CFB Week 12 (11/11-11/18) News and Picks

[RJ Esq]

<hr style="color: rgb(209, 209, 225); background-color: rgb(209, 209, 225);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> 2005-06 CFB Record
77-71, +0.52 Units

2006-07 CFB Record
70-48, +51.29 Units

2007-08 CFB Record
53-52, -33 Units

2008-09 CFB Record
47-37-2 +6.4 Units

Actually did ok this weeks. 7-4. Would have been 8-3 if I didn't listen to Jump about tOSU and 8-2 if I was smarter than I am and did not pick Minnesota. Never. Again.

Only 4 weeks left to go in the regular season and playoffs.

Picks

UNLV Shadies -6 (-110) W
La Tech -12' (-110) 1.5 units
Rutgers +7' (-110)
Nebraska -6 (-110)
Texas -14 (-110)
Texas -13 (-110)
Tulsa -5 (-110)
MTSU -3 (-105)
Notre Dame -3 (-125)
Okie Lite -17' (-110)
Aggy +8 (-110)

 

[RetroVK]

Picks and record will go here.

Actually did ok this weeks. Only 4 weeks left to go in the regular season and playoffs.

Getting that number we discussed with arkansas paid huge dividends for you.

 

[RJ Esq]

Getting that number we discussed with arkansas paid huge dividends for you.

Absolutely.

Can't believe that Arizona did not cover. 31 point win and they still didn't cover. lol

Late adds actually worked well this week going 2-0 with the late adds of FSU and Cal.

 

[RJ Esq]

Michigan wakes up for its jug, and the Big Ten dies a little more

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Scroll down or click here for the Doc's weekly game day live blog.

Michigan 29, Minnesota 6. Penn State beat Michigan and doesn't play Minnesota, so assuming they take care of business this afternoon at Iowa, the Lions will slightly benefit in the computer models from the Wolverines' first signs of life in a month. The margins in the BCS being what they are, every hundredth of a point is a big one.
The Gophers' second straight home loss is a devastating "psychic toll" for the Big Ten as a whole, though, and Penn State could pay for it by association in the human polls. With the relative implosions of Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin, the Big Ten's reputation hinges in large part on convincing people that Minnesota and Northwestern -- each of which came into today unranked, but with alluring 7-2 records -- are actually good, respectable teams, worthy of their marks in a conference worthy of putting its champion in the BCS title game. Maybe it's semantic. Maybe winning the Little Brown Jug is the first sign that Michigan is coming alive for a stretch run that will lay the foundation for a revival in '09. Maybe that explains by far the Wolverines' best win and best offensive output of the season, behind a former walk-on quarterback previously known in some Michigan circles as "Death."
Or maybe, off a convincing beating at the hands of the most sputtering, lame-duck outfit in the Big Ten, we can say with a pretty high degree of certainty that, no, Minnesota is still not far removed from the absolute dregs, and its status in the top half of the league is just more awful PR. At the same time, Illinois, a rising program a season removed from the Rose Bowl, falls to 5-5 and possibly no bowl after losing to obscure (not bad, at 8-2 now, but obscure) Western Michigan. Maybe that's why Ohio State was still throwing deep for touchdowns with the game well in hand against the Gophers' partner in surprise, Northwestern: For Penn State's sake, this conference has to have somebody it can hang its hat on, and at the moment, the Buckeyes are it.

 

[RJ Esq]

Juice Williams Remains Mediocre

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Chris BurkeFiled under: Illinois, Ohio State, Big 10

For much of the 2007 season, Illinois found itself with a quarterback controversy. Juice Williams - supposed to be one of the Big Ten's best - started losing snaps to backup Eddie McGee during back-to-back losses to Iowa and Michigan.

Then, on a mid-November afternoon, Williams put on a show at Ohio State. He completed just 12-of-22 passes, but four of those connections went for touchdowns, helping the Illini to a stunning win in the Horseshoe. Illinois went on to make the Rose Bowl and started 2008 with high expectations, which were raised even higher by a five-TD showing by Williams against Missouri to start this season.

One little problem, though: Despite the occasional explosion, Williams is still a relatively average QB.

And in case you don't believe me, just check today's scoreboard: Western Michigan 23, Illinois 17 - a game capped off when Williams threw four straight incompletions from the WMU 18 in the final minute.

 

[RJ Esq]

Ron Zook's not mad. He's just trying to explain something to you about losing to Western Michigan, son.

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Scroll down or click here for the Doc's weekly game day live blog.

Western Michigan 23, Illinois 17. Someone on the live blog mentioned Ron Zook "looked like he was going to punch somebody" when Illinois' last gasp fell incomplete against Broncos. I didn't see the game, but I'm not entirely convinced he didn't. Was anyone watching the locker room afterward?
The Illini are 5-5, by the way, with Ohio State and Northwestern in front of them and a better-than-even shot of missing a bowl game for the third time in Zook's four years -- this on the upswing of the maturation process of Juice Williams, Arrelious Benn and those stellar recruiting classes. So how much security does a Rose Bowl buy, anyway?

 

[RJ Esq]

^^^^^New avatar material.

 

[RJ Esq]

On the bright side, Phil, at least they can't fire you twice

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Scroll down or click here for the Doc's weekly game day live blog.

Wyoming 13, Tennessee 7. The worst loss of the lame duck Fulmer era, sure -- even bottom dwelling Mountain West outfits scoff at 218 total yards against Wyoming, which will almost certainly be replacing coach Joe Glenn next month, as well -- and Tennessee is now assured to miss a bowl, end with a losing record, etc. But does it even qualify as salt in the wound at this point? Are there still Vol partisans with enough invested in this season to feel pain?

 

[RJ Esq]

It's Not Funny: Wyoming Beats Tennessee

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Brian GrummellFiled under: Tennessee, Wyoming

What, you came here expecting some witty headline and a joke revolving around lassos or Dick Cheney? Fugghedabout it. Look, I'm all about the occasional upset, it makes college football fun. But this -- this is brutal.

Wyoming has knocked off Tennessee 13-7 in the heart of Rocky Top. Obviously Phil Fulmer's not-unexpected resignation this week had a little something to do with the Vols coming out flat, but then again they've been flat most of the year. Northern Illinois took the Vols to the brink a few weeks ago before falling 13-9. Horrible UCLA beat them 27-24 in a great overtime battle that was suspect in retrospect.

There is life after coaching at Tennessee (broadcast booth, anyone? Make it happen), but it is beginning to settle in that we won't have Phil Fulmer to push around anymore.

 

[RJ Esq]

Minnesota Returns to Being Minnesota

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Chris BurkeFiled under: Michigan, Minnesota, BCS, Big 10

Two weeks ago, some schmuck on here (Read: Me) wrote that Minnesota was capable of finishing the season 11-1. Today, I was told that I had suffered from a bout of "irrational exuberance."

The reason behind that diagnosis is that in a matter of two weeks, Minnesota plummeted from BCS sleeper to a team in freefall. Last week, the Gophers dropped a Homecoming contest to Northwestern - and this afternoon things got even worse when the worst Michigan team in years and years and years absolutely manhandled the Gophers in the Metrodome, 29-6.

Things don't get any easier next week when the Gophers head to Wisconsin - possibly minus leading receiver Eric Decker, who sat out the second half of today's game with an injury.

Most surprising from today's meltdown is that Minnesota managed just six points against a Michigan team that coughed up 48 to Purdue last week.

 

[RJ Esq]

A new low

from Card Chronicle by Mike Rutherford
Surely it can't get any worse.

​

 

[RJ Esq]

LSU's Jarrett Lee Is a Walking Pick Six

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Brian GrummellFiled under: Alabama, LSU, SEC

If you're looking for college football's Benedict Arnold, its Hanoi Jane, the man who gets off playing for the other team, look to LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee. We're now at halftime of the LSU/Alabama team and Lee has tossed his sixth interception returned for a touchdown this season. We spoke about this earlier this week and he's come through in a big way affirming our laserlike focus on his passing sins.

The worst part is he almost surrendered a seventh in the first quarter when Alabama took a Lee interception back deep into LSU territory. Irony of ironies, he's the rare Texas-born quarterback playing poorly this year in college football. Must be the water in Louisiana?

Today's freebie was given to Alabama safety Reshad Johnson, who took the early Christmas present back 54 yards to tie the game at 14-all. Johnson was also the lucky recipient of the earlier interception and took it back to the LSU 15-yard-line.

Look after the jump for a rundown of Lee's other many gifts to opponents that led to scores.

 

[RJ Esq]

Nebraska vs. Kansas Post Game Overreaction

from Corn Nation by corn blight
- At least one big time streak stays alive!!!! Kansas still hasn’t won in Lincoln since 1968. (Yeah, I know the sell-out streak stays alive, but that’s about us, the fans, not about the football team.)

- Ndamukong Suh. Is there any doubt now that this guy is the best player on the entire team? Suh dominated the middle so much that Kansas ran to the edges. Then on an option play you saw Suh make a tackle on the pitch man. And if that wasn’t enough, he scores as a fullback on a play-action reception! SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHH!

- What are we going to rename “House of Spears”? Suggestions welcome!

- The defense. There were some miscues. The two big plays in the first half were the result of defensive meltdowns. But the front four played like men possessed. The defensive secondary made their mistakes, but as the game went on they made some great plays too, especially when the game was on the line.

- We didn’t miss Lydon Murtha at all. Lucky didn’t play much (at all?) in the second half, and Castille did very well and didn’t lose the ball. Good for the future. Kind of sad for Murtha and Lucky.

- Best of all? Where was Kerry Meier??? I only screamed KERRY MEIER at my television once during the game, and that was when it was all over in the fourth quarter. What’s up with that? My fears were unfounded? Can someone from Kansas explain this?

- We’re bowl eligible. The program gets more practice time. That’s a big deal, and with Kansas State and Colorado left, we still have a good shot at a pretty decent season!

 

[RJ Esq]

Happy trails, Penn State, from the championship stable

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Scroll down or click here for the Doc's weekly game day live blog.

