Bleacher Report - Articles by College Football Fanatic

If I Was Given a Heisman Ballot, Week 14

College Football Fanatic — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:42:30 -0500

Receiving a Heisman ballot is something that I know will never happen to me and will probably never happen to you as well, unfortunately. How great would it be if we were allowed to vote on college football's most prestigious award, though? In this slideshow, I'll give you my top five for the Heisman as of right now. Before you get started, yes, I know - you can only put three players on a Heisman ballot. But did I ever say I've received one? Let's get started!

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Cell Phone Video: Arizona State's Vontaze Burflict Decks Arizona's Ricky Wolder

College Football Fanatic — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:30:53 -0500

Since there is no clear-cut Getty Images picture of Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burflict getting his LeGarrette Blount on, I'm using a stock image from the game instead.

According to Sports By Brooks (hat tip; click on the link for the video), Burflict punched Arizona long snapper Ricky Wolder in the face after Wolder shoved him from behind, much like Byron Hout did to Blount on Sept. 3 in the infamous LeGarrette haymaker.

SBB says that the East Valley Tribune actually got word of this Saturday night, but there was no proof of what had happened.

The punch appears to have so much force that it does glance off of Arizona kicker Alex Zendajas.

Why the TCU Horned Frogs Deserve a Shot at the National Championship

College Football Fanatic — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:18:27 -0500

According to some "experts" out there, there should never be a non-BCS team in contention for the national championship. Apparently, these teams from non-BCS conferences such as the Mountain West, the Western Athletic Conference, and Conference USA are undeserving of any accolades presented to them.

Experts, I present to you the 2009 Texas Christian University Horned Frogs.

This team has defeated three current Top-25 teams and two BCS conference teams (30-14 over Virginia and 14-10 over No. 15 Clemson, both of the ACC) with wins over No. 15 Clemson and No. 18 BYU coming on the road, the BYU win coming by a score of 38-7, and a defeat of No. 22 Utah at home, 55-28.

The Horned Frogs don't make the same, ahem, "mistake" that Boise State makes, either. Some members of the media say that Boise State doesn't win convincingly enough. Since the 20-17 defeat of Air Force on Oct. 10, which made them 5-0, they've won their last six by a combined score of 278-54, or an average score of 46-9. By the way, that includes the two defeats of No. 18 BYU and No. 22 Utah.

After that Air Force game, TCU was crucified by a few people out there, as the Horned Frogs were "overrated" and "undeserving of a Top-10 spot." How do you think those people feel now?

The defense boasts one of the best defensive linemen in college football, Jerry Hughes, predicted by many to be a Top-20 pick in next year's NFL Draft. The defense as an entire unit is ranked fourth in the country in total yardage allowed per game (238.8 yards) and is sixth overall in points per game (12.6 points).

You can't sell the offense short, either. Led by stud junior quarterback Andy Dalton and fleet-footed running back Joseph Turner, the offense averages 39.7 points per game (fifth in the nation) and 471.2 yards per game (also fifth in the nation).

Plus, with every win 8-3 Clemson earns, that 14-10 victory back on Sept. 26 has become one of the banner victories for the Mountain West Conference in 2009, along with BYU's 14-13 defeat of then No. 3 Oklahoma.

If you want to use the transitive property of college football, think about this.

The Texas Longhorns, currently ranked No. 3, went on the road to Laramie and defeated the Wyoming Cowboys, 41-10, way back on Sept. 12.

No. 4 TCU defeated them 45-10 this past week.

In the polls I vote on, that was part of the reason why I put TCU No. 3 this week, ahead of Texas and behind the SEC Championship tandem of Florida and Alabama. The other part of why I did it? As a whole, TCU has by far been the more impressive team. Texas has defeated one team currently ranked in the Top 25 poll, which was a 41-7 victory over No. 11 Oklahoma State. They defeated Oklahoma, but the Sooners are 6-5.

TCU has defeated three ranked teams: No.15 Clemson, No. 18 BYU, and No. 22 Utah.

Need some more convincing? Alright, let's look at their non-conference schedule.

TCU went on the road and played two ACC teams, Virginia and Clemson. They defeated both. They also played SMU, winning 39-14. Yeah, they played Texas State-San Marcos, a FCS school, but guess who else has played FCS schools this season?

No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Alabama, No. 5 Cincinnati, No. 6 Boise State, No. 7 Georgia Tech, and No. 8 Pittsburgh.

That's six of the Top Eight schools in the country, not counting TCU.

Plus, let's take a look at the out-of-conference schedules of the top three teams ahead of TCU.

No. 1 Florida: At home vs. Charleston Southern (FCS), home vs. Troy, home vs. Florida International, home vs. Florida State

No. 2 Alabama: Neutral vs. No. 14 Virginia Tech, home vs. Florida International, home vs. North Texas, home vs. Chattanooga (FCS)

No. 3 Texas: Home vs. Louisiana-Monroe, at Wyoming, home vs. UTEP, home vs. Central Florida

Out of those three schedules, the best matchup was Alabama's game against Virginia Tech, which they won. But after that, who's second? Florida State, which is an annual rival of Florida and therefore not a game that is a one and done? Troy, who is the best team in the Sun Belt at 8-3? Central Florida?

Especially take a look at Texas' schedule. They won all four games convincingly, but according to the 2009 Sagarin Ratings, the best team out of all of those is Central Florida, ranked 62nd in the country at 7-4 with an all-time record of 1-32 against Top-25 teams. Boy, they really went out and challenged a national power, didn't they?

Meanwhile, TCU went out and challenged Virginia and Clemson, with Virginia being ranked 67th and Clemson being ranked 12th in the Sagarin Ratings. Granted, Virginia is 3-8, but it's still an all-important BCS conference team.

The point I'm trying to make here is that TCU deserves, if anything, a chance to be in the national championship. To be realistic here, this is what they need to happen:

Loser of Florida/Alabama to fall below them
Texas to lose in the Big 12 Championship to Nebraska
Stay in front of Cincinnati/Pittsburgh winner, if those teams come into their game at 11-0 and 10-1, No. 5 and No. 7 in the country

It can happen, but the Horned Frogs will need the voters' help. Coaches, media, and others, I'm calling on you to do the right thing and give this great team a look at the BCS National Championship game.

CFF's Week 13 Predictions: The Iron Bowl, Bedlam, and Others

College Football Fanatic — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:19:20 -0500

As you all know, it's Thanksgiving week. It's also time for some of the greatest rivalries in college football. We'll take a look at every Top 25 matchup, plus a couple that are outside of the Top 25. Oh, and some advice: don't eat so much turkey that you'll miss Friday's games because you're in the bathroom all day.

Last week's predictions: 15-5 (missed on LSU, Michigan State, Arizona, Stanford, and Rutgers)

Thanksgiving Day

Lone Star Showdown: #3 Texas (11-0, 7-0) at Texas A&M (6-5, 3-4); 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT, ESPN (HD)

Point Spread: Texas -21

It's been just another ho-hum year at Texas. Eleven wins in a row to start the season, a win over Oklahoma, and overall domination of the Big 12 South have all added up to another great chance for Texas to take their place in the National Championship after essentially being cheated out of a spot in 2008.

However, they can't overlook Texas A&M heading into the Big 12 Championship. The Aggies have clinched bowl eligibility under second-year coach Mike Sherman, and Jerrod Johnson has been a godsend this season with a 24-5 touchdown/interception ratio. While you should expect A&M to bring their best game for the Lone Star Showdown, it won't be enough to get past the Longhorns.

Prediction: Texas 38, Texas A&M 21

Black Friday

Illinois (3-7, 2-6) at #5 Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0), Noon ET/11 AM CT, ABC (HD)

Point Spread: Cincinnati -21

The Cincinnati Bearcats have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2009 season, as they were predicted to finish around 4th in the Big East pre-season. All they've done since is win ten games in a row, including victories over 7-3 Rutgers (47-15), No. 16 Oregon State (28-18), and 7-3 West Virginia (27-24).

The Illinois Fighting Illini have been the polar opposite of the Bearcats. Predicted by many to finish in the top half of the Big Ten and go to a good bowl game, they have bombed under coach Ron Zook and embattled quarterback Juice Williams. Their only FBS wins this season are over 5-7 Michigan and 6-6 Minnesota. In six of their ten games, they've failed to score above 14 points.

Although the Illini surely want to save a terribly disappointing season, this is not the place to do it.

Prediction: Cincinnati 41, Illinois 14

The Iron Bowl: #2 Alabama (11-0, 7-0) at Auburn (7-4, 3-4); 2:30 PM ET/1:30 PM CT, CBS (HD)

Point Spread: Alabama -10

It's been a fairly surprising year for both teams. Alabama was expected to possibly take a seat behind Ole Miss at the start of the season, and Auburn was expected, at best, to match their 5-7 record of 2008. However, both teams have overachieved, as Alabama romps into the Iron Bowl red hot after beating Mississippi State and Chattanooga by a combined score of 78-3.

