TLDR…

• Week 7 lived up to the hype! We fire off some hip-shot takeaways from the instant classics that were Ohio State-Oregon and Ole Miss-LSU.

• No time to catch your breath though…Week 8 offers up another heaping helping of heavyweight bouts, including Georgia-Texas, Alabama-Tennessee, and FSU-Duke (::Tony Montana voice:: Relax! Take it easy! I'm only yoking!!).

• As always, we humbly ask that you help us get the word out. If you’ve got friends or family who you think would enjoy TTM, hit ‘em with that subscribe link—or just subscribe them yourself! People love being added to random newsletters...

Week 7 RFTs, and we mean RAPID. There’s much to get to this week, and we’re doing our damndest to keep these newsletters from getting too long…

Ducks Fly Together

Sure, the headline’s completely irrelevant to the game, but if you don’t like it, you can turn around and walk right out of this newsletter. Adam Banks turned his wrist over without pain. Gordon Bombay got his swagger back and now has his eye on Charlie Conway’s hot mom. Oregon won the battle of the Big Ten titans last week, outlasting Ohio State 32-31 in a late-night thriller that very much lived up the hype. This game had a little bit of everything: big plays down the field, big-boy trench play, special teams shenanigans, and—intentional-penalty intrigue? (Oregon appears to have purposefully put too many men on the field in a successful ploy to waste precious seconds—in exchange for a five-yard penalty—to keep Ohio State out of field goal range as the Buckeyes drove it late.) Bucknut fans will be questioning both their quarterback’s decision-making—Will Howard slid down as time expired after scrambling to try to get his placekicker into field goal range—and a late offensive pass interference call on freshman stud Jeremiah Smith, but they’d better hope their guys are able to turn the page and maximize their preparation for Nebraska and Penn State, which are now absolute must-wins for this much-hyped—and very expensive—Ohio State team.

Cajun Kelly’s still kicking as Ole Miss may have pissed away its golden opportunity.

In the other instant classic of the weekend, in a game that ran concurrently to Oregon-Ohio State in a vintage college football primetime slate, LSU scratched and clawed its way to an overtime win over Ole Miss, putting the Rebels in an awful tough spot vis-a-vis the playoff, and breathing life into a Brian Kelly administration that seemed on the verge of life support after yet another opening-game loss to start the season. Is LSU a natty contender? We don't think so. But give the Tigers credit for getting off the mat post-USC and grinding their way to a 5-1 record at the midway point.

Good on ya, Penn State.

Down 20-6 on the road to a competent USC squad, Penn State showed guts and, probably more importantly, Drew Allar showed some late-game poise and playmaking ability to lead the Nittany Lions all the way back to a ballsy 33-30 victory. Allar hit two critical fourth down passes to keep Penn State alive in this one, which was exactly the kind of helmet contest the big wigs at FOX and the Big Ten home offices must have envisioned as they plundered (and assassinated) the Pac 12 a couple years ago. Wild stat line: Penn State tight end Tyler Warren caught 17 balls for 224 yards (!!) as the Nittany Lions continue to deploy him in a multiple, Taysom Hill-like fashion. This one’s gotta be a tough pill to swallow for Lincoln Riley and USC, who came out with fire and a solid early gameplan but now sit at just 4-3—including a highly disappointing 1-3 in conference—after three tight losses to Michigan, Minnesota, and Penn State.

🇺🇸 The troops are playing some damn ball.

For the first time since JFK was covertly motioning to Marilyn Monroe to tone it down during her salacious rendition of “Happy Birthday,” both Army and Navy are ranked in the AP top 25 concurrently, and the academies fully deserve to be there. Both are undefeated, and—wrap your head around this—both have a legitimate shot at a playoff spot. How freaking cool is that?? Never would have happened under the old Monopoly Man format. One hot, stinky, unfortunate little fact though: Playoff selections will be made before the two square off at the end of the season, as Army-Navy exists as a standalone contest the week after conference championships are played. Guess the schedulers didn’t see this one coming…

Week 8’s Titillating Tales

#7 Alabama at #11 Tennessee

3:30pm ET, ABC, Alabama -3

By Billy Lowry

If you’re looking for a slumpbuster on Saturday night, you’ve come to the right place. And no, we’re not talking about a night out on Gay Street in downtown Knoxville.

Just two weeks ago, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers appeared on a collision course toward a top-five battle, with the winner in pole position to lock themselves into a playoff spot. But this is college football...aka the greatest, wildest show on earth. After stunning losses to Vanderbilt and Arkansas, respectively, followed by uninspiring rebound performances in late game wins (‘Bama against South Carolina, Vols in overtime against Florida), this matchup has a whole new motto: Loser Leaves Town For Good.

