The AP is reporting that after weeks of speculation and power struggles between owner Al Davis, head coach Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan the team wants Kiffin to resign. Reportedly the kid's reponse has been daring them to fire him instead, which is sort of smart considering the roughly $4,000,000 remaining on the final two years of his contract.
My reponse? Why? This all started when Kiffin tried to get Ryan fired. Dumb move by an inexperienced head coach. Granted, the Raider defense was much worse in 2007 than in 2006 when Kiffin was busy at USC. They fell from #25 to #31 in total run defense and from #1 to #8 in total pass defense. The scoring ranking dropped from #18 to #26 and total yards was a free fall from #3 to #22. However, was this Ryan's fault?
All Ryan can do is draw up schemes. He can't help the fact that their interior lineman are subpar, pass rushing depth is slim and safety play is marginal at best. What can he do with good linebackers and a quality #1 corner? When the personnel improves through another draft the unit will as well.
The man in line to reportedly replace Kiffin is Coors Light commerical laugher Dennis Green. Yeah, the guy known for his "they are who we thought they were!" rant when his Cardinals gave away a Monday Night game against the Bears. (Lay off the Mickey D's there Denny) This might have been a good move a coach or two ago when the team had veterans who would respect him including Randy Moss, possibly enough to have him still in Silver & Black. Now the team is young and at least from my perspective seems to be responding to Kiffin's fresh offense.
This really shouldn't surprise anyone. In the NFL head coach is the position with the least amount of security and Al Davis has been the leader of the firing brigade for years. He actually got upset with a reporter when introducing Lane Kiffin when she asked about how many people have filled the position in recent years. The word we're looking for is "senile".
Marty Walker is a glutton for punishment. He wants us to rip his Buckeyes. This shouldn’t be tough. Cal fans aren’t fond of teams with a tree for a mascot. Apparently buckeyes are actually the shiny, dark brown nut that comes from the buckeye tree. Thank you Google, you give and never ask for anything in return. Anyway last year Ohio State laid out something dark brown in the BCS title game last year and it wasn’t a nut. Their reward is backing into another shot at the championship after beating a conference filled with teams who couldn’t beat opponents from the FCS. If you’re not sure what the FCS is join the club. It might be a secret government organization for all I know.
Ohio State was voted #1 in both polls. Why? Their notable wins came over Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State. How good are those teams exactly? We don’t even know because the Big Ten as a whole had zero wins over bowl eligible teams from BCS conferences. That’s right, none. Ohio State’s big win out of conference came over Washington who finished last in the Pac-10. How about the wins for the other three teams? Michigan beat Notre Dame, a team in the midst of their worst season since dinosaurs roamed the planet. Wisconsin beat Washington State who finished ahead of only Washington in the Pac-10. Penn State beat Buffalo, and unless it’s the Bills I’m not impressed.
Despite finishing 11-1 the Buckeyes were third in the computer behind two teams who lost twice. Perhaps I should be thanking the pollsters in that case because if not for Ohio State we could be looking at a rematch of LSU’s 48-7 pounding of Virginia Tech. Ohio State could be staring at a similar fate after losing 41-14 to another SEC team in last year’s title game.
Our reward after a season filled with upsets and dramatic finishes is watching a team who gave up no more than 7 points seven times this season. Great, I can’t wait for LSU 12, Ohio State 3. I’ll be sure to set my DVR so I can preserve this masterpiece. I think I’d rather get a haircut from Sweeney Todd.
In my final poll I declared USC should meet Oklahoma for the title. Then ESPN plays out their dream playoffs and those teams are the last two standing. The same goes for SI.com. Instead we get Tigers chewing on nuts. Thank you BCS for managing to screw up the ending of the most exciting season in history.
The BCS fell into mayhem with the top two teams in the standings losing on the eve of the bowl bids being handed out. Everyone is crying out for a playoff and the format I laid out last week is almost too simple for the NCAA to implement it. Now that we know the champions of each conference I can seed the tournament of 11 and play it out.
One argument against it will certainly be that people would rather see at-large teams, but if you don’t win your conference how can you complain about not getting a shot to win a national title? These five champions outside of the major conferences have a little spunk to them as well. Central Michigan was touched up pretty good by Kansas (52-7) Purdue (45-22) and Clemson (70-14) so they would be the easiest target. Florida Atlantic played five BCS teams this year, beating Big Ten doormat Minnesota and testing South Florida before losing 35-23. UCF went 1-2 against BCS opponents and BYU split two meetings against the Pac-10. Hawaii closed their season by beating Washington to give this group of teams a 4-10 record against BCS teams. That’s not great, but it’s not 0-14 either.
The first round would be played in the higher seeded team’s stadium. The quarterfinals could be held in regionally friendly venues slanted towards the higher seed. The semifinals and finals would rotate among high profile, predetermined venues. Here is how I see the playoffs.
Opening Round #11 Central Michigan (MAC) @ #6 Virginia Tech (ACC)
#10 Florida Atlantic (Sun Belt) @ #7 Hawaii (WAC)
#9 UCF (Conference USA) @ #8 BYU (Mountain West)
Quarterfinals #1 Ohio State (Big Ten) vs. #8 BYU – St. Louis, MO
#2 LSU (SEC) vs. #7 Hawaii – Atlanta, GA
#3 USC (Pac-10) vs. #6 Virginia Tech – Pasadena, CA
#4 Oklahoma (Big XII) vs. #5 West Virginia (Big East) – San Antonio, TX
Semifinals #1 Ohio State vs. #4 Oklahoma – Glendale, AZ
#2 LSU vs. #3 USC – Jacksonville, FL
Championship #3 USC vs. #4 Oklahoma – New Orleans, LA
You can decide who might win that dream title game. This week’s poll has quite a bit of movement. In some cases I had to evaluate various conferences and that led to even more shuffling.
Last week’s ranking in ( )’s. NR = not ranked. W = watch list. (AP, USA, Harris, BCS)
#1 (6) USC (10-2): How good is their defense? Ask UCLA. The Bruins had 167 total yards while going 0/11 on third down with 4 sacks and 4 turnovers. They had the ball 15 times and only twice did they move it over 13 yards. The Trojan offense wasn’t great, but a trio of backs had at least 12 carries and 67 yards as they simply ran over their rivals. Maybe a few people need to show some guts and rank them #1 because now at full health this is the best team in the country. Unfortunately it is looking like a trip to the Rose Bowl against an at-large team, probably Georgia.
#2 (8) Oklahoma (11-2): It is hard to fathom this team blowing a 24-7 lead to Colorado and letting Texas Tech roll up 34 on their defense. Right now they look like smooth and absolutely overwhelmed Missouri in the second half. One thing that kept them in control was never giving up field position which is easy to do when you have no turnovers or sacks. Missouri’s best starting position was their own 32 and the average was 20.4 over 11 possessions. Oklahoma’s average start came at their 37.3 including a crucial interception leading to a 7 yard touchdown “drive”.
#3 (9) LSU (11-2): Losing Flynn could have been a killer, but Perrilloux’s play prior to injuring his finger made that a non-issue. The unsung hero was Jacob Hester with 23 tough carries for 118 yards. Their title was made possible by Ainge’s two ill advised throws including the game winning interception return. Truth be told, they should have wrapped this game up early. Instead they drove 63, 59 and 56 yards only to wind up with 6 points. Three move drives of 78, 76 and 50 yards produced only 7 more points. That’s 382 yards for 13 points. One thing they did was possess the football with eight drives of at least 2:51. Now their fate is in the hands of the voters.
#4 (5) Georgia (10-2): Let the debate begin. Few teams have had a tougher schedule. The Bulldogs have gone 8-2 against bowl eligible teams. Vanderbilt would have been had Georgia not beaten them leaving Western Kentucky as the only “dog” on their entire schedule. Yes, it hurts to have lost the SEC East by getting spanked at Tennessee. Unfortunately we didn’t see if in reality they were in fact the best team in the conference. They did roll up Florida, Auburn and Kentucky by 11+ points over a four week stretch after all.
#5 (7) Ohio State (11-1): BCS title game here they come, and it reveals one of the biggest flaws in the system. If you’re going to lose, just be sure to lose earlier than other teams. Can you imagine if Kansas and Missouri had met weeks ago? The Jayhawks might be their opponent in the national championship. As it is, the Buckeyes played a slate filled with mediocre opposition in a clearly down year for the Big Ten. This time they couldn’t fall back on beating Texas because their only BCS opponent outside the conference was Washington. Their best defense is having won convincingly over three of their four toughest opponents, Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State.
#6 (2) Missouri (11-2): Their head coach pointed out how the difference was his team kicking field goals it seemed silly in a game that ended 38-17, but I tend to agree. The offense had field goal marches of 57, 75 and 65 yards while also driving 53 yards only to punt. Those 250 total yards produced just 9 points and when Oklahoma was scoring touchdowns on five out of seven drives at one point they just couldn’t keep up. Still, down the stretch this team steamrolled the rest of the Big XII and is deserving of a spot in the BCS.
