BCS National Championship - Alabama (13-0) vs. Notre Dame (12-0) - OK, these are not what I actually think will happen this season. If you put a gun to my head - and please don't do that - I would say the NCG will be Oregon vs. Alabama. But what do I know? Instead, I want to start from one simple premise, and then follow out what the bowl implications might be. This week: 10-1 Oregon State beats 11-0 Oregon in the Civil War. The Beavers jump out to a quick 28-10 lead. The Ducks put on a furious comeback, and tie it 31-31, forcing overtime. Oregon State hits a field goal, and then, on the next possession, De'Anthony Thomas and Marcus Mariota screw up a simple hand off, turning the ball over, and the Beavers win, 34-31. The fans storm the field. Oregon State then stomps on USC 28-7 and wins the Pac-12.
Alabama rolls. The Irish win out, and edge K-State in the rankings. The two teams meet in one of the most hyped college football games of all time; four horsemen, the ghost of Bear Bryant. Lou Holtz literally has to be committed to an insane asylum he's so excited. When the game starts, Alabama quickly builds a 17-0 lead, and then Saban spends the rest of the game taking a knee. Because he can, that's why. Tide win, 17-0.
Rose - Oregon State (12-1) vs. Nebraska (10-3) - The Beavers last went to the Rose Bowl in 1957, a 35-19 loss to Iowa. They last won the Rose Bowl in 1942, when they beat Duke 20-16 and the game was played in North Carolina because the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor three weeks earlier. They have never won a Rose Bowl game played in Pasadena. Nebraska is 0-2 in the Rose Bowl, their last appearance being the 2002 Championship, when the bastards stole the spot from Oregon and lost to Miami 37-14. I would pick the Beavers in this game, since they beat UCLA 27-20 and UCLA beat Nebraska 36-30. Beavers win, 28-17.
Fiesta - Kansas State (12-0) vs. Oregon (11-1) - Somewhere, there is an alternate universe where Oregon and Kansas State hadn't cancelled their scheduled home-and-home, and we saw this game played in September. In another universe, college football has a sane post season system, and the winner of this game gets to play the winner of Alabama-ND a week after New Year's. And then there's this universe, where the Fiesta Bowl grabs the one-loss Ducks and sets them up against the stingy defense of Kansas State. Ducks win, 39-31.
Sugar - Georgia (11-2) vs. Clemson (10-2) - Who, hypothetically, would the Sugar Bowl pick to match-up against the SEC? First pick would be Notre Dame, unless they get grabbed by the BCS or the Fiesta. Second would be Oklahoma, unless they finish with three or more losses. Third would be a Big Ten team, but Michigan and Wisconsin already have 3 losses. (And not Northwestern.) So I'll go with ACC runner-up Clemson. That or 11-1 MWC champ Boise State. Bulldogs win, 35-7.
Orange - Florida State (11-2) vs. Rutgers (11-1) - Somebody's got to pick the Big East champ. As long as the Orange Bowl gets FSU, they could match them up with Tennessee Technical College and be happy. Anything to put butts in the seats. Seminoles win, 48-7.
Cotton - Oklahoma vs. Florida
Capital One - Michigan vs. LSU
Outback - Wisconsin vs. South Carolina
Gator - Michigan St. vs. Texas A&M
Peach - North Carolina vs. Mississippi St.
Alamo - Stanford vs. Texas
Russell Athletic - Louisville vs. Virginia Tech
Insight - Northwestern vs. West Virginia - I wonder if the Mountaineers are starting to regret their shift to the Big 12 because of the costs of travel. Two trips to Texas, one to Iowa, one to Oklahoma. A bowl trip to Arizona might just break the bank.
Holiday - USC vs. Texas Tech - The Disappointment Bowl. Seriously, going back five years, the Holiday Bowl always has somebody who thought they were going to a BCS bowl, and is all pissed that they have to settle for some second tier December bowl in San Diego.
Sun - UCLA vs. Miami (FL) - Kaching! Maybe not as big of a payday as when the Sun Bowl got Miami v Notre Dame, but a 7-5 Hurricanes team is a team that any bowl would jump for.
Belk - Cincinnati vs. North Carolina St.
Las Vegas - Boise St. vs. Arizona - Boise State is currently 19th in the AP Poll. If they win the Mountain West and finish in the Top 12, they could have a shot at a BCS bowl.
Texas - Oklahoma St. vs. Minnesota - Minnesota hasn't been to a bowl since 2009, and haven't won one since the 2004 Music City Bowl against ... Alabama. In 2003, they won the Sun Bowl against Oregon.
Poinsettia - BYU vs. Nevada
Kraft Fight Hunger - Navy vs. Arizona St.
Pinstripe - Syracuse vs. Iowa St. - Hypothetically, the Orange could still win the Big East at 7-5, and get an auto bid to the BCS. They could also finish 4-8, with games against Cincinnati, Louisville, and Missouri still ahead.
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Sunday, October 28, 2012
Power Rankings - Oct. 28
1) Notre Dame (8-0, 0-0, +16) - We are now in bizarro world, where I feel like I have to defend the Irish against the skeptics, who had Notre Dame as double-digit underdogs against Oklahoma, but whom they beat 30-13. Of course, I also undersold Notre Dame earlier in the evening:
2) Kansas State (8-0, 5-0, +16) - Speaking of defense, Kansas State held Texas Tech to 5.7 yards per play and forced three turnovers and one blocked field goal in administering a 55-24 beatdown in the town of old Manhattoes, KS. On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats scored on eight consecutive drives, with QB Collin Klein throwing 19/26, 233 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, plus adding 83 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs on 12 rushes. K-State has an easier schedule than Oregon but harder than Notre Dame ahead, with Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor, and Texas. I think they'll need both the Ducks and the Irish to lose to get to the national championship.
3) Oregon (8-0, 5-0, +14) - Well, the Ducks did their part, beating poor Colorado 70-14 behind a balanced attack that had six different players score touchdowns and four players rushing for 67 yards are more. Next week is their big trip to L.A. to take on the Trojans. Unfortunately, losses by Oregon State and USC make Oregon's future schedule look a lot less daunting, which means that the Ducks are not going to get any love from the computers in the BCS polls.
4) Alabama (8-0, 5-0, +13) - Another day, another boring step in the march of inevitability that is the Alabama Crimson Tide's 2012 Season. In their 38-7 win over previously undefeated Mississippi State, the Tide got out to a quick 21-0 lead. They then settled in, and we got to watch the teams combine for 7 consecutive three-and-outs, 16 yards of offense on 21 plays for 11:28 of game time. Yawn.
5) Georgia (7-1, 5-1, +10) - Georgia's defense must have gotten tired of my smack-talking, as they stepped it up in a big way in a 17-9 win over Florida. Florida QB Jeff Driskel was 14/26 for 185 yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs, and was sacked five times. On the ground, the Gator rushing attack that gashed LSU was held to 81 yards on 2.0 yards per attempt. The Bulldogs are now in the driver's seat in the SEC East, needing wins against 5-3 Ole Miss and 1-7 Auburn to get to the conference championship and what is essentially a play-in for the national championship.
6) Florida (7-1, 6-1, +11) - Florida, for their part, looked terrible. If they had won, the Gators could've clinched their division before the start of November, and coasted the rest of the year. Now, they're going to need Georgia to suffer a massive upset of some kind in order to sneak back in. On the other hand, if Florida wins out, beating Florida State, and there are no non-SEC undefeated teams left, the Gators may be the best option for an all-SEC Championship against Alabama.
7) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11) - Going back to November of 2010, the Alabama Crimson Tide are 25-3. Two of those losses have been to LSU. The Tigers get their shot next week, and it will be interesting to see what Les Miles has planned over the course of the bye week. If LSU pulls off the upset and wins the SEC, then we could conceivably have another LSU-Alabama rematch, although I think that that would require there to be 0 eligible undefeated teams in the rest of the country.
8) Ohio State (9-0, 5-0, +9) - The Big Ten's season from Hell continues. Ohio State beat Penn State 35-23, and are one step closer to finishing the season 12-0 and sitting at home in January. (Imagine that, if they're watching 12-1 LSU vs. 11-1 Alabama!) The Buckeyes still have to play Michigan and Wisconsin, who both lost, although for the Badgers it was essentially meaningless, as they remain the only bowl eligible team in the P-Pow-I-I division with more than one conference win. The biggest loser in all of this might be the Rose Bowl, who, if the Ducks go to the NC, might end up with a match-up of 8-5 Wisconsin against 9-4 USC.
9) Oregon State (6-1, 4-1, +9) - Well, damn. The Beavers hopes of an undefeated season ended with their 17-20 loss at Washington. The Huskies are a totally schizophrenic team, but I think I've figured them out: at home, they're 4-1, with wins over Stanford and Oregon State. On the road, they're 0-3, losing 3-41 at LSU, 21-52 at Oregon, and 17-52 at Arizona. Three of Washington's last four games are on the road, but two of those are at Colorado and Washington State, so maybe they'll be able to turn it around. As for the Beavers, they've got no time to feel sorry for themselves, as they host Arizona State next week. The Rose Bowl is still very much a possibility.
