Strange Days in CFB
Wow! Are you kidding me - what a crazy and fantastic year for college football as a whole. Will be very interesting to see what the first BCS polls look like in a couple of hours. I'm betting Ohio State is at the top with a melting pot of various "who?" programs. I'm most interested to see where Oklahoma falls - early projections had them at #13, but that was before the Mizzou game.
I hope Mack keeps the film from that Iowa State game for next year so he can show it to his players and remind them that the first 4 games of a season count - play like this. I know Iowa State is pretty bad and don't have anywhere near the same level of talent, but the Horns still executed well. They looked so much more relaxed and it was nice to see Davis not force the running issue - they just lined it up and threw it. Granted, Texas did end up with over 200 yards rushing, but half of that came from Chiles and McCoy. The nice thing is it was spread across 6 runners total (including QBs).
Most important, they did not turn the ball over AND they forced 3 turnovers - of course the last one came on the last play of the game. Special teams did give up some yardage (150 yards), but Texas was kicking off all over the place. And very nice to see John Chiles in there with his wrinkle - however, I'm not so sure this guy can pass worth a crap. I say that because he only attempted 1 yesterday and I think he's only attempted about 5 or 6 total passes connecting on maybe 2. I'd like to see them open it a bit with him and let him get involved early - especially if you can throw a 2 or 3 TD lead up early. Let's see his arm.
Don't want to make too much of this given the competition level, but it's good for them to continue to improve - they'll be entering a hellacious part of the schedule after the Baylor game next weekend and if they can play like they did yesterday, they could very well run the table. I'm not saying they will, it's just nice to see some semblance of energy and "loose-ness", they really looked relaxed. I expect to see a lot of the same next weekend in Waco.
Tech over Aggies:
I'll tell you, when the aggies marched right down the field to score on that opening drive I had a bad feeling about that game for Tech. But man-o-man, kudos to Tech for making adjustments and completely shutting them out after that. Very impressive win for Tech and I'll tell you this, these guys should be in the top 20 in the AP and Coach's polls. Harrell is continuing to raise his completion percentage (81% yesterday) and yet again throws no picks. As impressive as Tech has been, they travel to Columbia next week to play the Tigers. I don't think they need to win this game to maintain and even pick up more national respect, but they have to play well and really compete. I do think they will give Missouri's defense fits (what else is new), but I think they will have a very hard time containing the Chase Daniel offense. We shall see, but impressive win for the Raiders.
And how about those Aggies? I think we may see them go on a free fall here to close out the year - their schedule is brutal and they just don't look like a very good football team at all. If they get blown out over 2 or 3 straight weeks, don't be surprised to see them give Fran the heave-ho before season's end. He's clearly not effectively communicating or motivating these guys - at times, they look as if they have no idea what they're doing. And you absolutely can't be one dimensional. You have to be able to throw for more than 130 yards per game with no TDs (it's something like that). I'm not sure where these guys go from here, but I predict things getting worse in Aggie land before they start getting better. And perhaps Mr. Lane should refrain from making any more bold predictions. Yes, we know you can score from the one every time - carrying a team takes more than that though.
More on the Red Raiders: http://fannation.com/blogs/post/67721
Kentucky over LSU:
And here's where it all came crashing down. I'm heartbroken I missed this game (had to go to wedding), but I cannot believe that the Tigers lost. As you know, I really thought these guys are above it all and playing at a whole other level. Don't under estimate that regular season - not anymore.
I can only imagine how furious those Tigers fans may be - I know a couple of die hard fans and I imagine they are pissed..I've seen it before. But the good news for Tiger fans is this: unlike many of the past years, having a single loss, on the road to a top 20 team by no means keeps you out of the hunt for title contention. USC is clearly far more inferior than anyone ever expected; Cal lost to a far worse team; South Florida still has a tough schedule ahead and you've already beaten South Carolina. The teams to most watch out for, I believe, are Oklahoma and Ohio State. The good news is that LSU plays a tougher schedule than both of those teams going out. Oklahoma has Tech and that's the only real significant opponent. Ohio State has Michigan to close out the year, but given the death penalty that the media has seemingly imposed on these guys (which is clear now was way to severe), not sure how much that will help the SOS cause. LSU still has Auburn and Arkansas, not to mention the probable SEC championship game. Besides, LSU's schedule up to this point has been far more brutal than Ohio State's or Oklahoma's. And I still believe that South Florida and Boston College have a loss looming - and the later you lose, the worse off you are. I'm still sticking with the Tigers in the title game - against Oklahoma.
