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Bet your house on Florida, and other things to discuss;

Lots to discuss, wasting no time here…..

Let’s start off with the big event in sports.  Tomorrow night’s BCS National Championship Game, Florida vs. Oklahoma.

There’s only one way to put this.  Bet everything you have on Florida right now.  It’s going to be a massive blowout.  I have about thirty reasons why this will happen, but here’s just the best reasons;

1) The Big 12 has been exposed as EXTREMELY overrated this year

Say what you will about the Big Ten and the ACC and the Big East all sucking, but the Big 12 should be VERY embarrassed with their overexposure and underwhelming bowl performances.

At one point, there were multiple teams from the Big 12 ranked in the Top 10.  It was getting ridiculous, and the AP voters and TV announcers ate it up like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.  “Every week is like a bowl game in the Big 12″ they would say.  Bullshit, I say.  They were all pretty average.  Here’s how their bowl games turned out;

Texas 24, Ohio State 21 – In a game that EVERYBODY said would be a 20-point blowout, it took a miracle drive, bad tackling, and some questionable officiating to put Texas in the end zone to win the game.  Somehow along the way, hitting a Longhorn QB in the shoulder pads became a 15-yard penalty.  In the end, the team that cried their eyes out claiming they were robbed out of the title game proved that they did not deserve any titles at all.  Texas went in thinking they would run up the score and pick up some first-place votes found themselves without a TD (and only 3 total points) for the entire first half.

Overrated?  Texas was ranked #1 in the nation at one point this year, Ohio State was given a 9% chance to win the game.  Yes, Texas was overrated.

Ole Miss 47, Texas Tech 34 – Ole Miss is an average SEC team, always finishing in the middle of the pack.  Texas Tech was another team looking to destroy their bowl opponent, this time to prove that they should have gotten in a BCS game.  Mission failed.  Badly.  After getting off to a fast start, the Red Raiders proved that they deserved absolutely nothing when they allowed Ole Miss to go on a 38-7 run and blow out their Big 12 foe.

Overrated?  Texas Tech was ranked #2 in the nation earlier this year.  Ole Miss lost to Vanderbilt and South Carolina…both at home.  Yes, Tech was overrated.

Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 (OT) – Despite the wishes of the Big 12’s most popular brother-sister team (otherwise known as Chase Daniel’s parents), Missouri looked like crap against the Big Ten’s 8th-best pass defense.  Northwestern should have won this game, but some late miscues handed the game to Mizzou.

Overrated?  Missouri was once ranked #3 in the NCAA.  Northwestern lost a game by 35 points this year.  Yes, Missouri was overrated.

Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31 - Okie State started off fast, but couldn’t maintain themselves against a rushing attack from the Ducks.  Two Oregon players would break the 100-yard mark on their way to 307 yards team rushing.  Oregon also racked up a total of 565 yards aginst Okie State.

Overrated?  Oklahoma State was once ranked #7 in the nation.  Yes, Okie State was overrated.

Nebraska 26, Clemson 21 – In the Gator Bowl, Nebraska was trying to recapture some of their historic greatness, and their prospects were large, playing against a team that only won 7 games in the pathetic ACC….a team so bad, they fired their coach mid-season.  And they barely escaped with the win, when a Tigers TD was overturned by instant review.

Overrated?  Well, Nebraska was never rated.  But they barely beat a bad, bad team.

Kansas 42, Minnesota 21 – The lone bright spot for the conference so far, Kansas doubled up on Minnesota, who were bowling to the shock of everyone not in a Gopher uniform at the start of the season.  As the season wore on, Minnesota’s weak schedule was exposed by the Big Ten, and the regular season ended mercifully with a 55-0 Minny loss.

Overrated?  Kansas was actually ranked as high as #13 this year.  Minny lost a game 55-0.  Yes, Kansas was overrated.

The point of all this is simple – the Big 12 was NOT the meat-grinder that the media told us it was over and over and over again.  Oklahoma’s not ready for this game.

#2) Florida IS ready for this game

A bad performance by Tim Tebow once this year nearly cost Florida a shot, but they came back in a dominating way.  Since their loss in Week 4, they have been unstoppable.  Take a look at this;

• Week 5 – 31-point win against Arkansas
• Week 6 – 30-point win over then-#4 LSU
• Week 7 – 58-point win over bowl-bound Kentucky
• Week 8 – 39-point win over then-#6 Georgia
• Week 9 – 28-point win over bowl-bound Vanderbilt
• Week 10 – 50-point win over bowl-bound and then-#25 South Carolina
• Week 11 – 51-point win over The Citadel
• Week 12 – 30-point win over bowl-bound Florida State
• Week 13 – 11-point win over then-#1 and BCS-Bowl bound Alabama

Yeah, they’re ready.

