I seem to be adding something every week and I'm going to do likewise this time around. As I comprise my poll formula through three factors: 1) a team's winning percentage, 2) their opponents' win percentage, and 3) their average margin of victory, I will concoct lists from 1-120 regarding those three categories.
The Bonehead Call of the Week
This one goes to the officials of the Louisville/Connecticut game this past Friday night. This category should be labeled "The Bonehead Non-Call of the Week," but whatever. In the third quarter and with Louisville leading 7-0, Connecticut's Larry Taylor waved his hand in the air to signal a fair catch at UConn's 26-yard line. After he caught the ball, realized the referee hadn't blown his whistle, and the Louisville special team's unit were about to head to the sideline, Taylor started running toward the weak side of the field, up the sidelines, and 74 yards later, he was in for the game-tying (pending the extra point) touchdown. Louisville's head coach, Steve Kragthorpe, then called a timeout, hoping that the boys upstairs would have enough time to review and overturn the missed call. After Kragthorpe burned the timeout, the officials notified him that it couldn't be reviewed. Instead of doing the proper thing and giving Kragthorpe his timeout back, Louisville was stuck in the second half with one fewer timeout than they should've had and had to realize that they were jipped of seven points. UConn went on to go ahead 21-17 late in the 4th quarter and with only one timeout at their disposal, the Cardinals were unable to come back.
The Big East Commissioner, Mike Tranghese, apologized to Louisville in the past 24 hours for the error by the officials. Supposedly, Tranghese has punished the official who blew the call, but specifics weren't mentioned.
The Commissioner went on to say, "The bad part is I can't change the call." He followed this up by saying, "We don't want to paralyze the game, but that's such a simple, simple play, if they had gone up to the booth, the would have said he gave the signal. We want to get the play right."
I've read some UConn fans insisting that the blown call had nothing to do with their victory on Friday night. I'm not even a Louisville fan. I was pulling for UConn on Friday night, but think that Louisville got jipped. This was the second occasion of the season where UConn largely benefited from a missed call. Up by five late in the game against Temple, the Owls threw a pass into the end zone on 4th and goal. The ball was deflected and then caught at the back of the end zone for what may have been the go-ahead and probable winning touchdown. It was initially called incomplete, but through the review, it clearly showed that the Owls' receiver had one foot down in the end zone when in possession of the football. The official claimed that the review confirmed the ruling on the field of an incomplete pass. Temple received a similar apology for the missed call as Louisville did this past weekend.
One can say all they want about how large an impact this missed call played. Louisville may have only led 7-0 at the time, but with the rainy weather conditions, slippery field, and for how well their defense was playing, that touchdown lead made a huge difference. After UConn scored the game-tying touchdown with that return, it put a completely different complexion on the ball game, gave UConn all the momentum, and put Louisville into a predicament they shouldn't have been in, in the first place. It was ridiculous. How an official can miss out on a man waving his hand up in the hair, signaling a fair catch, is beyond me. The fact that it was missed and the Cardinals' unknowingly burned a timeout (which they never got back) was a disgrace to the game of college football. Referees are there to prevent one team from attaining an unfair edge against another. They're not there to give that unfair advantage, which they're supposed to prevent, to another.
The Bonehead Play of the Week
This goes to Indiana quarterback, Kellen Lewis, who lost three fumbles in Penn State's 36-31 win over the Hoosiers on Saturday. Lewis is usually a fairly steady quarterback, but on these fumbles, especially the first two, it appeared that his mind was elsewhere. On the second fumble, deep in their own territory, an option play was called to the weak side and the play was doomed from the start. Once Lewis and his tailback starting running left, the offensive line appeared to be in a state of confusion and PSU's front seven was in the backfield quicker than a quail look-a-like hunting with Dick Cheney. Lewis saw the blow-up of the play and should've just wrapped both arms around the ball and gone down. This wasn't the case, however. Lewis, as he was going down, threw the ball out into neverneverland, where not even his tailback resided, and Penn State fell on the football. These three fumbles resulted in 9 points (three field goals) for the Nittany Lions, extended the Nittany Lion lead from one to two scores on two separate occasions and extended their lead to twelve points on the third fumble/score.
The Bonehead Remark of the Week
This goes to Nebraska head coach, Bill Callahan. During Tuesday's weekly press conference, Callahan said the following when questioned about his future at the school, "...All I would tell you is ... I've done an excellent job in every area. It's hard for the media to know, but what we've done off the field, and what we've done on the field. I think it's well-documented."
Well-documented, eh? Bill Callahan, in his fourth year at Nebraska, holds a record of 26-19 (.578 and dropping) against all opponents and 23-19 (.548 and dropping) against I-A competition. He's 0-16 (.000) when trailing at halftime. Callahan is 10-18 (.357) against winning I-A competition. His conference record is 14-15 (.483). Against the Big XII South, he's 3-9 (.250). He's 7-10 (.412) away from Lincoln. In neutral locations, he's 1-2 (.333). The Huskers are 1-8 (.111) against AP Top 25 teams at season's end under Callahan. He's 0-6 (.000) against Top 10 opponents. When NU is ranked, they're 11-7 (.611) under Bill. Following a win under Callahan, the Huskers are 9-11 (.450). They're 8-6 (.571) following a loss. NU is 9-2 (.818) following a bye under Big Bill. NU, under Callahan is: 2-0 (1.000) against Baylor, 3-1 (.750) versus Iowa State, 2-1 (.667) against Kansas, Kansas State, and Colorado, 2-2 (.500) versus Missouri, 1-1 (.500) against Texas A&M, 0-1 (.000) against Texas, 0-2 (.000) against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, and finally, are 0-3 (.000) against Oklahoma. Excluding the two doormats of the Big XII (Baylor and Iowa State), NU is 9-14 (.391) against the other nine Big XII teams.
So, tell me, of all that documented information, outside of NU's 9-2 post-bye record under their current head coach, what else is there to marvel at? In 3 1/2 years, NU is just four games over .500 under Callahan and if they lose their final four, Callahan would finish four years at exactly the .500 mark against I-A competition, with a Big XII record of 14-19 (.424), going 9-18 (.333) against all Big XII opponents not named Iowa State or Baylor. Callahan has done an "excellent" job in "every" area? What's he smoking?
Here are some post-game comments this past Saturday from others who completely agree with Callahan's "excellence" in coaching Nebraska football:
The San Diego-Union Tribune said the following, "Callahan, I suspect, is going to have some further successes, but they won't be in Lincoln. In what has befallen him there, there are some lessons. One is that for coaches, making a transition from the college game to the NFL is a good deal less difficult than going from the NFL to the college game."
The Kansas City Star stated, "Callahan's seat is so hot he needs asbestos slacks."
The Des Moines Register said, "If Bill Callahan hasn't been fired by the time you read this, the man is well on his way."
The Modesto Bee's comment has to be my favorite of the bunch, as they said, "Callahan is the dumbest coach in America."
The people at Coacheshotseat.com made these remarks, "Bill might want to go ahead and get his belongings moved so that he can go straight to the airport in Denver after playing Colorado in Boulder on November 23rd. I wouldn't bother getting back on the team charter after the Colorado game if I was you Bill, because this is way past saving now."
The only sentence which should include the two words "Callahan" and "excellence" would be if one were to say/write, "The (fill-in-the blank with any Big XII team not named Baylor or Iowa State)'s excellence on both sides of the ball can mainly be attributed to Husker head coach Bill Callahan's stupidity."
P.S. Nebraska has been outscored 49-0 in the third quarter of their four losses this year. Adjustments anyone? Not for Bill Callahan...
Conference Breakdown
*indicates a Division I-AA opponent
ACC
Virginia 18 Maryland 17 (1-1)
North Carolina State 34 East Carolina 20 (2-1)
Miami (Florida) 37 Florida State 29 (3-2)
Clemson 70 Central Michigan 14 (4-2)
Georgia Tech 34 Army 10 (5-2)
Wake Forest 44 Navy 24 (6-2)
Big East
Rutgers 30 South Florida 27 (1-1)
Connecticut 21 Louisville 17 (2-2)
West Virginia 38 Mississippi State 13 (3-2)
Syracuse 20 Buffalo 12 (4-2)
Pittsburgh 24 Cincinnati 17 (5-3)
Big Ten
Michigan 27 Illinois 17 (1-1)
Ohio State 24 Michigan State 17 (2-2)
Purdue 31 Iowa 6 (3-3)
North Dakota State 27 Minnesota 21 (3-4)*
Wisconsin 44 Northern Illinois 3 (4-4)
Penn State 36 Indiana 31 (5-5)
Northwestern 26 Eastern Michigan 14 (6-5)
Big XII
Texas A&M 36 Nebraska 14 (1-1)
Texas 31 Baylor 10 (2-2)
Oklahoma 17 Iowa State 7 (3-3)
Oklahoma State 41 Kansas State 39 (4-4)
Kansas 19 Colorado 14 (5-5)
Missouri 41 Texas Tech 10 (6-6)
Pac-10
USC 38 Notre Dame 0 (1-0)
UCLA 30 California 21 (2-1)
Oregon 55 Washington 34 (3-2)
Stanford 21 Arizona 20 (4-3)
SEC
Florida 45 Kentucky 37 (1-1)
LSU 30 Auburn 24 (2-2)
West Virginia 38 Mississippi State 13 (2-3)
Alabama 41 Tennessee 17 (3-4)
Arkansas 44 Mississippi 8 (4-5)
Vanderbilt 17 South Carolina 6 (5-6)
A Tale of Two Weeks
Week 7: Central Michigan 47 Army 23 (+24)
Week 8: Clemson 70 Central Michigan 14 (-56)
Margin Difference: 80 points
Week 7: South Florida 64 Central Florida 12 (-52)
Week 8: Central Florida 44 Tulsa 23 (+21)
Margin Difference: 73 points
Week 7: Penn State 38 Wisconsin 7 (-31)
Week 8: Wisconsin 44 Northern Illinois 3 (+41)
Margin Difference: 72 points
Week 7: Texas Tech 35 Texas A&M 7 (+28)
Week 8: Missouri 41 Texas Tech 10 (-31)
Margin Difference: 59 points
Week 7: Michigan 48 Purdue 21 (-27)
Week 8: Purdue 31 Iowa 6 (+25)
Margin Difference: 52 points
The Conference Yo of the Week
Big East. There wasn't really one conference that stood out from the rest to me this past weekend, but the Big East was close in doing so. They had three stellar in-conference battles and beat two non-conference opponents who were a combined 7-7 coming in. Rutgers' 30-27 victory over then unbeaten and 2nd ranked South Florida lived up to the hype and thensome. Pittsburgh showed some strength at the lower quarter of the conference, in beating Cincinnati 24-17. In the other conference match-up, UConn "beat" Louisville 21-17 to improve to 6-1 on the season. Out-of-conference, then 1-6 Syracuse beat Buffalo, who had won two consecutive until their match-up with the Orange, 20-12. West Virginia scored 28 points in the first quarter and 31 points in the first quarter and a play (I mean that literally) in their 38-13 drubbing of Mississippi State. The conference was 5-3 on the week, with some great in-conference battles and two fairly solid out-of-conference victories. Outside of Syracuse, every Big East team has a shot at bowl eligibility, although I'd say that 6 of the 8 teams will be eligible when all is said and done. In a conference of just eight, that's very impressive.
