Despite blowout, Trojans drop 2 spots; Bama No. 1

It's not exactly shocking, but the new BCS standings show USC falling two spots to No. 7, despite the 56-0 victory over Washington. But the Men of Troy weren't the only big winner to drop in rank after paddling an opponent. The Oklahoma Sooners also fell 2 places after 62-28 weekend blasting of Nebraska. You can say the programs are being penalized for their most recent opponents lacking strength, but also consider that Texas Tech has climbed to the No. 2 spot, not only rewarded for the take down of No. 1 Texas, but still receiving credit for two victories over FCS opponents.

The Red Raiders jumped 5 spots, including a leap over idle and undefeated Penn State. Penn State is another program that is penalized for the weakened Big 10. In all, the BCS top ten is represented by 4 programs from the Big 12 south, which will make it difficult for the majority of one loss teams outside that conference to secure higher spots. Each week brings another Big 12 match up of ranked opponents, and each week the winner will leap towards the top of the totem pole. Next weekend, Texas Tech will face No. 9 Oklahoma State. If the Cowboys win that game, they too will jump above a USC team playing Cal, after only having a loss to Texas on the road by just 4 points, and powering over the No. 2 Raiders.

Alabama is the Nation's No. 1 team, but you can see their victory over Arkansas State hurt them slightly, with Tech just mere percentage points below them. The Crimson Tide have a crucial game this coming weekend in Baton Rouge. A victory there can assist them in holding off some of the Big 12 risers.

BCS Standings for Nov. 2

1. Alabama .974
2. Texas Tech .937
3. Penn State .928
4. Texas .853
5. Florida .826
6. Oklahoma .822
7. USC .755
8. Utah .697
9. Oklahoma State .666
10. Boise State .652
11. Ohio State .555
12. TCU .544
13. Georgia .536
14. Missouri .492
15. BYU .373
16. LSU .371
17. Ball State .356
18. Michigan State .336
19. North Carolina .263
20. Georgia Tech .188

Preview: The Red River Rivalry

(5) Texas at (1) Oklahoma

Red River- A flowing geographical boundary
that separates the states of Oklahoma and Texas.

Rival- (a) One of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess: (b) One striving for competitive advantage.—Webster’s Dictionary

Everyone will give a different opinion of the greatest rivalry in college football or in all of sports, but when it comes to rivalries this century, no other may compare to the one played along the Red River. In each season since 2000, the winner has claimed the Big 12 South 7 of 8 times (OU lost and won the South in ’06). In this century, the winner has also appeared in 4 of the 7 BCS championship games played, and crowned national champion twice. Only twice in this period has this rivalry failed to produce the Big 12 conference champion, and only once has both the winner and loser managed to qualify and play in a BCS bowl game in the same year (’04).

Most rivalries possess the hate, and all winners can claim the yearly bragging rights. But you would have to dig deep to find a single rivalry this century that offered equal rewards for the winner, while also having that single game severely punish the loser. And here we are in 2008, and that body of water not only divides two states, it more importantly separates numbers "1 "and "5" in the national polls. This is the making and breaking of championship dreams. This is Texas and Oklahoma. This is the “Red River Rivalry”.

SOONERS (5-0)
Last Opponent: W-Baylor

The nation’s No. 1 team has been playing like it, leaving no doubt in any of the 5 games played. They will enter Saturday’s game ranked 5th in the country in total offense, averaging 540 yards and 49 points per game. Without a doubt, their greatest offensive weapon is sophomore QB Sam Bradford, who stands among the best in college football at his position. Bradford ranks second in passing efficiency, already tossing 18 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions, for a passer rating of 205.0. Juaquin Iglesias provides a skilled receiving target for the young quarterback, and has a touchdown reception in each of the 5 games played. Iglesias is coming off his best performance of the year, with 6 receptions for 133 yards in the Sooners’ rout of Baylor. And though he’s only cracked the century mark in 2 of the 5 season contests, running back Demarco Murray provides the necessary offensive balance.