Auburn, however, has been on a semi-downslide. After a 5-0 start, they've dropped four of six to get to their current 7-4 record. Hidden in that record are a couple of impressive wins, such as their 41-30 win over a good West Virginia team, a 26-22 win over a Tennessee team that came within a blocked field goal of beating the Tide, and a 33-20 win over an Ole Miss team that just whipped Tennessee 42-17 and held off LSU 25-23.

Auburn may have caught Alabama at the right time, because the Tide might be looking ahead to that huge SEC Championship game with Florida that will determine one of the participants in the National Championship game. Auburn literally comes here with nothing to lose: the best they can finish in the SEC is 4-4, and they already have a bowl bid clinched. Don't forget that Auburn has had a whole year to think about that 36-0 drubbing at the hands of the Tide last season.

Expect Auburn to throw everything you can think of at Alabama. However, Alabama will hold on for an extremely tight Iron Bowl victory.

Prediction: Alabama 24, Auburn 21

The Backyard Brawl: #8 Pittsburgh (9-1, 5-0) at West Virginia (7-3, 3-2); 7:00 PM ET/6:00 PM CT, ESPN2 (HD) (Co-Game of the Week)

Point Spread: Even/Pick'em

The point spread suggests that this one will be an extremely close game. With the last two editions of TBB in mind, you have to believe they're right. Pittsburgh has taken the last two games of this rivalry dating back to 1895—a massive 13-9 upset of WVU in 2007 as a four touchdown underdog, and a 19-15 win at Heinz Field last year in which LeSean McCoy scored a touchdown with 52 seconds left to win it for the Panthers.

This year, Pitt is having their best season since Dan Marino called himself their quarterback. With a 9-1 start and the unofficial Big East championship game next week against Cincinnati, they're having one of the best seasons in Panthers history. However, the Mountaineers of West Virginia are here to crash the party.

West Virginia has had recent struggles after a 6-1 start, dropping games to South Florida and Cincinnati. However, they're still an extremely dangerous team at 7-3 and with the 1-2 punch of Jarrett Brown and Noel Devine. If Bill Stewart has any kind of a brain, he'll use Devine to his advantage in this game. I think the pressure on the Panthers will be too much and WVU will pull out a tight win in the 102nd edition of the Backyard Brawl.

Prediction: West Virginia 27, Pittsburgh 24

Nevada (8-3, 7-0) at #6 Boise State (11-0, 7-0), 10:00 PM ET/9:00 PM CT, ESPN2 (HD)

Point Spread: Boise State -13.5

No matter what the Boise State Broncos do, it just isn't enough for voters. They've had "early troubles" in games against Idaho and Utah State (63-25 and 52-21 wins), "struggles" against Louisiana Tech and Tulsa (45-35 and 28-21 victories), and they've only played one good opponent, which was Oregon (a 9-8 victory in a game that wasn't as close as the final score suggests).

Maybe they'll get some respect if they have another large victory over the second-best team in the WAC—Nevada. Last week, the Wolf Pack became the first team in NCAA history to boast three 1,000 yard rushers in one season. Colin Kaepernick, their quarterback, is one of those 1,000 yard rushers, but he obviously can throw as well, with a 16-5 touchdown/interception ratio and a 60% completion rate.

Nevada obviously wants to wreck the Boise State BCS dreams, but with a lot on the line for Boise, it's just not going to happen. I think Nevada will play a good game for the first half, but they'll have a couple of second half turnovers that take them out of the game.

Prediction: Boise State 42, Nevada 17

Saturday, November 28th

Carolina-Clemson Rivalry: #15 Clemson (8-3, 6-2) vs. South Carolina (6-5, 3-5); ESPN (HD)

Point Spread: Clemson -3

The Clemson Tigers have already clinched their first ACC Championship in an over-achieving year for the school. In a division Florida State was predicted by many to win, Clemson stormed from a slow 2-3 start to win six in a row and grabbed the Atlantic Division by the throat. It's not like those three losses were bad either—except for the Maryland loss. Their three losses were by a combined 10 points, with two of them coming to No.5 TCU (14-10) and No.7 Georgia Tech (30-27).

South Carolina has had a horrible last month of the season, losing four of five after being ranked as high as No. 21. Without a good quarterback at his hands (Stephen Garcia, face it, you're just not good), Steve Spurrier has been unable to get anything going in the latter season for Carolina as they've slipped into an extended slump.

It's a home game for the Gamecocks and they want to steal one from Clemson, but it's just not going to happen.

Prediction: Clemson 34, South Carolina 20

Carolina-State Rivalry: #23 North Carolina (8-3, 4-3) at North Carolina State (4-7, 1-6)

Point Spread: North Carolina -6

Just around five years ago, you would have expected this matchup to be flip-flopped, with NCSU being the ranked team and North Carolina at the bottom of the ACC. Now, North Carolina has revived their football program into a very strong group of players, while State has declined ever since Phillip Rivers departed the program.

Last year, the Tar Heels were thrashed by the Wolf Pack 41-10 at home. Without question, the Tar Heels have the much better defense, while State has the far superior offense. Defense wins games, and I'm going with that ideal for this game. I fully expect at least two of North Carolina's scores to come from NC State turnovers.

Prediction: North Carolina 24, North Carolina State 14

The Egg Bowl: #20 Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3) at Mississippi State (4-7, 2-5), 12:21 PM ET/11:21 AM CT, SEC Network

Point Spread: Ole Miss -8

After a No.8 preseason ranking and an early jump to No.4 in the polls, Ole Miss has been somewhat of a disappointment. However, the Rebels have looked extremely focused on finishing the rest of the year strong. For istance, in their last two games, they've destroyed the much-praised Tennessee defense 42-17, and literally clocked No.17 LSU 25-23 as time ran out on the Tigers at the Ole Miss 5 yard line.

Mississippi State has over-achieved as well, as they came within a foot of defeating LSU, losing 30-26, and giving No.1 Florida a tough challenge at home before going down 29-19. Pretty good for a team that was expected to take their lumps and finish with around three wins.

The pressure is all on MSU quarterback Tyson Lee, as he needs to have a strong final game as a Bulldog. He has had struggles all year long, and as far as I know it's not certain how much he will play against Ole Miss. He needs to keep his mistakes to a minimum, but it won't happen against a tenacious Ole Miss defense.

Prediction: Ole Miss 24, Mississippi State 10

Bedlam: #11 Oklahoma State (9-2, 6-1) vs. Oklahoma (6-5, 4-3), FOX Sports Net

Point Spread: Oklahoma -9.5

When it comes to Bedlam, this is how the roles are usually assigned: Oklahoma plays the Big 12 perennial contender while Oklahoma State plays the middling spoiler. This year those roles are reversed, as Oklahoma State has lived up to a preseason top-ten ranking and is having one of the best seasons in school history. On the flip side, Oklahoma has suffered badly from the loss of Sam Bradford, having an extremely disappointing year after being ranked No.3 before the season.

The Cowboys will possibly be without starting quarterback Zac Robinson, who is suffering from a shoulder injury and sat out the entire game against Colorado. If he can't play, sophomore Brandon Weeden—who led Oklahoma State to a 31-28 comeback victory over Colorado last week—will start.

Weeden was lucky against Colorado because 1) it was Colorado, and 2) they're prone to defensive implosions. Against what has been a good Sooners defense—aside from the Texas Tech loss—he'll have a ton of trouble if he's the one starting.

Prediction: Oklahoma 21, Oklahoma State 17

New Mexico (1-10, 1-7) vs. #4 TCU (11-0, 7-0), 1:00 PM ET/Noon CT, The Mtn. (HD)

Point Spread: TCU -44.5

In one of the worst mismatches of the entire season, New Mexico—one of the worst teams in Division I-A—gets stuck with playing No.4 TCU—the best non-BCS school in the nation. There won't be a single starter for TCU playing after the third quarter in this blowout.

Prediction: TCU 52, New Mexico 7

Commonwealth Cup: #14 Virginia Tech (8-3, 5-2) vs. Virginia (3-8, 2-5); 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, ABC/ESPN (HD)

Point Spread: Virginia Tech -16

Virginia Tech's had a pretty good year. Their only losses have been to three ranked teams (No.2 Alabama 34-24, No.7 Georgia Tech 28-23, and No.23 North Carolina 20-17), and they've basically played close to what they were expected to do, aside from winning the Coastal Division.

Virginia has had a horrendous season, losing to William and Mary in the first game of the year and basically ending the season before it even started with a 0-3 start. They looked to possibly refire the engines after winning three straight games, but five losses in a row since have defined Virginia's extremely forgettable 2009 season.

