Watson ranked #1 in SI.com’s Heisman Watch

Fournette’s touchdown with nine minutes to play was too little, too late – especially when the Alabama special teams blocks your extra point attempt. While Ohio State won on the road against Minnesota, I believe the committee has them take a step back in the rankings. But any time they’re expected to win or they have a chance where they could break through, they really haven’t.

Tide center Ryan Kelly felt it “the most overall complete game we’ve played as an offense”, something that would have been easy to overlook considering the defensive performance. “I don’t worry about it”.

Alabama climbed three spots to No. 4 in the Coaches Poll and four spots to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 as a result of the victory.

The football gods must have felt that Saturday night’s Louisiana State-Alabama game was not quite historic enough in its magnitude.

Long, the Arkansas athletic director and the playoff group’s chair’s, got the juices flowing in the great debate that fuels college football’s annual beauty contest last Tuesday when their initial rankings were favorable to a pair of traditional heavyweights in Alabama and Notre Dame. It was LSU’s fifth straight loss to Alabama.

Iowa’s LeShun Daniels Jr. ran for two scores and injured quarterback C.J. Beathard threw the clinching touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to help the Hawkeyes defeat Indiana 35-27. Alabama overwhelmed LSU’s offensive line, frustrating Fournette all night.

They work in mysterious ways, the football gods – in this case by conjuring Arkansas’ wild 53-52 overtime victory against Mississippi.

“We just keep doing what we’re doing”, Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson of West Monroe said.

While it was an absolutely awful and classless sign, it’s not fair to lump all Alabama fans in with those neanderthals, and for their part, the University already responded saying they were “appalled”, and someone got the fans to take the sign down. Heisman contender Trevone Boykin threw four interceptions. Mayfield continued a stellar season against the Cyclones by throwing three touchdowns and rushing for an additional one. LSU now needs to beat the Rebels, win out and then hope either Mississippi State, Charleston Southern or Auburn can upset the Tide.

They had eight in the box every time. Overall, Alabama leads the series 78-18-3. Junior defensive lineman Chris Jones said defensive coordinator Manny Diaz emphasizes never giving up, no matter where the ball is. Now I say somewhat because going into Stillwater is tough but you have to be able to at least make it close. “I think Clemson would definitely give them a game”. “We’re all coming together”. “We’re staffed and ready for it, it may hurt business Friday, but Saturday we’re planning on it kind of driving all of the tailgaters indoors”. Fournette was second for the first time all season with five first-place votes – more than two dozen fewer than he had been garnering – and 36 points.

The Crimson Tide held LSU running back Leonard Fournette, considered the Heisman frontrunner, to 31 yards on 19 carries. Henry’s 17 rushing touchdowns has him tied for the lead, with Fournette right on his heels with 16.

MSU is 10th in the league against the run (167.67 ypg). It is allowing 201.7 only passing yards per game. Those injuries have created openings for freshman safety Jamal Peters and redshirt freshman safety Brandon Bryant. “Maybe the playoffs are out of line, but we can beat Oklahoma and Baylor, and you’re 11-1, and somebody else can make that decision”, he said.