Saturday notes on a Sunday 10/19

*Missouri beat the bejesus out of Florida Saturday evening 42-13.  It was peculiar type of beat down.  Missouri notched a kickoff return, an interception return, a punt return and a fumble return for TD.  How does that happen?  In the process of the smack down, Florida turned the ball over 6 times.  If I am a Florida fan, I have had it with Will Muschamp.  I wouldn’t want him coaching my team one more day after such an embarrassment.  How long can his reign of error go on?

*Florida State didn’t beat Notre Dame as much as they survived.  The Noles only converted 2-8 3rd downs and were out-gained by over 140 yards.  This team just seems to skate by at this point.  It seems to me they are ripe for the picking.  They have lost the edge that made them so special last year.  What happened to the team that was rolling everyone a year ago?  Has the chaos of Jameis Winston really taken that great of a toll?  This team has no chance of repeating as National Champs the way they are playing.

*Sooner fans have to be beside themselves after the home loss to Kansas State.  Oklahoma outgained the Cats 533 to 385, got 30 first downs and generally controlled the game.  OU committed a number of errors that led to the loss.  Trevor Knight threw a pick 6 backed up to his own goal line on a lazy throw to the flat.  In the 3rd quarter with the Sooners driving Oklahoma Jay Norvell dialed up a reverse pass which was intercepted in the end zone.  Michael Hunnicut missed a makeable field goal at the end of the first half, had an extra point blocked, and then a gimme with the game on the line.  The final miss came after a drive where the Sooners pounded the ball down the field with little resistance.  It was 1st and goal inside the 5, OU ran it 3 times in the middle before settling for the field goal.  This loss eliminates Oklahoma from any kind of playoff conversation and has to sicken the Sooner faithful.

*Baylor loses at West Virginia 41-27 a week after lucking out at home against TCU 58-61.  It goes to show, again, that championship caliber football requires defense.  You just cant expect your offense to do all the heavy lifting throughout the season.  A good offense, like Baylor’s, can cover up a lot of deficiencies.  Its the great deodorant.  Once again it is proven that in order to have a championship level team, defense must at least be adequate.  It sure didnt help matters that Baylor comitted 18 penalties for 185 yards, and was only 3-16 on 3rd down.  Those are sloppy stats.  Baylor may re-enter the playoff discussion, but in my opinion they are unworthy.  Playoff teams should be at least competent on both sides of the ball.

*The score is astounding, but the manner in which Alabama slapped around  Texas A&M really stands out.  This one was an absolute blood bath in every way.  The score at halftime was 45-0 and the Tide took their foot off the gas.  Alabama piled up 602 yards of total offense including an astronomical 6.6 yards per rush.  They held the Aggies to a mere 172 yards and only 31 rushing.  Where do these teams go from here?  Alabama obviously, lives to fight another day in the hunt for the playoffs.  What about the Aggies?  They have lost 3 in a row and are in full free fall.  Does this team go in the tank?  Do they get it back on track for the rest of the 2014 campaign?  I have to believe a loss like this effects this teams confidence and overall mentality.  It is something to watch going forward.

STOCK UP
Alabama– beating the pants off anyone like that is deserving of a stock up designation.
Arizona State– Stanford may be down, but its a good win for the Sun Devils no less.
TCU– an impressive bounce back victory over an over rated Oklahoma State squad.
Minnesota– The Gophers move to 6-1 after a come from behind victory Saturday afternoon.

STOCK DOWN
Florida– what a dumpster fire.
UCLA– This team makes me look like an idiot each and every week.
Kentucky– I thought UK could hang with LSU.  I was wrong.
BYU– A 3rd loss in a row after losing Taysom Hill.  Its apparent just how valuable he was.
Baylor– Play some damn Defense.

