SUNDAY MORNING COFFEE--Week 6 Review and Week 7 Line Predictions

[RJ Esq]

101 troy
102 florida atlantic

103 clemson
104 wake forest

105 uab
106 houston u

107 louisville
108 memphis

109 east carolina
110 virginia

111 syracuse
112 west virginia

113 iowa
114 indiana

115 minnesota
116 illinois

117 michigan state
118 northwestern

119 texas
120 oklahoma

121 eastern michigan
122 army

123 iowa state
124 baylor

125 south carolina
126 kentucky

127 western michigan
128 buffalo u

129 vanderbilt
130 mississippi state

131 utah
132 wyoming

133 kansas state
134 texas am

135 temple
136 central michigan

137 purdue
138 ohio state

139 tcu
140 colorado state

141 oklahoma state
142 missouri

143 tennessee u
144 georgia

145 arizona state
146 usc

147 ucla
148 oregon

149 toledo
150 michigan

151 notre dame
152 north carolina

153 arkansas
154 auburn

155 new mexico state
156 nevada

157 miami ohio
158 northern illinois

159 new mexico
160 byu

161 washington state
162 oregon state

163 arizona u
164 stanford

165 bowling green
166 akron

167 ohio
168 kent

169 rutgers
170 cincinnati u

171 nebraska
172 texas tech

173 colorado
174 kansas

175 penn state
176 wisconsin

177 central florida
178 miami florida

179 lsu
180 florida

181 utah state
182 san jose state

183 tulsa
184 smu

185 boise state
186 so mississippi

187 tulane
188 utep

189 air force
190 san diego state

191 idaho
192 fresno state

193 louisiana tech
194 hawaii

195 ball state
196 western kentucky

197 ul - monroe
198 arkansas state

199 middle tenn st
200 florida intl

201 ul - lafayette
202 north texas

 

[RJ Esq]

TVtanline re Pitt at USF from Thursday:

Check out the guy behind this douce

THAT'S WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU TRY AND STEAL THE "HOOK 'EM".

 

[RJ Esq]

Gameday:

 

[RJ Esq]

Kirk Ferentz spends himself in a worthy cause, Iowa loses again

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

Scroll down or click here to join the Doc's running live blog.
Michigan State 16, Iowa 13. Kirk Ferentz's job may or may not be hanging in the balance, but he's not scared. At least he's not coaching scared -- twice in the fourth quarter, his Hawkeyes passed on safe field goals inside the Michigan State 30 that would have pulled Iowa within a touchdown of the Spartans in one case and tied MSU with two minutes to play in the other. Of course, both decisions failed spectacularly: Darrell Johnson-Koulianos was tackled five yards short of the first down early in the quarter, preserving a 10-point Spartan lead, and following a short-field touchdown to pull within three, the otherwise outstanding Shonn Greene was hit for a two-yard loss on 4th-and-1 that effectively sealed the game.
Both of those plays -- especially the hit on Greene, who never had a chance -- are probably at least as much on execution breakdowns as bad play-calling. And if they're executed and work, obviously, Ferentz is a ballsy genius playing for the win, not an oblivious goat whose team is now 0-2 in Big Ten play. In principle, critics should probably recognize the fickle, arbitrary nature of victory and defeat, and that good decisions can still be good decisions according to the odds and circumstances, even with bad results.
In reality, Ferentz is keeping his eye that much closer on the trajectory of the Iowa City housing market. Such are the perils of daring greatly.

 

[RJ Esq]

Can Kansas State's secondary just call it a night?

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Scroll down or click here to join the Doc's game day live blog.
Not to alarm you, but this is the current halftime box score of Texas Tech's 38-14 lead at Kansas State:

That's what happens when you get off 54 plays in a half. The Raiders are on pace for 76 points, 834 yards, 46 first downs, ten touchdown passes by Graham Harrell and a record decibel level for boos directed at Ron Prince by the denizens of Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Yawn.
I mean, what's with all the penalties? What kind of ship is Mike Leach running down there?

 

[frankiegotti]

UVA- That game really troubled me this last weekend to cap, now I know why. I think the books needed this UVA team to have an outstanding performance to keep them honest so that UVA has reasonable spreads for the rest of the year, I will keep fading this UVA team along with North Texas, because they are soooo bad.

Ball State has really impressed me thus far this season, hopefully espn gameday dosen't do some kind of "insider" special on this team so that the public can still be left in the dark a little bit about this game.

-Against WKU, ball state should have there way with them, but then again I thought that about VT winning by 45 instead VT wins by a measly 14 points and when I checked out the stats it appears VT dominated.

-WKU really got all that they could handle yesterday and I expect ball state to win by 17-20 points, I'm looking for a line less than 10.

Fresno state looks good against Idaho as there appear to be big mismatches and coverages should be lacking against a bad Idaho team, but then again Fresno should of had it's way with Hawaii.

Penn State- If wisky thought that OSU's Qb was tough to stop, wait to Daryll Clark and the gang show up in town and have more weapons than Wisky has seen in the season up to this point. Wisky really has nothing on offense, anyone else load up on Ohio State yesterday? No but seriously Wisky has nobody that scares me on offense with the exception on P.J. Hill, which is an animal. With PSU's coverage and the dominance of there D-line, I would expect a line of somewhere around 7.5, with buying it down of course.

Texas Tech, Bo Bo Bo welcome to the big 12. I did not expect Nebraska to be that useless against Missouri maybe they really are that good? Texas Tech has more legitimate weapons then Missouri does, I think another route is in order, especially TT playing at home, where the turf keeps these boys fast and furious. I would be a buyer at anything 10 or less immediatley but I think something around 14.5-15 is more reasonable so we'll have to see what Ken and the boys give me to work with.

Oklahoma state over.....can either of these teams stop anyone? I would not be surprised to see an opener around 68. The winner of this game may need 45, with that in mind I'll be taking a small bite of the over.

Ohio State, if it's anything less than 7 I'll take a peice.....I'm a OSU homer, so this may more of a heart play then a mind play.

Kentucky, no way SC covers two weeks in a row, with that great LB corp that UK has. Also, SC has shown me the inability over the past few years of showing up week in and week out. Meanwhile I'm sure UK is getting very excited about this game as the big show is coming to town. Also, with so many threats I do not know why SC's defense has not been doing much. Is SC's defense 7 points better than Florida's?

UGA, there is no way that UGA dosen't show people that it belongs in the national title discussion. I think you can basically name your score here. Richt is going to be on his defensive guys all week long about keeping up the intensity and playing smart football. Plus with UT's QB situation, pressure might be the order of the day. I am not sure what line I'd take, but i think 14 sounds reasonable, if 20 or over, I may have to tease it as UT's defense will always keep them in games.

LSU, I am really interested to see the line in this one. I think that LSU's defense has not been as dominant as last years team but look at who they lost 1st rounder Dorsey, and others too I just don't feel like listing them, but there defensive line is still dominant. Florida's offense is overrated this year by a mile. They struggled with Arkansas in the 1st half, when I say struggled I mean they should of put up 28 to 31. Maybe defensive coaches are starting to figure out how to play Tebow and associates. I like the points in this game as I think, this game will be won in the trenches which is where LSU has a distinct advantage.

 

[E.T.G.]

Kentucky, no way SC covers two weeks in a row, with that great LB corp that UK has. Also, SC has shown me the inability over the past few years of showing up week in and week out. Meanwhile I'm sure UK is getting very excited about this game as the big show is coming to town. Also, with so many threats I do not know why SC's defense has not been doing much. Is SC's defense 7 points better than Florida's?

.

Going to have to disagree here, although depends on the line. That Ole Miss game was make-or-break for the rest of the yr. There will be a lot of confidence and momentum coming from that win. Had they lost, the season was going to end up as a lost cause. They can't go to UK now and lose, it will erase everything positive they did against Ole Miss.. UK DL is their suppose strength and the SC OL had a good game against a strong Ole Miss DL, I don't think I heard Hardy's name once. UK is off a close moral loss to Bama and they are a program that doesn't like SC much but its been about 8-9 years since they beat SC and I think that offense is very questionable. Now 6 games into the year, SC has not been outgained in a game yet.

 

[carolinablue]

Will get the discussion rolling with my projected lines. Nailed the majority of em last week, as I feel like I am starting to get a really good read on these as we get deeper into the season. With that said, I know I will be off on more than a handful, so feel free to rip em apart as you see fit. That is the beauty and joy in going first haha.


101 troy -4
102 florida atlantic

103 clemson -3.5
104 wake forest

105 uab
106 houston u -10.5

107 louisville -2.5
108 memphis

109 east carolina -7.5
110 virginia

111 syracuse
112 west virginia -17.5

113 iowa -6.5
114 indiana

115 minnesota
116 illinois -10.5

117 michigan state -4.5
118 northwestern

119 texas
120 oklahoma -3.5

121 eastern michigan -4.5
122 army

123 iowa state -2.5
124 baylor

125 south carolina
126 kentucky -3.5

127 western michigan -7.5
128 buffalo u

129 vanderbilt -8.5
130 mississippi state

131 utah -21
132 wyoming

133 kansas state -12.5
134 texas am

135 temple
136 central michigan -10.5

137 purdue
138 ohio state -15.5

139 tcu -15.5
140 colorado state

141 oklahoma state
142 missouri -17

143 tennessee u
144 georgia -14.5

145 arizona state
146 usc -18.5

147 ucla
148 oregon -9.5

149 toledo
150 michigan -12.5

151 notre dame
152 north carolina -3.5

153 arkansas
154 auburn -18

155 new mexico state
156 nevada -17.5

157 miami ohio
158 northern illinois -3.5

159 new mexico
160 byu -16.5

161 washington state
162 oregon state -24

163 arizona u -6.5
164 stanford

165 bowling green
166 akron -2.5

167 ohio
168 kent -6.5

169 rutgers
170 cincinnati u -2.5

171 nebraska
172 texas tech -17.5

173 colorado
174 kansas -8.5

175 penn state -6
176 wisconsin

177 central florida
178 miami florida -15.5

179 lsu
180 florida -3.5

181 utah state
182 san jose state -15.5

183 tulsa -31
184 smu

185 boise state -6.5
186 so mississippi

187 tulane
188 utep -1.5

189 air force -7.5
190 san diego state

191 idaho
192 fresno state -28

193 louisiana tech
194 hawaii -4.5

195 ball state -24.5
196 western kentucky

197 ul - monroe
198 arkansas state -8.5

199 middle tenn st -4.5
200 florida intl

201 ul - lafayette -18.5
202 north texas
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[carolinablue]

FG - Quick note about the Va Tech performance...