3) The Heisman Curse

Sam Bradford won the Heisman this year.  Heisman winners usually suck in bowl games, especially National Championships (we know, we know).  Only twice in the past 30 years has the Heisman winner gone on to win a National Championship.  No, Tebow didn’t win it the year Florida took the title (Troy Smith won it).

4) Oklahoma pretty much sucks at BCS bowl games

For all the whining and crying you hear about Ohio State’s recent bowl losses, you just don’t hear those kind of attacks leveled at the Sooners.  And believe me, they’re much worse.  In their last 4 BCS bowls, they are 0-4 and have been blown out more than once.

• 2008 – Lost to West Virginia 48-28
• 2007 – Lost to Boise State 43-42
• 2005 – Lost to USC 55-19
• 2004 – Lost to LSU 21-14

If they make it 0-5, we’d better NEVER hear about our own shortcomings again.  Especially since they’ll have lost two national championships in that time frame.

Convinced?  Call Vegas ASAP.

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Last night, the Cavaliers overtook the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference when Boston lost.  The Cavs now have the best record in the NBA.

Tonight, the Cavaliers beat the living daylights out of Charlotte, 111-81.  Boston’s loss last night?  It was to that same Charlotte team.

The Celtics come to The Q Friday night.  It should be insaaaaaane!

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Speaking of the Cavaliers game, there were many highlights to go over.  But the best was watching former Michigan Fab-Fiver Juwan Howard get tossed from the game while sitting on the bench.

By the way, did you know that the Fab Five never won a single title in college?  No national titles, no Big Ten titles, nothing.  Just thought I’d mention that.

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In the “what the hell” category, Boobie Gibson also got a technical foul tonight.  For having an untucked shirt.  No, I’m not kidding.

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The Cleveland Browns hired their new coach tonight.  Eric Mangini, former Jets coach, and former ball boy for the Browns, will call the plays next year.

Makes sense to me.  Hell, there were CURRENT ball boys that could have done better with the Browns this season.

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Last week, it was announced that Michigan’s only offensive threat, Sam McGuffie, has left Ann Arbor and will enroll at Rice next year.  McGuffie was rumored to have been struggling with depression and on medication.  Being closer to home will be better for the kid.

Also better for him will be not having to deal with decapitation at the hands of Ohio State special teams players.

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Finally, in the most laughable news you’ll ever hear, Michigan Head Coach Rich Rodriquez recently said he has “always taken the approach that you should look at each job as your last.”

Yeah, he actually said that.  With a straight face, no less.

Story By The Buckeye Battle Cry

A Little Refresher: Top Five Bowl Games of Last Year

5. Gaylord Music City Bowl—Kentucky 35, Florida State 28

This game stayed very close the whole way through as both teams swapped touchdowns throughout the first half ending the half tied at 14. Kentucky quarterback, Andre Woodson had a huge game passing for over 350 yards and four touchdowns.

Florida State scored a touchdown with just over two minutes left in the game to put the Seminoles within a touchdown, but after getting the ball back with around a minute to go, they couldn’t tie the game up with another touchdown.

 

4. Konica Minolta Gator Bowl—Texas Tech 31, Virginia 28

After the first half it seemed like Virginia would cruise on back home with the Gator Bowl after a 21-7 lead, but a Texas Tech comeback ended those hopes.

Graham Harrell had a big game as usual, passing for over 400 yards, and so did his favorite receiver in Micheal Crabtree who had over 100 receiving yards. The Red Raiders scored their last 17 points within the last four minutes which included a game-winning field goal with two seconds left.

 

3. Chick-fil-A Bowl—Auburn 23, Clemson 20 (OT)

A back-and-forth game the whole time, Auburn ended up getting the last touchdown in this overtime battle. Auburn’s new spread offense helped them gain all of 423 yards, and gave them a big win over Clemson.

For Clemson, CJ Spiller and James Davis both had big games, but Clemson could only manage to get a field goal in overtime which wasn’t enough for the win.

