BCS Tournament: The Better Option

How to fix the NCAA postseason? Tournament! Not a 64-team tournament like basketball. Not a 32 or even 16-team tournament either. I want 12 teams like the NFL...4 top seeds get a 1 week "bye" and the rest have to pull off a wildcard style run for the title. ESPN has their tournament simulator up, but I don't like the formatting and result readouts, so I've done my own.

To accommodate for the extra games needed in a tournament, I say no more .500 schools get a bowl game. When you play 12 regular season games, 6-6 is not bowl worthy. My final stipulation is no more than 2 teams from any conference make the tournament. I am using whatifsports.com's SimMatchup program, and I have set the field preferences to the average conditions for each of the stadiums involved (various websites).

Teams Out

• Wyoming (6-6) - New Mexico Bowl (12/19)
• Marshall (6-6) - Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (12/26)
• Texas A&M (6-6) - Independence Bowl (12/28)
• UCLA (6-6) - EagleBank Bowl (12/29)
• Minnesota (6-6) - Insight Bowl (12/31)
• Iowa State (6-6) - Insight Bowl (12/31)
• Florida State (6-6) - Gator Bowl (1/1)
• Michigan State (6-6) - Alamo Bowl (1/2)

Fortunately, there are an even number of teams above and no team that went 7-5 or better was left out of a bowl. If we can combine the widowed opponents from the above dismissals and use the vacated bowls at early rounds in the BCS Tournament.

BCS Tournament Seeds
1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Cincinnati
4. TCU
5. Florida
6. Boise State
7. Oregon
8. Ohio State
9. Georgia Tech
10. Iowa
11. Virginia Tech
12. BYU (LSU & PSU would be 3rd from their conference)

New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM) - 12/19
(5) Florida Gators vs. (12) BYU Cougars
Ave. Temp. - 35 degrees
Ave. Precip. - less than .1 inches (none)
Ave. Wind - 8 mph (light)
Average result - UF def. BYU 75% by score 30.3 to 14.6
Random result: Florida 30 - BYU 23
Story: The Cougars defense held Tebow to 39 yards rushing and took a 23-13 lead into the 4th quarter. However, Tebow tossed two TDs in the 4th, including the go-ahead with just over a minute to play.
Player of the Game: Tim Tebow (39 yds rushing; 10-14 for 136, 2TDs, 1INT)

Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA) - 12/19
(6) Boise State vs. (11) Virginia Tech
Ave. Temp. - 58 degrees
Ave. Precip. - less than .2 inches (none)
Ave. Wind - 9 mph (light)
Average result - VT def. Boise 55% by score 31.8 to 33.1
Random result - Boise 37 - VTech 38
Story: Back and forth game featuring LOTS of offense for both teams. Avery rushed for 3TDs for Boise, but Brotzman missed 2 long FGs for the Broncos. Meanwhile, Ryan Williams had almost 300 yards rushing alone. Down 6 with 11 seconds to go, Tyrod Taylor threw the game-winning TD.
POG: Ryan Williams (24 carries, 297 yds, 2TDs)

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Detroit, MI) - 12/19
(7) Oregon vs. (10) Iowa
Ave. Temp. - indoors (70 degrees?)
Ave. Precip. - indoors
Ave. Wind - indoors
Average result - Oregon def. Iowa 65% by score 26.8 to 22.9
Random result - (UPSET) Ore 14 - Iowa 47
Story: Not representative of the average result, but that's why there are upsets. Ducks ran like crazy, but couldn't get any passing from Masoli. Meanwhile, Adam Robinson & Brandon Wegher combined for 5 TDs. Oregon scored first, but Iowa outscored them 31-7 in the 2nd half.
POG: Adam Robinson (25 rush for 143, 3TDs; 2 rec for 14 yds)

EagleBank Bowl (Washington, D.C.) - 12/19
(8) Ohio State vs. (9) Georgia Tech
Ave. Temp. - 46 degrees
Ave. Precip. - less than .1 inches (none)
Ave. Wind - 10 mph (medium)
Average result - OSU def. GT 95% by score 43.5 to 18.5
Random result -Ohio State 58 - Georgia Tech 27
Story: I'm a bit shocked by the number of points the Buckeyes put up in all the games! Georgia Tech was still in this one for a while, only down 8 entering the 4th quarter. Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 3 TDs for the Yellow Jackets, but 4 different Buckeyes combined for 7 touchdowns on the ground. OSU rubbed it in by kicking a FG with 7 seconds left to make up for the missed PAT on the previous possession.
POG: Terrelle Pryor (18 car, 67 yds, 2TDs; 9/18 passing, 168 yds, 1TD)

Round 2 Next Week!

