Only the NCAA can stop Cam Newton now. He has won the 2010 Heisman Memorial Trophy as the most outstanding player in the country. All that is left is formalities. Rallying Auburn from 24-0 to keep national championship hopes alive, and passing so well in the process, easily does the trick.
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: Cameron Newton accounted for all four Auburn touchdowns. His passing was the tool Auburn used to shock everyone. His pass efficiency was 205.
LaMichael James has another strong workman like game. He has already surpassed his totals from last year, which was no small task.
PLAYERS DROPPED: Kendall Hunter. You have to give your team more than 55 yards in such an important game.
PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: None.
PLAYERS ADDED: None.
LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1,546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 256 rushes, 1,548 yards, 19 TD
Last: 28 rushes, 126 yards, 2 TD
Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
2009: 20 receptions, 260 yards, 2 TD
2010: 102 receptions, 1,665 yards, 18 TD
Last: 8 receptions, 105 yards, 1 TD
Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Junior College
2010: 148-218 (67.9%), 2,254 yards, 24 TD, 6 Int / 228 rushes, 1,336 yards, 18 TD
Last: 13-20 (65%), 216 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int / 22 rushes, 39 yards, 1 TD
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: Ohio State Arrived Late And Left Early, But Still Got The Job Done
Poll Results: Who Will Win The Big XII?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 13, 2010
Game Predictions, Week 13, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Texas A&M Aggies and Texas Longhorns Win-Loss Record
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday Musings: Ohio State Buckeyes Arrive Late and Leave Early, But Still Get The Job Done
Thanksgiving weekend is typically one of the greatest weekends of college football. This year was no exception.
1. Arrive Late, Leave Early. Looking at the box score to the Ohio State-Michigan game, the scoring by quarters stuck out to me. Ohio State scored 0, 24, 13, and 0 points. While the Buckeyes were held scoreless in the first and the fourth quarters, they did enough in the second and third to win. Of course, it helps that Michigan only made a cameo appearance in the second quarter.
2. Rewarding Mediocrity? Auburn jumping Oregon into the top spot in the BCS is like rewarding mediocrity. Oregon thumped a good Arizona squad 49-28. Auburn, on the other hand, fell behind 24-0. It took injuries and turnovers for the Tigers to claw their way back for a one point win. I am not trying to take anything away from the win for Auburn. It’s just that I don’t understand how you can move Auburn ahead of Oregon on the merits of the two games that they played.
3. Special Teams is 1/3 of the game. You hear coaches say it, and it is very cliché, but special teams directly decided the outcome of two games this weekend. The high profile game was Boise State-Nevada, where the Boise State kicker missed two “easy” field goals. One at the end of regulation that would have ended the game, and another in overtime that would have forced Nevada to score a touchdown to win. The other game was BYU-Utah. BYU had a 16-10 lead and forced Utah to punt midway through the fourth quarter. The Utah punter shanked the punt, but to Utah’s great fortune, hit a BYU cover man. Utah was able to recover the ball and eventually scored a touchdown to go ahead 17-16. BYU was still able to drive into field goal range to attempt a game winner with four seconds to play. Utah blocked the kick.
4. Stuffing the ballot. Two weeks after running up the score on Indiana, Wisconsin was at it again. This time they rolled up 70 points to Northwestern’s 23. Wisconsin needed all the votes they could get to assure itself the Big Ten AQ spot in the BCS. Since Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Ohio State all have identical 7-1 conference records, the team with the highest BCS ranking gets the BCS bid.
5. Is nothing sacred in the MAC? In back-to-back weekends, Ohio and Miami (OH) beat up Temple. Wins in those two games would have put Temple in the MAC championship game. Now the Owls are third in their division.
6. The new WAC is Conference USA? Forget the fact that the Mountain West Conference is adding Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, and probably Hawaii. Conference USA is where you need to go to see wild and high scoring shootouts that the WAC became known for 20 years ago. Conf. USA games featured scores like 56-50, 45-38, and in every game, the winner scored over 30 points, except one (Rice had 28).
7. Fisher makes a splash. Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher is making a splash his first year as the head man in Tallahassee. The Seminoles beat Florida for the first time since 2003, and they will be playing in the ACC championship game for the first time since 2005.
8. Contract Extension? Will we be hearing about a contract extension for Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly? His Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat USC for the first time since 2001. When Charlie Weis lost to the Trojans 34-31 in 2005, he was rewarded with a generous contract extension.
9. Pulling for South Florida. There has to be little question that the Big East powers that be are silently rooting for a South Florida win this week over UConn coupled with a West Virginia win. If UConn wins, the Big East would be sending an unranked representative to the BCS.
10. Top heavy. The Mountain West Conference is often criticized by BCS bullies that it is a “top heavy” conference. Let’s throw that label on the Big Ten this year. Three teams are 11-1, after that the next best team is 7-5. How should I say this? A Big Ten conference schedule wouldn’t exactly qualify as, um, murderer’s row.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Who Will Win The Big XII?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 13, 2010
Game Predictions, Week 13, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Texas A&M Aggies and Texas Longhorns Win-Loss Record
Heisman Hopefuls: Oklahoma State Cowboys Justin Blackmon Is Added To The List
Michigan Wolverines Will Fire Rich Rodriguez Next Monday
1. Arrive Late, Leave Early. Looking at the box score to the Ohio State-Michigan game, the scoring by quarters stuck out to me. Ohio State scored 0, 24, 13, and 0 points. While the Buckeyes were held scoreless in the first and the fourth quarters, they did enough in the second and third to win. Of course, it helps that Michigan only made a cameo appearance in the second quarter.
2. Rewarding Mediocrity? Auburn jumping Oregon into the top spot in the BCS is like rewarding mediocrity. Oregon thumped a good Arizona squad 49-28. Auburn, on the other hand, fell behind 24-0. It took injuries and turnovers for the Tigers to claw their way back for a one point win. I am not trying to take anything away from the win for Auburn. It’s just that I don’t understand how you can move Auburn ahead of Oregon on the merits of the two games that they played.
3. Special Teams is 1/3 of the game. You hear coaches say it, and it is very cliché, but special teams directly decided the outcome of two games this weekend. The high profile game was Boise State-Nevada, where the Boise State kicker missed two “easy” field goals. One at the end of regulation that would have ended the game, and another in overtime that would have forced Nevada to score a touchdown to win. The other game was BYU-Utah. BYU had a 16-10 lead and forced Utah to punt midway through the fourth quarter. The Utah punter shanked the punt, but to Utah’s great fortune, hit a BYU cover man. Utah was able to recover the ball and eventually scored a touchdown to go ahead 17-16. BYU was still able to drive into field goal range to attempt a game winner with four seconds to play. Utah blocked the kick.
4. Stuffing the ballot. Two weeks after running up the score on Indiana, Wisconsin was at it again. This time they rolled up 70 points to Northwestern’s 23. Wisconsin needed all the votes they could get to assure itself the Big Ten AQ spot in the BCS. Since Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Ohio State all have identical 7-1 conference records, the team with the highest BCS ranking gets the BCS bid.
5. Is nothing sacred in the MAC? In back-to-back weekends, Ohio and Miami (OH) beat up Temple. Wins in those two games would have put Temple in the MAC championship game. Now the Owls are third in their division.
6. The new WAC is Conference USA? Forget the fact that the Mountain West Conference is adding Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, and probably Hawaii. Conference USA is where you need to go to see wild and high scoring shootouts that the WAC became known for 20 years ago. Conf. USA games featured scores like 56-50, 45-38, and in every game, the winner scored over 30 points, except one (Rice had 28).
7. Fisher makes a splash. Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher is making a splash his first year as the head man in Tallahassee. The Seminoles beat Florida for the first time since 2003, and they will be playing in the ACC championship game for the first time since 2005.
8. Contract Extension? Will we be hearing about a contract extension for Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly? His Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat USC for the first time since 2001. When Charlie Weis lost to the Trojans 34-31 in 2005, he was rewarded with a generous contract extension.
9. Pulling for South Florida. There has to be little question that the Big East powers that be are silently rooting for a South Florida win this week over UConn coupled with a West Virginia win. If UConn wins, the Big East would be sending an unranked representative to the BCS.
10. Top heavy. The Mountain West Conference is often criticized by BCS bullies that it is a “top heavy” conference. Let’s throw that label on the Big Ten this year. Three teams are 11-1, after that the next best team is 7-5. How should I say this? A Big Ten conference schedule wouldn’t exactly qualify as, um, murderer’s row.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Who Will Win The Big XII?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 13, 2010
Game Predictions, Week 13, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Texas A&M Aggies and Texas Longhorns Win-Loss Record
Heisman Hopefuls: Oklahoma State Cowboys Justin Blackmon Is Added To The List
Michigan Wolverines Will Fire Rich Rodriguez Next Monday
Poll Results: Who Will Win The Big XII?
The poll results are in and 41% of voters thought that Oklahoma State would win the Big XII. That obviously won't happen now. Nebraska was a close second with 39%. The Big XII South representative in this week's championship game Oklahoma was third with 17%. The Texas A&M Aggies had 2% and Missouri the last 1% of the vote.
Thank you to all who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's question: "Should Nevada be ranked higher (#14/#17) after beating Boise State?"
Thank you to all who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's question: "Should Nevada be ranked higher (#14/#17) after beating Boise State?"
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 13, 2010
For the first time in 2010, College Football Haven has a new number 1. The Nevada upset of Boise State was reminiscent of USC-Texas in the Rose Bowl following the 2005 season. Boise State appeared invincible. With just one final hurdle to clear, Boise State faltered. The one-tenth of one percent exception happened. Congratulations to Nevada for dethroning Boise State. The Wolf Pack has soared all the way up to number 8.
Oregon jumps from number 3 to number one. The Ducks beat a solid Arizona team by 19 points. Auburn trailed 24-0! That is basically what it boiled down to. It also isn’t the first scare that the Tigers have had, either.
The Big XII presented a quagmire for the rankings with Oklahoma beating Oklahoma State. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, and Missouri all have a 10-2 record, while red hot Texas A&M is 9-3 but with recent big wins over Oklahoma and Nebraska—the two teams in the Big XII title game. When I looked at the overall head-to-head play of these five teams, it fell into place. For teams tied with the same head-to-head among the five, I went to head-to-head between those two. The results were as follows:
11. Nebraska was 2-1 (Beat Missouri and Oklahoma State, lost to Texas A&M)
13. Missouri was 2-1 (Beat Texas A&M and Oklahoma, lost to Nebraska)
15. Texas A&M was 2-2 (Beat Oklahoma and Nebraska, lost to Missouri and Oklahoma State)
16. Oklahoma was 1-2 (Beat Oklahoma State, lost to Texas A&M and Missouri)
17. Oklahoma State was 1-2 (Beat Texas A&M, lost to Oklahoma and Nebraska)
There has been a Big East sighting. West Virginia has cracked the list at 24. However, the Mountaineers need UConn (7-4) to lose to South Florida for them to get the Big East’s BCS AQ bid.
1. Oregon (11-0)
LAST: Beat Arizona 48-29.
2. Auburn (12-0)
LAST: Beat Alabama 28-27.
3. TCU (12-0)
LAST: Beat New Mexico 66-17.
4. Stanford (11-1)
LAST: Beat Oregon State 38-0.
5. Michigan State (11-1)
LAST: Beat Penn State 28-22.
6. Wisconsin (11-1)
LAST: Beat Northwestern 70-23.
7. Ohio State (11-1)
LAST: Beat Michigan 37-7.
8. Nevada (11-1)
LAST: Beat Boise State 34-31 OT.
9. Boise State (10-1)
LAST: Lost to Nevada 34-31 OT.
10. Arkansas (10-2)
LAST: Beat LSU 31-23.
11. Nebraska (10-2)
LAST: Beat Colorado 45-17.
12. LSU (10-2)
LAST: Lost to Arkansas 31-23.
13. Missouri (10-2)
LAST: Beat Kansas 35-7.
14. Virginia Tech (10-2)
LAST: Beat Virginia 37-7.
15. Texas A&M (9-3)
LAST: Beat Texas 24-17.
16. Oklahoma (10-2)
LAST: Beat Oklahoma State 47-41.
17. Oklahoma State (10-2)
LAST: Lost to Oklahoma 47-41.
18. Northern Illinois (10-2)
LAST: Beat Eastern Michigan 71-3.
19. Alabama (9-3)
LAST: Lost to Auburn 28-27.
20. Utah (10-2)
LAST: Beat BYU 17-16.
21. South Carolina (9-3)
LAST: Beat Clemson 29-7.
22. Florida State (9-3)
LAST: Beat Florida 31-7.
23. Hawaii (9-3)
LAST: Beat New Mexico State 59-24.
24. West Virginia (8-3)
LAST: Beat Pittsburgh 35-10.
25. Tulsa (9-3)
LAST: Beat Southern Mississippi 56-50.
OTHERS TO WATCH: Navy, UCF.
Previous Top 25:
Preseason
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Oregon jumps from number 3 to number one. The Ducks beat a solid Arizona team by 19 points. Auburn trailed 24-0! That is basically what it boiled down to. It also isn’t the first scare that the Tigers have had, either.
The Big XII presented a quagmire for the rankings with Oklahoma beating Oklahoma State. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, and Missouri all have a 10-2 record, while red hot Texas A&M is 9-3 but with recent big wins over Oklahoma and Nebraska—the two teams in the Big XII title game. When I looked at the overall head-to-head play of these five teams, it fell into place. For teams tied with the same head-to-head among the five, I went to head-to-head between those two. The results were as follows:
11. Nebraska was 2-1 (Beat Missouri and Oklahoma State, lost to Texas A&M)
13. Missouri was 2-1 (Beat Texas A&M and Oklahoma, lost to Nebraska)
15. Texas A&M was 2-2 (Beat Oklahoma and Nebraska, lost to Missouri and Oklahoma State)
16. Oklahoma was 1-2 (Beat Oklahoma State, lost to Texas A&M and Missouri)
17. Oklahoma State was 1-2 (Beat Texas A&M, lost to Oklahoma and Nebraska)
There has been a Big East sighting. West Virginia has cracked the list at 24. However, the Mountaineers need UConn (7-4) to lose to South Florida for them to get the Big East’s BCS AQ bid.
1. Oregon (11-0)
LAST: Beat Arizona 48-29.
2. Auburn (12-0)
LAST: Beat Alabama 28-27.
3. TCU (12-0)
LAST: Beat New Mexico 66-17.
4. Stanford (11-1)
LAST: Beat Oregon State 38-0.
5. Michigan State (11-1)
LAST: Beat Penn State 28-22.
6. Wisconsin (11-1)
LAST: Beat Northwestern 70-23.
7. Ohio State (11-1)
LAST: Beat Michigan 37-7.
8. Nevada (11-1)
LAST: Beat Boise State 34-31 OT.
9. Boise State (10-1)
LAST: Lost to Nevada 34-31 OT.
10. Arkansas (10-2)
LAST: Beat LSU 31-23.
11. Nebraska (10-2)
LAST: Beat Colorado 45-17.
12. LSU (10-2)
LAST: Lost to Arkansas 31-23.
13. Missouri (10-2)
LAST: Beat Kansas 35-7.
