Week 11 College Football Newsletter

The Bonehead Call of the Week
I'm giving this to Jim Tressel, the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. With Illinois up 28-21 and just 6:53 left in the 4th quarter, Illini head coach, Ron Zook, faced a very tough decision on 4th and inches from Illinois' own 34-yard line. Initially, he decided to punt the football. But, for whatever reason, after both teams lined up, Tressel decided to burn a timeout. Down seven points midway in the 4th quarter is not a time to burn a TO. They may be needed late in the game. Also, yeah, sure, hindsight may be 20/20, but as Zook initially decided to punt, Tressel had to of known that if/when he did call the timeout, Zook would be given more time to think things over and may change his mind. It's not like Tressel needed to prepare his team for a fake. What logical sense would it make for a coach to fake a punt on 4th and inches? None. Nada. Zilch. The Buckeye timeout game Zook time to think things over. He did in fact change his mind. The Illini converted the first down and burned the remaining 6:53 off the clock en route to their seven point victory.

The Bonehead Play of the Week
For the second consecutive week, I'm giving this to Alabama quarterback, John Parker Wilson. The week prior, Wilson about handed the ball off to LSU very late in the 4th quarter and it resulted in the Tigers' winning touchdown. This past Saturday, with his Tide leading 9-3 over Mississippi State and driving, late in the second quarter, Wilson was picked off by Bulldogs' cornerback Anthony Johnson in the end zone with eleven seconds left in the half and returned it 100 yards for the go-ahead score. MSU took a 10-9 lead into the half and never looked back, en route to a 17-12 victory over the Tide. At worst in that situation, Alabama should've gone into the half up two scores at 12-3. It's a huge turnaround in any game, but especially in a low-scoring game such as this one, where only 29 points were scored for the entire duration.

The Bonehead Remark of the Week
There were so many I read and heard this week regarding the Huskers, I'll just make mention of these in Part 2, under "Nebraska Game (from an unbiased perspective)."

Quote of the Week
It's no contest this week, as it goes to Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach for his tirade on the officials following his Red Raiders' 59-43 loss to Texas on Saturday. The head coach said the following:

"I think it's disturbing that Austin residents are involved in this. People work too hard, too long, there's too much money invested in these games to allow that."

"Am I condemning the crew? Hell yeah, I'm condemning the crew!"

"Unless this can change, the Big 12 Conference needs to take a serious look at having out of conference officials officiate the Texas Tech-Texas games and perhaps other games where there is proven to be a bias by officiating. It's unfortunate and does the bowl picture enter into it? I don't know. Does the money enter into it? I don't know."

"It may be incompetence, bias, I don't know. Maybe it's something as simple as guys sitting over the water cooler at their office in Austin talking about how the great game they're going to see -- and then perhaps a preconceived notion develops as to how it's going to come out."

He's been fined a conference record $10,000 for his comments, double the previous high.

Conference Breakdown
*indicates I-AA opponent

ACC
Virginia Tech 40 Florida State 21 (1-1)
Maryland 42 Boston College 35 (2-2)
Virginia 48 Miami (Florida) 0 (3-3)
Georgia Tech 41 Duke 24 (4-4)
Clemson 44 Wake Forest 10 (5-5)
North Carolina State 31 North Carolina 27 (6-6)

Big East
South Florida 41 Syracuse 10 (1-1)
West Virginia 38 Louisville 31 (2-2)
Cincinnati 27 Connecticut 3 (3-3)
Rutgers 41 Army 6 (4-3)

Big Ten
Illinois 28 Ohio State 21 (1-1)
Wisconsin 37 Michigan 21 (2-2)
Michigan State 48 Purdue 31 (3-3)
Iowa 21 Minnesota 16 (4-4)
Northwestern 31 Indiana 28 (5-5)
Penn State 31 Temple 0 (6-5)

Big XII
Nebraska 73 Kansas State 31 (1-1)
Iowa State 31 Colorado 28 (2-2)
Kansas 43 Oklahoma State 28 (3-3)
Missouri 40 Texas A&M 26 (4-4)
Oklahoma 52 Baylor 21 (5-5)
Texas 59 Texas Tech 43 (6-6)

Pac-10
USC 24 California 17 (1-1)
Arizona State 24 UCLA 20 (2-2)
Oregon State 29 Washington 23 (3-3)
Washington State 33 Stanford 17 (4-4)

SEC
Tennessee 34 Arkansas 13 (1-1)
Mississippi State 17 Alabama 12 (2-2)
Georgia 45 Auburn 20 (3-3)
LSU 58 Louisiana Tech 10 (4-3)
Kentucky 27 Vanderbilt 20 (5-4)
Florida 51 South Carolina 31 (6-5)

A Tale of Two Weeks
Week 10: Kansas 76 Nebraska 39 (-37)
Week 11: Nebraska 73 Kansas State 31 (+42)
Margin Difference: 79 points

Week 10: Boise State 42 San Jose State 7 (-35)
Week 11: San Jose State 51 New Mexico State 17 (+34)
Margin Difference: 69 points

Week 10: Tennessee 59 Louisiana-Lafayette 7 (-52)
Week 11: Louisiana-Lafayette 34 Middle Tennessee State 24 (+10)
Margin Difference: 62 points

Week 10: Louisiana Tech 28 Idaho 16 (+12)
Week 11: LSU 58 Louisiana Tech 10 (-48)
Margin Difference: 60 points

Week 10: Houston 38 SMU 28 (+10)
Week 11: Tulsa 56 Houston 7 (-49)
Margin Difference: 59 points

The Conference Yo of the Week
Pac-10. All of the conference games this week were fairly competitive, with the biggest blow-out being a 33-17 home victory by Washington State over Stanford. USC outlasted Cal in their 24-17 win on a wet, slick, and muddy field in Berkeley. Oregon State withstood a strong comeback by Washington in the Beavers 29-23 victory, which propelled them to bowl eligible status. Finally, Arizona State found a way to sneak by pesky UCLA 24-20. Four games decided by a total of 33 points. Not too shabby.

The Conference Yo No of the Week
Big XII and SEC. There was one good game in the Big XII this weekend and that was a 31-28 win by Iowa State over Colorado. There were a couple of decent games through 2 1/2 quarters or so, as Missouri pulled away late in their 40-26 win over Texas A&M and Kansas did likewise in their 43-28 victory over Oklahoma State in Stillwater. It was ugly outside of that. Texas beat up on Texas Tech 59-43. Oklahoma struggled for a half, but woke up in the second half to rout Baylor 52-21. Finally, Nebraska took out all of their anger and frustrations on Kansas State in their 73-31 win over the Wildcats.

It wasn't much better in the SEC (if better at all). Florida spanked their old coach, Steve Spurrier, and his South Carolina Gamecocks 51-31. Tennessee's defense rose to the occasion in the Vols' 34-13 win over Arkansas. Georgia pulled away in the second half to beat Auburn 45-20. There were two solid games in conference, as Kentucky defeated Vanderbilt 27-20 and Mississippi State defeated Alabama for the second consecutive year, beating the Tide 17-12. In the only out-of-conference game, LSU pummeled Louisiana Tech 58-10.

Not only were many of the games uncompetitive, they had so much potential going in, especially in the SEC match-ups such as Georgia and Auburn or Tennessee and Arkansas. Hopefully, this week's SEC and Big XII duels are a bit tighter and more entertaining than this past week's.

Game(s) of the Week
5. Arizona State 24 UCLA 20: As has been typical with the Bruins this year, they either compete strongly with or upend the tough opponents and they did likewise in this battle. ASU led throughout, but it wasn't until the Sundevils picked off the Bruins deep in ASU territory late in the 4th quarter that sealed the deal for the now 9-1 Sundevils.

4. USC 24 California 17: It's too bad that Cal has stumbled so much of late. The status of this game has dropped further than President Bush's approval rating this season, as former #1 USC came into the game 7-2 (with a loss to 3-7 Stanford) and Cal came in at 6-3 and unranked. But, even though the status took a tremendous drop in the past few weeks, this was quite the entertaining ball game. There had been a downpour in Berkeley earlier in the afternoon and the rain held fairly steady throughout the contest. It made every snap an adventure.

3. Illinois 28 Ohio State 21: Things weren't looking good early, as it took just two plays for the Buckeyes to score their opening touchdown. But, the Illini quickly responded, needing just three plays to tie the score. After that, Illinois controlled the tempo by rushing for 260 yards in the game and held OSU's offense in check, intercepting Todd Boeckman three times, once in the end zone. Illinois quarterback Juice Williams also stepped up his game, throwing for four touchdown passes in the Illini's big upset win over then #1 Ohio State.

2. West Virginia 38 Louisville 31: Like a lot of offense? Then this game was for you. Louisville did it through the air and the Mountaineers on the ground. The climax of the game had to of been Pat White's game-deciding 50-yard touchdown run with just 1:36 remaining in the 4th quarter to lift West Virginia to a 38-31 victory and an 8-1 record to show for it.

1. Central Michigan 34 Western Michigan 31: Yeah, it was just a MAC game. There was no hype swirling around this contest like there was a few SEC, Big Ten, Pac-10, and Big XII match-ups. But, of all the games I watched over the weekend, this was the most competitive and most entertaining. Central Michigan went into the 4th quarter up just 10-7 in what appeared to be a defensive chess match. But, the 4th quarter was an entirely different game all together, where a total of 48 points were scored, the game constantly swinging back and forth, with the final score coming on a Dan LeFevour quarterback sneak with 12 seconds remaining to lift his Chippewas to a 34-31 win in Kalamazoo.

Disappointment(s) of the Week
5. Cincinnati 27 Connecticut 3: UConn was the only unbeaten team left in the Big East in conference play until this game. Their only loss of the season was a 17-16 heartbreaker to 9-2 Virginia. While I picked Cincy to upend the Huskies, I, in no way, thought the Bearcats would win by 24 points, as both teams goto 8-2 on the season.

4. Virginia 48 Miami (Florida) 0: The final game at the Orange Bowl. The Miami Hurricanes, the alma mater of such greats as Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Willis McGahee, Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow, Russell Maryland, Ed Reed, Bernie Kosar, Vinnie Testaverde, Ken Dorsey, etc. What is the definition of rout in the dictionary? A playback of this game. Yes, they have those in the dictionary...

3. Tennessee 34 Arkansas 13: A week after breaking SEC records for rushing yards in a game, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones were held in check, for the most part. McFadden rushed for just over 100 yards and Jones got injured early in the contest. The Razorbacks' passing game couldn't compensate for their lack of a running game and the Vols' offense, led by Erik Ainge, did more than enough to take care of the 'Hogs.

2. Clemson 44 Wake Forest 10: Wake Forest had lost a week ago to Virginia by one point, their first loss since their opening two games of the season. Their three losses on the season came by a combined 14 points. They about tripled that total with this loss.

1. Florida 51 South Carolina 31: Sadly, the game wasn't even as close as the final score indicates.

Kudos
Major kudos go out to Mississippi State head coach, Sylvester Croom. He's a native to the state of Alabama and played his football there in college. Alabama decided to pass over the former Tide player in favor of Mike Shula and he instead ended up in Starkville, Mississippi, taking over a program that was severely hurt by probation penalties. Four years later, following a 17-12 win over Alabama on Saturday, Croom and his Bulldogs are 6-4, becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2000. Congrats to Croom and his Bulldogs. I hope they are invited to a bowl. With SEC wins over Auburn (on the road), Kentucky (by 17), and Alabama, they definitely deserve an invite.

No Kudos
Houston. The Cougars were 6-3 heading into their game at Tulsa this past Saturday, needing only to defeat the Golden Hurricane to clinch the Conference-USA Western Division en route to the C-USA title game. For the season, Houston's low offensive output in a conference game was 34. They lost to Tulsa by the final score of 56-7 on Saturday and the Cougars' touchdown came very late in the contest.

Player(s) of the Week
First off, I have to give some kudos to Joe Ganz and Pat White. Ganz, starting his second game of the season for Nebraska, completed 30 of 40 pass attempts (75.0%) for 510 yards (17.0 ypc and 12.8 ypa), and 7 touchdowns, while running the ball 6 times for a total of 18 yards (3.0 ypc) in Nebraska's 73-31 win over Kansas State. Pat White completed 16-25 pass attempts (64.0%) for 181 yards (11.3 ypc and 7.2 ypa), and 2 touchdowns, while running the ball 24 times for 147 yards (6.1 ypc) and an additional touchdown, including the game-winner, as White led his Mountaineers to a 38-31 victory over Louisville.

But, I'm splitting the honor this week between two other quarterbacks, Juice Williams of Illinois and Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech. Williams' numbers may not have quite as impressive as White's, but White was facing Louisville's porous defense, while Williams and his Illini faced the very staunch Ohio State D. Taylor's numbers may not have been quite as gaudy as Ganz's, but he did face the tougher of the two defenses, when comparing Florida State to Kansas State. Also, Sean Glennon started the game for the Hokies and Taylor was rushed into the contest after Glennon suffered an injury. That makes Tyrod's performance even more player of the week-worthy.

