Week 5 College Football Newsletter

The week has finally arrived! The debut top 120 poll for the 2007-2008 season can be found toward the very tail-end of this newsletter. I did a little tweaking of the formula, but explain it rather thoroughly when previewing the new section.

The Bonehead Call of the Week
I'm giving this to the majority of sports' writers for their response to the Mike Gundy ordeal. There were a few (Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard, for example) who didn't bash Gundy for his lecture to a columnist following Oklahoma State's 49-45 victory over Texas Tech. But, I'd say about two-thirds to three-fourths of what I read by sports' writers were negative, referring to Gundy as "childish," "disrespectful," and "immature". Do I think Gundy may have been a bit too dramatic and could've made a stronger case with the change of a few words? Sure. But, for the most part, he was right in what he said. An adjective that would be more fitting of Gundy in this predicament would be "passionate." Whether we make money from critiquing others or not, it's commonplace in everyday life. But, why critique on what we don't know, why critique on pure speculation, and why critique a college student-athlete not on his play, but on his closed closet which only he, his teammates, and coaches have access? Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid wasn't criticized for an awful game in Okie State's 41-23 loss (was worse than that) to Troy. He was criticized on the columnist's speculation for why he was benched in the first place. She didn't have any legitimate, credible sources. Bobby Reid could be seen laughing on the sidelines in the waning moments of the Cowboys loss to the Trojans, so what's that indicate? He has an attitude problem and cares more about himself than the team. What was said to have provoked the smile and laughter seem to be of no consequence. All that mattered was the final result. If this columnist witnessed Reid crying at a game, would she then insinuate that he's a whiner and a baby? What if she discovered a few days later that he had just heard of his mother passing? What then? Just as many sports' writers used the adjectives to describe Gundy's tirade, I am using to describe their perspective on this situation. I find it rather "childish," "disrespectful," and "immature" for professional sports' writers to defend one of their own who had little to no evidence to support her claims. "Reporting" and "journalism" such as this puts a bad name and casts a negative light to the professions and its employees.

The Bonehead Play of the Week
This goes to the two Colt's of the college football world: Texas Longhorns' quarterback, Colt McCoy and Hawaii Warriors quarterback, Colt Brennan. The two pre-season Heisman Trophy candidates accounted for 9 interceptions this past Saturday, with McCoy throwing four against Kansas State in their 41-21 loss to the Wildcats and Brennan tossing five against the Idaho Vandals in the Warriors 48-20 victory. One of McCoy's four picks was taken back for a go-ahead six points by Ian Campbell of K-State. That put the Wildcats up 14-7. The four interceptions were returned for a total of 48 yards (12.0 average) and one score. For the other Colt, his five picks were returned for a total of 93 yards (18.6 average) and 0 scores. With performances like these, the two Colt's can forget about even being invited as Heisman Finalists, let alone winning the darn thing.

Conference Breakdown
*indicates Division I-AA opponent

ACC
Virginia Tech 17 North Carolina 10 (1-1)
Louisville 29 North Carolina State 10 (1-2)
Miami (Florida) 24 Duke 14 (2-3)
Virginia 44 Pittsburgh 14 (3-3)
Maryland 34 Rutgers 24 (4-3)
Georgia Tech 13 Clemson 3 (5-4)
Florida State 21 Alabama 14 (6-4)
Boston College 24 Massachusetts 14 (7-4)*

Big East
Louisville 29 North Carolina State (1-0)
Connecticut 44 Akron 10 (2-0)
South Florida 21 West Virginia 13 (3-1)
Maryland 34 Rutgers 24 (3-2)
Virginia 44 Pittsburgh 14 (3-3)
Cincinnati 52 San Diego State 23 (4-3)
Miami (Ohio) 17 Syracuse 14 (4-4)

Big Ten
Michigan 28 Northwestern 16 (1-1)
Indiana 38 Iowa 20 (2-2)
Illinois 27 Penn State 20 (3-3)
Ohio State 30 Minnesota 7 (4-4)
Wisconsin 37 Michigan State 34 (5-5)
Purdue 33 Notre Dame 19 (6-5)

Big XII
Nebraska 35 Iowa State 17 (1-1)
Kansas State 41 Texas 21 (2-2)
Oklahoma State 39 Sam Houston State 3 (3-2)*
Texas Tech 75 Northwestern State 7 (4-2)*
Colorado 27 Oklahoma 24 (5-3)
Texas A&M 34 Baylor 10 (6-4)

Pac-10
USC 27 Washington 24 (1-1)
Washington State 20 Arizona 0 (2-2)
Arizona State 41 Stanford 3 (3-3)
UCLA 40 Oregon State 14 (4-4)
California 31 Oregon 24 (5-5)

SEC
Florida State 21 Alabama 14 (0-1)
Auburn 20 Florida 17 (1-2)
South Carolina 38 Mississippi State 21 (2-3)
Georgia 45 Mississippi 17 (3-4)
Vanderbilt 30 Eastern Michigan 7 (4-4)
Kentucky 45 Florida Atlantic 17 (5-4)
LSU 34 Tulane 9 (6-4)
Arkansas 66 North Texas 7 (7-4)

A Tale of Two Weeks
Week 4 - Kentucky 42 Arkansas 29
Week 5 - Arkansas 66 North Texas 7
Margin Difference: 72 points (-13 to +59)

Week 4 - USC 47 Washington State 14
Week 5 - Washington State 20 Arizona 0
Margin Difference: 53 points (-33 to +20)

Week 4 - UNLV 27 Utah 0
Week 5 - Utah 34 Utah State 18
Margin Difference: 43 points (-27 to + 16)

Week 4 - Clemson 42 North Carolina State 20
Week 5 - Georgia Tech 13 Clemson 3
Margin Difference: 42 points (+22 to -10)

Week 4 - Miami (Florida) 34 Texas A&M 17
Week 5 - Texas A&M 34 Baylor 10
Margin Difference: 41 points (-17 to +24)

The Conference Yo of the Week
I was in shock when I broke down the major conferences' performances this past weekend. Who stood out from the rest, in my mind? The ACC! I had wondered if that would happen at all this season, but low and behold, in Week 5, it did! Sure, Boston College twiddled their thumbs rather slowly in their 24-14 win over I-AA Massachusetts and North Carolina State lost for the fourth time in four games against I-A opponents, in their 29-10 loss to Louisville. But, outside of those two games, the ACC put together a pretty good weekend. The conference battles were better than expected. Miami (Florida) used a late score to put the game out of reach for Duke, in their 24-14 win over the Blue Devils. Virginia Tech won a tightly-contested 17-10 battle with North Carolina. Georgia Tech bounced back from two straight losses to defeat then unbeaten Clemson 13-3 at home. Out-of-conference is where the ACC truly made its mark this weekend. Maryland beat unbeaten and Big East favorite Rutgers 34-24. Florida State defeated Alabama of the SEC 21-14. Finally, Virginia pounded on Pittsburgh of the Big East, 44-14. The ACC went 7-4 this weekend. The non-conference wins against Rutgers, Alabama, and Pittsburgh in Week 5 of the regular season is quite impressive.

The Conference Yo No of the Week
I was going to solely designate this to the Big East, until I looked a bit closer at the Big XII and I had to split the "award," if you want to call it that. The Big East went 4-4 over the weekend without posting much in the way of impressive victories and suffering a couple of rather disappointing losses. Connecticut dominated Akron of the MAC 44-10. Big deal. Louisville defeated 1-4 (the one win came against Wofford) North Carolina State. Again, big whoop. Cincinnati clobbered San Diego State. If these were the Marshall Faulk days, I may give a bit more credit to the Bearcats for their 52-23 beatdown of the Aztecs. But, Faulk's retired from the NFL now, so I don't think that's the case. The only great game from the weekend and what can be considered a big win for one team in the conference was South Florida's 21-13 win over West Virginia Friday night in Tampa. But, the four losses? About as pretty as Medusa tanning at a beach. Along with the West Virginia loss, Rutgers fell to 2-2 Maryland by 10 points, 34-24. Pittsburgh got clobbered by Virginia, 44-14. Finally, Syracuse, one week removed from beating Louisville, fell to Miami (Ohio) 17-14. This was not a good Saturday by any stretch of the imagination for the Big East.

