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| State | Candidate | Delegates |
|---|---|---|
 Donald Trump | ||
Pennsylvania |  Joe Biden |
Eliminator Week 3: Fighting Irish knocked out
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Pressure makes some college football coaches do the craziest things.
It makes them scream at officials or give their assistants "ass-chewings" in front of millions of people. It causes them to rotate three quarterbacks in one game or go for a two-point conversion after every touchdown.
In one incident this past weekend, the pressure might even have caused one FBS coach to inadvertently "like" a tweet that suggested he should fire his current defensive coordinator. Notre Dame's Brian Kelly told reporters that a staff member who manages his Twitter account mistakenly liked a fan's tweet suggestion that he fire embattled defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder.
"I have a number of people that manage my Twitter account," Kelly said during a Sunday teleconference. "Just obviously, going through it, somebody unfortunately made a mistake as they were scrolling through, inadvertently hit it, and just a mistake, an unfortunate mistake that was made by one of my staff members."
VanGorder is under intense scrutiny after the Fighting Irish's 1-2 start. The Irish currently rank near the bottom among 128 FBS teams in nearly every defensive statistic. They're 99th in run defense (198.7 yards), 102nd in total defense (439.3 yards), 103rd in pass-efficiency defense (145.38 rating) and tied for 94th in scoring defense (32 points per game).
After losing 36-28 to Michigan State on Saturday, the Fighting Irish are among the 10 teams that were axed from consideration for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff by The Eliminator. Through three weeks of the 2016 season, The Eliminator has eliminated 66 teams from playoff consideration, which is more than half the 128-team FBS field.
Here's where FBS stands after Week 3:
Jump to sections: Who's in? | Still in contention | On the fence | Better luck next season | Previously eliminated
Who's in?
During another unpredictable weekend, we saw seven ranked teams lose, including No. 2 Florida State, which fell 63-20 at Louisville. As a result, the Cardinals are replacing the Seminoles as the No. 3 seed in our four-team CFP field. No. 1 seed Alabama had to rally from a 21-point deficit to win 48-43 at Ole Miss. Ohio State moves up to the No. 2 seed after winning 45-24 at Oklahoma, and Michigan joins the field as the No. 4 seed after beating Colorado 45-28 at the Big House. For now, Clemson, Houston and Stanford are on the outside looking in, but we're only one-quarter of the way through the season.
Still in contention
Trending: UP
Notre Dame's Brian Kelly wasn't the only one who had Twitter problems this week. Chris Harrison, host of "The Bachelor," prematurely tweeted about the Crimson Tide's demise, a tweet that has since been deleted. After Alabama fell behind Ole Miss 24-3, Harrison tweeted: "Why is it so enjoyable to watch Saban lose? Looks like new blood in college football." There goes any chance of getting Lane Kiffin on the show.
Trending: EVEN
If Texas A&M beats Arkansas in overtime for the third straight time on Saturday at Jerry World, Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin might want to skip the postgame handshake. Hogs coach Bret Bielema joked this summer that Sumlin told him he didn't know what to say after last season's 28-21 win in overtime. Bielema's response: "Don't say anything. I might punch you."
Trending: EVEN
Who screwed up Baylor's schedule? Someone managed to squeeze a legitimate opponent, Oklahoma State, into the first six games. The Bears feasted on FCS foe Northwestern State, SMU and Rice, and after hosting the Pokes, they'll play Iowa State and Kansas.
Trending: EVEN
The Tigers play at Georgia Tech on Thursday, nearly two years after quarterback Deshaun Watson injured his left knee in the first quarter of a 28-6 loss to the Yellow Jackets. I don't have to remind Clemson fans what happened next.
Trending: EVEN
Unlike ESPN's George Whitfield, I'm not much of a quarterback guru. So I can only assume that it isn't a good sign that two SEC teams are starting quarterbacks who didn't start at Purdue. After losing Luke Del Rio to a knee injury, the Gators are expected to start graduate transfer Austin Appleby on Saturday at Tennessee. Former Purdue quarterback Danny Etling is starting for LSU.
