Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

College football opened the season with a fairly uneventful first week. There were exactly 5 games that actually mattered, and at least 75 "cream puff" games, enough to feed an entire small school football team with a 75-player roster.

Here were the games of consequence that actually mattered:

1) No. 3-ranked Boise State traveled to No. 10-ranked Virginia Tech and played its biggest game since the Broncos beat undefeated TCU in last year's BCS Fiesta Bowl and finished 4th in the final AP Top 25 Poll with a perfect 14-0 record.

The Broncos came out like gangbusters on-the-road, taking advantage of Hokie' miscues to run up a 17 zip 1st quarter advantage. Virginia Tech slowly managed to regain its composure, climbing back into the game to take the lead 21-20 behind quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Taylor was great but Boise State's Kellen Moore was even better, launching a last-minute touchdown drive to put the Broncos ahead 33-30 with 1:09 left on a 13-yard pass to Austin Pettis.

2) No. 21-ranked LSU, from the SEC – the nation's toughest conference – traveled to No. 18-ranked North Carolina and came away with a shaky 30-24 victory. Despite having 6 starters on its defense injured and not playing, and being investigated by the NCAA for violations, the Tar Heels were in no mood to give up and made a game of it.

Down by 20 at the half (30-10), North Carolina came roaring back with two touchdowns in the last quarter to make it a 6-point game. They had two shots at winning the game in the closing seconds, but came up empty handed on two passes at LSU's 6-yard line.

Despite the valiant effort, coach Butch Davis and his Tar Heels will drop in the AP rankings this week – pollsters give no points for effort, only for victories.

Utah almost blew an 11- point lead and might have lost before freshman safety Brian Blechen saved the day by intercepting a Pittsburgh pass on the first play of overtime, setting up Joe Phillips' game-winning 21-yard field goal.

With the loss, Pittsburgh will drop in the AP Poll. Again, when you lose, you drop; there are no known exceptions.

4) No. 6-ranked TCU at home outlasted No. 24-ranked Oregon State, 30-21, after leading 21-14 at the half. The Horned Frogs were just that in their victory; they looked ugly at times and deserved no style points, however, they got the job done. The Beavers, one of the dirtiest, nastiest teams in college football, went home a loser and they might slide right out of the AP poll this week. TCU will easily stay among the Top 10.

Ole Miss started out fine with 8 new starters, building up a 31-10 lead at the half by scoring on 5 of its first 6 possessions – 4 touchdowns and a field goal. Then the Ole Miss players stopped playing as Jacksonville State was just getting warmed up, outscoring the Rebels 24-3 in the second half to send the game into overtime at 34-34.

Both teams scored touchdowns in the 1st OT, Ole Miss scored first in the 2nd OT, and then the Gamecocks (same nickname as South Carolina) matched the score and added a 2-point conversion on a 2-yard shovel pass from quarterback Coty Blanchard to running back Calvin Middleton to win, 49-48.

Jack Crowe, the winning coach, made the call to go for the win rather than another tie. "I just didn't think we could play defense again," he said. The huge upset victory over a SEC team was so sweet for Crowe, who was canned as the coach at Arkansas in 1992 after this team lost to The Citadel – another lower-level AA team.

"Without a doubt, it's the worse loss of my career," said Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt. No kidding.

Masoli was unceremoniously kicked off of the Oregon Duck football team last season. When a major football program offloads a star player like Masoli, it is usually for using drugs or criminal activity. Nevertheless, the NCAA saw fit to reinstate Masoli for Mississippi's program. Ole Miss deserved to lose to a AA team, and did.

Anyone who thinks Old Miss is going to rip them up this year just might be wrong. When you lose 49-48 to a AA team, you do not have much of a defensive team.

No. 8-ranked Nebraska at home led 21 zip at the half and went on to trash AA Western Kentucky, 49-10. Bo Palini's Nebraska defensive team is a nightmare for any team, and now it looks like Nebraska can score some points, at least against a AA team.

No 9-ranked Iowa at home beat AA Eastern Illinois, 37-7. The Hawkeyes had a great defense last year, and look to have more offense this year.

No. 16-ranked Georgia Tech at home beat AA South Carolina State, 41-10.

No. 17-ranked Arkansas at home put the pads on AA Tennessee Tech, 44-3.

No. 20-ranked Florida State at home stomps a mud hole in AA Samford, 59-6, after leading 42 zip and the half. That is a great win against a AA opponent.

No. 25-ranked West Virginia at home shut out AA Coastal Carolina, 31-0. A good outing for the Mountaineers.

No. 1-ranked Alabama at home blew by San Jose State, 48-3, after leading 31-23 at the half.

No. 2-ranked Ohio State at home smashed Marshall, 45-7, after leading 35-7 at the half.

No. 4-ranked Florida at home beat Miami (OH), 34-12.

No. 7-ranked Oklahoma at home against Utah State, 31-24. This was much too close for Oklahoma if the Sooners hope to be in the hunt for the national title.

No. 11-ranked Oregon at home shutting out New Mexico, 72-0. Yeah, Oregon is really missing the miscreant Jeremiah Masoli. Like not.

No. 12-ranked Wisconsin in an away game against UNLV, 41-21. A really nice win OTR for the Badgers.

No. 22-ranked Auburn at home rips Arkansas State, 52-26, but gave up too many points doing it.

No. 23-ranked Georgia at home properly rips Louisiana-Lafayette, 55-7, after leading 31-7 at the half.

San Diego State at home shut out AA Nicholls State, 47 zip.

Buffalo at home shut out AA Rhode Island, 31 zip.

Central Michigan at home shut out AA Hampton, 33 zip.

Rutgers at home shut out AA Norfolk State, 31 zip.

Tennessee at home shut out AA Tennessee Martin, 50 zip.

San Diego State at home shut out AA Nicholls State, 47 zip.

Houston at home just killed AA Texas State-San Marcos, 68-28, after leading 54-7 at the half. Nice job, Houston, getting it done big time.

Texas A&M at home easily over AA Stephen F. Austin, 48-7.

Mississippi State at home blew by AA Memphis, 49-7, after leading 21 zip at the half.

Arizona State at home blasted AA Portland State, 54-9, after leading 30-6 at the half.

Other less impressive cream puff victories by major teams were racked up by Nevada, Ball State, Kent State, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, Indiana, Tulane, Temple, Boston College, Air Force, California, North Carolina, Virginia, UCF (University of Central Florida), Stanford, Arkansas, Duke, South Florida, Ohio, and Wyoming.

1) Fresno State at home beat visiting Cincinnati, 28-14. The Cincinnati Bearcats were 12-1 last year, losing only to Florida 51-24 in the BCS Sugar Bowl. Message: Cincinnati is not nearly as good this year.

3) Michigan State at home beat Western Michigan, 38-14, after leading 28-7 at the half. This was significant because last year the Spartans looked stupid and inept in losing to Central Michigan 29-27 at home. Coach Mark Dantonio kicked a bunch of miscreants off the team last year, and it has proven to be an excellent move.

4) Washington, a team that coach Steve Sarkisian (Sark to the Husky faithful) led to upset wins over USC, Arizona and California in his first season, lost to Brigham Young in an away game opener, 23-17, but could have won. That is progress for the Huskies, who expect to win more games than they lose this year, and go to a bowl game.

In addition, three teams won important victories for their programs. Michigan at home beat Connecticut, 30-10. South Carolina at home ran away from visiting Southern Mississippi, 41-13. And Colorado in an away game beat rival Colorado State, 24-3.

AA Maine was shut out by tiny Division II Albany, 3-0.

AA North Carolina A&T was upended by tiny Division II Winston-Salem State, 21-14.

AA San Diego was trounced by itty-bitty (even smaller than a tiny Division II team) NAIA Azusa Pacific, 42-14. Ouch! Talk about embarrassing; this is like a high school team beating a college team. So much for that attempt by San Diego to pick up an easy victory against a much smaller opponent.

AA Delaware shut out Division II West Chester, 31 zip.

AA Northern Arizona shut out Division II Western New Mexico, 48 zip.

AA Northern Colorado shut out Division II Adams State, 54 zip. Northern Colorado led 44 zip at the half and then eased up.

AA Southern Illinois stomped Division II Quincy, 70-7.

AA Indiana State easily handled Division II St. Joseph's of Indiana, 57-7

AA Illinois State barely edged by Division II Central Missouri State, 55-54. That was too close.

AA Central Arkansas beat Division II Elizabeth City State, 47-20.

AA Virginia Military Institute downed Division II Lock Haven, 48-6.

AA Charleston Southern slipped by Division II North Greenville, 41-31.

AA Jackson State beat Division II Delta State, 32-17.

AA Morgan State downed Division II Bowie State, 14-7.

AA Gardner-Webb whipped Division II Brevard College, 28-14.

AA Cal Poly beat Division II Humboldt State, 23-17.

AA Alcorn State beat NAIA Langston, 50-27. How can Alcorn State really celebrate this kind of victory against an NAIA team?

AA Idaho State breezed past NAIA Montana-Western, 32-3. Ditto above.

The biggest joke of the week was major college Wake Forest's 53-13 victory over Division II Presbyterian. Talk about being hard up for an easy score. Shame on Wake Forest.

January 17, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Ed Bagley

Two of the nation's most prolific scoring teams (a combined 88+ points per game) played a scoreless 1st quarter in their 2010 NCAA National Championship Game before engaging in a hard-nosed battle of wills. Wes Byrum's 19-yard field goal ended it on the last play, giving the #1-ranked Auburn Tigers a 22-19 victory over the #2-ranked Oregon Ducks.

While Oregon's defense was statistically better, it was Auburn's defense – led by Nick Fairley – that held the nation's rushing leader, LaMichael James, to only 49 yards. James averaged 152+ yards.

The win gave Auburn its second national championship since its first in 1957, 53 years ago. Perhaps even more important, the Tiger victory marked the 5th consecutive year that a Southeastern Conference (SEC) team has won the title. Florida won in 2006 and 2008, LSU in 2007 and Alabama last year.

Everyone paying attention thought that if Auburn took the title, the Offensive Player of the Game would be its Heisman Trophy-winning star, Cam Newton. The Tigers had come from behind more than once during the season with outstanding play from Newton to notch their perfect 12-0 regular season record.

They would then beat South Carolina 56-17 in the SEC championship game.

Auburn's freshman running back, Michael Dyer, would create the pivotal play of the day that would seal the deal for the Tigers.

A final drive by Oregon saw James score on a 2-yard shovel pass, and a 2-point conversion attempt by the Ducks worked when Jeff Maehl pulled it in to tie the score at 19-all with 2:33 remaining.

The stop-and-go run by Dyer left me wondering why defensive tackle Zac Clark, the Oregon player next to the original stop, did not pile on, forcing Dyer to the ground. It was pretty apparent in the replay that had Dyer's knee touched the ground, and had Clark piled on, he may have been flagged for a late hit.