The same can be said of the Big XII, who seems to be splitting many of these "Yo No's" of late. The Colorado upset of Oklahoma was tremendous, but one has to wonder how indicative that game was of OU's club. They had strolled to 4-0 a little too merrily to have fallen to Colorado this past weekend. Texas had not been looking too dominant in the early going this season and they didn't just lose on Saturday, but got pounded by Kansas State, 41-21. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State both beat-up on I-AA schools (Northwestern State and Sam Houston State). Nebraska didn't look the best in their 35-17 win over Iowa State. Texas A&M did handle Baylor in the manner they probably should have. The conference went 6-4 this weekend, with the supposed elite class of the conference not looking very impressive at all, especially Texas.

Game of the Week
5. USC 27 Washington 24: While this was in no way a "pretty" game to watch, especially if you're a USC fan, it came down to a failed onside kick at the end by Washington. It was interesting to observe the Trojans battling two opponents at once, themselves and Washington, and for how poorly they played, I'm really quite amazed that they achieved the victory.

4. Auburn 20 Florida 17: As the wondrous and wise Lou Holtz stated, Auburn had absolutely no shot at winning this one. The 2-2 Auburn Tigers, who were lucky not to be 1-3 at the game's start, had not looked impressive in four of their five games: a 10-point win against Kansas State (deceptive spread), a 3-point overtime loss to South Florida, a 5-point loss to Mississippi State, and being down 20-14 late in the second quarter to New Mexico State, before waking up in the second half. Florida beat Tennessee 59-20, enough said. A night game at the Swamp pitting Auburn's wretched offense against the always quick and aggressive Gator defense? No contest, right? Yeah, that's what I thought. But, Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox, the thirteen-year senior, looked like a youthful sophomore again in this game and Auburn's typically solid defense was more than up to the task to limit Mr. Tim Tebow's magic on offense. In terms of dramatic endings, only the Colorado victory can match this, as freshman place kicker Wes Byrum kicked the game-winner with no time left on the clock. He had to do it not once, but twice, as Florida head coach, Urban Meyer, called a coach's timeout just "before" the snap of the first made attempt. Talk about a cool customer!

3. Wisconsin 37 Michigan State 34: This was a back-and-forth shoot-out for most of the sixty minutes of playing time. I expected a close game, but not one where 71 points were scored and over 1,000 yards were accumulated. The Spartans fought hard and did enough from the offensive side of the ball to warrant them a victory, but not enough defensively. As for Wisconsin, it's hard to evaluate this team. There are weeks where their offense appears to be mediocre, posting 20 points on UNLV and 17 on Iowa, yet there are others where it looks to be rather solid, in scoring 42 against Washington State and 37 versus Michigan State. On the other side of the ball, it's just as confusing. While they only allowed 13 to Iowa and UNLV, they allowed I-AA Citadel to score 31 points and these Spartans to score 34 more.

2. Colorado 27 Oklahoma 24: So, how good is Oklahoma? Really? They made a 41-point blow-out of Tulsa appear to be easy and another 38-point smackdown of Miami (Florida) look like it was nothing. They were, at one point, up 24-7 on the Buffaloes and while I thought CU put forth a valiant effort, it appeared as if they'd fall short in the end. But, seventeen consecutive fourth quarter points, aided largely by a Sooner fumble on a punt return to set up the tying score, pushed Colorado into a 24-24 tie and after a Sooner punt and CU drive, the Buffaloes had it all set up for a game-winning field goal by Kevin Eberhart with no time remaining. From 45 yards out, Eberhart did just that and provided the game-winning points for the second time in three victories this season for the Buffaloes.

1. California 31 Oregon 24: While I was disappointed in the game's ending, with Oregon fumbling the ball out of the Cal end zone to hand the ball over to the Bears at their own 20-yard line, the preceding 59 minutes were excellent. The first half was nothing as advertised, as the Ducks led 10-3 at the half. Heading into the game, both Cal and Oregon were averaging to score over 40 points a game. A 10-3 halftime score made me rub my eyes a bit. But, things picked up in the second half, with Cal scoring 28 of the next 42 points en route to their seven point win at Autzen Stadium. For the first time this season, the "Game of the Week" lived up to its hype.

Disappointment of the Week
Boise State 38 Southern Mississippi 16: When a battle between a WAC and a Conference-USA team receives this "honor," one can safely assume it was a great week in college football. But, while I'm at it, this Thursday night game between two perennial bowl-bound teams on the Blue Field was decided in the first quarter. For how much I respect Boise State, I hold an equal amount of respect for Southern Miss. They've been a thorn in many ranked opponents' sides throughout the years and through coach Jeff Bower, have put together a rather reputable program. Unfortunately, the now 2-2 Golden Eagles have not appeared to be the giant killers this year as they've been in the past. Hopefully, that'll change as the year progresses, so that we can see better football games than this one.

Kudos
Mark May. That's right. You read it correctly. I'm giving kudos to ESPN "analyst" Mark May for his Auburn prediction. I didn't think it was remotely possible from what I'd seen this year. Many others felt likewise. But, Mark May, for whatever reason, picked the upset and got to smile about it when Wes Byrum kicked the game-winner through the uprights. I could have seen this as a trap game if it were played in Alabama, but not at the Swamp and in the evening. Florida had LSU next on the plate and with the amount of hype already swirling around that game and with how much Auburn wanted to prove themselves, I could have maybe seen an upset in Alabama, but at home? The Swamp of all places? I just couldn't see it. Kudos to May for having done so.

No Kudos
USC. This happened a year ago to USC. After they cruised through their non-conference schedule, the Trojans were a bit sloppy against Pac-10 foes, such as Washington, Arizona State, and Oregon State. The same thing occurred on Saturday night, where USC turned the ball over three times, including one lost fumble and two John David Booty interceptions. In addition to literally handing the ball to the other team, USC committed 16 penalties for 161 yards, which was equivalent to 84.7% of Washington's total offense on the evening. It's not like USC's defense played poorly. They only allowed 190 yards of offense, including 90 through the air (6.9 ypc and 3.2 ypa) and 100 on the ground (3.0 ypc), also caused two turnovers and were aided by the Huskies with 64 yards in penalties. Sixty-four yards of penalties is a chunk-load for an afternoon and to think that's only 39.8% of the penalty yards tallied by the Trojans. I don't care how much talent they possess, Pete Carroll's bunch can't expect to keep playing in such a sloppy manner and coming out victorious. They should feel very lucky to have come out of Seattle this weekend with a W.

Player of the Week
I don't usually do this, but this past weekend was anything but a typical one in college football. I'm going to dish the award out to two people this week, both kickers!

Kevin Eberhart, place kicker, Colorado, kicked the 45-yard game-winning field goal against Oklahoma, along with another 41-yard field goal and three extra points. He accounted for 9 of Colorado's 27 points (33.3%) and no three were larger than those at the end.

Wes Byrum, place kicker, Auburn (freshman), kicked a 43-yard game-winning field goal against Florida, along with a 30-yard field goal and two extra points. He was responsible for 8 of the Tigers' 20 points (40.0%). Not only did Byrum smoothly sail the ball between the uprights for the winning score, but he did this twice! He kicked the ball through and good with triple zeroes on the clock, but a whistle had blown just as the ball was snapped. Florida coach, Urban Meyer, called a timeout and forced Byrum to kick the ball through for a second time. He's a freshman and is bound to mess up, right? Not so fast! Byrum kicked it through a second time, which handed Auburn a 20-17 victory over defending champ Florida.

