And then there were two. With Ole Miss’ loss to LSU, only Mississippi State and Florida State remain unbeaten in the Power 5 conferences. Assuming that these two could stay undefeated and meet in the championship game, how would these two compare?
| Stat / Team | MSU | FSU |
| Total Offense | 9th | 44th |
| Rushing Offense | 13th | 104th |
| Passing Offense | 43rd | 14th |
| Points For | 10th | 19th |
| Points Against | 29th | 29th |
| Total Defense | 91st | 53rd |
| Rushing Defense | 23rd | 48th |
| Passing Defense | 122nd | 62nd |
One thing that stands out immediately is the Florida State passing attack versus Mississippi State’s pass defense. It would seem to be a distinct advantage for Florida State. However, one thing to keep in mind is that Mississippi State has had at least a two-touchdown lead in every game they have played this year. They have seen more than their fair share of passes from teams trying to catch up.
Whenever a team sets a school record for points scored in a game, you have to take a closer look. TCU rang up 82 points in their win over Texas Tech. They amassed 785 total yards, 305 on the ground and 480 through the air. Their quarterback, Trevone Boykin, threw seven touchdown passes. Two running backs had over 100 yards rushing. Four touchdowns went for over 50 yards. They scored 24 points in the first quarter and 31 in the third. They even kicked three field goals from over 40 yards out. The 82 points set a record for the most by a Big XII opponent against another Big XII team.
How about Ameer Abdullah? Abdullah, originally from Birmingham suburb Homewood, has turned into an all-time great at Nebraska, and that’s saying something. He set a school record with 341 all-purpose yards in the Cornhuskers’ 42-24 win over Rutgers. With 6,604 career all-purpose yards, he is now second on the all-time Big Ten all-purpose yards list, behind only former Wisconsin Heisman winner Ron Dayne.
In small-school news, Jacksonville State is having a great season. After a season-opening loss at Michigan State, the Gamecocks have not lost another game and are currently leading the Ohio Valley Conference. Their game against Eastern Kentucky in two weeks would seem to be the de facto OVC championship game. After last year’s national quarterfinal appearance, it would appear that JSU, currently seventh in the FCS poll, are looking for even bigger and better things this year…
Congratulations to JHutto, who wins week 9 with 187 points, only missing one game! JG Bama, Rudy Ruettiger, and Rocky Tide each had 181 points to finish tied for second, and Crimson Gator, bamaken, and AUBrian each finished one point farther back with 180 points.
Standings after 9 weeks:
| 1st | JagRag | 1475 |
| 2nd | Allison | 1473 |
| 3rd | JHutto | 1470 |
| 4th | maestro | 1468 |
| 5th | AUBrian | 1464 |
| 6th | pachyderm | 1455 |
| 7th | SicEmFrogs | 1452 |
| 8th | Crimson Gator | 1446 |
| T-9th | gatorbamalover | 1441 |
| T-9th | GODAWGS | 1441 |
We begin week 10 with the Florida State Seminoles traveling to take on the Louisville Cardinals, THURSDAY evening at 6:30 PM. Be sure to get your picks in on time!!!
Have fun and good luck!!