I'd never been one of those people screaming for a playoff.
That is, until now.
Look, this season has been thrilling. That's for sure. And it speaks to a shift in college football. Gone are the days where a handful of programs dominate the sport. And that's a good thing. These days, the game has much more parity (or mediocrity). That's obviously great for competition and, if it's even possible, it makes the sport that much more attractive.
But this new era of college football practically begs for a change in how college football crowns its champion. Of course, no one likes change, and new ideas are often met with great skepticism. The tradition of the Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Rose Bowls is deeply rooted in college football history. And, that’s fine, but there are compelling reasons to make changes to the framework of this fine game, and there may even be ways to compromise tradition and the topsy-turvy nature of the modern era of the game.
While the BCS is by no means responsible for this turbulent season, it is, however, responsible for crowning a legit champion of this sport. Come January 8 there will be a lot of college football fans who will not be comfortable with who was crowned national champion the night before. I know I’ll be screaming the loudest if it’s Ohio State.
Which teams “deserve” to play in the national title game ought to be simple, but instead it is as complex of an inquiry as anything anyone ever could imagine.
Two “Best” Teams
I take this opportunity to remind fans that the national championship matches No. 1 versus No. 2—not the two best teams. In no other game do people talk about the two “best” teams playing for it all, and that’s probably because they all have a playoff. I don’t hate the current system. In fact this is the first time that I’ve ever objected to it (this objection would’ve come a year earlier had I not been a Gator fan), and if voters of the polls were consistent, I wouldn’t object to it now.
But if you’re going to be wrong, fine, but at least be consistently wrong. Inconsistent, blow-with-the-wind voting is the real problem in college football. Too many cooks spoil the soup, and there are far too many voters subjectively deciding the college football champion, i.e. ruining the soup. But, however subjectively, the voters do vote. And, if the two best teams shall play for the title at the end of the season, vote the two best teams No. 1 and No. 2 throughout the season. “Best” in week one means “best” in week 14.
In the words of Les Miles, LSU is a "damn strong” football team. I take nothing from them. But how they moved up all those spots, jumping Georgia, only after winning a game they were always supposed to baffles me. Sure LSU beat Tennessee who beat Georgia, but Georgia did beat Kentucky who beat LSU. And, of course, nowhere in the rules does it say that a team must win its conference to get a ticket to the big show.
And how Ohio State moved up in the polls while Georgia and Kansas moved down when all were idle is as clear as mud. It must not be because the Buckeyes had only one loss; Kansas is a one-loss team, too. Sure, Kansas didn't play anybody all season, save for Missouri (I guess), but Ohio State's schedule wasn’t exactly grueling either. And you can’t talk about wins and losses without talking about strength of schedule.
Having beaten the No. 1 team in the nation, only Oklahoma could make a case for jumping Ohio State or Georgia. Save for that, had voters voted consistently the title game would be Ohio State-Georgia. But Georgia was snubbed because it didn’t take the SEC.
Didn't voters realize that Georgia wouldn't be playing in the SEC title back when they voted them as the fourth best team in the nation, higher than both teams that would be playing for the SEC?
How’s that for inconsistency.
(Personally, I’m not all that opposed to letting the computers decide the match-up. That may not be the best solution, but at least it is an objective one. FYI: the computers voted Virginia Tech-LSU No.1 and No. 2, respectively)
Wins & Losses and Strength of Schedule
These things go hand-in-hand but never has this concept been equally applied to all teams in college football, especially this year. As always, the national title match-up inquiry probes wins and losses, and so will I.
Hawaii is the only undefeated team, but no one would put them in the national title because they don’t play anyone. Same thing for once-beaten Kansas.
Now, who does Ohio State play?
Ohio State’s opponents are a combined 73-71 (.507) this season. Four of those opponents had losing records, and three of which are not in the Big Ten. By record, the best teams Ohio State faced were 9-3 Wisconsin and Illinois. They lost to Illinois. LSU’s opponents are a combined 88-70 (.557). The Tigers defeated teams with eleven, nine and eight wins on the season. Not to mention, LSU plays in the toughest conference in college football. That, and The Tigers beat six top 20 schools, including defending national champion Florida. Georgia, of course, also plays in the SEC. Its opponents are a combined 75-69 (.521). Only three of Georgia’s opponents finished with losing records, two are in the SEC. Georgia’s schedule, while not as grueling as LSU’s, was not as soft as Ohio State’s.
With that, just try to justify Ohio State’s No. 1 ranking.
Stop. You can’t.
The current system rewards playing fewer games and soft schedules. That’s bad for college football.
The only reason they are in the big show is because of their storied program that makes voters feel comfortable about putting the Buckeye’s as No. 1. That shouldn’t be; Ohio State, like anyone else, has got to earn that spot. And earning that spot starts with scheduling tough games; that’s something the Buckeyes do not do.
The Solution: 16-team playoff
The thing about all of this is there's too much speculation. Let the teams play it out on the field. That translates to this: a playoff is now in order for college football. And CFU is here to show the BCS just how to fix things
Playoff
To protect the significance of the regular season, a playoff system shouldn't go too deep. Sixteen teams is a good number; it doesn't include too many teams while including just enough to make the playoffs diverse, exciting and, of course, unpredictable.
Playoff games are played weekly as teams advance and culminate in the BCS National Championship Game.
8 Conference Champs
Each conference champ from the six major conferences gets an automatic berth into the BCS playoffs, as will the highest ranked team from a non-major conference that is the champion of its conference. The other four conference champions will play a 4-team "play-in" playoff, the winner of which joins the other conference champs in the BCS playoffs.
Click here to see what this year's play-in bracket would look like
8 At-large Bids & Seeding
With 8 conference champs already in the BCS playoff, the remaining 8 teams will be selected as "at-large" berths chosen by a BCS Committee. Once the eight "at-large" berths are decided upon, all sixteen teams will then be seeded from one to sixteen and placed in a division. The division receiving the No. 1 seed will rotate annually.
A conference champ from a non-major conference who did not win the play-in playoff and is ranked in the top twelve may receive an at-large berth into the BCS playoffs.
Four Divisions
The 16 teams will be divided into 4 divisions: the “Home Depot” Orange Bowl Division, the Allstate Sugar Bowl division, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Division, and the Rose Bowl by Citi Division. The winners of the second round will be champions of their divisions, e.g. Sugar Bowl Champions. The champions of the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl Divisions play each other in the third round or semi-finals, as will the champions of the Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl Divisions. The winners of the third round will meet in the BCS National Championship Game.
BCS Bowls
Teams in the “Home Depot” Orange Bowl Division play in the Capital One Bowl and the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Teams in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Division play in the Cotton Bowl and Champs Sports Bowl. Teams in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Division play in the Outback Bowl and the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. Teams in the Rose Bowl Division by Citi play in the Toyota Gator Bowl and the Valero Alamo Bowl. This preserves, and even adds to, the most significant previously non-BCS bowls.
To accommodate the semi-final round, two new BCS Bowls are added. (I made up two new bowls: the “FedEx Bowl” and the “Champions Bowl by Coca-Cola.”)
Click here to see what this year's 16-team playoff bracket would look like
Remaining non-BCS Bowls
The remaining bowls may still exist as does the NIT in college basketball.
Issues With a Playoff System
Implementing a playoff system isn’t at all easy. Many issues arise. The first—and it is huge, even fatal—is the way a playoff will effect the revenue generating ability of the bowl games. Quite frankly, few fans, especially students, have the money to travel between games as their team advances. College basketball games don’t draw the 60,000 plus (in many instances 100,000) fans that college football does. The two teams that reach the BCS National Championship Game in a 16-team playoff will have played four games in four or so weeks in four different parts of the country. That isn’t easy on the pockets of the average student.
