Bleacher Report - Nick Saban

BCS Bowl Predictions: Final Week

Brian Nelson — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:52:09 -0500

This week featured some of the most compelling and most meaningful games of the season.

Oklahoma State's buckling at the Bedlam game had by far the most significant impact on final BCS destinations. The Cowboys lost 27-0 to the 6-5 Sooners. It's amazing this team was just one win away from the "exclusive" BCS.

Just like the Big 12 itself, OSU was vastly overrated.

Perhaps, the nation should have paid more attention to what last year's Bowl results were telling us. The Pac-10, the SEC and the MWC are for real and the Big 12 seemed mediocre.

The big winners this week were Boise State and the SEC.

Boise State seemed to be on the outside looking in until Oklahoma State fell.

The SEC manhandled the ACC over the weekend. Florida was too much for the Seminole defense and two mid-tier SEC teams whipped both ACC Division Champions.

Alabama survived another close call. This week pulling it out at the last minute against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Props to the Tide and to Greg Mcelroy who looked terrific.

Although I am very surprised the Tigers called two running plays during the one minute drill. I think the idea is to run plays that stop the clock and that actually move the chains.

The biggest loser this week aside from the ACC and Oklahoma State may have been the Big East. Pitt's loss to West Virginia takes a lot of glimmer off next week's de facto conference championship game.

In addition, if Texas were to somehow fall to Nebraska next week, it will be increasingly difficult for Cincinnati to pass up TCU in the Final BCS standings.

Either way, I see Pitt winning next week. Dion Lewis and Pitt's explosive running game will prove to much for Cincinnati's suspect run defense.

Here is how I see the BCS Bowl playing out on selection Sunday:

National Championship Game: Texas vs. Florida.

Texas does not deserve to be in this game. I know they were victims of the system last year and this will be a killer match-up, McCoy vs. Tebow, two major powerhouses. The ratings will be through the roof. Which is probably all the BCS cares about anyway.

The BCS should really take a stand on Texas' schedule. They certainly have no problem doing it with non-BCS teams. That hypocrisy will cost them one day. Big time.

Playing for the Crystal Football, Charlie Strong exposes Texas weak running game and the Gators' disciplined secondary keeps McCoy in check. Shipley returns a punt for a touchdown but the defending champions prevail, again.

Florida 27, Texas 17

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State

Ohio State continues their pathetic January play by folding to Jeremiah Masoli and Chip Kelly's brilliant offense, who always seem to play better and better as the year progresses.

Oregon 28, Ohio State 20

Orange Bowl: Pitt vs. Clemson

Dude, seriously could this game get any uglier? The Orange Bowl, with the third at-large pick, selects Pitt in order to avoid a Clemson-TCU rematch.

Four loss Clemson advances to the Orange Bowl automatically after knocking off Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets.

Pitt knocks off Cincinnati with their stellar run game and terrific defensive line play. They do the same to Clemson despite 250 all-purpose yards from CJ Spiller.

Pitt 13, Clemson 10

Fiesta Bowl: Penn State vs. Boise State

By losing Texas to the National Championship Game and Oklahoma State due to deficiency, the Fiesta Bowl has the honor of selecting two at-large teams. Knowing that their last pick will inherently be a less desirable non-BCS team, the Fiesta selects Penn State over the more deserving Iowa Hawkeyes, banking on the pull of Joe Pa and the strong, traveling fan base of the Nittany Lions.

While Iowa travels well too, the Fiesta views Penn State as the higher octane offense that can keep up with the Boise State Broncos.

Despite TCU's stronger resume, the Fiesta Bowl pulls from past experience and opts for the more proven commodity in Boise State. A team that has historically traveled better than TCU.

The Big Ten's woes in BCS games continue.

Boise State 42, Penn State 31

Sugar Bowl: TCU vs. Alabama

I love the Tide and suffer from Tebow-fatigue. But even a very talented, well-coached adn well-balanced like this year's Alabama won't get by Urban and Tim in the National Championship semi-final.

While Mcelroy and Julio Jones looked terrific against Auburn on Friday, Alabama's passing game won't be strong enough to keep up with Tim Tebow and Riley Cooper, despite Mark Ingram hobbling to 100 plus rushing yards.

Once again, the Tide will have to "settle" for another Sugar Bowl with another inferior MWC team. Saban learns his lesson from last year and does not provide any bulletin board fodder by discounting the MWC.

But he still overlooks TCU and their capable run defense.

The Tide faithful lay claim that they would've beat TCU had Andre Smith suited up.

TCU 31, Alabama 17

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

College Football's 11 Best 11s For December: The SEC Rules The ACC

BabyTate — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:44:21 -0500

During the final week of the regular season each season, arch-rivals in the two conferences who define southern sports meet to settle their differences.

The two leagues are the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference, SEC and ACC to friends and foes alike.

Arrogant and powerful, each conference considers itself head and shoulders above any other in the primary college sports, the SEC in football and the ACC in basketball.

All apologies to the other BCS conferences, PAC10, Big10, Big East, and Big 12 but, until you can wrest the National Championship in each sport away from the two conferences it is the reality of the current situation.

Fans recognize Alabama taking on Florida in SEC football, and Duke and UNC battling in ACC basketball, make the sports world come to a stop. However, it is the inter-conference rivalries in football that create the extended family atmosphere.

This situation happens in the states of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina when the Gators meet the Seminoles, the Yellow Jackets meet the Bulldogs, and the Tigers take on the Gamecocks.

The basketball season is young so, the jury is still out as to who is the boss of who this year. Not so with football.

Saturday's results proved the SEC is clearly superior to the ACC in football this season.

Ga Tech, pride of the ACC and ranked No. 7 in the BCS poll, was beaten by a middle-of-the-road Georgia, 30-24.

Clemson, who face the Yellow Jackets for the ACC title in Tampa next week and feature possible Heisman Trophy finalist C.J. Spiller, received a beatdown from Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks, 34-17.

Florida State, for years the big gun of the ACC, was mauled by No. 1 ranked Florida 37-10 in a game never as close as the final score indicates.

Bad blood between blood relatives in these three situations.

And there is always next year.

The 11 Best 11s

Ranking This Week Ranking Last Week

1. Texas 1.

2. Alabama 2.

3. Florida 3.

4. Texas Christian 4.

5. Boise State 5.

6. Cincinnati 6.

7. Oregon 9.

8. Ohio State 10.

9. Iowa 11.

10. Penn State N/R (On The Porch)

11. Oregon State N/R (On The Porch)

On The Porch: Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Va. Tech, Nebraska, LSU

Alabama presented a case for becoming No. 1 with an inspired 26-21 comeback victory over arch-enemy Auburn. The Crimson Tide will will meet Florida this Saturday to determine who is the Champion of the SEC.

Tennessee pulled out a 30-24 overtime win at Kentucky while LSU needed an extra period to subdue Arkansas, 33-30. Mississippi State surprised high-riding Ole Miss in Egg Bowl action, 41-27.

While the SEC settled their differences, the PAC-10 provided some of the best action of the weekend.

Southern California and UCLA, two schools who know a thing or two about rivalries, staged a magnificent contest in the Coliseum for nearly 60 minutes.

The final moments created the stir when Bruin head coach Rick Neuheisel called time out, apparently to cramp the Trojan victory celebration. Trojan overseer Pete Carroll did not appreciate the gesture and responded with a "bomb" pass play for a touchdown.

Properly incensed over the matter, the Bruins attempted to start a rumble. Cooler heads prevailed and the Men of Troy went home with a 28-7 win over their crosstown rival.

Houston showed no mercy to their city rival, the Rice Owls. Leading 59-0 at halftime, the Cougars went on to a 73-14 act of destruction.

The Apple Cup was settled early on as the Huskies dominated Washington State 30-0.

In the desert battle between Arizona and Arizona State, the Wildcats scored on a last second field goal to escape the clutches of Dennis Erickson's nasty boys defense.

Stanford put a merciful end to the season of Notre Dame and the much-maligned Charlie Weis. Behind the powerful running of Toby Gerhart, the Cardinal overhauled the tiring Irish in the second half for a 45-38 victory.

Boise State took the pistol offense of Nevada and clobbered the Wolfpack with the handle, 44-33 while TCU destroyed hapless New Mexico, 51-10.

Brigham Young had to work overtime to defeat Utah 26-23 in the Battle of the Beehive State but it was the remarks of the Cougars' star quarterback Max Hall that made the most noise.

"I don’t like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, their fans. I hate everything,” Hall said. “It felt really good to send those guys home.”

“I think the whole university [Utah] and their fans and the organization is classless,” Hall said. “They threw beer on my family and stuff last year and did a whole bunch of nasty things. I don’t respect them and they deserved to lose.”

Max, tell us how you really feel.

