Code Orange

Things fell out pretty much as expected:

National Championship: Ohio State vs. LSU
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawaii
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
Rose Bowl: Illinois vs. Southern Cal

I guess I’m a little surprised that the Orange went with Kansas instead of West Virginia, but perhaps the Fiesta didn’t want an all-Big 12 matchup.

I think this season has shown more than any other that a playoff is needed. Sports Illustrated Online had a headline up earlier today which read “Give LSU a shot.” Well what happens if LSU takes that shot and misses? Well, sorry Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, and Georgia, LSU is the only team who is able to take that shot. Even if you ended up being the better team, tough. And of course, if LSU wins the championship, those teams won’t get their own shot at LSU.

The BCS doesn’t help itself by posting news stories which are written by people who sound like whiny children trying to defend something which they know is broken:

Now that the most compelling, entertaining and dramatic college football season in recent memory is drawing to a close, sportswriters and broadcasters are doing what they always do at this time of the year.

They’re crafting lies to convince you that major-college football is in disarray and in dire need of a playoff system to save itself.

Of course, it is ironic that this article was written before this weekend, and uses the basis that Missouri and West Virginia appeared to be a clear #1 and #2 to “prove” that the BCS works:

Right now the system has settled on MU and West Virginia. Those names are allegedly not big enough for some writers and broadcasters.

Oops. And of course, there is the usual “with a playoff, no one would care about the regular season!”:

Critics of college football won’t do that. The current, no-playoff system gives us great September and October story lines.

Of course, the problem with this is three-fold. The first is that in every sport with a playoff (i.e. every sport other than Division I-A college football), people still enjoy the regular season. Why? Because it still matters. You’re still playing to see who gets in the playoffs.

The argument for maximizing the meaning of the regular season, which is used to justify selecting two and only two teams to play for a championship, could just as easily be used to justify a system where no championship game is played at all. Heck, that’s the way to maximize the meaning of the season, isn’t it? Don’t even have a post season. Ohio State wins the title. Tough luck, LSU.

The second problem is that, ironically, in college football more than just about any other sport, the regular season gives you the least clear, most muddied picture of the landscape possible. In the NFL, for example, any given team plays 37.5% of the teams in the league. Not perfect, but at least it’s a third. Yet the NFL still puts 37.5% of the league into the playoffs, largely because, even with playing over a third of the league, you can’t necessarily declare the team with the best record champion, because they haven’t necessarily played everyone.

In college football it’s even worse. Any given team plays, at most, 10.8% of the teams, and that’s if you play a 12 game schedule, and a conference championship game, against 13 different I-A teams. No re-matches (as Missouri/Oklahoma and Virginia Tech/Boston College were) and no I-AA games (Appalachian State vs. Michigan anyone?). Most teams will play only 10% of I-A teams, and a good portion will play even a lower percentage than that.

Yet, we’re willing to select two - and only two - teams to play the championship. Teams who have played a combined 20% of Division I-A college football teams…maybe. In other words, 80% of all the teams in football have no direct say in who the national champion will be. So what’s this about the regular season being meaningful? In the current system, it is anything but meaningful. All 6 BCS Conference champions could go undefeated, and you’d still only have 2 teams who have played only 20% of all teams playing for the title. How is that even remotely fair or meaningful?

What if Division I-AA has this system? You’d probably have seen Northern Iowa vs. Montana in the championship game. It’s now the semifinals and both of those teams have been eliminated, and a third previously undefeated team, McNeese State, has lost as well. Tell Delaware, Southern Illinois, Appalachian State, and Richmond that they can’t have a chance at the national title because a team in another conference who they never even got a chance to play went undefeated against the few teams in the division that they actually play.

Third, having a playoff would eliminate the need for poll “corrections” like the ones we saw today - where all three polls felt compelled to “correct’ their rankings to make sure LSU got into the title.

What? Are you telling me that LSU really WASN’T the #7 team going into this past weekend? If not, why did you rank them there? If you never intended to put Georgia into the title game, why did you put them in a position where, if the impossible happened like it did on Saturday, they would be in line to play for the championship? If LSU was better than Georgia because they merely played in the conference title, why was LSU ranked below Georgia to start with? Or Why was Oklahoma ranked below them? Or Virginia Tech?

This is a matter of consistency for the polls, and to have the first 13 polls of the season be based on the previous poll with rewards and punishments for winning and losing, and then using the final poll as a do-over is dangerously close to scandalous in my opinion.