But in a lot of ways this happens each week of the regular season; die-hard fans travel long distances to support their team. Keep in mind, though, that one of the two teams is playing at home, drawing the student body and local fans. Sure, there are loads of students who would give an arm and a leg to follow their team as it advances in the playoff, but they only have so many arms and legs. Whether a playoff can fill stadia with capacities upwards of 70,000 is not so clear.
Another issue that comes to mind is the relevance of the regular season. Unlike any other sport, in college football each and every game matters. A playoff, though, introduces a margin of error, however slight, that has always been a stranger to this game. Suddenly, that loss to Duke (yeah, right) will not send your season to hell, because “there’s always the playoffs!”
A playoff system will hardly make the regular season any, and certainly not significantly, less relevant. The reason why each game matters would be the only thing that would change. In a playoff (particularly CFU’s system), the goal is to reach the playoffs. In fact, where teams such as Tulsa (who knows!?) have the opportunity to win a BCS Championship—something they could never do in the current system—there may be even greater incentive in a playoff system. Then, in college football, you get the excitement of a possible George Mason-like run in the 2006 NCAA tournament for Tulsa in the BCS Playoffs. Any reason why the regular season is so relevant now will remain in a playoff system. Teams will strive to reach the playoffs. Of course, one way for them to do so is to win their conference (automatic berth in playoffs for major conferences; appearance in the play-in for non-major conferences). So, with each game relevant to getting to the playoff—the only avenue to winning the BCS championship—the relevancy of the regular season of a playoff system will not be noticeably lessened.
And then there’s the drama that keeps up watching this game. Might a playoff make college football less dramatic? ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich said it best:
“C'mon, let's hear it. Georgia got hosed. But LSU has two losses! Why is Illinois in the Rose Bowl? The best team is not playing in the national championship. Who is the best team? They all lost! This is why a playoff should never exist. For the next month, argue over the matchups. Argue over the BCS. Argue over Christmas dinner. It's as entertaining as the games themselves. Which you'll watch no matter who is playing. And when LSU beats Ohio State for the national championship, and that sense of finality sets in, you'll already be longing for the chaos of next season. Because this year, your team got hosed.”
Listen, I don’t know if there will ever be a playoff in college football, but I do know that a playoff won’t change the fact that I watch every regular season game I can find on tv. It won’t change the passion. It won’t change the excitement. It won’t change the drama. And it won’t change the rivalries.
The only thing that a playoff will do is add to all of these things.
—Randall Cooper
Every single one. That’s right, on December 20, do yourself a favor and pull up your favorite chair in front of your gargantuan gazillion inch LCD HDTV, grab your remote, point it, and flip between ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, ABC, and FOX for the next 4 weeks. All of these games may not call your name, but I can't think of a good reason to miss any. You know how boxing schedules a slew of match-ups between boxers you’ve never heard of before the main event? Same thing here. Some of those matches turn out to be pretty good, and so will some of these. So, kick back. Relax. Order some pizza. Drink a beer. Or two. Or three. Argue over who should be playing for the title. After all, for college football fans this is the most wonderful time of the year, and with how this season has turned out anything goes.
BCS National Championship Game: #1 Ohio State v. #2 LSU
Ohio State plays your traditional Big Ten football: defense, defense, and more defense. They aren’t strangers to big games either, and this is a big as it gets. It’s a home game for the Tigers, who sport two dynamic, mobile quarterbacks, and QBs that can move are a problem for the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s only loss was to Illinois whose QB, Juice Williams, can certainly move around. Plus, Ohio State will have to be ready for both Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux. Les Miles will use each as necessary. The Tigers average more total yards per game, more passing yards per game, more rushing yards per game, and they score more points per game. While they’ll be ready, 51 days will have passed since the Buckeyes played their last game. And by the time they play off that rust, the Tigers will be up by 21.
Picks—Randall: LSU Chris: LSU
FedEx Orange Bowl: #3 Virginia Tech v. #8 Kansas
Yawn. There a few non-BCS bow games that’ll be tons more electrifying than this one, but oh well. Playing their first (maybe second) real opponent all season, Kansas will struggle mightily to hang with the Hokies, especially when they’ve got the ball. Kansas QB, Todd Reesing, faces without a doubt his toughest challenge. He’ll have trouble connecting with anyone in the secondary, other than VT’s cornerbacks who’ll look more like wide-receivers by the time this thing is over. As far as churning out yards on the ground, forget about it. The Jayhawks may average 44 points per game, but they haven’t played anybody like VT. But wait, hasn’t this been the season of upsets?
Picks—Randall: VT Chris: VT
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: #4 Oklahoma v. #9 West Virginia
This will be good if West Virginia shows up. Trust me, the Mountaineers are better—much better—than the way they played against Pitt that kept them out of the national title picture. And as embarrassing as that loss was, expect Rich Rodriguez to have his boys ready. God knows they’ll need to be. The Oklahoma Sooners are serious. They just convincingly beat the No. 1 team in the nation and probably think they belong in the big show, something that may serve to motivate the Sooners. By the way, they only allow 92 yards per game on the ground, which means Steve Slaton won’t make the highlight reel. They also average 43 points per game. One thing about the Mountaineers, though, is that they’ve played some defense this year. If that defense can hold the Sooners and Pat White find some big plays downfield, the Mountaineers might redeem themselves in the Fiesta Bowl. Maybe Rich Rodriguez ought to put a “Statute of Liberty” play in his back pocket. You know, just in case.
Picks—Randall: Oklahoma Chris: Oklahoma
Allstate Sugar Bowl: #5 Georgia v. #10 Hawaii
Undefeated Hawaii has Georgia on its mind. And the Warriors aren’t just glad to be in the Sugar Bowl, they want to win it. One way to do it: keep Knowshon Moreno off the field. If Moreno gets loose, that’ll be all she wrote. Doing just that isn’t necessarily how the Warriors play football; behind Colt Brennan they run a fast-paced offense that scores quickly. I doubt that Hawaii will try to fix something that isn’t broken, so that means that to have a chance the Warriors have got to play defense. Ranked 30th in the country in total defense, the Warriors haven’t broken any records on that side of the ball. Certainly, this is something they’ll need to look at before playing in the Super Dome—4,000 miles from Honolulu. But we’ve seen David slay Goliath before, and this has been that kind of season.
Picks—Randall: Georgia Chris: Georgia
Rose Bowl by Citi: #7 USC v. #13 Illinois
Because they run a spread offense, Illinois is the anti-Big Ten. QB Juice Williams manages a balanced offense using the explosive Rashad Mendenhall, the Big Ten’s second-leading rusher and Arrelious Benn in the passing game. This trio tore apart Ohio State, the nation’s top defense. But USC is by no means untalented on defense. They’ve got speed and lots of it. The talent doesn’t stop there. On the other side of the ball, the Trojans are also loaded. These two squads are almost dead even on total offense, with the Illini ranking 45th in the country and the Trojans ranking 47th. Still, many feel like the Rose Bowl should’ve swayed away from tradition and selected Georgia, a better match-up. With that, the Illini have got to feel like they need to prove that they belong in this game. They, however, face no small feat. But, then again, they didn’t face small feat when they knocked of Ohio State either.
