Bleacher Report - Big Ten Football

BCS Bowl Projections: The Fiesta Bowl Belongs to the Iowa Hawkeyes (We Hope)

Bryan Kelly — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:37:29 -0500

I'll begin by assuming that Texas will beat Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game. This is maybe the second time all year I've vouched confidence in Texas, but the Aggies were probably their second-best win of the year behind Oklahoma State, considering the hostile crowd, the pressure, and the stakes.

In that win, the Longhorns showed they can survive by outscoring and outlasting rather than by suffocating their opponent by leaning on their defense. The UT offense has improved statistically in each passing week, and I think they're ready for the Big Game.

In fact, I don't think Colt McCoy will struggle at all against Nebraska's defensive backfield, and the mixture of draws, screens, and look passes will neutralize the threat of Ndamukong Suh. That game, like every Big 12 Championship game going back to 2003, won't be close.

That means that Texas will be in the championship game—hurrah, hurrah, we're all hoping you can beat Florida . And with Oklahoma State losing in uncompetitive fashion to Oklahoma on Saturday, the Fiesta now has two at-large spots up for grabs.

I'll wear my sympathies on my sleeve—I think Iowa with a healthy Ricky Stanzi, Adam Robinson and that Hawkeye defense is on par with the best teams in the nation.

They played one of the most difficult schedules in the country, beat Penn State by double digits in Happy Valley, nearly beat Ohio State in Columbus with their back-up quarterback, and fielded one of the most complete and well-coached defensive units all year.

They're survivors, on par with the cardiac Tide in the SEC.

Which is why I really hope Penn State does not leap Iowa come Selection Sunday. Going on pure strength of schedule, Iowa's three best wins are Penn State, Arizona, and Wisconsin.

Penn State's are Northwestern, Temple, and Michigan State. This should explain why the BCS computers still love Iowa, ranking them No. 10 overall to Penn State's No. 19.

But as has been argued elsewhere, Penn State is where the money and the viewers are. Iowa is not, nor has ever been, a sexy team.

While undefeated, they were habitually ranked behind the other unbeatens—Texas, Florida, and Alabama—despite boasting a stronger schedule and an equally talented defense. When they lost to Northwestern, their BCS stock took an unfairly punitive nosedive.

Only the computers—those impartial judgers of talent, those numbercrunchers, taking into account only who beats whom and never how it looked—have never given up on Iowa.

Is it wrong that I trust the computers more? In 2009, the BCS voters have given me a fresh set of reasons to find the system biased and loathsome.

The unfailing love for USC, whom the voters ranked ahead of Oregon a week after the Ducks ran wild on the USC defense before losing to Stanford, was nauseating.

Ditto for LSU, whose best win is over Auburn at home, yet still lounges on the outskirts of the top ten despite getting their incompetencies exposed .

Only the computers can factor out the love for Pete Carroll, the SEC brand—and, yes, the sentimentality for JoePa.

Cool Papa Joe is a straight shooter, and I don't think even he believes this team is good enough to compete in a BCS game.

Losing by double digits in both crucial games at home is not good enough, especially when one of those losses is to a better team situated between you and the Big Ten champion Buckeyes.

The record doesn't speak for itself, which is why Paterno and the rest of the Nittany Lions have to promise the other things : fans, ratings, ticket sales, advertising interests, nostalgia, clipshows of Paterno kicking up dirt at scores of refs in hundreds of games while "How To Save A Life" plays in the background...

Am I bitter? Yes; I can see how this one might end badly. Penn State gets the bid and the blowout loss, Iowa gets the overmatched SEC opponent in the Capital One Bowl, and another offseason of "Is The Big Ten The Worst Conference In History?" continues to depress me.

The good news is, Iowa's athletic director has done a good sell job to the Fiesta Bowl, the most likely spot for a Big Ten team to land (they have the second at-large pick overall to replace Texas after the Sugar Bowl picks to replace Florida).

Apparently, there are roughly a million displaced Iowans living in the Arizona area—for retirees of the Midwest, Arizona is the new Florida, remember?—meaning the Fiesta Bowl can sell out all the Iowa allotments without any need for travel.

Now, assuming that Texas wins—i.e. doesn't further complicate the BCS picture by losing—the likely opponent for the Big Ten is fellow at-large compadre Boise State.

They have the rankings, the historical Fiesta credibility , and, as anyone in Idaho will tell you, they can bring the fans.

And this is why I'm rooting for Iowa. The Hawkeyes have a better shot at avoiding the humiliation of the Big Ten losing to the (gulp) WAC, another indignity I'm sure hasn't been suffered yet in history, but would be more than possible with the overranked Nittany Lions as foes.

Forget fans, commercials, ticket sales—Iowa has a better secondary and a better defensive line than Penn State (their linebackers and offenses are a push—fair?), and, at least for this year, better coaches .

If the BCS chooses Penn State and the Lions are humiliated, it reflects on the entire conference, and that's bad business for both sides.

Iowa and Boise State might well play out as a close, exciting game. The Hawkeyes and Broncos will match strength to strength, weakness to weakness. Iowa's pass defense squares off against the unflappable Kellen Moore.

Boise's rush defense—which started strong has steadily allowed more and more rushing yards per game—faces one of the best offensive lines in the country.

The Broncos haven't shown me that they travel well. The close calls against Fresno State, Tulsa, and Louisiana Tech on the road, during which Boise had to fight to remain ahead and struggled to sit on leads—indicate the bowl atmosphere might rattle what is still a pretty young and as-yet untested team, on offense and on defense.

Iowa has shown they can travel well, but they're also no strangers to the close win. The last-second slant pass to beat MSU, the come-from-behind wins over Indiana and Penn State, the two blocked field goals against Northern Iowa all revealed that Ferentz's game plan is to survive long enough for the other guy to run out of gas.

So unless the Fiesta and the BCS want to get trashed by the fans again—and broadcast a thoroughly unwatchable thrashing of a Big Ten opponent to boot—they'll take the more able Hawkeyes to face off against the Broncos.

Remember: great games, not great teams, beget great ratings. We'll all tune in no matter who plays—what matters is whether we continue watching after the first half.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

It's Put Up or Shut Up Time for the Big 10 in These Projected Bowl Games

Larry Burton — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:56 -0500

The good news for the Big Ten this bowl season is that they are mostly playing conferences experiencing down years this year.

The bad news is the Big Ten isn't so strong itself, not that it has been for a few years now.

So, this is definitely the year that the Big Ten teams, fans, and media should either put up or shut up about the Big Ten even being relevant anymore.

Its marquee team this year is Ohio State, already with losses to a down USC team and a Purdue team with a losing record. That's proof that the Big Ten is already irrelevant.

It's now down to the bowl season to prove that this is little more than a cupcake conference. Here are the likely bowl games for them to try and make a statement in, along with the projected outcome.

The Rose Bowl

Ohio State vs. Oregon is an interesting matchup. It takes away the boredom of seeing USC beat them every year.

The Ducks are far from a powerhouse team and appear beatable, but this is a Big Ten-Pac-10 matchup, and the outcome will be the same.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Iowa vs. Boise State is a game that has the most interest. Can Iowa's defense slow down that blue grass offense? Iowa does have a defense capable of doing that.

I think Iowa has a chance to win this one and help settle future arguments that Boise State could have won a national title game.

I'm tempted to call this a toss up, but I have a soft spot in my heart for a team with a good defense, so I'll say Iowa in a close one.

Capital One Bowl

Penn State vs. LSU is another one of those games where the SEC flexes its muscle against the Big Ten. This one could get ugly, and I hate that for one of my favorite coaches of all time, Joe Paterno.

LSU is just too big, too fast, too talented, and too SEC for Penn State. If they don't like this game, they won't like the series they're about to start with Alabama.

The Outback Bowl

Northwestern vs. Ole Miss is yet another Big Ten sacrificial lamb being laid at the altar of an SEC team. There's ugly, and then there's UGLEEEEEE. This one will be the latter.

Ole Miss may have their ups and downs this year, but this one will have them feeling better during the offseason and will once again cause people to speculate about the Rebels being SEC contenders once again.

The Insight Bowl

Missouri vs. Minnesota is a bowl of two conferences going through down years and two teams right in the middle of them. This will be one of the chances that the Big Ten has to pull out a win if the Gophers can get the offense going.

However, Missouri can get their offense going on most days against middle-of-the-road teams, and I look for them to defeat Minnesota by nine.

The Alamo Bowl

What a relief for the fans of Iowa not to have to go back to San Antonio. The Alamo Bowl will be dumping the Big Ten after this year, and who could blame them?

This year, it's looking like Michigan State vs. Texas Tech in what would be a virtual home game for Tech. But they won't need that advantage to beat the Spartans, as they put on their track shoes and make this one another one of those UGLEEEE games.

Champs Sports Bowl

We'll see Wisconsin slide in and play an ACC foe, either Miami or perhaps Clemson. Either could beat Wisconsin, and that says much to the depths to which the Big Ten has sunk since this is the lowest the ACC has been in many years, too.

If Wisconsin loses this game, one of the Big Ten's better shots at a victory, then you can stick a fork in the myth of the Big Ten, because it's over and done for at least this year.

All that being said, I expect Wisconsin to win this game and bring the total of the other games I expect them to win to two.

If a 2-5 performance in the bowls spells disaster for the Big Ten, can you imagine what a 1-6 or 0-7 will mean? This is the first year in many that a conference shutout could be a real possibility.

If so, then maybe we can get just one preseason poll without one of these lame teams in the top 10 to start the year.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

BCS Rankings Week 14: Penn State and Virginia Tech Back in the Picture

Dan Kelley — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:33:56 -0500

A handful of losses among last week’s top 12 have shaken things up in the BCS picture, and provided a few teams with added hope for a BCS bid.

A blowout loss to Oklahoma dropped the previously 12th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys down to No. 16, and out of the BCS picture entirely.

Additionally, losses by Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech this weekend have hurt each team’s chances for an at-large bid, and will put more pressure on them to win their respective conferences. The Yellow Jackets will have to beat Clemson in the ACC championship game next week, and the Panthers have an end-of-season meeting with No. 5 Cincinnati to decide the Big East champion.

In order to be eligible for an at-large bid into one of the BCS bowls, a team must finish the season ranked in the top 12 of the BCS poll. With the losses, both Penn State and Virginia Tech have been pushed into eligibility, taking the 11th and 12th spots respectively.

Another bit of intrigue added to the picture thanks to Oklahoma State’s fall, is that the Fiesta Bowl could feature a battle of two at-large bids. The Big XII champion is typically selected to participate in the Fiesta Bowl, but Texas is likely headed to the BCS Championship, and no other Big XII member is eligible for an at-large.

If the projected conference champions hold up, then Florida and Texas will play in the BCS Championship, the Rose Bowl will see Ohio State and Oregon face off, Alabama will host the Sugar Bowl, Georgia Tech will host the Orange Bowl, and the Fiesta will have to pick two teams from among the remaining automatic qualifiers, Cincinnati and TCU, and the eligible at-large teams.

With this scenario, the at-large teams to be chosen from for all remaining bowl bids will be No. 6 Boise State, No. 9 Iowa, No. 11 Penn State, and No. 12 Virginia Tech.

However, this situation is hardly settled.

Florida and Alabama still have to play the SEC championship game, which will essentially earn the winner an automatic bid to the BCS Championship Game.
Texas still has to beat Nebraska in the Big XII championship, and will steal an at-large bid if they should lose and allow Nebraska to take the conference’s automatic bid into the Fiesta Bowl. A Longhorns loss would also allow TCU or possibly an undefeated Cincinnati into the BCS Title Game.
Cincinnati could also steal an at-large bid, if they were to lose to Pittsburgh this weekend. The Panthers can tie Cincinnati by beating them, and would get the Big East’s automatic bid with the tie-breaker, leaving Cincy 11-1 and likely still eligible for an at-large bid.
Georgia Tech and Clemson will play the ACC Championship for the league’s automatic bid. However, if the Yellow Jackets lose, neither team will finish in the top 12 so it’s the automatic bid or nothing for both teams.

The picture could look drastically different by next week, with several BCS conferences still up for grabs. Whether you're in the extreme minority that loves the BCS, or if you hate it like everyone else, you have to be excited for what should be some spectacular football this weekend, with plenty of BCS eligibility still left to be decided.

Here's this week's BCS poll in it's entirety:

1) Florida (12-0)

2) Alabama (12-0)

3) Texas (12-0)

4) TCU (12-0)

5) Cincinnati (11-0)

6) Boise State (12-0)

7) Oregon (9-2)

8) Ohio State (10-2)

9) Iowa (10-2)

10) Georgia Tech (10-2)

11) Penn State (10-2)

12) Virginia Tech (9-3)

13) LSU (9-3)

14) BYU (10-2)

15) Pittsburgh (9-2)

16) Oregon State (8-3)

17) Miami (9-3)

18) USC (8-3)

19) California (8-3)

20) Oklahoma State (9-3)

21) Houston (10-2)

22) Nebraska (9-3)

23) West Virginia (8-3)

24) Stanford (8-4)

25) Utah (9-3)

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

BCS Rankings Week 14: Oklahoma State Drops as Penn State, Iowa Battle for Berth

Bret Feddern — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:04:11 -0500

The top of the BCS food chain may not have changed much this week, but the middle of the pack saw a few teams jockey for position.

Florida, Alabama and Texas all won, and retained their respective positions from last week.

TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati all remained undefeated this week, staking their claim as legitimate BCS contenders.

Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma State all dropped in the rankings, though, after turning in dismal performances this week.

With a game left to play, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh still have a chance at a BCS bowl. But Oklahoma State's severe beating by Oklahoma in the Bedlam game deflated any hope the Cowboys had.

That means, assuming Texas defeats Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game, the Fiesta Bowl is off the hook to select a Big 12 team.

As a result, the Big Ten is sitting in great shape for its fifth consecutive year of two BCS berths.

The bowl committees want teams that will provide the biggest economic impact for their communities, something the Big Ten can be counted on for.

Penn State and Iowa are both sitting great in the latest BCS rankings, and both promise large fan turnouts should they be selected. That means higher ticket sales and more money spent in local stores, restaurants and hotels.

Iowa appears to have the advantage on Penn State in the debate over which team from the Big Ten should go to a BCS bowl game.

The Arizona win over Arizona State, combined with the Temple loss to Ohio, on top of the Oklahoma State debacle, helped to widen the gap between Iowa and Penn State in the latest rankings.

The Hawkeyes also claim a victory over the Nittany Lions in the head-to-head match up, winning 21-10.

But the Penn State fan base is lobbying hard, using past BCS bowl game success and TV ratings in their sales pitch.

Regardless, it is hard to say one team has a clear winning argument over the other. And that argument might all be pointless, considering the committee has no obligation to pick a Big Ten team.

Heading into the final stretch of college football, it is important to remember one thing: when it comes to the BCS, nobody knows their head from a rock on the ground.

Assuming Texas doesn't stumble against Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game, the bowl scenario could be shaping up as follows...

National Championship: Florida/Alabama vs. Texas
Sugar Bowl: Florida/Alabama vs. Cincinnati/Pittsburgh
Fiesta Bowl: Iowa vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: TCU vs. Georgia Tech/Clemson
Rose Bowl: Oregon/Oregon State vs. Ohio State

However, if Texas somehow implodes against Nebraska, the scenario could look different...

National Championship: Florida/Alabama vs. TCU
Sugar Bowl: Florida/Alabama vs. Cincinnati/Pittsburgh
Fiesta Bowl: Boise State or Iowa vs. Nebraska
Orange Bowl: Texas vs. Georgia Tech/Clemson
Rose Bowl: Oregon/Oregon State vs. Ohio State

Here's this week's entire BCS poll:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. TCU
5. Cincinnati
6. Boise State
7. Oregon
8. Ohio State
9. Iowa
10. Georgia Tech
11. Penn State
12. Virginia Tech
13. LSU
14. BYU
15. Pittsburgh
16. Oregon State
17. Miami
18. USC
19. California
20. Oklahoma State
21. Houston
22. Nebraska
23. West Virginia
24. Stanford
25. Utah

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In 2010, the Big Ten Schedule Will Have It Right

Kristopher Fiecke — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:09:22 -0500

Football has become an integral part of Thanksgiving traditions all across America. The games are a welcome diversion from all the hoopla, shopping, and gatherings that tend to tax a person's patience. It sure would be nice if those of us in Big Ten country could watch some of the best rivalries over the long holiday weekend.

Starting in 2010, the Big Ten will finally catch up with the rest of the BCS conferences. The conference allows teams to play non-conference games after Thanksgiving. Illinois will play not once, but twice after Thanksgiving this year. The majority of the league ended its regular season last week, however.

Some of the biggest rivalries are played Thanksgiving weekend. The Big 12 is loaded with marquee matchups every year. Mizzou/Kansas, Oklahoma/Oklahoma State, Texas versus Texas A&M, just to name a few. The Big Ten has been really missing out.

A major part of the conference's decision not to allow teams to schedule conference opponents after Thanksgiving was the fear of inclement weather, citing 1950's Ohio State/Michigan game, which became known as The Snow Bowl. The Snow Bowl was played in blizzard conditions in Columbus, OH. By the end of the first quarter, there was more than five inches of snow on the ground and the wind gusted to 40 mph.

That type of weather isn't going to be the norm though. For every year that the weather is going to be miserable, there are going to be 10 seasons where the conditions are going to be more than tolerable for both the fans and the players.

The Big Ten's decision to extend the conference schedule past Thanksgiving certainly has its pros and cons. Coaches have argued that they really liked the opportunity it gave their players to go home for a long Thanksgiving weekend. After a long season, it's nice to be able to give the team a break.

One way or another, the team gets a break following the regular season anyway. Extending the conference season by one week helps with scheduling. It gives teams bye week during every season. Other major conferences enjoy the luxury of a bye week, it's time for the Big 10 to catch up.

Another plus that I can see is the influx of dollars to the home school's economy. Iowa's fan base traditionally travels very well. I'm certain hotels, restaurants, and shopping malls around the Twin Cities will gladly accommodate the thousands of Hawkeye fans that will infiltrate the metro area following Thanksgiving in 2010.

If the weather is bad, you can't control that. The odds of inclement weather increase week by week as we move toward winter, but one week really wouldn't make that much difference. In fact, the weather in October overall was much worse than it was during November.

Football's the one sport where weather can really have a significant effect on the game. Many fans embrace that fact. If it rains, they don't put a tarp over the field and hide the players under a roof. The game goes on and the coaches have to adjust. That's what makes it great.

It just makes too much sense for the Big Ten to play conference games after Thanksgiving and frankly I'm sorry that the conference didn't see fit to allow schools to work these games into their schedules sooner. Maybe the permanent bye week will help the conference perform a little better in the bowl games from now one. Time will tell.

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Big Ten Missing Out Big Time by Not Playing Thanksgiving Weekend

Michael Maxwell — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:19:27 -0500

While the rest of the country finished up its regular season slate with a host of traditional rivalries this weekend, in keeping with tradition, the Big Ten’s stadiums sat dark and quiet. What a shame.

The college football weekend began on Thanksgiving night with a spirited No. 3 Texas-Texas A&M clash, continued with a full schedule of games on Friday that included a historic Iron Bowl between No. 2 Alabama and Auburn, and concluded late Saturday night with an epic back and fourth battle between Stanford and Notre Dame in what is almost certain to be Charlie Weis’ last game as head coach for the Irish.

Precious few things in this country are a more perfect fit than football and Thanksgiving and the Big Ten should strongly consider getting in on the action during this long holiday weekend.

The Big Ten is missing out on major publicity by not playing this weekend. Think of enjoying your turkey and/or leftovers while Michigan battles Ohio State, Penn State fights Michigan St. for the Land Grant Trophy, Iowa tangles with Minnesota for Floyd of Rosedale, or the Old Oaken Bucket battle between Purdue and Indiana is waged.

Extending the season through Thanksgiving would also allow for at least one off week during the regular season.

This is something that would be very valuable, given the bumps and bruises tend to pile up as the grind of the season wears on.

It would also provide a break in the mental grind related to playing 12 consecutive weeks, something most Big Ten teams endured this season.

I know the arguments against playing on Thanksgiving. They include tradition and the fact that the players and coaches get to spend the holiday with their families.

Well, the Big Ten has broken with tradition before. Penn State was added to the league as the 11th member in the early 1990s. The Big Ten was the first to add instant replay review to their games.

And while spending Thanksgiving with your family is a nice draw for recruits and current players, during the football season, a football player’s family is his football team and what better way to spend that holiday than gutting it out on the football field against a bitter rival?

There is no denying that the Big Ten’s bowl record has been abysmal of late. I’m not going to sit here and say that extending the Big Ten’s season by another week or two will be the cure-all and suddenly the Big Ten will dominate again in the post season. It isn’t.

But, in addition to the benefits mentioned above, I think this would be one step the conference could take to help level the playing field come bowl time.

With the exception of Illinois and Wisconsin, the rest of the league finished up November 21...the week before Thanksgiving.

The majority of the BCS games these days are played after New Year’s Day. If a team like Iowa this year makes it to a BCS bowl game that is played after New Year’s Day, the bowl game will come more than six weeks after the last regular season game.

If Iowa happens to play a team that participated in a conference championship game, then their bowl opponent will only end up having four weeks off and likely to have less rust to kick off in the bowl game.

Having six weeks off is more like starting the regular season over again than it is extending into a post-season game.

In 2010, the league is scheduled to begin playing a full slate of games on Thanksgiving weekend. It has been a long time coming. There are just too many benefits to be gained that have been ignored for too long. I'm anxious to see how things work out with this new scheudule.

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BCS Bowl Predictions: Final Week

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

This week featured some of the most compelling and 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 C.J. 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 and 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 demolished TCU had Andre Smith suited up.

TCU 31, Alabama 17

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Big 10, Big 12, and Big East Capsules Week 13

Asher Feldman — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:08:51 -0500

Big 10

Conference Leader: Ohio State (10-2, 7-1) have clinched the Big 10 regular season title and will head to the Rose Bowl.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes. Wisconsin Badgers, Northwestern Wildcats, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Big 12

Conference Leaders: Nebraska (North Division; 9-3, 6-2) and Texas (South Division; 12-0, 8-0) have clinched their respective divisions and will face each other in the Big 12 Title Game for a chance at a BCS bowl bid.

Game of Last Week: Oklahoma 27 vs. Oklahoma State 0. Oklahoama State was looking to make it to a possible BCS bowl this season, but a down Sooner team looking at the possibility of a .500 season instead took it to the Cowboys and ended their hopes of a BCS bowl.

Game of Next Week: Nebraska vs. Texas. For the Big 12’s automatic bowl bid.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Iowa State Cyclones, Missouri Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas A&M Aggies.

Big East

Conference Leader: Cincinnati (11-0, 6-0)

Lurking: Pittsburgh (9-2, 5-1)

Game of Last Week: West Virginia 19 vs. Pittsburgh 16. The Mountaineers shocked the Panthers in the Backyard Brawl, payback for a couple years ago when the Panthers did just the same to a top-ranked WVU team. A field goal as time expired from Tyler Bitancurt sent the Mountaineers to victory.

Game of Next Week: Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati. Although the Panthers lost last week, a victory over the Bearcats would still get them the Big East crown in this de facto Big East Championship Game.

Bowl Eligible Teams: Cincinnati Bearcats, West Virginia Mountaineers, Pittsburgh Panthers, South Florida Bulls, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Connecticut Huskies.

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Oklahoma's Win Over Oklahoma State Helps Iowa's BCS Chances

Kevin Trahan — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:43:00 -0500

Bob Stoops's Oklahoma Sooners didn't have much to play for Saturday, except for a bowl "upgrade" to the Alamo Bowl. But he came through for his old team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, who had much more riding on this game.

Playing in the annual Bedlam game, the Sooners faced in-state rival Oklahoma State, who had much more to play for, likely a BCS bowl birth. But the Cowboys weren't up to the challenge, as they were shut out 27-0 in Norman.

And while Oklahoma celebrated on the field, the state of Iowa was celebrating at home. The Hawkeyes were more benefited by the win than any other team, possibly outside of Boise State. An Oklahoma win puts Iowa in very good position for a BCS birth, one that Oklahoma State could have snatched up with a win in Norman.

While Iowa still had hopes for a BCS bowl birth with an Oklahoma State win, those chances would have dropped tremendously. It seems clear that the Fiesta Bowl will take a Big Ten team with its first at-large pick and that team is likely to be Iowa. But if Oklahoma State had won, the Fiesta may have felt obligated to stick with their league tie-in and take a Big 12 team. That means the Big Ten's at-large representative would likely slip to the Orange Bowl, and Penn State looks like it would have been chosen if the Big Ten candidate had slipped that far.

And while Penn State fans will argue that the Oklahoma State loss does nothing for Iowa's chances, it has to be a big blow to Nittany Lion nation. It was a given that two Big Ten teams would reach the BCS, with Ohio State the automatic pick for the Rose Bowl and either Iowa going to the Fiesta Bowl or Penn State going to the Orange Bowl. Since the Fiesta has the first pick, Iowa seems to be in much better position than Penn State for a BCS bid.

But why Iowa to Glendale and Penn State to Miami? Iowa seems to be the better fit for the Fiesta Bowl because of attendance. Both teams travel very well, but Iowa has a huge alumni base in Arizona and the Hawkeyes' fan attendance would likely exceed 50,000. Iowa brought 50,000 fans to Miami in their last BCS appearance, an Orange Bowl record, and could exceed that number because of the huge alumni base in the Valley of the Sun. It also helps that Iowa hasn't played in the Fiesta Bowl, and while TV ratings favor Penn State's past bowl games, Iowa has had good ratings this season because their games are, to say the least, very exciting to watch.

While Penn State lost to Iowa head-to-head in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions may be more attractive to the Orange Bowl. That seems odd, considering Iowa sold more tickets than any other team in Orange Bowl history, but a statement by Orange Bowl CEO Eric Poms tells the story.

"We examine a myriad of factors when making our decision for the opponent of the ACC champion, including in no particular order: ticket sales, tourism, local economic impact, television appeal, maintaining our brand tradition, [and] appeal for our local and national fan base," Poms told CBS.

While Iowa and Penn State are equal in many of those categories, Penn State looks to have the "maintaining our brand tradition" factor nailed down. The Orange Bowl loves the Nittany Lions, who are no strangers to Miami. Plus, Penn State has a larger alumni base in Florida than Iowa does.

Although Saturday's game is by no means a guarantee that Iowa is heading to Glendale, Oklahoma certainly helped the Hawkeyes' chances of booking a trip to the Valley of the Sun. There is also no guarantee that the bowl pecking order, as Texas still needs to beat Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game. And while a Nebraska upset doesn't seem likely, Iowa could still be headed to Glendale, with the Fiesta taking Nebraska with its first pick, the Orange taking Texas with its pick, and the Fiesta taking Iowa with its second pick.

