NCAA Football Weekly Review 10/25: The Calm After The Storm

The eighth week of the college football season has come to a close, and we were able to learn a couple of things from this week's transgressions. Division leaders fell, upsets occurred, and several teams were able to prove that they belong atop of the polls.

In a week where there were very few marquee matchups, several teams rose up to the challenge, while others floundered.

Top 15 teams Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Oregon, LSU, TCU, and Texas all came away with resounding victories against game opponents, and showed the country that they all have serious BCS aspirations

Florida, Alabama, USC, and Iowa were able to gut out victories against opponents that played up to the caliber of their higher-ranked opposition. Other teams were caught looking back or looking ahead.

Miami and Texas Tech fell victim to the upset bug and suffered victories to lesser opponents after big wins the previous week.

This week had a little bit in store for every college football fan, so let's see who improved their stock, who remained stagnant, and who saw their postseason dreams take a hit.

Stocks Up

Cincinnati - The Bearcats were able to trounce Louisville at home and move to 7-0 on the season. Even with Tony Pike injured, Cincy was able to put up 286 yards through the air with three touchdowns.

The Bearcats have a manageable slate of games down the stretch with Syracuse, West Virginia, UConn, Illinois, and a possible de facto Big East championship game with Pittsburgh.

Penn State - Following their loss against undefeated Iowa in Week Four, The Nittany Lions have belted out four resounding victories in a row. Penn State has stepped up its play on defense to allow only 30 points combined in its last four contests.

Penn State has a huge matchup at the Horseshoe with Ohio State in two weeks, which will help shape the front of the Big Ten pack.

Texas - Colt McCoy and Co. played a complete four quarters against a good Missouri team, and had their best output of this season. McCoy's 269-yard performance and three-TD performance propelled the Longhorns to a 41-7 victory on the road this week. Texas made a statement in this game, and the rest of the country should take notice.

Navy - Navy's win against Wake Forest was a huge step in the right direction for the Midshipmen. Navy has come up just short in its bids to knock off a top-notch BCS opponent in its bid to upset Ohio St. and Pitt. The win against a team who can count wins against NC State and Stanford to its credit, does wonders for Navy.

Oregon - Since its opening loss to Boise St., the Ducks have rallied off seven wins in a row and have thrust themselves into the Pac-10 title picture. Their 43-19 thrashing of Washington solidifies their positioning, as the Huskies are the only team to knock off the favored Trojans.

This week's game between USC and Oregon should clear up the discussion of supremacy in the Pac-10.

TCU - The Horned Frogs had their coming out party with their Top 20 showdown against Mountain West Conference rival BYU, winning 38-7. TCU boasts the fourth-ranked defense in the country, and an offense that posts 30-plus points per game.

TCU may not just be a BCS buster, but they also may be in the discussion for being one of the best teams in the country.TCU holds a win over Clemson to its credit, who went out and defeated No. 8 Miami this past weekend, which adds further credibility to TCU's resume.

Stocks Stagnant

Notre Dame - What does one make of the Irish? Their last six games have all boiled down to the last plays of the game, no matter what the caliber of the opponent is.

Last week, the Irish were able to orchestrate a huge comeback against the country's fifth-ranked team and get down to the one-yard line, down seven with only seconds left on the clock.

This week's game involved Notre Dame holding off Boston College for a four-point victory, even though the Eagles had no business being in the game, turning the ball over five times. Notre Dame's defense stepped up to bail out their usually high-powered offense, who decided to take the day off.

Notre Dame plays to the level of their opponent. While it provides plenty of entertainment for the fans, their style of coming back at the last second can lead to trouble down the stretch. The Irish still have a strong schedule with games against Navy, Pitt, and Stanford.

The Irish need to learn when to step on the gas, and not let up if they have any goals of reaching the Top 12 of the BCS.

Florida - The Gators proved they could win ugly with their win over Mississippi State. Tim Tebow was not his Heisman-esque self in this one with only 122 yards passing, no touchdowns, and two INTs that were both returned for touchdowns.

This game was a 16-13 game heading into the fourth quarter, as Florida's offense was inept through the air and could only pound out the yards on the ground.

Florida will have to regroup with a big game against rival Georgia this week. The Gators proved they could pull out the tough one against MSU, but to set themselves up for a solid run at another SEC and national championship, they will need to improve their style of play.

Alabama - "Roll tide, roll!" was the phrase rolling off the tongues of every college football fan during the early set of games.

Solid victories against Virginia Tech, South Carolina, and Ole Miss had voters penciling Alabama in as their selection as the top team in the land.

Alabama's recent struggle with a struggling Tennessee squad has people questioning the the Crimson Tide's claim as being the best team in the country.

Tennessee (3-4) was an onside kick away from possibly knocking the Tide off their perch as one of the best teams in the country.

Alabama has a chance to silence any doubters when it plays host to the ninth-ranked LSU Tigers in two weeks. Alabama can use its bye week to get quarterback Greg McElroy back in rhythm, and figure out a way to move the ball on the vaunted Tigers D.

Stocks Down

South Florida - Their 5-0 start is a thing of the past, as the Matt Grothe-less Bulls have gotten pummeled by their last two Big East rivals, Cincinnati 34-17 and Pittsburgh 41-14.

