Bubble growing with one month to go

15 02 2010

Four weeks from yesterday is Selection Sunday, the college sports world’s national holiday.  To nobody’s surprise, the bubble seems to be growing as conference play heats up.  Below is the complete list of who’s in and who’s out (at large berths only) if the tournament started on Valentine’s Day.  For now, I’m just saying that the team with the best conference record in each conference is automatically in, which is why you won’t see them on the list of “locks.”  In cases where teams were tied for the conference lead, I gave the team with the higher RPI the bid.

At large locks:

ACC (3)
Wake Forest
Virginia Tech
Maryland

Atlantic 10 (3)
Temple
Charlotte
Xavier

Big East (4)
Syracuse
West Virginia
Pittsburgh
Georgetown

Big Ten (3)
Ohio State
Purdue
Wisconsin

Big 12 (4)
Kansas State
Texas A&M
Baylor
Texas

Conference USA (1)
UAB

Mountain West (2)
BYU
UNLV

SEC (2)
Vanderbilt
Tennessee

West Coast (1)
St. Mary’s

This leaves 11 at large bids up for grabs.  Below is who takes them (in order) as of tonight.

1)  Rhode Island Rams – That’s right.  The strongest bubble team is the Rams.  With an RPI of 21, the 19-5 Rams have wins over Dayton and Oklahoma State, and no terrible losses.  The Atlantic 10 is better than the Pac 10, SEC and Mountain West, at least in the top half.

2)  Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Despite the recent slide, the Jackets have the best strength of schedule in the ACC after Duke, and still only seven losses.  They have five wins against the RPI top 40, and if you’re wondering how deep the ACC is, know that Tech is currently in eighth.

3)  Clemson Tigers – Clemson’s resumé is nearly identical to Georgia Tech’s.  The Tigers’ strength of schedule ranks 31, and they are #30 in the RPI.  They sit sixth in the ACC with nonconference wins over Butler and South Carolina, as well as wins over Maryland and Florida State.

4)  Dayton Flyers – Another A-10 team deserving of a spot is the Flyers.  They are 17-7 but have slipped to seventh in the conference at 6-4.  They beat Georgia Tech and Old Dominion out of conference, and Xavier in conference.  The RPI ranking is #32, and the strength of schedule is #30.

5)  Missouri Tigers – The nonconference schedule was not great, but wins over Old Dominion and Illinois are looking better this month than they did in January.  Quality losses include Richmond, Vanderbilt, Kansas, Baylor and Texas A&M.  The Tigers are in sixth in the nation’s best conference.

6)  Marquette Golden Eagles – Marquette has been competitive in every game this season, and the worst is behind them.  However, an RPI ranked #56 and a strength of schedule ranked #54 are worrisome, but they have worked themselves into a situation where they could finish fourth in the Big East.

7)  Florida State Seminoles – FSU lacks the big win, but does have enough quality victories and few enough bad losses to warrant a tournament berth.  Losing to Maryland twice hurt, but they did beat Georgia Tech twice to make up for it.  They are tied for sixth in the ACC.

8)  Oklahoma State Cowboys – If the Cowboys’ worst loss is at Oklahoma, count them in.  The Pokes have wins over Kansas State and Texas A&M, no bad losses and a strength of schedule ranked #44.  The RPI is in the top 40, and they are 5-5 in the Big 12.

9)  Mississippi Rebels – Ole Miss has done just enough to squeeze into the field, the biggest asset being a win over Kansas State.  Four of the Rebels’ seven losses are to teams in the top 20 in RPI.  The strength of schedule isn’t eye-opening, but outside of Arkansas, they’ve won all the games they’re supposed to win.

10)  Illinois Fighting Illini – The Illini were a lock until the Ohio State blowout.  Even so, they’re winning the games they should win in the Big Ten, and playing well at the right time.  Wins over Michigan State and Purdue were a big boost for the team currently in fourth in the Big Ten.

11)  Florida Gators – They’ve played a tough schedule and have only two losses against teams with an RPI below 27.  Their biggest problem is lack of quality wins.  Despite that, I’m still taking the Gators as my last team in with only eight losses over a Louisville team with three bad losses and nine overall losses.