While Iowa won't be sure of their bowl destination until BCS selections are made next Sunday, the Hawkeyes made huge strides without even playing a game. And even though one can only speculate so much, Iowa is looking more and more likely to be having a Fiesta in the desert come January.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

RichRod on the Way Up, Charlie Weis on the Way Out

Jim Balint — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:42:26 -0500

Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez to help rebuild their storied football team, much in the same manner that Charlie Weis was expected to at Notre Dame. With both struggling, many are calling for the coaches’ jobs. The reality is that these two programs are on very different paths.

Weis’ first year at Notre Dame, he inherited a fantastically talented team, including NFL draftees Anthony Fasano, Maurice Stovall, Brady Quinn, Tom Zbikowski, and Second-Team All-American Jeff Samardzija. That season, the team went 9-3 and went to the Fiesta Bowl. They went 10-2 the next season with much of that squad still intact. A 41-14 beating at the hands of LSU in the Sugar Bowl signaled the downward spiral for Weis.

Since becoming head coach at Notre Dame, Weis has recruited very well. According to Rivals.com, Notre Dame had a top-10 recruiting class each year from 2006-2008. Having such talent brought into the school, expectations were very high. Notre Dame’s record since bringing in those high recruits is 16-20. When looking at a team with such great talent that performs at such a low level, the blame has to be placed on the head coach.

When Weis was hired, he inherited a talented, seasoned team. Rodriguez wasn’t so lucky. Before he even had a chance to call his first practice, Rodriguez lost most of his offense to the NFL. Jake Long, Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and Mario Manningham were all drafted, leaving the offensive cupboard all but bare.

Compounding that, several players bolted for fear that their playing style simply wouldn’t mesh with the spread offense. QB Ryan Mallett transferred to Arkansas, which boasted a much more traditional offense that suited the 6’7” sophomore.

RB Sam McGuffie transferred to Rice, where the spread offense was already instituted and well established, not to mention closer to home. OL Justin Boren found the transition to be so jarring, he decided to transfer to arch-rival Ohio State.

While Rodriguez’s tenure certainly hasn’t been a rousing success to this point, take a look at what the program looked like upon his arrival.

Losing so many talented players to the draft, coupled with the task of instituting a new offensive scheme using only the players who were still on the team from Lloyd Carr’s regime is similar to trying to win a NASCAR race with an SUV. Looking at that initial 3-9 season, seven of those nine weren’t as bad as initially thought.

The opening “shocker” against Utah turned out to be an acceptable loss, considering five months later, Utah would be beating down mighty Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. Penn State and Ohio State were co-Big 10 champs, and Michigan State went 9-4, as did Northwestern.

The losses to Notre Dame and Illinois were disappointing. And while losing to Toledo and Purdue seemed inexcusable, those feelings lessen given the personnel Rodriguez had to work within his system.

The merits of that system have been questioned as well. What kind of success could be expected of the spread offense in the Big 10? Just ask Ohio State.

In the 2007 BCS title game a heavily favored Ohio State team faced off against a Florida Gators team featuring a spread offense. At the end of the night, OSU had no answer for Florida’s speed and ended up getting throttled 41-14.

A year later, Ohio State faced LSU in the title game. LSU’s spread offense ripped the vaunted Ohio State defense for over 300 yards and 38 points. When up and running smoothly, the spread offense has proven it can be successful, even against some of the top defenses in the nation.

This past season, Rodriguez has improved the win total, if only modestly, and he did so with his first full recruiting class. There is only upside to freshmen Tate Forcier and Vincent Smith.

This past season, Michigan ranked fourth in the Big 10 in both scoring and rushing yards. With Rodriguez’s own recruits in place, the offense is starting to develop. The real challenge will be for Rodriguez to improve a defense that gave up the third most passing yards and second most rushing yards in the Big 10 this year.

The improvement in record, however mild, shows that Rodriguez has his team moving in the right direction heading into his third season. Even your harshest naysayer will agree that in order to give a fair appraisal of a college program, the coach needs at least five years to recruit his own players and develop that talent.

That time has been afforded Weis, and after working with several full recruiting classes, the results have been less than glorious.

At the very least, Rodriguez is continuing his high recruiting classes. Rivals.com ranked Michigan’s past two recruiting classes in the top ten nationally. He also has a top 20 class coming in next year.

While all this shines some sun on the beleaguered program, it also helps to protect Rodriguez. The team is now two years deep with recruits he picked. Firing him now and replacing him with someone like alum and number one candidate Jim Harbaugh of Stanford would set the program back at least another three years.

Harbaugh’s offensive system centers around power running, utilizing running back Toby Gerhart and making use of larger, slower offensive linemen in the running game, and big wide receivers. Rodriguez has been recruiting smaller, faster linemen and receivers to utilize in his spread offense.

Hiring Harbaugh would signal another 180 degree turn in philosophy, possibly leading to yet another mass exodus of players. That would leave the roster bare until the next recruiting class came in, and potentially create the same embarrassment that exists now with Rodriguez.

In the last year, Weis hasn’t received a single word of support from anyone of note at Notre Dame. Rodriguez, on the other hand, has recently been supported by both the university president and one of the school’s most successful graduates. When asked whether Rodriguez would return next season, Mary Sue Coleman said she was supportive, and not in favor of creating a coaching carousel.

Alum and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross essentially gave him until the end of next season to show significant improvement: “If he has a bad year next year, he’ll have a lot more pressure.” While Ross doesn’t directly affect the decision either, being the school’s biggest donor in recent years has certainly helped him gain influence.

Rodriguez is showing signs of progress and his team is much improved from that 3-9 disaster. He’s finally seeing his first series of recruits understand the system and execute it. Weis had five years to turn his team into a contender and failed. Rodriguez deserves the same amount to prove that he can get the job done.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Rivalry Weekend Is Playoff Elimination Weekend

Crayton — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:15:12 -0500

If Texas, Florida, or Alabama lose this week, then they will most likely be thrown from the BCS title race. While some people stomp for a large, 16-team playoff; the truth is that under that format each of these teams might lose but would still ascend into such an expansive playoff, right...right?

Thanksgiving weekend is, for all intents and purposes, rivalry weekend. You have the Civil War, The Holy War, The Bedlam Series, the riveting Egg Bowl, and Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.

The last thing these rivalry games need is one team resting their starters for the playoffs.

This year, the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State would have tremendous playoff implications. The winner would gain a spot in essentially a play-in round, while the loser would have to settle for the Holiday Bowl, or worse.

Perhaps all games on rivalry weekend should be elimination games.

Imagine, if Florida loses to Florida State then the Gators would be eliminated. Sure, they may fall only to No. 6 in the BCS, but they would be ineligible for an at large spot in the playoff and would take the back-seat in the SEC tie-breaker to 'Bama because of their loss.

The Playoff

So what would the race to a 16-team playoff look like this weekend? We will assume that every team's final regular season game will be played this week and that next week Conference Championship Games will be replaced by the first round of the playoffs.

To replace the Conference Championship Games, four regional tournaments (West, South, East, and North) of four teams will be held on campuses the first two weeks of December; the winners of which will ascend into two of the five BCS Games on Jan. 1.

Eleven conference champions and five at large teams will go into the playoff. Rivalry Week losses will trump head-to-head in breaking conference ties and no team which loses on rivalry week will be eligible for an at large bid.

A maximum of three teams from each conference will be put in one of the regional tournaments so as not to monopolize the region. Here are the potential brackets:

(note: 30 teams are listed as hopeful; a full, extra playoff round with Georgia Tech already assured a playoff spot)

The West Regional Contenders

No. 3 Texas
The Longhorns have traversed their schedule unscathed and with the top seed in the West; but they face a tough rival in Texas A&M. A loss to the Aggies and an Oklahoma State victory over Oklahoma would force a tie for the Big 12 Championship, which the Longhorns would lose and be eliminated by virtue of their Rivalry Loss.

No. 6 Boise St
The Broncos have also gone undefeated through the season, except against an arguably weaker schedule and currently hold on to a first round home game. This week's elimination game against Nevada will decide which team will represent the WAC in the playoff.

No. 8 Oregon
The Ducks lead the Pac-10 but face elimination against Oregon State who can snatch the conference title away from them. If both Oregon and Boise State make the playoffs, the two teams would not be paired in the first round. If Boise State or Texas slip then the Ducks will find themselves with a first round home game.

No. 12 Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have a firm grip on an at large bid and can even grab the Big 12 title if they show up against rival Oklahoma and Texas slips against A&M. If both the Longhorns and Cowboys make the playoffs they will not be paired in the first round.

The West Regional Hopefuls

No. 16 Oregon State
The Beavers control their own destiny and can take Oregon's spot in the playoff with a victory over the Ducks this weekend in what amounts to a "Round of 32" game.

No. 20 USC
The Trojans need a lot of help to make the playoffs should they defeat rival UCLA this weekend. Four of the following Eight teams must lose: Florida, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma St, Virginia Tech, LSU, Clemson, and Miami

No. 22 California
The Bruins played their rivalry game a week early and are have one more game against Washington. If USC also losses then California would make the playoffs from the longest of odds.

(7-0 WAC) Nevada
The Wolfpack can jump into the playoffs with a victory over Boise State and the WAC crown. It will be a tough game and Nevada will most likely play at Texas in the first round.

C-USA / Sun Belt Champ

If the Big 12 does not send two teams to the playoff then expect the westernmost of the Conference USA Champion or Sun Belt Champion to join the Western Regional Playoffs.

The South Regional Contenders

No. 1 Florida
The Gators have built up an impressive resume this year but face almost sure elimination if they lose against rival Florida State. Only a simultaneous loss by Alabama will save the Gators.

No. 2 Alabama
The Crimson Tide have also gone undefeated but still must defeat rival Auburn this Friday to make the playoffs. Otherwise they will have secured a first round home game against Troy.

(7-0 Sun Belt) Troy
The Trojans have almost clinched the Sun Belt and can do so with a win against Louisiana Lafayette or with a Middle Tennessee loss. The Trojans are looking to play at cross-state powerhouse Alabama in the first round.

(6-1 C-USA) East Carolina
The Pirates are the only Conference USA team in control of their own destiny. A win against playoff hopeful Southern Miss will clinch the conference and a playoff spot for the Pirates.

The South Regional Hopefuls

No. 15 LSU
The Tigers are the highest ranked team not yet in playoff position and play the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Battle for the Golden Boot this weekend. The Tigers can take the place of Alabama or Florida if one of those teams loses or they may edge out the Westernmost C-USA or Sun Belt champion if Texas or Oklahoma State lose.

No. 23 Houston
The Cougars are a game behind the East Carolina Pirates and need a victory over rival Rice and an East Carolina loss to secure the Conference USA title.

(6-1 Sun Belt) Middle Tennessee State
The Blue Raiders play Louisiana Monroe this weekend but need not only a victory but also a Troy loss to find their way into the playoff

(5-2 C-USA) Southern Mississippi
The Golden Eagles can play their way to a tie in the conference against East Carolina but will lose the tie-breaker unless Houston loses as well.

The East Regional Contenders

No. 5 Cincinnati
The Bearcats are riding an undefeated season into their season finale against Pittsburgh. The Bearcats are holding on to a top seed and two home playoff games but will lose it all with a loss to Pittsburgh.

No. 7 Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets have already clinched the ACC, the ONLY team guaranteed a playoff spot with a game remaining, so theirs is the rare instance when the rivalry game against Georgia does not have overt playoff implications. Even a loss to the Bulldogs may not steal Georgia Tech's first round home game.

No. 15 Virginia Tech
The Hokies are holding on to the last at large spot. Their rivalry game against Virginia should pose little problem, so expect Virginia Tech to play at the Big East champion in the first round.

(7-0 MAC) Central Michigan / Temple
The Chippewas and Owls are both tied for the MAC lead without a head-to-head matchup to break the tie.

If one of the teams stumbles this weekend against Northern Illinois and Ohio respectively then the MAC representative will be obvious, but it may be the polls which ultimately determine which team will ascend to the playoffs and play at Georgia Tech in December.

The East Regional Hopefuls

No. 9 Pittsburgh
The Panthers control their own destiny with their season finale against Cincinnati and a home playoff game against the ACC runner-up. Expect in years future, without regular season games in December, that Pittsburgh will conclude its season in the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia.

No. 17 Miami
The Hurricanes can slip in if a second at large team, perhaps Virginia Tech, stumbles. Miami begins a six-year series against USF this weekend in what should shape up into a solid rivalry.

No. 18 Clemson
The Tigers may have something to say about Miami getting the last at-large spot and will showcase their ACC-Atlantic champion team against the rival South Carolina Gamecocks. Whichever team between the Hurricanes and Tigers is ranked higher may end up with the last at large bid. Clemson has already played and defeated Miami in October.

(6-1 MAC) Ohio
The Bobcats actually have a shot at the playoff as long as they defeat Temple this weekend and Central Michigan drops its regular season finale. By virtue of their Rivalry Week Victory, Ohio will ascend into the playoff at Georgia Tech the following week.

The North Regional Contenders

No. 4 TCU
The Horned Frogs are undefeated thus far but need a victory against lowly New Mexico to stay in the playoffs and keep their top spot and two home playoff games.

