I Tell Ya' Herbie

       Our weekly notes about the world of college football start with bad officiating.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:  

                            The spot of the ball late in the Northern Illinois upset of Notre Dame was the worst that I've ever seen.

Northern Illinois had a third and two and a first down would have allowed the Huskies to wind the clock down to a field goal attempt as the final play of the game.

Northern Illinois running back Gavin Williams appeared to easily pass the first down marker but was ruled a full yard short.

Northern Illinois kicked the eventual game-winning field goal but the bad spot allowed Notre Dame over thirty seconds and keep one timeout for a final drive.

Notre Dame attempted a sixty-two-yard field goal for the win that Northern Illinois blocked but the game should have been completed long before then.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Oklahoma has won its first two games but the Sooners and their fans have to be concerned after a 16-12 win at home over Houston.

The Cougars were predicted to finish next to last or last (depending on the source) in the Big 12 and for the Sooners to win by only a few points and score only sixteen may not bode well for the Sooners in their first season in the SEC.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            I've always rooted for both Iowa and Iowa State a little bit unless playing one of my teams and didn't really have a dog in the hunt for the Cy-Hawk trophy but I had to feel good for Iowa State and their 20-19 win with six seconds remaining.

It's always nice when the second team in the state wins a close one because when the second team wins the rivalry grows hotter and it's better for the game.

The win was only the second for Matt Campbell in eight games against the Hawkeyes and it may have re-established Campbell as one of the top head coach candidates in the 2025 silly season.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Boise State took a top-ten-ranked Oregon team to the wall in a 37-34 Ducks win in a very entertaining game and brought two questions to mind.

The first is that perhaps Oregon may be a bit overhyped in their first season in the Big Ten.

We will know for sure when Oregon hosts Ohio State in October but close victories over Idaho and Boise State will make you wonder about the Ducks.

The offense scored only 24 pts against 1-AA Idaho and their defense allowed 34 pts to Boise State, so there are questions that need to be answered in Eugene.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The second concerns Boise State and the Group of Five slot in the playoff.

With a possibility of an undefeated Conference USA champion in Liberty, who plays in the softest conference in the nation, or Boise State with a three-point loss at a top-ten team as their only defeat, the stage would appear to be set for a controversy.

It would be a difficult choice but I'd think Boise State would have the edge under those circumstances.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The closest call that doesn't look so close came in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in Alabama's 42-16 win over the visiting South Florida Bulls.

Entering the fourth quarter, the score was 14-13 in favor of Alabama before the Tide outscored South Florida 28-3 in the final quarter.

South Florida battled Alabama close last season in the Tide's final season under Nick Saban, so this shouldn't be taken as a knock on new coach Kalen DeBoer but Alabama may be a step below their usual level.

Alabama visits Wisconsin this Saturday before an off week before a home game against the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.