Smacchat NCAA Football Blog

Happy New Year *** College Football Season Begins w/many with something to prove

2010-09-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

On the eve of opening day shoes continue to drop and rest assure there are plenty more to come before this season is over although nothing may ever make as many waves as the what will be known as the beginning of the end for the small conference. The moves made by schools like Colorado and Nebraska have changed the landscape as we know it and will be the first of many. Now the move by BYU to independence, is by no means a systemic shock but rather a harbinger of things to come, and for all that they are not, what one can say about Bingham Young University is they are wise and they probably saw the writing on the wall that it would be better to go it alone than go down with the ship. So everyone left in the sinking Mountain West Conference will be out to get the Cougars as they will be blamed for being the first splinter that springs the leak, much like Texas will have a target the size of their state for years to come by both Pac-10(12) schools and Big-12(8) schools alike not so much for their 11th hour renege and back room deals but for the snooty comments made afterwards. Both of these schools will have added pressure and all eyes will be on them every week of the season in 2010. Other schools that had better be ready to bring it each and every Sunday include USC, Boise, and Bama. The Trojans who have been the staple of consistency in the Pac-1 over the past decade will have to play under a cloud of sanctions and whispers not to mention the need to perform so well that the BCS ask the question, “would this be our national championship if SC was eligible”? oh yea, and for good measure throw in a coach that left an SEC school at the altar to come and coach on the hated west coast, and a cross-town rival that is chompin’ at the bit to get your ‘hand me down’ recruits, and it adds a little spice to what could be a banal week in, week out, schedule for a team with no chance of playing past December. Unfortunately, you can only be a rising star for so long and then you have to rise. This is the year where Boise’s underdog, Cinderella, guy in the PG move, charm has worn off. Starting the season at #3 means they’re not small time anymore, now they’re public property, and with that comes responsibility of not just winning but winning convincingly. A weak schedule does them no favors as they are already getting criticized by members of the SEC for just that, a cupcake schedule where if they can pull off a road win in week one, it only gets easier after that. Sadly for the Smurfs this stigma will be there all year and can only be silenced with a win the National Championship Game. Lastly, we have our defending national champions that have returned to glory after a substantial hiatus. Although they are stacked, and his replacement is considered 1a, but you just don’t replace a running back like Ingram without some drop off but few will have much room in their bleeding hearts if Bama were to drop one of the early games without him and unlike the afore mentioned Broncos, there are no weeks off in the SEC. Which of the ‘show me’ schools will have the best season? Let us know here and in any of the quick links, and don't forget live chat with fans from both teams as we have an in-game chat room for every game on the NCAA schedule on the main site.
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“Summer Cleaning” ahead of the college football season

2010-07-23T02:14:00.000-07:00

The NCAA officially claimed open season and the schools are cleared to practice and of course hold the annual inner-squad scrimmage. Both Bama’ and Auburn had their first last week to large crowds, a harbinger of what they expect from the upcoming season. What isn’t expected this time of year is the major house cleaning and investigations that are taking place prior to the first kickoff. Starting out West on the campus of USC, where they have lost more Heisman trophies in the last week than most schools have accumulated in their history, just named Pat Hayden new athletic director after relieving Mike Garrett of his duties in the midst of the worst scandal in recent history (OJ had officially graduated). Just when that had begun to smolder, there’s another spark that could become quite a blaze as a party at Club Liv in the Fontainebleau hotel toward the end of May has been the subject of investigations by the NCAA and several schools, including defending national champion Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. So things could be heating up in the Southern part of the country as well. Lastly, in the ACC, North Carolina, not really known as a football power, is on the hot seat as NCAA is looking into whether two seniors received improper benefits from agents. Defensive tackle Marvin Austin and receiver Greg Little are the focus of the probe which could end getting them both suspended for the season. The probe has also prompted the North Carolina Secretary of State's office to begin its own investigation about potential misconduct involving agents. The state requires sports agents to register in North Carolina and prohibits them from offering gifts before a contract is signed. The “Head Ball Coach” put on his Jessie Jackson hat and publicly denounced the presence of agents and condemned what they’re doing to college athletics, as if he had never seen a ‘kickback’ in his life. Ya know, the warm weather is one thing but now it really feels like football season. How much damage will the ongoing probes have on the schools? Is there another USC shoe waiting to drop? Let us know here and in any of the quick links:

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Texas does a two-step, and a waltz back to Big-12

2010-06-15T02:42:00.000-07:00

I just checked and the word imminent has been changed in Webster’s Dictionary to read: “likely to occur at any moment; except in the 11th hour” as the group of ‘power brokers’ stepped in during the last rites ceremony and saved the Big-12, at least that’s how it will read in the biographies. However the truth is something entirely different and the truth is that Texas simply used or leveraged anyone that would sit down with them to accomplish their objective, which was getting the largest possible share of a conference television contract (while providing the catalyst for their own network) and providing the path of least resistance to consistent BCS appearances. It themselves those objectives are in alignment with every other university in the country, but every other university doesn’t use extortion to accomplish these objectives. Now that the dust has settled, in retrospect it’s clear the only reason for the extensive negotiations with the Pac-10 was leverage any possible affiliations against their own compeers in the Big-12 conference to negotiate the most advantageous arrangement for Texas. Not only did UTs actions alter their own conference but forced the hands of others out of fear of being isolated or without affiliation with a BCS conference. Grant it, there is a possibility Nebraska and Colorado would have made moves eventually, but certainly the thought of becoming the last passenger on the Titanic (B-12) or being a major football university that’s not a member of a BCS conference was a motivation. Lastly, reneging in the 11th hour on their commitments to the Pac-10 (16) conference as those negotiations proved to be the weapon of choice to hold the other B-12 members, the football tradition of the conference, and millions of fans hostage, once it has severed its purpose. In an era when Wall St. raiders are coming under scrutiny UT pulled off the coup de grace, in Gekko like fashion proving that the select pieces of the former B-12 were worth more than the whole, and what’s left in their wake is a conference that is much more conducive to their chances of reaching the BCS title game as they no longer will have beat the likes of a USC, Oklahoma, and Pac-10 surprise of the year (Oregon, UCLA, Stanford), just Oklahoma to reach NCG status. They also negotiated a 20 million (disproportionate) revenue share for the new B-12 TV contract and aspirations of starting their own. Actually, the UT of today could teach the Gekko’s of the 80’s a thing or two on how “Greed is Good” but let’s wait to see the sequel to Wall St. which comes out this summer as maybe the backdrop of the storyline takes place in Texas rather than New York. What do you think about the entire alignment?

