It was another funny weekend of college football. And this is the first week that we get BCS rankings, which means it's the first week of BCS bitching, and the first week of people blaming the BCS "computers" (even though computers only do what they're programmed to do, and equations only give you the answers you want them to give you, and the Coaches' Poll is 100 times more illogical than the computer poll). So here are 10 things we learned...
#1 Boise State Can't Be Beat
And I hope I'm jinxing them. I hate Boise State. They nearly lost to Tulsa on Wednesday, but they held on. Their toughest remaining test is a home game against Idaho on November 14th. Right now they're on the outside looking in, so long as Texas and either Florida or Alabama remain unbeaten. However, if those teams drop a game (they play teams tougher than Idaho), that's when the controversy will begin.
#2 Cincinnati Is Legit
The Bearcats solidly beat a solid South Florida team on the road. They're 6-0 and ranked 8th. The good news for them is that the Big East is getting some recognition. West Virginia and Pittsburgh are in the Top 25. But Cincy is in the same boat as Boise State. If the SEC and Big XII produce undefeated teams, the Bearcats are looking at an Orange Bowl berth, regardless of their own record.
#3 The ACC Is a Good Conference
Georgia Tech rushed 63 times for 309 yards in their win over formerly #4 Virginia Tech. The game kicked Va-Tech out of the Top 5 and Top 10, but the ACC now has (BCS rankings) Miami ranked 10th, Georgia Tech 12th, and Virginia Tech 14th. They're nowhere near the SEC, but they're back to being a legit BCS conference.
#4 The ACC is a Crappy Conference
All those ranked ACC teams are in one division. And guess who leads that division: Virginia. The Cavaliers are the only ACC team that's undefeated in conference play. They play Georgia Tech on Saturday, so that should change. And guess who's on top of the other division... Boston College. That Atlantic Division is loaded with mediocrity in BC, Clemson, Wake Forest, Maryland, NC State, and Florida State. Combined, these 6 teams are 19-21.
#5 Texas is Fortunate to Almost Lose
I'm a Sooners fan, but a 3 loss team doesn't deserve to be ranked. In a strange anomaly of college football, the fact that Oklahoma played Texas close means that OU is still ranked. Which means that Texas' win over OU is more impressive. This helps Texas make its National Title Game case if they can point to a win over a ranked team in a neutral location.
#6 Iowa Has 9 Lives
I keep picking Iowa to lose every week because they try so hard to do it. They were down 10-3 on the road to Wisconsin at halftime, but scored 17 unanswered in the 2nd half. The Hawkeyes only rushed for 65 yards. They're unbeaten and in the Big Ten driver's seat, but they can't go on tempting fate forever. They will lose before playing Ohio State on November 14th.
#7 Arkansas is a Scary Team to Play
The Razorbacks took out Auburn last week and nearly took down Florida in Gainesville. Florida was down 20-13 in the 4th quarter, but got a touchdown with 7:27 left, and a field goal with 9 seconds left to come away with another unimpressive win. It was probably a hangover game for the Gators. Then again, the Alabama Crimson Tide beat Arkansas 35-7. Hmmmmmmmmmm.
#8 Nobody Wants to Win the Big XII North
Nebraska was coming off a nice divisional win at Missouri, but they came out flat against Texas Tech, and were dominated at home. The other contender in the Big XII North - Kansas - decided to lose out of sympathy, falling 34-30 to a bad Colorado team. Missouri failed to take advantage of this messiness, as they lost 33-17 to Oklahoma State. But at least Oklahoma State is a good team. Kansas State now sits atop the Big XII North.
#9 Mark Ingram=Heisman
The Heisman Trophy has a guy running the ball, not passing it. Ingram ran for 246 yards in Alabama's 20-6 win over South Carolina. He averaged 10.3 yards per carry. He's already rushed for 905 yards. He probably won't win the Heisman, but he looks like he has the behind-the-pads running skills to be a quality NFL back. I want to see him in a Patriots uniform.
#10 The Coaches' Poll is Stupid
More lunacy from the Coaches' Poll. BC got 3 votes. Idaho got 4, and so did Navy. South Florida got 57 votes after losing. Nebraska got 52 after losing. And 3-3 Oklahoma got 117 points and is your 25th ranked team in the Coaches' Poll. Pathetic.
-The Commodore
No comments:
Post a Comment