Oregon State over Cal:
OUCH! Man, what a kick in the crotch - Cal had #1 sealed up by a mile...even with a last-second win here. Reminds me of the year when Tennessee had been beaten late, in the SEC championship game, which ensured Texas a spot in the National Title game if they beat a very under-matched (and previously dominated) Colorado team. Enter Simms and you know the rest of the story.
Anyway, sorry Bears, but that stuff can happen with a backup QB in a game like that. And yet another perfect example of how turnovers can kill you. The Bears led the Beavers in all major categories...except turnovers and time of possession. Just can't do that and win games, especially close games.
Other College Football Notes:
BCS Extravaganza:
Just saw the first BCS rankings and here are my initial reactions:
So every year we hear more and more about debate about who's conference is better - even I get sucked into this discussion on a annual basis. So which is the best conference...this year? First and foremost, let's all agree that this is cyclical topic - it changes every year...or every few years. Remember when the Big 12 boasted the dreaded Nebraska Cornhuskers (as opposed to today's pushover Cornhuskers), Bill Snyder's Kansas State Wildcats, the usual suspects in OU and Texas and back then, A&M was a solid program that could beat just about anyone on any given Saturday.
Then you have the Pac 10 with it's revolving door of up-and-coming teams, that is until USC started it's reign of dominance a handful of years ago - no one can argue with the Trojans. But, in all of Cal's good years, they can never seem to beat USC (yes, I know they did it like 4 years ago, but it's time to let that go) and they always lose a game they're not supposed to - ALWAYS. Every few years Oregon goes on a nice run and winds up 10-2 or 9-3 and playing in the Holiday bowl. Other than that....
The Big 10, which proved both last year and this year to be a pretty big fraud of a conference, yet again finds itself on the top of the BCS rankings. Sidebar here - do you wonder if Tressel has sat back lately and looked at this poll and said, "how the hell did this happen?"
Anyway, Big 10 is definitely down - Wisconsin was a fraud and we all knew it from day one, Michigan isn't near as bad as the media would like them to be, but they still lost at home to a D2 school. And then there's everyone else - that conference is riddled with mediocrity and inconsistency this year...except those Buckeyes.
The Big 12 is quite the enigma this year. Of course you've got Texas on a down swing this year and A&M is quickly approaching rock bottom. OU continues it's dominance - and let's be honest, OU has played great with exception to 1 quarter of football (4th quarter against Colorado). And, they've played a pretty decent schedule thus far beating both Texas and Missouri in tough games. Remember, Missouri led going into the 4th quarter on Saturday before a fumble returned for a TD changed the game for good.
But outside of the big names, let's look at the rest of the guys - you've got Colorado and Kansas at top of the Big 12 north (they square off this weekend) with Kansas an impressive 6-0 this year thus far. Nebraska, like the aggies, is on it's way to rock bottom and a coaching change, but Kansas State is looking to turn that program around as well. I'm not ready to concede that Tech has taken the next step because they simply haven't done anything thing they don't normally do - I'm looking for them to get a big win against either OU or Texas and then win out on the games they're supposed to (they ALWAYS blow a game that they're not supposed to towards the end of the year).
ACC and Big East are very similar in that there are a bunch of chumps in the conference, but when you look at the top 5 or 6, no one wants to play those guys on any given week. Would be nice to see Boston College make some noise late into the season...but I still think they have one more loss in them at least. And the Big East just keeps beating each other out of contention. South Florida still goes to Rutgers and to Pittsburgh and gets Cincy and Louisville at home. Could very easily lose any one of those games.