Like it or not, expansion is coming

2010-06-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

*** UPDATE *****
Nebraska accepts offer to join Big-10
William Powers tells the Texas Long Horns coaches "we tried to save the Big-12 but were unsuccessful". ALSO CONFIRMED the six big 12 schools in question will join the Pac-10 in 2012.

Like most things in the circle of life you either adapt and change or circum to the forces of nature. The Darwinian adage holds true weather you’re discussing microbs, wildlife, business, or politics and it appears the NCAA is up to it’s neck it the latter two examples. It appears that conference expansion/extinction is not probable but inevitable. The SEC was the pioneer with the split conference and championship game business model (and it is a business), and the Big-10 contributed themselves with the B-10 Network providing delusions of grandeur for schools like Texas and ND, that they’re so larger than life they perhaps they could have their OWN network, but it’s these types of innovations (or greed) that has marked the fall of the NCAA infrastructure as we once knew it. This all began with someone taking some cash to rename a bowl game. Remember when bowls had tradition, stood for something, or made a statement about where the game was played? I used to love to see a Peach Bowl in Georgia, Orange Bowl in Miami, or a Rose Bowl in Pasadena. I mean I get it, Georgia Peaches, Florida Oranges, and California Roses. But now the names are as long as a 15-second radio spot, and I have no idea what the original bowl was, which conferences were slated to play in it, how was the selection made (ie; the #2 team from each conference), now it seems to be selected on which schools travel the best and can sell the most chicken sandwiches. We are now heading into the final pages of this chapter on the evolution of College Football as with the “Big Bang Theory”, we now are witnessing he birth of the “Super(nova)Conference”. 16 teams, 8 in each division, with a championship game as big as the bowls themselves and plenty of advertising dollars to go around. The schools get all kinds of publicity which is priceless when it comes to recruiting, (can you imagine how Texas will be able to pull talent if they move to the Pac-10?), and we’ll be guaranteed to have some monster matchps each year like Texas vs. USC rather than once a decade. Everyone wins right? Wrong. Unlike the ecosystem there will be no place for the weaker schools to survive and flourish, some conferences will eaten by the larger ones and the others will fade into obscurity, or bankruptcy. We may get some monster matchups, but for every USC/Texas there will also be a Oregon State at Baylor, and what happens when the Oregon St. women’s tennis team is scheduled to travel to A & M for one road match? Who is going to cover that cost or does that come out of the same “bottomless” slush fund? Trust me it won’t be bottomless, and if the margins for the big schools carrying most of the weight aren’t quite what they thought they would be what’s going to happen when they start wo wonder if they wouldn’t have been better off on their own? Don’t you think Germany wishes it had that Euro option back again? Well if/when it does happen I guess we’ll start the cycle all over again. Do you think expansion is good or bad for college football? Do you think for the cost and time they could put together a playoff system?

Smacchat Bowl Preview – Orange Bowl Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

2010-01-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

Well, the B-10 seems to have answered all of the critics this year as their top teams (OSU, Penn St. Wisconsin) have all won prime-time bowls with only Michigan St. not being able to answer the call. Now in contention to have the best record among BCS conferences this year, they look to the school that lead the conference for most of the season, and was their best shot at having a representative in the NCG, Iowa to carry the flag one more time, as the B-10 is 0-7 against the ACC in Bowl appearances over their last 7. Their opponent from the ACC Georgia Tech is playing with a massive chip on their shoulder, as they feel they deserve more respect as the #9 team in the nation, having one of the premier running backs and offenses in the nation. That said if they do get the running game off to a good start it could be long day for the Hawkeyes as they give up over 122 yards on the ground and GT averages better than 300. As much as we have capped on the B-10 this year, we’re not quite ready to issue retractions just yet and we’ll take GT in this one as well. If Iowa wins it, we’ll be the first to apologize.

Smacchat Bowl Preview – Fiesta Bowl Boise St. vs. TCU
Also known as “The People’s National Semi-Final” two of the four unbeaten teams in the country square off in what should be the first of the two final four games. Ok, we’ve chimed in too many times on why we’re in favor of a playoff system so there’s no need to re-visit, but what will be on display tonight are two teams that believe that they should have been given the opportunity to play for the National Championship and should make for a great game as both will leave it out on the field. TCU is laying some heavy lumber as a 7.5 point favorite and it is obviously because Boise St. gives up a ton of offense (300 yards per) each game and if you parlay that with a couple of turnovers and you could have a 14point game pretty easily. For the fans of football without any college affiliation this was slated from the day the matchups came out as the most entertaining of all of the bowl games and I expect to be as well. If you like offense and game that won’t be played as if next week’s BCS rankings depended on it, then this is the bowl game for you. Actually, it will be played for the pollsters, but only to show them what they could have had in Pasadena. Smacchat pick TCU.

Smacchat bowl Preview – Rose Bowl

2010-01-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

Prior’s bad wheel, Ohio State’s team speed or lack thereof, and a terrible Big-10 record against the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl, are all of the things that will be on OSU’s mind in addition to the Oregon Ducks come Saturday afternoon and all are valid concerns. However, one thing in their favor is a high powered offense that has competed AND won in big games and is going to play with fervor to get the monkey off their backs. Actually, this one may end up having a very simple equation if OSU can stop the run but that may be a tall request as the Ducks average 236 yards per game on the ground. However the Bucs D has only allowd opponents to 12.2 points and 262.5 total yards per game, and an average of 83.4 yards on the ground (fifth in the nation). Ohio State is one of five FBS teams that did not allow a 100-yard individual rushing performance. The Buckeyes can move the skin themselves as Pryor and the O have averaged 29.3 points and scored 30 or more seven times. Pryor completed 55.8 percent of his passes for 1,828 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and rushed for a team-high 707 yards and seven more scores. One caveat that could loom big is that the Bucks offense won't include wide receiver Duron Carter for this game. Ohio State officials announced Dec. 17 that the freshman, tied for fifth on the team in receptions with 13 for 176 yards and one touchdown, would sit out. For you fans of qualitative analysis Ohio State has won all seven meetings with the Ducks, including a victory in the 1958 Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes have limited Oregon to two touchdowns or fewer in each of the matchups - the most recent a 24-14 win in Columbus during the 1987 season and if this season's common opponents are an indicator, though, Oregon may have an edge. Ohio State's losses - to USC and Purdue - both came against teams the Ducks defeated.