#7 (3) Hawaii (12-0): In their only meeting with a BCS team the result was a needed victory, but not the type of performance that leaves everyone wondering how they might fare in the national title game. They couldn’t hold the ball in the first quarter with 3 fumbles leading to a 21-0 deficit, but drove 73+ yards for touchdowns five times to pull it out. Another key was their defense holding Washington to 1/9 on third down which kept the Huskies from longer drives.
#8 (4) Kansas (11-1): The final two weeks of the season proved they are the third best team in the Big XII. They had their chance, but the loss to Missouri has the Jayhawks trying to prove they are more BCS worthy than a team who just beat them on a neutral field. I would freeze out the Jayhawks because they played no one outside of conference play and didn’t face Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech who were the best teams in the Big XII South. The top two teams they beat in conference play both finished 4-4 (Colorado, Texas A&M). Kansas won those games 19-14 and 19-11. Both were on the road, but the final scores were unimpressive.
#9 (10) Arizona State (10-2): The Sun Devils engaged in a typical scrap with their rivals from Arizona who were playing as if it was their bowl game because they needed a win to become eligible. They survived a mistake prone game in which they gave the Wildcats the ball in their territory five times. Of those possessions the defense gave up only 14 points. Meanwhile Arizona State’s average starting position was their 27.6 yard line and only three of their drives went for more than 36 yards. As disrespected as this team has been they finished 4-2 against bowl eligible teams and knocked two others (Washington State, Arizona) out of eligibility.
#10 (1) West Virginia (10-2): It will be easy for people to blame this loss on Pat White’s injury, but all they had to do was score another touchdown before he was hurt and the BCS title game would be on their schedule. Or how about flexing their muscles by running the ball? Steve Slaton finished with 9 rushes for 9 yards. The team had 186 total yards and 3.3 yards per offensive play. Pittsburgh can play some defense, but aren’t these the guys who gave up 44 (Virginia) 48 (Navy) and 48 (South Florida) at various times this year? The Navy game stands out for me. If the Midshipmen can average 4.7 yards rushing on this team with no threat of a pass then why couldn’t the Mountaineers?
#11 (12) Virginia Tech (11-2): This time there would be no comeback from Matt Ryan. Xavier Adibi’s interception return for a touchdown sealed the ACC title for the Hokies who now probably wish they hadn’t scheduled LSU. If not for that loss they might be in the national championship. In this one their defense made just enough plays, mostly when it mattered most. Boston College had drives of 54, 58, 59, 40 and 58 yards result in a grand total of 3 points.
#12 (13) Florida (9-3): Being the best team not involved in the BCS is probably of little consolation to the Gators who also might see their quarterback Tim Tebow win the Heisman. However, against the top four in the SEC they went 1-3. Their biggest win, a 59-20 spanking of Tennessee, came way back on September 15. The lone notable win since was a 45-37 victory over Kentucky who finished 7-5.
#13 (11) Boston College (10-3): They probably lost this game in the opening three offensive possessions when marches of 54, 58 and 59 points produced a total of 3 points. Instead of possibly leading by maybe 17-24 points it was 10-0 when Virginia Tech’s offense woke up. Neither team moved the ball much in the second half, but Ryan’s two interceptions cost the Eagles any shot at coming back.
#14 (16) Tennessee (9-4): The SEC title was literally thrown away. Ainge should have been thinking about holding the lead, but instead delivered a strike to Zenon for a game changing touchdown interception. This game was no masterpiece on either side mind you. However, up to that point Tennessee had made no mistakes. The Tigers finished with no sacks and the Volunteers were not flagged for a penalty all game. Still, Ainge finished just 50% passing the ball and Foster had a 2.7 yard rushing average. Their offense never hurt an LSU defense that has been touched up in recent weeks.
#15 (15) Clemson (9-3): Their season was defined by beating the bad teams and losing in their biggest games. Even getting eventual division champions Virginia Tech and Boston College at home didn’t help. They lost their toughest road test as well, a 13-3 mess at Georgia Tech who finished 7-5 with their coach on the unemployment line. Perhaps it is an accomplishment just to have avoided upsets while recording 7 wins by 13+ points.
#16 (17) Cincinnati (9-3): Last year the Big East excitement surrounded upstarts Louisville and Rutgers. This year it was South Florida and Connecticut garnering attention. Mix in a little West Virginia and it is no wonder people overlook the Bearcats even during their 6-0 start. Close losses to Louisville and Pittsburgh proved just how long a college football season can be. If they played those games again I would take them in both by 10+. Unfortunately it cost them a better finish and sent them to the PapaJohn’s.com Bowl against an overmatched Southern Miss (7-5) from Conference USA. The Golden Eagles lost both visits to BCS schools at Tennessee (39-19) and Boise State (38-16) back in September.
#17 (18) Virginia (9-3): They finished 4-1 against bowl eligible teams and played five other teams who finished 5-7 so their schedule wasn’t terrible. It was the way they had to struggle with six wins by no more than 5 points that hurt their reputation. They also didn’t have to play the three of the four best teams from the ACC Atlantic, recording close wins against Maryland (18-17) and Wake Forest (17-16) while losing to N.C. State (29-24). I would have liked to see them stack up against Boston College or Clemson.
#18 (27) Oregon State (8-4): Now that all of the dust has settled this is the third best team in a very good conference. They are also hot having won six of their last seven. Granted Oregon was without Dixon, but their defense had stood tall in his absence. This week the Beavers came in without their leading rusher and drove 67, 68, 75 and 51 yards on them among their opening five possessions. As rivalry games go, they turned it over and missed a punt to end two of those marches to lead just 14-7. Those mistakes led to Oregon being in the game and this one going to overtime, but the Ducks were mostly contained when it mattered. On their final 7 possessions including overtime Oregon drove the ball over 13 yards just once, totaling 115 yards on 37 plays.
#19 (14) Oregon (8-4): The offense played their best game since Dixon’s injury, but the defense fell down against rival Oregon State. Jonathan Stewart bolstered his NFL draft stock by rushing 39 times for 165 yards with the defense knowing just what to expect from an offense without a decent quarterback. Ultimately they were let down by poor coaching as players rushed onto the field for a failed field goal in the waning moments instead of simply killing the clock with a spike. Clearly this is a tale of two teams because of Dixon’s injury, but how do you throw out wins over Michigan, USC and Arizona State?
#20 (19) BYU (10-2): In a makeup game against San Diego State they completed an unbeaten season in the Mountain West with a convincing victory. Their offense went down the field at will with seven touchdown drives of 54+ yards out of nine possessions before simply running out the clock the final time they had the ball. The defense was a little shaky at times, especially during three long touchdown drives, and the Aztecs were 13/20 on third down. Next up is a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl against a Pac-10 opponent.
#21 (20) Illinois (9-3): Even if the Big Ten didn’t have their finest showing, this team had to deal with all of the best teams and fared pretty well in going 6-2. The teams left off their conference schedule were Michigan State and Purdue who both finished 3-5 in conference and 7-5 overall. This is a team ready to stand up for the Big Ten in the bowl season.
#22 (21) Connecticut (9-3): The dream season was blown up a bit with routs on the road in Cincinnati and West Virginia, but they made huge strides this season and finished second in a rugged Big East conference. They also managed to win six times by 19+ points and for a school known for basketball it was possibly a break through season.
#23 (22) South Florida (9-3): They came out of nowhere and seemingly went back there by losing 3 in a row, but rallied with 3 routs to close the regular season. One of the overlooked wins was a 64-12 thrashing of Central Florida who won Conference USA. However, they went 1-3 against the top of the Big East with the lone win being the big one over West Virginia way back on September 28. They have accepted a trip to the Sun Bowl against a Pac-10 opponent.
#24 (24) Wisconsin (9-3): This team is still a mystery to me, but they certainly didn’t stand up well against the best of the Big Ten. They were 2-3 against teams who finished 4-4 or better in conference play, having avoided Purdue (3-5, 7-5 overall) due to a set rotating schedule. They also won four games by a touchdown or less. Their signature performance was a win over Michigan who looked to me like a team resting up for Ohio State. Like the last three years they will have a shot at the SEC in the Outback Bowl, possibly Tennessee or Auburn.
#25 (23) Boise State (10-2): After their loss to Hawaii the biggest wins are over Fresno State and Southern Miss. Neither of those teams really strike fear into anyone, but the Broncos did steamroll a lot of teams this season. Six of their wins were by 22+ points and nine came by 10+.
#26 (25) Auburn (8-4): They managed a 3-3 record against teams who finished 4-4 or better in SEC play, but it will be hard for them to wonder what might have been with three tight losses on the season. The first came 26-23 in overtime to South Florida of the Big East, then a hangover the next week when they lost 19-14 to Mississippi State. Finally they lost 30-24 to LSU during their stretch of cardiac finishes. No one even remembers this team beat Florida and Arkansas.
