FOOTBALL'S WEEK 10/4/08
The Midwest
The Best; 1) Oklahoma, 2) Missouri, 3) Ohio State
Colorado head-coach Dan Hawkins believed he had the answer for the powerful Texas offense. During the week before their clash in Boulder, Coach Hawkins had predicted that his quarterback son Cody would snap back from a poor performance the previous week in the Florida State loss.
If all went as planned, a lethal scoring Buffalo offense would keep Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy and company on the sidelines.
The problems for Colorado started in the first half when kicker Aric Goodman missed three field goals and didn't end until Coach Hawkins had to replace QB Hawkins in the 4th quarter following an inept 13 for 33 passing performance.
Texas running back Chris Ogbonnaya cut through the Buff defense and Colt McCoy pased for 262 yards by completing 23 of 30.
Hawkins felt things would have been different if they "had not missed those three field goals in the first half" but, it was Texas head-coach Mack Brown that was left smiling. He looked at the final on the scoreboard and it read, Texas 38 Colorado 14. This could be a team capable of winning another national championship in Austin.
In Ann Arbor the Michigan faithful are getting restless. Illinois rolled into town and quarterback Juice Williams rolled up 431 yards of offense while the improving Illini defense held the Wolverines to 69 yards rushing in a crushing 45-20 win over Michigan.
Minnesota bounced back from their first loss of the season by trimming Indiana, 16-7. Penn State clobbered Purdue on the road, 20-6 while Michigan State outfought Iowa, 16-13 in rugged Big10 action.
The most surprising performances in the region were offered by Ohio State and Missouri. The ever-improving Buckeyes flexed their muscles in a brilliant late fourth quarter rally led by Freshman QB Terrelle Pryor to overtake the giant Badgers of Wisconsin, 20-17 at Camp Randall. Mizzou destroyed Nebraska in Lincoln, 52-17 for their first win in 30 years on Cornhusker soil.
Texas Tech took their aerial circus on the road and annihilated Kansas State, 58-28. Meanwhile Oklahoma continued their winning ways by disposing of Baylor, 49-17.
Notre Dame continued on the long road back by improving to 4-1. The latest victim? The Stanford Cardinal, 28-21.
The West
The Best: 1) Southern California, 2) Brigham Young, 3) Boise State
The Trojans, still smarting from the upset in Corvallis the week before, showed no mercy on the Ducks of Oregon, 44-10. Oregon State was unable to follow up their big win. Going on the road to Utah, the Beavers fell, 31-28.
California sent a signal they may be the team that once again stands in Southern Cal's clear path to the Rose Bowl by beating Arizona State, 24-14 .
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3 months ago
Nice write up, I guess you are going to make a ton of friends out west with this one and coach Stoops' Wildcats in first place in the PAC-10 and a showdown with Cal coming up. Thanks for the "whipped' in the Seminoles 2 point lousy officiating, life time achievement award, rain soaked, uneducated officiated, gift the Hurricanes and the NCAA gave him last Saturday. There was a day those losses hurt..ok, I take that back, it still hurt. I have a new opinion of Paul McGuire after that one when the officiating got so bad he went on a rant about how the officials shouldn't be officials if they don't know the rules. and i quote "don't you dare pick that flag up again". Maybe if Randy Shannon gets the guys to play 2 halves of football we'll stand a better chance someday.
from 3 months ago
Miami should not have lost the past 2 games. Coaching is hurting you. I don't think you have anymore there than Ty Willingham or Ed Ogeron. Good position coaches, not head coaches.
One day Mitch, one day, it will all come back to the way it was.
Paul Maguire played at the Citadel. The assistant coach at the Citadel then was Al Davis.
Always great to see your input Mitch.
3 months ago
Nice article. Consider putting Vandy in the best of their region if they are still undefeated after this week and maybe the next week. I think the Big East is very weak, and that Pitt hasn't shown anything. All they did was beat a few teams in their weak conference, and a weak Iowa team. There are not many good teams in the East, though. Watch out for UNC if they beat ND this week.
from 3 months ago
Issac, you know you don't think Pitt deserved the national title in 1976! You're a Pernn State fan!
Appreciate the comment.
3 months ago
Nice article and nice picture.
Is it me or do old school pads/helmets make players look huge?
from 3 months ago
Thanks Tiger. That's the best linebacker I've ever seen play, his name is Tommy Nobis.
from 3 months ago
He looks like he could take a direct hit from a tank.
from 3 months ago
Old time coaches like Royal, McClendon, and Wilkinson were in agreement that feet made the offensive linemen but necks made the linebacker.
3 months ago
So, BT, would you be willing to set up regionals at the end of the season? Either before or after the conference championship games?
Something like the top 4 teams in each region, playing at one site (say, a BCS bowl)? Though that complicates the Midwest--they might have to settle for Arizona ;-) You're already tracking the top three teams for each week, so perhaps a top four in each region at the end of the season would stimulate further debate.
I'm also interested in how you break the teams into the four regions (I like having Penn State, Pitt, and Boston College in the same region, for example, but you probably already gathered that from reading my conference realignment article).
And then the four regional winners in a "Final Four", perhaps? Though, that might make too much sense to ever actually happen--it'd be fun to think about.
Just wonderin'...
from 3 months ago
Thanks Scott. You're on to a good idea there.
Many years ago I wrote a letter to some of the national sports magazines proposing a 16 team playoff. I modified that and proposed it last summer with a Bleacher Report article. It was poorly received and in fact, it appears more people enjoy the Bowl system than a playoff.
I enjoy the Bowls. However, I feel a playoff, broken down in Regionals such as the basketball tournament, would have a large following. Then we could make a case for producing a true national champion.
I'll take you up on that idea. Look for additional articles on this issue later in the season.
Thanks for the support and comment. Really appreciate it.
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