Al Groh's job is possibly on the line with this game. The Cavaliers may want to win it for him, but it's just not happening against a great Hokies team. Virginia will only trail by a score after three quarters, but Virginia Tech will score a touchdown in the fourth quarter to ensure another Commonwealth Cup victory.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Virginia 20

#19 Miami (FL) (8-3, 5-3) at South Florida (7-3, 3-3); 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, ABC/ESPN/ESPN-GP (HD)

Point Spread: Miami -5

You think Miami likes to play these in-state schools? They've played Florida A&M, Central Florida, and now the University of South Florida just this season in out-of-conference play. The game with USF, though, is a new rivalry in which the teams will play the next five season finales together.

For South Florida, it's a great opportunity to start this new rivalry with a bang and a potentially resounding upset. For Miami, it's an opportunity to up their record against teams from the state of Florida to 4-0 in 2009 (when you count in Florida State). It's also a chance for the Hurricanes to firmly assert themselves as No.2 in the state and knocking on the door of No.1 Florida.

South Florida has already played Florida State on the road and beaten them 17-7. I expect South Florida to put it all on the line for a chance to increase the number of "real" football teams in the state of Florida to four, but Miami will withstand the Bulls' charge and hold on for a close victory.

Prediction: Miami 34, South Florida 27

Sunshine Showdown: Florida State (6-5, 4-4) at #1 Florida (11-0, 8-0); 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, CBS (HD)

Point Spread: Florida -24.5

Florida is a huge favorite in the 54th edition of this rivalry—dating back to 1958—for good reasons. First, the Seminoles have lost the last two by a combined score of 90-27 and have not won in the rivalry since 2003. Second, the Seminoles are without their backbone, quarterback Christian Ponder, who was basically the whole team for them most of the season.

Florida just continues to roll right along as if no one can faze them. Despite good challenges from several teams this season, they are still undefeated and looking at a great SEC Championship matchup with No.2 Alabama for a spot in the National Championship game. Just like it's been the past two years and three out of the last four, this one will end in a rout.

Prediction: Florida 42, Florida State 14

The Holy War: #22 Utah (9-2, 6-1) at #18 BYU (9-2, 6-1); 5:00 PM ET/4:00 PM CT, CBS College Sports/The Mtn. (HD) (Co-Game of the Week)

Point Spread: BYU -7.5

Utah has had a season right around what they were expecting after they were issued a No.18 preseason ranking. BYU, however, had BCS hopes after their defeat of then-No.3 Oklahoma 14-13. Then they were blown out at home by both Florida State and No.4 TCU at different parts of the season and they sit at 9-2.

When these two teams meet, you're almost always guaranteed a great game. In 2006, John Beck scrambled for what seemed like forever until he threw a touchdown to put BYU on top with no time remaining, 33-31. In 2007, BYU scored a touchdown with around a minute to play to win 17-10. Last year was a rare exception, as Utah dismantled BYU, 48-24.

This season, BYU's out looking for revenge and I'll give it to them in a close game.

Prediction: BYU 27, Utah 24

Battle for the Golden Boot: Arkansas (7-4, 3-4) at #17 LSU (8-3, 4-3); 7:00 PM ET/6:00 PM CT, ESPN (HD)

Point Spread: LSU -3.5

Arkansas has defeated LSU the past two meetings in the Battle for the Golden Boot—50-48 in a triple overtime classic in 2007 and 31-30 last year in a game in which Arkansas trailed 30-14. It's been a resurgent year for Arkansas and the second "down" year in a row for LSU.

Arkansas finished a rough 5-7 season last year with the big 31-30 win over LSU and carried some of the momentum over into 2009. The result has been a potent offense led by quarterback Ryan Mallett, a transfer from Michigan.

LSU started the season ranked No.11 and jumped as high as No.4, but they have cooled off over the past few games and lost a tough one to Ole Miss, 25-23, under some extremely questionable decisions by head coach Les Miles.

I fully expect LSU to be extremely ticked off over the last two losses to Arkansas and their loss last week, and Mallett will be heavily abused by the LSU defense in this game.

Prediction: LSU 28, Arkansas 10

Bayou Bucket: Rice (2-9, 2-5) at #25 Houston (9-2, 5-2); 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT, CSS

Point Spread: Houston -29.5

Rice has had an extreme downturn after a great 2008 season, going from 10-3 with the quarterback/wide receiver combo of Chase Clement and Jarrett Dillard, to 2-9—and almost certainly 2-10—with basically bare cupboards from last season's team. However, the Owls have improved heavily in the past three weeks, winning two straight and losing a game to SMU by three. In their first eight games, the closest they came to a victory was a 27-10 loss against Tulsa.

Houston has been one of the better mid-major teams this season, beating then-No. 5 Oklahoma State 45-35 in an early season shocker, Texas Tech at home 29-28, and taking down Mississippi State on the road 31-24. Houston has showcased a strange ability to play down to other opponents, though, losing 58-41 to UTEP and 37-32 to UCF, which gave Central Florida their first win over a Top 25 opponent.

None of this falls on Heisman candidate Case Keenum, who has been nearly flawless the entire season. Keenum boasts 4,599 passing yards, a 70 percent completion rate, and 36 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions, giving off shades of great Houston quarterbacks of past like Andre Ware and Kevin Kolb. Expect Keenum to throw all over the Rice defense, which has been close to a sieve nearly all season long.

Prediction: Houston 59, Rice 21

Clean, Old Fashioned Hate: Georgia (6-5, 4-4) at #7 Georgia Tech (10-1, 7-1) ; 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT, ABC/ESPN2 (HD)

Point Spread: Georgia Tech -8

Georgia and Georgia Tech's seasons have been polar opposites, with one being wildly disappointing and the other wildly amazing. Georgia is the former, having a horrific season after being ranked No.13 pre-season. They lost at home to Kentucky for the first time since 1977, to Tennessee 45-19 and Florida 41-17, and their defense is perhaps the worst in Georgia football history.

Georgia Tech, however, has performed far above expectation. After a 9-4 season in which Paul Johnson introduced the triple option, the Ramblin' Wreck have been wrecking the rest of the ACC with the triple option this season as well. Save for a 33-17 loss at Miami (FL) on one of those unlucky Thursday nights, the Yellow Jackets have been nearly flawless on offense, with Josh Nesbitt leading the attack at quarterback.

Georgia Tech's offense spells trouble for Georgia's horrible defense. Expect this one to be ugly from the start.

Prediction: Georgia Tech 56, Georgia 20

The Victory Bell: UCLA (6-5, 3-5) at #24 USC (7-3, 4-3); 10:00 PM ET/9:00 PM CT, FOX Sports Net

Point Spread: USC -13

What an unusual season it has been for the Trojans. Their defense has completely disappeared (55 points surrendered to Stanford, 47 to Oregon, and 36 to Oregon State), and they've suffered the worst loss under Pete Carroll this season—twice. Losses of 55-21 to Stanford at home and 47-20 to Oregon on the road have completely embarrassed the Trojans, and they'll want to get everything back under control with a victory over UCLA.

However, UCLA has other ideas in mind. Remember the 13-9 victory over a national championship-bound USC in 2006? Or the UCLA domination of the series from 1991 to 1998, including the 1994 31-19 win in which they knocked USC out of a Rose Bowl berth? UCLA knows they can win this game, and they'll be going in with this mentality.

USC's season is all but shot; the best bowl they can realistically hope to go to now is the Holiday Bowl, which is for the second selection out of the Pac-10. The sting of not being able to go to a BCS bowl for the eighth consecutive year for USC has to hurt. While I don't think UCLA will win this game, expect USC to have major difficulty en route to a victory.

Prediction: USC 24, UCLA 13

Games/Rivalries Outside of the Top 25:

The Border War: Missouri (7-4, 3-4) vs. Kansas (5-6, 1-6) (Arrowhead Stadium); 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, ABC/ESPN-GP

Point Spread: Missouri -3

Despite the combined record of these teams sitting at 12-10 and 4-10 in the Big 12, the Border War is always a good game. The last two games have been split—Missouri won 36-28 in 2007, and Kansas won 40-37 last year. Mark Mangino is possibly playing for his job after the "extreme anger management issues" reports came out about him. While it will be another good game, Missouri will prevail in the end in a close one.

Prediction: Missouri 34, Kansas 28

Bayou Classic: Southern University (6-3, 3-2 SWAC) vs. Grambling State University (6-4, 5-2 SWAC) (Louisiana Superdome); 2:00 PM ET/1:00 PM CT, NBC (HD)

Fine, go ahead and laugh at me for including a Division I-AA game. What you can't discount, though, is the fact that the Bayou Classic has been played 35 times, and literally, it's almost even: Southern University leads the series 18-17. They've won twelve of the last sixteen meetings, but Grambling has taken three of the last five.

And, if anything, you'll get to see two of the greatest bands ever in college sports: the Southern University Marching Band, also known as the Human Jukebox, and the Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band (according to Wikipedia; you can add "The World Famed" to the beginning of that). You'll see elaborate performances from both sides before the game, at halftime, and after the game.