#27 (26) Texas (9-3): The defense has certainly betrayed them of late allowing 35, 43 and 38 points despite the fact that they won two of those games. As I pointed out last week it was fortunate that the schedule rotation kept Missouri and Kansas away from them because Daniel and Reesing would have lit them up. Their biggest win was a 59-43 wipeout of Texas Tech who finished 8-4. Other than that the only team they beat who finished with a winning record was Central Florida who won Conference USA, a 35-32 battle in the Sunshine State.
#28 (28) Arkansas (8-4): When Auburn’s late field goal beat the Razorbacks 9-7 and left their record at 3-3 many people forgot about this team. Since then they are 5-1, but for the year they went only 2-3 against SEC teams who finished 4-4 or better in conference play and didn’t have to deal with Georgia or Florida. The best two from the SEC East they faced, Tennessee and Kentucky, both beat them convincingly.
#29 (29) Texas Tech (8-4): Their season was truly saved by upsetting Oklahoma. They were 2-4 against teams who finished 4-4 or better in the Big XII and lost convincingly to Texas and Missouri. However, their offense is explosive to the point where you feel like they can score against almost anyone. Ten times they put up 34+ points this season.
#30 (NR) Central Florida (10-3): There is something to be said for winning a conference title and I’m recognizing that here. The Knights won at N.C. State who finished 5-7 and lost a tough 35-32 game to Texas. They have turned into an offensive machine with six games scoring 44+ points and ten games of 32+ and closed the regular season winning their last 7.
The FOX gremlins have #### up my 1st attempt at posting this. I can't read the comments.
It’s a good thing a couple games were played prior to Saturday this week. I’m not sure my heart could have handled all of that action in one day. This week’s poll has some huge shakeups and even after all of this great football has been played will we still be wondering about a playoff system? Here are some points to consider when deciding who should be involved.
If only the conference champions get in, where does that leave Kansas (11-1) Georgia (10-2) or Arizona State who could finish 10-2 and lose the Pac-10 if USC beats UCLA? What about Florida (9-3) who is playing pretty well right now? Assuming we just took the champs here is how it might look, including teams from outside the BCS. The rankings will be based on the favorite winning each conference.
#1 Missouri/Oklahoma winner (Big XII)
#2 West Virginia (Big East)
#3 Ohio State (Big Ten)
#4 USC (Pac-10) if they beat UCLA
#5 LSU/Tennessee winner (SEC)
#6 Boston College/Virginia Tech winner (ACC)
#7 Hawaii (WAC)
#8 BYU (Mt. West)
#9 Troy (Sun Belt)
#10 MAC winner
#11 Conference USA winner
This could lead to some interesting games. Missouri vs. Hawaii and USC vs. LSU would certainly spark interest in the quarterfinals. West Virginia might be an underdog against the USC/LSU winner while Ohio State could quiet their doubters by shutting down Missouri’s offense in the other semifinal. In the end I would take USC over Missouri to end this tournament as I see these teams right now. However, should Oklahoma get in they could make some noise. Virginia Tech might also make things interesting with their defense and special teams.
There will be more playoff talk in the coming weeks, but here is all you need to know about why the BCS doesn’t work. What happens if Pittsburgh upsets West Virginia and Oklahoma beats Missouri? Georgia gets into the national title game after not winning their division of the SEC East? Kansas is making their argument after they failed to win the Big XII North? This won’t happen because the Panthers have no bite, but the possibility should give the BCS folks pause. Georgia could finish #3 in the BCS standings with Kansas #4 and neither reached their conference championship game. Something is wrong with that picture.
Last week’s ranking in ( )’s. NR = not ranked. W = watch list. (AP, USA, Harris, BCS)
#1 (4) West Virginia (10-1): With the national title game in their sights they played like a team on the mission. They annihilated Connecticut in essentially the Big East championship, going right through them with 517 yards rushing. It took the Huskies 11 games to give up 157 points. The Mountaineers put up 66 even after shutting down Pat White early. Their lone loss was to 9-3 South Florida so a win over Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl puts them in the BCS championship. Guess what? They deserve it. This offense is special. (2, 1, 2, 2)
#2 (6) Missouri (11-1): Chase Daniel made his case for the Heisman by going 40/49 for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns to seal the Big XII North title. He was only sacked once and didn’t turn it over. Both teams started slow on offense, a natural reaction to the nerves of a big game, but after 3 unsuccessful drives on each side Missouri caught fire. They went 78 and 92 yards for touchdowns. Meanwhile the defense had an interception, and then forced two field goal attempts. Both missed the mark and allowed the Tigers to gain control of the game. Their second half possessions covered 40, 69, 44 and 49 yards with all of them ending in scores before a three and out as they failed to run out the clock. It felt like they were always going to have an answer to whatever Kansas did. Now it’s a rematch with Oklahoma with a spot in the BCS title game certainly on the line. (1, 2, 1, 1)
#3 (5) Hawaii (11-0): The Warriors proved themselves worthy of a BCS bid by dumping Boise State to win the WAC title outright for the first time ever. Their offense was awesome. Six times they drove 67+ yards for touchdowns. Then in the fourth quarter they moved the ball 43 and 63 yards while chewing up a combined 11:14 off the game clock to seal the victory. The icing was showing how classy they can be sitting on the ball instead of punching in a meaningless touchdown at the end. It might be the WAC, but the Broncos have a top 25 defense nationally even after facing some of these wide open offenses. They next face Washington in a dangerous trap since there could be a letdown. (11, 10, 10, 12)
#4 (1) Kansas (11-1): Reesing simply wasn’t up to matching shots with Daniel. They drove the ball at least 35 yards on 8 consecutive possessions, but two ended with interceptions and two with missed field goals. That was the difference in a tough 36-28 loss. With a little better running game Kansas probably beats Missouri. McAnderson came in with 1,009 rushing yards on a season and 15 touchdowns but carried the ball just 14 times for 41 yards. There was no shame in this loss and they certainly weren’t exposed as the frauds many people have considered them all year. Now their task is to show well in the BCS or everyone will forget their great season. (7, 5, 6, 5)
#5 (7) Georgia (10-2): It must have been hard for them to focus knowing their SEC title hopes were being played out elsewhere. In the end Kentucky couldn’t close the deal on their behalf, but the Bulldogs secured a spot in the BCS by beating rival Georgia Tech. They were far from dominant though. On offense they were only 4/13 on third down and really needed the 3-1 turnover advantage to win this game. I don’t blame them for being sluggish under these circumstances, on the road against a rival while another team is deciding their fate. This is probably the best team never to be considered a true threat to reach the BCS title game. Now it would take Oklahoma beating Missouri and Pittsburgh beating West Virginia for them to get in. (4, 4, 4, 4)
#6 (12) USC (9-2): This was the team everyone expected to see this season. Their offense was unstoppable pretty much all night. On 9 of 12 possessions they either drove the ball 50+ yards or scored. Defensively they allowed no drives over 29 yards after Arizona State gave it over on downs following a 42 yards march in their first possession of the second quarter. Their only shortcoming might have been a lackluster running game, but Booty made up for it with 375 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. A win over UCLA gives them a shocking comeback to win the Pac-10 title. Even if they backed in with the Dixon injury this is a team no one would want to draw in a playoff. (8, 9, 9, 8)
#7 (10) Ohio State (11-1): I might have been a bit harsh with my ranking of them last week, but the Big Ten just isn’t very good. They are coasting their way towards the national championship game again as everyone else struggles with late season upsets. If they wind up facing West Virginia the outcome could be similar to what happened last year against Florida unless their defense is as good as it has looked against Big Ten competition. (3, 3, 3, 3)
#8 (13) Oklahoma (10-2): They left absolutely no doubt in their 49-17 win over rival Oklahoma State. Their first half drives covered 50, 58, 68 and 87 yards for touchdowns. Four more times they marched 50+ yards and this one was never in doubt. This is one of many teams knocked out of the national title hunt that would be dangerous in a playoff. Their 9/12 showing on third down proves just how important it is for them to have Bradford in there at quarterback. We will find out if they are back in rhythm when they face a surging Missouri team in the Big XII title game. The Tigers are definitely better than they were when Oklahoma beat them 41-31 in Norman. (9, 8, 8, 9)
#9 (2) LSU (10-2): They now have two losses to teams who are a combined 12-8 against outside competition. This was a tough one to stomach having allowed 384 yards rushing. Some of it came in the overtimes, but a 7.2 yard rushing average for the Razorbacks? Dorsey not being 100% is no excuse for this performance against an opponent regularly lining up without a quarterback. I said last week they should be worried and now the national title hopes are out the window. A win over Tennessee would salvage a Sugar Bowl, but if Hawaii is the opponent does it put a damper on the end of their season? (5, 7, 5, 7)
