10 Top 10s For College Football: The Week Before the Bowls

Top 10 Teams

1) Utah-Still haven’t lost, does the Tide hand them one?

2) Boise- No BCS but personally I think their opponent, TCU, would beat Ohio State as well.

3) Texas-Third in the BCS, second in the Heisman voting, first in the Fiesta?

4) Oklahoma-Congrats Sam Bradford.

5) Penn State-Getting no respect.

6) USC-Based purely on their loss.

7) Texas Tech-Snubbed in the BCS and the Heisman race, will have something to prove on the second.

Florida-The only one loss team to lose at home.

9) Alabama-It may get ugly against the Utes.

10) Cincinnati-Underrated as they played the bulk of the season with their fourth string QB.

Top 10 Players of 2008

1) Tim Tebow-Got the most first place votes for the Heisman and gets mine as well.

2) Terrance Cody-The difference maker in Tuscaloosa.

3) Colt McCoy-There were times I thought he would never have another incomplete pass.

4) Rey Malalgua-Unbelievable talent.

5) Sam Bradford-The Heisman winner.

6) Janoris Jenkins-If you saw the Gators play this year you heard his name more than Tebow.

7) Shonn Greene- Single handily resurrected a program and saved a coaches job.

Ian Johnson-A lifetime achievement award.

9) Aaron Curry-One of the best in the country.

10) Knowshawn Moreno-Is there anything he doesn’t do well?

Top 10 Big Games of 2008

1) USC 35, Ohio State 3-Most people thought the title game was going to happen in September this year.

2) Alabama 41, Georgia 30-It was over by the end of the first quarter.

3) Texas 45, Oklahoma 35-Not sure what this really meant.

4) Oklahoma State 28, Missouri 23-Missouri was ranked No. 3 at the time.

5) TCU 32, BYU 7- It wasn’t as close as the score.

6) Penn State 13, Ohio State 6-How the Big Ten was won.

7) Texas Tech 39, Texas 33-Also one of the most exciting games of the year.

Oklahoma 65, Texas Tech 21- The style points put the Sooners in the title game.

9) Oregon 65, Oregon State 38-103 points later the Trojans were in the Rose Bowl.

10) Florida 31, Alabama 20-Last but not least.

10 Upsets That Shaped The 2008 Season

1) Alabama 34, Clemson 10-Clemson was a five point favorite, what a joke.

2) Oregon State 27, USC 21-The Trojans were 23 point favorites.

3) Alabama 41, Georgia 30- The Tide were getting seven in this one.

4) Mississippi 31, Florida 30-Ole Miss was 2-4 against teams with a winning record this year, this was one of the two; they were 25 point dogs in The Swamp as well.

5) Texas 45, Oklahoma 35-Sooners were favored by seven.

6) Texas Tech 39, Texas 33-Knocked the Horns from the title game.

7) Iowa 24, Penn State 23-One point separates the Lions from the title game; they were favored by eight.

Georgia Tech 45, Georgia 42-Made even the most die hard SEC fan think twice about the strength of the conference.

9) Buffalo 42, Ball State 21-We didn’t have to worry about Ball State and the BCS as the 15 point favorites went down hard.

10) East Carolina 27, Virginia Tech 22- How soon we forget.

Top 10 Things I Hope We Don’t See In 2009

1) Stoppage after every play-Every fumble, reception, Interception, etc is a tive minute stoppage, and people wonder why the game takes too long?

2) OJ Simpson-This guy’s act is so stale, let’s just leave him in his jail cell for a while.

3) The BCS- Wishful thinking.

4) Brent Musburger-Talk about stale acts.

5) Bad Rule Changes-The clock rules were a joke, see No. 1.

6) 6-6 teams going to bowl games-This is a huge part of the problem and why there is no playoff.

7) 1-AA teams on the schedule-These games shouldn’t count as one of the 12 games; we’re going to see a lot more of these as less teams from major conferences qualify for bowls.

Bad Officiating-Maybe it’s time to hold these guys accountable for changing outcomes through horrible calls.

9) Inconsistency-Watch five games at once, a penalty in one game is a no call in others, especially regarding celebrations and sideline infractions.

10) Media Spin-Take away these guys vote and poll while we’re at it too, they are clueless and obviously only support whomever their employer has an interest in.

Top 10 Things That Defined The 2008 Season

1) The Spread Offense-Will be the answer to a trivia question someday.

2) The Horse Collar- Making it illegal made it a mainstream word.

3) The Big 12- Had the game of the year almost every week.

4) Tim Tebow’s Speech-Was good to his word after the loss to Ole Miss.

5) BCS Controversy-Part of every season it seems.

6) Tommy Bowden-The fraud finally held accountable, no wonder they started winning once he was gone.

7) Weeknight Games-Not just one here and there, multiple games almost every night.

Impact Freshman-They are playing right away everywhere, leaving even faster.

9) Weather Postponed Games-Seems to be happening more and more.

10) ESPN-I don’t watch their pregame or postgame stuff but from what I’ve learned what they say seems to be more important than what happens on the field.

Top 10 Impact Freshmen of 2008

1) Julio Jones-All he was billed to be and then some.

2) Sean Spence-Hits like a Mack Truck.

3) AJ Green-Even made Matt Stafford look good from time to time.

4) Janoris Jenkins-May have been what was missing for the Gators.

5) Robert Griffin-Mr. Excitement.

6) Terrelle Pryor-Will he bring the Buckeyes a title?

7) Jacquizz Rodgers-Would anyone complain if I put him No. 1?

Kellen Moore-Didn’t look like a freshman.

9) DeAndre Brown-If he’s at a bigger school more people know who he is.

10) Marcus Forston-Going to be a force.

Top 10 Ways I Plan On Fighting College Football Withdrawal

1) Working on my book-I don’t think this will make me rich but that isn’t the point of it.

2) Expanding my site into a network of Sports Sites-Exciting stuff already in the works; NFL, MLB, CBB, NBA, NHL, etc., going to have it all.

3) Interviewing Writers-Going to need a lot of fresh content, can’t do it myself.

4) Working with my Tech Guy-I don’t know anything about this stuff but I’ve seen the mock ups for the new sites and get ready for some jaw dropping stuff.

5) Integrating more with my Blogging community-Things have happened so fast I’ve put off a lot of requests.

6) Take a vacation-I’ve been going full speed for months on end.

7) Get back in good shape-I’ve spent a lot of time sitting and eating the past few months, time to work it off.

Learn how to text message-Been on my list for years, not really that interested.

9) Clear off the TIVO-No idea how long that stuff will stay but I haven’t watched most of it.

10) Relax-Something I probably don’t do enough.

10 Things I Learned When I Converted My Newsletter To A Blog

1) Spammers are everywhere-I get a spam comment every six minutes on average; very thankful for spam blocking software.

2) College Football fans are everywhere-I read every email and comment, sometimes over 500 a week; thanks for all of them (at least  most of them).

3) Having a community is a great thing- I enjoy having hundreds of thousands of people to talk college football with.

4) There are some mean people out there-Some ignorant and spineless ones as well.

5) There are websites built on stolen content-And they don’t credit the author or the source either.

6) There are a lot of people who know a lot about college football-Pretty amazing how regional coverage really works.

7) Traffic is the most important thing-You can be a great writer or picker or whatever but if no one reads it what’s the point.

Most people prefer facts and analysis-While my 10 top 10’s is my most popular Bleacher Report series, it is far and away the least popular series as far as traffic at The College Football Place.

9) If you build it and provide quality, they will come-I went from a standing start to over 350,000 monthly visitors in five months, I thank everyone for being part of it all.

10) Short is sweet-I know my videos are too long, at least my paragraphs aren’t what they used to be; the Internet reader is a different breed.

10 Odd Things In College Football

1) Firing Tommy Tubberville-It’s been a week and I still don’t get it.

2) Hiring Gene Chizik-Not sure if he’s Head Coach material, his Iowa State team didn’t look to be going in the right direction.

3) Contract extensions for Head Coaches-It seems these guys get one right before a horrible season.

4) People who pick games without point spreads-There’s a reason there are so many college football games that have double digit point spreads, this isn’t the NFL where anyone can really beat anyone.

5) The vote of confidence-Is it really the kiss of death?

6) What is a reviewable play-The worst calls aren’t reviewable because no one could have dreamed up they would have happened.

7) No Coach accountability for players who get in trouble-Don’t they promise parents to take care of their kids?