Surprise of the Week
Colorado 27 Oklahoma 24: I don't know (m)any people that saw this one coming, who weren't influenced by the altitude of the Rockies (or other substances). Colorado looked somewhat improved this year, but their two victories came over 0-4 Colorado State in overtime and 2-3 Miami (Ohio). They were pounded by Arizona State in the second half after keeping things close in the first and fell to Florida State. Oklahoma, meanwhile, looked awesome and that may be an understatement. Their 51-13 romp over Miami (Florida) was a competitive game for them. Friends of mine and I kept talking about Oklahoma freshman quarterback Bradford and how he's bound to falter somewhere down the line. While I agree even more now with that statement, never did I expect that first game to be against Colorado. The image of both clubs looks completely different now than a week before. Colorado now has a quality win on the season and the confidence to go with that and Oklahoma is a bit of a mystery, appearing dominant when the youngsters on offense are clicking, but perhaps a bit of inconsistency comes along with that youth on the offensive side of the ball for them.

Auburn 20 Florida 17: This sounds odd, but I'm not sure which outcome I found more surprising, Colorado's triumph over Oklahoma or Auburn's victory against the Gators. I mean, at least the Oklahoma game was in Boulder, against a club who had lost to two reputable programs in Arizona State and Florida State. CU also showed signs of improving, especially on offense, with their freshman quarterback, Cody Hawkins. Auburn fell to typical SEC doormat, Mississippi State, at home. They showed little to no signs of improving on offense, scoring a total of 60 points (20.0 average) in their three outings against Kansas State, South Florida, and Mississippi State. Florida looked similar to Oklahoma, explosive and improving on the offensive end and quick and improving on defense. Florida received one prior scare, defeating Mississippi 30-24, but one could blame the ol' let-down week on that, as they pounded Tennessee 59-20 the week before. For how poorly Auburn's offense has played over the past year, I couldn't fathom the thought of their offense, led by Brandon Cox, generating enough output on Saturday night at the Swamp to defeat Florida. The Gators may very well have been looking ahead to their upcoming bout with LSU, but to my (and many other's) surprise, Auburn outplayed the Gators on Saturday and deserved to go home with the victory.

Nebraska Game (from an unbiased perspective)
First off, as I was in Columbus, Ohio this weekend, I was unable to watch or even listen to this game, so my commentary will be solely based on what I've heard and read.

From what I was able to gather, it again appeared as if Nebraska got off to a slow start, as Iowa State led 10-0 at one point. It also appeared as if the game was a bit closer than the score indicated. I was astounded to read the disparity in time of possession between the two teams. Get this, Iowa State held onto the football for 39 minutes 12 seconds compared to just 20 minutes 48 seconds for Nebraska. That's very close to a 2:1 ratio right there. But, when Nebraska's offense was able to actually play away from the sideline, they were effective. Sam Keller was 18-28 (64.3%) for 219 yards (12.2 ypc and 7.8 ypa), 2 TD's and 1 INT. Marlon Lucky ONLY ran for 107 yards, but on just 16 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. To garner 369 yards of total offense in just over twenty minutes of playing time is very efficient. So, overall, I'd have to say that the offense more than did their job against the decent defense of Iowa State.

But, as has held true for most of the young season, Nebraska's defense was not where it should be. Iowa State converted 28 first downs, were 9-22 (40.9%) on third down and 2-4 (50.0%) on 4th down. They totaled 415 yards on the day, 281 through the air and 134 on the ground. NU's defense was opportunistic, though. They stopped the Suckclones when they had to, forcing four turnovers, one by way of a fumble and three by way of the pick. One of those interceptions was the game-changer/decider for the Cornhuskers, as Bo Ruud intercepted a Bret Meyer pass at the Nebraska 7-yard line and scampered 93 yards for the touchdown to extend NU's lead to 28-10. If ISU had scored a touchdown there or even a field goal, the game would've been a one-possession affair at either 21-17 or 21-13. But, with that interception and return, NU led by three scores and with ISU's sputtering offense, even against NU's defense, it'd take a miracle for them to score three times in the final quarter. One plus for Nebraska's defense was the fact they held ISU to just 2.6 yards a carry. Although, starting tailback, Jason Scales, ran 31 times for 115 yards (3.7 ypc) and two touchdowns. But, even then, that's a vastly improved statistic than from weeks past.

Special teams were a game-changer for the Huskers on Saturday, as well. NU's coverage team limited ISU to just 20 yards on two kick returns (10.0 average, long of 11), while Cortney Grixby returned two kicks by himself for a total of 87 yards (average of 43.5, long of 51).

This upcoming weekend, Nebraska will need to be equally as efficient on offense and better on the defensive side of the ball against Missouri in Columbia. Since the game is on the road, NU will also have to start faster than they have against the likes of Ball State and Iowa State, to name a couple. While it may be a difficult road test for the Huskers, I by no means see it as an unwinnable one. Missouri's only test this year was in their opener against Illinois. The Illini are 4-1 on the season and Mizzou's other three opponents are a combined 3-9 (.250). Due to that, the competition advantage has to favor Nebraska, as they've squared off against: 2-2 Nevada, 2-2 Wake Forest, 4-0 USC, 3-2 Ball State, and 1-4 Iowa State. But, with the game in Columbia, I give a slight edge to the Tigers. If defensive coordinator, Kevin Cosgrove, is aggressive in the early going and attempts to threaten the timing of Tiger quarterback Chase Daniel, that could prove to be huge, due to the rhythm and timing needed to work the Tiger offense effectively. But, with it being Cosgrove and all, I'm not going to place any bets that it does happen. He'll probably play his eleven in the prevent defense for sixty minutes. Solich Update Frankie's slide continued on Saturday, as his Ohio Bobcats lost their third straight following two wins to start the season, with their 33-25 loss to Kent State on Saturday. It was their first MAC game, so they start the season 0-1 in conference and are 2-3 overall. Up next, in what may be the most highly anticipated game of the season? Turner Gill's Buffalo Bulls! Gill Update The Buffalo Bulls got a wicked dent in the fender this past weekend, as they were pummeled 49-14 by Ball State. Fortunately for them, it was their first MAC loss of the season, so their in-conference record is now an even 1-1, but their overall record is 1-4. Both teams come into the game as losers of three straight and the winner will go home with either an even record both in-conference and overall or the other will be one over .500 in the MAC, but two under overall. As each day passes, the tension mounts! Random Note of the Week For the first time this season, there will be at least one college football game on every day of the week, excluding today (Monday)! That's right, one game on: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, along with a few others on Saturday!

Predictions
Tuesday
Marshall at Memphis: They have one win between the two of them heading into this contest. With the game being at home and the fact Memphis beat their I-AA opponent (Jacksonville State) as opposed to Marshall, who lost to theirs (New Hampshire), I'm giving the edge to the Tigers.
Memphis 38 Marshall 28

Wednesday
Rice at Southern Mississippi: If Rice wins this game, that'd come as more of a shock than Colorado beating Oklahoma. With that in mind, I'm going with the Eagles.
Southern Mississippi 31 Rice 6

Thursday
Kentucky at South Carolina: One of the most anticipated games of this loaded weekend appears on Thursday night. South Carolina has won one of two big SEC battles thus far, defeating Georgia and falling to LSU. Even though it'd be extremely difficult to go on the road and beat Spurrier in this one, Kentucky appears to be improving on a weekly basis. Andre Woodson has another big game for the Wildcats.
Kentucky 27 South Carolina 20

Friday
Utah at Louisville: Two of the more inconsistent teams of the early season square off in this one. In the past three weeks, Utah has defeated UCLA by 38 points, fallen to UNLV by 27, and then defeated in-state rival Utah State by 16. Louisville lost a close one to Kentucky, got upset by 37-point underdog Syracuse and then held NC State to 10 points this past week in their 29-10 victory over the Wolfpack. With the game at home and seeing more consistency on offense from they than the Utes, I'm taking the Cardinals.
Louisville 38 Utah 17