Va Tech was rolling against WKU as they were up something like 27-3 early in the 3rd, but then they shut it down and proceeded to sleepwalk through the rest of the game, especially after the injury occurred, so the final score is definitely deceiving in this one. I should know about sleepwalking through second halves, as 2 of my 4 losses this week were Va Tech and BYU.

 

[RJ Esq]

Sunday Hangover: Fool's Gold?

from The FanHouse - NCAAfootball
Filed under: Auburn, Vanderbilt, SEC

Here's a little something that'll jolt you awake like no morning coffee ever could: Vanderbilt is the final undefeated team in the SEC East.

In the mightiest division of the mightiest football league in all the land, a division which has produced national champions, No. 1-ranked teams and more hype than the iPhone, Michael Phelps and Tom Brady's protective boot combined, the top team belongs to the guy with the big head and the funny hat. And this time, it's not Steve Spurrier.

It's Mr. C. and Vanderbilt.

Go ahead, take a seat, kick your feet back and just let that settle over you like Beijing smog.

It's like the Green Party winning the White House, Pauly Shore brushing up on his Oscar speech or a story about the Redskins actually involving players wearing pants.

Sure, their 14-13 win over Auburn was artistic only in the way cubism is artistic, which is to say only if you're drunk and squinting, but it counts just the same.

And now Vanderbilt is 5-0 and leading the SEC East not in GPA, not in polysyllabic smack talk, but in real honest to God football.

It's history in more than one way. But is there a future follow?

Unfortunately the Commodores, unlike a Travis Henry paternity test, the results aren't all positive.

And the problems are so glaring Sarah Palin can probably see them from her house.

Think alarm bells like Shawn Kemp just showed up to pick up your daughter, or your 401(k) plan just invested in Lehman Brothers.

Heading into Saturday's game, the Commodores were averaging just 278 yards worth of offense. Two-hundred-seventy-eight. That's not a yards per game average, that's a four-round total for Tiger Woods. That's John Daly's cholesterol count.

And the Commodores aren't making up for it on the other side of the ball. Heading into Saturday's game against Auburn, the 'Dores were giving up 80 more yards per game than they were producing. That's a three-wood in the hands of the world's best golfers, an entire touchdown drive from the 20. It's the full length of Charlie Weis' ego.

It's far from elite offenses that are marching up and down on the Commodores. Entering Week 6, Vanderbilt's opponents ranked 94th, 79th, 31st, 49th and 90th in offensive yardage. The high-water 31 belongs to Rice, which managed exactly 10 points and 318 yards against Texas, a team with a secondary so young they probably still get carded trying to watch an R-rated movie.

In Week 1, Vanderbilt only out-gained Miami University (which is now 0-4 against FCS teams) by 20 yards. The Owls racked up 407 yards against 347 for Vanderbilt in Week 3, while Ole Miss dominated the 'Dores 385 to 202 yards in Week 4.

Sure, Vandy outgained Auburn 263 to 208 yards, but Tommy Tuberville's attempts to move the ball can be considered an offense only in the same way the Jonas Brothers and the Rolling Stones are both rock stars, which is to say only technically and in the most general sense.

And the Commodores aren't much more dynamic than the Tigers.

All-SEC receiver Earl Bennett is gone from last year's squad and so too is Vanderbilt's vertical passing game. Completing a 10-yard pass is a Texas Tech moment for Vanderbilt, which is the nation's fourth worst passing offense. The Commodores are completing less than 56 percent of their passes at an anemic 5.45 yards per attempt.

So far, Vanderbilt has had the luxury of playing ahead, and even though the Commodores fell behind 13-0 to Auburn, they still had plenty of time to execute their ground-heavy attack. But at some point in the SEC, the Commodores are going to be forced to throw the ball.

Even the way Vanderbilt uses its quarterback seems to suggest danger. Through the first four games, Chris Nickson was the team's second leading rusher, carrying the ball an average of 14 times per game. That's two more carries a game than Tim Tebow is averaging and two more carries than Vince Young managed with Texas in 2005. In fact, it's only one less carry than Reggie Bush averaged per game in his Heisman campaign. And it's a heck of a lot of hits to ask your signal caller to take, particularly one that's left two straight games with a shoulder injury.

Even if Nickson's health isn't an issue, history suggests Vanderbilt is headed for trouble. Before Saturday's game, the Commodores were 114th in total offense and 73rd in total defense. In the past 10 years, the number of teams with that type of profile that have put together a successful season is roughly equivalent to the number of BCS title Duke has won.

Last year, both Auburn and Virginia Tech finished with lackluster offensive profiles and wrapped up relatively successful seasons. Virginia Tech finished 100th in total offense, but paired a motionless offense with the nation's fifth-ranked defense. The Tigers were 97th in offensive yardage, but sixth in defense.

In 2003, Ohio State finished 11-2 with the nation's 93rd ranked offense, but the Buckeyes were 10th in defensive yardage allowed. Notre Dame finished 10-3 in 2002 against a soft schedule (and was pounded by N.C. State in the Gator Bowl) but still finished with the 13th-ranked defense.

In short, it takes a heck of a defense to overcome an offense like the one Vanderbilt is currently fielding.

So how has Vandy managed to turn a non-existent passing game, a subpar offense and a middling defense into a 5-0 record? Turnovers. Their defense may be giving up yards, but as a unit they're more opportunistic and predatory than payday lenders and Heather Mills combined. The 'Dores are No. 1 in the nation in turnover margin and they've done it the honest way, forcing 11 interceptions. The Commodores secondary has been truly impressive and is even more effective in the short field of the red zone, which might partially explain why Vanderbilt is only giving up 16 points per game despite giving up gobs of yardage.

But can that dominant turnover margin last? A season ago, the Commodores finished 73rd in the nation in turnover margin, losing the ball more often than they took it away. And Vanderbilt had to rebuild its front seven almost after losing Curtis Gatewood, Theo Horrocks, Gabe Hall, Jonathan Goff and Marcus Boggs.

The Commodores' secondary may be best-in-class in the SEC, but if Vandy loses the turnover battle in any game, it may have the kind of uphill climb Edmund Hillary might defer.

Of course, the good news for Vanderbilt is that it's almost certainly headed for its first bowl in a quarter century and, given that the Commodores will likely be favored in all but two of their remaining games, they could be headed to a 10-win season.

So stand up and cheer that one of college football's all-time underdogs is finally in the sun. Just don't bet the house it's going to continue.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

 

[E.T.G.]

amazing vandy keeps doing this

 

[RJ Esq]

Video: Texas at Colorado highlights

from Bevo Sports by Brian
Texas played their best defense in years as they knocked off their first conference opponent Colorado. Quarterback Colt McCoy wasn’t perfect but he was darn good and senior running back Chris Ogbonnaya had his best day as a Longhorn. Watch video highlights of the game from ESPN below:
There’s also some good but not embeddable highlights available from FSN to check out.

 

[RJ Esq]

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</td><td class="cc c">4:48 AM (2 hours ago)
Texas Tech Sunday Morning Notes - Real Tough After That Edition

from Double-T Nation by Seth C

​

via assets.espn.go.com​

Double-T Nation News:
So much information this morning. Here's my schedule: get up at 4:30 a.m. and start working on this morning's notes; post notes; post post-game quotes; work on report card; go to church; wife goes to the grocery store and I get 1 hour of quiet-time to work on grades and around the Big 12; post grades; post around the Big 12.
I'm not sure when all of this will take place, but it will happen today.