In Big 12 action, Texas withstood a furious Texas A&M attack to pull out a win on Thanksgiving evening, 49-39. The Oklahoma Sonners blanked the Oklahoma State Cowboys 27-0 in the Bedlam series.

Kansas fell to Missouri 41-39 in the Border War, Texas Tech defeated Baylor 20-13, and Nebraska punched out Colorado 28-20 despite some good news around the Hawkins family household. Coach Dan will be back for another season as head coach in Boulder.

Around the Big East stories circulated concerning the demise of Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe following another losing season, this one punctuated by a Friday loss to Rutgers by the tune of 34-14.

Illinois bowed to Cincinnati 49-36, Syracuse fell to UConn 56-31, and in the Backyard Brawl Pittsburgh fell on the final play of the game to West Virginia, 19-16.

The ACC-Big East showdown between South Florida and Miami ended with the Hurricanes rolling to a 31-10 victory. In other action, Boston College downed Maryland 19-17, N.C. State handed UNC another defeat 28-27, Wake Forest escaped Duke 45-34, and Virginia Tech destroyed Virginia, 42-13.

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

Why Didn't Alabama and Auburn Play Football Against Each Other for 40 Years?

BabyTate — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:05:12 -0500

It does seem difficult to believe but, it is true. Alabama and Auburn went 40 years without playing their annual rivalry game. The most obvious question should be "Why" but, the more interesting details may surround "Who" as in who was responsible for ending and then recreating the series that seems so much a part of each football season? For whatever reason, the rivalry was suspended from 1907 to 1948. The following information suggests possible reasons for the 40 year void in the record books of one of America's most intensely fought yearly competitions..

Begin Slideshow

Alabama Faces Florida in the SEC Title Game For The BCS National Championship

Franklin Crittenden — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:28:21 -0500

Yes, you read that right. It wasn't a poorly conceived headline. Alabama and Florida are actually playing for the BCS National Championship on December 5, 2009 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA.

Oh sure, they are playing for the SEC Championship as well, but lets face it, the winner of this game will most likely win the BCS National Championship game when it's played in Pasadena, CA on January 7, 2010.

So for all intents and purposes, this game between the two top teams in the SEC will decide who is to be crowned the BCS National Champion in January. The game itself is just a formality.

Why do I believe that you ask?

Because for the last 11 years, no matter who the opponent has been, the SEC Champion has beaten all comers in the previous BCS Championship games—that is when they were allowed to participate.

So I would have to say that if the SEC Champion were to lose to whomever the BCS chooses for an opponent in the BCS title game, it would have to be considered an upset of monumental proportion.

Every time the SEC plays in the BCS Championship game, they win.

The SEC was not invited in 2004 or 2005, thus giving USC and Texas a chance to win those two titles. But based on the SEC's record in the BCS game, I would have to call those titles illegitimate. The same goes for 1999 through 2002.

Please don't bother telling me about USC. If USC played in the SEC they would be a good team, but someone in the SEC would hang at least one loss on them in the regular season every year, not to mention a possible second loss in the SEC Championship game.

Just the fact that USC doesn't have to contend with a conference championship game should disqualify them from consideration in the BCS, in my humble opinion.

Imagine if they had to face Pac-10 powerhouses Oregon or Stanford for a second time in a conference championship game? I think about half of those national championships they claim would not exist. When I call them powerhouses, I am of course just being funny.

If playing in the Pac 10 is not easy enough, the Pac-10 makes it even easier by avoiding a championship game. If the Pac-10 wants to be respected, they should add a championship game and bring some real competition like Utah and Boise State into their conference.

Everyone knows the SEC is the premiere college football conference in the nation.

The names at the top of the SEC elite have changed over the years from Tennessee to LSU to Florida, back to LSU and then back to Florida again, but the results are always the same. Lets face the facts, the winner of the SEC, if invited, always wins the BCS Championship.

This brings me to Alabama.

It just so happens Alabama has been handicapped during the BCS years, but Alabama is back and they are again operating at 100 percent. Give Nick Saban one more year to recruit and Alabama will be a running like a three deep team shredder operating at full bore!

What does that mean to the SEC and the BCS?

It means that there is about to be a new sheriff in town with a chip on his shoulder and a bad attitude.

Over the past few year, Alabama and its fans have had to sit on the sideline and watch while all the other teams have had all the fun.

Well, guess what? The fun is almost over for some of the teams who have enjoyed this free ride thanks to the folks over at the NCAA.

I am not going to sit here and tell you that Alabama is one of the greatest football program in the country. I don't have to, because it is a fact .

Alabama is only second to Notre Dame by the thinnest of margins in the all time rankings and that is about to change within a blink of an eye.

Alabama is on its way to the top again while Notre Dame continues to struggle.

When Alabama wins its next national championship they will surpass Notre Dame and Alabama will once again be the college football program all others are measured by.

I hope you noticed that I said when. That was not a slip of the lip because I feel confident Alabama will win the national championship.

In fact they will win more than one in the near future.

Now before everyone starts thinking I am being arrogant or cocky, let me say this, I will not have a thing to do with it.

I am an Alabama fan, just like thousands of other Crimson Tide fans, the only thing I am going to do is support the team and the coaches and sit there with a big smile of my face and watch it all happen.

Next Saturday the Florida Gators will be the only thing standing in Alabama's way of becoming the next national champion and the premiere college football program in the country.

The Crimson Tide have caught up with the Gators and are now in position to surpass the defending national champions and represent the SEC in the BCS Championship game in January.

The Gators are very good, but the Alabama team they will face is head and shoulders better than last year's team that took them down to the wire in the 2008 SEC Championship game.

The Florida Gators' better bring their A game and a little luck if they intend on pulling this one out like they did last year.

I would suggest that anyone who loves college football tune in at 4:00 EST on December 5, 2009 on CBS and watch Alabama make history. Until then, now would be the time to give your opinion.

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

Dick Vitale Proclaims the PAC-10 Is the Best College Football Conference

BabyTate — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:52:54 -0500

Dick Vitale is about as famous as, well, Paul McCartney. Jack Nicholson? Donald Trump? Oprah Winfrey?

Let's just agree he is one of the most famous personalities of the past 25 years.

So when the college basketball guru makes a statement, the rest of the world perks up its ears to hear what he says.

However, one was forced to do a double take with the commentary he laid down in New York City on Wednesday night during the later stages of the Duke-Arizona State basketball contest.

With the Blue Devils moving along to another victory in the young round-ball season, ESPN play-by-play announcer Dan Shulman began to question Vitale concerning a variety of subjects to keep the TV audience from turning to another channel.

At this point, Vitale shocked the world by proclaiming the "PAC-10 is the best college football conference" this season. Shulman prodded the legendary sports analyst with hints that fans of other conferences may feel differently.

Vitale held firm, stating he felt that way "because of strength top to bottom" in the PAC-10.

Moments later, after additional queries by Shulman, Vitale declared the "Big 10 is the best basketball conference" this season.

A most likable and self-deprecating man of great charisma and accomplishments, Vitale is always available for speaking his mind and giving his opinions regarding virtually everything.

Dickie V., as he is known to his followers and detractors, is extremely knowledgeable in the major sports. His candid analysis of athletic issues underpins his position as the most famous person in the business.

While entertaining to say the very least, Vitale may have provided college football fans with a rallying cry for the season. No matter who plays in the BCS Title game, does it really matter if they advance without playing in the PAC-10?

A review concerning outside of conference schedules for teams in the PAC 10 reveal a very favorable record of 20 wins and nine losses for a 69 percent winning rate.

But a comparison to teams in the SEC casts doubt upon the veracity of Vitale's assertion of PAC-10 supremacy.

The outside of conference record of SEC teams is 39-6, an 87 percent success rate.

Surely the actual results must mean something in this debate.

To be certain, an in-depth analysis regarding quality of the outside opponents could reveal a different conclusion but, even that appears argumentative and unlikely.

So there we have it. An entire season of work and accomplishment washed down the drain by the ultimate sports announcer.

And just thinking, isn't that the responsibility of the BCS selection committee?

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

Alabama-Auburn and the Rest of Week 13 College Football Preview

Aaron Torres — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:05:17 -0500

Aaron Torres is a journalist whose work has been published by Sports Illustrated and syndicated by USA Today, AOL.com, and Slam Online. To read all of his work, as well as the rest of his Week 13 picks and his thoughts on Florida-Florida State, LSU-Arkansas and Texas-Texas A&M please click here or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com ).

Alabama (-10) over Auburn: Friday, 2:30 p.m.

Coming into this one, both teams are saying all the right things.

For Alabama, “this is the most important game on our schedule,” and “we’ll worry about Florida after this game,”

And, for Auburn, “we’re going to end Alabama’s undefeated run,” and “Mark Ingram isn’t winning the Heisman on us.” (Really guys, with the 89th-ranked run defense in college football? Really?)

