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    • Tennessee football has a new best friend in the NIU Huskies
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    Tennessee football has a new best friend in the NIU Huskies

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    • Tennessee football has a new best friend in the form of the NIU Huskies, who made a laughingstock of the Irish and opened up the SEC’s playoff hopes.
    • Sam Pittman loses. Good news for Bobby Petrino.
    • According to the latest playoff predictions, five SEC teams are participating.

    Leave it to Smokey to make friends with Victor E. Huskiethat furry resident of DeKalb, Illinois.

    Ol’ Victor is the mascot for Northern Illinois. Tennessee fans should consider him a friend after what NIU did on Saturday.

    The Huskies uppercut Notre Dame. Made the gnomes laugh.

    NIU sent Notre Dame to an NIT bowl game. Forget the playoffs.

    Any SEC team with a 10-2 mark (except Texas A&M) is a better playoff contender than Notre Dame at 11-1 – if the Irish are lucky enough to reach that record after a 16-14 home loss to NIU.

    When the Huskies’ Cannon Woodill hit a 35-yard field goal, he simultaneously kicked the Irish out of the CFP and created more space for the SEC.

    Place #12 Tennessee.

    The Vols (2-0) are superior behind Nico Iamaleava.

    TOPPER: Texas Football Becomes Bully Under Steve Sarkisian As Michigan Seeks To Defraud Its Fans

    FORM: I apologize for leaving someone out of Tennessee’s defense during the win over NC State

    OPINION: Why is this still happening, what happened on Saturday with the Notre Dame soccer tournament?

    Never mind that Tennessee coach Josh Heupel should have put his five-star quarterback in the starting lineup 11 months ago. Better late than never.

    Here’s the best thing about Tennessee’s quarterback: Iamaleava’s ceiling is a few floors above him. He’s better than he played in Week 2, when he threw two interceptions amid 276 yards of total offense in a 51-10 dissection of No. 23 NC State.

    Tennessee’s defense (forever a question mark under Heupel) looks pretty good.

    “The standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense,” Heupel said. “This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry.”

    And now Will Brooks, the walk-on safety who scored an 85-yard touchdown after an interception.

    But how about a pat on the head, a scratch behind the ears and a treat for NIU’s defense? The Huskies limited Notre Dame (1-1) to 286 yards.

    “I couldn’t be more proud,” NIU coach Thomas Hammock told NBC Sports after the win.

    SEC playoff contenders couldn’t be happier.

    If the Irish clinch an at-large playoff bid, it would be bad news for the SEC’s quest for five CFP qualifiers. Notre Dame gained steam after beating Texas A&M in Week 1.

    The SEC’s bravado took a beating when the Aggies, LSU and Florida lost their season openers.

    But this surprise from NIU clears the chessboard.

    My perception of Tennessee hasn’t changed. For months, I’ve based Tennessee’s playoff chances on a single game: Win at Oklahoma in Week 4 and the Vols are in. Lose that game and Tennessee is out.

    The Sooners flirted with disaster on Saturday in a 16-12 win over Houston. If UT beats OU, I’ll stop doubting the Vols will make the playoffs. Better question: How good will their seed be?

    There’s no reason why Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama and Tennessee can’t all make the playoffs, especially with Notre Dame out of the picture.

    Don’t forget to thank the Huskies.

    Arkansas Loses, Bobby Petrino Wins

    Arkansas blew a lead in a 39-31 double-overtime loss to Oklahoma State, and Sam Pittman moved closer to a buyout cut.

    Pittman is 21-19 since the start of the 2021 season. If he drops below .500 since ’21, he will trigger a waiver clause in his contract.

    Who’s on the roster? Look no further than offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Arkansas fans know all about Petrino and his motor. He was the coach the last time the Hogs had double-digit wins — and he’s behind the 648 yards of offense Arkansas mustered against one of the Big 12’s leaders.

    The loss was especially bad news for Pittman, as Petrino had looked better thanks to his offensive performance.

    Is anyone in Alabama superstitious?

    Nick Saban gave a speech of gratitude before Alabama entrusted its field to the legendary coach. It is now Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Hours later, the No. 4 Crimson Tide nearly tarnished Saban’s good name.

    Kalen DeBoer’s team led South Florida by just 21-16 late in the fourth quarter before the Tide (2-0) scored three touchdowns in the final six minutes to secure a 42-16 victory.

    Time to panic? No.

    I can’t explain it, but there’s something about USF that gives Alabama problems. The Tide beat the Bulls 17-3 last season before reaching the Rose Bowl.

    So, don’t peel Saban’s name off the field just yet. Let this ugly win count for DeBoer.

    Best sentence I heard this week

    “Aflac! Aflac! Aflac!” – a fan who had bet on Nebraska cheered as he downed a Coors Light and watched the Huskers beat Colorado.

    Three and out

    1. No one, and I mean no one, should laugh at No. 3 Texas anymore. The sarcasm “Texas is back!!” is so passé. Texas is back. Really. Really, really back. And Michigan went underground after the Longhorns beat the reigning national champions 31-12. Over the past few years, coach Steve Sarkisian has instilled a level of toughness that Texas has sorely lacked. ““We’re calloused,” Texas senior center Jake Majors said of the program’s evolution. Calloused hands fit right in the SEC.

    2. Replenish stock: Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas, Abbott Laboratories, Coca-Cola, Aryna Sabalenka. Stock down: LSU, Kentucky, Auburn, Notre Dame, Michigan, Disney. Be careful before you doubt: Alabama, Johnson & Johnson, Anheuser-Busch.

    3. The latest Tope Rope 12-team playoff projections: Georgia (SEC), Ohio State (Big Ten), Oklahoma State (Big 12), Miami (ACC), Memphis (Group of Five), plus at-large selections Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Penn State, Oregon and Utah. Up next: Missouri, Southern Cal.

    Blake Toppmeyer is the national college football columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

    The “Topp Rope” is his SEC football column that appears on the USA TODAY Network.I.

    Subscribe to read all his columns. Also check out his podcast, SEC Football Unfiltered, and newsletter, SEC Unfiltered.

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