14. Virginia Tech (10-2)
LAST: Beat Virginia 37-7.
15. Texas A&M (9-3)
LAST: Beat Texas 24-17.
16. Oklahoma (10-2)
LAST: Beat Oklahoma State 47-41.
17. Oklahoma State (10-2)
LAST: Lost to Oklahoma 47-41.
18. Northern Illinois (10-2)
LAST: Beat Eastern Michigan 71-3.
19. Alabama (9-3)
LAST: Lost to Auburn 28-27.
20. Utah (10-2)
LAST: Beat BYU 17-16.
21. South Carolina (9-3)
LAST: Beat Clemson 29-7.
22. Florida State (9-3)
LAST: Beat Florida 31-7.
23. Hawaii (9-3)
LAST: Beat New Mexico State 59-24.
24. West Virginia (8-3)
LAST: Beat Pittsburgh 35-10.
25. Tulsa (9-3)
LAST: Beat Southern Mississippi 56-50.
OTHERS TO WATCH: Navy, UCF.
Previous Top 25:
Preseason
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Game Predictions, Week 13, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I am thankful to everyone who visits the blogs, votes in the poll questions, and participates by leaving comments. More importantly, I am thankful for my wonderful wife and four beautiful daughters who allow me the time to maintain the blog. I wish everyone a great Thanksgiving.
I improved a little last week going 15-8. I was doing well until I got to the Pac-10. With two weeks of games to pick, I have a record of 191-86. There are tons of great games that will be very hard to predict correctly.
As always, you are free to chime in with your picks, or at least where you agree or disagree, and we can discuss. If I left off a game that really interests you, throw it out and we can discuss it also.
ACC
Virginia at Virginia Tech, 35-10 Virginia Tech
North Carolina State at Maryland, 28-17 North Carolina State
Big XII
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 27-17 Oklahoma State
Texas A&M at Texas, 27-17 Texas A&M
Big East
West Virginia at Pittsburgh, 21-14 Pittsburgh
Louisville at Rutgers, 28-13 Rutgers
Big Ten
Michigan at Ohio State, 35-31 Ohio State
Michigan State at Penn State, 31-21 Penn State
Conference USA
SMU at East Carolina, 34-31 East Carolina
Tulane at Marshall, 38-28 Marshall
MAC
Buffalo at Akron, 13-10 Akron
Central Michigan at Toledo, 41-13 Toledo
MWC
TCU at New Mexico, 100-0 TCU
UNLV at San Diego State, 55-14 San Diego State
Pac-10
UCLA at Arizona State, 49-31 Arizona State
Arizona at Oregon, 45-21 Oregon
SEC
Auburn at Alabama, 21-20 Auburn
Kentucky at Tennessee, 42-17 Tennessee
Sun Belt
Arkansas State at Florida International, 30-10 FIU
Florida Atlantic at Middle Tennessee State, 27-20 MTSU
WAC
Louisiana Tech at San Jose State, 35-21 Louisiana Tech
Boise State at Nevada, 45-14 Boise State
Independents
Notre Dame at USC, 28-14 USC
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Weekly Trivia: Texas A&M and Texas Win-Loss Records
Heisman Hopefuls: Oklahoma State Cowboys Justin Blackmon Is Added to the List
Michigan Wolverines Will Fire Rich Rodriguez Next Monday
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
Poll Results: Which Team Was The Most Overrated?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 12, 2010
Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes
I improved a little last week going 15-8. I was doing well until I got to the Pac-10. With two weeks of games to pick, I have a record of 191-86. There are tons of great games that will be very hard to predict correctly.
As always, you are free to chime in with your picks, or at least where you agree or disagree, and we can discuss. If I left off a game that really interests you, throw it out and we can discuss it also.
ACC
Virginia at Virginia Tech, 35-10 Virginia Tech
North Carolina State at Maryland, 28-17 North Carolina State
Big XII
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 27-17 Oklahoma State
Texas A&M at Texas, 27-17 Texas A&M
Big East
West Virginia at Pittsburgh, 21-14 Pittsburgh
Louisville at Rutgers, 28-13 Rutgers
Big Ten
Michigan at Ohio State, 35-31 Ohio State
Michigan State at Penn State, 31-21 Penn State
Conference USA
SMU at East Carolina, 34-31 East Carolina
Tulane at Marshall, 38-28 Marshall
MAC
Buffalo at Akron, 13-10 Akron
Central Michigan at Toledo, 41-13 Toledo
MWC
TCU at New Mexico, 100-0 TCU
UNLV at San Diego State, 55-14 San Diego State
Pac-10
UCLA at Arizona State, 49-31 Arizona State
Arizona at Oregon, 45-21 Oregon
SEC
Auburn at Alabama, 21-20 Auburn
Kentucky at Tennessee, 42-17 Tennessee
Sun Belt
Arkansas State at Florida International, 30-10 FIU
Florida Atlantic at Middle Tennessee State, 27-20 MTSU
WAC
Louisiana Tech at San Jose State, 35-21 Louisiana Tech
Boise State at Nevada, 45-14 Boise State
Independents
Notre Dame at USC, 28-14 USC
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Weekly Trivia: Texas A&M and Texas Win-Loss Records
Heisman Hopefuls: Oklahoma State Cowboys Justin Blackmon Is Added to the List
Michigan Wolverines Will Fire Rich Rodriguez Next Monday
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
Poll Results: Which Team Was The Most Overrated?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 12, 2010
Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Texas A&M Aggies and Texas Longhorns Win-Loss Record
The answer to last week's trivia question, "Since Oregon started playing football in 1916, what is the Ducks’ best season record and in what year?" is 7-0-1 (0.938 winning percentage) in their inaugural 1916 season. The 2001 season is a close second with an 11-1 record and 0.917 winning percentage.
There are several big rivalry games this week, and you know what they say about rivalries: “You can throw the records out when these two teams meet.” Well, I am not going to do that with one rivalry this week: Texas and Texas A&M. The Aggies are 8-3 and the Longhorns are 5-6. This week's question is:
For more trivia questions, visit the Trivia page.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Heisman Hopefuls: Oklahoma State Cowboys Justin Blackmon Is Added to the List
Michigan Wolverines Will Fire Rich Rodriguez Next Monday
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
Poll Results: Which Team Was The Most Overrated?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 12, 2010
Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes
Game Predictions, Week 12, 2010
There are several big rivalry games this week, and you know what they say about rivalries: “You can throw the records out when these two teams meet.” Well, I am not going to do that with one rivalry this week: Texas and Texas A&M. The Aggies are 8-3 and the Longhorns are 5-6. This week's question is:
When was the last time that Texas A&M had a better win-loss record than Texas going into their annual game?Leave your answer in the comments section. The answer will be revealed next Wednesday when a new question is asked.
For more trivia questions, visit the Trivia page.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Heisman Hopefuls: Oklahoma State Cowboys Justin Blackmon Is Added to the List
Michigan Wolverines Will Fire Rich Rodriguez Next Monday
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
Poll Results: Which Team Was The Most Overrated?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 12, 2010
Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes
Game Predictions, Week 12, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Heisman Hopefuls: Oklahoma State Cowboys Justin Blackmon Is Added To The List
It was a quiet week on the Heisman Trophy front. Two of our four candidates had byes. No decision was reached by the NCAA, either.
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: Kendall Hunter ran for over 100 yards, again, and now has more rushing yards than LaMichael James on the season. With James’ ankle injury, Hunter just might end the season on top. It was Hunter’s ninth 100 yard rushing game of the season.
PLAYERS DROPPED: Kellen Moore. To be cliché, Moore has been the model of efficiency, and that's not an exaggeration. His pass efficiency is way up in the stratosphere. His numbers aren’t that bad either. I am just not feeling it. I would probably vote for Denard Robinson before I voted for Moore. Moore has been phenomenal, but the Heisman is for the most outstanding player, and Moore doesn’t strike me as outstanding.
PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: LaMichael James. You never want to see a guy lose the Heisman because of an injury, but the fact is if he can’t play these last two games, then he goes from a close second to an also ran.
PLAYERS ADDED: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State. He is playing near the Michael Crabtree level. Whether he catches five passes or 13, he has had 125 yards or more receiving in all 10 games that he has played. If the Cowboys play in the Big 12 championship game, it isn't unrealistic that he finish the year with 2,000 yards receiving.
LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1,546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 225 rushes, 1,422 yards, 17 TD
Last: Bye
Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
2009: 89 rushes, 382 yards, 1 TD
2010: 248 rushes, 1,461 yards, 16 TD
Last: 22 rushes, 105 yards
Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
2009: 20 receptions, 260 yards, 2 TD
2010: 94 receptions, 1,560 yards, 17 TD
Last: 10 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD
Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Junior College
2010: 135-198 (68.2%), 2,038 yards, 21 TD, 6 Int / 206 rushes, 1,297 yards, 17 TD
Last: Bye
ON THE RADAR: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; Kellen Moore, Boise State, Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, Andy Dalton, TCU.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Michigan Wolverines Will Fire Rich Rodriguez Next Monday
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
Poll Results: Which Team Was The Most Overrated?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 12, 2010
Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes
Game Predictions, Week 12, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Oregon Ducks' Best Season Record
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: Kendall Hunter ran for over 100 yards, again, and now has more rushing yards than LaMichael James on the season. With James’ ankle injury, Hunter just might end the season on top. It was Hunter’s ninth 100 yard rushing game of the season.
PLAYERS DROPPED: Kellen Moore. To be cliché, Moore has been the model of efficiency, and that's not an exaggeration. His pass efficiency is way up in the stratosphere. His numbers aren’t that bad either. I am just not feeling it. I would probably vote for Denard Robinson before I voted for Moore. Moore has been phenomenal, but the Heisman is for the most outstanding player, and Moore doesn’t strike me as outstanding.
PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: LaMichael James. You never want to see a guy lose the Heisman because of an injury, but the fact is if he can’t play these last two games, then he goes from a close second to an also ran.
PLAYERS ADDED: Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State. He is playing near the Michael Crabtree level. Whether he catches five passes or 13, he has had 125 yards or more receiving in all 10 games that he has played. If the Cowboys play in the Big 12 championship game, it isn't unrealistic that he finish the year with 2,000 yards receiving.
LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1,546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 225 rushes, 1,422 yards, 17 TD
Last: Bye
Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
2009: 89 rushes, 382 yards, 1 TD
2010: 248 rushes, 1,461 yards, 16 TD
Last: 22 rushes, 105 yards
Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
2009: 20 receptions, 260 yards, 2 TD
2010: 94 receptions, 1,560 yards, 17 TD
Last: 10 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD
Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Junior College
2010: 135-198 (68.2%), 2,038 yards, 21 TD, 6 Int / 206 rushes, 1,297 yards, 17 TD
Last: Bye
ON THE RADAR: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; Kellen Moore, Boise State, Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, Andy Dalton, TCU.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Michigan Wolverines Will Fire Rich Rodriguez Next Monday
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
Poll Results: Which Team Was The Most Overrated?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 12, 2010
Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes
Game Predictions, Week 12, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Oregon Ducks' Best Season Record
Monday, November 22, 2010
Michigan Wolverines Will Fire Rich Rodriguez Next Monday
Monday, November 29, 2010, at 9:00 AM, the Michigan Wolverines will no longer have a coach. Rich Rodriguez will be fired, assuming Michigan loses to Ohio State (pretty safe assumption). This comes from a caller identified as John in Fraser, MI, on the JT The Brick radio show (you can listen to it in the audio for hour 4 at the 7:25 mark).
John called the move a "done deal." He blames Michigan's struggles on Rich Rod's recruiting style to recruit small, quick players, which is "suicide" in the Big Ten. Additional reasons given for firing Rich Rod next week were having no control of the program, having players that weren't playing, and having the alumni furious. He spoke with confidence and conviction, like someone who knows would.
I know, anybody can call up a radio show and say Rich Rodriguez will be fired. However, JT gave credence to John by saying he is "an alumni," he is "high in," and that he "knows a lot of people and they all know him."
Almost a month ago, I wrote that Michigan should retain Rodriguez in 2011. This was before the Wolverines won game six to be bowl eligible. I still feel this way. Maybe U of M decision makers don't, but I think you have to look big picture. Yes, you need to focus on the Big Ten and how to get back to the top there. However, Michigan wants to win national championships. My opinion is that they learned from Ohio State's mistakes. You will not win a national championship any time soon playing "Big Ten football."
Michigan needs the Rich Rodriguez offense to go beyond the Big Ten, but the defense does need to be beefed up.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
Poll Results: Which Team Was The Most Overrated?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 12, 2010
Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes
Game Predictions, Week 12, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Oregon Ducks' Best Season Record
Heisman Hopefuls: The Solution To The Cam Newton Cloud
John called the move a "done deal." He blames Michigan's struggles on Rich Rod's recruiting style to recruit small, quick players, which is "suicide" in the Big Ten. Additional reasons given for firing Rich Rod next week were having no control of the program, having players that weren't playing, and having the alumni furious. He spoke with confidence and conviction, like someone who knows would.
I know, anybody can call up a radio show and say Rich Rodriguez will be fired. However, JT gave credence to John by saying he is "an alumni," he is "high in," and that he "knows a lot of people and they all know him."
Almost a month ago, I wrote that Michigan should retain Rodriguez in 2011. This was before the Wolverines won game six to be bowl eligible. I still feel this way. Maybe U of M decision makers don't, but I think you have to look big picture. Yes, you need to focus on the Big Ten and how to get back to the top there. However, Michigan wants to win national championships. My opinion is that they learned from Ohio State's mistakes. You will not win a national championship any time soon playing "Big Ten football."
Michigan needs the Rich Rodriguez offense to go beyond the Big Ten, but the defense does need to be beefed up.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
Poll Results: Which Team Was The Most Overrated?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 12, 2010
Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes
Game Predictions, Week 12, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Oregon Ducks' Best Season Record
Heisman Hopefuls: The Solution To The Cam Newton Cloud
Monday Musings: College Football Is America's New Pasttime
The Monday Musings has a baseball flavor to it this week. Perhaps it symbolizes the official passing of the torch that football is the new "America's Pasttime." To that I say ...
1. Play Ball! Illinois and Northwestern faced off in a game at Wrigley Field. About the time they were wrapping up, Army and Notre Dame were kicking off at Yankee Stadium. Without the understanding that these sites have some history hosting college football games, I would think that this whole neutral site fad had gone too far.
2. I thought baseball was over. While some teams were playing in baseball venues, others were scoring at the rate of a baseball game. The 9-6 score in the Texas A&M-Nebraska game looks more like some thing out of the College baseball World Series than a Big XII gridiron battle.
3. 56 points … in the first half. South Carolina scored 56 points in first half against Troy. The boys of Troy should be grateful that Steve Spurrier called off the dogs early. Wisconsin had just 38 points last week when they put up 83 on Indiana. Who knows how many the Gamecocks could have ended with.
4. That was different. LSU won a shootout this week against Ole Miss, 43-36. The Tigers have the best defense in the SEC, and they typically win in a grind it out defensive battle. LSU had not allowed more than 30 points all year.