Picks—Randall: Illinois Chris: USC
Poinesstia: Navy; Navy
New Orleans: Memphis; Memphis
Papajohns.com: Cincinnati; Cincinnati
New Mexico: New Mexico; New Mexico
Las Vegas: BYU; BYU
Hawaii: Boise State; Boise State
Motor City: Purdue; Central Michigan
Holiday: Texas; Arizona State
Champs Sports: Boston College; Boston College
Texas: TCU; TCU
Emerald: Oregon State; Maryland
Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest; UConn
Liberty: Central Florida; Mississippi State
Alamo: Penn State; Penn State
Independence: Alabama; Alabama
Armed Forces: Cal; Cal
Humanitarian: Fresno State; Georgia Tech
Sun: South Florida; South Florida
Music City: Florida State; Kentucky
Insight: Oklahoma State; Oklahoma State
Chick-fil-A: Auburn; Auburn
Outback: Tennessee; Tennessee
Cotton: Arkansas; Missouri
Gator: Texas Tech; Virginia
Capital One: Florida; Florida
International: Rutgers; Rutgers
GMAC: Tulsa; Bowling Green
Key: Randall's Pick; Chris' Pick
Imagine a place where the 2nd place runner wins the race. Or where a kid who mispells a word wins the spelling bee. Or where two people can win an eating contest. Or where the guy who wins the fewest popular votes wins the presidency...wait, never mind that one.
This is the world of the current BCS. Every year some sort of controversy happens. This needs to be fixed asap. Here's my solution.
Every BCS conference gets 12 teams. Notre Dame, stop being arrogant pricks and join the freakin Big Ten already. Big East, add someone, anyone. Ditto Pac-10.Drop one nonconference game (to shorten the season) and eliminate divisions so every team in the conference plays each other round-robin style. Add a 6th BCS Bowl (another for mid-majors, etc.) and keep the Bowls the same so the same amount of teams get the benefits of the postseason.
Eliminate pre-season polls and rely more on the computers. 12 teams will get in to BCS Bowls. The winners of the BCS Bowls will move on to a 6 team playoff with #1 and #2 seeds recieving a bye. This would keep the Bowl tradition intact and eliminate split champions as desired. This way a team could lose the title game but still be the 2008 Rsse Bowl champions or whatever.
Not a bad consolation prize.
The financial benefits of the playoff games would be enormous and there would only be potentially 2 more games on the schedule because there is one less non-conference game. This way cupcakes like Appalachian State will be avoided (wait, never mind).
Of course there are still flaws such as the BCS system still deciding what teams will recieve BCS bids. Some quality teams will be out of the championship picture but at least this way there are still Bowls such as Capital One, Cotton, etc for teams left out to recieve the perks of a bowl game.
--Chris Nierman
Randall projects a college football apacolypse, while Erick plays it safe.
#7 LSU versus #14 Tennessee
4:40 PM ET on CBS
There’s a lot of talk around the nation about LSU, but that talk is not about the Tigers getting in the BCS and, if both Mizzou and West Virginia lose, quite possibly playing for the national title. The talk is more about Les Miles bouncing to Michigan and Bo Pelini sending his laundry to Nebraska. If you don’t think that this can be a distraction to a team going into a big game, you’re crazy. And this is a big game, and it’s against one of the most underrated quarterbacks in college football today, Erik Ainge, and his Tennessee Volunteers who come off a confidence-building 4-OT win over Kentucky—who, back in October, just happened to beat LSU.
Picks—Randall: Tennessee Erick: LSU
#9 Oklahoma versus #1 Missouri
8:00 PM ET on ABC
Picks—Randall: Oklahoma Erick: Oklahoma
Pitt versus #2 West Virginia
7:45 PM ET on ESPN
Picks—Randall: Pitt Erick: WV
#6 Virginia Tech versus #11 Boston College
1:00 PM ET on ABC
Virginia Tech couldn’t stop Matt Ryan and Boston College back in October, and to no one’s surprise they get a shot at revenge in this Saturday’s ACC title game. The Hokies have been playing well as of late, while the Eagles managed two losses since the last meeting. Play for all four quarters, and Virginia Tech will playing in the Orange Bowl. But, if they give Boston College any breathing room whatsoever those watching this game live in Jacksonville and on television will almost certainly experience déjà vu.
Picks—Randall: Boston College Erick: VT
UCLA versus #8 USC
4:30 PM ET on ABC
Picks—Randall: USC Erick: USC
They’re a combined 2-24.
When eyes focus on a couple of other names at the rock bottom this season, you may think you’re mind’s playing tricks on you.
But it's not.
Nebraska and Bill Callahan don’t seem to mix. 2004, his first season, gave the Cornhuskers their first losing season since 1961. The following two seasons did see improvement, but Callahan’s emphasis on passing never really saw great success at Nebraska, a program that traditionally relied on a strong running game.
That is no more obvious than this season.
Last year, Nebraska went all the way to the Big XII Title game. Cornhusker faithful expected them to make it at least that far this season. But instead, the Cornhuskers managed the first five-game losing streak in 49 years. Then, the Cornhuskers went to Lawrence, Kansas where the Jayhawks obliterated what Nebraska calls defense, putting up 76 points. That’s second only to the 70 points they gave Texas Tech in Callahan’s first year. Only a lack of team cohesiveness and chemistry can explain this, and because Callahan has lost his team, Nebraska has all but lost its football program.
Callahan won’t be back next season.
600 miles away, there’s another storied program in even more trouble.
Notre Dame is an astonishing 1-8. That doesn’t suggest much fight in the Irish. One more loss and this team will be the most embarrassing team to ever sport the gold helmets,a program with a 119-year history. When Charlie Weis came to South Bend, the Irish knew he’d make history but not this kind.
But, unlike Callahan, Weis isn’t going anywhere.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you of how Notre Dame fired Tyrone Willingham who, of course, is black after only his third season when the Irish have traditionally given coaches five years to settle in. In his third season, Weis is, again, 1-8. Willingham finished his third season 6-5, beating Michigan who was ranked No. 8, Tennessee who was ranked No. 9, Michigan State, and he even continued the traditional beating of Navy—something that Weis failed to do this season, ending the 43-game winning streak.
In his first two seasons Weis took the Irish to BCS games on the back of Willingham’s recruits, Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija. And, as far as how their first 34 games compare, Willingham was 21-13, Weis is 20-14.
What many call racial undertones surrounding Willingham’s dismissal quickly turn into racial overtones when you look at those facts. From where I stand, Weis should be fired if not for his subpar performance and if not for the humiliation he’s caused the program, then at least so that Notre Dame doesn’t look like a bunch of racists.
On that note, you have to wonder how much of this is karma. Frank Solich, Callahan’s predecessor, was fired after a 10-3 season. Perhaps these two programs got too greedy and are now paying for it.
Notre Dame’s circumstance, however, stands apart from Nebraska’s. When facts glare as those do something ought to be done. And, if not, then rock bottom isn’t only where Notre Dame should be it is where they should stay.
—R. Cooper
Illinois versus #1 Ohio State
Saturday @ 3:30 on ABC
It wasn’t long ago that the Illini were making some noise in the Big Ten. That noise has since been hushed, and all the attention from that conference goes to the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes. Ohio State beat Illinois by only a touchdown last year. Last year, Illinois finished 2-10. At 7-3, something says that this year’s contest will be just as close—maybe even closer. Behind Rashard Mendenhall, the Illini are 6th in the nation when it comes to the ground game. Mendenhall, however, is only one of the playmakers on Zook’s offense, and if the Juice gets loose, the Buckeyes may be in trouble.