Against one of the toughest defenses in the country, especially against the run, Juice Williams completed 12 of 22 passes (54.5%) for 140 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 16 times for 70 yards (4.4 ypc), including some huge third down conversions in the final six minutes of the contest.

In Virginia Tech's 40-21 win over Florida State (misleading score), Taylor completed 10 of 15 pass attempts (66.7%) for 204 yards (20.4 ypc and 13.6 ypa), 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also ran the ball 17 times for 92 yards (5.4 ypc) and another score, the go-ahead score to put Tech in front 28-21.

Surprise(s) of the Week
Yeah, Illinois' win over Ohio State came as a slight surprise. But, THE surprise over the weekend? For me, at least? Nebraska's 73-31 pounding of Kansas State. It didn't necessarily surprise me that Nebraska won the game. K-State came into Memorial Stadium at 5-4, losing the week prior to then 1-8 Iowa State by the score of 31-20. It marked the first Big XII conference win for the Cyclones. Nebraska was embarrassed the weekend before by Kansas 76-39, came into their bout with K-State losers of five straight, and to embarrass K-State in a very similar manner was quite surprising for me, as I know it was for many others as well.

Nebraska Game (from an unbiased perspective)
Wow. I'm still scratching my head. What happened on Saturday? I'm not entirely shocked that Nebraska won, as I only picked them to lose by 7, but 73-31? It was like a carbon copy of their previous game against Kansas, only, NU was in the Jayhawks' position and K-State was playing the role of Nebraska from the previous week's game. K-State got off to a quick start, with a quick touchdown pass from Josh Freeman to Jordy Nelson to go up 7-0 (NU led 7-0 against KU). But, Nebraska was quick to strike back with a Cortney Grixby kick return for 6 to tie the game at seven a piece (Kansas did likewise). K-State came right back and kicked the go ahead field goal to lead 10-7 (NU scored another touchdown to go up 14-7). But, after that point in the game, without any notice, the pendulum swung the other way and stayed put for the remainder of the contest. Just as Kansas tied Nebraska with a quick score at 14 a piece and dominated from there on out, Nebraska did likewise to the Wildcats, going ahead 14-10 and from that point forward, dominated K-State in every facet of the game. Kansas scored touchdowns on 10 consecutive possessions in their win over Nebraska and this past Saturday, Nebraska scored on 11 straight possessions against the Wildcats. The final scores were even similar. Kansas beat NU 76-39 the week prior and it wasn't even that close and Nebraska defeated Kansas State 73-31 and again, the score was a bit kinder to the Wildcats than the feel and flow of the game actually depicted.

After losing five consecutive games: 41-6 to Missouri (9-1), 45-14 to Oklahoma State (5-5), 36-14 to Texas A&M (6-5), 28-25 to Texas (9-2), and 76-39 to Kansas (10-0), it was really quite something (something being very ambiguous in this instance) to see the Huskers dominate like they've been dominated in recent weeks. They had been outscored 226-98 (45.2 - 19.6) in those five outings and if one excludes the close battle with Texas, they were outscored 198-73 (49.5 - 18.3) in the other four games.

Offensively, Nebraska clicked all game. Joe Ganz looked like he'd been running Callahan's offense for years, as he completed 30 of 40 passes (75.0%) for a school record 510 yards (17.0 ypc and 12.8 ypa) and another school record 7 touchdown passes. He also chipped in the running game, by carrying the ball 6 times for 18 yards (3.0 ypc). Marlon Lucky was very efficient on the ground, as he only needed 16 carries to eclipse the 100 yard mark, finishing with 108 on the day (6.8 ypc), along with two touchdowns on the ground. He added to his school record in receptions by catching 6 balls for 78 yards (13.0 ypr) and another score. Maurice Purify led the Huskers in receiving, catching six balls for 108 yards (18.0 ypr). Ganz did a great job at spreading the ball around, as nine players finished the game with at least one catch, seven had at least two grabs, six with at least three receptions, and four players caught at least one touchdown pass. The special teams should receive praise as well, as Grixby returned two kicks for a total of 107 yards (53.5 ypr) and a touchdown. Andre Jones added a 43-yard punt return for the Big Red.

Defensively, let's not get carried away. Nebraska wasn't the Steel Curtain, but they played more aggressively than they'd played for quite some time. They consistently put pressure on K-State quarterback, Josh Freeman, and limited the ground game for the Wildcats, something I haven't had the chance to say/write for quite some time.

The special teams' unit should receive enormous praise, because if it wasn't for that return by Grixby early in the contest, which tied the game 7-7, who knows what may have transpired. K-State looked very impressive driving the ball down NU's throat en route to their 7-0 lead and psychologically, if Grixby hadn't tied that game up right then, the Huskers may have fallen into the quicksand again until K-State's lead was insurmountable. Grixby's return brought new life to the Huskers and they made the most of it.

On the day, Kansas State converted 24 first downs, were 6-14 on third down (42.9%), and 0-1 on 4th down (0.0%). They totaled 428 yards on the afternoon, 320 through the air and 108 on the ground. The 108 rushing yards came on 28 carries (3.9 ypc). The Wildcats were penalized 7 times, but for just 40 yards. They didn't turn the ball over at all and held onto the football for only 25:49.

Nebraska converted 35 first downs on the day, were 5-11 on third down (45.5%), and 3-3 on 4th down (100.0%). They totaled 702 yards on the afternoon, 519 passing and 183 rushing. The 183 ground yards came on 37 rush attempts (4.9 ypc). NU was penalized 6 times for 71 yards, didn't turn the ball over, and held onto the ball for 34:11.

I already mentioned NU's individual stats. For Kansas State, quarterback Josh Freeman completed 26 of 44 passes (59.1%) for 320 yards (12.3 ypc and 7.3 ypa) and 2 touchdowns. He also added one with his feet. James Johnson led the team in rushing, carrying the ball 16 times for 129 yards (8.1 ypc) and a touchdown. He also caught 3 passes for 38 yards (12.7 ypr). Jordy Nelson led the club in receiving, catching 9 passes for 125 yards (13.9 ypr) and an early score. Like Ganz of the Huskers, Freeman did spread the ball around fairly well, completing at least one pass to nine different players.

Now come the quotes. In past weeks, both local and national news' outlets have blasted NU head coach Bill Callahan, defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, amongst others on Billy's staff. It's amazing what one victory in a six game span can do. Here are a few comments following the 73-31 victory over Kansas State on Saturday:

David Max said, "It was like a time machine blast to the past of the scoring explosion team of 1983."

Steve Sipple of the Lincoln Journal-Star stated the following, "At the end of the day, Nebraska, with a record of 5-6 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12, remains an average team, albeit one with plenty of fight. In some ways, Saturday made perfect sense, because this is precisely how average teams operate. They typically stumble through seasons experiencing wild mood swings. Every so often, they rise up and pull off the unexpected."

Tad Stryker of The North Platte Bulletin, stated, "If Callahan could turn back the clock, would he have played Ganz earlier this season? After the Texas A&M game, I (and many others) asked why Callahan stubbornly kept Ganz on the bench while Keller’s play slowly deteriorated. I think the junior from Chicago would have given the Huskers a much-needed spark at a time when almost any change would have been worth a try."

Brian Rosenthal of the Lincoln Journal-Star commented, "I know basketball season is here, but can we save these basketball-type scores for the Devaney Sports Center, please?"

Some guy who goes by the name Colonel Mustard said this, "It is an interesting discussion point to wonder what our record would have been if we had played this way all year."

Bill Callahan gave people like myself plenty of solid material over the past 24+ hours as he said the following:

"Everybody is very critical of myself about how our offense is too complicated, and it's too pro-like, and it's this and it's that. But the fact remains that numbers don't lie and the production doesn't lie and the performance of these players doesn't lie. It's there. It's all out there."

"It's kind of a testament that this system works. It worked last year, it worked the year before and it continues to put up high and impressive numbers."

"He's a product of the system (Ganz). This is a player that we've developed and you could see his development ooze all over the field on Saturday."

"We took a guy from a junior college and developed him into the conference player of the year in Zac Taylor. We took a guy that transferred, Sam Keller, that was on schedule and on pace to break every record around here. And then we insert the third guy within a two-year period of time that throws for seven touchdowns . . . and throws for over 500 yards. I mean, that's development. That's coaching. That's system. Those are things that mean a great deal to a program."

First off, I like and agree with the quotes reported by the two men from the Lincoln Journal-Star, Steve Sipple and Brian Rosenthal. But the rest make me wonder... I will give David Max a pass, because NU had been in quite the victory drought and a victory such as this, no matter how absurd and asinine the comment may be, could bring back some fond memories of the elite Nebraska programs of the past. But, I won't give Tad Stryker, Colonel Mustard, or Billy C a pass for their comments.

What, is Sam Keller the new scapegoat for some of these guys? Did they forget Nebraska has given up an all-time school record 390 points (35.5 ppg) this season? This was to be Keller's only year playing for the Huskers. It's not like he was in a similar predicament Zac Taylor was in, where he could play under the same coach and system for multiple years and hopefully garner a better feel and chemistry with that added time. No, Keller transferred from Arizona State, had to sit out a year, and this being his senior season, would only be at Nebraska this year. This is a 21-year old kid who was told he'd start for the Sundevils one day, then told he'd be second-stringer the next, decided to transfer, needed to sit out that transfer year, got one year to show the NFL scouts what he has while at Nebraska, gets injured in the midst of a five-game losing skid, and Stryker has the knack for saying, "Oh, but what if Ganz had started earlier?" I will agree with this. While NU was getting blown out in previous games and Callahan decided to give the youngsters some playing time at other positions, I do think he should've given Ganz some time at quarterback, but I'd also like to think and believe that Callahan decided to start Keller at the beginning of the season for a reason. This can't all be put on Keller's shoulders. The ground game aided him tremendously in the season opener against Nevada, but for the season, Nebraska is ranked 70th in the country in rushing offense. For the most part, the balance has not been there and for a quarterback who is in his first (and final) year under a coach and his system, that will translate into some problems somewhere down the line. Marlon Lucky has been extremely dangerous in the passing game, getting his quick, elusive feet out into space, but has been inconsistent in the running game. The offensive line has been okay, but not great, as they rank 40th in the country in sacks allowed. So, with a decent amount of pressure exerted on the quarterback throughout a game, an inconsistent running game, and a quarterback trying to feel his way through and around a new coach and system, to go with a horrendous defense, that's not the recipe a head coach wants to find on the counter on a given night. So, please, Mr. Stryker, while Keller made his share of mistakes and while Ganz looked great in the win over Kansas State, let's not make Keller the scapegoat here and ask the hypothetical 'what if' questions. There were plenty of holes to fill on both sides of the football: in the passing game, the running game, protection, special teams, run defense, the secondary, play calling, etc. It's a team effort and not even Peyton Manning, when he was in college, could have won the game in Columbia this year or the home game against Okie State or the game a couple weeks ago in Lawrence with the defense Nebraska has, their inconsistent ground attack, protection problems at times, and play-calling deficiencies.

Colonel Mustard's comment is not getting a pass either. "It is an interesting discussion point to wonder what our record would have been if we had played this way all year." Whew. It's one game in a twelve game regular season. Regardless of how good a team is, even the likes of LSU, Oregon, and Kansas have off days. I'm sure every team wishes they could play at their ultimate peak and potential week in and week out, but that's not humanly possible. It's what helps to separate the men from the boys. Great teams will find ways to win even on their off days. In baseball, the John Smoltz's of the world, Johan Santana's, Josh Beckett's, they don't have their A stuff for the majority of their starts. What makes them great? The fact that they can still win and dominate when they don't have "it" that evening. That's how these guys consistently win 15-20 games a season and with their A stuff, at the most, on only 10 starts of the year. Kansas struggled some against Kansas State and Colorado, but did what they needed to do to win those games. LSU had to come-from-behind to beat Florida, Auburn, and Alabama, but somehow, some way, they found a way to win all three of those games. Nebraska dominated on Saturday, but in this day and age, we're not going to see a I-A team dominate conference opponents on a weekly basis by 42-points per game, racking up 60 and 70 points every outing. That may have happened 10-20 years ago, but not anymore. With Mustard's logic, Notre Dame fans should be wondering the same thing. If only they played as well as they did against their other nine opponents as they did in their 20-6 victory over UCLA this season, their ONLY win of the year thus far.

As for Callahan's statements, I find them humorous, if anything. I have to kind of roll my eyes and giggle slightly. He's just trying to save his own derriere. I know that. But, what? Does he seriously think we're going to buy his BS, even if it's 90% off? "The numbers don't lie. It's all about the development, coaching, and the system." Uh-huh. So, Billy Boy, how do you explain these numbers, which of course, don't lie, as you so eloquently stated yourself?