Texas Tech Football:
I'll start with LAJ's Don Williams editorial about how Texas Tech's victory may have silenced, at least for now, Texas Tech's critics. Here's Williams:

There was a time when opening conference play against Kansas State, Nebraska and Texas A&M would have been grounds for a call to the league office, raising cane about unfair treatment. That was the 1990s. Now it means, by coincidence, the Raiders open conference play with three straight weeks against programs in transition. Kansas State under a third-year coach is followed by Nebraska and Texas A&M under first-year coaches. Tech, which has been able to perfect a certain way of doing things over nine years, should demolish both.
​

Captain Leach says that a road win, in the Big 12, is a big win:

"A road win in the Big 12, that’s a big win," Leach said. "They’re all big, especially against a team that’s as explosive on offense as they are and as good on offense as they are. I thought our defense, once they got rolling - after we gave up the first two touchdowns - stayed in there and kept playing. I thought they were real tough after that."​

I say this every time Williams writes an editoriail, I wish he'd write more of them. Go read the whole thing.
Staying at the LAJ, Jon Garten looks at the tremendous game that Lyle Leong had. Here's Leach on Leong, previously in the Captain's doghouse:

"What he did to get in (the doghouse) is highly classified. It’s deeply guarded in the bowels of Texas Tech, and it’s guarded by the dogs that you saw on Harry Potter. OK?" Leach said after Texas Tech beat Kansas State 58-28 Saturday at Snyder Family Stadium. "As far as what he did to get out, just made plays. He just focused on being a great team guy and made plays."​

We may have to save this conversation for sometime later this week, but I don't think there's any doubt that Leong has supplanted Britton, but I'd like your opinions as to if you think Leong is better and why.
And last, but certainly not least, Williams looks at the record breaking day that Graham Harrell had. Here's Captain Leach on Harrell's performance:

"Why I think it’s the best game he’s played was he managed the unit better in this one than any of the others," Leach said. "He managed the unit, responded to things without ever getting rattled, improvised a few times when he had to and did a real good job staying within himself and just making routine plays."​

<center>

</center> ESPN Big 12 blogger Tim Griffin was also at the Texas Tech v. Kansas State game and filed a number of reports on the yesterday's game (check out his blog here). Griffin asks how good this Texas Tech team is, and here's Griffin on some of his observations:

The defense was just as strong, limiting KSU to 296 yards for their third-straight outing allowing opponents less than 300 yards. We still don't know much about this Tech team, which has won all of its games by at least 16 points, but still beaten five opponents with four combined victories over FBS teams after Saturday.
The schedule will get a little more difficult with games against Nebraska and a road trip to Texas A&M. But from there, a punishing stretch of games against ranked teams Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma will determine if the Red Raiders have legitimate hopes for their first Big 12 South title.
​

Griffin also takes a look at Graham Harrell's day, and Harrell sounded humble about the honor of being Texas Tech's all-time passing leader:

"It's a huge honor to be able to do this," Harrell said. "We've had a lot of great players come through that have helped me out. It comes with a lot of effort from a lot of different people."​

<center>

</center> I'm going to lump the other various game stories together, there's good news and notes in each of them. Good times.

• The always reliable FWST's Dwain Price:
  If this was the first true litmus test the Texas Tech Red Raiders faced this season, they passed with flying colors. Quarterback Graham Harrell tied a career high with six touchdown passes and ran for another score as the No. 7 Red Raiders pounded Kansas State 58-28 on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 43,614 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
  ​
• DMN's Brandon George:
  Texas Tech sophomore receiver Lyle Leong isn't in the doghouse anymore. Not after Saturday's performance. Leong, who was demoted to the scout team earlier this season because of an undisclosed reason, had three touchdown catches in a 58-28 win over Kansas State.
  Leong had one career start and one career touchdown before Saturday. He made his second consecutive start in place of Edward Britton and made the most of his opportunity.
  ​
• SAEN's Mike Finger:
  When Kansas State blitzed on Saturday, Texas Tech running back Baron Batch was more than willing to throw a block. But he couldn't protect his quarterback from everything. Even as Graham Harrell was orchestrating the seventh-ranked Red Raiders' 58-28 romp, a few vocal members of the Bill Snyder Family Stadium contingent were showering him with derisive chants of "System quarterback!"
  "One guy," Batch said, "was up there just giving it to him."
  Just not quite as badly as Harrell gave it to the Wildcats.
  ​
• Kansas City Star's Jeffrey Martin:
  The members of the band led the cheer. "Block that kick," they repeated, almost in unison. It didn’t matter that Kansas State was minutes away from a 58-28 home spanking by No. 7 Texas Tech going final. Nor did it matter that it was the first punt of the afternoon for the Red Raiders, who racked up a mind-boggling 626 yards and scored on all eight trips inside the Wildcats’ 20.
  The band members didn’t care at all that their voices, more so than roughly half of the announced 43,614 remaining in attendance Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, were louder, and in some cases, more off-key than everyone else.
  They wanted to see something positive.
  ​

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[RJ Esq]

Cedric Golden: Baylor's Griffin a handful as Sooners prep for real McCoy

By Cedric Golden
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, October 05, 2008
WACO — The oldest post office in Norman, Okla., is located on Main Street, right next to the police station.
From what I hear, there isn't a photo of Colt McCoy on its walls, but that doesn't mean the Texas quarterback won't be public enemy No. 1 leading up to Saturday's battle of unbeatens.
The Sooners must apprehend the Longhorns quarterback in Dallas or they will have a long day at the Cotton Bowl and a short reign as the nation's No. 1 team.
Oklahoma held its own against the elusive Robert Griffin on Saturday and that was a feat unto itself. Don't let the 49-17 margin fool you. Baylor's freshman quarterback was a handful for the Sooners. There were a couple of plays on which you could not help but notice No. 10 juking several tacklers to make sizable gains.
I know, a few thousand Texas fans just reflected back on a time when No. 10 was all the rage. When the Longhorns beat the Sooners and ended the USC dynasty and ...
Uh, sorry to cut short the flashback, Horns fan. With all due respect to Vince Young, this is no time to stop and re-smell those 2005 Roses, so get back to the present, where your prime concern should be the Sooners' 15th-ranked defense. That unit played with a fire and passion that was lacking at this time last year, when OU blew a 24-point second-half lead in a loss to Colorado.
There was little danger of history repeating itself at Floyd Casey Stadium, though Griffin did have his moments with 102 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns, a nice day's work against a defense that entered the game surrendering only 73 yards per game. Griffin ran 21 times, including a 36-yard second-quarter sprint that led to Baylor's first score. More important, the Bears, even in a sound defeat, did not commit a turnover.
Griffin set state records in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles at Copperas Cove High, but he wasn't even the fast guy in the stadium Saturday as Olympic 400-meter champion Jeremy Wariner made an appearance. Still, Griffin's much faster than McCoy, who won't figure to run 21 times against the Sooners.
The most impressive part of Griffin's day came at the end, when he walked off the field unscathed, making him the first quarterback in five games to face the Sooners and not get knocked out of the game.
Let's hope that healthy QB trend continues with McCoy, who will present a different set of problems for the Sooners, since he entered Saturday's game against Colorado with an 80 percent passing completion rate. Plus, he has much better receivers at his disposal than Griffin does.
McCoy has shown the ability to run the ball this season, but it will be easier to beat the Sooners with his arm than with his legs. Oklahoma corners Dominique Franks and Brian Jackson are quality cover men, but they will give up some receptions.
Griffin completed 11 of 26 passes, but his protection was average and he was more than willing to pull the ball down and run, a common trait among young quarterbacks.
McCoy will be more willing to hang in the pocket for those extra couple of seconds it sometimes takes for a wideout to break free. Whether that means big plays downfield for Texas receivers — or McCoy lying on his back trying to remember what day it is — remains to be seen.
"Everybody knows that Colt McCoy is a great quarterback,'' said OU defensive end Auston English. "I've seen a couple of their games, and he looks like he has gained some weight and some speed. He's having a good season, and we're looking forward to playing against them."
The target on McCoy's back will get even larger as game time approaches, and the same can be said of Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, who threw for 372 yards and a pair of touchdowns against an overmatched Baylor secondary.
The hype surrounding a big game usually revolves around the quarterbacks, and Texas has placed its hopes in the hands of McCoy, who is entirely capable of putting up solid passing numbers against the Sooners' secondary, assuming the offensive line holds up.
Keep him clean and the Longhorns have a chance to beat these Sooners, who are big, strong and fast, but far from invincible.
Put him in harm's way and you're looking at a second straight loss in Dallas and the possibility of the bottom falling out of Texas' season, with Missouri coming in on Oct. 18.
The Sooners won't say it, but to beat Texas means they'll need to put a ton of pressure on McCoy, from the first to the fourth, with no quarter given in between. To not have McCoy running for his life at the Cotton Bowl would be considered mailing it in by Boomer. It would be deemed unacceptable by coach Bob Stoops and would meet with disapproval in the city of Norman.
And it surely wouldn't fly at the post office.

 

[RJ Esq]