10) Louisville (8-0, 3-0, +8)
11) Oklahoma (5-2, 3-1, +6)
12) Texas Tech (6-2, 3-2, +9)
13) Florida State (8-1, 5-1, +6) - Florida State whooped feel-good story of the year Duke at home, 48-7. Strangely enough, this might not be the last time these two teams meet. The Seminoles have two more conference games, at Virginia Tech and at Maryland, and if they win those they're in the ACC Championship. However, there are five teams that they could conceivably play there. And despite the loss, Duke could still meet them, if the Blue Devils can win out against Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Miami (FL). If I were to bet, though, I would guess that Duke will stumble, and that North Carolina will take their place.
14) Mississippi State (7-1, 3-1, +5)
15) Boise State (7-1, 4-0, +5)
16) South Carolina (7-2, 5-2 , +5) - It was a Pyrrhic Victory for South Carolina, 38-35 against Tennessee. Georgia's win over Florida means that, statistically at least, the Gamecocks can still win the SEC East, although they would need both the Gators and the Bulldogs to lose once. Also, RB Marcus Lattimore's horrific leg injury reminded us that we are all participating in a system in which poor Black men mutilate one another for our entertainment without compensation.
17) Kent State (7-1, 4-0, +5) - Yes, I realize that I have four MAC teams in my top 25. Don't blame me. Blame the Big Ten and Big East teams that keep losing to them. With Kent State's 35-23 win over previously undefeated Rutgers, the MAC is now 24-26 in all non-conference games, including 3-9 against the Big Ten and 3-4 against the Big East. (Although Kent State's one loss was 14-47 at Kentucky.) (Which is Kentucky's only win so far this season.)
18) Rutgers (7-1, 4-0, +4)
19) Toledo (8-1, 4-0, +4) - Toledo's only loss was 17-24 in OT at Arizona, who has also beaten Oklahoma State and USC. Their best win was two weeks ago, 29-23 versus Cincinnati.
20) Clemson (7-1, 4-1, +3)
21) UCLA (6-2, 3-2, +3) - I'm telling you guys, UCLA is good. Top 20 good, at least. They came through in a tough 45-43 win at Arizona State which, with USC's loss, created a 3-way tie in the Pac-12 South Division. The Sun Devils still have to play at Oregon State, at USC, vs. Wazzu, at Arizona. The Trojans get Oregon, ASU, and at UCLA. With their upset of USC, Arizona is a game back, with at UCLA, vs. Colorado, at Utah, vs ASU. The Bruins get to host Arizona next week, and they end their season with at Washington State, vs. USC, vs. Stanford. The announcers on Saturday were talking like UCLA can win that 'SC game. The Bruins should start believing it, too.
22) Ohio (7-1, 3-1, +2) - On the one hand, Ohio lost to Miami of Ohio. On the other, they beat Penn State, who is currently 3-1 in the Big Ten. On the third hand, this gives me four teams from Ohio in my top 25. Ohio.
23) Stanford (6-2, 4-1, +2) - Kind of lurking in the background of all this Pac-12 insanity is Stanford, who won an ugly game at home against Washington St., 24-17, and could still win the Pac-12 North. They have Colorado next week, and then back-to-back games against Oregon State and Oregon. If both the Cardinal and the Beavers can take care of business next week (never a given) then that Nov. 10 showdown could be huge, with definite BCS implications.
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Northern Illinois (7-1, 4-0, +1)
#Irish 17, #Sooners 13.Any team with a real defense can beat the Sooners (see below), and Notre Dame made them essentially one dimensional, allowing 15 rushing yards on 24 attempts, and allowing only three of Oklahoma's 13 drives to end in scores. I think it would be absurd for an undefeated anyone who has beaten Michigan, Michigan St., Stanford, Oklahoma, and USC to be denied a spot in the championship, but we'll see. Basically, a lot is going to be in the hands of the Trojans at the end of the season.
— Joel Wright (@joelwrig) October 28, 2012
2) Kansas State (8-0, 5-0, +16) - Speaking of defense, Kansas State held Texas Tech to 5.7 yards per play and forced three turnovers and one blocked field goal in administering a 55-24 beatdown in the town of old Manhattoes, KS. On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats scored on eight consecutive drives, with QB Collin Klein throwing 19/26, 233 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, plus adding 83 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs on 12 rushes. K-State has an easier schedule than Oregon but harder than Notre Dame ahead, with Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor, and Texas. I think they'll need both the Ducks and the Irish to lose to get to the national championship.
3) Oregon (8-0, 5-0, +14) - Well, the Ducks did their part, beating poor Colorado 70-14 behind a balanced attack that had six different players score touchdowns and four players rushing for 67 yards are more. Next week is their big trip to L.A. to take on the Trojans. Unfortunately, losses by Oregon State and USC make Oregon's future schedule look a lot less daunting, which means that the Ducks are not going to get any love from the computers in the BCS polls.
4) Alabama (8-0, 5-0, +13) - Another day, another boring step in the march of inevitability that is the Alabama Crimson Tide's 2012 Season. In their 38-7 win over previously undefeated Mississippi State, the Tide got out to a quick 21-0 lead. They then settled in, and we got to watch the teams combine for 7 consecutive three-and-outs, 16 yards of offense on 21 plays for 11:28 of game time. Yawn.
5) Georgia (7-1, 5-1, +10) - Georgia's defense must have gotten tired of my smack-talking, as they stepped it up in a big way in a 17-9 win over Florida. Florida QB Jeff Driskel was 14/26 for 185 yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs, and was sacked five times. On the ground, the Gator rushing attack that gashed LSU was held to 81 yards on 2.0 yards per attempt. The Bulldogs are now in the driver's seat in the SEC East, needing wins against 5-3 Ole Miss and 1-7 Auburn to get to the conference championship and what is essentially a play-in for the national championship.
6) Florida (7-1, 6-1, +11) - Florida, for their part, looked terrible. If they had won, the Gators could've clinched their division before the start of November, and coasted the rest of the year. Now, they're going to need Georgia to suffer a massive upset of some kind in order to sneak back in. On the other hand, if Florida wins out, beating Florida State, and there are no non-SEC undefeated teams left, the Gators may be the best option for an all-SEC Championship against Alabama.
7) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11) - Going back to November of 2010, the Alabama Crimson Tide are 25-3. Two of those losses have been to LSU. The Tigers get their shot next week, and it will be interesting to see what Les Miles has planned over the course of the bye week. If LSU pulls off the upset and wins the SEC, then we could conceivably have another LSU-Alabama rematch, although I think that that would require there to be 0 eligible undefeated teams in the rest of the country.
8) Ohio State (9-0, 5-0, +9) - The Big Ten's season from Hell continues. Ohio State beat Penn State 35-23, and are one step closer to finishing the season 12-0 and sitting at home in January. (Imagine that, if they're watching 12-1 LSU vs. 11-1 Alabama!) The Buckeyes still have to play Michigan and Wisconsin, who both lost, although for the Badgers it was essentially meaningless, as they remain the only bowl eligible team in the P-Pow-I-I division with more than one conference win. The biggest loser in all of this might be the Rose Bowl, who, if the Ducks go to the NC, might end up with a match-up of 8-5 Wisconsin against 9-4 USC.
9) Oregon State (6-1, 4-1, +9) - Well, damn. The Beavers hopes of an undefeated season ended with their 17-20 loss at Washington. The Huskies are a totally schizophrenic team, but I think I've figured them out: at home, they're 4-1, with wins over Stanford and Oregon State. On the road, they're 0-3, losing 3-41 at LSU, 21-52 at Oregon, and 17-52 at Arizona. Three of Washington's last four games are on the road, but two of those are at Colorado and Washington State, so maybe they'll be able to turn it around. As for the Beavers, they've got no time to feel sorry for themselves, as they host Arizona State next week. The Rose Bowl is still very much a possibility.
10) Louisville (8-0, 3-0, +8)
11) Oklahoma (5-2, 3-1, +6)
12) Texas Tech (6-2, 3-2, +9)
13) Florida State (8-1, 5-1, +6) - Florida State whooped feel-good story of the year Duke at home, 48-7. Strangely enough, this might not be the last time these two teams meet. The Seminoles have two more conference games, at Virginia Tech and at Maryland, and if they win those they're in the ACC Championship. However, there are five teams that they could conceivably play there. And despite the loss, Duke could still meet them, if the Blue Devils can win out against Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Miami (FL). If I were to bet, though, I would guess that Duke will stumble, and that North Carolina will take their place.
14) Mississippi State (7-1, 3-1, +5)
15) Boise State (7-1, 4-0, +5)
16) South Carolina (7-2, 5-2 , +5) - It was a Pyrrhic Victory for South Carolina, 38-35 against Tennessee. Georgia's win over Florida means that, statistically at least, the Gamecocks can still win the SEC East, although they would need both the Gators and the Bulldogs to lose once. Also, RB Marcus Lattimore's horrific leg injury reminded us that we are all participating in a system in which poor Black men mutilate one another for our entertainment without compensation.