I'm going to be watching and I expect you to do the same.

Prediction: Grambling 28, Southern 17

Notre Dame (6-5) at Stanford (7-4, 6-3); 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT, ABC (HD)

Point Spread: Stanford -10

What better reason to watch this than to witness the end of the Charlie Weis era? Also, you may see another inept effort by the Irish and, for sure, several closeups of Jimmy Clausen's black eye.

Prediction: Stanford 38, Notre Dame 24

Questions and comments are always welcome.

The Top Eight Coaches on the Hot Seat in College Football

College Football Fanatic — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:11:24 -0500

Well, it's getting close to the end of the 2009 season, and you know what that means - it's time for the firings to start! Though there may be a couple of surprises in here, these are pretty much widely considered to be the main coaches on the hot seats. Comments and questions are always welcome. Let's get to the list!

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Week 12 Saturday Predictions: Oregon-Arizona, LSU-Ole Miss, and More

College Football Fanatic — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:52:12 -0500

There are no ranked team-vs.-ranked team matchups this weekend, but there are a few possible upsets out there.

I'll take a look at every game involving a Top 25 team this week, except for No. 12 Oklahoma State, who played on Thursday, and No. 6 Boise State, who plays tonight (Friday) and is already featured in my Friday Night Predictions article.

I'll also show you some intriguing non-Top 25 matchups that could end up being fun games.

Minnesota (6-5) at No. 15 Iowa (9-2), Noon ET/11 AM CT, ESPN (HD)

Point Spread: Iowa -11

Iowa's dream season has imploded in the span of two weeks. Sitting pretty at 9-0, Hawkeyes quarterback Ricky Stanzi went down for the season against Northwestern, who handed Iowa their first loss, 17-10.

Iowa gave a strong fight last week to Ohio State before finally falling in overtime, 27-24. As much as Minnesota will want to take the Floyd of Rosedale, this won't be the time for it to happen.

Prediction: Iowa 30, Minnesota 10

No. 9 Ohio State (9-2) at Michigan (5-6), Noon ET/11 AM CT, ABC (HD)

Point Spread: Ohio State -12

Nearly everyone's already handed this one to Ohio State before it's even been played, and I don't blame them. Michigan's defense has looked absolutely horrendous all season long, save for about three games, and the offense has not been all that great either.

Still, Michigan knows what's at stake here: a chance to ruin a good buzz for Ohio State heading into the Rose Bowl and an opportunity to make themselves relevant again in the best rivalry in college football.

While I do expect Michigan to play fairly well in this one, I just don't see the upset happening.

Prediction: Ohio State 24, Michigan 19

Duke (5-5) at No. 21 Miami (FL) (7-3), Noon ET/11 AM CT, ESPNU (HD)

Point Spread: Miami (FL) -19

While you can't pass over the incredible story that is Duke football in 2009, you have to recognize the fact that it is Duke. As great as Thaddeus Lewis has been this year, he won't be able to throw all over the Canes.

Expect Duke to play hard and play tough, though. They'll be in it in the fourth quarter, but the Canes will get a insurance score late to secure the victory.

Prediction: Miami 31, Duke 21

Chattanooga (6-4, FCS) at No. 2 Alabama (10-0), 12:20 PM ET/11:20 AM CT, SEC Network for some

No point spread

Oh, good grief. I know Tide fans are rejoicing at the thought of a good tuneup for Auburn, but this one could be over at the end of the first quarter.

Prediction: Alabama 59, Chattanooga 7

Florida International (3-7) at No. 1 Florida (10-0), 12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT, ESPN-Game Plan/PPV (FL)

Point Spread: Florida -45

See Chattanooga-Alabama. The only interesting thing to see here is if Tebow comes out after a quarter or at the end of the first half.

Prediction: Florida 70, Florida International 10, Tebow comes out of the game after one quarter because the score's 35-0

Memphis (2-8) at No. 24 Houston (8-2), 1:00 PM ET/Noon CT, CSS

Point Spread: Houston -23.5

Houston laid a massive egg vs. Central Florida last week, losing 37-32 and giving the Knights their first win ever against a Top 25 school.

Expect Case Keenum and company to come in tomorrow angry and ready to take it out on anything. Expect that anything to be Memphis.

Prediction: Houston 62, Memphis 24

No. 4 TCU (10-0) at Wyoming (5-5), 2:00 PM ET/1:00 CT, The Mtn. (HD)

Point Spread: TCU -31

No one's even giving Wyoming a chance to come off of their own field alive, much less have any opportunity of a shot at winning this game.

The Cowboys will score a garbage touchdown or two late in the game to make it look slightly better, but the Horned Frogs will thoroughly dominate this one.

Prediction: TCU 52, Wyoming 17

Air Force (7-4) at #19 BYU (8-2), 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, CBS College Sports

Point Spread: BYU -10

Last season, Air Force led one-loss BYU at halftime 14-10 and looked to have a shot at an upset before BYU took over in the second half, outscoring them 28-10 en route to a 38-24 victory.

Air Force hasn't forgotten about that game and surely had this one circled on their calendars at the start of the year.

BYU will score a touchdown in the final two minutes of play to win this one and run their winning streak over Air Force to six in a row.

Prediction: BYU 21, Air Force 17

No. 17 Wisconsin (8-2) at Northwestern (7-4), 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, Big Ten Network (HD)

Point Spread: Wisconsin -7

Why must a game as good as this be relegated to the Big Ten Network while Virginia at Clemson somehow sneaks onto ABC/ESPN?

I know ESPN probably didn't want to seem too impartial to the Big Ten, but come on. Northwestern's already pulled off one good upset this season against Iowa, and I think good upset No. 2 will come tomorrow.

Prediction: Northwestern 20, Wisconsin 17

No. 10 LSU (8-2) at Ole Miss (7-3), 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, CBS (HD)

Point Spread: Ole Miss -4

Pre-game, the big story here is the announcement by the Mississippi charter of the Ku Klux Klan that they will be outside the stadium at the game in protest of Ole Miss banning the song "From Dixie With Love" because of Rebels fans chanting "the South will rise again."

In-game, it will be interesting to see how Jordan Jefferson plays after being out for half of the Alabama game and the entire Louisiana Tech game with a sprained right ankle.

LSU wants revenge after getting smoked at home by Ole Miss last year and I believe they'll get it.

Prediction: LSU 27, Ole Miss 20

North Carolina State (4-6) at No. 16 Virginia Tech (7-3), 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, ESPNU (HD)

Point Spread: Virginia Tech -21

This is NCSU's last stand to make a crazy run to a bowl game like they did last year. Russell Wilson has basically been the entire team this season.

Virginia Tech's just here to pad their win total and for Ryan Williams to take the Hokies' I'll take V-Tech, but expect NCSU to give them a good game.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, NCSU 19

No. 25 Rutgers (7-2) at Syracuse (3-7), 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, ESPN360

Point Spread: Rutgers -8.5

Rutgers has been a great success story this season, rebounding from a humiliating opening-week 47-15 loss to Cincinnati and winning seven of their last eight.

Syracuse's Greg Paulus, the flopper-turned-quarterback, has had a season where his rustiness has showed. After playing four years of basketball at Duke, he decided to play one year of football for the Orangemen and it hasn't worked out so well.

While he'll want to give it his best shot for 'Cuse's final home game, they won't have much of a shot against a great Scarlet Knights team.

Prediction: Rutgers 34, Syracuse 10

No. 13 Penn State (9-2) at Michigan State (6-5), 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, ABC/ESPN (HD)

Point Spread: Penn State -3

Penn State is already assured of not making the Rose Bowl, so they're hoping for a win versus Michigan State and an Iowa loss to have any hopes at all of a BCS at-large bid or to be able to slip into the Capital One Bowl.

Michigan State is just looking to better their bowl selection and can do so with a big win over the Nittany Lions here.

With a great chance to wreck the remaining BCS (and possibly Capital One Bowl) hopes that Penn State has, I'll take Michigan State in a thriller.

Prediction: Michigan State 20, Penn State 13

Virginia (3-7) at No. 18 Clemson (7-3), 3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT, ABC/ESPN (HD)

Point Spread: Clemson -21

Virginia is having an awful year and Al Groh could be gone at the end of the season. In contrast, Clemson's having a pretty good year and looks to be headed to a good bowl game.

As much as Virginia will want to play hard in this one, they have no shot.

Prediction: Clemson 45, Virginia 14

San Diego State (4-6) at No. 23 Utah (8-2), 4:00 PM ET/3:00 PM CT, Versus (HD)

Point Spread: Utah -20

San Diego State is looking to win out and possibly make a bowl game. Utah's looking to rebound after an embarrassing 55-28 loss to No. 4 TCU last week. Although Utah will have a slight letdown, I'll still take them.