Saturday
Minnesota at Indiana: As little as I know about Indiana at this point in the season, I like what I haven't seen from them much more than I have seen from the Gophers. Hoosiers improve to 5-1, while Minnesota drops to 1-5 on the season.
Indiana 45 Minnesota 28

Bowling Green at Boston College: BC looked anything but impressive in their 24-14 win over I-AA Massachusetts this past week. The 3-1 Falcons come into town with an upset on their mind. Unfortunately for them, I don't see that happening.
Boston College 34 Bowling Green 17

Georgia Tech at Maryland: Both clubs have been close to identical this year. They both started the season 2-0, lost two consecutive, a couple in close, dramatic fashion, to fall to an even 2-2. Then, this past weekend, both were the cause of an upset, as Georgia Tech beat then unbeaten Clemson 13-3 and Maryland beat then unbeaten Rutgers of the Big East 34-24. With how their defense has been able to stifle teams at times this year and Mr. Choice in the backfield, I give the slight edge to the Jackets. Georgia Tech 24 Maryland 17

Northwestern at Michigan State: This may not seem like much of a game for the Spartans, but let's not forget how their previous 2-3 years have transpired. They started each year very well, 4-0 or even 5-0 and due to one dramatic loss, they weren't able to regain that focus for the rest of the season that brought them to a 4-0 or 5-0 record in the first place. But, with a new and more disciplinary coaching staff in East Lansing, I'm going to bet that it doesn't happen again this season.
Michigan State 38 Northwestern 14

Eastern Michigan at Michigan: The Wolverines didn't play very well last weekend, in their 28-16 win over Northworstern. The Wolves' were actually down 16-14 in the 4th quarter before two touchdowns in the final quarter vaulted them to their third consecutive win. Don't expect as many problems in this game. U of M, led by Mike Hart, should stomp all over Eastern Michigan.
Michigan 45 Eastern Michigan 7

Miami (Florida) at North Carolina: Even though Miami was anything but impressive in their 24-14 win over Duke this past Saturday, I have to give them the edge over UNC. If they lack the focus they did this past Saturday though, they'll be going back home with a loss.
Miami (Florida) 28 North Carolina 10

West Virginia at Syracuse: This pick looks so easy, but so did that game two weeks ago between Louisville and these same Syracuse Orange. Louisville was coming off a heart-breaking loss to in-state rival Kentucky and Syracuse appeared to be nothing more (or less) than Syracuse. A similar predicament is unfolding for this battle, as West Virginia's hope for an undefeated regular season was ended last Friday night in Tampa and following Syracuse's 17-14 loss to Miami (Ohio) this past weekend, they again appear to be nothing more (or less) than Syracuse. Will the Mountaineers feel a similar hangover to that of Louisville? I'm not thinking so.
West Virginia 41 Syracuse 13

Wisconsin at Illinois: I got tired of them last season and am still tired of these Badgers. I have to give them credit for finding ways to win most every game they play and yet, at the end of the day, I still have to ask myself, are they truly a legitimate top 5 or 10 team? Four out of five wins have come by 14 points or less: a 7-point win over UNLV (two wins from a year ago), 14-point win over I-AA Citadel, 4-point win over 2-3 Iowa, and a 3-point win this past weekend against Michigan State. Meanwhile, Illinois has an opportunity to start the year 3-0 in the Big Ten and 5-1 overall, following big wins the past couple weekends against the likes of 4-1 Indiana and 3-2 Penn State. With the game in Champaign and for the very fact I was too chicken to pull the final trigger on the potential upset bid last weekend against the Nittany Lions, I'm going to fire away with this game. Juice Williams gives the Badgers fits as Ron Zook appears to be taking his Illini to a bowl game.
Illinois 27 Wisconsin 24

Central Michigan at Ball State: Even though the Chippewas looked great this past weekend against Northern Illinois, Ball State has been putting up points in the bunches of late. In their past three games, they've scored 120 points (31 on Navy, 40 on Nebraska, and 49 on Buffalo) on teams with a combined 8-7 record. I see them continuing the trend in a MAC victory.
Ball State 45 Central Michigan 31

Kansas at Kansas State: This is an extremely difficult game for me to pick. Why? There are so many potentially influential factors to take into consideration. First off, Kansas has played one of the weakest non-conference schedules of any of the unbeatens currently left, yet they've been so offensively dominant in each of those games, it has to make one wonder if they can get into that same kind of rhythm against almost anyone. They're also coming off a bye week, so Mark Mangino and company have had two weeks to prepare for this big game. K-State, meanwhile, has played the tougher schedule thus far. They outplayed Auburn for three to three and a half quarters, before falling in the end. This past Saturday, they went to Austin and trounced the Longhorns 41-21. But, because of that, they may fall victim to the let-down. However, in saying all that and weighing all the factors, I give the slight edge to the Wildcats, because the game is in Manhattan and from a competition standpoint, they're much better prepared for the Jayhawks than Kansas is for them.
Kansas State 27 Kansas 24

Vanderbilt at Auburn: This is another tough game to call. Like I mentioned in the previous game, Auburn, after doing what many felt to be the impossible and beat Florida in the Swamp at night, they are due for a let-down. Even with that most impressive victory, the only dominant performance Auburn has put forth all year was their 55-20 win against New Mexico State and they only led the Aggies by a 21-20 score at halftime. In the other four games, they beat Kansas State by 10, lost to South Florida by 3 in overtime, fell to Mississippi State by 5, and beat Florida by 3. They're +5 in those four other games, in which they've gone an even 2-2. Vanderbilt, while young and exciting, have lost to their only tough opponent this year, falling to Alabama by a couple touchdowns. While I don't want to jinx the guy any, it seems as if quarterback Brandon Cox may have found his touch this past weekend and in thinking that'll continue this weekend, I don't see Auburn hung-over much on Saturday. Auburn 24 Vanderbilt 13

Wake Forest at Duke: Duke doesn't appear to be as much of a doormat as in years past, but even if that is the case, Wake is coming off two big wins and a bye week, and I don't see Wake's good string end with a loss to the Blue Devils.
Wake Forest 31 Duke 10

Northern Illinois at Temple: It's going to be difficult for me to ever go with the Owls in a football game, even at home, and yes, even against the 1-4 Northern Illinois Huskies.
Northern Illinois 28 Temple 17

Ohio at Buffalo: Frank Solich vs. Turner Gill! Let the games begin! But, in all seriousness (sort of), both coaches are in desperate need of a win. Both teams are in the midst of three-game losing skids. The MAC runners-up from a season ago, Ohio is 0-1 this season in conference and Buffalo is 1-1 in the MAC, with a second week win over Temple. Just like I mentioned with Temple, it's difficult for me to pick Buffalo (unless it's against Temple), so I'm going with the Bobcats.
Ohio 31 Buffalo 17

Louisiana Tech at Mississippi: Louisiana Tech is at a tough 1-3 right now, losers by a single point to undefeated Hawaii and this past weekend by eleven points to the always tough Fresno State Bulldogs. Ole Miss, after winning their opener against Memphis, have dropped four straight, but have been pesky at times, just ask Florida. With the game at home, I look for the Rebels to end that losing streak and improve to 2-4 on the season. Mississippi 24 Louisiana Tech 10

Oklahoma State at Texas A&M: The battle of two mystery teams from the Big XII. Oklahoma State got dismantled by Georgia and Troy this season, won a shoot-out against Texas Tech, and defeated a couple of two-man teams from villages in Pakistan and Sierra Leone. That doesn't even include head coach Mike Gundy's tirade following their 49-45 victory over Texas Tech two Saturdays ago. A&M is 4-1, but that one loss was a butt-whooping if I ever saw one, at the hands of Miami (the good Miami). It also took them three overtimes to defeat Fresno State. They did beat Baylor rather handily this past weekend, so that's just superb. Both clubs are mysteries with lots of talent and lots to prove. But, even with the supposed 12th man in College Station, I'm thinking that "tirade" by Gundy has his players fired up and ready to pull out the victory. Oklahoma State 31 Texas A&M 24