 

2. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl—East Carolina 41, Boise State 38

East Carolina kicker, Ben Hartmen, made a 37-yard field goal as time expired to stun the Boise State Broncos.

Boise State looked like they would pull off another miracle, after they scored a defensive touchdown off of a fumble recovery as with under two minutes to play.

East Carolina’s running back, Chris Johnson who’s now playing for the Tennessee Titans was the obvious player of the game as he accounted for 408 total yards.

 

1. Capital One Bowl—Michigan 41, Florida 35

Nobody gave Michigan any chance in this game, but the Wolverines came out fired up and ready to play in this intense game. Although Florida’s offense proved almost unstoppable, the Gators couldn’t shut down Chad Henne or Mike Hart.

Michigan got a field goal and a touchdown within the last five minutes which was enough to be named the Capitol One Bowl champions.

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BCS Got it Right: Oklahoma More Deserving than Texas or Texas Tech

I’m not a Texas fan or a Texas Tech fan and I don’t like Oklahoma.

I don’t like Oklahoma because they appear to get overrated in the polls each year and because I seem to remember Bob Stoops once saying, “The Big East and the Atlantic Coastal Conference should  play an elimination game for a BCS automatic bid.”

I’m hoping Oklahoma loses to Missouri this weekend and ends up playing Boise State in a bowl game.

However, I really do believe that the Sooners rightfully deserve the chance to play in the Big 12 Championship game over Texas or Texas Tech.

I know that Texas beat Oklahoma 45-35 on a neutral field and I know that Texas Tech beat Texas and Oklahoma beat Texas Tech.

You can go around in circles forever about which one deserves the higher BCS ranking on the basis of these three games. That’s up to you.

Oklahoma is still the right choice!

The Sooners aren’t more deserving because they totally annihilated Texas Tech as some people suggest, but rather because they went out and beat some tough non-conference teams while Texas and Texas Tech did not.

Oklahoma beat Cincinnati, the Big East champion, and TCU, currently ranked 11th in the BCS.

Texas played and beat Arkansas, Rice, UTEP, and Florida Atlantic. Meanwhile, Texas Tech had the easiest schedule of any Divison 1A team in the country—the Red Raiders beat Umass, Eastern Washington, Nevada, and SMU.

There is a lesson here—if you want to be highly-regarded, go out and schedule some tough non-conference teams!

Alabama, No. 1 in the BCS, didn’t make an effort to play a tough non-conference schedule. I don’t consider Clemson, Tulane, Western Kentucky, and Arkansas State a real test. They’re No. 1 because no one else from a BCS conference is undefeated.

Florida did play some tough games out of conference. They beat Miami (FL) and Florida State. This didn’t get them ranked higher than Alabama because they have a loss, but it did help the odds makers to decide they should be a 10-point favorite over Alabama in the SEC Championship Game this weekend.

USC is another team that made an effort to play a good non-conference schedule—Virginia, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Nobody knew how bad Notre Dame was going to be, but I believe it’s the way they beat Ohio State and the great defense they play that makes USC the best team in the country.

Back to the topic: Oklahoma should be rewarded for aggressive scheduling and Texas and Texas Tech should be penalized for poor scheduling.

This makes more sense than arguing about which one of the three had better wins against each other.

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Big Ten and the BCS: No major changes

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

The Big Ten regular season wrapped up last week, so neither Penn State nor Ohio State had a chance to improve in the BCS Standings. Not surprisingly, both teams didn’t budge when the latest standings came out this afternoon. 

As I’ve written many times before, it’s a crime that Penn State remains No. 8 in the BCS standings, behind both Utah and Texas Tech. The Lions are ranked ahead of the Utes and the Red Raiders in the human polls, but they’re a good distance behind No. 5 USC.

Add in a terrible computer average (No. 9), Penn State slips down the BCS standings despite a very impressive regular season. The BCS standing doesn’t really matter, as Penn State no longer remains in the national title hunt and can validate its season by beating USC in the Rose Bowl. 

Ohio State held at No. 10, behind BCS at-large competitor Boise State (No. 9). But the Buckeyes likely will get the nod over the Broncos for the final at-large spot after Oregon State stumbled Saturday night against Oregon. Ohio State isn’t too popular with the computers, either (No. 11). 

Michigan State dropped two spots to No. 21, and Northwestern moved up two spots to No. 22 despite not being ranked in the computer average. How does that happen?

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Inside the Polls: Why Is Penn State Higher Than Utah?