And, while all the chatter is cute, here’s what we know: If Chris Todd is under center for Auburn, the Tigers have no chance. (Honestly, I’m surprised at this point an overzealous Auburn booster hasn’t kidnapped Todd, driven him into the woods and left him for dead like an old dog or something).

Auburn is going to throw everything they have at Alabama in the first few series and might even lead after the first quarter. But, in a rivalry game where there won’t be a letdown, talent wins out. It always does.

Alabama 24, Auburn 10.

Nevada (+14) Over Boise State: Friday, 10:00 p.m.

As hard as it might be to believe, this is the game I’m most looking forward to this weekend, and it’s not even close. Wait, what’s that? No, I didn’t have two cocktails with my lunch. Ok…maybe I did, but still, just hear me out.

Here’s what you’ve got in this game:

Two of the top four scoring offenses in college football (Boise State’s No. 1, Nevada No. 4).
Two teams that have combined to score 50 or more points 10 times, 60 or more points five times, with Nevada throwing up 70 on Idaho earlier this year for good measure.
The quarterback with the highest passer rating and second most touchdowns in all of college football (Boise’s Kellen Moore, with 33 TD and just three interceptions) on one sideline, and the first team in NCAA history to have three 1,000 yard rushers in the same year on the other sideline.
Two teams that have combined to win their last 19 games.

In other words, this game is going to be a weird mix of a super high-scoring Madden game, a NASCAR race, and one of those movies where a guy takes too many mushrooms, wanders into the desert and starts seeing things.

After awhile you’ll start thinking your seeing things, too.

Nope this is just some good old fashioned WAC football. Save the defense for the SEC.

Clemson (-3) over South Carolina: Saturday, 12:00 p.m.

So, the last time we saw Stephen Garcia, he had a collapsed lung and was bleeding internally after getting thrown around like one of Ike Turner’s girlfriends by Florida’s defense.

Even with a week off, South Carolina still doesn’t having a running game, and they’re still not winning this one. Also C.J. Spiller is my favorite Heisman candidate that has no chance of actually winning the award.

Georgia Tech (-7 ½) at Georgia: Saturday, 8:00 p.m.

These two teams are like the bizzaro versions of each other.

Tech chews up the clock (No. 1 ranked team in time of possession), doesn’t make mistakes, and wears you out with smarts more than skill. Georgia commits dumb penalties, misses tackles, shoots themselves in the foot at inopportune times and always seems to find new and creative ways to lose games. (Did you see their last drive against Kentucky? I rest my case).

The only thing that concerns me about picking against Georgia is that they always seem to play best when no one has any expectations of them. And, of course, that they’re playing for the memory of UGA VII. (Honestly, I don’t even know how they took the field last week. Just emotional, emotional stuff).

Even after that though, I’m sticking with Tech. Eleven games is a pretty good sample size, and I’ve seen nothing that indicates to me that Georgia is going to win this game. Or that it’ll even be close.

Stanford (-10) over Notre Dame: Saturday, 8:00 p.m.

And the uncomfortable, sexually suggestive quote of the week goes to…Toby Gerhart’s girlfriend, for calling the Stanford running back “One big muscle ,” in an interview last week. (On a side note, I think I’m just going to keep my comments to myself on this one. I’m terrified that anything I say will end with the Palo Alto Gay and Lesbian Alliance picketing on my front lawn. Maybe we should just move on).

I said in my column Monday, and I’ll say it again here, Stanford is really good, they were just due for a letdown last weekend. They’d won too many big games, gotten too many pats on the back in biochemistry class, and had too many girls swinging by the dorms late at night to “celebrate.” We’ve seen it happen a million times before, and we’ll see it a million times again.

The Cardinal will come back and be just fine this week against Notre Dame. Stanford by two touchdowns.

And, oh yeah, one more thing: Thanks for reading, and everybody have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

(To read the remainder of this article, including Aaron's thoughts on Florida-Florida State, LSU-Arkansas and Texas-Texas A&M, please visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com)

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

It's Hate Week!: Week 13 College Football Predictions

Alex Ferguson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:16:00 -0500

It's always a bummer for us at the VFA that Penn State really has no natural rivals. Sure, the Lions played Pitt, USC, and Notre Dame a bunch of times back in the "independent days," but now that the Big Ten's here, Penn State have got nobody they can truly lift the finger to.

If I was Penn State AD Tim Curley, I'd stop scheduling trash and go for a 30-year home and home series against Pitt or Notre Dame. Penn State Nation needs it.

Anyway, back from all that talk, because it's Thanksgiving Weekend, which means that we're all getting our hate on this weekend (and the weekend after, if you're an Oregon or Oregon State fan, who battle it for the Pac-10 title in a week's time).

So here we go.

The "Saw Varsity's Horns Off" Game: Texas vs. Texas A&M

Texas is going to walking into a world of hate at Kyle Field. Aggies fans have had this pencilled in since January, and the Longhorns, who are playing as well as anyone this year, have to come to play a Texas A&M which has been fun to watch AND inconsistent this year. How else do you explain dumping 50 on Texas Tech on the road? We watch with bated breath while munching turkey.

Prediction: Texas wins, but in a squeaker.

Bedlam: Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia

Stoke up the coal and get the couches ready, people, because Pittsburgh's coming into Morgantown. These two Big East rivals really, really dislike each other, and this should be Friday fun for all.

Prediction: Go to Ikea and get a couch! West Virginia in the upset.

"Good Ole Fashioned Hate": Georgia vs. Georgia Tech

Georgia can't stop the run, and Georgia Tech are run specialists. Sound like a recipe for disaster for Bulldogs fans? Does to us. The "high school stadium," as Georgia fans rudely—and rightly—refer to Bobby Dodd Stadium, will be rocking.

Prediction: Georgia Tech. By 21.

The Baja Georgia Game: Florida State vs. Florida

Now that the 'Noles are bowl eligible for 27 straight years, Bobby Bowden's shut up the critics yet again. Greg Reid is an incredible defensive back/punt returner and could cause trouble for the Gators on Saturday. But really, this one's about Tim Tebow and running through a Florida State defense that's not a lot better than Florida International's.

Prediction: Good job you beat Maryland, Bobby, because you ain't beatin' the Gators, dadgummit! Florida by 28.

The "Go to Hell" Bowl: Alabama vs. Auburn

"Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer Let's Go Alabama/ Go to Hell Alabama!" If anyone's dumb enough to get married in the State of Alabama this Friday, then don't expect many people to be attending. Even the groom. Or the bride. Or the priest. Game-wise, Mark Ingram and the Crimson Tide defense should shut down Auburn, but Auburn can pride themselves on a pretty good season.

Prediction: Alabama wins by 10 and starts chanting their version of the song. Which I'm not going to go into.

The "Hot Bowl": Arizona vs. Arizona State

We've renamed this epic desert classic because there's so much eye candy on show in this one. Arizona and Arizona State constantly battle each other to be Playboy's top party/co-ed/Pac-10/cheerleaders school (Arizona won the cheerleader battle last week, we'd like to note), and the Tempe-Phoenix-Scottsdale area is going to be jumping. We can't wait. Oh, and there's a football game on too, which has been great over the past few years.

Prediction: Arizona wins by seven in a classic.

The "Disappointing Bowl": Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma

Both teams have been disappointing this year. The Sooners have been plagued by injury and horrible defense, while the Cowboys have been plagued by Dez Bryant and his ghost. The Sooners will be coming off an ass-handing by Texas Tech, while O-State has got to stop laughing and reload.

Prediction: Oklahoma State in a high-scoring, Oklahoma-style shootout.

The "Al Just Go" Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Virginia

If all things are right, this should be Al Groh's last game in charge of the Cavaliers after an undistinguished tenure. We don't see a lot of hope for his Virginia side - even if they are at home in front of the UVA hotties in Charlottesville, although if we're honest and thinking of Penn State's BCS chances, we're hoping for a UVA victory.

Prediction: Virginia Tech by 31.

The "Cockfight": Clemson vs. South Carolina

This deeply felt South Carolina rivalry is a throwdown every year—including the game where both sets of players brawled it out! South Carolina haven't been bad this year, but will they be able to deal with C.J. Spiller?

Prediction: South Carolina in a monster upset.

The "Hollywood Bowl": USC vs. UCLA

With USC on its knees, the time could not be riper for UCLA to score an upset on their Los Angeles neighbours. It's strange, because at the VFA we've hardly mentioned Rick Neuheisel's side this season apart from the (still laughing!) win over Tennessee this year.

Prediction: USC gets it done.

The "Hate Bowl": Missouri vs. Kansas

Missouri HATES Kansas, and Kansas HATES Missouri. Mark Mangino might be the inspiration , but a loss to the Jayhawks' biggest rival might be inspiration enough for the Jayhawks administration to boot Mangino's rotund behind out of Lawrence.

Prediction: Roll out, Mike. Missouri by 14.

