NCAA Week 7: Top 25 Winners & Losers
The Cardinals show they can win ugly, another team is drowned out by the Crimson Tide as the Hurricanes suffer a second successive defeat.
beIN SPORTS
By Des Norris
Scholars
Alabama 49 – 10 Tennessee
The Crimson Tide consolidated its position at the summit of college football with yet another rout, this time over the ninth-ranked Volunteers.
The result marked Alabama’s tenth consecutive win over Tennessee and the school’s 19th straight win overall.
While Tennessee have a reputation as the comeback kings of 2016, there was a palpable feeling in Knoxville on Saturday that Butch Jones’ charges weren’t going to find a way back this time after Bama stormed to a 21-7 lead at halftime, which was soon extended to 28-7 in the third quarter thanks to touchdown run from Jalen Hurts.
The potent offensive mix offered by the Crimson Tide’s freshman quarterback, who threw for 143 yards, rushed for 132 and finished the day with three touchdowns to his name, proved too much for the visiting team to handle.
Adding to that, Alabama’s defense nullified Tennessee’s usually formidable offense, outgaining them 594-163 yards.
The defeat doesn’t spell complete disaster for Tennessee – they still sit in the SEC driving seat thanks to September’s win over the Gators – however two losses on the spin is never the ideal way to head into a bye week.
Dropouts
Duke 14 - 24 Louisville
Hardly a vintage performance from the Cardinals but an important win nonetheless, and one that will steady the nerves after the reality check enacted by Clemson a fortnight ago.
Louisville’s enviable offense, which took to the Kentucky turf on Friday night having averaged an incredible 58 points per game, was kept at bay for large swaths of the encounter, with the Blue Devils controlling possession.
To the relief of the Louisville faithful in the packed-to-capacity Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, Bobby Petrino’s men were able to power through despite Duke’s valiant efforts to leave with a Top 10 scalp.
Heisman Trophy frontrunner Lamar Jackson was limited to throwing for 181 yards but still managed to show his credentials for the award by coming up with the goods when it mattered; scoring the game-clinching touchdown with 2:05 on the clock to record the 500th school win in the Louisville’s history.
Class Clowns
North Carolina 20 - 13 Miami
The Tar Heels notched up their eight straight road win in Saturday’s ACC Coastal Division matchup against 16th-ranked Miami.
Going by Saturday's performance, it seems that last week's defeat to FSU has knocked the wind out of the Hurricanes' sails. Against an admittedly well-drilled North Carolina program, Mark Richt's men bore no resemblance to the team that opened the 2016 season with a stunning 70-3 win over Florida A&M.
Back-to-back losses make Miami's chances of holding onto their Top 25 status scarce to none. And if that wasn't enough, the Hurricanes are now in the midst of a defensive injury crisis with Chad Thomas and Demetrius Jackson both needing to come off and Michael Pinckey requiring treatment twice after sustaining heavy hits against the Tar Heels.