Picks—Randall: Illinois Erick: Ohio State Chris: Ohio State
#18 Auburn versus #10 Georgia
Saturday @ 3:30 on CBS
Auburn held stud Darren McFadden to 43 yards, so it’s easy to see that the Tigers’ defense won’t make it easy for Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno who became only the second freshman to rush for 1,000 yards. Behind Moreno, Georgia is rolling, probably still high from the win over Florida a couple of weeks ago. Auburn also beat Florida and scared the bejesus out of LSU, but if Moreno’s feet get to churning, it’s hard to see the Tigers stopping the Dawgs.
Picks—Randall: Georgia Erick: Auburn Chris: Georgia
Florida State versus #11 Virginia Tech
Saturday @ 3:30 on ABC
These two haven’t met since 2005’s ACC Title Match, and coming off of last week’s win over No. 2 Boston College where they did what the Hokies couldn’t do, the Seminoles look to build from that momentum. But to stop Sean Glennon, the Seminoles’ defense will need to play as well as they did against Boston College. The Noles may have beaten the Hokies each of the last twelve meetings, but this one is hardly a freebie. With wins over Alabama and Boston College, though, it’s clear that Bowden’s squad is capable of whooping VT. But their inconsistency each week makes you wonder if they will.
Picks—Randall: Florida State Erick: Virginia Tech Chris: Virginia Tech
#15 Florida versus South Carolina
With Florida’s young and suspect defense, Spurrier may get to do the two things he likes most: pass the ball and run up the score. But if Tebow is healthy, the Gamecocks will need to rely on that struggling defense to keep up with the Gators who average about fourteen more points per game than South Carolina. The Gamecocks’ defense started out on fire this season, but have been disappointing as of late. A loss knocks the Gators out of contention for the SEC East.
Picks—Randall: Florida Erick: Florida Chris: Florida
#4 Kansas versus Oklahoma State
Saturday @ 8:00 on ABC
They may need to change, or even add, some light bulbs to the scoreboard for this one. With Kansas averaging 46 points per game and Oklahoma State racking up 35, both of these squads sit amongst the top ten in the nation in that category. It’ll almost certainly be a shootout. And in these types of matchups the game usually comes down to which team can get that one good defensive stand, but because Kansas, in a winning effort, gave up 484 yards to Nebraska last week while Oklahoma State, in a losing effort, gave up 584 to the Longhorns, the winner of this one will be the last to score.
Picks—Randall: Oklahoma State Erick: Oklahoma State Chris: Oklahoma State
#17 Southern California versus Cal
It was once thought that this game would have national title implications. Not anymore. As far as averages go, it’s a pretty close match-up and will be close throughout. You wonder, though, just how Cal will manage to mess this one up. And with the Trojans being 21-0 in November under Pete Carroll, the Bears don’t have any room to mess up.
Picks—Randall: USC Erick: USC Chris: Cal
The Florida State fight song blared from the band Saturday, but it may as well have played Freddie Mercury's famous ballad as yet another No. 2 lost and another team fell from the ranks of the unbeaten on a wet, windy night in Boston.
Da-Da-Da...another one bites the dust!
Florida State QB Drew Weatherford had a career day, completing 29 passes for 354 yards and two scores. Weatherford outplayed his Heisman counterpart, Boston College QB Matt Ryan, as the Seminoles upset the Eagles 27-17.
The air had the feeling of an upset early on.
Florida State had a second quarter touchdown to put numbers on the board first and an early field goal in the second half to go up 10-0.
But never count out the Eagles, who trailed by the same score against Virginia Tech.
They ended up winning that game where the Eagles had two minutes and eleven seconds to comeback. This time Ryan and Boston College had a whole quarter.
Ryan soon found Brandon Robinson for a 30 yard score to cut the lead to 3. After Gary Cismesia and Steve Aponavicius both hit triples for their respective clubs, Weatherford found De'Cody Fagg for a score. Ryan threw another TD to cut the score to 20-17 and the BC defense buckeled down, forcing a punt with 3 minutes left to set up the potential winning score.
Sound familar?
This time, though, Matt Ryan became the goat as a pick six by Geno Hayes ended the Eagles’ rally.
And another one bit the dust, or, in this case, the mud. While 400+ yards and two scores would be impressive any other day, Ryan's stat that was most important was his three interceptions, especially that last one. And while this was the Seminoles’ biggest win by far this season, the loss drops the Eagles quite a few spots in the BCS standings and behind other quality one-loss teams such as LSU, Oklahoma and West Virginia to name a few, a loss this late for the Eagles means that they'll need a little bit more help to make it back into the national title picture .
They’ll need it fast.
—C. Nierman
#11 Virginia Tech versus Georgia Tech
Thursday at 7:30 on ESPN
The Hokies couldn’t finish last week against Boston College. This week they face a less formidable opponent in Georgia Tech. Still they’ll need to play all four quarters to put away the Yellow Jackets who, averaging 219 rushing yards per game, can pound it out on the ground. Win and Virginia Tech ties for first-place in the Coastal Division of the ACC.
Picks—Randall: Virginia Tech Erick: DNP* Chris: Virginia Tech
#21 Wisconsin versus #1 Ohio State
Saturday at 12:00 on Big Ten Network
When Wisconsin came to Beaver Stadium, Penn State looked impressive, beating the Badgers 38-7. Ohio State just dominated Penn State in Beaver Stadium last week. That’s not good for Wisconsin who is only the second ranked team the Buckeyes have faced. Like their matchup last week, on paper the Buckeyes opponent matches up pretty closely. You get the feeling, though, that that matchup will translate onto the field much the same way the Penn State game did. Ohio State looks to set a Big Ten record with 20 straight conference wins.
Picks—Randall: Ohio State Erick: DNP Chris: Wisconsin
#3 LSU versus #21 Alabama
Saturday at 5:00 on CBS
The hype of this game focuses on Nick Saban going head-to-head against his old school, but there’s a lot on the line for both Alabama and LSU. A ‘Bama win gives them control of the SEC West. An LSU loss knocks them out of national title contention. Some twenty of these Tigers were signed by Saban before he left for the Dolphins. Those Tigers score more points, but ‘Bama has been right in a few thrillers already this season, down to the very last second. That’s all it took for LSU to edge Auburn, and you can’t help but wonder if on the road Les Miles will cut this one as close as he did a couple weeks ago.
Picks—Randall: Alabama Erick: DNP Chris: Alabama
#4 Arizona State versus #5 Oregon
Saturday at 6:40 on ESPN
The Pac-1o doesn’t have a title game, but if it did, this would be it. Oregon’s offense is pretty much a track team. They’re lightning fast. But Dennis Erickson has coached the Sun Devils to an undefeated season up to this point. Many times, though, Arizona State has been behind only to rally late. Something says that tactic won’t work against Oregon; you don’t want to be down at any time against the Ducks. Plus, Sun Devil QB Rudy Carpenter is nursing an injured thumb that may limit his game.
Picks—Randall: Oregon Erick: DNP Chris: Oregon
Florida State versus #2 Boston College
Saturday at 8:00 on ABC
Boston College has a solid quarterback. Florida State, not so much. One thing’s certain: Xavier Lee won’t be making any appearances in this game. Lee’s suspended for violating team rules. Here’s shocking news: if Florida State’s defense has a breakout game, the Seminoles can beat Boston College. Nothing would get their season back on track quicker than upsetting No. 2. The Seminoles are overdue for a breakout game, and this could be it. They ought to seriously consider pulling a page out of Mark Richt’s book on Saturday night.
Picks—Randall: Florida State Erick: DNP Chris: Boston College
* DNP means that analyst did not make a pick for the game
2 minutes and 11 seconds.
