College Football: 50 Things We Learned in Week 5

Week 5 of the 2011 college football campaign offered a little something for everyone; turnovers, sloppiness, precise execution, comebacks, letdowns, injuries, bizarre penalties and yet another batch of outstanding individual performances.

Yes friend, the big dogs barked, the little dogs continued to yip and some poor old hounds walked home with their tails between their legs.

The following slideshow sorts through the dizzying array of facts, figures and story lines from the fifth weekend of college football and plucks a mere 50 golden knowledge kernels that combined form a virtual cornfield of gridiron enlightenment.

The Houston Oilers Luv Ya Blue is Alive and Well…In Lawrence

If you tuned into the Texas Tech at Kansas game on Saturday, you may have had difficulty identifying the Jayhawks who were not clad in their traditional blue and crimson kit.

Yes, Kansas went old school in their 45-34 loss to the Red Raiders, and they looked more like the Houston Oilers of old in Columbia blue than Rock Chock Jayhawk.

Yep, Kansas’ throwbacks had everything but an oil derrick, Dan Pastorini under center and Bum Phillips kicking down that door in the Dome.

Top Receiver List Reshuffles

After five weeks of play, the top yardage receiver list has undergone a somewhat significant restructuring, and the reshuffling comes mainly due to USC’s Robert Woods scorching 255-yard performance in the Trojans 48-41 win over Arizona on Saturday.

With Woods firmly in the lead with 747 yards on the season Jordan White from Western Michigan comes in at No. 2 with 668 yards, AJ Jenkins from Illinois grabs the No. 3 spot with 633 yards and Baylor’s Kendall Wright and Louisiana Tech’s Quinton Patton sit at No. 4 and No. 5 with 621 and 601 yards respectively.

Possession of the Little Brown Jug

After Michigan pounded Minnesota 58-0 on Saturday the Little Brown Jug will spend yet another year in Ann Arbor.

Some folks argue that the Jug is the oldest rivalry trophy in college football, and its origin dates back to 1903 when Michigan coach Fielding Yost brought the Jug to carry water to the Wolverines and Gophers game that ended in 6-6 tie.

Minnesota wound up with the Jug after the contest, and when Yost asked that it be returned, a Golden Gophers representative purportedly replied, “We have your little brown jug, if you want it back then you’ll have to win it.”

And win it they have, Michigan leads the all-time series 71-24-3.

15 Teams Remain Undefeated

After 72 hours filled with head-to-head meetings betwixt the blameless, the number of perfect teams in the land has been reduced from last week’s 23 to a mere 15.

The honor roll includes Clemson (5-0), Georgia Tech (5-0), Kansas State (4-0), Oklahoma (4-0), Oklahoma State (4-0), Texas (4-0), Texas Tech (4-0), Michigan (5-0), Illinois (5-0), Wisconsin (5-0), Houston (5-0), Boise State (4-0), Stanford (4-0), Alabama (5-0) and LSU (5-0).

Only eight of the 15 loss-less teams have played five straight games without a break, and the only conferences with a perfect team still in their midst are the ACC (2), the Big 12 (5), the Big Ten (3), C-USA (1), MWC (1), the Pac-12 (1) and the SEC (2).

Folks, your national champion is more than likely among the names listed above.

Turnover Margins Still Explain the Past

There are a wide array of numbers that can help us explain who beat who and why, but one of the most telling stats in college football is turnovers and therefore turnover margin.

The concept is fairly elementary…force opponent turnovers and don’t turn the ball over yourself and win games, or conversely, give the ball away and don’t take it back and lose games.

Glaring illustrations of the above concept can be garnered by reviewing the top and bottom portion of the 2011 turnover margin charts.

Among the Top

1. Rutgers, TO Margin +2.75, Record 3-1

2. Cincinnati, TO Margin +2.40, Record 4-1

3. Texas Tech, TO Margin +2.00, Record 4-0

4. LSU, TO Margin +1.80, Record 5-0

5. SDSU, TO Margin +1.75, Record 3-1

Among the Bottom

109. Oregon State, TO Margin -1.00, Record 0-4

112. Texas A&M, TO Margin -1.25, Record 2-2

113. UTEP, TO Margin -1.40, Record 2-3

117. Notre Dame, TO Margin -1.80, Record 3-2

120. Western Kentucky, TO Margin -2.00, Record 0-4

For Illinois Perfection Comes via a Tiny Margin of Victory

Well, the Illini are 5-0 for the first time since 1934 but if you throw out a 56-3 Week 2 beatdown of FCS South Dakota State Illinois’ total margin of victory in 2011 is 26 points, and 18 of these came via a 33-15 Week 1 win over Arkansas State.