Do you really think that a 7-point win over a 4-loss Tennessee team who lead most of the game justifies jumping LSU 5 spots up? At least Oklahoma could theoretically argue for such a move since they convincingly defeated the #1 ranked team in the nation.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech, who hasn’t lost to an unranked team all year and who avenged one of their losses convincingly Saturday, goes nowhere in the polls. How does this make sense other than people “deciding” that LSU was going to be #2 and that they were just going to “make it happen,” no matter how little sense it made given the current rankings.

Week after week, year after year, we hear people complaining how people vote in the polls, saying that you should vote for who you think the best team is, and not necessarily punish a team who loses but who clearly seems like the better team. Week after week, year after year, the voters ignore their own complaining and vote as they always have. That is until voting as they always have suddenly becomes inconvenient when they have a certain matchup for the championship in mind.

It would kind of like being an umpire in a baseball game who is calling balls and strikes a certain way and has called them in a consistent manner through a game. Then suddenly in the 9th inning they decide they want one of the two teams to win, but that team is trailing.  As a result they decide to change how they’re calling balls and strikes to try to ensure the team they want to win will win.

Sorry, if this is how you’ve been doing your rankings all season, it is disingenuous to suddenly decide to do a “do-over” because you put yourself into a position which would end with an undesirable result if you did your rankings like you always do.  Unfortunately there is little that anyone can do about it.

Update 3:17 AM

Hawaii wins 35-28 and almost certainly earns a bid to the Sugar Bowl.

Update 3:08 AM

Aloha New Orleans? Hawaii takes a 35-28 lead on Washington with 44 seconds to go.

Update 2:49 AM

Reports of Hawaii’s death have been greatly exaggerated. They just tied Washington at 28 with 8:05 to go in the game.

Update 12:53 AM

It doesn’t look like the BCS is going to have to worry about where to put Hawaii. Washington will take care of the problem for them. The Huskies lead the Warriors 21-7 in the middle of the 2nd quarter.

Update 11:45 PM

Oklahoma wins the Big 12 Championship over #1 Missouri 38-17.

Update 11:38 PM

Oklahoma just put a cherry on top of the cake, going up 38-17 after kicking a field goal with only 3:42 to go.

Update 11:17 PM

Just do it. Seriously. Put Hawaii in the title game. If you can’t decide on which 2-loss team should play Ohio State, then either put Kansas, who is the only other 1-loss team, or stick in Hawaii, the only remaining undefeated team. Will anyone dare rank Hawaii #1 tomorrow if they win tonight?

Update 11:15 PM

Barring an amazing comeback by the Tigers, Oklahoma is going to cap the third top-two-double of the season as they go up on Missouri 35-17.

Update 11:10 PM

If you can believe it, before this weekend, the last time the #1 and #2 teams lost on the same day (and presumably the same weekend) was back on September 21, 1996. If the Oklahoma score holds up, #1 and #2 will have lost on the same day twice this season, and on the same weekend 3 times this season. The only good thing about the BCS title game is that both the #1 and #2 teams can’t lose - unless they aren’t actually playing (can anyone say LSU/USC?).

Update 11:01 PM

Missouri has to kick yet another field goal and it’s 28-17 Oklahoma with 14:51 to go.

Update 10:58 PM

Ohio State is going to the national title game. Pittsburgh defeats West Virginia 13-9. This is #13. The 13th top-5 teams who has lost to an unranked opponent this year.

Update 10:50 PM

West Virginia is able to get down to the Pitt 21, but is forced into a 4th and 17 and cannot convert. Pitt takes over with under two minutes to go.

Update 10:47 PM

Missouri is in deep trouble now as Oklahoma takes a two touchdown lead on them 28-14.

Update 10:40 PM

Oklahoma retakes the lead in the Big 12 Championship over Missouri 21-14.

Update 10:34 PM

Stanford defeats California 20-13.

Update 10:31 PM

Pittsburgh adds a field goal to take a 13-7 lead on West Virginia with only 6:17 to go.

Finals:

Florida International 38, North Texas 19

Update 10:11 PM

Richmond defeats Wofford 21-10 and they’ll play at Appalachian State in the I-AA semifinals next week.

Also, Brigham Young defeats San Diego State 48-27.

Update 9:51 PM

Missouri finally gets into the endzone with 14 seconds to go in the 1st half. It’s now 14-14 after Missouri converts a 2-point conversion..

Update 9:47 PM

Richmond is now up on Wofford 21-10 with 8:40 to go.