3 Team Blockbuster: Is the winner who you think?

I'm only going to blog a short bit on this because the media is probably going to overly analyze it.

Yankees get: Curtis Granderson CF

Granderson is considered a superstar by many though that is inaccurate. He has decent pop, plays very good defense, and is still fleet of foot. The problem is his complete inability to hit left-handed pitching. A .600 OPS isn't going to get it done. I just heard someone on ESPN say that part of Granderson's appeal is his personality. He's a guy everyone will love talking to and can handle any media market. For once I agree with you, ESPN. Touche.

Diamondbacks get: Ian Kennedy, Edwin Jackson

Why Arizona felt the need to become involved in a trade like this is somewhat baffling. Trading five years of Scherzer for Edwin Jackson fresh off a career year is puzzling. The only thing that I can conjure up is that Arizona feels there's an excessive inherent injury risk associated with him. Despite failing miserably in 2008, Ian Kennedy is worth taking a flier on. Sure he flopped in New York the first time around but he could be a fine back-end starter in the JV league.

Tigers get: Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Phil Coke, Austin Jackson

If you're going to trade your best and most marketable player you better get something good in return. Luckily for the Tigers it appears they did just that. Austin Jackson was the Yankees #1 prospect in 2009 and will be expected to immediately step in to fill Granderson's shoes. Scherzer could go one of two ways. He could figure things out and be one of the top starters in the AL or get moved to the bullpen and become a dominant reliever. Schlereth is probably going to end up in the bullpen also but should be an excellent reliever. He's still a prospect so if Detroit wants to give him another go as a starter you couldn't blame them. Phil Coke is a failed starter that should be a LOOGY in the pen.

Verdict: The Tigers are probably the big winners here. Picking up four players who can step in and help the team contend for a division crown for a combined 22 years is an impressive haul. The fact that the team is saving almost $15 million makes this a huge win for the franchise.

With free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui questionable to return, the Yankees get the missing piece to their outfield while giving up only #1 prospect and fringe arm. The only negative is if Granderson's production begins to tail off as he ages, it could become a bit of an albatross. Either way I think this move propels them back to the World Series.

Arizona gets a solid mid-rotation starter who last season threw harder than everyone else in the AL and a finesse pitcher whose skills were once overrated. I don't think we'll be able to properly analyze this trade for the Diamondbacks for several years. I'm not ready to call them the big loser just yet, but it would not be surprising if they end up that way.

NCAA Top 25 - Week 13

Championships happened, and most of the teams I WANTED to win, didn't. I think everyone expects Texas to hold spot and take on Alabama for the Championship, even if there are other more exciting teams who could be there. This will be my final Top-25 poll for the season, since Bowl games are considered the post-season anyway. I'll do a Top-10 when it's all over.

1. Alabama - I didn't want to believe it, but Bama played good and hard and did what they had to, including making Tebow cry!
2. Texas - This game was exactly what I expected. Texas plays down in "big" games, and this was no different.
3. Boise State - Another meaningless ripping of a conference opponent. Can the MWC at least offer them a spot?
4. TCU - Had to think they were cheering pretty hard for a Husker upset as that might have put the Horned Frogs into a Title shot.
5. Cincinnati - Never expected a score that high. Weather hurt the Bearcats some, but helped them near the end when Pitt missed a PAT and only went up 6. Tony Pike saves the day and the BCS Bowl berth.
6. Florida - Didn't want to drop them this far, but they played bad and there are still 5 other undefeated teams.
7. Ohio State - bye week...now they know for sure its Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.
8. Oregon - Shootout for 3 quarters turned to a defensive battle in the 4th. I wish these guys could play Georgia Tech instead. That would be a highly entertaining bowl game I think.
9. Virginia Tech - It may not make sense that the Hokies are ahead of the Yellow Jackets since GaTech won the matchup earlier this year, but timing of losses is huge.
10. Penn State - Probably won't get a BCS Bowl since it will likely go to Iowa, but I think PSU is better right now anyway.
11. BYU
12. Georgia Tech
13. Utah
14. LSU
15. Iowa
16. Miami
17. Arizona
18. Central Michigan
19. Stanford
20. USC
21. Pitt
22. ECU
23. Nebraska
24. Oregon State
25. Wisconsin

