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

Pasadena in January appears more likely

Sometimes there’s just no getting around that “oops”. Last year, with the madness of the season, USC nearly had the opportunity to overcome the horrible loss to Stanford and still qualify for the BCS championship game. It was the second loss, to Oregon, that ultimately did them in. And even then, it was still close. Two years ago, it wasn’t the slip up against Oregon State that kept the Trojans out of the National Championship game, it was the “oops” at the end, losing the regular season finale to UCLA. This year, it’s appearing more and more likely that the bad outing against the Beavers will stick and deny USC another title opportunity.

There’s still a lot of college football to be played, but if you look at the current BCS standings, and the games to be played by those ranked opponents, it would take a couple of heavy hitters to also fall flat on their faces against lesser opponents for the Trojans to have a chance. A big blow was Ohio State losing to Penn State on Saturday. Not only did the Buckeyes serve as a road block for lower ranked programs nipping at the Trojan heels, but their loss may have granted Penn State a free pass to Miami.

Texas has just one obstacle remaining, and that’s this weekend’s opponent, Texas Tech. Even if the Red Raiders bring down the Horns, with USC’s dismal performance against Arizona, and a winless opponent in Washington this week, there stands the chance that Tech would leap-frog Southern Cal in the BCS standings. For Trojans fans, the game in Lubbock is a “lose-lose” situation, unless you believe the Red Raiders wouldn’t win out.

Then you have a softened SEC, and Alabama rolling through it. The SEC West is the Tide’s to win, and the lone obstacle may be Florida in the SEC title game. Then again, depending on this weekend’s results, it may be Georgia, and we already know what Bama did to the Dawgs. But again, it’s another “lose-lose” situation, because the SEC champion, regardless of who it is, will likely finish ahead of USC.

This leaves us viewing the postseason through Rose colored glasses, and that isn’t even certain. For USC to even have a date in Pasadena, they need Oregon State to lose another game in conference, as a tie-breaker would be the head-to-head meeting with the Beavers, and they would receive the automatic bid. The most important thing is to not lose again. Even if Oregon State was to win out, a one loss Trojans team would surely pick up an at-large BCS bid and appear in a BCS game. If you really look at it, that may actually be better for the fans, if we can’t play in the championship game. Just imagine, Penn State rolling into the National title game, and a USC Pac 10 champion drawing Big 10 runner up Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Why not? Illinois had 3 losses and got there. It would mean the Buckeyes and Trojans would meet 3 times in a two year span. I don’t know about you, but give me someone else. After all, the drubbing of Big 10 opponents becomes…well…boring.

Rearview: Horns continue game of ‘catch me if you can’

Another Saturday and another ranked opponent. Such has been the life of the Texas Longhorns. The Horns have been the BCS leader since defeating their first ranked opponent, the Oklahoma Sooners, three weeks ago. Their weekend disposal of No. 6 Oklahoma State now makes it 3 consecutive ranked opponents to collide with the burnt orange, and and 3 more notches in Mack Brown’s belt. And still there is no time for a breather, as they now prepare for the undefeated and 8th ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders to invade Austin next weekend. Texas has built an impressive BCS resume, and if they manage to make it 4 victims in as many weeks, I doubt anyone can catch them in the BCS standings. One more game, and then smooth sailing ahead. Well, until you reach that Big 12 title game, where they would most likely have a rematch with Missouri. I’m sure the Tigers would love another shot, but I don’t think the result would be any different.

LIVE FOR TODAY, WORK TOWARDS TOMORROW

The Nittany Lions got their first victory in Columbus since they joined the Big 10. In this battle of BCS heavyweights, neither team ran over the other, and nearly punched to a draw. This one was already set up to be a defensive battle, and the Buckeyes may have lost the game on a coaching error. Todd Boeckman had plenty of success in previous years against Penn State, but the Buckeyes chose to ride young Terrelle Pryor, and the horse came up lame in the end. Preparing a young man to be your program’s future leader is one thing. Preparing your team and putting them in the best position to win their biggest game in conference is another.

FREE FALLING

If we’re wondering if the SEC has dropped off, I think this weekend continues to give signs. Not only did Auburn jump out of conference and drop a game to West Virginia, but Vanderbilt took a hit from Duke. How can you continue to make the “top to bottom” claim, when the the perennial bottom sitter of the ACC just claimed a victory over the middle of your conference? What makes the swelling around the black eye stand out even more is Mississippi State edging Middle Tennessee State after a long fought battle. LSU has definitely dropped off defensively. A couple of weeks ago, it was shocking to see a Tigers defense give up 50+ points. Now, just two weeks later, they’ve done it again.

