Week 13 College Football Newsletter

The Bonehead Call of the Week
This goes to Bill Callahan of Nebraska. Leading 35-24 early in the 3rd quarter, Nebraska faced a 3rd-and-2 from their own 19-yard line, but following two penalties, one for a substitution violation and the other for delay of game, the Huskers were backed up into a third and long, which forced Joe Ganz to throw the ball...and throw the ball he did...right into the hands of Colorado corner Jimmy Smith, who ran it back 31 yards for six, six of 34 unanswered points by the Buffaloes. Would the result have altered had Callahan and the coaches not been so sloppy on that third down? It's impossible to say, but that pick six was just the instigator Colorado needed to get their heads back into the ball game and garner momentum they sorely lacked to close the first half.

The Bonehead Play of the Week
This goes to the Washington Huskies' secondary. With just 31 seconds left to go until a potential overtime session, Washington State quarterback, Alex Brink, connected with a wide open Brandon Gibson in the end zone for the game-winning score. When I say the guy was wide open, I'm not kidding. The nearest person to Gibson on the play was the referee in the back of the end zone!

The Bonehead Remark of the Week
This goes to the announcers of the Nebraska/Colorado game this past Friday. Whether the two guys were attempting to have a PTI session or play the role of devil's advocate in defending Callahan, I don't know for certain, but what they had to say was boneheaded, to be kind. They compared Bill Callahan to the likes of Bill Snyder at Kansas State and Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech, amongst others. If they were just trying to stir an argument and they don't truly believe in the comparison, my apologies, but if they do, I have to ask, what are they snorting? I doubt Pixie Stix. While Frank Solich was nowhere near the coach of his predecessor, Tom Osborne, Nebraska was still a fairly consistent and winning program during his tenure. Solich was fired following a 9-3 regular season (10-3 including the bowl victory). While Nebraska had perhaps fallen some from the glory days of the mid-'90s, when they were typically atop or near the top in all the nation, they were still typically a solid top 20 club, who could be counted on to win at least 9 games a year. When a new coach came in, okay, he can be given one year for a transition, but after that, people are going to want to see some improvement and results. Callahan did not take over a Florida International. He did not take over a club who had lost their previous 23 games (although, I'm sure he could get that job now if he wanted). Snyder, Beamer, and others were not taking over such prestigious and reputable programs with the likes of Kansas State or Virginia Tech. K-State was the doormat every other team in conference wiped their muddy shoes against and stomped all over regardless of time or location. Virginia Tech was a member of the Southern Conference from 1922 until 1964, was an independent from 1965 to 1990, a Big East school from 1991 to 2003 and an ACC club from 2004 until the present. Beamer has taken the Hokies from an independent to a Big East doormat to a Big East champion to an ACC champion. When he, Snyder, and others in similar positions were hired, an A.D. can't expect the club to go from a .500 independent to Big East champion to ACC champion in a couple years. This takes time. Rutgers' head coach, Greg Schiano, took over a sad program when he was hired as the head coach, but he was given time to rebuild the team and they now have three consecutive bowl bids to show for it. Mississippi State was hit hard with probation, so when Slyvester Croom took over four years ago, the A.D. had to expect some rebuilding time for Croom and his staff. In his 4th season, the Bulldogs are 4-4 in the SEC, 7-5 overall, and are all but ensured a bowl invite. Callahan didn't take over a Big 8/12 doormat like Snyder did. He didn't take over an independent school which was going nowhere fast. He wasn't hired by a team hit hard by probation penalties. He was hired to succeed Frank Solich at Nebraska, who was coming off a 10-3 season. If Callahan were hired by Baylor, then yes, I'd say that four years wouldn't be enough, but Nebraska? Give me a break! Callahan could have been given 16 years and his club wouldn't have shown the improvements of the before-mentioned Wildcats of K-State, Hokies of Virginia Tech, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, or Mississippi State Bulldogs under their esteemed current or former head coaches.

Quote of the Week
Following their fifth consecutive loss of the season, falling 23-21 to Clemson, head coach Steve Spurrier had this to say, "We're just not real good, and we're not coached real well, which is my fault."

Conference Breakdown
*indicates I-AA opponent

ACC
Virginia Tech 33 Virginia 21 (1-1)
Wake Forest 31 Vanderbilt 17 (2-1)
Georgia 31 Georgia Tech 17 (2-2)
Clemson 23 South Carolina 21 (3-2)
Florida 45 Florida State 12 (3-3)
North Carolina 20 Duke 14 OT (4-4)
Boston College 28 Miami (Florida) 14 (5-5)
Maryland 37 North Carolina State 0 (6-6)

Big East
West Virginia 66 Connecticut 21 (1-1)
South Florida 48 Pittsburgh 37 (2-2)
Cincinnati 52 Syracuse 31 (3-3)

Big Ten
Regular season complete. (0-0)

Big XII
Missouri 36 Kansas 28 (1-1)
Fresno State 45 Kansas State 29 (1-2)
Colorado 65 Nebraska 51 (2-3)
Oklahoma 49 Oklahoma State 17 (3-4)
Texas A&M 38 Texas 30 (4-5)

Pac-10
USC 44 Arizona State 24 (1-1)
Washington State 42 Washington 35 (2-2)
Notre Dame 21 Stanford 14 (2-3)
UCLA 16 Oregon 0 (3-4)

SEC
Tennessee 52 Kentucky 50 4OT (1-1)
Arkansas 50 LSU 48 3OT (2-2)
Mississippi State 17 Mississippi 14 (3-3)
Auburn 17 Alabama 10 (4-4)
Georgia 31 Georgia Tech 17 (5-4)
Clemson 23 South Carolina 21 (5-5)
Florida 45 Florida State 12 (6-5)
Wake Forest 31 Vanderbilt 17 (6-6)

A Tale of Two Weeks
Week 12: Florida 59 Florida Atlantic 20 (-39)
Week 13: Florida Atlantic 55 Florida International 23 (+32)
Margin Difference: 71 points

Week 12: Connecticut 30 Syracuse 7 (+23)
Week 13: West Virginia 66 Connecticut 21 (-45)
Margin Difference: 68 points

Week 12: Oklahoma State 45 Baylor 14 (+31)
Week 13: Oklahoma 49 Oklahoma State 17 (-32)
Margin Difference: 63 points

Week 12: Boise State 58 Idaho 14 (+44)
Week 13: Hawaii 39 Boise State 27 (-12)
Margin Difference: 56 points

Week 12: Utah 28 New Mexico 10 (-18)
Week 13: New Mexico 27 UNLV 6 (+21)
Margin Difference: 39 points

The Conference Yo of the Week
SEC. There's no question about it this week. Two SEC conference games this weekend could go down as two of the best this year and that doesn't even include a couple of other solid conference games. The Iron Bowl was as intense as ever, with Auburn winning 17-10. It took 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter for Mississippi State to win their annual Egg Bowl against in-state rival Mississippi. Georgia defeated Georgia Tech 31-17. Florida pounded Florida State 45-12. Vandy fell to Wake Forest 31-17. South Carolina lost a heartbreaker to Clemson 23-21. The two classics of the weekend were played between Arkansas and LSU and also between Tennessee and Kentucky. The two games combined to go 7 overtimes. A cumulative 200 points were scored in these two games. One final resulted in the #1 team being ousted from the top spot and the other ensured a team to play for the SEC Championship this upcoming Saturday. It took three overtimes for Arkansas to defeat then top-ranked LSU 50-48 and it took four overtimes for Tennessee to be guaranteed a shot at the SEC title with a 52-50 win over Kentucky. It's been difficult to pick one Yo conference most weeks, but it wasn't tough at all this time.

The Conference Yo No of the Week
Big East and Big XII. Only three games were played in the Big East, but not one of them was very tightly contested. South Florida beat up on Pittsburgh in the second half, before the Panthers added some late scores in garbage time, as the Bulls won 48-37. Cincinnati and Syracuse played it close for about a half, before the Bearcats ran away with it by the final score of 52-31. Finally, in what could have been labeled the Big East Championship, then 9-1 West Virginia dominated then 9-2 Connecticut, winning 66-21.

Some major rivalry games were a bit disappointing in the Big XII conference. The 38-30 win by Texas A&M over Texas and the 36-28 win by Missouri over Kansas were both a bit closer than the actual game showcased. Colorado ran away with the game in the 3rd and 4th quarters, beating Nebraska 65-51. Oklahoma rebounded nicely from their loss to dismantle Oklahoma State 49-17. Finally, Kansas State fell to 5-7, after losing to Fresno State 45-29.

Game(s) of the Week
5. Auburn 17 Alabama 10: Not for the offensive gurus, but what kind of college football fan would actually expect a shoot-out in an Auburn-Alabama game? Both teams focus their offense around the ground attack and both defenses are known to be quick, aggressive, and hard-hitting. The game, especially for how poorly the Tide have played of late, lived up to my expectations.

4. Washington State 42 Washington 35: The play of this game was in sharp contrast to #5 on the list. There wasn't much defense demonstrated in the Apple Cup. It was a very entertaining, back-and-forth contest, though. Washington actually took a 35-28 lead fairly early in the 4th quarter, but a 40-yard pass play from Alex Brink to Brandon Gibson tied the game and with just 31 seconds remaining, Brink and Gibson hooked up again to secure a 42-35 win for the Cougars.

3. Clemson 23 South Carolina 21: Clemson led through the majority of this hard-fought tussle between the two South Carolina schools. But, the Gamecocks stormed back and took a 21-20 lead fairly late in the 4th quarter. The football gods have not been on Steve Spurrier's side of late, though, and Clemson kicker, Bucholz, kicked the game-winning field goal with no time remaining.

2. Tennessee 52 Kentucky 50 4OT: Tennessee dominated through three quarters of play, but Kentucky quarterback, Andre' Woodson, led a grand comeback to send the game to an overtime session. It appeared as if the game would be decided in the second, as the 'Vols turned the ball over and Kentucky had a chance to win it with a field goal, but the kick was blocked and the game was sent to a third overtime. The Wildcats failed on their two-point conversion attempt in the 4th overtime, which sealed a spot in the SEC Championship game for the Tennessee Volunteers.

1. Arkansas 50 LSU 48 3OT: Who saw this coming? LSU's once dominant defense has been mediocre in the second half of the season and halfback stud, Darren McFadden, took advantage of every crease in that defense. LSU hadn't allowed a halfback to gain 100 or more yards in a contest this year, until McFadden rolled into town, and the Razorbacks' tailback gained over 200 yards on the ground. This game was back-and-forth throughout. For every Arkansas' score, LSU had an answer, until the very end, when the Razorbacks picked off Matt Flynn in the end zone on what would have been the game-tying two-point conversion.

Disappointment(s) of the Week
5. Hawaii 39 Boise State 27: Boise had won nine consecutive games coming into this one, had been blowing out their opposition in the past month or so, and were suddenly in the BCS talk again. For how porous Hawaii's schedule had been to this point, even in Honolulu, Boise seemed poised to play better than they did on Friday. The Broncos played well for about a half, but Hawaii took full control in the second and made what should have been a great 60 minute game a rather average one.

4. USC 44 Arizona State 24: Arizona State came in at 9-1 and was firmly in control of their own destiny. They still weren't out of the National Title game chatter, either. In fact, as LSU and Kansas both lost over the weekend, ASU could have hypothetically moved up to #3 or higher with a win over the Trojans. While the game seemed to be very evenly matched through the first 15 minutes, that was anything but the case for the remaining 45. USC got into ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter's face on a regular basis and the usually solid Sundevils' defense couldn't do anything to stop John David Booty and the Trojan offense.

3. West Virginia 66 Connecticut 21: The Big East Championship. The winner would have been the Big East representative in a BCS game. Should be a heck of a game, right? Eh. If that score doesn't make you sick enough, realize that it could've been even worse. A game like this has to make one wonder, just how good is West Virginia and just how good is UConn?

2. Oklahoma 49 Oklahoma State 17: Okie State truly is a different club away from Stillwater, aren't they? Oklahoma was coming off a 34-27 loss to Texas Tech, could have come into this one with their heads down, and with the health of their starting quarterback in question, that could've posed as a team distraction, as well. Well, Bradford and the Sooners' offense laid all those questions and distractions to rest. It seems that whenever these two clubs meet in Stillwater, the Sooners have a rough go of it, but when they meet in Norman, no fear should reside in the Boomer Schooner.

1. Florida 45 Florida State 12: FSU had been playing fairly well of late, in beating Maryland, defeating then #2 and unbeaten Boston College on the road, and in playing Virginia Tech tough through about 3 1/2 quarters. Florida had been playing well also, but against the likes of Florida Atlantic in the second half. Whenever I look over at that score, I immediately think, "typo," but unfortunately, that's not the case.

Kudos
Arkansas, Central Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Troy, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.

Arkansas: After starting the year 3-3, the Razorbacks have gone 5-1 to finish the season at 8-4, with wins over South Carolina (6-6), Mississippi State (7-5), and then #1 ranked LSU (10-2) in that time-span.

Central Florida: After starting the year at an even 3-3, George O'Leary's Golden Knights have gone a perfect 6-0 en route to a 9-3 regular season campaign, which will leave them facing 9-3 Tulsa on Saturday for the Conference-USA crown. Wins in their past six games include: Tulsa (9-3) and Southern Mississippi (7-5).

Georgia: The Bulldogs started the year 4-2, ending that six-game span with a 35-14 loss at the hands of then struggling Tennessee. Since that meltdown, the 'Dawgs have gone 6-0 en route to a 10-2 season and hypothetically, a shot at a berth in the National Championship game. In the last half of the season, Georgia has defeated: defending National Champ Florida (9-3), Troy (8-3), Auburn (8-4), Kentucky (7-5), and Georgia Tech (7-5).

Tennessee: Following their 41-17 blow-out loss to Alabama (third such loss of the season), Tennessee fell to 4-3 on the year, but since then, have gone 5-0 and earned themselves a berth in the SEC title game to face LSU. In the past five games, the 'Vols have beaten the likes of: South Carolina (6-6), Arkansas (8-4), and Kentucky (7-5).

Troy: The Trojans began the year 0-2, falling to Arkansas (8-4) and Florida (9-3) of the SEC by a combined score of 105-57 (average of 52.5 - 28.5). Since then, Troy is 8-1, with their only other loss coming to another SEC opponent, Georgia (10-2), by the final tally of 44-34. Since their opening two defeats, the Trojans have beaten the likes of: Oklahoma State (6-6), Louisiana-Monroe (6-6), and Western Kentucky (7-5).

Virginia Tech: After getting trounced by LSU in their second game of the season, 48-7, which dropped them to 1-1 on the year, Tech has gone a near perfect 9-1, with that only other "loss" being a late 4th quarter meltdown by the defense in their 14-10 loss to Boston College. Outside of that game, though, Tech has been perfect, beating: Ohio (6-6), Clemson (9-3), Georgia Tech (7-5), Florida State (7-5), and Virginia (9-3).

Wake Forest: Wake started the year slowly, due in large part to their injured starting quarterback, Riley Skinner, and they began the year at 0-2. But, the Demon Deacons have finished on a strong note, going 8-2 since that point, with wins over: Maryland (6-6), Florida State (7-5), and Navy (7-4).