No. 10 Ohio State
The Buckeyes have completed their season a week early, secured the Big Ten title outright, and earned a home playoff game. Expect next year, as the Big Ten adds a bye week, that the Michigan game will be moved to rivalry weekend.

No. 11 Iowa
The Hawkeyes have also secured an at large spot in the Northern Region by concluding their season a week early and will likely play at the Mountain West Champion.

No. 13 Penn State
The Nittany Lions have secured their playoff spot and will likely be the team chosen from Iowa to play in a rematch (in Columbus) against Ohio State in the first round.

The North Regional Hopefuls

No. 19 BYU
The Cougars will find themselves in a Holy War for the MWC title and playoff spot if TCU loses this weekend. BYU's lone conference loss is to the Horned Frogs and the tie will be broken by TCU's Rivalry Week Loss.

No. 21 Utah
The Utes may squeeze their way into a second straight Mountain West title with a victory over BYU and a TCU loss, but the chips are stacked against them as this week's game is played in Provo.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Penn State Student Section To Change

Ben Jones — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:58:08 -0500

That’s right, after a lot of talking it’s official. They’re moving the student section in 2011 and adding 800 seats.

The new system is pretty complicated, and would take a rather long time to explain without just pasting the article here, but the link can be found here . But, since it’s my blog, I get to spout out my opinions on the interwebs.

More students closer to the field=louder student section.
More students in student section=louder student section.
Upper deck bounces the sound down to the field=louder student section.

There are negatives involved with the move, but there are negatives about where the section is now. A nice thing about coming in through Gates A and B is that it could allow more students to enter at one time, and keep the 15 minutes-before-kick-off rush to a minimum (don't tell them they can get there earlier though, it is a secret).

It’ll be a fun thing to try out when Alabama comes to town for the second game of the 2011 season. If that game isn’t going to be a White-house I’m not sure what is.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Ohio State Buckeyes: Why 2009 Gives Hope for 2010 BCS Title Shot

Tim Bielik — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:10:47 -0500

After debacles in the 2006 and 2007 National Championship games, most college football fans might not want to see Ohio State playing for a BCS title ever again.

But with the maturation the team has developed and a 180 degree shift in mentality, the Buckeyes could end 2009 as high as sixth in the final polls, and primed for a BCS run in 2010.

How can this happen with a quarterback that has passing problems and an inconsistent offensive line?

Most people figured early on that 2009 was more of a growing year for the Buckeyes, who lost a lot of senior leaders including James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins, and superstar RB Beanie Wells.

There were numerous holes to fill, and the loss of stud junior LB Tyler Moeller for the season, due to a head injury in August, didn't help matters much.

But as the season went on, the Buckeyes began to develop an identity as a hard-hitting, run-stuffing defense that flies to the football and racks up interceptions and turnovers like few teams in the country.

Offensively, the Buckeyes went back to their bread and butter in running the football, though the usually-conservative Jim Tressel did call for some wrinkles, such as some Wildcat runs.

New playmakers emerged on the defensive side of the ball in LB Brian Rolle, surprise freshman DT John Simon, and S Jermale Hines.

When it came to the offense, progress was slow behind an offensive line starting two to three true sophomores and breaking in multiple new starting WRs.

Over time, and heading into the November gauntlet, RBs Brandon Saine and Daniel "Boom" Herron turned the corner and have become solid playmakers. Saine is the big play threat out of the backfield, ripping defenses in both the running and passing games, and Herron has been the running workhorse.

And give credit to the Ohio State coaching staff for trying to make Terrelle Pryor more efficient, and more careful with the football.

After being a turnover machine in the first half of the season, Pryor was reeled in and put in more controlled environments to make him make safer decisions. As a result, Pryor had only two turnovers in the final five games of 2009.

Many felt that 2009 was the year Pryor would be unleashed, but he clearly was not ready to be the guy.

So what happened? Ohio State took pressure off of him and established a running mentality that culminated with three OSU players, Saine, Herron, and Pryor, each running for over 70 yards against Michigan.

And the good news for Ohio State fans: All of these players should be coming back for 2010, a year more experienced and primed for a title shot.

The year will begin with an exciting September test against a very talented Miami Hurricanes squad hungry for revenge after losing the 2002 title game.

The question in 2010 will continue to be if Pryor is truly, finally ready to take the Vince Young-esque final step towards football superstardom.

But as long as the defensive cogs, especially in the line like Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward, return, there is no reason why the Buckeyes won't have one of the more exciting and fast defenses in the country.

Expect the Buckeyes to have another high preseason ranking in 2010 as usual, and with Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy, among others, graduating, a new crop of stars are ready to shine.

But first things first as Ohio State prepares for the Rose Bowl against the winner of the Civil War in Eugene, Oregon.

How the Buckeyes perform in that game will show whether this group is ready to return to the elites of college football.

A win on the national stage outside of the conference will do wonders not only for perception, but for confidence and maturity.

And as 2006 and 2007 showed, the respect has to be earned with big wins against teams not named Penn State and Michigan.

It has to be earned by beating powerhouses and talented teams in the big games, and there's no bigger bowl stage than in the Granddaddy of Them All.

A win will go a long way, but this young group has to be ready to put in the work to be great.

The talent's there, but now it's time for them to take the next step and win an elusive BCS game. If they do, Buckeye Nation will embrace this season and be ready for what hopes to be a title chase in 2010.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Top TE Prospect C.J. Fiedorowicz Switches Commitment, Joins Iowa Hawkeyes

Sayre Bedinger — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:25:30 -0500

The Chicago Sun Times is reporting that four-star tight end prospect C.J. Fiedorowicz has switched his verbal commitment from Illinois to Iowa after an official visit last weekend.

Fiedorowicz, a native of Johnsburg, IL, committed to Illinois back in July. After Illinois' horrid season and Iowa's first 10 win season since 2004, Fiedorowicz decided winning was more important.

And it helps that Iowa's top tight end Anthony Moeaki is heading off to the NFL after this season.

The Army All-American had a very, very good senior season catching 44 passes for 921 yards and 15 touchdowns. His 42 touchdown grabs rank second in Illinois high school football history.

He is the fifth rated tight end prospect in the country, and the second best prospect in all of Illinois according to Rivals.com.

Fiedorowicz's commitment gives the Hawkeyes a total of four four-star commitments so far this season, and the coaching staff is hard after the top player in the country, Seantrel Henderson.

The 6'7" 240 pound tight end should see significant playing time as a freshman and could become a quick favorite target of quarterback Ricky Stanzi.

Turns out, the off week for the Hawkeyes proved to be more productive than anyone ever could have imagined, and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl would be icing on the cake.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Iowa Hawkeyes Should Hope for Best Bowl Opponent, Regardless of Venue

Michael Maxwell — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:16:53 -0500

Since Iowa’s regular season ended with the 12-0 white washing of Minnesota, all kinds of attention has been put towards the bowl destination. Justifiably so, given that there are no other opponents currently on the schedule.

Every pundit, talking head, newspaper journalist, Internet geek, and even the average fan have their own two cents to add. Everyone has their reasons that seem rock solid as to where Iowa will spend the New Year.

Outside of the matchups for the BCS National Championship game, I contend that the bowl selection “process” (if you can call it that) is as clouded as ever. Ultimately, the bowls will invite whoever they think is in their best interests—oftentimes regardless of merit. Anyone outside of the bowl inner circle is taking a pure stab in the dark.

So, rather than offer my stone cold lead pipe lock as to where Iowa will spend the New Year, I am going to focus on who would make the best opponent for the Hawkeyes. For, I think that the bowl opponent is more important than the destination.

The bowl game is usually the springboard to the following season. Exhibit A being the big Outback Bowl victory back on New Year’s Day in Tampa over South Carolina.

This year, Iowa should hope for the highest quality bowl opponent, no matter where that happens to take them. A victory against the best team out there will put the biggest exclamation mark on this season and serve as the building block for next season.

The list of bowls possible for Iowa range from the Fiesta and Orange (both BCS bowls) to the Capital One, or the worst-case scenario is the Outback.

Here is the list of teams that could provide Iowa’s bowl opposition, including the possible bowl game. The teams are ranked in order from best possible opponent to weakest.

I define the "best possible opponent" as the team that would provide the most impressive victory, not necessarily the team that Iowa would have the easiest time beating.

No. 1 TCU (Fiesta or Orange Bowl)

This is the best possible opponent for Iowa. The Horned Frogs are unbeaten and ranked No. 4 in the BCS. They have run rough shot over their entire schedule, which has included decisive victories over ranked conference rivals BYU and Utah.

They also won at Clemson, who will be playing for the ACC championship against Georgia Tech.

It would be a tremendous opportunity for Iowa to get the chance to hand TCU its only loss of the season in a BCS bowl game. You could argue that Iowa would be representing all of the power conferences, in this battle with a non-BCS school.

Of course, the knock on TCU is the strength of the Mountain West Conference. How would TCU fair playing in a conference like the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, or ACC? Well, they probably will get a taste of that in the bowl game, as it appears they are in line for an automatic BCS bid.

No. 2 Boise State (Fiesta Bowl)

The Broncos have been perennial “BCS Busters” over the years. Once again, in 2009, it looks like they will probably run the table. Astutely, Boise scheduled Pac 10 powerhouse Oregon out of conference this year…and they won that one.

While Boise currently boasts a No. 6 BCS ranking, they still have a game against Nevada, who is also unbeaten in the Western Athletic Conference. However, if Boise finishes their regular season undefeated, they certainly will receive serious BCS consideration.

The memorable Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma a few years ago, combined with the win over Oregon this year make the Broncos a factor against any power conference opponent.

Just as would be the case with TCU, the opportunity Iowa would have to knock off an unbeaten would provide tremendous recognition for the program, regardless of whether that team was from a BCS conference or not.

No. 3 Georgia Tech (Orange Bowl)

Assuming that Georgia Tech defeats Clemson in the ACC championship, they will be on their way to the Orange Bowl. Tech is ranked No. 7 in the BCS and their only loss was early in the year at Miami.

Georgia Tech’s nonconference schedule is a bit suspect. While they will have played three SEC teams, they have included Mississippi St., Vanderbilt, and Georgia, who have a 6-17 combined record in the SEC.

No. 4 Mississippi (Capital One or Outback Bowl)

The Rebels are coming on strong, posting a big win over LSU last weekend. Their three losses have come at South Carolina, vs. Alabama, and at Auburn. Still have rivalry game vs. Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl to contend with.

Chance for Iowa to get another bowl win vs. quality SEC opponent.

No. 5 LSU (Capital One or Outback Bowl)

Matchup with LSU would no doubt bring back memories of probably the greatest play in the history of Iowa football—the 56-yard touchdown pass from Drew Tate to Warren Holloway as time expired in the 2005 Capital One Bowl.

This year’s version of the Tigers is reeling a bit here towards the end of the season, dropping a tough one at Mississippi last weekend. Les Miles and crew could be looking at an uncharacteristic 8-4 season if they can’t get past Arkansas this weekend.

However, just as with Mississippi, a matchup with LSU would give both Iowa and the Big Ten an opportunity to improve a historic poor bowl record vs. the SEC Conference.

No. 6 Oklahoma St. (Fiesta)

I think this is the worst possible foe for Iowa. Okay fine, assuming they defeat Oklahoma, they will finish with the same record as Iowa. But who have they beaten? At this point, their only win against a Big 12 opponent with a winning conference record is against Texas Tech, who is 4-3.

Nonconference competition has included Georgia (big name, but only 6-5 overall record), Rice, Grambling, and Houston.

They weren’t competitive on their home field against Texas and also couldn’t beat Houston on their home field.

Conclusion

Iowa has proved that they can compete against anyone in the country, in the most hostile environments. Although I don’t think it is all that important to them, the Hawks continue to struggle to get national respect. My guess would be that Iowa probably would be underdogs against each of the above possible bowl opponents (perhaps with the exception of Mississippi or LSU, if those teams happen to lose their last games).

The old adage often used by Kirk Ferentz is that “there are no bad bowl games.” While I do agree, there are higher quality opponents than others. So, if Iowa wants to make as big a splash in the bowl game as possible, then lets hope that the bowl opponent is one of the teams on the top half of this list.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Twenty-One Teams Thankful for the BCS

Pete Misthaufen — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:57:22 -0500

The BCS yesterday officially gave up on 99 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. As such, there are only twenty-one possible teams that could receive one of the ten BCS slots. Schools not included in the list are now available to receive bowl bids, so the negotiations will be going like crazy to fill up the best spots. A couple of the teams may surprise college football fans. But there are a few things to remember about the BCS. First, it is all about money. Specifically, TV ratings. If a school has a reputation for bringing eyeballs to the TV sets, then it will get considered, even if the team has not played well this season. Given last year's disaster at the Orange Bowl (lowest rated BCS game ever), the powers that be want to avoid another bad draw. Second, it is all about money. Specifically, game attendance. Which teams can bring the fans that will spend the money. After all, the bowls were started originally for tourism purposes. So, a team that has failed to deliver previously will not get another chance. Again, last year's Orange Bowl is the best example of this problem, as thousands of tickets were unused and scalpers were trying to dump them for less than one dollar. Not exactly what the BCS wants. Third, no BCS bowl is going to take one for the team. These bowls are run by smart folks that understand the desire of the average fan for a playoff. While they would make a limited effort to placate outsiders, in the end, it goes back to TV ratings and attendance. So, let's look at the teams, especially the couple of surprises.

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A Buckeye Thanksgiving: 10 Things I'm Thankful For

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:24:51 -0500

Thanksgiving can mean so many different things to different people.