DIGITS

-Saturdays Victory over Tennessee marked the 1st time in 16 years that Alabama has won back-to-back games in the series.

-Georgia's victory in Baton Rouge snapped an LSU streak of 30 consecutive Saturday home victories.

-Kentucky has now lost 22 consecutive games to Florida.

-Oklahoma tied a school record with 55 first half points in their victory over Kansas State.

-USC’s defense allowed just 88 passing yards to Arizona’s Sonny Dykes offense.

-Rutgers’ Mike Teel threw for a school record 6 touchdowns in Saturday’s upset of Pittsburgh.

-Virginia’s defense limited Georgia Tech to just 7 completions in their upset victory.

-Louisville’s defense held South Florida to just 8 rushing yards in their upset victory.

-Ball State has 4 opponents remaining and 0 games to be played on Saturdays.

-Another Hokies loss to Florida State makes it 34 years since Tech has won a game in Tallahassee.


GALLOPING FINISH

Kansas- Defense isn’t played in this state
Kansas State- See above
Kentucky- just got scored on again
Kent State- I just wanted another “K” school here
Pitt- Wanny is owned by Schiano
Penn State- Is Joe Pa really coaching in that booth?
Ohio State- Is Tressel really coaching from that sideline?
Minnesota- dodges Penn State in scheduling
Michigan- hasn’t dodged anything in 4 weeks
Pac 10 officials- called a holding penalty on USC’s #5 (Reggie Bush?)
Arizona State- The season’s great pretender
Week 9- no surprises in the BCS 10

No Surprise, Texas tops first BCS Standing

The Texas Longhorns appear atop the first BCS standing of 2008, which isn't a surprise. It would have been more shocking if they were not. The standings offer little difference between the other national polls, and the top 5 is consistent to the 5 chosen by Harris voters. Though the Los Angeles Times projected the Trojans to appear in the fourth position this week, USC chimes in at No. 5, trailing Oklahoma, Penn State, Alabama, and front running Texas.

Mid-majors need a BCS standing of at least 12 to receive the automatic at-large bid, and both Boise State and Utah are already positioned to do so. In previous years, mid-major representatives made a slow crawl, opening low on preliminary BCS standings, before working their way into bowl position. Utah has a date with TCU later this season, and with a victory, the Horned Frogs may easily steal the Utes' bowl seat.

BCS STANDINGS (OCT. 19)

1.Texas .997 2.Alabama .948 3.Penn State .866 4. Oklahoma .831 5. USC .775 6. Oklahoma State .772 7. Georgia .720 8. Texas Tech .712 9. Ohio State .702 10.Florida .699 11. Utah .634 12. Boise State .587 13. LSU .498 14. TCU .419 15. Missouri .368 16. South Florida .329 17. Pittsburgh .283 18. Georgia Tech .240 19. Tulsa .236 20. Ball State .234

Rearview: A spanking in East Lansing

The obvious key to derailing the Michigan State Spartans is containing super back Javon Ringer. The Ohio State Buckeyes did just that on Saturday, limiting him to just 67 yards. Of course, Containment is easiest when you jump all over your opponent, forcing them to abandon the running game. An immediate indicator is Ringer’s 16 carries, his lowest total of the season. The Buckeyes led 28-0 at the half, building to 35-0 by the end of the third, before completing the 45-7 drubbing of the 20th ranked Spartans, their highest offensive output on the season. With questions and worry surrounding the Buckeyes past performances, they gave a quick message and delivered a Big 10 statement, which basically said “The champs are here”.

And speaking of spankings, Southern Cal was swinging its own paddle, which is already reviewed here.

GRABBING A BULL BY THE HORNS

The Texas Longhorns are rolling, and the Missouri Tigers latched on and were taken for a ride. Stampeding out of the gate, the Horns had hung 28 before every fan was settled in their seats. Riding the momentum from last week’s victory over Oklahoma, Texas left no doubt about the top spot in the polls. Although we all knew Missouri’s defense wasn’t challenging, I think most expected the Tigers’ offense to at least keep pace. Missouri has now dropped games in consecutive weeks, but can still be considered a favorite in the Big 12 north, meaning they may meet Texas again. Is that a good thing?