The Sooners’ defense is ranked 11th overall, and first in the Big 12. They surrender less than 160 yards through the air, and are the most efficient in the nation against the pass. These numbers are impressive, when you consider that OU jumps all over their opponents early, leaving the defensive unit to face multiple pass situations in an opponents’ game of “catch up”. Fittingly, Oklahoma also allows less than 100 yards per game on the ground.

LONGHORNS (5-0)
Last Opponent: W- Colorado

One quarterback that deserves far more praise than he’s getting is Texas’ Colt McCoy. He’s been shadowed in his own conference by Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell, and Chase Daniel, but McCoy has been a staple of the Longhorns success. To put it in a better perspective, check out his stats. In 5 games, he’s thrown for 16 tds and only 3 interceptions (ranks 4th in pass efficiency). His yardage may not be comparable to the others, but there’s more to him than his arm, because he also leads the Horns in rushing.

McCoy has 317 rushing yards, and 4 rushing tds to go with it. That’s only 114 yards and 1 touchdown less than Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray, who used 85 carries to achieve his stats, to McCoy’s 45. If not for the reduction in sacks, the numbers could have been much closer. The media has been feeding us the dual threat performances of Florida’s Tim Tebow for 3 years now, but somehow managed to overlook and give the same credit to this Longhorns quarterback that ran for a high of 103 yards in the season opener.

Something has to give, as you have a Longhorns defense allowing less than 12 points per game to opponents, against an OU offense averaging 49. But though the Horns are great against the run, they’re ranked 96th in the nation against the pass, and now face an opponent with a passing fancy. To notch this victory, their strength must be prevalent, which is rushing the passer. And their 3.8 sacks (1st) per game is an indication that no one in the country does it better.

Analysis: Viewing the outcomes of the past few years, one would easily be deceived into thinking Oklahoma owns the series. The Sooners have shown dominance this century, winning 6 of the last 8 meetings, but still trail in the overall series. Unlike previous years, neither program managed to look ahead and stumble before this game, adding to the luster of the rivalry, and sweetening the reward. I would give the Sooners an edge, if ever so slight, because of their ability to feast on defensive secondaries. But the Horns represent a greater foe than they’ve seen in the first 5 games, and possess an offense that is capable of long sustained drives to keep Bradford and company on the sidelines.

All Time Series: Texas leads 57-40-5
Streak: Oklahoma won 1

Week 3 Heisman Performances- Quarterbacks

The race for the Heisman Trophy hasn’t taken full form, but it’s slowly revealing a shape. Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel and Max Hall have jumped out quickly with huge numbers, while some others find themselves in vicarious positions. Overall, quarterbacks continue to stand out, with quite a few lighting up stat sheets in the first 3 games.

Rudy Carpenter took a heavy hit with a loss to UNLV. As it stands now, for Carpenter to pull himself out of the hole and make it to New York, his Arizona Sate Sun Devils will probably have to defeat both Georgia and USC, and he needs to be impressive against both. That would also suggest that he needs to win the Pac 10 and secure a top 10 finish. The most memorable number from Todd Reesing’s game against South Florida is “1”. One interception late in the game set up the Bulls with field position to kick the game winning field goal. Reesing can easily make up for that error, considering the Big 12 has so many Heisman candidates and exposure games. Here’s the list for week three, in no particular order.

QUARTERBACKS
New to list: Matt Grothe, USF

Mark Sanchez, USC
Opponent: Ohio State

17 of 28, 172 yards, 4 tds, 1 INT

Season: 43 of 63, 510 yards, 5 tds, 2 INTs
Rating: 166.57
Opponents: Virginia, Ohio State
Record: 2-0

Matthew Stafford, Georgia
Opponent: S. Carolina

15 of 25, 146 yards, 0 td, 0 INT

Season: 46 of 74, 634 yards, 4 tds, 0 INT
Rating: 159.97
Opponents: Georgia Southern, C. Michigan, S. Carolina
Record: 3-0

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
Opponent: Washington
18 of 21, 304 yards, 5 tds, 0 INT