Coming Soon:
BCS Tournament...the "better" option.

2009-2010 Big Ten Preview Part 2

5. Michigan

Coach: John Beilein hopes this is the year. The entire starting lineup is returning from last season and another solid recruiting class adds depth. Sims and Harris are stars while Perry, Gibson, and Novak are great role players. The conference schedule is always tough but with a couple of superstars and a tricky zone defense this is the type of team that can get hot and make some noise in tournaments.

Lineup: G Laval Lucas-Perry, G Manny Harris, F Zack Gibson, F Anthony Wright, F DeShawn Sims

Bench: Zack Novak, Stu Douglass, Darius Morris, Matt Vogrich

Star: One of the most versatile players in the Big Ten, Manny Harris contemplated going pro at the end of last season. Not only is he the most likely player to lead the conference in scoring, he's also a threat for a triple double every night.

Top Freshman: Darius Morris is a big guard that will be a role player this season. Next year though - especially if Harris leaves - expect him to be on nightly highlight reels.

NCAA Seed: 7

4. Minnesota

Coach: Tubby Smith coaxed a fourth place finish out of last season's Gopher squad. This year the expectations are even higher. Ralph Sampson III is expected to take the next step to team with veteran guards Al Nolen and Lawrence Westbrook. The fact that Tubby seems to like coaching in Minnesota (as opposed to using this as a stopgap for a more prestigious program) has had a great effect on the recruiting. Once again, the Golden Gophers have a top recruiting class. The added depth and quality give this team an outside shot at the Big Ten title.

Lineup: PG Al Nolen, SG Lawrence Westbrook, SF Damian Johnson, Rodney Williams, C Ralph Sampson III

Bench: Colton Iverson, Devoe Joseph, Blake Hoffbarber, Paul Carter

Star: Nagging injuries have prevented Lawrence Westbrook from playing an entire season. If he's able to make complete a year unscathed, Minnesota will get some recognition on the All Big Ten team.

Top Freshman: Royce White. Minnesota's Mr. Basketball chose to stay in-state instead of attending other high profile schools like Kansas and Michigan St. A possible red-shirt season is likely to keep him off the court this year but he may be the best Gopher player since Kris Humphries or Bobby Jackson.

NCAA Seed: 6

3. Ohio State

Coach: Thad Matt has won two Big Ten championships, has gone to the national title game, and averages 25 wins a game. What more does he need to accomplish to be considered one of the elite coaches? For three straight years Ohio State has lost a 7'0" freshman to the NBA. Next season it is almost certain they will be without Turner. Luckily 2010 is probably the nation's #1 recruiting class. I don't know what else Matta can do to increase his recognition but winning 2 games in the NCAA Tournament seems likely yet again for the Buckeyes.

Lineup: SG David Lighty, SG William Buford, SG Jon Diebler, SF Evan Turner, Kyle Madsen

Bench: Dallas Lauderdale, Jeremie Simmons, PJ Hill

Star: Evan Turner is the best player in the Big Ten. No one else is capable of filling up a stat sheet as consistently. Without a true PG, Turner fills in. When the team needs to go small, Turner plays power forward. Expect him to be a lottery selection in the NBA draft.

Top Freshman: No freshmen on roster.

NCAA Seed: 4

2. Michigan State

Coach: Tom Izzo reached the national title game last year for what seems like the tenth time. This year's squad returns all the guards and has some solid freshmen as well. Unfortunately three big men have graduated leaving a gaping hole down low. Expect some struggles early in the year against taller teams particularly North Carolina. But these games will allow Izzo's youngins to grow into their roles as the Big Ten season gets underway. I think Ohio State is a better team but Izzo has worked magic before.