The instant replay showed that Dyer's knee never touched the turf. The referee never blew the play dead, and the official decision was Dyer was not down and the play continues. However, the official replay call was wrong, not right. Dyer's knee never touched the ground, but online replays clearly show that Dyer's wrist did touch the turf and – according to NCAA rules – he should have been declared down and the play over.

Three plays later, Dyer raced another 16 yards to Auburn's 1-yard line, setting up Wes Byrum's last-play, winning field goal as time expired. Michael Dyer would finish with 143 yards rushing on 22 carries (6.5 average per carry).

Newton would go 20-for-34 passing (58%) for 265 yards and 2 touchdowns. Duck QB Darron Thomas got after it, going 27-for-40 (67%) for 363 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Newton did not have his best game and appeared injured at the end, but Dyer, Fairley, Byrum and the rest of the Tigers played well against arguably the best team in the country. Many pollsters had Oregon out front in the polls for most of the season.

Cam Newton and Nick Fairley, both juniors, have declared for the NFL draft. You would have to be close to brain dead to have an undefeated 14-0 season, win the national championship, and return to Auburn for your senior year. Just ask the Alabama players who returned for the Crimson Tide this year (Heisman Trophy-winner Mark Ingram) to try and make it two in-a-row.

Oregon receiver Jeff Maehl had a terrific game, catching 9 passes for 133 yards, including an 81-yard reception to set up the Ducks first touchdown, and the 2-point conversion that tied the game at the end.

As the game progressed, it became an issue of could Oregon stop Auburn from winning the game. In the end, the Ducks could not. That said, this year's BCS championship game was exciting to the last second, and certainly worthy of being one of the very best ever played.

The Tigers would finish their season unbeaten at 14-0. Oregon ended at 12-1.

Auburn's victory made history in another way. The Tigers started the pre-season AP Poll farther back (at #22) than any team ever has that has gone on to win the national title since the poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989, 22 years ago. The previous lowest pre-season rank to climb to the top of the heap was the Oklahoma Sooners, who vaulted from #19 to the top in 2000.

January 11, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Ed Bagley

It took 45 years, but Les Miles and his Louisiana State Tigers (11-2) finally won a Cotton Bowl, coming from behind to beat the Texas A&M Aggies (9-4), 41-24.

LSU's Jordan Jefferson threw 3 touchdown passes to Terrance Toliver and ran for another score to lead the 11th-ranked Tigers over the 18th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Steven Ridley added 105 yards rushing and Spencer Ware another 102 yards.

The victory was sweet for head coach Les Miles, who has now completed his 4th season in 6 years with at least 11 wins. Losing was really sour for A&M coach Mike Sherman, whose Aggies earned their way to the Cotton Bowl by winning their last 6 games with impressive victories over Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas.

Texas Tech led by 22 points early in the 2nd half, but had to stave off an attempted comeback by the Wildcats, who scored on 3 straight TD drives and also got a 39-yard pick-six interception return. Northwestern remains winless in a bowl game since 1949, losing 8 in a row and 3 close ones.

This was a classic shoot-out with a combined total offense of 927 yards, emphasizing each team's total lack of a defense. Tech's QB Potts went 43-for-56 (76%) for 369 yards; Northwestern's lack of a secondary made Potts look like a world beater.

Adrian Hilburn looked good as he slipped a tackle and sped 30 yards to score on a pass from Carson Coffman with 1:13 left, but he got sappy as he saluted the crowd. Hilburn was flagged with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that pushed K-State's 2-point conversion attempt back to the 17-yard line. The conversion attempt, which would have tied the game, failed.

Wannstedt tried his best to bring Pittsburgh back to national prominence, but never made it.

This game got a little rough as players on both teams traded punches in the 2nd quarter. Tempers flared when Pitt was called for a false start and a Kentucky player hit Tino Sunseri as officials attempted to stop the play. Pitt's Jason Pinkston responded by shoving a Wildcat, and a brawl ensued.

This is college football. Occasionally they duke it out.

The Eagles top-ranked rushing defense stopped Nevada's pistol attack that was ranked 3rd in the nation with 336 yards per game. Boston College held Nevada to 114 yards rushing.

The Wolf Pack's Rishard Matthews came to the rescue with a 27-yard touchdown reception and a 72-yard punt return. Matthews' return for a score was Nevada's first in 9 years. The victory was sealed by the defense when Khalid Wooten intercepted a Boston College pass on the final drive of the game.

Boston College played without its leading rusher, Montel Harris, who hurt himself stretching before the game. The Eagles ended their season at 7-6.

January 10, 2011

 Copyright © 2011 Ed Bagley

When you are a major college team and you hang a perfect 12-0 season on your opponents, and you are not even considered to play in the NCAA national championship game, you could get just a little testy.

If your manners are as good as your record, you smile and take it out on your next rival. That is exactly what TCU did in beating an excellent Wisconsin team, 21-19, thanks to Tank Carder's blocked pass of 2-point conversion attempt with 2 minutes left to play that would have tied the game at the Rose Bowl. Had Carter's timing been off, Wisconsin would have converted and might well have gone on to win the game.

Third-ranked TCU (13-0) benefited from QB Andy Dalton's 23-yard touchdown pass to Bart Johnson, and also his 4-yard run for another score. Dalton went 15-for-23 (65%) for 219 yards. Johnson also recovered a late onside kick for the mid-major Mountain West champions, who followed up their 2nd straight unbeaten regular season with their first BCS victory.

The Horned Frogs also became the first school from a non-automatic qualifying conference to play in the Rose Bowl.

Montee Ball rushed for 132 yards and a late score, but it was not enough for the Big Ten co-champion Badgers (11-2).

The Razorbacks had a chance to win the game when they blocked a punt with the clock winding down, but QB Ryan Mallett was picked off by defensive end Solomon Thomas with 58 seconds left.

After the game, Pryor limped off the field with a sprained right ankle. He was named the Most Valuable Player after going 14-for-25 (56%) for 221 yards, and rushing for another 115 yards on 15 carries (7.67 yards per carry).

Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles set records in the Oklahoma win, the Sooner defense scored 2 touchdowns and held Connecticut to none. The Huskies did hit pay dirt twice, but they came on a 46-yard pick-six interception and a 95-yard kick return.

Jones threw for a school bowl-record 429 yards and 3 TDs. Broyles, an All-American receiver, caught 13 passes for a team record 170 yards and a TD. The BCS win was the Sooners first after losing 3 straight national championship games and 2 Fiesta Bowls.

Connecticut finished the year at 8-5 after winning its final 5 games and earning the tiebreaker as co-Big East champions.

Florida's Omarius Hines and Mike Gillislee ran for touchdowns, Chas Henry kicked 3 second-half field goals, and Ahmad Black sealed the win with an 80-yard interception return TD.

After a 6-year stint at Florida, Urban Meyer temporarily ended his college coaching career with a 65-15 (81%) record for the Gators, and national championships in 2006 and 2008. His lifetime coaching mark is 104-23 (84%).

Penn State (7-6) did not help itself by committing 5 interceptions.

Stanford's Andrew Luck threw 4 touchdown passes while going 18-for-23 (78%) for 287 yards. Coby Fleener caught scoring passes for 41,58 and 38 yards. That was more than enough to keep Virginia Tech (11-3) in check.

Four years ago, head coach Jim Harbaugh inherited a 1-11 team, and now Stanford is 12-1 and the Orange Bowl champions. Harbaugh has since taken the head coaching job with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL. Luck, a sophomore, has said he will return to Stanford rather than going into the NFL draft. Luck was named the Orange Bowl's Most Valuable Player.

January 9, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Ed Bagley

Every college football bowl season brings surprise teams that triumph and become the rising stars to watch next season. Count Notre Dame, Miami of Ohio, South Florida and Army among those teams this year. All won bowl victories and showed great promise in future years.

The most prominent of these four rising football programs is one of the most storied in college football history – Notre Dame.

He certainly paid his dues before arriving at the Notre Dame campus adjacent to South Bend, Indiana.

Kelly was 41-2 in his last 3 years at Grand Valley State University, winning 2 NCAA Division II National Championships and finishing as Runner-Up in the 3rd.

He took a stuck-in-the-mud program at Central Michigan and in his 3rd year went 9-4, winning the Mid-American Conference Championship as the Chippewas went to the Motor City Bowl.

In 4 years at Cincinnati, he went 34-6, won 2 Big East Conference titles and went to 4 bowl games.

Miami of Ohio, a mid-major team in the Mid-American Conference, registered the best turnaround season in college football history, going from 1-11 in 2009 to 10-4 this year, becoming the first team in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history to win 10 games in one season after losing 10.

The Redhawks not only won the Mid-American title, they topped off their amazing year by taking it to Middle Tennessee, 35-21, in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Even more surprising, they did it with an interim head coach (Lance Guidry) and a freshman quarterback (Austin Boucher).

Boucher, a redshirt freshman, was tapped for duty when starting QB Zac Dysert suffered a lacerated spleen in November. Boucher did just fine, going 22-of-35 (63%) for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Redhawks win over Middle Tennessee.

Miami's Dayonne Nunley recovered a fumble and had a 52-yard pick-six interception return. Thomas Merriweather rushed for 100 yards and scored 2 TDs.

Middle Tennessee's night could be summed up by saying the Blue Raiders committed 5 turnovers.

Bull QB B. J. Daniels threw 2 touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the way. Tiger QB Kyle Parker left at halftime with a cracked rib.

South Florida was able to notch its 5th straight 8-win season, and earn its first bowl victory over a team from a BCS automatic-qualifying league. Clemson finished its season at 6-7, its first losing season in 11 years.

Josh McNary picked up a fumble and returned it 55 yards to score, and the Black Knight defense held on to give Army (7-6) its first winning season in 14 long years. Senior linebacker Stephen Anderson, Army's player of the game, had 14 tackles, an interception and a sack. Army's defense held the line in great military tradition; the Black Knights led 16-zip at the half and made it stick.

Army will lose a lot of seniors, but it is clear that Ellerson is not going to be just another head coach at Army, and the Black Knights have already figured that out.

January 4, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Ed Bagley

Oppressive and relentless might be two good adjectives to describe what Alabama, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Maryland and Illinois did to their college football bowl game opponents this season. Let's start with Alabama, which body-slammed Michigan State 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl.

The 15th-ranked Crimson Tide players reeled off a 49-zip lead before the 7th-ranked Michigan State Spartans could figure out how to tie the laces on their cleats.

Ingram would score 2 rushing TDs and break Shaun Alexander's career touchdown mark (41) with 42 at game's end. Greg McElroy went 13-for-17 (76%) for 220 yards and a 37-yard scoring pass to Marquis Maze.

Coach Nick Saban's team, the defending national champions, would finish the year at 10-3. Saban and Spartan coach Mark Dantonio have coached together and are good friends. Saban did not want to run up the score, so he pulled most of his starters in the 3rd quarter. The Crimson Tide was able to keep on scoring anyway.

Even though they were trounced, do not feel to bad for the Michigan State players. The Spartans came into the game at 11-1 and ended their season at 11-2. They tied for the Big Ten title and had a very successful season. Dantonio has Michigan State on the fast track to success; the loss to Alabama in a high-profile game will not dampen the Spartans recruiting effort.

