Temple drops out of Top 25

TEMPLE COULD have won the American Athletic East Division Saturday night at South Florida. Instead the Owls (8-2, 5-1) lost for the second time in three weeks and dropped out of the

Associated Press

Top 25. This one wasn't like Notre Dame. They scored first, then gave up 31 of the next 34. The Bulls (6-4, 4-2), who generated 556 yards of offense, scored on plays covering 48, 57 and 68 yards. They had 326 on the ground, 230 from Marlon Mack (on 21 carries).

In their first eight games the Owls allowed 126 points, with nobody getting more than 26 on them. Five teams had 16 or fewer. The week before this they surrendered 40 at one-win Southern Methodist.

The Owls, who were ranked No. 22, still control their future, provided they win out. They host Memphis (8-2, 4-2) Saturday afternoon, and Connecticut (5-5, 3-3) on Nov. 28. Memphis has lost its last two, at home to Navy (8-1, 6-0) and at Houston (10-0, 6-0), after leading by 20 early in the fourth quarter. But if the Owls lose again and USF wins out, it would hold the tiebreaker. The Bulls have preseason favorite Cincinnati (6-4, 3-3) at home before closing at winless Central Florida. Cincy still has a chance if a bunch of things happen.

For the Owls to host the inaugural AAC title game, neither Navy nor Houston can finish unbeaten in the West since better conference record determines the venue. Those teams will meet on Nov. 27 in Houston. First Houston must go to UConn, and Navy to Tulsa (5-5, 2-4). Navy of course also plays Army in South Philly on Dec. 12.

Right now the non-AAC team with the best chance of keeping an American champion from getting the automatic non-Power 5 conference berth into one of this season's designated New Year's bowls (Peach on Dec. 31 or Fiesta on Jan. 1) appears to be once-beaten Toledo out of the Mid-American. That spot goes to the highest-ranked team in your final College Football Playoff poll.

Temple lost to eventual champ Memphis last November at the Linc on a last-play field goal after it led by 10 early.

The Owls had been ranked for four straight weeks, the longest such streak in program history. USF has won five of its last six. This was its first win over a Top 25 team since 2011, when it won at Notre Dame.

The Quakers and first-year coach Ray Priore were picked to finish sixth in the Ivies. Then they lost their league opener at home to Dartmouth, by 21. So who saw this coming?

It was the Quakers' fifth straight win. The Crimson, which was ranked 12th in FCS, had won 22 straight, two short of Penn's Ivy record (1992-95).

Penn also had beaten No. 5 Villanova in September, and nearly beat No. 13 Fordham two weeks later.

This leaves the Quakers (6-3, 5-1) in a three-way tie for first. They close on Saturday at Franklin Field against Cornell (1-8, 1-5), which just got its first win (3-0 at home over Columbia).

Harvard finishes at Yale (6-3, 3-3), while Dartmouth hosts Princeton (5-4, 2-4). Dartmouth's loss was at Harvard.

The Quakers went 2-8 a year ago. They haven't won a title since 2012. The last time they shared one was 1988. This is their longest winning streak since 2010, when they won eight in a row.

It's their first win at Harvard since 2009, and second since 2003.

Penn led 21-6 but trailed at halftime, 25-21. They went ahead for keeps on their first possession of the third quarter. And early in the fourth, Justin Watson ran 79 yards to give them some cushion.

Alek Torgersen threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more. Watson had 249 yards and two scores on seven catches and five carries. Penn won the turnover battle, 3-0.

For a group that's had to deal with an awful lot of adversity, the Wildcats (6-4, 5-2) will go into their final game - Saturday at James Madison (8-2, 5-2) - with a chance to tie for the Colonial title and get back into the FCS playoffs.

They beat No. 9 Richmond (7-3, 5-2) at home on a 12-yard pass from Zach Bednarczyk to Kevin Gulyas with 12 seconds left on a fourth-and-7, which capped a 78-yard drive.

The Spiders went in front with 5:06 left in the game, but Peter Yoder's PAT was blocked.

It was 7-all at halftime, 14-apiece after the third period.

William & Mary (8-2, 6-1) is at Richmond this week.

Bednarczyk threw for 202 yards and two TDs. Gulyas had eight receptions for 122. The defense forced three turnovers. Richmond had 145 more yards offense.

It was Villanova's fourth win in its last five games. But this was the first over a team with a winning record.

JMU lost its starting quarterback, Vad Lee (foot), three weeks ago. The Dukes had lost two straight (to Richmond and at William & Mary) without him before winning at Delaware (3-7, 2-5), 24-21.

The Wildcats beat JMU last year here, 49-31. They've lost in their last two trips to Harrisonburg, Va.

The Rams (7-4), who'd won three straight, lost to defending champ Slippery Rock (10-1) at home in the PSAC final. But senior defensive end Andrew Cohen (Council Rock South) had two sacks, which gave him 13 1/2 for the season and 33 1/2 for his career, a PSAC record.

1. Ohio State (10-0).

Beat Illinois, 28-3. Saturday: vs. Michigan State. Time for real Buckeyes to show up.

2. Clemson (10-0). Beat Syracuse, 37-27. Saturday: vs. Wake Forest. Haven't lost to Wake at home since 1998.

3. Alabama (9-1). Beat Mississippi State, 31-6. Saturday: vs. Charleston Southern. FCS Buccaneers, out of the Big South, are 9-1.

4. Oklahoma State (10-0). Beat Iowa State, 35-31. Saturday: vs. Baylor. Lost at Baylor by 21 last year. Beat Bears at home two years ago by 32. And by 35 in 2011.

5. Notre Dame (9-1). Beat Wake Forest, 28-7. Saturday: at Boston College. First football game at Fenway Park since 1968. Irish have won last four meetings. Last was in 2012.

6. Oklahoma (9-1). Beat Baylor, 44-34. Saturday: vs. Texas Christian. Lost at TCU, which might have a QB problem, last year by four. And doesn't the loss to Texas seem like it happened last year?

7. Florida (9-1). Beat South Carolina, 24-14. Saturday: vs. Florida Atlantic. These Owls are 2-8. Try not to be looking ahead to Florida State.

8. Iowa (10-0). Beat Minnesota, 40-35. Saturday: vs. Purdue. Lost to Purdue last time teams played in Iowa City, in 2012.

9. Baylor (8-1). Lost to Oklahoma, 44-34. Saturday: at Oklahoma State. Haven't won at Oklahoma State in forever.

10. Michigan State (9-1). Beat Maryland, 24-7. Saturday: at Ohio State. Won at Ohio State last time there, in 2011 (10-7). Beat Buckeyes in 2013 Big Ten title game (34-24). Lost last year at home (49-37).

Next five: Texas Christian (9-1), Michigan (8-2), Stanford (8-2), Florida State (8-2) and North Carolina (9-1).

Louisiana State

- There's supposed to be some hangover from Alabama. And Arkansas has been coming on. Still shouldn't be falling behind by 21 at at home at night and losing by 17. Especially when you allegedly have the nation's best player.

Stanford - Payback for those times when Stanford ruined Oregon's season. But Cardinal was home, and led at halftime. Now that showdown with Notre Dame in the finale will only mean something tangible to one team.

Temple - Hey, they were only favored by a field goal. But it was 31-10 at the half, after the Owls scored first.

Memphis - You can lose at unbeaten Houston by one. But Tigers were up 20 with 13 minutes left.

Baylor - Most weeks, Bears wouldn't have made the cut. But we needed a fifth. And they had owned Oklahoma the last two years. I guess I could have gone with Eagles.