FEAR THE TURTLE…SOMETIMES

The most difficult team to figure out is the Maryland Terrapins. They’ve squeaked past Delaware, and lost to both Middle Tennessee State and Virginia. On the flip side, they’ve defeated 3 ranked opponents this season, with No. 20 Wake Forest being the latest victim. The Terps host N.C. State next week. Maybe they should hold their weekly practices as if the Wolfpack were ranked.

TOP 25 UPSETS

(9) BYU defeated by TCU
(17) Virginia Tech defeated by Boston College
(18) North Carolina defeated by Virginia
(21) Wake Forest defeated by Maryland
(25) California defeated by Arizona

Did you notice that 3 of the 5 occurred in the ACC?

DIGITS

-After a poor start, Virginia has now won 3 straight. Their victory over North Carolina marked the 14th straight defeat the Tar Heels have suffered in Charlottesville.

-Syracuse’s Greg Robinson is now 2-22 in Big East play since taking the head coaching job.

-Maryland’s blanking of Wake Forest is the first time the Deacons have been shutout since 1998.

-For the first time in his coaching career, Alabama’s Nick Saban is 7-0.

-1896 was the last time Missouri beat Texas in Austin.

-Colt McCoy’s 82 career touchdown passes overtakes Vince Young as Texas’ leader in that category.

-LSU was aided by a season high 6 sacks in their escape of South Carolina.

-In the last 10 quarters of football, Southern Cal has outscored their opponents 114-0.

-In the shutout of Washington State, the nation’s second longest scoring streak was snapped at 280 games. Michigan is the leader in the category.

-BYU’s upset loss to TCU snapped the nation’s longest win streak, at 16 games.

-Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford threw for a school record 468 yards in the Sooners’ victory over Kansas.

-1939 was the last time Baylor won a game in Stillwater.

-Baylor’s Robert Griffin set a new FBS freshman record, with 155 consecutive pass attempts without an interception.



GALLOPING FINISH

Texas- Without a doubt
Mizzou- Without a defense
Kentucky- Phew!
Tennessee- Not the worst in the SEC
Clemson- New coach, same result
Washington State- Terrible
Virginia- Huh?
Michigan- 2 halves= 1 whole game
Wisconsin- missing out of conference play
Michigan State- A dead Ringer
Ohio State- resembling 2007
Penn State- Catch me, Bowden, if you can.
USC (west)- Bye Week
Northwestern- Bowl eligible
Washington- Willingham is 0-6
Oklahoma State- Shhh
Week 8- BCS standings are here!

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

DOH-mer Of The Week- Clash Of The Titans

We’ve had a week of Vince Young’s near nervous breakdown, with just about everyone coming out to speak in his behalf before he finally gave statements of his own, which in short said, “Everything’s cool with me.” Who am I to say things aren’t cool, despite what our media sources are making it out to be? He’s not even my DOH-mer, because I don’t know the facts of the situation, but he did face the embarrassment of an important lesson that went unlearned. Every male should know, once you reach adulthood, you should never allow your mommy to speak for you. It’s even worse when you play a contact sport against grown men trying with all their might to bring you pain, and your mom is using the media as her canvas and painting you as a b*tch. And for all you mothers out there reading this, take note. I know you spend the majority of your lives running to the defense of your little ones, but the last thing they need in their adult lives is a new crop of “Yo Momma” jokes generated by you and hurled in their direction.

My DOH-mer is even bigger than that story, because he helped create it. If you go back to the 2006 draft class, the Titans, picking in the third spot, had a choice of future quarterbacks for the franchise. The coaching staff didn’t want a quarterback from a one read passing offense, with a Wonderlic score equal to Karl’s of “Slingblade”. But the owner, Bud Adams, being a Houston man chose the hometown boy and put him in those Tennessee blues.

Now, before the Longhorns’ fans start jumping out of their seats with their “HOOK’EM”, and start talking about his “offensive rookie of the year” award, allow me to give a one word description. BULLSH**! Sure, he broke a rookie rushing record for quarterbacks that had stood since 1969, but the forward pass has come a long way since then. Yes, he took over the quarterbacking duties and his Titans went 8-5 in that stretch, but it appears the defense was the anchor to the ship. And yes, he made it to the Pro Bowl, by filling in for an injured Philip Rivers. How does a QB with a 66.7 passer rating get to Hawaii? That number ranked him 31st in the league, and only 31 QBs qualified for the ranking. That’s artificial excellence, which never lasts long. If you don’t believe me, ask the once cheered Rex Grossman about how short lived that excellence can be when your team underachieves. There honestly wasn't much to choose from in the 2006 offensive rookie class. It's not like anyone was giving an Adrian Peterson type performance.