The Conference Yo No of the Week
SEC and Big Ten. Perhaps the SEC, with their five great games of a week ago, lofted my expectations a bit too high for this past weekend. The games, on a whole, were not nearly as competitive as the week prior. Arkansas pounded on Mississippi 44-8. Alabama knocked Tennessee down early in the contest and kicked the Vols' while they were down in the Tide's 41-17 victory in Tuscaloosa. South Carolina only managed to score 6 points in their loss to Vanderbilt. The 45-37 final score of the Florida/Kentucky duel is a bit deceptive, as the Wildcats scored a touchdown on the final play of the game. The more indicative score would have been 45-31. Mississippi State got blown out by West Virginia 38-13 (not even that close). The only good game worth mentioning is LSU's 30-24 come-from-behind win over Auburn. That was arguably the best game of the weekend and compensated some for the disappointing in-conference games. But, regardless, on the whole, I'd have to say that the SEC disappointed me mightily over the weekend.
I didn't have as high of expectations for the Big Ten (and rightfully so), but like the SEC, I was very disappointed by the Big Ten conference this weekend. Purdue came into their game with Iowa having allowed 71 points in their previous two contests (both losses). Iowa's inept offense couldn't even score on the Boilers' defense in Purdue's 31-6 win over the Hawkeyes. Northwestern didn't look overly impressive against Eastern Michigan, beating the 2-6 Eagles by twelve points at 26-14. Minnesota fell to I-AA North Dakota State 27-21. Illinois disappointed for the second consecutive week, playing anything but consistently in their 27-17 loss to Michigan. Indiana scored a late touchdown to trim Penn State's lead to five, but the turnover bug all but killed the Hoosiers in their 36-31 loss to JoPa's club. Ohio State led Michigan State 24-0 in the second half before the Spartans came storming back to trim the lead to 24-17, which would be the final. In the only true dominant showing (which was supposed to be the case), Wisconsin ended their two-game losing streak to beat up on 1-7 Northern Illinois, 44-3. I have to say it, the more I watch this conference, the more unimpressed I am with it. But, lucky for them, the SEC was bad enough to share the honor this week.
Game(s) of the Week
Honorable Mention
10. Penn State 36 Indiana 31
9. Ohio State 24 Michigan State 17
8. Kansas 19 Colorado 14
7. Pittsburgh 24 Cincinnati 17
6. Rutgers 30 South Florida 27
Top Five
5. Connecticut 21 Louisville 17: I hated to see the game end the way it did, but it was a fun one to watch. With the heavy downpours at times, the slippery/muddy field, and the clutch play in the 4th quarter, it made for a very entertaining game.
4. Miami (Florida) 37 Florida State 29: The score here is misleading. In fact, Florida State should've probably won the game. It's ironic in a way. The one Saturday Florida State could actually make field goals against the Hurricanes and it wasn't enough. The 'Noles made a total of five field goals on the afternoon. Gary Cismesia kicked them from: 23, 31, 33, 45, and 45 yards away. But, the lack of completing drives for touchdowns ultimately bit the Seminoles, as Miami scored two touchdowns of their own in the final 1:15 of the 4th quarter to come back from 29-23 down to win 37-29.
3. Toledo 43 Ohio 40: Defense was not present in this MAC shoot-out. It looked all but over in the 4th quarter, as Toledo led 40-29. But after a made field goal by the Bobcats and an actual defensive stop set them up in fairly good field position, all they needed was a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie and that's exactly what they did. With just over a minute left in the contest, Ohio tied the score at 40 a piece and the game looked to be headed for overtime. But the Bobcats' defense couldn't hold the Rockets' offense in check for a second consecutive possession and with no time left on the clock, Toledo kicked the game-winning field goal for a 43-40 victory.
2. Virginia 18 Maryland 17: While the score was tight throughout, the game looked to be in Maryland's control through much of the duration. But, with a half minute left and the Terps clinging to a 17-12 lead, Virginia drove inside the Maryland 10-yard line with a chance to score the go-ahead and potential winning touchdowns. Previous to this game, four of Virginia's six wins were by five points or less. With a late touchdown scored in this one, make that five out of seven, as Virginia, somehow, found a way to win 18-17.
1. LSU 30 Auburn 24: While I think the media has overdramatized the Les Miles' decision at the tail-end of the game a bit, I do believe this was the best game of the weekend. Just as I had suspected, Auburn rode their previous weeks' momentum into this game and played LSU tough for sixty minutes. Their run game was effective at times and Brandon Cox didn't make THE big mistake as he has been known to do at times. With under 2 minutes in the 4th quarter, Auburn kicked a field goal to take a 24-23 lead on LSU. Then Auburn decided to pooch kick it and LSU started with the ball from near their own 40-yard line, just needing 2+ first downs to have a shot at a field goal. Why the pooch kick at that point in the game and in that kind of situation? I haven't the slightest idea. After LSU attained a couple big first downs and were inside the Auburn 25-yard line, Les Miles let the clock tick (as did Tommy Tuberville of Auburn), and instead of playing it safe and running the ball up the middle to set up a field goal attempt, LSU quarterback Flynn completed a touchdown pass with one second on the clock to vault LSU to a 30-24 victory. The announcers went wild, stating time and time again what a genius Miles' was and that he was one second away from being the goat and having a lot of explaining to do. Miles should receive a lot of credit, but watch the replay. The receiver caught the ball, had possession, and scored the touchdown with 3+ seconds left on the clock. Even if time had run out, I highly doubt the game would've ended like that, especially in Baton Rouge. The officials would've gone to the review booth and 1-2 seconds would've been added, which would've still given LSU a chance to kick the game-winning field goal. It was a very gutsy call, but the media are overdramatizing it a tad, as two seconds should've been added to the game clock.
Disappointment(s) of the Week
Missouri 41 Texas Tech 10: Missouri was coming off a disappointing 41-31 loss to Oklahoma in Norman and Texas Tech, the top ranked pass offense in the country, was coming off a 35-7 drubbing of in-state rival, Texas A&M. Missouri's defense has been ranked in the bottom third of the country for most of the year and their pass defense has been ranked in the bottom 20. Looking at that match-up, one would naturally expect to see a lot of points scored. Texas Tech moved the ball fairly efficiently through the air, as they threw for 397 yards, but as they ran for just -9, they were unable to keep the defense off-balance and were unable to convert on the 3rd and 4th and shorts. Because of this and Graham Harrell's four interceptions, Mizzou had a short field to work with all day and made the very most of it. While the Tigers did fulfill their end of the prediction, as they scored 41 points, Texas Tech did anything but fulfill their end of it in what was one of the two big disappointments of the weekend.
Alabama 41 Tennessee 17: This was undoubtedly the other one. Tennessee came into the game at 4-2 and winners of three straight, including a 35-14 win over Georgia and a 33-21 victory over Mississippi State. Alabama had come in at 5-2, but an even 2-2 in their previous four and those two victories came against clubs with a combined 8-9 record by a total of 9 points. The game was good for about a half, but the Tide laid the whipping on the Vols in the second half, a little déjà vu from earlier this season in Tennessee's two previous losses. Their three losses have come by a combined 77 points and two of the three games could've been much worse.
Kudos
Michigan. To say that Michigan has exceeded expectations following their horrendous 0-2 start would be quite the understatement. Following two embarrassing losses at home, one to I-AA Appalachian State and the other to Oregon by 32 points, left the pre-season top five Michigan Wolverines searching for plenty of answers, especially on the defensive end. Following their win on Saturday night against Illinois, Michigan is 6-2, bowl eligible, and tied atop the Big Ten with an unblemished conference record. Since their abysmal start, Michigan has spanked Notre Dame 38-0, beaten Penn State 14-9, snuck past Northwestern 28-16, did likewise against Eastern Michigan 33-22, blown-out Purdue 48-21, and outlasted Illinois 27-17. The victory this past Saturday was the even more impressive for the simple fact Michigan played without their Hart (pun intended, yes...) and soul, in tailback Mike Hart. Starting quarterback, Chad Henne, was also banged up off and on throughout the game. Unless another disaster ensues, Michigan should be 7-2 after this weekend and a perfect 5-0 in conference, as they play Big Ten cellar dweller, Minnesota. If U of M finishes 9-3, with a loss to Ohio State at the end of the year, I'll be curious to see what unfolds with head coach Lloyd Carr. If he decides to retire, then so be it, but I wouldn't fire a coach who just finished the year 9-1, including a 7-1 conference record which could very well vault them into a New Year's Day bowl game. Kudos to Carr, Hart, and the rest of the Wolverines' squad for making what could have been a true low and breaking point in the Lloyd Carr tenure to being a Top 25 team once again with a legitimate shot at a prestigious bowl game at season's end.
No Kudos
Texas Tech. Quarterback Graham Harrell came into the contest against Missouri having thrown 31 touchdown passes and just 3 interceptions. On Saturday, he went to face one of the very worst pass defenses in all the country. What ensued? 397 yards through the air, sure, but only 1 touchdown pass compared to 4 interceptions. The Red Raiders dropped several catchable balls and for the game, rushed for a total of -9 yards. For any team to score 10 points or less against Mizzou's defense is fairly sad, but for the top ranked offense in the country to only mount 10 points on the mediocre (to be very kind...) Tigers' defense is downright pathetic.
Player of the Week
Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers. His numbers may not look quite as impressive as some others from this past weekend, but I'm giving him the honor for what his presence and production on the field truly meant to his team in vaulting his team past the then unbeaten and 2nd ranked South Florida Bulls. Rice carried the ball 39 times for 181 yards (4.6 ypc) in the Scarlet Knights' 30-27 upset win over then #2 South Florida. This was just five days after Rutgers' last game, a 38-14 win over Syracuse, where Rice carried the ball 36 times for 196 yards (5.4 ypc) and 3 touchdowns. In a five day span, Rice carried the ball 75 times for 377 yards (5.0 ypc) and three scores. Rice's 100+ yard performance snapped a 15-game streak where the Bulls hadn't allowed a back to rush for 100 yards. The previous man to do it? Ray Rice, last year.
Surprise(s) of the Week
5. Vanderbilt 17 South Carolina 6: I wasn't shocked by this outcome, but was very surprised at the fact Steve Spurrier's offense didn't score a touchdown and were limited to just 6 points in the game. It's truly a shame that Vandy let the Georgia game slip by them the week prior, because if they had won that one, they'd be 5-2 overall and right in the thick of the conference race.
