Sitting here on a Friday night/Saturday morning the day before the Tennessee/Vanderbilt game listening to music that was recorded about 20 years before I was born. Yeah, I'm cool. But you don't read this because of how cool I am, you read because of the fact that you like your college football spiced with sarcasm and guile and you like it 4 days late. I can do that! Let's look at the games that have been played thus far this week, including a game from this year's nominee for most overrated team:
Colorado-28, #12 Oklahoma State-31
Throughout the majority of this game, the announcers were talking about Oklahoma State's shot at getting into a BCS bowl. Really? Let's look at the current standings...
#1 Florida and #2 Alabama have cupcake games this week, followed by games against inferior rival schools the next week. Barring an apocalypse level meltdown this week or a semi-apocalyptic disaster the next, both of these teams will go into the SEC Championship game undefeated. The winner goes to the National Championship game, the loser probably goes to the Sugar Bowl.
#3 Texas, keeping with the season's theme, will play a pathetic opponent this week (Kansas and their apparently abusive coach) and then they will play rival Texas A&M. Following that, they will play Nebraska or Kansas State for the Big 12 title. Then they will play in the National Title game unless lightning strikes and they lose. If, for some reason, they do lose that game, then Texas still goes to a BCS Bowl and the Big 12 Champ goes as well.
TCU won't lose any of their remaining games, and they're pretty much guaranteed a shot in a BCS game.
#5 Cincinnati could still lose, but they or Pitt will be the Big East champs, clenching another spot in the BCS.
#6 Boise State, in a similar vein to TCU, will have gone undefeated, and they beat their lone major competition (Oregon, a win that's worth more than any on Oklahoma State's schedule). They should go to a BCS bowl.
#7 Georgia Tech is going to the ACC Championship. Because the ACC's down this year, only the winner of the ACC will go to the Orange Bowl. But, let's be honest, that should be GT.
#8 LSU probably won't go to a BCS game. Still, according to the computers, they have a better shot than the Cowboys of Stillwater.
#9 Pitt or Cincinnati will get the Big East's bid. So...let's move on.
#10 Ohio State has already clinched a BCS bid.
#11 Oregon leads their conference. Either they or #17 Stanford will get the PAC-10's berth.
There are 10 berths in the BCS. You're telling me that one of those bowls would realistically take Oklahoma State over any of the 11 teams ranked above them? Considering that Oklahoma State's best win is still Georgia! If you want to see words you never thought you'd read, stay tuned. I hope Oklahoma crushes Oklahoma State next week. Nothing would please me more than to see OSU lose to all 3 decent teams they've played this season. As it was they looked bad against Colorado. Yes, there are injuries and the Dez Bryant suspension. You know what? It's still friggin' Colorado!
Let's move on, shall we? There's nothing left for us to see here.
#7 Boise State-52, Utah State-21
First off, note that Utah is a boring state.
Well, the 3rd most important school in Utah (a title everyone wants, dontcha know?) actually stuck with Boise for one and a half quarters before Boise dropped three touchdowns on them in the final 4:47 of the first half. Anytime you give up 21 points inside the space of 5 minutes, it's not a good sign. When you do that against a team that outclasses you pretty heavily, it sinks any upset bid.
Boise's a good team, and their win over Oregon looks better than it did when the Ducks' disaster unfolded back in September. The question, however, is whether Boise can beat a conference champion at a neutral sight. Actually, thanks to the idiots who think Oklahoma State deserves to be in a BCS game, the question right now is whether Boise (which has beaten a currently ranked team, unlike another school I've been ripping in this post) will even get the opportunity to play a conference champ. They keep doing what they must, however, which is win. So long as they do that, it'll be difficult to deny them a BCS berth...
PS: Note that, while I still eschew the meaninglessness of "head to head" matchups as a barometer of team performance, do pay attention to the fact that Boise State beat Louisiana Tech by 10 at LTU, while the LSU Tigers only beat the Bulldogs by 8 at home. Just some food for thought.
Finally, to explain why this coming week might be a bit different, I will be headed to the Tennessee/Vanderbilt game tomorrow. I will still try and post a "regular" bit ASAP. Plus, I'll try and include a description of the wildness that is Neyland Stadium. For now...sleep.
Showing posts with label Utah is boring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Utah is boring. Show all posts
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Saturday in Review 10/17/09
On a day where so many of the Top 25 looked so mediocre (That's you, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and BYU) I suppose I have a bit to talk about. And blog about. And...Oh, heck, let's just get started.
Arkansas-20, #1 Florida-23
So, Florida fans, still convinced that your team is deserving of a #1 ranking and heaps of adulation? Even after you nearly lose to a 3-2 team in the stadium that you yourselves bill as "the toughest place to win in college football?" (NOTE: If you do still believe that, then you've really drunk the Kool-Aid. Congrats! You're well on your way to firing Urban Meyer when he does something "bad." No, not like rob a liquor store or actually kill a guy. Like lose 2 games in a season. Unforgivable!)
If Arkansas's kicker was able to hit anything (this includes the ground after falling out of a plane, water after falling out of a boat, and baseballs thrown by Brad Lidge this season) (Zing!) then we'd be looking at a 5-1 Florida squad and hearing another speech from St. Timmy of Gainesville. (NOTE: I don't actually hate Tim Tebow. He seems to be an excellent guy...just over-adulated by the media. What else is new?)Instead, Florida escapes, and will certainly stay in the Top 5, and probably will retain the #1 spot...
Since we're here (and really, isn't derision what you're here for?) I want to know how much Florida paid for that personal foul call on their final touchdown drive. It wasn't a bad call, it was an invisible call! Seriously, kids, I still have no idea where the personal foul came from, where it was, or by whom it was committed. The heck of it is: Florida was driving well! They didn't need any help! But that was not the worst part of this game.
No, the worst part of this game was the commentating, specifically Verne Lundquist who might or might not have actually been watching the game. After Arkansas receiver Greg Childs caught the ball around 35 yards downfield and ran for 40 yards, he fumbled on the goal line, then recovered in the back of the end zone. The inept officials wanted to review the play for heaven-knows-what reason, and Lunquist offers this gem of a question: "Maybe it was an incompletion?" I will now let guest blogger Wes from Fayetteville interject his comment: "he ran for 40 YARDS!" So, let's take a straw poll. Who thinks Verne was drunk? Who thinks Verne wasn't paying attention? Who thinks Verne thought we were watching the 1922 Princeton/Swarthmore game and he was wondering why they had made this new-fangled "forward pass" a legal play? No matter how you slice it, it still wasn't nearly as bad as this gem (<-That is a link to the past...) Speaking of 'Bama...
#22 South Carolina- 6, #2 Alabama-20
So the Fighting Chickens of Columbia stuck with the Disgusting Red Algal Blooms of Tuscaloosa. (Handy link in Red!) Alabama's defense looked great, and their offense looked, well, pathetic. Mark Ingram ran for 246 yards and they still only beat the Chickens by 14 at home! During homecoming! (Side Note: Anyone else see the Nick Saban speech to the crowd at the homecoming rally? The man used the royal "we" about himself! Please, Alabama fans, stop the madness. He's a coach, not a king!) (Further side note: Most 'Bama fans would willingly exchange their political freedom for a Crimson Tide title. I wish I was joking about this.)
South Carolina, meanwhile, never got anything going on offense. Heck, their second play from scrimmage was intercepted and run back! They kicked 2 field goals in the second, threw for a fair number of yards and did basically nothing else offensively. One time they got down to the Alabama 5, then ran the same play 3 straight times for 3 straight incompletions! What the heck?! Fail one time: Good defense. Fail 2 times: Bad playcalling. Fail 3 times consecutively? Someone on the SC coaching staff should have lost a finger for that one... Spurrier's defense looked pretty good in holding Alabama to 1 offensive touchdown, but I have a question for Nick Saban:
How on earth does your running back go for 246 yards and you still only score 1 offensive TD?! The man made 2 and a half trips up the field by himself and you scored once with him in the 4th quarter...Something is amiss!
Speaking of amiss...
#20 Oklahoma-13, #3 Texas-16
Oklahoma's season is fast turning into the "what could have been" season. Indeed, Bob Stoops might be the first coach to have two teams under his command in the same season: He has 1 team in the field and one team in the hospital...
Texas again looked underwhelming in a victory, but they are undefeated and they did finally play a ranked opponent. This game was amazingly sloppy, though, with 3 Texas turnovers and 5 turnovers for the Sooners. As every brain dead commentator in the country has doubtless pointed out by now: It is difficult to win when one has 5 turnovers...
Finally, let us not forget that the big news of the day was the injury suffered by Sam Bradford. Sam, who is a seriously goofy looking fellow when he is not wearing his helmet, landed on his shoulder again and left the game again. His team lost again, and will probably drop out of the Top 25 next week, since they have a .500 record. It's hard (<-pronounced "impossible") for me to have a large degree of pity on a national program with millions of dollars of revenue, tons of boosters, and loads of pro talent. But you still have to feel for amateur athletes who are (in theory) not being paid to take these kind of beatings. Here's hoping that Bradford's either a good student or a good healer, because these injuries are seriously hurting his pro potential.
Speaking of hurting...
#4 Virginia Tech-23, #19 Georgia Tech-28
This game really wasn't as close as the score indicates. For the whole second half, Georgia Tech's much maligned defense put the clamps on Virginia Tech's offense, while the option of the Yellow Jackets ran all over the vaunted Hokie defense. Which brings me to a point, albeit not a happy one:
So, let me get this straight: You are defending an option team. You know they are going to run the football. Not only do you know this, but you also have a dynamic defensive line, designed to hit QBs and stop big runs. You then proceed to do the only logical thing and get destroyed on the ground. Georgia Tech completed 1 pass this entire game. Yes, it was for a big gain, but they also threw an interception. The other 5 GT pass attempts fell innocently to the turf in Atlanta. Yet here we are, analyzing a Virginia Tech loss. Look, I know the option is hard to stop, but Miami (the same team Virginia Tech scored 31 on!) successfully shut it down. But, while I'd love to complain, the Hokies have no one to blame for this but themselves--and this is no ordinary loss for a couple of reasons:
1.) This pretty much cuts all ACC teams out of the National Title picture. You can make an argument for Miami or Georgia Tech, but you have a better shot of winning the lottery with the numbers one-one-one-one-one-one-one than you do of seeing either of those squads in the title game
2.) This game really messes up the ACC Coastal Division. (By the way: Coastal? Blacksburg, VA is, like, 300 miles from the beach) Now you have the scenario I asked about a few weeks ago: You have Miami, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. They have all beaten one another, and if they win out it's anyone's guess who wins the Division and goes to the ACC Title Game. I guess Virginia Tech has the best candidacy right now, since they lost by the fewest points...
3.) The worst news (both for the ACC as a whole and especially for Virginia Tech) is that this puts UV-friggin'-a as the leader of the Coastal Division. Yes, that's the same UVa who lost to William and Mary in week one...I think I'm going to go cry now.
Speaking of crying (OK, the gag's no longer funny. I'll stop)
#6 Southern Cal-34, #25 Notre Dame-27
Notre Dame drops another one to Southern Cal as the Charlie Weis (I've been spelling his name wrong for, like, a year and a half now. No one corrected me...) job watch countdown begins. Southern Cal has won on the road against tough teams twice now, and though both games had their fair share of close calls, one must tip their cap to the Trojans. They've played a tougher-than-average non-conference schedule (Not that that's saying much. I'm looking at Texas when I say that) and they deserve to be commended for doing so. That's all the praise Pete Carroll's getting out of me this week! Now go away, you silver-haired jerk! (Side note: You figure with that signature look that Pete knocks all the single 65 year old ladies off their feet? Sure, he's married, but I know Lou Holtz is quite the ladies' man. JoePa is too. When he knows what direction the ladies are...)
As for the Irish, they've done well in games against inferior foes. (Best win: Probably that near-loss at Purdue. More on the Boilermakers later) Against teams with even close to equal talent? Not so much. A friend of mine once pointed out that Charlie Weis's "signature win" is currently a close loss to Southern Cal. I guess this qualifies as another, similar, game. Not sure where the Irish will wind up this year, though it will certainly not be a BCS game. Maybe they can play Hawaii again and people will think that they're "back" again next year. This myth will continue after they beat Navy, Western Carolina, and Northeast Nebraska State Technical College for the One-Armed. Then they'll lose to Ohio State and still only fall to 17th in the polls. Let's all hope I'm wrong. To cheer you up this is an Irish-gold link to Lou Holtz swearing on National TV. You're welcome in advance. Watch that, then let's move on...
#7 Ohio State-18, Purdue-26
The upset of the week, and further proof that the Buckeyes just aren't as good as everyone thinks they are. I've mocked them endlessly, but games like this are what provide the ammo. Purdue hasn't been a relevant team in years, and while road games are tough, even Notre Dame managed a win in Purdue! Ohio State is still one of the best teams in the Big 11, and they can still win the conference title, but they'll have to win at Penn State to do it. Ohio State can really screw things up if they beat Iowa on November 14th. If the Buckeyes pull that off, look for pandemonium to reign supreme in the Big 10 + 1, and for some bizarre loophole to send Northwestern to the Rose Bowl. (Kidding, kidding. It will all-but certainly be Penn State, Iowa, or Ohio State. Which of the 3 is anyone's guess...)
As for Purdue...good job on the win. Now go back to obscurity! We'll call you in a few weeks if Michigan gets ranked again...
#9 Miami-27, Central Florida-7
OK, Miami, we get it. You had a tough start to the season, so you schedule some softies. We get it. Please go back to playing actual teams...
To answer the inevitable question, no, I am not sure if their opponent this next week counts. Clemson ain't what they used to be.
#11 Iowa-20, Wisconsin-10
Iowa came back on the road against a conference foe. That's the good news. The bad news is that they trailed at all to a Wisconsin team whose best win this season is against Minnesota. The Badgers aren't that good.