17) Kent State (7-1, 4-0, +5) - Yes, I realize that I have four MAC teams in my top 25. Don't blame me. Blame the Big Ten and Big East teams that keep losing to them. With Kent State's 35-23 win over previously undefeated Rutgers, the MAC is now 24-26 in all non-conference games, including 3-9 against the Big Ten and 3-4 against the Big East. (Although Kent State's one loss was 14-47 at Kentucky.) (Which is Kentucky's only win so far this season.)
18) Rutgers (7-1, 4-0, +4)
19) Toledo (8-1, 4-0, +4) - Toledo's only loss was 17-24 in OT at Arizona, who has also beaten Oklahoma State and USC. Their best win was two weeks ago, 29-23 versus Cincinnati.
20) Clemson (7-1, 4-1, +3)
21) UCLA (6-2, 3-2, +3) - I'm telling you guys, UCLA is good. Top 20 good, at least. They came through in a tough 45-43 win at Arizona State which, with USC's loss, created a 3-way tie in the Pac-12 South Division. The Sun Devils still have to play at Oregon State, at USC, vs. Wazzu, at Arizona. The Trojans get Oregon, ASU, and at UCLA. With their upset of USC, Arizona is a game back, with at UCLA, vs. Colorado, at Utah, vs ASU. The Bruins get to host Arizona next week, and they end their season with at Washington State, vs. USC, vs. Stanford. The announcers on Saturday were talking like UCLA can win that 'SC game. The Bruins should start believing it, too.
22) Ohio (7-1, 3-1, +2) - On the one hand, Ohio lost to Miami of Ohio. On the other, they beat Penn State, who is currently 3-1 in the Big Ten. On the third hand, this gives me four teams from Ohio in my top 25. Ohio.
23) Stanford (6-2, 4-1, +2) - Kind of lurking in the background of all this Pac-12 insanity is Stanford, who won an ugly game at home against Washington St., 24-17, and could still win the Pac-12 North. They have Colorado next week, and then back-to-back games against Oregon State and Oregon. If both the Cardinal and the Beavers can take care of business next week (never a given) then that Nov. 10 showdown could be huge, with definite BCS implications.
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Northern Illinois (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Saturday, October 27, 2012
My Top 25
1) Notre Dame (8-0, 0-0, +16)
2) Kansas State (8-0, 5-0, +16)
3) Oregon (8-0, 5-0, +14)
4) Alabama (8-0, 5-0, +13)
5) Georgia (7-1, 5-1, +10)
6) Florida (7-1, 6-1, +11)
7) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11)
8) Ohio State (9-0, 5-0, +9)
9) Oregon State (6-1, 4-1, +9)
10) Louisville (8-0, 3-0, +8)
11) Oklahoma (5-2, 3-1, +6)
12) Texas Tech (6-2, 3-2, +9)
13) Florida State (8-1, 5-1, +6)
14) Mississippi State (7-1, 3-1, +5)
15) Boise State (7-1, 4-0, +5)
16) South Carolina (7-2, 5-2 , +5)
17) Kent State (7-1, 4-0, +5)
18) Rutgers (7-1, 4-0, +4)
19) Toledo (8-1, 4-0, +4)
20) Clemson (7-1, 4-1, +3)
21) UCLA (6-2, 3-2, +3)
22) Ohio (7-1, 3-1, +2)
23) Stanford (6-2, 4-1, +2)
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Northern Illinois (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Tulsa (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Texas A&M (6-2, 3-2, +1)
Louisiana Tech (7-1, 2-0, +1)
Arizona (5-3, 2-3, +1)
Louisiana-Monroe (6-2, 5-0, 0)
Western Kentucky (6-2, 3-1, -1)
Texas (6-2, 3-2, -1)
Nebraska (6-2, 3-1, -1)
USC (6-2, 4-2, -2)
San Jose State (6-2, 2-1, -2)
Washington (4-4, 2-3, -2)
Michigan (5-3, 3-1, -3)
Cincinnati (5-2, 1-1, -4)
Temple (3-4, 2-2, -4)
Iowa State (4-3, 1-3, -5)
Northwestern (7-2, 3-2, -5)
Utah State (7-2, 4-0, -5)
Duke (6-3, 3-2, -6)
Penn State (5-3, 3-1, -6)
Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1, -6)
San Diego State (6-2, 4-0, -6)
Arizona State (5-3, 3-2, -7)
UCF (5-2, 3-0, -7)
Ball State (6-3, 2-2, -7)
North Carolina State (5-3, 2-2, -8)
Mississippi (5-3, 2-2, -8)
Arkansas State (5-3, 3-1, -8)
Fresno State (6-3, 4-1, -8)
Brigham Young (5-4, 0-0, -9)
TCU (5-3, 2-3, -10)
Miami (FL) (4-4, 3-2, -10)
Vanderbilt (3-4, 2-3, -10)
Middle Tennessee State (5-3, 3-1, -10)
North Carolina (6-3, 3-2, -11)
Michigan State (5-4, 2-3, -11)
Nevada (6-3, 3-2, -12)
Wisconsin (6-3, 3-2, -12)
Missouri (4-4, 1-4, -12)
Bowling Green (6-3, 4-0, -12)
Texas-San Antonio (5-3, 1-2, -13)
Syracuse (3-4, 2-1, -13)
Minnesota (5-3, 1-3, -13)
Navy (5-3, 0-0, -13)
Air Force (5-3, 4-1, -13)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-3, 3-2, -14)
Tennessee (3-5, 0-5, -15)
Baylor (3-3, 0-3, -15)
Houston (4-4, 4-1, -15)
Miami (OH) (3-4, 2-1, -16)
Texas State (3-4, 0-1, -17)
East Carolina (5-4, 2-1, -17)
Pittsburgh (4-4, 1-3, -17)
Iowa (4-4, 2-2, -18)
Troy (4-4, 3-3, -18)Arkansas (3-5, 2-3, -19)
Wake Forest (4-4, 2-4, -19)
South Florida (2-5, 0-3, -19)
Maryland (4-4, 2-2, -20)
North Texas (3-5, 2-3, -20)
Virginia Tech (4-4, 2-2, -20)
Utah (3-5, 1-4, -20)
SMU (4-4, 3-1, -20)
New Mexico (4-5, 0-3, -21)
Purdue (3-5, 0-4, -22)
Central Michigan (3-5, 1-3, -22)
Indiana (3-5, 1-3, -22)
Washington State (2-6, 0-5, -23)
Connecticut (3-5, 0-3, -23)
Marshall (3-5, 1-2, -26)
Hawaii (1-5, 0-2, -26)
Florida Atlantic (2-6, 1-3, -26)
Georgia Tech (3-5, 1-3, -27)
Western Michigan (3-5, 1-3, -27)
California (3-6, 2-4, -29)
UTEP (2-6, 1-2, -31)
Colorado (1-7, 1-4, -31)
Rice (3-6, 1-3, -31)
Auburn (1-7, 0-6, -32)
South Alabama (2-6, 1-3, -32)
Boston College (2-6, 1-4, -32)
Illinois (2-6, 0-4, -34)
Buffalo (1-7, 0-4,-34)
Virginia (2-6, 0-4, -34)
Tulane (2-6, 2-4, -34)
Kansas (1-7, 0-5, -35)
Memphis (1-6, 1-2, -35
Colorado State (1-6, 0-3, -35)
New Mexico State (1-7, 0-4, -36)
Kentucky (1-8, 0-6, -36)
Idaho (1-7, 1-1, -38)
UAB (1-7, 0-4, -39)
Wyoming (1-7, 0-4, -39)
Massachusetts (0-7, 0-3, -39)
Army (1-7, 0-0, -41)
Eastern Michigan (1-7, 0-3, -41)
Akron (1-8, 0-4, -43)
Southern Miss (0-8, 0-4, -44)
Florida International (1-8, 0-5, -46)
UNLV (1-8, 0-4, -46)
2) Kansas State (8-0, 5-0, +16)
3) Oregon (8-0, 5-0, +14)
4) Alabama (8-0, 5-0, +13)
5) Georgia (7-1, 5-1, +10)
6) Florida (7-1, 6-1, +11)
7) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11)
8) Ohio State (9-0, 5-0, +9)
9) Oregon State (6-1, 4-1, +9)
10) Louisville (8-0, 3-0, +8)
11) Oklahoma (5-2, 3-1, +6)
12) Texas Tech (6-2, 3-2, +9)
13) Florida State (8-1, 5-1, +6)
14) Mississippi State (7-1, 3-1, +5)
15) Boise State (7-1, 4-0, +5)
16) South Carolina (7-2, 5-2 , +5)
17) Kent State (7-1, 4-0, +5)
18) Rutgers (7-1, 4-0, +4)
19) Toledo (8-1, 4-0, +4)
20) Clemson (7-1, 4-1, +3)
21) UCLA (6-2, 3-2, +3)
22) Ohio (7-1, 3-1, +2)
23) Stanford (6-2, 4-1, +2)
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Northern Illinois (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Tulsa (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Texas A&M (6-2, 3-2, +1)
Louisiana Tech (7-1, 2-0, +1)
Arizona (5-3, 2-3, +1)
Louisiana-Monroe (6-2, 5-0, 0)
Western Kentucky (6-2, 3-1, -1)
Texas (6-2, 3-2, -1)
Nebraska (6-2, 3-1, -1)
USC (6-2, 4-2, -2)
San Jose State (6-2, 2-1, -2)
Washington (4-4, 2-3, -2)
Michigan (5-3, 3-1, -3)
Cincinnati (5-2, 1-1, -4)
Temple (3-4, 2-2, -4)
Iowa State (4-3, 1-3, -5)
Northwestern (7-2, 3-2, -5)
Utah State (7-2, 4-0, -5)
Duke (6-3, 3-2, -6)
Penn State (5-3, 3-1, -6)
Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1, -6)
San Diego State (6-2, 4-0, -6)
Arizona State (5-3, 3-2, -7)