Prediction: Utah 31, SDSU 21

No. 20 Oregon State (7-3) at Washington State (1-9), 5:00 PM ET/4:00 PM CT, TBA

Point Spread: Oregon State -31

Alright, it's time for our weekly blowout roll call!

Eastern Michigan? Here!

Western Kentucky? Here!

Washington State? Present and head of the class!

Prediction: Oregon State 49, Washington State 10

California (7-3) at No. 14 Stanford (7-3), 7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT, Versus (HD)

Point Spread: Stanford -7.5

Stanford shot way up in the rankings after their blowout win on the road at now former Pac-10 king USC and it's a rare feeling for Stanford fans to head into the 112th Big Game as the favorite.

However, don't doubt Cal will come out and want to shorten Stanford's series lead. Without Jahvid Best though, I just don't see it happening.

Prediction: Stanford 34, California 20

(Game of the Week) No. 11 Oregon (8-2) at Arizona (6-3), 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT, ABC/ESPN (HD)

Point Spread: Oregon -6.5

In what is considered a must-win game for both teams, and, therefore, my Game of the Week, Oregon has a chance to clinch at least a share of the Pac-10 title, while an Arizona victory can give the Wildcats a chance at their first Rose Bowl in program history.

It's literally one of those games where you kind of don't want to see either team lose because of the potential possible for this game.

The last time Oregon went on the road against a tough Pac-10 team, they were smoked by Stanford. I'm using that same logic in this pick.

Prediction: Arizona 34, Oregon 31

Kansas (5-5) at No. 3 Texas (10-0), 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT, ABC/ESPN (HD)

Point Spread: Texas -28

The big storyline for this game is Kansas coach Mark Mangino, who has been accused of having extreme anger management issues, rumors supported by former players coming out and speaking about the Double Chin's "hurtful" remarks towards said players.

Even though he's basically raised Kansas football from the dead, he is on the chopping block and could be out the door if he loses this one by more than a couple of scores.

Texas won't cover the spread, but they'll still handily beat an overmatched Kansas team.

Prediction: Texas 41, Kansas 17

Games Outside of the Top 25 to Watch

North Carolina (7-3) at Boston College (7-3), Noon ET/11 AM CT, ESPN2 (HD)

Point Spread: Boston College -3

Both of these teams have had quite surprising records and both are headed to bowl games. This should be a pretty fun game to watch, even if it is low-scoring. I'll take Boston College in a close one.

Prediction: Boston College 20, North Carolina 14

Oklahoma (6-4) at Texas Tech (6-4), 12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT, FOX Sports Net

Point Spread: Oklahoma -6.5

Oklahoma has sputtered this year with Sam Bradford being out and Texas Tech just hasn't been the same without a great receiver like Michael Crabtree and a great quarterback like Graham Harrell.

It really could be called the Disappointment Bowl. I have a feeling we're going to see a great game, though. This one will come down to the final few plays and I'll take Texas Tech in a shootout.

Prediction: Texas Tech 42, Oklahoma 38

Connecticut (4-5) at Notre Dame (6-4), 2:30 PM ET/1:30 PM CT, NBC (HD)

Point Spread: Notre Dame -6

Notre Dame is coming off a tough 27-22 loss at Pitt. UConn's in the midst of an incredibly tough year with the loss of starting cornerback Jasper Howard's life to a stabbing.

For UConn, this is an opportunity to win one for Jasper, as the floundering Irish are playing as uninspired as they have all year. I'll take UConn in the semi-upset.

Prediction: Connecticut 24, Notre Dame 21

Well, those are my predictions for this week. I guess I'll see how I did next week. Let's hope for another good week of college football!

Questions and comments are always welcome.

Friday Night College Football Predictions: No. 6 Boise St.-Utah St. and Others

College Football Fanatic — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:29:50 -0500

Hey everyone, it's CFF coming back to BR after nearly a year-long hiatus. I just thought I'd have some fun and make a few predictions for tonight's games. I'll probably make an article for tomorrow's set too.

Akron (2-8) vs. Bowling Green (5-5), 5:30 PM ET/4:30 CT, ESPNU (HD)

An otherwise unremarkable game is made possibly watchable by the fact that you'll get to see the most overlooked player in college football in 2009, Freddie Barnes, wide receiver for Bowling Green. Barnes has had an incredible senior year, taking in 117 receptions for 1,285 yards and 12 touchdowns, plus two rushing touchdowns as well for a total of 14.

Unfortunately for Barnes, the rest of his team just cannot match up to his level, save for maybe quarterback Tyler Sheehan, as the Falcons sit at 5-5 heading into a pivotal matchup with Akron.

If the Falcons win this one, they're bowl eligible in Dave Clawson's first season as BGSU head coach. The Falcons have made a great run over the past month, as they have won four of their last five to improve to 5-5 heading into their final two games.

On the subject of Barnes, you can't help but be amazed by his monstrous numbers in 2009. He's had seven games in which he had 10 receptions or more, seven in which he had 100 yards or more receiving, four games with two touchdowns or more, and in three games combined versus Troy, Marshall, and Kent State, Barnes caught 54 passes for 544 yards and five touchdowns.

In the Kent State game, Barnes had maybe the best game any receiver has had in 2009: 22 catches, 254 yards, and three touchdowns, helping his team to a 36-35 victory.

This is another important game for Barnes and the Falcons. For Barnes, it means possibly getting another 10- to 15-catch game, possibly moving in on the collegiate record of 143 receptions in a season, held by Nick Smart of Division II Southwest Baptist in 2007, and furthering his dark horse Heisman campaign. For the Falcons, it means getting to bowl eligibility and to their ninth bowl game in team history.

Look for both Freddie Barnes and Bowling Green as a whole to accomplish their goals in what should be a walk over a weak 2-8 Akron team.

Prediction: Bowling Green 45, Akron 20

Eastern Michigan (0-10) vs. Toledo (4-6), 7:00 PM ET/6:00 CT

Let us all file this one under "games that should never be played." Eastern Michigan is so terrible that even Toledo should blow them out.

Prediction: Toledo 45, Eastern Michigan 7

No. 6 Boise State (10-0) vs. Utah State (3-7), 9:30 PM ET/8:30 CT, ESPN2 (HD)

The Boise State Broncos and their non-BCS brethren Texas Christian are becoming the talk of the college football nation. If both of the teams can make it into BCS bowls, could it be a situation where the nail is driven into the coffin for the BCS? However, for this question to be answered, both have to win out.

For Boise State, they must play better tonight than they did the last time they went out on the road on a Friday night—versus Louisiana Tech in a game where the Bulldogs gave them way more than they bargained for. Boise State won, 45-35, but lost quite a few votes in the process.

If anything for the Broncos, it's a great opportunity on national television to get some more Heisman votes for sophomore sensation Kellen Moore, who has played far above and beyond the expectations he was given at the start of the season.

Moore's stats for 2009 are stunning: 203 completed passes out of 300 attempts for a completion percentage of 67.7 percent, 2,558 yards, 32 touchdowns, and three interceptions—almost an 11 to one touchdown to interception ratio. With another strong game, Moore has an opportunity to put some more steam into his Heisman campaign for 2009.

Even though it is Utah State, we can't forget about the Aggies. Despite their record being 3-7, they are a much improved team and are possibly an even more serious threat for Boise State than Louisiana Tech was.

The Aggies played Utah a good first half before faltering in the second and losing 35-17. They came within eight points of beating Texas A&M on the road, losing a tough one 38-30. They trailed only 21-10 to BYU in the fourth quarter before going down 35-17. Finally, they came within an onside kick penalty of having a chance to beat the second-best team in the WAC, Nevada, falling 35-32.

They have lost four games by a score or less and literally could be 6-4 if three plays had gone their way.

Plus, the Aggies are on a hot streak for a team like Utah State—they've won two out of their last four after a 1-5 start. Realistically, though, they don't have much of a shot against a team as good as Boise State. Expect this one to be within a touchdown at halftime, but Boise State will take over in the second half.

Prediction: Boise State 38, Utah State 10

Questions and comments are always welcome.

What Happened To Texas Tech?

College Football Fanatic — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:36:04 -0500

Seriously, what is happening in Norman?

The Raiders have showed that they can't perform on the road under pressure. Yes, this game is at Oklahoma, and yes, it's in primetime on ABC.

And no, I don't care.

Texas Tech just beat former No. 1 Texas three weeks ago...in primetime...on ABC. Yes, that one was at home.

But why was Texas Tech able to score 22 in the first half and 39 total against a better pass defense than OU's?

And what happened to the TTU defense? They gave up six in the first half to a Texas offense that was just as good as OU's if not better.

They gave up 42 in the first half tonight and it's at 52 now for Oklahoma.

And, to top it off, the offensive line that's been so great all year has allowed three sacks already in 35 minutes of play after allowing five the first 10 games.

Of course, it doesn't help that Graham Harrell is "rattled" and "nervous."

Are you kidding me? Rattled and nervous?