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Top 25 Roundup: Boomer Sooner!

Can anyone honestly say they expected the outcomes of yesterday’s games? I doubt it. There were those who thought that Cinderella had started to call Lubbock home. But don’t get those tickets to Miami just yet, fans.

Check out who made the noise over this past college football weekend.

#5 Oklahoma 65, #2 Texas Tech 21

That score is not a typo, people. The Oklahoma Sooners not only dominated the Ultimate Underdogs of the Big XII…they straight up sank their undefeated ship. Now the Sooners have no other choice but to take the #3 spot away from Texas. Why is that you ask? Let’s do the rundown of the three meetings between these three teams this season:

Texas beat Oklahoma by 10 in the Red River Rivalry. Texas Tech beat Texas by six on a last second touchdown pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree. This past weekend, Oklahoma killed the Red Raiders by 44. Need I say more? In the words of WWE’s Good Ol’ JR: Boomer Sooner! Oklahoma in my book did enough to earn the #3 spot, but unfortunately, they didn’t do enough to get #2 because…

#3 Florida 70, The Citadel 19

If Tim Tebow is heading to the NFL after this season, expect people to talk about his performance in his final five games. But yesterday, the Superman of Florida put on a clinic against a team that is used to being the punching bag of the Gators. The Gators scored on their first seven possessions and racked up 512 yards…in the first half alone!

Here’s another dangerous stat for Florida State and Alabama to realize: Florida is the first and only team to score 42 points in six consecutive games. Now who did they play before that streak started? You guessed it. Ole Miss. So if this was the last time that the Gator Nation saw him at Da Swamp, he sent everyone home with visions of National Championships dancing in their heads. And with the Sooners beating Texas Tech, they will jump Texas and take #2 outright.

#21 Oregon State 19, Arizona 17

The Beavers are smelling roses? That’s right. With a win against Oregon this coming weekend, the Oregon State Beavers will have done what many have tried but been unable to do: Take the Pac-10 Championship away from Los Angeles, California. On a night where anything could have happened, the Beavers shocked the world once again with a victory over a pretty good football team in Arizona.

With the victory over the Wildcats, the Beavers are primed to win the Pac-10 Championship even if they finish in a tie with the USC Trojans. Even better news? The win over the Ducks will put them in the Rose Bowl against a team that dominated the big Ten all season long…

#8 Penn State 49, #17 Michigan State 18

He may not be talking, but he is smiling right now. After a season that saw the Nittany Lions’ chances of a berth in the BCS Championship go up in smoke after a trip to Iowa, the Lions continued to do what they do best: Winning. After destroying the Spartans in a game that wasn’t even close, the Lions are now heading to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl. Whether it’s against USC or Oregon State remains to be seen, but for Penn State, it doesn’t matter.

As far as smiling goes, Joe Paterno is doing nothing else but smiling. The talks of retirement far from his mind, he is now focused on The Rose Bowl and getting the respect back into the Big Ten that was lost on Ohio State and Michigan.

Florida State 37, #22 Maryland 3

This is a touching story, and coming from a Florida Gators Fan, that means a lot. But despite the Seminoles crushing blow on the Terrapins last night, it was about one player in particular.

I would like to send my congratulations to Myron Rolle of Florida State who interviewed for the Rhodes Scholarship on Friday in Birmingham, Alabama. The young Seminole won the Scholarship and then went out and did his part to ensure that Florida State not only is motivated going into their home showdown for the Governor’s Cup against Florida this coming weekend, but also looking at a chance to play in the ACC Championship. But they need Maryland (yes, the very same team they just crushed) to beat Boston College next week.

So where will Florida State’s concentration be come next Saturday?

#10 Ohio State 50, Michigan 14

Just to make all the Buckeyes fans feel better, and to make the Wolverines fans cry even more, the Ohio State Buckeyes delivered a couple of gifts to Big Blue over the weekend:

The first was the Wolverines most embarrassing loss in this rivalry since 1968. The second gift was handing the Wolverines the most losses in their program’s history. Head coach Rich Rodriguez gave Michigan a few gifts of their own: The first time in 34 years that we will not see Michigan in a bowl game and they have their first losing season in 41 years.

Now that it’s over, I have a question for the Michigan Fans. You had high hopes after Lloyd Carr left the program. Rich Rodriguez sorely disappointed you this season. Now the Wolverines will be scratching their asses at home instead of playing against someone in a bowl game. First losing season in 41 years and no bowl game for first time in 34 years. Actually two questions: How do you like ‘dem apples and can Rich right the ship next season?