On the outside looking in:

Louisville
Texas Tech
Wichita State
Mississippi State
San Diego State
Virginia
Cincinnati
Washington
South Carolina


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Categories : Sports

Big Ten, Pac 10 expansion news

11 02 2010

Check out the following articles about the Big Ten looking into expanding with Texas, the Pac 10 taking Colorado and/or a Mountain West school, and new replacements for the Big 12 when Missouri likely leaves.

Pac 10 commish: Now is the time to consider expansion
Pac 10 could launch cannonball on non-BCS with conference cannibalism
Expansion would boost Pac 10 but leave wake of disruption
It’s finally out there: Texas to the Big Ten
More expansion: a proposed new look


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Categories : Sports

Government wasting time with BCS

31 01 2010

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) – Utah is the man you may know best as the senator who is trying to persuade the U.S. Government to take legal action against the BCS – the system used to determine college football’s national champion.  You may also be interested to know that the Justice Department is now looking into whether the system violates antitrust laws.

Ridiculous, I know.

First of all, let me give you some information about Hatch.  He’s a Utah state Senator.  Hmm…I do remember a college football team that went 13-0 just last year but didn’t play in the BCS National Championship game.  Hatch couldn’t possibly be lobbying on behalf of his own state’s university, could he?

Actually, yes.

I bet you don’t know that Hatch has done this before.  The IRS mistakenly released a confidential tax filing showing that pharmaceutical companies and the pharmaceutical industry’s lobbying group wrote $172,500 in checks to the Utah Families Foundation.  What is the Utah Families Foundation, you ask?  It’s the charity that Hatch helped start, and the same charity that has filed taxes illegally for almost 10 years, according to the Washington Times.

Oops.

Now is an appropriate time to also point out that the industries main lobbying group also paid Hatch’s son Scott to be its lobbyist in Washington D.C.

Now, it appears as though Hatch wants money again – this time on behalf of the University of Utah.  After all, he didn’t speak up when Boise State went undefeated in 2006, or when Hawaii ran the table in 2007, or when TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State were perfect in 2009.  But as long as Utah can grab a few extra bucks, it’s all good.

Sounds like an honest guy to me.

But for those of us who like the BCS system, we need not worry.  Hatch will probably be supporting the system by the end of the week.  That is, if his actions are anything like his stance on polygamy, where he first supported polygamists, then was later on record condoning it. He flip-flopped on the issue.  I call that the “classic John Kerry move.”

So if all of you hopeless playoff optimists want to trust this guy to bring a “December/January/in general” Madness to college football, go ahead.  I’ll continue to have my doubts.

So now the Justice Department wants to see if the system violates antitrust laws.  Well, as far as I can tell, there is competition.  Some competition (the SEC), is just worlds better than other competition (Mountain West, WAC).

Hey Justice Department – I have a law you can investigate.  How about the “we’re only undefeated because Tulsa dropped a wide open pass” law.  Or the “we know we have a week conference schedule, but we still schedule division 1-AA teams to come play us at home, then only beat them by 18 points” law.  Oh, and look into the “we gave up 35 points against Louisiana Tech, 34 against Fresno State and 33 against Nevada, but we know we could hold Florida, Alabama and Texas to single digits” law.  Yes, I’m talking about the 2009 Boise State team, the only other unbeaten team besides Alabama.

The key for these teams is scheduling four very difficult games out of conference, knowing you should get eight wins in the conference.  Then maybe they’ll have a chance to play for a championship.  A lack of antitrust laws didn’t keep the Broncos, Warriors, Bearcats, Horned Frogs or anyone else from reaching the title game.  Poor scheduling, and poor play even in some of the wins kept them out.

If you’re happy with the Justice Department looking into this, then you must not care about the war that Obama refuses to get us out of, the bailout that is putting the country further in debt or the inevitable tax increases to come.  If this is such a serious issue, then why hasn’t it already been addressed?  If the BCS was illegal, it could not have possibly lasted this long.

Does the regular season mean anything?  According to Hatch, the answer is no.  A playoff system likely means 9-3 teams have a chance to win it all.  And how would the seeds be determined?  I’m guessing they would use…ah…the BCS rankings.  I can see it now: the playoff system takes the teams ranked 1-8, then a senator from the state the school ranked #9 is from writes a letter to Congress saying it’s not fair.  Then the playoff expands, as it does in every other sport, and all of a sudden teams are playing games during finals week, on Christmas Day, in January once classes start and on into February, where the championship is played on Valentine’s Day.

Sounds good to me.

Not.


