Week 11 College Football Newsletter

It finally happened! This was the weekend I'd been seeking for quite some time now. Why? Chaos. It was labeled by some as "Survival Saturday." In hindsight, it can now be more appropriately labeled, "Disaster Saturday." Unbeaten Louisville, one-loss Auburn, one-loss Cal, and one-loss Texas were all upset. One-loss Florida had luck on their sides in their one-point victory over South Carolina. Two-loss Tennessee and Oregon got drubbed. With all the chaos that ensued, my only question of concern is, how far will either Michigan or Ohio State drop in the BCS standings after the upcoming week's game? USC is now ranked third and still has to play the likes of Cal, Notre Dame, and UCLA. Florida is ranked 4th and has to face Florida State and Arkansas. Notre Dame is 5th and has to face USC. Rutgers is 6th and has to goto Morgantown to play West Virginia. Arkansas is 7th and has some tough SEC games that loom ahead, including (most likely) Florida in the title game. Disaster Saturday finally appeared. Will it come back for an encore? I certainly hope so!

The Bonehead Call of the Week
This wasn't so much a bad call by a coach so much as it was by an announcer. It was rather funny and I wanted to share it with everyone. In case you didn't know, Arkansas' quarterback is one Casey Dick. The Razorbacks played host to the Tennessee Volunteers on ESPN primetime. During the game, one announcer made quite the comment following an incomplete pass by the 'Backs' quarterback. He stated, "And Dick didn't get it up on that ball." No he didn't. How he could, I haven't the slightest idea and I really don't care to know either.

The Bonehead Play of the Week
There were a pair of bonehead plays in the same game that were equally deserving of this award. They were both committed by the Texas A&M Aggies late in Saturday's game against Nebraska. The Aggies were down 21-7 at one point, but stormed back to take a 27-21 lead late in the 4th when they picked off NU quarterback Zac Taylor and the Huskers appeared to be headed for their fourth loss of the season. On the very next play, A&M ran a play to the outside and the tailback went out of bounds, which stopped the clock and prevented the Huskers from calling their second timeout in the half. Thirty seconds were wasted on that play and NU could call their 2nd and 3rd timeouts following the Aggies' plays on 2nd and 3rd down. After a blocked field goal, NU drove down the field and positioned inside the 20, Taylor threw a pass that wideout Maurice Purify couldn't come down with. But, wait, what was that? There's a flag on the field? A&M was flagged for roughing the passer. Instant replay was then shown and how blatantly obvious was it? A blind man in the blimp overhead could have seen it. Nebraska was aided a few yards (half the distance to the goal) and an automatic first down.

The Conference Yo of the Week
ACC. I could be wrong, but this might be the first time I've awarded the ACC conference this award this year. Some of the games weren't pretty, especially for those who enjoy St. Louis Rams vs. New Orleans Saints type of games. But they were tightly contested, went down to the last play, and illustrated the depth (of mediocrity) of the conference. Maryland found yet another way to squeak out a win, beating Miami 14-13. NC State gave Clemson all they could handle until the Tigers pulled out a 20-14 victory in the end. North Carolina of all teams gave Georgia Tech a valiant effort. If it wasn't for Joe Dailey at quarterback, perhaps the Heels could've won the game. Tech won the game 7-0. Wake Forest shocked the world by shutting out Florida State in Tallahassee 30-0. It was the first time since September 22nd of 1973 that such a thing has occurred. Boston College beat Duke, but not as badly as they were predicted to, winning by the final of 28-7. Finally, in a non-conference game, Virginia Tech beat 5-5 Kent State 23-0. It was tough to pick one conference as being supreme to the others with so much chaos that occurred throughout the nation over the weekend, but with the three tightly contested battles (some unexpected) and the shocker in Tallahassee, I gave the slight edge to the ACC.

The Conference Yo No of the Week
Pac-10. For the second straight week, the good ol' Pac-10 has earned this award. Oregon is considered to be one of the top teams in the conference, so what do they do? Lose 35-10 to USC. Washington State had been playing well until last week's loss to Arizona and they fell even harder against Arizona State, getting pummeled 47-14. Washington has been struggling of late and that may be the understatement of the day, as they fell to then winless Stanford by 17 points on Saturday, 20-3! Cal was said by some to be a prime candidate to run the table and goto the BCS title game. Arizona had other things in mind, as the 'Cats beat the Bears 24-20. Finally, Oregon State, a team who had beaten then undefeated USC and then demolished Arizona State fell to UCLA, a team who had been cold in their own right, by the final score of 25-7! There was only one good game out of five in the conference on Saturday and that was Arizona's big upset win over Cal.

Game of the Week
As I was out Saturday night, I did not get to see much of the Texas/K-State game, so I can't pick that one, even though it may very well be deserving. But, I will list off five games I was able to see portions or the majority of, as there were several good games over the weekend.