In fact, Illinois’ total margin of victory in the past three weeks is nine points, and their total margin of victory over BCS opponents is four.

The Illini needed 21 fourth-quarter points to knock off Northwestern by three points but a “W” is still a “W,” and Illinois is undefeated going into this Saturday’s game at 1-4 against Indiana.

Upshaw is Up for It

Two plays after ripping a Florida offensive tackle to register a six-yard loss, Alabama’s LB Courtney Upshaw picked a ball and scampered 41 yards to the house for a pivotal, momentum-altering, Crimson Tide second-quarter score.

There are few things more thrilling than watching a pick six from a 6’2”, 265-pound warrior in a huge night game.

Holy crap.

No. 3 Alabama went on to beat No. 12 Florida 38-10.

Third-Down Conversion Success Equals Wins

We can all agree on the fact that converting third downs is a good thing for any football team, so in the spirit of statistical harmony, let’s briefly check in on the five teams who have been most successful at converting third downs thus far in 2011.

Converting on third down equals drive continuance which, in a gridiron vacuum, has a great chance of resulting in a happy, heaping helping of victory…and that’s what we all want on our plates this year!

1. Tennessee, 35-of-58 on third down (60.3 percent), 3-1 record

2. Wisconsin, 32-of-58 on third down (55.2 percent), 5-0 record

3. Georgia Tech, 34-of-62 on third down (54.8 percent), 5-0 record

4. Air Force, 26-of-49 on third down (53.1 percent), 3-1 record

5. Texas Tech, 30-of-57 on third down (52.6 percent), 4-0 record

Things are Improving in the Queen City

After ranking No. 4 in scoring offense (38.6 points per game) at the end of the 2009 season, the Cincinnati Bearcats struggled mightily in 2010 and dropped to a No. 57 ranking (27.1 points per game) and a 4-8 record.

Things are certainly coming around in both areas in 2011 for Cincinnati as the Bearcats “O” has rebounded to the No. 9 slot in scoring (a whopping 45 points per game) and sport a 4-1 record.

Add in a defense that has allowed a stingy 16.6 points per game (No. 19 nationally) and you’ve got what looks to be a contender in a stimulating Big East race.

SMU Could Finally Whip Death

After shocking No. 20 TCU on the road, the Mustangs are 4-1 which marks their best start since 1986, SMU’s final season of football before the NCAA inflicted the death penalty on the sanction-laden program who subsequently didn’t field a team in 1987-88.

After 25 years of suffering, the people of SMU look to finally be in a position to beat the death penalty and throw off the shackles of a punishment that overshadowed the crime.

If that isn’t enough to tickle your fancy, the Ponies win in Week 5 ended TCU’s 22-game, home-winning streak.

Ray Graham Steps Up to the Top

Pitt’s Ray Graham sizzled for 226 yards rushing in the Panthers 44-17 beatdown of No. 16 USF on Thursday night which was enough to catapult him to the top of the season rushing charts with 734 yards thus far in 2011.

Rounding out the top five backs in the land are South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore at No. 2 with 677 yards, Virginia Tech’s David Wilson at No. 3 with 639 yards, Alabama’s Trent Richardson at No. 4 with 622 yards and Oregon’s  LaMichael James at No. 5 with 613 yards.

The State of Michigan Rules the World

Not unlike 1,000 points of light, Michigan became the state with five points of victory this past Saturday when the FBS teams from the Wolverine State racked up five simultaneous victories.

The details of dominance are as follows.

Western Michigan 38     UConn 31

Central Michigan 48        Northern Illinois 41

Michigan 58                        Minnesota 0

Michigan State 10            Ohio State 7

Eastern Michigan 31        Akron 23

Hail to all five victors!

2011 Land of Lincoln Trophy Winner

Originally dubbed the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk in 1945, the Land of Lincoln trophy is presented to the winner of the annual Northwestern and Illinois game.

The teams are 1-1 since the award was renamed in 2009, but the Illini lead the all-time series 54-46-5.

Illinois took home the hardware on Saturday by virtue of scoring 21-fourth quarter points to secure a 38-35 win over the Wildcats.

Conference Power Rankings after Week 5

Now that conference play is under way all across our great land, we’ll power rank the conferences based first on the number of schools represented in the Week 6 AP Top 25 and then by their average rank.

Here are the results.

