Week 14 College Football Newsletter

The Bonehead Call of the Week
This goes to West Virginia head coach, Rich Rodriguez. The Mountaineers trailed 13-7 late in the 4th quarter, when quarterback Pat White made a Willis Reed-like return after dislocating his right thumb and sitting on the sideline for 2+ quarters. On 4th-and-3 from inside the Pittsburgh 25-yard line, Rodriguez went with the triple option, where White handed the ball to Steve Slaton up the middle for a gain of about one yard. Slaton was ineffective all game long, netting just 11 yards on nine carries. In that situation, keep the ball in White's hand, bootleg him and give the fleet-footed quarterback an option to either run or throw the football. That was a very questionable call that all but sealed the fate of the Mountaineers.

The Bonehead Play of the Week
This goes to Tennessee quarterback, Erik Ainge. With his 'Vols up 14-13 early in the 4th quarter, Ainge threw a pick six to the LSU defense. After converting the 2-point conversion, the Tigers led 21-14, which is the exact score they prevailed by. Ainge also tossed an interception inside the LSU 10-yard line late in the 4th quarter which officially put the final clamps on the game.

The Bonehead Remark of the Week
This goes to ESPN commentator, Kirk Herbstriet. Following West Virginia's stunning 13-9 loss to Pittsburgh, Herbstriet went on to say that the upset ranked with the likes of Appalachian State over Michigan. Pittsburgh is a 5-7 Division I-A team, who had lost to 7-5 Michigan State, 8-4 Navy, 6-6 Louisville, and 7-5 Rutgers by a total of 18 points. That's an average of 4.5 points a contest to four bowl eligible teams. If they had won those four tightly knit contests, you're looking at a 9-3 season for the Panthers. This is not a Division I-AA school. Also, even though Pitt was a disappointing 4-7 coming into the contest against West Virginia, the annual duel between the two is referred to as the Backyard Brawl for a reason. It's a rivalry game. As any Arizona/Arizona State, Nebraska/Colorado, Oregon/Oregon State, California/Stanford, USC/UCLA, Michigan/Ohio State fan knows, records are irrelevant when it comes to rivalry games. Pitt could've waltzed in with an 0-11 record and still beaten the Mountaineers. It's the one game they circle on their schedule every single year and they get revved up for that game like no other. I know Herbstriet and other "analysts" want to make every upset appear to be larger than life itself, the biggest in the history of college football, but please do us all a favor and stop doing that on an almost weekly basis. The Pitt upset over the Mountaineers pales even in comparison to Stanford beating USC or Syracuse defeating Louisville earlier this year, let alone I-AA Appalachian State becoming the first such team EVER to beat a ranked I-A school.

Quote of the Week
Following Florida International's 38-19 win over North Texas on Saturday, which prevented the club from finishing their second consecutive season at 0-12, starting quarterback, Paul McCall said, "We're not 1-11. We're on a one-game winning streak."

Conference Breakdown
*indicates I-AA opponent

ACC
Virginia Tech 30 Boston College 16 (1-1)

Big East
Louisville 41 Rutgers 38 (1-1)
Pittsburgh 13 West Virginia 9 (2-2)

Big Ten
No games scheduled. (0-0)

Big XII
Oklahoma 38 Missouri 17 (1-1)

Pac-10USC 24 UCLA 7 (1-1)
Arizona State 20 Arizona 17 (2-2)
Stanford 20 California 13 (3-3)
Oregon State 38 Oregon 31 2OT (4-4)
Hawaii 35 Washington 28 (4-5)

A Tale of Two Weeks
Week 13: Florida Atlantic 55 Florida International 23 (-32)
Week 14: Florida International 38 North Texas 19 (+19)
Margin Difference: 51 points

Week 13: UCLA 16 Oregon 0 (+16)
Week 14: USC 24 UCLA 7 (-17)
Margin Difference: 33 points

Week 13: Boston College 28 Miami (Florida) 14 (+14)
Week 14: Virginia Tech 30 Boston College 16 (-14)
Margin Difference: 28 points

The Conference Yo of the Week
Pac-10. They probably held an unfair advantage, as they played many more games than the other major conferences, but regardless, there were some very solid conference battles in the Pac-10 this past weekend. Arizona State had to hold on for dear life against rival Arizona, in the Sundevils' 20-17 win over the Wildcats. It took two overtimes for the Oregon State Beavers to upend the reeling Oregon Ducks, 38-31. Stanford didn't give Cal a chance to return a kick through their band, as the Cardinal won 20-13. Hawaii snuck past Washington in the final minutes, as the Warriors improved to 12-0 with a 35-28 victory over the Huskies. Finally, it what was the lone uncompetitive game featuring a Pac-10 team over the weekend, USC dominated pretty much from start to finish in their 24-7 win against UCLA.

The Conference Yo No of the Week
Big XII. This is slightly unfair as well, considering that three conferences played one game a piece and another didn't play any, but the Big XII title game was definitely the least competitive of the three played on Saturday. Missouri played right with Oklahoma through about halftime, but just as it transpired in game one between the two teams, the Sooners dominated in the second half, in their 38-17 victory over the Tigers.

Game(s) of the Week
5. Pittsburgh 13 West Virginia 9: This was an incredible choking performance by the Mountaineers, but the game was quite intriguing, for the simple fact that it left viewers (and fans in the audience, I'm sure) waiting to see just when Pat White, Steve Slaton, and the dominant running game of the Mountaineers would click and take over. It never did. To Pitt's credit, they slowed Steve Slaton down immensely, but it was incredible to see how Pitt was able to hold onto the football for over 36 minutes, which played a large factor in West Virginia's offense never finding a rhythm.

4. LSU 21 Tennessee 14: This was a good old-fashioned SEC battle for the conference championship. It all came down to who made the mistakes at critical points and who was able to capitalize on those mistakes. With Volunteers' quarterback, Erik Ainge, throwing two 4th quarter interceptions, one run in for the go ahead six and the other inside the red zone, LSU was able to pull out yet another close victory.

3. Hawaii 35 Washington 28: Not many people were probably up to see the final moments of this game. Washington actually led at one point 21-0 and 28-7 at another. But, for whatever reason, UW's offense lost focus following the incredible output in the first quarter and a half and Hawaii was able to pull through in the end with yet another tight victory.

2. Louisville 41 Rutgers 38: Rutgers dominated for the first 2 1/2 quarters. They actually led in this one by the score of 38-21 and the Cardinals appeared to be staying home during bowl season with a bowl ineligible record of 5-7. But the Cardinals' were able to kick it up a notch on both ends of the field for the final 20+ minutes and kicked the game-winning field goal at game's end to finish the regular season at 6-6.

1. Oregon State 38 Oregon 31 2OT: The Civil War wasn't so civil (what wars are?) in Eugene, Oregon. Following OSU's quick start, the oft injured Ducks fought back valiantly and the game went back and forth for the entire duration of the second half until the final buzzer sounded and a winner had yet to be decided. In the second overtime, Oregon's rough finish to a regular season came to an abrupt end when tailback Jonathan Stewart was stopped short of a first down by what appeared to be inches, perhaps even centimeters.

Disappointment(s) of the Week
The only game that truly fits this category was the 38-17 thumping Missouri took at the hands of Oklahoma. Mizzou led 24-23 after three quarters in Norman earlier this year, before getting outscored 18-7 in the final quarter. This game was tight through halftime, but while Missouri made minimal use of their scoring opportunities (three field goals and one touchdown), Oklahoma made the most of theirs (five touchdowns and one field goal). The typically very efficient Chase Daniel was limited by the quick and aggressive Oklahoma defense and OU's ground-game was able to wear the Tigers' defense by the midway point in the third quarter.

Kudos
Florida International. The Golden Panthers of FIU went 0-12 in the 2006 season and were 0-11 going into their game against North Texas this past Saturday. That's right. Heading into their contest with the Mean Green, FIU had lost their last 23 games. But, it was like watching a different team on Saturday, as Florida International beat North Texas and fairly handily, by the final score of 38-19. That snapped their 23-game slide and with the win, makes it so that no Division I-A team is winless at season's end. If Hawaii loses in the Sugar Bowl to Georgia, this would be a very odd year, where no team in I-A finished the year undefeated or winless.

FIU had tied Duke (1999-2002) and Northern Illinois (1996-1998) for the 7th longest losing streak in I-A history. The longest belongs to Northwestern, who lost 34 consecutive games from 1979-1982.