5. The future is now. BYU had a freshman as their leading passer, rusher, and receiver in their 40-7 win over New Mexico. True freshman Jake Heaps was the leading passer (231 yards). Another true freshman Joshua Quezada was the leading rusher (107 yards), and redshirt freshman Cody Hoffman was the leading receiver (71 yards).
6. The Big Dud. Stanford and Cal faced off in their rivalry game dubbed The Big Game. After the Bears scared Oregon, 15-13, last week it looked like this would be a classic showdown in the rivalry. Imagine the place it would have in Cal legends recounting how they spoiled Stanford's dream season and BCS hopes. Well, it was 31-0 at half time and 45-0 after three quarters of play. The Big Game turned into the big dud.
7. Why should we throw the ball? Illinois struggled to find a reason to throw the ball on Saturday. Mikel Leshoure was so effective running the ball, there was no reason to do anything else. Leshoure averaged 10 yards a carry, and he carried the ball 33 times. For those not so savvy with math, that equates to 330 yards. That is a good passing game for any quarterback, and a good rushing day for three running backs.
8. Fact or fallacy? Fallacy. Boise State dispelled all those complaints about the unfair blue-on-blue advantage that they have at home. Friday, the Broncos took to their blue field with orange uniforms. Fresno State still couldn't keep track of them, and the Broncos galloped to a 51-0 win. What's the excuse now? They look like construction barrels, so the Fresno State defense tried to avoid them? Nice try.
9. Road block. USC lost their third consecutive game to Oregon State in Corvallis. Astonishing! You have to go all the way back to 2004--the undefeated, undisputed national championship--to find the last USC victory over Oregon State on the road. In 2006 and 2008, the Trojans were able to use late game rallies to make it close, and almost pull out a win, but this year there was none of that. It started ugly and ended ugly.
10. Back to baseball. Jake Locker passed up millions to come back for his senior season. He even passed up hundreds of thousands of dollars this summer by not participating in Los Angeles Angels baseball work outs. After another miserable performance (10-21, 68 yards, 1 Int) even in victory, Locker's best move might be going straight back to baseball.
1. Play Ball! Illinois and Northwestern faced off in a game at Wrigley Field. About the time they were wrapping up, Army and Notre Dame were kicking off at Yankee Stadium. Without the understanding that these sites have some history hosting college football games, I would think that this whole neutral site fad had gone too far.
2. I thought baseball was over. While some teams were playing in baseball venues, others were scoring at the rate of a baseball game. The 9-6 score in the Texas A&M-Nebraska game looks more like some thing out of the College baseball World Series than a Big XII gridiron battle.
3. 56 points … in the first half. South Carolina scored 56 points in first half against Troy. The boys of Troy should be grateful that Steve Spurrier called off the dogs early. Wisconsin had just 38 points last week when they put up 83 on Indiana. Who knows how many the Gamecocks could have ended with.
4. That was different. LSU won a shootout this week against Ole Miss, 43-36. The Tigers have the best defense in the SEC, and they typically win in a grind it out defensive battle. LSU had not allowed more than 30 points all year.
5. The future is now. BYU had a freshman as their leading passer, rusher, and receiver in their 40-7 win over New Mexico. True freshman Jake Heaps was the leading passer (231 yards). Another true freshman Joshua Quezada was the leading rusher (107 yards), and redshirt freshman Cody Hoffman was the leading receiver (71 yards).
6. The Big Dud. Stanford and Cal faced off in their rivalry game dubbed The Big Game. After the Bears scared Oregon, 15-13, last week it looked like this would be a classic showdown in the rivalry. Imagine the place it would have in Cal legends recounting how they spoiled Stanford's dream season and BCS hopes. Well, it was 31-0 at half time and 45-0 after three quarters of play. The Big Game turned into the big dud.
7. Why should we throw the ball? Illinois struggled to find a reason to throw the ball on Saturday. Mikel Leshoure was so effective running the ball, there was no reason to do anything else. Leshoure averaged 10 yards a carry, and he carried the ball 33 times. For those not so savvy with math, that equates to 330 yards. That is a good passing game for any quarterback, and a good rushing day for three running backs.
8. Fact or fallacy? Fallacy. Boise State dispelled all those complaints about the unfair blue-on-blue advantage that they have at home. Friday, the Broncos took to their blue field with orange uniforms. Fresno State still couldn't keep track of them, and the Broncos galloped to a 51-0 win. What's the excuse now? They look like construction barrels, so the Fresno State defense tried to avoid them? Nice try.
9. Road block. USC lost their third consecutive game to Oregon State in Corvallis. Astonishing! You have to go all the way back to 2004--the undefeated, undisputed national championship--to find the last USC victory over Oregon State on the road. In 2006 and 2008, the Trojans were able to use late game rallies to make it close, and almost pull out a win, but this year there was none of that. It started ugly and ended ugly.
10. Back to baseball. Jake Locker passed up millions to come back for his senior season. He even passed up hundreds of thousands of dollars this summer by not participating in Los Angeles Angels baseball work outs. After another miserable performance (10-21, 68 yards, 1 Int) even in victory, Locker's best move might be going straight back to baseball.
Poll Results: Which Team Was The Most Overrated?
The poll has closed for the question, "Which team was the most overrated?" The Utah Utes ran away with this one with 68% of the vote. Pittsburgh and Iowa both got 14% of the vote. Baylor grabbed the last 4%.
Thank you to everyone who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: "Who will win the Big XII?"
Thank you to everyone who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: "Who will win the Big XII?"
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 12, 2010
Once again, there was a lot of movement at the bottom of the rankings, but that is normal at the end of the year. The rest of the rankings were held intact. Nebraska was the only team in the top 20 to lose. That Nebraska loss to Texas A&M did cause some teams to drop one spot, since A&M moved up seven spots, but the order of those teams did not change.
I am invoking an exception to my rule of giving preference to the better overall win-loss record for ranking teams. The Aggies have lost three games, but I have them ranked above some two loss teams, and one loss Nevada because Texas A&M has beaten Nebraska and Oklahoma. Both are two loss teams. Also, when you look at A&M’s losses, they are to Oklahoma State (10-1), Missouri (9-2) and Arkansas (9-2).
No Big East team is in the rankings, again. The MAC, Conference USA, and WAC all have teams ranked. The WAC actually has three (Boise State-1, Nevada-18, and Hawaii-24).
1. Boise State (10-0)
LAST: Beat Fresno State 51-0.
2. Auburn (11-0)
LAST: Bye.
3. Oregon (10-0)
LAST: Bye.
4. TCU (11-0)
LAST: Bye.
5. LSU (10-1)
LAST: Beat Ole Miss 43-36.
6. Stanford (10-1)
LAST: Beat Cal 48-14.
7. Michigan State (10-1)
LAST: Beat Purdue 35-31.
8. Wisconsin (10-1)
LAST: Beat Michigan 48-28.
9. Oklahoma State (10-1)
LAST: Beat Kansas 48-14.
10. Ohio State (10-1)
LAST: Beat Iowa 20-17.
11. Alabama (9-2)
LAST: Beat Georgia State 63-7.
12. Arkansas (9-2)
LAST: Beat Mississippi State 38-31.
13. Missouri (9-2)
LAST: Beat Iowa State 14-0.
14. Texas A&M (8-3)
LAST: Beat Nebraska 9-6.
15. Oklahoma (9-2)
LAST: Beat Baylor 53-24.
16. Nebraska (9-2)
LAST: Lost to Texas A&M 9-6.
17. Virginia Tech (9-2)
LAST: Beat Miami 31-17.
18. Nevada (10-1)
LAST: Beat New Mexico State 52-6.
19. Utah (9-2)
LAST: Beat San Diego State 38-34.
20. Northern Illinois (9-2)
LAST: Beat Ball State 59-21.
21. South Carolina (8-3)
LAST: Beat Troy 69-24.
22. North Carolina State (8-3)
LAST: Beat North Carolina 29-25.
23. Florida State (8-3)
LAST: Beat Maryland 30-16.
24. Hawaii (8-3)
LAST: Beat San Jose State 41-7.
25. Southern Mississippi (8-3)
LAST: Beat Houston 59-41.
OTHERS TO WATCH: West Virginia, Arizona, Navy, Ohio, Southern Mississippi, UCF.
Previous Top 25:
Preseason
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
I am invoking an exception to my rule of giving preference to the better overall win-loss record for ranking teams. The Aggies have lost three games, but I have them ranked above some two loss teams, and one loss Nevada because Texas A&M has beaten Nebraska and Oklahoma. Both are two loss teams. Also, when you look at A&M’s losses, they are to Oklahoma State (10-1), Missouri (9-2) and Arkansas (9-2).
No Big East team is in the rankings, again. The MAC, Conference USA, and WAC all have teams ranked. The WAC actually has three (Boise State-1, Nevada-18, and Hawaii-24).
1. Boise State (10-0)
LAST: Beat Fresno State 51-0.
2. Auburn (11-0)
LAST: Bye.
3. Oregon (10-0)
LAST: Bye.
4. TCU (11-0)
LAST: Bye.
5. LSU (10-1)
LAST: Beat Ole Miss 43-36.
6. Stanford (10-1)
LAST: Beat Cal 48-14.
7. Michigan State (10-1)
LAST: Beat Purdue 35-31.
8. Wisconsin (10-1)
LAST: Beat Michigan 48-28.
9. Oklahoma State (10-1)
LAST: Beat Kansas 48-14.
10. Ohio State (10-1)
LAST: Beat Iowa 20-17.
11. Alabama (9-2)
LAST: Beat Georgia State 63-7.
12. Arkansas (9-2)
LAST: Beat Mississippi State 38-31.
13. Missouri (9-2)
LAST: Beat Iowa State 14-0.
14. Texas A&M (8-3)
LAST: Beat Nebraska 9-6.
15. Oklahoma (9-2)
LAST: Beat Baylor 53-24.
16. Nebraska (9-2)
LAST: Lost to Texas A&M 9-6.
17. Virginia Tech (9-2)
LAST: Beat Miami 31-17.
18. Nevada (10-1)
LAST: Beat New Mexico State 52-6.
19. Utah (9-2)
LAST: Beat San Diego State 38-34.
20. Northern Illinois (9-2)
LAST: Beat Ball State 59-21.
21. South Carolina (8-3)
LAST: Beat Troy 69-24.
22. North Carolina State (8-3)
LAST: Beat North Carolina 29-25.
23. Florida State (8-3)
LAST: Beat Maryland 30-16.
24. Hawaii (8-3)
LAST: Beat San Jose State 41-7.
25. Southern Mississippi (8-3)
LAST: Beat Houston 59-41.
OTHERS TO WATCH: West Virginia, Arizona, Navy, Ohio, Southern Mississippi, UCF.
Previous Top 25:
Preseason
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Game of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies at Miami Hurricanes
Two months ago it was hard to believe, but the Virignia Tech Hokies can clinch a spot in the ACC Championship game with a win this Saturday. All they have to do is beat a Miami Hurricane squad that will still be without starting quarterback Jacory Harris. Harris' absence might, actually, be a good thing for Miami. Freshman Stephen Morris is 2-0 as a starter, and he nearly brought the Hurricanes back from a 24-0 fourth quarter deficit coming off the bench against Virginia. Morris is 28-48 for 516 yards with 2 TDs and 2 interceptions in the last two games. Harris was just 9-25 for 150 yards last year against Virginia Tech.
Hokie quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been stellar this year. He is 9th in the nation in pass efficiency. He is also the team's second leading rusher. Taylor, however, has not been stellar against Miami. The last two years, he has averaged less than 90 yards passing per game while completing less than half of his passes.
While Virginia Tech is red hot (8 game win streak), don't expect victory to come easy. The Hurricanes won the last time these two met in Miami (16-14). They have revenge on their minds as well. Virginia Tech overwhelmed then #9 Miami 31-7 last year.
KICKOFF: 3:30 PM
TV: ESPN, ESPN3.com
Hokie quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been stellar this year. He is 9th in the nation in pass efficiency. He is also the team's second leading rusher. Taylor, however, has not been stellar against Miami. The last two years, he has averaged less than 90 yards passing per game while completing less than half of his passes.
While Virginia Tech is red hot (8 game win streak), don't expect victory to come easy. The Hurricanes won the last time these two met in Miami (16-14). They have revenge on their minds as well. Virginia Tech overwhelmed then #9 Miami 31-7 last year.
KICKOFF: 3:30 PM
TV: ESPN, ESPN3.com
Friday, November 19, 2010
Game Predictions, Week 12, 2010
I struggled this week. Worst week of the year, 14-10. Now my season record isn’t so glossy, 176-78. These late season conference games are pretty unpredictable, but then again that is one reason this game is so great.
As always, you are free to chime in with your picks, or at least where you agree or disagree, and we can discuss. If I left off a game that really interests you, throw it out and we can discuss it also.
ACC
Virginia Tech at Miami, 27-13 Virginia Tech
Florida State at Maryland, 28-17 Florida State
Big XII
Missouri at Iowa State, 34-31 Missouri
Nebraska at Texas A&M, 47-17 Nebraska
Big East
Pittsburgh at South Florida, 21-14 Pittsburgh
Connecticut at Syracuse, 17-14 Connecticut
Big Ten
Wisconsin at Michigan, 49-28 Wisconsin
Ohio State at Iowa, 31-21 Ohio State
Conference USA
Houston at Southern Mississippi, 34-10 Southern Miss
UTEP at Tulsa, 35-31 Tulsa
MAC
Kent State at Western Michigan, 10-9 W Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Buffalo, 14-10 Buffalo
MWC
Colorado State at Wyoming 27-24 Wyoming
Utah at San Diego State, 38-36 San Diego State
Pac-10
Stanford at Cal, 21-20 Cal
USC at Oregon State, 35-13 USC
SEC
Mississippi at LSU, 24-10 LSU
Arkansas at Mississippi State, 42-20 Arkansas
Sun Belt
North Texas at Louisiana-Monroe, 21-10 North Texas
Middle Tennessee State at Western Kentucky, 27-20 W Kentucky
WAC
Idaho at Utah State, 24-20 Utah State
Fresno State at Boise State, 38-14 Boise State
Independents
Army vs. Notre Dame, 31-3 Notre Dame
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Weekly Trivia: Oregon Ducks’ Best Season Record
Heisman Hopefuls: The Solution To The Cam Newton Cloud
Monday Musings: Wisconsin Badgers Leave Me Speechless
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
As always, you are free to chime in with your picks, or at least where you agree or disagree, and we can discuss. If I left off a game that really interests you, throw it out and we can discuss it also.