No Kudos
Alabama, Kansas State, Kentucky, Miami (Florida), Nebraska, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt.

Alabama: The Tide were 6-2 and thinking about a SEC Championship berth following their 41-17 shellacking of Tennessee at home. But, since then, the Tide have lost four straight, including a loss to Louisiana-Monroe in Tuscaloosa. The Tide, now 6-6, aren't even certain of a bowl invite, as nine other SEC teams are bowl eligible.

Kansas State: Ron Prince, K-State's second year head coach, seemed to have his club going in the right direction, as the Wildcats started the year 5-3 with a 51-13 beat-down of Baylor. K-State had beaten Texas 41-21 a few weeks prior. But since that fifth win of the season, K-State finished the year with four straight losses, two of which came to teams with losing records and another came to a WAC opponent. Iowa State (3-9), Nebraska (5-7), and Fresno State (7-4) all beat the Wildcats down the stretch and by a combined score of 149-80 (49.7 - 26.7).

Kentucky: The Wildcats were flying high following their 43-37 triple overtime win over then #1 and unbeaten LSU to improve to 6-1 on the season. But, not much has gone the 'Cats way since that victory, as Kentucky has gone 1-4 since that win, with losses to Mississippi State and Vanderbilt along the way.

Miami (Florida): Miami hadn't been overly impressive in the first half of the season, but following a come-from-behind win in Tallahassee over rival Florida State, that put the 'Canes at 5-3, needing just one more win to become bowl eligible. Unfortunately for them, they never attained that sixth win of the 2007 season, dropping their final four, the most embarrassing of which was a 48-0 shut-out loss to Virginia in what was the final game at the Orange Bowl.

Nebraska: After their 35-17 win over Iowa State, Nebraska improved to 4-1 on the season, their only loss being a 49-31 defeat at the hands of USC. Life was anything but 4-1-like in Lincoln following that Cyclones' game, as Nebraska finished the season by losing six of their remaining seven games en route to a 5-7 record. NU allowed at least 28 points in all seven games, 31 or more in six of those seven, 36 or more in five of seven, 41 or more in four of seven, 45 or more in three of seven, and 65 or more in two of seven. They allowed 322 points in their final seven games (46.0 ppg).

South Carolina: Steve Spurrier and his Gamecocks were at one point ranked 6th in the country and had their eyes set on a SEC Championship following their hard-fought win over North Carolina which vaulted SC to 6-1 on the season. Since then, there are nothing but L's on the schedule for the Gamecocks, as Spurrier's club has lost five straight to close the year at an even 6-6.

Vanderbilt: Vandy seemed destined to reach a bowl game this season, as they started the year 5-3 and needed to win just one of their remaining four games to become bowl eligible. But, that just didn't happen for the Commodores, as Vandy lost their final four games of the season to finish at 5-7.

Player(s) of the Week
I'm splitting the honor again this week, but first, I have to give some kudos to three other players who stepped up their game against quality opponents this past week. John David Booty, USC's quarterback, completed 26 of 39 passes (66.7%) for 375 yards (14.4 ypc and 9.6 ypa) against Arizona State, throwing four touchdown passes and rushing for another. Colt Brennan of Hawaii completed 40 of 53 tosses (75.5%) for 495 yards (12.4 ypc and 9.3 ypa), five touchdown passes, and two interceptions against Boise State. He also ran the ball 9 times for 18 yards (2.0 ypc) and an additional score for the Warriors. Finally, Pat White of West Virginia completed 9 of 13 pass attempts (69.2%) for 107 yards (11.9 ypc and 8.2 ypa), one touchdown and one interception. He ran the ball 16 times against the then 9-1 UConn Huskies for 186 yards (11.6 ypc) and two more scores.

But, the honor this week goes to Darren McFadden of Arkansas and Chase Daniel of Missouri.

Before the game against Arkansas, LSU hadn't allowed a back to rush for 100+ yards this season. On 32 carries, McFadden ecclipsed the 200 yard mark, rushing for 206 yards (6.4 ypc) and three scores. He was also 3 for 6 throwing the ball (50.0%) for 34 yards (11.3 ypc and 5.7 ypa) and another touchdown in the Razorbacks 50-48 upset win over the Tigers.

Chase Daniel couldn't have played any more efficiently against the then unbeaten and 2nd ranked Jayhawks of Kansas. Daniel completed 40 of 49 pass attempts (81.6%) for 361 yards (9.0 ypc and 7.4 ypa), and three touchdowns. He also ran for 6 yards on seven carries (0.9 ypc).

Surprise(s) of the Week
This goes to Arkansas for their 50-48 upset win over LSU in triple overtime. Going into the game, Arkansas was 3-4 against bowl eligible teams. Their three wins were against Troy of the Sun Belt conference early in the season, 6-6 South Carolina, and 7-5 Mississippi State. All of those victories came in Little Rock. LSU, meanwhile, was 6-1 against bowl eligible competition, with wins over: Mississippi State (7-5), Virginia Tech (10-2), South Carolina (6-6), Florida (9-3), Auburn (8-4), and Alabama (6-6). They were 4-0 against such clubs in Baton Rouge. For Arkansas to go down to Baton Rouge and beat the then 10-1 and top-ranked Tigers was quite surprising indeed.

Nebraska Game (from an unbiased perspective)
What is there left to be said? For the sixth time this season, Nebraska's Black and Blue Shirts, got roughed up for 40+ points, in allowing 65 to the Colorado Buffaloes. NU's offense clicked in the first half, especially toward the tail-end, en route to a 35-24 halftime lead, but Colorado answered with 34 consecutive points in the second half to take a 58-35 lead. Nebraska added a couple of garbage time scores to make the final score appear to be a bit closer than it actually was. Colorado was able to sandwich a late score to eclipse the 60-point mark, the first time they had accomplished that feat since 2001, when they beat Nebraska 62-36.

For the game, Nebraska converted 28 first downs, were just 2-11 on 3rd down (18.1%), and 2-3 on 4th down (66.7%). NU totaled 610 yards for the game, 484 passing and 126 rushing. NU completed 31 of 58 pass attempts (53.4%) to accumulate the 484 yards (15.6 ypc and 8.3 ypa) and gained the 126 yards on the ground on 20 carries (6.3 ypc). The Huskers were penalized 10 times for 57 yards. Quarterback Joe Ganz was picked off three times in the game for the Huskers three turnovers. Time of possession wise, NU held onto the football for 26 minutes and 3 seconds.

Colorado converted 26 first downs, were 10-16 on 3rd down (62.5%), and did not attempt a 4th down conversion. The Buffs accumulated 518 total yards of offense, including 241 through the air and 277 on the ground. CU was 17 for 29 passing (58.6%, 14.2 ypc, and 8.3 ypa) and racked up the rushing yardage on 52 carries (5.3 ypc). Colorado was penalized 7 times for 65 yards, did not turn the ball over once, and held onto the football for 33 minutes and 57 seconds.

Nebraska's Joe Ganz completed 31 of 58 pass attempts (53.4%) for 484 yards (15.6 ypc and 8.3 ypa), 4 touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also ran the ball six times for 37 yards (6.2 ypc) and two more scores. Tailback Marlon Lucky ran the ball 12 times for 69 yards (5.8 ypc), and one score. He also caught eight passes for 115 yards (14.4 ypr). Maurice Purify led the club in receiving, by catching eleven passes for 136 yards (12.4 ypr), and three touchdowns. Eight different Husker receivers caught at least one pass from Ganz.

For Colorado, quarterback Cody Hawkins was 17 of 29 throwing (58.6%) for 241 yards (14.2 ypc and 8.3 ypa), and 2 touchdowns. He also ran the ball five times for 15 yards (3.0 ypc) and another score. Running back, Hugh Charles, carried the ball 33 times for 169 yards (5.1 ypc), and three touchdowns. In addition to that, he caught one pass for 33 yards (33.0 ypr). Nine different receivers caught at least one pass for Colorado. The three interceptions by the Buffs were returned for a total of 114 yards (38.0 ypr), one of which went for a touchdown.

Well, as Forrest Gump would say, "That's all I have to say about that," in direct reference to Bill Callahan's tenure at Nebraska. It was made official on Saturday that Callahan's fourth year would be his last in Lincoln. NU's loss on Friday sent them to 5-7 on the season and 2-6 in Big XII play, only the second time since 1962 that a Nebraska team has finished below the .500 mark. Both occasions came under Callahan's watch, as NU went 5-6 in his first year and 5-7 in his fourth and final one. Interim Athletic Director (and interim head coach), Tom Osborne, is now in search for a new head coach. Word has it that T.O. has interviewed Turner Gill of Buffalo, Bo Pelini of LSU, and Jim Grobe of Wake Forest. Brian Kelly of Cincinnati has denied ever having been contacted by Osborne and Paul Johnson of Navy had no comment when approached about being contacted. Word on the street has it that Osborne has narrowed it down to Pelini and Gill and word also has it that Osborne wasn't all too impressed with Pelini's interview, so I have a feeling T.O. will name Turner Gill the new head coach at Nebraska. But, before that happens, let's review the success that was Bill Callahan in Lincoln.

At Nebraska, Callahan had a 27-22 record overall (.551), 24-22 against I-A competition (.522). He was 10-20 against I-A winning teams (.333). Callahan also brought with him a very impressive 15-18 Big XII record (.455), 3-10 against the Big XII South (.231). Away from Lincoln, Callahan was 7-13 (.350) and was 1-2 at a neutral location (.333). Against top 25 competition at the time of the game? 3-10 (.231). How about top 25 competition at season's end? 1-8 (.111). It's got to get better than this. Against the top 10? 0-7 (.000). As a ranked team? 11-7 (.611)! NU was 9-11 following a victory under Callahan (.450), 9-8 following a loss (.529), and 9-3 following a bye (.750). Ten of Callahan's fifteen Big XII wins came against: Baylor (2-0), Colorado (2-2), Iowa State (3-1), and Kansas State (3-1). NU was also 2-2 against Missouri (.500) and Kansas (.500) and 1-1 against Texas A&M (.500). So, against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech? NU was 0-9 (.000)! Take care Bill. We'll all miss you dearly...

The chicken or the egg...what happened first? One could point to Nebraska this season and ponder about that. Nebraska's defense was dreadful for the majority of the season, but the offense didn't help matters any with turnovers. Not many people point to that fact, but Nebraska ranked 116th in the nation in turnover margin this season, with a margin of -1.42 per game. On many occasions, this put the defense in a tough predicament. But, one could also make the argument that due to the defense's lack of stopping the opponent, pressure was piled unto the offense, which was the reason for many of those, perhaps, forced turnovers. But, in just about every loss this season, one only needs to look at the turnover differential to see one major factor in those losses. This past Friday was no different. While Colorado didn't turn the ball over, NU turned it over three times, giving CU a decided advantage in turnover margin. Did some teams play Nebraska conservatively on offense believing that the defense would break at some point? Did they do so believing NU's offense would make some mistakes? Both?

Nebraska lacked an identity this year. While their offensive numbers, for the most part, look fairly impressive, especially in the pass game, many of those numbers and points were accumulated in garbage time. This occurred against USC (14 points), Oklahoma State (7), Kansas (8), and Colorado (16). In most circumstances, if a team has to throw the ball 50-60 times in a game, that club will be on the losing end of the stick. Why? Because, they had to throw 50-60 times to try and get their team back in the ball game, coming from behind. There are exceptions to the rule, in Mike Leach or Mike Price-type systems, but those exceptions are definitely few and far between. While NU was ranked 8th in the country in passing yardage, they were only ranked 69th in rushing and even with the garbage points, they were tied for 29th in the country in scoring. After Nebraska's season-opening 52-10 blow-out win over Nevada, where they ran for 413 yards, who honestly would've thought that NU would finish the year ranked 69th in rushing offense? There are reasons for that: 1) falling behind, 2) impatience, and 3) lack of confidence. Whether a team falls behind by 7 in the first or the third quarter, a coach should have confidence in his system. Callahan has illustrated throughout his tenure that he's quick to jump ship if his team falls behind at all. There were some games when Callahan was content on running the ball 40-50 times (ex. Nevada), other times when he was determined to throw the ball at the pace of a Mike Leach-run ball club (ex. Colorado), and others where there was some balance in play-calling (ex. not sure). While, yes, it made for a rather unpredictable offense, it also took away from some strengths of the offense. Marlon Lucky was limited in the run game. Purify was limited in the pass game when Sam Keller was behind center. Callahan has refused to get the tight ends involved in the offense during his four years. Hopefully, the new coaching staff will bring an identity with them, for the offense, defense, and special teams.

After their final regular season game, here are Nebraska's rankings:
Sagarin: #59
Sports Illustrated Power Poll: #76
CBS Sportsline: #66

Rushing Offense: 144.42 (69th and 8th)
Passing Offense: 323.83 (8th and 3rd)
Total Offense: 468.25 (13th and 5th)
Scoring Offense: 33.42 (T-29th and 7th)
Rushing Defense: 232.17 (116th and 12th)
Pass Efficiency Defense: 130.22 (76th and 7th)
Total Defense: 476.83 (112th and 12th)
Scoring Defense: 37.92 (112th and 12th)
Net Punting: 36.33 (41st and 5th)
Punt Returns: 8.18 (72nd and 7th)
Kickoff Returns: 21.88 (47th and 7th)
Turnover Margin: -1.42 (116th and 11th)
Pass Defense: 244.67 (84th and 4th)
Passing Efficiency: 143.56 (18th and 5th)
Sacks: 1.08 (112th and 12th)
Tackles For Loss: 5.42 (89th and 9th)
Sacks Allowed: 1.50 (T-30th and 8th)

Solich Update
Ohio finished the season on a positive note with a 38-29 victory over Miami (Ohio). With the win, the Bobcats finish the year with an even 4-4 conference record and an even overall record of 6-6. With the win, it makes Ohio bowl eligible, but as the MAC only receives three bowl invites, it's unlikely that the Bobcats will be one of those three clubs.

Gill Update
How about them Bulls? With their 30-23 victory in overtime over Kent State on Saturday, Buffalo closed their season at 5-3 in MAC conference play and 5-7 overall. It's too bad Buffalo didn't play a weaker non-conference schedule. One more win would've made the Bulls bowl eligible for the first time as a I-A team.

Harrell and Crabtree Watch
Texas Tech finished their regular season the weekend prior with a 34-27 win over Oklahoma. A bowl game still awaits the Red Raiders, though. Here are the quarterback's and receiver's numbers heading into the yet to-be-determined bowl game.

Graham Harrell:
Season: 468-644 (72.7%) for 5,298 yards (11.3 ypc and 8.2 ypa), 45 TD's and 14 INT's.
Projected: 507-698 for 5,740 yards, 49 TD's and 15 INT's.

Michael Crabtree:
Season: 125 catches for 1,861 yards (14.9 ypr), and 21 TD's.
Projected: 135 receptions for 2,016 yards, and 23 TD's.

Random Note of the Week
Frank Solich won more games at Ohio (6) and Turner Gill won just as many games at Buffalo (5) as Bill Callahan did at Nebraska (5) this season.