Scoring offense
2004: 58th (25.0 ppg)
2005: 67th (24.7 ppg)
2006: 17th (30.6 ppg)
2007: 36th (31.8 ppg)

Rushing offense
2004: 34th (176.3 rypg)
2005: 107th (96.0 rypg)
2006: 23rd (170.5 rypg)
2007: 70th (146.1 rypg)

Passing offense
2004: 81st (186.9 pypg)
2005: 54th (224.3 pypg)
2006: 23rd (244.1 pypg)
2007: 12th (309.3 pypg)

Total offense
2004: 69th (363.2 typg)
2005: 96th (320.3 typg)
2006: 14th (414.6 typg)
2007: 18th (455.4 typg)

Turnover margin
2004: 110th (-1.09)
2005: 69th (-.17)
2006: T-58th (+/- .00)
2007: 114th (-1.27)

Record
2004: 5-6
2005: 8-4
2006: 9-5
2007: 5-6
Total: 27-21

Under Callahan, Nebraska's scoring offense has bounced around, rushing offense has been a rollercoaster, turnover margin is near the very bottom and was never better than middle of the pack, and total offense has gone down slightly from year three to four. One area which has improved every year under Callahan is the passing offense, but that can be looked at in different ways. While the team's offense experienced the most success and balance last year, the numbers in the passing game have improved some this season, but both the rushing yards and scoring have dropped.

You're right Bill, numbers don't lie. You were 5-6 in your first year at Nebraska and you're again 5-6 in your fourth year.

It was made known today that an evaluation of the coaching staff will be made following the Colorado game, the final game of Nebraska's regular season. As I'm sure the current head coach knows deep down, the evaluation won't be very positive and he can expect to be out the door not long afterward, regardless of how "productive" his offense is and how "impressive" the numbers are.

Here are Nebraska's statistics going into the final game against Colorado in a couple weeks:
Sagarin: #59
Sports Illustrated Power Poll: #76
CBS Sportsline: #66

Rushing offense: 146.09 (70th and 7th)
Passing offense: 309.27 (12th and 3rd)
Pass efficiency: 144.60 (19th and 5th)
Total offense: 455.36 (18th and 7th)
Scoring offense: 31.82 (36th and 8th
Rushing defense: 228.09 (115th and 12th)
Pass defense: 245.00 (85th and 5th)
Pass efficiency defense: 128.59 (70th and 7th)
Total defense: 473.09 (112th and 12th)
Scoring defense: 35.45 (105th and 11th)
Net punting: 37.57 (24th and 4th)
Punt returns: 7.81 (77th and 8th)
Kickoff returns: 22.86 (40th and 5th)
Turnover margin: -1.27 (114th and 11th)
Sacks: 1.18 (111th and 12th)
Tackles for loss: 5.45 (t-89th and t-10th)
Sacks allowed: 1.55 (40th and 10th)
Schedule strength: 0.62765957 (6th and 2nd)

Solich Update
The Akron Zips came into their game with Frank Solich's Bobcats of Ohio at 3-6, losers of three straight, and came in averaging slightly less than 20 points per outing. What to do when the offense is struggling? Face Ohio. Akron beat the Bobcats 48-37 to send Ohio to 5-6 on the season and 3-4 in conference play. Their last conference game comes on the 24th of the month, at home against 5-5 Miami (Ohio). Chances are, regardless of the outcome, the Bobcats won't go bowling this year. The best case scenario is a victory in their regular season finale, which would make them finish at an even 4-4 in conference and 6-6 overall. Not quite as good of a season as last year (due in large part to the horrendous defense), but better than year one.

Gill Update
The Bulls got a well deserved bye over the previous weekend. They head into their big home MAC game with Bowling Green this weekend at 4-2 in the MAC and 4-6 overall. A victory would vault them past Bowling Green in the MAC East and leave them at worst, a game back of Miami (Ohio).

Harrell and Crabtree Watch
They may have lost to Texas on Saturday, but in scoring 43 points against the Longhorns, Texas Tech's big two put up some rather gaudy numbers.

Graham Harrell went 36-48 (75.0%) for 466 yards (12.9 ypc and 9.7 ypa), 5 TD's and 1 INT
Season: 421-572 (73.6%) for 4,878 yards (11.6 ypc and 8.5 ypa), 43 TD's and 12 INT's
Projected: 459-624 for 5,321 yards, 47 TD's and 13 INT's

Against Texas, Michael Crabtree caught 9 balls for 195 yards (21.7 ypr) and 2 TD's
Season: 113 receptions for 1,707 yards (15.1 ypr) and 20 TD's
Projected: 123 catches for 1,862 yards and 22 TD's

Random Note of the Week
After going up 43-0 on Wyoming, Utah decided to go for an onside kick and Wyoming head coach then decided to express his love to the Utah sideline by flipping them the bird. I can't blame the guy. Utah went on to win 50-0.

Predictions
Tuesday
Toledo at Ball State: The Toledo Rockets' offense has been looking more and more like the offense we've grown accustomed to over the past 5+ years, as what was once looking to be a dismal season for Toledo has shown some light in recent weeks, with Toledo at 5-5 and one win away from bowl eligibility. I look for that offense to continue clicking in their hard-fought win against 5-5 Ball State.
Toledo 42 Ball State 35

Wednesday
Akron at Miami (Ohio): Coming off a big conference win over Buffalo a couple weekends ago and a bye week, Miami (Ohio) should be well rested and ready to go at home against the 4-6 Zips of Akron, who are coming off a win themselves, as they beat Ohio 48-37 last week.
Miami (Ohio) 38 Akron 24

Thursday
North Texas at Arkansas State: Arkansas State has been struggling, but as I've said in weeks past, I'm trying to stay devout to my claim that I won't pick North Texas in a game this year. With the game at home, it doesn't even make the option tempting fortunately.
Arkansas State 27 North Texas 17

Oregon at Arizona: This shouldn't be a game Mike Bellotti and his Ducks take for granted (especially as the new #2 team in the country...). Arizona has been playing better of late and come in needing to win their final two games just to become bowl eligible. As Oregon is #2, Arizona is playing at home and better of late, I should just up and go with the Wildcats, but have trouble going against the Mighty Ducks with Mr. Dennis Dixon at the helm. Arizona plays the Ducks tough for a half or so, but Dixon and the Duck offense reign supreme in the end.
Oregon 38 Arizona 24

Friday
Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan: Central Michigan is rolling in conference, as they've already clinched themselves a berth in the MAC title game. At home, I look for them to continue winning in the down MAC conference. Chips improve to 7-4.
Central Michigan 31 Eastern Michigan 13

Hawaii at Nevada: The unbeaten season ends here. We're officially down to one (Kansas), so no gripes can be had in Honolulu after the Warriors receive the "shaft" by the BCS. Hawaii has not played so well on the road this year, needing an extra session (aka overtime) against San Jose State (4-6) and Louisiana Tech (4-6) on the road this season. The Warriors just faced Fresno in a late game this past Saturday, so it'll be a much shorter week than is typical for them. Nevada is coming off a bye, so they'll be well rested. Finally, Colt Brennan, the Warriors' star quarterback, may not be 100% on Friday. Adding all of those ingredients spells an upset win by the Wolfpack over Hawaii.
Nevada 48 Hawaii 41

Saturday
Syracuse at Connecticut: Suffer a loss in the Big East? Quick solution - Play Syracuse and all will again be temporarily well. UConn is coming off a 27-3 loss to Cincinnati, their first setback in conference this year and their second loss overall. Incoming? Syracuse. UConn bounces right back to improve to 9-2 on the season.
Connecticut 27 Syracuse 6

Maryland at Florida State: The Terps got a win they desperately needed this past weekend in their 42-35 home victory over then 8th ranked Boston College. FSU's quarterback situation remains shaky, as Drew Weatherford got banged up over the weekend and Xavier Lee has been suspended. Maryland is in bigger need of the win than FSU and should again show grave determination in their victory, this time in Tallahassee, as both teams goto 6-5 on the season.
Maryland 24 Florida State 20

Florida Atlantic at Florida: The good news for Howard Schnelleberger's Burrowing Owls? At worst, they'll fall to an even 5-5 after this game. The bad news? I think we know the bad news. Florida rolls.
Florida 52 Florida Atlantic 13

North Carolina at Georgia Tech: With the game in Atlanta, I give the slight edge to the inconsistent Yellow Jackets, but it won't be easy. They didn't have an easy time with 1-9 Duke this past weekend and were slaughtered the previous Thursday night against Virginia Tech. I like the Jackets to improve to 7-4, but I'm tentative regarding this pick.
Georgia Tech 34 North Carolina 27

Ohio State at Michigan: There are a few variables I wish I had the answers to before predicting the outcome of this game. Two in particular: A) Will Chad Henne start/play? B) Will Mike Hart start/play? Henne started against Wisconsin last Saturday, but ended up on the sideline fairly early into the contest and Mike Hart didn't play at all. Call it a gut feeling, but I can't, for the life of me, see Mike Hart sitting on the sidelines in Ann Arbor against Ohio State. I can't see that occurring with Henne either, but especially Hart. With it being the perfect close to a regular season for the Wolverines' after a horrendous start to the year and a chance to send head coach Lloyd Carr off on a winning note (if the rumors of his future resignation are true), by beating the hated Buckeyes, I look for Michigan to finish the regular season at 9-3 and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl.
Michigan 27 Ohio State 24

Pittsburgh at Rutgers: This is no gimme for Rutgers and if the game were played in the steel city, I'd be very tempted to go with the Panthers. But, the Scarlet Knights were able to get back on track this past week with a 41-6 dismantling of Army and I look for Ray Rice to carry the club to another home victory and improve Rutgers to 7-4 on the year.
Rutgers 31 Pittsburgh 20

Kent State at Temple: The Golden Flashes of Kent State have been anything but Golden of late, as they became just the second victim of Northern Illinois this season last Saturday. Both clubs come into this contest at 3-7, but believe it or not, Temple has appeared to be the better of the two clubs in recent weeks and with the game in Philly, that punctuates my selecting Temple to win this one.
Temple 24 Kent State 20

Tulsa at Army: Did anyone catch the score of that Tulsa/Houston game this past weekend? Both schools went into the game at 6-3. Houston has been notorious for their dreadful defense, but are just as well known for their explosive offense. The Golden Hurricane swept the Cougars up in a level 5 by the score of 56-7. It's possible that Tulsa could suffer a slight let-down, but against Army? That's not going to matter. Tulsa improves to 8-3.
Tulsa 41 Army 17

Northwestern at Illinois: Speaking of let-downs...Illinois won't need to be reminded of that, as they're coming off one of the biggest wins in the Illini's past ten years or so (if not, entire history). Northwestern is coming off a 31-28 win over Indiana, which ensured them, at worst, a .500 record at regular season's end and bowl eligibility. With the game in Champaign, I'm going with the Illini, but they better be careful.
Illinois 45 Northwestern 24

Kentucky at Georgia: These two clubs are going in different directions. The once top ten Wildcats, coming off a 43-37 victory over LSU, have not been looking like anything close to that team in recent weeks and Georgia has suddenly learned how to score points on more of a consistent basis, largely due to their new stud tailback, Moreno. Taking that into effect and with the game being in Athens, I have to go with the Bulldogs. But, this year, would I be surprised of an upset? Hey, if Appalachian State can beat Michigan, Syracuse can beat Louisville, and Stanford beat USC, then Kentucky can certainly beat Georgia.
Georgia 34 Kentucky 24

Missouri at Kansas State: Oh, let's see here. Kansas State is coming off a 31-20 loss to then 1-8 Iowa State, who hadn't won a Big XII game to that point and a 73-31 loss to Nebraska, who has lost five consecutive games by the combined score of 226-98 (45.2 - 19.6). Missouri is 9-1 and merrily rolling along the Big XII landscape heading into their showdown with Kansas. Mizzou could possibly be caught looking ahead to that game, but for how poorly the Wildcats have played of late, I don't think that will matter.
Missouri 49 Kansas State 17

Bowling Green at Buffalo: This is actually a fairly big MAC game, with 6-4 Bowling Green paying visit to 4-6 Buffalo (4-2 in conference). Although, both are chasing Miami (Ohio) for an opportunity to square off against Central Michigan in the MAC title game, this would give one team a decided edge for second place in their "respective" division in the conference and with an opportunity to play in the MAC title game. With the game at home and coming off a well needed and deserved bye week, I give the slight edge to Buffalo in this one.
Buffalo 34 Bowling Green 31

Mississippi State at Arkansas: I'd take MSU if this game were played in Starkville, but not in Arkansas. The 'Hogs are coming off a rather embarrassing 21-point loss to Tennessee this past weekend and will want/need to avenge for that loss at home against the Bulldogs.
Arkansas 31 Mississippi State 24

Utah State at New Mexico State: If the game were played at home, I think the Aggies would have a legitimate shot at winning their first game of the season in this one. But, playing away against Chase Holbrook, Hal Mumme, and the Aggies should result in their eleventh consecutive loss of the season. The Aggies finish the year at 5-7, their best record in quite some time (sadly enough).
New Mexico State 31 Utah State 24

