GAME RECAP: BYU vs. Utah

The game recap for the BYU-Utah game is now posted at www.isportsweb.com.

GAME DAY TALK

Let's get it going. Today should be a great day. Rivalries are already making things interesting. Pitt just lost to rival West Virginia last night, while Alabama and Texas were taken to the wire against their rivals. What will happen today? This is must see TV.

GAME PREVIEW: BYU vs. Utah

The game preview for BYU vs. Utah is posted on http://www.isportsweb.com/. Check it out to see what I will be watching for and what other story lines have caught my interest If you have not been to that sight lately, take a good look at the other posts. I have made several this week.

Let me address some specific questions from you who follow the blog that I was unable to work into the post on isportsweb. No, Utah does not have the right personnel to stretch BYU to the breaking point. I think BYU is in complete control whether they win this game and by how much. That isn't to say that Utah does not have talented player who will put up a fight, but if BYU executes well then BYU will get their points and the Utah offense will struggle with an inexperienced quarterback, whether it is Terrence Cain or Jordan Wynn. I don't consider the Utah passing game aggressive. They rely on a solid run game and use the pass to keep teams honest, and with this year's quarterbacks, the run definitely comes first with Utah. Yes, I think BYU will excute well enough to win, and I just might get what we have not had yet this century, a big BYU win. All four of our wins have been fourth quarter comebacks, while Utah has had two blowouts this decade.

PERSPECTIVE: BCS list of teams still under consideration

NOTE: A similar post can be found at http://www.isportsweb.com/ on the BYU Football page.

The BCS released earlier this week a list of 20 teams still under consideration for the nine remaining BCS bowl positions. Ohio State has already secured a Rose Bowl spot as the Big 10 Champion. The list included the following teams:

Clemson, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Texas, Oregon, Oregon State, Florida, Alabama, Boise State, BYU, Iowa, LSU, Miami (FL), Oklahoma State, Penn State, USC, TCU, and Virginia Tech.

The first 10 teams are obvious since they can gain an automatic berth by winning their conference championship. It is the second 10 that is perplexing. TCU and Boise State are givens to be on this list, since they are in the top 6 and undefeated. Iowa, Penn State, and Oklahoma State are understandable; they are the next best teams from conferences that have an automatic berth for their champions. However, the rational and common sense starts to get fuzzy with LSU, Miami (FL), USC, and Virginia Tech. Each school has three losses, and no team with three losses, except for Illinois in 2007 as Ohio State's replacement in the Rose Bowl, has ever played in a BCS bowl game. The BCS could really get itself into trouble if one of these three loss teams is invited while an undefeated Boise State is not. I don't know what could be better evidence that the BCS is unfair and that money comes first in the BCS.

The final team on the list is BYU. This is the one that puzzles me the most. Why is BYU on the list? Yes, the Cougars can still meet the minimum requirements to qualify for a BCS bowl invite, that is nine wins and a top 14 ranking in the BCS standings, but with TCU and Boise State well ahead of BYU in the standings, why would a third member of a non-automatic qualifying conference still be under consideration? Was it that opening day win against Oklahoma? Furthermore, if 9-2 BYU is still BCS worthy, why not BYU's opponent this week, 9-2 Utah. Utah, just like BYU, has a loss to TCU, number 4 in the BCS. The only other loss for Utah came on the road at Oregon, another team on the verge of clinching a BCS bowl bid. Utah did, after all, win the Sugar Bowl just last year. Haven't the Utes established themselves as a BCS worthy program with a 2-0 record in BCS bowls?