Predictions
Thursday
Rutgers at Louisville: Louisville is trying to become the sixth Big East team (of eight) to qualify for a bowl bid. The Cardinals come into this game at 5-6 and a bye week, following their embarrassing 55-17 loss to South Florida a couple weeks ago. Anything is possible these days, but I have trouble believing the porous Cardinals' front seven will be able to stop Ray Rice short of 150-200 yards rushing for the game. Rutgers wins and heads into bowl season at 8-4, while the Cardinals watch at home.
Rutgers 27 Louisville 24

Friday
Fresno State at New Mexico State: Outside of Hawaii, Pat Hill's Fresno State Bulldogs are playing some of the best football in the WAC. Even with the Aggies coming off a much needed bye week, I don't see them even come close to upsetting the Bulldogs. Fresno finishes the regular season at 8-4.
Fresno State 38 New Mexico State 17

Saturday
Miami (Ohio) vs. Central Michigan (MAC Championship): This is quite an odd "title" game, as it features two teams with a combined record of just 13-11. If Miami (Ohio) loses this game, they will not be eligible to go bowling, as they will finish the regular season at 6-7. Just three teams in the MAC have an above .500 record and two of those clubs are not featured in this one (Bowling Green at 8-4 and Ball State at 7-5). The Chippewas have been living dangerously of late with their nail-biters down the stretch, but Miami can't even claim that feat, as they're coming off a 38-29 loss to 6-6 Ohio. CMU lives dangerously again, but pulls out another close victory to finish the regular season at 8-5.
Central Michigan 38 Miami (Ohio) 31

Navy vs. Army: One of the most historic rivalries in all of sports. Unfortunately, Army is not nearly as good as they once were on the gridiron and Navy has bettered the Black Knights rather regularly the past few years. Expect more of the same in this one, as Navy finishes the season at 8-4 and heads to the Poinsettia Bowl.
Navy 42 Army 24

Tulsa vs. Central Florida (C-USA Championship): One team I would not want to face right now is Central Florida. Ever since the Golden Knights' embarrassing 64-12 loss to South Florida, which sent UCF to an even 3-3 record, the Knights have won six consecutive games, by a total of 130 points (21.7 ppg). UCF's low output during this stretch was when they scored JUST 34 points in their 17-point victory in Hattiesburg, Mississippi against Jeff Bower's Golden Eagles. Tulsa, meanwhile, has allowed 82 points in the past two weeks (40.5 average) to the likes of Army (3-8) and Rice (3-9). With how well UCF has played on both sides of the ball of late and how poorly Tulsa has played on defense, I give the edge to George O'Leary's Golden Knights.
Central Florida 45 Tulsa 31

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (ACC Championship): The Hokies won 55 of the 60 minutes played against Boston College earlier in the season, only to fall late by the final score of 14-10. I have a hard time believing that Frank Beamer, Bud Foster, and company will allow that to happen again. The Hokies have been on a tear since that loss, beating the likes of: Georgia Tech (7-5), Florida State (7-5), Miami (Florida) (5-7), and Virginia (9-3) by the combined score of 144-59 (average of 36.0 - 14.8). BC has just been good enough to win some ball games down the stretch, like their one this past Saturday, when they defeated Miami 28-14. With revenge on their minds and in playing the best football of any ACC team over the past month, I look for Virginia Tech to win the ACC Championship and head to a BCS game at 10-2.
Virginia Tech 24 Boston College 17

Florida Atlantic at Troy: For how dominant Troy has been in the Sun Belt conference this year, it's hard to believe that the winner of this game will be crowned conference champion. Troy comes into the game 6-0 in Sun Belt play and Howard Schnellenberger's Burrowing Owls at 5-1. Schnelly has definitely helped improve FAU this season and regardless of the outcome here, they'll finish the regular season bowl eligible, but Troy is just too darn good to lose the season finale at home. Troy finishes the year 7-0 in conference and 9-3 overall. I feel bad for whomever they play come bowl season.
Troy 38 Florida Atlantic 24

Tennessee vs. LSU (SEC Championship): Both clubs are coming off some extremely wild games this past weekend. Arkansas took LSU to three overtimes, before upsetting the then #1 ranked Tigers 50-48. It took four overtimes to decide the victor between Tennessee and Kentucky, with the Vols hanging on to a 52-50 lead at game's end. A few weeks ago, I would've said that the Vols had no chance in this one, but much has changed during that time. Tennessee's defense has risen to the occasion (nevermind the 50 points allowed last Saturday) and LSU has lived on edge, before finally falling off the cliff this past weekend. With all the rumors swirling about head coach Les Miles going to Michigan and defensive coordinator Bo Pelini potentially going to Nebraska, there are many in-house distractions which will play a factor in the Tigers' upcoming games. I look for Tennessee to take full advantage of this opportunity and be crowned SEC Champion.
Tennessee 34 LSU 31

Louisiana Tech at Nevada: With both teams coming into the game at 5-6, the winner will officially become bowl eligible and the loser will...well...not. With the game at home and dual-threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick coming off a disappointing couple of efforts, I look for the freshman stud to rebound nicely at home and at least give the Wolfpack a chance of being invited to a bowl game.
Nevada 38 Louisiana Tech 28

UCLA at USC: Bruins' head coach, Karl Dorrell, was probably thanking his lucky stars that his club beat Oregon this past weekend to improve to 6-5, which made them bowl eligible. Why? The Trojans' national championship hopes were dashed last season following the Bruins' regular season finale upset. With many of the players returning to this year's club, including quarterback John David Booty, look for the Trojans to avenge last year's loss, improve to 10-2, and head to another Rose Bowl.
USC 27 UCLA 13

Oregon State at Oregon: The Ducks' offense is lost without their leader, Dennis Dixon. Back-up quarterback, Brady Leaf, was also injured in the loss to UCLA last weekend. The Ducks played most of the game with their third and fourth-string quarterbacks. Look for more of the same in The Civil War. Oregon State has been playing pretty well of late and should make the most of the opportunity a Dixonless Ducks' squad provides them. The Beavers improve to 8-4 on the season while the Ducks fall to 8-4.
Oregon State 24 Oregon 10

BYU at San Diego State: A make-up game due to hazardous weather conditions. The Aztecs are probably now wishing that they had played in the harsh weather, as it may have made the game a bit closer than it will be this upcoming Saturday. BYU leads from start to finish, as the Cougars improve to 10-2 on the season on their way to a bowl game.
BYU 41 San Diego State 13

California at Stanford: Cal needs this game, just from a confidence standpoint. Stanford is 3-8 and regardless if they win this one or not, they have had some peaks this year from which to build for next year. Cal was once 5-0, ranked #2 in the country, and a few seconds away from sending a game with Oregon State into overtime, where, with a victory, they'd move up to #1 in the nation. Six games later and a 1-5 record in that span to reach a cumulative record of 6-5, and the Golden Bears are reeling. Their lowest offensive output through their first four games was 31 points in their 31-24 win over Oregon at Autzen Stadium. Their high output in the past six games is 28 points in their 31-28 loss to Oregon State at home, which initiated the slide. With the week off for players to heal and coaches to fix some quirks in game strategies from recent losses, I look for the Bears to close the regular season with a much needed victory, at the expense of the cellar dweller in the Pac-10. Cal finishes at 7-5.
California 31 Stanford 17

North Texas at Florida International: This is one of two games that FIU probably circled at the start of the season, believing that they had a legitimate shot to win. But, unfortunately for them, the Mean Green has been better of late and for the second consecutive season, I see the Golden Panthers finishing the season at 0-12.
North Texas 34 Florida International 17

Pittsburgh at West Virginia: The Backyard Brawl, or so it's called, has more meaning to it this year than in year's past. No, it's not a top ten match-up or a battle for the Big East crown, BUT, with a win in this game, West Virginia will be all but ensured a spot in the national championship game. The 10-1 Mountaineers have already assured themselves a spot in a BCS bowl, with a win over Connecticut last week, but are still one win away from finding themselves in the title game. Pittsburgh won't be a push-over and may play WVU tightly for about a half, but the running of Pat White, Steve Slaton, and Noel Devine will wear down the Pitt defense in the second half, as the Mountaineers get their opportunity to be crowned national champions.
West Virginia 38 Pittsburgh 17

Arizona at Arizona State: Even with three straight wins under their belt, Arizona is still one win away from becoming bowl eligible. ASU may be playing with their heads in the sand some, coming off a very disappointing 44-24 loss to USC last Thursday, which made the Trojans the Pac-10 front-runner for the Rose Bowl. Taking all that into consideration, I give the slight edge to U of A, to upend their in-state rival, which pushes them to 6-6 and bowl eligibility.
Arizona 31 Arizona State 27

Oklahoma vs. Missouri (Big XII Championship): The Tigers led 24-23 after three quarters in the first meeting this season, before falling flat on their face in the 4th quarter en route to a 41-31 loss. But, the Tigers have improved since then and OU has fluctuated some between dominance (ask Texas A&M) and mediocrity (ask Texas Tech). With the Sooners' quarterback, Bradford, not 100% and tailback, Murray, out the rest of the season, I look for Mizzou's offense to outscore the Sooners for the Big XII title and a national championship berth against West Virginia.
Missouri 38 Oklahoma 31

Washington at Hawaii: I'm done picking against Hawaii in Honolulu. Washington should be able to score some points on the Warriors, but UW just gave up 42 points to Washington State last Saturday night, so I have trouble believing the Huskies' defense will improve much for this next game. Hawaii could suffer a bit of a let-down, with all the hype that surrounded the Boise State game last Friday night, but not enough to suffer their first loss of the season. Hawaii finishes the year 12-0 and earns a trip to a BCS game, where they should get slaughtered by the opposition.
Hawaii 48 Washington 31

Week 13 Record: 38-9 (.809)
Overall Record: 435-186 (.700)

Fact or Fiction
"Fact or Fiction: There is a true Heisman front-runner at this point of the season."

Fiction. Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon would've been the front-runner had it not been for the injury suffered in the Arizona game, but due to that injury, it's a wide open race...still. I have narrowed it down to eight players, though. Two names you won't see are Colt Brennan and Matt Ryan. Brennan, quarterback of unbeaten Hawaii, has put up solid numbers this year, but in missing two games, having put up much better numbers in the 2006 season, and with Hawaii having played one of the weakest schedules in all the country, I can't even think about giving the honor to the Warriors' quarterback. I also can't give it to Boston College quarterback, Matt Ryan. He's a very solid quarterback, but has been very inconsistent in the second half of the season. He has had a flair for the dramatic, but those last-minute "heroics" don't equally counter his struggles against Virginia Tech for 55 minutes, Florida State, Maryland, amongst others. Here are my eight finalists, listed alphabetically, followed by a brief breakdown of each player:

Michael Crabtree - Wide Receiver - Texas Tech
Chase Daniel - Quarterback - Missouri
Dennis Dixon - Quarterback - Oregon
Matt Forte - Running Back - Tulane
Darren McFadden - Running Back - Arkansas
Kevin Smith - Running Back - Central Florida
Tim Tebow - Quarterback - Florida
Pat White - Quarterback - West Virginia

Michael Crabtree, the freshman phenom at Texas Tech, is not just a product of the Mike Leach system. Anyone who has watched the Red Raiders this year would be able to attest to that. For the season, Crabtree has caught 125 passes for 1,861 yards (14.9 ypr), 21 touchdowns, and broken a multitude of freshman records along with those numbers. In Tech's 49-45 loss to Oklahoma State, Crabtree caught 14 balls for 237 yards and three touchdowns. He had his poorest showing of the season in Tech's 41-10 loss to Missouri, as he caught 10 passes for just 76 yards and no scores. In Texas Tech's 31-26 loss to Colorado, Crabtree caught 12 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown. In Tech's 59-43 loss to Texas, the freshman caught 9 balls for 195 yards and two scores. Tech beat two bowl eligible teams this year. In their 35-7 win over Texas A&M, Crabtree made 8 catches for 170 yards and no scores. In Tech's regular season finale 34-27 win over Oklahoma, the freshman made 12 catches for 154 yards and a score.
Totals (totals): 125 catches for 1,861 yards (14.9 ypr) and 21 touchdowns.
Totals (averages): 10.4 catches per game for 155.1 yards and 1.8 touchdowns.
In losses (totals): 45 catches for 639 yards (14.2 ypr) and 6 touchdowns.
In losses (averages): 11.3 catches for 159.8 and 1.5 touchdowns.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (totals): 20 catches for 324 yards (16.2 ypr) and 1 touchdown.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (averages): 10.0 catches for 162.0 yards and 0.5 touchdowns.

Chase Daniel, another Big XII player, is the Missouri Tigers' quarterback and a system one at that, under head coach Gary Pinkel. Daniel has been one of the more consistent players in the country and outside of a couple of ill-timed picks against the Sooners in the Tigers' lone loss of the year (thus far), Daniel has stepped up his game against solid competition. For the year, Daniel has completed 349 out of 495 pass attempts (70.5%) for 3,951 yards (11.3 ypc and 8.0 ypa), 33 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He's also run the ball 93 times for 258 yards (2.8 ypc) and 3 touchdowns. In Mizzou's 41-31 loss in Norman, Daniel was 37-47 (78.7%) for 361 yards (9.8 ypc and 7.7 ypa), 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He carried the ball 13 times for -1 yard (-0.1 ypc). The Tiger quarterback was 37-54 (68.5%) in his team's 40-34 win over Illinois, for 359 yards (9.7 ypc and 6.6 ypa), and 3 touchdowns. He rushed the ball 11 times for -6 yards (-0.5 ypc). Daniel completed 14 of 19 pass attempts (73.7%) for 210 yards (15.0 ypc and 11.1 ypa), 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in Missouri's 41-10 win over Texas Tech. Daniel also rushed the ball 7 times for 11 yards (1.6 ypc). Daniel had a field day in the Tigers' 55-10 victory over Colorado. The quarterback completed 26 of 44 passes (59.1%) for 421 yards (16.2 ypc and 9.6 ypa), 5 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also carried the ball 6 times for 24 yards (4.0 ypc). In Missouri's 40-26 win over Texas A&M, Daniel completed 27 of 35 passes (77.1%) for 352 yards (13.0 ypc and 10.1 ypa), and 3 touchdowns. He added 15 yards on 10 rush attempts (1.5 ypc). Finally, this past weekend against Kansas, Daniel completed an astounding 40 of 49 pass attempts (81.6%) for 361 yards (9.0 ypc and 7.4 ypa), and 3 touchdowns. He also added 6 rushing yards on 7 carries (0.9 ypc).
Totals (totals): 349-495 (70.5%) for 3,951 yards (11.3 ypc and 8.0 ypa), 33 touchdowns, 9 interceptions; 93 carries for 258 yards (2.8 ypc) and 3 touchdowns.
Totals (averages): 29.1-41.3 for 329.3 yards, 2.8 touchdowns, 0.8 interceptions; 7.8 carries for 21.5 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
In losses (totals): 37-47 (78.7%) for 361 yards (9.8 ypc and 7.7 ypa), 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions; 13 carries for -1 yard (-0.1 ypc).
In losses (averages): 37-47 (78.7%) for 361 yards (9.8 ypc and 7.7 ypa), 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions; 13 carries for -1 yard (-0.1 ypc).
In wins against bowl eligible teams (totals): 144-201 (71.6%) for 1,703 yards (11.8 ypc and 8.5 ypa), 15 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions; 41 carries for 50 yards (1.2 ypc) and 0 touchdowns.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (averages): 28.8-40.2 for 340.6 yards, 3.0 touchdowns, and 0.4 interceptions; 8.2 carries for 10.0 yards and 0.0 touchdowns.

