Picks of the Week

I did it again. Said I would pick an ACC game. So I thought it was smart to take an SEC team to defeat Duke. Thanks a lot Vanderbilt and that lovely three-game skid your on now. I'm determined to get back on track this week. So here we go again.

Brigham Young (-14) over Colorado State
This is the type of game that BYU excels in usually. The 17th-ranked Cougars are still in the running for the Mountain West Conference title, so this game is important. Colorado State has improved this year under first-year coach Steve Fairchild. The Rams are 4-4 following a gutsy win over San Diego State last week, and they still have bowl aspirations.
Pick: Brigham Young 42, Colorado State 17

Southern Cal (-46) over Washington
Never thought I'd pick a team that was already down 46-0 before the opening kickoff. This one just feels right. The Trojans offense struggled a bit last week against Arizona, but still won. QB Mark Sanchez will go crazy against the Huskies and USC will roll up a big win similar to the one it had against Washington State a few weeks ago.
Pick: Southern Cal 54, Washington 3

Louisville (-13) over Syracuse
Syracuse's lone Big East victory came at the expense of Louisville last season in Kentucky. The Cardinals are primed for revenge against an overmatched Orange. Louisville enters Saturday's game on a three-game winning streak and Steve Kragthorpe's defense should be up to the challenge.
Pick: Louisville 34, Syracuse 14

Central Michigan (+2.5) over Indiana
How is Indiana favored in this game? I know it's in Bloomington, but I'm not even considering this pick an upset win. Central Michigan runs the spread under former Rich Rodriguez disciple Butch Jones. The numbers aren't on the Chippewas side as they are 0-5 against BCS opposition, including dropping two games in 2008 to Georgia (56-17) and Purdue (32-25).
Pick: Central Michigan 27, Indiana 24

Upset of the Week
Miami (+2) over Virginia
Seems odd to think that UVA is favored in this game. After watching Al Groh's boys get totally dominated in the season opener against Southern Cal, it looked like the Cavaliers were headed for disaster and Groh was going to be ushered out of town. Instead, Virginia has rebounded and has a shot at winning the ACC. Miami is more athletic and the Hurricanes are due for this type of win (underdog on the road).
Pick: Miami 20, Virginia 14

Last Week: 2-3
Season: 14-16

Let's hug it out kid

Before last night, I don't think I had ever heard of Cincinnati Bearcats receiver Mardy Gilyard. After watching his humane act following a near-TD catch, I'm a Gilyard fan. He showed what was more important.

Only negative I could see was how ESPN had to go over an interview the 7-year-old boy. Not necessary.

So long, Top 25

Memo to any team in country:

Do not go on the road for the Thursday night game.

I know, you need the exposure. You really want the exposure. But you know what's bad exposure? Losing to a national audience.

Welcome to the club, South Florida.

Barring a miracle, the Bulls are about to drop out of the top 25 thanks to this loss at Cincinnati. USF will also fall to 1-3 in the Big East.

This is by no means an embarrassing loss for USF as UC is a solid program with some good talent, but USF is finding out what it's like to have expectations. The Bulls were twice inside the 10 in the fourth quarter and couldn't score.

Got Frank? Ohio may wish it didn't any longer

When Ohio University lured Frank Solich from the unemployment line in 2005 it seemed like a great hire. The former Nebraska coach was a winner, had Ohio connections and gave a down-in-the-dumps Bobcat program instant credibility.

In just his second season, Solich guided OU to a 9-5 record and its first bowl game since 1968. So what's wrong?

Well, it's Year 4 of the Solich Project and the Bobcats are playing more like the days when Cleve Bryant and Tom Lichtenberg coached Ohio.

Following Tuesday's 32-19 loss to Buffalo at Peden Stadium, the Bobcats fell to 2-7. Injuries have hit OU hard, but no football program uses that as a legitimate excuse. Solich wasn't after the game. In fact, he was very critical of his team.

“It was just a nightmare, an absolute nightmare,” Solich was quoted as saying in the Ohio student newspaper. “We found ourselves in the ball game, and we just fumbled it away."

The folks in Athens, Ohio, can't be happy. Solich is one of the highest paid employees at OU, making more than $250,000 a year. This past summer the university extended his contract to 2013. For the financially strapped Ohio U., the extension is like house speculation in Florida.

He'll be there until 2013 because Ohio can't buy him out and there isn't an alum who will step up and make the donation, like say a Nebraska would. Expectations are never real high at Ohio, but tensions are definitely rising. The faculty doesn't support Ohio's president, so you can only imagine how they feel about his hand-picked and expensive hire.

First Amendment be damned

We all know that college and professional coaches have never been able to make comments about officials, referees, etc. without paying the price (e.g., a hefty fine by the institution or league).

Now it appears Florida's Urban Meyer doesn't believe the First Amendment applies to his players.

Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes is a big Barack Obama supporter and has not shied away from letting everyone know his fondness for the Democratic Presidential nominee. He's even been seen wearing Obama shirts in the locker room and around the Gainesville campus.

According to The Miami Herald, on Tuesday evening after the Gators' practice, reporters asked Spikes why he supports the Illinois senator. For someone who has been so outspoken, Spikes was awkwardly silent. It seems the UF has muzzled him.

He told reporters, "I can't really comment on that." He also acknowledged that it was the University that has ordered him to remain silent on the topic.

Doesn't seem to be too collegial. What happened to universities being a place of intellectual discovery and free exchange of ideas? I guess Spikes should just keep his mouth shut, while the University uses players like him (and many others) to draw thousands of redneck fans into The Swamp and make millions each fall.

So what good reason does the administration have for stifling his right to free speech? I'd bet if this was Tim Tebow running around campus and flashing his pretty boy smile on national TV endorsing John McCain this would be a different story.

Someone actually pays Trev Alberts to talk football?

Honestly, I thought former ESPN analyst Trev Alberts stopped pretending to be a college football expert on Sept. 6, 2005, when he refused to show up for work at ESPN and the higher ups sent him packing.

For some unknown reason, he was hired as a columnist for the website of the college sports cable television network CSTV. He allegedly also works as a color commentator for the NFL on Westwood One Sunday afternoon radio broadcasts. And the above video also proves that he serves as an analyst for Sprint Exclusive Entertainment.

Not sure he's any smarter, but he still has a forum. I guess Georgia fans like him this week.

Episode 10

Houston ... We have a problem

Whoever is in charge of game-day management at Marshall should be fired this morning. Why is there a parked trolley that close to the back of the endzone? Might be a good idea to contact legal and see what an appropriate payout should be.

If he's not hopped up on morphine this morning, Houston freshmen receiver Patrick Edwards is probably thinking about the same things. Edwards was having a productive season, but it all came to crashing halt because of a gruesome leg injury on an incomplete pass. After taking about two steps at full speed his right leg connected with the trolley. It made me think of Joe Theisman when Lawrence Taylor put a beat down on him during a Monday Night Football game.

Before clicking on the video, you have been warned.

Green Out in Huntington

Stop it. I understand the marketing potential of having a White Out, Black Out or whatever. But now Marshall is having a Green Out tonight against Houston. Embattled coach Mark Snyder's job is on the ropes, so any ploy to take the focus off him is probably good.

To gain even more motivational pull, Snyder had his players switch from their customary white helmets after pre-game drills to green helmets (my example is not what they are wearing) with a white M. The Herd haven't worn green helmets since the mid-1980s.

So far, so good as Marshall's defense is playing extremely well and it looks like the Herd will go into halftime with a 16-3 lead. Much better effort than Marshall's White Out game against Cincinnati -- a 33-10 loss on Oct. 3.

I'm still not a big fan of these cheap motivational ploys, but it does give Rece Davis something to talk about. "We have Green Out conditions in the stands tonight." What the hell does that mean anyway?

