Posted on 10/23/2008 1:06:48 AM PDT by GOP_Raider
On Sunday, the first BCS rankings came out. While many of you may have groaned about the BCS here and there, not releasing a BCS poll until the halfway point of the season is a solid idea. Could you imagine if there weren’t these silly daily tracking polls until about the first of October in a presidential race? Then again, if it were yours truly, we wouldn’t have primary in either party until sometime around the 4th of July.
But I digress. Here’s my initial look at the BCS Top 10-15-ish. If you were looking at the top half of the poll, would you rank, say, Oklahoma State ahead of USC and Oklahoma? Should the Trojans even be in the Top 10 at all? (I know, it sounds like I’m giving an invitation for all of you to rip into Southern Cal, but its argument fodder if you ask me). Also take a quick “look see” at the fact that there are three teams (UTAH, Boise State, and TCU) are ahead of the top team in the Big East (South Florida), and the ACC (Georgia Tech). By rule, a non-BCS team can qualify if they are as low as 16th and if they end up ahead of a conference champion of a BCS conference, which could theoretically apply to the current top teams in the Big East and the ACC.
While we all wait for the Man50D FWIW Top 10 Poll (presented by Nobody Beats The Wiz, or is it simply “The Wiz”?), here are this week’s match-ups (note: from henceforth, I’m going to feature teams in the current BCS Top 25 poll along with those that request their teams to be featured.)
(for sean327) New Mexico vs. Air Force (Tonight, 8:00 pm, the channel formerly known as CSTV). Rocky Long and Troy Calhoun are two of the better coaches you probably have never heard much about. See, you’re curious about them now that I told you about them, aren’t you? Well, Rocky Long has taken what Dennis Franchione gave him (such as it was) and lead the Lobos to their first bowl victory since JFK was getting high on roofies and dancing the horizontal polka with Marilyn Monroe. Troy Calhoun was named Mountain West coach of the year last season and their wishbone option attack is back in full force. And since I have mentioned my predilection toward option attacks, Air Force executes the wishbone extremely well.
#12 Boise State vs. San Jose State (Friday, 9:00 pm, ESPN2) My brother (Boise State alumnus) and I were talking about the remainder of the season and he said to me point blank “watch out for San Jose State, strange things happen when we play them ‘down there’”. Recent history shows that, despite the fact that’s he’s younger, less intelligent and inexplicably bigger than I am, he’s right. In 2004 the game between the Broncos and Spartans started at 9am and Boise State won 56-49 in a game that reminded me of the WAC games of the 1980s. Two years ago, San Jose State and head coach Dick Tomey lost to Boise State on a last second field goal—Boise State standout Ian Johnson was injured for this game by the way. So who knows what kind of tomfoolery can result in this one.
(for our FR TTU Contingent) #8 Texas Tech vs. #23 Kansas (High Noon) You hate to denigrate either team here because of their prolific offensive numbers, so if I do so here I apologize in advance. The Red Raiders start a four game stretch that include four teams ranked in the BCS. But look at it this way: at least you aren’t planning a postgame victory celebration like a certain presidential candidate in Chicago’s Grant Park. (If any of you have a spare billygoat that they aren’t using on Election Night, let me know so we can find a Sianis to plant it in Grant Park. Thanks.)
Eastern Michigan vs. #20 Ball State (High Noon) This is the second season I’ve been hosting the FR College Football Ping List, and I believe this is the first time I’ve ever featured a MAC conference game (or at least a MAC school that wasn’t playing outside the conference), and for good reason. I’m willing to admit that I have a rather limited knowledge of the Cardinals—outside of the fact that they’re in beautiful Muncie, Indiana and it was once considered a “normal school”. (As opposed to a weird school, which has existed in Provo, Utah since 1875). A few players to watch for with the Cardinals are QB Nate Davis, who as completed nearly 70% of his passes, MiQualye Lewis who is on the cusp of a 1,000 yard season, and TE Myles Trempe, who is big enough to probably deform my face without breaking a sweat. That having been typed, I’m going to sit comfortably behind my computer and continue.
