Dak Prescott leads a strong Mississippi State team. (Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports)
The state of Mississippi continues to rule college football.
Those are words never before used in that order … well, at least until a little over a week ago. Ole Miss and Mississippi State, with combined wins over LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M (twice), have made this an Egg Bowl kind of season.
The Iron Bowl? That is so-o-o-o-o 2013.
Mississippi State has defeated three top 10 teams in a row, the latest being a 38-23 home victory over Auburn in which the Bulldogs didn’t even play their best (four turnovers) and still ended up winning comfortably. Now they get a bye week, so it’s time to take a deep breath, celebrate their new No. 1 spot in the polls and take a bow (but not in front of Pac-12 refs, because that could be excessive celebration).
Ole Miss, which has been so good on defense that its 20 points allowed to Texas A&M on Saturday was a season high, plays host to Tennessee this weekend. It’s not just that the Rebels’ “Landsharks” made it tough for Kevin Sumlin’s offense to score; they pounded on the Aggies from start to finish.
Nobody can ever get too comfortable in the SEC West, but there is enough body of work to know neither team is a fluke, built on the cornerstones of defense and experienced, play-making quarterbacks — Dak Prescott for the Bulldogs and Bo Wallace for the Rebels. Really, what else is there?
So, yeah, Nov. 29 — Mississippi State at Ole Miss.
Here are the three toughest remaining games for each team before the Egg Bowl:
—Ole Miss: at LSU (Oct. 26), Auburn (Nov. 1), at Arkansas (Nov. 22)
—Mississippi State: at Kentucky (Oct. 25), Arkansas (Nov. 1), at Alabama (Nov. 15).
That’s very doable. LSU isn’t LSU this season. Arkansas is just good enough to lose close. Alabama isn’t quite right. Auburn can be stopped. Kentucky … well, the Wildcats have been a nice story so far.
Change happens quickly. Ole Miss and Mississippi State were each 3-5 in the SEC a year ago. But Auburn and Missouri came from nowhere last season to play for the SEC championship, so this Magnolia State magnificence isn’t exactly unprecedented or unsustainable.
And think about this: The Egg Bowl might just be the warmup to the inaugural four-team College Football Playoff. How about a rematch a month later?
Said Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze: “I do think the SEC West deserves two in the playoffs.”
Five Heisman candidates
1. Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State: He was shaky with two second-quarter interceptions against Auburn, but he ended up with 246 yards passing, 121 rushing and three total touchdowns.
2. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: He’s back. A week after he and the Ducks lost at home to Arizona, Mariota and a healthier offensive line slammed the offense back into gear in a Pac-12 showdown at UCLA. He accounted for four touchdowns.
3. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin: The Badgers might not do enough as a team for Gordon to win, but he’s the nation’s premier back now that Georgia’s Todd Gurley is suspended and should at least get a seat at the Heisman ceremony. Gordon, averaging 174.3 yards per game, is on track for a 2,000-yard season.
4. Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor: The Bears appeared buried Saturday when Petty threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, giving TCU a 58-37 lead with 11:38 to go. Petty then directed three touchdown drives — the longest of which covered 1 minute, 23 seconds — and got Baylor in position for a game-winning 28-yard field goal as time expired. Petty passed for 510 yards as the Bears stayed undefeated.
5. Everett Golson, QB, Notre Dame: The turnovers are a problem; he has nine in the past three games. Bu the playmaking, the strong arm and a 6-0 Irish team keep him on the fringes.
Five things we think we learned in week 7
1. Jake Fisher makes a huge difference for Oregon. He returned from an injury to start at left tackle, and the Ducks looked whole again vs. UCLA. Oregon has not allowed a sack in three of the four games he has started this season.
2. Kickers are people, too. When West Virginia’s Josh Lambert kicked a 47-yard field goal to beat Maryland last month, coach Dana Holgorsen joked (we think) that, “I haven’t talked to Josh Lambert since he got on campus.” When Lambert drilled a 55-yarder on the final play to beat Texas Tech on Saturday, the kicker tweeted a celebratory picture with Holgorsen and added: “He finally talked to me!!!! Lol No.Winning.”
3. Dan Mullen is going to get paid. The Mississippi State coach is making around $3 million per year. That’s nice. As it stands, he would be the logical candidate to break the bank at Florida (where he used to coach) or Michigan … or he could use those soon-to-be-created vacancies to get a big, fat raise right where he is.
4. Jim McElwain is going to get paid. The former Nick Saban assistant has Colorado State looking as if it’s the 1990s and Sonny Lubick is the coach. McElwain, in his third season in Fort Collins, has the Rams at 5-1 after winning at Nevada.