Still, Iowa is on an ever-shortening list of undefeated teams, and they are creeping upward. If they stay undefeated it will be very difficult to deny them a slot in the Championship Game. If that happens, then we get to put up with 700,000 more stories about Big 10 ineptitude compared to the might of the Big 12 and the PAC-10 and the SEC. (The fact that the Big 10, ACC, Big East, Big 12, and PAC-10 all have the same number of actual championships the last 3 years is never actually mentioned...) Iowa's last rough game is against Ohio State on November 14. Meaning that if they lose this season it will probably be to Northwestern or Minnesota on a last second drive, since that's how college football works...
Colorado State-6, #12 TCU-44
TCU's in a conference with 3 good teams and 6 bad ones. Can you guess in which column Colorado State is located?
Minnesota-0, #14 Penn State-20
Penn State wins at home against a team that is inferior to them. Color me unimpressed. Penn State only has one game of any significance left, and that is their matchup against Ohio State on November 7. Next week's tilt at Michigan could potentially knock them out of the Big 10 title, but beating Ohio State and then praying for the Buckeyes to beat the Hawkeyes (raise your hand if you're still with me) is the only way that Penn State can come away with a title in the conference realistically. Of course, we all know reality has no place in college football. (See Southern Cal's 2003 "National Championship" if you don't believe me...)
Texas Tech-31, #15 Nebraska-10
So, uhhh, Nebraska...where did your defense go? I mean, you know Texas Tech likes to throw the ball (234 pass yards compared to 25 rush yards) so why not try, I dunno, pass defense?
The story of this game, however, was the turnover margin. Nebraska's 2 turnovers killed them, especially since they had more yards than Texas Tech! The fumble run-back for a touchdown hurt, and I'm sure more than a few Nebraska fans could use a hug. I will not be administering hugs, however. Merely sarcasm and contempt.
The good news for the Huskers is that they are still very much in control of their own destiny regarding a BCS bowl, since they are still one of the better teams in their division. For right now, it looks like the Nebraska-Kansas game on the 14th of November will be the deciding factor in the North Division of the Big 12. (No offense, Kansas State.) (No, that second word in parenthesis isn't read oh-FENCE. It's read OFF-ense. K-State can't score, so they're not a threat in the Big 12 North. Yes, this was an unfunny joke and it is a side-effect of typing these over-long posts on this thing. Let's move on...)
Missouri-17, #16 Oklahoma State-33
So, remember when Missouri was undefeated and in position to take charge of the Big 12 North? My, how 2 weeks fly past. Missouri stuck with Oklahoma State (hence them being on the list of "mediocre performance" teams at the start of this post) but they could never overtake the Cowboys.
For OSU, meanwhile, they finally scored a win against a halfway decent team. That it took them most of the game to finally put a squad that threw 3 interceptions and was still somehow in it until the 4th quarter. Missouri outgained Oklahoma State, and really beat itself, rather than falling to the squad in bright orange. And while this is Oklahoma State's best win so far this season, I'm going to venture to say that Halloween will bring them some nasty surprises in Austin. So enjoy next week against Baylor, Cowboys, because it only gets tougher from there...
#17 Kansas-30, Colorado-34
So Colorado jumps out to a 24-3 lead, blows it, and still wins. Gotta love the Big 12 and their defense optional football! Kansas was as one-dimensional of a team as I have ever seen, throwing for 431 yards and rushing for -7 yards...
Colorado, meanwhile, went with a new quarterback and beat a team finally (No offense, Wyoming...). The Buffaloes are now on top of Missouri in the conference standings (yeah, who thought we'd read that this season).
As you can tell, I was half asleep for this one, so analysis here might be a wee bit sketchy. Let's go on...
#18 BYU-38, San Diego State-28
Utah is a boring state. Congrats to BYU on the 500th win, though. Only 374 wins until you catch Michigan!
#23 Houston-44, Tulane-16
Beating Tulane isn't really an accomplishment, so much as a duty. The Green Wave aren't very good, and it's looking like Houston might be back on its feet after the loss to UTEP 2 weeks ago. I really don't have much more to offer you. I mean, it's Houston and Tulane for crying out loud...
#24 Utah-35, UNLV-15
Utah is a boring state.
Tales from the Bottom 95
Michigan beat Delaware State to move to 1-1 all time against 1-AA teams. Congrats to the Hornets who took a dive to Michigan and forfeited a conference game just so they could get paid. Way to represent your school!...Clemson killed Wake Forest, and Riley Skinner is looking less and less like a big time QB and more and more like a Wake Forest QB...California crushed UCLA in the battle of the disappointing PAC-10 teams...Boston College beat NC State to take the lead in the ACC Atlantic Division, like that means anything...Idaho beat Hawaii to move to 3-0 in the WAC...The Vandals, not Boise State, are technically leading the conference. Chew on that fact for a couple minutes...Kentucky beat Auburn, thus proving that any team I praise at all will proceed to falter and sputter for the next few weeks...If that theory is true, then it's a good thing I praised Southern Cal's performance above...Iowa State won their first Big 12 game since 2007...In spite of what I said above, K-State did score 62 this week. Mind you, they did so against Texas A&M. Soooo...Lastly, Western Carolina University snapped its conference losing streak by winning at home. Hooray for the Catamounts!
Hooray that this week's posting is over. See you later with a Rankings Rant!
Arkansas-20, #1 Florida-23
So, Florida fans, still convinced that your team is deserving of a #1 ranking and heaps of adulation? Even after you nearly lose to a 3-2 team in the stadium that you yourselves bill as "the toughest place to win in college football?" (NOTE: If you do still believe that, then you've really drunk the Kool-Aid. Congrats! You're well on your way to firing Urban Meyer when he does something "bad." No, not like rob a liquor store or actually kill a guy. Like lose 2 games in a season. Unforgivable!)
If Arkansas's kicker was able to hit anything (this includes the ground after falling out of a plane, water after falling out of a boat, and baseballs thrown by Brad Lidge this season) (Zing!) then we'd be looking at a 5-1 Florida squad and hearing another speech from St. Timmy of Gainesville. (NOTE: I don't actually hate Tim Tebow. He seems to be an excellent guy...just over-adulated by the media. What else is new?)Instead, Florida escapes, and will certainly stay in the Top 5, and probably will retain the #1 spot...
Since we're here (and really, isn't derision what you're here for?) I want to know how much Florida paid for that personal foul call on their final touchdown drive. It wasn't a bad call, it was an invisible call! Seriously, kids, I still have no idea where the personal foul came from, where it was, or by whom it was committed. The heck of it is: Florida was driving well! They didn't need any help! But that was not the worst part of this game.
No, the worst part of this game was the commentating, specifically Verne Lundquist who might or might not have actually been watching the game. After Arkansas receiver Greg Childs caught the ball around 35 yards downfield and ran for 40 yards, he fumbled on the goal line, then recovered in the back of the end zone. The inept officials wanted to review the play for heaven-knows-what reason, and Lunquist offers this gem of a question: "Maybe it was an incompletion?" I will now let guest blogger Wes from Fayetteville interject his comment: "he ran for 40 YARDS!" So, let's take a straw poll. Who thinks Verne was drunk? Who thinks Verne wasn't paying attention? Who thinks Verne thought we were watching the 1922 Princeton/Swarthmore game and he was wondering why they had made this new-fangled "forward pass" a legal play? No matter how you slice it, it still wasn't nearly as bad as this gem (<-That is a link to the past...) Speaking of 'Bama...
#22 South Carolina- 6, #2 Alabama-20
So the Fighting Chickens of Columbia stuck with the Disgusting Red Algal Blooms of Tuscaloosa. (Handy link in Red!) Alabama's defense looked great, and their offense looked, well, pathetic. Mark Ingram ran for 246 yards and they still only beat the Chickens by 14 at home! During homecoming! (Side Note: Anyone else see the Nick Saban speech to the crowd at the homecoming rally? The man used the royal "we" about himself! Please, Alabama fans, stop the madness. He's a coach, not a king!) (Further side note: Most 'Bama fans would willingly exchange their political freedom for a Crimson Tide title. I wish I was joking about this.)
South Carolina, meanwhile, never got anything going on offense. Heck, their second play from scrimmage was intercepted and run back! They kicked 2 field goals in the second, threw for a fair number of yards and did basically nothing else offensively. One time they got down to the Alabama 5, then ran the same play 3 straight times for 3 straight incompletions! What the heck?! Fail one time: Good defense. Fail 2 times: Bad playcalling. Fail 3 times consecutively? Someone on the SC coaching staff should have lost a finger for that one... Spurrier's defense looked pretty good in holding Alabama to 1 offensive touchdown, but I have a question for Nick Saban:
How on earth does your running back go for 246 yards and you still only score 1 offensive TD?! The man made 2 and a half trips up the field by himself and you scored once with him in the 4th quarter...Something is amiss!
Speaking of amiss...
#20 Oklahoma-13, #3 Texas-16
Oklahoma's season is fast turning into the "what could have been" season. Indeed, Bob Stoops might be the first coach to have two teams under his command in the same season: He has 1 team in the field and one team in the hospital...
Texas again looked underwhelming in a victory, but they are undefeated and they did finally play a ranked opponent. This game was amazingly sloppy, though, with 3 Texas turnovers and 5 turnovers for the Sooners. As every brain dead commentator in the country has doubtless pointed out by now: It is difficult to win when one has 5 turnovers...
Finally, let us not forget that the big news of the day was the injury suffered by Sam Bradford. Sam, who is a seriously goofy looking fellow when he is not wearing his helmet, landed on his shoulder again and left the game again. His team lost again, and will probably drop out of the Top 25 next week, since they have a .500 record. It's hard (<-pronounced "impossible") for me to have a large degree of pity on a national program with millions of dollars of revenue, tons of boosters, and loads of pro talent. But you still have to feel for amateur athletes who are (in theory) not being paid to take these kind of beatings. Here's hoping that Bradford's either a good student or a good healer, because these injuries are seriously hurting his pro potential.
Speaking of hurting...
#4 Virginia Tech-23, #19 Georgia Tech-28
This game really wasn't as close as the score indicates. For the whole second half, Georgia Tech's much maligned defense put the clamps on Virginia Tech's offense, while the option of the Yellow Jackets ran all over the vaunted Hokie defense. Which brings me to a point, albeit not a happy one:
So, let me get this straight: You are defending an option team. You know they are going to run the football. Not only do you know this, but you also have a dynamic defensive line, designed to hit QBs and stop big runs. You then proceed to do the only logical thing and get destroyed on the ground. Georgia Tech completed 1 pass this entire game. Yes, it was for a big gain, but they also threw an interception. The other 5 GT pass attempts fell innocently to the turf in Atlanta. Yet here we are, analyzing a Virginia Tech loss. Look, I know the option is hard to stop, but Miami (the same team Virginia Tech scored 31 on!) successfully shut it down. But, while I'd love to complain, the Hokies have no one to blame for this but themselves--and this is no ordinary loss for a couple of reasons:
1.) This pretty much cuts all ACC teams out of the National Title picture. You can make an argument for Miami or Georgia Tech, but you have a better shot of winning the lottery with the numbers one-one-one-one-one-one-one than you do of seeing either of those squads in the title game
2.) This game really messes up the ACC Coastal Division. (By the way: Coastal? Blacksburg, VA is, like, 300 miles from the beach) Now you have the scenario I asked about a few weeks ago: You have Miami, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech. They have all beaten one another, and if they win out it's anyone's guess who wins the Division and goes to the ACC Title Game. I guess Virginia Tech has the best candidacy right now, since they lost by the fewest points...
3.) The worst news (both for the ACC as a whole and especially for Virginia Tech) is that this puts UV-friggin'-a as the leader of the Coastal Division. Yes, that's the same UVa who lost to William and Mary in week one...I think I'm going to go cry now.
Speaking of crying (OK, the gag's no longer funny. I'll stop)
#6 Southern Cal-34, #25 Notre Dame-27
Notre Dame drops another one to Southern Cal as the Charlie Weis (I've been spelling his name wrong for, like, a year and a half now. No one corrected me...) job watch countdown begins. Southern Cal has won on the road against tough teams twice now, and though both games had their fair share of close calls, one must tip their cap to the Trojans. They've played a tougher-than-average non-conference schedule (Not that that's saying much. I'm looking at Texas when I say that) and they deserve to be commended for doing so. That's all the praise Pete Carroll's getting out of me this week! Now go away, you silver-haired jerk! (Side note: You figure with that signature look that Pete knocks all the single 65 year old ladies off their feet? Sure, he's married, but I know Lou Holtz is quite the ladies' man. JoePa is too. When he knows what direction the ladies are...)
As for the Irish, they've done well in games against inferior foes. (Best win: Probably that near-loss at Purdue. More on the Boilermakers later) Against teams with even close to equal talent? Not so much. A friend of mine once pointed out that Charlie Weis's "signature win" is currently a close loss to Southern Cal. I guess this qualifies as another, similar, game. Not sure where the Irish will wind up this year, though it will certainly not be a BCS game. Maybe they can play Hawaii again and people will think that they're "back" again next year. This myth will continue after they beat Navy, Western Carolina, and Northeast Nebraska State Technical College for the One-Armed. Then they'll lose to Ohio State and still only fall to 17th in the polls. Let's all hope I'm wrong. To cheer you up this is an Irish-gold link to Lou Holtz swearing on National TV. You're welcome in advance. Watch that, then let's move on...
#7 Ohio State-18, Purdue-26
The upset of the week, and further proof that the Buckeyes just aren't as good as everyone thinks they are. I've mocked them endlessly, but games like this are what provide the ammo. Purdue hasn't been a relevant team in years, and while road games are tough, even Notre Dame managed a win in Purdue! Ohio State is still one of the best teams in the Big 11, and they can still win the conference title, but they'll have to win at Penn State to do it. Ohio State can really screw things up if they beat Iowa on November 14th. If the Buckeyes pull that off, look for pandemonium to reign supreme in the Big 10 + 1, and for some bizarre loophole to send Northwestern to the Rose Bowl. (Kidding, kidding. It will all-but certainly be Penn State, Iowa, or Ohio State. Which of the 3 is anyone's guess...)
As for Purdue...good job on the win. Now go back to obscurity! We'll call you in a few weeks if Michigan gets ranked again...