Snyder may want to consider keeping the greenies the rest of the year since it looks like Marshall may end a three-game losing skid and improve to 4-4 and still be in the running in Conference USA.

ESPN: Home of Useless Polls

It's the latest in a litany of useless and meaningless ESPN Sports Nation polls, but for some reason this one struck a chord. It was just mentioned on the Houston-Marshall game and it's on the College Football page at ESPN.com.

Here's the poll:

If Texas, Alabama and Penn State go undefeated, which matchup would you rather see in the BCS Title Game?

Texas vs. Alabama
Texas vs. Penn State

The results are obvious with 62 percent of all voters taking Texas vs. Alabama. So does this poll really accomplish anything? To make it more interesting add the third option of Alabama vs. Penn State.

Who's to say they aren't the best two teams? Last year everybody thought LSU and Ohio State should be in the championship (OK, maybe not everyone). But when the game was over everyone kept talking about how Georgia and USC were playing better than anyone in the nation.

If all three go undefeated, it would be a huge shock if Penn State wasn't the odd team out. It wouldn't be fair, but it's the system. If the Nittany Lions want someone to blame, don't look at the voters or the BCS system.

The blame falls to Ohio State.

WVU lovefest again

West Virginia fans are too fickle for me. One good half against Auburn and a convincing 34-17 victory at home will do that. But is it justified?

Simply put, no. WVU may be clicking and could be the team to beat in the Big East, but that's what everyone was saying at the beginning of the season. Let's not forget how poorly the Mountaineers played in the first six games of the year. Sloppy against Villanova. Dominated by East Carolina (which isn't that impressive now). Poor decision making in a loss at Colorado. Tough wins against inferior competition (Rutgers and Syracuse).

Where the Mountaineers are headed over the final six games of the Pat White era will become a little clearer after WVU plays at UConn Saturday. If Bill Stewart can stay out of the way and West Virginia takes care of business then the rest of the season could be interesting. Don't think for a second that UConn isn't ready for this game. Just look back a year ago and you'll remember that the Huskies were whipped on a frosty afternoon in Morgantown 66-21. At the time, WVU looked like they were a lock for the BCS championship. Then came the Pitt game and the rest is history.

But if the Mountaineers pick up a good win on the road and all of sudden WVU becomes that team that no one wants to play because of the White-Noel Devine-Jock Saunders trio. And the Mountaineers are in the driver's seat with a 2-0 mark in the Big East and their destiny in their own hands. Stewart should be able to come up with horrible, cliche-ridden quotes over the next few weeks to describe the WVU situation.

My fear is the real WVU was what we saw the first six weeks, and maybe Auburn is just a bad team playing in a good conference. So what does that really say about WVU?

Willingham fired/resigns - Notre Dame fans scream "See! We told you so!"

Well, that's two coaches down in 2008. Ty Willingham's firing from Washington was certainly not as surprising as Tommy Bowden's ouster at Clemson, but the mid-season ax is always a bit shocking.

Of course, Notre Dame fans are excited because this gives them a scapegoat for last year's nightmare in South Bend - namely Willingham's recruiting. Ty's well-known lax efforts on the recruiting trail didn't help in Seattle, where UW is behind other school's in facilities and has a smaller recruiting base in the Pacific Northwest. UW just never had the depth or talent of opponents and when Jake Locker was called for that silly penalty that ultimately cost them an upset of top-10 BYU earlier this year, the Huskies never recovered.

And say what you want about Willingham's coaching ability, the guy's got cajones - or he's not really paying attention. The day he gets fired, he does his radio show, including an interview with the UW president on why he fired Ty. That's weird.

So, who's next to go?
I would say Syracuse's Greg Robinson, but frankly he's coaching as if he's already been fired.

The rumors continue to fly around Phil Fulmer and Tommy Tuberville in the SEC. Mike Stoops seems to have saved his gig for awhile after playing USC tough once again.

Lane Kiffin's name continues to be hot for a few of the jobs and his Pac-10 background would be a good fit for UW. But I question exactly what Kiffin has done to earn a shot at a premium coaching spot. At USC he took over for a year or two after Norm Chow left before Al Davis hired him on the cheap in Oakland.
The best pick would be Gary Pinkel, a Don James disciple who's turned Missouri around, but I don't see Pinkel leaving Mizzou at this point in his career. Possibly, Mizzou offensive coordinator Dave Christensen would be the right fit.

UW is a good job if a new coach can upgrade the facilities and recruit California.

Our Top 25 (Oct. 27)

Team (LW) Record
1. Texas (1) 8-0
2. Alabama (2) 7-0
3. Penn State (3) 9-0
4. Southern Cal (4) 6-1
5. Oklahoma (5) 7-1
6. Texas Tech (7) 8-0
7. Florida (8) 6-1
8. Georgia (9) 7-1
9. Utah (10) 8-0
10. Oklahoma State (6) 7-1
11. Boise State (11) 7-0
12. Texas Christian (19) 8-1
13. Ball State (16) 8-0
14. Ohio State (12) 7-2
15. Tulsa (18) 7-0
16. Minnesota (24) 7-1
17. Missouri (20) 6-2
18. Florida State (22) 6-1
19. North Carolina (NR) 6-2
20. Michigan State (NR) 7-2
21. Brigham Young (NR) 7-1
22. LSU (13) 5-2
23. Maryland (NR) 6-2
24. West Virginia (NR) 5-2
25. South Florida (17) 6-2

Others receiving votes: Oregon, Connecticut

Really Coach? This is old news?

As Florida and Georgia get ready to square off in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, both Coach Urban Meyer and Coach Mark Richt claim the Bulldogs' touchdown celebration in last year's game is "old news."

"In terms of the celebration question, no matter how you phrase it, you can just refer to the SEC Media Days. I think that's really old news and I'm not going to comment on it," Richt has said this week.

Meyer added, "It's old news and it has no bearing on this year's game. Two teams battling for the SEC East. It has no bearing on it whatsoever."

Sure, the SEC East is on the line and a game against Alabama in the conference championship in December. But really? Georgia's mosh pit last year has no ramifications?

Nice try guys. It has everything to do with this week. Meyer probably has the video playing over and over during practice, in the locker room. Anywhere and everywhere.

What I want to know is will the Gators try to one up them this year or is Georgia planning another secret. Let's hope so.

ACC Report

Special Report

Retired Coach Rick
ACC Correspondent

Everything is starting to fall into the right place (my predictions) for the ACC.

Florida State and Maryland are getting ready to battle it out for the Atlantic Division, while Virginia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Miami battle it out on the Coastal side.

FSU could help everyone if it beat Georgia Tech. Virginia is the only surprise, but its bubble is about to burst. Wake Forest, Boston College and Virginia Tech have been overrated all year. Clemson was my original pick but that doesn't count because coach Tommy Bowden resigned. I thought he had bigger gonads. He gave up too quickly.

North Carolina State close but no cigar. No not even a cigarette. My dream now is for Duke to make it to a bowl game. Coach David Cutcliffe will be named the new head coach at Tennessee at the end of the year. Phil Fulmer is and has been a good coach for the University of Tennessee, but everything that happened to Johnny Majors is coming back around.

I am making my last prediction on the championship game in the ACC. I will not mention it after this until we definitely know the opponents. FSU vs. UNC. The winner will be the team with the most points.

Stay classy Penn State

I have never forgotten what a Penn State student said to me when I was an undergraduate at WVU. She was visiting friends in Morgantown and she looked right at me and said, "When I graduate I'll get a good job because of my Penn State degree. A degree from WVU doesn't impress anyone."

Maybe. But today, Penn State's undergraduates don't look too impressive following an evening of property damage around State College. This followed a nice come-from-behind 13-6 victory at Ohio State last night.