Line Predictions Week 7

from underdogsofwar.com by TheGarfather
I hope everyone did well today. I didn’t, but I saw it coming a mile away and was wise enough to get out of the way of the week 6 train and only made 5 small plays, so I was hardly committed at all. Alright Galt find my mistakes for me before these lines come out. You went 1-1 on your bad number calls, the Hoos won outright, but Colorado got destroyed.
Troy @ FAU Pick Em
Clemson -1 @ Wake Forest
UAB @ Houston -14
Louisville -6.5 @ Memphis
ECU -2.5 @ Virginia
Syracuse @ West Virginia-23.5
Iowa -7 @ Indiana
Minnesota @ Illinois -13.5 NC State
MSU @ Northwestern -1.5
Texas vs. Oklahoma -3.5
EMU @ Army -3 (have fun with these *** teams. I had them both black-listed and they each won outright as 3 TD dogs, but I don’t feel bad for passing on either, they are terrible.)
Iowa State @ Baylor -4.5 (tough to line, but situationally I think its good for the Bears)
South Carolina -5 @ Kentucky
WMU @ Buffalo -1
Vanderbilt -4 @ Mississippi State (these teams aren’t so disimilar, but the dogs self-destruct a lot more)
Utah -24.5 @ Wyoming (Cowboys are basically a MAC/WAC team at this juncture)
Kansas State -3 @ Texas A&M (could be too small, but Wildcats have to earn my respect still)
Temple @ CMU -10.5
Purdue @ Ohio State -27
TCU -10.5 @ Colorado State
Okie St @ Missouri -13 (this should be about 9 or 10 on a neutral field, right?)
Tennessee @ Georgia -12 (Northern Illinois too tough for you?)
Arizona State @ USC -24
UCLA @ Oregon -11.5 (should be about the same as Boise I think)
Toledo @ Michigan -16.5 (could be too small, but again, large fav status must be earned)
Notre Dame @ North Carolina -3.5 (these teams are awfully similar)
Arkansas @ Auburn -14
New Mex State @ Nevada -8.5
MiamiOH @ NIU -7.5
New Mex @ BYU -20
Washington St @ Oregon State -26
Arizona @ Stanford Pick Em (tempting to make AZ the chalk, but I’m not hearing it, might take the Cats, but not as a favorite)
Bowling Green -3.5 @ Akron
Ohio -1 @ Kent
Rutgers @ Cincinnati -9.5 (would like to take another stab at RU as a big dog, but not sure if this is the spot or not)
NU @ Texas Tech -20
Colorado @ Kansas -10
Penn State -4 @ Wiscy
UCF @ MiamiFL -15.5
LSU @ Florida -6
Utah State @ San Jose -10.5 (I might have made this too small)
Tulsa -21 @ SMU (the Golden Hurricane will be 13-0 and get a shitty Liberty Bowl bid, which is totally unfair as they could beat Boise, Utah, and BYU)
Boise -8 @ USM
Tulane @ UTEP -6 (its tempting to go bigger, but UTEP looked like shit just two weeks ago)
Air Force -10 @ San Diego State
Idaho @ Fresno State -28.5
La Tech @ Hawaii -12.5
Ball St -13.5 @ Western Kentucky
Monroe @ Arkansas State -10
MTSU @ FIU -3
ULL -10 @ North Texas

 

[RJ Esq]

Turnaround in trenches for USC

Hard work and bad memories of the Oregon State loss drive the Trojan linemen in a dominant performance against Oregon.
By David Wharton
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

October 5, 2008

No one outright questioned the manhood of the big guys who play along the USC offensive and defensive lines.

No one had to.

All week long, the guards and tackles and ends chewed over memories of walking off the field after being pushed around in an upset loss at Oregon State.

"It's a sickness you get in your gut," offensive guard Jeff Byers said. "It's the worst thing."

Saturday night was a different feeling altogether. At the heart of No. 9 USC's 44-10 victory over No. 23 Oregon was a concrete toughness at the line of scrimmage.

Consider the numbers.

The USC defense held Oregon, the top rushing team in the Pacific-10 Conference, to a meek 60 yards on the ground.

Or about 250 yards below the Ducks' average coming into the game.

The Trojans' offensive line paved the way for 155 rushing yards and, notwithstanding a particularly scary sack to quarterback Mark Sanchez, allowed passers enough time to throw for 443 yards and four touchdowns.

A big difference from that night in Corvallis.

"I thought all along that they were a talented football team," Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti said. "I think SC answered their wake-up call."

The turnaround began last week, during practices beset by unseasonably warm weather.

"It was hot," defensive end Kyle Moore said. "And we worked hard."

Coach Pete Carroll came away from the Oregon State loss believing that his linemen -- and the rest of the team -- had not handled the victory over Ohio State very well.

"We just weren't right," Carroll said of the Oregon State loss. "I'll be forever frustrated by it."

The antidote was simple: practice and more practice. The offensive linemen, in particular, focused on technique, staying low.

"We knew what we'd done wrong," center Kristofer O'Dowd said. "We really worked on our hands."

By Carroll's way of thinking, Oregon offered a considerable test. That powerful running game. A defensive line anchored by interior linemen each about 300 pounds.

Surely the Trojans conjured some schematic changes to open up the run game, adjustments that Carroll did not care to discuss afterward.

But, just as much, their victory was a testament to effort.

"I just think that sometimes you can talk about being good, but you still have to go out there and play," Byers said.

Not that USC dominated the whole way.

Oregon sprinted to a 10-3 lead with a bruising first possession and just enough defense to keep USC off-track.

The turnaround came in the second quarter when Sanchez began connecting on one long pass after another. The Trojans exploded for 24 points.

A decisive moment came when Oregon fumbled and USC was able to add seven more points with 16 seconds remaining before halftime.

"We knew we had them," O'Dowd said.

The good feelings continued into the second half as the USC running game gained momentum. Tailback Stafon Johnson broke loose for a 22-yard score. C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight contributed too.

And, after that first quarter, Oregon's run game pretty much went nowhere.

All of which added up to a good feeling for the Trojans in the trenches. "It was all smiles," Byers said.

A big difference from last week.

 

[RJ Esq]

Photos from Oregon-USC

from Behind The Ducks Beat - The Oregonian - OregonLive.com by The Oregonian

 

[B.A.R.]

Morning sexy

 

[RJ Esq]

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</td><td class="cc c">10:54 PM (8 hours ago)
Nebraska vs. Missouri Post Game Overreaction - The Show Must Go On

from Corn Nation by corn blight
You know the old phrase used in show business - "the show must go on"?

This is the line you say to a performer who's feeling badly about what's about to happen. They're feeling that something's wrong, there's something in the air, like facing a noose, or an electric chair.
"The Show Must Go On" is what you throw in their face to make them accept the inevitable - Yes, you're going to do this, and it doesn't matter how bad it is, you're going to do it anyway. It will feel like death, but it won't be. Now get out there, dammit, and fail and when you do remember what it feels like so you work harder and you don't let it happen again.
I know this because I've been on stage where I've failed miserably and felt the sting, and it's one of the shittiest feelings you can have. Anyone who's played a sport knows the feeling because God has a way of providing humility when he senses we need it to grow.
The good thing is that this feeling kills the souls of those who don't have what it takes to stand up week after week - those with no resolve. The bad thing is... well, that could be you or me.

And so here we are.
The Show Must Go On. We're not canceling the rest of this football season - because not playing isn't in Bo Pelini's profile or job description. It was in Bill Callahan's and Kevin Cosgrove's contracts but those guys are long gone and they got paid very well for FAIL.

The show continues:

- This was a worse ass-kicking than last year's 41-6 loss in Columbia. It was worse because it happened at home, and it was worse because we expected more. In two seasons, Missouri 93, Nebraska 23.

- If you read the series on the spread offense I did with Beergut, you had to realize that we didn't have the athletes to stop Missouri's offense. You knew, as I did, the only way to win this game was to run the ball successfully. We had SEVEN yards at half time. SEVEN. Granted some losses when Ganz didn't just throw the ball away, but SEVEN yards???? Man that stings.

- Missouri may be one of the best offenses in the history of college football. Chase Daniel may be one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. I'm not kidding. The man is so efficient, the offense so crisp and explosive. What do you think, I'm wrong?

- We're still looking for players, guys that want to play football. It's clear from this game that there's plenty of guys who are experienced who still don't understand the defense.

- The offensive line remains a great disappointment. I'm shocked by their inability to run block. Bill Callahan or someone else really effed up their brains and I'm not kidding by that comment.

- I'm still here, and I'm always going to be here because I'm that dumbass who believes the line:

"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory"
Or when we sing:

There is no place like Nebraska,
Where they're all true blue.
We'll all stick together,
In all kinds of weather,
For dear old Nebraska U!

Romantic to the point of stupidity?

Yeah. ....

But that's what love is.






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[RJ Esq]

Morning sexy

What's up, dude. Feel like ass this morning but less than last weekend. Feel half-ass.

Nice day for you yesterday and Texas bailed me out.

Can you believe Maryland getting shut out by UVA? WTF?

 

[RJ Esq]

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</td><td class="cc c">10:50 PM (8 hours ago)
Bruins Take Care Of Cougars ... Methodically

from Bruins Nation by Nestor
Going into tonight's game we were a little worried. This was the kind of game we have seen Bruin teams under previous regimes drop time after time.
This is kind of game we have seen Bruins come out in previous years and choke away, taking their opponents lightly, showing any kind of focus or killer instincts.
Instead tonight the Bruins came out with a purpose and took care of business. They started a little out of sync on offense and were having trouble tackling early in the game on defense. But they settled down and under Craft's leadership methodically sliced up the Cougars with help from Austin, Bell, Embree, Moline and Moya:

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Lewis (via ESPN)
Bruins take apart the Cougars by a score of 28-3 (boxscore). The final score was not indicative of how Bruins controlled the game as Cougars piled on a TD in garbage time and Bruins had CForce mopping late in the fourth quarter.
No doubt Bruins took a step forward tonight but still there is lot of room for improvement as they head into Oregon for a very difficult road game. We will have more thoughts on the game tomorrow and early next week.
For now ... enjoy a steady Bruin win featured by an efficient and enjoyable offensive performance we haven't seen in years. Let's hope the Bruins build on it to improve some more this upcoming game week ...methodically of course.
Oh and the Blue Crew just took care of the Cubbies at the Chavez Ravine officially making this a True Blue weekend in LA.
Thread it up in our post game victory thread.