Follow College Football Junkie on Twitter: @jakeanderson998

Notes and Such 3/15

A slow week on the College Football scene.  Im sure the news will pick up.  For now I have but one take on the week that was in College Football:

*Nebraska Football spring practice has begun and there is one interesting bit of news coming out of Huskerland.  Senior WR Jamal Turner has been practicing at QB part time.  Apparently, Turner met with Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck after the bowl game and they discussed the possibility of Turner playing some QB.  They even mentioned that he could win the job.  I think this is an awful, and horribly misguided idea.  First and foremost, Turner has yet to perfect the craft of WR.  Taking reps away from him in spring ball is short sighted.  Turner has the potential to be one of the most explosive playmakers on that side of the ball.  Why is he hopping around between QB and WR?.  Why tinker with that?  Secondly, Turner’s presence only takes reps away from Tommy Armstrong, Johnny Stanton and Ryker Fyfe and creates a distraction.  Those dudes are competing for a job.  Keep the sideshow out of the picture.  If Turner is an option in the wildcat package, that is fine, but he doesn’t need to be practicing with the QBs to do it.  Finally this move reeks of the lack of direction the Offense seems to have under Tim Beck.  His Offense lacks an identity and the inclusion of Turner at QB does nothing to ease my concerns.  Any way you slice it, I think this is a shitty idea and must be stopped immediately.

Weekly List- Top 5 rivalries ruined by re-alignment
1)Texas/Texas A&M- In years past this was one of the best traditions in College Football.  These two would meet up Thanksgiving night for a hell of a game.  It was a great way to digest your turkey and watch 2 schools that truly despised one another.  Now all they do is bitch and cry about who is responsible for ending this wonderful game.  Both schools need to sack up and renew this rivalry even if it isn’t on Thanksgiving night.
2)Oklahoma/Nebraska-This one is a bit of a curve ball.  This rivalry was not ended when Nebraska joined the Big 10.  Rather it was ended when the Big 12 formed.  Oklahoma decided they would prefer to play Texas annually rather than face NU.  For decades these 2 met the day after Thanksgiving to decide who would win the Big 8.  Sooner magic typically prevailed, but a staunch rivalry, and a mutual respect, existed between the two schools. 
3)Pittsburgh/West Virginia-These schools are separated by a mere 75 mile giving the rivalry the name “The Backyard brawl.”  When both schools were in the same conference this rivalry was as fierce as they come.  Now that West Virginia has joined the Big 12, and Pittsburgh the ACC, the rivalry has gone dormant.  It is a shame.  These teams typically played with something on the line.  In 2007 Pittsburgh kept West Virginia from the title game. 
4)Kansas/Missouri- This border war has serious historical implications.  In 1863 a group of Missourians burned the pro-abolition city of Lawrence to the ground.  Ever since KU and Misery have been serious rivals.  This rivalry is more significant in basketball, but when these schools are both good on the gridiron this one is special.  The hatred is there.  Its a damn shame they don’t play anymore.
5)Louisville/Cincinnati- A very underrated rivalry.  These schools are extremely close geographically as well as  athletically.  Its a shame this rivalry ends as Louisville joins the ACC and Cincy continues to endure the limbo that is the American Athletic Conference.

A couple of notes from around the rest of the sports world

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of watching Nebrasketball defeat the mighty Wisconsin Badgers to, all but, lock up a spot in the NCAA tournament.  The atmosphere in that building was incredible.  Kudos to the fans for blowing the roof off the arena Sunday night.  It was a very important W for the program.  But at the same time, this was more than a victory.  This win represented a move forward.  This program will succeed, will be a winner, and not be an afterthought any longer.  Tim Miles and NU administration, who has committed to basketball, deserve an enormous amount of credit for this incredible transformation.  It is remarkable.  I have been watching Husker Hoops for 20 years and it is so refreshing/exhilarating/joyous to witness such a change.  Over the years I have watched plenty of terrible basketball.  Year after year, the outlook was bleak, and there was, no future to speak of.  To be able to look to the future with, not just hope, but expectation, was beyond my wildest hope.  Nebrasketball is here to stay, and I, couldn’t be happier.