The "Charlie Weis Bowl": Notre Dame vs. Stanford

No game will be more intriguing than this one, people. The Irish are on their knees. Jimmy Clausen was cold-cocked after the Irish lost to UConn. Charlie Weis will probably get fired on Monday.

Stanford needs to win to have any hope of a BCS/high Jan. 1 bowl/high ranking after losing "The Big Game" to California in a loss that was basically their fault. Toby Gerhart is the best running back in college football (we think he's better than Alabama's Mark Ingram), and Notre Dame is poor at stopping the run. Oh dear Charlie?

Prediction: Stanford wins by 10. And Charlie Weis hands in his notice. With a little shove from "Irish Universe."

And very quickly...Ole Miss will beat Mississippi State; BYU will win a tight one against Utah; Cincy will thrash Illinois; LSU will beat Arkansas in a track meet; North Carolina will win the battle of Tobacco Road against North Carolina State; and if Miami lost to South Florida we'd laugh, and then laugh some more.

If you didn't think Rammer was loud...

And the Auburn version:

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

BCS Bowl Predictions: Pitt In, Cincy Out

Brian Nelson — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:17:14 -0500

After yet another ho-hum weekend of a forgettable college football season, things are about to get exciting.

All the noise about the BCS and the regular season isn't just noise anymore.

Fraught with intriguing story lines, bitter rivalries, sweet revenge and BCS-or-bust championship games, the next two weeks of college football will feature some of the most compelling and meaningful games of the season.

Finally.

Three games in particular will feature head-to-head battles for the BCS. The winner will go on to play on the big stage while the loser will likely be destined for "just-another" December Bowl.

· No. 5 Cincinnati at No. 9 Pittsburgh

· No. 16 Oregon State at No. 8 Oregon

· No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 18 Clemson

We must also mention the National Championship semi-final—otherwise knows as the SEC Championship Game. Another intriguing story line. Another hate-filled, storybook SEC rivalry in the brewing.

Most likely, the winner will go on to play for the crystal football while the loser will spend the off-season explaining their loss to an MWC team in New Orleans.

Here's my take on where we stand now, and how the rest of the season will play out leading up to Selection Sunday.

What we know

Texas, Florida, Alabama and Ohio State are locks for the BCS, regardless of outcomes.

Most likely to clinch a BCS berth this week

TCU just needs a win at home this week against 1-10 New Mexico.

Who is on the bubble for an at-large?

Iowa, Penn State, Boise State, and Oklahoma State.

Who seems the least likely but still has an outside shot of getting in

· Unranked Nebraska needs to upset Texas in the Big 12 Title game

· No. 18 Clemson needs to beat Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game

· No. 19 Oregon State needs to beat rival Oregon at Autzen in the Civil War.

What other key games will likely determine BCS berths

· No. 12 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma

· Nevada at No. 6 Boise State

Who wins, who goes and who gets left out

Alabama over Florida 19-14

The Florida Gators' last-minute touchdown drive falls short as the Tide's dominant defense holds Tebow to 130 passing yards and 58 yards rushing. Mark Ingram strengthens his case for the Heisman with another clock-chewing 124-yard rushing performance.

Pitt over Cincinnati 20-17

Pittsburgh exploits the suspect Cincinnati ground defense with their explosive running game.

Oregon over Oregon State 37-31

The Ducks, who blocked the Beavers from the Rose Bowl last year, will stave off the Beavers once again despite a 140-yard rushing performance from Jacquizz Rodgers.

Georgia Tech over Clemson 28-24

Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets prove once again to be too much for Clemson despite their close game earlier at Georgia Tech—a game where the Jackets were aided by a phantom offensive holding call against Clemson late in the 4th quarter.

Oklahoma over Oklahoma State 24-20

Even though Zac Robinson returns to the field, Oklahoma stuns the Cowboys in Norman.

How will the BCS Bowl Selection play out?

· BCS Title Game : Texas vs. Alabama

· Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State

· Orange Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech

· Sugar Bowl: TCU vs. Florida

· Fiesta Bowl: Penn State vs. Boise State

How they got there

After losing Alabama to the BCS Title game, the Sugar Bowl will get the first replacement pick and will select the Gators.

The Fiesta Bowl will go next and replace Texas with Penn State, banking on the Joe Paterno entourage and the Nitts’ strong base of traveling fans.

The Orange Bowl goes next and will choose Pittsburgh to face ACC tie-in Georgia Tech.

The Fiesta Bowl will follow-up by selecting Boise State—a team that cut its teeth at the Fiesta Bowl and seems to travel well.

All of this leaves the Mountain West Conference’s TCU to the Sugar Bowl.

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

The Iron Bowl Match Up: Dream Team Versus Team Still Dreaming Pt II

jonathan fravel — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:26:53 -0500

The Nick Saban Era

House Cleaning

In 2006, none of the players on the Alabama roster were recruited by Saban while he coached at rival LSU. Not one. But when he arrived on campus in January 2007, he talked to them individually and let them know what it would take to make his team.

He assembled a high quality coaching staff with updated football philosophy. Saban established an educational program specifically for the players to instill a higher moral standard in life. In addition, he brought with him a highly developed 4th quarter off season training program that demands top physical conditioning.

Despite his efforts to change the character of the program and the athlete, in the midst of a successful start in 2006, a book scandal rocked the program. Off field issues with Shula's recruits continued to present themselves in the morning on front page news releases.

Saban started cleaning house.

Gone are the problem players such as Jimmy Johns, Prince Hall, Simeon Castille and others who for whatever reason could not stay focused on the task of playing football for the University. Scholarships were re-harvested and awarded to worthy athletes.

When you clean house, you sometimes find a few jewels that you thought had been lost or tossed out with the trash. When you throw out a few items you think you need but really don't, you realize you can get by with a little less and excel even more.

Saban has learned that Mike Shula had a few jewels that had become covered up by yesterdays trash. Some of this talent would have arrived at the Capstone no matter who was head coach. Some of these fine young men had a burning desire to play football for the University of Alabama.

Rashad Johnson was a glaring example of the opportunity Mike Shula was willing to give to young, determined athletes. A skinny runt out of Sulligent, Johnson got no respect from the big time programs in state or out.

Rashad Johnson, much like DeMeco Ryans knew what he could do if he were given the chance. He had a burning desire to play for the University of Alabama. Mike Shula gave him the opportunity to walk on, mature and develop his skills.

Other memorable athletes given that rare opportunity include Rudy Griffin, Wallace Gilberry, and superstar, Javier Arenas.

Rebuilding Phase

Through the process, Saban has rediscovered the talent Shula placed in the cupboard. He polished it up and put it on display in 2008. In addition, he got out on the recruiting trail and piled on exceptional skill players in two of the best recruiting classes put together for any program, bar none.

Drew Davis is the only player on the current roster from the 2004 signing class. Gone is classmate Brandon Fanney. A starter last season and exemplary player, Fanney will finish his career with the North Alabama team in Huntsville due to his lack of dedication in the classroom.

Dustin Drew Davis played high school football in the Alabama Independent School Association for Sparta Academy in Evergreen, Alabama. Davis started as an eighth grader on the defensive line. As a senior, Davis was an AISA All-State selection and was named AISA Lineman of the Year.

He is a simple man who came to the Capstone with a simple plan. To play football at the University of Alabama, to get an education and to do all of this with integrity and grit. He is the kind of player Saban would recruit if he were bigger, faster and stronger.

Lorenzo Washington of Logansville, GA originally signed with Davis to enter in 2004 but academics forced Washington into a detour at Hargrave Military Academy. Washington focused his mind and made the grades to get to the Capstone with the 2005 signing class.

In addition to Washington, the Class of 2005 includes many current starters and contributors.

Brandon Deaderick, Baron Huber, Michael Johnson, Cory Reamer, Chris Rogers, Ali Sharrief and Roy Upchurch have played pivotal roles in the success of the 2008 and 2009 seasons under Nick Saban.

Ali Sharrief and Cory Reamer are the only remaining members of the 2005 class from the state of Alabama.

Notable players from the state of Alabama in the 2005 class include Sam Burnthall, Charles Hoke, Scott Deaton, Evan Cardwell, Bobby Greenwood, Desmond Jennings, Chris Keys, Travis McCall, Michael Ricks and John Parker Wilson.

These players made their marks as best they could and have since moved on and into a new phase of life. A few of the notable names on this list were big contributors to the success of the 2008 season.

2008, Almost there

Last year's seniors ended their regular season tenure at the Capstone with the largest margin of victory against in-state rival Auburn since 1962. The first victory against the Tigers since the 2002 season was a bomb shell to the storied career of then Head Coach, Tommy Tuberville.

Their phenomenal undefeated regular season put Alabama back on the national map for programs headed in the right direction. Unfortunately, Florida would defeat the Tide in the SEC Championship Game.

