I have taken some grief for not posting my own blogs for quite some time. The reasons vary from me "hiding" (laughable) to laziness (closer to the truth). My biggest issue with the FOX blogs is from the technical side. I am easily aggravated when, for example, I can't comment on blogs unless I use Explorer and not Mozilla Firefox. Guys, it's fine if you don't want to run a third Next Great Sportswriter contest (instead Lisa Horne "won" deservedly so without the pretense of bogus voting and disinterested judges). I'd be a lot happier to post blogs, and comment more than I do, without the constant fear of the page closing or my comment disappearing.

NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF

Everyone wants a playoff in college football. We're not getting it. We have KNBR sports talk blasting here. Terry Bowden, now of Yahoo! Sports formerly Auburn's head coach, was talking to The Razor (Ralph Barbieri) and Mr. T (Tom Tolbert) on the subject about a week ago. He was discussing why these dopes refuse to budge. A plus one? Bowden quoted one of the guys in charge as saying if college football does that we (the fans, players, coaches) will "just want more". What? Is that a bad thing? I have never liked Bowden as much as I did when he said just that in response to this stance. Wanting more is the American way. Why do you think The Biggest Loser starts a new season as soon as the previous one ends?

DECEMBER DELIRIUM

All we can do now as fans is imagine what a playoff might look like and argue about it. As some of you might know I write for TheFootballExpert covering the NFL, college football and the NFL draft. Maybe that explains why I have very little time to offer up FOX blogs. Strictly for fun I put together a totally unrealistic 64 team tournament based on the BCS standings at the top and further down I used full rankings from Rivals and CBSSportsline as two-thirds and an average of the computers for one-third. Then I carried it out to a winner. You can find all the brackets HERE. I also want to point out that as an incentive to throw down some smack talk on the newly created TFE forums anyone registering and posting 3 times can win a Kevin Boss autographed shirt. Click that link for the details. It's pretty straight forward.

IS THAT IT?

Uh, yeah. I think so. Feel free to poke around TFE where I regularly make NFL picks (152-87-1 this season, 170-86 in 2007) rank the college Top 35 (because 25 is for wimps) and eventually will craft my annual 7 round NFL mock draft. Happy New Year everyone.

The AP is reporting that after weeks of speculation and power struggles between owner Al Davis, head coach Lane Kiffin and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan the team wants Kiffin to resign. Reportedly the kid's reponse has been daring them to fire him instead, which is sort of smart considering the roughly $4,000,000 remaining on the final two years of his contract.

My reponse? Why? This all started when Kiffin tried to get Ryan fired. Dumb move by an inexperienced head coach. Granted, the Raider defense was much worse in 2007 than in 2006 when Kiffin was busy at USC. They fell from #25 to #31 in total run defense and from #1 to #8 in total pass defense. The scoring ranking dropped from #18 to #26 and total yards was a free fall from #3 to #22. However, was this Ryan's fault?

All Ryan can do is draw up schemes. He can't help the fact that their interior lineman are subpar, pass rushing depth is slim and safety play is marginal at best. What can he do with good linebackers and a quality #1 corner? When the personnel improves through another draft the unit will as well.

The man in line to reportedly replace Kiffin is Coors Light commerical laugher Dennis Green. Yeah, the guy known for his "they are who we thought they were!" rant when his Cardinals gave away a Monday Night game against the Bears. (Lay off the Mickey D's there Denny) This might have been a good move a coach or two ago when the team had veterans who would respect him including Randy Moss, possibly enough to have him still in Silver & Black. Now the team is young and at least from my perspective seems to be responding to Kiffin's fresh offense.

This really shouldn't surprise anyone. In the NFL head coach is the position with the least amount of security and Al Davis has been the leader of the firing brigade for years. He actually got upset with a reporter when introducing Lane Kiffin when she asked about how many people have filled the position in recent years. The word we're looking for is "senile".

Marty Walker is a glutton for punishment. He wants us to rip his Buckeyes. This shouldn't be tough. Cal fans aren't fond of teams with a tree for a mascot. Apparently buckeyes are actually the shiny, dark brown nut that comes from the buckeye tree. Thank you Google, you give and never ask for anything in return. Anyway last year Ohio State laid out something dark brown in the BCS title game last year and it wasn't a nut. Their reward is backing into another shot at the championship after beating a conference filled with teams who couldn't beat opponents from the FCS. If you're not sure what the FCS is join the club. It might be a secret government organization for all I know. 

 

Ohio State was voted #1 in both polls. Why? Their notable wins came over Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State. How good are those teams exactly? We don't even know because the Big Ten as a whole had zero wins over bowl eligible teams from BCS conferences. That's right, none. Ohio State's big win out of conference came over Washington who finished last in the Pac-10. How about the wins for the other three teams? Michigan beat Notre Dame, a team in the midst of their worst season since dinosaurs roamed the planet. Wisconsin beat Washington State who finished ahead of only Washington in the Pac-10. Penn State beat Buffalo, and unless it's the Bills I'm not impressed.

 

Despite finishing 11-1 the Buckeyes were third in the computer behind two teams who lost twice. Perhaps I should be thanking the pollsters in that case because if not for Ohio State we could be looking at a rematch of LSU's 48-7 pounding of Virginia Tech. Ohio State could be staring at a similar fate after losing 41-14 to another SEC team in last year's title game.  