San Diego State at Air Force: The Aztecs stroll into Colorado Springs winners of two straight, but Air Force has been on an even greater roll as of late and I have a hard time seeing SDSU upsetting Air Force on the road in this one. Air Force closes their regular season at 9-3.
Air Force 38 San Diego State 17

Vanderbilt at Tennessee: The 'Vols have been showing signs of improvement as of late, especially on the defensive end. Vandy comes into the game at 5-5, in need of just one more win to become the eleventh bowl eligible SEC team. Unfortunately, I don't see that win coming in this one, as Erik Ainge has been steady this season and the defense should provide enough stops to ensure the victory.
Tennessee 31 Vanderbilt 17

BYU at Wyoming: Wyoming and head coach Joe Glenn are reeling right now. The Cowboys have fallen to 5-5 on the season, following their embarrassing 50-0 shut-out loss to Utah this past Saturday. BYU comes into the game at 7-2 and should make it 8-2 with a win over the struggling Cowboys.
BYU 31 Wyoming 24

Duke at Notre Dame: Who would've thought before the season started that this game would showcase two 1-9 teams? If one were to say that Duke would've most likely come into the game at 1-9, then most would've probably seen the plausibility in that statement, but they and Notre Dame? Heck, just Notre Dame? Not a chance. I've picked the Irish one time this season, in their 46-44 triple overtime loss to Navy a couple weekends ago. I'll probably regret it for the second time this season, but I'm again taking the Irish in this one, against the 1-9 Dukies.
Notre Dame 24 Duke 13

Louisiana-Monroe at Alabama: The Tide are coming off two consecutive losses, in their 41-34 heartbreaking loss to LSU and then their tough 17-12 loss to Mississippi State this past Saturday. They've played much better in Tuscaloosa this season than away from home and whether home or away against the War Hawks of Louisiana-Monroe, the Tide should dominate.
Alabama 38 Louisiana-Monroe 10

Idaho at Boise State: Boise State has had an easy road these past couple weeks to the Hawaii showdown. They beat up on then 0-9 Utah State 52-0 and they now face 1-9 Idaho at the Blue Field. It won't matter if the Broncos look ahead or not, they'll win this one comfortably.
Boise State 59 Idaho 17

Tulane at Rice: To many people's surprise (including my own), both 3-7 clubs are coming off victories from this past weekend, in Tulane's convincing win over UTEP and Rice's one-point win over SMU. Through the course of the season, I've been slightly more impressed with the Green Wave than the Owls, so even though the game is away from New Orleans, I'm going with Tulane in this one.
Tulane 34 Rice 31

Central Florida at SMU: They've been a far inferior team on the road than at home, but playing against the now 1-9 Mustangs, it won't matter if UCF plays them in Florida, Jamaica, Russia, or Texas, they should improve to 8-3.
Central Florida 52 SMU 27

Purdue at Indiana: Who I'd pick in this one would be dependent upon who was playing at home. If the game were played in West Lafayette, I'd go with the Boilermakers, but with it being played in Bloomington, I'm going with the now 7-5 Hoosiers.
Indiana 38 Purdue 34

Penn State at Michigan State: It appears as if the Spartans have learned how to win again and at 6-5 and with the game being played in East Lansing, I have to believe they'll continue that good run en route to a 7-5 regular season campaign, probably good enough to earn themselves a bowl bid. Penn State finishes the regular season at 8-4.
Michigan State 31 Penn State 27

Wisconsin at Minnesota: The GO-phers were close in their loss to Iowa this past weekend, but that'll be as close as they get to a conference win, as Wisconsin dominates from start to finish to close the regular season at 9-3.
Wisconsin 31 Minnesota 13

LSU at Mississippi: Mississippi could prove to be a dangerous club in a match-up like this. LSU has not been playing #1 ranked football as of late. I see them struggling early on in this game as they've made a habit of in recent weeks, but should pull away in the second half. The week following's game against Arkansas should prove to be a more interesting match-up than this one.
LSU 38 Mississippi 14

UAB at Memphis: With a win, the 5-5 Memphis Tigers will become bowl eligible and against the 2-8 Blazers at home, I see them doing just that.
Memphis 31 UAB 14

Marshall at Houston: The game of surprises. Marshall (2-8) is coming off a very surprising 26-7 victory over 6-5 East Carolina and Houston (6-4) is coming off a whooping to 7-3 Tulsa by the score of 56-7. With the game at home, I look for the Cougars to take out their frustration on the Thundering Herd. Houston wins big.
Houston 59 Marshall 21

Miami (Florida) at Virginia Tech: These two clubs are going in quite different directions. With Miami's 48-0 shut-out loss to Virginia on Saturday, it dropped the Hurricanes to 5-5 on the season and with Virginia Tech's impressive 40-21 win over Florida State, it improved them to 8-2 with a legitimate shot at playing for the ACC title. With the game in Blacksburg, I don't think it matters who plays quarterback for the Hokies, Miami's offense won't be able to generate much and will be in need of winning their final regular season game just to become bowl eligible.
Virginia Tech 23 Miami (Florida) 10

California at Washington: If it was a certainty redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker was healthy and ready to go for Washington, I wouldn't hesitate in taking the Huskies, but as was reported today, that's anything but the case. Cal has been struggling and probably won't have an easy go of it in this one, but should be able to generate just enough offense through the likes of Jackson, Hawkins, and Forsett to outscore the Huskies.
California 27 Washington 17

Western Michigan at Iowa: In Iowa City, the Hawkeyes should have little trouble improving to 7-5 on the season with a comfortable win over now 3-8 Western Michigan of the MAC.
Iowa 27 Western Michigan 10

Iowa State at Kansas: This could be a bit of a trap game for the Jayhawks and if it were played in Ames, I might be tempted in taking the Cyclones (no longer the Suckclones). Kansas is coming off a fairly impressive 43-28 primetime victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday and will be facing 9-1 Missouri the following weekend. After starting the year 1-8, Iowa State has won two straight Big XII games against 5-5 Kansas State by 11 and 5-6 Colorado by 3. Kansas wins, but the game is closer than predicted by most.
Kansas 31 Iowa State 17

Northern Illinois at Navy: Regardless of how bad Navy's defense is and it's porous... The Midshipmen's defense makes Nebraska's D look like the Steel Curtain. Think I'm joking? Navy has allowed 121 points to I-AA Delaware and 1-8 North Texas this year. Those scores were in regulation. Neither went to overtime. They now face 2-8 Northern Illinois, who's coming off a 27-20 win over Kent State. The Huskies should be able to score a few points, but not enough to match Navy. Off to the Poinsettia Bowl they go.
Navy 45 Northern Illinois 28

North Carolina State at Wake Forest: NC State has won four consecutive games and are one game away from becoming bowl eligible in Tom O'Brien's first season in Raleigh. Wake has been struggling mightily of late, as their 44-10 loss to Clemson could clearly illustrate, and I see NC State winning their fifth straight in this one to improve to 6-5 on the season, while Wake drops to 6-5.
North Carolina State 27 Wake Forest 24

New Mexico at Utah: I would not want to play Utah right now. Maybe that 44-6 win over UCLA earlier in the year wasn't so much an aberration as what could come to be expected later in the season. Even though the Mighty Lobos come into the game at 7-3, they've accumulated those seven victories against some fairly weak competition and I don't see them beating the 7-3 Utes in Salt Lake, especially following a 37-0 showing against 5-5 TCU a couple weeks ago, where the Lobos were on the short end of the stick.
Utah 38 New Mexico 24

Oregon State at Washington State: WSU is playing for head coach Bill Doba's job and have showcased their passion in the past few weeks. At 4-6 and in desperate need for a couple victories to ensure bowl eligibility, I look for them to ensnare that 5th win of the season at home in Pullman over the 6-4 Beavers.
Washington State 34 Oregon State 31

Oklahoma State at Baylor: Baylor will play with everything they have in this one, as it will be head coach Guy Morris' last game in Waco. But, against the explosive Cowboys' offense, I don't see the Bears having enough in the end to be rewarded the victory.
Oklahoma State 38 Baylor 24

Louisiana-Lafayette at Florida International: Florida International is 0-9 this year and dating back to last season, have lost 21 consecutive games. At home and coming off a rather impressive (for them) 3-point loss to Arkansas State, I want to take FIU in this one. I really do. But, I can't. Lafayette wins their second straight to improve to 3-8.
Louisiana-Lafayette 27 Florida International 20

San Jose State at Louisiana Tech: Dick Tomey's San Jose State Spartans have finally begun to show some signs of life this year, following their bowl run a season ago. At 4-6 and in desperate need of a couple more victories, I look for Tomey's crew to nab one of those two with a big road win against the 4-6 Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech.
San Jose State 38 Louisiana Tech 31

UNLV at TCU: At one point in the season, it appeared as if UNLV had a decent club and would improve upon last year's awful season, but at 2-8, that no longer looks to be the case. No matter how inconsistent the Horned Frogs have been this year, they should improve to 6-5 with this game being at home.
TCU 31 UNLV 14

Southern Mississippi at UTEP: Both clubs come into this game struggling. Southern Miss is at an even 5-5, coming off a heartbreaking 29-26 loss to Memphis and UTEP is 4-6 following a fifteen-point loss to 3-7 Tulane. Even with the game being on the road, Southern Miss hasn't been quite as woeful of late as UTEP, so I'm tentatively going with them.
Southern Mississippi 34 UTEP 28

Boston College at Clemson: The Tigers are rolling along following their 44-10 smackdown of Wake Forest this past Saturday and BC comes in with two consecutive conference losses under their belt (should be three). I look for those trends to continue with Clemson going into their rivalry bout with South Carolina at 9-2.
Clemson 38 Boston College 27

West Virginia at Cincinnati: I want to pick Cincy in this one, but see them having problems with West Virginia's unique offense and unique speed to go with that offense. The Mountaineers keep their national championship hopes alive with a huge conference road win against the 8-2 Bearcats.
West Virginia 38 Cincinnati 31

Louisville at South Florida: With the game being played in Tampa and USF having snapped their three-game losing streak this past Saturday, I look for them to get back on track and improve to 8-3 with a win over the Cardinals.
South Florida 45 Louisville 27

Oklahoma at Texas Tech: Without a defense, I have trouble believing Texas Tech will beat Oklahoma. They may put up a few points, as they did against Texas (43), but if they can't stop the opposition, they're not going to come out victorious.
Oklahoma 48 Texas Tech 31

Ineligible Games
Georgia Southern at Colorado State
Morehead State at Western Kentucky

Week 11 Record: 39-15 (.722)
Overall Record: 362-161 (.692)

Fact or Fiction

"Fact or Fiction: The Big East is the weakest major conference in the country."

Fiction. I've heard it all. The Big lEast. The Big Easy. Frankly, I'm sick of it. This has been an annual occurrence for the Big East conference. Even a few years ago, when Virginia Tech finished their regular season undefeated, many claimed that the Hokies didn't deserve a shot at the national championship, due to their "weak" conference. Not long after, Virginia Tech, along with Boston College and Miami (Florida) left the Big East for the ACC and some even wondered if the Big East would be able to survive in the college football world, especially amongst the BCS power conferences. But, West Virginia, led by Rich Rodriguez has come on strong. Former doormat Rutgers, led by Greg Schiano, are going to be bowl bound for the third consecutive season. Louisville's high-flying offense will most likely be headed in that direction, as well. Cincinnati and Connecticut are typical bowl contenders, as is South Florida. Pittsburgh has been stuck in mediocreville of late and Syracuse is the new conference doormat. But after Rutgers, Louisville, and West Virginia all staked claim in the top ten last season, some are now stating that the Big East is not as strong as it was last year and the conference is now receiving unfair criticism because of it. Why? The reputations of the teams at the top of the conference. West Virginia, Cincinnati, Connecticut, and South Florida. Cincy has been a decent 7-5 type club for a few years, but to be 8-2 at this point in the season and ranked in the top 15 to 20 in the nation has come as quite a surprise. Connecticut's 8-2 season has come as an even bigger surprise, as the Huskies finished the season 4-8 last year and seemed to be heading in the wrong direction, after going bowling the year prior. South Florida has been a bowl-bound club for a while now under head coach Jim Leavitt, but after starting the year 6-0 and being ranked 2nd in the country, the Bulls have lost 3 of 4 to fall from the top 25. If the teams which were predicted to be at the very top of the conference were doing as well as projected, the likes of West Virginia, Louisville, and Rutgers, the Big East might be given the credit it deserves, but with Cincinnati and Connecticut as two of the top three teams in the conference right now, that credit is being dispersed elsewhere. The same would potentially hold true in the Big XII if Kansas, along with Kansas State and Colorado were the top three teams in the conference and clubs like Oklahoma and Texas struggled to 8-4 records. But, is the Big East truly the worst of the best, in terms of major conferences? How can we even decide? Well, outside of bias, the only true way we can compare the conferences is through their non-conference opponents and how they fare against them. That's what makes the bowl season so much fun. We get to see Big Ten vs. SEC battles, Big XII vs. Big East, ACC vs. Big East, Pac-10 vs. Big XII, Pac-10 vs. Big Ten, etc. Without these conference vs. conference battles, what more do we have to base our claims than simple bias? What makes a USC vs. California match-up any less quality than Georgia vs. Auburn or West Virginia vs. Cincinnati any less quality than Texas vs. Oklahoma? How can we truly decipher which is the best conference through these inner-conference battles, where most games are played? We simply can't. While watching football on Saturdays, I may see a speed disparity between the SEC and Big Ten, a difference in defensive quality between the Pac-10 and SEC, etc., but how can I truly watch these conference games on Saturday and ultimately conclude that the SEC is the best conference in the land? The Big East is the worst of the major conferences? Below, I've listed every major conference team's non-conference opponents to this point, those opponents' records, and the results. Keep in mind, every I-AA team is listed at 0-11 through Week 11 of the season. Some may not agree with that, but I try to treat them as I-A teams and as there are two winless I-A teams at this point in the season (Utah State and Florida International), I don't see any reason to give the I-AA teams a victory under their belt for consistently playing I-AA competition.

