Midseason Startup: Better Late than never…

With college football only halfway over the BCS is once again looking like a tossup.  Forty percent is only four of ten. That’s how many teams from the preseason top 10 rankings are still holding spots.  All of them have a loss and the top three teams this week were ranked No.11 (Texas), No.24 (Alabama) and No.22 (Penn State) respectively at the beginning of the season.  There seems to be a trend in college football the last few years, which on any given Saturday any team can saddle up and make the upset happen.  Goliaths are no longer a safe bet (When Toledo beats Michigan you know something’s up).  Again, the season is half in the books and we have only yet to see a few contenders emerge. Let’s bring it up to speed on how we got here.

Georgia, who was the undisputed pre-season No. 1 was embarrassed in week five 41-30 when they “blacked” out their home turf and then got beat all over the ball by Alabama.  The score wasn’t even really as close as the final shows.  The offensive and defensive lines for the Crimson Tide looked like they were playing on a tilt the whole night. Running Back Knowshon  Moreno had only 34 yards on 9 carries.  For a power back who had over 1,300 rushing yards in 2007 you could say the game was a total disappointment.  Not all is lost for the Bulldogs as they lost semi-early  and to a team who is now ranked No.2.  They round out top ten with the No. 10 ranking.  We shall know very soon however if Georgia is the real deal.  In the next three weeks they face all ranked opponents in No. 22 Vanderbilt, then at No. 13 LSU and have to come back home the next week to host No. 5 Florida. Bulldogs, good luck I say to you.

USC who was ranked at a preseason No. 3 were in many people’s eyes the most legitimate team taking the field this season.  They brought back all types of experience (something like 17 starters), a rotating backfield where their third and fourth string would be a feature back anywhere else and arguably the nation’s best coach and recruiter, Pete Carroll.  In week three in the loan Thursday night game the Trojans played a fired up Oregon State team who were flogged by Penn State 45-14 two weeks prior. I watched in disbelief as the Beavers controlled the whole game. Growing up in Bergen County, NJ, I watched Brian Cushing as he just annihilated people at Bergen Catholic in high school. I knew he was the real deal the first time I saw him and have watched in awe of him since he signed with USC.  So when freshman running back Jaquizz Rodgers got up in the massive linebackers face after one play to talk some trash in the second quarter, I truly feared for his life.  He should have too, sort of.  The next play Cushing penetrated the backfield and actually hit Rodgers so hard and wrapped him so tight he took the kids helmet off.  Rodgers got the last laugh though, as he scored two touchdowns and racked up 167 yards on 37 carries as the Beavers shocked the world winning 27-21. USC is lucky though, they lost super early and the only ranked opponent they have on their schedule is California in the second week in November.  They sit at No. 6 in the rankings and will not falter again, assuming to move up one spot at a time as more teams get knocked off. They will be at a BCS game this winter.

Oklahoma started out the preseason No. 4 and were being led by the nation’s top passer Sam Bradford who just looks the part.  Another year older, another year smarter; they can lean on this kid.  They rolled scoring 49 or more points in four of their first five games leading them into the Red River Shootout with Texas, Hosted at a Neutral site in Dallas, TX.  The Sooners took over the No. 1 spot two weeks ago and had the lead going into the fourth quarter but just couldn’t hold on, eventually losing 45-35. This was a game that lived up to the hype and showed how better numbers don’t always mean victories.  Take Bradford was 28-39 with 387 yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions against Texas’s quarterback Colt McCoy’s 28-35 for 277 yards, 1 touchdown 0 interceptions.  Where they differed was in the running game. The Longhorns had 161 yards compared to the Sooners 48 on the ground. Texas wound up jumping Idle Alabama this week for the No. 1 spot so it doesn’t put Oklahoma in the worst position, moving them back to the No. 4 spot.  No need to fret if you are a Sooner faithful, they should be around come BCS bid time. Their hardest contest comes on November 22nd against a No. 7 Texas Tech squad who has one of the most explosive offenses in the country.  Mark the date.

Florida, who has only been in one actual contest that was decided by less than five touchdowns were on the wrong side of a blocked PAT in their shocking loss to Old Miss 31-30.  The Gators uncharacteristically turned the ball over three times and 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow got stuffed on a fourth and one late in the fourth quarter on a play he makes look easy nine out of ten times.  He came to the podium after the game and gave the most mature speech I have ever seen a college kid give.  “I’m sorry. I’m extremely sorry,” he said. “We were hoping for an undefeated season. That was my goal, something Florida’s never done here. But I promise you one thing: a lot of good will come out of this.  He then proceeded to tell us how there will be no team and no player who will play as hard as him and the Gators for the rest of the season.  Crazy thing is I believe him.  With upcoming games against Georgia and Vanderbilt in the next three weeks, Tebows prophecy will quickly be put to the test, but after last week’s smack down of LSU 51-21 I think it’s safe to say the Gators are for real.

So like I said this is all a big mix up that’s probably going to get shaken up some more this week.  Texas’s next three games are against No. 11 Missouri, No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 7 Texas Tech.  Good luck with that.  Alabama takes on Old Miss, Tennessee and No. 13 LSU two weeks later.  Penn State, although they had a convincing win against Wisconsin last week 48-7 have Michigan (which doesn’t mean much anymore), No. 12 Ohio State and a decent 4-3 Iowa Hawkeye team.  Each week will bring us closer to the crown; stay tuned into Sports Journey for weekly updates.

It’s Never Too Early to Get Suspended…Ever.