Mississippi State scored on all 5 possessions in the 1st half and led 31-14 at halftime. Bulldog Chris Relf went 18-for-23 (78%) for 281 yards and accounted for 4 touchdowns, 3 passing and 1 rushing. Vick Ballard ran for another 3 TDs. Mississippi State rolled up 485 yards of offense, and had five 4th-down conversions.

Michigan's non-existent defense made the middle-of-the-pack SEC Bulldogs look like champions. The Wolverines specialize in a "sieve" defense – they have given up 34 or more points 8 times in their last 9 games, and have lost 6 of their last 8 games.

Rodriguez has raised losing seasons to an art form at Michigan. This matters to the Michigan fan base because the Wolverines have college football's winningest program. No school has won more games than Michigan. In 3 seasons at Michigan, Rodriguez is 15-22 overall and 1-11 against ranked teams.

Blackmon caught 9 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, with one for 71 yards. The Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiver set an NCAA record with his 12th straight game with at least 100 yards receiving and a touchdown. Blackmon won the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Award, and has surpassed former Pittsburgh star Larry Fitzgerald for the most receiving yards as a sophomore.

Oklahoma State (11-2) led the nation in total offense, scoring 33+ points for the 11th time this season. The bowl win also gave the Cowboys their first 11-win season. Unfortunately, the Cowboys will lose their offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, who is leaving to become the coach-in-waiting at West Virginia.

Arizona (7-6) started the season at 7-1 and has since gone 0-5.

D. J. Adams scored 4 short-yardage touchdowns for Maryland, and Da'Rel Scott had 61 and 91-yard TD runs while rushing for 200 yards on 13 carries (15.38 ypc). It should be noted that East Carolina has the worst total defense among 120 major college teams.

Friedgen's reward for the turnaround was being fired by Kevin Anderson, Maryland's athletic director.

Against East Carolina (6-7), Maryland rolled up 478 yards of offense. East Carolina was totally inept. The Pirates had 15 penalties, 4 turnovers, a blocked extra point, and missed a 25-yard field goal.

LeShoure picked up 184 yards on 29 carries (6.34 ypc) and scored 3 touchdowns. LeShoure set single-season school records for rushing yards (1,697), points (122), touchdowns (20), 100-yard rushing games (9), and consecutive 100-yard rushing games (5). He was the Texas Bowl's Most Valuable Player.

Illinois' great win spoiled the Baylor Bears first bowl appearance in 16 seasons. Both teams finished the year at 7-6.

January 3, 2011

Copyright © 2011 Ed Bagley

Three SEC teams – Alabama, Mississippi State and Florida – all won big on New Year's Day, but three other SEC teams – Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee – suffered embarrassing losses in college football bowl action this year, none worse than Georgia's Bulldogs.

After winning his last four bowl games, Richt and his Bulldogs lost 10-6 to the Central Florida Knights in the Liberty Bowl, leaving the Bulldogs (6-7) with their first losing season since 1996, 14 years ago.

And the coach at Central Florida? None other than George O'Leary. Dave Huxtable is O'Leary's defensive coordinator, and Charlie Taaffe is his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

O'Leary, who coached the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for 8 years, has now completed his 7th and most successful year at Central Florida. The Knight defense really won this game, but could not have done so without Latavius Murray's 10-yard scoring run in the last quarter. Murray gained 104 yards on 18 carries (5.78 yards per carry).

To add insult to injury, Gamecock quarterback Stephen Garcia was intercepted 3 times, and they fumbled twice and lost both fumbles. When you commit 5 turnovers and lose your key running back at the start of the game, you are in serious trouble, and South Carolina was.

Carolina's misfortune allowed the Florida State Seminoles to win the Chick-fil-A Bowl 26-17.

Manual, now a sophomore, was the Most Valuable Player in Florida State's 33-21 Gator Bowl win over West Virginia last year. He had lost his job to Ponder, but was quite ready to carry on. Manual's last quarter 7-yard scoring pass to Taiwan Easterling slowed down the Gamecocks enough to preserve the victory.

Florida State cornerback Greg Reid, whose hits caused two fumbles, also deflected a 4th-down pass with 3:23 remaining to end the Gamecocks' last hope. It was Reid's hit on Marcus Lattimore that knocked him out of the game.

South Carolina, which hoped to win 10 games this year, finished at 9-5. Jimbo Fisher and his 23rd-ranked Florida State Seminoles finished at 10-4, reaching 10 victories for the first time since 2003.

Tennessee players and fans were celebrating on the field after what appeared to be a 20-17 victory when officials reviewed the last play and decided that there was 1 second left when North Carolina QB T. J. Yates spiked the ball to stop the clock.

Vol QB Tyler Bray, who threw a 25-yard TD strike in the first OT, was picked off this time by Quan Sturdivant to secure the NC win. Tennessee would end the year at 6-7; North Carolina at 8-5.

It has been a very, very long year for Butch Davis. His Tar Heels have been dogged all year by an NCAA investigation into agent-related benefits for players and academic misconduct that eventually forced 14 Tar Heel players to miss at least one game, and 7 players to miss the entire season.

On the bright side for the SEC, 15th-ranked Alabama unloaded a 49-7 beat down on 7th-ranked Michigan State, 21st-ranked Mississippi State put a first-class 52-14 whipping on Michigan, and Florida scored 17 last-quarter points to take care of Penn State, 37-24.

January 2, 2011

Washington's Jake Locker and Chris Polk led the offense, and an incredible effort by the Husky defense stifled 17th-ranked Nebraska and its powerful Cornhusker defense to win the Holiday Bowl, 19-7.

But that was then and this is now, and Nebraska found itself playing a much different Washington team. The Huskies were a 0-12 team when Sarkisian took over two years ago. They currently are not even two-deep with even solid talent at every position, and Nebraska is loaded.

Sarkisian, his defensive coordinator Nick Holt and his offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, did not want to play true freshmen this year but they had no choice. Consequently, Washington has played at least 14 true freshmen this season, 8 have started at least one game, and 2 have been virtual starters on the line.

Jack Locker, who chose to return his senior year rather than make millions with an NFL contract, won in the end. It is said that those who wait shall rise up, and soar like an eagle. Locker did.

He had no fancy passing statistics in the key game of his life, but his tenacity, selflessness and leadership stood as a shining example to his greatness within. He will play on Sundays, and, perhaps more important, he knows he will never have to play alone.

It was fitting that Locker was able to stick a fork in Nebraska on an option run, sealing the victory by barreling over NFL-bound cornerback Prince Amukamara and then splitting two defenders en route to a 25-yard score, giving the Huskies a 17-7 lead.

Washington's offense out gained Nebraska, 340 total yards to 189. Nebraska's rushing offense was ranked 10th best in the nation, averaging 260 yards a game, and the Washington Huskies held them to 91 yards on 41carries (2.2 ypc). Washington also had 4 sacks on Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez.

Washington ended up with a winning season at 7-6, and won its first bowl game since 2002. Nebraska finished at 10-4 on a low note, thanks to the Huskies.

Robinson was replaced by freshman Marcus Coker, who rushed for 219 yards on 33 carries (6.64 ypc) and scored 2 touchdowns, one on a 62-yard run. Led by Coker, Iowa amassed 425 total yards against one of the nation's stingiest defenses.

Coker was fantastic as a quick replacement for Robinson, but it was a pick and score by defensive back Micah Hyde that proved the difference in the game. Hyde meandered 72 yards on an interception return in the last quarter to put the Hawkeyes up, 27-24.

Coach Kirk Ferentz and his Hawkeyes finished the season at 8-5 and out of the money in the Big Ten race. Pinkel and his Tigers ended the year at 10-3.

Wilson, the Atlantic Coast Conference's leading passer, must now decide whether to make an early move to a professional baseball career or return to the Wolfpack next season. Wilson, the game's MVP, spent the summer playing second base in the Colorado Rockies minor-league system.

December 30, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

The climb to success has been dramatic for the Florida International Golden Panthers – from snapping a 23-game losing streak 3 years ago to a last-play 34-32 upset victory over the Toledo Rockets in the 2010 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

Four other major college football teams also won bowl games recently – Air Force, Louisville, San Diego State and Boise State – but none held the excitement of the Golden Panthers, who were down by 14 and then 17 points before launching two wild comebacks.

Toledo quarterback Terrance Owens, who had thrown 3 interceptions in the 2nd half, settled down to lead the Rockets on a 62-yard drive that culminated with Owens scampering 14 yards to make the score 31-30.

With 1.14 remaining, Toledo coach Tim Beckman went for a 2-point conversion and got it on an Owens-to-Eric Page pass, giving the Rockets a 32-31 lead and the apparent victory. Toledo then tried a squib kick to prevent T. Y. Hilton from returning the kickoff, but the Panthers took possession.

Moments later, Jack Griffin' 34-yard field goal on the last play lifted the delirious Panthers to a 34-32 victory, the school's first-ever bowl appearance and bowl victory.

Earlier this year, Panther running back Kendall Berry was stabbed to death on campus, yet his teammates fought through the tragedy and never lost faith.

The win gave the Sun Belt Conference bragging rights over the Mid-American Conference. The leagues are matched up in three bowls this season, but the Sun Belt has already won the first two as Troy won earlier, giving the Sun Belt a perfect 2-0 record against the Mid-American teams. The last game pits the Sun Belt's Middle Tennessee against the Mid-American's Miami of Ohio team in the Godaddy.com Bowl.

The win was pretty heady for Air Force since the Falcons play in the mid-major Mountain West Conference and Georgia Tech is in the major Atlantic Coast Conference. The contest pitted the nation's top two rushing teams.

Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets, who finished their year at 6-7, dropped their 6th consecutive bowl game and posted their first losing season in 14 years.

When teams lose, the excuses follow. Georgia Tech's QB Joshua Nesbitt missed the game with a broken right arm, and top receiver Stephen Hill and starting safety Mario Edwards were among 4 players declared ineligible because of various academic issues.

Air Force was 9-4 on the year.

Louisville's Justin Burke threw for 2 touchdowns and Jeremy Wright scored on a 95-yard kickoff return to help the Cardinals nip Southern Mississippi, 31-28, in the Beef 'O' Brady Bowl. The win gave Louisville (7-6) its first winning record in 4 years.

The Cardinals overcame a 14-point deficit to win on Chris Philpott's 36-yard field goal with 6:30 remaining, giving Louisville its first lead of the game. Wright's dramatic TD return tied the score at 28-all. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles ended their year at 8-5.

The San Diego State freshman sensation never missed a step, rushing for 228 yards on 28 carries (8+ ypc) and scoring 4 touchdowns to lead the Aztecs over Navy, 35-14. Hillman scored on runs of 37, 22 and 1 yard and on a 15-yard pass. It was the 6th time this year that Hillman had gained at least 150 yards rushing in a game.

Hillman's 228 yards broke the school record of 164 yards by Marshall Faulk (as in NFL great) in the 1991 Freedom Bowl. Hillman was also the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. San Diego State finished the year at 9-4; Navy was 9-4.