ACC
1. Boston College (8-2):
W 37-17 vs. Army (3-7)
W 24-14 vs. Massachusetts (0-11)*
W 55-24 vs. Bowling Green (6-4)
W 27-14 vs. Notre Dame (1-9)

2. Clemson (8-2):
W 49-26 vs. Louisiana-Monroe (4-6)
W 38-10 vs. Furman (0-11)*
W 70-14 vs. Central Michigan (6-4)

3. Duke (1-9):
L 14-45 vs. Connecticut (8-2)
W 20-14 at Northwestern (6-5)
L 43-46 at Navy (6-4)

4. Florida State (6-4):
W 34-24 vs. UAB (2-8)
W 16-6 at Colorado (5-6)
W 21-14 vs. Alabama (6-4)

5. Georgia Tech (6-4):
W 33-3 at Notre Dame (1-9)
W 69-14 vs. Samford (0-11)*
W 34-10 vs. Army (3-7)

6. Maryland (5-5):
W 31-14 vs. Villanova (0-11)*
W 26-10 at Florida International (0-9)
L 14-31 vs. West Virginia (8-1)
W 34-24 at Rutgers (6-4)

7. Miami (Florida) (5-5):
W 31-3 vs. Marshall (2-8)
L 13-51 at Oklahoma (9-1)
W 23-9 vs. Florida International (0-9)
W 34-17 vs. Texas A&M (6-5)

8. North Carolina (3-7):
W 37-14 vs. James Madison (0-11)*
L 31-34 at East Carolina (6-5)
L 10-37 at South Florida (7-3)
L 15-21 vs. South Carolina (6-5)

9. North Carolina State (5-5):
L 23-25 vs. Central Florida (7-3)
W 38-17 vs. Wofford (0-11)*
L 10-29 vs. Louisville (5-5)
W 34-20 at East Carolina (6-5)

10. Virginia (9-2):
L 3-23 at Wyoming (5-5)
W 44-14 vs. Pittsburgh (4-5)
W 23-21 at Middle Tennessee State (5-6)
W 17-16 vs. Connecticut (8-2)

11. Virginia Tech (8-2):
W 17-7 vs. East Carolina (6-5)
L 7-48 at LSU (9-1)
W 28-7 vs. Ohio (5-6)
W 44-3 vs. William & Mary (0-11)*

12. Wake Forest (6-4):
L 17-20 vs. Nebraska (5-6)
W 21-10 vs. Army (3-7)
W 44-24 at Navy (6-4)

Big East
1. Cincinnati (8-2):
W 59-3 vs. Southeast Missouri State (0-11)*
W 34-3 vs. Oregon State (6-4)
W 47-10 at Miami (Ohio) (5-5)
W 40-14 vs. Marshall (2-8)
W 52-23 at San Diego State (4-5)

2. Connecticut (8-2):
W 45-14 at Duke (1-9)
W 38-0 vs. Maine (0-11)*
W 22-17 vs. Temple (3-7)
W 44-10 vs. Akron (4-6)
L 16-17 at Virginia (9-2)

3. Louisville (5-5):
W 73-10 vs. Murray State (0-11)*
W 58-42 vs. Middle Tennessee State (5-6)
L 34-40 at Kentucky (7-3)
W 29-10 at North Carolina State (5-5)
L 35-44 vs. Utah (7-3)

4. Pittsburgh (4-5):
W 27-3 vs. Eastern Michigan (3-8)
W 34-10 vs. Grambling (0-11)*
L 13-17 at Michigan State (6-5)
L 14-44 at Virginia (9-2)
L 45-48 2OT vs. Navy (6-4)

5. Rutgers (6-4):
W 38-3 vs. Buffalo (4-6)
W 41-24 vs. Navy (6-4)
W 59-0 vs. Norfolk State (0-11)*
L 24-34 vs. Maryland (5-5)
W 41-6 at Army (3-7)

6. South Florida (7-3):
W 28-13 vs. Elon (0-11)*
W 26-23 OT at Auburn (7-4)
W 37-10 vs. North Carolina (3-7)
W 35-23 at Florida Atlantic (5-4)
W 64-12 vs. Central Florida (7-3)

7. Syracuse (2-8):
L 12-42 vs. Washington (3-7)
L 0-35 at Iowa (6-5)
L 20-41 vs. Illinois (8-3)
L 14-17 at Miami (Ohio) (5-5)
W 20-12 vs. Buffalo (4-6)
8. West Virginia (8-1):
W 62-24 vs. Western Michigan (3-7)
W 48-23 at Marshall (2-8)
W 31-14 at Maryland (5-5)
W 48-7 vs. East Carolina (6-5)
W 38-13 vs. Mississippi State (6-4)

Big Ten
1. Illinois (8-3):
L 34-40 vs. Missouri (9-1)
W 21-0 vs. Western Illinois (0-11)*
W 41-20 at Syracuse (2-8)
W 28-17 vs. Ball State (5-5)

2. Indiana (6-5):
W 55-7 vs. Indiana State (0-11)*
W 37-27 at Western Michigan (3-7)
W 41-24 vs. Akron (4-6)
W 38-20 vs. Ball State (5-5)

3. Iowa (6-5):
W 16-3 at Northern Illinois (2-8)
W 35-0 vs. Syracuse (2-8)
L 13-15 at Iowa State (3-8)

4. Michigan (8-3):
L 32-34 vs. Appalachian State (0-11)*
L 7-39 vs. Oregon (8-1)
W 38-0 vs. Notre Dame (1-9)
W 33-22 vs. Eastern Michigan (3-8)

5. Michigan State (6-5):
W 55-18 vs. UAB (2-8)
W 28-17 vs. Bowling Green (6-4)
W 17-13 vs. Pittsburgh (4-5)W 31-14 at Notre Dame (1-9)

6. Minnesota (1-10):
L 31-32 OT vs. Bowling Green (6-4)
W 41-35 3OT vs. Miami (Ohio) (5-5)
L 39-42 at Florida Atlantic (5-4)
L 21-27 vs. North Dakota State (0-11)*

7. Northwestern (6-5):
W 27-0 vs. Northeastern (0-11)*
W 36-31 vs. Nevada (5-4)
L 14-20 vs. Duke (1-9)
W 26-14 at Eastern Michigan (3-8)

8. Ohio State (10-1):
W 38-6 vs. Youngstown State (0-11)*
W 20-2 vs. Akron (4-6)
W 33-14 at Washington (3-7)
W 48-3 vs. Kent State (3-7)

9. Penn State (8-3):
W 59-0 vs. Florida International (0-9)
W 31-10 vs. Notre Dame (1-9)
W 45-24 vs. Buffalo (4-6)
W 31-0 at Temple (3-7)

10. Purdue (7-4):
W 52-24 at Toledo (5-5)
W 52-6 vs. Eastern Illinois (0-11)*
W 45-22 vs. Central Michigan (6-4)
W 33-19 vs. Notre Dame (1-9)

11. Wisconsin (8-3):
W 42-21 vs. Washington State (4-6)
W 20-13 at UNLV (2-8)
W 45-31 vs. Citadel (0-11)*
W 44-3 vs. Northern Illinois (2-8)

Big XII
1. Baylor (3-8):
L 0-27 at TCU (5-5)
W 42-17 vs. Rice (3-7)
W 34-27 vs. Texas State (0-11)*
W 34-21 at Buffalo (4-6)

2. Colorado (5-6):
W 31-28 OT vs. Colorado State (1-9)
L 14-33 at Arizona State (9-1)
L 6-16 vs. Florida State (6-4)
W 42-0 vs. Miami (Ohio) (5-5)

3. Iowa State (3-8):
L 14-23 vs. Kent State (3-7)
L 13-24 vs. Northern Iowa (0-11)*
W 15-13 vs. Iowa (6-5)
L 35-36 at Toledo (5-5)

4. Kansas (10-0):
W 52-7 vs. Central Michigan (6-4)
W 62-0 vs. Southeastern Louisiana (0-11)*
W 45-13 vs. Toledo (5-5)
W 55-3 vs. Florida International (0-9)

5. Kansas State (5-5):
L 13-23 at Auburn (7-4)
W 34-14 vs. San Jose State (4-6)
W 61-10 vs. Missouri State (0-11)*

6. Missouri (9-1):
W 40-34 at Illinois (8-3)
W 38-25 at Mississippi (3-7)
W 52-24 vs. Western Michigan (3-7)
W 38-17 at Illinois State (0-11)*

7. Nebraska (5-6):
W 52-10 vs. Nevada (5-4)
W 20-17 at Wake Forest (6-4)
L 31-49 vs. USC (8-2)
W 41-40 vs. Ball State (5-5)

8. Oklahoma (9-1):
W 79-10 vs. North Texas (1-8)
W 51-13 vs. Miami (Florida) (5-5)
W 54-3 vs. Utah State (0-10)
W 62-21 at Tulsa (7-3)

9. Oklahoma State (5-5):
L 14-35 at Georgia (8-2)
W 42-6 vs. Florida Atlantic (5-4)
L 23-41 at Troy (7-3)
W 39-3 vs. Sam Houston State (0-11)*

10. Texas (9-2):
W 21-13 vs. Arkansas State (4-6)
W 34-13 vs. TCU (5-5)
W 35-32 at Central Florida (7-3)
W 58-14 vs. Rice (3-7)

11. Texas A&M (6-5):
W 38-7 vs. Montana State (0-11)*
W 47-45 3OT vs. Fresno State (6-4)
W 54-14 vs. Louisiana-Monroe (4-6)
L 17-34 at Miami (Florida) (5-5)

12. Texas Tech (7-4):
W 49-9 at SMU (1-9)
W 45-31 vs. UTEP (4-6)
W 59-24 at Rice (3-7)
W 75-7 vs. Northwestern State (0-11)*

Pac-10
1. Arizona (4-6):
L 7-20 at BYU (7-2)
W 45-24 vs. Northern Arizona (0-11)*
L 27-29 vs. New Mexico (7-3)

2. Arizona State (9-1):
W 45-3 vs. San Jose State (4-6)
W 33-14 vs. Colorado (5-6)
W 34-13 vs. San Diego State (4-5)

3. California (6-4):
W 45-31 vs. Tennessee (7-3)
W 34-28 at Colorado State (1-9)
W 42-12 vs. Louisiana Tech (4-6)

4. Oregon (8-1):
W 48-27 vs. Houston (6-4)
W 39-7 at Michigan (8-3)
W 52-21 vs. Fresno State (6-4)

5. Oregon State (6-4):
W 24-7 vs. Utah (7-3)
L 3-34 at Cincinnati (8-2)
W 61-10 vs. Idaho State (0-11)*

6. Stanford (3-7):
W 37-0 vs. San Jose State (4-6)
L 36-38 vs. TCU (5-5)

7. UCLA (5-5):
W 27-17 vs. BYU (7-2)
L 6-44 at Utah (7-3)
L 6-20 vs. Notre Dame (1-9)

8. USC (8-2):
W 38-10 vs. Idaho (1-9)
W 49-31 at Nebraska (5-6)
W 38-0 at Notre Dame (1-9)

9. Washington (3-7):
W 42-12 at Syracuse (2-8)
W 24-10 vs. Boise State (9-1)
L 14-33 vs. Ohio State (10-1)

10. Washington State (4-6):
L 21-42 at Wisconsin (8-3)
W 45--17 vs. San Diego State (4-5)
W 45-28 vs. Idaho (1-9)

SEC
1. Alabama (6-4):
W 52-6 vs. Western Carolina (0-11)*
L 14-21 at Florida State (6-4)
W 30-24 vs. Houston (6-4)

2. Arkansas (6-4):
W 46-26 vs. Troy (7-3)
W 66-7 vs. North Texas (1-8)
W 34-15 vs. Chattanooga (0-11)*
W 58-10 vs. Florida International (0-9)

3. Auburn (7-4):
W 23-13 vs. Kansas State (5-5)
L 23-26 OT vs. South Florida (7-3)
W 55-20 vs. New Mexico State (4-7)
W 35-3 vs. Tennessee Tech (0-11)*

