Last weekend was a great time to watch college football. Recently I alluded to this year’s Indiana University Football Team as maybe being one of “those teams.” Last Saturday was one of “those days” to watch college football on television. Yes, I love to attend games in person. I have seen 74 of the FBS teams play in person in my lifetime. Still, there are days in my memory that harken back to watching college football games on television and most of them featured Keith Jackson as the announcer of my football life’s soundtrack.
The day Van Tiffin beat Auburn with a 52-yard field goal on the last play of the game giving the Alabama Crimson Tide a victory on The Iron Bowl in 1985. One to remember.
Notre Dame at USC the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 1978. We were at my Uncle Durwood and Aunt Barbara’s house on Dubarry Lane in Jackson, Mississippi. The late afternoon game was the perfect bookend to a storybook Thanksgiving.
The 1979 Cotton Bowl. In Shreveport, Dad and Granny wanted to watch something else. I retreated to my Granny’s bed that had a 9-inch black and white TV on a nightstand. Joe Montana led the Irish to a 35-34 win.
In 1979, I remember seeing John Fourcade and the Ole Miss Rebels play Tulane in the Superdome on ABC. It was regional coverage and the game I was watching ended quickly and they gave us the feed from New Orleans. I was glued to the TV for that 4th quarter. The Rebs lost.
Again in 1979, The Indiana Hoosiers played against BYU in The Holiday Bowl. The Hoosiers won 38-37 in dramatic fashion. It was on Mizlou or Raycom or some other non-network entity. Those were the guys who gave us many bowl games leading up to January 1st back then. There was no Capitol One Bowl Week on ESPN that lasted a month.
The Hoosiers showed up on ABC in a regional telecast in 1982. They were playing Iowa in Bloomington. A guy called Babe Laufenberg almost pulled the Hoosiers through. They lost 24-20. Still, it was one of those rare times at that point that I had seen Memorial Stadium on television opposed to being there in Bloomington.
We’ll leave with The Rose Bowl in 2006. This was Keith Jackson’s last call. It was a classic contest. Texas defeated USC 41-38. “He’s got the corner!”
Last weekend was filled with great games. The Gophers beating the Trojans. The Huskies handing it to The Wolverines. The Hoosiers taking care of the Northwestern Wildcats. Ole Miss beat South Carolina. Arkansas beat Tennessee. And the upset of upsets, sorry Brother Tim, was Vandy beating Alabama. The whole day was filled with great football.
Last week we had 9 winners and 5 losers. Bringing the season to 66 winners and 18 losers. There were those serious upsets that I flat missed last week. Let us see what this week brings.
Clemson beats Wake Forest… Clemson is rolling.
Washington beats Iowa… I think the Huskies will take that momentum and get Iowa in Iowa City. Big question here is how will the Huskies handle kicking off at 9 AM PDT?
Rutgers beats Wisconsin… Rutgers has something to prove at home against Bucky. They lost their first game of the year last week in a 14-7 mule fest against Nebraska.
Louisville beats Virginia… The Cards have a thing or two to work out after a defensive meltdown against SMU last week.
Texas beats Oklahoma… At least there is one tradition left in college football. These two teams playing in the 50-50 divided Cotton Bowl Stadium amidst the Texas State Fair, albeit these are SEC teams now.
Penn State beats USC… This is at the Coliseum, and this will be a good one to look in on. You know the USC folks will be fired up to play a college football tradition like the Nittany Lions.
Illinois will beat Purdue… Lots of happy parents in Champaign. Their boy is gonna play today!
Notre Dame beats Stanford… Look for Stanford to give the Irish a tussle. This is historically a pretty good matchup.
Georgia beats Mississippi State… I heard rumors that Kirby Smart is going to the New York Jets. Rumors is better a Fleetwood Mac album than anything else.
Tennessee beats Florida… Back home after getting a Pig-Soooie put on em’, the Rocky Toppers will have have One Cheek Hill rockying again.
Ohio State beats Oregon… This is in Autzen Stadium. One can only hope the visiting Buckeyes get tripped up by the Ducks. “And the Ducks are cooking at the 40!” That is what Keith Jackson once said.
Ole Miss beats LSU… I know Death Valley at night is tough for any team to withstand. Look for the Rebs to explode and make a statement. In the parlance of Boz Scaggs, I say to the Tigers, danger there’s a breakdown dead ahead.
Kentucky beats Vandy… Can Vandy keep it up? They might.
UCLA beats Minnesota… I gotta pick my Bruins here.
Hey! Enjoy your weekend.
Speaking the rights…
Danny Johnson