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[RJ Esq]

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</td><td class="cc c">10:29 PM (8 hours ago)
Missouri Post-Game Reaction: Trying Hard Not to Be Sick

from Big Red Network
When I woke up this morning, I honestly believed Nebraska would win today against Missouri. I had that confident feeling all day. Once the game started, it lasted for almost one quarter. The 52-17 defeat in Lincoln made two things abundantly clear. First, Missouri is exactly as they were advertised to be. Second, Nebraska has the capacity to play very, very poorly no matter how many catchy Bo-related slogans fans come up with. The first realization is a testament to MU, who is a legit conference title contender. The second is enough to make me absolutely sick.
Credit to the Opponent
Missouri has an excellent football team. Chase Daniel deserves the Heisman hype. Maclin is a playmaker. Coffman is a clutch player. They can run the ball effectively. Most importantly, they execute at a very high level. They look almost seamless on offense. I give them all the credit in the world for being exactly what people thought they were.
By the way, that still includes a somewhat leaky pass defense. Why in the world NU wasn't more aggressive throwing I won't know. But, that's on NU. Missouri's defense played just fine, thanks. They really only gave up 10 meaningful points. That's just a fact. Nebraska is far from Oklahoma on offense. But, the Tigers were not playing Oklahoma.
Now...the Ugly Part
There's my take about Missouri. This is a Nebraska site. So I'm going to write about Nebraska now. This won't be pretty.
I am not quite sure what is worse - the fact that I honestly thought NU had a chance to win and ended up getting completely routed, or the fact that NU played about as poorly as they possibly could have tonight. I gave credit to Missouri because it is due. But, the Tigers are not THAT good. Are they? NU played like absolute garbage tonight. To beat the Tigers, they would have had to be as close to perfect as they could. They were the opposite. Here are the specifics.
- Penalties. Are you kidding me? Collecting fourteen penalties for 101 yards is almost surreal. The game was played at home for Pete's sake. Sure, there were two kind of questionable calls early. But seriously, false starts, off sides, holding - those are absolutely self-inflicted wounds that kill games. Sorry folks, if you show me a heavily penalized team I'll show you a poorly coached team. That is unacceptable.
- Turnovers. The Huskers were negative 2 in turnovers. The pick 6 in the 2nd quarter was a back breaker. The defense didn't create even the opportunity and hope for a takeaway. To beat MU, the Husker would have to have gone +2, at least.
- Offensive game plan and player personnel. Okay, seriously, I have no idea what we're looking at here. I get that everybody (myself included) WANTS the Huskers to be a running team. I get that. News flash - they're not. They aren't Tom Osborne's Huskers, or even Frank Solich's Huskers. Offensively we aren't even close to Bill Callahan's 2005 Huskers. Nebraska has the personnel to throw the ball. When it is done well, it can set up the run game and make the run game more effective. Nebraska had success against MU through the air early. But, almost stubbornly, the kept trying to go back to the run.
- I have no clue what is going on with the I-backs. What is the infatuation with Quentin Castille. I get that he is this physical specimen. But, he's "all bus team." The kid left his feet unnecessarily three different times. And, he put the ball on the ground. That should be the end of that.
- Find five offensive lineman who can play hard and play together, and go from there. We have 10 guys who supposedly can play. Five need to get established, quickly. Then, they sort out the backups. The musical chairs they have going now only complicates things. And, our center and guard play was poor tonight.
- Joe Ganz' touchdown-to-interception ratio stands at 7 to 4. That won't cut it in the very tough Big 12. I love the guy. I really do. He's gutsy as hell and plays very hard. But, that's kind of the problem. He's trying so hard to make every play and hold the ball so dang long it leads to negative things like sacks and forced throws.
- Finding something positive to say....Nate Swift and Todd Peterson deserve credit for being hard working playmakers on offense tonight. They brought their ability and made every play they could. Too bad they were pretty much alone in that.
- Defensively, I don't know what to think, either. Part of me knows that NU ran in to an absolute buzz saw tonight. Wow, the Tigers are sharp. But, physically, NU isn't getting it done either. Missed tackles lead to touchdowns against spread teams. End of story. And, our safeties are about as far from the "Mike Brown ideal" as the possibly can be right now. It's pretty disheartening.
- The game plan that Ekeler was so jacked up about? Basically, the Pelini brothers threw every gimmick set at MU that they could in the first half, and the Tigers just danced on by. That's the mark of a great team. They just do what they do, and do it so damn well you can't stop it. As my friend Steve says...NU has a very long way to go this season. And, much further to go before they resemble the kind of team that rocked them tonight.
It's enough to make a guy sick. Nebraska needs to get better quickly to prevent that same ill feeling from developing around their season.






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[RJ Esq]

USC's Mitch Mustain has brief, uneven performance

from L.A. Times - USC Trojans
The quarterback, promoted to the No. 2 spot, throws a pass for an interception a few plays into his appearance after Mark Sanchez went out. He later connects for a touchdown covering 59 yards.

Mitch Mustain was elevated to the No. 2 quarterback for Saturday's game, and the sophomore transfer from Arkansas had his ups and downs in a brief appearance.

 

[RJ Esq]

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle">Instant Analysis: Connecticut-North Carolina </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 Oct 4, 2008
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The Butch Davis renewal project in North Carolina received a big boost Saturday night when the Tar Heel coach was aided and informed by other members of his staff.
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The play that turned momentum squarely in UNC’s favor, on a night when the shorthanded Huskies felt the loss of starting quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, came not from any Tar Heel player, but from the North Carolina braintrust. Connecticut, bearing an unblemished record and a top-25 national ranking, was trying to climb back into contention down 10-3 midway through the second quarter in Kenan Stadium. On a 3rd and 19 from their own 5, the Huskies gained 18 yards, but a procedure penalty gave Carolina the option of forcing UConn into a 3rd and 22 from the 2. While Davis did have his opponent in a 4th and 1 situation—which, given the field position, would have likely caused a punt—the smart play would have been to force the 3rd and 22, because it offered his defense an opportunity to pin the Huskies deep.

Davis initially accepted the result of the play, but after a few moments of confusion, someone on the UNC staff evidently intervened. Just before UConn’s 4th and 1 play (from its own 23) was set to commence, North Carolina called timeout to rethink its decision. Davis’s actions on the sideline suggested that a miscommunication might have occurred between game officials and the captains on the Tar Heels’ defensive unit. At any rate, however, the break in play enabled everyone in Carolina blue to get their heads straight and accept the penalty. After UConn gained a modest four yards, the Tar Heels were able to force a punt from the Husky 6, which represented a 17-yard gain in field position compared to the spot of the 4th and 1 play that almost came to be.

Sure enough, UConn’s subsequent punt was blocked by Carolina linebacker Bruce Carter, and in an instant, what had been a tight game became a 17-3 affair. Given UConn’s lack of a potent passing game in the absence of Lorenzen, Randy Edsall’s team lost its last best chance for a comeback right then and there. When the Huskies could only manage a disappointing field goal on a red-zone trip early in the third quarter, the Tar Heels—still in command with a 17-6 advantage—sensed a dip in energy from their Big East adversary, and proceeded to pounce with a pair of touchdowns that occurred less than two minutes apart.

Yes, a final and forceful flurry floored Connecticut in the midway stages of the third stanza, but the key sequence for Carolina came on a telltale timeout from an alert coaching staff one quarter earlier. Without vigilance from the press box and the sideline, this blowout win could have been competitive until the final stages of the fourth quarter. As it is, though, a good year of football in Chapel Hill just got a whole lot better. Butch Davis has done some fine work on his own in 2008; Saturday evening, his assistants had his back, and it made life that much easier for one of college football’s difference-making coaches.
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[carolinablue]

What's up, dude. Feel like ass this morning but less than last weekend. Feel half-ass.

Nice day for you yesterday and Texas bailed me out.

Can you believe Maryland getting shut out by UVA? WTF?

The Maryland play was probably my worst call of the last 5 years. I can't remember the last time I was more wrong on a play....Fresno was a close second though, as I completely missed that one big time as well.

 

[RJ Esq]

<table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3" class="storytitle">Instant Analysis: Auburn-Vanderbilt </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 Oct 4, 2008
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Pinch yourself. Rub your eyes. It won’t matter. If you thought that hell would freeze over before Vanderbilt became the center of the college football universe, you must have needed a parka on Saturday in Nashville. On a day when a sport’s longtime punching bag finally entered the ring in a heavyweight fight, Bobby Johnson’s boys didn’t flinch.
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College football has seen many improbable events in its 139-year history. Ultimate upsets and supreme surprises are part and parcel of this eternally unpredictable sport. With that being said, the notion that Vanderbilt could host a big game and win it flew right in the face of every logical inclination. For decades, the Commodores have been the doormat of the SEC, a program that many thought should not belong in America’s most cutthroat conference. The idea that the downtrodden Dores—the Charlie Brown who would always have a Lucy named Arkansas, Kentucky or Tennessee pull the football away at the last moment—could conquer a program with Auburn’s pedigree and stature defied the laws of common sense.

It was enough of a shock that Vanderbilt even got to this point, establishing a 4-0 record and gaining an early lead in the SEC East with a 2-0 conference mark. But for the Dores to then play a game matching two top-25 teams—arguably the biggest of the week in FBS competition—ranked as an even more improbable occurrence. For a school that hasn’t tasted a winning season or a bowl berth since 1982, the lessons of history—absorbed and digested with considerable mental agility at the SEC’s most distinguished academic institution—suggested that Vanderbilt doesn’t win games against No. 13 Auburn with the whole college football world riveted to the action. It would have been too much for the imagination to possibly comprehend.

A lot of cranial nerves and synaptic fibers are on overload, then, for The Team that Fortune Forgot not only excelled enough to reach its rare dance with prime-time destiny; when given their dream date against a sexy SEC stalwart from the plains of Alabama, Vanderbilt—yes, Vanderbilt—stood in the arena, traded punches for 60 minutes, largely carried the play, and won on the scoreboard. It might have been an ugly 14-13 win from a purely aesthetic standpoint, but that one point—protected for the game’s final 22 minutes by a heroic effort from the Dores’ death-defying defense—carries more mileage than foreigners to Vandy football can possibly imagine.