TCU at Wyoming: Laugh all you want, but this is a difficult game for me to pick. Wyoming is 3-1 on the season, including a 23-3 win over 4-1 Virginia, a victory two weekends ago over MAC's runner-up from a year ago, Ohio, and are coming off a bye week. TCU has won ugly when they have won. Many "experts" picked them to be this year's Boise State, but following losses to Texas and Air Force, the chances of that occurring are between none and none. But, they make me nervous offensively. TCU may be 3-2, but they've eclipsed the 21-point mark in just three of those five games (all victories), with their high point total being 27 against Baylor. In taking all that into consideration, I'm taking the home team in what may be seen as an upset to some.
Wyoming 24 TCU 17

UAB at Mississippi State: While Mississippi State has faced anything but a stellar non-conference schedule, with a win here in Starkville, Slyvester Croom's Bulldogs have a great opportunity to start the season 4-2, needing just two more wins (one of those being very possible against Mississippi in the Egg Bowl) to become bowl eligible. UAB won't be a gimme, but I do see MSU winning this one at home.
Mississippi State 31 UAB 17

Miami (Ohio) at Kent State: Even in coming off their 17-14 win over Syracuse a week ago, I think Kent State should be able to win this one at home to improve to 4-2 on the season.
Kent State 31 Miami (Ohio) 17

Houston at Alabama: Alabama better not sleepwalk in this one, because as anybody knows, while Houston has issues in stopping opposing offenses, they have no issues in scoring a few points of their own. But, with the game in Tuscaloosa, and Nick Saban being the coach he is, while I can see Houston creating some tension in the Tide fans, I can't see them doing enough to pull off the upset.
Alabama 45 Houston 24

North Carolina State at Florida State: If Chuck Amato were still around in Raleigh, I'd have to think about taking the Wolfpack, but with newbie Tom O'Brien in town, still looking for his first win at NC State over a Division I-A opponent, I can't see that happening, especially in Tallahassee.
Florida State 28 North Carolina State 10

Iowa at Penn State: These two clubs have amassed five consecutive losses between the two of them. Iowa fell by 2 at the last second to Iowa State, by 4 to Wisconsin, and by 18 to Indiana, while Penn State lost by 5 to Michigan and 7 to Illinois. With the game in Happy Valley and not seeing any life from the Hawkeyes' offense, I'm going to have to pick Penn State. Penn State 20 Iowa 13

Oklahoma at Texas: Look ahead much? Well, I'll say that for Oklahoma, as they were up 24-7 at one point on Colorado this past weekend, but wound up losing 27-24 on a last second field goal by the Buffaloes. Texas has been playing with fire all season long and they were finally burnt by it this past Saturday in their 41-21 loss to Kansas State. Regardless of how OU may have been looking ahead last week, they're here now and won't need to look ahead any further. Texas has been too inconsistent this year for me to believe they'll win this game.
Oklahoma 31 Texas 20

South Florida at Florida Atlantic: This is not a game for South Florida to relax after coming off a huge 21-13 Friday night home victory against then #5 ranked West Virginia. But, for some reason, I can't see Jim Leavitt cooling off any this week. That man is intense and passionate and the play of his team reflects that week in and week out. Expect the same this weekend, as the Bulls start the year 5-0.
South Florida 38 Florida Atlantic 10

Georgia at Tennessee: The Vols are coming off a bye week, where head coach Phil Fulmer attempted to improve the defense. Tennessee has had no problems scoring points this year, led by quarterback Erik Ainge, but the defense has been atrocious, to be kind. I was already burned this year when I took Tennessee over Florida, but for some reason, I'm going to take the chance in picking them again. With a week off and the game at home, playing against an inexperienced and inconsistent quarterback in Matt Stafford, I believe the Vols' offensive power will outweigh their defensive faults, at least for one week.
Tennessee 31 Georgia 24

Idaho at San Jose State: After starting the season 0-3, Dick Tomey's San Jose State Spartans have a golden opportunity to even their record with a home victory against the 1-4 Vandals. While it's no gimme, I see just that occurring on Saturday.
San Jose State 27 Idaho 24

Arizona State at Washington State: This could be a tricky game for Dennis Erickson's crew, in Pullman. I'm contemplating putting this one on upset alert, but even in pondering that possibility, I'm not going to pick against Rudy Carpenter and the high-powered Sundevils' offense. 6-0!
Arizona State 31 Washington State 21

Arizona at Oregon State: Oregon State's in big need of a victory after losing two straight, one to Arizona State and the other to UCLA. What better way than to face 1-4 Arizona in Corvallis? The Beavers improve to 3-3.
Oregon State 27 Arizona 17

Fresno State at Nevada: Nevada has a total of 66 freshmen and sophomores on their team. That lack of experience showed in their opening two losses, but the Pistol Offense has improved in their prior two games, as they're now an even 2-2. With this game at home, I look for them to improve to 3-2.
Nevada 24 Fresno State 17

San Diego State at Colorado State: This could be it! Sonny Lubbick's first win of the '07-'08 season with his Rams! They fell 31-28 in overtime to Colorado, then 34-28 to California, 38-27 to Houston, and 24-12 to TCU. In Fort Collins, Colorado this Saturday, look for the Rams to finally attain that first victory. It's about time.
Colorado State 31 San Diego State 14

Virginia Tech at Clemson: Many questions arise when talking about Virginia Tech's offense and Clemson's defense. Neither team has faced a very difficult schedule thus far and are out to prove themselves against a reputable ACC opponent. In seeing the level of difficulty the Tigers had in heavy-blitzing Georgia Tech last week, I'm giving the slight edge to the Hokies. So long as they don't turn the ball over on offense, the defense should be able to do the rest.
Virginia Tech 20 Clemson 17

Stanford at USC: Pete Carroll is going to lose his voice by the end of the week after his club's dreadful performance against Washington on Saturday. USC almost beat themselves in the truest sense of the cliché'. They turned the ball over three times and accounted for over 160 yards in penalties. Poor Stanford. Look for a very disciplined and near perfect performance by the Trojans in this one.
USC 56 Stanford 0

Colorado at Baylor: While this one may have all the makings of a let-down game for the Buffaloes, with how stingy their defense has been this year, I don't see that happening, especially against Baylor.
Colorado 27 Baylor 6

North Texas at Louisiana-Lafayette: The clubs have totaled 0 wins this season. That's right, they're 0-9. The Mean Green comes in at 0-4 and the Rajun' Cajuns at 0-5. While North Texas has been nothing but awful this year, Lafayette has shown some signs of hope and with the game at home, I'm going with the Rajun' Cajuns.
Louisiana-Lafayette 31 North Texas 14

Tulane at Army: With the game in West Point and a hunch that Tulane hasn't faced too many option attacks, I'm picking the Black Knights to even their record at 3-3 with a win over the Green Wave.
Army 27 Tulane 21

Troy at Florida International: In seeing that then 0-4 Middle Tennessee pounced on FIU this past weekend 47-6, I can't see this game being any better.
Troy 59 Florida International 3

Virginia at Middle Tennessee: UVA, after starting the year with a 20-point loss to Wyoming, have won four straight, including a 44-14 win last weekend against Pittsburgh. Look for the Cavaliers to make that five in a row after dismantling the Blue Raiders.
Virginia 41 Middle Tennessee 10

Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe: One team I wouldn't want to face is Arkansas State. The Indians are 2-2 on the season, with their only two losses coming to Texas and Tennessee, in games where they fell by just 8 points to the Longhorns and scored 27 against the Vols. They'll improve to 3-2 after beating up on 0-4 Louisiana-Monroe.
Arkansas State 24 Louisiana-Monroe 3