 

Our reward after a season filled with upsets and dramatic finishes is watching a team who gave up no more than 7 points seven times this season. Great, I can't wait for LSU 12, Ohio State 3. I'll be sure to set my DVR so I can preserve this masterpiece. I think I'd rather get a haircut from Sweeney Todd.

 

In my final poll I declared USC should meet Oklahoma for the title. Then ESPN plays out their dream playoffs and those teams are the last two standing. The same goes for SI.com. Instead we get Tigers chewing on nuts. Thank you BCS for managing to screw up the ending of the most exciting season in history.

The BCS fell into mayhem with the top two teams in the standings losing on the eve of the bowl bids being handed out. Everyone is crying out for a playoff and the format I laid out last week is almost too simple for the NCAA to implement it. Now that we know the champions of each conference I can seed the tournament of 11 and play it out.  

One argument against it will certainly be that people would rather see at-large teams, but if you don't win your conference how can you complain about not getting a shot to win a national title? These five champions outside of the major conferences have a little spunk to them as well. Central Michigan was touched up pretty good by Kansas (52-7) Purdue (45-22) and Clemson (70-14) so they would be the easiest target. Florida Atlantic played five BCS teams this year, beating Big Ten doormat Minnesota and testing South Florida before losing 35-23. UCF went 1-2 against BCS opponents and BYU split two meetings against the Pac-10. Hawaii closed their season by beating Washington to give this group of teams a 4-10 record against BCS teams. That's not great, but it's not 0-14 either. 

The first round would be played in the higher seeded team's stadium. The quarterfinals could be held in regionally friendly venues slanted towards the higher seed. The semifinals and finals would rotate among high profile, predetermined venues. Here is how I see the playoffs.  

Opening Round #11 Central Michigan (MAC) @ #6 Virginia Tech (ACC)

 

#10 Florida Atlantic (Sun Belt) @ #7 Hawaii (WAC)

#9 UCF (Conference USA) @ #8 BYU (Mountain West)

 

Quarterfinals #1 Ohio State (Big Ten) vs. #8 BYU - St. Louis, MO

 

#2 LSU (SEC) vs. #7 Hawaii - Atlanta, GA

 

#3 USC (Pac-10) vs. #6 Virginia Tech - Pasadena, CA

 

#4 Oklahoma (Big XII) vs. #5 West Virginia (Big East) - San Antonio, TX

 

Semifinals #1 Ohio State vs. #4 Oklahoma - Glendale, AZ

 

#2 LSU vs. #3 USC - Jacksonville, FL

 

Championship #3 USC vs. #4 Oklahoma - New Orleans, LA 

You can decide who might win that dream title game. This week's poll has quite a bit of movement. In some cases I had to evaluate various conferences and that led to even more shuffling.  

Last week's ranking in ( )'s. NR = not ranked. W = watch list. (AP, USA, Harris, BCS)

#1 (6) USC (10-2): How good is their defense? Ask UCLA. The Bruins had 167 total yards while going 0/11 on third down with 4 sacks and 4 turnovers. They had the ball 15 times and only twice did they move it over 13 yards. The Trojan offense wasn't great, but a trio of backs had at least 12 carries and 67 yards as they simply ran over their rivals. Maybe a few people need to show some guts and rank them #1 because now at full health this is the best team in the country. Unfortunately it is looking like a trip to the Rose Bowl against an at-large team, probably Georgia.  

#2 (8) Oklahoma (11-2): It is hard to fathom this team blowing a 24-7 lead to Colorado and letting Texas Tech roll up 34 on their defense. Right now they look like smooth and absolutely overwhelmed Missouri in the second half. One thing that kept them in control was never giving up field position which is easy to do when you have no turnovers or sacks. Missouri's best starting position was their own 32 and the average was 20.4 over 11 possessions. Oklahoma's average start came at their 37.3 including a crucial interception leading to a 7 yard touchdown "drive".  

#3 (9) LSU (11-2): Losing Flynn could have been a killer, but Perrilloux's play prior to injuring his finger made that a non-issue. The unsung hero was Jacob Hester with 23 tough carries for 118 yards. Their title was made possible by Ainge's two ill advised throws including the game winning interception return. Truth be told, they should have wrapped this game up early. Instead they drove 63, 59 and 56 yards only to wind up with 6 points. Three move drives of 78, 76 and 50 yards produced only 7 more points. That's 382 yards for 13 points. One thing they did was possess the football with eight drives of at least 2:51. Now their fate is in the hands of the voters.

#4 (5) Georgia (10-2): Let the debate begin. Few teams have had a tougher schedule. The Bulldogs have gone 8-2 against bowl eligible teams. Vanderbilt would have been had Georgia not beaten them leaving Western Kentucky as the only "dog" on their entire schedule. Yes, it hurts to have lost the SEC East by getting spanked at Tennessee. Unfortunately we didn't see if in reality they were in fact the best team in the conference. They did roll up Florida, Auburn and Kentucky by 11+ points over a four week stretch after all.  

