BCS Rankings Week 12: 25 Things We Learned From the Fifth BCS Rankings Poll
The BCS Rankings for Week 12 have had time to resonate by now, and it's time to get down to brass tacks with the 25 things we learned from the fifth poll.
As far as calamity is concerned, there wasn't much of that going around this past weekend, as only six of the top 25 teams went down and the BCS top 10 went unchanged for the first time since 2005.
Yet every poll is a textbook of sorts, and it teaches us different things about each team every week.
Here's what we learned about each of the 25 teams in the poll.
No. 25 Florida State
1 of 25
What We Learned: The Seminoles can indeed win without Christian Ponder.
You can count me among those who didn't think the Seminoles were going to be able to win without Christian Ponder, who has had only one bad game all season (three picks against Boston College).
But sophomore E.J. Manuel filled in quite admirably, throwing for 208 yards and rushing for 79 more, including a fourth-quarter touchdown that temporarily put his team in the lead. His 18-yard pass to Rodney Smith also set up the game-winning field goal.
No. 24 Miami
2 of 25
What We Learned: The Hurricanes also have some depth at quarterback.
With Jacory Harris still out with a concussion, the Hurricanes turned to Stephen Morris once again against Georgia Tech. And the freshman played very well in his first road start.
Morris threw for 230 yards with one touchdown and no picks, drastically improving on his performance in the prior one-and-a-half games in which he threw four picks.
Thanks to him, the Canes were able to crack the BCS Top 25 once again.
No. 23 Utah
3 of 25
What We Learned: One can go from being a BCS contender to a complete bust pretty quickly. All it takes is a loss to Notre Dame.
Seriously, the Utes' fall from grace has come swifter and harder than even their biggest haters could have hoped for.
Their 28-3 loss in South Bend took what all of us were thinking after their 47-7 home loss to TCU and turned it into a bona fide fact:
The Utes were overrated after all.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 22 Arizona
4 of 25
What We Learned: It is indeed possible to run on the Wildcats.
Arizona came into the game against USC with the top-ranked rush defense in the Pac-10. And while it still is by a slim margin after Saturday's action, the fact of the matter is that this is where it got beat against USC.
The Trojans' Marc Tyler ran for a season-high 160 yards on 31 carries against the Wildcats, and they rushed for over 200 yards as a unit. The result: the Trojans were able to control the ball for close to 15 more minutes than the Wildcats.
No. 21 Mississippi State
5 of 25
What We Learned: Maybe the Bulldogs should have paid Cam Newton what he wanted.
That's right, I went there.
But in reality, even Cam Newton would have been helpless to stop the poor tackling that let the Bulldogs give up two long touchdowns to the Tide.
No. 20 Iowa
6 of 25
What We Learned: You have to finish. Otherwise, your Rose Bowl hopes are doomed.
Iowa looked like it had its game against Northwestern in the bag when it got an interception off Dan Persa early in the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes were up by 10 points, and they were driving.
But then Ricky Stanzi threw a really bad pick of his own, Northwestern scored, and then scored again on the next possession to take the game.
And like that, Iowa's Rose Bowl hopes went the way of a donut in Homer Simpson's reach (Slaps knee exaggeratedly).
No. 19 Texas A&M
7 of 25
What We Learned: That win over Oklahoma was no fluke. Neither is Ryan Tannehill.
You have to feel good for Mike Sherman and his Aggies team these days. Texas A&M has won four in a row and managed to follow up a big win against the Sooners with a come-from-behind win over Baylor.
Meanwhile, Ryan Tannehill is legit. In four games as a starter, he has 1,109 yards, 10 touchdowns, and just three picks.
No. 18 Nevada
8 of 25
What We Learned: Nevada doesn't need a record-setting day of offense to win.
The Wolf Pack can score. That much is clear at this point. But their game at Fresno State showed that they can grind them out too. They were outgained in the game, but used a timly score by Vai Tuau and good defense to wrap up a 35-34 win.
Also, how about a hand for Colin Kaepernick. He set a Nevada record for career rushing touchdowns in front of the very team that passed on his services.