Update 9:43 PM

We may definitely be heading towards and Ohio State vs. Georgia championship game. Pittsburgh takes a 10-7 lead on West Virginia.

Update 9:37 PM

Oklahoma scores another touchdown as they go up on #1 Missouri 14-6.

Meanwhile, Richmond retakes the lead on Wofford 14-10 with 11:55 to go.

Update 9:17 PM

Wofford goes up on Richmond 10-7 in the 3rd quarter.

Update 9:15 PM

Pittsburgh gets on the board, and is now down West Virginia 7-3. Missouri is forced to kick a 2nd field goal, but it’s still 7-6 Oklahoma.

Update 9:02 PM

West Virginia finally gets on the board to go ahead of Pittsburgh 7-0 late in the 1st half.

Update 9:01 PM

Oklahoma goes ahead of Missouri with a touchdown. They’re now up 7-3 in the Big 12 Championship game.

Update 8:51 PM

Missouri strikes first as they kick a field goal to go up 3-0 on Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Arizona is up on Arizona State 7-0.

Update 8:31 PM

I’m sure this isn’t how West Vision envisioned their last game of the season - after the 1st quarter they’re scoreless with Pittsburgh.

Update 8:28 PM

Oregon State finishes off Oregon 38-31 in overtime.

Update 8:24 PM

Oregon/Oregon State doesn’t want to end. They went into overtime tied at 28. They now head into double-overtime tied at 31.

Update 8:11 PM

Southern California defeats UCLA 24-7, and wins the Pac 10. USC is going to the Rose Bowl against Ohio State or Illinios.

Meanwhile, Richmond goes ahead of Wofford 7-3.

Update 8:01 PM

Wofford goes up on Richmond 3-0 in the 2nd quarter.

Update 7:43 PM

Tennessee (specifically Ainge) made too many mistakes down the stretch as LSU wins the SEC Championship 21-14.

Update 7:37 PM

Tennessee tries to come back and gets down to the LSU 15, but Ainge throws an interceptions with only 2:42 to go.

7:19 PM

Tennessee turns the ball over for the first time in the game, and it’s a costly one as LSU returns it for a touchdown to take a 21-14 lead on the Volunteers with 9:54 to go in the SEC Championship Game.

Also, Nevada defeats Louisiana Tech 49-10.

Well, so much for the anticipated Big 12 playoff.  We’ll still get part of it next week when Missouri and Kansas face off, but now a Big 12 team in the title game is no longer assured.  Even more, it may not even be Oklahoma who represents the southern division in the Big 12 title game.  Oklahoma’s loss gives them 2 conference losses and ties them with Texas.  If Texas defeats Texas A&M and Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, it will be Texas who plays in the Big 12 title game.

Speaking of title games, Boston College played their way into the ACC title game with a 20-17 come-from-behind victory at Clemson.  They’ll face the winner of Virginia Tech/Virginia, who play next weekend.

Meanwhile, in the SEC, LSU had already clenched the SEC West title, but the SEC East race got a tad bit clearer as Georgia’s win over Kentucky boots Florida from the race.  Georgia almost clenched the East title, but Tennessee was able to come back and beat Vanderbilt.  If Tennessee defeats Kentucky next weekend, Tennessee will play in the SEC title game.  If they lose, Georgia will play LSU.  Georgia is finished with their SEC schedule.

In the BCS conferences without a formal title game, Ohio State clenched the Big 10 title by defeating Michigan 14-3 in a sloppy game, both in the weather, as well as with Michigan’s offense, who couldn’t get anything going on the ground or in the air.

In the Big East, West Virginia’s win over  Cincinnati set up a de facto Big East championship game next week with Connecticut.

In the Pac 10, Arizona State controls their own destiny now, but plays USC next Thursday, and then Arizona after that.  If they were to lose, Oregon would be next in line,  If Oregon loses, then it falls into USC’s hands.  However, if all hell breaks loose, you could end up seeing a 4-way tie for 1st place in the Pac 10 between Arizona State, USC, and 2 out of Oregon, Oregon State, and UCLA.  That could happen if Arizona State loses to both USC and Arizona, USC loses to UCLA, and Oregon loses to Oregon State, UCLA, or both.

In non-BCS conferences, the Conference USA Eastern title will be determined next week. UCF has a one game lead on East Carolina, but East Carolina owns the head-to-head tie-breaker.  That means if UCF were to lose to UTEP and East Carolina defeats Tulane next weekend, East Carolina would win the division.