Season: 64 of 81, 882 yards, 12 tds, 2 INTs
Rating: 214.43
(1 rushing td)
Opponents: Tenn-Chat, Cincinnati, Washington
Record: 3-0

Juice Williams, Illinois
Opponent: Louisiana Lafayette

Pass: 13 of 25, 147 yards, 1 td, 1 INT
Rush: 11 attempts, 35 yards, 0 tds

Season: 65 of 92, 722 yards, 7 tds, 1 INT
Rating: 139.94
(Rushing: 46 attempts, 219 yards, 2 tds)

Opponents: Mizzou, E. Illinois, Louisiana Lafayette
Record: 2-1

Chase Daniel, Missouri
Opponent: Nevada

23 of 28, 405 yards, 4 tds, 0 INTs

Season: 65 of 90, 973 yards, 10 tds, 1 INT
Rating: 197.48
Opponents: Illinois, SMS, Nevada
Record: 3-0

Cullen Harper, Clemson
Opponent: NC State

20 of 28, 262 yards, 2 tds, 1 INT

Season: 54 of 80, 642 yards, 3 tds, 2 INTs
Opponents: Alabama, Citadel, NC State
Record: 2-1

Graham Harrell, Texas Tech
Opponent: SMU

31 of 48, 418 yards, 5 tds, 0 INT

Season: 93 of 152, 1,251 yards, 8 tds, 3 INTs
Rating: 143.74
(1 rushing td)
Opponents: E. Washington, Nevada, SMU
Record: 3-0

Todd Reesing, Kansas
Opponent: USF

34 of 51, 373 yards, 3 tds, 1 INT

Season: 103 of 141, 1,041 yards, 9 tds, 2 INTs
Rating: 153.30
(1 rushing td)

Opponents: FIU, La Tech, USF
Record: 2-1

Rudy Carpenter, Arizona State
Opponent: UNLV

13 of 23, 242 yards, 2 tds, 1 INT

Season: 62 of 87, 975 yards, 6 tds, 2 INTs
Rating: 183.56
Opponents: N. Arizona, Stanford, UNLV
Record: 2-1

Matt Grothe, USF
Opponent: Kansas

32 of 45, 338 yards, 2 tds, 0 INTs

Season: 61 of 93, 780 yards, 7 tds, 2 INTs
Rating: 156.58
(1 rushing td)
Opponents: Ten-Mart, UCF, Kansas
Record: 3-0

Max Hall, BYU
Opponent: UCLA

27 of 35, 272 yards, 7 tds, 1 INT

Season: 91 of 117, 1,095 yards, 12 tds, 2 INTs
Rating: 186.82
Opponents: UNI, Washington, UCLA
Record: 3-0


BYE WEEK

Pat White (WVU), Tim Tebow (Florida), Colt McCoy (Texas)

DROPPED FROM LIST

Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan)

ON THE BUBBLE

Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan)

The Horse’s Early QB Pick: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
The Horse’s Early Overall pick: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma

Buckeyes booted to No. 5

This Saturday’s anticipated meeting between USC and Ohio State already had an early billing of a top 3 match up, with some even speculating that by game time it would be 1 versus 2. Well, the coaches have already put their stamp on things, and Ohio State has fallen to No. 5 in the nation, receiving just one first place vote. The Trojans strengthen their position at the top, with 34 first place votes.

The Buckeyes’ dismal showing against Ohio can be credited to their descent. With Heisman Candidate Chris Wells sidelined with a foot injury, Ohio State struggled before finally holding off the Bobcats for a 26-14 victory. Both Oklahoma and Florida leapfrogged to positions 3 and 4, with impressive victories over Cincinnati and Miami.

Ready for the first of my weekly poll rips? Despite Illinois losing last week, they remained in the coaches’ poll. The Illini posted a win this week, and they were dumped. Why is that? East Carolina and their upset specials finally make an appearance at No. 20.