Boise State had been flying high at 10-0 before running into Nevada (only the 2nd real competitor they played all year) and coming up on the short end of a 34-31 overtime win by the Wolf Pack.

Against Utah, the Broncos fumbled 3 times and then finally Doug Martin cut loose on an 84-yard touchdown run midway through the 2nd quarter, and the game was suddenly over. The Broncos finished the season at 12-1; Utah (vastly overrated all year) was 10-3.

December 29, 2010

But the obvious advantage did not mean diddly-squat against Tulsa as the Hawaii Warriors committed 6 first-half turnovers that led to 24 Golden Hurricane points and an eventual 62-35 upset victory by Tulsa over the nation's 24th-ranked Warriors.

A record night by Warrior receiver Greg Salas went wasted. Silas had 13 receptions for a career-high 214 yards and 2 touchdowns, and finished with career marks for receptions (285) and yards (4,345). He also scored 26 career touchdowns.

The real story turned out to be Tulsa's Damaris Johnson, who gained a career-high 326 all-purpose yards to break the NCAA career record. Johnson rushed for 98 yards and scored once on 5 carries (19+ average per carry), caught 4 passes for 101 yards and another touchdown, had 5 kickoff returns for 109 yards, and added an 18-yard punt return.

Darmaris Johnson is a junior that now has 7,796 all-purpose yards, breaking the NCAA record of 7,764 set by Western Michigan's Brandon West. Johnson was named Most Valuable Player for the Hawaii Bowl, and his performance increased his nation-leading all-purpose average from 192 to 202 yards (rounded figures).

Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz threw 3 TD passes but also gave up 4 interceptions in the defeat. Hawaii finished the season at 10-4; Tulsa was 10-3.

"We shot ourselves in the foot (with) . . . too many turnovers," said Greg Salas.

In other words, Hawaii simply could not stop Damaris Johnson and the Tulsa scoring offense, which was rated 10th-best nationally. Hawaii had the 9th-best offense coming into the game, but you would never know it the way the Warriors played.

December 20, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Northern Illinois linebacker coach Tom Matukewicz decided to make his 15 minutes of fame fun after being named the interim head coach for the Huskies Humanitarian Bowl game against Fresno State.

Things were, after all, in the dumper after winning 9 straight games going into their Mid-American Conference championship game at 10-2 and promptly losing 26-21 to Miami of Ohio. Two days later their head coach Jerry Kill proved a real killjoy by leaving to become the new big-time coach at Minnesota in the Big Ten.

He was wise-cracking right up to the kickoff of the Humanitarian Bowl, and boy, did his Huskies respond by kicking the living stuffing right out of the Fresno State Bulldogs with a 40-17 victory, giving Northern Illinois a school-record 11th win to end its season on a high note.

Never at a loss for words, Tuke said, "We better start next season in the Top 25. If you've got a vote, put us in there."

When next season starts, the new head coach of Northern Illinois will be Dave Doeren, the current defensive coordinator for the 4th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (11-1), who will face TCU (12-0) in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Tuke will remain as the linebackers coach.

The Husky players were effusive in crediting Tuke's humor with keeping them loose and focused for their bowl game, and it showed in their play.

Chandler Harnish (nominated for the most unlikely name for a college football quarterback) ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as Northern Illinois won its first bowl game since 2004. He went 17-for-26 (65%) while passing for 300 yards and added another 72 yards rushing. Harnish, a junior, ranks 15th nationally in passing efficiency.

The Husky offensive line kept Fresno State's rush defensive away from Harnish, allowing two great circus catches – a fingertip snatch by Perez Ashford on the sideline and a mid-route adjustment for 32 yards by Willie Clark. It was sweet for Northern Illinois.

While the final score may have been 40-17, Northern Illinois dominated Fresno State as the Huskies scored on 7 straight possessions and never had to punt in the game.

And the Husky defense? I'm glad you asked. They sacked the Bulldog's QB, Ryan Colburn, 6 times, including 3 by Jake (you can call him "The Animal") Coffman. They also held Fresno's crack running back Robbie Rouse to 32 yards; Rouse ran for nearly 300 yards in one game this year.

Fresno State ended the year at 8-5; Northern Illinois at 11-3.

Jake Heaps, a true freshman and one of college football's top QB recruits, helped BYU blow past UTEP (Texas-El Paso), 52-24, in the New Mexico Bowl. Last year Heaps was leading Skyline High School to its 3rd straight 4A (big school) Washington State championship. He passed for 9,196 yards and 114 touchdowns in his prep career.

Heaps, who shared QB time with Riley Nelson before he was injured, initially struggled as the starter, but his finish could not have been better.

The BYU Cougars went 1-4 to open the season and getting to a bowl game, much less winning one, looked improbable but, with everything on Heaps back, they finished 5-2 to become bowl eligible at 6-6.

The 4 TD passes gave Heaps 15 for the year, breaking Ty Detmer's 22-year-old freshman record. Detmer played 14 years in the NFL for 6 different teams.

Heaps, who became the first freshman to start for BYU in the Cougars 29 bowl-game appearances, was named the New Mexico Bowl's Offensive Player of the Game. Not too shabby for a 6-foot-2, 205-pound true freshman. He is tough too. Heaps played with a broken rib he received in BYU's 17-16 last-game loss on the road at Utah.

Mike Price and his UTEP Miners had the opposite experience this season – they started the season at 5-1 but finished 1-6. UTEP did reach a bowl game for the first time since 2005 but dropped to 0-5 in bowl play since beating Mississippi 14-7 in the 1967 Sun Bowl.

Going into the New Orleans Bowl, Robinson had passed for 3,339 yards and 24 touchdowns. In the two prior games that Troy Trojans needed to stay competitive for its 5th straight Sun Belt Conference title, Robinson went 51-of-73 (70%) for 628 yards and 5 TDs.

He did not disappoint against an 8-4 Ohio team, going 23-of-29 (79%) for 285 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half as Troy built a 38-7 lead and the Bobcats were toast. Ohio needed to play well on defense and control the ball on offense, and could do neither.

Robinson would finish the game going 32-of-42 (76%) for 387 yards. He had plenty of outstanding support.

Senior wide receiver Tebiarus Gill had a New Orleans Bowl-record 3 TD catches for 31, 26 and 17 yards. Fellow senior Jerrel Jernigan had a 16-yard scoring catch. Ohio made a huge mistake in trying to cover Troy's receivers man-to-man. Troy finished with 602 offensive yards, another New Orleans Bowl record.

While it is rare for a true freshman or a redshirt freshman to win a bowl game, it does prove one point – you cannot coach up a kid to talent, but when a player has talent, you can help coach him up to his potential.

Let it be said here and now – both Jake Heaps and Corey Robinson have talent. If you doubt it, just ask UTEP coach Mike Price or Ohio coach Frank Solich.

January 11, 2011 - Second Article

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Here is a schedule of the 2010 bowl games by day, date, bowl and match-up. Check your local newspaper or Internet for which network is carrying the telecast at what time. Here are the sometimes shocking results:

New Mexico Bowl - Brigham Young's true freshman QB Jake Heaps throws for 4 touchdowns to lead the Cougars over UTEP, 52-24. 

Humanitarian Bowl - Interim head coach Tom "Tuke" Matukewicz saves Northern Illinois season by preaching fun while the Huskies thump Fresno State, 40-17.

New Orleans Bowl - Troy's redshirt freshman QB Corey Robinson threw for 4 touchdowns to lead the Trojans past Ohio University, 48-21.

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl - Louisville Upsets Southern Mississippi 31-28 to Notch First Winning Season in 4 Years Under New Coach Charlie Strong.

Maaco Bowl - 10th-Ranked Boise State Easily Beats 20th-Ranked Utah 26-3 After the Broncos Fumble 3 Times En Route to a Slow Start.

Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego State's Ronnie Hillman Rushes for a School-Record 228 Yards and Scores 4 Touchdowns to Lead the Aztecs Over Navy, 35-14.

Hawaii Bowl - Tulsa Halts Hawaii's High-Powered Offense, Upsets the Warriors 62-35 Behind Damaris Johnson's Career-High 326 All-Purpose Yards. 

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl - Two Wild Comebacks Give Florida International's Golden Panthers a Last-Play Field Goal 34-32 Upset Win Over Toledo.

Independence Bowl - Air Force Takes Advantage of Georgia Tech's 4 Fumbles to Down the Yellow Jackets 14-7 in Contest That Pitted the Nation's 2 Best Rushing Teams.

Champs Sports Bowl - North Carolina State's Russell Wilson threw for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Wolfpack upset the No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers, 23-7.

Insight Bowl - Fill-in freshman Marcus Coker rushed for a school-record 219 yards and scored twice and Micah Hyde had a game-changing 72-yard pick-six in the 4th quarter as undermanned Iowa upset No. 14 Missouri, 27-24.

Military Bowl -  Maryland (9-4) Dumps ACC Coach of the Year Ralph Friedgen, But His Terps Rip East Carolina, 51-20, for Their Highest Bowl Point Total Ever

Texas Bowl - Mikel LeShoure Runs for 184 Yards and Scores a Career-High 3 Touchdowns to Lead Illinois Past Baylor, 38-14, as LeShoure Sets 5 School Records.

Alamo Bowl - Justin Blackmon, the Nation's Best Receiver, Has a Big Night as Oklahoma State Earns Its First 11-Win Season by Crushing Hapless Arizona, 36-10. 

Armed Forces Bowl  - The Black Knights of Army Stop Southern Methodist, 16-14, to Earn Their Fist Bowl Game Victory in 25 Years, and Their First Winning Season in 14 Years.

Pinstripe Bowl - The Syracuse Orangemen Outlast Kansas State, 36-34, and Win the "No Defense Bowl" on a Controversial Penalty by Adrian Hilburn.

Music City Bowl - Butch Davis and North Carolina Beat Tennessee, 30-27, in a Double Overtime Game With One of the Wildest Finishes in Bowl History.

Holiday Bowl - The Washington Huskies Wipe the Field With the 17th-Ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, 19-7, Upsetting Bo Pelini and Company as a 14-Point Underdog.

Meineke Car Care Bowl - B. J. Daniels and South Florida beats Clemson 31-26 for its First Bowl Win Over a Team From a BCS Automatic-Qualifying League.

Sun Bowl - Notre Dame Slams Miami of Florida 33-17, Brian Kelly Becomes the First Fighting Irish Coach to Win a Bowl Game in His First Season.

Liberty Bowl - Central Florida Knights Upend SEC's Georgia, 10-6, Make History With an 11-Win Season and Winning Their First Postseason Bowl Game.

Chick-fil-A Bowl - The Florida State Seminoles and Substitute QB EJ Manual Upset SEC's South Carolina, 26-17, as the Gamecocks Commit 5 Turnovers and Lose Marcus Lattimore Early in the Game.

So, which conference has the most teams represented? I'm glad you asked. The SEC had 10, the Atlantic Coast 9, the Big Ten and Big 12 had 8, the Big East and Conference USA 6, the Mountain West 5, the Pacific 10, Mid-American and Western Athletic al had 4, and the Sun Belt and the Independents had 3.