4. North Carolina State 34 East Carolina 20: This looks odd. Yeah, I'm stunned that a major conference team beat a mid-major. ECU came into the game at 4-3 and winners of three straight. They appeared to have been garnering a similar identity to the bowl-bound team from a year ago. NC State, meanwhile, led by first year coach Tom O'Brien, had just one win to their name and that victory came against I-AA Wofford. So to say that I was surprised NC State beat their first I-A team, a club who had come into the game winners of three straight, is very true indeed.
3. Colorado State 48 UNLV 23: This looks odd too. I've always had a great deal of respect for Rams' head coach, Sonny Lubick, but for whatever reason, just as Virginia has found a way to win the close ones all year, CSU has done the exact opposite, en route to their 0-6 record before this one. The way they were going, I was beginning to wonder if they'd win a game all year. Fortunately, they did and it wasn't even close.
2. Pittsburgh 24 Cincinnati 17: Pitt has looked downright awful at times this year. Virginia is 7-1, having won 5 of those games by five points or less, beaten Duke by 11, and their only other victory? Pittsburgh by 30! The Cavs' margin of victory over the Panthers surpasses their margin of victory against their other six victims. Cincinnati was coming off a disappointing 28-24 loss to Louisville and like I said in making my prediction, I could've seen Pitt winning this game if Cincy played hung-over, but I just didn't see that happening. Well, it did. Now, I just have to wonder how long this hang over will last for the Bearcats and if head coach Brian Kelly's name being mentioned at other potential job sites has distracted the team's focus at all.
1. Temple 24 Miami (Ohio) 17: Why this one at number 1? This is Temple's 3rd straight victory. If not for a blown call by the officials in their 22-17 "loss" to Connecticut earlier this year, you'd be looking at a 4-4 Owls' team. Regardless, the club is 2-2 in conference and in the parity-driven MAC, they have as much of a chance at this point to win the conference as anyone else. Can Temple win their 4th consecutive? I wouldn't bet on it, but then again, I wouldn't have bet on them winning three or even two straight.
Nebraska Game (from an unbiased perspective)
For the fourth time in eight games this season, Nebraska was not televised. For the first time, they weren't even available on a pay-per-view channel. That's right...the once staunch Texas A&M Aggies and the once dominant Nebraska Cornhuskers weren't even available to the locals.
One would have to be a caveman still writing in hieroglyphics to not have been aware of the distractions both teams have had to face in recent weeks. A&M head coach, Dennis Franchione, got himself into a bit of trouble through a web site he created, which made available detailed information and updates on potential recruits. His job was already in jeopardy, as the Aggies haven't shown a great deal of improvement under him, but as some speculated, this latest issue may have been the final blow, which would knock Franchione out of College Station at season's end.
On the other sideline, the once big red (lower-cased at this point) have lost their team identity, in falling 41-6 to Missouri and following that up with a 45-14 homecoming loss to Oklahoma State. Not long after their worst home loss since 1958, athletic director Steve Pederson was fired. Former legendary Husker coach, Tom Osborne, then went on to be appointed interim athletic director. With that, many speculated that head coach Bill Callahan's future would not be in Lincoln, at least, not after their game in Boulder the day after Thanksgiving this year. But, there were a few optimists who claimed that if Callahan was able to turn the team around and win the remainder of his games or even go 4-1 down the stretch, he may have been given another year, so long as he gave up his offensive coordinating duties and defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove was let go. After this past weekend's game, the only way I can see Callahan hold on to his job is to run the table, finish 8-4 and win his bowl game to finish 9-4. But again, I think he'd have to give up playcalling duties and there's no way in green Iceland that Kevin Cosgrove could hang on to his job.
To their credit, Nebraska stayed in the contest through a half and for only the second time in six games, NU's defense allowed under 40 points! Granted, they allowed 36, but hey, that's a step up, right?
Similar to what occurred in the Iowa State game, A&M dominated time of possession and eventually wore down the anything but blackshirts' defense and unlike Iowa State, who committed four turnovers against the Huskers, A&M didn't hand the ball away once in the game.
For the third time this season, Nebraska allowed over 300 yards on the ground, giving up 359 to A&M on Saturday. To make matters worse, A&M did this on 66 carries, a big factor in their eating up 36:55 of playing time. A&M converted 28 first downs, were 7-15 (46.7%) on third down, and a perfect 2-2 (100.0%) on 4th down. They didn't throw the ball much, only passing for 100 yards in the game, but given that they ran for 359 yards, they didn't need to.
Nebraska wasn't dominated from a statistical standpoint, as they tallied 405 yards of offense, 275 through the air and 130 on the ground. They were 6-13 (46.2%) on third down and 1-3 (33.3%) on 4th. What killed Nebraska? Their turnovers, as they lost three fumbles in the game. Their holding onto the ball for just 23:05 didn't help their defense any, either.
In the end, Nebraska's defense knew the names Stephen McGee and Jorvorskie Lane very well, as these two Aggies combined to rush for 230 yards and 4 touchdowns. McGee completed 13 of 22 passes (59.1%) for 100 yards (7.7 ypc and 4.5 ypa), 1 touchdown and also carried the ball 35 times for 167 yards (4.8 ypc). Jorvorskie Lane, meanwhile, a man that makes Mike Alstott look small in comparison, carried the ball 15 times for 130 yards (8.7 ypc) and 4 scores. Following the game, Lane was quoted to saying, "I could have driven my car through the holes I was given."
For Nebraska, Sam Keller was fairly efficient throwing the ball in the game, completing 26 of 44 pass attempts (59.1%) for 275 yards (10.6 ypc and 6.3 ypa) and 1 touchdown. Quentin Castille again led the Huskers in rushing, carrying the ball 9 times for 60 yards (6.7 ypc) and a touchdown. Marlon Lucky wasn't very effective in the run game, carrying the ball 8 times for 23 yards (2.9 ypc), but was Keller's favorite target in the pass game, catching 13 passes for 125 yards (9.6 ypr).
With the 36-14 loss, Nebraska falls to 1-3 in the Big XII North and an even 4-4 overall, with a game at Texas (6-2), in Lawrence against the Jayhawks (7-0), at home versus K-State (4-3), and the regular season finale in Boulder against Colorado (4-4). NU's final four opponents are a combined 21-9 (.700). With three of those games coming on the road, Callahan needing all of them to save his job, and NU needing to win two of the four to simply qualify for a bowl, things are not looking good for Callahan or the Huskers.
The loss to A&M marked Nebraska's third consecutive loss, in which they've been outscored 122-34 (average of 40.7 - 11.3). This is the third time in four years under Bill Callahan that Nebraska has gone on a three-game skid. It also marked the first time since 1955 that Texas A&M won in Lincoln.
Including the A&M game, these are Nebraska's rankings both nationally and in-conference:
Rushing Offense: 151.63 (65th and 7th)
Passing Offense: 270.38 (29th and 7th)
Pass Efficiency: 133.07 (36th and 7th)
Total Offense: 422.00 (34th and 7th)
Scoring Offense: 26.63 (63rd and 9th)
Rushing Defense: 227.38 (115th and 12th)
Pass Defense: 230.00 (70th and 8th)
Pass Efficiency Defense: 122.05 (58th and 8th)
Total Defense: 457.38 (105th and 12th)
Scoring Defense: 31.88 (91st and 11th)
Net Punting: 36.94 (38th and 3rd)
Punt Returns: 5.92 (104th and 11th)
Kickoff Returns: 22.57 (46th and 6th)
Turnover Margin: -1.13 (t-106th and t-10th)
Tackles for Loss: 5.50 (t-85th and t-8th)
Sacks Allowed: 1.38 (t-25th and t-6th)
Schedule Strength: 0.61702128 (18th and 4th)
Looking ahead to this upcoming game against Texas, I do believe that of the back-to-back road games they play, NU has a better shot at upsetting Texas than they do Kansas, but I still wouldn't put any money down on the Huskers in this one. Texas doesn't run a fancy offense with a lot of motion plays (ala Wake Forest) or an option (ala Texas A&M) and their strength on offense (passing game) will match Nebraska's strength on defense (secondary). Due to these factors and others, I think the game will be a bit closer than what may be expected, but I still look for the Longhorns to come out victorious, which would send NU to 1-4 in the Big XII and 4-5 overall.
Solich Update
For the second week in a row, Frank Solich's Ohio Bobcats were involved in a shoot-out. But unlike last week's 48-42 win over Eastern Michigan, the Bobcats fell a little short in their road game against Toledo, falling to the Rockets 43-40. With the loss, Ohio falls to 1-3 in MAC play and 3-5 overall. Ohio stays on the road, although in-state, to play against the 4-3 Bowling Green Falcons this upcoming Saturday. Frankie needs this win. If they lose, the best the Bobcats can finish is 6-6.
Gill Update
Syracuse ended Buffalo's attempt at a three-game win streak, as the Orange beat the Bulls 20-12 at the Carrier Dome. With the loss, Buffalo falls to 3-5, but as the game was out-of-conference, they maintain their 3-1 MAC record. Up next on the slate is a home game against 3-4 Akron. With a win, the Bulls will be 4-1 in conference play and inch their way closer to the .500 mark overall.
Harrell and Crabtree Watch
Go figure, the weekend after I make mention of these two guys, they and the rest of the Red Raiders' offense score 10 points and Harrell is accountable for 4 interceptions. He had thrown three in his first 7 games.
Against Missouri, Graham Harrell completed 44 of 69 pass attempts (63.8%) for 397 yards (9.0 ypc and 5.8 ypa), 1 TD and 4 INT's. It was, without a doubt, his worst passing effort of the season thus far.
Now for the season, Harrell is 302-416 (72.6%) for 3,548 yards (11.7 ypc and 8.5 ypa), 32 TD's and 7 INT's.
If he were to continue at this pace, Harrell would complete 453 of 624 passes on the season for 5,322 yards, 48 TD's and 11 INT's.
Freshman wideout sensation, Michael Crabtree, wasn't responsible for nearly as many turnovers as his quarterback, but he also had a rather quiet game on Saturday. It was his second consecutive game without a touchdown catch and he attained his low receiving yard output of the season thus far. In the game, he caught 10 balls for 76 yards (7.6 ypr) and 0 TD's.
On the season, Crabtree has now caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards (15.0 ypr), and 17 touchdowns.
At this pace, Crabtree would catch 132 passes on the season for 1,980 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Random Note of the Week
With South Florida's 30-27 loss to Rutgers on Thursday night, it marked the third consecutive week that the #2 team lost. USC, who was ranked #2 at the time, lost to Stanford 24-23 in Week 6 and 2nd ranked California fell to Oregon State 31-28 in Week 7. Who does the 2nd ranked team face this week? Boston College has moved up to the #2 spot by default this week and they head to Blacksburg on Thursday night to face the #8 Virginia Tech Hokies. The #2 is very much in danger of losing for the fourth consecutive week.