USA Today's Coaches' poll

Trojan Trio listed for Heisman in 2009

Where else but Heismanpundit.com would you find a list of potential Heisman candidates for 2009, when a single game of the 2008 season has yet to be played? They’re projecting players based on the assumption that Florida’s Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow, along with Ohio State’s Beanie Wells will be entering the 2009 NFL draft. Some of the names are obvious choices, if you look back on the past season. But other names show the site has high expectations for some players I believe to be extremely overrated.

The obvious Trojan trio is QB Mark Sanchez and Running backs Joe Mcknight and Stafon Johnson. Of the three, Sanchez is a more likely candidate, with Johnson and McKnight, along with the other stable of backs, limiting the amount of playing time and touches. Unless either McKnight or Johnson is utilized in a full time role, neither will be receiving that trophy.

There’s a Georgia duo on their list, and I’m skeptical of whether Knowshon Moreno will even return to college for the 2009 season. Matthew Stafford is a good quarterback, but appears even greater in a conference thin at that position. Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford is another good choice, but I’m not so sure about Demarco Murray. Bradford made people forget Heisman winner Jason White. Can Murray make us forget Heisman runner up Adrian Peterson?

Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen and Texas’ Colt McCoy are head scratchers. McCoy will be operating this season without Jamaal Charles and Limas sweed, which should make for his toughest challenge yet. He is now set up to fail in Austin, but if he finds success, he’s very deserving of the 2009 list. Claussen worked 2007 behind an offensive line that was unable to provide protection. Former Domer Brady Quinn had Heisman consideration, but unfortunately, I don’t see Clausen possessing those same skills. Well, at least, not yet.

Jake Locker, who we’ve come to know as “Tim Tebow West” made their list. He does have the similarities, but the Washington program is far lacking in the talent Tebow has around him. Unless the huskies recruited some immediate impact offensive talent, Locker won’t be getting an invitation to New York.

One name noticeably missing from the Pundit is Lesean McCoy of Pittsburgh. He’s not even listed as heading to the NFL. LeSean is no longer flying under the radar, so how could they miss him? If this Panther chooses to remain in school, he can easily be a front runner in 2009.

To Vacate Victories Is To Call Us Stupid

The NCAA Gods have many methods of punishing programs for rules violations. Some of the more sensible methods would include allowing fewer scholarships, postseason bans, probation, television bans, and in extreme cases, the death penalty. The death penalty would be a complete restriction of football activities for the required number of years, as given to Southern Methodist University from ’86 to 88, but I doubt we’d ever see this handed down to NCAA cash crop programs like USC, Alabama, Notre Dame, and some others.

In most cases, those punishments are understandable and can go without debate. But what I view as complete idiocy is the NCAA’s “vacating” of victories, as a form of punishment. This method of punishment isn’t exclusive to the NCAA, because I’ve seen in implemented at the high school level, for something as petty as a player living “outside” the district and being ineligible to participate. The penalty erases past victories, and will either reflect as losses or games never played. This means the opponents will either receive victories for games they lost or have a game completely scratched from the books, as if it were never occurred.


In recent developments, the University of Oklahoma will have 8 victories reinstated for the 2005 season. The NCAA actually got it right, but not on purpose. Their reasoning is an overturning of a ruling on infractions, but my reasoning is that you can’t suddenly tell me that OU didn’t play or lost those 8 games in 2005. You can scratch them from the books, but I’ll go to my grave knowing who they played and defeated.

It’s similar to a courtroom, where a witness may blurt something out that is factual, but because of improper judicial procedure, the judge orders the jury to “disregard the statement”. How do you disregard what was just heard, as if it was never said? When it comes down to deliberation, though the statement may not technically be used to form a conclusion of guilt or innocence, we’re all human, and it will be.


With the ongoing investigation into illegal benefits possibly received by Reggie Bush, and any knowledge of the action by USC, there is already talk of vacating Southern Cal victories and possibly the 2004 championship. The NCAA would not only be willing to wipe out an entire season of games on a schedule, but they would give the conference championship to Cal (who was beaten by USC), and Oklahoma would receive a National Championship after being soundly beaten by a score of 55-19.