Trending: EVEN
Did you see the video of the excited Georgia fan who ran through his house throwing things after freshman quarterback Jacob Eason threw the game-winning touchdown on fourth down with 1:31 left to win 28-27 at Missouri? He was having fun until he smashed into a door. It's kind of how Nick Chubb looks running behind UGA's offensive line.
Trending: UP
Houston's goal between now and a Nov. 17 showdown against No. 3 Louisville? Stay healthy. According to ESPN's Football Power Index, the Cougars have a 70.5 percent or better chance of winning each of their next seven games. But FPI gives Houston only a 20.6 percent chance of upsetting the Cardinals.
Trending: UP
No, we still don't have to like Louisville's Bobby Petrino. But after the Cardinals crushed then-No. 2 Florida State 63-20 on Saturday, we have to admit that the guy can flat-out coach. FPI gives Louisville the best chance (27 percent) among FBS teams of entering its bowl game undefeated.
Trending: UP
After a 3-0 start, the Hurricanes get a week off before playing at Georgia Tech on Oct. 1. The Yellow Jackets better hope first-year coach Mark Richt left his game plan for beating them back in Athens, Georgia.
Trending: EVEN
Michigan do-everything junior Jabrill Peppers has emerged as a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender after totaling nine tackles, one sack, 3.5 tackles for loss, 208 all-purpose yards and a touchdown in the Wolverines' 45-28 win over Colorado. At least Tennessee fans won't have to worry about Peppers stealing the Heisman from their quarterback this year.
Trending: UP
The Spartans are a gambler's dream. Michigan State closed as a 7-point underdog at Notre Dame on Saturday and won the game 36-28. It was the third time in the past two seasons that MSU won as an underdog of seven or more points. Since 2013, the Spartans are 7-3 in their past 10 games as underdogs.
Trending: UP
Stick this nugget in the "I told you so" file (which isn't very thick): Nebraska is going to be 7-0 going into its Oct. 29 trip to No. 11 Wisconsin. After beating No. 22 Oregon 35-32 at home, the Cornhuskers play Northwestern (road), Illinois (home), Indiana (road) and Purdue (home) in the next four games.
Trending: UP
After dismantling Oklahoma 45-24 on Saturday, the Buckeyes are 19-0 on the road under coach Urban Meyer. It's the second-longest such winning streak to start a tenure in college football history. Yale's Walter Camp won 25 straight road games from 1888-92, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Trending: UP
The Cardinal look like the team to beat in the Pac-12 North, but they will have to survive consecutive road trips to UCLA on Saturday and No. 9 Washington on Sept. 30 to stay on top.
Trending: UP
After beating Auburn 29-16 on the road on Saturday, the Aggies are 3-0 for the third straight season. Each of the past two seasons, they went 5-5 the rest of the way.
Trending: DOWN
Here's how long it has been since Tennessee beat Florida: Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White House, and man hadn't walked on the moon. OK, I'm exaggerating. It has been only 4,385 days (or 12 years and two days) since the Volunteers beat the Gators, but who's counting?
Trending: UP
Welcome to the 2016 season, Huskies. After playing Rutgers, Idaho and FCS foe Portland State, Washington hits the road this week at Arizona. Then the Huskies host No. 7 Stanford and play at Oregon. We'll finally start to figure out if they're legit.
Trending: DOWN
This isn't a good time for Wisconsin to have a quarterback controversy. After narrowly defeating Georgia State 23-17, the Badgers play their next five games against five of the Big Ten's best: No. 8 Michigan State (road), No. 4 Michigan (road), No. 2 Ohio State (home), Iowa (road) and No. 20 Nebraska (home).
On the fence
Trending: UP
Who said fullbacks don't matter anymore? The Falcons are 13-1 over the past three seasons when their fullbacks combine for 100 or more rushing yards.
Trending: UP
We're about to find out if Arizona is even a bowl team. After beating Hawaii 47-28, here are the Wildcats' next five games: No. 9 Washington (home), UCLA (road), No. 24 Utah (road), USC (home) and No. 7 Stanford (home). Ouch.
