabama
Houston
Houston
LSU
LSU
Missouri
Missouri
Utah
Utah
Louisville
Louisville
Florida St.
Florida St.
Arizona
Arizona
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Rice
Rice
Stanford
Stanford
12-8-1 (.600)
71-69-4 (.507)
15-6 (.714)
109-35 (.757)

vs. Line
Straight
SMU
S. Florida
Texas
Texas
Baylor
Baylor
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Texas A&M Texas A&M
N. Texas
Marshall
Auburn
Auburn
Alabama
Alabama
Houston
Houston
LSU
LSU
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt
USC
USC
Louisville
Louisville
Florida St.
Florida St.
Arizona
Arizona
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Rice
Rice
Stanford
Stanford
13-7-1 (.650)
76-64-4 (.543)
16-5 (.762)
108-36 (.750)

Straight
vs. Line
S. Florida
S. Florida
Texas
Texas
Baylor
Baylor
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Ole Miss
Ole Miss
Marshall
Marshall
Auburn
Arkansas
Alabama
Alabama
Houston
Houston
W. Kentucky LSU
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt
Utah
Utah
Boston Coll. Louisville
Florida St.
Florida St.
Wash. St.
Arizona
Indiana
Michigan St.
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Army
Rice
Stanford
Stanford
10-10-1 (.500)
75-65-4 (.538)
15-6 (.714)
103-41 (.715)

vs. Line
Straight
S. Florida
S. Florida
Texas
Texas
Baylor
Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Kansas
Okla. St.
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Marshall
Marshall
Arkansas
Arkansas
Tennessee
Alabama
Houston
Houston
W. Kentucky LSU
Missouri
Missouri
Utah
Utah
Boston Coll. Louisville
Florida St.
Florida St.
Wash. St.
Arizona
Indiana
Michigan St.
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Rice
Rice
Stanford
Stanford
12-8-1 (.600)
74-66-4 (.529)
17-4 (.810)
109-35 (.757)

vs. Line
Straight
S. Florida
S. Florida
Texas
Texas
Baylor
Baylor
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Marshall
Marshall
Arkansas
Arkansas
Alabama
Alabama
Houston
Houston
LSU
LSU
Missouri
Missouri
Utah
Utah
Louisville
Louisville
Florida St.
Florida St.
Arizona
Arizona
Indiana
Michigan St.
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Rice
Rice
Stanford
Stanford
13-7-1 (.650)
78-62-4 (.557)
17-4 (.810)
111-33 (.771)

CHUCK CARLTON

Heisman hopeful winning hearts as well as games

Continued from Page 1C

be 7-0 without Boykin, along

with standout receiver Josh
Doctson.
The biggest thing for him
and I think hes figured it
out is just to go win and
keep doing what hes doing
and stay focused, Patterson
said of Boykin. And he knows
if he wins and plays the way
hes been playing, especially
being on national TV, all that
will take care of itself.
At the very least, Boykin
has positioned
himself well
for November
and December, when traditionally the
Heisman
is
won and lost.
ABBY
At the opening
FABER
coin toss last
Saturday, Boykin touched hearts by greeting
a 7-year-old Iowa State fan in a
wheelchair who was serving as
honorary captain. He even
asked the name of the girl, who
is suffering from a form of cerebral palsy. The photo went
viral.
Earlier this season, Boykin

Rating the field

Staff writer Chuck Carlton breaks down his current top five Heisman
Trophy candidates:
Player, School
Pos. Yr. Comment
Leonard Fournette, LSU RB So. Averaging 200.3 yards rushing a game
Trevone Boykin, TCU QB Sr. Has led team to 19-1 record since 2014
Dalvin Cook, Fla. St.
RB So. 2nd in FBS in yds per game and per carry
Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio St. RB Jr. 12 straight 100-yard rushing games
Corey Coleman, Baylor WR Jr. On pace for FBS receiving TD record

Paul Moseley/Fort Worth Star-Telegram

This photograph of TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin speaking with Abby Faber, an Iowa
State honorary captain, before the coin toss last weekend went viral.

received a congratulatory
hand-written letter from Kansas State coach Bill Snyder after leading TCU past the
Wildcats.
Those moments count.

Boykin (West Mesquite)

has some convincing to do. In
nearly every Heisman poll
and there are plenty LSU
running back Leonard Fournette has carved out a com-

manding lead.
In a recent interview with
FanSided.com, ESPN analyst
Kirk Herbstreit likened Fournette to Triple Crown winner
American Pharaoh running

away from everyone.

Herbstreit still views Boykin as a serious contender.
He just refuses to let this
team lose, and thats something the voters dont lose
sight of, Herbstreit said.
Boykin, for all the hype Fournette has gotten, has to be up
there still.
Fournette has several selling points: He leads the nation in rushing, LSU is undefeated in the SEC West and
the sophomore has a compelling personal story with his
family displaced by Hurricane
Katrina. Fournette will also
have the SEC Network spotlight.
For his part, Boykin isnt
guaranteed of getting all the
first-place votes in Texas, with
Doctson and rivals like Baylors Seth Russell and Corey
Coleman.

TCU sports information

director Mark Cohen, who
handles athletic public relations, said the school plans no
formal campaign for Boykin
no Times Square billboard
or trading cards or mass mailings.
Our strategy is hopefully
to win football games, Cohen
said. Thats the best marketing tool you can do. Times
have changed. Every one of
our games is on national TV.
Weve been fortunate to have
success. People know about
Trevone Boykin.
Asked about the potential
push for Fournette from the
SEC and its network, Cohen
said TCU wont overreact.
Some stuff you cant control, Cohen said. Well stay
the course.
Twitter: @ChuckCarltonDMN

C8 10-23-2015 Set: 20:43:03

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