Week 12 College Football Newsletter

There's more to read this week, even with Nebraska having a bye, so I won't have a lead-up to the newsletter as usual. Actually, since it's so lengthy, it'll be broken up into two parts (e-mails), just to warn you. Enjoy.

The Bonehead Call of the Week
This one goes to the referees toward the end of the Ohio State/Michigan game. With Ohio State up 42-31 and Michigan moving backwards on a couple plays, a phantom defensive pass interference was called on the Buckeyes. I'm pretty lenient on interference. If there's a bit of shoving going back and forth and both players appear to be going for the ball, I have no problem with that. There wasn't even that little bit of pushing and shoving on this play. In the NFL, it would've been interference, as the Buckeye defensive back was face guarding the Michigan receiver, but no contact was made and face guarding is legal in college ball. Where was the interference then? I haven't the slightest idea.

The Bonehead Play of the Week
I should pluralize the word play to make for "plays," as there were several bonehead "plays" in the Kansas State/Kansas showdown on Saturday. The Jayhawks eventually won the game by the score of 39-20, but they could've put their inner-state rivals much worse than that. There were ten turnovers in the game, six committed by Kansas State and four by Kansas. K-State threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball three times, while Kansas lost two fumbles and threw two picks. Most of the KU turnovers occurred inside the red zone.

The Conference Yo of the Week
In their final regular season week, I'm giving this to the Big Ten. Ohio State and Michigan squared off and played a pretty solid football game for sixty minutes in OSU's 42-39 victory over the Wolverines. Purdue beat Indiana in a fairly close 28-19 affair that spoiled the Hoosiers' hopes of going bowling. Northwestern beat Illinois 27-16 which was a one-score game for the majority of the contest that officially made the Fightless Illini the doormat of the conference. Penn State had to come back to beat Michigan State by the score of 17-13. Finally, Minnesota beat Iowa 34-24 to declare themselves bowl eligible. In the only non-conference game, Wisconsin beat Buffalo 35-3. All five inner-conference battles were competitive to an extent and made for some fun football on Saturday.

The Conference Yo No of the Week
I was having a tough time choosing between the ACC and the Big East, but think Saturday night's blowout win by Cincinnati over then unbeaten Rutgers put the icing on the cake for me to choose the latter over the former of the two conferences. Cincy won that game 30-11. West Virginia and Pitt squared off on Thursday night in what appeared to be a potential game of the week candidate for the first 30 minutes, where Pitt led 27-24 at the half. But the tides took a dramatic turn in the second half when West Virginia scored 21 unanswered to win going away 45-27. Louisville had no problems with the often pesky South Florida Bulls 31-8. Finally, in the only competitive game, Syracuse brought their skid to a halt with a win over UConn 20-14. Rutgers, Pitt, and South Florida laid eggs on Thursday and Saturday which made for some very dull football games.

The Game of the Week
LSU 23 Mississippi 20 OT. Yeah, I'm crazy right? Not Ohio State and Michigan? I'll get more into that later. I consider myself lucky, for LSU and Ole Miss could only be seen where I live if one had ESPN Gameplan. Unlike many of the games over the weekend ("the" game included), LSU and Ole Miss' contest went to the very end, so much so, in fact, regulation wasn't enough to settle the duel. To many's surprise (mine included), the feisty Rebels jumped out to a 14-7 lead, a 20-14 lead before LSU made their final push inside the last minute of regulation. On 4th and goal, Tiger quarterback JaMarcus Russell threw a ball that appeared to be high to the intended receiver, but the target somehow came down with the football to tie the game at 20 a piece. The potential go-ahead extra point, however, was blocked which sent the game to overtime. Unfortunately, Ole Miss lost the ball on a fumble in the extra session and LSU converted on a very short field goal attempt to win 23-20. Runner-up: Miami (Ohio) 9 Bowling Green 7. Like mud football in the pouring rain? Then you would've liked this one. Even the zebras (AKA referees) were filthy by the end of the game.

Biggest Disappointment of the Week
Virginia Tech 27 Wake Forest 6. A week following their 30-0 shutout victory over Florida State to move them to 9-1, Wake Forest laid a flat egg on Saturday at home against the Hokies of Virginia Tech. Was it a letdown? I couldn't say, but I was truly shocked by how Wake was dominated from start to finish. As a 9-1 home underdog, I truly felt the Deacons still had something to prove and would prove it on Saturday. All they ended up showing is that they still have something to prove, even at 9-2.

Kudos
Cincinnati. Up to this point in the season, only three teams have played a tougher schedule than Cincinnati, those being: North Carolina (.612), Stanford (.628), and Utah State (.633). Thus far, Cincy's eleven opponents have gone a combined 72-48 (.600) with seven of their eleven opponents being bowl eligible. They've squared off against: Pittsburgh (6-5), Ohio State (12-0), Virginia Tech (9-2), Louisville (9-1), South Florida (7-4), West Virginia (9-1), and Rutgers (9-1). Just a pair of MAC teams: Akron (5-6, went bowling last year) and Miami (Ohio) (typically near the top of the conference), Syracuse (4-7, but better than their record indicates), and a Division I-AA team in Eastern Kentucky, all of Cincy's foes will most likely get invited to go bowling once the regular season comes to an end. Unlike the three teams ahead of Cincy in terms of schedule strength who have a combined 4-29 (.121) record, with Cincinnati's 30-11 win over then unbeaten Rutgers, they are now bowl eligible at 6-5 (.545). The Bearcats were in the game with Pittsburgh until the very end (that was when Pitt was actually playing well). They played right with #1 Ohio State for thirty minutes before fading in the second half. They played right wit Virginia Tech for 45 minutes before fading some in the 4th and final quarter. Their game with Louisville came right down to the last play when Cincy had the chance to pull out the victory. While I was disappointed to see Rutgers' dreams end on Saturday night, I was glad to see a team who had played such a difficult schedule from start to finish, give themselves an opportunity to play another game following the regular season. Congratulations.