Trending: DOWN
The Sun Devils were lucky to escape San Antonio with a 32-28 win over UTSA. If you didn't notice, that's fewer than half as many points as Arizona State scored against Texas Tech a week earlier.
Trending: UP
The Black Knights are The Eliminator's "Team of the Week" after they blasted UTEP 66-14 on the road Saturday, less than a week after Army cornerback Brandon Jackson was killed in a car wreck. Army's coaches and players attended his funeral Monday in Queens, New York.
Trending: DOWN
Maybe the Tigers should try playing without a quarterback? It's worth a shot.
Trending: EVEN
Who doesn't think Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson dreams of having undefeated Boise State and San Diego State play in the MWC championship game? The Broncos had a week off after beating Washington State 31-28 on Sept. 10. They'll try to go 2-0 against the Pac-12 North on Saturday at Oregon State.
Trending: UP
The Chippewas will have a chance to knock off two Power 5 teams this season -- yeah, we're still counting the Oklahoma State win -- when they play Saturday at Virginia.
Trending: DOWN
Houston just ran back another pick-six.
Trending: UP
The Buffaloes are probably wondering what might have happened if quarterback Sefo Liufau hadn't injured his ankle after throwing his third touchdown early in the third quarter of a 45-28 loss at Michigan. Either way, the Buffaloes are definitely headed in the right direction.
Trending: DOWN
The Pirates fell 20-15 on Saturday at South Carolina. The good news: They get to play another ACC team this week.
Trending: DOWN
The Seminoles are more than capable of pulling things back together and winning the rest of their games. However, after what we saw from them at Louisville, they're also more than capable of losing Saturday at South Florida.
Trending: UP
Congrats, Eagles. You're the lone survivor from the Sun Belt Conference. Will you still be here after Saturday's trip to Western Michigan?
Trending: UP
Keep an eye on Georgia Tech's home game against Clemson on Thursday. The Tigers have lost their past five games in Atlanta and haven't won there since 2003. Unranked Tech teams upset ranked Clemson squads three times in that stretch, including a 31-17 win over the No. 5 Tigers in 2011.
Trending: EVEN
The Hoosiers had an extra week to prepare for their nonconference finale against Wake Forest. No, this isn't basketball.
Trending: DOWN
I could tell you how much Iowa paid Kirk Ferentz to lose to North Dakota State 23-21 on Saturday. But if you really want to know, you can find it in about 1 million tweets.
Trending: EVEN
The Wildcats had an extra week to prepare after falling at Stanford in their opener, and they responded with a 63-7 win over Florida Atlantic. They'll host another cupcake, FCS foe Missouri State, before starting Big 12 play.
Trending: UP
The Tigers play at Auburn on Saturday, which might be the earliest "Hot Seat Bowl" in the modern era of the sport.
Trending: UP
Sure, the Terrapins needed double overtime to beat UCF 30-24 on the road. But they'll have a chance to improve to 4-0 if they defeat Purdue on Oct. 1, which would be a nice start for first-year coach DJ Durkin.
Trending: EVEN
Take that, Big 12. After being snubbed in potential Big 12 expansion, the Tigers blew out Kansas 43-7 on Saturday. If only it had been a relegation game.
Trending: UP
The Gophers had a week off before Saturday's nonconference finale against Colorado State. They needed overtime to beat the Rams 23-20 on the road last season.
Trending: EVEN
Navy quarterback Will Worth is getting pretty good at late-game heroics. A week after scoring a late touchdown to beat Connecticut, he scored on a 1-yard touchdown with 2:57 left in a 21-14 win at Tulane.
Trending: EVEN
Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky set two school records in a 56-28 win over James Madison. He completed 18 passes in a row and has now thrown 156 consecutive passes without an interception.
Trending: DOWN
Yes, the Sooners' playoff chances are on life support, if not entirely flat-lined, after they fell to 1-2 with their loss to Ohio State. But, come on, somebody has to win the Big 12, right?
Trending: UP
It won't be the Big 12 if Oklahoma State's controversial 30-27 loss to Central Michigan doesn't come into the equation at season's end. If the Pokes can win at No. 16 Baylor on Saturday, it might become even more of a storyline.