#9 Miami-27, Central Florida-7
OK, Miami, we get it. You had a tough start to the season, so you schedule some softies. We get it. Please go back to playing actual teams...
To answer the inevitable question, no, I am not sure if their opponent this next week counts. Clemson ain't what they used to be.
#11 Iowa-20, Wisconsin-10
Iowa came back on the road against a conference foe. That's the good news. The bad news is that they trailed at all to a Wisconsin team whose best win this season is against Minnesota. The Badgers aren't that good.
Still, Iowa is on an ever-shortening list of undefeated teams, and they are creeping upward. If they stay undefeated it will be very difficult to deny them a slot in the Championship Game. If that happens, then we get to put up with 700,000 more stories about Big 10 ineptitude compared to the might of the Big 12 and the PAC-10 and the SEC. (The fact that the Big 10, ACC, Big East, Big 12, and PAC-10 all have the same number of actual championships the last 3 years is never actually mentioned...) Iowa's last rough game is against Ohio State on November 14. Meaning that if they lose this season it will probably be to Northwestern or Minnesota on a last second drive, since that's how college football works...
Colorado State-6, #12 TCU-44
TCU's in a conference with 3 good teams and 6 bad ones. Can you guess in which column Colorado State is located?
Minnesota-0, #14 Penn State-20
Penn State wins at home against a team that is inferior to them. Color me unimpressed. Penn State only has one game of any significance left, and that is their matchup against Ohio State on November 7. Next week's tilt at Michigan could potentially knock them out of the Big 10 title, but beating Ohio State and then praying for the Buckeyes to beat the Hawkeyes (raise your hand if you're still with me) is the only way that Penn State can come away with a title in the conference realistically. Of course, we all know reality has no place in college football. (See Southern Cal's 2003 "National Championship" if you don't believe me...)
Texas Tech-31, #15 Nebraska-10
So, uhhh, Nebraska...where did your defense go? I mean, you know Texas Tech likes to throw the ball (234 pass yards compared to 25 rush yards) so why not try, I dunno, pass defense?
The story of this game, however, was the turnover margin. Nebraska's 2 turnovers killed them, especially since they had more yards than Texas Tech! The fumble run-back for a touchdown hurt, and I'm sure more than a few Nebraska fans could use a hug. I will not be administering hugs, however. Merely sarcasm and contempt.
The good news for the Huskers is that they are still very much in control of their own destiny regarding a BCS bowl, since they are still one of the better teams in their division. For right now, it looks like the Nebraska-Kansas game on the 14th of November will be the deciding factor in the North Division of the Big 12. (No offense, Kansas State.) (No, that second word in parenthesis isn't read oh-FENCE. It's read OFF-ense. K-State can't score, so they're not a threat in the Big 12 North. Yes, this was an unfunny joke and it is a side-effect of typing these over-long posts on this thing. Let's move on...)
Missouri-17, #16 Oklahoma State-33
So, remember when Missouri was undefeated and in position to take charge of the Big 12 North? My, how 2 weeks fly past. Missouri stuck with Oklahoma State (hence them being on the list of "mediocre performance" teams at the start of this post) but they could never overtake the Cowboys.
For OSU, meanwhile, they finally scored a win against a halfway decent team. That it took them most of the game to finally put a squad that threw 3 interceptions and was still somehow in it until the 4th quarter. Missouri outgained Oklahoma State, and really beat itself, rather than falling to the squad in bright orange. And while this is Oklahoma State's best win so far this season, I'm going to venture to say that Halloween will bring them some nasty surprises in Austin. So enjoy next week against Baylor, Cowboys, because it only gets tougher from there...
#17 Kansas-30, Colorado-34
So Colorado jumps out to a 24-3 lead, blows it, and still wins. Gotta love the Big 12 and their defense optional football! Kansas was as one-dimensional of a team as I have ever seen, throwing for 431 yards and rushing for -7 yards...
Colorado, meanwhile, went with a new quarterback and beat a team finally (No offense, Wyoming...). The Buffaloes are now on top of Missouri in the conference standings (yeah, who thought we'd read that this season).
As you can tell, I was half asleep for this one, so analysis here might be a wee bit sketchy. Let's go on...
#18 BYU-38, San Diego State-28
Utah is a boring state. Congrats to BYU on the 500th win, though. Only 374 wins until you catch Michigan!
#23 Houston-44, Tulane-16
Beating Tulane isn't really an accomplishment, so much as a duty. The Green Wave aren't very good, and it's looking like Houston might be back on its feet after the loss to UTEP 2 weeks ago. I really don't have much more to offer you. I mean, it's Houston and Tulane for crying out loud...
#24 Utah-35, UNLV-15
Utah is a boring state.
Tales from the Bottom 95
Michigan beat Delaware State to move to 1-1 all time against 1-AA teams. Congrats to the Hornets who took a dive to Michigan and forfeited a conference game just so they could get paid. Way to represent your school!...Clemson killed Wake Forest, and Riley Skinner is looking less and less like a big time QB and more and more like a Wake Forest QB...California crushed UCLA in the battle of the disappointing PAC-10 teams...Boston College beat NC State to take the lead in the ACC Atlantic Division, like that means anything...Idaho beat Hawaii to move to 3-0 in the WAC...The Vandals, not Boise State, are technically leading the conference. Chew on that fact for a couple minutes...Kentucky beat Auburn, thus proving that any team I praise at all will proceed to falter and sputter for the next few weeks...If that theory is true, then it's a good thing I praised Southern Cal's performance above...Iowa State won their first Big 12 game since 2007...In spite of what I said above, K-State did score 62 this week. Mind you, they did so against Texas A&M. Soooo...Lastly, Western Carolina University snapped its conference losing streak by winning at home. Hooray for the Catamounts!
Hooray that this week's posting is over. See you later with a Rankings Rant!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Saturday in Review 10/3/09
Another week, another round of games. This week was disappointingly normal, at least relative to the last few weeks. So let's take a deeply sarcastic look at the old ball games.
#3 Alabama-38, Kentucky-20
'Bama is 35-2-1 against Kentucky all time. While I imagine the numbers in basketball look similar (minus the tie, of course) in favor of Kentucky, it makes one wonder why people think the SEC is a conference that has no compare.
Look, I agree that the SEC is the best conference in the country. With LSU, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Auburn they have a high number of very good football teams. Still, the Kentuckys and Vanderbilts of the conference ensure that there are still bad games. Plus, since at least one of the "good" teams has a down year every year (oh, how quickly we forget how bad Florida was in 2003...) it is a bit of an overstatement to claim that the SEC has 5 national championship contenders every year. This year they have Florida and Alabama. LSU might upset Florida in Death Valley this coming Saturday, but mark my words they will not go undefeated and they will not go to a title game, since their loss will either come this week or at Alabama in November.
Oh, well. Time for further analysis of other games, since I didn't watch this one, nor do I care.
#4 LSU-20, #18 UGA-13
6 points in the first 45 minutes, then a touchdown, then 20 points in the final 3 minutes. It was like a brief history of the game of football.
LSU won in a game that they frankly shouldn't have, but the real highlight of this game was the unnecessary celebration penalties handed out to both squads. While I am inclined to agree that celebrations in the NFL are over the top and silly, I disagree with the "put down the ball and look at the ground while you walk not-too-fast-but-not-too-slow back to the sidelines" stance that the NCAA takes with its players. Georgia and LSU's celebration penalties are prime examples. The NCAA's rule states that celebrations shouldn't call attention to the individual, but to the team. OK, I get that, and I get the purpose behind it, but does that mean that all 11 players have to run up to the man who scored the touchdown and give a group hug? Is chest slapping illegal, since one does it to oneself? If so, how come D-linemen and linebackers get to do it whenever they hit a QB? Let the college kids celebrate a little. If they make it to the NFL then they'll get to anyway. Might as well give the less-talented some opportunities as well...
Also, can someone please explain how LSU and Georgia scored so much in the last 3 minutes while slowly going nowhere for the first 57? Since this happens fairly regularly (See the Virginia Tech/Nebraska game from 2 weeks ago) one must wonder why teams don't just stay in the no-huddle 2-minute drill the whole game.
UC Davis-16, #5 Boise State-34
Jeez, man. Boise State, who will probably not make the national title game unless lightning strikes each individual BCS-eligible school twice (in a literal sense), decides to schedule a cupcake instead of an actual opponent. I have a suggestion. Let's pretend that the Cincinnati/Miami (OH) game never happened and that Boise and Cincy faced off. I think we can all agree that would be A) more interesting and B) make it so the Broncos could get into the National Title game without divine intervention.
#6 Virginia Tech-34, Duke-28
How on Earth did Tech beat Miami in just about every facet of the game last week, then narrowly escape Duke this week? Sure, I know the theory that you "play to the level of your competition," but how do you explain Virginia Tech's crushing of Marshall with that theory?
Methinks that the Devils watched some game film and did their homework against Virginia Tech. Otherwise it's a bit difficult to explain the 327 passing yards that Tyrod Taylor had, compared to the small number of rush yards that the Hokies got.. As for Duke, they had one of the most unbalanced offenses ever and they still managed to keep the game very close. Parity, I believe, has created situations that once would have seemed bizarre. Aside from truly and utterly awful football programs (read: Florida International) Division 1-A (or FBS if you're one of the 3 people in the country who actually calls it that) is incredibly close-run. Yes, the Southern Cal's of the world will beat the UAB's of the world more often than not, but upsets are happening with much more regularity thanks to the addition of gimmick offenses and the long-standing tradition of overlooking teams.
As for analysis, it would seem that talk of the Hokies returning to the National Title picture is a bit premature, since Duke came uncomfortably close to winning on Saturday. The Devils, meanwhile, have had a rough go of things this year after some improvement the last 2 years. This good performance may be a sign indicating a return to improvement. Or, it could have been a fluke. We'll see.
#7 USC-30, #24 Cal-3
So does anyone remember when Cal was the 6th ranked team in the country? Yeah, that was a great joke on the part of the AP voters. Seriously, hilarious stuff.
Southern Cal, it would seem, is still atop the PAC-10 for now. They performed well on the road in a performance that really cemented them as the favorites in the conference, and they seem to only have Oregon left as a real obstacle. (No, I don't include Notre Dame on that list. When Charlie Weiss shows up at my house with a crowbar and beats the crap out of me, then I will begin thinking of Notre Dame (and their coach) as a threat)
#8 Oklahoma-20, #17 Miami-21
Miami emerges victorious from its 4th straight matchup against a ranked team, and 3-1 overall during that span (admittedly, the first one was Florida State). The Hurricanes are on a downhill run from here with only one ranked opponent left on the schedule and a 1-AA cupcake game next week. If the right teams win/lose, they're very much in the hunt for an ACC Championship
As for the Sooners, they can still hope for the Big 12 championship, but they are out of the National Title picture (Yeah, who thought that sentence would be typed after 4 games). OU has beaten basically no one (Best win: Tulsa) and they still have some seriously tough games on the schedule (Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State are all ranked, and Texas Tech is a threat at home.) The Sooners might soon turn into spoilers instead of contenders, though chaos in the Big 12 is always fun to watch. I'm sure we all remember last year's 3-way tie for the South Division.
#9 Ohio State-33, Indiana-14
The Buckeyes continue to benefit from being one of the few good-to-OK teams in the Big 10 + 1. Indiana isn't very good, and they haven't been for a while, so we can't really chalk this up as a Buckeye victory so much as business as usual for the Hoosiers.
The Buckeyes have put up impressive numbers and still have the potential to go to the Rose Bowl or (if the chips fall right) into the National Title. Indiana has potential to go, frankly, nowhere.
#10 Cincinnati-31, Miami (The bad one. I mean, Ohio)-13
Cincinnati continues it's rise to the top of the Big East. In fairness, that's like rising to the top in a bucket of filth. Sure, you're on top, but look at what else is in the bucket.
It doesn't help that the rest of the Big East is fairly mediocre. I venture to say that the best team in the Big East would struggle against the 4th best team in the SEC. I'd also venture that the Big East will get up to 6 teams (probably more like 5) into the bowls. Finally, I'd venture to say that Boise State could beat all of those teams combined...
SMU-14, #11 TCU-39
TCU continues to move up in rankings and standings. They basically have to crush all their foes for the remainder of the season. SMU, meanwhile, was once a relevant team on the college football landscape. It's remarkable, however, that the death penalty that they received 22 years ago is still crushing the football program in University Park, Texas.
TCU, for their part, is working well to be a BCS buster. They still have tough games against Utah and BYU, but they stand the best chance of representing the Mountain West during this coming Bowl Season.
#12 Houston-41, UTEP-58
Mark my words, it is a good thing that this happened. Why? I will explain in simple terms below:
Logic tells us that an undefeated Houston would make either a BCS bowl (unlikely) or a semi-major bowl. They "proved" themselves against an overrated Oklahoma State squad and a Texas Tech team that is in repair. As a result, they became media darlings and grabbed headlines as a potential BCS buster. Reality came into play this week on the road at UTEP. The same UTEP who, just last week, lost to Texas by 57 points. The relevance, you ask? Well, if lightning had struck just right (and in college football it often does) then you have Houston playing Texas or Virginia Tech or Miami or USC or Penn State in a big-time bowl, losing by 43, then 100 stories about how the BCS busters are irrelevant to an actual college football discussion. Best that this happened now, rather than in January.
Arkansas State-21, #13 Iowa-24
Remember my lampooning of the "play to your competition" theory that I did up above? Yeah, I take that back. Iowa's the only team I can think of that will beat the #5 team in the country by 11 on the road then nearly lose to a Sun Belt opponent at home. Throw in the near-loss to Northern Iowa during week 1, and you have a team that would probably take a pro team to overtime one week, then lose to the Stevie Wonder Institute for the Blind the next. Iowa seems to be a good school, and the Big 11 Championship game may just come down to the Iowa/Ohio State showdown at the Horseshoe in November.
#15 Penn State-35, Illinois-17
You know, sometimes I wonder how Ron Zook does it. He recruited the team that won Florida's national title in 2006-07, he's had some danged awesome talent come through Illinois, and his team has been fairly awful with the exception of 2007's Rose Bowl effort. Zook has to do some serious work in order to keep his job, especially since everyone is aware of his recruiting prowess and his lack of coaching prowess.