Southern California (8-5) was ineligible for a bowl game this year. Four other bowl eligible teams simply got overlooked – Temple (8-4) and Western Michigan (6-6) from the Mid-American, Arizona State (6-6) from the Pacific 10, and Idaho (6-7) from the Western Athletic.

All of the other major college teams were ineligible because they did not win at least 6 games.

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Charles Dickens wrote the book on great expectations (pun intended).

Here is Charles Dickens from his book Great Expectations: "That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day."

Let's hope that the Washington players learned something from Saturday's loss at Brigham Young.

Husky quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate, Jake Locker, looked like anything but the nation's best signal caller. He could not even come close to what Kellen Moore did in No. 3-ranked Boise State's 33-30 victory on-the-road against No. 10-ranked Virginia Tech on Memorial Day.

Moore was 23-of-38 (60%) for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions and a 134+ quarterback rating in his first game. And, when it counted most, he successfully led his team down the field and scored on a 13-yard pass with 1:09 remaining.

Enough about Moore, who IS in the Heisman hunt. Locker was asked to carry a team that does not have the depth, talent or experience of the supporting group around Moore at Boise State.

Nonetheless, Locker's Heisman hopes are all but over right now. So maybe the Washington Huskies can settle down and start doing what they could not do against Brigham Young – execute when they had to with the game on the line.

There are still plenty of games for Washington to rack up enough wins to earn a bowl invitation this season, but only if they settle down and do what they are told to do – execute.

The Huskies have some real talent at running back and its receiving corps, but now we need to see some "hogs" up front protect Locker and open up holes for Chris Polk.

Every player worth his salt wants to win, that is no big deal. What we want to find out is whether the Husky offense, defense and special team members NEED to win. Wanting to win is a desire, needing to win is a discipline, and from discipline comes proper execution and success.

September 16, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Imagine for a minute that you are a diehard Washington Husky fan, and your team lost its opener 23-17 on–the-road to a Brigham Young team that was really no better than your guys.

And now its your home opener and you face a team – Syracuse – that you know is not as good as your team and, after 10 minutes of play, your opponent is up 10-0 before your guys figure out they are on the field. You quickly have a sinking feeling.

Finally, your kicker makes a couple of field goals on aborted drives, and then your Heisman candidate Jake Locker finds your receiver of great promise – Jermaine Kearse – on a 5-yard touchdown pass, and you head into the locker room at halftime leading 13-10.

You settle in for the start of the second half, still uneasy and unsure that your beloved Huskies will come out of this encounter with a win.

On the first play of the second half, Jermaine Kearse receives a pass from Jake Locker on a simple out pattern, slips a behind a block, sheds a tackle by Syracuse linebacker Marquis Spruill, and then outruns the rest of the Orange defenders down the sideline and scores a 57-yard catch and run touchdown. Husky Stadium explodes with a sense of anticipation, and you are not disappointed.

Locker completes 22 of 33 passes to 7 different receivers for a 67% average, 289 yards, no interceptions and adds a 4th TD strike of 14 yards to Devin Aguilar when Syracuse decides to double-team Kearse in the 3rd quarter.

Jermaine Kearse becomes an A-No. 1 star and threat. His performance helps sophomore Chris Polk rack up 117 yards rushing on 20 carries (5.85 ypc), and allows backup freshman Jesse Callier to add another 46 yards on 8 carries (5.75 ypc).

The Huskies finish with 467 yards of offense – 292 yards passing (63%) and 175 yards rushing (37%). Washington wins, 41-20, and also covers the spread by 7 as a 13.5 point favorite. This is a winning formula twice – your team wins and covers the bets of your boosters and fans.

And now No. 8-ranked Nebraska invades Husky Stadium Saturday, with big, bad coach Bo Palini and his ever nasty, mean Cornhusker defensive, nay offensive, 11.

Nebraska warmed up for the Huskies by trashing AA Western Kentucky 49-10, and then polished off Idaho 38-17. Idaho made it too easy for Palini and his hungry Cornhuskers.

Idaho could not run up the middle on Nebraska, and could not run on the outside. The Vandals were held to 60 yards rushing on 38 attempts (1.58 ypc). Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez rushed for 157 yards on 14 carries (11.2 ypc) and scored on runs of 67 yards and 20 yards. Martinez was not as effective passing.

So Nebraska's big and bad. Having said that, the Cornhuskers committed 4 turnovers against Idaho (who is no big deal), and committed 10 penalties for 123 yards, not that it helped the Vandals all that much.

Then again, the Washington Huskies now have not just Jake Locker, and Jermaine Kearse, and Chris Polk, and Jesse Callier, so they just might find their mojo again and do the unthinkable – beat No. 8-ranked Nebraska.

September 22, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Probably the most salient thing that can be said about Nebraska's 56-21 drubbing of Washington at home over the weekend was the Huskies really had no idea about how big and how fast the Cornhuskers played.

Add in the Husky missed tackles, missed assignments, the lack of separation by receivers, and Jake Locker's poorest outing in a Washington uniform, and you have a prescription for a disaster about to happen. And it did.

By the time local fans began milling out of Husky Stadium before the game was over, the sea of red jerseys among the Nebraska faithful made the place almost look a Cornhusker home game. And the damage? It was significant:

1) Nebraska's 56 points TIED the most points ever allowed by an opponent at Husky Stadium.

3) The rushing of Martinez, Helu and Burkhead marked the first time in history that the Huskies had allowed three 100-yard runners in a game.

4) Taylor Martinez, the freshman QB, dashed 80 yards to score on the opening play of the second half, and from there, things really began going downhill for Washington. In the end, Martinez scored 3 touchdowns rushing and 1 passing. Helu scored 2 rushing TDs, and Burkhead 1.

A tip of the hat goes to Nebraska coach Bo Pelini and his defensive coordinator, older brother Carl Pelini.

But enough about the Cornhuskers. And now for the outstanding Husky moments in this contest. Well, Locker, despite his worst day ever, scored a rushing touchdown and hooked up with Jermaine Kearse for a 45-yard scoring pass.

Moving on, Washington catches a bye this week, which, if nothing else, means they cannot be upstaged and trashed two weeks in-a-row.

The No. 6-ranked Cornhuskers get another easy opponent – they will probably beat the living snot out of AA South Dakota State. One thing about Bo, he knows how to schedule non-conference opponents; so far he has faced Western Kentucky, Idaho, Washington and now AA South Dakota State.

October 8, 2010 - 2nd Article

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Ah, how sweet it is! as Jackie Gleason used to say.

When you are 66 years old, you can reference Jackie Gleason without being afraid of losing the younger readers. Since they spent so much time on the Internet, they can Google Jackie Gleason and learn something.

But sweet it was as the University of Washington Huskies blew into Los Angeles, headed for the LA Memorial Coliseum, and upset the 18th-ranked USC Trojans for the second straight season.

Locker, who went 4-for-20 against Nebraska with 2 interceptions, put the burn on USC and outplayed Trojan QB Matt Barkley. Locker was 24-for-40 (60%) for 310 yards and a 44-yard touchdown pass to Devin Aguilar. Locker also rushed for 110 yards on 12 carries (9.17 ypc).

Husky running back Chris Polk added 92 yards on 13 carries (7.08 ypc) to help Washington roll up 536 yards in total offense.

Jake Locker also had two other memorable moments in the game of his career. He darn near scored on a long run in the 2nd quarter, but had the ball punched from behind and knocked through the end zone as he was about to score.

His able replacement, back-up Keith Price came in and immediately threw a 1-yard TD strike to tight end Chris Izbicki to put the Huskies up temporarily, 29-28. USC would get a field goal to retain the lead at 31-29 before Erik Folk took away their glory with his last-second, game-winning field goal as the Trojan fans sat stunned at the outcome.

1) Washington had not beaten the Trojans in Los Angeles since 1996, 14 years ago in the Don James' Era.

2) The Huskies had not won on the road in their past 13 attempts, things were getting more than old and a lot cranky. Winning on the road in the Pac-10 is like taking the hottest chick in school to the senior prom.

3) Not since 2003 has Washington won facing a ranked team in back-to-back games. The Husky loss two weeks ago was to 6th-ranked Nebraska.

The season is 4 games old with 8 more to play. A lot can happen, good or bad. After Washington's huge upset win over USC, it all looked good. Do not make the mistake of counting the Washington Huskies out because they are 2-2. They are also 1-0 and undefeated in the Pac-10 race.

Saturday the Huskies host the Arizona State Sun Devils (2-3), a formidable but not unbeatable opponent.

September 10, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Michigan State University managed to get by its first cream puff test of the season by beating Western Michigan –a minor conference opponent – at home 38-14 in the Spartans opener at home.

It was an important win for the Spartans because last year they managed to lose 29-27 to another minor conference opponent – Central Michigan – in one of the most uninspiring performances in recent history.

After a sluggish 1st quarter, Bell got things moving with a 75-yard dash to set up a 21-7 lead in the 2nd quarter on starter Edwin Baker's 7-yard touchdown run. Baker had earlier scored MSU's first TD on a 28-yard run, and he finished the day with 117 yards on 17 carries (6.88 ypc).

So both Bell and Baker (I will dub them the B+B Boys) had 100-yard-plus rushing days. That is good news for Michigan State, which was 73rd nationally in rushing offense last season with a 136-yard average per game.

In a separate highlight, quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a 20-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Keith Nichol, who last year was in competition with Cousins for the quarterbacking job. Nichol lost the battle but won the war because he is still on the field, and may well turn into an outstanding receiver with his athletic ability and running skill.

Michigan State was 73rd nationally in total defense last season, and 67th in scoring defense. That is just not going to cut it in the Big Ten or any other major conference. The Spartans need a much more effective defense to go anywhere this season.

Some players are self-centered, self-absorbed and do not have the good sense God gave a healthy piss ant. Their idea of an opportunity is to get into trouble; they never learned that it is easier to stay out of trouble than get out of trouble.

He really needs to lighten up and show some emotion, whether it's negative or positive emotion. This would let his players know that he is really alive during the game. His players are much more excitable, and can better relate to someone who is more excitable.

Michigan State meets Florida Atlantic Saturday (9-11-10) at Ford Field in Detroit in a game the Spartans should win. Should the Spartans lose, it would be a huge signal that they are again going nowhere this season. Coach Dantonio needs to get fired up, and his players even more so.

September 15, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Well, here sits Michigan State: Two wins over a couple of mediocre teams.

The Spartans beat Western Michigan at home, 38-14, a team currently rated 111th in the Sagarin Ratings. Then they beat Florida Atlantic at home, 30-17, last week, a team rated only slightly better by Sagarin at 100th. Michigan State is rated 39th by Sagarin.

The point is, there are only 120 Division I-A teams. So, yes, we hope the Spartans had a fun time of it against a couple of weak sisters. It's nice they are at 2-0 because they may not be after Saturday.

So, is Notre Dame more dangerous than Michigan State at the moment, even as the visitor to Spartan Stadium? You better believe it.