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Categories : Sports

20-win Cougars flying under the radar

24 01 2010

Name one player who plays for the BYU Cougars men’s basketball team.  Do it.  Got nothing?  It’s okay, you’re just like everybody else.

You may not know anything about the underrated, overachieving, religious junkies from north central Utah.  Neither does anyone else.  But know this.  The Cougars are ranked #14 in the AP Poll and are creeping up on the nation.  ESPN ignores them.  You won’t find them on TV.  But while Tennessee was busy getting smoked at Georgia yesterday (Bulldogs ranked #73 in RPI), the Cougars were grinding out a tough win at San Diego State (Aztecs ranked #41 in RPI).  That win pushed BYU to 20-1 on the season.  They’re the first team in the country to achieve the 20-win milestone, and it’s still January.

The Cougars are outscoring opponents 83-62 on average and are shooting more than 50 percent for the season, including 42 percent from three-point range.

They have only three seniors on the team, none of whom are in the top three in scoring.  They are led by Jimmer Fredette, a junior averaging 20 points per game.  After that comes junior Jackson Emery and freshman Tyler Haws, each averaging 12.  In fact, 11 of the 13 players have played in at least 19 games.

Sure, the Cougars haven’t had much in terms of a schedule, but they did beat Arizona and Arizona State out of conference, both of whom are tied for second place in the Pac 10.  The one loss, at Utah State, is a loss to hide from, though the Aggies (15-6) do have a better RPI than Florida, Minnesota and Seton Hall.

The Mountain West has some tough teams (UNLV and New Mexico were ranked earlier this year, while Utah and San Diego State are also tournament bubble teams), but it’s not insane to think BYU could pull a Memphis and run the table.  If so, head coach Dave Rose may, dare I say it, have his team as high as a #1 seed come March.


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Categories : Sports

Dear BCS – your system is just fine

23 11 2009

Guest columnist Kyle Goeke

Non BCS conferences are here to stay.  Over the past five years, it has become apparent that these conferences want two things: to be recognized with the big boys and (more importantly) to be paid like the big boys.  A berth in a BCS bowl game is worth $18 million to each conference that gets a bid (which gets split evenly to the schools).  That’s right…in 2007, the terrible 1-11 Idaho Vandals received about $2 million because their conference brethren Hawaii got a BCS bid.  So no wonder these non-BCS conferences want their piece of the pie.

Every decision these commissioners and college presidents make is about money.  Why do you think college football hasn’t switched to a playoff format?  Because they’ll make more money pushing a “win or go home” regular season.  Think about it: a 32 team playoff would include Temple, a 16 team playoff would have three-loss Virginia Tech, and an eight team playoff has two loss LSU.  Some people out there even want a four team (Plus One) playoff.  A four team playoff makes sense…only, who are you going to leave out?  Boise State? Cincinnati?  TCU?  Those three teams can all make the case for the fourth spot.  A four team playoff would create just as much chaos as the system that’s in place now.

Anyways…I hate to ramble.  I’m new to this blog thing.  Here is my suggestion: keep the system the way it is.  It has worked thus far (with the exception of the 2004 Auburn Tigers).  Also, these non BCS schools keep complaining that their team is the best, and yet they can’t play for a title.  I asked Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel about this dilemma a few weeks ago at Tiger Talk (Buffalo Wild Wings 40 cent boneless Monday’s!!!).  He has actually experienced this situation from both perspectives.  He was the head coach at Toledo in 2000 when they failed to make a bowl appearance after a 10-1 regular season (Chester Taylor destroyed the MAC that year).  Pinkel believes that it takes a lot of emotion and preparation to beat a top ranked conference foe.  It takes even more to beat that top ranked team and then come out the next week ready for the next tough team.  Could Boise St. beat Florida?  I think so.  Could Boise St. beat Florida and then come out the next week ready to take on Alabama?  No way.  Kentucky had a two game stretch like that earlier in the season.  Boise St. beat Oregon at home in the first game of the season.  That is literally all they have to show for this season (other than nail biters with Tulsa and Louisiana Tech).  TCU has had a tougher schedule.  It’s not their fault that Clemson lost to Maryland or that Virginia is god-awful.  But Texas State?  Get that game off your schedule if you want to be taken seriously.  They have beaten BYU and Utah badly…but they have not had a two game stretch of good teams yet.