The first explanation I can offer is that this is all politics. For the BCS to appear equitable it needs to show that schools from conferences without automatic bids for their champion have the same chance to get a BCS invite as any non-champion from those conferences with an automatic bid for their champion. This reminds me of 1996 when then BYU head coach LaVell Edwards was invited to the selection show for the Bowl Alliance, the precursor to the BCS. In 1996, BYU was the third highest ranked team available for the six alliance bowl spots, and the highest ranked team that was not guaranteed a spot as a conference champion. BYU was not invited to play in one of the Bowl Alliance games and having Edwards present was merely a gesture to make the Alliance appear to be an equitable system. In reality, BYU will not be invited to play in a BCS bowl, even if every team with two or three losses loses again and Boise State and one of the undefeated SEC teams lose their two remaining games. The BCS just won't let it happen. My second explanation is that BYU is the next highest rated team after TCU and Boise State from a conference that does not have an automatic bid for its conference champion. In their effort to appear fair, the BCS just did the simplest thing. That is why it was BYU and not Utah. My third explanation is that BYU was the second team from the Mountain West Conference on the list. The BCS bylaws prohibit a conference from having more than two participants in BCS bowls. Maybe if Utah was in the Western Athletic Conference or some other conference the Utes would have made the list, but since they are below BYU in the standings and in the same conference as BYU and TCU, Utah was left off.

In the end, I find one other question more pertinent than all others. Why does the BCS put out this list? There is still a lot of football left to play. The changes that can occur, and have occurred in the past, in the BCS standings can propel a team to the forefront of discussion that is out of the picture now. Why open yourself up for more criticism and controversy? Just let the games be played and tabulate the final BCS standings and make the selections from those results.

HEISMAN HOPEFULS, WEEK 12

The pack is thinning. This week I am cutting Ryan Matthews and Dion Lewis from the list. Lewis is having a phenomenal freshman season, but I don't feel he is playing at the same level as the other running backs. The concussion that Matthews sustained last week kept him out of action this week, and that is hurting him. For him to really have had a chance, he needed to play very well in every game. As for the remaining three candidates, they are all neck and neck. Toby Gerhart has turned into a touchdown machine with seven in the last two weeks, but Stanford's loss to Cal does hurt him slightly. Case Keenum rebounded beautifully from last week's loss. Mark Ingram is doing the best he can with the limited number of touches that he is getting. He could be the clear cut leader if he could get his hands on the ball more often. No one can afford to slip up now.

Case Keenum, Houston, 29 completions, 39 attempts, 405 yards, 5TD (387-553, 4599, 36 TD, 6 INT, 3 rush TD)

Toby Gerhart, Stanford, 20-136, 4 TD (282-1531, 23 TD)

Mark Ingram, Alabama, 11-102, 2 TD (205-1399, 12 TD, 3 rec TD)

Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh, DID NOT PLAY--BYE (203-1291, 13 TD, 1 rec TD)--WILL NOT CONTINUE TO TRACK

Ryan Matthews, Fresno State, DID NOT PLAY--INJURED (213-1491, 14 TD)--WILL NOT CONTINUE TO TRACK

REMEMBERING THE RIVALRY

As a special feature for www.isportsweb.com, each day this week I will highlight a game from the BYU-Utah series. Today is 1989, 20 years ago. Don't miss it.

POLL RESULTS

You were right with the poll this week. LSU vs. Ole Miss received 57 percent of the vote, and sure enough, Ole Miss pulled off the upset. Oregon vs. Arizona received 28 percent, and that game nearly ended in an upset, too. An Oregon touchdown with less than 30 seconds left to force overtime game Oregon the extra time it needed to beat a tough Arizona team. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: Which rivalry do you enjoy the most?

REACTION TO THE RANKINGS

My reaction to BYU's spot in the rankings is posted at www.isportsweb.com. Check it out and see if you agree.

TOP 25, WEEK 12

After rewarding Rutgers and Stanford with significant jumps in the rankings last week, they showed me they did not care for my respect as they lost their respective games. Rutgers was pummelled by Syracuse, and Stanford lost to its rival. Both fell from the rankings. They may make it back into the final rankings, but at this point they are on the outside looking in. Everyone in the top 12 either won or was idle, so no changes there. I was poised to move Temple up significantly to number 14, but after I saw the results of Rutgers and Stanford following their big leaps, I kept them at a more modest 17 (the lowest ranked 2 loss team). I have joined the Temple bandwagon and want to see them keep winning, so I did not want to jinx them with an 8-3 Ohio team on the schedule this week for a chance to play Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship game. Therefore, Central Michigan and Temple swapped spots. I have to say my favorite part of doing the rankings this week was dropping LSU out following its loss to Ole Miss. I think I am getting too much gratification over LSU's misfortunes, but I don't think unranked status is too harsh of a punishment. There are many other quality three-loss teams. With rivalries getting into full swing next week, we may see more major shake ups in the rankings. Stay tuned.