Smacchat Bowl Preview – BCS Championship - #1 Alabama vs. #2 Texas

2010-01-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

No pomp and circumstance here, or wasted dialog on the “mountainous journey to get to Passadena” the bottom line is these are the two teams that are here and here’s how the match up. We’ve seen them both roll up huge points at times and seen them shut down by teams that weren’t playing any football after the turn of the decade. Both average huge points per game (TX 40, Bama 31) and are stingy on the other side of the ball (TX 15, Bama 11) so something gotta’ give. Both have QB’s that have proven their mettle in pressure situations and had great years, although Colt McCoy gets most of the pub this matchup is closer than people think. The passer rating is close (147 to 142) , the 45 does tower in passing yards 3512 to 2450, but you can’t deny that McElroy “just wins baby” and although a first year starter, has not lost a game (29-0) as a starter in high school or at Bama and this may be his coming out party. He doesn’t make mistakes as illustrated by his total of 4 ints this year, and puts their offense in position where they have enough room to execute their offense. In a game like this that may prove to be the difference. On the other side of the ball the 45’ needs this game to prove he can play on Sunday’s and can do more than roll up 64 points on UTEP, so he will be out to make a statement as well as get a victory. Both teams have had their ‘scare game’ this season Bama’s coming against Auburn where they were without the services of Mark Ingram and trialing 21-14 late in the 3rd, but Greg McElroy was able to lead them to victory with 3 straight scores including the winning touchdown pass with 1:24 to play. Texas had theirs in the B-12 championship where the ‘Black Shirts’ returned from folklore to stifle the Horns and hold them to a season low for points and force them to put together a game saving drive in the final 1:44, and there quite a few people in Lincoln who believe the powers that be owe them .01, and B-12 Championship trophy, and an apology. Lastly, this will be the classic battle of who will be able to enforce their will and on paper it looks like a classic as good as the SC/TX of 05’, but if the pressure of the moment forces a couple of turnovers for one school, both possess the running game that allow them to put their foot on the throat. I for one expect the afore mentioned and believe this is the perfect storm of setting, stage, and talent for one of the all time greats. The Smacchat pick, Bama in close low scoring game.
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Coaches steal some of the thunder from the bowl games, Holiday Bowl Preview

2009-12-28T23:43:00.000-08:00

UPDATE *** Leach out at Texas Tech
Texas Tech fired coach Mike Leach on Wednesday, two days after he was suspended by the school as it investigated his treatment of a player with a concussion. The school handed a termination letter to Leach's attorney, Ted Liggett, minutes before the two sides were to appear in a Lubbock courtroom for a hearing on the coach's suspension. Liggett said Texas Tech general counsel Pat Campbell approached him outside the courtroom and told him that win, lose or draw in the hearing, Leach was out effective immediately. Liggett told the judge there was no need for the hearing on Leach's request that he be reinstated to coach the Valero Alamo Bowl. Texas Tech plays Michigan State on Saturday in San Antonio. Ya know, there’s simply has to be more to this than locking a kid in a closet for a couple of hours. This may be a “Tiger Woods” type of scenario where the more the media looks into it the more comes out because as it stands it simply doesn’t make much sense right now. In short, why would Leach make the effort to monitor the James health but do it from a CLOSET? If he was worried about his health and wasn’t trying to make a statement, then move him to the training room for observation. Conversely, if the kid was that busted up why didn’t he request to go to a hospital or go home? I mean this is Craig James’ son so he’s no stranger to be pampered, I’m sure if he ask for something he normally gets it. Now it appears Leach and his attorney are going to fight this in court as Leach will lose 800k alone for not coaching in Alamo bowl, and he just signed a 12mil contract extension. What's your take on this? Let us know here and in any of the quick links.

The Christmas break is a brief window before the bombardment of bowl games that come reigning down of a daily basis until next year, and is normally a chance for the NFL to set the stage for their upcoming playoff but the NCAA found a way to stay in the headlines throughout the break with a couple of major coaching incidents that will be topic of discussion for months to come, let alone though the bowl season. The darling coach of last year’s season Mike Leach, was suspended by Texas Tech beginning immediately and will miss the Alamo bowl on Jan 2 as the Red Raiders take on Michigan State, as it stands right now. Leach’s attorney believes his indefinite suspension will not stand up under appeal but as it stands right now he is not the coach. Adam James the player in question is certainly not anonymous being the son of ESPN’s Craig James, so you knew the story was going to get additional pub. The James’ have also made a statement that stated their opinion and it doesn’t look like this is something that’s going to go away any time soon. If that didn’t have enough shock value for you then Urban Meyer resigning for medical reasons then having a good team practice and then deciding not to retire but take a leave of absence after the Sugar Bowl, certainly should have met your quota. Not to joke about a man with a serious medical problem but either it is or it isn’t. Last time I checked a heart condition is made worse with any kind of stress and if he were to retain any kind of ‘decision making’ position at Florida there would be immense stress so that would be no solution. Furthermore, why come out and make a decision in haste when you haven’t fully thought it through? Did one of the old UF alumni suddenly lend you his pacemaker so then it was ok to stay? Or was it the backlash of all of the recruits that could be lost if you leave your post too soon? A leave of absence may be just enough to keep the talent from seeping to someone else in the SEC until another big name replacement can be found? In any case this much like the Leach story appears to be far from over and there will be plenty more chapters to be written so stay tuned. Oh yea, the peak of the bowl season is this weekend in case it got lost in the shuffle. What do you think of both the Leach and Meyer situations? Let us know here and in any of the quick links.

Smacchat Bowl Preview – Holiday Bowl

Arizona a surprise team to come out of the Pac-10, as that is usually reserved for the school that loses the tough game to USC to finish in third place. As content as they may be to be staying close to home and in warm weather (it may rain but anything is better than the -20 below that UCLA had to endure) the Wildcats may still have a hangover because of how close they were to competing in their first Rose Bowl, one D-stop to be exact against Oregon. It may seem like light years ago to the rest of the football world but the hard luck losers will be feeling it for quite some time so the question is do they look and the empty seats at the top of Qualcomm Stadium and think what if or do they focus on the chance to knock off a big named program? On the other side of the ball Nebraska is working it’s way back to prominence and this is a major step. The 9-4 record is impressive because they’ve competed in their marquis games and held their own. They could be one good recruiting class away from a return to the top 10 and this would help that cause. The Pac-1 typically has problems with athletic quarterbacks we’ll see if they do again tonight. We like the Huskers despite the road trip.