#22 Northwestern vs. Indiana (High Noon, the Big 10 Network) Having bounced back from a loss to Michigan State, the Wildcats have vanquished Purdue and take on a Hoosiers team that…well, they’re in a free fall. As long as the ‘Cats don’t do what a certain “diety” is going to do and plan a “victory” party beforehand (yes, I’m milking this for all it’s worth), they should be prepared for their final four games of the year against teams that are above .500. Oh, and Michigan, too.
(for kevkrom) #24 Minnesota vs. Purdue (High Noon, ESPN Classic) Outgoing Purdue head coach Joe Tiller made the comment recently that one of his main reasons for leaving was he just can’t coach kids anymore. I do understand what he’s saying about “kids these days”. You hate to have to look towards either basketball season or next football season, but have the Boilermakers already looked toward the future at this point?
(for our Uconn Huskies Biggirl, Man50D, and MaineConservative) Cincinnati vs. Connecticut (High Noon) The Bearcats come into this one at 5-1, with only a good ol’ fashioned country beating at the hands of Oklahoma to count as a loss. Right now I really don’t know what to make of the Huskies at this point. RB Donald Brown racked up over 100 yards in the loss to Rutgers last week, but it’s almost as though the offense isn’t the same without Tyler Lorenzen at QB. Maybe I’m missing something here, but the Huskies just looked like a completely different team their past two games.
#4 Oklahoma vs. Kansas State (12:30 pm) One wouldn’t think that the very same team that lost big at home to Texas Tech would be able to hang with the current #4 team in all the land. One wouldn’t think. That and I notice that there always seems to be a lot of opposing fans that travel to opposing venues, and it’s not just the Big XII. If my Dad ever wrote the FR College Football ping list, he’d probably write something like “don’t all of these people have lives? Work to do, things to be done around the house? They really need a task plan.” (Dad is kind of a workaholic in case you didn’t know.)
Kentucky vs. #10 Florida (12:30 pm) No names among the current group of college football players and coaches cause me to giggle more than UK’s offensive coordinator Joker Phillips and Wildcat wideout Dicky Lyons, Jr. (Yes, I did giggle when I wrote that last sentence). This thread creator doesn’t think that any Urban Meyer coached team would look ahead, but this is also the same guy who didn’t think the Gators would lose to Ole Miss either.
UNLV vs. #21 byU (2:00 pm, The Mountain) A while back I made the comment that “the team that can win in the trenches and get to byU QB Max Hall and force that offense to make mistakes will be the team that beats them.” Sure enough, TCU did that for the most part and now a team that some people were thinking, “hey, this team might end up in the BCS Top 5” is, well, not in the BCS Top 5. UNLV on the other hand has now lost 3 in a row after their early season shocker against Arizona State. Look at this way Rebel fans, at least the basketball team was picked to win the Mountain West this year.
#16 South Florida vs. Louisville (3:30 pm) Ah, the great enigma that is Louisville right now. Four years ago, the Cardinals would have more than likely won the Big East going away…that is if they were actually in the Big East. “The ‘Ville” would love nothing more than to climb back into the title hunt, but are they capable of slowing down Matt Grothe and the Bulls offense? Consider this: USF QB Matt Grothe has amassed 1,552 passing yards and has completed rougly 66% of his passes. If it weren’t for Tim Tebow, Matt Grothe would probably be considered the best QB in the state of Florida.
Rutgers vs. #17 Pittsburgh (3:30 pm) As the top team in the Big East standings, and playing a team that is a shadow of their former selves in Rutgers, I do have one random nota bene. Pitt Stadium looks like it would have been a great place to watch a game, maybe one of the most underrated venues in the entire history of college football.
(for Bat_Chemist) Virginia Tech vs. #25 Florida State (3:30 pm, ABC) Right now there’s a four way logjam in the ACC Atlantic Division. During Va Tech’s loss to Boston College last week, ESPN color commentator and former Notre Dame supreme commander Bob Davie was asked by play by play man Mark Jones “What does it say about the ACC when you have all three ranked teams lose?” Davie’s reply was put rather bluntly: “it’s not good.” Davie would go onto say that “it’s going to be fun for the fans.” Whether Davie contradicted himself is up for debate, but I think it will be fun in the ACC this year. It’s going to be like rebuilding en masse for the ACC.