 SEC – six teams/10.5 average ranking

Big 12 – six teams/14.83 average ranking

Big 10 – four teams/12.25 average ranking

ACC – four teams/16.25 average ranking

Pac 12 – three teams/12.66 average ranking

MWC – one/one team ranked at No. 5

Big East – one/one team ranked at No. 16

The Ugliest Win of the Week

The Michigan State Spartans fell just one play short of handing Ohio State their first shutout loss since 1993 (when they lost to Michigan 28-0 in Ann Arbor) and their first pointless performance in Columbus since 1982 (when Wisconsin came to the Horseshoe and walked away with a 6-0 shutout).

When the dust settled, the only thing that was served up in this past Saturday’s Spartans and Buckeyes game was a healthy dose of ugly.

Nine QB sacks, hurries, passes that fall short, passes that flew over receivers heads, 106 combined yards of rushing, four turnovers, 7-of-30 combined on third down, 3.2 yards per rush combined…it wasn’t pretty.

Duke Finally Wins in Florida

Duke’s 14-point fourth quarter that resulted in a narrow 31-27 win over FIU represented more than a huge “whew!” victory over a team that has never beaten an ACC foe.

Yes, the Blue Devils Week 5 road win in the sunshine state marked only the second time they have scored a victory in the state of Florida since 1976 when they beat Miami FL 20-7 in Miami.

Boise State’s Kicking Game Improves

In what might not seem like a significant stat when you’re whipping teams by 20 points Boise State’s kicking game has been suspect enough to raise smallish alarms that may become siren like in closer contests on down the line.

Thru Week 4, the Broncos missed three extra points and hadn’t even attempted a field goal, numbers that improved in Week 5’s 30-10 win over Nevada when Boise State made their first field goal, a 31-yarder, and were 3-for-3 on extra points.

Again, none of this seems like a big deal until Boise State is backed up against a wall and needs kicks to win gamesa statement that makes you think about the two missed field goals in the 2010 loss to Nevada that cost the Broncos a shot at a BCS spot and more.

Wisconsin is Really Good

Coming into the historic Week 5 meeting with Nebraska we all wondered how good the 4-0 Badgers really were, sure, they had soundly beaten UNLV, Oregon State, Northern Illinois and FCS South Dakota but were they really the Big Ten and national contender as advertised?

Well, a bunch of those questions were soundly answered in Wisconsin’s 48-17 total domination of No. 8 Nebraska on Saturday where in the Badgers whipped the Huskers in every major statistical category and looked tremendous doing it.

How good are they?

Well, the newly christened No. 4 Badgers are No. 3 nationally in points for (48.4 points per game) and No. 2 nationally in points against (10.2 points per game).

Holy Bratwurst.

Who’s Getting Consistently Hammered?

Though passer ratings, touchdowns and total yards are popular items on the gridiron statistical buffet, which ball throwers have spent the most time on their back thus far in 2011?

Yes, who has been sacked the most times through five weeks of play, and therefore, who has an offensive line that may need to shore things up to protect their favorite friend under center?

The following list highlights the top five QBs in terms of sack numbers and their teams’ win/loss record thus far.

Tino Sunseri, Pitt, 20 sacks (3-2)

Clayton Moore, Akron, 18 sacks (1-4)

Morgan Newton, Kentucky, 17 sacks (2-3)

Larry Smith, Vanderbilt, 15 sacks (3-1)

Mike Glennon, NC State, 15 sacks (2-3)

Nick Isham, Louisiana Tech, 15 sacks (1-4)

Week 5 Casserole Recipients

One of the key elements to hard-core, objectively-decided sports is that each game produces a clear winner and a dejected loser.

It’s the nature of the game, and it’s what is at the core of college football’s inherent excitement, unpredictability and the reason we tune in week after glorious week.

The following list details the squads that fell on the wrong side of the winning/losing line in Week 5 and presents an opportunity for the empathetic among us to show concern and gentle benevolence for those passionate fans who “weren’t so lucky” this past weekend.

Fans with their names on this week’s casserole rota are USF supporters, Mississippi State followers, Northwestern fans, Navy advocates, patrons of Arizona, the entire state of Colorado, UConn devotees, Ohio State boosters, Baylor backers, Gamecock enthusiasts, the people of TCU, Cyclone defenders, the Gator Nation and Hokies everywhere.

Extra special care should be given (and perhaps a piping hot pie should be included with the said covered dish delivery) to Utah State fans, all of Aggieland, Golden Gopher enthusiasts, Miami OH backers and the Children of the Corn.