#10 (3) Arizona State (9-2): This was not a good effort with a Pac-10 title and possible national championship game berth staring them in the face. Their offense opened fairly well. Following an empty first drive they went 74 (TD) 60 (FG) and 42 (downs) yards to keep themselves in the game. After that it was over for them on offense. They had no more drives over 29 yards. Meanwhile USC was marching up and down the field all day. Only three times they held the Trojans under 35 yards on a possession all night. Next up is rival Arizona who is trying to become bowl eligible. (13, 13, 13, 13)
#11 (9) Boston College (10-2): I know there was nothing on the line, but they were sluggish against a Hurricane team who had lost by a cumulative 92-14 against the Virginia schools following a loss to N.C. State. They should have overwhelmed this team on their home field. Instead it was tied up early in the fourth quarter. Thankfully they responded to adversity immediately with two touchdown drives. The first took only two plays while the second took four. Now they need to beat Virginia Tech in what is certain to be a different game now that poor weather is out of the equation. (12, 12, 12, 11)
#12 (11) Virginia Tech (10-2): With the roll this team is on it might be time to chalk up their 48-7 loss to LSU as a bad day at the office. They were on the road in hostile territory for one, and people tend to forget this team had to deal with unspeakable tragedy on their campus earlier this year. Against rival Virginia their defense ensured a rematch with Boston College in the ACC title game. The Hokies allowed just 240 total yards, forced two turnovers and recorded 6 sacks. Once they had the lead it was over. Out of Virginia’s final 8 drives only their 28 yard touchdown march following a turnover covered more than 18 yards. (6, 5, 7, 6)
#13 (15) Florida (9-3): The Gators are pushing Tim Tebow for the Heisman and it showed. It will take a lot for him to win as a sophomore with 3 losses, but the numbers are staggering. In this one the team piled up 30 first downs and 540 total yards while pounding Florida State 45-12. Tebow accounted for 348 of those yards and 5 touchdowns. On two out of three plays he either passed the ball or ran it. Florida had 7 scoring drives of 57+ yards with only two punts. Their defense held the Seminoles without a touchdown and just 287 total yards. Their loss at Georgia deprives us of what would have been a great rematch with LSU. Instead there is talk of a (yawn) bowl game against Illinois. Wake me up when that rout is over if it happens. (10, 11, 11, 10)
#14 (8) Oregon (8-3): It must have made Dennis Dixon ill to watch the quarterbacks lining up for his team against UCLA. Three backups combined to go 11/39 for 105 yards with 3 interceptions and 5 sacks. As poorly as their handicapped offense played, the defense played with a ton of heart. They held the Bruins to 2/17 on third down and didn’t give up a drive over 17 yards until after halftime. In all there were 22 punts, and Oregon might have had a chance if not for the 4-2 disadvantage in turnovers. The Bruins “drove” -5, 15 and 6 yards for their field goals. Their touchdown march went for only 31. At this point disaster waits for them because I believe Oregon State beats them in the Civil War and who could they beat in a bowl with this quarterback situation? (18, 20, 19, 17)
#15 (14) Clemson (9-3): It was a tight game which is to be expected when two teams meet who don’t like each other. The Tigers got the better of the action on offense, but were forced into kicking field goals five times, making three including the one that counted to win it. Davis and Spiller helped them control the action with a combined 39 rushes for 208 yards. Their success on the ground led to them having five of the six longest possessions in the game. South Carolina was sent off the field in 1:45 or less on 6 of their 11 possessions. As much as it seemed like they were the better team this was not their best performance. (16, 17, 18, 16)
#16 (17) Tennessee (9-3): Does anyone even remember the Volunteers led Kentucky 31-14 in the closing moments of the third quarter? This was an epic battle that had everything. A division title on the line, bowl implications, blocked kicks, key penalties, 13 touchdown passes, 6 turnovers and a couple of yards decided it all. I can’t even begin to break this one down other than to say Tennessee made one more play. They also had all six sacks in a game that was about as even as it gets. This team recovered nicely from three road blowouts to win four straight at home and now this huge road win. Can they score an upset of wounded LSU to steal the SEC title? (14, 15, 15, 14)
#17 (20) Cincinnati (9-3): They opened up and finished strong, but in the middle it was a pretty ugly showing against a dismal opponent in Syracuse. The middle quarters ended 28-28 with the ‘Cuse driving 75, 67, 78 and 77 yards for touchdowns. The Bearcats sputtered on offense at times despite finishing with a gaudy 549 total yards. Mainly they had trouble finishing drives. Eight times they marched 49+ yards, but twice failed to score and missed a field goal on a separate drive of 20 yards. They also made Andrew Robinson look like he was playing Louisville again with 416 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, albeit while sacking him an amazing 11 times. An uninspired effort was to be expected after losing their shot at the Big East title last week. (20, 24, 21, 23)
#18 (16) Virginia (9-3): Offensively they just couldn’t keep up with Virginia Tech. Still, they were in the game until the fourth quarter. Sewell is not exactly Tebow with 145 total yards on 39 plays rushing and passing. Brandon Ore hammed away at their defense with 31 rushes for 145 yards while the Hokie passers combined to 17/25 for 300 yards. One victory for them was forcing four field goals including 3 following drives of 64, 60 and 58 yards. They were just not ready for a game this big down the stretch, but this was a great season for Virginia football. (22, 21, 23, 22)
#19 (22) BYU (9-2): Defense ruled the day in their 17-10 win over Utah. This game would have been well in hand if not for two first quarter miscues in enemy territory. First they fumbled at the Utah 25 and then missed field goal. Two drives totaling 125 yards went for naught. In the meantime their defense was dominant in the opening three quarters giving up a total of 92 yards on 39 plays and allowing just a field goal. They wore down during a wild 15 play, 69 yard march for a Utah touchdown that drained 7:11 off the clock to give up the lead before the offense bailed them out. Max Hall had a poor day passing the football. He finished 17/40 yet delivered the key blow with a 49 yard passing play on the winning drive. The Mountain West title is theirs and only a makeup game at San Diego State (4-6) stands in their way of a perfect conference record. (21, 19, 20, 19)
#20 (24) Illinois (9-3): Last week I pondered how this team might regret losing to Iowa which cost them the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl. How about their opener against Missouri? Trailing 40-34 they had driven to the 22 before an interception at the 1 sealed the win for the Tigers. These guys are not far from being an 11-1 team and have six wins by 11+ points on the season. (15, 14, 14, 15)
#21 (21) Connecticut (9-3): It was rather obvious this team wasn’t ready to play such a huge game against a team like West Virginia. Their defense was shredded for 624 total yards and an average of 9.6 yards per play. They hung pretty tough in the first half, but were totally run over in the second half when West Virginia drove at least 49 yards on all of their drives save the one when they ran out the clock. Connecticut had nowhere close to the offensive firepower to match that. Still, they have had a nice season and will finish second in a good conference. (28, 28, 29, 26)
#22 (23) South Florida (9-3): After trailing at the half they gained control in the third quarter at Pittsburgh and held on for a 48-37 win that really wasn’t that close. The Panthers were stifled on six straight possessions after taking the 14-7 lead, totaling 31 yards on 19 plays. Grothe had a very mediocre day at quarterback. He was 17/23 passing, but for only 159 yards. His 80 yard touchdown run came on a day when he finished with 70 yards on 12 carries interestingly enough. Still, this was a break through season for a young program and they rebounded from their losing streak. (25, 27, 25, 21)
#23 (19) Boise State (10-2): Their defense had no answer to Colt Brennan. The record setting quarterback burned them for 494 yards on 40/53 (75.5%) passing and 5 touchdowns. Early on things looked good when they chewed up 8:19 off the clock on their opening possession, but it ended with an interception. After another long drive (5:28) gave them a 14-13 lead in the second quarter the offense went into a bit of hibernation. They had one more march of 50 yards (4:17) for a touchdown to take their final lead at 27-26, but this is what they needed to do all game long against a team like Hawaii. (24, 23, 22, 25)
#24 (26) Wisconsin (9-3): At home this was a great team. Fortunately for them they spent seven weeks there, going 7-0. On the road it was a different story. They sputtered past UNLV 20-13 and the Running Rebels finished 2-10. They lost three of four Big Ten road games, beating only bottom feeding Minnesota (0-8, 1-11) 41-34. On one hand they can still win 10 games. On the other, this could have been a 6-6 team if a few balls had bounced against them. We’ll see what happens in their bowl game on a neutral field. (19, 16, 16, 18)
#25 (25) Auburn (8-4): With 52-50 and 50-48 multiple overtime scores in the SEC this week it is nice to know this game could provide the familiar defensive struggle. They combined to convert 5/28 on third down with the quarterbacks completing 24/48 for an even 50%. Somehow there were only 10 punts. The longest Alabama drive was 53 yards for their only touchdown while Auburn didn’t march over 44 yards after their 65 yard touchdown jaunt on their first possession. There isn’t much else to say other than that neither of these teams gave up and for a sixth straight time Auburn has bragging rights. (23, 21, 24, 24)