5. There’s trouble at UCLA. Cameras caught UCLA head coach Jim Mora and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich in a heated sideline discussion, with Ulbrich at one point shoving his play-call card into Mora’s hands. Frustration is mounting for the two-loss Bruins, who began the season as a trendy pick for the College Football Playoff.
Five players to watch
1. Washington LB Shaq Thompson: He returned a fumble 100 yards for a touchdown against Cal, his fourth defensive touchdown of the season. He has more defensive scores than all but one team.
2. Georgia RB Nick Chubb: Suspended RB Todd Gurley gave him advice the day before the game — “Just be Nick Chubb” — and that’s a good thing to be. The true freshman rushed 38 times for 143 yards as the Dawgs whipped up on Missouri, 34-0.
3. USC RB Javorius Allen: He went for 205 yards on the ground in the 28-26 win over Arizona, alternating pile-moving power with ankle-breaking cuts. With the Trojans surviving the Wildcats’ 36-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds, USC sits atop the Pac-12 South at 3-1 with Allen having emerged as the team’s best offensive player.
4. Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah: The sophomore announced his presence with two sacks in the opener against Florida State, and he had five tackles for loss, with two sacks, in Saturday’s win over Kansas. The Cowboys are going to have a big say in the Big 12 race in the second half of the season.
5. Florida State WR Rashad Green: He keeps catching on, setting the school record for career receptions last week, reaching 215. He’s almost single-handedly propping up the Seminoles’ wide receiver group.
Five best week 8 games
1. Notre Dame at Florida State, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ABC): There are only five undefeated major college teams. There will be four after this game.
2. Texas A&M at Alabama, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS): The Aggies already have two losses, so the focus here is on 5-1 Alabama, which is in survival mode and needs to find its offense in a hurry while injured center Ryan Kelly is on the sideline.
3. Baylor at West Virginia, Saturday, noon ET (FOX Sports 1): Because a wild shootout is the best way to start your college football day.
4. Kansas State at Oklahoma, Saturday, noon ET (ESPN): The Sooners didn’t look like world beaters against Texas, but here’s the good news for OU. Its toughest remaining games, starting with this one, are in Norman.
5. Washington at Oregon, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1): The Huskies have a great defensive line, with Hau’Oli Kikana and Danny Shelton each ranking in the national top five in sacks. They create the kind of pressure that can unravel Oregon’s finely-tuned offense.
High honorable mention: Stanford at Arizona State, Oklahoma State at TCU, Georgia at Arkansas.
NFLDraftScout.com: Film Room Review
Senior Analyst Rob Rang’s five prospect takeaways for this week: Players listed including position, school, year (Height, weight and current NFLDraftScout.com overall rating and by position).
1. DT Malcom Brown, Texas, Jr. (6-4, 320, No. 5 DT in 2016 class): Strong and surprisingly quick at the point of attack, Brown helped clog running lanes, holding up at the point and chucking would-be blockers if Oklahoma’s backs ran his direction. Given his massive frame, it isn’t surprising he is successful in this role. Brown’s effort in pursuit to the sideline and ability to rush the quarterback from surprising angles was also impressive.
2. OT Jake Fisher, Oregon, Sr. (6-6, 299, No. 121/No. 11): Long wasn’t just reliable in pass protection. His ability to get out to the perimeter and downfield despite returning from a two-game absence due to a knee injury was impressive. His agility and power helped the Ducks rush for 258 yards. Playing on the blind side due to Tyler Johnston’s ACL tear during the spring, Fisher will likely return to right tackle in the NFL as he possesses good, but not great quickness and balance in protection.
3. WR Rannell Hall, Central Florida, Sr. (6-1, 200, No. 161/No. 22): After catching just nine passes for 84 yards through five games while returning from an elbow injury, Hall caught eight for 71 against BYU. When healthy, Hall offers an intriguing blend of size, hands and agility, and has been utilized over the past three seasons as a runner and returner as well. Not an elite athlete, Hall’s grit and reliability will earn praise from scouts.
4. OT Ty Sambrailo, Colorado State, Sr. (6-5, 315, No. 42/No. 7): The game might have flown well under the national radar, but Sambrailo’s matchup against Nevada defensive end Brock Hekking was one of the weekend highlights for NFL scouts. Sambrailo’s aggression and quick hands were clear from the outset and he showed surprising lateral agility and balance in pass protection. Hekking did beat him cleanly on a spin move in the second quarter that led to a hurried incompletion. Despite a few hiccups, Sambrailo generally impressed and could be a candidate to slide to guard with his physical style of play.
5. ILB Terrance Plummer, Central Florida, Sr. (6-1, 241, No. 271/No. 12): Credited with 17 tackles including a sack, Plummer was all over the field against the Cougars. He also forced and recovered a fumble.
