Well, our three little BCS conference cinderellas are doing just fine thank you very much. Let me give a hearty shout out to Boston College, Arizona State, and Kansas!
The only upset Saturday was that no-one was upset! That really hurt my Sooners' chances of making the big dance. I'm about to put a fork in that dream. So who should I root for? My football fan side would love to see LSU and Oregon go at it. My blow up the BCS side is thinkin' more BC and Kansas. Sure if they win out, they'll deserve it. But can you imagine fans around the country reacting to those two names in the title game?
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Just submitted my little ballot (I do two fans polls by the way - TSN.com and ESPNU.com.) For all you guys who love to throw out "overrated", I suggest you try participating in a poll throughout the season. It's not easy if you take it seriously.
1. Arizona State - Cal is a better team than anyone the Buckeyes have played so I'll give the Sun Devils the lofty perch this week. I really like this team; very balanced; playing hungry.
2. tOSU - they may deserve number 1 for their impressive road domination so far. Still, have they really played an elite team? You realize the Bucks have yet to face a squad that has even come close to sniffing the top ten at any point this year? However, they're clinical and heady. Words cannot describe how impressed I was with the way they handled Happy Valley and the Joe Pa's . BTW Joe, hang it up. The number one team is in town. Go for it on 4 and 2 on their side of the field! The Problem with Penn State is that they play like they're still a big dog instead of the scrapper that once proud program has become.
3. Kansas - the Jayhawks are erasing doubters in the midland. In the last two weeks, they have won in the two of the toughest venues in the Big 12 - College Station and Boulder. Still, they haven't a played an elite squad yet.
4. BC - I'd rather be lucky than good, but they didn't handle their test as well as the top three. I doubt this team will make it undefeated. They don't pass the eyeball test. Plus, VT with Glennon at QB is not even a top 25 team.
5. LSU - in a just world, the Tigers should be no. 1. The four above them haven't played near the schedule. Talent wise, I don't think the other four can match them either.
6. Oregon - I'm still worried about their defense. USC may have more name clout than they should right now. For how tough Autzen stadium is, a national title team would of blown a frail looking SC out of the water.
7. Oklahoma - yeah, yeah Iowa State. Still, wins over Texas and Missouri are better than everyone else above them except LSU.
8. Missouri - the Tigers boast an impressive resume, but lost the chance for a truly huge win against OU. There could be a big time showdown with Kansas set up for the last week of the reg. season.
9. West Virginia - very impressive over Rutgers. Other than the USF hiccup, this team has been blowing people out consistently; problem is, their marquee wins aren't very jaw dropping.
10. Hawaii - frankly not a top ten team. But, credit the for being undefeated at this point of the year. I gave the warriors some love.
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Watch out for Colorado in the next couple of years. Dan Hawkins has his team on the right track. After a 2-6 06, the Buffs are 5-4 for 07 with wins over Oklahoma and Texas Tech. They hung in against Arizona State and Florida State. Colorado will be back to their old ways, soon.
Wisconsin is the latest Big Ten team that will re-enter the top 25 (Harris) this week, only to most likely lose it the next. Penn State will drop out this week and join Illinois and Purdue as teams who entered, only to be knocked out by either Ohio State or Michigan.
USC may not make a BCS bowl game for the first time in five years! That is how incredible run has been. It's a real head scratcher. The talent on the team was highly rated. Still, there's the intangibles. No matter how big Patrick Turner is, he still has to catch the ball. No matter how gaudy Mark Sanchez' numbers were in high school, he still has to be able to read zone coverage and make the correct throw. Then there's the injury problem. No matter how many gazelles are in the backfield, if the big pullers are thin and aren't doin' their job...Oregon's slightly above average defensive line looked all world against the Trojan front. Trojan rb's were getting hit consistently at the line of scrimmage. It goes to show, no matter how well you prepare or recruit, the football gods and the minds of 18-22 year old men will have the final say.
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Whew! That was a long one!
viro out!