No Kudos
California. Cal started the year 5-0, beating the likes of SEC runner-up Tennessee (9-4) 45-31, Colorado State (3-9) 34-28, Louisiana Tech (5-7) 42-12, Arizona (5-7) 45-27, and Oregon (8-4) 31-24. With a win at home the following week against Oregon State (8-4), Cal would've most likely jumped up to the #1 spot, as LSU had fallen to Kentucky earlier that day. But that didn't happen. Not only did that not happen, Cal has gone 1-6 since that 5-0 start, including their 20-13 loss to rival and conference doormat Stanford (4-8) this past weekend. In their first five games, Cal averaged to score 39.4 points per game, with their low output being the 31 scored against Oregon. In their last seven games, Cal has averaged to score just 20.3 points per outing, with their high output being 28 scored against Oregon State. Heck, if we want to divide the season into halves, here's what it looks like:

First half: 5-1, 225-153 (37.5 - 25.5)
Second half: 1-5, 114-159 (19.0 - 26.5)

Their high offensive output in the second half of the season was the 23 they scored against Washington in their 37-23 loss to the Huskies a couple weekends ago. Their only victory in that time-span was a 20-17 win over Washington State at home.

It's not like the level of competition has altered any, either. Their first half opponents: Tennessee (9-4), Colorado State (3-9), Louisiana Tech (5-7), Arizona (5-7), Oregon (8-4), and Oregon State (8-4) are a combined 38-35 (.521). In the second half, their opponents have been: UCLA (6-6), Arizona State (10-2), Washington State (5-7), USC (10-2), Washington (4-9), and Stanford (4-8), who are a combined 39-34 (.534).

Player(s) of the Week
I'm splitting it this week between Hawaii's Colt Brennan and Central Florida's Kevin Smith.

In the Warriors 35-28 come-from-behind victory over Washington to improve to a perfect 12-0 on the season, quarterback Colt Brennan was a nearly perfect 42-50 (84.0%) for 442 yards (10.5 ypc and 8.8 ypa), 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.

Haven't heard as much about Kevin Smith? You should have. He's the leading rusher in the nation and about single-handedly beat Tulsa on Saturday to vault his Central Florida Golden Knights to a 44-25 victory to earn the Conference-USA crown. For the game, Smith carried the ball 39 times for 284 yards (7.3 ypc) and 4 touchdowns.

Surprise(s) of the Week
It's a no-brainer this week, as 4-7 Pittsburgh walked into Morgantown and upset 10-1 and #2 West Virginia, one win away from earning a berth in the BCS National Championship. While I don't feel this upset has quite the shock value of Syracuse beating Louisville, Stanford defeating USC, and certainly Appalachian State beating Michigan at the Big House, it was still an upset of a great magnitude. Pittsburgh held West Virginia's offense in check, limited the Mountaineers to just 183 yards of offense and keeping the ball away from the usually explosive Mountaineers, as Pittsburgh's time of possession was clocked at over 36 minutes in the game.

Nebraska Game (from an unbiased perspective)
Nebraska may not have played a game on Saturday, but they certainly made some headlines over the weekend, as LSU defensive coordinator, Bo Pelini, was announced as the new head coach in Lincoln.

I, for one, have mixed feelings on the move. I'm not as skeptical with this move as I was with Bill Callahan. If I were to look at these moves as a meteorologist looks at the weather, from day one, I was doubtful will Mr. Callahan, but am questionable with Pelini and see some potential. I would've had the same reaction had the hire been Turner Gill, questionable, but with potential.

What perplexes me some is the fact that neither Gill nor Pelini have much head coaching experience. Gill has coached two seasons at Buffalo and the club has shown a tremendous amount of improvement from season one to season two and Pelini coached a single game, in a 17-3 Alamo Bowl victory by the Huskers over Michigan State. I understand Osborne wanted to bring a coach in who may understand Nebraska tradition better than the likes of Callahan, but I believe this move would've made more sense four years ago when Callahan was first hired.

Callahan was a failure. He was a failure in opening up to the fans and Nebraska community, a failure in upholding the grandstanding tradition in Lincoln, a failure in attitude, and in execution. He was Steve Pedersen's experiment, a guy who had never coached college ball, who was coming to Lincoln from the NFL, and who had some complaints from players in only his second year in Oakland. If Pedersen wanted an "experiment" at the time, why not go with Pelini or Gill? Pelini wanted the head coaching position, and had done marvelous things with the defense in his one season. The experiment may not have worked, who knows? But, that move would've made more sense to me then than to come off a failed four-year experiment in Bill Callahan and to then hire a coach with limited head coaching experience. While I think this experiment definitely has more potential than the previous one, I still don't completely understand why this move was made over some others. Brian Kelly of Cincinnati, Jim Grobe of Wake Forest, Monte Kiffin of Tampa Bay, Bud Foster of Virginia Tech, or even as I heard his name pop up recently, Greg Schiano of Rutgers, would have all made more sense to me than either Pelini or Gill. Brian Kelly is one of the hottest names in coaching. He won a couple Division II Championships (similar to Jim Tressel with Youngstown State). He then went on to take the long-time cellar dweller of the MAC, Central Michigan, to a MAC Championship in just his third year there. He went from CMU to Cincinnati, where he has taken the Bearcats to a 9-3 campaign this season, the Bearcats first nine-win season in over 50 years.

It sounds as if the LSU community is mixed on losing Pelini, as well. From reports I've read, some are very saddened by the loss, proclaiming that Nebraska got a great coach and others are content that the defensive coordinator will no longer be in Baton Rouge, complaining that he became much less aggressive in his calling in the second half of the season. In the first half of the year, LSU allowed 56 points (9.3 papg) to teams with a 42-31 record (.575). In the second half of the year, the Tigers gave up a total of 199 points (28.4 papg) to teams with a record of 46-39 (.541).

Positives: Pelini has been here before, knows what the atmosphere is like, may appreciate Huskers' fans love for their team more than somebody else, and may be less likely to bolt following a great season than another (outside of Gill). He's very intense and did great things at Nebraska during his one season here. The defense went from middle of the pack to a top 10-15 defense. While Pelini's Tigers have struggled defensively of late, LSU has finished 3rd in the nation in total defense the past three seasons under Pelini. It is also likely that Pelini will bring with him an offensive coordinator that infiltrates the spread option offense. Many Nebraska fans are not strangers to the option offense and the spread option should be greeted with more enthusiasm than the West Coast offense, which was infiltrated by Callahan when he arrived.

Negatives: Inexperience. Just as Callahan demonstrated that he is more equipped for an offensive coordinating position than a head coaching one, it is uncertain at this time if Pelini will demonstrate likewise or if he will prove that he is a quality head coach. His intensity can be seen as a positive and a negative. When it comes to coaching and the attitude he brings around his players, in most cases, I see it as a positive, but as he showcased in his one season in Lincoln prior to now, he did let that fire get a bit too heated at times and in the long run, it's uncertain how he will react to some questions by the media and how the Husker Nation will react to him if he does blow up at time or two.

Outlook: It's impossible to say right now. While I was extremely disappointed with the hiring of Bill Callahan four years ago and pessimistic of the future in Lincoln, I'm uncertain if anything right now. For every John Blake at Oklahoma, there's a Bob Stoops, yet for every Paul Pasqualoni, there's a Greg Robinson. Let's hope that NU only had to endure one Blake with Callahan and that Pelini at least brings some hope back to the cornfield state during his tenure.

Solich Update
Ohio was unable to take part in their second straight MAC Championship Game and with all the bowl invites now being official, it looks like the only bowling Frank Solich's bunch will do over the holidays is at local bowling alleys. The Bobcats finished the year an even 4-4 in MAC play and 6-6 overall.

Gill Update
Just like with Solich's bunch, Turner Gill and his Buffalo Bulls weren't part of the MAC Title Game this past Saturday and at 5-7 overall, were ineligible for a bowl game. They did finish the season a bit better than the Bobcats in conference, however, at 5-3. While Turner Gill's name was mentioned as one of the final two candidates for the Nebraska head coaching position, NU interim A.D. went with LSU's defensive coordinator, Bo Pelini, instead. Word has it that Washington State is also very interested in the Buffalo head coach.

Harrell and Crabtree Watch
Texas Tech did not play in the Big XII Championship Game, so they were sitting at home, awaiting a bowl invite, which they received on Sunday. The Red Raiders will face 9-3 Virginia in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day. Going into that contest, here are Harrell and Crabtree's numbers:

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

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

Random Note of the Week
Following their 35-10 loss to Central Michigan on Saturday in the MAC Championship Game, MAC runner-up, Miami (Ohio) finished the year ineligible for bowl competition at 6-7.