UCF (5-2, 3-0, -7)
Ball State (6-3, 2-2, -7)
North Carolina State (5-3, 2-2, -8)
Mississippi (5-3, 2-2, -8)
Arkansas State (5-3, 3-1, -8)
Fresno State (6-3, 4-1, -8)
Brigham Young (5-4, 0-0, -9)
TCU (5-3, 2-3, -10)
Miami (FL) (4-4, 3-2, -10)
Vanderbilt (3-4, 2-3, -10)
Middle Tennessee State (5-3, 3-1, -10)
North Carolina (6-3, 3-2, -11)
Michigan State (5-4, 2-3, -11)
Nevada (6-3, 3-2, -12)
Wisconsin (6-3, 3-2, -12)
Missouri (4-4, 1-4, -12)
Bowling Green (6-3, 4-0, -12)
Texas-San Antonio (5-3, 1-2, -13)
Syracuse (3-4, 2-1, -13)
Minnesota (5-3, 1-3, -13)
Navy (5-3, 0-0, -13)
Air Force (5-3, 4-1, -13)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-3, 3-2, -14)
Tennessee (3-5, 0-5, -15)
Baylor (3-3, 0-3, -15)
Houston (4-4, 4-1, -15)
Miami (OH) (3-4, 2-1, -16)
Texas State (3-4, 0-1, -17)
East Carolina (5-4, 2-1, -17)
Pittsburgh (4-4, 1-3, -17)
Iowa (4-4, 2-2, -18)
Troy (4-4, 3-3, -18)Arkansas (3-5, 2-3, -19)
Wake Forest (4-4, 2-4, -19)
South Florida (2-5, 0-3, -19)
Maryland (4-4, 2-2, -20)
North Texas (3-5, 2-3, -20)
Virginia Tech (4-4, 2-2, -20)
Utah (3-5, 1-4, -20)
SMU (4-4, 3-1, -20)
New Mexico (4-5, 0-3, -21)
Purdue (3-5, 0-4, -22)
Central Michigan (3-5, 1-3, -22)
Indiana (3-5, 1-3, -22)
Washington State (2-6, 0-5, -23)
Connecticut (3-5, 0-3, -23)
Marshall (3-5, 1-2, -26)
Hawaii (1-5, 0-2, -26)
Florida Atlantic (2-6, 1-3, -26)
Georgia Tech (3-5, 1-3, -27)
Western Michigan (3-5, 1-3, -27)
California (3-6, 2-4, -29)
UTEP (2-6, 1-2, -31)
Colorado (1-7, 1-4, -31)
Rice (3-6, 1-3, -31)
Auburn (1-7, 0-6, -32)
South Alabama (2-6, 1-3, -32)
Boston College (2-6, 1-4, -32)
Illinois (2-6, 0-4, -34)
Buffalo (1-7, 0-4,-34)
Virginia (2-6, 0-4, -34)
Tulane (2-6, 2-4, -34)
Kansas (1-7, 0-5, -35)
Memphis (1-6, 1-2, -35
Colorado State (1-6, 0-3, -35)
New Mexico State (1-7, 0-4, -36)
Kentucky (1-8, 0-6, -36)
Idaho (1-7, 1-1, -38)
UAB (1-7, 0-4, -39)
Wyoming (1-7, 0-4, -39)
Massachusetts (0-7, 0-3, -39)
Army (1-7, 0-0, -41)
Eastern Michigan (1-7, 0-3, -41)
Akron (1-8, 0-4, -43)
Southern Miss (0-8, 0-4, -44)
Florida International (1-8, 0-5, -46)
UNLV (1-8, 0-4, -46)
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Power Rankings
1) Oregon State (6-0, 4-0, +15) - The Beavers notched their second consecutive win against the Beehive State, 21-7 at home against Utah, and now have their best start to the season since 1907. They climbed to 7th in this morning's AP poll, two spots behind Notre Dame. I would like to point out that Oregon State had 450 yards, 7.5 per play, in beating BYU 42-24, while allowing 4.6 yards per play and forcing three turnovers; yesterday, Notre Dame beat that same Cougars team 17-14, allowing 4.0 yards per play and forcing two turnovers while registering 389 yards of their own, 6.5 per play. So, yeah, Notre Dame's definitely better than Oregon State.
2) Florida (7-0, 6-0, +15) - Hopefully Florida's 44-11 dismantling of South Carolina made the Crimson Tide sit up and take notice. South Carolina turned the ball over four times, and at one point the Gators had 21 points on 24 total yards. Florida is for real, though, with wins against South Carolina, LSU, and Texas A&M. A lot will be at stake next week against Georgia. Then, strangely enough, the Gators have one more game, versus Missouri, and then they'll be done with their SEC schedule. They finish their season against Louisiana-Lafayette, Jacksonville State, and then at Florida State, in a game that might have BCS implications. (For the first time in a long time!)
P.S. - One voter in this morning's AP poll switched their No. 1 vote from Alabama to Florida. I'm disappointed. There should be more.
3) Oregon (7-0, 4-0, +13) - So, beating a good-not-great Arizona State team 43-21 doesn't seem like much... until .... until you realize that the Ducks scored all of their points over the course of 16 minutes, 22 seconds in the first and second quarters. That means they could have conceivably scored 160 points for the game. They led at half time 43-7, against what had been a top 10 defense, and played mostly bench warmers in the second half. The Ducks get one more tune-up at home against Colorado before they get to run the USC, Stanford, Oregon State gauntlet.
4) Notre Dame (7-0, 0-0, +12) - OK, I know that Lou Holtz is both an Irish Homer and kind of insane. But last night, I think he was stumbling upon one of the essential contradictions of the BCS, the polls, and college football. Everyone agrees that Oregon is better than Notre Dame. But if they both go undefeated, should the Ducks automatically get the BCS nod? Holtz thinks not. The Irish will have four wins against AP Top 25 teams (USC, Stanford, Oklahoma, Michigan) as will the Ducks (Oregon State, Stanford, USC twice). But Notre Dame will have played all its games against BCS conference opponents; they've got no cupcakes like Arkansas State or FCS Tennessee Tech on their schedule. (We can debate the relative merits of Colorado and Boston College later.) But how valid would it be to punish the Ducks for what's essentially an accident of the calendar? Hopefully, the Ducks will demolish Stanford, who came within a centimeter of beating the Irish, and make this whole talk academic.
P.S. - Oh wait, we don't have to! Thanks to all my hard work, we can see that 1-6 Colorado is a -30, meaning that they are slightly less of a drag on their opponent's strength of schedule than 1-6 Boston College, a -33. Hurray!
5) Kansas State (7-0, 4-0, +12) - Kansas State dominated West Virginia 55-14, and now ought to be considered the hands down favorite to win the Big 12. In a showdown of Heisman Trophy hopefuls, West Virginia QB Geno Smith was 21/32, 143 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTS, whereas K-State QB Collin Klein was 19/21, 323 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTS, plus 41 rushing yards on 12 attempts with 4 TDs. Ladies and gentlemen, your new Heisman leader.
6) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11) - Yes, I think that LSU will have a chance in their Nov. 3 showdown against Alabama. But they still needed a bit of luck in beating Texas A&M 24-19. Specifically, much maligned QB Zach Mettenberger was 11 for 29, with 0 TDs and 1 INT. The Tigers get next week off to prepare for Alabama.
On a related note, I don't think that there will be another all-SEC national championship this year. We really needed a perfect storm last year of not having Alabama and LSU play each other in the SEC championship, and of having Oregon and Oklahoma State lose late in the season. Never say never, I guess, but also, remember that the BCS Championship last year was terrible TV. ESPN remembers that, and I'm sure will remind the voters of that when it comes time to make a decision.
7) Rutgers (7-0, 4-0, +10)
8) Alabama (7-0, 4-0, +9) - Alabama rolled on the road, 44-13 against Tennessee. Preseason is over, and now it's time for the Tide to make their move. Next week they play Mississippi State - win, and I'll move them to third or fourth. The week after that, they get LSU. Win again, and they'll be Top 3, maybe higher, depending on what the Ducks and the Gators do. But everyone has to prove their worth on the field.