Even though spring practice for college football is still three weeks away, it makes no difference.  You would think that student-athletes would be gearing up for what is to come by hitting the weight room, making the grade and enjoying the last of that thing they call life while spring break comes and goes…but no.  Arrests and suspensions are the name of the game while coaches prepare for the upcoming 2008 season.  The list will get longer as the weeks go on, but since there isn’t any football being played on the field lets drink to those who’ve been getting their fill of trouble off the field as well by being suspended or arrested in the past few months. Cheers.

Clemson – Starting middle linebacker Cortney Vincent is suspended for all of spring practice for violating an unspecified team policy. The State reported that this violation has no connection to his December DUI arrest where the junior was charged with first-offense driving under the influence. Coach Tommy Bowden said there is a possibility that Vincent could be kicked off the team and will re-evaluate the situation once spring practice is over.

Nebraska – Junior offensive lineman Andy Christensen was arrested early Saturday and accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a bar. Coach Bo Pelini suspended Christensen from the team after he was accused of first-degree sexual assault, resisting arrest and failure to comply.  Christensen started the first three games at left guard before a season-ending knee injury.

Indiana – Junior quarterback Kellen Lewis was suspended indefinitely for violating team rules.  Coach Bill Lynch said Lewis needs time away from the program and they look forward to his return at some point in the future.  Team spokesman Jeff Keag would not give details about what rules Lewis violated.  Last year Lewis broke single-season records for attempts (442), completions (265), yards passing, TD passes, total touchdowns (37), total yards (3,709) and completion percentage (60.0)

Iowa – Both receiver James Cleveland and backup quarterback Arvell Nelson have been dismissed from the team.  Cleveland, a sophomore was Iowa’s second leading receiver last season and was arrested in February after campus police found 21 units of the prescription pain killer oxycodone and 24 doses of the muscle relaxant carisoprodol.  He was charged with a tax stamp violation, a Class D felony and two counts of unlawful possession of prescription drugs.  His preliminary hearing is set for March 14^th.  Nelson, also a sophomore was arrested on the same night on marijuana possession charges.

Oklahoma – According to the Journal-Constitution Josh Jarboe, an Oklahoma recruit who was No. 13 on the ESPN list of the top 150 players last season and No. 3 wide receiver overall has been accused of receiving stolen property and having a weapon on school property.  In addition to the felony charges Jarboe could be expelled from school.

Rutgers – Sophomore defensive tackle Justin Francis was suspended last Friday after being arrested a day earlier.  No details of the arrest have been made, but Coach Greg Schiano has confirmed the report of the arrest.  He said he would wait for the legal process to run its course before commenting.  Francis played in seven games last season and made seven tackles.

South Carolina – Defensive back Carlos Thomas was suspended indefinitely for violating team rules, although Coach Steve Spurrier’s report did not elaborate on what rules the senior broke.  Thomas started seven games at cornerback last year and made 20 career starts over the past three seasons.  Running back Mike Davis also has been suspended for one game for missing too many classes.

Who Wants to be A College Football Coach…by Steve Sherwood

In a world where cut-throat is the name of the game, here are five schools that got the most bang for their buck in the mayhem of the hiring and firing process.

Three years. That’s the average amount of time a new head coach has to turn a program around before he is seriously considered for removal from the position. Like in anything some have more time to prove themselves and others are on a short leash, but one thing is for sure though after this crazy football season some serious moves have been made. From the big daddies to the bottom of the barrel million dollar contracts being signed, bought out and taken away like an episode of CBS’s Survivor tribal council. You have no idea who is going to stab you in the back or undermine you, even members of your own team. So, who made out big? Who didn’t make out at all yet? Let’s take a look at the coaches walking in, the ones who walked or got kicked out and the ones who haven’t even arrived yet.

Arkansas – One of the greatest lessons I have ever learned is if it is not broken, don’t fix it. Another good one is don’t count your chickens before they hatch. The Razorbacks didn’t heed either of these rules. After going 75-48 in 10 years head coach Houston Nutt was all but on his knees with the guillotine halfway down by the time the end of the season was coming near. Then Nutt upset the then-No. 1 LSU Tigers 50-48 in triple overtime. Jeff Long, the first year Arkansas athletic director probably looked like Sylvester right after he ate Tweedy while Granny was looking. He regurgitated his thought process just as quickly. So with foot in mouth Arkansas offered Nutt a lucrative contract extension, which he humbly walked away from. The hiring process was just as big of a mess.

First it was reported that Clemson’s Tommy Bowden and Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe were the frontrunners. Then it was North Carolina’s Butch Davis but not before being reported it was Auburn’s Tommy Tuberville. Confusing, I know. All except Grobe signed extensions with their respective schools, so the search went on. They then went to the NFL to literally steal away in the middle of the night Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino, Baltimore Colts style. I am fine with it, but don’t leave your troubled Falcons team with three games left to go in the season. It’s disrespectful, undermining and outright wrong. Petrino was 41-9 during his four year tenure at Louisville, so we know he can coach at this level. God knows no one will ever give him another chance in the NFL. This is a match made in heaven; at least until Petrino finds something better next season.

Baylor – There was no question that Guy Morriss and his 18-40 record in five seasons with the Bears had run its course but moving on who should take the reins? Talks with San Francisco’s assistant coach and former Baylor Linebacker Mike Singletary didn’t work out as planned with athletic director Ian McCaw. Houston Nutt was a possible successor as well as former Baylor player Jerry Moore who took his Appalachian State squad to new heights winning three consecutive Division I-AA national championships as well as their memorable upset over Michigan this year. But Baylor decided on Houston’s Art Briles whose offense ranked fourth overall in total yards. Doubling his salary to 1.8 million has its ups and downs though. Before going 34-28 at Houston with four winning seasons out of five the Cougars had only two in the last 12 years. Baylor, well they’ve had 12 consecutive losing seasons in a row. Briles will have more than three years to get the Bears out of the Big 12 basement, after all Rome wasn’t built in a day. With the money they are shelling out for him it would probably be in his best interest to have them to the middle of the pack as soon as possible.

