NCAAF

• Mississippi State 19, Illinois 10
  • It was nice to see Mississippi State win this game for Mike Leach. The Bulldogs, finishing 9-4, had a nice season and will likely have Will Rogers back for 2023.
  • While it ended in defeat, Illinois also had a nice season, as Bret Bielema seems to have the Fighting Illini on track.
• Tulane 46, USC 45
  • Tulane, in taking down Kansas State and now USC, has proven it can compete with some of the nation’s top teams. At some point, Willie Fritz will probably be hired away from the Green Wave, but for now, Tulane may be the standard in the Group of Five.
  • USC obviously has talent, and that starts with Caleb Williams, who went 37-52 with five touchdowns and one interception yesterday, but the Trojans must get better in the trenches. The team surrendered over 300 yards on the ground in this game, along with 13.8 yards per pass attempt. With that said, year one for Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles was a success.
• LSU 63, Purdue 7
  • All the stars were aligned for LSU to dominate this game, but a margin this large is shocking. LSU’s offense had its way in this contest, and Malik Nabers may be the next great wide receiver for the Tigers. The SEC West, per usual, should be fascinating in 2023, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see LSU repeat as division champions. After all, the Tigers will have the division’s best player, Harold Perkins.
  • Purdue obviously struggled in this tilt, and the program will probably take a tumble following the departure of Jeff Brohm.