What if I told you…
A team without a win, that had fired its head coach a week before, with an interim defensive coordinator, its tight-end coach, who had only taken over play-calling on Wednesday, and had never led at any point in its first four games, beat the No. 7 ranked team in the country?
Well, that actually happened last Saturday, in the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It’s Tailgators on two…hut! hut!
Opening Drive:
1st Down: No. 7 Penn State lost its second game in the row, 42-37, to unranked, winless UCLA on Saturday, triggering panic and outrage among the Nittany Lion faithful. We talk to our own Penn State homer, Gary McDaniel, to get his take on the volatile situation in Happy Valley.
2nd Down: John’s Gators upset Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns, who also drop out of the Top 25 rankings after staring the season ranked No. 1.
3rd Down: Miami Right. The Hurricanes storm into Tallahassee and take care of the Seminoles, showing they are the cream of the ACC. How do we see this team’s chances in the College Football Playoff?
4th Down: Like Father, Like Son. How cool was it to watch CBS’s studio analyst, Rick Neuheisal, watch his son, Jerry, lead the Bruins past the Nittany Lions on Saturday?
Extra Points: Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is seeking treatment after complaining his legs were “hurting like crazy”, believing he may be suffering from clots again. What do Sanders’ health concerns mean for his program?
Late Hits:
Scrap It: UNC pulls the plug on Hulu football documentary. Surprised? And is Bill Belichick one-and-done at UNC?
Watch Tailgators Setup Podcast on Substack:
John’s Game of the Week:
No. 7 Indiana (5-0) at No. 3 Oregon (5-0), 3:30 p.m. CBS
The Coaches: Curt Cignetti (Google him) vs. Dan Lanning
The Quarterbacks: Fernando Mendoza vs. Dante Moore
These two teams are about as evenly matched on paper as any two teams could be, making the choice of this week’s winner a toss up. Don’t beleive us, check out just some of the stat leaders from each team below:
Indiana Hoosiers:
Oregon Ducks:
Be sure to cast your pick for the winner of this week’s game:
Other ‘sexy’ ranked match-ups:
No. 1 Ohio State (5-0) at No. 17 Illinois (5-1), 12 p.m. on FOX
No. 8 Alabama (4-1) at No. 14 Missouri (5-0), 12 p.m. on ABC
The(#notsponsored) Hooters Pick’em Challenge:
John must have been drinking tiger’s blood last week because he was “winning!” John’s 16-3 record also bumps him one game ahead of Gary in the season long challenge.
Also, Gary finally paid his debt for losing the Hair-versus-Hair bet he lost to Brian when he picked the Nittany Lions to defeat the Ducks.
Last Week: John: 16-3; Brian: 13-6; Gary: 11-8.
Year-To-Date Standings: John: 106-29; Gary: 102-33; Brian: 95-40.
Gary’s Cocktail of the Week/The Stadium Series:
The Totally Autzen:
2 oz Vodka (pear lavored if you so desire)
8 oz Lemonade
2 oz Pear Juice
2 oz Club Soda
1 Pear (sliced)
Fill a glass with ice and pour in the vodka, lemonade and pear juice, add club soda and stir gently, garnish with pear slices.
Deschutes Brewery:
Anytime Lemonade Shandy
5% ABV
901 Southwest Simpson Ave. Bend1, Oregon
Heisman Watch:
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State (23-of-27 passing for 326 yards and three touchdowns against Minnesota).
Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama (23-of-31 passing for 340 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT, plus 21 non-sack rushing yards against Vanderbilt).
Jakobe Thomas, DB, Miami (5 tackles, a sack, an interception, two pass breakups and a forced fumble against Florida State).
Shout out to the following Penn State media resources for their coverage this past week:
Zach Seyko of “Locked On Nittany Lions”
Landon Tengwall of “The Landon Tengwall Show”
Audrey Snyder, former Penn State beat writer for The Athletic, and now on Substack with Inside The Lions.
As noted by John, Bend, Orgeon is home of the last Blockbuster Video. It remains the only Blockbuster licensed by Dish Network, which owns the trademark.