That’s all that separated Boston College from becoming yet another No. 2 ranked team to lose. For over 57 minutes Virginia Tech outplayed the Eagles and was on the verge of their biggest win of the season.
That’s when Matt Ryan began to play like a Heisman caliber quarterback. From the 16-yard line, Boston College WR Rich Gunnell hauled in a touchdown loft to cap a 91-yard drive, and the Eagles’ first score. Boston College then trailed by only three, and after recovering an onside kick at their own 34, the Eagles went to work again.
Ryan who looked off until late in the fourth completed some nifty passes in the face of heavy Hokie pressure, moving the ball downfield. And, when only eleven ticks remained on the clock, Ryan danced out of trouble and, rolling to his left, he rocketed a pass high, deep and in a spot only Andre Callender could catch.
Callender pulled it in, and the Eagles rolled out of town having accomplished something Southern California, Cal and South Florida had failed to do. There’s an adage in the sporting world that goes: "it's not how you start; it's how you finish." The Eagles proved this to be true last Thursday. In a dangerous road game against a resurgent Hokie squad in a driving rain, Boston College overcame some early rust and miscues to overtake the Hokies in the final minute.
And Matt Ryan led the charge.
Somewhat overlooked in the Hesiman race, Ryan added to his résumé, going 9-for-15 on the final drive after an interception with 6:01 left in the final stanza. Perhaps more importantly though, Ryan's Eagles team is still unbeaten and still in the national title race, something Darren McFadden, Tim Tebow and Mike Hart can't boast.The loss drops Virginia Tech to 13-3 on Thursday nights, with all three losses coming to Boston College.
While the final 2 minutes and 11 seconds may have been just enough to have Ryan hoist the Hesiman trophy come December, I’m sure he'd much rather hoist a different trophy in New Orleans come January. And if his Eagles keep it up, there's a really good chance he'll get his shot.
—C. Nierman
"I told them if they didn't get a celebration penalty after our first score, I was going to be mad at ‘em,"
That’s what Georgia coach Mark Richt said during his halftime interview about the wild celebration that sent the whole Georgia team off the sideline and dancing onto the field, following his squads first touchdown.
Classless or not, Richt’s plan to get his boys fired up worked, and behind RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia defeated the Florida Gators 42-30, earning just its third victory in the last 18 meetings and exposing Florida’s struggling defense.
With 33 carries, Moreno put on a show, rushing for a career-high 188 yards and earning three touchdowns.
Georgia QB Matt Stafford showed his talents, too, completing 11 of 18 for 217 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Stafford connected with Mikey Henderson in the fourth quarter for a 53-yard touchdown. Georgia’s run-pass mix kept Florida’s defense off-balance for most of the game.
Despite being home in Jacksonville, Tim Tebow’s severely bruised shoulder nullified, for the most part, his run game. Tebow was sacked six times and was held to -15 rushing yards, though he did manage two rushing touchdowns.
Florida RB Kestahn Moore had a tough game, fumbling and muffing a snap in the first quarter. Clearly disappointed to even the most amateur of lip-readers, coach Urban Meyer benched Moore until the second half of the game.
And Moore wasn’t alone.
The Gator defense has struggled all along, giving up 31 points to Troy in their second game of the season.
Those struggles culminated last Saturday.
Reggie Nelson, Florida’s playmaking Safety from last year’s national championship team, is badly missed in that secondary. Nelson, who now plays for the Jaguars on Sundays, was probably in Jacksonville on Saturday, and, boy, could the Gators have used his help. Georgia’s Stafford picked apart the Gator ‘D’ with an 84-yard touchdown to Mohamed Massaquoi in the first, that already-mentioned 53-yarder to Henderson in the fourth, and several other long gains in between.
Georgia was also 10-for-13 on third down conversions.
The defending champions now find themselves with three losses and no longer in control of their own destiny in the SEC East. And with a defense that can’t seem to make plays, the Gators may need to go back to the drawing board.
Meanwhile, the win gives the Georgia Bulldogs new life in the SEC East, though they still don’t control their own destiny. That planned penalty not only shifted the momentum of the game but the momentum of the season, too. With this win, the Bulldogs find themselves in the BCS top 10, somewhere no one expected the ‘Dawgs to be.
And that’s worth celebrating.
—R. Cooper
It was a big day in Happy Valley. Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit were all in town, as was the No. 1 team in the nation. Penn State had the opportunity to knock off No. 1 and stir up the BCS even more. And the Penn State fans, as usual, were stoked. (I won’t mention that I was slightly embarrassed when Penn State fans hurled beer at the College Gameday crew after Corso put on the Buckeye head gear, picking Ohio State to win.)
Pumped up they may have been, but that didn’t last long.
Ohio State scored on all but three of its drives. One of those drives ended with an interception, another with the second quarter, and the other with the game. Buckeye punter, AJ Trapasso, got to take the night off, and so much for that Penn State defense.
Todd Boeckman was on all night, completing 19 of 26 for 253 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Chris Wells had 25 carries for 133 yards. Ohio State’s offense outgained Penn State by 190 yards. The Buckeyes’ offensive line protected Boeckman throughout the night against Penn State’s defense that, coming into the game, led the nation with 35 sacks. They got Boeckman only once.
Questionable, conservative play-calling may have kept Penn State out of the game, especially when the Nittany Lions chose to punt rather than go for it on 4th and 2 in the second quarter on the Ohio State 38. A conversion would have erupted the 110,134 mostly Penn State fans in attendance, shifting the momentum. They were down by only ten.
What isn’t questionable is that Ohio State dominated this game.
But I’d be reluctant to take this win as validation of Ohio State’s ranking. Sure, getting a win in a raucous environment is noteworthy. But where that win comes against a team ranked 25th in the BCS that validation becomes hard to see. Full of cupcakes, the Buckeyes’ schedule is enough to give anyone a sweet-tooth. Being undefeated having faced the likes of Youngstown State, Akron, Washington, Northwestern, Minnesota and Kent State is hardly impressive. Only Purdue, Michigan State, and this Penn State team remotely challenged the Buckeyes. And even those challenges were, at best, remote.
From where I stand, Ohio State has not proved itself to be the best team in that nation. Not even close. That doesn’t matter to them, though; they look to ride the magic carpet that is their schedule all the way to the national championship game, likely only to be embarrassed again.
Still, Ohio State was the best team in Beaver Stadium on Saturday, and while it may not have actually validated its ranking, it did leave Happy Valley in a bad mood.
—R. Cooper
The King is dead!
No longer are the Trojans of Southern California the marquee team of the Pac-10.
No longer do the Trojans have the aura of invincibility and intimidation that helped them become a dynasty in the land of the setting sun.
Dennis Dixon and the Oregon Ducks proved that Saturday. With a key pick by DB Matthew Harper in the final minutes, Oregon baffled USC offensively and then held on to send the Trojans to its second loss in seemingly forever and possibly out of the national title picture.
And while a seven point victory might not seem like a blowout, it was the most lopsided loss by USC in five years and the second biggest loss in the Pete Carroll era since the turn of the century.
The Ducks came out quacking, taking a 7-0 lead on a QB sneak that saw Dennis Dixon walk into the end-zone untouched with 55,000 fans roaring from their seats at Auzten Stadium. After a USC field goal, Oregon answered with three of their own to end the half, gaining a 10-3 lead.
Mark Sanchez threw a touchdown pass early in the third to tie the game at 10 all. Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart responded, rushing for two scores to put the Ducks up 24-10 in the middle of the 4th quarter.
Fourteen points is pretty comfortable right?