For me, it is a time to reflect upon, and appreciate, the people, and things in my life that I care for and cherish the most like my parents, my child, my wife, my closest friends, etc....

If you're a sports fan, it also can be applied to the teams you love, or those you love to hate.

Here are the 10 things to be thankful for this year—Buckeye Football Edition.

No. 10—I was not born in TSUN.

No. 9—I am not a fan of a certain hated, and currently God-awful team from TSUN.

No. 8—Now 2,194 days and counting, and another year, another (BCS) bowl game for my team. (Sorry TTUN fans.....not really).

No. 7—For the third straight year, the OSU seniors finished their careers 4-0 vs. TTUN, and have four of these:

No. 6—For the sixth year in a row, and eight out of the last 10...SCOREBOARD, SCOREBOARD, SCOREBOARD...

No. 5—Having an amazing athlete and rising star in Terrelle Pryor as my teams' quarterback. I can't wait for year three!

No. 4—Having seven of these, and still the only two-time winner, unless of course eSECpn rigs and/or buys another one for the undeserving Messiah of Florida.

No. 3—Having seven, and 34 of these respectively, and looking forward to the real possibility of numbers eight and maybe even nine, and numbers 35 and 36 possibly coming in the next two seasons, given our amazing recruiting, and assuming Terrelle progresses as expected like Troy did in 2006.

No. 2—Having been to no less than 10 Ohio State games with my Dad, and having that time with him in the greatest venue in all of sports, Ohio Stadium. It is a true National Treasure and I still get chills every time I walk through the gates. There really is nothing like a Saturday in The Shoe.

No. 1—This was a very easy choice for the top slot:

Having this guy...

instead of this guy...

leading our football program.

It's not always pretty, and Tress certainly isn't flashy, but a 93-21 record in nine seasons, six conference championships, seven 10+ win seasons, nine bowl games in nine years with a 4-4 record, including the 2002 BCS Championship speaks volumes.

I could go on, but the point here is that Coach Tressel is a winner, and so too are we, the fans, and also the young men that suit up and proudly wear the Scarlet and Gray under Tressel.

The 2009 season has flown by and I'm not thankful for that, but I am thankful for the opportunity to see the Buckeyes play one more game on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl, and for the visions I don't want to get out of my head of more Heisman, and National Championship trophies that could each end up in Columbus in the very near future.

Happy Thanksgiving to the entire Buckeye Nation.

Click For Block Nation Front Page

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BCS Nightmare: Three Upsets That Will Devastate the System

Brian Nelson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:42:55 -0500

Every year at this time the BCS hinges its hopes that the elite teams will distinguish themselves from the pack, creating clear, crisp champions and compelling match-ups. While controversy and calamity do cause a stir and drive a lot of intrigue to the College Football and the Bowls themselves, the BCS does not need to draw further attention and scrutiny to their ridiculous system. Thus far, it's already been a rough go for the BCS. Sure-fire teams that travel well and drive ratings such as USC, Notre Dame and Miami are likely out of the picture. It's very possible only one Big 12 team will participate in a BCS Bowl while two non-BCS teams TCU and Boise State could both enter. Not only would two non-AQ teams pose a ratings and possible ticket sales nightmare for the BCS, but the possibility that both could win could give congress the ammo it needs to take down the entire system. Assuming that the BCS is entirely about money, power, greed and control (I know that's a stretch, that could never be possible) these are three highly likely upsets that will devastate the BCS.

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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.

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Dave's IMO: Ohio State Buckeyes Got Jobbed in All-Conference Awards

David Thurman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:02:39 -0500

The Big Ten All Conference teams were announced this week and I'm angry...make that livid. I know most of the national media isn't particularly fond of JT or the Buckeyes, but I am shocked to see this kind of a snub from the midwest sportswriters and Big Ten coaches.

Consider the following:

The coaches named seven Iowa players to the First Team, and only one Buckeye! All total, 15 Hawkeyes made the All Conference Team (first and second Team and Honorable Mention), compared to eight from Ohio State.

The conference media wasn't much better, although the First Team disparity was only 4-2. However, they named 18 Hawkeyes to the All Conference Team, compared to nine Buckeyes. Then to show their total prejudice they named Kirk Ferentz as Coach of the Year (for the third time).

Wait a minute. If he has better players that Tressel, then how does he merit coach of the year? Since Ohio State won the Big Ten with inferior talent, shouldn't their coach at least get some accolades? Interesting how a team with better talent and superior coaching finishes in second place. And amazing how Tressel has won six Big Ten titles but never been awarded the conference Coach of the Year.

In case you're interested Penn State got 15 players on the media squad, and the coaches named six Nittany Lions to the First Team. Wisconsin got five on the media First Team (remember OSU had two). Purdue trumped the Bucks 11-9 in total players named All Conference!

When you consider that Ohio State was the Big Ten outright champion, then you have to scratch your head. I have perused the list of players and found the following to be especially mind boggling:

Cameron Heyward was only considered Second Team on both lists. Are you kidding me? Some NFL scouts are projecting Cam as the first player taken in next year's draft, if he leaves early...not the No. 1 DL but the No. 1 player overall!

He was the most dominant player on what may have been the best defense in the nation. Just ask Matt Millen. He raved about Heyward each time he broadcast a Buckeye game, and felt he was the key to Ohio State's phenomenal defense.

Brian Rolle didn't make either list, but A.J. Edds is Second Team (Coaches) and Honorable Mention (Media). Huh? Edds had a fairly quiet year making 72 tackles (four for loss), while Rolle (the human kamikaze) had 91 (seven for loss), scoring a touchdown and a two point conversion.

The Media Defensive Player of the Year (Greg Jones) played on a team that gave up over 25 points a game. Hey, his stats were great, so I'm only asking. Just seems a little fishy to me.

Good players on the best team (Mike Brewster, DeVier Posey, and the aforementioned Brian Rolle) didn't even warrant Honorable Mention on either list, and Doug Worthington was overlooked by the coaches. Hey do they actually watch the games?

Eric Decker missed half of his team's conference games but was still named First Team by the coaches. Certainly he is special, but don't you have to actually play to be considered the best of the best?

I could go on, but you get the point. I think this travesty is a combination of jealousy against the Buckeyes (five straight titles will do that), and ignorance on the part of voters who make up their minds before the season begins. Regardless it is a pity and as a Buckeye fan I say, "We got shafted...we got hosed...we got jobbed!"

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Charlie Weis and Al Groh - Pink Slips Ahead?: The VFA Week 12 Awards

Alex Ferguson — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:43:00 -0500

It's Thanksgiving out there people, and most of us are already thinking about turkey rather than football. Actually, that's not true...we're all thinking about turkey. AND football.

For Penn State Nation, the [add word here] 10-2 season is over, with the good hammerin' of Michigan State. Gosh we played well. Life is good at last. We'll take the Land Grant Trophy. Thanks, Staters!!

Anyway, here are some awards we are handin' out.

The Pink Slip Award for Hapless Coaching

1. Charlie Weis (Notre Dame): Cry all you want Charlie, it probably won't save your job. If you do stay another year, it'll be the greatest resurrection since (Touchdown) Jesus.

2. Al Groh (Virginia): Goodbye already!

3. Mark Mangino (Kansas): If the racist remarks are worse than they appear, then it won't matter what we think. Big man is going to get his butt kicked out of hippieville.

4. Mark Richt (Georgia): We know the fate of Georgia's defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, but after the Kentucky game, could we be saying goodbye to Richt in the shock firing of the year? If we do, you heard it here first!

5. Joe Paterno (Penn State): Just joking. Really—he'll leave when he wants to.

Games Of The Week

1. Oregon 44, Arizona 41: What an atmosphere and what a game. Oregon wasn't at its best, but it survived. Oh, but Arizona won the best cheerleader award. Sorry Ducks.

2. UConn 33, Notre Dame 30: It wasn't the win that moved us, it was the tears of both Weis and Randy Edsall. Football's about emotion, and regardless of the result, this was pretty emotional.

3. Ole Miss 25, LSU 23: Late LSU comeback fails. We're still exhausted watching this one.

4. Penn State 42, Michigan State 14: Because at last the Nittany Lions brought the wood out. A great performance on both sides of the ball.

5. Northwestern 33, Wisconsin 31: After getting their Big 10 hopes shredded last week, Wisconsin then loses to a loser-ish team (sorry Wildcats!). But we're all sad it's over.

Best Two-Tool Player in the Nation

1. CJ Spiller (Clemson): Can run, throw, and catch. The kid's the real deal.

2. Jordan Shipley (Texas): He might be 85, but his punt returns are second to none and we love his wide receiving skills.

3. Tim Tebow (Florida): He's Superman. He's Jesus. He's Florida's quarterback. His walking on water skills might be needed if the FSU game on Saturday is as wet as last week's.

The Unexpected Award for Stunning Results, Turnarounds and Events

1. Northwestern beating Wisconsin. Mike Kafka. Future Big Ten legend. You heard it here, er, third.

2. Cal beating Stanford. We know it's 'The Game' and all that, but after Stanford savaged Oregon AND USC, we expected Cal to take a beating. Maybe Jeff Tedford can coach.

3. Georgia blowing a monster lead and losing to Kentucky. It's not even getting funny now.

4. Florida State going bowling. Didn't expect this after a string of horrible performances. The last-ditch win over Maryland was exciting - but who holds hope for them against the GateShow? Not us!

And the Richard Fuld Award for Bad Management goes to....

1. LSU's Les Miles. A lot of Tigers fans want 17 seconds back.

2. Stanford's Jim Harbaugh. Going for it with three minutes to go. The throws from Andrew Luck - the so-called best quarterback in the Pac-10 - weren't much better. Both will have better days. But not on Week 12 of the 2009 season.

3. Georgia and it's defensive co-ordination team. Goodbye, and thanks for nothing.

4. Charlie Weis' defensive co-ordinators John Tenuta and Corwin Brown both deserve to be fired after the Irish's defensive efforts. Can't tackle a UConn running back? Not going to be easy against Toby Gerhardt of Stanford, either.

5. Rich Rodriguez. Should have pulled Tate Forcier earlier in the game. Four interceptions? We think Denard Robinson could have done better.

Congratulations to...

1. Connecticut's Randy Edsall: Finally gets a win for Jasper Howard, who passed away earlier in the season. Not a dry eye in the house.

2. The College Gameday guys: They finally picked a game that they would actually show. And boy, was it great. The "student shots" made you want to sign up and take another four years of college in Tuscon...Mama! I'm comin' home!

3. Nebraska (Big XII North Champs): The title's coming home to Lincoln. Children of the Corn, it's coming home!

4. Clemson (ACC Coastal Champs): We have to say that after the Georgia Tech game it all looked a little unlikely, but well done!

5. Florida and Alabama: Because one of you will end up in the National Championship. And one of you will end up in the Sugar Bowl. And you'll win both games.

Quote of the day

"Jordan Shipley had a senior day with Tommy Nobis," Rece Davis, College Football Final. We laughed anyway. By the way, CFF had a picture of Colt McCoy hugging his family on Senior Day. Did anyone else noticed that his mother is smoking hot? How did he come to look like such a, well, alien?

Wish we were...

In Tuscon last week for the Arizona game. Hot girls, lovely temperatures, and an atmosphere in Arizona Stadium that was to die for. We ask you to go to your recording of the U of A game and watch for the crowd shots in the fourth quarter for the reasons why.

And finally...

Best Cheerleaders

1. Arizona
2. Oregon
3. Ole Miss
4. Florida
5. Arizona State (We can't WAIT until the Arizona-Arizona State game)

Had this song in my head...

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Honest Northwestern Bowl Assessment and Big Ten Bowl Projections

Jonathan Hodges — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:12:27 -0500

With the regular season in the books for the Northwestern Wildcats (8-4, 5-3), now comes the hard part: waiting for the bowl bids to be handed out on Dec. 6.

That's right—with nine of 11 Big Ten teams' regular seasons complete (and the three remaining games for the two still active teams of little consequence), almost everyone is waiting to see where they end up in late December or early January.

Only Ohio State, by virtue of its outright conference crown, knows its bowl destination, which will be the Rose Bowl.

At 10-2 and in the top 14 of the BCS rankings, both Penn State and Iowa eagerly await the handing out of the BCS bowl at-large berths, with one of them likely to get in. Their fates depend on the results from some other teams' remaining games (a little) and bowl politics (a lot).

Then there's the question of which one will get the bid: Iowa defeated Penn State on the road earlier in the season, but PSU is known to travel well and draw TV viewers.

BCS Breakdown

Since the BCS at-large berths are critical to the Big Ten bowl ladder, more detail is below.

There will likely be two available BCS at-large spots (remember that a conference can have a maximum of two teams in the BCS: their automatic qualifier and one at-large selection). The loser of the SEC Championship Game and TCU, the highest ranked non-BCS conference school, have all but secured the other two available at-large spots.

Competing for the final two BCS at-large spots are the following teams and what they must do to get one of the coveted spots, listed in descending order for the team most likely to get an at-large spot.

BCS No. 11 Iowa (10-2) and BCS No. 13 Penn State (10-2)

As mentioned earlier, they're done for the year, and bowl politics will likely decide which of these two gets the spot. It is very likely that one will get a spot in either the Fiesta Bowl or the Orange Bowl. If Oklahoma State loses and Texas wins the Big XII, one of these teams is likely a shoo-in. Otherwise, it's fairly certain but not guaranteed that they will trump Boise State or a second Big East team.