No Kudos
Letdowns/Sandwich losses. There were plenty of them over the weekend where a team either looked ahead to next week's game and got burnt (or close to it) or were still flying high as a kite from last weekend's big win and fell flat on their face.

Syracuse 20 UConn 14. The Huskies had a chance to even their record out at 5-5, only needing to win one of their final two games to become bowl eligible. They were coming off a 46-45 double overtime victory over Pittsburgh. Syracuse came into the game losers of five straight and the only team from the Big East to officially be eliminated from bowling.

Arizona 37 Oregon 10. Just as Washington State and Cal did previously, Oregon took Arizona a bit for granted on Saturday, perhaps looking to their inner-state battle known as the Civil War this upcoming weekend. They played sloppy, without much fire, and the Wildcats made them pay, just as they did to their previous couple opponents to make themselves bowl eligible.

Kansas 39 Kansas State 20. Just a week ago, K-State was flying high after their 45-42 upset win over Texas. Quarterback Josh Freeman and company dropped from cloud nine to the turf in a matter of minutes on Saturday. If it wasn't for Kansas' inefficiency in the red zone, the score would've been a lot worse than 39-20.

Virginia Tech 27 Wake Forest 6. Wake shutout Florida State in Tallahassee last week for the first time since September of 1973. They were still so doped up during this game that they almost got shutout at home.

Cincinnati 30 Rutgers 11. Rutgers was coming off a huge Thursday night victory against then unbeaten Louisville 28-25. All that stood between they and an undefeated season was West Virginia, but they forgot that two other clubs stood in their way as well.

UCLA 24 Arizona State 12. Arizona State hammered Washington State last week 47-14 and could only must up four field goals against the Bruins this week.

Kentucky 42 Louisiana-Monroe 40. Following last week's 38-26 win over Vandy, Kentucky became bowl eligible for the first time since the Cubs won the World Series. Okay, just kidding about that stat, but it seems like it's been a while. Their offense showed up to play, but somebody forgot to tell their defense to come sober and prepared as the Wildcats had to come from behind in the final few minutes to pull this one out.

Houston 23 Memphis 20 OT. The Cougars were coming off a fairly big win against the now bowl eligible SMU Mustangs. They ran into trouble against 1-10 Memphis and needed an overtime session to do away with the Tigers.

Arkansas 28 Mississippi State 14. It was just a one score game for the majority of the contest and the usually reliable running game of Arkansas was shut down for the most part. Late in the game, the 'Hogs had been held to just 55 rushing yards. They were just coming off a big 31-14 primetime win over Tennessee and have LSU to look forward to next week.

LSU 23 Mississippi 20 OT. LSU had a tough time putting away Alabama last week and the Tigers face 10-1 Arkansas next week. They played flat throughout this one and if it wasn't for a 4th and goal conversion by the Tigers in the final 30 seconds, they'd have another loss on their record.

Player(s) of the Week
I'm giving this to the backfield of West Virginia: quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slaton for their dominating performance against Pittsburgh on Thursday. Quarterback Pat White completed 11 of 16 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns. To go along with that, he ran the ball 22 times for 220 yards and two more touchdowns. Steve Slaton had 23 carries for 215 yards for another two scores and caught 6 passes for 130 yards and two scores. Yeah, to say that they were rolling on Thursday night would be an understatement.

Surprise of the Week
Boston College 38 Maryland 16. Coming into this game, Boston College had been involved in six games decided by one possession or less (4-2) and Maryland had been involved in seven such games (6-1). Sixty-five percent of the two teams' games this season had been decided by 8 points or less. With both teams coming into the game at 8-2 and fighting atop the ACC, if we knew anything going into the game, it was that it'd be close, right? BC laid their foot down from the get-go. In Maryland's opening two drives, BC forced, recovered, and ran back fumbles for touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead and later returned an interception back for a score. The Terps were playing from well behind from the opening five minutes forward and couldn't overcome their early mistakes. BC winning was not a shock to me, but to win by 22 points? That was the surprise.

Nebraska Game (from an unbiased person's point-of-view)
There was no game! Because of this, Nebraska stays a 8-3 and will face Colorado during the upcoming rivalry week!

Solich Update
Ohio beat Akron on Thursday night 17-7 to improve to 6-1 in the MAC and 8-3 overall. How about that? With the win, Frankie and the Bobcats have clinched their half of the MAC to take on Central Michigan in the MAC title game. How about a drink Frankie?

Gill Update
Buffalo fell to 11-1 Wisconsin on Saturday 35-3. To their credit, the Bulls played the BAH-gers tough through the first half. The loss drops them down to 2-9 on the season. Because this was non-conference, the Bulls stay at 1-6 in the MAC.