What the hell has happened to the Iowa Hawkeyes?  At one point I had them pegged to make a deep tournament run.  They are deep, long, athletic and have all kinds of pieces to work with.  On paper this is a team that you would put up against anyone.  Yet the Hawkeyes have lost 6 of 7 and are in total free fall mode. I don’t think they should even make the tournament at this point.  This club has left me puzzled.

What kind of run can Creighton have?  I have yet to really put my finger on the Jays.  Obviously Doug McDermot is outstanding.  Hell, he is probably the best player in the country.  But are the Jays poised for a deep tournament run?  I could see it either way.

Who do you have an eye on this March?

follow: @jakeanderson998

Big night for bowl games

I have made it no secret that I think some of the bowl games have been real stinkers.  My opinion has changed some in the last few days with a terrific New years day and an awesome Sugar bowl last night.  Tonight 2 fantastic games kick off.  This will be the best night of bowl action this season.  Enjoy it folks, College Football will be gone very very soon.

Missouri/OkState- a test tube in Arlington Tx.

Call me old fashioned or nastolgic or whatever but I absolutely preferred the Cotton Bowl in the actual Cotton Bowl.  Cowboy stadium is not a suitable backdrop for such a terrific matchup.  These 2 teams both had disappointing finishes to their season and will be looking for a shred of redemption in this game.  I like Oklahoma State tonight because of their defense and their running game.  Then again you could say the same thing about Missouri.  In many ways these teams are mirror images of one another.  Missouri has the edge on the perimeter with L’Damian Washington and Dorial Green Beckham.  These are 2 big, awesome WRs.  Slowing those 2 will be the key to this game.  I think the Pokes find a way to get it done.  Give me OSU in a tight one.

Ohio State/Clemson- Miami Florida

This is a wonderful, terrific matchup between 2 high powered offenses and questionable defenses.  Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde lead the Buckeyes whose resolve will be tested tonight.  The Buckeyes were just a game away from playing for the title, but Michigan State peed on their campfire.  This is where Urban Meyer earns his money.  I think OSU will come out with their hair on fire and soundly defeat a very good Clemson team.  Ryan Shazier and the silver bullet defense will have a tall task ahead of them, but I predict they are up for it.  Give me the Bucks to beat up on the Tigers tonight in Miami.

Saturday notes on a Sunday 12/8

*Michigan State showed the world that they are the best team nobody is talking about.  Their Defense is ferocious, tenacious and flat out mean.  They beat an Ohio State team on a 24 game winning streak.  The Buckeyes had the world to play for but couldn’t get past Sparty.  Early in the season I wrote off Michigan State as a team with a good Defense and a poor Offense.  That Offense is poor no more.  Connor Cook is not Peyton Manning, but he is pin point accurate, and cerebral.  He has made some big throws down the stretch for Sparty.  Their running game is punishing with Jeremy Langford and the road graders up front.  This is a damn good team and it is time they got their due.  A big Congrats to Michigan State and their fans.  They earned it.

*The SEC Title Game was absurd.  Nobody could make a damn stop.  Thankfully, for me at least, Auburn prevailed with a ridiculous rushing attack, amassing 545 yards on the ground.  All total there were 101 points, 1211 total yards, 52 first downs, and 0 Defense.  I don’t want to hear any of this SEC supremacy talk.  It has been true in years past, but this year it is a myth.  This is an average conference.  Consider that the participants in Saturdays games won a combined 3 Conference games in 2012.  That doesn’t happen in a loaded league .  Don’t let the worldwide leader twist the facts.  This league is average and nothing special.

*So with the loss of Ohio State in the Big 10 title game that leaves the question of who will play Florida State, who pummeled Duke as expected, in the National Title game.  It appears that Auburn will be the choice, but I disagree.  I think Michigan State deserves the spot.  Auburn lacks the balance that I would like to see playing for a National Title.  I would rather see Michigan State play the Seminoles.  I think Baylor has as good of a case as Auburn does.  The Bears lost one game against a very good Oklahoma State team.  In my opinion they are a deserving candidate.  It isn’t going to happen, I know that.  The nation is so in love with the SEC that they will receive any edge possible.