Well, USC is still USC, and Sanchez came back to throw a 14-yard score to David Ausberry. The Trojans were driving again, but a pick with 4:44 left effectively ended the game.
USC actually had more total yards than Oregon's vaunted offense, but Sanchez, making his third career start, threw two costly picks that proved to be the difference in the game.
After a big win, the Ducks can look toward their matchup with a suddenly pretty good Arizona State team. Meanwhile, the Trojans, who were the underdogs in a Pac-10 game for the first time since 2000, are watching any hopes for any title slip away.
After seeing the Sun Devils win on Saturday and with Cal still being dangerous, USC may not even be the third best team in the Pac-10.
The rest of the season will tell if the torch has officially been passed, but, for now at least, the King is dead.
—C. Nierman
I wonder if Matt Ryan is a Queen fan. If so, he ought to put “Under Pressure” on his iPod and cue it up.
I can hear it now.
“bah-dum dah-dah, bah-dum dah-dah-daaaah…”
In a season where it seems that the higher a team is ranked, the more likely it is to lose, a quick glance into the past few weeks shows that being ranked No. 2 comes with a big ol’ bag of bad luck.
The No. 2 team in that nation has fallen each of the past three weeks: USC to Stanford, Cal to Oregon State, and South Florida to Rutgers.
“Pressure pushing down on me…”
I’d like to say that Boston College will put a halt to this No. 2 taboo. But, I’m not sure. They play on prime-time television on a Thursday night under the lights in Blacksburg, Virginia against Beamer Ball.
Yikes.
“Under pressure, that burns a building down…”
Boston College is feeling the pressure.
No doubt about it.
Coach Jeff Jagodzinski is about to be in the biggest game in his first season. But the pressure can come up just a bit.
While the Hokies are 13-2 in their last fifteen Thursday night games, those two losses were to Boston College. That, and the Boston Red Sox stomped Colorado last night in the game one of the World Series.
But what offsets pressure the most is confidence, and with the way Boston College and Matt Ryan have played all year, they ought to have plenty of it.
Getting Kevin Garnett to play wide-receiver and channeling Tom Brady, who doesn’t know what pressure is, wouldn’t hurt either.
—R. Cooper
#2 Boston College versus #8 Virginia Tech
Thursday @ 7:30 on ESPN
Boston College finds itself ranked No. 2 in both the BCS and AP polls. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. Up to this point, being ranked No. 2 is taboo. Plus, the Eagles travel down to Blacksburg on a Thursday night to face a stout defense with a fierce pass defense. But injuries abound for VT, and Matt Ryan and Boston College look to end the stream of bad luck that plagues that No. 2 spot.
Picks—Randall: Virginia Tech Erick: Virginia Tech Chris: Boston College
#7 West Virginia versus Rutgers
Saturday @ 12:00 on ABC
After beating South Florida last Thursday, Rutgers put themselves right back in the Big East talk. With West Virginia coming to town, the Scarlet Kings hope to keep handing out those upsets. And Rutgers comes into this game with a bitter taste in their mouths; last year West Virginia denied them a BCS berth. With a wide-open Big East, Rutgers knows that a win here will keep their chances at a BCS appearance alive. But so does West Virginia.
Picks—Randall: West Virginia Erick: West Virginia Chris: West Virginia
#12 Southern California versus #5 Oregon
Saturday @ 3:00
The Trojans are underdogs in a Pac-10 game for the first time in a very long time. And that may be good for them. Pete Carroll’s team has nothing but exclamation points on defense but a bunch of question marks on offense. Whether John David Booty or Mario Sanchez plays is crucial for the Trojans, as the offense seems more confident with Booty. No started has been named as of yet. What will be fun to watch, though, is just how Dennis Dixon and that Oregon offense fare against the third defense in the country.
Picks—Randall: Oregon Erick: USC Chris: Oregon
#10 South Florida versus #23 UConn
Saturday @ 3:30 on ABC
South Florida comes off a heartbreaking loss to Rutgers that may have ended hopes of appearing in the national championship game. There’s no bigger band-aid than a win against UConn who is rolling and has earned its first ranking in school history. But, quite evenly matched, neither of these teams stands out against the other on paper. It’ll be interesting to see how that translates onto the field.
Picks—Randall: South Florida Erick: South Florida Chris: South Florida
#11 Florida versus #18 Georgia
Saturday @ 3:30 on CBS
Tebow has a sore shoulder, but that won’t stop him from playing in his hometown of Jacksonville where these two meet each year. The Bulldogs are coming off a bye-week that, I’m sure, was spent trying to find ways to stop Tebow. But that’s not easy to do, and unless that shoulder gives him trouble, Tebow will be as outstanding as he has been all season long. I hope Mark Richt has a plan B.
Picks—Randall: Florida Erick: Florida Chris: Florida
#9 Kansas versus Texas A&M
Saturday @ 7:00 on ESPN2
Texas A&M has struggled for most of the season, but the Aggies got a big win over Nebraska last week. The Aggies’ edge comes on the ground, where they’re ranked fifth in the nation. But the Aggie faithful ought not get their hopes up too high; Kansas is seventh in the nation in rushing defense.
Picks—Randall: Texas A&M Erick: Kansas Chris: Kansas
#16 South Carolina versus Tennessee
Saturday @ 7:45 on ESPN
Both of these squads have wounds from last week. Steve Spurrier has griped about his offense all season. That offense finally failed him against Vandy. Spurrier has jostled Blake Mitchell and Chris Smelley throughout the season. After last week, he’s even considering the third stringer, Tommy Beecher who is more mobile than the other two. We’re not sure who’s going to be taking snaps for the Gamecocks, but Erik Ainge will certainly be in the pocket for the Vols. And unless Spurrier’s defense can neutralize him, it may not matter who the QB is.
Picks—Randall: South Carolina Erick: Tennessee Chris: South Carolina
#1 Ohio State versus Penn State
Saturday @ 8:00 on ABC
As a No. 1 team, there are many ways to lose. One way is to play a game in Beaver Stadium where the Nittany Lions have won all five home games this season and are 18 of 19 since 2005. The Buckeyes, who haven’t lost a regular season game in over two years, are the first No. 1 ranked team to come to Paternoville since the 1989 Notre Dame team. They also boast that nation’s most stingy defense, while Penn State’s offense has been known to struggle. But these squads are not all that different, and this game will be Ohio State’s toughest so far this season.
Picks—Randall: Penn State Erick: Ohio State Chris: Ohio State
#21 California versus #4 Arizona State
Saturday @ 10:00
Nobody’s really talking about Arizona State playing for the national championship, but these boys are undefeated and rolling. Not too long ago, everyone was talking Cal playing for it all, but two-straight losses as hushed that talked. Cal looks to make things right again while Arizona State looks to keep them from going wrong.
Picks—Randall: Cal Erick: Cal Chris: Cal
Last year Rutgers was the darling of college football. Two losses ended the Scarlet Knights Championship dreams, but seriously, who thought they actually had a chance?
My, how a year changes things.
This year it was the South Florida Bulls who found themselves in the same position Rutgers was in last year.
And this year it was Rutgers playing spoiler.
Call it fate. Call it coincidence. Call it crazy. But I'll call it karma, and everyone knows that karma is a bitch. And ,unfortunately, the Bulls found that out last Thursday the hard way.
Being ranked No. 2 had the Bulls shooting for the stars. Maybe they were getting ahead of themselves. The Scarlet Knights entered the game fired up and after the gun sounded, Rutgers emerged with a 30-27 win that was just a weird as the rest of the college football season.
A swarming defense contained Bulls quarterback Matt Grothe, sacking the kid seven times.