5. Wisconsin 24 Iowa 21- The Badgers led throughout the majority of this one, but the stubborn 'Hawks didn't go away lightly. Wisconsin appears to be the Maryland of the Big Ten, seemingly finding ways to win games almost each and every week.

4. Florida 17 South Carolina 16- Spurrier wanted this game badly and almost had it. The Gamecocks outplayed the Gators, outcoached them, but all the breaks went Florida's way. Carolina has had a problem with that in big games this year, just ask Auburn and Arkansas.

3. Arizona 24 California 20- Cal appeared to be the better team from the outset. Wideout and returnman DeSean Jackson had a field day on special teams and receiving, but 'Zona's defense was very opportunistic in creating turnovers and even taking one interception back for six. Following that play, the momentum was all theirs and they didn't let up until they took a knee and watched the clock tick down to zero.

2. Nebraska 28 Texas A&M 27- Nebraska dominated in the first half, as they scored on three straight possessions and took a 21-10 lead into the half. A&M outplayed NU in the second half and held a 27-21 lead late in the game and had a chance to seal it with a field goal, but that was blocked. Following the interception thrown by Zac Taylor, nothing could go wrong for the Huskers and A&M was dealt their third loss by four points or less (coming at the very end).

1. Rutgers 28 Louisville 25- Thursday night's battle between unbeatens more than lived up to its hype. Heck, more hype surrounded the previous week's game between West Virginia and Louisville. The Cards led 25-7 and appeared to have the game well in hand, but Rutgers rattled off 18 straight points to tie the game at 25, before they went on their final drive. Kicker Judge Ito missed a rather short field goal attempt at the end, but Louisville jumped offsides and the judge was given another opportunity, which he made good on to give Rutgers the lead and the win 28-25.

Biggest Disappointment of the Week
Arkansas 31 Tennessee 14- Even though I wasn't around to watch the second half, the first half was enough for me to dish the award out to this game. Arkansas dominated. I know Tennessee's starting quarterback Erik Ainge was out for the game, but their defense has been rock solid all year and even in Ainge's absence last week, backup quarterback Crompton played efficiently against LSU and nearly pulled off the win. The 'Vols two losses prior to this one came by a combined 5 points to the likes of Florida (21-20) and LSU (28-24). Never did I expect Tennessee to get embarrassed the way they did on Saturday night.

Kudos
Upsets. As I mentioned at the outset, this was Disaster Saturday for many teams who had hopes and dreams of making it to the BCS title game. Those hopes and dreams were shattered on Saturday. Rutgers came back from a 25-7 deficit to beat Louisville 28-25 on a last second field goal. Georgia, who came into the game with Auburn at 6-4 and unranked, relied heavily on their defense to stop the Tigers and to set up their offense in good position to score points. The defense provided both of those goals in their 37-15 pounding of Auburn. Arizona overcame a slow start to slow down DeSean Jackson and the Cal Bears, winning 24-20. Kansas State won a shootout at home against Texas 45-42. When's the last time one has said even the first part of that statement? Kansas State won a shootout? Four of the top ten teams in the country fell over the weekend and with the big name matchups looming ahead, more will inevitably fall.

No Kudos
Near upsets. Yeah, so I'm spoiled, but there were a few coulda-woulda-shoulda type games on Saturday where the underdog would've pulled off the upset if only a couple breaks went their way. This was definitely the case in South Carolina's 17-16 loss to Florida. Early in the game, Carolina kicked and converted a long field goal attempt, but it was called back because of a delay of game penalty. So, instead of attempting an even longer field goal, Spurrier decided to punt. Carolina also had an extra point blocked and the potential go-ahead field goal blocked at the very end. San Jose State led unbeaten Boise State throughout the majority of the game. They held a 20-12 lead late in the contest before BSU tied the game up with a touchdown and a two-point conversion and then made a game-winning field goal as time expired to pull it out 23-20. Finally, Iowa could very well have beaten one-loss Wisconsin in Iowa City on Saturday. The 'Hawks were in the game from beginning to end. They just could never get over the hump. Iowa had their fair share of opportunities to do so. Wisconsin tailback lost his first fumble in over two-hundred carries and Iowa still couldn't cash in. Fifth-year senior (seems more like ten) Jon Stocco, Wisconsin's starting quarterback, didn't start or play in the game, yet Iowa couldn't take advantage of that. Yeah, there were four big upsets over the weekend, but we were this close (holds right index finger and thumb a centimeter away from one another) to having seven big upsets over the weekend.