Lineup: PG Kalin Lucas, SG Durrell Summers, F Delvon Roe, F Raymar Morgan, F Garrick Sherman

Bench: Draymond Green, Chris Allen, Korie Lucious, Derrick Nix

Star: Kalin Lucas doesn't look like a typical big-time scorer but that's just what he is. The junior averaged 14.7 ppg last year and also took home the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Top Freshman: Garrick Sherman is starting as a freshman. Although he doesn't have the high ceiling most other freshman starters have had under Izzo, he'll be a solid Big Ten player for four years.

NCAA Seed: 3

1. Purdue

Coach: Matt Painter's desire to recruit players that will stay four years and gel into a team has paid off. The Baby Boilers are no more, instead they're a team ranked in the top ten that expects to compete for the Final Four. It's possible Johnson or Hummel could leave at the end of the season. If that's the result of a Final Four appearance I think most Purdue fans will tell you it's worth it. The 2010 recruiting class is similar to the one three years ago so it's hopeful the cycle is about to begin anew.

Lineup: G Kelsey Barlow, G E'Twan Moore, G Chris Kramer, F Robbie Hummel, C JaJuan Johnson

Bench: Keaton Grant, Ryne Smith, DJ Byrd, Patrick Bade

Star: Robbie Hummel's ability to hit the timely three and find the open man are qualities that make the Purdue team tick. The Boilers really struggled when he went down with a back injury last season.

Top Freshman: Kelsey Barlow is taking over at PG due to Lewis Jackson's foot injury. Long and quick, he has the potential to be an elite on-ball defender.

NCAA Seed: 2

NCAA Top 25 - Week 12

Rivalry week spoiled a few teams hopes and dreams. The showdown is set for Bama vs. FU...Gators are hot right now. I have to break my rules about how many spots you can fall when it's rivalry week.

1. Florida - Turns out, that Tebow guy is still pretty good. He's like a Tommy Frazier though...no real NFL impact in my eyes.
2. Texas - A&M gave them a run most of the game, but McCoy and the Horns just didn't make many mistakes and the Aggies did.
3. Alabama - Hopefully, Ingram is healthy for the SEC Title game, otherwise the Tide will not roll.
4. Boise State - Nevada turned out to be no challenge, but other losses have all but guaranteed them their deserved BCS game.
5. TCU - Apparently they've beaten their spread 9 staight weeks before running into New Mexico. 44 points was just too much to cover as they sneaked out a 41 point win.
6. Cincinnati - Tony Pike returns to lead the Bearcats over an awful Illinois team. I still think Pitt has a shot to ruin their party.
7. Ohio State - bye week bliss
8. Oregon - Civil War for the Rose Bowl against OSU staring them down.
9. Virginia Tech - I guess timing is everything. Haven't lost in 4 weeks and now climb into my top 10 again.
10. Penn State - Despite losing to Iowa, the AP and Coach's Polls have them ahead of the Hawkeyes. So who gets the at-large bid?
11. BYU
12. USC
13. Georgia Tech
14. Utah
15. LSU
16. Iowa
17. Miami
18. Pitt
19. Nebraska
20. Cal
21. Oregon State
22. Stanford
23. Central Michigan
24. Arizona
25. Houston
(Just out: Oklahoma State, Ohio)

Special Upset BCS Bowl Projections
Championship - Alabama vs. TCU
Orange - Clemson vs. Texas
Fiesta - Nebraska vs. Boise State
Sugar - Florida vs. Pitt
Rose - Oregon State vs. Ohio State

2009-2010 Big Ten Preview

Another exciting season of NCAA Basketball is underway. As I did last year, I will again predict the Big Ten standings for the upcoming season. Here we go:

11. Iowa

Coach: 2009 proved to be even more difficult to stomach than anyone expected in Iowa City. Last year I wrote:

Lickliter's biggest challenge is getting good players. He's been the first to admit that it's a challenge to recruit Big Ten players and not just guys who fit his scheme.

This appears even more apparent this season after a mass exodus of last year's team. If the Hawkeyes don't improve upon their 15-17 record this could be it for Lickliter.

