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Group L
#12 Oklahoma State (Big 12, 7-2, 9-3)
#21 Tennessee (SEC, 4-4, 8-4)
Arizona (Pac 12, 1-8, 3-9)
Bowling Green (MAC, 3-5, 4-8)
Louisiana Tech (Conference USA, 6-2, 8-5)
North Carolina (ACC, 5-3, 8-4)
Purdue (Big Ten, 1-8, 3-9)
Troy (Sun Belt, 6-2, 9-3)
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Week 1
Oklahoma State- 33, Troy- 19
Purdue- 31, Tennessee- 23
North Carolina- 37, Arizona- 23
Bowling Green- 41, Louisiana Tech- 27
14 was the magic number this week, as 3 of our 4 games ended up with a 14 point margin of victory. The one that didn't was also the most stunning, as Purdue jumped out to a 28-13 lead on Tennessee and held on. Oklahoma State also got out to a big lead on Troy, as they led 27-6 at halftime. LA Tech didn't help their chances right off the bat, as they fumbled twice (but recovered both) and had 3 interceptions in a bit of an upset loss to Bowling Green. North Carolina jumped out to a 30-10 lead against Arizona to seal that game early.
Week 2
Oklahoma State- 45, Purdue- 24
North Carolina- 48, Troy- 14
Louisiana Tech- 40, Tennessee- 30
Arizona- 31, Bowling Green- 15
No upset this week for Purdue, as the Cowboys scored early and often. Same thing with North Carolina against Troy. Tennessee is in a real jam already, with 2 losses that would both have to be considered upsets, and Arizona gets on the winning side of things by allowing just 3 second half points.
Week 3
Oklahoma State- 35, North Carolina- 31
Louisiana Tech- 43, Purdue- 17
Troy- 23, Bowling Green- 16
Tennessee- 40, Arizona- 28
The battle of 2-0 teams didn't look like much of a battle early on, as the Cowboys jumped out to a 21-0 lead, but North Carolina fought all the way back to take a 31-28 lead with 4 minutes to go on a Nick Weiler 39 yard FG. But Oklahoma State wasn't done, and with 8 seconds left, Rennie Childs ran it in from 8 yards out to salvage the win for the Pokes, who almost blew it. Troy got their first win of group play by scoring 10 points in both the first and fourth quarters, while Purdue has come back down to earth after 2 straight blowout losses. Tennessee gets their first win of group play by jumping out to a 30-7 lead over Arizona then hanging on.
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Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:
Oklahoma State 3-0 (+39)
North Carolina 2-1 (+44)
Louisiana Tech 2-1 (+22)
Tennessee 1-2 (-6)
Bowling Green 1-2 (-9)
Arizona 1-2 (-10)
Purdue 1-2 (-39)
Troy 1-2 (-41)
What a mess, with 5 teams at 1-2. Surely there will be some separation there in the coming weeks.
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