Iowa State at Texas Tech: ISU has a decent defense, but it's not going to matter in Lubbock against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders may not score 75 like they did against I-AA Northwestern State, but they'll score enough for the victory.
Texas Tech 34 Iowa State 17

Akron at Western Michigan: Western Michigan, after facing a rather grueling non-conference schedule, now has the opportunity to settle into MAC play and do what they typically do, contend for the conference title. Western Michigan 31 Akron 21

Central Florida at East Carolina: UCF is looking strong following their heart-breaking 35-32 loss to Texas. Even with the game being away, the Golden Knights' offensive firepower should be too much for the Pirates to handle.
Central Florida 31 East Carolina 21

Notre Dame at UCLA: Props to the Irish. They played their best game of the season in their 33-19 loss to Purdue this past weekend. But, Irish fans should also know that Purdue allowed 1-4 Minnesota to score 31 points against them. Best of luck to ND in Los Angeles this weekend. I can all but guarantee we won't see the guys with gold helmets scoring close to three touchdowns on the Bruin defense.
UCLA 31 Notre Dame 6

Florida at LSU: If Tim Tebow thought Auburn's defense was stingy at the Swamp, he'll face a tough evening in Baton Rouge against Beau Pelini's large, quick, and aggressive defense. Florida's defense should keep it close, but LSU should triumph in the end.
LSU 20 Florida 13

Cincinnati at Rutgers: Congratulations to the 5-0 Cincinnati Bearcats for a phenomenal start to their season. Not many expected them to beat up on Oregon State 34-3 earlier this year and in the same breath, start the year at 5-0. But, I'm sorry to say, they picked the wrong week to play Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were 3-0 before last week's loss to Maryland. With Louisville already having lost two games and West Virginia falling to South Florida on Friday, many were predicting Rutgers to win the Big East. That was until they lost to Maryland 34-24 on Saturday and now many are placing South Florida at the top of the conference. Rutgers is going to play a bit peeved this Saturday, at home, and will be the toughest opponent Cincy has faced all season. That all adds up to a Rutgers victory on Saturday.
Rutgers 38 Cincinnati 28

Ohio State at Purdue: While it's great for those in West Lafayette, Indiana that your Boilermakers have started the season 5-0 and it's also fantastic that the offense appears to be clicking in typical Joe Tiller fashion, I'd be very surprised to see the Boilermakers win this one to move to 6-0. In their five wins, Purdue has faced: Toledo (1-4), Eastern Illinois (0-5), Central Michigan (2-3), Minnesota (1-4), and Notre Dame (0-5). While Ohio State's offense still appears to be very young and inconsistent at times, their defense has been solid and in facing Purdue's mediocre (to be nice) defense, OSU should provide enough at the offensive end to move to 6-0.
Ohio State 34 Purdue 24

UNLV at Air Force: I seem to pick almost all of UNLV and Air Force's games wrong. Air Force started the year off at 3-0, so I picked them to beat BYU and then Navy and they lost both games. UNLV won two games all of last season. Utah came off a 44-6 romp of UCLA, so I picked Utah to beat UNLV. The Rebels shut out the Utes 27-0. So, I then decide to pick UNLV over Nevada and the Wolfpack beat the Rebels 27-20. So, regardless of who I pick in this one, bet on the other team! With the game at home, I'm going with the Falcons, so, UNLV will probably win.
Air Force 28 UNLV 24

Tulsa at UTEP: Like offense? This is the game for you. While I respect Mike Price a great deal as a coach, I think Tulsa may have a bit too much, even for the Miners to counter on offense.
Tulsa 45 UTEP 31

Nebraska at Missouri: Like a few unbeatens (Kansas, Cincinnati, UConn, etc.), Missouri has a lot to prove as a club. Outside of their opener with Illinois, they have yet to beat a true quality opponent. They're loaded on offense and when they are in a rhythm, they can score against anybody, but they have many unanswered questions on the other side of the ball. The same rings true of Nebraska. They've been able to score some points this season, but allowed 49 points to USC and 40 more to Ball State. With the game in Columbia, I have a difficult time in seeing the "Blackshirts" rising enough to the occasion to limit the Tigers' offense.
Missouri 38 Nebraska 28

Utah State at Hawaii: The 0-5 Aggies versus the 5-0 Warriors. Colt Brennan could throw five more interceptions and I'd still pick Hawaii to win this one.
Hawaii 63 Utah State 14

Sunday
New Mexico State at Boise State: Hal Mumme and Chase Holbrook should provide some moments of excitement for New Mexico State, but not enough for a victory on the Blue Field. Following their loss to Washington, the Broncos have defeated 3-1 Wyoming by 10 and 2-2 Southern Miss by 22. Expect more of the same as BSU improves to 4-1 on the season.
Boise State 45 New Mexico State 17

Inelligible Games
Chattanooga at Arkansas
Liberty at Toledo

Week 5 Record: 40-14 (.741)
Overall Record: 149-54 (.734)

Fact or Fiction "Fact or Fiction, the Big XII North has closed the gap with the Big XII South."

Partial fact coated in partial fiction. The fact of the matter is, as usual, it's too early to tell. But, I do believe that the North is closing the gap a bit with the South, not based on a huge improvement by the North, but a lack of progression by the South. Even though my early conference strength rankings will refute this claim, the Big XII hasn't proven much to me this year thus far. There are many more questions than answers. The only two remaining unbeatens in the Big XII both reside in the North, in Missouri and Kansas. But, the two clubs' opponents have a combined record of 10-30 (.250) at this point. More may be proven this weekend, as Kansas faces their inner-state rival Kansas State in Manhattan and Missouri squares off with Nebraska at home. But, even though the two clubs are 8-0 at this point, they still haven't shown me that they're elite caliber teams with a Big XII Championship and BCS bowl on their mind. Kansas State has proven the most to me of any team in the North, as they fell early on to Auburn, in a game they probably should've won and they destroyed Texas 41-21 in Austin this past weekend. Colorado has shown a solid improvement from year one to year two in the Dan Hawkins era, as they've defeated Colorado State, Miami (Ohio), and Oklahoma thus far in comparison to two losses, one to unbeaten Arizona State and the other to one-loss Florida State. Nebraska, like Kansas and Missouri, remains a big mystery to me, as ever since their very impressive opening victory over Nevada, they've looked anything but powerful and/or consistent. Iowa State has fallen to Kent State and Division I-AA Northern Iowa, if that tells you anything. They do appear to have a fairly decent defense, which may provide for some peskiness in a conference game or two this year, but don't expect many victories by the Suckclones. On the South side, about as much is clear as on the North side. Texas Tech can score a lot of points. This we've known ever since Mike Leach strolled into office. They also give up their fair share of points and this is nothing new either. How many wins will that translate to? Probably seven or eight, maybe nine. Texas A&M has not progressed as coach Dennis Franchione had hoped. The team almost lost to Army toward the tail-end of last season, needed three overtimes to defeat Fresno State this year, and were pounded into the ground, which made way for a new Valley in their name, by Miami (Florida) 34-17. Their option offense appears to be effective against the average to below average defenses, but against the speedy front sevens that can run horizontally, such as that posed in Miami? It's not too productive. Their defense has also began to lose a bit of its luster the past few seasons. The Texas Longhorns have been about asking to get upset this season. They've been off since the end of last year. They should've fallen to Nebraska, were then beaten by Kansas State and Texas A&M to get ousted from the chance to play in the Big XII title game, and then were lucky to sneak by Iowa with a two-point win in bowling season over the Hawkeyes. This year, they beat Arkansas State by just eight points and Central Florida by only three, before getting annihilated by Kansas State at home this past Saturday by 20. The most consistent thing about Texas these past nine games has been the fact they've been extremely inconsistent. Baylor looks improved from 4-5 years ago, but what's that saying? The Cubs' chances of winning a World Series are better than they were 98 years ago? Oklahoma State is a bit of a mystery. If a team attempts to match speed with the Cowboys, especially with OSU's offense, their opponent will likely get burned, but if that defense counters the OSU offense with size, the Cowboys seem to have their issues, as could be illustrated in their 35-14 loss to Georgia. Finally, Oklahoma appeared to be the beast of the Big XII until this past weekend's loss to Colorado in Boulder, but that image has been greatly damaged. Were they the dominant team they appeared to be in the first four weeks? Was the Colorado game simply an aberration where OU looked ahead to the Red River Shoot-out with Texas? Will these inconsistencies plague the Sooners all year?There are many more unknowns than knowns when talking about the Big XII conference this season. In weeks past, I felt that unlike the Big Ten and ACC, the Big XII at least had one powerhouse to escalate their conference to a bit higher status than the other two, but with Oklahoma's loss this past weekend, I now have to question that, along with the Big East, as West Virginia, Rutgers, and Louisville have all lost at least one game. Baylor and Iowa State cancel one another out as the doormat of their respective division. But, the rest is a mystery. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M all have the potential to be bowl-bound teams and OU appeared to have the potential for dominance and greatness. Meanwhile, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, and Colorado all appear to have the potential to go bowling at season's end, also, but unlike the South, don't yet appear to have that elite team which has the talent and capability to dominate week in and week out. While I feel that the South may still have more talent and with that, more potential, than the North, I think the North has proven a bit more to me at this point in the season than the South. Has the gap closed between the two divisions? Yes, I think it has somewhat, but the questions far outnumber the answers and hopefully, we'll receive a few of those answers following this weekend's big-time match-ups.