Player of the Week
I don't believe I've done this before, but I'm handing this award out to a defensive player who I believe is the most deserving this week. Georgia cornerback Tra Battle owned the Auburn passing game on Saturday, just ask Tiger quarterback Brandon Cox whom Battle picked off three times in the game and ran one of those interceptions back for a touchdown. He and the rest of the Bulldog secondary held Auburn to 35 yards passing and just 2.9 yards per attempt. People can rave all they want to about Brady Quinn's day through the air against Air Force. They can go on and on about the offensive stars who put up the big numbers. This past weekend, Tra Battle deserves this award more than all of those guys for the difference and impact he made on the field against a superior team in Auburn.

Surprise of the Week
Arizona State 47 Washington State 14- Yeah, I'm crazy right? What about Georgia beating Auburn? Arizona upsetting Cal? K-State beating Texas? Honestly, none of those surprised me too much. Arizona State, a team who went into the game 5-4 and had gotten pounded by the likes of Cal, Oregon, and Oregon State, put up 47 points against 6-4 Washington State and beat them by 33 points? I could have seen it if the teams were switched and the Cougars won 47-14, but not the other way around. ASU's offense had been sporadic all season. The coaching staff was probably wondering why they chose Carpenter over Keller at the start of the season. They had not played teams with winning records well at all to this point. All signs pointed to another Sundevil loss against a decent opponent. When I saw the score, I had to rub my eyes, thinking it was a typo. Auburn's offense has not been consistent this year and I saw that playing right into the hands of the Georgia defense. Arizona had already upset the likes of BYU and Washington State this year. K-State has been playing better of late and Texas has had loads of problems in their Big XII road games (22-20 win vs. Nebraska and 35-31 win vs. Texas Tech). Those games didn't surprise me nearly as much as ASU's slaughtering of Wazzu.

Nebraska Game (from an unbiased person's viewpoint)
To call the Nebraska game on Saturday crazy would be quite the understatement. But, using President Bush's infamous word, never "misunderestimate" the game of college football. As has been the case in many Nebraska games this year, NU took early control. They scored on their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th possessions to take a 21-7 lead before A&M kicked a field goal before halftime to trail 21-10.

Nebraska had control of the game, right? Not so fast! Husker fans should know this better than anyone, if NU has a steady lead in the first half, be prepared for a wild second half! The Huskers led Oklahoma State 16-0 before losing 41-29, being outscored 41-7 until a late touchdown. They were up 17-0 over Kansas before the Jayhawks came storming back. NU eventually won 39-32 in overtime. Even against Missouri two Saturdays ago, NU had a steady lead throughout and yet couldn't close the door on the Tigers. The same held true on Saturday. A&M, after falling behind 21-7 in the second quarter, scored the next 20 points to take a 27-21 lead in the 4th. Zac Taylor threw an interception fairly deep in Nebraska territory late in the game and it all seemed to be about over until everything started going NU's way. On the first play, A&M ran the ball outside and out-of-bounds, saving the Huskers one of their two remaining timeouts and 30 seconds. NU were then able to use their 2nd and 3rd timeouts after 2nd and 3rd down. A&M was very conservative and wanted to settle on a game-sealing field goal to clinch the victory at home. The conservative strategy backfired as NU blocked the field goal and had a couple minutes to drive down the field and win the game. Zac Taylor looked solid in NU's final possession. He spread the ball around and extended a fourth down play enough so that Petersen got open and Taylor threw the ball just above the outstretched arms of an A&M linebacker and into the hands of Petersen to convert the first down. Later in the drive, inside the A&M 20, Taylor and Maurice Purify didn't hook up in the end zone, but a flag had been thrown. Taylor was hit a good four seconds after he threw the ball. In the NFL, the hit was so late, that the defender may have been suspended a game or two. That gave Nebraska a first down inside the 10 and with one-on-one coverage to the outside on Purify, Taylor just had to throw the ball short and high so that his tall and lanky receiver could block out the small corner and catch the touchdown pass. That's exactly what happened in Nebraska's 28-27 victory at College Station.

Nebraska should be thanking three people for their almost miracle win on Saturday: 1) Dennis Franchione for his bonehead playcalling down the stretch (he likes doing that, doesn't he?), 2) A&M players for their stupidity down the stretch, and 3) Zac Taylor for his poise and leadership in the final drive.

Nebraska got the win and clinched the North Division title, so congratulations, but I still have some questions and concerns regarding the team. Why has it so often been the case that Nebraska plays great football on the offensive side of the ball for stretches at a time, usually in the first half, but then seems to fall asleep in the second? It happened against Missouri, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Texas A&M. Oddly enough, Nebraska has managed to go 3-1 in those games, but could very well have gone 1-3 and we wouldn't be talking about the North title in that scenario. The offense needs to step up more consistently, because the defense has shown anything but consistency this year. Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee is anything but the prototype quarterback, but he threw for over 250 yards against the Huskers and A&M racked up well over 400 total yards against the NU defense. The Husker defense has played below their potential against: USC, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M, fairly average against: Missouri, Texas, Iowa State, and Louisiana Tech, and well against: Nicholls State, Troy, and Kansas State. If the defense continues to play the way they have been, the offense must step it up a notch and not fall asleep during portions of the game, especially in the second half.