A win against a 1-AA team counts as much as beating a ranked team-When did this happen? Teams were always penalized for these games.

9) Some conferences have championships and others don’t-Is this record padding?

10) There is less talk of a playoff than ever-Everyone seems to be afraid of upsetting someone.

Visit Mitch anytime at The College Football Place

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Big Ten Coaching Outlook: Who’s on the Hot Seat?

Coaching changes are taking place all over the country, and are filling up a lot of air time of ESPN.

From the firing of Tommy Bowden at Clemson to the hiring of Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, excellence is being demanded. Unlike many conferences around the country, the coaching outlook actually looks pretty stable at this point in the year.

I am actually shocked by this, because I figured there would be a much larger coaching shake up in the Big Ten with the lack of success taking place for many teams. Let’s take a look…

Illinois

Ron Zook has been coaching the Fighting Illini since 2005, and has made a big splash in recruiting the Mid-West.

Zook has quickly become one of the most notable head coaches in the Big Ten despite his 18-30 record with the Illini. He won Champaign over with his 9-4 record and Rose Bowl bid in 2007, but one has to wonder if that was the exception not the rule.

With a 5-7 record in 2008, Zook is going to have to translate his recruiting classes to wins to keep his job for the long haul!

Indiana

You have to wonder how good the Hoosiers could have been with Hoeppner at the helm, but now they are stuck with Bill Lynch.

IU being embarrassed not once, but twice by a MAC school highlights how bad Lynch really is. He could not keep his job at Ball State (fired in ‘02), and is obviously not the quality the Hoosiers need.

Speaking of Ball State, Head Coach Brady Hoke would be a great candidate for the Hoosiers to look at. You know the old statement,“If you can’t beat ‘um, steal their coach!”

Anyways, Lynch’s days seem to be numbered in Bloomington.  

Iowa

After the 2004 season Kirk Ferentz looked to be one of the best coaches in the Big Ten, and was coming off of three seasons with records of 11-2, 10-3, and 10-2. The next three seasons were not so friendly to Hawkeyes, and I along with many thought this with Ferentz’s last season.

The 8-4 season they put together looks to have saved his job, and he owes Shonn Greene a big thank you.

Michigan

It’s hard to say anything positive about what is going on up in Ann Arbor or about Rich Rodriguez.

He came in and changed traditions, changed the style of ball, and ticked off the Wolverine faithful. The 3-9 record he produced didn’t make up for any of that, and I personally wonder how much time he has with the Maize and Blue. In fact rumors surfaced about him going to Clemson, with many of Michigan fans were already talking about Brian Kelly of Cincinnati replacing him.

Overall I think Rich Rodriguez can turn things around, but he needs time, and that means winning the fans over again!

Michigan State

Mark Dantonio has been the stable coach that the Spartans needed.

I don’t think he is ever going to blow anyone away with his offensive schemes or risky play calling, but seems to have cleaned things up a bit in East Lansing. He has things going in the right direction, and I don’t see him going anywhere anytime soon.

Things might be a little rough without Ringer next season, but Dantonio doesn’t need to worry about his job.  

Minnesota

If anyone doubted Tim Brewster after the 1-11 start at Minnesota, they do not now.

The Gophers did lose their final four games, but the 7-5 record they produced is miles ahead of last season. Brewster offers a much fresher style, and it has really paid off for him on the recruiting trail as well.

The Big Ten really needs more teams like Minnesota to step up, and you better believe I will be rooting Brewster on. 

Northwestern

Pat Fitzgerald didn’t take over the Northwestern team in the best of circumstances, but he has made the most of the opportunity. The Wildcats have seen improvement in each of his three seasons, with the best being the 9-3 record this year.

Fitzgerald seems to be safe, though I am not sure Northwestern will ever be able to make a run like they did in the late 1990’s again.

Ohio State

“In Tressel We Trust.” No matter how frustrated some of you may be with the offensive play calling, Tressel has won four straight Big Ten Titles. I think it is safe to say that Tressel is a Buckeye until he chooses retirement.

Penn State

I have to say that I thought the end of this season was a perfect time for Joe Paterno to step down because Penn State won the Big Ten Title, he was forced to be in the booth and let the assistants coach, and his contract runs up at the end of the season.

But who am I to tell the winningest coach of all time to step down? It looks like the only thing that will stop JoePa now is death!

Purdue

The Tiller era is done for the Boilermakers, and new coach Danny Hope takes over for the ’09 season.

Hope isn’t a huge name, but he did provide a smooth transition for Tiller’s exit. He isn’t young either, at 49, and will have to prove himself to the folks in West Lafayette. He previously coached Eastern Kentucky with an overall record of 35-22, and in 2007 lead them to a 9-3 year in the Ohio Valley Conference. He already has made huge changes on the Purdue staff, and hopefully will bring some fresh air into the program.

Like I said earlier, the Big Ten needs teams like this to step up.

Wisconsin

Bret Bielema started out strong with a 12-1 record in his first season with the Badgers, but now has many wondering if he can do it without Barry Alvarez’s recruits.

Wisconsin has been a sinking ship the last three seasons with Bielema, and going 3-5 in the Big Ten this season has raised many eyebrows. Things better get turned around quickly, or the Wisconsin faithful will happily look elsewhere.

I may be totally wrong, but I don’t think Bielema can take this team to the next level.

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College Football’s Biggest Surprises of 2008 (So Far)

This year has been typical in that there have been many surprises for fans to talk about.  Let’s recap a few of the biggest be they good or bad.

 

1. Alabama

Everyone said not if, but when Nick Saban would return the Crimson Tide to national prominence and BCS bowls.  Most thought he was at least a year or two away from making that happen.   Alabama’s ascent to number one this year has to be at least one of the biggest surprises.

 

1. Michigan

Help me understand how hiring Rich Rodriguez is a good thing.  They fired Lloyd Carr why?  I don’t believe anybody saw this train wreck coming, especially the people that hired Coach Rod.

 

1. The sudden and complete downfall of Tommy Bowden

Clemson was supposed to be a contender this year.  Instead, their miserable start cost Bowden his job and Clemson their hope for reaching the next level.

 

1. Tennessee

Picked to finish in the top 20, but instead struggling not to finish at the bottom of the SEC with their worst record in decades.  Like Bowden, Fulmer joins the unemployment line with this plummet.

 

1. The Big 12

Yes, many expected Oklahoma to be good, but nobody expected so many teams to have such great seasons.  The SEC is good, but the Big 12 is GREAT.  Never before have so many teams been so close to making it to the top from this conference.

 

1. Oregon State

By beating USC, the mighty Beavers are going to the Rose Bowl ahead of USC with a win over cross-state rival Oregon.  Anybody who said they saw Oregon State beating out USC for the Rose Bowl, raise your hand.  Yeah, that’s what I thought.

 

1. Auburn

Picked by some to win the SEC West, picked by all as a top 20 team, Auburn will be sitting at home this bowl season and perhaps looking for a new coach.  Tuberville’s experiment with the spread proved to be a disaster.  Now he’s trying to simply spread the blame.

 

1. Ole Miss

There’s not a man on the Ole Miss roster that’s ever been to a bowl game.  At the beginning of the season there was reason to expect this year would be different.  Houston Nutt proved one school’s problem could be another school’s solution.  The defeat of Florida cost the Gators a number one ranking and may qualify as the year’s big upset.

 

1. Tim Tebow

How can a former Heisman winner be snubbed the following year by the Unitas Award by not even being nominated?  John Parker Wilson over Tebow?  And we expect them to be rational?

 

1. Vanderbilt

The little team that could.  Vandy hasn’t been to a bowl game since 1982 but will be there this year.  Coach Bobby Johnson proved that the school’s confidence in giving him the time he needed to restore the program was not in vain.

 

Honorable Mention: Notre Dame

Most figured Notre Dame would continue to be an underperforming team, but few figured they would suck THIS bad.  Charlie Weis deserves the Golden Foot to the Lead Butt for this season and should be shown the door.  Many doubt it will happen, however.

 

I number these top 10 all number one because it’s up to you to decide the order. Depending on the area of the country you live in and the team you pull for, I’m sure the order will change.

But as Lee Corso says so often, “Not so fast my friend.”  The season is far from over, and more surprises await.  The biggest story may still be unwritten.