Rant of the Week: "The" Game and BCS Hype
I'll be the first to admit that I love rivalry games. There's an added fire, energy, and life to rivalry games compared to other conference or non-conference games. Auburn/Alabama, Florida State/Miami (Florida), Florida/Tennessee, even Army/Navy are such examples. Ohio State and Michigan has been a prime example of this for several years, but they were playing for something extra this time around, as they entered the game unbeaten, ranked #1 and #2, and dueling it out for a chance to play in the national championship game. Leave it to ESPN to overhype this kind of matchup. It's worse than the radio replaying the same song every hour, because the game hadn't been played yet. It'd be like radio stations previewing, analyzing, and hyping up a new song they were going to play all week long until Saturday when it'd make it's debut. During the game between Miami (Ohio) and Bowling Green, all the announcers talked about was the upcoming game between Ohio State and Michigan. Since their game was played in Ohio of all states, they were calling it an appetizer for the big game in Columbus. Oh yeah, a MAC game featuring teams with a combined record of 6-16. That's quite the appetizer. It'd be like a Florida Atlantic/Florida International game on Wednesday as an appetizer to the Florida/Florida State game. All week long, analysts went on and on about the matchups, who held the edge and why, Lou Holtz would chime in about how the game would affect Notre Dame as he does so well. By Wednesday, I was already sick of it. Just like a song on the radio that I once liked, but got sick and tired of, I was sick of the game before it even started! ESPN has done that to the Red Sox/Yankees series as well. Analysts talk more about a pre-season Red Sox/Yankees game than a divisional game five playoff game between Oakland and Minnesota. Rivalry games are great, but there's such a thing as too much hype. The game on Saturday was a pretty solid game, but compared to all the hype it received, it could only be perceived as a disappointment unless it went into eight overtimes. Every game of this caliber deserves some hype, but there comes a point in time when these sportswriters and analysts need to know when to say when and let the game speak for itself. I know that's difficult for some (many) to do, but try it sometime. It'll make the game much more enjoyable.

Inside The Numbers: Resume's
Many might be wondering why I picked LSU vs. Mississippi as the game of the week over "The" game. Following Ohio State's score in the first quarter to tie things up at seven, Michigan had to play catch-up the rest of the game. A 4th and goal was converted with under 30 seconds left in the other game which tied things up. An extra point was then blocked which sent things to overtime. That game was more in doubt and kept the viewer on the edge of his or her seat longer than "the" game did. Ohio State led 28-14 at the half. Michigan made a run to start the 2nd half, but OSU quickly countered to lead 35-24. They led 42-31. What's my point? Even though analysts want to point out that the final score was 42-39 and Ohio State won by three points, the fact of the matter is that Michigan was playing catch-up throughout most of the contest. While they made a valiant effort at fighting back, they couldn't wither the storm and in the end, I don't think there was any doubt who the better team was. Ohio State even played sloppily in the 3rd quarter. Troy Smith lost focus for 20 minutes of the second half. Ohio State committed some stupid penalties in the first half which aided Michigan to a score. There was the personal foul on a punt when a Buckeye shoved the Michigan center down before he had a chance to set his feet after the snap. The score could've very well been 28-7 at the half if Ohio State didn't commit the dumb penalties. With the game firmly at hand 42-31 and Ohio State sending the Wolverines backwards on a couple plays, the Bucks were charged with a phantom pass interference penalty. Why? Who knows. But, I saw that replay four or five times and didn't see any contact. If it was in the NFL, it would've been interference because of face guarding, but that's legal at the college level. Michigan went on to score and convert on the two points to close the gap to 42-39, but needed another miracle to recover the onsides kick and kick the game-tying field goal to send it to overtime. Was it a good game? Yes. Am I glad I sat down and watched it? Yes. Was it the game of the year, let alone the decade or the century? I won't go there. Have I changed my mind and do I want to see a rematch? No.

So Michigan technically lost by three to the top-ranked Buckeyes at the Shoe. It wasn't that close in my mind, but technically, yes, they lost by three. Does that prove Michigan to be the second best team in the country? Ohio State beat Illinois 17-10 earlier this year (a couple weeks ago) where similar events occurred to end the game. The game wasn't as close as the final score indicated, but Illinois scored a touchdown late in the game to close the gap from 17-3 to 17-10. They then attempted an onsides kick and that failed. So, what, does Illinois deserve a rematch with the Buckeyes? No, not this year. But, that's different, because Michigan is 11-1 compared to 2-10 Illinois, right? Okay then.

If this were most years and there were two unbeatens at the end of the season, then things would be pretty easy for the BCS Commission, right? But, not this year. The only other unbeaten outside of Columbus, Ohio is the 11-0 Boise State Broncos who are one win away from finishing their regular season undefeated. But, they're just a WAC team who hasn't played anybody, right? It's true, Boise State has played their share of weak opponents. Up to this point, their opponents are a combined 48-72 (.400), but they've faced five bowl eligible teams thus far: Oregon State (7-4), Wyoming (6-6), Hawaii (9-2), Utah (7-4), and San Jose State (6-4). Oregon State, who is thus far the only team to have beaten USC, got trounced by Boise State 42-14. So, while no, Boise has not played the overall caliber of talent of say a Florida, they have faced teams that are bowl worthy and are 1-0 against major conference opponents who will go bowling and beat that team by 28-points. BSU has also dominated their opponents, averaging to win each game by 23.2 points per. Is Boise the 2nd best team in the country? Probably not. Since they're the only other unbeaten, do they deserve a shot at playing Ohio State? I don't see why not. But, the BCS is not about picking the two unbeatens left in a pool of 119 teams. It's about selecting the two "best" teams at season's end, right?