No. 17 South Carolina
9 of 25
What We Learned: They are indeed the best in the SEC East. And in the end, it wasn't even close.
Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks finally clinched an SEC East title when they beat the Gators handily in the Swamp, and the final score of 36-14 was even more convincing than you might think.
After scoring on the opening kickoff, the Gators didn't score again until midway through the fourth quarter. They managed just 227 yards in the game.
Also, big ups to Marcus Lattimore for racking up 217 yards and three touchdowns on an astounding 44 carries.
And despite the fact I think Steve Spurrier is a living scumbag, I have to give him props for becoming the first coach to win SEC East titles with two different teams.
No. 16 Virginia Tech
10 of 25
What We Learned: The Hokies can pick it off with the best of them.
T.J. Yates went into Saturday's game against the Hokies on a high from having had the best passing performance in Tar Heels' history against Florida State the prior week. He passed for 439 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
He threw for just 197 yards against Virginia Tech, and he threw four picks, equaling the amount he'd thrown all season.
No. 15 Missouri
11 of 25
What We Learned: When your arm isn't working, use your legs. Just ask Blaine Gabbert.
After being simply awful last week against Texas Tech, when he threw for just 95 yards and completed just 40 percent of his passes, Blaine Gabbert expanded his game to overcome his struggles.
In addition to throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns, Gabbert also rushed for a season-high 89 yards and added a 32-yard touchdown run.
Well played, Gabbert.
No. 14 Oklahoma
12 of 25
What We Learned: Ryan Broyles is an all-time Oklahoma great.
Landry Jones threw a season-high five touchdown passes and helped Ryan Broyles secure a school record in the process.
Broyles caught three touchdown passes and he now owns the Oklahoma record for most career touchdown catches, with 32. The record was previously held by Mark Clayton, who had 31.
No. 13 Arkansas
13 of 25
What We Learned: There really is no stopping Ryan Mallett.
Mallett passed for a school-record five touchdowns in the Hogs' 58-21 win over UTEP, and he ran for another.
In other words, he accounted for 42 of their 58 points. That is a good percentage.
Meanwhile, the Hogs have won four straight, and you might just be able to make the case that they are the best two-loss team in the country.
No. 12 Michigan State
14 of 25
What We Learned: Not much. They were idle.
The Spartans were idle this past weekend, so we don't know anything about them that we didn't already know before.
However, it is worth repeating that the computers still have them as the best Big Ten team in the trio that includes them, Wisconsin, and Ohio State.
Still, they dropped a spot to No. 12 in these new rankings, and they are now behind two-loss Alabama.
No. 11 Alabama
15 of 25
What We Learned: You can't beat 'em if you're not going to tackle 'em.
Was anybody else appalled by the poor tackling that led to the long touchdowns by Marquis Maze and Mark Ingram? Both of them were able to turn what looked like very short gains into big plays, and I think the Bulldogs have nobody but themselves to blame for that.
Then again, Maze does deserve some credit for making a sick move in his touchdown scamper.
No. 10 Oklahoma State
16 of 25
What We Learned: It's looking more and more like the Pokes are going to win the Big 12 South for the first time ever.
They still have to go through the Sooners, but the Cowboys certainly look like the class of the Big 12 South right about now. Exactly how you're supposed to stop them on offense is completely beyond me.
Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon form a deadly combination, and Kendall Hunter is quietly having a brilliant season. He's third in the country in rushing with 1,356 yards.
No. 9 Ohio State
17 of 25
What We Learned: The Buckeyes can pull style points out of thin air.
Even with the Nittany Lions leading 14-3 at halftime on Saturday, I for one knew that the Buckeyes were not about to lose a possible Rose Bowl appearance to Penn freakin' State.
But I didn't anticipate them dominating the second half the way they did. They scored 35 points after the break. And they did it in style, with a couple of pick-sixes and a particularly brilliant 96-yard drive to start the third quarter.
They look like they're better than No. 9 at this point. Exactly how long it will take for the computers to figure that out is going to be interesting going forward.