ACC
Virginia Tech at Miami, 27-13 Virginia Tech
Florida State at Maryland, 28-17 Florida State
Big XII
Missouri at Iowa State, 34-31 Missouri
Nebraska at Texas A&M, 47-17 Nebraska
Big East
Pittsburgh at South Florida, 21-14 Pittsburgh
Connecticut at Syracuse, 17-14 Connecticut
Big Ten
Wisconsin at Michigan, 49-28 Wisconsin
Ohio State at Iowa, 31-21 Ohio State
Conference USA
Houston at Southern Mississippi, 34-10 Southern Miss
UTEP at Tulsa, 35-31 Tulsa
MAC
Kent State at Western Michigan, 10-9 W Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Buffalo, 14-10 Buffalo
MWC
Colorado State at Wyoming 27-24 Wyoming
Utah at San Diego State, 38-36 San Diego State
Pac-10
Stanford at Cal, 21-20 Cal
USC at Oregon State, 35-13 USC
SEC
Mississippi at LSU, 24-10 LSU
Arkansas at Mississippi State, 42-20 Arkansas
Sun Belt
North Texas at Louisiana-Monroe, 21-10 North Texas
Middle Tennessee State at Western Kentucky, 27-20 W Kentucky
WAC
Idaho at Utah State, 24-20 Utah State
Fresno State at Boise State, 38-14 Boise State
Independents
Army vs. Notre Dame, 31-3 Notre Dame
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Weekly Trivia: Oregon Ducks’ Best Season Record
Heisman Hopefuls: The Solution To The Cam Newton Cloud
Monday Musings: Wisconsin Badgers Leave Me Speechless
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Oregon Ducks' Best Season Record
The answer to last week's trivia question, "How many conference championships does UCF have since starting Division I-A play in 1996?" is 1 in 2007. The Golden Knights also made the Conference USA championship game in 2005.
Oregon survived the scare from Cal this week to keep its perfect record in tact. If Oregon wins their final two games (Arizona and Oregon State), plus the BCS national championship game, not only will it be Oregon’s first national championship, it will be the first time the Ducks have had a perfect record. This week's question is:
For more trivia questions, visit the Trivia page.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Heisman Hopefuls: The Solution To The Cam Newton Cloud
Monday Musings: Wisconsin Badgers Leave Me Speechless
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
Game Predictions, Week 11, 2010
Oregon survived the scare from Cal this week to keep its perfect record in tact. If Oregon wins their final two games (Arizona and Oregon State), plus the BCS national championship game, not only will it be Oregon’s first national championship, it will be the first time the Ducks have had a perfect record. This week's question is:
Since Oregon started playing football in 1916, what is the Ducks’ best season record and in what year?Leave your answer in the comments section. The answer will be revealed next Wednesday when a new question is asked.
For more trivia questions, visit the Trivia page.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Heisman Hopefuls: The Solution To The Cam Newton Cloud
Monday Musings: Wisconsin Badgers Leave Me Speechless
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
Game Predictions, Week 11, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Heisman Hopefuls: The Solution To The Cam Newton Cloud
The Heisman Trophy race, unfortunately, still has a cloud hanging over it. This cloud can quickly go away, and the NCAA isn’t the only ones that can blow that cloud away. The simple solution to the Cam Newton issue is for the Heisman Trust to provide a second ballot to Heisman voters and have them cast two votes. One ballot will be the standard ballot. The second will have the caveat to vote under the pretense that the NCAA concludes that Cam Newton accepted improper benefits and is declared ineligible for the 2010 season.
Certainly, no one wants to see another Reggie Bush situation five years from now. We have the technology now to make this happen and for there to be no future controversy or to have a second vacated Heisman Trophy. The Heisman Trust can get this done in a day.
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: Cam Newton had 148 yards passing and 151 yards rushing to get Auburn a guaranteed spot in the SEC Championship game. He accounted for four touchdowns.
Kendall Hunter ran for over 100 yards and two touchdowns as Oklahoma State beat Texas for the first time in 12 years.
PLAYERS DROPPED: Denard Robinson. His rushing output has become pedestrian the last two weeks. His TD to Int ratio is 14:9, barely over 1.5:1. If he is able to guide Michigan to upset wins over Wisconsin and Ohio State, I will gladly welcome Robinson back on the list, but he has fizzled off down the stretch when other players are stepping it up.
PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: None. I think these four will last to the finish.
PLAYERS ADDED: No players were added this week.
LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1,546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 225 rushes, 1,422 yards, 17 TD
Last: 29 rushes, 91 yards, 0 TD
Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
2009: 89 rushes, 382 yards, 1 TD
2010: 226 rushes, 1,356 yards, 16 TD
Last: 23 rushes, 116 yards, 2 TD
Kellen Moore, Boise State
2009: 277-431 (64.3%), 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
2010: 174-242 (71.9%), 2,588 yards, 24 TD, 4 Int.
Last: 19-26 (73.1%), 216 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int.
Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Junior College
2010: 135-198 (68.2%), 2,038 yards, 21 TD, 6 Int / 206 rushes, 1,297 yards, 17 TD
Last: 12-15 (80.0%), 148 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int / 30 rush, 151 yards, 2 TD
ON THE RADAR: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State, Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, Andy Dalton, TCU.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: Wisconsin Badgers Leave Me Speechless
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
Game Predictions, Week 11, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Conference Championships for UCF Golden Knights
Boise State Broncos Got The BCS Blues
Certainly, no one wants to see another Reggie Bush situation five years from now. We have the technology now to make this happen and for there to be no future controversy or to have a second vacated Heisman Trophy. The Heisman Trust can get this done in a day.
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: Cam Newton had 148 yards passing and 151 yards rushing to get Auburn a guaranteed spot in the SEC Championship game. He accounted for four touchdowns.
Kendall Hunter ran for over 100 yards and two touchdowns as Oklahoma State beat Texas for the first time in 12 years.
PLAYERS DROPPED: Denard Robinson. His rushing output has become pedestrian the last two weeks. His TD to Int ratio is 14:9, barely over 1.5:1. If he is able to guide Michigan to upset wins over Wisconsin and Ohio State, I will gladly welcome Robinson back on the list, but he has fizzled off down the stretch when other players are stepping it up.
PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: None. I think these four will last to the finish.
PLAYERS ADDED: No players were added this week.
LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1,546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 225 rushes, 1,422 yards, 17 TD
Last: 29 rushes, 91 yards, 0 TD
Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
2009: 89 rushes, 382 yards, 1 TD
2010: 226 rushes, 1,356 yards, 16 TD
Last: 23 rushes, 116 yards, 2 TD
Kellen Moore, Boise State
2009: 277-431 (64.3%), 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
2010: 174-242 (71.9%), 2,588 yards, 24 TD, 4 Int.
Last: 19-26 (73.1%), 216 yards, 3 TD, 0 Int.
Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Junior College
2010: 135-198 (68.2%), 2,038 yards, 21 TD, 6 Int / 206 rushes, 1,297 yards, 17 TD
Last: 12-15 (80.0%), 148 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int / 30 rush, 151 yards, 2 TD
ON THE RADAR: Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State, Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, Andy Dalton, TCU.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: Wisconsin Badgers Leave Me Speechless
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
Game Predictions, Week 11, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Conference Championships for UCF Golden Knights
Boise State Broncos Got The BCS Blues
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday Musings: Wisconsin Badgers Leave Me Speechless
It was another great weekend for college football. With more on the line late in the year, some teams are measuring up while others are melting down.
1. Speechless. The 83-20 score to the Wisconsin Badgers-Indiana Hoosiers game left me speechless. Do you still get style points for this, or is putting up that many points bad taste? Oh, and the Badgers did it without starting running back John Clay. What about Indiana? Why should the Hoosiers get to be in a BCS automatic qualifying conference? Interestingly enough, the game was tied at 10 early in the second quarter. Nothing like a 66-3 run to put a game away.
2. A Novelty No More. Georgia Tech is just 5-5 this year, only 10 games removed from a BCS Bowl. Now that Paul Johnson and his triple option are in their third year, the novelty of the option has worn off. Defenses are used to it and we see just how good the Yellow Jackets really are. It was fun while it lasted.
3. Not This Time. Days after finally firing Dan Hawkins, since he blew a 28 point lead against Kansas in the final 11 minutes. This week against Iowa State, Colorado led by 27 with 11 minutes to play. The Buffs gave up only seven points this time for a 34-14 win.
4. Burning the Midnight Oil. Why are most Pac-10 games played at night? Pac-10 people complain about an East Coast Bias and that they have a bad TV package. Well, play your games when people outside your time zone are still awake and more people will tune in and you will be treated more fairly.
5. Overrated? The Utah Utes rose to number 5 in the BCS with their 8-0 start. They have been outscored 75-10 in back-to-back losses to TCU and Notre Dame. TCU I can understand, but Notre Dame? They have been the Fight less Irish for almost 5 years now.
6. Down year for the…Sun Belt Conference. May sound like an oxymoron since the Sun Belt is considered the weakest FBS conference. I predicted five bowl eligible teams at the beginning of the year. Right now, they will be lucky to have two. FIU (4-5) leads the conference after they beat Troy (5-4). It looks like that hard out of conference schedule is paying off for FIU. Troy is the only team with a winning record. Middle Tennessee State was supposed to be the new king of the conference, but the Dwight Dasher mess to start the year seems to have had lasting effects.
7. Validated. Northwestern finally got a quality win when they beat Iowa, 21-17. The Wildcats had previously beaten Vanderbilt, Illinois State, Rice, Central Michigan, Minnesota, and Indiana (four of those wins were by 5 points or less). Losses had come to Michigan State, Penn State, and Purdue.
8. Points In A Hurry. Teams that didn’t need the ball very long to score this week included San Diego State (35 points in 19:09, 1.83 points per minute), Boise State (52 points in 27:16, 1.91 points per minute), and Wisconsin (83 points in 32:27, 2.56 points per minute). Not sure which is more impressive: Wisconsin’s 83 or San Diego State’s 35. Normally, when you have the ball less than 20 minutes in a game you get blown out, but the Aztecs gave the number 3 team in the nation a pretty good scare.
9. Touch = Touchdown. BYU wide receiver Luke Ashworth caught four passes Saturday. All four touches resulted in touchdowns. If that is not impressive enough, he did it all in the first half.
10. Was it worth it? Texas Tech desperately wanted to get out of Mike Leach’s expensive contract last year. He had only been the most successful coach in Texas Tech history. This year the Red Raiders are 5-5, so far. Is a 0.500 record really worth saving $800,000?
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
Game Predictions, Week 11, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Conference Championships for UCF Golden Knights
Boise State Broncos Got The BCS Blues
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls The Race In More Ways Than One
1. Speechless. The 83-20 score to the Wisconsin Badgers-Indiana Hoosiers game left me speechless. Do you still get style points for this, or is putting up that many points bad taste? Oh, and the Badgers did it without starting running back John Clay. What about Indiana? Why should the Hoosiers get to be in a BCS automatic qualifying conference? Interestingly enough, the game was tied at 10 early in the second quarter. Nothing like a 66-3 run to put a game away.
2. A Novelty No More. Georgia Tech is just 5-5 this year, only 10 games removed from a BCS Bowl. Now that Paul Johnson and his triple option are in their third year, the novelty of the option has worn off. Defenses are used to it and we see just how good the Yellow Jackets really are. It was fun while it lasted.
3. Not This Time. Days after finally firing Dan Hawkins, since he blew a 28 point lead against Kansas in the final 11 minutes. This week against Iowa State, Colorado led by 27 with 11 minutes to play. The Buffs gave up only seven points this time for a 34-14 win.
4. Burning the Midnight Oil. Why are most Pac-10 games played at night? Pac-10 people complain about an East Coast Bias and that they have a bad TV package. Well, play your games when people outside your time zone are still awake and more people will tune in and you will be treated more fairly.
5. Overrated? The Utah Utes rose to number 5 in the BCS with their 8-0 start. They have been outscored 75-10 in back-to-back losses to TCU and Notre Dame. TCU I can understand, but Notre Dame? They have been the Fight less Irish for almost 5 years now.
6. Down year for the…Sun Belt Conference. May sound like an oxymoron since the Sun Belt is considered the weakest FBS conference. I predicted five bowl eligible teams at the beginning of the year. Right now, they will be lucky to have two. FIU (4-5) leads the conference after they beat Troy (5-4). It looks like that hard out of conference schedule is paying off for FIU. Troy is the only team with a winning record. Middle Tennessee State was supposed to be the new king of the conference, but the Dwight Dasher mess to start the year seems to have had lasting effects.
7. Validated. Northwestern finally got a quality win when they beat Iowa, 21-17. The Wildcats had previously beaten Vanderbilt, Illinois State, Rice, Central Michigan, Minnesota, and Indiana (four of those wins were by 5 points or less). Losses had come to Michigan State, Penn State, and Purdue.
8. Points In A Hurry. Teams that didn’t need the ball very long to score this week included San Diego State (35 points in 19:09, 1.83 points per minute), Boise State (52 points in 27:16, 1.91 points per minute), and Wisconsin (83 points in 32:27, 2.56 points per minute). Not sure which is more impressive: Wisconsin’s 83 or San Diego State’s 35. Normally, when you have the ball less than 20 minutes in a game you get blown out, but the Aztecs gave the number 3 team in the nation a pretty good scare.
9. Touch = Touchdown. BYU wide receiver Luke Ashworth caught four passes Saturday. All four touches resulted in touchdowns. If that is not impressive enough, he did it all in the first half.
10. Was it worth it? Texas Tech desperately wanted to get out of Mike Leach’s expensive contract last year. He had only been the most successful coach in Texas Tech history. This year the Red Raiders are 5-5, so far. Is a 0.500 record really worth saving $800,000?
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
Game Predictions, Week 11, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Conference Championships for UCF Golden Knights
Boise State Broncos Got The BCS Blues
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls The Race In More Ways Than One
Poll Results: Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy?
By a unanimous decision, the NCAA will not make a ruling on Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman or BCS controversy. As for the Heisman, there is a simple solution, which I will detail tomorrow in the Heisman Hopefuls update.
Thank you to all who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: "Which team was the most overrated?" And that can be at anytime during this year.
Thank you to all who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: "Which team was the most overrated?" And that can be at anytime during this year.
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 11, 2010
I made a slight change in the top 5 this week. Oregon slipped to number 3 for barely beating Cal. Many others might be willing to look the other way, but I am not. Sure it was on the road, but if you are a national champion caliber team, you can go into 5-4 team’s house and score more than 15 and win by more than 2.
I also bumped Michigan State up to number 7. That was a result of Iowa losing. I had dropped the Spartans below the Hawkeyes since Iowa thoroughly dominated Michigan State a few weeks back, but now that Iowa has three losses I can’t keep Michigan State behind them. I also can’t keep Michigan State behind Wisconsin since Sparty won head-to-head 34-24. Therefore, even though Wisconsin left me speechless with their 83-20 win, they dropped one spot.
For the second straight week, the MAC has two teams, Northern Illinois and Temple. I noticed that Northern Illinois beat Temple earlier this year, so NIU has moved ahead of them in the rankings. If Temple wins its next two, then they will meet again in the MAC Championship game.
The bottom five teams are the first three loss teams to be ranked this year. Texas A&M is the top among them for having both quality wins (Oklahoma and Baylor) and quality losses (Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Missouri). USC comes next because without two last second field goals (one by Stanford) the Trojans would be 9-1. I have been reluctant to rank Northwestern this year even when their record was much glossier, but I can’t deny them a spot now. South Carolina gets the nod over Mississippi State for 24 as the SEC East division champions and for beating Alabama earlier this year, while Mississippi State lost to the Crimson Tide on Saturday. San Diego State lands the final spot despite losing this week, because they had quality losses and no other three loss team impresses me.