Even though their schedule did not personify the word "strength," Ohio State, I think, to no one's objection, deserves to be in the national title game. Allright, outside of the Buckeyes, there are ten teams who have one loss or less. There's: Arkansas (10-1), Boise State (11-0), Florida (10-1), Louisville (9-1), Michigan (10-1), Notre Dame (10-1), Rutgers (9-1), USC (9-1), West Virginia (9-1), and Wisconsin (11-1).

Arkansas' only loss this year was a 50-14 whooping they suffered at the hands of USC. If USC and Arkansas both run the table, I think it's safe to say the Razorbacks aren't going to go to the title game. But, even if USC does happen to lose one of their final two games, it's going to be very difficult for the 'Hogs to jump up to the #2 spot in the polls. Why? Their very weak schedule. You know how Craig James loves to harp that the SEC is the toughest conference without question? Arkansas wouldn't know that from the teams they've faced. These are the teams they've faced in conference thus far: Vanderbilt (4-8, won 21-19), Alabama (6-6, won 24-23 in double overtime), Auburn (10-2, won 27-10), Mississippi (3-8, won 38-3), South Carolina (6-5, won 26-20), Tennessee (8-3, won 31-14), and Mississippi State (3-8, won 28-14). These seven SEC opponents are a combined 40-40 (.500). They face LSU this weekend, so that schedule will look a bit tougher, but the three opponents they don't face in the regular season: Georgia (7-4), Florida (10-1), and Kentucky (7-4), a combined 24-9 (.727). They will face Florida in the SEC championship, so if they do beat LSU and Florida, a combined 19-3 (.864), do they deserve a shot at the title? Probably not. First off, they were twelve points away from losing to Vandy, 'Bama, and South Carolina, teams with a combined 16-19 (.457) record. Yeah, they're conference games and you never know about conference games, right? Okay then. What about their non-conference schedule? This is what'll truly bite Arkansas in the backside if they win their final two games. They played one non-conference opponent with a winning record out of their four non-conference games and they lost by 36 points to that team (USC). Their other three games? Utah State (1-10), Division I-AA Southeast Missouri State (0-12), and Louisiana-Monroe (2-8). They have a combined record of 3-30 (.091). Even if you add in USC's 9-1 record, Arkansas' non-conference opponents combine to go 12-31 (.279). Overall, their opponents have gone 52-71 (.423) this season. The Razorbacks have beaten their opponents by an average of 15.1 points a contest. If some want to complain about Boise State's schedule, they should also complain about Arkansas' and like BSU, Arkansas has faced five bowl eligible teams thus far. If USC falls UCLA, Notre Dame falls to USC, and Florida falls to Arkansas, I still don't see the 'Hogs jumping up to #2 in the polls, mainly due to their weak non-conference schedule. If they blow past both LSU and Florida, then we may have an argument, but I don't see that happening.

I've already written about Boise State, so next is 10-1 Florida, averaging to win each contest by 16.6 points, and Craig James' favorite pick to face Ohio State in the title game. Would could end up hurting Florida? The same thing that could very well hurt Arkansas and that's their non-conference schedule. But, unlike Arkansas, Florida has already faced eight bowl eligible teams and their opponents are an overall 67-58 (.536). They've faced: Southern Miss (7-4), Tennessee (8-3), Kentucky (7-4), Alabama (6-6), LSU (9-2), Auburn (10-2), Georgia (7-4), and South Carolina (6-5). They will close with 6-5 Florida State and 10-1 Arkansas, so overall, in thirteen games, Florida will have played ten bowl eligible teams. That's very impressive. Some of the wins aren't pretty, however. They beat Tennessee 21-20, Georgia 21-14, Vanderbilt 25-19, and South Carolina 17-16. Their lone loss came to Auburn by the score of 27-17. Alongside Southern Miss, Florida has faced Central Florida (3-8) and Western Carolina (0-12) at this point. Even if you include 7-4 Southern Miss and 6-5 Florida State, Florida's non-conference opponents are a combined 16-29 (.356). If the Gators beat Florida State and Arkansas, then they have a strong enough resume' to argue for. There aren't too many other teams who have faced ten bowl eligibles in thirteen games and gone 12-1. If Florida does that, they may have a legitimate argument, but that weak non-conference schedule, just like it did to Arkansas, may bite Florida in the backside.

Louisville is 9-1 on the year. They kind of flew away following their 28-25 loss to Rutgers. I have a question, why does a one-loss Louisville team fall seven spots following a three-point road loss to unbeaten Rutgers (Louisville did lead 25-7 at one point) and a one-loss Michigan squad stays at #2 following a "3"-point road loss to unbeaten Ohio State? Interesting, isn't it? Some may not want to believe it, but Louisville played a solid schedule this year. Of the ten teams they've faced, seven are bowl eligible: Kentucky (7-4), Kansas State (7-5), Middle Tennessee State (7-4), Cincinnati (6-5), West Virginia (9-1), Rutgers (9-1), and South Florida (7-4). Outside of the three non-conference games I mentioned, Louisville also faced Miami (Florida) and Temple. Even including the horrendous 1-11 Owls, the Cardinals' non-conference opponents are a combined 27-30 (.474). Overall, their opponents are 62-48 (.564). Outside of their last second loss to then undefeated Rutgers 28-25, Louisville's only truly close game was against Cincinnati where they beat the pesky Bearcats 23-17. They beat bowl-bound Kentucky 59-28, Miami (Florida) 31-7, K-State in Manhattan (who beat Texas) 24-6, then unbeaten West Virginia 44-34, and hammered South Florida this weekend 31-8. As one can see by the scores, Louisville has dominated their opposition (without Michael Bush), beating opponents by an average of 21.3 points a game. Because of how far Louisville dropped, will the commission give them a chance at the title? Probably not, but are they as deserving as anyone else? Probably.