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8)
10) Ohio State (8-0, 4-0, +8) - The Buckeyes were the first of several Big Ten teams that escaped from an inferior opponent, beating Purdue 29-22 in overtime. Nebraska had to make a furious comeback to win at Northwestern 29-28, and Michigan beat Michigan State 12-10 on a last minute field goal. Ohio State is good, but not without (big) weaknesses: They gave up 347 yards on 5.0 yards per play to the Boilermakers a week after surrendering 49 points and 6.2 yards per play to Indiana.
11) Louisville (7-0, 2-0, +7)
12) Mississippi State (7-0, 3-0, +7) - Mississippi State has two wins against FBS teams with winning records: 4-3 Troy and 4-3 Middle Tennessee State. In the next three weeks, they play Alabama, Texas A&M, and LSU. Good-bye, so long, aufwiedersehn farewell.
13) Oklahoma (5-1, 3-1, +7) - Oklahoma coasted at home 52-7 against Kansas. Next week, they get their big showdown against Notre Dame. The Sooners will have homefield advantage, but I'm picking Notre Dame, based on how Oklahoma wilted against the only other defense they've faced so far this season, K-State.
14) Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1, +10) - Tech is kept low because they cannot pass Oklahoma, to whom they lost. This will change next week, when the Red Raiders play Kansas State and Oklahoma plays Notre Dame. (Unless they both lose.)(Which they will.)(Sorry Tech.)
15) Florida State (7-1, 4-1, +5)
16) South Carolina (6-2, 4-2, +4)
17) Georgia (6-1, 4-1, +4) - The Bulldogs just beat a Kentucky team, 29-24, that had previously lost to Florida 38-0 and Western Kentucky 32-31. Georgia's single loss this season was at South Carolina, 35-7, a team Florida beat 44-11. I'm putting money on the Gators next week. I might take the Bulldogs against Western Kentucky. I don't know.
18) Boise State (6-1, 3-0, +4) - Maybe the Broncos are better off not being in the national spotlight this year. After coming out flat in a 13-17 loss at Michigan State, Boise has quietly won six in a row, including 32-7 against UNLV and 20-10 last week against their old rivals, Fresno State. They don't have much opposition the rest of the way, though, until they finish the season against another old rival, Nevada. A Mountain West championship and an invitation to a third consecutive Las Vegas Bowl against UCLA may be the best Boise State can hope for at this point. Sigh. Viva Las Vegas. I guess.
19) USC (6-1, 4-1, +4) - Don't count out the Trojans. Matt Barkley broke a school record with his 101st career touchdown pass, and went 19/20 for 298 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INTs in a 50-6 win against hapless Colorado. 'SC still has a tough road ahead, but Oregon and Notre Dame both have to come to SoCal this year. Meanwhile, poor Colorado, now 1-6. They get to travel to Eugene next week, and then host Stanford the week after. Remember when they beat Oregon 38-6 in the 1996 Cotton Bowl? No. You don't.
(P.S. - Rick Neuheisel was the coach of that Colorado team. Weird.)
20) Michigan (5-2, 3-0, +3) - With their last minute 12-10 win over Michigan State, the Wolverines ended a four game losing streak to the Spartans, their longest in history. Likewise, this win gets them one step closer to their first Rose Bowl since 2007. If they fail to make the Rose Bowl this year, it will be their longest absence from the Grandaddy since they failed to make the trip to Pasadena from 1952-1965.
21) Toledo (7-1, 3-0, +3)
22) Clemson (6-1, 3-1, +2)
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2)
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Stanford (5-2, 3-1, +1)
2) Florida (7-0, 6-0, +15) - Hopefully Florida's 44-11 dismantling of South Carolina made the Crimson Tide sit up and take notice. South Carolina turned the ball over four times, and at one point the Gators had 21 points on 24 total yards. Florida is for real, though, with wins against South Carolina, LSU, and Texas A&M. A lot will be at stake next week against Georgia. Then, strangely enough, the Gators have one more game, versus Missouri, and then they'll be done with their SEC schedule. They finish their season against Louisiana-Lafayette, Jacksonville State, and then at Florida State, in a game that might have BCS implications. (For the first time in a long time!)
P.S. - One voter in this morning's AP poll switched their No. 1 vote from Alabama to Florida. I'm disappointed. There should be more.
3) Oregon (7-0, 4-0, +13) - So, beating a good-not-great Arizona State team 43-21 doesn't seem like much... until .... until you realize that the Ducks scored all of their points over the course of 16 minutes, 22 seconds in the first and second quarters. That means they could have conceivably scored 160 points for the game. They led at half time 43-7, against what had been a top 10 defense, and played mostly bench warmers in the second half. The Ducks get one more tune-up at home against Colorado before they get to run the USC, Stanford, Oregon State gauntlet.
4) Notre Dame (7-0, 0-0, +12) - OK, I know that Lou Holtz is both an Irish Homer and kind of insane. But last night, I think he was stumbling upon one of the essential contradictions of the BCS, the polls, and college football. Everyone agrees that Oregon is better than Notre Dame. But if they both go undefeated, should the Ducks automatically get the BCS nod? Holtz thinks not. The Irish will have four wins against AP Top 25 teams (USC, Stanford, Oklahoma, Michigan) as will the Ducks (Oregon State, Stanford, USC twice). But Notre Dame will have played all its games against BCS conference opponents; they've got no cupcakes like Arkansas State or FCS Tennessee Tech on their schedule. (We can debate the relative merits of Colorado and Boston College later.) But how valid would it be to punish the Ducks for what's essentially an accident of the calendar? Hopefully, the Ducks will demolish Stanford, who came within a centimeter of beating the Irish, and make this whole talk academic.
P.S. - Oh wait, we don't have to! Thanks to all my hard work, we can see that 1-6 Colorado is a -30, meaning that they are slightly less of a drag on their opponent's strength of schedule than 1-6 Boston College, a -33. Hurray!
5) Kansas State (7-0, 4-0, +12) - Kansas State dominated West Virginia 55-14, and now ought to be considered the hands down favorite to win the Big 12. In a showdown of Heisman Trophy hopefuls, West Virginia QB Geno Smith was 21/32, 143 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTS, whereas K-State QB Collin Klein was 19/21, 323 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTS, plus 41 rushing yards on 12 attempts with 4 TDs. Ladies and gentlemen, your new Heisman leader.
6) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11) - Yes, I think that LSU will have a chance in their Nov. 3 showdown against Alabama. But they still needed a bit of luck in beating Texas A&M 24-19. Specifically, much maligned QB Zach Mettenberger was 11 for 29, with 0 TDs and 1 INT. The Tigers get next week off to prepare for Alabama.
On a related note, I don't think that there will be another all-SEC national championship this year. We really needed a perfect storm last year of not having Alabama and LSU play each other in the SEC championship, and of having Oregon and Oklahoma State lose late in the season. Never say never, I guess, but also, remember that the BCS Championship last year was terrible TV. ESPN remembers that, and I'm sure will remind the voters of that when it comes time to make a decision.
7) Rutgers (7-0, 4-0, +10)
8) Alabama (7-0, 4-0, +9) - Alabama rolled on the road, 44-13 against Tennessee. Preseason is over, and now it's time for the Tide to make their move. Next week they play Mississippi State - win, and I'll move them to third or fourth. The week after that, they get LSU. Win again, and they'll be Top 3, maybe higher, depending on what the Ducks and the Gators do. But everyone has to prove their worth on the field.
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8)
10) Ohio State (8-0, 4-0, +8) - The Buckeyes were the first of several Big Ten teams that escaped from an inferior opponent, beating Purdue 29-22 in overtime. Nebraska had to make a furious comeback to win at Northwestern 29-28, and Michigan beat Michigan State 12-10 on a last minute field goal. Ohio State is good, but not without (big) weaknesses: They gave up 347 yards on 5.0 yards per play to the Boilermakers a week after surrendering 49 points and 6.2 yards per play to Indiana.
11) Louisville (7-0, 2-0, +7)
12) Mississippi State (7-0, 3-0, +7) - Mississippi State has two wins against FBS teams with winning records: 4-3 Troy and 4-3 Middle Tennessee State. In the next three weeks, they play Alabama, Texas A&M, and LSU. Good-bye, so long, aufwiedersehn farewell.
13) Oklahoma (5-1, 3-1, +7) - Oklahoma coasted at home 52-7 against Kansas. Next week, they get their big showdown against Notre Dame. The Sooners will have homefield advantage, but I'm picking Notre Dame, based on how Oklahoma wilted against the only other defense they've faced so far this season, K-State.
14) Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1, +10) - Tech is kept low because they cannot pass Oklahoma, to whom they lost. This will change next week, when the Red Raiders play Kansas State and Oklahoma plays Notre Dame. (Unless they both lose.)(Which they will.)(Sorry Tech.)
15) Florida State (7-1, 4-1, +5)
16) South Carolina (6-2, 4-2, +4)
17) Georgia (6-1, 4-1, +4) - The Bulldogs just beat a Kentucky team, 29-24, that had previously lost to Florida 38-0 and Western Kentucky 32-31. Georgia's single loss this season was at South Carolina, 35-7, a team Florida beat 44-11. I'm putting money on the Gators next week. I might take the Bulldogs against Western Kentucky. I don't know.