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College Football ADD: Week 13

For those who don’t want to read full articles

Attention everyone, I have an important announcement to make. The M*ch*g*n at Ohio State game has been cancelled this year. It seems that M*ch*g*n can’t get around Toledo. (Thank you, Shawn Collier)

I love M*ch*g*n Week.  As far as weeks go, I think it narrowly edges out the week of Christmas, the week of Thanksgiving (every other year for the family vacation) and the first week of the NCAA basketball tourney for my favorite of the year.

This weekend just adds to the lore of making fun of that hated state up north.

- At noon on Saturday it will have been 1,826 days since M*ch*g*n’s last win over Ohio State. Here’s to 365 more!

- This season’s 20.5-point spread in favor of the Buckeyes is the largest in the history of the rivalry. It’s opened at 19; who knows what it’ll be by Saturday.

- Last week established the first time M*ch*g*n lost eight games in a season in their 129-year football history. I’m sure the Buckeyes would gladly enjoy making this the first time they’ve lost nine.

- A win on Saturday gives Ohio State their first-ever five game winning streak over the state up north.

So it’s time to gear up for another Beat M*ch*g*n week, full of jumps in freezing lakes, daily singings of “We Don’t Give a Damn” and hopefully yet another Buckeye victory. Go Bucks!

Thoughts on Last Weekend

- What, you want me to elaborate in some profound way that makes last weekend seem important or entertaining?  Not only were the games bad on paper, but they were bad on the field.

Only three Top 20 teams trailed at half (UC and BYU trailed, USC was tied) and only Georgia, LSU, UNC and Florida State were trailing in the fourth (obviously UGA and LSU won).

Mainly, it was a large dose of yawners; players’ mothers were bored watching; luckily we have this weekend to save us.

- Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, you coach at a smart school, so let me throw a big word for a small article out there for you: comeuppance.

Thanks to Coach Harbaugh’s end-of-game tactics (tactics in this article actually means stupidity), you’ll be able to use that word along with “2009” and “Stanford at USC game” in a sentence next season. Leave no doubt, the Trojans won’t forget how that game ended.

- We all are now aware that Steve Spurrier had never taken a beating like he did in the Swamp on Saturday.  More interesting to me is that Spurrier now has four games in four seasons with the Gamecocks in which his team didn’t score a touchdown. That only happened once while at Florida, a 30-6 loss to Mississippi State in Spurrier’s second season in Gainesville.

- Vanderbilt is bowl eligible, congrats.

- Rutgers is still alive! After drubbing South Florida in Tampa, Rutgers is back to an even record for the first time since being 0-0.  I know I’m grasping at straws here, but the opportunity for a 7-5 Big East team to make a BCS game doesn’t come along every day.

- Speaking of the Big East and BCS, bowl projections right now have either Maryland (7-3) or Miami (7-3) playing Cincinnati(8-2) in the Orange Bowl. I wanted to see UC in a top tier bowl this season, but man, what a terrible top-tier game this would be

And to recap, the Orange bowl has given us Kansas vs. Virginia Tech, Louisville vs. Wake Forest and Penn State vs. 8-4 Florida State. That was after the 55-19 National Championship embarrassment USC put on Oklahoma in 2005.

In other words, I haven’t really enjoyed an Orange Bowl in some time; I’m pretty sure most of the country hasn’t either.

- Seriously ACC, just flip a coin and stop playing the games. Adding to the madness this past weekend, former Coastal Division leader, and assumed front-runner North Carolina lost to Maryland to lose control of first place for the third time this season.

This was the same Maryland team who was shut out by 5-5 Virginia 31-0. Virginia then lost at Wake two weekends ago, but Wake followed that victory with a loss on the road to N.C. State.

However, N.C. State lost to Duke the same weekend Virginia was dumped by Wake, and Duke was just knocked off by Clemson this past weekend.

Clemson, amongst other losses, was beaten by Georgia Tech in their first game without Tommy Bowden back in mid-October, while GT lost to VaTech all the way back in September.

VaTech lost this past Thursday Night to Miami, but Miami had already been beaten by rival Florida State, who just lost to B.C. on Saturday.

And that, my friends, is how you link all 12 ACC teams together in one big circle. It didn’t take nearly as long as you’d think.

- Division III Mount Union finished their regular season last weekend a perfect 10-0 record, the 15th time in 17 seasons they’ve accomplished that feat.  Mount scored 40+ points in all but one game (a 33-3 nailbiter over No. 10 St. John Fisher), and didn’t win by fewer than four TDs all season. They enter the D-III playoffs as the unanimous No. 1 team.

In case you hadn’t heard about D-III Mount Union, that’s just a taste of how good they are, every season.

- I have absolutely no power to decree such a thing, but I’m asking that this happen regardless.  If you are attending a football game (or any sporting event actually) between Team A and Team B, and some d-bag fan shows up wearing clothing supporting Team C, fans of both teams A and B must unite to unmercifully berate and chastise said fan C until he either changes or leaves.

I saw a man wearing an Iowa sweatshirt on the coverage of the Ohio State/Illinois game. I saw a man wearing a Steelers coat on the Monday Night Football game between Cleveland and Buffalo. Through the years I’ve seen various forms of retarded fans doing this when I go to Ohio State games; it must stop now!

- We may witness a second-coming of the depressing grunge rock era if Washington’s football teams don’t turn around. A 3-28 record between Washington, Wazzu and the Seahawks makes me wonder what the Pacific Northwest did exactly to make the football gods mad.

All of that bad, and yet the Wazzu faithful continue to keep alive one of the coolest under-the-radar traditions in all of college football each Saturday morning at ESPN’s Gameday.

Football theme grunge band names for the new era: Hasselbeck in Chains, Tyrone-ic Youth, Stone Temple Dobas, and my favorite, Temple of the Husky.

- And in my weekly watch of the stupidity that is the college football polling landscape, two AP Poll voters now have Florida as their No. 1 team. One Coaches’ Poll voter and one Harris Poll voter has them there as well.

I get it; Florida looks really good right now. They’re playing great. But they have this one little thing called a loss at home to 6-4 Ole Miss. Until ‘Bama or Texas Tech lose, the Gators do not belong at No. 1. That’s final; end of discussion.

So, little happened last weekend except serve as an appetizer for our palate this Saturday. Well…I can deal with that.

Last Week’s Picks

Hits

VaTech(+4.5) over Miami – VT only lost by 2

Northwestern (+3.5) over M*ch*g*n

Oregon (-4) over Arizona

The Over on O/U 79.5 in the Tulsa/Houston game

Florida (-21) over South Carolina

Cincy (-6) over Louisville

Texas (-21) over Kansas

Misses

Florida State(-7) over B.C. – so I made that pick before the five WRs were suspended.

Georgia (-8) over Auburn – that’s two pathetic UGA games in a row. And they’re makin’ me look bad!

The Under on O/U 71.5 for Nebraska/K-State – the game hit 84 pts.

Oklahoma State (-17) over Colorado – Ok State won by 16

7-4, same record as last week.

Thoughts on this Weekend’s Events

- So ESPN has the rights to all the BCS games starting in 2011.  You tell me that, but all I hear is the possibility of Dave Pasch and Andre Ware doing a major bowl game and I instinctively move to the fetal position.

- I’m not a huge conspiracy theorist, but this is something I’ll be watching for ESPN over the next few seasons. I don’t know if a college football playoff system will be implemented before 2011, or what sort of financial impact that could have on ESPN’s deal. But if it does affect it, I bet you see less and less coverage and talk about a playoff on the Worldwide Leader.

If that annual “ESPN Playoff” they do every December before the start of the bowls disappears, it would be my first indication.

- If he was standing on the other sideline, what would the records be? That’s the question I’ve decided is the most intriguing for the Ohio State/M*ch*g*n game. If Pryor would have signed with the state to the north, how much impact would there have been?

What would’ve happened in a Boeckman season? Could Pryor have worked the same magic as a freshman for M*ch*g*n as he’s done for OSU? It’s interesting to ponder in my opinion.

- You call it a Holy War huh?  I’m listening…not watching because I have other games, and better games to watch that don’t involve the state of Utah duking it out, but I’ll read about it on Sunday.

- Will the ride continue for the Beavers in Tucson? Arizona and Willie Tuitama put up 45 on Oregon State’s Civil War partner Oregon last weekend…but their defense subsequently allowed 55 points.

- Tennessee is a three-point underdog at Vandy this weekend.

