Top ranked Alabama didn’t play this weekend, and second ranked Oregon won, but the rest of the top 5 went down in defeat. #3 Florida State was shocked by North Carolina State 17-16, #4 LSU lost to Florida 14-6, and #5 Georgia endured a whipping from South Carolina 35-7 on Saturday.
While Florida beating LSU, and South Carolina beating Georgia, weren’t too surprising, North Carolina State defeating Florida State with a furious comeback was completely unexpected. NC State was 3-2, coming off a loss last week to Miami (FL), who was crushed by Notre Dame 41-3 this week. The Wolfpack outscored Florida State 14-0 in the 4th quarter, to escape with a win, and probably ruin the Seminoles chance at the BCS Championship game this year.
Florida shut down LSU’s offense, limiting them to only 2 field goals in the first half. Mike Gillislee rushed for 146 yards and both of Florida’s touchdowns. With this big SEC win, the Gators moved from #10 up to #4.
Meanwhile, also in the SEC, South Carolina moved up to #3 from #6 with the beatdown they put on Georgia. The Gamecocks came out fast, taking a 21-0 in the first quarter, and never let up. I was really surprised how badly they beat the Bulldogs, even though it was in Columbia, SC. But it doesn’t get any easier for South Carolina. They have to go on the road to face an angry LSU team in Baton Rouge this coming Saturday. Such is life in the SEC.