#5 (7) Ohio State (11-1): BCS title game here they come, and it reveals one of the biggest flaws in the system. If you're going to lose, just be sure to lose earlier than other teams. Can you imagine if Kansas and Missouri had met weeks ago? The Jayhawks might be their opponent in the national championship. As it is, the Buckeyes played a slate filled with mediocre opposition in a clearly down year for the Big Ten. This time they couldn't fall back on beating Texas because their only BCS opponent outside the conference was Washington. Their best defense is having won convincingly over three of their four toughest opponents, Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State.   

#6 (2) Missouri (11-2): Their head coach pointed out how the difference was his team kicking field goals it seemed silly in a game that ended 38-17, but I tend to agree. The offense had field goal marches of 57, 75 and 65 yards while also driving 53 yards only to punt. Those 250 total yards produced just 9 points and when Oklahoma was scoring touchdowns on five out of seven drives at one point they just couldn't keep up. Still, down the stretch this team steamrolled the rest of the Big XII and is deserving of a spot in the BCS.  

#7 (3) Hawaii (12-0): In their only meeting with a BCS team the result was a needed victory, but not the type of performance that leaves everyone wondering how they might fare in the national title game. They couldn't hold the ball in the first quarter with 3 fumbles leading to a 21-0 deficit, but drove 73+ yards for touchdowns five times to pull it out. Another key was their defense holding Washington to 1/9 on third down which kept the Huskies from longer drives.  

#8 (4) Kansas (11-1): The final two weeks of the season proved they are the third best team in the Big XII. They had their chance, but the loss to Missouri has the Jayhawks trying to prove they are more BCS worthy than a team who just beat them on a neutral field. I would freeze out the Jayhawks because they played no one outside of conference play and didn't face Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech who were the best teams in the Big XII South. The top two teams they beat in conference play both finished 4-4 (Colorado, Texas A&M). Kansas won those games 19-14 and 19-11. Both were on the road, but the final scores were unimpressive.  

#9 (10) Arizona State (10-2): The Sun Devils engaged in a typical scrap with their rivals from Arizona who were playing as if it was their bowl game because they needed a win to become eligible. They survived a mistake prone game in which they gave the Wildcats the ball in their territory five times. Of those possessions the defense gave up only 14 points. Meanwhile Arizona State's average starting position was their 27.6 yard line and only three of their drives went for more than 36 yards. As disrespected as this team has been they finished 4-2 against bowl eligible teams and knocked two others (Washington State, Arizona) out of eligibility.  

#10 (1) West Virginia (10-2): It will be easy for people to blame this loss on Pat White's injury, but all they had to do was score another touchdown before he was hurt and the BCS title game would be on their schedule. Or how about flexing their muscles by running the ball? Steve Slaton finished with 9 rushes for 9 yards. The team had 186 total yards and 3.3 yards per offensive play. Pittsburgh can play some defense, but aren't these the guys who gave up 44 (Virginia) 48 (Navy) and 48 (South Florida) at various times this year? The Navy game stands out for me. If the Midshipmen can average 4.7 yards rushing on this team with no threat of a pass then why couldn't the Mountaineers?  

#11 (12) Virginia Tech (11-2): This time there would be no comeback from Matt Ryan. Xavier Adibi's interception return for a touchdown sealed the ACC title for the Hokies who now probably wish they hadn't scheduled LSU. If not for that loss they might be in the national championship. In this one their defense made just enough plays, mostly when it mattered most. Boston College had drives of 54, 58, 59, 40 and 58 yards result in a grand total of 3 points.  

#12 (13) Florida (9-3): Being the best team not involved in the BCS is probably of little consolation to the Gators who also might see their quarterback Tim Tebow win the Heisman. However, against the top four in the SEC they went 1-3. Their biggest win, a 59-20 spanking of Tennessee, came way back on September 15. The lone notable win since was a 45-37 victory over Kentucky who finished 7-5.  

#13 (11) Boston College (10-3): They probably lost this game in the opening three offensive possessions when marches of 54, 58 and 59 points produced a total of 3 points. Instead of possibly leading by maybe 17-24 points it was 10-0 when Virginia Tech's offense woke up. Neither team moved the ball much in the second half, but Ryan's two interceptions cost the Eagles any shot at coming back.  

#14 (16) Tennessee (9-4): The SEC title was literally thrown away. Ainge should have been thinking about holding the lead, but instead delivered a strike to Zenon for a game changing touchdown interception. This game was no masterpiece on either side mind you. However, up to that point Tennessee had made no mistakes. The Tigers finished with no sacks and the Volunteers were not flagged for a penalty all game. Still, Ainge finished just 50% passing the ball and Foster had a 2.7 yard rushing average. Their offense never hurt an LSU defense that has been touched up in recent weeks.  

#15 (15) Clemson (9-3): Their season was defined by beating the bad teams and losing in their biggest games. Even getting eventual division champions Virginia Tech and Boston College at home didn't help. They lost their toughest road test as well, a 13-3 mess at Georgia Tech who finished 7-5 with their coach on the unemployment line. Perhaps it is an accomplishment just to have avoided upsets while recording 7 wins by 13+ points.  