Iowa 24, Penn State 23. The Nittany Lions will regret a lot of moments in the game that knocked them out of the mythical championship: In the first half, they had to settle for field goals after 71 and 78-yard drives inside the Hawkeye 10, and only led 13-6 at the half despite a 205-70 advantage in total yards; they had to kick again after taking over at the Iowa 29 after an interception to start the second half. They led from early in the second quarter until the final second, and that decisive point could have come from almost anywhere.
But when you live on the margins, a championship has to dominate them. Shonn Greene still hasn't been held under 100 yards in a game this season, and Penn State wasn't an exception. Ricky Stanzi is still not an ideal starting quarterback, but he completed four passes for first downs on the Hawkeyes' game-winning drive, two on third down, and Penn State only aided him with a pass interference penalty on 3rd-and-10 that kick-started the march. And Stanzi outplayed Daryll Clark, who was an awful 9-of-23 with an interception in the worst effort of his otherwise spectacular season. Whether they stumbled, fell asleep or ran out of gas, the Lions just weren't up to it.
The door is wide open, then, for a one-loss team from the SEC or Big 12, if Alabama (currently embroiled with LSU in a sloppy, overtime-bound slugfest) or Texas Tech tonight fail to keep themselves on the other side. Even if they do, Oklahoma and Florida will both have their chances to break through in head-to-head clashes (almost like a playoff, if Texas and its 10-point win over the Sooners didn't still have its say). But the Big Ten certainly will not have to spend Christmas worrying about championship redemption, or the prospect of another year-end humiliation.

 

[RJ Esq]

Iowa Topples Penn State

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Brian GrummellFiled under: Iowa, Penn State, Big 10

​

And so the slaying of the giants begins again in the fantasyland of college football. Grab the Tums, as tonight's going to be a wild ride. They'll be celebrating in the sleepy hamlets of Iowa tonight as the Hawkeyes have slain BCS No. 3, previously undefeated Penn State.

The fans wore green for tailback Shonn Greene and it brought them luck. Iowa intercepted Penn State with just over three minutes left and methodically drove down the field setting up a short field goal for shaky Daniel Murray. Murray had been 1/3 on field goals on the year, but they called his name and he delivered.

OK so it was a twisty, windy sort of kick but it went through the uprights and by rule is "good", three points and enough to provide the winning margin, 24-23. The seeds of Penn State's demise were planted in their last performance against Ohio State that relied on a late Terrelle Pryor fumble to save the day.

 

[RJ Esq]

Alabama Survives Death Valley, Beats LSU

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Brian GrummellFiled under: Alabama, LSU, SEC

Its been a most unusual post-championship season for LSU having surrendered 50+ points twice this season and dropping one in overtime at home to Alabama. However, they're not the story tonight as No. 1 Alabama moves a week closer to fulfilling the program's grand ambitions after beating LSU in overtime 27-21.

Alabama can partly thank LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee who tossed a trio of interceptions to safety Reshad Johnson, one of them returned for a touchdown. Critically, the final one was in the end zone in overtime surrendering the ball to Alabama who promptly punched the ball into the end zone on a John Parker Wilson sneak.

Jilted LSU fans (Jealous-U as mocked in a hilarious ESPN College GameDay sign) thirsted for the blood of former coach Nick Saban, but revenge was not to be had even as the Tigers blocked a Leigh Tiffin field goal at the end of regulation that would have won the game just a bit earlier for Alabama.

 

[RJ Esq]

Best Signs at ESPN College Gameday- Baton Rouge

from Football Jesus Las Vegas by sportsjesus

Sponsored by: Funny Shirts at Shame-U It ’s all about Saban!everywhere you looked the people in baton rouge cannot get over this guy, he left for the nfl right ? anyway , he certainly wins , and maybe that why they dont like him. LSU had their chance. I did see the wazzu flag flying higher , i see they got a longer pole! NO one in baton Rouge had a football jesus sign- at least on TV . and who are these people ?:WES EPPLE, TRAVIS MUMPHREY, and MOELLER BECK , evidently they were there, and what going on with Becca Rew and julie Rew? other than they are tigers in exile in Bama.
Here is the list of the signs I could see on TV :

• We roll Tide and Smoke it
• Join the MILES high Club
• Sacks in the City starring Jessica Parker Wilson
• I had a better sign but saban sold it
• Chuck Norris fears the Hat
• jeaLouS U
• Sugs For SEC. of defense
• Hey Mom, i learned to write
• ESPN reports Saban to Tennessee
• Will did ditches for NC
• welcome back saban we are MILES ahead of you
• hey John did you get lost this isnt hooters
• these pretzels are making me thirsty
• I am having a love affair with this ice cream sandwich
• les miles coaches like a girl
• for sale to the highest bidder: Nick Saban
• hey Saban, Tennessee needs a volenteer
• Corseaux bleeds purple and gold
• I voted for saban
• $uck Faban

let me know what i missed, and send photos if you got em There will IS STILL REWARD for ANYONE who gets a “FOOTBALL JESUS Las vegas” Sign on TV…or HI football Jesus … be creative!

 

[RJ Esq]

The Tide will survive, with a little help

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Scroll down or click here for the Doc's weekly game day live blog.

Alabama 27, LSU 21 (Overtime). There's no question the Tide come out of Death Valley worse for wear in a lot of ways. John Parker Wilson completed less than half his passes with an interception and no touchdowns; his best play of the day ended in a fumble and touchback for LSU in the first quarter. The Tigers gashed the Bama defense for 200 yards rushing despite Terrence Cody's return to the middle of the line. And if not for the extreme generosity of Jarrett Lee, again a one-man Christmas for the opposing secondary with four interceptions -- one setting up a touchdown, one returned directly for a touchdown, one taking likely points off the board in Bama territory, one in overtime; all on third down -- LSU's advantages on both lines would have probably put the Tigers over the top.
Ultimate relevance of any of that: zero, other than the part about Alabama winning. As I said earlier today, style points don't come into play in Baton Rouge, no matter how brutal Jarrett Lee is, or how vulnerable the run defense looked for the first time all year. All the Tide had to do was survive, which Penn State couldn't do at Iowa, and shoot itself full of whatever completely legal painkiller it needs to get through Mississippi State.
For readers who watched the game, imagine for a second how good LSU might be with a competent quarterback. Lee has consistently cost the Tigers throughout the year (Rashad Johnson's interception return this afternoon was the sixth to go for a touchdown against Lee since his first jaw-dropping gift to Auburn two months ago) and the running game is just brawny enough to succeed in spite of the passing troubles, even against a defense as stout as Alabama's. If Lee could find a way to not make three of four crippling throws every week, LSU might look almost as good as everyone expected the Tigers to when they ranked them in the top 10 to start the season. Right now, with a marquee win over South Carolina, they'll be a little lucky to be ranked at all on Sunday, and unlike the blowouts against Florida and Georgia, you can't put this one on the defense.

 

[RJ Esq]

Penn State's Costly Meltdown

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Chris BurkeFiled under: Iowa, Penn State, BCS, Big 10

There Penn State was, just trudging along on its way to another "We don't care about your BCS style points" type of victory. On a cold and windy day in Iowa City, the Nittany Lions bullied their way to a 23-14 lead after three quarters by doing the things they had done all year.

PSU wasn't turning the ball over. The defense was looking stout. Everything was under control.

And then it all fell apart.

Iowa chipped within 23-21 on 44-yard touchdown drive. Then, with four minutes left and Penn State in the middle of a game-clinching drive (aided by an Iowa roughing the punter penalty), the Nittany Lions were called for a holding penalty and Darryl Clark followed that up by tossing an interception.

Still, the defense had a chance to save the game and salvage Penn State's perfect season. Instead, Iowa put together a 16-play drive that culminated with a short field goal.

Game over and, with it, Penn State's title dreams.

 

[RJ Esq]

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle">Instant Analysis: Alabama-LSU </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">
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</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td valign="middle" nowrap="nowrap">By Matt Zemek
Staff Columnist
Posted Nov 8, 2008
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In a season with only 12 regularly-scheduled games, no one ever cares or remembers how games are won or lost—the only thing that matters is the end result. Alabama didn’t offer anything awesome or outstanding against LSU on Saturday, but the Tide actually increased their stature because they managed to survive without their best stuff.
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Nick Saban—true to his personality—wasn’t very happy during Saturday’s showdown against his former team, but the man who returned to Tiger Stadium for the first time since his departure from LSU had to exult when John Parker Wilson entered the end zone in overtime, completing Alabama’s 27-21 escape job against an inspired but inadequate bunch of Bayou Bengals. The touchdown by his quarterback erased a day filled with mistakes and missteps, clinching the SEC West title and putting Saban in great position to reach the BCS Championship Game. In film study, this white-knuckle win will come across as ugly for the second-year head coach in Tuscaloosa. In Alabama lore, this contest could become a magical moment that will be treasured for generations.

Forget the overthrows, fumbles and field-goal flops that held back Bama against Les Miles and company. Disregard the sweat and shakiness that defined the Crimson Tide on an afternoon when they clearly felt the pressure of being the No. 1 team in college football on the second Saturday of November. Don’t focus on the inconsistency of Alabama’s anything-but-awesome offense, which has excelled in short spurts but rarely held onto snap-by-snap supremacy for 60 minutes this season. The name of the game—especially in the sport with the shortest of seasons—is to get out of town with a “W,” and that’s exactly what Alabama did on Saturday against an opponent that wanted to knock them off in the worst possible way.

Their many deficiencies and hiccups won’t matter much in the long run of history. The whole world outside of the non-Auburn portions of Alabama—not just the town of Baton Rouge—wanted the Crimson Tide to lose this game. Yet, the sons of Saban surmounted the many obstacles they faced. Sure, some of those obstacles were self-established, but that makes this gritty piece of gut-check gallantry all the more impressive for the team that is still unblemished in a cutthroat conference. If Alabama can win two games in which it will be heavily favored, the Tide will travel to Atlanta for a date with Florida… and for a chance to travel to Florida in the first week of January.
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[RetroVK]

hey John did you get lost this isnt hooters


:36_11_6:

 

[RJ Esq]

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle">Instant Analysis: Penn State-Iowa </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">
</td> <td width="3" nowrap="nowrap">
</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td valign="middle" nowrap="nowrap">By Matt Zemek
Staff Columnist
Posted Nov 8, 2008
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It had been a good long while since Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes last won a big game on the national stage. One of America’s more disappointing programs over the past few years sure picked a fine time to make its presence felt once again.
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There will be no national championship game appearance for 81-year-old Joe Paterno. In yet another case of November nuttiness that’s become a familiar part of contemporary college football, the Nittany Lions—waiting for Alabama and Texas Tech to fall so they could stride into Miami on January 8—lost their last road game of 2008, 24-23, on a last-second field goal by Iowa’s Daniel Murray. Frozen by the bone-chilling temperatures in Iowa City, but also by a Penn State timeout, Murray split the uprights to unleash joyous celebrations in Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, Los Angeles, and four locales belonging to the big, bad schools in the Big 12 South.