- Ball State had its closest MAC contest of the season last week at Miami (OH), only winning by 15. They’ll be playing top two other MAC teams over the next two weekends in 8-2 Central Michigan and 9-2 Western Michigan. And they’ll continue to drop down the BCS.

- If Crabtree doesn’t score that touchdown against Texas and thus Texas Tech enters this weekend’s game with one loss, what’s their line at Oklahoma?  Right now, the Sooners sit seven-point favorites. I think that line would be near 20 if Tech had lost. And here’s to hoping the Red Raiders keep on proving “them” wrong.

- The Miami Hurricanes spent 107 consecutive weeks ranked in the AP poll from 1999 until the Sept 17, 2006, poll. This week marks the first time they’ve been ranked since, as they come in at No. 23. They still aren’t ranked in the Coaches’ or Harris Polls.

This Week’s Big Ones

The Game

M*ch*g*n at No. 10 Ohio State

My column, my bias. Sorry.

Outside of these two states, this game means as much as the Harvard/Yale game this season. But to me, it’s still that a**-hole Desmond Howard striking a pose, it’s David Boston and Charles Woodson coming to blows, it’s Will Allen making the leaping interception that sent Ohio State to the 2002 National Championship.

It’s cursing the name of Tshimanga Biakabutuka, it’s refusing to wear any clothing that combines yellow and blue, it’s reliving Woody and Bo, it’s forgetting John Cooper and Shawn Springs’ “slip.”

For all who were a part of a college experience that included a major rivalry like this, you all know what this weekend is like in Columbus. At 9-2, we aren’t going to the big dance this year (I know, about half of you just said “thank God”), so this is our BCS Championship Game. F-M*ch*g*n and bring on the 2008 Big Ten Champion Ohio State Buckeyes!

No. 2 Texas Tech at No. 5 Oklahoma

This is “the game” which happens to fall on the same weekend as “The Game”. My apologies to Big XII fans everywhere.

I’m not going to say too much different than what you’ll hear all week from talking-head nation. Oklahoma can’t outshoot the Red Raiders; they have to find a defense somewhere. Tech held Texas to its second-lowest score of the season then turned around to hold Okie State to its lowest.

I want to believe the Red Raiders win this game, but in Norman, under the bright lights for the third time in four weeks…I have to go against Crabtree and Evelyn (Evelyn doesn’t really play for TT). Sooners by 10.

No. 15 Michigan State at No. 8 Penn State

It’s been a long, long time since Penn State lost itself a game at home to Michigan State. So long in fact that the last time it did happen, 1965, JoePa wasn’t presiding over the sidelines at the foot of Mt. Nittany.  Paterno’s first season was 1966.

Ohio State fans, what I’m sayin’ is, don’t hold your breath. I take the Spread HD and their -14.5 line all the way to Pasadena.

Other Conference Games I’m Watching

ACC – Florida State at No. 25 Maryland

How much of a revolving door have the poll rankings from No. 20 to No. 25 been this season? Nine of the 12 ACC teams have been ranked at some point this season, with Miami and Maryland now joining the crowd.

Maryland has beaten four ranked teams this season, which would mean something except only one of those teams is currently ranked.

Seriously, I could go all day with the random oddities about the ACC. There’s millions.

Big XII – Iowa State at Kansas State

This is the only Big 12 game this weekend besides the TT/Oklahoma tilt.

Yeah.

Big East – No. 20 Pittsburgh at No. 18 Cincinnati

It’s the biggest game of the year for both teams. If UC wins, it would all but clinch the Big East title (UC only has one conference game left, vs. Syracuse), while a Pitt win gives them control of their own destiny with two conference games left.

And yet Cincy fans will be torn between going to this night game at Nippert Stadium or driving up I-75 forty-five minutes north to see Cincinnati Elder battle Pickerington Central in the Division I State Semis.

You think I’m joking? UC football isn’t exactly the traditional powerhouse and we all know the Bengals are terrible. High school football is the only hope for a winning team in town.

I’d take Pitt +5 to cover, but not to win.

Big Ten – Illinois at Northwestern

If the Purple Kitties win, they could be playing in a New Year’s Day bowl, and subsequently keep Illinois from playing in a bowl, period.  After the non-ferocious fight they put up against the Buckeyes two weekends ago, and subsequent punting contest vs. M*ch*g*n last weekend, I’m gonna think that probably won’t happen.

Take Illinois -3.

Pac-10 – Washington at Washington State

The Apple Cup has never seen a match-up like this before. Although 1969’s battle of 1-9 teams comes close, this game is just going to be horrendous on the eyes.

SEC – Ole Miss at No. 18 LSU

You want the definition of the Cialis Special again? It’s not getting up for a game after a major letdown from the week before or before a big game the following week. LSU just suffered the biggest Cialis Special of the season, nearly losing to Troy.

Ole Miss has lost their four games by a combined 19 points, and just handled a Sun Belt school the way an SEC school should – by beating them 59-love.

I’m taking Ole Miss and Jevan Snead +4.5 over “Pick-6-R-Us” Jarrett Lee.

My Top Ten

1.)    Alabama (11-0)

2.)    Texas Tech (10-0)

3.)    Texas (10-1)

4.)    Florida (9-1)

5.)    Oklahoma (10-1)

6.)    USC (9-1)

7.)    Penn State (10-1)

8.)    Utah (11-0)

9.)    Ohio State (9-2)

10.)   Boise State (10-0)

Quick Picks (HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

Ball State (-7) over CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Washington (-7.5) over WASHINGTON STATE

Air Force (+18.5) over TCU

Boise State (-6) over NEVADA

RUTGERS (-17.5) over Army

Lines I’m Staying Away From

All ACC, Notre Dame or Georgia games.

Tulane (+28.5) at Tulsa– you want a team that just lost by 40 to turn around and win by 4+ TDs?

Stanford (+9) at Cal – Rivalry game theory.

Iowa (-5) at Minnesota – Seems almost too easy to take Iowa with how Minnesota is playing these days…I don’t like that feeling.

Thus concludes my M*ch*g*n Week A.D.D. Happy Mirror Lake jumping and Go Bucks!

As always, please tip your wait staff, they don’t make that much, seriously. I am spent.

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Ten Top Tens After Week Eight in College Football

Top Ten Teams

1) Texas—Easy winner stays on top.

2) Penn State—Overcame more than just a deficit in a game yesterday.

3) Alabama—Looking for a place to fall down.

4) Oklahoma State—No one believes except them.

5) Boise State—If they could only play all of their games on the blue turf, they would never lose.

6) Utah—And Colorado State was playing pretty well coming in.

7) Texas Tech—I know their fans don’t like me, but after yesterday, do they blame me for what I’ve said?

Tulsa—I was going to make them seventh in honor of the 77 they put up yesterday.

9) Oklahoma—Blew a cover on a last minute TD—never trailed but looked hung over.

10) USC—That loss may still be too much to overcome—OSU rematch in the Rose Bowl?

How My Ten Highest Rated Picks of the Week Did (Based on my new confidence rating system I used this week)

1) Texas (-4)—My newsletter called for a Big 12 style blowout and I believe that’s what we saw. Win

2) Oregon State (-13 1/2)—My Part One leadoff game was money. Win

3) Troy (-7)—Did you guys know I’m a member of their team site? Win

4) FAU (+1/2)—I am perfect on the year in games involving Western Kentucky. Win

5) Arkansas (+9 1/2)—Almost too easy. Win

6) Georgia (-14 1/2)—Not the only kicker who cost me yesterday. Loss

7) Wake Forest (-1 1/2)—Does anyone know what we’ll see from Maryland week to week? Loss

Illinois (-15)—For those playing at home, Indiana hasn’t covered all season. Win

9) Air Force (-5)—I went from not touching to strong play—remind me to stick with my first impression. Loss

10) Northern Illinois (-9 1/2)—Holy Toledo, the Huskies kicked some butt. Win

Ten Things I Still Don’t Understand

1) Bleacher Report Writer Rankings—Not that I care too much, but I’m the lowest ranked, highest ranked writer according to this system, and it isn’t even close. Does anyone understand what that means?

2) Why refs can’t spot the ball correctly—I thought this was the basics.

3) Why a fumble can’t just be a fumble anymore—Maybe this is the part of the game that is too long.

4) Why Nick Saban isn’t crucified more—The guy had 10 offseason arrests (that’s a whole category in my weekly list if I wanted it to be) and a miserable graduation rate.