The Centre Daily Times said in this morning's newspaper that, "A celebration of Penn State’s 13-6 win over Ohio State on Saturday turned destructive as people pulled down light poles and street signs, climbed atop cars and tossed objects off balconies in downtown State College."

I know all about burning couches at WVU. I'm not ignoring that fact. All I'm saying is there's not much of a difference between the two universities (I bet I had a hell of a lot better time in my four years, though).

Observations from Saturday's Games (Oct. 25)

The Big East and ACC were shaken up Saturday, while Michigan's "Little Brother" whipped up on it. Didn't get to see as many games as I would have liked (thank you ESPN 360) because of my own work requirements. But I'm watching Penn State-Ohio State right now and wanted to let everyone know what I observed this Saturday (besides a nice 30-22 victory by Marietta College over Muskingum College).

1. Nate the Great. I have been raving about Ball State's Nate Davis all season. I think everyone else is finally catching up. Davis did about everything in the No. 20 Cardinals 38-16 victory against Eastern Michigan. Not only did he throw for 241 yards and two scores, he also caught a TD pass. I'd like to say this BSU (not Boise State) could be a BCS buster at 8-0, but the Mid-American Conference is so disrespected I don't see them cracking the Top 12 of the BCS rankings.

2. LSU defense. Really! I'm supposed to take this team serious after giving up 50-plus points in two of the past three weeks? Well I'm not and I don't think too many other people are either. I should have listened to 'Eye when he kept saying that their early wins were against inferior teams. The only two tough opponents (Florida and Georgia) just attacked the vaunted Tiger defense and uncovered many weaknesses.

3. Give me Mo. It's not like anything Georgia's Knowshon Moreno does should surprise me. But his effort against LSU was more like a season highlight reel. He finished with 163 yards, but it was his 68-yard TD run in the third quarter that totally silenced the LSU crowd. It should be noted that LSU's Charles Scott was equally impressive as he gained 144 yards and scored two touchdowns.

4. Big 12 classic. No. 1 Texas did enough to remain on top of the rankings, especially after back-to-back tough weeks and possibly looking ahead to No. 8 Texas Tech. But give No. 6 Oklahoma State a lot of credit for giving the Longhorns more than most expected in Austin. Looks like T. Boone Pickens is getting his $168 million worth (or whatever the value of his gift is now after the stock market crash). Texas QB Colt McCoy looked almost human as he threw a critical interception, but the future Heisman Trophy winner still threw for almost 400 yards. Now can Texas get up again this week?

5. Leave it to Wannstache. Just when it looks like Pitt is finally turned a corner under Dave Wannstache, the Panthers blow a game (see Rutgers 54, Pittsburgh 34). I know QB Bill Stull had to be carried off the field after hitting his helmet with a teammate, but Pitt was already struggling with Rutgers. This was bad for the Big East. Pitt, despite a loss to Bowling Green, had established itself as a legitimate team for the conference. That seems to have fallen back to WVU after Thursday's impressive win over Auburn. Throw in South Florida's loss at Louisville and the Big East is having a bad year.

5. ACC shakeup. Think the Big East is confusing, well fans of the ACC are just as confused. Following another weird week the favorites to win the conference are Florida State, Maryland and Virginia. FSU isn't so crazy, but Maryland and Virginia were written off after the first or second week. Give Ralph Friedgen and Al Groh some props for the job they have done keeping their teams focused. Many credible sources have always told me what an excellent coach Friedgen is. However, I've never heard many positives about Groh. He's got my respect now.

6. More ACC wackiness. I keep telling folks to stay away from the ACC if your picking games. I tried it again this week since it was an SEC team (Vanderbilt) playing the ACC (Duke). This seemed like an easy one, but I should have know that David Cutcliffe would have the Dookies ready for the Commodores.

7. Taking notice now. I'm not on the bandwagon, but I'm not as anti-Texas Tech as I was just 24 hours ago. The Red Raiders 63-21 whipping of Kansas was a legitimate win. Kansas is a mid-level team in most conferences, but this is the kind of win Tech needed. The hype heading into this week's game with No. 1 Texas is going to be something the folks in Lubbock have never witnessed before.

8. What's bad about the Big 12. Missouri will still likely make the conference championship game because the North Division is so crappy. Great Missouri getting the crap kicked out of them. The most exciting part of this game will be at halftime when some 5-foot-8 white guy tries to win $1 million throwing footballs at moving Dr. Pepper bottles.

9. Bama fans. Alabama's game with Tennessee isn't even over yet, but I know they are having a good week. The Tide will finish off the Vols and the win could finish Phil Fulmer at Tennessee. That's a very good week for the folks in Tuscaloosa. But I also know they enjoyed Auburn's loss at West Virginia an awful lot also. My sister lives there and when she wore her WVU jacket the next day, a number of Bama fans responded very positively.

10. Herbstreit kids. Kirk Herbstreit has cute kids. But he needs to stop bringing them onto the Game Day set every time they are in Columbus. There always seems to be one of his genetically superior sons who breaks down like a little girl lost at the mall. Enough. Leave them at home with mom.

LSU fan gets defensive

Now if just the Tigers would play some this season. A lot of fans have felt this way. This dude got to express it to everyone watching.

Michigan-Rich Rod in bed together now

A lot of conspiracy theorists (also known as Michigan Wolverine fans) thought they could simply whisk Rich Rodriguez out of town and not owe West Virginia's hated son a dime. Why? Because they kept saying he had not signed his contract yet.

Well, the Associated Press got to the bottom of this and it looks like you are stuck with him until 2013. Not to repeat myself, I believe the fans in Ann Arbor (she's a whore) will not regret this. They'll want to forget 2008, but his track record is solid and he'll get the Wolverines back on track.

So for those who want him gone, guess you'll need a new strategy.

Picks of the Week

Damn the ACC. Each week is so unpredictable. After saying on our podcast this week that I would never pick another ACC game, I'm sort of breaking that rule already. What I actually meant was I wouldn't try to pick a winner when two ACC teams play. So I am willing to take a shot on the Brain Bowl of Vandy and Duke this week. So here are my picks for this week (can I get a little luck?):

Vanderbilt (-10) over Duke
I really want to take Duke here. David Cutcliffe's heart is in the SEC and he knows Vandy should be a victory. Both of these schools are known more for basketball and brains, but each has been impressive at times this season. It's a non-conference game, but for Duke this could mean bowl eligibility. I just can't get past the talent aspect. I think Bobby Johnson's group is more talented and will win at home.
Pick: Vanderbilt 24, Duke 10

Minnesota (+1.5) over Purdue
Joe Tiller says his Boilermakers are ripping at the seams, but I don't agree. Players are sniping at each other and the Tiller's swan song has been disappointing. Purdue QB Curtis Painter is overmatched, and Minnesota's defense got healthy during a bye week. Look for Coach Tim Brewster to have the Gophers ready to play and avoid any letdown as they look to go 7-1 and end any legitimate hopes of Purdue getting to a bowl game this year.
Pick: Minnesota 30, Purdue 21

Michigan State (-4) over Michigan
This should be a safe pick, but when you look at the facts I'm not so sure. The Spartans were embarrassed last week by Ohio State and looked dejected, and they are riding a six-game losing skid against the Wolverines. The difference this time around is that Rich Rodriguez' offense is spiraling out of control and is among the worst in the nation. Javon Ringer will run wild Saturday and lead Mark Dantonio's group to an easy win at Michigan Stadium.
Pick: Michigan 38, Michigan 14

South Florida (-3.5) over Louisville
This could be one heckuva game. I don't see how there won't be a lot of points scored at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium as the Big East's top two offenses clash. Louisville is 0-1 in conference play and this game is crucial to remaining a legitimate contender. The same could be said for the Bulls, who are 1-1. This game will be decided by with QB plays the best. Will it be USF's Matt Grothe or Louisville's Hunter Cantwell? I don't really like either, but Grothe is gutsy.
Pick: South Florida 45, Louisville 40

Upset of the Week Ohio State (-1.5) over Penn State
This is a stretch for an upset, but if the oddsmakers say it is then I will too. I haven't done too well picking against the Nittany Lions this year, but I have my reasons for this one other than PSU is overrated. The big one is Beanie Wells. He's a big-game player and I think he wants to prove something in this nationally televised night game on Saturday. I also believe the crowd wills OSU to this victory. They'll be loud, inebriated and obnoxious. Somewhat similar to a PSU crowd in Beaver Stadium.
Pick: Ohio State 24, Penn State 21

Last Week: 2-3
Season: 12-13

Not so instant analysis

When my team plays I don't blog. I'm watching (complaining or cheering). My fellow blogger, 'Eye, has so wisely pointed out that West Virginia wasn't supposed to run all over a mighty SEC team like Auburn. But the Mountaineers did. And they've been doing it for years now.