The special teams of Rutgers proved to be the deciding factor in the game.
Andrew DePaola, usually the 3rd string QB, tonight the "holder" threw a 15 yard score off a fake field goal in the 3rd quarter to give Rutgers the lead after a fake punt help set up another score in the first half.
What wasn't unnatural was Ray Rice who gave the Knights a much-needed 181 yards on 30 carries in the ball game, and Mike Teel threw for two scores as the Scarlet Knights pulled off their own upset. And after a desperation pass by Grothe on a 4th and 37 was picked off, Rutgers could celebrate.
It was a must win for the Scarlet Knights, if they wanted to have any chance at a Big East title and a potential BCS berth.
They certainly made a case Thursday night.
Meanwhile, South Florida didn't have much time to celebrate their highest ranking in their short history. Still, with this season the Bulls hopes might not be done.
But it did just get a lot harder.
After the No. 2 team lost for the third straight week, some speculate that that spot in the poll is cursed. The Bulls might believe that, and if it's true LSU better watch out this weekend—especially if they keep passing up field goals for last second touchdowns.
—C. Nierman
With luck all but fleeting for the Irish thus far, it seems to have found a new home in Baton Rouge.
Against Florida, LSU wasn't afraid to roll the dice, going 5-for-5 on fourth down—including two that went for touchdowns. Taking those chances is what allowed LSU to win. Those gambling ways continued last Saturday when, trailing with under a minute to play, time was ticking on any championship hopes LSU may have had. But, down by only a point, Les Miles’ group wasn’t out of the game yet.
Quick. If you were the head coach of a team down by one point with under a minute to play, what would you do?
You’d probably march down the field into field goal position and send out your kicker, right?
That’s actually wrong if you’re a student the Les Miles School of Coaching.
You just flunked out.
The correct answer is: go for the touchdown.
I sat in disbelief as I glanced in the corner of my television at the game clock and back at what was happening on the field. I thought, “what are they doing?” “Why isn’t the kicker trotting onto the field?” I couldn’t help but think of Cal’s brain fart the week prior.
And that’s when it happened.
When Demetrius Byrd hauled in Matt Flynn's 22-yard pass with but a second to spare, I immediately went to Expedia.com and booked Les Miles and me a flight to Las Vegas. That touchdown and the extra point that followed gave LSU a 30-24 win over Auburn, and with South Florida’s loss put the Tigers right back in National Championship contention, not that they ever left.
Auburn did put up a good fight, leading at the half. QB Brandon Cox was 18 of 28 with 199 yards and two touchdowns. The Auburn Tigers were only able to muster 296 yards of total offense against LSU’s fearless defense. Only 97 of those yards came on the ground.
I can’t help but wonder when LSU’s luck will run out, but in the meantime I’m certainly not betting against them.
Hmm, I wonder if Les Miles would be willing to send me some lotto numbers.
—R. Cooper
Most college sophomores live a life of the occasional class, late night Taco Bell runs, frequent binge drinking and ultimate frisbee. Not many play college football in the toughest conference in the nation against elite competition week after week and score five touchdowns against the #7 team in the nation.
Then again, most college sophomores aren't Tim Tebow.
The Florida wonder-kid was next to perfect Saturday as the Florida Gators rebounded nicely from a rare two game losing skid and knocked the Kentucky Wildcats off their high. A week after knocking off then No. 1 LSU, the Wildcats fell in a competitive, crazy SEC matchup that could throw the entire conference out of whack.
After Kentucky struck first, Tebow responded with touchdown tosses of 10 and 66 yards and a nifty 1-yard jump pass to give Florida a 21-10 halftime lead. And with the Florida defense holding the Wildcats to sub-100 yards for the game, Kentucky had to air it out.
Fortunately the Wildcats also have a pretty good QB in Andre Woodson.
Yet another Tebow TD pass to Andre Caldwell put Florida up by 18, and the game looked as if it was about to get out of hand.
But Woodson and the Wildcat offense answered.
Kentucky struck back with a 14-3 run to close the quarter and the gap, capped by Dicky Lyons 50 yard-probably-shoulda-been-a-short-to-medium-gain-but-was-not touchdown grab.
A Percy Harvin end-around gave the Gators some breathing space, and even after Woodson hit Lyons again for a score, Tebow hit Harvin for a 40 yard gain to the Kentucky 2. He then took it in himself for the score.
A meaningless Kentucky score that ended the game made the score look closer than it actually was.
Heisman-candidate Woodson ended up throwing for five TDs, but paid a price also, taking six sacks by a relentless Florida pass-rush that was lacking in the previous two games.
Now after a promising resurrection the first half of the season, Rich Brooks squad finds itself in the same position as the rest of the conference—a few losses, but still a shot at the league title.
But while all the other college sophomores were in their dorms crunching Doritos and probably watching him, Tim Tebow did something none of his fellow classmates did.
And if he keeps it up, he could do something no sophomore has done; he could wind up in New York holding the stiff-arm-trophy-thingy.
—C. Nierman
I understand that they haven’t really faced anybody and that their conference is very average, but Ohio State’s defense looks good.
Really good.
Like, National Champions good.
Just look at the numbers. 6, 2, 14, 7, 7, 7, 3, 17. These are the number of points Ohio State has allowed this year. And the highest of those, 17, is misleading. Michigan State was able to get an interception and a fumble returned for touchdowns in the second half of their tilt with the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s defense only gave up 3 of those points.
Look at the other offensive stats for Michigan State. They were held to 59 yards on 28 carries. Their running back, Javon Ringer, ran 18 times for 49 yards, less than 3 yards a carry. The Spartans were only 12-24 passing with no scores, an interception and only 126 yards passing.
The Spartan’s offense did nothing. They were a team that scored 31 or more points four times on the season. But their offense could only muster three against the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes are still very young and unproven offensively, and it is still a mystery if the offense can produce points to win a shootout. But all those young players on defense that terrorized the Big Ten last year are all a year older and they’re all a year better. And if they don’t lose, they may all get a shot at avenging last season and playing for a National Championship.
—E. Blasco
Perhaps, the Vols should’ve packed up and headed back to Knoxville right after the opening kickoff when ‘Bama recovered an onside kick. It was downhill from there. Nothing went right for Tennessee, and in front of 92,000 fans they were absolutely embarrassed.
‘Bama QB John Parker Wilson completed 32 of 46 for 363 yards, three touchdowns, and not a single interception. DJ Hall, Wilson’s favorite receiver, caught 13 of those passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, setting a single-game school record for receptions. ‘Bama’s offense racked up 510 yards of total offense against an up and down Tennessee squad.
The 41-17 score was the most lopsided victory for Alabama in this rivalry since 1986. And Alabama had lost 10 of the last 12 meetings in the series.
Not bad for Saban’s debut in this rivalry.
On the other side of the ball, ‘Bama was able to subdue a prolific Erik Ainge, holding him to one touchdown and picking off one of his 35 attempts.
The Vols didn’t help themselves, either; eleven penalties cost them 81 yards.
The loss, their second in the SEC, puts Tennessee in the middle of the SEC East behind South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Kentucky. While the win keeps ‘Bama as a serious contender in the West.
—R. Cooper
With the Kansas winning the first six games of the season, last week’s game at Colorado was supposed to prove whether Kansas belonged with the big boys or not.
After their 19-14 victory, I still don’t know what to think.
On one hand, despite ugly play from both sides, the Jayhawks were able to use some deft playmaking—like the Derek Fine four-yard touchdown reception on play-action from Todd Reesing—to come up with timely scores. Also, the defense held strong on numerous occasions, even stopping Colorado on fourth down twice in the fourth quarter.