1. Boise State (9-0)
LAST: Beat Idaho 52-14.
2. Auburn (11-0)
LAST: Beat Georgia 49-31.
Last minute ejections could prove costly against Alabama.
3. Oregon (10-0)
LAST: Beat Cal 15-13.
The Ducks don’t look invincible anymore.
4. TCU (11-0)
LAST: Beat San Diego State 40-35.
Did TCU have a letdown or were they exposed?
5. LSU (9-1)
LAST: Beat Louisiana-Monroe 51-0.
6. Stanford (9-1)
LAST: Beat Arizona State 17-13.
What happened to both teams’ offenses?
7. Michigan State (9-1)
LAST: Bye.
8. Wisconsin (9-1)
LAST: Beat Indiana 83-20.
9. Nebraska (9-1)
LAST: Beat Kansas 20-3.
10. Oklahoma State (9-1)
LAST: Beat Texas 33-16.
The Cowboys better not look past the Kansas Jayhawks.
11. Ohio State (9-1)
LAST: Beat Penn State 38-14.
12. Alabama (8-2)
LAST: Beat Mississippi State 30-10.
13. Arkansas (8-2)
LAST: Beat UTEP 58-21.
14. Missouri (8-2)
LAST: Beat Kansas State 38-28.
15. Oklahoma (8-2)
LAST: Beat Texas Tech 45-7.
16. Virginia Tech (8-2)
LAST: Beat North Carolina 26-10.
17. Nevada (9-1)
LAST: Beat Fresno State 35-34.
18. Utah (8-2)
LAST: Lost to Notre Dame 28-3.
19. Northern Illinois (8-2)
LAST: Beat Toledo 65-30.
Can clinch the MAC West with a win this week.
20. Temple (8-2)
LAST: Bye.
Huge game against Ohio on Tuesday.
21. Texas A&M (7-3)
LAST: Beat Baylor 42-30.
22. USC (7-3)
LAST: Beat Arizona 24-21.
No last second field goal to spoil this one for USC.
23. Northwestern (7-3)
LAST: Beat Iowa 21-17.
24. South Carolina (7-3)
LAST: Beat Florida 36-14.
25. San Diego State (7-3)
LAST: Lost to TCU 40-35.
OTHERS TO WATCH: Florida State, North Carolina State, Mississippi State, Miami, Iowa, Southern Mississippi, Maryland, UCF.
Previous Top 25:
Preseason
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
I also bumped Michigan State up to number 7. That was a result of Iowa losing. I had dropped the Spartans below the Hawkeyes since Iowa thoroughly dominated Michigan State a few weeks back, but now that Iowa has three losses I can’t keep Michigan State behind them. I also can’t keep Michigan State behind Wisconsin since Sparty won head-to-head 34-24. Therefore, even though Wisconsin left me speechless with their 83-20 win, they dropped one spot.
For the second straight week, the MAC has two teams, Northern Illinois and Temple. I noticed that Northern Illinois beat Temple earlier this year, so NIU has moved ahead of them in the rankings. If Temple wins its next two, then they will meet again in the MAC Championship game.
The bottom five teams are the first three loss teams to be ranked this year. Texas A&M is the top among them for having both quality wins (Oklahoma and Baylor) and quality losses (Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Missouri). USC comes next because without two last second field goals (one by Stanford) the Trojans would be 9-1. I have been reluctant to rank Northwestern this year even when their record was much glossier, but I can’t deny them a spot now. South Carolina gets the nod over Mississippi State for 24 as the SEC East division champions and for beating Alabama earlier this year, while Mississippi State lost to the Crimson Tide on Saturday. San Diego State lands the final spot despite losing this week, because they had quality losses and no other three loss team impresses me.
1. Boise State (9-0)
LAST: Beat Idaho 52-14.
2. Auburn (11-0)
LAST: Beat Georgia 49-31.
Last minute ejections could prove costly against Alabama.
3. Oregon (10-0)
LAST: Beat Cal 15-13.
The Ducks don’t look invincible anymore.
4. TCU (11-0)
LAST: Beat San Diego State 40-35.
Did TCU have a letdown or were they exposed?
5. LSU (9-1)
LAST: Beat Louisiana-Monroe 51-0.
6. Stanford (9-1)
LAST: Beat Arizona State 17-13.
What happened to both teams’ offenses?
7. Michigan State (9-1)
LAST: Bye.
8. Wisconsin (9-1)
LAST: Beat Indiana 83-20.
9. Nebraska (9-1)
LAST: Beat Kansas 20-3.
10. Oklahoma State (9-1)
LAST: Beat Texas 33-16.
The Cowboys better not look past the Kansas Jayhawks.
11. Ohio State (9-1)
LAST: Beat Penn State 38-14.
12. Alabama (8-2)
LAST: Beat Mississippi State 30-10.
13. Arkansas (8-2)
LAST: Beat UTEP 58-21.
14. Missouri (8-2)
LAST: Beat Kansas State 38-28.
15. Oklahoma (8-2)
LAST: Beat Texas Tech 45-7.
16. Virginia Tech (8-2)
LAST: Beat North Carolina 26-10.
17. Nevada (9-1)
LAST: Beat Fresno State 35-34.
18. Utah (8-2)
LAST: Lost to Notre Dame 28-3.
19. Northern Illinois (8-2)
LAST: Beat Toledo 65-30.
Can clinch the MAC West with a win this week.
20. Temple (8-2)
LAST: Bye.
Huge game against Ohio on Tuesday.
21. Texas A&M (7-3)
LAST: Beat Baylor 42-30.
22. USC (7-3)
LAST: Beat Arizona 24-21.
No last second field goal to spoil this one for USC.
23. Northwestern (7-3)
LAST: Beat Iowa 21-17.
24. South Carolina (7-3)
LAST: Beat Florida 36-14.
25. San Diego State (7-3)
LAST: Lost to TCU 40-35.
OTHERS TO WATCH: Florida State, North Carolina State, Mississippi State, Miami, Iowa, Southern Mississippi, Maryland, UCF.
Previous Top 25:
Preseason
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Friday, November 12, 2010
Game of the Week: South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators
I am unusually busy today (I blame it on the holiday yesterday), so I can't give a full preview myself of this game. Basically, I selected it because it is the game that decides the SEC East representative in the SEC Title game. As if a Steve Spurrier return to the Swamp needed any added drama. Hard to believe that Florida can still make it to Atlanta after all the struggles they have had this year.
Frankly, I really want to see South Carolina win, and not just because they haven't won the SEC East before. I want to see an Auburn-South Carolina rematch in the SEC Championship game. The Gamecocks only lost by 8 the first time they played, and that was at Auburn. Besides, South Carolina dethroned Alabama. Florida was tossed around like a rag doll by the Crimson Tide.
Anyways, if you want to read more about this game, here are a few links:
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/South-Carolina-Florida-playing-for-SEC-East-crown-86916686
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/No-24-Florida-going-with-3QB-system-vs-Gamecocks-26970264
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/South-CarolinaFlorida-Preview-18378796
Time: 7:15 PM (ET)
TV: ESPN
Frankly, I really want to see South Carolina win, and not just because they haven't won the SEC East before. I want to see an Auburn-South Carolina rematch in the SEC Championship game. The Gamecocks only lost by 8 the first time they played, and that was at Auburn. Besides, South Carolina dethroned Alabama. Florida was tossed around like a rag doll by the Crimson Tide.
Anyways, if you want to read more about this game, here are a few links:
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/South-Carolina-Florida-playing-for-SEC-East-crown-86916686
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/No-24-Florida-going-with-3QB-system-vs-Gamecocks-26970264
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/South-CarolinaFlorida-Preview-18378796
Time: 7:15 PM (ET)
TV: ESPN
Game Predictions, Week 11, 2010
I took a step back this week going only 15-8. The year-to-date record is 162-68. There were some upsets that really hurt my predictions. At least Kansas came storming back to help my cause.
As always, you are free to chime in with your picks, or at least where you agree or disagree, and we can discuss. If I left off a game that really interests you, throw it out and we can discuss it also.
ACC
Boston College at Duke, 28-24 Duke
Maryland at Virginia, 28-20 Virginia
Big XII
Kansas State at Missouri, 31-14 Missouri
Texas A&M at Baylor, 38-31 Texas A&M
Big East
South Florida at Louisville, 27-17 Louisville
Cincinnati at West Virginia, 21-13 West Virginia
Big Ten
Indiana at Wisconsin, 38-13 Wisconsin
Penn State at Ohio State, 28-14 Ohio State
Conference USA
Southern Mississippi at UCF, 31-21 Southern Miss
Tulsa at Houston, 49-42 Houston
MAC
Ball State at Buffalo, 28-17 Buffalo
Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan, 23-16 W Michigan
MWC
Wyoming at UNLV, 24-20 Wyoming
New Mexico at Air Force, 51-7 Air Force
Pac-10
USC at Arizona, 45-41 USC
Washington State at Oregon State, 45-24 Oregon State
SEC
Mississippi at Tennessee, 34-24 Ole Miss
Vanderbilt at Kentucky, 28-10 Kentucky
Sun Belt
North Texas at Middle Tennessee State, 31-7 Middle Tennessee
Florida International at Troy, 42-10 Troy
WAC
Utah State at San Jose State, 31-21 Utah State
Nevada at Fresno State, 45-38 Nevada
Independents
Utah at Notre Dame, 35-10 Utah
Army at Kent State, 21-13 Army
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Weekly Trivia: Conference Championships for UCF Black Knights
Boise State Broncos Got the BCS Blues
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls the Race in More Ways Than One
Monday Musings: Air Force Wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
As always, you are free to chime in with your picks, or at least where you agree or disagree, and we can discuss. If I left off a game that really interests you, throw it out and we can discuss it also.
ACC
Boston College at Duke, 28-24 Duke
Maryland at Virginia, 28-20 Virginia
Big XII
Kansas State at Missouri, 31-14 Missouri
Texas A&M at Baylor, 38-31 Texas A&M
Big East
South Florida at Louisville, 27-17 Louisville
Cincinnati at West Virginia, 21-13 West Virginia
Big Ten
Indiana at Wisconsin, 38-13 Wisconsin
Penn State at Ohio State, 28-14 Ohio State
Conference USA
Southern Mississippi at UCF, 31-21 Southern Miss
Tulsa at Houston, 49-42 Houston
MAC
Ball State at Buffalo, 28-17 Buffalo
Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan, 23-16 W Michigan
MWC
Wyoming at UNLV, 24-20 Wyoming
New Mexico at Air Force, 51-7 Air Force
Pac-10
USC at Arizona, 45-41 USC
Washington State at Oregon State, 45-24 Oregon State
SEC
Mississippi at Tennessee, 34-24 Ole Miss
Vanderbilt at Kentucky, 28-10 Kentucky
Sun Belt
North Texas at Middle Tennessee State, 31-7 Middle Tennessee
Florida International at Troy, 42-10 Troy
WAC
Utah State at San Jose State, 31-21 Utah State
Nevada at Fresno State, 45-38 Nevada
Independents
Utah at Notre Dame, 35-10 Utah
Army at Kent State, 21-13 Army
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Weekly Trivia: Conference Championships for UCF Black Knights
Boise State Broncos Got the BCS Blues
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls the Race in More Ways Than One
Monday Musings: Air Force Wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Conference Championships for UCF Golden Knights
The answer to last week's trivia question, "When was the last time Georgia started 4-5 or worse?" is 1996. The Bulldogs finished the year 5-6.
Conference/divisional races are starting to become a little clear. Central Florida (UCF) appears to be a lock for the Conference USA championship game as the East Division representative. This week's question is:
For more trivia questions, visit the Trivia page.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Boise State Broncos Got the BCS Blues
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls the Race in More Ways Than One
Monday Musings: Air Force Wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Game Predictions, Week 10, 2010
Conference/divisional races are starting to become a little clear. Central Florida (UCF) appears to be a lock for the Conference USA championship game as the East Division representative. This week's question is:
How many conference championships does UCF have since starting Division I-A play in 1996?Leave your answer in the comments section. The answer will be revealed next Wednesday when a new question is asked.
For more trivia questions, visit the Trivia page.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Boise State Broncos Got the BCS Blues
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls the Race in More Ways Than One
Monday Musings: Air Force Wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Game Predictions, Week 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Boise State Broncos Got The BCS Blues
The Boise State Broncos have the nations longest win streak (22 games). They have won 34 of their last 35 games. Boise State has won two BCS bowl games in the last four years. Some one in Boise must be wondering why are the Broncos falling each week in the BCS standings? Especially to when the teams they are losing ground to are Oregon, TCU, and Auburn.
TCU
First, let’s look at TCU. What we are witnessing this year is a repeat of 2009. Going into 2009 everyone knew that TCU was going to be pretty good, and the odds of the Horned Frogs going undefeated were pretty good.
TCU had a fairly unimpressive start to the season, but they were winning each week. They outscored their first five opponents by an average of 31.8-15.2 (throw out a 56-21 win over Texas State and that differential drops to 25.75-13.75). Not bad, but not world beaters either.
After game five, TCU shifted to a new gear. They won their next seven games by an average score of 47-10.4. We heard the jokes, “Texas is the second best team in the state,” and many credible individuals in the media thought TCU deserved to be in the BCS national championship game. They landed in the Fiesta Bowl, instead, against Boise State. We all remember the result. Boise State shut down the vaunted TCU offense. They intercepted Andy Dalton three times on their way to a 17-10 win.
After that game, TCU lost Jerry Hughes and Daryl Washington to the NFL and a handful of other starters to graduation. All Boise State lost was Kyle Wilson.
The 2010 season has gone much the same way. TCU won their first four games by an average score of 44.5-15.5 (throw out a 62-7 win over Tennessee Tech, and that average score drops to 38.7-18.3). From game four through game 10, TCU has outscored opponents by an average of 39.3-3.8.
TCU was ranked below Boise State for the first several weeks of the season. A sign of the fact that Boise State did beat TCU at the end of 2009 and that Boise State returned more players from last year’s team. Now, TCU has moved ahead of Boise State in the human polls and the BCS standings. WAKE UP EVERYONE! Didn’t you learn your lesson last year? Why are you all discounting Boise State? What has changed?
TCU has the same resume this year as last year. In 2009, they beat a good, ranked BYU team, and a good, ranked Utah team, plus ACC contender Clemson. In 2010, they beat a good, ranked Oregon State team (the good part is debatable at this point), they beat a good, ranked Utah team, plus Big XII contender Baylor. No one doubted that TCU would win head-to-head against Boise State, in 2009. Surprise! We were all wrong. Again I ask, what has changed? Nothing.
There is no reason why TCU should be ahead of Boise State.
Oregon
Second, the Oregon Ducks have been very impressive this year, there is no denying that. In fact, the Ducks were quite impressive in 2009 and 2008, with back-to-back 10 win seasons, a win in Big Ten country, and it was Oregon that dethroned USC in the Pac-10. All the success up there in Eugene has helped the Ducks mask the one glaring negative of the past two years: back-to-back losses to Boise State.