18) Boise State (6-1, 3-0, +4) - Maybe the Broncos are better off not being in the national spotlight this year. After coming out flat in a 13-17 loss at Michigan State, Boise has quietly won six in a row, including 32-7 against UNLV and 20-10 last week against their old rivals, Fresno State. They don't have much opposition the rest of the way, though, until they finish the season against another old rival, Nevada. A Mountain West championship and an invitation to a third consecutive Las Vegas Bowl against UCLA may be the best Boise State can hope for at this point. Sigh. Viva Las Vegas. I guess.
19) USC (6-1, 4-1, +4) - Don't count out the Trojans. Matt Barkley broke a school record with his 101st career touchdown pass, and went 19/20 for 298 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INTs in a 50-6 win against hapless Colorado. 'SC still has a tough road ahead, but Oregon and Notre Dame both have to come to SoCal this year. Meanwhile, poor Colorado, now 1-6. They get to travel to Eugene next week, and then host Stanford the week after. Remember when they beat Oregon 38-6 in the 1996 Cotton Bowl? No. You don't.
(P.S. - Rick Neuheisel was the coach of that Colorado team. Weird.)
20) Michigan (5-2, 3-0, +3) - With their last minute 12-10 win over Michigan State, the Wolverines ended a four game losing streak to the Spartans, their longest in history. Likewise, this win gets them one step closer to their first Rose Bowl since 2007. If they fail to make the Rose Bowl this year, it will be their longest absence from the Grandaddy since they failed to make the trip to Pasadena from 1952-1965.
21) Toledo (7-1, 3-0, +3)
22) Clemson (6-1, 3-1, +2)
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2)
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Stanford (5-2, 3-1, +1)
Bowl Predictions
BCS National Championship - Alabama vs. Oregon - The only two unbeaten teams prevent any kind of BCS controversy. Thank goodness, the system works!
Rose - Michigan vs. Oregon St. - Wolverines beat Badgers for Big Ten championship, Rose picks 11-1 Beavers over 10-3 Trojans.
Fiesta - Kansas St. vs. Notre Dame - Lou Holtz declares winner national champion, BCS be damned.
Sugar - Florida vs. Oklahoma - Rematch of 2008 championship. Man, that seems like forever ago.
Orange - Florida St. vs. Louisville - Orange will gladly take the Big East champ as long as they have the Seminoles to fill seats.
Cotton - West Virginia vs. Texas A&M - Geno Smith vs. Johnny Football. Over/under 200?
Capital One -Wisconsin vs. Georgia
Outback - Michigan St. vs. LSU
Gator - Nebraska vs. Mississippi St.
Chick-fil-A Peach - South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech - In ironic twist, the half-time show features performances from Melissa Etheridge, Elton John, and the cast of Glee.
Alamo - USC vs. Texas - Rematch of epic 2005 championship. Alamo Bowl gets more viewers than all other bowls combined.
Russell Athletic - Cincinnati vs. Clemson
Buffalo Wild Wings (nee Insight) - Iowa vs. Texas Tech
Holiday - Stanford vs. TCU - Two teams who had become accustomed to playing BCS games must settle for a tier two bowl. On the plus side, however, that red and purple will go so well together.
Sun - UCLA vs. Duke - Maybe they could get Dick Vitale to do play-by-play.
Belk - Temple vs. North Carolina St.
Las Vegas - Boise St. vs. Arizona St. - Rematch of last year's game. Boise State visits Las Vegas for the third year in a row.
Texas - Oklahoma St. vs. Northwestern
Poinsettia - BYU vs. Nevada
Kraft Fight Hunger - Navy vs. Washington
Pinstripe - Rutgers vs. Iowa St. - Rutgers takes a lower tier game in exchange for getting to play in the Bronx, 49 miles away. The Cyclones get to travel 1,138 miles. They should save their receipts.
Music City - Tennessee vs. North Carolina
Liberty - Tulsa vs. Vanderbilt
Dallas - Minnesota vs. Baylor - This is where conferences start running out of bowl eligible teams. Minnesota needs to find 2 more wins against Purdue, Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, and Michigan St. Baylor needs three more against Iowa St., Kansas, Oklahoma, Kansas St., Texas Tech, and Oklahoma St.
Hawaii - UCF vs. Fresno St.
Armed Forces - San Diego St. vs. East Carolina
BBVA Compass - Arkansas vs. Pittsburgh - Panthers get to make their third straight trip to Birmingham, Alabama. Entire team threatens to commit Hari Kari.
Beef 'O' Brady's - Southern Methodist vs. Arkansas St.
New Orleans - Houston vs. Louisiana-Monroe
GoDaddy.com - Northern Illinois vs. Western Kentucky
Little Caesar's Pizza - Ohio vs. Purdue
Famous Idaho Potato - Louisiana Tech vs. Toledo
Military - Miami (FL) vs. Middle Tennessee St.
New Mexico - Air Force vs. Utah St.
Rose - Michigan vs. Oregon St. - Wolverines beat Badgers for Big Ten championship, Rose picks 11-1 Beavers over 10-3 Trojans.
Fiesta - Kansas St. vs. Notre Dame - Lou Holtz declares winner national champion, BCS be damned.
Sugar - Florida vs. Oklahoma - Rematch of 2008 championship. Man, that seems like forever ago.
Orange - Florida St. vs. Louisville - Orange will gladly take the Big East champ as long as they have the Seminoles to fill seats.
Cotton - West Virginia vs. Texas A&M - Geno Smith vs. Johnny Football. Over/under 200?
Capital One -Wisconsin vs. Georgia
Outback - Michigan St. vs. LSU
Gator - Nebraska vs. Mississippi St.
Alamo - USC vs. Texas - Rematch of epic 2005 championship. Alamo Bowl gets more viewers than all other bowls combined.
Russell Athletic - Cincinnati vs. Clemson
Buffalo Wild Wings (nee Insight) - Iowa vs. Texas Tech
Holiday - Stanford vs. TCU - Two teams who had become accustomed to playing BCS games must settle for a tier two bowl. On the plus side, however, that red and purple will go so well together.
Sun - UCLA vs. Duke - Maybe they could get Dick Vitale to do play-by-play.
Belk - Temple vs. North Carolina St.
Las Vegas - Boise St. vs. Arizona St. - Rematch of last year's game. Boise State visits Las Vegas for the third year in a row.
Texas - Oklahoma St. vs. Northwestern
Poinsettia - BYU vs. Nevada
Kraft Fight Hunger - Navy vs. Washington
Pinstripe - Rutgers vs. Iowa St. - Rutgers takes a lower tier game in exchange for getting to play in the Bronx, 49 miles away. The Cyclones get to travel 1,138 miles. They should save their receipts.
Music City - Tennessee vs. North Carolina
Liberty - Tulsa vs. Vanderbilt
Dallas - Minnesota vs. Baylor - This is where conferences start running out of bowl eligible teams. Minnesota needs to find 2 more wins against Purdue, Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, and Michigan St. Baylor needs three more against Iowa St., Kansas, Oklahoma, Kansas St., Texas Tech, and Oklahoma St.
Hawaii - UCF vs. Fresno St.
Armed Forces - San Diego St. vs. East Carolina
BBVA Compass - Arkansas vs. Pittsburgh - Panthers get to make their third straight trip to Birmingham, Alabama. Entire team threatens to commit Hari Kari.
Beef 'O' Brady's - Southern Methodist vs. Arkansas St.
New Orleans - Houston vs. Louisiana-Monroe
GoDaddy.com - Northern Illinois vs. Western Kentucky
Little Caesar's Pizza - Ohio vs. Purdue
Famous Idaho Potato - Louisiana Tech vs. Toledo
Military - Miami (FL) vs. Middle Tennessee St.