Predictions
Thursday
Boston College at Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech has quite the reputation of dominating in Blacksburg on Thursday night. While I don't think they'll "dominate" against Boston College, I do think that their defense, special teams, and the home crowd will be too much for the untested and 2nd ranked Golden Eagles. The 2nd ranked team has lost in three successive weeks. Make that four with Tech's win on Thursday night at home.
Virginia Tech 24 Boston College 17
Air Force at New Mexico: This is a big game in the MWC, as Air Force strolls in at 6-2 and the Lobos at 5-2. The Falcons have been playing much better in recent weeks, including their big 20-12 win over then 4-2 Wyoming last weekend. Look for more of the same against the Lobos, who have played a rather soft schedule thus far.
Air Force 20 New Mexico 13
Friday
Boise State at Fresno State: If this took place 2-3 weeks ago and on the Blue Field, I'd pick Boise State, without question, but their defense has been playing less than stellar the past couple of games, allowing 67 points to Nevada and then 31 more points to Louisiana Tech, teams who have gone a combined 5-9 thus far this season. Fresno State, meanwhile, is a very young team, but has been improving on both sides of the ball in recent weeks and with the game at home, I look for the Bulldogs to improve to 6-2 with an upset win over the Broncos.
Fresno State 38 Boise State 31
Saturday
Pittsburgh at Louisville: The officials were not on Louisville's side last week in their "loss" to UConn, while Pitt finally played well against a quality opponent in Cincinnati. With the game in Kentucky and their team much more veteran, especially on the offensive end, I look for the Cardinals to rebound from their con job against UConn to improve to 5-4 on the season.
Louisville 38 Pittsburgh 24
North Carolina at Wake Forest: Carolina has been anything but an easy victory this year. While they're just 2-5, they've lost to the likes of: Virginia (7-1), Virginia Tech (6-1), South Carolina (6-2), and East Carolina (4-4) by a combined 18 points. Wake has gone 5-0 since they started the year 0-2 without their starting quarterback, Riley Skinner. With the game at home, I look for these trends to continue. Wake wins a nail-biter.
Wake Forest 31 North Carolina 24
West Virginia at Rutgers: Both clubs are coming off impressive victories this past week, as Rutgers beat then undefeated South Florida 30-27 and West Virginia racked up 28 first quarter points against then 4-3 Mississippi State. It's tough for me to pick against Greg Schiano's club at home, but the Mountaineers' starting offense looked truly dominant against the Bulldogs this past weekend (in the first quarter plus) and I have a feeling their speed will be a bit too much for the Scarlet Knights' defense to handle.
West Virginia 34 Rutgers 28
Indiana at Wisconsin: This is the third consecutive week Indiana will have had an opportunity to attain bowl eligibility with their 6th win of the season and for the third straight week, they'll fail to earn that victory. Wisconsin wins at Camp Randall to improve to 7-2.
Wisconsin 31 Indiana 20
Ball State at Illinois: The Illini better not fall asleep in this game, but with it being in Champaign, I give them the edge, to improve to 6-3 on the season and earn bowl eligibility for the first time under Ron Zook.
Illinois 38 Ball State 24
Michigan State at Iowa: The Spartans are coming off a very disappointing seven-point loss to top-ranked Ohio State this past weekend, but even a let-down shouldn't phase them in this game against Iowa, who is coming off a six-point performance offensively against Purdue, who allowed 71 points the previous two weeks against Ohio State and Michigan.
Michigan State 24 Iowa 13
Northwestern at Purdue: The Wildcats are winners of three straight and may have the offensive firepower (along with Purdue's awful defense) to make things interesting in West Lafayette, but they won't have enough to earn the victory.
Purdue 49 Northwestern 35
Colorado at Texas Tech: The Buffs are not playing in Boulder, so their defense may not be up to par in this one and facing a ticked off Red Raiders' offense won't be much help. Tech wins big.
Texas Tech 42 Colorado 20
Mississippi State at Kentucky: If this game were played in Starkville, I'd be tempted to go with the Bulldogs, because let's face it, Kentucky has squared off against: South Carolina (6-2), LSU (7-1), and Florida (5-2) the past three weeks and may be a bit let down this week against an opponent not of equal quality to the previous three. But, with it being at home, I'm going with Andre' Woodson to maintain his focus and lead the Wildcats to a hard fought victory.
Kentucky 31 Mississippi State 20
Akron at Buffalo: With the game at home and it being against a MAC conference opponent, I look for Turner Gill's Bulls to improve to 4-1 in conference with a big win over the Mighty Zips.
Buffalo 31 Akron 24
Central Michigan at Kent State: The Chippewas appear to be one team in conference play and a completely different team out of conference. With this being a MAC game, against the 3-5 Golden Flashes, I look for CMU to win comfortably.
Central Michigan 45 Kent State 24
Florida International at Arkansas: The Razorbacks have not played the toughest schedule in I-A thus far and that trend isn't altering any this Saturday, as they face a club who has gone a combined 0-19 the past year plus. Make that 0-20, as Arkansas clobbers FIU.
Arkansas 59 Florida International 10
Iowa State at Missouri: Don't look for ISU to compete as much in Columbia as they did last weekend against Oklahoma. Missouri wins and wins big.
Missouri 41 Iowa State 13
Miami (Ohio) at Vanderbilt: This could be let-down Saturday for Vanderbilt, coming off a huge upset win over South Carolina last weekend. But, with it being a home game against the Red Hawks, I don't look for that to occur. The Commodores improve to 5-3.
Vanderbilt 31 Miami (Ohio) 10
UNLV at Wyoming: Wyoming has run into some rough luck as of late, falling to Air Force by eight points this past weekend. UNLV has played very poorly since their near upset of Wisconsin in the early part of the season, losing rather handily to then winless Colorado State this past Saturday. Keeping all that in mind, I look for the Cowboys to win at home and improve to 5-3 on the season.
Wyoming 27 UNLV 13
SMU at Tulsa: Tulsa may not have looked too solid last weekend in their 21-point loss to Central Florida, but against one-win SMU this upcoming Saturday, they'll appear to be a completely different team. The Golden Hurricane is sited at Southern Methodist University at a level 5 and Tulsa rips apart the Mustangs.
Tulsa 45 SMU 24
Arizona at Washington: Arizona could be seen as quite the relief for Washington, who has, to this point, played the toughest schedule in all of college football. Will UW be so exhausted from that horrendous schedule that they won't play their A game this upcoming Saturday against the 2-6 Wildcats? It may be tougher than what one would think, but John Locker leads his Huskies to a victory which snaps their five-game losing skid.
Washington 27 Arizona 20
Louisiana Tech at Utah State: Utah State is one of three winless I-A teams left in college football. I look for them to be winless after this weekend as well. The Bulldogs have too much offensive firepower for the hapless Aggies to counter.
Louisiana Tech 34 Utah State 24
USC at Oregon: Since many are probably picking against USC in this game due to their dreadful performances in their previous three Pac-10 games, I should just pick them for that sake alone, but I have a difficult time believing these inconsistent Trojans have enough, especially on the offensive end, to counter the explosive Ducks' attack at Autzen Stadium. I've gotta go with the green and yellow.
Oregon 38 USC 31
Memphis at Tulane: This is a coin-flipper. I'm just going to go with the 3-4 Tigers of Memphis. I respect their coach, Tommy West, so sure, I'll go with them...
Memphis 38 Tulane 35
South Florida at Connecticut: Both Big East schools come into this one at 6-1, South Florida falling 30-27 last Thursday night at Rutgers and Connecticut, with the aid of a few referees, upending Louisville 21-17 on Friday night. That's the second time this season UConn has been aided by the refs for a victory (remember the Temple game?). Unless they pay off the refs once again, I look for South Florida to rebound and improve to 7-1.
South Florida 27 Connecticut 13
Florida at Georgia: Florida improves their BCS status even further with a big win between the Hedges. With two consecutive victories over the likes of Kentucky and Georgia, it doesn't put out of the realm of possibility a two-loss Gator team from earning a bid into the title game. They've a long way to go...but this of all years, you never know.
Florida 24 Georgia 17
Clemson at Maryland: With the game on the road and Tommy Bowden's impatient bunch on offense playing against a rather pesky Maryland squad, I look for the Terps to frustrate the Tigers' into forcing some turnovers in their upset win over Clemson.
Maryland 27 Clemson 24
Minnesota at Michigan: Considering Minnesota fell to I-AA North Dakota State last week and Michigan won their sixth straight game, in Champaign, without their stud tailback Mike Hart, I have a very difficult time seeing the Gophers be competitive in this one, let alone win.
Michigan 48 Minnesota 20
UAB at East Carolina: Skip Holtz's Pirates should rebound from a poor showing last weekend against North Carolina State to improve to 5-4 and maintain their lead in Conference USA.
East Carolina 31 UAB 21
Nebraska at Texas: Well, following a 0-2 start in conference play, Texas had the benefit of playing the two worst Big XII conference teams (Iowa State and Baylor) to even their Big XII record at 2-2. Now, they face arguably the third worst team in conference, in Nebraska, and things will be more difficult in this game than their previous two, but with it being in Austin, I still see the Longhorns coming out on top.
Texas 31 Nebraska 21
Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan: West Coast vs. East Coast. I've always been more of a West Coast kind of guy, so I'm going with the Broncos over the Eagles.
Western Michigan 20 Eastern Michigan 17
Baylor at Kansas State: K-State lost a 41-39 heart-breaker to Oklahoma State last weekend in Stillwater. Fortunately, for them anyway, they're playing in Manhattan and fortunately, again for them, they don't have to face an offense this weekend with near the potency of the before-mentioned Cowboys. Wildcats win comfortably.
Kansas State 31 Baylor 9
Louisiana-Monroe at Florida Atlantic: Howard Schnellenberger's Owls are unbeaten in conference and I look for them to continue that streak against the War Hawks of 2-5 Louisiana-Monroe.
Florida Atlantic 24 Louisiana-Monroe 14
Idaho at Nevada: Colin Kaepernick and the Wolfpack will run wild on the Vandals' defense, or lack there of, to even their record for the first time this season, at 4-4.
Nevada 41 Idaho 21
Virginia at North Carolina State: This is actually a tough game to pick. That's difficult to believe, in that UVA is 7-1 and winners of seven straight and NC State is just 2-5. But, UVA has won ugly and won ugly all year long, while NC State attained their first victory over a I-A team this past weekend in their victory over then 4-3 East Carolina. With the game at home, I look for Tom O'Brien to attain his first ACC victory as North Carolina State head coach in an upset.
North Carolina State 20 Virginia 17
Rice at Marshall: Can Marshall garner their first victory of the season? They've been so close on a couple of occasions this year, including last week's 33-24 loss to Southern Miss. But, here it is. This could be it. I look for Marshall quarterback, Morris, to have a big day with both his arm and his legs as the Thundering Herd remove their name from the list of the winless with a conference win against the one-win Rice Owls.
