Georgia Tigers’ Win its sixth Victory

American games upset 7 Georgia validates the Tigers’ perfect first half has beaten has Missouri’s . The win, its sixth, exceeds Missouri’s win total from the entire 2012 season – a year defined by a slew of injuries on the offensive side of the ball.

The victory also vaults Missouri to the top spot in the Southeastern Conference East Division at the midway point; in turn, this throws the Tigers’ name into the national championship conversation. With Florida losing at LSU, there are only two teams without a loss in SEC play: No. 1 Alabama and Missouri.

But the win came with a cost. Senior quarterback James Franklin suffered a shoulder injury and will miss an indefinite period of time, forcing Missouri to turn to backup Maty Mauk for at least the next two games against East Division rivals South Carolina and Florida. Can Missouri maintain this pace? Two more key divisional games stand ahead, but Saturday’s win against the Bulldogs makes Missouri one of the day’s big winners.

More winners and losers from Week 7 of the 2013 season:

WINNERS

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders became the first Big 12 team to clinch bowl eligibility, moving to 6-0 after a back-and-forth 42-35 win against Iowa State. New coach Kliff Kingsbury has rebuilt Tech’s offense, as expected, but the way he’s impacted the team’s sense of confidence might be the most noteworthy aspect of his debut season – because under ex-coach Tommy Tuberville, the Red Raiders were known to crumble when faced with a degree of adversity. Last year’s team was 6-1 before dropping four of five to end the regular season. Can the Red Raiders avoid a similar second-half fade?

LSU: The Tigers’ 17-6 win against Florida virtually ensures the preseason expectation: LSU will meet Alabama on Nov. 9 to decide the SEC West Division. Unlike during the Tigers’ 4-1 start, the win against the Gators demanded more physicality from the running game than explosiveness in the passing game. In a sense, however, that LSU has proved it can beat strong competition in two different ways – either downfield through the air or between the tackles on the ground – paints this team as a viable challenger to Alabama’s run of SEC dominance.

Wisconsin: Ohio State is the best team in the Big Ten. Is Wisconsin a clear pick for second? In a matchup of the Buckeyes’ past two victims, Wisconsin dismantled Northwestern 35-6 with a punishing, non-stop barrage of run-game physicality. Although losing to OSU virtually removes the Badgers from the Big Ten championship race, beating a quality opponent like Northwestern keeps UW very much in the hunt for an at-large bid to the Rose Bowl.

LOSERS

Stanford: While teams moved in and out of a national ranking, the same top five remained static during the season’s first six weeks. That changed Saturday, when undefeated Stanford lost at Utah, becoming the first unbeaten title contender to drop out of the national conversation. While the loss stings – hurting the Cardinal and the Pac-12, which had two teams among the top five – Stanford can still beat Oregon on Nov. 7 and earn a spot in the Rose Bowl. Playing for the national title would involve a perfect run through the rest of the regular season, a win against the South Division winner in early December and, of course, some help.

Clemson: While Clemson eventually pulled away from Boston College, an unsteady performance casts a shadow over the Tigers’ upcoming game with Florida State. Not that the 24-14 win alters the course of the season: Clemson still controls its own destiny in the national title race, beginning with Saturday’s home game against the Seminoles and concluding with the regular-season finale against in-state rival South Carolina. Did the Tigers just get caught looking ahead to FSU?

Arkansas: The Razorbacks’ solid start under new coach Bret Bielema has crumbled after the schedule took a stronger turn. Arkansas has now lost four in a row against Rutgers, Texas A&M, Florida and South Carolina, dropping the latter threesome of SEC dates by a score of 127-50. It doesn’t get any easier: Arkansas travels to Alabama on Oct. 19.

Western Michigan: The Broncos fell to 0-7 with a 33-0 loss to Buffalo, making WMU the first FBS team to clinch bowl ineligibility in 2013. WMU lost to Nicholls State during non-conference play and has been outscored 112-34 in three Mid-American Conference games.

Indiana: One week after a 42-28 win against Penn State snapped an 0-16 mark against the Nittany Lions, the Hoosiers’ offense found far tougher sledding against Michigan State’s elite defense. This was particularly true after the game’s opening drive: IU scored on a 64-yard run to open the game but gained only 28 yards on its remaining 26 carries.