Pat White and Noel Devine were dominating and almost unstoppable, Dorrell Jalloh is still spinning away for Tiger defenders and doing a little dance to celebrate.

Finally, that was the offense that all WVU fans have been expecting this season under first-year coordinator Jeff Mullen. I still question a few calls, but that's to be expected (still not sure that fourth-quarter misdirection play with Jock Saunders was real bright).

What has been the most impressive part of the Mountaineers up-and-down season has been the defense. This was supposed to be the weak link. Coordinator Jeff Casteel has done an outstanding job with this group. Sure, they play a little too much of the bend but don't break approach, but they dominated Auburn in the second half (I know Auburn's offense is horrible).

Still an impressive come-from-behind win on national TV that could give WVU the confidence it needs as it gets ready for the heart of its Big East slate. It's a much better position than Auburn right now, who is spiraling out of control and could finish with a losing record.

I would like to take this time to

mock the SEC and it's speed and superior football culture.

Auburn was just beaten by a Big East team, for God's sake (again!)

Auburn - WVU

- Noel Devine takes over down the stretch and this one has officially become a bit of a blowout. 34-17, 'Eers.

- Second half has been all WVU so far as the Eers have taken a 27-17 lead. The way Auburn looks on offense, WVU might as well be up by 50.

I'm assuming this has been WVU's best half of the season. Pat White has looked sharp and Noel Devine dangerous. WVU is doing a nice job not forcing the pass like they did in the first half, but passing when they've got Auburn off balance. This is the offense WVU fans expected to see all season.

On a side note, not coincidentally, I can't recall an Auburn team in recent years that tackles as poorly as this group.

- It's about halfway through the second quarter and Auburn (yes, Auburn!) had 17 points that includes (gasp!) TWO offensive touchdowns. But the score's a little deceiving. WVU has moved the ball, but two interceptions have been costly.

Auburn seems to be running some kind of combination of it's old I-Formation, pound-it-out offense and a few plays from Tony Franklin's spread. Interesting. The Tigers/War Eagle/Plainsmen look far comfortable tonight then any game previously.

WVU needs to score on this drive before halftime, even it's just a FG.
Oh, never mind. Pat White hits a long pass and it's 17-10.

This is looking like a real good game.

Side complaints:

- I really don't care about the basketball coach at any school enough to see a sideline interview with him during the game. And I sure don't need to see Huggybear's fat mug in the camera while there's actual things happening on the field.

- Why is Tommy Tuberville dressed like he's going hiking in the arctic? it's not THAT freaking cold. And why is the jacket burnt orange? Did he really not have a parka in Auburn colors?

- Auburn has a commercial promoting their school in which some Auburn grad is fishing in Alaska and claims to have seen no one in three days until a plane pulls up with two Auburn grads in it.
Huh.
I'm not sure what this means. i've been a lot of places and i've met exactly one Auburn grad.

- Each year Auburn has a good tight end, who wears a single digit jersey number and has a classically Southern name. This year's edition? Tommy Trott.

Too cool Tony

I look at pictures and video of former Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin and he looks like so many other football coaches. A bit overweight, scowl on his face and ready to snap. But give him credit for waiting two weeks before talking about his unceremonious push out the door, along with his spread offense.

I thought he would start spouting off immediately. He told an Alabama newspaper he thought it was in his best interest to wait before commenting publicly to make sure he didn't speak out of emotion. What even seems more awkward is that he doesn't seem that upset. I know getting to collect a hefty check and not having to work has its perks.

But football coaches want to coach. Their egos are huge and they all think they can outcoach anyone in the country. Tony is apparently trying to buy back into his football consulting business, the "Tony Franklin System." It was pretty successful before he decided to go to Auburn. Not so sure how many high school coaches will want to pay for his advice now.

Good luck Tony.

Uh, Tress...about that tie...

Obviously Jim Tressel is concentrating so hard on Penn State that he's neglecting his wardrobe choices. Meanwhile, the yapping begins from Happy Valley.

That's okay. While Penn State - Ohio State is big, it's not all that's going on in college football.

Notes:

- Don't look now, but if USC and Oregon State win out, who goes to the Rose Bowl? Uh, not so fast, Trojans...

- What's left of Michigan takes on a downtrodden Michigan State squad this weekend in the rivalry game that's never meant less. What's nice though, is that either team can beat the snot out of their hockey player.

- This is old, but still interesting to those of us who never really get a peek into the inner workings of college football. USC WR Vidal Hazelton's father was less than pleased with his son's treatment this year and let Pete Carroll know about it.

Episode 9

Too smoky at Iowa State

Maybe it was an attempt to replicate the Miami Hurricanes' entrance onto the field for home games. Whatever Iowa State was trying to do it simply failed. This truly exemplifies the Cyclones entire dismal season. They are 2-5 and no real signs of getting better. (Watch the guy run into the goal post).

Big hit of the Week

The SEC and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier have cleared referee Wilbur Hackett Jr. of any wrongdoing in the Gamecocks' 24-17 loss to LSU this past weekend. I'm sure he didn't mean it, but it sure looks like Hackett wants to take down quarterback Stephen Garcia.

How many times was this clip replayed in film sessions on Sunday? Garcia should be embarrassed. Hackett should have wrapped up. Really poor form for a former All-American.

Our Top 25 (Oct. 20)

Team (LW) Record
1. Texas (1) 7-0
2. Alabama (2) 6-0
3. Penn State (4) 8-0
4. Southern Cal (6) 5-1
5. Oklahoma (9) 6-1
6. Oklahoma State (3) 7-0
7. Texas Tech (5) 7-0
8. Florida (7) 5-1
9. Georgia (13) 6-1
10. Utah (10) 8-0
11. Boise State (11) 6-0
12. Ohio State (12) 7-1
13. LSU (19) 5-1
14. Pittsburgh (21) 5-1
15. Georgia Tech (NR) 6-1
16. Ball State (22) 7-0
17. South Florida (23) 6-1
18. Tulsa (NR) 7-1
19. Texas Christian (NR) 7-1
20. Missouri (14) 5-2
21. Boston College (NR) 5-1
22. Florida State (NR) 5-1
23. Northwestern (NR) 6-1
24. Minnesota (NR) 6-1
25. Kansas (17) 5-2

ACC Report

Special Report

Retired Coach Rick
ACC Correspondent

Miami and Florida State lived up to my prediction. North Carolina was a disappointment, but not real big. They had won a big one the week before and Coach Butch hasn't had the chance to teach them how to get ready for a game after a big win. Next year they will be ready. The UM quarterbacks are handling their situation very well.

