The NCAA needs to revise its targeting rule. The burden of proof needs to be reversed. If a player is facing ejection and sitting out another half, then the review must determine that there is incontrovertible proof that it WAS targeting, not determine that there's not enough evidence to overturn the call.
The SEC may defend the call but there's no way they can defend the brief amount of time taken to confirm it. There's also no way the league can defend not ejecting the Alabama lineman who punched his blocker three times last week.
Also, referee John McDaid and his crew called the LSU-Auburn game last month. Auburn fans were upset with the two interference calls on our drive to the winning FG. Not so much because they were bad calls but because (from their point of view) the crew had allowed LSU's secondary to get away with interference on their receivers throughout the game.

• Winning three of four during Mark Ingram's absence was a significant achievement, albeit the victory over Cleveland in Week Two was due to luck.
• Dennis Allen's defense started shakily when Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick torched them for 417y with 4 TDs and 0 INTs in the 48-40 Week One victory.
• The defense struggled against Atlanta but Drew Brees & Company outscored the Falcons 43-37.
• Games Four and Five, however, saw the Saints hold the Giants to 18 points and the Redskins to 19.

The Saints are now in the Top Three Super Bowl contenders according to Las Vegas. That accolade doesn't add a point to their score in any game.

• The Saints' remaining schedule, which starts with games at Baltimore and Minnesota, is rated the first or second toughest in the league, depending on which website you visit.
• 247sports.com pegs the Saints to go 7-4 the rest of the way to finish 11-5. That should be good enough to win the NFC South and gain a first-round bye in the playoffs.

The bottom line is the same as it has been almost every year under Sean Payton: The Saints willl have one of the top offenses in the league. So their success depends upon the play of their defense.

• The pick expresses my confidence that the Tigers will not have a letdown following their tremendous performance against Georgia.
• It will be hard to return to that level of play but it isn't necessary to do that in order to beat these Bulldogs, who have lost to Kentucky on the road and Florida at home.
• Any smug overconfidence the Tigers might feel after last week's smashing triumph should be dispelled by remembering last year's 37-7 humiliation in Starkville at the hands of the Dan Mullen-led Bulldogs - the largest margin of victory by MSU over LSU in the history of the rivalry. (Remember the Fire Orgeron Now! hysteria after the game?)
• MSU is one-dimensional in its offense under their new coach, Joe Moorhead, who does bring a cachet as an offensive guru following Penn State's record-setting year with him as O-coordinator last season. I'll be surprised and disappointed if LSU's secondary doesn't get at least one pick Saturday night. HOW ABOUT FOUR?
• I am a bit concerned about NT Breiden Fahoko's uncertain status for the game. MSU QB Nick Fitzgerald likes to run up the middle on QB draws. Ed Alexander, who left the Georgia game twice with injuries, is the replacement. NOT A PROBLEM
• But I'm confident D-coordinator Dave Aranda will have a much better game plan against Fitzgerald & Company than last year although Moorhead and his staff have undoubtedly studied the video of Florida's victory over the Tigers two weeks ago. (It seems longer than that, doesn't it?) Dave will have Rover Devin White "spy" Fitzgerald every play, confident the secondary can cover MSU's mediocre receivers without him. No Bulldog receiver ranks in the Top 27 in yardage in the conference.
• My thought is that MSU will not score enough points to finish within 7 of the Tigers, who will get a turnover or two that lead to scores while taking care of the ball themselves.
• LSU has played more games against Mississippi State than any other rival and leads the series 71-37-3. Included is a 14-game winning streak from 2000-2013 that was broken by Zak Prescott in Tiger Stadium four years ago.