Michigan – This is one of those jobs where it doesn’t matter what you have done up to this point. Just crumple up your resume because your life just started. You will forever be remembered for what you did at the most winningest program in college football…period. So when the Wolverines job opened up after Lloyd Carr’s retirement (121-40 in 13 years) the only possible scenario would be for LSU’s Les Miles to take over. He played at and coached for Michigan under the great Bo Schembechler. This is the type of job that comes around once in a lifetime, but the media coverage got so out of control that Miles had to have a news conference the morning of the Tigers SEC championship game to let everyone know that he was not in the running for such a thing. Then the Wolverines looked to Rutgers Greg Schiano, who came to be a man of his word on his beliefs to bring the Scarlet Knights to greatness. As crazy as that would have sounded five years ago all I can say if anything else, the guy has my respect for what he is trying to do there. Also in the running were a few of the Wolverines coordinators, but nothing serious. They finally lured West Virginia’s coach Rich Rodriguez to the helm, which I thought was a great decision. He led the Mountaineers to two BCS bowl games in three years with a 60-26 record in seven seasons. He had his spread-option attack was one win away from the BCS national championship game this year, but that is not something we will get into. Like I said before it does not matter what you have done before you became the Michigan coach, the only thing that matters now is the maize and blue. Case closed.

Mississippi (Ole Miss) – Was it obvious to anyone else that after the Rebels finished up 3-9 and went winless in the SEC that Ed Orgeron was getting the boot? Yea, I thought so too. This isn’t a rags to riches story, but the Rebels knew what they wanted. Less than 24 hours after Houston Nutt resigned he was the new Ole Miss Coach. We talked enough about Nutt’s accolades above, how he knows the SEC and has already took a withering program and took them to the top of their game. We shouldn’t expect anything less here. Nutt already hired South Carolina’s defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few new additions to the Rebels coaching staff before they take the field in ’08.

Texas A&M – As far as the firing of Dennis Franchione I am not even sure that is something that has to be discussed. When you run an illegal newsletter with information you are withholding from the general public to your boosters for upwards of $1,200 I feel like it’s one of those things that says “pack your bags” very plainly. There is no grey area there. A&M athletic director Bill Byrne had a serious amount to time to think about whom he wanted to succeed Franchione and I think his pick was right on. Mike Sherman spent the last two seasons with the Texans as an assistant, but went 57-39 in six seasons with the Green Bay Packers winning three NFC North titles. He also spent seven seasons as offensive line coach at A&M under R.C. Slocum from 1989-93 and 1995-96. This is more of a homecoming for Sherman rather than a hire. He is left with decent talent and an NFL resume which can lure an on the fence player looking to take his game to the next level. He also has something called honesty, something A&M hasn’t seen in the last five years.

That Jersey Swagger

Redshirt freshman running back Knowshon Moreno took the state of Georgia by storm this season. Something everyone from New Jersey knew would happen; we just didn’t think it would happen this soon.

Knowshon Moreno was a freak of nature at Middletown South High School. Every weekend I picked up the paper it was four, five or six touchdowns. After back to back state championships it became a joke (he won three). When it was all said and done he was New Jersey’s all time leading scorer. An EA Sports All-American and his senior year rushed for 1,808 in 10 games on 185 carries. You do the math. Basically every time the kid touched the ball he got a first down, or exactly 9.77 yards per carry, sorry. So when he committed to Georgia to join the likes of Herschel Walker, Tim Worley, Rodney Hampton and Garrison Hearst I couldn’t have been happier for him. The Bulldogs are known for a running back factory down in Athens, and Moreno fit the mold perfectly. I figured he would sit on the bench at least two years before he was able to be the featured back, but now he is on track to be one of the greatest running backs in Georgia football history.

After redshirting his freshman year Moreno was third on the depth chart this spring behind seniors Kregg Lumpkin and Thomas Brown. Lumpkin had a thumb and knee injury and Brown broke his collar bone which kept him out of three games. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. I’m not going to sit here and tell you Moreno got the job by default. He was slowly making his way into the starting lineup as is. I will tell you this though — if both those senior backs don’t go down and we have a Knowshon takeover the Bulldogs are not playing in the Sugar Bowl, that’s for sure. After losing to Tennessee 35-14 which brought them to a lowly 4-2 record a bowl didn’t even seem feasible at the time. Just last week I heard Coach Mark Richt giving his opinion why the No. 4 ranked Bulldogs should be allowed into the national championship. In the end, the only thing that kept them out was not playing in the conference championship or winning their division, even though that is not a qualification to play in the BCS championship game.

Without a doubt the reason for Georgia’s success this season is because of Moreno. Once into the starting line-up full time he ran off five straight 100-yard games. Included in that was Florida, Auburn and Kentucky. It’s no wonder he is the first freshman to surpass 1,000 yards rushing in a season since Herschel Walker. Now coming into the biggest game of his infantile college career against No. 10 Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl he will have a shot to show Heisman voters what’s in store for the years to come. After all, not many freshmen are able to have the opportunity to even start, forget about making All-SEC. Moreno received first team honors including SEC Freshman of the year. Not many people are able to seize the opportunities that they are given. Moreno wasn’t given it; he stole it all away taking the spot light and all.
It’s getting to the point now where Georgia is so stir-crazy about the Jersey native I’ve seen multiple internet groups which are hard to not chuckle when seen. Like how about, “When Tim Tebow goes to bed, he wears Knowshon Moreno pajamas” or “Knowshon Moreno would stiff-arm Chuck Norris in the face!” All jokes aside this kid is the real deal. Everyone knows it now, but we here in Jersey knew. In fact, we knew four years ago. It is just hard to believe that someone, anyone for that matter can walk into any SEC school as a running back and be like, “Here I am baby, gimme the rock.” He’s gone from third stringer to one of the best running backs in the country period, regardless of class. You name me three other players that that’s happened to and I’ll give you my job.