Bowl Games
As I need some more time to ponder about things, I will sent out a bowl preview with my predictions on December 20th, the day of the opener between Navy and Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: Utah (8-4) vs. Navy (8-4)
Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. CST on ESPN in San Diego, CA

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Memphis (7-5) vs. Florida Atlantic (7-5)
Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN 2 in New Orleans, LA

Papajohns.com Bowl: Southern Mississippi (7-5) vs. Cincinnati (9-3)
Dec. 22 at 12 p.m. CST on ESPN 2 in Birmingham, AL

New Mexico Bowl: Nevada (6-6) vs. New Mexico (8-4)
Dec. 22 at 3:30 p.m. CST on ESPN in Albuquerque, NM

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl: UCLA (6-6) vs. BYU (10-2)
Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN in Las Vegas, NV

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Boise State (10-2) vs. East Carolina (7-5)
Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. on ESPN in Honolulu, HI

Motor City Bowl: Purdue (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (8-5)
Dec. 26 at 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN in Detroit, MI

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: Arizona State (10-2) vs. Texas (9-3)
Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN in San Diego, CA

Champs Sports Bowl: Boston College (10-3) vs. Michigan State (7-5)
Dec. 28 at 4 p.m. CST on ESPN in Orlando, FL

Texas Bowl: TCU (7-5) vs. Houston (8-4)
Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. CST on NFL Network in Houston, TX

Emerald Bowl: Maryland (6-6) vs. Oregon State (8-4)
Dec. 28 at 7:30 p.m. CST on ESPN in San Francisco, CA

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Connecticut (9-3) vs. Wake Forest (8-4)
Dec. 29 at 12:00 p.m. CST on ESPN in Charlotte, NC

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Central Florida (10-3) vs. Mississippi State (7-5)
Dec. 29 at 3:30 p.m. CST on ESPN in Memphis, TN

Valero Alamo Bowl: Penn State (8-4) vs. Texas A&M (7-5)
Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN in San Antonio, TX

PetroSun Independence Bowl: Alabama (6-6) vs. Colorado (6-6)
Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN in Shreveport, LA

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: California (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3)
Dec. 31 at 11:30 a.m. CST on ESPN in Fort Worth, TX

Roady's Humanitarian Bowl: Georgia Tech (7-5) vs. Fresno State (8-4)
Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. CST on ESPN2 in Boise, ID

Brut Sun Bowl: South Florida (9-3) vs. Oregon (8-4)
Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. CST on CBS in El Paso, TX

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: Kentucky (7-5) vs. Florida State (7-5)
Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. CST on ESPN in Nashville, TN

Insight Bowl: Indiana (7-5) vs. Oklahoma State (6-6)
Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. CST on NFL Network in Tempe, AZ

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Clemson (9-3) vs. Auburn (8-4)
Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN in Atlanta, GA

Outback Bowl: Wisconsin (9-3) vs. Tennessee (9-4)
Jan. 1 at 10:00 a.m. CST on ESPN in Tampa, FL

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Missouri (11-2) vs. Arkansas (8-4)
Jan. 1 at 10:30 a.m. CST on FOX in Dallas, TX

Gator Bowl: Texas Tech (8-4) vs. Virginia (9-3)
Jan. 1 at 12:00 p.m. CST on CBS in Jacksonville, FL

Capital One Bowl: Michigan (8-4) vs. Florida (9-3)
Jan. 1 at 12 p.m. CST on ABC in Orlando, FL

Rose Bowl presented by Citi: Illinois (9-3) vs. USC (10-2)
Jan. 1 at 3:30 p.m. CST on ABC in Pasadena, CA

Allstate Sugar Bowl: Hawaii (12-0) vs. Georgia (10-2)
Jan. 1 at 7:30 p.m. CST on FOX in New Orleans, LA

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma (11-2) vs. West Virginia (10-2)
Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. CST on FOX in Glendale, AZ

FedEx Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech (11-2) vs. Kansas (11-1)
Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. CST on FOX in Miami, FL

International Bowl: Rutgers (7-5) vs. Ball State (7-5)
Jan. 5 at 11 a.m. CST on ESPN 2 in Toronto, CN

GMAC Bowl: Bowling Green (8-4) vs. Tulsa (9-4)
Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN in Mobile, AL

Allstate BCS Championship Game: Ohio State (11-1) vs. LSU (11-2)
Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. CST on FOX in New Orleans, LA

Week 14 Record: 10-8 (.556)Overall Record: 445-194 (.696)

Fact or Fiction
"Fact or Fiction: The BCS, without a doubt, chose the two most deserving teams to play in the BCS National Championship Game."

I hate to say it, but that's fiction.

I think the truly depressing part about the announcements yesterday is the fact there is no one correct answer to the equation. There are eleven teams that could argue their way into making followers believe that they deserve a shot at the national championship game: 1) Virginia Tech (10-2), 2) West Virginia (10-2), 3) Ohio State (11-1), 4) Kansas (11-1), 5) Missouri (11-2), 6) Oklahoma (11-2), 7) Arizona State (10-2), 8) USC (10-2), 9) Georgia (10-2), 10) LSU (11-2), and 11) Hawaii (12-0). One can make decent arguments against and for every single one of these teams to either compete or not compete in the national championship game.

While Virginia Tech lost handily in Baton Rouge in their second game of the season, 48-7, they have gone 10-1 since that time, with their only loss being a three-minute choking by the defense in their 14-10 loss to Boston College. They, along with USC, Georgia, and Oklahoma have been playing some of the best football over the past month plus of the season. They handled 7-5 Georgia Tech 27-3, 9-3 Clemson 41-23, 7-5 Florida State 40-21, 9-3 Virginia 33-21, and 10-3 Boston College this past weekend by the final score of 30-16 to be crowned ACC Champion. If one looks at the opponents they did lose to, LSU and Boston College, the two teams carry with them a 21-5 record (.808). They've gone 6-2 against bowl-bound teams this season, with their only unmentioned such victory, a home-opening win over 7-5 East Carolina of Conference-USA.

West Virginia did choke a great deal in their regular season finale against Pittsburgh, but the timing of their loss should not be more important than their entire season's work and one also has to take into account that star quarterback Pat White was out or playing hurt with a dislocated thumb for the majority of that contest. Like Virginia Tech, West Virginia is 6-2 against bowl-bound competition this season. They handled Maryland fairly easily on a Thursday Night game, 31-14. They clobbered Skip Holtz's Pirates of East Carolina, 48-7. In another non-conference game, they beat up on 7-5 Mississippi State 38-13. In conference, they ran all over 7-5 Rutgers, 31-3. A late surge by 9-3 Cincinnati wasn't enough to overtake the Mountaineers, in West Virginia's 28-23 win. Finally, in what was the Big East Championship game, Pat White and company ran wild against Connecticut, beating the Huskies 66-21. Outside of the Pittsburgh game, the only other loss for West Virginia was a 21-13 loss in Tampa to a very solid 9-3 South Florida team. Some may not believe that the Big East conference is on par with the likes of the SEC, Pac-10, or perhaps even the Big XII, but unlike some "elite" programs this year, West Virginia did at least play and defeat three bowl-bound teams out-of-conference.

Ohio State can make no such claims, as they played these four teams out-of-conference: Division I-AA Youngstown State, Akron (4-8) of the MAC, Washington (4-9), and Kent State (3-9), also of the MAC. Excluding Youngstown State, the three out-of-conference Division I-A teams they played went a combined 11-26 (.297). Ohio State went 5-1 against bowl competition, with all six of those games coming against Big Ten opponents. To go with that pathetic non-conference schedule, I firmly believe that the Big Ten is the weakest major conference this year. There was a reason why 10 of 11 Big Ten teams qualified for bowl eligibility. The Big Ten, through Week 11 of the season, was 35-8 (.814) against their non-conference opponents. At the time (through Week 11), these opponents' records were a major conference worst 123-313 (.282). In the Big Ten's 35 wins against non-conference opponents at that time, the Big Ten's opponents in those games were also a major conference worst 91-264 (.256). Even in their 8 non-conference losses, the victors of those games were a major conference worst 32-49 (.395). Big Ten teams faced a total of 8 Division I-AA clubs this season, were a major conference worst 5-6 (.455) against the other five major conferences, and even those major conference teams were only 36-53 (.404). In the Big Ten's five victories against major conference teams, those clubs were a combined 15-34 (.306) and in the Big Ten's six losses, the competition was just 21-19 (.525). Division I-AA Appalachian State beat Michigan this year. Minnesota fell to I-AA North Dakota State. Northwestern lost to 1-11 Duke. Iowa fell to 3-9 Iowa State. Wisconsin had problems with I-AA Citadel. Western Illinois (I-AA), Syracuse (2-10), Indiana State (I-AA), Western Michigan (5-7), Northern Illinois (2-10), Eastern Michigan (4-8), UAB (2-10), Pittsburgh (5-7), Notre Dame (3-9), Miami (Ohio) (6-7), Northeastern (I-AA), Florida International (1-11), Buffalo (5-7), Temple (4-8), Toledo (5-7), Eastern Illinois (I-AA), Washington State (5-7), and UNLV (2-10) were other Big Ten non-conference opponents this season. Only 9 of 44 (20.5%) Big Ten non-conference opponents finished at .500 or better. While Ohio State would deserve a right to showcase just how good they are in a playoff system, after winning their conference and finishing the season 11-1, I don't believe it's proper to reward the Buckeyes with one of the two spots in THE national championship game based on their atrocious schedule. Even though they're 11-1, it's impossible to know just how good the Buckeyes are. The Kansas Jayhawks and Hawaii Warriors have received a great deal of heat this year due to their weak schedules, but for whatever reason, I haven't heard that same negativity used toward the Buckeyes.