A loss to the senior laden Utah Utes added salt that burned into the fresh wound in the heart of the boys from Alabama. A team put together by Urban Meyer and held intact by the talented head coach Kyle Whittingham put a beat down on the Bama team in New Orleans.

While still giving credit to the 2008 senior class, Saban used that defeat to pound home his message to the returners of the 2009 team. He finished his coaching season in February, by bringing in another stable of highly talented (but still raw) high school athletes to compliment the talent returning to the program.

In 2009: Be a Champion

Nick Saban's comments at his opening press conference as head coach of Alabama football is a statement about his own life. He is a champion and his process for success is a formula to develop champions on and off the field.

In 2009, the process has worked. Saban has blended together differing levels of talented student athletes into one of the finest football teams fielded by any university across the nation.

In the eyes of the Alabama fan base, it truly is a dream team. Quarterback Greg McElroy, for all his deficiencies pointed out by others, is an undefeated quarterback as a starter.

This undefeated streak dates back to his first start as a senior high school player. He is a champion in the state of Texas and has a SEC West Division championship.

Mark Ingram is the finest running back wearing the crimson jersey since the days of Bobby Humphrey and Shaun Alexander. He is an over-sized Shaud Williams with the power of LeRon McClain.

Julio Jones is explosive power, strength and speed at the wide receiver position. His presence on the field requires double coverage attention. Marquis Maze cannot be covered one on one. It's been tried and the attempts have been unsuccessful.

Earl Alexander and Mike McCoy are both deep threat options. Darius Hanks does not fear crossing the middle and will catch the ball at all cost.

The offensive line anchored by William Vlachos and led by seniors Mike Johnson and Drew Davis has exceeded all expectations. Juco transfer James Carpenter has stepped into the shoes of All American Andre Smith allowing the early departure of the left tackle to go unnoticed.

Tight End Colin Peek is a complete package for the position. He blocks and runs patterns to perfection. His soft hands and field awareness allow him to pose a threat on deep and short routes, alike. The Tide is three deep at this position using players with similar skills.

Defensively, The Crimson Tide is the best in the nation. The defensive line is immense, with a total weight of the front three exceeding 950 pounds of flesh, mostly lean. Personally, someone needs to check under the hood of Hummer, Terrance Cody. I think you might find a Hemi.

Linebackers Cory Reamer, Eryk Anders, Nico Johnson and Rolando McClain are the best second line of defense on any team in the SEC, and they can match-up with any offensive backfield in the country.

The defensive backs are extremely talented and battle tested. Nearly every team that has challenged the 2009 Alabama team has pointed to weakness in the secondary as their point of attack. None have been successful. Not to say that some have not had success, but the defensive backs have won the war on the field.

They have been tested by talented quarterbacks across the SEC. Mallet at Arkansas looked mediocre against the Crimson Tide. Garcia, Crompton (his best game of the year), Jefferson, and Snead have each given up interceptions to these fine defenders.

On special teams, Javier Arenas is the best that has ever played the returner position at the Capstone. His record setting touchdown against the UTC Mocs put the stamp on his productive career. Lord willing, in the next two games, opportunities will abound.

It's Time to Rumble in Jordan-Hare

That's right Auburn, this dream team is headed you way. On Friday, they plan to make a statement to the state and to the nation that Alabama football is back and that means domination. They don't just plan on winning. The plan is to dominate every facet of the game.

36-0 was a warm up. This team is better, faster and stronger than the 2008 version of the Crimson Tide. This team will bring a Tsunami into Jordan-Hare with the mission of avenging all prior losses. All prior fears of the hand and the thumb will be washed away.

Elephants have a very good memory and memories haunt unless they are redeemed. The Auburn nation has not been dignified during their reign as champion. The ruler on the plains was not a kind leader. The tiger is no longer king in the state.

The oppression was short lived. The Crimson Empire has returned. Dominance must be re-established. The majestic War Elephant is ready to stomp. Return of the rightful King will happen this Friday, in your house, nationally televised for the world to view in prime time.

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

Are BCS Fans Really This Naive?

Brian Nelson — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:16:58 -0500

We’ve all heard them over and over again. It’s the same stuff year after year.

Blanket assumptions opined by ignorant fans from BCS teams questioning the worthiness of non-BCS teams and their quest to bust the BCS.

While the naiveté comes in different shapes and sizes, from various parts of the country, from analysts, coaches, and fans alike, what they all share in common is their blatant lack of validity, rationale, and factual support.

We all get that the BCS is rooted in tradition, fanbases, recruiting, and revenues, while those factors may be a source for a delusional sense of superiority, they don't usually correlate to performance on the field.

Remember the tune Barry Switzer sang before kickoff at last year’s Sugar Bowl? “There isn’t one player, not one player, on Utah’s team that Nick Saban would’ve recruited.”

That alone was the basis Barry used to predict that Alabama would be too much for Utah to handle. He wasn't alone.

The blogosphere along with "analysts" throughout the country were rampant with the expectation that Alabama was going to dismantle Utah, based on worthless, delusional assumptions.

So how do they explain Utah's bitch-slapping of Alabama?

They can't. They can only minimize Alabama's motivation or point to the loss of OT Andre Smith. Never mind that USC was still motivated to beat Penn State, Texas to beat Ohio State, Georgia to beat Hawaii, etc.

So goes the logic and the rationale in the attempts to discredit the non-BCS elite.

We all welcome a healthy argument, but please do so with a) logic, b) substantive reasoning, c) empirical data, or d) items that can be found on a scoreboard.

No assumptions. We already know that you think TCU couldn’t withstand the "brutal week in, week out" schedule in the SEC or the Big 12.

Or how teams like Colorado or Virginia would probably run the table in the MWC.

We’ve heard it all. What we haven’t heard is evidence to support it. Though we’ve seen plenty to the contrary. If the MWC is so weak how does:

Colorado State clobber Colorado in Boulder, but then go 0-7 in the MWC?

Last year’s Wyoming (1-7 in the MWC) travel to Knoxville and beat the Volunteers?

Last year’s UNLV team (2-6 in the MWC) go 2-0 against BCS teams (Arizona State, Iowa State)?

These are teams that have a combined 3-20 record in MWC play that somehow have managed to go 4-0 against BCS competition.

While the MWC has proven it’s on par at the bottom, it’s beating the other conferences at the top as well. In the last two seasons alone, the MWC has beaten Alabama, Boise State, Clemson, Oregon State, and Oklahoma.

Can your conference lay claim to five stronger out-of-conference victories in the last two years?

While the MWC can talk up scoreboard, the BCS will continue to throw out useless platitudes to justify their illusion of superiority.

As a result, we all have to suffer from the existence of pathetic articles such as, “Three Reasons TCU Doesn’t Belong in the BCS," which came out Monday from Tim Nash.

(Mr. Nash also focuses the article on Boise State, which I'll ignore. The BCS conferences love to denigrate the MWC by blurring it with the WAC.)

Let's break down Mr. Nash's typical, uninventive arguments for why TCU doesn't belong in the BCS.

Reason No. 1: The MWC Has Inferior Depth and Talent

Mr. Nash says, “There are currently only four schools from BCS automatic qualifiers that are currently undefeated. That's because the BCS schools play conference schedules against teams that test them for the most part, week in and week out.

"When you get an unranked Tennessee team that almost knocks off No. 2 Alabama at home, or an unranked Oklahoma almost upsetting No. 3 Texas, it tends to weed out the contenders from the pretenders.”

So let me get this straight, there are six undefeated teams left. Four come from the six BCS conferences and two from the other non-BCS conferences. This illustrates how truly weak the non-AQ conferences are?

Confused?

You should be. It makes no sense. The basis of this poorly articulated argument is that BCS teams fall and suffer from close calls more frequently because they play tougher schedules.

Never mind TCU is ranked higher than Texas in four out of the six computer polls or that TCU has more wins over ranked opponents than Texas and Florida. Or that both of Texas’s marquee wins have lost to non-BCS teams.

To support his assumption, Mr. Nash uses the Longhorns' close call with Oklahoma as proof that TCU doesn't belong.

Does he not know that Oklahoma lost to BYU, an MWC team that TCU slaughtered 38-7?

Then there’s Tennessee-Alabama. I get it. He’s trying to say that because Alabama plays talented teams like Tennessee week in and week out, they're more vulnerable to loss.

Let’s reverse his logic. Over the last two seasons, Alabama is 15-1 in the vaunted SEC. Yet somehow, they are 0-1 against the MWC in the same time frame. Alabama could play 14 games against MWC opponents and still have a worse winning percentage in the MWC than they do against SEC competition.

Go figure. Yet somehow all this strange reasoning was used to support how the MWC has inferior depth and talent. Again, a blanket assumption with worthless data to support it.

Maybe he’s asserting that over a broader sample of BCS teams, non-BCS teams would be more likely to lose.

That's a fair argument, except that 2004/2008 Utah and 2009 TCU are a combined 9-0 against BCS teams, beating:

Arizona, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh, Michigan, Oregon State, Alabama, Virginia, and Clemson.