1. TCU (11-0)

2. Cincinnati (10-0)

3. Alabama (11-0)

3. Texas (11-0)

5. Florida (11-0)

6. Boise State (11-0)

7. Georgia Tech (10-1)

8. Pittsburgh (9-1)

9. Oregon (9-2)

10. Ohio State (10-2)

11. Houston (9-2)

12. Iowa (10-2)

13. Penn State (10-2)

14. Central Michigan (9-2)

15. Oklahoma State (9-2)

16. Utah (9-2)

17. Temple (9-2)

18. Clemson (8-3)

19. North Carolina (8-3)

20. Wisconsin (8-3)

21. Navy (8-3)

22. Nevada (8-3)

23. Nebraska (8-3)

24. Oregon State (8-3)

25. Ole Miss (8-3)

OTHERS TO WATCH: Troy, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), USC, Boston College, LSU, Rutgers, Stanford

GAME RECAP: BYU vs. Air Force

You can view the game recap for the BYU vs. Air Force game at: http://isportsweb.com/sport/college-football/mountain-west/byu-football/ Be sure to visit www.isportsweb.com regularly next week as I will make a special post each day in honor of the BYU vs. Utah rivalry with flashbacks for some of the rivalries greatest games.

GAME DAY TALK

It is Rivalry Week, part 1. Michigan vs. Ohio State highlights this week's rivalries. We also have games that will decide or clear up the races for conference titles. Oregon vs. Arizona and Stanford vs. Cal can go a long ways to decide who represents the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl. Nebraska vs. Kansas State is for the Big 12 North Division title. What other games do you have your eye on?

GAME PREVIEW: BYU vs. Air Force

The game preview for BYU vs. Air Force has been posted on www.isportsweb.com. Check it out and leave some additional things to watch for in this game.

HEISMAN HOPEFULS, WEEK 11

I think it is time to let go of Jimmy Clausen. He made great improvements this year and is a fine quarterback, but he is not on the Heisman Trophy level. Case Keenum was my front runner going into the weekend, but he was less than outstanding in the loss to Central Florida. Toby Gerhart has surged to the front now. He has amassed 401 yards and 6 touchdowns the last two weeks against Oregon and USC. Ryan Matthews suffered a concussion and missed most of his game this week against Nevada. He expects to play this week. If he can't bounce back with huge games the last two weeks, he may be dropped, despite leading the nation in rushing.

Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, 27 completions, 42 attempts, 283 yards, 1TD, 1 INT, 1 rush TD (236-350, 3053, 21 TD, 4 INT, 2 rush TD)-WILL NOT CONTINUE TO TRACK

Case Keenum, Houston, 33-56, 377, 3 TD, 1 INT (358-514, 4194, 31 TD, 6 INT, 3 rush TD)

Toby Gerhart, Stanford, 29-178, 3 TD (262-1395, 19 TD)

Mark Ingram, Alabama, 19-149, 2 TD (175-1297, 10 TD, 3 rec TD)

Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh, 21-152, 1 TD (203-1291, 13 TD, 1 rec TD)

Ryan Matthews, Fresno State, 8-32 (213-1491, 14 TD)

POLL RESULTS

The second poll has closed, and Oregon was voted as the best 2 loss team, with 50 percent of the vote. Thanks to all who participated. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll question: Which ranked team is most likely to lose this weekend?

REACTION TO THE RANKINGS

Don't forget to go to www.isportsweb.com to read my latest post on the new rankings and where BYU is at and how the Cougars were treated compared to other teams that won/lost.