We now know that the Michigan Wolverines, with new star Denard Robinson as a running and passing threat, are no slouch and ranked 20th in the AP Top 25 Poll. Is Michigan State in the Top 25 Poll? No. Neither is Notre Dame at the moment.

On paper, through their first two games, Notre Dame has the better total offense, and Michigan State has the better total defense. Remember, though, Notre Dame has played much better competition in getting their statistics.

Is this a must win for Michigan State? I say it is if the Spartans are going to a bowl game this year, and especially if they want to be in a BCS bowl game—one of the top 5 bowl games.

I am not impressed with Michigan State so far. Should they beat Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Michigan, we will have ourselves a team that deserves our total support. If not, it will be just another year for coach Mark Dantonio, who will be a long way from the team he had in 2008, despite having two supposedly top-notch recruiting classes.

September 21, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

I do not know who said it, but I believe it – that life is a testing place and not a resting place.

The football coach of a major, high-profile NCAA program knows it better than most folks, and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio felt it even more after the Spartans last-ditch, fake field goal that produced the weekend's most dramatic finish, a 29-yard touchdown pass from holder Aaron Bates to tight end Charlie Gantt that beat the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in overtime, 34-31.

It was a victory that made virtually every highlight film clip from coast to coast, and was the talk of sportscasters on all of the follow-up programs. It was a seminal moment for the Michigan State football program that Dantonio is determined to make into a consistent, nationally-ranked contender.

This has now been described as a mild heart attack. I am not aware of anything such as a mild heart attack. A heart attack is serious business, and having surgery to put in a stent is a potential life-threatening operation.

News from Dr. Chris D'Haem, who performed the procedure to restore Dantonio's blood flow through his vessel, was that "his heart damage is very minimal . . . he's going to do very well, and we're very optimistic he'll have a full recovery."

Being a football coach is a tough, demanding job with little satisfaction in many cases. Your livelihood depends upon winning consistently, or appearing as if you are going to win consistently in the future. There is no forgiveness for losing, or failure, in the eyes of your employer.

Members of the media can be among the harshest critics of football coaches, and I am one of them.

"The victory was so sweet for Michigan State, and coach Mark Dantonio. Usually, Dantonio stands on the sideline during the game looking like a statue with the personality of an ashtray (no one is sure if even his wife has seen him excited). That said, he apparently does think while standing, and even is apparently capable of a surprise or two."

To say I feel badly today, following Dantonio's emergency surgery for a heart attack, is a misnomer. It is clear that the game of life is much longer, or should be much longer, than a game of football.

Mark Dantonio has enjoyed success as a football coach, and he deserves to enjoy a lot more success at Michigan State. His wife needs her husband, and their daughters need a father for a long, long time.

Having said that, I have worried about Dantonio's general health, knowing that he does try to take care of himself, and appears a lot more fit than many of his competitors at other schools.

Without a lot of healthy laughter and fun, it is easy to internalize stress without an outlet. I suspect that whoever first said "it's OK to have adult responsibilities and act like a child" made an astute observation.

We all need to laugh at ourselves and others, and realize that life is a really good deal.

Six of the 7 unbeaten teams have road games this week, and there is a great likelihood that one or more may suffer their first defeat. After all, the No. 1 ranked team the last three weeks has lost the following week on the road.

November 15, 2010 - 2nd Article

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

The AP Top 25 and Coaches Top 25 College Football Polls are nationally recognized, but after 50+ years of watching and/or covering college football games, and being a former sports editor for a daily newspaper, here is another view:

No. 1 now is clearly Auburn, and here's why:

2) Oregon (10-0) – The high-powered Duck offense (the leader nationally in scoring offense and total offense) suddenly looks like they can be beaten, barely escaping from California with a 15-13 win they could have easily lost. Still ahead are games against Arizona and at Oregon State. Oregon has beaten 2 ranked teams – Stanford and Southern California.

3) LSU (9-1) – Whipped an inept, in-state Louisiana Monroe team, 51-zip. Feeling their oats. Has beaten 2 currently ranked opponents – Mississippi State and Alabama – and has only lost to Auburn. Hosts Mississippi next.

5) Boise State (9-0) – Slapped around a lame Idaho team, 52-14. Gets Fresno State next; the Bulldogs should be a tad tougher than the Idaho Vandals. Has only beaten 1 ranked team, Virginia Tech. Only here because they are 1 of 4 unbeaten teams left.

6) TCU (11-0) – The Horned Frogs, who led the nation in scoring defense and total defense, gave up 35 points and 300 yards to State Diego State before winning by 5, 40-35. Has beaten only 1 ranked team, Utah, who lost this week to Notre Dame, 28-3. Plays 173rd-ranked New Mexico in its last game, a real laugher for stiff competition. Only here because they are 1 of 4 unbeaten teams left, little wonder considering their level of competition.

8) Stanford (9-1) – Not impressive in 17-13 win against Arizona State. Has beaten 2 ranked opponents – Southern California and Arizona. Now must travel to California, where the Bears just lost to No. 1 Oregon, 15-13. The Cardinal had better be ready, or they may be beaten for the second time this year. A great win against California would give Stanford added stature.

9) Nebraska (9-1) – The pesky Cornhuskers just held Kansas to 87 yards total offense, 5 first downs and 6 sacks while winning 20-3. It's a good thing Nebraska has a defense with its on-again, off-again offense. Has beaten two ranked teams – Oklahoma State and Missouri. Travels to Texas A&M this week.

11) Arkansas (8-2) – Just beat UTEP 58-21. Has beaten 2 ranked teams – Texas A&M and South Carolina. Has lost only to Auburn and Alabama. Travels to Mississippi State next.

12) Oklahoma State (9-1) – Turned back Texas, 33-16, but the Longhorns are weak this year. Win was not that big of a deal but no other team is really doing all that well either. Has beaten 1 ranked team – Texas A&M. Travels to Kansas next. Should score more points against the Jayhawks than Nebraska.

14) South Carolina (7-3) – Beat 24th-ranked Florida convincingly, 36-14, to wrap up the SEC Eastern Division title and snap a 12-game losing streak to Florida. Never underestimate Steve Spurrier on the road in The Swamp. When he coached the Florida Gators, his record was 122-27-1 with 9 SEC East Division or outright titles, and the National Championship in 1996.

15) Ohio State (9-1) – Whipped Penn State 38-14. Has beaten 1 ranked team, Miami, FL. Travels to Iowa next, and had better win big to remain here. Buckeyes not that big of a deal, but neither are the teams below.

17) Virginia Tech (8-2) – Took North Carolina to school, 26-10. Has not beaten a ranked opponent this season. Travels to Maimi next (not Ohio, but Florida). Must have a no excuses victory to stay here.

18) Oklahoma (8-2) – Slammed Texas Tech, 45-7, but still has not beaten a ranked team this year. Gets the Baylor Bears next.

20) Missouri (8-2) – Slid by Kansas State 38-28. Has beaten 2 ranked teams – Texas A&M and Oklahoma. Travels to Iowa State next, and should have a field day with an easy victory.

21) San Diego State (7-3) – Woke up 11-win TCU by scoring 35 points on the nation's best scoring defense, and only lost to the Horned Frogs by 5. Hosts Utah next. Good luck to the Utes, they may really need it.

23) Northern Illinois (8-2) – Has no really good victories over tough teams, but does have 8 wins, similar to Nevada. Travels to Ball State next, and should win.

24) Temple (8-2) – Has no real big victories, but does have 8 wins. Hosts Ohio next.

Key games this coming week include only 3 games with opposing ranked teams – Ohio State at Iowa, Arkansas at Mississippi State, and Nebraska at Texas A&M. Other games of interest are Utah at San Diego State, Wisconsin at Michigan, and Fresno State at Boise State. Watch college football on Saturday, it sure beats raking leaves or shoveling snow.

Copyright © 2011 Ed Bagley

The AP Top 25 and Coaches Top 25 College Football Polls are nationally recognized, but after 50+ years of watching and/or covering college football games, and being a former sports editor for a daily newspaper, here is another view:

There may by a lot of argument about which team is No. 1, Auburn or TCU. I simply favor Auburn, and here is why:

1) Auburn (14-0) – It took a last-play field goal, but the Tigers beat 2nd-ranked Oregon, 22-19, to win the BCS National Championship. I have had Auburn #1 and Oregon #2 for the last 8 consecutive polls. My mantra was: I am not changing until Auburn loses. Dude, they never did. Auburn beat 6 teams in the final AP Top 25 Poll - #3 Oregon, #8 LSU, #10 Alabama, #12 Arkansas, #15 Mississippi State and #22 South Carolina. No other team was even close.

2) Oregon (12-1) – Darn near won the national championship game. However, the Ducks beat exactly 1 AP Top 25 team - #4 Stanford – during their entire season.

3) Stanford (12-1) – Beat 1 AP Top 25 team - #16 Virginia Tech.

5) Alabama (10-3) – Yeah, I understand they lost 3 games. The Crimson Tide played the 14th toughest schedule in the country. Alabama lost to LSU by 3 and to Auburn by 1. The Crimson Tide beat 3 Top 25 teams - #12 Arkansas, #14 Michigan State and #15 Mississippi State, something even Oregon, Stanford and TCU cannot say since they all beat only 1.

6) Arkansas (10-3) – There are a lot of schools with better records and easier schedules. Yes, I understand they also lost 3 games this year. The Razorbacks lost to Alabama by 4 points, Ohio State by 5, and scored 43 points on Auburn in a losing effort. Arkansas played the 11th toughest schedule in the country. The Razorbacks beat 4 (count 'em) AP Top 25 teams - #8 LSU, #15 Mississippi State, #19 Texas A&M and #22 South Carolina. Only 1 other team in the country - #1 Auburn (6) – beat more Top 25 teams. "Nuff said.

8) Oklahoma (12-2) – Played the 20th toughest schedule, and beat 2 Top 25 teams - #13 Oklahoma State and #20 Nebraska.

9) Texas A&M (9-4) – Played the 17th toughest schedule, and beat 2 Top 25 teams – #6 Oklahoma and #20 Nebraska. Lost to Oklahoma State by 3 and Arkansas by 7.

10) Missouri (10-3) – Played 28th toughest schedule, and beat 2 Top 25 teams - #6 Oklahoma and #19 Texas A&M.

12) Wisconsin (11-2) – The Badgers are also overrated at #7 in the AP Poll. They have also only beaten 1 Top 25 team - #5 Ohio State, and played the 66th toughest schedule, piling up 11 wins against teams that overall ranked in the bottom 50% of the country. When push came to shove, another Big Ten bust, losing to TCU.

13) Boise State (12-1) – The Broncos played the 81st toughest schedule, beat only 1 Top 25 team - #16 Virginia Tech, and piled up 12 wins against teams that overall ranked in the bottom 50% of the country.

14) Nevada (13-1) – The Wolf Pack played the 84th toughest schedule, beat only 1 Top 25 team - #9 Boise State, and piled up 13 wins against teams that overall ranked in the bottom 50% of the country.

