College Football Update

Week #7 Top 25:
[Thursday, October 20, 2005]

1. USC (6-0) – Talk about your all time lucky screw-ups. Although I never knew that fumbling the ball out of bounds on a running play ever stopped the clock once the ball was reset (because it never does and the last play was a freebie), give credit to a team that is better than anyone else at the two-minute drill.

2. Texas (6-0) – 42-17 over the crème of the Big 12 north. The Horns have to outlast Texas Tech, and then hold on for the rest of the year in order to see Colorado a second time…with the same result.

3. Virginia Tech (6-0) – DNP.

4. Alabama (6-0) – Barely eeked out a victory over a team they should have beaten by 20 points. This team needs to show up to beat the Vols. Still, a GWFG is rarely seen in Tuscaloosa and may instill a little bit of confidence in those close games that lie ahead.

5. Georgia (6-0) – So you doubled up Vandy, but now you have to get ready for Florida. UGA should win that and pretty much secure a date in the SEC championship game.

6. UCLA (6-0) – It took overtime to outlast Washington State? Still, you remain undefeated. Barring any standard Pac-10 screw-ups (like dropping a no-brainer to WASU) this team will face USC undefeated in their final game…could be interesting.

7. Florida State (5-1) – Crushing loss to Virginia. Too many penalties this late in the year. This does not mean that Virginia has taken a step forward. It means that FSU took a step backwards about three years ago, and they are just noticing it now.

8. Miami (5-1) – As I said last week: “Right now they are in the soft part of their schedule…” Way to stick it to Temple. But under 200 yards passing? Hmmm.

9. Penn State (6-1) – Absolutely the most heartbreaking game of the day (sorry ND). Lloyd Carr lobbied, got two seconds given to him, and used them to win at the last minute. Still, how do you run a vanilla 4-3 defense at the goal line on the last play—the LBs are useless, caught in no man’s land defending neither the pass nor the run!?! As I said: “the odds of finishing undefeated are not in your favor.”

10. West Virginia (6-1) – Huge win over a tough Louisville opponent that virtually secures the Big East title. BCS bound, so long as they don’t screw up against some Big East stepping stone. Kara, is a football genius.

11. Boston College (6-1) – Talk about your near-season-ruining upsets. Dodged a major bullet by coming back to beat Wake Forest. Keep overachieving.

12. Notre Dame (4-2) – I’m sorry.

13. LSU (4-1) – Nail-biting victory against Florida sure feels good, but don’t celebrate too long, you still have Auburn this week and Bama a couple of weeks later. I said last week: “They will not make it out of that without at least one more, probably two more losses.” I stick by it.

14. Wisconsin (6-1) – Congrats on outlasting Minnesota, but you still have a tough road ahead. Keep playing like this and you will send Barry Alvarez out a very happy man. Still, you lost to Northwestern? That’s your loss?

15. Oregon (6-1) – Strong win. This team looks like it is in a good place to go to a nice bowl game—not a BCS game, but a nice game.

16. Texas Tech (6-0) – 643 yards passing against Kansas St.!!! Let’s see what you can do against Texas. This is the most Longhorns fans have sweat since last year’s Red River Shootout.

17. Florida (5-2) – Followed up a devastating loss to Alabama with a searing loss to LSU. The game against Georgia this week is a must win if there ever was one.

18. Ohio State (4-2) – I stated: “Hopefully they haven’t quit on the year, because this could be a big bounceback game for them.” Congrats, you all didn’t quit. You beat a tough opponent in MSU.

19. Auburn (5-1) – Strong second half against Arkansas propelled you to victory. Carry that momentum into this week’s game with LSU, or else this season could end roughly. You still have Georgia and Alabama waiting for you at the end of your schedule. I predicted: “This team will lose all of those games.”

20. Michigan State (4-2) – If only you guys had a defense, you could have really upset OSU. But Drew Stanton can’t play every position out there.

21. California (5-2) – Back to back losses to UCLA and now Oregon State. Where did the offense go? It only gets rougher from here with Oregon and USC remaining.

22. Minnesota (5-2) – Maroney ran like an animal, but Wisconsin took home the W. Keep focused because you are just now in the tough part of your schedule.

23. TCU (6-1) – Although it is still hard to forget their wins over Oklahoma and Utah, it is even harder to forget that those sandwiched an embarrassing loss to SMU. Still, the horned frogs should win out. Nice season.

24. Tennessee (3-2) – DNP. A week off to prep for BAMA. Who would have thought that the plan would sound like: “Maybe we oughta do what Ole Miss done.” Should be a good game, but I am taking Bama.

25. Colorado (4-2) – As I said last week: “After you lose to Texas, you have pillowfights the rest of the way out. Congrats on being the turd that floated to the top of the Big 12 North toilet bowl.” How true.



Why I am so smart…
1. My thoughts on Alabama – Even though it was close, it still counts as a win.

2. My thoughts on Ohio State vs. Michigan State – I said that good defenses can beat OSU, but good offenses can’t. I was right.

3. My thoughts on Colorado – They really stink, but they stink less than their division counterparts.

4. My thoughts on Florida – They need a year to get the offense down. Until then, they are a second-tier SEC team.

5. My thoughts on Boston College – This team is over-achieving their way into an ACC championship game. It is actually really fun to watch—like those weird Asian game shows where people run impossible obstacle courses and every now and then one makes it through.


Why I am an absolute moron…

1. My thoughts on Louisville – They blew it…so did I.

2. My thoughts on West Virginia – Kara knows more about college football than I do. This team was my pick to finish fourth in the Big East.

3. Still stands: My leaving Marcus Vick off of my Heisman candidates list.

4. My thoughts on California – I thought they were primed to give USC a tough game, but then they lost a close one to UCLA and now a stunner to Oregon State. Oops.

5. Still stands: My thoughts on Purdue and Iowa – I argued that these teams would be involved in a three-way race for the Big Ten. But Iowa did wax IU pretty good.


BTW…

Thanks for the formal apology Josh.