TOP 25, WEEK 11

And the upsets keep rolling in. For the second straight week, seven teams on my list lost. To their credit, however, Iowa, USC, South Florida, and Utah all played other ranked teams, but Utah was the only one to lose to a higher ranked team. Let's stop to reflect on the top 6. Number 1, TCU, has won every game by more than 15 points except for two. Those were both road games. One was against a very talented Clemson squad that is one win away from playing in the ACC title game. The other was a conference game in a snow storm against a traditionally strong Air Force club that has 7 wins and has not lost by more than 7 points (two losses were in overtime). Furthermore, TCU has played the 16th ranked team (by the major polls) twice this year and has won both games by a score of 93-35. No team in the country, let alone the other 5 undefeated teams has dominated its top ranked opponents like TCU has. The Horned Frogs have a potent offense to match their traditionally elite defense. Cincinnati is number 2 because they continue to exceed expectations. They opened the season with a 47-15 win at Rutgers who is now 7-2 (the only other loss was a 7 point decision against #8 Pittsburgh) and coming of a 31-0 beat down of South Florida (who was ranked at the time). Starting quarterback Tony Pike was injured a month ago, but the offense has not skipped a beat. Cincinnati might not have the name recognition that some of the other schools in the rankings, but with their performance on the field they have proven they are legit. Brian Kelly has to be one of the top 5 coaches in college football, and I like his team's chances against anyone. Alabama, like TCU and everyone else, had a conference foe give them a scare (Tennessee, 12-10), but three other games were solid, not dominant, wins. Although the Crimson Tide has a stout defense, I think they lack the offensive firepower necessary to beat the two teams ahead of it. I have moved Texas into a tie with Alabama at number 3. (Yes, I know they shut down the Arkansas offense, but the Razorbacks are really at least a year away from being the high octane Bobby Petrino offensive attacks that we saw at Louisville.) After struggling at times, the Longhorns offense appears to be hitting on all cylinders, while the defense has not allowed more than 14 points since week 3. I cannot justify ranking Texas higher because the rankings intend to represent the season long performance of a team, and the top two have played more consistently all year. Florida has lost a lot of offensive fireworks from last year, but their defense and the it factor that Tim Tebow has is getting it done. However, after Louisiana Tech played LSU so close, I like Boise State's chances against the Gators. Boise State is inching closer to that number 5 spot, and I think a Boise State vs. Florida match up in a bowl game would be intriguing. Would the Bronco defense shut down Florida's offense like it did Oregon, and would the high execution of Boise State on offense be enough to put points up against Florida's suffocating defense? I like Boise State, but the close games against Louisiana Tech and Tulsa, as well as the unimpressive win against UC Davis make me unable to rank the Broncos higher than any of the others. As for the rest of the field, LSU continued to be unimpressive. They are the most overrated two loss team in the country. Oregon edged out Ohio State as the top two loss team by virtue of its win over USC, whereas Ohio State lost to USC. Rutgers made a big jump from 23 to 15, for the reasons cited above. Stanford made the biggest jump--nine spots from 25 to 16. Stanford is an exception to the rule. If you go back and read my initial Top 25 rankings, I explained that my philosophy was that teams with a better overall win-loss record would be ranked higher than teams with a worse record, and only on very rare occasions would this philosophy not be followed. Stanford has been so impressive the last two weeks beating Oregon and USC that the Cardinals merit being ranked above some two loss teams. Anyone care to argue? Although Iowa lost its second straight, the Hawkeyes only fell two spots, since they have head-to-head wins over Wisconsin and Penn State.