BCS No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-2)

They still have a huge rivalry game at Oklahoma this weekend that will determine their bowl fate. Win, and they're eligible for an at-large spot and will almost definitely get one if Texas wins the Big XII, with the Fiesta Bowl being the destination (the Fiesta Bowl's Big XII affiliation means they would like to take a Big XII team with their at-large selection in place of Texas).

They likely have the clearest path to a berth, although their relatively small and regional fanbase may make the bowl committee think twice.

BCS No. 6 Boise State (11-0)

Win vs. Nevada (8-3) and vs. New Mexico State (3-8) and hope that the BCS bowls are willing to take a school with a relatively smaller fanbase that has a better overall record. They also need all the help they can get, which means an Oklahoma State loss to Oklahoma this week, Texas taking care of business against Nebraska in the Big XII championship, and Cincinnati beating Pittsburgh.

Most likely destination is the Fiesta Bowl if they can win the hearts and minds of the bowl committee.

Potential BCS spoilers, listed in descending order for the spoiled team most likely to still get into the BCS (i.e. Texas is the most likely to get an at-large berth if it loses its championship game):

Nebraska (8-3)

Have locked up the Big XII North even with a game at Colorado remaining. It's very unlikely, but if they upset Texas in the championship game, they could steal a BCS automatic berth, with Texas taking one of the at-large bids.

It's happened before, with Texas A&M upsetting Kansas State in 1998 and Kansas State upsetting Oklahoma in 2003 (although Oklahoma would still make the national championship game that year).

BCS No. 18 Clemson (8-3)

They will face BCS No. 7 Georgia Tech (10-1) in the ACC title game. If they upset the Yellow Jackets, it will present another interesting decision for the BCS bowls assuming Tech beats Georgia this week, as they would likely remain in BCS at-large contention but don't have the national appeal to guarantee an at-large berth.

In that case, put them in the same category as Oklahoma State, and it's all up to the politics from there.

BCS No. 9 Pittsburgh (9-1)

Pitt has two remaining games: a dangerous rivalry game at West Virginia and a winner-take-all de facto Big East championship vs. BCS No. 5 Cincinnati (10-0) following that. Assuming Cincy beats Illinois this week, a Pitt win would give them the automatic berth, and Cincinnati would be in a tough spot: holding a solid record but hoping that a BCS bowl picks them despite their small non-national fanbase.

Big Ten Bowl Impact and Northwestern's Destination

So, once all that BCS mess is sorted out, back to the Big Ten-affiliated bowl games. Assuming Iowa or Penn State gets picked for a BCS game, the other team will definitely be slotted into the Capital One Bowl. If the BCS leaves them both out, then they will go to the Capital One and Outback Bowls (again, the order is up to politics).

After that comes another interesting decision: Wisconsin (8-3, 5-3, with one game at Hawaii remaining) versus Northwestern (8-4, 5-3), who, as you know, defeated Wisconsin last week.

If a Big Ten team does get a BCS at-large berth, the Outback will likely take Wisconsin, if only to uphold their history of snubbing the Wildcats in favor of teams with larger fanbases (Ohio State after the 2000 season and Iowa after the 2008 season) despite NU having an on-the-field advantage.

Northwestern's destination would then be clear: the Champs Sports Bowl.

If the conference does not get an at-large BCS bid, it would leave the Champs Sports to choose between UW and NU, but this decision may actually go NU's way. Wisconsin has been to an Orlando bowl game in three of the last four years, including a trip to the Champs Sports last season that was rumored to have fewer Badger fans in attendance than what was hoped.

The Tribune recently reported that this situation would indeed tip in the 'Cats' favor, with the Champs Sports taking the recent trips into account and likely picking NU.

If the Champs Sports Bowl for some reason decides to take Wisconsin again, Northwestern would also repeat its last bowl destination: the Alamo Bowl.

Other Big Ten Bowls

Not that anyone cares, but Michigan State and Minnesota are also bowl eligible and will have to go somewhere.

Whether the conference gets two teams in the BCS or not, expect Michigan State to be selected ahead of Minnesota due to its fanbase that has historically traveled better. That, of course, despite a Minnesota win over MSU back in late October.

If Iowa or PSU gets into a BCS game, MSU will likely head to the Alamo, where they last went in 2003. That will leave Minnesota to head back to the Insight Bowl, a place they've been two of the last three seasons. Note that Minnesota has never played in the Alamo Bowl, but that likely won't matter much either.

If everyone has been bumped down a spot and Wisconsin or NU landed in the Alamo, MSU will without a doubt head to the Insight (which doesn't want to host Minnesota in three of four seasons), while Minnesota will drop to the not-so-coveted Pizza Bowl in Detroit.

Projections

Everyone and their brother has bowl projections this time of year (many of them started back in August, and hopefully they deleted those articles because they now look silly), so here is my take for the Big Ten teams:

Rose Bowl: Ohio State*

Orange Bowl: Iowa

Capital One: Penn State

Outback: Wisconsin

Champs Sports: Northwestern

Alamo: Michigan State

Insight: Minnesota

*clinched

Other Bowl Notes

Note that the bowl apocalypse (not enough eligible teams to fill all 68 spots for the 34 bowl games) won't happen this year, since there are already 69 bowl eligible teams and another handful of teams that could still become eligible (10).

It's a good year to be a mid-major with a winning record, though, with most of them likely to head to bowl games. The ACC will likely have two unfilled bowl spots and the Mountain West and Big Ten one unfilled each, opening up the spots for any available team.

Note that teams with winning records must be selected before any 6-6 teams can fill those at-large spots, so some 6-6 teams, including Notre Dame if they lose to Stanford this week, will likely be left at home in favor of teams with a winning record, like currently 7-4 Northern Illinois. No need to feel sorry for them, as NU was left home with a 6-6 record back in 2007.

Selection Timing

Fans are the ones hurt the most by the current system, as the vast majority cannot make their travel reservations until their team's destination is announced on Sunday, Dec. 6. The teams not receiving BCS bids will be officially released early in the afternoon, so the bowls will begin to announce their decisions online that afternoon.

The BCS has its selection special on FOX late that afternoon, followed by ESPN's bowl selection special that evening.

It is very unlikely that the lower bowls will formally announce any selections before that date since a lot is riding on the teams going to the BCS.

So, until then, NU fans can at least sit back and enjoy the football still being played without worrying too much about how it affects NU's final destination.

Go 'Cats!!!

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Michigan Wolverines Football: Looking Forward to 2010....

The Wolverine — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:55:00 -0500

Man was that a roller coaster of a season. Starting 4-0. Finishing 1-7. Awful in the Big Ten. The collapse of the defense. The relative flat-lining of the offense. Just how disappointing was it? According to our fan poll, which closed a few weeks ago on Oct. 29, only two percent of us thought that the Wolverines would finish 5-7.

Forty-seven percent thought we'd finish 7-5 and 25 percent thought we'd finish 8-4. Ugh. The excitement. The disappointment. Goodbye 2009.

The good news is Rich Rodriguez will be back for 2010 (barring some crazy NCAA finding). That's good for team unity, stability, and recruiting. We'll need a great class this year, and we know Rodriguez can recruit (except DTs). It looks like we're well on the way to getting a really good class. We obviously need to continue focusing on defensive players.

Assuming Donovan Warren stays at Michigan, we return the most starters of any school in the Big Ten. 18 out of 22 return. That's huge. But the biggest factor for our success, in my opinion, is how the development of this year's freshmen goes heading into 2010.

Sure, a few guys from the 2010 class will make an impact next Fall, but the biggest impact will be shoring up our 2-3 deep. As Coach has said, we need quality competition at every position. We won't get that unless the frosh develop properly this offseason.

Everyone says the biggest jump occurs between your first and second year. Tate needs to reduce his turnovers and improve ball security. Justin Turner needs to be in a position to compete for a starting corner spot next year. Teric Jones and J.T. Floyd need to be right there. Mike Jones and/or Brandon Hawthorne need to put on some bulk and step up their level of play.

As do Vladimir Emilien and Thomas Gordon. We absolutely must have more quality competition at LB and Safety, our two weakest positions in 2009. Anthony LaLota needs to push for the other DE spot (assuming he's not OL).

Taylor Lewan, Mike Schoefield, and Quinton Washington also have to have great off-seasons, put on the necessary size/muscle, and push for playing time.

The progression of this year's frosh will be the most important factor in my mind heading into 2010. The vast majority of our 18 starters will improve. But without quality competition behind them, the team will have new weaknesses in 2010. We need quality competition and we need it now.

Returning 18 guys is huge, but even more important is making sure that the guys underneath them will be pushing for playing time (and not the kind that occurs by default).

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Scout's Notebook: Offensive Review For Week 12

Wes Bunting — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:58:38 -0500

Observations and analysis from Week 12 of the college football season, including thoughts about some of the nation’s top offensive prospects.

Texas Tech offensive linemen don’t meet NFL standards

Brandon Carter, OG, 6-6, 344

AP Texas Tech OG Brandon Carter (76)

Please, make no mistake. I have nothing personal against Carter, the mammoth-sized guard from Texas Tech. I love the guy’s passion, and it’s obvious he enjoys playing the role of intimidator on the Red Raiders’ offense. However, Carter simply lacks the type of athleticism to hold up in space, and although he has the girth and power to anchor at the point of attack, he’s heavy-footed and is slow to slide his feet laterally in pass protection. He struggled mightily all game trying to match up with Oklahoma’s athletic defensive tackle tandem and gives up too much penetration inside. On top of that, he lacks a burst off the ball in the run game, seems content to lean on opposing blockers and doesn’t consistently drive his man out of the play. There’s no denying his size and power, but I can’t say I’ll grade him out any higher than a backup-type interior lineman.

Marlon Winn, OT, 6-5, 290

As I’ve stated in the past and still believe, if an offensive tackle lacks base strength, he will make every opposing defensive end he faces look like a good pass rusher. That’s exactly the case with Winn, who struggles to play with any kind of a pad level off the edge and consistently gets bullied at the point of attack. He was routinely rag-dolled in the pass game this weekend vs. Oklahoma and fails to bend his knees, sit into his stance and anchor on contact. He’s a decent athlete who can get his feet around defenders and seal in the run game. However, he lacks the type of power to hold his own at the next level and isn’t nearly ready to compete for an NFL roster spot.

Some size inside

Mike Iupati, Idaho, OG, 6-5, 330

AP Idaho OG Mike Iupati (77)

Believe it or not, if you want to see one of the most dominant offensive linemen in the country right now, you need to travel to Idaho. Offensive guard Mike Iupati is a massive interior lineman who not only has the ability to engulf opposing defenders at the point of attack; he’s also a gifted athlete in his own right. Iupati does a great job keeping his pad level down, generating impressive power as a run blocker, and can smoothly slide laterally in pass protection. He does a great job getting under the pads of opposing defenders and has been absolutely dominating for the most part this season. He isn’t the most technically sound lineman and isn’t quite the type of Velcro player you’d expect for a guy his size, but I can see him maturing quickly with good NFL coaching and nailing down a starting spot in the NFL early in his career.

John Jerry, Ole Miss, OG/RT, 6-5, 350

Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster has been absolutely brilliant in recent weeks running the football effectively between the tackles and creating big plays once he reaches the second level. But none of McCluster’s success would be possible without the Rebels offensive line, especially the play of OG John Jerry. Jerry was absolutely dominant at times this weekend vs. LSU, not only sealing defenders away from the play but also consistently creating a great initial push off the ball and driving opponents down the field. His ability to routinely open up run lanes as an in-line blocker is one of the main reasons I think the guy is an ideal fit at offensive guard at the next level. However, he’s also shown an ability to play right tackle as well, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him starting there at next level. Either way, Jerry looks like a Leonard Davis type of player to me and has the ability to be effective in both the run and pass game in the NFL.

Experiment paying off

One guy to keep an eye on as draft time approaches is Pittsburgh offensive guard John Malecki. Malecki is a former defensive tackle who made the switch to offensive guard in 2008 and ended up starting 13 games for the Panthers last season. Now in his second season of playing on the O-line, Malecki has shown quite an improvement from a year ago. He’s a bit undersized at 6-2, 285 pounds but showcases a good first step and plays a lot stronger than his frame indicates because of his ability to gain consistent leverage. He does a good job getting into blocks quickly and displays the type of nasty demeanor you would expect from a former defensive lineman. He still has a way to go and is far from a finished product, but Malecki has come a long way in two years and looks like a guy who could definitely draw some interest as a high-upside, developmental-type prospect.

AP North Carolina DT Marvin Austin met his match in Boston College C Matt Tennant.

Battle of the best

One matchup I really enjoyed breaking down was North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin vs. Boston College center Matt Tennant. Austin had a good day, finishing with three tackles, 1½ tackles for loss and a sack, but for the most part, whenever he matched up with Tennant one on one inside, it was Tennant who was the victor. Austin looked more explosive off the line and did a great job initially getting into the body of Tennant, but, it was the taller, thinner Tennant who did a better job getting his hands under the pad level of Austin, anchoring in the run game and using his length to stay on his blocks through the play. Tennant wasn’t real powerful initially at the point, but he did a great job quickly gaining inside leverage and sealing Austin away from the ball. Plus, Tennant plays with a real mean streak and took pleasure working till the whistle and finishing his blocks. In what looked like a big test for Tennant, he faired quite well vs. the caliber of athlete he’ll be facing on a weekly basis in the NFL.