To my suggestion: the winner of the WAC and the MWC should meet during Championship weekend.  The winner of this game should get an automatic bid to a BCS bowl so they can get in on the $$$ action.  Enough of Boise St./Hawaii fans and TCU/Utah fans angry that their team doesn’t get a chance.  Let the winner of that game have a chance at the BCS title game…if they are in the top two of course.  This way they can make the claim that they’ve actually played someone.  I’m sure I went way too long with this blog.  Thanks for reading.


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Categories : Sports

College football rankings – Oct. 26

26 10 2009

Longhorn fans, hate me all you want.  Your team is now #4 in the most prestigious rankings in the country.  This despite a 34 point blowout road win.  Gator fans, hate me all you want.  Your team is still #2, despite Alabama’s near collapse against the Vols.  Bronco fans, hate me now.  Your team is #6, despite a blowout win on the island.  Yes, my rankings may make your head scratch and your forehead wrinkle.  But there’s justification here.  Boise State hasn’t played anybody, prompting Iowa to jump them.  Alabama has still played better teams than Florida.  And I’ll explain the Texas setback in a blog post tomorrow, for it is the one that could mean the most come Dec. 6.

1)  Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) – I picked the Vols to win, and they probably should have.  But they didn’t.  Alabama’s defense was stiff enough in another quality win.  They get a bye week to prepare for LSU’s trip to Tuscaloosa.

2)  Florida Gators (7-0) – Something is off with the offense.  Playing a relatively weak SEC schedule, they have broken 30 just once in five conference games.  Red zone offense has been a problem.  In 35 trips, they have only 16 touchdowns.

3)  Iowa Hawkeyes (8-0) – The Hawkeyes are 8-0 for the first time ever after beating a hot Michigan State team in East Lansing.  It’s not pretty, but this team finds ways to win.  The offense, ranked #87 in the country, needs to play better.

4)  Texas Longhorns (7-0) – Colt McCoy is closing in on the all time FBS wins record after an impressive 41-7 win against Missouri.  It’s Texas’ first well-played game in the conference, and it comes just in time.  They go to Stillwater next.

5)  Cincinnati Bearcats (7-0) – Can we still say Cincinnati is flying under the radar?  They are blowing teams out while making their best case for a title shot.  After Syracuse, things get tough with games against UConn, West Virginia and Pitt.

6)  Boise State Broncos (7-0) – If the Broncos want any prayer of playing for a national championship, they’ll need four teams ahead of them on this list to lose.  They are winning by similar margins against much worse teams – simple as that.

7)  LSU Tigers (6-1) – LSU came off the bye week by throttling Auburn.  Their only loss is Florida, and they’ve allowed 20+ points just twice.  They go to Alabama in two weeks and can still control their own destiny to a conference championship.

8)  Oregon Ducks (6-1) – The Ducks continue to roll.  Jeremiah Masoli came back this week to throw for 157 yards and a touchdown, and added two rushing touchdowns too.  If they beat USC Saturday, The Trojans will miss a BCS game.

9)  Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1) – Hammering Michigan by 25 in the Big House will get you back on track.  Penn State’s defense is the reason they are beating teams up.  They are #3 in the nation, allowing just 240 yards per game.

10)  TCU Horned Frogs (7-0) – The Horned Frogs’ four biggest wins have come on the road.  After blowing out BYU in Provo, TCU should finish 12-0.  Will the BCS take both them and an undefeated Boise State team?

11)  Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-1) – The Texas A&M win looks better after A&M blew out Texas Tech in Lubbock, but otherwise it hasn’t been much of a schedule for the Cowboys.  A win this week puts them in control of the south.

12)  USC Trojans (6-1) - Maybe my expectations are too high for this team, but I just don’t think one possession wins are good enough against the Pac 10.  Matt Barkley’s two interceptions are concerning, as is the defense all of a sudden.

13)  Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-1) – Virginia was the only remaining unbeaten in the ACC until Georgia Tech crushed them.  With the Miami loss, the Yellow Jackets are now in line to win the Coastal if they can beat Wake and Duke.

14)  Houston Cougars (6-1) – It’s time to start seriously considering Case Keenum for Heisman.  He leads the nation in total offense, completions per game, passing yards per game and is second in touchdown passes.

15)  Pittsburgh Panthers (7-1) – A solid win over South Florida topped with a lot of one loss teams going down bumps Pitt up to 15.  They now enter a stretch in which they play just two games in 33 days.  The showdown with Cincy is Dec. 5.