And then you have the SEC - top to bottom, I really believe, the best conference out there. LSU and Florida in the same conference...surrounded by the likes of South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas and now Kentucky. Who in the world wants to play those teams year in and year out?
I'm not saying it's always like this, but for now, the SEC has the crow in terms of conference talent programs.
NFL Notes:
I hope Mack keeps the film from that Iowa State game for next year so he can show it to his players and remind them that the first 4 games of a season count - play like this. I know Iowa State is pretty bad and don't have anywhere near the same level of talent, but the Horns still executed well. They looked so much more relaxed and it was nice to see Davis not force the running issue - they just lined it up and threw it. Granted, Texas did end up with over 200 yards rushing, but half of that came from Chiles and McCoy. The nice thing is it was spread across 6 runners total (including QBs).
Most important, they did not turn the ball over AND they forced 3 turnovers - of course the last one came on the last play of the game. Special teams did give up some yardage (150 yards), but Texas was kicking off all over the place. And very nice to see John Chiles in there with his wrinkle - however, I'm not so sure this guy can pass worth a crap. I say that because he only attempted 1 yesterday and I think he's only attempted about 5 or 6 total passes connecting on maybe 2. I'd like to see them open it a bit with him and let him get involved early - especially if you can throw a 2 or 3 TD lead up early. Let's see his arm.
Don't want to make too much of this given the competition level, but it's good for them to continue to improve - they'll be entering a hellacious part of the schedule after the Baylor game next weekend and if they can play like they did yesterday, they could very well run the table. I'm not saying they will, it's just nice to see some semblance of energy and "loose-ness", they really looked relaxed. I expect to see a lot of the same next weekend in Waco.
Tech over Aggies:
I'll tell you, when the aggies marched right down the field to score on that opening drive I had a bad feeling about that game for Tech. But man-o-man, kudos to Tech for making adjustments and completely shutting them out after that. Very impressive win for Tech and I'll tell you this, these guys should be in the top 20 in the AP and Coach's polls. Harrell is continuing to raise his completion percentage (81% yesterday) and yet again throws no picks. As impressive as Tech has been, they travel to Columbia next week to play the Tigers. I don't think they need to win this game to maintain and even pick up more national respect, but they have to play well and really compete. I do think they will give Missouri's defense fits (what else is new), but I think they will have a very hard time containing the Chase Daniel offense. We shall see, but impressive win for the Raiders.
And how about those Aggies? I think we may see them go on a free fall here to close out the year - their schedule is brutal and they just don't look like a very good football team at all. If they get blown out over 2 or 3 straight weeks, don't be surprised to see them give Fran the heave-ho before season's end. He's clearly not effectively communicating or motivating these guys - at times, they look as if they have no idea what they're doing. And you absolutely can't be one dimensional. You have to be able to throw for more than 130 yards per game with no TDs (it's something like that). I'm not sure where these guys go from here, but I predict things getting worse in Aggie land before they start getting better. And perhaps Mr. Lane should refrain from making any more bold predictions. Yes, we know you can score from the one every time - carrying a team takes more than that though.
More on the Red Raiders: http://fannation.com/blogs/post/67721
Kentucky over LSU:
And here's where it all came crashing down. I'm heartbroken I missed this game (had to go to wedding), but I cannot believe that the Tigers lost. As you know, I really thought these guys are above it all and playing at a whole other level. Don't under estimate that regular season - not anymore.
I can only imagine how furious those Tigers fans may be - I know a couple of die hard fans and I imagine they are pissed..I've seen it before. But the good news for Tiger fans is this: unlike many of the past years, having a single loss, on the road to a top 20 team by no means keeps you out of the hunt for title contention. USC is clearly far more inferior than anyone ever expected; Cal lost to a far worse team; South Florida still has a tough schedule ahead and you've already beaten South Carolina. The teams to most watch out for, I believe, are Oklahoma and Ohio State. The good news is that LSU plays a tougher schedule than both of those teams going out. Oklahoma has Tech and that's the only real significant opponent. Ohio State has Michigan to close out the year, but given the death penalty that the media has seemingly imposed on these guys (which is clear now was way to severe), not sure how much that will help the SOS cause. LSU still has Auburn and Arkansas, not to mention the probable SEC championship game. Besides, LSU's schedule up to this point has been far more brutal than Ohio State's or Oklahoma's. And I still believe that South Florida and Boston College have a loss looming - and the later you lose, the worse off you are. I'm still sticking with the Tigers in the title game - against Oklahoma.