I would like to give a quick shout-out to my man Andre Jones for having another stellar game last Saturday against the Aggies. Yeah, he got burnt again and he's quite the tackler. The kicker Congdon may be able to tackle more efficiently than Andre. He likes to bite on the fakes. The quarterback could sneeze or breathe funny and Andre would bite. Yeah, Mr. All-American right there. Meanwhile, Cortney Grixby had a solid game and I'm not being sarcastic this time. He made some nice tackles, wasn't burnt like Mr. Jones, and read some screen passes to receivers very well.

Up next is a game against the 2-9 Colorado Buffaloes. CU has had two decent offensive showings this year (their only two victories), against Texas Tech in their 30-6 win over the Red Raiders and last weekend in their 33-16 win against Iowa State. Outside of those two games, CU's offense has done little to nothing. I'd be very surprised to see the Buffaloes pull off the upset, but with it being a rivalry game, I'm not going to say it's impossible. NU will then take on the Texas Longhorns in the Big XII title game. While the Big XII is loaded with average to above average teams, they don't have an elite club. Texas may have been the closest thing to it, but as they illustrated last weekend, they have a ways to go before they can be labeled as "elite" following their 45-42 loss to Kansas State. Nebraska played Texas tough in the 22-20 loss in Lincoln. I've not heard news on Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy's status the rest of the way through. No team in the Big XII is unbeatable. The game will all come down to the gameplan, health, and motivation. If NU comes in with a great gameplan, they're healthy, and more motivated than Texas to avenge their earlier loss to win the Big XII title and to advance to a BCS bowl game, they have a chance. Will that happen? We'll have to wait and see.

Solich UpdateFrankie's Bobcats had off on Saturday. Word has it that Mr. Solich was seen at a Hooters restaurant with his club on Saturday where some claim he downed eleven beers, one for every victory at Ohio thus far. In response to the rumors, Solich has recently stated, "We just go there for the food. They've got great wings." Riiight. With the bye week, Ohio stays 5-1 in the MAC and 7-3 overall. Gill UpdateGill can't win them all, right? Following Buffalo's 41-14 dismantling of Kent State, they had themselves a letdown week against Akron, falling 31-16 to the Zips. With the loss, the Bulls fall to 1-6 in the MAC and 2-8 overall.

Rant of the Week: Comparisons
This isn't necessarily a "rant," as opposed to doing some fact checking for the supposed "experts" and "analysts" out there who love to complain that squads from the less respected major conferences and mid majors don't play nearly as tough a non-conference and overall schedule as those in the more respected (and hyped) conferences. In detail, I will describe teams' schedules who have two losses or less. I will also compare their overall schedules and how they've performed against these teams. "Experts" and "analysts" can hype and underappreciate certain teams and conferences all they'd like, but since they're so obsessed with numbers to begin with, how would they handle numbers being thrown right back into their face that contradict their main emphasis in their argument? We shall see. Just so everyone knows, I will give every Division I-AA opponent an 0-11 record, since there have been 11 weeks played in the college football season. There are still winless Division I-A clubs, therefore the Division I-AA clubs should be ranked below them which would make them winless.

We will start with Auburn. As of now, they have a 9-2 record. Their non-conference schedule to this point includes: Washington State (6-5), Buffalo (2-8), Tulane (3-7), and Arkansas State (5-5). Combined, the teams are 16-25 (.390). Non-conference, they faced off against one major conference opponent with a winning record (Washington State). They won that game at home by the score of 40-14. Overall, their opponents' records to this point is 60-52 (.536). They have played five bowl eligible teams (Washington State, LSU, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia) and gone 3-2 against them, with the score being a combined 99-98 (average: 19.8-19.6).

Boston College is 8-2 and has faced: Central Michigan (7-3), BYU (8-2), Maine (0-11), and Buffalo (2-8) in non-conference. These opponents have a combined record of 17-24 (.415). They did not face any major conference opponents in their non-conference. Their ten opponents have an overall record of 50-52 (.490). They too have faced off against five bowl eligible clubs (Central Michigan, Clemson, BYU, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest). They are 4-1 against these teams and have a 131-104 (average: 26.2-20.8) edge in those contests.

BYU also has an 8-2 record. Their non-conference opponents up to this point are: Arizona (5-5), Tulsa (7-3), Boston College (8-2), and Utah State (1-9). Those four opponents have a 21-19 record (.525). BYU faced off against two major conference opponents, which happened to be their only two losses to this point (Arizona and Boston College). Their opponents have combined to go 44-54 (.449) thus far. The Cougars have faced three bowl eligible squads thus far (Tulsa, Boston College, and TCU) and have won two out of three against them. The combined score in those contests is 103-71 (average: 34.3-23.7).