1. TCU (10-0)

2. Cincinnati (10-0)

3. Alabama (10-0)

3. Texas (10-0)

5. Florida (10-0)

6. Boise State (10-0)

7. Georgia Tech (10-1)

8. Pittsburgh (9-1)

9. Oregon (8-2)

10. Ohio State (9-2)

11. Houston (8-2)

12. Iowa (9-2)

13. Wisconsin (8-2)

14. Penn State (9-2)

15. Rutgers (7-2)

16. Stanford (7-3)

17. Oklahoma State (8-2)

18. Utah (8-2)

19. LSU (8-2)

20. Temple (8-2)

21. Central Michigan (8-2)

22. Clemson (7-3)

23. North Carolina (7-3)

24. Navy (8-3)

25. Nevada (7-3)

OTHERS TO WATCH: Troy, West Virginia, Oregon State, Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), USC, Boston College, Nebraska, Mississippi

GAME DAY TALK

Saturday is upon us once more. Again, the weekend has gotten off to a great start with the early games. Rutgers ambushed South Florida 31-0 on Thursday, and Cincinnati held on to beat West Virginia 24-21 yesterday. Today features Utah vs. TCU, Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh, Ohio State vs. Iowa, and Stanford vs. USC. Florida vs. South Carolina is always worth keeping an eye on with Steve Spurrier on the SC sideline. Idaho and Boise State in the WAC will give us a true measuring stick of how good Idaho really is. The upset alert is on Penn State vs. Indiana. Indiana has played almost everyone close this year, and Penn State could suffer a let down after their disappointing game against Ohio State last week. Don't be shy. Fill the comments section with your thoughts and reactions to today's games.

BYU GAME PREVIEW

Don't forget to checkout www.isportsweb.com for my game preview of BYU vs. New Mexico. Following the game, a game recap will be posted.

PERSPECTIVE: BIG WINS HINGE ON LITTLE PLAYS

Have you ever noticed a large gate in a farm fence? As you open it or close it there appears to be very little movement at the hinge. But there is great movement at the perimeter (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Small Acts Lead to Great Consequences,” Ensign, May 1984, 81).

This quote from a great world leader and friend of college football goes a long way to explaining a lot of the surprising game scores that we see almost weekly in college football. How many times have we sat down to watch a highly anticipated match up between two evenly matched teams only to have the outcome determined long before the final whistle blew? The 2005 Orange Bowl comes to mind (USC 55 Oklahoma 19). Although the scoreboard reflects a significant difference between the two teams, reality is that the two teams are evenly matched. The big win is the outcome of a few little plays going in favor of one team. Two, three, or four plays in a game made up of 150 plays can seem like the "very little movement at the hinge"; however, when the game ends it is clear that those couple of plays caused a "great movement at the perimeter." Let's look at the two BYU losses this year to better understand this sports phenomena.

September 19, 2009, BYU was favored to beat Florida State. The game ended in a 54-28 victory for Florida State. Although BYU lost by almost 4 touchdowns, it was essentially 2 plays that caused this drastic outcome. Play one was O'Neill Chamber's first quarter fumble. BYU had driven from its own 20 yard line to the FSU 18. Max Hall dropped back and connected with Chambers on a short pass when he fumbled at the 13. FSU recovered ending BYU's scoring threat. This was not just a fumble. It was a turnover that ended a scoring threat that we have no reason to doubt would have ended in a touchdown to tie the game at 7. Instead, FSU took over and scored another touchdown to push the lead to 14 Play two was another O'Neill Chambers fumble, this time in the second quarter. FSU scored with 23 seconds before halftime to go up 28-14. On the ensuing kickoff, Chambers fumbled at the BYU 30 yard line. This put FSU in position to tack on three more points with a successful field goal. What could have been a 28-21 game at the half, with BYU receiving the ball to start the second half, was a 30-14 FSU lead instead. Those two fumbles resulted in a 10 point difference, and completely changed BYU's play calling in the second half and the way FSU could defend the BYU offense. I am not saying that BYU would have won, but the game would have been much more competitive.

October 24, 2009, BYU had a conference showdown with the TCU Horned Frogs. BYU started the second half trailing 21-7. On the Cougars' first possession, however, they were moving the ball effectively and poised to score a touchdown and make the score 21-14. That would have been BYU's second consecutive scoring drive, and the game still up for grabs. However, a Max Hall pass was tipped by the intended receiver and intercepted by TCU. TCU subsequently kicked a field goal to push the lead to 24-7, another 10 point swing that was the real difference in the game.