The Broncos went into hostile Autzen Stadium in 2008 with a freshman quarterback. After three quarters of play, Boise State held a commanding 37-13 lead. Boise State won that game, and the game played the next year. For those who don’t remember, in that 2009 game, Oregon had 14 yards total offense in the first half, zero first downs, and zero points. The Ducks managed 152 total yards for the game, 6 first downs, and 1-10 on third down conversions. Boise State dominated the time of possession as well, 42:32 to 17:28.
This takes us to a catch 22 situation. The Duck and anti-Boise State contingents are sure to be shaking their heads saying, “but that was last year.” You are right. We are not supposed to penalize any team this year for what happened last year. If Michigan was 9-0 at this point, they would be in the top 5 as well, even though they finished 2009 losing seven of their last eight games. However, there is no denying that history does play a factor in the human and computer rankings. Why is the SEC considered the best conference in the land? History says so. Why are certain conferences AQ conferences and other conferences are not? History. Why are the same teams predicted to win their conferences every year? Historically they win the conference most of the time.
With the system that we have now, we must lean on history to split hairs. How do we not give Boise State the benefit of the doubt in comparison to Oregon? Boise State is 2-0 against the Ducks the last two years. I could understand if these two games were 10 or even five years ago, but we are talking about the immediate past. Oregon even had revenge to motivate them against Boise State last year. Plus, Oregon hasn’t shown that they are that invincible. Oregon lost the Rose Bowl last year to an Ohio State team that was perceived to be inferior and was strongly criticized most of the year. This year the Duck defense is suspect.
Auburn
Third, the Auburn Tigers and Boise State Broncos don’t have any history together. What we do know is that the defense needs help. Just last week, Chattanooga scored 24. Arkansas State put up 26 in week one. That's not really a sign of progress on D. Who can forget the 43 points allowed to Arkansas? The Tigers were pushed by Kentucky because the defense couldn’t stop the Wildcats.
The case for Boise State
In any argument, it is always easy to poke holes in the opponent’s claims, but if you expect to win, you need some substance of your own. Boise State has it.
I just attacked the Auburn defense, well Boise State has defense. The Bronco’s just throttled the potent Hawaii attack. Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz only passed for 127 yards. Moniz leads the nation in passing yards, in spite of this low output, by 400 yards. Just two weeks ago, Hawaii rolled up 614 yards total offense. Boise State limited them to 154. This was a 7-2 Hawaii team. We aren’t talking about San Jose State. The Warriors gave USC trouble, and they are the only team to beat Nevada. The Boise State defense in legit.
On second thought, let’s talk about San Jose State. The Spartans took to the road to start the year to play the Alabama Crimson Tide. To no one’s surprise, Alabama proceeded to thump San Jose State 48-3. Fast forward six weeks when the Spartans welcomed Boise State to town. The Broncos won that contest 48-0.
Up until Alabama lost to LSU this weekend, the expert consensus was that even with one loss Alabama controlled it own destiny. If the Crimson Tide would win the rest of their games they would play for the national championship. For all that superior SEC speed, strength, and talent, shouldn’t Alabama have beaten San Jose State by a wider margin at home than Boise State did on the road? Boise State's win over San Jose State trumps Alabama's.
I know we are talking about a 45 point win versus a 48 point win where the only difference in score was a field goal by the other team, but again, with this system that we have in place, these are the questions we have to ask, and the best measuring stick that we have to use.
While we are comparing wins, Nebraska beat Idaho 38-17 at home. Boise State goes to Idaho this Friday. No one would have any qualms about a 12-1 Nebraska team in the national championship game if Oregon and Auburn lose. What are the odds that Boise State wins by more than 21? Holds Idaho to less than 17?
As for offense, the Broncos can gallop as fast as the Ducks can fly. Oregon averages the most yards per game (567.2) and Boise State averages the fourth most (543.5). Oregon is first in points per game (54.7) and Boise State is third (46.3).
The Boise State win that means the most is still the opening day win against Virginia Tech in the Hokies’ backyard. Sure we all wrote off VT after they lost to James Madison, but Virginia Tech is now 7-2, and ranked number 20 in the BCS standings. What if Virginia Tech wins out and is 11-2, wins the ACC, and plays in a BCS bowl of their own? They will be ranked somewhere between 10 and 15 at that point. More importantly, what other team in a BCS bowl will be able to say they beat the conference champion from an AQ conference? None.
Auburn, Oregon, and TCU are all very good football teams, but they don’t have a stronger case to play in the BCS national championship game than Boise State. Which is why instead of seeing BC$ green, Boise State has the BCS blues.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls the Race in More Ways Than One
Monday Musings: Air Force Wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Game Predictions, Week 10, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Georgia Bulldogs Starting 4-5
TCU
First, let’s look at TCU. What we are witnessing this year is a repeat of 2009. Going into 2009 everyone knew that TCU was going to be pretty good, and the odds of the Horned Frogs going undefeated were pretty good.
TCU had a fairly unimpressive start to the season, but they were winning each week. They outscored their first five opponents by an average of 31.8-15.2 (throw out a 56-21 win over Texas State and that differential drops to 25.75-13.75). Not bad, but not world beaters either.
After game five, TCU shifted to a new gear. They won their next seven games by an average score of 47-10.4. We heard the jokes, “Texas is the second best team in the state,” and many credible individuals in the media thought TCU deserved to be in the BCS national championship game. They landed in the Fiesta Bowl, instead, against Boise State. We all remember the result. Boise State shut down the vaunted TCU offense. They intercepted Andy Dalton three times on their way to a 17-10 win.
After that game, TCU lost Jerry Hughes and Daryl Washington to the NFL and a handful of other starters to graduation. All Boise State lost was Kyle Wilson.
The 2010 season has gone much the same way. TCU won their first four games by an average score of 44.5-15.5 (throw out a 62-7 win over Tennessee Tech, and that average score drops to 38.7-18.3). From game four through game 10, TCU has outscored opponents by an average of 39.3-3.8.
TCU was ranked below Boise State for the first several weeks of the season. A sign of the fact that Boise State did beat TCU at the end of 2009 and that Boise State returned more players from last year’s team. Now, TCU has moved ahead of Boise State in the human polls and the BCS standings. WAKE UP EVERYONE! Didn’t you learn your lesson last year? Why are you all discounting Boise State? What has changed?
TCU has the same resume this year as last year. In 2009, they beat a good, ranked BYU team, and a good, ranked Utah team, plus ACC contender Clemson. In 2010, they beat a good, ranked Oregon State team (the good part is debatable at this point), they beat a good, ranked Utah team, plus Big XII contender Baylor. No one doubted that TCU would win head-to-head against Boise State, in 2009. Surprise! We were all wrong. Again I ask, what has changed? Nothing.
There is no reason why TCU should be ahead of Boise State.
Oregon
Second, the Oregon Ducks have been very impressive this year, there is no denying that. In fact, the Ducks were quite impressive in 2009 and 2008, with back-to-back 10 win seasons, a win in Big Ten country, and it was Oregon that dethroned USC in the Pac-10. All the success up there in Eugene has helped the Ducks mask the one glaring negative of the past two years: back-to-back losses to Boise State.
The Broncos went into hostile Autzen Stadium in 2008 with a freshman quarterback. After three quarters of play, Boise State held a commanding 37-13 lead. Boise State won that game, and the game played the next year. For those who don’t remember, in that 2009 game, Oregon had 14 yards total offense in the first half, zero first downs, and zero points. The Ducks managed 152 total yards for the game, 6 first downs, and 1-10 on third down conversions. Boise State dominated the time of possession as well, 42:32 to 17:28.
This takes us to a catch 22 situation. The Duck and anti-Boise State contingents are sure to be shaking their heads saying, “but that was last year.” You are right. We are not supposed to penalize any team this year for what happened last year. If Michigan was 9-0 at this point, they would be in the top 5 as well, even though they finished 2009 losing seven of their last eight games. However, there is no denying that history does play a factor in the human and computer rankings. Why is the SEC considered the best conference in the land? History says so. Why are certain conferences AQ conferences and other conferences are not? History. Why are the same teams predicted to win their conferences every year? Historically they win the conference most of the time.
With the system that we have now, we must lean on history to split hairs. How do we not give Boise State the benefit of the doubt in comparison to Oregon? Boise State is 2-0 against the Ducks the last two years. I could understand if these two games were 10 or even five years ago, but we are talking about the immediate past. Oregon even had revenge to motivate them against Boise State last year. Plus, Oregon hasn’t shown that they are that invincible. Oregon lost the Rose Bowl last year to an Ohio State team that was perceived to be inferior and was strongly criticized most of the year. This year the Duck defense is suspect.
Auburn
Third, the Auburn Tigers and Boise State Broncos don’t have any history together. What we do know is that the defense needs help. Just last week, Chattanooga scored 24. Arkansas State put up 26 in week one. That's not really a sign of progress on D. Who can forget the 43 points allowed to Arkansas? The Tigers were pushed by Kentucky because the defense couldn’t stop the Wildcats.
The case for Boise State
In any argument, it is always easy to poke holes in the opponent’s claims, but if you expect to win, you need some substance of your own. Boise State has it.
I just attacked the Auburn defense, well Boise State has defense. The Bronco’s just throttled the potent Hawaii attack. Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz only passed for 127 yards. Moniz leads the nation in passing yards, in spite of this low output, by 400 yards. Just two weeks ago, Hawaii rolled up 614 yards total offense. Boise State limited them to 154. This was a 7-2 Hawaii team. We aren’t talking about San Jose State. The Warriors gave USC trouble, and they are the only team to beat Nevada. The Boise State defense in legit.
On second thought, let’s talk about San Jose State. The Spartans took to the road to start the year to play the Alabama Crimson Tide. To no one’s surprise, Alabama proceeded to thump San Jose State 48-3. Fast forward six weeks when the Spartans welcomed Boise State to town. The Broncos won that contest 48-0.
Up until Alabama lost to LSU this weekend, the expert consensus was that even with one loss Alabama controlled it own destiny. If the Crimson Tide would win the rest of their games they would play for the national championship. For all that superior SEC speed, strength, and talent, shouldn’t Alabama have beaten San Jose State by a wider margin at home than Boise State did on the road? Boise State's win over San Jose State trumps Alabama's.
I know we are talking about a 45 point win versus a 48 point win where the only difference in score was a field goal by the other team, but again, with this system that we have in place, these are the questions we have to ask, and the best measuring stick that we have to use.
While we are comparing wins, Nebraska beat Idaho 38-17 at home. Boise State goes to Idaho this Friday. No one would have any qualms about a 12-1 Nebraska team in the national championship game if Oregon and Auburn lose. What are the odds that Boise State wins by more than 21? Holds Idaho to less than 17?
As for offense, the Broncos can gallop as fast as the Ducks can fly. Oregon averages the most yards per game (567.2) and Boise State averages the fourth most (543.5). Oregon is first in points per game (54.7) and Boise State is third (46.3).
The Boise State win that means the most is still the opening day win against Virginia Tech in the Hokies’ backyard. Sure we all wrote off VT after they lost to James Madison, but Virginia Tech is now 7-2, and ranked number 20 in the BCS standings. What if Virginia Tech wins out and is 11-2, wins the ACC, and plays in a BCS bowl of their own? They will be ranked somewhere between 10 and 15 at that point. More importantly, what other team in a BCS bowl will be able to say they beat the conference champion from an AQ conference? None.
Auburn, Oregon, and TCU are all very good football teams, but they don’t have a stronger case to play in the BCS national championship game than Boise State. Which is why instead of seeing BC$ green, Boise State has the BCS blues.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls the Race in More Ways Than One
Monday Musings: Air Force Wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Game Predictions, Week 10, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Georgia Bulldogs Starting 4-5
Heisman Hopefuls: Auburn QB Cam Newton Controls The Race In More Ways Than One
While there is still a lot of football to play, the Heisman Hopefuls are starting to become clear cut. I have kept several players On the Radar, but the only one that might eventually make it up is Justin Blackmon. As for the rest, two players were eliminated, and one is hanging on by a thread. The most interesting twist this week was the news about Cam Newton being shopped for $200,000 out of Blinn Junior College. It would be a tragedy if this report is true.
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: Cam Newton had a great passing day. His pass efficiency rating was over 261. Granted it was just Chattanooga. I have gotten so used to the big games in both passing and rushing that I didn't think that Newton had a stand out performance. He is, after all, a quarterback, so if he only tears it up through the air it should still count as a stand out game.
Kellen Moore exploded for 507 yards. He is the only quarterback on this list to throw for 500 yards this year. He completed over 80 percent of his passes.
PLAYERS DROPPED: Initially, I planned to drop Denard Robinson. His durability is starting to become a hindrance to his team. He left the game early, again, and it could have cost Michigan the game. He only completed 50 percent of his passes. However, his pass efficiency was over 200, and his passing yardage was over 300. Robinson is still the nations leading rusher as well. While we all assume the Wolverines will lose to Wisconsin and Ohio State, Michigan might surprise all of us and win one or both of those games. That would help Robinson's case immensely. It will also help if Cam Newton is declared ineligible over this report that he was being shopped around to the highest bidding school last year. This is college football, and “anything can happen.”
Taylor Martinez missed this week due to injury. That put him farther behind Newton and Robinson. With Kansas, Texas A&M, and Colorado on the schedule, plus a Big XII Championship game, Martinez could post some huge numbers, but I don't think it is going to be enough. Don't forget that Roy Helu is becoming a bigger part of the Cornhusker offense.
Terrelle Pryor has been on the list all season, but the fact of the matter is he is not having any better of a season than Andy Dalton at TCU. Neither of them can match Denard Robinson and Cam Newton. I would even vote for LaMichael James over Pryor or Dalton at this point. I have both Pryor and Dalton on the radar, but some strange changes will have to happen for them to make it to New York.
PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: Robinson is still toeing the line for the durability issues already noted.
PLAYERS ADDED: No players were added this week.
LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1,546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 196 rushes, 1,331 yards, 17 TD
Last: 26 rushes, 121 yards, 3 TD
Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
2009: 89 rushes, 382 yards, 1 TD
2010: 203 rushes, 1,240 yards, 14 TD
Last: 14 rushes, 66 yards, 2 TD
Denard Robinson, Michigan
2009: 14-31 (45.4%), 188 yards, 2 TD, 4 Int
2010: 118-186 (63.4%), 1,814 yards, 13 TD, 7 Int / 183 rushes, 1,349 yards, 12 TD
Last: 10-20 (50.0%), 305 yards, 3 TD, 2 Int / 19 rushes, 62 yards
Kellen Moore, Boise State
2009: 277-431 (64.3%), 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
2010: 155-216 (71.8%), 2,372 yards, 21 TD, 4 Int.
Last: 30-37 (81.1%), 507 yards, 3 TD, 2 Int.
Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Junior College
2010: 123-183 (67.2%), 1,890 yards, 19 TD, 5 Int / 176 rushes, 1,146 yards, 15 TD
Last: 15-21 (71.4%), 317 yards, 4 TD, 0 Int / 8 rush, 24 yards, 1 TD
ON THE RADAR: Ricky Stanzi, Iowa; Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; Robert Griffin III, Baylor, Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State, Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, Andy Dalton, TCU.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: Air Force Wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Game Predictions, Week 10, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Georgia Bulldogs Starting 4-5
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: Cam Newton had a great passing day. His pass efficiency rating was over 261. Granted it was just Chattanooga. I have gotten so used to the big games in both passing and rushing that I didn't think that Newton had a stand out performance. He is, after all, a quarterback, so if he only tears it up through the air it should still count as a stand out game.