Coming into this year’s Sugar Bowl, the pressure is on Hawaii. This game is all about respect. Georgia, they have it year in and year out — Hawaii, not so much. The Rainbow Warriors will be looking to find some of that love that the only undefeated team in the nation hasn’t gotten all year long. The matchup is great, with one team having an efficient passing attack and the other with a vicious ground game. Look for New Orleans to rock harder then it will on national championship night, I guarantee it. With both Georgia seniors most likely going to be able to play, the workload won’t have to be as much on Moreno’s shoulders. Although I am sure Richt will not keep the ball out of his best playmakers hands for too long. Not only that, the kid is a class act. “I’ve got great blocking skills” he says, “helping the team out in any way possible is what I consider my biggest strength.” These types of players only come around a few times a decade. I already promised my dad that before he graduates that I would take him to see him play in Athens. I only hope he stays there long enough so we Jersey native’s can get a chance to cheer for our own. Because after all, this kid is made for Sundays.

How Could It Have Ended Any Other Way?

With No. 1 Missouri and No. 2 West Virginia all but one win away from a national championship matchup, the worst thing that could have happened, happened. Just like it had all season long.

I sit here at the end of the most important week of college football, the last one, and have no idea who is playing in the BCS national championship. The wheels had been set in motion and everyone had their chance, and I mean everyone. This is what we were left with. Missouri had a serious hurdle to jump in the Big 12 Championship trying to avenge a loss to No. 9 Oklahoma, they lost 38-17. West Virginia who was a ridiculous favorite in the backyard brawl at home against 4-7 Pittsburgh, it did not go as planned. They were downed 13-9, but it shouldn’t have even been that close. Both teams could lock up BCS national title invitations with a win but both teams were outplayed, outcoached, outdone and straight up just got ousted from the national championship dream. “A Nightmare” said WV Coach Rich Rodriquez. A fitting end to an unexplainable season and another reason why the whole BCS process is a complete joke.

With more heartbreaks than the high school homecoming queen and a rotating top-5 that looked more like a roulette table rather than a serious ranking of the nation’s best teams, tonight followed suit to a tee. The college football season is over and everyone can only speculate who will take the top spots. You would think No. 3 and No. 4 would automatically move into the one and two spots. That is only half-true. Ohio State who hasn’t played a game since November 17^th after beating Michigan to win the Big 10 title sat idle at No. 3. I can say for sure that they can bury the roses they held in their mouths two weeks ago, they are now doing bigger and better things. No. 4 Georgia on the other hand is the only two loss team in the top five. They didn’t win their conference or their division title but are in the running for the top spot? It really doesn’t make too much logical sense. The computers might put them into the title game, but human opinion will not let that happen. With a one-two loss tonight it blew the lid off the BCS, leaving more than a few teams with a solid argument on why they should be let in.

Kansas sits idle at 5 after losing their last regular season game to Missouri 36-28. Before that they had the only offense and defensive combination to be ranked nationally in the top-20. With half of the teams in front of them taking a loss tonight, Todd Reising and the Jayhawks want in but they didn’t win their division of their conference either. Realistically I think they will square off in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma. Since the Sooners didn’t meet Kansas in regular season play, this would be the unofficial loser’s bracket game of the Big XII championship. All jokes aside it will be deserved, but like I said — they all had their chance.

Next on the list at No. 6 is Virginia Tech. They were a big winner and got sweet revenge in the early set of games today in the ACC championship against Boston College 30-16. The end score made it look like they won handily, but such was not the case. With 3:11 left the ball was in Matt Ryan’s hands just like it had been a little over a month ago in Blacksburg down seven, but lightning often doesn’t strike twice. The Hokies were able to hold on by blocking two kicks early and had solid play from tandem quarterback’s Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor. I can’t see them jumping Kansas and Georgia even with the ACC crown in hand, they lost to LSU on September 8^th 48-7. If you get blown out at all period, in my mind you aren’t getting in. LSU on the other hand, their resume looks solid.

The Tigers beat No. 14 Tennessee 21-14 to claim the SEC crown. The Volunteers beat a Georgia team early on in October 35-14. The SEC is the place where snot-nose football is played week in and week out no matter who you are playing in conference. LSU proved the leader of the pack in their respective conferences without a doubt, but have two losses as well. There’s something about triple overtime that doesn’t sit well with the Tigers. On two plays the Tigers lost two games, one to Kentucky and another to Arkansas. Although they have played some of the most consistent football in the country, I am not even sure what that word even means anymore. Good luck to the BCS computers because no matter whom they choose at this point somebody has a valid argument over why they should be dancing in the dance.