The Western Division is in a similar situation where Tulsa and Houston are tied for the division lead with 2 losses, but Tulsa defeated Houston earlier.  It all comes down to Tulsa, as Houston is finished with their conference slate.  If Tulsa defeats Rice, they win the division.  If they lose, Houston wins the division.

In the MAC, the conference title game is now set: Miami vs. Central Michigan.

In the Mountain-West, Brigham Young all but has the conference title, but Utah could still feasibly pull out the come-from-behind upset in the conference race. However, Utah will have to beat BYU next week to keep their hopes alive, and then hope BYU gets upset by San Diego State in the final game of the season.  That was the game delayed by the California fires earlier in the season.

In the Sun Belt, it is essentially a two team race between Troy and Florida Atlantic.  FAU is 1 game behind Troy, but they get to play the Trojans in the last game of the season.   Depending on how tie-breakers work, MTSU could still have a shot, but Troy would have to lose to FAU as well as MTSU, while Florida Atlantic would have to lose to Florida International.

In the WAC, the title will be determined by the Hawaii/Boise State game next weekend.

Update 11:44 PM

Kansas finishes out Oklahoma State 43-28 and goes to 10-0.

Update 11:41 PM

Boston College has pulled off a South Florida, and loses their 2nd straight game after rising up to #2 in the rankings, losing to Maryland 42-35.

Also, Hawaii is now leading Fresno State 21-0.

Update 11:38 PM

Southern Cal defeats California 24-17.

Finals:

LSU 58, Louisiana Tech 10

Update 11:26 PM

Florida puts away South Carolina 51-31.

Update 11:12 PM

Kansas gives themselves some breathing room with another touchdown. The Jaykawks are now up on Oklahoma State 40-28. Southern Cal is now also up on California 24-17.

Meanwhile, Hawaii strikes quickly against Fresno State, going up 7-0 early.

Update 10:59 PM

Suddenly it’s a game again. Oklahoma State scores again and all of a sudden it’s only 33-28 Kansas.

Finals:

Central Florida 45, UAB 31

Update 10:48 PM

Perhaps it’s not over yet in Stillwater as Oklahoma State tries to come back, but is still down 33-21. Meanwhile, Maryland has pulled away from Boston College, leading 42-21.

Update 10:22 PM

Kansas starts rolling towards 10-0 and a possible BCS title game berth, going up 33-14 on Oklahoma State.

Finals:

Virginia 48, Miami 0

Update 10:12 PM

Florida goes up 34-17 on South Carolina, Kansas goes up on Oklahoma State 27-14, and Boston College and Maryland are tied at 20.

Finals:

Washington State 33, Stanford 17 (Stanford now bowl ineligible)
Oklahoma 52, Baylor 21
Tulane 34, UTEP 19

Update 9:40 PM

Forget any upset in Baton Rouge. LSU now leads Louisiana Tech 27-7.

Update 9:18 PM

Kansas retakes the lead themselves, going up 17-14 on Oklahoma State. USC also takes the lead on California 14-10.

Update 9:07 PM

Oklahoma State takes the lead on Kansas 14-10. Also, Maryland retakes the lead on Boston College 17-14, Cal retakes the lead on USC 10-7, and Florida extends their lead on South Carolina to 27-14.

Also, LSU tacks on a field goal on Louisiana Tech, but their lead is still only 13-7.

Update 8:52 PM

There isn’t an impossible Bayou upset brewing is there? Louisiana Tech closes to within 10-7 of LSU.

Update 8:50 PM

Maryland retakes the lead on Boston College 14-7 while Florida retakes the lead on South Carolina 20-14.

Update 8:42 PM

Oklahoma State drives down the field and ties Kansas at 7. USC has also come back to tie California at 7 in that game.

After their win over Michigan in week 1, this is the type of game we expected Appalachian State to have all season. They defeated Western Carolina today 79-35. However, it was Wofford who clinched the Southern Conference title today.

Update 8:37 PM

California goes up 7-0 on USC in the 1st quarter. Meanwhile, Virginia is absolutely blowing out Miami 31-0.

Update 8:31 PM

Kansas strikes first and takes a 7-0 lead on Oklahoma State

Update 8:30 PM

All of a sudden, South Carolina takes the lead on Florida 14-13. Also, Boston College ties Maryland at 7.

Update 8:26 PM

Maryland strikes first to take a 7-0 lead on Boston College.

Finals:

Troy 21, Western Kentucky 17

Update 8:18 PM

Well, Oklahoma made sure to get rid of the Baylor threat fast. They scored again before touchdown to make it 28-14. Also, Virginia is starting to rout Miami 24-0 early in the 2nd quarter.