16)  Virginia Tech Hokies (5-2) – The Hokies still have that bitter taste in their mouths from the Georgia Tech loss, but can still win the ACC with some help.  Ryan Williams averages six yards per carry and has 10 touchdowns already.

17)  Miami Hurricanes (5-2) – The ‘Canes just couldn’t shake Clemson, and eventually lost the game in overtime.  An uncharacteristic defense gave up 410 yards, and Jacory Harris threw three interceptions for Miami.

18)  Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2) – Terrelle Pryor needed a huge game after the Purdue meltdown, and he delivered.  Pryor went 13-25 for 239 yards and two touchdowns.  He also ran for 104 yards and a score in the win over Minnesota.

19)  West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1) - The Mountaineers are quietly playing well since the Auburn loss and are undefeated in the Big East.  They still have Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Rutgers, but first is a trip to South Florida.

20)  Utah Utes (6-1) – Here’s a team that has lost to the only good team it has played, yet sits at #19 at 6-1.  Utah is doing all the right things to win, as they showed in overtime against Air Force.  They still go to Provo and Fort Worth.

21)  South Carolina Gamecocks (6-2) – Steve Spurrier is eking out wins, but he’ll tell you that against the SEC, winning is all that matters.  They outgained Vanderbilt by 158 yards and were turnover-free, yet needed a late TD to hold on.

22)  BYU Cougars (6-2) – I don’t think anyone saw that coming.  BYU failed to show up against TCU, leaving them all but out of the Mountain West championship hunt.  Five TCU players scored in a game that was over after the first quarter.

23)  Wisconsin Badgers (5-2) – Despite not having won since Oct. 3, the Badgers are back in the rankings after a few two loss teams fell this week.  For Wisconsin, 10-2 is a legitimate possibility, although this season, who knows?

24) Kansas Jayhawks (5-2) – Two weeks ago they looked like they could challenge for a BCS game.  Now they’re thinking bowl eligibility and maybe a north title after OU blows them out.  Kansas fans should be looking toward basketball.

25)  Central Michigan (7-1) – Why not?  Butch Jones has the Chippewas at 7-1 going into the showdown at Boston College.  They have a win at Michigan State and played Arizona tough in the desert.  They’ve also won seven in a row.


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Categories : Sports

College football rankings – Oct. 19

19 10 2009

Same $***, different week.

That’s about all I can say after finding out that the coaches inexcusably ranked Florida #1 despite a dreadful performance in Gainesville against inferior Arkansas.  They must not know about Alabama, the team with the number one defense in America.  The team that has held four of its past five opponents to 7 points or fewer.  The team with road wins against Kentucky and Ole Miss, a neutral site victory against Virginia Tech, and wins against South Carolina, and that same Arkansas team by 28.  Florida’s only good win has been LSU, and they could still lose three more times.  Point is, it should be the AP guys who have BCS influence.  They got it right.  Again.  The coaches aren’t paying attention.  Good thing I am.  On to the rankings…

1)  Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0) – It was foolish of me not to have them #1 last week, but they left no doubt with a dominating 20-6 win over South Carolina.  All of a sudden, Florida can’t score on Arkansas.  How will they score on Alabama?

2)  Florida Gators (6-0) – Gator fans are sending personalized thank you cards to Alex Tejada after he single-handedly kept Florida unbeaten Saturday.  The Razorbacks had plenty of chances, but couldn’t close.  The Hogs recorded six sacks.

3)  Texas Longhorns (6-0) – Here’s another team I’m not sure about.  In a down year for the Big 12, Texas has sleepwalked through its first three games.  Outgained by OU 311-269, the ‘Horns need to figure out what’s wrong with “O” before OSU.

4)  Cincinnati Bearcats (6-0) - The Bearcats were very impressive in a 34-17 win in Tampa.  Ask West Virginia or Kansas about playing in South Florida during the week.  It’s not easy.  A bigger issue for Cincinnti is the health of QB Tony Pike.

5)  Boise State Broncos (6-0) – Boise State has played two pretty bad games in a row, and the BCS is laughing.  They won’t have to feel obligated to put the Broncos in the discussion if they keep winning by seven points with this schedule.

6)  Iowa Hawkeyes (7-0) – I’m sold.  I had this team pegged for three losses by now, but they just keep winning ugly.  They held Wisconsin to 230 yards of offense, controlled the clock and scored 20 unanswered points after falling behind 10-0.