Oregon State over Cal:
OUCH! Man, what a kick in the crotch - Cal had #1 sealed up by a mile...even with a last-second win here. Reminds me of the year when Tennessee had been beaten late, in the SEC championship game, which ensured Texas a spot in the National Title game if they beat a very under-matched (and previously dominated) Colorado team. Enter Simms and you know the rest of the story.
Anyway, sorry Bears, but that stuff can happen with a backup QB in a game like that. And yet another perfect example of how turnovers can kill you. The Bears led the Beavers in all major categories...except turnovers and time of possession. Just can't do that and win games, especially close games.
Other College Football Notes:
- You've heard me harp on how overrated Colt Brennan is (I'm not suggesting, nor have I ever, that he's not a talented QB, he's just not so talented as to draw the attention he gets), but I think Friday's game proves it. Granted, he did bring his team back in OT to win, but he also put his team in a position to have to - he had 4 picks. I think that if you get him away from Hawaii, he's an average QB at best. I'll say it again, he's not doing anything that's any better (not close actually) than what Graham Harrell is doing at Tech.
- Speaking of Tech, assuming everything stays constant, there's no reason why Crabtree's name shouldn't be included in the heisman discussion. Given he's a freshman (which shouldn't matter), you probably won't hear it much.
- One note on the USC game - Arizona put the ball on the carpet 5 times and lost 3 of those fumbles....and USC needed every bit of that to knock off a very bad Wildcat team.
- I'm shocked at what Oklahoma State did to Nebraska...in Lincoln this past Saturday.
- "Fire Warning" - Next week the Aggies visit Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the train wreck that is the Nebraska Football team. Why is this significant you ask? If this game is a blowout for either team, look for the strong possibility that the losing coach gets fired after the game. The way both Fran and Callahan have fared this season, another big-time loss would be devastating. Either way I think both coaches are done after this season with their respective schools. Still can't get over how bad the Huskers are.
- Who in the world is going to win the Pac 10???
- For those of you wondering - Boston College is off next week and then they still go to Virginia Tech, get FSU at home, go to Clemson and Maryland and get Miami at home. Still a fairly formidable schedule there...look for them to suffer a loss before it's all said and done.
BCS Extravaganza:
Just saw the first BCS rankings and here are my initial reactions:
- Initial feeling is that I agree with the top 5 - you could put them in any order really (OSU and BC definitely at top), but I think it's fair and accurate.
- I'm always skeptical of teams being ranked higher than teams that, literally, just beat them. So is the case with LSU being 3 spots ahead of Kentucky - I gotta think the wins over Virginia Tech and Florida are the differences there. An even worse example is the fact that Tennessee put a beat down on Georgia and they are behind them by one spot. That's not right.
- One small surprise in the conference representation: SEC has most teams in BCS top 25 with 7, followed by.....the Big 12 with five. More on this below...
- Don't know anything about Virginia this year, but surprised to see them there.
- Florida is still in this thing, but they really need a big win this weekend at Kentucky.
So every year we hear more and more about debate about who's conference is better - even I get sucked into this discussion on a annual basis. So which is the best conference...this year? First and foremost, let's all agree that this is cyclical topic - it changes every year...or every few years. Remember when the Big 12 boasted the dreaded Nebraska Cornhuskers (as opposed to today's pushover Cornhuskers), Bill Snyder's Kansas State Wildcats, the usual suspects in OU and Texas and back then, A&M was a solid program that could beat just about anyone on any given Saturday.