I’m thinking of a King Ranch Casserole or perhaps a steamy and meaty lasagna.

The Movers and the Shakers

A total of eight teams who were ranked in the AP Top 25 coming into Week 5 dropped a game last weekend, and therefore, the entire ranking system was systematically reshuffled.

Following is a recap of the teams who enjoyed or suffered the biggest surges or plummets in the Week 6 AP Poll.

Moving Up

Wisconsin +3 – up from No. 7 to No. 4

Clemson +5 – up from No. 13 to No. 8

Texas +6 – up from No. 17 to No. 11

Arkansas +8 – up from No. 18 to No. 10

Michigan +7 – up from No. 19 to No. 12

Georgia Tech +8 – up from No. 21 to No. 13

West Virginia +6 – up from No. 22 to No. 16

Moving Down

Nebraska -6 – down from No. 8 to No. 14

South Carolina -8 – down from No. 10 to No. 18

Virginia Tech -10 – down from No. 11 to No. 21

Texas A&M -10 – down from No. 14 to No. 24

Baylor -10 – down from No. 15 to No. 25

Moving Out

USF – from No. 16 to completely out

TCU – from No. 20 to completely out

Robert Griffin III’s Heisman Stock Plummets

Despite another ridiculous performance, Robert Griffin’s Heisman stock will no doubt suffer a huge blow from No. 15 Baylor’s 36-35 Week 5 loss to unranked Kansas State.

Sure, Griffin was 23-of-31 for 346 yards, five TDs and only one pick but winning the bronze statuette is all about the perfect combination of individual excellence and team super success.

Sad but true facts are not necessarily fair, but Griffin and Baylor couldn’t afford a loss to Kansas State when they still have the likes of at Texas A&M, at Oklahoma State, vs. Missouri, vs. Oklahoma and vs. Texas remaining on the docket.

Why?

If you want to win the Heisman you can’t have three losses on your resume.

The 116th Winner of the Victory Bell

Awarded to the winner of the annual Miami (OH) and Cincinnati game, the Victory Bell has been around since 1888 when the teams initially met in Oxford for the first ever college football game played in the state of Ohio.

Miami leads the series 59-50-7, but the Redhawks haven’t won the Bell since 2005 in Oxford.

This year’s bell ringer is once again Cincinnati who shut out Miami 27-0 in the 116th playing of one of college football’s oldest rivalry games.

South Carolina’s Pants Need Rethinking

It’s cruel to pick on a team’s uniforms when they’ve just suffered a three-point road loss to a conference foe that dropped them from No. 10 to No. 18 in the polls, but regardless of the niceties, the Gamecocks pants still deserve mentioning.

It’s a wide stripe of confusion that looks to be meant to match the helmet, and I’m left wondering if it is a maze to work on if there is a weather delay?

Not good.

Houston Leads the Nation in a Defensive Stat

When you think of the Houston Cougars, it’s understandable if crazy passing numbers come to mind before stingy, relentless defense does.

The Cougars lead the nation in passing yards thus far in 2011 (451.2 yards per game), and though they’ve allowed just 26.6 points per game defensively, Houston’s games are not necessarily low-scoring affairs.

But, if you are going to be 5-0, which the pass-happy Cougs are after five weeks of play, you’ve got to have some sort of ability to stop your opponent’s offense, and so, we present one of the unsung heroes on Houston’s 2011 squad.

Cougar senior LB Sammy Brown currently leads the nation in tackles for a loss with 11.5 for 49 yards and has also registered a whopping three sacks so far in 2011.

Nipping at Brown’s heels are LB Khalil Mack from Buffalo and DL Kendall Reyes from UConn with 9.5 tackles for loss a piece and then the trio of DL Nordly Capi from Colorado State, LB Tahir Whitehead from Temple and LB Jamie Collins from Southern Miss all who have nine TFLs each.

6 Teams Are Still Winless

After Middle Tennessee managed to beat Memphis in a Week 5 matchup that required 21 fourth-quarter points, the list of “0-fer” teams in 2011 has dwindled down from seven to six.

Those who have still yet to drink from the chalice of victory this season are; UAB (0-4, lost to Troy 24-23), Miami OH (0-4, lost to Cincinnati 27-0), New Mexico (0-5, lost to New Mexico State 42-28), Oregon State (0-4, lost to Arizona State 35-20), FAU (0-4, lost to ULL 37-34) and Western Kentucky (0-4, lost to Arkansas State 26-22).