After winning at Ohio State in late October, it seemed that Penn State had passed its toughest road test of the season. After all, Iowa’s last taste of a remotely significant accomplishment was a victory over a certain man named Nick Saban in the 2005 Capital One Bowl, when the Hawkeyes defeated LSU four very long seasons ago. That win—as Iowa fans know quite well—was accomplished on an improbable last-second touchdown pass, and when the Nittany Lions—so close to the finish line in the road portion of their schedule—attained a 16-7 lead in the second half of this Midwest slugfest, it seemed that Iowa would need the equivalent of a thunderbolt to engineer a very unlikely upset.

Just how much of an uphill climb did the homestanding Hawks face in Kinnick Stadium on a cold and gray Saturday? Consider the fact that Penn State, in terms of time of possession and total plays from scrimmage, outdid Iowa by ratios of roughly three to one in the first half. With a ball-control offense and a typically stout defense, the Lions gave the Hawkeyes just 15 offensive snaps and only six full minutes of possession time. Given this lack of repetitions under center, it was hardly surprising that Iowa quarterback Richard Stanzi lacked the sharpness needed to complement the running attack provided by Shonn Greene, who wound up with 115 yards on the afternoon. Stanzi threw just four first-half passes, with one of them being intercepted and cashed into a field goal by the Nittany Lions. When a botched center snap led to another PSU field goal early in the third quarter, Stanzi faced a two-possession deficit with a rusty right arm. It was not the scenario Ferentz and the rest of the Iowa coaching staff wanted in their attempt to topple the Big Ten’s best team.

In college football, however, the unpredictable has a way of emerging in November. A sport played by amped-up underdogs and frail favorites leads to emotional swings that not only defy the odds, but lead to the kinds of crazy and confounding conclusions that ultimately ruin perfect seasons and create BCS chaos. On a sleepy early-morning Saturday in late September, with the eyes of the nation looking elsewhere, perhaps Stanzi wouldn’t have become so studly against Penn State. But in November, with his team’s make-or-break, season-salvaging showdown still waiting to be won, the Iowa quarterback donned a cape in crunch time to complete this most unexpected second-half turnaround.

Yes, the same Richard Stanzi who completed two passes and threw one interception in the first half turned in a superb second half. With Penn State twice owning two-possession leads of 16-7 and 23-14, Iowa’s inactive offense suddenly sprang into action. Stanzi began to stick his throws to tight end Brandon Myers and receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, and the rapport established between the quarterback and his pass catchers gave the Hawkeyes the balance needed to deal with Penn State’s defense. Iowa offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe could finally dial up downfield throws with confidence, and the Nittany Lions could no longer focus solely on Greene, the one major threat in Iowa’s arsenal.

The emergence of Iowa’s passing game produced two straight touchdowns that kept the Hawkeyes in the fight. Instead of being blown off the field in the second half, Kinnick’s Kids stayed in the ring by answering Penn State scores. Two touchdowns prevented the Lions from pulling away, creating a 23-21 score in a game where the damage could have been far worse. Given the ball with 3:46 left in the fourth quarter, Stanzi and his teammates were in position to make a little magic. Just a handful of key plays could push Iowa across the finish line.

The outlook wasn’t good for Stanzi after a sack and an incompletion brought about a third-and-15 situation on his last-ditch drive, but a defensive pass interference penalty on Penn State’s normally dependable safety, Anthony Scirrotto, gave Stanzi a reprieve. Blessed with his get-out-of-jail-free card, the Iowa quarterback ramped up his level of focus, throwing darts into traffic to repeatedly move the sticks and push the ball down to the Penn State 16 in the final seconds. After a run placed the ball just inside the right hash mark with six seconds left in the game, Murray withstood the double-freeze—from the elements, and the flurry of timeouts—to drive the dagger into the hearts of the dejected Nittany Lions. A quarterback who had done so little in the first half managed to overhaul his mindset and elevate his performance at just the right time. When his star running back, his offensive coordinator, and everyone in Kinnick Stadium needed him to emerge, Richard Stanzi shrugged off a so-so season to deliver something special to the Hawkeye program, which will carry this awesome achievement into 2009.

A full analysis of this upset wouldn’t—and couldn’t—be complete without mentioning, amidst Stanzi’s heroics, the fact that Iowa’s defense displayed uncommon resilience in the face of Penn State’s relentless onslaught. Despite allowing drives of 10, 19 and 11 plays in the first half, coordinator Norm Parker’s defense held the Nittany Lions to just one touchdown. In sudden-change situations and short-field scenarios, Iowa constantly managed to hold Penn State to field goals, enough to make the last few minutes meaningful. Without red-zone resourcefulness in the game’s first 35 minutes, plus a gutsy stand on a PSU drive that penetrated the Iowa 25 with roughly five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Richard Stanzi and Daniel Murray couldn’t have grabbed the glory in the end. Yes, a determined quarterback and a calm kicker displayed last-second serenity, but Iowa’s dogged defense enabled this upset to happen.

It’s not supposed to be the case that a Rose Bowl bid will disappoint a Big Ten champion, and in due time, Joe Paterno’s team will have a chance to play for Pasadena and regain their footing. Tonight, though, the Iowa cold feels unforgiving to the Nittany Lions, who had hoped that Florida, and not California, would be their sunshine-filled stop in January.
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[RJ Esq]

A Note to SEC and Big 12 Fans: The Iowa Hawkeyes Deserve Your Gratitude

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Mark HastyFiled under: Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, USC, BCS, Big 10

His name is Daniel Murray, and he didn't just kick the field goal that put Iowa over Penn State, 24-23. He also kicked a hole in the national title picture. Thus, the young man is not merely the toast of Iowa City tonight; they're raising a glass to him in Gainesville, Los Angeles, Austin, Norman, and Stillwater.

Or at least they'd better be.

While some fans out there think the conference's official name is The Big Ten Is Overrated, face the facts: An undefeated Penn State team was going to the national title ahead of any one-loss team from the SEC or Big 12. You don't have to think such a thing would be fair. You just need to accept that it was the truth. The voters weren't going to deny Joe Paterno another shot at the national title after he'd been shut out so many times before with teams just as undefeated as this team is. WAS. Sorry.

I tried to warn you. I told you on Thursday not to assume that Iowa would lose. I made my case for why Iowa, and not Michigan State, was the team on Penn State's schedule with the best chance to beat them.

 

[RJ Esq]

Bowl Hopes Finally Sacked

from Boiled Sports by boilerdowd

Let's be honest...not many of us thought Purdue had a chance of going to a bowl. But any chance was crushed today in East Lansing by the Spartans. Purdue's offense followed a 500-plus yard, 48-point game with a 191 yard, 7-point game. Justin Siller didn't look human, he looked bad. Am I angry at the kid? No, not really. Do I think he should start the rest of the season? Yes.

My thesis the entire season has been, "It's the coaching, stupid." (to steal a political phrase and mix it up a bit). This offense looked crappy with Painter, Elliott and now Siller under, or a few yards behind center. Tiller blamed the offensive line today, which definitely deserves some of the blame...as does Siller. But, this offense is simply not prepared game-in, game-out. And when they face moderate-to-good defenses, they look bad...and have all season. The play-calling is lousy, the execution is too (by the way, that comes back to coaching, once again). No matter, the season is coming to a close...and Tiller's time as Purdue's coach will end with a whimper in the month of November.

There are guys who deserve better on this team. Greg Orton, who had two yards receiving is a good receiver and is getting very few opportunities to showcase his skeelz. Desmond Tardy who spent three years behind Mr. Softee now simply doesn't get a ton of chances to touch the ball. Kory Sheets had nearly 100 yards again today, but you don't get to run the ball much when you're perpetually down by 14 or more points. Anthony Heygood had 14 tackles and looked like he killed an MSU player on a particular hard hit in the first half. Magee, Baker and Neal have all played well as the season has progressed...and along with Williams and Heygood, these Seniors have held some good offenses to not many points. It's sad to see guys who literally bleed for a program have their careers end without much recognition...but it happens a lot in college football. Hopefully a few of them make some money playing football...more importantly, I hope they're all prepared for life after college.

Regardless of the effort given by the players, we're getting what we've paid for. Years of playing just-well-enough-to-get-by has caught up with a coach who refused to rebuild a program that has been deteriorating for a while now...and passion-less coaching has led to lackluster preparation and unimaginative gameplans. While the season is not quite over, it's time to look to the future.

Other Notes
-Minnesota and NU fans- I told you long ago your teams were pretenders...You refused to listen. The proof is in front of you.

-Nice job Illini! You've helped IU and UM players feel not-so-bad about their losses to MAC schools this season.

-Texas Tech is really fun to watch. The remind me of what it was like to have an offense.

-Notre Dame is getting beaten right now by an OK BC team...and while the game is a 17-point deficit, it's really not that close. Another intersting note about the game, this will be UND's sixth-straight win agains the VooDoo Catholics. UND is not good...nor is Clausen. 5 losses, with this type of schedule is eerily-similar to a Joe Tiller-coached team in the mid '00s.

This is how lousy Notre Dame's football program is- they're going to lose at least 5 this season and their fanbase is going to be completely fine with Weis returning next season. Great job Irish fans and administration! Keep up the mediocrity!

-Lastly, and surely least, great job, PSU! You've helped yourselves avoid assured embarassment in the first month of next year at the BCS Championship. Perhaps your fans shouldn't have been bitching last week about the polls.

 

[RJ Esq]

BC 17, ND 0

from Rakes Of Mallow by Rob
A truly embarrassing loss. This team talks a lot of crap, but rarely ever lives up to it on the field. I really wonder if we'll be able to win anymore games this year.

​

I speak for myself, and not CW, but I am off the Charlie Weis wagon.

 

[RJ Esq]

Texas Tech would like to address your concerns

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton

Texas Tech 56, Oklahoma State 20. You can throw around a lot of superlatives about Texas Tech's offense, but if you didn't see the gears turning like fine clockwork against Oklahoma State, Shakespeare couldn't describe the consistency, precision and general ESP between Mike Leach, Graham Harrell and his squadron of receivers more eloquently than this:

Oklahoma State threw the book at Harrell, and literally didn't come close to him -- he wasn't sacked, wasn't flustered, and found his receivers wide open more than 80 percent of the time, exactly when and where they were supposed to be there. He was right virtually every time. For the second week in a row, a competent defense on a top-10 team was made to look like SMU or Eastern Washington or some patsy, neither of which gave up as many yards or points as the Cowboys. This was not the encore of an upstart.
I suppose some skeptics will still use the logo on the side of the helmet as an excuse for cynicism about the "the system" or the defense or Big 12 defenses in general, for the sake of hating. But there's only one possible way to even begin to slow this offense down, and that's to get in the receivers' faces, play man-to-man and pray your men are good enough. Texas' men weren't good enough; Oklahoma State's weren't even close. Maybe Oklahoma has a fighting chance in two weeks, with the way the Sooners' offense is humming on the other side. But I'm beginning to prefer Leach, Harrell and Crabtree to divine intervention.