• Three One-Point Games
  South Florida 25 Tulsa 24
  The Bulls outscored the Golden Hurricane 15-0 in Q4 to remain undefeated. Coby Weiss booted a 22y FG with 0:02 left for the winning points.
  Central Florida 31 Memphis 30
  Like their in-state rival USF, the Knights overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half, shutting out the Tigers. UCF, which had defeated each of their first five opponents by double digits, extended their nation's best winning streak to 19. The first of two UCF second-half TDs came on 4th-and-1 and their own 29. First-year coach Josh Heupel sent his offense back on the field. With the Memphis D bunched at the line of scrimmage, Taj McGowan burst through for a 71y TD.
  Ball State 24 Central Michigan 23
  Similar script to the other two one-pointers. Ball State trailed 20-7 at halftime but fought back to take a 21-20 lead with 8:12 left in Q4. After a FG put the Chippewas back in front, Morgan Hagee booted a 36y FG with 0:47 left to pull out the victory.
• Bruins Win! Bruins Win!
  Off to their worst start since 1943, UCLA finally gave Chip Kelly his first victory as their coach, belting California 37-7 in Berkeley.
• Purdy Good QB
  In Week 6, Iowa State's true freshman QB Brock Purdy came off the bench in Q1 to replace Zeb Noland, who had started his fourth straight game in place of injured starter Kyle Kempt. All Brock did was lead the Cyclones to a 48-42 upset at Oklahoma State. Then proving that start was no fluke, Purdy outplayed Heisman candidate Will Grier in a 30-14 stomping of West Virginia.
  Purdy's stats for the two games:

  Game	Com/Att	Yds	TD	INT
  Oklahoma State	18/23	318	4	1
  West Virginia	18/25	254	3	1

• Oh, So Close
  After kicking a FG, Nebraska led Northwestern 31-21 with just 5:41 to play. Cornhusker fans got ready to celebrate the first victory of the Scott Frost era. But the Wildcats drove to a FG with 2:27 on the clock. When Nebraska recovered the ensuing onsides kick, fans back home breathed a sigh of relief. The Cornhuskers ran the ball three straight times to force Northwestern to use all their timeouts. Isaac Armstrong got off a great punt that was downed at the Northwestern 1 with 2:02 on the clock. The Cats wouldn't drive 99y with no timeouts, would they? Not without some help from the defense, and that's what they got. The first play resulted in a roughing the passer penalty that moved the ball out to the 16. QB Clayton Thorson converted a 3rd-and-5 for a first down. On 2nd-and-6 from the 36, Thorson fired a 32y pass to Flynn Nagel for a 1st down at the Nebraska 32 with 0:20 on the clock. Another completion put the ball on the 5. Two plays later, JJ Jefferson caught a TD pass to send the game into OT.
  Nebraska got the ball first and soon faced 4th-and-1 at the 16. Instead of kicking a FG, Frost had QB Adrian Martinez pass. That led to an INT in the EZ. Needing only a FG Northwestern gained 6y, then booted a FG to complete the comeback and keep Nebraska winless.
• Bad Day for Pac-12
  Oregon's 30-27 defeat of Washington almost certainly means the Pac-12 will almost certainly miss the CFP for the third time in five years. The league has some good teams but no great team. None of the 14 teams is undefeated after USC handed Colorado its first loss.

Complete Golden NFL rankings

• My interview was delayed because Jimmy was recover­ing from open heart surgery.
• Finally, I had a 30-minute phone interview with him dur­ing which he talked freely about his high school days, time at LSU, and pro career with the Packers.
• When the book was released in the summer of 2016, I contacted the Taylors to set up a meeting to present them with a copy of the book.
• Our meeting was delayed by the severe flooding in the Baton Rouge area. But finally they hosted me for lunch at Mike Anderson's in Baton Rouge. We had a pleasant conversation during a fine meal. He autographed my copy of the book, and I autographed his.
• I told Jimmy that the first time I saw him was at a playoff basketball game in New Orleans when I was a freshman manager at St. Aloysius High School. He was an excellent player and actually got more offers to play basketball than football at the college level.
• He was very proud that he was the first of the great Packers of the Vince Lombardi Era to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• I would have mourned his loss as a fan of his from his LSU, Packers, and Saints days. But now I mourn him even more as someone who got to spend time with him.