16) Virginia Tech (11-3) – The Hokies played the 40th toughest schedule, beat 2 top 25 teams - #17 Florida State and #25 North Carolina State, and were upset by Stanford 40-12 in the BCS Orange Bowl. Virginia Tech lost its opener to Boise State, then lost again to AA James Madison, then reeled off 11 straight wins to capture the ACC Championship title.

17) Michigan State (11-2) – The Spartans played only the 57th toughest schedule, beat only 1 Top 25 team - #7 Wisconsin, and got really hammered by Alabama 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl. They are weaker than their record indicates, and that comes as a graduate of Michigan State. Nonetheless, 11 wins for any team is pretty darn good.

19) Florida State (10-4) – The Seminoles played the 18th toughest schedule, and beat only 1 Top 25 team - #22 South Carolina.

20) South Carolina (9-5) – The Gamecocks played the 12th toughest schedule, and beat only 1 Top 25 team - #10 Alabama. Lost to Auburn by 8 in league play and Kentucky by 3 before getting wiped out by Auburn in their SEC title showdown, and then losing again to Florida State in the Chick-fil A Bowl. What started out as a great year did not end up so hot for the Gamecocks, but they are improving in the very tough SEC.

21) Mississippi State (9-4) – Played the 30th toughest schedule, but did not have a single victory over a Top 25 team.

22) North Carolina State (9-4) – Played the 32nd toughest schedule, and beat 2 Top 25 teams - #17 Florida State and #21 Central Florida.

November 25, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Years ago going to a bowl game after regular season play was a huge reward and a sign of excellence. Now it has become an absolute joke.

You see there are only 120 major college football teams in Division 1-A, what the NCAA loves to call FBS (the Football Bowl Subdivision). The NCAA brain trust loves more and more bowl games because they believe it promotes the sport, and becomes a money magnet.

The plethora of bowl games will eventually cause football to loose its appeal as the number one spectator sport in America. That may sound unthinkable, but I have been covering or watching football for a half century, and can see history repeating itself.

I can remember when baseball was king in America, and the powers to be thought it would never stop being THE sport of choice. Then basketball became real popular with rivalries at the pro level. Then football became all the rage. I can remember when pro football games were not even televised due to a lack of demand. When you live long enough and pay attention, you see the cycles developing.

Baseball club owners put crummy teams on the field and people stopped coming. Some major cities would not even support a lousy team. Another sport then became more popular.

Here is the rub: We have 120 major teams and now the bowl season has been expanded to 35 games. That means 70 of the 120 teams will play in a bowl game. The situation has become so dire that the NCAA is talking about waivers because not enough teams currently qualify to play in a bowl game.

The standard today is 6 wins among 12 games – that's just a stinking .500 record which doesn't really merit the reward of a bowl game. Heck, you used to have to win 7 games to make it into a bowl game. Now there is talk of letting teams with a 5-7 record play in a bowl game because not enough may qualify with 6 wins.

It reminds me of parents who all but force their kid to play little league baseball when the kid could care less. He then plays 12 games on a team that loses every game and, as a reward, they give every kid on the team a trophy so their feelings are not hurt by their incompetence.

Parents also feel compelled to have photos taken of their little "stars" and have them put on baseball cards like they are some kind of big league player. How stupid. The kid learns that being a zero counts for everything. He feels like a nothing and is a nothing.

Last year, 71 teams became bowl-eligible by winning at least 6 games, and 68 of them played in bowl games. This year, 64 teams are bowl eligible and 20 may be if they win again. Bowl selections are to be announced on Sunday, Dec. 5.

Unless someone with authority puts their foot down, we may soon see 60 bowl games with every major school participating. That may make someone a lot money, but the games will be terrible and the players will be cheated out of something very important – the feeling of success that comes from hard work and sacrifice, and cannot be replaced.

November 10, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

You see it in college football games every Saturday – missed assignments, missed tackles, players throwing themselves at runners and hoping they will fall down.

Guess what? The runners do not fall down so much anymore. They are bigger, much bigger, faster, stronger and more elusive.

The net result of all of this is what we saw last weekend. The 7 highest scoring games produced 703 total points, or an average of 100-plus points per game. This may be exciting, but it is lousy football.

Michigan beat Illinois 67-65 in triple overtime (132 total points), Navy beat East Carolina 76-35 (111 points), Duke beat Virginia 55-48 (103), Kansas beat Colorado 52-45 (97), Tulsa beat Rice 64-27 (91), 3rd-ranked Auburn beat AA Chattanooga 62-24 (86), and 19th-ranked Oklahoma State beat 22nd-ranked Baylor 55-28 (83).

No. 25 Nevada over Idaho 63-17 (80), Florida International over Louisiana-Monroe 42-35 in double overtime (77), Southern Mississippi over Tulane 46-30 (76), Troy over North Texas 41-35 (76), Arkansas State over Middle Tennessee State 51-24 (75), Fresno State over Louisiana Tech 40-34 (74), Central Florida over Houston 40-33 (73), and North Carolina upsetting 24th-ranked Florida State 37-35 (72).

That's 15 games with total scores of 72-plus. Fifteen games that generated 1,306 points, or an average of 87-plus points per game.

Not to bore you, but to make a point:

The top 5 scoring offenses in the country are Oregon (54+ points per game), Boise State (47+), Oklahoma State (46+), Nevada (44+), and Stanford (42+).

The worst 5 scoring defenses in the country are Eastern Michigan (gives up 43+ points per game), Memphis (42+), New Mexico (42+), East Carolina (41+), and Louisiana-Lafayette (40+).

All right Ed, give it a rest. OK.

Who has played the toughest schedule among the AP Top 25 teams? I am glad you asked. Read them and weep if you do not find your favorite team.

Who has played the worst schedule among the Top 25?

Try Central Florida at 95th, followed by Ohio State (87th), Nevada (86th), Virginia Tech (80th), and Utah (79th).

Wins do count, but it also helps to put it into perspective.

Since there are only 120 Division 1-A teams, both TCU and Boise State are piling up victories against the bottom half of the field (61st to 120th). Despite their protestations otherwise, both TCU and Boise State love playing in mid-major conferences, as does Utah.

November 5, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

At least 1 of the 5 remaining unbeaten major college teams will be a guaranteed loser this weekend as the 4th-ranked 9-0 TCU Horned Frogs invade the 8th-ranked 8-0 Utah Utes in a Mountain West Conference showdown for probably the league title.

This game will be really exciting for the teams and their fans, and less exciting for everyone else not involved in the Mountain West Conference.

Utah has had the easiest strength of schedule, ranking 98th out of 120 Division 1-A teams. The higher the ranking the easier the schedule, which is why most fans in the know snicker when Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) teams pile up unbeaten records by playing a lot of lousy opponents.

Boise State, from the "Wild and Wacky" WAC, has the second easiest schedule so far, ranking 74th. No to be outdone in playing easy opponents, TCU is ranked 72nd.

The Oregon State Beavers, with a 4-3 record, is ranked No. 1 in strength of schedule, and now you know why.

If TCU and Utah played Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, South Carolina and Mississippi State – all ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll – like Auburn does, they would not be unbeaten. TCU and Utah only play each other, and no other ranked teams. Please, no more snickering, it's not polite to laugh at football players.

Even the mighty Boise State Broncos will face only 2 ranked teams this year – Virginia Tech and Nevada, and by the time they play Nevada, the Wolf Pack may be bounced out of the Top 25; they are currently ranked 25th.

So where do you think Boise State, TCU and Utah rank nationally in performance statistics? Yup, you guessed it, at or near the top among 120 teams. Get this:

In scoring offense, Boise State is 2nd, Utah 3rd and TCU 9th.

In total offense, Boise State is 5th, TCU 11th and Utah 21st.

In scoring defense, TCU is 1st, Boise State is 3rd and Utah 6th.

In total defense, TCU is 1st, Boise State 3rd and Utah 6th.

Interestingly enough, Oregon ranks 1st nationally in scoring offense and total offense, and 17th in scoring defense.

Auburn ranks 10th in scoring offense, and 6th in total offense.

Should Alabama beat LSU, well, you get the picture.

Six other ranked teams will face each other this weekend. They include 15th-ranked Arizona (7-1) at 13th-ranked Stanford (7-1), 19th-ranked Arkansas (6-2) at 17th-ranked South Carolina (6-2), and 25th-ranked Baylor (7-2) at 20th-ranked Oklahoma (7-1).

How about Oregon and Auburn? Trust me, they are not going to lose. Oregon travels to Washington, and Auburn hosts AA Chattanooga; both teams will win easily, leaving carnage in their path.

That's it, that's all – bring in the brewskis and snacks and let's get it on, and let the women continue to wonder in amazement why we do this every weekend.

October 29, 2010

Road games are the bane of college football, and 6 of the 7 undefeated, ranked teams remaining have away games Saturday.

Three others face unranked teams, including 3rd-ranked Auburn (8-0) at Mississippi (3-4), 4th-ranked TCU (8-0) at UNLV (1-6), and 8th-ranked Utah (7-0) at Air Force (5-3).

This year unbeaten Nevada lost on the road to unranked Hawaii.

The clash between top-ranked Oregon and USC is getting attention because few teams in the last 8 years have compiled as many victories as Southern Cal. Since 2002, Southern Cal's seasons have been 11-2, 12-1, 13-0, 12-1, 11-2, 11-2, 12-1 and 9-4. Add them up and its 91-13 (87%).

Here are a couple of stats to ponder: Oregon is 1st nationally in scoring offense (USC is 14th), and 1st in total offense (USC is 7th, not too shabby), so they can both pile on the points and yardage.

What makes the game more interesting is the fact that Oregon is ranked 12th in scoring defense (USC is 60th), and the Ducks are 30th in total defense (USC is 87th). In other words, Southern Cal is porous on defense and to win, USC will have to contain the Ducks, which might be a problem. Oregon should win despite not having the home field advantage.

The Missouri-Nebraska duel will be to the death. Nebraska can be butt nasty and Missouri has no intention of losing their perfect record against the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska, known for its defense and screaming coaches, is ranked 10th nationally in scoring offense (Missouri is 24th), and 17th in total offense (Missouri is 32nd). The Tigers are 5th in scoring defense (Nebraska is 17th), and 38th in total defense (Nebraska is 18th).

Auburn, TCU and Utah must win, and win convincingly to remain among the top 8 in the AP Top 25 Poll.

Earlier this week, 2nd-ranked Boise State (7-0) eased by a really crummy Louisiana Tech team, 49-20 (trust me, it was only a big deal to the Broncos); and the unranked North Carolina State Wolfpack upset 16th-ranked Florida State, 28-24. Look for the Seminoles to tank in the polls.

October 21, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

At least 2 of college football's 10 remaining unbeaten major teams will lose this weekend as 4 of them clash with perfect records.

The marquee face-off features a couple of real Tigers – the 6th-ranked LSU Tigers invading the 5th-ranked Auburn Tigers in a key Southeastern Conference rivalry that could go a long way in deciding who will win the West Division title this year. Both teams are 7-0.