If he was going to be rattled and nervous, period, it would've been three weeks ago versus No. 1 Texas.

This is embarrassing for Texas Tech and also tough to watch as well.

What Will The New Head Coach at Tennessee Need to Do?

College Football Fanatic — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:39:14 -0500

As of this season, it is no longer great to be a Tennessee Vol.

And we can thank Phillip Fulmer for that.

Late in a pathetic 2008 season—six losses and counting, five in the SEC—Phillip Fulmer was finally asked to step down as the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. The entire year of 2008 has been bad, save for the Jan. 1st Outback Bowl victory.

Tennessee finished 36th in recruiting, the lowest of Fulmer's tenure. David Cutcliffe bolted to Duke for the head coach position and Trooper Taylor to Baylor for the offensive coordinator spot.

Then, September finally rolled around and Jonathan Crompton made us all yearn for the Manning days as he looked like an even more inaccurate version of Reggie Ball, which can be contributed to the coaches.

His tenure as the starting QB ended after a horrendous 8-for-23 outing against Auburn, including a fumble in UT's own end zone recovered by the Tigers for what ended up being the deciding touchdown.

Nick Stephens was named the starter against Northern Illinois and since has played better than Crompton, but the offensive line, predicted by many to be the best in the SEC, has not backed him up. You can attribute that to coaching.

It pretty much all came crashing down against South Carolina.

Tennessee had lost once—once—to South Carolina in Fulmer's tenure. The offense proceeded to look like the worst offense in girl's powderpuff football history. The O-line gave up five sacks. Stephens threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Crompton was put in and attempted to be Ryan Leaf. They failed three times on fourth downs in SC territory.

And on Monday, Fulmer was finally let go after 17 years as the head coach at Tennessee. Many fans feel this was well belated, as this could be UT's second losing season in four years. Even if Tennessee wins out they may not make a bowl at 6-6 and 3-5 in the SEC. The season, pretty much, is lost.

But the real question is: Who will be the new head coach?

There have been some names mentioned, specifically Tulsa's Todd Graham and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly. What Tennessee needs is a proven coach who knows how to run an offense properly and can recruit better than Fulmer has lately.

The first thing the new head coach has to do is to keep the recruits that Tennessee already has for 2009.

They currently have nine four-stars, including heralded dual-threat QB Tajh Boyd and linebacker Jerod Askew, and 12 three-stars. The new coach's first priority should be keeping these recruits, as some of them have potential to be All-Americans in the future.

The new coach also needs to let the new offensive coordinator, Dave Clawson, actually call the plays. Under Fulmer, Clawson called the minority of the offensive plays, and David Cutcliffe was the only OC to really change this somewhat. Clawson had proven himself at Richmond, taking a football program from being a pathetic excuse to getting 11 wins in 2007.

But the main thing the new coach needs to do?

He needs to make it great to be a Tennessee Vol once again.

Report: Auburn Offensive Coordinator Tony Franklin Fired

College Football Fanatic — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:19:23 -0400

In the above photo, you see the look that Tommy Tuberville and many Auburn fans have had so many times this year thanks to Auburn's offensive offense.

Well, Auburn fans, you may see a new offensive coordinator to save the day.

Sources close to the team are saying that first-year offensive coordinator Tony Franklin has been fired after the Tigers only averaged 13 points in their four SEC games so far, going 2-2.

Franklin, a renowned coordinator who had built a business selling his lucrative offensive system, was fired around 3:40 p.m. ET. Few details are available at the time this is being written.

The frustration over Auburn's anemic offense this year hit a boiling point Saturday night as Vanderbilt beat Auburn, 14-13, making it the third time in six games this year Auburn has scored 14 points or fewer in a game.

Auburn is currently ranked 104th in the nation in total offense and 11th in the SEC, in front of (strangely enough) Vanderbilt.

Tennessee-Auburn: CFF's Review of the Vols' 14-12 Loss

College Football Fanatic — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:29:42 -0400

This was a loss, and I'm supposed to feel bad about it.

But I don't. Well, not as much as I did last week, but Tennessee played a lot better than I really thought they would, and I'm not really angry with them this week.

Offense

Well, I lied. I'm very angry about the offense.

Dave Clawson has got to get this group together and tell them to stop playing like crap and stop making so many mistakes.

Jonathan Crompton confirmed that he is one of the most incompetent and worst starting QBs in the nation with his second-quarter botched handoff to Arian Foster, fumbled at UT's own 5, which Auburn recovered in the end zone for a TD to make the score 14-6.

Crompton clearly is not the starting quarterback. He made several throws that were just awful, including three at least 10 yards out of bounds when he had a receiver open, and sometimes two.

And to top it off, his pathetic attempt at a handoff to Foster ended up being the deciding play of the game.

You want to know how badly he played?

His final stat line: 8-of-23, 67 yards, no TDs, and two sacks on plays where he could've easily gotten away.

In other words, a normal outing for Ryan Leaf.

The rushing game actually played fairly well, accumulating 124 yards on 33 carries. The rushing game kept UT in the game and kept them threatening late.

Gerald Jones finally got a little more action at the G-Gun, even throwing his first pass of the year to Lucas Taylor, a perfect screen pass that Taylor dropped because he took his eyes off the ball.

Grade: D

Defense

The defense played very well, but I do have to admit it was against Auburn's sputtering offense. Still, UT's defense held Auburn to just 226 yards on 67 plays and forced seven three-and-outs.

The defensive line finally looked good, making great plays on the line and even sacking Todd and Burns twice. They were in both QBs' faces for most of the day.

The secondary didn't play very well, but Dennis Rogan made a great pick with five minutes left in the third quarter that led to UT's only touchdown of the day.

Kudos to John Chavis for getting the defensive unit ready for this game, because they played pretty darn well.

Grade: B+

Special Teams

What an improvement in just one week.

Chad Cunningham, who isn't even the real first-string punter, pinned Auburn inside their own 5 three times and inside their own 20 five times on 10 punts.

The punt coverage was a lot better as well, and Auburn couldn't even return a punt because either Cunningham had pinned them or multiple UT defenders were in their face, ready to smack the returner if he didn't call for a fair catch.

Once again, a big improvement over Florida last week.

Grade: A-

Coaching

Fulmer did not look incompetent this week at all, and I'll give him that. But, he has to make the decision to at least let someone split time with Crompton, because if Crompton continues as the starter, we may not even reach a bowl.

For the first time in my life, I'm actually worrying about the game against Vanderbilt.

Clawson did not make too many good play calls, but most of them weren't his fault. Crompton played so badly that late in the game, CBS showed a shot of him leaning back in his chair, sighing, seemingly wondering, "How much worse can he play?"

Chavis, you did a great, great job with the defense.

Grade: B-

Overall: B-

A much better effort against Auburn than against Florida, and much better than I expected us to play. Still, one play, a massive mistake, cost UT the game, just like last week when three major mistakes cost UT a chance at challenging Florida.

Five Keys to a Tennessee Victory Over #15 Auburn On Saturday

College Football Fanatic — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:13:00 -0400

This, really, is a must-win game for the Vols. If the Vols lose this one, it could confirm the end of Phillip Fulmer's tenure as UT head coach and the Northern Illinois attendance would be expected to be around 65,000, which would mean more than 35,000 empty seats and the lowest attendance for a UT football game in a long time.

Here's five ways the Tennessee Volunteers can pull the upset on #15 Auburn.

1. Limit the mistakes

Too many mistakes are the reason why Tennessee is 1-2 right now. In the UCLA game, UT lost a great chance to go up 21-7 in the second half when Arian Foster fumbled a handoff at the UCLA 5 and gave the ball away to UCLA.

This play, in my opinion, really changed the game. If UT had gone up 21-7, the way UCLA had been playing, UT would've held on to win easily.

Against Florida, they turned the ball over twice inside the Florida 3. If Tennessee got two TDs instead of losing the football on those plays, the score would've been 17-7 and then 20-14, bringing a much different outlook on the game.

But those mistakes were made, and it's time to forget about 'em and make as few mistakes as possible against this tough Auburn team. The way Auburn wins is they make very few mistakes (usually) and simply outplay the other team. Tennessee has got to play as hard as they can and limit the mistakes.

2. Do not punt the ball to Robert Dunn!

Phil Fulmer, we UT fans would've thought that you might've learned from the past three years of Brandon James running all over UT defenders for easy punt return TDs. If you didn't know, James has returned punts for TDs three years in a row on Tennessee (technically two, since one was called back for an illegitimate block-in-the-back penalty, but you get the point). Robert Dunn is just as good of a player and just as fast as James is.

You must not punt to this man, or we could see another debacle like last week where James broke five poor attempts at tackles en route to a 78 yard punt return TD. Phil, please tell Chad Cunningham to not punt the ball to Dunn. OK?

3. Get Gerald Jones involved as much as possible

This Auburn team has lots of speed. So why not try and beat them at their own game?