Dennis Dixon, the dual-threat quarterback for Oregon, would be voted most valuable player in the truest sense of the term if there were such an award in college football. It's been incredible to see the difference in Oregon's offense with and without Dixon these past few weeks. Regardless of the injury, Dixon's name deserves to be mentioned amongst the elite in the nation at season's end. Before his season-ending injury against Arizona, Dixon completed 172 of 254 passes (67.7%) for 2,136 yards (12.4 ypc and 8.4 ypa), 20 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He also ran the ball 105 times for 583 yards (5.6 ypc) and 9 more scores. Including the Arizona game, Dixon's Ducks faced off against seven bowl eligible teams. In Oregon's first loss of the season, their 31-24 set-back to California, Dixon completed 31 of 44 passes (70.5%) for 306 yards (9.9 ypc and 7.0 ypa), 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He also carried the ball 8 times for 17 yards (2.1 ypc) and a score. In Oregon's only other loss with Dixon as the starter, where the star quarterback saw limited playing time due to his injury, the QB was 5-8 (60.0%) for 62 yards (12.4 ypc and 7.8 ypa), and an interception in the Ducks' 34-24 loss to Arizona. He ran the ball 2 times for 34 yards (17.0 ypc) and a touchdown. In the Ducks' season opener against Houston, Dixon completed 9 of 15 pass attempts (60.0%) for 134 yards (14.9 ypc and 8.9 ypa), and 2 touchdowns. He ran the ball 15 times for 141 yards (9.4 ypc) and an additional touchdown, leading his Ducks to a 48-27 victory. In Oregon's 39-7 win over Michigan, Dixon completed 16 of 25 passes (64.0%) for 292 yards (18.3 ypc and 11.7 ypa), and 3 touchdowns. He ran the ball 16 times for 76 yards (4.8 ypc) and another score. Against the always pesky Fresno State Bulldogs, Dixon completed 14 of 20 passes (70.0%) for 139 yards (9.9 ypc and 7.0 ypa), and 2 scores. He ran the ball 8 times for 59 yards and another touchdown in the Ducks' 52-21 win over Fresno. Versus the mighty Trojans of USC, Dixon led his troops to a hard-fought 24-17 victory. In the game, he completed 16 of 25 passes (64.0%) for 157 yards (9.8 ypc and 6.3 ypa) and ran the ball 17 times for 76 yards (4.5 ypc) and a touchdown. Finally, in Oregon's 35-23 win over Arizona State, Dixon was 13 for 22 for 189 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. He also carried the ball 11 times for 57 yards.
Totals (totals): 172-254 (67.7%) for 2,136 yards (12.4 ypc and 8.4 ypa), 20 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions; 105 carries for 583 yards (5.6 ypc) and 9 touchdowns.
Totals (averages): 17.2-25.4 for 213.6 yards, 2.0 touchdowns, and 0.4 interceptions; 10.5 carries for 58.3 yards and 0.9 touchdowns.
In losses (totals): 36-52 (69.2%) for 368 yards (10.2 ypc and 7.1 ypa), 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions; 10 carries for 51 yards (5.1 ypc) and 2 touchdowns.
In losses (averages): 18.0-26.0 for 184.0 yards, 0.5 touchdowns and 1.5 interceptions; 5.0 carries for 25.5 yards and 1.0 touchdowns.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (totals): 68-107 (63.6%) for 911 yards (13.4 ypc and 8.5 ypa), 11 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions; 67 carries for 409 yards (6.1 ypc) and 4 touchdowns.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (averages): 13.6-21.4 for 182.2 yards, 2.2 touchdowns, and 0.0 interceptions; 13.4 carries for 81.8 yards and 0.8 touchdowns.

Matt Forte is not a guy that many people have heard about. He's a tailback out of Tulane and what makes his numbers especially impressive is the fact that Tulane is 4-8 and does not pose much of a passing attack. They are not a good football team and every defense they've gone up against has tried to stop Forte first and foremost. For the season, Forte has 361 carries to his credit for 2,127 yards (5.9 ypc), and 27 touchdowns. He's also caught 32 passes for 282 yards (8.8 ypr). In the Green Wave's 38-17 loss to Mississippi State, Forte had his worst outing of the season, carrying the ball 14 times for 47 yards (3.4 ypc), and 1 touchdown. He also caught 6 passes for 49 yards (8.2 ypr). In Tulane's 34-10 loss to Houston, Forte carried the ball 17 times for 85 yards (5.0 ypc). He also caught four passes for 22 yards (5.5 ypr). Forte went scoreless in his club's 34-9 defeat at the hands of LSU. He ran the ball 16 times for 73 yards (4.6 ypc) and caught one pass for 21 yards (21.0 ypr). Forte started to get on a roll in his club's 20-17 loss to Army, where the tailback carried the ball 32 times for 202 yards (6.3 ypc) and 2 touchdowns. He also caught 5 passes for 45 more yards (9.0 ypr). Forte improved in the team's next defeat, falling to UAB 26-17. The tailback carried the ball 32 times for 209 yards (6.5 ypc) and a touchdown. He also caught four passes for 36 yards (9.0 ypr). In Tulane's 49-25 loss to Tulsa, Forte ran the ball 26 times for 103 yards (4.0 ypc), and caught three passes for 3 yards (1.0 ypr). Lastly, in the Green Wave's 35-12 loss to East Carolina, Forte ran the ball 25 times for 120 yards (4.8 ypc), and a touchdown. Added to his running totals, he caught three passes for 25 yards (8.3 ypr).
Totals (totals): 361 carries for 2,127 yards (5.9 ypc) and 27 touchdowns; 32 catches for 282 yards (8.8 ypr).
Totals (averages): 32.8 carries for 193.4 yards and 2.5 touchdowns; 2.9 catches for 25.6 yards.
In losses (totals): 162 carries for 839 yards (5.2 ypc) and 5 touchdowns; 26 catches for 201 yards (7.7 ypr).
In losses (averages): 23.1 carries for 119.9 yards and 0.7 touchdowns; 3.7 catches for 28.7 yards.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (totals): N/A.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (averages): N/A.

Darren McFadden, Arkansas' do-everything tailback, has to be mentioned amongst my top eight candidates. The Razorbacks have had a semi-disappointing 8-4 season, but finished very strongly with a 50-48 win against then top-ranked LSU. On the season, McFadden carried the ball 304 times for 1,725 yards (5.7 ypc), and 15 touchdowns. He caught 21 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown (7.8 ypr). McFadden also completed 6 of 11 passes (54.5%) for 123 yards (20.5 ypc and 11.2 ypa) and 4 touchdowns. In Arkansas' 41-38 loss to Alabama, McFadden carried the ball 33 times for 195 yards (5.9 ypc), and 2 touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 16 additional yards (5.3 ypr). McFadden had another solid showing in the Razorbacks' 42-29 loss to Kentucky. He ran the ball 29 times for 173 yards (6.0 ypc), and a touchdown. He also caught two balls for 10 yards in the game (5.0 ypr). The stud tailback did have a down game against Auburn, in Arkansas' tough 9-7 loss to the Tigers. McFadden carried the ball 17 times for 43 yards (2.5 ypc) and caught one pass for 5 yards (5.0 ypr). In the 'Hogs 4th and final loss of the regular season, their 34-13 setback against the Volunteers of Tennessee, McFadden ran the ball 22 times for 117 yards (5.3 ypc) and caught three passes for 17 yards (5.7 ypr). Against the underrated Troy Trojans, whom Arkansas beat to begin their season, 46-26, McFadden ran the ball 24 times for 151 yards (6.3 ypc) and a score. He also caught two passes for 30 yards (15.0 ypr). McFadden ran wild in the 'Hogs 48-36 win over South Carolina, as he ran the ball 34 times for 321 yards (9.4 ypc) and a touchdown. He also caught one pass for 4 yards (4.0 ypr). McFadden had a bit of a down week in Arkansas' 45-31 win over Mississippi State, as he carried the ball 28 times for 88 yards (3.1 ypc). He did catch four passes for 50 yards (12.5 ypr) and a score. Finally, this past week, McFadden showed up huge in his club's 50-48 upset win over LSU. He carried the ball 32 times for 206 yards (6.4 ypc) and 3 touchdowns.
Totals (totals): 304 carries for 1,725 yards (5.7 ypc), 15 touchdowns; 21 catches for 164 yards (7.8 ypr) and 1 touchdown; 6-11 (54.5%) for 123 yards (20.5 ypc and 11.2 ypa) and 4 touchdowns.
Totals (averages): 25.3 carries for 143.8 yards, 1.3 touchdowns; 1.8 catches for 13.7 yards and 0.1 touchdown; 0.5-0.9 for 10.3 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.
In losses (totals): 101 carries for 528 yards (5.2 ypc), and 3 touchdowns; 9 catches for 48 yards (5.3 ypr).
In losses (averages): 25.3 carries for 132.0 yards, and 0.8 touchdowns; 2.3 catches for 12.0 yards.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (totals): 118 carries for 766 yards (6.5 ypc), and 5 touchdowns; 7 catches for 84 yards (12.0 ypr) and 1 touchdown.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (averages): 29.5 carries for 191.5 yards, and 1.3 touchdowns; 1.8 catches for 21.0 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.

Kevin Smith, along with Matt Forte, may be another name not commonplace amongst college football chatter. Along with Forte, Smith, the Central Florida tailback, is the only other running back to tally 2,000+ rushing yards this year. Smith is actually the leader following UCF's win over UTEP on Saturday and with Tulane's season officially being over, Smith will win the rushing title, as UCF has two games remaining. On the season, Smith has carried the ball 376 times for 2,164 yards (5.8 ypc), and 25 touchdowns. He's also caught 21 passes for 230 yards (11.0 ypr) and an additional score. In UCF's 35-32 nail-biting loss to Texas, Smith ran the ball 27 times for 149 yards (5.5 ypc), and 2 touchdowns. He caught one pass for 24 yards (24.0 ypr) on the afternoon. In UCF's 52-38 loss to East Carolina, Smith ran the ball 29 times for 147 yards (5.1 ypc), and one score. He also caught 4 balls for 20 yards (5.0 ypr). In his poorest showing of the season, against South Florida, in the Golden Knights' 64-12 loss to the Bulls, Smith carried the ball 17 times for 55 yards (3.2 ypc) and caught 3 passes for 45 more (15.0 ypr). In UCF's 56-20 victory over Memphis, Smith ran the ball 22 times for 124 yards (5.6 ypc), and 3 touchdowns. In the Knights' 44-23 win over Tulsa, Smith ran the ball 33 times for 170 yards (5.2 ypc), and 3 touchdowns. He also caught one pass for 15 yards (15.0 ypr) and another score. Lastly, in Central Florida's 34-17 win over Southern Mississippi, Smith carried the ball 43 times for 175 yards (4.1 ypc) and 2 touchdowns. In addition to his rushing yards, he caught one pass for 9 yards (9.0 ypr).
Totals (totals): 376 rushes for 2,164 yards (5.8 ypc) and 25 touchdowns; 21 catches for 230 yards (11.0 ypr).
Totals (averages): 31.3 rushes for 180.3 yards and 2.1 touchdowns; 1.8 catches for 19.2 yards.
In losses (totals): 73 carries for 351 yards (4.8 ypc) and 3 touchdowns; 8 catches for 89 yards (11.1 ypr).
In losses (averages): 24.3 carries for 117.0 yards and 1.0 touchdown; 2.7 catches for 29.7 yards.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (totals): 98 carries for 469 yards (4.8 ypc) and 8 touchdowns; 2 catches for 24 yards (12.0 ypr) and 1 touchdown.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (averages): 32.7 carries for 156.3 yards and 2.7 touchdowns; 0.7 catches for 8.0 yards and 0.3 touchdowns.

Tim Tebow, Florida's sophomore quarterback, may not receive my vote as the true Heisman front-runner, but he does deserve mention along with these other seven players. He has broken a few records this year. The question remains, is he as good as his numbers indicate? Does he accumulate many of those impressive statistics during garbage time or against Florida's weaker opponents, such as Florida Atlantic? On the season, Tebow has completed 217 of 317 passes (68.5%) for 3,132 yards (14.4 ypc and 9.9 ypa), 29 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He's also run the ball 194 times for 838 yards (4.3 ypc) and 22 touchdowns. In Florida's 20-17 loss to Auburn, Tebow was 20-27 (74.1%) through the air for 201 yards (10.1 ypc and 7.4 ypa), 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He also carried the ball 19 times for 75 yards (3.9 ypc) and a score. In Florida's 28-24 loss to LSU, Tebow completed 12 of 26 pass attempts (46.2%) for 158 yards (13.2 ypc and 6.1 ypa), 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He carried the ball 16 times for 67 yards (4.2 ypc) and a score. In Florida's third and final loss of the regular season, their 42-30 loss to Georgia, Tebow was 14-22 through the air (63.6%) for 236 yards (16.9 ypc and 10.7 ypa), and one touchdown. He ran the ball 13 times for -15 yards (-1.2 ypc) and 2 touchdowns, as well. In Florida's 59-31 win over Troy, Tebow completed 18 of 25 passes (72.0%) for 236 yards (13.1 ypc and 9.4 ypa), and 3 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 17 times for 93 yards (5.5 ypc) and two more scores. He completed 14 of 19 passes (73.7%) for 299 yards (21.4 ypc and 15.7 ypa), 2 touchdowns, and an interception in the Gators' 59-20 rout of Tennessee. Tebow also ran the ball 18 times for 61 yards (3.4 ypc) and two scores. Tebow lit up Kentucky in Florida's 45-37 win over the Wildcats. The sophomore quarterback completed 18 of 26 pass (69.2%) attempts for 256 yards (14.2 ypc and 9.8 ypa), and 4 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 20 times for 78 yards (3.9 ypc) and a score. Tebow ran wild on Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks, as the Gators beat their old coach 51-31. Mr. Tebow completed 22 of 32 passes (68.8%) for 304 yards (13.8 ypc and 9.5 ypa), 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He carried the ball 26 times for 120 yards (4.6 ypc) and 5 touchdowns. Finally, in the regular season finale 45-12 blow-out of Florida State, Tebow was 19-28 throwing the ball for 262 yards, and 3 touchdowns. He ran the ball 13 times for 89 yards and 2 additional scores.
Totals (totals): 217-317 (68.5%) for 3,132 yards (14.4 ypc and 9.9 ypa), 29 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions; 194 carries for 838 yards (4.3 ypc) and 22 touchdowns.
Totals (averages): 18.1-26.4 for 261.0 yards, 2.4 touchdowns, and 0.5 interceptions; 16.2 carries for 69.8 yards and 1.8 touchdowns.
In losses (totals): 46-75 (61.3%) for 595 yards (12.9 ypc and 7.9 ypa), 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions; 48 carries for 127 yards (2.6 ypc) and 4 touchdowns.
In losses (averages): 15.3-25.0 for 198.3 yards, 1.3 touchdowns, and 0.7 interceptions; 16.0 carries for 42.3 yards and 1.3 touchdowns.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (totals): 91-130 (70.0%) for 1,357 yards (14.9 ypc and 10.4 ypa), 14 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions; 94 carries for 441 yards (4.7 ypc) and 12 touchdowns.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (averages): 18.2-26.0 for 271.4 yards, 2.8 touchdowns, and 0.4 interceptions; 18.8 carries for 88.2 yards and 2.4 touchdowns.