Lineup: G Matt Gatens, G Anthony Tucker, G Cully Payne, F Jarryd Cole, F Brennan Cougill

Bench: Eric May, Devan Bawinkel, Aaron Fuller, Andrew Brommer

Star: Matt Gatens is head and shoulders the best player on this team. With his versatility and high percentage shooting, he could go down as one of the best Hawkeyes ever.

Top Freshman: Cully Payne

NIT Bid: No

10. Indiana

Coach: Tom Crean has shown he is a master recruiter and a patient mentor. He inherited a Hoosier team bereft of all talent and only managed to win one conference game. This season, with the conference's top recruiting class and a few of last year's recruits on board, IU looks to make some noise as they attempt to move up the ranks. They're still a year away though.

Lineup: PG Verdell Jones III, G Maurice Creek, G Jeremiah Rivers, F Tom Pritchard, F/C Christian Watford

Bench: Derek Elston, Devan Dumes, Jordan Hulls, Bobby Capobianco

Star: Look for Verdell Jones to really improve now that he has some legitimate players around him.

Top Freshman: Christian Watford

NIT Bid: No

9. Penn St.

Coach: Last year may have been the most successful season in Nittany Lion history. Snubbed by the NCAA despite finishing 4th in the Big Ten and winning 23 games, this team went on to win the NIT championship proving its doubters wrong. Yet Ed DeChellis knows this season may be even tougher after the departure of three seniors. But as long as Talor Battle is around this team will scare people.

Lineup: G Talor Battle, G Jeff Brooks, F Andrew Jones, G Chris Babb, F David Jackson

Bench: Tim Frazier, Cammeron Woodyard, Adam Highberger

Star: Talor Battle was all Big Ten last year as a sophomore. This guy is a true game changer.

Top Freshman: Tim Frazier

NIT Bid: Yes

8. Illinois

Coach: Bruce Weber got his team back to the tournament last year. However the good news ends there. When Sr. guard Chester Frazier got went down late in the year, the Illini offense went with him. Putrid offensive showings vs. Purdue in the Big Ten tournament and in a blowout loss to 12th seeded Western Kentucky have left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Unfortunately last year's team had several seniors so a minor step back may occur this season. For the first time in his tenure, Weber managed to bring in two of the top freshmen in the conference. If these two can contribute right away look for the Illini to return to the NCAA Tournament.

Lineup: G Demitri McCamey, G Brandon Paul, G DJ Richardson, F Mike Davis, C Mike Tisdale

Bench: Alex Legion, Bill Cole, Dominique Keller, Jeffrey Jordan

Star: Mike Davis exploded last year. Named to the Big Ten 2nd team, he averaged 11.3 pts/game and led the Big Ten in rebounding.

Top Freshman: DJ Richardson. Richardson's team went 33-0 and won the state title his senior year.

NIT Bid: Yes

7. Northwestern

Coach: Bill Carmody almost got his team where no Northwestern team had ever been: the NCAA Tournament. With a team loaded with seniors this looked to be the year, if ever, they would finally make it. Unfortunately a pre-season injury to the team's best player may prevent the Wildcats from reaching their full potential. Good teams tend to struggle against NWU as their 1-3-1 zone defense causes opponents fits. I'm not sure Carmody's job is on the line but if they don't make the tournament it will be another disappointing season in Evanston.

Lineup: G Michael Thompson, G Jeremy Nash, G/F Drew Crawford, F John Shurma, C Luka Mirkovic

Bench: Kyle Rowley, Alex Marcotullio, Ivan Peljusic

Star: With Kevin Coble out for the year, Michael Thompson assumes the reins of team superstar. Only 5'10", he's a strong rebounder and penetrator

Top Freshman: Drew Crawford

NCAA Bid: No

6. Wisconsin

Coach: Never count Bo Ryan out. I, for one, thought last season's team would be awful. Although they didn't dominate the way some Badger teams of the past have done, they still won 20 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. This season will be even more of a challenge after his top two players graduated. Expect more Wisconsin basketball: slow, grinding offense and an in-your-face defense focused on rebounding. I don't see a lot of talent on this squad but as I already said, don't count Bo Ryan out.