Smacchat Bowl Preview – Champs Sports Bowl
Only the second game this bowl season where both teams are ranked(Miami 15, Wisconsin 25) the Champs Sports should be worth watching as it pits two big football programs, having decent years at 9-3, although sub-par for the expectations of the programs. Wisconsin needs to come out and punch the Canes’ in the mouth and show that their not afraid of them (or their street cred) otherwise Miami by get the crowd that should be in their favor behind them. I know the Badgers travel well, but playing in Orlando should be an advantage for Miami. On the Red side of the ball, Wisconsin will need to get that vaunted rushing game going that averages 206 yards per game, and they should be able to as Miami gives up over 100 yards per game on the ground. It’s a bit of a clash of styles and should be a close game. We think the Canes need to a win to help complete their return to prominence, and like them in this one. Here’s the statline.

Bowl season kicks off as the Pac-10 tries to keep mo' going

2009-12-15T11:51:00.000-08:00

Although they don’t get any respect during the regular season (please see the “Pac-1” entry earlier this year) the Pac-10 Conference seems to shine during the compare and contrast of the bowl season, when matched up against other conferences. In fact the Pac has the best bowl record of any conference, including the SEC, since 2004 at 67% (18-9), and this year the odds makers believe they will increase their margin as the Pac is favored to win 6 of the 7 games that feature one of their schools (favored 20/27 games since 04). Of course many will counter that most of those bowls are not BCS bowls however that doesn’t explain everything as the Big-10 has received two BCS births FOUR times but has only managed to go 12-23 over that span (favored in only 11/35 bowl games overall). So it’s not just the big bowls that are depleting the stats. This year’s Rose Bowl matchup has the traditional Pac/B-10 confrontation as Ohio State is the headline representative for the conference and will take on Oregon. It’s not secret we’ve bashed OSU over the past 3 years for getting whacked in big games, and they are 3.5 point dogs in this one. Now would the Pac-10 trade their ‘bowl percentage title’ for a couple of the SEC’s BCS appearances? You bet. And with USC on the down slope this year and possibly facing some sanctions they may not be in it for quite some time, so the titular title of best overall will have to do for now. Here’s how the records stack up, so let us know which conference you think has been the best top to bottom here and in any of the quick links:
Pac-10..........18-9
Mountain West...14-7
SEC.............25-13
Big-12..........21-17
Big East........15-10
Conf. USA.......13-15
ACC.............18-22
Big 10..........12-23

Las Vegas Bowl - BYU vs. Oregon State

Both of these schools come in to this game with a lot of disappointment about their seasons. The Cougars were a BCS sleeper pick to begin the season and had a very favorable schedule for doing so. After a huge upset of Oklahoma to begin the season, visions of sugarplums for this time of year were dancing in the heads of BYU fans but they failed their litmus test twice against Fla St. and TCU which put an end to the BCS hopes. On the other side of the ball Oregon St. was the closest it’s come to Rose Bowl in January since it played UCLA in late December years ago, as this year’s “Civil War” had added significance as the winner won an all-expense trip to Pasadena. However they failed their test as well as Oregon’s offense had too much potency and the home crowd in Eugene made the difference. So now where does that leave these two? The stats all lean BYU’s way, but it’s hard to tell as those stats have been padded against division II quality opponents. What has been proven on the field is that BYU has huge problems with teams with good team speed and OState has that. We’ll see who wants to be playin’ ball more as this game goes off 3 days before Christmas. Smac Pick – Oregon State. Chat live with fans from both Oregon State and BYU in the In-Game chat room. Here’s the statline:

BYU............TEAM.............OREGON ST.
34.8...........PTS FOR..........32.4
21.7...........PTS AGNST........23.4
13.1...........DIFF.............9.0
288.9..........PASS YDS.........275.3
148.2..........RUSH YDS.........144.2
219.1..........PASS D...........238.7
112.0..........RUSH D...........114.3
0.1............TO DIFF..........-0.5

Smacchat Bowl Preview USC vs. Boston College

2009-12-26T14:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, everyone knows based on straight talent this is a 14 point game, but the intangibles may be the great equalizer in this one. It’s also been well documented that the Trojans are not playing in a BCS Bowl for the first time in 7 years, as many years has it’s been since they were not Champions of the Pac-One. So the bottom line question in this game is will their outright talent be enough to overcome the reality that they really don’t want to be there? Add into the mix their off the field issues, with Joe McKnight and now THREE others that will not participate due to academic infractions. They will be missed but SC seems to have one of the most fertile stables of anyone in the country and they may just be re-loading with players that are just waiting to get the opportunity to play. On the other side of the ball you do have a true freshman (keep in mind he is 25 years old) getting his first bowl start and SoCal tends to tee off on rookie Q’s, so despite their minor depletion and the fact that they’d rather be kickin’ it on the beach (65 degree weather in LA) we still thing SC will have more than enough to win this one, cover the 7.5? Well, that’s another thing. Here’s the statline on the game:
Statline USC vs. Boston Collets
BOST.C..........TEAM............USC
25.8............PTS FOR.........26.7
19.4............PTS AGNST.......20.4
6.3.............DIFF............6.3
183.8...........PASS YDS........211.7
141.2...........RUSH YDS........173.3
214.0...........PASS D..........211.8
104.4...........RUSH D..........131.0
0.3.............TO DIFF.........0.0

Heisman Voters get it right but McCoy will get his chance in title game

2009-12-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

Mark Ingram was not a candidate to win the Heisman at the beginning of the season however came on late in the season as was the winner of the closest Heisman race in history. Ingram finished 28 points ahead of Stanford running back Toby Gerhart from Stanford. Ingram received 227 first-place votes and 1,304 points. Gerhart got 222 first-place votes and 1,276 points, while Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, last season's runner-up, received 203 and 1,145. The previous closest vote in Heisman history came in 1985, when Auburn's Bo Jackson beat Iowa quarterback Chuck Long by 45 points. Although many appeared to be on the fence, the overall outcome came out right. Ingram was the man reason an Alabama team that began the season behind both Florida and Texas is ranked number one when it counted most, on the final weekend of the season. Now those so inclined have a valid argument for Colt McCoy, a hard luck loser for the second year running, as his numbers were actually better than last year when the Horn’s were left out of the NCG, and could also be credited with putting his school in the position to hoist the Sears Trophy for the second time this decade, and hand-crafted comebacks against Oklahoma and Nebraska to put then in the final game. However the award is supposed to go to the most outstanding player in college football in the nation THAT YEAR, and in that regard the voters did get it right, and although McCoy was outstanding, he was only the third most outstanding and the second best last year. He will get his shot at proving the voters wrong in the NCG early next year and it will be our treat as fans to see two of the top three vote getters on the field at the same time. Chat live w/both Texas and Bama fans here.