Speaking of Kansas, while I don't agree that the Jayhawks should be playing in the Orange Bowl instead of a Missouri club that beat them two weeks ago, one can't dismiss their 11-1 season, and outside of the fact that KU didn't win the Big XII this year as Ohio State did in the Big Ten, the two teams resume's are rather similar. Ohio State was 5-1 against bowl-bound clubs this year and Kansas was 4-1. Just as all six of those games were in-conference for the Buckeyes, four of those five games were in-conference for the Jayhawks, the only other being a 52-7 throttling of MAC Champion Central Michigan. They also beat 6-6 Colorado, 7-5 Texas A&M, and 6-6 Oklahoma State, with their only loss being to Missouri. As one can see from the teams they beat, there remains a great deal of mystery with this Kansas team, as, record wise, the best team they defeated was a 7-5 Texas A&M squad at College Station. A great deal of mystery surrounds the Buckeyes, as well, however. Why the disparity in views on the two clubs and rankings? Unfortunately, it deals with reputation and bias. While again, I don't believe that Kansas should be rewarded a BCS Bowl berth over Missouri, I also believe that this Kansas squad has much more in common with the #1 team in the BCS rankings than many lend them credit for. We could've learned a great deal more if Kansas had defeated Missouri and faced Oklahoma this past Saturday, but with them losing 36-28 to the Tigers the week prior, it's pure speculation how they would've fared against the Sooners and other like-teams.

If it weren't for the Oklahoma Sooners, Missouri would've finished the year undefeated. At 11-2, both of Missouri's losses were to OU, by the combined score of 79-48 (average of 39.5 - 24.0). On the season, Missouri was 5-2 against bowl teams. Overall, their out-of-conference schedule was mediocre, as they faced an average MAC school in 5-7 Western Michigan, the doormat of the SEC in Mississippi, and Division I-AA Illinois State. They also played the Big Ten Rose Bowl representative, Illinois, in their season-opener, winning that game 40-34. Mizzou clobbered Mike Leach's Texas Tech Red Raiders 41-10, did likewise with Colorado, beating Dan Hawkins' Buffaloes 55-10, pulled away late to defeat Texas A&M 40-26, and as mentioned earlier, defeated Kansas 36-28. It'd be difficult to make an argument for Missouri to get in over Oklahoma, as the Sooners beat the Tigers twice on the season, but then again, if one simply looks at the quality of competition the two schools lost to, Missouri's two losses came to teams (a team) with a combined record of 22-4 (.846), while OU lost to two schools with a combined record of 14-10 (.583).

Oklahoma didn't play the toughest non-conference schedule either, as they pounded North Texas (2-10), Miami (Florida) (5-7), Utah State (2-10), and Tulsa (9-4) into submission. Like Virginia Tech and West Virginia, Oklahoma went 6-2 against bowl competition. They defeated rival Texas 28-21 in the Red River Shoot-out, pounded Texas A&M 42-14 on primetime national television, had no problem with rival Oklahoma State, blasting the Cowboys 49-17, and they defeated 11-2 Missouri twice, handing the Tigers their only two losses of the season. OU's losses, while still losses, may not have been, if not for some sleepwalking in the 4th quarter against Colorado and if their star freshman quarterback, Bradford, had not gotten injured early in the battle against Texas Tech.

One team I haven't heard any arguments for is 10-2 Arizona State out of the Pac-10. While I don't believe they have as solid an argument as some clubs, if one insists that Ohio State is the most deserving school, I think it's only fair to include a 10-2 team out of a much tougher conference than the Big Ten. The Pac-10, unlike some other conferences, plays a round-robin tournament in-conference, so each team only plays three non-conference games. ASU's non-conference schedule was very average, to be kind, as they faced Dick Tomey's San Jose State Spartans (5-7), Colorado (6-6), and San Diego State (4-8), beating each team by at least 19 points. On the season, ASU was 4-2 against bowl-bound teams, coming back to beat 8-4 Oregon State 44-32, upending California 31-20, and sneaking past UCLA 24-20. Their first loss came against Dennis Dixon-led Oregon, falling 35-23 and also getting pounded 44-24 by USC a couple weeks ago. While not bowl-eligible, one has to also take into consideration that the Pac-10 does not have a true doormat this season. Stanford beat both USC and Cal. Washington played arguably the toughest schedule in the country. Washington State and Arizona were both one game away from becoming bowl eligible. So, while ASU may have only faced six bowl-bound teams, their opponents were three games away from making that nine bowl eligibles.

While I completely agree that USC is playing some of the best football in the country right now and if there were a playoff, they'd have as good a shot as any team to win the title, I'm also a bit cautious on exclaiming that they've proven themselves to be one of the two most deserving teams to play in the national championship game. While, in most years, a non-conference schedule which included both Nebraska and Notre Dame may prove to be rather stingy, this was not one of those years. To go along with 1-11 Idaho, Nebraska finished 5-7 (should've been 4-8, as they were saved by the butterfingers of Ball State's receivers), and Notre Dame finished the year 3-9, with two of those wins coming against 1-11 Duke and 4-8 Stanford. On the season, USC was 4-1 against bowl opponents, with their only loss coming against Oregon at Autzen Stadium, when Dennis Dixon was still healthy. USC didn't prove much of anything in the first half of the season, as they fell to 4-8 Stanford 24-23, snuck past Arizona and Washington by a combined 10 points, and faced three non-conference opponents with the combined record of 9-27 (.250). They were finally able to showcase what they did or didn't possess in the last five weeks of the regular season, as they were to face: Oregon (8-4), Oregon State (8-4), California (6-6), Arizona State (10-2), and UCLA (6-6). This is one of the most talented teams in the country, are playing some of the best football of anyone currently, but are they truly deserving, based on their whole body of work, to make the national championship game? That is very debatable.

That brings me to another school that has played fine football of late and that's Georgia. The 10-2 Bulldogs have won six straight games following their embarrassing 35-14 loss to Tennessee, which sent the 'Dawgs to a 4-2 record. Georgia's non-conference schedule wasn't Washington-like, but it was tougher than some of the teams I've already mentioned, as Mark Richt's club faced: Oklahoma State (6-6), Troy (8-4), and Georgia Tech (7-5), along with Division I-AA Western Carolina. Overall, the Bulldogs were 6-1 against bowl opponents and 7-2 against .500 or better teams. They defeated Oklahoma State 35-14 to start the season, fell to Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks 16-12, defeated Alabama 26-23 in overtime, beat defending national champion Florida 42-30, beat a tough Troy squad, 44-34, pulled away in the second half against Auburn, in their 45-20 win over the Tigers, beat Kentucky 24-13, and finally, won in Atlanta against their in-state rival Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech, 31-17. The main argument against Georgia is the fact they weren't even a component to the SEC Championship game, let alone the winner. But, one also has to look in the past to previous conference title and national championship games. Oklahoma was defeated by Kansas State in the Big XII Title game in 2003, only to rewarded an invite to the national championship game to face LSU, who then went on to beat the Sooners. It also occurred in 2001, after Nebraska was slaughtered 62-36 against Colorado, they "earned" the right to play Miami (Florida) in that national championship game, only to fall easily to the Hurricanes. While this may be the first time in BCS history that a two-loss team has been a part of the title game, this would not have been the first time a club who was not a part of their conference title game was a component to the national title game.

That brings me to LSU. For whatever reason, it seemed as if the Tigers were the media's team this year. Regardless of the time, place, circumstance, outcome of a game, etc., it felt as if most "experts" and "analysts" believed the Tigers to be one of the two best teams in the country and very deserving of a spot in the title game. While I wouldn't have been able to argue with them after the first five games of the season, I have plenty to argue with them about in regard to the last half of the season. Credit to LSU for playing an elite program like Virginia Tech out-of-conference, but I can't give them much more credit for their other three non-conference opponents, as they faced: Middle Tennessee State (5-7) of the Sun Belt, Tulane (4-8) of Conference-USA, and Louisiana Tech (5-7) of the WAC. Even when including the Hokies' record, LSU's non-conference opponents went a combined 25-24 (.510). Like many of the other teams I mentioned, LSU went 6-2 against bowl-bound teams and were 7-2 against .500 or better squads. They started the season off in brilliant fashion, by shutting out 7-5 Mississippi State 45-0 and then pounding 11-2 Virginia Tech 48-7. They struggled a little more against South Carolina, but still came out on top 28-16. They needed to come from behind to beat Florida 28-24. They had to do likewise to defeat Auburn 30-24. LSU was handed a gift from Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson late in their 41-34 comeback win over 6-6 Alabama. This past weekend, they were handed a couple gifts from Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge in LSU's 21-14 SEC Championship game win. One argument LSU proponents like to use is the fact they lost both their games in triple overtime. But, one also has to look at those opponents, 7-5 Kentucky and 8-4 Arkansas. While LSU did pound Virginia Tech early in the season, LSU's losses came to teams with a combined record of 15-9 (.625), while Tech's losses came to teams with a record of 21-5 (.808). Also, while the Big Ten was notorious for playing weak non-conference opponents this year, the SEC was almost as notorious for that, which is a reason why 10 of 12 teams are bowl eligible. Through Week 11 of the season, SEC non-conference opponents were a combined 155-273 (.362). They also played a major conference most 9 Division I-AA teams.