5) How Brent Musburger gets the featured game every week—Maybe they figure it’s usually a blowout anyway, so people are going to be tuning out.

6) This whole FBS and FCS thing—I just know the BCS is a bunch of BS.

7) Why Game Plan isn’t in HD—Charge a few extra bucks, I’m in. You had me at H.

How attendance records get broken every week—Do they set up a few folding chairs or something?

9) Offsetting Penalties—A guy flinching and a decapitation offset each other.

10) Celebration Rules—Talk about random: You can just flip the channels and see flag or no flag for the same thing.

Ten Guys Who Got it Done This Week

1) Sam Bradford—468 Yards, three TDs

2) David Johnson—434 Yards, five TDs

3) Colt McCoy—Three incompletions—we’ve been saying this almost every week.

4) Jevan Snead—Pure guts.

5) Juice Williams—A future NFL top five pick.

6) Tim Hiller—471 yards in the loss to their rival.

7) Knowshon Moreno—172 on the ground, all of them athletic plays.

Dennis Kennedy—277 yards rushing.

9) Austin Davis—461 yards and four TDs for the freshman.

10) Bernard Hopkins—Was a huge underdog against Kelly Pavlik.

Ten Things Announcers said Yesterday that Mitch will re-word in plain English

1) “Let them stay in it”—They got lazy, sloppy, and content.

2) “He’s a load”—That guy is too fat.

3) “McCoy is wielding a scalpel”—The Missouri defense is really bad.

4) “I don’t know the rules”—Gary Danielson should get a different job.

5) “Oh, I don’t know about that”—I can’t say what I want or I may lose this cushy gig.

6) “That’s not reviewable”—A call so bad no one could have ever thought the scenario would come into play.

7) “He had all the time in the world”—Actually, every time I heard this the QB did have and still probably has all the time in the world.

“It’s getting chippy out there”—Better call the cops—this may get ugly real soon.

9) “They came out ready to play”—We’re about to see highlights of a blowout by a team that trailed.

10) “The Referees are having a discussion”—Might as well change the channel because this is going to take a while.

Ten Games That Surprised Me

1) Maryland 26, Wake Forest 0—Maryland may be the most up and down team ever.

2) Ohio State 45, Michigan State 7—Not the outcome, more the score.

3) TCU 32, BYU 7—This was just plain ugly.

4) Wisconsin 16, Iowa 38—I didn’t think the Badgers were that bad, but they clearly are.

5) Tennessee 34, Mississippi State 3—I didn’t think the Vols could score over 30 in an SEC game.

6) Pittsburgh 42, Navy 21—Thought it would be closer—called it a coin toss when someone asked me.

7) Miami 49, Duke 31—I’ll take it.

Utah 49, Colorado State 16—I didn’t pick this one, but there is nothing consistent going on out there.

9) Rutgers 12, UConn 10—Three missed field goals really cost the Huskies.

10) Boston College 28, Virginia Tech 23—I don’t think BC wins three times in 10 games if they played that many.

Ten Things I’m Excited About

1) My new confidence rating system for my picks—10-3 against the spread in the games I rated the highest is a much better indicator than my overall record, though I’m not sure I can maintain that level.

2) My Free Game Picking Contest—I’m not sure how many people I’ll have the first week, but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.

3) More Conference Games—Can you say “no more patsies”?

4) Halloween—Is there ever such a thing as “leftover” candy?

5) New Projects and Content for My Blog—I’ve been approached by several people for some really exciting joint ventures and some really good writers and game pickers as well. We’re not going to recognize the place by this time next year.

6) Blocking and Tackling—Are there two better words in the English language?

7) For the election to be over—Let’s get back to what the Fall is all about: College Football.

Bad Weather Games—Coming soon to a stadium near you.

9) National Signing Day—Less than four months away.

10) The one-year anniversary of me quitting smoking—I smoked for 28 years and quit cold turkey. Miracles happen.

Ten Topics I’m Done Discussing

1) Tommy Bowden—At least until he gets another gig.

2) The BR Writing Contest “Situation”—I had totally forgotten about the contest, but all of the people involved in the controversy are great writers who I vote for often.

3) The Election—Did I ever start?

4) Why I think Alabama is a filthy program—Maybe you guys should just Google “Alabama arrested players.”

5) Chase Daniel for Heisman—I think he ended this drivel himself.

6) A College Football Playoff—It isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

7) Why I hate the NFL—I’m thinking of giving them another shot. Can they just allow pass coverage for me?

Preseason Rankings—Is anyone going to write a comparison piece to the current rankings?

9) The Chicago Cubs—No longer lovable losers, now just losers.

10) People who send me hate mail—Thank you for reading my articles and watching my videos—I appreciate your comments.

Ten Strange Things I Saw On TV Yesterday

1) More Tipped Balls Caught—It’s been like this all year.

2) Houston Nutt’s Pincher Signal—Are we going to see a Rock Lobster video on YouTube from an SEC school?

3) Sarah Palin on SNL—How weird was that?

4) UGA Taking pictures with the Homecoming Queen—Uga was getting the better treatment.

5) Tay Cody on A Golf Cart—I think they should have used a Truck (Get well soon—like or hate the Tide, he’s been one of the best players in the country this year and an absolute difference maker).

6) Idaho-Louisiana Tech—Nothing in particular, just that the game was on TV at all.

7) Mark Mangino running out with his team—I never thought he ran.

Oklahoma linemen breathing heavily—The hurry-up is tiring their own players out.

9) No Tommy Bowden on the sideline during a Clemson loss—It felt kind of empty.

10) All of the missed field goals—It used to seem so automatic.

Ten Games I’m Looking Forward To This Week

1) Penn State-Ohio State—A changing of the guard?

2) Texas-Oklahoma State—If either of these two runs the table, they’ve earned it.

3) LSU-Georgia—No, I’m not kidding. This is the schedule so far.

4) Texas Tech-Kansas—A real test for the Red Raiders.

5) USC-Arizona—All of the sudden real interesting.

6) Boise State-San Jose State—Don’t kid yourself. This is one heck of a matchup.

7) Kentucky-Florida—Should be a good one.

Michigan-Michigan State—Throw out the records for this one.

9) Alabama-Tennessee—Would a win save Fulmer’s job?

10) Wake Forest-Miami—I may be the only one who cares.

Visit Mitch anytime at The College Football Place.

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Pigskin Punditry No. 10: Midseason Standings

We have reached the midway point of the season for most teams in Division I-A (aka the Football Bowl Subdivision).

 

Let’s take a look at our preseason projections and see how they stack up so far. We’ll go conference by conference to see who the leaders are today, and see if my preseason picks align with the current reality:

 

 

 

ACC

Atlantic Division Prediction: Wake Forest

Coastal Division Prediction: Virginia Tech

Current Leaders: Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. For now, we are correct. Virginia Tech needs to watch out for Georgia Tech, and Wake has a virtual two-game lead on second-place Florida State (thanks to the head-to-head victory back in September).

 

 

 

Big 12

North Division Prediction: Missouri

South Division Prediction: Oklahoma

Current Leaders: Kansas in the North, and a three-way tie in the South between Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. KU is the only team in the North undefeated in conference play, but they still have to play Missouri at the end of the season in Kansas City. Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas begin their self-round robin next week.

 

 

 

Big East

Preseason Prediction: South Florida

Current Leader(s): Pitt and West Virginia. South Florida is only one game back, but since their conference loss was to Pitt, that puts them in a slightly bigger hole than it appears on paper.

 

 

 

Big Ten

Preseason Prediction: Ohio State

Current Leader(s): Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State. The next two weeks will sort a little bit of this out as the Buckeyes travel to East Lansing this week and host Penn State next weekend. The Nittany Lions and Michigan State will face off to close the Big Ten regular season in mid-November if they both manage to outlast Ohio State.

 

 

 

Conference USA

East Division Prediction: East Carolina

West Division Prediction: Tulsa

Current Leaders: Marshall in the East and Tulsa and UTEP in the West. But the Golden Hurricane and the Miners will square off this Saturday.

 

 

 

Independents

Preseason Prediction: Notre Dame

Currently, Notre Dame and Navy have the same record (4-2). The two schools face off Nov. 15 in Baltimore, Md.