After a blazing start in non-conference play, Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava has had a humbling welcome to the SEC. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since September 21 on a long pass in the opening quarter against Oklahoma. That’s 11 quarters and counting, plus overtime. Even without Saban on the far sideline, that won’t be good enough to get it done on Saturday—or in the weeks to come. Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe continues to deliver on the full Jalen Milroe Experience, interweaving eye popping brilliance with head scratching confusion that 'Bama fans had certainly hoped he’d left back in 2023. But those hips don’t lie, and Milroe has rushed for multiple TDs in 5 of 6 games this season. The outlier? Just one score on 7 carries for 10 yards at Vandy. There’s your orange and white blueprint for future 1st rounder DE James Pearce Jr. and the rest of the Rocky Top defense...

It’s a beautiful thing when the Third Saturday in October rivalry meets on its namesake day. To the victor, a renewed confidence heading into the back half of SEC play. To the loser, a deep trench from which to dig out. Could whoever falls in Neyland still rally the troops, win out, and find their way into the playoffs? Sure, but don’t count on it. Like the Big Tuna once said, “you are what your record says you are,” and dropping to 5-2 while just 2-2 in the SEC is simply not very good (at least, not relative to the expectations these fanbases held just a couple weeks ago). Get it done this weekend, or go ahead and book those vacation flights for early January. No travel insurance necessary.

Badger Bill’s pick: If Jalen and Nico swap jerseys, so does this result. Alas, Milroe’s helmet runs Crimson. Stogies to Bama. Tide 31-20.

#5 Georgia at #1 Texas

7:30pm ET, ABC, Texas -4.5

By Sam Ranson

First, an apology. I'm traveling this week, so I went fairly shorthand here. Still, we think it hits on all the salient points of a scintillating matchup between two big-dawg college football brands.

For Georgia, it's a gigantic opportunity to validate (re-validate?) its credentials as a natty contender. For Texas, it's an equally significant opportunity to cement itself as the odds-on natty favorite. How healthy is Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers? Can the ‘Dawgs maybe get an early lick or two on him that puts Texas coach Steve Sarkisian in a weird spot? Do they even want that (i.e., do they want to see ballyhooed Texas backup Arch Manning in this one?) Can Georgia avoid the slow start that has plagued them recently in big games? What’s offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s plan of attack against a stout Texas defense?

Ewers winced on several throws in Texas' dominant win over arch-rival Oklahoma last week, and the oblique is a crucial muscle in a quarterback's throwing motion. We want to see if Georgia's uncharacteristically leaky secondary can create tight enough throwing windows—a tall task against an extremely dynamic Texas receiving corps—that Ewers is forced to press and rev that motion into the red. Again, some early hits on a banged-up signal caller would help too, so let's go Mykel Williams. Have yourself a day young buck!

Offensively, what is the Dawgs' bread and butter? What will Georgia believe they can do well and then build upon? We're old school here at TTM and believe an effective run game is your best friend both in matchups of elite teams and in tough road environments, but Georgia's offensive line remains dinged and simply hasn't been moving teams off the ball like we're accustomed to seeing them do. If Georgia continues to pass the ball nearly 60% of the time, can that patchwork o-line protect Carson Beck, and which version of Carson Beck will we get in this big-time environment? The one who struggled to process and execute against Kentucky? Or the one who torched 'Bama in Georgia's near-comeback? Either way, downtown Austin's going to be rocking on Saturday night.

BurtReynolds69's pick: Georgia comes ready to play, especially on defense, and pushes the Horns to the limit. Unfortunately, Texas is the more complete team right now. Longhorns 30-27.

Big Box’s Weekly Spot

A wise man once told the Boxslayer, “Don’t be afraid to win!”. And damnit, he isn’t...BYU delivered in last week’s 5-Unit Lock of the Week in spectacular fashion by dismantling Arizona, 41-19. If you liked last week’s Lock of the Week—and making money—I’d suggest you keep reading.

5-Unit Lock of the Week: Alabama -3

Two weeks ago, this line is probably Alabama -8. A loss to Vandy and a close win at home versus South Carolina is not the momentum you want to see going into a tough environment in Knoxville, BUT Alabama is a better team on both sides of the ball. Tennessee is wildly overrated, and their QB is struggling against solid defenses. Boxslayer loves the Tide here and is betting the pink slip to his 2003 Tahoe.

Boxslayer’s Trademark 5-game, 1-unit parlay

Georgia +5. Kirby Smart will have his boys ready to play in Austin. Going to be tight game that could come down to a field goal.

Miami -4.5. This is going to be an aerial showcase with both offenses having strong passing games, but Miami will win the turnover game and cover.

Missouri -4.5. Auburn’s young secondary’s inability to cover Mizzou’s passing game is going to be the differentiator here. Missouri to cover at home.

Kansas State -3. Wildcats have been playing well on both sides of the ball and are coming off a huge win at Colorado. I like the momentum, and their solid run defense will stuff the Mountaineers.

Northern Illinois -3. Nothing gets the Boxslayer more excited than some red hawt MACtion. Love the Huskies at home here—take NIU giving up 3.

B1G Lock of the Week

Indiana is the surprise team of the year, and while the schedule has been light, they’ve handled their business with authority. What has Nebraska done to make you believe they can play spoiler on the road? Back the Hoosiers at -6.5.