#16 (17) Cincinnati (9-3): Last year the Big East excitement surrounded upstarts Louisville and Rutgers. This year it was South Florida and Connecticut garnering attention. Mix in a little West Virginia and it is no wonder people overlook the Bearcats even during their 6-0 start. Close losses to Louisville and Pittsburgh proved just how long a college football season can be. If they played those games again I would take them in both by 10+. Unfortunately it cost them a better finish and sent them to the PapaJohn's.com Bowl against an overmatched Southern Miss (7-5) from Conference USA. The Golden Eagles lost both visits to BCS schools at Tennessee (39-19) and Boise State (38-16) back in September.  

#17 (18) Virginia (9-3): They finished 4-1 against bowl eligible teams and played five other teams who finished 5-7 so their schedule wasn't terrible. It was the way they had to struggle with six wins by no more than 5 points that hurt their reputation. They also didn't have to play the three of the four best teams from the ACC Atlantic, recording close wins against Maryland (18-17) and Wake Forest (17-16) while losing to N.C. State (29-24). I would have liked to see them stack up against Boston College or Clemson.  

#18 (27) Oregon State (8-4): Now that all of the dust has settled this is the third best team in a very good conference. They are also hot having won six of their last seven. Granted Oregon was without Dixon, but their defense had stood tall in his absence. This week the Beavers came in without their leading rusher and drove 67, 68, 75 and 51 yards on them among their opening five possessions. As rivalry games go, they turned it over and missed a punt to end two of those marches to lead just 14-7. Those mistakes led to Oregon being in the game and this one going to overtime, but the Ducks were mostly contained when it mattered. On their final 7 possessions including overtime Oregon drove the ball over 13 yards just once, totaling 115 yards on 37 plays.  

#19 (14) Oregon (8-4): The offense played their best game since Dixon's injury, but the defense fell down against rival Oregon State. Jonathan Stewart bolstered his NFL draft stock by rushing 39 times for 165 yards with the defense knowing just what to expect from an offense without a decent quarterback. Ultimately they were let down by poor coaching as players rushed onto the field for a failed field goal in the waning moments instead of simply killing the clock with a spike. Clearly this is a tale of two teams because of Dixon's injury, but how do you throw out wins over Michigan, USC and Arizona State?

#20 (19) BYU (10-2): In a makeup game against San Diego State they completed an unbeaten season in the Mountain West with a convincing victory. Their offense went down the field at will with seven touchdown drives of 54+ yards out of nine possessions before simply running out the clock the final time they had the ball. The defense was a little shaky at times, especially during three long touchdown drives, and the Aztecs were 13/20 on third down. Next up is a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl against a Pac-10 opponent.  

#21 (20) Illinois (9-3): Even if the Big Ten didn't have their finest showing, this team had to deal with all of the best teams and fared pretty well in going 6-2. The teams left off their conference schedule were Michigan State and Purdue who both finished 3-5 in conference and 7-5 overall. This is a team ready to stand up for the Big Ten in the bowl season.  

#22 (21) Connecticut (9-3): The dream season was blown up a bit with routs on the road in Cincinnati and West Virginia, but they made huge strides this season and finished second in a rugged Big East conference. They also managed to win six times by 19+ points and for a school known for basketball it was possibly a break through season.  

#23 (22) South Florida (9-3): They came out of nowhere and seemingly went back there by losing 3 in a row, but rallied with 3 routs to close the regular season. One of the overlooked wins was a 64-12 thrashing of Central Florida who won Conference USA. However, they went 1-3 against the top of the Big East with the lone win being the big one over West Virginia way back on September 28. They have accepted a trip to the Sun Bowl against a Pac-10 opponent.  

#24 (24) Wisconsin (9-3): This team is still a mystery to me, but they certainly didn't stand up well against the best of the Big Ten. They were 2-3 against teams who finished 4-4 or better in conference play, having avoided Purdue (3-5, 7-5 overall) due to a set rotating schedule. They also won four games by a touchdown or less. Their signature performance was a win over Michigan who looked to me like a team resting up for Ohio State. Like the last three years they will have a shot at the SEC in the Outback Bowl, possibly Tennessee or Auburn.  

#25 (23) Boise State (10-2): After their loss to Hawaii the biggest wins are over Fresno State and Southern Miss. Neither of those teams really strike fear into anyone, but the Broncos did steamroll a lot of teams this season. Six of their wins were by 22+ points and nine came by 10+.  

#26 (25) Auburn (8-4): They managed a 3-3 record against teams who finished 4-4 or better in SEC play, but it will be hard for them to wonder what might have been with three tight losses on the season. The first came 26-23 in overtime to South Florida of the Big East, then a hangover the next week when they lost 19-14 to Mississippi State. Finally they lost 30-24 to LSU during their stretch of cardiac finishes. No one even remembers this team beat Florida and Arkansas.  

#27 (26) Texas (9-3): The defense has certainly betrayed them of late allowing 35, 43 and 38 points despite the fact that they won two of those games. As I pointed out last week it was fortunate that the schedule rotation kept Missouri and Kansas away from them because Daniel and Reesing would have lit them up. Their biggest win was a 59-43 wipeout of Texas Tech who finished 8-4. Other than that the only team they beat who finished with a winning record was Central Florida who won Conference USA, a 35-32 battle in the Sunshine State.  