Jones, a quarterback in high school who was converted to wide receiver upon coming to Tennessee, is a better quarterback than Jonathan Crompton from what has been seen in Vols practices. He's also the fastest player on the offense, besides third-string RB Lennon Creer.

The G-Gun formation needs to be used for just more than the option. Let Jones throw the ball some. Last week, Florida knew what was coming when we ran the G-Gun, either a draw by Jones or a handoff to Foster/Creer/Hardesty.

Put some variety in the G-Gun, because that's one way that we can confuse Auburn and find some offensive success.

4. Run the ball, run the ball some more, and if General Robert Neyland's ghost suddenly appears, let him scream, "What did I tell you, boy? RUN THE GODD--N FOOTBALL!"

It's honestly about time that we let Crompton relax if he's going to be the starter. Stop making him throw so much. We shouldn't let a guy who's starting his fifth career game feel like the entire game rests on him throwing perfect passes.

We need to run more. The way Tennessee has won before is running the football up the gut. We have three very good running backs in Arian Foster (although he is mistake-prone), Montario Hardesty, and Lennon Creer. If Tauren Poole gets some more carries, you could maybe even add him to the list.

If we had run more against Florida, we would've had a shot at winning.

If you run the ball over and over, it wears the defense down. Don't let Auburn's D have any rest and just pound the ball up the middle.

5. Play for 60 minutes.

This cannot be said enough. Too many times, Tennessee has played well for three quarters but stopped playing in the fourth quarter and let the game slip away. Part of this is due to bad coaching, but part of this is due to the players just becoming exhausted.

Fulmer needs to be subbing the starters in and out as much as possible, so he can keep fresh legs going in, tire Auburn down, and most of all, keep the players energized and able to actually play in the fourth quarter.

If Tennessee can do these things, they will beat Auburn. It mainly rests on Fulmer to get them ready for what may be a game that could decide his fate at Tennessee.

Florida-Tennessee: CFF's Review Of The Vols' 30-6 Blowout Loss

College Football Fanatic — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:35:21 -0400

This was horrendous. This was ugly.

And I'm not even sure those two words are correct for how awful of a game Tennessee played. Florida didn't dominate Tennessee like last year and UT actually outgained Florida, but the Vols made many mistakes and blew multiple scoring opportunities thanks to dumb turnovers.

Offense

Look, I've tried to support Jonathan Crompton since the offseason started. I thought this guy would be a smart quarterback and wouldn't be as bad as everyone said. Boy, was I wrong. Even though Crompton's stats were decent yesterday (18-28, 162 yards), probably half of those catches were thanks to the receivers doing a great job to even get a hand on the ball.

Crompton has proved to be an incompetent, mediocre, and most of all, confusing quarterback in his first three starts. Here's two main examples.

In the second quarter about halfway through, Crompton's led the Vols to the Florida one. The score is still UF 17, UT 0, but Crompton and the Vols have a great chance to get a touchdown and gain some momentum.

There is no Florida defender in front of the center. Most quarterbacks know what this means. If you are in this situation, you change the play to a quarterback sneak and you easily get in for the TD and some momentum and possibly a game-changing play.

So what does Crompton do?

He attempts a handoff to the fullback, holds on to the ball for too long, the fullback drops it, and Florida recovers. It's a good thing I was sitting in the upper deck because if I was in the lower deck I would've ran out onto the field and beaten the crap out of Crompton.

Then, with 30 seconds left in the first half, once again, the Vols are at the Florida one. Montario Hardesty (I think) attempts to jump over the pile and is stuffed for no gain. When the play ends, there are 28 seconds on the clock. When Fulmer finally calls the freakin' timeout, there's 16. 16 seconds. More on that later.

So, instead of having a chance to run the field goal unit out there in case we don't make it, we've got to throw the ball. At the Florida one. What? Crompton throws an awful pass that's nearly picked off on third down, and his fourth and goal pass is easily intercepted. Crompton is booed off the field.

The rushing game underperformed. Many people were saying that if UT was going to win this game, they needed at least 200 yards rushing. We got 96 on 31 carries. Arian Foster led with 37 yards on 14 carries.

The offensive line has been a big disappointment so far. We've had many holding penalties be the cause of calling back 20 and 30 yard plays. Fulmer's got to get this group together and say that if they don't start performing better, everyone's starting spot is up for grabs.

Grade: C-

Defense

Thank God for the defense. If it wasn't for them, this game would've been 51-6 instead of 30-6.

The defense held Florida to just 243 yards and Tim Tebow to 8-15 and 96 yards passing with two TDs and just 26 yards rushing, which was a good job by the D.

Rico McCoy and Eric Berry were the two standouts and were all over the field making tackles. McCoy finished with 10, including one for a loss, and Berry finished with 8, including a sack.

The defensive line has underperformed this season. We only have two sacks through three games and didn't even get one versus UF. The D-line has to step it up if they want to beat Auburn.

Grade: B

Special Teams

They just sucked, can I leave it at that?

Grade: F

Coaching

This is what lost us the game.

Phil Fulmer, I've always thought you were a good coach, but it's time for you to go. You didn't have this team ready for Florida and that is pathetic. You can't even get a team ready for a game. You didn't have them ready for UCLA either.

It just shows what level of mediocrity you've taken Tennessee to now that AD Mike Hamilton gives you another year on your contract if you get eight wins in a season. Gee, I wonder if he includes another year's supply of Krispy Kreme donuts in there just for you, you tub of lard.

And what the heck was with the play-calling? Throwing it at the one? Do you realize how many UT fans wanted to chop your head off right there on the field?

Also, what was with calling the timeout with 16 seconds left in the first half, wasting 12 or 13 seconds and not giving us the chance for a field goal if we didn't make it in on third down? What were you thinking?

You know how bad it got, Phil? The crowd booed UT off the field at halftime. That didn't even happen when they went 5-6 in 2005 and I can't ever remember that ever happening, or at least ever having the whole crowd boo the Vols off the field.

Here's to hoping you get fired, Phil.

Grade: F

Overall Grade: D

Tennessee-UAB: CFF's Review of Volunteers' 35-3 Win

College Football Fanatic — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:41:15 -0400

The Volunteers beat UAB 35-3 and covered the 30-point spread, but they didn't look even decent until the second half. I'm going to be reviewing how the Vols played overall in this article.

Offense

The Vols offense sputtered through the first two-and-a-half quarters except for about five minutes in the first quarter. The offensive line looked inept at times, making quarterback Jonathan Crompton throw earlier than he wanted to on most attempts and having several penalties in the first half and the first few minutes of the second half.

With about nine minutes to go in the third quarter, though, everything finally started clicking. Arian Foster had rushes of 31 and 16 yards and caught a pass for 22 yards, and Montario Hardesty got a six-yard touchdown run.

Lennon Creer broke out a 45-yard TD run in the third quarter and got another TD run in the fourth. Even fourth-string running back Tauren Poole broke off a couple good runs of 17 and 19 yards. Nick Stephens, the second-string QB, completed a 42-yard pass to JUCO transfer Brandon Warren.

Crompton finished 19 for 31 for 240 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Arian Foster finished with 100 yards on 12 carries, and Lennon Creer got 93 yards on eight carries for two touchdowns. Lucas Taylor had one of the best games of his UT career, catching nine passes for 132 yards.

The Vols ended up with 548 total yards, 266 of them rushing.

Grade: B

Defense

The defense was a lot like the offense. U AB went inside the Vols' 25-yard line twice in the first half and even got to the nine on the latter of the two drives before Eric Berry saved the Vols by picking off a Joe Webb pass at the one.

In the second half, the defense stiffened up despite allowing a field goal. They forced two more Webb interceptions, both of which came in the fourth quarter. One led to a UT touchdown that gave us the final score of 35-3. The UT defense was best on third downs, where UAB only converted three of 12.

Eric Berry and Ellix Wilson led the Vols, with both having seven tackles and an interception.

Grade: B+

Special Teams

Nothing I can really put here. Chad Cunningham had a decent game, averaging 34.5 yards on two punts. Daniel Lincoln went five for five on extra points. Everyone did what he was supposed to.

Grade: A

Coaching

Don't think that this win even moves Fulmer half an inch off the hot seat. The entire team looked inept at times, but in the second half it all came together, and the offense started performing remarkably better after Fulmer ripped the entire offensive line for committing so many penalties.

Dave Clawson's offense looked great in the second half, but this won't be an indicator of how the Vols play against Florida next week.

John Chavis' defense looked great for most of the game, and if the Vols beat Florida, the defense will be the reason why.

Grade: B

Overall: B+

West Virginia Signs Coach Bill Stewart to Six-Year Contract

College Football Fanatic — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:40:13 -0400

Mountaineers football coach Bill Stewart has been signed to a six-year deal that will pay him $800,000 this year, with the salary annually increasing by $50,000.