Virginia Tech and Wake Forest are definitely overrated. Maryland did exactly what I thought they would-- WIN-- becausethey are one of the better coached teams in the ACC.

Boston College has been the biggest surprise. They are starting to get in my vision. The new coach at Clemson is a Tommy Bowden look-a-like on the sidelines. I don't care who the next coach is they will be the same. All potential and no substance.

The Duke story was fun while it lasted, but a little reality is hitting now. Georgia Tech is better than I thought they would be. The Jackets could be in the conference championship game. The University of Virgina might be the best college team in the state of Virginia. Sorry VT fans.

North Carolina State will always be the tough luck team in this conference. I am picking Georgia Tech to win the Coastal Division and Maryland to win the Atlantic Division. Maryland will win the championship. FSU is my sleeper.

The ACC has the best collection of head coaches in the country. They will win the BCS within the next five years.

Is it just me?

I'm supposed to care that the first BCS rankings came out today. I looked at them and for some reason ... nothing. No excitement. No rage. They are what they are. It's too early to get fired up over who is No. 1 and who I think should be No. 1. Actually, the rankings are about what I expect.

I could argue that some of the undefeated teams should be ranked higher, but that will work itself out over the next five weeks or so.

Another reason I don't spend Sunday waiting for these rankings to come out is because I like the current system. The people who are can't wait to see are doing so to complain. I like the BCS system. I'm not a playoff believer.

I like that we talked about Georgia and USC all offseason and really wondered if LSU was the best team last year. Maybe I'm in the minority, but this system works for me.

Here are the first BCS rankings of 2008.

Dominating performance?

Was it? Or is Washington State the worst BCS conference team ever?

Observations from Saturday's Games (Oct. 18)

Sorry for the late post. No internet service last night. Suddenlink sucks.

I have to agree with 'Eye that the early selections on Saturday were weak and not too interesting, but the late afternoon and evening games were a different story. Here are some interesting observations I made on Saturday (and finally reporting on Sunday):

1. I wanna be like Vince (and a little more). If Texas QB Colt McCoy keeps it up he will do Vince Young one better this year. While McCoy is leading the very talented (and now not so underrated) Longhorns to an impressive string of victories, all I can think about is this team could win the national championship (something Young accomplished). McCoy is also the clear favorite right now to win the Heisman Trophy (USC's Reggie Bush beat Young out for the honor). History isn't on the Longhorns side. They are on top of the first BCS poll of the 2008 season. Only two of 12 teams have ever went on to win it all from this position (Florida State in 1999 and USC in 2004).

2. Stop overreacting. Why does Mark May or Kirk Herbstreit become such drama queens when they see Alabama struggle with Ole Miss or Penn State with Michigan (if for just a half)? Haven't they watched the first eight weeks of the season? Eeking out a victory is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when it is a conference game. Georgia didn't look overly impressive against Vanderbilt on Saturday. But the Dawgs won and they are still in the hunt for an SEC championship and potential national title. My high school coach always said he didn't care if he won every game by one point. I agree. There are ugly wins, but they sure are better than pretty loses.

3. New Beast of the East. It's Pitt. The Stache has his boys playing well. A lot of college football beat writers were picking Navy to upset the Panthers yesterday. Pitt responded by rolling to a 42-21 win behind an impressive day from Lesean McCoy (156 yards and three TDs on 18 carries). The Panthers still have some tough contests, but they don't be shocked when they are 11-1 (with a very bad loss to Bowling Green). Up this week Rutgers, followed by an interesting road game with Notre Dame.

4. Don't bet on the ACC. Every time I try to pick a game in this conference I get stumped. How does North Carolina lose to Virginia and Maryland just dominate Wake Forest. I'm done. Not again. I won't pick another ACC game in 2008. Maybe ever.

5. Positive ACC note. Clemson lost in Dabo Swinney first game as interim coach, but the Tigers played with more passion than I've seen out them in two years. I was pulling for them to get the win over Georgia Tech. Dabo was a little to "Rah, Rah" for me on the sidelines, but I understand what he was doing. However, if I was him they would have fired me after the game. When I saw the AD talking to him during the game I would have told him where he should be watching the game (and it ain't the sidelines).

6. Rankings madness. I'm as guilty as anyone else. It was my idea to have a poll on our blog. But I'm officially against any poll before Oct. 15 from now on. Why was Missouri, West Virginia and Wisconsin ranked so high to start the season? From now on we should make teams earn the ranking on the field. I know teams will still fall out of the rankings, but at least the really good teams will flesh out by this time and it will be more accurate.

7. Here comes Southern Cal. So you thought losing at Oregon State would keep Pete Carrol and his USC Trojans out of the national title picture. Well, it may, but following a 69-0 victory against a woefully overmanned Washington State has everyone taking notice again. USC has wicked-mad talent, but stop it. If everyone wants to talk about how Big East teams don't play a strong enough schedule then the same holds true for USC. I think they'll just miss out, but if enough teams slip USC will be in Miami in January. What's funny now is that USC must root for Ohio State to keep winning because that's the only real team on the Trojans' schedule. They get a little boost from Virginia's resurgence.

8. OSU-Penn State game. This is for the Big 10 championship. I don't get excited for Big 10 games very often, but this one should be very interesting. The Nittany Lions struggled for a half with the program that used to be known as Michigan, but like any good team regrouped at halftime and romped in the second half. The Buckeyes didn't screw around at all as they got right in the face of Michigan State and kept the Beanie Wells-Terrelle Pryor show out front.

9. Mike Stoops saved his job. With Arizona's 42-27 win over No. 25 California the Wildcats coach should get his team into a bowl game this year, therefore guaranteeing him a job with Tucson next fall. I applaud the job Stoops and his staff did in pulling out this win. But what is it with the Pac-10 and not being able to win on the road? According to Ted Miller at ESPN.com, the Pac-10 is 8-22 on the road, including a 6-14 record within the conference. Now, would someone tell Colin Cowherd to stop his weekly love fest with this conference.

10. Welcome Tulsa. What took pollsters so long to vote the Golden Hurricane into the Top 25. Tulsa is 7-0 following a 77-35 win over UTEP. The only close game they have had was a 37-31 win against SMU. I admit it, I don't know too much about the Golden Hurricane but this team deserved a ranking before now (unless you wait until now to start the rankings).

Saturday early games

Some thoughts from a crappy slate of early games:

- Wisconsin is done. They were actually done about the time Terrelle Pryor scored that final touchdown a couple weeks. This is going to be four straight losses and they've barely got signs of a pulse. Not sure I've ever seen a Wisky team look so apathetic. Meanwhile, Iowa running back Shonn Greene is a very underrated runner. He's not a blazer, but is tough and has good vision.

- Texas Tech might end up losing to Texas A&M. No legit top 10 team would ever, ever,ever lose to this group of Aggies. If they lose, Tech should drop out of the Top 25.

- I know the 'Eer was curious to see how Clemson responded to the Tommy Bowden firing against Georgia Tech. After a horrible start, Clemson seems to have found its footing against a Tech team with no passing game. Tigers up 17-14, but lots of time left.

- Purdue-Northwestern. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Picks of the Week

Call me Mr. Inconsistency. One week my picks are locks. The next week it looks like I've never watched a game in my life. After going 1-4 last week (OK, Penn State I'm a believer now) my overall mark for the season is .500. Now it's time to prove test my mettle. Here are this week's picks.