Player........1st place...Total
Mark Ingram.....227.......1,304
Toby Gerhart....222.......1,276
Colt McCoy......203.......1,145
Ndamukong Suh...161.......815
Tim Tebow.......43........390

Are you in agreement with the Heisman voting? Let us know here and in any of the quick links:

Bowl Matchup BCS Title Alabama vs. Texas
Rose Bowl Ohio St. vs. Oregon
Fiesta Bowl TCU vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl Ga. Tech vs. Iowa
Sugar Bowl Florida vs. Cincinnati

BCS .001 away from total chaos, but we have another 1 vs. 2 in the final

2009-12-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

It’s no secret we’re not fans of the BCS and have called for their head on several occasions to no avail, but Captain Colt almost gave us a huge boost of momentum by holding on to the ball a fraction too long and letting the clock run out on Texas’ field goal chances, but it didn’t work out that way, they made the FG and take their rightful place as number two in the BCS and will play Alabama for the National Championship sometime in the summer of 2010. Not since the first BCS when #2 UCLA lost at Miami and #3 K. State lost to A & M letting #4 Florida State slip in would there have been such a late season shake up when all appeared to be set in stone. #1 Florida stumbled one step from the finish line, as Tebow came down to earth and got picked in the end zone killing their last opportunity for victory, and the affore mentioned Longhorn’s ‘Employee of the Month’ stopped the clock just soon enough to send Texas to California for the winter. So now Cincinnati and TCU will take their unbeaten seasons to separate bowls and not even play each other. However, when all the dust has settled our prosecution team still has some bullets in the holster to take to Washington with us as there are FIVE unbeaten teams and come February four of them will have an argument for hoisting the Sears Trophy for being the best in the land. If there has ever been an argument for settling this on the field in the end this may be it. Are you listening Senators?? Just the same, here are the probable bowl matchups. CBS is probably going to try and milk it for all it’s worth with their anti-climatic “Selection Show”, the worst imitation of NCAA Basketball’s Selection Sunday ever dreamed up, if there is anything that is more of a foregone conclusion than the BCS matchups I’ve never seen it, but I hear it is the first of a 12-step program for those going through football withdrawal now that the season is officially over. Give us your best argument for/against the BCS here and in any of the quick links:

Excellent championship games make a case for conferences extending season

2009-12-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

Well, say what you will about how much you hate the BCS (and I often do) but you can’t say the conference championship matchups are not intriguing. Of course nothing need be said about the SEC Championship as it’s a 1 vs. 2, both teams unbeaten, for all the marbles, and if the game is within 10 points they’ll call it the matchup of the decade. However the other matchups are well worth watching as well starting with the Thursday Night game between the Oregon schools in the ‘Civil War’ as the winner moves on to the Rose Bowl, and for the first time in almost a decade USC will not be at the top of the Conference. One game, one winner, and a rivalry game for all the marbles, doesn’t get much better than that. And great uniforms too. What about the B-12 match up between Texas and Nebraska, where everyone is expecting the Horns’ to move on to the BCS but the Huskers have enough team speed on D to not only keep this close but win it on the field, and the history of the programs makes it worth watching. I’m also going to be watching the Big East matchup between Pitt and Cinn, even though we stated at the beginning of the year that the Big East representative doesn’t deserve a BCS spot, the Bear Cats have changed our minds, and this should be a good game regardless if there is an upset or not. So don’t try to get the Christmas shopping early Saturday afternoon so you can be in front of the TV by 8pm/5pm because you might just miss something. Which championship game are you the most interested in? Let us know here and in any of the quick links:

Texas the first to answer the call, Pittsburgh caught looking ahead

2009-11-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Texas Longhorns took care of their business on Thanksgiving with a 49-39 victory over Texas A & M. This was a bear trap for the Horns’ as they had to stop themselves from looking ahead to the Big-12 Championship Game and ticket to the NCG. Big plays gave the Aggies the early lead and kept them in the game throughout but the Horns answered every big punch with a shot of their own, including a kick return with just over 7 minutes to play after A & M closed the gap to 3, but a crucial missed field goal put the Aggies on the canvas for the final time. Now the pressure shifts to Bama’ and Florida who must win their rivalry games to set up the SEC matchup for all the money.

West Virginia returned the favor of the Pittsburgh upset of their undefeated team that cost them a trip to the national championship two years back by upsetting the Panthers 19-16 an handing them their first conference loss. Pitt can still take the Big East crown and automatic BCS birth with a victory over Cincinnati next week but perhaps Pitt was already looking forward to that game. Bottom line is you gotta take care of the business in front of you and Pitt got behind and had to scramble to get the tie with 4 minutes to go in the game. The “backyard brawl” lived up to expectations again but it took a lot of luster (and ratings) away from the 5 vs. 9 matchup of next week. Will there be more upsets in the rivalry games this weekend? Let us know here and in the NCAA chat rooms and quick links:

SEC delivers game everyone wants to see, now will NCG be anti-climatic?