 

 

 

Mid-American Conference

East Division Prediction: Bowling Green

West Division Prediction: Ball State

Current Leaders: Bowling Green and Western Michigan. Ball State is a half-game back of Western Michigan because the Cardinals stepped out of MAC play this past weekend. Western Michigan plays their last non-conference game against Illinois in mid=November.

 

 

 

Mountain West Conference

Preseason Prediction: Utah

Current Leader: TCU. Utah is a half-game back and hosts TCU on Nov. 6, their second game in five days that week.

 

 

 

Pac-10 Conference

Preseason Prediction: USC

Current Leader: California. The Golden Bears are the only undefeated team in conference play at this point. Cal travels to Los Angeles to play the Trojans on Nov. 8, assuming they get by Arizona this week and Oregon in two weeks.

 

 

 

SEC

East Division Prediction: Georgia

West Division Prediction: Auburn

Current Leaders: Florida and Vanderbilt (!) tied in the East, and Alabama in the lead in the West. Oh, and raise your hand if you had Tennessee pegged as being winless in conference play through the middle of October. Yeah, me neither.

 

 

 

Sun Belt Conference

Preseason Prediction: Florida Atlantic

Current Leader(s): As usual, the unpredictable Sun Belt has a four-way tie between Troy, Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas State and Florida International (!) Down is up, up is down, but Troy can be found at the top of the standings. I wonder if Tony Franklin regrets moving down to Auburn.

 

 

 

WAC

Preseason Prediction: Fresno State

Current Leader: San Jose State, with Boise State and New Mexico State a half game back. Fresno is in the middle of the pack with a .500 conference record. Idaho sits in last place at 0-3.

 

Let’s get to the picks. So far, I am 11-8 thanks to an absolutely abysmal week last week (1-3). Here’s to turning things around.

 

We’ll start in Austin, Texas, where the Missouri Tigers are trying to not only pick up the pieces of their shattered national championship dreams, but they are also trying to end a losing streak in Austin against the Longhorns that stretches back to 1896.

 

Yes, I know that the stat is somewhat misleading because Missouri and Texas never played regularly until the Big 12 formed, and even then, Missouri only travels to Austin once every four years.

 

I can’t help but flash back to the first Saturday of my freshman year. I was in the TV lounge in my dorm, and I sat down to watch the inaugural Big 12 football game. It was Missouri vs. Texas. Mizzou was actually in the game for a while, but then there was a weather delay that killed all of the momentum.

 

That was 12 years ago. In that time, Texas has won a national championship and Missouri has resurrected their program (after an extended period of dormancy). Both teams have Heisman trophy contenders directing explosive offenses. Both teams feature shaky secondaries.

 

My concern heading into this game is with Chase Daniel. He was rattled and frustrated by the end of the Oklahoma State game.

 

Will Muschamp, Texas’s defensive coordinator, will be a head coach somewhere when this season is over. He is that good and has been for a while.

 

Couple that with the fact that Chase might have something to prove to Mack Brown for not recruiting him harder before he committed to Missouri, I fear that Daniel will try to do too much. He’ll get picked at least twice by Texas’s green secondary, and the Longhorns will win 38-24.

 

Let’s travel from one group of Tigers to another. This time, we will head to Clemson, S.C., where those Tigers will host the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech in an ACC tilt.

 

I won’t get into the soap opera that took place this week with the firing of Tommy Bowden. I’ll address that in a separate piece.

 

The only comment that I will make here is that the timing of the firing seems off, since a bye week was coming after Saturday’s game.

 

A quarterback change from Cullen Harper to Willy Korn, plus losing CJ Spiller, plus a shaky offensive line plus facing the triple option offense of Georgia Tech might just be too much drama for Clemson to overcome.

 

I’ll say Georgia Tech heads back to Atlanta Saturday night with a 27-10 victory in which they attempt 11 passes.

 

Speaking of schools that play in the state of Georgia, an important SEC East battle will take place between the hedges as one of the surprises of the first half of the season, Vanderbilt, will face the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon.

 

Vandy came away from their last trip to Sanford Stadium with a 24-22 victory and almost beat Georgia in Nashville last season. The Commodores suffered an ugly loss to Mississippi State in Starkville last week 17-14, in a performance that looked and smelled like a letdown game after their thrilling upset of Auburn the week before.

 

Georgia had a week off to lick their wounds from the sound thrashing that Alabama delivered to them, and then handled a puzzling Tennessee team 26-14.

 

Georgia is about to begin a string of three straight games against ranked opponents, with a game at LSU next week and the annual rivalry match against Florida in two weeks.

 

But I think Georgia knows that they cannot overlook Vandy. Not after the last two years. And while the Commodores have improved, I don’t think they’ll be able to pull off the shocker. It should be close again, but Georgia will avenge 2006’s home field loss and win this one 26-17.

 

Lastly, we’ll leave the southern part of our country and head to the upper Midwest for an old school Big Ten battle. Ohio State travels to East Lansing, Mich., to face a surprising Michigan State squad.

 

Ohio State is now led by true freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, but the offense is still as stagnant as it was under Todd Boeckman.

 

The Buckeyes rank 108th nationally in passing offense (143.6 yards per game) and 70th in scoring offense (24.3 points per game). Apparently, there are reports of grumbling in the locker room about the offensive direction.

 

And yet the Buckeyes have only lost once, to a good USC squad.

 

Meanwhile, I think most of us that follow college football regularly are awaiting the annual swoon that seems to hit Michigan State this time of year. Last week’s game at Northwestern would have been the natural stumbling point.

 

All Michigan State did was jump out to a 17-0 lead and never look back in cruising to a 37-20 victory over the Wildcats in Evanston.

 

Now, they get the Buckeyes at home for a game to decide at least a share of first place in the Big Ten.

 

The key to the game will be tailback Javon Ringer vs. the Ohio State defense. Ringer is averaging 35 carries for 158 yards per game this season.

 

If Michigan State can use him to grind it out and play keep away, they have an excellent chance of winning.

 

Ohio State must get Ringer off the field somehow. Or at the very least, use their own running backs (Beanie Wells, Maurice Wells, Brandon Saine and Pryor) to take Ringer out of the game and put the game in the hands of Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer.

 

But that swoon we keep looking for? I don’t see it happening for Michigan State this time. I think that Mark Dantonio might have finally gotten the culture to shift a little at Michigan State, and I think that Sparty will be celebrating a victory on Saturday. Michigan State wins, 24-13.

 

Questions? Comments? Complaints? E-mail the Pigskin Pundit at pigskinpundit@gmail.com

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What to Watch for – Week 8

It’s a little belated, but here it is.  Another week of college football, another set of matchups for me to watch.  So, what’s on the docket for this week?

Thursday

• Florida State @ NC State (ESPN, 7:30PM ET).  Florida State, the team of the 90s, is now playing on Thursdays.  MAC Status: CONFIRMED.  Maybe there’s just a little bit of bitterness about what was basically criminal battery against Joe Germaine in the 1998 Sugar Bowl, but how cool is it that a one-loss Florida State team is now a “dark horse” in the ACC and on the perimeter of the top 25?
• BYU @ Texas Christian (VS?, 8:00PM ET).  Such is the way of college football scheduling.  The top 10 Cougars take their show on the road to one-loss Texas Christian (one loss to Oklahoma: you might have heard that they’re pretty good this season), the same place where Stanford dropped a decision 31-14.  But instead of this, ESPN gives us Bobby Bowden on the sidelines still trying to lick through the crust of Thursday morning’s applesauce from the edge of his lips.  I’m hoping Versus picks up this game.

Friday

• Hawaii @ Boise State (ESPN, 8:00PM ET).  Matchup of the past two WAC champions, though one of those school’s BCS experience was significantly better than the other.  I’m sure there’s a drinking game to be constructed regarding Ian Johnson’s proposal and the blue turf.  Oh, did you know that Boise State’s turf is blue?