Penn State (-24) over Michigan
Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions are riding a nine-game losing skid to the Wolverines. That will end Saturday and in a big way. As Phil mentioned during this week's podcast, when JoePa has an opportunity to run it up he does (despite popular belief). According to Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News, "JoePa has had it in for Michigan since former Wolverines coach Bo Schembechler tried to exert his influence to keep Penn State out of the Big Ten Conference in the early 1990s." I also think the coaches in the Big 10 can't stand Rich Rodriguez. So Penn State will score early and often in a blow out in State College. That stupid Nittany Lion growl will be blared over the speakers a lot on Saturday.
Pick: Penn State 48, Michigan 9

Utah (-22) over Colorado State
There's a lot on the line for the undefeated and 13th-ranked Utes (7-0). They'll be in position to win the Mountain West Conference (don't forget TCU after its big win over BYU on Thursday) and become the new BCS buster. Utah's win over Michigan to start the season doesn't look so impressive now, but don't underestimate the Utes' talent. They have a balanced rushing attack led by Matt Asiata (410 yards and seven TDs) and Darrell Mack (378 yards and two TDs). Colorado State enters Saturday's game off a respectable 13-7 loss to TCU.
Pick: Utah 45, Colorado State 21

North Carolina (-5) over Virginia
Give Al Groh credit for keeping the Cavaliers focused after a horrendous start to 2008. But UVA's schedule stiffens again as it hosts No. 18 North Carolina. History may be on Virginia's side. UNC hasn't won at Scott Stadium in its last 13 trips to Charlottesville. Butch Davis' team must also find a way to replace explosive receiver/kick returner Brandon Tate, who is out for the season. The Tar Heels have been impressive this fall. Wins over Miami and Notre Dame last week stand out and proved this team can win tough battles.
Pick: North Carolina 27, Virginia 14

Stanford (-2) over UCLA
Yes, I'm picking the upset here. I'm surprised UCLA is favored so I wasn't expecting to be picking an upset here. Stanford is controlling the ball with a physical running attack led by Toby Gerhart and a strong, physical offensive line. What should make this game interesting is that UCLA has one of the Pac-10's best defensive lines. The difference in this game, though, is the ineffective and inconsistent Bruins offense. The Cardinal will no doubt put eight players in the box and force QB Kevin Craft to beat them. He did it against Tennesse, but he won't against Stanford.
Pick: Stanford 24, UCLA 21

Upset of the Week
Mississippi State (+8) over Tennessee
It has been said that the Tennessee players are unified behind embattled Coach Phil Fulmer. The Volunteers have played great defense this year and you'd think that would be enough against Mississippi State. I'm bucking the trend and taking the Bulldogs after a good win over Vanderbilt last week. I know this game is in Knoxville, but Tennessee's offense may be worse than the Mississippi State's. How bad of an offensive game will this probably be? Just look at the facts. The Bulldogs are ranked 103rd nationally in total offense and the Vols 104th. In scoring offense, UT is tied for 108th and MSU is tied for 113th. UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton, who this week told a reporter that a change at the top could be what Tennessee needs to get back on track. A loss here could mean the end of Fulmer, whose Vols are 0-3 in the SEC.
Pick: Mississippi State 9, Tennessee 7

Last Week: 1-4
Season: 10-10

This just in -- Ohio State offense bad

Apparently, some Buckeye players are unhappy that:

A) the offense was terrible against Purdue
B) their season isn't turning out how they thought it should
C) the coaches hate us and obviously do not want to win


this kind of blather, split-lockerroom yapping goes on everywhere. With 100 egos, pro contracts on the line and just general stupidity of youth, there are very few teams that have everyone moving in the same direction.

Would it be better if the team didn't air it's laundry to the drooling media? Probably. But as an Ohio State fan, it's just nice to hear somebody, anybody, say something real that didn't seem it came preprogrammed out of Tressel's mouth.

As for Boeckman, this offensive line is having difficulty blocking for the most mobile QB in college football, is statuesque Todd Boeckman really the answer?

Anyway, the offense was terrible against Purdue and this week's game with Michigan State looms large for the Buckeyes and whether they'll come apart at the seams or stay in the hunt for the Big 10.



Waah. my friend got benched.

Fraud Alert!

It's only the first quarter, but BYU has managed to look borderline incompetent so far this evening and is trailing 17-0.

In the other game, NC State and Florida State are playing for the title of Snoozalooza 08.

Two things I have learned this evening:

A) Being forced to switch between a game in HD and a game NOT in HD, should legally be considered retina abuse.

B) Very difficult to eat wings and blog at the same time.

To the actual games:

- BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall made a horrible decision to go for a 4th and long 1 inside the TCU 15 trailing 7-0. You're on the road. you take the points right there.

- No coaching staffs may be filled with as many old familiar names than this NC State-FSU game. Former LSU coach Mike Archer is the defensive coordinator for the Wolfpack, while former Browns OC Dana Bible runs the offense. Former NC State coach Chucky (Soprano) Amato is now back with his buddy Bobby Bowden. And the Eer's favorite WVU native, Jimbo Fisher, is calling his brilliant plays for the Noles.


UPDATE: Fraud confirmed. BYU gets hammered because they can't pass protect and can't play defense.

FSU wins in a game between two poor football taems.

Episode 8

It's a love/hate thing with Rich Rod

It seems Ron Cook at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is a little too infatuated with Rich Rodriguez. On the other hand, South Florida coach Jim Leavitt is a little arrogant when it comes to his feelings toward the former WVU coach.

Funny thing is, I agree in part with both of them. I am on the record as saying that Rodriguez will rebound and return to his winning ways. But only if Michigan doesn't grow impatient. What is irritating about Rich Rod is the arrogance he portrays--almost I invented football attitude. Enough. He's good, but not the best. He's had great success as an underdog, but when his team's are favored and a lot is on the line he chokes.

In case you were wondering how some Michigan fans feel about WVU's hated son. Check out the Fire Rich Rodriguez website.

Dr. Lou sath ETHPN ith hiring

Someday, if things go right, I'll be able to quit my job in the middle of the busiest time of the year and collect a $3.5 million severance.


Bowden was 72-45 at Clemson and 42-32 in ACC play. Which, let's face it, ain't exactly like playing the Steel Curtain week in, week out.

Of course, Clemson players were distraught with the decision and demanded Bowden return. Or, umm, maybe not.

Quarterback Cullen Harper, who had just been told he was getting demoted, was ready to pounce on Bowden's barely rotting corpse.

"I'd call it karma," he said. "I thought it needed to be done. I think anytime a head coach or someone in a leadership position starts to place blame on his coaches and players, it weakens their respect on the team. His past experiences have shown he's done that."

Awesome. Three Bowdens down (i'm assuming Jeff is working at a car wash somewhere), one very old one to go.

Bowden's teams were notoriously neurotic. It peaked this year with a No. 9 preseason ranking and lots of big talk, only to get smacked by Bama in the opener. Typical. Some weeks Bowden's teams look they invented the game. Other weeks, it looked as if they'd never seen a football.

Now, talk turns to who is next for the Tigers. Lane Kiffin's name is already coming up as is Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Other big, pie-in-the-sky, your-school-just-isn't-that-big-of-a-deal names include Butch Davis and Rich Rodriguez.

Whoever takes the job should be very, very wary. Clemson is fool's gold. They've got a fan base who thinks quite a bit more of this school's potential than history would agree with. That's a dangerous combination.

I hear Danny Ford's available.

Our Top 25 (Oct. 13)

Team (LW) Record
1. Texas (5) 6-0
2. Alabama (4) 6-0
3. Oklahoma State (16) 6-0
4. Penn State (6) 7-0
5. Texas Tech (9) 6-0
6. Southern Cal (7) 4-1
7. Florida (11) 5-1
8. BYU (8) 6-0
9. Oklahoma (1) 5-1
10. Utah (14) 7-0
11. Boise State (15) 5-0
12. Ohio State (10) 6-1
13. Georgia (12) 5-1
14. Missouri (3) 5-1
15. Michigan State (20) 6-1
16. North Carolina (19) 5-1
17. Kansas (17) 5-1
18. Virginia Tech (18) 5-1
19. LSU (2) 4-1
20. Wake Forest (24) 4-1
21. Pittsburgh (23) 4-1
22. Ball State (22) 7-0
23. South Florida (21) 5-1
24. California (NR) 4-1
25. Vanderbilt (13) 5-1

Others receiving votes: Tulsa, West Virginia, Texas Christian, Minnesota.