 

[RJ Esq]

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle">Instant Analysis: Oklahoma State-Texas Tech </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">
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</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td valign="middle" nowrap="nowrap">By Matt Zemek
Staff Columnist
Posted Nov 8, 2008
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One of the hallmarks of athletic excellence is the ability to simply declare one’s intended approach, show it to the opposition, and still prevail with ease. That’s what Texas Tech has done to football foes throughout a glorious season, and Saturday night’s rout of Oklahoma State proved to be no exception.
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There’s no pretense or disguise involved in the Red Raiders’ modus operandi under coach Mike Leach. Graham Harrell will pitch the pigskin, a flotilla of fleet-footed flankers will catch it, and an airtight offensive line that has allowed little more than a handful of sacks this season will ensure that the aerial show goes off without a hitch. It’s not complicated, but it sure is powerful, and on this night in Lubbock, Mike Gundy’s men felt the full fury of the No. 2 team in America, which took a giant step to its first-ever BCS bowl game.

After an early fumble that led to a quick Cowboy touchdown, Harrell got back to business, and the results were plenty devastating for the visitors from Stillwater. Staying interception-free despite being the nerve center for Texas Tech’s entire offense, Harrell stood in the pocket and carved up the Cowboys without fail. Finding star receiver Michael Crabtree with regularity, Harrell also spread the ball to several other pass catchers in a customarily clean performance that has the quarterback alongside Colt McCoy at the top of the Heisman Trophy leaderboard.

There was no single moment that distinguished this game from his other masterpieces in 2008, but what Harrell is showing the country—now that Texas Tech is receiving the scrutiny and publicity that accompany the prime-time spotlight—is that his consistency is second to none in all of college football. Forgetting both his good snaps and his bad plays, Harrell’s icy focus has enabled the gunslinger to deliver darts with machine-like regularity, time after time after time. Instead of resting on his laurels or relaxing after a few good drives, Mike Leach’s main man under center just kept staring down defensive looks, squaring his body before each throw, and daring his opponent to come up with a credible response. Staring, squaring, and daring—because Graham Harrell can do those three things, he can enable his Texas Tech offense to engage in the most important activity of all: scoring. The Red Raiders rolled up the yards and rang up the points, dispensing with the drama one week after toppling Texas with a single tick left on the clock.

Beyond Harrell’s unstoppable offense, the larger storyline to emerge from this Tech triumph is that the Red Raiders didn’t let down after their victory over Mack Brown’s Longhorns the week before. The hard part of being an elite college football team is that every opponent will bring its best, week after week, forcing the bearer of a bulls-eye to stay on top of its game. One week’s shining success has to lead to the next week’s focused and forceful follow-through. Texas Tech hadn’t been accustomed to a two-week two-step such as this double dip involving Texas and Oklahoma State. Everyone in Lubbock was jacked up for the mighty Longhorns, but tonight’s conquest against the Cowboys shows that Tech has more than a little staying power in this sport. As a reward for their concentration, the Red Raiders are now in good position to play in a premium postseason contest. Even with a loss in two weeks at Oklahoma, Tech is likely going to finish the regular season with an 11-1 record. This means that both Texas and Oklahoma would have to run the table in order to keep Tech out of a BCS bowl. Given that the Longhorns and Sooners both have other significant tests remaining (Texas at Kansas and possibly in the Big 12 title game; OU at Oklahoma State in addition to its aforementioned date with the Red Raiders), Texas Tech has achieved a position of strength in the Big 12 South, which is sure to produce two BCS representatives provided that the division winner ultimately takes the conference crown.

Go ahead. Try to stop Texas Tech’s aerial offense. You know it’s coming, but as Oklahoma State personally discovered on Saturday, that doesn’t mean very much against Graham Harrell’s group.
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[RJ Esq]

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle">Instant Analysis: California-USC </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="primaryimage" valign="top">
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</td> <td valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#f5f5f5" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="1" width="60%"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td valign="middle" nowrap="nowrap">By Matt Zemek
Staff Columnist
Posted Nov 9, 2008
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Mark Sanchez, Joe McKnight, and the other members of USC’s offensive unit are in the eternal debt of their teammates on the other side of the ball. Yet again, the Trojans prevailed in a putrid Pac-10 penalty-fest only because a dominating defense was good enough to overcome a mountain of mistakes.
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This year in Los Angeles has been a difficult one for the beautiful people who have expected spotless smackdowns of USC’s opponents. Yes, the Trojans are still winning, but only because their defense has been able to blot out the shortcomings of Southern Cal’s other two units. Saturday night in the L.A. Coliseum, mediocre punting and poor passing kept the point totals down and the highlight reels short for the program loaded with sex appeal, as style points were nowhere near the old and venerable bowl in the City of Angels. USC did bag yet another victory, but a team accustomed to full-fledged excellence is delivering the goods in only one of football’s three phases.

There’s no shame in victory, and with this win over the Golden Bears, USC has only Oregon State to deal with in the Pac-10 race. The Beavers do control their own destiny, but they must win out against a difficult closing schedule—Cal, Arizona, and Oregon—in order to steal a Rose Bowl bid from the Men of Troy. Tonight’s win over Cal will put the pressure on Oregon State to walk the tightrope in the final three weeks of the season. This was a particularly meaningful moment for Pete Carroll’s crew, and that fact shouldn’t go unmentioned.

With all that having been said, an account of this awful football game simply can’t hide the paucity of premium plays produced in this clunker. Outside of the two defenses, nobody earned glory during this sloppy sixty-minute slog, not even a Pac-10 officiating crew that missed numerous calls and failed to receive help on USC’s first touchdown, a Patrick Turner catch that went scandalously unreviewed by replay. USC linebacker Brian Cushing was flagged for a roughing-the-passer penalty despite the fact that he lightly pushed Cal quarterback Nate Longshore only one step after the ball was released. On the flip side, a Cal penalty for an ineligible man downfield—which wiped out a game-tying Bear touchdown in the third quarter—was not accompanied by an identification of the player. The head referee, while omitting the reference to the player number, as he is supposed to do, could not even provide an explanation for the penalty itself. The officiating and replay review lapses provided an ugly, though appropriate, accompaniment to a night of frustrating football for every human being not associated with a defensive unit.

Special teams didn’t play a particularly central role in this game, but they struggled just the same. USC suffered two muffed punts that prevented good returns from materializing, while also getting substandard punting that enhanced Cal’s field position. Cal’s kickoff specialist returned the favor by starting the second half with an out-of- bounds boot.

It was on offense, though, where this game spun sideways and lost any semblance of a battle between upper-tier teams in a BCS conference.

Sanchez, the USC signal caller who has struggled throughout this season, displayed panic in the pocket and the up-and-down inconsistency that has dogged him since his virtually perfect opener against Virginia back on Aug. 30. Drifting into the Cal pass rush, and occasionally forcing a ball into traffic, Sanchez could not come up with special sequences to supplement a reasonably effective rushing attack. USC’s solid ground game should be producing home-run balls from his right arm, but the fact that Sanchez isn’t smoking secondaries with downfield darts is an indication that the quarterback isn’t performing the way Pete Carroll would want him to. In addition to Sanchez’s fits and starts, running back Joe McKnight once again coughed up the football on a fourth-quarter drive in Cal territory. Gifted but erratic, McKnight did nothing to put an end to his penchant for balky ballhandling, and as a result of his fumbling ways, the Golden Bears stayed in the game longer than they had a right to expect.

Regrettably for coach Jeff Tedford, however, Cal’s offense actually had a harder night at the office than the Trojans did. Despite a tidal wave of key penalties from USC’s defense, particularly pass interference oopsies in third-and-long situations, the Golden Bears couldn’t take advantage. Three drives typified the entire night of football follies, and they all came when Cal had the ball.

Drive number one was a 63-yard march that somehow managed to take more than eight minutes off the Coliseum clock, yet only managed a field goal. The possession lasted as long as it did because two USC interceptions were nullified by penalties—one by the dubious roughing penalty mentioned above, the other by a legitimate pass interference call on a ball that, for the record, would have been intercepted even if the Cal receiver had not been knocked off stride. This drive featured penalties on four straight snaps: a Cal false start; USC’s defensive pass interference; another false start against the Bears; and then a hold against the boys from Berkeley. USC gifted three points to the Bears (their only score of the night, as it turned out), but even with second and third chances, the Bears couldn’t enter the end zone and acquire an early lead.

The second drive that defined this dud came later in the second quarter. Cal moved the ball a net total of 15 yards downfield, yet chewed 4:10 off the clock and, at the very least, kept USC off the field. The painfully slow forward movement from the Bears showed that even when they succeeded, they failed; on the earlier field goal drive, Cal failed in a significant sense, even though it succeeded on a smaller level. Such was the absurdity of this agonizing affair.

Drive number three in this maddening mystery arrived in the third stanza. Shortly after the ineligible-man-downfield penalty that went unexplained by the officials (even though subsequent replay shots suggested that Cal’s slot receiver didn’t line up properly, suggesting an illegal formation penalty and not an “ineligible” penalty), the Golden Bears appeared to gain their big break when they received yet another defensive pass interference flag from the generous Trojans on a third-and-13 play at the USC 30. Just two snaps later from the 10, quarterback Kevin Riley—who played the second half after Longshore handled the first half—threw a pass into traffic that was deflected and turned into an end-zone interception by SC defensive back Josh Pinkard. This interception—besides denying the Bears their last best chance for a touchdown—perfectly illustrated the head-scratching happenings in Hollywood. USC gave Cal every possible opportunity to tie the game and possibly win it, but the Bears simply refused to take advantage. On a night when USC continued its season-long pattern of littering a field with yellow laundry and stacks of slip-ups, the defense coached by coordinator Nick Holt overcame the many hardships it faced, some of them self-inflicted.

USC lost to Stanford last year, in one of college football’s greatest upsets ever. If the Trojans don’t manage to smooth out their many rough edges, they just might lose two in a row to the Cardinal. Pete Carroll will take this win, but the 57-year-old coach will turn 80 in a few weeks if the hiccups continue to hinder his skilled but sketchy team.
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[RJ Esq]

Texas video highlights:

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/video?id=3690195

I hate that ESPN doesn't allow you to embed.