Saturday

• Purdue @ Northwestern (ESPN2, 12:00PM ET).  If there’s one unmistakeable feature about the Big Ten that reminds me of home, it’s the noon-time kickoffs.  Purdue, fresh off of making our offense look like an idiot, travels to Evanston to take on the Wildcats, who suffered their first loss last week.  With all due respect to the Boilermakers, I’ll be pulling hard for the Wildcats to win this one.  In my ideal world, Northwestern and Vanderbilt (now probably out of the SEC title picture) meet up in the Capital One Bowl in the battle of the nerd schools.  I’m guessing Northwestern needs to win that one to make it happen.
• Georgia Tech @ Clemson (ESPN, 12:00PM ET).  As you may have heard, Tommy Bowden was basically fired at Clemson.  The consequences of this change with a top notch opponent coming into Clemson is obvious: their chances of beating Georgia Tech increased substantially.  I’ll be flipping between this and Purdue-Northwestern mostly for my adoration of Paul Johnson.
• Wisconsin @ Iowa (BTN, 12:00PM ET).  I think this best captures what will probably unfold during this game.  The one throwing up at the end, however, is you.
• Ole Miss @ Alabama (CBS, 3:30PM ET).  A lot of people have this penciled in as a certain victory for Bear Saban.  It may well be.  However, most importantly, Ole Miss should be able to neutralize Alabama’s shining feature: its awesome offensive line that makes me super jealous.  John Parker Wilson is an efficient QB, but far from spectacular.
• Kansas @ Oklahoma (ABC, 3:30PM ET).  I’ve seen on ESPN’s news crawl that Oklahoma leads this series 65-28.  To be honest, I was surprised to read that Kansas has won that many games in this series.  I don’t think they’ll be adding one to the win column this game, though.
• Ohio State @ Michigan State (ABC, 3:30PM ET).  The main attraction.  I’ll add more thoughts to this game on Friday, but the backdrop to this story will be Javon Ringer.  Aside from being arguably the conference’s top performer this season so far, he was a heavy Buckeye lean coming out of HS in Dayton’s Chaminade-Julienne.  However, as good of a tailback he was, he wasn’t a very good student and wasn’t going to make OSU’s increasingly higher grade for admission.  I have lots of thoughts on this, but I’ll keep my mouth shut on the issue if Ringer does.  On the game itself: I’m not very optimistic… why should I be?
• Michigan @ Penn State (ESPN, 4:30PM ET).  I’ll be watching what I can of this game.  We play Penn State this week and, well.. why shouldn’t I watch it? Beaver Stadium is probably going to riot after this game, regardless of the result.
• Missouri @ Texas (ABC, 8:00PM ET). Don’t care, don’t care, don’t care.  Dooooooon’t care.
• LSU @ South Carolina (ESPN, 8:00PM ET). Herbstreit called this the upset special of the week.  Since he’s been right every othe week this season, I’ll have to watch.  Les Miles is guaranteed to lose two games a season, so will this be it?

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College Football 101: Post-Week Seven Midterm Exam

Test taking has never been this fun kids, so grab your No. 2 pencils, sharpen them good, and get ready to mark off those Scantron sheets. 

It’s basically mid-season; therefore it’s midterm time. If there are enough answers from the peanut gallery, I’ll create a “results post” to compare what everyone had to say.

Otherwise, no need to copy off your neighbor, as this writer is providing his results at the bottom of the post.  Whether you agree with them or not, that’s for you to decide.

 

TRUE or FALSE – Answer, plus add one sentence why or why not.

 

1. Mike Knall should become an actor instead of a punter after he graduates from Oklahoma.

 

2. Chase Daniel, as of today, belongs at the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

 

3. Firing Tommy Bowden was the right move for Clemson, even at this point in the season.

 

4. Notre Dame will reach the nine-win plateau that was predicted by Charlie Weis.

 

5. Despite its No. 3 ranking, Penn State is still getting no respect due to playing in the Big Ten.

 

6. Ohio State should give Todd Boeckman another shot (part-time or full-time) after Ohio State’s inability to score an offensive touchdown against Purdue on Saturday.

 

7. USC deserves to be ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll (and No. 4 in the Coaches).

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE – Choose the answer that best applies – and why.

 

1. The next team in the current AP top five that will lose is:

A)      Texas

B)      Alabama

C)      Penn State

D)      Oklahoma

E)      Florida

 

2. Which is the best conference in College Football, as of today?

A)      SEC

B)      Big 12

C)      None of the Above

 

3. Who most deserves to follow Tommy Bowden as the next to collect unemployment?

A)      Phil Fulmer

B)      Tommy Tuberville

C)      Greg Robinson

D)      Bill Stewart

E)      Other – please specify

 

4. At this point in the season, who would get your Coach of the Year vote?

A)      Mike Gundy

B)      Bobby Johnson

C)      Butch Davis

D)      Joe Paterno

E)      Nick Saban

 

5. This year’s BCS Buster will be…

A)      Boise State

B)      Ball State

C)      BYU

D)      Utah

E)      None of the above

 

EXTRA CREDIT

 

1 – This QB had > 500 total yards in a loss on Saturday.

2 – This QB had < 125 total yards in a win on Saturday.

 

 

KP’s Answers:

 

True or False:

1 – TRUE – I didn’t know a stiff breeze could injure one’s leg.

2 – FALSE – At least five other stars on contending teams haven’t thrown three picks in a big game against a ranked opponent.

3 – TRUE – A team with that kind of talent should have been cleaning up in the ACC.

4 – FALSE – Seven for sure, potentially eight, but USC, Pitt, and BC could all knock them off.

5 – TRUE – Despite the three straight losses, Wisconsin is still a talented team that got manhandled by the Nittany Lions Saturday night.

6 – FALSE – Pryor adds that versatility, and OSU might as well keep giving the kid the additional experience.  The Buckeyes are a better team with him running the offense.

7 – FALSE – This team is loaded…but losing to an unranked team as bad as they did, they shouldn’t be this high.  For those who want to compare them to the Gators, Florida gets a pass after crushing a highly ranked opponent in LSU.

 

Multiple Choice:

1 – A) Texas – Go with the odds, the ‘Horns have a tough stretch coming. Besides, even with the curse Missouri has when playing at Austin, something tells me Chase Daniel is ticked, and he will be ready for the Texas pass defense this weekend.

2 – B) Big 12 – Tough call, but I’m going with the Big 12 as of today, specifically because last weekend, we discovered that both Texas and Oklahoma State were much better than many people thought.

3 – A) Phil Fulmer – Honestly, I think Robinson gets canned first, but who deserves it more?  It’s a tossup between Fulmer and Tuberville, and Fulmer and the Vols have been the bigger disappointment, as they just may be in the SEC basement at year’s end.

4 – D) Joe Paterno – This one is a tossup.  I think if Vandy had knocked off Mississippi State, Johnson would be my pick.  Instead, it’s Paterno, who has fought off contract issues, off-the-field distractions, personal injuries, and more, and the No. 3 Nittany Lions are undefeated at 7-0.

5 – D) Utah – It will come down to the game on Nov. 22 between Utah and BYU.  It’s not only a home game for the Utes, but also Utah has a more balanced attack on offense, including a stifling run defense, which will allow them to focus on Max Hall and the BYU passing game.

 

Extra Credit:

Curious to see if anyone gets these without looking them up – I can post answers later (as a comment or via a results post).

 

Happy test-taking…

 

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Week 7 Line Moves for College Football (Oct. 11)

It’s my favorite day of the week during my favorite part of the year.

Today’s Red River Rivalry marks what really is the midpoint of the season for a lot of college football teams. While it’s a monster game, it seems like every week, we’ve had a match up of meaningful, epic proportions.

Think about this for a second, we have Texas-Oklahoma, Florida-LSU, Wisconsin-Penn State and Oklahoma State-Missouri all in the same day. I haven’t even mentioned at least five or six other games that are going to go a long way in deciding who plays where this post season.

I know I probably surprised most of you by making Texas-Oklahoma one of my newsletter picks, though I didn’t say it ahead of time.

If you read this post early enough, there’s still time to get my more of my Free picks in the Free newsletter for week 7. If not, you can sign up anytime and you’ll be added to next week’s which will include the password you’ll need to get into the password protected forum to play in our weekly free picking contest.

So you get a free newsletter, a free weekly picking contest with real prizes (good ones which I’ll be announcing shortly), and a free copy of my ebook/report. Not a bad deal.

In any event, I don’t think I’m good at the hard sell, and since I’m not selling anything, I’m probably worse at it. But let’s get back to college football and talk some more about this week’s games. I’ve done plenty of picking (25 games total), so I’m going to talk about the line moves. Who knows what we’ll find?

The line in the East Carolina at Virginia game has gone from ECU -4 to ECU -6 1/2. While I didn’t pick this game, a few of my readers posted in the forums and comments that they liked Virginia, several of them outright.

I’ve also received emails on this and it’s popular on the message boards I frequent as well. I always like a good money line play, so thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts, though of course it won’t count in my weekly picks either way.