Finals:

Louisiana Monroe 28, Grambling State 14

Update 8:11 PM

Oklahoma better keep their eye out on Baylor. The Bears just closed the gap to 21-14 just before halftime.

8:04 PM

As late games start, Virginia jumps out to a 14-0 lead on Miami in the Hurricane’s last game in the Orange Bowl. Also, Florida takes a 13-0 lead on South Carolina.

Update Late

Hawaii takes care of New Mexico State 50-13.

Update 1:52 AM

Arizona State puts away California, winning 31-20. That sets up a huge game between the Sun Devils and Oregon, who beat USC today, next week.

Update 1:35 AM

It’s been all Arizona State in the 2nd half as they take a 31-20 lead on California with 7:07 to go.

Meanwhile, Hawaii leads New Mexico state 23-3 at halftime.

Finals:

Houston 34, UTEP 31

Update 12:45 AM

Arizona State takes their first lead of the game 21-20 in the 3rd quarter. Meanwhile, Hawaii is now up 13-0 on New Mexico State.

Update 12:13 AM

Hawaii strikes quickly as they go up on New Mexico State 6-0, missing the PAT.

Update 11:37 PM

Arizona State responds to California’s touchdown and now it’s 20-14 California nearing halftime.

Update 11:30 PM

South Carolina misses a field goal in overtime, and Tennessee survives against South Carolina after blowing a 21-0 lead, and go on to win 27-24. Tennessee now controls their own destiny in the SEC East.

Update 11:25 PM

Tennessee can only muster a field goal in the first half of overtime, but they do now lead 27-24. Now it’s South Carolina’s turn.

Finals:

Florida State 25, Duke 6

Update 11:20 PM

California picks up another touchdown and now leads Arizona State 20-7.

Update 11:16 PM

Tennessee drives down the field, but then gets a 9 yard sack, then a false start penalty, turning a 34 yard field goal into a 48 yard field goal, but Tennessee still hits it to make the game 24-24 and going into overtime.

Update 11:07 PM

Ohio State finally finishes off Penn State 37-17.

Meanwhile, Tennessee gets a 37 yard kickoff return to start their drive near mid-field.

Update 11:04 PM

Arizona State finally gets on the board, and California leads 13-7.

Meanwhile, South Carolina hits a 49 yard field goal with 1:24 to go to take a 24-21 lead on Tennessee after Tennessee lead 21-0.

Update 10:38 PM

Tennessee starts to crumble as South Carolina ties the game at 21. South Carolina now has the ball again and is driving with just over 7 minutes to go.

Meanwhile, Ohio State now leads 27-10. Also, Kansas finishes off Texas A&M 19-11. Cal also leads Arizona State 10-0.

Finals:

Troy 27, Arkansas State 0
Middle Tennessee 48, North Texas 28

Update 10:11 PM

Penn State’s supposedly good defense gives up another touchdown and Ohio State goes up 24-7. Every Ohio State drive except one that ended in an interception and one that ended the 1st half have resulted in points.

Meanwhile, the Kansas kicker just missed his third field goal of the night, but the Jayhawks still lead Texas A&M 19-3 late in the 4th quarter.

Finals:

Western Kentucky 50, North Carolina Central 14

Update 10:05 PM

It’s not over yet in Knoxville. Tennessee jumped out to a 21-0 lead, but South Carolina has come back and has made it 21-14 late in the 3rd quarter.

Finals:

Toledo 70, Northern Illinois 21
Washington State 27, UCLA 7

Update 9:46 PM

Kansas continues to run their engines in the 2nd half, now going up 19-0 in the 4th quarter.

Finals:

Oregon State 23, Stanford 6
Ohio 38, Bowling Green 27

Update 9:10 PM

Kansas gets their engine going and now goes up 10-0 on Texas A&M

Final:

Auburn 17, Mississippi 3

Update 8:56 PM

Kansas finally strikes first and leads Texas A&M 3-0 in the 3rd quarter.

Meanwhile, the Penn State’s secondary and linebacker corps appears to have non-existent pass coverage as Ohio State slices down the field again and now lead 17-7.

Update 8:51 PM

The game in Knoxville is turning into a blowout, as Tennessee now goes up 21-0 on South Carolina.

Update 8:37 PM

Tennessee strikes again, going up 14-0 on South Carolina.