#26 (18) Texas (9-3): This team was finally exposed for having a weak defense and limited offense. They converted just 2/11 on third down against a Texas A&M defense that has been lit up for 82 points over the past two weeks. Offensively they drove 80 and 73 yards for touchdowns in a failed rally. Prior to doing that against a prevent defense they had just 209 total yards. McGee torched them for 362 yards passing. His previous high was 247 set last week. He had 3 touchdown passes, also a season best and just his second game with more than one all year. The BCS is now out of the picture and fans should be glad they didn’t have to deal with Missouri or Kansas because it would have been ugly. (17, 18, 17, 20)
#27 (29) Oregon State (7-4): This team has been playing about as well as anyone in the conference over the past two months. Now they can secure at least a third place finish by beating quarterback challenged Oregon in the finale. Blowout losses to Cincinnati and UCLA were the product of multiple turnovers, but when you look at the big picture the Beavers can finish 3-4 against bowl eligible teams with a win over the Ducks. They were quietly a pretty good team in the Pac-10. (33, 34, 33, 33)
#28 (NR) Arkansas (8-4): This team is probably a better quarterback away from being 11-1 and in the national title hunt. They lose SEC games by 3, 3 and 2 points earlier this season. Turning around two of those would haven give them a shot at the only team to blow them away, Tennessee, in the SEC title game. This week’s wild victory over LSU was a product of their offense shaking off a sluggish start to really take it to a tough defense. After opening with drives of 6, 3, 8 and 13 yards they put up touchdown marches of 70, 80, 83 and 72 yards in regulation. They scored touchdowns on all three possessions in the overtimes, taking 7, 2 and 6 plays to do so before punching in the crucial two point play. McFadden might not win the Heisman, but he is the best offensive player in next year’s NFL draft. (26, 25, 26, 27)
#29 (28) Texas Tech (8-4): Ultimately this team didn’t have enough defense to make noise in a Big XII conference dominated by the Kansas/Missouri storyline all year. The Tigers destroyed them 41-10 and were one of seven teams to score 24+ points against them. They were 3-4 in those games. The upset of Oklahoma was great and they can certainly finish strong with a bowl win, but even if they do no one will remember their 9-4 finish because of what happened in the North. (27, 26, 27, 28)
#30 (NR) Troy (8-3): The Sun Belt will never be confused with the SEC and these guys will never be confused with SEC, but this version of the Trojans stood up fairly well against BCS teams this year. Three times they went to the SEC and scored 26, 31 and 34 points in those losses. Yeah, they gave up 149 but I wonder how this team might have performed against lesser teams from the conference after losing to pretty good ones (Georgia, Florida, Arkansas). How about at home where they whooped Oklahoma State 41-23? I tend to think hosting maybe South Carolina, Alabama or Mississippi State on their field this team would have won. I’d also love to see them earn a spot in a playoff. Beating Florida Atlantic next week will complete an undefeated conference season. (34, 38, 36, 37)
The theme to this college football season has to be Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”. This past week it was Oregon and Oklahoma losing their quarterback and national title aspirations on the road. In the musical spirit, “Who’s Next”? The way the BCS rankings are currently set up, we can expect LSU vs. Kansas as the flavor of the week in the title game because only a loss would allow a chasing team to pass them. LSU has the dynamic running backs of Arkansas coming in this week. They also possess a top 4 run defense nationally in yards per carry (2.4) and per game (78.3). If Tennessee wins at Kentucky it will be the Volunteers in the SEC title game. Otherwise Georgia comes knocking. Both teams have good quarterbacks, but the Tigers are in the top 10 nationally for pass defense too.
Kansas has the “#2 curse” hanging around their neck. They also have 10-1 Missouri (#4) and probably 9-2 Oklahoma staring back at them. Unlike previous teams ranked second they would not be losing to an unranked opponent. West Virginia (#3) is not out of the woods yet. Connecticut is a dangerous opponent with a defense that has allowed just one team to score 20+ points this season. Then there’s that whole “Backyard Brawl” with Pittsburgh.
Ohio State (#5) is almost sitting pretty right now since their season is over at 11-1. Arizona State (#6) looms as a sleeper because they can impress voters with a win over USC. Then it would be a matter of avoiding the upset against rival Arizona who just ruined Oregon’s season. Georgia (#7) is the only team with two losses who can dream of a national championship game. They need a team not involved in the chase to lose though. If Tennessee does falter at Kentucky and the Bulldogs upset LSU things could get interesting in a hurry. Georgia figures to move up at least two spots past LSU and the Kansas/Missouri loser. Oklahoma winning the Big XII could secure them a third leaving them possibly a USC victory over Arizona State this Thursday away from a top 3 position. At that point some momentum might swell that their resume in the SEC even with two losses trumps what West Virginia (Big East) and Ohio State (Big Ten) did in weaker conferences.
Last week’s ranking in ( )’s. NR = not ranked. W = watch list. (AP, USA, Harris, BCS)
#1 (1) Kansas (11-0): Dare I say they are playing like a top ranked team? After opening with a punt they drove 82, 80, 81 and 75 yards for touchdowns on consecutive possessions to blow it open against Iowa State. These are the same Cyclones who lost by 10 against Oklahoma and 14 at Missouri just a few weeks ago. On defense they didn’t allow a drive over 31 yards in the second half while giving up 234 total yards. Reesing completed 80.8% of his passes for 253 yards and 4 touchdowns. Now that Oklahoma has stumbled it looks like only the winner of their battle with Missouri this week has a shot to represent the Big XII in the BCS title game. (2, 2, 2, 2)
#2 (3) LSU (10-1): Where has the defense gone? After allowing 466 total yards in a 41-24 win over Mississippi they are a far cry from the team that terrorized Virginia Tech. Some of the yardage this week came when they were in control, but isn’t this a team trying to prove they are worthy of a spot in the national championship? If they are giving up better than 200 yards rushing to the Rebels I think Tiger fans should worry about Arkansas with McFadden long before figuring how who might trip them up in the SEC title game. (1, 1, 1, 1)
#3 (4) Arizona State (9-1): With Oregon’s loss the Sun Devils spent their week off pondering a return to the national title game picture. This Thursday’s meeting with USC now looms even larger. A victory leaves them a home win over rival Arizona, who just ruined the season for the Ducks, away from winning the Pac-10 and staking their claim for a BCS title bid. Unfortunately their resume is not as good as Oregon’s was because there is no signature win at Michigan to fall back on. Their hope is that Oklahoma wins the Big XII with voters looking at the lone common opponent. That would be Colorado. Arizona State beat them 33-14 at home while Oklahoma lost 27-24 on the road. (7, 6, 6, 6)
#4 (6) West Virginia (10-1): After opening a 28-10 lead at Cincinnati they tried to fumble the game away, but held on for the win. The lead was built on long scoring drives in the opening three quarters as they went 70, 80, 73 and 67 yards for their touchdowns before a 36 yard final quarter. Their defense made enough plays to get it done, holding the Bearcats to 4/13 on third down while delivering 5 sacks and forcing two fumbles. White was effective as usual, balanced in his own way with 140 yards passing and 155 yards rushing. Next up is what amounts to the Big East title game against upstart Connecticut as the Mountaineers try to sneak into the BCS title game. (4, 3, 3, 3)
#5 (5) Hawaii (10-0): Most teams would be happy to see their backup quarterback finish 33/46 for 358 yards and two touchdowns. The Warriors are one of the exceptions in their pass happy offense. It almost ended their BCS dream at Nevada, their final road game this season. In the end it was their defense making the big plays to win the game. The last three Wolfpack possessions totaled 9 plays for 13 yards. Now the challenge will be regrouping on a short week to prepare for Boise State what amounts to the WAC title game. (14, 13, 13, 15)
#6 (9) Missouri (10-1): For a team trying to play into the national championship game they let Kansas State hang around for far too long. If the Wildcats hadn’t lost the turnover battle 3-0 it might have been a lot closer than 49-32. The Tigers benefited from starting four drives inside opposing territory and had only three drives over 49 yards against a defense that Nebraska ate up for 73 points last week. Defensively they gave up 9/18 conversions on third down, but produced those turnovers and 4 sacks to keep them out front. Leading 21-18 at halftime was not where anyone expected them to be in this game. Now they battle Kansas for the Big XII North title. (3, 4, 3, 4)
#7 (10) Georgia (9-2): The first quarter against Kentucky could not have gone much worse. They turned it over three times and allowed three drives totaling 140 yards to dig a 10-0 hole. Then the Bulldogs took control, outscoring the Wildcats 24-3 the rest of the way. The defense sacked Woodson five times as he completed just 58.5% of his passes. Moreno and Brown controlled the game for the offense with 22 carries each totaling 197 yards rushing. Ironically, they now need Kentucky’s help, a win over Tennessee, to reach the SEC title game. Otherwise perhaps the team playing best in the conference will be watching at home. (6, 7, 7, 7)