That brings us to 11-1 Michigan. Unlike Louisville, Michigan didn't drop off at all following their 42-39 loss to Ohio State. Unlike Ohio State and even Louisville, Michigan has not pounded the opposition this year. They beat Penn State 17-10, Iowa 20-6, Northwestern 17-3, Ball State 34-26, Minnesota 28-14, and Wisconsin 27-13. They have averaged to win each game by 15.6 points. Including Ohio State, Michigan has squared off against seven bowl eligible teams: Central Michigan (7-4), Notre Dame (10-1), Wisconsin (11-1), Minnesota (6-6), Penn State (8-4), Iowa (6-6), and Ohio State (12-0). Overall, their opponents are 81-60 (.574) and their non-conference opponents are 25-20 (.556). Their most impressive win of the season was against Notre Dame where they creamed the Irish in South Bend 47-21. Michigan's defense is what lifted them to 11-1 on the season. The offense was sporadic and inconsistent at times. Overall, their schedule was decent but not as solid from top to bottom as Florida's. It's similar to that of Louisville's. Unlike the SEC, the Big Ten had a down year. Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan State were down. Illinois, Indiana, and Northwestern were themselves (toward the bottom). Penn State and Purdue weren't as good as their records indicated and the same goes for 11-1 Wisconsin, who played a weaker schedule than Arkansas.

Up next is 10-1 Notre Dame. With their lone loss being a 47-21 blowout loss to Michigan, I don't believe they should go even if they demolish USC next week, but Lou Holtz insists. For some reason, he believes that if Notre Dame beats USC and finishes 11-1, pollsters should leapfrog Notre Dame past a team they lost to by 26 points earlier in the season. Good luck Lou. First thing's first, Notre Dame's schedule is not as impressive as it typically is. They've played six bowl eligible teams (seven including USC) and three of those teams have four or more losses (four possible by the end of the year). Overall, their opponents are just hovering above .500 at 64-60 (.516). They haven't won in a pretty fashion either, winning these games by 12.7 points per game. The Irish got lucky in pulling one out of their hat against Michigan State, coming back to beat the Spartans 40-37. They did likewise at the start of the season to beat Georgia Tech 14-10 and just recently against UCLA with a final minute drive to pull out a 20-17 victory. The lone great team the Irish has faced is Michigan and they got trounced. They handled an above average Penn State squad, a barely above average Purdue team, a one-win Stanford club, a two-win North Carolina team, and the academies (yes, all of them). There aren't any Tennessees on the schedule, Boston Colleges, Florida States, Miamis, etc. The offense may be solid, but the defense is anything but. The only team to not score in double digits this year against the Irish is the 3-8 Army Black Knights who scored on the last play this past Saturday to put up nine on the scoreboard. If it hadn't of been the last play, Army would've most likely added the extra point to score at least ten. Whatever Lou Holtz says to praise this team, I couldn't disagree more. Notre Dame is not as good as their 10-1 record would indicate and are only ranked where they are, because, well, they're Notre Dame.

It's tough to make an argument anymore for 9-1 Rutgers following their 30-11 beatdown at the hands of 6-5 Cincinnati this past weekend, but they are a one-loss squad, so they deserve some attention. First off, their schedule is not great, but not horrendous. It beats the likes of Boise State and Arkansas, but isn't quite up their with Florida, Michigan, or Louisville. Their opponents are a combined 52-58 (.473). Just like with Arkansas and even perhaps Florida, Rutgers' non-conference schedule will ultimately doom them. They've played against: North Carolina (2-9), Illinois (2-10), Ohio (8-3), Howard (0-12), and Navy (8-3). The only two clubs with winning records are in mid-major conferences. The teams have combined to go 20-37 (.351). Just like Notre Dame, Rutgers has faced off against six bowl eligible teams (seven including West Virginia), and like Notre Dame, three of these six have four or more losses. The Scarlet Knights have had their share of close games, beating North Carolina 21-16 to start the season, beating South Florida 22-20, defeating Pittsburgh 20-10, winning over UConn 24-13, and beating Louisville at the end 28-25. Even with these close games and the defeat this past Saturday, Rutgers has averaged to win their games by 14.5 per contest. Should Rutgers be up there with the likes of Michigan, Florida, and Louisville? No, probably not, but if they go on to beat Syracuse and West Virginia in Morgantown, the BCS committee should think about offering the Scarlet Knights an at-large bid somewhere.