Lineup: PG Trevon Hughes, G Jason Bohannon, G/F Tim Jarmusz, F Keaton Nankivil, F Jon Leuer

Bench: Ryan Evans, Jordan Taylor, Mike Bruesewitz

Star: Trevon Hughes is lightning quick and one of the best defensive players in the country.

Top Freshman: Mike Bruesewitz

NCAA Bid: Yes

NCAA Top 25 - Week 11

Many Championship games have now been set, including my beloved Skers facing the Horns on December 5. If Alex Henry keeps punting like he did against K-State, Texas will have some very long drives needed for points.

1. Florida - Arguably played a tougher opponent than Alabama, since FIU is at least Div-1, and beat them more convincingly.
2. Texas - Handled Mangini's Jayhawks and have a snoozer next week against A&M; Horns play down in big games...maybe Nebraska has a shot in the Title
3. Alabama - Mark Ingram or Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan) for Heisman?
4. Boise State - Another big win Friday night; hard to say who's better between Boise and TCU, but Nevada next Friday is no gimme for the Broncos...fortunately, it's on the blue turf
5. TCU - Wyoming was no test...neither will be New Mexico...I think they should play Alabama in the Sugar, but it sounds like Orange gets 1st pick?
6. Cincinnati - bye week...no news is good news for Bearcats? Really only Pitt stands in their way.
7. Georgia Tech - Same as Cinci...both have big rivalries coming up that could spell disaster, and Bulldogs need redemption
8. Ohio State - The Maize and Blue made it interesting, but Buckeyes make it 6 straight, they're longest streak against the Wolverines ever.
9. Pitt - bye week also...watched UConn take down Notre Dame making 2 straight wins for Big East over Domers
10. Oregon - This was quite a game as I understand it...I only watched the 1st quarter, but the final score tells me it was a dogfight
11. Penn State
12. Oklahoma State
13. Utah
14. Virginia Tech
15. BYU
16. USC
17. Iowa
18. Clemson
19. Cal
20. LSU
21. Nebraska
22. Oregon State
23. Stanford
24. Temple
25. Central Michigan
(Just out: Ole Miss, Arizona)

BCS Bowl Projections
Championship - Texas vs. Florida
Orange - Georgia Tech vs. TCU
Fiesta - Penn State vs. Boise State
Sugar - Alabama vs. Cincinnati
Rose - Ohio State vs. Oregon

NCAA Top 25 - Week 10

We need a new "logo" since Bill & Ted has apparently expired. I'm making my picks before the last game is over because, simply put, Oregon is on their way to winning big (31-7 at half).

1. Florida - Knew Spurrier would have something for his old crew, but as expected, it was not enough. Tebow becomes alone atop SEC TDs list.
2. Texas - Beat Baylor Bears beyond betting odds...had to go for as many consecutive B's as possible once I got started :)
3. Alabama - Slow start but they literally ran away with it in the 2nd half. I'm naming my kid Mark Ingram Taege because apparently that's a good name for future NFLers.
4. Boise State - Reminds Idaho that their surprising season does NOT mean they are a formidable opponent for their rival.
5. TCU - DESTROYS Utah!!! I watched the first half and was amazed at all aspects of this team. Too bad Texas will be playing Bama/Gators for the Title, cuz Boise vs. TCU would probably be more entertaining.
6. Cincinnati - Wins a battle vs. West Virginia. Another team that probably deserves title consideration...if they beat Pitt in the season finale. Nice to see the Big East title work itself out that way.
7. Georgia Tech - Locked themselves into the ACC title vs. BC or Clemson. I'd prefer BC since Clemson already had their shot...though Clemson holds the tie-break AND is playing good football right now AND has only 1 ACC game left vs. Virginia while BC still has to play the up-and-down Tar Heels and then Maryland.
8. Ohio State - Even without Stanzi, the Hawkeyes D kept it close and took OSU to overtime to earn their spot in the Rose Bowl.
9. Pitt - Seemed to be in control the whole game over ND, but Jimmy Clausen keeps his team in it. Did anyone predict the Panthers to be in this position? Pitt or Cinci in the Orange Bowl.
10. LSU - This is the worst 2-loss team imaginable. They haven't won an impressive game all year, but with everyone around them losing, they keep finding a way into my top-10.
11. Oregon
12. Penn State
13. Oklahoma State
14. Utah
15. Stanford
16. Virginia Tech
17. USC
18. BYU
19. Iowa
20. Wisconsin
21. Clemson
22. Cal
23. Nebraska
24. Arizona
25. Rutgers
(Just out: Temple, Central Michigan)