ACC Report

Special Report

Retired Coach Rick
ACC Correspondent

I owe Wake Forest an apology. They are not as bad as I thought. But we can forget the Demon Deacons after Maryland beats them.

Now that East Carolina was beaten by Virginia will the Game Day experts get off the kick about Skip Holtz being the next great coach. He is average at best. Injuries are the excuses of losers. Make adjustments.

North Carolina, Florida State and Miami are going to decide who wins the ACC. I am not mentioning Clemson until it wins an important game. Wait. Make that any game.

Georgia Tech is now doing just enough to win. That's not bad. It just won't get you mentioned in the newspaper. Virginia Tech has rested and gotten healthy just in time to lose to Boston College. BC has been a little bit of a surprise. They will continue to do that until they play my top three.

I want to start a top 20 of SATHAPASTG (Student Athletes That Have A Plan And Schedule To Graduate). Vanderbilt, Duke, Navy, Army, Air Force, Stanford, Northwestern and any other Division I school that has an overall GPA of 3.0 in real classes.

The UNC win over Notre Dame was great. A few more losses for the Irish and we won't have to look and listen to Charlie Weis.

Big week for ACC. The real conference games begin.

Observations from Saturday's games (Oct. 11)

Another great Saturday. The Red River Rivalry (er, Shootout) was exciting and eye opening. North Carolina and Notre Dame had a wild finish (thanks to the crappy Big East officials), and Florida is taking it to LSU right now. Here are some interesting observations I made this Saturday:

1. So maybe it wasn't all Tony Franklin's fault. Just a few days after firing its offensive coordinator, not much changed for Auburn as the Tigers were outgained by Arkansas 416-193 in a 25-22 loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers only managed one offensive TD all day. All is not well in Auburn.

2. Texas is legit because of Will Muschamp. The dig on Mack Brown is that he won it all because he had Vince Young to cover up his coaching deficiencies. On Saturday, we learned the Longhorns can play with anyone because of first-year defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and his more aggressive style. Texas may have allowed 435 total yards against No. 1 Oklahoma, but the Sooners applied pressure to Sam Bradford and didn't allow the Sooners to do much on the ground. Now Texas has to stay focused as it hosts No. 3 Missouri this week.

3. What's wrong with WVU? Each week I keep thinking the Mountaineers will turn the corner on the 2008 season. Then the game starts and I realize something just isn't right in Mo-Town. A 17-6 victory over Syracuse (even without Pat White) is embarrassing for a team with this much ability. The play calling under first year offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen has been suspect all season. It's time to get more creative an allow the athletes to do what they do best. The offensive line is also a weak link. They need to be tougher.

4. Holy Toledo. It would be easy to pick on Michigan's Rich Rodriguez here. As the head coach to end the Wolverines 24-game winning streak (with no losses) to Mid-American Conference schools is not how you want to make the record section of the media guide. The chirping in Ann Arbor has to be at an all-time high now. But Rodriguez will turn this around. His first year and half at WVU were miserable and then things started to click. Yes, it helped getting Pat White and Steve Slaton, but he'll find players with speed and then Michigan will be a national title contender. It actually pisses me off that I feel this way. If he were still at WVU the Mountaineers would be undefeated right now. Yes, he was that important (see Bill Stewart for proof).

5. Virginia is schizophrenic. Al Groh just may save his job in Charlottesville. After looking clueless and overmatched in three of their first four games, the Cavaliers have consecutive impressive wins. This week UVA worked over East Carolina 35-20 behind an outstanding showing from Cedric Peerman, who rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns. The schedule doesn't bode well, but UVA just may pull off another surprise or two.

6. North of ordinary. What's going on at Minnesota? Just one season after finishing 1-11, the Gophers are 6-1 following an upset at Illinois. Juice Williams was frazzled by Minnesota's defense, and DeLeon Eskridge scored on runs of 1 and 46. As weak as the Big 10 is this season, all of the Gophers remaining games are winnable.

7. Feel-good no more. Maybe Vanderbilt just couldn't handle the heightened expectations. One week after holding off Auburn 14-13, the Commodores missed opening the season 6-0 after slipping up at Mississippi State 17-14. The Bulldogs held Vandy to 109 total yards in upsetting the 13th-ranked Commodores. Vandy should still get bowl eligible with potential wins against Duke and Tennessee on the schedule. But this loss really hurts.

8. Off the air. Arizona at Stanford was not on TV because the Cardinal were not willing to adjust their homecoming plans to accommodate a broadcast. The plan worked. Jim Harbaugh's boys (according to reports) played great defense and defeated the Wildcats 24-23. It wasn't a good day for the Stoops brothers.

9. Penn State is good. As much as I hate to admit this one, the Nittany Lions are the best team in the Big 10. This is the most athletic and physical team I have seen out of State College in more than a decade. I still believe PSU is one of the nation's most overrated teams each year, and I won't be surprised if they go 12-0 that they get left out of the championship party. The game isn't over at Wisconsin, but a 24-7 lead is looking pretty solid against the Badgers weak offense.

10. Poll shakeup. At least two Top 5 teams will move out this week with the Oklahoma loss and the apparent LSU loss. So how will the Top 5 look on Sunday? If Missouri holds on to beat Oklahoma State, I think the Tigers should be No. 1, but Alabama will probably get it in the AP poll. You could also argue that Texas is the best team in the nation following the impressive win at the Cotton Bowl.

Bonus. I won't talk about Division III football often, but Larry Kehres coaches a machine in No. 1 Mount Union. The Purple Raiders faced Ohio Athletic Conference rival Capital, which entered Saturday ranked fourth. Should be a great game, right? I guess if you root for Mount Union. The Purple Raiders rolled to a 49-7 victory.

Picks of the Week

Now that's what I call a rebound.

A week after stinking up the joint and going 0-5 (thanks Colorado), I took some safer picks and went 5-0 against the spread. Sure I picked Auburn to beat Vanderbilt, but I said the Commodores would cover the 4.5-point spread and they did by winning 14-13. I also picked the upset of South Carolina over Ole Miss. Now for my fourth week of prognostication.

Oklahoma (-7) over Texas
Seriously, I really want to take the Longhorns. Their defense is athletic and aggressive, but for some reason I just think Sam Bradford and the Sooners will find a way to take advantage of that in the annual Red River Rivalry (formerly Shootout). Bradford is the most consistent quarterback I can ever remember. He's completed more than 70 percent of his passes this season for 18 touchdowns and just three picks. DeMarco Murray provides great balance with 431 rushing yards and five scores. So you think Bradford is accurate? Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has been even better, completing almost 80 percent of his passes for 1,280 yards and 16 TDs. This should be a great game.
Pick: Oklahoma 30, Texas 21

Vanderbilt (-1) over Mississippi State
Talk about no respect. One week after upsetting Auburn at home (which cost AU offensive coordinator Tony Franklin his job), Bobby Johnson's Commodores are being dissed as just a one-point favorite on the road. Vandy's defense is stout and the Bulldogs have the nation's most embarrassing BCS conference offense. It's time to recognize Vanderbilt as a legitimate SEC contender and expect more. I'm expecting 6-0 and bowl eligible after Saturday.
Pick: Vanderbilt 17, Mississippi State 6