*The Bedlam game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State was fantastic.  I spent the first 3 quarters wondering when the Pokes would break the damn thing open.  Oklahoma used a punt return and a fake field goal and a junk time Defensive TD to account for 3 of their 4 Tds.  Watching the game it was obvious to me that Oklahoma State was the more talented team. But the Cowboys played conservatively and were very tight.  In the end the Sooners, who had nothing to play for, let it all hang out and scored with :30 left to win the game.  This was one of the best games of the year.  The loss costs Oklahoma State a Conference title and  in the most bitter fashion imaginable.  This one gets a great big owch.

*The beneficiary of the Cowboy’s loss was the Baylor Bears who played a defacto Big 12 Title game at home against the Texas Longhorns.  It took awhile, but the team who leads the nation in shit talking took care of business at home against an inferior opponent.  Yep, that is right, Baylor just won a conference title.  The Bears put together an impressive season and are rewarded with the hardware.  Not to toot my own horn but I called this before the season began ( https://jandersoncollegefootballblogg.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/big-12-picks/ ).  Baylor is a deserving champ since the more deserving team pooped the bed at home.  Congrats to the Bears, I just wish they would tone down the bravado a bit.

*Many of the talking heads this week were predicting that Arizona State would upset Stanford in the Pac12 title game.  They sited the fact that the Sun Devils were playing better, were at home, and that rematches were a bitch.  Well Stanford came out and put that line of thinking to bed with a physical, workmanlike, nose to the grindstone victory in Sun Devil Stadium.  It was typical Stanford.  They put up 240 rushing yards on the night including 133 by Tyler Gaffney who also added 3 scores.  Kevin Hogan was fantastic going 12/18 for 277 yards on the night.  When Stanford can combine the run and pass, along with those maulers on defense, they are scary good.  Next up for the Cardinal is a date on New years day with Sparty.  That will be a hell of a matchup.

*My head will explode if Oklahoma gets a BCS at large bid over Oregon.  That will be a crime.

STOCK UP
Michigan State– Great win for a classy program.  Well done Sparty.
The Big 10– A little respect for this Conference please.
Blake Bell– That was a hell of a drive to win the game for the Sooners on Saturday.  I didn’t know he could throw like that, he sure hadn’t done it all year.
Kevin Hogan- Great performance on the big stage.  Stock up buddy.
Tre Mason– Huge, ridiculous, awesome day.  46 freaking carries for 304 yards and 4 TDs.  Jesus Christ, what a game.

STOCK DOWN
The SEC– for that attrocity they called a Conference title game.  U-G-L-Y
Oklahoma State– For letting a conference title slip through their fingers to an inferior opponent on their own field.
ESPN– my disdain for “the worldwide leader” grows with every sportscenter segment.  They always have an agenda.
Todd Graham’s headset– Is he a football coach or a backup singer for Madonna?  Get a real headset dude.

Big game Saturday primer

This is one of my favorite weekends of College Football.  Championship games all over the place and other meaningful matchups all over the schedule.  Here is my take on the day’s top games.

Oklahoma @ OKState- Its Bedlam is Stillwater

This is a terrific rivalry from 2 schools that truly despise one another.  It is even better when something is on the line.  That is the case Saturday at 11am as The Sooners go to Stillwater.  A win for the Pokes gives them a Big 12 Title.  On paper, this is a slam dunk.  Oklahoma has been average, very, very, average.  OkState on the other hand has really improved into a top team in the country.  Since their inexplicable slip up in Morgantown, the Pokes have won 7 in a row.  I think the Pokes will win this game, but I think OU will make them sweat for a while.  The Oklahoma Defense will keep them in the game for 1/2 to 3/4 of the game before the Pokes take over.  Josh Stewart and company will be simply too much as OKState wins their second Conference title in 3 years.