Penn State’s Offense isn’t Struggling as Much We Might Think

It’s a good thing that the Nittany Lions have held opponents to a stingy 12.5 points per game thus far in 2011 because their offense has managed only an average of 25 points per game in their first five contests.

Yes, it seems like every time we see the final score of a Penn State game we wonder how it was so close and how they struggle against teams that don’t seem that scary defensively (with the big exception of Alabama who ranks No. 1 in scoring defense allowing only 8.4 points per game).

But wait, don’t be hasty!  Penn State’s three other FBS opponents (we’ll leave FCS Indiana State out of the picture) have posted some rather surprising defensive stats that are worth taking a closer look at.

The Nittany Lions scored only 14 points at Temple, but the Owls’ “D” is No. 10 nationally in scoring and has allowed only 13.4 points per game; they posted only 34 against Eastern Michigan, but the Eagles are No. 34 in scoring defense (20.8 points per game), and finally, they managed just 16 points against lowly Indiana in Week 5, but the Hoosiers have allowed only 24.4 points per game this season.

Sure, Penn State’s offense certainly hasn’t been “on fire,” but what if it part of their stagnant scoring performance is due to the play of some pretty good defensive opponents?

Commander-in-Chief Trophy Update

Only three games are played each year to determine the winner of the Commander-in-Chief Trophy, so each contest is worthy of note and subsequently update.

Week 5 paid witness to the first leg of the three-part race to the presidential hardware when Navy managed 18 fourth-quarter points to push Air Force to extra time only to lose to the Falcons 35-34 in overtime.

With Navy out of the way, Air Force needs only to beat Army when they visit Colorado Springs on November 5 to capture its first back-to-back Commander-in-Chief trophy since 2001-02.

On the other hand, Army still controls their own destiny, and if they can first knock off Air Force on the road in November (they haven’t beaten the Falcons since 2005) and Navy on December 10 in Washington DC (they haven’t beaten the Midshipmen since 2001), then they can capture their first trophy since 1996.

Denard Robinson on Track to Bust Records

Michigan QB Denard Robinson is the No. 8 rusher in the country.

Let that sink in for just a moment…there are only seven guys in college football who have rushed for more yards in 2011 than Robinson, and you guessed it, they are all running backs.

Robinson was the No. 2 rusher in the land in 2010, and his ridiculous 1,702 yards set an NCAA record for rushing yards in a season by a QB.

Robinson has 602 yards thus far this season, and if he can maintain his average of 120 yards per game throughout 2011, he will finish with the regular season with 1,442 yards, and with the addition of a bowl game, he could reach 1,562 yards.

Though this doesn’t eclipse his yearly total from 2010, it puts him in position, if he sticks around in Ann Arbor for his senior season, to pass West Virginia’s Pat White (2005-08) as the all-time career leader in rushing yards by a quarterback.

White’s mark is 4,480 yards which is absolutely realistic if Robinson can stay healthy and productive.

The Realignment Debacle is Far from Over

Week 5 began with NCAA president Mark Emmert “chiding” ADs and University presidents realignment activities, but despite this thorough scolding, the reshuffling and money grab in collegiate sports seems far from over.

The Big 12 hasn’t yet sealed any deals that would lead you to believe long-term commitment is in the hearts of the “last nine” (we all know talk is cheap), and the Governor of Connecticut is taking time away from the day-to-day business of his state to comment on the potential of UConn moving to the ACC.

One of the highlights of the governors’ remarks was that if the ACC didn’t further expand, and the Huskies subsequently weren’t invited to join that, “beyond that, then you fall back to the Big East.”

Nice.

Other swirling rumors and innuendo include Missouri still pondering a move to the SEC, Villanova jumping up from the FCS to the FBS in football via membership in the Big East (they are already basketball members) and perhaps a change of heart to adding additional Texas based teams to the Big 12 (plus or minus a few members).

Georgia is Dominant against Mississippi State in Athens

Georgia’s 24-10 over Mississippi State between the hedges in Week 5 was a season-turning point type outcome for both teams who hoped to be in contention in the SEC in 2011, but in reality, it was just more of the same for the two sets of Bulldogs in Athens.

Yep, MSU bested Georgia last season in Starkville, but they haven’t won down between the hedges since 1956 when Mississippi State won 19-7 on their way to a 4-6 finish.

Since that date, Georgia has beaten the Bulldogs from the west nine consecutive times in Athens.