2009-11-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

All year the pundits have been quite adamant that the National Champion would come from the SEC and the winner of the SEC Championship Game in a sense is the titular National Champion regardless if the computers schedule them for a rematch in the show or not. Well, months later we have our 1 vs. 2 in the in SEC Championship game as promised but now where does that leave the BCS Championship? Is it a no-win situation? Ok, scenario 1, the Sec Champ blows out Texas (assuming they beat Nebraska in the B-12 championship) all we’ll hear next year is how superior the SEC is and that even an SEC team with one loss should still get consideration over an undefeated mid-major or even a major if the conference is down for the year, because the two “best teams in the nation” didn’t play in the NCG, not a whole lot of finality there. Scenario 2, the SEC champ loses to Texas, and there’s an undefeated team out there who will argue that they should have had an opportunity play for the NC as they beat everyone they put in front of them (ie Utah 08’), and we may even get some of how tough of a schedule the SEC teams have an how tough it is to run the SEC table and still have enough left to win the NCG. Either way, I really hope the SEC and NCG give us a show to justify all of the BS the BCS makes us put up with every year. Who in your opinion should be in the NCG? Let us know here and in any of the quick links:
BCS Standings
RK TEAM RECORD
1 Florida 12-0
2 Alabama 12-0
3 Texas 12-0
4 TCU 12-0
5 Cincinnati 11-0
6 Boise State 12-0
7 Oregon 9-2
8 Ohio State 10-2
9 Iowa 10-2
10 Georgia Tech 10-2
11 Penn State 10-2
12 Virginia Tech 9-3
13 LSU 9-3
14 Brigham Young 10-2
15 Pittsburgh 9-2
16 Oregon State 8-3
17 Miami (FL) 9-3
18 USC 8-3
19 California 8-3
20 Oklahoma State 9-3
21 Houston 10-2
22 Nebraska 9-3
23 West Virginia 8-3
24 Stanford 8-4
25 Utah 9-3

Rivalry week has all of the stages set but no premieres

2009-11-24T00:45:00.000-08:00

This is the type of weekend we all hoped the majority of the Saturdays would look like at the beginning of the NCAA football season, unfortunately most have been lack luster. Rivalry week and Thanksgiving are upon us it’s not just the top two spots that are still up in the air but if someone would have told me that the only rivalry game that would have two top 25, let alone top 10 opponents would be BYU/Utah I would have given 10-1 odds, but that’s the case as down the line Auburn/Bama’, Fla/Fla St., SC/UCLA, OK/Ok St., Pitt/WV, etc. only ONE of the two teams is ranked! So where does that leave us? Well, much like the previous month of football, unless there is an upset of biblical proportions, we’re unlikely to see any movement at the top of the BCS. There are a couple of conferences that still have some things to play for however, as in the Pac-10 the conference championship AND the Rose Bowl bid are still up for grabs as they have had their own many playoff now that the king (USC) is dead. Last week Oregon eliminated Arizona in overtime to end their chances and now they face Oregon State for the biggest “Civil War” game in both school’s history, with the winner to Pasadena. In the Iron Bowl classic, the Tigers get an opportunity to spoil the BCS Championship party for the Tide’ but it won’t be easy because although they’ve won 5 straight games they have given up a ton of points (23.8 per game) in the process against offenses not nearly as potent as the one they will see on Saturday. Offensively the will need to continue to run the ball well as they do at home (+200 yards per game), and keep the Bama’ offense off the field. For the Tide it’s the final step prior to the re-match they’ve been waiting for all year, a chance to take the SEC title back and earn a spot in the National Championship Game. Which rivalry game will you be watching?

“Rivalry Weeks” begin with more than bragging rites on the line

2009-11-20T19:26:00.000-08:00

For most rivalry games just being able to claim the prize albeit a Jug, Ax, Bell etc is enough to satisfy fans for year and sometimes save a coaches job. Unfortunately, the reprieve last about as long as the hangover because in this age of college football it’s not what have you done for me lately, but what are you doing for me right now? Looking at the first slate of rivalry games this week that’s a question that will be asked and hopefully adequately replied in order to keep the nation’s double digit unemployment rate from increasing. Starting with the most storied matchup of the weekend Ohio Sate/Michigan where Ohio State already has the Rose Bowl locked up and tries to avoid obscurity as they won’t play a game until the Granddaddy next year. So an impressive win to keep themselves on the mind of the pollsters and avoid being ranked 19th come bowl time would be helpful. As for the Maze and Blue it may take a huge upset win by the 12.5 point underdogs to keep Rich Rod and his spread offense in Ann Arbor even though he came in with so much hype because people in Michigan haven’t won a bowl game that’s mattered in an Age, or beat the sweater vest in five years, and there’s a Michigan alum riding and causing all kinds of waves in California who many want to see come back home. With that said, “The Big Game” hasn’t had much riding on it since the band took the field in 82’ but this year on of the hottest teams/coaches, are the Stanford Cardinal and their head coach Jim Harbaugh. Peaking at the right time, or perhaps just a little bit late, the Cardinal have won 3 straight including big wins over Oregon and USC, and find themselves needing a win and a little love to get to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2000. On the strength of their 51-42 win over the Ducks the Cardinal have the tie-breaker in the event both teams end up at 8-3, but for that to happen Stanford must first win The Big Game with Cal and then get some much needed love from Oregon State, who beat the cardinals earlier in the year by 10 points and travel to Eugene to close out their season next week. It could happen but the Cardinals’ chances would be much better if the Beavers were at home, just the same it’s been a great run for Stanford and their coach, but they should enjoy both while they can, as USC will probably re-load next year and Harbaugh will be on the road to a marquis program come February. Which rivalry game will you be more interested in? Let us know here and in the NCAA chat rooms and quick links:

Isn't this the beginning of rivalry week?

2009-11-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

We were trying to decide which games to created chat rooms for and discovered something very interesting, much like many previous weeks there are very few interesting games. I mean, this is November! Thanksgiving is next week! Where’s the drama? Where’s the sense of finality? We shouldn’t need to route for the underdog just to make the week more exciting. The next time someone argues the point that a playoff system would make the season too long, I’m certainly going to refresh their memory of Saturday’s like this were 90% are inconsequential and how the playoff system could easily begin next week. Even as the rivalry weeks begin (OSU/Mich and Cal/Stan), this Saturday, (USC/UCLA) next, the consequences are really meaningless and what used to be a day that you cleared your calendar is more like an afternoon that if you can get a glance at a TV while at the mall shopping for your Thanksgiving amenities that will suffice. Now I for one am keeping an objective mindset about this year and am convinced that the season can still provide us with an impressive finale with some great Conference Championship games, and it appears we will get our undefeated matchup of either Florida/Bama vs. Texas in the NCG, an unbeaten non-BCS complaining, and a major upset or two with a big name program not showing up for a bowl they really didn’t want to play in. However, regardless of its finishing kick, it should be noted in the court transcripts that there were plenty of Saturdays where we were able to catch up on our sleep that could have been spent screaming at the TV, painting our faces, or complaining about a play that should have been reviewed. Are you looking forward to the 09’ BCS lineup?