Penn State, meanwhile, recovered from their loss to Iowa, but thanks to the lack of a conference championship game, the Nittany Lions will need Iowa and Ohio State to screw up. Look for JoePa to wind up in, like, the Alamo Bowl.
Washington State-6, #16 Oregon-52
Oregon is looking good ever since their loss to Boise to kick off the year. They'll be tested on Halloween when USC comes to town.
As for Washington State, they've been fairly bad these last few years. They're not too good this year either. There, there's your analysis.
Utah State-17, #20 BYU-35
Utah is a boring state.
#21 Mississippi-23, Vanderbilt-7
Mississippi's bounce-back game came at an opportune time, especially when one considers the game they have next week against Alabama. 'Bama is a good football team, and it doesn't look like Ole Miss has much of a chance. Their lone prayer is that the home crowd shuts down Bama's offense, since Mississippi's QB Jevan Snead is the most overhyped player who's won nothing this side of Matt Ryan (yeah, it was unnecessary. Who cares?). Personally, look for Mississippi to play in the Gator Bowl or something similar. They're not going to factor into the BCS.
Vandy is...Vandy. That's the best way I can put it.
#22 Michigan-20, Michigan State-26 (OT)
Dear Michigan,
We all knew this was coming. I told you so during my last 2 letters. You're not a bad football team, you're just not a title contender. Now, take note that you've still not beaten anyone who is legitimately good. You've beaten Notre Dame, who is still overrated, and you've beaten no one else of any consequence whatsoever. Heck, you've only played 2 schools outside the state of Michigan.
I'll continue. Your weasel coach has proved his "worth" by making 2 programs go downhill quickly. Your lust for quick wins led to a schedule that any decent 1-A team could turn into a BCS berth. Sure, you play some tough teams, but I venture to guess that middle-of-the-road Mississippi could have made it this far without going to overtime or losing to Michigan State. I hate to see you go from the Top 25, however, as writing these letters allows me to vent my spleen. It also allows me to use phrases like "vent my spleen," something that people don't get to do enough in this modern college football environment. Oh well, I'll see you again next week since you play Iowa, who happens to be ranked because they actually beat some decent schools.
Sincerely,
Bones
#25 Georgia Tech-42, Mississippi State-31
Apparently Mississippi State has mastered the art of sticking with teams at home. Now all they have to do is A) learn to actually win at home or B) stick with teams at home and on the road. Either way, they'll eventually upset someone, allowing me to vindicate the waste of space and time that these three sentences have become.
Georgia Tech, meanwhile, marks their return to the Top 25 with a victory over an SEC foe. That looks good for the ACC, even if they're only beating Mississippi State. It's better than losing to William and Mary...
Tales from the Bottom 95
So UVa notches their first win. Against UNC. So...what happened to Carolina? They go from "real competitor" to "We lost to who?!" in the span of 2 weeks. I'm curious to hear how Butch Davis can vindicate his salary when he can't even beat UVa. (NOTE: I will never eat those words, even if Carolina can beat Virginia Tech. Know why? Because even if you do beat Tech, you still lost to FRIGGIN' UVA! They lost to William and Mary!)...Louisiana Tech thumped Hawaii Wednesday night. Relevance? Well, does anyone remember when Hawaii was the new Boise State?...Boy, Colorado is bad...Clemson started last year in the Top 10. This season they have lost to Georgia Tech and TCU (not bad losses) and Maryland (apocalyptically bad loss). Maryland has been a punching bag this year. What changed? My theory: Ralph Friedgen promised to eat a player for every loss this season. They didn't believe him at first, but has anyone seen the backup kicker for Maryland recently? Didn't think so...Only 19 of the Top 25 played this week, and yet I still post on Wednesday. Sad, eh?...Auburn beat Tennessee in an ugly game, but it looks like the Tigers' offense is infinitely better than last year's version...
#3 Alabama-38, Kentucky-20
'Bama is 35-2-1 against Kentucky all time. While I imagine the numbers in basketball look similar (minus the tie, of course) in favor of Kentucky, it makes one wonder why people think the SEC is a conference that has no compare.
Look, I agree that the SEC is the best conference in the country. With LSU, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Auburn they have a high number of very good football teams. Still, the Kentuckys and Vanderbilts of the conference ensure that there are still bad games. Plus, since at least one of the "good" teams has a down year every year (oh, how quickly we forget how bad Florida was in 2003...) it is a bit of an overstatement to claim that the SEC has 5 national championship contenders every year. This year they have Florida and Alabama. LSU might upset Florida in Death Valley this coming Saturday, but mark my words they will not go undefeated and they will not go to a title game, since their loss will either come this week or at Alabama in November.
Oh, well. Time for further analysis of other games, since I didn't watch this one, nor do I care.
#4 LSU-20, #18 UGA-13
6 points in the first 45 minutes, then a touchdown, then 20 points in the final 3 minutes. It was like a brief history of the game of football.
LSU won in a game that they frankly shouldn't have, but the real highlight of this game was the unnecessary celebration penalties handed out to both squads. While I am inclined to agree that celebrations in the NFL are over the top and silly, I disagree with the "put down the ball and look at the ground while you walk not-too-fast-but-not-too-slow back to the sidelines" stance that the NCAA takes with its players. Georgia and LSU's celebration penalties are prime examples. The NCAA's rule states that celebrations shouldn't call attention to the individual, but to the team. OK, I get that, and I get the purpose behind it, but does that mean that all 11 players have to run up to the man who scored the touchdown and give a group hug? Is chest slapping illegal, since one does it to oneself? If so, how come D-linemen and linebackers get to do it whenever they hit a QB? Let the college kids celebrate a little. If they make it to the NFL then they'll get to anyway. Might as well give the less-talented some opportunities as well...
Also, can someone please explain how LSU and Georgia scored so much in the last 3 minutes while slowly going nowhere for the first 57? Since this happens fairly regularly (See the Virginia Tech/Nebraska game from 2 weeks ago) one must wonder why teams don't just stay in the no-huddle 2-minute drill the whole game.
UC Davis-16, #5 Boise State-34
Jeez, man. Boise State, who will probably not make the national title game unless lightning strikes each individual BCS-eligible school twice (in a literal sense), decides to schedule a cupcake instead of an actual opponent. I have a suggestion. Let's pretend that the Cincinnati/Miami (OH) game never happened and that Boise and Cincy faced off. I think we can all agree that would be A) more interesting and B) make it so the Broncos could get into the National Title game without divine intervention.
#6 Virginia Tech-34, Duke-28
How on Earth did Tech beat Miami in just about every facet of the game last week, then narrowly escape Duke this week? Sure, I know the theory that you "play to the level of your competition," but how do you explain Virginia Tech's crushing of Marshall with that theory?
Methinks that the Devils watched some game film and did their homework against Virginia Tech. Otherwise it's a bit difficult to explain the 327 passing yards that Tyrod Taylor had, compared to the small number of rush yards that the Hokies got.. As for Duke, they had one of the most unbalanced offenses ever and they still managed to keep the game very close. Parity, I believe, has created situations that once would have seemed bizarre. Aside from truly and utterly awful football programs (read: Florida International) Division 1-A (or FBS if you're one of the 3 people in the country who actually calls it that) is incredibly close-run. Yes, the Southern Cal's of the world will beat the UAB's of the world more often than not, but upsets are happening with much more regularity thanks to the addition of gimmick offenses and the long-standing tradition of overlooking teams.
As for analysis, it would seem that talk of the Hokies returning to the National Title picture is a bit premature, since Duke came uncomfortably close to winning on Saturday. The Devils, meanwhile, have had a rough go of things this year after some improvement the last 2 years. This good performance may be a sign indicating a return to improvement. Or, it could have been a fluke. We'll see.
#7 USC-30, #24 Cal-3
So does anyone remember when Cal was the 6th ranked team in the country? Yeah, that was a great joke on the part of the AP voters. Seriously, hilarious stuff.
Southern Cal, it would seem, is still atop the PAC-10 for now. They performed well on the road in a performance that really cemented them as the favorites in the conference, and they seem to only have Oregon left as a real obstacle. (No, I don't include Notre Dame on that list. When Charlie Weiss shows up at my house with a crowbar and beats the crap out of me, then I will begin thinking of Notre Dame (and their coach) as a threat)
#8 Oklahoma-20, #17 Miami-21
Miami emerges victorious from its 4th straight matchup against a ranked team, and 3-1 overall during that span (admittedly, the first one was Florida State). The Hurricanes are on a downhill run from here with only one ranked opponent left on the schedule and a 1-AA cupcake game next week. If the right teams win/lose, they're very much in the hunt for an ACC Championship
As for the Sooners, they can still hope for the Big 12 championship, but they are out of the National Title picture (Yeah, who thought that sentence would be typed after 4 games). OU has beaten basically no one (Best win: Tulsa) and they still have some seriously tough games on the schedule (Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State are all ranked, and Texas Tech is a threat at home.) The Sooners might soon turn into spoilers instead of contenders, though chaos in the Big 12 is always fun to watch. I'm sure we all remember last year's 3-way tie for the South Division.
#9 Ohio State-33, Indiana-14
The Buckeyes continue to benefit from being one of the few good-to-OK teams in the Big 10 + 1. Indiana isn't very good, and they haven't been for a while, so we can't really chalk this up as a Buckeye victory so much as business as usual for the Hoosiers.
The Buckeyes have put up impressive numbers and still have the potential to go to the Rose Bowl or (if the chips fall right) into the National Title. Indiana has potential to go, frankly, nowhere.
#10 Cincinnati-31, Miami (The bad one. I mean, Ohio)-13
Cincinnati continues it's rise to the top of the Big East. In fairness, that's like rising to the top in a bucket of filth. Sure, you're on top, but look at what else is in the bucket.
It doesn't help that the rest of the Big East is fairly mediocre. I venture to say that the best team in the Big East would struggle against the 4th best team in the SEC. I'd also venture that the Big East will get up to 6 teams (probably more like 5) into the bowls. Finally, I'd venture to say that Boise State could beat all of those teams combined...
SMU-14, #11 TCU-39
TCU continues to move up in rankings and standings. They basically have to crush all their foes for the remainder of the season. SMU, meanwhile, was once a relevant team on the college football landscape. It's remarkable, however, that the death penalty that they received 22 years ago is still crushing the football program in University Park, Texas.
TCU, for their part, is working well to be a BCS buster. They still have tough games against Utah and BYU, but they stand the best chance of representing the Mountain West during this coming Bowl Season.
#12 Houston-41, UTEP-58
Mark my words, it is a good thing that this happened. Why? I will explain in simple terms below:
Logic tells us that an undefeated Houston would make either a BCS bowl (unlikely) or a semi-major bowl. They "proved" themselves against an overrated Oklahoma State squad and a Texas Tech team that is in repair. As a result, they became media darlings and grabbed headlines as a potential BCS buster. Reality came into play this week on the road at UTEP. The same UTEP who, just last week, lost to Texas by 57 points. The relevance, you ask? Well, if lightning had struck just right (and in college football it often does) then you have Houston playing Texas or Virginia Tech or Miami or USC or Penn State in a big-time bowl, losing by 43, then 100 stories about how the BCS busters are irrelevant to an actual college football discussion. Best that this happened now, rather than in January.
Arkansas State-21, #13 Iowa-24
Remember my lampooning of the "play to your competition" theory that I did up above? Yeah, I take that back. Iowa's the only team I can think of that will beat the #5 team in the country by 11 on the road then nearly lose to a Sun Belt opponent at home. Throw in the near-loss to Northern Iowa during week 1, and you have a team that would probably take a pro team to overtime one week, then lose to the Stevie Wonder Institute for the Blind the next. Iowa seems to be a good school, and the Big 11 Championship game may just come down to the Iowa/Ohio State showdown at the Horseshoe in November.
#15 Penn State-35, Illinois-17
You know, sometimes I wonder how Ron Zook does it. He recruited the team that won Florida's national title in 2006-07, he's had some danged awesome talent come through Illinois, and his team has been fairly awful with the exception of 2007's Rose Bowl effort. Zook has to do some serious work in order to keep his job, especially since everyone is aware of his recruiting prowess and his lack of coaching prowess.
Penn State, meanwhile, recovered from their loss to Iowa, but thanks to the lack of a conference championship game, the Nittany Lions will need Iowa and Ohio State to screw up. Look for JoePa to wind up in, like, the Alamo Bowl.
Washington State-6, #16 Oregon-52
Oregon is looking good ever since their loss to Boise to kick off the year. They'll be tested on Halloween when USC comes to town.
As for Washington State, they've been fairly bad these last few years. They're not too good this year either. There, there's your analysis.
Utah State-17, #20 BYU-35
Utah is a boring state.
#21 Mississippi-23, Vanderbilt-7
Mississippi's bounce-back game came at an opportune time, especially when one considers the game they have next week against Alabama. 'Bama is a good football team, and it doesn't look like Ole Miss has much of a chance. Their lone prayer is that the home crowd shuts down Bama's offense, since Mississippi's QB Jevan Snead is the most overhyped player who's won nothing this side of Matt Ryan (yeah, it was unnecessary. Who cares?). Personally, look for Mississippi to play in the Gator Bowl or something similar. They're not going to factor into the BCS.
Vandy is...Vandy. That's the best way I can put it.
#22 Michigan-20, Michigan State-26 (OT)
Dear Michigan,
We all knew this was coming. I told you so during my last 2 letters. You're not a bad football team, you're just not a title contender. Now, take note that you've still not beaten anyone who is legitimately good. You've beaten Notre Dame, who is still overrated, and you've beaten no one else of any consequence whatsoever. Heck, you've only played 2 schools outside the state of Michigan.
I'll continue. Your weasel coach has proved his "worth" by making 2 programs go downhill quickly. Your lust for quick wins led to a schedule that any decent 1-A team could turn into a BCS berth. Sure, you play some tough teams, but I venture to guess that middle-of-the-road Mississippi could have made it this far without going to overtime or losing to Michigan State. I hate to see you go from the Top 25, however, as writing these letters allows me to vent my spleen. It also allows me to use phrases like "vent my spleen," something that people don't get to do enough in this modern college football environment. Oh well, I'll see you again next week since you play Iowa, who happens to be ranked because they actually beat some decent schools.