 

[RJ Esq]

Sunday Hangover: Why the Tide Has Turned, and the BCS Title Is Set

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
by Ray HollomanFiled under: Big 10, Big 12, SEC

Miss any of Saturday's action? Get the storylines and implications every Sunday morning with a shot of humor, two of vermouth and a pot full of what's suspected to be either coffee or the pureed remnants of Bobby Bowden's birthday cake.

There were no dreams for Texas Tech Saturday night.

When Red Raider receiver Michael Crabtree stood before the cameras after Tech's 56-20 wrecking-ball win over Oklahoma State, his eyes weren't as wide as footballs like they were last week, when he jubilantly said he dreamed of the game-winning score. In fact, were it not for the applauding crowd behind him, and the teams shuffling off the field, you might've assumed he was talking about something as mundane as tomorrow's wardrobe or his tax return.

People have scheduled dentist appointments with more excitement in their voice than Crabtree as he described how he assaulted Oklahoma State for three touchdowns.

There were no dreams in Iowa City, either, at least none that survived a backup kicker literally booting Penn State's BCS title into the swirling winds of Kinnick Stadium.

And in Baton Rouge, Alabama hit the snooze button on a season-ending collapse, but there are alarm bells the size of missile silos ready to go off.

In Week 11, dreams, like Joe Paterno's 20/20 vision were long gone.

Yes, Texas Tech is that good. Yes, Texas and Oklahoma are right on their heels. Yes, Florida's arcade offense keeps beating opponents like they'll get free credit if they keep ringing up points.

And after a Saturday escape, even Sarah Palin knows No. 1 Alabama is in trouble.

 

[RJ Esq]

Reviewing Arkansas

from Garnet And Black Attack by Gamecock Man
One of the imperatives in this game was to make the Hogs pay for last year, and we did that. The final margin was only two scores, but Arkansas made it look closer than it really was by scoring a late garbage TD and this game was never in doubt other than briefly in the third quarter after the Hogs closed the gap to 20-14. This was a solid, convincing victory.
That said, we looked far from perfect. While they got the job done, our offense was only inconsistently effective. A lot of the blame goes to Stephen Garcia and Chris Smelley. On the surface, their combined 219 passing yards and 2 passing TDs along with the TD Garcia scored on the ground does not look too bad. However, neither was particularly accurate. Garcia supporters will remember the perfect fade Garcia threw to Kenny McKinley in the fourth quarter to more or less put the game our of reach for the Hogs, but Garcia was 4/11 with an interception and threw numerous shaky passes when he had receivers open. Smelley's numbers were a little better, but he is lucky to escape the game without an interception, also threw bad passes when he had open receivers (Smelley must be the only person on the planet who can overthrow 6'5 Jared Cook), and cost us a couple of touchdowns when did not see open receivers and threw it to guys in coverage.
Should we blame our quarterbacks' pedestrian performances on Spurrier's decision to alternate them almost every other play? Perhaps. I can only imagine that it is difficult for Chris or Stephen to find a rhythm when they know they are not going to stay in the game long. On the other hand, lots of Spurrier's ploys worked yesterday. We did have open receivers all over the field, which indicates that Spurrier beat Arkansas's defense from an Xs and Os standpoint. Part of that scheme success probably owes to the confusion the QB alternations caused Arkansas. If our quarterbacks could have made a few more of their throws, we might have scored 50 on these guys. So it may not have been such a bad idea to alternate Garcia and Smelley, even if it did not work as well as it might have. Part of the problem also owes to our receivers dropping ball. Jason Barnes looked like the next Sidney Rice a few weeks ago, but now he looks more like the Troy Williamson of Vikings fame. On a side note, I thought the wide-tackle formations were generally effective and can only wonder why we did not use this formation against LSU in the second half.
We also finally saw a solid performance out of our running game. Both Eric Baker and Mike Davis played well in the second half, particularly during our final TD drive. If I remember correctly, we did not throw the ball once during that possession. Who would have thought we could drive the length of the field on the legs of our tailbacks? I do not want to make too much of running success against an Arkansas team that has a terrible defense and was likely worn out at the end of the game, but seeing that we can run the ball to some degree was promising.
Our defense played well for most of the game, although Arkansas did mount
a couple of decent drives. Casey Dick passed the ball well against us other than his three interceptions. My general impression is that the only thing keeping our defense from being truly great is that we do not generate much of a pass rush when we do not blitz. Casey Dick (and his brother Nathan on the final drive) often had a lot of time to throw the ball, and I doubt that any defense is going to have much success against a Petrino-coach team without getting in the quarterback's face. Luckily, we took advantage of the inevitable bad throws Dick always tends to make. Jordin Lindsey's interception was a great play and helped us put the game away.
One thing to be happy about is our performance defending the run. Michael Smith came into this game as one of the country's most productive tailbacks, and we held him to 25 yards on seven carries. With Florida and Clemson coming up, we will need to continue to defend the run well.
Special teams play was so-so. We did well in the return game, but Chris Culliver's inability to keep his head at the end of the game will cost us his services in the first half against the Gators (Culliver's suspension will also be felt on defense). Captain Munnerlyn fumbled a punt, but luckily we got it back. One day we are going to lose one of those. Finally, Succop continues to perplex. He made a great 54 yard kick that might have been good from a couple more yards out, but missed a gimme chip shot later in the game. Succop's struggles have yet to cause us a game, but they might against better competition.
All in all, this was a good but not great performance. I am happy with the victory, especially considering that we likely wrapped up an Outback or Peach Bowl bid. However, neither Arkansas or Tennessee (who lost to Wyoming yesterday) are good teams, so we should not overestimate the value of beating them. I saw little to indicate that we have what it takes to hang with the Gators. Unless we get perfect play from our quarterbacks, we will not be able to score enough points to beat Florida. What we saw yesterday from Garcia and Smelley simply will not cut it. We will also need better play to beat Clemson. The Tigers are not a good team and have a very shaky defense, but they are better than Arkansas and will play their best game of the year when we come to town.

 

[RJ Esq]

College Gameday: #1 Alabama at #15 LSU

from Tv Tan Line by scotty





Well my PVR cutoff seconds from the game selection so no Lee Corso headgear shots...



Best Sign: "I've got a fever and the only prescription is a National Championship"
(top left)


Most Enigmatic Sign: "I am having a love affair with this ice cream sandwich"
(top left)

 

[RJ Esq]

Box Scorin': 'Noles on the run again, and your weekly prayer for Washington State

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Weird, wild and prolific stats from Saturday's action.

• Florida State averaged 7.4 yards per carry in its win over Clemson, twice the Noles' ACC average since the conference's divisional split in 2004 and only the second time over 7.0 per carry in an ACC game in that span (vs. Duke in 2006). FSU had seven runs of 20 yards or longer, by five different players.
• Arizona racked up 531 yards total offense, 317 rushing, in a 59-28 win at Washington State, becoming the sixth Pac-10 opponent to hang at least 50 on the Cougars in seven conference games, and the fifth to go over 500 yards.
• Syracuse had more punts (6) than pass completions (5) and gained seven first downs its loss at Rutgers. Fully half the Orange's total offense came on one play, an 82-yard run by backup running back Doug Hogue on his only carry of the game.
• Houston rolled up 693 yards total offense in a 42-14 win over Tulane, including touchdown drives of 87, 96 and 78 yards in the third quarter alone, during which the Cougars averaged 10 yards per snap.
• USC held Cal to 165 yards, the Bears' worst offensive game of the Jeff Tedford era, in a 17-3 win. Cal ran 26 times for 27 yards.
• A week after going over 500 yards and scoring 48 points against Michigan, Purdue was held to 191 yards and seven points at Michigan State. The high-flying Boilermakers passed for two first downs.
• Michigan went over 400 yards total offense for the first time in its win at Minnesota.
• Pittsburgh outgained Louisville by 21 yards and outscored the Cardinal by 34 points, thanks to five UL turnovers.
• Wisconsin rolled up 441 yards rushing in a thorough 55-20 pounding of Indiana. Three different Badgers, including wide receiver David Gilreath, who scored on a 90-yard run, went over 100 yards on the ground.
• Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin was a ghastly 6 of 19 passing in the Bears' loss at Texas, but added 101 yards rushing, including a 63-yard sprint.

• Nebraska scored 31 points in the second half to knock off Kansas despite a +3 turnover advantage for the Jayhawks.
• Georgia's Matt Stafford averaged 22 yards per completion and hit six passes longer than 20 yards in the Bulldogs' wild win over Kentucky.
• Iowa State's Austen Arnaud and Colorado's Cody Hawkins had very similar afternoons: Arnaud was 16-of-28 for 215 yards on 7.7 yards per attempt; Hawkins was 20-of-29 for 226 yards on 7.8 per attempt, and neither was intercepted. But Hawkins threw four touchdowns to Arnaud's none in a close Buffalo win.
• Four different Bronco players combined to throw for five touchdowns for Boise State in BSU's romp over Utah State, and six different Boise receivers had at least three catches for 40 yards or more.
• Wake Forest punted on every possession of the second half of its 28-17 win over Virginia.
• Southern Miss had one of its worst offensive outputs of the season but held UCF to 208 yards total offense in a 17-6 win, the second straight week USM held an opposing offense under 225 yards. In their previous eight games, the Eagles' best defensive efforts had yielded 350 yards (in a 24-7 loss to Boise State) and 21 points (in a win over UL-Lafayette).
• Oklahoma is nothing if not balanced: The Sooners rolled up 328 yards passing and 325 yards rushing in a 66-21 obliteration of Texas A&M. For the second week in a row, OU led 21-0 before its defense allowed a first down.
• Louisiana Tech held San Jose State to 148 yards in a 21-0 shutout, the Bulldogs' first shutout win in 12 years and their best defensive effort since at least 2004.
• Oregon State scored 31 points in the second half to beat UCLA after trailing 6-3 at the half. Diminutive Beaver back Jacquizz Rodgers carried 31 times for 144 yards.

 

[RJ Esq]

Texas Tech's Offense and the Hot Hand Theory

from Smart Football - Analysis and Strategy by Chris by Chris
After Texas Tech's drubbing of Oklahaoma St, and the much-quoted fact that they scored a touchdown on seven straight possessions, I heard yet another commentator say that their offense was "streaky." And you hear this about other offenses too, and you hear it constantly in other sports, particularly about shooters in basketball and hitters in baseball. As I've written about previously, I think the idea of "hot streaks" are overblown.