Toledo (+17) over Michigan
I'm not calling the upset in Ann Arbor, but both teams are bad. The Rockets are improved defensively, but are still trying to find some consistency on offense. That's pretty much the situation for Michigan, especially with an offense that is still struggling to learn Rich Rod's spread attack. The Wolverine defense will win this close game, maybe with a score of its own. The Rockets, who used to compete for the Mid-American Conference championship every year, is having a down year under veteran coach Tom Amstutz.
Pick: Michigan 22, Toledo 12

North Carolina (-6.5) over Notre Dame It's possible I have watched these two teams as much as anyone (except West Virginia). North Carolina should be undefeated right now, but blew a game against Virginia Tech. Butch Davis has the Tar Heels playing well. A win here will solidify the progress UNC has made in Year 2 under Davis. While the Fighting Irish are improved this year, I'm still not sold that Jimmy Clausen and the offensive line is ready to win a big game.
Pick: North Carolina 30, Notre Dame 21

Upset of the Week
Wisconsin (+4.5) over Penn State
The spread on this game has been as high as six points. I don't think it will matter. The Nittany Lions have been playing inspired and almost mistake-free, but I don't believe the Badgers will lose three consecutive Big 10 games and Camp Randall is a brutal place for opponents. Joe Paterno will probably coach from the press box and PSU quarterback Daryll Clark will look more human against the Badgers relentless defense.
Pick: Wisconsin 20, Penn State 17

Last Week: 5-0
Season: 9-6

Clemson at Wake Forest

Okay, I've been sort of paying attention to this game. A few points:

- Clemson is really poor at tackling in space. They've got big, athletic kids who get to the right spot at the right time and then miss the tackle. It's no secret they were better in the red zone. Less chance to miss. Wake only has 12 points, but they moved the ball up and down the field with out much problem.

- With 4:26 left, trailing 12-7 and out of timeouts, Tommy Bowden went for a 4th and 17 on their own 25 and got it. ESPN's announcer Chris Fowler questioned the call, but color analyst Craig James gave some spiel about the season being on the line, blah, blah, blah. of course they failed to mention that Wake's backup kicker has already missed twice and even if he does make a field goal, Clemson is only down eight points. Certainly giving up a TD would put the game out of reach, but so would have punting the ball and giving up two first downs. Clemson didn't make it's second attempt at a long fourth down.

- Wake's offense is fun to watch with all the misdirection. I'm not sure why this doesn't work better at WVU with Pat White. Seems to be a fairly complex blocking scheme, maybe WVU just hasn't picked it up yet.

- That's three losses for Clemson after beginning the year ranked #9. What does Tommy Bowden have to do to get fired? I think a couple more losses might do it.

- Final score: Wake Forest 12, Clemson 7. That's the second win this year where Wake scored 12 points.

- the ACC is just a weird conference. one game we haven't talked about was Virginia's 31-0 win over Maryland last week. How in the hell did that happen? Virginia is God-awful and Maryland has been rolling. The ACC may not be good football this year, but it's interesting.

Best in College Football Movies

There are plenty of great sports movies to choose from. Hoosiers, Caddyshack, Bull Durham and Slap Shot are just a few of the classics.

With the opening of The Express--a movie about the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy--on Friday I thought I would take a look at the "classic" college football movies. I was certain there would be plenty to choose from.

Let's see .... Any Given Sunday? Nah. That's professional football. How about Varsity Blues? Loved it. Who doesn't love Tweeder and Billy Bob? Nope. High school football in Texas (probably better football than the ACC this year, but can't put it on the list).

The Express looks like it has potential (sans bogus scene in Morgantown, W.Va., that Eye has already discussed on this blog). The film is about Ernie Davis, who won college football's biggest prize in 1961 and died of leukemia two years later. Has sort of a Brian's Song feel (crap, can't count that one either). The movie does star Dennis Quaid as Syracue coachh Ben Schwartzwalder, making it Quaid's second college football movie (more to come).

So here's my Top 5 College Football movies of all time:

No. 5 -- Necessary Roughness (1991)
This poorly acted comedy starred Scott Bakula as Paul Blake, a 30-something quarterback who was a prep star who missed his window because of a death in the family. It also features Sinbad as lineman Andre Krimm, who went to Texas State University as an all-state player, but decided he wanted more from his academics than was expected of the Armadillos. The action in the movie is lame, but there are two key factors that allow this flick to make the list. First, any movie that finds a way to get Kathy Ireland in short-shorts as the team kicker earns serious points. There is also an extremely cheesy scene when the Armadillos scrimmage a team of convicts, which features cameos by NFL players Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Earl Campbell, Dick Butkus, Tony Dorsett, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly and Randy White. Kelly even has a line in which he says, "Let's get on Armadillos."

No. 4 -- We Are Marshall (2006)
If you listened to our podcast this week you heard Phil say how much he loved this movie until Matthew McConaughey appeared as Coach Jack Lengyl. His assessment is not too far off base. I saw this movie at the theater. I wanted to support the West Virginia-based movie and I was intrigued by the story of the Thundering Herd's return from the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that claimed the lives of 75 people, including most of the Marshall football team. However, McConaughey's portrayal of Lengyl was awkward at best. It was almost a caricature of Lengyl. The scenes of Marshall defeating Xavier University in the second game of the 1971 season had a level of suspense and were close to what really happened.

No. 3 -- The Waterboy (1998)
It's not easy to transition from the serious story of We Art Marshall to something as absurd as Adam Sandler's over-the-top, down-on-the-bayou portrayal of Bobby Boucher, but I'm going to. I admit it. When this movie first came out, my wife and I went to the local Regal Cinema and just howled at this movie (it was our a Sandler phase). Boucher is a socially inept waterboy for the ficitious University of Louisiana Cougars. He is picked on by the players and the team's coach, Red Beaulieu (who is played by the late Jerry Reed) doesn't want him around any more. Bobby takes his water skills to South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs under Coach Klein (who is played by Henry Winkler). After some of the Mud Dog players piss off Boucher, he shows a real knack for the game. Needless to say, he is convince to play and the Mud Dogs face the Cougars in a bowl game and win. I think I have this one on DVD. May have to watch it again this weekend.

No. 2 -- Everybody's All American (1988)
Dennis Quaid's first college football movie. However, in this one he's the star football player and not the aging coach. Quaid plays LSU's Gavin Grey, whose life and career fall part after an outstanding college career. It is believed to be a fictionalized biography of Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon. However, author Frank Deford denies any connection.

No. 1 -- Rudy (1993)
I hate Notre Dame, but I have to admit I got sucked into this one and loved it. When the players carry Rudy Ruettiger off the field at the end I get all emotional and think this is what sports are all about. Then I realize half the movie is pure fiction and I'm pissed. You still have to be impressed that this half pint (Ruettiger was about 5-foot-6, 165 pounds) was tough enough to stick it out with the Irish when they were one of the nation's best programs. It's also the first time I saw Vince Vaughan in a movie, as prep star Jamie O'Hara who flames out in South Bend.

Honorable Mention

The Program (1993)
It’s like Blue Chips, the really bad basketball move with Shaq, but this one is about football. James Caan is the over-the-top, win-at-all-costs coach, who decides to confront his team’s demons. This one has about every college football stereotype you can think of and more.

Knute Rockne All American (1940)
I'm sure this one should or could rank higher. The fact that I have never seen it keeps it off my list. However, it is one of the first college football movies and stars Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, as The Gipper. Another Notre Dame movie. When do they do the Lou Holtz movie? Maybe Dan Devine?

The Junction Boys (2002)
This one probably doesn't really count because it wasn't in the theaters. This was an ESPN movie that looks at Bear Bryant’s first season at Texas A&M. It is interesting, but lacks the production value of a “real” Hollywood movie. Tom Berenger is the only real star, but his portrayal of Bryant is solid.