Sincerely,
Bones
#25 Georgia Tech-42, Mississippi State-31
Apparently Mississippi State has mastered the art of sticking with teams at home. Now all they have to do is A) learn to actually win at home or B) stick with teams at home and on the road. Either way, they'll eventually upset someone, allowing me to vindicate the waste of space and time that these three sentences have become.
Georgia Tech, meanwhile, marks their return to the Top 25 with a victory over an SEC foe. That looks good for the ACC, even if they're only beating Mississippi State. It's better than losing to William and Mary...
Tales from the Bottom 95
So UVa notches their first win. Against UNC. So...what happened to Carolina? They go from "real competitor" to "We lost to who?!" in the span of 2 weeks. I'm curious to hear how Butch Davis can vindicate his salary when he can't even beat UVa. (NOTE: I will never eat those words, even if Carolina can beat Virginia Tech. Know why? Because even if you do beat Tech, you still lost to FRIGGIN' UVA! They lost to William and Mary!)...Louisiana Tech thumped Hawaii Wednesday night. Relevance? Well, does anyone remember when Hawaii was the new Boise State?...Boy, Colorado is bad...Clemson started last year in the Top 10. This season they have lost to Georgia Tech and TCU (not bad losses) and Maryland (apocalyptically bad loss). Maryland has been a punching bag this year. What changed? My theory: Ralph Friedgen promised to eat a player for every loss this season. They didn't believe him at first, but has anyone seen the backup kicker for Maryland recently? Didn't think so...Only 19 of the Top 25 played this week, and yet I still post on Wednesday. Sad, eh?...Auburn beat Tennessee in an ugly game, but it looks like the Tigers' offense is infinitely better than last year's version...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saturday in Review 9/19/09
Wow. What a day to make the first full Saturday in Review of the year. May as well get crackin'. We'll do the usual (Top 25 rundown with news on the Bottom 95 underneath) Let's start at the top:
Tennessee-13, #1 Florida-23
Well, I'll admit that this one surprised me more than a little. I figured we'd be talking about who would replace Lane Kiffin since he got eviscerated in Gainesville. Instead we saw a Florida team that looked a bit vulnerable, a decent Tennessee defense, and a surprisingly close game. Most disturbing for the Gators was how Tim Tebow was contained by a team that no one really considers a threat in the SEC. Sure, he ran for 76 yards and threw for 115, but it was Tennessee. I'm intrigued to see the Gators in Death Valley against LSU when October arrives.
As for the Vols, they ran a hyperconservative offense and kept it close. I'm not sure if they can win with "exciting" (read: spread offense) football this year. I'm also not sure they have to. I'll be the first to admit that Virginia Tech has built their reputation on conservative football. (NOTE: This week proved that Tech can be exciting, see below) I wish Tennessee luck, and I think we might see their hideous, Construction Zone Orange colored font on our countdown this year.
Final note from this game: Tennessee's QB Jonathan Crompton is the most hated man in Knoxville. Tim Tebow is Superman in Gainesville. Tebow had 115 yards, 1 INT, and 1 lost fumble. Crompton had 93 yards and 2 INTs. Seriously, kids. The only difference (at least in this game) was marketing. Just a thought...
Texas Tech-24, #2 Texas-34
This one wasn't surprising. A good team beat a not-as-good team by a reasonable margin. Heck, you don't even need me to review it. I will now use this space for personal expostulation...
If I saw that ad with the GameDay Crew and Mack Brown singing again...I would put an axe through my TV. It was funny at first. One time. After that, it got irritating, and now it's outright infuriating. I get it. You don't freestyle. Please cut it out. Aaaand let's move on to the upset of the day...
#3 USC-13, Washington-16
This game isn't too surprising, even though it's an unranked team beating a highly ranked one. Sure, Washington was winless last year, but having your opponent's former offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator on the sideline has to help...
As for Southern Cal, this sort of defeat happens on a regular basis. It's almost expected of them. The one (read that one, not 2) year they won the national title this millennium was the one year they went undefeated in conference. I really can't wait for the articles claiming that they would have won with Matt Barkley and how this game means nothing and how they should be national champs. Can't wait.
North Texas-7, #4 Alabama-53
I refuse to review this. It's a cupcake game that a team of Bama's caliber has no business playing.
Temple-6, #5 Penn State
I wonder, do teams feel obligated to play one another because they're in the same state? Because this is another one of those matchups that shouldn't happen. After all the crap the Big 10 + 1 have taken for their ability (or lack thereof) to win nonconference games, one of the 3 best teams in conference chooses to face the powerhouse that is Temple?!
Also, the night this game happened, a friend of mine and I text messaged one another regarding the possibility of a Penn State National Title. Here's what we got (all errors are [sic] in advance):
Wes: i'm hoping penn state runs the tables lol
Me: Haha. JoePa!
Wes: where am i?? wheres my pizza
Me: Sir, we just won the national title.
Wes: i need my ensure! get outa my way.....stupid confetti
Me: Sir, we need a shot of you and the trophy.
Wes: my hip!
Me: Sigh... I'll get the stretcher...
Wes: hahahahah we just role played them winning the natl championship....if it happens itll happen just as we said
I agree completely. Also, for continuity purposes: Utah is a boring state.
SE Louisiana-6, #5 Ole Miss-52
(See Bama review, replace "Bama" with "Ole Miss." Move on.)
Florida State-54, #7 BYU-28
Seriously, BYU. You get a shot at running the table and getting into the BCS, and instead you decide not to play defense at home against a team that nearly lost to Jacksonville State last week at home! This really hurts those of us who were hoping for a BYU-Boise State-TCU-Utah-Houston showdown in the BCS this year. It also hurts the argument for a playoff.
However, it DOES help that this makes the ACC look good. No articles about how awful the conference is this week. Just articles on how much better BC would be with Matt Ryan. I'll accept that.
#8 Cal-35, Minnesota-21
Hmmm. This one's problematic. Cal won, and went on the road to do so. Still, I think it's fair to say that the Golden Bears aren't a dominant team. From what I saw, USC will give them trouble, but the good news is that the Bears play them at home. The bad news is, aside from Jahvid Best, Cal looked quite underwhelming against a Minnesota team that stuck with them up until the final moments of the 4th quarter
UL Lafayette-3, #9 LSU-31
This in-state "rivalry" is another excuse for an easy win without being an official "cupcake" game. LSU is a National Championship contender just about every year, while UL Lafayette is normally at the bottom of the worst conference in Division 1-A football. LSU shouldn't play them, and they shouldn't annually get to smack Tulane around in the ultra-one-sided Battle for the Tiger Rag. Try scheduling some real teams for a change. If you lose the games, but are still a good team, then you can make the case for a playoff.
#10 Boise State-51, Fresno State-34
Wow...defense optional football. 987 total yards of offense. (Comparison Stat: Tennessee and Florida combined for 533 yards.) Boise looks like the last, best hope for an undefeated team to crash the BCS this year. Boise's schedule is pretty easy (only real threats: at Tulsa and at Hawaii in consecutive weeks during October) and almost all of the other BCS busters were cut out of the picture during this early upside down week of football.
Fresno, meanwhile, has one of the toughest schedules in football, and they should be applauded for it. Even if they lose every single one of their 7 road games, they at least have the backbone to play these foes, many of whom are outside of their own conference. By comparison other teams' crappy schedules (click those words for some truly amusing scheduling) should be torn up and redrawn, not rewarded with bowl games.
#11 (Really?) Ohio State-38, Toledo-0
Look, I know I pick on the Buckeyes. Some might say too much. These people are from Ohio, though, and they don't count.
Seriously, though, Ohio State is a great example of what's wrong with the BCS: It rewards teams that are the top dog in a seriously weak conference. Ohio State is sitting pretty at #11 (and moving up!) because they play no one! They played USC close, which is admirable, but a loss is a loss. Ohio State's other nonconference games: Navy (barely won), this thrashing of Toledo, and New Mexico State. If they win their conference, they go to the Rose Bowl. Heck, if the chips fall right, they can still easily go to the national title game! So...yeah, you might say this bothers me.
Tulsa-0, #12 Oklahoma-35
While I pity the loss of Sam Bradford, it really happened at the best possible time for Oklahoma. Their games after the QB went down were against Idaho State and Tulsa. The big question is: Who will start for OU when they roll into Miami on October 3? Really, it doesn't matter: Big 12 teams don't respond well to teams with actual defenses, which is why Nebraska will soon be back atop that conference. As you can tell, this game interested me about as much as last year's Oklahoma v. Tulsa grain growing competition. Riveting TV...
#19 Nebraska-15, #13 Virginia Tech-16
A great finish in a game that, frankly, should not have been that close. Tyrod Taylor made an amazing final throw, but he was allowed to do so because the Nebraska D-line committed the unforgivable sin of standing there while he scrambled. Had the lineman taking Taylor down as he threw the ball simply run forward when he was clear (about 2 seconds before he actually did run at the QB), then Tech's got 4th and goal instead of a relatively easy touchdown.
Nebraska's offense was killed by some decent defense and some bad officiating. Before the real Midwestern griping begins, allow me to state that the officials were from the Big 12, not the ACC or another conference. So Nebraska has no one to blame but themselves. Shoulda paid higher.
#14 Georgia Tech-17, #20 Miami-33
Miami's defense looked nothing short of amazing in quashing the option attack of Georgia Tech. While far too much attention is lavished on Miami's (good, but not great) quarterback, their defense forced Georgia Tech into doing the only thing that they are incapable of doing: Throwing the football.
When a specialist team like the Yellow Jackets is forced to become "normal" the results are usually not pretty. It would be like forcing Texas Tech to run the football: Unpleasant for the offense, and easy for the defense.
As for Miami, they scored easily on a team that's middle-of-the-road on defense, which does bode well. Still, I won't buy into the hype that "The U" is back until they win a tough road game at Virginia Tech this coming week. If that happens, however, then I'll be aboard the Miami train right until it inexplicably crashes against Central Florida or Duke. Remember, kids, they are an ACC team...
Texas State-21 (I don't even know their colors...), #15 TCU-56
TCU, in trying to prove they can hang with the big boys, has decided to schedule like the big boys. That is to say, they schedule an opponent they can crush early in the season so that they only have to win 5 real games to make a bowl. Know what? So long as the system that rewards such scheduling is in place, you'll see this repeated every year. I have a suggestion to fix it: It starts with "p" and ends in "layoff."
Rice-24, #16 Oklahoma State-41
Oklahoma State bounced back nicely from their practically inexplicable loss to Houston last week. In fairness, when your whole nonconference schedule is played at home and 3 of the 4 opposing teams aren't in BCS conferences, it would be nice not to have to look at this as a bounce-back game. Still, good to see that 50% of the time a Big 12 team can beat a Conference USA foe. Let's see how they do against 1-AA Grambling State in this coming week's cupcake bakeoff in Stillwater.
#17 Cincinnati-28, Oregon State-18
Now, I didn't watch this one, but judging from the score, I do have an observation:
Cincinnati should be ranked higher than Southern Cal. Why? Because they can win at Oregon State, something the Trojans seem to be incapable of doing...
#18 Utah-24, Oregon-31
It was a bad day for the BCS-buster demographic. Scratch that, it was a horrible day for the BCS-buster demographic, a fact that makes me a bit sad, if unsurprised.
The Utes needed to win this game to: A) Make the case they were as good as Boise and thus deserving of a BCS bid and B) prove they can beat BCS teams in their own home stadiums, something that teams from automatic qualifying conferences are expected to do week in and week out. It's an unpleasant fact, but many times these giant killer teams only play the big boys once a year (admittedly the big schools' cowardly fault) at a major stadium, and then again at a neutral site. Having been to a bowl game I will say this with 100% confidence: it is much easier to beat a big school in a bowl than it is to beat them at their place.
Let's use a big school on the mend as an example: Tennessee. The Vols have not been a real threat in college football for a few years, yet I still venture that many teams pause before thinking they can face 102,000 fans in Neyland Stadium with ease. UCLA came in last week and won at Neyland because they face teams with large fan bases and are used to the environment. If Boise, TCU, Utah, Houston, and BYU rolled into Neyland to play Tennessee, I think maybe 1 of them comes away with a win (Boise). Move the game to a neutral site, and I think the number jumps to 3 of the smaller schools getting the win. Move the games to the smaller schools and force UT to play there, and I think 4 of the smaller schools win (Houston, I'm pretty sure is a fluke) (NOTE: I've been wrong before...) And the sad fact is, that's using a crummy school as an example. Go into a decent school and you might be seeing a buster beat-down
In conclusion, if you want to make the BCS, you have to prove you'd make it in a BCS conference. It's that simple, and Utah failed the test. Alabama lost 1 conference game last year and got shut out of the championship, as did Southern Cal. If you want to hang out with them, you must be willing to suffer the same fate for losing.
Oh, and Utah is a boring state.
Duke-16, #22 Kansas-44
Kansas fans, don't get too excited. Congrats on your 4th victory all-time against the ACC (<-Not sarcasm, as the last ACC win came against Virginia Tech), but to be fair you beat friggin' Duke. Not that major of an accomplishment. #23 Georgia-52, Arkansas-41
Just one question: When did the "defense first" SEC turn into the Big 12? I'm just kidding.
This is one game between 2 teams square in the middle of the conference: Neither as bad as Vandy or Mississippi State, neither anywhere near as good as Florida or Alabama. This score is what statisticians call an outlier: it's an exception rather than a rule.
East Carolina-17, #24 North Carolina-31
I saw a stat on how few points Carolina had allowed early on during this game. It said they had allowed 9 points per game thus far in the season, as well as having one of the top ranked defenses in the nation.
My problems with this statement:
They have played 2 teams.