USC is 9-1 following their 23-9 win over Cal this past weekend and they appear to be Michigan's main concern of taking over the #2 spot and playing Ohio State for the national title. Florida was impressive in having to play ten bowl eligible teams in thirteen games. When all is said and done, USC's schedule will be even more impressive. Following their games against Notre Dame and UCLA, who are both themselves bowl eligible, USC would have played ten bowl eligible clubs in just twelve games. The only two whom aren't bowl eligible are conference opponents Washington (5-7) and Stanford (1-10). Where USC may have everyone else is their non-conference schedule. They've played: Arkansas (10-1 and off to the SEC championship game), Nebraska (8-3 and off to the Big XII title game), and Notre Dame (10-1). USC's three non-conference opponents are all potential BCS teams and have gone a combined 28-5 (.848). No other team competing to go to the title game has a non-conference schedule like that. Not even the top-ranked Buckeyes could compete if they had to. Also, USC has played: Arizona (6-5), Washington State (6-6), Arizona State (6-5), Oregon State (7-4), Oregon (7-4), and Cal (8-3). They will also play UCLA (6-5). Overall, the ten opponents they've played thus far are a combined 64-48 (.571). If one includes the upcoming two games: Notre Dame (10-1) and UCLA (6-5), USC's opponents are 80-54 (.597). When it comes to strength of schedule, USC's is top of the line and will be their main argument into deserving a shot at the title if they go on to beat both Notre Dame and UCLA. USC did struggle some in the early to mid part of the season. In four consecutive weeks, they beat Washington State 28-22, Washington 26-20, Arizona State 28-21, before falling 33-31 to Oregon State. But, that sequence may have been the wake up call the Trojans needed. Since then, they've outscored their opponents 100-19 in three games (including Oregon and Cal). Overall, they've averaged to win each contest by 16.9 points a game.

West Virginia marks the third 9-1 Big East school. Such was the case with the likes of Arkansas, Florida, and Rutgers, West Virginia's non-conference schedule will bite them you know where. They faced: Marshall (5-6), Eastern Washington (0-12), Maryland (8-3), East Carolina (6-5), and Mississippi State (3-8) who are a combined 22-34 (.393). Overall, West Virginia's opponents are 51-58 (.468). The Mountaineers have faced five bowl eligible opponents thus far and have Rutgers waiting in the wings. Marshall and Connecticut could also become bowl eligible by winning the remainder of their contests. Outside of their 44-34 loss to then unbeaten Louisville, West Virginia has not played in many close games. In fact, their closest game outside of that loss was a 27-10 win at East Carolina. They've averaged to win their games by 22.3 points per. While West Virginia may not be in line to go to the title, if they should win out, the BCS committee should think about rewarding the 'Neers with an at-large BCS berth.

Finally, we have 11-1 Wisconsin who finished their regular season this past weekend against Buffalo, winning the game 35-3. Wisconsin may have the worst schedule of the lot (besides Boise State). The Badgers have faced just five bowl eligible teams in twelve games and four of those five have four or more losses. The lone exception is Michigan and the Badgers lone loss was a fourteen point defeat at the hands of the Wolverines. Non-conference? Whew. To sum it up in few words- not good. Who'd they face? Bowling Green (4-7), Western Illinois (0-12), San Diego State (2-8), and Buffalo (2-9). These four clubs are a combined 8-36 (.182). Overall, Wisconsin's opponents are 58-82 (.414). Not surprisingly, they've beaten these teams by an average of 18.3 points a game. This includes an ugly 14-0 win over 2-8 San Diego State (who lost on Saturday to TCU 52-0), a 30-24 win over Illinois, a 13-3 win over Penn state, and a 24-21 win over Iowa. Of all the one-loss teams that don't deserve to go to the title game, Wisconsin leads the list.

So, there you go. You can now conclude for yourself who deserves and doesn't deserve to go. I will now write up a list of the teams I just wrote about and count down from 10 to 1 who deserves to face the Buckeyes in the title game. Please keep in mind that I'm going by the hypothetical scenarios that the teams win out the rest of the way.

10. Wisconsin- Played against four nobodies out of conference who have combined to go 8-36 (.182) this season. They lucked out in conference as well, because they didn't have to play against Ohio State.

9. Notre Dame- Played a very mediocre schedule and have lost to the only great team they've played by a 47-21 tally. Michigan's season is done and over with. Notre Dame would have to beat USC 223-0 in order to get voters' attention. Even if they beat the Trojans, there's no way Notre Dame will leap over a fellow one-loss team who beat them by 26 points earlier in the year.

8. Boise State- Even though I'd kind of like to see the Broncos square off against the Buckeyes so that we were guaranteed to be left with one unbeaten team at the end of the year, I know it's not going to happen. If Boise State faced a tougher non-conference schedule and played someone else besides Oregon State (who they creamed), then they may have a better argument and better opportunity, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. I just hope if Boise wins their final regular season game, they're awarded an at-large in a BCS game and make the most of their opportunity.

7. West Virginia- The Mountaineers would have a great shot if they replaced Eastern Washington and Marshall with someone else. Heck, even just Eastern Washington with their old rival Virginia Tech (9-2). If the 'Neers won that game and rather convincingly, they'd be looking a lot more impressive to voters right now. Either way, if they win out with their only loss coming at the hands of then unbeaten Louisville, the team has to be a sexy pick for an at-large.

6. Rutgers- If Rutgers wins out, they'd be an even sexier pick than West Virginia and why? Well, they face West Virginia in a couple weeks. If Rutgers wins that game, they would have beaten both Louisville and West Virginia. Like the other four teams, Rutgers could've really helped itself if they replaced the likes of Howard with a decent Division I-A opponent.

5. Arkansas- The 'Backs own demon will be their non-conference schedule where they squared off against a Division I-AA team along with two of the worst Division I-A teams in Utah State and Louisiana-Monroe. Even if USC loses one of their remaining two games, it may be difficult for Arkansas to convince voters to rank them second behind Ohio State with a 50-14 loss to their record and the weak non-conference schedule they played. If they blow past both LSU and Florida, they may have an argument, but that's going to be very difficult to achieve.