Update 8:33 PM

Ohio State moves down the field and retakes the lead themselves 10-7

Update 8:25 PM

Newsflash:

Syracuse doesn’t lose today. Today, they defeated the bye week 1-0.

Update 8:23 PM

Penn State strikes back and takes the lead on the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 7-3.

Meanwhile, people are wondering where all the points are in College Station as Kansas and Texas A&M go into halftime scoreless.

Finals:

Utah 27, Colorado State 3

Update 8:16 PM

Ohio State kicks a 50 yard field goal and strike first against Penn State 3-0.

Meanwhile, Tennessee also strikes first against South Carolina in a battle to take control of the SEC East, going up 7-0, scoring a touchdown after recovering a fumble on the Gamecocks 2 yard line.

Update 8:11 PM

Virginia can’t pull it out as North Carolina State picks up the upset 29-24.

Update 8:05 PM

Will Virginia survive? They’re trying to drive down the field against N. C. State down 29-24 with a minute to go in the game.

Finals:

Louisiana Monroe 33, Florida Atlantic 30, 3OT
Marshall 34, Rice 21

Update 7:25 PM

Texas pulls it out against Nebraska 28-25.

7:22

Virginia finally takes a lead on N. C. State 24-23 early in the 4th quarter.Finals:

Clemson 30, Maryland 17
Kansas State 51, Baylor 13
Nevada 37, Idaho 21

I thought I should post this before some of the biggest games, you know, are played…

Boston College (7-0) at Virginia Tech (6-1) - Thursday, 7:30 PM

This is probably the game of the week as both of these teams are still legitimately in the national title hunt.  The the AP #2 team in the nation has lost 3 weeks in a row (USC, California, South Florida), and that’s a streak that Boston College would like to end.  This is easily the toughest game on BC’s schedule, but that doesn’t necessarily mean things get much easier after this as their other 4 remaining opponents have a combined 18-11 record.

Air Force (6-2) at New Mexico (5-2) - Thursday, 9:00 PM

The winner of this game moves into 2 by themselves in the Mountain-West, and then has to hope that Brigham Young trips up twice in conference.  For Air Force, a win means they move ever close to being ranked.

Boise State (6-1) at Fresno State (5-2) - Friday, 9:00 PM

The first of three games between the big three in the WAC.   The Loser is probably out of contention in the conference unless the three teams all split 1-1.  If Fresno State wins, that sets up a date with Hawaii from the conference title November 10th, while a Boise State win moves that game to Nov. 23.

West Virginia (6-1) at Rutgers (5-2) - 12:00 PM

This is a very important game in the Big East as the loser will pick up their 2nd conference loss, probably eliminating them from the conference title race.  This game is probably more important to West Virginia, however, as they’re still in the national title hunt, plus they need help in the BCS Computers, and a win over Rutgers would help with that

Southern Cal (6-1) at Oregon (6-1) - 3:00 PM

This is the other “game of the week” of the week, and it’s probably lucky that it’s being played in Oregon rather than Los Angeles this week.  This game also features two teams in the national title hunt.  This could basically be considered a playoff game with the winner probably having to play Arizona State for the conference title and a chance to possible play in the title game.

Florida (5-2) at Georgia (5-2) - 3:30 PM

This game suddenly has new importance as Florida once again controls their own destiny in the SEC East.  However, Georgia can perhaps permanently put away Florida’s hopes of playing in the SEC title game with another conference loss.  However, for Georgia to play in that game, they need to win, and they still need help.  A loss all but mathematically eliminates the Bulldogs.

South Florida (6-1) at Connecticut (6-1) - 3:30 PM

Connecticut is the only 1-loss team who is still unranked, and they’re looking for some respect.  They can pick up a lot if they can beat the Bulls.  As I noted, the AP #2 team has lost each of the past 3 weeks, with South Florida being the latest.  However, that team also usually had trouble the following week as well, with USC just edging Arizona, and California losing to UCLA.  South Florida still has marginal national title hopes, and they cannot afford another loss if they want to keep those, or conference title hopes, alive.

Kansas (7-0) at Texas A&M (6-2) - 7:00 PM

One of the biggest disses on Kansas is that they really haven’t played anyone outside of Kansas State (though the computers tend to disagree, ranking Kansas 7th), and Kansas can eliminate that talk with a win over Texas A&M to show just how real they are.  A loss by Kansas also puts the Big 12 North back into play for Kansas State and Colorado.