BCS Polls mean all chips in the center of the table for SEC Championship

2009-11-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

BCS Standings
RK TEAM RECORD
1 Florida 10-0
2 Alabama 10-0
3 Texas 10-0
4 TCU 10-0
5 Cincinnati 10-0
6 Boise State 10-0
7 Georgia Tech 10-1
8 LSU 8-2
9 Pittsburgh 9-1
10 Ohio State 9-2
11 Oregon 8-2
12 Oklahoma State 8-2
13 Iowa 9-2
14 Penn State 9-2
15 Virginia Tech 7-3
16 Wisconsin 8-2
17 Stanford 7-3
18 USC 7-3
19 Oregon State 7-3
20 Miami (FL) 7-3
21 Utah 8-2
22 Brigham Young 8-2
23 Clemson 7-3
24 Houston 8-2
25 California 7-3

Unless the dogs come out and bark, should be a quiet Saturday

2009-11-12T14:35:00.000-08:00

It may be the most tense time of the year for college football fans as a loss in November has often resulted in the end of your BCS Bowl aspirations, but you wouldn’t know it by this weekends schedule as three of the top four BCS teams have scrimmages against schools not in the top 25. The one exception is TCU who was on the other side of coin last year as they tried to derail Utah’s bid for an unbeaten season. This year it’s the Utes that are playing the roll of spoiler and trying to become the Longhorn’s new best friend by taking the 4th ranked Frogs out of the mix. Meanwhile Florida gets the Head Ball Coach and the other USC, Bama gets 4-5 Miss St., and Texas gets the powerhouse Baylor Bears. It doesn’t even make good late night TV unless there is a sleeping dog waiting to pull off the biggest upset of not only the season but in recent years. The game that was previously slated as the game of the week, and the year in the Big-10 OSU/PSU has turned out to be uneventful outside of the conference interest. Iowa’s collapse last week means the winner does get to take a trip out to Pasadena, just a week before they expected to be there at the start of the season. Well, the one thing that college football, and the BCS for that matter always manages to do is keep us guessing and unless something extraordinary happens, our questions will have to wait for next week. Should anyone be on upset watch? Also chat live with both TCU and Utah fans in the in-game chat room.Let us know here and in any of the quick links:

Iowa finally has to ‘pay the piper’

2009-11-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been living la vida loca trailing in 7 of 8 games at half-time but still posting an undefeated 9-0 record, until today when Northwestern handed the Hawks their first loss of the year, knocking them out of the Big-10 race and BCS Championship game all at once. It was the same ol’ story for Iowa with way too many turnovers, and the huge loss of Stanzi just before half to an injury (from which he would not return) was too much to overcome. So now the game later between OSU and PSU should be for all of the marbles in the big-10, and the dream season Iowa is over.
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BCS Contenders take the afternoon off while the SEC West is decided

After three consecutive weeks of huge impact games in college football, the teams fighting for the ‘elite eight’ spots in the BCS get a breather before heading for the home stretch. Florida gets 2-7 Vandy in the swamp, Texas host 5-3 UCF, Iowa host mighty Nortwestern (5-3), and Cincinnati has a very emotionally unstable 4-4 UCONN team coming to town for a visit. So don’t expect any shakeups in those matchups even though all bets are off in any game Iowa plays, but for the most part this will be good week for the schools to fine tune, rest up, or get those pesky suspensions out of the way before the curtail holiday and rivalry games. Amidst all of our presumptions is one of the biggest games on the year in the SEC which will decide the SEC West representative in the SEC Championship game and continues the series of BCS elimination games as #9 LSU travels to #3 Alabama. The loser is surely out of the NGC race and possibly a BCS game in general. Conversely, the winner solidifies their BCS merits and is almost assured of a spot in the final eight. Even with that as a given, it means even more for the Tide, as win puts them one game away from the big prize, a birth in the National Championship Game, and will also give them an opportunity to return the favor to Texas, who “leaped frogged” them on a Saturday where both teams won. On the national scale it almost assures that the winner of the SEC will not have a loss and close the door on the chance of a non-BCS team sneaking in the back door, and thus leaving all of the pressure on Texas to walk their own path to Pasadena. The Big-10 clash between Ohio St. and Penn St. that was on everyone’s calendar has lost its luster for those outside the conference as both former BCS place holders now come in at #16 and #11 respectively, with the automatic bid the only keeping them in the mix. Who do you think will slip out of the final 8 by the end of the year? Chat live with fans from both Alabama and LSU in the live game chatroom, or in any of the quick links:

Elimination Saturdays begin this weekend (polls as they come)

2009-10-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

BCS Rankings As of November 1st, 2009

RK TEAM RECORD
1 Florida 8-0
2 Texas 8-0
3 Alabama 8-0
4 Iowa 9-0
5 Cincinnati 8-0
6 TCU 8-0
7 Boise State 8-0
8 Oregon 7-1
9 LSU 7-1
10 Georgia Tech 8-1
11 Penn State 8-1
12 USC 6-2
13 Pittsburgh 7-1
14 Utah 7-1
15 Houston 7-1
16 Ohio State 7-2
17 Miami (FL) 6-2
18 Arizona 5-2
19 Oklahoma State 6-2
20 California 6-2
21 Wisconsin 6-2
22 Notre Dame 6-2
23 Virginia Tech 5-3
24 Oklahoma 5-3
25 South Florida 6-2
We stated last week that things were getting interesting in college football, well now they go from interesting to critical as every week beginning this week there will be games where the loser is out of BCS contention. For those who are in favor of the BCS system argue that there is a “playoff” system and it begins this week. Opening round:

#5 USC at #10 Oregon – The Trojans travel north to Eugene to take on the Ducks who have a plethora of injuries in the secondary but will USC have the aerial attack to exploit it? Oregon ranks third in the Pac-10 and 10th in the nation in sacks (3.14 per game) and is 25th in the nation in tackles for a loss (7.0 per game). This game comes down to the Ducks ability to stop the SC running game if they can do that, and force Barkley to beat them they can pull off the upset. On the other side Jeremiah Masoli who sat out against UCLA but looked great last week and 100% healthy, will be the X factor. If he can compliment the O running game then we could see the fans in Eugene pulling down the goal post.

#3 Texas at #14 Oklahoma State – Texas has bitter taste in their mouths from last year as it was this same week when a trip to Texas Tech and a last second TD by Michael Crabtree ended their NCG run. They’ve had a year to think about what if and it seems to be fueling their fire as this has been the best the Horns’ have looked all year, even though they’re running game has been non existent. On the other side of the ball the Cowboys are 3-0 in the B-12 and 6-1 overall, a win puts them on top of the B-12 South, with only the Championship game standing between them and a BCS birth. They won’t be able to climb the ladder to get to the NCG, but it would be the biggest bowl game in the school’s history.