Missouri’s 41-26 win at No. 7 Georgia validates the Tigers’ perfect first half. The win, its sixth, exceeds Missouri’s win total from the entire 2012 season – a year defined by a slew of injuries on the offensive side of the ball.

The victory also vaults Missouri to the top spot in the Southeastern Conference East Division at the midway point; in turn, this throws the Tigers’ name into the national championship conversation. With Florida losing at LSU, there are only two teams without a loss in SEC play: No. 1 Alabama and Missouri.

But the win came with a cost. Senior quarterback James Franklin suffered a shoulder injury and will miss an indefinite period of time, forcing Missouri to turn to backup Maty Mauk for at least the next two games against East Division rivals South Carolina and Florida. Can Missouri maintain this pace? Two more key divisional games stand ahead, but Saturday’s win against the Bulldogs makes Missouri one of the day’s big winners.

More winners and losers from Week 7 of the 2013 season:

WINNERS

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders became the first Big 12 team to clinch bowl eligibility, moving to 6-0 after a back-and-forth 42-35 win against Iowa State. New coach Kliff Kingsbury has rebuilt Tech’s offense, as expected, but the way he’s impacted the team’s sense of confidence might be the most noteworthy aspect of his debut season – because under ex-coach Tommy Tuberville, the Red Raiders were known to crumble when faced with a degree of adversity. Last year’s team was 6-1 before dropping four of five to end the regular season. Can the Red Raiders avoid a similar second-half fade?

LSU: The Tigers’ 17-6 win against Florida virtually ensures the preseason expectation: LSU will meet Alabama on Nov. 9 to decide the SEC West Division. Unlike during the Tigers’ 4-1 start, the win against the Gators demanded more physicality from the running game than explosiveness in the passing game. In a sense, however, that LSU has proved it can beat strong competition in two different ways – either downfield through the air or between the tackles on the ground – paints this team as a viable challenger to Alabama’s run of SEC dominance.

Wisconsin: Ohio State is the best team in the Big Ten. Is Wisconsin a clear pick for second? In a matchup of the Buckeyes’ past two victims, Wisconsin dismantled Northwestern 35-6 with a punishing, non-stop barrage of run-game physicality. Although losing to OSU virtually removes the Badgers from the Big Ten championship race, beating a quality opponent like Northwestern keeps UW very much in the hunt for an at-large bid to the Rose Bowl.

LOSERS

Stanford: While teams moved in and out of a national ranking, the same top five remained static during the season’s first six weeks. That changed Saturday, when undefeated Stanford lost at Utah, becoming the first unbeaten title contender to drop out of the national conversation. While the loss stings – hurting the Cardinal and the Pac-12, which had two teams among the top five – Stanford can still beat Oregon on Nov. 7 and earn a spot in the Rose Bowl. Playing for the national title would involve a perfect run through the rest of the regular season, a win against the South Division winner in early December and, of course, some help.

Clemson: While Clemson eventually pulled away from Boston College, an unsteady performance casts a shadow over the Tigers’ upcoming game with Florida State. Not that the 24-14 win alters the course of the season: Clemson still controls its own destiny in the national title race, beginning with Saturday’s home game against the Seminoles and concluding with the regular-season finale against in-state rival South Carolina. Did the Tigers just get caught looking ahead to FSU?

Arkansas: The Razorbacks’ solid start under new coach Bret Bielema has crumbled after the schedule took a stronger turn. Arkansas has now lost four in a row against Rutgers, Texas A&M, Florida and South Carolina, dropping the latter threesome of SEC dates by a score of 127-50. It doesn’t get any easier: Arkansas travels to Alabama on Oct. 19.

Western Michigan: The Broncos fell to 0-7 with a 33-0 loss to Buffalo, making WMU the first FBS team to clinch bowl ineligibility in 2013. WMU lost to Nicholls State during non-conference play and has been outscored 112-34 in three Mid-American Conference games.

Indiana: One week after a 42-28 win against Penn State snapped an 0-16 mark against the Nittany Lions, the Hoosiers’ offense found far tougher sledding against Michigan State’s elite defense. This was particularly true after the game’s opening drive: IU scored on a 64-yard run to open the game but gained only 28 yards on its remaining 26 carries.