South Carolina (6-2) at Tennessee (4-3) - 7:45 PM

This was supposed to pretty much be THE game to set up who had a leg up in the SEC East title race, until both teams blew their games last week, sending them into a 5-way tie in the division.  Along with the Georgia/Florida game, this one will help un-muddy the mess.  If Florida wins their game, they would prefer a Tennessee win since they’ve already beaten them.  Otherwise, it sets up a showdown with South Carolina on Nov. 10th.  Meanwhile, Tennessee hopes Georgia wins the other game.

Ohio State (8-0) at Penn State (6-2) - 8:00 PM

This will probably be Ohio State’s toughest game before having to play at Michigan in their season finale (though they still have 5-3 Illinois and 6-2 Wisconsin left too).  With Penn State 2 games out of the conference lead, they are probably out of the conference title race, though a win over Ohio State couldn’t hurt.

California (5-2) at Arizona State (7-0) - 10:00 PM 

This is the first of four games in Arizona State’s death stretch (with Oregon, UCLA, and USC all coming up in the next 4 weeks too).  California is going to desperately be looking to avoid 3 straight losses, less they go from in-line-to-be-#1 to out of the rankings in 3 weeks.  In the meantime, we get to see how for real Arizona State really is.

The upset of the day is easily Stanford taking advantage of a weak-looking Southern Cal and winning 24-23.  USC becomes the 2nd top 5 team to lose today.  The other Los Angeles team goes amiss as well as UCLA hands Notre Dame their first win of the season 20-6.

In rivalry games with conference championship implications, Oklahoma bounces back to defeat Texas in the Red River Shootout 28-21 to keep Oklahoma in the Big 12 South race.  Meanwhile, Texas A&M mounts a huge comeback, scoring 24 of the last 30 points to beat Oklahoma State 24-23.

In the SEC, newly minted #1 LSU scores with around a minute left to play to get by Florida 28-24.  Meanwhile, Tennessee runs all over Georgia  35-14 and now leads the SEC East along with South Carolina and Kentucky.  Tennessee is the only team who has played both Florida and Georgia.

In the ACC, Virginia Tech beat up Clemson 41-23.  That puts Clemson 2 games behind Boston College in the Atlantic Division while the two Virginia teams are the only remaining teams still undefeated in conference play in the Coastal Division.

In the Big 10, Ohio State made a statement against Purdue, winning 23-7.

In the Big East, Cincinnati shows that they are for real by getting past Rutgers 28-23.

Temple, Buffalo, and Army, three much maligned teams, all pick up wins today.  Temple defeated Northern Illinois 16-15, Buffalo ran over Ohio 31-10, while Army squeezes past Tulane in overtime 20-17.

Only three games are still in progress.  Tulsa leads UTEP late in the 4th quarter 47-41, Missouri is running all over Nebraska 41-6 with 10 minutes to go, and Hawaii leads Utah State 7-3 halfway through the 1st quarter.

Other Finals:

Wake Forest 41, Duke 36
Wyoming 24,  Texas Christian 21
Mississippi 24, Louisiana Tech 0
Mississippi State 30, UAB 13
Miami (OH) 20, Kent State 13
Alabama 30, Houston 24
Penn State 27, Iowa 7
Florida State 27, North Carolina State 10
South Florida 35, Florida Atlantic 23
San Jose State 28, Idaho 20
Arizona State 23, Washington State 20
Oregon State 31, Arizona 16
Fresno State 49, Nevada 41
San Diego State 24, Colorado State 20
Troy 34, Florida International 16
Toledo 35, Liberty 34
Louisiana Lafayette 38, North Texas 29
Virginia 23, Middle Tennessee State 21
Texas Tech 42, Iowa State 17
Akron 39, Western Michigan 38
Louisiana Monroe 30, Arkansas State 13
Arkansas 34, Chattanooga 15
Colorado 43, Baylor 23
East Carolina 52, Central Florida 38
Air Force 31, UNLV 14

Nevermind 11:46

USC gets the onsides kick.

Speak of the Devil 11:45

Just as I say that Washington would have to pull a miracle - they score a touchdown with 34 seconds to go to pull to within 3 of USC. It’s now 27-24, but they must get the onsides kick.

Do we have to be ranked? 11:42

ESPN Notes that 9 ranked teams have lost. On top of the 5 top-10 teams I’ve already listed, there was #11 Oregon, #13 Clemson, #21 Penn State, and #22 Alabama.