The Titans made the wrong selection, and it didn’t stop there. There were other options. And though Matt Leinart is riding pine in Arizona behind a former NFL and Superbowl MVP, the difference is that Leinart would do anything to get on the field, while Young allegedly wants to get off. Being a franchise in Tennessee, where Vanderbilt just happens to be located, how could you not pick Jay Cutler? NFL scouts raved about him, and they were obviously correct. Cutler is the best quarterback of the 2006 draft class, and he's from your own backyard.

After the first f*** up, it got worse. With Young still not adapting to NFL defenses, the Titans were left with a choice, and they chose to fire offensive guru Norm Chow and make him the scapegoat. Chow has a successful track record of NFL quarterback production, but somehow that was overlooked, since Vince still couldn’t pick up a blitz or read coverage, and only think about those “French fried taters”. Then we hear the news about the police spending a couple of hours last week looking for the quarterback. But in Tennessee, coaches and fans have been in search of one for about 3 years now.

My DOH-mer now has a dilemma, the same as the management in San Francisco. He’s invested a ton of money in a franchise quarterback, but the franchise is moving on without him. If Kerry Collins is successful in the upcoming weeks, do you dare bench him when Young is healthy enough to return? Well, Collins is from Lebanon Pennsylvania and not Houston Texas….so, maybe?

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

Just waiting for the locust to arrive

Fall practice isn’t what it was expected to be. Instead of fine tuning all units for regular season play, the Trojans have faced one plague after another. What began with offensive lineman Jeff Byers missing the entire fall practice with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, became quarterback Mark Sanchez and a collapsing leg that made him resemble a transformer. Now it’s moved on to running back Joe McKnight, who had two fingers mangled in a dorm room door accident. And let’s not forget 25% of the USC football roster suffering from tinea cruris, better known as “jock itch” or “balls afire”. This irritation is a likely result of new compression shorts being worn by Trojans this fall, but the series of events leave me wondering when the locust will arrive, and how many plagues still remain.

Joe McKnight taped his fingers and continued to practice, and the word from camp is that Mark Sanchez may possibly return as early as next week. Sanchez is walking without a limp and wearing a smaller brace on his knee. Jeff Byers is finally practicing for the first time this Fall.

It was big news when Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain battled for the starting QB gig, and during scrimmage the Trojans offense managed to score just once. But don’t be so quick to fault the young hurlers for it. The problem was along the offensive front, where the line surrendered 4 sacks in the 11 offensive series, and on many plays simply went the wrong way. Carroll continues to stress the Trojans offensive line as the biggest concern going into the 2008 season.

Defensive End Everson Griffen is disgruntled. The Trojans coaching staff challenged him to overcome his injury and return to practice. Everson had been sitting out with a bad hamstring, and accepting the challenge, it was reaggrevated. The USC coaching staff and Trojan teammates say Griffen, one of the top defensive line prospects of the 2007 class, displays cockiness, but his play is inconsistent. Griffen is currently splitting time with converted linebacker Clay Matthews who now plays defensive end.

Can’t Hook’em Here

Tuesday scrimmage was a rare occurrence, where it was closed to the general public and only open to family members. Spotted in the coliseum was Texas coach, and college baseball legend, Augie Garrido. Garrido, who also coached at nearby Cal State Fullerton, didn’t think it would be a problem to sit in. But just as quickly as Augie was spotted, is as quickly as he was thrown out.

REMEMBER NATALIE NELSON?

Hey, do you remember Natalie Nelson? Okay, outside of the USC campus the name won’t readily ring a bell. But what if I said the short skirt wearing, sweater filling, pom-pom shaking blonde pictured in the above photo? Now we’re getting closer, right? Natalie, on looks alone, could be the poster child of USC Song Girls. Mention the letters “U-S-C” accompanied by the words cheerleaders or song girls, and most would gather a mental picture of the blonde beauty that is Natalie Nelson. But nationally, Natalie is most remembered for this:

Okay, now I’ll ask it again. Do you remember Natalie Nelson, the Song Girl that gained national notoriety for cheering for the wrong team in the 2006 BCS National championship game? Ohhh yeah, right? Yes, that girl. For about a good six month period, Natalie was probably the most photoshopped person on the internet, with users placing her cheering image at historic events like the Rodney King beating and Kennedy assassination. The girl couldn’t get a break, but damn, she’s still hot.