California is 8-2, as well. They've faced off against the following: Tennessee (7-3), Minnesota (5-6), and Portland State (0-11). These three non-conference opponents combine for a 12-20 (.375) record. Cal has faced two major conference opponents out-of-conference (Tennessee and Minnesota) and went 1-1 in those two games. Similarly to Boston College, Cal's opponents have gone a combined 51-53 (.490). The Bears have played against five bowl eligible teams (Tennessee, Arizona State, Oregon State, Oregon, and Washington State). They've won four out of five against these teams while outscoring their opposition by a 174-96 (average: 34.8-19.2) margin.

Georgia Tech is 8-2 and thus far, have faced the following out-of-conference: Notre Dame (9-1), Samford (0-11), and Troy (5-4). These three opponents are a combined 14-16 (.467). Tech has yet to face a major conference opponent (although, they soon will in their rivalry game against Georgia). Their ten opponents have combined to go 51-50 (.505). The Yellow Jackets have played against four bowl eligible teams thus far (Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Clemson) and gone 2-2 against these teams with the combined score being 82-95 (average: 20.5-23.8).

Hawaii is 8-2 and has played the following: Alabama (6-5), UNLV (1-9), and Eastern Illinois (0-11). These three clubs are a combined 7-20 (.259). The Warriors are 0-1 against major conference opponents, losing a close one to the Crimson Tide early in the season. Their ten opponents are a combined 36-65 (.356). Hawaii has played three bowl eligible programs (Alabama, Boise State, and Nevada) and is 1-2 against them, losing by the combined score of 92-100 (average: 30.7-33.3).

LSU is 8-2 this year and has faced: Louisiana-Lafayette (4-5), Arizona (5-5), Tulane (3-7), and Fresno State (2-7). These clubs are a combined 14-24 (.368). The Tigers are 1-0 against major conference opponents (Arizona) and dominated the Wildcats in their ESPN primetime matchup. LSU's opponents are an overall 54-47 (.535). LSU has faced five bowl eligible teams (Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama) and has gone 3-2 against those five opponents. The combined score in those five games is 118-68 (average: 23.6-13.6).

Maryland is also 8-2. Out-of-conference, they've played against: Middle Tennessee State (7-3), William & Mary (0-11), West Virginia (8-1), and Florida International (0-9). These clubs are a combined 15-24 (.385) on the season. The Terps only game against a major conference opponent (outside the ACC) was the Thursday night drubbing they took at the hands of West Virginia. Maryland has faced off against four bowl eligible teams (Middle Tennessee State, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Clemson), gone 2-2 against them, and the score a combined 84-94 (average: 21.0-23.5).

Oklahoma is 8-2. Out-of-conference, they've played: UAB (3-7), Washington (4-7), Oregon (7-3), and Middle Tennessee State (7-3). These four teams are a combined 21-20 (.512). The Sooners are 1-1 against their two major conference opponents (Washington and Oregon). They beat a pesky UW squad and lost to the 12th man (the refs) against the Ducks. Their ten opponents are a combined 56-50 (.528). They've played against six bowl eligible teams thus far (Oregon, Middle Tennessee State, Texas, Missouri, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech). They're 4-2 in those contests, outscoring their opponents 179-112 (average: 29.8-18.7).

TCU is 7-2. Their non-conference opponents consist of: Baylor (4-7), UC Davis (0-11), Texas Tech (6-5), and Army (3-7). These four opponents are a combined 13-30 (.302). TCU is a somewhat surprising 2-0 against major conference opponents, both coming against the Big XII (Baylor and Texas Tech). Their nine opponents are an overall 38-56 (.404). They've played against three bowl eligible teams thus far (Texas Tech, BYU, and Utah), have gone 1-2 against these teams, losing by the combined score of 36-54 (average: 12.0-18.0).

Texas is 9-2 overall and their non-conference opponents have been the following: North Texas (3-7), Ohio State (11-0), Rice (5-5), and Sam Houston State (0-11). They have combined to go 19-23 (.452). The 'Horns lone non-conference game against a team from a major conference was the thrashing they took against Ohio State on national television. Overall, their opponents are 61-56 (.521). Like OU, Texas has also faced six bowl eligible teams (Ohio State, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State), gone 4-2 against these teams, with the combined score being 170-140 (average: 28.3-23.3).

Virginia Tech is 8-2. Their non-conference looked something like this: Northeastern (0-11), Cincinnati (5-5), Southern Mississippi (6-4), and Kent State (5-5). These teams have gone a combined 16-25 (.390). Tech is 1-0 against major conference opponents (Cincinnati). Their ten opponents have gone 46-56 (.451) thus far. They've played against four bowl eligible teams thus far (Georgia Tech, Boston College, Southern Mississippi, and Clemson), gone 2-2 against them, with the total score being 90-73 (average: 22.5-18.3) in those games.