Finally, the only undefeated team left in Division I-A, Hawaii, deserves an argument. I know the argument against the Warriors - their schedule. I can understand that. Hawaii played two, count them, two Division I-AA opponents (Northern Colorado and Charleston Southern), along with 2-10 UNLV and 4-9 Washington out-of-conference. Hawaii is 3-0 against bowl-bound teams, defeating 8-4 Fresno State, 6-6 Nevada, and 10-2 Boise State by a combined score of 104-83 (average of 34.7 - 27.7). While they played one of the weakest schedules in the country, they also finished with the only unbeaten record. It may be somewhat difficult to make an argument for Hawaii to be a member of the title game, but it wouldn't be difficult at all to make a case for the undefeated Warriors to be a part of a playoff system.

How can one definitively tell me or anyone else that two of these eleven teams are more deserving than anyone else to play in the BCS Title game? For a season so wild and crazy with upsets, how can we plausibly designate one game to decide the national champion? Between a team who played one of the weaker non-conference schedules of any major conference team and another that made a radical jump from #7 to #2 after beating a 9-4 club who had lost their three other games by a combined 77 points (25.7 ppg) to teams with a combined 21-15 (.583)? Kansas dropped from #5 to #8 this past weekend without playing a game and yet were picked to goto the Orange Bowl over #6 Missouri, a team they lost to the week prior. Coach politicking and human bias should not be two key ingredients in rewarding a team a national championship game bid over another. This doesn't occur in any other sport. Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves doesn't have to go around making a case for his team to make the playoffs following a grueling 162-game regular season. Phil Jackson has never had to do likewise for his Chicago Bulls or Los Angeles Lakers. Roy Williams hasn't had to do anything for his Kansas Jayhawks or North Carolina Tar Heels. The BCS has officially become a joke, one which places more emphasis on team reputation, human bias, coach politicking, pre-season polls, and timing of losses than anything else. In a sport where so many teams load up on the cupcakes for their non-conference schedule, only a true playoff system would prove who the most deserving team/teams is/are to play in the final game. The regular season is as much a playoff as Bill Callahan was a great coach at Nebraska. In the NBA, we typically don't see playoff games between the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks. In the NFL, we won't be seeing the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans square off in the playoffs anytime soon. The playoffs feature the best of the best, duking it out for an opportunity to win a title. Oklahoma squaring off against Baylor, Virginia Tech and Duke, LSU and Ole Miss aren't playoff games. The regular season is merely a campaign for teams to earn seedings and home-field/court advantage in the playoffs. In elections, does one stop at the primaries? Are the primaries the true playoffs and we should reward the candidate with the highest percentage of vote at that point with the presidency? No. The same holds true in college football. While the playoffs cannot exist without a regular season, I believe the direct opposite to be true as well. The regular season cannot exist without the playoffs.

"Fact or Fiction: The BCS, without a doubt, chose the two most deserving teams to play in the BCS National Championship Game."

This year of all years, that statement is as fiction as a Stephen King novel.

Inside the Numbers
-With his 284 yards rushing on Saturday, that puts Central Florida tailback, Kevin Smith, at 2,448 yards rushing on the year, the second highest total in a single season, only behind Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders with 2,628 yards. The Golden Knights play against Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl, where Smith has an opportunity to place his name at the very top of that list. Also, with his four rushing touchdowns on Saturday, Smith now has 30 touchdowns on the season, 4th highest total of touchdowns by a skill-position player, behind, Barry Sanders with 39, Brock Forsey (Boise State) with 32, and Troy Edwards (Louisiana Tech) with 31.

-Central Michigan quarterback, Dan LeFevour, has mounted some grand numbers this year. As he led his Chippewas to their second consecutive MAC Title on Saturday, LeFevour became just the second MAC quarterback to win back-to-back MAC Championship Games. He joins Marshall's Chad Pennington as the only other. The Marshall quarterback won three straight from 1997 through 1999. LeFevour also has 3,360 yards passing and 1,008 yards rushing on the season, becoming the second player in NCAA I-A history to throw for 3,000+ yards and run for 1,000+ yards in the same season. Vince Young of the Texas Longhorns in 2005 is the only other such player.

-With Florida Atlantic's 38-32 win over Troy on Saturday, the Burrowing Owls finished the year 6-1 in the Sun Belt Conference, with the tie-breaking edge over the Trojans, whom they beat on Saturday. Howard Schnellenberger has been at the program since 1998 and started building it, literally, from scratch, as FAU's first game as a I-A program was in 2005. In 2007, they are now off to the New Orleans Bowl, as Sun Belt Champ, to face Memphis (7-5) of Conference-USA.

-Navy's 38-3 win over Army on Saturday was the Midshipmen's sixth straight victory over the Black Knights, the longest winning streak by either side in the rivalry.

-With the dominant 38-17 victory over Missouri in the Big XII Title Game, Oklahoma won their fifth Big XII Championship since 2000 and head coach, Bob Stoops, is now 5-1 in such contests.

Rant of the Week: Troy
I was shocked to see that the 8-4 Troy Trojans are not going bowling this year. Outside of their regular season finale loss to Howard Schnellenberger's Burrowing Owls of Florida Atlantic 38-32, Troy dominated their conference opponents this year and played a very difficult non-conference schedule. They could've played five patsies, but they didn't. They squared off against: Arkansas (8-4, in Little Rock), Florida (9-3, at the Swamp), Oklahoma State (6-6, at home), Georgia (10-2, in Athens), and Western Kentucky (7-5, on the road). Their five non-conference opponents were a combined 40-20 (.667), with four of them going to bowl games, three New Year's Day games or better. Troy could've played five patsies and cruised into their home game with FAU at 11-0. They won two of the five non-conference games, including a 41-23 pounding of Oklahoma State and the score wasn't even that close. They lost to the three SEC teams by a combined score of 149-91 (average of 49.7 - 30.3). So, while, no, their defense couldn't hold up their end of the deal on the road in Little Rock, Jacksonville, or Athens, the offense sure did their job. Why is a team like Troy left out of the bowl picture, when 6-6 clubs like: Nevada, UCLA, Maryland, Alabama, Colorado, California, and Oklahoma State, 7-5 teams, such as: Memphis, Florida Atlantic, Southern Mississippi, East Carolina, Purdue, Michigan State, TCU, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Florida State, Indiana, Rutgers, and Ball State, and other 8-4 teams like: Utah, Navy, New Mexico, Central Michigan (8-5), Houston, Oregon State, Wake Forest, Penn State, Fresno State, Oregon, Auburn, Arkansas, Texas Tech, and Bowling Green, are all going to bowl games? Are they trying to tell me that Troy is not as deserving as any of these 36 teams? An Alabama team that is 6-6, losers of four straight, with one of those losses coming to Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt Conference, 21-14, and with one of those wins coming against I-AA Western Carolina? Troy beat Louisiana-Monroe on the road this year 24-7. Or how about California, a club that has gone 1-6 in their past seven games, that lone win coming against a 5-7 Washington State club by three points? Or Oklahoma State, a .500 club, that lost to Troy 41-23 on national television and one of whose wins came against I-AA Sam Houston State?

Troy did all they could out-of-conference to earn themselves at at-large berth in a bowl game and got shafted. Late in the season, against 10-2 Georgia in Athens, Troy lost by the final score of 44-34. They dominated Oklahoma State and up until their finale loss to Florida Atlantic, had dominated the Sun Belt Conference, outscoring their conference opponents by the score of 255-106 (average of 36.4 - 15.1). Even overall, in their non-conference games against clubs with a 40-20 record (.667), Troy played admirably, going 2-3 and being outscored 189-153 (37.8 - 30.6).

It's a joke for clubs like Alabama, California, and Oklahoma State to have been invited to bowl games and Troy to be sitting at home watching all 32 games.