#8 (2) Oregon (8-2): What a tough way to lose out on the national title game and possibly the Pac-10 title. With their Heisman candidate Dixon on the sideline it was a solid effort defensively in the second half, but the offense couldn’t deliver. Arizona’s final 10 drives, starting midway through the second quarter, totaled just 134 yards on 50 plays and produced only the game clinching field goal. The offense sputtered badly in the second and third quarters though. They had the ball 9 times, once driving 53 yards for a field goal but other than that totaling 31 yards on 32 plays. Brady Leaf couldn’t deliver the ball down the field and obviously isn’t the playmaker Dixon is. Now the task is to regroup for a trip to UCLA as they adjust their goals to gaining a BCS bid. (9, 10, 10, 9)
#9 (12) Boston College (9-2): Sometimes momentum can be a funny thing. They hit the road after losing two in a row against a Clemson team who had won four straight by an average of 48-13. In the end Matt Ryan restarted his Heisman campaign with 315 yards passing including a beautiful touchdown launch to win the game. Their defense had allowed 69 points during the two losses, but limited the Tigers to 273 yards in this one. They also came up with a huge sack prior to Clemson’s last ditch field goal attempt. If not for that 6 yard loss the kick might have had enough distance to force overtime. Only a wounded Miami, FL team stands in their way of win #10. (15, 16, 16, 14)
#10 (8) Ohio State (11-1): The Buckeyes secured a Big Ten title by simply dominating Michigan. The Wolverines had just 8 first downs and 91 total yards, converting a dismal 3/18 on third down. Their only offense was Chris Wells rambling for 222 yards on 39 carries, but that’s all it took. When Western Michigan beat Iowa it marked the fourth team in the conference to suffer an embarrassing loss this season. That could come into play if this team sneaks back into the national title picture. Don’t laugh. They are the only team near the top without a game to lose. (5, 5, 5, 5)
#11 (13) Virginia Tech (9-2): A week after their rivals dusted Miami, FL they took a turn with a 44-14 romp. The Hurricanes did all of their offensive damage on four consecutive drives starting in the second quarter, but marches of 72, 56, 30 and 53 yards ended in just 14 points. Their other 8 possessions totaled 5 (yes, five) yards on 25 plays. The Hokies had their problems on offense despite the big point total, but did take it 57+ yards on five occasions. Now the Coastal division is on the line at Virginia with a spot in the ACC title game at stake. (8, 8, 8, 8)
#12 (14) USC (8-2): Everyone seems to have forgotten about the Trojans, but they have slugged their way into contention for a stunning defense of their Pac-10 title. Winning this Thursday night at Arizona State would leave them in a three way tie with each team having split with the other two. Their final task is beating rival UCLA, but no doubt they would be the highest rated conference team in the BCS so the Rose Bowl is certainly within sight. (11, 12, 12, 11)
#13 (7) Oklahoma (9-2): Chalk them up as one more team who had their national title hopes crumble when their starting quarterback went out. I loved the fight in them as they rallied from a 34-13 deficit including a terrible call going against them on what should have been a touchdown on a fourth down play. The troubling element is allowing Harrell to pass for 420 yards because the defense should have stepped up. Instead they gave up four consecutive scoring drives of 55+ yards. All of a sudden they need to beat Oklahoma State (6-5) to get into the Big XII title game. (10, 9, 9, 10)
#14 (11) Clemson (8-3): Boston College just has a hex on them right now. Even if their last gasp field goal had gone through it would have only forced overtime. The Eagles broke their hearts in OT the last two times these teams met. In this one Cullen Harper couldn’t lead the way as he has most of the season. Nine times this season he has thrown 2+ touchdowns, but for the second time he was held without one. The other was their 13-3 loss at Georgia Tech. Next they try to extend the misery of bitter rival South Carolina from the SEC. (21, 22, 22, 22)
#15 (15) Florida (8-3): The Gators were a minute away from heading into halftime up 28-20 on Florida Atlantic. This is a team that lost to Louisiana-Monroe although maybe they’re not so bad after beating Alabama this week. I’m just not buying into the SEC power this season. They separated in the second half, but that’s what a team loaded with stars is supposed to do in the first half against this kind of opponent. Tebow’s 338 yards passing will keep him in the Heisman conversation, but he wouldn’t get my vote after losing his most important games. The Gators close against Florida State in a game that used to be must see television. (12, 14, 14, 12)
#16 (16) Virginia (9-2): It was about time for them to register a rout and their bye week came at a great time as they prepare to host rival Virginia Tech for the ACC Coastal title. All year they have lived on the edge, and that certainly plays into their favor against the Hokies who excel in pressure situations historically. The knock on the Cavaliers is that they have yet to register a really big win other than squeaking by Connecticut. That would change if they win the ACC title game. (16, 15, 17, 16)
#17 (18) Tennessee (8-3): Their home fans must have been shocked to see them struggle against Vanderbilt the way they have been playing on their turf lately. It was a weird game in that they held the Commodores to 13 yards or less on 8 of 11 drives. The others were 78, 76 and 75 yard touchdown marches which were enough to stake the visitors to a 24-9 lead into the fourth quarter. However, Tennessee was ending a 10 play, 72 yard touchdown drive as the quarter opened and later went 83 for another touchdown in the comeback. Ainge completed 67.4% of his passes for 3 touchdowns without a turnover and was not sacked. Now only a visit to Kentucky stands in their way of meeting LSU in the SEC title game. (19, 19, 19, 18)
#18 (20) Texas (9-2): The Longhorns are a rivalry win next Friday away from a totally unimpressive 10-2 finish. They have sputtered against the mediocre Big XII teams including Nebraska while losing big to Kansas State at home and not even playing Kansas or Missouri. Their signature performance is losing close to Oklahoma. It would be criminal to involve this team in the BCS. (13, 11, 11, 13)
#19 (21) Boise State (10-1): After allowing Idaho to close within 17-14 late in the second quarter they decided enough was enough. The defense finally started to play and the offense kept pouring it on. In 13 drives the Broncos posted 8 touchdowns and a field goal. They finished 10/16 on third down, limiting the Vandals to 4/16. This was a perfect tune up for their monster road trip to Hawaii this week for the WAC title. (17, 17, 15, 19)
#20 (17) Cincinnati (8-3): Their offense consistently moved the ball, but they never broke the West Virginia defense. Drives of 45, 44, 40 and 73 yards ended up with a total of 3 points. Defensively they let the Mountaineers march 53+ yards on five occasions and four of those ended in touchdowns. That was the difference in the game as Mauk’s 323 yards passing failed to rally them from a 28-10 fourth quarter deficit. This was still a strong season for the Bearcats who would love to play Louisville and Pittsburgh again. (24, 26, 24, 24)
#21 (19) Connecticut (9-2): No one can name any of the Huskies, but here they are playing for the Big East title. Against Syracuse they simply let them implode with three turnovers, a missed field goal and four sacks. The offense built a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter and coasted home. Can they win at West Virginia? In this crazy season anything is possible. (20, 21, 21, 20)
#22 (23) BYU (8-2): Their march through the Mountain West has been largely ignored by experts who fail to recognize how solid this conference is. A victory this week against Utah will clinch the title for the Cougars who just won a 35-10 romp in Wyoming in case you didn’t notice. This is not a recording, just another great effort from quarterback Max Hall with 331 yards passing with 70% of his passes completed. No one wants to face this team in a bowl. (23, 23, 23, 25)
#23 (24) South Florida (8-3): The pressure is off this team and they are back to playing well. A week after ripping Syracuse they laid a 55-17 beat down on Louisville. In the process they terrorized Brohm who completed just 48.6% of his passes with 3 interceptions. Grothe had an efficient day going 17/23 for 194 yards and two touchdowns, adding 67 yards rushing with another score. The Bulls really left no doubt by scoring touchdowns on four of their first five possessions, adding two defensive scores for a 41-10 halftime lead. With a win over Pittsburgh they can bolster West Virginia’s national title game hopes because pollsters will consider that the Mountaineers’ only loss was to a 9-3 team. (27, 30, 26, 23)
#24 (26) Illinois (9-3): The third down conversion numbers tell the story as they often do. They were 8/14 while Northwestern was 2/10. The outcome was never in question after the Illini drove 71, 84 and 97 yards for touchdowns sandwiched around a punt in their opening four possessions. If it ever was a question they answered it by opening the second half with 76 and 94 yard touchdown drives. Their reward is a tie for second place in the final Big Ten standings. Do you think they will wonder what could have been if they had beaten Iowa? How about a trip to the Rose Bowl? (18, 18, 18, 17)
#25 (28) Auburn (7-4): After a poor start to the season the Tigers are in danger of fading at the end as well. Last week’s blowout in Georgia erased a lot of their momentum. Next up is bitter rival Alabama. Suddenly the team that beat Florida and tested LSU could be staring at finishing 7-6. Spending this week off will give them time to prepare for avoiding such a fate. (25, 25, 25, 26)
#26 (29) Wisconsin (9-3): They never trailed in the fourth quarter, but it was an ugly win over a Minnesota team who finished 1-11. Their defense allowed 501 total yards including five scoring drives of 54+ yards. Offensively they went 49+ yards seven times in a defense optional game. At least for one day Brown made people forget Hill is hurt with 29 carries for 250 yards rushing. Their bowl should be entertaining. (22, 20, 20, 21)