Freshman replacement B.J. Daniels has not been able to fill the huge shoes left by Grothe, as his 50 percent passing performance and four INTs through the two losses exhibit. It doesn't get any easier with Rutgers, Miami, UConn, and WVU still on the schedule.

Illinois - What happened to the Fighting Illini? Two years ago they were the toast of college football with their Rose Bowl appearance, and now they have been relegated to a 1-6 record.

Head Coach Ron Zook, the 2007 Big Ten Coach of the Year, has benched his quarterback, changed the offense up, and altered everything in the playbook.This ship has gone so far astray that their only win is against a 3-4 FCS opponent, Illinois State.

Their latest loss against Purdue exemplifies their season, with an utterly awful passing game and no accountability on defense. Illinois could go winless down the stretch with games against Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Cincinnati, and Fresno St.

Indiana - The Hoosier's 3-0 start and near win against Michigan had fans imagining Indiana competing for Big Ten supremacy in the near future. Three losses in a row culminating with a thumping at the hands of Virginia brought Hoosier fans back to reality.

A win against the aforementioned Illini was positive, but their latest setback against Northwestern is disheartening to Indiana fans.

Indiana jumped out to a 14-0 lead early, only to watch it vanish throughout the remainder of the game when Northwestern kicker Stefan Demos kicked a 19-yard field goal with :21 left in the fourth quarter.

With the loss, Indiana's bowl hopes went out the window as remaining games against Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue do not look overly promising on the outset of procuring two victories that would secure a bowl bid.

Miami - Prognosticators claimed that the U was back. While the Hurricanes have taken great strides in Randy Shannon's third season, even ascending to the No. 8 ranking in the country, it would be difficult to argue that the U is back to the days of Ed Reed, Jeremy Shockey, Ray Lewis, Kellen Winslow, Ken Dorsey, and Willis McGahee.

Miami was able to navigate its treacherous early schedule by only suffering a loss against once beaten Virginia Tech, while picking up victories against Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Oklahoma.

Miami was looking to make their claim as the best of the once-beatens, but their loss against the .500 Clemson Tigers sets those aspirations to the back burner.

Jacory Harris' ability to complete passes to the other colored jersey plagued the Hurricanes in their latest defeat and directly led to a Deandre McDaniel INT return for a touchdown in the third quarter. Miami has a manageable schedule down the back stretch, but any lucrative bowl bids or national title dreams just fell to the wayside.

Nebraska - Two weeks ago, the Cornhuskers sat at 4-1, with a victory over Missouri and their lone loss coming from Virginia Tech by a point. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was getting hype as a Heisman candidate for his disruptive play as the cog of the Nebraska defense.

Following a blowout loss against Texas Tech and a two-point loss against Iowa State this past week, Nebraska does not look like the team that it was hyped up to be and more so like the 4-3 team that they are.

Nebraska can still capture the Big 12 North title by winning out down the stretch, but their stock as a top-flight team has taken a major hit in the last couple weeks.

Other Notes

-Rutgers is two wins away from being bowl eligible for the fifth straight season. Greg Schiano has established a solid program in New Jersey, and the Scarlet Knights should look to take their program to the next level in the upcoming seasons.

-West Virginia is 6-1 in the post-Pat White era, and have looked solid in their first seven games. Undefeated in the Big East, the Mountaineers have a showdown with South Florida next week, Rutgers on ESPN Thursday night the following week, and Pittsburgh and Cincinnati later on in the season.

WVU looks to assert itself atop the Big East and capture the league's automatic bid to a BCS bowl.

-Duke has quietly put together a solid 4-3 record, with credible victories over Army and North Carolina St. Duke needs two victories to become bowl eligible and the Blue Devils could be able to achieve that with games remaining against Virginia, North Carolina, and Wake Forest.

- Texas A&M 's upset of Texas Tech was a good win for Mike Sherman's squad in his second season as head coach. The win puts A&M at 4-3 and in position to gain a bowl berth for the first time in his tenure. The Aggies will have to win at least two games against Iowa St., Colorado, or Baylor down the stretch to be bowl eligible.

-Oklahoma State has won five in a row since it ascended to the No. 7 ranking in the country, and were rudely relieved of their position by upstart Houston. Quarterback Zac Robinson has played his best ball without star receiver Dez Bryant, who is still sitting out for an NCAA suspension.

His 23-of-27, 250-yard, and three-TD performance against Baylor in a 34-7 romp was his best showing thus far. If Robinson is able to replicate those numbers next week when the Cowboys host Texas, then Ok. State could be looking at throwing itself back into the Big 12 South championship picture.

-Arizona has quietly put together a very solid 5-2 overall record and a 3-1 conference record. Behind the stellar play of quarterback Nick Foles, Arizona has seen wins over Oregon St., Stanford, and most recently UCLA. The Wildcats control their own destiny from here on out with games still remaining against USC and Oregon.

-Look's like Idaho 's tenure in some pundit's Top 25 was a short-lived one. Their 70-45 whooping at the hands of 4-3 Nevada show that the Vandals are not quite ready to ascend to one of the top slots in the land. Coach Rob Akey has done wonders with his Idaho program.

After a 3-21 record in his first two seasons, the Vandals are bowl eligible half way through the season, and that is a credit to the head ball coach.