Marshall 31 Rice 27
Utah at Colorado State: Figures...the week I decide to give up on Colorado State, they clobber their opponent, that being UNLV. Well, I'm again giving up on them this weekend, as 5-3 Utah strolls into Fort Collins. Utes earn their sixth win of the year to become bowl eligible.
Utah 34 Colorado State 24
Mississippi at Auburn: Auburn will be let-down from their heart-breaking loss to LSU last Saturday night, but with the game at home, I look for the Tigers to give the Rebels another tough loss.
Auburn 20 Mississippi 10
Ohio at Bowling Green: I'm done showing faith in Frankie's Bobcats. They fall yet again, this time to the Falcons on the road. Ohio may be able to score a few, but they can't seem to hold their opponents to under 30. Look for more of the same.
Bowling Green 38 Ohio 27
Stanford at Oregon State: The Trojan killers of the past two years goto battle in Corvallis. With the game being in Corvallis, I look for the well rested Beavers to upend the Cardinal.
Oregon State 31 Stanford 24
UCLA at Washington State: This is a dangerous game for UCLA. Why do I say that? Sure, they can beat the USC's, the Cal's, etc. But, Utah and Notre Dame, who are a combined 6-10? Not so fast. Now they goto Pullman to take on the 2-5 Cougars, who are coming off a bye week and attempting to save their head coach, Bill Doba's, job. But, it does appear (knocks on wood) that UCLA has been a bit more focused with their in-conference games than their non-conference ones. I'm nervous about this pick, but I'm going with the Bruins.
UCLA 24 Washington State 17
Kansas at Texas A&M: Even with the 12th man at College Station, I like how Mark Mangino's offense matches up with the A&M defense (wrecking crew no more) more so than that option attack of Stephen McGee, Jorvorskie Lane and company against the Jayhawk defense. Kansas improves to 8-0 on the season.
Kansas 27 Texas A&M 20
Middle Tennessee at North Texas: The Blue Raiders are coming on strong at 3-5 after starting the season 0-4, while North Texas, to put it simply, is not good. MTSU improves to 4-5 with another Sun Belt conference win.
Middle Tennessee 31 North Texas 13
Troy at Arkansas State: This is a dangerous game for 5-2 Troy, a club who has won five consecutive games since their two losses against Florida and Arkansas. Arkansas State has not played up to their potential in the past three weeks, but will provide the Trojans with their toughest conference challenge yet. The Trojans should triumph in the end, but should be on upset alert as well.
Troy 31 Arkansas State 17
Northern Illinois at Toledo: Northern Illinois is 1-7 and I'll be hard-pressed to pick them the rest of the season, unless they play against Florida International. Toledo should win and improve to 4-5 on the season.
Toledo 28 Northern Illinois 17
South Carolina at Tennessee: A game of mysteries right here. South Carolina's defense has played rather stingily throughout the season, even in their 17-6 loss to Vandy this past Saturday. But, where has their offense gone? Since leading North Carolina 21-0 in the second quarter a couple weeks ago, they've been outscored 32-6 in the past 6+ quarters. Meanwhile, Tennessee's defense has gone missing again. They dominated Georgia three weeks back, beat Mississippi State two weeks ago, allowing just 35 points in those two outings, and then allowed 41 to Alabama this past Saturday. In their three losses this season, the Vols have allowed: 45 (to Cal), 59 (to Florida), and 41 (to 'Bama). I have a feeling that Spurrier will be more likely to shape his offensive group up against the woeful Vols' defense than Fulmer finding a way to amp his defense up into a solid showing against the Gamecocks. I'm taking South Carolina to rebound from last week's loss in this one.
South Carolina 31 Tennessee 24
Duke at Florida State: Duke isn't a club to be taken lightly this year and should hang around until about halftime, but FSU will pull away in the second half, led by Drew Weatherford.
Florida State 24 Duke 13
Ohio State at Penn State: I don't know, call it a gut feeling, but I'm going with the Nittany Lions in this one. That's right, I'm picking the top two ranked teams to go down this upcoming weekend. Ohio State will face their first tough road test of the season, a night game in Happy Valley, and didn't look too impressive this past Saturday against Michigan State. JoPa will have his troops geared and ready and I think will come out with a huge win on Saturday night.
Penn State 24 Ohio State 20
Houston at UTEP: Whew. Do I have to pick? I think both of these clubs modeled their teams off the old St. Louis Rams' and Kansas City Chiefs' teams. Scoring 40+ points a game is more important (and more likely) than preventing the other team from scoring the same amount or greater! With Houston showing some improvements defensively this past weekend against UAB, I'm going to go out on a limb and pick them on the road in this one.
Houston 45 UTEP 38
BYU at San Diego State: The clubs are going in completely different directions right now and I look for the trends to stay on course, with the Cougars winning handily.
BYU 31 San Diego State 13
California at Arizona State: With a week off to rest and an underrated rush defense to boot, I look for the Sundevils to send Cal back to Berkeley with their third consecutive loss and to vault ASU to 8-0 on the season.
Arizona State 34 California 27
New Mexico State at Hawaii: Here you have it, the first .500 team Hawaii has faced all year. Although, one has to take into consideration that two of New Mexico State's four wins have come against I-AA competition and they'll be below .500 after their loss to the Warriors late Saturday night.
Hawaii 45 New Mexico State 31
Sunday
Central Florida at Southern Mississippi: I'd give the edge to whomever played at home in this one. With the game in Hattiesburg, I'm giving the slight edge to Jeff Bower's Golden Eagles.
Southern Mississippi 31 Central Florida 28
Ineligible Games
Delaware at Navy
North Carolina Central at Western Kentucky
Week 7 Record: 31-23 (.574)
Overall Record: 253-113 (.691)
Fact or Fiction
"Fact or Fiction: With all of the upsets in college football this year, does that further prove a playoff system isn't needed at the I-A level?"
Fiction. This question was asked on SportsCenter last week, with Craig James and Mark May being the responders. While Craig James and Kirk Herbstriet alluded to the fact they believe there should be at least a plus one game at the end of the season, May is a firm believer in the system as is.
First off, the question makes no logical sense to me. In the NFL, if there were "upsets" week in and week out and at the end of the season, the best record in the NFC was at 10-6 and the worst record was at 6-10, does this prove a playoff system isn't needed in the pros? If there was one 16-0 team (which is possible this year), who was clearly head and shoulders above the rest, then one could make a case for a playoff not being needed that year to decide the true champion, but when does that ever occur, especially in the world of college football? The #2 team in the country has lost in three consecutive weeks (USC, California, and South Florida). Six Top 5 teams have fallen in the past few weeks. Every pre-season Top 10 team has at least one loss to their name. If anything, the upsets make a stronger case for there needing to be a playoff, because it's obvious we don't have a clear-cut national champion (or top two teams at that). How can an Appalachian State beating a Michigan, a Stanford upsetting a USC, an Oregon State getting the best of Cal, Kentucky beating LSU, Vanderbilt defeating South Carolina, Colorado upending Oklahoma, LSU pounding Virginia Tech, Wyoming pouncing on Virginia, Virginia beating Connecticut, Washington defeating Boise State, Rutgers upsetting South Florida, South Florida sneaking by West Virginia, Kansas State pummeling Texas, Cal beating Oregon equate to there not being a need for a playoff? With so many solid, but not quite dominant teams, the upsets signify an even greater need for a playoff at the I-A level.
I read a comment just this past week of someone stating that a playoff would just reward whomever was hot at the time and not the best team, much like it did for the St. Louis Cardinals a year ago in baseball. At first glance, this person has a point, but not if one looks at it deeper. There are 162 games played in a major league baseball regular season. On average, these guys play six out of seven days in a given week. So, of all the major sports, momentum is going to play a factor in baseball on a greater level than any other. The same can happen in basketball and hockey, but not so much in football. In college ball, these guys play 12 regular season games, once a week. It's a tad more difficult for a team to stay "hot" all year when they only play once a week. They're not out there competing against conference foes 6 out of 7 days. No, it's once a week and it's also difficult to infiltrate the Cardinals in this potential scenario, because unlike in baseball or even professional football, there is a rankings' system in college football and only the top 8 to 16 teams would qualify for a playoff out of 120 team pool. That equates to 6.7% of the teams in an 8-team playoff and 13.3% of the teams in a 16-team playoff. Compare this to the NFL, where 37.5% of the teams make the playoffs, baseball, where 25.0% of teams make the playoffs, and basketball, where 50.0% of the teams make the playoffs. So, the teams who would qualify for a playoff in college football would have a consistently higher level of quality on the whole than any of the other sports I mentioned. While 10-6, 9-7, and even 8-8 teams may qualify for the NFL Playoffs some years, at the very worst, you'd see a 9-3 team qualify for the college playoffs and that's with a 16-team set-up. If it were an 8-team playoff, one may see a 9-3 team qualify, but most of them would be 10-2, with an 11-1 and possible 12-0 in the mix. So, please, let's not compare an 83-79 (.512) record or an 8-8 (.500), 9-7 (.563), or even a 10-6 (.625) record with that of a 9-3 (.750), 10-2 (.833), 11-1 (.917), or 12-0 (1.000) record. It makes absolutely no sense to compare a hypothetical college football playoff with that of major league baseball or even the NFL. Every college team has a week to prepare, so unlike in baseball, when a team can easily manage to bounce back from a four-game losing streak, that couldn't happen in college football, if the team wanted to qualify for the playoffs. The same can even hold true in professional football, as there have been teams in the past who started the year 0-2 or 0-3 and made the playoffs. That'd be extremely unlikely in college ball, unless your name was Florida, USC, or Notre Dame and you won the remainder of your games.
Last year of all years should prove that a playoff system is needed. Ohio State was guaranteed a spot in the national championship game after their win over Michigan sealed their fate with a perfect 12-0 regular season record. The argument was about who should face them: Florida, Michigan, USC (until they lost to UCLA), etc. To many's surprise, Florida dominated the Buckeyes in the National Title game. What was the true reasoning for this? Was it largely due to the fact that Ohio State hadn't played in over a month (although UF hadn't played for a while either)? Was it due to SEC being that much superior to the Big Ten and OSU hadn't been tested nearly as much as UF had? Whatever the true factor(s), those are two additional reasons why there should be a playoff. In that game, Ohio State didn't look like the #1 team in the country. They didn't even look like the #2 team. There should have been a few other teams out there squaring off against one another to more legitimately decide the national champion. Also, it's preposterous how long some of these teams have to wait to play their 13th or 14th game of the season. These clubs are playing once a week (with a bye) all season and then they have to wait for a month or longer to play their biggest game of the year? It's common to see a great deal of rust from both clubs and on both sides of the ball in these games and that shouldn't be so. It does a disservice to the players, the coaches, the referees, the scouts, and the fans. Trim the season down a game so that each team played eleven regular season games, do away with the conference title games and start the playoffs at the start of December with a four round tournament. The rounds would be played in increments of a week and the national championship game could then be played on New Year's Day (or the 2nd, if they insist). Meanwhile, the 8-3, 7-4, and 6-5 teams from around the country can play in their bowl games throughout December and the start of January, so that they may be rewarded for their bowl-worthy seasons.