Nine BCS opponents, nine victories. Only two games played at home. Is that a strong enough sampling?

I know the new BCS party line centers on the constant brutality of BCS conference play, but that's only a myth.

On very rare occasion, like Texas in 2008 or Miami at the beginning of this season, do you see a brutal "week in, week out" schedule. Most schedules consist of a trip to Kentucky, followed by Tennessee at home, Mississippi State on the road, and then Florida International.

That's nothing TCU couldn't handle. Trust me.

Reason No. 2: TCU Hasn’t Played a Tough Out-of-Conference Schedule

Mr Nash claims: "Supposedly, TCU beat a terrible Virginia team and then a mediocre Clemson squad. The rest of their out of conference slate, with wins over Texas State and SMU, were underwhelming."

If Clemson is mediocre, then how come they get to play in a conference championship game that could earn them an automatic BCS berth, but TCU doesn’t belong? Doesn’t that contradict the whole point?

Tell me one team, or one BCS conference, that has an out-of-conference win that is substantially more impressive than TCU at Clemson.

If Virginia is so terrible how come the Cavs alone have beaten more BCS teams than all four of Texas’s out-of-conference opponents combined?

It’s not like Florida and Alabama's OOC schedules are worth writing home about.

Reason No. 3: TCU’s Victories Against Ranked Opponents Are Suspect

Mr Nash: "TCU has beaten two ranked teams from its own conference that will play each other, leaving TCU with only one victory over a ranked opponent."

First, let’s all completely ignore the fact that Clemson is currently ranked 18th in the BCS. I know it's a lot more convenient to disregard facts that do not support BCS supremacy, but that doesn't alter the reality of the outcome.

BYU and Utah play each other this week, which is the third time this season that two ranked MWC teams play each other.

BYU is ranked No. 19 in the BCS. Utah is No. 21. Barring a complete blowout, it seems highly unlikely that the loser will fall out of the top 25, but more than likely, the winner will head towards the top 15 in the BCS.

Even if TCU's wins over these ranked teams are somehow "suspect," they have still beaten three of them. That is the same number as Alabama, one more than Florida, and two more than Texas, who has only beaten one.

That's elite company. Tell me again how TCU doesn't belong?

Mr. Nash can't. And neither can the throng of BCS fans singing the same tune. All they can do is point to baseless assumptions that bear little resemblance to on-the-field results.

The MWC is 2-0 in the BCS, with both being blowout victories. No other conference has a higher winning percentage or better average margin of victory.

By contrast, the ACC is 2-9. The Big 10 is 2-5 since 2005-05. The MWC can go 0-8 in BCS Bowls and still claim a better record than the ACC.

Amazing, perhaps Tim Nash can right articles questioning their worthiness. At least this time he'll have empirical evidence to draw from.

If TCU isn't worthy, then who is? Who deserves to get in more than the Frogs?

Oklahoma State hasn't beaten a single ranked team. Neither has Penn State. Iowa beat Penn State, but needed help from above to beat Indiana (a team that Virginia killed) and lost to Northwestern.

The truth of the matter is that the Utah's and the TCU's can be every bit as good, if not better, than the elite powerhouses.

The BCS, its fans, pundits, and coaches will do everything they can to try and cover this fact, but it's finally time to drop the baseless assumptions and stop living in denial.

Instead of trying to mold hard facts to fit a myopic view of how we think college football should be, let's just sit back, enjoy, and praise good football when we see it.

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

Alabama Barely Edges Out Florida: Week 12 College Football Power Poll

Phil Aiello — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:03:07 -0500

Week 12 Power Poll

It's been quite the year for undefeated squads in college football. This week we saw the power three take control as each team annihilated their opponent leaving absolutely no doubt they continue to belong above the rest of the pack. I see a distinct separation between the top three and the rest of college football, but you never know when any team can slip up nowadays.

It looks like after the top three, there are about three other teams that could challenge at the top, while the next fifteen or so all have the potential to be really good but have lacked consistency this year.

No one is safe in the NCAA as parody is really starting to catch up in the college game as many teams hanging around or even outside the top 25 (Arizona?!?!) look more than able to take down a highly ranked foe any week. Lets take a look at this weeks power teams and what they accomplished:

Week 12

1. Alabama - I know many people like Texas the way Colt and Shipley have come on recently. But, I honestly believe that Bama (up to this point in the season) has the highest quality wins and has proved week in and week out that nobody wants to mess with Saban, Ingram, and this defense. Oh yeah and it's scary to think Julio Jones isn't even getting the ball much, right?!?!

2. Florida - I don't even enjoy the media's darling, Tim Tebow. However, at least I can admit that he is just a gamer, straight up. Even with last years' playmakers gone, Tebow still finds ways to get it done while the defense is just completely shutting down what the other team is running, regardless of scheme.

3. Texas - Colt, Shipley and company are heating up and making (not that they need it) a lasting impression on the BCS committee right on time. The defense is stifling while the offense seems to be rolling at the expense of cupcakes. Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game should be a great test for either Bama's or Florida's defense in the title game. Beat 'em and you're playing for the big one.

4. TCU - The defense is playing lights out and the offense has been scary good recently. Oh, and beating up on Clemson and Bringham Young earlier in the year is looking pretty good right about now.

5. Boise State - This is based purely off of a thorough win against a really good Oregon squad. But, It helps to have Kellen Moore leading an offense that just seems to be on cruise control right now...even with some close calls against some lightweights (see Louisiana Tech).

6. Georgia Tech - The No. 1 team in a hugely underrated ACC conference is running through teams like Jim Brown used to back in the day. They have more talented running backs than some conferences. The option is working to perfection under Paul Johnson's intellect.

Hint: Get off the tracks when the train is coming through. Also, don't sleep on Demaryius Thomas either, the guy is a beast. They just rolled over and pounded a better than average Duke squad.

This is where I believe it gets a little tricky...

7. Oregon - This team just amazes me every week. Masoli just continues to make enough plays to win while James runs with the speed, power, and quickness reminiscent of the record-setting, vintage Deangelo Williams.

8. Cincinnati - They have enough quarterbacks on this team for a third of the Big East conference. Seriously though, you can bet that Pike and Ginyard are both licking their chops ready to take on the Panther secondary in two weeks. Don't sleep on Illinois this week please!

9. Ohio State - This team has bounced back nicely after that mid season hiccup against Purdue. The defense has picked up the slack the last month and Pryor has shed the early season struggles from his game that plagued the Buckeyes against a couple of those teams.

Technically, OSU is three to four plays away from being undefeated. A potential match against Oregon would pitt one of college football's most prolific offenses against a top shelf, swarming defense.

If you want to argue that Iowa, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, or Penn State belongs here I will not argue with you. However, lets look at each team. Oklahoma State lost the two big games on their schedule to date. With the state of The Notre Dame football program this year I would argue Pitt doesn't really have one marquee win yet.

Iowa looked average in a loss to Northwestern a couple weeks back. Penn State dropped close ones to the only (relatively) big games on their schedule. As much as I like Joe Paterno, I can't possibly put Penn State ahead of Iowa or Ohio State (teams that have beaten the Nittanay Lions) anyway.

So, the No. 10 team in the nation in NCAA football right now is...

10. Virginia Tech - Here we are with a red hot Virginia Tech team that has three narrow losses to arguably three of the hottest teams in all of college football right now. This squad has struggled on defense giving up too many big plays early in the season but has clamped down as of late with some milder competition.

However, NC State had a legit offense before getting rocked in Lane this past week.

Tyrod Taylor continues to impress as a passer while the emergence of some young receivers like Jarret Boykin and Dyrell Roberts has taken pressure off of Ryan Williams to do it all on offense. His hard nosed yet quick paced running style has opened up the passing lanes for Tyrod's development. No one wants to play VT in the Chick-Filet or Gator Bowl right about now.

11. Iowa - This team just is not the same without Stanzi. Talk about a heartbreaking loss. That guy was the heart and soul of the Hawkeyes. Still, they are in good position for an at-large bid by taking care of a scrappy Minnesota squad to end their season.

12. Pittsburgh - I do not believe this team has played anyone of note outside of a decent Notre Dame team that can't seem to find any resemblance of a defense or make open field tackles. That said, I can't discount the star power on both sides of the ball with Stull and Lewis on FIRE.

Dion Lewis is a monster freshman at running back. He, alongside LaMichael James (Oregon) and Ryan Williams (VT), form what I like to call the power trio also known as the new era freshman studs. Lookout in 2010!

13. Penn State - Penn STate is a tough team to figure out. No one (outside of maybe the Hokies) blows out the cupcakes but drops the big boy games better. They have played a joke schedule outside of a couple Big Ten squads. They have won those games...in convincing fashion. They can't seem to pull out the tough ones.