Trending: DOWN
Yes, Ole Miss is 1-2 after blowing at least 21-point leads in losses to Florida State and Alabama. But the Rebels have dropped only one SEC game and still have a chance to play in the SEC championship game, so we'll leave them in contention for now.
Trending: DOWN
I don't have a calculator handy, but I think my math is correct. The Ducks lost at Nebraska 35-32. The Ducks went 1-for-5 on two-point conversion attempts, which means they left at least four points on the field (if they would've made four extra point attempts). If Oregon had kicked extra points after each of its five touchdowns, the game would have gone to overtime.
Trending: UP
Welcome back to the win column. The Beavers ended a 10-game losing streak by beating FCS foe Idaho State 37-7 on Saturday. They host Boise State on Saturday.
Trending: EVEN
No, the Nittany Lions didn't beat Pitt. But at least they didn't lose to Temple again.
Trending: DOWN
From the "Thought you'd never see this" file: Penn State and Oklahoma State combined for 84 points and 1,046 yards of offense against a Pat Narduzzi-coached defense the past two games.
Trending: UP
Yes, I checked my notes again. The Scarlet Knights haven't yet been eliminated. Give them credit for rallying back from a 21-0 deficit, even if it was against New Mexico.
Trending: UP
The Aztecs won 42-28 at Northern Illinois on Saturday for their 13th consecutive victory, which is the second-longest active winning streak in FBS, behind only Alabama's 15. It's San Diego State's longest winning streak since it won 21 straight games under coach Don Coryell from 1968-70.
Trending: UP
After surprising East Carolina, South Carolina plays Saturday at Kentucky. If the Gamecocks win and then beat UMass on Oct. 22 and FCS foe Western Carolina on Nov. 19, they'll have to win only one other game to finish 6-6. That means Darius Rucker is playing for free in Columbia, South Carolina.
Trending: UP
The Bulls staged the second-biggest comeback in school history in last week's 45-20 win at Syracuse. They trailed 17-0 in the first quarter, then scored 28 straight points in the second quarter en route to a 45-20 victory.
Trending: EVEN
The Horned Frogs bounced back with a 41-20 win over Iowa State, but it was costly. Top receiver and return specialist KaVontae Turpin suffered a knee injury, and it isn't yet known how long he'll be sidelined.
Trending: DOWN
After allowing 507 yards of offense in a 50-43 loss at California, Texas coach Charlie Strong said he'll use the week off to evaluate his coaching staff. Translation: Strong is probably going to be calling the defense from now on.
Trending: EVEN
The Red Raiders had 666 yards of offense and beat Louisiana Tech by only 14 points. That's a sign of ... a really bad defense.
Trending: UP
Oh, where have you gone, Pat Hill? The Rockets led Fresno State 24-0 at the half and 38-0 in the third quarter before rolling to a 52-17 victory. The Rockets beat their first three opponents by a combined score of 128-30.
Trending: UP
After getting run over in the first two games, UCLA's defense finally bowed up in a 17-14 win at BYU. The Cougars had only 23 rushing yards and 273 yards overall, 91 of which came on their final possession. UCLA's defense will have to play as well in Saturday's Pac-12 opener against Stanford.
Trending: UP
See Ole Miss. I know it's the longest of long shots, but even pigs can fly in Hollywood.
Trending: EVEN
Honk if you sacked a San Jose State quarterback on Saturday. The Utes had 10 sacks and scored 17 points off three turnovers in a 34-17 win over the Spartans.
Trending: UP
Juco transfer Jerod Evans tied a school record with five touchdown passes in a 49-0 win over Boston College, which had the No. 1 defense in FBS in 2015. It was the Hokies' most lopsided win since they beat Maryland 55-6 in 2004.
Trending: UP
The Demon Deacons matched their victory total from 2015 by improving to 3-0 after a 38-21 win over FCS foe Delaware State. But quarterback Kendall Hinton will miss two to four weeks because of a sprained knee.
Trending: UP
If the Broncos beat Northern Illinois on Oct. 8, we're going to declare them Illinois state champs. Yes, I'm including the Bears.