7)  Miami Hurricanes (5-1) – The ‘Canes enjoyed their second breather in a row, cruising to a 27-7 win at Central Florida.  They should have a third cupcake this week with Clemson, but have to go to Wake, UNC and South Florida this year.

8)  LSU Tigers (5-1) – The Tigers enjoyed the week off in preparation for Auburn.  They’ve already beaten three BCS conference schools on the road – all by one possession – and still go to Ole Miss and Alabama this season.  Trouble.

9)  USC Trojans (5-1) – What is the love affair with USC?  Fourth?  Really?  Remember, this is the same team that lost to Washington, a team that is 3-4 now.  I will give them credit for road wins against Ohio State, California and Notre Dame.

10)  Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-1) – The loss by Oklahoma leaves Oklahoma State and Texas as the only two unbeaten teams in Big 12 play.  Assuming both take care of business this weekend, it should make for an epic showdown in Stillwater.

11)  Oregon Ducks (5-1) – The Ducks get two weeks to prepare for their trip up north to face Washington.  If they win, then comes a chance at virtually eliminating USC from Rose Bowl contention.  My my, if it wasn’t for that Boise State game…

12)  Penn State Nittany Lions (6-1) – The Iowa loss looks more legit every week.  So does this team’s defense, holding opponents to 7 or fewer in five of seven games.  They still need to win out and get some help if they want to smell roses.

13)  TCU Horned Frogs (6-0) – After taking a few weeks off, TCU finally showed up against Colorado State.  They outgained CSU 499-182 in the 38 point blowout.  The game of the week this week is a Mountain West game as TCU heads to Provo.

14)  Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-1) - The Jackets put three SEC schools on the schedule this year and finish with 11 straight against BCS conference teams.  The huge win over Virginia Tech put them back in discussion for a BCS bowl.

15)  BYU Cougars (6-1) – Oklahoma and Florida State have been down, so the schedule hasn’t been as impressive as the Cougars would have hoped.  Still, the TCU game Saturday should put them in the national spotlight again.

16)  Houston Cougars (6-1) – It’s hard to believe that a one-loss Conference USA team could be ranked this high just halfway through the season.  But they’ve earned it after playing three BCS conference teams and winning them all.

17)  Kansas Jayhawks (5-1) – Right behind the number one offense in America is number two.  Reesing, Brizcoe and Meier did their part against Colorado, but the defense played really bad again.  It’s a Big 12 loss KU couldn’t afford to have.

18)  Virginia Tech Hokies (4-2) – Um, run defense?  Virginia Tech forgot to bring theirs to Atlanta, giving up 309 yards on the ground to Georgia Tech.  The Hokies’ schedule gets easier as they chase another ACC crown.  UNC is next.

19)  Pittsburgh Panthers (6-1) – Dion Lewis is going to be a Heisman candidate before his college career is over.  The freshman ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns in Pitt’s win at Rutgers.  He is up to third in the nation in rushing.

20)  Ohio State Buckeyes (5-2) – Purdue was just 1-5 on the year before pulling off the Ohio State upset, leaving Illinois has the only Big 12 winless team.  For the Buckeyes, winning out still gives them the conference title and a Rose Bowl berth.

21)  Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-2) – Since losing back to back road games in their home state, the Red Raiders have outscored opponents 142-52.  In their first game out of the state, new QB Steven Sheffield ripped the ‘Huskers for three TDs.

22)  Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-2) – Nebraska got absolutely embarrassed by Texas Tech at home, and failed to take advantage of a Kansas loss in the process.  The normally stout defense allowed 31 points after allowing just 40 all year.

23)  West Virginia Mountaineers (5-1) – After the Auburn loss, it didn’t look like the Mountaineers were going to be very good.  But they’ve managed a 5-1 start thanks to Noel Divine’s 6.4 yards per carry.  Nothing but Big East games remain.

24)  Utah Utes (5-1) - I’m still not convinced that this team can play with anyone in the top 25, but they’ve won the games they’re supposed to win.  They have road games against TCU and BYU two of the final three weeks of the season.

25)  South Florida Bulls (5-1) – The Bulls couldn’t get anything going, specifically in the second half, against Cincinnati.  They’ll have plenty of chances to jump right back in the mix with West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Miami still to come.


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Categories : Sports

10 college football games I’d love to see

14 10 2009

The nonconference season is over except for a few games sprinkled in here and there.  Here are 10 games I would have loved to have seen in 2009 but didn’t.