Until they do, the Nittany Lions belong right here at number 13. On a positive note, I love how that defense is playing and the way CLark is leading this team to close out the season.

14. LSU - Les Miles' boys from the Bayou have nothing to be ashamed about. They have three losses to all teams in the top 25, two of them coming to my top two squads in Alabama and Florida. They dropped a nail biter to Ole Miss by two points.

Had they taken care of business there then we could theoretically say LSU is the thrid best team in the country behind those two powerhouse SEC squads. The team is playing good defense and Jefferson and Lafell team up with Scott to form an above average offense with lots of potential heading in to bowl season to light up a team from a weaker conference. Watch out for this team come late December.

15. UNC - Where would this team be had they not drank the hype koolaide and started the season how they were capable of? Defensively, they have been unreal this last month. They create more turnovers than O'Bama does healthcare problems. Offensively, they have started to come along with Houston taking over the reigns at RB while Yates has been manageable at the helm.

16. Miami - Another team that has played up and down all year long. The Canes are a headache for analysts because (I believe) they play to the level of their competition.

The Oklahoma win looks average right now but the Canes barely dropped one to the tigers earlier in the year and have a huge win at home against red hot Georgia Tech earlier in the year. Jacory Harris must find a way to decrease the turnovers if the Canes hope to get by an underrated and inspired USF team next week.

17. Clemson - C.J. Spiller, C.J. Spiller, C.J. Spiller. Oh yeah, and Kyle has come along okay the past couple games too. But, C.J. Spiller.

18. Oregon State - Another puzzling team to figure out. They have two great wins against Stanford and California yet they struggled against USC, Cincinnati, and Arizona. They have the talent (Jacquizz Rogers) and potential to knock off Oregon in a huge civil war game this weekend. It's make or break time for Oregon State if they want to smell roses!

19. Mississippi - The defense has been underrated all year long not allowing an opponent to score over 20 until LSU this past week...and they had 23. Snead is finally playing how experts expected him to from the start and McClusker is looking like a legit All-SEC back as of late.

20. USC - USC's departures have finally taken the toll we all expected last year! Unreal how people just expect this team to reload year after year. Still a tough bunch to beat, but clearly the losses have shown they're far from invincible. The defense has struggled recently, but watch for Taylor Mays and company to finish strong and close out in a highly sought after bowl game.

On the cusp...

Arizona, Houston, BYU, Stanford, Nebraska, Cal, Utah.

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

20 Thoughts From Another Saturday In College Football

Aaron Torres — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:28:38 -0500

(Aaron Torres is an accomplished journalist whose work has been published by Sports Illustrated online and syndicated by USA Today, AOL.com and Slam Online. To read all of his work, including this article in its entirety, please visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com )

After spending another Saturday on my couch with my remote in hand, here are 20 more thoughts from Saturday’s college football action.

1. Saturday Is What Makes College Football Great: So all we heard all week leading up to the games, was that this college football season has been a dud, and Saturday was going to be boring. I mean seriously, why bother even tuning in?

Except for one thing: It ended up being maybe the second best college football Saturday of the season (I still put Oct. 17 at No. 1). While they weren’t all pretty, and they weren’t all perfectly played, LSU-Ole Miss, UConn-Notre Dame, Stanford-Cal and Oregon-Arizona, were nothing if not entertaining.

And on a day that was supposed to be the most boring of the season, what more could you ask for?

2. Moving On to a Serious Subject: I’m starting a petition to get Amanda Beard on College GameDay full-time.

For those of you who missed it, the former Arizona and Olympic swimmer, was Saturday’s “guest picker,” in the final segment of the show, and absolutely knocked it out of the park. Not only was she bubbly, not only was she nice to look at, not only did her and Lee Corso have palpable sexual chemistry, but the girl knew her football.

So seriously, can we bring her full-time? Please? Would anyone object?

3. I’m just going to say it: It didn’t seem like a college football Saturday without Alabama and Florida playing meaningful games. How many days until Atlanta again?

4. As for the important games, let’s start with Notre Dame-UConn: Look, Charlie Weis is a dead man walking, you know that and I know that, so there’s no need to talk about it here.

But I want to make the case that it’s Notre Dame’s offense that is going to get Weis fired, not his defense. No, seriously, hear me out.

All year we’ve been hearing how great Jimmy Clausen, Michael Floyd and Golden Tate are, and to a certain degree they are. But they also combine to make two or three really dumb, game-altering mistakes every week.

Think about it. Against Michigan, Golden Tate didn’t get out of bounds on the last play of the game. Against Navy, Floyd ran the wrong route and had a ball bounce off his back for a late game, drive-ending interception. And Saturday it was Floyd getting stripped on the UConn 18-yard line with Notre Dame going in for a game clinching scoring drive.

Watching Notre Dame every week, you start to realize these aren’t isolated events, but a recurring theme. More importantly they are a sign of bad preparation and bad coaching (do you ever see those kinds of things happen to Alabama, Cincinnati, Florida or Texas?). And it’s the biggest reason, more than Notre Dame’s defense, that Weis is going to be looking for a new job in a week.

(I told you to hear me out. I just talked you into that, didn’t I?)

5. Another thought from Saturday’s Notre Dame-UConn game: If anyone saw Jimmy Roberts’ halftime feature on the death of Jasper Howard and didn’t get chills, well honestly, we might need to break out the defibrillator to get your heart going again.

It was the perfect blend of solid journalism with the right mix of emotion and storytelling. It wasn’t too pushy, preachy and didn’t end with some stupid throwaway line like, “UConn may not have been winners on the field recently, but they’re winners in life,” like so many of these other features do.

One of the best stories I’ve seen in awhile.

6. The underrated final story line from the game: How about UConn (and former Notre Dame) quarterback Zach Frazer, going back to Notre Dame and beating a bunch of his former classmates on their Senior Day?

For those who don’t know, Frazer was the first quarterback recruited by Weis, and came to South Bend in the fall of 2006, with guys like Sam Young, Eric Olson and Sergio Brown, guys who were wrapping up their Notre Dame careers on Saturday.

As a matter of fact I was so inspired by Frazer’s performance (OK, who am I kidding, UConn won the game despite him, not because of him), that we’ll forever refer to that game as “Frazer’s Revenge.” Sure that sounds like an awful Nic Cage movie, but still, it’s got a catchy ring to it, doesn’t it?

7. Moving on to Michigan-Ohio State: My only thought from the Michigan side of things was how bad I felt for Brandon Graham.

The Wolverines defensive end was a monster Saturday, only nobody would ever know it, you know, considering he’s surrounded by young guys who aren’t quite ready, and older guys were never quite good enough (not to mention Michigan’s defense is coached by Greg Robinson, a guy who spends approximately 80 percent of his time staring into the distance like a kid watching cartoons, and the other 20 percent picking his nose. Needless to say, I’m not a huge Greg Robinson fan).

Put Graham on even a halfway decent team and we’re talking about him the way we talk about Terrence Cody and Carlos Dunlap. Instead, having him on this particular defense is like having a $10,000 painting in a $250 a month, one bedroom apartment. What’s even the point?

8. As for Ohio State, here’s my question on them: Alright, so last year we had Chris “Beanie,” Wells. This year, it’s Dan “Boom,” Herron. Seriously, who’s coming up with these nicknames, and why doesn’t Brandon Saine have one yet?

I’ve decided to appoint a one-man committee of ABC broadcaster/bad joke extraordinaire Matt Millen to come up with one. Matt, you’re on the clock.

9. Speaking of Matt Millen: I can’t lie, I was a little disappointed in Millen’s work Saturday during the Michigan-Ohio State game. Usually he’s good for around five truly unbearable, “put the TV on mute,” jokes per broadcast. Saturday, the best he came up with was, “May the Schwartz be with you,” in reference to Buckeyes receiver Grant Schwartz.

Why was Millen so quiet, I don’t know? Maybe he realized he’s not funny. Or maybe Sean McDonough threatened to strangle him with a headset cord, I’m not quite sure. Either way, it wasn’t his best day Saturday. I expect better come bowl season.

10. Two thoughts, and two thoughts only from Stanford-Cal:

A. Stanford’s not as bad as they looked Saturday, and they weren’t overrated coming in. This was just a classic case of the Cardinal beating a few good teams, getting a few too many pats on the back, having a few too many girls show up at their dorm rooms to “celebrate,” late at night (yes even at Stanford), and simply losing focus. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less. They’re still going to beat Notre Dame by three touchdowns Saturday.

B. I enjoyed seeing Jim Harbaugh have some dirt kicked in his face, especially after his “holier than thou,” running up the score against an injury depleted USC two weeks ago.

Hey coach, think you should have saved some of those points for this weekend?

(To read Aaron's 10 remaining thoughts, and the remainder of this article, please CLICK HERE , or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com )

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

Is the SEC the Best Conference in America?