Finally, that brings us to West Virginia's dual-threat quarterback, Pat White. With a win on Saturday against rival Pittsburgh, White will take his Mountaineers to the National Championship game. On the season, White is 129-187 throwing the ball (69.0%) for 1,498 yards (11.6 ypc and 8.0 ypa), 12 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He's also run the ball 163 times for 1,144 yards (7.0 ypc) and 14 more scores. In West Virginia's lone loss of the season, a 21-13 defeat at the hands of South Florida, White was 12-18 (66.7%) throwing for 100 yards (8.3 ypc and 5.6 ypa) and an interception. He also ran the ball 9 times for 36 yards (4.0 ypc). White completed 8 of 13 pass attempts (61.5%) for 95 yards (11.9 ypc and 7.3 ypa) in the Mountaineers' 31-14 win over Maryland. He also ran the ball 11 times for 22 yards (2.0 ypc) and one score. White and his 'Neers beat up on East Carolina 48-7. For the game, the star quarterback was 18 of 20 throwing the ball (90.0%) for 181 yards (10.1 ypc and 9.1 ypa), and 2 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 9 times for 42 yards (4.7 ypc) and 2 more touchdowns. In West Virginia's 38-13 win over Mississippi State, White completed 8 of 12 passes (66.7%) for 61 yards (7.6 ypc and 5.1 ypa), 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in limited playing time. He also carried the ball 5 times for 89 yards (17.8 ypc) and another score. In West Va's 31-3 annihilation of Rutgers, White was 10 of 16 through the air (62.5%) for 144 yards (14.4 ypc and 9.0 ypa). He also ran the ball 22 times for 156 yards (7.1 ypc) and one score. White had a costly fumble in West Virginia's 28-23 win over Cincinnati, but for the game, he was 13 of 19 throwing the ball (68.4%) for 140 yards (10.8 ypc and 7.4 ypa) and one interception. He also ran the ball 27 times for 155 yards (5.7 ypc) and two scores. In the Mountaineers 38-31 last-minute win against Louisville, White completed 16 of 25 pass attempts (64.0%) for 181 yards (11.3 ypc and 7.2 ypa), and 2 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 24 times for 147 yards (6.1 ypc) and one score, the game winner, inside the final couple minutes. Finally, in the Big East clincher for the Mountaineers, as West Va trounced Connecticut 66-21, Pat White completed 9 of 13 pass attempts (69.2%) for 107 yards (11.9 ypc and 8.2 ypa), 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He also ran the ball 16 times for 186 yards (11.6 ypc) and 2 more scores.
Totals (totals): 129-187 (69.0%) for 1,498 yards (11.6 ypc and 8.0 ypa), 12 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions; 163 carries for 1,144 yards (7.0 ypc), and 14 touchdowns.
Totals (averages): 11.7-17.0 for 136.2 yards, 1.1 touchdowns, and 0.4 interceptions; 14.8 carries for 104.0 yards and 1.3 touchdowns.
In losses (totals): 12-18 (66.7%) for 100 yards (8.3 ypc and 5.6 ypa), and 1 interception; 9 carries for 36 yards (4.0 ypc).
In losses (averages): 12-18 (66.7%) for 100 yards (8.3 ypc and 5.6 ypa), and 1 interception; 9 carries for 36 yards (4.0 ypc).
In wins against bowl eligible teams (totals): 82-118 (69.5%) for 819 yards (10.0 ypc and 6.9 ypa), 7 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions; 114 carries for 797 yards (7.0 ypc) and 10 touchdowns.
In wins against bowl eligible teams (averages): 11.7-16.9 for 117.0 yards, 1.0 touchdown, and 0.4 interceptions; 16.3 carries for 113.9 yards and 1.4 touchdowns.

Judging from all those numbers and the chaos that has ensued this college football season, one can't look me square in the eyes with a straight face and tell me that there is a clear cut front-runner in the Heisman Trophy race, just as they can't tell me there's a true #1 team this season.

"Fact or Fiction: There is a true Heisman front-runner at this point of the season." That's entirely fiction.

Inside the Numbers
-Colt Brennan's 5 touchdown passes against Boise State this past Friday night lifted him to 126 touchdown passes in his three year career at Hawaii, breaking the all-time Division I-A record for career touchdown passes by a quarterback, breaking Ty Detmer's record of 121 set in 1991 with BYU.

-Central Florida's Kevin Smith leads the nation with 2,164 rushing yards, the 4th highest total in Division I-A history, only behind: Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State with 2,628 in 1988), Marcus Allen (USC with 2,342 in 1981), and Troy Davis (Iowa State with 2,185 in 1996). Smith, along with Tulane's Matt Forte, are only the 12th and 13th players in Division I-A history to run for 2,000 yards in a season.

-In losing 23-21 to Clemson on Saturday, Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks lost their fifth consecutive game, the most he's lost consecutively in his coaching history, surpassing the four straight his Duke Blue Devils lost in 1987- his first year with the club.

-With Cincinnati's 52-31 victory over Syracuse on Saturday, the Bearcats improved to 9-3 on the season, their first 9-win season in 54 years.

-With their 17-11 win over in-state rival Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, Louisiana-Monroe finished the year 6-6 and bowl eligible for the first time since they were moved to Division I-A in 1994.

-Surprisingly, Boston College's 28-14 victory over Miami (Florida) was the team's first win against THE U since THE PLAY by Mr. Flutie in 1984, snapping a 15-game losing streak to the Hurricanes.

Rant of the Week: BCS Coordinator
BCS Coordinator Mike Slive was asked about any potential changes to the BCS system this past week, due, in large part, to the incredible amount of upsets this season. Last week, both the #1 and #2 teams lost, along with two other top ten teams. Two of those four clubs were beaten by unranked opponents, which has been more the trend this year than an aberration.

Slive said not to expect a playoff for some time (if ever). His reasoning? And I quote...

"One is protect the regular season. It might be trite to say there's a playoff every weekend, but there is. Secondly, we value the Bowl system. It gives a lot of student athletes an opportunity to compete for additional championships. And thirdly, there's an academic component. I know there are cynics about that, but there's an academic component, and we are going to keep football as a one-semester sport."

In other words, it's about one thing...money. Why? Because all three of those reasons are absolute nonsense. Regardless of how "trite" it may be for some to claim that every weekend is a playoff, that's not an accurate statement. Is this the case in any other sport? In the NBA, is every game a playoff? In college basketball, pre-conference tournaments, is a non-conference game between Northwestern-Oklahoma State and North Carolina a playoff? In the 162 game regular season known as baseball, is every game a playoff? No! I'm sorry, but Baylor facing Oklahoma is not a playoff. LSU squaring off against Louisiana Tech is not a playoff. Florida International against anybody is not a playoff. Sure, every game counts, as Michigan can attest to, but after a grueling 12 game schedule in college football, we would only see the best paired against the best in a playoff to determine who deserved to be crowned national champion. We'd see a 10-2 Georgia against a 10-2 Virginia Tech, an 11-1 Ohio State paired against a 9-2 USC, a 10-2 LSU paired against 11-1 Kansas, etc., etc., etc. Most proponents of a playoff are not asking for a 64-team bracket as in college basketball. They're asking for a 4, 8, or at the very most, a 16-team tournament between the top 4 to 16 teams in the country. For those that contend every weekend is a playoff and an actual playoff would take away from that concept, newsflash, every game would count to contend for the 4th spot in the country, the 8th, or perhaps even the 16th. One couldn't go 8-4 and be included in the field of 16. At worst, they'd have to go 9-3. One couldn't take a week off and expect to be in the field. Anymore, outside of a mid-major school with a sub-par conference schedule, it's unlikely to see many unbeaten teams. Most elite clubs will be 11-1, 10-2, or 9-3 at season's end. There is a hypothetical scenario where a two-loss team, Georgia, could make the national championship game this year, the first time such a thing would have occurred. Is it just me or does it seem wrong to have one game determine the title with a team holding a 10-2 record? More games should be played to determine the champion.

Secondly, Slive values the bowls? Yeah...so? So do I. I love to see the 8-3 Troy's get a shot in bowl games or the 9-3 Central Florida's get an opportunity to face off with a major conference opponent. Heck, last year, how could one rip on the bowl system following Boise State's miraculous win over Oklahoma? Slive seems to think that this is a black and white issue, either we have a playoff or we have a bowl system. Why can't we include both? There are 32 bowls this year (64 teams). If we include only eight teams in a playoff, that leaves 56 teams for bowl games (28 of them). Heck, we'd have a total of seven playoff games (bowls), which would give us a total of 35 bowl/playoff games as opposed to 32. Like bowl games Slive? Want more money? More games = more money and last time I checked, 35 is greater than 32...

Thirdly, there's an "academic component"? He wants to keep football a one-semester sport? What, does he think we're all idiots? Oh, wait, Division I-AA, Division II, and Division III...they don't exist, therefore, there are no playoff games in all of college football. So tell me this one, Slive, why has the playoff system worked so well in I-AA, Division II, and Division III? Given the fact that most colleges don't start second semester until mid to late January, you'd still have yourself a one-semester sport. Given the scenario I gave before, with an eight-team playoff, the first round match-ups could all be played on a Saturday in mid-December. Round two's two games could be played the following Saturday late in December, and the final could be played on or near January 1st. All throughout the weeks, other bowl games could be played, but just as the BCS has done to their five games over the years, the playoff games could be excluded from the others one day out of the week. The other six days could hold other bowl games. Another great component of this is the fact teams wouldn't be as rusty going into their games. Ohio State had how many days off before facing Florida in this past year's National Championship game? Ridiculous. It's somewhat similar to the opening game of the season for some of these clubs. Why do that? In the end, Mr. Slive, we'd see some more crisp teams throughout the playoffs and especially in the National Championship game than we've seen in years past.

So, as it seems Mr. Slive puts the BS in BCS with his three "reasons" why we mustn't have a playoff in college football, it seems to me his only reason is that of money. Although, if he were to really think about it (and it's obvious, he hasn't...), he could probably garner more money by adding a short playoff with the multiple bowl games played every year.

Top 120 Poll
1. West Virginia (10-1): 285.4
2. Missouri (11-1): 276.3
3. Ohio State (11-1): 272.9
4. Kansas (11-1): 272.1
5. Hawaii (11-0): 270.3
6. LSU (10-2): 268.6
7. Oklahoma (10-2): 266.7
8. Florida (9-3): 259.8
9. Virginia Tech (10-2): 258.1
10. Georgia (10-2): 254.7
11. Arizona State (9-2): 252.1
12. Boston College (10-2): 250.8
13. Boise State (10-2): 249.0
14. BYU (9-2): 246.3
15. USC (9-2): 245.5
16. Oregon (8-3): 244.1
17. South Florida (9-3): 243.4
18. Clemson (9-3): 241.4
19. Cincinnati (9-3): 239.4
20. Tennessee (9-3): 239.2
21. Illinois (9-3): 237.9
22. Texas (9-3): 236.9
23. Virginia (9-3): 227.7
24. Central Florida (9-3): 227.5
25. Connecticut (9-3): 227.3
26. Troy (8-3): 226.7
27. Penn State (8-4): 226.3
28. Wisconsin (9-3): 225.4
29. Air Force (9-3): 222.8
30. Tulsa (9-3): 221.5
31. Auburn (8-4): 219.6
32. Arkansas (8-4): 217.3
33. Utah (8-4): 215.6
34. Michigan (8-4): 215.2
35. Texas Tech (8-4): 214.5
36. Wake Forest (8-4): 213.3
37. Rutgers (7-4): 212.1
38. Oregon State (7-4): 207.8
39. Michigan State (7-5): 206.8
40. Kentucky (7-5): 205.8
41. Texas A&M (7-5): 203.8
42. Fresno State (7-4): 201.1
43. New Mexico (8-4): 201.0
44. Bowling Green (8-4): 200.1
45. Florida State (7-5): 197.9
46. Georgia Tech (7-5): 196.4
47. California (6-5): 196.2
47. Purdue (7-5): 196.2
49. Ball State (7-5): 194.3
50. East Carolina (7-5): 193.7
51. Indiana (7-5): 192.9
52. TCU (7-5): 192.2
53. Houston (8-4): 191.8
54. UCLA (6-5): 191.2
55. Mississippi State (7-5): 190.3
56. Oklahoma State (6-6): 190.2
57. Alabama (6-6): 188.8
58. South Carolina (6-6): 186.4
59. Maryland (6-6): 183.6
60. Colorado (6-6): 183.1
61. Southern Mississippi (7-5): 182.9
62. Navy (7-4): 182.0
63. Central Michigan (7-5): 174.8
64. Louisville (5-6): 172.6
65. Nebraska (5-7): 171.1
66. Arizona (5-6): 169.8
67. Western Kentucky (7-5): 168.5
68. Iowa (6-6): 168.0
69. Florida Atlantic (6-5): 165.7
70. Memphis (7-5): 165.5
71. Kansas State (5-7): 164.8
72. Northwestern (6-6): 163.6
73. Vanderbilt (5-7): 161.0
74. Louisiana-Monroe (6-6): 159.7
75. Ohio (6-6): 159.5
76. Wyoming (5-7): 158.2
77. North Carolina State (5-7): 158.1
78. Miami (Ohio) (6-6): 157.7
79. Washington State (5-7): 155.5
80. Miami (Florida) (5-7): 154.5
81. Middle Tennessee State (5-7): 154.1
82. Washington (4-8): 154.0
83. Louisiana Tech (5-6): 151.7
83. Nevada (5-6): 151.7
85. Western Michigan (5-7): 151.1
86. Pittsburgh (4-7): 149.3
87. Arkansas State (5-7): 147.5
88. Buffalo (5-7): 145.6
89. Toledo (5-7): 144.3
90. San Jose State (5-7): 141.3
91. North Carolina (4-8): 138.9
91. San Diego State (4-7): 138.9
93. Akron (4-8): 135.8
94. UTEP (4-8): 133.5
95. Mississippi (3-9): 131.2
96. Temple (4-8): 126.6
97. Notre Dame (3-9): 125.5
98. Stanford (3-8): 125.4
99. Eastern Michigan (4-8): 124.8
100. Tulane (4-8): 123.4
101. Army (3-8): 121.5
102. Colorado State (3-9): 120.6
103. Marshall (3-9): 119.8
104. Iowa State (3-9): 118.1
105. New Mexico State (4-8): 115.9
106. Baylor (3-9): 110.8
107. UNLV (2-10): 108.6
108. Kent State (3-9): 107.1
109. Syracuse (2-10): 103.8
110. Rice (3-9): 103.7
111. Louisiana-Lafayette (3-9): 103.4
112. Utah State (2-10): 98.3
113. UAB (2-10): 95.4
114. North Texas (2-9): 93.0
115. Minnesota (1-11): 92.7
116. Duke (1-11): 89.5
117. Northern Illinois (2-10): 82.0
118. SMU (1-11): 81.8
119. Idaho (1-11): 70.9
120. Florida International (0-11): 54.0