These 2 teams are the Citadel (1-AA Southern Conference) and UConn (Big (L)East)
They barely (as in, shouldn't have) won one of these 2 games
Using 2 games as an "assessment tool" for how well your season will go is totally idiotic. By this logic, the NFL's Drew Brees will throw, like, 700 TD passes this year and half the NFL and college football teams will not win a game.
As a totally unrelated note: I'm sure ECU's quarterback Pinkney has been playing college football for, like, 9 years. Just an observation.
East Michigan-17, #25 Michigan-45
Dear Michigan,
I appreciate that you're a storied program with loads of talent, pro alumni, and recruiting violations, but until you beat someone other than overrated Notre Dame I refuse to believe that you are "back" on the football landscape. Also, please quit insulting my intelligence by playing 8 home games. That's just ridiculous. Heck, even Ohio State had enough backbone to schedule USC.
Sincerely,
Bones
Tales from the Bottom 95 (or, random thoughts and opinions about everyone else.)
First off, UVa finally has a chance to win a game, and they successfully blew a 4th quarter lead. I look forward to seeing Al Groh get out of this one...Boston College's decision to get rid of Jeff Jagodzinski has worked out really well. The team looks flaccid, got killed in its first real game, and Jags doesn't have a job anymore. The rest of the ACC, I'm sure, appreciates it...Speaking of ACC, Maryland has really looked awful this year. Barely beating a 1-AA school last week, then losing to Middle Tennessee State this week...Note that I didn't drink the "Notre Dame is back" Kool-Aid, and they're proving why again. Barely beating MSU at home, not a good sign...Everyone paid attention to Cal sort of nudging itself past Minnesota, but the other Pac-10/Big 10 + 1 matchup actually went the way of the Midwestern team. Good job and a good win for the Iowa Hawkeyes...Syracuse beat Northwestern in the "Who cares?" Bowl this week...Vandy lost to Mississippi State in the battle for the SEC cellar...Vandy's lone win? My alma mater: Western Carolina (0-3)...Auburn seems to have found something they lost last year: an offense...West Virginia, meanwhile, is reeling without Rich Rodriguez and Pat White. They're probably the second or third best team in their conference, which would be good news if they were in any BCS conference but the Big East...
That's all for this week! See you soon with a Rankings Rant!
Tennessee-13, #1 Florida-23
Well, I'll admit that this one surprised me more than a little. I figured we'd be talking about who would replace Lane Kiffin since he got eviscerated in Gainesville. Instead we saw a Florida team that looked a bit vulnerable, a decent Tennessee defense, and a surprisingly close game. Most disturbing for the Gators was how Tim Tebow was contained by a team that no one really considers a threat in the SEC. Sure, he ran for 76 yards and threw for 115, but it was Tennessee. I'm intrigued to see the Gators in Death Valley against LSU when October arrives.
As for the Vols, they ran a hyperconservative offense and kept it close. I'm not sure if they can win with "exciting" (read: spread offense) football this year. I'm also not sure they have to. I'll be the first to admit that Virginia Tech has built their reputation on conservative football. (NOTE: This week proved that Tech can be exciting, see below) I wish Tennessee luck, and I think we might see their hideous, Construction Zone Orange colored font on our countdown this year.
Final note from this game: Tennessee's QB Jonathan Crompton is the most hated man in Knoxville. Tim Tebow is Superman in Gainesville. Tebow had 115 yards, 1 INT, and 1 lost fumble. Crompton had 93 yards and 2 INTs. Seriously, kids. The only difference (at least in this game) was marketing. Just a thought...
Texas Tech-24, #2 Texas-34
This one wasn't surprising. A good team beat a not-as-good team by a reasonable margin. Heck, you don't even need me to review it. I will now use this space for personal expostulation...
If I saw that ad with the GameDay Crew and Mack Brown singing again...I would put an axe through my TV. It was funny at first. One time. After that, it got irritating, and now it's outright infuriating. I get it. You don't freestyle. Please cut it out. Aaaand let's move on to the upset of the day...
#3 USC-13, Washington-16
This game isn't too surprising, even though it's an unranked team beating a highly ranked one. Sure, Washington was winless last year, but having your opponent's former offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator on the sideline has to help...
As for Southern Cal, this sort of defeat happens on a regular basis. It's almost expected of them. The one (read that one, not 2) year they won the national title this millennium was the one year they went undefeated in conference. I really can't wait for the articles claiming that they would have won with Matt Barkley and how this game means nothing and how they should be national champs. Can't wait.
North Texas-7, #4 Alabama-53
I refuse to review this. It's a cupcake game that a team of Bama's caliber has no business playing.
Temple-6, #5 Penn State
I wonder, do teams feel obligated to play one another because they're in the same state? Because this is another one of those matchups that shouldn't happen. After all the crap the Big 10 + 1 have taken for their ability (or lack thereof) to win nonconference games, one of the 3 best teams in conference chooses to face the powerhouse that is Temple?!
Also, the night this game happened, a friend of mine and I text messaged one another regarding the possibility of a Penn State National Title. Here's what we got (all errors are [sic] in advance):
Wes: i'm hoping penn state runs the tables lol
Me: Haha. JoePa!
Wes: where am i?? wheres my pizza
Me: Sir, we just won the national title.
Wes: i need my ensure! get outa my way.....stupid confetti
Me: Sir, we need a shot of you and the trophy.
Wes: my hip!
Me: Sigh... I'll get the stretcher...
Wes: hahahahah we just role played them winning the natl championship....if it happens itll happen just as we said
I agree completely. Also, for continuity purposes: Utah is a boring state.
SE Louisiana-6, #5 Ole Miss-52
(See Bama review, replace "Bama" with "Ole Miss." Move on.)
Florida State-54, #7 BYU-28
Seriously, BYU. You get a shot at running the table and getting into the BCS, and instead you decide not to play defense at home against a team that nearly lost to Jacksonville State last week at home! This really hurts those of us who were hoping for a BYU-Boise State-TCU-Utah-Houston showdown in the BCS this year. It also hurts the argument for a playoff.
However, it DOES help that this makes the ACC look good. No articles about how awful the conference is this week. Just articles on how much better BC would be with Matt Ryan. I'll accept that.
#8 Cal-35, Minnesota-21
Hmmm. This one's problematic. Cal won, and went on the road to do so. Still, I think it's fair to say that the Golden Bears aren't a dominant team. From what I saw, USC will give them trouble, but the good news is that the Bears play them at home. The bad news is, aside from Jahvid Best, Cal looked quite underwhelming against a Minnesota team that stuck with them up until the final moments of the 4th quarter
UL Lafayette-3, #9 LSU-31
This in-state "rivalry" is another excuse for an easy win without being an official "cupcake" game. LSU is a National Championship contender just about every year, while UL Lafayette is normally at the bottom of the worst conference in Division 1-A football. LSU shouldn't play them, and they shouldn't annually get to smack Tulane around in the ultra-one-sided Battle for the Tiger Rag. Try scheduling some real teams for a change. If you lose the games, but are still a good team, then you can make the case for a playoff.
#10 Boise State-51, Fresno State-34
Wow...defense optional football. 987 total yards of offense. (Comparison Stat: Tennessee and Florida combined for 533 yards.) Boise looks like the last, best hope for an undefeated team to crash the BCS this year. Boise's schedule is pretty easy (only real threats: at Tulsa and at Hawaii in consecutive weeks during October) and almost all of the other BCS busters were cut out of the picture during this early upside down week of football.
Fresno, meanwhile, has one of the toughest schedules in football, and they should be applauded for it. Even if they lose every single one of their 7 road games, they at least have the backbone to play these foes, many of whom are outside of their own conference. By comparison other teams' crappy schedules (click those words for some truly amusing scheduling) should be torn up and redrawn, not rewarded with bowl games.
#11 (Really?) Ohio State-38, Toledo-0
Look, I know I pick on the Buckeyes. Some might say too much. These people are from Ohio, though, and they don't count.
Seriously, though, Ohio State is a great example of what's wrong with the BCS: It rewards teams that are the top dog in a seriously weak conference. Ohio State is sitting pretty at #11 (and moving up!) because they play no one! They played USC close, which is admirable, but a loss is a loss. Ohio State's other nonconference games: Navy (barely won), this thrashing of Toledo, and New Mexico State. If they win their conference, they go to the Rose Bowl. Heck, if the chips fall right, they can still easily go to the national title game! So...yeah, you might say this bothers me.
Tulsa-0, #12 Oklahoma-35
While I pity the loss of Sam Bradford, it really happened at the best possible time for Oklahoma. Their games after the QB went down were against Idaho State and Tulsa. The big question is: Who will start for OU when they roll into Miami on October 3? Really, it doesn't matter: Big 12 teams don't respond well to teams with actual defenses, which is why Nebraska will soon be back atop that conference. As you can tell, this game interested me about as much as last year's Oklahoma v. Tulsa grain growing competition. Riveting TV...
#19 Nebraska-15, #13 Virginia Tech-16
A great finish in a game that, frankly, should not have been that close. Tyrod Taylor made an amazing final throw, but he was allowed to do so because the Nebraska D-line committed the unforgivable sin of standing there while he scrambled. Had the lineman taking Taylor down as he threw the ball simply run forward when he was clear (about 2 seconds before he actually did run at the QB), then Tech's got 4th and goal instead of a relatively easy touchdown.
Nebraska's offense was killed by some decent defense and some bad officiating. Before the real Midwestern griping begins, allow me to state that the officials were from the Big 12, not the ACC or another conference. So Nebraska has no one to blame but themselves. Shoulda paid higher.
#14 Georgia Tech-17, #20 Miami-33
Miami's defense looked nothing short of amazing in quashing the option attack of Georgia Tech. While far too much attention is lavished on Miami's (good, but not great) quarterback, their defense forced Georgia Tech into doing the only thing that they are incapable of doing: Throwing the football.
When a specialist team like the Yellow Jackets is forced to become "normal" the results are usually not pretty. It would be like forcing Texas Tech to run the football: Unpleasant for the offense, and easy for the defense.
As for Miami, they scored easily on a team that's middle-of-the-road on defense, which does bode well. Still, I won't buy into the hype that "The U" is back until they win a tough road game at Virginia Tech this coming week. If that happens, however, then I'll be aboard the Miami train right until it inexplicably crashes against Central Florida or Duke. Remember, kids, they are an ACC team...
Texas State-21 (I don't even know their colors...), #15 TCU-56
TCU, in trying to prove they can hang with the big boys, has decided to schedule like the big boys. That is to say, they schedule an opponent they can crush early in the season so that they only have to win 5 real games to make a bowl. Know what? So long as the system that rewards such scheduling is in place, you'll see this repeated every year. I have a suggestion to fix it: It starts with "p" and ends in "layoff."
Rice-24, #16 Oklahoma State-41
Oklahoma State bounced back nicely from their practically inexplicable loss to Houston last week. In fairness, when your whole nonconference schedule is played at home and 3 of the 4 opposing teams aren't in BCS conferences, it would be nice not to have to look at this as a bounce-back game. Still, good to see that 50% of the time a Big 12 team can beat a Conference USA foe. Let's see how they do against 1-AA Grambling State in this coming week's cupcake bakeoff in Stillwater.
#17 Cincinnati-28, Oregon State-18
Now, I didn't watch this one, but judging from the score, I do have an observation:
Cincinnati should be ranked higher than Southern Cal. Why? Because they can win at Oregon State, something the Trojans seem to be incapable of doing...
#18 Utah-24, Oregon-31
It was a bad day for the BCS-buster demographic. Scratch that, it was a horrible day for the BCS-buster demographic, a fact that makes me a bit sad, if unsurprised.
The Utes needed to win this game to: A) Make the case they were as good as Boise and thus deserving of a BCS bid and B) prove they can beat BCS teams in their own home stadiums, something that teams from automatic qualifying conferences are expected to do week in and week out. It's an unpleasant fact, but many times these giant killer teams only play the big boys once a year (admittedly the big schools' cowardly fault) at a major stadium, and then again at a neutral site. Having been to a bowl game I will say this with 100% confidence: it is much easier to beat a big school in a bowl than it is to beat them at their place.
Let's use a big school on the mend as an example: Tennessee. The Vols have not been a real threat in college football for a few years, yet I still venture that many teams pause before thinking they can face 102,000 fans in Neyland Stadium with ease. UCLA came in last week and won at Neyland because they face teams with large fan bases and are used to the environment. If Boise, TCU, Utah, Houston, and BYU rolled into Neyland to play Tennessee, I think maybe 1 of them comes away with a win (Boise). Move the game to a neutral site, and I think the number jumps to 3 of the smaller schools getting the win. Move the games to the smaller schools and force UT to play there, and I think 4 of the smaller schools win (Houston, I'm pretty sure is a fluke) (NOTE: I've been wrong before...) And the sad fact is, that's using a crummy school as an example. Go into a decent school and you might be seeing a buster beat-down
In conclusion, if you want to make the BCS, you have to prove you'd make it in a BCS conference. It's that simple, and Utah failed the test. Alabama lost 1 conference game last year and got shut out of the championship, as did Southern Cal. If you want to hang out with them, you must be willing to suffer the same fate for losing.
Oh, and Utah is a boring state.
Duke-16, #22 Kansas-44
Kansas fans, don't get too excited. Congrats on your 4th victory all-time against the ACC (<-Not sarcasm, as the last ACC win came against Virginia Tech), but to be fair you beat friggin' Duke. Not that major of an accomplishment. #23 Georgia-52, Arkansas-41
Just one question: When did the "defense first" SEC turn into the Big 12? I'm just kidding.
This is one game between 2 teams square in the middle of the conference: Neither as bad as Vandy or Mississippi State, neither anywhere near as good as Florida or Alabama. This score is what statisticians call an outlier: it's an exception rather than a rule.
East Carolina-17, #24 North Carolina-31
I saw a stat on how few points Carolina had allowed early on during this game. It said they had allowed 9 points per game thus far in the season, as well as having one of the top ranked defenses in the nation.
My problems with this statement:
They have played 2 teams.
These 2 teams are the Citadel (1-AA Southern Conference) and UConn (Big (L)East)
They barely (as in, shouldn't have) won one of these 2 games
Using 2 games as an "assessment tool" for how well your season will go is totally idiotic. By this logic, the NFL's Drew Brees will throw, like, 700 TD passes this year and half the NFL and college football teams will not win a game.