#27 (22) Kentucky (7-4): This team has now lost four of their past six and Woodson isn’t doing much to stop the bleeding. Other than his 70% completion day against Florida he has sputtered under 60% during the other losses and failed to take this team on his back. They didn’t have the running game to protect an early 10-0 lead at Georgia. Their longest drive after the first quarter was 44 yards. Their season can be saved in a way by upsetting Tennessee who has designs on the SEC East title. A loss would render their win over LSU as a relative fluke in the eyes of most people. (28, 29, 29, 28)
#28 (NR) Texas Tech (8-4): With Harrell and Crabtree the Red Raiders always have a chance. This time they got up on Oklahoma who was reeling when Bradford went down. Crabtree now has 1,861 yards receiving with 21 touchdowns on 125 receptions. He is making a case for the Heisman as a freshman. The offense went sour in the second half as they struggled to hold the big lead. Their final six possessions totaled 64 yards on 21 plays and their quick strike attack almost hurt them because they couldn’t run down the clock. Who wants to face this offense in a bowl game though? (26, 24, 28, 27)
#29 (NR) Oregon State (7-4): Since a disastrous, turnover laden 40-14 loss to UCLA this team has rallied to win five of their last six games. With Dixon out they can almost be considered favorites at rival Oregon. Their latest victory was the product of their defense which came up with 7 interceptions, making Washington State’s veteran quarterback Brink look like a freshman. Offensively they opened with three touchdowns in their opening four possessions to get a big lead early. With Bernard healthy this could be a dangerous team in a bowl. (34, 40, 37, 37)
#30 (NR) Utah (8-3): The Utes have to be wondering how their season might have gone if not for the 1-3 start, or perhaps if conference games hadn’t been two of those early losses. The answer comes this week at BYU. If they win this one it won’t give them a Mountain West title unless the Cougars also stumble at San Diego State, but it will put an exclamation point on their strong finish. (36, NR, 38, NR)
Last week’s ranking in ( )’s. NR = not ranked. W = watch list. (AP, USA, Harris, BCS)
#1 (2) Kansas (10-0): The end of the world is upon us. I have no problem voting them in the top spot because to stay there it will require wins over Missouri and Oklahoma. This week they were getting it done on both sides of the ball. Don’t let the 43-28 final over Oklahoma State fool you, or the 471 yards allowed. The Cowboys drove 53, 82, 89 and 64 yards during the final quarter and a half after Kansas was up comfortably 33-14. Those drives ended in a turnover, two touchdowns and downs. The Jayhawk offense went 46+ yards eight times and is the most disrespected unit in the nation. Seven times they have scored at least 43 points. (4, 4, 4, 3)
#2 (3) Oregon (8-1): If ever a coach needed to sit his team down on an off week this is it for Belotti. The BCS title game is within reach, but now they hit the road for two teams capable of giving them trouble. First up is Arizona on Thursday night with the national spotlight followed by UCLA. Neither team is in their class if they play well, but both fall into the category of “trap” games. The finale is the Civil War against rival Oregon State, another potential pitfall. One stumble and they could be out of not only the BCS title chase, but without a Pac-10 championship. (2, 2, 2, 2)
#3 (4) LSU (9-1): After four straight tough, close SEC games it must have been a relief for them to step out for a 58-10 whooping of Louisiana Tech. In the meantime they suprisingly clinched a spot in the SEC title game with losses by Alabama and Auburn. They were not perfect, but we were reminded how good this defense can be. On 13 of 17 possessions the Bulldogs failed to move the ball more than 17 yards. Offensively it wasn’t a perfect effort, just enough to do the job. What surprises me is to see that of their 18 drives only three times did they keep it more than 5 plays. A quick strike offense was part of the problem with TD drives of 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 6 and 5 plays. They won’t stumble in Mississippi so now it’s just Run DMC’s Arkansas and the title game, likely against Georgia or Tennessee, keeping them from “hosting” the BCS championship. (1, 1, 1, 1)
#4 (5) Arizona State (9-1): Hitting the road following an emotional first loss can be tough. Just ask Cal who lost to UCLA on this field after losing their perfect season. The Sun Devils pulled it out in a game that was fun to watch if you enjoy punts, all 19 of them. It’s easy to see how they controlled the Bruin offense with yet another quarterback leading the way. Their three drives over 28 yards all covered 54 yards, but none of them produced points. Carpenter was not sharp, going just 16/31 for 200 yards while taking 6 sacks. Nevertheless they drove the ball 47, 91, 67 and 64 yards on consecutive possessions in the third quarter to retain control of the game. After a week off they get a Thanksgiving showdown against USC for a possible trip to the Rose Bowl on the line. (9, 8, 8, 8)
#5 (6) Hawaii (9-0): The final score of 37-30 over Fresno State isn’t impressive, but it wasn’t that close. Their offense was only forced into third down 8 times all game and the Bulldogs only had the ball one time (their opening possession) with a chance to tie the score. Brennan did his thing completing 71.8% of his passes for 396 yards. Their opening possessions went for 77, 83, 51, 67 and 80 yards as they opened a 24-7 first quarter lead. This wasn’t a bad Fresno State team either. Their previous losses were to Texas A&M, Oregon and Boise State with two of those on the road. Only one more trip off the island, this Friday night when they visit Nevada. (13, 12, 11, 16)
#6 (7) West Virginia (9-1): They picked a bad time to blow a 31-14 lead. Sure, they answered back to beat Louisville who for all of their woes has still yet to lose by more than 9 points during a disappointing 5-5 campaign. However, this is the time for style points on national TV late in the season. Even as Pat White dazzled with 181 yards passing and another 147 yards receiving with 3 total touchdowns he had fumbling issues. Steve Slaton was contained and the defense let Brian Brohm pass for 345 yards even with no semblance of a running game. It was far from a perfect effort, but they get an extra day to prepare for a trap, uh, trip to Cincinnati. (5, 5, 5, 6)
#7 (8) Oklahoma (9-1): Can a freshman win the Heisman? If so, Sam Bradford could be the guy. This week marked his seventh games over 240+ yards passing (353) or two touchdowns (2) as he completed 20/25 passes. Obviously they controlled the action against Baylor with a trio of rushers carrying the ball 37 times for another 180 yards. Eight times they rang up drive of 49+ yards, but the defense was a little shaky giving up six drives of 58+ with most of those coming when the outcome was in doubt. The Sooners now make a trip to Texas Tech where another super frosh, receiver Michael Crabtree, makes his own case for a historic Heisman win. It fits into the “trap” category. (3, 3, 3, 4)
#8 (1) Ohio State (10-1): Maybe I jinxed Boeckman talking him up for a possible Heisman with comparable numbers to last year’s Buckeye winner Troy Smith. He had a disastrous effort with 3 interceptions on 13/23 passing for 156 yards. There is blame to be spread on the defense as well after they allowed Illinois to grind away the final 8:09 following Boeckman’s final interception. This came directed after an 11 play drive took away 6:11 even though they went just 32 yards and punted. A great defense has to get the ball back when it matters most and they failed. Now they probably have to settle for the Rose Bowl because selling a BCS title berth without a win over a team in the top 20 is tough to do. (7, 7, 7, 7)
#9 (9) Missouri (9-1): In their home finale I expected a sharper performance. As it was they kept Texas A&M at bay and continued to pour on the points. They have scored 38+ in every outing save their loss, 41-31 to Oklahoma. Chase Daniel is carving out a great season with 3,306 yards passing and 26 touchdowns against 9 interceptions. He was sharp against the Aggies completing 77% of his passes for 352 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception. The defense started off very strong limiting A&M to 16 yards or less on seven of their eight first half possessions. In the second half they were touched up for 75, 52, 45 and 65 yards prior to sealing the game with a safety. The lead was preserved by holding two of those marches to field goal attempts with one failing. Next up is a trip to Kansas State who should be smarting off a puzzling 73-31 loss to Nebraska. (6, 6, 6, 5)
#10 (13) Georgia (8-2): Maybe they were just waiting for the right moment to pour it on against Auburn. After falling behind 20-17 and coming off four possessions totaling -4 yards on 11 plays the light bulb went on. Four touchdown marches ensued covering 68, 43, 65 and 59 yards to blow it open. Defensively they were sharp, holding the Tigers to 216 total yards and intercepting Cox 4 times. This is clearly the best team in the SEC East right now, but a flat effort at Tennessee in a 35-14 loss is standing in their way of a title game appearance. Right now I think LSU fans are probably cheering for the Volunteers to win out so they won’t have to deal with the Bulldogs. Their offense can give fits to an LSU unit that has been touched up in conference play. (8, 9, 9, 9)
#11 (15) Clemson (8-2): The Tigers are no longer in the shadows. After a 44-10 thrashing of a pretty good Wake Forest team they are poised to win the ACC Atlantic and possibly avenge one of their losses against Virginia Tech in the title game. They were unstoppable in this game, punting just twice. Their defense was tough as well holding the Demon Deacons to 287 total yards. Of that 125 came on their final two drives when the game was well in hand. They had no turnovers, gave up just 2 sacks and committed only 4 penalties which is a good way to blow a team out. Now the Atlantic division is on the line as they host reeling Boston College. (15, 16, 16, 15)