#28 (28) Arkansas (8-4): When Auburn's late field goal beat the Razorbacks 9-7 and left their record at 3-3 many people forgot about this team. Since then they are 5-1, but for the year they went only 2-3 against SEC teams who finished 4-4 or better in conference play and didn't have to deal with Georgia or Florida. The best two from the SEC East they faced, Tennessee and Kentucky, both beat them convincingly. 

#29 (29) Texas Tech (8-4): Their season was truly saved by upsetting Oklahoma. They were 2-4 against teams who finished 4-4 or better in the Big XII and lost convincingly to Texas and Missouri. However, their offense is explosive to the point where you feel like they can score against almost anyone. Ten times they put up 34+ points this season.  

#30 (NR) Central Florida (10-3): There is something to be said for winning a conference title and I'm recognizing that here. The Knights won at N.C. State who finished 5-7 and lost a tough 35-32 game to Texas. They have turned into an offensive machine with six games scoring 44+ points and ten games of 32+ and closed the regular season winning their last 7.  

Dropped Out: #30 Troy

The FOX gremlins have screwed up my 1st attempt at posting this. I can't read the comments.

It's a good thing a couple games were played prior to Saturday this week. I'm not sure my heart could have handled all of that action in one day. This week's poll has some huge shakeups and even after all of this great football has been played will we still be wondering about a playoff system? Here are some points to consider when deciding who should be involved.  

If only the conference champions get in, where does that leave Kansas (11-1) Georgia (10-2) or Arizona State who could finish 10-2 and lose the Pac-10 if USC beats UCLA? What about Florida (9-3) who is playing pretty well right now? Assuming we just took the champs here is how it might look, including teams from outside the BCS. The rankings will be based on the favorite winning each conference. 

 

#1 Missouri/Oklahoma winner (Big XII)

#2 West Virginia (Big East)

#3 Ohio State (Big Ten)

#4 USC (Pac-10) if they beat UCLA

#5 LSU/Tennessee winner (SEC)

#6 Boston College/Virginia Tech winner (ACC)

#7 Hawaii (WAC)

#8 BYU (Mt. West)

#9 Troy (Sun Belt)

#10 MAC winner

#11 Conference USA winner 

 

This could lead to some interesting games. Missouri vs. Hawaii and USC vs. LSU would certainly spark interest in the quarterfinals. West Virginia might be an underdog against the USC/LSU winner while Ohio State could quiet their doubters by shutting down Missouri's offense in the other semifinal. In the end I would take USC over Missouri to end this tournament as I see these teams right now. However, should Oklahoma get in they could make some noise. Virginia Tech might also make things interesting with their defense and special teams. 

 

There will be more playoff talk in the coming weeks, but here is all you need to know about why the BCS doesn't work. What happens if Pittsburgh upsets West Virginia and Oklahoma beats Missouri? Georgia gets into the national title game after not winning their division of the SEC East? Kansas is making their argument after they failed to win the Big XII North? This won't happen because the Panthers have no bite, but the possibility should give the BCS folks pause. Georgia could finish #3 in the BCS standings with Kansas #4 and neither reached their conference championship game. Something is wrong with that picture.  

 

Last week's ranking in ( )'s. NR = not ranked. W = watch list. (AP, USA, Harris, BCS)

 

#1 (4) West Virginia (10-1): With the national title game in their sights they played like a team on the mission. They annihilated Connecticut in essentially the Big East championship, going right through them with 517 yards rushing. It took the Huskies 11 games to give up 157 points. The Mountaineers put up 66 even after shutting down Pat White early. Their lone loss was to 9-3 South Florida so a win over Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl puts them in the BCS championship. Guess what? They deserve it. This offense is special. (2, 1, 2, 2) 

 

#2 (6) Missouri (11-1): Chase Daniel made his case for the Heisman by going 40/49 for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns to seal the Big XII North title. He was only sacked once and didn't turn it over. Both teams started slow on offense, a natural reaction to the nerves of a big game, but after 3 unsuccessful drives on each side Missouri caught fire. They went 78 and 92 yards for touchdowns. Meanwhile the defense had an interception, and then forced two field goal attempts. Both missed the mark and allowed the Tigers to gain control of the game. Their second half possessions covered 40, 69, 44 and 49 yards with all of them ending in scores before a three and out as they failed to run out the clock. It felt like they were always going to have an answer to whatever Kansas did. Now it's a rematch with Oklahoma with a spot in the BCS title game certainly on the line. (1, 2, 1, 1) 

 

#3 (5) Hawaii (11-0): The Warriors proved themselves worthy of a BCS bid by dumping Boise State to win the WAC title outright for the first time ever. Their offense was awesome. Six times they drove 67+ yards for touchdowns. Then in the fourth quarter they moved the ball 43 and 63 yards while chewing up a combined 11:14 off the game clock to seal the victory. The icing was showing how classy they can be sitting on the ball instead of punching in a meaningless touchdown at the end. It might be the WAC, but the Broncos have a top 25 defense nationally even after facing some of these wide open offenses. They next face Washington in a dangerous trap since there could be a letdown. (11, 10, 10, 12) 

 