Conference Strength

Mean Power Number
1. SEC: 210.2
2. Big East: 204.2
3. Big XII: 200.7
4. Big Ten: 199.8
5. Pac-10: 194.2
6. ACC: 192.5
7. MWC: 178.2
8. WAC: 161.1
9. C-USA: 153.4
10. Independents: 149.4
11. MAC: 146.4
12. Sun Belt: 138.0

Mean Ranking
1. SEC: 40.4
2. Big East: 44.8
3. Big Ten: 45.9
4. Big XII: 47.8
5. Pac-10: 50.6
6. ACC: 51.0
7. MWC: 60.8
8. WAC: 72.4
9. C-USA: 77.2
10. Independents: 82.3
11. MAC: 83.4
12. Sun Belt: 85.3

Median Power Number
1. Big East: 220.2
2. SEC: 211.6
3. Big Ten: 206.8
4. ACC: 197.5
5. Big XII: 197.0
6. Pac-10: 193.7
7. MWC: 192.2
8. WAC: 151.7
9. Sun Belt: 150.3
10. C-USA: 148.5
11. Independents: 147.0
12. MAC: 145.6

Median Ranking
1. Big East: 31.0
2. SEC: 36.0
3. Big Ten: 39.0
4. ACC: 45.5
5. Big XII: 48.5
6. Pac-10: 50.5
7. MWC: 52.0
8. C-USA: 82.0
8. Independents: 82.0
10. WAC: 83.0
11. Sun Belt: 84.0
12. MAC: 88.0

ACC (12)
9. Virginia Tech (10-2): 258.1
12. Boston College (10-2): 250.8
18. Clemson (9-3): 241.4
23. Virginia (9-3): 227.7
36. Wake Forest (8-4): 213.3
45. Florida State (7-5): 197.9
46. Georgia Tech (7-5): 196.4
59. Maryland (6-6): 183.6
77. North Carolina State (5-7): 158.1
80. Miami (Florida) (5-7): 154.5
91. North Carolina (4-8): 138.9
116. Duke (1-11): 89.5

Mean Power Number: 192.5
Mean Ranking: 51.0
Median Power Number: 197.2
Median Ranking: 45.5

Big East (8)
1. West Virginia (10-1): 285.4
17. South Florida (9-3): 243.4
19. Cincinnati (9-3): 239.4
25. Connecticut (9-3): 227.3
37. Rutgers (7-4): 212.1
64. Louisville (5-6): 172.6
86. Pittsburgh (4-7): 149.3
109. Syracuse (2-10): 103.8

Mean Power Number: 204.2
Mean Ranking: 44.8
Median Power Number: 220.2
Median Ranking: 31.0

Big Ten (11)
3. Ohio State (11-1): 272.9
21. Illinois (9-3): 237.9
27. Penn State (8-4): 226.3
28. Wisconsin (9-3): 225.4
34. Michigan (8-4): 215.2
39. Michigan State (7-5): 206.8
47. Purdue (7-5): 196.2
51. Indiana (7-5): 192.9
68. Iowa (6-6): 168.0
72. Northwestern (6-6): 163.6
115. Minnesota (1-11): 92.7

Mean Power Number: 199.8
Mean Ranking: 45.9
Median Power Number: 206.8
Median Ranking: 39.0

Big XII (12)
2. Missouri (11-1): 276.3
4. Kansas (11-1): 272.1
7. Oklahoma (10-2): 266.7
22. Texas (9-3): 236.9
35. Texas Tech (8-4): 214.5
41. Texas A&M (7-5): 203.8
56. Oklahoma State (6-6): 190.2
60. Colorado (6-6): 183.1
65. Nebraska (5-7): 171.1
71. Kansas State (5-7): 164.8
104. Iowa State (3-9): 118.1
106. Baylor (3-9): 110.8

Mean Power Number: 200.7
Mean Ranking: 47.8
Median Power Number: 197.0
Median Ranking: 48.5

C-USA (12)
24. Central Florida (9-3): 227.5
30. Tulsa (9-3): 221.5
50. East Carolina (7-5): 193.7
53. Houston (8-4): 191.8
61. Southern Mississippi (7-5): 182.9
70. Memphis (7-5): 165.5
94. UTEP (4-8): 133.5
100. Tulane (4-8): 123.4
103. Marshall (3-9): 119.8
110. Rice (3-9): 103.7
113. UAB (2-10): 95.4
118. SMU (1-11): 81.8

Mean Power Number: 153.4
Mean Ranking: 77.2
Median Power Number: 148.5
Median Ranking: 82.0

Independents (4)
62. Navy (7-4): 182.0
67. Western Kentucky (7-5): 168.5
97. Notre Dame (3-9): 125.5
101. Army (3-8): 121.5

Mean Power Number: 149.4
Mean Ranking: 82.3
Median Power Number: 147.0
Median Ranking: 82.0

MAC (13)
44. Bowling Green (8-4): 200.1
49. Ball State (7-5): 194.3
63. Central Michigan (7-5): 174.8
75. Ohio (6-6): 159.5
78. Miami (Ohio) (6-6): 157.7
85. Western Michigan (5-7): 151.1
88. Buffalo (5-7): 145.6
89. Toledo (5-7): 144.3
93. Akron (4-8): 135.8
96. Temple (4-8): 126.6
99. Eastern Michigan (4-8): 124.8
108. Kent State (3-9): 107.1
117. Northern Illinois (2-10): 82.0

Mean Power Number: 146.4
Mean Ranking: 83.4
Median Power Number: 145.6
Median Ranking: 88.0

MWC (9)
14. BYU (9-2): 246.3
29. Air Force (9-3): 222.8
33. Utah (8-4): 215.6
43. New Mexico (8-4): 201.0
52. TCU (7-5): 192.2
76. Wyoming (5-7): 158.2
91. San Diego State (4-7): 138.9
102. Colorado State (3-9): 120.6
107. UNLV (2-10): 108.6

Mean Power Number: 178.2
Mean Ranking: 60.8
Median Power Number: 192.2
Median Ranking: 52.0

Pac-10 (10)
11. Arizona State (9-2): 252.1
15. USC (9-2): 245.5
16. Oregon (8-3): 244.1
38. Oregon State (7-4): 207.8
47. California (6-5): 196.2
54. UCLA (6-5): 191.2
66. Arizona (5-6): 169.8
79. Washington State (5-7): 155.5
82. Washington (4-8): 154.0
98. Stanford (3-8): 125.4

Mean Power Number: 194.2
Mean Ranking: 50.6
Median Power Number: 193.7
Median Ranking: 50.5

SEC (12)
6. LSU (10-2): 268.6
8. Florida (9-3): 259.8
10. Georgia (10-2): 254.7
20. Tennessee (9-3): 239.2
31. Auburn (8-4): 219.6
32. Arkansas (8-4): 217.3
40. Kentucky (7-5): 205.8
55. Mississippi State (7-5): 190.3
57. Alabama (6-6): 188.8
58. South Carolina (6-6): 186.4
73. Vanderbilt (5-7): 161.0
95. Mississippi (3-9): 131.2

Mean Power Number: 210.2
Mean Ranking: 40.4
Median Power Number: 211.6
Median Ranking: 36.0

Sun Belt (8)
26. Troy (8-3): 226.7
69. Florida Atlantic (6-5): 165.7
74. Louisiana-Monroe (6-6): 159.7
81. Middle Tennessee State (5-7): 154.1
87. Arkansas State (5-7): 147.5
111. Louisiana-Lafayette (3-9): 103.4
114. North Texas (2-9): 93.0
120. Florida International (0-11): 54.0

Mean Power Number: 138.0
Mean Ranking: 85.3
Median Power Number: 150.8
Median Ranking: 84.0

WAC (9)
5. Hawaii (11-0): 270.3
13. Boise State (10-2): 249.0
42. Fresno State (7-4): 201.1
83. Louisiana Tech (5-6): 151.7
83. Nevada (5-6): 151.7
90. San Jose State (5-7): 141.3
105. New Mexico State (4-8): 115.9
112. Utah State (2-10): 98.3
119. Idaho (1-11): 70.9

Mean Power Number: 161.1
Mean Ranking: 72.4
Median Power Number: 151.7
Median Ranking: 83.0

Win Percentage
1. Hawaii (11-0): 100.0%
2. Kansas (11-1): 91.7%
2. Missouri (11-1): 91.7%
2. Ohio State (11-1): 91.7%
5. West Virginia (10-1): 90.9%
6. Boise State (10-2): 83.3%
6. Boston College (10-2): 83.3%
6. Georgia (10-2): 83.3%
6. LSU (10-2): 83.3%
6. Oklahoma (10-2): 83.3%
6. Virginia Tech (10-2): 83.3%
12. Arizona State (9-2): 81.8%
12. BYU (9-2): 81.8%
12. USC (9-2): 81.8%
15. Air Force (9-3): 75.0%
15. Central Florida (9-3): 75.0%
15. Cincinnati (9-3): 75.0%
15. Clemson (9-3): 75.0%
15. Connecticut (9-3): 75.0%
15. Florida (9-3): 75.0%
15. Illinois (9-3): 75.0%
15. South Florida (9-3): 75.0%
15. Tennessee (9-3): 75.0%
15. Texas (9-3): 75.0%
15. Tulsa (9-3): 75.0%
15. Virginia (9-3): 75.0%
15. Wisconsin (9-3): 75.0%
28. Oregon (8-3): 72.7%
28. Troy (8-3): 72.7%
30. Arkansas (8-4): 66.7%
30. Auburn (8-4): 66.7%
30. Bowling Green (8-4): 66.7%
30. Houston (8-4): 66.7%
30. Michigan (8-4): 66.7%
30. New Mexico (8-4): 66.7%
30. Penn State (8-4): 66.7%
30. Texas Tech (8-4): 66.7%
30. Utah (8-4): 66.7%
30. Wake Forest (8-4): 66.7%
40. Fresno State (7-4): 63.6%
40. Navy (7-4): 63.6%
40. Oregon State (7-4): 63.6%
40. Rutgers (7-4): 63.6%
44. Ball State (7-5): 58.3%
44. Central Michigan (7-5): 58.3%
44. East Carolina (7-5): 58.3%
44. Florida State (7-5): 58.3%
44. Georgia Tech (7-5): 58.3%
44. Indiana (7-5): 58.3%
44. Kentucky (7-5): 58.3%
44. Memphis (7-5): 58.3%
44. Michigan State (7-5): 58.3%
44. Mississippi State (7-5): 58.3%
44. Purdue (7-5): 58.3%
44. Southern Mississippi (7-5): 58.3%
44. TCU (7-5): 58.3%
44. Texas A&M (7-5): 58.3%
44. Western Kentucky (7-5): 58.3%
59. California (6-5): 54.5%
59. Florida Atlantic (6-5): 54.5%
59. UCLA (6-5): 54.5%
62. Alabama (6-6): 50.0%
62. Colorado (6-6): 50.0%
62. Iowa (6-6): 50.0%
62. Louisiana-Monroe (6-6): 50.0%
62. Maryland (6-6): 50.0%
62. Miami (Ohio) (6-6): 50.0%
62. Northwestern (6-6): 50.0%
62. Ohio (6-6): 50.0%
62. Oklahoma State (6-6): 50.0%
62. South Carolina (6-6): 50.0%
72. Arizona (5-6): 45.5%
72. Louisiana Tech (5-6): 45.5%
72. Louisville (5-6): 45.5%
72. Nevada (5-6): 45.5%
76. Arkansas State (5-7): 41.7%
76. Buffalo (5-7): 41.7%
76. Kansas State (5-7): 41.7%
76. Miami (Florida) (5-7): 41.7%
76. Middle Tennessee State (5-7): 41.7%
76. Nebraska (5-7): 41.7%
76. North Carolina State (5-7): 41.7%
76. San Jose State (5-7): 41.7%
76. Toledo (5-7): 41.7%
76. Vanderbilt (5-7): 41.7%
76. Washington State (5-7): 41.7%
76. Western Michigan (5-7): 41.7%
76. Wyoming (5-7): 41.7%
89. Pittsburgh (4-7): 36.4%
89. San Diego State (4-7): 36.4%
91. Akron (4-8): 33.3%
91. Eastern Michigan (4-8): 33.3%
91. New Mexico State (4-8): 33.3%
91. North Carolina (4-8): 33.3%
91. Temple (4-8): 33.3%
91. Tulane (4-8): 33.3%
91. UTEP (4-8): 33.3%
91. Washington (4-8): 33.3%
99. Army (3-8): 27.3%
99. Stanford (3-8): 27.3%
101. Baylor (3-9): 25.0%
101. Colorado State (3-9): 25.0%
101. Iowa State (3-9): 25.0%
101. Kent State (3-9): 25.0%
101. Louisiana-Lafayette (3-9): 25.0%
101. Marshall (3-9): 25.0%
101. Mississippi (3-9): 25.0%
101. Notre Dame (3-9): 25.0%
101. Rice (3-9): 25.0%
110. North Texas (2-9): 18.2%
111. Northern Illinois (2-10): 16.3%
111. Syracuse (2-10): 16.7%
111. UAB (2-10): 16.7%
111. UNLV (2-10): 16.7%
111. Utah State (2-10): 16.7%
116. Duke (1-11): 8.3%
116. Idaho (1-11): 8.3%
116. Minnesota (1-11): 8.3%
116. SMU (1-11): 8.3%
120. Florida International (0-11): 0.0%