Trending: EVEN
After getting a week off, the Mountaineers play BYU on Saturday at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. This isn't your daddy's BYU. The Cougars rank 78th in passing with only two touchdown passes in three games, which is 12 fewer than what Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes has thrown.
Better luck next season
Trending: DOWN
Eagles coach Steve Addazio might be firmly on the hot seat after losing 49-0 at Virginia Tech on Saturday. It was the Eagles' worst loss since a 54-0 defeat against Ole Miss on Oct. 7, 1950. BC's offense had six first downs, 80 passing yards and 44 rushing yards.
Trending: DOWN
Duke coach David Cutcliffe probably knew it was going to be a rebuilding year, but he has to feel good about freshman quarterback Daniel Jones. The Charlotte native threw 96 pass attempts with only two interceptions the past two games.
Trending: DOWN
First-year Illinois coach Lovie Smith wants the Illini to be a more physical team. They ran for 3 yards on 15 carries in a 34-10 loss to Western Michigan. Obviously, Smith has a long way to go.
Trending: DOWN
Akron walloped the Thundering Herd 65-38 on the road Saturday. Zips coach Terry Bowden has quietly done a fantastic job of building his team into a MAC East title contender, not that that makes Marshall feel any better.
Trending: DOWN
That's right, Tigers. Georgia has the better football team and journalism school.
Trending: DOWN
Sure, the Fighting Irish might win the rest of their games and finish 10-2, which might be enough to earn a trip to a New Year's Six bowl game. But without an opportunity to win a conference championship and with only two ranked teams left on the schedule (No. 7 Stanford and No. 15 Miami), Notre Dame won't be making the playoff.
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
Trending: DOWN
Despite committing 15 penalties and turning the ball over three times against Troy on Saturday, Southern Miss had a chance to tie the game on the final play. But quarterback Nick Mullens' pass into the end zone was knocked away, and the Trojans escaped with a 37-31 win.
Trending: DOWN
The Orange piled up 549 yards of offense, held the ball for nearly 38 minutes and somehow lost to South Florida by 25 points. That's what 10 penalties and three turnovers will do.
Trending: DOWN
After being routed 42-3 at Arkansas on Saturday, the Bobcats host No. 6 Houston this week in San Marcos. In the 2012 opener, Texas State stunned the Cougars 30-13 in its FBS debut. Texas State alumnus George Strait should have written a song about it.
Trending: DOWN
Vanderbilt has been patient with third-year coach Derek Mason, but his team's offensive woes might be too much to overlook. The Commodores scored only one touchdown for the second time in three games in a 38-7 loss at Georgia Tech. Worse, Vandy's defense was gashed for 511 yards.
Previously eliminated
Eliminated in Week 2: Akron Zips, Ball State Cardinals, BYU Cougars, California Bears, Connecticut Huskies, Eastern Michigan Eagles, Florida Atlantic Owls, Idaho Vandals, Kansas Jayhawks, Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Mexico Lobos, NC State Wolfpack, Old Dominion Monarchs, Purdue Boilermakers, SMU Mustangs, South Alabama Jaguars, Texas San Antonio Roadrunners, Troy Trojans, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, UCF Knights, UNLV Rebels, Utah State Aggies, UTEP Miners, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Wyoming Cowboys
Eliminated in Week 1: Appalachian State Mountaineers, Arkansas State Red Wolves, Bowling Green Falcons, Buffalo Bulls, Charlotte 49ers, Colorado State Rams, Florida International Golden Panthers, Fresno State Bulldogs, Georgia State Panthers, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Iowa State Cyclones, Kent State Golden Flashes, Kentucky Wildcats, Louisiana Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Massachusetts Minutemen, Miami(Ohio)RedHawks, Mississippi State Bulldogs, New Mexico State Aggies, North Texas Mean Green, Northern Illinois Huskies, Northwestern Wildcats, Ohio Bobcats, Rice Owls, San Jose State Spartans, Temple Owls, Tulane Green Wave, Virginia Cavaliers, Washington State Cougars
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