Arkansas is 9-1 this year and has faced: USC (8-1), Utah State (1-9), Southeast Missouri State (0-11), and Louisiana-Monroe (2-7). They go for a combined 11-28 (.282). Arkansas' only loss this year was to a major conference opponent (USC). It was their first game of the season and boy did they ever get pounded! Their ten opponents have gone for a combined 45-57 (.441). They've faced four bowl eligible teams thus far (USC, Alabama, Auburn, and Tennessee) and gone 3-1 against them. The combined score between those four games is 96-97 (average: 24.0-24.3).

Florida is also 9-1. They've played: Southern Mississippi (6-4) and Central Florida (3-7). These two teams have gone a combined 9-11 (.450). The Gators have yet to face a major conference opponent (they will face Florida State soon, however). Their ten opponents have gone a combined 61-43 (.587). The Gators have played against seven bowl eligible teams thus far (Southern Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, and Georgia). They've gone 6-1 against those teams, outscoring their opponents 170-98 (average: 24.3-14.0).

Louisville is 8-1. Out-of-conference, they've played: Kentucky (6-4), Temple (1-10), Miami (Florida) (5-5), Kansas State (7-4), and Middle Tennessee State (7-3). These teams are a combined 26-26 (.500). The Cardinals are 3-0 against teams from major conferences (Kentucky, Miami (Florida), and Kansas State). Overall, their opponents are a combined 51-39 (.567). The Cards have faced five bowl eligible teams thus far into the season (Kentucky, Kansas State, Middle Tennessee State, West Virginia, and Rutgers), are 4-1 against them, with the combined score of 196-113 (average: 39.2-22.6).

Notre Dame is 9-1. Since they're an independent, all their games are non-conference. They've faced: Georgia Tech (8-2), Penn State (7-4), Michigan (11-0), Michigan State (4-7), Purdue (7-4), Stanford (1-9), UCLA (5-5), Navy (7-3), North Carolina (1-9), and Air Force (4-5). These clubs are a combined 55-48 (.534). They've played against eight major conference opponents (Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Stanford, UCLA, and North Carolina) and gone 7-1 in those games. They've played against five bowl eligible teams (Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, Purdue, and Navy) and have gone 4-1 in those contests. The combined score in the five games is 149-109 (average: 29.8-21.8).

USC is 8-1. Thus far, they've played only Arkansas (9-1) and Nebraska (8-3) out-of-conference. They will later face Notre Dame. The two non-conference opponents they've played thus far are a combined 17-4 (.810). The Trojans are 2-0 against major conference opponents (Arkansas and Nebraska). Overall, their opponents are 52-41 (.559). The Trojans have faced off against six bowl eligible teams thus far (Arkansas, Nebraska, Washington State, Arizona State, Oregon State, and Oregon). They're 5-1 against these teams, outscoring them 200-110 (average: 33.3-18.3).

Wake Forest is 9-1 on the year. Their non-conference schedule was: Syracuse (3-7), Connecticut (4-5), Mississippi (3-7), and Liberty (0-11). These teams have combined to go 10-30 (.250) on the year. Wake is 3-0 against major conference opponents (Syracuse, Connecticut, and Mississippi). Overall, their opposition is a combined 35-66 (.347). The Demon Deacons have played against two bowl eligible teams (Clemson and Boston College) and are 1-1 against them, being outscored 38-41 (average: 19.0-20.5) in those two contests.

West Virginia is 8-1. They've played the following: Marshall (4-6), Eastern Washington (0-11), Maryland (8-2), East Carolina (6-4), and Mississippi State (3-7). These five squads are a combined 21-30 (.412). The Mountaineers are 2-0 against major conference opponents (Maryland and Mississippi State). Overall, the Mountaineers' opponents have gone 41-48 (.461). They've faced three bowl eligible teams (Maryland, East Carolina, and Louisville), have gone 2-1 against them, outscoring the opposition 106-78 (average: 35.3-26.0) in those three games.

Wisconsin is 10-1. They've faced the following teams out-of-conference: Bowling Green (4-6), Western Illinois (0-11), and San Diego State (2-7). These three teams are a combined 6-24 (.200). Wisconsin has yet to face a major conference team outside of the Big Ten. Overall, Wisconsin's opponents are a combined 52-66 (.441). The Badgers have faced four bowl eligible clubs, gone 3-1 against them, and outscored them 74-54 (18.5-13.5) in those games.

Boise State is 10-0. Their out-of-conference opponents were: Sacramento State (0-11), Oregon State (6-4), Wyoming (5-6), and Utah (6-4). These teams are a combined 17-25 (.405). The Broncos are 1-0 against major conference teams (Oregon State). Overall, their opponents are 42-58 (.420). Boise State has played against four bowl eligible teams thus far (Oregon State, Hawaii, Utah, and San Jose State), is 4-0 against them, having outscored the four teams 142-71 (average: 35.5-17.8).