The line hasn’t moved much on the Utah-Wyoming game, and I picked Utah, but they are calling for some major weather in this game. I’ll stay on the Utes but for those of you that follow the totals this one moved up to 46 1/2 and I’ve seen it dropping to 43 1/2, that’s a pretty big move.

The line in the Syracuse at West Virginia game is at WVU -23 1/2, down from 25. Everyone knows I picked WVU (because I posted it) so less is more. If the Mountaineers are going to start looking like a good team today is a great day to start at home against a weak opponent.

Kentucky is now +3 vs. South Carolina after opening at pick and then moving to Kentucky -1. Obviously, there is a lot of money on the state of South Carolina as that line move to Clemson on Thursday night was gigantic, though it didn’t help Tommy Bowden become a better coach all of the sudden.

Read the rest of this article and more at The College Football Place

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Ten Top Tens After Week 5 In College Football

Top Ten Teams

1) Oklahoma - The Sooners keep right on rolling.

2) LSU - Last year’s defending champs right on target.

3) Texas – Playing like they have something to prove.

4) Alabama – A nice win, but my guess is they won’t be here long.

5) Penn State – What can we say about Joe Pa’s kids this year?

6) BYU – The more turbulence in front of them, the better for the Cougars.

7) Tulsa – Two non-BCS schools get in?

South Florida – A win is a win is a win.

9) Missouri – With that defense they aren’t going far.

10) Utah – Parity is here.

 

I Told You So…Ten Times

1) Clemson is overrated. I did a double take when you guys ranked them…again.

2) Gators can’t run the ball. Gimmicks only get you so far.

3) Nebraska can’t beat anyone good. Why do you think they schedule so many stiffs?

4) Iowa can’t cover a spread. Apparently they forgot how to win games as well.

5) Clemson is overrated. Maybe it will stick if you guys hear it enough times.

6) Texas is really good. Take notice; Colt McCoy is better than we thought.

7) Duke is better this year. Looks like my bowl prediction may actually be right.

Virginia Tech isn’t done yet. Beamer and Foster have won with a lot less than this.

9) Oregon can score with anyone at QB. Their fifth-string QB has more TD passes than the entire Auburn team.

10) Tulsa is going to run the table. Any doubters still out there?

 

Ten Places I’m Glad I’m Nowhere Near today

1) Gainesville – Known for being pretty sore losers.

2) Jimmy John’s Jail Cell - Sucks to be him is my guess.

3) Lincoln, Neb. - Such nice people to be fooled again.

4) Dolphin Stadium – Actually I’m always glad when I’m not near that place; bring back the OB.

5) Knoxville, Tenn. – Where’s David Cutcliffe when you need him?

6) Skip Holtz’s Agent’s Office – Getting awfully quiet all of the sudden.

7) Los Angeles – Not a good weekend for college football fans. I’ll leave it at that.

Las Vegas – Wouldn’t have been a good day for me yesterday.

9) Toledo, Ohio - Not that it’s ever a great day to be there, but today must be extra bad.

10) Fayetteville, Ark.- I think the Hogs just gave up another TD.

 

Let’s Give It Up For The Smart Guys…

1) Duke – You guys are good.

2) Northwestern – Nice job at Iowa.

3) Navy – Highest graduation rate in D-1 and a win over Wake.

4) Stanford – Winners on the road over Washington.

5) Cal - Whooped up on Colorado State.

6) Rice – These guys can count way past 77.

7) Notre Dame – Say what you will, these guys graduate over 90 percent.

Boston College – Smart enough to schedule Rhode Island on Upset Saturday.

9) Vandy – Had a bye and still moves up in the rankings.

10) Army – Didn’t win, but actually looked respectable for a change.

 

Ten More Things I Noticed This Week

1) Charlie Weis is letting his hair grow out. Hippie.

2) Kirk Herbstreit missed the Georgia-Alabama game. He got four hours in a booth with Brent Musburger instead. Talk about a double whammy.

3) Larry Coker is more boring of an announcer than he was a coach. I know we didn’t think this was possible.

4) Home teams get a lot of great calls. I guess we did notice this before.

5) Pete Carroll claps a lot. Hey Pete, knock it off or I’ll start calling you “Clappy.”

6) Oklahoma has a really nice stadium. That thing is unbelievable, even on TV.

7) Bo Pelini needs a stylist. Do something Bo. Everyone knows you make millions, so the sweatshirt and ballcap thing doesn’t cut it.

I actually spend time wondering if any Clemson player ever fell down the hill. I wonder this every time I see it, but actually noticed this week.

9) Frank Beamer looks younger than he used to. Did he lose weight?

10) For a team that embraces tradition, Georgia is pretty non-traditional. I’m just not a fan of “alternative” uniforms.

 

Ten More Times I was Wrong

1) USC covers easily. Yeah right.

2) Bama is built to win in a year or two; Georgia is built to win right now. It sounded so good.

3) FIU is just as bad as last year. Nope.

4) North Texas is the worst team in the country. Wait a second; they gave up 77 to Rice yesterday, so maybe they are.

5) Jimmy Claussen isn’t that good. Maybe not the next Montana, but really some nice touch passes.

6) John Parker Wilson will cost Alabama the game. Not between the hedges he didn’t.

7) Wisconsin will win the Big Ten. Not if Joe Pa has anything to say about it.

UCLA and the spread – I am 0-5 against the spread in UCLA games this year.

9) Bill Stewart is the worst coach in the country. Sorry, Tommy Bowden, I forgot about you for a minute or two.

10) The ACC isn’t as bad as everyone thinks. Maybe Duke goes to a BCS bowl the way things are going.

 

Ten Biggest Week 5 Disappointments

1) Notre Dame won. It’s more fun when they lose.

2) Wisconsin – Can I borrow Pete Carroll’s choke sign?

3) Auburn’s Offense - They actually said on TV that they hoped Chris Todd was injured, because then he would have an excuse for how poorly he threw the ball.

4) Georgia’s first half – Will go down as one of the biggest no-shows of all time.

5) The Officiating – It’s gotten even worse.

6) Patrick Nix’s Offense - The prevent Offense is against everything I believe in.

7) USC’s Offensive game plan – Did they have one?

North Texas – Just cancel the rest of your games if you aren’t even going to try.

9) Florida’s Running game – I guess you actually have to have something to be disappointed in it.

10) Arkansas – This is a team in total disarray.

 

Ten Victims of the Soup Nazi (No Soup For you)

1) Mark Sanchez - No Heisman

2) Tommy Bowden – No Love

3) Mark Richt – No National Title

4) Dolphins Stadium – No one home

5) North Texas – No Wins

6) Phil Fulmer – No Job

7) Colt McCoy – No Respect

ACC – No Top-Tier Team

9) Clemson Fans – Nothing to cheer about

10) UGA – No Picture on Miami Mitch’s Ten Top 10’s

 

What We Have To Look Forward To

1)Texas-Oklahoma – Going to be the next big thing.

2) A BCS Mess - Inevitable now.

3) Cries of “We’re No. 2″ – Is anything more pathetic?

4) 10 More Weeks of Regular Season – Yeehaw!!

5) Bad-weather games- I can feel it in the air here.

6) More Upsets - Saturday was just the beginning.

7) Florida-LSU – Should be a really good one.

Trojan West Coast Spin - Like the Sun Rising in the East.

9) Losing teams in Bowl games – Either that or D-1AA.

10) Notre Dame in A BCS Game – Someone do something then.

 

Ten Reasons To Keep Watching College Football This Year

1) It’s the best game there is. I dare you to try and find one better.

2) Maybe the announcers will stop acting like they know everything. They don’t; we do.

3) Easy Point Spreads – A lot of people will give up after the whooping they took this weekend.

4) The SEC – They aren’t going to stop hitting.

5) You won’t have to see Pete Carroll as much. The media doesn’t love him as much when he’s not No. 1.

6) They’ll be plenty to argue. Going to be tough without a playoff this time around.

7) The Fight Songs and Rivalries - It’s getting to be that time already.

Conference Games – Did someone say bad blood?

9) Trophy Games – The Iron Bowl, Paul Bunyon’s Axe, The Little Brown Jug, Clean, old-fashioned hate, etc.

10) You may never get a chance to see Tommy Bowden on a sideline again. Sorry, never going to let him off easy.

 

You can always see what Mitch has to say at The College Football Place

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