The greater the quantity of upsets in a season, the more need there is for a playoff system at the I-A level. I'm not sure why the question was even asked at ESPN, because it makes no sense. With their logic, we should've already rewarded a team like the Angels, Yankees, or Cubs with the World Series crown.
"Fact or Fiction: With all of the upsets in college football this year, does that further prove a playoff system isn't needed at the I-A level?" Entirely Fiction.
Inside the Numbers
-Temple won their 3rd consecutive game on Saturday, beating Miami (Ohio) 24-17, the first time they've accomplished such a feat since 1990.
-The one-point win by Virginia over Maryland on Saturday night marked the fifth victory for the 7-1 Cavs that have come by 5 points or less (22-20 over North Carolina, 28-23 over Georgia Tech, 23-21 over Middle Tennessee State, 17-16 over Connecticut, and 18-17 over Maryland)
-In their 55-34 win over Washington on Saturday night, Oregon rushed for a school record 465 yards. Jonathan Stewart carried the ball 32 times for 251 yards (7.8 ypc) and 2 TD's, Dennis Dixon 15 times for 99 yards (6.6 ypc) and a score, and Andre Crenshaw 15 times for 113 yards (7.5 ypc) and 2 touchdowns.
-The Washington Huskies may have lost five consecutive games, which puts them at 2-5 on the season, but some don't realize just how difficult their schedule has been thus far. The Huskies have played against: Syracuse (2-6), Boise State (6-1), Ohio State (8-0), Arizona State (7-0), USC (6-1), UCLA (5-2), and Oregon (6-1). Read that sentence very carefully. That's right. The seven opponents they've faced so far are a combined 40-11 (.784). The opponents UW has lost to in their five previous games are a combined 32-4 (.889). I'm sorry, but that is insane! Exclude Syracuse from the schedule and Washington's opponents are 38-5 (.884). Yeah, the inclusion of 6-1 Boise State actually drops the Huskies' opponents' win percentage by .005!
-Vanderbilt's 17-6 win over South Carolina marked their first win over Steve Spurrier in 15 attempts and South Carolina was the highest ranked team Vandy has defeated in 70 years (#6 LSU 7-6 in 1937).
Rant of the Week: Poll Bias
I will give the pollsters some credit this year, as they've been more apt this season than in season's past to jump or drop teams several spots, especially early in the year, due to a great or horrendous performance over the weekend. USC dropped a few spots two weeks ago following their 20-13 win against Arizona. South Florida jumped from 18 to 5 after their big Friday night win against West Virginia.
But, there's still some bias there that bothers me and I know it bothers others also. After USC's loss to Stanford, who was 1-3 at the time, at the Coliseum, the Trojans dropped from 2 to 7 in one poll and from 2 to 10 in the other. In respect to point spreads, it was the biggest upset in the history of college football and the Trojans just drop five and eight spots? After their 38-0 dismantling of 1-7 Notre Dame this past weekend, USC is back in the Top 10. There is no way in Buddha's green bong that USC should be ranked in the top 10. But, why are they? Simple. They're USC. To this point in the season, USC has played one of THE easiest schedules in the country. Need proof? They've faced: Idaho (1-7), Nebraska (4-4), Washington State (2-5), Washington (2-5), Stanford (3-4), Arizona (2-6), and Notre Dame (1-7). To this point, they've faced one team who has a .500 record, being Nebraska. The rest are below that .500 mark. Overall, their opponents are 15-38 (.283). Since they've already played the lower echelon conference teams, they have an opportunity to prove to others and myself that they're worthy of a top 10 or top 5 ranking, but right now, do they deserve such a ranking? I don't think so. With their remaining games coming against: Oregon (6-1), California (5-2), Arizona State (7-0), Oregon State (4-3), and UCLA (5-2), they have an excellent opportunity to showcase that they're an elite team this year, as their five remaining opponents have a 27-8 (.771) record, but seven games in, they haven't made that case yet and until they do, I don't see how they can be ranked 10th in the country.
SEC teams continue to receive a lot of love from the pollsters. Granted, they probably do form the toughest conference in college football, but why Oregon fell further for their 7-point loss to Cal (5-2) and why South Florida fell further for their three-point loss on the road to Rutgers (5-2) than South Carolina or USC did for their losses to Vanderbilt (4-3) and Stanford (3-4), is beyond me at this point.
Hawaii has played the weakest schedule in all of college football, so I can understand the pollsters not giving them much love in terms of the Warriors' rankings. But, why is it that Boston College is ranked #2, ahead of two other unbeatens, Arizona State and Kansas? ASU has faced: San Jose State (3-5), Colorado (4-4), San Diego State (2-5), Oregon State (4-3), Stanford (3-4), Washington State (2-5), and Washington (2-5). Combined, their opponents are 20-31 (.392). They've averaged to win these games by 22.4 points. Kansas has played against: Central Michigan (4-4), Southeast Louisiana (0-8), Toledo (3-5), Florida International (0-7), Kansas State (4-3), Baylor (3-5), and Colorado (4-4). These seven teams are a combined 18-36 (.333) on the season. KU leads the nation in average margin of victory, defeating these seven clubs by an average of 35.7 points. Finally, that brings us to Boston College, who has squared off against: Wake Forest (5-2), North Carolina State (2-5), Georgia Tech (5-3), Army (3-5), Massachusetts (0-8), Bowling Green (4-3), and Notre Dame (1-7). Their record is a combined 20-33 (.377) and BC's average margin of victory is 16.9 points per game. Based on all that information, why isn't Arizona State ranked ahead of Boston College? One could even make an argument regarding one-loss teams, such as LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, West Virginia, or South Florida.
When Notre Dame is rolling merrily along, the polls tend to give the Irish a boost to their luck, I mean, fortunes. This occurred last year, when Notre Dame was invited to face LSU in the Sugar Bowl. Most studious football fans knew it was a rotten BCS match-up and the only reason Notre Dame was invited was because of their name. Their schedule last year was not as tough as it ordinarily is, but the two complete teams they faced, Michigan and USC, both made the Irish look like a mid-major program attempting to garner some money for playing a big name team on the road early in the season.
The final rankings should have nothing to do with what people's predictions were in the pre-season or what one's bias(es) is(are) in regard to a team's reputability, their prestige, or how much money the team generates through online merchandise sales. The rankings should be solely based on the teams' resume' for that season and that season alone. If USC runs the table and beats the likes of: Oregon, Cal, Oregon State, Arizona State, and UCLA, then that may even make them worthy enough for a national title bid, but at 6-1, having lost at home to 3-4 Stanford and their most impressive win to date coming against 4-4 Nebraska? They have a lot to prove the rest of the way to depict they're far superior than their resume' to this point indicates.
Top 120 Poll
1. LSU (7-1): 287.4
2. Ohio State (8-0): 286.9
3. Kansas (7-0): 285.7
4. Arizona State (7-0): 281.5
5. Oregon (6-1): 276.4
6. Boston College (7-0): 273.5
7. Oklahoma (7-1): 270.4
8. South Florida (6-1): 264.2
9. West Virginia (6-1): 262.1
10. Missouri (6-1): 261.5
11. Florida (5-2): 253.4
12. Virginia (7-1): 251.4
13. Hawaii (7-0): 250.7
14. Connecticut (6-1): 249.6
15. Boise State (6-1): 247.5
16. Virginia Tech (6-1): 245.8
17. Kentucky (6-2): 245.3
18. Penn State (6-2): 237.2
19. Texas (6-2): 232.9
20. Michigan (6-2): 232.4
21. Texas A&M (6-2): 232.0
22. Texas Tech (6-2): 231.9
22. USC (6-1): 231.9
24. Rutgers (5-2): 231.2
25. Alabama (6-2): 230.6
26. South Carolina (6-2): 229.8
27. Auburn (5-3): 229.6
28. Cincinnati (6-2): 227.6
29. Wake Forest (5-2): 227.0
30. Georgia (5-2): 226.3
31. Clemson (5-2): 224.5
32. Purdue (6-2): 224.3
33. California (5-2): 223.9
34. UCLA (5-2): 221.2
35. BYU (5-2): 221.1
36. Air Force (6-2): 219.4
37. Oklahoma State (5-3): 218.6
38. Michigan State (5-3): 218.2
39. Georgia Tech (5-3): 216.3
40. New Mexico (5-2): 214.7
41. Wisconsin (6-2): 213.9
42. Illinois (5-3): 211.8