4. Michigan- What? Yeah, crazy I know. All the teams I've ranked above them have played an equal or greater number of bowl teams this year as Michigan. Michigan's most impressive win was quite impressive in terms of the final score, but Notre Dame is overrated and not as good as their record may first signify. Ball State had a couple chances to tie the game up at the end with the Wolverines. Penn State had an opportunity at the end to tie the game and send it to overtime. Northwestern, Minnesota, and Wisconsin weren't the easiest of opponents. Like Notre Dame, I don't see Penn State or Wisconsin to be as good as their records would indicate. Minnesota is having a down year and Northwestern finished 4-8. Are the Wolverines a good team? Yes, most definitely. But are they the most deserving of playing Ohio State in the title game? Not as I see it.

3. Louisville- It's amazing how this team about fell off the map following their three-point road loss to then undefeated Rutgers. It's also amazing how this team has performed without stud tailback Michael Bush. He got hurt in the first game of the season against Kentucky and the Cardinals have found a way to win without him all season. Outside of 1-11 Temple, their non-conference schedule was fairly legitimate. Kansas State has beaten Texas this year. Miami has had their struggles of late, but not so much in the early portion of the season. The 'Canes were so fired up and ready to go that they jumped around on the midfield Cardinal logo and what was the result? A 31-7 pounding by those same Cardinals. Bobby Petrino is one of the best offensive minds in the game and the Cards' defense is somewhat underrated and overshadowed by their offensive production. Even with playing against the same number of bowl teams as Michigan and their opponents' records being very similar, the Cards have showed a kind of dominance more consistently than have the Wolverines and would make for a better-than-many-might expect title game with Ohio State.

2. Florida- No, I'm not a big Craig James fan. It drives me nuts how the guy seems to jump on the SEC bandwagon every year. But if Florida wins their remaining two games against Florida State and Arkansas, they'll have about as good an argument as anyone. No, they haven't looked pretty at times. The offense has sputtered here and there, but the competition has been fierce. Do I believe Michigan could have played against Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Southern Mississippi, Florida State, and Arkansas and finished with only one loss? I'm not thinking so. The Big Ten is down this year and the SEC is strong. Following Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten (Arkansas and Florida in the SEC), compare the rest of the conferences: LSU vs. Wisconsin, Auburn vs. Penn State, Tennessee vs. Purdue, Georgia vs. Iowa, South Carolina vs. Minnesota, Kentucky vs. Michigan State, Alabama vs. Indiana, Vanderbilt vs. Northwestern, and Mississippi/Mississippi State vs. Illinois. I see LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, Vanderbilt, and one of the Mississippi schools all having excellent chances at winning those games. Illinois may pose a problem for their opponent and Alabama loves to play in close games, so I'm sure this would be no exception, but even if the Big Ten were to win those two games, I see the majority of their teams getting pounded by the SEC clubs. Florida will have played ten bowl eligible teams in thirteen games following their bout with Arkansas in the SEC title game. That's very impressive.

1. USC- If USC runs the table and beats both Notre Dame and UCLA, I think they are the most deserving to face off with Ohio State in the championship game. Did they play ugly in the middle portion of the season? Yes. But if they finish the regular season 11-1 with the schedule they played? That'll be amazing. When it's all said and done, USC will have played one of the toughest schedules of anyone this year. Unlike Florida, Michigan, or any other team on here, USC went out-of-conference to face three potential BCS bound teams in Arkansas, Nebraska, and Notre Dame. They pounded Arkansas into submission 50-14. They followed that up by handling Nebraska 28-10. If they continue that trend and finish they year 11-1 with that brutal of a schedule, I don't think there's any reason to keep the Trojans out of the title game.

Top Ten Reasons Why There Shouldn't Be A Rematch
10. The overhype was too much the first time around. Let's not go through this again.

9. Texas had their chance and lost. Michigan had their chance and lost. It's someone else's turn.

8. OSU beat them once. What's their reward? Beat them again?

7. What if Michigan wins? Will there be a game three? A split national championship?

6. Ohio State proved they were/are better than Michigan. Why should they have to prove that again?

5. Sequels aren't as fun/good as originals. Remember what happened ten years ago when Florida State beat Florida 24-21 in their season finale and Florida laid the smack down on Florida in the title game?

4. The game was good, but not the game of week let alone the year. It wasn't as close as the final score indicated. Stop making it sound like it was like the Colorado/Michigan game from a few years back. Remember that one? Kordell? Yeah, that's the one.

3. Next to the ACC, the Big Ten is the weakest of all major conferences this year. If you want numbers, I've got them to back me up. And no, I'm not anti-Big Ten. Last year, oddly enough, I believed the top two conferences to be the ACC and the Big Ten.

2. For those who disagreed with Nebraska facing off against Miami a few years ago in the title game after failing to make the Big XII title game and in essence, not being the Big XII conference champions, why should Michigan go as runner-up in the Big Ten?

1. The people have spoken. On an ESPN.com poll, when asked the question if we want to see a rematch, out of 393,603 people who have participated in the poll, 55% do not want to see a rematch compared to 45% who do. In 35 of the 50 states, the no voters reign supreme. In just 13 of the 50 states do the yes votes reign supreme. There are two states who are at an even 50-50 split at this point in time. The state with the most yes votes? I wonder. It's Michigan, where yes voters hold an 81-19% edge. The only other yes states are: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. When it comes to academics, the Northeast is the best, but when it comes to football, that's not the case. The Dakotas don't have much when it comes to Division I-A football. Minnesota has the 6-6 GO-phers. Iowa has the 6-6 Hawkeyes and 4-8 Cyclones. Illinois has 2-10 Illinois and 4-8 Northwestern. Wisconsin has the 11-1 BAH-gers. The majority of states with winning teams: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Hawaii don't want to see a rematch.