Inside the Numbers
-Notre Dame scored 19 points on Saturday vs. Purdue, almost double what they had scored (20) before that game in four previous outings (5.0 average).

-Arkansas State trailed their make-up game with Memphis by the score of 31-6 at halftime, before ASU reeled off 29 straight points in the second half for a 35-31 win.

-How bad is Florida International? Just ask Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders came into their game with FIU this weekend 0-4, being outscored 149-73 (37.3 to 18.3 average or 19 points a game). On Saturday, MTSU beat up on FIU by 41 points, by the final tally of 47-6!

-After allowing 120 points in three games (40.0 average) to Division I-A opponents, Louisville gave up just 10 to North Carolina State on Saturday. That's potentially good news for the Cardinals and at the same time, potentially wretched news for the Wolfpack.

Rant of the Week: Urban Meyer's Coach's Timeout
While I understand the concept of freezing a kicker set to kick a potential game-tying or game-winning field goal by utilizing timeouts, I dislike how some of those timeouts are utilized by the coaches, such was the case this past Saturday night by Florida head coach, Urban Meyer, when attempting to freeze Auburn place kicker, Wes Byrum. The play was not reviewed enough for me to truly decipher whether or not the timeout was called (whistle blown) before or after the ball was snapped. If it beat the snap, then okay, I guess I'm alright with the referee allowing such a close call. But, if the coach attempts to beat the snap and fails, I don't think he should be rewarded the timeout. If the Auburn snap beat the blown whistle signifying the timeout, then I say the made field goal should've counted the first time. It's just like in baseball. A batter should ask for time and will more likely be granted that time if he requests it before the pitcher goes into his wind-up. If the pitcher is already in his wind-up, the batter will most likely be rejected (and should be) on his request.

Top 120 Poll
I'll start this week's poll with an explanation of how the numbers are tabulated. I've fine-tuned things a bit this year. The formula was A + B + C = D. "A" was representative of a team's winning percentage and moving the decimal over two spots to the right and rounding to the nearest tenth. For example, if a team was 5-0, their win percentage would be at 1.000. I'd move the decimal two spots and their point total for that category would be 100.0. "B" was representative of a team's opponent's win percentage. I'd do the same bit with the decimal with "B" as I did with "A". If a club's opponents were 10-10 at this point, their win percentage would be .500, or 50.0 points. Finally, "C" was representative of a team's average margin of victory and I wouldn't alter anything here. If a team won each game by an average of 9.2 points per, I would add 9.2 to the sum of "A + B". I hold the same base this year, but felt it was wrong to hold the same weight or value to each of the three categories, so as I see that winning games as the most important factor, the opponents as the second most important, and the average margin of victory as the least important of the three, my formula this year will be more representative of that belief. I will multiply "A" by 2, "B" by 1.5 and "C" by 1 in order to come up with a team's final sum of points. For an example, let's say a team is 5-0 (100.0), opponents are 10-10 (50.0), and they've averaged to win games by 9.2 points per. I just take 100.0 x 2 to come up with "A", 50.0 x 1.5 to come up with "B", and 9.2 x 1 to come up with "C". So, as in this example, we'd have 200.0 + 75.0 + 9.2 = 284.2. As the maximum winning percentage for both a team and their opponents is 100.0% and I'd say a general max for average margin of victory to be around 50.0, the maximum number of points a team could receive would be around 450.0. In saying that, here it is:
1. LSU (5-0): 314.7
2. Kentucky (5-0): 296.8
3. USC (4-0): 295.5
4. Arizona State (5-0): 285.1
5. Wisconsin (5-0): 275.8
6. South Florida (4-0): 273.3
7. Ohio State (5-0): 270.6
8. Kansas (4-0): 270.3
9. California (5-0): 269.5
9. Missouri (4-0): 269.5
11. Oregon (4-1): 268.8
12. Cincinnati (5-0): 268.4
13. Boston College (5-0): 264.8
14. Oklahoma (4-1): 264.4
15. Hawaii (5-0): 260.4
16. Florida (4-1): 258.2
17. Connecticut (5-0): 255.6
18. West Virginia (4-1): 254.3
19. Nebraska (4-1): 254.0
20. Texas (4-1): 249.8
21. Purdue (5-0): 249.0
22. Illinois (4-1): 246.2
23. Michigan State (4-1): 244.9
24. South Carolina (4-1): 243.6
25. Florida State (3-1): 242.1
26. Georgia (4-1): 241.4
27. Auburn (3-2): 238.9
28. Kansas State (3-1): 237.8
29. Indiana (4-1): 236.0
30. Texas A&M (4-1): 234.7
31. Texas Tech (4-1): 234.4
32. UCLA (4-1): 230.3
33. Virginia (4-1): 228.1
34. Rutgers (3-1): 227.8
35. Virginia Tech (4-1): 227.6
36. Wyoming (3-1): 227.3
37. Boise State (3-1): 225.1
38. Miami (Florida) (4-1): 222.5
39. Clemson (4-1): 219.5
40. Bowling Green (3-1): 215.8
41. Colorado (3-2): 215.1
42. Tulsa (3-1): 214.9
43. Georgia Tech (3-2): 213.2
44. BYU (3-2): 212.9
45. Alabama (3-2): 212.4
46. Oklahoma State (3-2): 211.4
47. Vanderbilt (3-1): 206.8
48. Wake Forest (2-2): 206.3
49. Tennessee (2-2): 205.3
50. Ball State (3-2): 203.6
51. Central Florida (3-1): 202.7
52. Arkansas (2-2): 202.6
53. Mississippi State (3-2): 197.3
54. TCU (3-2): 194.6
55. Washington State (3-2): 193.9
56. Washington (2-3): 192.7
57. New Mexico (3-2): 191.8
58. UTEP (3-2): 191.6
59. Air Force (3-2): 187.2
60. Louisville (3-2): 185.8
60. Penn State (3-2): 185.8
62. Navy (3-2): 183.5
63. Akron (2-3): 183.2
64. Maryland (3-2): 182.5
65. Kent State (3-2): 181.0
66. Troy (3-2): 179.5
67. Western Kentucky (3-2): 178.8
68. Michigan (3-2): 178.2
69. Oregon State (2-3): 175.8
70. Florida Atlantic (3-2): 174.9
71. Fresno State (2-2): 170.8
71. New Mexico State (3-2): 170.8
73. Baylor (3-2): 168.8
73. Pittsburgh (2-3): 168.8
75. Arkansas State (2-2): 164.7
76. UNLV (2-3): 164.5
77. Houston (2-2): 161.3
78. Nevada (2-2): 158.8
79. Western Michigan (2-3): 156.3
80. East Carolina (2-3): 154.2
81. Iowa (2-3): 154.0
82. Southern Mississippi (2-2): 149.7
83. Stanford (1-3): 149.3
84. Utah (2-3): 146.4
85. Minnesota (1-4): 145.5
86. Ohio (2-3): 142.5
87. Miami (Ohio) (2-3): 141.8
88. Northwestern (2-3): 141.4
89. Louisiana Tech (1-3): 139.5
90. Central Michigan (2-3): 138.4
91. Duke (1-4): 138.2
92. Mississippi (1-4): 137.3
93. San Diego State (1-3): 136.8
94. Army (2-3): 133.1
95. Eastern Michigan (2-3): 127.5
96. North Carolina State (1-4): 125.4
97. UAB (1-3): 125.1
98. North Carolina (1-4): 124.3
99. San Jose State (2-3): 123.5
100. Arizona (1-4): 117.6
101. Middle Tennessee State (1-4): 117.0
102. Tulane (1-3): 113.4
103. Toledo (1-4): 108.7
104. Idaho (1-4): 106.7
105. SMU (1-4): 106.3
106. Buffalo (1-4): 101.2
107. Syracuse (1-4): 100.8
108. Memphis (1-3): 94.8
109. Colorado State (0-4): 94.6
110. Iowa State (1-4): 92.6
111. Louisiana-Monroe (0-4): 86.0
112. Notre Dame (0-5): 84.0
113. Northern Illinois (1-4): 74.8
114. Marshall (0-4): 74.5
115. Temple (0-5): 71.5
116. Utah State (0-5): 63.1
117. Louisiana-Lafayette (0-5): 59.4
118. Florida International (0-5): 57.4
119. Rice (0-4): 56.0
120. North Texas (0-4): 41.7