Try flipping a coin fifty times. If you chart out the results, I would wager that it does not look as even as you might expect. Just because it's an equal chance of heads or tails doesn't mean you neatly get heads-heads followed by tails-tails. Instead you get seemingly bizarre - seemingly streaky - patterns of, say, fourteen heads followed by a few back and forth then sixteen tails. The probabilities aren't all that different.

So it is with most offenses. There's an imaginary equilibrium of how much we'd expect a particular offense to score against a particular defense. This is the average score if, say, Alabama played LSU a thousand times. But there's variance; each game is different. And once you look at it like that, you see how silly it can be to get too wrapped up into comparing a couple of drives back to back.

The answer with a team like Texas Tech is that they have a hell of an offense, and we can just expect them to score a lot. How they get those points, in what order, all in the first half, all in the second, is largely a function of variance, or in other words, luck.

I am reminded of all this because the game that seemed a shining example of this was Texas Tech's 31 point comeback in their bowl game against Minnesota a couple of years back. Tech was down 31 in the second half, and, after a barrage of passes from then-sophomore quarterback Graham Harrell, Tech won, and Glen Mason lost his job. As I stated:

As most of you know, Texas Tech came back from 31 down with 7 minutes to go in the third quarter to beat Minnesota. What was amazing to me, as I watched the game, was that despite the short time frame, the entire thing happened almost sleepily. The "comeback" appeared like some odd mixture of luck and manifest destiny. Minnesota did not really lose the game like most teams who give up huge comebacks do. Indeed, Minnesota should be a team designed to control second half leads: they have an impressive running game and a methodical passing game to complement it. Minnesota did not turn the ball over in the second half, and got a number of first downs. Tech did not get particularly good field position, either. The most frantic moment of the entire game was Tech's 90+ yard drive to kick a 52-year field goal, and even that still seemed surprisingly serene. . . .

There actually is an entire field of study dedicated to this idea regarding sports, investing, and other facets of life and it is called the "hot hand fallacy." (See also here, and here.) Surely we've all experienced and witnessed the "hot streak" or the "cold streak" in basketball where a shooter has a poor half and then literally can't miss in the second. We see the swing in momentum, the crowd cheering or silenced, the shooter's swagger, his confidence, his teammates feeding him the ball, and his confidence to shoot it from anywhere on the court with a hand in his face.

Except that is an illusion. At least according to researchers Gillovich, Vallone, and Tversky: If you're a 40% field goal shooter for the season, you're pretty much a 40% shooter all the time, even if in one game you shot 20-22 and another 1-15. It evens out over time. The difference is just chance.

This same logic applies to football, and to no offense in football more than Texas Tech's. Clearly, over the last several years Tech's offense has been one of the most productive in football. It's been well documented that Leach's offense often sputters for a quarter or two before exploding to score points at an almost ridiculous pace. So maybe the comeback wasn't such an aberration. 44 points is not so abnormal for them--what's the difference if they had scored those touchdowns on every other drive over the course of the entire game, rather than scoring them all in the second half?​

I did note an exception to this, though. Not all football teams or quarterbacks act like coins; sometimes they can get rattled, and the probabilities can change on the basis of perceived adversity. The "human coin" would be someone like Michael Jordan. He's shot millions of free-throws, and he was not going to be rattled. If he missed five free-throws in a row, it wasn't because he was rattled, it was because that's how the coin flip turned out (though it was a stacked coin, with 90% heads and 10% tails).

But with young players, they might let it get to them. I noted this with Harrell in that game: he was but a sophomore then, but he had a full-season under his belt. Had he not, I do not think he would have had the confidence to keep the probabilities the same. Flash forward to now. Last second drives against Texas, falling behind early against Oklahoma State. Not an issue. Harrell's just out there coolly flipping his coins. I will end with what I said about the end of that comeback game, which has renewed relevance now.

The upshot of all this is simply that, particularly from an offensive standpoint, you practice to remove emotion and to remove the hot hand effect. You want to be Michael Jordan looking at the game winning free throw like it is just the 156th free throw after a routine practice. I think what made Leach come to tears after the game is that everyone on the team--coaches, player, fans--went about their business as usual. Tech didn't come back by launching hail marys, running trick plays (not to take anything away from Boise--who outplayed and outcoached OU for the entire game), grabbing turnovers or even really getting lucky breaks. Everyone bought into the system and the program, did their job, played smart football, and performed.

I think what brought Leach to tears is the realization that, for young kids in the hyperbolic football world, sometimes it's brave and valiant simply to do your job.​

* As a final note, sorry for all being all Texas Tech all-the-time recently, but (a) I've been acutely familiar with Leach (once had a long conversation with him about applying the pythagorean theorem to calculate how long a QB's throw was) and that offense for over a decade, so it's nice for me to see their success, and (b) their past two prime-time games have really been the only football I've been able to see recently. In any event, there might be a bit of a delay before my next post, because I'm working on some more detailed substantive posts - or as Orson Swindle likes to call them, my "coach porn" articles - about Florida's offense along with a couple of passing concepts in vogue right now. So stay tuned for those.

 

[RJ Esq]

A win is a win, no matter how ugly

from Addicted To Quack by jtlight
If you are a fan that was booing at the game, please never attend a game again. There is absolutely no reason to boo, and you need to freaking grow up.
That may have been one of the worst played games I've ever seen. Oregon fumbled the ball four times and hiked another ball out of the end zone. Because of this, Stanford ran eight more plays, and had almost double the time of possession during the game. Oregon moved the almost at willl, and punted the ball only once. Yet, going into the final two minutes, Oregon was down by one point.
On top of this, the passing game showed few signs of progressing, though the weather may have had a part to play with this. Play calling did as well, as Oregon only ran one pass play in the second half up until the final drive. But two things are encouraging. First, Masoli had a great play where he stood in the pocket, was flushed out but did not scramble, and directed Drew Davis. Now, Davis did not catch the ball, but this play showed the type of promise that Masoli has. Also, on the final drive, on Masoli's big run, he stood in the pocket for a good amount of time, and only ran when it was wide open. Both of these plays were incredibly important, as they showed a maturity that Masoli has rarely shown, someone who it able to look down the field, and stand in, and make a play with his arms rather than his legs.
But though these signs were good, Masoli had his low spots as well. He had trouble hitting the simplest of passes through most of the game. He missed short passes consistently, and if not for the early screen to Drew Davis (who looked a lot like J-Will), he would have had pathetic stats again.
But the running game was stellar today. Johnson saw the field impeccably throughout the game, and Blount did in the 2nd half as well (minus the almost safety). This led to another 300+ yard game, on 41 carries, with both Blount and Johnson averaging 9.0 yards per carry.
On the other side of the ball, the grade is merely so-so. Stanford was 5/15 on 3rd down and the Oregon secondary held Stanford to only 138 yards passing, but they gave up 187 yards rushing, and 28 points. However, they were put in many bad positions all day long. In the first half, every scoring drive started at least past the UO 40 yard line, and in the second half, it was all past the UO 30. On top of this the TOP and play discrepancy meant that our defense played about 2/3 of the game on the field.
One bright spot on the defense was the play of the line and secondary in terms of penetration. There was constant pressure on the RBs and QB, which is a good sign. However, there were also missed tackles on Kimble throughout the game, which does not bode well for when we must face the Rodgers brothers in a few weeks.
But overall, it was a game of mistakes. Turnovers and penalties put Oregon in bad positions all day, and they still gutted out the win. The final drive is indicative of the Oregon offense throughout the day. They moved the ball at will and didn't have to use a TO in the two minute drive for the winning touchdown. I never doubted that we would win this game, even after the Stanford score.
There are worries for sure, but a win is a win. This Oregon team is talented, and could put together a great game. But they have not done so this season, and we may be waiting until next to see it.
Leave your game thoughts in the comments.
GO DUCKS!

 

[RJ Esq]

Photos of Texas-Baylor via TVTanlines. Disappointing that the crowd for Baylor was so weak. But the bandwagon burned after the loss to Tech, Texas hardly shows up for Baylor, and the game was at 11:00 a.m. local. Still, no excuses when you're #4 in the country.

 

[RJ Esq]

This week's TV images from TVTanlines:

Cameltoe:

Paterno looks like he's aged 10 years this season:

OU could have put 80 on Aggy. They are clicking:

 

[RJ Esq]

Students step up

from Eagle in Atlanta -- atleagle.com by ATL_eagle
BC fans catch a lot of grief. Some of it is deserving. But our student section has been going strong now for ten years. After the ND win an impromptu concert broke out as neither the students nor the band went home. They sang and cheered an additional 30 minutes. Here is some of the video.

<embed class="content-block-fix" src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2192410&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="never" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="302">Popout

 

[RJ Esq]

Is this really the worst Tennessee team in history?

from Rocky Top Talk by rustytanton
Looking at how Kentucky played this week and how Vanderbilt played earlier in the year, it's certainly possible for this year's Tennessee team to lose one or both of its remaining games. If Tennessee lost either of those games, that would make this Tennessee team the first in history to lose eight games. Would that make it the worst Vol team ever though? Let's go through some other squads' records and try to make sense of them.
I know this might be painful for those of you still saddened personally for how Coach Fulmer's final season has gone down. I am also sad, and am coping by burying my head in numbers. My rationale is if I can make this season feel like a statistic, then maybe it won't feel so much like watching a relative die.
The contenders
The last time Tennessee lost seven games was 1977 — Johnny Majors' first year as Vols head coach. Never prior to 1977 had the Tennessee Volunteers lost seven games during any season. But that doesn't automatically make 1977 the worst team, as college football schedules expanded several times between when Tennessee started playing and 1977.
The 4-6 1962 squad is also a contender for Worst Team Ever with no meaningful wins, and wins coming over three D-IA opponents with a combined record of 1-29. The other win was against 5-5-0 cupcake Tennessee-Chattanooga.
There were some really bad teams prior to 1910 and in 1924, but anything pre-Neyland doesn't really count to me.
There was a 4-6 season in 1954, but I'm not including it because the Vols did manage a win over a Mississippi State team that finished the season 6-4. That's better than this year.
There was also a 4-6 season in 1958, but I am not including it because the Vols beat an Alabama team with a winning record that year. A season with a win against Alabama cannot possibly be the worst no matter how poorly anything else went.
I'm also not going to include The Season of Which We Do Not Speak. In 2005, Tennessee went 5-6, and it's my opinion that 2008 is far worse than that season. The 2005 Vols at least beat an LSU team in Baton Rouge that ended the year with an 11-2 record, a top ten ranking, and which thumped Miami 40-3 in the Peach Bowl. So while some of the most painful memories come from that season, the 2005 Vols are not a contender.
That leaves us with 1962, 1977 and 2008 as contenders for Worst Team Ever.
The records
Wins are in green, losses in red.