Virginia vs. #18 Georgia Tech (3:30 pm, ESPNU) A few nights ago I was driving home and I thought “I should have my own postseason honors, how great would that be?” Maybe it wouldn’t be “great”, but one of my early candidates for a Coach of the Year would be the Ramblin’ Wreck’s Paul Johnson. Right now the Yellow Jackets stand at 6-1 and have a chance this weekend to win as many games before Halloween as they won all of last season. Okay, one of them is against Jacksonville State…and Gardner-Webb…well, just trust me on this, okay? Sheesh…
(Sorry about that Georgia Tech helmet, I'm really hungry right now, I'll be right back...
(Much better now. To paraphrase something Lindsay Graham might say, "Vamanos!")
Michigan State vs. Michigan (3:30 pm, ABC) Hey, it’s a rivalry game! Even more important is that the Spartans and the Wolverines play for something called the Paul Bunyan Trophy (not to be confused with Paul Bunyan’s Axe, which we’ll get to in a few more weeks). This is why you have to love college football. You just wouldn’t ever get to see a Cowboys-Redskins game be called the “Jerry Jones/Daniel Snyder Dolla Dolla Bill Bowl”. Or maybe you would, I don’t know. But anyway, if you’re the Wolverines at this point, a way to salvage what remains of the season could possibly be a Dubya against one of your traditional rivals. Maybe.
Wyoming vs. #14 TCU (6:00 pm The Mountain) Let’s all give a big round of applause to the TCU Horned Frogs for ending the long national nightmare that was byU’s “Quest for Perfection!” (applause) Thank you. Wyoming comes into Fort Worth and into this contest in miserable condition. Four quarterbacks, 5 losses, and a coach certainly on his way out later, the Cowboys on paper might not give the Frogs much of a fight. The Frogs were also honored as the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Team of the Week and whichever QB starts for the Pokes this week might get an impromptu introduction from DE Jerry Hughes the same way he introduced himself to byU QB Max Hall.
Colorado vs. #15 Missouri (6:30 pm) If any of you happen to be a Missouri Tiger supporter, hopefully you’ll take some solace in the fact that roughly half a dozen more teams are going to lose at the hands of Texas this season. (At least if you’re looking at each of their subsequent games on paper). Colorado has enough offensive power with former Bishop Kelly High School QB Cody Hawkins, but the Tigers ju—--look it was either that or I called Cody Dan Hawkins’ son like everyone else. Sometimes you have to color outside of the lines.
#2 Alabama vs. Tennessee (7:45 pm) The Third Saturday in October. But it’s not actually on the Third Saturday in October this season. Anyway, I wasn’t completely aware of the extensive rivalry between the Tide and the Vols until I noticed a video on YouTube of a Bama fan deriding Tennessee (though I don’t believe that the time honored profession of trash collecting should have been brought into the discussion). The Vols will also mark the 10-year anniversary of their 1998 national championship team this weekend. Was it really that long ago? (And in the interest of fairness and balance of some kind, the rest of you can mock this guy if you choose. You do have to enjoy the irony of people commenting on YouTube video saying somebody needs to “get laid”.)
#5 USC vs. Arizona (10:15 pm, FSN) Let me ask you something: do you think that the Men and Ladies of Troy should be ranked #5 right now? My guess here is their loss to Oregon State was simply an anomaly. Mind you, Southern Cal is playing a lot better and I think they’ll play better as the season goes along, but is the Rose Bowl the best they can hope for right now?
Notre Dame vs. Washington (8:00 pm, ESPN2) I’m only interested in this game because I’ve decided to record Ron Paul’s speech to the John Birch Society that’s going to be airing on C-SPAN this weekend. I should probably just break down and buy a TiVo one of these days.