So how’s the Top Five Look Now?

#5) Texas Tech

#4) Texas

#3) Oklahoma

#2) Florida

#1) Alabama

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BCS 2008: A Simple Game of What Ifs Turns Complicated

We’ve all got questions for the BCS. Even the kid in the photo is tired from staying up all night with the hopes that his future alma mater will play for the National Championship. But the next four weeks will be crucial for everyone in the country.

Who would have thought that a simple game of “What if…” would become so complicated in such a short period of time?

What If…Texas Tech beats Oklahoma this weekend?

If the Red Raiders defeat the Sooners tomorrow, this means that the talk about three way ties and Longhorns in the BCS Championship will officially cease. The Raiders will win the Big XII South outright, and if they can beat Missouri, they will win the Big XII Championship and a berth into the BCS Championship.

What If…Michigan State upsets Penn State?

The Spartans win the Big Ten Championship with a victory over the Nittany Lions and an Ohio State loss to Michigan (like that’s going to happen). Michigan State is slightly underrated this season, but people seem to realize just how good they are. But are they good enough to beat Penn State in Happy Valley? Some would say no…but anything can happen on College Football Weekend.

What If…Tech, Oklahoma and Texas all finish with one loss?

This is where the Big XII gets complicated. They’re saying that they will go with who is ranked higher, but doesn’t Tech deserve to be higher than Texas? Since Oklahoma beat Tech, do they deserve to rank higher than Texas? Complicated, ain’t it? Here’s the simple solution. #3 Texas Tech, #4 Oklahoma & #5 Texas. How complicated can a computer make it?

What If…Florida beats Alabama for the SEC Championship?

If Florida finishes the season with the one loss, they’ll most likely move up to #2, therefore setting up a #1 Alabama vs. #2 Florida matchup for the SEC Championship in Atlanta. If Florida wins, they’ll have no choice but to place them in the BCS Championship Game in Miami. But the Gators aren’t thinking about Alabama at the moment…they’re thinking about Florida State in Tallahassee next weekend.

What If…Oregon State wins the Pac-10 Championship?

Yes, it’s possible for the Trojans to win the Pac-10 Championship. But it’s also possible for the Beavers to win it as well. If in the event that both teams lose one more conference game, USC wins the conference. But if they finish tied atop the Pac-10 at season’s end, guess who wins it? Oregon State wins the Pac-10 Conference, and USC’s slim hopes of a BCS Championship berth go up in smoke completely.

What If…the current #1 and #2 remain undefeated and win their conferences?

Then all this talk would be for nothing. Texas would most likely play Florida in a BCS game. Oklahoma would have a rematch with Boise State. And the remaining conference champions? Well…that’s not important in this part of the conversation. But the BCS Championship Game will have an undisputed #1 and #2 team in Alabama and Texas Tech. But Tech losing to three to Alabama as one fan believes? That’s not going to happen.

What If…there was a playoff system in place?

The current system has been flawed since its arrival. No one is expecting perfection, but we are getting pretty sick of the mountain of controversy that seems to be surrounding it year after year. If there was a playoff system in place, the four best teams (record wise) in the Big XII (Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Texas & Missouri) would get a fair shot at the BCS Championship. But it brings more of a catastrophe than a solution this season. You got conference champions, better records and record against Top 25, Top 10 & Top 5 teams.

There are too many teams to make a playoff system now…unless you’re thinking the Top 20 teams or Top 12 teams. But even then, there would be someone who would have a problem with this.

So…what if everything happens the way we expect it to happen?

Two simple answers: Grab a beer, some burgers & some alka seltzer to watch the game and if it didn’t work out for you this year…sorry about your damn luck!

But that’s just my opinion.

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College Football Predictions: Baby’s Losers For Nov. 8th, Danger Zone

This past weekend gave football fans a number of close finishes. The epic battle in Minneapolis between Northwestern and Minnesota, the tight struggle featuring Oregon State and Arizona State, the rugged clash of Texas Tech and Texas, and the high-scoring duel of Tulsa and Arkansas all confounded the experts in last week’s contest of Baby’s Losers.

This week we will explore another group of tightly-contested games. Some are for positioning in the national race, some concern conference races, and others deal with only bragging rights. All should provide another week of consternation in the community.