Opponents' Win Percentage
1. Nebraska (88-55): 61.5%
2. Florida (86-56): 60.6%
3. Mississippi (86-58): 59.7%
4. Washington (81-55): 59.6%
5. Syracuse (83-57): 59.3%
6. Duke (84-59): 58.7%
7. Notre Dame (82-58): 58.6%
8. Minnesota (83-61): 57.6%
9. Oklahoma State (82-61); 57.3%
10. UNLV (80-60): 57.1%
11. Colorado (81-62): 56.6%
12. Texas A&M (81-63): 56.3%
13. California (70-55): 56.0%
13. Oregon (70-55): 56.0%
15. Alabama (81-64): 55.9%
15. South Carolina (81-64): 55.9%
17. Michigan State (79-64): 55.2%
17. Tennessee (79-64): 55.2%
19. North Carolina State (79-65): 54.9%
20. Kentucky (80-66): 54.8%
21. Florida International (71-59): 54.6%
22. Iowa State (79-66): 54.5%
22. LSU (78-65): 54.5%
24. Wyoming (77-65): 54.2%
25. Stanford (68-58): 54.0%
26. UCLA (67-58): 53.6%
27. Florida State (77-67): 53.5%
27. Maryland (76-66): 53.5%
29. Baylor (77-68): 53.1%
29. Penn State (76-67): 53.1%
29. West Virginia (69-61): 53.1%
32. Marshall (76-68): 52.8%
33. Washington State (71-64): 52.6%
34. Auburn (76-69): 52.4%
34. Illinois (76-69): 52.4%
34. Vanderbilt (76-69): 52.4%
37. Army (69-63): 52.3%
37. Pittsburgh (68-62): 52.3%
39. South Florida (73-67): 52.1%
39. Utah State (73-67): 52.1%
41. Louisville (68-63): 51.9%
42. UAB (75-70): 51.7%
42. Virginia Tech (75-70): 51.7%
44. Arizona (65-61): 51.6%
45. Akron (74-70): 51.4%
45. Georgia (74-70): 51.4%
45. Kansas State (74-70): 51.4%
48. North Texas (66-63): 51.2%
49. East Carolina (73-70): 51.0%
49. Miami (Florida) (73-70): 51.0%
49. SMU (73-70): 51.0%
52. Colorado State (72-70): 50.7%
52. Michigan (73-71): 50.7%
52. Mississippi State (73-71): 50.7%
55. Arizona State (63-62): 50.4%
55. Oregon State (64-63): 50.4%
55. Texas (71-70): 50.4%
58. Clemson (73-72): 50.3%
58. North Carolina (73-72): 50.3%
60. Wake Forest (71-71): 50.0%
61. Missouri (72-73): 49.7%
61. Oklahoma (71-72): 49.7%
63. Rutgers (64-65): 49.6%
63. San Diego State (66-67): 49.6%
65. Boston College (71-73): 49.3%
66. Middle Tennessee State (68-71): 48.9%
67. Georgia Tech (70-74): 48.6%
68. Ball State (69-74): 48.3%
68. Virginia (69-74): 48.3%
70. Utah (67-72): 48.2%
71. Indiana (69-76): 47.6%
71. Purdue (69-76): 47.6%
73. Cincinnati (66-73): 47.5%
74. BYU (62-69): 47.3%
75. Troy (61-69): 46.9%
75. UTEP (68-77): 46.9%
77. Arkansas (66-76): 46.5%
77. Temple (66-76): 46.5%
77. Western Michigan (67-77): 46.5%
80. Idaho (65-75): 46.4%
81. Northwestern (66-78): 45.8%
82. Fresno State (59-70): 45.7%
83. Iowa (66-79): 45.5%
83. Ohio State (66-79): 45.5%
83. Wisconsin (66-79): 45.5%
86. Connecticut (64-77): 45.4%
86. Louisiana Tech (59-71): 45.4%
86. TCU (64-77): 45.4%
89. Central Florida (65-79): 45.1%
90. Arkansas State (63-77): 45.0%
91. Toledo (65-80): 44.8%
92. San Jose State (62-77): 44.6%
93. USC (56-70): 44.4%
94. Buffalo (63-81): 43.8%
95. Louisiana-Lafayette (62-80): 43.7%
95. Tulsa (62-80): 43.7%
97. Eastern Michigan (63-82): 43.4%
97. Rice (63-82): 43.4%
97. Texas Tech (63-82): 43.4%
100. Kent State (63-83): 43.2%
101. Bowling Green (62-83): 42.8%
102. Louisiana-Monroe (60-81): 42.6%
103. Tulane (61-83): 42.4%
104. New Mexico (60-82): 42.3%
105. Air Force (59-82): 41.8%
106. Central Michigan (60-84): 41.7%
106. Miami (Ohio) (60-84): 41.7%
108. New Mexico State (59-84): 41.3%
109. Southern Mississippi (59-85): 41.0%
110. Florida Atlantic (53-77): 40.8%
111. Nevada (53-78): 40.5%
112. Kansas (58-86): 40.3%
112. Northern Illinois (58-86): 40.3%
114. Boise State (56-85): 39.7%
115. Ohio (57-88): 39.3%
116. Navy (47-83): 36.2%
117. Houston (50-94): 34.7%
118. Memphis (49-96): 33.8%
119. Hawaii (41-90): 31.3%
120. Western Kentucky (39-109): 26.4%

Average Margin of Victory
1. Kansas: +28.3
2. Oklahoma: +25.6
3. West Virginia: +24.0
4. Hawaii: +23.4
5. Boise State: +22.8
6. Ohio State: +21.3
7. LSU: +20.1
8. Florida: +18.9
9. Missouri: +18.5
10. Cincinnati: +18.2
11. Texas Tech: +16.0
12. Clemson: +15.8
13. South Florida: +15.2
13. USC: +15.2
15. Oregon: +14.6
16. Arkansas: +14.3
17. Virginia Tech: +13.8
18. Penn State: +13.3
19. Arizona State: +12.9
20. Western Kentucky: +12.3
21. BYU: +11.6
22. Texas: +11.4
23. Georgia: +10.9
24. Troy: +10.8
25. Rutgers: +10.5
26. Boston College: +10.2
27. Air Force: +10.1
28. Utah: +9.9
29. Central Florida: +9.8
30. Connecticut: +9.3
30. Illinois: +9.3
32. Purdue: +8.2
33. Auburn: +7.7
34. TCU: +7.4
35. Michigan State: +7.3
36. Wisconsin: +7.2
37. Kentucky: +6.9
38. Georgia Tech: +6.8
39. Houston: +6.4
40. Tennessee: +6.3
41. Tulsa: +6.0
42. Michigan: +5.9
43. Ball State: +5.3
43. Virginia: +5.3
45. Fresno State: +5.2
46. Alabama: +5.0
47. Oregon State: +4.9
47. Wake Forest: +4.9
49. Indiana: +4.8
49. Southern Mississippi: +4.8
51. Kansas State: +4.3
51. New Mexico: +4.3
53. Oklahoma State: +4.2
54. Louisville: +3.8
55. Maryland: +3.3
56. California: +3.1
57. Texas A&M: +2.8
58. Bowling Green: +2.6
58. South Carolina: +2.6
60. UCLA: +1.7
61. Arizona: +1.5
62. Florida State: +1.0
63. Ohio: +0.6
64. Navy: +0.5
65. East Carolina: +0.4
66. Nevada: +0.1
67. Iowa: -0.3
68. Vanderbilt: -0.9
69. Colorado: -1.8
69. Memphis: -1.8
71. Pittsburgh: -1.9
72. Washington: -2.0
72. Western Michigan: -2.0
74. Mississippi State: -2.4
75. Middle Tennessee State: -2.6
76. Arkansas State: -3.3
76. Buffalo: -3.3
76. North Carolina: -3.3
79. UTEP: -3.5
80. Louisiana-Monroe: -4.2
81. Central Michigan: -4.3
82. Florida Atlantic: -4.5
82. Nebraska: -4.5
84. Miami (Ohio): -4.8
85. Northwestern: -5.2
86. Colorado State: -5.4
86. Miami (Florida): -5.4
88. Toledo: -6.3
89. Wyoming: -6.5
90. Tulane: -6.8
90. Washington State: -6.8
92. Eastern Michigan: -7.0
93. Louisiana Tech: -7.3
94. North Carolina State: -7.5
95. Kent State: -7.6
96. Akron: -8.0
97. San Diego State: -8.3
98. Mississippi: -8.4
99. San Jose State: -8.9
100. Marshall: -9.4
101. Temple: -9.8
102. Stanford: -10.1
103. Minnesota: -10.4
103. UNLV: -10.4
105. SMU: -11.4
106. Army: -11.5
106. Rice: -11.5
108. Northern Illinois: -11.8
109. Louisiana-Lafayette: -12.1
110. Notre Dame: -12.3
111. New Mexico State: -12.7
112. Utah State: -13.3
113. Iowa State: -13.6
114. Duke: -15.3
115. Idaho: -15.4
116. UAB: -15.5
117. Syracuse: -18.4
118. Baylor: -18.8
119. North Texas: -20.1
120. Florida International: -27.9

Sources
http://www.espn.com
http://firebillcallahan.blogspot.com/
http://www.huskerpedia.com/

Week 13 College Football Picks and Results

Predictions
Tuesday
Middle Tennessee at Troy: This won't be an EASY Sun Belt Conference game for the Troy Trojans, but coming off a bye week and looking to run the table for a perfect regular season conference record, I have a hard time believing the 5-6 Blue Raiders will be able to win in Alabama on this day.
Troy 38 Middle Tennessee 24
Troy 45 Middle Tennessee 7 (1-0)

Thursday
USC at Arizona State: Both teams are coming off bye weeks, with the winner of this game becoming the front-runner in the Pac-10 race for the Rose Bowl. While my mind is telling me the game is in Tempe, Dennis Erickson is a fine coach, and ASU has been disrespected some this season, my gut is telling me otherwise. Pete Carroll is one of the best big-game coaches in the country, if not the best and with John David Booty back at quarterback for the Trojans, I look for USC to make a case to the BCS with a big Pac-10 road victory over 9-1 Arizona State.
USC 24 Arizona State 20
USC 44 Arizona State 24 (2-0)

Friday
Central Michigan at Akron: Central Michigan dropped their first conference game this past week in their loss to 4-8 Eastern Michigan by a field goal in their 48-45 defeat. Akron fell to Miami (Ohio) in a completely different style of ball game, losing to the Red Hawks by the final score of 7-0, where no offensive points were scored throughout the sixty minutes. With Akron having struggled mightily of late, I am going with the Chippewas, but expect anything but a 7-0 affair like the Zips experienced last week.
Central Michigan 38 Akron 24
Central Michigan 35 Akron 32 (3-0)

Nebraska at Colorado: One of the only solid records that head coach Bill Callahan has accomplished through his almost four years at Nebraska is his team's record after bye weeks. Both clubs experienced the bye this past weekend. BUT, the real question I have to ask both teams is, who is going to come out and play with the most energy, passion, and want the game more in the end? Nebraska has shown a lack of determination and passion throughout the season up until their most recent game against Kansas State. Will the players truly want to win one for Callahan, in hopes that Osborne will hang onto the coach for at least one more year? Will Colorado want to avenge last year's embarrassing loss to the Huskers, where Callahan appeared to run up the score on the lowly Buffaloes of a year ago? The winner of this game becomes bowl eligible and with it being played in Boulder and the Buffs having circled this game directly following the contest a year ago, I'm tentatively going with them.
Colorado 27 Nebraska 24
Colorado 65 Nebraska 51 (4-0)

Mississippi at Mississippi State: The Egg Bowl has more meaning this year than in years past, especially for the home team in Starkville. This being head coach Slyvester Croom's fourth season with the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, the team is 6-5 and poised to go bowling for the first time in Croom's tenure. A win at home against in-state rival Ole Miss should seal their fate, as they finish 4-4 in conference and 7-5 overall.
Mississippi State 24 Mississippi 17
Mississippi State 17 Mississippi 14 (5-0)

Wyoming at Colorado State: This game features two teams who are reeling. Wyoming started the season at 4-1, including a 23-3 victory over now 9-2 Virginia. They only needed to finish the season, at worst, 2-5 in order to become bowl eligible. Easy enough, right? Not so fast! Since then, the Cowboys are a miserable 1-5 and need a victory in their regular season finale just to have an opportunity to get invited to a bowl game, which is unlikely. Colorado State, meanwhile, is 2-9 and coming off an eight-point victory over I-AA Georgia Southern (Jah Soh). With the game in Fort Collins and the Cowboys playing so badly that I don't think they could beat anyone in the Mountain West Conference right now, I'm going with the Rams to close out the season with two consecutive wins in what may be the final season for Sonny Lubick with the team.
Colorado State 31 Wyoming 24
Colorado State 36 Wyoming 28 (6-0)

Arkansas at LSU: This is an interesting match-up and I would be tempted to go with an upset if the game were played in Little Rock. BUT, Arkansas' offensive strength, which is without question, their running game, plays right into the hands of LSU's strength on defense- their front seven. Arkansas will need to prove to LSU coaches that they can throw the football in order to free up some space for Darren McFadden in the run game. I don't see this happening and see LSU heading to the SEC Championship Game as the #1 team in the land.
LSU 31 Arkansas 17
Arkansas 50 LSU 48 3OT (6-1)

Toledo at Bowling Green: With Bowling Green playing at home and playing probably the best football of any team in the MAC right now, I'm going with the Falcons to improve to a league best 8-4 on the season.
Bowling Green 49 Toledo 38
Bowling Green 37 Toledo 10 (7-1)

Texas at Texas A&M: It's already been made official. A&M head coach, Dennis Franchione, is on the way out following this season. A&M is a disappointing 6-5 on the year and is attempting to play themselves out of a bowl game. Texas, meanwhile, is 9-2 and could lay claim to being the luckiest 9-2 team in the country if Virginia wasn't 9-2 also. With the game at College Station and A&M being extra motivated in Franchione's possible last game as head coach there, I'm taking the Aggies in an upset of the Longhorns.
Texas A&M 24 Texas 21
Texas A&M 38 Texas 30 (8-1)

Boise State at Hawaii: Hawaii has gotten lucky time and time again this year. They have beaten San Jose State (4-7), Louisiana Tech (5-6), Fresno State (6-4), and Nevada (5-5) by a combined 17 points, two of the games coming in overtime. These teams have a combined record of 20-22 (.476). Sadly enough, these four opponents are probably the four best that Hawaii has encountered this season. In saying that, I'm taking the 10-1 and BCS-potentially bound Broncos to win the WAC with a victory in Honolulu. It doesn't matter if Colt Brennan plays or not, I think BSU has too much for the so-called Warriors.
Boise State 45 Hawaii 38
Hawaii 39 Boise State 27 (8-2)

Saturday
Miami (Florida) at Boston College: If Duke didn't play in the same conference, Miami could proudly state that they are playing the worst football in the ACC currently. In the past two weeks, against Virginia and Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes have been outscored 92-14 (average of 46.0 - 7.0). THE U is in need of a victory here in order to just become bowl eligible. It's possible, but I can't see it happening, as BC goes on to face the winner of Virginia Tech/Virginia in the ACC Championship Game.
Boston College 31 Miami (Florida) 13
Boston College 28 Miami (Florida) 14 (9-2)

Maryland at North Carolina State: As both teams come into the game at 5-6, the winner of this game will become bowl eligible and the other won't even have the slightest chance of being invited to a bowl game. NC State has shown solid improvements throughout the course of the season under first year head coach, Tom O'Brien, but Maryland has definitely been the more consistent of the two and I look for Ralph Friegen to take his Terps bowling yet again.
Maryland 24 North Carolina State 20
Maryland 37 North Carolina State 0 (10-2)

South Florida at Pittsburgh: Pitt fought hard in their 20-16 loss to Rutgers this past weekend, but the close games just have not gone the way of the Panther this year, as they've fallen to Michigan State (7-5), Louisville (5-6), and Rutgers (7-4) by a total of 15 points. Well, sorry Pitt fans, but don't even expect a close battle like those three in this one. South Florida appears to be back on their game following their three game slide. USF finishes the regular season at 9-3 and will head to a bowl game.
South Florida 31 Pittsburgh 13
South Florida 48 Pittsburgh 37 (11-2)