Follow me on Twitter: WesBunting

Read more Big Ten Football 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 Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Top 10 Things Iowa Football Fans Should Give Thanks for This Holiday

Michael Maxwell — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:54:05 -0500

Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday that the Hawkeyes were blocking back-to-back field goals at the end of the game against in-state rival Northern Iowa? So much has transpired this season since those two fateful plays.

Of course, Thanksgiving is upon us this week, and this holiday happens to coincide with the end of the regular season. What better time to reflect on the season that was?

Here is my stab at 10 things Hawkeye fans should give thanks for this Thanksgiving.

No. 10: Ricky Stanzi’s Injury Wasn’t More Severe

I hate to say it, but it might have been the play of the year, as it turned out for Iowa. Leading Northwestern 10-0, off a play fake, Stanzi rolled to his right out of his own end zone. But Northwestern defensive lineman Corey Wootton wasn’t fooled, and he met Stanzi head on, causing a fumble that Northwestern pounced on for the touchdown.

However, the far more critical issue was that the full weight of Wootton’s 280-pound frame landed on top of Stanzi, bending his leg backward awkwardly. Stanzi lay on the turf motionless for several minutes before getting to his feet and walking gingerly off the field.

We all know the rest of the story. Stanzi is lost not only for the rest of the Northwestern game, but the rest of the regular season as well. Iowa as unable to get the momentum back after that play and would go on to lose to Northwestern and at Ohio St. the following week.

So where is the silver lining? The way Wootton fell on Stanzi’s leg with all his weight, it could have been a far more severe injury—maybe even a career-ending injury, which would have been a tremendous shame, given that Stanzi is still only a junior.

All accounts are that Stanzi should be back at the helm when the Hawkeyes take the field against a bowl opponent.

No. 9: The Officiating in the Indiana Game

Although Iowa defeated Indiana going away 42-24, a couple of controversial calls contributed to Iowa seizing the momentum against Indiana. The most impactful call erased an Indiana touchdown after it was overturned upon instant replay review.

I don’t think these controversial calls were the difference in the game, as Iowa definitely made the plays on offense it needed to in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, all over the country, people dubbed Iowa the luckiest team in America.

I am a firm believer that things have a way of evening out in the end...remember the “Even Steven” episode on Seinfeld ? Well, the officials took care of that the following week against Northwestern, as Iowa had a long touchdown run by Brandon Wegher called back on a questionable holding call on center Rafael Eubanks. You win some, you lose some, as they say.

No. 8: Broderick Binns and Jeremiha Hunter’s 6’2” Height

First Broderick Binns blocks a 40-yard field goal with only seconds remaining in the first game of the year against Northern Iowa. However, several things conspired against the Hawkeyes to eventually allow Northern Iowa another shot at a field goal:

* The kick never went beyond the line of scrimmage (very difficult to tell in real time);

* The kick occurred on first down;

* Instinctively, no Iowa players covered up the blocked kick, as it appeared that would be the last play of the game;

* Northern Iowa eventually fell on the ball; and

* One second still remained on the clock when the officials blew the play dead.

After a lengthy review, it was determined that it was Northern Iowa ball at the Iowa 24-yard line, second down. Northern Iowa would get a second crack at a game-winning field goal.

Amazingly, the second kick was blocked again, by linebacker Jeremiha Hunter. It was the first time in NCAA history that a game had ended on two consecutive blocked field goals.

However, had either Binns or Hunter been an inch shorter, Northern Iowa is celebrating a shocking victory at Kinnick Stadium on opening day.

No. 7: A Very Bright Future

The Hawks sent a great group of seniors out on a high note by defeating Minnesota 12-0 and keeping the Floyd of Rosedale trophy in Iowa City another year.

Iowa has received great senior leadership this year, no question. Yet there are only three seniors on offense and two on defense that started the majority of the games this year. These players will be big shoes to fill, but the nucleus of this team is made up of underclassmen.

You have tight end Tony Moeaki, guard Dace Richardson, and center Rafael Eubanks on offense and A.J. Edds and Pat Angerer on defense. This year, both Moeaki and Richardson have missed significant time due to injury, so experienced underclassmen are waiting in the wings. Edds and Angerer have been stalwarts all season from the linebacker position, and their shoes will probably be a bit harder to fill.

While there will be a few underclassmen considering a jump to the NFL next season (most notably junior offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga and fellow junior defensive end Adrian Clayborn), we are potentially looking at as many as 17 of the 22 starters on offense and defense returning next year (plus the starting placekicker and punter).

As good as this year has been, even better times might be just around the corner.

No. 6: Trophy Triumphs

For the second year in a row, Iowa has swept all three of the trophy games on the schedule, snagging the Cy-Hawk Trophy from Iowa St., the Heartland Trophy from Wisconsin, and the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy from Minnesota.

Coach Kirk Ferentz knows who Iowa’s key rivals are and usually has his team ready to play in these contests where often records are thrown out the window.

It should be particularly gratifying that both the Cy-Hawk and Heartland Trophies were earned on the road this year.

A little aside here—I think the Cy-Hawk Trophy itself has to be one of the cheesiest in all of college football. That trophy should be retired in favor of something more befitting of the heated rivalry this has become over the years.

No. 5: Defensive Coordinator Norm Parker

Defensive coordinator Norm Parker has been with Coach Ferentz since the beginning—a time spanning 11 seasons now. His résumé is very impressive. He has been a coach on the defensive side of the ball at the NCAA bowl subdivision level for a total of 37 years.

His defensive schemes are about as vanilla as they come. Yet year after year, Iowa is able to find athletes that are a perfect fit for Norm’s system. This season, his opportunistic defense led the nation most of the year in interceptions.

One of the big reasons the secondary is able to grab so many balls is that the defensive line is able to pressure the quarterback without having to rely on massive blitzing.

The Iowa defense is the classic bend but don’t break philosophy, and it has really worked to perfection most of this year.

No. 4: Pat Angerer

This guy is a machine. It seems his motor is always running. And could you even make up a better name for a linebacker? I’m sure George Costanza himself couldn’t come up with a fake name any better than this!

One of my favorite stories about Angerer came out when James Vandenberg took over at quarterback. Apparently, the two of these guys would at least occasionally engage in some wrestling matches. In attempting to demonstrate Vandenberg’s toughness, Angerer indicated that he had wrestled James until he passed out—a small exaggeration, perhaps, but I think the point about the freshman quarterback’s toughness was made.

Angerer was recently named a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski award, which goes to the Football Writers Association of America’s defensive player of the year.

Angerer led Iowa in tackles with 135 this season. After also leading the team in tackles a year ago, Angerer has led the Hawkeyes in tackles the last nine games of the year. He had 16 tackles in the win against Minnesota, 12 tackles in wins over Indiana and Michigan, and nine at Michigan State. He collected a career-high 17 tackles in the loss to Northwestern.

No. 3: A Phenomenal Defensive Line

Most “in the know” football people will tell you that football begins and ends in the trenches—“the big uglies,” as the all-time great broadcaster Keith Jackson used to say.

Iowa’s stellar defensive play this season has started with the front four along Iowa’s defensive line. They are comprised of Adrian Clayborn and Broderick Binns at defensive end and Karl Klug and Christian Ballard at defensive tackle.

They were the biggest reason for Iowa walking into Happy Valley in September and walking out with a win. Who could forget Clayborn’s blocked punt and touchdown return that turned that game completely around?

Given that there isn’t a senior among this entire group, the rest of the Big Ten had better be ready for bigger and better things in 2010.

No. 2: A Passionate and Dedicated Fanbase

I always knew Iowa had great fans, but I have found this out firsthand over the last couple of years, as I have marketed my book, The 50 Greatest Plays in Iowa Hawkeyes Football History . The response to the book has just been tremendous, and I am very grateful for the whole experience.

I have had a chance to meet many fans during a couple of different book signings. The support I have gotten from the voice of the Hawkeyes, Gary Dolphin and color man and former Hawkeye great Ed Podolak, has also been phenomenal. Dolphin graciously contributed a foreword for the book. It is clear that people like this really do care about the program and the university.

The great fanbase is going to serve the football team well this bowl season. One thing about the bowls is that play on the field might get your foot in the door of a bowl game, but it will only get you so far. The cold hard fact is that in this day and age, money talks.

You can debate the merits of this team and that against Iowa all you want. In the end, it is going to come down to which team the bowl committee thinks will have a greater economic benefit to the game and the host city.

Iowa’s track record in this regard is probably second to none, so I feel comfortable that Iowa will be playing in a real quality bowl game come January.

No. 1: Head Coach Kirk Ferentz

The master of all of the domain discussed above is of course head coach Kirk Ferentz.

Where would Iowa be today if those calls for Kirk’s head a couple seasons ago were acted on by the Iowa administration? I hate to think.

If there is a classier college coach in all the land, I’d like to meet him. With Ferentz, what you see is what you get. He says what he means. He genuinely cares deeply for his players and his staff. He is always willing to shoulder the blame in bad times but very willing to give credit to his players and coaching staff for a job well done.

I maintain that Ferentz gets the most out of the talent he has on his team of anyone in the country. Time after time, he has taken great advantage of walk-ons and also had great successes at converting players to new positions. Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark, for example, came to Iowa as a linebacker, believe it or not.

Ferentz has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third time this week. This tremendous honor really puts him in rarified air, as only legendary Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler has won the award more often.

At this point, of course, the secret about Ferentz is out. Year after year, Kirk’s name routinely is connected to various high-profile openings in both college and the NFL. Yet he maintains that he is genuinely happy in Iowa City and has no reason whatsoever to consider another job, at this point. It is so refreshing not only to hear someone say that, but to have it backed up by his action (or inaction, in this case).

Unfortunately for those annual suitors that always seem to come a-calling, Ferentz is under contract at Iowa through the 2015 season.

Here’s hoping that the best of the Kirk Ferentz era at Iowa is yet to come.

Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com

Carrying On: Did Ohio State's Justin Boren Enjoy His Return To Michigan?

Tim Cary — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:35:56 -0500

The Big Ten season has concluded, and Ohio State's on top of the standings.

Again.

While Illinois and Wisconsin still have some non-conference action to attend to, this past weekend's games marked the end of the regular season for most of the teams in the league, and (sadly) marks the end of another season of "Carrying On".

If you need to step away from your computer to shed a tear or five, now's the time.

Ahem...moving right along...

As always, we start with the spotlight game.

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: OHIO STATE 21, MICHIGAN 10

Five things I learned during a relatively dull Buckeyes-Wolverines clash:

1. Brandon Graham is incredible

The senior defensive end put on a clinic in a losing cause Saturday, including back-to-back plays you had to see to believe. With Ohio State trying to extend a 14-10 lead, the Buckeyes drove into the red zone and had 1st-and-goal at the Michigan 2-yard line.

That's when OSU running back Daniel Herron met Brandon Graham.

Boom.

(Pun intended.)

Make that 2nd-and-goal at the 4-yard line.

Graham followed up his impressive tackle for loss with another one...on the very next play. Pryor took the snap, tried to buy his receivers some time, and found himself wrestled to the ground eight yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Guess who?

All of a sudden, Brandon Graham had single-handedly driven the Buckeyes back 10 yards in two plays as they were headed for a touchdown that would have broken the game open.

That's a potentially season-changing series right there.

Except for...

2. You can't design and execute a play any better than the Ohio State screen pass from Pryor to Herron

If Bill Belichick going for fourth down in his own half of the field was a compliment to Peyton Manning, Ohio State's 3rd-down screen call was a compliment to Brandon Graham.

Translation: if you can't block him, quit trying.

With the Bucks facing 3rd-and-goal from the 12, Ohio State invited the rush, dumped a screen pass to Herron, and watched him waltz into the end zone with the afternoon's most critical touchdown. The play was set up perfectly, as at least eight Wolverines defenders found themselves behind Herron and out of position while he raced for paydirt.

I was also impressed with the way Pryor threw the pass. He didn't lob it too high and allow a defender time to read the play and react, but at the same time he put enough air on the ball to get it over all the oncoming rushers (and believe me, there were a lot of oncoming rushers).

Compare Pryor's textbook throw to Ben Chappell's attempted screen in the fourth quarter against Purdue. Same play, but Chappell didn't put any air on the ball, and Boilermaker defensive lineman Kawann Short jumped up and caught the ball like it was thrown right at him (because it was).

When the screen is called, the quarterback is inviting pressure from everywhere, and Pryor showed his talent by handling the rush perfectly and making the throw that basically won the game look easier than it really was.

3. Oh my goodness! It's the zone read!

I fall into the camp that believes if Ohio State coach Jim Tressel were to call the zone read every offensive snap, the Buckeyes could probably be national champions. I admit that part of this belief is because that's how I tend to use Tressel's squad when I attack opponents on my PlayStation 2.

However, I've also seen how easily Pryor can chew up yardage in real life when the defense is forced to react to his pitch/fake pitch. Against Purdue (in the Buckeyes' only conference loss), Ohio State scored easily on the zone read in the first quarter and then (inexplicably) barely considered reprising the play the rest of the game.

So imagine my considerable glee, surprise, shock, amazement, awe, wonder, and baffled enjoyment (sorry for the over-abundance of descriptive terms...suffice it to say that I was really, really surprised!) when Pryor and his backfield buddies Brandon Saine and Boom Herron ran the zone read with a good amount of regularity against Michigan.

Oh, and one small editorial "I told you so" detail:

It worked!

The Buckeyes outrushed Michigan 251-80, with Herron, Saine, and Pryor alternating to do the damage. The Wolverines had no answer for the Buckeyes' backfield talent, and every time Ohio State needed a positive gain, they had the luxury of pulling out the "Old Faithful" option play.

