The Long Snapper – 1-Loss Teams, Rich Rodriguez, the BCS, and More…
. If you cheer for
USC
, well then you probably aren’t actually from Los Angeles, don’t go to school there, and just hopped on the bandwagon, so you don’t matter anyway. And finally, if you’re
Oklahoma
, well you’re in the best shape of anyone with a loss in terms of the scheduling. Problem is you’re looking up at
Texas
with no chance to play them again, meaning you don’t control your own destiny. Maybe it’s time to get a defense.
Javon Ringer Watch: 263 carries, 1,179 yards, 4.5 yards per carry, 14 touchdowns. Ringer had a tough day in the blowout loss to Ohio State. Apparently when you let your opponent get out to an early 21-0 lead, the run game isn’t really involved much in the offense anymore. Ringer had only 16 carries, which was 9 less than his previous season-low. The loss proved Michigan State has very little talent other than Ringer and with Michigan (records can be thrown out against instate rivals), Wisconsin (the Badgers won’t lose EVERY Big Ten game will they?), and Penn State (do I really need a reason?); the Spartans are in danger of tanking.
Let’s stick with the Big Ten for no other reason than to make fun of
Stat of the Week: Last season Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford led the nation with a rating of 176.52. This season Bradford has bettered that with a mark of 192.22 and he is SECOND in the nation behind Tulsa’s David Johnson who has a rating of 212.82.
Earlier this season, Clemson was ranked #9. Auburn was also #9 at one point. And Wisconsin got as high as #8. Now? The three teams are a combined 10-11 and a pitiful 3-10 in conference games. Clemson fired their head coach. Auburn fired their offensive coordinator. And Wisconsin hasn’t won a Big Ten game in four tries. This is right about where fans start jumping ship and talking about “what a great year 2009 will be.” Enjoy a couple more months of wondering if you’ll make a bowl game folks.
How involved is a head coach that coaches from the booth? Penn State legend
Florida State freshman – and one time Florida commit – Bert Reed has been suspended for the Seminole’s next game. Reed was suspended for violating FSU’s new academic policy. Quick SAT question: FSU is to academic policy as night is to a) day, b) day, c) day, or d) earlier that same day.
The season’s first BCS rankings of the year are out and Florida comes in at #10. USF is a little further down at #16. The reason for both being lower than their other rankings? The computers of course. The Gators are #6 in the Harris Poll and #7 in the Coaches Poll while the Bulls are #14 in both. But Florida has a #12 computer average and USF comes in with an average of #23. Trying to understand why the BCS rankings always seem a little off is not worth the effort, but here’s a little insight that actually doesn’t involve the computer averages. Utah received a first-place vote in the Harris Poll. Utah! I get that Urban Meyer’s old stomping grounds are having a great year, but a first-place vote? That means there is someone out there that believes Utah deserves a shot at the national title over Texas, Alabama, and Penn State.
Stat of the Week 2: There are only three teams that are no longer bowl eligible this season and one is June Jones-led SMU. The Mustangs have definitely become a pass first team, but quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has 18 interceptions in eight games Maybe Jones’ team would be doing a little better if he had some “system” players that were better suited for his “system.” I use quotations around the word “system” because Captain Assclown seems to have a different definition for “system” than the rest of us.
Quick picks that I in no way really recommend you take to heart: Texas remains undefeated, Georgia wins a close one over LSU, Kansas takes Texas Tech out of the national title picture, Penn State beats Ohio State, and in a battle of former top 10 teams, West Virginia takes out Auburn.