43. Kansas State (4-3): 210.4
44. Fresno State (5-2): 209.4
45. Tennessee (4-3): 208.0
46. Troy (5-2): 204.4
47. Wyoming (4-3): 202.5
48. Florida State (4-3): 201.8
49. Oregon State (4-3): 201.6
50. Ball State (5-3): 200.9
51. Arkansas (4-3): 200.3
52. Maryland (4-3): 197.9
53. Utah (5-3): 196.8
54. Indiana (5-3): 195.7
55. Colorado (4-4): 194.9
56. Navy (4-3): 193.3
57. Miami (Florida) (5-3): 192.3
58. Vanderbilt (4-3): 189.1
59. Nebraska (4-4): 188.2
60. Central Florida (4-3): 187.5
61. Houston (4-3): 186.6
62. UTEP (4-3): 185.9
63. Northwestern (5-3): 185.8
64. Bowling Green (4-3): 185.0
65. Tulsa (4-3): 183.1
66. Louisville (4-4): 182.6
67. East Carolina (4-4): 179.5
68. TCU (4-4): 175.1
69. Mississippi State (4-4): 175.0
70. Stanford (3-4): 173.3
71. Florida Atlantic (4-3): 172.0
72. Western Kentucky (4-3): 171.5
73. Washington (2-5): 169.6
74. Pittsburgh (3-4): 168.8
75. Central Michigan (4-4): 164.6
76. Akron (3-4): 162.1
77. Southern Mississippi (4-3): 161.4
78. Miami (Ohio) (4-4): 160.7
79. Middle Tennessee State (3-5): 155.6
80. New Mexico State (4-4): 149.9
81. North Carolina (2-5): 149.3
82. Iowa (3-5): 146.7
83. Nevada (3-4): 146.3
84. Western Michigan (3-5): 143.1
85. Arkansas State (3-4): 141.8
86. Buffalo (3-5): 140.7
87. Army (3-5): 139.9
88. Baylor (3-5): 138.1
89. Kent State (3-5): 137.9
90. Temple (3-5): 136.5
91. Mississippi (2-6): 132.9
92. Louisiana Tech (2-5): 132.5
93. San Jose State (3-5): 131.7
94. North Carolina State (2-5): 131.5
95. Washington State (2-5): 131.4
96. Arizona (2-6): 128.1
97. Toledo (3-5): 126.8
98. Duke (1-6): 126.3
99. Ohio (3-5): 126.0
100. UNLV (2-6): 125.5
101. San Diego State (2-5): 123.9
102. Memphis (3-4): 119.1
103. Notre Dame (1-7): 118.5
104. Louisiana-Monroe (2-5): 118.1
105. UAB (2-5): 111.5
106. Syracuse (2-6): 110.8
107. Tulane (2-5): 107.6
108. Eastern Michigan (2-6): 106.2
109. Minnesota (1-7): 104.3
110. Colorado State (1-6): 100.0
111. SMU (1-6): 86.6
112. Rice (1-6): 85.7
113. Iowa State (1-7): 84.4
114. Idaho (1-7): 81.5
115. Louisiana-Lafayette (1-7): 77.7
116. North Texas (1-6): 72.6
117. Utah State (0-7): 72.2
118. Northern Illinois (1-7): 66.3
119. Marshall (0-7): 64.9
120. Florida International (0-7): 61.7
Conference Strength
Mean Power Number
1. SEC: 217.3
2. Big XII: 212.4
3. Big East: 212.1
4. Big Ten: 205.2
5. Pac-10: 203.9
6. ACC: 203.1
7. MWC: 175.4
8. WAC: 158.0
9. Independents: 155.8
10. MAC: 142.8
11. C-USA: 132.3
12. Sun Belt: 125.5
Mean Ranking
1. SEC: 37.6
2. Big XII: 39.8
3. Big East: 41.1
4. Big Ten: 45.5
5. ACC: 46.9
6. Pac-10: 48.1
7. MWC: 65.6
8. WAC: 72.3
9. Independents: 79.5
10. MAC: 85.7
11. C-USA: 87.3
12. Sun Belt: 92.0
Median Power Number
1. Big East: 229.4
2. SEC: 228.0
3. Big XII: 225.3
4. Big Ten: 213.9
5. Pac-10: 211.4
6. ACC: 209.1
7. MWC: 196.8
8. Independents: 155.7
9. WAC: 146.3
10. MAC: 140.7
11. C-USA: 140.3
12. Sun Belt: 130.0
Median Ranking
1. Big East: 26.0
2. SEC: 28.5
3. Big XII: 29.5
4. Big Ten: 41.0
5. Pac-10: 41.5
6. ACC: 43.5
7. MWC: 53.0
8. Independents: 79.5
9. WAC: 83.0
10. MAC: 86.0
11. C-USA: 89.5
12. Sun Belt: 94.5
ACC (12)
6. Boston College (7-0): 273.5
12. Virginia (7-1): 251.4
16. Virginia Tech (6-1): 245.8
29. Wake Forest (5-2): 227.0
31. Clemson (5-2): 224.5
39. Georgia Tech (5-3): 216.3
48. Florida State (4-3): 201.8
52. Maryland (4-3): 197.9
57. Miami (Florida) (5-3): 192.3
81. North Carolina (2-5): 149.3
94. North Carolina State (2-5): 131.5
98. Duke (1-6): 126.3
Mean Power Number: 203.1
Mean Ranking: 46.9
Median Power Number: 209.1
Median Ranking: 43.5
Big East (8)
8. South Florida (6-1): 264.2
9. West Virginia (6-1): 262.1
14. Connecticut (6-1): 249.6
24. Rutgers (5-2): 231.2
28. Cincinnati (6-2): 227.6
66. Louisville (4-4): 182.6
74. Pittsburgh (3-4): 168.8
106. Syracuse (2-6): 110.8
Mean Power Number: 212.1
Mean Ranking: 41.1
Median Power Number: 229.4
Median Ranking: 26.0
Big Ten (11)
2. Ohio State (8-0): 286.9
18. Penn State (6-2): 237.2
20. Michigan (6-2): 232.4
32. Purdue (6-2): 224.3
38. Michigan State (5-3): 218.2
41. Wisconsin (6-2): 213.9
42. Illinois (5-3): 211.8
54. Indiana (5-3): 195.7
63. Northwestern (5-3): 185.8
82. Iowa (3-5): 146.7
109. Minnesota (1-7): 104.3
Mean Power Number: 205.2
Mean Ranking: 45.5
Median Power Number: 213.9
Median Ranking: 41.0
Big XII (12)
3. Kansas (7-0): 285.7
7. Oklahoma (7-1): 270.4
10. Missouri (6-1): 261.5
19. Texas (6-2): 232.9
21. Texas A&M (6-2): 232.0
22. Texas Tech (6-2): 231.9
37. Oklahoma State (5-3): 218.6
43. Kansas State (4-3): 210.4
55. Colorado (4-4): 194.9
59. Nebraska (4-4): 188.2
88. Baylor (3-5): 138.1
113. Iowa State (1-7): 84.4
Mean Power Number: 212.4
Mean Ranking: 39.8
Median Power Number: 225.3
Median Ranking: 29.5
C-USA (12)
60. Central Florida (4-3): 187.5
61. Houston (4-3): 186.6
62. UTEP (4-3): 185.9
65. Tulsa (4-3): 183.1
67. East Carolina (4-4): 179.5
77. Southern Mississippi (4-3): 161.4
102. Memphis (3-4): 119.1
105. UAB (2-5): 111.5
107. Tulane (2-5): 107.6
111. SMU (1-6): 86.6
112. Rice (1-6): 85.7
119. Marshall (0-7): 64.9
Mean Power Number: 132.3
Mean Ranking: 87.3
Median Power Number: 140.3
Median Ranking: 89.5
Independents (4)
56. Navy (4-3): 193.3
72. Western Kentucky (4-3): 171.5
87. Army (3-5): 139.9
103. Notre Dame (1-7): 118.5
Mean Power Number: 155.8
Mean Ranking: 79.5
Median Power Number: 155.7
Median Ranking: 79.5
MAC (13)
50. Ball State (5-3): 200.9
64. Bowling Green (4-3): 185.0
75. Central Michigan (4-4): 164.6
76. Akron (3-4): 162.1
78. Miami (Ohio) (4-4): 160.7
84. Western Michigan (3-5): 143.1
86. Buffalo (3-5): 140.7
89. Kent State (3-5): 137.9
90. Temple (3-5): 136.5
97. Toledo (3-5): 126.8
99. Ohio (3-5): 126.0
108. Eastern Michigan (2-6): 106.2
118. Northern Illinois (1-7): 66.3
Mean Power Number: 142.8
Mean Ranking: 85.7
Median Power Number: 140.7
Median Ranking: 86.0
MWC (9)
35. BYU (5-2): 221.1
36. Air Force (6-2): 219.4
40. New Mexico (5-2): 214.7
47. Wyoming (4-3): 202.5
53. Utah (5-3): 196.8
68. TCU (4-4): 175.1
100. UNLV (2-6): 125.5
101. San Diego State (2-5): 123.9
110. Colorado State (1-6): 100.0
Mean Power Number: 175.4
Mean Ranking: 65.6
Median Power Number: 196.8
Median Ranking 53.0
Pac-10 (10)
4. Arizona State (7-0): 281.5
5. Oregon (6-1): 276.4
22. USC (6-1): 231.9
33. California (5-2): 223.9
34. UCLA (5-2): 221.2
49. Oregon State (4-3): 201.6
70. Stanford (3-4): 173.3
73. Washington (2-5): 169.6
95. Washington State (2-5): 131.4
96. Arizona (2-6): 128.1
Mean Power Number: 203.9
Mean Ranking: 48.1
Median Power Number: 211.4
Median Ranking: 41.5
SEC (12)
1. LSU (7-1): 287.4
11. Florida (5-2): 253.4
17. Kentucky (6-2): 245.3
25. Alabama (6-2): 230.6
26. South Carolina (6-2): 229.8
27. Auburn (5-3): 229.6
30. Georgia (5-2): 226.3
45. Tennessee (4-3): 208.0
51. Arkansas (4-3): 200.3
58. Vanderbilt (4-3): 189.1
69. Mississippi State (4-4): 175.0
91. Mississippi (2-6): 132.9
Mean Power Number: 217.3
Mean Ranking: 37.6
Median Power Number: 228.0
Median Ranking: 28.5
Sun Belt (8)
46. Troy (5-2): 204.4
71. Florida Atlantic (4-3): 172.0
79. Middle Tennessee State (3-5): 155.6
85. Arkansas State (3-4): 141.8
104. Louisiana-Monroe (2-5): 118.1
115. Louisiana-Lafayette (1-7): 77.7
116. North Texas (1-6): 72.6
120. Florida International (0-7): 61.7
Mean Power Number: 125.5
Mean Ranking: 92.0
Median Power Number: 130.0
Median Ranking: 94.5
WAC (9)
13. Hawaii (7-0): 250.7
15. Boise State (6-1): 247.5
44. Fresno State (5-2): 209.4
80. New Mexico State (4-4): 149.9
83. Nevada (3-4): 146.3
92. Louisiana Tech (2-5): 132.5
93. San Jose State (3-5): 131.7
114. Idaho (1-7): 81.5
117. Utah State (0-7): 72.2
Mean Power Number: 158.0
Mean Ranking: 72.3
Median Power Number: 146.3
Median Ranking: 83.0
Win Percentage
1. Arizona State (7-0): 1.000
1. Boston College (7-0): 1.000
1. Hawaii (7-0): 1.000
1. Kansas (7-0): 1.000
1. Ohio State (8-0): 1.000
6. LSU (7-1): .875
6. Oklahoma (7-1): .875
6. Virginia (7-1): .875
9. Boise State (6-1): .857
9. Connecticut (6-1): .857
9. Missouri (6-1): .857
9. Oregon (6-1): .857
9. South Florida (6-1): .857
9. USC (6-1): .857
9. Virginia Tech (6-1): .857
9. West Virginia (6-1): .857
17. Air Force (6-2): .750
17. Alabama (6-2): .750
17. Cincinnati (6-2): .750
17. Kentucky (6-2): .750
17. Michigan (6-2): .750
17. Penn State (6-2): .750
17. Purdue (6-2): .750
17. South Carolina (6-2): .750
17. Texas (6-2): .750
17. Texas A&M (6-2): .750
17. Texas Tech (6-2): .750
17. Wisconsin (6-2): .750
29. BYU (5-2): .714
29. California (5-2): .714
29. Clemson (5-2): .714
29. Florida (5-2): .714
29. Fresno State (5-2): .714