USC should pull out their game as Washington is down 10 with only a little over a minute left. Meanwhile, the only other ranked teams still playing - Cincinnati and Arizona State - are both rolling either at halftime, or just about there, so unless someone can rally off a big 2nd half or Washington can pull a last minute miracle, the number of Top 25 dead will remain at 9 for this weekend.

Noooo! The Streak Ends! 11:33

No I-AA over I-A upsets this week. New Mexico State kicks a field goal at the end of the game to defeat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 20-17. Assuming Yahoo isn’t lying again.

Update 11:29

There’s still life in Seattle. USC drives down to the Washington 16, but Booty throws a pick and Washington takes over on the 20 with 3:06 left and only down a touchdown. Half the top-10 has lost this weekend already (#3 Oklahoma, #4 Florida, #5 West Virginia, #7 Texas, and #10 Rutgers) so what’s another. Let’s make it a whole majority of the top 10!

Oops! Yahoo lies! USC keeps the ball and kicks a field goal. OK, there is still life in Seattle, just not as much. It’s now 27-17 Trojans.

Update 11:24

Auburn kicks 43 yard field goal as time expires to defeat Florida 20-17 in Gainesville. Where have we seen this before?

Finals:

Ohio State 30, Minnesota 7

The I Want Overtime Update 11:14

Florida stops Auburn, then goes 3-and-out themselves, so Auburn gets the ball back on their own 40 with 3:34 left in the game. They’re still tied at 17 in Gainesville. Meanwhile, Washington has closed to within a touchdown by putting up a field goal, but USC still leads 24-17 with just under 8 to go.

Chompity Chomp Update 11:01

Florida ties Auburn at 17 with 7:36 to go in the game.

And I have another final:

East Carolina 37, Houston 35

Top Teams Asserting Themselves Update 10:40

Are the top teams finally asserting themselves? Southern Cal pads their lead with a touchdown. They now lead Washington 24-14. Meanwhile, just inside the start of the 4th quarter, Florida closes to gap on Auburn to 17-10.

Update 10:36

USC still leaving itself wide open for an upset - and a loss of their #1 ranking even if they don’t lose - by allowing Washington to hang with them. It’s still 17-14 USC late in the 3rd quarter.

Meanwhile, New Mexico State is trying to continue the trend of every week so far having a I-AA over I-A upset. They are currently tied with Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 17 a piece in the 3rd quarter.

And a plethora of finals coming in:

Vanderbilt 30, Eastern Michigan 7
Middle Tennessee State 47, Florida International 6
Western Michigan 42, Toledo 28
Texas Tech 75, Northwestern State 7
Arkansas 66, North Texas 7
Troy 24, Louisiana Monroe 7
Tulsa 38, UAB 30

Update 10:25

Can they hit 80?

Texas Tech leads Northwestern State 75-7 with 6 minutes to go.

More Games going too late Update 10:23

Did I perhaps suggest that UCLA was in trouble earlier? Fuggetiaboutit. UCLA romps over Oregon State 40-14.

Oh, and Auburn has added a field goal to extend their lead over Florida to 17-3.

In other finals:

Texas Christian 24, Colorado State 12
Virginia 44, Pittsburgh 14
Oklahoma State 39, Sam Houston State 3

The Games go too late Update 10:05

Florida just can’t handle Auburn it seems. The Tigers lead 14-3 in the 3rd quarter. Also, Washington is giving Southern California all it can handle at halftime with the Trojans only leading 17-14 (LSU loves both of those results).

More Finals!

Central Florida 37, Louisiana Lafayette 19
Bowling Green 41, Western Kentucky 21

Update 8:45

Middle Tennessee State 47, Florida International 0

at Halftime.

Ouch!

Football Match-ups between college teams in the College Bowl Subdivision which have concluded:

Hawaii 48, Idaho20
Florida State 21, Alabama 14

Update 8:24

Florida State is actually looking like, well, Florida State tonight as they are beating up on Alabama 21-7 late in the 4th quarter. Hawaii also strives to be the next BCS darling as they destroy Idaho 48-13, also in the 4th quarter.

And what’s up with UCLA? They’re down to Oregon State 14-6 at halftime. And poor Pittsburgh. Virginia is humiliating them 30-7 near halftime.

Finals!

San Jose State 34, UC Davis 14
Nevada 27, UNLV 20
UTEP 38, Southern Methodist 35 OT

Aren’t we gonna have a I-AA over I-A upset this week? The prospects look dim.

Original Post

Two top 10 teams face very close games against unranked teams. One Wins, and one Loses:

Wisconsin 37, Michigan State 34

Maryland 34, Rutgers 24