Robert Woods is Ridiculous

Of all the ridiculous performances in Week 5, one of the absolute beastly standouts came via USC’s sophomore WR Robert Woods who racked up obscene numbers in the Trojans 48-41 win over Arizona on Saturday afternoon in LA.

Woods caught 14 balls for 255 yards and two touchdowns which equals more than half of his total 2011 production of 492 yards.

Woods is scary fast, explosive, and at 19, you have to figure the best is yet to come.

Ridiculous.

2011 Iron Skillet Winner

The Battle for the Iron Skillet is the name given to the annual rivalry game between TCU and SMU and may have the most colorful story of all the named rivalry contests in college football.

Legend has it that back in the 1950s, an SMU fan fried up some frog legs prior to the TCU game, and an offended Horned Frogs fan suggested that the winner of the actual game should take home both the skillet and the legs, and the tradition was born.

TCU leads 44-39-7 going into this weekend and SMU hadn’t won in Fort Worth since 1993 both facts that make the Mustang’s 40-33 upset victory in overtime (the Frogs were 13-point favorites) all the more thrilling.

Take that skillet back to Dallas!

Stephen Garcia Still Leads the Nation in Picks

After throwing four picks in the Gamecocks’ Week 4 win over Vanderbilt, SC’s Stephen Garcia hurled two more INTs in the Week 5 loss to Auburn and took sole possession of first place in the national pick derby.

Garcia now has seven interceptions to his name in 2011 and is followed closely by Western Kentucky’s Kawaun Jakes who has thrown eight picks and then six QBs who each have six INTs (Steele Jantz from Iowa State, Matt Schilz from Bowling Green, Dominique Davis from East Carolina, Michael Rocco from Virginia, Nick Isham from Louisiana Tech and Rakeem Cato from Marshall).

Even sadder news for Garcia and the Gamecocks come when you realize that the only guy on the list who has thrown fewer passes than South Carolina’s QB is Jakes from WKU…all other hurlers have at least 31 more attempts than Garcia (meaning he’s managed seven picks in a lot fewer attempts).

Clemson is Really, Really Good

Well, we said Clemson was “greatly improved” when they knocked off then No. 21 Auburn in Week 3 and next we upgraded them to “really good” status when they beat then No. 11 Florida State in Week 4.

So, now that they’ve gone on the road and knocked off No. 11 Virginia Tech (23-3) this past Saturday, we confidently can exclaim that the Tigers are “really, really good”.

Clemson is 5-0 for the first time since 2000, they’ve posted three straight wins over ranked teams, they are No. 32 in points scored (34.8 points per game) and they are No. 31 in points against (20.6 points per game) and they’ve managed these stats against a string of talented teams.

Clemson?

Oh yeah, they’re for real.

Texas A&M Still Can’t Beat the SEC

The last time the Aggies knocked off an SEC foe was back in 1995 when they bested LSU 33-17 in the season opener in College Station.

Since then, Texas A&M has dropped seven straight to the SEC—a dubious record that includes losses to Mississippi State, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and LSU; four of the losses came in bowl games.

On Saturday, Aggies blew a 35-17 halftime lead, and the Razorbacks outscored A&M 25-3 in the second half to score a thrilling 42-38 comeback win.

Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!

If Auburn Was Only a Little Older

No, I don’t want to date preteen Auburn, but oh the damage they could do if they were a little older, a little more experienced, a little more mature.

The defending champs area scrappy, tenacious and “never give up” squad, but sometimes that doesn’t make amends for overt youth.

Auburn knocked off No. 10 South Carolina on the road in Week 5, and unbelievably if it hadn’t been for a historic loss at Clemson in Week 3, they would be undefeated.

They returned the least amount of experienced players of any team in the nation in 2011, and their all-world ranking in desire and effort have earned the complete respect of this particular doubter.

Oh, if they were only older, only more mature, only more experienced…they could repeat.

The Definition of a “Protected Crossover Rival”

Here’s a new entry for the Glossary of College Football Terms …Protected Crossover Rival.

This is two teams from different divisions within one conference (perhaps a super duper conference one day) who are scheduled to play each other yearly regardless of the fact they aren’t technically (due to being in different divisions) an “every season” scheduled opponent.

To illustrate, Nebraska (who is now in the Big Ten Legends division) and Penn State (hailing from the Big Ten Leaders division) have been identified as “protected crossover rivals” and will face each other every season regardless of the fact that they are from different divisions.

 The same thing happens in the case of Ohio State versus Michigan (again, Leaders vs. Legends) and then intention is either to protect long standing rivalries or to foster the growth of new ones.