Texas @ Baylor- Big 12 undercard game

If the Pokes were to lose that would make this the Big 12 title game.  I find this to be an extraordinarily intriguing matchup.  It comes down to 2 things.  Can Baylor stop Texas’ run game?  I think they can.  They have a Defense built upon speed, but they seldom get pushed around.  They will not get pushed around at home.  Will Baylor be able to protect Bryce Petty?  In Texas’ last game against Tech, they had 7 sacks.  Their pass rush is pretty good.  If Baylor is smart, and I think they are, they will be prepared with hot routes and other measures to get the ball out of Petty’s hands.  These are the keys to the game.  I like Baylor to break out the paddles and spank UT in Waco.

Missouri/Auburn- SEC Title game that nobody saw coming

I have made my  disgust for Missouri very apparent this season.  One of the main reasons I find them so nauseating, is that they act like they are awesome, but they have never won anything.  Well, that could change Saturday.  I think this game comes down to one factor.  Is Auburn ready for forget about the greatest game ever played?  If they are, they have a decent, to pretty good chance.  If not, I will be gulping Wild Turkey for the remainder of the weekend.  Auburn has a “team of destiny” feel to it.  I will go with the Tigers that don’t repulse me in this one.

Stanford @ Arizona State- Pac 12 Title game Greatness

There is one, and only one, angle that I give Arizona State in this game.  That angle is that rematches is College Football are a bitch.  Well forget it.  I think Stanford comes prepared, confident and focused.  They will do what the Cardinal does.  They will run the ball on offense and their defense will manhandle the opposition.  Defense wins Championships, not flashy Offenses.  I like Todd Graham and his program, but give me Stanford to be very businesslike in their approach to this game.  Stanford will out muscle the Sun Devils and win this game comfortably.

Duke/Florida State- Midnight for the Dukies

I have been on the Duke bandwagon for quite a while now.  I think what they have done has been tremendous.  Forget Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, or North Carolina. Duke, the football team, has made it to the title game.  We should all applaud the turnaround.  That said they are going in the wood chipper Saturday night against Florida State.  The Seminoles are terrific.  They will pound the Blue Devils into powder in the end.  I give the Dukies a quarter, maybe 2 to keep it close.  Then the floodgates will open and Jameis Winston and company will tear the Devils apart.  FSU will advance to the title game while Duke will somehow get relegated to a bowl that they are too good for.  It will be a shame.

Michigan State/Ohio State- The B1G upset

Call me crazy if you like, but as I mentioned previously Defense wins Championships.  Ohio State needs a win in the Big 10 title game to secure a trip to the National Title game.  Well as inconvenient as this one will be Michigan State will pee in everyone’s collective cereal and defeat Ohio State.  Their Defense is ferocious.  The Spartan Corners can cover any receivers in the nation, allowing them to focus on the run.  Max Bullough and company will limit Braxton Miller and the Buckeyes and the Michigan State Offense will do just enough to win.  Does it seem crazy?  I don’t think so.  The rest of the country likes to ridicule the B1G but this conference is better than advertised.  Michigan State has a wonderful Defense and a developing Offense.  Connor Cook has been getting better by the week and is pin point accurate.  They are the best team nobody is talking about.  They will show the world Saturday night what they are made of.  Then we will have a mess on our hands.

This is the last weekend of true College Football for the season.  Soak it up folks.  Its a long offseason.