Conference Strength
Based on my own Top 120 poll, I'm going to give weekly conference rankings based on their power number via the mean average of those power numbers. All 12 "conferences" will be included: ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII, Pac-10, SEC, MAC, MWC, WAC, C-USA, Sun Belt, and Independents.

1. SEC: 229.6
2. Big XII: 225.2
3. Pac-10: 217.9
4. Big East: 216.9
5. Big Ten: 211.6
6. ACC: 199.5
7. MWC: 172.9
8. WAC: 157.6
9. Independents: 144.9
10. MAC: 142.0
11. C-USA: 137.0
12. Sun Belt: 110.1

ACC (12)
13. Boston College (5-0): 264.8
25. Florida State (3-1): 242.1
33. Virginia (4-1): 228.1
35. Virginia Tech (4-1): 227.6
38. Miami (Florida) (4-1): 222.5
39. Clemson (4-1): 219.5
43. Georgia Tech (3-2): 213.2
48. Wake Forest (2-2): 206.3
64. Maryland (3-2): 182.5
91. Duke (1-4): 138.2
96. North Carolina State (1-4): 125.4
98. North Carolina (1-4): 124.3

Big East (8)
6. South Florida (4-0): 273.3
12. Cincinnati (5-0): 268.4
17. Connecticut (5-0): 255.6
18. West Virginia (4-1): 254.3
34. Rutgers (3-1): 227.8
60. Louisville (3-2): 185.8
73. Pittsburgh (2-3): 168.8
107. Syracuse (1-4): 100.8

Big Ten (11)
5. Wisconsin (5-0): 275.8
7. Ohio State (5-0): 270.6
21. Purdue (5-0): 249.0
22. Illinois (4-1): 246.2
23. Michigan State (4-1): 244.9
29. Indiana (4-1): 236.0
60. Penn State (3-2): 185.8
68. Michigan (3-2): 178.2
81. Iowa (2-3): 154.0
85. Minnesota (1-4): 145.5
88. Northwestern (2-3): 141.4

Big XII (12)
8. Kansas (4-0): 270.3
9. Missouri (4-0): 269.5
14. Oklahoma (4-1): 264.4
19. Nebraska (4-1): 254.0
20. Texas (4-1): 249.8
28. Kansas State (3-1): 237.8
30. Texas A&M (4-1): 234.7
31. Texas Tech (4-1): 234.4
41. Colorado (3-2): 215.1
46. Oklahoma State (3-2): 211.4
73. Baylor (3-2): 168.8
110. Iowa State (1-4): 92.6

C-USA (12)
42. Tulsa (3-1): 214.9
51. Central Florida (3-1): 202.7
58. UTEP (3-2): 191.6
77. Houston (2-2): 161.3
80. East Carolina (2-3): 154.2
82. Southern Mississippi (2-2): 149.7
97. UAB (1-3): 125.1
102. Tulane (1-3): 113.4
105. SMU (1-4): 106.3
108. Memphis (1-3): 94.8
114. Marshall (0-4): 74.5
119. Rice (0-4): 56.0

Independents (4)
62. Navy (3-2): 183.5
67. Western Kentucky (3-2): 178.8
94. Army (2-3): 133.1
112. Notre Dame (0-5): 84.0

MAC (13)
40. Bowling Green (3-1): 215.8
50. Ball State (3-2): 203.6
63. Akron (2-3): 183.2
65. Kent State (3-2): 181.0
79. Western Michigan (2-3): 156.3
86. Ohio (2-3): 142.5
87. Miami (Ohio) (2-3): 141.8
90. Central Michigan (2-3): 138.4
95. Eastern Michigan (2-3): 127.5
103. Toledo (1-4): 108.7
106. Buffalo (1-4): 101.2
113. Northern Illinois (1-4): 74.8
115. Temple (0-5): 71.5

MWC (9)
36. Wyoming (3-1): 227.3
44. BYU (3-2): 212.9
54. TCU (3-2): 194.6
57. New Mexico (3-2): 191.8
59. Air Force (3-2): 187.2
76. UNLV (2-3): 164.5
84. Utah (2-3): 146.4
93. San Diego State (1-3): 136.8
109. Colorado State (0-4): 94.6

Pac-10 (10)
3. USC (4-0): 295.5
4. Arizona State (5-0): 285.1
9. California (5-0): 269.5
11. Oregon (4-1): 268.8
32. UCLA (4-1): 230.3
55. Washington State (3-2): 193.9
56. Washington (2-3): 192.7
69. Oregon State (2-3): 175.8
83. Stanford (1-3): 149.3
100. Arizona (1-4): 117.6

SEC (12)
1. LSU (5-0): 314.7
2. Kentucky (5-0): 296.8
16. Florida (4-1): 258.2
24. South Carolina (4-1): 243.6
26. Georgia (4-1): 241.4
27. Auburn (3-2): 238.9
45. Alabama (3-2): 212.4
47. Vanderbilt (3-1): 206.8
49. Tennessee (2-2): 205.3
52. Arkansas (2-2): 202.6
53. Mississippi State (3-2): 197.3
92. Mississippi (1-4): 137.3

Sun Belt (8)
66. Troy (3-2): 179.5
70. Florida Atlantic (3-2): 174.9
75. Arkansas State (2-2): 164.7
101. Middle Tennessee State (1-4): 117.0
111. Louisiana-Monroe (0-4): 86.0
117. Louisiana-Lafayette (0-5): 59.4
118. Florida International (0-5): 57.4
120. North Texas (0-4): 41.7

WAC (9)
15. Hawaii (5-0): 260.4
37. Boise State (3-1): 225.1
71. Fresno State (2-2): 170.8
71. New Mexico State (3-2): 170.8
78. Nevada (2-2): 158.8
89. Louisiana Tech (1-3): 139.5
99. San Jose State (2-3): 123.5
104. Idaho (1-4): 106.7
116. Utah State (0-5): 63.1