#4 (1) Kansas (11-1): Reesing simply wasn't up to matching shots with Daniel. They drove the ball at least 35 yards on 8 consecutive possessions, but two ended with interceptions and two with missed field goals. That was the difference in a tough 36-28 loss. With a little better running game Kansas probably beats Missouri. McAnderson came in with 1,009 rushing yards on a season and 15 touchdowns but carried the ball just 14 times for 41 yards. There was no shame in this loss and they certainly weren't exposed as the frauds many people have considered them all year. Now their task is to show well in the BCS or everyone will forget their great season. (7, 5, 6, 5) 

 

#5 (7) Georgia (10-2): It must have been hard for them to focus knowing their SEC title hopes were being played out elsewhere. In the end Kentucky couldn't close the deal on their behalf, but the Bulldogs secured a spot in the BCS by beating rival Georgia Tech. They were far from dominant though. On offense they were only 4/13 on third down and really needed the 3-1 turnover advantage to win this game. I don't blame them for being sluggish under these circumstances, on the road against a rival while another team is deciding their fate. This is probably the best team never to be considered a true threat to reach the BCS title game. Now it would take Oklahoma beating Missouri and Pittsburgh beating West Virginia for them to get in. (4, 4, 4, 4) 

 

#6 (12) USC (9-2): This was the team everyone expected to see this season. Their offense was unstoppable pretty much all night. On 9 of 12 possessions they either drove the ball 50+ yards or scored. Defensively they allowed no drives over 29 yards after Arizona State gave it over on downs following a 42 yards march in their first possession of the second quarter. Their only shortcoming might have been a lackluster running game, but Booty made up for it with 375 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. A win over UCLA gives them a shocking comeback to win the Pac-10 title. Even if they backed in with the Dixon injury this is a team no one would want to draw in a playoff. (8, 9, 9, 8)

 

#7 (10) Ohio State (11-1): I might have been a bit harsh with my ranking of them last week, but the Big Ten just isn't very good. They are coasting their way towards the national championship game again as everyone else struggles with late season upsets. If they wind up facing West Virginia the outcome could be similar to what happened last year against Florida unless their defense is as good as it has looked against Big Ten competition. (3, 3, 3, 3) 

 

#8 (13) Oklahoma (10-2): They left absolutely no doubt in their 49-17 win over rival Oklahoma State. Their first half drives covered 50, 58, 68 and 87 yards for touchdowns. Four more times they marched 50+ yards and this one was never in doubt. This is one of many teams knocked out of the national title hunt that would be dangerous in a playoff. Their 9/12 showing on third down proves just how important it is for them to have Bradford in there at quarterback. We will find out if they are back in rhythm when they face a surging Missouri team in the Big XII title game. The Tigers are definitely better than they were when Oklahoma beat them 41-31 in Norman. (9, 8, 8, 9) 

 

#9 (2) LSU (10-2): They now have two losses to teams who are a combined 12-8 against outside competition. This was a tough one to stomach having allowed 384 yards rushing. Some of it came in the overtimes, but a 7.2 yard rushing average for the Razorbacks? Dorsey not being 100% is no excuse for this performance against an opponent regularly lining up without a quarterback. I said last week they should be worried and now the national title hopes are out the window.  A win over Tennessee would salvage a Sugar Bowl, but if Hawaii is the opponent does it put a damper on the end of their season? (5, 7, 5, 7) 

 

#10 (3) Arizona State (9-2): This was not a good effort with a Pac-10 title and possible national championship game berth staring them in the face. Their offense opened fairly well. Following an empty first drive they went 74 (TD) 60 (FG) and 42 (downs) yards to keep themselves in the game. After that it was over for them on offense. They had no more drives over 29 yards. Meanwhile USC was marching up and down the field all day. Only three times they held the Trojans under 35 yards on a possession all night. Next up is rival Arizona who is trying to become bowl eligible. (13, 13, 13, 13) 

 

#11 (9) Boston College (10-2): I know there was nothing on the line, but they were sluggish against a Hurricane team who had lost by a cumulative 92-14 against the Virginia schools following a loss to N.C. State. They should have overwhelmed this team on their home field. Instead it was tied up early in the fourth quarter. Thankfully they responded to adversity immediately with two touchdown drives. The first took only two plays while the second took four. Now they need to beat Virginia Tech in what is certain to be a different game now that poor weather is out of the equation. (12, 12, 12, 11)

 

#12 (11) Virginia Tech (10-2): With the roll this team is on it might be time to chalk up their 48-7 loss to LSU as a bad day at the office. They were on the road in hostile territory for one, and people tend to forget this team had to deal with unspeakable tragedy on their campus earlier this year. Against rival Virginia their defense ensured a rematch with Boston College in the ACC title game. The Hokies allowed just 240 total yards, forced two turnovers and recorded 6 sacks. Once they had the lead it was over. Out of Virginia's final 8 drives only their 28 yard touchdown march following a turnover covered more than 18 yards.  (6, 5, 7, 6) 

 