Three plays in two games have given the nation the perception that BYU's 7-2 record is the result of BYU beating 6 bad teams, losing 2 ugly games, and getting a lucky injury against Oklahoma. The reality is that those three plays were the hinge that was magnified over the course of those two games and leaving an impression of BYU that overshadows its other accomplishments this year.

In sports we have another word for hinge: momentum. Momentum is the 12th man in football. Sometimes Mo switches his jersey throughout the game. Other times, he jumps on the swinging fence and rides it until the hinge opens fully.

COACHING: COACHES ON THE HOT SEAT

With the temperatures sinking across the country, this is the time of year that the heat is turning up on some college football coaches. Memphis (2-7) and Western Kentucky (0-9) have already fired their coaches. Who else can we expect to join the unemployment ranks within the next month?

1. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame: He barely survived last year. Supposedly he has the talent on the roster that should have resulted in a BCS birth. Now, the Fighting Irish have three losses and no hope for the BCS.
2. Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville: When he took over Louisville had just entered elite territory with an Orange Bowl win. The last three years Louisville has won a total of 14 games. Rumor is that his relationship off the field with school administration is not any better.
3. Mike Locksley, New Mexico: The Lobos are win less and to make matters worse he has some anger management issues. It does not matter that it is his first year, the program cannot maintain dignity by retaining Locksley for another year.
4. Dan Hawkins, Colorado: He predicted 10 wins at the beginning of the year. For most of the year they have been the laughing stock of the Big 12. He hasn’t helped himself by having his son start at quarterback. The tricky part of this one is that the Colorado Athletic Department is so strapped for cash right now that it might be impossible to buy out Hawkins’ contract, so he might have a job for one more year.
5. Al Groh, Virginia: Virginia has wallowed in mediocrity for the last five years, with the exception of 2007. The embarrassing start to this year coupled with the current three game losing streak have made this firing almost a foregone conclusion.
6. Paul Wulff, Washington State: Has any team in college football been as bad as Washington State over the last two years? The Cougars only won two games last year against win less Washington and FCS Portland State. This year a lone overtime win is the only time Washington State has walked of the field victorious. I don’t see any signs that this program is ready to make a turn in the right direction.
7. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan: Although the Wolverines have already improved their win total from 3 to 5 with two games to go. The problem is that Michigan does not stand much of a chance to win those games, and that all 5 of Michigan’s losses this year have come to Big 10 teams. In Ann Arbor the faithful expect to be the best in the Big 10 and Michigan isn’t winning conference games.

Hopefully, the coach of your favorite team is not listed above. Who else do you think should be on the list?

HEISMAN HOPEFULS, WEEK 10

With three weeks left, we see some candidates trying to separate themselves. Case Keenum has passed for 1,000 yards the last two weeks. Toby Gerhart and Mark Ingram came up big in big games to stand out a little from the pack of running backs. However, with three games to go, and looking at their total rushing yards, I am wondering if either of them will surpass 1,500. How comfortable are we with a Heisman Trophy being awarded to a running back with less than 1,500 yards rushing. That has not happened in over 25 years. Maybe if one of them had a 9 yard per carry average and over 20 touchdowns, but with the 12 game schedule (13 for Ingram), 1,500 yards is the minimum for "outstanding" running back play. As I said for quarterbacks, a game manager is not an outstanding quarterback. A running back with less than 1,500 rushing yards is nothing more than a game manager. Dropping from the list after this week will be Noel Devine and Jaquizz Rodgers. Devine has had less than 100 total yards rushing the last two weeks. Rodgers was a tough call. I know he is capable of exploding in the last few weeks of the year, and he has all those touchdowns, but in the end I think he is just too far behind to catch up. Jimmy Clausen is hanging on by a thread. He put up respectable numbers in a loss to a respectable Navy team, but he let himself get sacked for a safety late in the fourth quarter that proved to be the winning score. Notre Dame, though, finishes the year with two pretty big games (Pittsburgh and Stanford) and he has chances to redeem himself.

Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, 37 completions, 51 attempts, 452 yards, 2TD, 1 INT (209-308, 2770, 20 TD, 3 INT, 1 rush TD)

Case Keenum, Houston, 40-60, 522, 3 TD (325-458, 3815, 28 TD, 5 INT, 3 rush TD)

Noel Devine, West Virginia, 13 carries, 56 yards (167-1010, 10 TD)-WILL NOT CONTINUE TO TRACK

Toby Gerhart, Stanford, 38-223, 3 TD (233-1217, 16 TD)

Mark Ingram, Alabama, 22-144, (175-1148, 8 TD, 3 rec TD)

Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh, 18-110, 1 TD (203-1139, 12 TD, 1 rec TD)

Jaquizz Rodgers, Oregon State, 25-67, 1 TD (197-989, 15 TD, 1 rec TD, 1 TD pass)-WILL NOT CONTINUE TO TRACK

Ryan Matthews, Fresno State, 26-143, 3 TD (205-1459, 14 TD)

Reaction to Rankings

Don't forget that Mondays I post an in depth analysis of the rankings from a BYU perspective on www.isportsweb.com. Go there and join the discussion. I make some bold assertions and would like to get your feedback on them.

Poll Results: TCU vs. Boise State

The poll for TCU or Boise State in the BCS has closed, and TCU ran away with 88 percent of the vote. Thank you to all who participated. Don't forget to vote this week: Who is the best two-loss team?

TOP 25, WEEK 10

All those upsets in the Top 25 is a sure sign that it is November. Seven teams on my list lost. TCU solidified its position at number 1 by putting up 55 points in 3 quarters, while Cincinnati squeaked out a win against UConn. Cincinnati will prove its self in the couple of games with West Virginia and Pitt coming up. I feel more and more confident in the order of numbers 3 through 6, too. I did not penalize Iowa too much for its close loss to Northwestern. The injury bug bit the team's top offensive player, plus Iowa started the game by jumping out to a 10-0 lead. The loss has to be attributed to this injury, not to Iowa digging itself an insurmountable hole. The two-loss teams took some time to sort out. Oregon just crushed USC, so the Ducks had to stay above the Trojans, and USC beat Ohio State back in September, who just beat Penn State last weekend. LSU also joined the two-loss club, and, despite those losses being to the number three and five ranked teams, I took this opportunity to significantly drop the Tigers. The have failed to impress me all year long, so I am not going to give them an inflated ranking; however, I did keep them above some other two-loss teams. Stanford is the only three-loss team, by virtue of their upset of Oregon. For those keeping track, I have stuck to my resolve to boycott BYU from the rankings, even though they played the textbook definition of a complete game in its 52-0 win against Wyoming.

1. TCU (9-0)

2. Cincinnati (9-0)

3. Alabama (9-0)

4. Texas (9-0)

5. Florida (9-0)

6. Boise State (8-0)

7. Georgia Tech (9-1)

8. Pittsburgh (8-1)

9. Houston (8-1)

10. Iowa (9-1)

11. Utah (8-1)

12. Oregon (7-2)

13. Wisconsin (7-2)

14. USC (7-2)

15. Ohio State (8-2)

16. Penn State (8-2)

17. Oklahoma State (7-2)

18. LSU (7-2)

19. South Florida (6-2)

20. Miami (FL) (7-2)

21. Temple (7-2)

22. Arizona (6-2)

23. Rutgers (6-2)

24. Central Michigan (7-2)

25. Stanford (6-3)

OTHERS TO WATCH: Troy, West Virginia, Navy, Notre Dame, Nevada, Auburn, Texas Tech, Oregon State, Virginia Tech, Clemson

GAME DAY TALK

Let's hear it. Sorry this is coming a little late, and we already have so much to talk about. Undefeated Iowa has gone down. The injury bug bit starting QB Ricky Stanzi. BYU is off to a phenomenal start--offense and defense--to essentially put the game out of reach minutes into the third quarter. What are you watching? What has impressed you?