4. Florida (7-3):
W 49-3 vs. Western Kentucky (6-4)
W 59-31 vs. Troy (7-3)

5. Georgia (8-2):
W 35-14 vs. Oklahoma State (5-5)
W 45-16 vs. Western Carolina (0-11)*
W 44-34 vs. Troy (7-3)

6. Kentucky (7-3):
W 50-10 vs. Eastern Kentucky (0-11)*
W 56-20 vs. Kent State (3-7)
W 40-34 vs. Louisville (5-5)
W 45-17 vs. Florida Atlantic (5-4)

7. LSU (9-1):
W 48-7 vs. Virginia Tech (8-2)
W 44-0 vs. Middle Tennessee State (5-6)
W 34-9 at Tulane (3-7)
W 58-10 vs. Louisiana Tech (4-6)

8. Mississippi (3-7):
W 23-21 at Memphis (5-5)
L 25-38 vs. Missouri (9-1)
W 24-0 vs. Louisiana Tech (4-6)
W 38-31 vs. Northwestern State (0-11)*

9. Mississippi State (6-4):
W 38-17 at Tulane (3-7)
W 31-15 vs. Gardner-Webb (0-11)*
W 30-13 vs. UAB (2-8)
L 13-38 at West Virginia (8-1)

10. South Carolina (6-5):
W 28-14 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (2-8)
W 38-3 vs. South Carolina State (0-11)*
W 21-15 at North Carolina (3-7)

11. Tennessee (7-3):
L 31-45 at California (6-4)
W 39-19 vs. Southern Mississippi (5-5)
W 48-27 vs. Arkansas State (4-6)
W 59-7 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (2-8)

12. Vanderbilt (5-5):
W 41-17 vs. Richmond (0-11)*
W 30-7 vs. Eastern Michigan (3-8)
W 24-13 vs. Miami (Ohio) (5-5)

Alright, get all that? Good. I calculated several formulas to concoct numbers in following categories and I will rank the six major conferences from best to worst in these nine categories. These categories include:
1) Non-Conference Record (all opponents) - The conference's record in all non-conference games.
2) Non-Conference Opponents' Record (all opponents) - The opponents' record, major and mid-major.
3) Non-Conference Opponents' Record (wins vs. all opponents) - Records of the non-conference teams that were defeated by major conference schools in a particular major conference.
4) Non-Conference Opponents' Record (losses vs. all opponents) - Records of the non-conference teams that defeated the major conference schools.
5) I-AA Teams Faced - Fairly self-explanatory.
6) Non-Conference Record (major conference opponents) - The conference's record against all major conference schools.
7) Non-Conference Opponents' Record (major conference opponents) - The opponents' record, just from the major conferences.
8) Non-Conference Opponents' Record (wins vs. major conference opponents) - Records of the major non-conference teams that were defeated by each major conference.
9) Non-Conference Opponents' Record (losses vs. major conference opponents) - Records of the major non-conference teams that defeated a school from another major conference.
Here we go...

Non-Conference Record (all opponents)
1. Big Ten: 35-8 (.814)
2. SEC: 37-5 (.811)
3. Big XII: 36-11 (.766)
4. Big East: 29-11 (.725)
5. Pac-10: 21-8 (.724)
6. ACC: 31-13 (.705)

Non-Conference Opponents' Record (all opponents)
1. Pac-10: 139-154 (.474)
2. Big East: 171-243 (.413)
3. ACC: 181-262 (.409)
4. Big XII: 183-295 (.383)
5. SEC: 155-273 (.362)
6. Big Ten: 123-313 (.282)

Non-Conference Opponents' Record (wins vs. all opponents)
1. Pac-10: 86-126 (.406)
2. Big East: 100-199 (.334)
3. Big XII: 120-246 (.328)
4. SEC: 119-260 (.314)
5. ACC: 100-221 (.312)
6. Big Ten: 91-264 (.256)

Non-Conference Opponents' Record (losses vs. all opponents)
1. SEC: 36-13 (.735)
2. ACC: 81-41 (.664)
3. Pac-10: 53-28 (.654)
4. Big East: 71-44 (.617)
5. Big XII: 63-49 (.563)
6. Big Ten: 32-49 (.395)

I-AA Teams Faced
1. Pac-10: 2
2. Big East: 6
3. ACC: 7
4. Big Ten: 8
4. Big XII: 8
6. SEC: 9

Non-Conference Record (major conference opponents)
1. Pac-10: 5-3 (.600)
2. Big Ten: 5-4 (.556)
3. SEC: 5-5 (.500)
4. ACC: 7-8 (.467)
4. Big East: 7-8 (.467)
6. Big XII: 5-6 (.455)

Non-Conference Opponents' Record (major conference opponents)
1. ACC: 98-55 (.641)
2. Big XII: 71-42 (.628)
3. SEC: 62-37 (.626)
4. Pac-10: 53-32 (.624)
5. Big East: 86-60 (.589)
6. Big Ten: 36-53 (.404)

Non-Conference Opponents' Record (wins vs. major conference opponents)
1. ACC: 41-31 (.569)
2. Big XII: 28-24 (.538)
3. SEC: 26-24 (.520)
4. Pac-10: 27-26 (.509)
5. Big East: 33-38 (.465)
6. Big Ten: 15-34 (.306)

Non-Conference Opponents' Record (losses vs. major conference opponents)
1. Pac-10: 26-6 (.813)
2. SEC: 36-13 (.735)
3. Big XII: 43-18 (.705)
4. ACC: 57-24 (.704)
5. Big East: 53-32 (.624)
6. Big Ten: 21-19 (.525)

I will now list the conferences and the nine separate positions they took in each coinciding category. I'll then list the conferences from 1-6, the low tally being #1 and the high being #6.

ACC: 6, 3, 5, 2, 3, 4, 1, 1, 4 = 29
Big East: 4, 2, 2, 4, 2, 4, 5, 5, 5 = 33
Big Ten: 1, 6, 6, 6, 4, 2, 6, 6, 6 = 43
Big XII: 3, 4, 3, 5, 4, 6, 2, 2, 3 = 32
Pac-10: 5, 1, 1, 3, 1, 1, 4, 4, 1 = 21
SEC: 2, 5, 4, 1, 6, 3, 3, 3, 2 = 29

1. Pac-10: 21
2. ACC: 29
2. SEC: 29
4. Big XII: 32
5. Big East: 33
6. Big Ten: 43

Fact or Fiction: The Big East is the weakest major conference in the country. Fiction. From what I've calculated today and my own bias, I now firmly believe that the Big Ten is the weakest major conference in the country. When just basing schedule strength on non-conference opponents, while the Pac-10 is pretty set in the top spot and the Big Ten is looking up a ways, the other four conferences are separated by a total of four points. While someone may be able to make an argument that the Big East is the 5th toughest conference out of the six majors, this year, I can't for the life of me believe an argument that they're the worst. The Big Ten has earned that title all to their lonesome.

Inside the Numbers
-Virginia Tech's 40-21 victory over Florida State marked the first time Hokies' head coach, Frank Beamer, had beaten Florida State. He was 0-7 against the Seminoles going in and Florida State head coach, Bobby Bowden, was 15-0 against the Hokies going into Saturday's contest.

-With their 43-28 victory in Stillwater over Oklahoma State on Saturday, Kansas improved to 10-0, the first time they've done so since 1899.

-Illinois' 28-21 victory over Ohio State on Saturday ended a couple streaks. It ended Ohio State's record 20-game win streak in conference and their school-record 28-game regular season win streak. It was also Illinois' first win against a #1 ranked team since 1956 (Michigan State) and their first ever win against a #1 team on the road. The Illini's 260 yards rushing also marked the first time since 2001 that any team has rushed for 200+ yards against the Buckeyes, a span of 78 games. Illinois' final drive chewed up the final 8:09 on the clock and for the final quarter, Illinois held onto the ball for 13:46 compared to just 1:14 for OSU.

-The 136 combined points scored by Navy and North Texas on Saturday set a record for I-A teams, as it was the most combined points in a game (in regulation) at the I-A level in Navy's 74-62 victory over North Texas. In the game, Navy set a school record by rushing for 572 yards and eight touchdowns. Giovanni Vizza, the North Texas quarterback, threw for a freshman record eight touchdown passes. The 94 combined first half points and 63 combined second quarter points also broke the all-time I-A records.

-The Irish dropped to 1-9 following their 41-24 loss to Air Force on Saturday, the first time Notre Dame has suffered nine losses in a single season in their school's history. It was also a record-setting sixth consecutive home loss for the Irish. It was also the first time since 1944 that Notre Dame lost to two or more academies in the same season.

-Saturday marked the final game at the Orange Bowl for the Miami Hurricanes, in what was to be the biggest blow-out loss in the school's history, in their 48-0 loss to Virginia. It was their first home shut-out loss since October 4th of 1974 against Auburn. In their eight previous wins, Virginia had outscored the opposition by 53 points. They about doubled that margin with this victory.

Rant of the Week: Officiating/Instant Replay
I've always been a proponent of instant replay and still am, but one would think that officials and the replay booth would have improved by now, the plays they decide to review and the accuracy at which they review them.

Earlier this year, Connecticut scored on a punt return, where the returnman waved his hand in the air signifying a fair catch. No whistles were blown. Louisville called a timeout, and then found out that the play was not reviewable. The timeout was never given back to them.

The same UConn club got the lucky end of a call against Temple, as well. Down 22-17 and driving, on 4th and goal, the Owls heaved one toward the end zone. The ball was deflected one or two times and went right into the arms of an Owls' receiver. It was initially called incomplete and at first, I thought that was the case, as well. But, upon further review, replay clearly indicated that the Temple receiver had one foot in bounds with total control of the football and should have been rewarded the go-ahead and most likely, winning touchdown of the game. Officials confirmed the call on the field, that of an incompletion and UConn just had to take one kneel down to secure the victory.

While I disagree with Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach on a Red Raiders' touchdown that was called back, in which the ball clearly hit the ground before being possessed by the receiver, I'm not so certain that he wasn't correct in complaining about the Longhorns' opening touchdown of the game, where it appeared the Texas receiver's heal landed on the white line, which would thereby mark him out of bounds. The play was reviewed and was confirmed as a touchdown.

Toward the very tail-end of the Washington/Oregon State game on Saturday night, the Beavers led 29-23 with a minute and a half remaining in the contest and were driving to deliver the final blow to Ty Willingham's Huskies. OSU tailback Bernard stretched out for the goalline on a play, the ball hit the ground and came loose, Washington picked it up and rumbled to their own 38-yard line. There wasn't even a review. After shown a couple replays, not only did Bernard score a touchdown, but both knees hit the ground and the ball hit the ground as well before it came loose. Fortunately, Washington wasn't able to score a touchdown on their final possession to defeat the Beavers, a win they wouldn't have deserved.

League commissioners have had to apologize to both Temple and Louisville this season for botched calls by officials, which most likely cost them the ball games. It feels that this year more than any other, with a multitude of upsets and tremendous parity, there have been missed calls at inopportune times by either the officials or the reviewers upstairs. While I still think that in the grand scheme of things, instant replay has helped more than it has hurt, it could help a lot more if officials and/or reviewers were able to get the calls right on more of a regular basis. I wouldn't think that'd be too much to ask, but unfortunately, I've been wrong in saying that.