New Mexico - Air Force vs. Utah St.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
My Top 25
1) Oregon State (6-0, 4-0, +15)
2) Florida (7-0, 6-0, +15)
3) Oregon (7-0, 4-0, +13)
4) Notre Dame (7-0, 0-0, +12)
5) Kansas State (7-0, 4-0, +12)
6) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11)
7) Rutgers (7-0, 4-0, +10)
8) Alabama (7-0, 4-0, +9)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8)
10) Ohio State (8-0, 4-0, +8)
11) Louisville (7-0, 2-0, +7)
12) Mississippi State (7-0, 3-0, +7)
13) Oklahoma (5-1, 3-1, +7)
14) Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1, +10)
15) Florida State (7-1, 4-1, +5)
16) South Carolina (6-2, 4-2 , +4)
17) Georgia (6-1, 4-1, +4)
18) Boise State (6-1, 3-0, +4)
19) USC (6-1, 4-1, +4)
20) Michigan (5-2, 3-0, +3)
21) Toledo (7-1, 3-0, +3)
22) Clemson (6-1, 3-1, +2)
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2)
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Stanford (5-2, 3-1, +1)
Northern Illinois (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Tulsa (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2, 0)
Louisiana Tech (6-1, 1-0, 0)
Kent State (6-1, 4-0, 0)
Cincinnati (5-1, 1-0, -1) Louisiana-Monroe (5-2, 4-0, -1)
Western Kentucky (5-2, 2-1, -2)
Arizona State (5-2, 3-1, -2)
Texas (5-2, 2-2, -2)
Arizona (4-3, 1-3, -2)
North Carolina State (5-2, 2-1, -2)
Duke (6-2, 3-1, -3)
San Jose State (5-2, 1-1, -3)
Nebraska (5-2, 2-1, -3)
TCU (5-2, 2-2, -4)
Penn State (5-2, 3-0, -4)
Iowa State (4-3, 1-3, -5)
Northwestern (6-2, 2-2, -6)
Nevada (6-2, 3-1, -6)
Utah State (6-2, 3-0, -6)
Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1, -6)
Texas-San Antonio (5-2, 1-1, -7)
Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1, -7)
San Diego State (5-2, 3-0, -7)
Washington (3-4, 1-3, -8)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2, 3-1, -8)
UCF (4-2, 2-0, -8)
Ball State (5-3, 2-2, -8)
Mississippi (4-3, 1-2, -9
Arkansas State (4-3, 2-1, -9)
Fresno State (5-3, 3-1, -9)
Miami (FL) (4-4, 3-2, -10)
Brigham Young (4-4, 0-0, -10)
Temple (3-3, 2-1, -10)
Vanderbilt (3-4, 2-3, -10)
Middle Tennessee State (4-3, 2-1, -11)
Tennessee (3-4, 0-4, -11)
Texas State (3-3, 0-0, -11)
East Carolina (5-3, 2-1, -11)
Iowa (4-3, 2-1, -12)
North Carolina (5-3, 2-2, -12)
Michigan State (4-4, 1-3, -12)
Troy (4-3, 3-2, -12)
Missouri (3-4, 0-4, -13)
Arkansas (3-4, 2-2, -13)
Syracuse (3-4, 2-1, -13)
Bowling Green (5-3, 3-0, -13)
Minnesota (4-3, 0-3, -14)
Maryland (4-3, 2-1, -14)
Wake Forest (4-3, 2-3, -14)
North Texas (3-4, 2-2, -14)
Navy (4-3, 0-0, -14)
Air Force (4-3, 3-1, -14)
Baylor (3-3, 0-3, -15)
New Mexico (4-4, 0-2, -15)
Houston (3-4, 3-1, -16)
Purdue (3-4, 0-3, -16)Washington State (2-5, 0-4, -18)
Pittsburgh (3-4, 0-3, -18)
South Florida (2-5, 0-3, -19)
Virginia Tech (4-4, 2-2, -20)Marshall (3-4, 1-1, -20)
Utah (2-5, 0-4, -21)
Miami (OH) (2-4, 1-1, -21)
SMU (3-4, 2-1, -21)
Georgia Tech (3-4, 1-3, -21)
Central Michigan (2-5, 0-3, -23)
Connecticut (3-5, 0-3, -23)
Indiana (2-5, 0-3, -23)
California (3-5, 2-3, -23)
UTEP (2-5, 1-1, -25)
Auburn (1-6, 0-5, -26)
Hawaii (1-5, 0-2, -26)
South Alabama (2-5, 1-2, -26)
Florida Atlantic (1-6, 0-3, -27)
Western Michigan (3-5, 1-3, -27)
Illinois (2-5, 0-3, -28)
Buffalo (1-6, 0-3,-29)
Kansas (1-6, 0-4, -29)
Memphis (1-5, 1-1, -29)
New Mexico State (1-6, 0-3, -30)
Colorado (1-6, 1-3, -30)
Kentucky (1-7, 0-5, -30)
Rice (2-6, 0-3, -32)
UAB (1-6, 0-3, -33)
Boston College (1-6, 0-4, -33)
Virginia (2-6, 0-4, -34)
Wyoming (1-6, 0-3, -35)
Army (1-6, 0-0, -35)
Tulane (1-6, 1-4, -35)
Colorado State (1-6, 0-3, -35)
Eastern Michigan (1-6, 0-2, -35)
Akron (1-7, 0-3, -37)
Idaho (1-7, 1-1, -38)
Southern Miss (0-7, 0-3, -38)
Massachusetts (0-7, 0-3, -39)
Florida International (1-7, 0-4, -40)
UNLV (1-7, 0-3, -40)
2) Florida (7-0, 6-0, +15)
3) Oregon (7-0, 4-0, +13)
4) Notre Dame (7-0, 0-0, +12)
5) Kansas State (7-0, 4-0, +12)
6) LSU (7-1, 3-1, +11)
7) Rutgers (7-0, 4-0, +10)
8) Alabama (7-0, 4-0, +9)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8)
10) Ohio State (8-0, 4-0, +8)
11) Louisville (7-0, 2-0, +7)
12) Mississippi State (7-0, 3-0, +7)
13) Oklahoma (5-1, 3-1, +7)
14) Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1, +10)
15) Florida State (7-1, 4-1, +5)
16) South Carolina (6-2, 4-2 , +4)
17) Georgia (6-1, 4-1, +4)
18) Boise State (6-1, 3-0, +4)
19) USC (6-1, 4-1, +4)
20) Michigan (5-2, 3-0, +3)
21) Toledo (7-1, 3-0, +3)
22) Clemson (6-1, 3-1, +2)
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2)
24) West Virginia (5-2, 2-2, +1)
25) Stanford (5-2, 3-1, +1)
Northern Illinois (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Tulsa (7-1, 4-0, +1)
Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2, 0)
Louisiana Tech (6-1, 1-0, 0)
Kent State (6-1, 4-0, 0)
Cincinnati (5-1, 1-0, -1) Louisiana-Monroe (5-2, 4-0, -1)
Western Kentucky (5-2, 2-1, -2)
Arizona State (5-2, 3-1, -2)
Texas (5-2, 2-2, -2)
Arizona (4-3, 1-3, -2)
North Carolina State (5-2, 2-1, -2)
Duke (6-2, 3-1, -3)
San Jose State (5-2, 1-1, -3)
Nebraska (5-2, 2-1, -3)
TCU (5-2, 2-2, -4)
Penn State (5-2, 3-0, -4)
Iowa State (4-3, 1-3, -5)
Northwestern (6-2, 2-2, -6)
Nevada (6-2, 3-1, -6)
Utah State (6-2, 3-0, -6)
Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1, -6)
Texas-San Antonio (5-2, 1-1, -7)
Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1, -7)
San Diego State (5-2, 3-0, -7)
Washington (3-4, 1-3, -8)
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2, 3-1, -8)
UCF (4-2, 2-0, -8)
Ball State (5-3, 2-2, -8)
Mississippi (4-3, 1-2, -9
Arkansas State (4-3, 2-1, -9)
Fresno State (5-3, 3-1, -9)
Miami (FL) (4-4, 3-2, -10)
Brigham Young (4-4, 0-0, -10)
Temple (3-3, 2-1, -10)
Vanderbilt (3-4, 2-3, -10)
Middle Tennessee State (4-3, 2-1, -11)
Tennessee (3-4, 0-4, -11)
Texas State (3-3, 0-0, -11)
East Carolina (5-3, 2-1, -11)
Iowa (4-3, 2-1, -12)
North Carolina (5-3, 2-2, -12)
Michigan State (4-4, 1-3, -12)
Troy (4-3, 3-2, -12)
Missouri (3-4, 0-4, -13)
Arkansas (3-4, 2-2, -13)
Syracuse (3-4, 2-1, -13)
Bowling Green (5-3, 3-0, -13)
Minnesota (4-3, 0-3, -14)
Maryland (4-3, 2-1, -14)
Wake Forest (4-3, 2-3, -14)
North Texas (3-4, 2-2, -14)
Navy (4-3, 0-0, -14)
Air Force (4-3, 3-1, -14)
Baylor (3-3, 0-3, -15)
New Mexico (4-4, 0-2, -15)
Houston (3-4, 3-1, -16)
Purdue (3-4, 0-3, -16)Washington State (2-5, 0-4, -18)
Pittsburgh (3-4, 0-3, -18)
South Florida (2-5, 0-3, -19)
Virginia Tech (4-4, 2-2, -20)Marshall (3-4, 1-1, -20)
Utah (2-5, 0-4, -21)
Miami (OH) (2-4, 1-1, -21)
SMU (3-4, 2-1, -21)
Georgia Tech (3-4, 1-3, -21)
Central Michigan (2-5, 0-3, -23)
Connecticut (3-5, 0-3, -23)
Indiana (2-5, 0-3, -23)
California (3-5, 2-3, -23)
UTEP (2-5, 1-1, -25)
Auburn (1-6, 0-5, -26)
Hawaii (1-5, 0-2, -26)
South Alabama (2-5, 1-2, -26)
Florida Atlantic (1-6, 0-3, -27)
Western Michigan (3-5, 1-3, -27)
Illinois (2-5, 0-3, -28)
Buffalo (1-6, 0-3,-29)
Kansas (1-6, 0-4, -29)
Memphis (1-5, 1-1, -29)
New Mexico State (1-6, 0-3, -30)
Colorado (1-6, 1-3, -30)
Kentucky (1-7, 0-5, -30)
Rice (2-6, 0-3, -32)
UAB (1-6, 0-3, -33)
Boston College (1-6, 0-4, -33)
Virginia (2-6, 0-4, -34)
Wyoming (1-6, 0-3, -35)
Army (1-6, 0-0, -35)
Tulane (1-6, 1-4, -35)
Colorado State (1-6, 0-3, -35)
Eastern Michigan (1-6, 0-2, -35)
Akron (1-7, 0-3, -37)
Idaho (1-7, 1-1, -38)
Southern Miss (0-7, 0-3, -38)
Massachusetts (0-7, 0-3, -39)
Florida International (1-7, 0-4, -40)
UNLV (1-7, 0-3, -40)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Power Rankings - Oct. 14
1) Oregon State (5-0, 3-0, +14, SoS: -7) - Well, I picked the winner, but not the score. The Beavers beat the BYU Cougars 42-24 and now have their best start to the season since 1939. Back-up QB Cody Vaz torched the formerly fearsome BYU defense for 332 passing yards and 3 TDs. These Beavers are for real folks. They still have tough road games at Washington and at Stanford, but, man ... has the Civil War ever featured two .... no, I won't even say it.