However, with the Jayhawks hoping to generate buzz to slingshot themselves up the polls, they were only ahead 3-0 at the half. And, while Reesing was sharp (20-29, 153 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, 7 rushes, 84 yards), the offense didn’t have many big plays that could have blown the Buffaloes out on the spot.
Instead, the Jawhawks were tough and efficient against an inconsistent team. That may be good enough to keep them creeping up the rankings, but will it be enough for the Jayhawks to beat Missouri and win the Big 12 North?
We’ll have to wait until their game at Texas A&M for more answers.
—E. Blasco
This Indiana Hoosier may be the most slept on wide-receiver in the game, and QB Kellen Lewis is not afraid to throw his way. And, who wouldn’t be? At 6’7, James Hardy seems to always outjump defenders, hauling in passes like it’s no big deal. He makes key plays for Indiana each week. Saturday against Penn State, Hardy pulled down his 31st career touchdown reception, breaking the Hoosiers long-standing record of 30 set by Jade Butcher. He’s an athlete that takes the difficulty out of the wide-receiver position. For Hardy, it’s easy. And, that’s why he’s the go-to guy.
—R. Cooper
Cooper thinks fate will pave the way for Penn State, Blasco hasn't counted out the Bulls for the title game, and Nierman sees Mizzou taking the Big XII.
If you had to cast a vote for the Heisman today, who would you vote for?
Cooper:
That’s easy. Tim Tebow. The man is surreal. He's got all the hype surrounding him, plays in the best conference in the game, and his stats are just gaudy. He boasts the highest QB rating in D1-A college football, third highest in all of college football. The man has 2, 289 yards of total offense and completes 66% of his passes with but three interceptions. And, most impressively, Tebow has thrown 17 touchdowns and rushed for 10 more. I'm just waiting for him to pass to himself.
Blasco:
In 2001 Florida quarterback Rex Grossman was robbed of a Heisman because he was only a sophomore. Don't let the same mistake happen twice. Tim Tebow has 27 touchdowns, 2300 total yards of offense, and has led the Gators to wins over Tennessee and at Kentucky. The Gator offense is pretty good and Tebow is the Gator offense.
Nierman:
There are many great players this year, but only one has carried his team on his back. Only one has been the heart and soul of his squad. Only one has played thorough pain, through heart-breaking loss, and gave his all when his team was floundering. Only one has put up the best numbers at his position, became the workhorse of his team, has ground it out, pushed for extra yardage, stretched for impossible touchdowns and even ran out to block for an extra point a play after scoring when his team had 10 men on the field. Only one athlete has led, no, carried his team back from the depths of a hellish season and saved them. Who is this? Mike Hart.
You can praise the call, and you can you praise the throw. But none of that would have mattered had Demetrius Byrd's hands not brought down the pass, giving LSU the win over Auburn.
Bulls Eye Title
By Erick Blasco
I understand that Ohio State looks really good this year. I understand that the Buckeyes have one of the best defenses so far in the country. And I understand that while their offense got off to a slow start this year, it looks like they’ve replaced last season’s NFLers with a crop of future NFLers.
What I can’t understand is why Ohio State is ahead of South Florida in the Polls right now. I mean, compare their schedules.
Take out Youngstown State, Akron, Kent State, and Minnesota from the Buckeye’s schedule. Those teams are all horrible. Take out Elon and FAU from South Florida’s schedule as their horrible opponents. That’s two more joke opponents for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have had one more game this year than South Florida. Fine, we’ll allow the Youngstown State game to be stricken from their record. The Buckeyes still have one more low quality opponent than the Bulls do.
Next, compare the meat of the schedules.
Ohio State has wins at Washington, vs. Northwestern, and at Purdue. South Florida has wins over UCF, North Carolina, West Virginia, and at Auburn. Northwestern and Purdue have no defenses whatsoever, and the Boilermakers 5-2 record is a product of blitzing their own weak schedule. And despite all the positive buzz surrounding Washington, they’re 2-4 right now.
On the other hand, North Carolina might be on par with Washington in terms of talent and resume, while wins vs. West Virginia and Auburn are much more impressive than wins at Washington and Purdue.
The only reason why Ohio State is ranked #1 is because the Buckeyes have name recognition and a trip to the National Championship Game last year. That’s well and good and it gives the Buckeyes a great tiebreaker when compared to a team like Boston College who’s resume is still very much blank.
And it shouldn’t even be a problem. Nobody is arguing that the Buckeyes shouldn’t be a top ranked team right now. If they win out, they have an excellent chance at earning a number 2 ranking and punching a ticket to the National Championship Game. But right now, even one-loss LSU, Oregon, and Oklahoma teams have résumé’s that outshine Ohio State’s. Those teams are Ohio State’s competition for the #2 spot. And there’s no competition for the #1 spot at all.
It’s South Florida’s easily.
Steven Johnson made the touchdown reception that ultimately gave Kentucky the win over No. 1 LSU
Has the BCS Met Its Match?
By Chris Nierman
The Chinese College Football Calander must be "The Year of the Upset"
It started Week 1 with Appalachian State, and since then, all the teams in the Preseason Top Ten have at least one loss. In the past 3 weeks USC was shocked by Stanford, LSU lost to Kentucky, Cal dropped a close one to the Beavers and preseason darlings West Virginia, Wisconsin, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma have all fallen from grace and a team called "South Florida" currently holds the #2 spot.
That's to say nothing about where Louisville, Penn State, Rutgers Arkansas and Michigan have gone.
Who could've seen that coming? Raise your hand if you thought Cincinnati, Arizona State, Illinois or Kentucky would be players in the BCS this year. Go cut yourself if you're actually raising your hand still, cause you're lying.
The fact is, the field is finally being leveled in college football thanks to the 85 scholarship limitations, tougher restrictions on walk-ons, and the success of Boise State last year has even the smallest mid-major shooting for the stars. No one is safe and with all the upsets that have happened this season and the certainty of more upsets to come, the question is: Has the BCS met its match this year? This season could be the most controversial year yet for the computers.
What happens if a dozen teams have one loss? Or another dozen have 2 losses? Or if South Florida runs the table? Would anyone in their right mind put the Bulls in the Title Game over a one-loss LSU or Oklahoma? Would the computers?
All these questions should make for a wild second half of the college football season and in the year of the upset, no fan should hang up their hopes on their team just yet. Hold on to your seats everyone ; I get a feeling this is only the beginning.
#2 South Florida versus Rutgers
Picks—Randall: South Florida Erick: South Florida Chris: South Florida
Texas A&M versus Nebraska
Picks—Randall: Nebraska Erick: Texas A&M Chris: Texas A&M
#7Kentucky versus #15 Florida
Picks—Randall: Florida Erick: Florida Chris: Florida
Miami versus Florida State
Picks—Randall: Florida State Erick: Florida State Chris: Miami
Penn State versus Indiana
Picks—Randall: Penn State Erick: Penn State Chris: Penn State
#10 Cal versus UCLA
Picks—Randall: Cal Erick: Cal Chris: Cal
Michigan State versus #1 Ohio State
Picks—Randall: Ohio State Erick: Ohio State Chris: Ohio State
#21 Tennessee versus Alabama
Picks—Randall: Tennessee Erick: Tennessee Chris: Alabama
#17Auburn versus #4 LSU
Picks—Randall: LSU Erick: LSU Chris: LSU
Other Games to Watch: Southern California-Notre Dame, Michigan-Illinois, Texas Tech-Missouri