Top 120 Poll
1. Kansas (10-0): 288.7
2. LSU (9-1): 288.5
3. Oregon (8-1): 285.9
4. Oklahoma (9-1): 277.4
5. Ohio State (10-1): 272.7
6. West Virginia (8-1): 270.8
7. Arizona State (9-1): 268.9
8. Missouri (9-1): 268.4
9. Hawaii (9-0): 260.9
10. Boise State (9-1): 257.6
11. Texas (9-2): 252.5
12. Cincinnati (8-2): 251.4
13. Florida (7-3): 251.1
14. Clemson (8-2): 248.9
15. Virginia Tech (8-2): 248.1
16. Georgia (8-2): 247.8
17. Connecticut (8-2): 243.1
18. Virginia (9-2): 242.8
19. Penn State (8-3): 239.2
20. Boston College (8-2): 238.8
21. USC (8-2): 236.2
22. South Florida (7-3): 234.3
23. Illinois (8-3): 233.9
24. Tennessee (7-3): 230.5
25. BYU (7-2): 229.8
26. Wisconsin (8-3): 228.9
27. Kentucky (7-3): 227.5
28. Michigan (8-3): 224.0
29. Central Florida (7-3): 219.4
30. Auburn (7-4): 215.4
31. Troy (7-3): 213.9
31. Tulsa (7-3): 213.9
33. Air Force (8-3): 213.5
34. Utah (7-3): 212.3
35. Alabama (6-4): 210.6
36. California (6-4): 209.6
37. Purdue (7-4); 208.9
38. Rutgers (6-4): 207.6
39. New Mexico (7-3): 207.2
40. Texas Tech (7-4): 206.2
41. Florida State (6-4): 203.9
42. Wake Forest (6-4): 201.9
43. Arkansas (6-4): 200.8
44. Oregon State (6-4): 200.6
45. Georgia Tech (6-4): 200.0
46. Michigan State (6-5): 199.4
47. Mississippi State (6-4): 199.1
48. Oklahoma State (5-5): 194.5
49. Texas A&M (6-5): 194.3
50. Fresno State (6-4): 193.8
51. South Carolina (6-5): 193.2
52. Louisville (5-5): 189.0
53. Indiana (6-5): 184.0
54. Houston (6-4): 183.2
55. East Carolina (6-5): 183.1
56. Nebraska (5-6): 182.8
57. Bowling Green (6-4): 182.5
58. Central Michigan (6-4): 182.4
59. Maryland (5-5): 182.1
60. Iowa (6-5): 180.9
61. TCU (5-5): 180.3
62. Kansas State (5-5): 180.0
63. North Carolina State (5-5): 179.7
64. Ball State (5-5): 178.6
65. Wyoming (5-5): 177.9
66. Colorado (5-6): 176.6
67. UCLA (5-5): 176.1
68. Vanderbilt (5-5): 175.4
69. Western Kentucky (6-4): 173.4
70. Northwestern (6-5): 172.6
71. Navy (6-4): 172.0
72. Miami (Florida) (5-5): 167.7
73. Florida Atlantic (5-4): 165.7
74. Nevada (5-4): 164.4
75. Southern Mississippi (5-5): 163.4
76. Pittsburgh (4-5): 163.2
77. Middle Tennessee State (5-6): 161.0
78. Washington State (4-6): 159.5
79. Toledo (5-5): 158.7
80. Miami (Ohio) (5-5): 156.2
81. San Diego State (4-5): 155.4
82. Arizona (4-6): 154.2
83. Washington (3-7): 152.9
84. Memphis (5-5): 151.2
85. Ohio (5-6): 148.3
86. Akron (4-6): 145.7
87. Arkansas State (4-6): 143.7
87. Buffalo (4-6): 143.7
89. UTEP (4-6): 143.5
90. Louisiana Tech (4-6): 141.4
91. Louisiana-Monroe (4-6): 138.2
92. North Carolina (3-7): 137.8
93. San Jose State (4-6): 137.7
94. Mississippi (3-7): 135.7
95. Stanford (3-7): 134.4
96. New Mexico State (4-7): 128.1
97. Western Michigan (3-7): 126.0
98. Iowa State (3-8): 124.6
99. Temple (3-7): 123.5
100. Army (3-7): 121.9
101. Kent State (3-7): 121.8
102. Baylor (3-8): 119.0
103. Tulane (3-7): 116.6
104. UNLV (2-8): 114.7
105. Eastern Michigan (3-8): 111.7
106. Marshall (2-8): 108.9
107. Rice (3-7): 108.7
108. Syracuse (2-8): 106.3
109. Duke (1-9): 104.4
110. Notre Dame (1-9): 102.4
111. UAB (2-8): 99.4
112. Colorado State (1-9): 97.4
113. Louisiana-Lafayette (2-8): 94.2
114. Minnesota (1-10): 93.4
115. Northern Illinois (2-8): 82.4
116. SMU (1-9): 77.0
117. Idaho (1-9): 75.4
118. Utah State (0-10): 73.6
119. North Texas (1-8): 73.0
120. Florida International (0-9): 58.6

Conference Strength

Mean Power Number
1. SEC: 214.6
2. Big East: 208.2
3. Big XII: 205.4
4. Big Ten: 203.4
5. Pac-10: 197.8
6. ACC: 196.3
7. MWC: 176.5
8. WAC: 159.2
9. C-USA: 147.4
10. MAC: 143.2
11. Independents: 142.4
12. Sun Belt: 131.0

Mean Ranking
1. SEC: 37.5
2. Big East: 41.4
3. Big Ten: 43.7
4. Big XII: 45.4
5. ACC: 49.2
6. Pac-10: 51.6
7. MWC: 61.6
8. WAC: 73.0
9. C-USA: 80.0
10. MAC: 85.6
11. Independents: 87.5
12. Sun Belt: 88.9

Median Power Number
1. Big East: 221.0
2. SEC: 213.0
3. Big Ten: 208.9
4. ACC: 201.0
5. Big XII: 194.4
6. Pac-10: 188.5
7. MWC: 180.3
8. C-USA: 147.4
9. Independents: 147.0
10. MAC: 145.7
11. WAC: 141.4
12. Sun Belt: 141.0

Median Ranking
1. Big East: 30.0
2. SEC: 32.5
3. Big Ten: 37.0
4. ACC: 43.5
5. Big XII: 48.5
6. Pac-10: 55.5
7. MWC: 61.0
8. Independents: 85.5
9. MAC: 86.0
10. C-USA: 86.5
11. Sun Belt: 89.0
12. WAC: 90.0

ACC (12)
14. Clemson (8-2): 248.9
15. Virginia Tech (8-2): 248.1
18. Virginia (9-2): 242.8
20. Boston College (8-2): 238.8
41. Florida State (6-4): 203.9
42. Wake Forest (6-4): 201.9
45. Georgia Tech (6-4): 200.0
59. Maryland (5-5): 182.1
63. North Carolina State (5-5): 179.7
72. Miami (Florida) (5-5): 167.7
92. North Carolina (3-7): 137.8
109. Duke (1-9): 104.4

Mean Power Number: 196.3
Mean Ranking: 49.2
Median Power Number: 201.0
Median Ranking: 43.5

Big East (8)
6. West Virginia (8-1): 270.8
12. Cincinnati (8-2): 251.4
17. Connecticut (8-2): 243.1
22. South Florida (7-3): 234.3
38. Rutgers (6-4): 207.6
52. Louisville (5-5): 189.0
76. Pittsburgh (4-5): 163.2
108. Syracuse (2-8): 106.3

Mean Power Number: 208.2
Mean Ranking: 41.4
Median Power Number: 221.0
Median Ranking: 30.0

Big Ten (11)
5. Ohio State (10-1): 272.7
19. Penn State (8-3): 239.2
23. Illinois (8-3): 233.9
26. Wisconsin (8-3): 228.9
28. Michigan (8-3): 224.0
37. Purdue (7-4); 208.9
46. Michigan State (6-5): 199.4
53. Indiana (6-5): 184.0
60. Iowa (6-5): 180.9
70. Northwestern (6-5): 172.6
114. Minnesota (1-10): 93.4

Mean Power Number: 203.4
Mean Ranking: 43.7
Median Power Number: 208.9
Median Ranking: 37.0

Big XII (12)
1. Kansas (10-0): 288.7
4. Oklahoma (9-1): 277.4
8. Missouri (9-1): 268.4
11. Texas (9-2): 252.5
40. Texas Tech (7-4): 206.2
48. Oklahoma State (5-5): 194.5
49. Texas A&M (6-5): 194.3
56. Nebraska (5-6): 182.8
62. Kansas State (5-5): 180.0
66. Colorado (5-6): 176.6
98. Iowa State (3-8): 124.6
102. Baylor (3-8): 119.0

Mean Power Number: 205.4
Mean Ranking: 45.4
Median Power Number: 194.4
Median Ranking: 48.5

C-USA (12)
29. Central Florida (7-3): 219.4
31. Tulsa (7-3): 213.9
54. Houston (6-4): 183.2
55. East Carolina (6-5): 183.1
75. Southern Mississippi (5-5): 163.4
84. Memphis (5-5): 151.2
89. UTEP (4-6): 143.5
103. Tulane (3-7): 116.6
106. Marshall (2-8): 108.9
107. Rice (3-7): 108.7
111. UAB (2-8): 99.4
116. SMU (1-9): 77.0

Mean Power Number: 147.4
Mean Ranking: 80.0
Median Power Number: 147.4
Median Ranking: 86.5

Independents (4)
69. Western Kentucky (6-4): 173.4
71. Navy (6-4): 172.0
100. Army (3-7): 121.9
110. Notre Dame (1-9): 102.4

Mean Power Number: 142.4
Mean Ranking: 87.5
Median Power Number: 147.0
Median Ranking: 85.5

MAC (13)
57. Bowling Green (6-4): 182.5
58. Central Michigan (6-4): 182.4
64. Ball State (5-5): 178.6
79. Toledo (5-5): 158.7
80. Miami (Ohio) (5-5): 156.2
85. Ohio (5-6): 148.3
86. Akron (4-6): 145.7
87. Buffalo (4-6): 143.7
97. Western Michigan (3-7): 126.0
99. Temple (3-7): 123.5
101. Kent State (3-7): 121.8
105. Eastern Michigan (3-8): 111.7
115. Northern Illinois (2-8): 82.4

Mean Power Number: 143.2
Mean Ranking: 85.6
Median Power Number: 145.7
Median Ranking: 86.0

MWC (9)
25. BYU (7-2): 229.8
33. Air Force (8-3): 213.5
34. Utah (7-3): 212.3
39. New Mexico (7-3): 207.2
61. TCU (5-5): 180.3
65. Wyoming (5-5): 177.9
81. San Diego State (4-5): 155.4
104. UNLV (2-8): 114.7
112. Colorado State (1-9): 97.4

Mean Power Number: 176.5
Mean Ranking: 61.6
Median Power Number: 180.3
Median Ranking: 61.0

Pac-10 (10)
3. Oregon (8-1): 285.9
7. Arizona State (9-1): 268.9
21. USC (8-2): 236.2
36. California (6-4): 209.6
44. Oregon State (6-4): 200.6
67. UCLA (5-5): 176.1
78. Washington State (4-6): 159.5
82. Arizona (4-6): 154.2
83. Washington (3-7): 152.9
95. Stanford (3-7): 134.4

Mean Power Number: 197.8
Mean Ranking: 51.6
Median Power Number: 188.4
Median Ranking: 55.5

SEC (12)
2. LSU (9-1): 288.5
13. Florida (7-3): 251.1
16. Georgia (8-2): 247.8
24. Tennessee (7-3): 230.5
27. Kentucky (7-3): 227.5
30. Auburn (7-4): 215.4
35. Alabama (6-4): 210.6
43. Arkansas (6-4): 200.8
47. Mississippi State (6-4): 199.1
51. South Carolina (6-5): 193.2
68. Vanderbilt (5-5): 175.4
94. Mississippi (3-7): 135.7

Mean Power Number: 214.6
Mean Ranking: 37.5
Median Power Number: 213.0
Median Ranking: 32.5

Sun Belt (8)
31. Troy (7-3): 213.9
73. Florida Atlantic (5-4): 165.7
77. Middle Tennessee State (5-6): 161.0
87. Arkansas State (4-6): 143.7
91. Louisiana-Monroe (4-6): 138.2
113. Louisiana-Lafayette (2-8): 94.2
119. North Texas (1-8): 73.0
120. Florida International (0-9): 58.6

Mean Power Number: 131.0
Mean Ranking: 88.9
Median Power Number: 141.0
Median Ranking: 89.0

WAC (9)
9. Hawaii (9-0): 260.9
10. Boise State (9-1): 257.6
50. Fresno State (6-4): 193.8
74. Nevada (5-4): 164.4
90. Louisiana Tech (4-6): 141.4
93. San Jose State (4-6): 137.7
96. New Mexico State (4-7): 128.1
117. Idaho (1-9): 75.4
118. Utah State (0-10): 73.6

Mean Power Number: 159.2
Mean Ranking: 73.0
Median Power Number: 141.4
Median Ranking: 90.0