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12, SoS: -13) - I hope that the Ducks enjoyed their week off. If I'm Chip Kelly, sittin' at home watching TV, here's what I saw: A USC team with one of the best quarterbacks and the best receiving corps in the country, but with a defense that is susceptible. A Stanford team with one of the best defenses outside of the SEC and with a punishing offensive line, but a QB prone to make mistakes, and an Oregon State team that has proven that it can beat good teams in more way than one. Should be an interesting second half of the season.
3) Notre Dame (6-0, 0-0, +11, SoS: -6.67) - Auuuugh! What a great game, one that I really wanted Stanford to win, but that they ended up losing 13-20 in overtime. What I saw was two great defenses playing against two average offenses. Cardinal QB Josh Nunes is no Andrew Luck (12/25, 125 yards, 2 INTs) but he shouldn't have to be. Meanwhile, the ND defense allowed 0 touchdowns, allowed 272 yards, had those 2 big INTs, and one huge stop on 4th and goal, which I thought was called correctly. And now how seriously do we need to start taking the Irish's BCS chances? They still have to travel to USC and Oklahoma, but both of those teams are beatable. Notre Dame will just need a little bit of luck to get to the national championship game.
4) Florida (6-0, 5-0, +11, SoS: -8.33)
5) Rutgers (6-0, 3-0, +9)
6) Kansas State (6-0, 3-0, +9) - On a day when West Virginia QB and Heisman Trophy favorite Geno Smith struggled, K-State QB Collin Klein stated his case in a 27-21 win at Iowa State. Klein was 16/24 with 187 yards and 0 TDs and 0 INTs through the air, plus he ran for 105 yards and 3 TDs. The man does everything. Next week, he'll get to go head-to-head against Smith and the Mountaineers in West Virginia.
7) LSU (6-1, 2-1, +9, SoS: -13.428)
8) Alabama (6-0, 3-0, +8, SoS: -8.33)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8) - I usually root for the little guys to crash the BCS party, but man, I am sick of the Ohio Bobcats. This week, they beat 1-6 Akron (go Zips!) by the score of 34-28. Akron is the third team in a row that Ohio has played with 1 win or less. And Ohio's schedule means that they get to avoid the other two good teams in the MAC, Toledo and Northern Illinois. In fact, if the NIU Salukis hadn't lost to Iowa 17-18, they would be sitting right here alongside the Bobcats in the power rankings.
12) Mississippi State
13) Oklahoma (4-1, 2-1, +6) - Yeah, Oklahoma is pretty good. But Texas is really bad. In their last four games, they have allowed 31, 36, 48, and 63 points. Oklahoma had 677 yards of offense against the Longhorns, averaging an astounding 7.2 yards per play. The Sooners are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship, although they will need to win out in their conference, including at West Virginia, and have Kansas State lose twice.
15) Texas Tech (5-1, 2-1, +9) - In a conference that too often seems allergic to even the concept of defense, Texas Tech actually has a pretty good one. They held West Virginia to only 4.7 yards per play in their 49-14 win, and former uber-efficient passer Geno Smith was 29/55 for "only" 295 yards. (He had 656 passing yards against Baylor.) Things don't get easier for Tech with games at TCU and Kansas State next. Also, they're being kept low in these rankings because of their head-to-head loss to Oklahoma.
22) USC (5-1, 3-1, +3, SoS: -13.167) -The Trojans seem to be a team still looking for their groove. They showed flashes of brilliance in their 24-14 win against Washington, especially from receivers Marquise Lee and Robert Woods, but they were flat in the second half, turning a game that should have been a route into a pretty close affair. QB Matt Barkley was particularly listless, with a stat line of 10/20, 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. But he'll probably do much better next week against Colorado.
I think we can now safely put Washington in the category of Pac-12 also rans. However, they seem to play much better at CenturyLink Field than on the road. It will be interesting when they host Oregon State in two weeks.
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2, SoS: -12.571) -
2) Oregon (6-0, 3-0, +12, SoS: -13) - I hope that the Ducks enjoyed their week off. If I'm Chip Kelly, sittin' at home watching TV, here's what I saw: A USC team with one of the best quarterbacks and the best receiving corps in the country, but with a defense that is susceptible. A Stanford team with one of the best defenses outside of the SEC and with a punishing offensive line, but a QB prone to make mistakes, and an Oregon State team that has proven that it can beat good teams in more way than one. Should be an interesting second half of the season.
3) Notre Dame (6-0, 0-0, +11, SoS: -6.67) - Auuuugh! What a great game, one that I really wanted Stanford to win, but that they ended up losing 13-20 in overtime. What I saw was two great defenses playing against two average offenses. Cardinal QB Josh Nunes is no Andrew Luck (12/25, 125 yards, 2 INTs) but he shouldn't have to be. Meanwhile, the ND defense allowed 0 touchdowns, allowed 272 yards, had those 2 big INTs, and one huge stop on 4th and goal, which I thought was called correctly. And now how seriously do we need to start taking the Irish's BCS chances? They still have to travel to USC and Oklahoma, but both of those teams are beatable. Notre Dame will just need a little bit of luck to get to the national championship game.
4) Florida (6-0, 5-0, +11, SoS: -8.33)
5) Rutgers (6-0, 3-0, +9)
6) Kansas State (6-0, 3-0, +9) - On a day when West Virginia QB and Heisman Trophy favorite Geno Smith struggled, K-State QB Collin Klein stated his case in a 27-21 win at Iowa State. Klein was 16/24 with 187 yards and 0 TDs and 0 INTs through the air, plus he ran for 105 yards and 3 TDs. The man does everything. Next week, he'll get to go head-to-head against Smith and the Mountaineers in West Virginia.
7) LSU (6-1, 2-1, +9, SoS: -13.428)
8) Alabama (6-0, 3-0, +8, SoS: -8.33)
9) Ohio (7-0, 3-0, +8) - I usually root for the little guys to crash the BCS party, but man, I am sick of the Ohio Bobcats. This week, they beat 1-6 Akron (go Zips!) by the score of 34-28. Akron is the third team in a row that Ohio has played with 1 win or less. And Ohio's schedule means that they get to avoid the other two good teams in the MAC, Toledo and Northern Illinois. In fact, if the NIU Salukis hadn't lost to Iowa 17-18, they would be sitting right here alongside the Bobcats in the power rankings.
12) Mississippi State
13) Oklahoma (4-1, 2-1, +6) - Yeah, Oklahoma is pretty good. But Texas is really bad. In their last four games, they have allowed 31, 36, 48, and 63 points. Oklahoma had 677 yards of offense against the Longhorns, averaging an astounding 7.2 yards per play. The Sooners are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship, although they will need to win out in their conference, including at West Virginia, and have Kansas State lose twice.
15) Texas Tech (5-1, 2-1, +9) - In a conference that too often seems allergic to even the concept of defense, Texas Tech actually has a pretty good one. They held West Virginia to only 4.7 yards per play in their 49-14 win, and former uber-efficient passer Geno Smith was 29/55 for "only" 295 yards. (He had 656 passing yards against Baylor.) Things don't get easier for Tech with games at TCU and Kansas State next. Also, they're being kept low in these rankings because of their head-to-head loss to Oklahoma.
22) USC (5-1, 3-1, +3, SoS: -13.167) -The Trojans seem to be a team still looking for their groove. They showed flashes of brilliance in their 24-14 win against Washington, especially from receivers Marquise Lee and Robert Woods, but they were flat in the second half, turning a game that should have been a route into a pretty close affair. QB Matt Barkley was particularly listless, with a stat line of 10/20, 167 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. But he'll probably do much better next week against Colorado.
I think we can now safely put Washington in the category of Pac-12 also rans. However, they seem to play much better at CenturyLink Field than on the road. It will be interesting when they host Oregon State in two weeks.
23) UCLA (5-2, 2-2, +2, SoS: -12.571) -
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