1962 Tennessee Volunteers​

<table style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-collapse: collapse;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">9/29</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Auburn (6-3-1)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">21-22</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10/6</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mississippi State (3-6)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">6-7</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10/13</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Georgia Tech (7-3-1)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">0-17</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10/20</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Alabama (10-1)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">7-27</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">10/27</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Tennessee-Chattanooga (5-5-0)</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">48-14</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">11/3</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Wake Forest (0-10)</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">23-0</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">11/10</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Tulane (0-10)</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">28-16</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">11/17</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mississippi (10-0)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">6-19</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">11/24</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kentucky (3-5-2)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10-12</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">12/1</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Vanderbilt (1-9)</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">30-0</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" style="padding: 5px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Overall record: 4-6-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

1977 Tennessee Volunteers​

<table style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-collapse: collapse;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">9/10</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">California (7-4)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">17-27</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">9/17</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Boston College (6-5)</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">24-18</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">9/24</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Auburn (5-6)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">12-14</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">10/1</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Oregon State (2-9)</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">41-10</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10/8</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Georgia Tech (6-5)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">8-24</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10/15</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Alabama (11-1)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10-24</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10/22</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Florida (6-4-1)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">17-27</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">11/5</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Memphis (6-5)</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">27-14</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">11/12</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mississippi (5-6)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">14-43</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">11/19</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kentucky (10-1)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">17-21</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">11/16</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Vanderbilt (2-9)</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">42-7</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" style="padding: 5px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Overall record: 4-7-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

2008 Tennessee Volunteers (thus far)​

<table style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-collapse: collapse;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">9/1</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">UCLA (3-6)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">24-27</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">9/13</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">UAB (2-7)</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">35-3</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">9/20</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Florida (8-1)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">6-30</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">9/27</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Auburn (5-5)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">12-14</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">10/4</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Northern Illinois (5-4)</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">13-9</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10/11</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Georgia (8-2)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">14-26</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">10/18</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">Mississippi State (3-6)</td> <td style="padding: 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">34-3</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">10/25</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Alabama (10-0)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">9-29</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">11/1</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">South Carolina (7-3)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">6-27</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">11/8</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Wyoming (4-6)</td> <td style="border-top: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px; background-color: red; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">7-13</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px;">11/22</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px;">Vanderbilt</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px;">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px;">11/29</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px;">Kentucky</td> <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 5px;">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="3" style="padding: 5px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Overall record thus far: 3-7-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> The case for 1962

• Combined records of the three IA teams Tennessee beat was 1-29
• Lost to pitiful Mississippi State and Kentucky teams
• Trounced by Alabama, shut out by Georgia Tech

The case against 1962

• General Neyland died just before the start of this season, which obviously would be a distraction
• Two SEC wins (Tulane was still an SEC team at the time)
• Appeared to play undefeated national champion Ole Miss sort of close
• Shut out two opponents

The case for 1977

• Two wins came over teams that finished 2-9. The other two were against 6-5 teams
• Only one SEC win
• Lost to two SEC teams that finished the year with losing records, was trounced by one of them
• Until 2008, the most losses in a season ever for a Tennessee team

The case against 1977

• Was Johnny Majors' first season, and first seasons are rarely smooth
• Kentucky had a 10-1 record, which is an aberration
• More games played = more opportunities to lose

The case for 2008

• Lost to pitiful UCLA and Wyoming teams.
• So far has lost to division rivals Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina by a combined score of 83-26
• Trounced by Alabama
• Only SEC win is against a team with a losing record
• Other wins are unimpressive and meaningless
• Has already tied all-time record for most losses in a season by a Vols team with two games remaining to play

The case against 2008

• Still an opportunity for two more SEC wins
• Defense has not allowed more than 30 points in a game to anyone
• More games played = more opportunities to lose

Conclusion
If the 2008 edition of Tennessee wins both of its remaining games, that will give it three SEC wins, which will be enough to save it from the dubious distinction of Worst Team Ever.
If the 2008 edition of Tennessee loses both of its remaining games, it will hold the title of Worst Team Ever all to itself.
If the Vols manage to split the last two games, then an argument can still be made that this is the Worst Team Ever, but it won't be head-and-shoulders above the 1962 team or 1977 team, and would require a deeper statistical analysis.
So, believe it or not, there is something left for Tennessee to play for.
Bonus: fun facts about the 1977 and 2008 Vols

• Both lost to an out-of-conference opponent from the West Coast in the first game of the season
• Both lost to Auburn 14-12
• Both get Kentucky in the second season of a mini-resurgence which is a historic aberration
• Both featured a Colquitt as punter (father Craig in 1977, son Britton in 2008)

 

[RJ Esq]

GameDay Signs - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

from CollegeGameBalls: College Football at its Finest by cgb
There were some really great signs from the Saban Bowl in Baton Rouge this weekend to complement an awesome football game. The best signs that I saw are below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_site#Lemonparty.org (Only a total douche would link to the actual pictures or video)

I thought 2 Manginos equaled 1 adopted Baby Mangino?

Holler!

All the Baton Rouge Coeds dream about admission into the Miles High Club.

Is that a map of the United States or a pig’s torso? Boy am I glad the red states didn’t have their way last Tuesday.

There was a lot of ticky-tack between jeaLouS U and Saban the thief.

Could Tennessee throw $$$$$ at $abn?

I politely have to disagree with your assessment of Coach “Balls” coaching style.

 

[RJ Esq]

Longhorns are 4th, 5th in polls

from Bevo Beat
Texas climbed two spots to fifth in the USA Today coaches poll. Meanwhile, the Longhorns are fourth, jumping one spot, in the Associated Press rankings.
The coaches poll represents one third of the Bowl Championship Series rankings, which will be released later this afternoon. The Longhorns were fourth in last week’s rankings, primarily because the human polls ranked them lower than the computers.
The Harris poll is other component. Texas was sixth a week ago.
There is a scenario where the BCS rankings will be the tiebreaker for which Big 12 south division is selected for the conference championship.
This will happen if Texas and Oklahoma win out, creating a potential three-way tie with Texas Tech. The Sooners and Red Raiders play in Norman, Nov. 22.
Check back here for the BCS rankings. Given that Texas jumped in one human poll used in the BCS rankings, the Longhorns should remain ahead of Oklahoma this week. But you never know.

 

[RJ Esq]

Texas Jumps USC to #5 in USA Today Poll

from Burnt Orange Nation by awiggo
Texas Jumps USC to #5 in USA Today Poll

The good news is the Horns are now ahead of the Trojans. The bad news is both Florida and Oklahoma remain ahead of Texas. If both of those one-loss teams win out, it is hard to see Texas jumping either of them.
Texas probably needs Texas Tech to lose twice to reach the Big XII title game. If Tech loses to OU and beats Baylor and OU beats OSU, then OU will be ahead of Texas in the BCS and represent the South. If Tech loses to OU and beats Baylor but OU drops their final game to OSU in Stillwater, then Tech represents the South. And if Tech beats OU, then they will represent the South, regardless of the outcome of the Baylor game.

 

[RJ Esq]

The Alphabetical: College Football, Week 11

from The Sporting Blog
Each Sunday during college football season, Spencer Hall offers a letter-by-letter analysis of Saturday’s college football games.

A is for Academic. As in any and all arguments regarding Penn State’s proper place as an undefeated going into the BCS at year’s end. Penn State lost to Iowa in a freezing slog on the prairie, and watched their national title hopes evaporate in the face of missed red zone opportunities and clutch passing by Ricky Stanzi when it mattered most.
(The pass interference call on the final drive should have Nittany Lions fans waking up screaming from a dead sleep. If you have a disagreement with a PSU fan in the near future, win the argument by saying “Anthony Scirrotto at Iowa.” Make sure they have something soft to land on when then fall to the floor seizing.)
Penn State’s weak strength of schedule and remaining opponents -- Michigan State and Indiana -- place them firmly in the outer circle of BCS title hopefuls. As James Carville would happily point out to any Big Ten fan, though: you’ve always got the Rose Bowl. Who doesn’t like topiary on wheels?
B is for Brutality. Alabama could have lived out a warmer, batter-fried and bourbon-soaked version of the Iowa/Penn State script in Baton Rouge. Easily. Conditions were perfect: a roiling Death Valley crowd, an LSU team playing competent, violent football, and an undefeated record on the line.

LSU, though, has a Jarrett Lee, who made a youthful mistake firing into coverage in the endzone in overtime, and when you do that, you get painful experience points. Alabama survives and advances, and for November that will do very well, thank you very much.
Texas Tech left no such drama on the script. Graham Harrell continues to shame your NCAA 2009 video game dynasty quarterback, obliterating Oklahoma State 56-20. Harrell went 40-50 for 456 yards and 6 TDs. This is not human.
C is for Concatenation. Or the fascinating chaining of transitive loss one can run through at this point in the season. For example: Penn State loses to Iowa, who lost to Pitt, who lost to Bowling Green, who lost to Miami of Ohio, who lost to Temple, who lost to Western Michigan, who lost to Nebraska, who lost to Virginia Tech, who lost to Eastern Carolina, who lost to Houston, who lost to Colorado State, who lost to Cal, who lost to USC, who lost to Oregon State, who lost to Penn State 45-14 way back on September 6th.
D is for Denied. Stanford and Vandy both needed a sixth win to become bowl eligible. Stanford missed their first bowl bid since 2001 by narrowly losing to Oregon, 35-28, while Vandy extended its 26-year bowl drought in a 42-14 obliteration by Florida at home.
E is for Endgame. One half of the national title game likely comes from the initial and secondary results of the Texas Tech/Oklahoma game, the other, from the SEC title game between Alabama and Florida. (If Texas Tech wins, it is Big 12 Championship and forward; if Oklahoma wins, Texas takes the slot and advances if they win the remainder of their games.) USC likely loses out on strength of schedule, as does Penn State; the two meet in the Rose Bowl and happily take their money, while the Big 12 and SEC slug it out in Miami.
F is for Frenetic. Florida played a dysfunctional, misfiring second half of football against Vanderbilt, surrendering time of possession, being outscored 14-7, and turning the ball over with an interception. Being up 35-0 at the half will do that to a team. Florida secured the SEC East title with a thunderous first half.
G is for Grawlix Grawlix is the term for profanity as depicted in cartoons. College football’s most eloquent grawlix user: Rich Brooks.