Win Percentage
1. Hawaii (9-0): 100.0%
1. Kansas (10-0): 100.0%
3. Ohio State (10-1): 90.9%
4. Arizona State (9-1): 90.0%
4. Boise State (9-1): 90.0%
4. LSU (9-1): 90.0%
4. Missouri (9-1): 90.0%
4. Oklahoma (9-1): 90.0%
9. Oregon (8-1): 88.9%
9. West Virginia (8-1): 88.9%
11. Texas (9-2): 81.8%
11. Virginia (9-2): 81.8%
13. Boston College (8-2): 80.0%
13. Cincinnati (8-2): 80.0%
13. Clemson (8-2): 80.0%
13. Connecticut (8-2): 80.0%
13. Georgia (8-2): 80.0%
13. USC (8-2): 80.0%
13. Virginia Tech (8-2): 80.0%
20. BYU (7-2): 77.8%
21. Air Force (8-3): 72.7%
21. Illinois (8-3): 72.7%
21. Michigan (8-3): 72.7%
21. Penn State (8-3): 72.7%
21. Wisconsin (8-3): 72.7%
26. Central Florida (7-3): 70.0%
26. Florida (7-3): 70.0%
26. Kentucky (7-3): 70.0%
26. New Mexico (7-3): 70.0%
26. South Florida (7-3): 70.0%
26. Tennessee (7-3): 70.0%
26. Troy (7-3): 70.0%
26. Tulsa (7-3): 70.0%
26. Utah (7-3): 70.0%
35. Auburn (7-4): 63.6%
35. Purdue (7-4): 63.6%
35. Texas Tech (7-4): 63.6%
38. Alabama (6-4): 60.0%
38. Arkansas (6-4): 60.0%
38. Bowling Green (6-4): 60.0%
38. California (6-4): 60.0%
38. Central Michigan (6-4): 60.0%
38. Florida State (6-4): 60.0%
38. Fresno State (6-4): 60.0%
38. Georgia Tech (6-4): 60.0%
38. Houston (6-4): 60.0%
38. Mississippi State (6-4): 60.0%
38. Navy (6-4): 60.0%
38. Oregon State (6-4): 60.0%
38. Rutgers (6-4): 60.0%
38. Wake Forest (6-4): 60.0%
38. Western Kentucky (6-4): 60.0%
53. Florida Atlantic (5-4): 55.6%
53. Nevada (5-4): 55.6%
55. East Carolina (6-5): 54.5%
55. Indiana (6-5): 54.5%
55. Iowa (6-5): 54.5%
55. Michigan State (6-5): 54.5%
55. Northwestern (6-5): 54.5%
55. South Carolina (6-5): 54.5%
55. Texas A&M (6-5): 54.5%
62. Ball State (5-5): 50.0%
62. Kansas State (5-5): 50.0%
62. Louisville (5-5): 50.0%
62. Maryland (5-5): 50.0%
62. Memphis (5-5): 50.0%
62. Miami (Florida) (5-5): 50.0%
62. Miami (Ohio) (5-5): 50.0%
62. North Carolina State (5-5): 50.0%
62. Oklahoma State (5-5): 50.0%
62. Southern Mississippi (5-5): 50.0%
62. TCU (5-5): 50.0%
62. Toledo (5-5): 50.0%
62. UCLA (5-5): 50.0%
62. Vanderbilt (5-5): 50.0%
62. Wyoming (5-5): 50.0%
77. Colorado (5-6): 45.5%
77. Middle Tennessee State (5-6): 45.5%
77. Nebraska (5-6): 45.5%
77. Ohio (5-6): 45.5%
81. Pittsburgh (4-5): 44.4%
81. San Diego State (4-5): 44.4%
83. Akron (4-6): 40.0%
83. Arizona (4-6): 40.0%
83. Arkansas State (4-6): 40.0%
83. Buffalo (4-6): 40.0%
83. Louisiana-Monroe (4-6): 40.0%
83. Louisiana Tech (4-6): 40.0%
83. San Jose State (4-6): 40.0%
83. UTEP (4-6): 40.0%
83. Washington State (4-6): 40.0%
92. New Mexico State (4-7): 36.4%
93. Army (3-7): 30.0%
93. Kent State (3-7): 30.0%
93. Mississippi (3-7): 30.0%
93. North Carolina (3-7): 30.0%
93. Rice (3-7): 30.0%
93. Stanford (3-7): 30.0%
93. Temple (3-7): 30.0%
93. Tulane (3-7): 30.0%
93. Washington (3-7): 30.0%
93. Western Michigan (3-7): 30.0%
103. Baylor (3-8): 27.3%
103. Eastern Michigan (3-8): 27.3%
103. Iowa State (3-8): 27.3%
106. Louisiana-Lafayette (2-8): 20.0%
106. Marshall (2-8): 20.0%
106. Northern Illinois (2-8): 20.0%
106. Syracuse (2-8): 20.0%
106. UAB (2-8): 20.0%
106. UNLV (2-8): 20.0%
112. North Texas (1-8): 11.1%
113. Colorado State (1-9): 10.0%
113. Duke (1-9): 10.0%
113. Idaho (1-9): 10.0%
113. Notre Dame (1-9): 10.0%
113. SMU (1-9): 10.0%
118. Minnesota (1-10): 9.1%
119. Florida International (0-9): 0.0%
119. Utah State (0-10): 0.0%

Opponents' Win Percentage
1. Duke (68-34): 66.7%
1. Notre Dame (70-35): 66.7%
3. Washington (64-36): 64.0%
4. Florida (65-37): 63.7%
4. Nebraska (72-41): 63.7%
6. Utah State (60-38): 61.2%
7. Oklahoma State (62-42): 59.6%
8. Colorado (67-46): 59.3%
9. Florida International (54-38): 58.7%
10. Oregon (53-38): 58.2%
11. LSU (59-44): 57.3%
11. Minnesota (67-50): 57.3%
13. Colorado State (57-43): 57.0%
14. California (56-43): 56.6%
14. Stanford (56-43): 56.6%
14. Washington State (56-43): 56.6%
17. Syracuse (56-44): 56.0%
18. Mississippi (57-45): 55.9%
19. Alabama (56-45): 55.4%
19. Tennessee (56-45): 55.4%
21. North Carolina State (57-46): 55.3%
21. Texas A&M (63-51): 55.3%
23. Michigan State (64-52): 55.2%
24. UNLV (54-44): 55.1%
25. Wyoming (56-46): 54.9%
26. Baylor (63-52): 54.8%
26. North Carolina (57-47): 54.8%
28. Iowa State (63-53): 54.3%
29. South Carolina (60-51): 54.1%
30. Louisville (54-46): 54.0%
30. Maryland (54-46): 54.0%
30. South Florida (54-46): 54.0%
33. Mississippi State (55-47): 53.9%
34. Auburn (60-52): 53.6%
35. Florida State (54-47): 53.5%
35. Marshall (54-47): 53.5%
37. Illinois (63-55): 53.4%
38. Wake Forest (54-48): 52.9%
39. Penn State (61-55): 52.6%
40. Oregon State (53-48): 52.5%
41. Kentucky (54-50): 51.9%
42. Georgia (53-50): 51.5%
43. Rutgers (51-49): 51.0%
44. Wisconsin (60-58): 50.8%
45. East Carolina (55-54): 50.5%
45. Texas (56-55): 50.5%
45. UAB (52-51): 50.5%
45. UCLA (50-49): 50.5%
45. Virginia Tech (52-51): 50.5%
50. Ball State (52-52): 50.0%
50. North Texas (45-45): 50.0%
50. Pittsburgh (47-47): 50.0%
50. TCU (51-51): 50.0%
50. Temple (51-51): 50.0%
50. Vanderbilt (52-52): 50.0%
56. Akron (51-52): 49.5%
57. Arizona (49-51): 49.0%
57. Army (50-52): 49.0%
59. Arizona State (48-51): 48.5%
60. Purdue (57-61): 48.3%
61. Virginia (53-57): 48.2%
62. Central Florida (49-53): 48.0%
63. San Diego State (44-48): 47.8%
64. Kansas State (51-56): 47.7%
65. Cincinnati (47-52): 47.5%
65. Iowa (57-63): 47.5%
65. Michigan (56-62): 47.5%
68. Georgia Tech (48-54): 47.1%
68. Western Michigan (48-54): 47.1%
70. Indiana (55-63): 46.6%
71. Clemson (47-54): 46.5%
71. Connecticut (47-54): 46.5%
71. Fresno State (46-53): 46.5%
71. Louisiana Tech (47-54): 46.5%
71. Miami (Florida) (47-54): 46.5%
76. Middle Tennessee State (50-58): 46.3%
77. Kent State (48-56): 46.2%
77. Oklahoma (48-56): 46.2%
77. West Virginia (42-49): 46.2%
80. Louisiana-Lafayette (47-55): 46.1%
81. Idaho (46-54): 46.0%
82. Missouri (49-58): 45.8%
82. Ohio State (54-64): 45.8%
84. Boston College (46-55): 45.5%
84. San Jose State (46-55): 45.5%
84. Tulsa (45-54): 45.5%
87. Central Michigan (46-56): 45.1%
88. Arkansas State (45-55): 45.0%
88. New Mexico State (50-61): 45.0%
88. SMU (45-55): 45.0%
91. Northwestern (53-65): 44.9%
92. Buffalo (46-57): 44.7%
93. Troy (43-55): 43.9%
94. Arkansas (44-57): 43.6%
95. Eastern Michigan (49-64): 43.4%
96. Louisiana-Monroe (43-57): 43.0%
97. Tulane (43-58): 42.6%
98. BYU (39-53): 42.4%
99. Bowling Green (44-60): 42.3%
99. UTEP (44-60): 42.3%
101. New Mexico (42-59): 41.6%
102. Texas Tech (48-68): 41.4%
103. Miami (Ohio) (42-60): 41.2%
104. Houston (41-59): 41.0%
104. Toledo (43-62): 41.0%
104. USC (41-59): 41.0%
104. Utah (41-59): 41.0%
108. Southern Mississippi (41-60): 40.6%
109. Rice (42-62): 40.4%
110. Air Force (44-66): 40.0%
111. Florida Atlantic (36-55): 39.6%
112. Kansas (40-64): 38.5%
113. Ohio (43-69): 38.4%
114. Memphis (38-65): 36.9%
115. Northern Illinois (38-66): 36.5%
116. Boise State (36-65): 35.6%
117. Nevada (33-61): 35.1%
118. Navy (35-65): 35.0%
119. Western Kentucky (30-76): 28.3%
120. Hawaii (21-72): 22.6%

Average Margin of Victory
1. Kansas: +31.0
2. Oklahoma: +28.2
3. Hawaii: +27.0
4. Boise State: +24.1
5. West Virginia: +23.8
6. LSU: +22.6
7. Ohio State: +22.3
8. Oregon: +20.8
9. Cincinnati: +20.2
10. Missouri: +19.7
11. Clemson: +19.1
12. Texas Tech: +16.8
13. Arizona State: +16.2
14. Arkansas: +15.5
14. Florida: +15.5
16. Penn State: +14.8
17. USC: +14.7
18. Connecticut: +13.3
18. South Florida: +13.3
20. Texas: +13.2
21. Virginia Tech: +12.4
22. Rutgers: +11.1
23. Western Kentucky: +10.9
24. Utah: +10.8
25. BYU: +10.7
26. Georgia: +10.6
27. Boston College: +10.5
28. Kentucky: +9.6
29. Georgia Tech: +9.4
30. Purdue: +9.2
31. Kansas State: +8.5
32. Illinois: +8.4
33. Air Force: +8.1
33. Troy: +8.1
35. Louisville: +8.0
36. Auburn: +7.7
37. Michigan State: +7.5
38. Alabama: +7.4
38. Michigan: +7.4
40. Central Florida: +7.3
40. Tennessee: +7.3
42. Wisconsin: +7.2
43. Virginia: +6.9
44. Tulsa: +5.7
45. TCU: +5.3
46. Oklahoma State: +5.1
47. Indiana: +5.0
48. California: +4.8
48. New Mexico: +4.8
50. Fresno State: +4.1
51. Florida State: +3.7
52. Ball State: +3.6
53. South Carolina: +3.0
54. Southern Mississippi: +2.5
54. Wake Forest: +2.5
56. Texas A&M: +2.3
57. Oregon State: +1.9
58. Houston: +1.7
59. Maryland: +1.1
60. Arizona: +0.7
60. Nevada: +0.7
62. Middle Tennessee State: +0.6
63. Iowa: +0.5
64. Vanderbilt: +0.4
65. UCLA: +0.3
66. UTEP: +/- 0.0
67. Ohio: -0.2
68. Navy: -0.5
69. Pittsburgh: -0.7
70. Bowling Green: -1.0
71. East Carolina: -1.6
72. Mississippi State: -1.8
73. Miami (Florida): -2.1
74. Toledo: -2.7
75. Washington: -3.1
76. Buffalo: -3.3
76. Colorado: -3.3
76. North Carolina State: -3.3
79. Nebraska: -3.6
80. Arkansas State: -3.8
81. Northwestern: -3.9
82. Memphis: -4.1
83. North Carolina: -4.4
84. Wyoming: -4.5
85. Western Michigan: -4.6
86. Florida Atlantic: -4.8
87. Central Michigan: -5.2
87. San Diego State: -5.2
89. Washington State: -5.3
90. Miami (Ohio): -5.6
91. Louisiana-Monroe: -6.3
92. Tulane: -7.3
93. Kent State: -7.4
94. Eastern Michigan: -7.9
95. UNLV: -8.0
96. Colorado State: -8.1
96. Mississippi: -8.1
98. Louisiana Tech: -8.4
99. Akron: -8.6
100. Stanford: -10.4
101. SMU: -10.5
102. San Jose State: -10.6
103. Minnesota: -10.7
104. Marshall: -11.3
105. Iowa State: -11.4
106. Temple: -11.5
107. Army: -11.6
108. Rice: -11.9
109. New Mexico State: -12.2
110. Northern Illinois: -12.4
111. Idaho: -13.6
112. Louisiana-Lafayette: -14.9
113. Duke: -15.6
114. UAB: -16.3
115. Notre Dame: -17.6
116. Baylor: -17.7
116. Syracuse: -17.7
118. Utah State: -18.2
119. North Texas: -24.2
120. Florida International: -29.4

Sources
ESPN.com
Huskerpedia.com