Top 120 Poll
1. Kansas (11-1): 272.5
2. Ohio State (11-1): 272.0
3. LSU (11-2): 271.9
4. Oklahoma (11-2): 271.8
5. Hawaii (12-0): 269.0
6. West Virginia (10-2): 266.5
7. Virginia Tech (11-2): 263.2
8. Missouri (11-2): 263.0
9. Florida (9-3): 259.3
10. Georgia (10-2): 253.1
11. Arizona State (10-2): 252.2
12. Boise State (10-2): 249.2
12. USC (10-2): 249.2
14. BYU (10-2): 246.4
15. South Florida (9-3): 243.7
16. Clemson (9-3): 241.3
17. Boston College (10-3): 240.0
18. Cincinnati (9-3): 238.6
19. Texas (9-3): 238.0
20. Illinois (9-3): 236.8
21. Central Florida (10-3): 234.6
22. Oregon (8-4): 231.0
23. Tennessee (9-4): 229.8
24. Virginia (9-3): 228.8
25. Connecticut (9-3): 227.1
26. Penn State (8-4): 226.8
27. Wisconsin (9-3): 225.0
28. Air Force (9-3): 222.8
29. Auburn (8-4): 219.0
30. Arkansas (8-4): 216.5
31. Utah (8-4): 216.2
32. Oregon State (8-4): 214.9
33. Troy (8-4): 214.6
34. Michigan (8-4): 214.2
34. Texas Tech (8-4): 214.2
36. Tulsa (9-4): 213.7
37. Wake Forest (8-4): 212.7
38. Michigan State (7-5): 207.3
39. Kentucky (7-5): 206.0
40. Fresno State (8-4): 205.0
41. Texas A&M (7-5): 203.5
42. Rutgers (7-5): 200.0
43. New Mexico (8-4): 199.8
44. Bowling Green (8-4): 199.2
45. Florida State (7-5): 197.8
46. Purdue (7-5): 196.3
47. Georgia Tech (7-5): 195.5
48. Ball State (7-5): 194.9
49. East Carolina (7-5): 194.1
50. TCU (7-5): 192.8
51. Indiana (7-5): 192.4
52. Houston (8-4): 190.8
53. Oklahoma State (6-6): 189.9
54. Mississippi State (7-5): 189.3
55. Navy (8-4): 189.1
56. Alabama (6-6): 188.1
57. South Carolina (6-6): 185.7
58. UCLA (6-6): 184.0
59. Central Michigan (8-5): 183.3
60. Colorado (6-6): 182.9
61. Southern Mississippi (7-5): 182.6
62. Maryland (6-6): 181.9
63. Louisville (6-6): 181.8
64. California (6-6): 181.4
65. Florida Atlantic (7-5): 177.6
66. Nebraska (5-7): 171.3
67. Iowa (6-6): 168.0
68. Western Kentucky (7-5): 166.5
69. Memphis (7-5): 165.9
70. Arizona (5-7): 165.1
71. Nevada (6-6): 164.6
72. Kansas State (5-7): 164.2
73. Pittsburgh (5-7): 164.1
74. Northwestern (6-6): 163.7
75. Ohio (6-6): 159.4
75. Vanderbilt (5-7): 159.4
77. Louisiana-Monroe (6-6): 159.1
78. Wyoming (5-7): 158.1
79. North Carolina State (5-7): 157.9
80. Miami (Florida) (5-7): 155.5
81. Middle Tennessee State (5-7): 155.2
82. Washington State (5-7): 154.2
83. Washington (4-9): 152.4
84. Miami (Ohio) (6-7): 150.9
85. Western Michigan (5-7): 150.3
86. Arkansas State (5-7): 147.2
87. Buffalo (5-7): 144.7
88. Toledo (5-7): 144.4
89. San Jose State (5-7): 142.8
90. Louisiana Tech (5-7): 142.3
91. North Carolina (4-8): 138.8
92. Stanford (4-8): 137.7
93. San Diego State (4-8): 135.9
94. Akron (4-8): 135.2
95. UTEP (4-8): 132.6
96. Mississippi (3-9): 129.8
97. Temple (4-8): 126.1
98. Notre Dame (3-9): 125.6
99. Eastern Michigan (4-8): 125.5
100. Tulane (4-8): 122.7
101. Colorado State (3-9): 119.6
102. Marshall (3-9): 118.6
103. Iowa State (3-9): 117.5
104. Army (3-9): 115.1
105. New Mexico State (4-9): 114.0
106. Baylor (3-9): 110.8
107. UNLV (2-10): 109.4
108. Kent State (3-9): 106.8
109. Louisiana-Lafayette (3-9): 103.4
110. Rice (3-9): 102.8
111. Syracuse (2-10): 102.2
112. Utah State (2-10): 99.2
113. UAB (2-10): 94.9
114. Minnesota (1-11): 92.0
115. Duke (1-11): 90.4
116. North Texas (2-10): 85.7
117. Northern Illinois (2-10): 82.8
118. SMU (1-11): 81.3
119. Idaho (1-11): 71.7
120. Florida International (1-11): 69.8

Conference Strength

Mean Power Number
1. SEC: 209.0
2. Big East: 203.0
3. Big XII: 200.0
4. Big Ten: 199.5
5. Pac-10: 192.2
6. ACC: 192.0
7. MWC: 177.9
8. WAC: 162.0
9. C-USA: 152.9
10. Independents: 149.1
11. MAC: 146.4
12. Sun Belt: 139.1

Mean Ranking
1. SEC: 40.1
2. Big East: 44.1
3. Big Ten: 45.4
4. Big XII: 47.3
5. ACC: 51.7
6. Pac-10: 52.6
7. MWC: 60.6
8. WAC: 71.4
9. C-USA: 77.2
10. Independents: 81.3
11. MAC: 83.5
12. Sun Belt: 85.9

Median Power Number
1. Big East: 213.1
2. SEC: 211.3
3. Big Ten: 210.8
4. ACC: 196.7
4. Big XII: 196.7
6. MWC: 192.8
7. Pac-10: 182.7
8. Sun Belt: 151.2
9. C-USA: 149.3
10. Independents: 146.1
11. MAC: 144.7
12. WAC: 142.8

Median Ranking
1. Big East: 33.5
2. SEC: 34.5
3. Big Ten: 36.0
4. ACC: 46.0
5. Big XII: 47.0
6. MWC: 50.0
7. Pac-10: 61.0
8. C-USA: 82.0
9. Independents: 83.0
10. Sun Belt: 83.5
11. MAC: 87.0
12. WAC: 89.0

ACC (12)
7. Virginia Tech (11-2): 263.2
16. Clemson (9-3): 241.3
17. Boston College (10-3): 240.0
24. Virginia (9-3): 228.8
37. Wake Forest (8-4): 212.7
45. Florida State (7-5): 197.8
47. Georgia Tech (7-5): 195.5
62. Maryland (6-6): 181.9
79. North Carolina State (5-7): 157.9
80. Miami (Florida) (5-7): 155.5
91. North Carolina (4-8): 138.8
115. Duke (1-11): 90.4

Mean Power Number: 192.0
Mean Ranking: 51.7
Median Power Number: 196.7
Median Ranking: 46.0

Big East (8)
6. West Virginia (10-2): 266.5
15. South Florida (9-3): 243.7
18. Cincinnati (9-3): 238.6
25. Connecticut (9-3): 227.1
42. Rutgers (7-5): 200.0
63. Louisville (6-6): 181.8
73. Pittsburgh (5-7): 164.1
111. Syracuse (2-10): 102.2

Mean Power Number: 203.0
Mean Ranking: 44.1
Median Power Number: 213.1
Median Ranking: 33.5

Big Ten (11)
2. Ohio State (11-1): 272.0
20. Illinois (9-3): 236.8
26. Penn State (8-4): 226.8
27. Wisconsin (9-3): 225.0
34. Michigan (8-4): 214.2
38. Michigan State (7-5): 207.3
46. Purdue (7-5): 196.3
51. Indiana (7-5): 192.4
67. Iowa (6-6): 168.0
74. Northwestern (6-6): 163.7
114. Minnesota (1-11): 92.0

Mean Power Number: 199.5
Mean Ranking: 45.4
Median Power Number: 210.8
Median Ranking: 36.0

Big XII (12)
1. Kansas (11-1): 272.5
4. Oklahoma (11-2): 271.8
8. Missouri (11-2): 263.01
9. Texas (9-3): 238.0
34. Texas Tech (8-4): 214.2
41. Texas A&M (7-5): 203.5
53. Oklahoma State (6-6): 189.9
60. Colorado (6-6): 182.9
66. Nebraska (5-7): 171.3
72. Kansas State (5-7): 164.2
103. Iowa State (3-9): 117.5
106. Baylor (3-9): 110.8

Mean Power Number: 200.0
Mean Ranking: 47.3
Median Power Number: 196.7
Median Ranking: 47.0

C-USA (12)
21. Central Florida (10-3): 234.6
36. Tulsa (9-4): 213.7
49. East Carolina (7-5): 194.1
52. Houston (8-4): 190.8
61. Southern Mississippi (7-5): 182.6
69. Memphis (7-5): 165.9
95. UTEP (4-8): 132.6
100. Tulane (4-8): 122.7
102. Marshall (3-9): 118.6
110. Rice (3-9): 102.8
113. UAB (2-10): 94.9
118. SMU (1-11): 81.3

Mean Power Number: 152.9
Mean Ranking: 77.2
Median Power Number: 149.3
Median Ranking: 82.0

Independents (4)
55. Navy (8-4): 189.1
68. Western Kentucky (7-5): 166.5
98. Notre Dame (3-9): 125.6
104. Army (3-9): 115.1

Mean Power Number: 149.1
Mean Ranking: 81.3
Median Power Number: 146.1
Median Ranking: 83.0