UP AND RUNNING

I am up and running as the BYU team correspondent for isportsweb. Go to www.isportsweb.com and check out my first posts and some of the other great material on that site.

HEISMAN HOPEFULS, WEEK 9

Case Keenum's performance impressed me. I think his 80+ percent completion percentage and over 550 yards of passing has given him a slight lead in this race. Last week I had Jaquizz Rodgers on the list only because of his 15 total touchdowns. This week he added a touchdown pass to his resume. Noel Devine had a bad outing against South Florida, but I can't justify taking him off the list yet, since he has more rushing yards than Jaquizz Rodgers and more rushing touchdowns than Mark Ingram. No Tim Tebow is not reappearing on my list. It is going to take more than one 4 TD performance to get back on the list, even if he did set the SEC career rushing touchdown record.

Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, 22 completions, 27 attempts, 268 yards, 2TD (172-257, 2318, 18 TD, 2 INT, 1 rush TD)

Case Keenum, Houston, 44-54, 559, 5 TD, 1 INT (285-398, 3293, 25 TD, 5 INT, 3 rush TD)

Noel Devine, West Virginia, 17 carries, 42 yards (154-954, 10 TD)

Toby Gerhart, Stanford, DID NOT PLAY (195-994, 13 TD)

Mark Ingram, Alabama, DID NOT PLAY (153-1004, 8 TD, 3 rec TD)

Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh, DID NOT PLAY (158-1029, 11 TD, 1 rec TD)

Jaquizz Rodgers, Oregon State, 24-112, 1 TD pass (172-922, 14 TD, 1 rec TD, 1 TD pass)

Ryan Matthews, Fresno State, 23-185, 2 TD (179-1316, 11 TD)

NEWSFLASH: I HAVE A NEW POSITION

Over the weekend, I assumed a new position as the BYU Team Correspondent for isportsweb.com.

"isportsweb.com is a cutting edge variation of sports information on the web. We will provide fresh, in-depth coverage from a local perspective on as many sports teams nationwide, college or professional, as possible."

This will be the new source for my BYU related work. I will make a minimum of three posts per week on this site. So what are you waiting for? Go check it out. Now!

TOP 25, WEEK 9

Notwithstanding my gut feeling about Georgia upseting Florida being wrong, I will not put Florida back on top for beating a team that I did not even rank in my preseason top 25. What I will do is take comfort in knowing that I accurately assessed how Georgia would perform this year while most other people had Georgia somewhere in the top 15, or close to it. I would lkie to move Boise State up after Oregon threw USC back down to earth. However, no one in the top 5 did anything to hurt their positions (Iowa was already behind Boise State). Only one spot in the bottom 11 stayed the same (Miami at 21). I hesitated last week to show some love to teams like Temple and Idaho, but they showed me that they could win on a weekend when other two-loss teams and one-loss teams could not win against foes with worse records. As I said last week, I love this time of year: November is crunch time. Most of these teams will prove they are top material or they will fall as every team is playing its best ball.

1. TCU (8-0)

2. Cincinnati (8-0)

3. Alabama (8-0)

4. Texas (8-0)

5. Florida (8-0)

6. Boise State (7-0)

7. Iowa (9-0)

8. Oregon (7-1)

9. Penn State (8-1)

10. Georgia Tech (8-1)

11. LSU (7-1)

12. Houston (7-1)

13. Pittsburg (7-1)

14. Utah (7-1)

15. USC (6-2)

16. Ohio State (7-2)

17. Notre Dame (6-2)

18. Wisconsin (6-2)

19. South Florida (5-2)

20. Oklahoma State (6-2)

21. Miami (FL) (6-2)

22. Cal (6-2)

23. Idaho (7-2)

24. Temple (6-2)

25. Central Michigan (7-2)

OTHERS TO WATCH: Troy, West Virginia, Rutgers