In 2003, Vanderbilt experienced the official disbanding of its athletic department, which was folded into the realm of “student life” under the oversight of President E. Gordon Gee, who once led Ohio State University. When Mr. Gee reshuffled the deck at Vanderbilt, many thought that the Commodore program would cease to be competitive in big-ticket sports. It was considered anything but loony to think that Vanderbilt football’s already-lengthy history of losses would continue throughout this decade, with no signs of stopping. The fact that the Dores nearly registered a .500 season or better in both 2005 and 2007 (finishing 5-6 and 5-7, respectively) was both a miracle and a punch in the gut for a program that had gone so far under Bobby Johnson, yet had very little to show for all its improvements.

Outsiders can’t begin to really understand how much one winning season, one bowl bid, will mean to the entire Vanderbilt family. With a whole campus community in the national spotlight against Tommy Tuberville’s tough and tested Tigers, a familiar mixture of high hopes and even higher anxieties coursed through the veins of any Commodore commoner. Not in the past quarter century had a Vanderbilt team received such deliciously positive publicity; but with that benefit came its dark underside, namely, the chance to flop in the limelight and send a season crashing down to the rubble of reality.

Safe to say, Vandy had a lot riding on this one football game, for every possible reason. And when Auburn thoroughly manhandled the boys in black in the game’s first quarter, bolting to an easy 13-0 lead, the stage fright factor seemed ready to slam these Dores into submission.

That moment of surrender, though, never came, and that’s what marked the biggest difference in the new-look Vanderbilt football program on a night when Auburn felt an exquisite kind of agony. A Commodore club that, on the surface, doesn’t look extraordinarily different from its 2007 incarnation has found mental magic by passing a crash course in confidence. Whereas past Vandy teams have vexed their fans by doing everything but winning against far superior opposition, the 2008 edition of the Dores have found a way to pull furious fistfights out of the fire with unerring regularity. Saturday night, before an adoring home crowd, college football’s ultimate underdogs showed the nation why they’re turning logic on its head in Nashville.

With the poise of a veteran team used to the rigors and rhythms of an SEC season, the Commodores withstood Auburn’s onslaught in the game’s early stages, and pounced on their one opportunity to steal a touchdown before halftime. In the mold of a winner, Bobby Johnson’s boys managed to stay close despite being thoroughly dominated. Then, at halftime, this relentless roster regrouped and began to take the fight to the shellshocked Tigers, who couldn’t sustain their first-quarter surge.

When you think about the trajectory of this contest, it can be fairly and accurately said that Vandy played a gridiron equivalent of rope-a-dope against Auburn, in a display that would have made Muhammad Ali proud. Auburn used all its punches and landed all its blows early, but Vandy—able to avoid being knocked to the canvas—outlasted its opponent as the game wore on, delivering almost all the physical punishment in the game’s dying moments.

From the left and the right in the growing Tennessee night, Vandy’s defense—twice forced to withstand an Auburn march that crossed the Dores’ 45 in the second half—managed to defend its end of the field with remarkable resolve. An array of blitzes featuring cornerback Myron Lewis, plus pressure from a front seven led by linebacker Patrick Benoist, managed to harass Auburn’s two quarterbacks—Chris Todd and Kodi Burns—precisely when the Tigers were just one first down away from field-goal range in a one-point game. In a number of moments when Vandy stood on the precipice of defeat, its defense—whose four interceptions keyed a win over Ole Miss two weeks ago—matched the magnitude of the moment once again. And when Lewis dropped back in coverage to pick off one final Auburn pass with just 2:07 left in regulation, the Tigers—lacking any timeouts—were powerless to prevent the unthinkable from turning into a remarkable reshaping of reality: Vandy, lil’ ol’ Vandy, had conquered a signature SEC school to move to 5-0, 3-0 in the SEC East. The team that could never win statement games such as this one has now crossed the threshold after staring down the kind of adversity that defeated luckless Vanderbilt teams of the past.

Try to suspend belief. Try to tell yourself it’s a dream. It won’t matter.

The rise from the ashes is as real as the guts and grit of a team transformed: Vanderbilt has beaten one of the big boys in the SEC to stand atop the league one week into October. The “V” on the helmet of every Vanderbilt player can finally stand for “victory.”
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[RJ Esq]

Birth of the cool

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

Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 17. Make no mistake: Ohio State is still Beanie Wells' team. There's no way to calculate what No. 28's presence would have meant in the Coliseum last month, if anything, but for a clue, see what it meant tonight in the Buckeyes' most critical Big Ten game of the season: Wells ran 22 times for 168 yards, turned in by far the biggest play of the game on an early 54-yard touchdown and paced Ohio State as expected. There was no hint of the foot injury, and OSU's not back in the Big Ten race without him or the defense. When it came down to the clutch, though, 6:30 left and suddenly down four, the Buckeyes turned not to their Herculean star but a true freshman on his first road start, and Terrelle Pryor was the Ice Man with the game on the line. Or at least the Ice Kid: he hit Brian Hartline for 19 yards to convert a critical third down, then for 27 yards from a 2nd-and-15 hole, and looped in a prayer to Ray Small for another big gain on another second-and-long. He converted the subsequent 3rd-and-1 himself, then galloped into the end zone for the winning touchdown, no sweat. Pryor handled the ball on eight of twelve plays on the winning drive, accounted for 68 yards and looked like he didn't think twice about it. He's supposed to be the next Vince Young, but it took Young almost three full years to look as composed as Pryor did in a critical game, on the road. If nothing else, he goes from here as a fully for-real quarterback, and not some desperate novelty who's just good at running around out of the shotgun -- not that there's anything wrong with that, in a pinch. It did provide the winning points.
Wisconsin is 0-2 in the Big Ten, and it's the heartbreaking kind of 0-2, the we're-right-there 0-2 that eliminates you from consideration for anything serious even though the two losses together only proved that the Badgers are nearly identically as good as Michigan and Ohio State. Only without the ambition for the rest of the season. I'm sure the Outback Bowl or whatever they're calling the Citrus Bowl these days will be glad to welcome back their northern neighbors, for the fifth year in a row.
- - -
Photo of Pryor via the Associated Press.

 

[RJ Esq]

<table class="card"><tbody class="card-tbody"><tr><td class="cc c">Joe Retired A While Ago

from Boiled Sports by J Money

I sure could use a nap.
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[RJ Esq]

Noles Thankfully Beat Miami 41-39

from ScalpEm.com by NoleCC
By Bill Kristoph
Call it weird, call it crazy, but FSU finally took one from the Canes, after playing a second half that was as bad at times, as the first half was good. FSU hung on, and I mean hung on, because if that game had gone any longer they might not have. Another thing to be thankful for? Christian Ponder’s legs, since his arm wasn’t all that great. Ponder was a pretty bad 14-31 for 159 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs, but his legs made up for it, with a ton of 3rd and long runs for 1st down. He finished with 144 on 19 carries. Better than Antone Smith.
Those of you that are crowning him as something special: I’ve seen half of it, but I’m still not impressed with his throws. Yes, it can and hopefully will improve, but we also thought that about a lot of other QBs in FSU’s past. But, as I’ve said in defense of Drew Weatherford before, a win is a win, and Ponder now has a win against Miami. Kudos to Antone Smith, who sniffed out the end zone 4 different times too, that’s exactly what FSU needs.
Boo to the 2nd half defense and special teams. Hello? Anybody home? Botched punts, blown coverages. It was tough to watch Miami get back into the game so quickly. Heck even Ponder coughed up one of those INTs in a really bad spot for FSU. Miami is a decent team that’s young. They’ll get better as the year goes on, so FSU needs to step it up a notch if they want to continue winning ball games. The Canes aren’t the class of the ACC by any means.
I must admit that it was nice to see the game being played somewhere other than the Orange Bowl. Now it’s generic endzones and Dolphin blue and orange (Hmm… I wonder if the Canes mind playing in Gatorish colors at home?), and I love it. The demons for FSU were hanging around the new place, but evidently they couldn’t get in to finish the job. And, go figure, the stadium wasn’t full. Way to go ‘Canes fans! Thankfully FSU won, and Seminole fans get to smile a bit on Monday morning at work.
Go ‘Noles >>>——|>

 

[RJ Esq]

No alarms: Vandy over Auburn was exactly what it looked like

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

Scroll down or click here to join the Doc's game day live blog.
Vanderbilt 14, Auburn 13. What should make this win most satisfying for Vanderbilt is that it did it being itself: slow starting but ultimately strong on defense, occasionally stifling in the pass rush, just good enough on offense to take advantage of its opportunities -- the Commodores' first offensive touchdown was only a 30-yard drive after a good punt return -- and, despite a pair of missed field goals, just a hair better on special teams. It wasn't "opportunistic" this time; Auburn didn't the ball over until its final possession, throwing out of its own end zone after the Vandy punt team left the Tigers with 97 yards to go, and the Commodores handed AU an early touchdown immediately following an interception. It was mainly just consistent, solid defense, worthy of an SEC contender.
The flip side of that is that Auburn was itself, too, offensively: protection breakdowns, receivers who can't challenge defenses downfield and a revolving door of ineffectual quarterbacks who couldn't get the ball there if the hypothetical playmakers did exist. The Tigers gained three first downs in the second half and punted on every possession; their "gangbusters" first quarter consisted of two touchdown drives that started in Vandy territory (49 and 27 yards, respectively) and a turnover on downs inside the Vandy ten. This sounds exactly like last week's deadening punt-fest against Tennessee, and exactly like the 3-2 anti-classic against Mississippi State three weeks ago.
We're rapidly coming to midseason, and an official verdict on the Tigers' spread revolution, where five offensive touchdowns in four conference games is a strong indictment. Ben Tate went over 100 yards on 27 carries, but when it came to a crucial 4th-and-1 in the fourth quarter, AU stayed spread out, in the shotgun, and ran a long-developing sweep of all things, across the formation. Tate picked up the first down on that play, barely, by out-sprinting a Vandy DB to the sideline, but the Tigers still wound up going backwards on the drive. The bigger point -- and I expect to hear plenty of this in the coming week -- is that whatever larger identity the offense is trying to establish out of four and five-receiver sets, it seems built for exactly the opposite.