#13 (15) Florida (9-3): The Gators are pushing Tim Tebow for the Heisman and it showed. It will take a lot for him to win as a sophomore with 3 losses, but the numbers are staggering. In this one the team piled up 30 first downs and 540 total yards while pounding Florida State 45-12. Tebow accounted for 348 of those yards and 5 touchdowns. On two out of three plays he either passed the ball or ran it. Florida had 7 scoring drives of 57+ yards with only two punts. Their defense held the Seminoles without a touchdown and just 287 total yards. Their loss at Georgia deprives us of what would have been a great rematch with LSU. Instead there is talk of a (yawn) bowl game against Illinois. Wake me up when that rout is over if it happens. (10, 11, 11, 10) 

 

#14 (8) Oregon (8-3): It must have made Dennis Dixon ill to watch the quarterbacks lining up for his team against UCLA. Three backups combined to go 11/39 for 105 yards with 3 interceptions and 5 sacks. As poorly as their handicapped offense played, the defense played with a ton of heart. They held the Bruins to 2/17 on third down and didn't give up a drive over 17 yards until after halftime. In all there were 22 punts, and Oregon might have had a chance if not for the 4-2 disadvantage in turnovers. The Bruins "drove" -5, 15 and 6 yards for their field goals. Their touchdown march went for only 31. At this point disaster waits for them because I believe Oregon State beats them in the Civil War and who could they beat in a bowl with this quarterback situation? (18, 20, 19, 17) 

 

#15 (14) Clemson (9-3): It was a tight game which is to be expected when two teams meet who don't like each other. The Tigers got the better of the action on offense, but were forced into kicking field goals five times, making three including the one that counted to win it. Davis and Spiller helped them control the action with a combined 39 rushes for 208 yards. Their success on the ground led to them having five of the six longest possessions in the game. South Carolina was sent off the field in 1:45 or less on 6 of their 11 possessions. As much as it seemed like they were the better team this was not their best performance. (16, 17, 18, 16) 

 

#16 (17) Tennessee (9-3): Does anyone even remember the Volunteers led Kentucky 31-14 in the closing moments of the third quarter? This was an epic battle that had everything. A division title on the line, bowl implications, blocked kicks, key penalties, 13 touchdown passes, 6 turnovers and a couple of yards decided it all. I can't even begin to break this one down other than to say Tennessee made one more play. They also had all six sacks in a game that was about as even as it gets. This team recovered nicely from three road blowouts to win four straight at home and now this huge road win. Can they score an upset of wounded LSU to steal the SEC title? (14, 15, 15, 14) 

 

#17 (20) Cincinnati (9-3): They opened up and finished strong, but in the middle it was a pretty ugly showing against a dismal opponent in Syracuse. The middle quarters ended 28-28 with the 'Cuse driving 75, 67, 78 and 77 yards for touchdowns. The Bearcats sputtered on offense at times despite finishing with a gaudy 549 total yards. Mainly they had trouble finishing drives. Eight times they marched 49+ yards, but twice failed to score and missed a field goal on a separate drive of 20 yards. They also made Andrew Robinson look like he was playing Louisville again with 416 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, albeit while sacking him an amazing 11 times. An uninspired effort was to be expected after losing their shot at the Big East title last week. (20, 24, 21, 23) 

 

#18 (16) Virginia (9-3): Offensively they just couldn't keep up with Virginia Tech. Still, they were in the game until the fourth quarter. Sewell is not exactly Tebow with 145 total yards on 39 plays rushing and passing. Brandon Ore hammed away at their defense with 31 rushes for 145 yards while the Hokie passers combined to 17/25 for 300 yards. One victory for them was forcing four field goals including 3 following drives of 64, 60 and 58 yards. They were just not ready for a game this big down the stretch, but this was a great season for Virginia football. (22, 21, 23, 22) 

 

#19 (22) BYU (9-2): Defense ruled the day in their 17-10 win over Utah. This game would have been well in hand if not for two first quarter miscues in enemy territory. First they fumbled at the Utah 25 and then missed field goal. Two drives totaling 125 yards went for naught. In the meantime their defense was dominant in the opening three quarters giving up a total of 92 yards on 39 plays and allowing just a field goal. They wore down during a wild 15 play, 69 yard march for a Utah touchdown that drained 7:11 off the clock to give up the lead before the offense bailed them out. Max Hall had a poor day passing the football. He finished 17/40 yet delivered the key blow with a 49 yard passing play on the winning drive. The Mountain West title is theirs and only a makeup game at San Diego State (4-6) stands in their way of a perfect conference record. (21, 19, 20, 19) 

 

#20 (24) Illinois (9-3): Last week I pondered how this team might regret losing to Iowa which cost them the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl. How about their opener against Missouri? Trailing 40-34 they had driven to the 22 before an interception at the 1 sealed the win for the Tigers. These guys are not far from being an 11-1 team and have six wins by 11+ points on the season. (15, 14, 14, 15) 

 

#21 (21) Connecticut (9-3): It was rather obvious this team wasn't ready to play such a huge game against a team like West Virginia. Their defense was shredded for 624 total yards and an average of 9.6 yards per play. They hung pretty tough in the first half, but were totally run over in the second half when West Virginia drove at least 49 yards on all of their drives save the one when they ran out the clock. Connecticut had nowhere close to the offensive firepower to match that. Still, they have had a nice season and will finish second in a good conference. (28, 28, 29, 26) 

 