MAC (13)
44. Bowling Green (8-4): 199.2
48. Ball State (7-5): 194.9
59. Central Michigan (8-5): 183.3
75. Ohio (6-6): 159.4
84. Miami (Ohio) (6-7): 150.9
85. Western Michigan (5-7): 150.3
87. Buffalo (5-7): 144.7
88. Toledo (5-7): 144.4
94. Akron (4-8): 135.2
97. Temple (4-8): 126.1
99. Eastern Michigan (4-8): 125.5
108. Kent State (3-9): 106.8
117. Northern Illinois (2-10): 82.8

Mean Power Number: 146.4
Mean Ranking: 83.5
Median Power Number: 144.7
Median Ranking: 87.0

MWC (9)
14. BYU (10-2): 246.4
28. Air Force (9-3): 222.8
31. Utah (8-4): 216.2
43. New Mexico (8-4): 199.8
50. TCU (7-5): 192.8
78. Wyoming (5-7): 158.1
93. San Diego State (4-8): 135.9
101. Colorado State (3-9): 119.6
107. UNLV (2-10): 109.4

Mean Power Number: 177.9
Mean Ranking: 60.6
Median Power Number: 192.8
Median Ranking: 50.0

Pac-10 (10)
11. Arizona State (10-2): 252.2
12. USC (10-2): 249.2
22. Oregon (8-4): 231.0
32. Oregon State (8-4): 214.9
58. UCLA (6-6): 184.0
64. California (6-6): 181.4
70. Arizona (5-7): 165.1
82. Washington State (5-7): 154.2
83. Washington (4-9): 152.4
92. Stanford (4-8): 137.7

Mean Power Number: 192.2
Mean Ranking: 52.6
Median Power Number: 182.7
Median Ranking: 61.0

SEC (12)
3. LSU (11-2): 271.9
9. Florida (9-3): 259.3
10. Georgia (10-2): 253.1
23. Tennessee (9-4): 229.8
29. Auburn (8-4): 219.0
30. Arkansas (8-4): 216.5
39. Kentucky (7-5): 206.0
54. Mississippi State (7-5): 189.3
56. Alabama (6-6): 188.1
57. South Carolina (6-6): 185.7
75. Vanderbilt (5-7): 159.4
96. Mississippi (3-9): 129.8

Mean Power Number: 209.0
Mean Ranking: 40.1
Median Power Number: 211.3
Median Ranking: 34.5

Sun Belt (8)
33. Troy (8-4): 214.6
65. Florida Atlantic (7-5): 177.6
77. Louisiana-Monroe (6-6): 159.1
81. Middle Tennessee State (5-7): 155.2
86. Arkansas State (5-7): 147.2
109. Louisiana-Lafayette (3-9): 103.4
116. North Texas (2-10): 85.7
120. Florida International (1-11): 69.8

Mean Power Number: 139.1
Mean Ranking: 85.9
Median Power Number: 151.2
Median Ranking: 83.5

WAC (9)
5. Hawaii (12-0): 269.0
12. Boise State (10-2): 249.2
40. Fresno State (8-4): 205.0
71. Nevada (6-6): 164.6
89. San Jose State (5-7): 142.8
90. Louisiana Tech (5-7): 142.3
105. New Mexico State (4-9): 114.0
112. Utah State (2-10): 99.2
119. Idaho (1-11): 71.7

Mean Power Number: 162.0
Mean Ranking: 71.4
Median Power Number: 142.8
Median Ranking: 89.0

Win Percentage
1. Hawaii (12-0): 100.0%
2. Kansas (11-1): 91.7%
2. Ohio State (11-1): 91.7%
4. LSU (11-2): 84.6%
4. Missouri (11-2): 84.6%
4. Oklahoma (11-2): 84.6%
4. Virginia Tech (11-2): 84.6%
8. Arizona State (10-2): 83.3%
8. Boise State (10-2): 83.3%
8. BYU (10-2): 83.3%
8. Georgia (10-2): 83.3%
8. USC (10-2): 83.3%
8. West Virginia (10-2): 83.3%
14. Boston College (10-3): 76.9%
14. Central Florida (10-3): 76.9%
16. Air Force (9-3): 75.0%
16. Clemson (9-3): 75.0%
16. Cincinnati (9-3): 75.0%
16. Connecticut (9-3): 75.0%
16. Florida (9-3): 75.0%
16. Illinois (9-3): 75.0%
16. South Florida (9-3): 75.0%
16. Texas (9-3): 75.0%
16. Virginia (9-3): 75.0%
16. Wisconsin (9-3): 75.0%
26. Tennessee (9-4): 69.2%
26. Tulsa (9-4): 69.2%
28. Arkansas (8-4): 66.7%
28. Auburn (8-4): 66.7%
28. Bowling Green (8-4): 66.7%
28. Fresno State (8-4): 66.7%
28. Houston (8-4): 66.7%
28. Michigan (8-4): 66.7%
28. Navy (8-4): 66.7%
28. New Mexico (8-4): 66.7%
28. Oregon (8-4): 66.7%
28. Oregon State (8-4): 66.7%
28. Penn State (8-4): 66.7%
28. Texas Tech (8-4): 66.7%
28. Troy (8-4): 66.7%
28. Utah (8-4): 66.7%
28. Wake Forest (8-4): 66.7%
43. Central Michigan (8-4): 61.5%
44. Ball State (7-5): 58.3%
44. East Carolina (7-5): 58.3%
44. Florida Atlantic (7-5): 58.3%
44. Florida State (7-5): 58.3%
44. Georgia Tech (7-5): 58.3%
44. Indiana (7-5): 58.3%
44. Kentucky (7-5): 58.3%
44. Memphis (7-5): 58.3%
44. Michigan State (7-5): 58.3%
44. Mississippi State (7-5): 58.3%
44. Purdue (7-5): 58.3%
44. Rutgers (7-5): 58.3%
44. Southern Mississippi (7-5): 58.3%
44. TCU (7-5): 58.3%
44. Texas A&M (7-5): 58.3%
44. Western Kentucky (7-5): 58.3%
60. Alabama (6-6): 50.0%
60. California (6-6): 50.0%
60. Colorado (6-6): 50.0%
60. Iowa (6-6): 50.0%
60. Louisiana-Monroe (6-6): 50.0%
60. Louisville (6-6): 50.0%
60. Maryland (6-6): 50.0%
60. Nevada (6-6): 50.0%
60. Northwestern (6-6): 50.0%
60. Ohio (6-6): 50.0%
60. Oklahoma State (6-6): 50.0%
60. South Carolina (6-6): 50.0%
60. UCLA (6-6): 50.0%
73. Miami (Ohio) (6-7): 46.2%
74. Arizona (5-7): 41.7%
74. Arkansas State (5-7): 41.7%
74. Buffalo (5-7): 41.7%
74. Kansas State (5-7): 41.7%
74. Louisiana Tech (5-7): 41.7%
74. Miami (Florida) (5-7): 41.7%
74. Middle Tennessee State (5-7): 41.7%
74. Nebraska (5-7): 41.7%
74. North Carolina State (5-7): 41.7%
74. Pittsburgh (5-7): 41.7%
74. San Jose State (5-7): 41.7%
74. Toledo (5-7): 41.7%
74. Vanderbilt (5-7): 41.7%
74. Washington State (5-7): 41.7%
74. Western Michigan (5-7): 41.7%
74. Wyoming (5-7): 41.7%
90. Akron (4-8): 33.3%
90. Eastern Michigan (4-8): 33.3%
90. North Carolina (4-8): 33.3%
90. San Diego State (4-8): 33.3%
90. Stanford (4-8): 33.3%
90. Temple (4-8): 33.3%
90. Tulane (4-8): 33.3%
90. UTEP (4-8): 33.3%
98. New Mexico State (4-9): 30.8%
98. Washington (4-9): 30.8%
100. Army (3-9): 25.0%
100. Baylor (3-9): 25.0%
100. Colorado State (3-9): 25.0%
100. Iowa State (3-9): 25.0%
100. Kent State (3-9): 25.0%
100. Louisiana-Lafayette (3-9): 25.0%
100. Marshall (3-9): 25.0%
100. Mississippi (3-9): 25.0%
100. Notre Dame (3-9): 25.0%
100. Rice (3-9): 25.0%
110. Northern Illinois (2-10): 16.7%
110. North Texas (2-10): 16.7%
110. Syracuse (2-10): 16.7%
110. UAB (2-10): 16.7%
110. UNLV (2-10): 16.7%
110. Utah State (2-10): 16.7%
116. Duke (1-11): 8.3%
116. Florida International (1-11): 8.3%
116. Idaho (1-11): 8.3%
116. Minnesota (1-11): 8.3%
116. SMU (1-11): 8.3%