BCS Bowl Projections
BCS Title - Texas vs. Florida
Sugar Bowl - Bama vs. TCU
Orange Bowl - Ga Tech vs. Cincinnati
Fiesta Bowl - Penn State vs. Boise State
Rose Bowl - Ohio State vs. Oregon

NCAA Top 25 - Week 9

Read this:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-boise110709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Doesn't speak well of my beloved 'Skers, especially after their outstanding defensive performance for the 3rd straight week. Although it's obviously not JUST Nebraska that looks scared of the Blue Broncos. I hope this article reaches the voters and gets Boise into the title game...if Florida, Texas, Alabama, TCU, and Cinci all lose.

Anyway...

1. Florida - Vandy proves to be no problem. Gators looking good for Pasadena.
2. Texas - See above...swap "UCF" in place of "Vandy" and "Horns" for "Gators".
3. Bama - Truth is, I wanted them to beat LSU, but it was kind of nice watching the Tide struggled for 3 quarters.
4. Boise - I'm singing a new song after the article above. I didn't realize Boise has tried to make a harder schedule and can't get an opponent. I'm hard-pressed to put a WAC team in the big game over and undefeated Big East or even MWC school.
5. TCU - next...
6. Cincinnati - Yikes! The offense is fine without Pike...the D needs to really step it up or Bearcats will lose to Noel Divine and West Va on Friday.
7. Georgia Tech - Wake gives top talent in ACC a real scare for the second week in a row. Meanwhile, 3 top-10s go down and Yellow Jackets move up!
8. Ohio State - This team WOULD beat USC now anyway.
9. USC - This USC team is not looking good. They started the year with impressive wins but have been about 3rd or 4th best in the Pac-10 for the past month.
10. Utah - Sets up a nice Saturday night battle of Top 10 teams from the Mountain West this week with their battle against TCU.
11. Pitt
12. LSU
13. Miami
14. Arizona
15. Houston
16. Penn State
17. Iowa
18. Oklahoma State
19. Oregon
20. BYU
21. Virginia Tech
22. Stanford
23. South Florida
24. Wisconsin
25. Troy
(Just out: Clemson, Nebraska)

NCAA Top 25 - Week 8

A few scares for some of the top 25, but not many resulted in true "upsets."

1. Florida - Defeated Georgia in the way they should have been playing all year long. Poised to finish this out and repeat as Champs?
2. Texas - Also back to their winning ways after recent scares again Oklahoma and Colorado.
3. Alabama - A good week for the bye, as they weren't going to move up anyway.
4. Boise State - Another blowout of a terrible WAC opponent. That Oregon win is all they've got to hang their blue-turf hats on.
5. TCU - Blowout city. Next week should be more of the same at SDSU. But look out for Utah in 2 weeks.
6. Cincinnati - Doing it with a backup QB...Connecticut next week hasn't really shown the kind of talent to stop the Bearcats.
7. Iowa - Definitely a 2nd half team. Trailed the Hoosiers going into the 4th before lighting up the scoreboard with 4 straight TDs.
8. Oregon - Excellent performance against USC, but they can't stop now with games at Stanford, at Arizona, and the Civil War against OSU.
9. LSU - I'm not a believer in the Bayou Bengals...beat Alabama next week and I'll believe.
10. Georgia Tech - Another top 10 team that struggled to get going...finally put Vandy away in the 4th.
11. Penn State
12. USC
13. Ohio State
14. Utah
15. Pitt
16. Houston
17. Miami
18. Arizona
19. Notre Dame
20. Cal
21. Oklahoma State
22. BYU
23. Virginia Tech
24. South Florida
25. Wisconsin
(Just out: Idaho, Troy)