No. 8 Nebraska
18 of 25
What We Learned: The Cornhuskers' defense is more than capable of picking up the slack for a less than 100 percent Taylor Martinez.
I remember looking at the score on my computer while I was monitoring all the college games yesterday and thinking that Nebraska must have been having a bad game.
But then I checked the box score and saw that they had only given up 87 yards on 47 plays.
Woah.
That was the fewest total yards against Nebraska since Baylor managed just 84 yards in 2000.
Not too shabby.
No. 7 Wisconsin
19 of 25
What We Learned: The Badgers have depth at running back, and they know how to use it.
No John Clay? No problem.
The Badgers may have scored 83 points, the most of any team this season, but I'm of the opinion that it's what they did on the ground without their leading rusher that deserves our full attention.
The Badgers had a whopping 338 yards rushing in this game, including 311 yards and five touchdowns by the gruesome twosome of Montee Ball and James White.
To put things in perspective, I don't think you could even put up those numbers in a video game with all the difficulty settings lowered as far as they can go.
No. 6 Stanford
20 of 25
What We Learned: Their defense can win games too.
I too was rather disturbed by the Cardinal's relatively weak showing in Tempe on Saturday night, especially since I spent most of last week making the case for them as the best one-loss team in the country.
But I think the silver lining in their 17-13 win against the Sun Devils is the play of the defense. It allowed just 268 yards and 12 first downs, and forced some key turnovers.
I still think they're the best one-loss team in the country. But I also think they won't be any more when my Bears claim the axe once again this Saturday.
No. 5 LSU
21 of 25
What We Learned: Oh, they can score. All they need is an opponent from the Sun Belt.
If you've been following my work over the past weeks, you'll know that I have nothing but contempt for LSU. It is my esteemed opinion that they are perennially overrated and that they get to the top of the rankings solely because of some crusty old-redneck sensibility on the part of the voters.
So if you expect me to be impressed with a 51-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe, I'm sorry to disappoint you. The fact is that the Warhawks were just as responsible for the 51 points as the Tigers were.
Ultimately, Saturday's win amounts to nothing more than a great big yawn.
No. 4 Boise State
22 of 25
What We Learned: The Broncos have this whole 'style points' thing on lockdown.
The Broncos scored a touchdown the first time they touched the ball on Friday night, as Chris Potter took the first punt of the game all the way to the house for a 7-0 lead. They soon stretched that lead to 28-0 before the gun sounded at the end of the opening period.
I hate to break it to all you Boise haters, but the Broncos are not going to play their way out of a title shot. And with TCU apparently having peaked thanks to Utah's epic failures, Boise can only keep rising up.
No. 3 TCU
23 of 25
What We Learned: Maybe they're not so dominant after all.
I think we all thought TCU's 47-7 win at Utah was huge. Turns out it was just another victory. And the Horned Frogs look human because of that.
And they definitely looked human against San Diego State, as they had to overcome an early 14-0 deficit and still saw their top defense get shredded for 35 points.
They had given up just 23 points combined in their previous six games.
No. 2 Auburn
24 of 25
What We Learned: There is not a force on this earth that can stop Cam Newton.
I think it's hard to tell at this point whether the American public is for or against Newton after last week's mountain of bad news regarding his recruitment.
Ultimately, I don't think he gives a (bleep).
The dude can play. He scored four more touchdowns and he became just the eighth player to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. If he does end up winning the Heisman, it's going to be hard to say he didn't deserve it.
No. 1 Oregon
25 of 25
What We Learned: They can be stopped.
A couple days before Saturday's game, I remember discussing Cal's chances with a friend and fellow Berkeley alum.
"Listen," I said somewhat glumly, "all I really hope is that we lose by less than 40 points."
But never in my wildest dreams did I think my Bears would actually have a chance at beating the No. 1 team in the country, much less holding their offense to just 317 total yards and a single offensive touchdown.
Did the Bears provide a blueprint for beating the Ducks? I'm not sure about that. But they definitely showed that they can be beaten.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