Central Florida vs. #19 Tulsa (Sunday, 8:00 pm, ESPN) Look, I know that ESPN is bitter about not having the NFL on Sunday nights anymore, but I see no need to take it out a potential BCS busting team in Tulsa. (I say this even though this game may get better ratings than Game 4 of the World Series on that same night). Here’s what I can tell you about the Golden Hurricane: so far they’ve averaged 56.5 points per game in their 7 victories. Last week against UTEP, the Golden Hurricane ended up with 791 yards of total offense and most amazingly, the game was tied in the first quarter…at 28-28. Think of it as all of us getting to know Tulsa together.
…and now, it’s Games of the Year #3 and #4 and the marquee games this week.
#7 Georgia vs. #13 LSU (3:30 pm) What a difference a couple of months can make. At the beginning of the season, I’ll admit it, I bought into the conventional wisdom like everyone else that the Dawgs were going to end up playing for the football shaped Waterford crystal. Amazingly, this game in Baton Rouge might be among the easier games remaining on their schedule. That having been said, you know your place is a tough place to play when your home crowd has actually registered on the Richter scale.
Game of the Year #3 is...
#6 Oklahoma State vs. #1 Texas (3:30 pm, ABC) Cowboy head coach Mike Gundy will always share a special place in my own heart with his incredible lambasting of the drive-by sports media in a post game press conference. Both the Longhorn and Cowboy offenses are loaded with talent, but I think we said the same thing last week with the Longhorns, did we not?
…which brings us to Game of the Year #4
#3 Penn State vs. #9 Ohio State (8:00 pm, ABC) There’s no argument right now that Texas is the best team in all the land. But who should be the challenger, to borrow a boxing term, “unify the belts”? The Buckeyes are in a groove right now with Terelle Pryor at QB and Chris “Beanie” Wells finally healthy at running back. If you’re a voter or have a computer that can magically place college football teams from 1-25 or so, is this enough of a litmus test for the Nittany Lions to move to the #2 spot?
Enjoy Games of the Year #3 and 4, and whatever your respective game happens to be this week.
Nice job. I’m starting to feel pretty good here. I was at that Tennessee game against Florida State ten years ago and I’ve got 45 yard line seats for USC at Arizona Saturday night.
WHOOT! I am looking forward to the FSU/VT game. Go ‘Noles!
Bumping and Marking!
GO RAMBLIN' WRECK!!!!
I am simply happy that UConn is home after the last two embaressing losses on the road. Since it is going to be ‘Homecoming Day” for UConn, I can only hope that with the team returning to the “Rent” it will give them incentive to win this next game against Cinncy.
I can only hope that UConn gets its act together once it comes home to the “Rent” in its next game against Cincey. Heard that Coach Randy made some changes.
Go UConn!!!! Please win this next game!
Today is my birthday and all I want is a Longhorn win.
Hookum!
LET'S GO MOUNTAINEERS!!
For anybody that follows Div IAA ball there is a great game out on the Philadelphia Main Line. Villanova hosts #1 James Madison. This will be the Wildcats chance to knock off a #1 team for the second time this year.
Tulsa has a tradition of being a well-coached and overachieving team.
Probably, albeit a likely rematch with Ohio State, so at least an easy win for them.
If Penn State beats tOSU this week, they're going to sail into January undefeated, and will be in the BCS title game. I know the Big 12 is tough, but I don't think anyone else can challenge Texas as well as Oklahoma did, and they don't face off again in the B12 championship, because they're the same division, right?
Of course, should 'bama go undefeated, it'd be hard to exclude them, but I just don't see it happening. There are simply too many hard games left for them.
It's looking very much like Texas/PSU to me.
What I really want to know is, what happened to the %#@!ing offense? Against tOSU and PSU, the defense only gave up 16 ppg (actually less, because PSU didn't even get an offensive touchdown), but they only managed a total of 9 points in two games on the other side of the ball.
Honestly, I don't blame the defense for the let-down against NW, considering that the offense stopped playing football this year somewhere during the second half of the Oregon game.
Oh well, as long as we beat Indiana next month... besides, the hoops team looks pretty good this year.
I will NOT be surprised if OSU knocks off Texas.
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