#12 (10) Boston College (8-2): The defense simply didn’t hold up at Maryland. The Terrapins punted only once in the opening three quarters with six scoring drives of 57+ yards top open a 42-21 lead. Matt Ryan threw two more interceptions, but had 421 yards passing and you get the feeling that if he had gotten the ball again this game would have gone to overtime. I’m not ready to throw out all of their accomplishments including the win over Virginia Tech just yet. This week they can still clinch the ACC Atlantic by winning at Clemson. Will they win to earn a BCS bid or lose to expose themselves as overrated all along? (18, 18, 18, 17)
#13 (12) Virginia Tech (8-2): They are probably wishing LSU wasn’t on this season’s schedule right about now. If not for that loss this team might be in the national title game conversation. After outplaying Boston College in defeat they have blown past two teams who are otherwise 6-3 the past two weeks. Sometimes it feels like “Beamer Ball” is a little bit of smoke and mirrors though. In the second half their offense was dismal, especially the third quarter with 16 plays for 30 yards. Their defense was equally stifling in response to that though, holding Florida State to 28 yards on their last 13 plays covering six possessions. They had better be ready for their rival Virginia in two weeks on the road. (10, 10, 10, 10)
#14 (14) USC (8-2): It felt like an SEC game in the constant rain at Berkeley. Chauncey Washington saved their Rose Bowl aspirations with 220 yards rushing. This game seemed to be constantly driven by third downs with USC winning that battle converting 7/14 to Cal’s 4/13. The Trojans had a conservative approach and it worked to perfection while patiently grinding this one out. They waited for Cal to make mistakes and Longshore obliged with 3 turnovers. With a back loaded schedule this is their biggest win to date. Next is a trip to Arizona State on turkey day for what looks like a bid to the Rose Bowl on the line. Anyone want to see Ohio State vs. USC in Pasadena? (11, 13, 13, 11)
#15 (18) Florida (7-3): I questioned Tebow as a Heisman candidate prior to this week’s games because of the three losses. He promptly went out and showed why he is on everyone’s list with 304 yards passing, 120 yards rushing and 7 total touchdowns at South Carolina. The Gators were 12/16 on third down and if not for 3 turnovers plus a failed fourth down this might have been much uglier than 51-31. Their defense was shoddy in the second half giving up drives of 47, 65, 43, 88 and 23 but they were playing with a comfortable lead. I can’t begin to figure out their path to the SEC East title because it is so unlikely. I do know LSU would want no part of a rematch. (14, 14, 14, 12)
#16 (20) Virginia (9-2): The Cavaliers are having a record setting season for close wins which makes their 48-0 stomping over Miami, FL to close down the Orange Bowl so surprising. Seven of their wins have been by a grand total of 23 points. Perhaps they realized it is time to step it up. The ACC Coastal division will be decided on their field in two weeks and they will be off until then getting ready. The destruction of the Hurricanes was complete. They forced 5 turnovers, held them to 3/15 on third down and 189 total yards while finishing it off with a defensive touchdown. Only one Hurricane drive went over 21 yards. The only question is how ready they are for the Hokies having not played Clemson or Boston College from the Atlantic. (16, 17, 17, 14)
#17 (27) Cincinnati (8-2): After two losses to Louisville and Pittsburgh the Bearcats have rallied to beat two of the better teams in the Big East. Their latest victim was this year’s Cinderella and it felt like midnight for Connecticut I’m sure. Only three times did the Huskies march over 15 yards, those being drives of 26, 38 and 74 with a 3/16 showing on third down. They will need some help to win the Big East title, but West Virginia might be surprised to find out how good this team is next week. (21, 25, 24, 22)
#18 (21) Tennessee (7-3): If they hosted the national title game I would take the Volunteers. In four road games they have been blown out three times, but at home their record is 6-1 with five wins by 20+ points. The latest victim is Arkansas who was held to 145 yards rushing after their record setting performance last week. The Razorbacks were held under 10 yards on 8 of their 13 drives, putting up just 49 yards on 21 plays in the first half as Tennessee built a 20-3 lead. If the Volunteers want to win the SEC East they have to hit the road once more, visiting Kentucky after this week’s game against Vanderbilt. (19, 19, 19, 20)
#19 (11) Connecticut (8-2): The rigors of a tough conference schedule finally caught up to them on the road. Even after their 27-3 loss to Cincinnati the title still comes down to the finale at West Virginia. This week it was a disaster. Lorenzen was just 18/37 passing for 182 yards. Dixon had 12 carries for 35 yards. They were never in it. Their task now is to get well at home against a bad Syracuse team. Regardless of the outcome they can win the Big East the following week by upsetting the Mountaineers. (25, 26, 26, 24)
#20 (22) Texas (9-2): I’m not sure where the defense has gone for this team. For the sixth time they allowed at least 25 points and have given up 78 the past two weeks against teams who aren’t supposed to be in their class. Graham Harrell did his thing for Texas Tech with 466 yards passing and 5 touchdowns, hitting stud freshman Michael Crabtree 9 times for 195 yards and two of those scores. McCoy had much more balance with his 268 yards and 4 touchdowns because Charles ran for 174 yards. Both teams went up the field at will with 8 drives of 40+ yards each. I still don’t know how good the Longhorns are because they didn’t play three of the Big XII North’s four best teams and lost big to the one they did (Kansas State). (12, 11, 12, 13)
#21 (23) Boise State (9-1): Other than their crazy 69-67 quadruple OT win over Nevada the Broncos have been on a serious roll since stumbling at Washington. That was their only win on the season by less than 10 points and this marked their fourth win by 35+ points. Utah State is a bad team and they treated them as such. With Ian Johnson back in the fold their offense is going very well. They went 10/15 on third down with Tharp completing an insane 26/29 for 283 yards and 2 touchdowns. Before shutting it down in the fourth quarter they went 38+ yards on all of their first 8 possessions. There will be no letdown against 1-9 Idaho this week and even a monumental loss wouldn’t prevent the following week’s Friday night showdown at Hawaii from being for the WAC title. (17, 15, 15, 18)
#22 (25) Kentucky (7-3): They recovered from a crushing loss to Mississippi State, but were far from impressive at Vanderbilt in escaping with a 27-20 win. Woodson had another flat performance going 17/28 for 222 yards and 1 touchdown although he didn’t turn it over. In the last tough back to back of their schedule they split with LSU and Florida, both at home. Now they travel to Georgia with designs on spoiling their hopes for the SEC East title. If they fail the spoiler hat stays on as they host Tennessee. Losing both would expose this team as pretty mediocre with a huge upset over a great team mixed in. I tend to think that’s the case unless Woodson steps up. (22, 20, 21, 23)
#23 (26) BYU (7-2): Another big day for Max Hall, but the team sputtered past TCU on their home field, failing to put them away until a decisive defensive stuff. Still it was a fairly clean effort with only one sack allowed, 4 penalties and 2 turnovers. Next up is a trip to Wyoming against a team who beat Virginia to open the season. Everyone seems to either
The AP is reporting that after weeks of speculation and power struggles between owner Al Davis, head coach Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan the team wants Kiffin to resign. Reportedly the kid's reponse has been daring them to fire him instead, which is sort of smart considering the roughly $4,000,000 remaining on the final two years of his contract.
The man in line to reportedly replace Kiffin is Coors Light commerical laugher Dennis Green. Yeah, the guy known for his "they are who we thought they were!" rant when his Cardinals gave away a Monday Night game against the Bears. (Lay off the Mickey D's there Denny) This might have been a good move a coach or two ago when the team had veterans who would respect him including Randy Moss, possibly enough to have him still in Silver & Black. Now the team is young and at least from my perspective seems to be responding to Kiffin's fresh offense.
Marty Walker is a glutton for punishment. He wants us to rip his Buckeyes. This shouldn’t be tough. Cal fans aren’t fond of teams with a tree for a mascot. Apparently buckeyes are actually the shiny, dark brown nut that comes from the buckeye tree. Thank you Google, you give and never ask for anything in return. Anyway last year Ohio State laid out something dark brown in the BCS title game last year and it wasn’t a nut. Their reward is backing into another shot at the championship after beating a conference filled with teams who couldn’t beat opponents from the FCS. If you’re not sure what the FCS is join the club. It might be a secret government organization for all I know.
Ohio State was voted #1 in both polls. Why? Their notable wins came over Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State. How good are those teams exactly? We don’t even know because the Big Ten as a whole had zero wins over bowl eligible teams from BCS conferences. That’s right, none. Ohio State’s big win out of conference came over Washington who finished last in the Pac-10. How about the wins for the other three teams? Michigan beat Notre Dame, a team in the midst of their worst season since dinosaurs roamed the planet. Wisconsin beat Washington State who finished ahead of only Washington in the Pac-10. Penn State beat Buffalo, and unless it’s the Bills I’m not impressed.
Our reward after a season filled with upsets and dramatic finishes is watching a team who gave up no more than 7 points seven times this season. Great, I can’t wait for LSU 12, Ohio State 3. I’ll be sure to set my DVR so I can preserve this masterpiece. I think I’d rather get a haircut from Sweeney Todd. 