Opponents' Win Percentage
1. Washington (97-59): 62.2%
2. Nebraska (90-56): 61.6%
3. Florida (88-58): 60.3%
4. Duke (86-59): 59.3%
5. Mississippi (87-61): 58.8%
6. Notre Dame (85-60): 58.6%
7. Syracuse (85-61): 58.2%
8. UNLV (83-61): 57.6%
9. Tennessee (90-67): 57.3%
10. Minnesota (84-63): 57.1%
10. Oklahoma State (84-63): 57.1%
12. Oregon (82-63): 56.6%
13. Colorado (83-64): 56.5%
14. Texas A&M (83-65): 56.1%
15. UCLA (81-64): 55.9%
16. LSU (88-70): 55.7%
17. Michigan State (80-64): 55.6%
18. Alabama (82-66): 55.4%
18. South Carolina (82-66): 55.4%
20. Kentucky (83-68): 55.0%
21. Pittsburgh (80-66): 54.8%
22. North Carolina State (81-67): 54.7%
23. Wyoming (78-66): 54.2%
24. Iowa State (80-68): 54.1%
25. Arizona (79-68): 53.7%
26. Penn State (77-67): 53.5%
27. Florida State (78-68): 53.4%
27. Virginia Tech (86-75): 53.4%
29. Baylor (78-69): 53.1%
29. Stanford (77-68): 53.1%
31. California (77-69): 52.7%
31. Utah State (77-69): 52.7%
33. Maryland (77-70): 52.4%
33. San Diego State (77-70): 52.4%
33. South Florida (77-70): 52.4%
36. Army (78-71): 52.3%
37. Missouri (83-76): 52.2%
38. Louisville (76-70): 52.1%
38. West Virginia (75-69): 52.1%
40. Auburn (77-71): 52.0%
40. Marshall (77-71): 52.0%
42. Boston College (83-77): 51.9%
43. Illinois (76-71): 51.7%
43. Miami (Florida) (76-71): 51.7%
43. Washington State (75-70): 51.7%
46. Oklahoma (82-77): 51.6%
47. East Carolina (75-71): 51.4%
47. Florida International (74-70): 51.4%
47. UAB (76-72): 51.4%
47. Vanderbilt (76-72): 51.4%
51. Akron (75-72): 51.0%
51. Kansas State (75-72): 51.0%
51. Oregon State (75-72): 51.0%
51. Texas (73-70): 51.0%
55. SMU (74-72): 50.7%
56. Clemson (75-74): 50.3%
56. Georgia (74-73): 50.3%
56. North Carolina (74-73): 50.3%
59. Colorado State (73-73): 50.0%
59. Michigan (73-73): 50.0%
59. Mississippi State (74-74): 50.0%
62. Middle Tennessee State (72-73): 49.7%
62. Wake Forest (72-73): 49.7%
64. Rutgers (72-74): 49.3%
65. Arizona State (71-74): 49.0%
65. Virginia (71-74): 49.0%
67. Ball State (71-75): 48.6%
67. Utah (70-74): 48.6%
69. North Texas (70-75): 48.3%
70. Georgia Tech (71-77): 48.0%
71. Troy (69-75): 47.9%
72. Purdue (70-77): 47.6%
73. Tulsa (75-83): 47.5%
74. Indiana (69-77): 47.3%
75. Cincinnati (69-78): 46.9%
75. Idaho (69-78): 46.9%
77. Central Florida (74-84): 46.8%
78. UTEP (69-80): 46.3%
79. Temple (67-78): 46.2%
80. Arkansas (68-80): 45.9%
80. Louisiana Tech (68-80): 45.9%
80. Northwestern (67-79): 45.9%
80. Western Michigan (68-80): 45.9%
84. TCU (66-78): 45.8%
85. San Jose State (67-80): 45.6%
86. Iowa (66-79): 45.5%
87. Connecticut (66-80): 45.2%
87. Wisconsin (66-80): 45.2%
89. BYU (66-81): 44.9%
89. Ohio State (66-81): 44.9%
89. Toledo (66-81): 44.9%
92. Arkansas State (65-80): 44.8%
92. USC (65-80): 44.8%
94. Fresno State (65-82): 44.2%
95. Eastern Michigan (65-83): 43.9%
96. Louisiana-Lafayette (65-84): 43.6%
97. Miami (Ohio) (68-89): 43.3%
98. Buffalo (63-83): 43.2%
98. Texas Tech (64-84): 43.2%
100. Florida Atlantic (62-82): 43.1%
100. New Mexico State (69-91): 43.1%
102. Kent State (64-85): 43.0%
103. Rice (63-84): 42.9%
104. Bowling Green (62-85): 42.2%
104. Louisiana-Monroe (62-85): 42.2%
106. Tulane (62-86): 41.9%
107. Air Force (61-85): 41.8%
108. Central Michigan (66-93): 41.5%
108. New Mexico (61-86): 41.5%
110. Nevada (60-87): 40.8%
110. Northern Illinois (60-87): 40.8%
110. Southern Mississippi (60-87): 40.8%
113. Kansas (60-88): 40.5%
114. Boise State (59-89): 39.9%
115. Ohio (58-90): 39.2%
116. Navy (51-95): 34.9%
117. Houston (50-97): 34.0%
117. Memphis (50-97): 34.0%
119. Hawaii (47-103): 31.3%
120. Western Kentucky (39-117): 25.0%

Average Margin of Victory
1. Kansas: +28.3
2. Oklahoma: +25.2
3. Boise State: +22.8
4. Hawaii: +22.0
5. West Virginia: +21.7
6. Ohio State: +21.3
7. LSU: +19.1
8. Florida: +18.9
9. Cincinnati: +18.2
10. Texas Tech: +16.0
11. Clemson: +15.8
12. Missouri: +15.5
13. USC: +15.3
14. South Florida: +15.2
15. Arkansas: +14.3
16. Virginia Tech: +13.8
17. Penn State: +13.3
18. Oregon: +12.8
19. BYU: +12.4
20. Western Kentucky: +12.3
21. Arizona State: +12.1
22. Texas: +11.4
23. Georgia: +10.9
24. Central Florida: +10.5
25. Air Force: +10.1
26. Utah: +9.9
27. Troy: +9.4
28. Connecticut: +9.3
28. Illinois: +9.3
28. Rutgers: +9.3
31. Boston College: +8.3
32. Purdue: +8.2
33. Auburn: +7.7
34. TCU: +7.4
35. Michigan State: +7.3
36. Wisconsin: +7.2
37. Kentucky: +6.9
38. Georgia Tech: +6.8
39. Houston: +6.4
40. Michigan: +5.8
41. Ball State: +5.3
41. Fresno State: +5.3
41. Tennessee: +5.3
41. Virginia: +5.3
45. Oregon State: +5.1
46. Alabama: +5.0
47. Wake Forest: +4.9
48. Indiana: +4.8
48. Southern Mississippi: +4.8
50. Kansas State: +4.3
50. New Mexico: +4.3
52. Oklahoma State: +4.2
53. Tulsa: +4.1
54. Louisville: +3.8
55. Navy: +3.4
56. Maryland: +3.3
56. Nevada: +3.3
58. Texas A&M: +2.8
59. Bowling Green: +2.6
59. South Carolina: +2.6
61. California: +2.3
62. Arizona: +1.2
63. Florida State: +1.0
64. Ohio: +0.6
65. East Carolina: +0.4
66. UCLA: +0.2
67. Iowa: -0.3
68. Vanderbilt: -0.9
69. Pittsburgh: -1.4
70. Colorado: -1.8
70. Memphis: -1.8
72. Western Michigan: -2.0
73. Central Michigan: -2.1
74. Mississippi State: -2.4
74. Washington: -2.4
76. Middle Tennessee State: -2.6
77. Arkansas State: -3.3
77. Buffalo: -3.3
77. North Carolina: -3.3
80. UTEP: -3.5
81. Florida Atlantic: -3.7
82. Louisiana-Monroe: -4.2
83. Nebraska: -4.5
84. Northwestern: -5.2
85. Colorado State: -5.4
85. Miami (Florida): -5.4
87. Toledo: -6.3
88. Miami (Ohio): -6.4
89. Wyoming: -6.5
90. Tulane: -6.8
90. Washington State: -6.8
92. Eastern Michigan: -7.0
93. North Carolina State: -7.5
94. Kent State: -7.6
95. Akron: -8.0
96. Mississippi: -8.4
97. Stanford: -8.7
98. San Jose State: -8.9
99. San Diego State: -9.3
100. Marshall: -9.4
101. Temple: -9.8
102. Louisiana Tech: -9.9
103. Minnesota: -10.4
103. UNLV: -10.4
105. SMU: -11.4
106. Rice: -11.5
107. Northern Illinois: -11.8
108. Louisiana-Lafayette: -12.1
109. New Mexico State: -12.2
110. Notre Dame: -12.3
111. Utah State: -13.3
112. Army: -13.4
113. Iowa State: -13.6
114. Duke: -15.3
115. Idaho: -15.4
116. UAB: -15.5
117. Syracuse: -18.4
118. Baylor: -18.8
119. North Texas: -20.0
120. Florida International: -24.0

Sources
ESPN.com
Huskerpedia.com