November

Saturday marks the first Saturday in November.  As with any November Saturday, there are several pretty damn good games.  Many of which have substantial implications for division and conference titles.  In November the games are bigger, more meaningful and better played. That’s not to mention the intensity of the games, which is ratcheted up a notch or two.  November is the heart of College Football season.  Texas Tech and Oklahoma State play in what will essentially be an elimination game in The Big12.  Miami and Florida State square off in what will be a lopsided affair.  The Noles are going to slap around the Canes and make an impression on the nation.  Michigan needs to beat Michigan State to remain in contention for the Legends division.  Missouri entertains Tennessee for control of their own destiny in the SEC East.  That one has tremendous potential.  My Nebraska Cornhuskers play the sinking ship that is the Northwestern Wildcats.  The problem for the Huskers is that they are playing like crap as well.  Georgia and Florida play in a game that is normally huge but this year features 2 teams dramatically underachieving.  Yep Saturday will be a tangled web that will slowly sort itself out by days end.  Along the way there will be highs, and lows, surprises and the expected.  Some will rise to the occasion, others will be crushed by a moment.  Only one thing is for sure.  It will be glorious.  Saturdays in the November, its part of what makes College Football the greatest sport in the world.

Looking ahead to Saturday- week 10

Man this fall is whizzing by.  I cant believe we are already on Week 10 and Thursday is Halloween.  Wow.  Week 9 was terrific.  I think we really learned a lot about the top teams out there.  It seems obvious to me that Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon are a cut above.  There are others that can prove themselves and perhaps get into this title chase.  We shall see.  On to this weeks action:

USC @ Oregon State– Does anyone remember 2008 when a top ranked, hot shot USC team went to Corvallis and got beat by the lowly Beavers on a Thursday night?  Man, that was awesome.  This time Oregon State has the better team and The Trojans are coming in on a Friday.  I see no reason why the outcome will be different than 2008.  Beavers roll in this one.  Watch Sean Mannion, that dude is pretty good.

Wisconsin @ Iowa– Put me in the camp that thinks Wisconsin is a pretty damn good team.  If you count The Arizona State game as a win (and you should, Whisky got JOBBED), The Badgers are a one loss team.  That one loss was to Ohio State in Columbus.  I think realistically Wisconsin should be ranked in the top 15.  Iowa has shown over the last few weeks that they are a pretty decent team themselves.  Also given the home field advantage this one should be pretty good.  Even so, give me The Badgers.  Chris Borland and The Badger Defense will be the difference.

Michigan @ Michigan State– No Offense Sparty takes on Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hide.  This game is one of my must watch games of the weekend.  These teams don’t like each other and they are both jockeying for position in the wide open Legends division.  For The Wolverines, this one is a cant lose, as they still have to play Ohio State.  Michigan State would like very much to defeat it’s rival and put them in their rear view mirror.  I think they will do just that.  The Sparty Defense will be too tough and Michigan relies too heavily on The QB run.

Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)– The Worlds Largest Cocktail Party again takes place in dumpy Jacksonville.  This game lacks the National relevance of years past but regardless is an awesome rivalry.  For Florida, nothing has changed, their Offense is still miserable.  For that reason I will take The Bulldogs.  Aaron Murray and company will put up far too many points for The Gators to be competitive.

Tennessee @ Missouri– Both of these teams lost last weekend in much different ways.  Tennessee got their wheels blown off by possibly the best team in the country, while Missouri BLEW a 17 point 4th quarter lead to end their dreams of a perfect season.  Call me crazy, call be biased, (both are probably true in this instance) but I could see Missouri sleeping on the Volunteers.  That would be a very Missouri think to do.  Meanwhile I am becoming a Butch Jones believer.  He has really done a good job in his first season in Knoxville.  He will have his team ready to play.  I will call for the upset here.  Give me The Vols to go on the road and beat up Missouri.

Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech– This is a very big game in the Big 12.  In all likelihood,  the loser will essentially be eliminated from the possibility of winning this league (that is not to say that either one of these teams will win the league).  I just cant trust the Pokes.  I have watched them a couple of time and have come away both times with a blah feeling.  Conversely, Tech really impressed me last weekend.  Those boys on Defense will pop you.  My only concern for Tech is the hangover effect of last weeks loss to Oklahoma.  Can they forget about and move on to this one?  I will say they can.  Give me Tech to win at home.