Maybe it would make sense, 20 to 30 years from now, when people either open the books and don’t know or can’t remember. But anything before that is laughable, because people aren’t as stupid as the NCAA rules committee implies. It’s easy to strip a Heisman trophy, but suddenly there was no great game against Notre Dame, and no Bush push? It never happened, so don’t even talk about it, right? There was no near victory over Fresno State. There was no leap into the endzone over a UCLA Bruin. It never happened, so stop posting the photographs and rolling the tape. Or maybe the intention is for it to stick in memory, justifying the punishment with "USC didn't play those games, because Reggie Bush played in those games." Huh?


Now I’ve heard outraged fans calling for the New England Patriots’ victories to be vacated, for known spygate infractions and what we may come to know about past years. The professional levels are least likely to vacate anything, but instead add an asterisk in their books. Maybe the Pros view their fanbases as intelligent, where the amateurs see us as idiots. The NFL is likely to scratch victories from the Pats, as much as MLB is willing to reduce the homeruns and win counts from Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. Can you imagine the Yankees vacating victories and championships for years Roger Clemens appeared on the roster? All hell would break loose!

Take the scholarships, postseason, monetary fines and what not. But don’t insult my intelligence by attempting remove something already completed, because barring mental illness, head trauma or marijuana smoke, my memory does not vacate.

Stooping To A New Level

What's become of Bob Stoops? After his Sooners won the national championship in 2000, he became one of the biggest coaching names on the college circuit. He followed that championship year by advancing the Sooners to the Rose Bowl in 2003, where they dismantled Washington State. Everything was great in Norman, and they appreciated their lead man. But since that Rose Bowl victory, the Sooners have participated in 4 BCS games, losing each. In 2 of the 4, they played for the National title, falling to LSU and USC. In 3 0f 4, they lost to the underdog, with the most shocking loss coming against Boise State in last year's Fiesta Bowl.

This time around, they fell to West Virginia, a program that was using an interim coach and undersold tickets for the game. They fell to a team referenced with turmoil, and not with any projection to win the battle. The West Virginia talk was of a ship jumping coach and lawsuits, and not of Pat White and player performances. The Fiesta Bowl talk wasn't about if Oklahoma would win, but how they would win. Oklahoma was the third ranked team, sitting with 2 losses and feeling a possible BCS championship game snub. But it was that other 2 loss team from Morgantown, that was one weekend away from New Orleans, who now poses the bigger argument.

With an annual salary of over $3.4 million, and losing 48-28 to a special teams coach, you have to wonder how much longer before Stoops is on the hotseat. It's one thing to lose big games against Nick Saban and Pete Carroll, but when Chris Peterson and this other guy's(Bill Stewart) teams are better prepared, and they are outcoaching you on the field, it has to turn up the heat just a little. If the Sooners are content with just winning the Big 12 crown and leaving it at that, I guess there won't be much of a buzz from Norman. But I think the expectations are higher, especially considering the programs history, and the amount of money being dished out to build on it.

I can pinpoint one noticeable difference in OU's BCS success and failures. Two Stoops are better than one. Mike Stoops departed after the 2003 season, coordinating the Sooners defense for the final time in a championship game loss to LSU. Though they lost a close one in the Superdome, the Sooners defense only surrendered 21 points. Since then, the defense has given up 55*, 43, and now 48 in BCS bowl games. If the Sooners are looking for a quick fix, and an end to the BCS skid, my suggestion would be to start by evaluating the performance and game preparations of the defensive coordinator(Brent Venables), and then going from there.

It's another feel good story, with the Mountaineers pulling this upset. First, Michigan's Lloyd Carr enjoys his final ride, and now Bill Stewart rides on his players shoulders. The two programs had a sudden connection with the coaching change, and both managed to end on a high note. There's only one piece left to this love triangle, and that would be the "should I stay or go" Les Miles. If Miles and his LSU Tigers are defeated in the BCS championship game by Jim Tressel, all that would be left to say is, "Wow, what an ending".

*Note: LSU's Bo Pelini was the Co-Defensive Coordinator when the Sooners gave up 55 points to USC in the National Championship game.