 

[RJ Esq]

Big Win in the Big House

from Illinitalk by Chief
We needed this one today, seeing as how we still have to play at Wisconsin. And as I write this, the Badgers are giving Ohio State all they can handle in Madison.

Anyway, I hope to write more later but my initial observations:

1. Juice is awesome. He's putting the offense and the team on his shoulders. The 50-yard run was the dagger and showed why he's probably going to be in contention for the Heisman next season.

2. The defense is driving me crazy. I thought at the beginning of the year our D-line was supposed to be top notch. They've shown themselves to be anything but. Can someone explain this to me? And this says nothing of the secondary. It's going to be a long game in Camp Randall in a couple weeks if these guys don't figure out how to cover the deep ball.

3. The TV coverage drove me nuts. I lost count at how many times the announcers threw out excuses for Michigan's poor play. It seemed to me that it took until Illinois finally put the game away for them to start giving Illinois the props we deserve. And could they have cut away to anymore shots of Coach Rich?

4. Which leads me to: From what I observed from his demeanor on the sideline, he's the perfect fit for the Wolverines in the tradition of previous coaches: always seems angry.

 

[RJ Esq]

Managing Expectations

from Boilermaker football blog by T-Mill
I breathed this afternoon. I had a wonderful impromptu roundtable with Tim, J Money, and Boilerdowd of Boiled Sports at halftime. I spent time with my parents after the game. I even managed a nice, relaxing trip to Harry’s with my old roommate for a Long Island. The elderly couple from Penn State thought I was losing it during the game, but in reality, as my wife will say, I was actually quite calm all day.

The general theme was one of this: It wasn’t as bad as we thought, but it was more painful because of that. At minimum, we left 7 points on the field. That tells me we could have been in the game right at the end if not for correctable mistakes. That is what makes matters more frustrating. We had a chance, and we blew it.

Now, as if things were not fun enough, we have a genuine quarterback controversy on our hands. Do we go into Columbus and the rest of the season with Painter hoping that he was scared into playing well, or do we scrap that and give Elliott a chance. There is still a chance to get something out of this season. Indiana and Iowa are not playing well, while Minnesota, Northwestern, and even Michigan at home are games we have a realistic chance of winning. It is a case of “managing expectations”, but at this point we need as many positives as possible.

Positives from the Penn State game:

Kory Sheets – I must give credit where credit is due in terms of the coaching staff. We faced a good run defense and avoided our tendency to completely abandon the running game. Kory made some tough yards today. He also had a couple of impressive runs. I can’t forget to mention that he set the new rushing touchdown standard at Purdue with 40 scores on the ground, a feat that will likely take awhile to top. Considering how much trouble we had getting any rushing room, 59 yards and a score is good. Normally it would be something like 15 yards in games like this.

Curtis Painter (rushing edition) – When he ran the ball, he was the Curtis Painter we need. He willed us to a couple of 4th and short conversions early. These were key, as we played the first 20 minutes exactly how we needed to play them to have any chance to win. His rushing ability early on made Penn State at least think about something else for awhile, which is something we sorely need to do more of.

DeVarro Greaves – I pray he is an answer at linebacker. Once Joe Holland went out I thought we were in even more trouble at the position. Greaves only had two tackles, but they came on two very nice plays. He was one of the few players we had today that showed an interested at putting pressure on the quarterback. If the kid can play let’s keep him in there.

Torri Williams – At this point, he is clearly our best player in the secondary. Now we need him to stay healthy and become a leader of our defense. He is one of the few guys we have that is not afraid to hit someone. He also actually plays the ball in the air. His near interception could have been a huge boost.

4th down offense – Early on we were moving the ball down the field and keeping it out of Penn State’s fans. Critical in doing this was our conversion rate on fourth down. We didn’t even think about going for it on all three attempts, and we got all three.

The turf -- I forgot to mention this in the original incarnation of this article, but the turf ended up being our best player on defense today. I'm not sure why we had no issues, yet Penn State looked like it was playing on a slip n' slide. It saved us at least four points with a slip near the goal line in the fourth quarter.

Negatives from the Penn State game:

Chris Summers – We left at least seven points on the field on a day where our defense actually played marginally well. Those seven points were left on the right foot of Chris Summers. I have long been a supporter of Chris. He’s a good kid that plays a position with an enormous amount of pressure. That being said, something is obviously not right at the moment. Both first half misses were huge in that they deflated the momentum at a moment where it was in our favor. The missed extra point broke a school-record length of makes that sealed probably his worst day as a player for Purdue. He even struggled in punting. The boos he received were a bit much, but Chris needs to get things back on track quickly.

Substitution issues – It’s like the coaching issues I talked about all week were manifested in this next area. At times it looked like a circus out there as we were trying to get players on and off the field in the second half. We didn’t even know what was going on and who needed to be out there. How can this happen? If you can’t even figure out who is supposed to be on the field how can you expect to compete. This was simply absurd.

Curtis Painter (passing edition) – The interception was brutal. I don’t think you can even blame it on a bad route. A fifth year quarterback simply shouldn’t make that throw. The reason I am leaning toward giving Elliott the start in Columbus next week is because he actually is mobile in the pocket and scans the field for different receivers. I can see if from my seats in section 128. Elliott’s head moves, while Painter’s does not. The gentleman that sits behind me summed it up best when Elliott replaced him. “Curtis Painter has cost himself a lot of money this year.” His fumble of snap was critical too, as a first down on that play and eventual touchdown changes the whole dynamic of the game.

Elliott’s throw to Tardy on 4th and 10 late in the game was better than any throw Painter ahs made all year. That alone makes me wonder if it might be time for a change.

The crowd – It seemed like the crowd was never in it today. This was even after we played a great first quarter to give them a reason to get behind the team. It was the most dead I have seen a crowd at Ross-Ade since Colletto roamed the sidelines. It’s almost like we have already given up. I know I ripped this team last week, and rightfully so. Still, I haven’t given up on this team. I still give it everything I have, but today the crowd was resigned to a loss even when it looked like we had a chance at winning. We’re playing the #6 team in the country. Scream your heads off and make them feel like they earned it!

Final Thoughts:

I will give a ton of credit to Penn State. They played a mistake free ballgame. They weren’t overwhelming, but there was little doubt on the day in who was the better team. I won’t even say they survived the game. It was a business-like win that very good teams need on the way to championships. Their fans were very respectful as always. I welcome them to Ross-Ade anytime.

As for us, we are obviously at a crossroads. Only the deluded would give us a chance at winning in Columbus next week. That would put us at 2-4 at the halfway point of the season unless the long lost Spoilermakers can make an unexpected appearance. If the Big ten is fortunate enough to get two teams into the BCS there is a strong chance we can snag one of the eight bowl spots available at 6-6, meaning a 4-2 finish in necessary. I think we can officially count Indiana out from the bowl prospects at this point. Iowa is close to being counted out as well. This leaves eight spots (again, in the two BCS scenario) for nine teams.

Northwestern or Minnesota will be available for one spot simply because each has five wins and they still play each other. We can beat both, and we have to in order to have any chances. Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State are probably safe at this point as well. That’s five spots already spoken for. That leaves us fighting with Michigan, Illinois, and the Minnesota-Northwestern loser. We might be fighting for the Motor City Bowl again, but at this point I will take it.

There were more positives this week than last week. I am encouraged that we at least had a chance against a top 10 team. The defense wasn’t great, but it wasn’t totally awful. Penn State didn’t march up and down the field at will. We’re not a good team though. It is simply the weakness of our remaining schedule and the Big Ten conference as a whole that gives me hope we might still play in December.

The first thing is that we cannot lose any of our remaining home games. We have to have those three under any circumstance. We also must at least split between Iowa and Northwestern. I think most Purdue fans would agree that a 6-6 season looks pretty good at this point.

But how do we get there? Painter and Summers, two players in the most high stress roles, have to be feeling the heat. Tiller even went as far as to say that Carson Wiggs will now be kicking. Summers still must improve on his punting responsibility. Painter has no margin for error in his own role. I honestly don’t know what needs to be done at this point. We have a myriad of issues and I am not in any position to fix them. All I can do is continue to support this team regardless. I still believe, but it won’t just happen. We have to go out and do it.

 

[RJ Esq]

Nick Saban's list of unacceptable flaws in Alabama's 17-14 win over previously undefeated Kentucky

from Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports by Matt Hinton
Scroll down or click here to join the Doc's game day live blog. Alabama survived a second half comeback effort by Kentucky, but the victory was hardly the perfection Nick Saban demands. Take a look at some of the things that drove the Tide boss to near-inconsolable fury as his team stretched its record to 6-0:

 

[RJ Esq]

Scenes from Boulder

from Bevo Beat

Welcome to the land where Buffaloes roam (or at least are run around football fields before games …

… and the Buffaloes are patriotic, too. Here’s “Chip” during the national anthem…

One grand entrance deserves another …

 

[B.A.R.]

What's up, dude. Feel like ass this morning but less than last weekend. Feel half-ass.