10 - Iowa State vs Auburn because if Gene Chizik loses to his former team, Auburn will fire him, then interview Tony Dungy, Barack Obama and Albert Pujols before eventually hiring Rush Limbaugh.

9 – Washington State vs Colorado because I want to know who is the worst team among the BCS conference teams.  Too bad they both have a win already.

8 – Duke vs Idaho because both teams have better records than Florida State, Colorado, Louisville and Illinois.  Which game would draw a bigger crowd – this game at Idaho’s Kibbie Dome or a Duke basketball game at Cameron Indoor?

7 - Texas vs Mississippi because Jevan Snead could finally show Texas that they made a mistake by not playing him.  Just like he showed South Carolina.  And Alabama.  Now Texas is stuck with this McCoy guy, who by the end of the year will have more FBS wins than anyone.

6 - Florida vs St. Louis Rams because everyone knows it would be funny seeing Florida win.  It’s fair to put the Rams in this category right?  They certainly aren’t “pros.”

5 - Alabama vs Houston because no one will care that Alabama wins by 50.  Case Keenum vs the #1 defense in the nation is all that matters here.  Of course, he could throw for almost 600 yards and five touchdowns, and still lose the game (see UTEP).

4 - Nebraska vs LSU because the defenses may outscore the offenses.  And because Bo Pelini would probably get a warm welcome in his return to Death Valley, right?  All kidding aside, this would actually be a very good game.

3 – Texas vs Penn State because neither team plays anyone better than my middle school team out of conference.  And because it would be a joy watching these two coaches go easy on each other.  Neither knows how the BCS system works – a.k.a neither coach knows how to run up the score.

2 – TCU vs anyone in the top 25 because three point wins over dismal ACC schools won’t help your BCS cause.  Neither will three point wins over Mountain West schools, although that conference may carry more merit than the ACC.

1 – Boise State vs anyone in the top 10 because after the Broncos flee flicker four times, do football’s hidden ball trick and not have any players get punched after the game, the nation will know that this team deserves its title shot.


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Only Texas can save Big 12

5 10 2009

The conference that was supposed to rival the SEC for nation’s best has taken a bigger dive than   after an all too disappointing nonconference season.  Only three teams made it through undefeated, and the conference came up on the wrong end of just about every big game it played in.

There’s no more fitting place to start than in Norman.  The Sooners are 2-2 after going 12-1 and playing for a national championship.  Both losses came by one point on national television.  One against a Mountain West school (BYU) and the other against an ACC school (Miami).  Granted they were ranked, away from Norman and without the Heisman winner.  Still, two big games, and two losses for the Big 12.

Nebraska had Virginia Tech on the ropes in Blacksburg before the blown coverage of the century bailed the Hokies out.  Texas Tech and Oklahoma State both lost to a Conference USA school (Houston), who just gave up 58 in a loss to UTEP.  Texas A&M got steamrolled by Arkansas, Colorado lost to West Virginia…and Toledo…and Colorado State.  Iowa State got trucked by in-state rival Iowa.  Kansas State lost to UCLA.  Baylor lost to UConn. Texas didn’t even schedule a game against a BCS opponent.

In fact, the conference as a whole is just 4-6 against nonconference BCS opponents this season.  No one outside of the Longhorns have a prayer of making the national championship game, and recruits can’t be excited by these games.

Meanwhile, the Big Ten has two undefeated teams, and neither are from Happy Valley or Columbus.  The ACC has two top 11 teams, and neither is Florida State.  The Big East has a 5-0 team in South Florida.  And the SEC has three of the top four teams in the polls.

Other conferences are thriving at the expense of the Big 12.  A conference with such high expectations has failed to live up to them.  Conference play kicks in full swing next week, and only Texas can save this conference now.  Winning out gives them a shot at Florida, and a shot to give this conference some respectability.


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Week 3 Picks – Huskers’ time to shine

17 09 2009

#17 Cincinnati 40, Oregon State 17

#9 BYU 23, Florida State 16

#2 Texas 38, Texas Tech 19

#20 Miami 31, #14 Georgia Tech 28

#19 Nebraska 35, #13 Virginia Tech 28

UPSET SPECIAL:  Oregon 20, #18 Utah 16

Last week:  4-2
Overall:  8-4
Upsets:  2-0


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