The latter battle takes on added significance since Oklahoma is rated No. 1 in the first Bowl Championship Series standings this week. Oregon is rated No. 2, Boise State No. 3, Auburn No. 4 and TCU No. 5

Oklahoma's fate against Missouri is a hot topic because in 9 of the 12 years that the BCS formula has been in existence, at least 1 of the 2 teams in the initial weekly standings has played in the National Championship game at season's end.

Only once in 12 years have the top two teams met for the national title – in 2005 Texas topped Southern California.

Five other unbeaten teams test their perfect marks over the weekend.

Top-ranked Oregon (6-0) hosts UCLA (3-3), 4th-ranked TCU (7-0) hosts Air Force (5-2), 8th-ranked Michigan State (7-0) travels to Northwestern (5-1), 9th-ranked Utah (6-0) hosts Colorado State (2-5), and 17th-ranked Oklahoma State (6-0) hosts 14th-ranked Nebraska (5-1).

The only other unbeaten team, Boise State (6-0), is idle this weekend.

October 15, 2010

October 8, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Seven games are on my list of interesting games Saturday – 5 of them on the positive side, and 2 on the negative.

No. 17-ranked Michigan State has beaten Western Michigan, Florida Atlantic and AA Northern Colorado to go along with signature wins over Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

No. 18-ranked Michigan has taken the measure of Connecticut, AA Massachusetts, Bowling Green and Indiana to go along with a signature win over Notre Dame as well.

Saturday marks the first road game for Michigan State. The winner of this game takes a huge step forward in the rankings, and also becomes a real contender for the Big 10 title along with Ohio State and perhaps Iowa as a long shot.

He is a quarterback that runs as well or better than any running back in the country. In fact, he leads the NCAA in rushing with 905 yards in 5 games while averaging 9.23 yards per carry, and 181 yards a game.

Michigan State's Edwin Baker is 20th in rushing with a 107 yard per game average, and his freshman teammate Le'Veon Bell is 37th with a 94 ypga.

Something must give as Michigan State ranks 20th in rushing defense, and Michigan 37th in rushing defense. The Spartans are also 41st in total defense while Michigan is 102nd, which just may be a key to this game.

In another SEC match-up, the No. 12-ranked LSU Tigers (5-0) put their unbeaten record on the line as they travel to Florida (4-1). The Gators, who lost 31-6 to Alabama on-the-road last week, are more than ready to put the hammer down on LSU.

Should LSU beat Florida, it would be a huge upset regardless of the line, which has the Crimson Tide as a 7.5 point favorite.

In a third game of ranked teams, the 23rd-ranked Florida State Seminoles (4-1) travel to arch-rival and 13th-ranked Miami-Florida Hurricanes (3-1). When these two teams bang heads, the winner has often won by a field goal.

Nebraska has put the rip on Western Kentucky, Idaho, Washington and AA South Dakota State. Nebraska will have to contain the nation's 5th best rusher, Kansas State's Daniel Thomas, who is averaging 157 yards per game.

The Cornhuskers will look real good beating Kansas State, but if they falter, they will take a nosedive in the polls since K-State is unranked.

So those are the 5 positive games that look good on the schedule. Here are two games that feature winless teams:

In another loser face-off, Western Kentucky (0-4) travels to Florida International (0-4). Sagarin ranks Western Kentucky 154th and Florida International 132nd. Yikes! Well, at least two winless teams will be happier after Saturday.

October 1, 2010

The messing around is over. No more pushover AA opponents and weak sisters to pad win streaks while moving up in the national football polls. Some very top-ranked teams collide this week with the winners rising and the losers falling.

Now we will begin to find out who are the real contenders, and who are the pretenders.

For openers, No. 1-ranked Alabama will host 9th-ranked Florida. Both are 4-0 and both have won national championships in the last 4 years.

So, arguably, the two most successful coaches in college football square off once again, this time in SEC league play. Alabama whipped Florida last year in the SEC Championship Game to go on to the BCS national title.

One early line has Alabama favored by 8. The national-champion Crimson Tide have outscored their opponents 158-39 thus far, and racked up their 18th win in-a-row with a signature victory over Arkansas 24-20 last week.

Next up is 8th-ranked Oklahoma (4-0) hosting 7th-ranked Texas (3-1). Both of these teams are ranked too high. Both of these teams wish they were as good as Alabama and Florida. I have Oklahoma ranked 24th in my poll, and Texas ranked 25th – that is about where they belong until they play themselves back up the ladder.

The Oregon-Stanford game is a much better match-up. The 16th ranked Stanford Cardinal travel to 5th-ranked Oregon. Both are unbeaten at 4-0, and one of them will have the inside track on the Pac 10 title after Saturday.

I like Stanford over Oregon because the Cardinal have wins over two pretty good teams – a 35-zip hammering of UCLA on-the-road, and a 37-14 win on-the-road at Notre Dame. Oregon has a 42-31 win on-the-road over Arizona State and has played 3 patsies.

You can say that UCLA is not a big deal, but the Bruins were good enough to upset Texas 34-12 on the Longhorns home field, and upset Houston 31-13. Texas, on the other hand, is really pretty lame right now.

Elsewhere, the 18th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes host the 23rd-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. Should Penn State lose, they may slip out of the AP Top 25 Poll. Both teams are 3-1.

The Hawkeyes play defense and are tough at home, however, they had to launch comebacks the last two years to beat Penn State. The Nittany Lions are not as strong as they have been, and could come up sucking pond water in Iowa.

September 24, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

The marquee match-up of this week's major college football games has 10th-ranked Arkansas hosting top-ranked Alabama in a SEC West Division showdown to see just how good are the Razorbacks. Both teams are unbeaten at 3-0.

We know Alabama is very good, that is why the Crimson Tide is ranked 1st nationally.

In these main categories on paper, Alabama is just that much better in each, and I suspect that Alabama will be just that much better when the final score is tallied. For the Arkansas Razorbacks to make the impression they want, they must win, period. They will have the home advantage, but not much else.

Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks have already beaten Georgia at home, and Auburn won on-the-road at Mississippi State. Auburn yearns to return to greatness, and Spurrier has patiently built his South Carolina team into what looks like a contender for the SEC East Division title.

A guy has got to like LSU at home after beating Vanderbilt 27-3 on-the-road. Good teams win both at home and in away games.

After Boise State's 33-30 opening victory over Virginia Tech turned into a no-big-deal win when Virginia Tech promptly got thumped at home 21-16 by AA James Madison, the Broncos are looking at a somewhat difficult task.

I believe two other games are important for different reasons.

First, unbeaten and unranked Kentucky (3-0) travels to 9th-ranked Florida (3-0), and given how tepid Gator wins have been so far this season, one has to wonder if Kentucky has a chance to win this game. We hopefully will find out just how good is either Florida, or Kentucky.

The Fighting Irish beat Purdue to give new coach Brian Kelly a victory in his first outing. With expectations high, Notre Dame then lost at home 28-24 to 21st-ranked Michigan and Denard Robinson (4.3 in the 40). Last week they traveled to 25th-ranked Michigan State and lost 34-31 in overtime on a trick play.

Notre Dame has an offense; they do not have much of a defense. They are also the Fighting Irish and they have Brian Kelly. Kelly may not be a world-beater, but he has put successful programs together wherever he has been.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh played quarterback for the University of Michigan, was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, and went on to play for the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions and San Diego Chargers in the NFL. He is a no-nonsense coach who is not intimidated by any one or any thing.

Notre Dame can be dangerous in their worst year; Stanford may be just a little more dangerous this year. We shall see.

No. 2 Ohio State hosts Eastern Michigan.

No. 4 TCU at SMU.

No. 5 Oregon at Arizona State.

No. 7 Texas hosts UCLA.

No. 8 Oklahoma at Cincinnati.

No. 11 Wisconsin at AA Austin Peay.

No. 13 Utah hosts San Jose State.

No. 18 Iowa hosts Ball State.

No. 19 Miami (FL) at Pittsburgh.

No. 20 USC at Washington State.

No. 23 Penn State hosts Temple.

No. 25 Michigan State hosts AA Northern Colorado.

September 9, 2010 - 2nd Article

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

It is just 5 games, but after the inordinate amount of "cream puff" games in college football's opening weekend, this week's clashes include national title implications already.

In essence, the nation's No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will host the No. 18-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions and their 83-year-old coach, Joe Paterno, or JoePa to the Happy Valley faithful.

Alabama will apparently be without its injured star running back, last year's Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.

Last year Alabama's total defense ranked 2nd nationally (TCU's was best), and Penn State's was ranked 9th. The Tide also ranked 2nd in scoring defense, and the Nittany Lions were 3rd. This could be a low-scoring game.

No. 2-ranked Ohio State will host No. 12-ranked Miami (FL). The Buckeyes face the same possible elimination from the national title race as Alabama. The Hurricanes used to field a Top 5 team every year, and now look to return to the national scene in a big way.

Miami shut out AA Florida A&M in its opener, 45 zip. The Hurricanes will not be able to score so easily on Ohio State; last year the Buckeyes were ranked 5th nationally in both total defense and scoring defense. That said, Miami is very hungry for attention, and should not be underestimated in Columbus on game day.

Florida State, like its chief rival Miami, used to help rule the roost in college football, and are also anxious to return to their glory days. The Seminoles stomped a mud hole in AA Samford last week, winning 59-6 after leading at the half 42 zip. A lot of players on their depth chart saw action.

The Oklahoma Sooners, on the other hand, looked like they were sucking Louisiana pond water in their opener, coming up with a lame 31-24 win against a very weak Utah State team. The Sooners looked like they could not beat Florida State's second string.

The 4th game has no real national title implications, but pits two teams trying to regain their storied past as the Michigan Wolverines invade the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez is on the hot seat after doing zip at Michigan for two years.

Kelly's players started off well, beating Purdue at 23-12 in their home opener.

These 4 key contests matter because the teams involved just happen to be among 8 of the top 15 teams in major college history with the best winning percentages. Michigan is tops with .737, Notre Dame is 2nd with .734, Ohio State 4th with .717, Oklahoma 5th with .716, Alabama 7th with .707, Penn State 11th with .691, Florida State 12th with .663, and Miami (FL) 15th with .639.

For the uninitiated (such as bored housewives who could care less), Michigan's .737 percentage means that if the Wolverines played 1,000 games, they would win 737 of them, or 7+ in 10.

The 5th key game we care about is a little ole SEC contest that finds No. 22-ranked Georgia traveling to No. 24-ranked South Carolina.

Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks ran away from Southern Mississippi, 41-13, in their home opener. Junior quarterback Stephen Garcia was sharp in his first outing of the season against Southern Miss, completing 16-of-23 passes for 193 yards. He also ran for a pair of touchdowns, the first time in his career to amass multiple TD runs in one game.

In the SEC, football is not just a game, but also a religion and a civil war with darn near life and death consequences, as least in the minds of the south's fanatical fans. Let the battle begin. I like South Carolina's chances, especially at home.

September 9, 2010

September 4, 2010