Virginia Tech at Virginia: Virginia has had a knack for winning all the close games this year. At this point, Virginia Tech head coach, Frank Beamer, is probably praying to the football gods that this game is not decided by 1 or 2 points. Fortunately for Beamer, he shouldn't have to worry about that. The Hokies are playing some of the best football in the country right now and are finally clicking in all three phases of the game. I look for Virginia to hang tough for about three quarters, but for VT's defense to deliver the final blow in the 4th quarter. Tech improves to 10-2 and heads to the ACC Title Game for a rematch with Boston College.
Virginia Tech 27 Virginia 17
Virginia Tech 33 Virginia 21 (12-2)

Connecticut at West Virginia: This is not a game for the Mountaineers to take lightly and if it were played in Bristol, I may go with the Huskies. West Virginia's offense is one of the quickest in the country, but they also have had a knack for turning the ball over at times this year, as was illustrated in their 28-23 win over Cincinnati on Saturday. UConn has done anything but beat themselves this year, so if West Virginia gets sloppy, this could get very interesting. But, in Morgantown, I don't see that happening. Pat White continues to make a case for the Heisman and West Virginia improves to 10-1 going into their final regular season game against Pittsburgh.
West Virginia 31 Connecticut 17
West Virginia 66 Connecticut 21 (13-2)

Tulane at East Carolina: With a week off to recuperate from their embarrassing 26-7 loss to then 1-8 Marshall, East Carolina should up their record to 7-5 with a home victory over 4-7 Tulane (4-8 after this one). Skip Holtz hopes that will be enough for a bowl berth. We shall see.
East Carolina 45 Tulane 28
East Carolina 35 Tulane 12 (14-2)

Buffalo at Kent State: Following a couple of disappointing losses to put the Bulls out of bowl contention, I look for Buffalo to defeat the struggling Golden Flashes of Kent State, who have fallen to 3-8 on the season. Buffalo finishes the year at 5-7, which for them, is like a ten win season for a major conference team.
Buffalo 31 Kent State 17
Buffalo 30 Kent State 23 OT (15-2)

Tennessee at Kentucky: The Volunteers were very fortunate to walk out with a 25-24 victory over Vanderbilt this past Saturday. All they need is a win this upcoming Saturday to assure them a berth in the SEC Title Game against LSU. All that stands in their way is the 7-4 Kentucky Wildcats. With the game on the road and Kentucky seriously wanting to avenge for their recent slide, I look for Andre' Woodson to lead his club to a big SEC victory, which makes Georgia, LSU's opponent in the SEC Title Game.
Kentucky 31 Tennessee 28
Tennessee 52 Kentucky 50 4OT (15-3)

Miami (Ohio) at Ohio: Following a bye week, Ohio should be rested and revved up for this conference and regular season finale. Miami did not look overly impressive in their 7-0 victory over 4-7 Akron this past week, where their offense didn't score a single point on the Zips' defense. They're certain to score a few points on the horrendous Bobcat defense, but not enough on the road, as the Frank Solich led Bobcats finish the season at 6-6.
Ohio 38 Miami (Ohio) 31
Ohio 38 Miami (Ohio) 29 (16-3)

SMU at Memphis: With the game at Memphis and the Mustangs coming in at 1-10 and not showing (m)any signs of improvement, I look for the Tigers, under Tommy West, to improve to 7-5 and make a case for a bowl invite.
Memphis 35 SMU 24
Memphis 55 SMU 52 3OT (17-3)

Wake Forest at Vanderbilt: Wake Forest has been very up and down of late. Following their 34-point loss to Clemson two weeks ago, they pounded on North Carolina State in the 4th quarter en route to a 20-point victory over the Wolfpack. Vandy is coming off a heartbreaking 25-24 loss to in-state rival Tennessee this past Saturday and are still in need of one more win to become bowl eligible. At home and facing a streaky ACC club, I look for them to do just that. They just better not experience a hang-over, because Wake will pound them if that's the case.
Vanderbilt 27 Wake Forest 24
Wake Forest 31 Vanderbilt 17 (17-4)

Utah at BYU: The battle of Utah between the 8-3 Utes and the 8-2 Cougars. Mountain West Conference champion, BYU, is ranked for the rest time this season and the rising in the polls may come to an abrupt halt following this game. Utah has been playing probably the best football in the MWC for the past two months and I don't look for that to end in this game. Utah finishes the season at 9-3 and sends BYU to 8-3.
Utah 34 BYU 27
BYU 17 Utah 10 (17-5)

UTEP at Central Florida: UTEP is reeling and Central Florida is looking better with each successive week. The Miners have dropped five straight en route to their 4-7 record and Central Florida is on a roll, especially offensively, at 8-3 on the season. Even on the road, I see UCF winning this one, but at home, that leaves little to no doubt in my mind that the Golden Knights finish the regular season at 9-3 and head to the Conference-USA Title Game to probably face Tulsa.
Central Florida 63 UTEP 31
Central Florida 36 UTEP 20 (18-5)

Temple at Western Michigan: The two teams have accomplished different feats this season. Temple has definitely overachieved in their first season in the MAC, as they head into this game at an even 3-3 in conference play and 4-7 overall, while Western Michigan has underachieved, at 4-7. With the game in Kalamazoo and the Broncos coming off a big 28-19 win over Iowa, I look for WMU to ride that momentum and win this one to finish the disappointing season at 5-7.
Western Michigan 27 Temple 17
Western Michigan 16 Temple 3 (19-5)

Tulsa at Rice: There should be little questioning in the outcome of this game. With Tulsa's high-flying offense, they should cruise to their ninth victory of the season against the Owls.
Tulsa 56 Rice 24
Tulsa 48 Rice 43 (20-5)

Arkansas State at Southern Mississippi: Southern Miss has had quite a down year for them under head coach, Jeff Bower, but have an opportunity to close up the regular season with a home victory to potentially send them off to a bowl game with a 7-5 record. Arkansas State's only two wins in their previous five games have come against 0-10 Florida International (by 3) and 1-9 North Texas (by 4). I'd say the chances are pretty good for Southern Miss to end the year on a high note with a win in this one.
Southern Mississippi 34 Arkansas State 13
Southern Mississippi 16 Arkansas State 10 (21-5)

Notre Dame at Stanford: Not only did the Irish win last week (their second of the season), but they won by a comfortable 21 points. Granted, it was against 1-10 Duke, but Notre Dame was just 1-9 going into that game, as well, so for them, that's pretty impressive. They now go on the road to face 3-7 Stanford and although I'd like to see Jim Harbaugh's club pound the Irish on Saturday, I just don't see that happening. Notre Dame closes the season with two consecutive victories to finish the year at 3-9.
Notre Dame 24 Stanford 17
Notre Dame 21 Stanford 14 (22-5)

Oregon at UCLA: The luck of the Duck must be the polar opposite of the supposed luck of the Irish. Oregon quarterback and Heisman frontrunner, Dennis Dixon, was lost in Oregon's defeat at the hands of Arizona last Thursday night, and the senior is done for the season. Oregon's complexion was completely different with and without the star quarterback. At UCLA, without the dual-threat sensation behind center and the Bruins coming off a much needed bye week, I see UCLA pulling off the upset in this one. Both clubs are battling big-time injury problems, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but Dixon is without a doubt, the biggest loss of the bunch and unfortunately, Oregon will not be the same club without him.
UCLA 31 Oregon 24
UCLA 16 Oregon 0 (23-5)

Georgia at Georgia Tech: Georgia is playing some of the best ball in the country and I don't see that ending in Atlanta. This game is irrelevant to their hopes of facing LSU in the SEC Title Game, but can aid them in potentially earning an at-large BCS berth. The Bulldogs continue their winning ways and improve to 10-2 on the season, praying that Kentucky can defeat Tennessee.
Georgia 24 Georgia Tech 10
Georgia 31 Georgia Tech 17 (24-5)

Utah State at Idaho: Here we go...the match-up we've all been looking forward to, between the WAC's two finest teams. If there was ever a WAC showdown this weekend (forget about Boise State and Hawaii), this would be it: 1-10 Utah State vs. 1-10 Idaho! The pick is in... Utah State finishes their regular season with two consecutive wins. Not bad, considering they didn't have any through the previous ten games.
Utah State 31 Idaho 24
Utah State 24 Idaho 19 (25-5)

Duke at North Carolina: Carolina has been masterful at losing the close games this year. Duke has given a couple teams a tussle, but has lost that fight down the stretch and while things should remain close through about a half, UNC should pull away in the second, due in large part to their speedy receivers. UNC finishes Butch Davis' first year in Chapel Hill at 4-8.
North Carolina 31 Duke 17
North Carolina 20 Duke 14 OT (26-5)

Oklahoma State at Oklahoma: Just how good is Oklahoma? They've looked great at times this season, on both sides of the ball, but have seemingly fallen asleep at others, especially on defense, in allowing 27 points to Colorado and 34 to Texas Tech this past weekend. With the game in Norman and Oklahoma State's defense being ranked as one of the very worst in the country, I'm going with the Sooners, but if their defense lacks focus as it showed on a couple of occasions this year, Okie State could make things very interesting.
Oklahoma 38 Oklahoma State 24
Oklahoma 49 Oklahoma State 17 (27-5)

Kansas State at Fresno State: For how poorly the Wildcats are playing right now and Fresno being well rested coming off a bye week, I just can't find it in me to pick K-State. The Wildcats finish the season at a very disappointing 5-7 and Fresno improves to 7-4 on the year.
Fresno State 31 Kansas State 27
Fresno State 45 Kansas State 29 (28-5)

Nevada at San Jose State: Nevada could be a little rusty at the outset, due to their heartbreaking two-point loss to unbeaten Hawaii this past week, but they should wake up with plenty of time to spare, as they improve to 6-5 on the season and with that, become bowl eligible. SJSU closes the season at a disappointing 4-8.
Nevada 31 San Jose State 20
San Jose State 27 Nevada 24 (28-6)

Western Kentucky at North Texas: Western Kentucky gave 7-3 Troy a run for their money earlier in the season and keeping that in mind, I have to believe they SHOULD be able to defeat 1-9 North Texas in this one. The Mean Green have shown some signs of improvement over the past month of the season, but I'm going out on a limb and picking the Hilltoppers to finish the season at 8-4.
Western Kentucky 31 North Texas 24
North Texas 27 Western Kentucky 26 (28-7)

Ball State at Northern Illinois: I only have a few words of wisdom for this one: Ball State- pretty good (MAC relative), Northern Illnois- not good at all.
Ball State 31 Northern Illinois 10
Ball State 27 Northern Illinois 21 (29-7)

UAB at Marshall: I think I'd pick the home team in this one, regardless if it was played in Birmingham, Alabama or in West Virginia. It being played at Marshall, I'm going with the Thundering Herd to improve to 3-9 on the year, with UAB dropping to 2-10.
Marshall 28 UAB 17
Marshall 46 UAB 39 (30-7)

Florida State at Florida: It's tough for me to pick against the Gators in this game. They have far more talent on both sides of the ball than the Seminoles and overall, have played much better football than FSU this year. BUT, FSU has shown some signs of life recently. While the final score of their game with Virginia Tech was nothing to smile about, it was also very misleading, as Florida State led the Hokies by 1-point fairly late in the contest. They also held off a decent Maryland squad at home this past weekend in FSU's 24-16 win and not long ago, the Seminoles won a huge road game against then 2nd ranked and undefeated Boston College 27-17. While it's difficult for me to pick against the Gators here, I wouldn't be surprised if FSU pulled off the upset.
Florida 27 Florida State 24
Florida 45 Florida State 12 (31-7)

UNLV at New Mexico: New Mexico has been struggling of late, but with the game at home and facing a team that is struggling even more so than they are, I look for the Lobos to finish the regular season with a solid record of 8-4.
New Mexico 28 UNLV 17
New Mexico 27 UNLV 6 (32-7)

Washington State at Washington: Huskies' quarterback Jake Locker is questionable for this game, but I don't think that'll matter. UW put up 37 points on California in their 37-23 win over the Bears this past week and if they play anything like they did this past Saturday against the 4-7 Cougars of Washington State, Ty Willingham and his club should be able to finish the season at 5-7.
Washington 27 Washington State 20
Washington State 42 Washington 35 (32-8)

Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette: I'll take the team that just upended Alabama in Tuscaloosa this past Saturday. UL-Monroe finishes the regular season at an even 6-6 with a win over the Rajun' Cajuns.
Louisiana-Monroe 31 Louisiana-Lafayette 24
Louisiana-Monroe 17 Louisiana-Lafayette 11 (33-8)

Florida Atlantic at Florida International: Howard Schnellenberger's 5-5 Florida Atlantic Burrowing Owls vs. 0-10 (0-22) Florida International Golden Panthers. After playing competitively with Florida for a half, I'm going with Schnelly and the now 6-5 and bowl eligible Owls.
Florida Atlantic 31 Florida International 17
Florida Atlantic 55 Florida International 23 (34-8)

Clemson at South Carolina: Clemson had scored 191 points in four consecutive wins up to their Saturday night game against Boston College, where they managed to just score 17 in their 20-17 loss to BC, the loss sending BC to the ACC Title Game instead of Tommy Bowden's Tigers. With the hang over in effect and Spurrier's club coming off a much needed bye week, I'm taking the Gamecocks to get back on track with a big rivalry win at home to improve to 7-5 on the season.
South Carolina 27 Clemson 24
Clemson 23 South Carolina 21 (34-9)

Cincinnati at Syracuse: Just like I said with Duke a couple weeks ago and feeling obligated to pick their opponent in ACC games, I feel the same way about Syracuse this year. Cincinnati wins and improves to 9-3 on the season. The Orange finish the year at a woeful 2-10.
Cincinnati 34 Syracuse 10
Cincinnati 52 Syracuse 31 (35-9)

Alabama at Auburn: The Crimson Tide have lost three straight, including an embarrassing home loss to 5-6 Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt Conference this past weekend. Auburn took the week off to relax and revel in their inner-state rival's troubles. With the game at home and playing much better football of late than the Tide, I look for the Tigers to win the Iron Bowl in another hard fought, low-scoring affair.
Auburn 20 Alabama 10
Auburn 17 Alabama 10 (36-9)

TCU at San Diego State: After struggling off and on through the majority of the season, I look for Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs to end the year on a two game winning streak en route to a 7-5 regular season campaign.
TCU 27 San Diego State 13
TCU 45 San Diego State 33 (37-9)

Missouri vs. Kansas: The mysteries surrounding these two clubs far surpass the absolutes. Neither club has faced too many worthwhile opponents throughout the course of the season. Kansas' most impressive win may be that against 6-5 Oklahoma State or 6-5 Texas A&M. Missouri's has to be their season-opening victory against now 9-3 Illinois. As is true in most games, but especially in this one with two high-powered offenses going head-to-head, the key in this game will be turnover margin and ill-timed penalties. With Chase Daniel and some very speedy receivers to throw to, especially in the case of Jeremy Maclin, I look for them to take advantage of the KU secondary, which has been shaky at times this season (just ask Nebraska). Kansas will score some points on Mizzou's bend, but don't break-style of defense, but not enough to catapult them to 12-0 with a chance at an undefeated season. Missouri faces off with Oklahoma in the Big XII Title game.
Missouri 45 Kansas 38
Missouri 36 Kansas 28 (38-9)

Ineligible Games
Texas Southern at Houston

Week 13 Record: 38-9 (.809)
Overall Record: 435-186 (.700)