The PCR, it makes Super Conferences seem like rivalry safe institutions (well, sort of).

Utah State is a “What Could Have Been” Team

BYU’s last second touchdown over Utah State marked the third time this season that the Aggies have enjoyed a lead late in a game only to allow a late surge that ultimately resulted in foe’s epic comeback and a Utah State loss.

First came Auburn, then Colorado State and now BYU and what could have been 4-0 is now 1-3.

Texas is Vulnerable

The Longhorns 37-14 beatdown of Iowa State on Saturday night may have put the world on notice that Texas, now 4-0, will more than likely eclipse their five game win total in 2010, but it’s way too early to declare that “UT is back.”

Why?

 Well, in what was on the surface a rock solid win by Texas, the Longhorns were outgunned on first downs by Iowa State 26 to 19, out gained in total yards 400 (ISU) to 380, and you have to wonder what would have happened if the Cyclones hadn’t turned the ball over three times.

Yes, the Longhorns are better, and they’re still scary fast but what happens when it’s Oklahoma and Oklahoma State instead of UCLA and BYU?

Neil Callaway’s Seat is a Scorcher

Neil Callaway took over as the head coach at UAB in 2007 and won two, four, five and four games in his first four seasons making his record 15-33 heading into the 2011 season.

Things certainly aren’t improving for the Blazers or Callaway this year as UAB is 0-4 after four games and rank No. 116 in points scored (14 points per game) and are No. 108 in scoring defense (35 points allowed per game).

With all the talk of hot seat coaches such as Houston Nutt, Rick Neuheisel, Mark Richt and Mike Riley don’t forget that Neil Callaway’s chair is as toasty as anyone’s in the FBS nation.

Don’t Forget about Stanford

It’s really east to take your eye off the Pac-12 ball when the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 races are heating up and new top dogs are rising to become the cream of the crop.

Yes, storylines of LSU, Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin are thrilling but don’t forget about Stanford as a contender for the big cheesy enchilada.

Sure, the singular Cardinal has only overwhelmed San Jose State, Duke, Arizona and UCLA on their way to a 4-0 record but they are balanced offensively (No. 32 in passing and No. 31 in rushing) and have scored 45.8 points per game (No. 7 nationally) and held opponents to only 11.5 points per game (No. 6 in the country).

These guys are good, don’t you forget about them.

The Nation’s Top Point Scorers

Yes, the gaining of yards is exciting, and therefore yards leaders are well deserving of our attention…the most yards per game, per catch, per carry or the highest total yards thus far are all alluring attention getters, but since yards don’t necessarily equal points how about a shout-out to the top scorers in the nation?

The following list features the top five point earners in college football through Week 5…these guys are difference makers.

Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin – 84 points

Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple – 72 points

Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama – 66 points

Zach Line, RB, SMU – 66 points

Robert Turbin, RB, Utah State – 60 points

Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina – 60 points

Not convinced that all those precious little points matter?  Well, the six backs combined on this list score points for teams who are 22-7 thus far in 2011.

Quote of the Week

During the Saturday night broadcast of the Wisconsin vs. Nebraska game and after an update regarding QB Tyler Wilson being nominated the AT&T All-America Player Week for Arkansas in their win over Texas A&M (the Hogs outscored the A&M 25-3 in the second half) and after a subsequent comment regarding the Aggies melt down the week before against Oklahoma State, ABC’s Brent Musburger quipped in reference to the SEC bound Aggies, “Yes, and they can’t wait for that game against Vanderbilt.”

Honorable mention for “quote of the week” goes to the ESPN commentator who teased the viewing audience with clips of “Illinois taking charge in the Big Ten.”

Yes, the Illini are 5-0 but a 21-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat Northwestern by three points in their only conference win on the season is hardly the stuff “taking charge” is made of.

Michigan State Leads the Nation in Total Defense

Ole’ Sparty is 4-1 and even though they didn’t garner enough AP votes to find Week 6’s Top 25 listing Michigan State leads the nation in total defense.

The Spartans have allowed only 173.4 yards per game thus far this season and are followed in a top five that includes UCF at No. 2 with 189.5 yards per game, Alabama at No.3 with 191.6 yards per game, Virginia Tech at No. 4 with 249.6 yards per game and Penn State at No. 5 with 250.4 yards per game.

How does this all convert into wins and losses?

Well, the top five teams in terms of total defense are 19-5 in 2011.