Michigan is 11-0. They've faced the following out-of-conference: Vanderbilt (4-7), Central Michigan (7-3), Notre Dame (9-1), and Ball State (3-7). These teams are a combined 23-18 (.561). Michigan is 1-0 against teams from major conferences (Vanderbilt). Overall, their opponents are 63-55 (.534). The Wolverines have played against five teams who are bowl eligible. They are 5-0 in those games, outscoring their opponents 152-67 (average: 30.4-13.4).

Ohio State is 11-0. They've faced the following out-of-conference: Northern Illinois (5-5), Texas (9-2), Cincinnati (5-5), and Bowling Green (4-6). These teams have gone a combined 23-18 (.561). The Bucks are 2-0 against major conference opponents (Texas and Cincinnati). Overall, their opponents are 55-63 (.466). Ohio State has played against three clubs who are bowl eligible (Texas, Penn State, and Iowa). They're 3-0 against these teams, outscoring the opposition 90-30 (average: 30.0-10.0) in the three games.

Rutgers is 9-0. Out-of-conference, they've played: North Carolina (1-9), Illinois (2-9), Ohio (7-3), Howard (0-11), and Navy (7-3). These five teams are a combined 17-35 (.327). Rutgers is 2-0 against major conference opponents (North Carolina and Illinois). Overall, their opposition is 42-48 (.467). They've faced five bowl eligible teams (Ohio, South Florida, Navy, Pittsburgh, and Louisville), have gone 5-0 in those contests, and have outscored the teams 128-62 (average: 25.6-12.4).

I will now rank the teams from 1-24 in both non-conference schedule and then overall schedule.

Non-Conference
1. USC (.810)
2. Michigan (.561)
2. Ohio State (.561)
4. Notre Dame (.534)
5. BYU (.525)
6. Oklahoma (.512)
7. Louisville (.500)
8. Georgia Tech (.467)
9. Texas (.452)
10. Florida (.450)
11. Boston College (.415)
12. West Virginia (.412)
13. Boise State (.405)
14. Auburn (.390)
14. Virginia Tech (.390)
16. Maryland (.385)
17. California (.375)
18. LSU (.368)
19. Rutgers (.327)
20. TCU (.302)
21. Arkansas (.282)
22. Hawaii (.259)
23. Wake Forest (.250)
24. Wisconsin (.200)

Overall
1. Florida (.587)
2. Louisville (.567)
3. USC (.559)
4. Auburn (.536)
5. LSU (.535)
6. Michigan (.534)
6. Notre Dame (.534)
8. Oklahoma (.528)
9. Texas (.521)
10. Georgia Tech (.505)
11. Boston College (.490)
11. California (.490)
13. Maryland (.480)
14. Rutgers (.467)
15. Ohio State (.466)
16. West Virginia (.461)
17. Virginia Tech (.451)
18. BYU (.449)
19. Arkansas (.441)
19. Wisconsin (.441)
21. Boise State (.420)
22. TCU (.404)
23. Hawaii (.356)
24. Wake Forest (.347)

So, if we were to look even more inside the numbers, the Pac-10 includes two teams in the list of twenty-four, the Big Ten has three, there's one Independent, two teams from the MWC, two from the Big XII, three from the Big East, five from the ACC, four from the SEC, and two from the WAC.

If we were to average the teams rankings as they pertain to their conference, the rankings would be as follows:

Non-Conference
1. Independent (4.0)
2. Big XII (7.5)
3. Pac-10 (9.0)
4. Big Ten (9.3)
5. MWC (12.5)
6. Big East (12.7)
7. ACC (14.4)
8. SEC (15.8)
9. WAC (17.5)

Overall
1. Independent (6.0)
2. Pac-10 (7.0)
3. SEC (7.3)
4. Big XII (8.5)
5. Big East (10.7)
6. Big Ten (13.3)
7. ACC (15.0)
8. MWC (20.0)
9. WAC (22.0)

If we were to average the teams opponents' winning percentages as they pertain to their conference, the rankings would be as follows:

Non-Conference
1. Pac-10 (.593)
2. Independent (.534)
3. Big XII (.482)
4. Big Ten (.441)
5. MWC (.414)
6. Big East (.413)
7. ACC (.381)
8. SEC (.373)
9. WAC (.332)

Overall
1. Independent (.534)
2. Big XII (.525)
2. Pac-10 (.525)
2. SEC (.525)
5. Big East (.498)
6. Big Ten (.480)
7. ACC (.455)
8. MWC (.427)
9. WAC (.388)