When it is all said and done I think an Ohio State – LSU national championship matchup would be fitting. Ohio State is a team who rode high in the rankings all year long and only losing to a very fine Illinois team 28-21 on November 10^th. The ultimate sin in college football is never to lose late because what happened this year is a farce. Normally only three or four teams have a realistic shot at the title throughout a season. This year I don’t know many teams that didn’t have a chance at the top, only to slip right off as fast as humanly possible. If this season were to extend into infinity I wouldn’t be surprised if Notre Dame and Nebraska Laugh, but think about it. Teams you never thought even to associate the words national champions with were part of the talk. South Florida, Arizona State, Boston College, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas and the list goes on. Other then BC’s 2004 co-Big East championship, you tell me the last time one of those teams won their conference. What happened this year is never going to happen like this again. So many teams did themselves the injustice of playing down to their competition. As much as I don’t like the BCS and not having a true playoff system I believe the computers will get it right. Ohio State and LSU are two of the better teams in the nation playing some of the best ball. It’s time, let’s roll out the carpet and let the two of them slug it out. Good thing the season didn’t go one more week. The list of contenders would only have grown bigger, as they have all year long.

One, Two, and Three

Missouri, West Virginia, and Ohio State.

It’s hard to have one clear cut game of the week so late in the season. With the BCS finally molding into a realistic picture of who is going to play for the rings, we now know who will not be there. For sure the SEC conference is out, the Pac-10 is pretty much beat and the ACC hasn’t been around for weeks. LSU lost for the second time this season in triple overtime, this time to Arkansas The loss was obviously heartbreaking for Les Miles squad whose only other loss came in the same fashion in October to Kentucky, knocking them out of the one spot for the first time. To re-climb the mountain back to the top and fall off at such a pivotal time is a shame, but life goes on. So who is still alive in this roller coaster ride of a season that we have had thus far? Everyone of course, but in reality when it is all said and done it will be either Missouri, West Virginia or Ohio State squaring off for the BCS title. Let’s take a look at each of them before we put this national title talk to rest. 50-48.

Missouri sits high atop the country with the No. 1 ranking for this week, but have the toughest road by far of the three. After knocking off undefeated No. 2 Kansas last week 36-28 in convincing fashion they face Oklahoma for the Big 12 championship in San Antonio. The only team to beat Mizzou half a season ago on Oct. 13^th in Norman 41-31. This time when they face off anything and everything is at stake. The Tigers broke into the top 25 in week three and have had a long climb to the top winning their last six contests. Oklahoma will be no pushover, that’s for sure. The Sooners were on track for a title appearance until they were thwarted two weeks ago by Texas Tech 34-27. Coach Bob Stoops will have his boys ready to try and attempt arguably the hardest deed in football; beating someone twice in the same season. Tigers quarterback Chase Daniel will be ready, willing and able. All year he has made smart decisions with the football throwing 33 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions (with almost 4,000 yards), but two of those came in the loss to Oklahoma. Missouri’s hopes.will lie solely with him as they have all year. If he plays well, they advance. If he doesn’t, well that would be fitting for this year, wouldn’t it?

Now let’s take a look at the Big East’s West Virginia. The Mountaineers have slowly crept back into the national title picture after slipping up early on to South Florida 21-13. Last week they locked up the Big East conference title in convincing fashion by laying the wood to No. 20 Connecticut 66-21. Without a doubt quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton are one of the best one-two combos in the game right now. With an option attack that can hurt you from any spot on the field, their offense is almost impossible to defend — unless played perfectly. That is why South Florida seemed to have the Mountaineers number, because there defense played smart. More than that they played patient, which is something that cannot be taught with just one week of preparation. White has thrown for almost 1,500 yards and has over 1,000 on the ground. Add on another 1,000 on the ground from Slaton and you have a serious offensive machine. West Virginia got here with some help, but so did everybody else right? They have one remaining game against Pittsburgh this Saturday, but Coach Rich Rodriguez will not let his team look past this game. His preparation is too thorough and he has veteran leaders on the field. Look for West Virginia to be playing for the national championship when January rolls around.

Ohio State is the luckiest of the bunch. The cardinal rule in college football is you can lose early, never late. That was out the window this season. Look at the Michigan Ohio State matchup this year. The Wolverines lost early and the Buckeyes lost late, but a Big 10 title was still on the line for both of them luckily. This type of thing doesn’t happen often though. Where the No.1 team gets dropped by a decent Illinois team two weeks back and then contends for a national title, it just doesn’t happen. But with twists and turns that this season has offered us it really shows you that anything can happen. The Buckeyes rely on their defense a bit more heavily than the other two but now are at a disadvantage – their season is over. A few weeks back sitting in the driver’s seat and are now not in control of their own destiny. Maybe they play West Virginia with a Mizzou loss, or even USC with a loss to both of the top two. Geez, with the way things have been going a two loss Georgia team has a Pluto’s chance statistically and they aren’t even playing for their conference championship. At this point the only thing the Buckeyes can do is sit and wait. Either way, they will be ready.

We cannot fully count out any of these teams. Not by a long shot. If there is anything that we have learned throughout this football season it is that anything is possible. David can beat Goliath, no name conferences can have some of the nation’s best teams and nobody, I repeat nobody is safe with the No. 2 ranking. It’s a fitting end to one of the most fulfilling seasons in college football history. We are seeing a turn of the tides for the better. The big dogs are no longer in charge. What used to be a strict monarchy is quickly becoming a democracy with no laws, exciting games and unpredictability like no other. Now all we need is a good playoff system and football postseason will be as exciting as the final four in basketball. Each season it makes more and more sense and everyone’s beginning to see it, even the money makers. In the end their opinions are the only ones that matter. At least they can’t change the outcome of the games because if they were picking the winners we all know we wouldn’t be having a Missouri – West Virginia national championship, oh my.

That Kid off the Bench

Why backup quarterback is the most important position in football.