My Top 119 Poll
1. Ohio State (12-0): 176.6
2. Louisville (9-1): 167.7
3. Michigan (11-1): 164.1
4. USC (9-1): 164.0
5. Boise State (11-0): 163.2
6. Florida (10-1): 161.1
7. West Virginia (9-1): 159.1
8. LSU (9-2): 157.1
9. Notre Dame (10-1): 155.2
10. Texas (9-2): 154.9
11. Rutgers (9-1): 151.8
12. Wisconsin (11-1): 151.4
13. BYU (9-2): 149.9
14. Auburn (10-2): 148.5
15. Virginia Tech (9-2): 148.4
16. Arkansas (10-1): 148.3
17. Oklahoma (9-2): 147.0
18. Hawaii (9-2): 146.4
19. Clemson (8-3): 145.3
20. Boston College (9-2): 144.2
21. Tennessee (8-3): 140.4
22. Nebraska (8-3): 140.3
23. California (8-3): 137.9
24. Georgia Tech (9-2): 136.5
25. TCU (8-2): 132.4
26. Penn State (8-4): 131.4
27. Texas A&M (8-3): 131.3
28. Wake Forest (9-2): 128.9
29. Houston (9-3): 127.3
30. Nevada (8-3): 124.9
31. Maryland (8-3): 123.2
32. Missouri (7-4): 122.7
33. Oklahoma State (6-5): 120.1
33. Oregon State (7-4): 120.1
35. South Carolina (6-5): 119.4
36. Tulsa (7-4): 119.2
37. Oregon (7-4): 118.4
38. Ohio (8-3): 117.9
39. Navy (8-3): 117.1
40. Georgia (7-4): 116.8
40. Texas Tech (7-5): 116.8
42. Cincinnati (6-5): 115.7
42. Florida State (6-5): 115.7
44. UCLA (6-5); 115.4
45. Central Michigan (7-4): 115.1
46. Southern Mississippi (7-4): 113.2
47. Utah (7-4): 112.5
48. Pittsburgh (6-5): 112.2
49. Purdue (8-4): 111.9
50. Kentucky (7-4): 110.9
51. South Florida (7-4): 110.2
52. Minnesota (6-6): 109.7
53. Middle Tennessee State (7-4): 108.8
54. Kansas State (7-5): 107.3
55. Arizona (6-5): 107.0
56. East Carolina (6-5): 106.5
57. Washington State (6-6): 106.0
58. Alabama (6-6): 105.8
58. Western Michigan (7-4): 105.8
60. Iowa (6-6): 105.0
61. Arizona State (6-5): 104.1
62. Kansas (6-5): 102.5
63. Northern Illinois (6-5): 102.3
64. SMU (6-5): 102.1
65. San Jose State (6-4): 100.3
66. Rice (6-5): 98.9
67. Air Force (4-6): 97.3
68. Wyoming (6-6): 97.2
69. Miami (Florida) (5-6): 97.1
70. Washington (5-7): 94.5
71. Virginia (5-6): 91.5
72. Connecticut (4-6): 91.2
73. Kent State (6-5): 90.8
74. UTEP (5-6): 89.3
75. Troy (5-5): 89.1
76. Marshall (5-6): 87.6
77. Louisiana-Lafayette (5-5): 87.4
78. Akron (5-6): 87.3
79. Syracuse (4-7): 85.9
80. New Mexico (5-6): 85.7
81. Arkansas State (6-5): 85.6
82. Indiana (5-7): 85.5
83. Michigan State (4-8): 85.0
84. Vanderbilt (4-8): 82.3
85. Colorado State (4-6): 79.0
85. Fresno State (3-7): 79.0
87. North Carolina State (3-8): 78.7
88. Ball State (4-7): 78.2
89. Tulane (4-7): 77.6
90. Mississippi State (3-8): 77.3
91. Baylor (4-8): 76.9
92. Northwestern (4-8): 75.4
93. Mississippi (3-8): 75.1
94. Toledo (4-7): 73.2
95. Bowling Green (4-7): 72.4
96. UAB (3-8): 71.6
97. Iowa State (4-8): 69.9
98. Army (3-8): 69.0
99. Florida Atlantic (4-7): 68.7
100. Central Florida (3-8): 65.8
101. North Carolina (2-9): 65.7
102. Illinois (2-10): 65.1
103. North Texas (3-8): 63.8
104. Idaho (4-7): 62.6
105. Louisiana-Monroe (2-8): 62.0
105. New Mexico State (2-8): 62.0
107. Colorado (2-9): 61.8
108. San Diego State (2-8): 57.9
109. Louisiana Tech (3-8): 57.6
110. Miami (Ohio) (2-9): 57.2
111. Buffalo (2-9): 55.4
112. Stanford (1-10): 50.0
113. Eastern Michigan (1-10): 47.5
114. UNLV (1-10): 46.9
115. Memphis (1-10): 46.0
116. Utah State (1-10): 44.2
117. Duke (0-11): 36.0
118. Temple (1-11): 33.9
119. Florida International (0-10): 33.2