As a totally unrelated note: I'm sure ECU's quarterback Pinkney has been playing college football for, like, 9 years. Just an observation.
East Michigan-17, #25 Michigan-45
Dear Michigan,
I appreciate that you're a storied program with loads of talent, pro alumni, and recruiting violations, but until you beat someone other than overrated Notre Dame I refuse to believe that you are "back" on the football landscape. Also, please quit insulting my intelligence by playing 8 home games. That's just ridiculous. Heck, even Ohio State had enough backbone to schedule USC.
Sincerely,
Bones
Tales from the Bottom 95 (or, random thoughts and opinions about everyone else.)
First off, UVa finally has a chance to win a game, and they successfully blew a 4th quarter lead. I look forward to seeing Al Groh get out of this one...Boston College's decision to get rid of Jeff Jagodzinski has worked out really well. The team looks flaccid, got killed in its first real game, and Jags doesn't have a job anymore. The rest of the ACC, I'm sure, appreciates it...Speaking of ACC, Maryland has really looked awful this year. Barely beating a 1-AA school last week, then losing to Middle Tennessee State this week...Note that I didn't drink the "Notre Dame is back" Kool-Aid, and they're proving why again. Barely beating MSU at home, not a good sign...Everyone paid attention to Cal sort of nudging itself past Minnesota, but the other Pac-10/Big 10 + 1 matchup actually went the way of the Midwestern team. Good job and a good win for the Iowa Hawkeyes...Syracuse beat Northwestern in the "Who cares?" Bowl this week...Vandy lost to Mississippi State in the battle for the SEC cellar...Vandy's lone win? My alma mater: Western Carolina (0-3)...Auburn seems to have found something they lost last year: an offense...West Virginia, meanwhile, is reeling without Rich Rodriguez and Pat White. They're probably the second or third best team in their conference, which would be good news if they were in any BCS conference but the Big East...
That's all for this week! See you soon with a Rankings Rant!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Maryland vs Virginia Tech, with a side of Utah/TCU
#23 Maryland-13, Virginia Tech-23
Give me a moment to savor this...Ahhhhhh.
OK, let's analyze: First off, the score of this game actually makes it appear closer than it is. I have always hated big play intensive teams. You know, the schools who rely on 4 plays a game to win or lose it all. Maryland is one of those schools. Were it not for one play, on which the Tech defense utterly failed to stop a screen pass, the score would have probably been 23-6 or 23-9. Maryland's offense was nothing short of pathetic on the ground, which enabled Tech to pressure the Maryland QB (Who has hideous hair. Just a thought.) into throwing pathetic passes for minimal gain. But the defense wasn't the only good thing for the Hokies...
Darren Evans was a show stopper in the game on Thursday night. He was quick, dynamic, etc. etc. There are a few cautionary points I will make however:
1) This was a game against Maryland. Let's not have the Hokie nation screaming that this guy is the next Lee Suggs. Yet.
2) What was with all the camera shots of Evans' young son asleep? It's like ESPN picks a plot line to follow and shoves it down your throat for a few hours, regardless of how tired of it you are. I wonder what they would have done with all that time had Evans gotten hurt on the first drive or had an awful game? Probably showed some old Matt Ryan footage.
3) Evans' son slept through most of the game. It was kinda cute. But after the game Erin Andrews walks up to Evans and the last question she asks before the team huddles up is, "Your son James slept through most of the game. How does that make you feel?" What the heck?! You're gonna tell the guy "Oh, good game, your kid missed it." In fairness, Evans took it well, despite the utterly inappropriate question, and he will be able to hold this over James' head for a long time:
"Dad, how come you don't come on my field trips?"
"How come you slept through my record-breaking performance on national television?"
4) In the final minutes of the game, Maryland had to know that the ball was going to Evans. Keep the clock running, etc. So it stands to logic that they put 8 guys in the box, tried to slow down Evans, and went away at least TRYING to grab a win. Except...they didn't. Evans ran all over the Terps on that final drive, and they went down like a turtle who'd forgotten how to swim. Sad, if a bit unsurprising.
#12 TCU-10, #8 Utah-13
Utah is still a boring state.
TCU apparently only brought its offense for the first quarter, and they still almost won. I don't like the Utes' odds against any BCS team. Unless, of course, it's the Big East champs...
Give me a moment to savor this...Ahhhhhh.
OK, let's analyze: First off, the score of this game actually makes it appear closer than it is. I have always hated big play intensive teams. You know, the schools who rely on 4 plays a game to win or lose it all. Maryland is one of those schools. Were it not for one play, on which the Tech defense utterly failed to stop a screen pass, the score would have probably been 23-6 or 23-9. Maryland's offense was nothing short of pathetic on the ground, which enabled Tech to pressure the Maryland QB (Who has hideous hair. Just a thought.) into throwing pathetic passes for minimal gain. But the defense wasn't the only good thing for the Hokies...
Darren Evans was a show stopper in the game on Thursday night. He was quick, dynamic, etc. etc. There are a few cautionary points I will make however:
1) This was a game against Maryland. Let's not have the Hokie nation screaming that this guy is the next Lee Suggs. Yet.
2) What was with all the camera shots of Evans' young son asleep? It's like ESPN picks a plot line to follow and shoves it down your throat for a few hours, regardless of how tired of it you are. I wonder what they would have done with all that time had Evans gotten hurt on the first drive or had an awful game? Probably showed some old Matt Ryan footage.
3) Evans' son slept through most of the game. It was kinda cute. But after the game Erin Andrews walks up to Evans and the last question she asks before the team huddles up is, "Your son James slept through most of the game. How does that make you feel?" What the heck?! You're gonna tell the guy "Oh, good game, your kid missed it." In fairness, Evans took it well, despite the utterly inappropriate question, and he will be able to hold this over James' head for a long time:
"Dad, how come you don't come on my field trips?"
"How come you slept through my record-breaking performance on national television?"
4) In the final minutes of the game, Maryland had to know that the ball was going to Evans. Keep the clock running, etc. So it stands to logic that they put 8 guys in the box, tried to slow down Evans, and went away at least TRYING to grab a win. Except...they didn't. Evans ran all over the Terps on that final drive, and they went down like a turtle who'd forgotten how to swim. Sad, if a bit unsurprising.
#12 TCU-10, #8 Utah-13
Utah is still a boring state.
TCU apparently only brought its offense for the first quarter, and they still almost won. I don't like the Utes' odds against any BCS team. Unless, of course, it's the Big East champs...
Friday, October 17, 2008
An actual BYU review! And Florida State, too!
#9 BYU-7, TCU-32
This wasn't a good game. Nor, in fact, was it close. (Appropriately, this happened in Texas, where it is not nearly as boring as in Utah.) TCU's lone loss on the season came against Oklahoma, at Oklahoma. I'm not implying that the Horned Frogs could beat Oklahoma in a neutral site game, or even at home. What I am saying, however, is that OU is the one team that's beaten TCU, and Oklahoma's one of the best teams in the friggin' country.
BYU's not out of bowl contention, but they're not going to be going to a big bowl. Heck, they might not even win their conference. So the old BCS men can breathe easy for now. If Utah stays undefeated, though, then there will be trouble. I have a suggestion: It's called a playoff! (And now, a short film, inspired by the previous statement:)
BCS guy: That's untenable! It will make the season longer, hurting precious academics, and it will eliminate critical bowl games.
Me: [incredulous] But, sir, you don't really care about academics. I mean, come on, I watch football. Most of these guys have majors like "Sociology" and "Ballroom Dancing." And are we stalling a playoff so we can still have the Poinsettia Bowl? Seriou--
BCS guy: [shoots me in the head, walks away]
[end scene]
Yeah, so that's your Mountain West Conference update. Here's something from 2 unranked major conference teams:
Florida State-26, NC State-17
OK, here's an example of two unranked schools playing each other in a game which is meaningful for one team, and a trap-ish game for the other. NC State nearly beat the Seminoles, but Florida State stayed strong and pulled off the win. It wasn't the prettiest game ever, but it's OK. At least no one from Utah was involved....
This wasn't a good game. Nor, in fact, was it close. (Appropriately, this happened in Texas, where it is not nearly as boring as in Utah.) TCU's lone loss on the season came against Oklahoma, at Oklahoma. I'm not implying that the Horned Frogs could beat Oklahoma in a neutral site game, or even at home. What I am saying, however, is that OU is the one team that's beaten TCU, and Oklahoma's one of the best teams in the friggin' country.
BYU's not out of bowl contention, but they're not going to be going to a big bowl. Heck, they might not even win their conference. So the old BCS men can breathe easy for now. If Utah stays undefeated, though, then there will be trouble. I have a suggestion: It's called a playoff! (And now, a short film, inspired by the previous statement:)
BCS guy: That's untenable! It will make the season longer, hurting precious academics, and it will eliminate critical bowl games.
Me: [incredulous] But, sir, you don't really care about academics. I mean, come on, I watch football. Most of these guys have majors like "Sociology" and "Ballroom Dancing." And are we stalling a playoff so we can still have the Poinsettia Bowl? Seriou--
BCS guy: [shoots me in the head, walks away]
[end scene]
Yeah, so that's your Mountain West Conference update. Here's something from 2 unranked major conference teams:
Florida State-26, NC State-17
OK, here's an example of two unranked schools playing each other in a game which is meaningful for one team, and a trap-ish game for the other. NC State nearly beat the Seminoles, but Florida State stayed strong and pulled off the win. It wasn't the prettiest game ever, but it's OK. At least no one from Utah was involved....
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Saturday in Review, 10/11/08
Well, what a way to start the day. Time to type up everyone's favorite feature (everyone is a theoretical term here): The Saturday in Review! Let's get started...
#1 Oklahoma-35, #5 Texas-45
Well, the Red River Shootout was everything we'd hoped it'd be. High scoring, good quarterbacking, etc., etc. I'll tell you what, though, neither one of these teams exactly revolutionized the defensive world. It was an excellent game for Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford, and for their respective receivers.
On another, unrelated, note (hey, it's what I do): Does anyone know how much pressure Colt McCoy's name puts on himself? He's got the ultimate football name, and he's in Texas! One cannot be named "Colt" and be from Texas, and be a baseball or basketball or (heaven forbid!) hockey player! If he turned out to be bad at football, he'd have to leave the country because of all the irate Longhorn fans!
In a third, final, and also unrelated note, in the 1950's, a lady named Olivette met a young man named Wayne on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. They fell in love and married, their first child was a girl named Debra who, in 1979, met a young man named Greg. They married and had their first kid: who is the weirdly sentimental individual typing this. So, since I owe my existence in part to UT, good job, 'Horns. Good job.
#17 Oklahoma State-28, #3 Missouri-23
OK, for starters: Apologies to Oklahoma State, who I thought would be a pushover for Mizzou on their way to a big showdown next week against Texas. This game showed that a great QB (pronounced "Chase Daniel") can have a hideous game if he's faced with a good defense. OSU befuddled and confused Missouri's main offensive weapon for 4 quarters, and they looked great doing it. Heck, I'm starting to believe OSU's claim that they can make it to the Big 12 championship game. Look for their games against Texas and OU to be the deciding factor in what has become a 4-way race in the Big 12 South.
As for Mizzou, there's not much I can say. They've got their work cut out for them next week against a Longhorns squad that's riding high. Now that we've hit the meat of the Big 12 season, it's time to see if the Big 12 will become like the SEC, beat up on itself, and leave USC and Penn State to fight it out for the title game. (<-That last sentence is actually a nightmare I have on occasion)
#4 LSU-21, #11 Florida-51
So, where to start here? The Bayou Bengals looked horrific against the Gators, who usually don't lose 2 straight in the Swamp. Still, pummeling the Tigers that badly is a real feather in the cap for the Gators who, should they go undefeated the rest of the way, might play themselves back into the title picture.
As for LSU, I wouldn't look for them to get back into the SEC picture, much less the National Championship, unless they convincingly crush everyone else on their schedule AND get some help from their SEC brethren AND get some help from the opponents of Top 10 teams (among whom the Tigers WILL NOT be listed tomorrow)
#6 Penn State-48, Wisconsin-7
Joe Pa's team is looking great. Good quarterbacking, good defense, good receiving. Good everything, dang it. This game was boring (unless you're a PSU fan, in which case why the heck are you here?) so let's move along...
Nebraska-31, #7 Texas Tech-37
The Huskers came close to getting a victory over a good Texas Tech team, but fall short in overtime. This is evidence of two things. One can be summarized in a single word about Texas Tech's ranking: O-ver-ra-ted! *clap clap clapclapclap* This is the second conference team they've played, and both of them are worse than the average Big 12 school. Texas Tech has a stretch of 4 games, starting on October 25, against ranked Big 12 teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they lost all 4, and I wouldn't look for them to win more than 1 of those games (Kansas is the likeliest win, but I'm keeping my mouth shut when it comes to Big 12 upsets...).
Nebraska, as stated previously, isn't yet back to the days of salad and glory. Give them two years, though, and they'll be back atop the Big 12 North.
Arizona State-0, #8 USC-28
A massacre in LA, as the Sun Devils continue to disappoint. USC will, sadly, climb in the polls this week in all likelihood. I say "sadly" because college football is the only sport in the universe where one can lose a game in the first 2 weeks of the season and it's better than losing a game in, say, the last week of the season.
I'm not a big fan of pro football (aaaaand readership plummets back to 0) but at least a loss in the NFL is the same in week 1 or week 16. The same thing should be true in college football. I'm just sayin' kids. Southern Cal has looked very good in the games that they've won, however, and it is hard to argue with their offensive output.
New Mexico-3, #9 BYU-21
Utah is a boring state.
Tennessee-14, #10 Georgia-26
Phil Fulmer is going to get fired. With a season like this at a University like Tennessee, it's inevitable. If I were him, I'd just start having fun. Kick field goals on 2nd down. Run up the middle on 4th and 22. Take a shot every time the fans boo you. Wait, scratch that last one, I don't want to kill the guy, and alcohol poisoning can do that.