BABY’S LOSERS 11/8/08

1) ALABAMA @ LSU—Good spot for the Tigers. They should be ready to pull the upset special in the SEC this season in a wild hometown circus atmosphere. Baby’s Loser, LSU.

2) PENN STATE @ IOWA—Good spot for the Hawkeyes. They should be ready to pull the upset special of the Big 10 in a wild hometown circus atmosphere. Baby’s Loser, Iowa.

3) CALIFORNIA @ SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA—BCS Bowl Battle Royal. The Bears stake their claim for the PAC 10 title behind solid all-around play. Baby’s Loser, California.

4) MINNESOTA @ MICHIGAN– Battle for the Little Brown Jug ! The most famous rivalry trophy in all of football will end up in Gopher hands this year. Baby’s Loser, Michigan.

5) ARKANSAS @ SOUTH CAROLINA—Gamecocks sport the No.3 defense in the country under the tutoring of Ellis Johnson. Lots of injuries for Carolina. Baby’s Loser, Arkansas.

6) WYOMING @ TENNESSEE—Volunteers were crushed by Gamecocks last week, can they rebound against the ever-improving Cowboys? Baby’s Loser, Wyoming.

7) THE ARMY @ RICE—A trip down to Texas will do the Black Knights good after their tremendous battle with Air Force. Look for the Owls to go bowling. Baby’s Loser, Army.

GAME OF THE WEEK

OKLAHOMA STATE @ TEXAS TECH– Under normal circumstances this wouldn’t require thinking about twice. It is a given that the Red Raiders should be flat and easy pickings for the Cowboys. If Texas Tech is still celebrating the win over Texas during this week they will find themselves beaten by the Pokes and headed to the Cotton Bowl, while the hated Longhorns move on to the Fiesta Bowl as Big 12 Champions.

Still, the idea that big wins can carry confidence over to the next game should apply here if, Mike Leach is the genius he is purported to be. Baby’s Loser, Oklahoma State.

RACE FOR THE TITLE

NAME                LAST WEEK       MISSED                     THE YEAR/PERCENT

“12″               5-3                N’western, Ark, Fla      66-14       83 percent

Timothy          6-2                N’western, Arkansas    64-16       80 percent

BABY TATE WENT 6-2, MISSING NORTHWESTERN AND ARKANSAS, FOR THE YEAR 62–18 AND 78 percent

We had five people who went 7-1 for the week. Kristofer, Big 10 C/L, missed only Texas Tech beating Texas. Jimson and Chris both missed Florida beating Georgia. Colin and Nick enjoyed equal success and missed only Northwestern’s breath-taking last moment win over Minnesota.

Coming in at 6-2 for the week were Red Raider and Issac, along with Cliff, Tony, and Brad. At 5-3 for the week we have Gray Ghost, Trey, Michael, Daniel, Aaron, Alabama Adam, Bobby, Robert, Chase, Tim, and Thomas.

Ryan went 4-3 as he did not pick the Northwestern-Minnesota game. Judging by most of the results, the rest of us would have been better off not to tackle that one as well!

Kent and College Football went 4-4 while Mitch came in at 3-5 as he went for the upsets.

Thanks to everyone who participated. We’ve had great success and readership of this series and it has been picked up by national sports websites as well.

Keep up the good work and we’ll see how we all do during this week’s heavyweight battles.

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Penn State remains No. 3 in BCS standings

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Despite No. 1 Texas’ loss to Texas Tech, Penn State remained No. 3 in the latest BCS standings after a bye week.

Texas Tech leapfrogged the Nittany Lions into the No. 2 spot thanks to a computer average that ties the Red Raiders with No. 1, Alabama. Penn State is ranked No. 2 in both the Coaches’ Poll and the Harris Poll, but its computer average of No. 4 prevented a climb.

Fortunately for the Lions, there’s a sizable gap in the standings between the three unbeaten teams and those with one loss (No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 7 USC). So if Penn State sweeps its remaining three games, it likely will reach the BCS title game as long as either Alabama or Texas Tech loses once. Of the three unbeaten BCS-conference teams, Penn State has the easiest path to an unbeaten season, so it’s still in good shape.

Ohio State moved up to No. 11 in the BCS standings after a bye week. Michigan State jumped three spots to No. 18 after its win against Wisconsin, and Northwestern re-entered the BCS standings at No. 24 after a road upset of Minnesota.

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