You’ve seen it happen before.  It’s late in the season and your team is first in the conference.  It’s the biggest game of the year.  Everything is going perfect– then it happens.  The quarterback drops back and takes one of those hits that make you look away.  He doesn’t get up.  Regardless of what the result of the injury, he’s not finishing the game.  It’s a scenario that happens all the time.  Football is a game of big solid bodies being thrown at each other with violent force.  People are going to get hurt.  It’s why there are multiple backups at almost every position on the field.  Undoubtedly the backup quarterback position is the most valuable of all.  One play can turn a second-stringer into your go-to guy whether you like it or not.

The last week of college football has shown where the supposed elite top teams have some holes to fill.  Take on Thursday night when the then No. 2 Oregon lost to unranked Arizona 34-24.  Heisman hopeful Dennis Dixon was injured with about six minutes left in the opening quarter, deflating Oregon’s sideline like a game of Nintendo’s Duck Hunt.  You could see it all over their faces.  You could see it on Dixon’s face.  He had torn his ACL two weeks before against Arizona State but wanted to keep it hush.  When he went into the locker room pre-halftime to get changed into street clothes the cat was out of the bag.  Backup Brady Leaf came in his relief, but there wasn’t any relief to be had. 

Arizona cornerback Antoine Cason decided it was time for him to take over.  In Leaf’s third series Cason snatched an out route and took it 42 yards back to the house making it 17-11.  He also scored on a 56-yard punt return later in the quarter all but sealing the deal at 31-14.  My question is why did Brady Leaf look like he was playing on another planet?  Going 22 for 46 with 163 yards and two interceptions made what I saw look good.  Granted, the kid hurt his ankle early on in his outing so he wasn’t running worth a lick.  After seeing him play for two more series I knew he didn’t have it in him.  Why not go to the third string healthy quarterback?  Instead they lost with a poor performance with a quarterback who looked like he hadn’t taken the majority of snaps at practice that week, even though Dixon knew he tore up his knee two weeks prior.  It doesn’t make sense.

The very next night No. 16 (now 15) undefeated Hawaii visited the mainland to take on Nevada.  Where the sub 60 degree weather in November feels like February in Green Bay for the Rainbow Warriors.  Dan Kelly kicked the game winning 45-yard field goal with 11.7 seconds remaining making it 28-26.  What did you expect when the third nationally ranked offense took on the ninth?  Backup quarterback Tyler Graunke got the nod because Heisman hopeful Colt Brennan took a vicious hit the week before giving him a concussion and keeping him out.  Graunke went 33 for 46 with 358 yards and two touchdowns, also running for one on the ground.  See what a difference 11 more completions do for you (see Leaf’s numbers), but it wasn’t only that.  Graunke looked like a seasoned veteran and had taken the better percentage of the snaps that week.  I wonder why.

Hawaii realized that even though Brennan was cleared to play that they would have to have their backup ready just in case.  I realize they have a great system and Graunke is that type of Brennan-like passer.  Brady Leaf is not a Dennis Dixon type runner, even healthy.  Hawaii’s nail biter lasted until about 2:00 A.M. Eastern Time and was hard to turn off.  But regardless, if Brennan puts up solid numbers the rest of the way look for him come Heisman time.  The kid had 34 consecutive games with 219 yards passing or more — thirty four.  If the Warriors go undefeated they still won’t make it to the BCS title game but they might get the Heisman trophy winner instead.

Speaking of future Heisman winners brings me to exhibit ‘C’, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.  He was knocked out of the game in the first quarter in the then No. 4 Sooners 34-27 loss to Texas Tech.  Bradford is a freshman, but he led the nation in passing efficiency coming into the game against the unranked Red Raiders.  Put that as a Heisman note in the back of your head for years to come.  Backup quarterback Joey Halzle had only attempted nine passes this season.  His greenness showed going 21 for 41 with 291 yards throwing for two touchdowns and one interception.  Coach Bob Stoops knew it as well saying “You can’t play these guys one-handed.  Your backup never has the number of snaps the other guy has.  With Bradford going down and the offense coming to a halt, so did the Sooners national title hopes.”

This isn’t something that Oklahoma could have avoided.  Like I said before, this is football and people are going to get hurt.  It’s something that just happens and you can’t plan for it.  There were three different instances last week of ways your backup can get in the game.  For Oregon, hushing up the injury might have felt like the right thing to do.  Just make sure your backup is ready to go.  With Hawaii, that game was going to be close no matter who was under center – but they were prepared.  Oklahoma got used to relying on their underclassman who is now their proven leader, but neither the Sooners nor Ducks will play for the national championship this year because their backups couldn’t handle the heat.

Oklahoma has won five games this year by 30 or more.  Oregon won three by the same margin.  Funny thing is as potent as Hawaii’s offense seems to be they only have three wins by 30 or more as well.  Here’s the difference.  Graunke had 72 attempts coming into last week while Leaf and Halzle had 24 – combined.  It was no mistake that Hawaii’s backup quarterback position is taken very seriously. Coach June Jones knows something that Mike Bellotti and Bob Stoops do not.  Sometimes even if only for one game, the backup quarterback is the most important position on your entire team.

“The Jet’s” Sports Journey Game of the Week

(11-1) Ohio State 14  (8-4) Michigan 3

Buckeyes ground-game and defense hold tough to win fourth straight.

 Over 100,000 people gathered at the Big House as they do every other year to see Ohio State play Michigan for their annual last game of the schedule matchup.  It was also the one-year anniversary of legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler’s death, giving the Wolverines an added incentive to put up a “W”.  Not to mention that the seniors on this Michigan team had never beaten Ohio State throughout their college career.  To say the least, injuries and a stout Buckeye defense kept those seniors winless.  More than that, Michigan has seen the last of their heralded coach Lloyd Carr whose national championship in 1997 seems so much more than a decade away after dropping six of the last seven years to the Buckeyes.