Georgia wasn't overly impressive in beating a team that isn't as good as them, but they did perform well after getting slapped by Alabama. So, good job Dawgs. I guess.
Purdue-3, #12 Ohio State-16
It's funny how Ohio State is still hanging around near the Top 10, isn't it? How, if they beat Penn State and Michigan State, they don't have too much of an issue with getting through and winning the Big 10 again. How they might just sneak into the national title picture. I'm aware it's all theory, but 2 weeks from now this could become a vomit-inducing reality. So, just a heads up, watch for the Buckeyes.
Oh, and Purdue sucks. Sorry.
#13 Vanderbilt-14, Mississippi State-17
Me [in epic movie moment, slow-mo camera shot]: Vandy! Noooooooo!
OK, seriously. Feel good story of the SEC gets cut short not by the villainous usual SEC suspects, but by the dadgum Mississippi State Bulldogs?! That's just dang silly. Mark May on ESPN summed it up well: Vandy had a trap game. And the trap just sprang (sprung? Heck, I don't know. Nor do I care.) on the 'Dores.
Congrats to MSU, but a sad shake of the head at what could have been for the now fallen Vanderbilt Commodores.
#14 Utah-40, Wyoming-7
Bonus coverage of a Utah game! See below!
Utah is a boring state. So is Wyoming.
#15 Boise State-24, Southern Miss-7
Not a compellingly interesting game, nor a surprising result. The only thing that stands out here to me is that all of the scoring took place during the 2nd quarter. This runs counter to logic, which would say that something else should have happened in the other 45 minutes of football. At least if you had some weird emergency and could only watch the 2nd quarter of this game, then you didn't miss anything. Or if you're like me (and most football fans) then you didn't get this game, and don't really care about the outcome. Note to Boise State: We love what you did in the '07 Fiesta Bowl! But you're still in Idaho, and your field is still ugly.
Colorado-14, #16 Kansas-30
I maintain that Kansas is an overrated school, and I will not back down from this declaration until they beat a team with a winning record. Next week on the road against an angry Oklahoma squad in Norman will be a good opportunity. Colorado is already looking forward to next season. Too bad it won't be any better than this one.
Arkansas-25, #20 Auburn-22
Tommy Tuberville is going to get fired. (Sorry if this sounds like the UT/UGA review) It's gonna happen, and there's nothing Auburn can do about it. If he's not fired, the Auburn fans will seize him and kill him. I'm sure there's already been an effigy or two made, and ol' Tommy's gonna be gone next season. If anything this is just desserts for firing their offensive coordinator on Wednesday. A great job by the Razorbacks to take advantage of the confusion at Auburn and seize victory.
Oh, and a great job by the blogger who sarcastically called this one in his post about Franklin's firing... (nudge, nudge, see below)
Clemson-7, #21 Wake Forest-12
I'm not sure who the feel good story of the year is. I can tell you who the worst story of the year is: The Clemson Tigers. I'm not sure that there's ever been a school that started the year in the Top 10 and had slipped to a 3 loss team by the second week of October. Even the awful Michigan squad from last year didn't lost its 3rd game until November...
As for Wake, it was an ugly win against a team that they outclassed pretty heavily, but it's hard to argue with results.
Notre Dame-24, #22 North Carolina-29
I'm honestly surprised my computer didn't ask me why I put a number in front of UNC. Carolina fans are hailing this as a great victory. Had this come against a national title caliber Notre Dame team, I'd agree. But this win came against an Irish squad that's coming off a 3 win season. Still, it was a good win, and UNC pulled it off despite having some awful officiating decisions go against them. The referee crew was from the Big East, however, and that explains it. Their officials are as bad as their teams. Heh heh heh...
#23 Michigan State-37, Northwestern-20
I'm kinda sad that Northwestern lost. Not in the "dang it that stinks" sense. More in the "had they gone undefeated how would the BCS explain them being in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl" (Its actual name, I swear.)
#25 Ball State-24, Western Kentucky-7
Some folks might say beating a team that just moved up to 1-A by 17 isn't a major statement for Ball State in its first game in the Top 25. Well guess what? I am one of those people. Let's move on!
Everyone else: The big "upset" out of the Top 25 was Michigan getting beaten at home by Toledo. Where's the Rich Rodriguez fan club now? Oh, there they are. The guys with the bags over their heads...In unnecessary ACC news, UVa has won 2 straight games. They host the now Top 20 Tar Heels this coming week, so if you're a Cavs fan, I wouldn't look for this to continue...From that same game, it looks like ECU went from the little engine that could to the BCS Buster that couldn't. Opening the season with back to back big wins is great, but losing 3 straight to NC State, Houston, and UVa is a quick way to get yourself forgotten...The Big East is bad. This just seemed like an appropriate place to put that...A quick hat tip to the two winless teams in D-IA: Washington and North Texas...Miami barely beat UCF. O! How the mighty have fallen!...Florida International has 3 straight wins now. Ain't that cool?
#1 Oklahoma-35, #5 Texas-45
Well, the Red River Shootout was everything we'd hoped it'd be. High scoring, good quarterbacking, etc., etc. I'll tell you what, though, neither one of these teams exactly revolutionized the defensive world. It was an excellent game for Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford, and for their respective receivers.
On another, unrelated, note (hey, it's what I do): Does anyone know how much pressure Colt McCoy's name puts on himself? He's got the ultimate football name, and he's in Texas! One cannot be named "Colt" and be from Texas, and be a baseball or basketball or (heaven forbid!) hockey player! If he turned out to be bad at football, he'd have to leave the country because of all the irate Longhorn fans!
In a third, final, and also unrelated note, in the 1950's, a lady named Olivette met a young man named Wayne on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. They fell in love and married, their first child was a girl named Debra who, in 1979, met a young man named Greg. They married and had their first kid: who is the weirdly sentimental individual typing this. So, since I owe my existence in part to UT, good job, 'Horns. Good job.
#17 Oklahoma State-28, #3 Missouri-23
OK, for starters: Apologies to Oklahoma State, who I thought would be a pushover for Mizzou on their way to a big showdown next week against Texas. This game showed that a great QB (pronounced "Chase Daniel") can have a hideous game if he's faced with a good defense. OSU befuddled and confused Missouri's main offensive weapon for 4 quarters, and they looked great doing it. Heck, I'm starting to believe OSU's claim that they can make it to the Big 12 championship game. Look for their games against Texas and OU to be the deciding factor in what has become a 4-way race in the Big 12 South.
As for Mizzou, there's not much I can say. They've got their work cut out for them next week against a Longhorns squad that's riding high. Now that we've hit the meat of the Big 12 season, it's time to see if the Big 12 will become like the SEC, beat up on itself, and leave USC and Penn State to fight it out for the title game. (<-That last sentence is actually a nightmare I have on occasion)
#4 LSU-21, #11 Florida-51
So, where to start here? The Bayou Bengals looked horrific against the Gators, who usually don't lose 2 straight in the Swamp. Still, pummeling the Tigers that badly is a real feather in the cap for the Gators who, should they go undefeated the rest of the way, might play themselves back into the title picture.
As for LSU, I wouldn't look for them to get back into the SEC picture, much less the National Championship, unless they convincingly crush everyone else on their schedule AND get some help from their SEC brethren AND get some help from the opponents of Top 10 teams (among whom the Tigers WILL NOT be listed tomorrow)
#6 Penn State-48, Wisconsin-7
Joe Pa's team is looking great. Good quarterbacking, good defense, good receiving. Good everything, dang it. This game was boring (unless you're a PSU fan, in which case why the heck are you here?) so let's move along...
Nebraska-31, #7 Texas Tech-37
The Huskers came close to getting a victory over a good Texas Tech team, but fall short in overtime. This is evidence of two things. One can be summarized in a single word about Texas Tech's ranking: O-ver-ra-ted! *clap clap clapclapclap* This is the second conference team they've played, and both of them are worse than the average Big 12 school. Texas Tech has a stretch of 4 games, starting on October 25, against ranked Big 12 teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they lost all 4, and I wouldn't look for them to win more than 1 of those games (Kansas is the likeliest win, but I'm keeping my mouth shut when it comes to Big 12 upsets...).
Nebraska, as stated previously, isn't yet back to the days of salad and glory. Give them two years, though, and they'll be back atop the Big 12 North.
Arizona State-0, #8 USC-28
A massacre in LA, as the Sun Devils continue to disappoint. USC will, sadly, climb in the polls this week in all likelihood. I say "sadly" because college football is the only sport in the universe where one can lose a game in the first 2 weeks of the season and it's better than losing a game in, say, the last week of the season.
I'm not a big fan of pro football (aaaaand readership plummets back to 0) but at least a loss in the NFL is the same in week 1 or week 16. The same thing should be true in college football. I'm just sayin' kids. Southern Cal has looked very good in the games that they've won, however, and it is hard to argue with their offensive output.
New Mexico-3, #9 BYU-21
Utah is a boring state.
Tennessee-14, #10 Georgia-26
Phil Fulmer is going to get fired. With a season like this at a University like Tennessee, it's inevitable. If I were him, I'd just start having fun. Kick field goals on 2nd down. Run up the middle on 4th and 22. Take a shot every time the fans boo you. Wait, scratch that last one, I don't want to kill the guy, and alcohol poisoning can do that.
Georgia wasn't overly impressive in beating a team that isn't as good as them, but they did perform well after getting slapped by Alabama. So, good job Dawgs. I guess.
Purdue-3, #12 Ohio State-16
It's funny how Ohio State is still hanging around near the Top 10, isn't it? How, if they beat Penn State and Michigan State, they don't have too much of an issue with getting through and winning the Big 10 again. How they might just sneak into the national title picture. I'm aware it's all theory, but 2 weeks from now this could become a vomit-inducing reality. So, just a heads up, watch for the Buckeyes.
Oh, and Purdue sucks. Sorry.
#13 Vanderbilt-14, Mississippi State-17
Me [in epic movie moment, slow-mo camera shot]: Vandy! Noooooooo!
OK, seriously. Feel good story of the SEC gets cut short not by the villainous usual SEC suspects, but by the dadgum Mississippi State Bulldogs?! That's just dang silly. Mark May on ESPN summed it up well: Vandy had a trap game. And the trap just sprang (sprung? Heck, I don't know. Nor do I care.) on the 'Dores.
Congrats to MSU, but a sad shake of the head at what could have been for the now fallen Vanderbilt Commodores.
#14 Utah-40, Wyoming-7
Bonus coverage of a Utah game! See below!
Utah is a boring state. So is Wyoming.
#15 Boise State-24, Southern Miss-7
Not a compellingly interesting game, nor a surprising result. The only thing that stands out here to me is that all of the scoring took place during the 2nd quarter. This runs counter to logic, which would say that something else should have happened in the other 45 minutes of football. At least if you had some weird emergency and could only watch the 2nd quarter of this game, then you didn't miss anything. Or if you're like me (and most football fans) then you didn't get this game, and don't really care about the outcome. Note to Boise State: We love what you did in the '07 Fiesta Bowl! But you're still in Idaho, and your field is still ugly.
Colorado-14, #16 Kansas-30
I maintain that Kansas is an overrated school, and I will not back down from this declaration until they beat a team with a winning record. Next week on the road against an angry Oklahoma squad in Norman will be a good opportunity. Colorado is already looking forward to next season. Too bad it won't be any better than this one.
Arkansas-25, #20 Auburn-22
Tommy Tuberville is going to get fired. (Sorry if this sounds like the UT/UGA review) It's gonna happen, and there's nothing Auburn can do about it. If he's not fired, the Auburn fans will seize him and kill him. I'm sure there's already been an effigy or two made, and ol' Tommy's gonna be gone next season. If anything this is just desserts for firing their offensive coordinator on Wednesday. A great job by the Razorbacks to take advantage of the confusion at Auburn and seize victory.
Oh, and a great job by the blogger who sarcastically called this one in his post about Franklin's firing... (nudge, nudge, see below)
Clemson-7, #21 Wake Forest-12
I'm not sure who the feel good story of the year is. I can tell you who the worst story of the year is: The Clemson Tigers. I'm not sure that there's ever been a school that started the year in the Top 10 and had slipped to a 3 loss team by the second week of October. Even the awful Michigan squad from last year didn't lost its 3rd game until November...
As for Wake, it was an ugly win against a team that they outclassed pretty heavily, but it's hard to argue with results.
Notre Dame-24, #22 North Carolina-29
I'm honestly surprised my computer didn't ask me why I put a number in front of UNC. Carolina fans are hailing this as a great victory. Had this come against a national title caliber Notre Dame team, I'd agree. But this win came against an Irish squad that's coming off a 3 win season. Still, it was a good win, and UNC pulled it off despite having some awful officiating decisions go against them. The referee crew was from the Big East, however, and that explains it. Their officials are as bad as their teams. Heh heh heh...
#23 Michigan State-37, Northwestern-20
I'm kinda sad that Northwestern lost. Not in the "dang it that stinks" sense. More in the "had they gone undefeated how would the BCS explain them being in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl" (Its actual name, I swear.)
#25 Ball State-24, Western Kentucky-7
Some folks might say beating a team that just moved up to 1-A by 17 isn't a major statement for Ball State in its first game in the Top 25. Well guess what? I am one of those people. Let's move on!
Everyone else: The big "upset" out of the Top 25 was Michigan getting beaten at home by Toledo. Where's the Rich Rodriguez fan club now? Oh, there they are. The guys with the bags over their heads...In unnecessary ACC news, UVa has won 2 straight games. They host the now Top 20 Tar Heels this coming week, so if you're a Cavs fan, I wouldn't look for this to continue...From that same game, it looks like ECU went from the little engine that could to the BCS Buster that couldn't. Opening the season with back to back big wins is great, but losing 3 straight to NC State, Houston, and UVa is a quick way to get yourself forgotten...The Big East is bad. This just seemed like an appropriate place to put that...A quick hat tip to the two winless teams in D-IA: Washington and North Texas...Miami barely beat UCF. O! How the mighty have fallen!...Florida International has 3 straight wins now. Ain't that cool?
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