Week 7: Down goes Bama, No. 2 vs. No. 3, and the College Universe meets Star Wars

VIEW FROM THE TOP: Autzen Stadium will be the site for the Game of the Week, as No. 2 Ohio State travels to Eugene, Oregon to take on the No. 3 Ducks. Special guest Jeff Kramer was in Autzen Stadium last Friday. / Photo Courtesy: Jeff Kramer

Week 7: Following a weekend of surprising upsets, the scheduling gods have given us another week of intriguing Top 25 match-ups, including No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon. We also have traditional powers Penn State and USC, meeting out West for the first time as conference opponents.

So let’s get right to it…

First Down: Back from Eugene!

Jeff K

, Lead at

The Death Star Human Resources Department Newsletter

, a weekly Star Wars newsletter on Substack, took his maiden voyage to Eugene, Oregon this past weekend to see his beloved Michigan State Spartans in their first-ever Big Ten match-up against the Ducks. The Ducks won 31-10 and now host Ohio State in a match-up featuring the No. 2 and 3 ranked teams in college football.

Jeff gives us all the tea¹ on the tailgate, crowd, stadium, and atmosphere around Autzen Stadium.

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Weather Note: Gary and John live directly in the path of Hurricane Milton. While it’s fun to talk about the games, we know people will be adversely affected by this week’s storm. We hope everyone in Florida remains safe.

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2nd Down: Upset Saturday! Vandy shocked No. 1 Bama. It was the first time Vandy beat Bama on the field since 1984. No. 4 Tennessee lost to Arkansas. No. 9 Mizzou fell to No. 25 Texas A&M. No. 10 Michigan lost to Washington in a rematch of last year’s CFP Championship, while No. 11 USC lost to Minnesota. Meanwhile, No. 8 Miami barely avoided losing to Cal in an ACC Late Night Special.

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Not the first time…

Alabama’s upset loss to an unranked Vandy team wasn’t the first time a No. 1 has lost to an unranked opponent. In fact, it’s not the first time it’s happened to Bama. Below, a list of every time the No. 1 seed lost to an unranked opponent since 1972.

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3rd Down: The Undefeateds²: ACC - Miami and Pitt; Big Ten - Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn St.; Big 12 - BYU and Iowa St.; Conference USA - Liberty; SEC - Texas.

• If you had to pick one of these teams to remain undefeated during the regular season, who would you pick?

• Does the SEC have to worry about attrition among its ranks impacting how many teams make the CFP?

4th Down: The Service Academies. Does an undefeated Army or Navy earn a spot in the CFP? How big could the Army-Navy game be this year?

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Watch the Tailgators Setup Podcast on Substack:

John’s Game of the Week:

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon (7:30 p.m. NBC). Right? No. 1 Texas at No. 18 Oklahoma (3:30 p.m. on ABC) No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU (7:30 p.m. ABC).

Just for Men (#notsponsored) Pick ‘em Challenge:

John wins the week, going 9-7, putting him in a tie for second with Gary overall, while Brian holds a precarious 2-game lead for the season with a 45-32 record.

This week, guest Jeff joins in on the fun, jumping on the James Madison University bandwagon!

If they were Star Wars characters:

We can’t have a Star Wars expert on the pod and not get into things from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

We throw out some college football names and ask Jeff to tell us who they equate to in the Star Wars universe…

• Nick Saban

• Lane Kiffin

• James Franklin

• Jalen Milroe

• Billy Napier

• Mike Norvell

• Jabba the Hut

• Darth Vader

• Chewbacca

Gary’s Cocktails of the Week:

Gary’s back behind the bar and he’s serving us a shot and a mixed drink in honor of the Bukeyes and Ducks taking the field this week in Eugene.

Buckeye

• Kahlua

• Bailey's Irish Cream

• Add Kahula first then layer Irish cream on the top

The Duck

• 44 ml Tequila

• 30 ml Melon Liqueur

• 30 ml Triple Sec

• 30 ml Sweet and Sour mix

• 15 ml Lime juice

• Fill a shaker with ice, then measure and pour in the liqueurs, sweet and sour mix, and lime juice. The ice not only chills the ingredients but also helps to dilute the cocktail slightly, mellowing the flavors.

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Heisman Hopefuls: A few front-runners’ hopes took a shot this week with upsets. We discuss the impact of those losses, and who still has hopes of visiting New York in December.

• Ashton Jeanty, Boise St.: Best running back in college football.

• Dillon Gabriel, Oregon: Still undefeated. Big game this week against No. 2 Ohio State.

• Jalen Milroe, Alabama: Disappointing loss to Vanderbilt.

• Travis Hunter, Colorado: Best all-around football player.

• Cam Ward, Miami: Still undefeated.

• Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee: Loss to Arkansas in prime time may hurt his chances.

• Carson Beck, Georgia: Lost to Bama, but bounced back this weekend.

• Jaxon Dart, Ole Miss: Lost to Kentucky, but has a chance to make some noise this weekend against LSU in the Bayou.

1. That’s what kids are saying these days on college campuses.

2. We’re not including Army or Navy because they’ve earned their own down.