Kellen Moore exploded for 507 yards. He is the only quarterback on this list to throw for 500 yards this year. He completed over 80 percent of his passes.
PLAYERS DROPPED: Initially, I planned to drop Denard Robinson. His durability is starting to become a hindrance to his team. He left the game early, again, and it could have cost Michigan the game. He only completed 50 percent of his passes. However, his pass efficiency was over 200, and his passing yardage was over 300. Robinson is still the nations leading rusher as well. While we all assume the Wolverines will lose to Wisconsin and Ohio State, Michigan might surprise all of us and win one or both of those games. That would help Robinson's case immensely. It will also help if Cam Newton is declared ineligible over this report that he was being shopped around to the highest bidding school last year. This is college football, and “anything can happen.”
Taylor Martinez missed this week due to injury. That put him farther behind Newton and Robinson. With Kansas, Texas A&M, and Colorado on the schedule, plus a Big XII Championship game, Martinez could post some huge numbers, but I don't think it is going to be enough. Don't forget that Roy Helu is becoming a bigger part of the Cornhusker offense.
Terrelle Pryor has been on the list all season, but the fact of the matter is he is not having any better of a season than Andy Dalton at TCU. Neither of them can match Denard Robinson and Cam Newton. I would even vote for LaMichael James over Pryor or Dalton at this point. I have both Pryor and Dalton on the radar, but some strange changes will have to happen for them to make it to New York.
PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: Robinson is still toeing the line for the durability issues already noted.
PLAYERS ADDED: No players were added this week.
LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1,546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 196 rushes, 1,331 yards, 17 TD
Last: 26 rushes, 121 yards, 3 TD
Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
2009: 89 rushes, 382 yards, 1 TD
2010: 203 rushes, 1,240 yards, 14 TD
Last: 14 rushes, 66 yards, 2 TD
Denard Robinson, Michigan
2009: 14-31 (45.4%), 188 yards, 2 TD, 4 Int
2010: 118-186 (63.4%), 1,814 yards, 13 TD, 7 Int / 183 rushes, 1,349 yards, 12 TD
Last: 10-20 (50.0%), 305 yards, 3 TD, 2 Int / 19 rushes, 62 yards
Kellen Moore, Boise State
2009: 277-431 (64.3%), 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
2010: 155-216 (71.8%), 2,372 yards, 21 TD, 4 Int.
Last: 30-37 (81.1%), 507 yards, 3 TD, 2 Int.
Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Junior College
2010: 123-183 (67.2%), 1,890 yards, 19 TD, 5 Int / 176 rushes, 1,146 yards, 15 TD
Last: 15-21 (71.4%), 317 yards, 4 TD, 0 Int / 8 rush, 24 yards, 1 TD
ON THE RADAR: Ricky Stanzi, Iowa; Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; Robert Griffin III, Baylor, Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State, Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, Andy Dalton, TCU.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: Air Force Wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Game Predictions, Week 10, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Georgia Bulldogs Starting 4-5
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday Musings: Air Force Wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
It was another great week of college football. It is weeks like these that make November the best month of the season. Everything is at stake and everything is possible.
1. Claiming the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Air Force beat Army 42-22 to win their first Commander-in-Chief's trophy since 2002. Navy had won the last 7. Air Force beat Navy 14-6 back on October 2.
2. Bad day to be a two loss team. Two loss Florida State, Northwestern, Syracuse, Maryland, and North Carolina State all lost to teams with a worse record. Baylor was crushed by Oklahoma State. Iowa struggled to beat Indiana. Hawaii was overwhelmed by Boise State, and Fresno State was challenged by Louisiana Tech.
3. Mirror image. Cam Newton and Denard Robinson took the dual threat QB label to a different level this year. On Saturday, they posted very similar stats with their similar style of play. Newton attempted 21 passes and averaged 15.1 yards per attempt. Robinson attempted 20 passes and averaged 15.3 yards per attempt. Newton averaged 3.0 yards per rush, and Robinson averaged 3.3 yards. They both left their respective games early, however, Robinson left early due to injury, while Newton went to the bench with a commanding lead.
4. New life in Ames, Iowa. Since the Utah and Oklahoma games that ended 68-27 and 52-0 respectively, Iowa State has been a much improved team. They are 2-1 since those two losses, which includes beating Texas in Austin. The loss was a heart breaker to Nebraska in overtime.
5. Make Room for the Non-AQs. Boise State and TCU deserve serious consideration for the BCS national championship game. These two teams have played so well the last three years it is an injustice to not give them a chance on the biggest stage.
6. Lucky Number 55. Three traditionally strong programs that are having down years all posted big wins by scoring 55 points. Florida beat Vanderbilt 55-14, Georgia beat Idaho State 55-7, and BYU beat UNLV 55-7.
7. Moore than you can handle. Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore gave Hawaii more than they could handle. He reinserted himself in Heisman talk with a 30-37, 507 yards, and 3 TD performance against a good Hawaii team. Hawaii gave USC a competitive game (49-36) early this year, but Moore and company had the Warriors retreating all game long in a 42-7 blowout.
8. I am glad we're not in Kansas anymore. The Colorado Buffaloes saw a 28 point lead whisked away by a Kansas tornado. The Jayhawks scored 35 fourth quarter points to send the Buffaloes back to Colorado and helped blow them out of the Big 12.
9. Michigan needs a makeover. The mood in Michigan has been very gloomy the last two weeks. Rich Rodriguez was on the hot seat and no one thought the team was going in the right direction. By beating Illinois this week, the Wolverines are 6-3 on the season and will probably move to 7-3 with Purdue up next. They will go bowling and have a very good chance of finishing two, maybe three games improved from a year ago. There is only one problem in Ann Arbor: the defense. Fix that this offseason and Michigan can contend for the Big Ten title.
10. Wild, wild, East. The Big East Conference race is still wide open. While Pitt is 3-0 in the conference, no team has a conference record worse than 1-2. With so many conference games left to be played and all eight teams still in the running, things could get wild in the last month of the season.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Game Predictions, Week 10, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Georgia Bulldogs Starting 4-5
Heisman Hopefuls: Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley Eliminated
1. Claiming the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Air Force beat Army 42-22 to win their first Commander-in-Chief's trophy since 2002. Navy had won the last 7. Air Force beat Navy 14-6 back on October 2.
2. Bad day to be a two loss team. Two loss Florida State, Northwestern, Syracuse, Maryland, and North Carolina State all lost to teams with a worse record. Baylor was crushed by Oklahoma State. Iowa struggled to beat Indiana. Hawaii was overwhelmed by Boise State, and Fresno State was challenged by Louisiana Tech.
3. Mirror image. Cam Newton and Denard Robinson took the dual threat QB label to a different level this year. On Saturday, they posted very similar stats with their similar style of play. Newton attempted 21 passes and averaged 15.1 yards per attempt. Robinson attempted 20 passes and averaged 15.3 yards per attempt. Newton averaged 3.0 yards per rush, and Robinson averaged 3.3 yards. They both left their respective games early, however, Robinson left early due to injury, while Newton went to the bench with a commanding lead.
4. New life in Ames, Iowa. Since the Utah and Oklahoma games that ended 68-27 and 52-0 respectively, Iowa State has been a much improved team. They are 2-1 since those two losses, which includes beating Texas in Austin. The loss was a heart breaker to Nebraska in overtime.
5. Make Room for the Non-AQs. Boise State and TCU deserve serious consideration for the BCS national championship game. These two teams have played so well the last three years it is an injustice to not give them a chance on the biggest stage.
6. Lucky Number 55. Three traditionally strong programs that are having down years all posted big wins by scoring 55 points. Florida beat Vanderbilt 55-14, Georgia beat Idaho State 55-7, and BYU beat UNLV 55-7.
7. Moore than you can handle. Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore gave Hawaii more than they could handle. He reinserted himself in Heisman talk with a 30-37, 507 yards, and 3 TD performance against a good Hawaii team. Hawaii gave USC a competitive game (49-36) early this year, but Moore and company had the Warriors retreating all game long in a 42-7 blowout.
8. I am glad we're not in Kansas anymore. The Colorado Buffaloes saw a 28 point lead whisked away by a Kansas tornado. The Jayhawks scored 35 fourth quarter points to send the Buffaloes back to Colorado and helped blow them out of the Big 12.
9. Michigan needs a makeover. The mood in Michigan has been very gloomy the last two weeks. Rich Rodriguez was on the hot seat and no one thought the team was going in the right direction. By beating Illinois this week, the Wolverines are 6-3 on the season and will probably move to 7-3 with Purdue up next. They will go bowling and have a very good chance of finishing two, maybe three games improved from a year ago. There is only one problem in Ann Arbor: the defense. Fix that this offseason and Michigan can contend for the Big Ten title.
10. Wild, wild, East. The Big East Conference race is still wide open. While Pitt is 3-0 in the conference, no team has a conference record worse than 1-2. With so many conference games left to be played and all eight teams still in the running, things could get wild in the last month of the season.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Game Predictions, Week 10, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Georgia Bulldogs Starting 4-5
Heisman Hopefuls: Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley Eliminated
Poll Results: Will Michgian win 6 games to be bowl eligible?
When the Wolverines took the field Saturday against Illinois the voting was dead even: 50% yes and 50% no. We all know now, that Michigan did win its 6th game and is now bowl eligible.
Thank you to everyone who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: "Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman/BCS controversy?"
Thank you to everyone who voted. Don't forget to vote in this week's poll: "Will the NCAA rule regarding Cam Newton's eligibility fast enough to avoid a Heisman/BCS controversy?"
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 10, 2010
Boise State may be falling in the other rankings, but they are staying put in the College Football Haven Top 25. They rolled up 747 yards of total offense against a good Hawaii team, and they held the potent Warriors offense to just 196 yards. I know rankings are based on just one season, but without a better way to judge, I give the Broncos the top spot because of their wins over TCU and Oregon last year.
LSU moved up to number 5, taking Utah's place and jumping number 6 Stanford, with the win over Alabama. Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Iowa are in the top 10 now with Alabama, Missouri, and Oklahoma losing. Temple, San Diego State, and Northern Illinois all entered the rankings as several other two loss teams near the bottom lost.
Utah fell all the way to 13, and Alabama to 14. Missouri landed at 16 and Oklahoma right behind them at 17. Arizona comes in at number 20.
1. Boise State (8-0)
LAST: Beat Hawaii 42-7.
Boise State sent Hawaii back to the islands on a 747 (yards of total offense).
2. Oregon (9-0)
LAST: Beat Washington 53-16.
3. Auburn (10-0)
LAST: Beat Chattanooga 62-24.
4. TCU (10-0)
LAST: Beat Utah 47-7.
The Horned Frogs made the biggest statement on Saturday.
5. LSU (8-1)
LAST: Beat Alabama 24-21.
Hard to deny this year that LSU is legit.
6. Stanford (8-1)
LAST: Beat Arizona 42-17.
Finally, a quality win for the Cardinals.
7. Wisconsin (8-1)
LAST: Beat Purdue 34-13.
8. Nebraska (8-1)
LAST: Beat Iowa State 31-30, OT.
On a week when other top teams were losing, Nebraska will be happy with a win any way it comes.
9. Oklahoma State (8-1)
LAST: Beat Baylor 55-28.
Oklahoma State used their three headed monster (Weedon, Hunter, Blackmon) to take down RGIII.
10. Iowa (7-2)
LAST: Beat Indiana 18-13.
11. Michigan State (9-1)
LAST: Beat Minnesota 31-8.
12. Ohio State (8-1)
LAST: Bye.
13. Utah (8-1)
LAST: Lost to TCU 47-7.
14. Alabama (7-2)
LAST: Lost to LSU 24-21.
15. Arkansas (7-2)
LAST: Beat South Carolina 41-20.
If they only could have held on against Alabama.
16. Missouri (7-2)
LAST: Lost to Texas Tech 24-17.
17. Oklahoma (7-2)
LAST: Lost to Texas A&M 33-19.
18. Virginia Tech (7-2)
LAST: Beat Georgia Tech 28-21.
19. Nevada (7-1)
LAST: Beat Idaho 63-17.
20. Arizona (7-2)
LAST: Lost to Stanford 42-17.
21. Mississippi State (7-2)
LAST: Bye.
22. Central Florida (UCF) (7-2)
LAST: Beat Houston 40-33.
23. Temple (8-2)
LAST: Beat Kent State 28-10.
24. San Diego State (7-2)
LAST: Beat Colorado State 24-19.
25. Northern Illinois (7-2)
LAST: Bye.
OTHERS TO WATCH: Kansas State, Pitt, Baylor, Florida State, Florida, Penn State, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Miami.
Previous Top 25:
Preseason
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
LSU moved up to number 5, taking Utah's place and jumping number 6 Stanford, with the win over Alabama. Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Iowa are in the top 10 now with Alabama, Missouri, and Oklahoma losing. Temple, San Diego State, and Northern Illinois all entered the rankings as several other two loss teams near the bottom lost.
Utah fell all the way to 13, and Alabama to 14. Missouri landed at 16 and Oklahoma right behind them at 17. Arizona comes in at number 20.
1. Boise State (8-0)
LAST: Beat Hawaii 42-7.
Boise State sent Hawaii back to the islands on a 747 (yards of total offense).
2. Oregon (9-0)
LAST: Beat Washington 53-16.
3. Auburn (10-0)
LAST: Beat Chattanooga 62-24.
4. TCU (10-0)
LAST: Beat Utah 47-7.
The Horned Frogs made the biggest statement on Saturday.
5. LSU (8-1)
LAST: Beat Alabama 24-21.
Hard to deny this year that LSU is legit.
6. Stanford (8-1)
LAST: Beat Arizona 42-17.
Finally, a quality win for the Cardinals.
7. Wisconsin (8-1)
LAST: Beat Purdue 34-13.
8. Nebraska (8-1)
LAST: Beat Iowa State 31-30, OT.
On a week when other top teams were losing, Nebraska will be happy with a win any way it comes.
9. Oklahoma State (8-1)
LAST: Beat Baylor 55-28.
Oklahoma State used their three headed monster (Weedon, Hunter, Blackmon) to take down RGIII.
10. Iowa (7-2)
LAST: Beat Indiana 18-13.
11. Michigan State (9-1)
LAST: Beat Minnesota 31-8.
12. Ohio State (8-1)
LAST: Bye.
13. Utah (8-1)
LAST: Lost to TCU 47-7.
14. Alabama (7-2)
LAST: Lost to LSU 24-21.
15. Arkansas (7-2)
LAST: Beat South Carolina 41-20.
If they only could have held on against Alabama.
16. Missouri (7-2)
LAST: Lost to Texas Tech 24-17.
17. Oklahoma (7-2)
LAST: Lost to Texas A&M 33-19.
18. Virginia Tech (7-2)
LAST: Beat Georgia Tech 28-21.