I started wondering whatever happened to her. I always follow Trojans after they leave school and enter the NFL, so what the hell, why not check in on a hot rah rah girl? While at USC, I was always under the impression that she was dating Trojans linebacker Dallas Sartz, who was recently signed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks. She may have dated him for awhile, but it isn’t who she married.

Natalie is now married to Carolina Panthers center Ryan Kalil, another Trojan, and former teammate of Dallas Sartz. The Panthers chose Kalil in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft. The love connection ensures that both Trojans will appear on the sidelines or in the seats at future USC games, because the newlyweds continue to have a connection through family. Lori Nelson, the mother of Natalie, is the USC Song Girls coach, a position held for years, with her also being a former ass shaker at USC. One of the top players of the 2008 Trojans draft class is Matt Kalil, the younger brother of Ryan, and the top ranked offensive line prospect in the country.

Bush gets Kardashian. Leinart gets Brynn Cameron and some groupies in an Arizona hot tub, and Ryan Kalil gets Natalie Nelson. Who would have thought? Advantage Kalil, easily…and best of luck to them both.

‘Don’t mess with Texas’, but unfortunately, I must

The University of Texas’ athletic department has agreed to retiring the jerseys and numbers of former Longhorn players. As of today, the Horns have only four jerseys retired, and they belong to Heisman winners Ricky Williams and Earl Campbell, baseball’s Roger Clemens, and hoops star T.J Ford.

In a ceremony planned for the 2008-2009 season, the number “10” will officially be retired, in honor of the achievements of Vince Young. What better way to honor a man that lifted Texas to their first National Championship in 35 years, and giving a “refuse to lose” performance in the BCS championship game to do it? For that decision, I can’t mess with Texas, because that one is a no-brainer. But there is one player number, among the 9 chosen for this year’s retirement, and it makes absolutely no sense.

Back in March, I severely criticized the University of North Carolina for their announcement of the retiring of Tyler Hansbrough’s jersey. I personally felt his collegiate achievements were dwarfed by other retirees. But Texas now makes the Hansbrough announcement appear more proper, by announcing that they will retire the jersey on Kevin Durant.

As a freshman, Durant received the college player of the year award. He was also the first freshman to receive the Rupp and Robertson trophies, but the accolades end there. Kevin Durant only played one season for Texas. In his one season, the Horns finished 3rd in the Big 12, became the runner up in the Big 12 conference tournament, and were bounced in the second round of the NCAA tournament by USC. So, tell me, why all the fuss over Kevin Durant?

The Longhorns had more success before, and after, Kevin Durant. They recorded a 30 win season in 2005-06, and reached the elite eight of March Madness. The most recent 2007-08 season showed the post Durant Longhorns again reaching the round of 8 teams in the tournament. The one season tour of Kevin Durant in Texas shows his team sandwiched between more successful units, so I'm having a hard time finding logic to support jersey retirement.

There are only two reasons possible for Texas to make this decision. First, they are desperate for basketball heroes, as Durant would mark only the second to be retired. Or secondly, they’re sending a recruiting message to future “one and done” players, saying you only need a single season stay to become a legend of burnt orange.

Can anyone make an argument for Durant’s jersey retirement? If so, I’d love to hear it.

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.

Big Mack Attack

The Holiday bowl is now complete, and this Big 12/Pac 10 match proved to be no contest. The Scumdevils of Arizona State decided to end their season by further proving to everyone that they were frauds. The Devils received so much praise for an 8-0 start on the season, before heading into the teeth of their schedule. They climbed into the nation's top 10, before eventually suffering losses to USC and Oregon. In other words, the scumdevils lost to the best teams they played. And to finalize the label of "fraud", tonight they ended the season by allowing the Texas Longhorns to hang 52 points on the board, as the horns cruised to a 52-35 victory.

Under Mack Brown, Texas is now 7-3 in bowl games, winning 4 straight. Credit Brown for again having his team prepared, and while we're at it, less also credit the big mouth of Rudy Carpenter for antagonizing statements about the Longhorns before the game. Longhorn players and fans took it upon themselves to remind Carpenter of his statements, with the chant of "RUDY" coming from the Texas sideline and in the bleachers.

It's Dejavu for the Pac 10, who now opens this bowl season as they did the last, going 0-2. Just as last year, UCLA and Arizona State laid eggs, with Oregon following to make it an 0-3 start. But the Pac managed to rebound in their last 3 to finish even. Oregon, Cal, Oregon State, and USC are up next, so we'll have to see how that works out.