My Top 119 Poll
1. Ohio State (11-0): 174.6
2. Michigan (11-0): 170.7
3. Louisville (8-1): 166.7
4. Rutgers (9-0): 164.9
5. Boise State (10-0): 163.6
6. USC (8-1): 162.0
7. Florida (9-1): 160.8
8. West Virginia (8-1): 157.8
9. LSU (8-2): 157.4
10. Texas (9-2): 155.0
11. Notre Dame (9-1): 154.2
12. Wisconsin (10-1): 152.1
13. Arkansas (9-1): 149.3
14. BYU (8-2): 147.9
15. Auburn (9-2): 147.3
16. Oklahoma (8-2): 146.5
17. Clemson (8-3): 145.0
18. California (8-2): 143.6
19. Nebraska (8-3): 141.8
20. Hawaii (8-2): 141.7
21. Virginia Tech (8-2): 141.3
22. Boston College (8-2): 140.4
23. Tennessee (7-3): 138.8
24. Georgia Tech (8-2): 137.8
25. Wake Forest (9-1): 134.9
26. Missouri (7-3): 132.7
27. Texas A&M (8-3): 131.9
28. Penn State (7-4): 131.3
29. Maryland (8-2): 129.9
30. Houston (8-3): 128.5
31. TCU (7-2): 127.4
32. Oregon (7-3): 127.2
33. Oklahoma State (6-4): 126.7
34. Tulsa (7-3): 126.5
35. Central Michigan (7-3): 125.0
36. Nevada (7-3): 120.6
37. Oregon State (6-4): 119.8
38. Middle Tennessee State (7-3): 118.0
39. Pittsburgh (6-4): 117.9
40. Navy (7-3): 117.7
41. Georgia (7-4): 116.3
42. Ohio (7-3): 116.1
43. South Florida (7-3): 114.3
44. Kansas State (7-4): 113.6
45. Washington State (6-5): 113.2
46. Texas Tech (6-5): 112.8
47. Southern Mississippi (6-4): 112.0
48. Florida State (5-5): 111.9
49. East Carolina (6-4): 110.8
50. Western Michigan (7-3): 110.7
51. Arizona State (6-4): 110.6
52. Kentucky (6-4): 110.2
53. UCLA (5-5): 110.0
54. Iowa (6-5): 109.7
55. South Carolina (5-5): 109.5
56. Utah (6-4): 109.2
57. Alabama (6-5): 108.4
58. Purdue (7-4): 106.5
59. Cincinnati (5-5): 106.4
60. Minnesota (5-6): 106.3
61. San Jose State (6-3): 106.1
62. Miami (Florida) (5-5): 102.0
63. Connecticut (4-5): 101.4
64. Air Force (4-5): 100.8
65. Arizona (5-5): 98.0
66. Kansas (5-5): 96.7
67. UTEP (5-5): 95.5
68. Wyoming (5-6): 94.7
69. Northern Illinois (5-5): 94.2
69. SMU (5-5): 94.2
71. Rice (5-5): 93.7
72. Troy (5-4): 92.9
73. Akron (5-5): 89.8
74. Washington (4-7): 89.6
75. Indiana (5-6): 89.5
76. New Mexico (5-5): 88.8
77. Kent State (5-5): 88.1
78. Michigan State (4-7): 87.9
79. Vanderbilt (4-7): 86.8
80. North Carolina State (3-7): 86.5
81. Virginia (4-6): 85.9
82. Louisiana-Lafayette (4-5): 85.1
83. Syracuse (3-7): 80.3
84. Baylor (4-7): 79.8
85. Arkansas State (5-5): 79.5
86. Marshall (4-6): 79.3
87. Bowling Green (4-6): 78.6
88. Colorado State (4-6): 77.7
89. Toledo (4-6): 77.3
90. Mississippi (3-7): 76.5
91. Mississippi State (3-7): 76.3
92. Ball State (3-7): 73.2
92. UAB (3-7): 73.2
94. Tulane (3-7): 71.1
95. Northwestern (3-8): 70.9
96. Illinois (2-9): 70.4
97. Army (3-7): 69.1
97. Idaho (4-6): 69.1
99. Central Florida (3-7): 68.9
100. North Texas (3-7): 68.1
101. Fresno State (2-7): 67.8
102. Florida Atlantic (3-7): 64.0
103. Colorado (2-9): 62.9
104. New Mexico State (2-8): 62.6
105. Louisiana Tech (3-7): 62.0
105. San Diego State (2-7): 62.0
107. Louisiana-Monroe (2-7): 61.9
108. Iowa State (3-8): 61.7
109. North Carolina (1-9): 59.8
110. Buffalo (2-8): 52.1
111. Stanford (1-9): 51.2
112. Eastern Michigan (1-9): 47.5
113. Miami (Ohio) (1-9): 46.7
114. UNLV (1-9): 46.1
115. Memphis (1-9): 43.6
116. Utah State (1-9): 41.5
117. Florida International (0-9): 36.2
118. Duke (0-10): 34.6
119. Temple (1-10): 34.1