Clemson, Alabama, Heisman odds | College football notes

Clemson (5-0) and Alabama (4-0) have separated themselves from the pack. They’re on their way to two of the four CFP berths, and their quarterbacks are Heisman contenders. In fact, the award is Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence’s to lose.

Clemson is averaging 48.4 points per game after taking Georgia Tech (and former Temple coach Geoff Collins) to the woodshed for a 73-7 mauling, Alabama is 48.5. Texas is first in the nation at 49.5, but the Longhorns’ defense is Swiss cheese. Gave up 56 to Texas Tech and 53 in a four-OT loss to Oklahoma.

No. 2 Alabama beat then-No. 3 Georgia on Saturday in the only mega matchup so far. The Bulldogs did not score in the second half of the 41-24 loss but dropped just one spot in the AP poll.

Leading Heisman odds according to PointsBet: Trevor Lawrence, Clemson, QB (-160); Mac Jones, Alabama, QB (+450); Justin Fields, Ohio State, QB (+700); Jaylen Waddle, Alabama, WR (+1600); Najee Harris, Alabama, RB (+2500).

Notre Dame jumped into the ACC for the season and is right on Clemson’s heels with a 3-0 league record. (Clemson is 4-0.). They play on Nov. 7 at Notre Dame. .

Central Florida’s Dillon Gabriel threw for 601 yards, ran for 49 more, accounted for six touchdowns (five passing, one running), and lost when his kicker missed a 40-yard field goal with 19 seconds left. Counterpart Brady White threw two of his six touchdown passes in the final four minutes as Memphis won, 50-49. What a game.

Freshman Frank Gore Jr. leads Southern Miss with 208 yards rushing. Frank Gore Sr. leads the Jets with 250. Junior leads dad in wins, 1-0.

Arkansas beat No. 16 Mississippi State to snap a 20-game SEC losing streak.

The Big 12 lost three games to the Sun Belt on Sept. 12 when Louisiana surprised No. 23 Iowa State, Coastal Carolina took care of Kansas, and Arkansas State beat Kansas State. Two weeks later, Louisiana (previously known as Louisiana Lafayette) was 19th in the nation, the first time the school had been ranked since 1943, the longest drought between rankings in poll history.

Kansas State rallied in its next game to stun No. 3 Oklahoma, which had a 21-point late in the third quarter. Mississippi State surprised sixth-ranked LSU. Both upsets occurred on Sept. 26. MSU quarterback K.J. Costello passed for an SEC-record 623 yards in the Bulldogs' first game under offensive wizard Mike Leach. They haven’t won since.

The Army-Navy game, scheduled for Dec. 12 at Lincoln Financial Field, is still on.

Liberty is 5-0, and has had four players run for 100 yards in a game already. The Flames ran for 338 yards at Syracuse in their first win ever over an ACC team. When they lost to the Orange last season, they had minus-4 rushing yards. Backup quarterback Chris Ferguson (La Salle High) had three touchdown passes against North Alabama.

These teams are 5-0: BYU, Clemson, Liberty.

These teams are 4-0: Alabama, Coastal Carolina, Marshall, Notre Dame.

These major teams are hurtin': Kansas (0-4), Duke (1-5), Louisville (1-4).

Baylor has played only two games. In one of those games, running back Trestan Ebner had a 1-yard touchdown run, an 18-yard touchdown catch, an 83-yard kickoff return, and a 100-yard kickoff return. The Bears return to play Saturday against Texas.

Oklahoma State had consecutive bye weeks for the first time since 1918, the last time a major pandemic crippled the country.

Dan Mullen is a decent guy, loved Marzella’s cheesesteaks while he was playing at Ursinus, but contracting COVID a week after saying he wanted 90,000 fans at Florida’s next home game pretty much sums up what this virus is capable of. The 10th-ranked Gators have been dealing with an outbreak that shut down the program and caused the postponement of two games (LSU, Missouri). They hope to reopen their facility next week.

The Rose and Sugar bowls will serve as the playoff semifinal games on New Year’s Day with the championship game taking place Jan. 11 in Miami. From now until then, wash your hands, keep safe distance and wear a bleepin' mask. Oh, and cross your fingers.