Dan Persa Doesn’t Play Defense

Northwestern QB was finally back under center for the Wildcats in their Week 5 game against Illinois after missing the last three regular season games of 2010, a bowl appearance and the first three games of the 2011 season.

The Wildcats dropped the last four games of 2010 (including the bowl game) with Persa and were 2-1 without him in contests played this year.

Even though Persa went 10-of-14 for 123 yards, four TDs and zero interceptions against the Illini, he couldn’t help the Wildcat defense that gave up 473 yards of offense including 21 fourth-quarter points and a 70-yard scoring drive with one minute left in the game allowing the Illini to ice Northwestern 38-35.

 Persa is back, but the defense has to help a brother out.

Feels Like the First Time

Ten FBS teams met opponents for the very first time in Week 5 and reports from all across this great nation claim that “it feels like the first time, like it never did before, feels like the first time, like we’ve opened up the door, feels like the first time, like it never will again …”

Buffalo at Tennessee (Volunteers win 41-10)

Ball State at Oklahoma (Sooners win 62-6)

FCS Towson at Maryland (Terrapins win 28-3)

FCS Bethune-Cookman at Miami FL (Hurricanes win 45-14)

Idaho at Virginia (Cavaliers win 21-20, in overtime)

Duke at FIU (Blue Devils win 31-27)

Never Say Never

In this week’s edition of “Never Say Never,” we tip toe through the impossible to once again discover that all “nevers” are created to one day be smashed.

 Paul Johnson has Never Beaten North Carolina State

Paul Johnson had a 0-2 career record against North Carolina State going into Georgia Tech’s Week 5 road trip to play the Wolfpack; Johnson had lost a meeting with NC State while at Navy and dropped a game to them last season in Atlanta.

The Yellow Jackets’ 45-35 victory over NC State last Saturday marked a first in Johnson’s ever rising career.

Mark Dantonio has never beaten Ohio State

Coming into Week 5’s game pitting Michigan State against Ohio State Mark Dantonio was 0-4 as a head coach facing the Buckeyes.

Dantonio was 0-2 against Ohio State during his tenure as the head coach at Cincinnati and coming into Saturday was also 0-2 against the Buckeyes as the head man at Michigan State.

Week 5’s barnburner 10-7 win over Ohio State in Columbus marked Mark Dantonio’s landmark first win over former employer Ohio State.

Ejection is Subjective

The first quarter of Friday’s Utah State at BYU game was about halfway over when BYU QB Jake Heaps heaved a short pass to WR Ross Apo in the end zone that was basically uncatchable.  Just after the ball went by defender McKade Brady hit Apo and was flagged for “targeting” or “launching.”

While the initial call could have been argued as questionable what happened next was unreal.

After making the announcement of the foul, the official immediately ejected Brady from the game—an action that barely even garnered comment by the ESPN announcers or argument by anyone on the field.

Unbelievably, Brady got thrown out of a football game for putting his shoulder into the chest of a receiver who had been thrown an uncatchable ball.

Apo crumpled after the hit and then it was brought to light that he had suffered a mild concussion in the Cougars Week 4 win over UCF that caused him to miss most of the game.

Even after “the hit” registered by the now ejected Brady, Apo returned to the game about two plays later.

Concussions are absolutely serious business, but the message sent here was that a guy with an injury from last week should be treated differently than other players on the field, perhaps they should have  a red “X” on their helmets so other players are aware of their “no hit” status.

Should Brady have been flagged for “launching” or “targeting”?  Well, that’s questionable.

Should Brady have been kicked out of the game?  No, and somebody needs to atone for this mistake especially since Utah State narrowly lost this game 27-24.

Alabama is Really, Really, Really Good

This week, we proudly award the coveted “tri really” to Alabama who looked unbeatable in their 38-10 win over a very good Florida team.

Yes, the Gator’s QB went down at the end of the second quarter, but regardless, the Crimson Tide looked like a freight train with a speed governor that didn’t work, barreling down the tracks at brake neck speed pummeling everything and everybody in their path.

Flowery words don’t convince you?

Well, Alabama held Florida to minus-3 yards rushing on 13 carries in the first half, and the Gators entered Week 5 as the No. 1 rushing team in SEC.

They’ve scored 38.4 points a game thus far in 2011, and even more importantly, they’ve held opponents to only 8.4 points per contest.

And their opponents?  Three were ranked, two were in the top 15 and two of these were on the road.

Alabama is really, really, really good, and they’re heading full speed into a November 5 smashmouth showdown of physicality against a certain grass eater and his Bayou Bengals.