To say the least, it wasn’t a great day for offensive football.  With winter weather finally starting to show through, wind and rain was the name of the game on Saturday.  Both Ohio State and Michigan passed for 126 yards – total.  But Michigan was never able to get anything going on the ground either.  To be honest, you aren’t going to win many games when you only have 91 yards of total offense.  Ohio State, who was upset a week ago to Illinois, gave up 260 yards on the ground to the Fighting Illini.  The Buckeye defense rose to the occasion, holding Mike Hart and the Wolverines to just a whopping 44 yards on the ground.

Ohio State Running back Chris Wells stole the show for the day, rushing for 222 yards on 39 carries with two touchdowns.  It seemed at times that Wells was a step ahead of the Wolverine defense as he weaved in and out to the sidelines with ease.  Buckeye Coach Jim Tressel said of Wells, “He wanted to take this game on his shoulders and carry us, and that’s what he did.” On the other end of the spectrum Michigan was hampered by injuries to their two key leaders.  Hart with a bad ankle and quarterback Chad Henne with a nagging shoulder injury.

It was obvious that during the game Henne was not his normal self (11-34 for 68 yards), under throwing and letting certain easy completions get away from him.  But Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman only threw 13 passes on the day, completing 7 for only 50 yards.  He threw one interception and fumbled the ball twice; showing the country that Saturday in Michigan was just not a quarterback’s day.  But a day for the Buckeyes it was.  Michigan will have to wait another year to claim redemption in the biggest rivalry in college football. 

Michigan’s record is now a humbling 8-4 but much better than critics would have thought after dropping their first two games to Appalachian State and Oregon, but fear not.  Michigan will play in a bowl game, just not “the” bowl game.  A season that will be considered sub-par by Wolverine standards but a salvageable one at that for the media.

As for Ohio State well, I couldn’t tell you.  Before this weekend I would tell you that the Buckeyes are a shoe in to play in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl with a win.  With Oregon losing on Thursday and Oklahoma losing Saturday night, the gates have opened up.  Ohio State is now ranked No. 5 and needs some help from a few different teams (LSU, Kansas or Missouri).  But with the way this season has shaped up, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Buckeyes in the national championship after all. Maybe even against West Virginia.

Oregon at the Two Spot, Exactly Where They Don’t Want to Be

Why this year No. 2 has gotten the oust week in and week out.
In the society we live in we have weaved this wild thing called competitiveness into our lives.  Whether it is finishing first in our class, at our jobs or even waiting in line.  Let’s face it; we all want to be numero uno.  But this here thing called college football is a marathon, not a sprint.  So sometimes it’s better to come in as the underdog in second place so you can snatch the No. 1 ranking from under their nose, but not this year.

It all started when LSU beat out USC in the week five polls pushing the Trojans to number two.  This was the start of the impossible ranking to hold onto with a new team claiming the ranking every week accept one.  So with Oregon holding onto the No. 2 ranking with three weeks left in the season, you can only think the worst.  How can the Ducks hold onto this spot to secure their BCS title berth?  To this, none of us know.  Good luck Oregon because the foot race has began.  Let’s take a look back at all the teams who were close enough to smell it but won’t be lucky enough to taste it.

In week four, LSU was ranked No. 2 and USC was ranked No. 1.  With LSU’s dominant win over then No. 12 South Carolina 28-16 it catapulted the Tigers up over the Trojans and left USC with the No. 2 ranking.  This was the beginning of the end for the number twos.  The very next week the college football world was stunned when Stanford upset the Trojans 24-23.  This opened up the door for a new No. 2, California.

The Golden Bears wasted no time basking in the number two ranking before losing their next game to Oregon State 31-28, a team that had already lost to Cincinnati, Arizona State and UCLA — each had nothing more to offer than a 3-3 record.  Not exactly the type of caliber team you want to lose too.  To add insult to injury the Bears lost the following week to UCLA 30-21.  But lost they did, letting yet another team scoop up the ranking.  This time, South Florida was the squad to nab it.

A most unlikely suitor from the Big East Conference, South Florida was for real.  Already knocking off then No. 17 Auburn and No. 5 West Virginia, the shoe seemed to fit.  An explosive offense with a smart and fast defense, which is exactly the type of team that belongs in the national championship right?  Just ask Rutgers who beat the Bulls by stopping the core of their whole team, Matt Grothe 30-27.  Just when we thought we finally had a team to live up to the expectations, number two gets beat again.  The Bulls lost the following week as well to No. 23 Connecticut 22-15.  At this point the whole country is thinking college football is a game of musical chairs.  Boston College was able to fall into the No. 2 seat before the music stopped in week eight.

Boston College was the perfect fit.  They were rewarded with the ranking right before a huge Thursday night game at Virginia Tech.  This was a chance for first year coach Jeff Jagodzinski and four year starter Matt Ryan to showcase to the world that Boston isn’t just pumping out good baseball.  To the contrast of all the other number two’s, BC showed who was boss and had a come from behind 14-10 victory that now let the country know their Heisman hopeful was for real — at least until the next week.  Holding onto that number two ranking was a feat in itself before losing consecutively the next weeks to Florida State 27-17 and then to Maryland 42-35.  Another one bites the dust.  This put everything back in full circle once again boosting up LSU back to the No. 2 ranking.

Same circle, same result.  Only the top team was different this time.  Since LSU lost the No. 1 ranking in week six losing to Kentucky 43-37, Ohio State took over the top ranking and held it up until this week.  The Buckeyes fell hard to Illinois 28-21 Saturday.  Lucky for LSU they only had to sport the No. 2 ranking for a week and rolled over Louisiana Tech 58-10.  LSU is the only one that has survived the two spot and now sits alone atop the country.  They aren’t who I am worried about.