19. Nevada (7-1)
LAST: Beat Idaho 63-17.
20. Arizona (7-2)
LAST: Lost to Stanford 42-17.
21. Mississippi State (7-2)
LAST: Bye.
22. Central Florida (UCF) (7-2)
LAST: Beat Houston 40-33.
23. Temple (8-2)
LAST: Beat Kent State 28-10.
24. San Diego State (7-2)
LAST: Beat Colorado State 24-19.
25. Northern Illinois (7-2)
LAST: Bye.
OTHERS TO WATCH: Kansas State, Pitt, Baylor, Florida State, Florida, Penn State, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Miami.
Previous Top 25:
Preseason
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Game of the Week: TCU Horned Frogs at Utah Utes
Anytime you have two top 5 teams playing each other, it's a no brainer for the game of the week. TCU is looking for its first back-to-back Mountain West Conference (MWC) championships since joining the conference in 2005. A win over Utah virtually secures that feat. It also appears that a win would also assure TCU back-to-back BCS bowls, something no non-AQ team has ever done. Getting a win today will not be easy.
TCU will have to to something it has never done: win in Salt Lake City. TCU beat Utah 55-28 last year, so TCU will have do deal with the revenge factor this year. In that game a year ago, Utah used a true freshman who had only started three games. Utah has a lot of the intangible momentum on its side.
The Utes, however, have not been tested this year. Their best opponent is a toss up between Pittsburgh and Air Force. Utah has shown they have the fire power on offense to match TCU, but what about defense? Utah caught the nation's attention when they blitzed Iowa State 68-27. Impressive, except, a week later Oklahoma held the Cyclones scoreless. Utah had Air Force on the ropes last week, but they let Air Force put two TDs on the board, in less than a minute and a half, to make the game interesting. Utah led 24-13 with less than 8 minutes to play in their opener against Pitt, and they allowed the Panthers to score 11 points to send the game to overtime. If I was Kyle Whittingham, I would be worried that my defense didn't have the killer instinct necessary to make the required stops to put the game away.
TCU, on the other hand, does seem to have it. In the two games that their opponents have scored over 20 points, the TCU defense came up with the final points of the game to put the game out of reach. Six times this year, TCU has held their opponents to one score or less. Oh, and all this RG3 hype, TCU doesn't buy it.
Kickoff: 3:30 EDT
TV: CBS-College Sports
TCU will have to to something it has never done: win in Salt Lake City. TCU beat Utah 55-28 last year, so TCU will have do deal with the revenge factor this year. In that game a year ago, Utah used a true freshman who had only started three games. Utah has a lot of the intangible momentum on its side.
The Utes, however, have not been tested this year. Their best opponent is a toss up between Pittsburgh and Air Force. Utah has shown they have the fire power on offense to match TCU, but what about defense? Utah caught the nation's attention when they blitzed Iowa State 68-27. Impressive, except, a week later Oklahoma held the Cyclones scoreless. Utah had Air Force on the ropes last week, but they let Air Force put two TDs on the board, in less than a minute and a half, to make the game interesting. Utah led 24-13 with less than 8 minutes to play in their opener against Pitt, and they allowed the Panthers to score 11 points to send the game to overtime. If I was Kyle Whittingham, I would be worried that my defense didn't have the killer instinct necessary to make the required stops to put the game away.
TCU, on the other hand, does seem to have it. In the two games that their opponents have scored over 20 points, the TCU defense came up with the final points of the game to put the game out of reach. Six times this year, TCU has held their opponents to one score or less. Oh, and all this RG3 hype, TCU doesn't buy it.
Kickoff: 3:30 EDT
TV: CBS-College Sports
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Game Predictions, Week 10, 2010
For the second week in a row I was 16-7 (third straight week with 7 wrong predictions), which makes me 147-60 on the year. I am hoping for five or less this week. As always, you are free to chime in with your picks, or at least where you agree or disagree, and we can discuss. If I left off a game that really interests you, throw it out and we can discuss it also.
ACC
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 27-13 Virginia Tech
North Carolina at Florida State, 38-13 Florida State
Big XII
Colorado at Kansas, 28-14 Kansas
Nebraska at Iowa State, 45-0 Nebraska
Big East
Louisville at Syracuse,31-17 Syracuse
Big Ten
Northwestern at Penn State, 27-17 Penn State
Illinois at Michigan, 38-35 Illinois
Conference USA
Marshall at UAB, 31-13 UAB
Rice at Tulsa, 51-14 Tulsa
MAC
Buffalo at Ohio, 37-13 Ohio
Western Michigan at Central Michigan, 24-21 C Michigan
MWC
UNLV at BYU, 34-10 BYU
TCU at Utah, 20-14 TCU
Pac-10
Arizona at Stanford, 41-38 Arizona
Washington at Oregon, 56-21 Oregon
SEC
Alabama at LSU, 27-10 Alabama
Arkansas at South Carolina, 34-24 South Carolina
Sun Belt
Louisiana-Monroe at Florida International, 17-6 FIU
Florida Atlantic at Western Kentucky, 28-12 FAU
WAC
Hawaii at Boise State, 45-28 Boise State
Fresno State at Louisiana Tech, 38-13 Fresno State
Independents
Air Force at Army, 35-21 Air Force
Navy at East Carolina, 45-28 East Carolina
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Weekly Trivia: Georgia Bulldogs Starting 4-5
Heisman Hopefuls: Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley Eliminated
Monday Musings: LaMichael James is the Oregon Ducks’ Secret to Success
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 9, 2010
Poll Results: Should Auburn be the BCS number 1?
ACC
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 27-13 Virginia Tech
North Carolina at Florida State, 38-13 Florida State
Big XII
Colorado at Kansas, 28-14 Kansas
Nebraska at Iowa State, 45-0 Nebraska
Big East
Louisville at Syracuse,31-17 Syracuse
Big Ten
Northwestern at Penn State, 27-17 Penn State
Illinois at Michigan, 38-35 Illinois
Conference USA
Marshall at UAB, 31-13 UAB
Rice at Tulsa, 51-14 Tulsa
MAC
Buffalo at Ohio, 37-13 Ohio
Western Michigan at Central Michigan, 24-21 C Michigan
MWC
UNLV at BYU, 34-10 BYU
TCU at Utah, 20-14 TCU
Pac-10
Arizona at Stanford, 41-38 Arizona
Washington at Oregon, 56-21 Oregon
SEC
Alabama at LSU, 27-10 Alabama
Arkansas at South Carolina, 34-24 South Carolina
Sun Belt
Louisiana-Monroe at Florida International, 17-6 FIU
Florida Atlantic at Western Kentucky, 28-12 FAU
WAC
Hawaii at Boise State, 45-28 Boise State
Fresno State at Louisiana Tech, 38-13 Fresno State
Independents
Air Force at Army, 35-21 Air Force
Navy at East Carolina, 45-28 East Carolina
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Weekly Trivia: Georgia Bulldogs Starting 4-5
Heisman Hopefuls: Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley Eliminated
Monday Musings: LaMichael James is the Oregon Ducks’ Secret to Success
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 9, 2010
Poll Results: Should Auburn be the BCS number 1?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Georgia Bulldogs Starting 4-5
The answer to last week's trivia question, "How many players reached the 1,000 yards rushing plateau in 2009?" is 53, per ESPN.com.
Two weeks ago we looked at an SEC team getting off to a good start, this week we will look at an SEC team off to an uncharacteristically poor start. With their overtime loss to the Florida Gators, the Georgia Bulldogs fell to 4-5. This week's question is:
For more trivia questions, visit the Trivia page.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Heisman Hopefuls: Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley Eliminated
Monday Musings: LaMichael James is the Oregon Ducks’ Secret to Success
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 9, 2010
Poll Results: Should Auburn be the BCS number 1?
Weekly Predictions/Game of the Week
The Michigan Wolverines Should Retain Rich Rodriguez In 2011
Two weeks ago we looked at an SEC team getting off to a good start, this week we will look at an SEC team off to an uncharacteristically poor start. With their overtime loss to the Florida Gators, the Georgia Bulldogs fell to 4-5. This week's question is:
When was the last time Georgia started 4-5 or worse?Leave your answer in the comments section. The answer will be revealed next Wednesday when a new question is asked.
For more trivia questions, visit the Trivia page.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Heisman Hopefuls: Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley Eliminated
Monday Musings: LaMichael James is the Oregon Ducks’ Secret to Success
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 9, 2010
Poll Results: Should Auburn be the BCS number 1?
Weekly Predictions/Game of the Week
The Michigan Wolverines Should Retain Rich Rodriguez In 2011
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Heisman Hopefuls: Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley Eliminated
The Heisman Hopefuls are shrinking. It is not so much as the lead pack pulling away, but players are playing their way out of the race.
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: LaMichael James had a huge night in LA. He ran the ball 36 times for 239 yards and 3 more scores. James is the heart of the Oregon attack.
Denard Robinson almost came up with another 200/200 game. He also almost brought Michigan back from a 31-10 deficit. His sub-50% completions percentage didn't escape my eye either.
PLAYERS DROPPED: Matt Barkley needed to play better than a 96 pass efficiency rating against Oregon. True, USC was leading Oregon in the second half, which is better than any other team can say, but when USC needed Barkley the most, he couldn’t deliver.
Andrew Luck had his second straight game with less than 200 passing yards. That is not going to get you the bronze statue.
PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: Taylor Martinez has 400 less passing yards and 300 less rushing yards than Cam Newton and Denard Robinson. Unless he can make up some ground, there is no way he finishes higher than fourth. While Nebraska wouldn’t trade him for either of these two, the Heisman doesn’t appear to be for Martinez this year.
Denard Robinson may be eliminated soon if he can’t deliver a W soon. Michigan is free falling and the stat that matters the most is wins.
PLAYERS ADDED: No players were added this week.
LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 170 rushes, 1,210 yards, 14 TD
Last: 36 rushes, 239 yards, 3 TD
Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
2009: 89 rushes, 382 yards, 1 TD
2010: 189 rushes, 1,174 yards, 12 TD
Last: 28 rushes, 143 yards, 0 TD
Terrell Pryor, Ohio State
2009: 167-295 (56.6%), 2094 yards, 18 TD, 11 Int / 162 rushes, 779 yards, 7 TD
2010: 152-225 (67.6%), 1,997 yards, 20 TD, 7 INT / 84 rushes, 463 yards, 4 TD
Last: 18-22 (81.8%), 222 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT / 5 rushes, 55 yards, 1 TD
Denard Robinson, Michigan
2009: 14-31 (45.4%), 188 yards, 2 TD, 4 Int
2010: 108-166 (65.1%), 1509 yards, 10 TD, 5 Int / 164 rushes, 1287 yards, 12 TD
Last: 11-23 (47.8%), 190 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int / 27 rushes, 191 yards, 3 TD
Taylor Martinez, Nebraska
2009: N/A
2010: 72-120 (60.0%), 1,161 yards, 9 TD, 3 Int / 112 rushes, 886 yards, 12 TD
Last: 6-9 (66.7%), 115 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int / 12 rushes, 16 yards, 0 TD
Kellen Moore, Boise State
2009: 277-431 (64.3%), 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
2010: 125-179 (69.8%), 1865 yards, 18 TD, 2 Int.
Last: 20-28 (71.4%), 298 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int.
Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Junior College
2010: 108-162 (66.7%), 1,573 yards, 15 TD, 5 Int / 168 rushes, 1,122 yards, 14 TD
Last: 18-24 (75.0%), 209 yards, 2 TD, 0 Int / 11 rush, 45 yards, 0 TD
ON THE RADAR: Ricky Stanzi, Iowa; Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; Robert Griffen III, Baylor, Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: LaMichael James is the Oregon Ducks’ Secret to Success
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 9, 2010
Poll Results: Should Auburn be the BCS number 1?
Weekly Predictions/Game of the Week
The Michigan Wolverines Should Retain Rich Rodriguez In 2011
Weekly Trivia: 1,000 Yard Rushers
PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: LaMichael James had a huge night in LA. He ran the ball 36 times for 239 yards and 3 more scores. James is the heart of the Oregon attack.
Denard Robinson almost came up with another 200/200 game. He also almost brought Michigan back from a 31-10 deficit. His sub-50% completions percentage didn't escape my eye either.
PLAYERS DROPPED: Matt Barkley needed to play better than a 96 pass efficiency rating against Oregon. True, USC was leading Oregon in the second half, which is better than any other team can say, but when USC needed Barkley the most, he couldn’t deliver.
Andrew Luck had his second straight game with less than 200 passing yards. That is not going to get you the bronze statue.
PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: Taylor Martinez has 400 less passing yards and 300 less rushing yards than Cam Newton and Denard Robinson. Unless he can make up some ground, there is no way he finishes higher than fourth. While Nebraska wouldn’t trade him for either of these two, the Heisman doesn’t appear to be for Martinez this year.
Denard Robinson may be eliminated soon if he can’t deliver a W soon. Michigan is free falling and the stat that matters the most is wins.
PLAYERS ADDED: No players were added this week.
LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 170 rushes, 1,210 yards, 14 TD
Last: 36 rushes, 239 yards, 3 TD
Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
2009: 89 rushes, 382 yards, 1 TD
2010: 189 rushes, 1,174 yards, 12 TD
Last: 28 rushes, 143 yards, 0 TD
Terrell Pryor, Ohio State
2009: 167-295 (56.6%), 2094 yards, 18 TD, 11 Int / 162 rushes, 779 yards, 7 TD
2010: 152-225 (67.6%), 1,997 yards, 20 TD, 7 INT / 84 rushes, 463 yards, 4 TD
Last: 18-22 (81.8%), 222 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT / 5 rushes, 55 yards, 1 TD
Denard Robinson, Michigan
2009: 14-31 (45.4%), 188 yards, 2 TD, 4 Int
2010: 108-166 (65.1%), 1509 yards, 10 TD, 5 Int / 164 rushes, 1287 yards, 12 TD
Last: 11-23 (47.8%), 190 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int / 27 rushes, 191 yards, 3 TD
Taylor Martinez, Nebraska
2009: N/A
2010: 72-120 (60.0%), 1,161 yards, 9 TD, 3 Int / 112 rushes, 886 yards, 12 TD
Last: 6-9 (66.7%), 115 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int / 12 rushes, 16 yards, 0 TD
Kellen Moore, Boise State
2009: 277-431 (64.3%), 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
2010: 125-179 (69.8%), 1865 yards, 18 TD, 2 Int.
Last: 20-28 (71.4%), 298 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int.
Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Junior College
2010: 108-162 (66.7%), 1,573 yards, 15 TD, 5 Int / 168 rushes, 1,122 yards, 14 TD
Last: 18-24 (75.0%), 209 yards, 2 TD, 0 Int / 11 rush, 45 yards, 0 TD
ON THE RADAR: Ricky Stanzi, Iowa; Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; Robert Griffen III, Baylor, Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State.
Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: LaMichael James is the Oregon Ducks’ Secret to Success
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 9, 2010
Poll Results: Should Auburn be the BCS number 1?
Weekly Predictions/Game of the Week
The Michigan Wolverines Should Retain Rich Rodriguez In 2011
Weekly Trivia: 1,000 Yard Rushers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)