David Lynn — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:42 -0500

I’ll be honest. When I set out to write this article, it was my intent to show that the SEC is not the best conference in America. While I still don’t think they are head and shoulders above everyone else like many SEC fans would have you believe, the numbers may tend to show otherwise.

I will admit that I am no mathematician, and I am sure someone will let me know how I have screwed up the numbers. I also realize that stats never show the whole picture of anything in sports, and that on any given day, anyone can win a game.

It is also not my intent to compare individual teams or games. This is purely comparing the average rankings of all the FBS conferences on four statistical categories: offensive yards per game (YPG), average yards allowed, points scored per game (PPG), and points allowed per game.

If you would like to see the complete list with average rankings I would be happy to show it to you, but it wouldn't go in here easily so I left it out.

While I did not come to the conclusion I had hoped as someone who gets tired of hearing about the SEC, I did notice some very interesting things about college football as a whole.

SEC the Best?

First things first: Is the SEC the best conference in the country?

I was not surprised to find that they fall right around the middle when it comes to YPG with an average ranking of 57.3. What surprised me far more was their average ranking for PPG, which was 50.8.

That made them No. 1.

I don’t think I am the only one surprised by this. Granted, they are by no means running away with the No. 1 spot, being only .5 ahead of the Big 12, with numerous others close behind.

Two things come as obvious explanations. Having above average defense results in better field position, so fewer yards are gained when scoring. It is also likely that their vaunted defenses score more points themselves, meaning no offensive yards gained.

When it comes to defense, there is no surprise that the SEC is No. 1 in yards allowed per game with an average ranking of 37. I was a little surprised that they were not exactly runaway leaders, being only about three better than the Big East.

What may surprise some people is that the Big East is actually better when it comes to points allowed with an average of 36.8 compared to 38 by the SEC. It is not a huge advantage, but it is there.

So is the SEC the best conference in the country?

Like everything else that is so subjective with college football, maybe. But what these numbers show is that they are not exactly the gods of college football that many seem to think they are.

Once you get past Alabama and Florida, the rest of the conference is pretty average.

What do the numbers say about college football as a whole?

This is where I found some of my most interesting observations. When it comes to YPG, the average rankings are pretty random when comparing AQ conferences and non-AQ conferences.

As mentioned before, the WAC is at the top with three AQ’s in the top half, and three in the bottom. This doesn’t really lead me to any specific conclusions.

Perhaps a better indication of offensive quality is how many points they score, and the numbers show a very interesting thing. The top five spots are all held by AQ conferences, with the Big Ten down at No. 8.

So even with the prolific offenses at Boise St., Houston, Nevada, etc., there is still something to be said for the overall quality of the AQ conferences.

What about defense?

The overall strength of the AQ conferences is even more apparent here with both yards allowed and points allowed being led by the six AQ’s.

We have all heard the saying that defense wins championships, and these numbers tend to support this idea, seeing as how throughout history, champions have come from the members of these conferences.

I did also find it interesting that the Mountain West was No. 7 in both of these categories.

Once again, let me state that I am not making any definitive statements here. The Big East is ranked first or second in both defensive categories, and I feel they are sharing the bottom with the ACC. I am simply explaining some numbers that I found interesting.

Also, before people start crying about me being a biased AQ conference fan, take a look at most of my writing. I am a diehard BYU fan, I always have been, and always will be.

Please feel free to tell me how wrong I am. It is the conflict of sport that makes us so passionate about it, and that is what I love.

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

Les Miles: Less Wins, Less Truthfulness, Less Coaching Ability

Larry Burton — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:55:05 -0500

Ever since Nick Saban joined the ranks and history of the Alabama Crimson Tide LSU fans have been quick to point to Les Miles as being the better of the two coaches.

They point to his record with the Tigers against Saban's. Never mind that Saban inherited a train wreck when he got to LSU and left Miles a perfectly running well conditioned team in which all he had to do was not mess it up.

They point to Miles' ability to recruit, which in all actuality has not been as good as Saban's.

After Saturday night's debacle, the 'Miles Meltdown' proved once again and finally ended all doubt once and forever that Les is not more.

There are housewives who only watch one football game a year that could have coached that team better in the closing minutes and managed the clock with much more ability.

His total ineptitude was cringing to watch. He screwed his team out of yet another win over a team he had more than enough talent to beat.

And then he went to the press and lied. In a move that could only make Lane Kiffin happy for now taking the mantle of biggest liar off his shoulders, Miles said that he doesn't know where the "spike the ball" call came from.

Did Miles seriously not know that the head coach is always in camera range and that he was recorded not once, not twice, but three times yelling and giving the spike call from the sideline?

Jordan Jefferson, the quarterback talked of the total confusion coming from the coaches and the sideline. Even his own quarterback called him a liar. You can see that video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B9kfnJvB6Q

After talking to fans from Miles old coaching venues, I have been warning LSU that these days were not only coming, but were here to stay with Miles only to be met with laughter and flaming replies.

Perhaps now, they'll see what the rest of the sporting world has seen for quite sometime. The comments that come not from the Miles detractors, but the LSU faithful, will be interesting to see over the next few days and even the offseason.

Is this the coach that deserves to be the highest paid coach in the SEC? I think now the LSU administration may rethink that one.

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com

College Football's 11 Best 11s: Texas, Alabama Stalk BCS Title

BabyTate — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:41:11 -0500

The storyline may vary, the locations differ, but rising to the occasion will be the theme as one reviews the college football activity of this past weekend.

Stanford, fresh from two of the most impressive victories in the BCS era, was beaten on their home field by ancient rival California, 34-28.

The Cardinal had their chances, and were only turned away in the final moments when their powerful ground game was betrayed by an interception near the Cal end zone.

Michigan and Notre Dame, two of the most storied programs in history, each lost at home.

While the Wolverines fell by 11 points to a superior Buckeye team, the Irish bowed to middle of the road Connecticut. The UConn squad refused to fold this year, despite carrying an enormous burden of having a teammate murdered during the season.

The Iowa Hawkeyes, left for dead following two consecutive Big 10 losses, rose from the ashes like a Phoenix to shut out the Golden Gophers of Minnesota.

The 12-0 victory secured the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy (see pictured above) and should inoculate the Hawkeyes against being dropped from BCS Bowl consideration.

Quarterback Greg Paulus and Syracuse stunned 25th ranked Rutgers, 31-13. Paulus, the former Duke basketball point guard, led an offensive charge from the Orange that controlled the ball for 40 minutes in a complete annihilation of the Scarlet Knights.

Penn State bounced back from some less than stellar performances to destroy Michigan State 42-14, thus securing the Land Grant Trophy.

The Old Oaken Bucket went to Purdue after the Boilermakers stifled the Indiana Hoosiers, 38-21. It was IU's eighth loss in the last nine games.

Nebraska qualified for a spot in the Big 12 Title game against Texas by throttling feisty little Kansas State, 17-3.

In other Big 12 action, Texas Tech avenged its only regular season loss of 2008 by overwhelming the suddenly ineffective Oklahoma Sooners, 41-13.

Oregon, a powerful but inconsistent western steamroller, came back in the desert to conquer a rugged Arizona Wildcat squad in double overtime, 44-41. Nothing speaks louder concerning a team's future than how it performs when faced with adversity.

Score one for first year coach Chip Kelly of the Ducks, an impressive gentleman with places to go and important deeds to complete.

Brigham Young continued its march toward a showdown with Utah by handling The Air Force, 38-21.

In the South, two games of note were played while many squads rested or feasted in preparation of next week's rivalry games.

Mississippi spotted talented LSU the lead early on but, manged to find it within themselves to withstand a late Tiger onslaught and escape with a 25-23 win.

Clemson reached their first ever ACC Championship game by disposing of overmatched Virginia, 34-21. The Tigers move on to play Georgia Tech for the title.

These teams met earlier this season with the Yellow Jackets pulling out a 30-27 victory. With both running games operating at full throttle, fans can envision a decision being reached in less than two hours down in Tampa.

Simply put, it was the type of day where legends are created.

The 11 Best 11s

Ranking This Week Last Week

1. Texas 1.

2. Alabama 2.

3. Florida 4.

4. Texas Christian 3.

5. Boise State 5.

6. Cincinnati 6.

7. Georgia Tech 7.

8. Pittsburgh 8.

9. Oregon 9.

10. Ohio State 10.

11. Iowa (No. 1 On The Porch)

On The Porch: Oklahoma State, Mississippi, Penn State, Oregon State, Nebraska

By virtue of results from the past two weekends, the SEC Title Game is set between defending champion Florida and Alabama.

Texas and Nebraska are headed to the Big 12 Championship.

Before reservations are made in Pasadena for the ultimate prize, the small matter of avoiding a season ending upset at the hands of an arch-rival must be avoided.

Just don't call Jim Harbaugh and Stanford for advice on how to do it.

Read more Nick Saban news on BleacherReport.com