Nice day for you yesterday and Texas bailed me out.

Can you believe Maryland getting shut out by UVA? WTF?

Unreal man on that. Not losing but just getting crushed.

Thanks, yesterday was nice. Got an hour to cap then its off to buddies for the sloppy league games..'an_horse'

 

[RJ Esq]

That’s The Worst Thing Ever

from The Futon Report by Matt Sussman
Eastern Michigan 24
Bowling Green 21

The worst part? I can’t make any goddamn EMU jokes for at least, like, a year.

 

[RJ Esq]

Initial Thoughts: Stanford at Notre Dame

from Rakes Of Mallow by CW

"I got pushed out of bounds and Kyle McCarthy was mad at me because I didn't pitch it back to him. I figured we might as well just let me spike it out of bounds." - Pat Kuntz, on the end of the game
​

We'll find out over the next two games if this is a good Irish team or a good Irish team at home, but after the debacle of last season, just taking care of things inside the Stadium is a great sign. A lot to love about the first forty-five minutes of this game - and a few things to appreciate in the last quarter when Stanford got back into it - but let me first deliver a message to some people who were a little too critical about how this game was closed out.
If someone told you before this game that the Irish would hold a 28-7 lead going into the fourth quarter, or told you before the season that the Irish would be 4-1, you'd be ecstatic. I'm not going to start pulling hairs out because a team whose core had won between three and six games coming into this one isn't quite sure of what to do with a twenty-one point lead in the final quarter of the game. That is really the least of my concerns, even when Matt and I had resolved ourselves to losing on a Jim Harbaugh two-point conversion as time expired, which we did before Pat Kuntz saved the day. And if you're worried about style points in regards to polling, what sort of dream world are you living in? The Irish have beaten a pretty bad Michigan team, a pretty bad Purdue team, a decent Stanford team and an awful San Diego State team. Should they win their games at Chapel and Chestnut Hill, corral LeSean McCoy and not embarrass themselves in Troy, then you can start worrying about whether the voters are giving Notre Dame enough respect, but until then, shut up and enjoy the progression of a lot of talented football players wearing your school's colors.
As important as the fourth quarter was in the final margin, the first quarter, despite the limited scoring, was just as relevant. If David Bruton and Kuntz, two veterans doing exactly the sort of thing you want veterans to do, don't make a couple of difficult interceptions, it is probably Stanford holding a lead after one. Instead, the Irish offense shoved Tavita Pritchard into a 21-7 hole and did their part to neutralize the Gerhart/Kimble combination. After the run game gashed the Irish in the first frame, culminating in a 95-yard, first quarter-draining touchdown march, the defense did their part, holding the Cardinal to 31 yards in the second quarter and 27 in the third.
The player of the game, in a theme I think will become recurring over the next two and a half years, was Jimmy Clausen. Coming into this game we knew Stanford's secondary wasn't great, but Number Seven did his part to contribute to their lackluster statistics, completing 29 of 40 passes for 347 yards and three pretty scores. Say what you will about Charlie Weis - and I've said and will continue to say a lot of less than flattering things - but it is proven at this point that the man can develop himself a quarterback. My friend Jeff, who many of you may know from his diabetes-hating messageboard moniker, thinks there aren't ten quarterbacks in all of college football he'd trade Clausen for right now. I mused on that thought for a few seconds, and even after considering the sheer amount of signal callers out there, there aren't that many a majority of fans would trade straight up for Clausen.
I'm proud of the coaching staff in this game, as they apparently have realized that this is a passing team, with great receiving weapons at every position and a brilliant quarterback, so in order to score points, you just need to pass the ball. I don't think the Irish will be starting a game with six straight runs any more games, as even in a contest where leading receiver and play-maker extraordinaire Golden Tate was held in check, Clausen distributed the ball around for huge numbers. David Grimes is an absolutely perfect third wide receiver for this team, and Kyle "The Most Famous Tight End Of All" Rudolph is already looking Fasano and Carlson-like in the passing game (meaning he's just a few years away from helping them hold an Irish monopoly on the position in fantasy football.) The running game obviously needs a little more work, and this whole beautiful system we have working could come to a screeching halt if no one can step in for Mike Turkovich, but this is the second week in a row where the offense has looked explosive.
(I couldn't find any update of Turkovich, but from everything I saw on the sideline, I'm just going to assume the worst and wish him well. Awful, awful luck.)
Most transcendent of all, of course, was Michael Floyd. We'll get around to finalizing what his nickname is (Flow, St. Michael, Fighter Jet, The Prophet, Diamond, Manchild), but I think everyone can agree not only was the hype warranted, it may not have been great enough. (And this is after we said in August that "If Michael Floyd can't walk on water, he's not going to be able to live up to these expectations.") There will be no way for a defense to adequately cover him and Tate at the same time without exposing the middle of the field for the rest of the team, and the Irish will hopefully exploit that until both of them are gone. I love this passing game, and while it hasn't approached the obsession a lot of us hold in regards to the 2005 Quinn-Shark-Carlson-Fasano juggernaut, it is getting there.
On defense, there are a few personnel decisions I question in that some older players who are clearly less talented are playing in front of guys who appear more effective in their limited action. While the offense has given way entirely to a youth movement, the defense needs to move in that same direction (the magnificent Kyle McCarthy, the active Justin Brown, Kuntz, Bruton and others are exempt from this). The way Darius Fleming wrecked through the line on that sack, the way Ethan Johnson has played, the way Gary Gray has covered; they need to be on the field. Put the youth up front and on the corners and let them make mistakes, as you have a solid eraser and a giant bottle of White-Out at the two safety positions, ready to correct mistakes.
All in all, a successful afternoon in South Bend, and now the toughest test of the season approaches in a trip to North Carolina against a very talented, very young, very confident Tar Heel team. The game has been moved to the afternoon, thankfully, and will be a great midterm test for this Irish team going into their bye week and the second half of the season. A lot more to look at in regards to the Stanford game, but even more to try and learn about UNC. It is fine to nitpick victories, but don't let the distaste in your mouth regarding the fourth quarter allow you to forget just how smooth the first three went down.

 

[Dmoney416]

I had a lot of differences with CB this week.

101 troy
102 florida atlantic -1

103 clemson
104 wake forest PK

105 uab
106 houston u -16

107 louisville -7
108 memphis

109 east carolina -7
110 virginia

111 syracuse
112 west virginia -21.5

113 iowa -5
114 indiana

115 minnesota
116 illinois -12.5

117 michigan state -3
118 northwestern

119 texas
120 oklahoma -6.5

121 eastern michigan
122 army PK

123 iowa state
124 baylor -3

125 south carolina
126 kentucky -3.5

127 western michigan
128 buffalo u PK

129 vanderbilt -4
130 mississippi state

131 utah -25
132 wyoming

133 kansas state -6
134 texas am

135 temple
136 central michigan -10.5

137 purdue
138 ohio state -18

139 tcu -15.5
140 colorado state

141 oklahoma state
142 missouri -14.5

143 tennessee u
144 georgia -16

145 arizona state
146 usc -21

147 ucla
148 oregon -10

149 toledo
150 michigan -17.5

151 notre dame
152 north carolina -5

153 arkansas
154 auburn -16.5

155 new mexico state
156 nevada -14.5

157 miami ohio
158 northern illinois -4

159 new mexico
160 byu -21

161 washington state
162 oregon state -22.5

163 arizona u -3.5
164 stanford

165 bowling green
166 akron PK

167 ohio
168 kent PK

169 rutgers
170 cincinnati u -7

171 nebraska
172 texas tech -19

173 colorado
174 kansas -11

175 penn state -3
176 wisconsin

177 central florida
178 miami florida -17.5

179 lsu
180 florida -4

181 utah state
182 san jose state -15.5

183 tulsa -24.5
184 smu

185 boise state -9
186 so mississippi

187 tulane
188 utep -3.5

189 air force -5
190 san diego state

191 idaho
192 fresno state -28

193 louisiana tech
194 hawaii -7

195 ball state -20.5
196 western kentucky

197 ul - monroe
198 arkansas state -7

199 middle tenn st
200 florida intl PK

201 ul - lafayette -14
202 north texas
<!-- / message -->

 

[B.A.R.]

Looking ahead next week,

What kind of line do they set in Madison? Another night game. Fondy suicide watch game number 3.

Psu has been awfully impressive. Me thinks this gets overvalued after last few weeks and the value is with Wisky. Not saying thats the side I like but I see it happening.

 

[B.A.R.]

D-money,

Texas on the buy to 7

 

[B.A.R.]

USC 21...

I hope not..want lower to hammer them...

Same issues with ASU..trenches...

 

[B.A.R.]

If Unc is really below a TD...good golly..thats saying their better than Uconn..

 

[B.A.R.]

Thanks for projections d-money....I needed a visual...not what I am good at(whole board line projections).

 

[Dmoney416]

Thanks for projections d-money....I needed a visual...not what I am good at(whole board line projections).

Sure - Garfather's and CB are above mine. Check them out too. I'm concerned because I had several huge differences with CB, even disagreeing on who would be favored in several games.

As for UNC, I didn't get to see that game last night so I'm not sure how badly they truly beat them. I expect ND to get too much credit as well.

 

[B.A.R.]

ND always does....

Public team for our entire lifetime..

 

[E.T.G.]

FUK nd, id love to go against them

 

[B.A.R.]

FUK nd, id love to go against them

OMG your avatar

 

[E.T.G.]

she is stunning

 

[B.A.R.]

She puts your sister to shame

 

[E.T.G.]

She puts your sister to shame

point to u