After Georgia took the lead in the third quarter against Kentucky at home, Rich Brooks did what he does best: dropped an inaudible but clearly readable profanity on camera, the only real reaction in the free-wheeling kung-fu fight scene masquerading as the Georgia/Kentucky game. No other coach curses with such skillful and easily lip-read aplomb.
H is for Hellstorm. Oklahoma’s total points on the season: 514. Total TDs: 72. That they even have a loss is one of the more boggling stats of 2008. The colossal over/under for this week’s GAME OF THE MILLENIUM OF THE WEEK with Texas Tech has to be presented in mathematics too complex for this column to understand.
I is for INT. One returned for a TD, another two ending potential scoring drives. Jimmy Clausen had a very, very bad four-INT night against Boston College, who waited patiently for Notre Dame to self-destruct ... which they did, right on cue. BC evens up its historical record against the Irish, 9-9.
Meanwhile, the Notre Dame Wake Up The Echoes Watch Sponsored by NBC goes into its 15th year. Touchdown, other guys.
J is for Janus. The two-faced Roman god, or the role played by Georgia wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. Massaquoi fumbled twice in the fourth quarter, giving new life to Kentucky: bad Mo. Massaquoi catches 8 passes for 191 yards, including setting up the eventual game-winning TD with a booming downfield reception from Matt Stafford: good Mo. A career-defining game for one of those college players who seems like he’s in his ninth year of eligibility.
K is for Kliff Kingsbury-esque (Again.) Make sure you have no food in your mouth before reading this stat, as it is a choking hazard: Texas Tech had 38 first downs against Oklahoma State.
L is for Lien. As in the note of ownership served by the Mid-American Conference on the Big Ten in 2008. The MAC has beaten a whopping four Big Ten teams this season. Call Pat Forde an idiot all you like, but as weak as the SEC is this year, the Big Ten is anemic by comparison. (Another case in point: 7-2 Minnesota’s horrid loss to a horrid Michigan team at home.)
M is for Middle Earth. It’s never a bad time to geek out with a Lord of the Rings quote: "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." The Hobbit in question is Daniel Murray, the skinny soccer guy turned backup kicker for Iowa, who struck a 31-yard field goal to keep Penn State away from the one ring to rule them all Saturday. Murray had only attempted three field goals on the season, and had made just one of them prior to the winning kick against the Lions. Get a car dealership in Iowa City now, Mr. Murray, and commence eating the free rubber chicken you’ll dine on for the rest of your life at Iowa football dinners.

N is for Ndamukong. As in Ndamukong Suh, the Nebraska nose tackle who must have gotten plenty of sleep, eaten a balanced diet, and warmed up thoroughly before the Kansas game Saturday. Suh, a 300-pound nose tackle, had 12 tackles and caught a touchdown pass against Kansas in a 45-35 Huskers victory.

You will address him as “Suh.”
O is for One-man band. Even in a loss, future financial wizard and one-man orchestra Todd Reesing manages to defy the laws of physics.
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How he did not go down on that hit we don’t know. There’s only one explaination, and that would be gyroscopes built into his legs, meaning he’s half-manchild quarterback, half Segway.
P is for Plausible Deniability. So, Gary Patterson’s had a busy week. First, he loses a gut-ripping 13-10 game to Utah to blow what seems like TCU’s 20th shot at being the BCS Token Mid-Major Invitee (a.k.a. the Boise State Suite.)
Then, he reads a report -- this one -- announcing his intent to accept the Kansas State job. It makes perfect sense on many levels: Kansas State just fired Ron Prince, Patterson is a great up-and-coming young coach, and he is an alum.
He also denies the report categorically and claims it is untrue, meaning even if he has taken the job, he’s not admitting it. In fact, the potential leak may have scotched negotiations entirely between Patterson and KSU, resetting the Wildcat coaching search completely. Loose lips sink ships, both of the literal and contractual sort.
Q is for Quotable. "Michigan needs to get the Little Brown Jug, fill it with cognac, and forget this whole season ever happened.” -- Chris Fowler, displaying his impressive one-liner skills yet again on Gameday.
Fowler also dropped the phrase “circling the combines” when summing up Iowa’s motivations going into the Penn State game, and was caught by his ESPN comrades gawking on the sideline just feet away from Michael Crabtree’s game-winning catch last week. He and Rece Davis both clearly commit crimes every day by being simultaneously brilliant at what they do and enjoying it.
R is for Roll out the wheelbarrow. Butch Davis, currently employed by the University of North Carolina, is the number one pick for the Tennessee coaching job. Davis is reportedly not interested, but Tennessee will ask him the same question again, but this time from atop a heap-sized pile of money, and see if his answer changes.
S is for Sexxxxayyyy. Who is your Big East title winner and BCS berth holder? One sexy clue:
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Dave Wannstedt and the 7-2 Pitt Panthers are poised to roar off into the sunset in a cherry-red Ferrari if they win out over West Virginia and Cincinnati in the next two weeks. Mock the Wannstache at your own risk, cynics. You might get embarrassed by them as Louisville was on Saturday.
T is for Trembling. Shiver in fear of USC’s defense, who allowed just three points to Cal in a 17-3 win and is only allowing 6.7 points a game on the year. Tremble at their offense, which still hasn’t managed to find its stride nine games into the season. As fearsome as USC has been, the stuttering on offense has been the margin keeping them from automatic national title consideration.
U is for Unsane. Insane does not adequately express the end of the Cincy/West Virginia game, so out comes the new slang to describe this:
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A late TD, a two-point conversion, a recovered onside kick, and a 52-yard field goal, all with under a minute-and-a-half left on the clock. Credit to both West Virginia and the Bearcats, as one team had enough gumption to refuse an early death with time left in the game, and another refused to take part in an improbable collapse on the road in an intimidating environment. (Also credit Bill Stewart. He may be a step down from Rich Rodriguez in coaching chops, but he is not boring.)
V is for Viva Variety! Maryland continues to be the appointed random event of the week in the extremely random ACC. This week, with a chance to stay tied with Florida State, they faced Virginia Tech, ranked last in the conference in total offense.
But remember: every day is opposite day in the ACC! Darren Evans runs for 253 yards on 32 attempts, supercharges the two-cylinder Hokies attack for a 400-yard plus day, and keeps you flipping coins when making ACC picks for the week.
W is for Whimper, not a bang. Tennessee needs a little T.S. Eliot right now:

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.​

Tennessee looked like hollow men against Wyoming at home, losing 13-7 in a debacle to a horrendous Cowboys team, the same team that lost five games by 177 points in the Mountain West earlier this season, the same team whose coach was pronounced career-dead going into the game ... and who probably should still be fired, since beating a Mountain West team this year holds more cachet than beating this zombiefied carcass of a Volunteer team.
X is for Xerox. As in Vince Young and Terrelle Pryor. Watching Pryor roll out and improvise as a freshman brings up the worst of all clichés for all the right reasons. He really does look like Vince Young, and the comparison is, for the moment, as close as you can come to summing up his lanky, effortless excellence. He could be terrifying barring injury or malicious fate intervening.
Y is for You. As good as candidate as there is for the ACC’s spot in the BCS. If you would like to take part in the ACC championship game, please win three games in a row in either the Atlantic or Coastal division, as no one else seems able or willing to do this. Sincerely, John Swofford, ACC. (P.S. The game’s in Tampa! Only 60,000 seats left!)
Z is for Zook’d. Smartass question for the day: Was Ron Zook just winning with Ron Turner’s players?

 

[RJ Esq]

Matador’s Week 12 Notebook

from underdogsofwar.com by Matador
Once again, I’ll get this up ahead of Garfather so people don’t have to scroll past it to get to his.
I’m usually upset about something after every week, and today is no exception. Today it’s not about close losses, it’s about every frigging team I bet on radically underperforming their potential. Either that or bad handicapping — I’ll go with blaming someone else. At any rate, the money line betting has not gone nearly as well as I hoped it would. I think I’ll cut back for the rest of this season, and take a hard look at my process and criteria during the off season. Not having fixed criteria, or even knowing what they should be seems to be a problem. Maybe I’ll finally get around to updating the record this week and I’ll see how bad the damage is. Offhand, I’d guess roughly -10 for what is posted. An inordinately bad ratio of close losses to close wins has a lot to do with it, but beyond that I’m significantly off where I should be. +30 is very doable every year, though it might have been a tough environment again this year.
On the other hand, the totals continue to overperform. I’ve hit a middle every week I’ve posted them (week eight or nine was two halves, which equals one whole) and this week I actually hit 2 of 5. The two Sun Belt games were very close as well — the next score would have made them winners. Four out of five would have been just sick. That’s dumb luck — I’ve been doing this a while, and I can tell you, they’re good, but not that good.
So net result for last week is that my handicapping was terrible and I lost a ton of games, yet I was bailed out 100%, even picking up a little pocket change. It’s embarrassing, really. I know how bad it feels to drop several thousand dollars on a day’s college football, so I’ll take the reset. Sure it could be worse, but I’m frustrated just the same. I feel like I could eat a box of nails watching how the likes of Purdue and Notre Dame performed, among others. Just pisses me off no end.
One of these days I’ll get everything clicking together but in the meantime there’s nothing for it but to just keep grinding it out…….

 

[RJ Esq]

Texas Jumps OU to #4 in Harris Poll

from Burnt Orange Nation by awiggo
Texas Jumps OU to #4 in Harris Poll

Pollsters finally remembered that October day in Dallas and put the Horns ahead of the Sooners. Two more wins and Texas will finish in the top 4 of the BCS and receive an at-large berth into the BCS automatically.

 

[RJ Esq]

Texas is third in BCS

from Bevo Beat
The Longhorns climbed to No. 3 in Sunday’s Bowl Championship Series standings.
Alabama held on to the top spot, while Texas Tech was No. 2.
Florida was fourth, followed by Oklahoma.
Texas benefited from Iowa’s upset of Penn State and an apparent correction in the two human polls. The Longhorns were fifth in the USA Today coaches rankings and fourth in the Harris poll. A week ago, after losing on the final play to Texas Tech, the polls had Texas seventh and sixth.


************************


This is a very good poll result considering that Texas was 4 seconds from beating the #2 team in the country. Good correction by the human polls and the computers also look good having us high (2?).

 

[RJ Esq]

Added:

La Tech -12' (-110) 1.5 units
Rutgers +7' (-110)

 

[RJ Esq]

Added:

Texas -14 (-110)

 

[RJ Esq]

Added:

Tulsa -5 (-110)

 

[counselor]

...and 8-2 if I was smarter than I am and did not pick Minnesota. Never. Again.

Wish I would have checked in to see your case of insanity to talk you off it...

FWIW, Wisconsin -13.5 is pure butter, IMO...

Good luck