Who will survive the first round of eliminations? Let us know here, chat live with fans from both the Cowboys and the Horns’ in the live game chatroom, or any of the quick links.
Let us know here and in the NCAA chat rooms,team rooms, and any of the quick links:

Now things REALLY get interesting as sky begins to clear

2009-10-26T18:18:00.001-07:00

Now we reached the point of the year where the pollsters (both human and computer) actually pay attention to how the games are being played not just the final score the next day, as we see movement in the bottle neck that are the final eight spots even if both teams come away with a W. This week it appears Pete Carol’s lobbying has made an impact as although all 3 teams won, USC jumped over TCU and Boise St. to move up to 5 in the BCS. That’s huge because it’s impossible for both Bama and Florida to finish winless so that leaves Texas, Iowa and SC to fight for the a spot in final. Texas only has Ok. State and the B-12 championship game where they’ll probably see 3-loss K-Sate so one spot belongs to Texas. You have to figure the SEC winner will take the other unless Florida gets upset in the World’s Biggest Cocktail Party then wins the SEC Championship. Bama’ still has LSU to deal with and an NCG so it is possible that both SEC teams could find themselves with one loss and in the mix with everyone else. Lastly, Iowa still has to go to Horseshoe but beyond that there is no one between them and the goal line. Who do you think will be the last two standing? Let us know here and in the NCAA chat rooms,team rooms, and any of the quick links:

Are the 'Tide and Gators (and BCS) heading for a train wreck?

2009-10-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

Although Tim Tebow was cleared to play hours before the FLA/LSU game on Saturday, he clearly was not the t-squared we had seen in the past. His one TD pass was enough however to push the Gators past the Tigers 13-3 in front of a record crowd of better than 93k. Unless you were a fan of defense the was the most disappointing, lackluster matchup of top 5 teams since Ohio State got run out of the NCG. LSU’s futility on offense (1-9 on 3rd downs, 162 total yards) was the story of the day and now the lingering question is weather you can credit the Gator D or is LSU over-hyped? The Gator D will be tested again as high octane offense of Arkansas comes to town. Meanwhile LSU isn’t completely out of the mix as they only drop down to number 10, and all eyes are now on the 11/7 date with Bama.

Speaking of Alabama, who very well may be the ‘peoples champion’ as the best team in the nation, easily disposed of #20 Ole Miss, leading 16-0 before finishing up 22-3. Similar to the afore mentioned SEC marquis game, the Tide silenced the Rebels holding them to 212 total yards and 0-9 on 3rd down. Bama gets the leap over Texas in the AP poll, stealing 10 of the Gators first place votes in the process, but still sit at number 3 in the USA Today poll.

This brings up the question, if both Bama and Florida run the table and meet in the SEC Championship game, what do you do with the loser? Under the Ohio St./Michigan precedent, where it’s assumed that the country doesn’t want to see a rematch, do you bring in a Texas, USC, Va Tech to take on the SEC Champ? Would that produce a game with two best teams in the nation? Will it finally force the BCS to make changes?

BCS picks up where it left off last year, with controversy

2009-10-18T14:47:00.001-07:00

The BCS Pool is finally out and although most are content with their position and the possibilities, but like every year, some are unhappy as they can do the math and calculate their chances of climbing are slim. It seems like this year most of the top schools have ad to deal with either losing or playing with an injured QB, the top of the polls also represent who has dealt with the adversity the best, here’s our assessment of the BCS first poll;

Florida – Can’t really argue with this pick have dominated since the season ended last year and although Tebow has been banged up, perhaps not as bad as Bradford or Barkely, but they still have managed to remain unbeaten, doing what they had to do to survive and advance. The knock on Florida is that they are not even in the top 40 for passing yards and are 19th in total offense.

Alabama – The top team in the AP Poll that many believe is the best in the country, rank 7th in offense but surprisingly don’t have a defense ranked in the top 40. Fortunately, they have their toughest games prior to the SEC championship at home as they take on a much improved Tennessee, then LSU.

So, as we’ve stated on previous post, the loser of the SEC title game will get the version of a double play as in all probability the late season loss coupled with lack of interest in a “let’s run it back” immediate rematch, means the SEC Championship game loser will be playing for 3rd place and the winner goes to the NCG as the favorite.

Texas – Didn’t have to go through any QB issues thus far and won the Red River Shootout and now just Ok State stands in the way of a trip to the Big-12 Championship Game. Where they will probably play Kansas for the 2nd time only the Jayhawks won’t be ranked and that will cause Texas to lose ground in the BCS Polls but not enough to drop out of the NCG so the table is set for the Horns’, winout and your in.

Boise St. – What can you say besides they have one game left on their schedule against a team with a winning record, at home 11/14 vs. Idaho. Although they’re looking good right now, that will come back to haunt them as they slide down the BCS slope as slowly their strength of schedule gets more watered down. The only question is as it appears there will be some 2-loss teams in the BCS do they drop below them? We don’t think so, expect to see the smurfs playing in 2010.

Cincinnati – The lone representative of Big East in the BCS Mix and soon to be the only Big East team in the top 25, still has to hold their mud against Pitt and WV then we’ll see how high they can climb as one of the only unbeaten teams left in the BCS. An impressive victory over then unbeaten USF brought the nationwide attention they needed but is it too little too late? Who will be left out of this year's BCS? Should USC be down as far as #7? Would you want to see a Championship game rematch if the SEC team has only 1 loss? Let us know here and in the NCAA chat rooms and quick links:

BCS Standings
RK TEAM RECORD
1 Florida 6-0
2 Alabama 7-0
3 Texas 6-0
4 Boise State 6-0
5 Cincinnati 6-0
6 Iowa 7-0
7 USC 5-1
8 TCU 6-0
9 LSU 5-1
10 Miami (FL) 5-1
11 Oregon 5-1
12 Georgia Tech 6-1
13 Penn State 6-1
14 Virginia Tech 5-2
15 Oklahoma State 5-1
16 Brigham Young 6-1
17 Houston 5-1
18 Utah 5-1
19 Ohio State 5-2
20 Pittsburgh 6-1
21 Wisconsin 5-2
22 Arizona 4-2
23 West Virginia 5-1
24 South Carolina 5-2
25 Kansas 5-1