#22 (23) South Florida (9-3): After trailing at the half they gained control in the third quarter at Pittsburgh and held on for a 48-37 win that really wasn't that close. The Panthers were stifled on six straight possessions after taking the 14-7 lead, totaling 31 yards on 19 plays. Grothe had a very mediocre day at quarterback. He was 17/23 passing, but for only 159 yards. His 80 yard touchdown run came on a day when he finished with 70 yards on 12 carries interestingly enough. Still, this was a break through season for a young program and they rebounded from their losing streak. (25, 27, 25, 21) 

 

#23 (19) Boise State (10-2): Their defense had no answer to Colt Brennan. The record setting quarterback burned them for 494 yards on 40/53 (75.5%) passing and 5 touchdowns. Early on things looked good when they chewed up 8:19 off the clock on their opening possession, but it ended with an interception. After another long drive (5:28) gave them a 14-13 lead in the second quarter the offense went into a bit of hibernation. They had one more march of 50 yards (4:17) for a touchdown to take their final lead at 27-26, but this is what they needed to do all game long against a team like Hawaii. (24, 23, 22, 25)

 

#24 (26) Wisconsin (9-3): At home this was a great team. Fortunately for them they spent seven weeks there, going 7-0. On the road it was a different story. They sputtered past UNLV 20-13 and the Running Rebels finished 2-10. They lost three of four Big Ten road games, beating only bottom feeding Minnesota (0-8, 1-11) 41-34. On one hand they can still win 10 games. On the other, this could have been a 6-6 team if a few balls had bounced against them. We'll see what happens in their bowl game on a neutral field. (19, 16, 16, 18) 

 

#25 (25) Auburn (8-4): With 52-50 and 50-48 multiple overtime scores in the SEC this week it is nice to know this game could provide the familiar defensive struggle. They combined to convert 5/28 on third down with the quarterbacks completing 24/48 for an even 50%. Somehow there were only 10 punts. The longest Alabama drive was 53 yards for their only touchdown while Auburn didn't march over 44 yards after their 65 yard touchdown jaunt on their first possession. There isn't much else to say other than that neither of these teams gave up and for a sixth straight time Auburn has bragging rights. (23, 21, 24, 24) 

 

#26 (18) Texas (9-3): This team was finally exposed for having a weak defense and limited offense. They converted just 2/11 on third down against a Texas A&M defense that has been lit up for 82 points over the past two weeks. Offensively they drove 80 and 73 yards for touchdowns in a failed rally. Prior to doing that against a prevent defense they had just 209 total yards. McGee torched them for 362 yards passing. His previous high was 247 set last week. He had 3 touchdown passes, also a season best and just his second game with more than one all year. The BCS is now out of the picture and fans should be glad they didn't have to deal with Missouri or Kansas because it would have been ugly. (17, 18, 17, 20) 

 

#27 (29) Oregon State (7-4): This team has been playing about as well as anyone in the conference over the past two months. Now they can secure at least a third place finish by beating quarterback challenged Oregon in the finale. Blowout losses to Cincinnati and UCLA were the product of multiple turnovers, but when you look at the big picture the Beavers can finish 3-4 against bowl eligible teams with a win over the Ducks. They were quietly a pretty good team in the Pac-10. (33, 34, 33, 33) 

 

#28 (NR) Arkansas (8-4): This team is probably a better quarterback away from being 11-1 and in the national title hunt. They lose SEC games by 3, 3 and 2 points earlier this season. Turning around two of those would haven give them a shot at the only team to blow them away, Tennessee, in the SEC title game. This week's wild victory over LSU was a product of their offense shaking off a sluggish start to really take it to a tough defense. After opening with drives of 6, 3, 8 and 13 yards they put up touchdown marches of 70, 80, 83 and 72 yards in regulation. They scored touchdowns on all three possessions in the overtimes, taking 7, 2 and 6 plays to do so before punching in the crucial two point play. McFadden might not win the Heisman, but he is the best offensive player in next year's NFL draft. (26, 25, 26, 27) 

 

#29 (28) Texas Tech (8-4): Ultimately this team didn't have enough defense to make noise in a Big XII conference dominated by the Kansas/Missouri storyline all year. The Tigers destroyed them 41-10 and were one of seven teams to score 24+ points against them. They were 3-4 in those games. The upset of Oklahoma was great and they can certainly finish strong with a bowl win, but even if they do no one will remember their 9-4 finish because of what happened in the North. (27, 26, 27, 28) 

 

#30 (NR) Troy (8-3): The Sun Belt will never be confused with the SEC and these guys will never be confused with SEC, but this version of the Trojans stood up fairly well against BCS teams this year. Three times they went to the SEC and scored 26, 31 and 34 points in those losses. Yeah, they gave up 149 but I wonder how this team might have performed against lesser teams from the conference after losing to pretty good ones (Georgia, Florida, Arkansas). How about at home where they whooped Oklahoma State 41-23? I tend to think hosting maybe South Carolina, Alabama or Mississippi State on their field this team would have won. I'd also love to see them earn a spot in a playoff. Beating Florida Atlantic next week will complete an undefeated conference season. (34, 38, 36, 37) 

 

Dropped Out:

#27 Kentucky (31, NR, 31, NR)

#30 Utah (NR, NR, NR, NR)