29. Georgia (5-2): .714
29. New Mexico (5-2): .714
29. Rutgers (5-2): .714
29. Troy (5-2): .714
29. UCLA (5-2): .714
29. Wake Forest (5-2): .714
40. Auburn (5-3): .625
40. Ball State (5-3): .625
40. Georgia Tech (5-3): .625
40. Illinois (5-3): .625
40. Indiana (5-3): .625
40. Miami (Florida) (5-3): .625
40. Michigan State (5-3): .625
40. Northwestern (5-3): .625
40. Oklahoma State (5-3): .625
40. Utah (5-3): .625
50. Arkansas (4-3): .571
50. Bowling Green (4-3): .571
50. Central Florida (4-3): .571
50. Florida Atlantic (4-3): .571
50. Florida State (4-3): .571
50. Houston (4-3): .571
50. Kansas State (4-3): .571
50. Maryland (4-3): .571
50. Navy (4-3): .571
50. Oregon State (4-3): .571
50. Southern Mississippi (4-3): .571
50. Tennessee (4-3): .571
50. Tulsa (4-3): .571
50. UTEP (4-3): .571
50. Vanderbilt (4-3): .571
50. Western Kentucky (4-3): .571
50. Wyoming (4-3): .571
67. Central Michigan (4-4): .500
67. Colorado (4-4): .500
67. East Carolina (4-4): .500
67. Louisville (4-4): .500
67. Miami (Ohio) (4-4): .500
67. Mississippi State (4-4): .500
67. Nebraska (4-4): .500
67. New Mexico State (4-4): .500
67. TCU (4-4): .500
76. Akron (3-4): .429
76. Arkansas State (3-4): .429
76. Memphis (3-4): .429
76. Nevada (3-4): .429
76. Pittsburgh (3-4): .429
76. Stanford (3-4): .429
82. Army (3-5): .375
82. Baylor (3-5): .375
82. Buffalo (3-5): .375
82. Iowa (3-5): .375
82. Kent State (3-5): .375
82. Middle Tennessee State (3-5): .375
82. Ohio (3-5): .375
82. San Jose State (3-5): .375
82. Temple (3-5): .375
82. Toledo (3-5): .375
82. Western Michigan (3-5): .375
93. Louisiana Tech (2-5): .286
93. Louisiana-Monroe (2-5): .286
93. North Carolina (2-5): .286
93. North Carolina State (2-5): .286
93. San Diego State (2-5): .286
93. Tulane (2-5): .286
93. UAB (2-5): .286
93. Washington (2-5): .286
93. Washington State (2-5): .286
102. Arizona (2-6): .250
102. Eastern Michigan (2-6): .250
102. Mississippi (2-6): .250
102. Syracuse (2-6): .250
102. UNLV (2-6): .250
107. Colorado State (1-6): .143
107. Duke (1-6): .143
107. North Texas (1-6): .143
107. Rice (1-6): .143
107. SMU (1-6): .143
112. Idaho (1-7): .125
112. Iowa State (1-7): .125
112. Louisina-Lafayette (1-7): .125
112. Minnesota (1-7): .125
112. Northern Illinois (1-7): .125
112. Notre Dame (1-7): .125
118. Florida International (0-7): .000
118. Marshall (0-7): .000
118. Utah State (0-7): .000
Opponents' Win Percentage
1. Washington (40-11): .784
2. Notre Dame (46-15): .754
3. Duke (38-14): .731
4. Auburn (38-21): .644
5. Stanford (33-19): .635
6. North Carolina (33-20): .630
7. Tennessee (32-19): .627
7. Colorado (37-22): .627
9. Nebraska (38-23): .623
9. Florida (33-20): .623
11. Florida International (32-20): .615
12. Mississippi (35-22): .614
13. LSU (37-24): .607
14. Wyoming (31-22): .585
14. Utah State (31-22): .585
16. Minnesota (36-26): .581
17. Washington State (30-22): .577
18. East Carolina (32-24): .571
19. Oklahoma State (34-26): .567
20. Oregon State (30-23): .566
21. Akron (31-24): .564
22. UNLV (33-26): .559
23. Florida State (29-23): .558
23. Louisiana Tech (29-23): .558
25. Michigan State (34-27): .557
26. Pittsburgh (30-24): .556
27. Kentucky (35-29): .547
28. Kansas State (30-25): .545
29. Middle Tennessee State (32-27): .542
30. Oregon (27-23): .540
30. Illinois (34-29): .540
32. Maryland (28-24): .538
32. Navy (28-24): .538
32. North Carolina State (28-24): .538
32. Marshall (28-24): .538
36. Mississippi (32-28): .533
37. Wake Forest (27-24): .529
38. Arizona (30-27): .526
39. Georgia Tech (32-29): .525
39. Syracuse (32-29): .525
41. South Florida (26-25): .510
42. Colorado State (27-26): .509
43. Georgia (27-27): .500
43. Bowling Green (27-27): .500
43. Baylor (31-31): .500
43. San Diego State (26-26): .500
43. Iowa State (32-32): .500
48. Iowa (32-33): .492
48. Michigan (31-32): .492
50. Rice (26-27): .491
51. UCLA (25-26): .490
52. Texas A&M (30-32): .484
52. Central Michigan (30-32): .484
52. Louisville (30-32): .484
55. TCU (29-31): .483
55. Army (29-31): .483
55. Virginia (28-30): .483
58. Missouri (27-29): .482
59. Central Florida (25-27): .481
60. California (24-26): .480
60. Tulsa (24-26): .480
60. Louisiana-Monroe (24-26): .480
63. Buffalo (30-33): .476
64. South Carolina (29-32): .475
64. Western Michigan (29-32): .475
66. Vanderbilt (26-29): .473
67. Rutgers (25-28): .472
68. North Texas (24-27): .471
68. SMU (24-27): .471
70. Kent State (29-33): .468
71. Temple (28-32): .467
71. Idaho (28-32): .467
73. Alabama (27-31): .466
73. San Jose State (27-31): .466
75. Arkansas (25-29): .463
76. Penn State (29-34): .460
77. BYU (24-29): .453
77. UTEP (24-29): .453
79. Ball State (28-34): .452
80. Oklahoma (27-33): .450
80. Texas (27-33): .450
80. Utah (27-33): .450
83. Miami (Ohio) (28-35): .444
84. Clemson (23-29): .442
84. UAB (23-29): .442
86. Louisiana-Lafayette (26-33): .441
87. Eastern Michigan (27-35): .435
88. West Virginia (23-30): .434
89. Houston (22-29): .431
90. Toledo (27-36): .429
91. Florida Atlantic (23-31): .426
92. Miami (Florida) (25-34): .424
93. Northwestern (26-36): .419
94. Air Force (25-35): .417
95. Virginia Tech (22-31): .415
95. Nevada (22-31): .415
97. Indiana (26-37): .413
98. Purdue (26-38): .406
99. New Mexico (21-31): .404
100. Ohio State (25-37): .403
101. Texas Tech (24-36): .400
102. Connecticut (21-32): .396
102. Fresno State (21-32): .396
102. Tulane (21-32): .396
105. Arizona State (20-31): .392
106. Arkansas State (20-32): .385
107. New Mexico State (23-37): .383
108. Wisconsin (24-39): .381
109. Boston College (20-33): .377
110. Cincinnati (22-37): .373
110. Boise State (19-32): .373
112. Ohio (22-40): .355
113. Troy (18-33): .353
114. Northern Illinois (22-42): .344
115. Kansas (18-36): .333
116. Western Kentucky (17-37): .315
117. Southern Mississippi (15-35): .300
118. USC (15-38): .283
119. Memphis (15-39): .250
120. Hawaii (8-46): .148
Average Margin of Victory
1. Kansas: +35.7
2. Hawaii: +28.4
3. Oklahoma: +27.9
4. Ohio State: +26.4
5. West Virginia: +25.6
6. Oregon: +24.0
7. Arizona State: +22.7
8. Texas Tech: +21.9
9. Cincinnati: +21.6
10. LSU: +21.4
11. Boise State: +20.1
12. Connecticut: +18.7
13. Penn State: +18.1
14. USC: +18.0
15. Missouri: +17.7
16. Rutgers: +17.6
17. Florida: +17.1
18. Boston College: +16.9
19. Arkansas: +16.6
20. South Florida: +16.3
21. Texas: +15.4
22. Clemson: +15.3
23. Kansas State: +14.3
24. Purdue: +13.4
25. Kentucky: +13.3
26. Georgia Tech: +12.6
27. Virginia Tech: +12.1
28. New Mexico: +11.3
29. Alabama: +10.8
30. BYU: +10.3
31. Louisville: +10.0
31. Western Kentucky: +10.0
33. Michigan State: +9.6
34. Texas A&M: +9.4
35. California: +9.0
36. Indiana: +8.8
37. Oklahoma State: +8.6
37. Michigan: +8.6
37. Troy: +8.6
40. South Carolina: +8.5
41. Georgia: +8.4
42. Ball State: +8.1
43. Auburn: +8.0
44. Houston: +7.6
45. Fresno State: +7.1
46. Air Force: +6.9
47. Wisconsin: +6.8
48. Illinois: +5.9
49. UCLA: +4.9
50. Wake Forest: +4.7
51. Utah: +4.3
52. Virginia: +4.0
53. Florida State: +3.9
53. Vanderbilt: +3.9
55. Miami (Florida): +3.8
56. UTEP: +3.7
57. Maryland: +2.9
58. TCU: +2.6
59. Oregon State: +2.4
60. Southern Mississippi: +2.1
61. Central Florida: +1.1
62. Colorado: +0.9
63. Wyoming: +0.4
64. Pittsburgh: -0.3
65. Tennessee: -0.4
66. Middle Tennessee State: -0.8
67. Arizona: -0.9
68. Arkansas State: -1.6
69. Navy: -1.7
69. Nevada: -1.7
71. Iowa: -2.1
71. Northwestern: -2.1
73. Ohio: -2.3
73. North Carolina: -2.3
75. Tulsa: -3.1
76. Western Michigan: -3.3
77. Memphis: -4.1
78. Bowling Green: -4.3
79. Mississippi State: -5.0
79. Colorado State: -5.0
81. Washington: -5.1
82. Nebraska: -5.3
83. Buffalo: -5.8
84. Miami (Ohio): -6.0
85. Florida Atlantic: -6.1
86. East Carolina: -6.3
87. North Carolina State: -6.4
88. Kent State: -7.3
89. Stanford: -7.6
89. Army: -7.6
89. New Mexico State: -7.6
92. Minnesota: -7.8
93. Central Michigan: -8.0
94. Akron: -8.1
95. Louisiana Tech: -8.3
95. San Diego State: -8.3
97. UNLV: -8.4
98. Temple: -8.5
99. Tulane: -9.0
100. Eastern Michigan: -9.1
101. Mississippi: -9.3
102. Northern Illinois: -10.3
103. Louisiana-Monroe: -11.0
104. Duke: -11.9
104. Baylor: -11.9
106. UAB: -12.0
107. Washington State: -12.3
108. Toledo: -12.5
109. SMU: -12.6
110. San Jose State: -13.1
111. Louisiana-Lafayette: -13.4
112. Idaho: -13.5
113. Utah State: -15.6
113. Iowa State: -15.6
115. Marshall: -15.9
116. Rice: -16.4
117. Syracuse: -17.9
118. Notre Dame: -19.6
119. North Texas: -26.6
120. Florida International: -30.6
Sources
1) ESPN.com
2) FireBillCallahan.blogspot.com
3) Huskerpedia.com