Miami @ Florida State– Do you remember when this would be the marquee game for the entire year?  These squads would go at it to determine who would represent Florida in the National Title chase year in and year out.  This rivalry has lost a lot of luster since those days.  It seems that these teams are never good at the same time.  Well this year they are.  Florida State brings in a top 5 Offense and Defense to this matchup.  Miami has been good as well but not nearly as impressive.  I think the better team wins this one as The Seminoles take out The Hurricanes with relative ease.  Miami is good, but they cant hang with Florida State.

Saturday night

I must apologize to you the reader.  I declared the Arizona State/Stanford game the best game of the weekend.  Well perhaps on paper it was, but sometimes the teams take the field and you are proven wrong.  This was one of those times.  Stanford is clearly superior to Arizona State.  Todd Graham is a fine coach still developing his program.  I have no doubt he will do well in Tempe.  That said he ran into a buzz saw in Palo Alto.  I was a bit concerned by the way Stanford had begun its season with lackluster performances against San Jose State and Army.  Appearances are deceiving as there is nothing wrong with the Cardinal.  That team knows exactly what it is.  Its big and strong up front on both sides of the ball.  Offensively they run the ball and set up the play action pass as well as anyone in the country.  On Defense they possess one of the best front 7’s in the country.  They absolutely smother the opposition.  Its a thing of joy to watch.  Taylor Kelly and the Arizona State’s offense had no choice but to throw short passes and the Cardinal knew it.  The result was a Stanford Cardinal blowout.  I turned the channel with 5 minutes left in the first half.  There was no point continuing to watch this game.

So I was left to surf the channels and search for a suitable Saturday night game.  Since I live in Texas, ABC gave me the Texas K-State game.  This game has been largely disappointing.  Texas has seized on the energy from the home crowd to soundly defeat a mediocre Wildcat squad.  KState has 2 QBs, one who can throw, and one who can run.  As you can imagine this makes them SUPER predictable.  They are also lacking in the WR department (outside of Lockett who had a HUGE night) and in Defensive playmakers.  Jake Waters, the throwing QB, fumbled the ball late on a QB run to seal the Wildcats fate.  It appears Texas has learned to run the ball with Jonathan Gray, who is awesome.  But we should hold the phone on all UT proclamations until they beat somebody.  Im not sure if KState qualifies at this point.

My Geographical location kept me from watching the game of chief interest to me.  The Michigan UConn game was nowhere to be found.  Sure I could have watched it online, but fuck that.  I want to watch it on my TV.  During the 2:30 time slot they move the game outside your area to ESPN 2.  Why the hell cant they do that at 7?  Seems pretty stupid to me.

My other options were Missouri/Indiana or Texas A&M/SMU and LSU/Auburn.  All were stinkers.  I’m calling it now Saturday September 21 will be the most mundane Saturday evening of the year.  I guess I will put on a pot of coffee for the Utah BYU game.

Underacheivers

College Football is a bit funny in that there are some programs that have no business being successful (Boise St., Kansas St, etc.). There are other programs that it would seem have everything going for them yet still underachieve.  If these schools really got their shit together they could be successful.  But for whatever reason they dont.  Here are 5.

5. Virginia

4. Rutgers

3.Illinois

2. Missouri

1. Arizona St.

These schools all have a few things in common.  They all have a good base to recruit from (whether or not they take advantage of this) and are public institutions with large student populations.  These schools often have marginal success but cannot sustain it.  For example Arizona St. came within a cat hair of winning it all in 1996 but havent made a Rose Bowl trip since.  Rutgers appeared to have the ball rolling 5 or so years ago under Greg Schiano, but nothing came of it.  The same could be said of Mizzou over the last 5-7 years.  Some schools have shed this label and taken their place as major players in college football.  LSU was long considered a sleeping giant but over the past decade have been one of the top programs, winning 2 National Titles.  As long as college football exists there will be underacheivers and overacheivers.  Perhaps in 5 or 10 years this list will change but for now these 5 are stuck in this category.