Athletic Director Ed Pastilong said that Stewart's base salary is $150,000. He will earn another $550,000 in income for promotional purposes, which includes television and radio appearances with the Mountaineer Sports Network.

Also included in the deal is a $100,000 retention fee that he will get on Sept. 1 each year that he stays with WVU.

Stewart can also earn an additional $400,000 each year in incentives and $150,000 for a national championship.

Stewart is the successor to Rich Rodriguez at WVU. He was picked to be the head coach on Jan. 3 after beating No. 3 Oklahoma 48-28 in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Bottom Ten: The Worst of College Football (Week 2)

College Football Fanatic — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:10:11 -0400

Failure: it's not a pretty thing. The following ten teams, players, and other people have been deemed the worst of the worst for Week Two.

10. Maryland Terrapins

It couldn't get much worse, could it? It's embarrassing enough to barely escape with a win over an FCS team while being predicted to be a seven- or eight-win team, but to lose to Middle Tennessee State University is sad.

MTSU controlled the ball for 40 minutes and completely outplayed Maryland. Kind of funny to think that a team was supposed to be an 7-5, 8-4 team and that was supposed to be able to play with any team in the ACC can lose to and be completely outplayed by a mediocre Sun Belt team.

9. Washington State Cougars

66-3.

A 66-3 loss at home to Cal.

What has happened to the once-good Washington State team? Paul Wulff has had about the worst start possible as the Cougars' head coach, getting whooped by Oklahoma State 39-13 and then this. What is happening in Pullman?

8. Army Black Knights

There's not too big of a problem with losing to Temple if you're Army. Temple is an improving team and might even make it to .500 this year.

But losing to FCS team New Hampshire 28-10?

People gave San Diego State heck for losing to Cal Poly, an FCS team, but SDSU didn't lose to Cal Poly by 18 points. They lost to them by 2.

What a pathetic effort. An 0-12 season is definitely possible now. Maybe they can beat Eastern Michigan. Maybe.

7. The New Arkansas Uniforms

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd261/cedarpoint13/theseuniformsareterrible.jpg

If I have to see much more of these they could become No. 1 on this list.

6. Virginia Cavaliers

First, you lose 52-7 to USC. Oh, I guess you guys didn't get the notice that you were supposed to put up a little bit of a fight. Then, you score a whopping 16 points (16!) against FCS team Richmond and only get 91 rushing yards on 38 carries.

If you're keeping score at home, that's a pathetic average of 2.4 yards per carry. You only led 3-0 going into the fourth quarter and you didn't even make it a two-possession game until midway through the fourth.

Richmond even got a good drive on you late until you got a lucky interception to stop it. Granted, Virginia will be at best a 4-8 team this year, but this is still pretty sad.

5. Tyler Lorenzen

I'm confused as to how you played so well last year. You have started off the season by throwing four picks and no TDs against two teams that are overly tough to play: FCS team Hofstra and Temple.

You threw three of the picks against Hofstra. You only completed 10 of 22 passes against Temple for a whopping 86 yards. Temple's defense isn't that tough, is it?

4. North Texas Not-So-Mean Green

Look, seriously consider changing your name because lately you haven't even been close to mean. You've been downright polite and nice in allowing teams to rack up yards and points on you.

You've allowed an average of 513 yards in the first two games to Kansas State and Tulsa. You've allowed an average of 51.5 points in the first two games. You've scored an average of 16 points.

If LSU left their starters in the whole game against you coming up this week, they could win 84-3. It's a good thing for you that they'll only score 50 by halftime, just so they won't embarrass you too badly.

3. Idaho Vandals

Good news: They won a game, 42-27.

Bad news: It was against FCS opponent Idaho State, who isn't exactly an FCS power.

2. Florida International Golden Panthers

FIU has been anything but golden since they entered Div. I-A. They shocked me by actually scoring against Kansas (they put up 10 points, losing 40-10). But they went back to their normal ways and got shut out by Iowa, 42-0.

1. Pac-10 Officials

I've already ripped them in another column, but the reason why they're No. 1 is that this is just another bad call in a string of terrible calls over the past few years. I'd honestly rather have Sun Belt officials calling the game.

Honorable mentions

Wyoming's uniforms (team and band), San Diego State, Utah State, Arkansas, Urban Meyer's decision to kick the field goal with 30 seconds left while up by 20, SMU, and Central Florida's overtime playcalling against South Florida.

Panthers Stun San Diego 26-24 on Final Play

College Football Fanatic — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:51:57 -0400

Jake Delhomme came back from his injury last year and handed the Chargers a stunner that they won't forget anytime soon.

As time expired, Delhomme found tight end Dante Rosario in the end zone on fourth down for a 14-yard touchdown as the Panthers shocked the Chargers 26-24.

After Phillip Rivers rallied the Chargers back to a 24-19 lead with his third touchdown pass of the game with 2:27 left, Delhomme led the Panthers down the field.

He took them all the way to San Diego's 14-yard line with just 2 seconds to play. Delhomme dropped back on the final play, scrambled around and finally found Rosario in the end zone to give Carolina the lead and the win.

The Chargers seemingly had the game under wraps after the score with 2:27 to go, but Carolina just wouldn't give up.

San Diego made it to the AFC Championship Game last year and was a popular pick to win the Super Bowl this year. Carolina is coming off of a poor 7-9 season.

Titans Get Seven Sacks in 17-10 Win Over Jacksonville

College Football Fanatic — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:09:27 -0400

David Garrard was sacked seven times by the Tennessee Titans' defense in a 17-10 opening day win for Tennessee over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Garrard couldn't seem to escape the Titans' D, completing 23 of 35 passes but throwing two crucial picks and getting sacked seven times. The Jaguars had a rough day on offense, running for only 33 yards (they were the second best rushing team in the AFC last year) and getting just 187 yards overall. They looked nothing like the team that was supposed to challenge Indianapolis for the AFC South title.

Chris Johnson had a good first game for the Titans, picking up 93 yards on 15 carries and catching three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown. Vince Young had a rough day, going just 12-for-22 for 110 yards. He got one TD but threw two picks.

In the fourth quarter, Young took a hard hit from the Jaguars' Daryl Smith and Young limped off the field. Young was seen on crutches after he was evaluated, but Coach Jeff Fisher said that he doesn't think the injury is serious. He also said that Young's knee eased up after the game, but he was still moving very gingerly in the locker room afterwards.

Tennessee struck first with a 47-yard field goal by Rob Bironas in the first quarter, but Jacksonville came back in the second quarter with a one-yard TD pass from Garrard to Greg Jones. Before the half ended, Johnson caught a seven-yard TD pass from Young to give the Titans a 10-7 lead.

LenDale White added a TD for the Titans in the fourth quarter to make it 17-7. Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee hit a 27-yarder with two minutes left to cut it to 17-10, giving us our final score.

Pac-10 Officials Are Officially the Worst in College Football

College Football Fanatic — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:25:23 -0400

For fans, it's always fun to pick on the official; to yell at him after you think he's made a bad call. Rarely are the fans correct in yelling at an official for making a bad call.

But after yet another incredibly dumb call by a Pac-10 officiating crew yesterday, the whole world has the right to scream at these officials.

With eight seconds to play and Washington trailing 28-21 against No. 15 BYU and looking for a big upset, Jake Locker took the snap and ran for the end zone. He made it, and with two seconds remaining in regulation, Washington had a chance to pull off an upset on a team most experts had picked to be the BCS buster this year.

What happened next will be debated for what could be the rest of the year.

Locker threw the ball over his shoulder and celebrated with his team. Typical celebration, nothing incredibly out of the ordinary here. The Huskies were ecstatic over having the chance to beat a very good team, and looked to tie the game and send it into overtime.

But wait, the Pac-10 officials realize that they have to decide the outcome of the game. So, a flag is thrown for excessive celebration, and Washington is backed up 15 yards. I'll let you watch the video for yourself and decide. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap6Kn0dkbyY

To me, this is one of the worst calls in football in a long time. Why do you call an excessive celebration penalty on a kid that is just excited about his team having a chance at winning? Unbelievable.

But it happened.

The Huskies would have had an easy 20-yard extra point if this stupid miscue didn't happen. Instead, Pac-10 officials stepped in and made it basically a 35-yard field goal, which is not very easy. The kick was blocked, and I'm willing to bet it was partially because the 15 yards put a lot more pressure on the kicker to make the PAT.

The main point here is an officiating crew should not decide the game.

But they did, and it's not the first time that it's happened. Or the second. Or even the third.

Everyone already knows about the officiating screw-up in the 2006 Oklahoma vs. Oregon game. That was one of the worst mistakes since the infamous Fifth Down in 1991.

One mistake is understandable, but several over the course over the last couple of years is pretty bad.

Honestly, I'd rather have Sun Belt officials calling the game. These officials should be either fired or suspended for a while.

Officials should not determine the outcome of the game, and it's happened several times in the past couple of years because of these idiots.