Bottom line: if I were the Oregon or Oregon State coach game-planning for the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl, I'd expect to see a lot more of the zone read. (Of course, if it's Oregon, they run the read option better than anyone, so I doubt they need a ton of practice defending it...imagine lining up across from Jeremiah Masoli in practice every single day!)

4. What a great day to be Justin Boren

Boren was obviously a big storyline in this edition of the Ohio State-Michigan game because he transferred to Columbus from Ann Arbor after the 2007 season. (Talk about a highly-publicized transfer: the only other person who's gotten that much attention for switching sides was the House Republican who voted for Obama's health care policy!)

Anyway, Boren had to put up with the inevitable heckling at the Big House, but he left with the last laugh. Not only did his Buckeyes win the game—and the outright conference title--but they did it with a powerful ground game, led by Boren and his mates on the offensive line.

Ohio State gained 15 of its 18 first downs by rushing the football, a stat that would have made old-timers Woody and Bo proud. (Okay, so Woody would have been proud and Bo would have been furious, but you know what I mean.)

I'm guessing while Boren didn't enjoy what he was hearing during the game from the fans, he had to love what he heard afterwards...

Sweet silence.

5. Has Tate Forcier regressed?

Remember those Forcier-for-Heisman signs we saw in September? With the Wolverines finishing in the Big Ten cellar, they're long gone. The confident playmaker that pulled off dramatic last-second drives to beat Notre Dame and tie Michigan State has been replaced by a reckless gunslinger that appears to have checked his decision-making skills at the door.

The most egregious example? Down 21-10 with just over eight minutes to play, Forcier panicked and tried to force a ball on 2nd-and-5 from the Ohio State 6-yard line, directly resulting in a Devin Torrence interception.

In that situation, it's imperative that the quarterback consider the time and score. The Wolverines were in chip-shot field goal range, and with the three points in his back pocket, Forcier can't even consider a risky throw that might cost his team a turnover. The nearly-sure-thing field goal would have made it 21-13 and brought Michigan within a single possession while more than eight minutes (an eternity in football) remained on the clock.

A smart quarterback throws it out of bounds or (worst case) takes a sack, setting up a third-down play in the red zone and keeping the field goal as a solid back-up scenario.

A freshman does what Tate Forcier did.

MAYBE BROADCASTING ISN'T SO IMPORTANT

No announcer quotes this week. Instead of our usual feature where we make good-natured fun of television broadcasters and the silly things that come out of their mouth, I want to use this column space to pay tribute to Stefanie Spielman , who passed away last week after a long fight with cancer.

Stefanie left behind husband Chris (a former Ohio State and NFL linebacker and current ESPN announcer) and four children. From her obituary :

Stefanie Lynn Spielman, age 42 of Upper Arlington, Ohio went home to be with God on Thursday, November 19, 2009. Her deep and abiding faith in her Lord, Jesus Christ sustained her, gave her peace, and the assurance that she would spend eternity with Him. She touched many lives reflecting God's goodness, grace, and love to all that knew her.

I offer my condolences and prayers (as I know Big Ten fans everywhere do) to the Spielman family at this difficult time.

MAYBE PROGNOSTICATING IS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT

On a lighter tone now...time for some shameless self-promotion. In case you missed it, I wrote a column in the middle of August predicting the result of every game of the season. I also wrote a sentence or two about each game with some details (mostly silly, a few serious).

I've enjoyed going back and reading how close (or usually, how far off) I was as each game has played out.

With only three regular-season games left for Big Ten teams, it's time to look back and see how I did.

Drumroll please...

...and the verdict is: not so bad!

My record (the best I could calculate) is a respectable 60-25, for a winning percentage of 70.6%. Considering I wrote this entire column three months ago, before injuries to stars like Jewel Hampton and Eric Decker, I don't think that's all that horrible. For comparison's sake, ESPN blogger Adam Rittenberg has been making picks every weekend up until now and he's one game better, 61-24, on the season.

My biggest mistake: assuming the Illini's talent on paper equaled offensive success.

My proudest moment: correctly tabbing Central Michigan to upset the Spartans in East Lansing.

My biggest mistake, part two: picking Western Michigan to go 2-1 against the Big Ten.

My proudest moment, part two: picking the exact regular-season record of Ohio State, Penn State, Minnesota, and Purdue.

THANK GOODNESS FOR MY DVR

Did you see Brandon Saine's run where dragged tacklers for about 15 yards? I think there were 13 Wolverines hanging on him as he continued to motor downfield...

What about the nasty hit Minnesota's Ryan Collado put on James Vandenberg when he came unblocked up the middle?

Loved the touchdown grab by Garrett Graham against Northwestern, double-covered in the end zone...

Speaking of amazing touchdown catches, Charlie Gantt's diving first-half score was amazing..

After twelve weeks of "Thank Goodness for my DVR", what do you think was the best play of the entire season? I'd love to hear your comments!

Last, but not least, thanks to each of you who have faithfully read Carrying On every week during the season - let's do it again in 2010! Or, you can follow me on Twitter and we'll talk sports year-round!

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Kirk Ferentz of Iowa Wins Big Ten Coach of the Year

Bret Feddern — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:23:15 -0500

For the third time in his career, Iowa Hawkeye football coach Kirk Ferentz has been named the Dave McClain Coach of the Year in the Big Ten.

In typical Ferentz fashion, he takes none of the credit.

"All the credit goes to our assistant coaches and most of all to our players," he said in an interview with the Big Ten Network after the award was announced.

Ferentz is only the fourth coach in conference history to be named coach of the year for three seasons. Michigan's Bo Schembechler, Penn State's Joe Paterno, and Iowa's Hayden Fry are the other coaches to achieve the honor on three occasions.

He was also honored as Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2004.

Ferentz ran into a gauntlet of issues this season, from several unfortunate player injuries and illnesses to a brutal road schedule, not to mention an ailing defensive coordinator.

Yet he still steered his team to a season few thought was possible.

The Hawkeyes started the 2009 season 9-0 for the first time in school history, earning a school-record No. 4 BCS ranking along the way.

Iowa finished the regular season 10-2, going 6-2 in conference play. The Hawkeyes currently sit at No. 11 in the BCS rankings with two weeks of football to play.

Ferentz now has four 10-win seasons during his tenure as the Hawkeyes head coach, more than any other coach in the history of the program.

The Hawkeyes now eagerly await their bowl invitation to arrive on Dec. 6. Only time will tell if Ferentz can add another BCS bowl to his already impressive résumé.

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Iowa, Oklahoma State, and Boise State, Oh, My!: The BCS At-Large Teams

Pete Misthaufen — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:30:41 -0500

With only two weeks until the BCS bowl selections, we have a pretty good picture of what at-large teams will be available.

Of course, the BCS at-large choices do not represent the best teams, but merely those that are most likely to fill the stadiums and provide good television ratings.

The bowls will be extra cautious this year, given last year's absolute debacle in the Orange Bowl (thousands of empty seats and scalpers who tried to sell tickets for as low as $0.99).

We know a few of the BCS teams: Florida, Alabama, Texas, TCU, and Ohio State. These five teams will play in BCS games without any doubt.

Add to that the ACC champion, the Pac-10 champion (Oregon or Oregon State) and the Big East champion (Pittsburgh or Cincinnati), and there's only, in fact, two available at-large positions.

To qualify for an at-large spot in a BCS bowl, a team from an automatic qualifying league must finish in the top 14. Boise, absent a loss to Nevada, is also eligible for an at-large spot.

Let's look closely at the possible teams.

Iowa

Best Wins: Penn State (10-2), Wisconsin (8-3)

Bad Wins: Northern Iowa (FCS) 17-16, Arkansas State (2-8) 24-21, Michigan State (6-6) 15-13

Losses: Ohio State (10-2), Northwestern (8-4)

The Hawkeyes had one win over a ranked opponent, the singularly unimpressive Penn State. Near losses to Northern Iowa, Arkansas State, and Michigan State really call into question Iowa's status.

While Iowa may get an at-large BCS bid due to its large following, the Hawkeyes will most likely get rolled.

Penn State

Best Wins: Northwestern (8-4), Temple (9-2)

Bad Wins: The other 8 cupcakes.

Losses: Ohio State (10-2), Iowa (10-2)

Even one of the softest schedules ever could not get Penn State into the Rose Bowl or the BCS title game.

The Nittany Lions have zero wins over ranked teams and are only in contention due to its large following and Joe Pa. Like Iowa, this Big Ten cream-puff will likely get rolled in a BCS game.

The Nittany Lions have been singularly unimpressive this year, even with eight home games.

Oklahoma State

Best Wins: No wins over ranked teams or even eight-win teams

Bad Wins: Texas A&M (36-31), Texas Tech (24-17), Colorado (31-28)

Losses: Houston (9-2), Texas (11-0)

All of a billionaire's money could not make the Cowboys into a good team. The near loss against Colorado last week really demonstrates how weak Okie State truly is. Okie State, like Penn State, stayed at home for its out-of-conference schedule, having played only three road games all season.

BCS committees beware: Okie State has failed to fill its new stadium, averaging about 7,000 empty seats a game. The Cowboys are not the Sooners and will not bring a large following to their game, nor will the Cowboys bring a lot of eyeballs to the TV.

The Cowboys will likely lose at Norman this week. The Sooners are undefeated at home this season and have not lost at Norman since 2005 to a TCU team that went 11-1. Even in a down year, Okie Lite is not OU, so this one will likely disappear from available options.

Boise State

Best Win: Oregon (11-1)

Bad Wins: Tulsa (28-21), Louisiana Tech (45-35)

Remaining Tough Game: Nevada (8-3)

Boise State has been in the top 10 for most of the season and the top six of the BCS rankings since the first week. Boise State not making a BCS bowl game would be an absolute crime.

Boise State is the best available at-large team, better than any team from the Big Ten or Pac-10 and better than a Big 12 also-ran.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, they are merely the second best team from a non-automatic qualifying conference.

As it currently stands, Boise State has a better win than Iowa, Penn State, or Oklahoma State, besides being undefeated. None of these teams has more wins over currently ranked teams.

Boise State will bring fans, maybe not as much as Penn State or Iowa, but more than Oklahoma State.

As a TV draw, it is a far better team for ratings than Oklahoma State.

Unfortunately for Boise State, the established structure is an abomination. After being jilted for Ohio State last year, it is likely that the Broncos will be heading back to a minor bowl game so that another weak Big Ten team can bring the big bucks.

Oddly enough, the left out Big Ten team would still earn more from the Capitol One Bowl than Boise State would from a BCS game, another absurdity.

BCS shills, such as Mr. Perlman of Nebraska, newly appointed BCS head Bill Hancock, and PR hack Ari Fleischer, will try to justify the logic of this, but I find it absolutely pathetic.

That Oregon, the team that Boise State completely dominated to start the season, is a win away from the Rose Bowl, even with a second loss, while Boise State must await the beauty contest is disgusting.

Other Teams

Since any team from the Big Six conferences is eligible for a BCS bowl, what other teams could slip in?

If Cincinnati loses to Pittsburgh and finishes 11-1, the Bearcats would most likely be available for an at-large spot. Given last year's Orange Bowl disaster (the one in the stands and the TV sets, not the one on the field), Cincy will not be getting an at-large spot unless there is no other available team. Cincy will not get an at-large spot over Boise State.

A 10-2 Pitt team could finish in the top 14. It is possible that they could be an at-large team. However, it is unlikely that a second Big East team could be invited, given the overall poor ratings and attendance for BCS games with a Big East team over the last several years.

If Georgia Tech loses to Clemson in the ACC championship game, could a 12-2 Georgia Tech make it over Boise State? Maybe, if it is the Sugar Bowl doing the selecting. It is very unlikely that the Fiesta Bowl would take an at-large Georgia Tech team, not when 13-0 Boise State would be available with a large following ready to storm Arizona.

How about the Ducks if they lose in the Civil War? The Fiesta Bowl could like having a large Oregon crowd come to support a 9-3 Oregon team. However, it is really unlikely. The Pac-10 has been passed over so many times for a second spot in the BCS that is not reasonable to assume that any Pac-10 team will ever get an at-large bid unless it is USC.

Speaking of which, could USC back its way back into the BCS? The BCS computers love the Trojans, ranking them six spots higher than the human polls. If USC were to roll UCLA and Arizona over the next two weeks, it is very possible that USC could get back into the top 14. Given USC's national TV draw, it would really help the any BCS bowl get some good TV numbers.

The winner of the Holy War will likely be very close to reaching BCS eligibility, but a 10-2 BYU or Utah will not be invited.

As to other ACC teams, Miami, should the Canes beat USF in its final regular season game, could make it into BCS eligibility. Given the U's tough out-of-conference schedule, it is entirely possible that the Sugar Bowl could match up Miami against the loser of the SEC championship game. Possible, but not very likely.

In a very remote possibility, a 9-3 Ole Miss or 9-3 LSU could still make a BCS game. If Florida and Alabama lose to Florida State and Auburn this week, the loser of the SEC title game at 11-2 may not be the most attractive at large team from the SEC. Given last year's weak performance by Bama in the Sugar Bowl, maybe a BCS bowl would rather have a different team than Florida or Alabama.

Conclusion

While the season has been pretty uneventful outside of TCU's extraordinary season and USC's relative decline, maybe we will see some crazy upsets completely shake things up. After all, this is college football and anything is possible.

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