Then you have the Pac 10 with it's revolving door of up-and-coming teams, that is until USC started it's reign of dominance a handful of years ago - no one can argue with the Trojans. But, in all of Cal's good years, they can never seem to beat USC (yes, I know they did it like 4 years ago, but it's time to let that go) and they always lose a game they're not supposed to - ALWAYS. Every few years Oregon goes on a nice run and winds up 10-2 or 9-3 and playing in the Holiday bowl. Other than that....
The Big 10, which proved both last year and this year to be a pretty big fraud of a conference, yet again finds itself on the top of the BCS rankings. Sidebar here - do you wonder if Tressel has sat back lately and looked at this poll and said, "how the hell did this happen?"
Anyway, Big 10 is definitely down - Wisconsin was a fraud and we all knew it from day one, Michigan isn't near as bad as the media would like them to be, but they still lost at home to a D2 school. And then there's everyone else - that conference is riddled with mediocrity and inconsistency this year...except those Buckeyes.
The Big 12 is quite the enigma this year. Of course you've got Texas on a down swing this year and A&M is quickly approaching rock bottom. OU continues it's dominance - and let's be honest, OU has played great with exception to 1 quarter of football (4th quarter against Colorado). And, they've played a pretty decent schedule thus far beating both Texas and Missouri in tough games. Remember, Missouri led going into the 4th quarter on Saturday before a fumble returned for a TD changed the game for good.
But outside of the big names, let's look at the rest of the guys - you've got Colorado and Kansas at top of the Big 12 north (they square off this weekend) with Kansas an impressive 6-0 this year thus far. Nebraska, like the aggies, is on it's way to rock bottom and a coaching change, but Kansas State is looking to turn that program around as well. I'm not ready to concede that Tech has taken the next step because they simply haven't done anything thing they don't normally do - I'm looking for them to get a big win against either OU or Texas and then win out on the games they're supposed to (they ALWAYS blow a game that they're not supposed to towards the end of the year).
ACC and Big East are very similar in that there are a bunch of chumps in the conference, but when you look at the top 5 or 6, no one wants to play those guys on any given week. Would be nice to see Boston College make some noise late into the season...but I still think they have one more loss in them at least. And the Big East just keeps beating each other out of contention. South Florida still goes to Rutgers and to Pittsburgh and gets Cincy and Louisville at home. Could very easily lose any one of those games.
And then you have the SEC - top to bottom, I really believe, the best conference out there. LSU and Florida in the same conference...surrounded by the likes of South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas and now Kentucky. Who in the world wants to play those teams year in and year out?
I'm not saying it's always like this, but for now, the SEC has the crow in terms of conference talent programs.
NFL Notes:
- Ugh, VY has yet another horrible game - 1 INT, 1 fumble and no TDs...against Tampa Bay. C'mon Titans, don't crumble this early. They travel to Houston next week so hopefully he'll break out in front of HIS home crowd.
- Memo to Cowboys - you may want to actually show up in the 1st and 4th quarters...especially when you're playing the Patriots. Nice game, but New England is just too good and exposed the Cowboy secondary.
- 2 straight losses for the Cowboys...they need a big win to snap this streak.
- Did anyone see what Peterson did against the Bears' mighty defense yesterday? WOW! We always knew this guy was a stud - especially when he ran 220 yards against Texas as a freshman. He'll be the premier back in the league in less than 4 years. By a mile.
- So much for the Texans turning it around this year...man did they get pounded.
- You know the NFC is bad when, at least as of right now, the Cowboys and Packers are the two best teams by a long shot. If you're the Cowboys you have to be thinking home field advantage assuming it plays out like this - you do not want to play Green Bay in Wisconsin in January.
- How about those Saints?
- I've really never liked Tom Brady (this is based on nothing really), but this guy is just putting up unreal numbers this year...5 TDs yesterday against the class of the NFC.
- Romo is so far away from being in the same league as Brady and Manning it's not even funny. But, he can get there if he continues to improve like he has.
- I'm going out on a limb - Rams go 2-14 this year.
- Who in the world scheduled this Monday night game - Giants at Falcons!!???
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 3:59 PM
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