Oregon is now the dreadful number two.  With it being likely that the Ducks can win out the rest of their schedule, they should be in control of their destiny — if only it were that simple.  With three Big XII teams in the top-5 and two of them squaring off in two weeks, they should cancel themselves out.  But both the Big XII and the SEC have title games, the Pac-10 does not.  This leaves Oregon out in the cold watching from the window, hoping that their let in.  The road to the BCS championship has never been this rocky, so it would seem fitting that teams that win out will be able to play for the title.  As we’ve seen in the years before that is not the case.  It will not be a matter of just winning, but also in what type of fashion.  We will see nothing held back in the next few weeks.  With the way things have shaped up thus far why would we expect the ending to be anything different?  Strap on your seat belts because all of the top-5 are about to kick it into sixth gear.

Three to Go

Pop your collar with style, because winning just won’t be enough.

The 2007 football season is still as crazy as can be.  This weekend we watched another Goliath be downed by David when the No. 1 ranked Ohio State got juiced by Illinois 28-21.  This leaves the BCS championship game with no fit suitors as of yet.  All the pieces seemed to fit for the Buckeyes who flew under the radar all year.  After all, the only game they lost previous to this in the last two seasons was the title game to Florida last season.  To say the least I am sure there is a bitter taste left in the Buckeye nation’s mouth, but life goes on as it must.  Here is a look at the five teams who in the next three weeks will showcase their skills for both human and computer alike (with West Virginia on the cusp at No. 6).  Only two will make it and only one will be crowned champion.  It’s time to tighten the chinstraps and buckle down.  These are the music makers and these are the dreamers of dreams. 

No. 1 – LSU:  The Tigers are back atop the nation with help from all.  No team was able to keep the No. 2 ranking, so LSU just kept moving up.  With Alabama getting clipped by Mississippi State and Auburn being crushed by Georgia, this all but laid out the red carpet for LSU to the SEC championship game as they sit alone in first place in the western division.  When healthy the best all around team in the nation, the Tigers seem to have the easiest road to the BCS championship game.  With their upcoming matchups against Mississippi and Arkansas who sit at the bottom of the division respectively LSU should have no problem mopping up the next few weeks.  I must say that I have seen stranger things happen this year, but the Tigers are usually sound in the clutch and Coach Les Miles will have his boys in Baton Rouge ready.

No. 2 – Oregon:  Even though Oregon is probably playing the best football in the nation right now and quarterback  Dennis Dixon is having a Heisman caliber year, winning out might not be enough.  All of the Ducks last three opponents have had sub-par seasons.  Out of Arizona, UCLA and Oregon State only the latter of the three has a winning record.  That is all fine and dandy for running the table but when the three teams behind you in the polls all have to play a top-10 team in the upcoming weeks, squeaking by any of these games will have a negative effect.  If the Ducks want to play for a National title they better bring their ‘A’ game every snap or they could get ousted by default.  Another big reason is that they play in the Pac-10 where there is no championship game.  This could be the factor that hoists the Big XII title winner over the Ducks if they do not take these last three games seriously.      

No. 3 – Kansas: Kansas is one of two undefeated teams in the nation.  The only one of which will have a chance to play for the BCS title (Hawaii will not).  The Jayhawks sport a 10-0 record and have a 3-8 Iowa State team next week.  Unfortunately their biggest test comes in week 12 when they square off with No. 5 Missouri.  There is no doubt in my mind that the BCS computers will reward the Jayhawks with a Sugar Bowl berth if they win out.  All will be in vein if they falter against Missouri.  After all, that would mean no title game and no Big XII championship game.  Everybody just wants a shot.  Kansas is sitting in the passenger seat navigating LSU to the championship.  Missouri is like the little brother in the back seat slapping them in the head.  Take care of business or move to the back.  Better yet, move to the back and take care of business once and for all.

No. 4 – Oklahoma: Oklahoma is another team creeping in under the radar.  Led by freshman quarterback Sam Bradford, the Sooners need to roll in the last two weeks against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.  If they get that done they can watch Missouri and Kansas battle it out to represent the North while they sit alone atop the South of the Big XII.  If you look at the Sooners schedule there was only one tiny flaw.  That dreadful game out in Boulder where they were upset 27-24 in week 5 by Colorado.  But as the BCS has shown over the years, the computer is sympathetic to top-25 teams who lose in the first half of the season.  When losing in the second tier, not so much.  Oklahoma can only win out, watch and hope.  Hope that by winning the Big XII title over a top-5 team will be able to catapult them from the middle of America to California to play for that glass football that is so coveted after these days. 

No. 5 – Missouri:  Missouri has one of the best offenses in the nation, hands down.  Stomping out Texas Tech three weeks back 41-10 showing the nation who has the highest powered offense in the Big XII.  Quarterback Chase Daniel has shown that he is the real deal and can get the job done.  But the Tigers have their work cut out for them in the path to the championship.  Winning out means having to beat Kansas State on the road and then No. 3 Kansas in Kansas City, where Arrowhead Stadium is already sold out.  I can see this being realistic.  Now they move into the Big XII title game presumably against Oklahoma, who was the only team to beat Missouri thus far this year 41-31.  Needless to say I am sure the Tigers also have a bad taste left in their mouth and are looking for revenge.  But it is no secret that Missouri has one of the toughest roads to the BCS championship game, having to beat a quality opponent every week of the way.  Let it be known, if Missouri gets there, they undoubtedly deserve it.